[ Hide Your Disguise ] [ Josie & Zuchi ]

[Lacuna]

The hopeless look on Seth’s face was replaced by one of confusion when the cougar opened his bright blue eyes and nodded his head. Seth was forced to admit to himself that he was definitely losing it, and that a wild animal would not make the kind of human gesture that he was attributing to it, but there was no denying that something was going on. The man had not moved his gaze away from the animal’s eyes so he saw when the great head reached toward him.

For a moment Seth was frightened that the animal would bite him but the body language that was being expressed didn’t really substantiate that idea. Instead, Seth flinched as a large pink tongue lapped at his knee, the surface rough and pulling on his skin much like the tongue of a house cat would, if house cats were ever that affectionate. Seth hadn’t owned very many cats, preferring dogs, but he was surprised to note that this supposed ferocious beast was acting a lot nicer than the domestic cats he had been in the company of. He almost laughed, but the situation was too surreal for him to feel like it was actually happening.

Finally, while he was still considering the implications of the animal’s actions, the smooth fur of its tail once again reached up and brushed his chin. Seth felt like he was in a strange dream, and considered for a moment that the cougar could be a mirage, or that he could be passed out in the clearing, dehydrated. He knew that neither of those scenarios were really feasible, however, and that he was most likely actually communicating with an injured cougar, albeit non-verbally. He examined the animal again, feeling a sympathetic tug in his chest when a sound of pain escaped its jaws and it collapsed back into the dirt. However else he felt Seth was sure that there would be no more fight from the big cat, and that he had probably used up the last of his adrenaline.

Seth surveyed the body before him, estimating that the cougar had to weigh over a hundred pounds, if not more. He thought back to the bench press record he had held in high school and the toned body that he had once claimed, wishing it was still his. Despite his apathy in the past years he was still muscular, but he doubted that he would be able to carry the cougar home. Doubts invaded his mind but he pushed them away, determined to complete the task he had set for himself. He quickly shoved the strewn contents of his pack back inside and zipped it up, shouldering it out of the way.

A hand that had been stroking the animal’s fur went to circle its chest, the other behind its back legs to hold them steady. Drawing on the training he had from his weightlifting years, Seth hefted with the strength in his legs and stood from the crouch he had held on the ground. He grunted, the effort exhausting, but the animal seemed to make no protest and he was careful not to bump the injury. Now that he was standing it didn’t seem like the task would be too hard, but he knew that he was an hours hike from home.

The underbrush tore against his calves in a way that made him think that it was purposefully taunting him. He had been walking for less than fifteen minutes and he could already feel the strain in his arms and back like fire, reminding him how out of shape he was. Up ahead he saw the stream that he had passed earlier in the day and decided to stop and rest. Kneeling to the ground he carefully set the animal down, hoping that it would awaken and take a much needed drink from the stream. He sat back against a rock on the bank, slowly stretching his arm muscles and enjoying the sun that cut through the trees along with the cool breeze that surrounded the stream.

[aphelion ✧]

As the hand on his head stopped petting the tawny fur and slipped around his chest, Mahkah almost let out a soft whimper at the lost of the soft strokes, but he kept it back in his throat. He didn’t want the brunette to think that the whimper was one of pain or discomfort. Relaxing his body to where he didn’t tense or accidently snarl at the human was a task for the cougar, since it wasn’t every day that he was picked up and carried around like a house cat would’ve been. The snarl wormed its way from the back of his throat, but came out as a choked noise, inaudible though it vibrated through his body. Once he got adjusted in the other male’s arms and controlled his primal instincts, he slumped heavily in the hold.

He let his head droop towards the ground while the human carried somewhere away from the clearing, which he was thankful for, but worry entered his mind momentarily. How was he suppose to know that this stranger wasn’t part of some hippie group and was just caring him over to a game warden so he could be locked up in a zoo? Well, at least his injured body was left in the open for some hunter to get his grubby hands on and eventually kill him if the trap hadn’t done it before the gun shot. A light shake of his head had the conflicting thoughts go away and instead of focusing on where he might be taken to, he watched the floor of the forest move by him slowly.

