Title: Inferno and Red Alert IV
Rating: T

Inferno was chipper about this school orn coming up. He'd gotten up earlier, surprising his carrier, as he casually prepped for the orn; brushing his ears three times at least and fishing out his nicest button-up from the bottom of his closet. He swallowed down three plates of pancakes (with syrup for once!) and a large glass of juice, turning down his carrier's offer of an equally hearty lunch. Before she could press for a reason why, the german shepherd was pecking Moonracer on the cheekplate, heading out into the early morning light. The schoolyard was still filling with students lounging about or meeting up with friends, kliks away from the first bell ringing, but Inferno couldn't see a familiar white helm about the crowd so he moved on inside. A few younglings noticed the tall mech's entrance and called greetings out to him, to which Inferno either returned half-sparkedly or ignored entirely. The hallways were also void of the 'bot he was looking for, so, after deliberating for a moment, the german shepherd decided to head for his first period of the orn: Home Ec!

The classroom was, not surprising, somewhat empty -minus the teacher- but the red autodog didn't take it to spark; heading up to his station and beginning his setup with a vigorous scrubbing down of the worn tabletop, sink and induction burner. He worked until the old school equipment practically gleamed with new life, taking a moment to admire his effort with a beaming smile. Above his helm, the school bell began to ring, startling Inferno for an astrosecond. Immediately, his tail began to sweep up a storm as he stashed away the cleaning supplies, washed his servos again, then pulled out the equipment needed for the class' project that orn; laying them out neat and orderly just as Red Alert did while students began to file into the room. Patiently, the german shepherd stood, servos folded on the countertop as he watched diligently for Red Alert's arrival. But, with every glance at the clock, Inferno became more and more confused by the absence of his lab partner, until the late bell rang and no doberman had yet to arrive. The teacher called for everyone's attention, moving slowly onto the project's breakdown, all while the red youngling kept staring worriedly at the class now, everyone had begun to start their prep work and Red Alert still hadn't shown up. Inferno felt his tail sag behind him. What happened to the white youngling? He hadn't left... had he...?

"Your partner not show up?," a passing student said, nudging the taller autodog, "Don't look so glum; you don't have to work with the weirdo today!"

Inferno glared at the shorter mech, causing him to scurry off in a hurry. He got a lot of odd looks from his classmates, but the german shepherd just turned away, hesitantly starting on his own cooking project while glancing at the door frequently, hoping that Red Alert would walk through it soon.

xXx

Red Alert felt more nervous this morning than any he'd had prior. Which was an interesting statement to make, if only because this state of 'nerves' left the youngling both oddly limp and unnaturally giddy. It had to be the new prescription, he noted vaguely to himself, swinging his recently-acquired tin tackle box about as he walked. His new psychiatrist had insisted on the change and his carrier was strict on following vets' orders. Red Alert could say he wasn't keen on the large capsules, nor how they made his processor feel somewhat cottony shortly after. The doberman imagined his brain module then, all nestled in a bed of fluffy cotton, as if it was some sort of golden goose egg inside his helm and began to giggle. A servo grasped the white mechling's shoulder, bringing both his pedes and his laughter to a stop.

"Okay, first time was bad enough," Sideswipe said, staring down on his brother with a suspicious scowl, "But that's the third time I've caught you giggling this morning, Red Alert. It's this new pill, isn't it? I don't like it; mom needs to dump that bottle and contact your old shrink."

"W-what? No!," Red Alert gasped dramatically, jumping back from his sibling's touch, his next words coming out in a garbled rush of air. "I'm fine, perfectly fine! In good spirits actually! Feeling absolutely riper than a peach!"

Sideswipe could only gape in horror. "Riper than a... What the frag does that even-?! No, no you're right," the black autodog forced out, holding his servos up in surrender. "You've swallowed enough of these in your lifetime that I just have to trust your judgement here. But reign in the fragging chuckles, ok? You're gonna make one too many 'bots turn their helms."

The white doberman tried to nod in serious agreement with the other's request, but had to stop to smother another round of snickers with the back of his servo. Sideswipe had said 'frag', heehee...

"Oh for the love of-" Sideswipe turned on his heel, continuing his annoyed stomp forward. "Look, you can see the flagpole from here; let's just get in the school already! Might as well try and get this horrid orn over soon."

