Lupirin: Pain - part 2
Pain - Part 2
Seerey spent most of her time outside her house on her patio while Adrian was asleep. He had fallen asleep last evening, nearly twenty-four hours ago. It was a good sign that he was able to sleep for so long...unfortunately, there was little doubt his memory would return when he awoke.
Seerey sat down in one of her lawn chairs, exhausted. She had only gone inside twice, to change the poultice on Adrian's shoulder, and she was able to do so without waking him. She wanted to keep it as quiet as possible inside; she knew the longer Adrian slept, the better he would feel when he awoke.
Soon, Seerey would have to face yet another problem. In only a few hours, Adrian was going to need sustenance. He would never recover without it. Normally, Seerey would have been able to give him cordial, a substitute that a good friend had discovered. Unfortunately, there was no time to go get some. Adrian would no doubt fight her. They all fought it the first time. The poor leopard, Seerey thought. His compassion just might kill him.
"Seerey?" a voice came from around the side of the house. The vixen looked up sharply, surprised.
"Who's there?" she said.
A small gray feline femme walked out into plain view. She had beautiful pearly blue eyes, which were drawn with anxiety. Her finely pointed ears and long, thin tail twitched, plainly showing her agitation. She wore loose fitting blue jeans and a white tank-top...Seerey recognized her immediately. Her name was Mariah...and she was Adrian's girlfriend. As hard as this was on everyone in Adrian's life, Seerey knew the hardest blow fell on the young, those who still had the future. It hurt so much to watch that future crumble.
"Mariah? What are you doing here?"
The young feline pulled up another chair and sat down. She quaked as she sat, looking to be on the verge of tears. Seerey looked on in pity, wondering what the girl had been told. "How is he?" Mariah asked.
Seerey pushed her chair closer to Mariah. "How did you hear?" she asked.
"Mom told me." she said. She did not refer to her own mother, but Adrian's. She had no mother of her own, even as Adrian had no father. Mariah's father and Adrian's mother were close friends and had been for a long while. Adrian even called her father 'Dad'. The relationship was healing all around. Seerey only prayed it was strong enough to survive this great test.
"How much did she tell you, honey?"
"Everything...." Mariah said. "How much venom was injected? Will he be...?"
"Yes, honey." Seerey answered before the question had even been fully asked. "There's no doubt about it. He's showing all the signs."
"Oh god..." she moaned, putting her head in her hands. Seerey moved next to her, putting her arms around the young feline.
"Now stop that. I've already got one cat to deal with, I don't need another." Seerey said. "Everything's going to be just fine."
Mariah dashed a paw across her eyes. "But...but he'll never have a normal life again..."
"I can make it so his life is as normal as possible. Don't you worry about that...that's the easy part." Seerey said comfortingly. "We have a special cordial that we give to Lupirin. He can live almost as normal as you and me, and I really mean that."
Mariah tried to recompose herself, taking a deep breath. "How can I help?"
"A thousand ways or more." Seerey said. "The hard part is going to be keeping him from getting depressed. I need you to talk with him. He trusts you."
Mariah smiled. "I know Adrian better than anyone. I can handle that."
Seerey nodded curtly. "Good--one less thing I have to worry about. I've got enough of those already...Adrian is going to need something to eat soon..."
Mariah tensed. "You mean--blood?" she asked anxiously.
"Yes...and normally even that wouldn't be a problem," she continued. "But I gave my last cordial away several days ago. I'll have to get him some real blood."
Seerey rose and peeked through the window into Adrian's room. "I don't know where though...It'll have to be me, I don't have time to get it anywhere else..."
"Seerey, you're diabetic. You shouldn't give blood." Mariah pointed out.
"I know that, but Adrian will have complications if he doesn't get blood regularly. These first few days are the most dangerous, I can't risk taking extra time." she said.
Mariah looked down for a moment, contemplating. Then she looked up, her eyes filled with resolve. "Take mine."
Seerey looked at Mariah with surprise for a moment, then smiled. "That's nice of you, but I don't think..."
"It's a lot safer than your blood." Mariah said firmly. "And probably better for him."
Seerey relented, hearing the flame beneath Mariah's voice. Mariah loved Adrian, and she wanted to help him. She felt helpless, and all felines are most dangerous when backed into a corner. "Alright, alright...I see your point." she said. "You stay here, I'll go inside and get a needle..."
* * *
Adrian looked around anxiously. He was lying on the ground, but he didn't know where...wait. He knew this place. It was familiar, but he couldn't quite put his paw on where. There were trees everywhere around, and the air was filled with the weight of silence. There was no sound: no birds, no wind...nothing. It was as if nature itself was holding its breath. He stood up anxiously, sniffing the air. Something was wrong here. He could neither hear nor smell anything dangerous, but still it was there. It was as if he could feel it, within his mind...
