Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

Unwanted Pet? (PsionicCuttlefish & zach74374)

PsionicCuttlefish

PsionicCuttlefish

Supernova
Joined
Apr 10, 2012
Where had it all gone wrong? What did she do to make this happen, or how was she not good enough?

Life had been....if not exactly pleasant, then at least stable. She had been bred and born into her position, raised with careful training, before she was bought by her Master. Things started well enough, but her Master was....not nice. He was never gentle with her when he was using her. He was frequently angry with other things in his life, and when he was angry, he got rougher and more violent with her. Sometimes he even beat her for seemingly no reason at all. But it was always her fault, of course. She did something wrong, or wasn't good enough. So she would try harder, do better, maybe next time Master would be nice.

She got used to it. She had never stopped trying.

But recently, Master had been using her less. He sometimes didn't seem to bother being too rough, even. It was fine. It was an improvement. But yesterday, he brought a new Pet home. The new Pet was a gorgeous thing, a fox with pink-and-yellow fur. She wondered what that would mean for her.

Now she knew.

This afternoon, Master had brought her with him on a carriage ride. Master left for days sometimes, but he had never taken her with him before. It was comfortable in the carriage. The carriage rolled on for hours, across twisting, winding roads through a very thick and large nearby forest. It was the middle of winter, so there was several inches of snow on the ground and covering the trees, with a very light fall of new snow drifting gently down. Then it was nighttime, everything was dark except for the lantern on the carriage, and Master told the carriage-driver to stop. Then it had all gone wrong.

"Get out," Master had said.

So she did. And was told to step away a little more. And then suddenly, with a barked command, the carriage-driver set the horses into a jog, and the carriage had sped off, leaving her behind.

She was lost, now. The road had branched in several places, inside the forest. Not to mention there was virtually no light, with the sun having set several hours before she was left behind. The snowflakes continued to gently fall. She just didn't know what she had done wrong, but she must have done something. It must be her fault. Master had never done anything like this before, but it was always her fault. Was this the end?

She was naked; since Master did not allow clothes, she was always naked. Her fur was not enough protection.

It was so cold.

**********

Bardon trudged along the lightly-snowed forest road, whistling a little tune to himself to pass the time until he could get home. He was clad in multiple layers of thick, heavy hides and cloths to protect himself from the winter chill. He was also dragging a sled, loaded with a small deer that had been caught in one of his animal-traps. He had a fair amount of food stored up at home, though not quite enough to last him through the whole winter, so this was a lucky catch.

He would feast well tonight!

His path through the nearly pitch-black snowed-on forest was illuminated by the lantern on his sled. His eyes were very well-trained, and knew what shapes and colors in the darkness might be danger, and what was just shadows cast by the flickering flame-light of his lantern.

Which meant that, even in the darkness, he noticed the shape lying in a disturbed snowdrift on the side of the road as something that didn't belong.

"...Hrm?" He made a small inquisitive grunt as he stopped walking, unbelted the sled from himself, picked up his lantern from his sled, and walked over to investigate....
 
Elaine was mostly unconscious, as the man appeared, her tan long fur mostly covered up by the snow. Her lungs felt like they where freezing over, to the point even her breath wasn't shown as she breathed, and little flecks of ice came out of her mouth as she breathed out. She felt the mans hands on her before she could hear him, her head was covered with snow, and her once beautifully tanned fur was now turning white from the water freezing to her. She then let out a quiet groan, as she felt the man check to make sure she was alive. The thick fur covering her chest was coated with ice, and as he lifted her head, she opened her purple eyes halfway, but unable to see through the frozen tears in her eyes.
 
Snow crunched beneath Bardon's thick and heavy winter boots as he approached the odd shape, with his candle-lit lantern held high. As he got closer, he saw that the snow-covered shape was in fact a furry figure. An animal? Might be wounded. Might have to put it out of its misery... Bardon thought to himself...that is, until he stepped close enough to be within a foot of the figure.

He then realized, furry though it may have been, it was in the shape of a person. Arms, hands, bipedal legs.

An...anthro!? Bardon thought to himself with shock. He had never seen an anthro before. To him, they were the beastfolk of far-off, foreign lands. But that didn't matter at the moment--the anthro was obviously near-death, if they weren't dead already.

Hurriedly, he knelt down by the anthro and reached out with his hand to press into the anthro's back. It made a weak sound and lifted its head barely, but noticeably. It was alive!

At that moment, that was the only thing that mattered to Bardon.

