Ginkgo’s Alternate-day Hermitcraft @ginkgos-hc - Tumblr Blog

From the Wild

Tango and Skizz had already cleared the rest of the dungeon, and it was likely they were already long gone. The three of them were a strong team, but they knew better than to be caught together. Bdubs likely wouldn't see either of them for several weeks.

All the cells in this bottom level of the dungeon were empty, and Bdubs was reaching the end when he heard a scrape against the stone. He instantly raised his bow and whirled around, but the hall was still deserted.

Then, a quiet whine. Bdubs lowered his bow, pulling the arrow from the string and slipping it back into his quiver as he peered into the cell at the very end of the hall.

Curled in the darkest corner of the cell was an arctic fox, though its white fur was matted and darkened with dirt and blood. An iron muzzle was clamped around its muzzle, chains attached to all four paws.

"Oh — what have they done to you?" Bdubs breathed. He looked down at the cell door, fishing in his pocket for his lock picks. "Don't worry, little guy; I'll get you out of there."

A few moments later and the lock clicked, the door swinging outwards. Bdubs stepped back, then into the cell, kneeling next to the fox. The creature shied away from him, curling its tail around its face as best it could and peering nervously up at him.

"It's okay," Bdubs soothed, slowly extending his hand towards the fox. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

The fox's ears flattened as his hand drew closer; Bdubs paused just before his fingers would make contact with the top of the creature's head. "Yeah?" he murmured. "I gotcha."

His fingers slipped into the fur atop the fox's head. The instant he made contact, the fox's body jolted, its head pressing firmly into his hand as it let out a low, broken whine. "Oh," Bdubs murmured, slipping his picks between his teeth in order to use both hands to scratch behind the fox's ears. It pushed itself up on its front paws, pushing its head into his palms. "Alright, hold on. Lemme get the muzzle off."

He kept one hand on the fox, rubbing circles behind one ear while he grabbed his picks with the other hand and felt around the muzzle for the lock. "Okay," he muttered once he found the lock, nudging the fox's chin upwards to properly reach it. He leaned closer, brow furrowing in focus.

A minute of struggle later, the lock clicked, the muzzle splitting up the middle. Bdubs let out a short, triumphant exclamation, pulling the muzzle off the fox. It yipped, licking his palms and wrists as he reached for it. "Yeah, yeah!" he laughed, smoothing both thumbs under the fox's jaw. "Now let's get those chains off and beat it, whaddya say?"

Another eager yip. Bdubs grinned, and a couple minutes later, all four cuffs lay open on the floor as he scooped the fox into his arms. It nudged its head up under his chin, its breaths puffing lightly against his collarbone.

"Right," Bdubs murmured, adjusting the fox in his grip as he stood and backed out of the cell. "And we're off!"

The journey out of the dungeon was fairly uneventful aside from ducking around corners to avoid the occasional patrol. Bdubs made a break for it as soon as they were clear of the dungeon walls, holding the fox close to his chest.

He slowed when he reached the tree line beyond the dungeon, glancing down at the fox in his arms. It had tucked its face into the crook of his neck, its chest rising and falling shallowly. "Easy," Bdubs muttered to himself. "Just hang in there."

The fox only leaned further into him.

~

Bdubs kicked his front door open, his key clamped between his teeth. "Okay, okay," he huffed, stumbling over to the ratty couch and gently laying the fox on the cushions. It didn't stir, puffing out shallow breaths. Bdubs smoothed his hand over its flank before pushing to his feet and hurrying into the kitchen.

He grabbed his medical supplies, hesitating as he looked at the bundle in his hands. He had no idea how to medically treat an animal, as much as he loved them. Not to mention, he didn't know exactly what was wrong with the fox.

He moved back to the living room, kneeling beside the couch and carefully setting the supplies next to the fox. He reached up to stroke it's head and neck, frowning slightly. "I'm gonna do my best," he whispered, "but I'm gonna need your help, okay? Don't go dyin' on me."

He only got a small sigh in response. "Okay," he muttered, shuffling through the supplies until he found what he was looking for. "Let's do this."

~

It was well past midnight by the time Bdubs finished his work on the fox. It had several bruises and cuts littering its body, but nothing major that Bdubs could see other than a gash over its left eye. He doubted the little thing would be able to see out of it again, though he'd still cleaned it as best he could.

He'd done his best to clean up the fox, carefully running a brush through its fur once he'd cleaned most of the grime off, but he could hardly properly clean it when it was limp and unconscious.

Bdubs let out a long sigh, dropping his head on the couch. "I gotta shreep," he mumbled, resting his hand lightly on the fox's flank. "Whaddya say? Think you'll make it through the night? I don't know what else I can do for ya."

As usual, there was no response. Bdubs watched the fox for another moment, then stood up with a grunt. "Come on," he puffed, carefully lifting the fox into his arms and shuffling towards his bedroom. He carefully set the fox on his bed near the pillows, crawling onto the mattress soon after and curling up under the patchy quilt.

"Stay alive," Bdubs mumbled, slipping his fingers into the soft fur on the fox's side. He let his eyes slip closed, feeling its ribs shift beneath his hand as it continued to breathe. "I'll see you in the morning."

~

Bdubs woke slowly, as he often did, though he startled into wakefulness the moment he realized the fox was no longer beside him. He bolted upright, only to startle backwards at the sight of a stranger sitting at the base of his bed.

"What the—who are you? What are you doing in my house?!" Bdubs shouted. The stranger seemed at a loss, and only then did Bdubs notice the gash over his left eye, disappearing beneath the black mask covering his mouth and nose.

In Bdubs' stunned silence, two white fox ears nestled in equally white hair perked upright on the stranger's head, previously pinned backwards. "Oh," Bdubs breathed. "It's you, isn't it?"

The stranger ducked his head slightly; Bdubs peeled the quilt away from his body, crawling forward until he was kneeling before the stranger. Bdubs hesitated, then raised his hand and reached for his new companion. The stranger lifted his head, watching Bdubs' hand warily, but only until the latter's hand made contact with one soft fox ear.

For lack of a better word, the stranger melted. His eyes fell closed, pushing his head into Bdubs' hand, his fox ears flattening. "I'm sorry," he rasped, Bdubs blinking at the low sound of his voice. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't—" His breath caught in his throat as Bdubs' fingers rubbed at the base of one ear. "I shouldn't be here."

"What do you mean?" Bdubs asked quietly. "Who are you?"

The stranger opened his eyes, one dark as coal, the other stained red from the gash. His gaze lowered shamefully. "I...Etho," he murmured. "My name is Etho."

"Etho," Bdubs echoed, his fingers sliding through Etho's white hair down to his cheek. "I mean, unless I was hallucinating, last night, you were a fox. Are you...a shapeshifter?"

"A familiar," Etho corrected with a shake of his head. He leaned into Bdubs' touch seemingly subconsciously. "Or I was. The people who captured me and my master severed our bond. I don't know if he's alive." He let out a shaky breath. "Familiars are not meant to exist without a master. Our lives are intertwined with that of another, and without that..."

"You die," Bdubs finished. Etho looked away.

"I should go," he said softly, finally pulling away from Bdubs.

"Well—wait," Bdubs protested, reaching out to catch Etho's arm. "You said your bond with your last master was severed. Does that mean you are currently untethered?"

Etho didn't respond, but his silence was answer enough. Bdubs straightened slightly, shifting to swing his legs over the edge of the bed and jump to his feet. "Can you bond with anyone?" he asked before he could truly consider what he was about to offer.

Etho blinked, his good eye narrowing slightly. "I can," he said slowly. Bdubs smiled, opening his arms.

"Then bond with me!"

Etho stared at him, then tilted his head. "Bonding with a familiar is no light thing," he said. "I'll be your companion for the rest of your life — your life will be tethered to mine, and mine to yours."

"Sounds like having a dog," Bdubs said, Etho raising an unimpressed brow. "I mean...sounds cool?"

"You don't know me," Etho said. "You don't seem to know what having a familiar entails. You're human — having a familiar will open your mortal eyes to a world beyond your own. Do you want that?"

"I mean, I'd consider myself curious," Bdubs responded. "Look, bottom line: I don't want you to die. If you have to bond with me to stay alive, then I'm willing to do that."

Etho's ears lowered slightly, his expression shifting into something almost mournful. "I don't want to drag you down with me," he whispered. "You seem like a good person."

