A Reason For Being

Chapter Fourteen

Kaz

We leave Nakama's and head to the nearest shop to buy supplies. Once we have everything, we then head to the woods on Matsu's bike where we plan to meet Haruki. We find some crows along the way and get them to send a message to Haruki that we need to meet. In exchange, we give them some chips. We wait for what seems like an eternity. I sit on the floor and pick at the grass while Matsu leans on his bike and doodles in his notepad. It's so quiet in the woods. All you can hear is birdsong and rain. I can smell the fresh scent of nature as my fingers begin to feel numb from the autumn coldness. My mind begins to wander with worry. What if she doesn't come? She'll come. But what if she doesn't? She will. She's loyal like that.

I look at Matsu and watch while he draws. If you didn't know him, you'd probably struggle to believe that he was capable of the crimes that he committed.

"We shouldn't be meeting. It's too dangerous." I look around my shoulder and see her. "I thought I smelt another wolf in Sector Five," Haruki says. She looks at Matsu, a little unsure.

"I know, and it's OK. He's with me. I wouldn't ask you to meet me here unless it was important. It's good to see you, Haruki. How have you been?" I say. She looks much skinnier than I remember, and her fur is scruffier.

"It's good to see you too. Things haven't been so good. The Keepers have been picking the strays off one by one. I'm with a pack of strays. Ginga's leading us. He didn't want me to meet you, but I figured it was important." Haruki says, and I begin to explain the situation to her.

"And so the lab has a sample of my blood, and I need a sample of your blood so that I can swap it at the lab with mine and no red flags will come up, and shit won't go down," I finish.

"Shit is already going down. But of course, you can have a sample. That makes us even... I guess," Haruki says.

I sort of feel bad. Sora and I tried to help the strays by releasing them. Most of them would have been put down in the shelter if we hadn't done anything, but now they're being killed like convicts. I wonder what fate is worse.

Matsu gets off his bike and brings his bag. He sits by us. I give her a few comforting pats. I watch him shave a patch of fur off so that he can find a vein better. He gets the syringe and finds the vein. He cleans the skin with a wipe and takes the sample with the syringe. The needle pierces her skin and into her veins to collect a sample. Haruki is the perfect patient and doesn't flinch or whimper. Matsu put the sample of blood in a small container and applied a cotton bud to the wound so that it absorbs the bleeding. We have a sample. I reward Haruki with two cans of dog food. I wish I had more to give to her.

"Thanks, Haruki. I'll see you around?" I say. Her paw stops bleeding, and Matsu sticks cotton and tape to her paw. Matsu gives me the sample, and I put it into my pocket.

"Ginga thinks it's too dangerous here. We're planning on leaving tonight," Haruki says.

"Oh... OK... sure...," I say. I'm used to moving around and leaving people, but it feels weird know that our places have swapped and my friend is the one who's leaving me. I understand why she has to go, but I wish she didn't have to. First, my family, now Haruki. It sucks. That's life. People come and go. It's sad. It's lonely.

"This isn't goodbye. We will meet again, I know it," Haruki says. I wrap my arms around her and squeeze her tight. My fingers brush against her soft fur. Once more, I find somebody leaving my life in search of a better one, a safer one.

"Stay safe," she says.

"Stay safe," I reply. Our heads rest against each other. She licks my cheek and leaves.