A Drizzle of Home

17 | A Drizzle of Denial

"So, Drizzle, how was hunting with Spruce yesterday?" Her voice rose in a teasing tone.

I snorted, drawing my gaze from the trees to face her. "Not great," I said flatly, "but I think it went better than we all expected."

Her brows furrowed. "Spill it. Now."

With an eye roll, I explained the former day's events, all the while keeping pace with her and trying not to trip because my attention was on talking instead of walking.

Pine spit a little. "Well good for you," she said. "I know I can't stand hunting with him, so congrats on finding a way to put up with his mouth."

"It wasn't that great," I added. "Spruce is still as soft and cuddly as a porcupine."

The pup faltered in her step, sputtering through her lips. "And when did you expect otherwise?"

I shrugged, trotting a few steps to catch up. She was the one that told me I'd get through his thick hide someday.

Pine turned her head both ways as we continued down the trail through the trees. I followed suit, scanning the space between them for anything out of the ordinary. We added our scent to a few places on our territory's boundary where it had washed away, occasionally coming across a tree downed by last night's storm. Otherwise, our patrol was just as mundane as usual.

"So, why did you want to go on patrol with me?" Pine asked, gesturing to herself with a flick of her nose. Her question was serious this time––telling by her deeper, genuine voice, and the fact she didn't giggle at the end of it. "We never do this."

I slowed down. "What are you talking about?"

Her vivid green eyes sparkled with curiosity, and her muzzle scrunched. "With me. Over Cloud." She placed some extra emphasis on the second phrase.

What was that supposed to mean?

A sharp gaze cut over to me. She clicked her tongue at my hesitation. "You seem to be avoiding her."

My only response was another confused huff. How did she––I wasn't avoiding Cloud. And I wasn't sure how Pine had picked up on it either... but maybe she had a point. I hadn't spoked to Cloud since yesterday. The night had passed without a word exchanged, but at least the pounding rain and the crash of thunder had helped to drown out the awkward silence. It was the only reason I'd managed to sleep a wink either, my mind occupied by the noise instead of left unsupervised to roam the depths of my mind. It was constantly searching for more shadow creatures to scare me with.

It wasn't that I was mad... only, irritated. I didn't want anyone to feel like they had to watch over me like a pup. If that meant keeping my distance for a while, so be it. Her words back at the cave were true, anyway.

The only thing I was good at was getting myself hurt.

Even though the ache had faded, I remembered the crushing pain from yesterday. The image of the dark wolf flashed in my mind. He bore his teeth into my flesh. I shuddered.

"You two have gotten close, huh?" Pine's voice snapped my mind back, and I realized she had passed me by several long strides. I caught up to her, and she nudged my shoulder, urging me to answer with widened eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

She abruptly cleared her throat. "You can't just say that for everything, Drizzle." There was a laugh on the tip of her tongue, and her lips curled into a smug grin. "It's obvious. How do you not see it?"

I caught myself before I asked the same question for a third time. Were we close? Maybe. The sight of her eyes always sparkled somewhere in the back of my mind. Her laugh always warmed my heart. Even her snoring, it tickled my muzzle with a tiny frown.