☆× Lights in the Dark ×☆ (Carneline×Panther)

• Chapter Eight •

April snapped awake from a nightmare. She had dreamed of Akira being dragged into human containment. A bit panicked, she looked around, calling out her name.

"...Meh? April, what's wrong?" She heard a sleepy voice say from her blind spot. Looking over, she saw a half-asleep Akira staring at her. "Oh.. uh... I had a nightmare, that's all." Akira nodded, stretching right afterwards. "I see. Are you okay?" Akira asked as she sat up. April nodded, then put a paw on Akira's shoulder. Seeing Akira's face turn red amused her.

"Could you help me sit up?" April asked, putting a bit of pressure of Akira's shoulder. Akira then understood what April was trying to say and grabbed her arms, helping her sit up.

"Alright, do you want to try walking again this morning?" Akira said as she stood up. April sighed, then nodded. She was a bit disappointed Akira wouldn't let her go back to sleep, but she knew it was for the better.

Grabbing onto Akira, she stood up. But when she tried to walk around, nothing hurt. Nothing at all. It seemed that one of the benefits of being a gootraxian was that you healed from wounds faster.

To show Akira that she was fine and could walk again, she pushed her away and ran to the other side of the den. Akira smiled at her. "Feeling better?" April nodded, observing her surroundings. Akira laughed a bit before adding, "And it seems your feeling more confident in yourself aswell." April nodded and ran over to her. But then the realization hit her.

If she was better now, that means she would have to leave the den. She would have to leave Akira. And her sudden change of emotion showed. Her ears pinned back, her tail lowered, and her face broke into a frown.

"Hey, why so sad all of a sudden?" Akira eyes widened a bit. "Wait, did I do something wrong? Look, whatever I did, could you tell me what it is so I don't do it again?" Akira asked, her eyes looking worriedly at her.

"Well... I would think that since I'm healed, I now have to leave... and the thing is I don't want to. I like it here. And it's not like I could just walk back to the apartment I had as a human. So if I left, I'd have no place to go." She paused then continued on. "And I would have to leave you behind. I don't want to. You're one of the best... thing I've been around in my life, and I hate to just let that go." She finished, looking at Akira. Akira then put a paw on her shoulder.

"April, you don't have to leave if you don't want to. I actually enjoy your company, and I'd hate to see you go aswell. So, get that no matter what happens, you'll always be welcome here."

April looked up, pupils widened. "Really?" She asked in a tone sounding like she was about to cry of happiness. "Yes, really." April then smashed her face into Akira's shoulder, crying. Akira smiled. "There there, let it all out."

After sitting there for a few minutes, April hugged Akira. "Hey April, I know you're enjoying this moment and all, but we need to get those bandages off." April nodded, stepped back and letting Akira have access to the bandages.

But when Akira tried to pull them off, they just stayed stuck. Akira sighed, then looked up at April. "Alright, I'm going to have to use my claws to cut these off. Don't flinch and you'll be fine." April nodded and stood still as a statue. After Akira finished cutting them off, she stood up, facing April.

"Alright, since you're now healed, I wanted to offer teaching you something." April tilted her head, wondering what skill Akira would offer teaching her. "Since you're staying here, you might as well learn to hunt. Having a hunting buddy makes the hunt go better for the both of us." April practically screeched yes, excited to learn her first survival skill as a goo. Akira laughed. "Alright then, follow behind me. And try not to let anything see you. That rule counts for both humans and contained goos, but wild goos like us are fine." April nodded as she followed Akira out of the den.

When they stepped outside, they saw Ozone sitting there. His ears perked up when he saw them "Heya, I heard you two talking about going hunting. Mind if I tag along to grab some fruit while you're out?" Before Akira could respond, April spoke up. "Not at all!" She chirped.

Akira let out a low growl, inaudible for April and Ozone. She was a bit aggravated that it wouldn't be just April and her, but it was too late to turn back now. "Alright, come on you two. We're going down."

As April followed her down, she heard Ozone's footsteps from behind her. April watched as Akira stopped and looked around at the end of the den path, looking to be searching for any signs of danger. Then she put her paws down on the tiles when she didn't see anything.

"Now, when hunting for slime pups, use your nose. Look for the smell of glue." Akira lifted her muzzle into the air, demonstrating. April did the same and immediately caught the whiff of glue in the air. "I smell it! It seems to be uh... That way!" April pointed her paw at a spot on the other side of the crystal cavern. And sure enough, a lime slime pup came trotting out from behind a lump of rock.

"Alright, the next step in hunting to stalk up on it." Akira then got onto all fours and started stalking it like a big cat would. Following her pawsteps, she fell in line behind Akira. Behind her, she also heard Ozone drop into a hunting crouch. She assumed he did that because he didn't want to mess up their hunt.

As they neared the slime pup, Akira spoke up again. "Alright, the last step is to dash for it." April waited until Akira bolted foward before flinging herself forward, tagging along behind her. But this slime pup was fast.

They were running all over the cavern trying to catch the stupid thing. Then, when on the eight lap of the cavern, it made a sudden right and went through one of those garage door looking things. Then it made another right and went through an electrical door. But that's when Akira suddenly halted.

Looking over Akira's shoulder to see what the hold up was, she saw a group of guards looking to be having a birthday party. The slime pup they had been chasing was now sitting at a guards feet. She then felt Ozone bump into her. And that's when all havoc broke out.

Akira and Ozone bolted back out of the electric door, calling for April. But April was in a pretty sticky situation. She was trying to dodge knifes the guards were slashing at her. But then she felt a small prick in her shoulder.

She looked at Akira, who Ozone was now holding back, repeating that it was 'too dangerous to go for her.' Then she all of a sudden felt really, really sleepy, like she could just pass out at any moment. And then she fell over onto the floor.

As she started to close her eyes, she could see Akira and Ozone now running away from her. Closing her eyes, she quickly gave into her drowsiness, falling asleep.

(Uh oh, April has been sleep darted at someone's birthday, what could happen next?) 1270 words