Chapter 2 Full

Gargoyle Clan of the Gatekeepers
Chapter 2

As Rastin looked around at the gathered villagers he told them “You had better wipe those mean & hateful looks off of your faces.” He looked around at them & continued “I don't want to see anyone being hateful towards myself or Jade.” He motioned towards Jade when he spoke her name. Most of the villagers grumbled, but slowly obeyed. One by one, the mean & hateful looks were replaced by those of toleration, quiet criticism & cautious curiosity.
The hunters served as body guards at this point & made way through the crowd for Rastin & Jade. Chase then was able to get through the villagers to a cleared area, so that Rastin & Jade could dismount without being crowded.

As Rastin dismounted, he saw a friendly face pushing her way through the crowd, coming towards him. It was his sister Serina. Rastin reached up & helped Jade dismount. He put his arm around her protectively, & she leaned into his embrace. Rastin was watching his sister make her way through the crowd. He pointed as said to Jade,

"See that woman coming through the crowd towards us?” “That is my sister Serina."He said with a big smile.

He held out his free arm to hug Serina as she came up to greet him.

Rastin and Serina had become good friends as they had become adults. She had always been supportive of Rastin's decisions as Clan leader. Serina being the Clan Healer also had a high position in the Clan. So her opinions & support really helped in Rastin's leadership of the Clan.

Serina let go of her brother & looked at Jade. She understood how Rastin felt about not leaving Jade in the forest alone. Because she was a healer she couldn't stand to see anything alive be hurt & not try to help it. She would have probably done the same thing Rastin did. Although she knew she wouldn't be as good at protecting Jade as Rastin was. His huge muscular frame was enough to make most anyone sane really think, before trying to take him on. Of course Slasher was a different story. He was a bully & used his knife first and asked questions later. That is how he got the nickname Slasher. Serina offered her hand in greeting to Jade as she said,


"Hi my name is Serina, welcome to the Clan of the Gatekeepers. I am the Healer here & would like to take a look at your wounds as soon as you get settled." Serina smiled at Jade.

Jade almost cried when she saw the sweet smile of Rastin's sister. She was the first one other than Rastin who had said a kind word to her, & smiled at her. Jade wanted to hug Serina for her kindness, but didn't want to push it. So Jade just said,
"Thank you for your kind welcome. I will let you look at my wounds when I get to wherever I will be staying."
Jade looked up at Rastin after saying that, as if to ask him with her eyes where she would be staying.

Rastin understood by Jade's look what she was thinking, and answered her unasked question.

"I was thinking you could stay with me, if you like. You are already used to being with me, & I would feel much better knowing I could be there to protect you." He said as he smiled down at Jade. Then he asked,
"Would you like to stay at my house where I can protect you?"
Jade smiled up at Rastin & replied, "Yes, I would very much like to stay with you. You have been a very good protector so far & I am glad you are willing to continue to do so. Thank You for offering your home for me to stay in."
Jade's smile slowly faded, as she remembered that she would not be able to go back to her own home and family.
She quickly shook off the melancholy and hugged Rastin to cover up the change in her mood and thoughts,
when she was thinking about her home. Rastin hugged her back. Then
released her. The three of them walked together, leading Chase, to Rastin's home. 

As the three of them reached Rastin's Estate, he took Chase over to the stables. He unsaddled Chase & got him fresh water & food. Jade found a grooming brush & brushed & rubbed Chase down. Serina helped Jade, & was amazed at how Chase was reacting to Jade. Chase only tolerated Serina's presence, but he seemed to truly like Jade and to really enjoy her affections. They finally got Chase and the other horses settled comfortably in his stalls.

The three of them walked over to the house. It was more of a Castle than just a house. It was the largest of all the houses of the Clan. It even had a lookout tower where you could see the whole village at once. It had been owned by every Clan leader ever since it had been built hundreds of years before.

"Rastin this isn't just a house, this is a Castle!" Jade said, surprised at the sheer size of Rastin's house. Rastin smiled.

---

Serina stayed at Castle too sometimes, so she kept some medical supplies there in case she needed them. Rastin guided Jade to his bedroom & had Jade sit down on the couch & wait, while Serina went to get what
she needed to better clean & medicate Jade's wounds.
When Serina came back she told Jade,“I will be using soap & water to first clean your wounds. Then give you willow bark tea for the pain. Then lastly I will use an herbal remedy called Tea Tree Oil to finish up while I bandage you up.” Serina had also brought over a soft buckskin rag, soap, and a pail of clean water.
Serina collected those items and said to Jade. “This might hurt a bit, but it'll be better for you in the long run.”
Serina dipped her hand into the warm soapy water, & wringed out the buckskin cloth. Jade flinched when the cloth touched her wounds on her face. The soap stung, even though Jade knew it couldn't be helped to clean out any dirt or germs that might cause infection.
Serina cleaned off the dried blood that had clotted in the wounds. Finally Serina was done cleaning the wounds she could see on Jade's face and arms. Rastin watched as Serina doctored Jade knowing she was in the best of care.


Serina left Rastin and Serina for a bit, to go to her own room to get her medicine bag & some more things she needed for the next procedure. Back in her room Serina poured some water into a small bowl and set it a frame above a large candle to heat it up. She then put some some Willow Bark into the bowl of water to simmer to make a tea for Jade.
Rastin went over to Jade & held her hand. “Are you doing alright?” he asked. She smiled up at him & as she looked into his eyes she could truthfully say “yes, I am.”
Serina poured the willow bark tea into a small water skin. Then she grabbed a vile of Tea Tree Oil, & went back to Rastin's room. As Serina entered the doorway she noticed the way Rastin & Jade were looking at each other, like they were way more than just friends or protector and ward.
Serina properly entered the room so they knew she was there.
Serina had also brought in a clean cloth & clean pail of warm water. She gave Jade some of the Willow bark tea to drink. “That should help with some of the pain.” Serina said. She held her hands out to Jade in a gesture for her to please stand.
“Now Jade will you please take off your dirty ripped up clothes, so I can clean your wounds that are covered up.” Jade bit her lip, not wanting to take her tattered clothes off in the light where Rastin could actually see her.
Gargoyles were used to seeing each other naked when they would swim in the river. So Rastin and Serina didn't think to have him leave the room while Jade undressed. Jade sighed and thought that her bra and panties would be just as much covering, as if she were wearing a bikini. So she took off the torn up shirt and Jeans.

Jade hadn't even been able to look at the wounds she had where her clothing had been torn from the fall. It had been night when Slasher had ripped her pants off & almost raped her. If it hadn't been for Rastin he would have. It also had been too dark to look at her wounds under the covers at night. She hadn't looked at herself in the light or else the hunters and Rastin would see her as well. She now saw that she had a gash in her knee & several cuts on her legs, back & stomach that hadn't been cleaned before. They all looked bad to Jade & felt bad too.
Jade held Rastin's hand as Serina began to clean the blood off of her wounds. Jade gritted her teeth & squeezed Rastin's hand hard as Serina rubbed harder to get the dried blood off, and clean the deeper wounds. After cleaning the gash in her knee she sewed it up very carefully. Serina put some numbing ointment around the wound before sewing it up, yet it was still very painful for Jade. Jade's fingernails dug into Rastin's hand as Serina sewed up the wound in her knee.
Finally, Serina was all done cleaning the exposed wounds, and Jade was relived that she wouldn't have to do this again. Little did she know that Serina wasn't done doctoring her yet. Jade reached for her shirt and was about to put her clothes back on when Serina stopped her. She said that putting on dirty clothes would defeat the purpose of cleaning the wounds. Serina said she had some spare clothes up in her room.
Serina said “I have some spare clean clothes in my room, wait here.” She left the room to go get them. When she returned she put the clothes on the bed for Jade.
Jade noticed that what Serina had brought back for her to wear was little more than her bra & panties she already had on.
She was grateful for clean clothes to wear though.
The shirt was made of soft buckskin, and looked like only a breast covering. To Jade it looked more like a bra than a shirt. It was the same thing that she had seen most of the women wearing when they had arrived in the village. She thought that it would not be possible for the Gargoyles to wear a normal shirt because of their wings. She looked at the other piece of clothing Serina had brought her. It looked like the loincloth Rastin wore. Jade looked at Serina and saw that she wore the same thing just fit for her own size. Jade wasn't so sure about how to even put a loincloth on. So she asked Serina to help her. Jade ignored Rastin, and tried not to think of him watching her, as she took the rest of her clothing off. Before Serina helped Jade put on the new clothes, she took a clean wet rag and washed the rest of Jade's body to get the dirt off. Serina didn't want Jade putting on the clean clothes on her dirty body. "You don't need to be getting those clean clothes dirty, by putting them on your dirty body." said Serina. Jade was dirty from the fall down the hill from the Gate and from several days of not being able to take a bath while with the hunters. Her wounds were now clean but the rest of her wasn't. Being a healer, Serina was a very clean person. Jade stood there with her eyes closed so she didn't see Rastin watching her. She could pretend only Serina was there with her if she kept her eyes closed. She wished Serina had washed the rest of her before she took the last of her clothes off. She had to stand there totally naked in front of Rastin as Serina washed off the dirt, blood and sweat that had collected on her body over the past several days since coming to this world. Finally when Serina was done washing Jade, she applied an herbal ointment to all the wounds, and put bandages on the more serious wounds. On the bandage for her knee she soaked the bandage in the Tea Tree Oil where it would be touching the wound. The scrapes she left open to the air as long as they hadn't been bleeding. Serina then carefully helped Jade put on the clean clothes.
Jade never had put on a loincloth and it was weird to her to have someone else dress her, but she did need help with it at first.
Serina left the room to go get a pail of warm water & a rag for Rastin. When she returned she handed Rastin the pail of water and buckskin rag and told him to wash himself. He took the pail and rag from her, then Serina left the room and went back to her own room to clean her own self up after getting blood, dirt, medicine, & on her from Jade.

---

Rastin put the pail on the table and started to take his loin cloth off. Jade saw what he was doing and stared to turn away so as not to watch him get undressed.

"You don't have to turn your back, it doesn't bother me if you watch". said Rastin. So Jade turned back towards Rastin and tried to only look in his face. She didn't completely Succeed. Jade noticed that he had a very nice looking body, and the reproductive organs of Gargoyle men look exactly the same as human men. She wondered if humans and gargoyles were compatible. Her body was tingling all over just thinking about that, & she felt like she shouldn't for he wasn't human. Jade blushed when her eyes left Rastin's face. Rastin smiled at Jade's flushed face, and reached out and softly caressed her cheek. Jade blushed all over again. He wasn't used to a woman blushing or being embarrassed because of looking at him. Jade was much more modest than he was used to. He quickly, washed and put on a clean loincloth.

---

It had been a long time since the meager breakfast they had quickly eaten that morning in camp. Jade was very hungry by now and so was Rastin.
"Do you have any food that is quick to fix?" Jade asked.
"I sure do, follow me," Rastin replied as he opened the door and went to the kitchen. Serina was already there and had some food prepared for them as they entered. Serina smiled at them both. She had them both sit down, as she set bowls of stew in front of them. Serina had a grin on her face like she knew what had gone on in the bed room after she left. Serina only thought she knew what happened, but she wasn't right.
“We are only eating light today because there is going to be a “Hunters Feast” tonight.” Rastin explained.“He took a bite of his stew, then continued.”It is a feast when the hunters return with no injuries and a very successful hunt.”

---

That evening as they were getting ready to go to the village for the feast, Jade told Rastin that she felt exposed in the clothes she was wearing. She said that she just wasn't used to having that much bare skin showing, especially in front of a crowd. Rastin got a black cape out of his room and put it over her shoulders. It was large enough so that she could pull it closed & not feel exposed anymore. Rastin showed her a broach in his hand. “This broach had been my Mother's, I don't mind if you borrow it.” Jade felt much better having the cape to cover her. “Thank you That feels much better” Jade took the broach & clasped it to the cape. She figured that with time she would get used to wearing so little clothing.

Rastin showed Jade his favorite mare. “This is Velvet, she is Chase's favorite mare.” She looked similar to chase with a beautiful velvety black coat . Velvet nickerd to Jade when she scratched her behind the ears. “She likes you, Chase might get jealous.” says Rastin & he laughed. Rastin saddled up Velvet for Jade to ride to the “Hunters Feast.”

Serina had her own horse in the stable that she saddled for herself. They all mounted up and road towards the center of the village at a leisurely pace. Jade missed the closeness of sitting in front of Rastin on Chase, as they road to the village. It was nice to have more room to sit, but she missed Rastin's strong arms around her.

Soon they came to where the “Hunters Feast” was being held. They tied the reins of their horses on a picket line that was put up for this event. Rastin held out his arms big strong arms to both of the women. He held his right arm out for Jade & left for Serina. They all walked together over to where the food was being prepared. Rastin took a long deep breath in and said “Oh that food smells so good.” As they stopped Jade looked all around & noticed that there was much more than deer meat being prepared for the “Hunters Feast.” Serina left her brother's side to go help out with whatever she could.

Jade stuck to Rastin's arm like glue. Rastin introduced Jade to some of the nicer gargoyles he new. He hoped that they would come to like Jade just as much as Serina did. He didn't want anyone to like her quite as much as he did. He just wanted her to be accepted by the Clan. Many of the gargoyles Rastin introduced Jade to were very friendly and seemed sincere about it. Jade started to feel a little better after talking with so many gargoyles that were friendly to her. Jade still stayed by Rastin's side, but eventually let go of his arm.

Jade wasn't quite so afraid anymore she actually was enjoying herself some. As Jade tried the different types of foods she asked questions on how to make the foods she liked the most. The cooks were very happy to know she liked their foods so much. So they were very friendly to her and gave her the recipes she wanted.
Jade heard music & turned her head & group dancing around a bonfire. It looked like fun but Jade wasn't confident enough yet in public, but she hoped to get up the courage some day soon. She was glad that they were not getting the hateful looks any more like they had earlier that day.
Rastin was very pleased that the gargoyles were being tolerant of Jade even if not all were friendly. This night could have gone much worse than it had so far. He was happy that Jade was enjoying herself and making a few friends and acquaintances.

They had both had a long day & were tired, so didn't stay late like most everyone else did. They found Serina & hugged her goodbye. They mounted their horses, and road back to the Castle.