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More from foxxpaw
Chapter 1
Chapter 3
It's been a while since I had posted anything and I've been working on transferring the story from paper to the computer. So, here it is... FINALLY after several months; chapter 2
Amongst Strangers
Chapter 2: Adaptation
“Larathe, wake up,” Lance said, tapping the wolf on the paw gently.
The wolf yawned, blinking sleepily as he woke to find Lance standing over him.
“You hungry at all?” the human asked.
“Kind of, yeah.” The wolf replied.
“There’s some food on the table,” Lance said. “Otherwise I can bring you a plate if you’d like.”
“I can walk,” the wolf said as he pushed himself into a sitting position. Surprisingly enough, the medication he had been given seemed to be doing its job…for the most part.
“Just take it easy when you move,” the man said as he brought the wolf over.
Larathe paused behind one of the chairs at the table as Lance took a seat.
The man looked over at he wolf, motioning for him to sit. “It’s not going to bite.”
The wolf glanced over, raising a brow. “I…don’t really know where I’m supposed to put my tail…” he said.
Lance glanced back at the chair he was sitting on and frowned. The seat was indeed solid, lacking space at the back of the seat for the canine’s tail. Naturally, it had been made for humans, not some strange wolf-creature. “Uh…I’ll take care of that tomorrow, if that’s okay,” Lance said, glancing up at the wolf. “Maybe keep it off to the side for now?”
The wolf frowned. “It’s not like my tail is detachable,” he said.
“That’s…not entirely what I meant.” Lance replied.
Larathe took a moment, curling his tail around his leg and sitting rather far forward on the seat of the chair. “This…is hardly comfortable,” He muttered.
“I wouldn’t know,” Lance said, somewhat apologetically. “Hopefully this’ll make up for it?”
The man reached over, holding out a plate of food to the wolf.
Larathe relieved Lance of the plate, looking it over curiously. “That…smells really good.” He muttered, frowning slightly. “But I have no idea what’s on here.”
The man gave a small smile. “Some venison I smoked from an earlier kill, steamed vegetables from home; lightly seasoned, and a bit of bread.”
“Definitely doesn’t smell like deer.” The wolf muttered.
Lance chuckled. “It’s got a dry rub on it.” He said as he dished himself out a plate. “It’s going to smell a little different. You’re not allergic to anything, are you?”
Larathe gave a shrug, sniffing at the plate. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had any reaction to anything before, but most of this stuff on here I’ve never had either.”
“Well,” Lance said, setting his plate down before himself. “If nothing else, there’s always some epinephrine in the bathroom to help deal with anaphylactic shock if it comes to that.”
The wolf simply stared at the man with a rather black expression.
“Right…” Lance said, still having trouble remembering this creature knew about as much about medicine as most other humans. “If something happens that would count as an allergic reaction, it’ll help to lessen the symptoms. Long enough to get to a hospital anyway.”
“So they can experiment on me or something?” Larathe asked, half-joking.
“Oh don’t be ridiculous.” Lance said. “Anything we need to know, you could just tell us. And at most, they might want an x-ray or MRI or something. Both are painless and completely safe.”
“Right…” Larathe muttered, now feeling completely confused. Whatever this man was going on about, it made absolutely no sense to him. The wolf looked at the utensils placed before him, picking up the fork and examining it. “So…this thing…”
“A fork,” Lance said. “Never seen one?”
“Uh…I only know of a fork being something where the path splits.” The wolf said. “Looks like what we have…with more points.”
“Oh?” Lance asked. “What do you have?”
“Just a length of wood split about half way down the center and carved to a point.” Larathe said. “They’re flexible at the joint, so they can be used to grip or stab whatever it is that you’re trying to eat. This thing though, looks like it’s made to stab…yes?”
Lance nodded. “Right.”
“Can…you explain what this blade is for then?” Larathe asked, poking at the knife with the fork he held.
“Are your fangs that worn down or something?”
Lance couldn’t help but laugh at the comment. “No, they’re not worn. It just makes it easier for humans like me if we eat in smaller pieces.”
