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A big news had been spreading around Natlan lately.
They say a fatui harbinger challenged the archon and suddenly disappeared in a curtain of smoke.
They suspected someone from Masters of the Nightwind to be the one to safe that harbinger.
Ifa have heard of it in every place he stopped by.
That's what everyone is talking about lately, everyone suspecting everyone to possibly be working alongside the fatui now.
They couldn't be fully sure afterall. If smoke is all they need to get the fatui to dissapear from the stadium, maybe anyone can do it and not just from Michtlan.
Ifa can assure most of his friends are off the hook, it's not something they'd do really. Why would they help the fatui who try to fight their archon? He doubt they'd do anything like that, nobody are that reckless to just jump in and give a hand.
Suddenly his arm got bitten by a yumkasaurus, snapping his thoughts immediately back to reality.
"Akh! H-hey?! Did I got the bandage too tight? Sorry, bro. Didn't mean to hurt'cha," he say soothingly as he try to pry open the saurian's mouth.
Cacucu then quickly fly in with a quenepa berry to bait the saurian to have it's attention towards the alluring snack. Unsurprisingly the bait worked.
The yumkasaurus open it's mouth and happily munch on the fruit, briefly distracted by the sauro-vet bandaging it's leg. It didn't took Ifa that long to finish it up, giving it a gentle pat to make sure it's steady.
"Thanks, Cacucu."
"Your welcome, bro!" he proudly parrot as he himself munch on the quenepa berries with clear hunger in his appetite.
Ifa check on the bite mark on his arm, finding it bleeds a little. He cleaned it up with disinfectant and press the small wound until the bleeding stops.
"Is Nanna okay, doctor?" A child came with three yumkasaurus whelps following her closely.
"She'll be fine, she's a strong girl," he pats Nanna gently making sure to not alert her.
The three whelps went hopping to their mother, they coos softly happy to be with her again.
The child scolds her as if she's her parent, "now why did you jump off a cliff again, Nanna? What if you got lost again."
Nanna simply let out a remorseful growl, as if saying an apology to the young girl.
Ifa laughs softly, a regular interaction he sees between children and their saurian companion.
"Now then, the injury wasn't serious. Just got a twisted ankle, no broken bones. Let her lay down without moving it and in a couple of days she'd be running around like normal," he says with an assuring smile.
"Thank you, doctor!" she waves as Ifa fly off from the edge with Cacucu.
Ifa let out a long tired sigh as he flies towards his home tribe. It's been a long day of going all over the nation to help the injured and the sick saurians. For sure, Cacucu is definitely going to be tired to—
"Oh no! Oh no!" Cacucu squawk loudly as they slowly descend lower and lower to the ground.
"Easy Cacucu! We can walk the way home," he then let go off his grip and immediately plunge down, the elemental energy from his vision surges and help numb his fall.
Cacucu lower down before immediately fell into the vet's arms, clearly way too exhausted now.
"Thanks buddy. I'll give you some crackers when we get back," he gently run his gloved hand on the qucusaurus's feathers, coaxing him to fall asleep.
As he walk the road with Cacucu sleeping in his arms, he can hear other people's conversations who just have happened to be patrolling around here.
"You sure you saw that right?"
"I swear I did! It was like a sharp silhouette suddenly came into the stadium after the smoke suddenly come in!"
"Can you make out the shape more? We really need to find out who this person is."
"No, not really. But I know for sure it's definitely someone from Michtlan I can sense it."
"How can I know that it wasn't you."
"You saw it too! We were walking together when it happened! Come on..."
"I know, I know. I'm playing with you. Everyone already suspecting people in Masters of the Nightwind to be behind this anyway, you're not exactly off the hook here."
"That's why you should be backing up my alibi!"
The bicker continues as Ifa walked passed them. It really starts to make him concern of his friend.
No way he's involved right?
Perhaps a quick trip to his home wouldn't be that bad, it's not that far away from where he's at and maybe if he's in there, he could ask if he can stay for the night.
When he arrived at the cabin, there were no lights coming from inside. The plants seems to have already got watered, but the droplets on the leafs have dried up.
He approach the door giving it a few knocks, maybe that guy overslept in what supposed to be his usual afternoon nap.
But even after he knock a couple more times, there were no response from inside.
No footsteps, no sound of a door opening, no sound of the floor board creaking, just... complete silence.
Ifa twist the doorknob carefully, finding the door to be unlocked.
He grab the lantern and get it to turn on, placing Cacucu into the designated cushion Ororon prepared for him just in case they came.
"Ororon? Bro? You here?" he call out softly.
Checking his bedroom, finding it's still messy and empty.
He went to the garden at the backyard, nope, Ororon still isn't here even when he normally would be here.
