Winnie & Dennis: You're my Friend and My Zing

Dennis

He flapped his wings as hard as he could. But his wings were throbbing with fatigue.  They had searched all over for this stranger who had gotten away after swinging her sword at him. He managed to fly up high and get out of her reach. It bothered him a lot since he really wanted to help. Winnie was staring at him while he was landing and turning back into his normal form. Gently, his feet touched the wet soil below.

"Are you alright Zing-Zing?" she asked him. 

Dennis let out a sigh and looked at her. "I wanted to help the stranger. We could have done something!" He chewed his lip. "And we could have protected them." 

"Her. She's a warrior I reckon." 

"You think?" asked Dennis.

"Yes, did you see that huge sword she had?" Winnie walked towards him and then sat on a big solid rock. It seemed to him that she was scouting the area for movement. Or so it looked like. "I reckon she won't need help, she was strong with that sword and almost hit you with it!"

"That's true," Dennis began. "But why would she be so terrified and just lash out like that?" 

"Obviously whatever it was that happened back there... it must have terrified her to the core." Her ears were perking up and down listening for movement. But nothing, the only audible thing they could hear was the whisper of the wind. Along with that, the gentle bristling of leaves over their heads. 

"Let's move on. We might meet up with our warrior further up this path. There's a river." For a while, Dennis thought that their efforts would be for nothing. But he had a hunch that the river would be a good place to start since water is important in these woods. 

"Why the river?" asked Winnie.

"Water is a resource. Warriors need to keep their strength... and there is food." 

"Fish..." Winnie began. She licked her lips.

"Not just any fish though," he picked up a heavy branch that know doubt fallen off earlier from the winds.  "We will need this. Just in case."

Dennis remembered that the river actually had piranhas swimming around instead of fish. Uncle Drac had told him a while ago in the kitchen when he asked about where he got the piranhas.  Those things had the sharpest of teeth. But tasted good.

"They are quick and very... hungry I suppose. So don't get too close, okay?"

"Yes my Zing." Winnie said with a hint of disappointment. It seemed to him that she was hungry, he found himself starting to get hungry as well and that bothered him.

"If we don't find the warrior near the river then we will head back and get some. That sound good?" he asked Winnie trying to get her excited. It somehow worked.

"Okay Zing-Zing!" she chirped and gently slid her paws into his hands. Dennis could feel his blood rushing to his cheeks. The amount of times that he has held her paw it never failed to make him blush. It was sort of comforting to him and he would never complain.

"Not too far now." By now, his stomach was rumbling. He was very hungry and tired. Winnie looked tired too but she wouldn't express it. But he could tell. "Let's rest here for a bit," he said placing the heavy branch down. "I think we should go back..." 

"What! Why? We can't go back now" she complained. But their circumstances were not good at all. Surely Winnie knew that.

"But we are hungry and tired, Winnie. We can come back search for her after we have rested."

"No. We can't leave her out here in this forest while something could be... chasing her for all we know" she objected. He let out a sigh, she was right after all.