He didn't care how an anthro had gotten this far out in the middle of nowhere. He didn't care why it seemed to be naked. And he didn't care that the anthro might not survive even if he helped them. This was a person, and they needed help. Bardon set down his lantern on the ground to the side, then reached down with his arms, covered in layers of thick hides, to pick up the anthro in the very dim light of his lantern. He lifted the anthro up and carried it over to his sled, then momentarily set the anthro down right next to his sled. Next, Bardon unstrapped the deer carcass that was secured to his sled, then unceremoniously shoved the dead body right off.

He then picked the anthro back up and laid it out onto its back on his sled, then gently tied a few of the straps together so the anthro would not slide off. Bardon then removed his outer heaviest layers of hide-clothing, going down to a mere cotton shirt on himself. He laid his clothing out over top of the anthro, to give it as much protection from the cold as he could for the moment.

Bardon quickly retrieved his lantern, re-attached it to his sled, then re-strapped the sled's harness to himself. Thus prepared, Bardon set off at a faster pace than the lazy trudging he was doing earlier. He didn't care that he was wearing only a thin shirt on his upper body in the snowy cold now, all that mattered was getting the anthro to his home as quickly as possible. His home wasn't far...

*****

The lock on the door rattled, clicked, and then Bardon threw the door open, rushing into his home, with the anthro--still blanketed in his jackets--carried bridal-style in his arms. His home was a log cabin in the woods, a simple house for a man with simple needs. Currently, it was lit only by the embers of a fire to keep the house from getting too cold while he was away.

Bardon carried the anthro right up to the fireplace and laid them out in front of it, then quickly threw some more firewood into the fireplace and used a bellows to stoke it up until the fire was crackling away on its own again.

The man then went over to his metal bathtub and got a fire started in the firebox beneath it as well. He spent a few minutes filling the tub with water from the storage tank in his house, then checked the firebox beneath the tub to make sure it was still going. He rushed back to the anthro to make sure that they were still breathing, and beginning to warm up next to the fireplace. Bardon then went around his home to light some candles and lanterns for more illumination, then went back and forth between the bathtub and the anthro, until the water in the bathtub was finally lukewarm. He could not warm someone up too fast--they might go into shock.

With the bathtub prepared, Bard went back over to the anthro one last time, pulled all his jackets off of them, then carried them over to the bathtub and gingerly laid them down in the semi-warm water. Now, for the first time, he was finally able to get a good look at the anthro.

The beast-person looked dog-like, with a light creamy-tan fur color. And, with a slight blush of embarrassment, Bardon realized that the anthro was a she, judging by the now-noticeable swell of her furry chest while she was sunken in the clear water, with only her head above it.

Bardon continued to tend to the firebox beneath the bathtub, and monitored the water to make sure it was getting steadily warmer, but not -too- warm. He also very carefully touched his fingers through the fur of her arms, legs, shoulders, belly, and back, checking for any other injuries. No signs of frostbite, thank goodness. She seemed to have a fresh cut or two, probably just from being in the wilderness unprotected, minor, nothing to worry about...but, on the other hand, as he examined her as respectfully as he could...he found more and more bruises. Old ones. What had happened to her? He stayed at the anthro's side for the most part as her body was returned to a normal temperature, leaving only once to begin to prepare a warm dinner before returning as quickly as he could. He waited until she finally became fully conscious again.

When she did, and opened her eyes, she would find herself in a cozy wooden cabin, gently lit by many candles. There was a faded, but still noticeable and pleasant scent of pine and tree sap in the air. She was of course resting in a bathtub of soothingly warm water, but then there was the man sitting on a stool off to her side, watching her with obvious concern on his features. The human male was wearing thick pants but only a thin, slightly sweat-damp shirt. He was well-built, tall and noticeably muscular in his arms and chest. He had brown hair on his head, and his face also looked rather young.

"Can you understand me?" Bardon asked her in a deep, but quiet and gentle voice. "If you can, how are you feeling?"
 
Elaine grunted, and then moaned softly, as she was picked up, she heard the man grunt, lifting him up, before feeling it, her body numb. She then grunted, as he laid her down in front of a weak fireplace. As he began to refuel it, she slowly began to drift off into sleep, her breathing becoming that of just a whisper. She awoke to being placed inside a warm bath. She had hardly been given bathes in her past, so on top of the warmth slowly leaching away the coldness in her bones, the sensation of water around her was a new one. She slowly looked up, her large as finding the blurry shape of a man as he sat down on a stool. She let out a soft groan, laying her head down. She then flinched, when she heard the man speak, her head was pounding, and the noise scared 0her. She looked back at the man slowly, and nodded softly, signalling that she could understand him. She then rested her head back, letting out another groan. "It's... It's cold." Elaine whispered, her toes where still numb, even through the warm water. Her chest was beginning to warm, the flecks of snow all but melted now, but her fingers and toes stayed numb.
 
