The party travelled for the greater half of the day, walking until the sun was well on its way setting in the west. They stopped to take a break, and Brian left the group to go hunt for something to eat. He didn't want any of the younger ones to come so that they wouldn't mess it up, and he left the older ones to watch over camp in his stead.

(Fun Fact: The sun only rises from the east and sets in the west on 2 days of the year. Although that doesn't really apply here because this isn't Earth xD).

Mian sat a fair distance away from the other boys, and of course, his new friend, Dion had taken the liberty of Mian's shyness to take the spot beside the smaller boy, as Mian didn't have the heart nor courage to refuse him.

Dion tried to start up conversation, but Mian's shaky, one word responses made that difficult.

"So, I'm just eighteen, how old are you again?"

"N-nineteen." Mian replied simple, and didn't try to add anything to his statement. Dion sighed and rubbed his snout in frustration. Mian was too closed off for him to get close to. It frustrated him to no end.

The two of them sat down in relative silence, the only sounds coming from the boys in the distance who were speaking amongst each other. After some time on the journey, they had stopped talking about Mian and moved on to other topics. Dion turned his attention to them as they brushed over topics that piques his interest. Topics like the females with the best looking fur, or the cutest ones.

"You can go join them if you want." A voice slipped into his ears, drawing him out of the small trance he had slipped into. His ears swiveled and twitched for a couple of seconds before he realized that it was Mian who spoke.

"What?" Dion was at a loss. He wanted to go sit with the other boys, but it was quite obvious that they wouldn't welcome Mian within their presence. "Are you sure?" He peered down at Mian.

Mian also peeked up at him, tilting his head slightly. "I know you want to go. They're your friends. I'm not. I don't really mind." He shrugged and averted his gaze. Dion was conflicted upon hearing Mian's words, but it truly seemed as though Mian wasn't going to be opening up to him any time soon, while he already had friends who were ready to speak to him.

After a bit of thought, Dion let out a sigh before getting up. He rested a hand on Mian's head. "Thanks, Mian. Don't worry, I'll come back." He smiled slightly before he hurried off to join the other group of boys.

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Mian sighed when he saw how eagerly Dion left him to meet the other boys. It couldn't be helped, though. He knew he wasn't exactly the best person to be around. The only person who didn't mind being around him, and who he himself didn't mind being around was Flare. The little pup had grown on him.

He smiled slightly when the thought of a pouting little cheetah demi-human popped into his head.

Just then, the bushes on the far side of the camp rustled loudly. Everyone's ears perked up as they turned to face that direction. The tall bushed shook more and more before a frantic Brian burst into the clearing with a look of panic on his face.

"Run!" He barely managed to get out before he bolted past them. Everyone froze in shock for a fraction of a second before bolting into action. If even their guardian was hightailing it, then what the hell were they still doing there?!

Frantic demi-humans ran through the clearing, forgetting all their supplies in their hurry to escape. The bushes which Brian had burst through shook violently, spurring them on even further.

Mian was half frozen in shock, his body responding a bit later than the others. He looked around frantically, his eyes connecting with the deep gray eyes of Dion for a split second before a cat-like demi-human pushed Mian out of the way. The smaller boy quickly got up to his feet, running in a different direction from everyone else, not because he thought he could survive on his own, but rather, out of fear.

He ran, and ran, and ran. And by the time his feet hurt, he finally slowed down, his lungs burning, and his eyes prickling with tears that he would not shed.

'What were those? What on earth could have made Brian run that way? What could make their guardian abandon them in such a way?' These thoughts kept swirling around in his brain. He sat down, his knees pulled up to his chest, and his tail curled around his legs as he laid his head on his knees, trying to regain control over his breathing.

After taking some time to calm himself and get his spiraling emotions under control, Mian finally stood up. His soles twanged slightly with pain, but he ignored it. It would only take a few more minutes for his feet to heal whatever little damage they had gotten while he ran for his life.

Mian concentrated his ears, trying to listen for anything that could help him. Some food would probably go a long way...

He could faintly hear the sound of a running stream in the distance, not too far away from him. Some fish would be nice, and he would also get some water to drink. Patting himself down, Mian began the trek in the direction he had heard the stream. The forest was relatively quiet, the occasional sounds of insects and birds chirping filling the air.

After about five minutes of walking, Mian finally approached an opening in the dense brush. Beyond the opening was a stream of water than ran downhill. He nearly jumped out of the cover of the brush, but quickly held himself back. He peeked down the left and right, and utilized his poor senses to try and locate any potentially dangerous creatures.

After making sure there was none, he finally stepped out of the forest.