You'll be mine, Octavio!

Chapter 9: Over the wall

  Prince Octavio paced under the tree with a solemn countenance. A few days of meticulous planning led up to this fateful day. The day that could very well define his future.

 Yes, today would be the day that he, Tavi, would make his first-ever contact with the world outside the wall.

 He looked at the small patch of ink coating the wall for what seemed to be the 10th time that hour. His recently-used brush leaned on the tree, wet with purplish-pink ink. It carried the encouraging spirit of his older sister, who he had seen perform this stunt too many times in his middle-grade days to count.

 Yet, he still paced around in a calculated manner. He was uneasy. Just now he was realizing every single thing that could go wrong, most of them having to do with being caught. It's not like he particularly cared about getting in trouble as he already did that weekly, but he was more concerned with never being able to see Cra–

 "You ready?"

 Once again, Craig had startled him out of the depths of his mind. The familiar inkling boy slung his leg over the top of the wall. The sun backlit him in such a way that it cast an enigmatic shadow, causing his toothy smirk to feel both intimidating and inviting. They shared a look usually only shared by teenage rebels—the impassioned stare of oncoming adventure.

 Tavi instantly swallowed his fears, burying them deep within himself where they couldn't bother him for the time being.

 "Yeah, I'm ready."

 Without hesitation, he dove into the pre-inked wall and surged to the top, sending drops of ink flying in every direction when he popped out. Craig watched him come up before pushing himself to the ground below, expecting him to follow suit.

 But Octavio lingered on the top of the wall, gaze fixated on his childhood sanctuary.

 "Tavi? Don't go bailing on me now! You seriously need to get out more."

 With renewed enthusiasm, he dove backward off the wall in his octo form, performing a few ink twirls in the air before falling to the ground below in the typical action movie-esque crouch.

 "For your information, I get out plenty."

 "Liar. And a show-off." Craig teased.

 "Hmph. Don't be mad just because I can land without incapacitating myself," Octavio said as he brushed himself off. "And besides, what's wrong with showing off a move that took me years to perfect?"

(In reality, Craig couldn't care less about some fancy footwork. What he did care about, though, was Tavi's attire: "He's wearing his army uniform again–!")

 "Nothin', I suppose." He said while rolling his eyes. "So, what do you want to do?"

 Tavi took a moment before responding. He hadn't thought of anything to do once he was out. Getting over the wall was an emotional feat of its own. "I dunno. What's there to do around here?"

 Craig raised his brow. "Aren't you a local? You should know more about this place than I do."

 Tavi couldn't tell if he was trying to be stupid or just plain annoying, but his signature deadpan stare didn't discriminate.

 "You know I–" He paused mid-sentence, something wasn't right. "Hey, what's that rustling sound?"

 Craig's ears perked up at the noise. They both turned to the base of the trees. Leaves shook and seemingly detached themselves from their bushes. A small, wet-looking pink nose emerged from the foliage. Then a single spotted paw. Another. Finally, a fat, fuzzy creature meandered its way out of the forest.