Frostpaw

Chapter 6 - Understanding

The shrill sound of the alarm pierced through Zèon's thoughts and woke him up from the shallow, uneasy sleep he had managed to get after a few hours of nervousness. That was the first time in which he would have kept on sleeping without the alarm. At least, he comforted himself, that time he had managed to sleep willingly.

The arctic fox rubbed his eyes, still a bit sleepy and with a strong headache. Luca was sitting up at the other side of the room, as fast in waking up as usual, but Vent seemed as dazed as himself. Zèon squirmed under his sheets, uneasy, as the inquiries of the previous night came to his mind as a far echo. He still didn't know how he was going to tell Luca of what he had just discovered without a word. Although he was sure he would find a way, he was afraid that Sophia would manage to hear him even if he made no sound.

"Do you think you'll be able to move today?" Luca asked then. He had stood up and approached the arctic fox's bed, giving him a worried look.

Zèon thought about it for a few seconds.

"I think I will," he murmured, in the end. "If you help me stand up."

Luca nodded and reached out to him, quickly putting an arm around his back once he managed to lift him. Zèon repressed a gesture of pain and closed his eyes, trying to gain enough strength in order to walk. Again, each step he took felt like if a million of needles pierced through the skin from his waist to his neck. He wondered how much would it take for the pain to fade.

"Did you manage to sleep anything last night?" Luca asked then.

Zèon gulped, nervously. He had to be cautious with that answer, or Sophia...

He shook his head.

"Yes," he answered, finally. "A little."

"I'm glad to hear that. In your condition, you should rest as much as possible."

Zèon said nothing for a few seconds, not knowing how to answer to that. It was difficult to make Luca understand what he was thinking about without letting anyone else understand it as well.

Both went out to the corridor and were greeted by some morning conversations. Zèon noticed then that it was the first time he got out of his bedroom so early in the morning, since he was used to waiting a few minutes with Koi, in order to prevent others from watching him while he took a shower. Something inside him rebelled against the idea of being watched, judged and criticized by all those fehlar who still kept some of that crooked mindset that had led them to start the war. And, on the other hand, he didn't want to be an object of pity to any kane who thought his story was a disgrace.

He only wanted to be left alone.

And, however, he could feel clearly the pitying glances or the obvious curiosity of all those who bumped into him.

He shook his head and tried to think again about how he was going to transmit what he knew to Luca without using words. <<Words are only a mirage, an illusion>> his Alchemy master had said time ago. But in that lesson, the teacher referred to their fleeting condition and the fact that the only way to tie them to the earthly world was by writing them down. That wouldn't help.

It was then when Luca gave him an inquisitive look, wondering about the reason of that weird silence. Zèon found his eyes and, feeling hopeful, tried to transmit to him that there was something very wrong, something that worried him, but he couldn't talk about it. Luca held his gaze for a few seconds, confused, until he looked away a bit suddenly.

Zèon hoped he had understood.

"Then, are you sure you are alright?" he asked after a while. There was something different in his tone, something that only Zèon could have felt.