Page 28 of Raw

“What are you thinking about?” I whispered.

“The foxes. Strange how they disappeared. I never really thought about them until you mentioned them.”

He turned his head to look at me with a gentle smile. “Maybe they’re a symbol for your presence.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that ever since you’re gone, ever since the foxes are gone…things haven’t been the same out here.”

I studied his face closely, letting my eyes wander over every inch of it. “But I’m here now.”

“Yeah, but the foxes aren’t.”

His words made me think.

“Just because they’re still gone, but I’m back, doesn’t mean things can’t go back to normal, does it?” I asked, my voice filled with hope.

“No, Vespyr. That’s exactly what it means.”

I frowned at him and watched as he pushed himself up on his left elbow, looking down at me with his hair falling over his eyes.

“Until they’re back, things will not go back to normal. No matter if you’re here. You can’t fix everything.”

“I don’t wanna fix everything. I don’t like the way you two treat each other though,” I said, trying to keep my voice low.

“We’re men, Ves. Hell, I don’t even remember how all this started but I don’t want you to get in the middle of it. Stay out of it, all right? I can deal with it myself and so can he.”

I kept my eyes on him while he spoke, but as much as I tried to understand what he was trying to say, I didn’t.

“Aren’t you being a bit superstitious about this? I mean…they’re foxes. They roam the wild because it’s their playground. But that doesn’t mean they’re the reason why you can’t act normal around Papa.”

He watched me for a while, but instead of saying words I was able to understand, he muttered something under his breath and pushed his blanket away.

“Believe whatever you want, Vespyr,” he then said.

“Where are you going?” I asked, confused as to why he was now leaving. “It’s late, Fen.”

“I’ll be back. Don’t worry about me.”

He climbed down the ladder without saying another word, and when I heard his footsteps move further away, I jumped up to follow him.

Papa was asleep, and waking him would only cause more problems, so I grabbed the flashlight from the table and turned it on to shine it in the direction Fennec disappeared in.

“Fen!” I hissed, but he wouldn’t stop walking. “Fen, it’s dangerous out here in the middle of the night!”

No response.

“Fennec, please don’t run away from me.”

A thick lump formed in my throat, and while I kept the light on his back, I tried to ignore the darkness surrounding me.

I felt unease creeping up on me, but I would’ve felt the same way staying all by myself up there in the treehouse.

Fennec never left my side, so why would he now?

“I’m sorry I upset you. I didn’t mean to. Please stop walking. We’re gonna get lost,” I cried, feeling my heart beat faster with every step I took.

“Fennec, please stop. I’m sorry and I’ll make it better. I won’t talk about you and Papa anymore. It’s none of my business.”

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