.

.

. ** .

.

This was a far cry from sleeping in trees, atop rooftops and beneath bridges.

I couldn't move my legs since the dogs' heads were on them. A compromise when Valeriy started shoving Zephyr in her sleep. Had to move them over and the only way to stop them from piling on top of her again was to offer my legs.

I couldn't lean back since Valeriy wormed her way behind me. Still hanging onto my hand. My arm still sported faint teeth marks from when I tried to go upstairs for my bowl of blueberries.

She reacted in her sleep. Yanking my hand closer to herself and then proceeded to bite, claw and kick her way until I stopped moving.

I dare not move.

Watching a family of bears walk by. A mother and three cubs.

I suppressed a flinch when the young woman behind me bolted upright.

"Eve!! Why was I asleep?!" were the first words out of her mouth.

I quickly held onto her right hand before her desperate searching caused more damage. "Valeriy."

She turned to me. Moments from falling into panic. "Amber. Where – ?"

"She's on one of the jets. I don't know which one. But they're all on the way back. I watched the whole time... until the feed was cut...."

The young woman just deflated, letting gravity drag her into the space between me and the couch. "I'm a bloody awful friend..." she mumbled into my back.

I had to twist my torso to give her head a pat. "Nothing happened to her. You were.... I'm just going to grab you a glass of water...."

She didn't stop me from leaving. She merely went for her phone, fingers dancing across the screen.

Ixie joined me in the kitchen area. Her head insistently nudged against my side.

Zephyr took my spot, though he ended up using Valeriy as a cushion for his bottom. His tail happily wagging against her arms.

"Doesn't seem like there's anything unsavory on any of the jets' paths," she grumbled.

"There are a lot of them. The jets."

Twenty of them.

"Oh fucking stop tail whacking me, you little shitball!" she huffed, arms swinging about against the white fluffy tail. "Amber always travels with eight or more pairs of our latest jets modified to be combat ready. Always in pairs. Always different routes. Always randomly picked via rice roll right before leaving. The rest play decoy."

"So, if a shitty friend does all this... what did you have planned originally?" I asked, holding the glass of water out to her.

"To be there," she huffed before chugging the glass. "Taking Eve's best people, having you watch, hav – yes, Amber had the best people dealing with – I cannot let her down.... Not again."

I pulled her to me, my hand patting the back of her head, while tugging the glass from her fingers. "Nothing happened to her. The tar – your friend is safe. We can watch the plane routes."

"I have that handled," the A.I. ghost cut in.

"I... should be showing you the mountain," Valeriy mumbled into my shoulder. "The paths and areas to avoid. Important things."

"That can.... wait," I said.

From upstairs, I could see far.

She leaned back and smiled exhaustedly. "I used to go biking when.... It'd be nice to get some fresh air. Just give me some time to clean this mess," she said, gesturing to herself. From head to toe.

"Maybe some food? I'll make some toast."

"...I guess I should.... 'Kay, I'll eat something."

I found myself almost falling into the hand that tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear. The warm palm against my cheek eased the pressure of the tightly wound spring that always sat in my gut.

"I'm still taking a quick shower first," she said lightly before heading for her room.

Anxiously, I busied myself in the kitchen.

An average of eight minutes before Valeriy would be finished with her quick showers.

"You two are likely starving by now," I said to the pair of dogs. I sure was.

Their heads resting on the floor while their bodies hid on the couch. Ixie barked once before both of them joined me.

Plums were washed and sliced.

Leftover fried rice went into three bowls and into the microwave.

"Zephyr, I see you going for the fruits," I chided. "Remember how long it took me to get that stain out of your fur from the blueberries? Do we want to go through that again?"

He actually stuck his nose in the air with a huff before going back to crowding the side of me that Ixie wasn't occupying.

Defrosted meat went into the pan.

'...Try number two.'

Maybe this time the meat wouldn't be so tough.

PROs were peeled and separated into slices.

Cooked meat was diced into cubes.

Cubed meat was tossed with the fried rice.

Bread went into the toaster oven.

The dogs were already digging into their bowls. While the bowls were still on the counter.

With how tough and chewy the meat was, the dogs likely swallowed them whole again.

The little oven door opened for the toast to cool.

Three dirtied bowls went into the sink.

Milk was poured into a glass.

Butter went on toast.

A comb made sure that no rice was left stuck on their soft fur.

A brush was next.

All this was calming. Something to keep my mind off of everything.

Simple and easy.

No blood.

No pain.

Just wagging tails and a lot of fur. Everywhere. On the dogs. On the couch. On me.

While I combed one, the other slept against me.

A woosh of a shelf opening and Valeriy walked out. Looking better than ten minutes ago. Less haggard and dejected.

"Your breakfast is on the counter," I told her. "I should be done here by the time you finish eating."

"Uhh... yeah... sure... thanks..." she mumbled, picking up the plate and glass of milk. Another violently shoved cushion made a second makeshift table for her to eat at.

Zephyr got up from beside me to curl around the young woman instead.

"Oi, you sneaky little bastard, no. Bucky made this for me. Mine," she snipped, looking just about ready to bite him for trying to steal her toast.

I gave Ixie a pat on the side. "I'm done with you. Zephyr, switch," I told the dogs, hoping to avoid another round of bickering.

"...You really like them, huh?"

I nodded. "I think... I think I liked dogs...."

"...Maybe we'll run into a bobcat or two. See if you like cats?"

Another mechanical hum joined the noises of the building. This time from above. A television folded out from the ceiling. Lowered seven meters. A comfortable height without having to crane the neck.

The black screen turned on. A spotted feline with pointy ears showed up. Then a familiar hand slid into the shaky footage. With a hiss, the cat lunged. The footage turned around, racing towards a dirt caked bike.

"Okay. So maybe trying to pet one was – is not the brightest idea," Valeriy pouted when another reel of another bobcat played on the screen. "But hey, the vibranium alloy plates are uber scratch resistant...?"

'That coat does look really soft...' I thought, watching a third failed attempt to pet another bobcat.

"How many times must I remind you not to interact with the wild life? You cannot let them believe humans are friendly creatures. They'll be killed if they do."

Valeriy sighed shaking her head from side to side.

"Alright, your turn," I called out to her.

She laughed, shaking her head. "Yeah, no Bucky. First you use my brush on them and now you want to use it on me? I can see the white hairs on that thing from here."

"Your hair's tangled up in here too."

"Come on, let's just get to the mountain. I still have a bunch of work to do."

Dirty dishes went into the kitchen sink.

The four of us went into the basement and then the elevator.

.

.

.

Author's Note:

If you enjoyed this part, please consider leaving a vote. They're very much appreciated. ^^

This part was edited by the Anonymous Second Beta and the new beta TinselA/Bunny Carrot (https://www.fanfiction.net/u/7591081/).