[ Hide Your Disguise ] [ Josie & Zuchi ]

[Lacuna]

A young man who is mysteriously losing his memories goes on a retreat to a log cabin high in the
mountains, hoping that solitude will bring him solace. Peace is not to be though, and he discovers
an injured cougar in a forest teeming with poachers. He brings the animal home to save its life, but
little does he know that the cougar he saved will save him in return--and isn't a cougar after all.

[Lacuna]

____________________________________________________________________________________

Name: Seth Monahan
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Birthday: September 12th
Orientation: Bisexual

Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 178 lbs
Hair: Auburn
Eyes: Brown
Body Mods: "world tree" tattoo [entire back]



Seth has an imposing frame even though he's not all that tall. It is easy to see by looking at him that he was once a bodybuilder, but that physique is in the past. He has broad shoulders and muscular legs but abs and chiseled muscles are no longer his to claim. His skin is a golden tan color that looks vibrant and healthy. A few scars mark his body from sports injuries, most notably a ridge of scar tissue on his left cheek. In addition there is a winding scar on his right knee from surgery after he tore a tendon. Seth also has a huge tattoo, a "world tree" or "tree of knowledge" that covers almost his entire back. It is well healed, as he got it when he was 19/20. Seth has a winning smile, straight white teeth a gift of modern dentistry. Eyes that he has often compared to a mud puddle are calculating and intelligent and his auburn hair is often messy and too long. It is not uncommon to see him with facial hair but he will shave depending on the situation and doesn't ever grow a mustache.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Seth was a fun person. He loved hanging out with friends, pulling pranks, and partying. Though he's twenty-three he tended to act more like a teenager than anything else, just with added responsibilities. Unfortunately for Seth, he wasn't destined to live the good life forever, and is now moody and tense most of the time. When he cannot remember something he will often verbally strike out at whomever is present for something ridiculous. He tries his best to pretend that nothing is wrong with him but he knows that he cannot keep up the charade for much longer. He doesn't like to tell people about his memory loss because he does not want pity, in fact he despises people trying to take care of him.

Despite his problems Seth can be a very caring person. If he considers someone his friend he will never desert them and he has a soft spot for animals. He doesn't like to show weakness so he often comes off as aloof to those who are not close to him. Music is the only thing that can calm him because it is something that he doesn't need any memories to enjoy. He spends a lot of time worrying, and no longer cares about things he once enjoyed such as attending college. Though he will never admit it, Seth is more afraid than he can explain and secretly suspects that there is something more than natural involved in his memory loss.

For most of his life Seth was the golden boy. His parents were business people and he attended prestigious schools while also getting a more rustic view on life from his aunt and uncle, whom he spent summers with and learned to hunt and live in the deep woods. In addition, he always excelled in school and sports and was the envy of many. High school was the best time of Seth's life; he had many girlfriends, played on the football team as well as being the star of the wrestling team, and graduated in the top ten percent of his class. He spent a lot of his time bodybuilding and partying, thinking that nothing could ever be better.

That turned out to be true. Seth went away to college in city surrounded by mountains pursuing a degree in history, a secret love of his. During his freshman and sophomore years he noticed that he was falling behind his peers. He had a harder time completing schoolwork and nothing was coming easy to him. At first he attributed his problems to college being harder than high school, but he soon realized that the problem was something much worse--he was losing his memories. At first he just had trouble remembering the finer points of a lecture, but soon he forgot entire hours. His junior and senior years he quit playing sports and working out, instead studying constantly in an attempt to hide his memory loss from his friends. He managed to graduate but was afraid to go out into the world and get a job, worrying that he would lose it in a matter of weeks. Instead, he went back to school to pursue a graduate degree.

As the semesters passed he took fewer and fewer credits and massacred his GPA. Eventually, his friends began to notice despite his most valiant efforts. They encouraged him to get help or deserted him, depending on how close they were. After much prompting he accepted a friend's advice and rented a cabin in the mountains to spend the semester instead of trying to complete his degree.

[aphelion ✧]

. . . . . . . . . .

