The Sun's rays burned away the remnants of the night sky. The sound of birds filled the once-silent air. The Sun now rose out of the lake, painting it gold.
The sound of zippers pulling drowned out the birds chirping.
Mashirao did some quick morning stretches after dragging his body out of his tent. Next to him, he saw another tent open, but no one appeared to exit it. But he does notice the grass flatten in the shape of footprints.
"Good morning, Hagakure," Ojiro said.
"Morning, Ojiro," Toru replied.
Katsuo walked out of his and his wife's tent, letting out a huge yawn with a single teardrop squeezed out of his eye.
"Morning, kids. Sleep well?" he asked, walking towards the grill while running his paw over his sore back.
"Yes, sir," Ojiro said.
After setting up the grill, Katsuo nudged Daichi's tent door with his foot.
"Come on, son, get up," he said.
No response.
He poked his head inside the tent.
Haruko walked out of the tent next while Katsuo was still poking his head into Daichi's. "Is something wrong, honey?" she asked.
"Daichi's gone," Katsuo said.
"Where is he?" Haruko asked.
"Maybe he just went to the bathroom?" Toru suggested.
"Maybe we should call the forest rangers?" Haruko wondered while already grabbing her phone.
Katsuo immediately grabbed the phone out of her hand. "Haruko, I'm sure he's fine. He probably just went to the bathhouse early."
"Or he could have been kidnapped by villains!" she exclaimed.
"Can we go one day without you losing your mind?"
Mashirao tried to tune out the adults as he rummaged through his tent. As Mashirao walked off with his bag of toiletries, he saw familiar footprints in a dried mud puddle leading into the forest. Mashirao crouched to one of the prints; next to the sneaker prints was a large pawprint with unusually long fingers.
"Mr. Jinneko, why don't Toru and I go fetch him?" Mashirao suggested while grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste. "We have to go get ready for the day anyway."
"Okay, but don't take too long, or your food will get cold," Katsuo said.
When Katsuo turned back to his wife, Mashirao quickly detoured to follow the prints. Toru, confused, followed Mashirao out of curiosity.
"Where are you going?" Toru asked her classmate.
"Look at these footprints," Mashirao crouched to one of the prints. "Right next to them are these pawprints." He pointed at a set of animal prints next to the sneaker prints.
Toru crouched next to Mashirao.
"Unless there's a giant cat loose in the woods, I think Daichi ran off," Mashirao concluded.
"How are we going to find him?"
"Why don't we just follow the path of destruction?" Mashirao pointed at the path of torn trees.
The path seemed to go for miles. Trees had chunks ripped out in the shape of claw marks. The dirt had been disturbed by forceful footsteps. They kept walking through the forest, their eyes peeled for a giant bipedal cat in pants. Eventually, they came across a tall pine tree with the most claw marks and a black-tipped tail sticking out of the nettles.
Daichi opened his eyes when the Sun rose high enough to shine on his face. When fully awake, he found himself on a tree branch hidden in the pine needles. He hooked his claws into the tree's base, only to realize that all of his claws were broken. Instead, he squeezed his fingers around the branch. He slowly rested his back against the trunk. Sunlight broke through the cracks in the needles. He held one of his hands up to the light. Dried blood caked his fingertips. Last night's ordeal was a harsh reminder of how he got here.
"I found him!"
Daichi looked down to the roots and found Toru looking up at him and Mashirao following suit.
"What are you doing up there?" Mashirao shouted.
Daichi kept silent.
"Are you okay? Did something happen? Are you stuck? Do you need a ladder? I can get your dad if you need a ladder. Or maybe your mom?" Toru fired off questions faster than a bullet.
Suddenly, Daichi felt his anger boil over.
"WILL YOU SHUT UP?!"
Birds flew away.
Daichi took a minute to catch his breath. Toru backed away by an inch. Even without a face, he could tell that she was hurt. Mashirao held Toru's hand while giving Daichi a disapproving look. Some of his anger melted away.
"I'm sorry, Hagakure," he said, "but I'm not coming down." He made himself more comfortable on his branch.
