Dawn dusted in like a call and instantly her eyes fluttered open, taking in her surroundings. Remembering the details of what took place last night, a scowl and sense of nausea filled her.

Slowly she got up. On seeing a quilt thrown over her body to keep her from the cold at night, she looked at her side to see him sleeping with an arm thrown over his eyes.

His body were robust and big beside her. She quietly saw the line of his abs like staircases heading straight down to another quilt covering his dangerously low hips.

Did he had to be very...Urgh!

She couldn't believe she slept with someone in the same bed.

The knowledge cut her and just like that bad thoughts of her past that she buried deep inside her threatened to emerge.

A man's hand touching her, grabbing her while she had slept, innocently.

River shook her head, cutting them. No. Don't think about him.

With cat like steps, she moved to her backpack. Taking in her toiletries, a towel and set of fresh clothes along with the dirty ones from yesterday, she exited from the tent.

Few of Iborians women were out, moving around and she wanted to ask them if there was someplace secluded and private to have a bath but at first she hesitated.

She knew they welcomed them but she wasn't sure how friendly were there. The only way to discern that was to just ask.

So River went up to one, asking her the question through the language of signing. She made notions of bathing herself and the woman just blinked.

Irritation flared in River when she got nowhere and she was about to go and search for a damn spring herself when a small boy trotted to her.

He wore white skinned pantaloon and his chest bare with white markings like some tribal tracery.

He waved his hand, and babyish English syllables broke from him. "Hi-hi. You-gi-girl who-who- my brothers-"Unable to say the word 'tent', he pointed back at Yisrael's pavilion.

River didn't have much an appreciation for small children. It reminded her of helpless little insects who were brought deliberately into this cruel world.

Chin tipped, she asked the little man. "You are Yisrael's brother? What's your name?"

"Yori."

"Why do all of your names start with Y?"

The boy simply shrugged his shoulders, as if he was tired of the conversation. He looked at her bag of toiletries and then his baby violet eyes brightened intelligently. "You-wash?"

Bending down at his height, River asked. "Yes,I want to take a bath alone. Where can I go?"

Taking her by her hand, he dragged her down the green narrow pathway in the corner. Bushes of leaves and branches brushing by her face, she tagged along behind Yori.

When they emerged from the riots of trees encompassing them, she heard the distinctive sound of a water falling.

The boy wavered her attention into small cavern where the sounds grew louder.

Her eyes widened when she entered the cave.

A subterranean natural stream flowed from a retaining wall at the end of the cave into a small bowl depression brimming with frothy water.

It was like a small pool and at its edge it had a thin fissure which lead the excess water outside. Which makes the pool always filled till it's brim and the water seemed to head out into the stream which guarantees no waste.

River gave out an excited squeal and hugged the boy. At first she was startled and immediately pulled back only to have the boy launch on her, hugging her right back.

Slowly her arm enveloped around him and she released a breath. Wow, who knew she would hug a child? Well, he did come handy.

Yori blushed and held on to her as if he was glad to be of assistance.

Rearing back, she kept him within arm distance to give him some instructions. "Now, listen you have to stay guard for me so that no one peeks at this beautiful specimen. You get?"

The boy was just tilted his head, reminding her of the brother who al- not going there, River!

"No one comes and see me- naked. Understood?" Again, bored with the conversation he meandered away out of the cave.

She sighed. Oh well, never mind.

She was anyway armed if any intruder walks in. She had her knife tucked in her toiletries.

Stripping, she stepped in, crying out in bliss.

The water was deliciously lukewarm and it smelled of rain and freshness. Ducking in, she moved to the edge where she unloaded her toothbrush and paste, then brushed rigidly.

After that, she poured some bath lotion into her washcloth and scrubbed every inch of her body. She just finished shampooing her hair, twice and ducked under to clean out the soap when she heard a noise of beating wings.

Peering up, she let out a gasp when she saw dozens of red eyes staring down at her. That little rug rat forgot to mention the caves was infiltrated with bats.

She was about to scare them away when his voice made her spine stiffen.

"The bats help to keep the mosquitoes away."

She hastily looked over her shoulder, and saw Yisrael sitting on a boulder, calmly watching her as if she was a daily soap opera.

His elbows on his knees and hand cupping his chin as his eyes trailed down her back.

Immediately, last night thoughts hit her. How she had hated that he had been so close to touching her. Her fear of touch was subconsciously clamping her into a hard core shell and she was still battling with it every day.

"How long have you been in here?"

"For a while."

When Yisrael had awoke, his alarm sense kicked in when he saw the side of his bed empty. He strode out in thunder, demanding if anyone had seen her.

Seeing him so raged, no one squeaked. When Yisrael got mad, it was like an avalanche waiting to happen.

Everyone other than his family were scared of him and he wanted to keep it that way. That showed them that they would revere him and know there is a fine line between him and the rest.

He strives on fear and feeds on that like a power. However, this woman seemed to match outside without even notifying him. It bristled him.

When he saw Yori skipping to him, he held his brother by the arm. "Have you seen the girl who I am to keep a watch on?"

He nodded and pointed to the green pathway and Yisrael cursed. "You sent her to our special cave where we take a bath?"

The three brothers were very close and often did a lot of things together. They were bonded well and had secret hideouts for their own personal use.

He couldn't believe Yori had taken her to that cave.

He had dug it up for simple lazing around and being by himself when things get too complicated. It was his rest stop.

Usually the tribe bathed in the common stream down below and there wasn't much privacy for just him and his thoughts.

When he founded the cavern, his stupid brothers had followed him and were bent on sharing the new hideout with him.

Knowing they wouldn't budge, he relented only to warn them that this remained a secret among them only.

Apparently, the secret was divulged for this pretty looking thing and he partly thanked Yori because this was a sight to see.

Her hair streaming down her back as the water came right at her waist hiding the view he actually sought.

He wanted see how she looked down there. He wanted see her pussy.

His debauchery thoughts were shortly cut by her.

"Can you go somewhere else please? This is my private time." She made a shooing motion with her fingers and moving to the other edge, keeping her back to him.

Just yesterday she gave him a show of a lifetime and here she was spinning away to hide those goods from him. Not happening!

"This is my cave. You cannot make me leave."

Her itch began to scratch. She wanted to stab this man. How he talked to her like he didn't give a fuck about her thoughts.

She glared at him over one shoulder, "Well, your brother was kind enough to share it and now that I am in the mood take a nice alone quiet b-what are you doing?"

With one yank, his pants were off. "I'm in a mood to bathe too and you cannot stop me."