Last Thing (A MLB Ancestors Short Story)

Chapter 5: Forests, Foxes, and Feelings

"A Tale of Fallen Heroes (Pt.5)"

Chapter 5: Forests, Foxes, and Feelings

"What are you doing?"

Bumblewing flinched at the sound of her comrade's voice behind her. She quietly turned around—sill in her crouching-position on the rooftop. Behind her, Remmytail was crouched next to her. He looked conflicted, like he was confused, curious, and nervous at her current predicament. At his look of concern, Bumblewing hurried to explain the situation to her friend—whispering all the while.

"It's probably nothing! I just—" she hesitated before continuing. "I just have a gut feeling that something big is going to happen. And it makes me feel uneasy." After a few moments of silence, she spoke again. "Like I said, it's probably nothing. I shouldn't have troubled you with it."

The presence of a comforting hand on her shoulder made her look up into Remmy's honey-hued eyes. He looked at her with sincerity and rubbed his thumb—gentleman-like—along her shoulder to console her.

"I disagree," he said, softly. "I'm glad you told me, or else I would have felt incredibly stupid, myself. You see, I've had the same feeling all day." He took in her shocked face and chuckled, quietly. "Yeah, it's true. It feels like something is taunting me—but I can't see what it is. So, I transformed and thought I'd keep watch over the city. I can see now that you had the same idea."

Bumblewing nodded and turned back to face the skyline of their village.

"You're right," she said, voice still barely above a whisper. "I came here to see if I could somehow get rid of this feeling if I convinced myself that I was doing everything I could to protect my home." She turned to the handsome brunette male. "How did you find me? How did you know I was here?"

"I didn't," he confessed. "I just was making my way to the scene of the last Tainted attack, which is near here, and I spotted your figure on this rooftop. I almost missed you because you were crouched so low. I recognized your pretty face—only this is the first time that I've seen you looking so grim. I knew something must have been wrong." He turned to face the skyline that shone in the moonlight.

The couple was there for quite some time—it must have been well into the early hours of the morning before they noticed the small light in the forest. The flickering of what must have been a fire was dim, but it was present through the thicket in the distance. The sun was far from being up, yet, and the moon was still in the sky. It was Remmytail who spotted it first, with his heightened sense of sight. He'd quietly sprung to his feet, startling Bumblewing as he did so. He quickly relayed to her what he saw and they agreed to take a closer look.

The pair sped overtop of the town, bounding on the tops of roofs, walls, and trees to reach their destination. At last, they came to an abrupt stop—a slight distance from the light—for fear that the perpetrators may spot them and run off.

Instincts kicking in, Remmytail snagged Bumblewing around her waist and pulled them both into a different patch of forest a little bit off. He pressed her back firmly against a nearby tree and stood in front of her. He hurriedly clamped a hand over her mouth and held a finger to his own, indicating for her to be silent.

While practically holding her breath, Bumblewing slowly regained her senses after the initial adrenaline wore off. She could hear the faintest of footsteps and the snap of a twig coming from where they had previously been standing.