Chapter V: Rescue

Nom Nom woke feeling groggy and unrested. When the fog finally cleared from his head, the memory of last night's events reentered his mind and nearly deflated his motivation to simply get up and move. It was ultimately thirst which drove him to finally stagger to his feet and shuffle his way towards the edge of the forest. He briefly glanced over his shoulder to see if Grizz was still sleeping, finding the bear lying on his side with his back facing him. He continued on into the forest, making his way towards the river.

The rushing sound of the river was somewhat soothing to his nerves and helped to drown out his loud inner thoughts. Cautiously approaching the edge, he sought out a small pool nestled between the large rocks and crouched down to dip his head into the icy water to drink his fill. He withdrew his head seconds later with a loud gasp, feeling slightly more energized after having his head submerged in the frigid water. He shook his head to rid himself of excess water, his ears flapping lightly. He sat back on his rump with a sigh, tapping a claw against his leg as he contemplated how he was going to approach Grizz after last night. He honestly didn't think he'd be able to look him in the eye ever again, but he knew they would have to reach some level of agreement if they were going to get out of this predicament.

Nom Nom's ears perked as he heard footsteps approaching from behind. He turned to see Grizz heading his way, shoulders slumped and gaze cast downward. Nom Nom sighed as he turned to face the front again, his anxiousness flaring up.

"Here you are," Grizz remarked quietly, his tone neither angry or happy. He plopped down next to the koala and dipped his paws into the icy water, splashing his face to wake himself up. Nom Nom couldn't bring himself to even look at him. "Did you sleep at all last night?" Grizz asked as he glanced his way, water dripping from his muzzle.

"Not really," the smaller animal murmured.

"Yeah…me, neither." Grizz cupped his paws under the water and leaned forward slightly to take a drink. He clicked his tongue and glanced at the koala, who practically had his back to him at this point. His entire demeanor radiated unease. "Uh…listen….I'm…I'm really sorry I lost my cool last night. I kinda let my temper get the better of me."

Nom Nom finally looked at him now, his eyes wide with disbelief. "I can't believe this…You're apologizing? After everything I did to you, you're apologizing for getting angry about it?"

Grizz shifted around awkwardly. "Look, I just…I don't like getting angry, okay? I don't like yelling at people and hurting their feelings."

"Even if they hurt you?"

Grizz looked down at his paws. "I never feel good about it. It never solves anything for me. It never makes me feel better."

"That's your problem; you never get angry enough." Nom Nom paused and sighed. "My problem is I get angry too much."

Grizz smiled crookedly. "Well…I guess we sorta even each other out then, huh?"

Nom Nom laughed weakly. "I suppose." There was a momentary silence as the two animals stared out over the river. "Look…you said what needed to be said. You shouldn't be the one apologizing." The koala averted his gaze before softly adding, "I should."

Grizz stared at him silently for a brief moment before replying, "I just want to know why, Nom Nom. Hurting me is one thing…but when you bring my family into it…I just can't look over that! Just….why?"

Nom Nom sighed again, drawing his knees closer to his chest. "I don't know, okay? I don't know! I don't know why it was so important to me. Just the thought of losing everything I had…I couldn't fathom it. It just scared me. I guess the question I should be asking myself is why would I want to hold on to something that seems to bring me more frustration than joy. It's become such a chore these days. I don't get why you want it so badly."

A look of surprise came to Grizz's face. "I thought you loved all the fame and fortune?"

"I do…sometimes...but it's a double-edged sword. There's a downside to it that people never consider when they enter that lifestyle. You spend your entire life under a microscope, with the eye of the world looking down on you and searching for every little imperfection. And if you mess up, you never hear the end of it.

"Yeah, but….you bounced back after that whole meltdown."

"You really think that?" Nom Nom laughed. "I got my job back, yes, but I'm still doing damage control weeks later, and I predict I'll still be doing damage control months from now…and probably a year from now. Don't you see? It never ends. People never forget, and they won't let you forget, either. Do you know how many subscribers I lost on my channel? Over six thousand. People kept telling me it's not a big deal, that it was just a drop in the bucket compared to the total number I had, but…it's not just a number. Imagine yourself standing before a crowd of six thousand people…and they all hated you. Every single one. They all thought you were scum. How would that make you feel?"

"Lousy," Grizz mumbled as he lowered his gaze to the ground. "I'd probably want to curl up in a ball and cry."

Nom Nom's face softened slightly. "So why put yourself through that? Is being internet famous really worth all that? I mean, maybe you wouldn't do something as stupid as what I did, but it's pretty easy to say one little thing and have everyone either take it out of context or blow it out of proportion. It can happen to anyone. Even someone nice like yourself."

