"Like glimmers in a flower,
Like jewels in a dream,
"The sky breathes life, love to everything…"
Rocky softly sang into the night, breathing sighs of sadness. He knew he shouldn't be sad. He had no reason to be. But he just…..was. He didn't understand it.
"At times I thought, 'I'm not enough',
The chains that tie my heart.
But there's still a path that lies ahead for you and I."
He got up, staring up at the full moon with bright eyes glimmering, wonderment written all over his soft brown eyes. He sniffed, the cold breeze gracing his nose through the soft Canadian summer night air, his breath hitching. He sighed again.
"Memories fade away…
Clouds of yesterday..
With no one to love.."
His breath caught again with that last line, the realization of all that had happened, hitting him hard like a truck. He closed his eyes, letting the melody take over his aching heart.
"Is this life worth liiiiiiiiving?..."
He opened his eyes again, pupils glazed over with tears as he stared again at the midnight sky, singing his soulful ballad.
"Come back to me,
"And stay by my side.
I feel my heart shake,
Come ease this ache.
I'm standing over here,
Reaching for you,
A Million Miles awaaaaay, come back and stay…"
His breath hitched a third time, and his soft sobs echoed into the empty night. All the memories, all the good times, gone. Just like that. Without a trace. Poof. He gasped, his lungs crying for air.
"No matter how far,
The memories may be,
When I close my eyes,
You're all that I see…"
He sobbed again, wailing sorrow that seemed to freeze time itself. He couldn't bare to stand himself, a heaving mess, sobbing so that none could hear him, singing a song of remorse that could never be closer to him. It had been the song he and Zuma had sung the night before while they had been camping. He sobbed, harder this time, the happy memories clashing with the pain. He couldn't- no, he must continue on. Still, he cried. He managed to choke out the last few lines, a whisper on the wind;
"Come back to meeeeeeee….
A Million Miles Awaaay…
Come back and staaaaay…."
"I'm so, so sorry Zuma." He breathed, barely able to hold himself up, the weariness of the day causing him to finally collapse onto his stomach. He didn't care that it was cold or that he was out of his puphouse, exposed to the elements. All he wanted was for his best friend to come back. And he knew he never would. Because he had run him over the night before, Zuma's screams echoing as Rocky blindly careened straight into him, the night sky plastered with the bloody star of his only friend, dying out on the pavement underneath Rocky's rig. He choked, screaming now himself, so angry with himself.
Marshall came out, hearing Rocky's cries. He knew what Rocky was going through. Chase had been killed almost a year prior from a fall off a cliff up in the mountains. He walked over to Rocky, his heart going out to him, and just sat down and hugged his friend, crying softly now too.
Rocky just hiccuped as he felt the Dally hug him. It felt…reassuring. He soon fell asleep, sad but comforted. Tomorrow was a new day.