Chapter Text
"I have to get there faster," Fink said to himself, gasping for breath between each word. The leaves crunched as his swift paws raced across the forest floor and his eyebrows furrowed as he jumped from place to place, skillfully avoiding the traps nature had set for him. Rocks, branches, and trees all kept appearing just past his view like they were on a mission to thwart his attempts at reaching his destination. But Fink's determination to see his friend countered them all.
Eventually, the shore came into view past the treeline, where a glimmer hit the fox's eye. Fink instinctively yipped with joy as tears welled up in his eyes. It had been so long since he got to see his best friend, and now she was just a short run away. Luckily for Fink's ego, the wind cascaded off his face, which caused the tears in his eyes to dissipate. The fox sighed in relief. "Can't let Roz see me too emotional."
As the treeline neared, Fink crouched low, then leaped out onto the sand. As he landed, his paws sunk before he took off once again. Each step he took felt heavier and heavier as if the sand were pulling him lower. Fink glanced down at his paws; they seemed normal, but behind him, his pawprints were already gone. He tilted his head in confusion, but with a swift motion, his gaze snapped back to the front remembering why he was there. Fink could clearly see Roz straight ahead of him now, which made it all the more annoying that the sand had slowed his arrival time. It also didn't help that the other animals had already gathered to greet her, including Brightbill who was nestled comfortably in his spot on her neck. He growled slightly. He was growing impatient.
"Roz! Roz!" Each time Fink yelled her name he leaped as if she wouldn't see him amongst the pebbles of sand. Roz and the animals turned themselves to face the fox who was causing the commotion. They were silent, with only the soft rush of waves answering him. But Fink didn't worry about that. Right now, his heart was racing, and he jumped toward his friend with his arms stretched outward.
Unexpectedly, Fink slammed into Roz's metal chest. His claws tried to grasp onto her, but they barely scratched the surface, and he fell to the floor with a thump. Fink winced slightly and shook his head, a wave of disappointment washing over him. He had expected her to catch him as they had often done, but it didn't matter, his friend was right there. He stood quickly, shook the doubts from his fur, and bolted towards Roz, embracing her tightly.
"Roz, I've missed you so much," Fink whispered. His eyes squeezed shut as his paws gripped her tightly. "I had so many things to tell you and-and it felt so lonely here without you. Promise me..." Fink faltered, a lump forming in his throat. "Promise you'll never leave again." He buried his snout against Roz's arm feeling the tears welling up in his eyes. The words he wanted to hear would send him over the edge, and let him know he cared, something he wasn't sure he was ready for.
A few moments passed as Fink was met with silence at his request. Anticipation knawed at him, and the thoughts that he had tried to ward off returned. Fink gritted his teeth and looked toward his friend with a pained expression. "Roz?" his voice croaked. The robot looked downward towards the fox that had her in his grasp. Her lenses adjusted slightly as if to get a better look at the troubled creature.
"I...did not miss you," Roz's voice echoed, the familiar warmth gone from her voice.
Fink's eyes opened wide as he released his grip and stepped away. "Wh-what are you saying, Roz?" he asked, his voice trembling. The animals that stood nearby were frozen, their expressions blank. Fink's heart raced, and he instinctively cowered back.
Brightbill's voice cut through the stillness, "She wants you to get lost." The weight of the moment hung in the air, thick with unspoken emotion. Fink's breaths grew heavy as thoughts of their time together flashed into his brain.
Without another word, Fink turned away, running back towards the forest.
His paws scurried against the blurred forest floor, the leaves glowing with unnatural light that pulsed in time with his heartbeat. The obstacles that he once dodged with ease were now beating him down. Every other rock seemed to jump out at him, sending him stumbling over uneven ground. Jagged edges scraped at his paws while overhanging branches whipped across his face. The towering trees stood firm, colliding with him like mountain goats determined to topple him.
Then, one particular rock decided to send him tumbling, his heart raced as he fell, crashing into the rough bark of a nearby tree. The impact jolted him, leaves rustling above as if the forest were chuckling at his mishap. Fink raised his head, before lowering it once more.
As Fink lay crumpled against the tree, his world began to unravel. The rustle of the trees began to fade and the moist forest air began to dissipate. With a deep breath, Fink felt himself drifting above the world and its problems. He felt weightless, drifting higher and higher, away from the pain that he had experienced moments ago. Just as the remnants of the forest began to dissolve in Fink's mind, a voice broke through the fog, a familiar one.
"Fink, wake up." The voice was robotic and warm, matching only one thing he knew. Roz. It guided him out from the depths of his subconscious and with a jolt, Fink's eyes fluttered open. He was no longer in the forest, but curled up in his cozy bed, inside his and Roz's den. The sun that shone through the ceiling and the familiar scents that surrounded the fox immediately made his body relax. The dream that was once so real, was now nothing more than a bad thought.
