A Drizzle of Home

28 | A Drizzle of Secret

"Hey, Pine, could I talk to you for a minute?"

Spruce glared from his spot beside her. The two lay at the edge of the clearing in the midday sun, relaxing after a long morning of patrol and a quick meal. The male stood, his lip curling at my intrusion. "Whatever," he muttered, and he trotted off.

I met Pine's eye roll as I sat at her side, scanning the area to make sure we were alone. Cloud was busy talking to Dusk, while the pups circled her with nipping jaws and playful yips. Her paw would lift occasionally to gently roll one over, and her nose would meet their belly with a giggling fit of laughter. The joy perked the edges of my lips, while something similar to the squirming pups wriggled in my stomach.

"You still denying it?"

The voice snapped my attention back to her smug grin. A nervous chuckle filled my throat, and I swallowed the rising acid. "There's uh... something I need your help with."

Pine's eyes widened, and the smile grew even bigger. Her breathing hitched, but she forced out the quick string of words. "What is it?"

"You can't tell anyone else." I scrunched my muzzle, trying to convince her that my plans weren't as exciting as she thought. She was too clever to be thrown off trail, anyway. Some of that knowledge was exactly what I needed.

My brain never functioned properly in the presence of Cloud, so I thought it best to go ahead and make a plan.

With pleading eyes, I appealed to her kindness. "No one," I said. "Especially not her."

~★~

As we tread through the forest, the boughs of evergreen swaying gently in the breeze, Cloud let out another impatient huff. "Come on, Drizzle. Tell me what this is."

Nudging her forward, her guide as she trekked blindly between the trees, I hummed innocently at her question. "Just keep your eyes closed. You should be able to tell where we're going anyway."

Her eyes twitched in defiance, contemplating peeking anyway. With a swift "uh-uh" from myself, she opted to listen, and instead lifted her nose to the sky.

Her chest expanded with a deep breath that filled her lungs with forest air. We were almost there, and the scent of fresh water was strong. I led Cloud a little ways farther, her eyes still shut tightly, until we passed where the trees ended and the sand underfoot began.

"We're here," I started to say, nudging her muzzle with a wet nose before turning toward the clearing. "You can open—" My jaw dropped at the sight.

The riverside where Cloud and I had first met looked much different than the last time we were here. Freshly picked flowers littered the shore, splotches of bright color against the tan. The sweet scent filled my nose and swirled sickeningly around in the air. In the middle, there were two medium, pale-furred hares. Their necks were stained red with the blood of a recent death.

Cloud inhaled sharply. It was too late to urge her to turn around and pretend this had never happened. That she'd never seen it—or experienced the utter shock and embarrassment I now felt.

"Cloud, I didn't..." Her dumbfounded expression stared back. I had to make her understand. I never meant for this to happen. "I promise I can explain."

A tiny squeak escaped her muzzle, before droplets of water formed in the corners of her eyes. She shut them again, but the tears were already streaming down the sides of her face.

"Are you okay?" They weren't good tears. Her muzzle twisted with unsettlement. She shook her head, breathing slowly.

I stepped closer, trying to lick away some of the tears. She tore her head away and backed up. Her eyes opened to show glinting, silvery, irises filled with pain. Then she ran. Turning on her paws, she bounded through the trees, leaving me alone in the piercing silence.