Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with DreamWorks or Gizmo Productions. Please don't sue me because I still have no money.
Trigger: This is being released without a warning as to what it is. Sorta fluff, sorta rage. Y'unno. Somewhere in the middle of all that.
Warning: Only part of this is cannon. Written after months of fighting compulsions. … I'm so sorry.
Premise: What if Guy wasn't alone while he journeyed to find 'Tomorrow?'
Reason: Because someone had to do it – so it might as well be me!
Catch & Release
By Juliette Lyst
Stranded
Shivering, the young boy hugged his knees. He wished so badly that what had happened was just a terrible nightmare. The tears that trickled down his cheeks reminded him otherwise. His sleep had been fitful.
Yet…
As he felt warmth caress his back, he turned, quickly using one hand to shield his eyes. The fiery ball in the sky continued to rise, spreading light in all directions. He took in one breath… then another.
Shoulders drooping slightly, he remembered what he'd been told and spoke his thoughts aloud. "Follow the light…"
He stood, turning towards the light and began walking. Where else would he go? Everyone was gone…
A few days later, he was dragging himself into the shadows of two nice sized boulders. Panting, he grimaced, wiping sweat out of his eyes. He was so thirsty… and everything was starting to hurt. Still, he had managed to successfully escape the light overhead for a moment, just to cool off.
"Just for a little while," he murmured to himself, speaking for his own sake. There was no one else as far as he could see. Even though he wanted to explore to try and find others, he was sorely unprepared for being out here.
It wasn't his fault… nor his parents. How could they have ever expected the events that occurred?
"Just… a little while," he repeated, feeling lightheaded. His vision grew fuzzy, and as he let out a shuddering breath, he passed out.
He was unaware of time or even space at first when he woke. Something had landed on his cheek and as he moved to wipe it off, he felt it again. Glancing skywards, his eyes widened. Rain was pouring from above. He scrambled to his feet a bit too fast, lost his balance and landed flat on his back.
As the rain continued to pour, he spread his arms out – and his legs. Opening his mouth, he struggled not to laugh, feeling droplets land on his tongue. It felt good, refreshing.
Carefully rising again, he cupped his hands, lapping up the water that flowed so freely over and between his fingers. After taking the edge off his thirst, he glanced in the direction he was walking at first. Should I start up again?
Under normal circumstances, he would have waited out the storm. But he did not know how hot the next day would be. Nor… how long the water would last.
Despite the danger that might be lying in wait in the dark, he resumed walking. There was no light to lead him, so he kept going forward. Ever so often, he glanced behind himself to make sure that what footprints left behind – they were all pointing in the same direction and same line. Satisfied, he kept walking.
His pace had picked up in speed, hearing sounds in the night that had nothing to do with the rain. By the time day was breaking, he'd traveled a long distance. How long, he was uncertain… but his feet hurt.
Something not far away caught his eye.
Holding a hand over his eyes, he squinted, trying to be sure that he wasn't seeing things.
Despite the ache in his legs, he picked up the pace.
Sure enough, he found himself right on the edge of what looked like a forest. Hope grew in his heart.
Finding a nice clearing some time later, he began collecting rocks and twigs, making a decent sized circle with the rocks. During the search for additional bits of wood, he stumbled on a spiky looking shrub with a strange looking fruit growing on it.
That night, he sat in front of a warming fire, tearing into the fruit he'd found. The outer part of it was as spiky as the bush it was on… but the inside was yellow and had one of the sweetest tastes he'd ever encountered. Leaving it near the fire to ward off any animals that would take it from him, he curled up on his side and went to sleep.
The next day, the fire was nearly out, but the fruit held a slightly smoky flavored surprise.
Over the course of the next five days, he continued to search and explore the forest he was in. At one point, he stumbled on an animal carcass. What it had been when alive, he had no clue. The fact that something so massive was dead, here of all places made him nervous.
Grimacing, he realized that he needed to move soon, but still was sorely lacking in supplies. Hands on his hips, he stared in the direction he'd left and then to the animal carcass. Soon, he found himself slowly dragging the beast back to his fire. Though tempting, he knew it probably wasn't safe to eat any of the meat. Instead, he managed to pull a few bones from its opened chest and sharpened one of them into a knife.
