Clarity Lost
#7 of Gain And Loss
A/n: I've put this series off too long, it was time to come back to it. It took a while to get this chapter to feel right and fit with what I wanted for the remainder of the story. It's not entirely what I had originally planned, but I think I kept the majority of what I wanted. It's clean as well, sex just couldn't be worked in here. There's a supplemental in the works for those who want to see the smut that's been lacking in the last few chapters of G&L as a way of balancing the scales. Anyway, hope you...well, "enjoy" seems like the wrong word to use so, hope you get something out of this chapter.
'Till the next, live well all.
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Clarity Lost
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The doors slid open silently as the racing fur triggered the electric eye, the barely audible hiss of the track worried him. Doors such as these only made that lack of noise when they were very new, or very well maintained due to lots of use. He truthfully did not know which situation unnerved him more. "Excuse me?" His voice was lost in the din of the busy room as Furres milled about and shouted orders over one another. Worry continued to drive him after one of the males dressed in green scrubs. "Excuse me? I'm looking for a friend of mine."
The badger turned a look over his shoulder and glared at the smaller male. "Do you not see me holding blood bags cub? I got a guy going critical in the ICU. If you ain't dying go sit in the waiting room until someone calls for you. Got me rabbit?"
Sam swallowed hard at the harsh tone of the nurse's voice. "But...I..." He had no choice but to trail off as the badger simply turned and walked away from him.
"Out of the way!" The nurse's voice carried from down the hall. "Three units O-neg on the rapid infuser! Why hasn't he been stabilized yet?
"I got blood in the abdominal cavity..." Announced another voice. "Ultra sound is really dark, can't find the source." There was a low, frustrated growl. "Somebody page the damn OR again!"
Sam crept closer to the source of the commotion, his stomach sinking with every step he took. He knew who was in that room, even without seeing him, but he didn't want to believe it was possible. If he believed that everything was really happening it would mean facing things he didn't want to ever have to look at. The harsh reality would hit just to close to home. Despite the rising feeling of dread his footpaws continued to move forward.
His eyes darted around the scene, unable to stay focused on one point for to long. "Oh god..." The skirt had been cut away from the body on the table and lay in bloody tatters on the tile floor. Bags of clear plastic hung from steel hooks, slowly dripping clear medicine or blood into the limp gray furred arm at needle's end. Sam felt his throat close tight with painful quickness as he saw the wolf's face, a large plastic tube jutting from the muzzle as the oxygen pump breathed for the male. "Why would someone do this to him?"
"Sam."
The rabbit turned slowly at the sound of the familiar voice. He stared for a few moments, not understanding why the canine in green scrubs was addressing him. The tears he'd been fighting back fell and his vision cleared. He felt himself move without a thought and ran to the taller male's protective embrace. "Thorn...why did this happen? Why did they do this to Cara?"
The wolf shook his head, not that Sam could see it as the bunny trembled, and tightened his hold on the lapine. "I don't know Sam." His voice was a whisper and had no conviction in it. He knew the reasons, just like he knew Sam knew the reason, he simply could not understand or accept those reasons. "Come on." He led the rabbit away from where the doctors were still working on Cara. "We're going to be in the way here."
Sam nodded as the wolf pulled him along to the waiting room. The seat was old and worn, unfortunately overused given its location, but he barely felt it as Thorn made him sit. "He called me."
The wolf nodded as pulled a second chair closer to Sam. "Yeah, me too." He took the rabbit's paws in his own, trying to hold them still as they continued to shake.
"I knew I wouldn't get to him in time." Sam rocked forward slightly and tears began to appear at the corners of his eyes. "I told him to call the police...but he said they put him on hold." He looked up at the wolf's face as if trying to find reasoning in the features. "How can the police put someone on hold when they're being attacked?"
Thorn shook his head, a sad and defeated gesture. "I don't know Sam. I really don't..." The wolf went silent as a doctor stopped at the entrance to the waiting room only to hear another name called out.
