Merome, Ch. 3

The small human named Mitch clung to my back as I walked over to his old house. I honestly didn't know that his feelings could be hurt that easily. When I lived in the forest it was like an honor to have your parents die. It symboled your family was brave and sacrificed themselves for something that mattered other than them self.

"Is this it?" I ask, kicking a snapped piece of wood that was his house.

Mitch opened his eyes, but quickly closed them again not wanting to see the remains of his house, "y-ya," he muttered.

I bit my lip and set him down. He slowly walked over to the rubble and threw rocks, wood, and broken furniture out of the way. When Mitch found what he was looking for, he froze and set the rocks in his hands down slowly. He pulled up something and stared at it dangling from its chain. He pulled it close to his chest and I heard a choked sob as he put his head down.

I walked over to Mitch and wrapped my arms around him. He leaned into me and held the item close, "what is it?" I asked innocently.  

He sniffed and held it out for me to see, "m-my parents gave it t-to me when I was little, besides the house this was the only thing I had left..."

The golden dog tag swung silently on the chain, and I could tell how much it meant to Mitch. He gently put it around his neck and stood up, "can we go now? This is all I need."

I nodded and began to walk towards the forest. Mitch ran to my side and walked next to me. We made in to the edge of the forest and I stopped. Mitch looked at me but stayed silent when I looked around, then walked in.

After a couple of minutes of walking, I heard Mitch yelp behind me, I turned around and seen he was clutching his arm again, "I uh, I just bumped my arm off a tree, I'm okay..."

I walked over to him and pulled his hand away, so I can see the cut. It was worse than before. It was getting a bruise and the cut itself was red and did look painful. "Um, just wait till we get to the village," I said, "Someone will be able to fix it up for you."  

Mitch nodded and looked down, beginning to walk again. I picked him up and put him on my back. He looked at me and I smiled, he smiled warmly back and buried his head into my shoulder.

After another couple of minutes I turned my head to see a sleeping Mitch. His eyes were closed and his mouth was slightly open. I could feel his heart beat on my back and it stayed steady the whole time. He had his arms loosely wrapped around my neck, and he looked at peace. To be honest he looked cute in his sleep, in a kitten kinda way, not a crush kinda way.

I sighed as I made it to the edge of the village, I knew this was it when I seen random logs sticking out of the ground everywhere. They were there to make the forest more dense, and the village harder to find.

I carefully moved threw the logs, trying not to hit any of them and hurt the sleeping human on my back

"Jerome?!" I heard a voice yell. I slightly turn my head to see one of my brothers, Eric. He ran over to me and looked me up and down. He looked at the sleeping Mitch on my back and looked shocked for a second, but then calmed when he remembered I was the one carrying him. "Who's this?" Asked Eric, leaning in closer and sniffing Mitch's bad arm, "ugh, he smells like blood. What happened?!"

I turn slightly so Eric could see the cut on Mitch's arm, "during the tornado a piece of glass cut his arm, I don't know how he fell a sleep with it. To me it looks kinda bad."

Eric stepped closer and looked at the bruise and cut on his arm, "I agree, we should get him to the village so mom can patch him up," he turned and began walking, I walked next to him until we made it into the village itself. Luckily it hadn't been hit by the tornado, but it was close.

When we made it inside many bacca's were happy to see me, and hear I was staying with them again. Once they seen Mitch on my back though, they seemed surprised. I explained the story about twenty more times and eventually the gossip pasted on so I didn't have to talk anymore.

Me and Eric made it to our moms house, it was a decent sized log cabin, and very cozy. We stepped inside to see our mother on the couch. She was knitting something for the smaller children to play with, but once she seen us she quickly set it down and walked over.

The surprising thing about woman in the species is they look like humans, but there hair is always a darker brown and very long. They never had hair any other place on their body, so I had to admit, almost every girl in the village was beautiful. The only thing that really separates a woman bacca from a human is the fact that they were larger in general, and they had sharper teeth. My mom was not fat be any means. She was very strong and pretty, but her figure was larger than a humans, and she got noticed for that in the human civilizations.

"Who's this?" My mother asked, looking at Mitch, still sleeping on my back.

"Uh, mom!" I said kissing her cheek, "this is Mitch, and I was hoping he could live with us in the village."

She studied him for a second, "let me see him," she said, pulling him off my back by under his arms, and surprisingly he stayed asleep. She walked over to the couch and sat down, laying Mitch across her lap like she was giving a cub a check-up. She watched him for a second as he stirred but then laid still.

Mom leaned down and sniffed his face, (yes woman bacca's have good smelling/ hearing/ instincts as well) "salt, he's been crying hasn't he?" She asked.

I nod, "a little."

She looked back down and finally seen his arm, "what happened here?!" She asked, her voice filled with pity. She too has now seen him like a cub.

I scratch the back of my neck, "well, when the tornado came he was I front of my house I guess, because he started knocking wanting to come in because his house was to far away. I let him in and come with me to the basement. To be honest he was completely terrified, and when the tornado came over my house they window in the basement shattered. I tried to cover him but one piece still got him."

Mom watched me, taking in the story, then back down at Mitch. "Eric?" She asked, "go get the medical kit from my room."

Eric nodded and ran to her room as instructed. A minute later he came back and gave the medical kit to mom. She took out a wipe and cleaned off around the cut. She wiped off his hand where he had been holding his arm and threw the wipe away.

She leaned down and sniffed the cut, "there's still a small piece of glass in it, I need to get it out so it won't hurt him later." She pulled out a pair of tweezers and looked at the wound carefully. "I found it," she said, "now I hope he doesn't wake up."

But he did.

As soon as my mom pulled out the small shard of glass, Mitch yelped and rolled off the couch. He immediately cried out when he landed on his arm and sat up, a few tears rolling down his flushed cheeks.

"Sorry, sweety," my mom cooed, "I'm just trying to clean up your cut."

Mitch was obviously frightened, but when he looked around and seen my he relaxed. "Mitch," I say walking over to him, "this is my mom, Isabelle."

My mom nodded and smiled. I helped Mitch up and sat him back down on the couch. Mom finished cleaning the cut, but when she was about to bandage it she stopped, "can you take your shirt off Mitch? It's stain with blood, and I don't think won't be to healthy."

Mitch's face turned a light shade of pink, but he took his red and black checkered jacket off and slipped his long sleeved shirt over his head. He had a well toned body for how small he was, and I don't just mean small to a bacca, he was small for a human, and yet he appeared very strong.

My mom bandaged the cut, and when she secured it she sniffed it again, "well it doesn't look like it's gonna bleed through, but just be careful so you don't hit it off anything."

Mitch slipped only his short sleeve jacket back on, and mom took the long sleeved, blood stained one to throw away. "Thanks, Isabelle," Mitch said standing up.

Mom kissed the top of Mitch's head and his face turned pink, "you can call me, mom."