Author's Notes

Hey, guys, after a quick google search, I found out that the average wild fox lifespan is of 5 years, and that a pet fox usually lives to be around 14 years old. I don't like that. So I'm going to say right now that the little fox cub from last chapter will get to live for up to 30 years. Perhaps more. Deal with it. :)

Also, thank you so much Mage-Of-Space-12 for following and 'favorite'ing my story! :D

Anywho, Reviews!

GiggiEba, I'm sure it's okay to say something like that! Good thing you don't have to wait too long eh? :)

ThinMint, yay, finally! Cuteness!

Welp, on with the story!

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Darkness's POV (1 Month later)

I kicked at a small pebble in my path as I paced the edge of the massive chasm that split the mountain me and my troops were stationed at. I turned to glare at my generals, who were overlooking the construction of the stone bridge that would connect both halves of the mountain.

"It's been a bloody month. How is it that the bridge isn't finished? Even with the mutant enderman, for fucks sake!"

My Necronaut General stepped up. "My liege, it's a two kilometer-wide gap. Of course it will take some time. The monster's need to be sure it won't collapse. I assure you, by next week, we'll be able to cross farther towards the nearest mob city."

I groaned. "Very well. How was the transfer for the nether mobs?"

My Demonaut general nodded. "The operation went smoothly, my lord."

The snows that blanketed the mountain for weeks were very harmful to my nether mobs, so I tasked my generals with sending them back through the portal to await further orders. "Good. Trudy."

My royal servant looked up from her notepad. "Yes, lord Darkness?"

"I want you to bring the nether mobs back through the portal once the bridge is finished. We'll need all our military might to tear down Veridon City."

Trudy scribbled something else on her pad and nodded. "Of course, my liege."

I nodded and turned to look at the endermen working on the bridge. They crawled over its arches like spiders, setting down stones and rocks with superhuman strength. The mutant enderman lodged large boulders into the walls of the chasm, building up supports. It was nothing short of incredible to watch them build.

My Argonaut general cleared his throat. "My lord, if I may... where has your shadow gone?"

"I sent it back to the nether. I'll be supervising everything in person from now on. We're much too close to the battle for me to miss a single thing."

All my generals nodded. I drew my sword and brushed my finger against the magma-stone lodged in its hilt. It felt good to wield such a powerfully enchanted weapon. I put my sword back in it's sheath and leaned against a nearby tree.

I have an army, and a powerful weapon capable of more than you can imagine brother. Enjoy your pitiful life while you can.

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Izabell's POV

"No! Flicker! You leave Snowdrift alone!"

I looked up to see Kaitlin chasing two shapes; a lithe little fox cub and an energetic week-old creeper baby. Flicker, or Flick as everyone calls him, hatched very suddenly one day. Kaitlin was ecstatic, and had practically ordered me to call for Ara, my creeper friend, so she could help her. Ara made it just in time to watch the mischevious little monster hatch.

"What do I do now?" Kaitlin had asked. She looked worried but very happy.

"Not much, honessstly," Ara replied. "Clean him and make sssure to feed him, and try to keep him out of trouble."

"Okay." Her answer was little more than a breath. She lifted the tiny shape out of the eggshells and onto a blanket, then began to clean him up. "What should I feed him?"

"Gunpowder mossstly. More complicated exssplosivesss asss he growsss up. Have you thought of a name yet?"

"Yes, I have. Flicker. Like, what fire and lights do."

The little baby creeper proved to be a lot for Kaitlin to handle by herself. Everyone chipped in whenever she asked for help either keeping Flick still for long enough to bathe or feed him, and between all of us we always knew where the tiny monster was. But, no matter how many times Simon kicked him out of his room for eating his sketches or how often we tripped because of him, we all loved the little creep.

Also, I did get to keep the little snow fox! I named him Snowdrift. He sleeps in my room or in the med-bay, and he always follows me or Simon around. He's very cute. Whenever we sit down to eat, he sits down beside me and curls his fluffy tail around my leg. Simon barely pays him any attention, but Snowdrift still weaves around his legs and tries to get the creeper boy to pet him.

