Author's Notes
Been a few months, eh? I have no excuse. I'm lazy, and not been in the mood to write.
It's been hard to write, and even harder to reach my self-imposed "2K Words a Chapter" minimum. I couldn't even hit it here. Oh well, hope you enjoy.
Daisy's Point of View
My hour or so I had spent asleep on Mac's lap was abruptly interrupted by the shrill voice of Faw.
"Daisy! Daisy! Wake up!" hollered Fawn. The dark vixen came prancing up to Mac and I giddily, a pouch full of berries around her neck. "I got what you asked for! Ol' Buttercup helped me find plenty of berries!"
"That was very sweet of her," I acknowledged. "You remembered to say your 'thank-you's, right?"
Fawn nodded in confirmation.
"Mhm! Not that I needed to, though. Everyone wants to hang out with me!"
"That's... good." I muttered as I gently untied the berry pouch from around her neck. I opened it, looking up at the human I was laying on.
Fawn always tried to act "cool" and all that. I could never bring myself to tell her that she was just making a fool of herself, since it'd break her heart.
Mac was fast asleep, mouth agape and drooling. I scooped some stirus berries from the pouch and plopped them into his mouth.
Groggily, he opened his eyes, confused at the new feeling in his mouth.
He seemed to get the message soon enough, chewing and swallowing the berries. Content with my work, I gave him a pat on the shoulder.
Fawn and I helped Mac back into my den, little resistance on his part. When we got inside, an idea seemed to poke at Fawn.
"Y'know, it's a bit cramped in here..." she commented as she squoze inside.
After a moment of pondering, I addressed her statement.
"So it is. Do you suggest we dig?"
"Aye!"
"That's a good idea. Let's do it."
I began quickly pawing at the dirt faces of my den, slowly but surely expanding it. Fawn assisted.
Mac was confused at first, but seemed to pick up on what we were doing, and began to assist us.
The soil was solid, but not impossible to dig through. It only took a little bit of work to loosen it up and pull it out of the way.
The earthy scent invaded my nose as stray particles floated through the air. The zorua with us sneezed a few times.
I was content with my progress until I started getting careless. In one wrong move, I stubbed my paw on a rock.
"Frick!" I shrieked, jolting it back.
Fawn looked over concerned, Mac as well. I just waved them off.
"Don't worry," I assured them, "I'll be fine."
Fawn seemed to accept this easily, resuming her assault on the soil. Mac did soon after, getting the message.
I nursed my paw as I watched them continue digging.
At some point, Mac accidentally stepped on Fawn's tail.
She shrieked loudly, starting to cry a little bit. But eventually after what I assumed to be profuse apologizing on Mac's part, she seemed to feel a bit better and continued to work.
We had made it a few feet after about fifteen minutes, so I decided to call it quits.
"That's good."
We backed up, admiring our paw-work.
The den was a few feet deeper and longer now, easily able to fit the three of us inside comfortably.
"That's much better!" came the scratchy voice of Fawn.
"Agreed."
With my long, flat tail, I started sweeping the dirt piles out of the den. I braced it under the loose soil, flinging it out the entrance.
When I had finished I nodded in content, laying down.
"Thanks, everyone."
Fawn nodded vigorously in response.
I smiled, satisfied with everyone's work.
"Yo Daisy," she squeaked, "think I could crash here with you two for a while?"
"Yeah, that's probably a smart idea... With Mac here and all, I'm gonna need as many people with a positive opinion of him as I can get, and having someone nearby at all times is gonna be helpful in that case..."
She shot a paw into the air..
"Thanks, Daisy! Means a lot."
I flashed her a grin.
I thought for a bit, and decided that I should probably go get some food.
"Of course." I got up and turned toward the exit. "I'm gonna go hunting. Y'all stay safe, okay?"
"Don't be such a worry-wart! We'll be fine!" she pulled Mac into an embrace, who reluctantly hugged her back. "I can protect Mac."
I giggled at her antics.
"I'm sure you can. I'll see you in a while." With that, Daisy left the den. It was just Mac and I.
As I set off down the river, I repeated my previous hunting strategy.