After the anthro began to show signs of life and awareness, Bardon was especially relieved when she nodded her head to his question asking if she could understand him. Good, they weren't going to have any language problems. Her miserable groan and answer to his other question, however, had him looking concerned again. He dipped his hand into the water, checking the temperature. He determined it would be safe to make it a little warmer again. Bardon bent down beneath the tub and added a little more fuel to the firebox that was warming the water. It would still take several minutes before the extra warmth would be felt, but there was another thing Bardon could do immediately to help.

"Hold on one minute, I'll be right back." Bardon said in a deep, but gentle voice. He stood up from the stool he was sitting on, and then walked out of sight with the thudding sounds of his booted footsteps on the wooden floor. Elaine could hear some clinking of ceramic, and then a liquid sloshing sound. Then the heavy bootsteps started thumping again, getting closer until Bardon returned into view and sat down on the stool at the side of the tub again.

He held a clay bowl in his hand, which he held out towards Elaine in offering. A very pleasant and warm aroma wafted into her nose. The bowl had a fork in it and was filled with some kind of hot, chunky stew that smelled nicely seasoned. "Meat and potatoes...eating some of this should warm you up inside right quick." Bardon said in that low-pitch but pleasant voice.
 
She moaned, shifting in the water, as he adjusted the temperature. She looked up at him, as he said hold on, and left. She could hear things shifting, as he prepared whatever he was doing. Meanwhile, Elaine groaned softly, curling into a ball inside of the bathtub to try and gain more warmth. She then heard his footsteps, and her ears slowly lifted, as she slowly turned towards him. She let out a soft groan, and then opened her eyes again. She saw the bowl in his hand, and was about to grab it, when she moaned softly, curling into a ball once again. She shook her head, the water splashing softly around her. "N...not... hungry..." Elaine lied, she was starving, but her jaw ached from the cold, and talking was a problem, let alone chewing on something.
 
Bardon didn't fail to notice how Elaine's ears flicked in his direction and how her head turned towards him, even with her eyes closed. He didn't actually really mind how sensitive her hearing was or was not, but was just glad that it was a good sign her ears were still working well and she was still able to be alert to her surroundings. That was good news for her recovery. He watched her carefully as she made a soft sound that could have been of distress or relief and opened her eyes to see the bowl he was offering to her. He also didn't fail to notice how she did start to move towards it, then stopped with a more pained-sounding moan before turning away and claiming she wasn't hungry.

That wasn't right. Why was that?

Bardon frowned with concern. "...You should at least try to drink some of the liquid soup. I promise, it will help you feel better." Bardon said gently, hoping that she would at least go for that. He knew she couldn't be telling the truth by saying she wasn't hungry, but if she had a reason for not eating, he wasn't going to press her into it. "...If it helps, I can hold the bowl to your mouth for you, if your hands don't feel well enough yet..." He quietly offered, as Elaine's hands seemed like they might not be very steady at the moment.

Meanwhile, the warm aroma of the stew continued to waft around Elaine's nose.
 
Elaine looked up at him, her eyes blinking softly. She frowned, then looked back down at the bowl. She wanted to reach for it, to eat it all, but as she attempted to lift her hand, she noticed her hands shaking violently. She shoved them back underneath her armpits, attempting to get as much warmth back into them as she possibly could. She opened her mouth to speak, but a audible popping sound of her jaw shifting from being frozen for so long closed it. She let out a whimper. Stretching as mech of her legs would allow her, tension being released in loud pops as she did so, before she curled back up, not able to extend any more. "I'll... try but... but no promises." She told him, her voice shaky and horse.
 
Bardon patiently watched with a sad expression as the anthro regarded the bowl of soup again, then realized her hands indeed weren't warm enough yet to be useful. She then tried to open her mouth more than she had already--and Bardon heard the popping of her joints as she did so. Oh. So that's why. He winced sympathetically at that, and at the sound of the anthro's limb joints audibly popping even through the water she was immersed in. After she spoke, he answered with the softest voice he could. "It's okay, don't worry. I'm just trying to help you feel better, that's all."

He gave Elaine another moment to get herself ready, then he started lowering the bowl towards Elaine's above-water head. With extreme measured carefulness, he started tilting the bowl towards Elaine's mouth. When she put her lips to the edge of the bowl and the liquid of the soup trickled into her mouth, the feeling of relief would be almost immediate. The soup was hot, but not too hot, and the warmth spread through her jaw rapidly to chase away the eddies of bone-deep coldness, and she hardly needed to move her jaw for it. It also tasted quite nice--it was no gourmet dish, but the meat, potatoes, and whatever spices Bardon had added gave it a wonderful earthy and flavorful taste. When she swallowed, the warmth also began to pool in her stomach and spread through her core, heating her up inside quicker than the warm bathwater was doing outside.

