Our Finest Hour
Chapter 11: Catching My Breath
"Director Mosenhauz!" I yelled, hobbling into the aid society with Martin in tow. He was panting, a pained expression on his face. The refugees we'd managed to save milled in behind us. Mammals buzzed like angry bees throughout headquarters, either moving supplies or aiding shell-shocked Predators. Our group was not the first to make it here after the bombings. Pained cries and whimpering sounded from booths hastily set up for emergency surgeries. Mosenhauz had busied himself with a tablet, unreadable expression on his face when he looked up. "These are all we managed to save, sir." I explained as I directed us toward the moose. He gave a small, tired looking smile.
"Good work. I knew you were the perfect mammal for this posting." A tinge of pride swelled my heart at the praise. I glanced over at the booths, noticing a few were unoccupied.
"I'm going to treat this wounded fox. Call me if you need something." Director Mosenhauz just nodded, returning to his tablet with a scowl.
"More surgery?" Martin whined as we set off toward the operating booths.
"Oh hush you!" I snapped. "I can smell the blood coming from your gunshot wound. You might even need a few stitches in your side from the glass…" All he did in response was groan.
"How's Shelly?" Martin asked as we reached a free booth. The only thing lending us some privacy were thick, white curtains. I bit my lip. My ears drooped as I realized in the rush to get Martin medical attention, I'd forgotten about the cub. Scanning the room with careful eyes, I found her being tended to by a friendly beaver. He got her to laugh by making a funny face. Giving a sigh of relief, I turned back to Martin with a smile.
"She's going to be fine. Now, let's worry about you." Ordering the black fox to lay down on the operating table, I looked around for something to sanitize my paws. Quickly finding a bottle of paw sanitizer, I rubbed the clear gel into my paws and looked at Martin. He was breathing heavily, muzzle contorted in pain. Soot and sweat matted his fur. Martin's shirt was covered in ash and blood, ruined. The same could be said for his dirty jeans. Copper-scented blood heavily stained one of his pants' legs. Grabbing myself a nearby kit designed for medium sized mammals, I rushed to his side.
Placing the kit next to him, I unlocked the latches and pulled out a pair of scissors.
"I'm going to cut off your shirt and turn your jeans into shorts." I told him. I didn't want to risk giving him some undue pain while attempting to remove his clothes. Embarrassment faintly glimmered in his sky blue eyes.
"Never in my wildest dreams have my clothes ever come off for a cute bunny." He chuckled. I felt my ears and face grow hot in a deep blush. Why, the nerve of this fox! Well, two can play at this game.
Giving a seductive smile, I leaned in closer.
"I'm a hare, not a bunny." I made sure to point out. "And I can promise, you've never had anything like me." Martin's eyes went wide. Drawing the curtains around us to a close, I gave us a little privacy and eyed the fox. "Maybe we can have some fun now that we're alone?" His jaw dropped. I giggled cutely and moved to his side. "Does the big bad fox want to play?" Martin spluttered something incoherent. Damn, watching him squirm was more fun than I thought.
Giving a satisfied smirk, I brought the scissors to his shirt and started cutting. Quiet snips filled the air. Pulling away the ruined fabric from Martin's torso, I became keenly aware of his athletic body. Hiding beneath thick, fluffy black fur, were strong defined muscles. Holy. Jesus. Martin was hot. There was no denying it. Ears and face burning something fierce, it took everything I had to hide my feelings behind a stoic mask. I'm pretty sure it was all a futile gesture anyway, foxes had a superb sense of smell. If he couldn't smell my arousal, then I was a dumb bunny.
Drifting down to his… lower body, I quickly cut away the offending, bloody pants' leg. Nose twitching at the fresh scent of blood, I instructed Martin to roll over onto his stomach. He did so with a few grunts. Brushing his tail out of the way, I inspected the wounded calf. I grimaced at the angry red flesh. The wound was continuously weeping ruby tears and all of Martin's stitches had torn. Pursing my lips, I rooted through the open kit for everything I'd need. Clotting agent; check. Anesthetic spray; check. Disinfectant; check. Suturing kit… check. Oh, probably shouldn't forget about the bandages. Setting the items on the operating table, next came the hard part.
"Martin, I'm going to begin the surgery. It won't hurt… much."
"Yay…" He cheered sarcastically.
