The Sun Will Be Rising Soon

We Stay Together

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The gentle sound of rushing water could be heard as AJ steps forward, setting a bucket on the rocky platform along the edge of the river. The fishing shack was behind him, He readies a fishing spear made specifically for him in his hand, the length easy for him to use, and strikes through a fish.

"Gotcha!" AJ laughs triumphantly as the fish thrashes on the spear's sharp end.

"Nice job, bud!" (Y/N) gently compliments, making him look over with a wide grin.

(Y/N) sat on the ground not too far from him with Rosie laying down at her side, Rosie's head resting on her lap and (Y/N) sharpening the end of an arrow she was crafting. (Y/N)'s face was focused as she looks down at her machete running along the arrow, some bags under her tired eyes.

Rosie's ears perk up when she sees AJ drop the fish inside the bucket, and she rises to pad over. She pants happily as she looks inside the bucket, licking her chops to indicate her hunger.

AJ gives her a pointed look, making her obediently stand back and sit as her little tail wags as she barks.

He smiles at this. "Do you like me now?"

Rosie excitedly wiggles in place, huffing softly as she leans forward with a woof.

"I think she does, bud!" (Y/N) fondly calls as she looks up, a hint of amusement on her face. "Who wouldn't?"

Rosie barks in agreement with her words, raising a paw at AJ before dropping it on the floor.

"Yeah!" AJ laughs as he watches Rosie. "She likes me! And we like you, too!"

AJ turns back to the river, his eyes darting around the water as he waits for a fish. Spotting one, he grunts softly as he jabs his spear at it, stabbing its stomach through.

"Boom-boom! I got two, (Y/N)!" AJ shouts to her with excitement, raising the spear up to show off for her.

(Y/N) smiles warmly at him, lowering the arrow and machete as she applauds for the boy. AJ drops the fish into the bucket quickly before facing the river, shouting a war cry as he pierces through yet another fish with success.

"Yes!" he cheers, practically slam-dunking it into the bucket with the others as (Y/N) snickers with a head shake.

(Y/N) glances up towards the sky. She watches the sun for a moment, taking her best guess that it was nearing 4:30 based on the position of it.

"All right, AJ," she starts as she rises, collecting the few arrows she crafted in one swoop as she sheathes her machete. "Time to head on back."

"Okay!" AJ nods, turning to Rosie and setting a hand on her head as he smiles. "I'm gonna go put the spear away! Stay here and keep watch with (Y/N), okay?"

As AJ starts towards the shack, he can hear (Y/N) gently telling Rosie 'Away from the fish, beast!' in a playful voice, the sound of the bucket being grabbed heard a moment later as Rosie whines in defeat.

AJ enters the fishing shack, the inside familiar to him as he takes a deep breath while looking around. He shivers a bit, thinking about how it's been getting colder as he looks towards the fire place. AJ looks at the empty bottles on the table as he passes them, and notices a bag of soil in the corner.

Making a mental note to tell Willy it was there later, he then notices the V+M carving. He frowns, shaking his head.

"Violet plus Minnie. She was their friend once. How could someone just make that go away?" he questions in disbelief.

Glaring at the carving, he turns away from it, approaching the wall and setting his spear beside the others.

"AJ!" (Y/N) calls from outside in a casual tone, indicating there was no need for alarm. "Come on, bud!"