TRTTD - Chapter 8.2: Freedom
#9 of The Right Thing To Do?
Finally, the day has come and Leo leaves the hospital. Hope you like it! :3
Sel, Leo, Max and Sam are my characters.
Written by me.
The Right Thing To Do?
Chapter 8.2:
Freedom
Written by: Seliron (Sel)
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Disclaimer:
This story is purely fictional and does not depict any existing person, living or dead, or any real event. The characters are not human.
This story will not contain sexual interactions at all. NEVER. I'm sorry. I just don't want these two characters to do things like that, for personal reasons.
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Characters:
Seliron "Sel" Lynch - Male black leopard (panther), 28 years old
Leon "Leo" Lynch - Male eurasian lynx, about 8 years old
Maxine "Max" Lynch - Female cat, 6 years old
Sam - Male fox, 7 years old
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Leon, the small lynx cub, glanced at his own reflection in the mirror. He eyed his skinny body, scanned it from head to toe, but everything seemed alright - except for a thin, pinkish line on his chest. His fingers traced the scar, and a frown crept across his forehead.
"It's ugly..." he mumbled.
"No, it's not." a girlish voice piped up.
A small cat, younger than Leo, approached him from behind. She stopped right next to him and put a paw on his shoulder.
"I think it's cool." Max said as she glanced at the scar on Leo's bare chest.
The boy blushed as he noticed the female kitten staring at his body, but actually, her words did comfort him - at least a little bit.
"Really?"
"Yeah! You look kinda brave with it."
"Stop making fun of me..."
"She's not making fun of you! I think it's cool, too." another young voice suddenly piped up.
The voice belonged to a small fox on the other side of the room, standing right next to an adult black panther. Sam, Leo's best friend, had agreed to accompany him today, and the lynx was very thankful for that. He was nervous, scared, of what was about to happen soon, and the company of two friends would certainly help him a lot.
"Thanks, guys..." the lynx kitten mumbled.
"Listen, Leo..." Sel addressed him. "You'll keep that scar for the rest of your life, that's true - but that doesn't have to be a bad thing at all. It could also stand for something good - a reminder, for example."
"A reminder? Of what?"
"You can choose that all by yourself, Leo. It could be anything you want. Maybe the fight you won?"
"Fight...?"
"The one for your life, of course. You fought bravely, and you won - isn't that something worth remembering?"
"I dunno... maybe?"
The lynx cub wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to remember anything that had happened since that day in the mall. Too much pain, fear, and even shame was linked to those events. Besides Sel, he hadn't talked to anyone about it, and he wasn't going to change that anytime soon.
But I'll never forget it, anyway...
A small part of him knew that, in fact, he had no chance to ever get rid of those memories. They would stay in his head forever, locked away in a dark part of his mind, and the only question was how often they'd break through.
Sel's right...
What could he lose? There where already way too much bad memories he had to deal with, why not save a good one, too?
The boy straightened himself as he made his decision. He grabbed his shirt from the bed and put it back on, then turned around to face Sel.
"Ready to go, 'lil guy?" the panther asked.
Leo gulped nervously, but nodded. He took the small bag containing a few gifts he had received in his time here, while Sel was carrying the rest of their luggage to the door.
Slowly, with a lot of hesitation, the lynx walked over to the door, too. The thought of having to deal with strangers outside frightened him, made him feel very nervous, and his paws started to tremble. One part of him didn't want to leave the room, but in the same manner he was sick of those four walls where he had spent way too much time.
Suddenly, he felt the soft touch of two small paws on both of his shoulders. Max and Sam were flanking him, smiling at him, and that comforted him very much. A gentle squeeze from Max's paw, that was all it needed to break Leo's paralysis. He made a small step forward, and the other cubs followed him on his track. Step by step, the trio made their way out of the door into the frightening world outside.
