Aliens: My Alien, Daeus

Chapter Twelve

Edited: 5-20-24

Daeus' POV

Surprisingly enough, it was easier getting Void to the vet with the blanket covering his head. For the first half of the walk to the vet, I was worried the blanket would suffocate my human, but he kept a steady breathing rythym as we walked and not once did he complain. I didn't run to the vet like I normally would because I didn't want to jostle the human and make him uncomfortable, but he seemed comfortable in my arms to just relax. I wanted to do everything I could to make him happy and healthy and if the water had really healed him, then he needed to see the vet to ensure that everything was okay now.

It was weird though, being without my group as I made my way to the vet. This vet was the same one I'd taken him to the first time and I'd had his division moved to my area of the sector. I trusted him and the skill he had was exceptional.

The building wasn't too far, but the silence killed me. I usually always had someone to talk to, someone to keep my company. I couldn't exactly carry a conversation with Void either, at least not with his current state of mind. I did notice a few other Ekhads I passed looking at my arms, wondering what I had under the blanket, but no one approached me. I was lucky they didn't because I didn't know if the sound of another Ekhad would scare Void. He was already stressed enough as it is. The water healing him was a miracle, but he was far from being emotionally okay. His mind would not heal from the trauma just from a simple swim in the bath tub.

When I got to the vet, the door was propped open. Not many others were here so I was immediately let back into one of the rooms and Dr. Yarley met me in no time. I still had Void in my arms with the blanket over him, but I was sitting by the wall, patiently waiting. He was healed, but I was scared that we might have missed something. If we would have known submerging him in water would have healed him, I wouldn't have wasted time waiting.

"Over the phone you said he's healed," Dr. Yarley started standing on the otherside of the examination table. "The water?"

I stood up and took Void over to the table. Carefully sitting him down on it, he grabbed onto my arm and even though he was covered by the blanket, he was shivering and refusing to let go. "I went to give him a bath and he was happy at the sight of the water, doc. I let him play after I saw that the water had healed him. He didn't seem to mind being submerged under the surface."

"Can you take the blanket off of him? I need to check his breathing and vitals."

Carefully, I grabbed the top of the blanket and pulled it off of Void. For a moment his eyes were open as he looked up at me, but right after he saw Dr. Yarley, he shut his eyes and wrapped his arms around my arm, pressing his head into my skin. I ran a hand through his hair, but he refused to move. I hated seeing him like this and I hated that he was so scared of everything. The anger I felt at those that had done this to him was the only thing I could hold onto, hoping that one day I'd be able to exterminate the species that had ordered his torture.

"It's okay, Daeus. Let him stay," Yarley pulled out a stethoscope and put the ear peice in his ear and pressed the round flat metal part against Void's back. Void tensed up and a small cry escaped him. Lukily, Yarley didn't take too long and he pulled back a few silent moments later.

"His breating and heartbeat both seem fine. There are no signs of irritation or wheezing and his heartbeat is strong and steady. I'd say he's cured of his ailments. Some simple blood tests will confirm." Yarley looked up at me and I nodded. I didn't want Void to get hurt or think I was hurting him, but I needed to be sure he was okay. I needed to be sure that he would never be hurt or suffer again.

Yarley turned away and grabbed a few syringes. I didn't watch as he drew the blood, but instead focused on rubbing sooting circles between Void's wings, trying to keep him calm. He trusted me, but I needed to earn that trust. After this trip we wouldn't need to come back here for a long time. I had two weeks to get him ready for the presentation, but two weeks hardly felt like enough time. If I was lucky, it would remain two weeks, but I knew that the council hated waiting. If Void is healthy and his relationship with me is stable and the council figure it out, then they'll push the meeting up.

"By the way," Dr. Yarley started, putting the vials of blood into his white coat pocket. A coat he wore around patients so that he could store pens or other necessary things inside the pockets. "I made a special sleeve to go over his stinger. It'll protect you and any other's he comes into contact with. We don't know how he reacts to certain situations and we don't want to risk him impaling anyone with his stinger."

"I didn't request . . ."

Yarley cut me off, smiling lightly. "No, no, this won't be charged. I had it made under a free charge of a new patient." The male bent down to a cabinet and pulled a small, black sleeve from the inside. "It's made of foovine wool and very flexible. He won't be able to cut through it. This part here -" A small attachment connected to the sleeve by leather straps. "Will strap around one of the other segments of his tail to hold the sleeve in place. It shouldn't cause him any discomfort, but if it does, we can have a different one made."

"Show me how to put it on. He won't move from this spot." I looked down at Void to see that his eyes were still shut tight, but his breathing was no longer erratic. As long as he had a hold of me - I hoped - he would be okay.

Having given Dr. Yarley permission to pick up Void's tail, the vet used his lower two hands to hold the tail while the upper two slipped the sleeve over the stinger and clasped the leather strap lower on the tail like one would a belt. He could still slip a finger under the leather, so I knew it wasn't too tight and too my surprise, Void let go.

The human turned around and Yarley let go of his tail. He moved his tail closer to him and reached out to touch the end. An excited squeak came from the human as he moved his tail around a little bit and he even grabbed the end a few times - probably testing the durability of the material. When the wool sleeve held, he jumped up, excitement in his eyes and grabbed onto my torso, giving me a hug as best the small human could, but to my surprise, he moved his wings forward and wrapped them around me in a hug as well.

I don't know why the sleeve over his stinger made him so happy, but warmth spread through my heart as he looked up at me with bright black eyes and smiled. More evidence of a higher cognitive function that normal animals don't have. Think and processing and other things that just said he was a thinking, independent individual with his own ideals, aspirations, hopes and dreams. And he was bonded to me for life, his freedom stripped away from him. Although right now he didn't know about that and once he did, once we could communicate, he would choose me and stay with me. Yet watching him me happy about the safety sleeve and seeing a real, genuine smile and I just melted - mission accomplished.