Escape Games

Chapter Ten

"A puppy?" Jorik asked, his interest noticeable.
"Maybe," Mac replied. "But we can't be too careful. There are plenty of things that could mimic a puppy in distress." He watched Bear, who had wandered about twenty steps away to sniff at a leaning, hollow tree stump. She turned around and whined at him, pawing the stump once.
"What?" Mac asked the dog, cautiously walking over. The puppy yelping grew louder as he approached. He knelt by the stump as Bear stuck her head inside the top of the stump. Mac nudged her gently to the side and looked himself. A pair of bright green eyes stared back at him. Something small, brown and puffy jumped at him, sliding back down from the steep angle of the stump.
"Silly puppy," Mac reached inside and grabbed the curly-haired fur ball the next time it jumped, slowly pulling it out. "How'd you get in there?" The little canine gave a half-bark as he stared at Mac. He held the pup out for Bear to sniff.
"He's got a lot of fur, doesn't he, Bear?" Mac ruffled the fur on the big dog's back as he stood back up.
"What did you find?" Jorik asked from his rock. Mac walked back over and showed him the puppy.
"A living plush toy," Mac joked as the elven reached for the tiny animal, clearly enamored.
"Hi, puppy," Jorik's voice had a sweet, soft tone Mac hadn't heard him use before. "You're a cutie." The puppy's broad, blunt muzzle bumped Jorik's nose, the little beard and mustache tickling slightly.
"He's probably seven or eight weeks old," Mac sat beside Jorik's rock. "If he's a hellhound like I'm guessing he is, he could be a miniature variety, though given the size of his paws and ears, he could easily be a standard or even giant size as well."
"Hellhounds come in sizes?" Jorik asked as the pup started to nibble on his jacket sleeve.
"Excuse you," he said. "Don't eat the sleeve, please."
"He's teething," Mac said. "And yes, hellhounds can come in a bunch of sizes. Normally the ones people usually report are the standard and giant sizes, as they tend to stand out more than the smaller sizes, which people tend not to look twice at unless they act especially aggressive."
"Which this one clearly is not," the puppy had settled in Jorik's lap, lying on his back with his paws in the air. He yawned and his eyes closed as Jorik gently held him.
"No," Mac said. "That one just thinks he's a plush toy."
"He's a Teddy," Jorik gently rubbed the puppy's round belly with one finger. Mac gave a short laugh.
"You realize that means we now have Teddy Bear, right?" The dogs' names together seemed to amuse him.
"Yes," the elven answered, a small smile pulling at his lips. "I did that on purpose."  Mac let out another short laugh, looking at the puppy comfortably snoozing. 
     "He seems to like you," he told Jorik.  "They don't usually just fall asleep on someone, even the puppies.  These aren't known for being cuddly unless they're fond of you."
     "He knows I'm a dog person," Jorik said as the puppy gave a tiny bark in his sleep. 
     "He's sleep talking," Mac joked as Teddy boofed again.  Jorik gave a full smile for the first time since Mac had met him. 
     "He's adorable," the elven said as he snuggled the puppy a little closer.  "I wonder what he's dreaming about."
"Probably chasing something," Mac said. "A lot of dogs seem to dream about that." 
     "How do you know what dogs dream about?"  Jorik asked. 
     "A hunch," Mac answered.  "A lot of dogs run in their sleep, so it would make sense." 
     "Fair enough," Jorik gently placed the puppy on his lap and began his doodling again, using his knee as a flat surface for the napkin.  Mac leaned against a tree behind him.  He let out a long breath. 
     "What?" Jorik asked.  "I'm usually the one talking deep breaths."  Mac was quiet for several seconds. 
     "Just thinking," he finally said. 
     "About what?"  Jorik asked. 
     "About who put us here," Mac answered. "I've been going through possibilities in my mind trying to figure it out, or at least get an idea."
"Any luck?" Jorik asked as Teddy twitched in his sleep, rolling on his side and curling in a ball. Mac shook his head.
"Not yet," he said. "But maybe I shouldn't dwell on it too much right now. We both need to keep a calm mind if we want to be productive in getting ourselves out of here."
"Easy for you to say," Jorik grumbled. "I've been internally freaking out since this whole thing started."
"Do you need to talk it out?" Mac asked. Jorik gently pulled Teddy closer to himself, but only made his grumbling gurgling noise.
"Jorik," Mac used a patient tone, but he was slightly worried. "If you hold things in, they'll build up and you'll eventually break. I know it can be hard to talk about, but trust me, it feels better after you do." The elven huffed and looked at the ground. Mac sighed.
"I won't press you," he said. "But if something is really bothering you that much, I don't want you to keep it to yourself. You can talk it out with me." Jorik let out a long breath, but remained silent. 
     "I'm not ready to talk yet," he said after a moment.  Mac let out a breath of his own. 
     "Okay," he said.  "Just tell me when you are."  Jorik looked at him, then looked at the puppy sleeping in his lap.  He let out another breath. 
     "So what's our plan for this area?" The elven asked.  Mac thought for a few seconds. 
     "We could probably stay for a bit," he answered.  "But we shouldn't stay too long.  We don't have any doors to hide behind if that thing roaming around decides to check here.  The good news is that I spotted a stream when I rescued the puppy, so we have plenty of water, we could probably even wash up if we wanted to."  Jorik's face suddenly began to flush with color at the mention of bathing. 
     "What?"  Mac asked.  "We wouldn't have to bathe at the same time if that makes you uncomfortable."  The elven shook his head, his tail beginning to swish. 
     "It's not that," the blushing began reaching Jorik's neck.  Mac suddenly found himself starting to blush as he began to wonder if he wasn't the only one developing a crush. 
     "Were you imagining me naked?"  He asked, only half joking.  Jorik turned his face away. 
     "Maybe," he answered.  "But maybe I've been feeling a certain way since we were put in that cell together."  His voice was quiet, and he still wasn't making eye contact, but Mac could sense a specific emotion emanating from him. 
     "Jorik," he said softly and gently.  "Look at me please."  The elven slowly turned his head, and Mac saw an unsure, slightly embarrassed expression in his eyes. 
     "You're not the only one who's been developing a crush here," Mac kept his voice calm and gentle, trying to ease any uncertainty Jorik might have felt.  The elven looked at him for a moment before a cooing, purr-like noise began coming from his throat.  He leaned forward slowly, Mac remaining perfectly still to see what happened.  Jorik's lips met his and Mac's eyes closed as he leaned into the kiss.