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Part Twenty-Eight

   But the longer he was dragged on, the longer Axel's confidence faded, and he found himself rendered incapable of speech. Surely, Sam must've been able to feel the shaking in his hand, but ignored it out of pure excitement to see his human friends.

   "You feel comfortable with Eli, right? I'll drop you off with him since he's closest, and then go find the others," Sam didn't even allow Axel the time to answer his question. Not that he could even if he wanted to; his lips were glued shut with anxiety.
  
   Right up until the moment Axel was forced to climb the wire surrounding the bedside table of the human being in the room, he felt on the verge of passing out. He wouldn't have even scaled the stupid thing if it weren't for the fear of being left alone in the same room as the giant, and so he followed Sam's movements until he reached the wooden countertop and nearly stopped breathing at the sight.

   A human, sitting in bed, seemingly fast asleep.

   The vast expanse of his body went on for miles under the covers that could easily warm a thousand borrowers. His eyes were easily double the size of Axel's head, and the hands that lay at his side had the power to squish him without a second thought. Axel might've talked to this human before, but seeing him in person was a whole other ordeal.

   He was brought back to inside he cereal box, crying at the sight of such large teeth being directed at him. The way that human loomed over like a little kid interested in some weird bug to take home and keep as a pet until it inevitably died from the lack of care...

   Axel ran behind Sam, continuing to shake like crazy. Sam was either too infatuated with Elijah to notice, or he simply just didn't care. Either way, he ignored Axel's silent pleas, and cupped his hands up to his mouth to wake Eli up.

   "Eli!" Sam screamed at the top of his lungs, bouncing back and forth on his toes.

   "Hm?" The giant responded far too quick to be asleep.

   "Wake up! I have Axel here with me!"

  
   Elijah most definitely heard the two borrowers scrambling up the wire, but figured the most careful route to take was one that required him to fake being asleep. If it helped Axel feel more safe, Elijah would comply in a heartbeat.

   A little drizzle was forming outside, the soft pattering of the rain could be heard from the glass windows, but Elijah was only focused on one thing.

   Nothing could've prepared him for the sight of the little borrower, once again in his field of vision, yet hidden behind Sam's much larger figure.

   He just looked so...tiny. The way he felt when he saw Sam for the first time, but somehow amplified in the sense that something even more protective washed over him. Especially when said borrower was currently quivering in fear behind his older brother.

   Eli made sure he sat up extra careful, though it still resulted in a flinch from Axel in the process. Sam only looked up in pride at his human, twitching his tail back and forth.

   "Hi," Elijah whispered down to them. When he witnessed Axel's response, he refused to say anything more.

   "Where are Leo and Skip?"

   "Probably upstairs or in the living room, why?"

   "I'm gonna go find them," Sam announced, and began making his way to the edge of the table. Axel looked to all the world ready to follow in his footsteps, but it seemed his legs wouldn't work, and he was paralyzed with fear from the human in the room.

   "Hang on, Sam, Wait-" Elijah knew better to reach out and stop him, and instead leaned forward to capture Sam's attention. Axel finally shook out of his catatonic state and slunk back a few steps with terror in his eyes at the creaking of the bed. "Sorry. Do you think that's the best idea?"