Sam saw the doctor as well, but was more focused on the mouse family that rushed to the medical professional. His heart froze as he watched the older female, someone's mother Sam guessed, drop to her knees. Sam's thoughts went to places unbidden as he listened to the mouse scream and cry as if her very soul had been ripped away from her. "Is Cara going to make it Thorn?"
The wolf didn't answer. The image of Caragan in that service alley surfaced before his eyes. The poor canine was beaten and broken. "There was so much blood..." He swallowed down the lump in his throat as he remembered the feel of Cara blood slicked fur in his paws, as it had seeped through the shirt Thorn had used to try and stop the bleeding. "That much blood..."
Sam shivered again as he heard the unrest in Thorn's voice. Earlier in the day the wolf had shrugged off the sight of blood as if it were nothing, the stark difference in opinion scared him. "He's wolf right?" Sam felt the words leave his mouth before he could really consider them. "That means he tough, like you." He felt his paws regain a bit of their strength and he squeezed the canine's paws reassuringly. "He'll be ok. He has to be." The bunny felt himself smile, though he didn't know why he was doing it. "We're all going to be friends for a long time, so he has to be ok."
Thorn watched the rabbit's face silently for several moments. The tears still fell freely, his facial fur wet with emotion, but the smile was real. The hope and sincerity of his voice was genuine. The wolf wondered where the lapine was able to pull such inner strength from as he felt Sam's resolve over ride Thorn's own fears. "Yeah, we're going to be friends for a long time."
Sam nodded as he pulled Thorn toward the seat beside him, rather than across from him, and leaned his head onto the wolf's shoulder as they settled in to wait. The wolf's shoulders were still tense, and his breathing was rigidly controlled, but there was quiet confidence again as well. Sam closed his eyes and tried to force away all the dark thoughts in his mind, a task that became a tad easier as he felt Thorn's arm wrap around him. "What happened to your clothes?" He asked quietly as he tried to focus on other things for a few moments.
"Police took them." Thorn leaned his head down against Sam's, nuzzling gently through the smaller male's head fur. "Said they needed them incase there was evidence transfer."
Sam's eyes opened slightly as he felt the wolf's arm tighten, and looked down to see Thorn's paws balled into fists. He looked up and saw white fangs revealed by the small curl of the canine's lips. "They think you're a suspect?" It was the only reason Sam could think of that would spark such sudden anger from the wolf.
"N-no." Thorn shook his head. "They don't..." He averted his gaze slightly as Sam studied him. "It's...just been a rough couple of hours. Starting to get to me..." He sighed.
Sam nodded, though he didn't call the wolf on what he knew was not the full story, and held his paw out atop Thorn's leg. "I'd be more worried if it wasn't getting to you." He replied softly as he felt the canine's digits intertwine with his own. "We'll make everything ok." The rabbit swallowed as he saw something flash through Thorn's eyes, something he couldn't quite identify.
"Could be a while before we know anything." Thorn spoke as saw Sam eyeing him critically. "You want anything from the cafeteria? I'm guessing you didn't have a chance to eat with your family."
"Not much of an appetite right now." Sam shook his head softly as the wolf redirected to conversation this time. "I want to be here when they have information on Cara."
A simple nod of understanding was the only response Thorn gave, and it was really the only one that was needed. He sat there in the waiting room with his eyes drifting anxiously between the door and the wall-mounted clock. Seconds melted away into minutes, which turned to an hour. Then two. Then three. By hour four he stopped looking at the clock.
A glance toward Sam showed the rabbit to be asleep on his shoulder. The fresh tears, even in sleep, and small whimpers showed them to be anything but peaceful. The image struck Thorn deeply as he saw how defenseless Sam could look. While Caragan may not have been the most physically intimidating individual around, he was still a wolf. He'd have grown up learning how to fight, how to defend himself, but Sam...Sam was prey. There were no claws, no sharp fangs, no instinctual desires to fight or draw blood. Thoughts of what could have happened to Sam in Cara's position terrified him in a way he had not been scared in a long time.
