Prompt Post #1

[fantasticbeasts_kinkmeme]

 ROUND 1

FUCK IT WE'LL FIGURE OUT SPECIFICS LATER

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Fill: Because I Knew You (5/6)

[(Anonymous)]

5. Brave

The Nundu was used to being feared. He was used to wizards going wide-eyed, going thick with the scent of fear and panic, and then watching as they fled. The Nundu preferred it that way, as he had lived long enough to see many of the misdeeds of humans and wizards alike.

He lived in isolation in the wilds of Africa, and he was rarely bothered with the affairs of humans and their ilk. He lived out his days hunting prey, squabbling over territory with the Nundu who pressed in on his borders, and occasionally finding a mate. He was getting too old, though; too old to defend constantly against other, younger Nundu, too old to be as attractive of a mate.

He still had a long time to live, but his prime was over.

Perhaps he’d become too comfortable, too complacent. Perhaps that was why he missed the trap the human poachers had set.

It snapped shut on his front left leg, and he roared in pain and fury as the flesh tore and the bone shattered. His mane puffed out as he struggled, biting at the metal trap.

When the humans came to claim their prize, all they found was death as he breathed his poison breath on them. Only one managed to flee.

The day that followed was the longest, most painful day of the Nundu’s life. He couldn’t free himself from the trap, and he eventually exhausted himself in his efforts to do so. The sun rose and fell again as he lay in the grass, panting, his leg throbbing with a vicious pain, the bodies of the poachers all around him.

At least he had gotten vengeance on his attackers. He would die with some amount of dignity. He was old; perhaps this was his time.

He didn’t expect a human to come walking through the trees into the plain. He lifted his head and watched with a calculating look; the human was definitely walking in this direction. The Nundu felt the wind over his skin, knowing that the human was downwind; if he breathed out his poisonous breath, the newcomer would die nearly instantly.

But for some reason- perhaps because he was so secure in his ability to kill the man- he waited to see what the human would do.

The human stopped and whistled low at the sight of the decomposing bodies scattered around the Nundu. “Well…you’ve certainly made a mess of things, haven’t you?” the man said, and the Nundu snorted, understanding few of the words.

He was startled, though, when he realized that the smell of fear was unusually low for a human. Was this human not scared of him? Did the human not know what he was, or what he could do? Did the human think him helpless?

The human slowed as he came closer, and the Nundu growled in warning. He was torn between thinking this human was brazen or simply stupid; he breathed in, preparing to unleash the poison breath that had killed the poachers, but the human held up his hands.

“Hold on, hold on. I know you’re hurting. I’m here to help,” he said, and then he pointed to the trap. “Can I take that off you?”

The Nundu followed the human’s gesture to the metal trap, unsure if the human was really implying what it seemed he was.

Had he been younger, he would kill this young wizard and be done with it.

But he wasn’t young anymore. Pride took a backseat to curiosity, at least for the moment. He could always kill the human at any moment, should he choose to try anything stupid.

So he closed his mouth and waited, watching the wizard with a piercing, pained stare. The human took that for the very temporary permission that it was, and he moved forward slowly, and then set his case down and knelt beside the Nundu’s trapped paw.

The Nundu had never been this close to a human before- at least, not a human that he wasn’t actively killing. The wizard smiled at him, and though his scent swirled with hints of nervousness and fear, other emotions seemed stronger. Fascination. Caution. Respect, even.

“Let’s remove this thing, shall we?” the human said, and then he pulled his wand from his belt and aimed it. “Alohomora.”

The trap sprang open, and the Nundu jumped into action. He lunged forward, smacking the wizard down with his good paw even though his bad leg barely held his weight. He had his massive paw right on the wizard’s chest, his claws barely touching the delicate skin of the man’s neck, and while the scent of fear surged- it then settled.

“Okay. Alright, I know. You could easily kill me,” the wizard said, and his throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. “But if you would hold off a smidge, I could set and wrap that leg.”

The Nundu stared down at the human, his claws flexing- but he found that he couldn’t do it.

Something about this human struck him as…sacred. Something to be valued. Protected. Much like he would protect one of his own cubs.

He pulled his paw back, and the human let out a breath of relief, and then laughed. And even though the Nundu wasn’t entirely familiar with humans, he knew that for what it was- a laugh of relief, of celebration for still being alive after staring death in the face.

The wizard sat up, and then opened up his suitcase slowly. He gestured to it, raising an eyebrow at the massive predator. “Come inside. I can help you- and after you’re better, you can leave if you want.”

A tiny green stick of an animal poked its head out of the case, squeaked in fear when it saw the Nundu, and ducked back inside. As the Nundu peered into the case, he could smell the emotions heavy in the air- contentment. Happiness.

Home.

The Nundu yawned, and then limped his way down into the case. His reign here was over; it was time for something new.

Re: Fill: Because I Knew You (5/6)

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you sooooo much. :) This is beautiful.