Hello everyone and welcome to 2019! X3
I've missed all you wonderful people and I do hope that this year will be filled with more stories and more feedback than ever before. But for now, have fun with my first fic of the new year.
Disclaimer: The fic was inspired by rbluepie's beautiful drawings on Tumblr, who also created the cover for this fic. Please go check out their blog and give them some love.
ENJOY!
It had been a beautiful couple of days in England; the sun had been shining, the breeze had been gentle and the sky had been clear above everyone's heads. Such lovely weather was rare for the country. But with that rare weather's arrival came an oppurtunity, one which a small family happily grasped with every hand they had.
A camping trip in the countryside just for them.
Said small family was comprised of a kind mother, a hard working father, their adventurous eight year old son and the family's little pet; a blonde kitten by the name of Edward.
Now a few days of camping in the great outdoors had already passed, and all of them, aside from Edward, felt completely rejuvanated thanks to their break away from technology; smiles upon their faces and unforgettable memories stored inside their minds.
Edward simply wanted to go back home and play with his favourite toy.
But alas, after finishing their last meal, the mother decided that they should go for one more long walk around the forest instead of going home. He felt it was a waste of time, but as the family pet, he didn't really have much of a choice in the matter.
The parents walked in front; hands locked together and lovey dovey expressions upon their faces.
The son walked along a step behind them, flailing around a long stick as if it were a sword from one of his favourite adventure books.
As for Edward, he quietly walked along behind his owners, his poor paws aching with every step he took along the dirty, uneven and a tad rocky woodland trail, though he kept his head held high and didn't let the pain show.
But it gave him another reason to want to be back home; close to a warm fireplace, lapping up warm milk and sleeping in his soft cat-
'Butterfly!'
The winged creature suddenly flew into his line of sight, encircling Edward as his big green eyes followed it and he spun around and around so as not to lose sight of it. The butterfly's pretty wings appeared to have been painted with every colour of the rainbow.
His mind was made up. He was going to catch it!
And when the pretty butterfly eventually flew away, so too did Edward run away with it.
He ran and ran and then ran some more, certain that he was getting closer with every step he took, the grass caressing his sore paws while his eyes remained transfixed upon the pretty butterfly. Edward was quite fast for a kitten his age, and so he eventually caught up with it. And after pushing back against his back legs, he leaped up into the air and brought it down with a soft thud, trapping the pretty butterfly between his paws and the ground.
"Ha! I've got you now!" He triumphantly exclaimed.
But as he caught his breath, smiling down at the trapped butterfly...the adrenaline faded.
And once he had finally caught his breath back, Edward slowly raised his head and saw only huge trees, thick bushes and mud stained grass surrounding him. The trees were staring intensely at him, as if glaring at an intruder.
But no matter where he looked...the woodland trail was nowhere to be found.
Eyes filled with confusion, he slowly spun around, staring at his new surroundings while a cold shiver covered him from head to paws. He couldn't see the camp. He couldn't see his owners. But he was sure that he was still in the forest. The butterfly secretly fluttered away behind Edward's back.
And after a few spins, a single thought creeped up on him and struck him over the head like a falling lamp.
'I'm...I'm on...my own?'
Edward sat there, staring ahead with his little canines bared in anger . No, he wasn't going to give in to despair, that wouldn't help. All he had to do was get there attention, then everything would alright again!
And so, he took a deep breath, puffed out his chest and then meowed as loud as he could, calling out to his owners, demanding that they come to him and take him home that very instant. He wasn't going to be stuck there in that awful forest! It was too cold and it was too dirty!
He meowed and meowed, again and again, not letting up for a second. It felt like several hours passed for him.
But no matter how many times he called out and no matter how loud he meowed, his owners were still nowhere to be seen. He was still stuck; alone and cold. Edward fell silent and stared down at the ground; his eyes watering, his fluffy tail draping along the ground and his small ears lowering upon his head.
Suddenly, as if the sky noticed his change in mood, grey clouds quickly consumed the clear blue sky and the first droplet plumetted, passing leaves and branches, until it eventually exploded upon Edward's little pink nose.
