Hey guys, thanks for waiting so long for this chapter. I've had so much homework over the past few weeks of school, but I finally found the time to write.
"Louis." Someone whispers. "Louis, wake up." I'm awake, but I can assure you that I'd rather be sleeping. I'm curled up next to Peaches in the cave. It's dark and cold; the rain is still falling outside. My leg and back and everything still ache. I'm pretty sure that was Diego. What could he possibly want?
"What?" I ask, annoyed about having to be awake right now. I don't really care, though. It's not like I've slept for the last few nights. What's another one going to do?
"What happened today?" He asks.
"I already told you, I got attacked by some..."
He interrupts, "I know that, but how many? Just a few?"
"At least three. There didn't seem to be any more, and one of them said they were really hungry." I answer, hoping I don't wake anyone.
"Okay. It doesn't sound like they'll be able to get to us if we're all together." He says, strategizing. "You guys better not go out on your own anymore, though."
"I don't think you'll have to worry about that." I state drowsily. "I probably won't be going anywhere for a while." That doesn't make me feel very happy, but I do get an excuse to be with Peaches for an indefinite amount of time. So, yay!
"So..." Diego says. His voice echoes through the cave, but no one else seems to hear it.
"I- uh- I told her." I say it, and the noise dissipates into thin air.
"What?" Diego asks, unable to hear my faint voice over the rain.
"I. Told. Peaches." I feel as though a weight has lifted of me. Good job, Louis. Apparently you can say a full sentence... even if it's only three words long. I'm not sure if Diego is shocked or if he's just fallen asleep, but he doesn't say anything. I don't wanna sleep right now! I want to talk about this! Come on, Diego, talk.
"Diego, are you awake?" I ask. For a few seconds all I hear is the rain, then Diego pipes up, "Oh, uh, yeah... I'm awake. That's great. How did she react?" Darn it. I forgot about that whole us fighting thing. What should I tell Diego? Is anyone else awake? Guess now's as good a time as any to find out.
"It's uh... it's complicated." I say, trying to think of a way to say that we had a fight without really having a fight and hoping that he just changes the subject. I close my eyes and listen to the drip-drap of the rain. The storm must be dying down.
I feel Peaches' stomach distend and recede. The marching, that's not a good adjective for it, the stampeding drops of rain fall on the roof of the cave. The whole cave is wet; water droplets drip from the stalactites. One falls on my nose. I shake off the water and sneeze.
"Ah... ah... choo!" The noise shrieks through the cave like thunder. I cringe, hoping, again, that I haven't woken anybody up. The uneven pitter-patter of the rain's reign over my ears resumes. A sudden whoosh of cold air blows into the cave. I curl up closer to Peaches, who reaches her trunk back and pulls me close. She holds me tight while stretching out her legs before curling back up, still shrouding me from the cold. I can't tell if she's awake.
I nuzzle her trunk and purr, "I love you so much."
She doesn't react, at least not physically. I don't know what she's thinking. I hope she didn't hear me. Who am I kidding? I hope she heard me. I hope they all heard me. I hope that everyone is awake right now and that they all understand. Did she hear me? Does it matter? Does any of this even matter if we're not going to be here someday to remember it? Of course it does! I'm here right now, aren't I? It matters to me, right now.
Wait a second. Oh, gosh darn it! The necklace. Peaches' necklace is at my burrow, probably wet and tattered for all I know.
"Well aren't you love-drunk," Diego says, "and just so we're clear, it doesn't count if she's asleep."
"I know." I reply. "But, but Diego?"
"What?"
"I forgot something really important at my burrow." I say.
"Well," Diego says coldly, "I hope you can live without it for a while. What is it?"
"It's a- a necklace. I made it for Peaches; can we please go get it?" I plead.
He sighs, then says, "Louis... I can't just go running off into the forest in the middle of the night." I understand what he means; I can't ask him to go off alone, or even with some hobbled kid for that matter, in the pitch dark to get a probably ruined present for a girl, even if I love her. If anything were to happen to him... Shira would be alone... with no one to help her with he future pups... I can't do that to them, and I won't.
"It's okay Diego," I try to say empathetically, but it probably just sounds like disappointment, "it doesn't really matter that much."
Everything gets quiet for a second, even the rain stops. But then it starts again, and I hear Diego take a deep breathe. He yawns a feline yawn with a long whine at the end which makes me yawn back in return.
"Oh, Louis," He says slowly, pondering, "I know it really does mean a lot to you. Tell you what, in the morning I'll get Manny to let me take Peaches and you out to your burrow, but just for a few minutes, okay?"
"Yeah, uh... okay. Thanks, Diego." I answer ecstatically.
I hope he heard me, because by the time I've finished saying his name, I can already hear him snoring. And so I'm the only one awake... again...
I. Am. The. Only. One. Awake. I am the only one awake. Awake... awake, awake, awake. How did that ever get to be a word? Away + Cake = Awake? Okay, Louis, you know you're tired when you start to question whether or not words are really words...
I close my eyes tight, which doesn't really help because it's not much darker in my head than it is in the cave. I try to will myself to sleep. I try to not think about it. I try only thinking about it. Eventually I just give up on my attempts to fall asleep, at which point I, of course, actually fall asleep.
I don't know how long I was asleep for, but my best estimation would probably be about eight and a half seconds. Peaches nudges me a little. I shoot up, my heart pounding and my leg stinging. She probably didn't mean to jolt me as much as she did. I'm just so small compared to her. Anyway, I'm awake now. My heart is pumping, I can feel my chest pulsating. Peaches is almost more distressed by my state than I am.
"Oh. Are you okay, Louis?" She whispers. "I'm sorry if I scared you."
"Yeah. Uh... no, uh... It's uh- it's fine. Just startled me a bit is all." I say. Thunder claps outside; I jump again. Peaches curls her trunk around me; I hug her, my heart beating against her. Another thunder clap, I can feel my heart racing.
We lie together mutely. I'm tired but awake, scared but exhilarated. I lean back and just lay. I'm not thinking about anything in particular, just focusing on breathing. Sucking in and blowing out, my chest rising and falling. The dank smell, the moist feel of the cave. Peaches' soft fur, the numb pain in my leg. The illuminating lightning and the frightening thunder. The crisp, cool air; the blackness of the cave walls.
...
The next morning I'm sitting against a stalactite while Diego tries to convince Manny to let us go to my burrow.
"Come on, Manny. We'll be there and back in no time." Diego says. Manny looks apprehensively past him and at Peaches. Then he asks, "You'll be with them the whole time?"
"Of course," Diego assures, "I won't leave their side for an instant."
"Don't worry so much, Manny." Shira, having apparently woken up, ambles to the mouth of the cave. "We'll be fine."
Diego jumps in before Manny can speak, "Excuse me, what do you mean 'we?'"
"I'm coming with you." She says.
Manny, noticing Diego's look, ushers for Peaches to talk in private. They walk back to where the rest of the herd is sleeping. Am I the only one besides Diego who knows that Shira's pregnant? Has he told Manny?
"Shira..." Diego starts, but she interrupts.
"I'll be fine, Diego." She says cheerily, rubbing against him.
"But..."
"Shhh..." She pecks his cheeck softly, "You're not the only one who wants to meddle."
Well, that took a lot longer than expected... This chapter's song is "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol.