literature

Tender moments

Deviation Actions

Pix-san's avatar
By
Published:
187 Views

Literature Text

When Mana hadn't returned to the tribe with everyone else, Liam started to get nervous, just as he always did when things happened concerning his sister. It wasn't like her to leave her Tokotas like that, particularly one like Dyami who wouldn't be very successful out there on his own and could potentially get hurt. The yeti Tokota had run ahead of the returning group, breathing rapidly and looking around frantically. Specifically for him as well, as he had raced over as soon as he had spotted him. That was never a good sign, as this wasn't exactly his usual greeting. Sure he was a little excitable generally but he was never like this. Liam couldn't blame the other handlers for not knowing, after all they didn't know the Tokota, but Liam did... and something wasn't right about this.

Although it hadn't caused very much damage, Liam was once again walking with a pronounced limp in his gait as he made his way over to the other handlers. They exchanged all of the information that they knew, but they had been focused on their own hunt, and hadn't seen Mana since the day before when they had initially split up... So there was nothing of use there. The only clue was Dyami's behaviour, so the yeti must know something.

Tacking up his Tokota as fast as he could, Liam was almost out of the tribe already when a few of the others called out for him to wait up. His mind fought him, reminding him of how urgent it could be to get out as quickly as he could, but he turned back, allowing the others to help. Jonah and Skye in particular expressed an interest in going out to look for her, after all they were both close to Mana, so her being out there alone made them all uncomfortable. However they insisted that Liam not go, partially due to the injury he already sported, but also because he was needed to stay within the tribe especially while Mana was missing.

With all their arguing, they didn't hear nor see Damien approaching, Ammon already tacked up and trailing behind him. Damien called out, very good at projecting his voice over everyone else and not really caring what was being said. “You're all idiots. You're all far too emotional. You're more likely to get hurt going to find her, which won't do you any favours. So although I really have better things to be doing, especially as she's probably fine, I'll go find her.”

Off to the side, Jonah nudged Lea gently in the ribs, wiggling his eyebrows a little with a small smile on his face to suggest that Damien's lack of care was just an act. After all, he had already tacked up Ammon, so that said it all...

It wasn't difficult to see that Liam hated the way that Damien had spoken to all of them, to him, but he stayed silent this time as he knew he was right. Why was he always right... It only served to make him dislike the other man even more, but he had a point, and was willing to go himself, so Liam had to accept it. “Fine. Find her and bring her back. Take Dyami with you, he might have an idea of where she is.”

At the sound of his name, Dyami perked up his ears, trotting over to Liam and then over by Ammon when the gesture was given for him to do so. Damien wasn't fond of the yeti, but he was significantly more calm than he was usually, and even his expression seemed a little more serious, as though he knew the gravity of the situation. Though he wouldn't admit it, Damien had his doubts that Mana would just leave the Tokotas alone in the forest like that... She and him didn't really see eye to eye, but he expected more from her.

So with the promise made that he would go out and find Mana to bring her back, and that he would take Dyami out with him, he made them promise not to come out after him. After all, no one needed emotional imbeciles traipsing around the forest looking for her... They'd only get themselves hurt, or worse, in such a vulnerable state.

Sighing softly, the small group of three set out from the tribe, following behind Dyami who was instinctively tracking his way back to where his hunt with Ursa and Adair had taken place. The last time he had seen his handler had been over there, before they had chased the moose, so it seemed like the best place to check. Even compared to his usual pace, the yeti was moving fast. At times, it seemed as though he wasn't even touching the ground at all, and was just floating across the ground and weaving through the trees to find the one he cared about. Ammon was naturally quite fast paced as well, luckily, so he didn't have a hard time keeping up, though his determination to complete their task was rather lacking compared to the yeti Tokota... For obvious reasons.

Slowly the light began to fade, the moon rising into the sky and casting light through the trees to continue lighting their way. After all, no matter how much Damien wanted to stop and make camp, Dyami urged him on to continue looking, so he did. Maybe he did care a little bit... Though only because she was the only one to make things interesting around here... If he got back to the tribe to find out that she was already there when he arrived, he would be pissed though... And for once his anger would be justified, and the others may even take his side for once.

As they arrived at the scene of the hunt, Ammon took over. He knew what he was looking for, his soulless lavender eyes scanning the surroundings for any clues before he chose to follow his nose back the way the Tokotas had gone before. It was only slight, but Damien could feel Ammon's pace change slightly, the speed increasing as he travelled back much more urgently than the black merle usually acted.

Liam had been right... Something was wrong.

It was a little while before Damien could smell what Ammon had found, but when he did, it hit him like a Tokota at full speed. The metallic scent of blood hung in the air, resting in his mouth as he breathed it in until the only thing he could taste was blood. It stained the earth, the largest concentration around some kind of concealed object... Dismounting from Ammon's back to take a closer look, he kicked away some dried leaves that had been kicked up in some very frantic movements to reveal the metal jaws of a bear trap. The silver was stained with scarlet, the liquid still very fresh, although not as fresh as if it had just happened. It had been given time to cool down.