"Come on, Daichi, at least get down from there before you break your neck!" Mashirao advised.
"I'm a cat! I'll land on my feet!" Daichi shouted back.
As if on cue, the branch broke under him. Daichi's heart plummeted faster than he did. She held her paws out and squeezed her eyes shut. A sharp pain shot through his wrists when they slammed against the ground. He slowly opened his eyes and did a quick check on his body. His wrists were in pain, but the rest of his body was intact. He released a breath he did not realize he was holding.
"I told you I would be fine!"
That's when the rock under him came loose and slid down the slope. He held on tight as he went down. The wind ran through his fur at Mach speed, and the hill he went down seemed to go on for miles.
Mashirao and Toru ran after the rock. Fortunately, the momentum helped them catch up. Toru ran past Mashirao, pumping her legs like an athlete until she was next to the sliding rock.
"Hang on, Daichi! I'm almost there!" Toru shouted through her pumping legs.
"Toru, wait!" Mashirao shouted.
But it was too late. Toru took a leap of faith and miraculously landed perfectly on the rock.
Daichi looked back, shocked.
"Hey, wait, why did you jump on the rock?" he asked.
There was a moment of thought processing between the two.
"...I didn't think this through," Toru admitted.
"You did not!" Daichi reiterated loudly.
"Tree! Tree!" Toru screamed while pointing at the said tree.
In a panic, Daichi leaned his body towards the left. Toru followed his lead. With their combined effort, the rock turned to the left just enough to dodge the tree. Daichi and Toru relaxed only to tense up at another tree. This time, they leaned to the right. The rock veered away from the tree by a mere hair. Soon, Daichi's fear was replaced by excitement. It was like going down a slide mixed with a roller coaster. Suddenly, they were sent flying in the air by a ramp-shaped rock over a narrow but steep ravine. He could feel her arms wrap around his torso, but he was more focused on the adrenaline rush. He roared in excitement just as the boulder slammed against the ground and went sliding again.
"This is awes-oh my God!" Daichi was cut short by the sight of thorn bushes getting closer.
Toru grabbed some nearby branches, but they snapped off from the tree.
"What do we do?!" Toru begged for an answer.
"Jump!" Daichi yelled while already doing the action; he leaped over the bushes and landed safely on his feet only to hear the rock barrelling towards him. He did a quick barrel roll before he got flattened. Unfortunately, Toru jumped off too late and was about to land on the thorns. She braced for impact, but then she felt a sudden jerk to her waist. A tail grabbed her just above a thorn that was poking her nose.
As soon as Mashirao set the girl down next to her, Toru hugged Mashirao tightly, who blushed in response.
Daichi collapsed on the ground when his adrenaline wore off. He watched his classmates while resting on his back. Suddenly, he felt an itch. An umbrella-like seed was resting on his nose. A quick blast of air from his nostrils sent the seed flying. Then he saw a few more.
"Hey, guys, look!" Daichi alerted the two teens.
In the thorn bush perimeter, there was a circular field of dandelions. Yellow flowers dotted in between the vast patches of white. The occasional seed flew loose due to the wind.
A single seed landed on Mashirao's hand. It looked like a flimsy umbrella, but it was as soft as a patch of kitten fur. "Are these western dandelions?" He asked himself.
"My mom told me about these! She said that if you blow the seeds off and make a wish, it'll come true," Toru explained excitedly.
The Field of Wishes, Daichi thought as he stared awestruck at the natural sight before him.
"Well, I'll be damned. My mom wasn't lying."
Toru ran past them into the field, leaving behind a trail of seeds in the wind. She plucked a single dandelion out of the hundreds, held it up to her lips, then blew on it gently. The seeds went flying one by one.
Daichi pulled a single dandelion out of the ground. He ran the dandelion between his fingers, and when he reached the ball of seeds, he pulled them off the stem until he had a pile in his palm. They were soft on his paw pads, like a light cotton ball. Then a mischievous smile curled his lips. He proceeded to repeat this action.
Mashirao walked through the field, staring in awe.
"Hey, Ojiro!" Daichi called out.
