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Chapter IX

CLARITY

Ex

_ _

Right when I met Hunter, I thought I couldn't trust him since he was a part of the outside world. I changed my perspective of him once he took me out on what he called a "shopping spree" a week later.

Maybe I had really died and went to heaven, but I was still feeling a bit sore from being hit by a car, so I was doubtful that I was dead. If this was what death was like, then I was going to hate being sore throughout the rest of eternity. On the upside, I was spending some quality time with Hunter, who gave me the best tips for surviving out here without armed guards to keep me safe. I had to wear a thick coat--a "peacoat", right?--to help conceal my wings better. The thing draped right down to my knees, so I didn't have to worry about any of my feathers sticking out anytime soon.

He also showed me how skillful of a barber he was. He trimmed some hair off the top of my head and chin to give me a different appearance and, as an added bonus disguise, gave me a pair of glasses he didn't use anymore. When I looked myself in the mirror after my pseudo transformation was finished, I was pleasantly satisfied with the results. If the Division was still looking for me, I had no doubt that they were going to have their hands full trying to figure out where I was since I almost looked like a new person. The fox suggested I should get some streaks in my hair, but I turned down the offer when he explained that I would have a line of blue hair on the top of my head. This was plenty enough of a disguise, but I think he was having too much fun playing dress up with me. Still, I had to give the guy credit: he knew how to transform someone.

Once I was finished changing, he took me out in his car towards the center of the city. He explained that we were going to get me some things that I would need to live in his house--new clothes, school supplies, and just a few things to brighten up the basement...I mean, my room. I tried to talk him out of getting me all this stuff, but I was beaten to the punch. He wouldn't take no for an answer no matter what I said and, a little disappointed in myself, gave in to him. The guy was persistent, which was good.

The first place we stopped at was called All-American Hawk. He parked us close to the entrance and led me inside only for me to find out that it was a clothing store, a really laid back one. Needless to say, he wasted no time helping me pick out some good clothes to wear at home and outside. I was used to regular T-shirts that came in different colors, so I wasn't quite used to seeing some sort of symbol on the front or numbers. In what felt like a few hours, it was only about an hour really, we settled on five pairs of jeans, seven shirts, half a dozen pairs of boxers, and . I wanted to faint when I heard the price, but he assured me that money was of no object and paid for it in full right before I could stop him. He just threw a playful smile at me and winked which, to my dismay, was just a sign that he was happy with what he was doing and didn't mind that he spent over two-hundred dollars.

We left that place shortly after and drove to get the rest of the things on his list. Our next stop was called Emporium, which seemed to be some sort of supermarket of sorts. Inside, we picked up only a few things that I would actually need. Apparently my tooth bush had broken when I was hit by his car and I crushed the toothpaste when I had fallen. Once we had the tooth brush, paste, shampoo, conditioner, and fur softener, he then picked up a few things food related to bring home and headed out once again.

_ _ I wanted to tell him all of this felt unnecessary, but I had a feeling that no matter what I said he would continue to do all these favors for me and continue to make me feel guilty about making him spend all this money. Stopping him wouldn't do me much good anyways, so I had to just sit there and let him take the wheel, literally. Was he trying to make some sort of impression on me or something? If he was, he was doing a good job at being the caring, honest, and nice guy but also the guy who makes me feel terrible inside for no reason.

The weirdest part was that I liked it.

Of course I thought that was stupid to think. I was enjoying the torment he was putting me through? Okay, maybe I was going a little far calling it "torment" but I didn't want to sit by and let him do all these good things to me and never expect me to return the favor. What could I do for him? Fly him around the city? Yeah, as if he wasn't in enough danger already.

I wanted to return the things he gave me so he didn't have to spend a dime on someone he had just recently met, yet I was sure that he wouldn't give me the opportunity. He was just trying to be a good guy, I told myself, yet I never wanted to believe those words. Ugh, what the heck was wrong with me? I was thankful for what he was doing but also wanting him to stop. Why did he trust an absolute stranger, a stranger with wings who could fly no less, not to hurt him? I wasn't going to hurt him, but I couldn't understand why he was willing to trust me just after telling him my own life story. I trusted him enough to tell him about my life, and he promised me he would never speak a word of it to anyone. While I was thankful, I realized I had given him ammunition if things began to blow up in my face, which I was sure would happen.

