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"Oh my God! What happened?!" Acting on automatic, Zoe yanked a surprised Venom into their motel room and shoved him towards the closest bed. Jasmine's wolf form was lying limp in his arms, unconscious, her usual luxurious fur matted with partially dried blood. "Put her down there. Angel! Where are the bandages? Cat, honey, c'mere and sit down. You okay?"
-I'm alright, - she signed as Zoe ushered her over to the small table and chairs and gently pushed her down onto a free seat. -Jasmine passed out on the way here. Her shoulder hasn't stopped bleeding.-
"Dammit. She wore herself out." Sighing, Zoe gave Cat's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, then moved over to the bed, giving Venom a weak smile before she sunk her fingers into the wolf's fur, running her hands along the sleek form. She frowned slightly as she checked the wolf over from nose to tail tip, feeling for any broken bones or hidden wounds. "O-okay. Her broken left front leg seems healed - if it isn't it'll probably heal completely whenever she manages to Shift back to human form. But the bullet is still lodged in her right shoulder. That's why it hasn't stopped bleeding. It's in the muscle near her shoulder joint, so every movement only makes things worse."
Pale and worried, Angel held a backpack out to Zoe, rubbing a hand over her belly as she tugged a chair next to Cat, sat down, and pulled the unresisting teen into a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay, kitten. What happened?"
"El stubborn git pushed herself too hard. Again," Zoe grumbled as she dug through the backpack, pulling out a roll of gauze and two elastic bandages. "Venom? Can-" She paused when she looked up and met Eddie's blue gaze. He was still in the Venom 'outfit', only his head and shoulders bare of the black symbiote. "Oops. Sorry, Eddie."
"Don't worry about it." He waved Zoe's concern aside and went to kneel next to her, frowning at the wolf that was laid out across the foot of the bed. It was a small relief to see her sides rise and fall as she breathed. Worried, he reached out to place his left hand on the wolf's furred haunch. "What were you going to ask us, Zoe?"
She sighed and parted some of the black and red fur, exposing the sluggishly bleeding bullet wound. "Your symbiote, can it pull the bullet out? I can't get to it without cutting into her."
"We'll try," he agreed, feeling his Other move across his shoulders worriedly as it extended a tendril from his right forearm and carefully investigated her shoulder. "Though if it's shifted too deeply, we may have to cut her open ourselves." Realizing that the procedure might cause Jasmine to instinctively lash out, Eddie gently pushed Zoe aside and put his right hand on the wolf's neck, ready to hold her down should she wake and panic.
Let's try to do this quickly, Eddie thought to the symbiote, feeling it's agreement as it thinned the tendril and carefully reached into the bullet tract. His Other sent information back to him as it investigated the damage, easily locating the bullet and extending itself around it. But the slug was nestled very close to the shoulder joint, and a primary nerve, which made things a little complicated. Can we extract it without causing more damage? Slowly? Hm. She'll wake up during this for sure.
"You should stay back," Eddie announced, sending worried looks to the three women that were watching him curiously. "We can extract it, but we can't block her pain. She's not going to be happy when she wakes up."
Zoe frowned, exchanged looks with Angel and Cat, then nodded. "Okay. Just a second." Thinking quickly, she pulled out her pocket knife and cut a length of gauze from the roll, setting everything aside before she wrapped the gauze around the wolf's muzzle, tying it securely. "If she wakes up in pain, her wolf is going to take over. She'll react out of instinct and try to get away, even if it means attacking you. I don't know if this'll be strong enough, but..."
Touched by her concern, Eddie smiled at her. "We'll be careful. Thank you." He waited until she had moved out of reach before he rose on his knees and braced himself, ready to restrain Jasmine if he needed to. Alright, my Other, let's give this a try.
It was an odd sensation, being able to feel with both his own senses and the symbiote's as his Other began to extract the bullet. Everything seemed to be going well, until the symbiote-encased bullet inadvertently brushed up against a tendon.