Red Alert hurried to follow after his brother, losing a few astroseconds to the surrounding wheat grains' distracting dance in the breeze.

xXx

The orn so far had been a bad one to Inferno: first, he woke up late, then he managed to zap himself on the toaster getting breakfast, and when he was finally on his way out the door, he somehow tripped over the hallway runner, fell into the foyer table, gouged the paint on the wall and knocked off several pictures from their nails. He'd spent all of first period cleaning up the mess he'd made and had only made it to school for the end of his second class. So it was with no exaggeration that Inferno felt thoroughly glum and wished only for the orn to end. Heading into third period, the german shepherd grabbed his usual seat, dropping his bag to the floor by his pedes before face-planting the desktop out of sheer misery. He wasn't paying attention to his fellow classmates still trickling in until he heard one femme vent in disgruntlement.

"Did you see? That weirdo runt is back."

"O.M.P," her friend exclaimed loudly. "Like, his brother's okay -maybe even a little cute- but the other one is such a freak! He was, like, smiling and being super friendly and touchy to everyone all morning. Like, we wouldn't remember how much of a spaz he really is? Ugh, incredible..."

"Those city 'bots have got to stop coming to our nice town before-"

The femme cut herself off with a short yip as the german shepherd jumped from his seat to land in front of her, his optics bright and ears upright with disbelief. "Is it true?," he demanded loudly, "Is Red Alert back? He's really at school today?!"

"Holy Solus, Inferno," the second femme snapped, grabbing her friend and pulling her back from the exuberant autodog, "What are ya, some kinda weirdo-lover? That mutt's a stranger, a freak; his kind doesn't belong in our wholesome town! Ya need to stop hanging out with the runt before ya end up like your cousin Trailbreaker!"

Inferno drew to his full height at the insults immediately, his usually jovial demeanor far from sight as he glowered at the femmes. He noticed an astrosecond after that the whole class was watching them; their expressions indicating that they were allied with the two other younglings in this whole conflict.

The red mech swept them all with his mean look, rounding back on the two students who had first spoken. "Ya'll're uglier than a tick-ridden, wire-back boar," he stated lowly, "And ya've the attitude ta boot. Yain't know nothin' 'bout Red Alert, an' if ya can't see the sweet 'bot that he is, than Aye sugges' ya'll'd bett'r keep yer nastiness far away from 'im."

Inferno reached for his backpack then, just as the teacher was entering the classroom. He took one look at the room, before burying his olfactory sensor back into the textbook he carried. "Alright everyone; let's take our seats and get started. That means you too, Inferno."

The teacher shut the classroom door behind himself as he moved to his desk, leaving the german shepherd to deliberate for a lengthy moment. Inferno wanted nothing more than to hurry to his wayward friend, but Red Alert would be in the middle of his own class by now and no teacher would allow a fellow student to pull the white youngling out of class for anything short of a medical emergency. The red autodog would have no choice but to wait for next period -their shared lunch- to see his friend, whether he left the room now or later. Displeased with the circumstances, Inferno plopped back into his chair with a huff, watching the classroom clock and counting down the kliks.

xXx

He found the doberman standing outside the cafeteria, chattering loudly to no one in particular and trying to stroke at passing students' arms, unaware of the unfriendly glances he garnered from everyone else. "Red? Red, that really ya?!"

The doberman turned slowly, smiling goofily as Inferno raced up to him, clueless to the strange look his friend was giving him. "Hi, Inferno," the white youngling vented excitedly, "How are you? Good, right! It's so sunny out -have you felt it? It makes my plating practically shiver. Oh, you should go have a feel!"

"Uhm... right," the german shepherd mumbled, allowing his friend to grope his arm aimlessly, trying to gather his train of thought in the midst of this new and strange behaviour from the smaller youngling. "'Red, 'bout yest'rorn... Aye want'd ta ask ya-"

"Yesterorn? Oh, yesterorn was fine. Outside! Let's go out now. You must feeeeeel the sun!," Red Alert chirped, exuberantly shoving the red autodog towards the courtyard's door. Inferno followed his companion's direction, tripping once or twice over the uneven tempo between their individual pacing, eager to get outdoors. Privacy would best for the conversation he had in mind, anyhow.

"Red, listen," Inferno sighed, facing the doberman after the school doors had clicked shut, "Aye respec' ya an' yer personal business, but ya jus' up an' disappear'd yest'rorn, without notice, an' Aye was really..."