The colorful leaves of fall were scattered on the edge of the worn path and his rounded ears didn’t hear the slight rustle of any animals nearby. A soft rushing noise gradually got louder and the cougar gently brought his head up to watch the trees disappear from his sight, turning into the sharp stones and boulders of a stream he remembered visiting during his longer trips into the thicket. The dirt and leaves melded into small pebbles with sand covering it in a fine layer until it completely gave away into the rougher scenery. Mahkah’s tail started to swing in the air as he brought his head up even further to see fresh water coming into view, provoking a soft purr to rumble in his chest and to draw him out of the subdued state he was once in.

Once the human placed him near the bank of the stream, the cougar struggled for a second to stand on his own, slipping on the slick stones and nearly falling back onto them as he tumbled down some. After a few more tries on his own, he managed to remain steady on three paws, letting his injured one hang limply in the air as he stumbled forward to the water. Lapping at the refreshing water and rippling the once smooth surface, the wildcat drank mouthfuls of the spring feed stream and hunched over to dip is head into the water. While the rushing water ran over his head and cooled off his heated body, the urge to leap into the water and drench his body in the crystal clear water was pushed off to the side, since he had a slight idea that his bandages shouldn’t be wet. Plus, it would’ve been rude to the brunette if he had to carry a soaking wet animal to wherever they were going, probably only slowing the man down even more with the added weight of the water.

Brining his head out from the water and drinking just a little longer, Mahkah shook his head to dry it off and droplets of water rolled down his muscular neck. As a breeze rolled through the opening, a small shiver traveled through his body as the cool wind connected with his damp fur. Strands of fur were spiked up after the breeze died down and with a quick swipe of his paw, Mahkah pushed the fur back down while he looked over to where the person who had saved him wondered off to. Once his eyes spotted the man on the bank, he limped over to where the human was propped against one of the larger rocks and stopped a few feet away from him. The small scratches on the other male’s skin had the cougar’s instincts come out slightly as he neared the damaged skin and sniffed it curiously. His rough tongue lapped at it for a second before he backed away cautiously. For a few seconds, he forgot his tongue probably didn’t feel pleasant on the sore skin and would’ve lectured himself on letting his animalistic side show through if he had the vocal cords to do so. Instead, he backed away a few more feet and sat awkwardly so his injured paw didn’t press against the hard stones, cocking his head to side as he waited for the human to do…well anything really.

[Lacuna]

The large boulder felt cool against his back and Seth smiled as he relaxed. He pulled a water bottle out of his pack and took a long swig before gasping, the cold water harsh in his throat. The uncomfortable feeling lasted only a few seconds and he quickly settled, gazing across the small stream. The water bottle was sweating in his hands and he slowly picked the Poland Spring label off it, crumpling the pieces into one hand. A small noise called him to look to his right and he saw the cougar hobbling towards the stream. He felt a pang of sympathy for the animal but he was also happy that it was feeling a little better, at least enough to get up. For a moment he considered it being able to walk for a little in between him carrying it, but he had no idea how he would communicate his idea. It knew what you were saying before, his subconscious whispered, but he pushed the ridiculous thought away.

The cougar came toward him after it finished drinking but Seth was no longer even marginally afraid. The slightly comical look that the cougar had after sticking its head in the water made him smile and he didn't try to hide the expression. It was easy to like an animal, one who wouldn't judge him if he couldn't remember what he had for breakfast or where he had already hiked. For a moment Seth became worried--what if he woke up in the morning and he couldn't remember this? Would he be afraid of the cougar in his cabin? Would he hurt the animal he had worked so hard to protect? He tried to push the thoughts away, but he knew that it was a real possibility. His problem was unpredictable and it kept getting worse. Seth could only hope that nothing horrible happened in the morning.