The wolf erupted into motion, paws scrabbling against the loose blankets as red-tinged golden eyes snapped open, a furious growl rumbling out from her throat. The gauze that was wrapped around her muzzle held for a few moments before the wolf's sheer strength ripped it apart. Snarling, fangs bared, fur bristling, she struggled against the arms that were holding her, writhing on the bed in an attempt to escape.
"Jasmine!" Angel paled as she watched the mutant fight against Eddie's hold, fangs snapping at the air threateningly. The poor man looked completely shocked at the ferocity of the mutants actions. "Jasmine, stop!"
Wriggling in what should have been an impossible move for any living being with a spine, the wolf twisted her head and closed her jaws on Eddie's right forearm, fangs digging deep as her muzzle contracted. Feral red eyes glared up into surprised blue, furred ears flattening against her skull as she snarled and applied more pressure to the bite. It was clear to everyone in the room that if the symbiote not been protecting the man's arm, the wolf would have not only crushed the bones in his arm, but probably have ripped the appendage clean off.
Unable to sit by any longer, Cat lunged off her chair and grabbed the wolf's head, ignoring the frightened cries from Angel and Zoe as she met the wolf's glare and held it, her amethyst staring down into feral red. A clawed paw scratched at her arm, but she ignored it as she leaned down until her face was mere centimeters away from the wolf's, staring down into inhuman eyes that had made other people recoil in terror.
Eddie cursed, feeling the wolf start to pull away, and actually clamped his left hand over her muzzle, sending her fangs back into his arm. "Cat, get away from her!"
But the teen ignored him, her hands lightly brushing the wolf's face, her gaze never faltering. Slowly, the snarl that was continuously rumbling out of the wolf's throat fell silent, the red in the mutant's eyes bleeding away until only a rich gold remained.
"Jasmine?"
The wolf's gaze darted up to Eddie's, a look of pure horror replacing the confusion on her face as she spat his arm out and recoiled, whining and whimpering loudly as she tried to get away. Oh gods, what did I do? What did I do?!
Smiling through her tears, Cat gently petted the trembling wolf, running her fingers through the soft fur in an attempt to comfort the mutant when the wolf shuddered, ears flattening against her skull as she dropped her head in shame, avoiding everyone's gazes.
Worried at Jasmine's reaction, Eddie shifted his hold on her, running his hands through her fur instead of holding her down. The symbiote finished removing the bullet, giving the wound a final check for any dirt or infection before it pulled away and dropped the slug into his open hand.
"Jasmine, shh. Look, you didn't hurt us," he showed her his right arm, watching her as his Other flowed away from his skin, letting the wolf see the unbroken flesh. "We're alright, Jasmine. It's alright."
Shivering, Jaz slowly rose her head, her amber gaze studying his arm and the symbiote that had extended a tendril to her left paw. After a moment, she whined a wordless apology to him and gently nuzzled his arm, licking at the spot where she had bitten him. Another shudder went through her when he lay his left hand on top of her head, fingers rubbing at her ears, and she sighed as she leaned her head against his right arm, closing her eyes wearily. I'm too old for this shit.
"Is she okay?" Angel asked worriedly, waiting until Cat smiled at her and nodded before she slid her chair closer and reached out to touch the wolf, her fingers vanishing into the thick fur.
"We believe so. At the very least, we managed to extract the bullet without causing further damage," Eddie answered, feeling the symbiote curl itself around the wolf's left foreleg, his Other checking to see if the mutant's struggles had aggravated the healing bone.
Heaving a sigh of relief, Zoe moved to kneel at the wolf's head and gently took the black and red muzzle in one hand, forcing the wolf to meet her gaze. "You, are a stubborn, pigheaded, idiot, y'hear me? I've got half a mind to ask Eddie to web you to the ceiling! Don't you grumble at me, you moron! I swear, if you ever pull a stunt like this again, I will dye you a bright neon pink with... with neon green spots! And I'll crazy-glue a fuckin' blue sparkly bow to your head!"
