Alone

Beginning

~Flashback End~

"So that's the story. That's how it all started..." Tanoki trailed off, and kept her honey hued eyes focused on the grass. For a long while, Tonoko didn't say a word, and it unnerved her.

"Well? Are you going to say anything?"

The blue tiger still said nothing, but she could hear shuffling, like he was moving around. The next thing she knew, a big, furry paw was wrapped around her waist, and the side of her face was pressed into a fluffy chest.

"I'm sorry, Tanoki. I'm sorry for asking about your past."

She sighed, "It's okay, Tonoko. You didn't know."

"I've been thinking... If it's alright with you, I'd like to help you with your promise. After all, he did try to kill me too, so it's only natural I'd want to return the favor," Tonoko muttered bitterly.

The silver-haired girl pulled away and threw her head back in laughter. Her sudden burst surprised the feline but he soon joined in by breaking out into a fit of chortles. After their laughing fit, Tanoki looked back at her newest friend and replied to his question, "Of course! It'd be nice to have a partner on this seemingly endless journey of mine for once. And besides, if we both track him down, we can kill two birds with one stone. We'll both be able to get our revenge!"

He snickered at the last sentence before agreeing, "Yea! That'll be something huh?"

"We don't have to leave immediately, but I'd like to be on our way by tomorrow morning, if that's okay with you."

Tonoko nodded, "Yea that's fine by me. So, let's get back to hunting, shall we?"

"Sounds good!"

-Time Skip-

The pair had hunted down three large hares, skinned, and roasted them over a small campfire Tanoki built. The tiger got two, while the girl got one for herself.
"So Tonoko," she mumbled around chews, "Are you sure you want to go with me on this whole revenge trip thing?"
He swallowed before answering her, "Yea, I'm pretty sure."
"Alright then."

They continued to eat their dinner in silence. Once they polished off the meat, Tanoki handed the bones of the rodent over to Tonoko as he gnawed and crunched through the hard bone and marrow. Swiping his tongue over his mouth to clean off any remains, he sat back onto his haunches and licked his paw before slicking it back over his head; he repeated this process a few times. By now Tanoki had rolled out a thin matt over the grass and laid back with her arms behind her head. Tonoko finished cleaning his face and shuffled over to sit by her side. She yawned, "I'm pretty tired, and I bet you are to. We need to get moving by morning so we should get some sleep. Goodnight, Tonoko."
"Goodnight Tanoki."
The tiger slid onto his stomach and to his side, almost instantly falling asleep and drifting into light snores. The girl smiled and rolled onto her side as well. But sleep didn't come to her as easy as it did to her friend. She lied awake for hours, tossing and turning before finally falling into a restless sleep. Thoughts running through her mind kept her awake and she pushed them out of her head before she could at last drift off.

-Time Skip-

The rising sun woke Tanoki from her uneasy slumber and signaled her to clean up and get breakfast for the two. She stretched her arms and popped her back while standing up to roll her bed matt up and stuff it into her bag. Looking around, she began thinking about what to get for their morning food. Deciding on fruit for herself and a fish for Tonoko, she began her search for a fruit tree. There was a large stream nearby so she didn't have to worry about her partner's food taking too long. She soon found an apple tree along with grave vines wound around it, so she picked a small batch of the two sweet fruit and tossed them into the bag. Heading over to the stream she kicked off her hide boots and stepped into the water.

-Time Skip-

Tanoki arrived back at their little makeshift camp holding a trout by the gills in one hand, and holding her bag in place over her shoulder with the other. By now Tonoko had risen from his sleep and was shaking off any sleep that still clung to his eyes. He seemed to have heard Tanoki's shuffling since he turned his head and looked at her blearily.

"Good morning, Sleepy Head! It's about time you woke up. I got us some breakfast, if you're hungry."
"Uhm.... Yeaaa. Yea I could go for some food," He mumbled, opening his huge jaws in a yawn.
Tanoki smiled at his cute morning behavior and set down the fish and her bag.
"Do you want the trout raw or cooked?"
"I'll take it raw."

They quickly ate their breakfast before packing up the rest of their stuff and heading out. Tonoko stopped near the edge of the forest and looked back in the direction of the cave he once called home. His heart clenched and he almost didn't want to leave.

Tanoki put a hand on his shoulder and looked at him with sympathetic eyes, "You know Tonoko, you don't have to come with me if you don't want to... You can stay here, your home, if you want. I won't hold anything against you if that's what you decide to do."
He just shook his head, "No, I'm going with you. This place doesn't matter anymore. All that matters now is that we hunt down Skinner and get revenge. It's what we both want."

She nodded and turned back around to continue their hike.The tiger cast one last sad look back over his shoulder at the beautiful forest, before looking away. His forced his legs to keep moving as they walked up the hill, willing for them to ignore his heart and obey his mind.

'It's for the best,' He told himself.

It's for the best...

End of chapter nine