TRENCH

Taking Notes - Chapter Seven

He woke up in the middle of the night, finding that bandages had nearly completely covered his arms. His torso had been wrapping across from the shoulder to the hip and then around his waist in another instance.

When he was done evaluating his state, he looked over to the warmth by his side. The wolf was there in the tent with him, fast asleep.

Carefully, he reached over and gently pet the wolf's head. The fur was a lot softer than he thought it would be. Again, with another careful motion, he moved onto his side and cradled the wolf.

They got the entire camp set up in the time that Clancy was unconscious, they even brought the wolf he once saved before.

"Hey, Fido," Clancy said. And Fido didn't forget his name as his tail wagged slightly.

Clancy found him roaming outside the camp back when he was just a puppy. He had a festering splinter in his back right paw that he couldn't walk on. So Clancy took him in, removed the splinter, and nurtured him until he found that it was time to release him again.

He thought that Fido would've completely forgotten about him given the timeline.

||-//

"So, what are we doing all the way up here?" Calypso asked. "I mean, I'm all for sightseeing, but, why so far from camp?"

"Because this is the only mountain with the best view of the camp," Flynn said. "It'll be worth your while."

"How do you know that this is a good view?" Joby asked. "Since when have you gone up this far?"

"I've never been up here," Flynn admitted. "I just saw it, and I knew."

"And it's the middle of the night so we're going to see the camp lit up," Seth said. "It's going to be very photogenic."

"I wish," Calypso said. "Man, I want a camera."

"You're gonna have to take a personal trip to Dema for that, sister," Joby said, playfully elbowing Calypso. "The Banditos only go for what they need."

"And it's better that way," Flynn remarked. "Now, it's just up this path."

They all step up to a narrow ledge where the mountain oversees the camp. Illuminated by the fires and lanterns.

"Wow," Calypso gasped.

"I'm disappointed," Joby said. "The camp looks smaller from here."

"Don't ruin this, too," Flynn muttered.

"What?" Joby asked.

"Nothing," Flynn replied. "Just, enjoy the view while we're up here. It won't be for long."

"That wasn't what I heard," Joby accused. "Say it again."

Flynn turned and looked at Joby hard. "Okay, I said, 'don't ruin this, too'."

"What the hell has been your problem lately?" Joby hissed.

"More like what the hell has your problem been?" Flynn remarked. "Going around being an insensitive prick to someone whose father died?"

"Whoa, Flynn," Calypso said. "We don't need to get personal."

"It's already personal," Flynn hissed. "It has been since he said it."

"Said what?" Joby asked defensively.

"You called my brother a 'pussy' for grieving over his dead father," Flynn snapped. "I don't care about your story because you should be more open to ours."