Chapter 5

I had no clue what time it was when the banging on my door started. Lifting my head, shaking the cobwebs out of it, I groaned as I stood, bitching about being woken up as I trudged my way to my door.

Wondering if I should have made a strong batch of wake-me-the-hello-up tea first before dealing with whoever was banging the door clean off its hinges as I blearily slapped my hand to the handle, my brain was not completely online for this shiitake mushrooms as I went for broke and flung the door open. "What?" I barked, squinting into the snowcapped ground around me, making the sun feel that much freaking brighter.

"Jo! You safe! Where you go?! Rek say you nowheres. No go Jo's hut," Gopher burst out, nabbing me up to clap me to his chest heartily and give me a spun.

"Oh my fucking god, Go'- Wait, what?!" I screeched as the world spun. "Put me down!" I bellowed, promptly stumbling into the side of my hut when he quickly complied.

"Go' finds Jo!" Gogo boots boomed out, making my ears ring.

"What the hell on this Yetified rock are you caterwauling about?!" I barked at him.

Like a bad smell that had to follow, Rek came barreling around the corner then. Rek got one look at me and made to charge at me. He mighta looked fierce if he didn't have my purse clutched in his hands, kneading it like a stress squishy.

"Hey, where'd you find that I-" I'd lost it? I couldn't recall how or when, until last night came blaring back. "Well, shit," I muttered.

"Where you go?!" Rek demanded to know, spittle flying as he got right in my face and waved my purse around wildly.

"Give me that!" I shouted right back, hopping around to get my purse back from him as he waved it over his fat, fluffy head. It was the most annoying game of keep away I'd ever entered into unwillingly in my life.

Rek continued to try and chew my ass three ways to Sunday, while I gave as good as I got, and Gopher kept up his announcement that I was alive and well.

"Juhjo backs?" Bum-bum called out from somewhere in the distance.

"Jo never left!" I shot back as I hopped around, between snarls and growls of frustration. "Jo was in her hut! I was too tired and must have dropped my purse in my mad dash to crash for a minute in the closest hut! I was dead on my feet!" It wasn't a lie.

Rek's purse waving keep away slowed. "Jojoanie sleepies in empty hut?"

"Yesss." Snatching my purse up to clutch my pretty to my stomach, death in my eyes, the word tapered off into a hiss.

Gopher took that opportunity to hug me, drawing my attention to the growing crowd of beings gathering around for my grand return.

"I wasn't missing! So sorry for the confusion! A lost purse and a misunderstanding, nothing more!" I called out, trying to ignore the flush of embarrassment of being an unintended spectacle washing over me. It was just fine and dandy when I made an absolute public nuisance of myself, but the sudden unintended spotlight? Hell to the naw.

It occurred to me as Bum-bum and Rek started to argue quietly in Lo denaii that my Mystery Yeti might actually be a part of this crowd. Frowning, trying to catch a hint of that voice, I had a sinking feeling my mystery male was probably better off just that to me, a total mystery. Less heartache and headache for all of us.

As Gopher, clinging to me, joined the brewing argument between Bum-bum and Rek in their native tongue, I had to wonder if Mr. Mystery was getting a good gander of this and maybe decided I came with too much baggage, far too many headaches for me to be worth it.

With that thought circling, I hugged Gopher back, reaching up to cup his cheek with one hand, yank him to me with the other, and peck a quick kiss to his cheek. "Thanks for looking out for me, Gogo boots. You're the best."

Stunned stupid, Gopher's words sputtered out.

Rek growled, the sound long and low, then louder when he snapped his teeth at us, but Bum-bum clapped his hand to Rek's shoulder and jerked him hard enough backwards he went flying.

"You too, Heg," I told Bum-bum, rushing him to give him a hug that had him choking on his next breath. Knowing I didn't stand a chance of getting close enough to his furry ol' chubby cheek to smack something good to it, I lifted his hand and smacked a kiss to the flat of it, like I was some kind of old timey gentleman in a historical or some shit.

"You all have fun beating up Rektal! I'm going to go catch forty winks! Later haters!" With that, I slammed my door and locked it. Leaning against the heavy wood as chaos reigned outside, I let out a deep breath.

"No hides, Jojo-knee!" Rek bellowed not two seconds later, and then the pounding on my door commenced.

"Oi! You break it, you bought it, you spineless snow bunny!" I bellowed right back.

"Rek no spine grass! You spine grass show dummy!" Rek garbled out back, he was so incensed.

Gopher burst out laughing, to Rek's increased snarling and snapping.

"What so funny, skinnied bones?!" Rek taunted. "That what Jojo calls Goboobs! Skinnied bonesed! Too skinnied!"

My hands flew to my face in horror. I'd only said that to the furred idiot to assuage his fears I wasn't head over high heels for my tall, sweet and tangy best bud ever. What the fuck, Rek?! Loyalty lost much?! That was in confidence and he knew it!

The series of choked noises Gopher let out had my heart seizing. My god, don't believe it, sweet cheeks! Gah. I'm such a big mouthed idiot.

"Rek brain tiny!" Gopher finally shot back. "Jo say Rek brain so tiny, match hims-"

Whatever Gopher said after that, he'd switched to his native tongue. His voice sounded taunting. It was enough to send Rek roaring and my hut shaking as something slammed against it.

Oh my god, Rek's going to kill him!

Throwing my door open, about to demand Rek let go of my sweet Gogo boots or I'd pummel him into the center of this earth, a shocked gasp left me and I stumbled back to keep out of the way, gaping at Rek flat on his back, kicking his legs as he blocked blow after blow from the enraged, skinny-boned Yeti whaling on him.

I wasn't sure what looked bigger as I stood there like a nincompoop, my widening eyeballs or gaping maw.

It took four Lo denaii to pull Gopher off of Rek, both parties still shouting things at each other as they were dragged apart.

When I would have stepped forward, not sure what party to rush to, Rek and his swelling face or Gopher, a heavy hand landed on my shoulder, holding me in place.

My hand clapped to that thick mit, a curse on my lips, at the ready, fingers curling around those thick digits, ready to throw them off, when Bum-bum let out a Don't even think about it rumble.

With a huff, I craned my neck to look up at him.

Bum-bum, gaze pingponging back and forth between Rek and Gopher, who were still roaring at each other in Lo denaii, simply shook his head. I knew that head shake was for me. He was scowling as hard as I was squinting up at him.

"Juhjo stay," he said simply.

"You stay," I muttered petulantly, yet held my damn horses. "Bossy… grumpy… Can't even say my name right…"

With a long, inward sigh, biting my lip as I watched Gopher get dragged off to cool off and Kirch, restraining Rek, gave up, socked him one in the kisser that had him seeing little birdies, threw him over his shoulder with an annoyed huff and carted his passed out ass off, I glanced up to my friend once more and gave the thick finger I was gripping a squeeze.

"Thanks, I-"

"No thanks," Bum grumbled, lifting his hand as the crowd immediately dispersed and started off as if he meant to leave.

Nabbing my coat, boots, and purse, I chased after the male. "Hey! Wait up! I wanna talk to you!" I called after him, but this just seemed to make him walk faster. I was at a dead run at this point, huffing and puffing, his long legged, swift stride easily outpacing me.

"No," he said simply, big shoulders twitching as he barely spared me a glance.

Instead of making his way towards the main village, he walked to a not so ragey with the water, less wide spot in the river and jumped over it with ease.

Clear to the other side, while I stood there on the edge of the river opposite him, he ignored me as I entreated him to come back for a sec.

"I just wanted to- I wanted to- Damn you, you lump headed butt face! I just wanted to thank you! You know, for everything!"

"No thanks," he barked back without a backwards glance.

"Ass," I muttered, scowling at his retreating back. Where was he in an all fired hurry to get to? A hidden away Lo denaii lover, maybe? The male was so elusive, who knew. "Is she pretty?" I called after him, shouting so loud he jumped at my words. "Can I meet her?" I kept on with a shit eating grin he caught when he spun around to stare at me like I'd lost my mind. "Your hidden away lady love! Can I meet her? Is she nice? Do you let her out to play often?!"

"Bah!" I heard him bark, waving his arm behind him like I was a gnarly toot he didn't wish to deal with.

"Is that a maybe?! I'll bring snacks!" I taunted sweetly.

"Bad female," someone rumbled out curtly.

Spinning around to find several Yeti all congregating within the nearby vicinity, my eyes narrowed to displeased little slits as I tried to single out the culprit. No clue who the heckler was, I rolled my eyes as if I didn't care and gave a sniff. "Maybe mind your own damned business," I called out to whoever the hell that was. "Busybody… asshole… nothin' better to do but get himself involved in shit that's none of their business," I huffed and puffed under my breath as I marched back to my hut.

Fat lot of good my I don't care eye roll was. The rest of me demanded to know who had a fucking problem with me. Come at me, furball!