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Fauna's emotional state only deteriorated as time passed.
She hadn't left her room in days.
Kronii didn't know how to help, and neither did any of the others.
♡
As the keeper of nature, it was Fauna's job to protect and preserve life, to ensure its survival and flourishment.
When an ecosystem was destroyed, or a species went extinct, Fauna always felt guilty.
It wasn't her fault, after all, the birth and death of all life at some point was only natural. Getting rid of one thing to make room for something better was how nature had come so far in the first place.
No one expected Fauna to help every single living being, but she still tried anyway.
It was when Fauna tried and failed to save something that the guilt ravaged her and she really shut down.
There had been a huge wildfire.
Natural fires could be beneficial, to allow important nutrients to re-enter the soil, and create new habitats for plants and animals.
But this wasn't a natural fire.
Some careless person had maybe thrown away a lit cigarette in the woods, or left a campfire unattended, or even started the fire on purpose.
Fauna had thrown herself into grave danger just to protect the burning forest and everything in it.
She'd done her best to put out the flames, but it wasn't enough.
Everything the fire had touched had been destroyed, and she wasn't able to stop it from spreading in time.
So many lives lost all at once. The strain of trying to save everything and failing in the end, the lives that were lost because if it, had sapped Fauna's energy completely.
The first day after she returned home, Fauna had spent the whole day trying to sleep to distract herself from the pain.
She failed at that too.
Every day that followed, Fauna had become more and more apathetic and lethargic.
Fauna's emotional state only deteriorated as time passed.
She hadn't left her room in days.
Kronii didn't know how to help, and neither did any of the others.
She visited Fauna in her room, bringing with her a bowl of vegetable soup.
"Hey, Fauna. I brought you some food."
Kronii murmured, pushing the door shut with a foot.
She frowned when Fauna didn't move to sit up, and Kronii started making her way over to the bed.
Fauna turned her head slightly to look up at Kronii, her eyes glazed over.
Fauna didn't speak.
Kronii held out the bowl of soup she made, feeling a little hesitant.
"Do you want to eat something? I made you some soup,"
Fauna shook her head weakly and curled up even more.
Kronii felt a pang of concern, and she sat the bowl down on the bedside table.
She kneeled next to Fauna and brushed her bangs away from her eyes.
They looked more dull now than ever.
"Fauna, please? You've barely eaten anything since you got back. Just a little?"
Fauna didn't move.
Kronii's heart constricted in her chest, and she bit her lip.
"I'll leave it here for you. Please, try to eat it, okay? I love you. I don't want you to go hungry."
Fauna exhaled with a soft sigh.
She looked exhausted, and Kronii could see dark bags under her eyes, revealing the toll her despair was taking on her fragile body.
"FauFau, have you slept at all?"
Fauna stared down silently for a few moments before shaking her head.
"Oh, love, please. Try to get some sleep, okay?"
Fauna didn't respond.
Tears welled up in Kronii's eyes.
She had to get out. She couldn't stand to see Fauna like this.
"I love you, Fauna. Please, try to take care of yourself. I just want you to be okay."
Fauna nodded once, still staring down at the pillow.
Kronii forced a small smile.
"Thank you."
With that, she pressed a kiss against Fauna's forehead and left the room.
She felt horrible for it.
Later, Kronii gathered Mumei, Sana, Irys and Bae sat in a closed circle in the living room, debating on what to do for Fauna next.
They had never seen her like this before, so silent, so devastated.
"I don't know what to do. She's stopped eating completely, I couldn't convince her to take even one bite."
Kronii's voice wavered with emotion as she spoke softly to her girlfriends.
"She hasn't left the room in days. I tried talking to her, but it's like her mind is.. detached in a way. She.. she wouldn't even look up at me." Mumei whimpered.
Sana's eyebrows furrowed with concern. "We need to do something. She'll get sick if she keeps neglecting herself like this. But what do we do if she won't even move?"
Bae spoke up, her hand clutching Irys'.
"We have to keep trying, we can't give up on her. Fauna needs us now more than ever."
Irys hummed in agreement.
"Let's try taking turns spending time with her. The last thing Fauna needs right now is to feel alone."
"I'll go sit with her again. Maybe she just wants some company."
Mumei suggested as she stood.
The others nodded in agreement.
