"A-a-are you awake, Phoenix?" I whisper, trying not to wake any of the others.

"Oh, you're still up," Phoenix mutters. He doesn't turn around.

"Uh, y-yeah." I frown.

"Why are you still stuttering? I thought I asked you to stop with that."

"S-sorry."

"Are you gonna answer my question?" Phoenix's black coat turns red and orange as his flames start to rise, but they quickly simmer down.

"I-I-I don't know."

"It's a yes or a no on if you're going to answer my question. 'I don't know' doesn't answer it."

"No, no. I-I meant that I-I d-don't know why I s-stutter. I-I-I've just a-always done it." I duck my head.

"Whatever," he sighs, resting his head back onto Ky's shoulder.

I watch him for a few moments. He's acting so weird. "A-are you alright? You-you're acting weird." I frown.

"And what makes you think that?"

"I-I-I don't know. Y-You look k-kinda tense, or something." Phoenix grunts in reply. When he draws in his next breath, his sides tremble.

Is... Is he... What is happening with Phoenix? I rise to my paws to draw closer, but Phoenix's growl stops me.

"D-... Don't," he snarls, but his voice cracks.

Wait. Is-Is he crying? Is Phoenix crying?

"A-are you cr-."

"No." I frown.

"But y-your voice cracked."

"I said that I wasn't crying, so I'm not. Go away, Clap. You're really starting to annoy me. Go." His tail lashes and his muscles tense as he speaks. I take a step backward, drawing my ears to the sides.

"Just go," he grumbles.

"O-ok," I murmur, turning around to return to where I'd been sleeping.

Brook is still fast asleep, standing almost directly above where I'd been sleeping before. Dove is dozing with his back against a tree, and Wolf is curled up next to him, her arms wrapped around the backpack, which she uses as a pillow. I flop down onto the ground and take a deep breath before shifting until I'm comfortable enough to sleep.

I'm just starting to doze off when Phoenix speaks again. "Clap? You still awake?"

"Huh?" I sit up partway.

"You're awake?"

"Yeah." What's he getting at?

"S-Sorry..." Phoenix starts but trails off with a snarl. "Sorry for snapping."

"O-ok." Did he really just apologize?

"Don't look so confused. I apologized. Ok? Happy?" A growl rumbles in his throat as his flames start to rise.

"Y-yeah. I-I-I, uh, I guess I-I'm happy?" What's wrong with Phoenix right now?

"Why are you acting so weird? Cut it out."

"S-sorry."

"Why are you acting so weird?" Phoenix wrinkles his nose as he shifts on his paws.

"W-well, i-it's just, uh. Y-you're a-a-acting different than usual..." My voice trails off.

"I'm acting different than usual? How would you know what I usually act like?"

"I-I don't know. It-it's just what y-you've a-acted like since I-I've met you."

"Hm." Phoenix lays back down, stretching his forelegs out before him.

"Have you a-a-always been..."

"What are you saying?" Phoenix sits up again.

"N-no, i-it's nothing."

"Finish your sentence."

"It-it's alright."

"Finish what you were saying, Clap. I want to know."

"You d-do?"

"Yes. Now finish your sentence."

"We-well. I was just wondering i-if you were a-a-always gr-grouchy." I wince, preparing myself for an outburst of anger from the black cat.

Phoenix doesn't say anything for a few minutes. When's he gonna say something?

I shift on my paws, kneading the ground as I wait for his reply. My gaze travels across the trees, brush, and dirt, anywhere that isn't Phoenix.

"No," Phoenix says softly, like he's giving up a secret.

"Huh?"

"No," he repeats.

"Y-you... You weren't a-a-always grouchy?" I frown. Phoenix wasn't always grouchy? But he does it so well.

"No, I wasn't always grouchy, as you say." Phoenix's fiery gaze turns distant.

"What a-are you looking at?" I try to follow his gaze.

"What?" He snorts, rolling his eyes. "I wasn't looking at something; I was thinking."

"What w-were y-you thinking a-a-about?"

"None of your business." Phoenix's lips pull up into a snarl. "Go to sleep; you're gonna be tired in the morning if you don't."

"No, I won't. I could've easily gone all the way up Ragdon Volcano."

"And you would've been absolutely exhausted, wouldn't you have been?"

"W-well, yeah, but I wasn't tired when we stopped here."

"If you don't sleep, you're going to be tired. Go to sleep, Clap. Leave me alone."

"Please." The word is so quiet that I almost miss it.

