Daily Life with Furry Girls Ch. 28

The next morning, he left for his usual foraging trip and explored the forest at the other side of the hill from the neighbourhood. There were no paths but enough open areas and a thin stream to guide his way around.

It didn't take long for him to feel as if being watched again, and he took his time examining the plants he foraged, glancing left and right for a glimpse of the female creature. When he finally saw her, she was watching him from behind a tree with full, low branches. He chuckled at the thought of receiving a woman's attention, even if she was apparently not from here.

He wondered if the reason was so she could learn which plants were edible, and thought that would explain why she ate his salad the day before. He pulled a dishcloth from his basket, laid it on the ground, and placed a couple of his mushrooms and leafy plants on it, then moved back far enough in the hope he wouldn't be seen as a threat.

Waiting patiently and with some curiosity, Pierre watched the female move carefully from behind the tree, and keep low as she moved closer to the offering of food. Her gaze alternated between the food and him, and he picked a mushroom from his basket, wiped off specks of soil, and clearly showed her eating it.

With some hesitation, and to his delight, the female picked up a similar mushroom, sniffed it, touched it with her lips, licked them, then took a nibble. When she ate it whole, he chuckled in amusement, and watched her eat the rest on the cloth while still glancing at him and around her. 'It's good, isn't it?' he asked as he stood up slowly. She looked up at him for a moment, then grabbed the remains from the cloth and rushed back into the trees. He sighed. 'This will take a while.' he said to himself, and went on to collect the dish cloth and forage further down the hill.

***

His mind was still trying to figure out what the woman might be thinking and how he could gain her trust as he followed the small stream up the hill, and absent-mindedly stepped on a wet rock.

He cried out when his foot slipped on the thin layer of wet moss, and fell down hard on the rocky underground. He groaned as he sat up with effort at the aching in his foot and the side of his thigh. He pulled up the leg of his pants and examined his foot, but he saw no damage to his ankle. He tried to move it and clenched his teeth with a sharp moan from the jolt of pain. He took a few deep breaths, and looked up towards the top of the hill. 'This is not going to be fun.'

He pushed himself up on one foot with his hands, tried taking a step with a light tread on his injured foot, and stumbled at another jolt of pain shooting through his foot. He gazed at his upturned basket in the stream. 'This is seriously not going to be fun.'

Once again, he tried to stand and take a step, and stumbled onto the ground. He rolled over on his back and looked up at the the canopy and the patch of sky in between the crowns. 'Okay, this is a good reason to take a phone with me.' He sat up again. 'Don't give up, or spend my last days here.' he groaned, and pushed himself up again.

The arm supporting him startled him.

***

'Not quite what I expected.' said Guy as he looked at Pierre sitting in a chair with one foot in a bucket of water and at the mysterious woman hiding behind him. He kept a distance from the two so as to not frighten her more than she already was.

'Yeah, neither what I expected.' said Pierre and chuckled once. 'I hoped the way to make contact was much less painful.' He turned his head to glance sideways at his furry guest.

Guy chuckled in recognition. None of the first encounters with his girls were exactly normal. 'Do you need a doctor?'

Pierre shook his head. 'I can wiggle my toes, and the pain has lessened since yesterday. If it becomes worse I'll call for one.' He frowned. 'This miss Tesha, can she be discreet?'

Guy nodded. 'She won't make a huge fuss. Finding out who your guest is and where she came from would likely be her first priority.'

'Then you should call her.' Pierre said and glanced at the mysterious woman again. 'I think she'll be glad to return home.'