"If you guys need anything, MeiMei, please don't hesitate to ask." Sana reminded her.
"Okay, Sana. I'll let you know."
As Mumei started to Fauna's room, Kronii stopped her.
"Mumei, can you try to get Fauna to eat something, maybe? I.. I tried to bring her some soup, but she never ate it."
Mumei frowned at that, but nodded.
"I'll try, Kronii."
The warden smiled at mumei before she left, but it wasn't long before Kronii was nervously fidgeting again.
She hated seeing Fauna this upset, this wracked with guilt and grief.
She wished she could help in some way, but everything she'd tried had been overshadowed by Fauna's turmoil.
Kronii's thoughts halted when she felt the couch shift next to her.
Sana had gotten up and moved closer, and was now giving Kronii a reassuring look.
"Hey, Kronini. I know this is really scary. Are you feeling okay?"
Kronii balled her fist. Dug a nail into her own skin.
"I'm.. not the one we should be worried about."
She said firmly.
Sana put a gentle hand on Kronii's shoulder.
"I know you're worried about Fauna. We all are. But it's important to remember that you matter too."
Kronii sighed and leaned into Sana's embrace.
"I'll be fine. I'm just-"
She trailed off as her voice began to break again.
Sana pulled Kronii in closer, and Kronii shakily hugged back.
Kronii cringed inwardly as she felt the warmth of her tears streaking down her face and landing on Sana's shirt.
Sana didn't say anything though, she only held Kronii tighter.
Hours passed, and Mumei had just come out of Fauna's room.
Kronii looked up from her book to not so subtly eavesdrop on her conversation with Bae.
"How is she?" Bae asked, her voice filled with concern.
Kronii couldn't help but notice that the rat was tightly gripping the mug she had been holding.
Bae's hands were shaking.
Mumei shook her head.
"Not much better. She's so tired, but.. I don't think she's slept."
Bae's hands trembled even more, and Kronii saw her knuckles whiten as she increased the tightness of her grip on the mug.
Mumei must have noticed this too, as she added something else.
"But she let me hold her for a while. That's good, right?"
Bae shot a longing glance to Fauna's door.
"Y-Yeah. She's not.. pushing us away, at least."
Mumei nodded, then turned to Kronii.
"Hey, Kronii, maybe you should go in to see her. She seemed to enjoy my company."
Kronii's breath caught in her throat at the suggestion.
"Oh, um.. I... I don't know,"
Kronii could practically see the question marks appear over Mumei's head.
"Huh? Why not? She needs us."
The warden hesitated.
Kronii felt selfish for it, but she didn't want to see Fauna in her current state.
She'd been so detached, she had looked so shaken.
The way her eyes had been glazed over, the way Fauna barely responded to anything anymore was overwhelming to think about.
Some of Kronii's worst thoughts had begun to come up, and it frightened her.
Was this Kronii's fault?
What if she was never the same again?
What if Fauna never felt better?
What if-
Kronii felt a hand on her back, and turned to see Irys.
"I know it's scary. Honestly, it was pretty upsetting seeing her just.. shut down like that. If it's truly too overwhelming, you don't have to go in right now. Bae and I can take turns spending time with Fauna until you're ready."
Irys whispered, her gaze comforting and reassuring.
Kronii's expression softened, and she turned to Fauna's door.
She wanted to be with Fauna more than anything right now.
So she swallowed her fear and shook her head.
"No, Irys. It's okay. I do want to be with Fauna. I want to help, really. I'll go sit with her."
Irys looked at kronii with concern.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. It's okay. I want to be with her. I want to hold her."
Bae, Irys and Mumei all shared a glance before nodding.
Kronii made her way to the door.
She drew a breath, reaching out for the doorknob. With a shaky exhale, she turned it and opened the door.
Fauna was now sitting up in bed, her eyes still hazy with despair.
Silently, she stared at her hands.
"Hey, FauFau," Kronii murmured, sitting beside her. "I know you're hurting. I wish I could understand what you're going through, and lessen your pain. I want you to know that I'm here for you, no matter what."
Fauna's gaze shifted towards Kronii, a glimmer of recognition in her eyes. She dipped her head slightly, acknowledging Kronii's presence, but remained silent.
Kronii sighed softly. "You don't have to say anything. Just know that I love you, and I won't leave your side. We'll get through this together."
