Holy crap, it's been a looooooong time since this story got a new chapter- It's been what, a year? Two years? I don't even know. I guess all I can say is that I'm sorry I keep ditching this story for months, only to come back and rewrite like 80% of it, and THEN make new chapters. I'm a perfectionist, and my OC being the main character is just making it way WAY worse- So yeah like half the chapters have totally new plots now if you noticed the titles are different- I'm sorry if this is annoying, I just want this story to actually be good lol. Hopefully this will be the last time tho! But I guess we'll have to wait and see-
Anyways, enough of my talking. Enjoy the new chapter!
Chapter 20: Pain
Doralien took a sip of his hot chocolate as he gazed out his window. A strong breeze was blowing outside, ruffling the leaves on the trees and bushes. Autumn had finally set in, and now it was time for Doralien to huddle up in his house as much as possible. He loved the look of autumn, but the chilly weather was his enemy. His short fur was no match for the cold air. Instead of going outside and enjoying the weather before the icy grip of winter set in, he embraced the warmth of indoors.
Every year, him and Doramen would argue about spending time with each other. Doramen, with his thick fur, loved the colder months and wanted to enjoy it while he was free from the sweltering heat of summer. Doralien wanted the complete opposite. The two robot cats would bicker constantly about what activities they could do together. Doramen wanted to go outside, and Doralien wanted to stay inside.
A sigh escaped Doralien when he thought of Doramen. It'd been two weeks since the kittens were born, and Doralien hadn't heard a single peep from the red robot cat. Doramen had completely stopped coming to school and never responded to any of Doralien's messages or phone calls. Doralien was beginning to worry about his mental health. He'd heard from word of mouth about what had happened at the Robot Hospital, so he didn't really know exactly how Doramen was faring.
Despite how long he'd been friends with Doramen, it was still difficult for him to guess how Doramen was dealing with what had happened. Doramen could be very spontaneous, and his mental health tended to fluctuate dramatically, even when nothing bad was going on. It wasn't uncommon for Doramen to be completely fine one day, and then suddenly crash into a phase of isolation and self-loathing. Doralien knew well that Doramen had serious issues with self-esteem, and sometimes the negative feelings towards himself just became too much for him to handle, so his solution was to cut himself off from everyone until he felt better. No matter how many times Doralien would scold him for how unhealthy that was, Doramen never listened.
Maybe I should go check on him, Doralien thought. I wonder if he's been talking to anyone else.
Just then, he heard his phone ringing. He turned around and looked over at his couch, where his phone was sitting on one of the cushions.
Maybe that's Doramen, he thought with a sudden surge of hope.
He went over to his phone and picked it up, surprised to not only see that Dorami was the one calling him, but also that she was requesting a video call.
When did she get my number? he wondered.
Curious, he sat down and answered the call. A beam of light projected from the small screen on the phone, revealing a hologram of Dorami from her chest up.
"Hello, Dorami," he greeted with a smile.
"Hey Doralien, I'm sorry if I'm bothering you. I was just wondering if you knew how Doramen was," Dorami replied.
She had a concerned look on her face.
"I have no idea," Doralien admitted with a shrug.
"Oh, okay. That's fine," Dorami said, glancing at something off-screen.
"Who are you talking to?" a voice in the background asked.
It sounded familiar to Doralien, but he couldn't quite tell who it was.
"I'm talking to Doralien," Dorami answered, looking at what Doralien assumed was the other person.
"Does he know anything about Doramen?" the voice asked.
"No."
"Here, give me the phone, sis. I want to talk to him."
That must be Doraemon! Doralien realized.
He took a sip of his hot chocolate and waited patiently as Dorami handed the phone to the other person. Doraemon's face appeared in the hologram. He was smiling, to Doralien's relief.
"Hi, Doralien! It's been a while since we've talked," Doraemon greeted.
"Hey Doraemon. It's good to see you," Doralien greeted back.
"So you don't know anything about Doramen?"
"No. I'm pretty sure he's been avoiding me."
"I haven't heard from him or seen him at all since the kittens were born. It's like he's completely dropped off the radar," Dorami chimed in.
"Yeah, he's good at that. I was thinking about doing a wellness check," Doralien said.
"Please do. I'm worried about him," Doraemon murmured.
"Have you tried getting in contact with him, Doraemon?"