Simon insisted I let him out saying that he might get sick, and after a lot of nagging, I finally agreed one day. I picked up Snowdrift and placed him in front of the door before opening it. My little fox pricked his ears and stared blankly at the frosty plains. I peeked around the door and watched anxiously as he stood up and padded slowly outside.

He lifted a paw and hesitated at the edge of the doorway. Then he gingerly took another step forward. The cold grass crunched beneath him as he padded out. Snowdrift stopped a couple steps from the door and turned around to look at me. I stared back, unable to speak. The fox cub tipped his head and yelped at me.

I smiled and followed him out the door. Snowdrift didn't move until I was beside him, and I followed as he explored the plains. The little fox cub yipped happily as he chased a leaf that fluttered on the wind. I followed hesitantly as he entered the forest. He sniffed at the ground and looked around curiously, but didn't run away or walk any farther into the woods.

Simon sighed when I got back with Snowdrift in my arms. "I guess that means he's yours, Z."

I nodded. "Mm-hmm. And you thought he'd run away."

Simon smiled. "Quite frankly, I was hoping for it."

I punched his shoulder and brought Snowdrift inside. He grew pretty quickly. His fuzzy cub fur leaned out and became a soft, sleek white pelt. He scampers around happily, usually playing with Flicker. Speaking of which...

Kaitlin finally managed to catch the baby creeper, and Snowdrift skidded to a stop before looking over his shoulder at her. Flick hissed excitedly at the little fox, who yipped in turn. Kait started walking away.

"How many times have we told you to be nice with Snowdrift? Honestly, you are more trouble than you're worth."

I giggled. "Don't scold him. They were just playing. Right, Snowdrift?"

The little fox blinked and started scratching his ears with his hind leg. Kaitlin smiled. "I guess that means yes. But that doesn't give you the right to chase him around, mister!" She mock glared at Flicker, who hissed in delight.

Jack walked down the stairs, his custom bow in hand. "Kait, uhh... I want to file a complaint."

The blaze princess blinked at him. "You what?"

The story gestured to his bow. "It looks like good ol' Flick decided my bow was an awesome chew toy."

Kaitlin and I took a closer look at the bow. It had amazing carvings all over it, but also a large portion where these had indeed been chewed up. Kait grimaced and gave him an apologetic glance. "Sorry... did you lock your door like I asked?"

Jack shrugged. "I'm not sure. Probably not, but still. I keep it in a box under my bed, so it's not like it would be the first thing he sees."

The baby creeper blinked in confusion. Kaitlin held Flicker closer to her chest. "Right... sorry. I promise it won't happen again."

"Thanks. I'll be outside if anyone needs me."

We watched him go, wiping some leftover drool from his bow with a piece of cloth. Snowdrift weaved around my legs and yipped. I smiled and picked him up. "Are you hungry? Do you want some food?"

Snowdrift blinked at me, yawned, and settled to sleep in my arms. I giggled. "Guess all that running tired him out," I said to Kaitlin.

The blaze princess smiled. "If only it had tired Flick out. I mean, look at him." The baby creeper blinked at me when I met his curious gaze. He looked about as energetic as ever.

"Maybe we could find something to keep him entertained. Build some sort of room for him to play in," I suggested.

Kaitlin frowned thoughtfully. "That could work, I suppose. But Ara said that he should be free to roam because his tiny little legs wouldn't develop properly otherwise."

"Um... maybe you should take him outside? I'm sure he'll be fine even with the cold."

Kait's eyes widened in surprise. "Take him outside? Are you serious? There's too much snow! He'd get sick!"

I looked out the window. It had been snowing all week, blanketing the plains and forests in a thick layer of white. It hadn't stopped Sarah and Jack from going outside, though. I guess skeletons are more accustomed to the cold. "Well... I guess you're right. I'm going to check up on Thomas, okay?"

She nodded and turned away. "Okay. I'll go give Flicky a bath."

I brought Snowdrift with me into the med-bay and set him down on an empty bed. The little fox cub stretched out but didn't wake. Adrian had left the med-bay a week ago, having recovered from his battle injuries. No big scary monsters had attacked us since then. Thomas smiled at me. "Hi, Izabell. Is it time for my check-up again?"