Bardon kept very careful control over the trickle of hot soup, making sure not to go too fast for Elaine to handle. The instant she started to move away, he un-tilted the bowl and let her rest for a few moments and waited for her to indicate if she wanted more or if she was done. Either way, after Elaine was done, Bardon set the bowl aside and tended to the firebox beneath the bathtub again. "You're probably going to be sore and aching for a while," Bardon said quietly, "but let me know when you don't feel anything cold or numb anymore."

Bardon continued to monitor the bathwater as Elaine rested in it and let it warm her body. He made sure the temperature was staying level or increasing slowly as Elaine swam in it. He also gently suggested to her that she could dip her head beneath the warm water for a few seconds if her jaw, ears, or other parts of her head still felt cold, but he did not make her. If she asked for more soup, he happily helped her to more. His vigil did not waver and he did not leave her side until he heard from her that she didn't feel cold anymore.
 
Elaine whimpered softly as he told her that she was trying to help her. She slowly sank down, frowning softly. She looked at him, then down at the bowl as he slowly placed the bowl in front of her. She whimpered softly, opening her mouth slowly, her jaw whining as she opened it. She then placed her lips on the bowl, letting the warmth flood into her mouth. She let out a moan, as the warm broth entered her mouth, and slid down her throat. She felt her stomach grow warm, as she swallowed the thick broth. She then took her mouth away from it, groaning. She had hardly ate anything, and her stomach was already full. "I'm... I'm full." She whimpered, her stomach was too full, but the warmth was spreading through her, and it made her sink further into the pool. She moved down, far enough so that her jaw submerged, and she groaned softly, whimpering, as the warmth filled her jaw, letting the muscle tense, and then loosen, causing aches throughout it.

She looked up at the man, who she still didn't know. "Who... who are you?" Elaine asked him, whimpering, shifting upwards, and curling into a ball, leaning forward, her breast pushing against her legs, as she wrapped around her arms. "My... my name is... Elaine..." She whimpered to him, she was trying to talk, to do something, to get her mind off of her freezing fingers, and toes. Her ears where still stiff, but she didn't want to submerge her head any further than her jaw.
 
Bardon was somewhat happy to hear the more relieved-sounding rather than pained moan that Elaine made when she started drinking in some of the liquid broth. She didn't drink as much as he hoped she would before she pulled her head away, but if she was saying that she felt full, he absolutely was not going to push her. He set the soup-bowl aside and calmly watched the anthro as she relaxed in the warming water. But then she drew herself into a ball, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs as she spoke to him. He wasn't sure what that signified, but let it go for the moment.

"My name is Bardon." The human male answered, still in that low but gentle voice. "Hello, Elaine. Good to meet you." He added with a smile after she said her name, making a proper polite introduction. He waited another moment, before continuing to speak himself. "Are...you still feeling cold anywhere in your body? How well is the water working to warm you up? Do you need it warmer?" He asked softly.
 
She smiled softly, as he said his name, and said hello to her. She then looked down, frowning softly, as she tried to wiggle her toes, to no avail. "My... my toes and... and fingers still cold... and... and hurt." She told him frowning softly. Everything was hurting, but she was mainly worried about her ears, she couldn't feel, or move them, and she didn't want to take her hands out of the warm water to check how they where. She could still hear, it was a bit dull, but still able to hear at least. "And... and my ears... I... I can't feel them." She told the man, unsure what else to do. "And... and it sounds like... like I'm underwater... or... or something is covering them." Elaine told him.
Elaine let out a whine as she finished talking, as her ears began to ring, causing her headache to spike. She let out another, louder whine, as she brought her hands up to her ears, covering them, her ears felt so cold, even to her numb fingers she could feel the cold, like if water froze around, and inside of them, the warmth of the water causing frozen snow inside of her ears to expand and flood, and little drops of both blood, and water dripped out of her ears as they popped and rang.
 
Bardon frowned with concern as he listened to Elaine speak. Her fingers and toes should have improved by now. But she at least still had feeling in them, which was better than what she said for her ears. When she whined and brought her hands, with warm water, up to her ears, Bardon leaned forward slightly in additional concern...then startled as he saw trickles of red from Elaine's floppy ears.

"Stop!" Bardon suddenly said sharply, as he reached out to grab Elaine's wrists and pull them away from her ears. He was careful not to hurt her further, but he wasn't as gentle as he had been simply because he had to move faster. "Don't touch your ears! They're bleeding. And if they're bleeding now, there's a good chance you might lose them. If you touch and rub them, that'll make it certain." He said in a bit of a louder, clearer voice, making sure that Elaine could hear and understand him. "Stay here, don't move, don't touch your ears, I'll be right back. Understand?" He said, making sure Elaine was looking at him. He waited for her to acknowledge him, then he got up and quickly walked away with a rapid thumping of his bootsteps on the wood floor.

He went to his supply cabinet and quickly got a mortal, pestle, and some plant ingredients. He set about putting some leaves, roots, and water into the mortar and started mashing it into a paste with the pestle. Living self-sufficiently on his own, Bardon had to pick up a fairly broad set of knowledge and skills, including basic medicine. Once he had ground it up into a nice glob of paste, he quickly walked back over to Elaine with the mortar and a spoon.

He sat down on the stool next to the tub again, got a spoonful of the paste, and held it up to Elaine's mouth. "This is a painkiller." He explained. "But it will take a little time for it to kick in, so the sooner you take it, the better." He waited for Elaine to take the spoon into her mouth and eat the paste before he set the mortar and spoon aside and looked at her with a very regretful expression.

"I won't lie. This next part is going to hurt, Elaine. It'll sting badly." He said slowly, but in a loud enough voice for her to still hear him through her pained ears. "But if you want to have any chance of keeping your ears, this has to happen. I'm sorry." He said as he then reached forward with his hands again.

With one hand, he gently cupped under Elaine's animal-like chin to steady her head in place. With his other hand, he dipped it in the warm water behind Elaine's head, then brought his hand up to start dripping the water onto Elaine's ears and head. Internally, he was cursing himself. He hadn't dunked her head under the lukewarm water initially because he hadn't wanted to take chances with her inhaling water while unconscious, but he should have done what he was doing now. Gradually, he dripped more and more warm water droplets onto Elaine's ears, spreading the warmth around through them, as he eventually began scooping handfuls of water up to spill it over Elaine's head, getting the last of her dry fur above her neck wet as he worked to warm up her ears as gradually as he could, without directly touching them.
 
Elaine whimpered, tears coming down her face as she looked up at him, tears streaming down her face, staining her fur. She then tilted her head, confused, before flinching as he began to speak. Everything was so muffled, and as he spoke, she was hardly able to hear him. She whimpered, her hands twitching as she tried to stop her hands from reaching her ears. He then came back, holding something in his hands. She then saw him push a spoon in front of her. She understood what he wanted her to do, so she took the tablespoon inside of her mouth. She then slowly swallowed it, the thick sticky substance hurting her throat. She then flinched, as Bardon grabbed her chin. She let out a whine, as he held her head still, pain shooting through her jaw. Her eyes widened, and she let out a yawl, grabbing the side of the bathtub. She let out a yawl, as more water was pooled into her ear. She then wrapped her arms around her legs, curling into a ball, whimpering loudly. "S... stop..." She said, unable to hear.
 
Bardon's heart ached with sympathy as tears leaked from the anthro's eyes while she whined and whimpered as he got her to stop touching her ears and gave her the painkiller paste. He hated, absolutely hated seeing her every flinch and hearing her every sound of pain as he worked to get her ears warmed up without being rubbed or touched. But then she yowled louder, brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them again, and sobbingly begged him to stop.

Bardon...did stop. His hands ground to a halt, as he just couldn't keep going with her in that bad shape. But...had she even heard him, after all? He wasn't sure anymore. Very gently, Bardon turned Elaine's head towards him as he carefully cupped her cheeks with both hands. "Elaine? Can you hear me?" He asked carefully, with a concerned expression on his face. If he didn't get an affirmative response, he repeated; "Elaine...can...you...hear...me?" slightly louder and slower, while also moving his lips in an exaggerated manner to make it easier to match lip-motions with his voice. He repeated as many times as necessary to get a word of acknowledgement from Elaine.
 
Elaine let out a low whimper, as he stopped. She flinched softly, as Bardon turned her head towards him, causing her neck to pop audibly. She then saw as he began to speak to her, she couldn't understand what he was saying, everything was like she was underwater, even her vision began to blur slightly, as her head spun. She then was able to concentrate long enough to read his lips as he spoke. She was able to understand some of it, and was able to fill in the rest in her head. "I... I can't hear anything." She told him, she didn't know how loud, or low, she was speaking, everything was off, and she went to cover her ears again, but whimpered as she lowered them, knowing that he would get mad if she covered them again. "I...I don't know what to do." She said, still unsure if she was even speaking, or if she was just mouthing the words into the water.
 