"Caragan Kitsune?"
Thorn's head lifted as he heard the crane's voice. "Yeah, we're here." He shook Sam gently awake as he glanced at the clock and was only slightly surprised to see another three hours had passed. They walked over to the doctor together and looked on expectantly. "How's Cara doing?" The wolf finally asked as the bird remained silent. "Is he going to be ok?"
The crane shifted slightly in place, clearly uncomfortable about something. "I'm sorry but, are you family? We can't really discuss patient information with non-family."
Sam's ears drooped as he heard the doctor's question. They didn't know anything about Cara other than the little bit they'd learned today. It was impossible to tell if Cara's family supported him or not, or if there was even any family to be contacted. The idea of going through something like this alone was unthinkable to the lapine, but there was nothing he could say that would make sense in this situation.
"We grew up together."
Sam turned a shocked expression toward his boyfriend. The words were said so easily that he almost believed they were true. It was only the fact that Thorn refused to look at the bunny that gave him away.
"I think we may be cousins somewhere along the family tree." Thorn continued. "But we've been out of touch for a long time. He came out to see us after his family declared him lone wolf. We were going to help him out until he got his life back up and running."
The crane eyed Thorn with a skeptical eye. "I must admit, I am not sure how much of that explanation I actually believe." She turned, but motioned for the two males to follow. "I do happen to understand that there is more to family than bloodlines though."
Sam entered the room the doctor lead them to slowly, almost fearfully it appeared. His worst fears came to life as he spotted the wolf in the medical bed. Cara's eyes were swollen shut and one of his ears was stitched along the width, showing the appendage had nearly been ripped clear in half. His jaw had been wired shut, but quiet grunts still came forth as the wolf mumbled in his drug-induced sleep. The fur of Cara's arms has been shaved and the flesh below showed stitches in many places. Far more then should ever be on one single Furre at one time. There was little doubt in Sam's mind that Cara's chest and belly would be in similar condition.
Thorn felt his paws tighten into fists as he saw Cara's leg in a heavy plaster cast suspended in traction over the bed. The various monitors that the smaller canine was hooked up to showed movements that were slow and not terribly steady. The sounds had been silenced, but the familiar beeps of a time gone by filled in the gaps against his will. He recognized the way the lines moved though, the memory of what each small dip and shallow rise meant. Thorn forced himself to look away from the screens and his eyes fell to the tube that snaked out from the covers at the smaller canine's waist. He swallowed hard as the off coloring of red and brown mixed with the yellow fluid told another story of just how bad a shape Cara was really in.
The avian watched the two males as they took everything in, though she doubted they could fully process it all right now. She'd learned over the years that shock had a way of hitting more than just the victim. "He's been sedated." The crane motioned with her wing towards the guest chairs. "It's only anecdotal accounts but, Furres have said they could hear the goings on around them even when unconscious. Perhaps hearing some friendly voices will give him some strength, help guide him back." She looked them over one last time. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Thorn shook his head as he withdrew from his thoughts. "Just keep him in your thoughts." He finally answered as he found his voice once again. "The rest is in his paws now." He watched as the doctor nodded and left to make her rounds before guiding Sam further into the room. He pulled the chairs closer to Cara's bed and guided Sam to sit. The canine grit his fangs as he saw the look on the rabbit's face and felt his hackles raise despite trying to maintain a calm appearance.
Sam couldn't make sense of it. Any of it. The whole situation just seemed surreal to the lapine. Just because the wolf liked to dress a certain way. Just because he followed his heart and didn't fall into the conformity that the rest of the world expected of him. "I can't believe that someone would do this to him." Sam shook his head. "I mean, I can believe it. You hear about it all the time on the news or whatever but..."
"It seems far away then." Thorn finished. "When it's someone you know, someone you can identify with..." He let the statement hang in the air, waiting to see if Sam would say what the wolf expected was on his mind."
