Grandeur Defector

LXIII

It hadn't been but a few hours of sleep curled up near his partner when he reopened his eyes hazily. The moon had begun to hang low in the sky, the daylight sharing half of the horizon with the stars that grew dimmer in comparison. The sun had only just begun to make itself known once more to the men it warmed the backs of on a daily basis. Clouds became more visible as the early sun rays flickered, fleeting.
Truffles stretched himself, yawning.
It's... too early...

"Oooh, biiiig stretch."

Huh?
Flippy looked wide awake despite the dark circles under his eyes, staring directly at him with a smile on his face. He reached out with one scarred hand and paused, face twisting; he retracted it, rubbing his wrist.
Even if it's been a year, my uncle's injuries to your wrists hurt you. I wonder if your diaphragm scar hurts sometimes, too.
Flippy reached out again and rubbed Truffles' hair, playing with the messy blue fur. The touch felt nice, the warmth of the other man's body heat resembling the sensation of a sunbeam on a summer afternoon.
"You should probably get up to do prince things. Royal shenanigans and whatnot again."

"Why are you awake? It's quite early."
Truffles yawned, getting sleepier from his hair being rubbed.

"It's natural for me," Flippy explained softly. "Bears get their energy back once the urge to hibernate is gone."

I suppose it is late midsummer... although it won't be long until autumn. On another note, he's right about the royal duties.
Truffles heaved himself upwards, getting to his feet despite his exhaustion wanting the exact opposite of that. He shot a soft look at his partner, who exchanged the same softness back. The expression he gave him filled Truffles with warmth, making him smile from their silent admiration of each other.
Flippy slow blinked.
Truffles slow blinked back.

I love you, too.
The bear smiled back at him and got to his feet, ready to start his own duties for the day. Glancing at the scenery around him, Truffles took note of the Animalia line still sleeping soundly, expected to wake up soon to walk. Every soldier had silently agreed to sleep for as long as possible to endure the walk for each day, dreading it.
Aspen and the blue soldiers were asleep in their own huddled group, resting their heads on their uniform jackets. One had fallen asleep with his head propped up crooked on a small rock, limbs in shapes he couldn't imagine was possibly comfortable to be in.
Sometimes, I forget we are feline.

Durian and the orange soldiers, however, were wide awake. Their eyes were bright and glowing, cheery with the sun anew as they spoke to one another. Durian especially was active, doing push-ups on the ground to a silent beat as he counted under his breath.
...It's...It's almost as if orange tigers have adapted to become daywalkers. Why do the books taught to children never speak of these differences? It's fascinating.
When did they adapt to daywalking? Is this recent, or something they're forced to do? If we blues get our energy from the moon, then do oranges get theirs from the sun as our parallels?

He hadn't realized he was spacing out while walking towards the group, lost in his own thoughts even as he approached Durian. The rebel leader paused mid-push-up and sprang to his feet, standing in front of him. He squinted his eyes at Truffles.
"...Còn quá sớm đợi với cậu. Tại sao bạn thức?"
'...It's too early for you. Why are you awake?'

"Tại sao bạn thức?"
'Why are you awake?'
Truffles retorted.

Durian scrunched his nose.
"Mặt trời bảo vệ chúng ta."
'The sun protects us.'