"The Case Of The Fire Inside."

Everything your feeling is common, even though youve never felt so alone 6

It's been a week and a half since any of them had last seen Theseus.

Wilbur feels a bit silly missing him, because he is a wild animal, but he can't help but wonder where he went. He had been perfectly normal the last time they saw him. Wilbur had gone out to the rocks at night with Phil to listen to the story. Theseus had practically spent the entire night in his lap, begging for attention and love. Wilbur was more than willing to provide it. He remembered a seal that would tense and swim away at every touch, and now he was there pressing his head into Wilbur's hand willingly.

The night went so well that Wilbur had even got up early the next day, completing his morning chores before rushing out to the beach to wait for Theseus's morning visit.

The seal never came. Wilbur tried not to let it bother him, sure Theseus had started coming pretty much every day to see all three of them but he had been known to miss one or two for no reason. So yeah he was a bit bummed out over missing his personal seal time, but he brushed it off.

Then Techno came in from his lunch with a frown on his face, walking upstairs and retreating to his room almost instantly. Wilbur didn't even get a chance to ask what was wrong, but he could wager a guess.

Once he finished his chores he spent the entire day out on the beach, waiting for Theseus's head to poke out of the water and swim over to greet him. But it was only the crash of the waves that kept Wilbur company.

The next few days were the same. Theseus didn't show up at any point of the day, not even to Phil's story time. They went from daily visits to never seeing him and Wilbur hated it more than anything. He got up early and stayed out late, hoping to see even a glimpse of his seal's dark grey fur.

"He'll be back eventually Wil, it's time to go to bed," Phil muttered from behind him, Wilbur curling up further on the rocks. He knew logically that Theseus wouldn't be coming back out. It was almost ten at night, and he always left before seven. But Wilbur couldn't bring himself to move.

He feels his father come up behind him, and there's a blanket dropping onto his shoulders, Phil settling in beside him.

"You don't have to stay out here with me," Wilbur muttered, feeling slightly guilty even as Phil shrugged.

"It's your third night of staying out here until late," Phil said quietly, pulling his own blanket around his shoulders. "I know I can't convince you to come inside, so I might as well keep you company."

It's annoying sometimes, this version of his father. The one that seems to care, that makes him eat and sleep and reassures him when he's getting anxious. It almost makes Wilbur wish he had been there his entire life. It makes him wonder why Phil hadn't been there his entire life.

"I'm worried about him," Wilbur muttered, staring back out to the sea.

"I know," Phil said back, sighing slightly. "He'll be back."

"Will he?" Wilbur asked, eyes tracking the push and pull of the waves. "We don't know that Phil. He's a wild animal, it isn't strange to think that he just swam away. Or maybe the poachers came back, did you think of that?"

"Wil-"

"He could be out there injured and hurt or maybe even-" He trailed off, shuddering slightly at the thought. He didn't want to imagine Theseus out there helpless; bleeding out slowly waiting for someone to come and save him. Waiting for Wilbur to save him like he helped save the pup that one time. Theseus could be there crying out begging any of them to go help him and Wilbur wouldn't know.

Wilbur just wanted to know where he was. If he was safe. It's almost ridiculous how worried he was about this strange animal he really had only known for a few weeks. He knew that Phil was worried too, he saw it in the way he would stare out at the rocks throughout the day, the way he went out nightly with his book in hopes of the seal coming back, lured by his voice.