Larathe frowned. “Can’t you just bite a piece off?” He asked.
“Well, yes…but your teeth or fangs are probably much better suited for things like that.”
The wolf simply gave a shrug, copying the human as best he could.
“What’d you do to this?” He asked, having finally managed to get a piece of the venison separated. The mix of flavors that coated the venison, while strange, added a whole new depth to the food. In fact, it was quite good. Very different from what he usually had.
“Don’t like it?” Lance asked.
“Are you kidding? It’s really good!”
The man gave a quiet laugh. “Oh good.” He said, relieved. “It’s just a simple mix of spices that have been rubbed into the meat.”
“Well, if nothing else,” Larathe said, taking another bite. “You need to show me what you did to this stuff.”
Lance chuckled. “If you think that this is good, you’re going to need to try some food from Maron’s, a restaurant back home.”
The wolf huffed. “As if anyone would give me anything.” He grumbled. “You’re a very strange human.”
“Hah. Many have said as much,” he replied.
For a time, the two sat in silence. Larathe being the first to break the silence as he examined the cup beside his plate.
“Is there any way to narrow the opening or something?” he asked, frowning slightly.
“I’ve a friend who could probably come up with a simple design for a cup that you could use,” Lance said. “We’ll head back to town in a couple days when you’ve healed up, okay?”
“That…does not sound like the brightest idea you’ve had.” Larathe muttered. “The city isn’t going to be a safe place for me. Couldn’t I just go back to the woods?”
Lance shrugged. “You could…but if more hunters find you, you can bet they’re going to shoot again. Besides, you seem a lot less dangerous than the stories make you out to be.”
“Stories?” Larathe asked.
“Yeah. Hunters sometimes come back with stories of were-beasts, as we call your kind: Half human, half animal. They’re supposedly fearsome creatures with razor sharp claws and foot long fangs,” he laughed. “But looking at you, I’d say normal claws and fangs only about an inch long. And you’re also not ten feet tall.”
“So…basically the same from both sides.” Larathe mused. “You’d be the furless creatures with death sticks, killing anything they can find for what they call fun. Never use the fur or flesh of what had been killed…”
“I like to imagine that as inaccurate,” Lance said. “But there are, no doubt, a few who may kill for fun…,” he sighed. “We’re not a perfect race. Humans kill off some of their own over stupid things.”
“Do you?”
Lance chuckled. “Not even close. I hunt, I don’t murder. If I’m not going to use what I kill, I’m not going to fire. The only reason I’d kill anything that I won’t use, is if I’m attacked first.”
Larathe frowned. “How does one human use an entire deer?” He asked. “Even for me, that’s a whole hell of a lot of material.”
“The meat is stored. I take the hide in to one of my friends and they’ll turn that into leather. That’s then used for clothes and the like. The bones are used for decorative purposes or instruments. Similar to what you’d use it for, I’d imagine.”
The wolf nodded. “Perhaps our stories are based on only the bad that we’ve seen.”
“More than likely.” Lance said. “So can you see why I wanted to examine you?”
“You were scared… Why not just kill?”
The man shook his head. “I’m a surgeon. My job is to save lives. Not take them.”
“You hunt,” Larathe said. “I’d say that counts as taking lives.”
The man was silent for a minute. “Touché…” he replied. “In that case, you can call me a scientist. If I can learn something with minor danger, I’ll take the chance.”
The wolf shifted slightly. “I would’ve killed you, you know…if I hadn’t been tied down.”
“There is a reason I bound you,” Lance said.
“I don’t think I would’ve saved a human if I found them shot, to be honest.”
“Maybe not. But would you be able to save anyone had they been shot, same as you?”
The wolf thought for a moment before shaking his head. “They either die where they fall, or from internal injuries.” He said. “Very few survive a shot to the abdomen.”
“Well, good thing I found you then, huh?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Larathe muttered.
The wolf had to admit…This human wasn’t bad. In fact, he was actually kind of nice. But in spite of this, he still found himself having trouble trusting the man fully. Surely there was something else this strange human wanted besides to simply learn about him.