He crudely removed the skin from the animal, and using fibers he'd pulled from one of the bushes a little further into the forest, he fashioned a frame out of wood to stretch the animal skin out on.
Digging deep in his memory, he remembered how his parents had prepared pelts.
He was up the rest of the night working.
One Week Later…
Sighing, he carefully packed the items he'd found as he waited for his work to be completed. Now, he was able to travel. Expertly, he bound his few supplies up in the neatly prepared fur, suspended on a thin, but strong stick. Holding up a thicker hunk of crudely cut wood, he held up a thin white stick.
The stuff left behind a mark and slight powdery trail. "… What do I say?" he asked, startling himself.
When was the last time he'd spoken… at all?
Shaking his head a bit, he allowed a faint grin to cross his lips. "Travel log: Guy here…" Pausing a bit, he thought carefully. "It's been one moon since the mission began," he stated, marking the wooden hunk with a streak of white. "Following the light, but no sign of Tomorrow yet."
He let a short laugh escape and began on his way, following the light in earnest now. He'd already made some distance from his previous camp, not wanting to stick around and find out what might lurk in the dark.
Time seemed to pass a bit faster now that he was able to cover more ground.
"It's been twelve moons. No sign of Tomorrow. Found some neat fruit though!"
"Travel log: it's been fifteen moons."
"Twenty moons."
"It's been twenty-seven moons…" Yawning then, he decided to stop and set up camp early. Setting his pack down, he hurried to collect the supplies he would need. It wasn't even afternoon yet, but it was time for him to take a short break.
His travel had been nonstop for weeks now.
That evening…
Returning to his camp, arms full of small twigs and leaves, he hesitated – seeing the back of someone in his camp. Is that… a person? Immediately, he knew the question was a foolish one. Setting the stack down carefully, he sorted through it for a stick that looked sharp enough.
He didn't know what might happen and was afraid. He should have been overjoyed to find another person, but the isolation had left him a bit paranoid and protective of his belongings.
The person moved closer to the fire to warm their hands.
Confused, he tilted his head. Whoever this was… they were about his size. Still… Narrowing his eyes, he tightened his grip around the stick he'd chosen and crept into the camp. Once he was close enough, but still a safe distance away, he announced himself.
"Show yourself!"
Startled, the person spun around and stumbled back away from him. Losing their balance, they fell on their backside. "Please!" they called, holding their arms up to protect themself. "Sorry!"
Blinking slowly, he straightened up from a crouched position. By the light of the fire, he could see features he recognized very well. He was momentarily unable to speak.
"I… I-I'm sorry," they repeated, voice shaking. "I d-don't like the dark!"
Unspeaking, he stepped fully into the light, his grip on the stick loosening.
"Guy?" they yelped, shocked when his face was revealed.
His mouth worked a moment before he responded. "… Dawn?" His eyes took in the shape of his friend. She had initially appeared terrified, but her expression was swiftly changing.
"Guy!" she exclaimed, clambering to her feet. She bolted toward him, reaching out.
His mouth stretched into a wide smile as she ran to him. Then their bodies met. He grunted with the force of her hug, both of them falling into the dirt.
"Travel log: It's been twenty-nine moons," he muttered, pulling down a massive strawberry. "Still no sign of Tomorrow! I did find this little fellow." The little fuzzy animal had been hiding on the back of the fruit. It lifted its little head and cooed.
The little animal wrapped around his arm and began looking around attentively.
"He's alone, just like us," Guy smiled. "He's a good lookout. I'm thinking of naming him "Watch."
Behind him, Dawn smiled, taking up the task of carrying his pack.
"Travel log: It's been forty moons."
"Sixty-five moons."
"Ninety moons," he noted, the two of them traveling with individual packs now.
Dawn now sported her own fuzzy friend too – one that she had named "Song."
"It's been one hundred fifty moons."
"Two hundred moons…"
"… Three hundred ten moons."