He gasped in surprise and stared cross eyed at his now glistening nose, before more droplets attacked him, hitting every inch of his body in quick succession, almost soaking him to the bone before he finally ran to the nearest hiding spot. A thick and uplifted leg of a nearby tree, which he hastily slid under.
The rain came down heavier, its horrible noise growing louder and more violent in Edward's ears, and with the drumming of his pounding heart added to it, a frightening tune filled his sensitive ears. He hastily covered them, shut his eyes as tightly as possible and trembled in fear beneath the uprooted tree leg.
Edward then once again attempted to cry out for help...but his family never answered.
The sun inevitably fell below the horizon and night time shrouded the forest in star covered darkness. Sadly though, the rain still continued on; puddles big and small littering the ground, branches heavy with rain droplets and rain streaming off hundreds of leaves. Worse still harsh winds were now beating trees back and forth. And thanks to the suddenly dreadful weather change, Edward's family had been forced back to their car, their bodies protected by hoodied water proof coats as they hastily shoved their camping stuff back into it.
However unknown to them, a big brown bushy wolf watched them from within the shadows of the forest, its curious eyes glowing a warm shade of red in the darkness.
"Mom? Dad?" The young boy suddenly asked, just as the trunk was closed.
"Yes sweetie?" His mother said, her and her husband turning to look down at him with sad frowns and pained expressions upon their faces.
The boy's eyes were filled with tears, some of them already rolling down his face as he stared up at them
"W-What are we going to do about Edward? I-I don't want to lose him." He said, a few sobs leaving him before he bursted into a crying mess.
His cries quickly reached the wolf's ears, his eyes widening ever so slightly. He frowned. That poor poor child.
The boy's mother and father quickly knelt down and hold him close in their arms.
"It's okay, sweetie. We'll get him back." His mother cooed to him.
"Yeah. We'll come back with a search party tomorrow and find him." His father calmly reassured.
Thankfully, it seemed that their words were enough to ease their son's sorrow, for eventually, his sobs quietened and he pulled away from them, wiping away his tears with a grateful smile on his face.
After that, the wolf watched the family get into their car and began the long ride home. Its engine roared to life, echoing for a couple minutes after they drove away, until silence once again fell over the forest.
The wolf wondered who the poor boy had been worrying and weeping over. His sibling? A friend of his?
But after awhile of thinking and staring, he shrugged his shoulders, turned around and then walked back into the forest. If he thought any longer, he would be soaked from fur to bone before he made it home. He strolled along quietly; passing trees and smiling at the smaller animals that crossed paths with him. But as he glanced up at the beautiful moon that illuminated the night sky, a strange noise suddenly echoed around him.
He stopped, body tensing up as his ears twitched atop his head.
He then quickly focused on listening out for the noise. It came again. He quickly turned his head to stare at a nearby tree; his ruby eyes shining with curiousity and his body shaking with excitement like an earthquake had suddenly invaded the forest.
'It's someone new! Who could they be?! A rabbit? A bird? Oh! Maybe another dog!' He wondered to himself, his excitement almost consuming his entire mind just as quickly as it had arrived.
But thankfully, he quickly shook it off and composed himself. He puffed out his chest, straightened his back and put on a calm and more respectable expression. And after taking a slow and deep breath, he approached the tree.
The grass crumpled beneath his paws and rain drops decorated his furry form, his eyes fixed upon the tall and thick tree, yet the closer he drew towards it, the clearer and less strange the noise became.
In fact, it was not one noise, but merely two noises that his ears hadn't seperated right away.
Sorrowful sobs and crushed cries.
A sad frown pulled at the edges of his lips as he stood before the tree. He then lowered himself down onto his stomach in front of an uprooted tree leg and peeked underneath it to see who was there. His body instantly froze up, the cries and sobs overpowered the sound of the rain hammering down upon the forest floor and his eyes widened in shock.
'A...A kitten? Why...Why is a kitten hiding under a tree leg?'
