But Nothing happens. I look up slowly expecting him to strike me down. I don't know what he could do to me in this situation. But, nothing. His hand is mere inches from my face and it touches me gently and caresses me on my face. Sending chills up and down all the way to my tail. He gets down a bit lower and with his other arm puts it through under my arm and the other under my legs and lifts me up.
He's-he's carrying me?! Is he in full control? He must be. He was so animalistic moments ago and now is, silent and calm. Walking in the direction of the camp uphill.
"Are you…are you alright? Zi-Ziva?" Coda asks with a slight below and growls under his breath.
"I-uh…I'm uhm!" she is flustered, and in physical pain and has never felt so helpless in this situation and panics.
She shuffles her body instinctively but forgets about the back pain. She yelps in pain. Coda stops and checks on her.
"Did I hu-hurt…Did I hurt you?" Coda asks struggling to convey a full sentence.
She moves her left hand to her back and moves up it and feels it out. She shakes her head, in response. But a question comes up.
"Are, you alright? W-what are you? How did you change into this-this…this thing?!"
Coda hesitates to speak but relents with a noticeable struggle still.
"I…I don't know what-his…" he interrupts himself before finishing with a hiss and subtle growl.
"What was that?" Ziva asks
"It's…it's hard….to think!" He growls trying to convey his words.
Is he under the primal effect of his form or something? Is he becoming aggressive? Is he fighting something internally?
"I-I…I can control this. I'll bring you back to ca….To camp." He finishes and begins walking back up the hill.
*Coda POV*
Holy shit, this is so hard to control. I feel this intense feeling to squeeze Ziva into a paste right now. I keep feeling my vision flash between blur, red, and my alternate visions. I need to put her back down on the ground in camp. Hopefully, no one is too hurt and can care for her. If I can't control myself by then, I need to run far. I still can't forget that time I nearly killed Arla in that cave when in a rage.
*Seconds later*
I go up the hill where the camp is, and I see it is pretty much destroyed. Pits and burn singe marks of fire in various places. But I don't see bodies. I slowly move over to a flat part of the camp near the fire which still seems to be untouched and place her down carefully.
Vision still transitioning my head begins to throb. I take my right hand and place it on her head with my left placed on the ground. But as I am struggling with my head, I hear something, no….I feel something moving close by.
*FWOOOSH*
I snap back out of my trance and roll forward feeling something just graze by my exposed back. I look towards the shadow figure and see it is fairly tall, caped, and, an elf. Alistair?
"Ziva! How did you get up here? Did that…THING brings you here?!" He calls out with fire beginning to form from his right hand.
"Stop! Thats-Agh! She clenches her back for a brief moment but quickly recuperates herself. "That's Coda you stupid elf! Look at him! " she calls out.
The elf turns his attention back to me and I look at him, while on all fours waiting for his response. If he throws that fireball I can't guarantee being able to control myself in this tense situation.
He stands there with his eyes darting but only briefly to continue enough eye contact with me. For once, my vision doesn't seem to be switchy but slowly blur as well as my physical strength.
"H-how in the abyss…" Alistair states lowering his hand from me.
I let out a small amount of breath but feel suddenly weak. I begin seeing my vision blur as my face goes into the grass and then, out
*Unknown amount of time*
"Ugh…" My eyes crack open, feeling dry as well as blinded by the light of something.
I place my left arm over my eyes covering them from the sun and turn over. My eyes adjust but I want to go back to sleep. I don't remember if everything was a dream or if I fell asleep.
"Hey, hey you…You're finally awake"
"Ralof?!" I jump my body forward abruptly, confused, dazed, and in PAIN.
"Agh!" I clench my chest and begin feeling pain in my leg as well.
"You complete dumbass…" a feminine voice states
I look behind me slowly over my left shoulder and see Ziva behind me on her knees just sitting there.
"W-what?" I ask
"You've been asleep for several hours. I attempted to wake you up with food." She states
I look down and see 2 fish with missing heads opened and scales taken off. I can smell it from here.
"What happened? Did I like…turn into-"
"Yes, you did transform into that thing. You fell unconscious a couple of seconds after Alistair lowered his hand. I got some fish from the river and…and lightly seasoned it."
"Oh then-Urgh," I try to turn my body but feel pain in my shoulder, back, chest, and leg."
"Just! *Ahem* Just be slow with your movements, please."
"Y-yeah you're right. I should be slow." I turn my body with my left arm and try to keep my right arm close to me without moving it.
I shimmy myself closer to the fish on a flat rock. I reach to the rock and she slaps my hand away with a quick snap.
*Fwick*
"AH, HEY! What was that for?" I whimper
"Idiot, how do you think the fish was cooked?" She asks
"Uh…like on a stick or something"
"No, we used the rock you were about to touch to cook it. That rock is still hot enough to cook an egg."
