Burdens [Furry BxB]

Chapter 14 - Rise

Roger just laid there, under the wolf. Looked up into the groggy, yet alert eyes. They were slightly bloodshot from the sleep that had just fled.

The wolf was no longer on top of him, yet he was still above him. He had suspended himself with his arms and legs so as to remove his weight from the fox. There was concern in his expression and confusion.

The fox adjusted himself awkwardly, bending his legs slightly to cover up his morning reaction. He blushed slightly and was glad that the wolf had not to notice, or if he did, that he did not make mention of it. "You fell on top of me when you were sleeping," the fox explained.

The expression of concern intensified, and the wolf spoke softly, "I'm sorry, I didn't know. Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

He shook his head. The wolf moved back into his bed, but only to sit. He peered down at the fox, attempting to assess the situation, it would seem. Nothing looked broken or out of place, so he calmed himself.

Roger carefully squirmed out of the blanket and sat up, grabbing his tail and placing it upon his lap in what he considered was a motion of thoughtfulness, but also with the ulterior motive of concealing that of which he wished not manifest. He looked at the wolf, then looked away, noticing that there was no effort being taken to adorn a shirt. The morning had given him a reason to avert his gaze, for he knew they sought an object of desire.

"Are you sure you're okay?" the wolf asked. His brows were furrowed and he stared intensely at the fox. "I'm sorry...."

"It's okay, I'm not hurt," Roger said. He continued to look away, which caused more alarm, it seemed.

The wolf dropped to the ground to sit next to the fox and gave him a hug from the side. There was a soft whimper and his voice seemed to crack in a whisper, "Please don't be upset...."

Roger kept silent for a moment, unsure of how to respond. He did feel a slight bit sore from having a weight upon him for the night, and it was only then when he felt pressure against him that he realized it. Yet, it was of no consequence and he disregarded it. The problem he faced was much more troubling, and he tried to make it go away before the wolf would notice. Still, in the case of the wolf noticing, he would be prepared, so he ran through some ideas in his head of how to explain it.

He gave a response after a moment and said, "I'm not upset. It was an accident, you're okay."

This calmed the wolf a little, but only a little. The fox yawned and decided the best course of action was to distract the wolf long enough for them to depart from the situation. He attempted to convey his hunger. His stomach growled as if on cue.

The wolf took note of it and acted in kind. He gestured for the fox to stand and follow him, which was opposite the reaction of which the fox wanted to do, but he obliged, feeling it would be suspicious of him to do otherwise. Carefully, though, he stood up facing away from the wolf and inconspicuously adjusted his pants as he stood slowly.

He knew it would go away, he just had to give it time. He explained that his sort of limping was because of the pressure placed upon him as he slept and that he felt that he not fully recovered. He did not lie, but he did not indicate what the real nature of the problem was.

They found their way to the kitchen. it was still mostly dark outside, but there were a few rays of light that began to appear. It was not enough to illuminate the kitchen, however, so they turned on a light overhead. It was slow to gain power, apparently an effort to conserve electricity, especially since it did not seem that they had much money to burn in the first place.

The wolf opened the refrigerator. It was mostly barren except for a few leftovers here and there, and some ingredients for cooking. The fox felt bad, for he had ingested some of their food, all the while they had very little. He would have to make note of that and make mention to his parents, perhaps if he were to come over again on an occasion, he would help provide some of the expense of eating.

The wolf, however, grabbed a couple of eggs and some vegetables and cheese. There was at least enough to make a couple of omelettes. There was a sigh from him, as he knew just as well that they would not be well fed for the duration of his visit.

The stove turned on and the eggs were broken. There was a hiss as the food began to heat.

Roger walked away for a moment while the wolf cooked. He did not want to interrupt the process, and the longer he stayed the worse he felt. He made his way to the small living room and looked down the hallway, spying a pair of eyes looking at him. They were lower to the ground and they glowed in the reflected light.

He was startled at first, but then recognized the smaller wolf, who began to approach.

Matt rubbed his eyes and yawned. He inquired as to what woke them so early, but the fox reminded him that it was not actually that early, it merely seemed to be so. He checked the clock to be sure he was not wrong, and he was not.

The little wolf seemed to be hungry, but he knew where to go. He grabbed some milk and a box of cereal and fed himself. The fox wishes he had thought of cereal before Hunter had put himself to work.

He sat next to the fox and ate his cereal in silence. Roger felt a bit awkward and moved away slightly, but shook his head and reminded himself that there was nothing wrong.

It took only a moment for the food to be done. It was meagre at best, but the wolf handed him a plate with an omelette on it. It looked edible enough and tasted much better than it appeared. He looked at Hunter to see how he was enjoying it.

Either he was very hungry and had already devoured it, or he simply did not have any. Roger's heart sank, and he offered the rest to Hunter, who refused at first. After some goading and some claims that he was not hungry, the fox made him accept it, and as predicted, he devoured it in only a couple seconds.

The rest of the day was open for them. The fox looked at Hunter, and judging by his face, he seemed as if he had plans for them.

Roger sighed. The inconveniences of being away from home were high to him, and he felt the burden of the situation. He remembered the morning, however, and something nagged at him on the inside. Secretly, he felt all of the trouble ended up being worth such a moment.

The sun finally came up.