"I feel like I'm a horrible Furre." Sam swallowed down the bit of bile that tried to creep up his throat. "I look at Cara, and I hate the Furres who did this to him but..." He curled back into the seat and pulled his knees to his chest. "All I can see is me in that bed."
Thorn crouched down beside his boyfriend and forced the bunny to look at him with a gentle finger along the lapine's chin. "That doesn't make you a horrible Furre." He shook his head. "It just makes you a Furre." Thorn turned to look at Caragan again. "Seeing someone like this..." His head fell forward a bit and his gaze locked to the floor. "It makes you scared, angry...it messes with your head."
Sam's eyes stayed trained on Thorn as the wolf stood and moved to Cara's bedside. His boyfriend reached out and gently touched the bedridden canine's forehead. Sam's nose began to twitch nervously as Thorn leaned in and whispered something to Caragan. It was more than loud enough for Sam to hear, but it was in the old tongue, the feral language of the wolves and Sam couldn't make sense of it. Then the wolf's body went rigid and Sam knew something was wrong. "What is it? What did you do?" Thorn didn't look at Sam and sniffed at Cara's head fur again. The bunny felt a shiver go though his system as Thorn's lips curled back revealing long, white fangs. "Thorn!"
The wolf reigned himself in as quickly as he almost lost to his temper. "Sam...I have...I have to go." His eyes darted to the smaller male that now stood beside him clutching at his arm. "This is my fault...I let it go too long."
"Your fault?" Sam demanded. "How the hell is this your fault? You were nowhere near him."
"Doesn't matter, still my fault." Thorn faced the rabbit long enough to hold Sam's head and kiss him softly atop his brow. "Stay here."
Sam blinked at the wolf turned and pulled away from him. "Where are you going?" He grabbed the wolf's wrist with more strength than he though he possessed. "What aren't you telling me?"
"Sam..." Thorn didn't turn. "I'll explain everything, but not now. Please, just stay here."
The rabbit loosened his grip, but didn't let go entirely. "You answer every question I have later." He tightened his grip again as he saw the canine's ears go flat against his head. "Every question! No matter how uncomfortable Thorn Blackbriar!"
"Ok..."
Hesitantly, Sam released the wolf from his hold. Nothing more was said as he watched the tense muscled shoulders of the canine leave the room. Walking back to Cara's bedside Sam leaned over and sniffed at canine's fur. There was something faint there, hidden under the antiseptic and medicine, but familiar. Sam couldn't place it, but Thorn clearly had. "You better come back to me." Sam whispered softly. "Both of you."
OOOOO
The Furre at the door looked up from his magazine as he heard the door of a car slam. He vaguely recognized the wolf that stalked toward the bar, if only as a friend of one of the regulars. Even so, he had a job to do and at the moment the stallion knew that the canine approaching him had the exact kind of attitude that was not wanted in The Vixen even at this early hour. "Hold up there bud. You need to cool down before..." The stallion barely got his hoof up in warning before the wolf grabbed him, spun past him, and crimped the horse's arm into a very painful submission lock.
"They don't pay you enough to get in my way right now." Thorn growled. "My problem isn't with you. I let you go, you walk away. Deal?"
The horse whinnied in pain as Thorn applied more pressure to the hold at the wrist, making it feel dangerously close to breaking. "I give! I give! Deal!"
Thorn released the equine without a second thought and turned toward the door once again, not sparing a glance back as the bouncer rubbed at his wrist. The familiar smells hit him at once, spilled beer, mold, and the sweat of too many Furres in to small a space. There were newer smells as well, fresh blood and vomit. As Thorn's eyes fell on his target though the scents were forgotten.
There weren't many patrons yet, and not more than a glance was paid to the canine as he moved with swift and deadly purpose. A gray furred paw reached out and grabbed one of the crossbars for the tall bar stool. A strong pull to yank it from beneath the current occupant followed shortly after. There was a cry of pain as the brown feather avian, hunched over the bar, slammed beak first into the bar top before crashing tail feathers first to the floor. "Get. Up." Thorn growled to the groggy bird. "Get the fuck up or I swear to every god I've ever heard of I will stomp you to death where you lay."
