Before Perfection
by The Great Red Dragon
Chapter 18
In my panic, I drove almost blindly through the jungle. I didn't even feel the poison spreading inside of my body as I went on and on.
Strange, it seemed. If the cloaked bastard had wanted another crack at me, he would've had many opportunities then, in my weakened state…why didn't he come at me again?
Who knows? Maybe he thought I was finished, and that the poison would kill me quickly.
Whatever the cause, it allowed me free reign throughout the dense, wet, and windy jungle.

I can remember having actual tears in my eyes as I saw the first lights of the city. I don't know if it was the pain building in my body...or if I was fearing that this was the ending of my life. The poison, I guessed, worked not like the usual sedatives used in most stealth cases (I had studied this, but I didn't even know if this guy was stealth ops; probably not). The burning was spreading to specific areas that couldn't have been random…namely, my neck, the joints in my legs and arms, and my groin.
More panic flooded my system as I realized my most vital areas being attacked. The burning had turned to a raking, hacking sensation, and I stumbled through the darkened streets in a drunken state, and I smashed into a trash can. It made an almighty racket that awoke just about half of the neighborhood. I managed to evade all attention, despite my delusional state.

My mind kinda got stuck as I made my disoriented way, and was snagged only on getting back to Riley's. I didn't know how that could help me, but what else was I to do? It was the only place I could go.
When I did come upon the Kivanna household, I didn't stop to pause. However, when I raced up the front steps, I received an overpowering feeling of exhaustion in my chest. It was so strong that I had to stop; there was no fighting it.
But when I did...well, maybe it took only that one moment in which I stood still for the poison to fully circulate throughout my body. For in that instant in which I stopped, I felt such a horrible...reverberating throughout my anatomy. My head felt like a thousand Z-chips had been implanted, and all went off at once.

Oh God, it hurt so much that I didn't even reach for my head; I reached for my arm instead. I collapsed then: my legs buckled and went slack, and I fell forward onto my face. I tasted my own blood...and knew it couldn't end this way. I didn't want to die of poison right in front of Riley's front door...but what could I do?
In my desperation, I did the only thing that came to mind...I broke my solemn promise to myself to remain silent, and screamed out as loudly as I could.

"RILEYYYYYYYYYY!"

The yell took the last of my energy away. Dizziness overtook me, I felt my breathing cease, and I blacked out.
Oh a horrible darkness,
There is none I see;
Blades, blood, and tentacles,
What does your horror hold for me?

My, what a poet I can be, huh?
It seemed fitting for the moment. It was as if I was awake and trapped in a dark, dark coma.

After a while (actually, it seemed like hours), I began seeing specks and sheets of multi-colored light throughout the everblack. It reminded me of the Northern Lights; I had seen them on TV.
As entertaining as it was at first, I began to get bored after a while.

"C'mon, c'mon", I urged impatiently.
"Put on some wrestling. I'm missing RAW!"

My words sounded strange to me, as if I wasn't the person speaking. It didn't matter to me then, but it seems a weird thought, huh?
And as I said those words, it outside world seemed almost to follow my command. The view did change...but it wasn't pro wrestling that I got in front of my eyes.
No; a black-and-color slideshow broke out, with the non-black being a strong blend of colors. This went on for a while, until I finally realized that I was blinking. I opened my eyes, and it felt like a violent stab in the face. I snapped my eyes back shut and kept them like that.

Okay, so I wasn't dead...well, I guess that's fortunate.

Where was I, anyway? I first took notice to the soft surface I was lying on. I didn't want to risk ruining my eyes again, so I just let my hands just wander. It felt much like a pillow...but what was this? There was a blanket on me as well.
What was this?
Was I lying crippled in a hospital somewhere? Well, if I was in a hospital, the doctors had done a mighty fine job with me; I mean it: my body still held that lapse of awakening, but I felt my power in my limbs again. I was back in control, and I remembered everything.

The strange thing was that I felt oddly confident about my passed ordeal. I wasn't as concerned about the cloaked anonymous anymore. My old instincts had kicked back in, and I knew a bit more about my opponent. I would be more aware of him the next time we met, and at that time, it was he who would be the underdog.
I began feeling like Daredevil after a while; using my four remaining senses as a radar. But that made me feel kinda silly: I thought Daredevil was kind of hokey. So I took another chance and opened my eyes.

It didn't hurt this time. In fact, I could see clearly again.

I was lying on an oriental-looking couch-thing with a quilt tossed over me. My head rested on a white linen pillow, and rays of early-morning sunlight danced from a window.
I was in a relatively small room, about the size of a large bathroom. The walls were plain and gray; the scenery could have been magnificently improved with a few pictures or paintings.
I freed myself from the blanket and sat up. I didn't know where I was; the place didn't even smell familiar.
Where the Hell was I?
However, before I could get up to explore, a door that I had not yet noticed opened. I prepared myself to see my kidnapper; probably some old lady who thought I was a kitty-cat.

But...it was Riley!

His face was pale, and full of dread.
…Just then, I realized how much chaos I had put him through, with all that happened. I was reminded that Riley cared about me, and it must've been a terrible ordeal for him to go through. To think that I had thrust myself into this willingly made me feel like such an ass.

He looked up and caught sight of me. His face exclaimed, with an emotion unknown to me. Was it relief? Or perhaps an increased worry?

"Auron!", he cried, and it came out somewhat of a choked yell.

He rushed forward and grabbed me in a tight hug. And right there, I could feel all the worry, apprehension, and emotional hardship that he had felt. Riley cared about me as much as I did him, and now I knew it. As he held me to him, I felt tears sliding onto my shoulder and into my fur.
...I could take a lot, and that obviously included a fully loaded poison dart...but to see Riley crying...no, that was too much for me to take.
I put my arms around his neck carefully, and I pulled him against my body gently. I put my face next to his ear.

