Smell

The hands moved my arms higher before I was carried back and set inside the loud, moving thing. My ankle throbbed and felt hot. I touched it lightly and whimpered because it hurt. There was another slam as the deep voiced body climbed in. A furry thing bumped my arm and leg. I sat back as the vehicle roared and we started moving. There was a little jostling with the crunching and grinding, but not as much as before. Nor was the crunching and grinding so loud. My ankle was throbbing more and more, but I knew there wasn't anything I could do about it.

The furry thing set it's head on my leg. I set my hand on it then slid my hand over the fur until I couldn't turn my arm anymore. Then I returned to the head and did it again. Tears slid down my cheek, but I tried not to vocalize my pain. There was a loud thunk and a sharp dip of the chair I sat on. My heel hit something in front of the seat legs and I screamed. The truck stopped and the furry thing moved.

"Ow. Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," I whined. I lifted my leg and grabbed it below the knee.

"Sorry," the deeper voice said, rubbing my left arm. "The road gets bumpier from here; I'll try to go slower."

I whined and rocked a little as I tried to pull my leg a little higher.

A series of clicks sounded and the furry thing moved down by my feet. The hands of the body slowly and gradually slid me across the cushioned seat.

I leaned against them, but didn't release my leg.

"Go ahead and straighten your leg. It'll rest on the bench and won't be bumped as much."

Slowly, I extended my leg and let it rest on the cushioned bench. It hurt a little more than it did before the dip made it hit whatever was in front of the chair legs.

"There you go. Is that better?"

I nodded.

"Good."

The body shifted behind me before we resumed our movement. The voice was right about the bumpy, but having my whole leg on the bench helped, despite my ankle aching more. We were jostled and rocked for quite a while before we stopped. Then the clicking, grinding, slamming resumed as the deep voiced body got out with the furry thing. Then again to carefully help me out and carry me to another place. The arms laid me down then the hands checked on my ankle. They touched lightly around my ankle and I winced.

They wrapped something around my ankle and half my foot. A soft clink followed with a light weight on my ankle. I crinkled my nose in discomfort, but it soon left as cool started to seep through the wrapping. I lay there for several more minutes before something brushed against my lips. I opened my mouth and something was put in it. The substance was like the mushy stuff I had eaten before, but the texture was different. I know I didn't eat much before falling asleep.

When I woke again, the furry thing lay beside me. I petted it and got the wet thing dragged across my face again. I pushed the head away before pushing myself into a sitting position. There was a dull ache in my right ankle, but nothing like it had been. I swung my legs off the bed and let my feet touch the floor. A sharp, searing pain shot up my leg and I gasped. More tears filled my eyes. What was wrong with my ankle? Why did it hurt so much? I took a deeper breath and held still until there was a crunching and grinding that came through the wall.

The furry thing let out a short, soft growl. It wasn't the joyful barking it had made before when the deep voiced body was coming, or nearby. I shifted my right leg then knelt on the floor. There was a space under the place I had been laying. I crawled under. I lay on my side, curled, with my tail curled up against my back.

"Hello," a mid-toned voice called. "Anyone home?"

The furry thing crawled into the space next to me and lay down. There were smaller crunches and grinding as the voice approached the house. A knock sounded on the door and I jerked.

"Hello?"

The door handle jingled and the furry thing let out a warning growl.

"Easy girl," the mid-toned voice said more clearly. "Just looking around."

"For?" Johann asked.

Feet shuffled on the floor. "A kid. They ran away from home yesterday and their parents are worried."

Johann scoffed, "Worried."

"Do you know something about this child, Mr. …?"

"Adiuva. Johann Adiuva."

"Ah." There were a couple crunches of gravel. "I should tell you Mr. Adiuva that Mr. and Mrs. Sententia believe you to be the reason the kid ran away in the first place."

"They tell you they believe that, but that's not what I heard yesterday as I was getting ready to spend a few days out here. That couple was having an argument about 'that thing'. Then the misses let out a bone chilling scream before demanding that Bodrai Sententia, 'Get rid of it.' Neither of them would acknowledge their son's gender, and apparently neither could they accept that he was growing up. So, the kid bolted. I don't blame him. But he didn't come running next door to me. No, he's out there somewhere. I just hope someone finds him. These woods aren't altogether friendly when you're blind and mute."