Chapter 3
It's been a while since I had posted anything and I've been working on transferring the story from paper to the computer. So, here it is... FINALLY after several months; chapter 2
Amongst Strangers
Chapter 2: Adaptation
“Larathe, wake up,” Lance said, tapping the wolf on the paw gently.
The wolf yawned, blinking sleepily as he woke to find Lance standing over him.
“You hungry at all?” the human asked.
“Kind of, yeah.” The wolf replied.
“There’s some food on the table,” Lance said. “Otherwise I can bring you a plate if you’d like.”
“I can walk,” the wolf said as he pushed himself into a sitting position. Surprisingly enough, the medication he had been given seemed to be doing its job…for the most part.
“Just take it easy when you move,” the man said as he brought the wolf over.
Larathe paused behind one of the chairs at the table as Lance took a seat.
The man looked over at he wolf, motioning for him to sit. “It’s not going to bite.”
The wolf glanced over, raising a brow. “I…don’t really know where I’m supposed to put my tail…” he said.
Lance glanced back at the chair he was sitting on and frowned. The seat was indeed solid, lacking space at the back of the seat for the canine’s tail. Naturally, it had been made for humans, not some strange wolf-creature. “Uh…I’ll take care of that tomorrow, if that’s okay,” Lance said, glancing up at the wolf. “Maybe keep it off to the side for now?”
The wolf frowned. “It’s not like my tail is detachable,” he said.
“That’s…not entirely what I meant.” Lance replied.
Larathe took a moment, curling his tail around his leg and sitting rather far forward on the seat of the chair. “This…is hardly comfortable,” He muttered.
“I wouldn’t know,” Lance said, somewhat apologetically. “Hopefully this’ll make up for it?”
The man reached over, holding out a plate of food to the wolf.
Larathe relieved Lance of the plate, looking it over curiously. “That…smells really good.” He muttered, frowning slightly. “But I have no idea what’s on here.”
The man gave a small smile. “Some venison I smoked from an earlier kill, steamed vegetables from home; lightly seasoned, and a bit of bread.”
“Definitely doesn’t smell like deer.” The wolf muttered.
Lance chuckled. “It’s got a dry rub on it.” He said as he dished himself out a plate. “It’s going to smell a little different. You’re not allergic to anything, are you?”
Larathe gave a shrug, sniffing at the plate. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had any reaction to anything before, but most of this stuff on here I’ve never had either.”
“Well,” Lance said, setting his plate down before himself. “If nothing else, there’s always some epinephrine in the bathroom to help deal with anaphylactic shock if it comes to that.”
The wolf simply stared at the man with a rather black expression.
“Right…” Lance said, still having trouble remembering this creature knew about as much about medicine as most other humans. “If something happens that would count as an allergic reaction, it’ll help to lessen the symptoms. Long enough to get to a hospital anyway.”
“So they can experiment on me or something?” Larathe asked, half-joking.
“Oh don’t be ridiculous.” Lance said. “Anything we need to know, you could just tell us. And at most, they might want an x-ray or MRI or something. Both are painless and completely safe.”
“Right…” Larathe muttered, now feeling completely confused. Whatever this man was going on about, it made absolutely no sense to him. The wolf looked at the utensils placed before him, picking up the fork and examining it. “So…this thing…”
“A fork,” Lance said. “Never seen one?”
“Uh…I only know of a fork being something where the path splits.” The wolf said. “Looks like what we have…with more points.”
“Oh?” Lance asked. “What do you have?”
“Just a length of wood split about half way down the center and carved to a point.” Larathe said. “They’re flexible at the joint, so they can be used to grip or stab whatever it is that you’re trying to eat. This thing though, looks like it’s made to stab…yes?”
Lance nodded. “Right.”
“Can…you explain what this blade is for then?” Larathe asked, poking at the knife with the fork he held.
“Are your fangs that worn down or something?”
Lance couldn’t help but laugh at the comment. “No, they’re not worn. It just makes it easier for humans like me if we eat in smaller pieces.”
Larathe frowned. “Can’t you just bite a piece off?” He asked.
