The White Tiger

Chapter 59

Days passed. Ash was released from the hospital. And, if I'm being honest, I am pretty sure they were glad to get rid of him. Every time we went to visit him, he had an attitude. He really wanted to get out of there I guess.

 Jay and Charlie were out training. I was going to visit Ash. When I got to the beach, I saw Rosalie, Kallan, and Elanor were out on the beach. Kallan was in the water, Rose kneeling in front of him. Elanor was sitting on a towel on the sand, looking out at the house. She seemed to be deep in thought.

 I walked over to her and smiled. "Hi, Elanor."

 The elf girl jumped and looked up at me. "Oh! Hello, Elena. How are you today?"

 "I'm doing well. How about you?"

 "I'm....alright...Just worried, I guess..." 

 I frowned, kneeling down on the sand beside her. "Is it Ash?"

 She nodded slowly. "He loves spending time on the beach. You know, we suggested a bonfire tonight with music and s'mores but....He refused..." I put my hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me, tears in her eyes. "He's been so...weak and his attitude is so down since he came home...We've tried talking to him, but he won't say what's wrong....He won't even talk to me! His little firefly...His girlfriend..."

 "Do you want me to try..?" I asked quietly.

 "Would you?" Elanor asked hopefully. 

 "Of course. Is he inside?" I smiled at her.

 "I convinced him to at least sit out on the porch....I offered to stay with him, but he insisted I have fun..." she gave a small smile. "He knows I love the beach...He said he didn't want me to miss out on the fun by worrying about him all the time...He said he's fine but I know he's not! I...I can't help but worry about him..."

 "Try not to worry. I'll talk to him. I'll let you know if anything happens, ok?"

 "Thank you, Elena..."

 "Of course." I smiled at her before standing up and walking towards the house. I frowned a little as I walked up the porch. Ash was sitting in a chair, a blanket around his shoulders. He looked miserable. A tall cup of iced water was on the little table by his chair. He didn't seem to notice I was there.

 "Hey, Ash...Do you mind if I join you?" I asked quietly. He looked up at me, momentarily startled, but he nodded slowly. I sat down in the chair next to him. "How are you feeling..?"

 "Alright...Still weak but I'm ok...It usually takes a few days for a fire fairy to regain their strength after something like that..." Ash mumbled.

 I nodded in understanding. I wanted to ask him about what happened. I wanted to ask him about how he's been acting lately...But I didn't know how. How was I supposed to do that without upsetting him?

 "You want to talk to me about what happened. Don't you?" I looked at him, surprised. He scoffed a little. "I'm not stupid. Everyone's concerned about my wellbeing. Even Caspian and Alec..."

 "Why do you seem surprised at the fact that they care?" I asked.

 Ash looked at me like I was dumb. "Caspian has never been what you'd call a friend. We're more like....acquaintances. And Alec? He's always cold. He's always clinging to Vicky."

 "Alec had a hard life. Sometimes he has trouble showing he cares. He doesn't mean to come across as cold. He's just...quiet and shy." I responded.

 "You're right, I guess..." he said quietly, looking away.

 "How long have you been out here?" I asked, my gaze landing on his water. He shrugged. "Have you had any of your water?" He shook his head. I rolled my eyes and face-palmed. Was he trying to have a relapse? "Why don't you have a little? You could use it. It might help you get better quicker."

 Ash looked at me with a slight glare. I frowned. "Why do you care..? Why do you care if I dehydrate myself?!" 

 "Ash-" I stared at him.

 He cut me off, standing up quickly, tears in his eyes. "Leave me alone!" With that, he ran off inside the house.

 "Are we going to let him be...?" Misty asked.

 "I don't know if that's wise...He's our friend and apart of our family. He needs help." I responded quietly.

 "So, we're going after him?" 

 "Yes. But I don't know how to go about this..." I groaned. 

 "Give me control. I might be able to help a little." Misty told me. I nodded and let her take control. We walked inside slowly and found Ash scrunched up on the floor by the door, crying. We frowned. Misty shifted and walked over to him. She nuzzled him gently. He jumped in surprise and stared at us.

 "M-Misty...?" he asked. He could tell my tiger had taken over, most likely from the eyes. My eyes always changed color when Misty took over. I smiled at the thought of my eyes being Jay's color...Our bond was strong.

 Misty sat down beside him and nuzzled him. He hesitated a moment before hugging us tight. Misty purred as he held her, crying into our soft fur. He finally calmed down and sat up. Misty gave me back control and I shifted back. I sat beside him, my arm around him comfortingly. 

 "I've known something was wrong since that day....I don't want to force you to tell me, Ash. But we're all worried about you. Especially Elanor and Jay." Ash looked up at me, confused. I chuckled a little. "Jay might seem cold and possessive on the outside sometimes. But he cares about you more than you might think. His family is very important to him. And you are apart of his family. You became apart of his family the day we met you." 

 Ash looked down. I sighed heavily. "We just want to help. But we can't if you don't tell us what's bothering you. I know you said you wanted me to leave you alone. But I can't do that when you're like this...You don't have to talk to me...But I do want you to know that I'm here to listen whenever you need me. We all are."

 We sat there in silence for a while. I didn't think he was going to say anything. I just sat there, my arm around him. He sat there, looking down at his feet, tears rolling down his cheeks. But, finally, he surprised me. "It's a long story...." his voice was quiet. If I wasn't a shifter with good hearing, I wouldn't have heard him. 

 "I have time." I replied. 

 Ash sighed and shook his head. "It started a few days after the war...."

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 Hey, everyone! So, I know I really should know this. I should've thought ahead, but, I didn't. *Insert face-palm* If you guys have any ideas for what's bothering Ash, please let me know. DM me, comment, go to my page and reply there. Feel free to let me know your ideas. Because I, my friends, am clueless. Thanks! Have a good night/day.