Sqaishey stopped when they entered a dense roofed area. "Here. This should work."
Tyler breathed a sigh of relief and flipped off his hood. The area wasn't perfect with a few spots leaving, but at least the ground was mostly dry.
Jerome found a dry area and gently set Jordan down. He then walked a few steps away and shook the water off of his fur like a dog. Water flung everywhere, and Tyler cried out as he was splashed.
"Great! Now I'm gonna smell like a wet dog!"
Sqaishey winced but said nothing, glancing over Jordan who barely shifted.
Jerome sat on the ground next to Jordan, carefully watching him. Mitch was pacing back in forth, his breath shook and tears rolled down his face.
Tyler looked at Sqaishey. "Can I talk to you for a second?" He whispered.
She turned to him and gave a small nod.
Tyler took Sqaishey by the arm and led her a few feet away from the others. "You okay?"
She sighed. "I'll be honest, no. I'm not. I'm..." she hesitated for a moment thinking of the right word. "...furious and frustrated, I suppose." She replied with a heavy frustrated sigh. "Mitch hurt Jordan, he could have killed him, and now Jerome's back but I'm just... suspicious?" she sounded a bit uncertain. "It's just Mitch made a deal with that demon to get him back and had to kill us in return or something from what I understood and now Jerome is back and Jordan's out like a light. Something just... doesn't sit right with me."
"I know... I know... This whole thing is weird, but I don't think Kala's the one who made Jerome go all... feral." Tyler thought aloud. "Mitch seems to know that something like this could happen without any demon magic..."
"But could it change him back? I just... I'm just really worried that Mitch might try again or something... I mean, he made a deal with a demon." She replied. "Doesn't help that since that demon first showed up, Mitch has acted rashly and like a foolish immature child." She scolded with another sigh. "He keeps making rash decisions and picking fights. He's gonna get us all killed if not just himself."
"Sorry to tell ya but that's just how Mitch is... And even so he said that Kala didn't even follow through with his own side of the deal, so is the deal even valid?"
Sqaishey huffed. "I don't know! I'm not the one who thought that agreeing to it was even a good idea!" She snapped.
Mitch looked up, he could tell the two were arguing about him but he couldn't quite make out their words.
"He's just... He was just desperate! What would you do if you were in his place!" Tyler his back, his voice still a whisper.
"If it was me and Stampy, I wouldn't have done it, not if it meant hurting all of you! I'd still find a way to get Stampy back to normal, without that demons help! He's attacked us all before so why would I trust anything he says?!"
She raised her voice. "And how can you defend him when he attacked you too?! He treated you like garbage, Tyler!"
"I know he did but-!" Tyler paused. "I know I got upset in the moment but we were both heated! A part of me knows he didn't really mean it, I've known him for years!"
"So you are saying he didn't really mean to try and kill Jordan? That could have easily been us, Tyler!"
"Something was wrong with Mitch! Did you not see him stand completely still? Pulling at his hair and nearly crying! I'm telling you, there was something in his head!"
"Yeah! That stupid demon he made a deal with!" she yelled.
"I get that you're upset but listen to yourself! This is going to tear us apart! That's what he wants!"
"I- UGH!" She snarled and buried her head in her hands. "This isn't fair!" She cried. "Nothing here makes any sense, our own 'friend' made a deal with a demon and tried to murder us and I'm on edge expecting him to come at us again at anytime!"
Tyler rested a hand on Sqaishey's back. "It's going to be fine... I promise! We just need to sort this all out..."
"HOW?! HOW ARE WE GOING TO BE FINE? HOW ARE WE GOING TO SORT THIS OUT WHEN WE HAVE A TRAITOR WITH US?!" She snapped.
There was the crunching of leaves as Mitch suddenly stood up. He walked across the covered area until he passed the two. "I'll be back... I just... Need some time alone..." He walked out into the storm.
"M-Mitch wait!" Tyler tried to grab onto Mitch but he was already gone.
