Balancer's Soul

by H. Lee Morgan, Jr

  ***

  While Sarah continued sitting in the damp grass she examined her hands. “Well the cuts really aren’t too bad… At least the bleeding stopped. I just hope it doesn’t get infected.” Her nose wrinkled.

  It took nearly an hour before Connor finally returned carrying a small piece of wood filled with water. “I’m back, Princess. How are you feeling?” His voice of heartfelt concern and relief was evident and made her suddenly feel better.

  With a shy smile Sarah replied “It’s not every day that you are protected and saved from a hungry and wild animal. I should thank the big cat.”

  Connor’s laughter sent her heart beating wildly yet again. “It’s not every day I get to rescue any beautiful maidens.”

  Sarah face flared with heat and she knew immediately that he made her blush yet again. Trying to change the subject she asked “What did you do with the uh…cat?”

  “Gave him a proper burial, as best as I could manage under the circumstances.” Connor said remorsefully while his unique hazel eyes spoke of compassion. It was a rare glimpse of a person’s true character and one she looked for constantly.

  “Interesting, he doesn’t want or like to kill, but he will not hesitate when there is need. That’s how every man should be.” “Good.” Sarah said, breaking the silence that lingered between them. She then noticed that he held a cup of water in his hand. “Connor, I am a little thirsty. May I have some of that water?”

  “I’m sorry Princess, but this water is for me to clean your wounds, not to be drunk.” He said while walking towards her. He stopped in front of her and shoved his hands into his black jeans pocket. He pulled out some green leaves which Sarah recognized instantly.

  “Sage!” She announced, sounding astonished. Connor smiled a smile like she passed his test. To further prove her knowledge she explained. “This will help keep my hands from getting infected. Good job, Connor. I didn’t think of using that. I didn’t even know if any grew around this area.” He still smiled calmly when he slowly sat down right in front of her. “I can’t believe how talented Connor is at finding a medicinal herb so quickly… let alone how attracted to him I am… no stop that, he’s just a child… well not exactly. He’s already proven himself a capable man already. Few grown men could do what he did.”

  Breaking her chain of thought he grabbed her hands gently and turned Sarah’s palms up. Sharp eyes scanned the scrapes with obvious training in medicine. “This will not be pleasant Sarah, but I have to clean and open up these wounds again.” He said remorsefully and his tense expression matched. But what she noticed the most were just how large his hands were. They were the hands of a person used to physical labor.

  Pouring a little of the cool water over Sarah’s palms felt very pleasant until she felt his calloused thumbs. Sarah could tell he was going as quickly as possible so as to not prolong her pain while not being overly forceful either. She kept her eyes shut tight to keep from wincing and locked her jaw. She made a slight, pained whimper which made him work more quickly. After a minute, the torture ended and he finished cleaning out the wound. He poured the last of the water over both of her hands to show the blood flowed free and all dirt had been dug out. “Well that wasn’t too bad.” Sarah said, forcing a smile.

  Connor didn’t smile, but said instead “As old as you are, you know that was the easiest part. This Sage stings just as much, if not more.” He placed the Sage leaves into the piece of wood that held the water. He pulled Tool out and she noticed that it too had been cleaned. Using the hammer side to crunch and grind the leaves into a paste, the little bit of water residue helped congeal the Sage into the right texture that it needed to be. It makes it more effective and easier to apply. At the exact time she knew it to be ready Connor said “It’s finished. May I take your hand?”

  Sarah took his question the wrong way. Her face burned even hotter and brighter than ever before and all she barley could get out was “We have only known each other for a day, Connor!”

  He stared at Sarah with a questioning look until he caught onto her train of thought. He let out a strong masculine laugh that gave her stomach butterflies. Sarah’s body was getting out of control from being so near him. When he was able to speak again he said “Sarah, I don’t know about that yet. We really have only known each other for a full day. I definitely have feelings for you, but this is all new for me. I have never felt this way about anyone like this before. It’s all so confusing.”

  “I’m ancient and for the first time in my long life, I too haven’t felt this way about anyone before now either. I am just as, if not more confused than you are.” Sarah said in all complete honesty.

  “Well let’s just see how things go from here on in.” He said, being honest himself too. He took his index and middle finger and dipped it into the Sage paste. He applied it gently to the wounds on both of her hands.

  When the stinging finally ebbed from her own endorphins, Sarah asked him very seriously. “What do we tell people about…us?”

  Connor answered with a bone melting smile “We can say that I found you in the woods and brought you back safely. For your scraped hands you may say ‘I tripped on a tree root and scrapped them trying to brace myself from a fall.’ As for us, we tell others that we became good friend. In private we can do whatever we want.” He then added with a grin and a twinkle in his eye, “I won’t tell anyone about your age if you don’t tell anyone that I took on a full grown Cougar and killed it.”

  “Will you quit calling me that? Cougar, there must be a better name…” and Sarah gave a wicked smile of her own.

  Connor stood up, towering over here and held his hand out and she took it. He helped her stand and get her bearings. They started walking again and Sarah did something completely out of her usual comfort zone.

  He currently walked on her left side and led her from about a half stride ahead. “This is reckless, but I really want to do this for some reason.” Sarah bit her bottom lip, stepped closer and encircled her left arm through his right. She felt his well defined muscles under the long black sleeves and became more astounded by their sculpted complexity and flawless structure. He was even more built than she could have ever imagined in a human these days. Connor didn’t flinch or shy away from the impulsive act. The only change came from his stride and it just slowed down to match hers. He looked down at her as Sarah looked up into those gorgeous hazel eyes and asked “Is this alright?”

  “I’m not complaining am I?” And she figured out what his smile meant. It was a smile for her alone. “My smile?” Her butterflies took off flying again.

  “So where did you come from? Not originally. I mean before you came to live out here.” Sarah thought he just wanted a conversation to get his mind off certain things. Probably the fact that she intentionally pressed her small, perky breasts against his arm forced the subject change.

  “I moved here from Washington, just about two hours outside of Seattle. It looks almost like it does out here. It was a pretty place with a thick forest teeming with wildlife and it was peaceful. I have always loved and respected nature.”

  “As do I. Everything returns to nature eventually. You cannot take from nature without her getting something in return. Anything we take also gets taken from us, to a degree.” He turned his eyes on her seriously. “One way or another!” He stared straight again. “That’s why we must work with nature, not against.” Staring straight ahead they continued walking.

  “You think the same way I do.” And that was the truth.