"But…it's not that I want to just be famous for the sake of being famous. What I want more than anything is to just make friends."

Nom Nom raised a brow. "Friends?"

Grizz's face suddenly brightened. "Well, yeah. It's all I've ever wanted.I love meeting new people and hanging out with them. I'm just…not that great at making a connection. I come on a little strong sometimes. It's probably my greatest weakness."

"Grizz….you can't be friends with your followers. It just doesn't work that way."

"What? Why not?"

"You just can't. How are you supposed to form a close connection to millions of people? Or even thousands? There's no way you can do that."

"But…But I can go to conventions like you and meet people!"

Nom Nom sighed, shaking his head. "Grizz, it's not just the sheer number of people that makes it impossible…it's how those people see you. They see you differently because you're a celebrity, and for some people, associating with you makes them feel important. They achieve fame through that association. Plus there's always the threat of fans being creepy stalkers. You just can't have the same kind of relationship with fans that you can when you aren't famous."

"So what, you're saying everyone will just use and abuse me?"

"Not everyone, but you just don't know who you can trust. It's best to keep your fans at arm's length. If it's friends you're interested in making, you might want to consider an alternative."

Grizz was quiet for a moment, Nom Nom's words weighing heavily on his mind. "So…what does that make us, then?" he asked, a tone of sadness in his voice. "Are we friends?"

The question momentarily caught the koala off guard. He felt inclined to ask the bear why he'd even want to still be friends with him after his horrible actions, but he couldn't say he was surprised by Grizz's willingness to look past it. It had been clear from the beginning that the bear was not the type to hold a grudge, even if most would agree it was perfectly justified. It just wasn't in his nature. He was compassionate and kind-hearted and was always willing to see the good in people. It was a quality not too many people had, and one that was often taken advantage of.

"Nom Nom?"

"I…uh…"

A loud splash suddenly caught both their attention, prompting them to look towards the river. "Woah…I think that was a fish!" Grizz exclaimed excitedly as he jumped to his feet and started making his way down the length of the river, eyeballing the large rocks that were situated a few feet out from the bank.

"Wait, what're you doing?" Nom Nom asked as he got up to follow.

"I'm starving!" the bear replied, extending his arms outward to keep himself balanced as he stepped out onto one of the boulders.

"Are you crazy?! That fish is probably long gone by now!"

"Yeah, but another one might come along! I'm not missing out!"

Grizz mentally counted to three before jumping to the next rock, which was slightly damp. His foot slid forward slightly upon landing, and he quickly planted his front paws down on the rock to catch himself.

"Grizz, get back here!" he heard Nom Nom calling to him frantically.

"I'm fine, don't worry!" he called back, waving him off. Squinting his eyes, he peered out over the fast-moving water in search of another fish. He could still vaguely hear Nom Nom shouting at him.

"This is nuts! Get back here before you fall off!"

Grizz held up a paw to the koala, his intense gaze still focused on the water. "Just hold on." Noticing a shadow gradually moving towards him, he grinned with excitement. "Got it! Got it!" he cheered as he rushed to jump onto the next rock, too overcome with excitement to even notice how wet it was. His foot immediately slipped upon touching it, causing him to fall back and land roughly against the rock before rolling into the icy water.

"GRIZZ!"

Grizz coughed and spat water from his mouth as he tried to keep his head above the surface. While the water was only about two feet deep, the fast-moving current made it impossible for the bear to get his footing. Every attempt he made at standing resulted in his feet being knocked out from under him by the current. He flailed and kicked, gulping water as he was continuously pulled under. He could feel his body bumping roughly against more rocks, and he immediately started grabbing for them. He unsheathed his claws, desperately seeking purchase, but so many of the rocks were wet and smooth, making them difficult to hold on to.

Nom Nom had immediately taken off in a mad sprint along the length of the river the moment he saw Grizz go in. His short, stubby legs did not allow for him to move fast enough, and Grizz was getting further away by the second. It also didn't help that the koala was constantly tripping over exposed roots or slipping on rocks, as he wasn't paying much attention to where he was going, too focused on keeping the bear in his sights as he ran along the river. He eventually lost sight of the bear completely, and he felt his blood chill in his veins. "You idiot!" he shouted as he pushed himself to run faster, his heart ready to burst from the exertions. He finally managed to locate him again, finding him clinging to a large rock as water pushed against him with great force.

"Grizz!"

The bear looked his way, terror in his eyes. He cried out in panic as he lost his grip of the rock and was swiftly carried further down the river, though he managed to get a firm grip on another rock as his body slammed against it. Nom Nom placed his paws to his head, tightly clutching tufts of fur in frustration as he tried to think of some way to rescue the bear. He shifted his gaze away from Grizz and looked ahead of him, quickly taking notice of a large tree at the bank of the river about thirty feet away, one of its long branches extended several feet over the water. It looked like it could easily support his weight and more. Nom Nom quickly looked back to Grizz, who was struggling to maintain his grip on the wet boulder. "Just hang on!" he shouted to him before bolting for the tree.