A rough tongue on his leg pulled the troubled man from his thoughts. He flinched imperceptibly before looking down and seeing the chastised cougar backing away. It hadn't hurt, really. The scratches on Seth's legs were normal after the week of bush whacking around the forest and he'd much rather have a cougar licking them than a burr stabbing into his flesh. He smiled to show that it didn't matter and the tilt of the animal's head was almost human. If I hadn't already lost it I'd say I was losing it now, he thought to himself. Instead of voicing his concerns he asked the cougar, "So, are you ready to get going?" as if it was completely normal for him to talk to the beast.

Seth stood, shaking out his arms and legs. His arms were feeling stronger rather than weaker for carrying the big animal, which surprised him. It occurred to him that he might be getting some of his old strength back and that made him happy. Despite that though, there was still quite a trek ahead of him. The afternoon was starting to cool off though, and he was optimistic. Seth swung his backpack over his shoulder once more and eyes the animal in front of him. He tried to stop it, but he couldn't keep the words from coming out of his lips. "Do you think you're going to be able to walk at all?" he asked the cougar and immediately realized what he had done. He knelt to the ground, hoping the animal would suddenly speak and show him that he wasn't so foolish after all. Of course, that wasn't what happened. Instead Seth waited, hoping for some kind of sign before they set off on the rest of the trip.

[aphelion ✧]

Ｍａｈｋａｈ  ☾  Ｓｋｉｎｗａｌｋｅｒ

Ｔｈｅｒｅ＇ｓ  ａ  Ｂｅａｓｔ  Ｗｉｔｈｉｎ  Ａｌｌ  ｏｆ  Ｕｓ

As his rescuer crouched down in front of him, Mahkah perked his cocked head to another side and intently listened to what he was saying, even if he couldn’t say anything back at the moment. Oh, he really did wish his vocal cords would make words instead of the snarls and purrs that always left his maw, scaring away anyone he tried to be friendly to, but he wasn’t a housecat. No, he was a large predator that was meant to maim and kill any prey, any competition for his meals, but that didn't mean he couldn’t try to be some lap cat towards the human. With rumbling purr, he stood up carefully, balancing to where his injured paw limply dangled by his side and was off the slippery rocks never the river. It proved to be a task to try and walk over to his savior, stumbling around awkwardly against on the slick rocks, but finally, he regained his balance with a small snarl to himself.

Keeping up the purr that shook his frame, Mahkah limped over to the human, pausing a few inches away from the other's face. A warm puff of air was blown into the human's face as he stared into the other eyes, blue eyes curiously taking in everything around him before his sand paper tongue licked its way his cheek. He licked again, going up so far that he mused up the male’s hair with his rough tongue, and closed his eyes as he purred deeply. Finally though, he stopped, not opening his eyes as he rubbed his head against the human, purring so loudly that the deep rumble could be heard perfectly. He kept nudging against his savior's head and almost knocked him over with the sheer amount of force, but after a few more purrs and head bumped, Mahkah pulled back reluctantly. That was his way for saying thank you for the helping him, but without real vocal cords, he wasn’t sure that the human could understand entirely.

Now, the cougar just had to figure out a way to communicate with the male. Sitting back on his haunches to where his injured leg was sprawled out next to him, he cocked his head to the side and tried to think of any way to communicate. Well, he could just tug on his shirt to get him to stand up and walk, although he wasn’t entirely sure that would help. For all he knew, his friend might think that he wanted to be carried again, which wasn’t something he mind all that much, but he knew he was already a burden with being injured.

Finally, after looking towards the sky in a rather silly deep thought, Mahkah let out a low, rumbling purr to himself as he finally thought out an idea. Only a week before now, while he was walking on two legs rather than four, the native spotted a cabin that hadn’t been use much until recently, but he knew there was no legal hunting at the moment, so no hunters would’ve reserved the cabin for themselves without looking suspicious and that left one known choice for the occupant; the human in front of him.

