The rain pattered softly against the porch roof. It pittered and pattered quietly, as if Mother Nature was slowly watering the world. The sound alone was music to the young lizard's ears. The sound of rain always calmed his mind down, especially when it was accompanied by a soft breeze. It felt good against his scales.

Right now, he felt like he was in heaven. The reason being was that he had been cooped up for the past few weeks. It was only now that he had decided it was time to have some fresh air, whether or not his mother liked it.

Closing his eyes, he let the sounds of nature roll over him. It reminded him of taking a stroll through the park. Or, in this case, taking a hike. He could picture the trees, the grass... it sounded serene. Beautiful, if you would say so.

He shifted in his seat as he remembered what he thought was probably something he would never forget: hiking with his family. While it wasn't common to see reptiles going hiking, his father thought it would be a good idea to try it; after all, it was in his bucket list.

A smile crept onto his face as he remembered his dad's words. “C'mon kiddo. It couldn't be that hard, right?” The image of a middle aged lizard popped into his mind. Said lizard was dressed in fall gear, despite it being the middle of summer. The lizard'sfather had a goofy smile on his face, his eyes filled with childish excitement.

He opened his eyes and was greeted with a view to behold: the rest of the suburb beneath him. It was quite the sight. The houses and the streets looked slightly smaller. It made him feel taller, more... secure, really. And truth be told, his confidence in himself wasn't that high.

However, this feeling of empowerment started to erode once he looked down. It looked rather high from on his perch, but he couldn't blame himself. After what happened...

“Cain?” a feminine voice called out. He let out an 'eep', bounced in his chair and looked behind him. There in the doorway stood a female lizard -- his mother. He frowned and turned away from her. He just wanted to be left alone for a bit.

“What is it?” he answered, trying to suppress the sound of annoyance.

“You shouldn't be outside. You know you'll get sick,” his mother replied in a worried tone. “Come, I have some hot choc-”

“Mom, please. I want to stay out here for a bit.” He patted the thick fold of cloth next to him. He knew his mom might find him out here. “Besides, I have a blanket. I should be alright.”

Cain looked behind him again saw his mom with cups of hot chocolate in both hands. A tired look was on her face. A silence fell between for a moment, just a moment.

“Okay. Well, I'm gonna grab a jacket,” she said as she set both of the cups on the table by her son. Turning around, she added, “You look like you could use some company.”

As she walked through the doorway, Cain looked back at the rest of the town. Lifting his eyes a bit, he could barely make out a range of mountains in the distance. Despite the fog, the young man could still remember how they looked. Big, rugged and was surrounded by a forest. Snow capped the highest peaks. It was a rather beautiful sight on sunny days.

He put his chin in his hand as stared solemnly at the mountains in the distance. It would be a whole lot better if the sight didn't remind him of the day it had happened. A sigh escaped his body, his resolve starting break. It was hard to think about.

The sound of the door opening reached his ears this time. He turned his head and saw his mother wearing a navy blue jacket. She sat down next to her son, looking at him with worry. As usual, it looked like she was about to give a lecture to him. About the incident.

And how it wasn't his fault.

“Sweetie...” she said, her hand reaching towards his. He frowned and watched the hand grab his. It felt damp.

He looked at her again and just shook his head. “I'm fine mom.”

Slowly, he pulled his hand to himself, wondering why he couldn't just... let go of the past. What happened, happened... right? So why did he-

“I have a feeling you... aren't. If you want, we can talk about it.” For some reason, for some strange reason, he felt like that was actually a good idea. Besides, his dad had said that talking aloud about your trouble would help you solve them... even if it was just for something like math or something like that.

With a shaky breath, he said, “Yeah. That would be nice.” He closed his eyes and listened to the rain. “Really.” Even though he wasn't looking, he was sure his mom was smiling. If not, she must be happy that he agreed.

Cain breathed easy. After the incident, well, he started to think of, well, becoming free fertilizer. It was hard just trying. He DID let go of the rope... So, why can't he do that in this situation?

“I...” he started. His heart started to beat faster. He heard pounding in his ears. The cold felt scarier. “I am sorry.” His voice sounded shaky. The memory was painful to remember. How his father... fell. It was too much.

He felt the hand again, this time grasping harder. It was reassuring, like the music of Mother Nature. He thought he'd hear those same words again. That it wasn't his fault. That it would have happened either way, that nothing would stop it. Nothing.

However, he got something entirely different.

