10-29-2018, 10:56 AM
The more time passed, the more Mom’s breath rasped and wheezed and caught in her throat. And the more labored it sounded, the more desperately Defy wanted to curl up against her and hide, wanted to be pressed up against her chest with her chin tucked around him. But he was so, so careful not to touch her too much, not where she was raw and oozing, which was almost everywhere.
So he stood over her, keeping her safe, until one time she breathed out and forgot to breathe back in. “Mom?!” he yelped, and nudged her frantically. He might not know much, but he was pretty sure not breathing was a bad, bad thing. “Mom!” He burrowed against her, fitting himself into that cozy safe space even if it’d hurt her, nudging with his nose and making sharp little terrified whimpers with every wriggle and twist ‘til she cried out softy and gasped in a breath and held him tight just where he’d wanted to be this whole time.
Tears trailed down his cheeks, and his body shook as he curled against her chest, weary but too afraid he’d fall asleep and wake up all alone. “You gotta stay, Mom. Here with me, okay? I need you.” She nodded and struggled to rise up, to sit upright instead of sprawling out on the ground, but she was too weak. “No, shh, it’s okay. Rest, just...just don’t leave me.” She let out a heavy sigh and settled back down, but her chest kept rising and falling, and he pressed his head against her and listened to her heart still beating. Still beating.
He stayed curled up against her chest, listening and making sure she was living up to her nod and staying with him. He didn’t even get up to chase away a chittery yelly squirrel that probably wanted to eat them but was too dumb and small to manage it anyhow.
It felt like forever that he was curled up like that, scared and shaking and listening so hard for Mom’s heart to keep making that safe, familiar, cozy sound that had wrapped him up and snuggled him for so long. But it felt like not long enough when the big scary bone man came back with company. He scrambled to his feet, eyes wide, heart racing, his ears pinned back and his jaw set. He squared off and snorted and stomped his tiny little foot, stretching out little baby chick wings again and trying to make himself b i g when he was so, so much better at being small.
Nobody was gonna hurt his mom. Not again.
But the new big scary person came close anyhow, even though he huffed and reared up a little to stomp even bigger and tried to scare her off with a yell that worked pretty well on rabbits and squirrels. He started to shake as she got too close, but...but she talked. And her voice was soooft, and maybe not so scary, murmuring the exact thing he needed to hear. He didn’t quite believe until Mom’s breathing got easier and she sighed and relaxed.
Well. Not until she breathed in again after that. A few times. Look, it took him a minute, okay? But Mom seemed like she was hurting less, and that was the important thing. So he scurried out of the way - after all, he was pretty scary and good at chasing things off, and he didn’t want to chase away help.
He watched them both, the bone man and the lady with the wings, not really sure what they were talking about exactly other than that the bone man had brought her to help Mom. Ohhh. His eyes went wide and he crept closer, sneaking over while they both stared at Mom. And he ducked his head to peek at the bone man’s legs, ‘cause hey actually! Maybe he wasn’t so scary, not if he was helping Mom. And ‘cause he’d just finally noticed something. “Hey!” he said in a startled little squeak. “You got my stars!” He held up a leg closer to the bone man’s to compare, and then grinned up at him. “How’d you do that?”
So he stood over her, keeping her safe, until one time she breathed out and forgot to breathe back in. “Mom?!” he yelped, and nudged her frantically. He might not know much, but he was pretty sure not breathing was a bad, bad thing. “Mom!” He burrowed against her, fitting himself into that cozy safe space even if it’d hurt her, nudging with his nose and making sharp little terrified whimpers with every wriggle and twist ‘til she cried out softy and gasped in a breath and held him tight just where he’d wanted to be this whole time.
Tears trailed down his cheeks, and his body shook as he curled against her chest, weary but too afraid he’d fall asleep and wake up all alone. “You gotta stay, Mom. Here with me, okay? I need you.” She nodded and struggled to rise up, to sit upright instead of sprawling out on the ground, but she was too weak. “No, shh, it’s okay. Rest, just...just don’t leave me.” She let out a heavy sigh and settled back down, but her chest kept rising and falling, and he pressed his head against her and listened to her heart still beating. Still beating.
He stayed curled up against her chest, listening and making sure she was living up to her nod and staying with him. He didn’t even get up to chase away a chittery yelly squirrel that probably wanted to eat them but was too dumb and small to manage it anyhow.
It felt like forever that he was curled up like that, scared and shaking and listening so hard for Mom’s heart to keep making that safe, familiar, cozy sound that had wrapped him up and snuggled him for so long. But it felt like not long enough when the big scary bone man came back with company. He scrambled to his feet, eyes wide, heart racing, his ears pinned back and his jaw set. He squared off and snorted and stomped his tiny little foot, stretching out little baby chick wings again and trying to make himself b i g when he was so, so much better at being small.
Nobody was gonna hurt his mom. Not again.
But the new big scary person came close anyhow, even though he huffed and reared up a little to stomp even bigger and tried to scare her off with a yell that worked pretty well on rabbits and squirrels. He started to shake as she got too close, but...but she talked. And her voice was soooft, and maybe not so scary, murmuring the exact thing he needed to hear. He didn’t quite believe until Mom’s breathing got easier and she sighed and relaxed.
Well. Not until she breathed in again after that. A few times. Look, it took him a minute, okay? But Mom seemed like she was hurting less, and that was the important thing. So he scurried out of the way - after all, he was pretty scary and good at chasing things off, and he didn’t want to chase away help.
He watched them both, the bone man and the lady with the wings, not really sure what they were talking about exactly other than that the bone man had brought her to help Mom. Ohhh. His eyes went wide and he crept closer, sneaking over while they both stared at Mom. And he ducked his head to peek at the bone man’s legs, ‘cause hey actually! Maybe he wasn’t so scary, not if he was helping Mom. And ‘cause he’d just finally noticed something. “Hey!” he said in a startled little squeak. “You got my stars!” He held up a leg closer to the bone man’s to compare, and then grinned up at him. “How’d you do that?”