Hey, everyone!
I know I usually take long to update, but this has been the longest I've taken to do so, and that's because this past month's been an absolute nightmare for me, and I barely had any time to focus on this chapter. Just wanted to let you guys know if you were wondering what's been going on.
Anyway, hope you enjoy!
What do you mean you give up…?! Desmond thought as his breathing took on a rapid pace. You… Desmond began shaking fiercely. You promised you'd help me, Deepak… You promised… Desmond pulled his ears back."W-WAIT…!" He yelled out to Deepak before he could exit the room. "Please, wait…!"
Deepak stopped in place and rose an ear slightly.
"I…" Desmond swallowed. "I did put my trust in you, I swear…! Please, Deepak, don't leave…!" He took a couple of steps as he wobbled towards Deepak. "I can't take this anymore… I don't have the strength to…" Desmond tripped and fell on the floor, which made Deepak spun his head in a jolt.
Deepak let out a low gasp when he saw Desmond and ran to him. Reaching him, he immediately sensed a shift in Desmond's aura; where there was once frustration, was now replaced by desperation. Deepak also took notice of how weak and frail the aura had become.
"I'll do whatever you say… Whatever you want of me, I'll do it…" Desmond looked up at Deepak. "Please, just don't leave…" He begged.
Deepak drooped his ears and sighed. He put a paw on Desmond's head and began caressing it. The dreary aura still filled Deepak with unease but he endured it as he saw that Desmond needed someone beside him. His aura didn't stagger; he isn't lying. Though, honestly, by his reaction alone, I could tell that. You really do want all of this to end already, don't you?
"I'm sorry, Deepak… Sorry for blaming you…" Desmond said, voice quavering.
Deepak looked Desmond in the eyes as he thought. And I'm sorry for scaring you like this, but I couldn't think of anything else. He let out a low moan and laid beside Desmond. If you care so much, why doesn't this work? Deepak pondered for a short while then said,"I can understand if this is getting you angry, but I need you to accept my help. Please."
Desmond turned his head at Deepak to face him. "I will, I really will…"
I need to be more patient with him. Deepak thought, then stood up. "I don't know if this will suffice, but it usually calms the pups down." He wrapped his paws around Desmond's side, hugging him. "Do tell me if this bothers you."
Desmond dropped his head on the floor as he eyed Deepak. "It's fine… Thank you for staying…"
"Can I ask you something?" Deepak said.
Desmond nodded.
"While outside, I learned from Dante that you might have been traumatized." Deepak stroked Desmond's back. "Is it true?"
"I don't know…" Desmond took in a breath. "I suppose it's possible…"
"If you can, tell me what has been troubling you the most for the past week?" Deepak asked. "If you don't know exactly what it is, that's fine. I just need some idea of what the problem may be."
Desmond thought about this. What is it…? I would like to know, I really do… He put his right front leg on Deepak's back, appreciating the pup's effort to comfort him. Was it the hallucinations, or was it, Dante…? Those cold and determined eyes of his… Remembering the feeling of Dante's fangs prodding on his neck, a sudden shiver hit his body.
Deepak tightened his embrace when he felt the strong shiver. "What's the matter?! Your aura just lurched all of a sudden."
After taking some time to stop shaking, Desmond said, "Sorry… I was thinking about it; trying to see if I could figure the problem out…" He then averted his eyes. "Are you, err, fine with this…? You're probably sick of my aura by now; being so close and all…"
Deepak shook his head side to side. "When you came to me, I thought that you just needed some relaxation; it's what the others told me anyway. I didn't think your problem was more serious than that." Deepak patted him on the leg. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere. Take as much time to figure this out as you need." He then thought. Help me understand you, Desmond. What is it?!
Desmond went back to thinking. He closed his eyes and tried focusing.
…
Hey… Hey, kid...!
You sure have a lot of guts coming here by yourself this late at night…
Desmond scowled. What do you what me to do, old men…? Leave you two like this…?
That voice, Desmond…! Is it you…?!
Yeah… Here, I brought you guys some food… Desmond thought. Hurry, take it…
Oh, Desmond… Thank you so much…!
Don't, please… Desmond huffed. I'm still trying to figure something out… Stay strong until then, alright…?
We do appreciate everything you've done, Desmond, but you shouldn't get involved in this…
I'd listen to her, kid… I don't think we're worth the trouble—
No…! How can you say that…?! Desmond let out low whimpers but kept his mouth shut, trying not to grab Deepak's attention. I won't go back on my word…! You two wait, I'll be getting you out soon…
Come on… Go home, kid…
Go home, Desmond…
Desmond opened his eyes. "Home…?" The word left his mouth.
Deepak perked one ear and turned to him.
