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Description
I strapped Badger carefully into the car, conscious of his leg, and got in myself.
"Don't worry about Ka. He just always acts like he's got a thorn in his pad." I told Badger. His breathing seemed mildly laboured, but nothing alarming. It could have just been that ridiculous mask he was wearing.
I pulled up to my parent's house, a short drive, and ambled Badger up the stairs.
"Oh, Amy, um, come in." Mom beckoned us inside with a dubious glance at Badger.
I set him in a chair and got him comfortable again.
I went to pull away and his fingers lingered momentarily on my shirt sleeve, a sort of plea to stay close.
"You're ok, darling. You're fine." I assured him, removing his hat again and smoothing out his hair.
"Hi, Amy." Dad embraced me tightly. "Who's this?"
"He says his name's Badger." I explained. Dad examined his leg slowly, tearing away the fabric, much to Badger's apparent dismay.
"What happened?" Mom wondered absently.
"I don't know. You know how Ka gets." I admitted with a shrug.
"Ka brought him back?" Mom raised a brow.
"Yeah. He was going on about how he had tried to steal from him or something… apparently Ka did that do him." I gestured to Badger's leg.
"Oh, wow." Mom shook her head slowly. "Need anything, sweetheart?"
"Uh.. Some needle and thread, alcohol too, please. Oh, and-"
"Bandage, splint, got it." Mom nodded and disappeared with a dismissive flick of her wrist. Dad smirked and went back to soothingly talking to little Badger.
"Tiny guy, huh. Don't talk, either, I guess?"
"No, not at all. Well, a little. I know his name is Badger and he has no home." I sat next to Badger and held his hand when Mom returned with the tools Dad needed. "Badger. Badger." I caught his attention. "This is gonna hurt, ok? Just stay still." I told him. I wished I could see under his mask, just for a second and see his expression. His head bopped in a quick nod. "Ok, Dad, whenever you're ready." I told him.
"Alright." Dad unscrewed the bottle of alcohol and dabbed at along the wound. Badger's fingers dug wildly into mine, moaning a bit under his mask. "Sorry, kiddo." Dad muttered.
"You don't need to set it?" I wondered when he started stitching the leg.
"No… it was fine. The splint is just in case." He assured me, drenching the freshly stitched wound in alcohol again. Badger yelped and I heard his teeth grind against each other. Dad wrapped his leg and attached the new splint.
"There." I murmured. "It's ok now, see? It's all better." My eyes had finally found the clasp that held his mask to his face. I would use it to my advantage later.
"Ouch." I distinctly heard Badger hiss under his breath. It made me smile.
"So." Dad wiped the alcohol off his hands and eyed us. "Is he the new toy?"
"Wha-? No. Daddy. Ka doesn't even… he doesn't even have anywhere to stay." I jumped to my feet.
"Ka doesn't have a place to stay?" Mom wondered, bring me a cup of tea which I accepted happily, the weather outside biting.
"No, of course he does, he's my husband. God, you guys are terrible. Badger doesn't have a home." They exchanged glances.
"We're not taking him." Dad grumbled.
"No! Oh, for- I don't want you to! I want him! Holy!" I sat near Badger again and offered him tea. He politely refused it the best way he could, by quickly shaking his head and looking away, sniffing under his mask.
"Ka doesn't?" Mom wondered.
"No. He said if I take him home that… well." I brushed more of Badger's hair, which, admittedly, looked like it was in severe need of a wash. "So I'm gonna take him back anyway."
Dad chuckled and shook his head.
"Be careful messing with him, honey."
"Daddy, come on. He's my husband, what's he gonna do?" I got up and hugged them. "Thanks for the help."
"No problem. Make sure you keep an eye on it."
"I will." I helped Badger to his feet and back into the car.
"That wasn't so bad, huh?" I crooned to him. He was silent, looking out the window. I grimaced and pulled into the driveway.
A hand thumped against my window and caused me to jump violently.
"Hey, watch it." I opened the door and wagged a playful finger at my son, Eric. His tongue waggled between his teeth, hat fitted firmly over his bald head.
"Where's you coat?" I snapped.
"Uh, in the house." He giggled madly and took off through the snow, nearly tripping.
"Shit head." I grinned, and circled around to help out Badger again.
