A Silent Soul- Chapter 16
#18 of A Silent Soul
Chapter 16! <3
Hello my furs! I bring to thee the next chapter of A Silent Soul, where a day of fun in the sun ends under the stars. I had so much joy writing this chapter, and I hope you all enjoy! I'll see you at the bottom of the page! ^_^
P.O.V. Change: Jasper
I awoke to Elijah twitching and fidgeting in my arms, facing me. I had yet to open my eyes so I gently smiled and nuzzled his cheek. Only when I did so I received a wet sensation across my muzzle.
My eyes shot open and I realized that Elijah had tears rolling down his cheeks while he still slept, indicating that he was likely having a nightmare. I shook him gently trying to awake him.
"Elijah wake up, Elijah it's a dream wake up. Wake up!" I whispered loudly which seemed to jar him awake. He gasped wildly and tried to sit up but my arms still holding him down alerted him of my presence. He dove into my chest fur and shoved his hands into my own and squeezed. Hard.
His body was trembling and I could only hold on for the ride as the panic attack racked his body. He whined quietly with every exhale of breath and his eyes darted around madly, pupils large with fright looking for anything that would try to harm him.
I nudged my muzzle against his and forced him to lock his gaze on me, letting him know I was there to protect him. Finally the shaking began to lessen and his muscles began to unclench slowly. His breathing began to normalize and the grip on my paws relinquished.
His body relaxed completely as he panted from the exhaustion of the anxiety spike. I stroked his back lightly letting my blunt nails run through the soft white fur. We probably laid there for about 30 minutes before he finally spoke.
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to drag you into that. Are your hands okay?" He whispered quietly. Taking one of my paws I wiped the area beneath his eyes where the tears had begun to dry.
"Don't worry about me, are you okay?" I asked him. He nodded his head gently.
"I'm fine... it's been a while since I've had one of those." He replied.
"Do you take medicine for them?" I continued the light stroking of his back as I waited for his response.
"Not anymore, they got less and less frequent and so I stopped taking it." He responded quietly.
"Do you know what caused them?" I questioned further. He shook his head.
"There was never any one cause, anything from loud noises to someone mentioning something that would trigger it. I've always lived in fear of them because I never knew when they would happen. But I will say that was one of the shortest ones I've ever had, how did you do that?" He gazed at me expectantly as if I were some kind of guardian angel. I shrugged in response, not even sure myself.
"I just wanted you to watch me, I wanted to know I was right here and that nothing was gonna hurt you." I whispered as I nuzzled his cheek fuzz. He giggled at the ticklish sensation and rubbed back.
"Well whatever it was it worked. Thank you." I nodded and we cuddled for a few minutes longer before I finally started my morning stretches.
"So what do you wanna do today? You let me pick yesterday so now it's your turn." I said as I sat up with my legs hanging over the side of the bed.
"I honestly wouldn't mind lying in bed all day with you wolfie, but I know that's not your thing. So I figured we could go out to the semester kick off party out on the lawn. They have all kinds of different inflatable bounce houses and water courses and stuff." He said as he rolled onto his back watching as I got dressed.
"Well in that case I guess we should wear our bathing suits." I chuckled as I watched Elijah let his tongue hang lazily out of his muzzle as he hung upside down off the edge of the bed. Pulling on my black bathing suit I also grabbed a black tank-top to go along with it. Glancing at the digital clocked I noted the time 10:30 in the morning.
"Come on silly I wanna get there before the lines get crazy." I told him as I turned back to face him. He was still in the same position as before but I realized with glee that he'd left his stomach exposed. Wearing my trademark mischievous grin I turned on the spot and assaulted his stomach with wiggling fingers.
He burst out into laugher which only compelled me further and I watched with amusement as he slid off the bed onto the floor. We laid there for a moment trying to catch his breath before he reached up and grabbed my hand. I helped him up off the floor and he proceeded to get dressed as well, grabbing his blue and white floral suit and a pastel blue t-shirt.
"Alright let's go!" I said as we walked out the door. The party was almost in full swing once we got there, everyone seemingly having the same idea of getting there early. A fox who'd died his fur blue was manning the DJ stand, spinning various party mixes for the event.
"So, what first Wags?" I asked Elijah as I watched his curly tail swinging wildly behind him.
"Bounce house dodgeball?" He asked, eyes alit with glee.
"Bounce house it is. Race ya." I challenged him before taking off. I had the advantage being slightly taller not to mention Elijah was wearing flip flops while I wore sneakers. I slid to a stop behind a hyena standing in line, and I whirled around to see Elijah jogging up behind me.
"Hey... that's... cheating!" He panted out, and I chuckled. Elijah glanced up and his eyes were focused on a point just past my own head, and I glanced backwards at the hyena.
"Dan?" Elijah said curiously. The hyena glanced behind us and a wicked grin found it's home across his muzzle.
"Zan, but nice try! You're that husky from yesterday right?" He cackled at the successful confusion between him and his brother.
"Yup, the same one. I didn't know you were a student?" Elijah pointed out.
