Nature's Comeback

30- Working together

Neer tried his best to keep his anger in check and stay silent, but then he couldn't control himself. "Is lying a hobby to you?" Neer asked, appalled by the situation.

"When did I lie?"

If looks could kill, the girl would have been buried underneath the ground long ago. There was a height of feigning innocence.

"My brother is stuck inside. I have to go back. I thought I had him with me but then it was someone else. I need to save my brother." Neer mimicked her, retelling the conversations they had before.

"Where's the lie in all this? Everything I said was true. Please don't make fun of emotions."

"Did I make fun of your emotions or was it you, who lied and dragged me here to get killed by faking those 'emotions'. I put my life at risk thinking your brother was in danger."

"He was. You saw my brother stuck inside the house. He would have died here if we didn't come," Maanvi insisted.

"You should have mentioned before that your brother was a dog. I came here imagining a human child in danger," Neer scolded, before telling her in a tired voice, "Listen I am not saying that saving your dog wasn't important. I understand that he is a part of your family. I am just mad that you lied to me."

"I never lied." The blatant stubbornness and her carefree shrug while saying this just fueled Neer's anger.

"Didn't lie? I don't remember you mentioned anything about your brother being a dog."

"Yeah, but I didn't say he was a human either."

"Excuse me, what else would any stranger imagine when you mutter 'brother'? You should have clarified it," Neer pointed out.

"Then you wouldn't have come with me," Maanvi muttered under her breath, but showed defiance in front of him, "Your imagination is not my responsibility."

Neer was about to curse her out but suddenly he pulled her and her dog towards him.

"Wha—" Maanvi shouted at the suddenness of it but then stopped short when a part of the ceiling fell on the spot she had been standing.

"Run," was the only thing Neer muttered, before pulling the startled Maanvi and her equally startled dog.

Maanvi was having a hard time handling Koko, the loud noise made by the ceiling had caused a huge amount of panic inside him.

"Calm him down," Neer yelled over the wind.

It was already difficult to see amidst the cold and dust. If they lost Koko because of his panic then it would be impossible to find him again.

Maanvi tried her best to comfort Koko. He would have calmed down until now if it wasn't for the continuous noises of things uprooting and falling around them.

Koko wasn't able to concentrate on Maanvi's comforting voice as his senses were overworked with the current happenings.

Neer cursed under his breath as he saw the dog jumping and trying to get rid of the leash, so that he could get away faster. At least that was what Neer assumed.

"Let the leash go. He might find a safe place faster. At least someone would survive," Neer advised.

"He wouldn't go alone even if I let go of the leash," Maanvi said in full confidence, before yelping when Koko took her towards another direction. Neer wordlessly followed them, all his hopes of getting out were going down the drain as they further moved inside the village.

Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Neer worded out his assumption, which made Maanvi groan.

"He isn't trying to get away from me, you idiot. Koko is panicking yet he is trying his best to be faster. Not for himself, but for me. Koko wants to take me to safety as soon as possible. That's what he is doing."