Tales of Hunter, Polly, and Others

The Divide

It has been months since Hunter's last trip to the Twilite Wood. The very thought of the place reminded him of how Polly got hurt. He just couldn't help but to blame himself for what happened.
Each and every day, Hunter had to face Bongo. The sight of the doll made him flashback to the rabbit creature in the Twilite Wood. 'What WAS that thing!? Why would it try to hurt her? ...I should've been more careful...' But unlike Hunter, Polly really enjoyed the company of Bongo. Almost too much. 'Why does she care about that thing so much? I know it's just a doll, but... I get bad vibes from it... Why can't she see that? Why won't she stop spending time with it? We don't even get to play together as much as we used to... It's kinda like torture... I know I should've protected her, but...' Hunter was getting really tense. He desperately needed time to cool off, but the one place he loved the most turned into a place of horror. 'I can't go back there... I... What do I do..?' He did his best to get through each day normally. But as hard as he tried, he couldn't get rid of the cloud of doom over his head. He had nightmares often. 'I... I can't take this anymore...' He wanted to run to his mommy and cry, but he didn't know how. He would have a lot of explaining to do. 'I'd have to give up the woods....' He thought long and hard. As much as this place made him anxious, this was the one place he knew best. Every time he went there, it always found a way to make him feel good. 'What if I can just get over this? Then I can go back anytime. ...But that would be selfish huh? Besides, I don't think I can ever get over this. Not without doing something about it.' He took a deep breath. It might have taken a while, but Hunter finally had an idea. 'Maybe I should.... Go back. And... say goodbye or something. Then I'll tell mom and dad about it. ...Maybe then I'll be able to finally get this stuff off my chest..." He went to bed and fell asleep, nervous about his plan.

Hunter woke up in complete darkness. The bed was gone, and the ground didn't seem to exist. Hunter was floating in midair. He could hear the wind, but he didn't feel it. It was as if something surrounded him. Hunter swam through the air, hoping to find a way out. After what seemed to be days, Hunter finally came across a black border. He reached his arm out to touch it. The wall was slimy and cold. Hunter retracted his hand and shook off the dark goo. "What the...?" He looked at the wall once more. It seemed this was his only way out. "They must miss me... I need to go back..." He floated into the gooey border. The dark goop was all over his body. 'This is disgusting...' He continued to move forward. It was the only way. He was almost there. He began to see sunshine through the shadow. A smile crept onto Hunter's face. He was almost home. Just then, the sun fell from the sky. It was pitch black again. Hunter could feel the shadow moving him away from the exit. 'No. No!' He tried to swim his way forward, but he wasn't strong enough. The shadow whispered in his ears. 'They don't need you... Why would anyone miss you...? ...You are nothing. ...Stay here little baki. ...What's the matter baki? Are you going to cry? Go ahead. It's not like anyone will hear you. You are pointless...' Hunter's eyes were watery. "That.... That's not true! Stop it!" The whispers continued. "STOP IT! STOP IT!!! WHY WON'T YOU STOP?" The whispers mocked him. 'Stoooop! Oh, stoooop iiiiit!' "Stop it please!" 'Stop it please!' "I.... I... I..." Tears rolled down Hunter's cheeks. "Let me out of here! PLEASE!" 'Let me out! Let me out!' "SOMEONE HELP ME!! PLEASE!!!!! MOM! DAD! POLLY!" 'Oh, somebody help! Mommy! Daddy! Anybody!' "CREATOR HELP ME PLEASE!!!! I'M SORRY! I DON'T WANT IT TO END LIKE THIS! CREATOR DO SOMETHING! ANYTHING! JUST MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT ST-"

"-OP!" Hunter woke up in his bed. His heart pounded. 'Oh thank Creator... Just a dream.' He looked around. The room was still dark. Everyone was fast asleep. '...I guess nobody heard me.' He took a deep breath and sighed. 'I guess I should go back to sleep huh? But... I don't really think I want to.' After a few minutes, Hunter tried to go back to sleep. "..." He tossed and turned in his bed. He really wanted to go back to sleep, but he just couldn't. After a few hours of tossing and turning, Hunter decided to get up. "Uggh..." He walked over to the kitchen and got himself a midnight snack. 'This has to stop. I cant keep this up... I need to get this over with NOW.' He sighed and looked out the window. It was still dark. Almost in a eerie way. '...Okay, maybe not RIGHT now, but today for sure.' He sat down at the kitchen table. "It's going to be fine, Hunter. Everything will be okay..."

