Guro Challenge #4: Piercings/Body Modification
#6 of 33 Day Guro Challenge
"Dad, I really don't think you should be doin' this yourself."
"Oh, pshaw, young feller, am I to trust the job to your tremblin' paws?"
"They ain't tremblin'!" Cheek tucked his paws behind his back to hide his lie. "Just think this is still gonna hurt 'cos if you take any more o' Sister May's stuff you'll pass out, an' you've been drinkin' so there'll be a whole mess o' bleedin'. Can't we at least leave it till mornin'?"
"No, we can most certainly not," Basil said, dipped the knife in the steaming kettle, and checked the tight bandages around each ear. "Hold the old hear-flap upright, would you, lad? The left one. That's it, nice and straight."
Cheek did so, and looked away. Basil squinted at the mirror in front of him, ran a claw along the charcoaled outline in the inside of his ear, and began to cut. Tiny sawing noises came from the knifeblade as it cut against the grain of the flesh, and Cheek swallowed hard.
"Aw, dad, how can y-"
"Shush! Needle, if y'would." Quickly but carefully, Basil started to sew the cut edges of his ear together, the clean thread pulling smoothly through and bringing the ear to a short neat point. Basil nodded, and guided Cheek's paws to his other ear.
"Looks good," Cheek said, avoiding the stitches. "Impressive. I don't reckon this is summat you coulda practiced on."
"Oh, bit o' barkcloth's not all that different. And I've had worse pains in my life." Despite his words, Basil was gritting his teeth as he started on the second ear. "You, f'rinstance," he added, and chuckled as Cheek snorted.
Finally, the second ear was clipped and sewn, and both stood up short and neat. Basil rinsed the blood from his paws. "Excellent. String, please. Not quite ready to be doin' this bit all the way, better get used t'walkin' that way first." Basil took the string, rested his footpaws on the table, and tied the toes of each together in pairs, leaving him with footpaws cloven in two. "Last bit, please."
Cheek swallowed again, nervously, and eyed the polished branches on the bed.
This part had to be done carefully, and Basil's paws trembled slightly as he worked slowly. The barkcloth straps went around his head, through a collar, under his paws and round his chest, the headstraps not fully tightened yet. Basil picked up the knife again. Cheek covered his eyes and heard wet sounds along with Basil's breath and the occasional drip of blood on the table.
"You can look now."
Cheek peeked through his claws. The wounds were hidden beneath bandages, under which Basil had pulled the skin around the base of the branches. It would heal around them in time. The straps were almost the same colour as his fur, though too broad to be hidden close up, and tight as skin. Basil pulled his chair to the window, stood on it, and struck a dramatic pose against the dying sun. "How do I look?"
Cheek beamed. "Every bit a stag."