"Yeah, that's right…! I do want to go back a-an—" Desmond shut his mouth with his left paw as he glimpsed at Deepak. And help them…! How much… How much I want to…
Deepak noticed Desmond's eyes tearing up a little. He pondered on this, feeling Desmond's aura make a subtle shift as he said those words. To Deepak, it almost felt as if the aura gained some vitality for an instant. That was sudden. He thought to himself. Are you homesick? Is that it, Desmond? You did just move in here, after all. Moving so far away from home is very stressful, I know. Deepak laid his head onto Desmond's fur. Your heart is beating so fast. Does it scare you? The thought of being here alone, or maybe that you've made the wrong decision of coming here?
"Hey, Desmond?" Deepak said. "Is your home on your mind?"
Desmond took a while before nodding his head.
"Do you miss it?"
Desmond nodded again.
"Do you think, perhaps, that is it?" Deepak asked. "That you're simply homesick?"
Desmond moved his paw from Deepak's back towards his collar. He taped the golden tag with a claw. "The dots on my collar aren't there by chance…"
Deepak stayed silent, focusing on the collar.
"Back when I was a pup, I had a hard time remembering my family's surname…" Desmond said. "My mom had our human put the dots onto my collar… Then told me to just look at it if I couldn't remember my surname…" He put his paw back onto Deepak's back and looked at the pup's collar. "What do you think of yours, Deepak…?"
Deepak glanced at it. "Nothing much. It's my second one, actually."
"Heh, really now…? But to me, it means a lot… It's not something I can afford to lose or damage…" Desmond sighed. "I associate it with my family…"
That's a really nice way of thinking about it. Deepak smiled as this thought crossed his mind. "I think your collar's beautiful."
"Most dogs say that… Though, I honestly wouldn't care if the collar was cheap or ugly…" Desmond told him. "Doesn't matter to me if it cost five lei or five thousand lei, I'd still cherish it…"
"Lei?" Deepak wondered.
"The currency of my country…" Desmond told him.
"Oh," Deepak mumbled.
Desmond bit his lip. "It's not like I didn't anticipate this, but I thought that as long as this," He tapped his collar. "Was with me, it wouldn't be a problem… At least…"
"That's what you thought?" Deepak said.
"Guess so…" Desmond replied.
"Homesick…?" Desmond pondered on this word as he stared at the clock. I didn't think much of it; didn't seem that big of a deal at the time… Is it really that…? Can I not endure being away from home…? Is it really just that…?! But I did want to move out; go away from that damn mansion… I thought I was prepared… Desmond began scratching on the wooden boards with a claw as he stood silent from a moment, thinking about this. He continued for a minute before tapping Deepak on the back, making him turn to him. "You have it, Deepak…" He looked the pup in the eyes. "I trust you; fully…"
Deepak was delighted by what he felt from Desmond's aura as he said that, and with a smile told him, "Your aura agrees with your words." Deepak let go of Desmond, stood up, and looked back at him. "You can stand on your own, right?"
"Sure…" Desmond said. He slowly rose up and, along with Deepak, walked to the exercise ball.
Deepak stopped and turned around towards him. "This time I won't put a time limit on you. We'll do this at your own pace, okay?"
Desmond laid down as Deepak hopped on his ball.
I need to get that thought out of his head if I want him to start getting better. Deepak balanced on the ball. "We'll begin whenever you're ready."
"Focus on my mantra, right…?" Desmond said.
Deepak nodded. "I hope it works this time."
"So do I…" Desmond replied. He closed his eyes and began meditating.
Deepak looked at Desmond for a short time before joining him.
Dawkins was staring at Deepak's door as he was sat. He stood up and turned to his sisters. "I'll be going back to my room. You two? Are you going to stay here all day?"
"Dylan's waiting on me, I'll go tell him what's going on," Dolly told them. She went down the staircase and towards the backyard.
Dawkins proceeded to his room.
Da Vinci watched Dolly as she walked down the stairs and Dawkins as he entered his room. Finding herself alone in the hallway, she leaned back on the wall and waited. Looking to her left then right, Da Vinci wrapped her arms around herself and pulled her head back when the realization of her being all alone fully sank in. She lifted her bandana, covering her mouth and nose and continued to wait, fixing her eyes at the door.
After some more time, Da Vinci looked towards Dawkins' room. She turned back to look at Deepak's room one more time before she made her way down the hallway.
Da Vinci stopped herself right before entering when she heard Dawkins talking with someone. She peeked in to take a look and saw her brother on his bed, holding his tablet as he talked to someone on it. Da Vinci pulled her head back and rose her ears to listen.
"… And It seems that Desmond isn't ill of anything as well, mum," Dawkins told her.
"I see," Delilah replied.
"The only thing I'm certain of, anyway," Dawkins said with a grunt as he looked to the side.
