#lynxsona

✨🌈 HAPPY PRIDE MONTH EVERYBODY 🌈✨

a little doodle ft my cute bf

(Another chappie up and ready to be seen! Time for the introduction of a new character!)

Faith was a proud and dedicated soldier in every single task assigned to her, completing it with the same diligence that allowed the lynx to rise the ranks to her current position quickly. But even an individual like her grows tired of waiting. The soldier had spent a couple of months so far waiting in the local tavern nearby within a small room set aside for and begrudgingly paid for by the local government. It contained sparse accommodations: a large bed, a trunk for storing her gear, a desk, and a lamp. Hardly suitable accommodations for a long-term such as hers but there wasn't much better for the small seaside town. Most of the energy and focus was on shoring the defenses from attacks by the local creatures that lived in and out of the water around the city. Despite the difficulties presented by a near constant threat of attack, most of the garrison dedicated to protecting the walls were lax in their assignments with their minds more focused on enjoying the drunken fun associated with taverns and the local women of the evening. After all, the local monsters may be a menace, but a few quick sword swings will scatter most of the creatures that near the town, so fear was never high on the priority list.

    The city also included a unique twist to the usual cavalcade of girls restricted to specific ports. Many of the ones wandering the streets were sharks, and their reputation made them excellent targets for many a soldier, civilian, sailor, or even the occasional noble looking to tame the supposedly untameable. This situation was most likely one of the only instances where the reputation of ferocity and difficulty to handle became one of the main reason to seek them out. Should one manage the feat, this would often grow bragging rights far into the foreseeable future. Of course, the water-dwelling creatures also cornered the market both metaphorically and literally in the number of escorts available to the usual fur seeking relief and a warm bed for the night. All of these features helped create the peaceful looking town into a center of debauchery and losing inhibitions of all kinds. Faith hated these kinds of cities. But, there was little she could do. The lynx wasn't here to rip the guards a new one for shrugging off their duties, as fun and equally fruitless as it'd be to be smacking sense into the poor soldiers wasting their weekly earnings in a single night. Faith was here for the shark squirreled away in one of the many rooms of the hospital, under the eye of the guards and staff alike. Whether that would be for his safety or theirs was left to be seen in their eyes. With that thought in mind, the lynx hurried out of the room and down the stairs to begin her walk to the hospital. She didn't need a nervous nurse deciding to try to take matters into their own hands.

    The trip was mercifully short thought somehow nerve-wracking to the hardened soldier. She felt eyes tracking her every movement while she rushed through the morning crowds, each time finding nothing but another shark sparing her a passing glance. A lot of the sharks were out and about today. A lot more than she thought lived in the town. It made her uneasy and hurried her steps. The lynx didn't drop her guard till she managed to finally reach the hospital, stepping inside with a silent relieved sigh. She took a moment to glance behind her once more before regaining the stoic nature lost earlier while amongst the crowds, striding past the front desk to reach the elevators just on the other side of the entrance. The soldier went unnoticed by most of the furs traveling back and forth through the vast maze of corridors crisscrossing this particular hospital, focused on their tasks while she approached the rear of the facility on autopilot. Faith found herself slipping into the depths of her mind more often these days, usually concerning the shark and the destructive amount of power he contained. Questions swirled around the lynx as to the source of his magical strength or even if such a force has a possibility of being honed without causing such extreme damage to the user.

    "I'm sorry ma'am,  you'll need to wait before entering the room." Whatever feelings she may have had at the moment were brushed aside once Faith refocused on the physical world and the guard standing in front of her.

    "What? Why am I being kept out?"

    "We've been told to keep the room devoid of all but the priestess until she has finished her rites."

    "I'm going inside." The mention of someone she didn't know, verify or even get to glance at before they entered the room was unnerving. The lynx trained mind ran into overdrive, flicking through each possibility and scenario awaiting her in the other room while she attempted to bypass the soldier before immediately being met with a weapon blocking her progress.

