Whiskers

Unknown 2

(this is more part of the last chapter than a full chapter, but valid information)

The hawk was oddly cooperative, once again, as Loren got busy stitching up his wounds. Jamie watched her work, checking the bird's wing for the bone they figured was broken. 

"Nothing's feels wrong, but there could still be some damage. Better not use this for a few days, at least." Loren said, eyeing the bird before looking over her should at him. 

They'd stayed behind in the medical area while Jared had gone back to deal with the police, then cancel the lockdown. Jamie also didn't want his brother anywhere near the hawk until they figured out how it was able to get inside his head. 

"Why were you so intent on getting to something that tried to kill you? You two couldn't have possibly been friends, could you?" He asked the hawk, not really expecting an answer. 

It ruffles its feathers and looked away, clearly not interested in giving anything away. 

"Well, we don't want to hurt you, or that wolf. What you did earlier almost got him killed, you know? If the food hadn't distracted him, I would have shot him since you had shifted and he still hadn't." 

The bird's head jerked back to face him, then it let out an ear-piercing screech that made both him and Loren wince. 

"Then don't be so stupid again! That would have been completely your fault!" Jamie growled back, losing his cool for a moment. 

Loren stepped back a few moments later after she finished stitching the final wound. "You're all set. You can still shift with the stitches in but don't do it too often or I'll have to redo them." She said, then gave Jamie a questioning look. 

"Yeah, I know what you're thinking. Go check the wolf, and if he's still groggy, dose him again and get that collar off. I'll watch this guy until you're finished, but I don't want anyone who can be useful there, coming here. You need the help much more." He said, getting a nod from her. 

"I'll send someone as soon as we're done, if we can safely keep him down." She said before leaving the room. 

Jamie watched her, his shoulders slumping a bit with exhaustion. Yesterday had been hectic, and today wasn't turning out to be any less crazy. 

Turning back to the hawk, he took a sudden step back when he realized that the guy had shifted back to his human form again. Up close, and without any worry that his brother might be harmed if he lost focus, Jamie allowed his eyes to run over the guy's full body. 

He was naked, of course, but being in a society with shifters everywhere, the idea of being embarrassed about your body tended to disappear as you got older. His eyes didn't linger anywhere besides the few injuries the wolf had made. A couple looked like they would take a bit to heal, but when his eyes rose back to the young man's, he realized just how deep one of the wounds had gone. 

"Were you two... actually friends?" He asked, a bit taken aback by the hurt he saw flit through the man's gaze before it hardened back to anger. 

He didn't get an answer at first. The man's eyes widened and narrowed several times at him, like he'd done so before, but Jamie just crossed his arms and watched him back, not bothering to try and look aggressive or bothered. 

"You can't hear me." The shifter finally stated. 

Jamie leaned back against the wall by the door as the young man slid from the exam table he'd been placed on with a small perch on one side. His gaze dropped to the man's feet, curiosity making him grin as he saw the guy's toes curl automatically, as if he was still in his avian form. Granted, he knew that the hawk's talons constricted on their own and the bird had to force them apart instead of make them grasp something, but it was still interesting to see the muscle memory at work.