"Now, why are you so angry, Dawkins?" Delilah looked at him with concern. "Figuring out a patient's exact condition is a very important step before any kind of treatment is taken," She said as she smiled at him, "Learning the cause of the problem is important, too. All I wanted you to do was keep Desmond in the house until I came back. Instead, you upped and cut my work in half!" Delilah told him. "You did very well, Dawkins."
Dawkins scowled when he heard his mother praise him. "Only that it wasn't me who figured that out, mum; it was Deepak. And Dante was the one who told us about Desmond's trauma."
Delilah pondered a little. "Dante, you say? And how does he know, might I ask?"
Dawkins scratched his ear. "Don't know; he didn't say."
"Really now?" Delilah said with a solemn tone. "Remind me to have a word with him when I come back."
Dawkins nodded. "I'll try to keep Desmond here as you asked then; suppose it's all I can do." He let out a sigh. "It'd be best to leave him to you."
"Sweetie, don't be like that," She told him with a gentle voice.
"It's fine, mum," Dawkins told her, "I just hope you can help him if Deepak can't."
"Dawkins, listen—" Delilah got cut off by the click of a handle. She turned her head to see a doctor exiting out the ward next to her, he squatted down and patted her on the back.
"Come on, Delilah. We can't wait for you any longer." The doctor told her then went back in the ward, leaving the door open for her.
"Suppose you have to go." Dawkins forced a small smile. "I apologies for bothering you during work."
"On, no, Dawkins, It's quite alright. Tell me if something happens," Delilah said.
Dawkins waved with his paw. "See you home, mum."
Delilah smiled back at him. "See you home, sweetie." She then ended the video call.
Dawkins put the tablet to the side and picked up a medical book that lay beside him. He turned his head towards the door when he heard a knock on it.
Da Vinci pulled her bandana down. "Mind if I stay with you?"
"No. Come in," Dawkins replied.
Da Vinci entered, heading towards her brother's bed.
Dawkins paid her no attention as he focused on the book. "This is just great! Months upon studying and the only thing I can do is speculate." He tossed the book across the room; it slammed against the wall, making Da Vinci jolt in alarm.
"Dawkins!" Da Vinci looked at him with worry. "What was that?"
Dawkins exhaled. "Childish behavior." He jumped off the bed and went to pick up the book. "Apologies for startling you." He walked passed her towards a chair, hopped on it, and put the book on a shelf.
Da Vinci jumped on the bed and tapped on it with her paw. "Come here."
Dawkins snorted out a little and dragged his paws to his bed. He looked up at his sister. "What is it?"
"Come on, hop on." Da Vinci tapped the bed again.
Dawkins jumped on it and went to drop on a pillow, turning his head away from his sister.
Da Vinci walked up to him. "Why are you so frustrated, Dawkins?" She walked around to face him and laid herself next to him.
"Eight months and two weeks," Dawkins said, "I've been contemplating which of the two to pick as my main goal. I've been leaning towards medicine more than engineering, honestly. Though, from what I've seen today," Dawkins turned himself to the other side of the bed, away from Da Vinci again. "Perhaps, medicine is best suited for people like mum, not me."
"Dawkins, don't talk like that!" Da Vinci made a slight frown. "You were so passionate about becoming a nurse dog. You put so much time into this, don't give up now! You were the one to take action when Desmond fainted, remember? You studied on this and knew what to do; it paid off, didn't it?"
"You forget," Dawkins rose one of his digit fingers. "When Desmond fainted, mum was the one to instruct me on what to do; she did most of the work." He rose a second finger. "I couldn't realize what was going on without Deepak and Dante; have you ever seen mum need help with a simple diagnose?" Dawkins rose a third. "All I offered Deepak was a theory based entirely on the information Dante gave us. I don't know if what I told him to do would work a hundred percent with Desmond. It might not even work at all, who's to say?"
"You see those there?" Dawkins pointed at his medical books on the shelf. "I've been reading them month after month, over and over again, just so that I could, one day, hopefully, become a nurse dog. Yet, here comes an opportunity to prove to myself that this occupation is the right one for me rather than engineering. Instead, here I am, lying on my bed, waiting for Deepak or mum to fix Desmond when it should be me who's helping him." Dawkins let out a moan. "The only thing I got instructed on doing is keeping Desmond here, and I should be able to do more than that."
"But, Dawkins," Da Vinci rubbed his back. "Don't you think you're rushing into a big decision like this without much thought?"
Dawkins let out a growl. "Haven't you been listening?! If it was meant for me, I would've been able to diagnose Desmond by now on my own, at the very least. What this tells me is that I wasted my damn time on studying something I'm not good at."
"Remember what Dylan told you?" Da Vinci asked.
Dawkins rose his ear. "Do tell," He said with a little anger in his voice.
"Practice and theory are two different things," Da Vinci told him then gave it some thought and said, "You're very talented in building and repairing ever since you tried your paw at it, but I don't think you've ever stumbled anywhere with those things, have you?"