He stared at it, watching as its small form shook with every sound that left its quivering lips. But it hadn't noticed his prescence just yet, so he stared for a little longer...and then a little longer still...until he finally regained the ability to speak to the kitten.
"Are you alright?" He asked, voice as soft as a feather.
But all it did was let out a frightened whimper and curl up even tighter.
The wolf's frown deepened. Was his voice really that intimidating? He tried again.
"Hey it's okay, i'm not going to hurt you." He reassured with the same tone as before.
A silent moment passed, in which he noticed that its paws were covering its eyes. Did it think he was some scary monster that had come to snatch it up? But after the moment passed, it slowly pulled its paws away from its face and peeked up at him, revealing two big tear filled eyes.
He gasped and stared in awe at those eyes. They were made of emerald, he was certain of it! There was no other reason in his head for how those big eyes could be so bright and so pretty.
Both of them stared curiously at one another.
"W-Who are you? I-I've never seen you before." The kitten asked, its voice nervous and shaking.
'It isn't an it, it is a he.' He quietly corrected.
"I could say the same thing to you. Are you alright?" The wolf asked back, smiling warmly.
He shook his head, before slowly standing up on all fours, shaking the water off his small frame and then stepping closer towards him. However the kitten remained under the uprooted leg, fearing that the rain would get him again.
"I-I'm lost and I can't find my family. H-Have you seen them?" He said, while the rain continued to pour down loudly just outside the safety of his dry and somewhat warm hiding spot.
At those words, his eyes sparkled with curiousity, though at the same time, they were slightly dimmed by sadness. Was he the one that that poor boy had been weeping over?
"By any chance, is your name Edward?" He questioned with a frown.
He instantly nodded, a hopeful light instantly brightening up his fluffy face. Edward could once again imagine the warmth of the fire near his body, the comfort of his bed beneath his form and the taste of delicious cat food in his-!
But the wolf sighed; curiousity fading from his eyes and his gaze dropping to the wet forest floor. The painful truth weighed down upon his heart. He just couldn't tell him, he couldn't bare the thought of crushing his hope.
Edward's hopeful expression slowly dimmed as the rain filled the silence.
"I'm sorry, Edward." He eventually said, sympathetic, finally able to push the words past the sorrowful lump in his throat.
Edward said nothing.
Tears swelled up in his eyes, his lower lip began to wobble and the light upon his fluffy face finally vanished.
But he still said nothing and just stared down at his paws.
'Have they left me?'
'Did they try to find me?'
'Don't they want me anymore?!'
They echoed in his head, bouncing back and forth and then back and forth again, yet no answers were in sight.
But he didn't want any answers.
He just wanted his owners back. He wanted his family back! He didn't want to be alone!
And with a cry, Edward ran forward; tears streaming down his face and rain dripping down his body, before he latched onto the wolf and hid his face in his warm chest. He tensed up in surprise, his ears filled by Edward's sobs, cries and whines as he silently stared down at him.
He hadn't expected Edward to suddenly hug him, but it felt...nice.
After a little while longer of tense surprise and silent staring, he carefully wrapped his front legs around Edward's small frame, embracing him while his head protected him from the rain.
'If only I had found you sooner. Maybe you wouldn't be crying if I hadn't watched them leave.'
Minutes passed and the rain continued on, soaking him to the bone. But no matter how heavy the rain poured, the wolf didn't care. He just wanted to help Edward feel a little less sad, and so he ignored the rain, ignored the cold winds and the darkness all around him, just to hold him close for as long as Edward needed.
And soon, his cries and his sobs quietened and eventually ceased, though neither he nor the wolf pulled away from one another. Instead, he stared up at him, a few stray tears rolling down his face, while the wolf stared back.
He looked so lost, so unsure, but more than anything, he looked utterly heart broken.
He could feel his own heart cracking under the sorrowful pressure of such a sight.
However, as the wolf looked down at Edward, staring into those watery emerald eyes...he smiled. An idea was shining inside his mind, one that would ease the pain until a better plan could take its place. He then lowered his head and gently nuzzled Edward's cheek with his nose, before finally speaking up.
