A few days after I took Raska, Talo, and Frost to the playground, Whisper's paw is fully healed. I just took the bandage off of it. She is glad that she can finally walk around without it hurting. I decide that Taisley and I can take all four of the kits to the playground. When I tell Whisper, she squeals with her excitement. "Yeah! Let's go!" Whisper laughs.
"No' yet! We 'ave ta eat our breakfast first!" I laugh at our daughter's enthusiasm. We eat our breakfast of fish and fruit. Then, Taisley and I start to lead the kits to the playground.
When we get there, Taisley and I sit on a log while the kits start playing. I watch Whisper climbing up the tree towards the slide. She slides down, laughing all the while. Raska, Talo, and Frost run around the place, laughing and having fun in general. I smile at our kits' antics.
"Mommy! Daddy! Look at me!" Frost squeals.
I look to see her hanging upside down on a tree branch. "Be careful, sweetheart!" I call. The branch breaks. It sends Frost screaming towards the ground. I rush forward and catch her just in time.
Frost looks up at me. "Sorry, daddy. I guess the branch wasn't strong enough," Frost whispers the apology.
"Oh, it's alright. 'm no' mad. Accidents 'appen. Th' important thing is that you're safe," I stroke Frost's cheek.
Frost nods her head. "Thanks, daddy, for not being mad. I promise I'll be more careful," Frost promises.
"I know ya will. Go on an' play," I let her join the other kits.
I go back to Taisley. "Well, no one said that raising kits was easy," I joke.
"You said it…" Taisley hugs me.
I hear a sudden noise from above. I look up. I'm startled to see storm clouds darkening the sky. Before I can even call to the kits, lightning flashes. The bolt touches down on the tree next to us. The tree catches fire. It falls into the clearing, allowing fire to spread towards the other trees.
I share a horrified look with Taisley, before we both begin rounding up the kits. I have Talo hold onto my back. I carry Whisper in my mouth by the scruff of her neck. Taisley comes up beside me. She has Raska on her back and Frost in her mouth. We begin running, trying to escape the fire.
As we run, the fire is still spreading behind us. I'd be coughing by now if Whisper wasn't in my mouth. The smoke is just so thick. I can't see the ground in front of me. We continue to run, the fire trailing our tails.
Suddenly, I hear a sound above me. I look up to see a burning branch begin to fall. I try to run faster, hoping to escape it. My efforts are to no avail. The branch falls and lands on my legs. I yowl from the pain, Whisper falling from my mouth. Thankfully, neither Whisper nor Talo are injured.
Taisley comes over to me. All four of the kits have tears in their eyes. "Daddy! Are you okay?" Whisper asks.
"Don't worry, kits. I'll be fine," I gasp. I'm not completely sure. I hurt too much to think. My legs are crushed. I'm almost certain that they're broken.
Taisley pushes at the branch. I feel it shift and roll off of my legs. The feeling is far from pleasant as it hurts when it comes off. I twist my neck around. My legs are bloody and burnt. The sight doesn't compare to the pain I'm feeling. "Buck, there's a cave nearby that we can hide in. I'll carry you there," Taisley whispers while stroking my forehead.
"Wot 'bout th' kits?" I gasp before breaking off with a cough.
"We can walk, daddy," Frost replies instead of Taisley.
At my nod, Taisley lifts me up into her arms. I clench my teeth together, fighting the scream of agony that threatens to rise from my throat. My vision swims slightly, becoming unfocused. I don't have time to register what's happening before I pass out.
When I come to, I find that I am situated in a moss nest in the cave. Taisley is beside me. The kits are asleep by the far wall, the smoke in their fur the only sign of what has transpired. I swallow before I speak to Taisley. "Tais, 'ow bad is 't?" I ask.
Taisley knows right away what I'm talking about. "Your legs are broken and badly burned. It'll be a few weeks at least before they heal. When the smoke clears, I'll look for the herd. They'll help us," Taisley replies.
"But wot if…" I am cut off by a sudden rumbling sound. Tremors begin to shake us. Those tremors become a full-blown earthquake. Rocks begin to shift and fall into the cave. A giant rock falls in front of the entrance, almost completely covering it. There is only a hole slightly smaller than my head in the entrance. My kits, now awake, are terrified and screaming out in fear. As quick as it came, the earthquake subsides and everything is stilled.