Dawkins started tapping on the bedsheet with a paw, pondering on these words.
"Maybe you should do what Deepak is doing right now and give it a second chance," Da Vinci told him.
Dawkins began fondling with his paws and closed his eyes. "I'll sleep on it. If Deepak calls, wake me up."
"O-Okay." Da Vinci sighed. She then looked at the blanket in the corner of the bed. "Do you want me to cover you with the blanket?"
"Absurd. I'm not eight anymore, Da Vinci." Dawkins growled. "I just want you to wake me up if anything happens."
Da Vinci leaned back on the bed. "Well, fine." She looked outside the room and began to wait once again.
Dolly entered the backyard. Turning her eyes side to side, searching for Dylan, Dolly began moving through the pups. "Huh? Where is—" She paused and quickly perked her left ear upon hearing Dylan's voice. She looked to her left and saw him near a trampoline.
"That's it, Denzel, off the trampoline!" Dylan yelled at the pup.
Denzel frowned. "Aww, c'mon, big bro! I won't do it again—"
"If you can't keep a distance from the others, you won't be bouncing," Dylan told him sternly, "Now, off!"
Denzel huffed and jumped back on the grass. Some of the pups still on the trampoline began laughing and giggling as they watched him get off.
"That also goes for the rest of you!" Dylan turned to them. "I don't want to see any of you bumping into each other and falling on the ground. Got that?!"
The pups immediately shut their mouths and nodded.
As he watched them, Dylan flinched when a paw began tapping him on the head. He turned around to see Dolly standing behind him.
"Lay off, Dylan." Dolly tapped him on the head again. "Just let 'em have their fun." She turned to the pups and said, "Don't mind him, guys. Go crazy on that thing!"
"Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah!" The pups yelled in happiness and began jumping all over the trampoline, unconcerned with each other.
Dylan glared at Dolly. He lifted his paw and lightly flicked her injured ear.
"Ouch, ouch! Ow, ow, ow!" Dolly recoiled back as she held her ear. "Dude! Not cool!"
Take that as payback for earlier, too. Dylan thought as he smirked. He then turned back to the pups. "Anyone who wants to get banned from using the trampoline for a week, please, listen to Dolly," He told them with a stern tone.
The pups quickly stopped bouncing and started jumping lightly, keeping their distance from one another.
"Ah," Dolly growled as she carefully rubbed her ear. "Way to hit below the belt! Geez!"
Dylan chuckled. "Well, how's Desmond?"
"Ah, yeah, yeah." Dolly sat down. "Umm, he's up, but things don't seem to be going well."
"R-Really?" Dylan tilted his head to the side and sat next to her. "Why? What's the matter?"
Dolly rubbed her neck. "Well, Des wasn't in the living room when Da Vinci and I went to check on him. We figured he's with Deepak, so we went to the second floor and…"
…
"I see," Dylan scratched his paw. "A trauma then?"
"Yeah." Dolly nodded. "And we're waiting on Deepak right now, pretty much." She sighed.
Dylan turned to Dolly and was about to tell her something when he noticed a lot of the pups had gathered around, listening to them.
"Are Deepak and Mister Desmond feeling well?" One of the pups asked, a little worried.
"Ah, no, no! They're both fine, they're fine!" Dolly waved with her paw and smiled at the pups. "Deepak's having a bit of trouble is all, but it's all fine. Don't worry."
"Yeah," Dylan agreed, "Now, come on, everyone, back to playing!"
The pups looked at each other and shrugged. They quickly rushed back into their games.
"I hope Deepak manages to do it this time." Dylan got up. "Alright, thanks for telling me. Can you keep me posted on this?"
"You got it." Dolly stood and began walking towards the house. She spun her head to look at Dylan as she neared the door. "And ya stop being so strict with the pups, ya hear?"
Dylan huffed and ignored her as he returned to monitoring his brothers and sisters.
Before entering, Dolly rose her head towards Dante's window for a moment, giving it a quick look before proceeding into the house.
Dante was stomping on the floor as he walked from one corner of his room to the other.
What's the matter with me?! Dante thought. It's been irking me so much, yet it's just one dumb word! He stopped and looked towards his bed then walked up to it. He ducked down and pulled a gig bag from under it. Dante walked up to a nightstand, opened one of its drawers, and pulled out a string pack. "Maybe this will distract me." He walked back to the gig bag, unzipped it, and pulled out a dark red electric guitar. Dante took a close look at the strings of the guitar. "Yeah, pretty worn-out, aren't you?" He cut the strings, one by one with a claw, then unwind them from the pegs. He took the pack and sliced it open. Taking out six strings, Dante began attaching them on the guitar as he held one end with his mouth and the other with his paws.
I refuse to let a brat help me…!