I sighed. Things were even more confusing now than they were before. Maybe I was just overthinking things. Hard not to since I was seeing the outside world for the first time in my life.

Amidst my thoughts, I didn't even notice he was talking to me. I quickly snapped out of my daze. "Huh? What?"

He looked at me with concerned eyes but was still expertly driving through the crowded streets. "You doin' alright? We can stop somewhere for some chow if you want."

He was being kind, and I hated that I couldn't figure him out yet. Damn me. "Nah, I'm...I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about."

"You sure?" he asked. "You were silent for a few minutes there."

I nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just...didn't get a lot of sleep this morning." What a great excuse, huh? "And, you know, my wings feel like they're getting cramped in this coat."

He chuckled, returning his eyes to the road. "Yeah, sorry about that. It's still February and things are still cold as far as you can see. You missed the snow a month ago. It was like everything was a snowy Christmas tree."

The only time I had ever seen snow was when I was training back at the Division. Winter Room, they called it. Snow camouflage or something. Endurance, speed, and stealth. I never really got a chance to enjoy it since everything was a test there, and I was never allowed much fun. This was the closest I had gotten to natural coldness, yet I could barely feel much of it, especially with this coat on.

Every time I tried to shift my wings for better comfort, I felt this soreness that shot throughout my body, as if to tell me it was best not to move them for the time being. I thought I would've healed by now, but I was wrong. Maybe I just needed to fly a little more to get the blood flowing, yet I was within a crowded city for everyone to see. I doubt anyone would think I'm just some ordinary bird flying around considering my size.

"Ex?" he broke my thoughts.

I looked at him again. "Hm?"

"You went blank again," he stated. "You sure you're doin' alright? We can go home and finish up later if you want. Heh, don't want to strain you or something."

He was only being kind and courteous, so I beat down my unsure feelings. "No, no, no. I'm fine. I promise." Funny how I couldn't tell him the truth. "Perfectly fine to keep going."

I was sure he saw through my ruse, yet he just shrugged. "Alright, just tell me if you're not feeling good and we can go home."

After a few minutes of somewhat quiet, we arrived at the final stop for the day. It was apparently some sort of large shopping district filled with small buildings crowded together. Everything was within walking distance, and I figured that was what I needed right now. I wouldn't have to worry about sweating since I could tell it was around twenty degrees or so. Everyone wore thick jackets, jeans, scarfs, and gloves. At least I wouldn't look like the oddball.

Hunter led me down the pavilion where I watched dozens of people walk past us. No one seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary about me, so I figured my disguise was as good as I was going to get it. Still, if I was blending into the crowd without detection, why fix something that wasn't even broken yet?

My fox friend seemed to know where he was going and made way for us further down the district. I could make out a few restaurants, some clothing places, and, according to Hunter, there was a large theater at the end called an "IMAX". I had no idea what that was, but I figured it had to be good if Hunter was speaking highly about it.

This place felt good to me. I caught the scents of different types of food, both coming from restaurants and food stands, and wanted to taste everything I could see. I had to keep my stomach in check, lest I spend any more of Hunter's money, and I had no intention to have him spend more cash on some stranger like me. Cinnamon, hamburgers, pizza, and various other sweets. I couldn't figure out why people had snack stands open considering how cold it was, but I wasn't going to judge if they were giving out food in the cold. Hell, the first thing I ate here was a hot dog, and I wanted to try everything now!

I would have to wait until later for that. He still wanted to get me some things to brighten up my room. I felt this was a little unnecessary, but he assured me he was doing this out of the goodness of his heart, and I believed him no matter what. He was only trying to be nice, but I was squeezing money from him dry by basically stealing his money. I didn't want to even say that out loud, else I would risk getting punched in the throat. If I complained like that again to him, I knew I would rain down heaven's hellfire. Something told me I didn't want to go down that road.

We walked down the long pathway until we reached a store called Code Maximum. Inside, I found that it sort a wide variety of items like clothes, accessories like belts and necklaces and bracelets, items for furniture, posters, and small furniture like lamps and pillows and stuffed animals. The music gave me a good vibe upon entering and I noticed a few dozen people inside, so I figured things had to be good here.