Bardon winced when he heard more of Elaine's joints pop, and was also very worried; she should have been warmed up enough by now to relax and stabilize her body again. However, eventually the repetition of his words got a response from Elaine...and it was not the one he wanted to hear.

Bardon was in a bind now. He couldn't easily continue normalizing the temperature of Elaine's ears when she was begging him to stop, but now that she couldn't even hear him, he could not explain and impress upon her how important it was that he properly warms her ears, and that she needed to endure it for just another few minutes.

...But eventually, he concluded the debate in his head. He was going to feel awful if Elaine started begging him to stop again, but he knew what had to be done. Very gently, in what he hoped was a comforting gesture, he gently stroked his fingers over Elaine's wet scalp as they looked at each other. Moving his mouth in exaggerated motions, hoping that she would manage to get the gist again, he said "Trust...me." He brushed his fingers over the top of her head again a few more times. "Trust....me....please..."

He let Elaine's head turn to face forward again. Once she was settled, he resumed gently scooping warm water up to sprinkle it over Elaine's ears. This time, whatever Elaine said, he didn't stop, though he tried to slow down a little if she seemed too distressed. But eventually, the scooping water wasn't going to finish the job. He leaned his head over so that Elaine could see his face again. "Trust...me..." He said one more time. But now, very carefully, he nudged Elaine's torso and head to lean back more into the tub, until her face was pointed at the ceiling, and the water was rising up from the back of her head. He lowered her head into the water until her ears were immersed in the warm water, but her face was of course still above-water. This was the part he knew was going to sting the worst for Elaine, but it was necessary. He held her head in place, as gently as he could while still being firm, no matter what sounds or words Elaine said. After several minutes, he judged that her ears should be close-to-normal, if still likely stinging, though the painkiller he gave her should be starting to kick in. Bardon then lifted Elaine's head back out of the water, and again leaned his head forward so she could see his face, with a very remorseful expression on it.

"I'm...sorry..." He said to her, again exaggerating the mouth motions.
 
Elaine watched him, the man seemed to want to help, but everything was aching. She then saw him beginning to mouth something again, trust me he seemed to say. She nodded to him, and whimpered slightly as he moved her head back. She then felt him sprinkle water on her ears again, sending shockwaves of pain throughout her, causing her to flinch with each scoop of his hands. Soon he stopped, and she let out a soft whine, as he made her look at him again. She then saw him mouth to her one more time, trust me, and she nodded. She then felt him slowly lean her back, making her head face the ceiling. She whimpered, and then he submerged her head, causing her ears to pop as he did so, leaving her mouth and nose above the water.

She let out a whimper, as the water flooded her ears, the warm water quickly rushed away the cold, stabilizing the temperature of her ears, even though it was painful. As the water flooded she thrashed, causing water to spill out over the edge of the bathtub, and onto Bardon and the floor. But as quickly the pain came, it vanished, left by a soft, uncomfortable, sting, and then the sting slowly faded into numbness, as the medicine kicked in. She then whimpered softly, as Bardon slowly lifted her out of the pool, into the warm air above. Her ears range as sound was once again introduced to her ears. She then pulled her legs up to her chest, as she whimpered again. She turned to Bardon, as her tears mixed with water on her fur. "Th... thank you..." She said, curling into a tighter ball, she didn't know what to do, her ears where ringing, and her body ached, she didn't want to move.
 
Bardon could practically feel his heart cracking in sympathy as the anthro girl thrashed in clear pain when he held the back of her head in the water. Even though he knew it was necessary, he hated hurting the poor, already-distressed girl like this. But after a few moments, she stopped struggling and just whimpered pitifully, until he finally lifted her head back out of the water. He watched her turn her face towards him, and he looked at her sadly. He then heard the quiet, pained words of thanks from her. Bardon wasn't quite sure what he felt in his heart just then, but it hurt. He slowly and comfortingly rubbed one hand up and down Elaine's back. "I'm very, very sorry." Bardon said gently. "I know it hurt. I'm sorry. I had to do that. Your ears were bleeding--I don't think you heard me when I explained earlier. There's a chance you might loose them. I needed to get your ears properly warmed up to give you the best chance of keeping them. Even now, don't rub or touch them. I'll get some bandages to protect them, I'll be right back. Stay here, keep soaking in the warm water." Bardon explained before he then stood up and walked away again to rummage through a cabinet.