"What does it look like I'm doing?!" Grizz shouted back.

Nom Nom leapt onto the tree and began shimmying up the trunk. After sizing up one of the thinner branches, he took a firm grip on it and bent it back with as much strength as he could muster until he heard the wood splinter and snap. Taking the branch in both paws, he began carefully making his way out over the rushing water, using the broken branch as a balancing pole to keep him steady. He made it about halfway across the branch before he paused to look towards Grizz, pleased to see that he was positioned almost perfectly.

Narrowing his eyes, Nom Nom took a firm hold of the thicker end of the disconnected tree branch while he crouched down to grab the one he was standing on. He took a deep breath and allowed himself to drop down, his feet dangling just a few feet above the rushing water. "Grizz!" he shouted over the loud rush of the river. "Let go of the rock!"

Grizz looked back at him. "WHAT?!" he shouted in disbelief.

"I said let go of the rock! Let go and swim towards me!"

"I can't!"

"YES, YOU CAN!"

"What if I miss?!"

"DON'T THINK ABOUT IT! JUST LET GO!"

The bear hesitated for a moment before finally loosening his grip, allowing the water to push him off the rock. Nom Nom felt a surge of apprehension as he saw Grizz drifting towards him, knowing he only had one shot. He tightened his grip on both the branch he was suspended from and the one he had extended towards the approaching bear, hoping they would both be able to support the larger animal's weight.

"Grab on!"

Grizz reached for the branch that was offered to him, grabbing it with both paws in a vice grip. Nom Nom promptly tightened his grip on the branch above him the moment he felt Grizz latch on. His weight, coupled with the added force of the water pushing against him caused the branch to bend dramatically. Nom Nom couldn't be sure if it could withstand the intense strain, nor was he sure he'd even be able to hold on to it. He grit his teeth in pain as he felt the bark tearing into the pads of his paw.

"All right, listen up, dumb dumb! I can't pull you up! You're gonna have to pull yourself up, understand?!" he shouted urgently.

The bear met his gaze with wide, fearful eyes, expressing clear doubt in his abilities, but Nom Nom was quick to put that doubt to rest.

"EITHER YOU PULL YOURSELF UP OR WE BOTH GO IN! I CAN'T KEEP HOLDING ON LIKE THIS!"

Eyes narrowing in determination, Grizz took a firm grip of the tree branch and slowly began to pull himself up, inching his way up the length of the branch. Nom Nom winced, as each tug threatened the hold he had on the branch above him. He focused every ounce of strength he had into keeping that grip locked.

Keeping a hold of the branch with one paw, Grizz reached with his other as far as he could, his fingers just inches from the larger branch above. Grunting loudly, he pulled back slightly and then lunged, his paw grabbing a hold of the branch tightly. Nom Nom heaved a heavy sigh, loosening his grip on the broken branch and allowing it to fall into the river. The two animals briefly locked gazes as they dangled from the tree, their hearts still racing from the ordeal.

Nom Nom was the first to move. He pulled himself up to where he was standing atop the branch and carefully made his way across, his arms extended outward for balance. Grizz remained in his suspended position, swinging his way across much like a child on a set of monkey bars. He slid down the trunk and rejoined the koala on dry land, his legs giving out just seconds after touching the ground. He looked towards Nom Nom, noticing him glaring.

"Don't say it," he said softly.

"What? You mean, 'I told you so'?"

Grizz looked down shamefully, feeling like a small child being scolded by his parent.

"I told you not to do it!"

Seeing that the bear looked close to tears, Nom Nom ceased his scolding and sighed heavily. "Look…forget it. We're alive; that's all that matters." He lifted a paw and rubbed his now sore shoulder, rotating his arm around a few times.

"I can't believe you were able to hold on like that. I never would have imagined you to be that strong. No offense."

"Yeah, well…they say you gain the strength of ten men when you're in a life or death situation. I guess I know that to be true now. Although it felt like my arm was being pulled out of its socket," he added as he continued rubbing his shoulder.

Grizz slowly looked down, still trembling slightly. "I owe you," he said hoarsely.

"No, you don't," Nom Nom replied as he got to his feet.

"Of course I do! I mean, you could have died trying to save me!"

"You don't owe me anything," Nom Nom reaffirmed sternly as he turned and held up a paw to the bear's face. "You saved me, remember? If it hadn't been for you, I would have been a snack for the wolves."