Sqaishey watched him go but made no effort to stop him.
Tyler turned to Sqaishey. "You're just gonna let him go? He could get lost out there! Or even killed!"
"..." She glanced away, her eyes landing on Jordan, refusing to say anything but knew he was right.
"Not mean to..." Jerome spoke up for the first time in awhile.
"...he won't want to see me anyway. You should go... I'll... I'll stay with Jordan..." she admitted quietly.
Jerome looked away for a moment before standing up. He was about to leave but stayed where he was. "Kala didn-did... did not do this to me." He was trying his best to talk like the others, but it was clear that he was struggling.
Sqaishey turned and looked at him. "What?"
"I-it was me... n-never thought it would happen..." He looked scared.
Her eyes softened. "... so does that mean Mitch doesn't have to keep his end? Or was he tricked into something he can't get out of?" She asked quietly.
"Not sure... no idea what went on in head." The bacca frowned.
Tyler looked at Jerome curiously. "So you're telling me that you can just go feral?"
Jerome didn't respond.
Sqaishey frowned. "Like Stampy did when he first saw you guys...."
"Wasn't Stampy's because of past trauma though? Something happened that made him have a grudge against them." Tyler said.
Jerome shrugged. "Same kind of, but different."
Sqaishey nodded. "It's like when you see red or get tunnel vision. At least stampys was. But I've heard of hybrids going feral before. Sometimes it's just an episode where it's a short period of time but sometimes... it doesn't go away."
Jerome nodded. "True..." the silence seemed deafening before the bacca took a deep breath. "But I was... I b-orn that way..."
Sqaishey looked at him. "Really? I didn't know that..."
Tyler looked confused. "Then how are you...?"
"Raised by humans..." Jerome looked upset as he spoke. "Family found me in woods one day. No parents, was hurt badly. Don't remember how, they say it was hunters."
"I'm so sorry Jerome..."
"Not your fault..." Jerome looked away.
"So they taught you how to act like a human?" Tyler asked.
"Yes. The others in the village wanted to release me back, but the people who found me said no. Said that I seemed smarter, like there was human inside me. For that they were shunned by everyone else."
Sqaishey frowned slightly as she listened.
"Been called many things... Freak, monster, you name it. Even though I was..." Jerome paused, trying his best to speak as normally as he could. "'D-domesticated', people still thought I would turn back at any moment. I guess they were right. in that sense." He took a deep breath. He hated talking about his past, no one had previously known about it until now.
"I felt like a compl-ete outcast for years... until I met Mitch." Jerome looked out into the distance towards where Mitch had gone. "He saw past my m-monstrous exterior and treated me like I was normal." As he spoke his voice became more smooth and fluid, and he began to sound more like himself.
Sqaishey glanced away and stayed quiet.
"I lived my whole life with the fear of turning back into a beast, and it finally happened." Jerome clenched his paws. "I let it get to me... I lost myself, and it was terrifying. Mitch was just trying to protect me. His intentions were good, but he still did something awful."
"...You guys should go find him... before something happens..." Sqaishey told them.
Tyler glanced at Sqaishey. "No, you guys are going to go find him. I'll stay here with Jordan."
"What? But he doesn't want to see me! Not after what I did..."
"I mean, You're gonna have to see him no matter what."
"Well, yeah but should I really be the one to try to get him to come back?"
"He might not want to come back if he thinks you're mad at him."
"I..." She sighed. "Fine..."
Jerome went over to Sqaishey and looked her into the eyes. "It'll be fine..." He tried to reassure her.
She sighed and stood. "I hope so..."
Jerome walked out into the rain, looking back at Sqaishey to make sure she followed.
She trailed after him, glancing briefly at Jordan and Tyler.
Tyler waved at her to go, as he was now sitting besides Jordan.
Jerry rested on Tyler's shoulder and nervously watched as Tyler tended to the wounds.