____________________________________________________________________________________

Name: Mahkah
Gender: Male
Age: 24
Birthday: November 5
Orientation: Pansexual

Height: 6' 00"
Weight: 181 lbs
Hair: Dark Brown
Eyes: Gold
Body Mods: A crescent moon carved on the bottom of his foot



Mahkah naturally has a well built body from spending years living in the forest and away from the technologies that pamper humankind. From chiseled abs to toned arms, every muscles in this man's body has been worked on to help him live in the unforgiving wild. His frame, or figure as some people may put, isn't as manly as people think it should be. His shoulders and waist are slim, almost like a girl's without the curves, giving him a lanky build due to his height. The sun constantly beating down on his skin has given him a bronzed color skin, scarred from the fights he has been in as a cougar and from escaping the hunters. The most noticeable scar on the man are the claw marks ranking down his chest, starting from his collarbone and ending at his navel. Even though he lives in the wild, Mahkah keeps his wavy brown hair cut to where the longest strands barely touch his shoulders and his face is free from most stubble at times. His eyes were once a brilliant blue before he turned into the beast he is now, changing it into a liquid gold that glows in the pitch black night.

When Mahkah shifts seamlessly into his more feline form, his hair turns shades lighter into a tawny color that covers every inch of the powerful muscles that can easily shove him into the air, allowing him to climb trees and travel through the mountains with ease. His maw is aligned with sharp canines ready to dig into prey while his claws furrow into the ground, anticipating to climb up the skinny forest trees. But, his eyes, his eyes change to their original blue and no longer glow in the dark like an animal's would do.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Mahkah is secluded from society. He lives alone in the woods and stays sheltered in a rundown cabin he found when everyone left him. People would describe him as a lonesome hermit, craving attention and company that he had long ago. Whenever people come in contact with the beast, he tries very hard to interact, but his lack of socializing and broken English leave people to wonder what is wrong with. Even though Mahkah may never come within a close range of friendly people, he still shows his caring and friendly side through the interactions with woodland creatures. He treats the animals as if they were his children, coddling them and making sure nothing horrible ever comes their away.

Despite the brunette acting calm and serene all the time, an animalistic rage lurks beneath is cool exterior. It is hardly seen expect when someone dear to his heart hurt, damaged, or forced into pain they didn't want. In a blinding rage of furry and anguish, he attacks and never settles down until the damaged is done, until he is satisfied with his handiwork. Not even a calm hand on his shoulder during his atrocious moods can keep the monster inside of him from lashing out.

Although Mahkah cannot speak English easily, it doesn't mean he doesn't know how to read. Most days that he spends alone in the woods, he reads books left behind by hunters, campers, and all sorts of interesting characters. His love of knowledge leaves him as curious as a kitten, exploring the world as if it were new, uncovering any secret left behind by his ancestors. This love of learning and knowledge as taught him to write fantastic stories, carve musical instruments to play melodic notes, and to heal creatures from deadly sicknesses.

When Mahkah was first brought into the harsh world, he had one wonderful mother and an older brother to teach him the ways of the mountain. The ragtag group lived off nature and learned great amount from campers willing to teach them. They gathered or stole supplies from campsites, storing it away in a cave they found before Mahkah was even born.

On the night that Mahkah was to become a skin-walker just like his mother and brother, the crescent moon shinned down on their painted faces and the bonfire they created sparked upwards, trailing after the bellowing smoke in the sky. Just as the ritual to turn the youngest into a man of witchcraft and shape-shifting ended, a cougar prowled out of the forest, stalking the family like a deranged beast. It pounced immediately on the mother, taking her life in a mere second with a deadly bite to her throat. The eldest threw Mahkah into the bushes and pulled out a hunting knife hidden in his boots. If his skin hadn't been a small fox, the older brother would've changed easily and killed the beast, but his form would've landed him into limbo right away. The two of them fought while the small Mahkah watched with tearful eyes.

In the end, the cougar won the battle with another bite to the neck and prowled after the sniffling boy crouched near a bush. As rage for his only friends' deaths surged through his body, he pulled out his own knife and lunged at the feline, snarling like an animal would do. They both fought endlessly, never giving in the slightest until the big cat landed its hooked claws across on the child's chest, dragging them down and creating scars. While they were connected by the claws, Mahkah took the opportunity and stabbed the beast in its neck, killing like how it killed his family.

Later in the night, after he skinned the beast that he killed, wore it upon his head, and bandaged his wounds, he looked to the crescent moon and cried. Simply cried until the pain in his chest was gone. That night he vowed to become stronger so he could protect the ones he loved and made sure to keep that promise by carving the exact moon into the his right sole. Ever since then, Mahkah keeps to the forest and steadily learns new ways to live, to survive, to carry on.

