It has been a couple of months since Polly's attempt to rescue Hunter. Every time the family attempted to leave the village, Polly would make an excuse to not go through with it. Even though Nixie and Bob knew she was trying to delay the move, they allowed it to happen. After all, they didn't want to leave either. In fact, it didn't take long for them to start making excuses as well. The three tried their best to delay the inevitable. And it worked. ...For a while.
Eventually the shadow had spread dangerously close to the house. It was so bad, that the darkness could easily be seen by looking out the window. As much as they didn't want to go, the Raposa didn't have a choice.
Nixie shifted around in her sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about her and her family's future. Bob was beginning to worry as well.
Nixie and Bob were sitting at a booth in a fancy restaurant. It looked exactly like one of the restaurants at Watersong. Bob looked around in awe. "Cookie's done real good, huh?" Nixie, who was sitting across from him, smiled. "He really has outdone himself this time." She looked at the booth. There was enough room to fit two more Raposa. Nixie's smile faded. "Where is Polly and Hunter?" Bob paused for a second and looked at the empty seats. "...Oh. They musta ran off somewhere." "Shouldn't we look for them?" Bob shook his head. "Nah... They're fine. They'll be back. Besides..." He held her hand. "I wanna be alone with ya for a while..." Nixie blushed. "Bobby... I... I think I'd like that." The two smiled at each other. Bob lifted Nixie's hand to his lips and kissed it. "You're so sweet, Nix. Just can't get enough of ya." Nixie giggled. "Oh, Bobby..." She looked at the top of Bob's head. His brown fur had a little gray in it. Her eyes widened a little. 'Is... Is his fur turning grey? I've never seen this until now! When did this start? Is he okay?" Bob noticed Nixie staring at him. "...What? ...Somethin wrong, Nix?" Nixie continued to think. '...Maybe he's just aging?' Bob was getting a little concerned. "...Nix?" Nixie jumped a little. She didn't realize he was talking to her. "Um..." 'I don't want to be rude...' "I'm sorry. I was a little distracted." "Nah, you're good. Ya startled me a bit though!" "Haha... Sorry!" "Dont be! Even da best raposa get distracted." "Bobby... You're too kind." "Haha... By the way... What were ya staring at?" Nixie blushed a little out of embarrassment. "Uh... I... I was staring at you actually." 'Well that isn't a lie...' Bob sat upright. "Me? Haha..." He blushed a little. "I... I'm flattered... Really am." Nixie smiled. "Of course I'd stare at you... I don't understand how I couldn't." Bob's face turned red. "Haha... ya can't be serious!" "But I am." Nixie glanced at his fur. It was even greyer than before. 'What in the world?! This cannot be normal... I hope he's okay...' "...How are you feeling Bobby?" Bob was startled by this question. It seemed like it came out of nowhere. "Wha? I'm feelin good... Why ya ask? You okay?" Nixie was unsure about what to say. "I..." 'Maybe I am imaging things?' "It's nothing. I was just seeing things..." "Oh..." Bobbery could tell that Nixie was concerned for him. He wasn't sure why though. 'I don't feel like something's wrong... Should I? ...I guess I kinda do feel a bit different though...' The food arrived at the table. Nixie began to eat the food in front of her. 'Ah... I haven't tasted this dish for the longest time...' "Bobby, you should try this! It's so exquisite!" Bob stared at the food in front of him. He was starting to not feel right. 'Ugh... Something's wrong....' "Uh... I dunno if I'm hungry, Nix." Nixie looked at her husband. On top his greying fur, his face was pale. "Bobby? Are... Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Bob looked up at Nixie. His eyes had bags underneath them. He didn't want to admit how bad he felt. "I..... I-I'm fine!" He smiled and picked up a fork. "See? I'm good!" Bob stuck his fork into the food and ate a bite. All of a sudden, he began to feel worse. His entire body ached. "Ughh...!" He leaned onto the table. Nixie's eyes widened. She could actually see his fur turning grey. "Bobby! Are you okay!?!" Bob looked down at the food in front of him. The part he took a bite from was oozing out a black substance. 