"Travel log: It's been… a lot of moons, all the moons. Still no sign of Tomorrow," he stated, in a deeper voice. As he spoke, he peered back over his shoulder. Dawn was neatly curled up in a secluded spot asleep, her fluffy sloth resting on her hip. His brows pinched together in worry. A slight sound caught his attention and he looked forward again.
"Something's coming," he spoke, lowering his voice. "Belt, disguise mode." Pulling the head of a warthog costume back in place, he peered through the holes and stepped away quickly.
Someone dropped into view, firelight dancing in their hair.
"It's a person," he murmured, only for Belt to cover his mouth. Curious and also wanting to lead this person away if they were dangerous, he crept out of hiding. He tried to match the movements of this new person, watching as they reached out towards the flame of his torch.
Unfortunately, he was spotted and soundly flipped. The next thing he knew, they were holding a gigantic rock overhead. Fearing for his life, he removed his disguise, tilted his head and offered a small smile.
Startled, the person backed up, dropping the rock.
He ended up howling after it landed on his foot. Without warning, his mouth was tightly covered, an arm wrapped around his neck… and he used a stick to jab the new person in the head. He heard them yelp and back off. Pressing a hand to his throat, he sucked in a much-needed breath. "…Air…"
"You talk?" they asked.
Indignant, he looked up. "I'm a person! Like you!" Then he found himself yelping as he was fully lifted off with ground by one hand. "Sort of… like you?" Up close, he could see this was another teenager… maybe around Dawn's age. She had blunted features, and her red hair was wild.
There was a moment of hesitancy between both of them before she started sniffing him.
Elsewhere
With a stretch and yawn, Dawn sat up, careful not to hurt her fuzzy friend. "Mm… Guy?" Blinking and rubbing sleep out of her eyes, she looked around, not finding him. "Uh…" Lightly licking her lips, she glanced down as her sloth reached up and climbed into her arms.
Seeing flickering light, she turned in that direction. She saw Guy's distinctive boots flipping around and heard the sounds of struggle. Swallowing hard, Dawn backed up. She shivered, anxiety gnawing at her. Over the sound of blood pounding in her ears, she couldn't clearly hear the second voice that was speaking.
Or much of anything.
The familiar low note caught her attention. She sucked in a deep breath… Only to release it moments later as Guy darted into her little spot. She didn't get a word out before she was being scooped up. Startled, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "… Guy?" she questioned softly.
"Shh," he replied. "Need to be quiet for right now." He was walking at a fast clip away from where they'd been.
Belt peered down at her, hanging onto Guy's right arm and grasping the torch. The sloth looked very serious.
About what, she had no clue, but she obeyed and remained quiet. The rhythmic movement of his steps eventually put her right back to sleep.
The Next Morning
The sun was slowly rising, but she was already awake – a few dozen feet from their camp. She'd found a nice spot to seat herself. Even though there was no need for her to keep watch, she did not want to go back to sleep right away. Fatigue was still clinging to her like a wet blanket, but she wanted to stay up. Grumbling, she held her head in her hands. Maybe I need to go back to bed…
Getting extra rest might not work with the faster pace they were on, but maybe for just a little while…?
"Dawn?"
Hearing her name, she lifted her head and peered over her shoulder. "Hi Guy," she mumbled in reply.
It was quiet for a moment, then Guy plopped down next to her. "Is everything alright?" he asked.
Silence was her only response for some time. After a while, she realized she needed to say something. She felt unwell… had for some time, but not wanting to lie to him… she opted for a shrug instead and slight flick of her wrist.
Frowning, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her close. "I'm sorry," he whispered. Out of all the ideas he always had… finding a way to make her feel better hadn't been one of them.
He knew something was wrong, had heard her vomiting the night before… some time after they had dinner. He was worried the same would happen to him. When it didn't, his confusion grew. Now, she was up before him.
"It's not your fault Guy," she responded, leaning into him. "No need to be sorry."
Debating with himself, he observed her pale features. His brows pinched together tightly. "We'll be starting off a bit later today," he said.
Eyes widening, Dawn stared at him. "Really?"
Stretching with his free arm up as if tired, he nodded. "Yeah. I could sleep some more."