[aphelion ✧]

As the sun peaked above the tall trees and shinned down on the fresh morning dew, a man in his twenties strolled out of a rickety cabin with just a pair of jeans on and a cougar skin perched on his head, the head of the beast covering his hair besides a few brown curls that poked through. The morning was perfect for a hunt, slightly cool thanks to the fall breeze and still too early for any poachers to be out, stalking the creatures of the forest with guns aimed at their heads. Yawning and stretching his aching muscles for a second, the shirtless man dropped to the ground much like the animals in the forest.

The skin of the feline covering his back started to stretch over his body, covering it like a second skin and fitting around the muscles of the man. Tan fur formed over his jeans and every inch of his body while the bones started to meld into a leaner structure, expanding and collapsing to fit the animal Mahkah was shifting into. A long snout soon sprung out from his face and a row of sharp canines glistened in the sun. Lips were pulled back into a snarl as the beast let out a fearsome growl, echoing the not so comfortable transformation he was going through. As the transition from man to beast finally slowed down, the golden eyes dulled down into a light blue. The long tail behind him swished lazily in the air and his new claws dug furrows into the damp floor, testing them out to make sure everything had changed seamlessly.

Noting that nothing seemed off with his new form and all of the feline features were working properly, he let out an animalistic snarl and shook his head lightly. The cougar then sprang off from the cabin and into the dense foliage of the forest, disappearing into the red and brown leaves that fell down from skinny trees. His large paws thudded against the damp floor, thorns scrapping against the thick skin, but never getting stuck in it. Branches snagged onto his thick fur while the hanging vines whipped his face, but none of that stopped him from the fast pace run he developed. With his powerful legs, he sprung onto a sturdy oak tree with scars from boars’ tusk and other cougars’ claws. Burying his claws into the bark of the tree, he shot upwards until his rounded ears peeked up from the canopy top and his light blue eyes looked at the morning sunrise.

As he sat perched on a branch and looked over to the pink hued sky, Mahkah’s tail swayed lazily in the air, hanging off the branch. Sorrowful eyes gazed at the outline of the urban city tucked neatly in the mountains and a chilling yowl left his impressive maw, sending birds into flight and campers into a frenzied hurry to take shelter from the roaming beast. Once again, he shook massive head to rid him of the depressing thoughts and prowled down the trunk, landing softly on the forest floor with a heavy thud. Sprinting off in a random direction and away from the old oak tree, the cougar danced in between the thin trees and leap onto boulders far bigger than he was, just trying to run away from the thoughts that were pursuing right behind him. Not once did he slow down to leap on a unsuspecting deer or to mingle with some other wildlife in the forest, but he kept running far away from his cabin and into the unknown parts he hadn’t traveled yet. Very soon though, just as fast as his frenzied sprint started, he came to a jerking halt and hollered in distress.

Unbelievable agony spread through his body when a sharp, metallic snap sounded through the air, blades of a bear trap embedding itself in the hind leg of the mountain lion. A loud howl of pain slipped out of the large feline and echoed through the forest, ears flattening against his head as he hissed at the metal trap wrapped around his leg. His large paws swatted at the device to maybe loosen the pike, but the sudden movement had him slipping on the leaves slick with dew. He clumsily fell down onto his belly that worsen the pain and tried to free himself by tugging on his trapped hind leg, although it only tore more of the delicate flesh and forced the teeth into the ankle even more. He could feel the sharp sides of the trap scraping along his bone and shredding his fur the more he twisted about in the fallen leaves, blood oozing out of the deep cut and seeping onto the floor. Turning as carefully as he could, he pressed his body against the ground and calmed his racing heart, focusing on the birds chirping morning tunes and squirrels scurrying up the trunks of trees.

Mahkah knew very well that struggling to free himself would only damage and worsen the searing hot pain spreading through his body like a wild fire. If he transformed into his human self once again, the teeth of the trap would only dig into his flesh and rip into veins, a sure way to die immediately. All he could do without attracting the attention of the damn hunters that hid the trap was lap feebly at the wounds, cleaning it the best he could while he waited for someone to come for him, either to kill the beast or to free from his misery. In defeat, he laid his head on the floor near the poll of blood that formed around his injured foot and his tail curled around his body, trying to shelter him from the prying eyes of whoever came across him first. Even his ears drooped slightly as jolts of pain shot through his spine and his chest rose with labored breathes, shallow and uneven as his heart continued to beat wildly in his chest.

