Cernunnos - 10. Chapter 10

Shea's breath caught, and he realized the situation that he found himself in to be dire. He...shifted! I didn't hear his bones crack! How did he...nevermind. One wrong move and he panics!

He looked at the fair sized animal before him, but was almost intrigued by the amount of points on the buck's antlers. Six? That's...unusual. Most male deer have at least eight, maybe ten or twelve. Why so few? Pushing the thought from his head, the lycan watched carefully for behavior changes. The deer was standing very still, but didn't possess the typical wide irises that a spooked buck would normally carry. Shea slowly lowered himself, moving at a snail's pace. "Cyn? It's okay. I'm just going to sit here, and I'm going to turn myself around."

Cyn's body stayed put, much to the lycan's surprise. As he sat down on the chilled floor, Shea kept his gaze away from the deer. If I look at him, he'll think I'm going to go after him. He noticed the gown on the floor, but that's all he dared to see. Should I turn around like I did when we first met? Making his decision, Shea slowly rotated his body until he faced the door. "Cyn? You can shift back. We took care of the situation, and you're safe."

The lycan sat in silence. His heart skipped a beat when he heard light clicking. What...is that? It's growing louder. Is he getting closer? Something wet and moist lightly touched the back of his neck, and warm breath fell upon the skin. He's so close! He's...smelling me. Shea sat still so as not to create a disturbance. The hot air went away and more clicking noises echoed across the tile flooring. Moments passed like hours to the lycan.

"Sheamus?" Hearing his name startled the large man and he turned his head slowly to see Cyn with his gown back on. He shifted? It was silent! How did he do that? "Are...you okay?"

Rotating his body to face the buck, Shea noticed that Cyn was smiling meagerly, causing him to mimic the emotion. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. How...did you do that, Cyn?"

"What do you mean?"

"How did you shift so quietly? I didn't hear a sound."

Cyn blushed. "Oh. Umm. Cernunnos can shift like that. It takes a little longer, but it's something we can do." The deer watched the baffled wolf sit on the ground. "Can...can't you do that?"

Shea shook his head. "No, but that's amazing! I'm pretty jealous." He gave the deer a once over and gazed at the damaged limb. "Did your shift heal your leg?"

Widening his eyes in realization, Cyn bent his leg back and forth. "It's still tender, but yeah. I forgot all about it, to be honest."

"Well, let's get you back in bed. I can have Doctor Ronnet swing by and examine it.” Cyn nodded and began walking on his own towards the door, but halted when Shea jumped up to his side, latching on to his back and left arm.

“Umm, Sheamus? I can walk now.”

“Oh.” The thought of Cyn’s healed leg completely skipped his mind. Right. He shifted and his leg is better. “Sorry. Force of habit.” Shea smiled and let go of the small man. He reached over and opened the door, motioning for Cyn to go through first. After blushing once again, the cernunnos left the bathroom and journeyed back over to the bed, easily slipping back under the thin but warm blanket. “I’ll go get the doctor. Is that okay?” Receiving a timid simper, Shea poked his head out of the door and whispered to who Cyn assumed to be Jaime.

Closing the door behind him, the lycan made his way back to the rolling chair next to the bed. “He’ll be by shortly. Are you okay with that?”

Cyn recalled the conversation with the doctor the first time and recognized him as a trustworthy shifter. “Yes.”

“Okay. Just remember he’s a good guy, and I’ll be right here the entire time.” Cyn nodded. The two shifters made some small talk over the next several minutes until a knock came from the door before it slowly opened. Both of them quickly smelled the air and recognized it as the doctor. “Doctor Ronnet. Good to see you again.”

The middle-aged man appeared in the doorway with his lab coat and stethoscope around his neck. “Likewise, and it’s good to see you too, Cyn. Is your leg giving you problems?”

Shea saw that the buck was shaking slightly so he lightly encompassed Cyn’s hand with his own. “Remember. He’s here to help you.” Earning a shaky nod, Shea gripped ever so gingerly and watched as the small body slowly calmed down. “See? He’s not a bad guy.”

Ronnet kept a pleasing face but was secretly confused. Are those two...together? I’ve only been gone for several hours! “Just as I said yesterday, I’m not here to harm you, Cyn. Do you mind if I look at your leg?” After a moment of thought, the buck slowly nodded. “Good. I’m going to come closer now.” Cyn watched as Ronnet took slow steps in his direction. Shea rose from his chair and offered it to the doctor, but remained bedside. Taking the chair, the doctor rolled closer with a gentle smile. “Alright. I’m going to look at your wound and see how it has progressed.”

Shea turned to the doctor. “Doctor Ronnet. I should let you know that we had a small incident earlier. We thought someone was here to intrude and I took Cyn to the bathroom. While I was away, he shifted and it has healed his leg for the most part.”