Jaz's ears flattened against her skull again, amber eyes narrowing as she moved backwards away from Zoe. I wonder if I can fit under the bed. Grumbling, she inched closer to Eddie, watching Zoe warily.
Chuckling at their antics, Eddie picked the roll of gauze off the floor, unraveling a length of it and mentally thanking his Other when it helpfully extended a knife edged tendril for him to cut the gauze with. Ignoring Zoe's continued threats to Jasmine, he folded the gauze into a pad and gently pressed it against the wolf's sluggishly bleeding wound, murmuring an apology when she shuddered.
Angel, meanwhile, was trying to get a word in edgewise. "Zee. Zoe. Zoe! Zoe!" Frowning at the lack of response, she slid her sneaker off her left foot and threw it at the ranting redhead, smirking when it pegged her in the forehead and knocked her over. "Shut up already! And give me back my shoe!"
"Owww!"
Ignoring Zoe's pitiful whining, Cat got up and went to rummage through the groceries that they had, using an old can opener she found in a drawer to open six tins of canned salmon and six of tuna. She dumped them all into a bowl, gave it a quick mix with a fork, then carried the bowl over to the wolf, smiling when Jasmine sniffed at the air and perked up.
Zoe was still lying on the floor and complaining, so Cat nudged the woman aside with her foot, snickering at Zoe's cursing as she set the bowl in front of Jasmine and frowning when the wolf dug into the offered food.
"I knew she wasn't eating enough," Angel sighed guiltily as she watched the wolf devour the fish ravenously. "She's always taking care of us... I never thought she'd neglect herself this much."
One furry ear twitched towards Angel's voice, and Jasmine growled softly as she looked at the pregnant teen, licking her muzzle clean. Gah! I wish I could talk in this form! She shouldn't sound guilty! Dammit, someone say something!
"It's not so much neglect as it is stupidity," Zoe muttered from where she was still sprawled on the floor, wincing when the wolf snarled at her. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry! Yeesh."
"That's enough," Eddie told them, frowning as he lifted the blood stained gauze pad from the wolf's shoulder and replaced it with a clean one. "She protects you because she cares about you. We don't agree with how she neglects her health, but we understand why she does so."
Jaz grumbled. That's... not quite what I was hoping for, but it'll do until I can Shift back. Still sending worried glances towards Angel, she turned back to the fish that Cat had brought her, gulping down the last few mouthfuls and licking the bowl clean. Mn. I'm hungry enough to eat a full grown deer. Gods, I think I'd even eat dog kibble at this point... and that crap tastes awful! Sulking now, she lay her head down on her paws and sighed, closing her eyes tiredly.
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She must have fallen asleep, because the next time Jasmine opened her eyes, she had been placed on a blanket and lain on the floor. Blinking, she rose her head and looked around, testing the air as her ears twitched. Eddie was slouched in what looked to be a rather uncomfortable position on one of the chairs, an arm thrown over his eyes as he slept, snoring softly, and she could hear steady breathing from her Pack from the direction of the two double beds.
Feeling better than she had before she fell asleep, Jasmine slowly got to her paws, giving herself a shake to settle her fur before she silently padded over to the beds. Angel was on the first bed, cradled in a nest of blankets and pillows to ease the aches she had from her pregnancy. Zoe and Cat were sprawled across each other's legs on the second bed, the two tangled up in the sheets.
Satisfied that they were alright, Jaz backed away, checked to make sure Eddie was still asleep, then went in search of her backpack. She found it and the other girl's bags tucked in a corner, and after using a paw to gently push Zoe's pack out of the way, she closed her teeth on one of the straps and pulled her bag free. Pleased, she picked it up in her fangs and padded into the bathroom, dropping the backpack before she turned to nudge the door closed with her nose.
She stood in the dark room for a few moments, taking stock of all the aches and pains in her body before she sighed deeply and Shifted, sinking her fangs into her lower lip to keep from crying out as her right shoulder sent a wave of agony down her arm. "Ow."
