Chapter 26

Bereaved

Veri left her pups alone with the boy for just a moment as she raced to the porch to find out what had just happened. Runt was shaking anxiously as he watched from outside.

"Runt! What's happened to Oni?"

"He's inside with them. We were out back near the garden when all of a sudden he just collapsed to the ground and wouldn't move or speak,"

"Runt, please go stay near the little ones, I have to see him."

"Veri, I..." He sighed and looked in one last time. "...alright." He said, turning and beating his wings over toward the tree. Veri nudged her way in past the door and skidded to a stop next to where Charlie and Linda had knelt down next to Oni. His scabs and "healed" flesh had spread to not just the areas he had been burnt, but was quickly spreading over more of his skin. Charlie gently brushed a hand past an area of fur near the spreading black clots and as easily as the wind blows seeds from a dandelion, the gray fur whisked to the floor. Linda left and returned with a pot of water and a cloth, and as Charlie held him in his lap she tried to clean the spreading black scars. He whined when the cool water touched his skin and Linda immediately withdrew her hand. Veri pushed her way under Charlie's arm and looked up at his face, where a tear was starting to form. Oni writhed and squirmed in his arms and Veri placed her head on the back of his neck, wanting to lick his wounds but was afraid to hurt him as the water had done. She whined anxiously and licked Charlie's hands, and while Runt kept the pups away, the three of them sat there next to the firey hearth, long after Linda had quietly taken their son to bed with her, and all through the night. Veri tried as hard as she could to fend off sleep, but eventually it overtook her, and she drifted to sleep in her master's lap.

She awoke suddenly to a sad sound. She looked up at Charlie and saw that he was no longer holding back his tears, but weeping vigorously. Veri lifted her head and saw Oni's tongue had lolled from his open mouth and his eyes stared wide and listless.

Veri thrust herself into his limp body and began to cry out with her master. Charlie stroked the coarse black fur over and over, and pulled Veri back onto his lap to embrace both canines as they wept together. Linda returned to the house with a basket from the market and dropped it upon beholding the sight before her.

The vulpix said nothing as she sat a short distance from Charlie and a blanket draped over the body next to him. He was moving dirt onto a large pile and when he had finished he stuck the spade into the ground and bent down and gently lifted the blanket and its contents into the hole. He turned to Veri and knelt down. She found it difficult to look him in the face, but she gazed up at him with mournful eyes, and Charlie pulled her close. Then he began moving the dirt back over the hole.

She did not see him, for he was supposed to be looking after Brynn and Phen while Veri was with Charlie, but Runt had watched the scene from the rooftop, and upon seeing Veri leave to go search for him, he quietly went back to the pups before she realized he had gone.

Veri lie on Charlie's lap as he sat on the porch, staring out into space. Linda had comforted them for a while but was now back inside with her son. He did not stroke her, but as he sat there, he let his hand rest on the vulpix's back. The pair sat until the sun began to set, already well below the treeline and all that could be seen was a orange glow emanating from behind the thick canopy. The pups were beginning to wonder where their mother went, as Runt could no longer herd the two together long enough to entertain them for another time. Eventually he gave up and let the pups race across the yard and up the steps to their master's feet. All twelve tails were wagging vigorously, as each had not a clue as to what had happened earlier that day. Runt fancied they didn't even know about death yet. Nor should they. When he neared the stoop he saw Veri's expressionless stare and made his way up the steps, instructing the pups to head inside to their bed for the night, but neither would have any of it. When Veri saw her children were no longer listening to their exhausted babysitter, she lifted her head and lept off Charlie's lap, nudging open the door with her muzzle.

"Veri, you should rest more; I can get them to bed for you,"

"Runt, you've been more help than I could have ever asked for today. I'll take them from here. Besides, I should be heading to bed as well."

Runt hesitated but was secretly relieved she had insisted taking over, for he was past his dose of constant herding and entertaining for the day, no matter how much he loved them. As Veri went inside, she looked back at Charlie, who had long since fallen asleep in the chair.

