Fangs for Your Friendship

     "I've got you."

     The tears fell, spilling over Chad's cheeks, drenching Dorithae's sweater. The weight of the situation finally caught up with him and he sobbed, choking down wails, muffled by his face buried in soft fabric. Dorithae placed one of her hands on his head, gently running her fingers through his hair in an effort to soothe.

     "You're safe now. They can't bother you now. I've got you."

     He continued to cry, squeezing Dorithae like a lifeline in a storm. The salad forgotten. She held him for a few moments more as his crying died down. He hiccupped a bit, lifting his head from her shoulder and looking up. Her button eyes held no pity, no patronizing sympathy, only genuine kindness and worry for his wellbeing. She patted him on the back a few times, smiling gently.

     "You ok?"

     He nodded, his nose running and his eyes red and puffy. She held her gentle smile, still holding the hug.

     "I'm glad, let's get y-"

     "That was just sad. Who even cries in public?"

     Dorithae was interrupted by the grating voice of Kylleon, his wings shifting to rest atop his shoulders.

     Val snickered at his side. "Only babies like him."

     Chad was all cried out, but even if he weren't, he wouldn't have cried again, for his focus was solely on Dorithae's face. Her gentle smile had warped, turning down abruptly into a jagged snarl, something he didn't think she was capable of. Her button eyes which had radiated such warmth towards him were now unfocused and boiling with something akin to rage. She gently eased her hands away from Chad in a calculating manner, careful to avoid bumping him. She straightened her back and whirled around, jabbing a finger into Kylleon's chest with such force that it sent him staggering backwards.

     "When we want your opinion, we'll ask for it!" She jabbed her finger into his chest again, emitting a squeak and another staggering step backwards. "I don't know who you think you are, but you.do.not. have any right to belittle and bully others!"

     Her voice was wild like angry hornets, her jabbing finger a sharpened stinger poking into Kylleon with every syllable spat in his direction.

     "Lay off my cousin, lady!"

     With a monstrous snort, steam seemed to pour from Dorithae's nostrils as her fiery button eyes turned to Val. "Don't dish out what you can't take, you brat! No one likes bullies!"

     Dorithae raged at the pair, slinging harsh words, and berating their choices. Chad swore he heard Dorithae snarl something about getting the Kau and getting the horns, but he couldn't be sure. Chad sat in awed silence as he watched her heated words seemed to make Kylleon and Val shrink under their weight. He felt a small tap on his shoulders, and he twisted his head to find Mhadyx standing next to him, slurping noisily on a slushie.

     "How's it going, Chlad? She's pretty scary when she's mad, right?"

     Chad's gaze shifted back to Dorithae, still swinging her judgmental finger around like a punisher's blade, bouncing between Kylleon and Val, spitting criticisms and callouts.

     "Yeah, she's – wait, what did you call me?" His attention whipped back to Mhadyx, who was looking up from her slurpy with squinted eyes and a smug smirk plastered on her face.

     "Chlad, it's a combo of Chad and Vlad. You know, cause you're bo-"

     Chad slammed his hands over Mhadyx' mouth, successfully setting the little girl's volume to mute. "Shush! Kylleon and Val can't know that!" he seethed in harsh whispers.

     Mhadyx rolled her eyes and begin to mumble something through Chad's fingers.

     He squinted at her before the feeling sudden cold slimy feeling of something wet running along his fingers caused him to blanch. He immediately ripped his hands away from Mhadyx. "Gross! You licked me! What is wrong with you!?"

     "Next time, don't cover my mouth, Chlad," she retorted, drawing out his new nickname.

     He grimaced and wiped his hands on his shirt, and onto the slimy mixture of corn and salad. Oh right. He had forgotten his shirt was already a mess.

     His lip quivered again, tears threatening to spill, before he felt gentle hands on his shoulders.

     "Hey, it's ok! Let's go get you a change of clothes. I've got some spares in my RV that you can borrow, just to get you home." Dorithae started to lead Chad away, Mhadyx following, slurping loudly on her slushie.

     Kylleon and Val were still standing where they had been the whole time. Val's mouth hung open, her eyes wide and unblinking. Kylleon wasn't any better, he looked like he might cry and was trying terribly hard not to.

     Dorithae tilted her head back towards the Wocky duo, giving them one last stink eye. "If I ever find you bullying anybody again, I will find you and give you the worst lecture of your life!" she spat.

     Mhadyx stuck her tongue out at them before following Chad and Dorithae out of the restaurant.

     Still in shock, Chad almost got all the way out the door of The Trough before stopping mid-stride.

     "Wait! My parents are still here. They'll freak if I just disappear," Chad said before heading back inside. He looked down at his now grimy clothes and winced. He hurried to the table where he had left his parents. They were just settling down to eat.

     "Oh, hey, son!" Chad's dad said. "We were just starting to wonder-" His dad stopped abruptly, jaw-dropping as he took in his son's dishevelled appearance.

     "Oh, Chad!" his mom exclaimed. "What happened to you?" She rose from her seat and began to fuss over him.

     ."I slipped on puddle and fell," Chad said, the lie rolling off his tongue with ease.