[Lacuna]

The cool mountain breeze filtered through the trees as Seth sat on the cabin’s front porch. Inside were three rooms, a large kitchen/living area with rustic furnishings, a bedroom, and a tiny bathroom with a shower but no tub. Despite the accommodations being little better than student housing, Seth was content. He had no excuses to make, no dates to remember, and no dead kings to recall on exams. Lifting a steaming mug of coffee to his lips, the rich flavor muted by cream, he sighed and looked out over the landscape. It was beautiful.

He could not remember rain from the day before but small puddles were trapped in the underbrush, so Seth knew that the precipitation must have happened. Though he loathed the sense of desperation it gave him he thought back to the day before. He remembered clearly an omelet for breakfast, filled with cheese and tomatoes. After breakfast he had left the cabin—to go where he did not know. The rest of the day was like a black pit in his mind, void of a single sight or sound. Because he had woken up in his bed that morning, no worse for the wear, he knew that he had come home safe. It had been a bad day. A few times he had lost entire days, the chasm of emptiness seeming to stretch back forever until he picked up on the intact portion of his memory. On a good day he might lose only a half hour, but it had been almost a year since a perfect day. Seth sighed, knowing that it was getting worse, but each morning he forced himself to think and to remember—or not.

As the sun neared the top of the sky he decided to go for a hike. His disused muscles, which had been mostly couch surfing until his trip to the cabin only a week before, protested. Defiant he stood, rebelling against his own body and turning back into the cabin to deposit his coffee cup in the sink. Pulling a map from the coffee table he unfolded the aged paper, the text rough in the creases. He randomly chose a location, a good four mile hike away, and fixed the route in his failing memory. He knew that he would be okay, as long as he came back before he went to sleep.

Seth packed a sturdy backpack, loading it with five half-liter bottles of water and various energy bars. In addition he grabbed a small travel first aid kit, a hunting knife, and a change of clothes in case he decided to go for a swim, shoving them into pockets of the bag. Having spent his childhood summers in the woods he knew to always be prepared. Hiking boots rested outside the front door, the new leather already wearing in from the punishing hikes Seth had taken in his first week in the mountains. It helped him think, though meditation in the forest had done nothing to restore his memory or stop the loss from happening. Putting those thoughts out of his mind he left the cabin travelling east, away from the sun that had crested the horizon.

An hour later he was sweaty and exhausted, the breeze turned into stagnant air and the hike more difficult than he had anticipated. Seth stopped and took a seat on a boulder, laying back against the cool stone and fishing a water bottle from his backpack. After draining the liquid he looked up, scanning the trees. Sun filtered through the gaps in branches, dappling the area in golden light. The forest was silent, and Seth sighed.

A small sound broke the quiet and Seth started, looking around on the forest floor. He was sure that he had heard it, though he detected no movement in the underbrush. Getting up from his boulder to take a closer look he moved quietly, though twigs could still be heard as they snapped under his heavy boots. Worries that a predator stalked him quickly evaporated when he entered a clearing and saw a mountain lion with its leg caught in a bear trap on the far side.

The animal looked unconscious but Seth still approached warily. Its leg was a bloody mess and he was worried that it would injure itself further if he frightened it. Kneeling to the ground he got a closer look at the trap and realized it was a type that he had seen before. He knew how to open it, but that didn’t change the fact that the animal trapped in was gravely injured. He didn’t know what the best decision would be so he decided to get a better handle on the situation.

Reaching out a hand Seth was relieved to feel the mountain lion’s labored breath blow on his fingers. Unfortunately, though, the wound on its leg looked hours old, and he knew that touching and startling the animal could get him injured as well. Despite his better judgment Seth reached out, stroking his hand on the top of the big cat’s head, more like one would do with a housecat rather than a lethal predator, and waited for the fallout of his actions.

[aphelion ✧]

While Mahkah slipped in and out of an unconscious state, he pressed his stomach against the ground to hide his body underneath the undergrowth, but his hulking form could still be seen. When he could keep his eyes open long enough to see the forest around him and his mind was no longer doused in a black void, the mountain lion listened to the birds in the trees and watched clouds drift lazily over the sky when he lifted his head upwards. The only way he could tell his time spent stuck to one spot was by the sun the very so slowly crossed over the sky and settled in the center of it, beaming down on the exposed body of the beast. At first, the sunlight felt good against his body and he basked in it like he might have on other days, but the harsh rays soon made him thirsty and baked his wound closed around the metal. Just a couple of times he tried to shake the trap on his leg off, although it sent more sharp stings through his spine and drew out a whimper from the normally ferocious beast.

