Static Reflections: Book 1 of The Mortal Guard Series

Chapter 60 - Richard

Chapter 60 - Richard

Richard stared at the ceiling, lost deep in thought and feeling more alone than he had in recent times. Every minute without Nick made things a lot harder, and he felt like he wanted to cry just thinking of the last smile he had given him before they split up.

Stupid. Richard should have never suggested they cover more ground. Then again, if they were both caught by the quick-fire movie, they could both be dead.

He sighed loudly, rubbing a hand on his chest. The entire situation had been a nightmare. Nick hadn't wanted to do it from the very second they were assigned to the case, but he sucked it up. As they kept investigating, Richard could tell that Nick was hurting at all of the talks of suicide and loss deep inside. The raccoon tried to be there for him as much as possible, but he still lost the hyena to the projector, which had been what was enchanted to control all of those innocent animals—Nick included.

Richard cared about him so much. Nick made him feel unlike any animal before. All he wanted was for them to be together, yet this mission got in the way. Nick had tried to kill himself, and Richard had tried to save him, but the hyena was extremely relentless in attempting to take his own life.

Now, Richard was alone in his residence, thinking about all of this and how angry he had gotten once returning to Prostasia. He had never shouted like that at Iwai, his good friend, before. Of course, he felt terrible, but all he was thinking about was Nick.

The nights after the event were sleepless, filled with tossing and turning, sadness, and fits of anger. Richard couldn't help but think back to what had happened to Nick, and it made him feel every negative emotion. He clutched at the sheets, slammed his fist against the wall, bared his teeth, and let tears fall. Why did it have to happen to such a kind and caring animal? Nick had been innocent and never deserved any of that.

And he wasn't ready. Nick was never prepared for what his first mission turned into, and he certainly wasn't prepared for a huge one like this that involved hundreds of members. It was ridiculous! How could Catastrophe be so cruel?! Just thinking about it made anger rise within him again . . .

There was sharp knocking at his door, and the raccoon sat up, hoping it wasn't Iwai checking on him for the fourth time. He didn't want to see anyone from the Mortal Guard right now. He didn't even care that his fur probably looked messy.

Richard slipped a shirt on and stayed in his boxers, too lazy to look decent as he left his room and made his way to the front door. The raccoon opened it, and his heart ran aflutter when he saw . . .

=^.^=

...And Nick: "Closure"

Nick. The spotted hyena was standing there, looking right at him for the first time in days. His fur was as beautiful and golden as ever but his emerald eyes now had rings around them, giving him an almost Richard-like quality. He seemed a bit skinnier than usual, and he was wearing the white clothes from Trauma Sect.

"Nicholas." Richard let the name roll off his tongue and onto the ground.

"Hey," Nick whispered.

". . . Come in." He stepped to the side, and the quiet hyena slowly made his way inside. "So, what happened? What did they do to you?" Richard asked, shutting and locking the bland door.

Nick shook his head. "They brought me to Medical first and healed any wounds I had, then they sent me to Trauma for a while to keep a close watch on me. Looks like the effects of the movie wear off after a while. They'll give me all my stuff back when I go out on the field again."

"Ah," Richard nodded. "I see." His heart was pounding in his chest. There were a million things he wanted to say. He felt like a kid in his eagerness. But he stayed calm.