Eric wasn't sure what brought him out here. One moment he'd been dreaming, running away from raised voices and crying as his name was called, and the next... He was out of the cave.

And it was the middle of the night.

And it was raining again.

He'd come to and found himself standing in the middle of the forest, completely soaked with no recollection of getting up and walking out. How did he wind up here? Why didn't anyone stop him? And then the gears in his frightened mind began to spin out of control.

"O-oh no," he breathed, "No no no no no, I-I'm-I'm not suppose t-to be out here, oh no!" His heart hammered in his chest as he spun around, scanning desperately for some sort of landmark. But he was lost. He was completely, hopelessly lost, and he had no idea how to get back. He shuddered and rubbed his arms, his skin slick with rainwater and already soaked to the bone. I've never seen it rain so much before! He moved under the closest tree and slumped onto its roots. The rain wasn't as bad, but the frantic leaves made the fewer drops fatter and harder. He winced as one hit him square on the head, and tears brimmed in his eyes as he let out a whimper. He brought his knees to his chest and put his chin in the little nook between the caps, his glasses pushing against his arms as he shook and took rapid breaths.

Normally, rain would have been a calming force. It was what comforted him often in the trailer, every night when he had to keep down the noise or else endure his father's anger. But this time it frightened him. He had no ceiling over his head, except for the tree limbs that arched overhead with their weak canopies of leaves. And now he was on the verge of a full-blown panic attack, and he didn't have Chase to calm him down.

Chase. Thinking of the kind giant made Eric cry harder. Would Chase be worried? Probably... Oh no, he would be so worried! Worried sick!

"I'm-I'm s-so-so s-sorry...!" Eric whimpered. His shoulders shook with another sob. He moved his arm and slapped his own wrist, and though it stung it didn't hit nearly hard enough. He whined and sat up, trying to catch his breath before he smacked his own cheek. It burned. He cried out and sobbed harder, his own vision even wetter than the deluge outside.

"I'm-I'm such a-a h-horrible, horrible p-person!" He blubbered miserably. "Wh-why-why can't I do a-any-anything, r-right!?" He bawled into his handkerchief, rocking himself frenetically as his thoughts looped on in a vicious cycle. His dissonance outmatched the tears of the clouds, though they did not shy away and continued to patter the forest grounds.

And then, interrupting his misery, Eric suddenly heard a different pattering, and then a meow. He looked up, and he was astonished to see a pure white cat, perched only a couple of meters away on the roots of another tree. He sniffled and rubbed his eyes, wiping his nose against his foulard before taking a better look. The feline was slightly wet, but its fur still flowed as it was suppose to, giving the boy a good idea of its petite legs and flourishing tail. It sat watching him, gazing with the left eye a crystal blue, and the other a bright green. Eric felt his breath leave him. It was... Beautiful.

His sniffed again and looked around. The cat didn't have a collar; and no one else seemed to be around. He looked back at the cat, and with a shaky breath he murmured, "A-are you lost, l-like me?" It blinked. One ear twitched under the weight of a water droplet, and then it rose up on its paws. Eric's breath seized as it sprang onto the forest floor and darted across, coming over to his tree. "W-wait, d-d-don't!" He cried out with a trembling hand, louder than he meant to. The cat halted, flinching back under his voice and flattening its ears warily. Eric whimpered, lowering his voice. "I-I'm-I'm sorry, I-I... Ohh, I'm-I'm so sorry, I-I-I just- If I-if I touch you, th-then-then you'll-you'll die. And-and I don't-I don't want you to die...!" His lips peeled back, and he slumped as he started bawling again. He only managed to whimper a few nonsensical noises before weeping into his foulard, once again crying and chastizing himself for being such a terrible person.

And then he felt wet fur tickle his arm. He peeked out. There was the snow-white cat, looking up at him as its shoulder brushed up against his elbow. Eric sniffed and moved his hands closer to his chest, but this only made room for the slender feline to leap into his lap. His breath hindered with a squeak, and he had immediately leaned back and gripped his chest even more tightly. The cat simply sat and swiped its cheek, grooming away the water that had plastered its pelt. Eric trembled, bewildered as tears continued to silently streak from behind his glasses. What was he suppose to do now?

The cat's heterochromic eyes flashed up at him. It meowed and reached out a paw, demandingly skimming his wrist. Eric's breath hitched. He slowly moved his hand. It trembled terribly as it moved through the air, slowly approaching the cat. The animal watched unblinkingly, seeming far less afraid of him than he was of it.

His fingers trembled just over its ears before slowly lowering. The cat's head came up as soon as he felt the fuzz of its ears. Eric let out a silent gasp, his eyes huge and his lips parted as the animal nuzzled his hand and unleashed a rumbling that vibrated through its whole body. Its fur felt so soft, even though it was wet. He slowly let his hand conjoin with the nudges, letting his fingers sink into the fluffy pelt. As he rubbed along its spine, the cat closed its eyes partially and continued to purr noisily, outdoing the loud pattering of the rain.

Eric felt his muscles slowly relax. His racing heart soothed, and his tears subsided as he stroked the pretty animal, and he fell into a comfortable quietness. He was soon sinking into a trance, wiping away the water from the stray's pelt and smoothing the fur back down to the way it was suppose to flow; he went from the withers to the base of the tail, coming back up to the head and scratching gently behind the ears; his thumb very gently squished the cheek, rubbing circles that made the cat close its eyes completely and purr even harder. He even scratched under the chin, and the cat tilted its head to completely expose its throat, tail swishing and black claws gently kneading as it vibrated happily.