Slowly rising up and finding his balance again, the cougar gave a questioning look towards the male before padding over slowly to the edge of the forest, near a small trail that was overgrown with underbrush. It was in the direction of the cabin, or at least he hoped, but he stopped near the edge, waiting patiently for his traveling companion. Limping all the way there would prove to be difficult to Mahkah and he might need to depend on the human again, but for now, as he cocked his head at the boy while staring at him, he had enough to get himself at least halfway there.

[Lacuna]

Seth Monahan || W hat m emories d oes t omorrow b ring ?

As soon as the cougar began to move away from him Seth stood and followed, unwilling to lose his charge to the wild forest. The great animal moved slowly and carefully, but Seth could see that it was doing better. He reflected on its strange behavior, and the expressions that seemed almost human, but tried not to trouble himself with the thoughts. It was obvious to Seth that he had simply been alone for too long, if he was seeing humanity even in wild animals.

Surprisingly, the cougar had moved in the direction of his cabin, as if it knew where it was going. Though it seemed possible to Seth that the animal could have come across his cabin before, it didn't make sense to him that the animal would have the human intelligence to know what it had seen. Regardless, they were headed in the right direction, and that was enough for Seth. He followed the big animal just behind it to its right side, relishing the slower pace that the injury set for them. His body began to cool and he stretched his arms, running his fingers through the leaves on either side of the path. The sun warmed his muscles and he was surprised at how quickly the time passed, walking in silence save for the crunch of six feet in the underbrush.

A little more than halfway back to the cabin from their resting point, Seth began to notice that the cougar was starting to struggle, seemingly in more pain. He stopped, crouching down in front of the animal and forcing it to halt its progress as well. Looking into the unnaturally blue eyes before him Seth said, "Do you need some help?" His voice came out strong, unhesitant. Despite his rational thoughts, Seth was becoming increasingly accepting of the cougar's humanity.

After a pause Seth decided that it was a stupid question--the answer was obvious. Making careful and contained movements he reached out and lifted the animal for a second time, expecting no protest based on his previous experience. The weight barely phased him at all, and Seth hoped that the animal appreciated his gesture, despite the humiliation he was likely causing it. With barely a hesitation Seth began walking again, and the path began to widen.

It was later in the afternoon then, and the sun was casting horizontal rays into his eyes. Keeping his eyes on the ground, Seth carefully avoided being blinded and tripping, ever mindful of the cougar he carried. Sooner than he had expected, the cabin appeared in his line of sight and he was able to set the cougar down on its good feet and stretch his muscles. He loosened his arms and flashed a smile at the animal at his feet. "Well, you might as well come in then," Seth said, walking towards the door. He took off his hiking boots and opened the cabin, the small interior seeming homey after the long day outside. He turned to the animal, suddenly struck by fear that it would become wild and bolt, or refuse to enter his home away from home. Meeting its eyes, he smiled once more.

[aphelion ✧]

Ｍａｈｋａｈ ☾ Ｓｋｉｎｗａｌｋｅｒ

Ｔｈｅｒｅ＇ｓ ａ Ｂｅａｓｔ Ｗｉｔｈｉｎ Ａｌｌ ｏｆ Ｕｓ

When Mahkah could feel the pain from limping half way to the cabin increase and burn through his legs after following the path for so long, he nearly collapsed into the hiker walking with him, his previous energy from visiting the river long gone. Every now and then, he had to pause and rest against a tree before struggling to catch up with the human, dragging his injured paw behind him sometimes, which only got his gauze dirty and a few weak whimpers of pain from him. When the male did stop in front of him, he was beyond thankful for it, but at the same time, hated that he needed to depend on this stranger so much. If only he could transform out of his current mountain lion form, then he could clean his wound properly and communicate without seeming like an oversized housecat, but he was stuck in this now damn form until the wound was healed enough.

