Tales of Hunter, Polly, and Others

The Scarf

Intro

It has been about a month since Hunter joined the Baki village in the twilite woods. Hunter did his best to keep track of the days that passed, but he quickly lost count. He tried to keep himself occupied by hanging out with Leo, the new baki friend he had been living with. But no matter what he did, Hunter couldn't help but feel homesick. Feeling a hole in his heart, Hunter would sit and watch the wall of darkness for hours at a time.

None of the baki knew what Hunter was even doing during this time. Well, none of them except Leo.

Leo, being the Raposa's caretaker, always tried to keep a somewhat close eye on him. Leo knew where Hunter was running off to, but he wasn't quite sure what was going through his head. Every time the baki tried to join Hunter, the boy would push him away. And when he would leave, he could hear the sound of him crying.

Now, Leo wasn't very smart, but he did know one thing. Seeing Hunter this sad was a very common sight, and seeing Hunter upset made Leo feel upset. Leo hated being upset.

The Confrontation

One day, Leo had enough and decided to confront him. Shortly after seeing Hunter make a move toward his hideaway, Leo followed closely behind. After a few minutes of walking, the two finally came upon the shadowy wall. Hunter, unaware of the baki behind him, sat down and began to stare at the darkness.

"...What are they doing now?" Hunter quietly sighed to himself. "I wonder if they gave up on me... They probably did..." Hunter looked up at the dreary sky and sighed. "Everyone must think I'm... gone. Heck, I might as well be. It's not like I can go back..."

Thinking the timing was right, the little baki nudged against Hunter's back to get his attention. 'Hey. Raposa. Look at me.' "Chirrrr..."

Hunter gasped and turned his head toward the baki behind him. "L-Leo!! What are you doing here?! Go away."

Letting out a small grumble, Leo disobeyed the Raposa by jumping onto his lap. 'No. I'm staying. Right. Here.' "Chiiirrr!"

"Wha? Leo!! No! I said I don't want you here!!" Hunter lifted the baki off of his lap, and placed him on the ground. "I get it, you miss me. But I'm really not in the mood right now. ...Listen, how about you leave me alone until it's time to eat? Sound good? Good. Bye Leo." Hunter gently nudged Leo away from him, and turned his head back to the darkness. Just the sight of it made his chest feel heavy. It took everything in Hunter's power to fight back his tears.

Leo wasn't sure why Hunter's sadness reflected onto him, but he did know one thing. He was not leaving until he found a way to make the sadness stop. Before Hunter could shed a tear, Leo ran up to him and jumped back into his lap. 'I won't leave until you stop.' "Chirrrr!!"

Hunter, holding back his tears even further, was getting frustrated at his baki friend. "Ngghh! LEO!!! STOP IT! I DON'T WANT YOU HERE!! GO HOME!" He attempted to lift the baki away, but the Leo immediately jumped back onto Hunter's lap. "STOP BEING A PAIN! I JUST WANT TO BE ALONE, OKAY?! FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE, I WANT TO BE ALONE!!" Hunter continued in his attempts to force Leo away, but had no success. "LEO!!! STOP IT!! I..! I just..." He choked on the words in his mouth. "...I feel so alone." Hunter could no longer fight back the tears pouring down his cheeks. He really enjoyed being with Leo and the other baki, but the baki village just didn't quite feel like home to him.

Leo tilted his head in confusion. 'There are many friends here. You can't be lonely. Why are you sad?' "Chirr Cheee??"

"I... I'm sorry... I didn't want you to see me like this... I'm just a big crybaby..."

"Cheee..." 'I know. I don't mind.'

"I just... want to go home."

Leo leaped out of Hunter's lap, thinking he found a way to cure Hunter's sadness. "Cheee-up!!!!" 'Hey! You want home? Let's go home!! Come on!' The baki then began to joyously march back to the baki village, hoping Hunter would follow.