Cielo eventually follows along beside me, his gait long and steady as I break into a jog down the street. Might as well get my cardio in while I can. As I run, I pull up the nearest grocery store on my phone and see that there is one a few blocks away.
I’m slightly winded and red in the face as the parking lot comes into view, and slightly annoyed that Cielo’s not bothered at all by my brisk pace.
“Do you not get winded?”
“Whinnnn?” he tries, his tongue poking out of his mouth. His brow bunches slightly, and his tail curls around his waist.
“Like, do you not breathe heavy?”
He stares at me, and I sigh.
“Well, we only have two lungs, and they’re not that big. I bet you have, like, four or something.”
He follows closely behind as I grab a cart and wheel it inside. He’s crowding me, so I make sure to roll one of the wheels over his massive, clawed foot.
It doesn’t even faze him.
“Hm, what should I get?” I say, talking to myself. “Maybe some breakfast things. Oh, and some veggies I can eat. Not that moss stuff.”
I wheel my cart through the produce section and place a few items inside.
Making my way through the rest of the store, we garner glances from people in the aisles. They’re obviously staring at Cielo, who is lingering beside me, his posture straight, his gaze focused. I don’t know why it bothers me so much. He’s not doing anything besides existing, so why do they have to be like this?
I steer him down the empty cereal aisle and look at all the breakfast bars.
“Ooh. You know what we should try when we get home?” I waggle a box near him, and his gaze flits down to it. “Pop-Tarts.”
“Poooohhhp?” His brow is scrunched as he tries to force his tongue and lips through the sounds.
My lips curl up, and I let out a loud laugh. I hope he doesn’t think I’m making fun of him. His little frown as he tries human words is kind of adorable. “I mean, close enough.”
I swipe at my eyes as I carry on, and by the time we reach the register, the cart is half-full, and I’m feeling slightly better about my ability to cook while I’m with Rathyn. Or without him, seeing as he left me.
The man behind the register eyes me and then Cielo, his cheeks flushing. “Uh, how are you two today?”
“Great,” I say, giving him a thumbs up. “Superb. Right, Cielo?”
Cielo glances down at me, his ears fluttering slightly.
“Yesss.”
I notice the tremble in the man’s hands as he scans the items I set on the conveyor belt. “Paper or plastic?”
“Paper. At least they’re recyclable, amiright?”
He nods, and I bob my head to the music playing over the speakers. A band from when I was young. From when my parents were alive. It suddenly makes me feel slightly nostalgic, and my heart twists. What would they think if they were here right now?
The moment is disturbed, then quickly forgotten when Cielo’s tail knocks over a small display behind him.
His ears droop, his eyes widen, and he makes a distressed sound.
“Oh shit,” I say as I stare at the candy bars lining the floor. “Wild tail on the loose.”
Cielo’s lips turn down, and I see his fangs appear as he stares down, almost immobile. The cashier rushes over and bends down, scooping up the mess Cielo made, and I drop to my knees to help.
“Worthless creatures,” an older woman mutters behind me.
I glance over my shoulder, still on my haunches, and glower at her. “Hey, lady, why don’t you shut your face?” I tell her, and she rears back. “He just doesn’t know the rules.”
