7

~Cupboards Of Thought~

Lyn got up and turned away from Hugo.  The forest was calling her too, and after being out she realized what she had been missing after the months spent in the Hollow.  Lyn glanced over at the lifeless figure of Foalan as Alpine and Nyko carried her away.  Lyn hadn’t been that close to Foalan, the young fox had been Cody's friend, and now that she thought about it, she wasn’t that close to Cody either.  She glanced at Hugo who’s gaze seemed to have drifted from Noctus.  He was really upset about Foalan, she thought she was his sister though, I know I would be upset about Hugo, she reasoned, but what about Cody?

She shook her head, guilty at her own thoughts.  Mother padded up to Lyn.  Lyn was shocked to see her muzzle bleeding lightly from where Nyko had scratched her.

Mother stared down at her kit.  Lyn shuffled her paws uncertainly.

“Lyn, Hugo,” said Mother, casting a disappointed glance at her two kits, “you shouldn’t have been out in the woods!” She said “do you understand how dangerous it is?  You could have died.”  She cast another glance at Foalan's body, that was now layed on the spur of rock outside Nyko and Alpine’s den and returned to stare at Hugo and Lyn.

“I just can't believe you!” Mother scowled, “you must not leave again,” she pleaded, “never must you leave this Hollow, it's dangerous to go out, do you understand?” Mother's voice was both worried and irritated.  “Look at what happened to Foalan!”

“Mother?” Lyn asked.

“What Lyn.” Swift sighed in exasperation.

“What was Nyko talking about?”

Mother stopped.  “Nothing, nothing,” she said quickly, “Now, off to the Burrow as I already told you.”

Lyn could handle Mother being angry, but disappointed?  That was by far much worse.  Hugo and Lyn exchanged a glance before nodding.  Why can’t we go out?  We’re not kits anymore!  Lyn thought.

Lyn looked around for Cody.  I haven't seen him since we came into the Hollow.  She spotted him looking sorrow-faced and creeping along the border of brambles toward Nyko and Alpine’s Burrow.  I suppose he wants to say goodbye to Foalan.

Lyn and Hugo went into the den, feeling cold, and clammy after the shock of Foalan’s death, Mother angry, Cody distraught.  And Nyko had said something about Lyn not knowing what she was or knowing what Mother was.  She was a fox.  She didn’t need Nyko to tell her that, perhaps Nyko was just trying to scare Mother.  But Lyn would never know, because Mother would never tell her anything.  She loved information, like what happened to Grandfather, or what Nyko really meant.  Or anything she could learn about the WideWorld.  She always found that sleep was the best time to think, so she drifted off to do just that.  She thought about being outside the Hollow, she thought about dashing for cover from the crows, Foalan’s broken body, how her grandfather might be locked up in Tambora, how Cody was so upset and distraught, and maybe would be for the next couple of moons.  But she didn’t want to be in the Hollow for the next couple moons, she wanted to get out.  Sure the WideWorld was scary, and dangerous, but it felt so, so right.  Her mind drifted a lot when she slept, but never as much as it did tonight.  Plans, lots of plans were hatched, her thoughts were always stacked in neat cupboards in her mind but now they were falling out of place.  But after the hurricane of new thoughts and ideas had wreaked havoc in her brain, she knew what she wanted.  I'm going to find our grandfather.