She graced him with a small smile.
Standing up, he reached down pulling her to her feet. Resting a hand on her hip, he gently led her back to their camp. Pulling one of their thicker furs out, he flicked it once and laid it on the ground. He then put their bedding right on top of that, making the surface a lot softer.
Guy sat down right in the middle of the pile and reached up for her.
Dawn momentarily clasped fingers with him, squeezing lightly, before easing herself down into his lap. Releasing a weary sigh, she relaxed in his arms.
"You're really tired, aren't you?"
"… Yes," she replied, closing her eyes. "I'm slowing us down, Guy." Yawning, she struggled to stay awake.
Lying back with her in his arms, he snorted. "How is that possible, Dawn?" he asked. "I said I wanted to sleep more too."
Moving a little so she was sprawled over him, she closed her eyes and hummed softly.
Staring at the sky, Guy sighed, holding her tight while she dozed.
Afternoon
When Dawn woke, she was a little disoriented. A familiar face popped up in front of her.
"Got something for you!" Guy smiled, pleased to see her grin in return. After she sat up, he put a large leaf in her lap, holding some steaming fish and a few fruits and vegetables.
Without even waiting for any utensils, she dug into her meal with both hands.
Guy's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. Setting a cracked coconut next to her, he retrieved his own meal and sat down to eat.
Two Days Later – Early Evening
"Should I even keep counting the moons?" Guy asked idly, while they walked.
Fiddling with a stick, Dawn glanced over to him. "You never stopped?" she asked, surprised.
Much to his chagrin, Guy flushed a little. "No."
"Huh…"
They walked in silence for some time. Eventually though, Guy glanced up. "Time to stop for the night."
Dawn nodded and helped him set up camp.
Not long after, they were cuddling in front of the fire.
"How far away do you think Tomorrow is?" she asked, lazily drawing shapes on his chest.
"Mmm," he murmured. Squinting at the sky, he thought hard… but nothing came to mind. "Don't know."
"No?" she asked, brows lifting. A small grin grew as she watched him shake his head. "Then… do you think we have time to…?" She leaned up just a little, pressing a kiss to his chin before aiming for his lips.
Guy gently grasped her upper arms, stopping her. "Are you sure?" he asked, wary.
Nodding quickly, Dawn laughed lightly when he rolled them over. "It's been days, Guy…" Biting her bottom lip as she looked up, she watched the reflection of the fire dancing in his eyes before he lowered his head, meeting her in a passionate kiss.
Next Day – Late Afternoon
They were making excellent time today. At the moment, Dawn was carrying both sloths. Belt had been oddly clingy to her since morning. "You sure you don't want to stay with Guy, Sash?"
The pinkish sloth shook her head.
Dawn sighed. So, it seemed they had swapped pets… except it was only half way.
She continued walking alongside him, a spear in her left hand. Guy kept his strapped to his back, but she always wanted to have her weapon at the ready. Reaching into a pouch at her hip, she pulled out a chunk of coconut and popped it in her mouth.
The two observed the sky.
Without warning, a deep sound ripped through the air, much like what they heard when blowing on their shells.
Turning towards the noise, Guy's mouth dropped open, seeing the swirling pattern in the skies. He took off at a sprint, leaving Dawn and the sloths behind.
Shaking off the confusion, Dawn followed behind him as closely as she could, stopping at the tree line. She immediately dropped to the ground when she saw him quickly building a fire. He was standing next to someone. Who is that? she wondered, ducking down lower.
The birds easily parted away from the flames and once that was over, Guy turned around and held his arms open. "Ta-da!"
One moment, he was saving them from being eaten by piranhakeets, the next he was being surrounded by them.
Not even thinking about the risks, Dawn made her way down to the group. She needed to keep him safe. Hearing them speak offered a modicum of relief.
Then… she watched one of them squeeze Guy until his bones crunched, and he collapsed. She struggled to physically push her way past them, and rushed to his side.
"There's two of them?"
She wasn't sure who had spoken and didn't care. "Guy?" she questioned, the stress she felt audible in her voice.