“Well, yes…but your teeth or fangs are probably much better suited for things like that.”
The wolf simply gave a shrug, copying the human as best he could.
“What’d you do to this?” He asked, having finally managed to get a piece of the venison separated. The mix of flavors that coated the venison, while strange, added a whole new depth to the food. In fact, it was quite good. Very different from what he usually had.
“Don’t like it?” Lance asked.
“Are you kidding? It’s really good!”
The man gave a quiet laugh. “Oh good.” He said, relieved. “It’s just a simple mix of spices that have been rubbed into the meat.”
“Well, if nothing else,” Larathe said, taking another bite. “You need to show me what you did to this stuff.”
Lance chuckled. “If you think that this is good, you’re going to need to try some food from Maron’s, a restaurant back home.”
The wolf huffed. “As if anyone would give me anything.” He grumbled. “You’re a very strange human.”
“Hah. Many have said as much,” he replied.
For a time, the two sat in silence. Larathe being the first to break the silence as he examined the cup beside his plate.
“Is there any way to narrow the opening or something?” he asked, frowning slightly.
“I’ve a friend who could probably come up with a simple design for a cup that you could use,” Lance said. “We’ll head back to town in a couple days when you’ve healed up, okay?”
“That…does not sound like the brightest idea you’ve had.” Larathe muttered. “The city isn’t going to be a safe place for me. Couldn’t I just go back to the woods?”
Lance shrugged. “You could…but if more hunters find you, you can bet they’re going to shoot again. Besides, you seem a lot less dangerous than the stories make you out to be.”
“Stories?” Larathe asked.
“Yeah. Hunters sometimes come back with stories of were-beasts, as we call your kind: Half human, half animal. They’re supposedly fearsome creatures with razor sharp claws and foot long fangs,” he laughed. “But looking at you, I’d say normal claws and fangs only about an inch long. And you’re also not ten feet tall.”
“So…basically the same from both sides.” Larathe mused. “You’d be the furless creatures with death sticks, killing anything they can find for what they call fun. Never use the fur or flesh of what had been killed…”
“I like to imagine that as inaccurate,” Lance said. “But there are, no doubt, a few who may kill for fun…,” he sighed. “We’re not a perfect race. Humans kill off some of their own over stupid things.”
“Do you?”
Lance chuckled. “Not even close. I hunt, I don’t murder. If I’m not going to use what I kill, I’m not going to fire. The only reason I’d kill anything that I won’t use, is if I’m attacked first.”
Larathe frowned. “How does one human use an entire deer?” He asked. “Even for me, that’s a whole hell of a lot of material.”
“The meat is stored. I take the hide in to one of my friends and they’ll turn that into leather. That’s then used for clothes and the like. The bones are used for decorative purposes or instruments. Similar to what you’d use it for, I’d imagine.”
The wolf nodded. “Perhaps our stories are based on only the bad that we’ve seen.”
“More than likely.” Lance said. “So can you see why I wanted to examine you?”
“You were scared… Why not just kill?”
The man shook his head. “I’m a surgeon. My job is to save lives. Not take them.”
“You hunt,” Larathe said. “I’d say that counts as taking lives.”
The man was silent for a minute. “Touché…” he replied. “In that case, you can call me a scientist. If I can learn something with minor danger, I’ll take the chance.”
The wolf shifted slightly. “I would’ve killed you, you know…if I hadn’t been tied down.”
“There is a reason I bound you,” Lance said.
“I don’t think I would’ve saved a human if I found them shot, to be honest.”
“Maybe not. But would you be able to save anyone had they been shot, same as you?”
The wolf thought for a moment before shaking his head. “They either die where they fall, or from internal injuries.” He said. “Very few survive a shot to the abdomen.”
“Well, good thing I found you then, huh?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Larathe muttered.
The wolf had to admit…This human wasn’t bad. In fact, he was actually kind of nice. But in spite of this, he still found himself having trouble trusting the man fully. Surely there was something else this strange human wanted besides to simply learn about him.
Category Story / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 50 x 50px
File Size 154.6 kB
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