"Yeah I'm a student, the shop job is just for some extra spending money." Turning to Jasper he held out his hand.
"And I'm assuming you're the wolf that met my brother Dan yesterday?" He grinned.
"Yup, I had no idea there were two of you. Must be fun having a twin brother." Jasper returned the handshake as we progressed forward slightly in the line.
"It's awesome, we play pranks all the time! Our biggest stunt was when I sat in for his chemistry final last year, they never found out!" He cackled madly at the confession. I chuckled amusedly at him and after a few more minutes of waiting we reached the front of the line.
We kicked our shoes into the pile of footwear and waited for the signal to go inside. The volunteer ushered Zan, Elijah and I as well as a few others behind us inside. We took one of the sides and the other 3 took the other side before another volunteer initiated the game.
With the confines of the arena being so small the match didn't last long, but Zan eventually was able to outlast the red panda on the other team. We all jumped out of the bounce house and we parted ways with Zan before making our way to another one of the inflatables.
After about an hour of running to each of the different obstacle courses we found a comfortable spot to rest on the grass.
"I'm glad we decided to do this, I'm having so much fun. I'm starting to get hungry though." I panted out. It was still pretty warm even though it was nearing the end of fall. The disadvantages of Florida weather I guess.
"They've got a grill bar going over there, we could go grab a bite to eat." Elijah replied. I nodded and we pulled ourselves up from the ground and made our way to the grill stand. We stood in line and got burgers, as well as a bag of chips and a bottle of water, a good lunch for an event like this.
We decided to find a shadier spot under one of the trees nearby. Just as we'd began to eat two shadows materialized behind us.
"Hey!" "Mind if we join you?"
A voice sounded behind us on the left followed by one on the right. Elijah and I both turned to see none other than the hyena twins standing over us, trademark grins plastered to their faces.
"Only if you give us the secret to distinguishing between you two." I joked as I invited them to sit.
"It's all in the spots my friend. Dan here has a spotted back while I do not. Too bad we don't take our shirts off often enough for people to be able to tell the difference!" I assumed it was Zan speaking based on the fact he'd referred to Dan as the example. Zan high fived his brother knowing that even though they'd given away their secret they would still be safe.
"Well that's no fun, has one of your girlfriends ever walked up to the wrong brother?" Elijah asked teasingly. The siblings exchanged glances again before bursting into laughter.
"Dude, we've both fooled around with each other's girlfriends without them knowing it! Now that I think about it that was more than likely our biggest stunt." Zan commented on the statement he made earlier.
"What did you originally tell them?" Dan asked him.
"The chemistry exam thing, when I sat in for you." He replied.
"Ahh yeah, that was great. Not the best though!" Dan responded, punching his brother lightly on the shoulder before laughing again. Elijah and I both shook our heads at the twins before setting our plates aside.
"There is way too much testosterone floating around here, let me help that." A feminine voice caused all 4 heads to turn and I grinned seeing the bright orange fox standing over us, a light brown coyote that I recognized from Rachel and I's English class standing behind her.
"Hey Rachel, hey Trev. Didn't know you guys were here." I greeted them.
"Yeah we decided to crash the party late, I dragged Trevor along at the last second. I asked Bastian if he wanted to come but he said it wasn't really his kind of thing." Rachel replied, sitting down to join the circle, Trevor following suit.
"I guess introductions are in order. Rachel and Trevor, this is Dan and Zan, Dan and Zan, Rachel and Trevor." I informed the two parties.
"Hey there!" The hyena twins recited perfectly, chuckling at the confused faces of the fox and coyote respectively.
"Wait... who's who again?" Trevor asked, cocking his head slightly.
"That's our secret, you'll just have to figure it out!" I knew it was Dan who was speaking, but the two newcomers were still completely unaware.
"Right... so what do you guys wanna do?" Rachel asked.
"We haven't hit any of the water inflatables yet, which are sounding more and more appealing with this heat." Elijah replied, waving his paws in his face in a fanning motion.
"I didn't bring my bathing suit." Rachel frowned.
"Me neither, so I guess that's out for us." Trevor added.
"You guys could probably run and get them real quick, we'll wait for you." I told them.
"You'll wait for us? Alright cool, come on Trev let's run back. Meet you guys back here, don't move." Rachel replied, grinning excitedly. She grabbed the poor coyotes arm and dragged him up and across the lawn with her. We all shook our heads amusedly and I turned my attention back to the hyena brothers.
"So you said you sat in for Dan's chemistry exam? That means you guys aren't freshman I assume." I commented. Both shook their heads simultaneously.
"We're sophomores now, this is our second year here. Are you guys freshman?" Dan asked us.
"Yep, just moved in about a week ago." Elijah replied.
"Oh so are you two roommates?" Zan prodded. I nodded my head in response.
"Yeah, couldn't have asked for a better roomie." I replied, glancing at Elijah who smiled back happily. The twins shared a knowing look before Zan turned to us.
"You two make a cute couple." He grinned at our expressions of shock.
"H-how did you-" Dan cut me off before I could continue.
