Twenty sunrises to get through.
I settled down after the Morning Song and glared back at the Kymari. I was annoyed with her - ever since yesterday, she had been trying to pet me. I had woken up from relaxing dreams in the bowl of sand to find her standing over me and stroking my back, and she would always seem to know just when I had woken up enough that I realized what was happening... and she would pull her hand away in that tiny half-second before I could swipe at her. Meal times had turned into races between us, with her trying to get as many pets in as she could before I managed to stuff enough of the fruit into my mouth to free my hands up for swipes at her.
The worst part was that being pet actually felt nice. If it had been anybody but her, I probably would have let them do it. I might even have enjoyed it.
She hadn't tried ambushing me in the dazed moments following the Morning Song, but I wouldn't be surprised if that would be coming one day.
It didn't seem to be today, though. I watched as she tapped off the recording device and took up her tablet. After a moment she frowned, then tapped at the buttons a little more intently.
"Seriously? Seriously?" She dropped the tablet on the table and sighed. "The whole day. What am I supposed to do now? Ugh." The Kymari stood up from the couch and walked towards the bedroom. "She hates me. That's the only explanation. She hates me."
I tilted my head. Well that had been odd.
I hopped over to the end table and sprawled back in the warm sand. A few minutes passed before the Kymari came back into the living room. I lifted my ear tufts in aggravation, certain she was going to try and come over to pet me again... but she just sat back down on the couch.
I noticed she had changed clothes, but she wasn't wearing what she normally wore for her job. This looked more like her weekend outfits.
She picked another device off the table and tapped it a few times. It made a beeping sound, then another beep... then I heard another voice. "Center Veterinarian Clinic, how may I direct your call?"
"Yes, I have an appointment for a cast removal; I was wondering if there were any possible openings for today? I've had an unexpected opening in my schedule."
"One moment. Patient name?"
My Kymari flinched on the couch before sighing. "...Kymallata."
"Kymallata...? Oh, the fire lizard. It looks like... yes, the notes do say he should be ready. We do have an opening in three hours; we can do a scan to confirm his ribs have healed and then remove the cast if so. Should only take about an hour, if that would work?"
"That would be perfect."
"Then I've got you scheduled. We'll see you then."
"Thanks!" The Kymari tapped something on the device. It gave another beep, then made a click sound. "Well. At least something good can come out of today." She yawned, then leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes.
I relaxed a little more underneath the heat lamp. If she was going to take a nap, it would probably be safe to take one myself...
Susie's tongue was soft and warm as she licked over my back. I giggled, feeling her lap over the ticklish spot right along the base of my left wing.
I wiggled a bit into the sand underneath me as the dog licked my back. Wait... sand? There wasn't any sand in the forest...
I blinked open my eyes and tried to focus them. Where was I? The forest... oh.
I glanced around the Kymari's living room. Susie licked along my back one more time... no... Susie was gone. That meant...
I hissed and bent my neck around to bite at the Kymari's hand, but I was too slow. She had already pulled her hand out of reach.
I slumped back down into the sand and let my hiss turn into a depressed warble. That had been a cruel trick. It may have been the fault of my own subconscious for giving me the dream, but I still felt it was her fault. I wish she would stop that...
But I had really missed Susie's licks these past few months. Other than Ivy stretching out beside me, the Kymari's hand had been the only form of comforting contact I had experienced. There was a large, lonely part of me that just wanted to let her do it.
The Kymari frowned at my sad sound. "Sorry... Trenil says you'll start to like it soon, or else I wouldn't."
I already like it. That's the problem.
"Want some breakfast?" She held up a container of assorted fruits and shook it. My ear tufts perked up at the sound. I was hungry... I stood up and shook the sand off me, then hopped down to follow the Kymari over to the couch.
Breakfast went about the same as it usually did. I thought the fruit tasted a little odd, with a slightly metallic taste to it that seemed to tug at some memory that was out of reach of my groggy awareness... but she started trying to pet me, and I ignored the taste to eat fast enough to be able to slash at her.
I managed to hit her the first time, but after that she seemed to be getting faster. It got harder to focus, too. Each piece of fruit seemed to be a little heavier than the one before, and even though I was still hungry, it got harder and harder to eat. The raspberry in my hands was pretty... I could just stare at the red bumps on it for hours...
I wasn't sure how long I had been thrumming happily on the Kymari's leg before I realized she had drugged the fruit with those stupid sedatives.
"Sorry. The vet's going to need you to be calm." Her hand stroked over me, and she pressed a sliver of a mango slice to my mouth. I knew I should be mad at her for... something... but the coffee table just looked so... neat...
She spent the next several minutes feeding me the rest of my breakfast. When she was done she lifted me in the air - wheeee! - and put me inside the pet carrier she had used for the last trip to the vet. The side of the carrier was just as remarkably fascinating as it had been the last time.
I spent a while staring at the walls around me until we arrived at the vet. I was vaguely aware of other people in the lobby - conversations in the background, somebody asking who the patient was - then I felt the carrier settle on a chair. I assumed I would be there for a bit before the doctor was ready for us, but she seemed to have something else in mind.
