Royce approached the table tentatively, flinching as the rustic scent of blood assaulted his nose. As a veterinarian, blood wasn’t something unknown to him, however, the potency was surprising, and his nose scrunched in discontent. Digging beneath the odour, the stench of fresh mud and debris was less fragrant, and the doctor chose to instead focus on that instead. Drawing closer, he noted that his nurses had tossed a sterile blanket over the creature, although it was already damp, likely soaking up the recently fallen rain that must have soused the animal. It’s body was completely covered, and the blanket rose and fell in a rhythm that suggested deep unconsciousness.
Behind him, a few free staff members flitted nervously, having entered the room daringly, eager to watch the examination. Royce ignored their concerned chitters, glancing back at his two male colleagues whom he had pointedly aligned behind him, armed at the ready with tranquilizers should the creature wake up and lash out unexpectedly. They returned his unspoken question with confident nods. Dropping his shoulders and letting a shaky sigh escape him,Royce stepped up to the bench, gripping a corner of the fabric between his fingers. He hesitated briefly, but steeling his nerves, dragged up the cloth enough for the light to illuminate the animal’s head. His resounding gasp left some of the nurses leaping back in shock.
“Doctor?” He raised a hand to silence their startled blubbering. Tenderly, his movements careful and deliberate, Royce drew back the blanket, dropping it into a sterile bin on the floor before returning his attention to the prone form beneath him. His heart pounded excitedly in his chest: It was a creature he had only read about in the most inclusive of textbooks, an animal he had never expected to have the privilege of witnessing, so high on the endangered list that even its existence was dubious to most. ‘Homo sapien’ his mind supplied enthusiastically.
Stretching out his palm, the doctor allowed his hand to shyly grace the skin of the animal. Even through the thickness of his gloves, and despite the layer of grime that dirtied the animal, he could tell just how smooth and soft the sapien’s skin was. Gently, he stroked down the length of the mane, careful to stray from the un-muzzled mouth, and let his hand fingers trail down an elongated arm, picking up the tiny paw, frowning when he registered the lack of any discernible claws. Royce turned his eyes to the body then, gnawing on his lip crisply when he took in the fabric that bound it. The concept of dressing up pets for entertainment was not something foreign, however, such an occurrence on a feral, non-domesticated species disturbed him greatly.
Royce jumped slightly as a throat cleared from behind; He had forgotten that he wasn’t alone, enveloped in awe as he was. Twisting, shoving aside his curiosity, he ordered his nurses to begin preparing the appropriate resources necessary for cleaning the sapien. Internally, the doctor reprimanded himself for his moment of carelessness. They needed to ensure the animal was healthy and secure foremost- hopefully before it awoke; Observations and investigations could be performed afterwards. Grabbing a pair of scissors from a nearby stand, Royce began to snip away the cloth methodically, a few nurses stepping up to assist him in the process, tossing away the dirty remnants. The familiar snaps of a camera shutter in the background- a coworker gathering evidence, the doctor assumed- helped erase the tense silence as they worked, each individual falling into a natural routine.
Once the sapien was unclothed, its body still limp and unconscious, the staff rolled it onto a cart, trafficking it out the doors and into a room across the hall, Royce on their heels. He made his way over to a cabinet, setting a bottle of a common sedative upon the counter while simultaneously unwrapping a syringe. Measuring a low dosage, he pinched at the skin, injecting the substance when a vein bulged forth, wincing as a sharp jolt rocked the animal’s body, its system reacting to the medicine. For safety reasons, it would be best if the creature remained asleep throughout their sterilization procedure. Waiting a few seconds for the sedative to take effect, Royce gave the mandate to begin.
He watched, rigid, as the animal was lifted and hovered over a sink, its constraints filled to the brim with warm, soapy water. Ever so carefully, the nurses lowered the sapien, submerging it up to its neck, ensuring it maintained a safe breathing range. It’s breathing sped up slightly, body twitching, and Royce tensed, prepared to step in if for some reason the sedatives proved ineffective, but his worries were calmed as it stilled once more, falling deeper into unconsciousness.
The water turned a murky grey as the nurses scrubbed at the muddied skin, and steadily, a peach-tinge was revealed to the world, reddened marginally by the increased temperature. The brown fur that cascaded from the animal’s head was cleansed thoroughly, medicated flea and tick shampoos removing the risk of any future parasitic infections. Royce could already smell the difference.
“Do you know what it is?” He glanced up to find a familiar figure leaning in the doorway, watching the events transpire with apprehension. Nurse Ellie- as he recalled- flattened her ears as Royce stared, gulping and twitching nervously. Her jaw parted as she prepared to continue speaking, but the doctor silenced her with a hand. The other nurses in the room continued to work, but their perked ears let Royce know that they were just as interested in his answer as their peer. He contemplated his next words carefully.