He and I split up to cover more ground and, for the first few minutes, I found myself wandering all over the place trying to find something that would fit anything in my taste. This stuff was for teenagers my age and a little lower, but I couldn't figure out what I wanted because I didn't want to spend any more of his money. I looked over at different customers, who looked my age, to figure out what would be best. I even eavesdropped on their conversations a few times, but I couldn't find anything that could remotely help me. It was tough trying to find something that would fit my style.

Finally, I noticed something near the poster section. I pulled one off the rack just as Hunter walked over and looked it over, giving me a warm smile. "Adventure Time, huh? I love that show."

Even I smiled, and probably blushed. "Yeah, its one of the only shows I could watch when I had nothing else to do."

"You should get it then," he assured me. "It's a start."

"I know, but I have no clue how to finish," I replied, folding my ears against my head.

He chuckled and patted my arm. "Need some help?"

I blushed, and I knew it. "You'd be doing me a favor."

"Follow me then," he beckoned with his hands.

There it was again. I stood fixated in place once again trying to figure him out. Was I supposed to do that? I couldn't really move and just looked at him walking away towards another section.

I felt...warm inside. It felt weird at first but for the first time since our shopping spree began, I was happy I was friends with him and we were spending time together. I finally followed him.

For the next hour, we made a few rounds around the store to figure out what we be in my best tastes. He and I settled on a few things, and I had to say, I was impressed. He introduced me to Pokémon and Digimon plush toys, in which I was taking a Pikachu and Gabumon home. He even wanted me to watch the shows when we had the time and, of course, I couldn't say no to those eyes. Next, we grabbed a few more posters from different TV shows and movies he had a feeling I would like, and I didn't doubt him. A necklace and belt from two games called Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy were also added into the mix, and I ended up liking them as well. He ended up snagging a hoodie and a pair of sweat pants in case I was feeling lazy before we rang everything up at the register.

Once again, I felt terrible. We walked out with a few heavy bags of things that were meant for me, not him, yet he still had a warm smile on his face throughout all of it. How could he not feel distaste towards me after all the money I had him spend on me? Was he okay with this? He had to have spent a few hundred dollars on me by now, yet he seemed perfectly cool with it and didn't once tell me if we should find something cheaper instead.

Ugh, I couldn't figure out if he was just toying with my mind or genuinely being nice. Where was that feeling from before? I still felt warm but I had gone back to feeling the same way I did when we started this spree. He was being nice, I told myself, but for what reason? What reason could he possibly have to trust me despite only meeting me a few days ago.

What did I know about him? Actually, that was a stupid question. Even as we walked back to the car in sort of silence, I remembered everything he told me about him. He loved the arts and wanted to major in writing and illustration in college. Hell, I had seen a few of his pieces and was fairly impressed; though he was convinced he could get better with a few more years of practice. That was another thing about him I noticed--he wasn't very confident in himself. He could be given compliments by Leonardo da Vinci himself and still feel like he wasn't that good of an artist. His writing wasn't that bad either. Few mistakes here and there but he was a good writer.

I also noticed he was very friendly towards others. He bumped into someone on our way back to the car and heartily apologized and bowed, saying it was respectful. All that I could gather over the past few days, he was very passionate about the arts and sports, yet he hated bullies and jerks. He never settled for nothing less than his best, but I couldn't figure out why he was never satisfied with his work. Maybe we shared the same problems internally. Was that the reason he trusted me? Because he and I were a little bit alike? That was a good reason, but I found it hard to believe he would trust me after just hitting me with his car and taking me in, despite being a "unique" individual.

It took a few minutes before we reached the car and I was okay with that. It gave me plenty of time to think and ponder what to do next. I was glad Hunter was by my side, though. He gave me the sense of clarity I needed in order to keep my mind in check, else I would've gone mad days ago. It was hard to believe this guy, who wasn't the stranger I was making him out to be, was keeping me from losing my mind out here. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he was just trying to be nice, and I was just thickheaded and couldn't accept that.

Nothing could be simple, could it? I sighed, putting the large bags inside the trunk of various other things. I was thinking of myself as some sort of charity case, but Hunter didn't look at me that way. He and his grandparents were more accepting than most of the other people around these parts.