Doraemon averted his gaze, flattening his ears. However, he didn't look sad like Doralien was expecting.
"No. I'm still hurt over what happened at the Robot Hospital. I don't want to talk to him right now. If he really wants to come see the kittens, he can work something out with you, but for now, we are not on speaking terms," he answered sternly.
"Wow. You know, Doramen probably feels the same way," Doralien reminded him.
Now Doraemon began to look sad.
"I know. I just think it's best if we spend some time apart," he murmured.
"Has he made any attempts to contact you?" Doralien asked.
"No. The last time he messaged me was nearly a month ago, and it was about school. I haven't gotten any calls from him, or even anything in the mail. It's been complete silence ever since he left my hospital room..."
Doralien sipped on his hot chocolate thoughtfully.
"He hasn't tried contacting me either. But, I've seen this kind of behavior from him before. I think he just really wants to be alone," he explained. "Sometimes he gets an overwhelming need to shut out the world. I hate it when he does it, but he thinks it's the best solution to improve his mental health."
"Cutting people off is only going to make things worse," Dorami murmured.
"I know, but he doesn't listen. When he gets down in the dumps, you might as well be talking to a rock. You just can't get through to him. He does what he thinks is best for himself and he doesn't give a rat's behind about anyone else's opinion. 'Nobody knows me better than me,' is what he loves to say over and over again."
"Even I have a hard time getting through to him sometimes. When I went into labor, I had to argue with him just to convince him to help me get to the Robot Hospital. And what if he wouldn't budge? My body wasn't doing what it was supposed to do. I could've died…," Doraemon chimed in.
"I'll see if I can get in touch with him," Doralien said, sipping his hot chocolate.
Doraemon opened his mouth to respond before suddenly jerking his gaze to something off-screen.
"Hey! What are you doing?" he exclaimed, getting up and walking away.
For a second, the hologram displayed nothing, before Dorami emerged.
"What's going on?" Doralien asked.
"Oh, the kittens are getting into something," Dorami murmured sheepishly. "Sorry about that."
Doralien jolted. He'd completely forgotten that the kittens were born now.
"Oh yeah! How are the kittens doing?" he asked.
"They've been doing great!" Dorami answered. "Big Brother has been doing a good job taking care of them."
She suddenly gasped and covered her mouth.
"Oh! You haven't seen them yet, have you?" she asked.
"No. Honestly, I was worried it would make Doramen mad," Doralien admitted.
"You should see them! They're so, so cute!"
"Alright, but make it quick. I don't want to leave Doramen alone for much longer."
A few moments passed where the only sounds were loud shuffling noises. Doralien took another gulp of his hot chocolate, figuring Doraemon was rounding up the kittens.
Eventually, Doraemon came back into frame. He had a wide smile on his face.
"Here's the boy kitten!" he exclaimed.
He lifted his arms, revealing the yellow kitten in his paws. The kitten had grown quite a bit and was now about the size of a Mini-Dora. His eyes and ears had opened, and he was sporting a dark green collar.
"N'aww, what a cutie!" Doralien remarked, smiling warmly. "He looks just like you, Doraemon."
Doraemon giggled, a light blush coming to his cheeks.
"I know! I can't believe how similar we are," he replied.
"What's his name?" Doralien asked.
"Doraspirit!"
"That's cute, I like that name."
Doraemon passed the kitten to Dorami, who was off-screen.
"Ready for the girl kitten?" he asked as he reached in the opposite direction.
"You bet!" Doralien replied enthusiastically.
"Here she is!"
Doraemon lifted the kitten up into view. Doralien was shocked to see that she really was purple. She even had on a light blue collar that looked very cute against her purple fur. Not only that, but her eyes were the same as Doraemon's. There wasn't a single trait from Doramen in either kitten.
"Wow… she's cute," Doralien mumbled, feeling a little uncomfortable.
Doraemon really did cheat on Doramen. There's no way Doramen fathered that poor little girl, he thought solemnly.
Doraemon lowered the kitten so he could make eye contact with Doralien. He knew what the teal robot cat was thinking.
"I… I'm sorry. I guess she shouldn't be mentioned," he murmured.
He gave the kitten to Dorami.
"What's her name?" Doralien asked.
"Doratwilight," Doraemon answered, fiddling his paws awkwardly.
"I like it."
Doralien suddenly just wanted the conversation to end.