Phoenix turns back around so his back is facing me. He returns to how he was laying before, with his forelegs wrapping around Ky's motionless form. I stand there for a moment, thinking about what just happened before curling up a few feet in front of Brook.

This time I stay soundly asleep when I fall into the grasp of Dreamland.

xxxx

I wake up sometime a little after dawn. Brook is nudging me with her nose. "Clap," she sings. "Time to get up."

"O-ok." I arch my back in a stretch as my jaws part in a yawn.

"Do you really think we're going to make it to the top of Ragdon Volcano? It looks so far away." Wolf points to the looming mountain after she pokes Dove's shoulder.

"Yes, we're gonna make it," Phoenix growls. "How else is Arcane gonna revive Ky? Stupid question." The black cat returns his attention to the carcass of the deer and continues to pick at the remaining chunks of meat.

"Ok, ok. Sorry. It just looks like it's a million miles away."

"Would you like me to carry Ky again, Phoenix?" Dove takes a few steps towards Ky's motionless body.

"Yeah. Did I ever tell you not to? Same rules apply, though. You hurt one hair on his body and you're dead. I'll kill you."

When Dove scoops Ky into his arms, Ky's head lolls over Dove's arm. The cat's eyes are half-closed, and he has a sort of sleepy expression on his face.

As if he's just sleeping. Not dead but simply sleeping until brought back by Arcane. Wait. But didn't Phoenix say that Ky wasn't dead? Not dead but not alive either? But then where is he now? Where is the place between life and death? It doesn't make sense. He kinda does look like he's sleeping. Sleeping with his eyes open.

"Come on. I'd like to get to Ragdon Volcano before nightfall." Phoenix starts off, looking over his shoulder, again and again, to make sure Dove is following close behind with Ky.

The trees slowly start to thin out as we draw closer and closer to Ragdon Volcano. Volcanic rock takes over the ground, becoming the only thing in sight within a matter of a mile or two. Scraggly bushes are devoid of leaves, and their branches are little more than brittle twigs.

My legs itch to go faster. I want nothing more than to sprint as fast as I can all the way to the top of Ragdon Volcano. I start prancing, trotting around the group. Under Brook's stomach, over Phoenix's back (until he snaps at me, that is), around Wolf and Dove, I weave between them.

A rabbit scampers away from us, fear flashing in its eyes. My ears perk as a smile makes its way across my face. I race after it. It zigzags through the trees, and I give chase until Brook calls me back and I reluctantly return to the group.

xxxx

The sun is just beginning to set when we're drawing near to the peak of Ragdon Volcano. My muscles are sorer than they've ever been- two days ago I'd never set foot outside of the Green Grass Field, and nor had I ever seen anyone besides Brook.

"C-can we stop? Please?" I slow to a stop.

"No." Phoenix doesn't break stride; he just continues walking. I glare at the back of his head as I trot to catch up with Brook.

"We'll stop soon, Clap. Don't you worry."

"O-ok."

"Why would we be stopping? We're gonna find Arcane, make him bring back Ky, and then we will stop."

"Phoenix, it's late-." Dove tries to reason with Phoenix, but the black cat cuts him off.

"No! No, no, no! We are going to find Arcane first! We're here. I can taste it- we're so close. We're gonna find him first. I'm not stopping until we find the Midnight Wolf so that he can bring Ky back to life. There's absolutely no way I am waiting until morning when we are this close to being able to revive Ky. All we have to do is find Arcane! So no. We're not stopping." Phoenix is seething with frustration. His black fur glows with flames, and his eyes burn.

"Alright, alright. Chillax, Phoenix. Clap, will you be ok for a little while longer?" Wolf turns to me.

"Y-yeah. I'll be fine." I duck my head.

I can almost feel the power radiating from within Ragdon Volcano. It's as if the mountain is alive, just waiting for the moment where it can burst to live in a fiery explosion. I'll just tread carefully. If anything happens, I can jump and sprint away as fast as I can.

"Alright. We're gonna split up to cover more ground. You'd better say something as soon as you find something. Dove, you're coming with me. The rest of you, go in a different direction. Yell if you find Arcane. Clap? Just don't get distracted."

"Clap," Brook says as I start to trot away.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful. I'll stay close to you, but be careful."

"O-ok." She's letting me go off on my own! Yes!

Thank you for reading this chapter! Please comment your thoughts and vote if you enjoyed this chapter!

Didn't Phoenix seem to be acting weird? Why was he acting that way?

Will they be able to find Arcane?

If they do, is he going to be willing to bring back Ky?

-Werewolf14-