I looked over at him while he shifted the bags around for more space. How could he stay so calm about me? Most people would've looked at me like some sort of freakazoid that needed to be abolished. He took my abnormalities much more casually than a lot of others would, and I couldn't thank him enough for it. I figured someone else would've looked at me and tried to kill me or something. That was the reason why I was almost killed back at the Division, right?

Quickly, I turned away before he could catch my glance. I tried to hide my blush as best as I could by not meeting his eyes. Was I embarrassed or something? I didn't feel embarrassed. It felt like something else but couldn't describe it.

After a few minutes of shuffling things around for better space, we shut the trunk and laid against the hood for a few moments. After our little break, he helped me up and gestured back to the pavilion. "You hungry? Pretty sure there are plenty of places there."

I looked down the brick-laced street. "You sure? We could just go home and eat there."

"Nah, I think we can benefit from a little fast food," he chuckled and patted my stomach. "And, judging from what you've told me, you need plenty of calories to make sure you don't pass out."

My stomach growled at the thought, forcing me to blush. "Heh, I guess you're right. Where do you wanna go?"

"C'mon, I know a good place that has some good food," he smiled, tugging on my wrist and pulling me down the street.

I was a little caught off by his sudden gesture but went along with it nonetheless. If he knew the best places around here, I wasn't going to judge him on it. He lived in this city his entire life anyway, so I trusted him. He hadn't led me astray yet, and I figured he had no intent of doing that any time soon. Besides, I was glad he was being this nice to me now seeing as I was treating him unfairly this entire time, and I had to make up for it at some point. One way or another.

It took about fifteen minutes to find the food place, order our food, and find a table before we could chow down. He had gotten a burger, some fries, and some brown soda while I grabbed a chicken sandwich, some fries, and some tea. The place we decided to sit at wasn't very far from the place where we got our food, so we didn't have to walk very far before having to eat.

He took a bite of his burger. "Mmm, I love Kragel's burgers! Just juicy and cooked to perfection so nothing is wasted. Enjoying your chicken?"

I took a bite and immediately went to heaven. "Man...you're not joking! Probably the best chicken sandwich I've ever had in my entire life! And you said they're not like the normal chain restaurant?"

The fox nodded. "Yeah, the Kragel is huge and they only send people from their family to start the business to train the employees. That's why there are only a few restaurants out there. It's rare to eat at one, so you better savor every bite."

I took another bite out of my sandwich and chomped down on plenty of fries, closing my eyes while I groaned. This was really good, like legitimately. Even Delta's food couldn't amount to something like this, and I had spent seventeen years there to know. I'm pretty sure I had full rights to be the judge on these things.

_ _ Savoring the sandwich, I sipped my drink. Something inside was still bugging me. "Hey, Hunter."

"Hm?" he muttered, taking another bite out of his food.

"Can I ask you something?" I set my food aside for a few minutes.

He sipped his drink and waited until his mouth was clear. "Yeah, sure. What's on your mind?"

I folded my ears against my head and slipped my glasses off, laying them on the table. "Why didn't you throw me out once I was healed? You've been showing me numerous amounts of kindness all day and...I dunno, I just can't figure out why. I mean..." I sighed, shaking my head. "...why help out a random stranger? For all you knew when you took me in, I could've been some serial killer under some identity to throw you off my trail. How did you know I wouldn't kill you right then and there?"

Somehow, he remained calm even as I finished speaking. The fox nibbled on one of his fries. "Well, first off, I'm willing to bet that there's no other husky on the planet with a pair of working wings, as you demonstrated a few days ago, so I figured you weren't normal."

"But what kept you from killing me?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I guess I just didn't feel threatened by you. I mean, I was scared out of my mind when I hit you with me car because I thought I killed you, but I trusted you enough to give you a chance."

"You know you took a big risk trusting me, right?" I asked him, taking a few more bites out of my sandwich.

He nodded. "Indeed I did, and I have to say, I don't regret the end result one bit."

"Not even a little?"

He shook his head. "Not even a tiny fragment."

"But...why?" I asked. "What was so special about me that made you want to understand me more? Why didn't you just throw me out once I was healed and move on with your life?"

