°~《Chapter Six》~°

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My head felt heavy as I finally woke up. There was no possible way for me to tell how much time had passed while I was out.

My throat was sore as I chirped, "Dan?"

I got a reply immediately, "Aspen, how are you feeling?"

"Where are you?"

Dan playfully nudged my shoulder, "I'm right here. I was by your side every chance I could get."

I rested my head on my hands, "My throat is as dry as a desert. I could really use something to drink."

Dan stood up and I could hear something being pushed closer to me. "Here's some water. Don't worry about me, and drink as much as you'd like."

I took his invitation and downed the refreshment. "What happened?"

His voice was a whisper. "You were hit by one of the Kymari's flying shuttles. They didn't see you until it was too late. You luckly didn't receive any broken bones, but your less than graceful landing gave you quite a few cuts and took your back scales clean off. From what I heard, they should grow back after a while though."

"Where are we now?"

"We're in Tuskon's home. That's the name of the Kymari we've been following. It turns out he has a mate, but I don't know her name yet."

I lifted my head to face Dan. "You weren't hurt were you?"

He laid down to wrap his wing gently over my back, "And make you worry? Never!"

I smiled and rested my head once again. The taste of painkillers was evident in my mouth. "Good. I don't know what I'd do without you."

* * *

The sound of Kymari voices woke me up. The painkillers in the water were starting to wear off and Dan was still beside me allowing me to stay calm as I lifted my head to check my surroundings. I clicked a few times to get a clear view of what was around me.

I had a fairly good idea of what it all looked like but the image Dan sent through the mindlink a moment later made things a whole lot easier.

We were laying in a tray of sand underneath a heat lamp. The angle of the image revealed us to be in a corner of a fairly large living room with multiple pieces of furniture, gadgets, and weapons all over the place. It basically looked like an organized mess and, interestingly, reminded me of myself.

Tuskon and his mate were sitting and talking on a couch on the other side of the room. They must have turned their attention over to us when they heard my clicks.

Tuskon's companion spoke up, "The male looks much more observant than his mate. She's barely even looking around."

"She's never gotten close and has always kept her distance. The male is the one who comes up to me and brings back the berries for them both to share. They both take off before I'm able to get any closer to her. Yesterday was the first time they decided to follow me into the city. Now that she's awake, it would be a good time to feed her."

"Has the male eaten anything yet?"

"I've been feeding him little bits here and there but he just refuses to leave his mate's side. I'm beginning to wonder if there's something else wrong with the female to make them act like this."

I looked over at Dan, "You didn't have to wait for me to get something to eat."

His chirps were filled with love, "I said I'd stay by your side and that's what I'm going to do."

I scooted deeper into his embrace as the Kymari continued their conversation. I clicked my mouth to observe them better.

The female voice was soft and reminded me of a fluffy pillow, "Do the wild ones all make that clicking sound?"

Tuskon shrugged his shoulders, "I really don't know. There still is very little known about their natural habits. I'll have to ask the two other handlers for some tips later today."

I shifted my weight as my stomach let out a low growl. "I guess I am a little hungry."

Dan sat up and shook out his scales, "Let's see if we can get some food then."

I carefully sat up as well. My back still hurt but was bearable with the bandages covering the wound. I clicked my mouth to watch as Dan walked over to the edge of the sand tray.

I tilted my head at him, "What are you doing?"

Dan half spread out his wings and let out a small trill of whistles and hums, "Just trying to get his attention. I'm not about to let him forget about us and let you starve."

I let out a few chirps and whistles of my own as I laughed at him. "I think you're over reacting a bit."

"Maybe, but it works just the same."

Dan successfully caught the attention of Tuskon, "I think it's time to bring out the fruit then. Would you like to help me feed them, Marcy?"

Marcy's voice slightly rose with excitement, "Of course. What do I need to do?"

