Against All Odds: Part 4 - Old Scars
#4 of Against All Odds Universe
Part 4 - Time for Nate to start his journey across the ocean... but not before a couple of issues demand his attention.
Bit of a longer chapter this, one that became two parts for a while over the course of writing - back to one now, since I didn't feel the two it became were strong enough to stand alone.
Constructive thoughts/comments are welcomed and appreciated!
Part 4 - Old Scars
"I cannot believe we have just one more day to wait, Nate. I worried this moment would not come." "Can't believe it either, Alex," Nathan answered chirpily into the wireless microphone hooked onto the collar of his maroon, short-sleeved shirt. He stood over his bed, stuffing an assortment of clothes into the trolley bag laid out upon it. "Work's dragged like crazy these last few weeks, today especially. I've pretty much sleepwalked straight through them though." The husky jammed a pair of black denim jeans into his overflowing case and turned to face the laptop he'd positioned atop his bed's side-table. On screen, a real-time image of Alexei looking back, the glowing green light of the webcam above the display confirming he had the means to observe Nathan as he packed.
"So, you have been as excited as me about this?" Alexei asked jovially, casually stroking away at the brown tuft of fur atop his head. "Well, I... sure," the husky responded, hesitantly cocking his head in a gesture that would have gone unnoticed if not for the active camera. "For the most part, at least." "Oh, Nate, you should not be worried. This trip, it will be easy, and I shall pick you up from the harbour when you arrive tomorrow evening. You have nothing to fear." "I know I shouldn't," Nathan replied with a warm smile, sitting himself down upon the edge of his bed, "and I know you'll look after me. I'm just a little nervous about... the company finding out why I've really taken time off, getting through all the security checks at the airport, you know? "It will be fine, all will be fine. I have all I need ready for you, so you can settle very easily when you get here." Nathan nodded, scratching at an ear. "Yeah... I'm sure." He couldn't bring himself to reveal the other, larger reasons behind his uncertainty to Alexei. Although the creeping doubts that'd been so prevalent when making his decision a month prior had largely faded, their remnants still lurked at the back of Nathan's mind. At moments like this, when he had the opportunity to think at length about his journey, they surfaced again without fail.
"What time is your flight this evening?" "It's a late one, just before eleven." The husky snapped away from his thoughts to glance at the alarm clock beside his laptop. "It's quarter past seven now, so I'll leave to catch the train to the airport soon. Just waiting on a friend to drop off something he managed to get for me, then I'm good to go." "It is a shame you cannot fly straight here to Velika. I am thinking it will take more years before our airports are ready for Polcians." "It'd save a lot of time, that's for sure. On the plus side though, I get to see a bit of Bolstrovo before catching the ferry onwards. It's supposed to be a lot like Velika was before the w-- I mean, back when..." "Back when we all lived together." Alexei smiled, winning a matching response from Nathan once he realised he'd not upset the wolf or put a dampener on the conversation by referring to their peoples' dark collective past.
The dull buzz of the apartment's doorbell rang out a few seconds later. "That'll be my friend. One sec, Alex." "No problem." "Intercom on, front door," Nathan stated with a slightly raised voice. He waited a second, taking his cue to continue from the subtle electronic ping that hummed from a series of small speakers in each corner of the room. "Hello?" "Hey Nate, it's Shaun," the squirrel's voice sounded through the intercom system, "I've got your Normaliser." "Oh cool. Hang on, I'll let you in." "Should I let you go, Nate?" Alexei inquired in a half-whisper, still watching on. The snow-furred canine peered back at his computer with a grin. "No, no. That's okay." He stood up from the bed, clearing his throat before issuing a second command. "Unlock, front door." A faint, metallic clunk travelled through the apartment as the automated locking system carried out the instruction. "Thanks, man." "No worries, come on in. I'm in my bedroom, packing." Nathan shifted on his heels, turning to face the bed again. "Intercom off." "So, Nate..." Alexei murmured, a little unsurely. "You can just speak to door and ask it to open?" Nathan quickly shoved one last hooded top into his trolley case and zipped it up. "I can indeed. Most things around the house can be done on voice command here in Linvendia." "Wow, that is amazing!" "I suppose it is." He chuckled inwardly, not wishing to risk coming across as condescending by laughing visibly at Alexei's astonishment. "It's kinda standard here these days, so I'm used to it."
