DragonBonds

Processing

The group of friends had run back to the house, Khloe hanging back to keep her eye in the sky for Cloud, with no luck. Vickie helped Connor with leading Andi back to the house, all of them thinking different things about the same thing.

One thing was for certain: Cloud was gone and they needed to get him back.

Connor lead Andi to a couch to let them do what they needed to do to feel better from the situation they all had witnessed, and moved to the kitchen, sitting down and leaning on his elbows, lacing his fingers together in front of his face in deep thought. Vickie stood at the door, waiting for Khloe to return.

When the bat finally touched back down in front of the door, Vickie let her in and gave her a look of concern and worry. Khloe knew what it meant instinctively, and shook her head.

"He's gone, and I don't know where he could've went."

Connor closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He didn't want to ask what was on his mind, but... He needed to know that he didn't imagine what just transpired.

"Khloe? Vickie?" he murmured, hesitantly. "I.... We all saw that, right? I'm not completely mad?"

The two girls on the other side of the room looked at each other, and slowly nodded.

Connor took another, more aggressive deep breath, and ran his hands in his hair, his large ears drooping in frustration.

"Goddammit.... Why didn't he just let us help him?! Why did he have to go and be a- a hero, or something! He doesn't solve anything by doing things by himself, that's why we're here for him isn't it?" The hare had pushed himself out of the seat and began pacing around the kitchen, his hands clenched in loose fists.

The bat watched her best friend pace and get angry at Cloud, and slowly approached him, her wing reaching out for his arm. He stopped pacing as he felt the tug on his sleeve from the bat. He flashed back to the first day they'd seen their friend again since his bonding and what he did to his best friend, and he furrowed his brows again. But he watched as Khloe's face shifted to desperate concern as she spoke.

"Connor... It's not his fault. It's not like he wanted this to happen, he just thought.... He thought something that turned out to be wrong. He wanted to believe he could be comfortable in his fur again. I know I'm not like... the best when it comes to this stuff, but we know Cloud. He... He can't be blamed for this."

It was a new side of her for sure. She'd always seemed more aloof in situations like this, and the first time he lost himself Khloe didn't forgive him for a while. Seeing her find the reasons not to blame him... It made Connor take a moment to breathe and pull her in for a hug.

"I know, I know... I'm just... We could've done more for him, Khlo. What if he doesn't come back?"

"He will. We'll make sure he does."

After watching the two friends talk out some feelings, Vickie turned her attention to Andi, and sat on the chair that touched the couch, getting into a comfortable position just to keep her eyes on Andi. She said nothing, just sat there waiting for them.

Andi's mind had been a whirlwind of grief ever since they had witnessed Cloud disappear from them, go away and be replaced with some... monster. The ringtail was curled up on the couch, tail wrapped tightly around their legs and head buried in a pillow they had clutched in their arms. They couldn't cry, they didn't know if they couldn't or if they forgot how, but they stared into space as their mind raced at a million miles per hour. It roared and growled and shrieked as they lay there, listening to everything going on in their head.

Thoughts swirled and blurred together.

Is he okay?

Will he ever come back?