Anthro novel - Chapter Five, Lapaki.
Manu sat back thankfully, his body sinking into the warm, comfortable duvet of his grand four poster bed, which sat magnificently in the centre of his bedroom. Home. He closed his eyes and sighed, as the events of the evening cluttered his mind and repeated before him several times. He was lucky to have made it home. A dirty rag sitting lonely in an alleyway was the only useful object he could find to help stem the flow of blood from his aching right paw. Once he had inexpertly wrapped and tied the rag as tight as he could manage using his one good paw and teeth, he heard a menacing snarl behind him, and soon after found himself sprinting home, the local stray Oska tight at his heels once again for most of the journey. Even as he lay still now, Manu could feel his heart beating hard in his ears.
In his haste and fear of the giant dog, he had called the one person he knew had feet swift enough to be able to outrun the giant brute, if need be. Lapaki...his mind calmed at the thought of her, and he was unable to help a small twitch of his whiskers as he smiled happily. She would be here any minute now.
He heard a strange tinkering noise outside, and allowed his mind to wonder as to what it might be...a wind chime? It sounded strangely familiar, like...the sound of claws. Upon metal? His eyes shot open. The fire escape...Like a bullet, Manu ran to the large window on the far wall and pulled it open in one giant heave. He placed both paws on the sill, and cautiously poked his head outside, expecting to see the giant rabid face of Oska climbing towards him, assuming his scent had given him away...but what he saw next only caused him to sigh in pure relief, his shoulders falling heavy as his head fell limp in a chuckle.
"Hello there, sweetie!" The slender white face of Lapaki stared up at him from the platform below, a mischievous glint in her eyes. He smiled, and reached his good paw down to assist her through the window.
"No trouble with Oska, I presume?" He asked as she reached a slender paw up towards him.
"That brute? Of course not. I could run circles around him...in fact, I'm sure I have many an occasion." He chuckled at her wittiness, easily lifting her light frame upwards and through the large window. The pads of her hind legs touched the wood floor softly, and Manu was able to study her better. Her petite frame was as ever, adorned with a fine white coat which thickened slightly at her chest and hips. Her legs were long and slender, but at the same time muscular and dense; the perfect legs of a rabbit. Her ears grew tall and sleek above her head, separated by a small tuft of fur which hung delicately over her eyes, which were watching him in amusement. Manu realised he had been staring, and his ears folded back and whiskers dropped in embarrassment. Lapaki's small pink nose twitched as her large eyes surveyed him, widening as they fell upon his right paw wrapped in the stained bloody rag.
"Gracious, darling! What ever happened this time?" She asked, concern flooding her eyes. Manu shrugged, and observed his paw with supposed indifference.
"Just a little cut. It'll heal."
"Well, at least let me clean it up for you. The blood will ruin your coat if you don't take care." Manu chuckled. He was more worried about infection, but not surprised Lapaki was more troubled over fur rather than flesh. She turned away from him and placed her bag on the chair by the window, rummaging through what sounded like endless amounts of most likely useless items. While she was turned, Manu allowed himself to gaze at the small tuft that was her tail. It looked even softer than kitten fur, and whenever he saw it, Manu longed to touch it, though unfortunately he had never had the pleasure. He watched it twitch in concentration as Lapaki continued to search, mumbling to herself...at last she turned back to him, and he quickly averted his gaze. She smiled at him, and in her hand she held a large roll of bandage.
"From the way you spoke on the phone, I had a feeling I might have to fix you up today, so I grabbed this on the way out." She said as they sat on the bed, feeling for the end of the dressing. "A good thing I did, too." Manu sat himself down beside her, ripping the rag clean from the cut with one swipe of a claw. The sound seemed to affect Lapaki, and her short fur stood on end as her eyes closed momentarily. However when they opened, only shock filled her face as she stared down as the grievous wounds that sat grave on his elegant paw. She looked up at him, her mouth open as though she was going to speak. But she only stood, and walked quickly to the bathroom, returning moments later with a hot wet cloth and a towel. Manu was licking at his arm, and she quickly slapped it away from his tongue.
"Uhm...ow?" He said irritatingly.
"Sorry, but you can't lick it. It's bad for it."
"Then why do I want to do it so bad..." He grumbled in a childish, moody way.
"Quiet." Lapaki hushed, as she dabbed at his flesh with the cloth. The stinging made him draw air sharply between his teeth, a soft growl emitting gently from his throat.
"Shhhh..."