     "Are you hurt?"

     Chad shook his head. "No, I'm fine."

     “Barry, we should go home," Chad's mom said, looking over at his dad.

     "Oh no! That's not-I mean, you guys haven't even eaten yet. I don't want to ruin our good day by making us go home early."

     "But you're a mess! We can't enjoy our meal with you looking like that."

     "Actually, I can help with that," Dorithae said, joining the Warrens.

     Chad's parents looked at her in surprise.

     "And you would be?" Chad's dad asked.

     "Dorithae," Chad's rescuer introduced herself. She waved a hand towards her sister. "And this is my sister, Mhadyx. Our place isn't far from here and we've got spare clothes for him to change into. We can have him back here in a jiffy!"

     "How do you know our son?" Chad's mom asked.

     "She's a new friend I made recently," Chad said.

     His mom frowned. "I don't know, Chad. We haven't met any of your new friends yet and I would feel more comfortable if I met their parents before I let you go to their houses."

     "Mom, please!" Chad begged. He was not about to get into the fact that he had no real friends in DC and after what Dorithae had just done for him, he knew he could trust her completely. "Dorithae is offering to help me out and there's no reason to refuse."

     His parents exchanged a look. His dad shrugged his shoulders in an "it's up to you" gesture and then his mom looked back at them.

     "Alright, Chad. But if you're not back in fifteen minutes, we're coming to get you," his mom said.

     "Don't worry, Mrs. Warren! I'll have Chad back in ten!" Dorithae reassured before she led him away.

     This time, they did make it out of the Trough. For the first time, all the tension dropped from his shoulders and Chad felt like he could breathe normally again. The Citadel didn't seem so scary and overwhelming in the right company. He hadn't expected to find anything good or kind in DC. Not that he was complaining.

     "Thank you, Dorithae," Chad said. "What you did back there-" He cut off as his throat suddenly grew tight with emotion. He shook his head. "It means a lot."

     Dorithae placed a warm hand on his arm. "You're welcome, Chad. I wasn't about to stand by and watch as a couple of jerks were cruel to my friend."

      "So, we are friends then?"

     "I would like to think so," Dorithae said with an encouraging smile.

     "Yeah, you're stuck with us now," Mhadyx said with a cheeky grin.

     Chad felt a spot of warmth bloom in his chest. "I like the sound of that."

     They hadn't gotten far when they reached what looked like a school bus…except it wasn't like any school bus that Chad had ever seen. This one was mint green with the words "WhoDunit Squad" scrawled across the side in graffiti with the o in Who replaced with a skull. There were a few windows on the sides and satellites dotted the roof. It looked completely out of place parked on the streets of DC.

     "What the-" Chad started.

     "Home sweet home!" Dorithae exclaimed.

     Mhadyx darted up to the door and slid it open.

     Dorithae paused at the door and gave Chad a curious look. "You coming?"

     "Wait, you live here?" Chad asked.

     "Yup! Mhadyx and I have been living on the road for a while now."

     "Yeah, it's lots of fun!" Mhadyx exclaimed popping around the corner with a grin.

     Chad entered the bus and was amazed to find not rows of seats but a miniature living space complete with a kitchen, beds and a bathroom.

      "I'll find you some clothes to wear and we'll send you on your way. We don't want your parents to worry," Dorithae said, heading for what he guessed was a closet.

     Mindful of his grubbiness, Chad stood awkwardly near the closet entrance and watched as a small pile of clothing gathered behind Dorithae. "So, what about your parents? You're not an adult yet, are you?" Chad tilted his head, curious about his newfound friends. He had never met a burlap pet before but he assumed that they were just like everybody else.

     Dorithae paused. "Our parents passed away."

     Chad was horrified. "Oh, I'm so sorry!"

     Dorithae looked back at him, her gaze almost wistful. "It was a few years ago now."

     Chad felt his ears burn and was thankful when Dorithae returned to her search.

      "OK, Chad, I think I've got something here for you," Dorithae called after a few more minutes.

     Chad moved quickly to accept the t-shirt and jeans before slipping into the bathroom right next door. He quickly changed out of his dirty clothes, sticky and stained, relieved to be in clean clothes again. Then, he looked down at what he was wearing and bit back a groan of dismay. It was a solid black shirt that said I *heart* DC. He wasn't about to ask for a second wardrobe change after everything Dorithae had done. At least he wouldn't have to wear it for very long.

     Chad exited the bathroom and Mhadyx was there.

     She took one look at his new threads and barked a laugh of disbelief. "Nice!"

      "Mhadyx!" Dorithae chided before looking at Chad. She winced. "Sorry about that! I just grabbed the first shirt I found in your size. Let me see if I can find you something else!"

      "No, don't worry about it, Dorithae. This'll do just fine until I get home."

     "Alright, if you're sure…"

     Chad nodded. "I am. Thanks again."

     "Any time, Chad. Any time."

     Chad hopped down the few steps and back onto the pavement, waving a hand in goodbye. Despite everything that had happened that day, for the first time, he didn't feel dragged down by life. He couldn't help the small smile that dared to cross his face, thinking about the new friends-real friends-he had just made.

     The End.