Yay, thanks for reviewing! So much more people reading... makes me happy. It is now tomorrow. You've all been good to wait, so here's the next chapter. ^-^ And for those of you just now reading, and don't have to wait... you got lucky.
Luneth patted his pouch for the thirtieth time. "You guys still in there?"
"We won't be, for long, if you keep doing that!" Refia yelled from inside. She had cast Mini on the party to lessen Yosuko's burden, at Luneth's request. The thief himself sat alone on his dragon as they soared through the sky.
Ingus stuck his head out and looked down at the sea below. "Where are we headed?"
"I don't know. Yosuko's the one steering," Luneth said simply, leaning back in the makeshift saddle. Desch had made the thing out of Luneth's old leather vest. And Refia's old tunic. And Arc's old leather vest. And Iggy's mage robe.
Arc's voice came out, muffled by the leather bag. "Why can't I ride with you, Luneth? I want to see, too!"
The boy shrugged guiltily. "Yosuko's the one who said you couldn't ride. I'd love to have you out here, but..." The dragon underneath him roared something, and he bent closer over his steed to hear him better.
"I still think it's unnatural that he can understand that thing," Refia's voice muttered. "Who does he think he is, the Dragon Evoker?"
Luneth patted the pack for the thirty-first time. "Yosuko says you can come out, Arc."
"Wh- who said I wanted to come out?! It's too scary to look down!"
The thief frowned. "Then what did you mean...?"
Silence. Desch nudged the red mage, but the boy was stricken by what he'd almost said.
Ingus pointed at a tall building below them. "What's that?"
"The Tower of Owen," Desch replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. The other gnome-sized people stared at him. "What?"
Refia clapped her hands. "You've recognized a landmark! Your amnesia must be fading!"
"...Oh. Yeah, I guess it is!"
Luneth nudged his dragon onward. "Come on, Yosuko. Let's get off this floating continent and show Desch the rest of the world!"
The multi-hued creature bugled in response, pulling into a dive for a small island. "Wha- what is your monstrous pet doing?!" Ingus cried.
"Who knows. It probably doesn't understand him anymore than he understands it," Refia muttered darkly. "The idiot made up all of that stuff earlier, just so Arc could sit on his lap."
"How dare you! Yosuko, stop this instant!" At Luneth's command, the dragon slammed into a halt in midair, its wings snapping open and catching the wind perfectly to bring itself to an immediate stop.
Luneth dug the girl out of his pack and held her out over the dragon's side. "Say something like that again, and you'll find out the hard way what happens! I won't go easy on you just because you're a girl. In fact, I could drop you right now, if I felt like it!"
Refia struggled to talk, but her fear of heights got the better of her. She flailed about uselessly, wide eyes gazing at the churning water below.
"Arc doesn't have time to waste listening to you," Luneth continued coldly. "And I don't see why you have to be so rude to him! Honestly, if he wants to sit on my lap, that's my problem, not yours! Unless YOU want to sit on my lap, too!"
Desch giggled from inside the bag. Luneth wheeled on him. "We didn't have to take you with us, you know! I could chuck you off, just as quickly as Re-"
"Luneth, please STOP!" Arc cried, jumping out of the pack. Waving his tiny arms, he stood in front of the bag in a protective stance. "Why? Why are YOU being so rude? It was just a small comment; you don't have to take it seriously! You... You could really hurt her, or Desch! What are you thinking? ...Is... is something wrong?"
The thief's face was turning as purple as his eye color. Suddenly, he dropped Refia and tumbled off Yosuko's back, into the dangerous waters below. The girl scrambled back into the pack as Yosuko shrieked and dove after the falling boy. Arc stayed on the dragon's back and wrapped the strap of the bag around a spine to prevent it from sliding off. Casting Mini on himself to reverse the effect, he watched helplessly as his friend disappeared beneath the waves...
...
Luneth staggered onto the beach; a short stretch of sand that spread approximately five centimeters across the land. Shaking the water out of his fur, he looked to the sky. Yosuko was nowhere in sight.
His companions couldn't have gone far... right? Surely they would be looking for him...
