He had never seen a creature move as he did, on two legs or appear similar to himself. He had never even known another of his own kind, if such creatures existed beyond himself. He had always just been, and he was content with being. There was him and there was prey for food. Sometimes he would try to keep the prey alive. It would amuse him and stave off the loneliness he didn't know how to identify. This was not an easy place to live, though, and eventually the prey just became food for something else. When that happened he would feel sad, but again it was an emotion he didn't know how to identify or cope with, and so he stopped trying to keep the prey alive. He was a solitary being, a creature of the wilds, untouched by civilization or the touch of others.
His nameless existence was one of primal simplicity, yet he possessed a keen intellect. He had no education or exposure to the ways of the universe, his sharp mind honed by survival in the harsh wilderness. He didn't have the luxury of having a lesson retaught. Every cycle was a battle for sustenance, a test of his wits, and instincts against the unforgiving landscape that surrounded him.
A scent, like nothing he'd ever smelled before, drew his attention and lured him from his canopy. This strange new creature's presence in his domain had ignited a spark of curiosity within him, a primal urge to understand what exactly had encroached on his territory. Its scent tantalized his senses and piqued his interest. It was not the scent of prey, this was not food, nor was it a threat; it was something altogether different, something that stirred a dormant inquisitiveness within him.
As he watched it from the shadows, hidden from its sight by the dense foliage, he felt a flicker of something unfamiliar stirring within his chest. It was a yearning he could not name, a primal need that drove him to follow its every move with rapt attention. Despite his primitive nature and lack of understanding of the world beyond the jungle, he sensed that there was something about this lone creature that set it apart from anything he had encountered before.
In his solitude, he had never felt the pull of companionship or the need for connection with another being so strongly. His experiments with the prey had been contrived out of boredom more than anything else, but this was a driving need. The food creatures had been inferior, but this creature, he could tell, would be his equal like no other. As he observed the creature from a distance, he wondered what mysteries it held, what secrets lay beneath the surface of its fragile form. Would it be able to help him in sun-to-moon tasks? Would it even be able to survive where all of his prey experiments had failed? His mind, unburdened by the complexities of language or culture, sought to unravel the enigma that was this strange interloper in his untamed domain.
And so, with great caution and a primitive wisdom born of his solitary existence, he continued to watch from the shadows, drawn to the creature by an inexplicable fascination that defied all logic and reason. He followed it all through the darkness, moving with an instinctual grace, his scaled, bipedal form navigating the undergrowth with ease. The creature knew he was there, he could tell from the stench of fear tainting its otherwise delightful scent. It didn't run, though, which reinforced his belief that this creature was intelligent. He could also tell that the creature was ill, and he needed to reveal himself soon before other predators were alerted to its presence.
********
Shortly after the light returned to the sky, he watched the creature approach a foreign object it seemed familiar with before it started emitting loud noises, which alarmed him. He approached it cautiously, his keen eyes scanning the debris scattered around. There it was, lying still amidst the destruction of the surrounding area. Its breathing was shallow, and its brow furrowed in pain. He observed it for a moment, unsure of what to do next.
Instinctively, he reached out a rough, calloused hand towards its face, feeling the heat of its fever against his touch. He traced the side of a long claw along its brows, down its nose, and came to rest on the curve of its upper lip. He had often run his hands over his own face and pondered what he looked like. He knew the shape of his features by feel, and the creature's were similar. He didn't know if the rest of the creature was similar enough to himself that he could heal it, but he would try.
Carefully, he gathered some of the items around the creature. Was this what it had wanted? He picked up each item and examined it closely, but he was unable to tell which items the creature sought, if any, and which would be useful. Among the twisted metal and broken machinery, he found a small, dented container that seemed to emit a faint warmth, a lumpy bundle with broken ties, and a strange bug-like object that he was compelled to grab for unknown reasons. Curious but careful, he wrapped it all in a large leaf before tearing down a vine and using it to secure the creature's belongings crosswise on his body.
With gentle strength, he lifted its limp body onto his shoulder. It felt light and fragile against him, its skin clammy with sickness. Ignoring his own discomfort at the closeness, he started the ascent back to his home in the towering trees.