Light footsteps became audible from the living room, growing gradually louder until the automatic door of the bedroom slid open to reveal Shaun's short frame. "Hey, Nate." "Heya, how's it going?" "Not bad, thanks," the red squirrel answered with a tired sigh as he entered the room, his large, bushy tail brushing against the doorframe. "Busy... real busy, but all done for the weekend now." "Nice, much planned for it?" "Yeah, I'm gonna head up...to..." Shaun trailed off, peering past Nathan towards the still active laptop sat atop the side-table. "Nate, man, is that...?" "O-oh yeah," the husky responded, following his friend's eyeline with a sheepish grin, "Shaun, I'd like you to meet Alexei. Alex, this is my friend, Shaun." "Hello there," the wolf greeted the squirrel with a smile and a swift wave of his paw. "It is nice to meet you." "Hey... yeah, likewise." Shaun's tail twitched, alluding to his discomfort. "N-Nate, here's the Normaliser. Picked it up with my work discount today. "Thanks. I owe you one." "Yeah... don't... mention it." "You okay?" Nathan muttered with a frown, flashing another quick glance back at his notebook. "Oh come on, don't be scared." "I'm not scared," Shaun grumbled under his breath. "It's just... weird I guess." "How?" "Just that he looks... normal on that screen, rather than some building-sized--"
"Is that one of your voice machines?" Alexei's accented voice piped up from the computer, bringing silence to the room. He'd seemingly noticed the slender, headset-like device within the squirrel's paw. "Yeah, it is, Alex," Nathan answered. "I'll be bringing it along so you don't accidently deafen me." "This is useful, I think," the wolf chuckled. "You have automatic homes, voice-changing machines; Polcian technology is wonderful. Maybe one day we shall have such things." "Typical macro," Shaun scoffed to himself, barely audible even to Nathan's sharp canine ears. "All about our tech." "Hey!" he snarled back, motioning a finger to the mic on his shirt collar. "Shut the hell up, yeah?" "Is... there problem Nate?" Alexei's voice was muted, his white-tipped, grey ears half-lowered. "Did I say something wrong?" Nathan's rage swiftly turned to concern, a kind smile replacing his angry scowl as he quickly marched over to the computer. "No, not at all. It's just that... Shaun reminded me is all. I need to head to the airport real soon." "Oh, okay." The wolf's cheery expression slowly returned in response to Nathan's hastily thrown-together explanation. "In that case, I shall wish you a good evening and very safe journey." "Thank you, Alex. You get yourself a good night's sleep and I'll... see you tomorrow." "Yes, you will!" Alexei beamed, moving a paw to the side of his webcam. "Goodnight!"
In an instant, the screen flashed to black, leaving the two friends alone in Nathan's bedroom. "You can be a real prick sometimes, y'know that?" the husky snapped, closing his computer and sliding it into its case. "What!?" "You know what!" Shaun shrugged casually. "It's true though. It's all about getting hold of what they don't have." "For the love of the gods, he was just curious about the Normaliser!" With a rumbling growl, Nathan gathered up his laptop. "Stop making him out to be some sort of evil monster, alright? I had enough of all that back in school." "I'm not--" "Yes, you are!" "Stop being so--" "Hey, I'm not getting into this damn argument with you again, alright!?" Nathan refused to let his friend get a word out. He could feel his hackles rising as he lugged the large travel case up off his bed with his free arm, before stomping off past the motionless squirrel and into the living area.
