Blake's evening was filled with pacing, talking to himself out loud, and possibly the most painful headache he's experienced in a long while. He turned in early that night in hopes that he would feel better in the morning, however sleep never came. Blake simply lay awake under the covers, staring at the ceiling. He thought about what Ryder could have done to warrant getting himself kidnapped, and who the kidnappers were. In addition, that was only if he had gotten kidnapped. What if he'd run off on his own? More questions buzzed around in Blake's mind, causing sleep to drift further and further away from that night's activities.

A few more hours of this and Blake began to hear the morning songbirds chirping away in the small wood that surrounded the residence buildings. Another hour, and sunlight began peering into his dorm room. Finally, after another hour, the little ray of sunlight had managed to creep up the foot of the bed and shine directly into Blake's eyes. Blake growled.

"Fuck it!" he shouted, tearing the covers from on top of him and climbing out of bed. Blake paced around his room, mostly to calm himself down, but also to wake himself up. He eventually stopped pacing and walked into the kitchen. He took a small glass from one of the cupboards and filled it with water. After emptying the glass, he made his way to the washroom and brushed his teeth; he was much too tired to shower. Blake exited the washroom, and began digging around in his wardrobe in search of an outfit. Pickings were slim, as he hadn't done the laundry in almost a week. All dressed, Blake reached for his phone, which was on the kitchen table. To his dismay, it was dead.

I need a new phone. He thought. I'm due for an upgrade, and the battery can't even hold a charge for one day on standby.

Blake brought the phone over to his nightstand and plugged it in. He glanced at his alarm clock; the time was eight-thirty. He grabbed the nearest sweatshirt and put it on. Blake stepped out of his dorm and locked the door behind him. He left the building and immediately felt a chilly north wind blow right through his sweatshirt. Although it didn't bother Blake too much, he noticed other mammals who had morning lectures shiver as they walked past. Blake began walking one of the school's concrete trails, this one in particular being the longest. He put his paws in his pockets and inhaled the brisk April morning air. Blake sighed.

The trail was surrounded by young coniferous trees and small shrubs beginning to wake up from their winter slumber. The icy wind tugged at Blake's clothing and the trees blew back and forth in its breeze. Blake continued walking the trail until he caught eye of a figure laying in the frosty grass just ahead of him. Through the drowsiness, Blake squinted to get a better look, but to no avail.

He approached the patch to see a small hare lying on her back, seemingly watching the clouds pass. Blake raised an eyebrow. The hare didn't notice Blake's arrival and continued staring at the sky. Blake watched for a few more seconds as she lay motionless on the frosty grass. Finally, Blake decided to interrupt.

"What are you doing lying on the grass at this hour?" Blake asked the hare.

The hare turned her head to look at her disruptor. She narrowed her eyes before rolling onto her stomach. She scanned Blake from head to toe before returning to a neutral gaze. The hare's lack of reaction confused Blake greatly. The hare sat upright and stared Blake in the eyes.

"Am I not allowed to lay in the grass this early in the morning?" she asked slyly. Blake grew even more confused.

"No one said that, I'm just asking is all," Blake replied. The hare smiled and patted the grass next to her, offering Blake a seat. Blake glanced in both directions to make sure that nobody was watching. After hesitating slightly, Blake took the seat next to the hare. As soon as he sat down, the hare flopped back onto her back, catching Blake by surprise. Blake rolled his eyes as he did the same. The two lay in silence for a few minutes, watching the clouds pass and the treetops sway.

"What brings you out here at this time?" asked the hare. Blake glanced in her direction. She hadn't looked away from the sky. Blake returned his gaze to the clouds above.

"Just doing some thinking. Also kind of hoped the cool air would remedy my headache," Blake replied. The hare shifted a little in her spot before rolling over to meet Blake's eyes.

"I was doing some thinking myself before you came along. I'm still thinking right now, in fact. I'm thinking about asking you what your name is," said the hare. It took a few moments, but Blake realized that the hare had just asked him his name.

"Oh, my name's Blake," he replied. The hare beamed at him.

"My name's Ryah," she replied. Blake nodded and fell into thought, he couldn't help feeling he's heard that name somewhere before...

"Ryah...oh! I think we've met before." Blake exclaimed. Ryah jumped at Blake's outburst.

"Really? Where?"

"It was really brief, but we exchanged greetings. It was when I came to visit Ryder, he and you were talking over voice chat," Blake said. It took a bit to register with Ryah, but eventually recalled their very short conversation.

"Oh yeah, that's right! I didn't recognize your voice, the call was a bit laggy," she said. Blake nodded and said nothing. "Hey, wanna keep walking with me?" she asked suddenly. Her question caught Blake off guard.

"Sure, I guess we could do that. Better than sitting in cold, wet-ish grass, right?" Blake replied. Ryah chuckled.

"You bet." The two mammals stood up and began walking away from the now damp patch of grass they were sitting in. The two walked a few minutes down the trail, taking in the sights and sounds. They occasionally glanced at each other but would quickly look away, making things unnecessarily awkward between them.

"Have you been hearing from Ryder lately? I haven't seen him around, and he hasn't been returning my calls," she asked. Her voice sounded gloomier than when she was talking to him earlier. Blake raised an eyebrow. He opened his mouth to answer her, but hesitated.