Panting lightly, he let his companion pick him up once more and carry him through the forest on his shoulders, slumping heavily in the hold after exerting so much energy. While he was carried down the path, he kept his head down and slightly rolled off to the side where he watched the forest ground pass beneath them. The sun beaming down on him felt great to his weary muscles and the knots in his muscles slowly relaxed, loosening with each step taken. He left a little guilty about adding extra weight to the other male's load, but soon enough, his eyes were slipping close. Every now and then, he'd flutter them open, but finally, his exhaustion caught up with him and the brilliant blue eyes closed for a little, peaceful nap.

Thankfully though, he felt when the occasional branch didn't brush against his tawny fur and he slowly cracked open his eyes as he watched the path get wider. The cabin came into view from where Mahkah was perched on the shoulders and he lifted up his head curiously, excited to finally be somewhere safe from the metal traps and smoking guns the hunters always had. Swishing his tail lightly, he became anxious to be let down onto the floor of the cabin so he might be able to get more medical care to his leg, at least another check-up and some food and water and even a warm place to sleep!

All of these ideas swam through Mahkah's head and he got so thrilled by the thoughts that when he was placed on his good paws, he stumbled around again, trying his hardest to stay steady, but it was a challenge with his muscles asleep and a limp paw dangling. After a few more moments of stumbling on the porch, he finally stood steady and looked up at male, cocking his head to side at the smile and purred loudly at him. But, the open door soon had looking over there at the new smell he sniffed.

Cautiously, he inched closer to the door and paused at the entrance, nervously sticking his head inside and sniffing again. Mahkah already trusted the human, but he wasn’t sure about entering a cabin, a cabin that normally held hunters and not hikers. Slowly, he limped inside the house and took a look around the living room, noting that there were no guns or the smell of bullets, so he relaxed immediately. His tense shoulders slopped down and his tail dragged onto the floor as he wandered over to the middle of the room, heavily falling onto his side, but avoiding his bandaged ankle from touching the floor. Lifting up some, he looked at the bandages and sniffed them, tongue lolling out to lick across the wound with a wince every now and then as fresh pain shot up his spine. He was still thirsty even though he drank too much at the river and his stomach rumbled in hunger, unhappy that his last meal was his very, very small breakfast of whatever he found that morning. But, he was much more worried that his ankle would get infected and all he could think of was to lick over the wound at the moment, despite the urge to just sleep on the floor he was sprawled out on.

[Lacuna]

Seth Monahan || W hat m emories d oes t omorrow b ring ?

Relief was his dominant emotion as Seth watched the big animal sprawl across his cabin floor and begin to lick its wound. The cougar had seemingly surveyed the situation and was content with its surroundings as far as Seth could tell. Seth paused for a moment, inexplicably happy to see another living being sharing his cabin with him, even if it was likely to only be for a few days until the animal recovered enough to leave on its own. Seth had no delusions that it would stay with him to become a pet or anything of the sort; he appreciated its wild beauty and didn't want to cage it. After he was sure that the big cat wasn't about to get up he turned away from it, smiling as he noted that it took up the great majority of the space in the common area of the cabin.

In the kitchen across the room Seth began opening cabinets and fishing through drawers and soon came up with a dented metal mixing bowl that appeared to be as good a water receptacle as he was going to find. Something about treating the big animal like a domesticated dog rankled with him, but he really didn't have any other options. As water poured from the faucet into the bowl he realized how quiet the cabin was, with only soft sounds coming from the injured wildcat. Even so, it was louder than when he sat and read alone, so he was pleased with the quietness. Reentering the living area, he set the bowl within reach for the cougar and turned on his battery powered radio, carefully adjusting it until it played a classical station more or less clearly. The music was soft and calming, and Seth smiled.

