New chapter! thanks for all the reviews, as for the village, it is a different one. I'm going to try to update every week from now on. Enjoy!
When they got back to the base it was lunchtime. Kane clung to her neck. He was afraid. "How about we go to my room?" Lilly offered. "Then I'll bring you some food."
The little jackal nodded.
"Do you want to walk a little?"
"Ok."
She set him down and took his hand with a smile. He didn't talk much it seemed.
They didn't get far before Spade came around the corner. Instantly, Kane curled around Lilly's leg, fur bristling. Spade didn't seem to notice him. "Hi Lilly," Spade grinned.
"Hello Spade," she smiled. Gently, she smoothed Kane's long hair, trying to soothe him.
"Who's that?" Spade asked as his eyes moved towards Kane.
"This is Kane, he's going to stay with us now."
Spade bounded up to him, getting close to the other boy's face. He circled him, tail wagging. "We can be friends."
He didn't notice how Kane fluffed his fur out and showed his teeth in aggression. His ears pulled back against his head and he growled lowly. Kane didn't like how Spade was in his face, like he was alpha. Kane was tired of being submissive, but Spade was a lot bigger than him. Everyone was.
"Spade," Lilly said gently, "you need to back up a little bit."
Spade tilted his head, confusion on his face. Then he turned to Kane, "can we be friends? I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable," he added, noticing the other pup's upset expression finally.
"Why?" He snarled, "so you can beat me up?"
The black jackal took a step back, "why would I do that?"
Lilly exhaled through her nose. Spade's parents hadn't taught him anything about jackal cues. Probably because they hadn't expected him to encounter a wild jackal so to speak.
Kane just glared, still showing his teeth. He didn't trust Spade. He flinched when Lilly's hand rested between his shoulder blades.
"We'll talk to you later," she said to Spade, "we have a lot going on right now."
He looked down at his feet. "Oh, ok."
Then the albino guided the smaller pup to her room.
Lilly came back to her room with a plate for him. Ace had come with her, he wanted to meet this pup.
"Kane," she said as she opened the door, "I'm back."
He was standing next to the bed. When he saw Ace, he backed into the corner with a snarl. He looked positively feral as he showed his teeth.
Lilly put her arm in front of Ace to stop him. Then she stepped closer, "Kane, honey it's ok."
He pressed back further, trying to get away. Why would she bring a big male here? Didn't she know what would happen to him? He closed his eyes and turned away, tears leaking down his face.
Lilly gave Ace a look and he disappeared into the bathroom. Then the vixen turned to Kane, "he's not going to hurt you."
He hiccuped, but turned to look at her. He made no move to come out of the corner though.
"Has someone hurt you before?" She asked carefully.
His breathing hitched, but he did not answer.
"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." He nodded and wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry Kane," she said softly, "I should've asked you first if you wanted to meet Ace." She gently touched his arm, "why don't you eat something? I brought you a plate."
"O-Ok," he hiccuped.
She scooped him up and set him on the bed. Then she picked up the plate and gave it to him.
He snatched the piece of chicken off the plate and ate half of it in one bite. Then he stuffed the rest of it in his mouth before he even swallowed.
"Kane, slow down ok?" Lilly said. "You're going to make yourself sick." But she didn't try to take it. No telling how he would react to that. She'd probably get her hand taken off.
He didn't seem to hear her, as he grabbed a handful of the macaroni and cheese and put that in his mouth too. In a matter of seconds, he finished the pasta and broccoli. Then he picked the plate up and licked the last bit of cheese off it.
He set the plate down and looked up at her longingly.
"Why don't you make sure you can hold that down first." She gently pulled him into her lap. His eyes closed as she ran her fingers through his long mane. He winced slightly as her fingers caught in the tangles.
Ace slipped out of the bathroom. Kane's ear twitched and his good eye immediately focused on the other male. Lilly felt his breathing slow and his heart speed up.
"Have you got things under control here?" Ace asked. He noticed how Kane hunkered down at the sound of his voice. Then he flicked his eyes back to Lilly.
"I can take care of him," she nodded. Then she reached up for his face, "can I have a kiss before you go?"
He grinned, "always."
Kane bristled as Ace leaned in to capture her lips with his. But he kept silent. Lilly seemed to like this, and he liked Lilly.
Ace's fingers lingered on the side of her face, "I'll see you later love."
She grinned and gave him one last peck. Then, he left the room.
Once he was gone she felt Kane relax. He pulled himself back to his original height and looked up at Lilly. She wasn't paying attention so he nudged her hand with his nose, silently asking her to continue.
She smiled and obliged him, returning her fingers to his long hair. It was quite dirty, no telling when he'd last bathed. "Why don't we get you washed up?" She suggested.
He cowered slightly, but made no objection. She didn't seem to notice his fear as she took him to the bathroom. He slipped under the sink as she got the water started.
