Artemis cringed at the site of the blood. She had nothing resembling a weak stomach, but she knew that the feeling of blood left to dry on skin was an unpleasant one. She nodded towards her friend and moved to sit by the deer. Artemis was no chef - she could cook a decent meal for herself if need be, but she hardly ever had to. Fortunately, this could hardly be considered cooking. She just had to watch it and make sure nothing ate it or something like that.

"Have a pleasant wash!" Artemis called after Storm. Then she pulled a book out of her pack and began to read, keeping an eye out for any animal brave enough to venture near the meat.

Storm smiled gently as he nodded towards her. Then turning he walked towards the area she had just left. Going a little farther down to the deeper water he walked in. Then turning he began to wash the blood from his back to the best of his ability. When it was mostly off he bent down and washed his upper body. Taking careful drinks he then raised up shaking his head of excess water.

Making sure all the blood was off of him he then turned and walked to shore. Then turning he walked back up to camp letting the sun and air dry him. Comming up to camp he picked some herbs before adding them to the deer meat. Smiling he then moved towards her and laid down with his upper body close to her's.

Artemis smiled when Storm returned, glancing up at him before returning to her book. She finished the paragraph she was reading, then set the book aside for a moment. "What do you suppose we do now?" She sighed and turned her head so that she was looking at the centaur. "Do you think we should visit some of the other creatures? Or perhaps we could go talk to some of the witnesses?"

She threw up her hands in frusteration and slammed them down on the floor of the cave. The summer air was still warm and they far enough from the fire that Artemis wasn't too hot. There was a light breeze that made its way into the shallow mouth of the cave, and that was refreshing. The whole place smelled of hay and pine, and the atmosphere was lovely. Still, Artemis was anxious. Anxious about how she would get any information about these stupid attacks when it seemed like the whole world was working against her. With the notable of exception of Storm, that is. She sighed again, more audibly this time, and squeezed her eyes shut tight. When she opened them, there were blue dots in her vision.

Storm smiled gently at her as he added the herbs. After sitting down beside her he watched as she read. Then he spoke, " Maybe we should ask some of the other creatures in the woodlands if they have experienced anything off." With that he leaned back as he began to wait for the deer to be done.

When it smelt done he leaned forward and grabbed the pot. Pulling it towards them he smiled up at her before getting a fork out of his bag and stabbing at a small chunk of meat. Then hearing her getting slightly angry he looked over at her gently. " Hey it'll be okay Artie. We will figure out what this thing is and we will find a cure."

Artemis' face relaxed infintessimally and she leaned forward to get her own portion of the food. She ate quietly, nodding at Storm's reassurances. "I know, you keep saying that. It's just easy to get discouraged when so few people are trying to help." She couldn't help but smile a bit at the nickname. "Storm, you haven't called me Artie in years."

She was beginning to get a headache so she rooted around in her pack, producing a mug and packet of herbs. There was a pot of water already boiling in the fire as Artemis had predicted that she would want tea. She poured some water into her cup and dropped the packet in, allowing the mixture to steep. It smelt of chamomile and rose hips.

He looked at her gently before speaking, "We have only been at this for just a little while Artie. Besides we can always recruit others if needed." With that he continued eating some of the meat. Hearing the comment he looked over at her gently before speaking, " You haven't been open enough. When we were younger you liked it, but when we were teenagers you snapped at me that you never wanted to hear me call you Artie again."

When she made the tea he smiled as he chewed his meat tenderly. Then remembering something he grabbed his back and pulled out a large bean that his clan had started growing. Looking towards her he spoke, " The coaco bean. It makes a very good dessert."

Artemis laughed, remebering when she'd told Storm off for being patronizing or something like that. "I remember, now. You said it was endearing, but I thought you were trying to make yourself sound older and wiser. How silly that all seems now..." She stirred her tea and watched Storm take something from his pack. It looked like a stick of some kind. "Cocoa bean? What does it do?"

He shook his head gently as he spoke, " I would tell you the reason behind that but then you would hate me." With that he bowed his head slightly as he listened to her. Hearing the question he spoke, " I will cook it and it will make what the humans call chocolate. It is a very tasty treat."

"What is that supposed to mean?" She still wore a smile, but she was concerned now. She would hate him? Whatever for? They had been friends for as long as she could remember and not once had she ever considered hating him. Mustrusting him, perhaps, but never hate.

"Chocolate?" She asked, her expression turning quizzical. "I guess I'll have to wait and see about that one."

He just smiled gently, " It's very good and sweet. You'll love it." With that he put the bean into the fire without a pot or pan. Leaning back he sighed as he looked up into the sky. Then taking a deep breath he moved slightly away from her before turning his head away from her.

Then he spoke, " I had such a huge crush on you Artie. Over the years it became deeper and I have fought hard not to act on it and now that you know I can ask that another centaur helps you. I can easily go back to the clan if you feel uncomfortable with me now."