"Maybe, the one who—" he doesn't want to think about it, no. Surely, Ororon wouldn't just suddenly want to work with the fatui right?
Maybe he was kidnapped and forced to work with them? Perhaps??
He doesn't know what's worse, his best friend possibly got kidnapped or that he possibly willingly work with them.
It's not like he could guess what's in his head! He could be thinking about anything!
The backdoor was softly pulled shut as Ifa walk back towards the sofa and sat down with a heavy sigh.
"What in the world did you get yourself into man..."
Cacucu stayed asleep, his soft snore kept him company in the empty cabin that once had a person living his life.
Perhaps he better off stayed for the night, might as well that he's already here. Cacucu already got comfortable on the cushion, he should get himself comfortable too.
A quick toss of a bag and a coat, with a hat simply placed carefully on the table, and lastly the pair of shoes and leg warmers being placed next to the rubber boots near the front door, this was already his definition of comfortable.
It was already a long day for him, couldn't be bothered to make any dinner for himself. A couple of biscuits should suffice.
He grab his hat as he lay down on the sofa, covering his face with it.
He just hope Ororon is alright.
Morning came abruptly as Cacucu once again becoming his personal alarm clock whenever he didn't wake up early enough.
"Bro! Wake up! Wake up!" along with a barrage of pecking on his face.
"He— Hey! Alright alright I'm awake!!"
It didn't stop Cacucu, it's enough that he peck his face, he have to pull his hair too.
"I'm awake Cacucu! See!?" his hands quickly grip the qucusaurus and pull him from his hair.
Satisfied that his precious bro is awake, Cacucu flew and perch on the sofa's arm rest, looking awfully happy with himself.
Ifa smooth down his messy hair, grumbling softly at Cacucu.
His stomach growls in hunger as he stand up, so he check at pouch finding only crumbs left. Cacucu turn around, looking innocent and not guilty.
Ifa can only give the round saurian a sour face as he went at the direction of his kitchen, only to be greeted with a wall.
"Ah, right I'm still in Ororon's home," he mumbled as he pats his sore nose.
Now towards the correct direction of the kitchen, he gather up the ingredients as he remembered where his bro would place them. Like Ifa, he's not a huge fan of having his things be stored differently than what he already did. In this case, it's vegetables instead of herbs.
The amount of vegetables seemed to have lessen now than the last time he came, probably nearing another harvest.
He cook himself a quick breakfast and prepared two plates, wait that can't be right. Returning the extra plate to the shelves and he realised he made more than he needs to.
No worries, maybe he can give the extra when he found him, if he did found him that is.
A loud tired groan emanate from his dry throat. Come on, it's not like that guy's dead. He maybe reckless, but at least he would be careful enough to not get killed by the fatui, right? Or at least not do anything reckless that would get himself killed.
He surely wouldn't.
Ororon is a capable person, he know how to fight. It's practically standard for every Natlanese to know how to fight and defend themselves. Hell, if he wanted to escape them, he knows many tricks to do that. He can just— do that! He can keep himself safe, he completely can!! That guy's no longer a kid that would run to him like a lost whelp, he's a fully fledged adult who can keep himself safe and sound. He completely could! He doesn't need to be worried. He doesn't need to keep thinking about him. He shouldn't be so worked up getting this worried over him, but Archons!!!
He couldn't help himself.
The breakfast he made seemed unappetising, it's incomplete. Not when the owner of this cabin isn't sitting in front of him with his own portion and the smell of coffee in the air accompanied by that sleepy face trying to stay awake. His own voice teasing him, a soft grumble from the other person, Cacucu trying his best to prevent his other beloved companion to stay awake. It's all missing. He doesn't want it to stay missing.
He take off his hands from his face. And eat.
He hope for today wouldn't be as exhausting.
He step out of the cabin with Cacucu perch on his hat. The morning breeze came in sweeping his hair a bit, it helped keep himself grounded.
"Bro?" Cacucu asked again, he's been asking him the same thing since after breakfast. The qucusaurus clearly can tell his companion isn't in the best headspace and is genuinely worried about him.
"I'm fine Cacucu. It's alright. I just... didn't sleep well, that's all," a quick reach to the small saurian to scratch his head gently.
A quick check-in into his clinic, topping up any empty food tray with a saurian nestled in so they can have their own breakfast. Checking-in on their progress as well, bringing them back to their home once completely healed. Taking care of the newly brought in patients, the works.
Same thing as everyday. It's just missing a piece.
Half a day seems to passed just like that, now's the time for a quick patrol. Not all saurian have someone that can bring them to him and not all of them are capable to seek some kind of help.
Normally he would join him, simply because he got nothing to do, but today it's just him and Cacucu. It's a thing that can sometimes happen really. Ororon could be dealing with something so he couldn't join his patrol, no big deal.
