Knights Against the Night Part 28

Freddie didn't seemed surprised to find Chester on his floor in the morning, he scooped up the rabbit and set him in his usual place beside the bed, giving him a pat of the head before heading down to breakfast with Bolt.

Bolt worried.

Freddie seemed somewhat cheerful after spending yesterday with his mother. He didn't babble like some kids, but there was a small smile on his face and cheered Bolt up no end, warming him inside.

Freddie was safe, that was the important thing.

Safe and happy, which made a change.

Mum smiled too, not as forced as her previous smiles had seemed, and there was pancakes for breakfast.

Before leaving, Freddie actually ran up the stairs to put Bolt on his bed, and gave him a pat on the head, so unlike the previous days when he had sulked whenever having to leave Bolt behind.

Bolt sighed in relief when he left, hearing the humans leave the house.

He darted over to Chester, poking the old rabbit.

Suddenly he was seeing stars, as something hit him hard enough to send him bouncing off the side table, and tumbling over the floor.

"Kit!" Chester cried out, leaping after him. "don't..." the old rabbit rushed to his time, then hovered, flinching away from actually touching him.

"Don't do that..." Chester said, his voice thick with emotion.

Bolt stared up at the ceiling, his head spinning, "What happened?"

"You startled me." Chester admitted, backing away, not meeting Bolt's eyes.

"What...?" Bolt replied, sounding confused. He was confused.

"Sorry kid." It sounded like the words were dragged out of him, "It's been a long night."

Bolt sat up, rubbing his head. "But what did you do?" Bolt asked, staring at the shamed rabbit, "I didn't see..."

Chester blinked, looked over at the bear, his ears starting to lower from thier alert state.

"I swiped your footing out from under you and blasted you across the room." He stated calmly. A bit too calmly compared to the emotion landened talk of before.

"Oh." Bolt said, climbing to his feet. "Why?"

"You..." The rabbit threw up his arms, his ears going high again. "You startled me. I was resting. I was tired. You aren't safe!" The sudden anger startled Bolt, who felt like he was caught in the path of an oncoming car with no where to go before it ran him down.

"I'm... sorry?" Bolt offered, half questioningly.

Chester spun around and started pacing back and forth, grumbling under his breathe.

Bolt retreated back to the bed, standing beside it as he watched the old rabbit pace back and forth.

Something was wrong here. Something was wrong with this entire household.

"Chester?" Bolt asked after it appeared that he wasn't going to calm down any time soon. "The Portal?"

"Portals" Chester hissed, before stalking over to the and angrily checking beneath it.

Chester stalked around the room, checking all the usual spots and more beside.

Bolt retreated to the bed and his usual spot, watching as Chester found one and continued searching, finding another, and another.

Bolt's eyes widened, before they had always stopped when finding just the one, why was there more this time? Were there more this time?

Chester got darker and darker, red streaks started showing up in his fur, the anger clear in every move he made.

Finally he stopped, turning to face the window and hissed at it.

Then with just as much determination as Bolt had ever seen him display, the old Guardian stalked toward the patch of sunlight, the patches of red hissing as they burned away.

Finally, when Chester was almost back to his usual blue, just a trace of shadow about his eyes, the old rabbit turned to Bolt.

He grinned, more a baring of teeth, "And so we become monsters to fight monsters."