Mashirao turned around to face Daichi only to have a bunch of seeds thrown in his face. He took a step back in surprise and spat out a few that got in his mouth.
Daichi ran off, smiling like a devil. Mashirao immediately chased after him. His muscular tail swiped at Daichi's legs, but he dodged it with a hop. Mashirao's tail formed a fuzzy wave of seeds. Daichi faced Mashirao with his body low to the ground, ready to pounce.
Suddenly, they were both tackled by Toru.
An explosion of seeds went off around them from their impact. Daichi and Mashirao lay on their backs with Toru on top of them. After the shock wore off, they all burst out laughing.
As the Sun continued to rise, they all took a break from their rambunctious fun to catch their breath by the rock that brought them there. All their hair was sticking in every direction and full of dandelion seeds. Daichi sat on top like a lazy lion looking down at his pride.
"This is the best day ever," Daichi said.
"Second for me," Toru insisted, "the best day of my life was when I got accepted into UA."
Mashirao squinted at the Sun shining brightly at the edge of the tree circle.
"How long have we been out here?" Mashirao asked them.
Toru took out her phone. "It's been an hour."
The fur on Mashirao's tail stood on end. "Seriously?! We've gotta go!" Mashirao got up and brushed the grass off his pants.
Toru followed suit with a stretch.
Daichi, however, did not move.
"Are you ready?" Toru asked Daichi.
Daichi shook his head. He dug his fingers into the boulder. It was then Mashirao finally noticed the dried blood on Daichi's fingertips. The boy immediately checked his fingers for any open wounds.
"Dude, what happened to your fingers?" Toru asked, clearly worried.
"It's fine. They'll grow back," Daichi explained nonchalantly.
Suddenly, he felt something grab both his shoulders and shake him violently.
"Will you stop acting like a tsundere and just tell us what's wrong?! You're our friend! Friends tell each other when something is wrong! We can help you if you just open up to us!" Toru screamed into his sensitive ears.
But Daichi was unable to answer. His brain felt like it was being banged around in his skull like leaves in a tornado.
"Hagakure, you're gonna give him a concussion!" Mashirao pleaded for her to stop.
His pleading allowed Hagakure to see that Daichi was going limp from the constant shaking. She immediately released him.
Daichi sat with his head spinning. He squeezed his eyes shut and placed a paw over his head, hoping that would stop the dizziness. When he dared open one eye, he came face-to-face with a ball of fluff. Mashirao was smiling at him with his tail resting on Daichi's lap.
"Kaminari says messing with my tail helps him calm his nerves during class," Mashirao explained, "I thought maybe it would do the same for you."
Daichi ran his fingers through the tuft. The hairs were long and soft. His fingers went through the fur with ease, not a single knot. It was like holding a pom pom keychain. He could feel his shoulders relaxing with each stroke.
"Daichi, do you think you can tell us what's wrong now?" Toru asked him.
Daichi nodded.
Mashirao took a seat next to Daichi, his tail still resting on his lap. "So, why did you run out here?"
He sighed before saying, "I don't know. My mom said some mean stuff about you guys last night, and I was just so angry and sad. I just wanted to get it out of my system. Next thing I know, I'm tearing through the woods like a rabid beaver."
Mashirao and Toru look shocked.
"I'm sorry. My parents have been fighting nonstop for days now, and I feel like this is just another attempt for my mother to win an argument."
"Does that happen a lot?" Mashirao asked.
"More than it should."
Mashirao took a moment to look back at the previous encounters with Daichi's folks. After thinking about the argument he witnessed an hour ago, he nodded in sad agreement.
"Wait, is that why you were hanging out with us all the time?"
"It was at first, but then I started enjoying myself with you guys," he tried to keep his smile, but he could feel guilt weighing down on his conscience. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you from the beginning."
Toru ran a hand over Daichi's ear, which elicited a purr from the cat.
"Next time your parents decide to act like nutjobs, just tell us," Toru said.
Mashirao nodded again.
"Have you tried telling them how you feel?" he asked. "Maybe if they know how uncomfortable you are at home, they'll stop."
"I don't think that's how arguments work," Daichi rebutted.