"Hey, listen," Shaun muttered, following Nathan out of the bedroom. "I'm sorry about what I said, really. I didn't come to argue." Nathan didn't answer, throwing his case to the floor just inside the apartment's front door. Fortunately, he'd maintained the wherewithal not to do the same to his computer, bending down to rest it atop the bag instead. "Nate, come on. I'm not gonna get on your back again. You know the risks, so I'm not gonna harp on about them." The squirrel shuffled over to the couch in the centre of the room, slowly sitting himself down upon it. "Besides, you need this." Nathan focused in on Shaun's extended paw, taking notice of the Normaliser still held within it. "Come on, man. I'm sorry for talking smack about your friend." "Fine," Nathan grouched, starting his way back across the room with a heavy sigh. "Just lay off, got it?" "Got it." Shaun smiled, offering the device to the canine once he'd taken a seat next to him on the cream and chocolate sofa. "So, how do I put this thing on?" Nathan gruffed, accepting the Normaliser and giving it a quick once over. "Looks a bit technical." "Naa, it's easy, really." The squirrel motioned towards the device's wired earpieces. "They're kinda like headphones. Only difference being that you can't listen to that guitar-wailing crap you call music with 'em." "Oh, funny." "Yeah, I thought so too." Shaun smirked before carrying on with his tutorial. "The plugs act to suppress Velikan voices down into something more manageable to our smaller ears, their heavier footsteps, too. They'll sound just like they would if you were speaking to 'em over the phone or through the computer." "What if I need to talk to someone from back here?" "You'll still be able to talk to Polcians in person with it since it's programmed to ignore certain frequencies, our voices included." "Right. What about this bit?" "This the first time you've seen one of these, or what?" Shaun moved his paw over to the long, strap-like section attached to the opposite ends of the earplug cables. "That part you fasten around your neck, bit like a collar. There's a transformer in there that enhances your voice so that the macros can hear you better. Don't worry about taking it off to talk on the phone or anything like that, since they have similar technology; they'll suppress your voice back down as if you were a Velikan."
"And it definitely works?" Nathan inquired, leaning forward to place the Normaliser onto the dark wooden coffee table. "I mean, it seems pretty basic for what it s'posed to do." "'course it works! That's fifty years of engineering right there, developed from the big headsets our soldiers used during the war to protect their hearing from the Velikans." "And now we're using it to talk to them." "Yeah, bit of a one-eighty," Shaun muttered, readjusting to get himself and his big tail comfortable on the old couch. "Listen, Nate... I know I said I weren't gonna go on about my worries, but--" "No. Stop right there," the white canine moaned, turning away dramatically. "You damn well said--" "Wait, hear me out, hear me out. Please." Nathan huffed, folding his arms and throwing himself back in the sofa. "Go on then." The squirrel scratched at the red fur of his forehead. "I just wanted to repeat what I said to you about being careful over there." "Holy hell. What are you, my mother? I can--" "Stick with Alex and don't go off alone. Don't want you getting yourself attacked by some Polcian-hating mega-prick." "Don't be daft." "Daft? Do you watch the news!?" Shaun sprang up from his seat so that he loomed over the still-seated husky. "Ain't you heard about those anti-Polican groups gaining in popularity in the last few years, or about all the protests against us going over there to steal and obsolete their jobs. Not to forget about the ones that're still pissed about losing a war to a so-called inferior race."
Nathan joined his friend in standing up from the couch, feeling a lump beginning to form in his throat. He grabbed up his new Normaliser from the table. "T-there's anti-Velikan hate groups here too, but it's a minority, probably just like over there." "Yeah, but there ain't no Velikans here to get beat up on. Even if there were, it wouldn't be so straightforward to attack one, would it?" "Listen, what do you want me to say, huh? You think I never have doubts?" Nathan's voice quivered as he brushed past Shaun, pacing over towards his trolley case. "I'm worried sick, okay, happy!?" "Nate," the squirrel whined, watching Nathan unzip his bag and forcefully throw the voice manipulator into it, "I--" "The more I think things through, the more I think that going there is wrong on every possible level," the husky cried with angstful rage, closing the case and spinning around to face his old friend, "but another part... another part refuses to give in. It keeps telling me that meeting Alex is the best thing I'll ever do with my life." Shaun slowly sat himself back down upon the striped settee, clearly taken aback by the outburst. "I-I'm torn up." Nathan closed his eyes and clutched at his blond head fur. "But, I need to do this." "Okay... I get you--" "I've never met anyone like Alex before." The canine could feel himself starting to blush beneath his fur, but couldn't stop himself. "I've never... felt what I feel for him before." A cold tingle crept up his spine, fully aware of just what he'd just let slip.