Then he recalled what had happened. He'd lost control of his temper, nearly killing Refia and threatening Desch's life. As his rage had flared out of control, he'd fallen off of Yosuko and ensured that none of his friends would want to follow! And all for what? To defend Arc's honor against one of Refia's stupid comments...
He shook his head sadly, water spraying from his muzzle. Why had he even bothered? Heck, Arc could have sat on his lap of he'd wanted to that badly! Luneth would let that boy get away with murder... In fact, he'd already let him perform mass basilisk genocide.
...Why was he even thinking about this? The look in Arc's eyes had clearly explained that he'd been completely repulsed by Luneth's behavior, and would be happy enough if he never saw him again. That thought alone was enough to break a werewolf's heart.
He howled pitifully, a desperate, mewing sound that escaped his throat unconsciously. Arc... Arc didn't want him anymore... and it was his own fault...
"Luneth? Luneth! Where are you?" A crashing sound came from the underbrush, along with a familiar voice. The wolf pricked up his ears, gazing across the sea to the forest on the small island. He hadn't even noticed he'd been washed ashore the wrong island... but that didn't matter. What mattered was... Arc needed him! He still cared, and that was all the push Luneth needed.
With a boost from bracing against the base of a mountain behind him, the wolf leapt into the sea, paddling like mad. Though he'd never swum before, ancient instincts kicked in and Luneth found himself making headway against the strong current trying to keep him from his friend. With another howl, this one of determination, he thrust forward through the water.
Ignoring the icy cold seeping through his fur coat, he kept going. Eighty meters to go... Panting for breath, he inhaled seawater and began coughing uncontrollably. Choking and wheezing, he paddled on. Sixty-five meters... Though his muscles were burning, he knew he had to make it. He'd been through worse, hadn't he? There was that time when he'd raced the bullies, to get back Arc's bread, right? And they ran through and around the forest, at least five times...
Fifty meters... Luneth stopped breathing. It had become too much of a chore. And anyways, he could breathe when he saw Arc! Why bother with it now? Forty... wait. Why was he paddling, anyway? And what was waiting at the other side that had him so worked up? The wolf took a shuddering breath. Why... was the current so strong? It wasn't natural... Maybe he should just stop, right here. It would be so easy...
"Luneth!"
...What? A voice... calling his name? The wolf paddled harder, hope returning. Thirty more meters... Something was on the other side. Someone. That was the reason he had to get there! Someone needed him... but that was no reason to breathe. Twenty... Luneth felt himself fading, as though it was someone else paddling through the water... But... something like this had happened before, surely? Village children pelting him with stones, simply because they couldn't lay a hand on Arc anymore... Then, the best technique had been to curl up into a ball on the ground...
The wolf was sure that course of action would work here... If only there was any hard ground. All he could feel beneath his feet was the numbing sensation of a cold he had long since stopped feeling. Ten meters... His life ebbing away, Luneth felt his paws touch muddy ground. Arc... where was Arc... That was why he had come, right? Arc needed...
The wolf collapsed in the water, bubbles exploding out of his open mouth. Submerged in the shallows, he felt warm hands touching him, rolling him over. The hands turned into arms that carried him out of the sea. Warm, kind arms... forming fists, pushing out the bad water...
Luneth retched, seawater spewing out of his mouth. Arc watched him heave up the remains of gnomish bread and various other last-resort foods from lunch. The wolf struggled to stand, lifting one leg high as a result of kicking against coral. He gazed at the boy, purple eyes filling with tears.
Running a hand down the wet fur, Arc whispered gently to his more-than friend. "It's all right. You made it... I'm here." The wolf shuddered, spraying water all over the mage. He laughed, casting a warm Aero to dry the wolf's fur. "Want a Cure?"
Nodding, Luneth curled up next to Arc, his chest moving rhythmically up and down. The boy completed the spell, noting with satisfaction that the leg tucked underneath the belly instantly, no more care required to avoid injuring it further. The mage sighed, leaning his head over Luneth's.
"That was reckless." The wolf growled softly, his eyes sliding shut. Arc realized now was not the best time. Chuckling to himself, the normally shy bookworm lay down next to the wolf, resting his head on top of the furry stomach. "Thank you for coming back..."
Whoopee! How'd you like that? Arc and Luneth are so cute together! I'll definitely post another chapter today... but I'm tired. That took an hour. Meh.