Hidden Meaning: A life lost, A life gained
Hidden Meaning: A life lost, A life gained
The wolf morph drove through the slipery, rain swept streets. He'd been at work only a few minutes when he'd been called saying Sherri was inlabour and something was wrong. Slamming his pickup up a gear, he narrowly avoided a police car as he went 'round the corner. The light's flashed and the cop was after him. Faust's heart was going so fast as he sped up even more, relying upon his instincts and reflexes to get him to the hospital safely.
"Pull the vehicle over and turn off your engine, this is your only warning before I open fire." The officer following him on the loudspeaker. Faust swerved as a car slammed it's brakes on right in front of him. The officer avoided it too, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid nicking it with his back bumper. The car swerved dangerously upon the night time road and Faust used the opportunity to get closer to his Sherri, his wife, and truth be told, the only person he lived for. Faust took a sharp right, feeling more than seeing the back tyres skidding into the median. There, just ahead was the hospital, rising up like the light of heaven within the depths of hell. Looking into his rear view mirror Faust watched as the officer made the corner. The smaller car really didn't have much power against his pickup truck, but Faust wasn't a killer, he just wanted to get to Sherri. Swerving through traffic, his adrenaline in overdrive, Faust made his way through slower moving cars trying to be careful without cutting his speed, and rapidly speeding back up when it was unavoidable.
The officer behind Faust radioed for back up just as Faust pulled into a prking spot at the hospital. He requested extra units and a possible swat team before going after Faust, his weapon drawn. The racoon morph went through the front doors, yelling "FREEZE" as Faust raised his nose to sniff the air. Finding the scent he was after, Faust opened the nearest door which led to the stairs, the racoon hot on his tail. The stair light flashed upon his badge, Officer Brighton being lit before the badge moved out of the light. The slightly over weight officer trudged up the stairs as fast as he could, trying to keep his suspect in sight and failing. The sound of a door opening just above him made Brighton's heart speed up a bit. Brighton made the next floor and checked the door through the small window on it. He moved away just in time as Faust came barreling through the door again, sprinting up the next flight of stairs, his breathing laboured and his scent mixed with terror and fear. Brighton shook his head to clear it and went up after him. The third floor was the same, but when his suspect came barreling through the door, after it had barely shut. This time the wolf's scent was filled with excitement. Officer Brighton fired off a shot at the wolf's back as he moved up the stairs with almost impossible speed. There was a splash of red blood on the stairway wall as the gray blur continued without hesitating, moving up the stairs to the fourth floor.
Faust crashed through the door to the fourth floor, literaly powering through it and ripping the steel door from it's bolted hinges. He and the door crashed into a tray with glass and vials, a nurse screaming in fear as the gray blur moved. Running solely upon adrenaline and his need to get to Sherri, Faust ignored everything, even the Officer with a gun drawn following right behind him. A scent, a familiar one filled his nose, causing him to turn left. A door was in his way, he removed it, forcefully. Doctors and nurses moved around a still form upon a medical bed, a much smaller and just as still form next to it. There was blood everywhere around the larger still form. Faust could easily see into the internals of the person. Looking to the person's face everything that had been going through his head for the last half hour froze. Sentience retreated and pure physical instinct emerged. Blood, unkowns, death. Faust moved, his instinct instructing him. A savage roar escaped him before he moved upon the nearest life form.
The green eyes of the blood covered form snapped open. Through pain and drugs, Sherri knew she had to react quickly. Taking a breath through a damaged lung and fighting the pain, Sherri screamed out.
"FAUST STOP!"
A hand, claws outstretched and ready to rip asunder the nearest life, poised just short of flaying a young vulpine's back open. Faust's muscles quivered as twenty-five years of mental training took hold.
Sherri took in yet another breath as a police officer came in, his weapon drawn and aimed. Fortunately he didn't fire, the young Vulpine nurse too close to claws that could kill him even if Faust died in a second.
"Sir, step away from the nurse." Faust's ear twitched, but otherwise he didn't move. Muscles twitched as fear and rage wanted the death of the being infront of him, but the words of his life mate were all that guided him.