An awkward silence took hold of the small living area, save for the faint murmurings of activity coming from the neighbouring apartments. The two friends glared at each other from opposing sides of the room for what, to Nathan at least, felt like an eternity. "Wow." Shaun became the first to speak up again, looking extremely unsure of himself as his tail flailed relentlessly against the couch. "It kinda makes sense now, why you're so committed." "Tasha didn't tell you, I guess?" "Wait, she knew?" "I didn't tell her outright, if that's what you're thinking." Nathan's ears pinned themselves down to his skull. He leaned against the wall adjacent to the front door, gazing out of the window at the sunset-soaked cityscape. "She kinda guessed at it." "Man," Shaun laughed uneasily, "and I thought that night back at the dorm was shocking." "You're really comparing this to me coming out to you?" "No... well, yeah... not exactly. I mean that wasn't a big deal to me, and--" "And this is?" "No, I... stop puttin' words in my mouth!" The squirrel stood up and paced over towards his friend, struggling to get his response out. "I know that it's not unheard of... well, it's not common but... listen, I don't particularly like Velikans, probably never will." "Stop, please," Nathan moaned. "I can't--" "You're my friend though." Shaun smiled, reaching up and slapping a paw onto the taller canine's shoulder once he got close enough. "If you really want to get with a macro, I'm not gonna hate you for it. Even if it's... pretty fuckin' out there, y'know?" Nathan's ears sprang back up to their standing position as he looked down into his friend's eyes. "Thanks, I think." "Just don't expect me to be gettin' on a plane to go meet him, yeah?"
Cheerful laughter filled the apartment as the tension eased and faded away. The husky had never planned on revealing the feelings he held for Alexei to anyone. At the very least, he'd intended on waiting until he'd discovered whether or not they were reciprocated before even contemplating doing so. In stark contrast to this, Nathan had now allowed his two closest friends in on his secret within a month of each other. Thankfully, both appeared to have taken the news as well as he could have hoped for. "Man, I can only imagine what your folks would make of this," Shaun snickered with a shake of his head. "They musta freaked enough when they found out you were headin' off to Velika, so I guess explainin' to them you've got the hots for one of the natives wasn't on the agenda, right?" "Yeah, you could say that," Nathan answered, bending down to grasp the extending handle of his wheeled trolley bag while throwing the shoulder-strap of his laptop case over his head. "So, how did they take it?" "They were... okay. No big deal." He stood back up, bringing the trolley's handgrip as well as his notebook computer up along with him. "Come on Shaun, I really need to be heading off to catch my train." The squirrel narrowed his eyes accusingly. "You haven't told them, have you?" "Do you tell your 'rents about every move you make?" Nathan muttered dismissively, commanding the front door to unlock by gently placing a hand paw upon the sensor panel on the wall next to it, "I didn't think they needed to know." "You didn't want to tell them, you mean." "That too," Nathan retorted, exiting the apartment once the door had slid open. "Damn it, Nate. You can't just disappear without tellin' them you're going away at least... what if they need to get hold of you, or worse, what if something does happen?" The husky sighed in annoyance, carrying on down the white-walled, blue-carpeted hallway with both his trolley and friend in tow. "I suppose."
After a short walk, the pair reached the entrance of the building's main elevator at the end of the corridor. With a jab of his finger, Nathan pressed the call button, causing the metallic doors in front of him to rattle open with a ping moments later. Once inside, he verbally requested movement to the ground floor, juddering the car back into life. '12...11.' The bright, red numbers of the elevator's display ticked down as they slowly made their descent. Out of the corner of his eye, Nathan could see his red-furred friend constantly looking towards him, only to turn away again whenever he tried to make eye-contact. After several failed attempts, he finally called him out on it. "What's up?" "Well... I wanted to ask..." '8...7...' Nathan cocked his head, puzzled as to what his usually outspoken friend could have possibly had on his mind that would cause such hesitancy. "I was wonderin'... h-how would... I mean." The squirrel took a deep breath in an apparent attempt to relax himself. "I can understand how a Polcian can fall for a Velikan, but... the size difference." "Right, what about it?" '5...4...' "Wouldn't that make certain things... difficult?" The canine smirked, raising his eyebrows. "What kinda things?" Shaun chuffed, briefly covering his eyes with a paw. "You know what." "No, maybe I don't. Do tell me, though." "Look, stop trying to be clever. It doesn't suit you." Nathan snorted, wearing a huge grin. "Okay. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, eh? But... I'm sure we'd work something out in that respect." The squirrel giggled to himself, obviously going over some of the more amusing thoughts in his head. '1...G' Another loud ping resonated through the slowing elevator car, confirming its arrival at the ground floor. "What. A. Mindjob," Shaun snickered. "I want you to be doubly careful now, deal?" "Deal," the husky replied, joining in with a laugh of his own as they exited out into the lobby.
