2 Not the worst birthday really
Intervar sat down in the chair that had been assigned to him.
A solid, time-worn face is revealed by blonde, tattered hair. Gray eyes with lids that are unevenly positioned within their sockets. His birthright is marked with tribal markings like a horizontal lightning bolt beneath his right eye.
What's the worst that might have happened?
Hyena rubbed his hands uncomfortably, knowing that whatever he'd done was going to rip their friendship apart.
Intervar wondered whether it had anything to do with the Lazap Queen, and if Hyena had revealed something to him or the queen that he shouldn't have.
'No, Hyena is wiser than that; he would never do such a thing!'
He shook his head slightly, feeling horrible because he assumed his friend had done something terrible; he had never let him down before.
At least not yet.
"Is there anything you'd like to drink? I bought orange juice the day before yesterday."
Intervar's musings were interrupted by Hyena's apprehensive question.
"Thank you, but no. Before arriving here, I had dinner with my parents."
Intervar shifted his sight away from himself and concentrated on the artwork on the walls. Some of them he had purchased, but others Hyena had received from his mother before she died.
"Can you tell me what you wanted to say?" Intervar clenched his fists in his seat.
Donn, seeing this, came over and floated a letter from her mouth lightly in front of them.
"What did you find, Donn?" Intervar snatched the envelope from her lips and ripped it open.
"Wait, don't read that!" Intervar had already walked to the opposite side of the room when Hyena sprung to his feet and sought to seize the letter.
Donn stood in front of Hyena, silently snarling.
"What in the hell have you've done?" Intervar whispered to himself.
'To Gavin Taer,
I have heard you're looking for fur from a Rowlow for your fur carpet company. I can get one to you free of charge, you just have to kill The Gravedigger for me, which obviously isn't an easy task. '
Intervar's hands trembled.
"You attempted to hire someone to assassinate Donn and me?! Was this the issue?"
Except for the time Donn lost her tail, he had never been so enraged.
"Look, I'll explain everything. I understand that this appears to be a terrible situation, but bear with me."
Hyena raised his hands, unsure of what Intervar might do next.
"No! I'm going to leave! Please, just leave me alone!"
Intervar stormed along the corridor and out the door after hearing Donn snarl at a person he mistook for a friend behind him.
Donn approached him from behind and nuzzled his shoulder, attempting to calm him down before he did something rash.
It didn't work, though, as she witnessed mountains of dirt being kicked across the ground.
He had nothing better to do than walk home, so he did.
When he eventually came home, he expected to be less upset, but it just seems to have stoked his rage even more.
Micheal noticed him, but didn't interrogate him; instead, he instructed him to shower and avoid waking his parents by storming up the stairs.
He went quietly up the stairs even upset as he was, he didn't want to wake his parents and have them question him.
He proceeded to his room, which was the only door on the second floor, at the end of the left hall.
Donn glided to the bed and scavenged for her plush chew toys when they eventually got in and locked the door.
She discovered an old blue bear under the bed, which had had its arm ripped off in a tug of war game.
Miss Katie offered to patch it back on, but he knew Donn would simply rip it off.
She ripped a hole out of the bear and started tearing off the stuffing before shaking it.
Intervar softly snorted and went to take a shower, removing the stuffy suit his mother ordered him to wear and stepping into the shower.
The hot water splashed on the tile and ran into the drain. He could hear Donn barge in and bring the damaged toy above the sound of the water.
With a little smile on his lips, he took the toy that had been presented to him.
"Donn, I'm not interested in your ruined toy. It will be dragged under the bed with its other pals."
He leaned out to pet her, but she stepped out of the way swiftly to avoid getting wet.
He continued to shower while reflecting on the new turn of affairs.
He'll have to tell this to Queen Sei, then report it to King Kirk, who he hopes will survive with few wounds.
He shivered at the thought and instantly changed the temperature to ice cold, hoping to divert himself in some way.
Donn sensed his distress and hopped in the shower with him, shaking her fur and wetting the floor.
He could have kicked her out for getting the floor wet, but instead he sat down and cuddled her close to him.
She might have died if she hadn't found that letter in the first place, and he would have lost her.
He cradled her in his arms, softly crying into her fur.
Not having Donn by his side was one of his darkest nightmares.
She started shaking after a minute. She must have been terrible in the freezing water.
He hurriedly stood up, shut the door, and grabbed a towel to dry her off and keep her warm.
He cursed to himself lowly, Donn had gotten hurt yet again because of his emotions getting in the way.
A forceful tap on his door drew his attention while he was doing so.
"Yes?" He called when he was still at work.
"Intervar? Michael informed me that you had arrived upset. Are you and Donn doing okay? Have you returned from a meeting?"
Intervar winced as he heard the last sentence; he had completely forgotten that she was aware of his work for King Kirk.
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine. Donn is a little chilly."
She was still shivering, so it was probably an underestimation, but at least she was dry. He also discovered that in his rush, he had just put on the most basic pair of pajama pants.
He wasn't sure when Miss Katie figured it out, but she did, and he never considered it a good thing.
She persisted on stitching up his wounds and asking him what had happened every time he came in with an injury.
He'd never tell her, but some questions were better left unanswered.
