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Chapter 106: Grating

When the fox opened his eyes, there was but darkness. At first, he thought he had been blinded, but when he looked around a little, he realized that it was merely dark. Had it not just been light outside, though? What time was it?

A fuzzy readout from his watch told him it was well into the night. He did not recall falling asleep, but it must have been what he had done. Everything that had happened, though, had he dreamed it all up?

His body was sore, much more so than it had ever been in the past, especially that of his rear. He ached and could hardly move, so it confirmed that something did happen. A deep feeling of affection stirred within him, and of regret that he could not have stayed awake to enjoy the time after.

He reached around the bed for the wolf, but he found nothing. The sheets were cold except for the parts that were in contact with the fox. Had Hunter left?

He struggled to get up, not fully out of bed but at least sitting. Loneliness gripped him quite suddenly, and his eyes darted around, looking for some sign that someone was there, but in the darkness he could find none.

His legs shook when he stood and they felt like jelly. He turned on the light, squinted and let himself grow acquainted to it. He wandered out of his room and headed down the stairs.

He found a light, however faint, at the bottom. It was not the normal florescent light that they often used in the kitchen but a dimmer one used for the countertop. He staggered toward it, and his stomach rumbled in response. All that had happened and he had forgotten to eat.

He turned the corner and expected to see the wolf, but there was nothing. He sighed, saddened, but he thought that he might feel better after getting some food in him.

He rummaged through the fridge for ingredients. At this point, anything looked good to him. A sandwich, a salad, fruit, anything. A sandwich was quick and easy, though.

He hastily and sloppily prepared one, took a bite, and chewed it quickly. He devoured it as if starved, and even when he was finished, it did not seem to be enough. He acquired a glass of water and finished that with the sandwich.

It helped sate his hunger as it filled his stomach. He did not see any sign of the wolf around, or even his parents, though for the latter his was not surprised. He wandered up the stairs, back to his room where he figured he would go back to sleep. Maybe, he thought, this was the dream, and perhaps he was still asleep.

There was the light in his room, brightly shining. Memories of the recent events flashed through his head, and for a moment his head throbbed as if he had a headache. He held it for a moment, and then continued on.

There sat a wolf, idly waiting for him. Roger smiled in relief and happiness, and suddenly all the worries he had ever had seemed so silly. The loneliness, though, still felt very real until he sat next to him.

"Where did you go?" the fox asked. He put his nose against the wolf's shoulder.

Hunter shrugged. "Well, I ate something a little earlier, then I went to the bathroom. I guess you must have missed me somewhere between there."

Roger's gaze turned downcast for a moment. "I suppose. I... I guess I worried for no reason, but... hm. It's new to me. But... argh." He held his head for a moment. "I've got a headache."

The wolf gave him a concerned look. "Do you want some water? Aspirin maybe?"

The fox looked over at him and gave a pained smile. "I got some water earlier, but I guess aspirin wouldn't hurt. We have some in the bathroom, in the cabinet."

Hunter departed immediately.

Roger sighed and laid back, closing his eyes. He could hear the quick footsteps leading away, the shuffling and rummaging, and then the footfalls on the way back. He opened his eyes and accepted the bottle that the wolf offered him.

He took a couple of the pills that were inside the bottle and swallowed them with whatever saliva he could. They almost stuck to his mouth, but they eventually, albeit slowly, went down.

"I'm sorry, Hunter. Wasted the day sleeping. You could have woken me, though." He tried to give the wolf a smile, but it was a weak one.

In return, he got a lick across his face. "It's alright. You looked really tired. I even put some clothes on you while you were sleeping."

Roger looked at whatever he could of himself and noticed that he was dressed. It had not occurred to him that it would have been awkward to walk about the house nude, and the last memory he had was being in a situation all but bare. He blushed lightly and thanked the wolf with a nod.

He struggled to stand once more and felt a little dizzy. Maybe he was more tired than he thought he had been. He collected some clothes and declared that he needed a shower, especially after what they had done earlier that day.

Hunter helped him, although Roger said that it was not necessary. Still, the support existed, and he was appreciative of the wolf's efforts.

Standing under the water was fairly soothing and it seemed to dull the pain. He inspected what he thought to be damaged, and indeed various parts of him were much more sore than others, but he found no blood or evidence that it had been present. He quickly finished his shower as best as he could, though his arms did not quite listen to him fully. Even holding soap and shampoo seemed to be a strain.

He found a studious wolf and a made bed. He found himself soon after being helped onto the bed, and then he found himself in an embrace. He was not sleepy, so he did not fall asleep, but lying down was at least helpful in making the pain dissipate.

"Anything I can do?" the wolf asked him.

Roger thought for a moment, and then said, "Just stay here with me. That's all I want."

He closed his eyes. His head throbbed, but it was already feeling better.

He just was not used to things, he thought. Given time, things would get better, at least he hoped. The only thing he truly worried about now, though, was having Hunter around, and for that he was grateful.