"Faust, come to me." Sherri half whispered, her throat now tight from using so much energy to yell. Faust's ears focused upon her, his eyes following. Muscles twitched and Sherri saw the bloody hole in his arm. Sherri spared a half thought about making the officer pay, but there was something more important. Faust was special and now, she had to do the most painful thing or no one would live. She watched as Faust slowly stepped towards her, every care taken to be non threatening. His tail was tucked up under his pants, covering unseen genitals. Moving her eyes, Sherri found a female nurse near her child. "Nurse, give him his daughter, please. Everyone out, he's going to be very dangerous when I die." The mouse, with similar markings to her, quickly and carefully picked up the stillborn child. Moving it and the blanket wrapping, she transferred it to the very large wolf. She tried to make him take it, but he didn't do anything. He didn't even acknowledge her or the tiny mouse she held. The other doctor's and nurses filed out quickly, not wanting to be anywhere near this wolf on the edge.
Taking another breath through her only lung, Sherri gave the hardest order she had ever had to give Faust in their fifteen years of togetherness. "Faust.." Faust blinked moving closer still and ignoring the other mouse. "Faust, take your daughter." The move was quick, impossible to see. One moment the child was with the rodent nurse, then she was being carefully cradled within the big wolf's arms. The nurse squeaked, running out of the room. The only one left was the police officer by the door with his weapon door, but no longer pointed at Faust. Tears leaked from Sherri's eyes, one half of her face smiling while the other drooped slightly as she watched Faust with her stillborn. "Faust I give to you your daughter, Emmily. I order you to care for her. I order you to defend her. I order you to protect her." A rattle started within her chest. No, not yet, not yet! Sherri breathed deep, the pain gone from her as her damaged lung supplied just enough air for her brain and one last thing. "Faust, I order you, to live, for Emmily." Sherri gasped, trying to draw breath again. Sherri's muscles twitched as she tried to claw for more air with arms that didn't work. Machines screamed, Sherri's heart rate dropped, flatlining at 0.
Faust stared at Sherri. Tears swelled and fell. A rivulet formed as salty water flowed down his furred cheeks. His hands closed instinctively before stopping short of a closed fist. Faust looked down to find a tiny arm within his hand, a thought away from being crushed. The hole in Faust's left arm intruded upon his mind. Tensing a bicep, Faust was surprised to feel pain. His heart beat slowing, and reality returning, Faust was forced to realise something. The person he loved more than life itself was dead. If it weren't for the officer now standing directly behind him Faust would have cracked his skull upon the floor as the information literally rocked him off of his feet. Brighton gave an "Ooof" as he was forced to hold the full weight of Faust before his legs tensed and he stood on his own two legs.
The officer, staring at the room, and the tiny form the wolf now held, now understood. The race through traffic hadn't felt right. It hadn't felt like he was being run from, and what happenned in the stairway had been strange. Addicts don't register pain, but they tend not to move with purpose, they can hardly string one sentence together. His mistake was in reaching for Emmily. The large hand of a very pissed off wolf was suddenly wrapped around his neck. Brighton's eyes bugged out as he was quickly and easily raised, the newborn kept out of his reach. He struggled, his fingers prying at the vice like grip around his neck. Seeing this wasn't helping, he went for his gun. Bigger mistake. The very microsecond that the gun had cleared the holster and was pointed in Emmily's direction, Brighton was thrown clear accross the room. The door to the room smacked open, hitting Brighton. A weapon was raised and aimed, Faust moved his daughter away from him, the weapon fired. The dart plunged into his shoulder, the drug takin immediate effect by numbing his arm. Faust's mind went into overdrive. He surendered himself to his most base instinct, only leaving the last words of his life mate as the guidline.
Faust woke up. his eyes searched the room before falling upon a slightly pudgy racoon in casual gear. He was asleep on his wooden seat, a book by Anne Rice on the floor near his hand. Faust tried to move. Everything hurt, his back, his arm, a spot above his right eye, and especially his chest and stomach. He couldn't help letting out a whine which woke the racoon.