Today seems more peaceful luckily enough, hadn't heard any new abyss invasion for two days now. But sometimes, saurian can be as clumsy as people do. Sometimes, they could be more reckless than, well.
Walking is really actually easier to do, it's easier on him, easier on Cacucu, easier on whoever coming with him on his daily patrol. But it seems today Cacucu is eager to be carrying him for a flight, who is he to reject the small saurian's request?
With a boost from his vision and Cacucu's efforts, they were able to fly up and look through the entirety of the nation.
It really does seems to be a much more peaceful day today. He hadn't seen any injured saurian as far as he could see. He didn't hear any kind of potential rawr or yelp that would mean asking for help.
He did spot a group of people in dark clothes, all layered with fur and carries a weapon of sort. Probably those fatui people keep talking about. There's no imposing figure that they were talking about though. Maybe it's just a patrol squad.
They definitely don't have him with them.
If he's there, he would've already spot that very bright cyan and purple on his cape. Perhaps even those hair, that dark indigo hair and the one ear that he would allow to stay visible.
Certainly, that fatui member that have a black long cape with a torn piece of hoodie on the left side, that also have striking indigo hair, and a very distinctive cyan colored eye is nothing more but a regular fatui member, despite not having any fur lining on his outfit and have both arms completely exposed showing off that tattoos that he used to tease him about.
Oh.
He nearly fell as he quickly realised who it was. He wouldn't mistake him for anybody. He could tell it was him, there's simply nobody else that would look like him.
He immediately went down and run, ignoring the disbelieved yelp of his saurian companion.
Before that boy could react to his friend's sudden appearance, his wrist was gripped with a strength he didn't know the vet would have. The fatui around him stopped their tracks and ready in a defensive stance, getting ready to attack if Ifa ever did anything reckless.
"Ororon! What are you doing with them?" his voice was heavy almost strained, he wasn't sure wither he want to yell or cry at this Mictlan boy that he knew since he was a kid. "You weren't... actually working together with them...right?" his grip become tighter not wanting to let go.
The boy's lips trembled slightly, his breath hitches, his arm hurts, but it's nothing compared to the pained look from the person he cared the most. "Ifa, I—I have to," he try to pull his arm from the vet's grip, but to no avail. "Ifa... please let go, I'll be fine I promise."
"It's not about you'll be fine or not, Ororon! Why are you with them? Just tell me what's wrong dude—"
"IFA," his voice cracks slightly his brows scrunched up pleading for his best friend to listen, to understand.
He grabs on the vet's shoulder, hoping for atleast he let go off his wrist, but his grip was still firm unable to let him run.
"Please, listen to me. The Captain have a plan to safe Natlan and I— I want to help him. He says the archon have a plan, but it's too risky so he have his own and I think I can trust him on it," he looks at the pair of turquoise eyes straight, he knows Ifa will understand, he have always been the only one to understand him afterall.
But he couldn't see it.
His friend's eyes didn't changed it's expression, just the same worried, untrusting, even scared look.
Have he been that worried of him? Or was he simply never realised how much Ifa would go just to get him back and safe.
Should he say sorry to the vet in front of him? For getting so worked up over a guy who would do something this reckless?
How could he leave when his best friend is genuinely so worried, he could see how tired he looked, even more so than his busiest days?
Ifa clearly wouldn't let go of him and he still have something to do to safe their nation from destruction.
He exhaled, long, trying to make himself as calm as possible and looked at Ifa with a masked sternness.
"I'm sorry, Ifa."
With a swift motion of his hand, he manage to held onto Ifa's head and pull him close till their lips are in contact, just enough to get him distracted and weakened his grip.
"I love you. Please don't look for me," he whispered after he part away from that honeyed flavour lips.
Ifa could briefly see between those smoke, a saddened yet somewhat peaceful expression, like this would be the very last time they'll see eachother.
"ORORON!" he yelled and run to the direction he vanished to. Just when he came out of the field of smoke, he vanished alongside the fatui members.
He pants and pants, frantically looking for him. He shouldn't be far, he shouldn't be. He should be nearby close enough where Ifa could reach him.
But he couldn't find him at all.
Even, after the smoke dissipate completely.
His knees felt weak. He lost him again, just like that.
He just want to cry at his own failure.
Cacucu finally able to see him again frantically flew towards him.
"Ifa! Ifa!! Ifa!!!" the qucusaurus cried at relief to finally see his favourite person again.
He immediately fly to his lap, happy to see him again, but Ifa's hands didn't wrapped around his body. They stayed resting on the ground beside his legs.
Cacucu looked up to see what's wrong, he have never seen him this devastated before.
"Bro?" drops of tears land on his feathers like soft rain. Cacucu sat on his lap, nuzzling the vet's stomach. Hoping it'll be enough to comfort the saddened vet.