Secret of the Sugar Flare

Chapter 10: We're All Cookies

Meringue Cookie and Black Raisin Cookie were back to traveling by the woods, just to be safe. After the incident in town, they figured it was the safest bet. However, as a result, they had to survive out on their own and today, they were at the end of their rope.

Black Raisin Cookie was just coming down from the tallest tree in the forest to check their position when she heard a familiar rumble. "...Meringue Cookie?"

Meringue Cookie ducked her head, face flushed. "Yes??"

"*sigh* Don't bother saying that wasn't you, because I won't believe you. A tough Cookie may have to be resilient, but they must also be well-fed in order to stay sharp,"

"I know, I know. It's just that...I can't stop thinking about how helpless I was to save you back in that town without using the Sugar Flare. I guess...I'm not what a tough Cookie is supposed to be. Is it even possible for me to be anything more than what I am now?"

Black Raisin Cookie didn't answer. Wanting to get her mind off the incident, she checked her bag and frowned. "*tch*...Out of raisin buns, anyway. Now what?"

Just then, she heard running water and the occasional splash of a jumping Swedish Fish. Getting an idea, Black Raisin Cookie took Meringue Cookie's hand and led her towards the noise. "Follow me."

Soon, Meringue Cookie was standing ankle-deep on the top of a small dip in the river, where the fish were jumping to swim upstream. Black Raisin Cookie was watching her from the riverbank, pacing back and forth.

"You've been trained to listen and smell the world around you to make up for being unable to see it," Black Raisin Cookie said. "However, that's all you can do. You're still unable to defend yourself, or react quickly enough when someone is about to hurt you. Moreover, when the fear hits, it only leads to something worse. If we want to reach Parfaedia, we need to change that. I will train your reflexes to better defend yourself so you will feel less afraid."

"How?" Meringue Cookie didn't quite get it.

"We'll start with something simple: getting us breakfast."

Black Raisin Cookie pointed to a jumping fish that went unnoticed by Meringue Cookie. "The river is full of fish, but that won't do us any good unless someone can catch it. That someone will be you today, Meringue Cookie."

"But...I can't hear or smell anything over the water,"

"Listen closer."

Meringue Cookie nodded and squatted low, listening hard. A couple fish jumped, but she either didn't hear it or turned to face it long after the fish was gone. Her reflexes were too slow. Black Raisin Cookie continued to watch her fail, eye twitching in frustration every time Meringue Cookie missed. She took a deep breath, telling herself to patient. "What would Pure Vanilla Cookie do?"

Thinking about him took her back to a different time, back when she still knew him as Healer Cookie. She had been running around a Wafflebot hotspot against his recommendations and ended up cracking her head to a point nearly beyond repair. She thought of the conversation they had in his tent...

...

"That was really stupid, Black Raisin Cookie!"

Black Raisin Cookie's face stung as one of her villager friends scolded her. "They were getting too close. I had to-"

"If you had just stayed put and kept quiet, they wouldn't have even known we were here!" the villager shouted. "Now the whole patrol knows where we are! I get that you want to protect us, but you're doing a TERRIBLE job! Worse, you could've gotten CRUMBLED!"