Sunbreak

He found a smile in his fretting as his father agreed not to tell his sister, though at the same time he kind of wanted him to if only for her to complain she didn’t get to go. It seemed like he often got to go on voyages she didn’t, not really sure why but he never found himself arguing because he got to explore. Maybe, if she was extra nice one day he would insist she came too since he knew she was often bored in the confines of the Manse and even within that was somewhat limited. Mother was a hawk while father was softer but that softness often made him wilt to her words. It was plain to see in his own eyes who held the most authority between his parents but that didn’t stop them from being affectionate besides for those few odd days when they were silent.

It still found it odd not to see them communicating but maybe they got into an argument or one bullied the other.

Now was hardly the time for him to ponder the thought, too busy giving a show in attempts to explain his own plight. He pouted a little when he noticed the amusement on his father’s face, not finding it amusing at all and he was tempted to let himself cry so that he’d take it more seriously. He was a big boy; he couldn’t let the tears roll down his face no matter how much it hurt. “Dad, it no funny. It hurts,” he complained a little with admittance, but he remained mostly emotionally sound for the moment.

The near upset sigh would make the boy shut his mouth quickly, noticing his attention had become far more serious now that Haskell was done with his charades. Shock would quickly weave into his face when the plan to rip his nail off was what the healer came up with. It made the boy of silver stumble backward, not so sure he wanted to do it as it sounded rather painful, more painful than it already was. He looked between his paw and the one that would be amputating his toe, at least he saw it as an amputation rather than just a simple little procedure that would be over in seconds. He let out a worried hum in thought, his lips getting all wiggly in slight fear.

The gentle kiss upon his head would make his gaze bounce back up, absorbing some of the fear. “If Daddy is doing it, then it can’t be so bad, right? You no hurt me without it needing to be done, right? Daddy best doctor, mama says so,” He was more so talking to himself, even nodding to himself, answering for his father. “O-Okay,” he took in a breath, slowly stretching his paw back out and closing his eyes, too afraid to watch.

manip + code: clae

Khepri's amusement was quick to fade, especially with Haskell's insistence that it was indeed not funny. "You're right, I'm sorry buddy." he said, not wanting his son to be angry or think that his father took amusement in his own pain. That was far from the case.

As he told the boy what he needed to do, he was not surprised to find a look of shock waiting for him. To a child it probably sounded a lot more scary than it actually was and he anticipated it would 'hurt' a lot more than it actually did once he got down to it. In all his time treating others he had learned that some children had a flare for the dramatic; his only hope was to explain thoroughly and calmly and pray that Haskell would trust him with this. The only other option was to let him limp back to their mother and sister and have to explain what had happened only for the pain to ache every time he took a step and for infection to possible fester in the open crack along his nail. Once he freed Haskell from this he wanted to get something to aid in infection to slather on the wound but that would mean going back to the room and digging through his meager stores. In front of the others. Neither of them really seemed to want to let the others know what had happened but he wasn't keen on letting Hask out of his sight again even if it was just to fetch some herbs.

A few moments passed as Haskell seemed to be contemplating what to do and Khepri allowed him these moments to process and in the end, he seemed willing (albeit a little reluctant) to allow the procedure to be done. He smiled warmly as Haskell told him that mommy called him the best doctor and he hoped that trust would not be misplaced once the scary part came.

"I would never hurt you without having to, son... but I'm afraid I or your mother will have to clip this nail either way otherwise you'll be walking on one painful paw for quite a long while."

He wanted to make it clear that he did not want to do this, it was only borne of necessity. Khepri drew a breath and lowered his muzzle to his son's outstretched paw. He peered at the nail for a few moments, inspecting it further to see how far down he'd need to clip and then his gaze shifted to Haskell's embers. "Alright, count of three..." he said to get the boy ready.

"One... two... three!" he said before he took his teeth and nipped off the tiny tip of Haskell's nail. He flicked his tongue and it clattered to the floor as blood oozed from the small wound. "Here... use my paw and press your nail against it to help stop the bleeding." he improvised, extending his paw on the ground so that Hask could press his own against it. His fur would get a little bloody but that didn't matter so long as his kind was okay.

manip + code: clae

Haskell’s ears would retreat from their prior upset with his father’s amusement but his head would tilt slightly when he was called Buddy. It would distract him from the pain for a little bit, rattling along in his head if he liked it or not. Letting out a soft contemplative hum he would eventually nod to himself, determining he in fact found pleasure in the new term. It was like saying friend and he was more than happy to be friends with his dad. He might not have been the first wolf on his list to look up to but he was still rather influential in his life to the point it felt like he had just become friends with one of his superheroes.

Most of the Tiamats fell into that list, seeing them all as strong and capable wolves except, well, the very man before him. He was weak and flimsy, small compared to most males and it made the boy a little sad at times that he wasn’t some macho man that could crush the skulls of all their enemies. Whomever their enemies were but he heard the talks of war here and there, not fully sure what it was but if it caused pain then it wasn’t something that sounded nice. It had also apparently taken his mother’s eye which made him shiver in place, being used to her face didn’t make the idea of how much pain it was fade. This toe pain probably didn’t even compare and he was being a big baby right now no matter how hard he tried not to be.

Taking in a breath at the confirmation, he used those thoughts of his mama to center himself and try to keep his composure if only to be strong like her. She might look sad a lot, but she never seemed in pain. “Otay,” he nodded, though still didn’t open his eyes, his face plenty away from the crime scene that was about to take place. The thought of counting didn’t run over him very well, knowing he was bad at math which was why he hid first.