The carrier opened and the green hand slipped in through the opening. I felt myself lifted into the air - wheeee! - then I was in her lap. I grumbled for a bit at losing sight of the side of the carrier, and the fascinating half-shade covering the bland, non-descript wall... then I caught sight of the far wall. There was a counter set in it, with a glass wall that seemed like it would slide open, and the light played such interesting tricks over the glass as I watched. I stared at it for a long moment, then frowned a little as I caught a sight of a greenish reflection moving in the glass.
Oh no.
The hand returned to my back and began calmly petting me.
A very small part of me found the energy to fume internally at the indignity, but the rest of me was just too lethargic to care. Besides, her hand was warm, and felt good. She was helping catch itchy spots near the base of my neck that the casts simply hadn't allowed me to contort to reach, and it felt nice. Her lap was warm, and her hand was warm too, and the room at large was a bit too cold, so why wouldn't I want to just relax here and let her pet me? I could still stare at that interesting window, and everything still felt nice.
I was vaguely aware of other animal noises around me... but all the Kymari conversation had stopped. Huh. I wonder why that was.
A bit more time passed. I had almost fallen asleep when I saw the glass slide open. I blinked in surprise - that was so neat, how had they done that?! - and then I heard a Kymari voice somewhere beyond the window. "Minna? The doctor is ready for you."
That name was important, right? I tried to focus enough through the haze to remember why that name mattered, but it was too much effort. And the hand had stopped petting me! Nooo, come back!
I was lifted into the air - wheeee! - and I was vaguely aware of passing through various rooms. I grumbled at the loss of the marvelous glass that could move, but we moved too quickly for me to focus on anything else. We came to a dark room where I was put down on something cold, and I was upset enough about that to actually warble in disapproval of the new development... but anything beyond that was just too much work. I let myself sag against the cold surface and stared blankly out at the darkness.
The hand came back a few seconds later and stroked along my back. "Shh, it's okay. The doctor just wants to take a few scans first."
Well. A few scans wouldn't be so bad. If it was anything to worry about, then the nice voice would have said so, wouldn't it?
There were a few more of the calming pets... then the hand vanished again, leaving only the cold of the hard surface I was on. I let out another sad half-warble, but the hand didn't come back.
I did hear noise somewhere above me, though. A strange whirring noise, something heavy shifting and moving. The ominous sound of a machine warming up... then everything got bright.
A memory, an occasionally recurring nightmare hammered through the haze of the sedative and filled me with terror. I had seen this before! It had been bad, really bad; it had been dark, and there had been lights above me, and then the world had gotten bright, and... and... something had happened, I couldn't remember what, but I knew there had been massive destruction. Death. On a large scale, large enough to destroy buildings, maybe even more than that, large enough to see from far, far away...
And now it was right above me!
The panic broke through the haze and I shivered, then tried to get my feet underneath me. I had to move... I had to get away, had to get far away...
I stumbled as the cold surface ended, and I suddenly found myself falling through the open air. I tried to spread out my wings, but something was holding them in place against my side... before I could understand what was going on my fall ended, and I sank into a firm cushion-like surface. I lay there too stunned to move for a few seconds before I realized it reminded me of the Kymari's couch.
"This does not look right... is he... oh; it looks like he moved. You did make sure to give him a dose of the sedatives, didn't you?" Another voice, this one male, an unfamiliar Kymari. The light dimmed and the ominous hum above me began to grow quieter.
The terror faded slightly, but I was still scared. I wasn't even sure why, and I didn't really have the energy to figure it out. I just knew that the sudden intense brightness I had experienced was dangerous, the same way I knew knives were dangerous, or those guns the Kymari wore on their hips sometimes were dangerous. I had to leave. Had to get far, far away.
I crooned out in fear and tried to move again. My body was so slow though... it took so much effort just to move my legs...
"I did; he wouldn't have let me bring him here otherwise. Did you do something to him? He looks scared." The warm hand was suddenly holding me again, and the dark room spun as I was lifted up. "He's breathing a lot faster, and he's shaking... I've never seen him like this, and especially not while medicated. Did you do something to him?" The question was harsh and accusing. For some reason that seemed unusual, but I was too scared and lethargic to understand why.
"Nothing beyond turning the scanner on. Let me have a look." Something cool pressed against my chest for several long seconds. A bright light shone in one eye, then moved to the other. "He seems to be okay, but his heart rate is up from what I'm told it should be on the sedatives." There was silence for another moment, then I saw the bright light again. "I think the light might be scaring him. His heart rate is increasing when I check his eyes."
The cold object disappeared from my chest... and suddenly something warm replaced it. Hands. The hands pulled me towards something warm and strong, with a soft fabric covering it. It reminded me of the blanket I had been sleeping in lately. There was a scent all around me, one that made me think of sunburst berries. And there was a gentle rhythm of rises and falls, a comforting rocking motion that I hadn't felt in... since...
"It's okay. You're safe, nothing's going to hurt you." One hand began to stroke slowly along my back while the other cradled me against the gentle warmth.