"Cheeky bastard." I mumbled before gripping the anesthetic spray-bottle. Liberally spritzing the wound, I set the medicine back down and picked up the suturing kit. Threading the stitching material through the needle, I started my grisly work. Martin gave a little whine when I pricked his flesh, but otherwise he remained quiet. We were both silent as I finished up. Satisfied with the quality of my work, I bagged the needle for sterilization and went to grab the clotting agent.
Picking a fresh syringe, I tore through the wrapping and read through the dosing information on the vial. Piercing the top of the vial with the hypodermic needle, I filled the syringe about a sixth of the way. Taking a cotton-ball from the kit, I poured some disinfectant onto the ball of fluff. Rubbing down a site close to the wound, I injected the medicine into his calf to help stop the bleeding. Setting aside the needle for disposal, I reached over for the gauze and tore off a good length. I made sure to be extra gentle when wrapping his calf.
Wiping the sweat from my brow, I moved back to Martin's torso to take care of his cuts. Carefully parting his fur to inspect the wounds, I decided none of them were serious enough to warrant any stitches.
"This is going to sting." I warned him as I prepared a cotton-ball with disinfectant. Martin just nodded his head. Leaning in closer to get a better angle on the cuts, I started to tenderly dab at the injuries with my cotton-ball. As the white fluff touched his largest injury, Martin grunted in pain.
"Shit." He cursed. "That smarts."
"Told you." I grinned slightly. As I finished cleaning his wounds, I made sure to bandage them all nice and proper like. "All done." I said with a smile and a pat to his arm. Martin sat up with narrowed eyes.
"Give it to me straight vet. How long do I have?" Donning a serious look, I responded in kind.
"I'd say about seventy years, if you manage a proper diet and plenty of exercise." Martin flopped back down in a dramatic flair.
"I'm a goner!" He crooned with a smile. I couldn't hold back a snigger.
"Stop it." I laughed with a little push to his arm. My heart swelled with affection for this fox. Now that I'd had a moment to catch my breath, I realized just how hungry I'd become. My stomach growled greedily. Martin's grin just grew wider.
"Looks like someone could use a nibble." He teased. I just gave him a withering glare. Grabbing the syringe, I tossed it into a hazardous materials bin before opening the curtains. Martin hissed as stark, white light filled the tiny operating booth. "C'mon, you big kit." It was my turn to tease as I walked back to his side. Motioning for him to wrap his arm around my shoulder, I helped him stand. "Remember not to put weight on your bad leg." I reminded him.
"Okay mom." He rolled his eyes.
"Shut up." I elbowed him lightly in the ribs.
"Ouch." He grimaced. "Tough Hare." Martin muttered under his breath.
"Don't forget it." I flashed him an innocent smile.
It didn't take long to find us a spot. Setting Martin down in an isolated corner of the warehouse, I promised him I would find us something to eat and be back in a jiffy. A quick chat with one of the quartermasters and I returned with two cricket salads in tow. Plopping myself down next to martin, I eagerly tore the wrapping from my ration. The black fox just eyed me warily as I speared a good helping of salad on my fork. Bringing it to my mouth, I stuffed my face eagerly. My teeth crunched the crickets quite audibly, eliciting a flinch from Martin. The rations weren't quite fresh, but still, I was hungry enough that a few stale bugs tasted divine. Catching Martin staring from the corner of my eye, I swallowed my first bite and turned to face him. I rose an eyebrow in a silent question.
"Something wrong?" He grinned sheepishly.
"I've just never seen Prey eat meat before." Martin looked so embarrassed. I widened my eyes in surprise.
"Do Prey not eat meat in Zootopia?" Martin let out a dry laugh.
"Not unless you're a wannabite, or some kind of 'sick' predo." I rolled my eyes.
"Seriously? I couldn't imagine life without a good chicken sandwich." Martin guffawed and slapped his knee in mirth. He bared his sharp teeth in a grin.
"Spoken like a true Predator! There's hope for Prey yet." I clicked my tongue and bumped into his side playfully.
"The rest of the world might not be perfect Martin, but Prey supremacy laws were outlawed in the west years ago. We're trying." Martin sighed.
"I know." He looked at me fondly. "I was adopted by Prey. I love them. They're family." We finished the rest of our meal in silence. Placing my empty box down on the floor beside me, I watched Martin carefully. He was busy picking his teeth with a claw. Gross.
"I was wondering something." I started to ask uncertainly. Martin swathed his tongue over his teeth and glanced over my way.
"Eh?" I guess that was his way of asking me to go on.
"If you don't mind… I wanted to know how you ended up joining Talon." Martin's face went blank. He went quiet and stared off into the distance. A chill ran down my spine.
