Camping

“Ugh…Hey, Compass?”

Compass points their ears upward, gaze still focused on the path ahead of them. “Yeah? What’s up?”

“How long do we haaave?” Hermes groans. They hear the winged spacecat call on the sandy trail with a soft thump followed by another irritated groan. “It feels like we have been walking forever!”

“It’s just a few more miles,” they reassure him. If Hermes cooperates, it should take another hour until they reach their destination. “You hungry again? We can take a small break.”

“I’m just tireeeddd…” He lazily drops his paw on top of his muzzle. “It feels like my legs are about to fall off.”

Compass holds back a snort. Wasn’t Hermes the one begging to go on a hiking trip with them? He was the one who wanted the “worst of the worst” trips as well. Eh, they couldn’t hold up that promise, it’s up there in difficulty but nothing that has Hermes fighting for his life. Putting their dear friend in danger, hurting his friends because they weren’t protecting him properly…Compass wouldn’t know what to do with themselves. They cannot afford to lose anyone else again.

“Come on.” Compass nudges Hermes’s cheek with their muzzle. “There’s a different path we can take. It’ll be by the river and it’s…” they quiver their whiskers. “About a five-minute walk from here if we keep up the pace. We can set up camp there, does that sound good?”

They won’t have the gorgeous view of the sunrise when they wake up, but being close to the water means they could fish in the morning. Hermes did want to go fishing at some point during their trip and salmon resides in these rivers, their favourite fish.

Hermes blinks and looks up at them. “Okay…I guess…” He pulls himself up with wings tucked at his sides. “Damn Compass, why you gotta wear me out like this?”

“Oh…?” Compass tilts their head. “What happened to ‘don’t hold back’ and ‘I got this in the bag?’”

“Hey!” Hermes sticks his tongue out. “Don’t make fun of me. I-I thought I could handle it…I mean, baseball practice can be tormenting so I thought ‘hey! This won’t be so bad!’”

“Sounds like you were wrong…” Don’t let the impulsive thoughts win. Do not comment about it…Keep your mouth shut. “Like last time.” And the thoughts won.

He didn’t take it harshly at all, Hermes shoves their shoulder with a laugh and urges them to lead the way to their new spot.

The path to the river had a few fallen trees and thorns to manoeuvre through, not anything that would injure them but an annoyance to deal with. This would be the part where Hermes flies through it all while Compass squeezes through a small space created by a few dead trees, but he vowed to not fly unless it was an emergency or for a better view of the sky.

The sky that was obscured by the intense trees went from a dark orange to a dull blue when they reached the river. Excitement prickles their fur when the familiar sounds of water rushing and hitting damp rocks. When they wake up in the morning, the sun will reflect on the water droplets perfectly while they fish.

The two dropped their bags in the space with little to no grass and began setting up their campsite. Hermes, surprisingly enough, didn’t say anything while putting up their tent. Maybe he was just tired? Or was something on his mind?

Worrying, but they won’t say anything unless there’s a clear sign of something being wrong. They continue making their campsite comfortable and Hermes breaks the silence with a vocal yawn. “You can go to bed now,” Compass informs him. “I’ll probably be up for a while keeping watch.”

Hermes didn’t say anything.

“Hermes?”

Compass noticed their friend had his gaze focused on the river in front of them. The current was strong, powerful enough to knock over a small cat if they placed a paw in there, and likely to be difficult to swim through.

Despite the water being threatening, it was gorgeous, prettier than how it was in the morning. It was a soft purple hue with a few waves flashing lines of white. The hum of the current may be a headache to most, but to Compass it was a soothing lullaby.

Compass inches closer, getting a better look of his amber eyes and noting that it was brighter than normal. Alright, so he wasn’t upset, in thought and still exhausted from their hiking. Hermes yawns again, stretching out his back, and lays his tail along their shoulder.

Compass opens their mouth to speak, then slowly closes it. They will keep all their questions to themselves for now, it’s time to stare at the beautiful view in front of them.

In their silent observation, Compass thinks about how exciting travelling used to be when they were younger. They looked forward to every trip their family took and treated the family boat as their second home. All the enthusiasm died when they lost their sisters. All trust was lost, adventures were no more, and they lost their title as “The Best Big Brother” and “Responsible Child” even when found.

They’re trying to find that original excitement again. Small sparks returned as years went on, but it’ll never be the same again. Then there’s Compass, expressing the same joy they felt when they were younger. They’re content knowing someone in this trust is having the time of their life.

It’s going good now, but they cannot help but grow anxious about what’s to come after. Hermes can still get hurt, he could grow bored in the middle of it, or this could be their first and last hiking trip together for whatever reason. Compass shakes their head, let’s not go into those thoughts now.

“You good, buddy?”

Hermes’s voice successfully pulls them back. “Huh?” They blink twice. “Sorry, I spaced out for a moment.”

“Heh, me too. Forgot I was tired for a moment. It’s pretty.” Hermes presses his weight on Compass. “All this’s nice. Thanks for this hiking trip.”

“Course.” Maybe they will find the pure joy in adventuring again if they make this a regular thing with Hermes. Or maybe others. Hiking with Nanami, Masaki, Charlotte, Aira…they’ll consider it one day, when they’re not too worried about disappointing or hurting them.

“Okay…I think that’s enough river gazing for a lifetime.” Hermes sits back up and ruffles his pelt. “I am going to get the best sleep ever!”

“Yeah, it’s best to go to bed early,” they chuckle. “We have a whole day ahead of us tomorrow. And I want you up bright and early for some fishing.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world!” Hermes flicks his tail and shuffles into his tent. “See you in the morning!”

———

Waking up was a pain in the ass, at least he did it. Hermes wipes away the sleepiness in his eyes and drags himself out of the tent. Compass was already up, typical, and was swiping a paw in the river. Looks like they already caught a few fish, majority salmon.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Compass and their damaged views on travelling. They were a skilled adventurer, they loved telling stories from previous trips and sharing experiences for anyone around. Their face lit up when they were gazing at the river, only for a little bit, then died down the longer they sat in thought.

Hermes didn’t know much about Compass’s life. They spoke bits and pieces, which made it clear that something occurred that made them lose interest in travelling. One day they will be happy again, Hermes will do all he can to bring that spark back.

The cats he met who face situations similar…losing desires for so many things…he wants his loved ones to be happy again.

“Hmm?” Compass looks over their shoulder. “Morning, Hermes. My bad, I woke up a little too early and did a bit of fishing…Help yourself.”

“How could you?” He scoffs playfully. “I thought we were fishing together!”

Compass flicks their ear. “It’s only three small fish, not enough for the two of us. And I wanted you to have some energy before you begin fishing.”

“Heh, how thoughtful of you.” Hermes pads over next to Compass, laying low and staring down at the water in front of them. The current wasn’t as bad as last night, so it should be safe to swim if they wanted to take a dip. “Watch this! I’m going to catch more fish than you!”

(Aaaand that dip in the water happens sooner rather than later.)