The german shepherd trailed off. The white youngling wasn't even paying attention; his optics were fixed on the tree above, fingers plastered to his face as the shorter mech hissed gleefully. "Biiiiiiirds. Inferno, lookie! Birds! Red ones!"

"Red!" The larger student grabbed his friend's arm, pulling it back down as he stepped into the other's face seriously. Whatever minor frustration he felt towards Red Alert faded as Inferno saw the genuine, neutral confusion colouring the doberman's gaze. "Red... Aye'm... Are ya fine? Like, really fine? N-no one's hurt ya, yeah? O-o', gave ya somethin' odd?," the german shepherd whispered. Red Alert shuttered his optics slowly. "A-aye'm jus' tryna figure out what's happenin'; yain't actin' yerself, Red, an' Aye've wait'd ta long ta talk ta ya this lunch-"

"Lunch!," the white autodog shouted suddenly, as if coming to some world-breaking revelation. "Wait one klik!"

"Red, what is it?," Inferno asked, watching his friend start to dig fervently into his knapsack. "Red? Is it- Oh!"

Inferno was interrupted by his questions as a tin tackle box was thrust in his servos.

"Open, open, open, open!," Red Alert chanted in unnatural cheer. Despite his trepidation, the german shepherd couldn't bring himself to disappoint those extra-wide, glittering optics, so he flipped the latch and lifted the lid. Now it was the taller autodog's turn to shutter his optics bemusedly; he didn't really know what he had expected when he opened the tackle box, but a fully loaded, nutritional lunch within its modified interior certainly hadn't been on the list of possibilities.

"T-thank ya," he started to stammer, but the white youngling flapped his servos about impatiently, fingers flexing to grab the container back.

"Eat, eat, eat!," Red Alert pushed, bouncing in place as his patience lessened further. "I want the box back! Back, I said!"

Inferno barely had time to pull the individually wrapped food items out before the doberman was yanking the tackle box away, slamming it shut and burying it deeply back into his backpack. "Listen, 'Red...," the red mech said, his former concern returned ten-fold, "Aye'm worried 'bout-"

The german shepherd took a quick step back as Red Alert jumped up into his face, grabbing the other's shirt and holding him tightly so he couldn't escape the smaller autodog's penetrating gaze. "No time to talk!," he let out between a hissing vent, "Only eat! Just eat! You must!" Then the shorter student manhandled his companion to the courtyard bench, still watching with intent focus, waiting. Hesitantly, Inferno unwrapped the first sandwich, beginning to eat under the other's studious attention, wondering if he'd ever get some answers about his friend's disappearance the orn before. On the upside, he supposed it was nice to have a whole lunch made for himself alone...

xXx

It was track orn in gym. Inferno jogged along slowly, keeping pace behind Red Alert. He wasn't straggling behind the class in the slightest, but he knew he wasn't keeping to his usual speed either, and he caught a few incredulous looks when a couple other students passed ahead. The german shepherd ignored them, optics locked in on Red Alert's backside a couple meters in front. He'd tried, unsuccessfully, to grill the doberman again for answers on his odd absence and his unusual actions this orn, yet Red Alert managed to evade giving a straight reply. Then, once the running had started and the white youngling had turned the corner of the first corn field, the smaller autodog had floated off into some sort of relaxed daze that Inferno could not snap his friend out of, no matter what he tried.

Brow furrowed, Inferno began to compile the orn's oddities in his helm as they happened. The spaciness, quick-change of focus and conversation, disorganization, random giggling and needing to physically change location to subdue them... It was as if Red Alert had been abducted by aliens and swapped with a sub-par fake, if Inferno was inclined to believe in that sort of hogwash. Instead, he was contemplating the very likely possibilities that someone had poisoned his new, dear friend; the only problem in that was equation was figuring out who, or when, such a thing may have happened. The german shepherd huffed, once again at a loss on what to do, as he followed behind the doberman closely. The pair were rounding onto the school property for the fourth time now. Inferno only had another twenty kliks until the end of the school orn, at which point Red Alert would disappear back home, leaving the red mech with a handful of questions and uncertainties to plague him through the night.

"'Ey, Red...!," the taller youngling called out hesitantly. "Red! Can ya-"

A shrill shriek burst over the schoolyard, causing Inferno to pause, ears flattening slightly at the harsh sound.

"Round up in front!," came the coach's vocalizer over a bullhorn, before the handheld's airhorn was turned on for another astrosecond.