"Don't move Mister. Nurse, Nurse!" The racoon backed towards the door, his eyes focused upon Faust.
Faust watched the racoon, concern upon his face. "Where am I? Who are you?" The racoon stopped backing away, turning as several people almost ran into him.
"Hold here, he might be rational." Turning back to Faust, he looked into his eyes, trying to understand. Faust stared back.
"Well? Where am I? Who are you?"
Brighton blinked. "You're in the hospital, you had an accide-"
"Is Sherri okay? Is she alive? Did anything happen to her? I'll never forgive myself if I've hurt her." Officer Brighton slowly shook his head in amazement.
"You've been in and out of a coma for the past three weeks. Your wife died during an operation to give birth to your daughter. You didn't take her death well. If it wasn't for threatening your daughter, I don't think we would have been able to keep you down." Officer Brighton was just a little bit edgy, and for good reason. This was now the fifth week that Faust Skarm had been inside this hospital. His first two weeks he hadn't slept, and only eaten small amounts of food. Two whole weeks he had been conscious and always moving. He visciously defended his daughter, tasted and analysed everything before even considering giving it to his daughter. Apparently during the rush to save his life mate's life they had missed the tiny mouse's heart beat. No force on earth could get to his daughter, but by the second week, Faust's mentality had gotten pretty thin. No sleep and caring for his daughter's every need left a small opening for a negotiator. Threatening to kill his daughter, the negotiator managed to get him to come out of the building, leaving his daughter inside. Tranq darts were fired, and he went down. Surgeons removed no less than seventy-three bullets from his body, most located within his back and chest. The surgeon's themselves were amazed that one single person could have such perfect muscle density.
"My daughter, is she all right?" Faust didn't remember anything, only vague niggling things. One of those vague niggling things was an overwhelming desire to see that his daughter was safe. Brighton nodded and Faust relaxed back into the bed. "Am I allowed to see her?" Brighton looked to one of the doctor's behind him. She was already thinking. She gave a nod, gesturing for one of the nurses near her to go. "She's being brought now. Are you hungry at all? Do you need anything?" Faust slowly shook his head, yawning widely and showing off his canines.
Faust and Officer Brighton had been chatting for a few minutes, and Faust was now up to speed when she was brought in. Faust knew it was her immediately, she had the same scent as her mother. The small mouse morph was brought to him, a diaper wrapped around her lttle butt. Even though she was small, when Faust carefully took ahold of her, he felt Sherri within her. It brought tears to his eyes knowing that his mate died in order to give birth to her. "Do you want to know her name?" Asked Brighton politely.
Faust shook his head. He already knew her name, no one had to tell him. "Emmily.." He whispered, ever so softly as the little mouse curled herself into his warmth. "Dearest little Emmily.." A tear dropped from his eye as a sob threatened to break from his chest. Cradling his new, and only daughter to him, Faust cried a river of tears, allowing the loss of his life mate to become a part of him, and the regret to flow from him. Brighton, having gone through something similar when he lost his daughter, ushered the medical staff out, and closed the door behind him as he left too.