Eric found himself smiling. He went on to caringly grooming the feathery tail, finding the fur here the bushiest of the whole pelt. "A turkish angora," he murmured to himself. "M-male, too... And a-a purebred? Those are really expensive..." He looked back at the kitty's content demeanor. His heart melted. "But-but who would leave you all alone in the forest...?" He rubbed its head, and the cat rubbed back, leaning into the touch. It then went a whole step further and laid down, cutling its spine right up against Eric's waist and putting its chin down on the edge of his thigh. Eric tensed a little, and then he relaxed again. He continued softly petting as he leaned back against the tree, letting out a sleepy yawn.

"... I bet you're a whole lot less lost than I am," he murmured, "You know what you are, who you are, what you like to do and what to not do. Me? ... I-I'm useless. All-all I do is take up o-other peoples' time and-and space... first, it-it was my family. Then-then just my dad... And now these-these really nice people who-who took me in. I-I mean, sure, I-I'm not suppose to ever leave, but..." Eric closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh. "But that's because they don't want me to get hurt... I-I think, at least. And they're the-the nicest people I've ever met." Eric had stopped petting and let his hand go limp on the cat's belly. The purring had subsided, and the tom was looking up at the boy with pricked ears.

He let out a small sigh, frowning sadly. "I-I don't know... M-maybe I'm being too needy... I-I think I'm just a-a burden on them, like-like I am to-to everyone else..." The cat mrowed and headbutted Eric's stomach. He blinked down at the lithe animal and smiled thinly. "I-I guess you can stay as-as long as you want. I-I won't mind if you leave when the rain stops." The cat seemed alright with this. It settled down against his thin abdomen and tucked its hindlegs, closing its eyes. Eric kept petting it for a little while longer, kept warm by the bundle of fur's company, and before he knew it he dozed off feeling safe and companied.

When Eric came to, it was to the vibrations of footsteps, and the warm sensation of huge fingers scooping up his slumbering body. He peeked through the sleepy film in his eyes and noted that the rain had stopped, and the cat was gone. He felt a little sad, but he was glad to also see that it wasn't exploded or lying around in pieces in any kind of death. He let out a soft murmur and closed his eyes as he was lifted from the roots of the tree, and hearing Chase's voice made him feel both relieved and guilty.

"I found him! He fell asleep over here."

"In the rain!? Jeysus, he must be freezin' his balls off!" Eric felt himself be wrapped up in a cocoon of fabric and warm skin, hugged against the giant's chest and away from the damp forest.

"He was under a tree, but I have no idea how he got so far out here."

"Well let's get him back as soon as possible, doc's gonna wanna check him for hypothermia. Who knows how long he was out here!" In the gentle sways of Chase's steps, Eric felt his mind drift. He wavered out of consciousness, coming to when a german accent suddenly cut through his sleep.

"Ah, you found him, good."

"Can you check him for hypothermia?"

"Of course I can. Set him down here. Robbie made a vittle nest for him." He felt himself be placed carefully in a sea of soft cloth. His hair was swept out of his lashes, but he was too sleepy still to even try opening his eyes. Colder fingers hovered just over his lips to check his breathing, and then one pressed on his chest.

"It iz a possibility. His heart iz beating regularly, but if he fell asleep zen zhat could be very bad." A completely cold touch ruffled his hair, only to be gently pushed away. "Not right now, Robbie, can you do me a favor and get him another blanket instead, please?" A gurgle, and shuffling footsteps set off obediently.

"I mean, he-he's not shivering, but...—"

"Sometimes vhen you are deep into ze symptoms, you lose ze energy to keep shaking. Did you at least hold him against your chest vhen you carried him back?"

"Well, yeah?"

"Good. I vant you to keep doing zhat vhen Robbie gets back." A few seconds later, and more fabric cascaded all around him. It felt really nice... And then he was picked up again, and Eric felt Chase gently cuddling him. He tried to find the energy to bring up his voice and apologize, but all he could do was enjoy the body heat pulsing over him. He let out a little sigh and shifted just a tiny bit, leaning into the embrace. As he became aware of feeling returning to his limbs, he heard another pair of footsteps enter.

"I've checked all the way to the edge of town, and—" Marvin's voice halted when he saw the human all bundled up in Chase's arms. "Oh. I see my efforts were wasted then," the magician noted tartly.

"No, of course not Marv!" Jackie protested, "We were the ones flippin' out when you suggested to split up and divide the forest. And if ye hadn't woken Chase up, then we wouldn't have found him in time!" Chase nodded, anxiously agreeing. Still, the magician sighed and reached up to his ponytail, pulling the small bun out and ruffling his wet locks.

"Whatever, I'm just glad the excitement is over with. Jackie, will you help me instead then? I'm sure you're a bit too preoccupied, Chase, to assist me."

"Not at all!" Jackie bounded after Marvin. "Whaddya need?"

"Well, I need an assistant to help me test out a new spell I've been working on."

"Not to worry! Jackieboyman is on the case! ... As long as it doesn't involve turning me into a cactus again."

"Don't worry, Henrik's prickly enough, we don't need another cactus."

"I HEARD ZHAT!" Chase chuckled and shook his head. He looked back down at Eric and smiled softly at his peaceful expression, relieved that he was safe and sound. In the edge of his vision, JJ signed beside Robbie.

"[Is the little fellow going to be alright?]" He asked. Schneeplestein checked Eric's temperature and nodded.

"He vill be fine. He just needs to keep warm for a vittle vhile."

"Can I take him back to my room then?" 

"... Yes," the doctor decided, "But bring him back right away if anything happens, and keep a close eye on him." Chase nodded.

"Of course." He paused, and then added, "Thanks, doc." Henrik grunted.

"Don't thank me. Thank vhatever benevolent dísir are vatching over zhat boy."