"You two don't exactly hide it well. I've seen the looks you give each other, and I've definitely seen you two brush hands a couple times. Don't be scared to show it in front of us though, it's cool." He commented. Still somewhat in a state of shock, I could only nod in response.
We sat in awkward silence waiting for Rachel and Trevor to return. Dan pointed over my shoulder after a couple minutes, and I turned to see the two approaching now equipped with the proper apparel.
"Alright, let's hit the slides boys!" Rachel exclaimed giddily and we all jumped up off the ground to run to the water slides. There were two lines for each one, and each respective duo split up so we could face one another. I was up against Dan, I think at least. I was still unsure because they both still had their shirts on.
Meaning Rachel was paired against Zan and Elijah against Trevor. When it was our turn Dan and I set up track style on the grass. Once the referee gave the signal we took off racing to the first part of the course that required us to slide on our belly for a few feet on the inflatable.
Next we raced up the net wall, our wet fur making it even more difficult to find purchase on the air filled wall. Finally once we'd reached the top it was a simple slide to the bottom. Dan pulled just barely ahead of me when I got my foot caught in the netting, enough for him to hit the bottom of the slide first.
We fist bumped at the bottom laughing our tails off as we made way for the next couple. We stood off to the side where we could see Rachel and Zan set up to go. Rachel looked our way and winked mischievously at me before the volunteer gave the signal to go.
Rachel flew across the grass and slid all the way to the base of the wall whereas Zan only slid three quarters of the way. I watched the fox's nimble form scale the wall effortlessly and slide head first down the slide.
She climbed out of the slide tapping her foot as she waited for Zan who eventually came tumbling over the top of the slide. He slid helplessly over the edge and ended up head over heels at the back of the base of the slide. Rachel stood over him with a raised eyebrow and Zan could only grin back sheepishly.
They joined Dan and I just in time to watch Elijah and Trevor's turn. It was a dead heat the entire way, but Elijah was able to scramble over the top of the slide just a bit quicker than Trevor. The two jabbed playfully at one another as they approached us.
"Alright, so our winners are: Dan! Elijah! And of course yours truly." Rachel announced. We all cheered simultaneously at the results of the competition, everyone having a good time. We eventually separated to hit the remaining inflatables and slides and once it finally began getting dark we all met back at the spot we'd eaten lunch under the tree.
"What a day! That was so much fun, can't wait to do this again next semester." Elijah commented as we all laid out lazily on the grass.
"I had a lot of fun, glad you guys were all here." I added.
"For a couple freshman you guys know how to have fun!" Dan added as well, in which Zan agreed.
"Wait, you two aren't freshman?" Rachel sat up slightly.
"Nope, you two were gone for that conversation." Zan replied. Rachel nodded before laying back once again. We all sighed contentedly as the party finally began to wind down, and eventually it came the time to head back.
"We need to do this again sometime you guys, I had a ton of fun." Elijah said as he slipped his flip flops on.
"Definitely, we'll definitely do this again." Rachel replied. We all said our respective goodbyes and made the slow walk back to our dorms. Elijah and I chatted idly about what our favorite parts of the day were when suddenly Elijah slowed to a stop. I stopped as well and gazed at him concernedly.
"What's wrong?" I asked him.
"Nothing... I'm just not ready to go back yet." He replied. I let my ears flop to the side confusedly as I stared at him.
"Well... what do you wanna do then?" I questioned him. He didn't reply, only grabbed my paw and led me in the opposite direction of the dormitories. We walked up a somewhat large hill and Elijah finally came to a stop once we'd reached the top.
He simply laid down on the grass and patted the spot next to him. I caught the gesture and laid down next to him. He snuggled up against me and sighed contentedly. No words needed to be said as we gazed up at the stars, no clouds to disturb the calm blackness of the sky.
I took my eyes off of the sky for a moment to glance at the husky lying beside me. The moonlight reflected perfectly off of his pristine white coat, and before I could stop myself, I said the words I'd been holding back for a few days now.
"I love you." Elijah gazed at me with a look of shock before being replaced with unsuppressed joy. He shuffled his body slightly to rest his head on my chest, curling his fingers into my own. He continued gazing at me with admiration and love, and I could only stare back helplessly as I waited for his response.
"I love you too." He said quietly. My heart soared at the confession and I closed the distance between our muzzles. The fireworks that fired off in the distance not only represented the start of a new semester, but also represented the start of a new chapter in my life with the one I currently laid muzzle to muzzle with.
The heat of his breath tickled my muzzle causing me to have to suppress a grin. He grinned as well which helped to melt some of the tension of the moment.
I don't remember how long we laid there simply adoring each other's facial features, but eventually we both fell asleep on top of the hill under the stars holding the other close.
D'awww my goodness they so cute though! :3 But yes that's all the cuteness you're getting out of me today, I have to keep some for myself y'know! I'm so greedy. XD Anyways I hope you all enjoyed today's chapter and don't forget if you have not yet gone to check out my newest story In My Time of Need then what the heck are you doing?? Get over there and check it out! See you all tomorrow, g'nite! :D