Evening twilight had fallen upon the rolling green hills of Linvendia's countryside by the time Nathan's train arrived at the airport, the remnants of the day exploding across the horizon in a flare of orange, red and pink. He heaved himself and his luggage out onto the well-lit, open-air platform with stiff legs; a culmination of standing aboard the tightly packed carriage for close to an hour, as well as the nervous tension he felt at being so close to his departure into the unknown. The short walk from the airport's station to the main terminal proved to be a chance for Nathan to stretch out his limbs and recover. It also provided him with the opportunity to spend even longer being preoccupied with the annoyingly persistent thoughts and concerns still circling around his head. "Do I or don't I tell them?" he mused to himself, adjusting the now uncomfortable shoulder strap of his laptop case. He retrieved his phone from his pocket, glaring down at its illuminated blue screen while guiltily pondering the comments Shaun had made back at the apartment regarding his parents. "I guess he's right. They ought to know I'm going away."
Nathan thumbed at the device's green 'call' button just as he walked into the huge, glass-plated terminal building. Hundreds of people milled noisily about its main foyer, moving between the numerous walkways and corridors that jutted off in all directions to other various areas of the extensive airport complex. He found a quiet spot just inside the entrance, away from the busy check-in counters and service desks, waiting for the shrill beep from his mobile that prompted him to issue a command. "Make call. Home." Nathan held his device up to ear, taking advantage of the extending speaker panel in respect of his longer, canine muzzle. With each passing ring, his nervousness built higher and higher as he struggled to piece together the right words to say. 'I can't lie to my parents like I did to the boss, they know me too well. Half-truths and ambiguity, that's that way to go.' "Hello, this is the Frost residence." The husky let his shoulders sag, relaxing a little at slightly robotic rendition of his mother's voice by his parents' answerphone. "Sorry we're not available to take your call, please leave a message after the tone." The loud ping that followed jolted Nathan, reminding him that he still needed to think up a suitable excuse to relay to the machine waiting at the other end of the line. "Oh, hi Mum, Dad... It's Nathan... I just wanted to call to let you know that I'm going..." Words suddenly began to fail him, scattering about his head like so many leaves in the wind. He took a half-moment to compose himself, proceeding on with whatever flowed forth naturally. "I'm going oversea--out of the country for a while... three weeks. Just thought you should know, incase you try to reach me at home. I'll give you a call tomorrow once I get settled in. Take care. Tell Luke and Paula their big brother sends his love next time they call you from University. Bye." Nathan hung up with a relieved groan and quickly shoved his phone back into his pocket. While the brief message wouldn't be enough to appease his parents, he felt certain that it set up a solid enough foundation for him to build upon without having to reveal his true destination when they called back. 'Half-truths and ambiguity. Nailed it.'
A short, slaloming stroll through the crowded terminal hall saw Nathan arrive at the check-in desk for 'Bolstrovan Air'. A short scan of his travel documents and a significantly longer check of his trolley bag later, he was permitted access to the security hall. Unlike for domestic and continental travel, the 'outgoing customs' section of the hall for those travelling out of Polcia proved to be extremely thorough. For the former, a quick body scan and a check of his boarding pass would been called for. For the latter however, Nathan discovered a whole added layer of intense scrutiny had to be endured. He faced a barrage of questions about his trip, such as his purpose for travel, where he would be residing, how long he intended on staying and so on. At the same time, his laptop and phone were whisked away for data scanning by a surly customs agent, an agent only too happy to state it was his duty to ensure nothing contained within them posed a threat to "Polcian security". As much as he wanted to mock the idea, Nathan remained quiet and cooperative throughout. He'd come too far to be denied permission to depart and thrown unceremoniously out of the airport by some jumped-up security guards. After an inquisition that played out over a good half-hour at least, he finally gained permission to travel, making it through to the relative haven of the departure lounge.
