It was always primal - feral, even, - our struggles in those first evenings of lust beneath the starry blanket of twilight. He was fierce and proud, with a dominant streak that tore me between wanting to submit to him and wanting him under my power....

Our first meeting was perhaps just as emotionally charged, though more with mutual fear and curiosity than desire. I had just returned from a particularly far-ranging survey trip, finally meandering, exhausted and wet, back to the small cave I'd made into a camp of sorts. Dashing inside through the increasingly torrential downpour, and probably distracted by the crack of thunder overhead, I didn't realize the implications of what I had seen until I was halfway in amongst my supplies and equipment... shit. The foliage screen I always placed to conceal the cave's entrance was gone; I remembered feeling the branches crunch underfoot as I ran in. Looking around, some of my equipment had been disturbed, but my stores of food looked to still be sealed in their airtight containers. My eyes trailed over to the back of the cave, and I unclipped the holster of my pistol before pulling a small flashlight from my belt. Wiping rainwater from my eyes with the back of my free palm, I slowly stalked forward, keeping most of the light covered as I flicked it on, carefully scanning over the dark corners of the cave. I almost didn't see him - his fur was so matted, wet, and dirty, he blended fairly well against the colors of the rock. It was the telltale rhythm of breathing that gave him away, and as I looked closer I could make out traces of blue and cream color in his fur.

I was curious, I admit - in the five years I'd spent as a ranger so far, I'd never seen this species before. Sneaking closer, I could make out his basic form, curled up into a tight ball against the wall of the cave, apparently sleeping. I played the light over his head - distinctly canine, with a narrow snout and pointed ears - and started in surprise as the glare reflected off a pair of deep, crimson eyes. We simply stared, motionless, until a thunderclap jolted him into action. Faster than I would have thought possible, a blur of blue and a flash of steel shot past me, followed by a short cry of pain and the sound of my equipment crashing about; turning my light in surprise, I could see him completely now, tangled up among my things. Part of my mind wondered at his bipedal stature, and at the lone metal ridges showing beneath the fur of his hands and chest, but mostly my focus was drawn to a crimson gash along his left leg - the dried blood around it suggested it was what had thrown off his balance, and perhaps what had caused him to seek shelter here in the first place. His ruby eyes gazed up into my own, fear and pain flickering behind them. Something about him sent a wave of pity and a desire to help washing through me, and I stepped forward, eliciting a defensive growl, along with something I never expected.

"Get back!"

I froze in shock. The words were silent, yet somehow reverberated throughout my skull. "You... was that you?"

He snarled, I think more out of pain and helplessness than anger at me. "I said get back, human - I shall not die without a fight!"

Definitely him. And definitely in my head somehow. I thought I could see the flicker of some strange glow around his eyes. Holding my hands out non-threateningly, I knelt down to his level, speaking in soothing tones. "I don't want to hurt you..."

His eyes narrowed suspiciously, staring me down and breathing heavily as the storm raged savagely just outside.

I inched closer, setting the flashlight down and turning to right an overturned electric lantern and flick it on to its lowest setting, casting a soft glow over us both. "...What happened to your leg?"

An embarrassed blush spread over his face and he looked aside in shame. "...I fell for a trap." His gaze lifts to glare at me again. "A trap set by humans bent on enslaving me. Wanted to 'train' me to fight for sport..." He growled and drew his claws down the surface of the crate he had come to rest against, leaving deep scratches in the synthetic material.

I wasn't exactly a fan of the so-called 'Trainer' movement myself; the last year or so had brought an influx of people seeking to collect and battle the myriad wildlife of the world in gladiatorial combat. A lot of them didn't even care whether those they captured were intelligent or not. And I felt some kind of empathy towards this unfamiliar creature. He was definitely humanoid, and had a sleek beauty to his figure, even as filthy and injured as he was. I gestured to a medical case he had scattered off to the ground nearby. "Let me help you... if nothing else, at least I can bandage that wound."

Looking suspiciously at me again, he inexplicably closed his eyes, and I felt a shudder run down my spine as if he were still staring right through me... after a long, tense moment, I was about to speak again when his eyes slowly opened, their ruby glare softened ever so slightly. "You really do wish to help me... even after I invaded your home..."

His mental 'voice' began to trail off, and his eyes fluttered shut, the pain and blood loss overcoming his ebbing focus. Hurriedly but carefully, I gathered him up and set him down on the inflatable bedroll I had set up in the driest part of the cave. Soaking a rag in the clean water of the rainstorm, I gingerly cleaned the wound. It didn't look too deep, but definitely painful to try and move on. Taking a hypo-spray from the medkit, I applied a universal disinfectant-anesthetic, the sting of which caused him to groan softly. I wrapped the wound in sterile gauze and sat beside him for a long while, waiting for him to wake, or at least for the storm to pass. You may find this strange, but I couldn't help but admire him - my gaze always found its way back to the lithe musculature of his tired and bruised body. He probably stood a little shorter than me, with three-fingered paws at the end of his arms. Beneath the blood and grime, his fur was blue with black markings, and cream colored along his chest. While currently matted and wet, his tail looked like it was normally of the fairly sleek, fluff, canine variety. But most curious of all were the metal spikes that grew from beneath his fur - one atop each paw and a third from the center of his chest. Warm to the touch, I could only surmise that they were an extension of his skeleton itself - that his bones were metallic seemed feasible given his unusual weight and how exotic he was in general.

Satisfied with his condition for the moment, though deciding he was in dire need of a bath when he did wake up, I set up my little electric stove and warmed up a tin of soup. I think the smell of food is what woke him, as I heard him groan and stretch as I served myself. Turning back to my odd guest, I smiled and held out my bowl for him. "Careful, it's hot."

He looked between me and the soup with an expression of surprise, but quickly succumbed to his hunger, taking the bowl and blushing softly. "...Th-thank you..."

I rummaged around in my pack for an extra bowl and poured another portion for myself, sitting cross-legged beside the bed. "You should probably avoid putting pressure on that leg for a little while, or you'll tear it open again."

He didn't answer immediately, just sipping his soup quietly. I think he was ashamed to be dependent on anyone other than himself. After a minute, I caught his eye and offered a friendly smile. "I'm Daniel, by the way."

He hesitated, then offered a tentative reply. "...My name is Prox."

In some sudden burst of frustration and confusion, he hurled the half-empty bowl across the cave, clattering and spilling over the rock. "Why are you helping me!? What reason do you have for letting some strange beast into your home!?" His fury seemed less from anger than confusion - he seemed almost on the verge of tears.

Recovering from my surprise, I walked over and picked up his discarded bowl, washing it out and refilling it while I searched for an answer myself. Why had I? He could probably kill me, even as injured as he was. But no... There was something noble about this beautiful creature. And something almost adorable in the way he tried to act composed and proud even when relatively helpless. I shrugged, a small smile tugging at the corner of my mouth, and handed him his bowl again. "I'm not really sure."

He accepted the bowl silently, looking down in shame. "...I'm sorry. That was childish of me. I'm... not used to kindness being given so freely."

"It's alright." I looked out towards the entrance; the sky was darkening beyond the storm-clouds. "Almost nightfall... get plenty of rest - your leg still needs to heal."

He lay silently, pensive in his own thoughts. Slowly, resting back against the cool stone of the cave wall, I drifted to sleep.Chapter End Notes:Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended