Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Dare To Dream
Chapter 13
Weaving a Welcoming Mat
Felix rubbed his eyes, wiping away the sweat and fatigue he felt as he stood atop the briar's platform and beneath its fire. Even now, the weight of his dreariness weighed heavily on him as he fought against the lack of sleep. Down below, underneath the late evening's receding light, he could see much movement as the villagers carried old wooden beams and beaten fabrics from the dustheap and carried them to sporadic spots around Fango. They had been initially reluctant to listen to him when he first approached, but they had become far more willing once Star had intervened, for a reason he could not explain. Regardless, thanks to his idea and initiative, they now hastily began fashioning tents akin to the ones around the location. If they were not creating these false homes, then the rest of the inhabitants were collecting their possessions and stowing them away in a concealed nook only known to them. Just ahead was a flying black speck, circling the village in wide berths across a golden sky: Didja.
"So this is the spot you want us to watch from?" a voice asked behind him.
Turning around, he found Jeral awaiting his response, Fawna nearby anxiously peeking over the ledge. "Right. Just to be sure, you two are fine with staying up here for the night?" Felix asked. "We've been up here only a minute, and I'm already sweating."
"It's no problem for me," Jeral boasted, spreading his arms out. "I think the heat is pretty great up here! Sure beats the chill down below."
"Yeah, and what of her?" Felix pointed at Fawna. Beads of sweat were already dripping off her brow.
"Oh, I'll just be down below helping around the tower- don't worry for my sake," she affirmed.
"Alright… if you say so. See that little thing over there? That's Didja. Give him a wave when you see something, or he'll come to you if he sees something." The black speck seemed to slow a little, then raising one wing in the air to wave at the trio and falling towards the earth, before spreading out his wings once more and returning to flight. "Yeah, just… wave to him if you see anything. Any questions?"
"Just one: when does Didja take a break?" Jeral asked.
"That's the good part- he doesn't. Or he doesn't need to, he claims. He says he doesn't need to sleep, so here's to hoping that's true. Anything else?"
"No, I think we're clear."
"Good." Felix began rubbing the bridge of his nose. "That's… good." A dull sensation began to grow inside his skull, causing him to reach out towards one of the corners of the freestanding tower for support as he rubbed his head.
A certain tingle peeled at the nape of his neck, like ice-cold fangs had pricked at his skin. In a sudden spell of dizziness, he clenched his eyes shut and irritably rubbed them, enticing forward many blurs in his dark vision as his eyes were stimulated by his touch.
But many of the colors and shapes did not disappear, even after he had opened his sight once more. Many shapes of blue, one even seemingly burning brightly, appeared below him, as if painted ethereally on the platform he stood on. He looked around in confusion, swiveling his head to watch these ghostly images as they worked below him, watching as their ghastly limbs swinged and bent. A faint bloodred smudge ebbed into his vision, seemingly growing in size very slowly, down below past the ledge.
"Felix? Something the matter?" Fawna asked behind him.
He snapped back to his senses, looking back up to address the perplexed deerling. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Just tired is all." He shook his head. Looking back around, the visions had left him.
Curiously, he peered over the ledge towards where the spots had laid, and found a familiar pink figure in their place: Riley. The sylveon seemed a mix of perplexed and impressed as he glanced around the bustling village, greeting each busy passerby with a flick of a ribbon as he came closer. At the briar's foot, he looked up at Felix and beckoned him down with four ribbons.
"Anyhow, thank you for this opportunity," Fawna continued, "You can count on Team Backfire for this!"
Felix began frowning as he looked down at Riley. He had been gone who knows where ever since that auction night. Now, here he is once more as the situation was about to turn. "Alright," he pronounced as he clasped his hands together, "I need to be going now. Give Didja a wave if you see anything. He'll be flying around looking for any trouble, too. Again, thanks for this." He waved them a quick goodbye, barely hearing their returning farewell as he flew down the ramps towards where Riley waited. At the bottom of the tower, he found the sly sylveon with a small grin worn across his face.