"C'mon, Red, we gotta-" The german shepherd stopped, optics shuttering in shock as he watched his companion collapse to the ground, servos clutching his ears tightly. Immediately, he ran over, trying to touch the other youngling until Red Alert gave a scream. "Red! Red, i-it's meh!"

Inferno watched in horror as Red Alert stared out vacantly into some void, breaking out into convulsions with another scream as the red mech tried to turn his friend's helm, before passing out cold in the dirt.

xXx

Red Alert awoke with a start, rolling over and curling up into a ball as his fuel tanks were viciously stabbed, forcing a pained yip to escape. The sound drew something's attention; the doberman barely caught the sight of blue-green plating before he was throwing himself upward in a panic, desperate to flee this fast-approaching threat. His jerky movements were a bad decision on his part, as the combination of throbbing helm and aching tanks triggered his frame to begin purging. It was with luck that a trashcan found itself thrust into the youngling's weak grasp to spare his clothes and the berth from the refuse. Red Alert continued vomiting over the next couple of kliks, until his fuel tanks drained themselves, leaving the white mech shivering and gasping in the aftermath.

A small cough came from across the room, reminding the doberman that he wasn't alone. Red Alert looked up, shaking harder as he found himself staring at a seemingly harmless, little blue-green autodog. Size meant nothing of course when a knife could fit into tiny servos and a smaller stature meant exposure to more vulnerable points on a 'bot's frame, allowing-

"Dearie?," the little autodog started softly. Her vocalizer dug itself into the youngling's anxiety attack and she quickly lifted her servos, palm up, to indicate her lack of threat. "Honey, it's okay. I'm the school nurse: Miss Glyph. What yer experiencing is part of the withdrawal- ya accidentally took some bad stuff and it's now leaving yer system- but once it's out, we'll get ya fixed right proper. I prom-"

"I-i-it's not d-drugs!," Red Alert interjected shrilly, "I-it's... It was p-prescribed, n-new vet, n-new me-medication... I d-don't do dr-drugs! M-medicine! It's medicine! W-where's my b-brother?!"

"I," the femme started strongly, relaxing her tone as she drew the frantic optics back towards her frame, "I completely understand, Red Alert. Inferno brought ya here because ya collapsed during gym class, dearie; he's looking for your brother right this instant. I'm afraid though that school has been out for almost half a cycle now and that yer brother might have gone on home already. Shall I call yer creators to have them come pick ya up?"

He remembered that. Bouncing on the tips of his pedes and not able to clamp down on the words slipping out of his mouth, Inferno asking so many questions, then the bullhorn's siren... "P-please, don't!," the doberman choked out, sliding off the berth and rushing across the room, throwing a servo over the phone receiver that the nurse was reaching for just then. "Please, I-i... I'm fine! I p-promise! P-please, don't... don't t-tell anyone. Ju-just... p-please..."

Glyph smiled kindly at the youngling, slowly reaching and taking the filled trashcan from the student's trembling servos. "Okay, honey," she whispered, "I'll let ya talk to yer creators first. I promise not to make a peep to a soul here at school either. But I'd suggest not taking that there medicine no more, dearie; call your vet and change it if it's needed, but them pill's are not your friend. Trust me."

Red Alert nodded weakly, the former adrenaline leaving his legs and threatening to drop him to the floor then and there. At the femme's patient nudging, he allowed himself to be led back to the berth; she even brought out some water and energon biscuits, which the doberman was hesitant to take until Glyph sampled each of the items herself. A couple kliks later, the minimal snacks were bringing the white mech's shakes to a complete stop, just as the office door swung open wildly.

"Miss Glyph, Aye couldn't find-" Inferno stopped mid-sentence as he walked through the doorway, his optics brightening in alarm, before he ran over and swept Red Alert up into a tight hug. "Red Alert! Oh, thank Primus Almighty; yer okay!"

"Inferno!," Glyph scolded lightly, poking the german shepherd's side in mild annoyance, "Put the poor youngling down! He doesn't need to add crushed piping to his list of unfortunate experiences this orn."

Intakes cycling choppily, Red Alert was set back on the berth, wanting to protest the release from the taller autodog's embrace. Inferno's arms had been warm, he could almost say somewhat secure, and he was just starting to relax between them, even despite the initial pulse of terror his spark had given at being rushed at suddenly. Yet, the doberman pressed his lip components tightly against the requests that might have slipped out in a whimper. He'd already risked too much of this newly budded friendship this orn. The red mech squatted so he could look over his companion more thoroughly, his optics brimming with concern.

