Author's note; Wow. I got a review! I am happy!Thank you LEM!
This entire thing is a labor of love to me(I am honestly proud of this work), and it IS finished, and so two chapters will probably go up at a time from now on. Enjoy.
~15 Years Earlier~
Keka woke up later, when the sun was beginning to rise into the sky, staining the clouds pink and orange. She looked around, seeing what she had sensed; she was alone in the room. But the man from the night before wasn't far off.
She looked down at herself; covered in knicks and bruises, dirty and barefoot with a tattered dress. She closed her eyes and felt the familiar, concentrated warmth covering her body. Soon, her cuts were gone, though she was still bruised and dirty.
"You're awake."
She looked up, her muscles tensing and her ears leaping alert. She caught the same scent from the night before, but more cautious. She could faintly hear his heartbeat in her ears, still strong.
"It's okay, Little one." The same low toned voiced addressed her with concern, walking over with a clear tumbler full of cold water and a sweet roll. She recognized the food and was suddenly aware that she was starving.
"Who are you?" She asked, sitting back patiently until he held the food out to her from his chair. She took the plate and cup, sitting cross legged and setting the tumbler between her legs and consuming the roll.
"Victor."
She nodded, pulling the top off the tumbler after she set aside the plate. She gulped down the water, wiping her mouth with her hand. "Why did you grab me?"
"To protect you. I know what they're doing to you."
Keka shut out the images of the terrible things that the man who'd chased her had done.
"Will they look for me?" She asked, terrified that she would have to go back to the steel coated lab and the dark, cold room.
"Yes. But they won't find you." He nodded. "Not here."
Keka sniffed carefully at the air-there was a damp, slightly unpleasant smell invading her nostrils. Another man entered the room, much smaller then Victor, with odd, murky yellow eyes and green skin.
"Whatcha got here, Vicky?" The man asked, crouching next to his chair.
"A Feral child." He turned to her. "What's your name, Little one?"
"Keka." She said shortly, studying the new man.
"Well, hello Keka. I'm Mortimer-you can call me Toad." The man smiled, holding out his hand. Before Keka could put hers in his, Victor intercepted it.
"Well thanks, Vic." Toad feigned annoyance.
"I didn't get to see your hands last night." He dismissed Mortimer. Small hands with stocky fingers and solid black clawlike nails. Her entire body was covered in a barely noticeable velvet fuzz, her skin pale. Her face was innocent and sweet, with wide iridescent eyes, dark lips and a small, feline like nose. Her ears were almost elf like, except for the fact that they moved and tensed with her emotions, flattening out when she was scared or angry, and tensing when she was uncertain, but otherwise unnoticeable under black, silken hair. Unless you knew they were there.
"Victor, what are you looking for?" Toad asked quietly, hardly out of what he knew was the little girl's reach.
Victor never answered, just studied the young child, closing his large hands around hers.
Victor held tight to the tiny paw, pulling with minimal strength.
"Little one, come on." He said with minor irritation.
Keka shook her head, her messy black hair swishing over her wide eyes. She grasped a thick wooden pillar with one hand, digging her claws into the wood. She yanked her hand free as soon as Victor let up on his grip, clinging to the pillar.
"No." She looked up at him stubbornly.
Victor rolled his eyes- seven year olds were hard to deal with. She'd been in the house for a week, and it was difficult to make her leave. Her senses and skills had a risk of weakening in isolation.
"Why?" He crouched to her level, meeting her eyes.
"I'm scared!" She exclaimed, looking toward the open door. A car honked off in the distance, making her jump with a yip, scrambling into Victor's arms. He cradled her affectionately, his big hand protectively at her neck.
Mortimer laughed to himself, watching them. *Vic acts like such a toughguy,* He thought. *But look at our big cuddly cat now!*
Victor lifted Keka up, balancing her on his bent knee to look at her.
"Why are you scared, little one?" He asked.
Mort grinned-it was almost like watching a careful lion and his cub; his massive paws engulfing most of her small torso.
"What if they come for me?" She asked in a tiny voice. "What if they take me back to the lab?" Her voice grew more desperate by the second. "What if they take me away from you, Vic-"
"Ssssh." He pulled her close, cradling her head. "I wouldn't let them take you away from me." He whispered.
Mort could barely hold his laughter- Vic was going soft for this little girl! It was a distinct change from him stomping around, growling and spitting his words.
Victor set Keka on the floor, standing up. "Now, are we ready?"
"No." She said, smiling innocently.
"What?" Victor sighed. "Why?"
Keka smiled, holding up her arms to him and stretching her tiny digits.
Victor laughed, scooping her up and moving to the door, his long coat sweeping behind him. Keka wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers curling in his scruffy blonde hair. He tromped out of the house, his giant boots thudding on the floor as he closed the door.
Mortimer stepped into the room, looking at the door with a semi sincere look, seconds before falling down in laughter.
~Present Day~
Keka strolled through the forest, her powerful arms crossed over her stomach. She was bruised, but in good condition. The cool crunch of sticks under her boots was a comfort to her-it reminded her of the sounds of Victor walking across the ground.
Victor. She still thought of him as Victor, never as who he really was, or what he really meant to her...