"Riley...", I said into his ear quietly; stroking his back with one of my claws.
"Come on...don't cry..."

..........
...Oh God; what had I done?
I don't know why it slipped out like that.
Maybe I was so overcome with emotion, or Riley's emotion, or...I can't go inside of this very much to explain it.
The fact is, I don't know what made me do it. Maybe I just couldn't take the verbal solitude any more. All my life, I had been forced to keep my mouth shut. Perhaps these few soothing words to my friend in need were a necessity for myself.
Expectedly, the speaking startled Riley. He let me go and moved away so fast, it almost saddened me. I don't know what I had expected, but whatever I felt was soon put aside, as the door opened again, and in came Rebecca, Lara, and that crazy vet from the shelter: my dear Dr. Hartrum.
Rebecca, who had tears in her eyes, immediately ran towards me and tried to hug me, but Riley stopped her. His eyes were somehow dry now.

"Leave him, Rebecca", he said gently and pulled her away.
"Give him some space."

…Why, Riley? I'm not dangerous…

What he had said obviously didn't apply to Dr. Frankenstein...I mean Dr. Hartrum.

"May I take his pulse?", he 'asked', and grabbed my arm.

It took only a minute – literally. A minute in such depressed silence…I continue dhating myself.
Now Dr. Hartrum had strapped a thing around my arm that was taking my blood measurement. It was squeezing my arm somewhat.
Rebecca clung to Lara's knee (she was looking at me too); having been denied physical contact seemed to have given her a bad idea of my condition, and she was looking very worried. I smiled at her; I didn't want her to be afraid.
I looked back at the doc, who know had his hand on my forehead. I longed to ask him sarcastically if I was going to die anytime soon.
I passed the examination: Dr. Hartrum smiled as if in success and ruffled the fur on my head. I decided against slapping him in the face.

"Well, my little friend", he said sweetly.
"You gave us all quite a scare."

"Continue with the talk and I'll petrify you beyond belief, you old witch doctor", I thought to myself.

He turned to Riley.

"Really, Riley; I have no idea how he could've gotten that stuff in him, much less survive it. If you hadn't brought in when you did..."

Riley looked from Dr. Hartrum to me, then back.

"What did you say it was, doctor?", he asked.

"It's a type of venom…looks very much like the kind found in snakes in Australia", the doctor answered.
"A nasty effect it can have on its victims…and a nasty effect it did have on our little friend here."

Riley swallowed.

"And that would be?", he asked.

"It spreads throughout the body at an alarming rate, and literally burns away the blood vessels that it passes through…", Hartrum answered, and glanced at me.

"But I doubt very much that it was snake that bit him. The wound isn't resemblant of fangs or even teeth at all. It looks more like a puncture wound of a needle or something of the sort. Perhaps this explains the venom's strange effect; it could've been artificially made."

...Well, I guess I was in debt; Ol' Hartrum had saved my life; I'm almost sorry of it. But what the Hell, I've got a sense of honor.
Thank you, my dear doctor, for saving my life from a snake-bite shot from a gun. Now please go back to the big house and play checkers with the other old veterinarians.


Riley and Hartrum talked for a while more, and I suddenly felt tired again. I lay back onto the pillow and closed my eyes. I wished that I could have some solitude...but I doubted that I would be getting any.
They finally left me alone after what seemed like hours. Dr. Hartrum had insisted that I needed rest, but also forced me to swallow a spoonful of this gut-wrenching brew (it came out of a homemade bottle, so what else would I have expected?).
Before I could fall back to sleep, I cupped my hands behind my head and looked at the ceiling.

I was worried about Riley...the way he had looked at me had had scared me. I wanted Riley's attention now, and I knew that I might surprise him...but to scare him, so that he would then be scared of me from there on...I could've kicked myself.

"Stupid Auron, stupid 541! Of course he would've been scared!", I said to myself.
"Humans are stupid creatures! Anything out of the ordinary is the come of Hell to them!"

...But that was a flat-out lie and insult to Riley. I knew that he wasn't like that at all.

I fell asleep soon after; angry at myself and the whole damn universe.
I knew that Riley was in the room; I didn't know how long or even if I slept. Riley was sitting on a chair next to my couch, not moving.
I opened my eyes and turned my head to find him with his face down. He looked tired and very exhausted.
I leaned over and put my hand over his. He looked up at me and gave me a weak smile, and I returned it.

"Feeling okay?", he asked quietly.

I nodded.

"You're probably wondering where you are, huh?", he asked me.

Indeed, I was.

"Well...after I found you, well, Dr. Hartrum's house was closest, so..."

"Wonderful", I thought instantly.
"I'm in Frankenstein's castle. They might a well be starting the experimentation all over again."

I climbed up from under the covers and over to Riley, hoping that we could both forget my little verbal altercation. I climbed into his lap and settled myself against his chest. Hopefully my cuteness could wash away any unsound memories.
I was very relieved when I felt him put an arm around me. I rubbed my head against him sweetly, to show that I couldn't be in anyway dangerous.
But it did feel very good. Past the act, I felt an almost bliss of harmony. Was it spontaneous, or not? I don't know, but it just felt so good...

"Auron?"

"Yes?"

...Blew it! Again!


(A/N: Disclaimer - 'RAW IS WAR' and 'RAW' are copyrighted trademarks of World Wrestling Entertainment. 'Daredevil' is licensed and copyrighted by Marvel comics…and other people I know nothing about)