Chapter 1
Laurel continued walking on, even with the raccoon scrambling behind her.
"Just leave me alone, okay? I'm done with you."
Rivet froze. "But... come on, I hide one little white lie form you, and now you suddenly don't want to speak to me?"
"How is pretending you cared a 'little white lie'?!" Laurel bleated. "For my entire life since I met you, I never thought you'd..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but walked off instead. Rivet followed anyway.
"Laurel, please--"
"No. Because now it makes sense why you knew your way around there so well. How the humans never seemed to mind you. I don't..."
The doe looked back, seeing her "friend" looking at her.
"Why? What was the point of lying to me? I thought it would just be me and you."
"It was!" the raccoon barked, almost too quickly. "And-and it still can be, just-?"
"Just what? With Rufus and Willow, and Gertie?"
"We both knew Gertie. And you don't get to drag her name into this. Not after she gave whatever amount of time she had left caring for us." Rivet's teeth were bared at this point.
"Why does it matter?! She's gone. Everyone who I knew and cared for is gone..."
"... and me?"
Laurel huffed. "What about you? I bet you never lost anyone in the first place." She ran back towards the raccoon, who hissed a reply.
"I'm sure your mom is running around somewhere, tired of looking for you."
"That's enough, Laurel."
"Better yet! You're probably the reason she's gone, aren't you?!"
"I said enough, Laurel!!"
the doe stopped at the sudden outburst.
"Rivet?"
She didn't get a response. The raccoon was looking down.
"Riv? Riv, please--" she bowed down.
"Get away from me!" she hissed, scratching her face. "You've made your point. You don't wanna be friends anymore, fine. We're not friends. I really hope you're happy with yourself."
Laurel stared at the raccoon as she lumbered back into the city.
"You aren't welcome back into my alley. Ever. We're done, okay?"
Laurel didn't call out. Why would she, anyway? She could always find a new herd. A real one. What good was the city, anyway?
She'd find a new home.
It didn't look like she ever had one here in the first place.