“Sweetie, what I'm going to say might scare you, but listen... I really do care for you, and how you feel.” The younger lizard looked at her. She looked concerned. “I also want you to know that you can say anything you want. Just to get it off your chest.”

The younger lizard gulped and looked at the pair of hands holding each other. The mere sight of it scared him. Being close to someone was almost alien to him; while he was in the hospital, he was mostly alone, save for the nurses and doctors. And his mother. But they only wanted to see him get well. Not see him feel better. Cain squeezed her hand.

“Well... I guess...”

The vision of the bear came back, standing on its hind legs. The roar. His dad telling him to be quiet and walk away slowly. It was too much to think about.

“I just...” Breathe easy, little one. It's just a dream...

The lizard tried to shift in his chair. He felt uncomfortable. He didn't like it. Not one bit. So, deciding to go with what his mother said, he started simple.

“I just want to say that I'm scared.” The monsters won't get you, see? Nothing!

He closed his eyes again, his heart starting to race. He didn't want to let her know. He didn't want to let the memory go. He...

“I'm scared of the outside. I'm scared of doing anything out there.” I just wanted you to know that I love you.

“I don't want to remember what happened. I don't want to live. I don't want to know I let go of the rope and ran.” Tears started to form around his eyes. He felt scared of what his mother would say. What she'd do.

“The worst part is that, that I panicked and ran. I, I couldn't hear D-dad. I...”

Then he broke down.

An arm went around his shoulder and pulled him close. He felt lips lightly kiss his cheek. He assumed he was hearing reassurances. It all sounded muffled. All he knew was that he was crying. For some reason, it felt better to do this. Better than telling her how he feels.

As Cain was crying, he didn't notice that he was hugging his mom, despite the armrest being in the way. Despite the accusations, despite the hate that forged between them. The most important thing he didn't notice was that he was saying sorry. Sorry that he had argued with Dad. Argued with her. That he had been difficult after he was released from the hospital.

Most of all, he didn't realize he was telling her about how he felt after the bear nearly killed him as well. He said he was scared. Scared for himself, scared for his father and most of all, for her. He told her that he didn't want to let Dad die. He told her that he didn't want to lose her too. That it would be the final straw for him.

As soon as he was done crying and telling her how he felt, he realized something: his side was hurting. The younger lizard slowly disentangled himself from his mom, rubbing his back. He looked at her and noticed she was crying as well.

“Dear, I think it's time you had your chocolate,.” she said, her voice cracking. A smile went on her face as he nodded and grabbed the cup and looked inside it; sure enough, there was marshmallow He smiled and started to drink the beverage, the taste refreshing. He looked away from his cup and at the suburb below them. For some reason, the feelings he had before were sort of... muted. Whatever the cause for this shift in perspective, Cain felt like he should just enjoy the moment.

“Mom?”

“What is it?”

“I think we should head to bed.”

“Yeah. We should,” she replied as she was starting to stand up. “Do you want me to wheel you in?”

“I don't think I'd mind too much.”

“Good.”

After agreeing that they needed to talk in the morning, Cain was wheeled to his bedroom and was helped out his wheel chair into his bed. His mom kissed him good night and told him to sleep well. He said he'd be fine; besides, the back pains were going away.

Mom left and Cain lying on his back, thinking. He looked at his wheelchair and patted it good night as well. The lizard turned around, closed his eyes, and relaxed. Pretty soon, he fell asleep. Tomorrow was something new.

The forest soon grew quiet. The sounds of the bear had quieted. Even his father's screams. Cain lay there, wondering if Dad was alright. His back was hurting. His legs felt weird. He felt blood running down his face. And, for some reason, he felt like this was just a dream. That his dad wasn't attacked. That nothing ever happened.

However, the pain was still there.

Cain didn't think that anyone could be in this much pain. He felt like his body had been mauled. He hoped he wasn't going to die. He hoped his DAD wasn't going to die. The young lizard closed his eyes. They stung as well. He wished this was a dream. He didn't want to know he let Dad storm off.

All of a sudden, he felt like he was starting to float. He let out a groan, his legs felt like they were being pulled. Just as soon as he was lifted, he was slowly put down on something. He groaned again, wondering what was happening.

He felt like these things were helping him. If they were helping him, he knew they'd be helping his dad as well. He knew he'd see him again and hug him and let him know he is sorry. He felt a poke in his arms.

As drowsiness started to set in, he remembered something father had told him at the beginning of the trip: “I just wanted you to know that I love you.”

It felt reassuring knowing that.

The End