"Been quite some time, fella," Riley warmly said. "What's happened now? Any particular reason for all the busy work, or is it something in the air?"
"Well," Felix stammered. "You know how you want us to grab Cobb for you?"
"I believe so, yes."
"Well, I've got some good and bad news."
Just behind Riley, Star was seen sliding a heavy bag across the ground with her jaw, using all the strength she could muster as she brought it before the gholdhengo Felix had met before. Wimpod was not far behind her, sticking to the trunk of a close tree. Depositing the bag in front of Dimas, Star's sight fell onto the group and she hurried over. In the same heartbeat, Wimpod scurried down the old tree's bark and followed behind the gholdhengo as he hauled his treasures away.
Star skidded to a stop in front of the two, her own weariness was apparent in her sagging eyes, though she still wore a welcoming smile. "Felix! Good to run into you!" she gleefully pronounced. She circled her way to Felix's side, giving him a content nod. Riley stared at her quizzically, a gesture she did not return as she maintained her glowing smile. "Hello, sir! I don't believe we've met!"
"I don't believe we've had the pleasure; no. Am I to assume this here is Star, fella?" Riley asked as he levered a pale ribbon at her.
"That's correct," she replied. "I'll be working with our friend here to apprehend Cobb; you can count on us!" She gave a small smile that displayed some of her pointed fangs.
"She seems like she's in a fine mood for a tussle… good, that's the exact attitude you'll need. I've got a little something for you, fella." Riley swung a ribbon around into his black bag tied around his waist, pulling out a folded paper and handing it to him.
Unfolding the paper, Felix's trademark grumble emerged once more as he saw more unknown footprint runes scratched into the parchment. As procedure, he held it before Star as she understandingly began reading without instruction. Her mouth slowly became agape.
Riley grinned. "Sounds like that should be plenty of incentive to hurry. Wouldn't you agree, ma'am? In fact, what were your words? Oh, yes, this is 'some good and bad news.'"
"Well…" Felix began, "guess I invited that one. What's it say?"
Star took her heavy eyes off the parchment and gave a self-assured nod. "I think this will sound quite pleasant to you. How does…" Looking up at Felix, a growing, knowing smile crept onto her face, "someone claiming they'll ferry you to Marea sound?"
Felix looked to her blankly. "Sorry, come again?"
"I believe you heard me the first time," she said with a brash smirk.
His gaze remained locked on her as he processed what she said. Within a second, the meaning of her words began to run through him as a smile formed on his face. A soft chuckle left him. "This is all serious?" he asked as he looked back at the paper himself, though he could not read it.
"I am. They say they'll fly down here in a few days or so. No name listed, but it looks like they're a braviary. I remember reading that species is fantastic for long distance hauls, be it passengers or cargo!" She lowered her head beneath his hand and brushed against his side. "Go on. Be happy. A great piece of progress for going back home has come to you today."
Felix was still in disbelief. Chuckles rose out of him, his smile growing larger and larger until he felt compelled to conceal it behind a hand. As if to indulge and accept this feeling of joy, he began heartfully petting Star's head with his hand as she began giggling with delight at his excitement. "That's… that's great! Really!" He gave her a final scratch behind the ear and pulled away his hand. "All that's needed now is the money." He looked to Riley.
"Hm?" Riley murmured. "Ah, of course. Rest assured, dear fellow, once you bring me that wolf, you'll have your reward. Five-thousand was our agreed amount, wasn't it?"
Felix nodded. "Right. And hopefully," he pointed towards the arch that signaled the village's entrance, just a ways down the dirt path, "our little game ends soon."
"'Hopefully' is one word for it. Personally, I'd go with 'certainly.' Our mutual bug-eyed friend tells me you've met Cobb twice already, and nearly had him tear the head off your friend once." He looked at Star with sympathetic blue eyes. "Sorry to hear you went through such a harrowing experience, ma'am. No one would blame you if you were frightened."
"I'm not afraid. We let our guard down then, and he got the drop on us. This time…" she looked around as if to illustrate her point, observing each Pokémon as they either secured their possession in bags and carried them away, or helped in creating false tents that harbored nothing, "this time, we'll be the ones surprising him."