When the pain became unbearable or the lack of blood caught up to him, he slipped into the back of his mind and far away from the present. His dreams were lucid at times and the face of a smiling woman greeted him with open arms. At others, they were delirious and riddled with pain worse than the real agony in the present. Gold eyes, much like his own when he was human, watched him from bushes and stalked him while he ran from the night terror chasing after him. He could feel claw marks raking down his entire body and screams from loved ones rang through his terrified mind, echoing in a continuous twisted melody. Finally though, he was snapped out of his horrid thoughts by an acorn landing on his head and Mahkah let out a pain whimper as a throbbing sensation traveled through his body again.

Rounded ears twitched a little when he heard twigs snap underneath the pressure of boots and he tried to raise his weary body up as adrenaline pumped through his veins, but the device latched onto his leg and his fatigue had him toppling back to the ground. Clouded eyes slipped closed as he went back into the black void of his mind, just about when a strange man walked into the same clearing he had been caught in. If it weren’t for the gentle hand stroking his large head, Mahkah may have never even saw the hiker or opened his eyes until another person trekked by. His eyes lazily opened halfway and a deep rumble echoed through his chest, purring softly as he arched into the caress and watched the male curiously. He took in the man’s figure, from the auburn hair to the soft brown eyes that looked at him worriedly; every detail was taken and shoved to the back of his mind for the time being. It had been awhile since Mahkah saw a person and for once, this one was a welcomed sight rather than an annoyance like the hunters chasing after him on a daily bases.

By now, he knew this man was no hunter or even a game warden due to the gentle touch. Even so, the cougar opened his parched mouth slightly and tasted the air basically, smelling sweat and an earthy aroma over the coopery tang that the dried blood left behind. No smoke. No lead. Not even the tiniest bit of gunpowder hung in the air or on the human from what he could tell passed the overwhelming scent of blood. It was so reassuring to the captured animal that another purr shook his body. Right now, he just wanted to drag the hiker into an embrace that humans normally called a hug with his large paws and rasp his tongue against his cheek

The mere thought that the person to stumble across him was no hunter after his skin or a game warden that would try to haul him off to a wildlife preserve gave him just a little motivation to try to move again. Muscles rippled beneath his tawny coat has he tried once more to lift his weary body from the ground, standing just a few inches off from the ground until his strength gave out again. He toppled back to the stained floor and fell onto his side, the trap tugging on his injured leg as he did so. The crusted blood scrapped against the metal again and the wounds started to open up. A tiny trickle of blood splatter to the ground and mixed in with the brown leaves, creeping along the floor like a snake stalking in the bushes. More flesh was torn as the trap embedded itself further into the ankle while the cougar gave up struggling with the contraption, lying heavily on his side and breathing deeply through his dry mouth.

At least in his new position, Mahkah didn’t seem nearly as threatening and just pathetic really. With his belly exposed and sharp claws sheathed, he looked like an oversized house cat that got a little too curious and was tangle in a ball of yarn, a very painful ball of yarn at that. He tried to make some type of sound, at least a muted meow or chirping noise, but with the lack of water for so many hours, it came out as a scratched growl, pleading for help of any sorts. Looking up with pained blue eyes, the cougar lifted his head just a bit to look at the human in the eyes before collapsing it back to the ground, silently giving the brunette permission to do whatever he pleased.

[Lacuna]

Seth had been worried when he stroked the cougar's head, but his expression turned quickly to one of horror when the animal tried, and failed, to stand. He heard the purrs of the great cat, surprised that such a great animal made sounds similar to those of a domestic housecat. Seth had been expecting to hear a growl or to be snapped at, but the cougar simply seemed to be scenting the area before he collapsed belly up on the sun soaked earth. An image of the brilliant blue eyes the cat possessed was seared into his mind, a color that he was sure that most wild animals did not naturally possess.

The animal was the picture of defenselessness. Knowing this and also taking into account the fact that he was yet to be maimed by the big cat's claws he carefully re-positioned himself at the injured ankle. The evil metal contraption that held the maimed ankle was complex, Seth's task compounded in difficulty by the fact that the surface and screws were crusted over with dried blood. Before he approached the situation he sat back, pulling the bag from his back. He pulled a sweating plastic bottle of water from its confines and cracked the lid open, pouring it over the dirty trap.