"Red, ya a'right? 'Onestly? What happen-," the german shepherd asked.

Miss Glyph interrupted by approaching the pair again, this time with Red Alert's bag in servo and a couple more energon biscuits in a baggie. "Inferno, don't pry," she instructed authoritatively. "The poor dearie just needs some rest and a good meal. Ya have nothing to fret over. Now, why don't ya get Red Alert here home before his family worries, hm?"

"O-oh, yes!," Inferno exclaimed loudly, jumping back onto his pedes. He shifted his own possessions, before taking the doberman's backpack from the nurse and slinging it over the same shoulder; holding one servo out for the shorter youngling. "Let's go, Red."

There was no point in hesitating, so Red Alert didn't. Grasping his friend's servo, the white youngling let himself be pulled to his pedes, nearly hip to hip with the larger mech as they slowly exited from the nurse's office, with Glyph's kind farewell ringing behind them. For a while, it was silent between them as they walked. But as they were rounding the corner away from the school, Inferno's vocalizer clicked abruptly, shy words slipping out a few astroseconds after.

"Aye was a bit scared yest'rorn, thinkin' ya weren't comin' back. W-where'd ya go, Red?"

The doberman shuttered his optics in muted surprise, struck with guilt that he had worried the other youngling so much. "J...Just t-to the city," Red Alert answered, turning his gaze down to the ground, "W-with my carrier. It was nothing important. I'm sorry."

Inferno sighed gently. "The city, really? Aye'm glad... Aye'd like ta go ta the city one orn," he added casually. Pausing, the taller autodog smiled when he caught Red Alert's inquisitive peeking; not at all offended when the shorter youngling ducked his helm again. "See, Aye decided way back yond'r that Aye want'd ta help others an' that's why Aye'm gonna become a firefight'r once Aye graduate! An' the city's where Aye'm gonna go ta do it."

"A...a firefighter?," Red Alert mumbled back, "You'd l-leave your home f-for that? W-why... why n-not an E-enforcer? They h-help, too."

The german shepherd watched the clouds above as they walked, humming thoughtfully at his companion's questions. "Well, Aye nev'r thought 'bout bein' an Enforcer before... but Aye don't think it's for meh. Enforcers handle 'bots; 'bots themselves ain't so bad, jus' lots of poor souls. Fire ain't nobot's friend though. Aye know that ev'ry fire Aye fight, there'll always be good done, but nothin' much happens in Yuss, Aye'm both happy an' sad ta say. Which is why Aye'll be findin' meh way ta the city in a lil' while."

"What 'bout ya, Red?," the red youngling asked eagerly, turning and catching his friend's optics. "Yer from the city; Aye betcha seen it all an' know 'xactly whatcha want ta be!"

The statement caught Red Alert off-guard. In an instant, he went from being in awe of Inferno's simple and pure aspirations, to feeling like a piece of chewed-up gum on the bottom of a shoe that someone was desperate to be rid of. Shoulders hunching up around his helm as he looked away again, the doberman tried to keep the presence of his tears from his vocalizer as he spoke. "I-i-i... I d-don't know," he murmured quickly, "I-it's never been important."

Inferno was quiet. Red Alert wasn't certain if his friend had heard him, but he couldn't bring himself to glance up and check, nor order his pedes into moving faster. It would just be better if the ground opened up underneath him at that very moment and swallowed the shorter autodog whole -anything to take himself away from this uncomfortable situation. Honestly, what was he thinking?! Talking about his future, as if he had any hopes of living independently enough like normal bots to even hold down a job. He just shouldn't have opened his mouth to begin with, the youngling chastised himself harshly, afraid a sob was going to escape despite all his efforts. First, he'd acted absolutely bonkers no thanks to that new prescription, and now revealing that his miserable condition meant he'd never placed much value on his future...

"Well," the german shepherd stated cheerfully, "We've got plenty o' time ta figure somethin' out t'geth'r. Aye know there's loads yer good at, Red; sometimes ya jus' need a differ'nt perspective ta see it. 'Ey, ya live down west, yeah? At the blue barn, right?"

Red Alert didn't know how he managed to keep the tears at bay, but hold them back he did as his helm snapped up at the other youngling with disbelief. It was even more fortunate that Inferno was currently looking down the forked path so he could not see the smaller autodog's miserable face, before Red Alert quickly wiped away the coolant and forced himself to cycle a calming intake.

