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The rules of hide-and-seek were simple.
When you get caught, the game ends.
And that’s really it, actually. It’s that easy! Why, even a young kit could understand how to play!
Okay, okay… so maybe that was a simplification and the actual rules were a teeny-tiny bit more complicated than that. But not by much!
To be precise, the game ended for the ones who weren’t ‘it’ when they got caught. They would have to sit out on the side until the rest of their peers were also caught.
But for those who were ‘it’, things are slightly different. The game carries on until they manage to find where everyone else was hiding. The last one to be found becomes the new ‘it’, but if you were just playing with one other friend, the roles are simply reversed when their hiding spot is discovered and play resumes.
The cycle would then continue until the second—and more ubiquitous—end condition to a game of hide-and-seek.
“Fisk!”
And that was when her mothe—well, any of the adults, really—announced that playtime was over. A proclamation like that concludes the play session, usually for the remainder of the day. While that certainly brings the game to a close, it was but a brief hiatus. The game would inevitably resume when the sun rose upon Nibus the following day.
The fox kit’s eyes sparkled at the memory, reminiscing of days long past which had slowly blended in with one another.
Hide-and-seek was one of Fisk’s favorite games to play. Her species innately crafty, she found that a good game was a surefire way to keep her mind sharp.
The game was one of discovery , and not just because you had to discover —har har—where everyone was hiding if you were ‘it’.
No, the extent of discovery went further than just the superficial nature of the game. Every game of hide-and-seek differed in some way, and Fisk would have to adapt her playstyle constantly in order to come out on top.
Although the play zone was confined to the safety of the sanctuary around the Spirit Aspen, that area was still sufficiently large enough to allow for varied games. In addition to that, the players who participated differed from day to day, and you now have a recipe for constant change and unpredictability. A large group of participants would require a more stealthy and generalized approach on her part as several factors—or even sheer, dumb luck—could lead to her losing the game early, whereas a smaller group could let Fisk attempt more personalized and risky strategies which were more catered towards certain individuals.
Such was the case with Nem, for example.
Fisk knew her well, and that knowledge let her get the jump on the young spirit—quite literally—multiple times. Nem may be one of few words, but her eyes and her body language often betrayed her feelings whenever the spirit ended up on the losing end of a game because of her.
It was too bad for Nem, but despite how she felt, all is fair in love and war (the war that was hide-and-seek). Even Fisk refused to go easy on Nem despite their bond. And occasionally, her complacency got the better of her, and Nem would have her revenge.
She couldn’t help but smile as she thought of the yellow spirit. Play time with Nem really was the best. It allowed her to relinquish all her worries, shirk off any boring responsibilities, and just spend time with her best friend.
It was easy for time to fly when they were together. And so they settled into a comfortable routine, at least before that fateful day where the status quo was unceremoniously cut short.
“MOM!”
Fisk jolted at the memory, the fox flinching back as if she had accidentally tread onto a sharp thorn. She pawed the ground in agitation, laying low against the bush that she’d chosen as her current hiding spot for her new game of hide-and-seek.
At least, it was her hiding spot for today.
Yes, today . The game did not end yesterday night, or the night before that, or the one before that, actually. This time, things were different .
There was no curfew. No time limit. No pesky adult to announce the end of playtime to a cacophony of groaning children. No more Fen to come get her— wait no don’t think about Mom —
Where was she before her mind got sidetracked, again? Ah yes, no more adults ending their game as the sun fell.
It was a small but significant change, one that removed the time limit of the game itself. Fisk had chosen to dub this new variant as the ultimate game of hide-and-seek, and like the regular version, she’d discovered many new things as she continued playing. With the loss of the second win condition, there was now only one way to end this game of hide-and-seek.
The person who was ‘it’ had to find the one who was hiding.
She narrowed her eyes, scoping out the clearing outside her bush at that thought before letting out a shuddering sigh. If she had it her way, that wouldn't be happening. No one would find her.
Not Nem, not nobody.
Tomorrow will be a new day and Fisk knew that she could not afford complacency. She will have to switch hiding spots and evaluate her current strategies. It was a tiring task, but hide-and-seek was a game about discovery. Every new day brought new challenges, but she was quick to adapt, all to ensure that she kept the game of hide-and-seek going.
All to ensure that she could continue to elude Nem.
Fisk curled her tail onto herself, trying to lull herself to sleep as night fell, the fox thinking back to those games of hide-and-seek she enjoyed back at the sanctuary.
It was really a simpler time then… wait, no ! Fisk grit her teeth, stubbornly shaking her head as she blinked back tears that should have long since dried up.
Nothing had changed, she told herself. Nothing at all! She was just playing another game, see? Another game of hide-and-seek., just like things were back then! Nothing amiss! Simply another normal game!
And this game, this new game of circumstance that was ultimate hide-and-seek, was one where Fisk resolved to win.
Why?
It was simple, really. As simple as the rules to hide-and-seek.
When you get caught, the game ends.
But if she made sure that she was never caught, then the game would never end. And as long as the game never ends, she would never have to end her play session and come to grips with her cruel, harsh reality.
Hide-and-seek was a game about discovery, but Fisk would never have to discover the truth behind the facsimile of her fabricated reality so long as she never lost.
So long as she stayed put in her eternal game of ultimate hide-and-seek.