-1Chapter 2: Sleepover Night
I was already in my black sweatshirt and camo jeans once I was warmed up. Though it didn't stop me from randomly molesting the heater for more lukewarm air. Jack barged in unexpectedly and caught me laying on top of the heater, treating my stomach to some heat.
"Hey! Don't do that! You could start a fire!" Jack tugged on my sweatshirt trying to pull me off.
"What? It saves us the time from starting one outside," I joked as I complied anyways.
"Yeah, and you'll start on fire with it," clearly he didn't catch my sarcasm.
"I was kidding Jack," I sighed, getting frustrated with his attitude.
"…Well come outside and I'll get the fire started," Jack stepped back outside. I trailed right behind him, soon finding out there was barely any sun left to see through the woods.
"Holy crap it got dark fast," I would have been blind if it wasn't for one of the lit lanterns at the entrance of our tent.
"We're you asleep when I was gone?" Jack raised an eyebrow as he produced a lighter from his jacket.
"Maybe, I was in a heated paradise while you ran your stick errand, so I wouldn't know," I chuckled to myself.
"…Just help me dig out a pit," The smelba seemed to have enough with my attitude as well.
"Fine…" I grumbled as I began to get my paws wet first with snow and then dirty with the ground's contents. It only took a few minutes for us to dig out a decent hole for the fire. Jack prepared the logs he managed to scavenge up, not wasting anytime lighting the fire when he was ready.
"Mmmm…" I sat near the fire as I began to hug myself in the heat.
"Don't catch on fire now," The smelba warned me.
"Yeah… I've already learned that mistake…" I rubbed my right ear stalk, recalling the memory of when a lone ember from a past fire decided to land and light my ear aflame. It wasn't a pleasant thought to say the least. But just to make sure events didn't repeat themselves, I sat opposite to where the fire was being blown towards.
"Glad you learned," Jack took notice to my repositioning, "…I'm gonna go get the marshmallows," the smelba disappeared back into the tent, soon to emerge with an unopened plastic bag.
"To be honest… I thought this camping trip was going to be a flop, it's actually not that bad…" I grasped a lengthy stick and began to prod the fire with it.
"…Sad to say, but me too… I didn't want to, but my mom insisted," Jack took a seat next to me, opening the bag of goodies. Without looking I stuck a paw inside and fished out a white puff, soon piercing it with the heated end of the stick.
"You seemed pretty enthusiastic about it, Let me guess… You didn't want to disappoint huh?" I assumed with a smile.
"Ye-yeah…" The smelba fidgeted in place nervously.
"It's alright, what matters is that we got to hang out in the end," I concluded, carefully letting the marshmallow hover over the fire.
"That's true… Don't get many moments to hang out after school, with homework and home life plaguing us and all," Jack sighed as he dug out a puff and ate it plain.
"Yeah… School sucks sometimes," I exhaled, retrieving my now crispy puff. I blew on it a few times before eating it. Cooked, gooey, and sweet. I wasn't a big fan of marshmallows, but I guess being in front of an open fire makes everything taste better.
"So…" The smelba began to sound a little apprehensive, "how's the story coming along?"
"…I finished it actually, Did… Did you want to see it?" I really didn't want to ask, but I didn't want to be rude.
"Sure!" His face instantly lit up. I grumbled silently as I went back inside for my bag. Snagging the manuscript, I brought it back outside and handed it over to Jack.
"Enjoy…" I took my seat and hoped for the best. Jack feverously flipped through the pages until he reached the last chapter.
"I really hope they find Malak, that mallowolf really has it coming for him now…" Jack mumbled as he began to read. However, I kept quiet, occasionally sneaking peeks at his visage to see if he had reached the moment of truth yet. Unlike what I had expected, Jack remained the same throughout the whole session.
"What'd you think?" I asked as he passed the papers back to me.
"It was upsetting… I feel bad for them all really… It definitely went out with a bang though," the smelba sighed before indulging in more white puffs.
"But Falkor survived…" I reminded him.
"Yeah, but he ends up forgetting his friends… He grew up with them in a sense, it's just so sad that he eventually forgot them… I just don't want to think about it," Jack shook his head.
"Dude… It's just a story," I rubbed his back a bit, sensing he was a little distressed.
"Yeah… You're right, but I can't help but think about it… It's gonna be a tough night getting some sleep," He fidgeted again, grabbing a handful of marshmallows in the process.
"Well, if it makes you feel better… Just imagine them all in a better place now," I tried to reassure him.
"Alright…" Jack nodded before shoving a few white puffs in his mouth. I stuck another one on the end of my branch and offered it to the fire.
"…How late are we going to be staying up?" I questioned.
"It's up to you… I'm gonna go lay down," Jack took one last mouthful before retreating into the tent.
"Alright then… Good night," I waved to him as I retrieved my roasted puff, blowing on it before allowing myself to eat it.