"I-i- Yes, I-i live down there."

"Great!," the german shepherd said, turning and beaming at his friend. "Aye live in the white farmhouse, jus' on the opposite side o' town, with the peach tree. Aye can drop ya off at yer doorstep an' cut through the creek behin' yer barn an' be home in a matt'r o' kliks!"

"N-no!," Red Alert blurted out hastily. He flinched when he saw Inferno give a slight start at the sudden outburst, feeling as though he might purge again. "N-no... I'm... I'm o-okay, really... I'll head home f-from here -it's just d-down this road!- a-and I'll see you t-tomorrow, okay?"

The red mech made a face uncertainly. "Ya bare-knuckle sure, Red?"

The doberman nodded quickly. "Y-yes. Thank y-you. F-for staying at school a-and walking me home."

It was obvious that the german shepherd was still not keen on letting the smaller youngling out of his sight, but he smiled nonetheless at the other's gratitude, his optics shining with kindness. "Yain't need ta thank meh, Red. Aye'm happy ta do anythin' for a friend." He paused, unslinging the white mech's bag from his shoulders, straightening up fully again after his friend was grasping it tightly within his arms. "See ya t'morr'w?"

Red Alert nodded a second time.

"Good," Inferno glowed. "Night, Red. Hope yer slumb'r is bless'd."

Then he was walking up the road towards town, waving warmly over a shoulder as he went. Red Alert watched for half a klik, almost buoyant from the german shepherd's overwhelming belief in the neurotic youngling, before the doberman remembered that he was standing, alone, surrounded by whispering stalks and wild grass. Worse yet, his cellphone began to ring incessantly: it was his brother, Sideswipe, on the display, no doubt geared up into a tense panic over his missing triplet. Pocketing his phone again, Red Alert ran for home as if pithounds were nipping at his heels, trying to formulate a cover story to excuse his temporary disappearance.

xXx

Crickets chirped loudly in the warm spring night as a thin figure moved about in the dim light glowing from under the kitchen hood range. It was an oddly soothing background melody to Red Alert's insomniac-induced actions, an acknowledgement that surprised even the youngling himself. He'd thought his therapist was out to kill him when he suggested moving to his parents and they had followed through with it; after all, isolating their victims was many a serial killer's tactics, yet this little country town had done the opposite of killing him. Many factors had remained the same, and others would definitely never be phased by swapping concrete for farming fields, but one aspect had definitely changed. Cutting the last of the strawberries, the doberman laid it neatly on its green wax paper beside the others, closing the lid and locking it securely in the new tackle box lunch container. Thinking about his friend seeing the new lunch that Red Alert had made for the upcoming orn brought a smile to the white mech's face. Inferno was such a new experience in the anxious autodog's life and he found himself enjoying more and more of the time they spent together. He'd hate to lose this and yet...

Trembling fingers grabbed the mug of warm tea, pressing the ceramic against his upper lip component as Red Alert cycled the chamomile's rich aroma deeply, trying to power through the sudden dip in emotions. The last orn had been such a gamble. As Miss Glyph had said, the new prescription had done the opposite of its job, leaving him even worse for wear as soon as it started waning. Red Alert had spent all evening fighting down tremors, plagued with shadows he could see just at the edge of his vision and that nasty little vocalizer whispering poison heatedly in the back of his helm. He hoped he'd feigned well enough before his family -Sideswipe at least had believed the white youngling's lie of being spacey and getting distracted on the way home- but he'd given up any pretense at being stable once the lights had been turned off and everyone else had fallen into slumber.

Oh, but what a nightmare Red Alert had barely sidestepped. Already, he'd ground up the remaining pills and buried them in the trashcan, lifting up the collected garbage so that the fine powder would be well out of sight. He really didn't want to worry his family about this prescription's negative reaction, but the doberman's processor was made up. Inferno's friendship meant too much for Red Alert to subject himself to a chemical that completely eradicated the person that he was -even if that person was barely worth the german shepherd's attention to begin with. And besides, the youngling silently told himself, he'd only be without his medicine for a little while. Just until his old therapist saw his messages and sent a new script over to the pharmacy. That was, like, a few orns?

Red Alert drank his tea, beginning to clean up the mess from his lunch-making, in calmer spirits as he imagined what sort of good things his friend dreamed off on serene nights like this.