His eyes popped open, and he groaned. "Oh… that hurt!" Teeth clenched; his features were scrunched up in discomfort. He wasn't certain if anything was broken.
Dawn found herself yelping in turn as she was picked up off the ground. Unlike Guy, she didn't take kindly to it. "Put me down!" she yelled. She kicked out, but was unable to make contact.
Instead, the young redhead pulled her closer and sniffed her. Suddenly fearful, Dawn's teeth clacked as she shivered. What's she going to do to me? Swiftly, she found herself on the receiving end of poking and additional – and invasive – sniffing.
The other people there surrounded her after she was placed back on the ground.
"Do you make fire too?" the bigger of them asked. This was the same one who had squeezed Guy.
The shaking grew in severity, as Dawn folded her arms around herself and dropped into a crouch, trying to appear as small as possible.
"Leave her alone," Guy croaked, sitting up with effort. He read the brief pass of relief in Dawn's eyes, before she squeezed them shut.
"She doesn't make fire?" the large man asked, looking puzzled.
The rest of the evening, and into the night, Dawn had clung to Guy's side. The new people – the Croods – were currently sleeping in a pile. She'd felt like this before, with a burst of nervous energy, but had never been in a situation where she was uncertain of the outcome.
Morning came too soon, along with her seeing Guy stuffed inside a log, while the group journeyed on. Strapping both of their spears to her back, she followed them. She nervously chewed on her bottom lip. Did they really need to stay together? Especially so close?
Dawn couldn't remember if her family had ever been completely on top of one another.
The Croods disagreed with each other, and their bickering went on until that evening. Once again they huddled together, but this time it was around Guy as he roasted the few fish he'd been able to catch.
Feeling and hearing the sound of her stomach growling, Dawn ducked her head down. She put distance between herself and the group, not wanting to be too close. Plus, she was beginning to feel suspicion over how the redhaired one was speaking to and looking at Guy. Her thoughts turned inward, so she jumped slightly when Guy set a portion of fish next to her on a thick leaf.
"Sorry the catch was so small," he spoke quietly. Normally, three fish was plenty for the two of them. But now…
"It's fine Guy," her eyes became heavily lidded. "I should have helped you." The desire had certainly been there, but so was a sudden flare up of sickness. Instead of being in the water with him, she'd had to sit down in the grass near the bank and watch.
Not responding, he picked up the leaf and placed it in her lap. Then, he sat next to her.
"… What about yours?" she asked, already picking up bits of the fish and stuffing it in her mouth.
Keeping quiet about utensils, he shrugged. "It's fine. I already ate." While not the entire truth, he was still worried about her. She needed food to fight off whatever bug she'd picked up. A hungry belly was a short-lived discomfort he was willing to endure for her.
Taking his words at face value, she tucked into her meal.
Reaching out, he rubbed her back soothingly.
Night
She'd spent a small part of the night, glowering. Once again, Guy had been stuffed into a tree log and was being held close by Grug. Now though, she noticed the redhead was trying to sleep near him too. The big man had rolled between the two of them, but that didn't make Dawn feel any better.
A split second later, her features scrunched up and she curled into a tight ball. Her stomach was upset again. As she felt the turbulent churning in her guts, she broke into a light sweat. Groaning in discomfort, she eventually passed out for the rest of the night.
Three Days Later – Afternoon
"I wasn't ready!" the young boy called as he ran, holding a huge bird egg. The bird it belonged to aggressively chased after him.
Shortly after that, the entire family was handling a giant –
"Who's hungry for scorpion?!" Grug asked, a wide smile in place.
Guy shivered watching them tearing into the animal raw.
Dawn watched as well, but her response was different. Gagging lightly, she clapped a hand over her mouth and ran behind the nearest bush, emptying her stomach of its meagre contents. Panting lightly when she was done, she found herself nauseated at the sight of her own mess and vomited again. She wasn't aware of the stare she was on the receiving end of.
Ugga, squinted a little, feeling concern over the young woman.
Evening
"It's an avalanche of flavor!" Thunk cried as the family tore into the massive roasted bird.
Guy sat next to Dawn as they ate, the sloths between them eating as well.