My eyes scanned the water for anything worthwhile.
A few magikarp swam by, but they were all either too fast to catch or too small to be worth catching.
It was just as I was about to call it quits that it caught my eye.
A goldeen.
It wasn't too fast, and it was pretty large.
"Perfect!" I exclaimed to myself, starting to follow it from the river's edge.
I followed it for a good few minutes before I made my move.
As usual, I pounced toward it first, testing to see if it'd be an easy catch. As usual (but not always), it swiftly avoided my grasp. Mostly.
I had bitten onto its tail, and was slowly pulling it in, until it managed to free itself with a mighty shake.
Climbing back onto land, I watched my prey swim away.
Not on my watch.
I pumped my paws as fast as I could, working to catch up. Soon enough I did, and slowed to a matching pace.
I shot a few razor leaves at it, attempting to land a hit. They all struck.
It leapt from the water and smacked me in the face, which served to further infuriate me.
But then, it gave me an idea.
I tried again, shooting more leaves.
Predictably, it leapt from the water one more time, intent on impaling me with its horn.
With a quick sidestep, I flicked my tail across its body. With one swipe, I had cut it in half.
Pleased with myself, I picked up the goldeen and looked around.
We had gotten pretty far from the den. I was too tired to run back, so I decided just to walk.
Fawn's Point of View
"Thanks, everyone."
I nodded slowly in response.
The pride I felt in that moment was unmatched. Well, that's not exactly true... I was always proud when I helped out Daisy, since she had always helped me!
The warm smile plastered on my friend's face was totally worth it!
I was still a bit anxious of the human, but he hadn't done anything upsetting yet so he was A-OK in my book.
Oh, wait! He had stepped on my tail while we were digging! But I totally hardly even noticed it so I can forgive him.
"Yo Daisy," I asked in an awesome tone, "think I could crash here with you two for a while?"
"Yeah, that's probably a smart idea... With Mac here and all, I'm gonna need as many people with a positive opinion of him as I can get, and having someone nearby at all times is gonna be helpful in that case..."
Well, I hadn't exactly thought about that, I just wanted shelter and food! Daisy's always been a bit of a nerd. Unlike me! I'm cool. I guess Daisy's cool too, in a smarty sort of way.
Pumping a paw into the air, I cheered.
"Thanks, Daisy! Means a lot."
My friend smiled at me. A warm smile. A smile that made me feel like the smartest person ever!
"Of course." She then started toward the exit to the den. "I'm gonna go hunting. Y'all stay safe, okay?"
"Don't be such a worry-wart! We'll be fine!" I wrapped a foreleg around Mac, pulling him close. He seemed mildly confused (probably in awe that someone as awesome as I would hug him), but returned the embrace anyway. "I can protect Mac."
Daisy giggled, for some reason. Not sure why.
"I'm sure you can. I'll see you in a while." With that, Daisy left the den. It was just Mac and I.
"So, Mac," I started, "how are you today?"
He just stared at me.
"Oh, right, language barrier..." I sighed to myself.
He sat upright, and patted his lap. I tilted my head, confused. He just rolled his eyes, picking me up and placing me on it.
It was a confusing experience.
"What're you doing, Mac?"
He laid a hand on my head, slowly dragging it along to fur before repeating the motion.
It felt weird, but all around not bad. I sighed, laying my head down and just letting him do his thing.
Maybe I felt cool or something!
It was maybe a half-hour before Daisy came back.
She had a goldeen this time. Not as appetizing as magikarp, but food is food!
It already had a few bites taken out of it. She had probably gotten hungry along the way. It was also cut clean in half.
She nudged it over, and I instantly bit off some of the meat. I quietly chewed, enjoying the flavor. It wasn't long before Mac took off a piece, quickly eating it as well.
When we were finished, about a quarter of the meat remained. Daisy put it up for later.
"It's getting late," she said, "we should probably sleep."
I nodded in agreement.
"Okay! Good night, Daisy!"
"Good night, Fawn. Mac."
Mac nodded as well.
We all laid down on the floor in various positions, slowly falling asleep.