Night Fury's Wrath

Chapter 9: The Path to Discovery

Something about Dad seemed... off. 

When I next woke up at nightfall, Dad was still awake from his turn keeping watch over our shelter. The strange part was that he was talking to Myrkr with a lowered voice, but Myrkr didn't look afraid; he looked relieved. They were probably talking quietly to avoid waking Splinter, who was asleep nearby, but why was Myrkr relieved that Dad was talking to him at all? Something smelled fishy...

Wait, that was actually fish. 

I gladly gulped down the fish lying next to my head, partially sating my hunger for the time being. They were delicious. Once done, I immediately returned to watching Dad and Myrkr, but they had already split up. Dad was on his way to me, and Myrkr was leaving through the tunnel. I shuddered at the thought of him, forcing back the bad memories that dug up. 

Males couldn't be trusted. I was stupid to believe his tricks. My excitement and openness around him before was just a side-effect of getting my first-ever friend. I had blindly chatted with him, followed him around, and even played with him without thinking about the dangers. That wouldn't happen anymore.

"Sleep well?" Dad warbled.

"What were you talking to him about?" I asked warily, disregarding his question.

"Just setting some ground rules," he answered smoothly. Something told me that was only part of the truth, but I ignored it. Dad obviously wouldn't work with a bad male against me. Why was I worried? Maybe I was getting paranoid. "Anyway, it's time we started working on your health," he hummed. "I know you're not fully recovered from your depression, but you've been making some progress, which is great. I think we should start with grooming. Your scales are very unkempt, you know."

I blinked. They were? I twisted to look at my flank, immediately seeing cracked and loose scales. "I guess so," I mumbled.

He stepped closer and laid down. "This might pinch a little," he warned. "But it isn't so bad after the first few." I winced as he bit a loose scale on my shoulder and yanked it out before moving on to the next. I sighed, resigning myself to the boring and repetitive task of grooming, helping Dad pull out the ruined scales and clean the healthy ones. 

I knew healthy scales helped keep the rest of my body in good shape, but I found it hard to dig up the motivation to do what was necessary to keep them healthy. Luckily, Dad was here to help out, and I soon had healthy-looking scales. If Dad wasn't here, it would've taken much longer than an hour—it probably wouldn't have happened at all. I certainly felt better, at least.

Unsurprisingly, that nice feeling didn't last long. I spied Myrkr entering the cave again, headed straight for us. Myrkr hesitated upon seeing me but continued walking a moment later, though with far less confidence now. To my dismay, Dad noticed his approach but didn't move to stop him. Why wasn't Dad protecting me? I couldn't do this alone!

Myrkr stopped before us and started hacking. I barely noticed the three fish flop from his mouth, fearing dire consequences if I dared move. To my surprise, Myrkr stepped back once he was done and sat down, flashing me a nervous smile.

After a long minute of silence, he dipped his head a little. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I messed up. It won't happen again." He slowly reached forward with a forepaw to nudge a fish a little closer to me. "I-I brought you a gift," he offered. I shook my head quickly, making him droop. I didn't want his 'gift,' I wanted him to go away! He was bad!

Dad sighed softly. "Aura, you need to eat."

"N-Not from him," I whispered.

Dad cocked a brow. "Really, now? You seemed to eat the first round without a problem. What's wrong with doing it again?"