An involuntary twitch went through the cougar's body, presumably at the cold. Seth froze, worried for a second that he would be seen as a threat, but it seemed that the animal was out cold. It occurred to him that it might be thirsty, but he had nothing to pour water into for it to drink. Instead he focused on the now cleaner trap, jamming it together at the ends so it took pressure off the animal's leg and holding it with all his strength as he pulled it free, barely missing the limp paw. Seth collapsed into the clearing, tossing the now completely closed trap away from him.

Leaning in to get a closer look at the wound Seth hissed in sympathy. The damage was brutal, the bone visible. He pulled the first aid kit from his bag, surprised to be using it for its real purpose rather than his klutzy brushes with brambles in the forest. He was worried how the animal would react to rubbing alcohol being poured on the wound, so instead he opted for more water to clean it. Thankfully it didn't look like too much dirt had gotten into the gouge, and there was no violent reaction. Seth had a strange feeling that the animal was human intelligent, and that it knew that he was trying to help. He quickly dismissed this notion though, knowing that the cougar was a wild animal.

A roll of gauze came out of the first aid kit and Seth lifted the animal's paw slightly to begin wrapping it around the wound. He tried to be as careful as possible but it was hard work to do without getting the wound side of the gauze dirty. After a few rotations his hand slipped and he froze once again, looking up to the cougar's head and knowing that he must have caused the animal pain.

[aphelion ✧]

When he heard the human shuffle closer to his hurt paw, Mahkah let his eyes slip close and breathed out heavily as he drifted back to the darker parts of his mind. He would rather not have his eyes open to look at his exposed bone and tendons once the metal contraption was freed from his paw. Even though he hunted and tore into the carcass of animals plenty of times, his own gruesome wounds were something he couldn’t stomach down every well. There was something about seeing his own fleshing twitching and veins pumping blood through his body that had a mental shiver running through his mind, effectively keeping him from lifting his head up again to watch the brunette near the trap.

The cougar briefly felt the coldness of water on his open gash and he involuntarily twitched his paws at the sudden, but welcomed coolness. His tail flickered behind him and curled more into his body so it didn’t brush against the man helping. Still, he didn’t even crack open an eyelid to see the water pouring over his wounds or the trap being removed from his paw. A soft purr traveled through his body once he no longer felt the biting pain of the metal wedged into his bloodied fur and his blue eyes looked up the man fixing his wounds. The bandages wrapping tightly around his gash felt even better than the water at it pressed against the wounds, but a sudden movement had him teetering back into the almost unbearable pain from before.

When the hand brushed roughly against his sore ankle, a gruff growl forced its way out of his maw and his canines flashed in a pained snarl. It hurt more than the trap that once dug into his flesh and to control himself from lashing out suddenly, he furrowed his claws into the hard earth beneath him and a deeper growl vibrated in his parched throat. His ears lay against his head and one more a growl escaped from his throat, echoing through the forest and sending birds into flight above them. It felt horrible, worse than the initial breaking of his skin and more searing hot pain shot through his weary body. Blood pumped faster in his system as adrenaline started to flow once more, causing some of the cuts on his mangled ankle to bleed heavily before dying down to a trickle as he slowed his heart beat.

Once he regained his composure after the pain dyed down, the cougar relaxed his tense muscles and slumped against the forest floor again. Breathing deeply, he controlled it into a set pace and focused on that rather than the stinging pain still in his sore leg. His tail wavered in the air momentarily before brushing against the male’s face in a reassuring away, like a domestic cat rubbing their head against the leg of their owner, before lying limp on the ground. He gave his injured paw a little shake as if to tell the brunette near to hurry up and finish the patching job.

[Lacuna]

Seth had not expected the injured animal to be able to move so quickly. He knew that his action had been in error, but fear gripped him as the cougar lifted itself from the ground and snarled, his gaze drawn to the ugly gashes that the animal's claws had left in the hard packed dirt. He stifled the girly scream that tried to force its way through his lips as he imagined the real damage to his body that was being threatened by the cougars actions. Amazingly he was able to hold his ground and look into the predator's bright blue eyes, refusing to back away and seem like prey.