Riley cackled. "I'm quite envious of that enthusiasm. But perhaps before making such brave statements, you should consider resting first, ma'am. You hardly look ready to fight, the both of you."
Felix and Star both examined themselves. The fur on both of them was dirtied and disheveled from working without rest since yesterday, either helping the locals evacuate to their concealed location within the woods beyond the rock grotto they lived in, or giving detailed instructions for countering the coming attack. The demand for sleep their bodies begged of them was quite obvious.
"If what you're implying to me is correct, you two should want to rest up while you can. Cobb has a mean-streak as wide as the horizon, and I know more than a few people will be upset if anything happens to that pretty face of hers," Riley said as he pointed at Star.
"I'll be fine. I've got a good team behind me," she countered with a smile.
"Just asking her?" Felix asked. "What? No love for my pretty face?"
"No," Riley simply replied. The two held a stare between each other as a smile grew on Riley's face. With a wink, the sylveon turned around. "Good luck," he wished, "your friend is going to need it." With those final words, Riley left down the path once more, disappearing into a crowd of Pokémon as they hurriedly worked and carried items.
"...Jerk." Star plainly stated after Riley was well gone.
Felix scratched his chin. "Yeah, I'm inclined to agree. But hey: after this whole Cobb business is done, at least we won't have to talk to him ever again. I'd ask him to help out around here, but I get the sense that-"
"Mister Felix! Miss Star!" a familiar, excitable cry rang through the air from above. Craning his head skyward, a murkrow black as ink soared down from the waning sky, diving past the canopy of fall leaves towards him and Star. Flapping his wings fervently to stop himself, Didja fluttered down onto the ground before them. "I bring an update, as per Mister Felix's request!"
"What? Caught sight of them already?" Felix asked in a raised pitch.
"I'm pleased that I have not! Something far more mundane has occurred! Over at the dustheap while gathering more materials, a large quantity of stolen bags have been found!"
Felix stared at the little murkrow absently for a moment. "And I should know that why?"
"Just providing local updates as they occur, per your request! Until we next meet, I bid you both farewell!" With a folded wing, Didja offered a brief salute before flapping his wings and sailing past the gold canopy above.
Left alone, Felix and Star stared at one another. "Well," Star began, "at least he takes his orders seriously." As she finished her sentence, a large yawn began to force her mouth open, despite her visible attempt in fending it off. Before she knew it, she had already leaned back and pulled her head down to release the infectious gesture.
Felix raised his hand as he was about to say something, but found himself covering a yawn instead. He cleared his throat and shook his head. "I hate to agree with pinkie, but he's right: we should probably get some sleep." He dragged his hands down across his face as if to make his point. "We've been up for nearly two days straight now. Jeral and Fawna are up on lookout now, so now's our chance for some shut-eye."
"Right, well, let's head on back, then." Star motioned for him to proceed with a flick of her head.
"Yeah, let's… do just that." He waved her to move first.
They ended up standing motionless, waiting for the other to break first. Star began to giggle softly. "Let me take a guess: you're also waiting for the chance to slip away and do one other thing before heading back for the night?"
Felix swiveled on his feet, looking away to avoid her knowing gaze. "Just... a couple of things. Then I'll head back. I want to head to that dustheap and see about those bags. Maybe we could find a use for them."
"Look at us, still trying to work," she sighed with a smile. "I'll help anyone else who needs it. Packing and the like. Meet you back at our little hobble?"
"Meet you back at our little hobble."
—-
Felix took the top cover off the wooden box he had called home for the last few days, propping the loose side against his modest living space so that he could tear off a piece of the tarp beneath. The night had fallen like a great curtain, utterly blanketing the land in pitch darkness; the small campfire beside his shelter, as well as the torchlight and tower in the distance were the only sources of light now, save for the stars above. He had agreed to meet Star back here, but she had yet to return. Alone, he had taken to taking inventory on his current supplies while he waited for her to return. It was only fair to sleep when she did. Right now, he was replacing a loose bag of one of his smoke bombs with fresher fabric.