Grizz frowned, rubbing his arm. "Yeah, but…it's because of me that we're lost."

The koala shrugged. "I'd rather be lost than be dog chow. Besides….my stupid actions nearly got you killed, remember? You don't owe me, now just shut up about it."

Grizz only nodded. He managed to stumble to his feet, though he still felt unsteady.

"That doesn't look too good," Nom Nom said as he pointed towards Grizz's paw. Confused, the bear lifted his left paw and noticed a rather large gash that was still bleeding.

"Oh…geez, I didn't even notice that. That must of happened when I first fell in. I landed on my paw pretty hard." He cradled his injured paw against his chest and covered the wound with his other paw. "It's not so bad," he assured, though now that he acknowledge his injury, the pain was finally starting to make itself known. "Maybe we should keep moving. I don't think anyone's looking for us out here, anyway."

"Probably not."

Without another word, the pair began slowly trudging their way back through the woods.

ooooooo

The hours slowly crept along as the two animals continued traversing through the forest, occasionally stopping to rest. The two shared very little dialogue, too tired to even carry a conversation beyond a few words. By the late afternoon, the pair took notice of the dark clouds beginning to loom overhead, causing the forest around them to darken slightly. Nom Nom looked up through the trees as he felt a single raindrop strike the top of his head. "I should have known the weather would turn ugly before we found our way home," he growled with disdain.

Grizz stopped suddenly, causing the koala to bump into him. "Wait…I think I know where we are."

"Are you sure about that?" Nom Nom quipped skeptically.

"No, I mean it this time."

Nom Nom watched the bear curiously as he began looking in different directions, his gaze hard and focussed. Without warning, he suddenly broke off in a random direction at a fast pace.

"Woah, wait!" Nom Nom called to him as he rushed to catch up. "Why are we going this way now?"

"Something's telling me to go this way!" Grizz shouted back to him as he ducked to avoid being smacked in the face by low hanging branches. He came into a clearing and stopped abruptly, allowing the koala to finally catch up. His gaze focused on a little cave just twenty feet ahead of him, its opening partially covered by by thin vines that were suspended from the rock wall surrounding it. He slowly stepped towards it, feeling a great sense of familiarity.

"Why are we stopping here?" Nom Nom asked him, but the question didn't register with the bear, who pushed his way past the vines and stepped inside the dark cave. He ran a paw along the cold walls, feeling a strange sense of comfort as he took in every detail of the quaint little cave. I've been here. I know I've been here. He made his way towards the very back of the cave, which didn't extend very far. As he turned to lean back against the cold, jagged wall, he looked towards the opening of the cave and immediately stiffened when saw what he swore was another bear curled up on the ground with a tiny furry bundle nestled beside it.

Grizz shook his head and lifted a paw to rub at his eyes. When he finally looked up again, he saw that the bear was gone. He would have dismissed the strange vision as just a product of being tired and fatigued if it wasn't for the fact that this wasn't the first time he had had these visions. The first time was odd enough, but having it happen again only made him more determined to get to the bottom of what was triggering them.

Grizz pushed himself off the wall and exited the cave, ignoring the rain as it gradually began to fall at a heavier rate. He turned to his companion as he heard him calling his name repeatedly.

"Grizz, what's up with you?"

Grizz didn't respond, turning away to look off in another direction, which only frustrated the koala further.

"Will you quit ignoring me?!" he snapped. "Why are you acting weird? Wait, now where're you going?! Grizz!" Nom Nom rushed to catch up as the larger animal took off hastily once again.

"I've been here before!" Grizz called back to him.

"You keep saying that! Where is here?!"

"I'm trying to figure that out!"

Nom Nom stumbled and fell as he struggled to keep up with the bear's pace. He cursed under his breath as he hastily got back to his feet again, shouting for Grizz to wait for him. The bear was almost out of sight, which put Nom Nom in a slight panic. "Grizz, I swear, don't make me regret saving your sorry hide! GRIZZ!"

After pushing his way through some thick underbrush, Nom Nom stopped abruptly, finding Grizz standing eerily still at the edge of the forest, his back facing him. He arched a brow curiously. "Grizz?"

No response.

Becoming concerned, Nom Nom slowly shuffled his way towards the bear, moving to stand directly beside him. "Grizz?" he called to him again quietly, but he didn't so much as flinch. "Grizz, what's the matter?" Still, he did not receive an answer. Turning his head, he followed Grizz's gaze out into the clearing, where his eyes settled on a tall, scraggly looking evergreen tree.

The rain came down much harder now, and a low rumble of thunder sounded from above.

Author's Note: Aww shit. Awwwww shiiiiiit. *cough* Anyway...Happy New Year, everyone!