The sun was just beginning to shine through the house. Nixie got out of bed and stretched. After going through her hair with a brush, she walked over to the kitchen and poured herself some hot tea. She saw Hunter sitting at the kitchen table. He was asleep. "...Hunter?" No response. She put her hand on his shoulder. That seemed to do the trick.
Hunter jumped awake. "Huh!? W..what the...?" He saw his mom and smiled. "...Oh. Hey mom."
"Morning little one. ...What are you doing sleeping here of all places?"
"Oh... Uh... I... I didn't sleep well."
"That's terrible!"
"Yeah, I guess so..."
She looked at his face. His eyes were red and had bags underneath them. 'This isn't the first time I have seen him like this. Something is wrong...' "Hunter... what has been troubling you?"
"W... Wha?"
"You have been like this for a while now. Something must be running through your head."
"I..." He looked away. 'Say something! Anything!'
Nixie set down her tea and sat down next to Hunter. "Hunter... Look at me. What is it?"
"...I ...I keep...." 'Come on Hunter, suck it up.' "...I keep having these bad dreams..."
"Hunter..."
"They just keep happening. I... I just feel trapped, and scared, and... and..."
Nixie squeezed him in her arms. "Shh.... You're okay. Everything's okay..." "Mom..." "I know... I know. Everything has been getting scary lately. I'm afraid too. Nevertheless, we have to stay together. Okay?" 'This shadow has to stop. I'm fine if you haunt me. But haunting my children!? That man...' Nixie's eyes watered.
Hunter heard his mom sob. "You okay mom?"
"........Yes. ...Are you alright?"
".....Yeah..."
"...Would you like to talk about it? ...Your nightmares?"
Hunter shook his head. He wasn't ready to talk about it in detail. "...No, I'm good."
"...Oh." Nixie let go of him. "...Let me know if you change your mind. Okay?"
Hunter gave her a smile. "...Okay mom."

Bob and Polly finally woke up and joined Hunter and Nixie for breakfast. Each of them ended up in their own world. Hunter stared at his food and ate in silence. He tried his best to avoid looking at anyone. Especially Polly. Nixie kept glancing at Hunter, clearly worried about him. Bob was simply confused. His eyes scattered. Something was off, but he had no clue what it could be. Polly was just eating and talking with Bongo. She was unaware that something was off. ...Well, mostly unaware. 'Why is everyone so quiet? Did I do something?' She looked at Bongo for an answer. She made Bongo shake his head no. 'Phew... That's good!' She smiled. '...It's awesome that you're able to read my mind like that.' She looked at Hunter and her smile disappeared. '...Is he okay?' Hunter's dark mood seemed almost contagious. 'He looks kinda... depressed. ...I wonder why.' She sighed and looked down at the doll in her arms.
"..."
'Yeah. Yeah, you're right. He's probably fine. Sorry... I just want everyone to be okay...'
"..."
'Thanks Bongo. I know I can count on you.' She gave the doll a hug and smiled. "I love you..."

