Martin, oddly enough, seemed to be a tough nut to crack. To truly abandon your old self and step into the new role the camp offered took a lot more of a commitment than many people had in them. Sure, it had worked for some; Josh rejected his previous selfishness and learned to make new friends for the first time in years, Ricky had ceased to be a sour and whiny grump and had instead found a new sense of purpose as Jared’s ‘hero’, and finally Jared… well, without his girlfriend in the picture, he was just looking forward to a happier, more fulfilling life with the handsome raccoon boy currently watching over him in the cot.
Martin, on the other hand… He was having fun as a teenage marten boy, for sure. But most people who came to Camp CritterCreek had fun. That wasn’t enough. Despite doing the most for helping his friends accept the camp’s promise of a new life by brokering peace between Josh and the others, as well as giving Ricky and Jared a chance to strengthen their new relationship in private, there was still a strange feeling in the back of his head. A nagging feeling that, at the end of the day, this was all just a game, something he could walk away from at the end of the weekend with no strings attached.
However, at the moment he wasn’t walking away from anything, as his ankle was still iced up and throbbing in pain. He was trying not to show it on his face to keep his friends from worrying, but on a scale of zero to ‘this fucking sucks’, he’d have to say that this fucking sucked.
Jared grumbled and sat up in his cot before looking around bleary-eyed, then mumbled something that sounded like, ‘gotta piss’ before stumbling out of bed and wandering over to the bathroom at the back of the cabin. Ricky sighed and followed him, wanting to be sure he didn’t hurt himself in his slightly delirious state.
Once Josh and Martin were alone, a silence fell over them for a moment as they continued to hold one another’s paws. Finally, Josh spoke up. “I was really worried, you know,” he said.
“What, a little bump like this? You said it yourself, if I’d broken anything I’d be screaming like a baby!” Martin said, trying to play things off to make Josh feel better.
“That was just to make you feel better. Your foot could have had a little fracture and you could still have walked on it well enough. I got them all the time during games,” Josh said seriously. “If that happened… You’d probably have had to leave. I wouldn’t have been able to see you anymore…”
Josh felt a lump in this throat and he sniffled a bit, not being used to expressing his emotions like that. Damn it, he’d just been making fun of the cute little marten a few short hours ago, and now he felt like he’d die if he never saw him again. Teens were like that, making every little thing a matter of life and death. It’s probably part of why the camp found it so easy to win them over.
Martin blushed hearing Josh being so honest and open, and for the first time in a while he didn't want to crack any jokes or make light of his friend's feelings. "I don't want to leave either, Josh," he said, gently running his fingers over the back of Josh's hoofed hand, trying to take his mind off of his aching ankle. "But, if I have to... I don't know..."
“I just wish I could make it all better, y’know?” Josh said quietly. “Like magic or something.”
On an impulse, Josh leaned over and planted a soft kiss on Martin’s ankle, and against all odds he felt a warmth spread through it and the pain start to fade. Naturally, it was the doing of the powerful and capricious spirit that inhabited Camp CritterCreek, who had developed quite the love for the dramatic over its long history.
“Whoa… Whatever you did, it worked,” Martin said, his whiskers twitching in amazement. He smirked, then said, “…Or, the painkillers the nurse gave me just kicked in, whichever is more likely.”
The two boys laughed happily, their shared senses of humor instantly deflating any sense of drama the camp had tried to impress upon them. Martin leaned back in bed, feeling a million times better, then he felt a nagging memory start to sneak into his mind, tempting him with a new life but leaving the decision up to him...
A few years back, at one of Ricky’s basketball matches against another school, he’d come along to cheer and spotted the cutest deer boy in the world playing for the other team. Something about him had made Martin stop paying attention to his friend, and instead had him watching the deer hopping and running around the field. Before long he was cheering his heart out for the other team, getting a sour look from Ricky in the process. And then, years later… he’d run into the same deer as he walked into his cabin with Ricky and Jared. Maybe that half-remembered first encounter was why he’d wanted so badly for them all to put their differences behind them and be friends? They’d all be going to the same school next year anyway, so why not get a head start on things now?
It could all be true, not just a game, came a whispering thought in the back of his head, and Martin barely had to think before smiling and nodding his head slightly, feeling the new memories start to meld with his own, and in the end a new person taking the best bits of his old and new life sat up in bed and turned to look at Josh.
“So… How about you take those magic lips of yours and put a little kiss right here, huh?” Martin joked, pointing to the base of his bushy tail and wiggling it around a little. “I think I got a bruise down there when I fell earlier…”
“In your dreams, you fucking perv,” Josh said with a laugh. He leaned in and kissed Martin instead on the lips, feeling a breeze blow past them and through the camp before whipping past Alex, who was on his way back to bring the boys their dinner.
Alex smiled and nodded his head approvingly. “That’s twelve people in one day… A new personal best! Damn I’m getting good at this,” he said happily before continuing his walk toward the first aid cabin to check on the campers.