Ratchet and Rivet

The hunt: part 1

The cluster of stars surrounds the haloed twin moons as they light up the night sky. Below, two Lombaxes lay in the branches of a tree, with Ratchet holding a sleeping Rivet in his arms as he admires the bright lights above. The crickets chirp near the tree they are lying on, while sometimes the sound of another animal he doesn't recognize echoes from the treetops.

Rivet shifts a little, catching his attention as her ear twitches and she snuggles deeper into his chest. A soft smile forms on her lips.

How the hell can she sleep so peacefully?

Shaking her head, a laugh escaped her mouth, although silent so as not to wake Rivet. At least one of them was sleeping well.

"You can't sleep, huh?" the white Lombax in her arms says suddenly.

Ratchet squirms as she speaks, his eyes wide as he looks at her. "Oh, uh... How long have you been awake?"

"It's been a while." She yawns as she stretches her legs.

"Why?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Did you really think I could sleep when you can't?" She opens her eyes and lifts her head to look at him. There they are, those deep blue eyes he always gets lost in.

His ears twitch before drooping slightly. "You can not?"

"I didn't hear you snoring, Dumbax." She laughs. "Something I've gotten used to, you know."

He looks at her, dumbfounded. "Ah...yeah, right."

Rivet stands up a little, moving closer to him to turn around and rest her back on his stomach and her head on his shoulders. Smiling softly, he wraps his arms around her, placing his hand on her stomach. A long moment of silence as they both look up at the sky. He tilts his head to the left to determine how much time is left. Sunrise is near as the first rays of light bathe the horizon in red.

"I need to protect you..." he whispers.

"What?"

"I need to protect you from this lunatic. I mean..."

"ratchet..." rivet said whispering in a sad tone.

"What if I don't make it? What if he hurts you?"

"ratchet."

"What if he kills you-"

"RATCHET!" Rivet spins around and grabs her cheeks. Almost nose to nose, she looks at him. "Calm down. I can still take care of myself, okay?"

He winks as she caresses her cheeks. For a moment, he closes his eyes as her fingers slide over his fur. Her shoulders sink a little as he loses some of the tension. Opening his eyes again, looking at her still a little uneasy.

"This is me we're talking about. Remember? Lombax rebel? Opposing an empire for years?" A cheeky smile forms on her lips. "Even stronger than you?"

His ears droop a little. She is absolutely right. But still...

A small sigh leaves the hero's mouth. "I know... But still... I don't want you to get hurt."

"You're forgetting how many people have tried to kill me and failed. Rokah is just another idiot on this list." A soft but determined smile forms on her lips. "He was lucky last time. Next time, he'll make it." With that, the rebel Lombax punches her left hand with her metal fist.

Ratchet couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, okay... I get it. But this time things are going to be different."

She tilts her head slightly. "Why that?"