The family finished eating and sat in an awkward silence for a moment. "..." Bob shot a glance at his wife in hopes that he would figure something out. 'What in da world is goin on!? Does everyone hate each other or somthin? Nix! You clearly know something. Help a guy out, will ya?'
Nixie saw Bobbery and how confused he was. She got up from her chair, and collected the dirty dishes. "Bobby? Would you please help me with these?"
Bob looked at her confused. 'What is she talkin about? That's not really a two person job. .....Oh! I get it.' "Oh! ...Of course!" Bob got up from his seat and followed Nixie to the kitchen counter, away from Hunter and Polly. "...What the Rapo was DAT about?!"
"Shh!"
"Shh? Why 'shh'?! Come on Nix! Just tell me!"
"..."
"Nix."
"...Keep your volume low."
"...Why?"
".....It's Hunter."
"Hunter? What's wrong with Hunter? Did someone hurt him?" He formed his hands into fists. "I'll pound em. Pound em till they're dust." "Bobby, that is sweet of you. ...But that isn't the issue."
"...Then what is it?"
"...Hunter told me something interesting. ...He said he was having these dreams lately."
"D... dreams?"
"Nightmares to be specific."
"...Oh."
Nixie quickly peeked at Hunter. "He looks so frightened..."
"...What's he dream about?"
"I don't know... I asked but.... he refused to say."
"Ah..."
Hunter stared at his parents. Despite their efforts to distance themselves, Hunter could hear everything they said. Even if he couldn't hear them, it was obvious that they were talking about him. 'I know they should know about this, but really? You're gonna try to talk about me like that? ...It's like my feelings are taboo or something. ...I guess i should've expected this from them. ...It's kinda embarrassing though.'
It didn't take long for Bob and Nixie to notice Hunter looking directly at them. The two quickly grew nervous.
"Oh! Uhm.... I'm about to go outside for... uh..."
"Groceries?"
"Yes! That's it! We're low on uh... everything!"
"Imma go with ya. You're gonna need help with all dat stuff. I... Uh... I needed to go get a new coping saw anyway..."
The two speed walked to the door. "We'll be back in no time! Take care of yourselves! AND STAY IN THE HOUSE! ...I love you! Bye bye!" Bob and Nixie quickly walked out the front door, hoping to continue their conversation. Nixie looked back into the house and reluctantly closed the door. She sighed. "..."
"Come on Nix. They'll be fine."
"...I suppose so."

The two walked to Isaac's shop. Once they entered the building, a young Isaac greeted them from the back counter.
"Hello Bob! Hello Nixie!"
Bob smiled. "Hey Isaac."
"What can I get for you?"
"Got any coping saws around?"
"Let me check storage." Isaac walked away from his counter and entered a backroom.
Nixie sighed. 'Finally... Some alone time.' She walked up behind Bob, who was looking at some of the displayed items. "...Do you think he'll be okay?"
Bob didn't look at her and simply shrugged. "..."
"We shouldn't have left them alone... They could be in horrific danger and I wouldn't know it. ...All the darkness... It's getting really bad... I wouldn't be surprised if that was what he dreams about. ...I dream about it too sometimes."
"...Nix."
"No Raposa should be forced to suffer like this... Especially not us."
"Of course not. Dats obvious."
"I'm glad you think so.... Because I was thinking of something for quite a while now. ...I think we should mo-"
Isaac came back from the storage room with a hand saw in his hands. "Here's one! Sorry it took so long!" The couple stood in silence. "Um, did I... interrupt something between you two? 'Cause I can... give you some privacy..."
Bob gave a nervous laugh. He really wanted to know what Nixie was saying, but he also didn't want to be rude to the kid. "Uh... Nah, you're good..."
Isaac placed the saw on the counter. "That's going to cost 300 rapo coins."
"Not a bad price..."
"What can I say? I'm in the mood for giving discounts."
Bob smiled and began to search for his money pouch. He muttered to himself. "...rapo..."
"Something wrong?"
"Ugh.... Left my coins at home..."
"...Well, I can hold it for you until you're able to pay."
"...Thanks. You're a good man Isaac."
"Oh it's no problem."
Nixie raised an eyebrow. "You seem to be is an unusually good mood. Normally, you act much more.... miserly."
"Miserly?"
Bob shook his head. "Oh no..."
"Miserly!? You think I'm some greedy miser!?"
"Um... I didn't mean..."
"It's... It's okay. Everyone thinks that. ....Everyone but Mya."
"Oh, you're still with that girl?"
Isaac ignored Nixie. "...She's the only opinion that really matters." He blushed and grinned at the thought of her.
Bob chuckled to himself. "Ah, young love. I used to be exactly like that." He looked at Nixie and blushed a little. "...Okay, I guess I never really changed after all..."
Nixie smiled a little. It seemed she heard him. "Haha... Goodbye Isaac. Good luck with Mya."
"Alright then... Come again!" Nixie waved goodbye to Isaac and left the shop with her husband.
Bob wrapped his arm around her as they walked back home. "So... What were ya saying back at the shop?"
"I... Nothing. It wasn't really something I wanted to do anyway..." Her eyes watered a little. 'I don't want to leave this place... It took so long to love it. It's my home now... There is no way I could ever let this go... But eventually I'll need to...'
"...Nix? ...You okay?"
"Wilfre... that... THAT EVIL MAN. He..."
"It's okay Nix. It'll be okay."
"...I hope so."