A minute or two later, Bardon's now-familiar bootsteps on the wooden floor returned, this time with a roll of bandage-cloth and a few handfuls of cotton and wool. Very delicately, Bardon pressed little tufts of wool in and around Elaine's floppy ears, cushioning them, before he then wrapped up the wool-covered ears with the bandage cloth. Once done, he paused at the side of the tub again. "How are you feeling now? I mean...you're probably very sore all over, and that's actually a good sign at the moment, but do you feel any more coldness or numbness, or has the water warmed you enough?" Bardon asked quietly.
 
Elaine frowned slightly as he spoke. "I... I understand." Elaine told him, as he said to not touch her ears, she didn't want to do anything, her whole body ached, but her ears where the worst part. Every sound sent ripples of pain through her. She then flinched, as she heard Bardon's footsteps. She watched as he sat down, and pulled out some things. She then felt him grab her head lightly, then flinched as she felt him press something against her ear. She let out a low whine, as he continued to wrap something around her ear. Pain shot through her, and it took biting her own tongue to stop from screaming.

He then stopped wrapping the soft things around him, and she let out a low whine as he let go of her. She then turned to him as he spoke again. Everything he said was muffled, but was still understandable. "Everything... hurts... especially... especially my ears but... but I'm... I'm no longer cold..." Elaine told him, giving a soft smile towards him, then she flinched, and looked down, going to cover her ears but then stopped.
 
Bardon watched Elaine carefully while he bandaged up her ears with cotton padding. She was clearly still miserable, but at least seemed to be improving. When he asked her how she felt, he was glad to hear that she wasn't cold anymore, even if she still hurt. Bardon nodded as he put out the firebox beneath the tub. "Okay. One second, then." Bardon then got up, went over to another cabinet, then returned, this time carrying a large, fluffy towel. While standing next to the tub, he very carefully helped Elaine stand up as well, and allowed her to lean on him if she needed, though he then wrapped up her body in the towel and started rubbing her dry, though he avoided her head. He also consciously tried to avoid rubbing Elaine in any...inappropriate places, even through the towel. He helped her step out of the tub and finished drying her off, then guided her to sit down on the stool he had been sitting on. "Just a minute, let me get things ready for you." Bardon said.

He then went over to the fire he had started up in the fireplace, which was putting off a few waves of heat into the cabin home in the woods. He tended to the fire, putting on more wood fuel and using a bellows to get it going a bit stronger. Around this time, Elaine might notice that there was actually a bed set up near the fireplace. It seemed a lot of things in the home could be easily moved around, and were likely shuffled around with the seasons. Bardon made sure the blankets on the bed were satisfactory, then he returned to Elaine. Gingerly, he picked up the towel-wrapped anthro into a bridal carry, and brought her over to the bed to lay her down in it. He covered her with the blankets while also removing the damp towel. The bed was relaxingly soft. Elaine could already feel that the thick winter blankets and the fireplace were going to keep her nice and warm through the night. She could even detect Bardon's scent in the bed. It was a pleasant masculine scent, and also possibly comforting due to its association with Bardon himself.

Though it seemed Bardon wasn't going to join her. He removed his boots and stowed them away, then got another blanket from storage and started setting up on a couch, further away from the fireplace. He went around his home to tend to other things--storing the leftover food, putting out most of the bright lantern-lights and lighting a few dim candles in their place, and a few other before-bed chores. Once done, and with the cabin now only barely lit with candle-light, Bardon walked back over to Elaine one last time to look over her, bundled up in his bed. "If you need anything, anything at all during the night, I want you to wake me up. Okay? I'm not a heavy sleeper, just saying my name should do." He told her with his smooth, deep voice.
 
Elaine watched as Bardon left, and she curled back up into a ball. She let out a soft sigh, and then a whimper as her bones ached and her entire body felt heavy. Bardon soon returned with a towel. She then felt his strong hands help her stand, before he wrapped her up with a towel. The towel was so soft, and she leaned onto Bardon, smelling his strong, masculine scent. She knew that one of her masters where gone, but she now knew that she had found a new one. She then let him lift her up, and out of the tub. He finished drying her off, before setting her down on the wooden stool that he had sat on not too long ago, the wood still keeping his warmth. He mumbled something else that she couldn't quite hear, and then left. Everything was muffled, but she could still hear items clanking, and him shuffling about the house.

Soon Bardon returned with another towel, and wrapped her in it once again, before picking her up bridal style. She curled into his chest, wrapping her arms around him, and placing her head on his shoulder as he carried her. She took deep breath as he carried her, before he placed her on a bed next to a fire. She snuggled into the bed, before Bardon once again walked off, and started to turn off lights and replace them with candles, one by one. She then saw as he walked back to her, and then she focused on listening to him as he spoke. He spoke loud, and slow, so that she could hear and understand him through the cotton on her ears. She nodded to him, as he finished. "O...Okay." Elaine whispered to him, before she looked up at him into his eyes. "Th... thank you..." She whispered to him, not wanting to look away from him.
 