"Nine-thirty," Nathan mumbled, looking down at the clock on his phone while parking himself on one of the several padded benches scattered about the departures hall, "still an hour before the gate opens." He reached into the brown paper bag in his paw, revealing a grilled chicken and vegetable wrap he'd purchased to tide himself over until the morning. Not as tasty as the 'Hot n' Spicy Mega Meat Feast' sub he also spied while browsing the store certainly, but a lot more forgiving on the waistline. He leaned back in his chair, preparing to kick back and relax as best he could before having to venture off to board his flight. The ensuing musical jingle that sounded out from his pocket just as he readied the first bite of his snack suggested he'd have no such luck however. "Damn it," Nathan grumbled, retrieving his mobile once more. "Was just a matter of time." With a tap of the screen and an extension of the mouthpiece, he held the device up to his ear. "Hi Mum... how's it going?" "Hello, Nathan," his mother replied with a hint of annoyance, making the young husky's ears droop, "I got your message." "Oh, good. I hoped you wou--" "So, where are you going, and why am I hearing about this only now?" Nathan's parents had always been a little on the overbearing side, something that hadn't changed even after moving two-hundred miles away from home, and had only worsened in the past few months. "As I said earlier..." He froze, mind blank. 'What did i say earlier!?' "I heard what you said," his mother filled in the silence, sounding a little more angered, "but I'd hoped you might expand on that a bit." Nathan tugged at the collar of his maroon shirt anxiously, exposing more of his snowy chest ruff. "I'm going to stay with... a friend." "What kind of friend?" "Just... one that I met through a computer game, a long time ago." "So you've never met them before?" "Well, not in person." He cringed, anticipating the response to follow. "By the gods, Nathan! How can you trust someone you've never even seen in person?" "I've known him for years--" His mother continued on as if he'd not spoken. "What if they're not who you expect them to be?" Nathan stayed quiet, staring up at the ceiling in an weary fashion. Past experience made him all too aware of the futility in trying to argue back. "I'm going to put your dad on. He want's to talk." "No, don--" "Colin!" "Damn it."
He buried his head into a paw, waiting for the inevitable click over the phone that signalled his father's joining of the conversation. "Nathan," a distinctive, raspy voice spoke up, "what's this your mum's been telling me about?" "It's like I said in my message, Dad. I'm going abroad." "I see. We'd have appreciated your telling us of this a little earlier than the evening of your flight." "I--" "Nathan, why don't you join picture chat?" Nathan's mother interjected, cutting him off. "Because--" "Yes, that's a great idea, Anne." The young husky couldn't get a word in edgeways to protest or otherwise. Silently, he pulled the phone from his ear and begrudgingly set the call to picture mode, allowing his parents to see him on the screens of their home videophone. It also allowed him to see dual images of his mother and father on his mobile while they sat in different rooms of the house. Nathan activated and unclipped the wireless earpiece from the side of his phone, allowing him to keep the entirety of the conversation private from any passersby. "There." "See, isn't that better?" his mother replied, the brown-furred border to her white face resembling that of the younger canine's. "It's nice to see your face once in awhile." "It is," he responded shortly, not missing the underlying message in her words, "and I told you I'll be home again when I can." "So, Nathan," his father rumbled. "Where are you off to exactly?" He turned his focus to the brown-muzzled, grey face looking back from his screen. The intensity of the bright, yellow eyes glaring up at him instantly took him back to his childhood. "Y'know, Dad, I gotta say those wolf eyes of yours are no less unsettling now than when you were scolding me as a kid." "You know who to thank for that," the older husky quipped, referring to Nathan's lupine paternal grandfather while seeing straight through his attempts at stalling. "You didn't answer my question though."