"Thorn?" Kameg blinked a few times as he tried to get the world to stop spinning. When the universe finally complied and only one wolf remained in his vision the bird tried to push himself to his foot talons. "What the fuck..." Evidently his efforts were to slow as Thorn grabbed Kameg by the shirt and hoisted him up, only to slam him back down on a nearby table. "Thorn! Dude! The fuck?"
The wolf ignored the pained tone of Kameg's voice. "You have one chance to explain Kameg." He growled and bared his fangs as he leaned over the falcon. "Why was your scent on him?" Another growl, this time without words, came deep from the feral side of the wolf. "Why was your scent on Cara?"
Kameg stared at his friend in complete confusion, but he knew by the look in Thorn's eye that the wolf was in no way playing around. "Thorn...I swear to you, I have no idea what you're talking about. Who is Cara?"
"The wolf you put in the hospital Kameg!" Thorn all but howled as the falcon denied his involvement. "The wolf you and your new friends jumped and beat within an inch of his life!"
The avian's eyes went wide as he realized what Thorn was accusing him of. His mind, sobering quickly thanks to fear and adrenaline, began to piece the puzzle together as well. "Wait. Thorn, it's not what you think. I can promise you it's not what you think." The bird trembled visibly as the canine leaned in closer, fangs dangerously close to his feathered throat. "You...you said I had the chance to explain." Thorn didn't let him up, but the wolf did move back enough to look him in the eye. "It went down like this..."
OOOOO
"Told you to move your damn paw." The falcon kicked at Boss' ribs to send him scampering away to under a nearby table. "Fucking idiot." He turned slowly back towards his seat, noting the pack leader taking one of the bottles of beer that had been offered.
"You know..." Terrill sipped the beer with a satisfied smirk on his face. "Maybe we can help one another out."
The feathers around Kameg's beak shifted, the avian signal for a smile. "Well all right then." He sat again and took up one of the beers. "What seems to be your trouble?"
"We got in bit of a skirmish today." Terrill spilled at the beer, ignoring the fact that his pack was in complete disarray. "These fucking idiots couldn't even take down one guy."
Kameg's smile seemed to widen. "Four on one and you couldn't beat the guy?" He leaned back and took another drink. "Sounds like fun. I need a challenge to take my mind off things. A chance to cut loose with a real contender sounds like just the solution."
"Yeah, well." The Sheppard's muzzled wrinkled into a frown. "The wolf is the major problem. You want him you can have him, I want that little bitch of a rabbit fag lover and the faggot wolf the big one was protecting." He grinned. "Cave their heads in and make the big one watch while I do it." His attention turned to the newcomer to the table again. "So, you get your fight and we get to teach the bitch and the fag their place in this world. Agreed?"
Kameg sat forward in his seat and placed his beer on the table. His paws came together as he rested his wings on his knees, his face hidden as he bent his head forward and rested against his paws. "What was it...you called the other two?" The avail's voice was low and slow, one would think because of the alcohol, but there was no slurring. "I want to know exactly who I'm up against."
Terrill smiled and his tail began to wag in triumph. "One's some little bunny bitch to the big wolf. She's the one who pulled the big guy into the fight cause she tried to protect the fag." Terrill's displeasure showed again in the form of an angry sneer. "That fucking fag wolf. Dressed all in his skirt and shit, making a fool out of me and..."
"Get out."
Terrill stopped as Kameg spoke. "The fuck you say?" He leaned forward in his chair. "I don't think I heard you right."
Kameg hadn't moved from his position. "I said get out. You and your crew aren't welcome at the Vixen."
"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Terrill growled. "You think you can throw us out?"
"Yeah..." Kameg's head rose to level a hard glare on the Sheppard, the bird's feather's shifted into an avian frown. "I do."
Terrill began to laugh as he sat back in his chair. "You and what army light weight? You may have gotten the jump once, but we know what you can do now. You ain't a threat to us."
