Frogs, Crickets and Cat-Owls were the only sounds to be heard for miles, that was one of the nice things about having a hide out in the forest.
Smellerbee looked down from the splintery wooden platform from which she was seated, The ground hidden through the many feet of tree limbs and leafs. her sight trailed upwards upwards in hope to catch a glimpse of the beautiful night sky through the tree tops. A small bald patch allowed her eyes to meet with the black sky, even with her limited sight, she could still see at least a hundred stars that were shinning brighter than any jewels she had ever seen; But they were nothing in comparison to the moon, it's rays peaked through every gap in the branches.
In Smellerbee's opinion; the Moon far out shined the Sun, maybe because no matter how dark life seemed to get, she could always rely on that spark of light to shine down on her and allow her a way of freedom when the world turned black. Smellerbee wasn't a religious person much at all, but one spirit she had never doubted was the moon spirit. Even the night her village was burned to ashes, she plainly remembered starring at the moon for comfort until it lulled her to sleep even with her aching hear- Wait, was that-...? her peaceful thoughts were suddenly cut short as a new sound broke the steady beat of the night.
It was a familiar sound; She heard faint sobs and quiet sniffles. Living with so many children, that sound was often heard. But something wasn't quite right, it struck her odd at how abruptly it began, and at such a late hour too.
She didn't take a second thought before she lifted herself to her feet and began walking towards the noise, it didn't sound too awfully far away, in fact, the sound only came from two platforms away, from The Duke's tent. With a furrowed brow Smellerbee entered the tent, her eyes locking on the small bundled lump on the sleeping mat, the form hardly distinguishable from every other shape and shadow cast in his tent. "Uh... 'Duke?" Smellerbee called out in a gentle voice, almost a whisper. He quickly wiped his tear stained cheeks before sitting up to face her.
"He-ey, S-S-Smellerbee." The Duke choked out a greeting, his best fake smile struggling to pull his lips upward.
Even in the dark Smellerbee could see his watering eyes, red nose and puffy cheeks, It was pitiful to say the least, he wasn't one to cry much. Something must have really gotten to him, and she had a fairly well idea of what it might be.
"'Everything alright?" Smellerbee asked, kneeling beside his sleeping mat, and reaching out a gentle hand to rest on his leg. The Duke had always stuck closely to Pipsqueak and Jet. But now Jet was gone, and Pipsqueak was out on missions most everyday (considering he was the strongest out of all of the fighters) and Smellerbee knew he would be at least until the war settled, he was definitely needed. And now The Duke wasn't sure where to turn. Smellerbee couldn't help but melt with sympathy when she was around him; Even though everyone knows she isn't the sympathetic type. at all.
"Yeah, i-i'm fine." The Duke lied with a sniffle, his voice quaking as he struggled to swallow the lump in his throat.
"Did you have another bad dream?" Since Jet had died, The Duke had been having one nightmare after another. Every single night. But it was understandable, most of the younger ones had. Even Smellerbee had- Though she wouldn't dare tell anyone.
The Duke couldn't respond, all of his effort was placed in trying not to cry in front of a girl. The Duke had always tried to be tough, he knew we had never seen Jet or Pipsqueak cry. But it only took seconds before his eyes watered over and began flooding down his cheeks.
"'Duke.." Smellerbee scooted onto his mat, scooping him up onto her lap, her arms wrapping around him. Smellerbee didn't know what to say, She had no clue actually. She wasn't one to do this type of thing. Normally Jet would handle these situations with a comforting talk and a pat on the back. But she was feeling the same way as The Duke, and she knew better than to fill him with false hope.
"I-I Just want Je-et back..." The Duke couldn't bare it any longer, his face suddenly dropped against her shoulder, all at once he lost control and began harshly sobbing against the rough fabric of her old black top. She rubbed his back and rested her head against his own, attempting to sooth him to the best of her ability.
"I know you do 'Duke. We all do.." Smellerbee didn't bother trying to hold back the tears that began rolling down her cheeks. She was only glad he couldn't see them. Smellerbee understood she needed this just as much as The Duke. It had been hardly over a week since Jet's passing, But each day felt like the first. The only way to escape the aching of her heart and memories of the event was to sleep, but now that was failing, the dreams progressively becoming worse.
There was no way to resume things normally, Smellerbee had taken Jet's title as Leader, and every day she feels the pressure of providing for about a hundred children. Everything from setting up teams to raid Fire Nation camps to setting traps to catch their next meal was placed on her. But when his crying hushed, it made her feel that she may be doing something right. She may have a chance at being an acceptable leader. After her weakest moment, she began feeling her strongest. moments passed, and a light snore rolled from the boy's lips, that's when Smellerbee laid back onto the mat and turned to her side, laying The Duke beside her and not releasing him from her embrace. The two fell asleep against one another, having a sense of comfort and reassurance and support as each of them closed their eyes in a blissful, dreamless nights rest.