Free Fall (A Furry Story)

IV

The walk back to the estate is long and dreary, and there's been a mood shift in the air around us. What once was bright and cheerful has been replaced by the ominous telling of the future; both of us are sure of what will eventually happen, and it's taken a toll on Henry's usually joyful personality.

It's slowly grown dark in the minutes that we've returned home, with the sun just barely peeking out from behind the horizon where it had been soaring high just moments before. A luminous glow is what's left in the air, with just a moment before what's left is just a memory.

After the arduous hike back up the hill to the estate, we finally arrive at the mansion's driveway. Henry and I manage to trek back to the spot of fence where we had escaped earlier in the day, for now we were making our way inside rather than out.

Well... Henry helped me up. I couldn't nearly make it on my own, and his strength helped get my heavy ass up onto the fence. I fall back down onto a bush with a rustling of greenery, and Henry lands beside me in another bush.

And we laugh.

I don't know why, but somehow this unknown noise gurgles in my throat and escapes into the chill, crisp air. The sound echoes throughout the garden, decorating the grounds just like the snow that's started to settle.

Henry helps me out of the bush, and we straighten ourselves out before his departure. There's one particular twig that's stuck in my hair, and he pulls it out ever so gently, his eyes lingering on me. It makes me turn red, and I turn away in embarrassment.

"I should go in now," I say quietly, glancing at the light that comes from the windows of the estate. "Father will be looking for me."

"Okay," Henry murmurs. He tucks a strand of black hair out of my face, pinning it behind my ear. "You look better now."

"I don't know about that." I smile because of the compliment, and I whisper, "I just wish we could talk more. I enjoyed today. I wish it didn't have to be so... hush-hush."

"Your father doesn't like me much, I think," Henry notes. "It's because of my father, and what he's done. I doubt your father would want his son socializing with... well, me."

"Why would that be?" I ask, curious. "You've shown nothing but kindness to me. Why would Father despise such generosity?"

Henry hesitates, looking off farther into the gardens. There's a clamor at the entrance, and a few of the staff start to look out into the rest of the estate, lanterns clanging against their frail bodies. The coyote doesn't even finish, only saying, "It's time for me to go now."

"Oh..."

"Would you like me to come to you tomorrow?" He asks, and his tail swishes from one side to the other. "I wouldn't want to bother you; I'll only come if you want me to."

I watch the snow drift between us for a moment, contemplating my decision. The way each flake saunters from the air onto the ground, how they land and melt on the tip of his nose... for a moment it's all that I can think about. The snow blinds me from what I should be thinking of.

"That would be wonderful," I say, nodding my head. In one single step, I close the distance between us, wrapping my arms around his solid form, awaiting any form of comfort. I'm greeted by his own arms, and Henry pulls me in closer by encapsulating my smaller soul. My head rests against his chest, and in that singular moment I can hear his lonely heartbeat.