Back at the house, Polly and Hunter were home alone. Polly was still sitting at the table with Bongo in her arms. Hunter however, was staring out the window. It seemed like he wanted to go somewhere. "..." 'I have to go back... There's no way I can get this off my chest without going to the Twilite Wood. Now that they're gone, I think now is the perfect time.' He walked out the door and left the house.
Polly saw Hunter leave. She knew exactly where he was headed. "The Twilite Wood huh? It's been quite a while since last time..." She looked at Bongo. "...Wait, you've never been to the Twilite Wood before?" She made the doll shake it's head no. "It's something everyone has to see! It's so pretty... I kinda miss it." She frowned. She really did enjoy that day in the Twilite Wood. Well, until the end of it anyway. 'It would be nice if I could go back again...' Suddenly, she had an idea. "Hey! We should follow him! What do you think Bongo? Wanna see the Twilite Wood?"
"..."
"Awesome! Let's catch up to him!" Polly, carrying Bongo in her arms, left the house and caught up to Hunter. "Hey Hunter!"
Hunter's eyes widened. 'RAPO. What is she doing out here!?' "..."
"Where are you going?"
Hunter didn't look at her. He just kept walking. "..."
"Mind if I join you?"
"..."
"Bongo hasn't been yet, and I thought he'd like to see it. Wouldn't you, Bongo?"
"..."
"Hunter, come on! I know I already went, but that's not fair to Bongo! I mean, look at this face! He deserves to see it!" She raised Bongo to Hunter's eye level. Almost shoving it in his face.
Hunter, unable to stand Bongo's face, looked away. His eyes were getting misty. "..."
Polly caught up to Hunter and clung onto his arm. "Come on, Hunter! I just wanna see it again! Pleeeease?"
Tears fell from Hunter's eyes. The thought of Polly getting hurt again made his heart ache. 'No... I can't let anything like that happen again. I can't!' Hunter pushed Polly away from him. Hard. "..."
Polly stood in place, shocked. This isn't something Hunter would do. "What the Rapo Hunter!?! What is wrong with you?!"
Hunter took a few steps forward and stopped. The Twilite Wood wasn't far away, but every bone in Hunter's body wanted to scream. "...Go home, Polly."
"...Why? I mean, it's not like I'm all by mysel-"
"Just go!"
"Hunter! What's the big deal?"
Hunter turned around to face Polly. Tears poured down his cheeks. "Why can't you just leave me alone!?"
"Hunter..."
"I'm sorry... but I just can't take you again. ...Okay?"
"Why? Don't you want me around?"
"I... Yeah, but..."
"Then let me go with you!"
"No. No! No, I can't! I won't! You don't get it.... You don't get anything!!"
"Why would I!? You're making zero sense!"
"...You don't remember it... do you?"
"I remember you being a real crybaby!"
"Cry...baby?" Hunter's face was red from crying so hard. "...That's not true."
"Yes it is! You're acting like that right now!"
Hunter watched his eyes fill with even more tears. He covered his face with his hand. "......You got really hurt Polly. ...I can't let that happen again."
"Hurt? I got... Hurt? I don't remember that."
Hunter nodded. 'She didn't remember back then either...' "You did... I swear you did..."
"...How?"
"You got hurt by..." His eyes moved straight to Bongo. As soon as Polly got attacked by that rabbit, she wanted to make a doll that looked like it. Hunter averted his eyes and pointed at Bongo. "...him."
"What!?! He's harmless! Stop lying to me!!"
"I'm not..."
"I get it now... You're jealous!"
"Wha?"
"That's right! I know how you feel about Bongo! You don't like him at all! You don't like him being my best friend! You want him to just go away forever, don't you!?"
Hunter thought to himself. As much as he didn't like it, what Polly said was true. "...Polly."
"Well, unlike you, I like him! He's the most understanding friend I ever had! I can't believe you'd just blame him for something that didn't even happen!!"
"Well I'm sorry, but something DID happen! And I'm ALSO sorry that you made me think you were DEAD!"
"Hunter..." 'He's... really upset. But... That's impossible. How can a cute little thing like Bongo hurt anything? I don't even remember anything like that.' "...What kind of story did you make up in your head?"
"I didn't make it up! Polly! Listen to me! You're never going back in that gate with me ever again!" Hunter forced himself to turn around and walk closer to the forest gate.
Polly squeezed Bongo in her arms. "Never? What do you mean 'never again'?!"
"It means go home!! You're not going anywhere!!!"
"..."
"LEAVE ALREADY!!!"
"Stop being mean! I'm telling mom and dad when they get back! Then you can't go anymore either!!"
"....You know what? Go ahead! GO RIGHT AHEAD! IF THAT MEANS YOU CAN'T JOIN ME, I DON'T THINK I CARE!! PLEASE. GO AND TELL MOM AND DAD! SEE IF I CARE!!!"
Polly was shocked. Hunter used to love the Twilite Wood with a passion. She knew how much heart he put into his little hideout. Seeing him willingly give it all up sounded more than wrong. 'He really doesn't want me in there...' Polly could sense that he really cared about her, but hearing him yell at her like that put Polly in a state of rage. "...FINE!! I THINK I WILL!!! NOW GO IN THOSE STUPID WOODS! YOU LOVE IT SOOO MUCH... JUST LIVE IN THERE WITH YOUR OWN KIND YOU STUPID BAKI!!!!!"
Hunter shook in place. He always thought of baki as smart little creatures. But the way Polly said that, it felt real. 'She... She really thinks of me like that?' Hunter couldn't control his eyes. The tears rolled down onto his chin. "...I ...uh..." He ran to the gate and pushed through it, in a hurry to leave.
Polly looked at the gate, feeling a little bad about what she said. "...Come on Bongo. Let's go home. Hunter needs some time alone..."

