Blinded (A Sequel to "Sight")

Ode To a Friend

Rose picked up the tiny mouse, who was bleeding all over. The arrows that had been shot at him had fallen out, due to his change in size. Tears came into Rose’s eyes. He can’t be gone. He can’t!

    Benton took a ragged breath, and whined in pain. Rose looked up at her mother. “He-he’s badly hurt!”

    Elisha ran up to them, put an arm around Rose, and led her towards the cottage. Once inside, Rose set Benton down on the table as her mother searched for the first aid kit. Daina sat next to Benton, looking sadly between Rose and her mate.

    Rose still couldn’t believe that this sweet little mouse had been that giant beast. What had happened to him?

    But even though the arrows had made small impacts when he was big, the arrow marks stayed the same once he turned back to normal. The slash that had gone through his shoulder went halfway up his back, and the one in his hind leg went through his whole leg. He was losing a lot of blood-- too much for a little guy like him.

    Elisha came back into the kitchen, holding the first aid kit. She hurriedly opened it up, taking out a few items. She took out a rag and started wiping up some of his blood. Rose took the bandages and started wrapping them around his wounds. He twitched, and suddenly started coughing. Blood spattered on the table as he coughed it up.

    Daina squeaked at him. Benton laid back on the table. But there was no more ragged breathing. There was no breathing at all.

    Rose put a hand up to his neck to check his pulse. There was nothing there except coldness. Rose choked back a sob. She went to put her hand up to her face, only to remember it was soaked in blood-- both hers and Benton’s.

    Tears crawled down her face. Rose’s arms started to shake, and she had nowhere to put them. 

    Daina continued squeaking at Benton, sounding just as distressed as Rose felt. Elisha cleaned off her hands with the already-blood-soaked rag, then pulled Rose into a hug. Rose cried into her mother’s shirt.

                        . . . 

    Now with her arm bandaged up, Rose lifted up Benton’s body, now covered in a small, white blanket. Her eyes were red from crying, and she continuously sniffed. Heading outside, she walked over to the small hole her mother had dug up. Daina stood nearby, ears down.

    Rose lowered the body into the hole, fixing the blanket so that it looked comfortable, and as if he was just sleeping.

    Elisha watched her as she stood back up. “Today, we remember a friend. He was always there, and would always lend an ear. And though he was just a mouse, he was much more than that. He was the greatest companion you could ask for. Today, we remember Benton.”

    Elisha put an arm around her daughter, and together they stared at his headstone. Benton: The Greatest Companion You Could Ask For.

    Eventually, they covered Benton’s body with dirt. Rose plucked a nearby flower and put it on top of his grave; a rose. 

    Once back inside, Rose sat on the couch, staring into space. She still couldn’t believe that he was gone. It didn’t seem real. Maybe it had just been a dream. A nightmare. Rose closed her eyes, then opened them back up, only to still be in the same spot.

    After a few minutes (or hours-- it was hard to tell), a knock could be heard from the door. Rose stayed sitting. She didn’t feel like seeing anyone right now.

    But her mother went up to the door and answered it. “Oh, hello Varian. What’re you doing here?”

    “I saw the grave outside.” Varian sounded distressed. “What happened?”

    Elisha cast a glance at her daughter, who hadn’t looked up this whole time. “Best if we talk about it outside.”

    The door slammed shut behind them.

~Varian’s POV~

    A few minutes earlier

    Varian walked up to Rose’s cottage, hoping that they could hang out. Though something seemed off-- usually Rose came to his house early in the morning. Today, she hadn’t. 

    He had been thinking about Griffin’s death. It was too odd, and didn’t add up at all. If Griffin was planning to harm him and Rose, why kill himself? He could’ve tried escaping instead, but he didn’t.

    As Varian walked through Rose’s front yard, he noticed a large rock sitting near a tree, and a rose sitting before it. He padded up to it. His eyes widened.

    Benton: The Greatest Companion You Could Ask For. Varian stared at it in shock. Benton was dead?

    Tears stung in the corners of his eyes. Next to Rudiger, Benton was his best pal. He was such a sweet, little mouse, who’d always make him laugh. Rudiger was close to him, too. He’d be devastated.

    Varian wiped the tears from his eyes, then slowly walked up to the cottage door. He hesitated for a moment before knocking.

    Nothing happened for a few seconds, then the door opened, Rose’s mother in the doorway.

    “Oh, hello Varian. What’re you doing here?” she asked.

    Varian looked over her shoulder, seeing Rose sitting on the couch, not even looking up. “I saw the grave outside. What happened?”

    Elisha peered back at Rose, then turned back to Varian. “Best if we talk about it outside.” She stepped forward, closing the door behind her.

    Elisha sighed. “There was… an incident.”

    “Wh-what kind of incident?” Varian asked.

    “A giant beast came to our home, so we fought it. Rose got injured,” -Varian tensed- “But she’s fine now. But the thing is… that beast was actually Benton. There was a flash of light, and the creature was gone, Benton in its place. But while his size changed, the injury sizes didn’t… and he lost too much blood.”

    Varian was speechless. How could this have happened? Then something clicked. A giant beast that turned back to normal in a flash of light…

    “Would you say this beast was about… say ten feet tall?” Varian inquired.

    Elisha was surprised by this question. “I-I suppose.”

    “And did he have long claws and teeth?”

    “Yeah.”

    “I know what happened,” Varian told her. “I-I have a serum that can turn Rudiger into a beast just like that description. Then afterwards, he turns back to normal in a flash of light.”

    “But how could Benton get into that serum?” Elisha quizzed.

    “I don’t know,” Varian admitted. “He could’ve accidentally gotten into mine at my house.”

    “Or someone else has that same serum,” Elisha suggested.

    Varian’s eyes widened. “And I have an idea who might.”