As he worked silently in the night, sitting on the edge of his home as he emptied the grounded sootfoot root into its new sack, another spell of fatigue struck him. He closed his eyes and leaned forward, messaging his head as he fought against the growing call for rest. But once again, those blurs of color manifested themselves inside the darkness of his clenched eyes. He raised his head and opened his eyes once more, still seeing the shaped masses as they buzzed around where the light-speckled village was. Unsure if this was real or a trick of his mind, he got out of his box and looked towards Fango.
He stared in disbelief. The shapes seemed so distinctly shaped, yet he could not focus on any one as he processed what he had been seeing. Raising his hand, he waved it back and forth in front of his face, and yet the sight of the specters remained uninterrupted, ever visible. He looked on, unsure what to think, and after a minute the visions began to vanish once again back into normalcy.
He sat back down, pondering what he had seen. The many shapes of the toned spirits seemed familiar. Before he could entertain the idea further, a rising cacophony of voices began to rise behind the box he sat in. As he tuned into the rising fervor of the voices, he groaned once he realized who the two were.
"I don't care what you say!" Petal yelled, getting closer. "Do you think being another waitress, another farmer, in this family is what I want to do with my life!?"
"It's a life worth living! Worth waking up for each morning!" her mother retorted. "For generations, our family has led a stable, meaningful life! We work hard, provide wonderful service, and have earned every bit of the house and the land we live on! I'm not going to sit back and watch as you throw your life away to some spur-of-the-moment decision! Come back home, now!"
Petal scoffed. "This is something I want to do! I don't want to become just another Petal! I want to make my own name!"
There was silence for a moment. "You want to make your own name? There are so many ways you can do that here without waking up one morning and deciding you want to risk your life fighting criminals for someone who showed up without a trace one day! There is no shame in sharing a name with me! Or my mother, or her's before her! We are more than one name! I don't want you getting hurt over something as silly as this!"
"You don't want me getting hurt, is that it?" Petal repeated quietly. "Then here's an idea: stop choking me! Let me breathe! This is something I want to do, and I don't need you managing everything I do with my life!"
There was another break in their argument. Felix simply kept quiet, leaning back further inside his box to avoid becoming a part of the familiar familial dispute behind him. He could hear someone shuffling away through the shortgrass. "When you calm down, come back home tonight. I don't want you out here when that lycanroc can attack at any minute." After a brief moment, the shuffling continued until it faded away.
"...Thanks," Petal murmured, "I won't."
Petal could be heard coming even closer now, and soon she appeared around the corner of the box looking at Felix as he stared back while he laid down. Her splay of leaves were clenching around a handful of glowing lemons. "So, what's got you here?" Felix asked as he propped himself back up.
"Catch, Blue." Petal lightly tossed the bunch of fruits towards Felix as he threw his arms out in surprise to catch the produce, only to clumsily catch one as the rest were fumbled onto the grass. "...Oh. Probably should've done that one at a time," she murmured. She leaned forward and helped him scoop up the lemons. "You said last night that you could think of some fun things to do with these, right? Well, here's your chance."
Felix examined one of the lemons. Its tough exterior seemed to pulsate along the cyan veins that crawled along its glowing surface. The fur along his hand seemed to stand on end as he held it. "Huh, thanks." He stowed the five lemons away into his bag. "These things apparently can zap pretty badly, right? I'm sure I'll find a use for them."
"I hope so." Petal planted herself beside him, her head hanging low. "I hope so," she repeated.
Felix leaned forward, planting his hands on his knees as he looked at the dejected petilil. "So… another spat with her?"
Her leaves furled. "What gave it away? The shouting?" she asked with some bite in her voice. She looked up to him, seeing Felix's prying stare past her remark.
"...Want to talk about it?"
She let out a sigh. "Mom always hounds me about my future. She wants me to be like every last Petal before me and her, and inherit the business and cater and wait tables and work the crops and all that junk. She says it's a good life that'll keep me working and happy with a stable job. And you know what?"