She guided Fauna to lean her head against her shoulder, and was met with no resistance.
They sat like that for a while, with Kronii gently running her fingers through Fauna's hair and softly humming a song.
Absentmindedly, Kronii began to mumble the words, humming through a line she forgot.
Fauna had shown her this song one night, telling Kronii about how much she loved it and how much it meant to her.
"Your cold hand clings to mine walking home,"
She feels Fauna tense up, and draws her in closer.
"..and your eyelashes catch the snow."
Kronii had listened to the song over and over, rehearsing and practicing it for Fauna.
Maybe this would help her. She hoped it would, if even just a little.
"You know i love you so."
Fauna shifted, making eye contact with Kronii.
It was the most emotion Kronii had seen in Fauna's eyes since the fire.
Kronii's voice wavered as she kept singing.
"The freckles on your shoulders and this burning in my eyes, when I just can't find the right words to say,"
Kronii paused when she heard Fauna sniffle next to her.
Fauna was trembling. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as she gripped Kronii's shirt tightly.
"Oh, FauFau-"
Fauna buried her face in Kronii's shoulder, her body shaking with sobs.
She pulled Fauna closer, so that her head rested on Kronii's chest.
Kronii felt her own tears beginning to fall as she held Fauna close and let her cry.
Fauna's grip on Kronii's shirt only grew tighter as she sobbed. She pressed against her, trying to hide even further within Kronii's arms.
"It's okay, Fauna," Kronii whispered.
"I'm here for you. We're all here for you. We love you so much,"
Fauna nodded as more tears fell.
It was the most Fauna had interacted, the most emotion she had shown since she had gotten back.
It was a breakthrough.
The door to Fauna's room opened, the others having heard her sobbing.
Bae stepped in tentatively, a worried expression etched across her face as she started towards them.
Irys, Sana and Mumei followed, each taking their place beside Kronii and Fauna.
Sana put a comforting hand on Fauna's shoulder.
"It's alright, FauFau. You're not alone."
"Y-Yeah," Mumei sniffled. Kronii could tell she was trying and failing to hold back tears.
"We love you. It's going to be okay."
Irys sat down next to Kronii and rubbed her hand up and down her back.
"Are you two okay? What happened?"
Bae asked.
"I.. I think I might have.. helped? I was singing to her, and she started crying and grabbed onto me."
As Fauna's sobs began to calm into quiet sniffles, she lifted her head and turned to see everyone.
Kronii smiled at her, a real smile this time.
"I- I'm.. I'm sorry, everyone."
Fauna's voice cracked with disuse, and she cringed.
"No apologies, Fauna. It's okay. You didn't do anything wrong."
Sana affirmed, but Fauna shook her head.
"I failed. I couldn't stop it,"
She sniffled again as more tears fell.
Mumei stepped forward and wiped away Fauna's tears.
"You did your best, Fauna. You tried."
Fauna dipped her head, her tears flowing relentlessly.
Her girlfriends stayed by her side the entire time, holding her and comforting her.
As Fauna's tears subsided, she hid her face in Kronii's shoulder.
Kronii rubbed Fauna's back comfortingly, and she felt the kirin relax a little.
"How are you feeling, Fauna? What can we do for you?"
Fauna lifted her head a little to speak.
"I'm very tired, Kronii."
Irys nodded.
"We'll go, then. Do you need anything before you sleep?"
Fauna shook her head, putting her head down onto Kronii's chest once again.
"I'm just tired. Thank you for helping me, I love you."
Mumei smiled.
"We love you too, Fauna. We'll make you some food for when you wake up."
Fauna nodded again, already starting to drift off.
"Sounds nice..."
Bae, Irys, Sana and Mumei left the room, leaving only Fauna and Kronii.
Kronii hesitated, wondering if she should leave and let Fauna sleep on her own, or stay.
"Do you want me to go too?"
Kronii whispered softly, so as not to startle Fauna.
Fauna shook her head, her grip on Kronii's shirt tightening again.
"Please don't."
Kronii smiled and lay down, pulling the blankets up over herself and Fauna.
"I'll stay with you, then. Don't worry, Fauna. I'll be here for you when you wake up. Just rest, okay?"
Fauna hummed in agreement and placed a small kiss on Kronii's neck.
"I love you."
"I love you, too."