Dawn had just swallowed a large mouthful, when she glanced up. The redheaded girl, named Eep, was waving awkwardly to Guy before tearing a massive leg off the bird. Gritting her teeth, outright jealousy was visible on her face at this point. She was so angry, that when the old woman in the family wandered over looking for food and Guy tossed his meal to her, she merely growled fiercely when 'Gran' looked at her.
Guy felt his hackles rise, hearing the sound.
No way is she taking food from me! Dawn's gaze challenged the old woman to even try.
Thankfully, the Gran moved away from them.
Letting out a breath and a bit shaken, Dawn resumed eating.
Guy stared at Dawn, surprised at her behavior. She wasn't normally that aggressive when it came to food. Then again… She's been acting weird lately… he mused. Every time he asked her how she was, she waved off his question. He also noticed she seemed even more ragged than before they'd encountered the family.
Guy had intentionally slowed down the pace of their travel to help her. Should I slow down even more? he wondered. They were kind of on a time crunch – what with the world ending and all. They still hadn't found Tomorrow, and the length of their journey seemed to just stretch on for an indeterminate time.
"Uh…" his tongue felt thick when Dawn turned to him, an unhappy expression on her face. "… Do you want more?"
Having stuffed the last bite into her mouth, Dawn glanced at the empty leaf in her lap before looking at him again and nodding.
1 Day Later – Late Evening
Using a bone to pick some food from between her teeth, Ugga bit down on it a few seconds later. She looked around as her family was getting settled in for the night and decided to go for a walk. There was a waterfall they had passed on the way here and she figured she could rinse the dust off for the night.
After a while, all the dust and sweat began to itch and she wanted to alleviate that as soon as possible.
An hour might have passed before she neared the landmark that was near the falls. Hearing a small sound, she paused and crept through the tall grasses carefully. Getting closer to the water's edge, she peeked through the grass and felt her heart in her throat.
She'd stumbled on Guy and Dawn. They were both in water above their hips. He currently had her pinned against a rock wall, his fingers twined with hers and holding them against the wall as well. His face was buried in her chest and she clung to him with her free arm.
The soft sounds that Ugga had heard were coming from the young woman as she thoroughly enjoyed her exchange with Guy in the water.
Swallowing hard, Ugga backed away from the scene and turned back from where she'd come.
Dusty and sweaty and itchy it was.
One Week Later – Mid Afternoon
"We're leaving to find Tomorrow," Eep announced, looking at her family. She knew her father had his heart set on a cave still… but that wasn't where she wanted to go anymore. "We want you to come with us!" she added.
Grug crossed his arms, still uncomfortable with how close his daughter and Guy were standing. "I'm not so sure," he replied, working his jaw a little. He spoke for the family, and that was understood by everyone there.
Frowning in displeasure, Eep gestured to Dawn. "Well, I know that Guy's sister wants to come with us!"
At those words, Dawn drew in a breath sharply. Sister? she questioned numbly. Where had they ever gotten that idea –
"That's true," Guy replied, offering Dawn a faint smile. Then, he held hands with Eep, interlocking their fingers. "We want all of you to come with us too!"
Seeing them holding hands, Belt let out a confused grunt and climbed off Guy's shoulder. The sloth headed over to Dawn instead, climbing onto one of her legs.
"Belt?"
Dawn felt as if the ground was opening under her, threatening to swallow her whole. Her eyes widened, and her heart was pounding. What happened? she wondered, paling.
While it was true he hadn't touched her the last few days, it…
They had promised themselves to each other. They were mates!
Weren't they?
She let out a shuddering breath, voicing a small squeak when she found herself enveloped in a hug from Ugga. Feeling the embrace open the floodgates. She held in any noise, tears filling her eyes and spilling down her cheeks.
Eep frowned lightly, tilting her head. "What's wrong with her?"
Guy shrugged. "It comes and goes. She should be fine soon." His words were dismissive and meant to soothe his girlfriend's fears. He really liked her! Eep was so different… and it was exciting! He was more concerned about why his pet was acting so odd. Belt had spent more time with Dawn than him the last few weeks.
