Silly Things

Dream

Chapter 6

Not long into the afternoon, Robert returned, and Jake bid the boys goodbye, regretfully. Mike asked if he could stay the night too, but the alsatian claimed he had things to attend to in the morning. Both the kits weren't happy about that.

Thus, the rest of the evening was uneventful, with the two kits spending most of it in their room, lying together on the bed, holding paws, staying close, and talking in low voices. After the unexpected shock of the previous night, where they both felt their new friendship was about to abruptly end, the two felt a powerful closeness all of a sudden. The likes of which neither had felt before.

But they were quiet, reserved. Unusually so, even for them.

Tai knew, as did Mike, that tonight was going to be the last night he was their guest. Barring anything unforeseen, Eraline would be back late tonight, maybe even coming into this apartment and whisking her son back to their own despite the lateness of the hour – and there was no guarantee the vixen would ever allow her son to stay the night in Mike's bed ever again. So of course the boys wanted to make the most of it.

"Wonder how mom will act when she hears about the guys who chased me," Tai muttered during a lull in their rambling conversation.

Mike blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I dunno..." Tai shrugged and stretched out spread-eagled on the bed. "I hope she takes me out of that place... she's done it before."

"She should," stated Mike, frowning. "I've never heard of a school that bad before. It's just crazy."

Tai snorted. "She'll probably yell at me for not going to school for the last few days."

"That's not fair. Does she do stuff like that?"

"Sometimes."

Mike draped an arm across the smaller boy's chest and squeezed him a little. "It'll be alright," he said brightly. "I'll always be around. If you ever need anything, just come by here. It's only one floor. Dad likes you too."

Smiling, Tai twisted around and laid a skinny leg on Mike's back. "Thank you."

"No problemo."

"Did you want to..." Tai blushed beneath his fur, a sheepish smile on his muzzle. "Play or anything? You know...?"

"You bet I do," said Mike softly. "But we can't do anything complicated and it's still early."

Tai nodded and stretched out on the bed. "I know." He had an idea. "Wanna show me your toys?"

After a moment, Mike beamed and sat up. "I thought you'd never ask!" He rolled off the bed and knelt on the carpet, pulling out a box on wheels that seemed to be attached to the bottom of the bed-frame like a drawer. It rattled noisily as the contents were sharply jolted. "Ta-da! Hidden treasure chest."

Tai yanked himself to the edge of the bed. "That's neat!"

Sitting on the floor, Mike popped the top off the box. It wasn't a big toy-box, but it was still nearly twice the size of Tai's. It was filled to the brim with stuff: old plush toys, small toy vehicles, fake firearms, as well as things that Tai didn't immediately recognize. It truly was a treasure chest.

Mike withdrew a small, blue creature with four legs constructed from sturdy plastic. It was a blue-skinned creature, equipped with large fangs, sharp claws and a tail that twisted like a snake into the air behind it. It seemed to be a weird amalgamation of various species, almost like a chimera. "I have no idea what this is," he said, looking a little bemused. "Dad got it for me because he heard all the kits were getting them. It's cool though."