The story of a Chocobo

" Riku look at that yellow bird, he is so cute ! Said Sora, a young boy aged eight, he had short, spiky and brown hair, holding an animal with the shape of an ostrich and the fur of a chick.

-Where did you find it? It's a strange thing. Has he got a name yet? Asked Riku, Sora's best friend, his hair is a bit longer than Sora's and it is grey hair! He is one year older than his friend and wore a yellow, high-collared top, black shorts, dark blue and with shoes and blue wristbands.

-I've never seen it before! He probably came from another world, I wonder how it got here. Can I hug him? How can we give him a name if we don't know if it's a boy or a girl? Added Kairi, the boys' best friend, she had short straight red hair, and she wore a short light blue dress, sandals and a necklace with the shape of a drop of water.

-Mum and Dad told me that was a boy! I wanted to decide his name with you! Claim Sora with a big smile.

-I've got an idea: the one who wins the race from here to Riku's house will choose the name of our new friend!" Suggested Kairi, holding the pet with her right arm, she raised her hand.

When the countdown reached zero, the boys started to run, taking different ways, Sora was running along the beach until the dirt road while Riku was climbed the fences in front of him and was crossing different gardens. Kairi followed Sora but less fast than him.

On the last meters, the spiky head thought he had already won but Riku turned up from Selphie's garden, one of Sora's neighbors. That same girl was chasing the grey head because he stepped on her flowers. She threw a blitzball which Wakka, one of her friend, had forgotten the day before. But the projectile touched the spiky head boy instead of the other one. Sora fell to the ground and hit his nose against a rock, Selphie and Kairi ran to their friend. His nose was blooding a bit. Riku, who thought that Selphie was always after him, reached the door of his best friend's home. Then he looked back and realized what happened, he prevented the injured boy's parents. Few hours later, everybody came back home because it was late. The Chocobo, who had been called Arthur, returned with spiky boy and his parents.

Many days passed, after school, the trio went each day on the other island with Arthur, Kairi and Sora loved their pet but Riku didn't like Arthur because he always bit him and the grey head was unhappy because Sora didn't play with him as much as before. He was also a bit jealous since his parents never let him have a pet.

One day, in the morning, when Sora had to stay at home to help his mother with the chores, Riku, who was convinced that his friends didn't need that pet, decided to act.

Arthur was at Kairi's house for the week and at that moment; she was playing with Selphie in the playground, near the school, on swings. The boy entered in the house and searched for the pet. It was sleeping on the sofa in the living room. The mailor was working in his office with administrative documents, Riku woke up Athur, the bird bit him again and looked at him with joy. The boy carried the animal in a forest. Once he was enough deep inside the woods, he left the pet on a tree. Then he ignored the noises made by Arthur and ran away from the wood.

Back at his home, he began to feel guilty. The memories of the moments with Sora, Kairi and Arthur crossed his mind fast: when the grey head tried to stay away from his friends, the yellow bird always bit his clothes and tried to make him happy by jumping around him; Arthur never bit him very strongly; the pet was always following him when the boy tried to don't see the Chocobo. He realized that he was also considering Arthur as a friend, he returned in the forest as fast as he could. Riku shouted and hoped that the animal would indicate his position.

Suddenly, he heard a shout of agony coming from the left, he ran to the origin of the noise. The dead body of the Chocobo was lying in a pond of blood, on the ground and a fox which had blood on its fur was having lunch. The murder ran away when it saw the boy. At the beginning, Riku was too shocked to react; it took a minute for him to admit that he will never spend time with his yellow friend again. The boy started to cry and he shouted in hope that the pain would go away from him.

Few minutes later, Riku's mother who was having a walk and heard the shouts came to see what happened. She discovered her son crying and the dead pet of her neighbors.

"Mum! Arthur, He... Sniff, disappeared and a fox… Sniff, attack him… Sniff… Tried to say Riku, his eyes filled with tears.

-I'm sorry for you but remember it's not your fault. An accident can happen whenever; the life won't wait for us. Anyway, that doesn't mean we can't cry. Sometimes, it's good to let all the pain go out of your soul." Told her mother quietly with fragments of sorrow in her mind.

During the afternoon, Riku told what happened to Sora and Kairi but he didn't say the true reason of carrying Arthur in the forest. His friends were really sad; he cried again realizing that was his entire fault. That day, he made a promise to himself that from that day, he would do everything to make them staying together whatever the price. Few weeks later, he carved the image of his dead friend in the secret cave on the other island, then he looked again at the mysterious door in the cave.

He didn't know at that time that few years later, he would open the door and by the way, destroy his own home.