Gasping, Jasmine leaned against the sink for a few moments before reaching out with a shaking hand to flip the light switch. The bulb above the medicine cabinet flickered to life, and she grumbled under her breath when she saw her reflection in the mirror. Wow. I look like hell. And my right shoulder is a lovely shade of bluish black. Ugh. Averting her gaze, she spun the cold water tap open and scooped the freezing water into her hands, quickly washing her face. While the cold only served to wake her up even more, it was also a small comfort that she reveled in.
She stepped out of the bathroom ten minutes later, comfortably clothed in worn blue jeans and a black tank top. Truthfully, she had never thought that just a small thing like a clean pair of underwear and sports bra could be such a comfort. How far she had come from wandering the wilds in nothing but her fur.
Shaking her head at herself, she set her back against the wall and sighed tiredly as she slid down it until she was sitting on the floor to the right of the tv stand, her left hand rubbing at her right shoulder. Gods, I feel horrible.
Her head was pounding along with her heartbeat, something that made falling back to sleep an impossible task. So she just pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapped her arms across her knees, and buried her face into her arms. My kingdom for a bottle of Tylenol.
"Jasmine?"
She jerked her head up at the whisper so fast that she whacked her skull against the wall. Cursing, she clutched at her head. "Ow. Fuck."
"Are you alright?"
The voice was closer, the sound making her crack an eye open to look at Eddie where he was kneeling in front of her. "Sorta. I think I found one of the studs in the wall."
Chuckling softly, he moved to sit next to her, looking down at her when she sighed tiredly and lay her head on his left shoulder. "You managed to Shift."
"Yeah. Barely." She tried not to think about how comfortable she was, or how content her wolf was feeling. "It hurt, but I hate not being able to talk, especially when Angel gets into one of her sulks."
"Cat pulled her out of it," Eddie told her as he carefully put his arm around her, waiting to see if she would object before he relaxed. "And we managed to keep Zoe from shaving you while you slept."
Jasmine laughed softly. "Thanks. What'd she threaten to do to you?"
"Angel hit her in the head with her other shoe before Zoe could say anything."
"Oh, I wish I could have seen that. How much swearing was involved?"
"A lot. We're surprised it didn't wake you."
"Mn." She fell silent for a moment, then sighed and leaned her full weight against him, feeling him tighten his arm around her. "I'm sorry I bit you, Eddie. I... I don't quite remember everything yet, but I didn't mean to attack you."
"Shh. It's alright." When she tried to apologize again, he cut her off. "Jasmine, you didn't hurt us. Look." He held his right arm out for her to see, feeling goosebumps spread over his skin when she lightly ran her fingers across his bare arm. The symbiote fluttered across his back in mixed curiosity and intense interest, it's attention centered on the woman who was sitting next to them. "The symbiote kept us... kept me from harm. It's protected me from bullets, knives, even missiles... we're made of sterner stuff than most."
"Good," she murmured softly, tucking herself close to him and sighing when he hugged her. "When I lose control and turn feral... I doubt I could've forgiven myself if I had maimed you... or worse."
Eddie hesitated before speaking. "Thank you."
Curious, she pulled away from him a bit and frowned up at him when he refused to look at her. "For what?"
"For caring. It... it's been a long time since someone cared about our welfare."
"Then the people around you suck."
He stared down at her, shocked at the vehement whisper. "What?"
"The people around you suck," she repeated, eyes flashing gold. "You were surprised when I said that I would have regretted hurting you and you're amazed that the Pack and I are comfortable around you. That tells me that the people around you are idiots."
"They have reason to be afraid," Eddie murmured, meeting her gaze when she frowned at him doubtfully. "We... we're dangerous. We... I can't let myself be close to anyone. I can't care too much..." He cut himself off when she jerked out of his hold, twisting in a fluid move until she was crouched in front of him, literally nose to nose with him. Her eyes were almost glowing, the green overtaken by wolf gold.
