A Million Little Things

Her hands were very cold.

He took the key lightly from her, as if worried too heavy of a touch would cause her to crumple. His brows were furrowed with concern as he looked at her, realizing that even the small task of retrieving the key had sapped her strength. Humans were so delicate, like those dolls they loved. Pretty to look at, but quick to break...

Shifting her weight to one arm, he shoved the key into the rough opening of the hole, twisting it sharply. There was a screechy hiss as he did, which seemed to be coming from inside the wagon. The door gave a dull click, and he pushed it open with his foot as he rested her back onto his other arm. He could hear her claws skittering on the wooden floor as he walked in, no doubt to retreat to her hiding spot....

"Don't mind Belakane," he told Dahlia gently. "I'll grab her in a second. She gets nervous around strangers."

It was only a step or so to his bed, where he lay her down, careful of her wounded side. He left his coat over her, since he did not seem to have much in the way of coverings, and was lowering his eyes to reach underneath the bed when a deep voice from outside said,

"Kivuli?"

He snapped his head up to meet the black eyes of his friend.

He sighed, relieved, and lifted himself to his feet. "Nocona, you just about scared the life out of me."

"As you did I," the man said quickly. Another accented voice, this time with the raw sharpness of America. The new man took a step into the light, revealing the rough, wrinkled face of a middle-aged, dark-skinned man. His coarse hair was cut short and choppily, and bands of silver were appearing behind his ears and around his temples. He looked like it had once been a kind face, but a hard life had beaten any traces of smiles from his thin lips. "Who is-" he motioned towards Dahlia, and his short sleeves revealed huge scars in his muscular forearms, as if they had been slashed by a knife. His eyes widened as he saw Kivuli's coat and clothes and their bloodied state.

"She needs our help," Kivuli replied snappily, suddenly taking an autoritative tone. "She was attacked in the city. Could you run and get Raelene? She needs the painkillers."

The man named Nocona nodded, giving Dahlia a quick, worried look as he rushed out the door. Kivuli grabbed his shoulder before he could.

"And try to keep things just between us and Raelene for now," he said in a hushed, grave tone. "With the girl in this state, I don't want a certain some to catch wind of her."

Nocona nodded, before taking off among the other wagons.

Kivuli, sighing, returned to the bedside, slipping his arm underneath the metal frame. There was a protesting yowl as he pulled a huge, blackish cat out from underneath the bed. It's long legs flopped uncomfortably, revealing huge sickle-shaped claws, as he bundled it in his arms and collapsed into a spindly wooden chair next to the pile of hay shoved in the corner of the wagon.

He rested his face in the cat's fur (which it again protested,) sighing heavily. "It's going to be alright, Dahlia. Nocona and Raelene will fix you right up. And if you need any water or anything, just let me know...." He held the cat up as much as he could, adding, "This is Belakane, by the way. She lives with me. She isn't much of a people-cat, though..." He playfully puffed a breath of air onto one of her strange, long ear tufts, causing the cat to raise her back fur and swing her taloned paw at his face. He chuckled lightly, grabbing it and pushing it away.