'What is that!?!' He could feel the ooze in his throat. It did NOT feel good. 'WATER! I NEED WATER!' Bob quickly reached for a nearby glass of water and began to gulp it down. He was almost finished with the glass of water, when he felt the ooze move up his throat. "Mmmph!!" Some of the black goo spurted out of Bob's mouth and into the glass. Nixie stared at the glass for a moment. 'Is that...? Shadow...?!' Bob suddenly felt an increasing pain in his chest. 'Agh!! What is this!?!' He clutched his chest and lowered his head close to the table. His face was so low that Nixie couldn't see it anymore. She gasped at Bob's condition. "Bobby!!! Bobby! Are you okay?! Do you need help?!?" Bob groaned in response. 'I... I don't have control of my body... What is this!?' Nixie got up from her seat. "What is happening to him?!?! HELP!!! SOMEBODY HELP HIM!!! HELP!!!" Nixie then heard someone laugh. It sounded like it came from Bobbery, but it didn't sound like his voice. "Who was that!?! THIS IS NOT FUNNY! YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!" "Haha...eheheheheheh!! No one can help you..." Nixie jumped. That laugh was starting to sound familiar. She looked at her husband. His fur was completely grey now. The laugh was definitely coming from him. Nixie leaned closer to him. "Bobby?" The man looked up directly at Nixie. He now had bangs covering half of his face and a ponytail. He wasn't Bob anymore. Nixie jumped back. "W...Wilfre?! What did you do to Bobby!?!?!" Wilfre grinned. "Oh... Is that what you call him? How charming." "Get out of here, Wilfre!" "Oh? Why should I? I have so much work to do." Nixie slowly backed away from the booth. "W...what do want?! Whatever it is, take it! Take it and leave!" Wilfre laughed. "Really? In that case, you might get your wish!" Wilfre transformed into his shadow form, and began to float out of his seat. Shadow was spreading all over the place. Nixie tried to run away, but was soon blocked by shadow. "You.... You crazy man! W...What is it that you want?!" Wilfre looked at Nixie and laughed. "Naive Raposa. You can't possibly understand what I'm after." Wilfre began to twitch a little. It seemed he was having a little trouble controlling his body. Or rather, Bob's body. 'Ugh... It hurts... I cant control anythin! I need my body back!' Wilfre shook his head in frustration. "Ugh... I'm tired of these games. I'll tell you what I want. I...." He struggled to get the words out. "I.... Want.... YOU!!" Wilfre rushed toward Nixie and tightly squeezed her. Nixie began to panic. She was being squeezed so tightly that she could barely move. Shadow was starting to spread all over her. "No... No! LET GO OF ME!! NOBODY WANTS YOU HERE! LEAVE ME ALONE!! STOP IT! STOP!! GO AWAY AND NEVER COME BACK! UGH... STOP IT!!! ST..."
"-OP IT!!" Nixie's eyes opened. She was in her bed. The room was dark. Nixie still felt a pair of arms squeezing her. She began to squirm around. "No... Stop! Stop! Let go of me you evil monster! Why are you...?" Nixie turned around and quickly learned the source of the squeezing. In his sleep, Bob held Nixie tightly in his arms. It was as if he didn't want to let go. Nixie sighed to herself. "Bobby..." It took everything she had to escape Bob's grasp. Her heart pounded from the struggle. Not wanting to go back to sleep, Nixie just sat at the edge of the bed.
Bob's arms were still extended. As soon as he couldn't feel Nixie anymore, he began to reach around for her. Still dreaming, he thought Nixie had vanished. 'No... No!! Come back!!! Please.... Please....!' Bob desperately reached around for her. "Nix... N...Nix..."
Nixie heard Bob talk in his sleep and looked back at him. It was clear that he was upset. In fact, it looked like he was on the verge of tears. Nixie shook her husband awake. "Hey! Hey! Everything is alright. Wake up!"
Bob jumped awake. "Don't touch me ya little....!" It took a moment for him to realize what was going on. "...Nix?" Nixie nodded. Bob jumped up and squeezed Nixie in his arms. "Nix! I... I thought ya were a goner..."
Nixie hugged him back. "Bobby... I had the strangest dream..."
Bob's eyes widened a little. Normally he didn't care much about other people's dreams, but this time was different. "Y-yeah? What was it?"
Nixie sighed. She really didn't want to remember it. "I... I dreamed that you and I were in Watersong."
"Dat's what Watersong looks like? No wonder ya miss the place."
"What? You... were the Bobby in the dream?"
"I guess so... Did I turn to... HIM?"
Nixie nodded. "This is so strange... I doubt sharing dreams is a normal phenomenon."
"I dunno what dat means, but I'm just glad it ain't real."
Nixie smiled. "Me too." The two Raposa let go of each other. Nixie sighed. "It's so dark, isn't it?"
"Yeah. ...Ya wanna go back to sleep?"
She shook her head. "No, I'm not tired. ...Especially after that."
Bob chuckled. "Same here." He got up from the bed and began to prepare coffee for himself. "Coffee?"
Nixie nodded. "Sure. That sounds nice." She joined Bobbery in the kitchen for a cup of coffee. "I wonder what time it is..."
Bob took a sip of his coffee. "Don't ya got a pocket watch, Nix?"
"No, I don't think I do."
"Ya sure? I remember ya havin one."
Nixie shook her head. "I believe I gave one to you years ago. Perhaps that's what you're thinking of?"
"Ah yeah! Forgotten 'bout it. Must be sittin round somewhere broken."
"Do you think the village clock still works?"
"Dunno. It's been a long time since... Ya know. ...You're not thinkin of checkin it, are ya?"
Nixie nodded. "I'm growing curious to be honest..." She walked to the door. "Besides, it isn't that far from here."
Bob followed her. "Nix, don't. Might not be far, but it's still a long walk. Specially with dat stuff out there."
"Bobby, we haven't left this house in days! I'm tired of being paranoid! Please, let me take one step out of my own house."
"Nix, course I don't wanna be stuck here. But dat dream... It can't mean anythin good, Nix! Please wait it out a bit more!"
Nixie sighed. "Bobby, I'm not going far. I just want a breath of fresh air. Is that too much?" She opened the door and stepped outside. After a few seconds, she looked up and saw the reason why it was so dark. The darkness was the closest it has ever been to the house. It wasn't surrounded, but if they didn't leave soon, the family would become trapped. Nixie screamed at the top of her lungs and immediately ran back into the house.
Bob hugged her. "Wha? You okay? What is it?! What happened?!"
Nixie could barely get the words out of her mouth. "I... It.... So... Sorry... I-It's... It's..."
"It's... what?"
"It's... It's here! It's here! It's here!!!" She began to sob into Bob's shoulder. "I... I... I'm so scared..."
Bob's eyes widened. "It's here?! The d...darkness!?!" He peeked out the door. Dark clouds loomed around the house. "We gotta go... Now."
Polly, who woke up to the sound of Nixie screaming, rushed up to her parents. "Mom! Dad! What happened!? Is everything okay?"
Bob's heart was pounding. He tried to force a smile for his daughter. "It's okay, everything's okay! I... Uh... Your mother got startled, dats all!"
Polly looked at Nixie, who was still crying. She squeezed Bongo in her arms. 'He's lying... Something's wrong.' She looked at the door. It was wide open. Polly was about to walk up to it, when her dad stopped her.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Where ya think you're goin missy?"
"Something's out there."
"What?! N-no, no there ain't! Ya stay right where you are. I ain't losin ya again."
"But Dad! I wanna see what happened!"
"No buts! It's... It's nothing. Everything's okay." His eyes began to water a little. "R-right Nix?"
Nixie sniffled. It felt like her heart was shattered. "...No. No, it's not okay."
