Alone

Twelve

Twist couldn't sleep. She had tried and tried lose consciousness, but it stuck to her like tree sap. Twist looked beside her, to where Dart was asleep. Her breathing was even and relaxed, her expression slack. Twist smiled. She looked so peaceful this way.
"Sleep well..." Twist murmured, standing up. She limped outside, stumbling now and again. It was hard to get used to having only three paws, but Twist figured she'd get it eventually. Apparently not today. Twist stumbled over as she was padding towards the picnic tables, and she fell towards the ground. She prepared to hit it, but never did. Someone had caught her. Twist let herself be pushed upright, steadying herself. She looked over to see who had helped her, and wasn't surprised to see Benny. She smiled at him.
"Thanks." She meowed. "I'm still getting used to having three paws." Benny grinned.
"Well, that's understandable. I would be stumbling too." He said. Twist laughed a little.
"Good to know." She said. There was a pause, and Twist took the opportunity to look at Benny. He was a dark ginger with even darker stripes. His muzzle was also a darker shade, and Twist thought it looked quite nice. She smiled to herself.
"So.." Benny spoke again, "why are you up so late?" Twist frowned.
"I couldn't sleep. I had too much on my mind." She said. Benny nodded.
"I had the same problem.." he murmured, half to himself. There was another pause, but this time Benny was looking at Twist. She smiled a little.
"So uh, do you want to do anything?" She asked. Benny smiled shyly, and Twist assumed he hadn't meant to stare at her like he had.
"Sure. What do you think we should do?" He asked. Twist narrowed her eyes, trying to think. Her thoughts felt like birds in the sky though, there but hard to focus on. She tilted her head to the side.
"Can't think of anything." She said. Benny frowned.
"Me neither." He paused, his eyes lighting up. "Actually, I do have an idea." He looked at Twist.
"We could go for a walk in the horse fields." He looked excited, but the idea brought a wave of nervousness for Twist. Benny's smile faded.
"Or maybe not. I dunno." He said. Twist gave him a gentle nudge.
"I'm fine with horse fields!" She said, hoping she sounded sure of herself. Benny apparently believed her, because the excitement returned to his eyes.
"Okay! Let's go."

Benny and Twist made their way to the horse fields, Benny chatting happily the whole time. Twist still felt nervous, imagining the solid hooves of the horses crushing her or Benny.
Benny knows what he's doing. She reminded herself. He wouldn't put us in danger.
I trust him. Twist thought. She smiled, and limped faster to catch up with Benny. He stopped talking.
"Oh, am I going too fast? I'll slow down." He said hastily. Twist chuckled.
"Don't worry about me." She said. Benny looked at her with a peculiar expression.
"I always worry about you." He murmured. Twist assumed he was just being nice.
"You probably say that to everyone." She replied, looking at the ground. Benny's eyes widened.
"Um, sorry... I didn't mean to.." he trailed off. Twist gave him a gentle shove.
"Don't worry so much. It's all good." She said. Benny laughed, but it was apparent that he still felt awkward. Twist let the matter drop, assuming he didn't want to talk about it. After all, it was just him being nice. The two completed the rest of the journey to the horse fields in silence.

The horse fields were unlike anything Twist had seen before. It was a vast space, surrounded by a wire fence. Massive horses pranced around inside the space, snorting and swishing their tails. The grass was so tall, it almost came up to Twist's ears. It felt like a carefree place, where someone could just run around without a care in the world. Benny seemed quite excited to finally be here.
"This is it." He said. Twist laughed at the shine in his eyes, and he smiled at her, the blood rushing to his cheeks.
"You really like this place, huh?" She said. Benny nodded.
"Yep. It's my favourite place in the whole camp." He responded. Suddenly, he gave her a gentle shove, and Twist found herself rolling down a small slope. She landed at the bottom, her paws tangled in the long grass. She couldn't stop the laughter that was bubbling up inside her, especially not when she saw Benny rolling down the hill after her. Twist stood up, but was knocked back down when Benny veered off course and ran into her. They tumbled in a heap, laughing. Benny ended up laying on top of Twist, who was flat on her stomach. She waved her paws around.
"I can't get up with you laying on me like that!" She said. Benny laughed again and quickly rolled off of Twist, who promptly stood up. She stuck her tongue out at Benny, and he gave her a sly grin.
"If you think this is fun, wait until you see the tire stack." He said suddenly. Twist cocked her head to the side.
"What's that?" She asked. Benny smiled again.
"You'll see soon enough."

The tire stack was exactly what it sounded like. Giant tires were put on top of each other, creating a pillar that reached high into the air. Twist noticed the various claw marks on the tires, and assumed Benny had tried to climb it at one point. She wondered if that was what he planned to do now.
"This is it." Benny said, looking at the stack. "Isn't it wonderful?" Twist thwacked him with her tail.
"It's a stack of tires, not a miracle." She said. Benny laughed.
"It sure feels like one." He replied wistfully. Suddenly, Benny leapt onto the stack, clinging to it with his claws. He scrabbled up the rubber surface, making his way up. Eventually, Benny sat at the top of the stack, beaming down at Twist.
"Now you try." He said. Twist frowned, her amusement fading. She wiggled her front leg, reminding him that she didn't have a paw attached to it anymore. Benny's smile faded.
"Oh." He said after a moment. "I forgot." Twist forced a smile.
"It's fine, just enjoy yourself." She said. Benny frowned and left off the tire stack, landing beside Twist.
"Nope." He said. "It's not fine." Twist widened her eyes.
"What are you going to do about it?" She said. Benny smiled at her.
"I'm going to teach you how to climb."

...

Benny and Twist decided that they would meet for climbing lessons every other night. Twist was secretly touched by Benny's determination, and resolved to do something just as kind for him one day. Twist went to sleep peacefully that night, promising that no matter what, she would always be Benny's friend.