The brand on the side of Bdubs' neck throbbed, even though it had long healed. He smiled wryly. "Sure," he said. "How do we do this?"

In one swift movement, Etho drew a dagger from his belt, peeling one fingerless glove from his hand and holding the blade to his palm. Bdubs' eyes widened slightly. Etho seemed to notice his expression, pulling the dagger away from his hand.

"If you—"

"Nope." Bdubs grabbed the dagger from Etho, the latter protesting just before Bdubs slashed the blade across his palm. He winced, biting the inside of his lip as his blood dribbled over the heel of his hand. He awkwardly handed the dagger back to Etho. "Here. That's what I was supposed to do, right?"

"Well, yes," Etho said, accepting the dagger. He smoothly cut a line across his own palm, sheathing the dagger and holding his bleeding hand towards Bdubs. He hesitated, then reached his bloodied hand forward to clasp Etho's. He gasped as soon as their palms touched, his legs giving way beneath him. Etho caught him, pulling him to his chest as he lowered them both to the floor.

"Whoa," Bdubs said breathlessly, gritting his teeth as a wave of heat rushed through his body. "Is it...supposed to feel like this?"

"You're human," Etho murmured, nudging his nose lightly against Bdubs' temple as he squeezed the latter's hand. "Your body isn't accustomed to magic like this."

"Coulda warned me."

"I tried to."

Bdubs huffed a laugh, sighing as the sensations coursing through him finally seemed to ebb. As the blood rushing through his ears began to quiet, he could then make out Etho's soft voice humming ever so quietly.

"Is...that it?" he asked. "Are we bonded?" He blinked his eyes open, his breath stalling as he took in Etho's form. His white hair was very nearly glowing, his skin taking on a healthier hue, ears standing straight atop his head. "Oh..."

"Do you feel okay?" Etho asked softly, leaning forward to nudge his nose against Bdubs' temple again.

"I feel fine," Bdubs replied, struggling to sit up on his own. "You look great."

Etho's ear flicked; he looked down at their intertwined hands. "Yes," he murmured after a moment. "We're bonded." He lowered his head, pressing his forehead to the top of Bdubs' hand. "Thank you. As your familiar, I'm at your service."

"Oh. Well...you can do what you want," Bdubs replied. "I mean, if you don't want to stick around, you don't even have to do that."

Etho's brow furrowed in confusion. "That's...not exactly how it works," he said. "You're my master. I will accompany you wherever you go, enhance your abilities — though I'm not entirely sure how that will work with a human — and ultimately, my purpose is to protect you." His eyes crinkled slightly at the corners and Bdubs had the sneaking feeling he was smiling at him. "Maybe you should have thought this through a little longer?"

"Okay, maybe I rushed into it," Bdubs said hotly, "but you're gonna live, and that's what really matters. We'll figure this out. We're stuck together now, it sounds like."

"We are," Etho confirmed with a nod.

"Okay then." Bdubs hesitated. "Please don't ever refer to me as your master."

Etho's ears perked in confusion. "But...you are."

"Bdubs is fine." He offered a smile to his familiar. "I mean, B-double-O, but everyone just calls me Bdubs." He gave Etho's hand a squeeze. "So just Bdubs is fine."

"Alright then...Bdubs." Etho's eyes crinkled again, and Bdubs decided he could get used to seeing hints of Etho's smile. Maybe one day, he'd earn the privilege of seeing his whole face.

Oh, wow. He was stuck with Etho supposedly for the rest of his life. The reality was seemingly just beginning to set in as he took in his familiar. His familiar. That was a world so far beyond his own. Tango was a blazeborn, but he hardly ever used his powers and his appearance wasn't startling different from a human's.

Etho was beautiful, in an almost otherworldly kind of way. Maybe Bdubs should have thought more carefully about the whole thing. But on the other hand, he didn't necessarily regret it — didn't regret saving Etho.

You'll figure it out, he told himself, reaching out to scratch behind Etho's ears. His familiar made a soft sound in the back of his throat, leaning up into Bdubs' hand and shifting closer to him. His lips thinned slightly. It seemed there was more healing to be done with his new familiar than just the surface wounds.

What exactly did I get myself into?

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