Then he heard the crash of foliage breaking way to a force greater than the forest itself. Adrian spun around--and his eyes widened. He turned and fled for his life.
What followed him, to the unlearned eye, was a common wolf, albeit larger than normal. Adrian knew better. The wolf's fangs were elongated, and his eyes were an eerie crimson. This was no wolf...it was a monster. It was a Lupirin!
Adrian ran without a sense of direction. The body of a Lupirin lacked the proper bone marrow to make blood with the correct chemistry. No scientist had been foolish enough to try to find out why. Lupirin made up for what their blood lacked by consuming the blood of others...and the creature chasing Adrian was hungry.
Adrian tore through the forest, running till he thought his paws would fall off. The bites of Lupirin, more frequently than not, were fatal. Adrian had too much to live for to die now...but the Lupirin just had more stamina. Adrian was beginning to flag, his breath now coming in heavy, rasping gasps. He had to get away. He had to...he had to...
He could hear the sound of the Lupirin's paws on the forest loam coming closer and closer. His heart sank as he felt heavy paws latch onto his shirt.
Adrian cried aloud as he felt teeth sink into the flesh of his shoulder. He continued to struggle. Lupirin venom is some of the most ineffective in the world. Several ounces need to be injected before the stuff can take effect. If Adrian could just get loose...
There would be no chance of that. The wolf held him tight.
"No, please! Please don't...please!!" Adrian said...but then, he felt his energy begin to wane. Along with his blood, the Lupirin was sucking away his strength. His voice became fainter and fainter. "Please...please, no...pl-please..."
There was nothing Adrian could do. He was held him in place while what he had once called his life was destroyed forever, each beat of his heart washing away all that which once was. Adrian could feel the thick venom pumping into him, killing him from the inside out.
Then Adrian fell unconscious. The Lupirin negligently tossed him to the ground. "Sorry, kid." he spoke with a gruff voice. "It's an occupational disease."
* * *
"NO!!!"
Adrian sat up rigid in his bed, memory returning along with the pain of motion. He gripped his shoulder and let out a soft cry of agony. No...it couldn't have happened. He couldn't live this way. The pain plainly told him that it was the truth. He was no longer Adrian; he was a monster.
"Adrian? Dear god, what happened?"
That voice...it wasn't Seerey. He knew it...and he was in love with that voice. The voice was connected to a hundred thousand emotions, each one more wonderful than the last. But nothing he could see, nothing he could hear or touch. Why couldn't he remember? It took all of his energy just to lift his head to see who was speaking. A rush of memory met him with a svelte body, soft grey fur, and gentle blue eyes. "Mariah..." he whispered.
The young female rushed to Adrian's side. "Are you alright?" she said, tenderly touching his face. She took him by his arms and gently pushed him back against his pillows. "Don't exert yourself..."
"Mariah," Adrian whispered, tears in his eyes. This time, it was not the pain that made him cry. This hurt far more than that. "Mariah, I'm so sorry."
Mariah hesitated at his response, but then smiled, to Adrian's surprise. She leaned forward and gave him a small kiss on his nose. "None of this is your fault, and never forget it." she said firmly.
Adrian opened his mouth, but all at once nothing he could possibly say could fill the void he felt inside himself. He closed his eyes and turned from her. "I've killed us Mariah...dear God, I've killed us..."
Mariah gently took him by the chin and turned his gaze back toward her. He hesitantly opened his eyes. Mariah bit her lip; his normally brown eyes were now overlaid by an unearthly crimson, the color of blood. She took a breath to steady herself.
"This is going to be hard, Adrian. I'm not going to lie and say it won't be." she said. "But I'm not giving up yet, and you're not either."
Tears once again welled up in Adrian's eyes. "How can you say that? Things will never be the same..."
"We're still in love, Adrian. This doesn't change that at all." she said firmly. "I don't want to live without you. I'm not letting you go because some animal bit you."
Adrian's emotional reserve at the moment was somewhere bordering on non-existent. Mariah's words robbed him of what little stability he had left. He made no sound, but his eyes were shut tightly and tears flowed freely from them. There was no sound; this was beyond sobs. Mariah smiled, and lay on the bed next to him. She softly pulled his head towards her, bringing his muzzle to her own in a comforting kiss, taking Adrian back to days without care.
Seerey stood by the door to Adrian's bedroom, hidden from view. She wore a smile on her muzzle. She had the blood she had drawn from Mariah in a plastic bag in her paw, but she decided it could wait for a few minutes. Adrian needed this more than he needed food.