"Yeah, she's good. Kinda lonely, I invited her over here for dinner." Eric was talking to Ka when I came in.
"Ok." Ka looked up and fixed me with an icy glare. "What did I say? You're like a child, Amy." I was indignant, but didn't let him see, getting Badger comfortable again.
"Hey, who's that?" Eric wondered, head tilted, blue eyes sparking with curiosity.
"This is Badger. He's gonna stay here for a little."
"No. He's not." Ka growled.
"Hi there, Badger. Nice mask, little man." Eric got down and greeted Badger, who nervously reached for my hand. "It's ok, I'm a friend! Fer-rend!" He yipped. Still no response.
"It's alright, Eric. He's just shy."
"Mm." Eric got back to his feet. Eric wasn't exactly the most friendly looking guy to begin with, what with his tattoos, piercings and general aura. I think after he was diagnosed with cancer, he just did his best to look at tough as possible.
"Amy. I need to have a word with you." Ka growled. I swallowed and followed him into the kitchen.
His voice dropped and I felt goose bumps erupt on my arms.
Ka was a very large man, and while I wasn't normally scared of him, this was one of those times he could get his cold blue eyes to harden more than normal
"Listen to me, Amy. This boy will cause nothing but trouble. I know his type. I was his type. He needs to be gone by the morning."
"But Ka-"
"No, Amy!" A large hand fell on my shoulder. "I know how you get about this sort of thing, what with… with your condition."
So I was infertile.
"Your point?" I growled.
"I just mean… you're like a child, bringing home birds with broken wings."
"If I'm not mistaken, you brought him home." My blow only threw him off for half a second, it seemed.
"I took him home to teach him, not care for him! You need to-"
"Um, Dad? Mom?" Eric poked his head in the kitchen. "Everything ok?"
"It's fine, Eric." I nodded, turning to him. "We're just talking about things."
"Oh. Ok." He nodded and stomped away.
"You said he's like you." I turned back to Ka before he could start the argument again. "And I took you in. Why not another?" I growled. He grimaced and sighed.
"Fine Amy. Have it your way. But this is the last time I give in to you." He assured me. I smirked, victorious. Ka stormed away, furious.

Description
I strapped Badger carefully into the car, conscious of his leg, and got in myself.
"Don't worry about Ka. He just always acts like he's got a thorn in his pad." I told Badger. His breathing seemed mildly laboured, but nothing alarming. It could have just been that ridiculous mask he was wearing.
I pulled up to my parent's house, a short drive, and ambled Badger up the stairs.
"Oh, Amy, um, come in." Mom beckoned us inside with a dubious glance at Badger.
I set him in a chair and got him comfortable again.
I went to pull away and his fingers lingered momentarily on my shirt sleeve, a sort of plea to stay close.
"You're ok, darling. You're fine." I assured him, removing his hat again and smoothing out his hair.
"Hi, Amy." Dad embraced me tightly. "Who's this?"
"He says his name's Badger." I explained. Dad examined his leg slowly, tearing away the fabric, much to Badger's apparent dismay.
"What happened?" Mom wondered absently.
"I don't know. You know how Ka gets." I admitted with a shrug.
"Ka brought him back?" Mom raised a brow.
"Yeah. He was going on about how he had tried to steal from him or something… apparently Ka did that do him." I gestured to Badger's leg.
"Oh, wow." Mom shook her head slowly. "Need anything, sweetheart?"
"Uh.. Some needle and thread, alcohol too, please. Oh, and-"
"Bandage, splint, got it." Mom nodded and disappeared with a dismissive flick of her wrist. Dad smirked and went back to soothingly talking to little Badger.
"Tiny guy, huh. Don't talk, either, I guess?"
"No, not at all. Well, a little. I know his name is Badger and he has no home." I sat next to Badger and held his hand when Mom returned with the tools Dad needed. "Badger. Badger." I caught his attention. "This is gonna hurt, ok? Just stay still." I told him. I wished I could see under his mask, just for a second and see his expression. His head bopped in a quick nod. "Ok, Dad, whenever you're ready." I told him.
"Alright." Dad unscrewed the bottle of alcohol and dabbed at along the wound. Badger's fingers dug wildly into mine, moaning a bit under his mask. "Sorry, kiddo." Dad muttered.
