66 Perils of Miscommunication (8)

The moment of inaction didn't last long. Iris didn't need to think much about what to do next. Silent like a shadow, she ran after the only person that she knew in this half of the world, the only one who would still save her.

When she rounded the corner, for a moment, she didn't see him, and her breath caught. She desperately looked around, refusing to believe he could have just evaporated into thin air. There was no way he could have left this stretch of path in such a short amount of time.

Then, her eyes fell on a figure on the bench. The person was bent forward, holding his head with one hand, its elbow on the knee. Unmoving, he almost faded away into the background.

Carefully, Iris walked closer to him. He was clearly still here for her, but she couldn't abandon the feeling that he wouldn't be happy to see her. Her actions had brought so much anguish to him, and look at her now, she looked like some wild creature rather than a well-groomed pet he had kept.

Would he even recognize her?

Worry pervaded her mind, but her feet kept on moving toward him. Step by step, she got closer to his figure on the bench. What should she say when she came by him? Or do? She drew a blank on all of it.

And here it was, she was standing by the bench, looking right up at him. He hadn't yet noticed her, too focused on the ground while his hand unconsciously formed into a fist and relaxed around his hair.

Not knowing how to act, Iris chose the easiest choice - to do the same as always. She jumped onto the bench and strolled over to his side. Since he didn't react, she stepped onto his knees and curled up into a ball.

That certainly woke him up. His hand rose to shoo her away as his face twisted into annoyance, but then his eyes went wide and he froze. For a moment, the two of them, a human and a fox, stared each other into the eyes, just like in the morning.

His face was a mask of icy cold, but the hand that descended on her head was trembling lightly. She leaned into his touch, cooing softly. The sound was eerie in the empty park, lit with only a couple lamps here and there, so she stopped and instead shifted her head to lick his finger.

This action seemed to have finally jolted him out of his reverie, for he grabbed her like he was never going to let her go. He raised her up, staring at her with a smile that lit up his whole face. "I found you..." he said slowly, as if in disbelief himself, then his voice became stronger. "I found you!"

Her body crashed against his chest with an almost audible crack, but she didn't utter a sound. Instead, she dug her claws into his shirt for the little purchase she could get. Even if he was going to let her go, she wasn't willing. For tonight at least, he wasn't going to get rid of her no matter what.

He laughed at that and patted her head, the smile never leaving his face. Sweet nothings spilled out of his mouth one after another, and she basked in the joy of being back. Whatever came next, she would face it head on tomorrow, no more running away like a child, but for now, for now she was gonna enjoy the moment of safety in his arms. Whatever he thought about her, she knew that he wasn't going to just drop her on the street now that he had picked her up.

Tomorrow they might have to go their separate ways, but today she would be safe in his arms. No more crazy crows and bloodthirsty dogs. There would be food waiting in her bowl, a comfy bed, and warmth all around.

She only noticed how cold she was after being surrounded by his hands. Her body started shivering uncontrollably, but she did her best to reduce it to barely noticeable so he wouldn't get worried. There were enough horrors on her appearance without having to think about internal injuries.

When he put her back into the carrier in the car, she not only didn't resist but jumped in herself. The faster they returned home, the better it was. Being locked up for a bit for that seemed like a small price to pay.

Throughout the whole journey back, Kyro kept on speaking. He didn't say anything extremely important, mostly recounting how worried he was and how he'd searched all day long for her, but it had the expected effect. Her tight-strung muscles relaxed, and her eyes slowly closed of their own volition.

She didn't hear when they stopped or when the carrier was taken out. The next time she opened her eyes, they were back in the apartment, sitting on the sofa. Kyro carefully brought her out and just held her for a moment. Lucifer came over then. He licked her head, then decided she needed a thorough cleaning.

Both Kyro and she laughed at that. Neither of them stopped Lucifer, and so her tangles and most of the dirt were cleared out. In the meantime, Kyro brought over her bowl of water and food. At this moment, she didn't care one bit that the latter was filled with insects. After a whole day of nothing, they seemed like something that could fill up her empty belly, and that was what mattered.

While she ate, Kyro didn't move away from her at all. His hands often came over to pat her head or stroke her fur. At times, he called her name, and she turned to him every time, having decided never to ignore him again. One such experience was aplenty for her.

"Are you tired enough to go to sleep?

'Yes!'

She was already zombie-like, so was there any need to even ask? With a chuckle, Kyro picked her up, and upon turning off the lights, carried her into the bedroom. The moment he put her down, she almost purred in joy. Hard ground could never match this. Beds were the creation of a true hero.

While she rolled around appreciating the softness of the bed, Kyro came over to lie down as well. Without even being asked, she came over and made herself comfortable by his side.

"Goodnight, Iris," he told her and patted her head.

She answered him with a light 'You too', her eyes already closed.

Lucifer meowed loudly at that moment, and she jumped up. The cat strolled over to them, forcing Kyro to move back a bit so there would be more space between him and the edge of the bed. Once he did that, Lucifer lay down by the two of them, satisfied now.

Iris kicked him lightly for getting her up for that, then made herself comfortable again. With the two by her side, she fell asleep right away.