Anthro novel - Chapter Four, Little One.
Manu and Pakari both sat on the edge of her mattress, dreary once again from the beast-like emotions which flared within them when Pakari had leapt onto him, grabbing his forearm between her long sharp teeth. She glanced over at his paw, noticing how she had made small indents in his fur and skin. She felt a small pang of guilt, and made a mental note to lick his wounds better later on...
As wonderful a surprise as Manu's appearance was, now the heat of the moment had subsided, Pakari was left with a small buzzing in her mind. She had tried to push it aside, but the more she resisted the greater the problem became, swelling inside her and making her brain beg for release. They sat together, with eyes closed quietly in contentment. Manu's barbed tongue ran repetitively over the length of her left ear, and he groomed her lovingly, his paw rested upon hers.
"Manu...?" She whispered uncertainly.
"Mmmm?" Was his only reply, as he continued licking over the black tip of her long pointed ear. A slight hesitation;
"What...what made you leave?" Manu stopped his grooming abruptly, and retracted his tongue from her fur. He lowered his gaze to make contact with her eyes, something she seemed to be desperately avoiding.
"Pak...you know I didn't want to. If I could have stayed...our pup--"
"Don't you dare speak about him." Her mood changed in an instant at the mention of their youngling, and she growled, warningly. Though her teeth were showing, her mind cast back to the beautiful little dog which had once been hers. He had taken on his father's sleek black coat, with a snout long and elegant like his mother. Pakari's heart ached at the memory of him; a stillborn. She remembered nuzzling his limp little body, trying to encourage him to move. Tears began to streak down her face, the fur beneath her eyes growing damp as Manu looked on, guilt causing his chest to physically ache at her reaction. He tried his best to console her.
"But...Pak...he was only a pup. The runt usually slips away, it's nature."
Pakari's lip raised in a deep, threatening snarl. Her blue eyes became piercingly bright, as the pupils shrank to half their original size. Manu took his paw away from hers, sharply, his ears folding backwards in submission to her anger.
"Pak..." He whispered softly. Pakari's hackles grew large, bristling, making her once slim frame turn large and intimidating. She looked away from him, disgusted by his oblivious nature. She could see the tiny folded ears, remembering how they felt like silk against her leathery nose. It was too much. Her heart felt as though it was about to tear from the pain of the memory, and she pulled back her lip and scrunched her eyes in despair, sobbing. Manu was unsure how to respond...the last thing he wanted to do was upset her further. He cautiously moved closer to her, and gently laid an arm around her sunken shoulders.
"It's okay Pak...it was better that way..."
Pakari's sobbing was cut short. Her hackles bristled from the top of her back, shimmering down her spine. The thick black whiskers twitched as her large fangs were bared in a dangerous, gruesome snarl.
"Get....out." She growled between words, ravenous. The animal noise she made came suddenly from deep in her throat, from a part of her Manu had not witnessed in years, his eyes widening as he twitched away from her.
"Pak?"
"OUT!" Pakari exposed her teeth fully, and with a loud bark, sunk her fangs as deep as she could into the soft flesh of his upper arm. Manu let out an ear piercing yowl, his claws making an appearance once more, this time in self defence. They found themselves in her face, dragging painfully across her delicate snout and leaving deep red lines in their wake. He jumped up, clutching his wounded arm with a single blood soaked paw, and looked at her, fear resonant in his feline eyes. His arm now sported two deep cavernous holes. Pakari had bit a little harder than she realised...the blood seeped out onto his fur, and dripped from his coat, the thick liquid falling to the floor in loud wet drops.
As Manu stood in shock, she bared her fangs in another warning snarl, her own claws sliding from the large separated digits. One step forward was all it took, and he slinked fast from her sight, his thin tail neatly between his legs. His severe wounds left a trail of blood red droplets as he scrambled for the door, his bloody paw slipping over the handle, slowing him. He hissed in annoyance, and eventually the door swung open, banging shut behind him...and he was gone.
Pakari's body slumped back against the wall, and slowly sunk to the floor. She touched her now burning snout with her paw, grimacing at the stinging sensation it caused, and pulled it away to reveal spots of blood on the matte black pads. She sat lonely upon the cold wooden boards, and withdrew into herself, her expression contorting and ears flat, as her body allowed hot fiery tears to flow freely from her poignant blue eyes.
Outside in the cold, Manu licked at his stinging wounds solemnly. He stared up longing at Pakari's small window. My darling...forgive me. He padded away, and as he walked, would have bet his own life he could hear the heart wrenching sound in the distance, of Pakari's mournful howl.