Animal

Chapter 1

It had started as a slight pain behind the eyes.

Sky had just shrugged the pain off and continued the parkour map with Ty. It must have just been a headache, nothing abnormal. Maybe he had hit his head the last time he had failed at a jump. It wasn't very bad and he soon forgot about it when Deadlox challenged him to a race.

But later, as he settled down next to Dawn in bed, the slight headache grew until even the faintest light would bring a searing pain bolting through his forehead. He curled next to the already sleeping Dawn, groaning quietly and rubbing his temple. Just a migraine; it'll pass in the morning.

Or that's what he thought.

Sunlight filtered in through the crack between two tightly drawn curtains. Even then, the immense pain behind Sky's eyes seemed affected by the light. Even curled under the heavy blankets, the light persisted to bring him pain. Sky swallowed thickly, pressing his fingers against his eyes. He clenched his teeth, trying to think of anything except his horrible migraine. There was a gentle knock on the door. The minecrafter winced, then slowly sat up. "Wh-who is it?"

"Sky? It's me, Dawn. . . I was just wondering if you're going to get up anytime soon."

Sky squinted at the door, slightly startled to see that his vision had gone wobbly. He rubbed an eye with his palm, trying to talk around his fumbling tongue. Dawn must have gotten up earlier. "I-I don't know. . . What. . . What time is it?"

"Around noon."

"I'll be right up."

Dawn nodded, even though Sky couldn't see, and walked off with a soft good-bye trailing after her. Sky wondered why she was being so quiet, but again shrugged it off. Maybe she had a sore throat or something.

He swung his legs over the bed, sitting still for a moment before getting up and getting ready for the day. He went to the bathroom, grabbing a pair of clean-ish clothes on his way. He turned the knob of the sink, staring down at the clear water for a few moments.

Sky's brow furrowed at the quickly forming pool in the sink. He stared at the liquid for a few more moments, then splashed his face with a couple handfuls,which only seemed to make his migraine worse. Sky grimaced, blinking water out of his eyes and wiping his face with a towel. He looked up in the mirror, only to recoil back in disgust. He shifted, turning to look at his shoulder. A small patch of his skin had turned a light shade of grey over his right shoulder.

Sky frowned, scratching at the patch. It felt like normal skin, so why did it look this way?

Again, he shrugged it off and pulled on his shirt. But still, worry was starting to tickle at the back of his mind. Was he sick? Why was his skin like this? What's with the sudden headache? He must have caught a virus or something; he just hoped it wasn't deadly

Sky walked out of the bathroom, then out to the kitchen. The house he and Dawn were living in was nice, roomy, but still comfortable. Kermit was currently away on a trip, so the frog's room was shut tight.

Dawn was just setting two plates of food on the table when Sky walked in. She looked up, smiling brightly. "Morning, Sky. Sleep well?"

The budder-loving Minecrafter shrugged, nearly falling into his seat. "Yeah, I guess."

Dawn frowned slightly, pulling out a chair and sitting down across from Sky. "What's wrong?"

"Just a headache," Sky assured her, picking at the eggs on his plate. "Nothing much."

"Oh."

Dawn started eating, trying to start up a conversation around the food in her mouth.

"You seem a little down. Are you sure you're fine?"