"Thanks for showing me the kittens. They're super cute. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get going. Doramen needs me," he said.
"Yeah… See you later, Doralien," Doraemon muttered.
After saying his goodbyes, Doralien ended the call. Now it was time for him to head out. He took a minute to finish off his hot chocolate, then pulled out his Anywhere Door.
"Take me to Doramen's house," he said.
He opened the door, revealing the front porch of Doramen's house. After putting away the Anywhere Door, he hesitantly walked up to the door. He could just barely hear a TV mumbling inside.
Well, at least I know he's alive, he thought.
Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door aggressively. The TV immediately went quiet, which only made Doralien feel relieved. However, he heard no footsteps approaching the door. In fact, he didn't hear anything now. It was dead silence.
"Doramen! It's me, Doralien!" he shouted, hoping Doramen could hear him.
A few seconds passed before he finally heard footsteps. They approached the door, and then there was more silence.
"What do you want, Doralien?" Doramen's voice hissed from the other side of the door.
He didn't sound very happy that Doralien had knocked on his door.
"Doramen, nobody has heard from you in two weeks. I just want to make sure you're okay," Doralien explained.
"I'm fine," Doramen grumbled.
"No you're not! If you were fine, you wouldn't be avoiding everyone. Now come on, open the door!"
Doramen moaned in annoyance. He didn't budge.
"Can you please open the door? I want to see your face," Doralien said.
He perked up when he heard a distinct clicking sound. Doramen had unlocked the door, but was clearly hesitating to open it.
"We haven't seen each other in over two weeks. Doesn't that bother you?" Doralien asked.
The question was finally enough to make Doramen give in. He turned the doorknob and swung open the door.
A smile forced its way onto Doralien's face. Not only was he happy just to see Doramen, but the red robot cat appeared to be in good shape. He didn't stink and his fur looked smooth and clean. The only thing that bothered Doralien was that Doramen had clearly been crying recently. The fur on his cheeks was ruffled and wiry—meaning it had been wet recently and wasn't properly dried. Doramen's eyes were also just the slightest bit red.
"I'm glad to see you, Doramen," Doralien said happily.
Doramen didn't respond. He just stared at the teal robot cat.
I know you think this won't help, but you know that being by yourself just hurts you more, Doralien thought.
"May I come in?" he asked.
"Why?" Doramen asked back, giving him a skeptical glare.
"I want to spend time with you. I've missed you. Plus, I want to help you feel better."
"There's nothing you can do to help me."
"Yes there is, and you know it. This isn't the first time I've had to drag you out of your little holes you dig."
Doramen flattened his ears. Doralien looked into his eyes. He could see a deep sadness within Doramen.
"Doramen, I know you're sad. It's obvious. You only act like this when you're sad. You don't have to hide it. That's what I'm here for, and you know it," Doralien explained gently.
Doramen averted his gaze.
"You know I'm right," Doralien continued, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, I guess," Doramen muttered.
"So, may I come in? Let's chat."
Doramen hesitated for a few seconds before nodding. He turned around and retreated back inside. Doralien followed him until they were both standing in the living room. He sat down on the couch, gesturing for Doramen to sit down beside him. Doramen did so, avoiding eye contact.
"How have you been, Doramen?" Doralien prompted.
"Sad," Doramen mumbled with a shrug.
"Are you still upset about Doraemon?"
"Yeah. I guess I'm not good enough for him."
"Oh come on, you know that's not true."
"Then why did he go off with someone else?"
"Doraemon loves you."
"That doesn't matter. He thought I wasn't worthy to be a parent alongside him."
Doralien was silent for a moment, thinking.
"I talked to him today. He's worried about you," he said.
"He is?" Doramen asked in surprise.
"Yes. He and Dorami are both worried about you."
"Why would he be worried about me…"
"Because he loves you!"
Doramen was silent. He looked down at the floor, thinking hard.
"Doramen, how many times do I have to tell you that sitting in your house by yourself all the time is unhealthy?" Doralien scolded.
"I don't want to be around Doraemon, or Dorami. It'll just make me sad. Besides, I bet Doraemon doesn't even want me around," Doramen replied.
Doralien hesitated when he remembered Doraemon stating that he and Doramen were not on speaking terms.
"Well, if you're not going to spend time with those two, you still need at least some social interaction," he said.
"I guess," Doramen mumbled.