"Well...there's another depressing dream for the books," Fink said under his breath, before quickly rising to his feet. His excitement built as he remembered the voice he heard. Was it real? His eyes darted across the room looking for someone he so longed to see, but a sigh followed suit as his findings came up short. He was alone.
Fink stretched his paws in the air, exerting a small squeal as the last of the tiredness left his body. He hopped out of bed and meandered towards the door, taking in the rays of light that soaked into him. There was also a gentle breeze as Fink left the den that rustled the trees and his fur. It brought a cluster of familiar smells, but none he could distinguish. All in all, it seemed to be a beautiful day.
"Fiiiiiink!"
Fink's ears perked up as his eyes scanned the surrounding area. His instincts felt dulled, likely because he had just woken up moments ago. "Yeah? Who's there?" Fink shouted in different directions.
"Up here!" the voice responded. Fink's head whipped upward to see a familiar goose.
"Brightbill!" The fox smiled as he watched the kid soar in the sky. "Stop flying around and come down here; you're making me dizzy."
Fink could hear a small chuckle as Brightbill readied his descent. The goose flapped his wings, gaining height before diving backward and plunging to the floor with his wings close to his body.
"Kid!" Fink launched off his hind legs and rushed toward where he thought the kid would land. As Brightbill neared the ground, Fink got in position to catch the goose, but to his surprise, Brightbill elegantly caught himself on the wind before flapping his wings and gently landing on Fink's head.
"Glad to see the days we spent training you weren't for nothing. Now...fly away from this!" Fink said, flipping over. Brightbill instinctively flapped his wings to try and escape, but Fink launched at him, playfully catching Brightbill in his jaws. The fox snarled as he threw the goose around.
Brightbill laughed, "Alright, alright Fink, you got me."
A proud hum exerted itself from the fox's clenched teeth as he set Brightbill down on the grass. Despite Roz being gone, he hadn't been completely alone. Brightbill kept him company when he wasn't with his other friends, and animals like Pinktail and Thorn didn't mind his presence.
"So, how's it going kid? Feels like it's been ages since I've seen you," Fink said, tossing a sly grin.
Brightbill gave an exaggerated eye role, "It's probably been a day Fink"
"Let me have my drama will ya?"
Brightbill chuckled slightly, shaking his head, "Things are going good. Me and some of the geese are heading out on a little adventure. Going to an island a ways off."
"Oh yeah?" Fink perked up "How long are you going to be gone for?"
"A couple of days, maybe three?"
Fink's ears drooped. "That's so long" He groaned dramatically, his voice rising in protest.
"I think you'll be able to survive, you've got other animals here to chat with besides me you know."
"Yeah yeah," Fink said, still pouting.
Brightbill leaned in close to the fox, "Unless you're saying I'm your favorite?"
Fink tapped the gosling on the beak, making him pull back slightly, "Well, that's one way to put it."
"Sure." The goose said with a straight face. "Anyway, that's what I'll be doing for the next few days. What about you?"
Fink pondered for a moment, "I'll probably wander around, see if any animals need help. Laugh at Paddler, the usual."
Brightbill smirked "Sounds like a handful. The Fink I knew would never go out of his way to help animals out."
Fink shrugged. "It's just to keep busy is all, I can't sit inside with my thoughts all the time, the world knows I don't need that. Plus... I think it's what Roz would want me to do if she were here." Fink said lowering his gaze.
Brightbill's smile faltered as he glanced at Fink. "Yeah...I'm sure when she gets back she'll appreciate your effort." Brightbill's wing rose as he placed it on Fink's back, giving a silent comfort, but the fox shifted away, just out of reach.
"Hopefully she can come back soon so she can take up this job herself, it's a lot of effort" He added with a forced chuckle. Brightbill's wing lowered slowly, his eyes lingering on Fink. He wanted to say something, ask if he was ok, but his beak remained shut and he nodded.
"Well you should probably get going kid," Fink said, hopping onto his feet. "I don't want to keep you from your social life too much longer."
Brightbill hesitantly nodded again before his wings fluttered fast enough to get him in the air. "Alright well, I'll make sure you're the first animal I see when I get back!"
"You better, the stress from helping animals might have killed me by then though."
"I'll make sure to bury you somewhere nice! "Cya Fink!"
"Bye Kid! Make sure you're careful!" Fink yelled, watching as the goose disappeared from his sight.
Fink sighed, then peered over his shoulder to take a look at his den. After a brief pause, he took off into the forest. It was weird, the sense of Deja Vu that came rushing into the fox's head as his paws crunched against the fallen leaves. His gaze studied the horizon, making sure trees didn't appear from nowhere and that his paws were actually making an impact on the ground. Luckily from what he could tell, this was real, and his first mission in this real world was to talk to Pink Tail.