Hearing a hiccup coming from Dawn, Ugga looked over her shoulder. "We'll be back in a few minutes," her gaze lingered a bit on Guy, hostility in her eyes. "We need to have a talk."
Swallowing a bit, Guy nodded.
Eep nodded as well, none the wiser.
Ugga gently ushered Dawn away from the group and through the brush. They walked for a short distance before Ugga guided Dawn to sit on a fallen log.
Sash dropped from Dawn's shoulder to her lap.
Belt peeked at Sash after perching on Dawn's knee.
Ugga stood in front of Dawn, her arms folded. She wasn't sure what to say.
The silence between them continued for a while until Dawn drew in a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh.
Ugga looked down, unfolding her arms.
"… I don't know what to do," Dawn mumbled, her mind racing.
Ugga frowned. For the last few days, she'd followed Dawn when the young woman left camp in the dark. Dawn, she knew, would travel to a distance of about fifty feet from the camp ground, groaning, and vomit into the grass. Remembering what she'd seen between her and Guy, Ugga's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
It happened the next night. Afterwards, Dawn would lay down on her side, whimpering a little before sobbing softly.
The next night, Ugga saw the same thing.
On the fourth night, she let Dawn know she was there, pulling her into a hug while the young woman kept crying. Ugga explained her thoughts, what it meant. At first, Dawn vehemently disagreed… but as she explained what she had been experiencing and she saw Ugga's vigorous nod, reality hit her hard.
Now, the young woman was dealing with a dilemma She was carrying Guy's child under her heart – all while he gave his love to another.
Kneeling and hugging Dawn, Ugga smiled at her. "I know what you're going to do."
The young woman looked at her with wide eyes, feeling so alone and vulnerable.
"You're coming with us," Ugga supplied, her smile in place. She pulled Dawn to her feet and gave her another hug.
The two of them quietly returned to the group.
After some awkward glances, Eep spoke again. "What do you all want to do?"
Looking to Dawn briefly, Ugga steeled her resolve and spoke. "We're coming with you," at this, she saw Grug's confused stare. "All of us."
His mouth opened for a bit as he tried to understand what was happening. She didn't often challenge him at all. "But –"
"No buts," Ugga replied, sounding testy.
Letting out an exaggerated sigh, Grug looked around at his family.
Dawn fiddled with her fingers, holding her hands at the waist. She was quiet, a pensive expression in place as she kept her eyes focused on the ground.
"I suppose," the big man spoke, "That," he continued… drawing everything out. "We will go with you." He looked over everyone again. "All seven of us will go."
"You mean eight." Ugga interjected sharply. Her lips drew into a thin line as she looked at Guy.
"Eight?" Guy asked, confused. He began to count all of them when he noticed Dawn's stare.
No longer fiddling with her fingers, Dawn casually stroked her belly before grasping the material over it for a moment. She watched as understanding bloomed on Guy's face… and he blanched. In fact, he paled so much that he looked near death.
Now, the venomous stare Ugga was sending him made sense. He moved to open his mouth again and saw the older woman slowly shake her head.
Ugga had taken a protective stance over Dawn, placing a hand on her shoulder.
Sensing something wasn't right, Grug spoke trying to diffuse the situation. "Yes yes. All eight of us…" his words trailed off as he stole a glance at Ugga, but she didn't return the look. Turning his attention to Guy, who now looked a bit sick, he added. "Take us to Tomorrow, Guy."
Swallowing hard, Guy nodded and turned around, holding hands with Eep still. "L… Let's get going," he spoke, the normal enthusiasm he felt all but gone.
~End
Request: Please don't kill me!
Author's Note: As much as I'd love to announce my triumphant return, it might not be one. At least not right away. Between chaos in my own home to brand new meds, a new pet and chronic fatigue, I've found very little time to write… let alone think about writing.
Some days, I am amazed that I can even get out of bed.
This story kept gnawing at my brain and scratching to get out though!
I hope you enjoyed this little short! My limit was supposed to be 5K… Oh well.
Until next time, which I hope will be soon!
XXO
~J. Lyst