Survival Instincts

Chapter 4 - Distrust

Note: I deliberately make Tucker's Esperanto absolutely horrific. He's the kid who would probably use Google Translate.

The boy was wounded and terrified. He toppled through the strange pink portal along with his freed companion. They landed heavily, each yelping in pain from their injuries. It was a room much larger than they were accustomed to. The walls were brown, and the room was decorated with rich red furniture.

His friend, Wulf, immediately staggered to his feet and moved in front of the boy. He took on a defensive stance as the three strangers emerged. His lips pulled back to bare his elongated fangs. His ears were flat against his head.

"Kion vi volas?! (What do you want?!)" He snarled, fur bristling. He had both hands spread in front of the boy, shielding him.

One of the strangers spoke. "I... think it's speaking Esperanto." It was the younger male of the group who spoke up. "I'm not fluent, but I know some of the basics. It asked what we want."

The silver-haired man opened his mouth to speak. Wulf growled louder at him; he was the one who pushed them through the portal. The man raised an eyebrow and smirked. "We want to help. Trust me, we can provide the medical assistance you require."

The ghost took a step back as he processed the words, still growling. He wasn't fluent in English, but he could piece some of the words together. "Ču testo? (A test?)" His tail lashed behind him, agitated.

"No!" The younger boy exclaimed. "Uh, ne! Ne testo? (No! No test?)" He hesitated with his words, unsure if he was translating properly. He just added 'no' to the word for test.

Wulf's ear twitched. He was still suspicious, but a cough from his friend snapped his attention elsewhere.

"Amiko!" He cried, getting onto his knees. The boy was collapsed on the floor and breathing heavily. His wounds were dripping with blood; he must have strained them in their escape. "Amiko, mi helpos vin! (Friend, I will help you!)"

It was the girl's turn to speak. "Listen, I get you don't trust us but we need to help you! Please, just let us treat his injuries!" She took a step forward, pleading with him.

Tucker translated roughly so the ghost would understand more quickly. "Um, bonvolu, nur ni traktu liajn vundojn?"

He rumbled, looked at his friend, and looked back. He lifted his companion into his arms before limping over to the most comfortable looking piece of furniture and gently placing him down. The boy wheezed in pain.

"Helpu nin. (Help us.)" Wulf whimpered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sam had no knowledge of Esperanto, but she could roughly understand what the ghost was asking based on English cognates. She nodded to it before turning to Vlad in expectation.

Vlad stepped forward. He was the most knowledgeable when it came to medical situations. He ignored the wolf's growl as he leaned in to inspect the boy. "He has severe acid burns." He noted. What kind of acid could have possibly caused this damage? He thought before unzipping the boy's jumpsuit to expose his upper half. Vlad almost winced at the ruined flesh. Scars littered his entire body, but the most prominent one was a raised 'Y' incision. It was clear that the boy had been dissected countless times.

There were numerous injuries and wounds. There were portions of skin that were blackened, sections that were deeply indented to show that entire chunks of flesh had been removed, and an unlimited amount of burns, cuts, and other blemishes. Vlad blinked in surprise as he noticed the Lichtenburg figures imprinted on the skin. The boy had even been electrocuted, severely. The man felt a pang of sympathy as well as regret for not being able to rescue this broken ghost sooner.