“That’s excellent news! Well, not about the intruder part, but let me see the progress.” Ronnet lifted the blanket over Cyn’s left leg. As I expected, it’s healed almost completely. “Cyn, I’m going to press my finger against your leg. Tell me on a scale from one to ten of how much it hurts.”

Nodding, Cyn took in a small breath. He watched the doctor gently press a finger against his leg. He’s barely touching it. “Uh...one.” The finger increased its pressure. “Three.” Again, the finger’s weight grew until Cyn winced. “Six.”

“Excellent.” Ronnet removed his finger and folded his hands together. “Your wound has almost healed. I’d say either a night’s rest, or another shift later on will solve the remaining tenderness.” The doctor shifted his attention back to Shea. “I’m assuming this will go on the pack’s insurance?”

Shea nodded, “Yes. Is...is he ready for discharge already?”

“Yes, or do you need to make arrangements?”

“I’ll just need to send a quick text, but we are good to go.”

Cyn darted his attention between the two lycan. Discharge? Arrangements? Am...I not going back to the woods? “Sheamus? What’s going on?”

Bending himself over to be closer to the deer, he knew the next words out of his mouth were going to surely frighten the little guy. “It’s okay, Cyn. Until this investigation is over, we’re going to be watching over you for a little while longer. The ones that hurt you are still out there, and Arric wants to make sure you’re in good hands.”

His breathing became thick and disheveled, but Cyn knew that Shea’s words were kindhearted. “Oh...okay. So...I’m not going back?”

“What? To the forest? Sorry, Cyn, but I tell you what. The place where we will be staying has a small wooded area, and I can walk with you there if you’d like that.” Hearing of a tree-infested area instantly calmed the deer and made all three of the shifters smile. “Looks like that tickles your fancy. I do want to warn you of where we will be staying though. While our pack is pretty prosperous, the guy who hurt you has his own connections, and there’s only one place where we know he can’t get to you.”

Cyn’s instincts did not like where the conversation was going, but the spoken words were soothing. “Are...you going to be there?”

The question brought a gleam to Shea’s eyes and he couldn’t help but grin, “I’ll never leave your side, just like I did here at the hospital.” Interlocking his fingers between Cyn’s, Shea continued, “We’re going to be staying at Arric’s manor outside of town.”

As expected, Cyn’s breathing grew even heavier and Shea quickly attempted to defuse the deer’s emotions. He placed his other hand on the bare knee before him, “Cyn, hey. Listen to me, okay?” The small brown irises flashed to him instantly. “Arric is a good guy. Scary looking, but his goal is to help you. He’s not keeping you prisoner or anything. If anything, it’ll be completely luxurious. He has a whole cleaning and cooking staff that brings you anything you could ever need.” Flashing a quick smile, Shea tossed in a fun thought for the deer, “They could even make some roasted acorns or something for you.”

Roasted...acorns? That’s...possible? “Can...they do that?”

Seeing a moment of wonder in Cyn’s eyes created pleasure within the larger man. “Of course! Arric’s the Alpha of our pack. He can make anything happen.”

Cyn kept the smile plastered on his face. Wow. He makes that scary guy sound magical. I...think I can do this. Yeah! If Sheamus is with me, then it will be okay. “Okay. Just...as long as you are with me.” Feeling a small squeeze on his hand, Cyn became more confident. A thought bolted through the deer’s mind and embarrassment. “Sheamus? I’m...I’m just wearing a gown.”

A chuckle-filled rumble came from the lycan’s chest, causing both Cyn and Ronnet to look. “Don’t worry, Cyn. Kara thought of that earlier. There’s some clothes in my backpack that should fit you.”

The cernunnos’ brows twitched, “Oh. Can...I put them on?” Nodding, Shea removed his hand from the deer’s and ventured to the far side of the room to the black bag on the floor. After a couple of sounds of zippers piercing the silent room, the wolf brandished a folded set of clothes and shoes. Laying them on Cyn’s lap, the buck quickly held up the solid black short sleeved shirt, disrobed the gown from himself, and donned the new top. Gazing down, the shirt fit snugly to the deer’s body. It’s not tight, but it’s not loose. Human clothes are strange sometimes.

Unfurling the smooth denim, Cyn skirted the blanket from his legs and carefully stepped down from the bed. Shea’s breath caught as he watched the innocent shifter stand stark naked in front of him while pawing at the pants. Well, I guess modesty is out the window! He did his best to keep his gaze from the smaller body, but he caught a glimpse at the deer’s backside. Keep it together, Shea! It...was nice...but keep yourself together. Don’t need-

Cyn bent over without a second thought as he pulled one leg through the denim, forcing the larger lycan to shift his attention back to the deer’s bare backside. Shea fought to normalize his breathing and emotions. Don’t. Need. That! Just close your eyes, and let the little man get dressed. Shutting his eyes, the lycan took controlled breaths and calmed himself before his emotions became a billboard to the room.