"I'm certain that they will come back for you, Edward." He whispered, a soft and caring tone to his words, while his eyes sparkled with renewed excitement and cheer. He then pulled back, the sparkle suddenly seeming to have brightened his entire face within seconds, while Edward merely continued to stare at him, his front paws held close to his chest.
But if you were to look closer, close enough for Edward's eyes to consume your entire vision, you could have seen that a tiny spark of curiousity resided within them.
"Until then you can stay with me. I have a cave in this forest that's nice and warm and I can bring you food and water too, you'll be safe there, Edward." The wolf quickly explained, voice dripping with excitement, as if he were about to start running around and howling at the moon over the possibilty of living with someone else.
But he remained sitting down. He didn't want Edward to be vulnerable to the rain.
Instead, he watched the wheels turn inside Edward's little mind; his eyes as big as stones and his head tilted ever so slightly to the side.
The wolf watched him think.
The wolf saw his thoughts run through his eyes.
The wolf already knew what his answer was going to be.
And he was right, for Edward was indeed thinking. He couldn't defend himself, for his claws had been clipped. He didn't know the layout of the forest, for he had not been there for very long. He also didn't enjoy getting wet either.
'I don't really have other options to pick, but at least he's friendly.' Edward thought to himself.
"So are you coming?" The wolf curiously asked.
Edward thought for a little longer, before he finally answered.
"I will. But...umm..."
Edward tilted his head to the other side, that aforementioned spark of curiousity shining brightly in his eyes as he pointed a single small paw up at the wolf.
"What's your name?" He asked.
He stared at Edward, confused for a moment, before his eyes widened and realisation flashed through them. One of his front legs then hastily covered his eyes and a long sigh left his lips.
'How on Earth could I have been so rude as to not tell him my name?!'
Eventually, he looked down at Edward again, a small and apologetic smile on his face.
"My apologises, Edward. I should have introduced myself sooner." He said, before stepping back and lowering his head, similiar to the way a gentleman would bow in front of a beautiful lady.
In turn, Edward hastily backed up underneath the tree leg, though his eyes remained fixed upon the wolf.
"My name is Henry. It is a pleasure to meet you." He said, a warm and polite smile on his face.
"Henry." Edward quietly repeated. He then muttered his name under his breath a couple times. It sounded nice and fit the wolf perfectly. He then smiled and waved.
"Hello Henry!" He shouted happily.
They smiled at each other; the rain seeming to ease slightly above their heads and the wind gently caressing through their fur. Henry then slowly rose up onto all fours, turned around and then carefully parted his back legs.
"Well we best be going. You can walk under me, Edward, i'll protect you until we get there." Henry kindly offered, his long and bushy tail swaying from side to side behind him.
Edward quietly followed its movements, as if he were suddenly wrapped up in a cute trance.
Left to right, right to left, left to right, right to left, left to-
"Edward are you listening to me?"
He hastily looked up at Henry; confused and surprised.
"Uhh, yeah, yeah I was listening, Henry. Uh, definetly listening!" He hastily answered, his cheeks warming up beneath his fur as he spoke.
Had he suddenly spaced out without even realising it?
He then quickly ran between Henry's legs and stood beneath his stomach, while Henry let out a long sigh and rolled his eyes at Edward's obvious lie. But still he couldn't help but smile. He just couldn't possibly stay mad at such an adorable animal like Edward.
"Ready?" He asked.
"Yes Henry!" Edward exclaimed, smiling a huge and excited smile.
And with that, the two of them began the quiet walk to the wolf's home; Edward's worries left underneath the tree leg and a single thought running through Henry's mind as the animal gods watched over them.
'I'll make you happy, Edward. I promise.'
The End
Once again, a very huge thank you to rbluepie for inspiring this fic and creating such a beautiful piece of art for the cover. Once again, they are awesome and please give their art some love.
Anyways, don't forget to leave your thoughts and feedback in the comment section down below, before you go!
BYE! BYE!