Hunter rushed through the Twilite Wood. His eyes were on fire. The familiar trail he was traveling seemed like a pathway to doom. He passed by a thick stump overgrown with mushrooms and moss. He glared at it for not giving him any luck. Hunter quickly moved on from the stump and headed to his hideout. Once he got to the familiar clearing, Hunter looked at the sky. It was very colorful, yet it seemed different somehow. Like something was wrong. Hunter looked at his surroundings. Everything was the same as it was all those months ago. Even the plate of cookies and fruit was still there. Hunter picked up the single cookie off the plate and took a bite. He was hoping it would help him calm down. He immediately spat it out. "Bleck!! Why'd I do that!?!" He sat the cookie back on the plate and looked at the line of bushes. Tucked between the branches was a worn little notebook. Hunter pulled out the notebook and flipped through it. At first, the pages reminded Hunter of the good times he had in the Twilite Wood. The smartest baki... even the flying nut rat made him laugh. But then he got to the last pages he worked on. There was a crude drawing of a round rabbit creature with long ears. It looked very similar to Bongo. The creature was titled 'Rabbit Doll'. The notes about it mentioned how it hopped around and looked very similar to a child's cute little doll. The handwriting was much more scribbly than the handwriting in the rest of the book. Hunter frowned. As soon as he stopped writing, Polly was attacked by the rabbit creature. 'And then... And then...' He grabbed a hold of the page and tore it out of the book. He crumpled up the page in his hand and threw it on the ground. "That thing... Why did it do that...?" Frustrated, Hunter began to tear the rest of the pages out of the book. "What did she do to deserve that!?!" He continued to destroy his hard work. "I should've just tried harder! But I didn't! And I can't take it back!!" He threw the book on the ground and stomped on it. "Stupid Twilite Wood... I should've never brought her here!" He kicked the remains of the book away into the trees. "...I thought you were my friend! I thought you had my back!! I thought I could TRUST YOU!!!!" He knocked over the stool holding the plate of stale goodies. Kori fruit was all over the ground. "YOU SAID YOU WOULD PROTECT HER! WHY DIDN'T YOU DO THAT?!?! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU EVER AGAIN!! I...." He looked around. Everything was a mess. Every bit of anger Hunter had in his body was gone. Hunter began to tear up. "...I'm sorry. I... I didn't mean that." He sat on the ground nearby the bushes. "...I know you didn't make that happen, I just... I just want her to be okay. ...I want everyone to be okay." The grass rubbed against Hunter's legs. It was as if the Twilite Wood was trying to apologize. "...It's okay. I forgive you. ...But I think I need a break. ...I just can't be here right now." He looked at the spot where Polly once laid unconscious. He quickly looked away from the memory. "...I don't think I'll be back any time soon... " A gust of freezing air passed through Hunter. It felt as if the Twilite Wood was telling Hunter to leave. As soon as wind arrived, it left. The air was now extremely stiff. It was almost getting harder to breathe. Hunter got up from the ground. Something was DEFINITELY wrong. 'I gotta get out of here!!!' He began to walk toward the exit, but stopped almost immediately. His pathway out was now coated in darkness. 'I... I've seen this before...' He backed away from the darkness, unsure of what to do next. The shadowy wall was starting to creep in closer. Hunter took a deep breath and began to run away from the darkness. The wall was growing faster and faster. Hunter quickly reached the line of bushes. Not having much of a choice, he jumped over the bushes and landed on the ground. "Ow!" He scrambled off of the ground and continued to run. There was no other living creatures around. Hunter was on his own. He ran through the trees as fast as his little legs could go. 'Go left! Go right! Up that hill! Down that slope!' The gooey darkness was showing no signs of slowing down. Hunter was starting to get extremely tired of running. His legs began to turn into jelly. After what seemed to be hours of running, Hunter finally gave in to his lack of energy. He collapsed onto the ground. He turned around, expecting to meet his doom. But strangely enough, the shadow wasn't near Hunter at all. "I'm... Alive?" He looked around. The darkness was there alright, but it wasn't moving any further. It was as if something was preventing the darkness from moving any further. Hunter let out a sigh of relief. "It's... It's over." He hugged his knees and stared at the sky. It didn't have as much color as it used to. "What am I going to do now? I can't just go back..." He looked at the ground. "....I can't go back. ...I'm stuck here." He buried his head in his hands. "I can't believe this... I'll never go home again..." He began to cry. "This was a big mistake.... I shouldn't have come here! ...Mom. ...Dad. ...Polly. ...I'm sorry. ...I'm going to die out here and it's all my fault..." Hunter squeezed his eyes shut and sobbed.