She turned back around, "Kane?" He looked so scared. What had happened to this little boy? "Sweetie it's ok." She said as soothingly as she could. He pressed himself against the wall and whimpered. "What's wrong?"
A hiccup, but otherwise silence.
She sighed. "Kane, I can't take away what's scaring you if you won't tell me what it is."
He was surprised. His father had always enjoyed scaring him, among other things. Things he didn't feel comfortable sharing. He liked Lilly, but he wouldn't say he trusted her. He couldn't trust anyone.
It was quiet for several minutes. He could hear his heartbeat roaring in his ears. His breaths came quicker and he kept his eye on her where she couldn't approach him where he couldn't see her. Not that she tried, but he couldn't be too careful.
Lilly was kneeling in front of him, just waiting for him to decide what to do. "The water will get cold," she said gently. "Won't you feel better all clean?"
Another hiccup as tears rolled down his face and he wiped his eyes.
"Honey we don't have to do anything you don't want to do. If you don't want to take a bath that is perfectly fine. Just tell me," her voice grew very sympathetic.
"No," he mumbled, "I want to take a bath." He looked back up at her with teary eyes, "can you promise nothing bad will happen?"
She smiled sadly, "I promise."
Slowly, he walked over to her and let her take his hand. She guided him to the tub, and helped him in.
She watched him sit there, ears swiveling as he listened for any danger. She felt bad for him. He slowly started to relax when he realized he was ok. He slouched down in the water, resting against the back of the tub.
After a while, Lilly offered to wash his hair for him. He allowed it. He wanted to wash himself on his own, so she gave him the soap and a sponge and turned her back to him while he took care of it. Once he was all clean, she got him a fluffy towel and wrapped him up after drying his fur.
As she let the water out, he padded into the bedroom, still holding the towel over his thin frame.
His gold eye looked up at the yellow flowers in the vase on the table next to her bed. He'd never seen anything like them before. They were very pretty. He climbed up on the mattress and sniffed them, smiling softly.
"You like flowers?" Lilly asked as she walked over to the bed.
He nodded.
"You know, Ace gave those to me," she added while sitting beside him. "He's a good man."
He looked at her, "does he take care of you?"
The vixen was taken aback, but she recovered quickly. "He takes very good care of me."
"Men are supposed to take care of weaker people right?"
She nodded.
He sighed and brushed his hair back. "Father never took care of me," he said after a long while. He wasn't even sure why he told her.
"Did he hurt you?" Her hand gently touched his arm and he shied away, so she pulled it back.
"When I grow up," he ignored her question, "I'm going to take care of anyone smaller than me."
"You are going to make a great man Kane. I'm sure of it." She smiled.
Keelie sighed as she slipped under the blankets that evening. She had been feeling really tired the last few days. The jackal yawned and pulled the blankets up to her chin. She turned on her side and snuggled up against Gadget.
He chuckled lightly and put his arm around her, hand resting on her hip. His other hand rested on her stomach. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
"I hope Kinnley will be ok," she mumbled as she buried her face in his side.
"Me too. But I'm glad you're better." His hand rubbed her side.
"I still have trouble with things Gadget," she sighed, "I don't think I could handle another loss." Her eyes watered. "If Kinnley doesn't wake up..."
He turned her face towards his, "hey, it's going to be ok. We'll get through this."
"But what if Kinnley doesn't get through it? What if it's not ok?" A few tears slipped down her cheeks.
"We'll worry about that then. I'll be here for you. Like I've always been." His thumb gently wiped the tears away.
Her hand held his arm, "I know you will. I'm sorry I ever doubted you. You've always taken good care of me, and the kids, I know you'll do the same with this new life."
He smiled and gently rubbed her stomach. Then he gave her a soft kiss.
She hummed happily and put her arms around his neck, returning the gesture. She was still worried about Kinnley, but he was tough, and she hoped he'd get through this.
When Kinnley woke up, he couldn't feel the left side of his face. He blinked a few times, trying to remember what happened.
His vision was blurry as he stared up at the ceiling. He could smell medical cleaner and hear hushed voices. How did he end up in the medical bay? He had absolutely no idea.
Just as he started to drift back to sleep, he remembered. Britany had been with him. Where was she? He sat up quickly. Pain shot through his side and he shouted.
The curtain around the bed was yanked open, and a nurse hurried over to him. "Lay back down," she gently pressed him back by the shoulders. "You need rest."
Kinnley grabbed her arm, "what happened?" He gasped, "where's Britany?" His voice was somewhat sluggish and slurred. Probably because of all the medicine he was on.
"She's fine, but you were in an accident." She didn't know how much to tell him, as he obviously didn't remember.
His fingers tightened. "I can't feel my face," he said with worry in his eyes.
She gave him a small smile, "so you won't hurt." She hated they had to drug him up so much, but they didn't want him to be in pain.
"What happened to me?"
"Don't worry about that right now, just get rest."