"You don't have to tell me if you're not comfortable." I assured, feeling my ears droop. God, why'd I ask that? Stupid, stupid! Drawing up my knees to my chest, I wrapped my arms around my legs. Great. I just made it awkward around us.
"I'll tell you." Martin mumbled quietly. My long ears perked up to catch his words. "On two conditions." I looked at him. His face was dead serious.
"Okay." I nodded.
"One." He held up a finger. "There's something I have to show you… and two." He held up another digit. "I'd like some clothes, if you don't mind." He said this with a sly grin. I smiled and slugged him in the shoulder. "Oww!" He whined, rubbing his arm where I'd hit him. I giggled at his obviously overblown reaction.
"Fine. I can get you something to wear. What did you want to show me?" The grin was wiped from his face. Martin breathed deep and gave a long exhale.
"I'm worried you'll hate me if I show you." He confessed, refusing to look me in the eye. His ears were folded flat against his skull. I was stunned.
"You really think I could hate you?" I said softly. Taking his muzzle into my paws, I gently turned his head and our eyes met. Staring into them was like gazing at the bright blue sky. "I care about you, Martin."
"Liar." He whispered. That stung. Shrugging off the hurt, I decided to prove it to him.
"I'll prove it." I whispered back, drawing our faces close together. I could feel the breath from his nostrils on my fur. My heart was hammering against my chest. Was I really going to do this? I closed the distance between us and kissed him. Yes. Yes I was.
Martin stiffened and for a terrifying second, I thought he was going to pull away, before he leaned into the kiss and put his arms around me. Losing myself in the warmth enveloping me, I pressed myself into his body and closed my eyes. Our kiss deepened until I felt his tongue slide past my lips and lick at my teeth. Parting my jaws, I allowed Martin access and our two tongues began to dance. He eagerly explored every inch of my mouth, and I was content to let him. One of my paws dropped to his chest and I buried my fingers in his thick fur. Martin's muscle beneath my palm was hard as stone. I let out a small peep as Martin's paw slunk down my back to touch my rear. A familiar, hungry itch pulsed in my nether reaches. I could feel myself growing wet as Martin's scent turned hot and heavy. I didn't want to stop, but I knew we had to before this escalated out of control.
With a heavy heart, I pushed him away and disentangled myself from his flexible tongue. He caught on quickly, breaking from the kiss to pant heavily. Breathing hard, pulse beating in my ears, I stared at Martin with longing. Tongue hanging from his open jaws, the edges of his muzzle curved into a smile. Reaching for my face, Martin caressed my cheek tenderly. His touch was electric and I enjoyed every second of it. From the rich purrs vibrating from his chest, I could tell he did too. I smiled.
"Is that enough proof for you?" Martin smirked.
"I could use some more proof." I shook my head and bopped his nose.
"You and every other male." He gave a throaty laugh.
"Sounds like you got us all figured out then." We were quiet for a moment before Martin sighed. "This… is what I'm afraid to show you." Martin offered me his wrists with hopeful eyes. I narrowed mine in confusion.
"You want me to arrest you?" That got a little smile out of him.
"No." He shook his head. "Look at the skin." Nodding, I turned my eyes down to Martin's wrists and carefully parted his fur. What I saw made my blood run cold. Running across his forearm was a thick, jagged scar. Giving a small gasp, I looked back up into Martin's remorseful gaze. A quick check of his other wrist yielded the same, shocking result.
My mind ran at a thousand miles per hour. From the look of the scars, they had been big, deep cuts. Without medical attention it's safe to say they would have been fatal. Fatal… My jaw dropped when I made the realization. Powerful emotion clogged my chest as I struggled to breathe. Tears gathered on the edge of my eyes.
"Martin…" I asked, horrorstruck. "D-did you… did you try to k-kill yourself?" His baleful gaze was all the confirmation that I needed. "Why?" I asked in a small voice. Without a word, Martin parted the fur of his neck, revealing a series of ugly electrical burns. I winced, just thinking of the pain he had to go through acquiring those.
"Tame collars really suck." He laughed without mirth. "The abuse and ridicule hurt even more." Tears were flowing down my face freely at this point. Oh Martin… Throwing my arms around him in an embrace, I held him as if he were a wisp of smoke about to vanish.
"You wanted to know how I joined Talon?" Martin asked as he let me hold him. I could see moisture glistening in his eyes as he relived the painful memories. "I was seventeen and I just couldn't take it anymore…"