“I have a good guess, but,” he didn’t miss the way Ellie’s ears drooped at the word. “But, I would like to perform a little more research before I make an official announcement.” Her mouth opened in a disappointed ‘o’.
“Um- thank you, Doctor. For your time, I mean.” Royce nodded in her direction, silent in his gratitude as he peered back at the animal. He expected her to leave, her question all but dismissed, but when he glanced back to find her remaining in the doorway, eyes directed towards the flooring, he sighed. It seemed that she had more to say on the matter, and taking the initiative from her hands, the doctor pushed her to speak. Her next words were a stumbled mess.
“I know what it is.” She elaborated at his raised eyebrow. “It’s a homo sapien, isn’t it? We went over them in our classes, but there wasn’t much information, so- Well, I did my own research, and-” Her hands wrung anxiously before her, and Royce took pity on her nerves.
“You recognized it as well?” The nurse nodded.
“There are some differences, but- well, it looks very much like the pictures.”
“Yes, it does…” The doctor trailed off.
“I know you probably won’t need it, but, I kept all my old notes…I promise they’re very in depth... they may be of some help.”
“They would be greatly appreciated, I’m certain.”
“I can bring them in tomorrow, and leave them in your office...” She ducked her head, embarrassed. Royce let his head bob in approval.
“But, Nurse…” Ellie’s eyes gazed up, curiosity in their depths. “Let’s keep this between us, alright?” The doctor flashed her a grin. She stuttered.
“Oh, of course. Um- thank you, again.” With that, the nurse twisted and practically fled the room, her light footsteps growing quieter as she vanished down the hallway in haste. Chuckling, Royce let his lips drop back down. She was timid, that one, but he had recognized the spark that lit up her eyes as she talked, the honest curiosity that could not be wavered hidden behind her nerves, and for a moment he had to applaud her grit, her daring to speak to his face; She would be a valuable asset, he reasoned, if he could encourage her to bolden up a little... Letting that thought slide to the side, Royce returned his gaze upwards. The nurses in the room pointedly kept their eyes trained on the sink.
It took two more rounds of fresh bathwater for the array of muck to disappear completely, and tenderly, the sapien was toweled off. The doctor held open the door as his nurses spurred the animal back into the examination room, the table also having been sterilized as they had worked. He grabbed a clipboard off the wall as he entered, coming to a stop just beside the corner of the stand. Giving the order, Royce observed wordlessly as his team began running a basic health check-up, jotting down the numbers they sent his way. Unfamiliar as he was with the homo species, he sent one of his nurses off to gather whatever reports they could dig up from their files, advising them to deliver the papers directly to his desk for cross examination once he was finished here.
Certain things had become more apparent now that the sapien was cleansed and free from the coverage of clothes. It was most notably female, the vaginal region below its hips a clear testament to the fact. Briefly, Royce had worried that the animal was pregnant, the breasts across its chest grotesquely enlarged, but a quick sonogram revealed that no such feat was the case, and he had felt the room grow slightly less tense with that revelation. The sight of ribs poking through skin, along with the small statue and thin limbs, had the doctor immediately considering malnourishment, and he frowned, debating the variety of food types that could be offered as supplement. Though the female’s exact age could not be determined at the moment, from her size, he concluded that she was in the later stage of adolescence, and, thankfully, after examining between her legs, was not in a moment of heat.
When it came time for the injection of standard vaccinations, Royce stepped up, assisting his nurses in locating the appropriate veins for puncture. He also ordered for a small amount of blood to be taken for testing, and sent a stray nurse out in the task. She returned moments later, the results conclusive: the sapien was free from worms, and had no recognizable distortions in its blood content. The doctor sighed in relief.
Halfway through the examination, the female had begun to twitch, causing half of the nurses to leap back in fear. Royce had instantly appeared at her side, a needle poised at her neck. Another dose of sedative later and the sapien had been limp once more. The doctor had frowned at the rate at which the animal was burning through the medication, and vowed to do some further research during the night, unwilling to have any of his team harmed due to his ignorance. Delightedly, no other actions had led to cause for concern, and Royce had been able to continue in his notes.
The probing had ended soon after, much to everyone’s relief, and smoothly, the sapien was transported into another room, the curtains over the windows drawn to leave the space darkened and calming. In the corner, an incubation station had been set up, the heat from the lamp leaving the area comfortingly toasty. Fresh blankets had been laid out, and as she was settled upon the mass, the female burrowed her head, unconsciously digging beneath the covers. A series of coos had erupted at the sight.
It would be necessary to have the animal isolated until its temperament could be determined, and to ensure no undiagnosed diseases were transported between the cells. Thankfully, the walls had all been designed to be soundproof, so the howls of the other beasts in the facility would not agitate the sapien while she slept. Royce tentatively patted the female’s head, stroking her mane, before pulling back and accepting a collar that was offered his way. It snapped around her neck with ease, the tag clinking as it hit the base of the station, her identification numbers visible to all in the confined space.
