Chapter 9 Coward Oh, no, oh, no, oh, no. Fawkes repeated in his head. Why had he responded? His mother had thought he was dead for almost a year now, it wouldn't have been that hard to keep up the facade. He debated bolting back to the Chaos camp. Fern and Mangrove were probably already halfway back by now. “Fawkes, it really is you!” His mother, Daylily, rushed out of the reeds on the Water territory border, “I-I thought you were dead.” Fawkes nervously stayed quiet. What do I say?? He opened his mouth to say something in response, but Daylily tightly embraced him with her brown wings. She stepped back, “Why… Why are you in the desert here?” “Mom, I-” Fawkes stuttered, trying to think of a good reason. Daylily stared at him with unblinking eyes. “Never mind. How did you survive the rockfall?” His mom pressed. The rockfall. When Fawkes was planning to leave Water, his friend Sand Dollar helped him stage a rockfall that would result in his ‘death’. They had planned it out meticulously, until they finally went on with the plan. “I…” Fawkes mumbled, unsure what to say, “Sand Dollar helped me out,” he said. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the full truth either. Before Fawkes could formulate another half-truth, Daylily reached out with her paw, and Fawkes stepped back without thinking. Daylily withdrew her paw sadly. “Fawkes, why didn’t you come home? We mourned you. I-” “Fawkes? Are you coming or no-” Fern emerged from the grasses again, then caught sight of Daylily. “Oh,” he grimaced slightly. Daylily turned her head sharply towards Fern, her eyes narrowing. "And who is this?" she demanded, her voice losing some of its earlier tenderness and gaining a protective edge. Fern shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Fawkes for guidance. Mangrove peeked out from behind Fern's legs, his small form tense. Fawkes sighed inwardly. This was escalating quickly. "Mom, this is Fern, and that's Mangrove. They... they're my friends." He tried to keep his tone casual, but the weight of the situation pressed down on him. "Friends?" Daylily repeated, her gaze still fixed on Fern. "Friends in... this desolate place? What are you doing all the way out here, Fawkes? This isn't Water territory." Before Fawkes could answer, Fern spoke up, his voice a little shaky. "We were just... looking for some fruit. We didn't mean to trespass." Daylily's gaze softened slightly as she looked at Fern, then back at Fawkes. "Fruit? Here? There's barely anything but sand and scrub." "That's what we thought too," Fawkes interjected quickly. "We were just about to head back." He subtly gestured for Fern and Mangrove to retreat further into the tall grass. Daylily didn't miss the gesture. Her eyes flickered between Fawkes and his companions, a mixture of confusion and concern etched on her face. "Fawkes... What's going on? Why are you acting so strange?" The directness of her question caught Fawkes off guard. He hesitated, unsure how much to reveal. "Mom, it's... It's a long story." "Then perhaps you should start telling it," Daylily said, taking a step closer. "I thought I had lost you forever. Now I find you here, with strangers, far from home. I deserve an explanation, Fawkes." Her voice, though still carrying a hint of sadness, was firm. Fern and Mangrove exchanged nervous glances. The air crackled with unspoken questions and rising tension. Fawkes knew he couldn't avoid the truth much longer. Fawkes's mind raced. His mother, his past, his new life – it was all crashing down around him. He saw the hurt in Daylily's eyes, the genuine concern, but the fear of his secret being exposed, the fear of the life he had built in Chaos, crumbling, overwhelmed him. He was a coward; he knew it. Without a word, without even a glance at Fern and Mangrove, Fawkes spun around. He plunged back into the tall grass, his wings pumping hard as he scrambled away from the border. The sound of rustling reeds and Daylily's startled cry of "Fawkes! Wait!" faded behind him as he bolted north, towards the familiar, dusty territory of Chaos. I’m such a coward. I’m such a coward. Why did I do that? He thought.
He finally stopped when he neared the camp of Chaos. His legs ached, and his heart beat fast as a rabbit. He took a moment to collect himself, steadying his breathing. Finally, Fawkes glanced behind him. Two figures were coming closer - Fern and Mangrove. His mother was nowhere to be seen. Fawkes quickly trotted into the camp, smoothing down his pelt as he went. He veered left to the clear stream of water. As he lapped up mouthfuls of water, he saw Fern and Mangrove approaching. Fern had a worried expression on his face as he searched for Fawkes went. Fern finally spotted Fawkes and turned his head toward him. Mangrove chirped excitedly, wanting to rush over, but Fern gently held him back, shaking his head. Mangrove looked confused and chirped again, trying to convince Fern to let him go. After a moment, Fern sighed, and they both made their way toward the sleeping den. Fawkes noticed them from the corner of his eye but pretended he hadn’t. A sense of sadness filled him as he watched his friends approach the den, the laughter and closeness he craved feeling just out of reach. He wished he could join them, but the weight of loneliness clung to him. For now, he stayed in the shadows, watching his rippling and unsteady reflection in the stream of water. why the chapters are out of order i dont know?? :/ its supposed to go fawkes cypress fawkes cypress idk whats going on haha, and why are there 9 chapters? on my document its labeled as chapter 7?? this is so confusing hahah, anyways sorry about taking so long ive had a lot of testing at school Next: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1176978055/ Last: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1159160988 First: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1094154086/