Returning to the kitchen Seth unearthed a can of baked beans and some Spam, a reasonable meal for himself. It occurred to him, to his dismay, that he had no idea what to feed the animal in his care. Assuming that the big predator was a carnivore, he dug further into his stores before unearthing a salt cured ham that was something he would probably never cook for himself. He eyed the slab of meat with trepidation before cutting off the airtight plastic covering it and cutting it into manageable pieces for the injured animal, who he assumed was not looking to work for its food at that time. More rummaging produced a serving platter that would serve as good as anything to bring the meat to the cougar, and Seth piled the chunks on.

Impressed with his handiwork, he carried the plate piled with ham to the animal, which looked like it was about to fall asleep. Setting it next to the water bowl he looked straight into the big cat's odd eyes. "Do you want to eat first, or have me look at your leg?" he asked, figuring that the animal would be able to easily show him which option it preferred. He say back in a non-threatening way, making it obvious that either option was fine with him. He had a much more well stocked first aid kit stored in the cabin's small bathroom, which would allow him to take better care of his charge.

[aphelion ✧]

Ｍａｈｋａｈ ☾ Ｓｋｉｎｗａｌｋｅｒ

Ｔｈｅｒｅ＇ｓ ａ Ｂｅａｓｔ Ｗｉｔｈｉｎ Ａｌｌ ｏｆ Ｕｓ

As the human left him to disappear into the kitchen he presumed, Mahkah turned his head away from his bandaged paw after he noted it wouldn’t do any good to lick the gauze, only causing him more pain with each swipe and each muffled growl. His eyes kept slipping closed and his head swayed side to side as the quietness of the quaint home lulled him into sleep, but he kept his eyes just barely cracked open to watch for the hiker to come back into the common area. Lifting his head up even more as the human returned, the cougar licked his maw as the bowl of water was placed in front of him. He lapped thirstily at it and didn’t pause for a moment until soft music drifted over to him

The rounded ears on top of his head twitched at the melodic noise and instantly, he tried to pick his weary body up to find the source of noise. It didn’t go as he planned though when he collapsed back onto the floor with a thud and nearly knocked over his water, just spilling a little of it onto himself instead. Always being a fan of music, Mahkah would sneak into concerts that had at the auditorium near the park, but not quite in the city, sitting high in the trees to admire the musicians that played their instruments so wonderfully. Once, he found a kind old man that enjoyed playing his string instrument, a guitar if the skinwalker could remember correctly, and gladly lent it for the native to play, not matter the awful noises he made. It just made Mahkhah happy to create sound like the people did in the concerts.

The soft music tried to pull the mountain lion back into a light sleep, but he shook his head and drank more water instead. By the time his belly was full of water and felt contently bloated for the time being, water dripped from his muzzle and he rolled onto his side for the moment, sighing out and lazily flicking his tail. The smell of meat though instantly had him rolling back over, growling softly to himself as he pressed against his wound roughly, but the promise of food made it all better. Mahkah hardly heard what the human was saying to him as he eyed the meat hungrily, mouth watering at the sight of the uncooked ham. Any other time, the cougar might have been picky and would only eat something freshly caught, but the loud rumble from his stomach quickly changed his mind.

Paying no attention to the male whatsoever, he dug into the meat like the fearsome beast he was the moment it was placed in front of him, sharp canines digging into the juicy ham like it was paper. With each large chomp, he swallowed the meat with growls mixed in with purrs, a scary sound that also sounded sort of endearing with the little purrs. Soon, he started to use his front claws to rip through the meat as well, pretending that he killed the pig himself and devouring each little morsel until only blood was left on the serving platter. Even that was gone soon enough as he held the platter between his large paws and started to lick it clean, savoring each bit of blood he scraped off with his rough tongue.

After he made sure not a single piece of meat or blood was left, he licked his massive maw contently and took a little lap of water to wash down his meal. That was one good thing about being a cougar; he didn’t need to cook his meat unlike when he was a human. He settled back down onto the floor carefully, looking over at the male with his abnormally intelligent eyes with a soft chirping noise that cougars seemed to make. It was his way of saying thank you the best he could. He broke the stare to look at his foot, shaking it to see if he might be able to tell the male that he was ready for it to be cleaned while he tried to sleep. Rolling over to his side, he let his eyes slip close and his breathing even out until he lightly dozed off, only aware of the classical music that acted for a lullaby for him.