"Four against one?" Kameg scoffed. "I'd say the odds are in my favor given your record." He stood slowly, drawing to his full height and allowing his plumage to ruffle out to create a rather intimidating sight. "I'm in a bad mood so I was willing to over look the gang tactic of four on one. The fact that some guy beat you at that made me curious about the fighter." He lunged forward and grabbed Terrill by the shirt and hoisted him from the chair. "But what kind of male threatens a female? Who starts a fight over how someone dresses, or threatens to kill someone over whether they like cock or pussy?" Kameg tossed the canine lightly, making Terrill fall over the chair. "Don't show your muzzle in The Vixen again. Get out."
Terrill sputtered as he fell, spilling his beer all over himself. "You fucking faggot lover!" He scrambled to his footpaws and brought his fists up. "I've had it with you fuckers!"
"Is that the only word you know?" Kameg brought his fists up as well, though his stance was decidedly cleaner that Terrill's even in his intoxication. "You're going to be a miserable fight, but you'll have to do." He swatted away the first punch with a quick outer block. "Pathetic." As a second punch came in Kameg caught the Sheppard at the wrist and hauled him forward, introducing his knee to the canine's exposed gut.
As the pack leader emptied the contents of his stomach onto the floor Kameg heard another sound from behind him. He turned just in time as the husky launched himself off a table, beer bottle club already in one paw. The two males tumbled to the ground, knocking over tables and chairs as they went, but Kameg rolled to his foot talons easily. "I've been tackled by a guy twice your size and weight mutt, and he has the decency to not bring weapons into it." His right leg came up in preparation for an outer axe kick. "You aren't worth my time." His talons fell swiftly and caught the husky along the ridge of his muzzle. The sound of the bone shattering echoed in the bar, though it was soon over taken by the husky's pained howls as blood began to leak all over the floor.
Kameg leveled a stare at the Corsac fox that seemed to be looking everywhere at the condition of his pack. "Your turn?"
"Fuck that." The fox shook his head. "I been out classed once today already." He turned and began to head for the door. "And you, you fight like the wolf. I couldn't beat him, I can't beat you."
"What about you tiny?" Kameg looked over at the wolfhound that sat below the table watching everything unfold. "You want another go?"
"I can yet fight..." Boss nodded. "I've no desire to fight you, but I must."
Kameg blinked at the statement. "Why?"
"I have given my oath to Terrill." Boss explained as he stood and prepared himself to fight. "I must keep my word, for it is the only thing I have left."
"Only thing you have left huh?" Kameg let out a huff of breath that could have been either a laugh or a sound of disdain. "Sounds like another dumbass I know." He walked over to where Terrill knelt over a pile of vomit. "Release him from his oath."
"Fu-fuck you..."
Kameg rolled his eyes and kicked into the downed canine's ribs. "Sooner you release him, sooner you stop playing the part of my hacky-sack." There was no real technique to the bird's kick but there was more than sufficient power. "Release him."
"Fine!" Terrill spat out. "Whatever! The fucker's gets beaten all over anyway! He's released!"
"Boss?" Kameg questioned the name, but the wolfhound nodded. "Now you have a choice. Fight for this piece of shit, or throw his ass to the curb."
Boss stared for a minute, then smiled with a nod. "I understand." The massive canine moved confidently as he gripped the back of Terrill's shirt with one paw and the beltline with the other.
Kameg watched, amused, as the smaller dog was literally thrown to the curb by the larger canine. The wolfhound returned to the bar and faced the avian, making Kameg tense in readiness for another fight. "What?"
The words were slow in coming, as if Boss was choosing them carefully. "I have followed orders for so long, I am unsure of what to do with myself now that I'm free. You have freed me, perhaps I should go into your service?"
"Hell no." Kameg shook his head and walked back to the bar. "But I know a guy who can help you get your head on straight. He was a lot like you once." He paused as he picked up a beer bottle and tried to remember if it was his or not. "But, uh, he's a wolf. That a problem?"