He gritted his teeth, breaking a string with his fangs in the process. Dante paused, looking at it for a moment, pondering. He put the guitar on the floor, then tossed the string away and fell on his backside. "A brat, huh?" He scratched his head, fiercely, and let out a light growl. "You sure have some nerve, Desmond."
"I'm sorry, Deepak…" Desmond said, opening his eyes and rolling over to the side. "I just can't…"
Deepak opened his eyes, and as quickly as he did, he dropped his ears. Eleven minutes?! He held his cheek with a paw. At least you tried lasting more this time around. He jumped off the ball and walked up to him. Same. There's no difference. Deepak thought, sensing the aura flowing out of Desmond. He fell on his back, next to him. Calm down, Deepak! He started rubbing his face. I saw it in his eyes not only in his aura; there's no doubt, he wants to get better and relies on me.
Pulling his paws away from his face, Deepak began pondering. Is it me then? Am I doing something wrong? He slammed his paws together and stood up in a rush upon considering this thought. No, no! I don't believe it! I don't! He moved back to his ball. I just don't!
As he stared at the floor, thinking, Deepak turned his attention back to Desmond only to see him breathing rapidly and holding his head tightly. "Desmond, are you alright?!" He ran up to him. "Does your head hurt? I'll call Dawkins!"
Desmond grabbed him by the leg. "N-No, don't… It's fine… Just a little headache, nothing to worry about…" He assured the pup.
Deepak sat down and looked at Desmond with concern. "You sure? If it hurts a lot—"
"Just give me some time… Don't bother Dawkins…" Desmond said. He pressed his paw to his forehead as he felt the pain return. "Argh—Ahhh…!"
Watching Desmond, Deepak noticed his breathing had quickened. With haste, he started controlling it, taking in slow breaths. Don't panic, don't panic! Think. What did Dawkins say? What was it? Deepak looked at Desmond. I got him to fully accept my help. Unfortunately, that didn't work. Dawkins said something else, though. He scratched his head. What else did you say, Dawkins? Deepak glanced at his ball, and a second later, his ears jumped up. Different treatment?! Yeah, that was it!
He ran back to the ball, put a paw on it, and began to slowly roll it. He was doing something like this, wasn't he? Deepak moved to the window. And he was also looking at the pups play. He sat down and put his paws together. Desmond was surprised when he realized he was rolling the ball. Maybe they got him to act without him realizing it. He squinted his eyes as he focused on his paws. Does Desmond respond better to activity? Deepak started wagging his tail as he grew a smile. Maybe that's it! A different method! It's worth giving it a shot. He quickly stood up and dashed over to Desmond. He put his paw on Desmond's. "Does your head still hurt?"
"Not anymore…" Desmond rubbed his head and got back up. He took notice of Deepak's wagging tail. "What got you so excited…?"
"Listen! I think I know how to help you now!" Deepak told him with a broad smile. He walked past Desmond to the corner of his room. There, stood on the wall, were three mats; rolled up and tied with shoelaces. Deepak knocked two of them to the floor and rolled them towards Desmond, using his head. "Mind moving a little to the side?"
Desmond cocked his head as he moved. "Do you need help…?"
"No, no. I can handle this." Deepak placed the mats, side by side, then began to untie them. "Think I did this with mom a few times, but I don't really remember doing it with anyone else besides myself." Unrolling them, Deepak sat on one mat and tapped on the other with his paw. "Come. Sit."
Desmond walked onto the mat and sat on it. "What are we doing now…?"
"Yoga," Deepak told him. He stood up, then lowered his entire front as he rose his hips up at the same time. "Can you do this pose?"
Desmond got up and took the exact same stance as Deepak. "Like this…?"
"Yes, that's it! Just keep your elbows off the floor if you can," Deepak replied with a small grin. After waiting a couple of seconds, he asked, "How is it?"
"Pretty nice…" Desmond said.
"Good." Deepak smiled at him. "Now, incorporate what you've learned about meditation here." He lowered his head to the mat and touched it with his nose.
Desmond did the same.
"Hold this pose for ten breaths," Deepak said with a gentle voice, "After that, follow what I do, okay?"
"Yeah, alright…" Desmond Inhaled and exhale.
"Easy, Desmond," Deepak told him, "Do it slowly."
"That was slow…" Desmond turned his head at him.
"You need to do it even slower." Deepak took a long, slow breath through his nose and held it in for a few seconds before letting it out from his mouth.
Desmond copied Deepak's way of breathing.
After both of them finished exhaling their tenth breath, Deepak rose his head up along with his front, lowered his hips, and stretched his tail and hind legs out behind him.
Deepak glanced at Desmond and was surprised to see that he had already taken the pose. He felt his paws shake a little from excitement when he sensed Desmond's aura turn tranquil for a few seconds. "Excellent, Desmond. Excellent."
