[Backstory Ficlet] ii. side by side
Note: Set two days after the first part.
ii. side by side
Being a mutant didn’t come with a manual. And even if it did, Yuuta figured it sure as hell wouldn’t include the ramifications of being mind-linked to a wolf. A wolf that - if one ignored the too-human steel-grey eyes - looked exactly like a ten-week-old dog. But wolf or dog, canines living in the company of humans had to meet certain requirements. Like rabies shot, for example. So two days after his dramatic arrival, to the local veterinarian the wolf went. And Yuuta watched his mother and sister drive away and tried not to be affected by the wolf’s subtle panic at being shut inside a steel cage.
He was so tired by the time his sister’s car was out of sight, he barely made it back to his bed before collapsing.
There was raw panic in the back of his mind. Then it grew increasingly muffled, drowned out by the headache and the fatigue returning with a vengeance. Yuuta blacked out somewhere around the second onset of the migraine, and didn’t wake until his mother and sister returned home.
When he woke up, the wolf was right next to him, and everything was right with their world again. The wolf blinked owlishly, and they shared a moment of profound relief without knowing why.
Later, his sister explained that the wolf became increasingly agitated after they left, and by the time they reached the veterinary clinic, he was unconscious. The veterinarian was puzzled; all of his vital stats were normal, but the wolf never once stirred even during the shots. Since the pup appeared to be in perfect health otherwise, the veterinarian decided against keeping him overnight for observation, but requested a status update the following day.
They look at each other, and they knew even before she said it: they could not be separated. The resulting dismay was redoubled as they realized what this meant for both of them. The two of them mulled over it in silence, until Yuuta decided what was done was done, and besides, even if he had no idea why they were linked, if that was the price of their survival then so be it. After a moment, Yuuta felt a hesitant agreement echo back to him.
They never questioned it again: where one went, the other must follow. They didn’t like it at times, but never forgot why.
ii. side by side
Being a mutant didn’t come with a manual. And even if it did, Yuuta figured it sure as hell wouldn’t include the ramifications of being mind-linked to a wolf. A wolf that - if one ignored the too-human steel-grey eyes - looked exactly like a ten-week-old dog. But wolf or dog, canines living in the company of humans had to meet certain requirements. Like rabies shot, for example. So two days after his dramatic arrival, to the local veterinarian the wolf went. And Yuuta watched his mother and sister drive away and tried not to be affected by the wolf’s subtle panic at being shut inside a steel cage.
He was so tired by the time his sister’s car was out of sight, he barely made it back to his bed before collapsing.
There was raw panic in the back of his mind. Then it grew increasingly muffled, drowned out by the headache and the fatigue returning with a vengeance. Yuuta blacked out somewhere around the second onset of the migraine, and didn’t wake until his mother and sister returned home.
When he woke up, the wolf was right next to him, and everything was right with their world again. The wolf blinked owlishly, and they shared a moment of profound relief without knowing why.
Later, his sister explained that the wolf became increasingly agitated after they left, and by the time they reached the veterinary clinic, he was unconscious. The veterinarian was puzzled; all of his vital stats were normal, but the wolf never once stirred even during the shots. Since the pup appeared to be in perfect health otherwise, the veterinarian decided against keeping him overnight for observation, but requested a status update the following day.
They look at each other, and they knew even before she said it: they could not be separated. The resulting dismay was redoubled as they realized what this meant for both of them. The two of them mulled over it in silence, until Yuuta decided what was done was done, and besides, even if he had no idea why they were linked, if that was the price of their survival then so be it. After a moment, Yuuta felt a hesitant agreement echo back to him.
They never questioned it again: where one went, the other must follow. They didn’t like it at times, but never forgot why.