Departure

      She could give up. Ha, she should give up. It was just one vial; one teeny, tiny vial. Her life was certainly not worth risking for that one vial, and nothing was stopping her from leaving. But somehow, that one vial would not get out of her mind. Every time she looked away, she felt as if the vial was staring at her. Every time she closed her eyes, the image of the vial would unfailingly make its way into her mind's eye. Every time she turned to leave, a feeling of great apprehension hit her in the stomach and choked her with guilt. Another soft growl issued from her throat, followed by slightly mad giggling.

      Great Fyora, I'm being haunted! Haunted by a simple vial!

      The red Xweetok took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes, willing her mind to be clear for once, but as always, the image of the vial showed up within a few seconds. She sighed and eyed the seemingly innocent jar.

      Why can't you just leave me alone?

      She stayed in that position for a while, before getting up, promising that this was definitely her last go at reaching the vial, and if she could not get it this time, she would stop trying. A nagging voice in the back of her head told her that it was what she told herself for the last few times. She angrily shoved the thought.

      Again, she reached out, stretching her sore muscles to the max. Al... most... got...

      A sudden, sharp prod poked her back. She flinched with surprise, and to her horror, started to slip. Her breath catching, she scrabbled for safety, dropping the twig down to the gaping chasm below in her desperation. She twisted, trying to see who pushed her, but no one could be seen. Another prod pushed her, harder this time, sending her tumbling down as a strangled scream tore at her throat.

      All the colors of the world vanished before her eyes, washed away in a tidal wave of black.

     ——————————————

      "Uh... hey..." A male green Bori poked at the Xweetok twitching in her sleep. Was she having a nightmare? His original intention wasn't to free her from the horrors of her sleep, but seeing the way she twitched made him reevaluate his thoughts. Maybe he should try harder to wake her up, then face the wraith later. (She did sleep like a rock, and have a nasty temper when woken up by someone else.) It was something he really, really didn't want to do, given that she was much stronger than him. Last time they had a brawl...

      He shuddered, and tried to focus on the task ahead: waking the Xweetok up.

      "Urm..." he poked at her again, bracing himself for the consequence. "Are you oka-"

      A long, pitiful whine from the Xweetok broke him off, and the Bori scrabbled backwards, eyes wide and shocked. Just what was going on? In the months that they had shared a den, he had never heard her make a sound like... like that.

      It was now or never. The Bori sighed. He was supposed to be looking after her, after all. And she is my charge...

      ... kind of...

      He sneaked to the end of her bed. Please don't kill me, he thought as he rose up and shoved the Xweetok off the makeshift bed. "Hey!"

      "Wraaugh!" Well, the cold of the ground and the shout seemed to do the trick: she's up. Unfortunately, she woke up flailing desperately, and since the bed was nothing more than a bundle of twigs and grass, nothing really stood in the way between he and the raging Xweetok. Some of the flails and claws hit at him, and although they were not enough to draw blood, they were certainly enough to be an annoyance. The Bori winced, and the thought of striking her awake briefly crossed his mind. Stubbornly, he pushed it out as he walked to the other side of the room. It would be nice if at least one of them makes it unscathed.

      Why is it that when she does something as simple as waking up, she has to make it seem like she's fighting off an enemy, he thought, snorting with annoyance.

      Eventually, she did calm herself. Of whatever dream she had, at least. Now, her wrath was fully directed on him. "What?!" she screeched approaching him with slow, deliberate steps. Her displeasure was tangible in the air, and threatened to suffocate him. In the little light that made its way into the cave, she was fearsome: her fur bristling, claws gleaming, and eyes reflecting an angry red. It took all he had to stop himself from apologizing.

      What should I say? She's gonna slay me if I mentioned I saw her displaying weakness!

      "...My plushie disappeared. I can't find it," the Bori managed, then inwardly kicked himself as he voiced his original motivation. Argh, what are you thinking!? That's even worse!