"How many breaths this time…?" Desmond asked.
"Ten again," Deepak replied, and as he was about to take the first, he noticed that Desmond's tail was hanging down. "You forgot the tail, Desmond." He told him with a light chuckle.
"Oh, right…" Desmond stretched out his tail and began breathing in and out.
It's just for a couple of seconds, but it's working! Deepak thought, shutting his eyes, focusing. Ha-ha! I just needed to take a different approach with him. All I have to do now is have him do yoga until he relaxes completely and gets that thought out of his head.
The two continued, taking on various poses for the next several minutes. With each new pose, Deepak felt how the energy of Desmond's aura steadily became calm, collected.
"Now, lower your front as you raise your hips up again," Deepak said as sweat dripped down from his ears onto the mat, "Touch the mat with your chin, and this time, spread your front legs to the side, slowly." He proceeded to do just that.
Reaching their fifth breath, Desmond turned to Deepak and said, "Exhausting, huh…?" He giggled.
"Uh-huh." Deepak agreed. "By the way, I'm very impressed by your flexibility. The only other dogs I know of that are as flexible, besides me, are mom, Dolly, and Dante."
"Dolly, you say…?" Desmond narrowed his eyes. "She does yoga then…?"
"No." Deepak shook his head. "Though, I wish she'd try it with me." He huffed. "Oh, well." After five more breaths, Deepak rose up and sat on the mat. He took a look at Desmond. "And that's ten. I think that's enough for now. Let's take a break."
Desmond brought his front legs back together and stood up, feeling somewhat relaxed. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and looked at Deepak. "This felt very good… Yoga's great; guess I should do it more often…"
"I'm very glad to hear that!" Deepak replied, tail wagging.
Desmond turned his head to look at the clock. Only twenty minutes…? Thought more time had passed… Well, I'm not that exhausted… Continue without a break…? Wonder if Deepak will be fine with that...? As he watching the clock and was about to turn back to ask, he paused when he noticed that he was letting out rapid and heavy breaths. Desmond looked down at his paws as he felt them shake. No, no… I'm just exhausted from the yoga, that's all… I'm sure I just need a little rest—
"W-Why?"
Hearing this, Desmond looked back to Deepak and caught him just as the pup's tail stopped wagging.
"Why?" Deepak took a step back, feeling the aura surrounding Desmond go back to being dismal again. Is it still there?! That thought?! But he was doing so well up until now! And his aura doesn't lie, so then why?! He winced. "Why did it return?! What's wrong, Desmond?!"
"I…" Desmond growled. "I DONT'T KNOW WHY…!" He fell on the mat. "I thought it worked, too, Deepak… I did, damn it…!" He put a paw on his head, rubbing it, then turned to Deepak as he held his head. "Do you have something else I could try…?" He asked as he gasped.
"Something else?" Deepak froze. But, I have nothing else to offer.
"Well…?!" Desmond glared at him.
Deepak started tapping on the mat with both his paws and averted his eyes from Desmond. What else am I supposed to do?!
"Deepak…!" Desmond snarled. He pulled his claws out, puncturing the mat. "Do you have anything else or not…?!"
Deepak jumped back, he grabbed his chest as he felt his lungs tighten. Looking up at Desmond, who now towered over him, and feeling the vile anger and sorrow that seeped out of his aura, made Deepak's stomach turn. When Desmond made a step forward, Deepak's legs sprang, and he dashed to the side, a few meters away from him. I need to get out of this room! He ran to the door.
"Hey, Deepak…! Where are you going…?!" Desmond yelled at him.
Deepak stopped in front of the door and turned around. "Just continue doing yoga. You know how to, don't you?"
Hearing this, Desmond frowned. "That won't help, Deepak…!"
"It will!" Deepak replied as he opened the door in a rush. "Just try it again!" He slammed the door shut.
Desmond stood, staring at the door, trying to comprehend what had happened. He let out a loud bark and slammed his paws onto the floor several times before running up to the exercise ball and kicking it across the room. WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT…?! WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME LIKE THIS…?! WEREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE HELPING ME…?! WHERE DID YOU RUN OFF TO NOW…?! AAGH…!
Deepak backed away from his room until he hit the wall. He hunched over, grabbed his ears tightly, and covered his face with them. I don't like this! I don't like it at all! What's the matter with him?! And with that aura?! He let go of his ears when he felt his mouth filling with saliva and quickly put a paw onto it. Deepak stood like this for a few seconds before removing his paw, putting it down. It was disgusting! How horrible… But I can't leave him like that! What do I do, what do I do?! He shut his eyes. Arg! I feel so useless! Deepak jerked his head up when he felt a paw touch him.
"Hey," Dolly said then wiped away her brother's tears. "What now? What happened this time?"
