Yay, more J&D fic, 'cause there isn't nearly enough of it...I dunno why, there's so much potential.
Anyway, a little more playing with Jak's lack of voice, so kindly ignore any facts pointing to him being able to talk, it spoils my fun, y'know. =^_~=
Unlike the last fic, this one actually takes place in the game, urgh, imagine camping out in the Boggy Swamp, but, well, that's what I'm gonna make them do. =^_~=
In other things that make this author's note longer, this is also my first fic of 2003 (yay, go me =^_^v), and the characters in it are, of course, not mine, they belong to Naughty Dog, it says so every time the game starts. =^_^=
And now, without further ado...
Forbidding Night
LH-chan '03
Daxter hugged his knees to his chest as he looked out over the foreign shoreline from the spot on Jak's bedroll where he was camped.
The Boggy Swamp, they called this area, lying cold and forbidding in the darkness behind them.
The cold seeped into Daxter's fur, and he shivered.
It felt strange to have fur.
It felt stranger still to be so small. Sitting there before the vast ocean, Jak's side, which he leaned against as his friend slept, seemed to be the only thing anchoring him to the world, out there in the dark.
Some adventure.
That was the strangest thing of all, really, being out on their first real adventure.
Somehow, when he'd imagined adventuring, back home in Sandover Village, he'd never imagined it being so dangerous.
He'd never imagined they might be killed, for instance.
They weren't dead yet, he told himself; that, at least, was a very good sign.
Still, the further away from their village they moved, the more dangerous the journey seemed to become, more traps, more Lurkers.
They'd only just avoided that one frog Lurker with the electric tongue that morning.
And that troll-like Lurker in the afternoon had hit Jak so hard.
If not for the fortunate bit of yellow eco Jak had landed beside when the Lurker had thrown him, Daxter couldn't help but wonder if his friend would have gotten away with only a sore shoulder.
Would have gotten away at all.
It was a terrible prospect to consider.
Daxter patted his friend's hand fondly as the other teen slept. He wasn't the type to say such a thing aloud, but he really was grateful to have Jak there with him. Despite all his big talk, he knew now, without Jak he would have never made it out of the village in one piece, transformation by dark eco, or no.
Behind Daxter, Jak stirred, then rolled over gently, so that Daxter was propped against his chest instead of his side. He rested his head on his hand and regarded his newly furry friend.
"Sorry if I woke you up," said Daxter, uncharacteristically subdued as he watched his mute friend's face for annoyance at the disturbance.
He found none, Jak looked only contemplative, and a little sleepy.
"How's your shoulder?"
Jak sat up, and scooted back a bit, facing his friend, leaving him to sit up on his own, then rubbed his arm a bit, gingerly, rotating his shoulder, and gave a one-sided shrug with his other arm.
Stiff but okay, Daxter translated subconsciously, long since accustomed to Jak's speech through expression.
"Good," smiled Daxter. "I thought I was gonna have to take all these guys on by myself tomorrow.
"'Course, I'd whip 'em all, but y'know...don't wanna get my hands, er, paws dirty."
Jak gave him an indignant look, and Daxter flopped back onto the bedroll with a soft sigh. The joke had sounded empty, and he knew it; worse, he was sure Jak would notice too.
Sure enough, a moment later, Jak's big, cloth-wrapped, hand settled lightly on Daxter's furred shoulder, and Daxter turned to face a familiar expression. An expression that asked clearly: "what's wrong?"
"Aww, Jak..." he hesitated. "I'm just worried...just a little bit...you know."
Jak nodded.
Daxter sighed, he didn't want to say more, didn't want Jak to know he was worried, or scared. But, Jak was, whether he was glad of it or otherwise, out here, risking his life, for Daxter's sake, of his own free will.
The least he could do, Daxter told himself, was confide in Jak a little.
"I never thought adventuring would be like this," said Daxter at last, "I always pictured fun, and glory...but this...is just rough, we could be killed tomorrow...we could be killed tonight...what then?
"Or worse, we could get all the way to the far north, and this Dark Sage, or whatever he is, won't be able to help me."
Daxter shivered, and not only because the cold, damp air was seeping into his fur. This was the problem that had really been troubling him.
"What if he can't change me back?"
He hugged his knees once again, that, above all else, scared him most.
He'd never been a big guy as his true self, but in this tiny animal-body, he felt completely helpless.
Jak regarded him with his gentle, open, face, placing a hand on his shoulder once again, both to get his friend's attention, and for reassurance.
He put his other hand to his chest, then placed it on his shoulder guard, the one Daxter had been standing on during their travels together, for emphasis.
"I can stay with you," Daxter translated aloud.
"Why would you want that? You're a great adventurer...like this, I'll be in your way all the time...weighing you down. Just like now."
Jak shook his head sharply, placing a finger to his lips, then pointing it toward Daxter.
"I...talk for you," Daxter translated.
Jak continued, tapping the side of his head, then pointing to Daxter once more.
"And I have...good ideas...give good advice?"
Jak nodded, smiling.
"Do I really help you all that much?" Daxter spread his paws, taking in his new furry body. "Even like this?"
Jak nodded once more.
"Guess we make a pretty strong team, then," said Daxter proudly, his characteristic confidence starting to creep back into his voice.
Another nod.
"Daxter and Jak, the mighty adventurers, just like we always said, right?" he continued, in a pseudo tough-guy voice.
Jak quirked an eyebrow at Daxter's typical choice of name order, but nodded anyway.
"Everything will turn out alright, won't it?" asked Daxter, in a suddenly small voice.
Jak nodded, smiling, emphatic. He held his fist to his chest, as though he was swearing an oath.
"You'll do your best," Daxter translated. "And I'll do mine, too," he added.
The boy, turned ottsel, smiled, and Jak smiled back, before flopping back onto the bedroll and stretching out like a cat, shutting his eyes tightly.
A none-to-subtle way, translated Daxter in his head, as he lay down beside his friend, of saying "go to sleep, so I'm not too tired to fight Lurkers in the morning."
Otherwise, thought Daxter, I'll have to fight them by myself.
He smiled fondly at Jak as he began to drift to sleep, his heart much lighter than it had been.
If I do, he thought distantly, I'll definitely do my best.
The End.