      She stopped. It was pretty clear that she didn't stop because of surprise; the theory that she temporarily forgot how to walk due to overwhelming rage is much more likely to be proven correct. "And?" she questioned. Her tone promised pain.

      "Uh..." He decided it was better go with the conversation. "Help me find it?" he asked meekly, wanting to disappear through the walls.

      A low growl echoed through the den, and he shrunk in upon himself, trying to make himself a smaller target. A sudden urge to roll over into a vulnerable position to show his submission overtook him.

      "Fine!"

      What? He opened his eyes, wondering when he closed them. He repeated the question aloud, incredulous. Why... why would she—

      "I said 'fine'," she hissed. "The sooner I satisfy you, the sooner you leave me alone. Haven't it always been that way?" She turned on her heels and left in a storm.

      "Y-yeah...." he murmured. "I guess..." He placed a paw to his chest, feeling the frantic thump. Still alive.... He breathed a sigh of relief. Just checking.

     ——————————————

      His tail twitched nervously as he listened his Xweetok companion hissed threats under her breath every time the old pieces of cloth gave off a spark of static. He had found the cloth lying around on the ground a while ago, and thought it would make the nest nice and soft, and warmer during the cold months. He had not really been bothered by the static, being partially covered with an exoskeleton. The Xweetok on the other hand...

      "Argh! I hate this! Your little plushie better be worth it!" her voice sounded, muffled. He chanced a glance at her as she backed out of the pile and immediately looked away, biting his tongue to keep from bursting into laughter. Her fur was fluffed up, and she did not look happy.

      "Yeah, it's worth it," he replied, trying and failing to keep his voice from trembling.

      Narrowing her eyes, the Xweetok slowly smiled. Without warning, she shoved him into the pile of cloth and dragged cloth upon cloth over him, wrapping him up in a cocoon of static-inducing fabric. "Your. Turn."

     ——————————————

      "Well, it's not in there," the Bori said after many shoves, threats, and burying.

      "No, really? And here I thought we missed a spot with all that digging around," came the sarcastic reply.

      The static was starting to feel uncomfortable and he yearned for some fresh air after all that activity, but it was still extremely dark out, and he was pretty sure asking his companion to accompany him out now would be a very bad idea. "Well, we didn't look between the rocks yet..." he suggested.

      "And why would it be there!?"

      "...well, we searched everywhere else... worth a shot."

     ——————————————

      Moments later, they were staring in awe at a battered Shoyru plushie.

      "Where did you even get this?" the Xweetok asked, a hint of disgust making it into her voice.

      "It was lying on the ground. Thought it was cute."

      "Y-you can't just claim things off the ground!" the female spluttered. "Especially for a reason like that!"

      "...Well, I do," the Bori shrugged it off as if it was nothing.

      His companion lashed her tail, frustrated with his behavior. "It's immoral! And might be cursed," she said, adding the last part in a softer tone.

      He laughed. "Cursed!" He was often described as being extremely cautious by his friends, but even he knew where to draw the line. "Yeah, maybe that's how this," he pointed at the plushie, "got in between there," he finished pointing at two rock. The rocks were situated closely, with only a crack awake from touching each other. It would have taken a lot of effort to get the plushie through it and into the larger chamber inside. "It just got up and walked, then climbed up and over the rocks to get in between them, haha. Maybe it's a spy plotting our downfall," he chuckled some more, then paused when he noticed he was the only one chuckling, and glanced at the Xweetok.

      Is she... trembling?

      "C'mon." He reached over and laid a paw on her shoulder, taking note of how wide her eyes are and how tense she really was. "I was just joking! Don't be so paranoid."

      "P-paranoid?"

      "Yeah, you know, like how you are acting right now."

      It seemed to break the Xweetok out of her trance. She glowered and shoved the paws off before stepping back.

      "I am not paranoid!"

      "Yeah, sure."

      "I'm not!"

      "Mh-hm..."

     ——————————————

      It had been a bit over two weeks since the plushie incident.

      "I'm leaving."

      The Bori glanced up, surprised. Leaving? He always knew that his companion was somewhat of a wanderer, but... "What?"