I nodded and passed my hand over his chest, feeling for any irregularities that would indicate his rib hadn't healed properly. "It looks like everything is back to normal. You can go to sleep in your own room tonight. Or," I said with a mischevious smile, "in Sarah's room if you'd prefer."

Thomas chuckled nervously, his cheeks tinged with red. "Right. Thanks, Izabell."

"No problem. I don't fight, so it's only fair that I help those that do."

Thomas stood up and stretched. "Ah, feels good to be on my feet again."

I smiled. "Don't be such a wimp. You've been walking around restlessly since last week. Don't think I haven't noticed."

He smiled back at me. "Sorry about that."

I shrugged and started cleaning the bed he'd been resting in. "It's your own health that's at stake, so..."

Thomas sighed. "Simon's rubbing off on you."

I smiled. "I consider that to be a good thing, most days."

He gave me a surprised frown. "Most days? What?"

"Never mind. It's something between the two of us. You can go now."

He opened his mouth to say something else, but I waved him away. "Go. And don't wake Snowdrift. Flicker's been chasing him around the house all day."

Thomas nodded and left. I finished setting the bed and sat down beside the still sleeping Snowdrift. I pet his head in between his ears, and the little fox chirruped happily. I heard a knock on the doorway and looked up to find Simon looking at me and Snowdrift. I smiled at him.

"Hi, Simon."

"Hey, Z. Lila says she's going to try using the skates on the lake if it's frozen. Do you want to come?"

I thought about it for a second. "Is it safe?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. That's why we're going to see if the lake's frozen first. I could throw a few stones at it to see if it'll crack."

I nodded after another moment of hesitation. "Okay. Lila might need help if something happens. Will her skates even work on ice?"

Simon's eyes brightened. He likes talking about his projects and ideas, and it makes me happy to see him so excited over something. "The wheels are sharp at the edges, for superior combat effectiveness and to get a better grip on hard ground."

I stood up and walked towards the door. "Combat effectiveness?"

"The skates have steel toes, so Lila can kick out at an enemy and it would do some decent damage. She could also cut them with the wheels."

"Hm. You think about everything, don't you?"

"I try my best."

I pulled on my thick lime-green coat. Simon was only wearing his hoodie. I frowned at him. "Won't you get cold in that?"

He smiled back at me. "I'll be fine. It's not that cold."

I sighed and raised an eyebrow. "Not that cold? If what you want to try works, that's because it's cold enough to freeze over a lake."

He stared blankly at me before smiling again. "Can't argue with that. Come on, Lila's probably already there."

"I'm probably where?"

We both turned around to find Lila walking down the stairs wearing her wool-lined jacket. Simon nodded at her. "I thought you'd have left by now."

Lila shrugged. "I had to go get my skates first."

Simon started walking towards the door. "Okay. Let's get going before it starts snowing again."

We walked in silence for the most part, with Simon a little farther ahead than Lila and I. Once we entered the forest, she leaned closer to me.

"I don't know how you can like him so much," she whispered.

I blinked at her. "What do you mean?" I whispered back.

"He's so... blank. Always neutral or sarcastic, never betraying any thought or emotion. Nobody should be that devoid of feeling. It's kind of creepy."

I frowned at her. "He is a creeper, after all, but that's not a very nice thing to say about him. And he's not devoid of feeling, he just doesn't show any."

Lila shuddered dramatically. "How do you know what he's thinking, or if he's mad or depressed or happy?"

I smiled smugly at her. "Because he does show emotion, especially when we're alone. And I don't need to know what he's thinking to know he loves me too."

Lila stared at me for a few seconds before shrugging. "Still don't know how you can stand his constant poker face."

"It's not constant. When we're alone, he sort of lets go, and I can read him like an open book. I think that's why he does the poker face thing."

Lila thought about this for a moment. "Hmm... okay." She raised her voice. "How's Snowdrift? I hadn't seen him with you when I came down."

I smiled. "He was just sleeping in the med-bay. Flicker had chased him all over the place, and he got tired out."