Polly was back home with Bongo, sitting at the kitchen table. "That dumb Baki... I can't believe he'd say that about you."
"..."
"...What do you mean you're not surprised?"
"..."
"I know he cares about me... But that's no reason to act like some Baki!"
"..."
"I don't know... I guess not."
"..."
"I... I don't feel bad... Not at all. He deserved it."
"..."
"Bongo... Don't look at me like that..."
Nixie opened the front door and entered the house. "We're back!"
"Hi Mom. ...Where's the groceries?"
"...Groceries?"
"...Didn't you say you were getting groceries?"
"I... Um..."
Bobbery entered the doorway. "We left da rapo coins here."
"...Yes! That's right! We had to come back and get the money we needed." Nixie looked around the house. Hunter was nowhere to be seen. "Polly, where's your brother?"
Polly looked at the table. "...How should I know?"
"Ya didn't catch him leavin?"
"Yeah, but..." 'I can't just tell them what happened! Hunter would get even more upset... I don't even know how to start...' "...He didn't tell me where he was going."
Nixie grew flustered. "Where on earth can he be?! I told him not to leave the house! Hunter was never the type to disobey like this... What could have made him leave!?" She shook her head. Her eyes were misty. "...I have to go find him!" She tried to rush outside, but Bob stopped her.
"Nix, calm down."
"But Bobby!"
"Nix. Listen to me Nix! He's done this before. He goes missin, and comes back out of nowhere. It may take a while, but he'll come back. He always does. And when he does, we demand where he's been. Okay?"
"...Bobby."
Bob found his coin pouch on top of the dresser and picked it up. "Imma go back to Isaac's and pay him back. Take care of Polly while I'm gone. Okay Nix?"
"...Okay. Let me know if you see him."
"Of course." He nodded and walked out the the door.