I hung there limply for several minutes while the voice whispered to me before the terror finally faded. I realized that at some point my tail had curled around the hand holding me, and that my hands had scooped up some of the fabric underneath me, but I couldn't remember doing either. With the fright gone I was able to think a little clearer.
The warm surface against me was her chest. She had pulled me against her and held me close.
Without the fear, her shirt was becoming incredibly fascinating to stare at.
"He's stopped shaking." The hand stroked over my back once more. "I think he's calmed down."
"Do you think he will hold still now? We may be able to manage with a towel over him to block out the light, but it will make it harder to read the scan."
The hand moved slowly over my neck again. "I don't know. Can we try taking one while I'm holding him like this first?"
"The picture will merge his body and yours if I do; that ruins the image. I will have no way of telling what belongs to you and what belongs to him." The distant voice sounded disapproving, like it was trying to explain something simple that should have been easy to understand.
"We can take another one after. I just want to try holding him during it; it might help him stay calm, and realize he isn't in any danger. Then it might not upset him as much." The warm hand settled against my back. "If he still doesn't hold still then we can try the towel, but I'd really like to try this first, instead of leaving him alone and frightened." The surface under me shifted, like it was moving and then settling down somewhere. "Please? Just one scan."
It was quiet for a moment, then the other voice responded with a reluctant tone. "Okay. One scan. Just a moment."
"Thank you." The hand pressed a little tighter against my back, and the voice grew softer. Calmer. "It's okay. Nothing's going to hurt you. I'm here; I won't let anything happen."
The strange noise above me grew loud again... then the world grew bright once more. Terror filled me again as I remembered... something... but the hand pressed steadily against me. The voice continued speaking soothing words. "You're okay. I've got you. You're going to be fine."
The voice sounded so sure. The hands holding me felt so warm, and strong.
I was safe.
I felt myself relax against her chest.
The noise moved, and the light shifted. Whatever was casting it moved around for several long seconds... then the light went out. The noise stopped.
"There. That wasn't so bad. See? It's all done. You're okay." The hands held me for another long moment... then they slowly drew me away from her chest.
I held on to the bit of shirt held in my hands, but she took one hand off my back to pull her shirt free. She shifted, then sat me down on the cold surface again. I felt a few more pets along my back, then she moved me until I was stretched out and sprawled on the cold surface.
The hands pulled away... but the voice continued calmly. "It's okay. You're doing great. It's okay."
The machine started making noise again, then the light came back on. I felt the same terror as before, threatening to wash away the lethargy of the sedative with its intensity. Run.
"It's okay. It's almost over. You're doing great." The light shifted as the machine moved, but the voice was calm and steady.
I felt the terror diminish a little. I still really, really wanted to run... but... that would be so much effort...
The light went out, and the room went dark once more. The noise went away.
The hands scooped me up again, and I felt myself being hugged back against the warm chest again. I felt my hands clutch at the shirt once more as the steady rhythm of breathing quieted the last of my fear.
"Well. This is actually very promising; his ribs have more than healed enough to remove the cast and brace. His right wing has almost healed, too." The other voice paused for a moment. "His left wing still needs time, but that was expected. I will send the scans over to Senica just to be sure, but I think he is on target. Three more weeks of healing, a week or so to build his muscles back up, and then he can be out of your hair."
"...yeah." The hand stroked slowly over my neck again.
"Okay, bring him over here and we'll get that off him." The hands held me close for another moment, then reluctantly pulled me away from the shirt I was clutching. One of the hands easily pulled the shirt out from between my claws while I was distracted with the fascinating pattern on the ceiling above me, then they sat me carefully down on another firm surface.
I grinned stupidly at the shirt of the Kymari standing in front of me. I heard a whirring sound coming from somewhere, then smelled something burning... then a strange pressure I hadn't even been aware of suddenly released from around my chest.
The next breath I took hurt a little, somewhere beyond the fuzzy feeling of the sedative, but it felt fuller. Better.
Nice.
"There you go. All done." The whirring noise stopped. "Senica should be following up with you once she's had a chance to go over the scans, but he should be fine. He might be a little tired for the next day or two while he gets used to supporting his own weight again, but that will be normal." Sounds of things being moved around on counters, then I was lifted back in the air again.
"Thank you."
The rooms traveled by again, then the warm hands slipped me back into the travel carrier. I zoned out again and stared at the side of the carrier for what felt like hours.
Eventually the carrier opened again, and the hands took me out and sat me on the table. I was back in the living room again... the tray of water was across from me, and all the other devices had been cleared off the table. Or at least out of my immediate view. There might be something to my side, but that would require moving my head.
"Phew. That's a mess." The hand appeared in my view and picked up the sponge from the tray, squeezing water out of it... then brought it over to me. "Let's get you nice and clean again."
The relaxed, calm feeling grew stronger as the Kymari cleaned my scales. Everything felt nice. I felt safe, and protected, and warm, and nice. It was getting harder and harder to keep my eyes open and stay awake. It would just be so much better to let myself fall asleep...
I really hated this sedative.