Jax turned to look back at Cass, his hand on the doorknob. “I will talk to you when I don’t feel threatened for my life. Why don’t you go do what I am doing and go think about what you have just said and then re-evaluate.” He hissed, slamming the door in Cass’ face. That’s when the sobbing started. It was hard to swallow. A ball of emotion had built up in his throat. He wasn’t sure he could show his face here again. After all, he made a complete fool of himself. Jax walked off the porch, feeling like he was being watched. Shivers ran up his spine and he saw that his hands were shaking. He wiped them off on his pants, trying to get them to stop shaking. Phoenix nuzzled his leg, but he shooed her away. She whimpered, lagging behind Jax in fear of making him snap. The wind had picked up, drenching the air coolness. A coolness that was not helpful to Jax. His clothes were still wet and in combination with the cool air, it sucked all the warmth out of him. Jax stumbled into the forest, swiping at his face to get rid of the tears. He admired the trees and how their new, green leaves had just come in. He adored Spring and the new growth it brought. Baby birds sang in their nests, awaiting their mother to feed them. The bugs chirped and hopped around the grass carefree. But Jax couldn’t be carefree, no. He was stuck struggling with his emotions and thoughts. He was stuck trying to soothe himself. He was stuck with Cass’ bastard words that felt empty with no real meaning.
Jax leaned against a tree, sliding down it and sitting on the soft grass of the forest. Phoenix came up to her owner, wagging her tail, and nuzzled Jax. She wanted him to feel better and cheer up. But Jax only sent her away in anger. Phoenix sat afar from Jax, watching her owner as the chilly air slowly sucked the life out of him. She watched as he started to tremble and hiccough from his sobs. All Phoenix could do was watch, since Jax wouldn’t let her near him. She was temped to go get help from the scary man, but he hurt her owner. She wasn’t about to bring him back into all of this. All she could hope for was that the scary man calmed down and notice that her best friend let some of his stuff there. Maybe that would prompt the scary man to look for her owner. She knew her owner would last long out here. Not without warmth.
Jax had sat below an acorn tree. Squirrels threw acorn shell down from the tree, and they hit Jax on the head. He heard their mean chatter, throwing more shells down to the forest floor. He, however, was stuck in his own mind. He relayed the scene over and over again, trying to win his argument while appealing to Cass’ standards. It didn’t happen. Not once. Jax drew his knees to his chest, curling his arms around his legs. He really was a screw-up, no doubt about it. Jax closed his eyes, tired of seeing the sun’s light. It made him anxious. But he couldn’t calm his mind, and he shivered with each breath the wind blew over him.
A little groan came too close for Phoenix's liking. She took her eyes away from her owner and sniffed the crisp air. Zombie— Phoenix padded over to where the scent was coming from, and she was face to face with a zombie. This zombie was too close to her owner. It's over all look was— torn, but Phoenix could use that to her advantage. She bit into the zombie's leg, bringing to down to the ground. She promptly pounced on it, making it sure it wouldn't be able to hurt her owner.