Toru shrugged at his rebuttal. "Never hurts to try."
Mashirao then stood from the rock. "Come on," he held out his hand, "the sooner we get back to the campsite, the sooner we can have breakfast."
Daichi felt his stomach growl at the mention of breakfast. He took his hand as he stood. As they left the field, Daichi took one last look at the dandelions and their seeds glistening in the morning Sun.
The walk back to the campsite was filled with the sounds of small talk and leaves crunching.
They moved away from the thrush and reunited with the campsite where Katsuo was eating a grilled fish while Haruko was pacing back and forth. At the sound of the bushes rustling, Katsuo looked up at the teenagers making their way over. He placed his plate on an empty chair before walking over to them, although Haruko beat him to them when she ran over to give Daichi a big hug.
"My sweet boy, thank God you're okay!" Haruko said.
"Where did you all go? You were gone for an hour!" Katsuo chastised the group.
"Yeah, you could have been hurt!" Haruko said in the same tone, letting go of her son.
Daichi and Toru shared a disdainful glare at the woman.
"Why are you all looking at me like that? What were you talking about while you were gone?" Haruko stared at the two teenagers with hateful suspicion.
"Stop it, Mom. I heard what you said last night," Daichi accused.
Haruko's eyes turned into saucers, and she broke into a cold sweat. "W-what are you talking about?" she stammered out.
"Last night, you were on the phone with your friend and told them that you only invited Mashirao and Toru because you thought I didn't have friends. You were "calling my bluff" as you put it."
"What?!" Katsuo growled at Haruko.
Haruko tried to find something to say, but she ended up flapping her lips like a fish. Her eyes darted to anyone else around, but she found herself alone with several upset people staring daggers at her.
"So you'll believe him instead of me?" Haruko accused Katsuo.
"Yes, because that sounds like something you would do!" Katsuo shouted back at her.
A tail smacked loudly against the ground. The two adults snapped out of their bickering to see Mashirao who was holding his now dirty tail up.
"Forgive me for saying this, but I think you two need to quit arguing so much," Mashirao said calmly.
"Yeah, you two are like siblings fighting over a toy," Toru said with more fervor.
There was a moment of silence between the parties. Katsuo and Haruko appeared stunned, while Mashirao and Toru stood their ground. But the adults' expressions soon changed to scowls. Just as they were about to turn their collective anger towards Mashirao and Toru, Daichi let his body move on his own, jumping in between the four of them.
"Mom, Dad, will you please just stop?!" the mountain lion roared back, his hackles raised and his snout curled back. "I'm with them, I'm sick of the constant bickering. I hate coming home because all you ever do is argue at night. You know I can hear you upstairs, right? And when you aren't, you're just glaring at each other from across the dinner table." Daichi took a minute to catch his breath after spewing his raw emotions.
Katsuo and Haruko stood there, words ready to be fired, but nothing was said. Daichi stood his ground even when his legs started to shake from the impending fear of retaliation.
But nothing happened to him. Without saying a word, Katsuo took his wife's arm and walked towards the car.
"Breakfast is in the cooler," Katsuo pointed at the cooler next to the grill while turning the key in the ignition. "Place the trash in the makeshift bin in the trash bag by our tent." As he uttered the last word, he slammed the door and then drove off.
"Where are they going?" Mashirao asked.
"They're driving off so that I can't hear them," Daichi explained, "which will be really far, so we have some time to kill."
Toru pulled out her phone again. "I have some anime we can watch."
After preparing some scrambled eggs and fish and maneuvering the chairs around the cooler, they watched a show, using the cooler as a makeshift table. Despite the calm atmosphere, Daichi's hackles refused to go down. Toru picked up on this quickly and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Daichi sighed before saying, "No, but thanks for sticking up for me."
"Anytime, bestie!" Toru beamed with an invisible smile that Daichi could sense. He could also sense his furs settling down.
Halfway through an episode, Daichi felt his eyelids becoming heavy. All the exhaustion from last night and today caught up with him. As his consciousness slipped into slumber, he thought back to his wish on the dandelions; for Toru and Mashirao to be happy no matter what happens.
