Life Happens When You Are Awake

Chade can tell Ry means everything he says and would never doubt that.  Dad visiting him in a dream?  That did sound strange but the boys had talked with a ghost before so he couldn’t deny the possibility of it.  Ry also had always shown more interest in the moon and maybe it really was a moon-thing?  

Chade’s brow furrows confusion to surprise and obvious interest. Scraping at the leather strip a few times before it gives way and then the cloth.  The item also gets a bit of confusion first, certainly not a thing he’d expected to see.  Chade had imagined something maybe of bone or rock or some other natural thing.  This was more like some of the gems they’d found before in that one strange cave.

It was an amazing eye-catching thing, eyes flicking from it to Ry as he spoke, inwardly still doubting about their dad.  Chade couldn’t accept that, maybe he didn’t want to accept it or maybe he was so wound up in his own self-guilt it was too deep of a hole to climb out of for now.  Their father did love them but Chade had killed one of the pups dads had loved.  Sure, not with his own paw but Chade had made that choice.  Maybe someday he could imagine dad forgiving him but now the dad of his memories, not yet.  He’d have to earn that forgiveness somehow if that was even doable.

None of that was positive and hear Ry had just given him an amazing present so it was best to focus on that.  “This is amazing Ry,” Chade lowered his head, using his paw to get under the chain part of the necklace so that it was at least partway off the ground so he could get it over his muzzle, tossing his head up and with a shake or two getting it to settle down around his neck.  Chade’s eyes crisscrossed as he looked down to it, “Whatcha think? It’s really shiny.” It was from dad and Ry.  His stomach twisted at part of that when he thought of dad giving it.  Chade would accept it as from Ry, though there was a small tiny part of him inside that clutched at the meaning of an item that came from dad.  Chade wasn’t ready to accept that part of him yet.

“Well,” Chade hesitated on adding to it but finally dragging out the words with some choked emotions mostly hidden, “if you see dad again tell him thanks.” Dad saw Ry, not Chade.  Why?  He had a good guess.  “I swear I’ll take good care of it.”


"Chade & Ricin"