Locking the lid, sliding the bolt into place, the doctor stepped away. His nurses scattered around him, their curious chatter just background noise to his ears.
“What do we do now?” A voice piped up. Royce’s lips dropped, brow furrowing.
“Return to your duties, but keep an eye on her. If she wakes up, alert me immediately. Understood?” Everyone nodded, slowly beginning to disperse.
Royce waited until the room had cleared before exiting himself, shutting the door with a click. His shoulders dropped as he entered his office, slumping in his desk with a groan. There was work to be done, he knew, but the excitement combined with the frustration had thoroughly exhausted him, and he prayed for the moment that nothing would interrupt his rest. It seemed his wishes were granted, as for the next 10 minutes he sat, undisturbed, eventually gathering the motivation to drag himself up and straighten in his chair. Surveying the pile of paperwork to his left, the red-print bills and printed warnings of foreclosure, he left those to dust, knowing that nothing he did in the current moment would change their positions. Instead, he glanced away until his eyes landed on a new folder, set atop two large textbooks. Peeling it open, he scanned through the results of the blood test on the sapien, securing what his nurses had already told him; the female was healthy, although a little dehydrated. That could be easily remedied, however, Royce reminded himself.
Setting aside the folder, the doctor tugged the textbooks towards him, sighing as he peeled off a post-it note that was littered with scribbled page numbers. The cover fell back with a clap, slapping against the desk heavily Finding the first appropriate page, he settled down in his chair, preparing himself for a long period of intense study; While he held a viable interest in their new patient, Royce prefered active observation for study, rather than the dull monotone of text. Trying to indulge the previous enthusiasm and curiosity from earlier, the doctor began to read.
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A pulsing thud in the back of her skull met Enya as she slowly rose to consciousness. She moaned, scrunching into the soft blankets beneath her, mindlessly reaching over to find her pillow, certain it had fallen off the bed as she had slept, desperate to ease the pounding with its cushiony surface. Instead, her hand smacked with a ring against something firm and dense, and Enya winced at the accompanying pain, quickly pulling her arm back. Dragging open her eyelids, she gazed confused at the clear wall of glass that rose above her, rolling onto her spine to follow the path of the material. It was a dome, she realized belatedly.
With furrowed brows, Enya shifted up, allowing her upper half to rise off the ground, using her elbows as supports. She tentatively traced the outline of the confines. Two orange bulbs protruded from the top, radiating with heat, and Enya shivered at the warmth they provided. Her skin protested as she moved, feeling as though it had been scrubbed raw, and she wrinkled her nose at the obtrusive scent of bleach that contaminated the air. It was when she finally glanced down at her body and discovered, with a hiss of distaste, that she was stark naked, that Enya began to grow more aware, shoving aside her drowsiness. However, even as she struggled into a sitting position, her body fought to comply, and more than once, she had to catch herself from slumping over.
It was difficult to keep her head up, and her body desperately pleaded with her to lay down and resume resting, but Enya refused, forcing herself into absolute consciousness. The space she found herself was suffocating, just tall enough for her to sit up comfortably in, but not long enough to stretch out without kicking the glass. It appeared that some force was watching out for her, however, as the dome was completely transparent, allowing her to examine the room outside of her containment effortlessly, easing her rising sense of claustrophobia just slightly. Unfortunately, the windows of the exterior quarter had been covered with draping curtains, and the overhead light fixture was hollow, leaving very little in terms for illumination. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Enya’s pupils to adjust.
The room appeared much like a doctor’s- no a veterinarian’s office, the sterilized examination table the central focus of the space, while diagrams of different species and their anatomies had been taped to the walls for decoration. An aged-looking desk had been shoved into a back corner, the flashing screen of a monitor briefly dying before flickering back to life. It was an easily recognizable space, but something was off with the room, and the answer soon revealed itself to Enya: everything was much larger than normal.
Exhaustedly, she shoved at the glass, huffing as it refused to budge even an inch. A grating sound had her eyes resting upon a latch that was firmly locked below, hooked on the opposite side of her reach. It seemed that there was no way for her to remove the covering without outside intervention. Glancing down, Enya gulped as the floor expanded below her. She was at least two meters off the ground, and doubted that, even if the dome was not caging her in, that she would be able to land without twisting an ankle, incapacitating any chances at escape. Despair gripped at Enya’s chest as she came to the realization that she was trapped, naked and alone.
Tears welled in her eyes, and she hurriedly dragged up one of the blankets from beneath her, covering her entire form as best she could. It was her only defense, and she vowed to use it to her advantage. Sudden movement caught in her peripherals, and Enya’s head swiveled around, taking notice for the first time of a door that resided in the far corner from where she was stashed. Her breath caught in her throat as the handle began to twist, allowing the structure to swing slowly inwards.