Holding his breath, Seth watched as the animal slowly relaxed. He breathed once again as he watched the new blood running from the wound slow to a trickle, glad that the exacerbated damage wasn't too severe. If he was honest with himself, Seth was surprised that the animal had calmed as quickly as it had and he was reminded of his earlier thought that the cougar was more intelligent than it seemed. Unsure if he should move yet Seth waited and was surprised when the cougar's tail wagged and seemed to intentionally brush his face. His gaze dropped, and he watched as the animal's paw twitched.

It's almost like he's forgiving me, Seth thought, but he pushed that nonsense out of his mind and reexamined the bandage that was only half applied. The roll of gauze had been dragged through the dirt when the cougar jumped, so he would not be able to use the rest. The wound was covered, but the new blood stained the white gauze crimson. Seth was unsure of what to do, any basic medical training he had did not extend to knowledge of exotic animals. After a pause he decided to cut the dirty roll of gauze off and wrapped the Ace bandage from the kit around what was left. It wasn't the right dressing, but it put pressure on the wound to discourage additional bleeding and he didn't have a lot of options. This time, though, he was careful not to cause any pain as he wrapped.

The cougar remained still throughout the proceedings and Seth was beginning to extend his worry outside of the present situation. It was against his nature to leave the injured animal alone, but he doubted it could walk. There was also no way that he could carry it without getting mauled. In his desperation he began to talk to the animal he was sure could not comprehend his words. "I know you're hurt," he said, feeling foolish, "but I need you to help me. I don't know where you came from, so I can take you to my home until you're well. But you can't hurt me, or neither of us will make it."

Seth moved, sitting in the dirt by the cougar's head. His cargo shorts were sweaty and dirty, so he figured that a little more time on the ground couldn't hurt them. He reached out a hand and laid it on the animal's head, much the way that he had done when he first encountered it. The fur was soft to the touch and he could feel the animal's body heat radiating into his palm even in the afternoon sun. He smiled, and looked at the animal's closed eyes. "Please?" he implored, though he had no hope of any kind of answer.

[aphelion ✧]

Saying that he was just a little surprised would’ve a huge understatement when the brunette locked gazes with him and never let go until he collapsed onto to his side. Mahkah was downright astonished by the impressive man’s actions and if he weren’t in his more animalistic form, praises might have fallen from his mouth for once. In fact, he expected the stranger helping him to run off in fright from his rash and thoughtless actions that could’ve cost him dearly. Thankfully though, it seemed his savior could control his fright to a minimum, which was very good news for the rather frightening wildcat.

When the man disappeared from his peripherals, Mahkah let his eyes wonder around the clearing until they slipped closed as he fell into a restful slumber. The pressure exerted on his pained joint didn’t bother him out of his light doze, although he vaguely registered it in his foggy mind. Soft spoken words though aroused him out of the light slumber he had fallen into and he nearly jumped, or rather flinched, when he saw the man from before sitting in front of him. In all honesty, he had thought that the stranger had left as soon as the makeshift patching job was done.

The words sounded familiar, yet to Mahkah, it was like that man was speaking gibberish. Once he focused on the words rather than the lips of the human, he made out the offer that was being presented to him. It may have felt foolish for the other male to speak to a creature that couldn’t speak back with words, but for the cougar, he was thrilled that he wasn’t going to be left out in the clearing to rot away with the fallen trees. A roughed and raspy noise slipped out of his cracked throat as he tried to speak words to the man, but in the midst of his short-lived excitement, he had forgotten that he no longer could speak as a human would do.

Even if he could speak and tell him that it was alright to carry him back to the establishment that his savior lived in, he doubted that the other male would be able to understand his broken English, let alone his native language. Body language was another option for the cougar, but in his current predicament, it was a struggle to even lift a paw up or to rollover on his back, exposing his stomach in a submissive nature he had seen other animals do before. Though he might not be able to express himself clearly, it would hurt too much to give communicating with other gestures a try.

The best the overgrown house cat could muster to say that he would behave was a slight nod of his head, almost like a person would do to say yes without verbalizing. Just to make sure the stranger in front of him understood what he was trying to get across, he lifted his massive head a couple of inches off the dirt stained with his own crimson blood and lapped at the exposed knee he could reach with his sand-paper tongue. Purring lightly while backing away from the man, he arched his neck to rub against the warm hand stroking his matted fur. His last effort to try to communicate with the other male was to flicker is long tail and gently brushed it underneath his chin like he had done to apologize for his instinctive behavior from before. With that done, he blinked up lazily at the brunette before collapsing on his side with a grunt of pain as his hurt paw brushed roughly with the ground.