“I’ll try my best. I have Papa’s phone and I will text you if I know when we’re coming back here.”
We got out of the truck and I grabbed my backpack from the backseat before letting Sitka jump out, immediately running after Jason who was walking to the cabin.
“I’m gonna give you two halves of a chicken and some beef patties for her to eat, but I don’t want her to stay up there for too long,” Jason called out as I followed him.
“If you run out of her food, come back down. With or without Fennec. Don’t want her to starve.”
“She won’t. Besides, I can shoot squirrels. I’m good at it, so in case it takes longer, I will make sure Sitka gets enough food.”
“Don’t cook the meat,” he then said while taking out Sitka’s food and putting it into a container to keep it fresh.
“I promise she’ll be okay,” I added, wanting him to know that I’d be taking good care of Sit.
Jason muttered something under his breath, and when he handed me the food, I put it into my backpack.
“She won’t run away, but make sure she’s locked inside the cabin at night. Don’t want another animal to attack her.”
There was nothing he had to worry about.
“Thank you, Jason. I’ll text you when I get there.”
He nodded, then said goodbye to his best friend before attaching the leash to Sitka’s collar and handing it to me.
“Come on, Sit,” I said, walking out of Jason’s cabin and then starting my short journey up to Papa’s camp.
*
When I was close enough to camp that I could see the cabin between the trees, I stopped and made Sitka sit next to me so I could warn Fennec about my arrival.
He surely wasn’t expecting me to be back so soon, and I didn’t want to accidentally get shot by him thinking I was an intruder, or Sitka being a bear.
She was big enough to be mistaken as a young one.
“Fennec?” I called out, scratching Sitka’s head as she panted next to me.
“It’s me. Are you there?”
I took a step forward and looked up to the treehouse, but there was no answer.
“I know you’re mad, but we need to talk. We’re worried about you. I’m worried.” My voice was shaky all of a sudden and my heart beating faster.
“Fennec?” I asked again, and this time, I heard a noise coming from inside the cabin.
I waited for the door to open, and when he finally showed, I couldn’t hold back a relieved sigh and smile. “Hi,” I said, meeting his emotionless gaze.
He watched me for a moment before moving his eyes to Sitka, then he looked around.
“It’s just her and me. Jason stayed at his cabin and Mama is home with Papa. He’ll be okay. He broke his ankle,” I told him.
“Why did you come back?”
His voice was hoarse, and as I had expected a few days ago, he’d soon not be able to make a sound.
“Because it wasn’t right to leave you behind, and it also wasn’t okay to not tell you goodbye. I feel horrible, and I want you to know that I’m not mad at you anymore. I just didn’t understand why you…”
“Why I wouldn’t help Papa?”
I nodded, pressing my lips together. “I’d like to understand. I know you’re not feeling well, but maybe I can help you out of it.”
A harsh laugh left his chest, making him cough which sounded horrible.
“That doesn’t sound good,” I said quietly, but he waved a hand.
“It’s nothing.”
“Doesn’t seem like nothing to me, Fennec.”
“I don’t need you here to come tell me that I was being an ass toward Papa. You shouldn’t have come.”
I frowned at him, trying not to get angry again.
It wasn’t worth it, and seeing as he was still dealing with his own issues, it was best not to add fuel to the flame.
“You can’t send me away, Fennec. It’s not fair. We tell each other everything, right? Why are you trying to hide this obvious pain you’re carrying around from me?”
He shook his head and turned away, making Sitka whine as she saw him return into the cabin.
Even she wasn’t okay with the way he was acting.
Smart dog.
I let go of her leash, knowing that she wouldn’t run from here. Instead, she followed me to the cabin door and went inside to sit next to Papa’s bed.
“Have you slept in here?” I asked.
Another nod.
He was standing by the cooler, his arms crossed and his head tilted to the side. “I understand if you were shocked when Papa fell, and I’m sorry I reacted the way I did. I shouldn’t have shouted. I can’t imagine how scared I’d be seeing someone I love fall down a cliff and get hurt.”
Fennec frowned at me, but it vanished when a small smile appeared on his lips. “Yeah, I guess I didn’t know how to react. It was hard seeing him slip and fall, and I was helpless,” he said, his voice weak. “I was lucky you were there. Guess I’m not as strong as I think I am.”
“I don’t think that’s it, Fennec. I hadn’t seen him fall, and knowing me, I would’ve been stupid enough to turn away to not see it happen.”
It was wrong to even think I would turn my back to something as horrible as that, but I wasn’t strong enough to watch someone get hurt.
Especially if that someone was a loved one.
To keep the cold out, I closed the door behind me and walked closer to Fennec, stopping in front of him and placing both my hands on his cheeks.
I had gloves on, but I could feel his cold skin through the fabric.
“Please don’t push me away again. I wanna talk. I wanna understand what’s going on, and I want to try and make you see that even if you’re feeling down, there’s always a way out.”
His eyes were on mine, observing me closely as I spoke, then he lifted his hand and grabbed my left one to pull it away from his face and hold it tight in his. “I’m happy you’re back, sweet girl. I couldn’t survive out here on my own,” he whispered.
“Of course you could.”
“Not in the state of mind I am right now, Vespyr.”
Mama was right, but I needed Fennec to prove to me that she was.
And he just did.
“Do you think it would be best to go back to Fairbanks then?” I asked, trying to figure out what a good resolution to solve his issues were.
“Not right now. You just arrived, and I think we need some time alone to clear our problems before I let strangers tell me what’s really wrong with me.”
His smile reappeared, and I mimicked his expression as some emotion returned in his eyes.
“I’ll text Jason to tell him that we’ll go back tomorrow. Unless that’s not enough time for you.”
Fennec shrugged, but he didn’t suggest staying longer than that.
“I have Papa’s phone in my backpack. I’ll also let Mama know that you’re okay.”
He watched me put the backpack onto the mattress and then pull out the phone to message both Jason and Mama, and once I did, I put the phone down and looked at Fennec with a smile.
“You need tea to heal whatever is wrong with your throat. Does it hurt when you swallow?” I asked.