"So talk to me, buddy. What have you been doing these past two weeks? Nobody's seen you at school."
"I told the Academy that I have the flu so they wouldn't bother me. I just sit around, maybe take a nap sometimes. I went to the store a few days ago and got some food."
"So you're doing absolutely nothing, basically."
Doramen glared at Doralien in annoyance, before his expression turned saddened.
"I don't want to talk to anyone. I just want to be alone. I'll feel better eventually," he murmured.
"No you won't. You never do. This never helps and you know it. You have to stop being so stubborn like this," Doralien argued.
"You're not helping, you know."
"How am I supposed to help when you shut everyone out? I've sent you messages and you never respond. I've called you and you never respond. Dorami said you completely dropped off the radar."
Doramen averted his gaze. Deep down, he knew Doralien had a point.
"How do you feel towards Doraemon?" Doralien inquired after a long silence.
"I don't understand why he did this. I'm confused and I'm sad. I wish I knew what I did wrong. I just want him to be happy, and I feel like I failed," Doramen explained.
"You know what I think? I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding."
Doramen glared daggers at Doralien.
"What kind of misunderstanding could there possibly be? Doraemon gave birth to a purple kitten! That's impossible for him and I to be the parents of! He's yellow and I'm red! Even if our genes somehow combined, the kitten would be orange! It's IMPOSSIBLE!" he hissed.
"But why would Doraemon cheat on you?" Doralien questioned.
"Because I'm not good enough, Doralien! It's simple!"
Doralien flinched a little at Doramen's shouting. He'd heard it many times before, but it always bothered him.
"You don't know that!" he argued.
"What other reason could there possibly be?" Doramen growled.
"Well… umm…"
"Exactly. I'm not good enough for Doraemon. That's the truth."
Suddenly, Doramen began to tear up.
"I try my best to be a good person, and apparently it's not enough for him. I have to be better. But, how do I be better? I feel like I'm already doing the best I can," he said.
"You are a good person, Doramen. If Doraemon doesn't see that, then he's blind," Doralien argued.
"Don't say that. He's not blind. That implies that I'm perfect. That I'm desirable. But I'm not."
"I just mean that Doraemon thinking you're not good enough is absurd. You're not abusive, or a psychopath."
Doramen sighed and wiped the tears from his eyes.
"I failed at my job. I failed at making him happy. Failing is all I'm good at," he murmured.
"That's not true. You're doing well in your classes, aren't you?" Doralien asked.
"I guess. But what does that have to do with this?"
"You're learning. That's not failing."
"It doesn't matter how smart I am. I didn't make Doraemon happy enough. I'm a failure. I couldn't give him what he wanted."
Doramen sniffled, trying not to cry. More tears came, and he struggled to wipe them away in time.
"I can't do anything right. All I do is make mistakes," he murmured.
"Nobody's perfect," Doralien reminded him.
"Machines aren't supposed to make mistakes. Machines that make mistakes are broken. Broken machines should be fixed."
"We're not mindless machines that do the same task over and over again. We're sophisticated robots. We have minds of our own, and that is going to lead to us inevitably making mistakes. We're not supposed to be flawless."
"Making a mistake could cost you your life. If you want to live, you have to be perfect."
"That's not true. Not all mistakes are deadly."
"I'm a robot. I should be perfect."
"Nothing is perfect! Even artificial intelligence makes mistakes."
Doramen let out a big sigh, realizing that he was never going to be able to convince Doralien. He took another attempt to wipe away his tears.
"Alright, fine. Whatever. Point being, I didn't make Doraemon happy enough," he muttered.
"You know what, Doramen? Right now, I don't even care about Doraemon's happiness. I'm far more worried about your happiness," Doralien remarked.
"Why?"
"I can't stand sitting here and listening to you tell me how you think you're a failure. You're my best friend, and words can't describe how much I care about you. I'm tired of you being sad. I want to do something to cheer you up. Anything at all."
"You can't do anything to help me. I just want to be alone."
"Yes I can. I know I can. I even have an idea."
Doramen gave the teal robot cat an annoyed glare.
"What is it?" he growled.
"Let's go hang out in the forest. You and me," Doralien proposed, smiling.
Doramen opened his mouth, about to hiss at Doralien for how dumb his idea was, before he paused. The proposal was actually fairly tempting.
