Dawn

Awakening

(SO glad I could get this out. More on that at the bottom.)

Zuma nudged Rocky with a paw. "Come on, wake up, dude! I scavenged some food for us, I thought you might be hungwy." The sleeping pup waved his paw around and mumbled something unintelligible before going still again. Zuma shook him a little harder

"Go...away..."

"No, Wocky. You can lie there all day..." An annoyed growl began rising in Rocky's throat. "...and don't you dare gwowl at me." The noise died abruptly. "You need to keep your stwength up. Just eat something and I'll let you go back to sleep, okay? I need to check on you anyway."

Rocky muttered a few phrases he was lucky Zuma didn't catch and stirred, opening his eyes slowly. Everything felt too heavy, like there was a weighted blanket over him that he couldn't push off. Still, he tried to sit up. Rocky sat on his haunches shakily, feeling like he could collapse at any point. I just wanna go back to sleep... Zuma nudged his friend a piece of meat, unaware of his current struggle.

Rocky moved his paw to take it from him and immediately fell flat on his nose. Zuma's snout cycled through confusion to worry.

"Are you okay, Wocky?" The eco pup didn't answer.

Zuma quickly checked his vitals. The mix tried to protest but wasn't even able to push Zuma's paws off him. "Your heawt rate is too fast, and your bweathing is way too shallow." Zuma mumbled. "These are the same symptoms you had when you were..." Zuma stopped and looked directly into Rocky's eyes. "No, not again...Wocky, I thought you were over this! I knew you weren't eating but I didn't know you weren't eating at all!" Rocky tried to look small, but it was kinda hard to do when you were looking straight into the eyes of your pissed off boyfriend. He smiled nervously.

"I'm...I'm sorry, okay?"

"You're sowwy? Oh, well, I guess that fixes everything, now, doesn't it?" Zuma spat in a dangerously soft voice, words dripping with sarcasm. Rocky tucked his paws under him.

"I didn't mean to do it this long, but it just made me feel better!"

"Of course, I'm sure you'll feel just peachy when you go into organ failure and die of disease! And you'll feel even better after I finish slapping some sense into you! We've been over this!"

Rocky rolled onto his back and looked up submissively with eyes that clearly said 'pleasedon'thitme'. Zuma's eyes softened and he sighed.

"I'm sorry...I'm just weally fwustwated wight now." Rocky couldn't help but smile at Zuma's adorable triple mispronunciation. Then his stomach growled and he winced in pain. "Wocky, please talk to me. You have to end this! I know you've been struggling with this since we left, but I didn't know you would let it go this far!" Rocky whined sadly.

"I didn't mean to..." Unshed tears shone in his eyes. Zuma gently picked him up and kissed his nose. Rocky looked like he was trying not to break down in tears. Zuma hugged his boyfriend securely.

"Y'know, if you need to cwy, I won't..." His boyfriend totally lost it after that, and cried freely into the labrador's chest. Zuma closed his eyes, and a few tears hit the top of the mix's head. I hate it when you cry.

"I'm sorry...!" Rocky sobbed. "I'm sorry..."

"Wocky, I need you to tell me why you're huwting youwself..." His voice cracked. Rocky shook his head and gripped into Zuma as tightly as his weakened muscles would allow him. "Yes, Wocky, you have to..." Zuma sighed and pushed Rocky's head back and looked into his goldeny, sunset-colored eyes. "We don't keep secwets from each other. Besides, it looks like you need some help with something." Rocky looked at him for a split second and all his feelings just spilled out in random order.