[Lacuna]

Seth Monahan || W hat m emories d oes t omorrow b ring ?

It immediately became obvious that the cougar had chosen to eat before Seth tended its wounds. As the animal tore through the plate of meat with uncommon hunger Seth quickly walked the few steps to the cabin's small bathroom and pulled the oversized first aid kit from beneath the sink. The metal box was heavy, but after carrying a heavy animal all day his muscles seemed indifferent to the weight he had struggled carrying into the cabin when he arrived. It clanked against his legs as he returned to the cougar, unsurprised to find that all the food was gone and the plate licked clean. The animal had dropped its head and appeared to be sleeping on its side, injured leg readily available for Seth to treat.

The man knelt down, unhinging the kit and looking through its contents. When he realized that he needed some water from the kitchen he stood, and the cougar did not stir even when he knocked into the cabinets and silverware clattered. It only took a moment before he returned with a bucket of clean warm water, a soft wash cloth, and a towel. He laid the towel on the rough wood floor beneath the cougar's outstretched legs to protect the floor from bloodstains, assuming that the cabin's landlord would not appreciate or understand. With trepidation he soaked the washcloth in the water, not so much afraid of the animal before him but afraid of hurting it. The wound was crusted with dried blood and Seth knew that the task of removing the dirty gauze could cause a lot of pain if not properly carried out.

Seth gently squeezed the washcloth, water running over the wound and dripping red onto the towel. The cougar's rounded ear twitched, but otherwise he saw no response from the animal. He was unsure if it was truly asleep, but it was cooperating with him regardless, as it had in the clearing. He worked steadily, soaking the gauze and removing it from the animal's leg as painlessly as possible, and succeeding for the most part. He was surprised to find that the wound was not as bad as it had seemed with the bandage on, and in fact seemed to be in the early stages of healing. After washing it he applied antibiotic ointment liberally, hoping that it would have the same effects on a cougar as it would on a human. At the very least it would keep the wound from drying up as badly. The ointment was followed by gauze, and the wound was soon hidden beneath a crisp layer of white.

Proud of his handiwork, Seth cleaned up the mess he had made and disposed of the used bandages in the fireplace. It was later in the afternoon and he lit a fire, destroying them and warming the cabin as the cooler evening air began to permeate it. When he was finished putting the first aid kit away he returned to the animal, who had not stirred throughout his ministrations. This seemed logical to Seth, as the injured animal was most likely tired from the long day and needed rest to recuperate regardless. Pulling a cushion from a chair he sat next to the wild cat, impulsively resting his hand on its head. Its body was warm and comforting after his time alone with his thoughts for so long--as he had truly been alone for much longer than his stay in the woods.

As he listened to the cougar's breathing Seth sighed, feeling the need to say something to the cat. He was tired as well, and knew he would fall asleep with no idea how much of the day he would remember when he awoke. A horrible image of waking up and trying to harm the innocent animal flashed through his mind, and he shuddered. He knew that the animal seemed to understand him, so he began to speak in a low tone. "I may not remember you in the morning," Seth said, looking at the top of the cat's head. "Sometime I don't remember anything at all. I don't know what's wrong, but if I can't remember I want you to know that I'm just afraid, and I'm not trying to hurt you. I mean, I helped you all today, so I hope you'll understand. I hope..." he trailed off, beginning to feel silly. Pressing his lips together he stopped and reached over to grab a book from the small shelf by the fire place and read himself to sleep.

[We can time skip to the next morning after you post if you want, or RP this day a little bit more. It doesn't matter to me.]

