Blood Emperor's Lazy Doctor [Under Revision]

Chapter 09: Awake (II)

"Xiao Luo~" She heard Tiv after the flap of the tent fluttered down, peeking around the partition like a mischievous kid.

"Grand Uncle Tiv, Marvena's going to beat your tail when she catches you." Hong Luo said helplessly, watching her grand uncle walk over with a playful smile.

"Tsk tsk tsk, as much I would very much love that~ it will have to wait. Those oldies rushed out of the tribe a few hours ago. So my tail's still safe until she manages to drag them back." He bundled her blanket into his arms, and plopped it to the side. "Sit up. Cross your legs. Xiao Luo~ when did you become so obedient?"

She just rolled her eyes, feeling the bed sink. "Disobedience will lead to headaches brought upon by whining, so much whining, which I would rather not have, thank you very much."

A breathy chuckle was felt on the skin of her neck as her uncle lifted her, sitting her in his lap, his arms wrapped around her. "But grand uncle prefers your disobedience. You growing up is not fun. Who am I to engage in whining wars with? Who am I to tumble around in the mud with? No one else has a backbone as sturdy as my sweet Xiao Luo. Their courage, so flimsy. Their arms are like wet noodles. Their legs are like twigs. And their heads, why are they filled with so much air?"

"Grand uncle Tiv, your backhanded complimenting skills hurt."

He mushed her cheeks, but with no meat to squeeze he grumbles, "let it hurt. Let it sting. Perhaps then you can regain all that fluff you lost, the muscle, the bronze! The smarts to learn to not get hurt and to bite back when someone dares to show their teeth. How could anyone dare let you lose all of what you had, how dare they, how dare they! Let this grand uncle find them to ring their necks, snapping their backs, and turn them into fertilizer!"

The rage under his breath was darn near ready to burst into flames and explode! Tiv was beyond unhappy, you could even say he was enraged. But with no heads nor tails on who to direct his fury to, and stuck in this tent due to an injury he didn't need to have, all he could do was steam himself to death.

One must understand, when he saw his little grand niece being carried in, seemingly on her last breath, looking like she did, a living breathing skeleton when compared to her usual extraordinary health, no one could hold him down to rush to her.

Pushing everyone to the side, kicking the tribe leaders out of the tent with ease, he snatched her from Halona's arms. When he felt her near nonexistent weight, he had nearly lost his mind! Yet holding her, feeling her heart beat beneath that bone tight skin, only with that was he able to retain a thread of sanity. Yet that beating heart that signified life did not stop his tears from streaming down his cheeks.

Oh how long it took to pry her out of his arms and to put her to bed. He did not want to let her go. His grand niece means the world to him. She was the only reason he came back to this lowly place. There were so many other important matters he could be attending to but he chose her above all of them.

And as much rage as he feels, there is equally as much self blame.

It had been a month since he returned and although he knew logically that all he read on that log was done over several years, that a month would make no difference, dammit even still it would be a month less of pain!

Why did he leave it to others to find out where she was? Why didn't he just do it himself? Why! Why! Why! She could have died and he'd have never known! Dying all by herself. In a cold place that had sucked out all the warmth from her small body.

Tiv was darn near drowning in self blame at this point.

But tiny hands rub circles on his, pulling Tiv out of his boiling emotions. Suddenly he burst into laughter, and pulled hard on those cheeks. "We'll leave that for later. You've got to get healthy again so we can turn these cheeks into putty again. These arms and legs into rocks. And that pasty skin back into its beautiful bronze color."