The poor anthro girl was still clearly not in very good shape, with how she kept leaning into Bardon while he was tending to her, and wrapped her arms needily around him and leaned her head into his shoulder when he carried her. However, she was out of immediate danger now, so Bardon knew that what she really needed was just rest at this point. Lots of rest and good food until she was recovered. With how tightly she was clinging to him for comfort, he was almost sad to set her down in the bed and make her let go, but of course there was no way he was going to get into the bed with her--it would be completely improper, absolutely taking advantage of the weak and injured girl, and Bardon always made the effort to be a gentleman, even if he hadn't settled down with a girl of his own yet.

Once he finished setting things up for the night and talked to Elaine one last time, he heard her weakly-whispered, but clearly heartfelt thanks to him as she looked up into his eyes with her large, glossy, shining jewels. Bardon smiled warmly back in the light of the candles and fireplace and nodded. "You are very welcome." He replied, still with that comfortingly deep and smooth voice. "Rest now." Bardon then walked away from the bed and over to the couch further away from the crackling, glowing fireplace, finally kicked off his boots, and wrapped into his own blanket on the couch.

For Elaine, despite the lingering aches in her body even as the painkiller really set into her, this night was probably one of her most restful, ever. The bed was soft and comfortable. The blankets were thick. The nearby well-made fire was warm. Elaine was kept nice and pleasantly toasty all night long. No cold cages, or sleeping with a carelessly gropey Master who hogged all the blankets and bedspace and left little for Elaine. There was a soft, quietly whistling wind against the outside of the cabin, almost acting as a sort of lullaby. It would not be difficult for Elaine to fall into a deep sleep.

*****

The first thing that Elaine would likely be aware of was the sound and smell. A warm, mouthwatering scent of cooking eggs wafted into her nose, with an accompanying sizzling sound. The next thing she would be aware of was how she felt--still a little achey, but warm...very warm, probably more comfortably warm than she had ever remembered waking up. When she opened her eyes to look around, she would find herself in an unfamiliar log cabin, compared to her Master's bedchambers and cages for her that she was used to waking up in. Everything was well-lit with ambient sunlight. The cabin was certainly not the super-high-class rich and fancy room of her Master, but it had a cozy personal touch to it of knickknacks and functional tools. Looking around more, she would eventually lay her eyes on a man standing by a stove, cooking breakfast, yet the man was not her Master...he was Bardon, the man who had rescued her from death last night. He wasn't her old Master...he was her new Master.

Bardon glanced over in Elaine's direction as she shifted in the bed slightly. "Oh, you're awake! Good. I'll be over there in just a minute, stay comfy." He told her as he tended to the food.
 
Elaine smiled up at Bardon, as she slowly sat up, her bones ached more as she did so, being still for so long. Her knees and arms popped and groaned as she moved, then she. She then flinched as her ear twitched, causing the blanket to fall off of her, revealing her bare chest to him. She didn't pay much mind to it though, being so used to being naked. She began to drool a little, as she normally did when her old master would have another servant bring him food, but she was never allowed to eat any of it. She grabbed the blanket, and hugged it close to her, not being use to the warmth of one before. She opened her mouth to speak, causing pops along her jaw, making her flinch again. "What... what are... are you making." Elaine asked him, not exactly sure what else to say.
 
Bardon glanced over at Elaine with a smile as she started to sit up in the bed, but he reflexively averted his gaze the moment the blanket slipped off her chest. It was a silly thing of course, he had already seen her completely naked yesterday, in his bathtub no less, but that was only because he had found her naked and she was in too much of a crisis for that to matter. But now that she was out of the woods, Bardon wanted to give her back what respect and dignity he could. He heard her speak up, an glanced at her in his peripheral vision, just enough to see that she had hugged the blanket back up to her chest, so he turned his head to face her again.

"Breakfast. Some eggs from my chicken coop and some meat from storage. Don't have much more than that at the moment though since it's winter, I apologize." Bardon answered as the sizzling sound of cooking food in a metal pan continued to fill the room. A few minutes later, Bardon took the pan off the stove, put out the fire inside it, and transferred most of the food to a concave wooden plate, while putting the leftovers in another wooden plate. He retrieved two simple and crude iron forks and added one to each plate, then walked over towards Elaine with it in hand.

When he reached the bed, Bardon sat sideways on the edge and held out the larger plate with more food towards Elaine. It indeed had three nicely-cooked eggs, with several hearty strips of meat. "Here you go. Try eating this, you should be able to eat normally now." He said with a warm smile.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom