Frostpaw

Chapter 7 - Contact

Next morning, Zèon was surprised to find Vent near the door of the bedroom, with a gesture of doubt. The young boy had sat up in his bed little after the alarm woke all of them and had remained in a thoughtful silence, more absent than usual. After a while, he had stood up and got a few steps closer to the entrance of the bedroom, slowly.

"What's the matter?" the arctic fox asked, feeling curious. Until that moment, the human had remained as far from the door as possible.

Vent turned to him and gave him an ashamed look, almost like a child who had been caught in the middle of some mischief.

"Well, I..." He sighed. "I was thinking... I could go out."

"Go out?" Zèon repeated, puzzled. "But I thought you were afraid the rest of the kane and the fehlar would attack you. I know I told you that they would get used to your presence, but it's been just a few days since you arrived. I think you should give them some time if you want them to make up their minds."

Vent looked down.

"I know," he added. "But I can't help but feeling trapped in here."

"Well, that's because you are trapped," Zèon reminded him, openly. "Just like any of us."

"I mean in this bedroom, not only in the Box," Vent clarified, a bit annoyed. "I've been in here all these days, without doing a thing... and something tells me that, if I don't start relating with your race, they will never get used to me."

"You're right there," Zèon admitted, frowning. "But, will you really risk being attacked only because you want to make some friends? Is gaining the other residents' trust so important to you?"

Vent didn't answer. Zèon understood what his silence implied.

"Oh, I see," he murmured. "You're simply bored."

"Yes," the human recognized, blushing. "These four days have been the longest of my life. I need to do something or otherwise I feel I'll lose my mind. It's like if I was wasting my time, laying down here. Maybe I risk being attacked by some fehlar or kane that gets mad, but I really prefer going out and thinking I'm doing something... even if it's only showing myself."

"I see," Zèon nodded. It wasn't hard for him to imagine how the human felt. Life in the Box could be unbearably boring. "As soon as Luca comes back from the shower, you can ask him if he would mind joining you. I think it would be better for you to be by his side. At least, during the first days," he made a pause and felt a little warmth inside him. "He is a good friend."

Vent nodded, smiling.

"To be honest, I'm a bit nervous," he admitted, after a while. "But I guess I had to show myself sooner or later. I couldn't hide in here forever, right?"

Zèon gave him a little ironic smile, but didn't say anything. He thought to what extent it was ridiculous that he had hidden for so long from those of his own race when even that young human was willing to show himself to them, although being radically different. <<But it's not the same>> he told himself, containing a gesture of sorrow <<He is only different, not a slave. He hasn't been made an object. He's not like me>>.

While the others could hate Vent, they still knew he was a being that matched them. Zèon, however, carried with him the mark of degradation, of shame. No sensible fehlar with a little pride left would have considered that he matched anyone; maybe an animal, or a pet. Those dark thoughts remained in his mind for a few minutes, drowning him into a deep disappointment. It was then when the door of the bedroom opened and Luca appeared, with his fur still a bit wet.