"I'll need to verify your story with Mr. and Mrs. Sententia."

"You do that."

There was silence, but an intense energy came from where the voices had been coming from. Then there was crunching and grinding, clicking, scraping, squeaking, and slamming. The roar of the vehicle was louder than before. But it softened when the door shut and it wasn't long before the crunching and grinding faded away. The furry thing moved before one of Johann's hands took my hand.

"You were smart to hide," Johann said. "Come out and we'll feed you."

The hand gave mine a firm, reassuring squeeze then let go. Slowly, I slid out, dragging my right ankle. When I was out enough, the hands and arms lifted me. I wrapped my arms around the body, and pressed my nose into their coverings. The hands petted my head then seated me. I was reluctant to let go.

"It's okay. We'll be gone before that man comes back."

I nodded and let go.

Items were moved around before a bowl of warm stuff was set in front of me. I ate it. I liked the texture, a lot.

"You should have a name, Kid," Johann said after a while. "Fera Susurrus?"

I gave a single nod then shook my head.

"No? Okay. …How about Fera Accipé? We could call you Fera for short."

I nodded, liking how the name felt.

"Good." The hand rubbed my shoulders and I smiled.

We finished eating then the hands moved my chair and lifted my arms to wrap around.

"Grasp your hands together," Johann instructed, as I was pulled against the body.

I locked my hands together and the hands lifted my legs and wrapped them around the body also. The body moved slightly as they walked. We went outside. The air smelled clean. Cleaner than anything else I had smelled. I smiled and my tail swung and twisted. The body twitched and a deep chuckle reached my ears. I turned my head to face the sound.

"Don't stop on my account," Johann said. "I'm glad you feel good enough to express it."

I twisted my head around and the shoulders moved slightly.

"Did you not realize you were purring?"

I shook my head.

"That's okay."

The shoulder moved slightly and the body kept moving. After sometime, the air around us warmed more. The body stopped and sat me down. Their hands took mine and had me feel a plant next to me. Their fingers guided me across a flimsy, mostly smooth thing. This was followed by a hard rough thing.

"Really get to know this plant, Fera. It produces food you can eat all year round."

I nodded and the hands let go.

For several minutes I felt the textures. Then I rolled a flimsy thing between my fingers and smelled it. The squishy thing had a sweet, but earthy scent to it. A little juice got on my fingers. I put my fingers in my mouth. Pulling them out I stuck out my tongue. This had a flavor and I tried to spit it off.

Johann laughed.

I whined.

"Sorry, sorry," he chucked. "That is what bitter tastes like. It's a good thing, just not as pleasant as sweet things."

I crinkled my nose as the flavor lingered, but nodded.

I dropped the thing I had been smelling and went back to the plant. The flimsy thing, the hard piece that shaped and smelled similar to how Johann's body smelled. Just to verify, I reached out for the body and leaned in to smell. I took a deep breath then waited a moment before smelling the stick I held. It was lighter, but definitely the same. I smiled.

"Does the plant smell like me?" Johann asked.

I nodded.

"That's good. Do you feel you know this plant well?"

I nodded again.

"Good."

I was picked up again and taken to a different place. I was given another plant to touch, to hear, to smell, but not to taste. The hand grabbed my wrist before I could taste it. I turned towards the body confused.

"Is this plant the same as the other?" the deep voice asked.

I shook my head.

"How do you know?"

I snapped the stick I had broken off.

"It sounds different?"

I nodded.

"Any other differences?"

I touched my nose.

"The smell is different."

I nodded again.

"Good. This one is poisonous, but looks like the edible one I first had you learn."

I nodded once more before I was picked up again.

The body took me to several more plants. Some the same as the first one; others similar, but different. A few of them poisonous—indicated by the hand halting mine—a couple not, though varying in taste. But nothing as bitter as the first. The body lifted me differently then, wrapping their arms around my back and hips. I rested my head on one of the shoulders.

"You've done very well, Fera. Your acute senses have helped you know things that others miss."

I wrapped my arms around the body a little more.

"Are you getting tired?" Johann asked.

I nodded against Johann's shoulder.

"Alright. Just a little further and we'll rest.

I gave a slight nod.