That night the mother vulpix found no sleep. Her loss– Charlie's loss– was quickly rusting away at the peace that had settled upon her in the recent weeks. Flashes of beginning of her new life with the gray dog kept Veri's mind on edge and her eyes wide awake, staring listlessly at the corner near the door for hours, long past the death of the hearth's embers beside her. Oni had not played an active role in the pups' lives, that was true, but he had played an invaluable part in their mother's life. Amidst the fear of being taken captive by strange humans, he had been there to ease her anxiety. He had provided the sort of company she would have gone mad without on the lonely vessel. He had confided in her. Oni had shown her the joy a life of ease and amusement can bring. Oni had mated with her.

Every creak in the house seemed suddenly the most noticeable thing she'd ever heard. The bristle of Runt's feathers as he shifted in his sleep was louder than soft plumes should be. The loud, barraging breathing Charlie made in his sleep made her own a fleeted luxury. And, with time, mental exhaustion pushed Veri into a light, but desperate sleep.

Lifting her head, groggy and still exhausted, Veri found that she had slept much past morning feeding, and Charlie was already making his way up the steps and into the house with boots covered in dry mud. The sunrise had long disappeared, and even Brynn and her brother had risen early enough to find time to play in the grass outside. When they saw through the open doorway that their mother had awoken, they raced across the yard up the steps, barreling right into Charlie's boot. When he felt the bump, he looked down and smiled, pulling something from his pocket. The pups grew excited, leaning against his leg, begging for what was in his hand. Charlie reached down with an open palm and let the two young vulpix take the two small sticks of smoked meat from him, which they joyously consumed at his feet. Veri watched all of this; she also caught her master strike a quick, uneasy glance at her from where she lay. This momentary exchange was broken by a word from his mate.

"So what do you think of what we discussed?"

He looked down at the excited pups at his feet.

"They just lost Oni...I couldn't do that to her..." He looked back up and glanced over at Linda. "I'll take them to town at the end of the summer. If I recall correctly, Raleigh is still in the trading business- I'll see if his rounds are taking him to southern Kanto this year. The university there has a wonderful collection of stock they care for, and the animals kept there are certainly treated much better than most farm beasts. I'm almost certain they would have a sire for the female. What do you think?"

She hesitated but it was clear she already had an answer for him.

"I think that Riis needs all the time with her children that she can, especially now that Oni is gone. You do what you think is best."

"Riis, let's go for a walk." Veri eagerly got to her feet and trailed behind him as he neared the door. Charlie put on his jacket and kissed Linda on the forehead, smiled at their son in her arms, and looked down at the anxious vulpix at his heels. "Ready?"

She was more than ready. After the events of the past week she was ready to be with Charlie in any way she could, for she knew there was more to his grief than he led on. She saw him as he sat on the porch in the middle of the night staring out into the night sky, not a word uttered for hours sometimes. The previous night he had sat on the stoop in the pouring rain. Today he looked slightly better; he did not have a void expression, and he did not seem as outwardly restless as he had the day before. Truthfully, Veri was excited about this small event in their day together, just a simple stroll, and Veri did not hide her excitement.

He swung open the creaky door and began down the path to the road. As he walked, Veri danced at his feet, trying not to get ahead of him and from below carefully observing all that he did. As they moved onto the main road, Charlie's stride turned to a leisurely stroll, which made it easier to keep up, but she did not stop watching him. It did not take long, and quickly Charlie appeared to be fully enjoying himself, hands in his pockets, staring up at the trees around him, clearly taking in the beauty of the night and the evening sky above them. Occasionally he looked down at the rambunctious creature at his feet and couldn't help but laugh to himself. These small reactions filled Veri with great joy.