I raise myself up into a seated position, careful not to jar my legs. Despite the cave-in, I am still able to see Taisley and our kits. That is because of the green glowing slime that coats the walls. I reach out towards my mate. "Tais, are ya an' th' kits all right?" I ask.
"We're not hurt, but how will we get out of here?" Taisley asks.
"I don't know. Wot I do know is this. Diego is a good tracker. When th' smoke clears, he'll find us," I reply.
"But how long will it take?" Taisley asks.
"A few days maybe. Th' important thing is, though we'll be hungry, we'll live," I reply. Taisley nods her head before turning to the kits and explaining the situation to them. They seems to understand well enough, though they don't seem happy. They curl up around each other and manage to get back to sleep.
Taisley settles herself beside me. "How're you feeling?" She asks.
"Well, my legs are killin' me, but 'm fine. We should get some sleep, though. It'll help us forget 'bout this situation," I suggest.
Taisley nods her head in agreement. After giving me a kiss on the cheek, she curls up beside me and falls asleep. I am so tired that even the pain in my legs doesn't faze me. I close my single eye and follow Taisley to the world of dreams.
A few days pass. The kits have long since ceased in their whines for food. We're all hungry and they know there's nothing that can be done. My own stomach is growling, begging for food. I'm achy and I even feel nauseous for some odd reason. I chock it up to the hunger, but the fact it isn't going away is worrisome. After a bit, I call out. "Taisley, come 'ere," I whisper.
She settles down beside me. "What is it, Buck?" Taisley asks.
"Tais, I...I don't feel good…" I moan, feeling my stomach begin to seize. When the lurch comes, I lean off to the side as I try to vomit. However, there is nothing in my stomach to vomit up. Instead, I cough up mouthfuls of stomach acid, which burns my throat and causes me to yelp. When my stomach settles, I lay back down. A soft whimper forces itself from my throat.
Taisley strokes my forehead. "Don't worry. It'll be alright," she tries to soothe me.
I'm about to reply when the rocks at the entrance suddenly begin to shift out of the way. Ellie appears at the entrance. Diego, Manny, Sid, and my family are also there. They look both relieved to see us and startled at my appearance. I mean, let's face it: I'm a disheveled mess.
"Buck, when you didn't come back and this fire broke out, we got worried. When the smoke cleared, that's when Diego led us here to you," Ellie explains. She looks at my legs before speaking again. "I'll carry you to where we're staying," Ellie offers. She lifts me up as gently as possible and places me on her back. Despite Ellie's gentleness, it still causes me a great deal of pain.
My family gather around me, hoping to grant me some form of comfort. I squirm around a bit. The pain is intensifying. Before I can stop them, the tears begin to fall. Tears of both relief because of us being rescued and the pain of my injuries. I try to turn my face away from everyone. I don't want them to see my tears. I can't hide the tears, though. Especially once a sob forces itself from my throat. Mom and dad stroke my back. I curl in on myself, trying to stop crying. Taisley scoots closer to me. She tries to soothe my tears as well.
After a while, I stop crying. I sniffle and wipe the tears away from my left eye. "Daddy, are you okay?" Frost asks.
I look at my kits. "'m fine. 'm sorry if I scared ya…" I apologize.
"It's not your fault, daddy. I don't care as long as you're fine," Frost argues.
I smile at my young kits. "Frost, yer pretty smart fer yer age, ya know that?" I smile. At last I'm finally able to ignore my pain, for a short time, at least. Having the kits by my side, as well as the rest of my family, really helps.
"Daddy, I only know these things because I listen to you. I wouldn't be smart at all if you weren't my daddy," Frost giggles.
"'m wi' Frost on this one!" Raska and Talo agree at the same time while Whisper just nods.
I look over to Taisley. I smile at her. "Ya look no worse fer wear, considerin' th' cave-in we just escaped. Speakin' of which, where's th' food? We hadn't eaten in days!" I speak up.
"Oh, right! Here, Buck, take these," dad hands me two peaches and a few berries. I look over, seeing mom giving Taisley and my kits some food as well.
I smile and lick my lips in anticipation. "Thanks, dad." I say before digging into my food. I finish it in only a few mouthfuls.
Dad smiles at my relaxed expression that comes from finally having a bite to eat. "Yer welcome, Buck. Now, why don't ya get some rest. 't won't be long before we make 't ta a safer place," dad pushes me down more, clearly wanting me to sleep some. I give in. I close my eye and, ignoring my pain, manage to fall to sleep.