Evelyn signed the bottom of the long letter and went to read over what she had written. She absentmindedly tapped her finger on the small desk she was seated at. The shuffling of paper was all that could be heard in the otherwise silent room. Once she was satisfied with the content of the long letter she was writing home she stuffed it into an envelope and sealed it shut. A soft knock echoed through the cramped two bedroom apartment she shared with Tanya. Assuming it was the jackal hybrid she made a beeline for the door.
“Aw pischouette, what’s got you out and ‘bout so late?” Her laughter was cut short when the door opened to reveal her beau looking quite disheveled.
“Mo ghrá*, mind givin’ me a hand ‘ere?” Davin staggered through the door dragging a large burlap sack behind him. After Eve shook off the initial shock she helped Davin with the sack. Once they had unloaded it on the cramped couch Eve turned to the red faced faun.
“I know I shouldn’t ask but whas in de bag?” She crossed her arms to show that she meant business.
“Ah, Vee don’t worry about tha.” His soft voice had a soothing effect on the polecat and she couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. Deciding to ignore the elephant in the room she walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of soda bottled filled with clear liquid. She tossed one over to Davin and took a seat on the floor, leaning against the couch. Evelyn patted the spot beside her and Davin gingerly sat down, wincing a bit. Eve decided against reprimanding the faun for overexerting himself yet again. She opted instead to give him a stern look before taking a long swig of the liquid in the soda bottle.
“Coo wee, dem yankees sure know how to make good moonshine.” Evelyn squeezed her eyes shut as the liquor left a burning sensation at the back of her throat. Davin took a sip as well though he fared much worse in comparison to the polecat.
“Janey Mack*! This’ll burn a ‘ole clear t’rough me stomach. Vee how do ye stand it? This poteen is deadly.” He carefully set the bottle down next to him and eyed Evelyn as she shrugged and tossed another mouthful back. Evelyn wasn’t even halfway through the bottle and she could already feel a pleasant buzz forming, she leaned back against the couch and rested her head on Davin’s shoulder. It was her night off from the club and Eve planned to spend it relaxing with Davin in the warm apartment. She had already started dozing off when a small thought popped into her head, it soon set off a train of thought that eventually arrived at a terrifying destination. The skunk hybrid leapt up with an exclamation.
“Ike! Oh my, I completely forgot! It’s been well pas t’ree days! Well pas.” Evelyn ran about the room looking for her coat, while Davin sat watching her with confusion in his eyes. “Dav, whatchu watin’ for? We’ve gotta get to de ‘ospital! Let’s go, sha*!”
“Yes ma’am!” Davin scrambled to the door and followed the frantic polecat out into the bitter February chill. They walked in relative silence for a few minutes until Davin worked up the courage to ask exactly what was going on. “Mind tellin’ me why we’re goin’ ta the hospital this late, mo ghra? Visitin’ hours ‘ave long passed, love.”
“Dun care, gotta get dat gris gris.” Evelyn’s tone of voice put Davin on edge, she seemed devastated about something and the urgency in her movements had the faun assuming it was dire. They had been walking for at least twenty minutes when the faun suggested that they catch a cab, Evelyn agreed seeing as it would be quicker than walking the 4 miles to the hospital.
The cab had barely come to a halt when Evelyn jumped out of the taxi, leaving Davin to pay the tab. She brushed past the front desk attendant who shouted after her that visiting hours were over and ran up the flight of stairs to the ICU patient ward. She slowed down when she reached Ike’s room and took a deep breath before entering, bracing herself for the sight that awaited her. With a soft knock she poked her head in the room, and gasped in shock at the image of Ike that greeted her. The elk paused to glance at the surprise visitor, a spoonful of soup hovering in front of his open mouth. The radio next to his bed was blaring some soulful jazz tune and a newspaper was spread out beside the tray on his lap.
“Ev? What’s got you over here at this hour? Everything alright?” He set the spoon back into the half empty bowl and motioned for his friend to take a seat in the worn armchair next to the bed.
“Ike, you’re alive!” Evelyn bypassed the offer for a seat and rushed over to gather the battered manager in her arms. He let out a yelp as she squeeze him with a surprising amount of strength for someone her size.
“Gentle, Vee, you’ll squeeze the life back out ‘o ‘im.” Davin had caught up with the frantic polecat and was leaning against the frame of the door. He lifted a hand in greeting and Ike returned the gesture with a head nod.
“Yeah, it’s weird actually. The docs can’t explain why or how I suddenly woke up from my coma. They say at this rate I’ll get to go home by the end of the week.” Ike was still rubbing Evelyn’s back who still couldn’t believe that her friend was going to make a full recovery. Evelyn finally released the bed ridden elk and went about feeling underneath the plush pillow that was propped up behind Ike.
“What the-Vee what’re ye doin’? Leave tha poor man alone.” Davin rushed in to pull Evelyn away but not before she removed her hand with a triumphant ‘A-ha!’. The two males in the room squinted at the small, shriveled bag she held up. “She’s gone in tha ‘ead this one.” Davin muttered to himself.
“Well Ike, mon petit cacahuète*. So very gald to see you all bettah, talk to ya soon. I’ll be sure to tell Bev you’re awake.” The little wink Eveyln added at the mention of the clouded leopard had a tinge of red spreading across Ike’s cheeks. He could only watch in confusion as she all but skipped out of the room, mumbling to herself. With a shrug Davin waved goodbye and followed his joyful lover back out into the street.
The whole ride home was spent in relative silence and when they arrived at the apartment Evelyn proceeded to toss the sack into the sink. She rummaged through a few of the drawers until she found the matches, struck a few, then tossed them into the sink. The fire that erupted took the pair by surprise and Evelyn leapt back with a shout. Davin rushed over to make sure she wasn’t hurt, but his attention was directed elsewhere as a sickly green smoke emerged from the sink. He blinked a couple of times as he could have sworn it took the shape of a lanky man in a top hat before being dispersed. The smell that emitted from it was gut wrenching and the faun had to fight to keep the wave of nausea that washed over him at bay. Once he had his gag reflex under control he rounded on his frightened girlfriend.
“Evelyn, what in the blazed have ye done? You’ve been messing ‘round with those witches haven’t ye!” Davin stomped his hoof in irritation, he had warned her again and again that the more she delved into that world the more likely it was she would get caught up in something terrible.
“Davvy, I couldn’t jus let Ike die! ‘Sides it worked didn it.” She wrung her hands a bit as she thought back to the warning the pale lioness had given her. Evelyn had assumed that the retribution would be immediate and considering the fact that Isaac was almost back to 100% and no one else Evelyn knew had been taken as a sacrifice she figured she was out of the woods. “Look, no one got hurt! I had to do sumtin’, Ike was dyin’” She whispered the last bit as the little nagging feeling that had been dormant for the past couple of days made an appearance.
“Vee, I’ve got a ba’feelin ‘bout this,” He peered over into the sink to look at the conjure Evelyn had used to heal Ike, “I sure hope it was worth it.”
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If Evelyn thinks she's out of the woods shes in for a nasty surprse.
*:
Mo ghrá: My love
Janey Mack!: Gosh/Golly
Sha: Someone you're fond of, a generic pet name used between friends/family
Mon petit cacahuète: 'My little peanut'