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Chapter 44: Muffled

The morning came. Roger woke, but he had to exert an effort to get himself out of bed. Something did not feel right to him as far as his body was concerned, as if the onset of an illness, though he lacked any other symptoms aside from fatigue.

He looked at himself in the mirror after performing his morning rituals. He was the same fox he was so accustomed to seeing and nothing seemed to be wrong discounting that he looked as if he had not slept the night.

It was with this feeling that he departed. He knew what he would encounter that day insofar as the response the wolf would give him. Still, there was an unknown variable to be dealt with, that being the other fox. He wondered if she would attempt to talk to him that day, or perhaps another, if at all. Had she been untruthful to the wolf when she said that she would try?

Perhaps, if she did speak to him, it would be to tell him to cease his pursuits. It was a possibility. On the other hand, it could also be the opposite; it was an uncertain future. He would just have to find out, he figured.

Still, he was tired. Any amount of thought that went into discerning the future was only an effort that exhausted him mentally and partly physically. He figured he would just let whatever may come wash over him and deal with it accordingly when the time came.

He found himself in the classroom. The details of his arrival were beginning to blur, but he accepted it. It felt as if this early on in the course everything was beginning to become monotonous. He would go to school, wander about, and then tutor the wolf. He did not mind the latter portion, though; he merely felt that the school was dull.

The skunk had greeted him, he remembered. It took him a moment to realize it, but he returned the greeting. The wolf followed suit when he entered.

Something did not feel right. He was not nauseous, just tired. He had never felt so tired before, and he was unsure why. There was something that day that physically drained him, and he could not pinpoint just what the cause was. Perhaps he had slept in the wrong manner or position, perhaps he had not slept enough. His sleep had been interrupted, that he remembered, but was it really enough to damage his condition in such a way?

Class was over before he knew it. He almost grasped none of the material, everything having come and gone without his attention. As far as he was concerned, he merely blinked and an entire hour had gone. He sluggishly put his items back in his bag and made his way out of the door.

The wolf stopped him before he could go further. "Are you okay?" the wolf asked him.

He gave a weak smile and replied, "Yeah, I'm just tired. Don't really know why. Hope I'm not getting sick...."

Hunter gave him a concerned look, but proceeded to head to his next class.

-

He did not feel ill. Throughout the classes, there just seemed to be a haze. It felt as if nothing was working correctly that day. He only just remembered that he should have asked the wolf whether or not his parents agreed, but he figured he would just ask him after class. It was almost lunch, anyhow.

It was a disarray that he could not understand at that point in time. He merely sat through the classes and his teachers began to get worried. It was suggested that he see the nurse, but he declined, saying he would be fine, but it was mostly because he did not want them to identify something he could not. What if there was really a problem? He should have noticed it.

In the other hand, if there was really no problem, they would merely assume he was malingering. He did not like either situation, but he considered going, he just convinced himself that if the problem persisted past lunch, he would seek a remedy.

When he finally was let out for lunch, he managed to find his way back to his friends. Instead of stopping, though, and avoiding their interrogation, he continued to a quieter portion of school. Indeed, there was not a soul to be found in the area of which he sat, with the exception of a few animals that would find their way past the fence.

He ate his food quietly, hoping it would help. It seemed like it did, and he felt a little better, but in whole he still felt tired and sluggish. Lethargy was his nature now, he did not deny it. It would have to be the role that he played until he found a way to abate the malaise.

There was a voice near him. It was muffled, but everything at that moment seemed muffled to him. As far as he could tell, it was as clear as it was going to be. He looked to identifying the source since he could not accurately understand just what was said.

It was Mary. She had greeted him, and he looked at her slightly confused for a moment, but then greeted her back as he pieced together the puzzle of their introductions. He apologized, blinking and shaking his head, not looking in any particular direction, "I'm sorry, I'm just... out of it today. I don't know what's going on."

She nodded. "It's okay. Do you mind if I sit here?"

Roger nodded. Their meeting garnished no ulterior motives, for at that moment, he could derive none. He was too much befuddled by his condition to be embarrassed or clever at the moment, too tired to think of the possibilities and the future.

She spoke first after an initial silence. "Well, uh... your friend said I should come talk to you."

Roger looked at the floor. "Heh. Did he now?"

She nodded. "Said you were a nice guy and I should get to know you...." She looked away for a moment.

The situation was becoming awkward, but he did not know what to do to help it. He tried, still. "So, um... Mary, right? What do you like to do for fun?"

The look she gave him was perplexing. He was unsure of how to interpret it, but she answered, "Hang out with friends. Go to the movies. Go to the beach, stuff like that."

Roger nodded. "All good stuff. Well, um..." he trailed off. She looked expectant. "I uh, well, sorry. It's really hard to think right now. How about, um... what kind of movies do you like? Do you read any?"

She nodded. "Usually funny ones, or romantic ones. Depends on my mood. And I read a bit...."

It was nothing he could go on. He struggled to find something to say, but he could not find anything. It was as difficult to find anything in common with the wolf, but this time the other party was not as enthusiastic. He sighed.

"Probably not the best placed for this, I guess," she said. "Here, bring your friend along, my friends and I are going to watch a movie this weekend. You two can come with us, and we can talk then, alright?"

He nodded dumbly. "Yeah, that sounds good."

Mary stood up and began to walk away. He called out to her and she turned around.

He gave her a weak smile and simply said, "Thanks."