"She's right?" Felix guessed.
Petal stared at him, holding a glare before dropping it to the campfire. "Yeah," she admitted, "she's right. It's a good job with plenty of clients, so we've never been left begging for more. And honestly?" She let out a soft chuckle. "I kinda maybe don't mind the work. And I know you're not gonna believe me about this, but I actually am kind of a good cook." Her eyes lit up as she claimed so.
"You? A cook? What do you hold the pepper mills with? Those little stubs you call hands?" He pointed at her small nubs on her body as he joked.
Petal leered at him playfully. "I don't know. Maybe when I finally evolve you'll have a good look at these 'small hands' when I strangle you with them. But seriously, I am a pretty good cook, and I do like it. But, you know…"
"It's not the life for you."
"Yeah, exactly! I like cooking, and I didn't mind helping my mom with work, but we've only ever got one life, you know? I want to stand out, be a Petal like none other."
"So that's why you've went and joined up on this team?" Felix hummed a thought. "Do you even like the work we do?"
"Ha, I love it! Mom would- well, she's already blown her lid when she found out I'm throwing out blades of grass left and right at crook's heads! Growing up, she's always wanted me to be prim this and proper that. And for a long time, that's how I was: mommy's perfect little daughter. But that changed when I met Star a few months back. She planted an idea in my head that just sorta clicked with me. Pretty soon after that, I don't know. I guess all that lady-like stuff just sort of fell off of me. Being loud and proud is way more fun!" she chuckled.
Felix laughed alongside her. "Yeah, I get what you're saying. Part of the reason I enlisted with the Toreros was just that: loud and proud. Just an unashamed statement of who you were and what you'd do."
"Toreros?" Petal repeated. "I've heard you mention them a couple of times before. What are they about?"
"I suppose they're sort of similar to this," Felix explained. "We were all about protecting people we cared for. But I suppose the circumstances were… a bit different than what they are now." He looked down at his blue paws. "You know, my own mother didn't want me joining up for some dangerous cause, either. But, still, I went and did it."
The small petilil leaned in closer to him. "Yeah? And how'd she take it when you just… did it?"
"She…" He thought for a second. "It was all sorts of complicated, to say the least. I went in with a good friend, Jhett, and we stuck together where we could, so she knew she could always write to him if I ever didn't reply. Of course, she absolutely hated it when I told her I went and enlisted. Wasn't an easy week after that. But on the day I left, she still caught me at the train, and, well…"
"You guys have trains set up already back where you're from?" Petal caught what she had said and shook her head. "Nevermind that. Doesn't sound like she was real happy with you. What was she doing there?"
Felix cupped his own cheek, rubbing it fondly as he thought back. "She was crying. But she was smiling. She grabbed me before I went on, pulled me down and… pinched my cheek, telling me she loved me, and to come back when I could."
"Huh…" Petal murmured. She looked directly into the fire, remaining silent.
"Moms are all like that, I'm sure. They just… worry. But sometimes, we just have to do what we have to do." He leaned forward onto his knees, sighing.
"Yeah," Petal scoffed. "But good luck telling that to them. I just wish my mom would trust me, you know? Like, trust that this is what I want to do. I don't need her to decide it for me!"
"Gets pretty annoying, yeah. But I'm sure she nags you about it because she loves you."
"Yeah, well, I love her, too. Just wish she loved my choice, though." Petal's head began to hang low. "Hey, Blue?" she asked. "You've got trains up and running already where you're from?" She looked up. "And you just show up one day out of nowhere, too. I guess it's about time I asked this: where do you even come from?"
A grimace crested Felix's face as he thought how to best answer that. "That's… a bit more complicated." Looking out into the night sky, he found the constellation of nine stars he had seen his first night here, shaped together like a great throne. His arm rose up, pointing at the speckles of light. "My home is just under there," he spoke softly. Petal looked up. "Marea, that's her name. She's cruel, hot and cold, and dressed in layers of sand."
"Oh, so some kind of desert?"
"My kind of desert."
"So… why'd you come here?"