"Dangerous?" she snarled, fighting to keep her voice at a whisper, her fangs lengthening as she let her wolf brush the surface of her thoughts. "I'm a fuckin' wolf. I was born a wolf, Eddie Brock, and I lived as a wolf for fifteen years before my mutation kicked in. Even now, as I take this form, I am first and foremost a predator. I am painfully aware of the damage I could do if I were to lose control. What happened earlier is nothing compared to what I'm capable of."
She paused to let that sink in, then tilted her head a little, a low growl accenting her words. "Do you know what keeps me in check? Do you know what encourages me to leave the forests behind and stay in this concrete abomination? To ignore the calling of nature, of the fresh air, and clean water, and soft, unpolluted, earth under my paws?" Her left arm straightened out to her side, a taloned finger pointing towards the beds. "Cat, Angel and Zoe. It is because of them that I strive to adapt to this place. Without my Pack, without my family, I would be a danger to everyone and everything around me. They are my life. They are my Pack."
A soft churr left her when he glanced away, troubled. The rumbling sound emanated from the back of her throat as she reached out to touch his cheek, drawing his gaze back to hers. "It is because you refuse to let yourself care that you pose a danger. It is because you distance yourself from anyone that could come to care for you that you are dangerous." The gold in her eyes bled away into a rich green, her gaze softening as she spoke. "I wish I could make you see that you don't have to lead a life of self-imposed loneliness and exile. I wish you could see what I see in you, in both of you, whether you are Eddie and the alien Other, or Venom. You do not have to be alone... but I don't know how I can make you understand that. It took me many years to figure that out for myself. I hope you can come to terms with it faster than I did."
Jasmine held his gaze for a few heartbeats more, then rose to her feet and turned to walk towards the bathroom, intending to sleep in the tub. When she was just a few scant feet from the door, a hand closed around her right wrist, gently stopping her forward motion. She turned to look at him where he was standing in front of her, unafraid. Even though she knew that she had probably overstepped her bounds by confronting him, she held still as he met her gaze, searching her eyes for something.
"What..." Eddie grimaced when his voice cracked, but pushed on. "What do you see in us?"
"I see a caring, compassionate person who, despite his strength and convictions, is drowning under the weight of such sadness and misery that it hurts my heart. I see someone who deserves so much more than what he allows himself. I see someone who has been fighting for so long, that he has forgotten how to live. And I see someone who gives so much of himself to others, and receives almost nothing in return. You hide and deny who and what you are, and you shouldn't, because there is nothing wrong with who and what you are."
She hadn't even drawn a breath after speaking before she found herself wrapped up into a hug and tucked close against Eddie's chest. His breath tickled her left ear as she carefully slid her arms around him, returning the embrace and holding him as he shivered. She could smell his emotional distress, and it made her wince. "I'm sorry, Eddie. Zoe keeps telling me that I have to learn some tact, but it's not like she's a proper role model."
A weak chuckle left him at that. "No. Don't apologize. You have nothing to apologize for. We... we needed to hear that." He sucked in a breath and held it for a moment, then released it in a sigh and tightened his arms around her. "Thank you."
Jasmine closed her eyes and leaned against him, her wolf oddly content as she splayed her hands across Eddie's back, not even flinching when the symbiote hesitantly curled a tendril around her fingers. "Anytime."
He held her for a few moments longer, daring to nuzzle his face into her hair. The scent of autumn and thunderstorms filled his nose, the symbiote's interest tripling as it fluttered across his back. Not wanting to push his luck, Eddie reluctantly pulled away, looking down at her as she let her arms slide away from him. He rose a hand to her face, brushing his thumb across her right cheek and smiling a little when she calmly met his gaze and leaned into his touch.
His Other shifted in the back of his mind, it's inhuman and extremely acute senses focused on the woman in front of them, the feel of her skin, her scent, wild, perfectly her, everything was magnified...
It made it painfully easy to sense the weakness that she was hiding.
