Burdens - Chapter 17: The Views
#17 of Burdens
Cliffhangers.
Chapter 17: The Views
It was only a moment, mostly due to the fox's situation, that they stood up and decided to depart. They still maintained what direction was the street, so they were not lost, yet they wanted to decide on where next to visit. They decided that since they had the time, they would take a look at the other sectioned off pieces of the park, nearest them being the desert area.
The fox walked off whatever ailed him. His legs felt much better, especially when he began to walk on them again. They felt loose, and stretching them gave an enjoyable burn.
They could see the light toward the far end. Upon reaching the edge, they remained in the darkness a moment longer to allow their eyes to adjust to the light.
They emerged into a spacious sandy flatland, with many large rocks scattered about. There were various forms of vegetation strewn about that looked like they required very little water, most of which being cacti. Yet, the cacti were plump and full of water, since it was not an actual desert and they received more than their fair share.
There were prints in the sand from others having traversed the same paths. They seemed to all lead to the same place, as if it were a well walked portion - the rest of the area had an absence of paw prints, most of it covered with the sand that had blown over it, creating tiny waves. Just being in the area made the sun feel much warmer than it had been while they were in the grassy portion of the park.
The fox attributed it to the lack of absorption of the sun's rays into the sand. It merely reflected and contained. He began to sweat slightly and felt a bit uncomfortable. It did not take long for him to want to be out of the area, but he continued on, figuring it did not bother the wolf, so he would stomach it.
Yet, the wolf turned to him and said, "Do you want to head to the pond? This place looks boring."
The fox nodded almost enthusiastically. The direction in which they had to travel was along the paw prints in the sand, and he realized that they were all in one area because no one really wanted to stay in that place for long. It was an overgeneralization, but it held true for the most part. There were a few spots where travelers must have diverged, but there were only but few.
Luckily, it was not as expansive as the forest area, though he could have sworn it was the same size. Perhaps the darkness merely caused the forest to seem bigger than it really was, and the fact that they spent much more time in it than they had in the desert.
There was the pond, surrounded by lush green grass as well as many trees and shrubs. It seemed like a fairly thriving pond, with some birds that swam atop it, movement below that signified at least a few living creatures. They neared the shore and sat down, staring at the water.
The wind created waves, but there was a wall so there was little ebb and flow aside from the waves splashing against it. It was calm for the most part aside from the disturbances that life played upon it, and for the wind. It was serene.
Roger closed his eyes and listened to the water. It hardly made much noise, but what noise it did make was calming. He missed swimming, but it was to his own fault. The school had a swimming pool and it was free to be used, but he had not. He felt his time was better spent at home, and every so often he realized he was wrong. He intended, but never implemented.
For a moment he had forgotten that he had company. He laid back on the grass and rested. He took a deep breath, and then exhaled.
-
He opened his eyes, and it seemed as if only a second had passed after closing them. He sat up feeling sore again, tired and weary. Something did not sit right with him.
The wolf spoke and commented, "You're awake." The fox looked over at the wagging figure.
He realized he must have dozed off. Embarrassed, he said, "Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep. How long was I out for?"
Hunter shook his head. "Not that long. Maybe ten minutes? You seemed tired, and I didn't want to bother you...."
Roger sighed. At least he had not been out for long, but he still felt bad, as if he were neglecting the wolf. "Next time, just wake me up. It's not right for me to just fall asleep."
The wolf shrugged and smiled in response.
A minute passed, and then two. The silence was not unwelcome, nor was it complete silence. They could hear the trees and pond, the cries of the birds and the occasional yelling of children somewhere off in the distance.
Hunter laid back now, closing his eyes.
The fox smiled and figured he deserved some rest, too. He had his share, now it was the wolf's turn. He looked at him, sparingly in glances at first, not wanting to stare, but the wolf made no gesture of acknowledgment.
He was wearing had been wearing what seemed like loose fitting gym or sports clothes. Mostly just a t-shirt and shorts, of whatever sort of plain colors that seemed could be salvaged from a low end store. It reminded the fox of the state of their situation, and he felt bad a bit.
The shoes, however, looked like they were made for running. He probably had planned on it, but the fox had held him back from performing such an activity. He felt a bit guilty and frowned to himself. He did not want to be the anchor.
His eyes trailed along the wolf, taking the time to analyze him. He remembered from before that he was fairly well built from having played so much football, but now it was apparent as he got an actual look at him. He had seen him but once briefly without a shirt, and such a sight caused him to blush.
His eyes trailed down. He could see where the ribs stopped, as the surface seemed to decline slightly and turned into a sort of flat plain. Still, there was enough substance there, and the fox poked his own abdomen in thought. Comparatively, he must have seemed emaciated.
His eyes glazed over the wolf's waist, not wanting to glimpse something he should not, yet he knew part of him wanted to. The wolf's legs looked as if they were made up of merely muscle, yet not like hams. They were lean for the most part, but he could almost point out different muscles through the way the fur had indentations.
The fur was a light grey that he had noted before. It was lighter on the inside, though, much like around the inner portion of his neck and legs, traveling down his chest as he had taken a brief glance at before. It also traveled up his shorts, to-
He shook off the thought, looked up, and realized the wolf had his eyes open and was looking back at him. His heart skipped a beat.