Leo shivered as he left his safe room. The long, straight corridor was, despite being painted in light blue, not very inviting. A cub's hospital was still a hospital after all, despite the multiple efforts of the staff to make if more friendly for their young patients.
A few other furs, cubs and adults, were casually strolling through the corridor. There were patients, doctors, nurses and visitors - and every single one of them was a stranger to Leo. The boy froze in his tracks and gulped heavily, his eyes widening in panic.
Sam and Max immediately noticed that and their paws grabbed Leo's shoulder firm, but gently. They were able to calm the shaking lynx cub down a little, but not nearly enough to continue walking.
"Give him a minute, cubs." Sel said. "You alright, Leo?"
The frightened boy didn't respond, but the look in his eyes told Sel everything he needed to know. The panther knelt down in front of the small lynx, a reassuring smile on his face.
"Don't be afraid, 'lil guy. I... we're here to protect you." he said. "We won't let anything bad happen to you. Promise."
The two other cubs nodded in approval, and that finally woke Leo up again. The kitten shook his head and straightened himself again, and with the help of his companions, he continued his journey.
The group of furs walked down the hallway, at a slow pace due to Leo's hesitation. They were heading for the elevators on one end of the corridor, as they would bring them down to the ground level of the building, but numerous furry obstacles extended the time they took considerably.
With every adult that passed them, especially with every male, Leo flinched. If they came too close, the poor boy's body shook in fear, but with a few breaks and a lot of reassurance, the four finally made it to their destination. Sel pressed the button that pointed down, hoping that they would be able to catch an empty cabin.
But as the door of the first elevator arriving opened, they found it packed. Leo gasped at the sight of the furs squeezed into the small space, and he immediately hid himself behind Sel, his paws clinching onto the panther's arm.
"Don't worry, Leo." Sel said and ruffled Leo's headfur reassuringly. "We'll wait for an empty one."
"But what if they're all full?" the cub whispered.
"Then we'll take the stairs. Don't worry, I won't force you into an elevator cabin full of strangers."
Leo sighed, and the tension that froze his body loosened a little. Fortunately, one of the elevator doors opened and invited them into a completely empty cabin sooner as they thought.
Sel put their luggage in first, and due to the limited space, the four furs had a bit of trouble to squeeze into the cabin together. Eventually, they got it done, and the adult managed to push the button for the ground level.
Leo stood right next to Sel, and as they were moving down, the small cub leaned against Sel. The kitten nuzzled Sel's side, and the panther reached out and put an arm around Leo's shoulders. He pulled Leo closer, enjoying the feeling of the cub's warm breath on his fur.
"We'll be home soon, Leo. Don't worry." Sel said. "Just a bit of paperwork, and you'll be out of here."
"Paperwork...?"
"Yeah... annoying, I know. Shouldn't take more than five minutes, though, but it has to be done."
Leo frowned, but was soon distracted by the elevator doors opening just in this moment. A sharp yelp escaped his muzzle as his eyes wandered through the wide lobby - and the crowd of furs populating it.
But help was already there - Sam and Max approached the frightened boy, took his paws into theirs, and led him out of the cabin. Sel followed suit with the luggage and lead the group over to the large reception.
"Sam? Max? You think you could lead him outside while I fill out those forms?"
The fox and the cat looked at each other, a bit unsure at first, but eventually they both nodded. They took Leo in between them, still holding on to his paws, and walked away. Sel watched them as they made their way in the direction of the exit doors, and he kept an eye on them for the whole time he was filling out stuff.
Eventually, Sel was done with the paperwork, just in time for the cubs to reach the front door. The panther hurried to catch up to them, worried if Leo was in panic again, but to his surprise, the boy was calm and relaxed.
"Ready to go, Leo?" Sel asked the kitten and offered him his own paw.
Leo nodded and took Sel's paw. Together, they walked through the door, out of the dreary hospital and into the bright sunlight. The small lynx blinked at the sudden light, but as soon as his eyes got used to it, he smiled.