"Well?" Doralien asked after a period of silence.
"That… would be nice," Doramen mumbled, feeling embarrassed.
"Great!"
Doralien stood up and immediately pulled out his Anywhere Door. Doramen stood up as well as Doralien told it where to go and opened it. He watched Doralien step through it before following.
He was immediately hit by a cool breeze. He looked around and saw that he was standing in the middle of a dense forest. It was an area that he and Doralien had traveled to several times in the past. The scents of the forest flooded his nose. Birds sang in the distance. He was already starting to feel at peace.
"What do you think?" Doralien asked.
Doramen didn't respond. He was already starting to drift into his own world. He began walking ahead, not saying a single word to Doralien. The crunching of leaves under his feet was a big enough indication for Doralien, however, and the teal robot cat was quickly able to start walking beside Doramen.
There was silence between the two robot cats. Doralien knew better than to bother Doramen. All he did was walk and look around, keeping Doramen company.
Doramen immediately felt comforted by the forest scenery. It made him feel safe and happy in a way that his house could never do. The only thing his house gave him that the forest could not was shelter. But, even then, he wouldn't entirely mind having to live without shelter. It wouldn't be the first time.
After a few minutes, the two robot cats approached a familiar clearing. There was nothing in the clearing but a tree stump, but that didn't make it any less special. Doramen and Doralien had spent a lot of time in this clearing. It was one of their primary places to spend time together.
By force of habit, Doralien immediately went over to the tree stump and sat down on it. The only thing he provided was a source of companionship. He shivered when he was hit with a cold breeze, his short fur doing practically nothing to help keep him warm. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, but thick blanket. Although it seemed a little juvenile, the blanket was very useful to him. He wrapped himself up and got comfortable. There wasn't much to do now.
Doramen stood beside him, frozen, as he tried to decide on what to do. He knew what he wanted to do, but even after being friends with Doralien for so long, it was still a little awkward for him to bring it up. He knew Doralien wouldn't mind, but it didn't always reassure him, especially now that he was suffering from the mindset that he wasn't good enough. A paranoia in the back of his mind told him that Doralien would judge him. He made awkward eye contact with the teal robot cat. Doralien could tell exactly what was going through Doramen's mind.
"Go on, it's okay. You won't bother me," Doralien murmured softly.
As if to prove that statement, he reached into his pocket again and pulled out a novel. Despite being half-blind, he still enjoyed reading from time to time, and outdoors was the perfect place to do it. He adjusted his blanket so that it would rest on his shoulders, then opened his book to the page where a bookmark had been placed and began to read. He essentially began to ignore Doramen, which was his way of telling the red robot cat that he was free to go do whatever he wanted.
Despite wanting to spend time with Doramen, Doralien knew that the red robot cat would benefit from some time to himself where he could wander on his own. Shoving activities in Doramen's face was not the way to cheer him up, Doralien had learned. Doramen needed time to unwind on his own, and then he and Doralien could do something together that would really lift his spirits.
Doramen recognized this and suddenly felt the urge to get high—literally. He walked over to a large pine tree at the edge of the clearing and, after unsheathing the claws on both his paws and feet, began to climb it. He dug his claws deep into the tree's bark, creating gashes as he went up. He didn't like the thought of hurting the tree, but it was the only way he could get a grip. After scaling several feet, he stopped when he reached a thick, sturdy branch. He precariously set his paws and feet onto the branch to test if it would hold him. As a 200+ pound robot, finding a tree branch that wouldn't snap instantly under his weight wasn't always easy. To his luck, the branch was strong enough to take his weight, although it dipped quite a bit.
He crept onto the branch, only going about a foot away from the tree's trunk before stopping. He crouched down, tucking his limbs beside his body until he almost looked like nothing more than a big ball of fluff. Then, he rested his head on the branch, relishing the texture of the bark. It smelled musty and old, but to him it was a comforting smell. He glanced over at the clearing, where he could see Doralien. Although the two robot cats weren't doing anything together, Doralien's mere presence made Doramen feel a little better. He closed his eyes and began to think.
Doraemon doesn't think I'm good enough. Why would he think that about me? He's always seemed to be so happy when we would spend time together… It's like a switch was flipped inside his mind. What did I do wrong…?
A sad sigh escaped him.
