Lupirin: Pain - part 1
Pain - Part 1
Adrian was aware of the pain long before he came fully into consciousness. His whole body throbbed, his body attempting to reject his entire bloodstream and yet cling to life at the same time. Never had he known such agony as this burning that filled his body, from the tips of his ears to the spots on his tail. He attempted to curl up into the fetal position, tears of pain running freely from his eyes. Memories fled before him like a flock of startled sparrows. There would be no chance of catching them. He retained only vague images...and the pain.
With every move he made, the pain doubled, but at the same time, the pain was so great that he could not keep himself from writhing. It took him quite awhile to realize the pain he felt was in his right shoulder, and it emanated to the rest of his body. Never in all his seventeen years had he felt anything so intense, so horribly intense. The young leopard cried piteously in his absolute misery. Yet at the same time, his voice did not have the power to hope to be heard.
Just kill me..._he begged silently, not having the strength to speak aloud. _Please... someone just kill me...
He felt gentle paws push him flat on the bed on which he laid. He immediately reached out and grabbed tightly onto one of those paws. He latched immediately onto the idea that he was not alone, even as he had latched onto that single paw. There was someone there, someone to help him bear the pain. That in itself seemed to make the pain lessen somewhat. Whoever it was, they gently pried open Adrian's fingers, freeing their paw.
"Don't be afraid, young one. I won't let you come to any harm." came a soft female voice. The voice contained a commanding, matriarchal tone.
"Seerey..." Adrian whispered in a hoarse, weak voice.
"Yes, it's me, you silly cub." she said reassuringly. "Try not to move, it will only make you hurt worse."
Adrian was able to relax somewhat knowing that it was Seerey who watched over him, but that was not enough to make him forget how much he hurt. Seerey was a vixen, her muzzle just beginning to grey with age. Adrian could not see, for his eyes would not open, but just imagining the image of the old fox was enough to make him feel better. She would be wearing her usual homespun brown dress, with long sleeves and a hem that draped all the way to the floor. It was all the clothing she required. Her brown eyes would be soft and compassionate as she worked.
Adrian once again felt her paws upon his fur. She was feeling him, checking for things of which only she had knowledge. Her paws pressed against his neck, then his arms, then traveling downward she felt his chest, and then just below his navel. It was at his moment Adrian realized he was not clothed. If Seerey was the only one here, that did not bother him. She then reached up and began to prod very carefully around his tender shoulder. Adrian tensed.
"Seerey, please..." he croaked, trying to push her paws away.
"Be still, young one. I promise I won't hurt you." she murmured, gently placing his paws back at his sides where they belonged. She continued to softly press and rub against his fur. This seemed to tell her something, because after a few moments she ceased, apparently satisfied. She walked to the far end of the room to retrieve something, and then returned.
"This will sting."
And then the needle plunged into his shoulder. The spasm of pain was brief, but to Adrian that moment was an eternity of living hell all its own. For one and a half seconds, he could not move or even scream. The pain was far too intense for anything in his mind to function properly. Adrian very nearly vomited from the pain...but then, as quickly as the moment had come, it was over. Seerey was injecting something into his shoulder...whatever the substance was, it was now Adrian's new cocaine. With each beat of his heart, a blessed numbness encroached over his body. Within a few moments, he could feel nothing at all. The heavy fog of pain lifted from his mind, and Adrian was able to think clearly for the first time.
"Thank you, Seerey...thank you..." he murmured fervently, his breath still coming in heavy gasps. Adrian managed to open his eyes, and when he did, he saw Seerey bent over him, a restraining hand on his chest.
"Take it easy, young cub." Seerey said sternly. "You managed to stay alive somehow, but it was a close thing." She turned to a table at the far end of the room and began to mix herbs and medicines in a bowl.
"Stay alive?" Adrian said, surprised. "What happened to me?"
Seerey turned, her eyes softened with pity. "Your memory will return soon enough, cub." she said. "When it does, you will thank me for not reminding you."
The leopard's throat constricted with fear. "Seerey..." he said, his trepidation evident in his voice. He tried to sit up. "What happened to me?"
The vixen was immediately at his side, pushing him back down on the soft bed. "Don't get yourself worked up." she murmured. She knew exactly how to calm him down, as she had known him for all his life. "Don't be afraid...everything is fine."
Adrian sighed and relaxed. She wasn't going to tell him anything. "If I'm hurt, shouldn't I go to the hospital?"
"Don't worry about that. The hospital can't do as much for you as I can."
Adrian knew this was probably true. He took a moment to take stock of his surroundings. He was in Seerey's house, he knew that. He had been here many times before...but how had he gotten here? He had remembered getting ready for work this morning, picking out his usual white polo, walking out the door...and then taking his usual shortcut through the woods. He always walked a path through the woods on his way to work...it led directly to the backyard of the computer shop at which he was employed...
Adrian tried as hard as he could to remember what happened past that point, but he simply could not. It was all just a blur of images that made no sense. Then Seerey was back at his side, working with firm, compassionate paws. She put a large poultice on his shoulder, made of herbs of which only Seerey knew. She pressed down firmly, ensuring the medicine had good contact with Adrian's fur. She then wrapped the entire thing with gauze, tightly.
"Your pain should be all but gone by tomorrow morning, but your strength will not return for several days."
Adrian looked up into the eyes of the vixen who had been his mentor for so long. "How long until I'm better?" he asked.
Seerey looked down into the eyes of the child she had long since begun to think of as her own grandchild. His irises were already beginning to change to red. "I don't know yet honey." she said, her voice bearing heavy emotional weariness. "I just don't know. You try to get some sleep now. You'll feel better when you wake up."
Adrian willed his body to calm and closed his eyes. Without the pain, his body had the opportunity for true, restful sleep...and his body took full advantage of the chance. Within only a few moments, he was in a deep slumber.
As soon as Seerey was certain that Adrian was asleep, she stepped out into the cold night. She looked up at the stars, her breath steaming in the cool air.
"You have a cruel streak. You have a knack for torturing those who don't deserve it." she said, speaking to someone who was not there. She whispered to herself. "Why him?"
Seerey sat down on her front doorstep, and for one of the few times in her life, she cried.