“Sheamus?” Opening his eyes in an instant, he found that Cyn had finished putting on the trousers, but they were barely holding onto the hips. “I think these are too big.”

Letting loose a thin cough, Shea quickly went back to his backpack and furnished a black leather belt. “Here you go. Sorry about that, Kara only went off of what she saw and purely guessed.” Shea’s eyes were toying with him as he gazed at the skin cleavage around Cyn’s waist. No. No! Date the man, first! He’ll think you’re some sort of animal. A few of his wrist hairs began to stand. He opened his eyes to find Cyn staring and blushing. Well, he knows now. “Sorry, Cyn. I’m just not used to people being naked like that.”

Doctor Ronnet snorted with a smirk on his face, “You get used to it, kid. But as far as I see, there’s no reason to encourage a longer stay.” He faced the deer shifter and smiled, “You have a clean bill of health. I’ll draw up the discharge papers and you two can be on your way. Cyn, it was a real pleasure meeting you. You were the first cernunnos I’ve ever treated, and it’s encouraged me to do more research on your race as a medical professional. I hope I don’t have to see you laid up in bed again anytime soon.”

Cyn managed to give a thin laugh and nodded to the lab coat-wearing wolf, “Thank you, and...I’m sorry about causing a disturbance yesterday.”

“No worries. I would have done the same in your shoes. I’ll be right back with the paperwork, Shea.” The doctor left the two shifters alone as he closed the door behind him. Continuing to clothe himself, Cyn slipped on the black crew-length socks and athletic shoes. Feeling his feet in the shoes, he pressed the sole against the flooring with a bouncing like motion. These...are unlike any of the footwear I’ve ever put on! “What kind of shoes are these? They feel really nice.”

Hearing another odd question from the smaller man furrowed Shea’s brows. “They’re shoes made for running. I think that was Kara’s way of making a joke, but I’m glad you like them. They are designed to help people run more comfortably.” Cyn looked back to the silver colored shoes and knelt down to tie them. “Make sure you tie them nice and tight. You don’t want them slipping off.”

Once they were secure, Cyn took several steps and was delighted with how bouncy they made him feel. He took a few bounding jumps out of curiosity and found himself in a childlike wonder! I really like them! Humans can come up with some very quality objects! “Can...I keep these?”

“Yeah, all of the clothes are yours now. You’re really enjoying those shoes, aren’t you?” He watched as the buck turned to him and beamed a true and wide smile. Wow! Those shoes really made his day! I’ll make sure to let Kara know. “Maybe when your leg is completely healed, we could go for a run? Alpha Claude has a running trail near his manor that a lot of the humans use.”

Thoughts of running for pure pleasure tore any remaining negative thoughts from his mind as Cyn almost let out a squeal, “Would he mind? I’d love to run again!” Cyn quickly spun on his heels as Ronnet came back in with a clipboard.

“I see someone’s up and about! That’s good. Here, Shea. Most of it’s filled out with the pack insurance information. Just need a few signatures from the both of you.” Ronnet handed the clipboard and pen to the commander.

“Gotcha, Doc.” Shea quickly skimmed the papers and filled in necessary information, followed by several signatures. He handed the pen and clipboard to the buck, “Just need a signature at the bottom there.”

Cyn looked at where his bodyguard was pointing and took the pen trepidatiously. I haven’t written since I left school! The deer remembered most of his human education, but his penmanship was never appreciated. He gripped the pen using all five of his fingertips and he pressed down gently, practically forming the letters of a four year-old child. With a re-emerging sense of awkwardness, Cyn handed back the clipboard to Shea, who smiled and handed it to the doctor. Oh, I was supposed to give it to the other one. His cheeks grew even more rosy as he realized his simple mistake.

Ronnet double-checked the paperwork, and did his best to mask his face when seeing the cernunnos’ signature. Well, that is almost to be expected. Their kind doesn’t participate in human endeavors much. “Everything is done. You guys are good to go.”

Shea nodded towards the lycan, “Thanks a lot, Doctor Ronnet! I’ll see you Wednesday?”

“As always. Cyn, you take care.”

The buck nodded and was led by Shea to the front door, “Okay, Cyn. It’s important to remember that no one is going to hurt you, okay?”

“I know that, but...why are you repeating it?”

Shea’s mouth went sideways for a split second, only to have it return to a forced smile, “All the staff here is mostly lycan.”

Right. I remember that now. His body shook for a moment, but when recalling Sheamus’ words about how no one will harm him, Cyn stood still. “Okay.”

“Okay, as in you’re ready to go?” Earning a nod from the deer, Shea felt the need to add in another small detail, “Another thing to keep in mind is that...well...cernunnos aren’t commonly seen out in public. You’ll probably get some stares, but Jaime and I will be right beside you the entire time.”

Being reassured of his safety, the worries of being stared at were tucked away. “Okay.”

Shea gave the shorter man another sincere smile before opening the door, “Ready to see the city, Cyn?”