Lila smiled. "That baby creeper is absolutely nuts. I had to chain up all my knives in a box because Kaitlin was afraid he would find them and poison himself somehow."

I gliggled. "And I had to put a lock on the bandage chest in the med-bay so he didn't ruin them all."

Simon huffed without looking back. "Flicker's been eating my sketches, and he stole one of my projects from the box I keep under my bed."

Lila giggled, something I don't remember having heard before. "Really? What'd he steal?"

"A prototype flint-n-steel gauntlet. He also ate the sketch for it, so I have no way to make an exact replica and complete the pair."

I smiled. I always find Simon's occational ranting funny. "Did you get it back?"

"Yeah, but not after he slobbered it all and ruined the leather."

"Did Kaitlin apologize?" Lila asked.

"Yes." Simon turned his head just a little so that we could see his smile. It looks like he thought the situation was funny too. "She was beet red, and just barely managed to stammer out an apology."

Lila chuckled. "Oh, man, I don't know how you haven't punished Flick for all the mischief he's been causing."

He shook his head, still smiling. "That's Kaitlin's job. And besides, what could I do to that little spark? We just have to survive his antics for long enough until we can actually get him to understand."

I giggled. "I think Kait needs help with her job. She wanted to know if there was anything we could build for Flick that would help tire him out."

Simon suppressed a laugh. "Other than a tranquilizer dart gun, I don't know what could work."

Lila and I giggled. She smiled a me, and I gave her a smug look. She rolled her eyes and shrugged. We walked in silence for the next couple of minutes before arriving at the lake. It was comepletely frozen over, reflecting the sun's light and a dazzling way. The ice was edged with snow that covered the shore.

Simon rummaged through the snow blanketing the sandy shore and picked up two stones. "Right. Let's see if it's truly frozen."

He chucked a stone towards the lake. It sailed through the air before clattering on the smooth layer of ice. Simon threw the stone again, and it landed in the same area where the first stone did. He then walked up to the ice and pressed down on it with his boot. It didn't crack at all, and Simon stood back with an approving nod.

"Looks solid enough. I think it's safe."

I helped Lila put on her skates, and she stepped gingerly onto the frozen lake. She wobbled a little, then regained her balance and slid over the ice. She squealed with deligh and pushed harder against the frozen water. Simon stood beside me, smiling.

"She's having fun."

I nodded. "I wonder what it feels like."

"I could make you some skates if you want," he offered.

"No thanks. I rather like walking or running rather than rolling."

Simon shrugged. He walked onto the frozen lake. "It doesn't look exceptionally hard to keep your balance."

I opened my mouth to speak when he started slipping. He caught himself before falling, sliding closer to the middle of the lake. "Right... I stand corrected."

"Be careful!" I called after him.

"I'll be okay, I think."

Lila slid past him. She'd been skating around the edge of the frozen lake, and now started performing little tricks on the ice. Simon stood back up and slowly tried to walk over to me. He got a few steps in before slipping again. He fell on his side, a smile on his face, and somehow managed to stand up again.

Simon took a couple more uneven steps forward, and then the ice cracked beneath him. A gasp escaped me. Simon furrowed his brow. "Well, shit."

"Come back! Be carful!"

He didn't look up from the crack in the ice. "It's okay, it's okay," he soothed. "I won't fall. And it's not that deep anyway."

"Please be careful," I begged. Lila hadn't even noticed what was happening. "Lila!"

The cave spider slid to a stop and stared at me. "Yeah?"

"Please help Simon! The ice is cracking!"

Lila looked at Simon and frowned. "If I get too close, the ice will break and he'll fall in for sure."

I blinked at her. "So there's nothing you can do?"

Simon spoke softly. "Calm down, Z. I'll be fine. Just have to... tread lightly..."

He took a single step forward, and nothing happened. He took another step and the crack in the ice followed him. I stared helplessly as he took a few more steps. A couple meters from the shore, He slipped. My heart leaped in my throat as Simon wobbled and fell hard on top of the brittle sheet of ice.