"You're exhausted," he frowned, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and the paleness of her skin, hating that he'd overlooked the signs. Sharing his symbiote's concern, Eddie guided her back to where they had been sitting moments before, shaking his head when she started to protest. "We can sense how tired you are, so don't bother trying to tell us otherwise."
"You're worse than, Angel," Jasmine muttered sourly, unable to hide a wince when she dropped down onto the floor, the rough motion jarring her injured shoulder.
"We saw that. Stay put." Ignoring the glare she sent at him, he turned and went to grab a bottle of water out of the small bar fridge and picked up the bottle of extra-strength Tylenol that Zoe had left on the microwave, returning to Jasmine's side afterwards. "Here."
"Thanks," she muttered, prying the bottle of painkillers open and shaking out half a dozen pills. When Eddie gave her a worried look, she shrugged and quickly downed the pills with a gulp of water. "Anything less than four pills doesn't work on me. Even then, it'll only last for a couple of hours."
"High metabolism?" he guessed as he sat down next to her again, smiling when she grumbled and guzzled the rest of the water. "We sympathize. Granted, we're surprised you've managed to last this long. According to Angel and Zoe, you barely eat and you hardly ever sleep. You're going to crash if you keep that up."
Jaz shrugged and leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes with a weary sigh. "It's not like the Pack has been taking shelter in the safest of places. Someone has to keep watch. And Angel and Cat need the food more than I do. Cat's still growing, and Angel's eating for two. Zoe's also been giving them some of her food, but she gets weak if she doesn't have a decent meal every three days." A twinge in her shoulder pulled a pained hiss from her, and she rose her left hand to cover the dark bruise. "I'm close to my limit, especially after Shifting and chasing a car across half the city, but I can probably manage another month."
"Probably?"
"It's a juggling game. I might have lost a week or so, considering that I was hurt when I Shifted. My arm's not broken anymore, so that took more energy, the bullet wound didn't help, and the failed Shifting attempt..." She let her voice trail off and blinked at the look of horror on Eddie's face. "Crap. There goes that tact deficiency again."
"We take it back," Eddie muttered tiredly, feeling his Other's mixed astonishment and concern. "We're amazed that you've managed to survive this long. You're going to kill yourself at this rate."
She bristled, fangs bared as she hissed. "What would you have me do? Should I put the Pack's lives at risk? Or Angel's unborn pup?"
"No! No... Of course not." Frowning, he reached out to lay a hand on her left arm, feeling a shiver go through her before she visibly fought to reign in her temper. "It's just... we promised to help you, and that includes protecting you and the girls. You should take the chance and regain some of your strength."
Jasmine sighed and sagged against the wall miserably. "I'm sorry, Eddie. I didn't mean to snap at you."
"It's alright." When she grimaced and shot him a doubtful look, he chuckled and casually draped an arm around her shoulders, coaxing her to lean against him again. "Try to get some sleep."
The rapid change of subject threw her for a loop. "What? No. I'll take watch. I'm used to it."
"You're hurt," Eddie countered, rolling his eyes when she shook her head and moved to get up. Amused at her stubbornness, he grasped her left wrist and tugged her back down. "Jasmine, don't make us web you to the wall."
Her eyes flashed gold. "I'd like to see you try," she retorted, resisting his pull for a moment longer before she sat back down. "You really don't have to..."
"We're not giving you a choice." Chuckling at the look she gave him, Eddie stretched his legs out in front of him, slouching a little as he leaned back against the wall. "Get some sleep. We'll keep watch."
She eyed him out of the corner of her eye for a moment, idly noting that he had put himself in the perfect spot to notice if anyone in the room moved. Slightly annoyed, and yet still appreciative - after all, it was obvious that he was guarding them - Jasmine let out a half-hearted grumble and lay her head on his shoulder. His now-familiar scent calmed her, and while she still didn't fully understand why her wolf was so curious about him, she found herself too damned tired to actually care.
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