A long time passed and the pair didn't say a word. For both master and canine, it was a silent, bonding amble. Crickets began to serenade the wandering pair, and soon after Charlie turned off the road onto a worn trail that weaved deep into the woods. The sun was low in the sky but not quite dusk, and the pair continued their stroll into the forest. The grass crunched under their feet and the brush whipped Charlie's knees and Veri's face as they continued, but she did not mind. As the birds above quieted for the day Charlie began to sing quietly- a song he loved and often hummed to himself when he sought peace and solitude. It was a soft, lulling tune, and it always brought Veri comfort to know he was feeling well enough to sing his song. She knew that he needed time away from the events that had soiled the days past, and this was as good as it could get. Such overwhelming feelings of joy allowed a bark to express it up at the strolling man, who smiled the most the vulpix had ever seen from him since their troubles began. She began to walk at an angle, constantly looking up at her amused master, overjoyed to be able to relieve him of his grief. Her ear flickered, but before she could turn head to see what the noise was an enormous violet viper rose up to almost half of Charlie's height. Charlie stopped suddenly and froze stone-still, and after a moment of being startled, she quickly realized that she was not between her master and the snake, which was emitting a long, rustling sound from its throat. She moved back a step to be as close to him as she could and heard a crack under her feet, and something runny seep into the dirt. She looked down and saw that Charlie had trampled this snake's brood of eggs...

Veri sounded a low growl at the reptile, and yipped as loud as she could to try and take its attention off of Charlie. Despite her efforts, the snake was clearly focused on the tall invader that had just destroyed a clutch of its young, rather than the small canine beside him trying to catch the predator's attention. The snake focused its sharp gaze at Charlie, who was standing stone-still. Only his foot had moved ever so slightly that it was no longer crushing the broken eggs. Suddenly it lunged at him, bearing dripping fangs which, to Veri, smelled as vile as it was poisonous. Charlie threw himself backwards to avoid the bite, and fell on his side as he twisted around. The snake landed face-first into the leafy undergrowth, immediately righting its thick body and turning to face Charlie where he lay. In what was perhaps part fear, part desperation, and part anger, Veri called out to the serpent that was clearly in position to strike a second time.

"Stop!" She flattened her ears and bared her teeth. "Do not touch him,"

To her surprise the serpent turned its head in her direction when it heard her threat, although Veri was not sure if it knew exactly what she had ordered it to do. It flicked it's black tongue out at her, and before she could react it turned again and struck Charlie in the leg. Her master's scream sent more than birds to shift in the forest; when she saw the serpent's fangs disappear into his clothing and red instantly saturate the area, Veri sprang upon the violet snake and sunk her own teeth into its rough hide. Needlepoint teeth penetrated its scales, causing the snake to release its hold on Charlie and lunge backward, writhing around in an effort to throw off the vulpix latched onto its hindquarters. It's overlapping scales made it easy for her grip to hold, even as it began to coil tightly around her tiny body. Another moment later she was fully constricted, and while still holding on with every bit of strength the coiled serpent was squeezing tighter by the second; she was quickly loosing room to breathe. But still, Veri held on.

Veri felt her lungs strained so tightly she felt that they would burst. It was at that moment that she had to release her hold on the snake, and it was also that same moment that the constrictor let out a painful cry and relaxed its hold on the tiny vulpix. It thrashed about, kicking up twigs and dead leaves, and in the chaos, Veri saw that Charlie had thrust a small pocket knife into the snake's head. Veri's body was almost entirely limp, but she managed to crawl over to him. Charlie was sprawled on his back, holding himself upright with his elbows, and one hand clenched around the area above his knee. She saw that the entire area had been drenched in blood, and his hand was caked with more blood and debris from the forest floor. Her master held a strained expression to his face, and he could only look at her as they both sat in pain in the undergrowth.

She knew very well that he could not understand her, but she shouted at him nonetheless. Veri had gone from angry to terrified in a matter of seconds, and was desperate to do something, anything, she could. "Get up! We need to get home!" Charlie broke his exasperated expression and stared at her, puzzled. His face clenched again as he gripped his leg tighter. The serpent still twisted and writhed to the side in pain, but Veri found the strength to begin frantically pushing at her master's body upright in a despondent effort to begin the journey home.