Polly was startled. "Mom?"
Bob was also startled. He didn't think she would say that. ...Actually, he had no idea what she would say at all. "...Nix?"
Nixie let go of her husband and faced Polly. Her eyes were watery. "...It's terrible. Everything has been awful, and nobody is going to fix it. Polly, the darkness is really bad right now."
"I know mom."
"No Polly! No you don't! We're almost surrounded!" Tears fell from her eyes. "...Polly, you know what this means, don't you?"
Polly's eyes widened. "No... We can't leave!! I won't!!"
"Alright then, stay here. If you don't wake up tomorrow, that is your problem!"
Polly's lips quivered. "Mom..." She couldn't stop herself from crying. She sat on the floor and buried her face in Bongo.
Bob glared at Nixie. "What the Rapo Nix!?!?! Are ya TRYING to scare her?!"
"N-no... I just..."
"Well it sure looked like it!" He glanced at Polly. "...Poor kid. She shouldn't have to deal with dis..."
"I... I didn't mean to... Polly..." Nixie walked up to her. "I'm sorry, I just..." She knelt down and gave her a hug. "I don't want this either...
Polly sniffled. "I... I don't wanna be left here..."
"Polly, I swear that I would never even consider doing that to you. ...We are going to get through this together."
"You... You mean it?"
Nixie nodded. "Of course I do. Now come on, we need to hurry." Nixie helped Polly off of the floor.
"Hurry? With what?"
"...We need to pack. And fast."
"Now!?"
"Yes, Polly! Now! Go and pack your things, we're leaving today!"
Polly rushed to take everything she could. "I'm taking the house with us!!"
"No! We don't have time! Just take what you need!" Nixie looked at Bob. "...We should hurry."
Bob nodded. "Alright. I'll get clothes, you get food." Bob rushed to gather an extra set of clothing for everyone. Nixie found a large basket and filled it to the brim with the food she could find.
Polly searched throughout the house trying to find whatever she needed. She took a few blankets from her bed. When she did, she noticed something shiny underneath her pillow. 'Huh? What is that?' She reached underneath the pillow and felt something smooth and cold. Polly pulled the object from the pillow. In her hands was a golden pocket watch. 'It's... a pocket watch?' Polly looked at the watch confused of it's origin. After a few seconds, she remembered where it came from. 'Oh...' A wave of guilt hit her in the face. 'That was so long ago... I can't believe I still have this!' The watch didn't tick anymore. It seemed that it broke somehow. Polly wrapped the blankets around her shoulders and held Bongo and the watch with one of her arms. She met up with both of her parents by the front door. Both of their arms were full.
Bob looked back and forth between Nixie and Polly. "...Ya got everything?"
Polly nodded. "Yup!"
Bob took two of the blankets from Polly. "Good thinkin, Polly. We're gonna be needin these." He wrapped one of the blankets around his shoulders and wrapped the other around Nixie. "It's gonna get real cold out dere."
Nixie looked at Bongo in Polly's arms and sighed. "...Polly, I told you to only take what you need! That doll is only going to increase our load. Put it back."
Polly protectively squeezed Bongo. "But mom!! I DO need him!"
"No you-"
Bob placed his hand on Nixie's shoulder. "Come on, Nix. Let it go. Besides, she needs it more than ya think."
"What makes you say that?"
Bob put his hand in his pocket. He felt the soft stuffed mouse that he secretly placed in there. "...Just trust me on dat one."
Nixie took a deep breath. "So... Are we ready?" Everyone nodded. "Okay... I suppose this is it..." The three approached the front door. The darkness was a little closer to the house than it was before.
Polly stepped back from the door, shaken with fear. She squeezed Bongo and glanced at her dad. "...Is this safe?"
Bob stared at the shadow in front of him. It wasn't moving fast, but it was slowly creeping closer and closer to the house. Bob cleared the frog out of his throat before opening his mouth. "I dunno... I'm not lookin forward to dis..." He looked back at his daughter. She looked scared out of her mind. 'Ah... Probably shouldn't of said dat last part...' He gently smiled. "...But we ain't goin nowhere if we don't try. Hold on to ma arm, I'll protect ya."