The journey was slow and arduous. His talons and claws dug deep into trunks as he climbed towards the sky and made his way across the jungle. Normally, he could traverse the distance quickly, leaping from limb to limb, but now he had to be cautious of his cargo. Finally, he reached his makeshift cave made of gnarled branches and dense foliage, a hidden sanctuary high above the jungle floor. Delicately, he laid the creature down on a bed of soft leaves and moss, hoping the coolness of the canopy would help ease the heat coming from it.
He couldn't shake the feeling of connection he felt towards the injured creature. Despite his solitary nature, something about its presence stirred a dormant need for companionship within him.
********
As he tended to the injured creature, another unknown emotion began to consume him: fear. He had never witnessed a creature in such a weakened state before. Water glistened on its forehead, trickling down its face, and the sight of the moisture intrigued him, as he had never experienced such a phenomenon himself. Its water is coming out! His reptilian hide was designed to adapt to the arid climate of the jungle, never requiring the release of moisture in this way. Should he give it more water?
Curiosity mingled with worry as he observed the creature's strange hide. Its outer skin gleamed where the suns touched it. The creature's body seemed to defy his understanding of life forms. A crimson liquid seeped from the creature in different places, and he reasoned that these must be wounds. There were tears in the layers of its hide that needed to be patched. With cautious deliberation, he examined the wounds, his touch gentle yet firm. His sharp claws traced the edges of the torn first layer, feeling the heat radiating from the injured areas. The most concerning of the wounds was the one on its head. Gently tilting the creature's head to the side, he observed a gash above one eye and another, more severe gash further back above its ear. His gaze narrowed as he realized that the latter wound went beneath the protective shell that encased the creature's head. How was he supposed to treat that? He could easily break open the shell, but what if it harmed the creature further?
The crimson fluid continued to leak from the creature's head. He knew he couldn't ignore the fact that the gash beneath the shell required immediate attention. Taking a deep breath, he made a decision. With steady hands, he delicately grasped the edges of the creature's protective shell. Applying just the right amount of pressure, he carefully pushed the edges in opposite directions until he felt the shell buckle and crack. As the shell separated from the creature's head, he was shocked to discover that it was not an organic part of the creature at all.
His eyes widened in disbelief, momentarily forgetting the task at hand. The creature's true form was revealed, unmasked and vulnerable. The realization that the protective shell was merely an external accessory left him in awe. He gingerly removed the pieces of the broken shell from the creature, revealing more of the pink skin that covered its face and a brown mane underneath. It wasn't like his own feathery mane, but it was similar. He had never encountered a creature that covered itself for protection before.
Regaining his composure, he refocused on the task at hand. Though surprised by this unexpected revelation, he now had a clearer understanding of how to proceed with treating the creature's injuries. The creature's unique anatomy perplexed him, but he was undeterred by his lack of knowledge. He focused on tending to the creature's wounds, using remedies he had discovered through his own experiences or knew of through some sort of genetic memory. He gathered healing herbs and plants he kept stored within his arboreal cave and applied poultices and salves to the injured areas on the creature's head, hoping to alleviate the creature's pain and aid in its recovery.
With the most worrisome of the wounds taken care of, he turned his attention to the rest of the creature. There were several small tears in the creature's hide, and one of its arms appeared to be badly injured. He pulled the creature's uninjured arm up straight and examined it, noting that the overall shape and joints were similar in structure to his own, though much smaller. He then examined the other arm and noted the crimson fluid seeping from around what appeared to be a protruding bone. Bones were something he knew how to fix.
With a determined resolve, he took a deep breath and steadied his hands. His fingers, calloused from years of scaling trees, carefully probed around the protruding bone, feeling for the best angle to push it back into place. The creature let out a low groan, its eyes shifting rapidly behind closed lids conveying the pain it must be feeling despite its unconscious state. With a swift yet gentle motion, he pushed the bone back into place, feeling it align. The creature shuddered and jerked, whimpering in discomfort, but he ignored it.
Using a piece of sturdy bark stripped from a nearby tree, he fashioned a makeshift splint to support the injured arm once the bone was reset. He then searched for a strong and flexible vine to hold the splint securely in place, wrapping it snugly around the injured arm.
As he finished treating the creature's broken arm, a sense of satisfaction washed over him. Despite his unfamiliarity with the creature, he had provided the best care he could. The more he revealed of the creature, the more similarities he noted between it and himself, and with each similarity, a sense of joy grew within him. Here was a creature similar to himself. He didn't understand the significance of having a companion, but now that the opportunity for one had presented itself, he couldn't stop his mind from wandering at all the possibilities.