    "Sorry ma'am but you have to stay outside."

    "Either you let me in, or I make sure command tosses you to the worst monster-ridden hole I could find and forgets the key." There was a long pause as the guards stared at the soldier in front of them, weighing their options while Faith waited with impatience and annoyance displaying clearly on her face. The seconds passed in tense silence before they relented, withdrawing their weapons from her path.

    "Alright ma'am, please head inside." She allowed herself a moment to enjoy the victory while she stepped past them with the smallest of smirks tracing its way across her muzzle. However, once she opened the door to the room, whatever little joy she had quickly erased while her paw slid up her thigh to grab the hilt of her weapon. A slender shark stood directly in front of her, back turned to the lynx as the tail slowly swept from side to side. After a moment of study, Faith was able to determine she was female. Least that much was obvious. Her dress was a mix of blue and white fabrics that reached just below her knees on the back and angled upwards while they swirled around her to the front. The cloth stopped at her shoulders, leaving them bare. Several golden chains wrapped around her left shoulder held her clothes aloft along with a particular piece of material that stretched from the chains on the left shoulder to her right paw, connecting to the fabric wrapped around her paw.

    "Who the hell are you?" The question didn't cause a reaction the lynx could notice, not even glancing at the fur behind her. The complete disregard for her presence only worked to aggravate Faith, tightening her grip on the handle of the weapon at her hip.

    "I will ask only one more time. The patient is under my protection, and I can't afford any danger coming to him. Who. Are. You?" Once again the shark failed to answer, giving a dismissive wave of her paw before refocusing on the hospital bed in front of her. The lynx was running out of patience while she slowly slid the blade out of its sheath to begin more aggressive questioning. Luckily for both of them, the doctor chose this moment to enter the room and dive headlong into the situation.

    "Faith, please! Put the weapon away! She is meant to be here!" The soldier paused for a few moments, her blade still halfway in the sheath while her gaze remained on the small professional.

    "Why?" The simple question caused the doctor to let out a sigh before glancing at the hospital bed and the female shark in question.

    "The one you brought in has taken a nosedive in regards to his health. We haven't been able to stabilize him despite our efforts through the night. As such, we decided to bring in a priestess from their faith to perform the rites just in case. Currently, his situation is dire. As such, the tools have been left untouched since the shift change late last night." The explanation seemed to satisfy the lynx as she sheathed her weapon, giving a small nod before turning to face the fur in front of her entirely.

    "I should've been informed about this situation sooner."

    "We sent a messenger last night, but I'm assuming the innkeeper forgot to mention it to you this morning. To be honest, we don't know much about his faith or status other than what we gleaned from his injuries and clothes, but everyone enjoys the comforts of one of their own during their last hours." Faith grimaced at the statement describing what is soon to be the death of the loner in the hospital bed. She crossed her arms in front of her, occasionally glancing at the shark priestess resuming the rituals in front of the bed.

    "You sound like you've given up already."

    "It's a hard truth to stomach, but I've already cut back on the anesthetic and treatment as I stated before. The priestess will handle the rest. Considering the rest recovering in the other rooms from the guardian attack, we can't afford to keep wasting medicine on the rogue. I'm sorry, but I've done everything I could to save him. If you come with me, we can discuss the next steps we should prepare for." He didn't wait long for her agreement before turning and waddling out of the door with the lynx following behind him after a slight pause, glancing once more behind her at the priestess before closing the door and shutting the two off from the rest of the world.

    The priestess kept her gaze on the injured shark until she was sure the two weren't returning to the room. Only then did she allow her stony facade to fall, a soft sigh leaving her lips while her posture sagged. These particular moments were always awkward for the priestess to handle. As a servant of Thanatos, death quickly became standard fare for her everyday duties, but she could never fully steel herself against seeing one of her own in such a state. It was a burden she struggled to bear at the best of times and felt crushing at the worst of it. But the priestess had a job to perform, and she couldn't afford to let the situation keep her demotivated for long. She was vital to many that lived above the water, far from their home beneath the waves. The shark provided relief and a link to the god keeping an eye on those transitioning from the land of the living to the area of the dead. Just like Thanatos, she needed to provide a peaceful transition. This thought helped soothed the mind of the priestess somewhat while she removed the needle in the arm of the wounded rogue to continue her duties of tending to what would most likely be his final hours.