Polly looked up at her dad and smiled. "Thanks Dad." She let go of the blanket around her shoulders and gently held onto his arm.
Nixie peeked outside. The shadow wasn't threatening them, but she felt uneasy about staying in the house much longer. 'We need to get this over with now...' Nixie turned around to face her husband. "Bobby, come on! We have to go!" She grabbed a hold of Bob's free arm and rushed out the door.
Bob, clutching the clothing in his arm, did everything he could to keep up. "I'm comin, I'm comin!"
Polly, now with her dad out of her reach, was shocked by her parents' departure. "Hey! Where are you going?! Wait for me!!" Polly rushed outside to follow her parents.
After taking a few steps out of the house, she couldn't help but turn around and look at her old home. When looking at it, Polly's mind went blank. All she could think of was how sad it made her feel. She squeezed Bongo extra tight.
Nixie and Bob quickly realized Polly wasn't with them. They looked back at the house to see Polly staring at it.
Nixie sighed. "Oh dear... Polly! Polly, what are you doing!?"
Polly didn't respond. She got caught up in her own world.
Bob shook his head and stepped forward. "Polly!! Snap out of it, and get over here, missy!!!"
Polly finally heard her parents' shouts and rushed over to them. "Sorry... I'm sorry..."
Bob looked down at Polly and hugged her. "It alright Polly. I miss it too."
The three Raposa looked back at the house that was once their home. The air around them was bittersweet.
Polly began to tear up at the sight of the house. She buried her face into Bongo's soft fabric.
Bob's eyes watered a little at the sight of his daughter. He muttered to himself. 'Ugh... Polly... Don't get me worked up like dat...'
Nixie rested her hand on Bob's shoulder. She was getting upset too. "...Come on you two. We have to go."
Bob looked at Nixie and nodded. "Alright..." He looked back at Polly. "Buck up, Polly. It's gonna be okay."
Polly looked up from the doll and sniffled. "Okay..." She stared at the ground, sad and confused.
"Hey... Come on. Don't do dat. What happened to my happy little girl?" Bob offered her his arm. "Come on. Let's go get dis over with. Whata ya say?"
Polly smiled and took a hold of her dad's arm. "...Alright. But only if you're gonna be there with me."
Bob grinned. "Of course I will! Your ma too. Come on, we got places to be!"
The family headed away from their old home and toward the village entrance.
The three Raposa finally arrived at the bridge leading to the village's exit. Above the bridge was a massive archway. A long time ago, a sign with the village's name hung from the arch. But over time it became so worn and vandalised, that it was eventually taken down.
The three took a deep breath and stepped onto the bridge together.
"...Ahem." A familiar voice came from behind.
The three turned around to see the Mayor at the end of the bridge.
Nixie was shocked. "...Mayor? What are you doing here?"
The Mayor cleared his throat. "...I wanted to apologize for what happened to your home. I'm ashamed to have let that happen."
Nixie sighed. "Well, it happened. It's not as if it could be undone."
"Well, if it could, I would happily undo all of this." The Mayor sighed. He really wished he would have stopped Wilfre when he had the chance. "...If you like, I can always find another home for you to live in." The Mayor nervously smiled. He really didn't want more villagers to move out.
Nixie shook her head. "...I'm sorry, did you just offer us another house?"
The Mayor became overjoyed. "In fact I did! There are many places available..."
Nixie interrupted him. "...Another house in a shadow-ridden village, that will inevitably become overthrown with darkness along with the rest of said village?! I'm sorry Mayor, but we cannot stay here, and you know that!"
The Mayor was shocked. "What?! Are you sure? Life outside the village is unpredictable. Wouldn't it be wiser to stay here?"
"Trust me, Mayor. We are NOT staying. I'm positive this is the best solution."