This entire thing is a labor of love to me(I am honestly proud of this work), and it IS finished, and so two chapters will probably go up at a time from now on. Enjoy.
~15 Years Earlier~
Keka woke up later, when the sun was beginning to rise into the sky, staining the clouds pink and orange. She looked around, seeing what she had sensed; she was alone in the room. But the man from the night before wasn't far off.
She looked down at herself; covered in knicks and bruises, dirty and barefoot with a tattered dress. She closed her eyes and felt the familiar, concentrated warmth covering her body. Soon, her cuts were gone, though she was still bruised and dirty.
"You're awake."
She looked up, her muscles tensing and her ears leaping alert. She caught the same scent from the night before, but more cautious. She could faintly hear his heartbeat in her ears, still strong.
"It's okay, Little one." The same low toned voiced addressed her with concern, walking over with a clear tumbler full of cold water and a sweet roll. She recognized the food and was suddenly aware that she was starving.
"Who are you?" She asked, sitting back patiently until he held the food out to her from his chair. She took the plate and cup, sitting cross legged and setting the tumbler between her legs and consuming the roll.
"Victor."
She nodded, pulling the top off the tumbler after she set aside the plate. She gulped down the water, wiping her mouth with her hand. "Why did you grab me?"
"To protect you. I know what they're doing to you."
Keka shut out the images of the terrible things that the man who'd chased her had done.
"Will they look for me?" She asked, terrified that she would have to go back to the steel coated lab and the dark, cold room.
"Yes. But they won't find you." He nodded. "Not here."
Keka sniffed carefully at the air-there was a damp, slightly unpleasant smell invading her nostrils. Another man entered the room, much smaller then Victor, with odd, murky yellow eyes and green skin.
"Whatcha got here, Vicky?" The man asked, crouching next to his chair.
"A Feral child." He turned to her. "What's your name, Little one?"
"Keka." She said shortly, studying the new man.
"Well, hello Keka. I'm Mortimer-you can call me Toad." The man smiled, holding out his hand. Before Keka could put hers in his, Victor intercepted it.
"Well thanks, Vic." Toad feigned annoyance.
"I didn't get to see your hands last night." He dismissed Mortimer. Small hands with stocky fingers and solid black clawlike nails. Her entire body was covered in a barely noticeable velvet fuzz, her skin pale. Her face was innocent and sweet, with wide iridescent eyes, dark lips and a small, feline like nose. Her ears were almost elf like, except for the fact that they moved and tensed with her emotions, flattening out when she was scared or angry, and tensing when she was uncertain, but otherwise unnoticeable under black, silken hair. Unless you knew they were there.
"Victor, what are you looking for?" Toad asked quietly, hardly out of what he knew was the little girl's reach.
Victor never answered, just studied the young child, closing his large hands around hers.
Victor held tight to the tiny paw, pulling with minimal strength.
"Little one, come on." He said with minor irritation.
Keka shook her head, her messy black hair swishing over her wide eyes. She grasped a thick wooden pillar with one hand, digging her claws into the wood. She yanked her hand free as soon as Victor let up on his grip, clinging to the pillar.
"No." She looked up at him stubbornly.
Victor rolled his eyes- seven year olds were hard to deal with. She'd been in the house for a week, and it was difficult to make her leave. Her senses and skills had a risk of weakening in isolation.
"Why?" He crouched to her level, meeting her eyes.
"I'm scared!" She exclaimed, looking toward the open door. A car honked off in the distance, making her jump with a yip, scrambling into Victor's arms. He cradled her affectionately, his big hand protectively at her neck.
Mortimer laughed to himself, watching them. *Vic acts like such a toughguy,* He thought. *But look at our big cuddly cat now!*
Victor lifted Keka up, balancing her on his bent knee to look at her.
"Why are you scared, little one?" He asked.
Mort grinned-it was almost like watching a careful lion and his cub; his massive paws engulfing most of her small torso.
"What if they come for me?" She asked in a tiny voice. "What if they take me back to the lab?" Her voice grew more desperate by the second. "What if they take me away from you, Vic-"
"Ssssh." He pulled her close, cradling her head. "I wouldn't let them take you away from me." He whispered.
Mort could barely hold his laughter- Vic was going soft for this little girl! It was a distinct change from him stomping around, growling and spitting his words.
Victor set Keka on the floor, standing up. "Now, are we ready?"
"No." She said, smiling innocently.
"What?" Victor sighed. "Why?"
Keka smiled, holding up her arms to him and stretching her tiny digits.
Victor laughed, scooping her up and moving to the door, his long coat sweeping behind him. Keka wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers curling in his scruffy blonde hair. He tromped out of the house, his giant boots thudding on the floor as he closed the door.
Mortimer stepped into the room, looking at the door with a semi sincere look, seconds before falling down in laughter.
~Present Day~
Keka strolled through the forest, her powerful arms crossed over her stomach. She was bruised, but in good condition. The cool crunch of sticks under her boots was a comfort to her-it reminded her of the sounds of Victor walking across the ground.
Victor. She still thought of him as Victor, never as who he really was, or what he really meant to her...