Faust sobbed himself to sleep, Emmily nestled against him. His first conscious decision as a single parent came somehwere around one in the morning when Emilly cried out, waking him. Cradling Emily to him, he asked in a low voice, "What's wrong Emmily? Are you hungry? Are you-" His nose right over her, he understood what the problem was. By Gods What a stench. Giving Emmily a kiss upon her nose that quietened her, he quickly looked around. On the chair by the door, someone had been kind enough to leave a bag of diapers, soft wipes, powder, milk bottles, and formulae. Looking to the foot of the bed, Faust saw that this room apparently had a bathroom. Carefully getting up, Faust grabbed the bag and nudged the door open. Flicking on the light switch, he looked around the bathroom. A toilet, a small shower, and a sink with a mirror. Not much, but useable. Faust carefully set Emmily in the sink, then rumaged around in the bag. Finding the blanket, he took it and the other items he needed out. Placing the sheet blanket next to the sink, he carefully picked Emmily up and put her on the blanket. Removing her diaper, he scrunched his nose up and carefully breathed through his mouth. Using the clean parts of the diaper, he quickly wiped as much of the crud from her fur as possible. Looking around when he was finished for a can of some kind, he just placed it next to the sink, away from Emmily. Plucking some moist wipes from their canister, he very gently and carefully wiped Emilly's butt clean of her filth, taking care to wipe downwards like Sherri had.... Faust froze. Sherri had shown him how to do this only a month or so ago, before all the chaos and uncertainty. She'd grabbed a lifelike doll from a toy store, and shown him exactly what he was meant to do and how. The memmory of that day touched him, making him smile despite the pain it caused. Faust continued to clean his daughter, a soft smile touching his muzzle. The smile lasted till the end of the cleaning. She was clean, and sniffing, she didn't smell bad, though the soiled diaper nearby didn't help. Leaning down to give her little belly a blow, he froze in shock, a hot stream hitting his chest a and drenching his chest fur. Looking down, Emmily looked up, bright green eyes sparkling in delight as, legs spread, she marked her father. Faust stood there in shock, hot urine dripping from his fur. She even smelled like..
Faust picked Emmily up, yanked his boxers off and stepped into the shower with his daughter. The giggling fuzz ball cradled in his left arm, Faust turned the knobs, cold first. Faust hissed as the cold soaked him immediately. Raising Emmily away from it, he slowly started turning on the hot water. He stopped when it felt slightly warm against his skin through his fur. Babies should never be placed in hot water, only lukewarm or slightly above it. Pointing the shower head mostly at the wall, Faust brought Emmily back down into the spray. She laughed happily, small hands grasping at the water that touched her. Carefully, Faust used his finger pads to wash Emmily, mindful of where his claws were. Not realising where his fingers were washing, Emmily's little tail wrapped around one of his fingers shocked him right back into reality. Emmily's head in the crook of his left arm, his left hand cupping her butt to keep her inplace, he'd been using his right hand to rub her soft fur clean. His hand had travelled steadily southwards, and now it was cupping her small groin, thumb upon her belly and brand new belly button. Hand under her butt, ring finger surrounded with mouse tail. Ever so carefully, Faust unwound his finger from Emmily's extraordinary little tail. Once free, he calmly turned off the shower. Stepping out onto the mat, he grabbed the towel hanging from the door and toweled Emmily dry, making sure to be careful. Using the corners of the towel, he carefully wiped the insides of her little ears. Refusing to dry himself, Faust walked to the hospital bed dripping water all over the carpeted floor. Placing her on his bed, he gently arranged the pillows. Both pillows to either side of her to prevent her rolling off of the bed, he raised the sheet of the hospital bed and laid it just above her chest. Bright green eyes stared up at him in the dimly lit room. Smiling, Faust leaned down and kissed Emmily's nose again.
"Go to sleep Emmily. Daddy's going to do everything he can to make you happy." Getting back up, he made his way to the bathroom and toweled himself dry. As he was about to flick the light off, his image in the mirror made him freeze. Moving closer he stared at his reflection, a soft horror settling upon him. Raising a claw, he gently touched a circular wound through his fur. It barely hurt, and was nothing more than scar tissue, but what truely hurt was the sheer number of them. Wrapping the towel around himself, Faust flicked off the bathroom light and headed to his bed. Taking note of exactly how he'd positioned Emmily, Faust looked to the floor with both a happy and a sad smile. Looking over to the door that was the only way into the room a flicker of concern crossed his mind. Calculating chances and considering them bad, he went to the door and slowly curled up infront of it. Sleep was very quick in coming, the soft darkness stealing away all his worries about the present, and, his new reason for living.
Writer's Entry:
Sorry for not writing in so long, there have been quite a few disturbances in my life lately, only one problem's gone away so far, leaving me with a broken heart. Current circumstances are the reason for this story, hopefully my next one will be happier. Please, any and all comments are welcome and appreciated. A vote'd be nice too.
Demon,