Artemis' smile about the chocolate quickly disappeared with Storms sudden outburst. It wasn't necessarily unhappy, just shocked. She had had no idea. At least she thought she hadn't know. Had she? Had there been signs? She supposed there had. Staying with her for so long, the way he was always kind to her and how she could always trust him. That went deeper than friendship, didn't it?

She looked up at Storm and took a deep breath. "I guess I kind of knew, didn't I?" She moved towards Storm, reassuring him that this really didn't change things very much. She still wasn't sure what to say, how to react...she didn't want to push him away but she still wasn't certain what to do.

Storm noticed her moving and looked up at her. Sighing softly he gently picked her up and curled her into his body. Then he spoke, " I never wanted you to feel as if I had pushed against your trust." With that he gently played with her hair softly before speaking, " I tried to hide most of the signs."

Looking into her eyes he then spoke, " You can act on it or not. I swear to everything that I am that I will not do anything to hurt you." With that he leaned forward and poked a hole into the bean.

Artemis considered this for a moment, though she was shocked at the sudden change in Storm's demeanor. He had always been careful not to push her boundaries too far. She supposed that wouldn't change if their relationship did. She still wasn't certain if it was what she wanted. She had always told herself not to trust men, that they had only one interest. But Storm wasn't like that, was he? Had he not proved that he wasn't in nearly everything he did and said? Artemis found herself a little bewildered. She looked into Storm's eyes and tears threatened to trickle from her eyes.

"Storm, I don't know what all of this means but I do know that I do not want another centaur as my companion. Will you stay? Or is that dependant upon my answer?" Artemis knew that his answer to this question weighed more than she would have liked. She knew he was a loyal friend, but matters of the heart often made a mess of the person the heart belonged to, turned them into someone hardly recognizeable. She hoped that didn't happen to Storm, but one could never be sure.

Watching the emotions that crossed her face he sighed gently. Looking into her eyes that were filling with tears he pulled her into his arms. He then kissed her forehead gently while hugging her gently. Then pulling back he just smiled gently down at her.

Hearing the questions he shook his head softly, " I will stay at your side until you send me off Artie. I will not send another centaur as your companion and of course I'll stay with you." With that he gently touched her cheek as he held her in his arms.

Artemis' relief was clear on her face, so she buried it in Storm's chest, wrapping her arms around him. That was the answer she had needed to hear. He would stay with her even if he knew she didn't want him, and that was, strangely enough, exactly what she needed to hear from him.

She pulled her face away and looked up at his, tears now trickling down her cheeks. Not sad tears. Confused tears and happy tears and strange tears. "Than Storm, my answer is yes." She was aware he hadn't really asked her a question as such, but she could think of nothing else to say. She closed her eyes and hesitated but a moment before raising her face to his and kissing him. She pulled her head back after a moment and leaned it against his chest again.

Storm held her close to his chest before rubbing her back gently. Holding her he then began to whisper soothing nonsense. When he saw the tears he wiped them from her cheeks softly before kissing her forehead.

When she pulled back some he frowned slightly. Looking down at her he then smiled gently down at her. When she kissed him he was a little shocked before putting a hand to her back and bringing her closer to him as he returned the kiss. Feeling her pull back he moved back aslo before holding her close to his heart.

Artemis suddenly felt slightly uncomfortable, which was odd. She supposed she wasn't really sure what came next. It wasn't as if she'd ever done anything like this before. She didn't like this kind of thing. It was strange that she should now. She glanced at the fire where the chocolate still cooked.

"Storm, uhm...I think you left the chocolate in the fire." She smiled a bit, though she wasn't really sure why. "You might want to get that. Then again, I know nothing of it so do as you see fit."

Storm nodded his head gently towards her as he let her go. Reaching forward he grabbed the chocolate bean before pulling it out of the fire. Placing it on a rock he then took two cups from his bag. Smiling he bust a hole in the top of the bean.

Pouring the chocolate liquid into both cups he handed one over towards her. " You'll enjoy the taste of this" with that he took his owncup and took a small sip. Sighing softly he set it down soon after his sip.

Artemis accepted the little cup of chocolate, but wasn't sure what to do with it. She watched Storm sip it, so she mimicked him, pouring a bit into her mouth. It was thick and smooth, and very sweet. Artemis savored the flavor, trying to make it last as long as possible. When the bit she had taken was gone, she turned to Storm.

"That is wonderful! Where does it come from?" She asked, eager to know about this strange little bean and its exotic flavor. She wondered why she'd never heard of it before. It must not be native to her area of the world...She took another sip and closed her eyes.

Storm watched her face and seeing the instant pleasure on her face he laughed. Shaking his head when she lowered the cup he filled it back up. He then spoke, " A farmer from a long ways from here came and was lost in our wood. We took him in and he showed us this bean. As you know we never asked him for payment of his care."

Nodding his head he then took another drink of his cup. He then spoke with a loving smile on his lips, " He insisted on paying and so little Rain asked him to plant and teach us how to raise the bean. So he spent months with us and taught us how to raise the bean. We can keep you in supply of them if you like Artie." With that he finished his cup before leaning back against a log and closed his eyes.