A small finger found itself onto his forehead as he thought. "Didn't really come here out of any choice. Just waltzed into one of those giant spheres with my old team and woke up here."
"So does that mean some of your buddies are here, too?"
Felix froze, a blank stare now plastered on him. "I… don't know," he murmured. He became mute, thinking about what she had just asked with a growing wrinkle on his forehead. Not coming to any answer he was satisfied with, he blew out his exhaustion, settling back and focusing on the crackle of flame.
The two sat in silence a little longer, letting the warm air hang between them during the brisk night. They both were content to simply sit beside one another in comfort by the fire.
After a minute of stillness, Petal let out a long-winded sigh, throwing herself back inside the box, staring up. "Thanks for letting me ramble, Blue." She leaned up a small amount, staring at him. "You're a pretty swell guy, you know that?"
"Huh," Felix plainly stated. "Thanks. And you're not half-"
A blue orb glowing at its center suddenly dropped in front of Felix from above, surprising him and Petal back upright as it thudded against the earth.
"What in the-?" Felix stammered.
"What the-?!" Petal yelped as she sat back up. "What gives?! Me and Blue were having a sweet moment here!" she called out.
From the top of the crate a pair of purple antennas poked out, followed by a set of shifty eyes that peered towards them. "Found this," Wimpod stated.
"Yeah, that's great," Petal continued, "but what are you doing here?!"
"I'm making sure the brat makes it back here." Wimpod crawled around the side of crate's interior, navigating his shining body around Felix as he peered out back behind the box. "And here she is now."
"Brat?" Petal repeated. "Oh, yeah, that wonderful name you have for her."
Staggering into view in front of the campfire was Star. Her eyes seemed to struggle to remain open as she looked towards the trio. "Petal! Wimpod" she tiredly exclaimed. "Nice of you two to come here!" She took a step forward, but nearly fell to her side as her foot slipped.
"Woah, now," Felix said as he got up, putting his hands around her shoulders. "Petal, out, let her lie there," he ordered as he guided Star to the crate.
Petal shuffled out of the crate, steering clear of Star's path as she entered inside and curled against the box's side. She leered up to Wimpod, who had not moved off the wall. "Come on, give the girl some room, ya lug." Wimpod merely squinted at her, but obliged and scuttled out beneath the propped lid outside. "Geez, you look worn out," she continued towards Star. "What've you been up to?"
Star's eyes clenched tightly as she let out a terrible yawn, arching her back as she did so. "This morning, I have gone and warned everyone I was able- sleeping or not. Then past that, I've went and helped them any way I can: helping Pechi secure her medicinals, helping Didja organize and hide his papers, helped Lyniar hide with her son… Just some small things for the morning. I made sure to help everyone I could. It was mostly helping them pack and moving personal items, really." Her head began to sag. Catching her own drowsiness, she pulled her head back and shot her eyes open.
Felix grabbed hold of the sunny orb he had seen in Dimas' shop before, pulling it closer to himself as he sat beside Star. "That's a lot of people. And Dimas gave you this as thanks? Or to help?" he asked.
Star feebly shook her head. "No, I never asked for anything in return, nor did I receive any items. Why? Where'd you find that?"
Wimpod's antennas clicked together, grabbing Felix's attention as Wimpod glared at him silently. Taking the hint, Felix stowed the orb away into his satchel. "Just found it, I guess."
Star half-nodded, clearly about to doze off as she listened to his answer. Opening her eyes once more, she turned to Felix. "Could you do one quick favor for me? My bag is tucked in the corner back here. Can you give me the item in it?"
Felix reached back further inside, pulling the bag Star had the night before closer. Reaching inside past the flap, he felt a cold, metallic object and pulled it out. It was a gold symbol in the shape of Ho-Oh in flight, a string fed through a small hole at its top. "What, this?" he asked, holding it out in the fire's light.
"Yes, that. Put it down in front of me. I want to take a moment and pray."
As instructed, he laid the idol in front of her on the grass.