The ice snapped, and Simon sank with it below the surface of the water. Dread swept through me, and I dashed for ward to the edge of the ice. Lila stared in horror at the large hole where Simon had disappeared. A couple seconds passed and nothing happened. Tears threatened to swamp me, grief forcing a stake through my heart.

Then a gloved hand flew out of the water and gripped the ice. Another followed. Soon Simon's head broke through the surface. Simon gasped loudly, and began coughing up water as he pulled himself heavily onto the frozen lake. He crawled heavily towards me, shivering like mad. Relief and worry flooded me at the same time.

Lila quickly slid towards Simon and helped him onto the shore. He was as cold as the ice he'd broken through, and his teeth chattered nonstop. He looked exhausted. I held him closer to me. "I told you to bring warmer clothes. Thank the lords you're okay... thank the lords..."

"D-d-def-fine o-ok-ay..."

Tears streamed down my cheeks, and I broke into a smile. "Simon... please, please, please promise me you'll never ever do that again."

He smiled weakly at me. "E-e-ver?"

I chuckled breathlessly and held him tighter, burrowing my face in his cold chest. Lila helped us up, and we staggered all the way back home. Everyone stared in wordless horror as I brought Simon into the med-bay. Lila stayed back to answer our friends worried questions. Snowdrift whined at me from bed where I'd left him.

I helped Simon change into warmer clothes and covered him with a blanket. Snowdrift hopped up onto his bed and curled up beside him, trying to help keep Simon warm. I pet him between the ears and left the med-bay. Everyone had been sitting around the living room table, listening intently to Lila, and slowly turned to look at me.

I blinked back at their sympathetic looks and walked into the kitchen. I brought out a pitcher of water, a pot, some vegetables, and chicken. I lit the stove and began preparing the ingredients for Simon's soup. A couple tears fell down my face as I cooked. Sarah walked in just as I poured the vegetables into the pot. She stared wordlessly at me for a few moments.

She finally spoke. "How's Simon?"

I shrugged. "Cold." I stirred the soup a little, and suddenly realized that I was trembling.

Sarah placed a hand on my arm. "How are you?"

I shighed. "Worried. He can barely stand."

"I'm sure he'll be fine. You're a great medic, and that soup will help him plenty."

I felt bone-tired and sick to my stomach, but her kind fords lifted a weight off me. "Do you think so?"

Sarah smiled at me. "I do. Here, let me help."

We cooked in silence. Sarah walked its me towards the med-bay. Simon's skin looked sickly pale, but at least he looked a little stronger, and more comfortable. Snowdrift yipped at me from his spot next to the creeper boy. I sat down beside him and set down the bowl of soup.

Simon blinked at me and smiled. "Is that for me?"

I smiled back and handed him the soup. "Yes. How do you feel?"

He took a sip from the bowl. "Chilled to the bone. Don't worry, though. I'll be fine." Snowdrift whined, and Simon passed his hand over the little fox cub's sleek white fur. "He's been keeping me warm while you were gone."

I pet the little fox between his ears. "I'm glad you've finally gotten along with him."

Simon took another long sip of soup. "Me too. He's great company."

I giggled and stood up. "I'll get you a bag of warm water for you to sleep."

Simon nodded at me. "Thank you, Z. I'm sorry to have scared you."

I kissed his forehead lightly. "It's fine. I'm just glad you're okay now."

I walked upstairs into my room, not wanting to meet anybody else's gaze. I locked the door behind me and curled into a ball on my bed. It scared me how quickly he went under, how suddenly he was just gone. But he came back, didn't he? I thought to myself. I hid under a blanket until my hands stopped shaking. I hugged myself tightly.

What would have happened if he'd died? What would I have done then?

I pushed the dreadful thought away and got comfortable. I peeked my head out from under the blanket and brought over a pillow. Sleeping would keep my worries away, and I was plenty tired. I sank into the softness of my bed and closed my eyes. I focused on keeping my breath steady until darkness enveloped me and I drifted off into sleep.

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Author's Notes

Yay, another chapter that isn't late!

Oh no, Poor Simon! Let's hope he gets better soon. Darkness's forces are looming over the horizon...

Anywho, thank you so much for you time and patience! Have an awesome day!

~ LeMafiaKreb