"I'd like to know as well." Dawkins rubbed one eye as he neared the two, with Da Vinci beside him. "What was that bark just now? Made me fall off my bed." He rubbed his neck and let out a light moan.
Deepak grabbed Dolly's paw, stopping it. He brushed his cheek with his paw and felt the warm liquid on it. Again? Deepak sighed and eyed Dawkins. "Nothing. Nothing happened. I tried everything you suggested but nothing worked."
"Huh?!" Dawkins put his paw down. "Did he fully acknowledge that he needs your help?"
"Yes, and it didn't work," Deepak told him, "I tried yoga, but that, too, didn't work." He then gave it a thought. "Well, that did have an effect. Thought, when we stopped doing it, that awful aura came back again."
"Hold on." Dawkins sat by Deepak's side. "You said yoga worked on him?"
Deepak nodded.
"Why yoga, exactly?" Dawkins asked.
"Well, when I entered my room, Desmond was rolling my exercise ball. He was also staring out the window, at the pups. And they were playing, so I figured that he may just respond better to activity. That's why I decided to try with yoga." Deepak leaned on the wall. "But what do I do now? I have nothing left."
Dawkins stroked Deepak's head. "This is quite unfortunate." He looked at Da Vinci then back to Deepak. "Guess we'll leave mum to handle it then."
Deepak clung to his brother and began to shake.
"Hey, now!" Dawkins flinched a little. "Wha—"
"I want to help him! I really do!" Deepak said through whimpers. "But he scares me!"
"Deepak, Deepak." Da Vinci walked up to him, pulled him away from Dawkins, and hugged him. "What scared you? What did Desmond do?" She began rubbing his back. "Calm down and tell me."
Dolly sat and rose her left ear to listen.
"He didn't do anything to me; it's not what I meant by that." Deepak rested his head onto his sister's chest. "It's just that his aura… I can't stand it! I feel so sick when I'm around it." He started weeping, hot tears running down Da Vinci's fur.
Da Vinci hugged him tighter.
Well, there, this proves what I feared. Dawkins thought as he watched Deepak. I wasn't helpful at all. Even worse, I believe I might have put too much pressure on Deepak; expecting him to deal with this on his own. He put his paw onto his shoulder and squeezed it. Yet, why do I feel like this: frustrated? What are you getting so angry for? Come to terms with this, Dawkins! He kicked the wall with his hind leg, getting Dolly to look at him.
"Whoa, Dawkins," Dolly said as she jumped up, "What was that about?"
"I'm a little flustered. Don't mind me," Dawkins replied. He turned his head to Deepak and saw Da Vinci, staring back at him with a pleading look. 'Help somehow'; I know that's what you're asking of me, right, Da Vinci? Dawkins thought and walked to her. "I want to talk to him."
Da Vinci lifted Deepak's head then softly stroked his cheek.
Deepak put his paws onto his face, rubbing it, wiping off the tears. "Yeah, yeah. I heard him." He let go of his sister and turned to Dawkins.
"I don't want to bother you anymore with this, Deepak," Dawkins told him, "However," He put his paw onto Deepak's head. "Can you help me with this just a little more?"
"I think I know what's going on with Desmond," Deepak said, "When I went back, I told him that I was giving up on him."
"You were going to leave him?" Dawkins cooked his head, surprised.
"I wasn't actually going to," Deepak stated with a firm tone, "I did it to see if he cared to get better or not. He did; a lot at that. We talked a little, and he mentioned his home." He put a paw onto his chest. "Desmond's homesick, I think."
Da Vinci walked behind him. "Homesick, Deepak?"
Deepak nodded.
"Hmm?" Da Vinci started thinking.
Dolly turned to her. "What? Remember something?"
"Didn't Dylan tell you?" Da Vinci asked them.
"Tell us what?" Dawkins said.
"Yesterday, when Dylan and I were checking on him, Desmond told us that he was quite nervous when he moved in. Although, he said he was more used to it by now." Da Vinci rubbed her front leg. "Guess he's still anxious about it."
"Understandable," Dawkins said, "Desmond's yet to adjust to living here." He then gave it a quick thought. "It's possible that the trauma might have magnified his anxiety." Dawkins removed his paw off of Deepak. "Now, Question is: how do we get rid of this homesickness?"
Deepak jolted his head up. "Yeah, I tried doing the same."
"Hey, I have an idea!" Dolly told them, dragging their attention to her. "Let's get him out to play."
Dawkins leered at her. "Come again?"
Dolly sat. "Des reacts best to action, right, Deepak?"
"Well, the yoga confirms that, I guess," Deepak replied.
"Sure, it didn't work with yoga, but what if we took the action part of it and stepped it up a notch?" Dolly said.
"What do you mean?" Deepak asked.