"Thank you." At once, she rose to sit. She looked at the amulet plainly, but soon a certain frown had taken hold. Closing her eyes solemnly, she lowered her head, the sullen expression disappearing.
Wimpod scuttled closer, peeking out from the darkness of his cover towards Star as she prayed. "A lot of good that will do," he scoffed.
Star remained silent, intently focused as she remained still.
Wimpod eyed the figure irately. "If you were interested in keeping everyone safe, you'd get stronger yourself," he added. "Faith is no substitute for strength."
"I like to think I can do both," Star quipped, her eyes remaining shut.
Wimpod scoffed and looked away. "Just make sure you have the one that counts when you're in a scrape."
Petal leered at Wimpod from across the fire, eyeing him suspiciously as he evaded her glare. "You know, we've been seeing you more lately, and it seems like it's always behind her. What's your game, anyway?"
Wimpod remained silent, staring off into more nothingness.
"Come on, you can tell ol' Petal! What is it? Did you meet her before after she saved you or something, and she just doesn't remember and now you feel like you've got to help her? Or is someone paying you to keep an eye on her? Or you're trying to get into our little friend circle, so you can backstab us later!" None of her guesses had garnered a response from Wimpod. Petal hummed, and within a moment, a sly spark crossed her eyes. "Or maybe… you follow her around because… you love her?"
A round of sputtering erupted from Felix, Star, and Wimpod in unison. Recognizing her ploy, Felix began stifling a laugh.
"I can promise you," Wimpod began asserting, "that is not the reason at all."
"I hope so," Star said as she readjusted herself back into prayer. "I don't exactly go on that route."
"Come on, then!" Petal continued in a devious tone. "Why are you always at our heels, then?"
Wimpod began grumbling. "No thanks to that religion, I had a chance encounter once. Met someone who tried to help- just didn't know it then. And because of that…" Wimpod exhaled deeply through his nose, closing his eyes in anger. "That doesn't matter now. They deserve to know she's safe."
Star propped a single eye open, focusing on Wimpod. "I'm sorry, but… 'no thanks to that religion?'" she repeated.
"Don't act like you don't know. All that nonsense about 'eternal return' and the self-righteousness that comes with it, following some code of morality that they force on others. And what do they use all those 'morals' for? Sneering at us for doing what we've always done. Closing shops when we pass. Attacking us when they think we're weak." He spoke with venom behind each word.
"Oh…" Star breathed. "I'm sorry. I never noticed…"
"You wouldn't."
The group entered an awkward silence, each set of eyes glazing over to the ground.
"Well, if you'd like," Star began, "would you like to join us?"
Wimpod gave her a puzzled look.
A warm smile seemed to spread across Star's face. "Join us on our team. We may be a little small and a little inexperienced, but I promise you that we'll treat you with the respect you deserve. And it'll make it easier to keep an eye on me by my side, for this mysterious someone. Am I correct?"
Wimpod looked away in thought. "Respect?"
"Yeah, respect!" Petal chimed in. "Just look at me, her, and Blue here! We're all chums."
"I wouldn't say calling someone 'Blue' is respectful," Felix chuckled.
A devious spark crossed Petal's eyes. "Oh, I can think of plenty of other things to call you, especially with how you snoop around all the time."
"Yeah? And what does the little plant have to say?"
"Oh, I don't know, Mister Pincher, depends on if you're still trying to nab our apples in the dead of night."
Felix leaned closer to her. "Shrub."
Petal got closer as well. "Stumblebum."
"Herb."
"Punch-dog."
A cold glare from Wimpod arrived at the two's antics. "Is this the respect members of the team give one another?"
Felix and Petal held their leers at one another a moment longer, then breaking out into soft laughter amongst themselves as they pulled back. "Oh, don't worry," Petal giggled. "Blue knows I'm just messing with him, and he's cool with it! Part of why I like him."
Felix nodded. "I'm fine with it, so long as she's fine with me hitting back."
"Those two, they always bicker like that," Star sighed. She readjusted herself, lying back down and propping herself against the side of the crate. "So? Would you care to join this little family?"