What was I thinking? Of course I'm not good enough. The only place where I was considered good enough was in the middle of nowhere. In society, I'm definitely not good enough. I can't do anything right. I attacked my best friend, and now my loving boyfriend has decided that I'm not worthy to be a father… How could Doralien look me in the eyes and tell me that I am good enough?
He suddenly got up and turned around, crawling back towards the tree's trunk. He leaned his head against the trunk, rubbing his cheek against it slowly. The bark gently scraped across his skin.
This is the only place where I've ever been understood. The trees understand me and who I am, but society doesn't. All the technology… I don't understand it, and it doesn't understand me. Just because I'm also a piece of technology doesn't mean that I'm gonna fit in in a world full of it. Humans are organic beings, but they can fit in in a world filled with technology. And yet, the opposite seems so impossible. A piece of technology fitting in in an organic world. It should be against our code, right? We are robots. Artificial pieces of machinery. We belong in a world that runs on technology. But, the planet isn't filled with technology. There's life everywhere, too. Bushes, trees, grass, lakes, rivers… Earth is full of life. And yet the humans fill it with artificial machines and expect us to fit in. The humans are so used to living in their own made up world that they expect the planet to bow down to them. They massacre plants and take animals captive in cages to be stared at. And then there's us—the cat-shaped robots. The gray area. We are not real, and yet we mimic what is real. We can get sick just like any living creature. We have emotions. We have a conscience. We have lives. And what are we expected to do with our lives? Help humanity become even more lazy.
Groaning softly, he resumed lying on the branch. All the negative thoughts were making him uncomfortable and restless.
Cat robots… are we animals, or are we people? Humans can't ever seem to make up their minds. We are intelligent and capable of doing everything a person can and then some, and yet… They give us feline characteristics and instincts, and use it as a vulnerability to prey on. How can we, as powerful felines, call ourselves predators when humans are preying on us every day? They suppress our cat characteristics so that we may be used as servants and assistants, never allowing us to fully enjoy what it means to be a cat. Why give us feline instincts if you are never going to let us express them? There's more to being a cat than chasing yarn and catching mice. Some of the most dangerous predators in the world are felines. Humans are just afraid of our potential. They don't want to see what we can really do. They force us to shove our instincts deep down inside of us so we'll appear to be cute and cuddly and harmless. But no, we're not cute and cuddly and harmless. I bet most humans are never seen what a robot cat can really do. But I have, because I—
His thoughts were interrupted when the tree branch suddenly snapped. He could barely even react as he was sent tumbling to the ground. He tried to grab onto another branch as he fell, but it was too late. He hit the ground hard, letting out a loud grunt of pain.
Doralien heard the commotion and lifted his head.
"Doramen! Are you okay?" he called.
Doramen groaned as he shakily rose to his feet. He was covered in dirt and leaves, but was uninjured.
"I'm fine," he said back, although not nearly as loudly.
He got down on all fours and shook himself, clearing most of the debris out of his fur. Sighing, he walked away farther into the woods.
Doralien watched him go, making a mental note of it, before returning to his book. He decided it was best to leave Doramen to enjoy the forest on his own.
Doramen relished the smell of tree sap as he continued walking. He tried to let that calm his thoughts, and it actually worked a little. He pushed away and ignored some of the more nasty thoughts as best he could.
Okay Doramen, it's time to calm down…
A particularly large tree caught his attention, and he couldn't resist approaching it. He nuzzled its trunk affectionately, thankful that nobody was watching him.
You don't belong in society.
Tears suddenly came to his eyes. He tried to push the thought away, but it persisted.
You don't belong in society. You never have, and you never will.
His breathing became shaky. He closed his eyes, trying to calm down. His stomach felt like it was twisted up in a knot.
Humans betrayed you. They abandoned you and left you to die. Doraemon betrayed you. He got busy with another cat and robbed you of your opportunity to be a father. But you know who will never betray you? The trees. The birds. The soft breeze. They would never turn their backs on you. They're always here for you to come to.
Tears began to stream down his cheeks, although they weren't necessarily sad tears. He lifted his paw and drug it slowly down the tree's trunk, feeling a great deal of comfort in the texture of the bark.
Humanity will never be on your side, but the forest will. Always.
His breathing gradually began to stabilize. For a moment, the negative thoughts cleared to make way for a ray of assurance and comfort. Right now, all he cared about was being one with nature, because that was where he belonged.