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Chapter 71: Extinguish

Hunter was confused by the question. At first it was from being unable to identify just who the fox was asking about, and then when he figured it out, he was confused about why he was asking. Then it began to sink in, and his eyes furrowed with concern and regret.

"Well, I mean... we talked," the wolf said.

Roger was figuratively on the edge of his seat waiting for the news that would cause him to break down. He knew it was coming, and waiting for a confirmation was quite possibly the worst part. He gulped and nodded, prompting the wolf to continue.

"She, uh..." the wolf said. "I'm sorry, I know you like her."

Roger frowned, but stayed silent. He felt the tears welling up in his eyes, but he was stone.

"She... she asked me if I wanted to uh, date," the wolf finally said.

The fox nodded and turned his gaze downcast. It was as he predicted. He asked, "So... you two are... going out now?" His voice cracked and was low, almost unable to be heard.

The wolf shook his head vigorously. "No, no, we're not."

Roger looked up. It was his turn to be confused, if only a bit. "Why not?"

Hunter shrugged. "I told her no. She's nice, but I don't really like her that way."

It felt as if some of the weight had been lifted off the fox, but it still hurt to think that he was merely being used by her to get to the wolf. Perhaps it was not the initial intention, but as it was currently, it had evolved as such. He bit his lip and looked away, in thought.

He wiped his eyes and kept his paw over them, scrunching them with a furrowed brow. He softly asked, "Is there anyone that you like that way?"

"I... I don't know. Maybe?" the wolf responded. When Roger looked at him, he had an expression of dismay.

It was silent for a moment before the wolf said, "I'm sorry I made you miss school."

The fox looked over and said, "It's not your fault, I was just...." He stopped when he saw the wolf's pose.

Hunter was sitting in the same defeated pose that he had seen many times before. Whenever he felt he did something wrong, it was always the same pose. It felt familiar, and for a moment, Roger forgot that he had felt lost amidst his own feelings, and he was filled with sympathy.

"You didn't do anything wrong," the fox said, putting a paw on his shoulder. He could feel him trembling. Was it fear or was it remorse?

"I feel like I did something bad, though," the wolf said, the tone of his voice now switched with the fox's.

"N-no, you're fine," Roger said. He did not expect to end up in such a situation, rather he expected for things to only get worse for him. He sighed. It seemed every action he performed was beginning to be a mistake.

The fox put his arm over the wolf and hugged him, unsure of what to do otherwise. It was silent, and it felt to him that if he said anything, it would only exacerbate the situation. Still, he had to explain himself, if not to save face, then to show the wolf that it was not his fault.

"I just liked her, that's all... but it wasn't meant to be," he explained. "It isn't your fault, and it isn't her fault... it's my fault. Well, maybe partly her fault.

"You're a good guy, so it makes sense that she'd like you. I can't even compare." His voice began to soften. Attempting to calm the wolf down was instead just calming him down, but it did not completely remove the pain. He did not lie: he really did like her.

The wolf shook his head and turned to hug the fox. "You're way better than I am," he said. "She should've gone for you, not me."

"Shh, that's not true," Roger said, patting his back.

Another pause, and he continued, saying, "You know what? I don't even care about her anymore. You know what got me worried?"

The wolf shook his head, so he answered, "I was worried that I was going to lose my best friend."

Hunter smiled meekly and sat back up in a proper position.

Roger smiled back. He wondered back to the night prior and the morning. It felt ridiculous now that he had been affected in such a way. What was there to even worry about?

They resumed studying, slowly easing back into a positive climate. They were talking normally again. Then they were laughing. What was broken was fixed, but to what extent the fox did not know.

It felt like a dream. He dreaded waking up, but so far he did not. If it was a dream, he hoped he was in a coma. At least at that point, he felt that if he never woke up, it would be better for him.

His worry and tension had consumed him like a fire through dried grass. Indeed, he could feel the burn of it, and it hurt like nothing else he had felt.

It was that firestorm that engulfed him, and he regretted that it had happened. What was there to worry about? The question kept circling his mind.

It was silly, he thought. Mary was nice, as the wolf had said, but why should she be interested in him? Hunter had the better traits, at least in his consideration. All he had was his intelligence, and by an evolutionary standard, that was not helping him very well when it was so prominent to be shallow.

Did that apply to him, though? He liked to think that it did not, but he only really liked her for the same reasons, in retrospect. Something about Hunter, in contrast, attracted him outside of just his looks, though he had much to be valued for aesthetically.

The familiar feeling of attraction filled him when he looked at the wolf. He had to tell him, but not tonight. He hoped the feeling was reciprocated, but he did not mind so much as long as he could be near him.

It was a mystery he did not care to solve. Was it his smell, his looks, his mannerisms? He did not care. Maybe he would take a chance, but not now.

When the wolf left for the night, he leaned back against the door when it shut. He stared at the empty house, but he did not feel as lonely as before.

Where had the fire gone?