[aphelion ✧]

Ｍａｈｋａｈ ☾ Ｓｋｉｎｗａｌｋｅｒ

Ｔｈｅｒｅ＇ｓ ａ Ｂｅａｓｔ Ｗｉｔｈｉｎ Ａｌｌ ｏｆ Ｕｓ

As the human attended to his wound, Mahkah hardly even noticed from how tired and sleepy he was, barely even paying attention as water was dripped over the crusted bandages. All he knew in his foggy mind was that whatever was going on it felt really good and relieved some of the aching pain that his ankle had a few moments ago. His leg twitched as the ointment was dabbed on from the sudden coldness, but it didn’t hurt like he expected a cream would do to his open wound. Even though he was a cougar at the moment, his form still held some human functions, such as getting human diseases, but being able to use medicine that would normally only work for a person, not an animal.

Just as his injury was starting to throb from the lack of pressure this time, the big cat was happily satisfied in time as another strip of gauze was wrapped around the wound and he finally let himself be lulled into a deep sleep by the classical music. It was soft and soothing, moving at a slow tempo compared to the faster paced songs for dramatic pieces. And, Mahkah was very glad it wasn’t like one piece he heard being played on a camper’s radio that was beautiful at the beginning and he nearly fell asleep in the tree he was couched until it suddenly crescendo so loudly that he almost tumbled out of the tree. Either way, he loved falling asleep to music and it made him want to stay even longer if he could sleep like this every night.

A deep rumble vibrated his worn body as a hand touched his massive head, barely pulling him back out of his wonderful dream. He arched his body upwards some into the hand and rubbed against it sleepily with a large yawn, stretching out lightly as he basked in the warmth of the fire. Barely paying attention to what the other male was saying, he cracked his eyes open just barely where a tiny, blue slit watched the brunette lazily. For a moment, he almost started to wake up from his sleep, but his weary body wouldn’t let him as he listened carefully now to what the hiker had to say. Once, Mahkah heard of people not being able to retain their memories, but surely, he hoped this human would be able to remember such a hectic day.

Even if he didn’t though, the cougar would try something to jolt the memories, but for now, he waited for his rescuer to come back and sit with him. As the other male started to read, Mahkah was just barely able to lift his tired body up and inch closer until his head rested in the warm lap. With another yawn, the mountain lion dozed off into a deep sleep, curling up some and listening to the fading sounds of the crackling fire and music.

When the sun rose into the sky once more and strands of the bright light landed on Mahkah’s eyes, he shifted uncomfortably and squinted them together harder. It was useless though as his once black dream filled with nothing turned into a white inferno and he growled in displeasure. Trying to bury his head underneath whatever he was lying on, he nudged it lightly and threw a large paw over his eyes. That was useless was well since he woke up now and just sighed out, warm breath ghosting over whatever soft thing he fell asleep on.

He figured out soon enough as he wearily lifted up his head to yawn, sharp canines flashing in the morning sun as he stretched his back. Mahkah was careful though not to put any pressure on his hurt foot, although it already felt much better, just a little itchy and sore. With a quick glance down, he noted that he slept on the human’s stomach the entire night, somehow crawling up from his lap after he had fallen asleep as well. It was one of his best nights to sleep though since it had been awhile since he cuddled with anyone, had music playing, or was warmed by a fire during the night.

The short conversation from last night though stirred the cougar out of his drowsiness and he arched his back one more time. With a curious look, he watched the other male and thought of something to do. Nothing much came into his mind if his friend forgot that he saved his life the other day, but he just hoped maybe he might remember at least a bit or pity him for his injury. The best plan he came up with was to limp over near the fireplace and sit next to the dead fire, lazily flicking his tail back and forth anxiously. He wanted to know now what the human would remember. Instead of fretting though, he licked his paw and swiped behind his ear, cleaning it since he got very dirt yesterday and probably left trails of dirt wherever he walked. It was much better than pacing, or limping, around and possibly scaring the daylights out of the brunette. At least he seemed like a housecat with him purring and cleaning behind his ears.