A low grumble left Wimpod. "I'll pass for now. I'll still tag along, but don't expect much 'bickering' from me; I'll earn my respect."
Star frowned. "Well, if that's the choice you want, then very well."
"Can't be helped," Felix added. "If he doesn't want in on this team, then that's fine." A question flared in his mind, making him rub his chin in contemplation. He had not thought of it any time before, yet now he was curious. "Star?"
She looked at him expectantly. "Yes?"
"Why did you join me on this team?"
She pulled her head back in surprise, taken aback by the abrupt nature of that question. "I joined with you to help others more freely, you included, since Willow seemed more keen on us patrolling old stretches of road than helping. Why do you ask?"
"Wasn't that your parents' team?"
"It… was," Star sighed. "But they're no longer a part of that team. Certain… circumstances saw them struck from the team. If you're wondering if I have any regrets about leaving, then don't worry for my sake. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to grow."
"That… wasn't quite what I was getting at," Felix continued. "Why not just help folk anyway while on that team?"
Star thought briefly. "Disagree as I may with Willow and his passivity, he's still- well, he was my leader, and my caretaker. I couldn't go behind his orders in good faith and take on requests on his behalf."
"So you joined me because when I created this team, it gave you an excuse to pull away from Willow and act more in your interests, right?"
"I suppose that is a way of looking at it, yes."
"So why didn't you just make your own team then?"
Star froze. For a drawn second, her eyes remained locked forward. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?
"Yeah, just make your own team. Instead of waiting for someone else to join up with for months, why didn't you just make your own team and strike out on your own? Help people that way?"
"Hey, Blue's right!" Petal contributed. "You were moping about Willow stopping you from doing what you wanted before. What was stopping ya from just seeing that murkrow and making your own group?"
Star's gaze remained locked forward in a blank stare, almost in a trance. The dance of flame reflected off her glazed eyes as she remained locked in time.
"Well?"
Star's head fell to the ground as she released a groan most antagonized, racked with regret and embarrassment. Her paws flew to cover her face as she continued her cries of realized-ineptitude. "I could've done that the entire time?!" she suddenly wailed.
Felix and Petal began snickering, both looking away to conceal their reaction towards her outburst and mistake.
The ashamed vulpix pulled herself up, slinking away into a corner of the crate far from wandering eyes and falling to her side into a curl. "I think now's as wonderful a time as any to finally turn in for the night," she dryly stated. She opened her mouth in a titanic yawn, hardly even attempting to suppress it, then closing her eyes.
Felix stretched out his arms into the night sky, pursing his lips and blowing out air. "Yeah, I think we've had enough teasing for one night." He grabbed the amulet and put it away, then lying down atop the folds of tarp inside his little home, beside his partner.
As he closed his eyes, a familiar meek shuffle pulled itself past the crackling fire towards them. "Hey, scoot on over, Blue," the small voice commanded.
"What now?" Felix asked as he pulled his head up. "Ain't you running on home?"
Petal hopped inside the crate in one tiny leap. "I'd rather not sleep home tonight. Now come on, scoot." Begrudgingly, Felix scooted himself against the rough interior wall of the shipping crate, creating a small amount of open space between himself and Star. Petal fell into that small margin, wedging herself between the two. "Thanks."
"Eh," Felix muttered, flimsy waving his hand. "Wimpod, you want in on this? Might have room for one more," he dully joked.
"I'm fine where I'm at," the bug replied.
"Suit yourself." He tried to get comfortable against the small plant laying beside him, looking up at the plain wooden top above him. "So Star, about tomorrow," he muttered. No response came. "Star?"
"I think she's passed out already, Blue," Petal answered.
Looking to his side, he could see Star's side rising and falling steadily past the splay of leaves beside him, faint breaths wisping out of the calm fox's mouth. "Oh." He burrowed against the crate's side, finally closing his heavy eyelids. "Night, herb."
Petal gently wormed her way closer to his side, softly nestling herself against him and sighing. "Night, Blue."
Carried by the waves of warmth, by the tides of comfort wrought by the fire, sleep would soon find them.