Bob walked out of Isaac's shop with a new hand saw in his... well hand. He was on his way home when he saw a tired Cricket.
"Cricket! What you doin out n about?"
Cricket panted. "I... I should ask you the same question. You know how bad things are getting..."
"I was at Isaac's. ...Did somethin happen?" 'Please let Hunter be okay...'
"The darkness just swallowed another section of the village! The Forest Gate is now out of our reach. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if the station went under soon. ...Are you alright Bob?" Bob began to hyperventilate. "Bob?"
"...Hunter! ...Hunter's missing!!"
Cricket's eyes widened. "That can't be good. I'll start an investigation right away!"
"Th...thank you! ...Good luck!" Bob ran back home as fast as he could.
He slammed open the door. "Nix!"
"Bobby! Where is he!?"
"I dunno... but ya gotta hear this!! The shadow's getting real close now!"
"What!?"
"I saw it on the way here Nix! The entire Forest Gate is gone!!"
Polly's eyes were wide. 'Hunter! Hunter's in there!!!' "What!?! Hunter... Is he going to be okay!?!"
"Cricket's investigating now. If anyone's gonna find him, it's him."
Polly looked away. 'He can't help him... He's not here... I can't believe that was the last thing I said to him... This can't be real... It can't be.' Polly squeezed Bongo to her chest.
"..."
"It's okay Bongo... It's okay... It's okay....."


A leaf baki was wondering the woods in search of food. The sudden spread of shadow forced him, his family, and friends to stay in the secluded place they called home. The baki heard a strange noise. It didn't sound like a baki at all. Curious, the baki headed towards the sound and saw something familiar. Or rather... someONE. A small Raposa boy with light fur was the source of the noise. The baki was startled. 'A Raposa!? Here!? ...Is it going to eat me?!' The baki quickly hid behind a nearby tree and looked at the Raposa. The boy had his head buried in his knees. It sounded like he was crying. It was clear he wasn't looking for a baki to eat. The baki walked up to the Raposa. As he got closer, the Raposa became more and more familiar. 'Have I seen this Raposa before? ...I have!' The baki bumped into the Raposa, hoping to get his attention. Hunter paid no attention to the baki. He was too busy crying his eyes out. The baki tried again.
"...I'm sorry. Just... go away..." The baki tried once more. "What did I just...." Hunter looked up from his knees and saw two white eyes staring at him. "Aah!" He jumped back, startled. "Don't eat me!!" Hunter looked at the creature who bumped into him. It was just a little baki. The baki was startled by Hunter's sudden shouts. Hunter laughed to himself. "Haha... you're just as scared as I am. ...I'm sorry I scared you." Hunter slowly reached out to the fidgeting baki and began to pet it. The baki soon began to calm down. It walked towards Hunter and rubbed against his legs. Hunter smiled. "You're him, aren't you? The smartest baki..." The baki chirped at Hunter. It wasn't completely sure what he meant, but he was sure he saw this Raposa before. Even if he didn't remember where. All he knew was this raposa was a good guy. Hunter wiped the tears from his eyes. "...Thanks. I could use a friend right now." The baki began to walk away. "Hey! Where are you going?" Hunter got off the ground and followed his new friend.
The baki brought the little Raposa to his home. It was an entire baki village. "Woah. Look at all of this. ...You live here?" The baki continued to walk through the village, giving Hunter a tour of sorts. The other baki gave Hunter confused and worried glances, but after a while, they became convinced that Hunter was harmless. At the end of the day, the baki brought Hunter to a tiny hut in the village. "...Is this your house? I didn't know baki had houses." Hunter yawned. It was a very eventful day for him. "So... Do you... Have a bed.. I can use...?" The baki walked on to a small cushion-like object and plopped onto it. "...Oh. I guess not..." The baki looked at Hunter. It felt a little sorry for him. Hunter's eyes were getting really heavy. He couldn't stay awake much longer. He could feel his legs getting weaker and weaker. He was about to fall asleep standing up when he heard the baki chirp at him. After finding some balance, Hunter saw the baki standing in front of him. The cushion was empty. "Did... Did you... get off of that thing... for me?" The baki nudged Hunter toward the cushion. "Okay! Okay! I'm walking." Hunter sat on top of the cushion. It was bigger and softer than he thought it would be. "..This is nice...." The baki stared at Hunter. "What? ...are you tired too?" Hunter picked up the baki and placed him onto his lap. The baki made himself comfortable and began to rest it's eyes. Hunter smiled. "Maybe everything is going to turn out after all..." Hunter closed his eyes and fell asleep.