The fox broke from my gaze and sighed, gripping his drink a little too tightly. "Because I thought you were special." He almost struggled to get the words out but let out a pained sigh. "What I'm trying to say is that I had a gut feeling you weren't like other people, so I decided to take a gamble on that gut feeling and hope for the best that you weren't going to turn out to be a dick."

I watched as he struggled to find the correct words. Whatever he was saying, he was speaking from the heart and I could feel the emotion within the confines of his words. He wasn't lying. That much I could tell. I watched as he tried to regain his composure, giving me a pained sigh before meeting my gaze once more.

Oh, god. Now I understood it all. While we had been out this entire day, I had been trying to figure him out as to why he was being nice to me for no reason, and I could see it as plain as day now. He was being nice because he had faith that I wouldn't treat him unfairly. I knew all too well what it was like to be treated like an outsider, so I could sympathize with him. He was scared that I would turn into one of those jerks who just ended up walking once they had their fill, but when I didn't, he had faith that we could stay friends and work as one. I looked into his saddened eyes and brought his gaze up so I meet his eyes better. The fox didn't deserve to feel this way. He was way too nice.

I couldn't help but feel bad now. For this entire day, I had been treating him like crap because he was doing all this nice stuff for me, and I should've accepted it a long time ago. He was trying to help me cope with the real world by offering his own words of wisdom but showing me what it was like out here, and I was just trying to figure out why he was being nice. God, I felt terrible now. I felt like a horrible person, and for good reason. He was playing the good guy so well and I was busy being the indifferent guy about everything. I knew I had to make this up to him no matter what.

"Hey," he leaned over and placed a hand on his arm, which caused him to jump a little. "I'm sorry I made you do that, alright? I'm grateful for everything you've done for me. You've done more than I could ever ask for."

"But I just don't think its enough," he gripped his drink and nearly caused it to spill. Why was he so tense? I didn't see a reason for him to be since he was the one who was doing all the nice stuff while I was being a huge dick to him for no reason whatsoever.

"Hunter, what you're doing is above and beyond what someone else would've done for me," I reassured him. "You're such a great guy, you know that? You gave me a home, warm food, and you're special enough that I'm glad I can call you a friend."

I saw his grip on the drink ease up. Maybe I was making some headway. "You mean...you don't think I'm weak or pathetic?" I could tell he was fighting back some tears. "I'm not...weak to you?"

"No, never have you been weak to me," I stated. "In fact, I think you're the exact opposite."

He blinked, as if the words were a shock to him. "The...exact opposite?"

I nodded sagely, retracting my hand. "Hunter, had you not taken me in when you hit me, I probably would've suffered on the street. Actually, now that I think about it, even if someone found me and called paramedics, my cover would've been blown and the Division would be on me in no time. You saved me when no one else would."

"But what does that have to do with me being the exact opposite?" he asked. Was he really this perplexed?

I sighed, throwing him a warm smile. "Hunter, you're stronger than you think. You showed guts when I believed no one else would and proved to me that not all people are the way I perceived them when I first arrived."

"And what was your perception?"

"That they're arrogant, bossy, rude, careless, soulless, heartless, painful, mean, hateful..."

He held up a hand and blushed. "Yeah, I get it."

I blushed this time. "Yeah, but you get my point. You proved to me that not everyone is what I thought they were. Out of all of them, you were by far the strongest person."

"I was strong because I saved you?" he asked. "I don't get it."

I shook my head. "It's not just because you saved me. You changed what I thought about the people here. You showed me not everyone is the same. You were strong because you showed honor and mercy on someone who was helpless. Who else would've done something like that to a freak like me?"

He blushed, folding his ears against his head. "No one, I guess."

"And thank you for proving my point," I chuckled, sipping my drink again.

He smiled and finished off his burger. "You know what?"

I looked at him. "Hm?"

Hunter looked me right in the eyes. "You're right. I shouldn't be putting myself down like this. I mean, I did save you and I did it because it was the right thing to do."

"That was also noble of you as well," I chuckled, mining into my sandwich. "You may've hit me with your car, but you did do the responsible thing and help me out. That's pretty noble in my book."

He sighed, shaking his head. "When I saw your wings, I immediately knew that you weren't normal like others. My grandmother was apprehensive about letting you in because of them, but, in my heart, I knew that the right thing to do was help you out despite your...abnormal appearance."