"I am not my ancestor." Boss shook his head. "I would be grateful for any help you can provide."
Kameg's attention was diverted away as the entrance opened and allowed a tiger in a business suit to enter. "Cool." He scribbled something down on a napkin and handed it to Boss. "You show up there tomorrow. I'll meet you and we'll get set up."
"Why not now?" Boss asked confused as he followed the falcon's line of sight. "Oh...are you?"
"Is it a problem?" Kameg's voice lowered again.
"No, it's not." Boss shook his head. "And it's none of my business." He walked to the exit. "I shall see you tomorrow."
Kameg nodded and downed the rest of the beer, no longer caring if it was his or not originally. He met the tiger's gaze and both shifted uncomfortably. "Finish it up..." He grumbled to himself. "Be a male about it and get it over with." He steeled himself as moved toward the tiger. "Alisha?"
"Alex." The tiger corrected. "But, yes."
Kameg scratched at his neck feathers. "Can we talk?"
OOOOO
Thorn studied Kameg's face as the avian finished his story. He'd known the bird for a long time, long enough that he trusted his gut on if he should believe the explanation or not. "You stood up for Caragan like that?" He asked one last time.
"Yeah, I'm a lot of things Thorn, but a bigot isn't on the list." Kameg grunted as Thorn eased off on his hold and let him sit up, rubbing his jaw as he did so. "Seriously though, you couldn't just ask me?" He paused as he looked at the wolf. "No...I guess you couldn't..."
"You didn't see him Kameg." Thorn turned away from his friend. "Seeing Cara in that bed like that...it was..."
"Yeah..." Kameg rubbed at the back of his neck, knowing this wasn't the time or place to explore the past. "Go home Thorn." He pointed to the door as the wolf tried to protest. "We'll find that scum pile another day and deal with him, but not today. Go home to your bunny." Kameg have a half smile. "We can discuss how you kept her a secret some other time too."
"Another time." Thorn agreed with a low voice, not wanting to have that conversation right now. "Sorry Kameg."
"Hey, what are a few death threats between friends?" The avian laughed. "I'll take it out of your hide on the mat tomorrow."
"You'll try." Thorn shot back, a bit of humor in his voice despite everything that had happened today. "By the way, Master's pissed you missed class. Be ready."
"I will be." Kameg watched as Thorn left, waiting until the door clicked closed once again. "You fucks!" The falcon yelled at the other bar patrons. "A wrongly accused bird gets his ass kicked and not one of you lift a paw to help?"
"Shad'up en dring!" Came the collective slurred response.
Kameg looked around the bar one last time. "Starting to see what Thorn meant about this place." He settled up his tab at the bar. "See you round old timer." The falcon called to the snow leopard, the bar tender and owner of The Vixen, before he moved to the exterior of the building. "Think it's time I moved on."
OOOOO
Visiting hours had been over by the time Thorn got back to the hospital and the wolf wasn't surprised to see that Sam had already left. "Must have gone home." His voice was barely a whisper. "Gods I just wanted to hold him tonight." His nostrils flared as he picked up the scent and he raced the last flight of stair as if his life depended on it. His ears lay flat as he saw Sam sitting outside the door to his apartment.
Sam lifted his head from his arms against his knees as he heard someone approaching him. His facial fur was wet with tears and what little control was left seemed to fall away as he saw his boyfriend. Scrambling to his footpaws Sam raced toward the wolf and buried his face into the canine's chest as he cried.
Thorn hugged the lapine reflexively and pulled him in tight. "Sam? What's wrong?" The wolf once again found himself not knowing what was upsetting the bunny and hating his inability to fix the problem. "Sam? Talk to me." He whispered as he rubbed his paws into the rabbit's back. Sounds were made, but the crying made it impossible to determine if those sounds were speech or not. Nothing would be explained yet, not until Sam calmed down anyway. "Come inside." Thorn led the way to his apartment. "Whatever it is, we'll figure it out." The door clicked softly as it closed behind the two males.
OOOOO