“One, pota-two, treeee,” he said with his father, trying to correct as he went along. There was tons of pressure for a second, feeling like he was in a vice that nearly made him yank away, waiting for the pain to follow. Instead he felt more release than agony, not that it didn’t feel like something was stabbing him, letting out a yelp. It wasn’t as bad as he anticipated as he fluttered his eyes open up at Khepri with big puppy eyes, drawing his paw to his chest again as blood started to pour freely.

Panic would set in, starting to wonder if he was about to bleed to death as it didn’t seem to want to stop, fidgeting in place. He would follow instructions, pressing his paw as hard as he could into the far larger cream one as he let out anxious whimpers. Carefully, he would shift his body around until he would press and huddle against the limb, his fire gaze fixated on their paws. “Are sure it gonna be okay? It oozed a me amount already,” he asked shakily, hugging his cheek against his father’s leg, thinking he might die.

manip + code: clae

As Haskell yelped in pain, Khepri felt like his heart was clenching in his chest. He had not wanted to hurt the boy but knew it was the only way to rid him of pain for weeks. With one swift motion the tip of the nail was gone and there would be no more pinched nerve, though there would be some blood and as Hask wearily pressed his paw into Khepri's he asked if it was going to be okay.

Khepri lowered his head and wrapped it around the boy, drawing him into a hug and also aiming to hold him still so that his paw could press firmly into his own and stop the blood from oozing out. He didn't want to frighten the boy but thought he was handling this much better than his sister might've. Sheik might have let out a screech that would have made the whole house come to her aid-- usually the more dramatic one of the pair. He quirked a small smile "it'll be okay, just give it a couple minutes. Promise," he said softly.

A few of those precious minutes went by and he leaned back, but not before kissing Haskell between the ears and asking to see his paw again. "It should have stopped bleeding by now; can I see it again?" He wanted to make sure before he started walking around again.

If the boy would offer him his paw once more, Khepri would inspect it to see the small patch of dried blood along his clipped nail. He glanced down at his own paw and saw blood there too, but not a lot, which was good. "It seems you've made it out alive with your first battle wound there, Haskell." he said, trying to be lighthearted with the boy to lift the mood.

manip + code: clae

He was a little wobbly as he stood there with his paw pressed into his father’s, finding balancing on three legs wasn’t as easy as it looked but he would be stabilized by a large head wrapping around him and pulling him in. Past the whimpers there was a little giggle at the far longer fluff tucking his nose along the elder’s neck, wishing his own furs were so fluffy and soft. He greedily took his father’s attention, soaking up the pleasant warmth that came off of him inside this cold stone building. He nearly forgot about the pain that was there, just wanting to cuddle at this point as his tail wagged gently behind him. The promise would make him nod, believing whole heartedly in the man and his abilities; the knowledge of a doctor and professor. Such a thought would make his ears preen back, glancing up at his father before looking back down at his paw.

Before the question that wanted to part his lips could come out, it seemed the snuggles would end, getting a nice cowlick as a reward as a wet tongue brushed against the top of his head. “Daddyhehehe!” he complained with laughter from how much it tickled. Unlike Sheik, he didn’t mind being groomed most the time but that didn’t mean he wanted his head fur to be sticking right up like those funny chicken crowns.

Once he got over his trauma of messed up fur, he would nod and slowly pull himself and his paw away from his father to sit down and offer it upwards a bit higher. It seemed the red ribbon had stopped streaming out of his paw, making his eyes widen with surprise and how that worked. “Are you magic, Daddy?” he asked innocently in childish wonder, flexing his foot a few times as if that would dispel whatever illusion might be there. Thankfully he didn’t dislodge the dried blood holding it there or he’d probably freak right back out.

“Oh? I’m gonna tell Sheik it from spar with you then. It kind of was, a spar of hide and seek! Actually I tink we should head back now…so she no complain we went somewhere without her again. I no want her sad firs ting in mornin,” he said thoughtfully, starting to bound away toward the door to the hall. He would turn back around once he got there, waiting for the larger wolf to open it for them and happily going between his feet. He would flinch here and there as his nail hit the stone.

-exit unless stopped-

manip + code: clae

The boy's playful giggles were like music to his ears; he'd much rather hear that than his pained whimpers any day. He was glad to be able to make Haskell feel better in any capacity.

As the boy offered up his paw after a few moments, Khepri inspected it some more and it seemed to have stopped bleeding. A sigh of relief escaped him as Haskell asked if he was magic once he'd examined it himself. He smiled and shook his head. "No, son, I just have a lot of practice and experience."

Khepri's brow rose as Haskell went on to say he would tell Sheik he got his 'battle wound' from sparring. Amusement played upon his features and he let out a small laugh. "I'm sure she'll be very impressed then," he said, though he wondered if she would believe it. Sheik seemed to be a little gullible, if he was being honest with himself, so she just might.

He watched as his son bounded to the door, only stopped to wait for Khepri to open it, and determined that he was indeed alright. He would limp here and there likely from residual pain as they made their way back but that was to be expected. At least once the nail began to harden and grow back all would be well again. Khepri was just relieved it had not been worse, like a broken bone or something. His stomach churned as he made a note to himself to be sure to be more careful with the boy, or keep a more watchful eye on him. He didn't want him to get hurt again if he could help it!

[ exit khepri ]

manip + code: clae