"You don't need to set it?" I wondered when he started stitching the leg.
"No… it was fine. The splint is just in case." He assured me, drenching the freshly stitched wound in alcohol again. Badger yelped and I heard his teeth grind against each other. Dad wrapped his leg and attached the new splint.
"There." I murmured. "It's ok now, see? It's all better." My eyes had finally found the clasp that held his mask to his face. I would use it to my advantage later.
"Ouch." I distinctly heard Badger hiss under his breath. It made me smile.
"So." Dad wiped the alcohol off his hands and eyed us. "Is he the new toy?"
"Wha-? No. Daddy. Ka doesn't even… he doesn't even have anywhere to stay." I jumped to my feet.
"Ka doesn't have a place to stay?" Mom wondered, bring me a cup of tea which I accepted happily, the weather outside biting.
"No, of course he does, he's my husband. God, you guys are terrible. Badger doesn't have a home." They exchanged glances.
"We're not taking him." Dad grumbled.
"No! Oh, for- I don't want you to! I want him! Holy!" I sat near Badger again and offered him tea. He politely refused it the best way he could, by quickly shaking his head and looking away, sniffing under his mask.
"Ka doesn't?" Mom wondered.
"No. He said if I take him home that… well." I brushed more of Badger's hair, which, admittedly, looked like it was in severe need of a wash. "So I'm gonna take him back anyway."
Dad chuckled and shook his head.
"Be careful messing with him, honey."
"Daddy, come on. He's my husband, what's he gonna do?" I got up and hugged them. "Thanks for the help."
"No problem. Make sure you keep an eye on it."
"I will." I helped Badger to his feet and back into the car.
"That wasn't so bad, huh?" I crooned to him. He was silent, looking out the window. I grimaced and pulled into the driveway.
A hand thumped against my window and caused me to jump violently.
"Hey, watch it." I opened the door and wagged a playful finger at my son, Eric. His tongue waggled between his teeth, hat fitted firmly over his bald head.
"Where's you coat?" I snapped.
"Uh, in the house." He giggled madly and took off through the snow, nearly tripping.
"Shit head." I grinned, and circled around to help out Badger again.
"Yeah, she's good. Kinda lonely, I invited her over here for dinner." Eric was talking to Ka when I came in.
"Ok." Ka looked up and fixed me with an icy glare. "What did I say? You're like a child, Amy." I was indignant, but didn't let him see, getting Badger comfortable again.
"Hey, who's that?" Eric wondered, head tilted, blue eyes sparking with curiosity.
"This is Badger. He's gonna stay here for a little."
"No. He's not." Ka growled.
"Hi there, Badger. Nice mask, little man." Eric got down and greeted Badger, who nervously reached for my hand. "It's ok, I'm a friend! Fer-rend!" He yipped. Still no response.
"It's alright, Eric. He's just shy."
"Mm." Eric got back to his feet. Eric wasn't exactly the most friendly looking guy to begin with, what with his tattoos, piercings and general aura. I think after he was diagnosed with cancer, he just did his best to look at tough as possible.
"Amy. I need to have a word with you." Ka growled. I swallowed and followed him into the kitchen.
His voice dropped and I felt goose bumps erupt on my arms.
Ka was a very large man, and while I wasn't normally scared of him, this was one of those times he could get his cold blue eyes to harden more than normal
"Listen to me, Amy. This boy will cause nothing but trouble. I know his type. I was his type. He needs to be gone by the morning."
"But Ka-"
"No, Amy!" A large hand fell on my shoulder. "I know how you get about this sort of thing, what with… with your condition."
So I was infertile.
"Your point?" I growled.
"I just mean… you're like a child, bringing home birds with broken wings."
"If I'm not mistaken, you brought him home." My blow only threw him off for half a second, it seemed.
"I took him home to teach him, not care for him! You need to-"
"Um, Dad? Mom?" Eric poked his head in the kitchen. "Everything ok?"
"It's fine, Eric." I nodded, turning to him. "We're just talking about things."
"Oh. Ok." He nodded and stomped away.
"You said he's like you." I turned back to Ka before he could start the argument again. "And I took you in. Why not another?" I growled. He grimaced and sighed.
"Fine Amy. Have it your way. But this is the last time I give in to you." He assured me. I smirked, victorious. Ka stormed away, furious.