"Des jogs a lot. Also, back when we played '500', he was very into the game." Dolly jumped back onto her paws. "In yoga, ya just stretch a lot, don't ya? Des needs more than that, so I think sports would work better for him."
Deepak turned to Dawkins. "Think that will work?"
Dawkins scratched his head then exhaled. "I wasn't paying much attention back then, but I suppose he seemed quite enthusiastic about it. Fine. We have nothing to lose, anyway." He tapped Deepak's back. "Go get Desmond. We're going to the backyard."
Deepak walked to his door but paused before opening it. He shivered, remembering the dreadful aura that awaited him in the room.
"Deepak?" Da Vinci said, a little concerned.
"Give me a second," Deepak replied. Don't get scared again. Just walk in. Come on!
Why did you leave me like that…? Desmond thought as he laid on the floor. 'Just continue doing yoga'… Why make me do it again when you know it won't work…? Do you even know what you're doing anymore…? He snorted out.
Trust me, I'm sure Deepak will be able to help…
I'm telling you, give Deepak a chance…!
Even if you aren't sick from anything serious, I recommend that you have a session with him…
Give him a chance to help…? Desmond frowned. Thus far, he's done nothing but failed at that… I knew I shouldn't have listened to them…! Like always, I'll just take care of myself… I don't need help from them…! Let alone an eleven-year-old pup, who's just wasting my—
"Desmond?"
Desmond spun his head back to see Deepak, peeking his head through the door.
"You aren't doing yoga? Well, alright. That's fine." Deepak entered and closed the door. He began walking towards Desmond as he looked around the room. He noticed that his exercise ball was at the other end of the room. Huh?! Weird. How did it— His legs stiffened and his fur stood up as he felt the aversion in the air surrounding him. Deepak moved his attention back to Desmond just to see the narrowed, cold eyes that glared back at him. He stopped in place. "W-What?" He asked with a trembling voice.
"Nothing…" Desmond turned away from him.
Deepak continued moving, but instead directly towards him, the pup stuck closer to the walls, making his way around Desmond and sat in front of him. "Hey, umm, I'm sorry that I left you like that; I really am. And, also, I know you're angry right now; I understand why you would be. But, please let me try one more thing. This time it might work!"
Desmond stood up and look down at the pup. "Deepak... You tried your best despite failing in the end…"
Deepak pinned his ears to the side of his head. "I know. I'm sorry—"
"Thank you…" Desmond said.
Deepak perked his ears up. "No, please. Don't thank me. I couldn't—"
"For wasting my time…" Desmond spun around and headed for the door.
Deepak froze upon hearing this. It took him a couple of seconds to pull himself back, then he immediately darted after Desmond. "Wait! Where are you going?! You aren't leaving, are you?!"
Desmond didn't reply, he only continued walking foreword.
Deepak jumped between him and the door. "Desmond! Look, I know you're mad, but believe me, the only thing on my mind is your health. So please, stay, and I know we'll find a way to—"
Desmond put his paw onto Deepak's side and pushed him away from the door. He bit the handle and burst the door open.
Everyone in the hallway jumped.
"Desmond?!" Da Vinci fixed her eyes on him.
"Whoa, Des!" Dolly began walking next to him. "What happened? Ya almost broke the door there?" Dolly got taken aback when he didn't respond. "Des? Hey, Des? Why aren't you speaking to me?"
"Leave me, Dolly…" Desmond stared her down, getting her to flinch.
"What the hell's going on?" Dawkins scratched his head, then looked at Deepak, who ran out of the room. "What happened in there? Why is he that mad?"
"I think he's mad at me, but that doesn't matter now!" Deepak said, hastily. "He's leaving, Dawkins!"
"What?!" Dawkins quickly rushed after Desmond. I said I'd keep him here until mum comes home! I can't let him leave the house now! He ran past Desmond just before he could reach the staircase. "Stop, Desmond!"
Desmond paused and glowered at Dawkins.
Looking him in the eyes, Dawkins understood that Desmond wouldn't just stay put if he asked him. How do I make him stay?! He won't listen to me. He then saw Desmond lift his front leg. He anticipated what Desmond was about to do and said, "Wait! Listen to what I have to say!"
Desmond paused for a second.
At least I might get him to stay longer if I offer him this. Dawkins looked behind himself for a moment then back to Desmond. "You what to go home? It's not like we can stop you, but let me tell you this. Allow me to try one last thing, Desmond. Then if it doesn't work," Dawkins moved away from the staircase. "You're free to go."
Desmond pondered on this. He sat down, rubbed his forehead, and let out a loud snarl. "What do you want me to do…?"
Dawkins looked to his sisters and brother; with a twitch of his head, he gestured for them to follow. He then began walking down the stairs. "Come with me to the backyard. I'll tell you there."
Desmond followed after him; the others weren't far behind, as they all proceeded towards the backyard.