'No way I can tell them,' Nathan thought to himself. 'They'll absolutely freak, and I'll never hear the end of it.' "Well?" "Oh, damn it," he blurted out loudly, shifting his phone so that its camera faced away from him, "I've dropped my sandwich." Nathan hadn't, but it gave him a split second to think up a more acceptable, and more importantly, believable destination. He glanced up at the departures schedule, displayed on a big screen attached to the opposite wall of the hall and proceeded to scan through the list of impending flights. "I'm going to... Estordor." "The southern coast? In late spring?" His mother sounded surprised. "It'll be hot this time of year. I hope you got your fur trimmed." Nathan grumbled quietly, moving his mobile back in front of his face. "Mum, stop worrying so much about me." "It's my job to." "Well, take a damn break or something." "Don't speak to your mother like that!" his father bellowed, making the young canine jump in his seat. "We just care about you." "I'm sorry." Nathan gritted his teeth, huffing a little. "I know you care, but I'm twenty-three. I've been away from home for five years. I can look after myself." Inwardly, he felt relieved, much preferring to have this conversation as opposed to listening to his parents panicking about him jetting off to Velika. "You've been so distant since moving away, especially in these last few months," his mother responded, looking a little forlorn. "It's okay to say if you're unhappy in Arlone, there's no shame in it." "What? Where did that come from?" Nathan tugged at his shirt again, feeling himself get a little defensive. "I'm not unhappy here... just... I'm not moving back home, if that's what you're thinking." "We're not asking you to," his father replied with a softer gaze. "We just want you to open up to us a bit more." "You can talk to us if you have problems. We know how stressed you get with that job of yours." "Mum, Dad, I'm... fine, really." "Okay," his mother sighed. "As long as you are." "Listen, I've got to go." Nathan tried not to sound dejected as he spoke, guilt seizing his thoughts. "I'll call you guys when I get settled in, okay?" "Take care, son." "I will, Dad." "Please call more, Nathan. Love you." "Love you too, Mum. Bye."
Nathan hung up with a grumble, closing his eyes and throwing a paw to his head. He remained this way for a good few minutes, reciting his mother's words in his head over and over. 'You can talk to us if you have problems. We know how stressed you get with that job of yours.' "Gods fuckin' damn," he snarled, hurling his now soggy chicken wrap at the floor and scattering its contents. A stout raccoon glanced at him from a few feet away, tutting loudly as he walked on by. "Problem?" Nathan growled, staring back viciously. "I'll pick it up, now back off." The large ringtail wagged his head and looked away in disgust, continuing on through the lounge and away from the angered husky. "If it's not one thing, it's another." He slumped back in his seat and prepared himself to spend the next hour in deep thought about his family and his life in general. "As if heading to Velika isn't stressful enough!"
Strangely, Nathan felt a little more at ease once up in the air. A feeling of finality flowed through him as he sat in his generously-padded window seat just rear of the right wing of the plane, recognising it too late to back out now, even if he wanted to. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking." The P.A system sparked to life, garnering the attention of the tired husky and the other passengers still conscious aboard the two-thirds full aircraft. "We're now approaching the eastern coast of Linvendia and are about to begin our crossing of the Sovereign Ocean. The weather forecast is for clear skies, so turbulence should be at a minimum. The current time is eleven-twenty. ETA in Bolstrovo is a little under seven hours." "Brilliant." Nathan leaned back in his seat with a smile, doing his best to block out the sound of the large, red fox snoring away in the aisle seat to his left. If nothing else, he felt happy in the knowledge that he could look forward to a smooth flight ahead. In a moment of curiosity, Nathan turned to glance out of the window. Before this point, he'd only ever been on an aeroplane during the day and felt intrigued as to how the world would look from the sky at night. With the craft not yet at full altitude, Nathan could still make out the signs of civilisation below, taking the form of thousands upon thousands of lights meshing together to form a glowing patchwork carpet sprawling off across the land. This sight became sparser as the plane gradually neared the coastline, eventually to be replaced by relative nothingness. Inside, Nathan understood the grim reasoning for this. Even though he couldn't see them, he knew that dozens of formerly bustling towns and cities sat crumbled and ruined below the thick veil of darkness. These scars sat as a terrible reminder of the war, left behind by the rampaging Velikan forces that descended upon the nation, the continent, that fateful autumn day some fifty years ago. Nathan felt a chill as he considered that. 'All those places... now just glorified versions of the war memorial statues and plaques sitting around the rest of the country.' These dark thoughts promptly erased the husky's tentative calm. He shuffled awkwardly in his seat, pulse rising while his breath became shorter. 'In seven hours, I'll be landing in Bolstrovo, face to face with real live macros. My gods.'