    The rituals were meticulous, requiring rigorous training and memorization for the proper completion of the ceremonies required of her. Such thorough preparations warranted the extreme focus of every single action the priestess performed. Even the simple withdrawal of the needle from the skin needed a small prayer and diligence to prevent any accidental damage. It was this diligence that allowed the priestess to discern a tiny pinprick located within the crystal clear plastic tube attached to said medical needle. The discovery caused her to pause for a few moments, her mind analyzing the new development in the treatment of the ailing rogue. Despite the dire situation, the corners of her lips turned upward in a small smile. The female shark moved quickly to her little bag of herbs before working swiftly in creating a rather potent mixture with the help of a pestle and mortar. A heavy dose was only warranted once there was a confirmation of a dire circumstance but considering the current events with the young shark and his steadily approaching expiration, medical backlash from too strong a dose for a few hours is a pleasant alternative to death.

    "Seems you're not meant for the embrace of Thanatos just yet. Not by the hand of sabotage at least." The words were unheard by the rogue while she pried apart his jaws with ease, tilting the stone bowl to dump the contents into his maw. Her free paw quickly went to work of working his throat in slow and comforting strokes to induce swallowing of the medicine. Time would tell if the young shark would pull through the current situation. Until then, she'd continue her job like the others before her and provide him comfort and prayer until either life or Thanatos tugs him in the direction fate desires.

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    "You know why he needs to remain alive."

    "And as I keep telling you, we can't afford to keep him alive. I don't care how much Macca is being tossed at this, I'm no miracle worker. He's bound for death as is. Every single treatment we could leverage at him for the months he's been here has done absolutely nothing. He's only gotten worse, and it's a miracle he's managed to cling to life as long as he has." The short doctor continuing insistence was beginning to grate on the nerves of the lynx soldier sitting on the opposite side of him. She may have been sympathetic to his position, but Faith couldn't back down from her insistence on the survival of the shark just a few rooms away. She was under heavy pressure as is from the current leader of the kingdom and subsequently her commanding officers. The idea of an end to the guardians that have ravaged the countryside and even the major cities for centuries was too enticing to wave away this opportunity. The rogue must survive. They must know the secret to his power and how to finally reach the golden paradise hanging far above them. It was with that goal in mind that they pressed the lynx for information each and every day. The months haven't been kind to the messages she received with each showing increasing unrest and annoyance from the commanding officers waiting for progress.

    "I understand that the situation is dire, but we need a solution. They've been breathing down my neck for months now, and I can't keep reporting that I need more time or, gods forbid, that the shark died. I need him alive." The small medical professional leaned forward on the desk with a soft sigh, letting his head hang for a moment before readjusting the small glasses balanced on his muzzle as he refocused his gaze on the soldier in front of him.

    "I'm sorry to say that there's no clue what's happening with him. With such harsh rejection of our treatments, I really don't see any other solution. I'd suggest reporting the is-"

    "Ma'am, we have a situation!" The fur bursting into the room interrupted the doctor mid-sentence and drawing the attention of the lynx. She was on her feet in an instant, her mind whirling through the various potential scenarios and mentally preparing her for what was ahead while focusing on the fur in front of her. He was a somewhat pudgy looking individual from the hospital staff, a bear to be specific. His security badge hanged from his upper chest while his breath came in heavy pants, leaning against the doorway for support as he attempted to speak.

    "H-hospital... beast attack!... We need to go into lockdown!"

    "Beasts? We're nearly in the heart of the city, how the hell did they get this far without someone warning us?"