"...I understand. But please reconsider your choice. The village will never be the same without the Builde family." The Mayor tried to smile. "Listen, I know things have been getting out of hand. I want you to be as comfortable as possible. There are plenty of houses available to choose from. I will do everything I can to make sure your family is safe. Please, we can work this out together."
Nixie slowly shook her head. "...No."
"What?"
"NO! MY FAMILY AND I ARE NOT STAYING IN THIS DOOMED WASTELAND OF A VILLAGE."
"Please calm down..."
"I BET ALL OF THOSE EMPTY HOUSES ARE FROM RAPOSA THAT WERE SO SICK AND TIRED, THEY MOVED OUT! TELL ME I'M WRONG!"
The Mayor couldn't confirm nor deny her claim. "..."
"THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT." She turned to face her husband. "Come on, Bobby. Let's go."
The Mayor interrupted Nixie's departure. "Wait! I know you're upset with me. And it isn't just because of your house..."
Nixie paused in her tracks. "..."
The Mayor continued. "I'm very sorry about your son. I wish I could've done more to help you. ...Perhaps if you stay, we can continue the search together."
Nixie's heart felt broken. It has been a long time since anyone has seen Hunter. The reminder of him made Nixie burst into tears. 'Hunter...'
Polly looked up at her mom. She was feeling really bad for her. "...Mom? You Okay?"
Nixie didn't respond to her daughter. All she could think about was her son. 'What am I going to do?! I... I can't abandon him... I can't do it!'
Bob was getting concerned about his wife. They have already decided to leave the village for a better life, and now Nixie was beginning to reconsider. 'I love Hunter to death but... We gotta move on.' Bob's eyes watered at the thought of abandoning his kid. 'Ugh... Bob, stop it. Ya cant make her feel bad now...' Not wanting it to influence Nixie's opinion, he pushed back his tears and sighed. 'Nixie was right... It's for da best we leave...'
Nixie stood still, lost in thought. 'I have to stay here and look for him.... If that means I'll see him again, It will be worth it.' Tears in her eyes, she turned to face the mayor. "Mayor, I..."
Bob suddenly placed his hand on Nixie's shoulder. 'Please don't do dis, Nix. I know what you're thinkin, but it ain't safe here no more. We gotta do dis.'
Nixie sighed. She could feel that Bob didn't want her to change her mind. She sighed. 'I know, I was the one who came up with the idea. I just... I don't want to. Never did. ...I know how slim the odds of finding him are... At least this way, Polly is safe.' "Mayor, I'm sorry. We are leaving today. There is nothing you can do to change our minds."
Nixie and Bobbery began to walk away from the village.
Polly however, stayed put.
The two parents quickly noticed that Polly wasn't with them, and stopped to wait for her.
Polly stepped toward the Mayor and looked up at him. "...Mister Mayor?"
The Mayor was a little surprised by Polly walking up to him. "What is it, young lady?"
Polly reached for the broken pocket watch she was holding and handed it to the Mayor. "I think this is yours."
The Mayor was stunned. That watch originally belonged to his wife. He used to always carry it around with him until it went missing. A smile crawled onto his face. "Well I'll be! I thought I would never see this again. Where did you find this?"
Polly looked at the ground. "Um... I saw you put it down one day, and took it when you weren't looking... I'm sorry... It doesn't even work anymore..."
The Mayor looked down at the watch. Polly was right. It didn't move an inch. 'Hmm... It's acting similar to the Village Clock.' He looked at Polly and laughed. "Ho ho ho! Thank you, Polly. You're a good kid."
"Really? But I..."
"You came forward, and that's what matters." He looked at the girl's parents in the distance. "Your mom and dad look like they miss you. Why don't you join them?"
Polly squeezed Bongo in her arms and smiled. "I will! Thank you Mayor! Goodbye, and good luck!"
The mayor gave a bittersweet smile. "Good luck to you too!"
Polly ran up to her parents and held onto her dad's arm. "Come on, let's go."
The three walked off the bridge and began their journey outside the village.