"You took a gamble," I stated, not so much as a question.

He nodded. "Yeah, you could say that. I just wanted to do something that mattered for once."

I patted his shoulder. "And because of it, I'm here."

The fox blushed again and finished off what was left of his fries. "You're too kind."

"Hey, I only speak the truth you know," I chuckled, starting on finishing my own fries.

_ _ Hunter giggled then looked over the distance to the theater. "You know, we could catch a movie before heading home. Game for that?"

I raised a brow. "Won't the food spoil?"

The fox shook his head. "Nah, just some chips, brown soda, and canned foods. If we had milk and eggs on the other hand, that would be a different story."

"I don't think you need to spend any more money one me, though," I chucked. "Don't you think you should save that for a rainy day?"

He smirked and stood up from his seat. "I'm not spending money on you. I'm spending my time with you."

I raised a brow at the statement. While sipping my drink, he grabbed me by the shoulder and tugged me away towards the IMAX at the end of the pavilion. As much as I didn't want to admit it, and for Hunter's sake, I really didn't want to, but I enjoyed spending time with him.

About two hours later, we left the theater with dozens of others behind us. Two things were assured while walking out--laughter and smiles. Luckily for Hunter and me, we had both.

Hunter chuckled on the way to the car, going on about the movie. "Everything is awesome! Everything is cool when you're part of a team!" He continued to sing the theme from that move, gleeful and happy was he.

Even I couldn't help but chuckle and smile. He acted so goofy and quirky after the movie but, oddly enough, I liked that about him. At least he wasn't stiff and stuck up. I should've figured he had a more comical side after spending almost a week living with him.

"What was that movie called again?" I asked.

He smiled, turning to look at me. "The Lego Movie! It was just as good as I thought!"

I snickered. "You didn't see it before then?"

He shook his head. "I never had anyone to go watch it with. All the friends I had were usually always busy. I'm...glad I could watch it with you."

The fox had me blushing. "Now you're being the one who's too kind, Hunter. You did drag me to watch it, you know. I didn't have much of a say in the matter." I stuck my tongue out.

The guy imitated me. "Aw, come on. You know you enjoyed it! Don't even deny yourself!"

"Too bad, I'm denying it," I teased.

He shoved me, but in a playful manner. "You suck."

I shoved him back and chuckled. "I'm only kidding."

Hunter smiled, and I could see the brightness of his personality begin to radiate. He wasn't scared anymore, nor was he nervous about talking to me, and I could see that he was thoroughly enjoying himself despite spending most of our day shopping for various items. The one day brought us together despite what we had been feeling earlier, and I couldn't figure out how. Had we bonded or something in just a few short hours? Nah, that felt a little impossible to me, but I could be wrong. Anything was possible at this point.

While walking back to the car, he leaned closer against me. I noticed that he was shuddering. The temperature had dropped a little since we entered the theater, so I guessed that his body wasn't as well-equipped as mine was. Hell, I didn't even need this coat.

"You cold?" I asked.

He didn't meet my eyes. "Nah, I can manage. We're not that far from the car."

I nodded but could sense his unsureness. "Stay close then."

He didn't even pass up the offer and stayed close to my warm body. "How're you so warm?"

"I'm a genetic mess," I reminded him.

"Oh."

"I can explain it later. Right now we just need to..."

That was when we saw three men breaking into the car. Hunter stood where he was, transfixed in place as if he could no longer move from this spot. We both watched in stunned silence as they smashed a crowbar through the window and started to rummage through the shattered glass for the lock. All three wore brown leather trench coats, scarfs that covered up their faces, hats, jeans, and gloves. One appeared to be a wolf, who was the one who just shattered the window, the one on the passenger side looked to be a dragon from my standards, and the one who was trying to break into the trunk looked to be an otter from the look of his tail.

Unlike Hunter, who trembled with fear and not due to the cold, I was more courageous and gritted my teeth and shouted "Hey! Get away from our car!"

I'd like to say I was heroic at that point since I got their attention. I heard one of them curse then exchange looks I didn't like. There was something I didn't like about their momentary silence.

That was when I realized what it was. I grabbed Hunter and jumped to the side just as the guy on the driver's side pulled out a gun and shot.