"Oh…why a rock?" I ask
"The camping supplies got wrecked from the attack. The pan we would use had been crushed and bent into sharp edges and had holes. Besides, Beastmen have done this plenty of times. As long as they know how to use a chisel to thin out the rock."
Actually, now that I think about it, I remember online there we a channel that did "primal" survival. Such as using mud, trees, branches, leaves, rocks, and other very basic crude tools for survival. Even cooking. Someone using a rock to cook a large steak was weird but I guess it has its merits.
"Well uhm, thanks for the warning"
I reach for the fish and she slaps my hand a second time but, before I even get half as far as before. What now! I Want to eat!
"What now!"
"You're more of a complete idiot than I thought. You lost more blood than I thought" she states emotionlessly
"What?!"
"Try to bend forward to the fish, and I mean all the way. Try it…" she orders
"Uh, okay?"
I begin slowly leaning further than before and realize I stop. I feel a tug in my back and right shoulder for some reason. I try to hunch myself further but it begins to feel like something is being pulled inside me. And it aches a lot more than before. I try to go just a bit forward and then a sharp pain in my back occurs.
"Mmmmph!" I groan as I retract my hand all the way back and place it behind me.
I feel it out and in detail realize there are quite distinctive stitches going from the bottom base of my back, and as I feel up a bit know it goes further up.
I try to feel how far it goes up, but I can't reach any further.
"How did I get this?!" I ask calmly
"How much do you remember last night?" She asks.
"Uhm…I just remember some bears, throwing them around, getting thrown around myself, as well as a bit in the shoulder, and falling face first I think. Or I blacked out."
"Close enough…Alistair didn't realize you were, well, you. So he threw a very precise, or I should say nearly precise knife throw that would've lodged into your back. But since you dodged it barely it grazed you enough to move up your back. When you returned to your normal form the cut wound was open and began to bleed. The proportions of the injuries in your…whatever form was not reduced when returning back to normal. The cut was just as big on your back as it was when you were that thing. But the stitches are still stitches, and a basic threat for this work. Moving too much or overworking could possibly open them back up before you even heal."
"I see…"
"And that green girl whatever her name is," Ziva waved her off without caring about her name. "She told me you told her you have a condition that means your body's healing condition is scarring left behind highly likely. You never told me this…"
"Well, I uh never had a big reason to say my condition. Especially since you know more about beastmen society so I thought you would notice the fact having as many facial scars as a caiman is pretty rare and the amount I have even more so."
"Well, even so. I don't know if your condition could be detrimental to us or your well-being. So I will be personally keeping an eye on you." She states.
"Oh! That reminds me, how is your back? I remember you had issues with yours as well." I ask with genuine concern.
"I-I, what...I am surprised you even mention it after talking about yourself. I'm…I'm fine. The elf did his part and adjusted my back and popped it back in place. Last time I ever want an elf to touch me." She says with a subtle tone.
I guess she did find elves to be a part of her trauma. But I won't press further on that.
"So how am I supposed to eat?"
"Why do you think I am sitting across from you?" She asks trying to be plain
"To…feed me?" I ask unsure of anything else.
"Don't phrase it like that, but yes. Now stay still."
She pulls her knife and I inactively tense up, she pulls it out so casually. Cutting the smaller fish into a slice and I see the steam arising from the insides and I begin feeling more hungry than before. She stabs it with her knife and holds it up, left hand under the fish, and puts it to me to eat.
I feel like I am being pampered. But I won't say no to someone feeding me when it hurts to move.
I lean in a bit and open my mouth slightly with my tongue sticking out slightly. She places the fish touching my tongue and I use my teeth to pull the fish off without risking my tongue getting cut.
With a slow slide of the knife against my teeth I begin chewing and reviewing the cooking of this fish.
"Hmm, not much seasoning as I would've liked, as well as lack of texture. Needs more crunch to me." I say pretending to be a pompous food critic with a lame accent.
"Do I look like a chef to you…If you're so critical of my 'cooking' I can just take it away and eat both" she says getting up with the rock plate being held by some cloth.
"W-wait! It's a joke I was just playing around c'mon I thought that was funny! I haven't eaten in days. I will die out here!" I scream being over dramatic.
"You haven't eaten in half a day…and why should I?" She asks
"I uh…Well, I am just a jokester okay? I like messing around with people I am just used to that okay…I am sorry okay?"
I will just pamper her until she returns the fish.
"Beg…" she states with a scowl
"Eh?" What?"
"I said beg, beg to me you want this fish. She drops the rock plate on the ground while holding one of the fish by the tail with one hand gesturing for me to beg.
Is she taking her vengeance on me already? It was a joke man. She's even more pretty than Lara is at times.