“Poppy, you’re safe with me,” I promised. “I won’t make you go back, but I won’t leave you here to rot.”
He raised his head enough for me to see his tear-stained, bloodshot eyes. “I don’t want you to hate me, too...”
I snorted, but inside, I worried he wouldn’t exit the crag. He was too scared to be dragged out by force. And if I did that, he’d lose all trust in me. He needed to make the choice on his own.
“Why the hell would I hate you? Stop making shit up and come here,” I said gently. An idea popped into my mind. “Actually, I have a surprise. But I can only show it to you outside.”
He lifted his head higher. “A surprise...?”
I grinned. “I haven’t shown him to anybody except my family. You’ll be the first person in the world to meet him, okay?”
Poppy hesitated. A curious light danced in his sorrowful eyes, but he didn’t leap to his paws. I didn’t think hecould. His body seemed stiff from disuse, like he’d been motionless in this crag for days.
What was he so afraid of? The outside world wasn’t scary. There were no predators around to harm him. The weather was beautiful, and the air was crisp and refreshing. It was much nicer on the open field than in the stuffy, dark pit.
As my initial shock fizzled out, I grew puzzled. Poppy had his head on straight. He was too down-to-earth to overreact. He wouldn’t crawl into a hole for no reason.
Then... what happened to him? Judging from his words, it was so awful he didn’t want to return home.
Sinking fear dropped my stomach like a stone. Like how I felt in the midst of the storm, but far worse.
“Poppy,” I called, soft and pleading. “Whatever happened, I’m here for you, okay? I’m not going to hurt you. You’re my friend.”
Poppy inhaled in a sharp hiccup. He trembled as if about to burst into tears again. “Friend...?”
“That’s right. You’re the first friend I’ve ever made who wasn’t related to me,” I added with a grin.
Gaius interruptedmy tale with an offended gasp and a stupid dramatic pout. “Oh, I’m wounded. What about me?”
His sudden disturbance jolted me out of my memory trance.
“Huh?” I barked.
“We’re not related,” Gaius pointed out, still jutting out his lip like a fucking idiot. “You don’t consider us friends?”
I gawked at him, then snarled, “That’swhat you cut me off to say?”
He laughed airily, waving his hands and sloshing his drink around. “Sorry! It was just a joke.”
I felt cartoonish waves of anger sizzling above my head.
“You’re not my friend,” I ground out through my teeth. “You’re part of the family.”
Gaius was taken aback. His eyes widened in genuine surprise. “Really?”
“Yeah, you’re like, our weird uncle,” I grumbled.
His face lit up as he flashed a heartfelt, dazzlingly white smile. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me, Viol. I apologize for interrupting. Please continue.”
Grinding my teeth, I muttered, “Where was I...”
Poppy’s gazewavered with emotion. His glistening tears caught the dim light of the crag, making his eyes shine like diamonds.
“I... I’ve never made a friend outside my clan,” Poppy said weakly.
His confidence built at a snail’s pace, but I was happy to see it at all. Any progress was better than nothing.
“Well, now you have,” I stated. “And if you come out here, maybe you’ll make another.”