He was starting to get visibly upset. "I don't remember anything, where's my family? Where's Britany? I need her."
"You need to calm down Kinnley," she tried to soothe him. "I'll let them know they can see you now."
"How long have I been here?" His voice was full of panic.
"You've been unconscious for three days, and you have a lot of injuries, so you need to calm down ok?"
That was the wrong thing to say, as it caused more panic. He shoved the blankets back, "let me up, I need to go find her, she's probably worried."
"Kinnley, you're not going anywhere." Her hands held his arms firmly and she pushed him back. "Lay down."
"Where's my dad?" He was on the verge of tears now.
"If you lay down I'll go get him. Ok?"
He nodded and reached up to wipe his face. She took his wrist in her hand, "don't do that." She didn't want him to pull the stitches out. Then she pulled the blankets back over him and patted the back of his hand, "I'll be right back." Then she pulled the curtain shut and went to find Gadget.
A few minutes later, she was back with the wolf right behind her.
"Papa," Kinnley reached out for him.
Gadget's heart broke when he heard the jackal's voice full of emotion. Kinnley wasn't usually like that. He was at his side in a second. "I'm here."
Kinnley started to cry, "I don't know what happened, she won't tell me."
"It's going to be ok now, you're going to be ok." He gently rubbed his son's back.
After Kinnley calmed down, Gadget got a good look at him. The left side of his face was swollen and bruised. Several stitches ran along his cheek and temple, there were also some where they sewed his ear back together. His lip had been split, and bruised as well. His eyes seemed ok though.
"My tongue is too heavy," he said with some difficulty.
"We gave you some numbing medicine so your face won't hurt," said the nurse.
He sniffled. "Will you tell Britany I'm ok?" He asked the wolf.
"Of course. I'll send her your way when I leave ok?" He gently reached up to brush his hair back.
Kinnley nodded and moved to wipe his face with his hand again.
Gadget quickly handed him a tissue to dry the tears without messing up his stitches. "Do you want something to eat?" He asked after watching the jackal dry his face.
"Just water."
Gadget gave him a soft smile and went to get a glass. He'd never had his son turn down food before.
Kinnley took a small sip. His throat hurt when he swallowed, so he set the glass on the table.
Gadget gave him a light hug, and the nurse went to get him more pain medicine.
Britany hurried into the medical bay. She was anxious to see Kinnley. The past three days had been way too long. Granted, Lilly had helped keep her mind off things, but she'd been somewhat preoccupied with Kane. It was obvious that boy had been drug through hell and back. He had been willing to sit with them at lunch, but he hated men. Every time one got too close he would go ballistic. But Lilly still made time for the chipmunk girl.
She pushed the curtain back. Her bag hit the floor when she saw him. "Kinnley." She breathed.
He looked up and gave her a weak smile.
"Baby I'm sorry," she said, moving to his side in an instant. She wanted to grab him in a hug, but he looked so battered she couldn't. Instead, she gently cupped his face in her hands and kissed his forehead.
"Are you ok?" He asked. Concern shone in his golden eyes.
"Forget me," her eyes welled with tears and he reached up to wipe them away. "I'm worried about you. You were the one who got hit by the bomb."
His eyes widened, "I what?!"
"You didn't know?"
"I don't remember anything." He looked down at his lap, "I can't remember anything after our fight in the hallway."
"I'm sorry for all those awful things I said that morning." More tears rolled down her face. "You mean so much to me, and when I thought you were gone..."
"I'm not Britany. I'm here."
"I know. I just wish I'd never attacked your insecurities like that." Green eyes met gold, "it doesn't matter that you aren't like other guys I've dated. It doesn't matter that you love to eat, that you like studying better than exercising. What matters is that you're my Kinnley. And I love you for you. I only hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive me."
He smiled through the tears he felt in his eyes. It meant so much to hear her say that. He took her hands in his, "You're forgiven. You're my Britany, I'll love you through it all."
"I would kiss you, but your mouth looks like it hurts." She pulled back the blankets, "how's your side?"
"I honestly can't feel much," he smiled lightly. "They've drugged me up."
"That's probably the best thing for you right now." A comfortable silence fell as she looked him over. He'd been bandaged and stitched up. He looked so much better than when she'd drug him through the doors three days ago. She lovingly tucked him back in, then pressed her lips against his neck, softly kissing it.
His breath hitched, but he smiled. He tangled his fingers in her hair as she placed another kiss on his collar bone. That was when he noticed it had been cut. "You cut your hair," he whispered.
Her eyes moved to meet his, "do you hate it?"
He could hear the worry in her voice. "I could never hate anything about you."
She grinned, glad he didn't mind. She didn't tell him that she had cut it to save him. He didn't remember what happened, and she didn't want him to if he didn't have to. She didn't want him to relive that.
After several minutes of silence, he started falling asleep. She smiled and placed a kiss on his forehead, "I'll see you later."