Chapter 2: A Bright and Stormy Day

"Half a year. Mom and I had gotten the same c-condition, but because she was almost so much older… She didn't last long."

The therapist and I talked for a while, but it all went by in a blur. I can't remember what I said, it just happened and I went home. That's how the days passed. Everything was blurring together.

'It's been three months, and I still feel so horrible'

The funeral was large- a small sea of black clothes. A lot of people knew mom, but I didn't know them. Mr. Drayden was the one to officiate- Dad didn't cry, and only a few people approached us. That was about all I could recall. 

'…But maybe it's just my lungs.'

My condition had gotten a bit better- a weird wheezing helped a lot, and it's funny mustache was hilarious. So poofy… 

"Hah… Cough!" 

It made it easier to get around. The coughing still happened every few minutes, but I didn't pass out while working out anymore. 

"Hey, Sir?"

"Whee~?

The weezing cocked its heads, puffing out fresh air from it's tophat. 

"Could we go play with Rusty for a bit? I want to move a bit."

"Grr!"

I could hear Rusty's growl as it ran inside, circling me with two sticks in its mouth. The red coat of fur was speckled with gray hairs, and it's mane and most of it's body was covered in patches of silver. It was old, but definitely still kicking. I loved how sparkly it looked in the sun, like a sea of red with silvery shooting stars- at least color-wise, I could see why Mom and Dad named him Rusty. 

"Puff!"

The wheezing drifted outside, almost excited to breathe the poor city air for me. Rusty ran out ahead, his coat sparkling in the light like always. 

"Alright!"

I turned ten in February, and was now a lot stronger than I used to be. Playing knights with Rusty was much more fun now that I could block and strike without putting my whole body into the swing. 

Tap

The whittled down stick that rusty had brought from somewhere was marked with his teeth marks. I could never figure out how he smoothed them out so quickly, but maybe he used his teeth?

Shffft

"Grrrrr…"

Rusty took his stance, his weight balanced perfectly. He seemed more eager to play than normal. 

"Hoooo…"

A cold breath blew out of my lungs. The fresh air from the wheezing would let me go for a few minutes at least- I couldn't win, but I wanted to get a hit in again this time. 

"Ha!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The overcast sky flickered with lightning in my eyes. My dragon was gone, but another had come to bargain. Or perhaps I should say, returned. 

"No, I told you that I need to stay with my son. He's too young to-!"

{And I warned you of this long ago, child. There are other women, but there is only one of you. We are leaving before it becomes worse.}

Skrrt

I stepped back to the driveway without realizing it. The pressure it gave off was familiar- nostalgic even. Lightning flashed in the air, sparks appearing and disappearing as the city lights all around flickered randomly. It probably was happening across the entire city- this creature wasn't so insignificant that it couldn't do that. 

"Since when did you care about what I did!? You've been gone for years! Just leave us be!"

The snarl on the beast took my breath away in fear. The teeth were as large as my head. I was always on the other side of this pressure, but now… A horrible shiver crept up my spine. 

'No- Don't back down. I need to stay with Mykah.'

"I will stay with my son. I am not your hero, I'm a father-"

{Enough of this. You'll thank me later, child.}

"NO! COME BACK YOU DEMON!"

"Wait- NO!"

My feet left the floor, and the city shrank beneath me. My breath flew out of my lungs, the frigid air making my bones chilly within seconds. I felt my consciousness leaving me from the lack of oxygen, but I still struggled to escape the claws. 

"No… Mykah…"

The world became dim. 

'My son… No…'

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tak-tak-Wap!

"Haha…"

I fell back on my butt, finally landing a clean strike on Rusty for the first time in my life. Not a glancing blow, but a knock right on the head. 

"Brrrr-!"

Rusty shook his head, ears and mouth flapping as he did so. 

"Hehe… Gotcha."

"Ruff!"

I couldn't understand what he was saying, but I could imagine it being a happy bark. 

"Thanks, rusty."

Forcing my tired body to my feet, I ignored the pain in my chest. A weirdly ominous feeling crept up on me, worse than the normal chills. I saw spots in my vision- lights appearing and disappearing from nowhere. I rubbed my eyes, thinking it was just exhaustion. 

"...huh?"

The spots didn't go away, and I heard a roar as something swooped down to the front of the house- barely slow enough for me to see, even with my perception. 

"Grrr!"

Rusty's hair was standing on end, and a pressure unlike the fluffy dog I knew billowed out from it. 

"R-Rusty? I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"RROOOAAAARRRRR!"

Rushing past me, Rusty leapt through the open door, to the front door on the other side of the house. The roar wasn't from him though- 

CRACK

"Rusty!?"

"ROOOAAARRR!"

Running after him as he roared incredibly loudly, I scrambled through the fragments of the shattered front food with bare feet and saw him standing on the lawn. My ears rang from the noise, but I didn't stop. The previous pressure he gave off was gone, and he stood there frozen in place. 

"Hah… Hah…"

I panted, walking up behind him as the fancy wheezing barely caught up behind me. 

"Rrr…" 

Turning around, Rusty's eyes were filled with tears. He nuzzled up to me, almost knocking me over with his weight. 

"H-hey! What happened? Rusty?"

He weighed a ton, but I had never felt this much of it because of how gentle he was when we played. Even when we were sleeping, he made sure to be next to me without crushing me. 

"Mmmm… Mmmmm…"

Whining, like a dog who had lost his owner. 

'Wait-'

"Dad? Dad!"

I yelled out, hoping I was wrong. Rusty's weight held me down, or I would have ran into the city down the road to search. Instead I pulled out my phone, calling him. 

"Come on… Come on… Da-"

"Hey! You've reached-"

His ringtone. I dropped the phone, too scared to try again. 

"Rusty, where's Dad!?"

"MMmm…"

His whines betrayed his thoughts. My eyes filled started to get blurry. 

"Dad… Please…"

Plop-Plop-

Rain began pouring down, only getting worse. That was the day my world really collapsed- and the last time I saw Rusty or my Dad.