      His companion didn't reply.

      "It's the middle of the Month of Storing, and you just want to... leave!? Do you even remember when I first found you?" He actually found her passed out on near his cave, starving and dehydrated, during the Month of Hiding. And how she wants to just leave?

      Still no reply.

      "Look, is this about the plushie? Because I could get rid of it if it bothers you!" he shouted, desperate.

      A sigh escaped his companion. "No... it's just that I have to go."

      "But why?" Sadness. Anger. Anxiety. A whole mess of feelings bubbled up in his chest. He stubbornly pushed it down.

      "I just have to. Just... get rid of the plush, will ya?"

      He suppressed a growl of frustration. "If I get rid of the plush, will you stay?"

      "No. I really have to—"

      "Look, I didn't go through all this just to let you freeze out there! Are you going to stay here or not!?" The Bori burst out, then stopped abruptly, surprised by his own anger. The Xweetok looked surprised as well, but after a moment of stunned silence, the answer was still negative.

      "At least wait until tomorrow!"

      The Xweetok looked away and didn't reply.

     ——————————————

      He awoke with a start, and immediately felt around in the dark with panic, searching for the familiar weight of his Xweetok companion. He had intended to stay awake the whole night in order to make sure she wouldn't leave at the middle of the night, but he must have fallen asleep. She wouldn't... Feeling only empty cloth around him, he bolted up right and glanced feverishly, confusion flooding his mind when he saw her siting at the end of he room, dozing with her eyes closed and head low, but not fully sleeping.

      He climbed out of his nest and tugged at her tail, shivering at how cold she was already. Guiding her to the warm spot of his nest, he made her lay down and wrapped himself around her. Even as her breath started to even out, he forced his eyes to remain open, and he thought back to when he found her. He hated strangers then, and he hated her. She was just a burden to him, stealing his food and keeping him more preoccupied that he needed to be.

      Then somewhere among the lines, she changed from being a charge to being an acquaintance of sorts, then a companion. But was she even her companion anymore? Or was she a friend? Was there a line between a companion and a friend? Was there a difference? He had prevented making friends even when he was a child. Calling her a brat at first, then a companion, preserved that stability he needed.

     He was very much afraid of connections, and never ventured out any more than he needed to. He liked an isolated life.

      But then she came... and curse her for it!

      His eyes widened as his mind processed his last thought. No, no nonono! He didn't want her to be cursed. He wanted her to be safe. Please... just be safe. A memory tugged at the corner of his mind, and like always, he ignored it. He knew what that memory was, and he didn't want to think about it. He wasn't sure if he ever want to think about it again.

      "Did I ever tell you I had a sister?" He sighed, letting the silence fill the cave. "Don't let the humans get you..." he whispered, then paused, realizing that he didn't even know her name. Does she even have a name? Probably... probably all nicknames that other pets gave her. "Just be careful... friend."

      He buried her nose into her fur, and breathed in her scent. He wanted to never forget that scent, he realized as he fell asleep.

      When he woke up, it was to an empty nest. His friend had taken departure. She had not taken any food he had prepared for her (the messily wrapped up package of food was still there), but seemed to have eaten her fill before leaving, if the crumbs and shells were any identification. They seemed old, so she must have left before sunrise. Always a bad listener, she was. Always had a mind of her own. How could you leave without letting me say a last goodbye first?

      He choked down the empty feeling of loss in his chest, and considered pretending as if she hadn't left at all, but no.... She wouldn't want that, would she.

      Maybe he would go out, just to honor her memory, but not today, or the next, or maybe this week. He would go when he was ready. Until then, it's back to the old routine. The one he was perfectly happy doing before she came.

      He sat there for a moment, staring at the crumbs, before sighing and cleaning up. He threw out the plushie, as a granted wish for the stranger he came to love as a family member. You're perfectly happy with what you don't have, until you gained it and lost it again, he marveled gloomily. Maybe if luck favored him, he would see her again.

      But then again, he had never been one to bet on hope and luck.

The End