I did a few clicks as I watched them leave through a side room. Both Dan and I stayed where we were until they returned through the same door. They were each holding something in their hands. It would be a good guess to say they were bowls of fruit.

Tuskon and Marcy both sat together on the couch closest to the side table we were on. They uncovered their bowls and each held out a piece of fruit. No one moved.

I lowered my head as my stomach growled once more. "I guess I can't wait here if I want to eat."

Dan waited until I stood right next to him. "You sure you're up to it?"

"I'm already here. There's no backing down now." With that, I jumped from the table to the empty couch seat.

Out of instinct, I unfurling my wings to break my fall, but instantly regretted it as the muscles in my back tensed up with pain. They retracted to my sides and I ended up rolling off the couch and onto the floor. Dan was at my side in an instant.

The two Kymari weren't far behind him, but their sudden movement had me on edge. My ear tufts fell flat on my head as I let out a defensive hiss. Dan covered my body with his wings and the Kymari stopped their pursuit.

We all stood where we were. Everyone seemed to be afraid to be the one to make the first move. In the end, it was Dan who gave in first. He refolded his wings and nuzzled my neck with his nose. I stopped my hissing but kept my ears flat. My discomfort had reached it's max, but was slowly going back down. I lightly growled as I faced the direction of the two Kymari.

Tuskon was the next to move. He reached out his hand, but instead of trying to pick me up, he offered me a piece of strawberry. I stopped growling and my ears perked up at the scent of my favorite earth fruit. He was lucky to have found my favorite or else I might not have let him get as close as he was.

I did multiple clicks to guild myself to the treat. Once I was within reaching distance, I used my nose to bump around his fingers until I found it. I didn't wasn't to risk biting him. As soon as the strawberry was in my mouth, he pulled back his hand.

Tuskon got to his feet to stand next to Marcy, "I was really worried there for a moment. I'll have to raise the dosage of her painkillers so she doesn't over work herself next time."

"You put them on the counter, didn't you? We can put some in the rest of her fruit so she can better relax." Marcy walked off into the side room before Tuskon had a chance to reply.

Dan's mindvoice shook me out of my concentration, "Will you be alright? You won't be able to move much if you're given more painkillers."

"I'll be fine as long as you are here. It'll make my back feel much better anyway."

Dan puffed out his chest, "Just tell me if they're making you too uncomfortable and I'll make them give you some space."

My laugh carried into my mindvoice, "Don't get too cocky now, or they might start feeding you tranquilizers."

Marcy reentered the room and with the help of Tuskon, "secretly" added the painkillers to a dish of fruit. After they finished, they placed the drugged fruit bowl a few tail lengths away from me. Dan walked with me towards the bowl.

Tuskon pulled out the other dish of fruit and offered a piece to Dan. "Come here. Those aren't for you."

Dan snorted in disapproval of the command but gave in after a nudge from me. He needed to eat just as much as I did. I found the small dish with the help of my echolocation and used my nose to find all the strawberry pieces first. I was already starting to feel light headed when I moved on to the other fruits in the bowl.

A few clicks from my mouth showed Dan was on the lap of Tuskon getting his own fill of fruits. I couldn't quite hold up my own weight and had to lay down to try to finish off the bowl. I stopped eating before the medicine had the chance to knock me out. I no longer had the energy to give any more clicks and was now fully relying on my two other good senses to observe my surroundings.

Tuskon's voice was quiet and calm, "It should be safe to pick her up now. If you bring her over here, the male might be content enough to finish eating."

I could hear Marcy stand up away from her seat. Her footsteps were light as they made their way closer to me. My already blind vision was impaired leaving me slightly nervous as she started lifting me up. Her hands were warm, though, and much more comfortable than the floor. I slowly relaxed as she brought me back to sit next to Dan and Tuskon.

I quietly chirped at Dan, "Finish eating. I'm just going to take a quick nap."

I closed my eyes to keep them from drying out and waited only a few moments before the painkillers took their full hold on me.

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