Destined Meeting

The great blood loss made him slip in and out of consciousness. When he was a little aware of his surroundings he heard how that human woman was screaming for help but nobody listened to her... nobody even paid attention...

Ivaylo first felt some pressure and then stinging pain in his abdomen. He thought she was harming him even more, but truth to be told, she tried her best, to stop the bleeding. She stuck some fabric deep inside to clog it for the time being.

As she was done, she held it with her right hand in place, took out her cell phone with her left, and dialed quickly the emergency number. He got just parts from that call. "...injured Beast male... in front of... please come!"

The scarf that was wrapped around his neck warmly embraced his sense of smell. Ivaylo felt, like he was floating in warm water with strips from his childhood flying around him, and that pleasant scent was caressing his face slowly charging him with new energy.

The muffling sounds began to get more clear by the second and his consciousness came back. He opened his eyes seeing that human female crouching over him pressing both of her hands against his stomach and looking down the street seemingly waiting for something.

Ivaylo angrily swapped her hands away scratching her upper arm in the process. She fell backward scared and scrambled a little away from him. Ivaylo sat up and pushed himself against a tree trunk to lean on.

The human woman huddled herself under the roof of a bus stop and still kept him some company, till the lights and sirens of the ambulance interrupted them. Like in slow-motion the medics rushed out of the vehicle to cater to Ivaylo's injuries.

The rain was getting even stronger dancing on his skin and only now the Beastpeople were cramping the area around to watch what was going on, making it harder for Ivaylo to keep track of that human woman's whereabouts, till she disappeared out of his sight.

She wasn't sitting at the bus stop anymore. An oxygen mask was placed over his face disrupting his focus, they laid him on a stretcher and up into the ambulance. As they were closing the door, for a glimpse of a second, he spotted her... drenched watching in between the crowd. Shortly after, he blacked out.

He woke up two days later in the hospital hooked up to the machines with his family sitting in his room. As soon, as he opened his eyes, shakily he lifted his head to look around. Ivaylo's mother jumped out of her seat and ran to her son stroking his forehead.

The rest of his beloved family gathered around the bed patting him on various parts of his limps. They were overly happy that their son and grandson survived. Ivaylo was at first confused. The anesthetics and painkillers caused him a little temporary memory loss.

"Sweetie, you got attacked in the streets and got seriously injured. You lost a lot of blood because the blade scraped a lumbar artery. Luckily some pedestrian gave you first aid and called the ambulance." Tears were falling down her cheeks...

Her husband wrapped one arm around his wife's shoulders and with the other, he was holding Ivaylo's left hand. "You should be careful next time." His grandfather's mother's side chimed in. "I am sure a vile human did that! They should be evicted out of the whole city. It was a stupid idea to allow them to live on the outskirts and even work with Beastfolk..."

Ivaylo had a little migraine and his abdomen was aching. He was trying hard to recall that day, but it was just worsening his headache. Maybe later... His family left and he unbuttoned his hospital attire and looked at the bandages, which were stained with blood.

He places his palm over his eyes... REMEMBER! REMEMBER! What did happen? Broken strips of his memories reappeared. A hooded male with only a wide grin with visible fangs... a blood-stained knife... human female pressing against his stomach... his own claws bloodied... the huddled human girl on the ground at the bus stop... door of the ambulance closing and a rain-drenched girl...

He was attacked by a Beastman and saved by a Human... Why has it become this complicated? Ivaylo was looking out of the window observing the raindrops racing on the glass. A knock on the door disrupted his thought process. A police officer entered with a nurse to check on him and then she left.

"Good afternoon! I came here to ask you a few questions about your assault." Ivaylo nodded. "The day before yesterday you were on the way home I assume. You got stabbed from the front into your abdomen area, striking an artery and almost bleeding out. Can you recall what your attacker looked like? What species he was?"

Ivaylo knew, where he was going with that whole "species" question. "I am sorry officer, but he was the same species as us... specifically a Bear core." That silenced the cop for a second and he wrote it into his little notebook. "Anything more you can remember?"

Ivaylo brushed over his face as the nurse re-entered his room. "I am sorry officer, but I am really tired. Can we do this another day?" The policeman hid his little book in his pocket. "Sure, you can come to the police station, when you feel better and we can continue there."

Ivaylo peeked to the side at the nurse. He didn't want to admit in front of some other Beastfolk, that he was attacked by a Beastman and saved by a human. His world got completely backward. The shame he felt was too big.

The day of his release came a week later. He was getting dressed in front of the mirror. On the table in front of him laid a small plastic bag where his small belongings from the day of the assault were kept.

He opened it and that overwhelming scent filled the small bathroom. He took out the scarf of that female human and threw it right into the bin next to him. He began to put on his favorite wristwatch and glanced at the scarf. He turned his back to it and walked out of the bathroom.

He packed his stuff and was leaving the hospital room empty... same as the bin...