Though he liked to appear heartless, Damien really felt sorry for the creature that had been caught in this... and desperately hoped that it hadn't been Mana. The patches of fur scattered around suggested that it had not been, but a quick glance around told Damien that Ammon had already began to follow the trail of blood leading away from the scene, Dyami close behind him. Picking up the trap as carefully as he could, although it wasn't still armed, he carried it with him. Due to the large presence of Tokotas in the area, traps like this were illegal, and although it was probably too late for the poor creature that had been caught in this one, maybe others would be found and disarmed before something else got hurt.

Sure to watch his steps, taking them slow and deliberate, he followed after the two Tokotas, and pushed past them when they stopped. Ammon's gaze was set on something on the ground, unmoving, just like when he had found something on the rare occasion that he was visibly interested in something. Making the Tokotas back up to give it a little space, though remain close enough to offer help should he need it, Damien crouched down low to the ground and looked over the creature.

Although an incredibly large one, it appeared like a wolf. Its breathing was visible, but its breaths were laboured as it was probably in an intense amount of pain... Its russet fur was stained with flecks of red, drying amongst the soft coat, and was concentrated around the leg. This was definitely the poor creature that had been caught in the trap. It didn't appear to be awake, though Damien couldn't be sure, so he backed away from it and turned to continue his search, clicking his tongue for Ammon to follow.

But he didn't follow.
He stayed completely still, watching the animal as it struggled with the pain.
“What do you want me to do? It's probably not going to make it...”
Ammon merely shifted his gaze to Damien, for a moment, then returned it to the wolf.

Had anyone else been around, then maybe he wouldn't have given in, but since they were mostly alone (Dyami didn't really count), Damien could allow himself to indulge the black merle Tokota. So he begrudgingly removed his equipment from his pack, and set up camp there for the night. If the wolf made it through that first night then maybe they would stay longer so it could heal a little.

It was very touch and go for the first few hours... Damien had to be extra careful to clean the wound, while watching to make sure the beast didn't wake up and cause itself more damage as frightened animals often do. He had tied its jaws shut, just as a safety measure, which made him feel a little better about working so close to it, but he did worry that it wouldn't hold should it wake up frightened.

The wound was cleaned, and closed to the best of his abilities... He wasn't a veterinarian, so his stitches were fairly clumsy, but they would hold and that was all that really mattered. Besides, the wolf wouldn't know the difference between good stitches and bad ones, so it wasn't important.

Once Damien had bound it, having worked incredibly gently to try and not cause the animal too much discomfort, the wolf had several blinks of consciousness, though nothing lasting more than a few seconds until later the next day. Dyami and Ammon had been sent out to search for Mana, though something had changed. At least in the yeti. He was less urgent, merely following Ammon around as that was what he was told to do. Damien didn't even want to begin to understand the workings of that one's brain...

Now that the majority of the work was done for now, Damien had a chance to really look over the wolf... It was a young adult female, who apart from the wound, appeared very healthy. Though he hadn't seen any around, maybe there was a pack in the area, but he had to admit that with wolves of this size, surely he should have seen some at least once? A glimpse at the very least?

She first regained consciousness fully only a little while after that, her eyes blinking open and a soft whine escaping from jaws that were still tied shut. Amber eyes met with Damien's red, and for a moment there he was sure that he had seen a look of confusion sweep across the wolf's face, but he must have been seeing things... After all, it was a wolf. However much he knew that it was a stupid idea, he found it strangely easy to talk to the wolf, even going as far as adopting a softer tone with it than his usually quite abrasive one. It wasn't like he told it anything of substance, but couldn't understand him anyway... As the hours passed by and the night drew closer, the Tokotas stayed closer to the small camp, making sure to stay out of the way but staying close enough to offer a little more of a safe environment for the handler.

Their search for Mana had turned out fruitless... She had probably just gone back to the tribe sometime during the time that he was out, so he would return in his own time. The wolf was already gaining in strength, and it would probably be able to go on its way soon, to which Damien seemed a little disappointed... He was surprised at himself, particularly with how sentimental he had been regarding this wild creature, but it had been nice to not have to be such an arse all the time. Not that he was going to stop within the tribe, because they deserved that. But for a little while it had been nice...

Sometime during the night, while Damien was asleep, the wolf took a turn for the worst. It was making the most horrible of noises, and was writhing around in the pain that was twisting up from its leg. The sound disturbed the Tokotas, even Ammon seemed to be a little concerned, and backed away, urging Dyami to do the same thing. The yeti was happy enough just following orders from the black male, which was a little unusual but Damien hadn't had much time to really reflect on that. Both Tokotas were being quite unlike their usual selves, but then again Damien himself wasn't really acting normally, so maybe it was just the way he was reflecting onto them? Tokotas were sensitive creatures after all...

Running back and forth with various bits of kit, he unbound the wound, having to clean it again as something had been lodged in the flesh that he hadn't noticed before. Once that was removed, then it would start to heal properly, and movement was less likely to damage it again as that was likely the cause of it this time. Breathing out a sigh and brushing his blond hair off his face, the handler sat himself down inside his tent, leaving the wolf be for now although it was always under the watchful gaze of the two Tokotas. Ammon's eyes caught almost everything, and he didn't need to sleep very much, so he was sure to be alerted if anything happened.

Having been completely exhausted, Damien found that he slept in a little the next day. The sun was still low in the sky, but higher than he had expected it to be when he had woken up. Birds were singing and fluttering around the outside of his tent, driving him mad very quickly, so he opened up the tent a little more aggressively than he could have done. Although more like his former self, his first thought was to check on the wolf, though he had a little bit of a surprise when he did.

Ammon and Dyami weren't in their usual sentry positions, in fact they were curled up where the wolf was. Or rather, where the wolf had been, because it was no longer there. A bright blush tinted his cheeks as he moved closer to find out what was going on, because it was no longer a wolf, but a woman laying asleep with the Tokotas.

Moving just a little closer, more curious than anything else, he moved round to her side, crouching down and brushing his hand gently over her cheek to move the hair from her face. But it was...? No, it couldn't be...

“Are you going to sit there and stare at me all day or can I have a blanket?”

Damien, now even more flustered than before, fell back a little, his face now even more of a scarlet red than it had been before. He averted his eyes, trying to hide his face as he blindly fished around for a blanket. Finding it a much more difficult task than he had imagined, which brought an even deeper blush to his face, particularly when he imagined the rather unimpressed expression on hers, he opened his eyes quickly, found it and threw it over her with probably as little grace as he could manage.

Catching sight of her legs, having admittedly been too distracted by other things to look before, he noticed the nasty wound encircling her foot in a very familiar shape. It was definitely the same wound, she was the wolf...

It was a lot to take in all at once, but she seemed more patient with him than usual... “So you're a... what?”
“It doesn't matter what it's called...” Her voice seemed fairly irritable, but he could forgive it considering the way her face screwed up when she moved, knocking her ankle a little. “I can go between human and wolf, that's all you need to know.”

Dyami had curled himself up around Mana, allowing her to adjust her blanket with enough room to get changed into some of Damien's spare clothing. It was quite a bit bigger than she was, what with him being quite a few inches taller than her, but she would make it work for now. Jonah would know better than to tease her for it, though Damien was fair game... It would be interesting to see what kind of stories Jonah could come up with based on just that one single bit of information.

Embarrassed that he had been fooled by Mana's shifting the whole time, and of course the way he had behaved around the wolf, he kept himself away from her while he irritably packed up his camp. Mana could travel now, so they could head back and he could pretend this never happened...

“Damien, you saved my life... I won't tell them, if that's what you're worried about?”
He knew exactly what she was referring to when she said she wouldn't tell them, and it wasn't that he had saved her life... “Yeah well... If you hadn't been so stupid then I wouldn't have had to...” His words were their normal level of rudeness, though he couldn't talk to her face to face without a bit of a blush in his cheeks, so all of the aggression was lost. “Besides... don't think you're so special because you can shift... I can do that...” He stopped himself, scowling a little then continuing on. “Okay, I can't do it, but I can do a lot of other things. Better things. Where were your skills when you were injured.”

The comment did irritate Mana a little, but she kept herself calm, and tried to avoid riling him up even more than she already had. Seriously the change from when she was a wolf to when she was a human had been massive in his behaviour, but oh well. It was fun to see another side of him while it lasted.

Hoisting herself somewhat painfully onto Dyami's back, the yeti stayed as still as he could to avoid hurting his handler even more, whining a little under his breath whenever she let out a small hiss of pain. Once on though, she relaxed a lot more against the warm fur of the Tokota, and Damien led them on back to the tribe, Ammon moving in basically autopilot while Damien tried to compose himself a little better than he was currently doing.

When they got back to the tribe, Damien just avoided Jonah as much as possible, not giving him the opportunity to make him feel even more embarrassed that day. It could wait until the next at the very least.
-----

HP -
Word count (3285) -
16HP
Handler bonus - 2HP
Exploration bonus - 2HP
Non commissioned bonus - 1HP

Totals - 21HP for Dyami, 20HP for Ammon

GIFTS AND FANFICTION EVERYWHERE!~

Not those kind of tender moments, although some nudity is involved. Oops. Sorry Damien.
Shouldn't be enough for a mature warning but let me know if you think it does.
---
Link to import sheet: Dyami 3701
Link to (hunting/fishing/exploring) journal: Dyami 3701 Tracker
Items/Companions: None
Defects/Health Issues: None

Link to import sheet: Ammon 5027
Link to (hunting/fishing/exploring) journal: Ammon 5027 Tracker
Items/Companions: None
Defects/Health Issues: None
---
More gifts for Alley96
I expect the aftermath with Jonah to be included somewhere, just saying X3
© 2015 - 2024 Pix-san
Comments4
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
Alley96's avatar
YAY! THE SHIP IS SAILING! <33

I love this XD
Jonah will have much to say about Mana arriving in Damien's clothes ;3