Doesn't she know? If she and Ryder are such good friends, surely she'd know about his disappearance, right? He thought. Then again, the report was only made yesterday, so it might not've had time to circulate.

"I haven't seen or heard from him either, but I do know why," Blake replied quietly. Ryah's expression fell.

"Oh no, what happened?" she said, sounding genuinely concerned. Her tone made Blake feel even worse. He desperately wished he could change the subject to something cheerier, but he wasn't able to do that. He had to be the one to break the new that one of her best friends had disappeared. Blake inhaled sharply and stopped walking. Ryah stopped walking as well and turned to face Blake.

"Ryah... Ryder's gone missing," Blake said slowly. Ryah gasped.

"What? No. No, no no. How?" Ryah stammered. The question echoed in his head. He really wanted to answer her, but even he didn't have the answer.

"I don't know, but his roommate said that he left in a hurry one afternoon and never came home," Blake replied. Ryah was devastated. She seemed to be on the verge of crying, but she was managing to hold strong. "I'm sure the police are doing all they can to find him," he added.

Out of the blue, Ryah walked forward and threw her arms around Blake's waist. Blake was surprised by this action, but since Ryah was clearly grieving, he didn't resist. Blake returned the gesture and even rubbed Ryah's back in a comforting way. Blake could feel the doe shaking as she sobbed into his sweatshirt. Blake continued rubbing her back, unsure of what to do next.

The two stood there, in the middle of the trail, for about ten minutes as Ryah calmed herself down. After she'd stopped crying, Blake could feel some of the negative emotions being transferred from her to him. He was in a bad mood when he got out of bed, but that was nothing compared to the uncut sadness that loomed over him after the experience he had just been through.

He and Ryah finished the loop, both chatting about other things, purposefully avoiding anything relating back to Ryder. When they got back to where they started, they said their goodbyes and parted ways. Despite having a decent conversation with her after the whole Ryder thing, he couldn't shake what he'd said out of his mind, or rather, what he hadn't said.

I couldn't have told her what happened to him. We don't even know if he actually was kidnapped. It's better off that she doesn't know. I mean hey, what you don't know can't hurt you, right? God, I'm such a prick.

Though he regretted not telling her the whole truth, what's done was done. Blake returned to his dorm building. He glanced at the clock on the wall as he entered, it was nearing eleven o'clock. Blake walked down the hall to his dorm room and entered. Right away, he walked over to his nightstand to check his phone. He had received a text message from Chief Maxwell.

Where are you? Are you okay?

"Shit," Blake said aloud. Blake scooped the device from the tabletop to reply.

Yeah, Just had a bad night is all.

Blake stood and waited for a response. After a minute, the device vibrated in Blake's paw. He glanced down to see what the Chief had written.

No one likes a bad night. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. It may be late in the morning, but come in anyway, Nick and Judy are worried about you as well. Besides, I want to talk with you about something.

Blake raised an eyebrow. He wondered what the Chief wanted to speak with him about. He pocketed the device and grabbed some other belongings, namely his keys, and headed out the door.

The drive to the station was delayed by the lunchtime traffic; he arrived fifteen minutes later than he should have. Blake parked in what seemed to be turning into his usual spot and began walking toward the station. As he entered, he waved to the secretary, but as she was busy with work, she didn't wave back. Blake navigated the hallway to the Chief's office. He knocked twice.

"Enter," said a voice inside. Blake opened the door and was greeted by the familiar faces of Nick, Judy, and Chief Maxwell. Blake took a seat in the empty chair across from the desk. All eyes were on him.

"You okay, Snowflake?" asked Nick, leaning forward in his chair. Blake raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Blake replied.

"Well, not to be rude or anything, but you do look like you were hit by a bus." Blake remembered that he hadn't showered that morning, and that he probably looked quite bad. Blake smiled.

"Oh, that. Yeah, I didn't sleep at all last night.' Blake finally said. Nick chuckled.

"Yep, sleepless nights will leave you looking like that." As the conversation ended, everyone turned to the Chief, who was sitting quietly in his chair.

"Right. Nick and Judy, I've already given you this afternoon's task. You may leave," said Maxwell. In tandem, Nick and Judy rose from their seats and left the office. Maxwell and Blake were the only ones left in the room. Blake wore a puzzled look and turned back to the Chief as the door closed.

"Why aren't I going with them?" Blake asked. Maxwell leaned in closer.

"I'd like to talk to you about something that came in recently. I'm sure you could provide some insight." Blake grew even more confused. Maxwell turned his monitor so that Blake could see. On the display, a missing mammals report. The picture was of a beaver wearing a black v-neck and a familiar pair of circular glasses. The name beside the picture read 'Ryder Robichaud.'

"He's missing," Blake said.

"That's right. He's the one you're so keen on keeping an eye on. I don't know why, but after this, I hope you'll be able to tell my why. There's something about this beaver that's caught your attention, and I want to know what. How about this. You tell me the story from the beginning, starting to when he first caught your attention. Please, do not omit any thoughts that you've had," said the Chief. Blake sat in his chair, silent, staring into Maxwell's eyes

"Why?" Blake asked quietly. Maxwell leaned back.

"I know you think there's something going on with him. I want you to tell me what you're thinking."

Apologies for the short chapter. been working on some other projects at the moment. Next one should be back to normal length -Prince