The sun was barely brightening the sky in a grayish glow, much earlier than it was when he rose the previous day. Shrimpo didn't intend to wake so early, but he was used to waking up at whatever time his body deemed it. His body was currently aching in its usual soreness, similar to the previous day as well.
He was currently sitting up against the tree, breathing slowly as he blinked upwards at the treetops, its leaves obscuring most of the sky. Soreness wasn't the only thing bothering him. Hunger was. Of course it would be. A single fish wasn't going to be enough.
He didn't know what time it was, nor the time he had fallen asleep. He felt tired—maybe he should try and get more sleep. But the thought of falling back asleep with pain clawing at him deterred the idea. He exhaled, and continued to lean his head back, his tail bent downwards, his eyes resorting to staring blankly up as the sky continued to grow brighter.
There was nothing of interest to even look at, other than the fact he just wanted to look at something. The only thing he could note was the gray of the sky. It was pale blue yesterday, and the day before that. Was it going to rain? It didn't really 'rain' often on the show—maybe for a couple of episodes' plots—so he didn't really know. If it was anything like how it rained on the show, then they would need some kind of shelter if they wished to stay dry. Yet another thing he hadn't considered. He knew Boxten had brought it up once before.
He exhaled again—more of an aggravated sigh—then looked back downwards. His bag was next to him, full of nothing but empty jerky bags and clothing. The last bag was used by Boxten, both of them void of any food. He looked down at himself—he didn't even really need to change clothes, at least he didn't think so. Wasn't as if he was rolling in mud. Rubbing at his palms with his fingers, he didn't exactly feel dirty either. Oh well, he'd be fine.
Ahead of him, he saw Boxten, lying on his side, curled into a ball. Shrimpo kept his gaze locked on the music box. He sure hoped he had actually slept last night. Maybe then they could find a better place to stay. Then again, he didn't know what he had in mind as 'a better place.' Oh well, he'd figure it out in time.
He scooted a little closer to the lying down toon, and poked his foot against his back. "YOU AWAKE?"
The touch, as well as the volume of his voice, earned him a tired groan from the music box. He waited for a few moments, and after nothing more from Boxten, he nudged him again.
"HEY. ARE YOU AWAKE OR NOT?"
He heard another groan, sounding more like a bothered grumble as the toon shifted, moving his arms underneath himself.
" Yeah..." He heard the mumbled voice of the music box.
"GOOD." Was Shrimpo's reply, backing away more to give him room. After a few moments, the music box began pushing himself upwards, albeit slowly and shakily, and soon rested lazily on his knees, his arms dusted in dirt from the ground beneath him.
Shrimpo watched as he yawned, and rubbed at his face. He noticed how Boxten's key was starting to turn, breaking into a few out-of-tune notes. Shrimpo held his tongue despite his opinion of the toon's sorry excuse for music, and waited as Boxten poorly attempted to wake himself up.
Shrimpo's whiskers twitched as Boxten fully turned to him. Clear indication of his displeasure was written all over his face. Shrimpo almost couldn't believe it, but he looked worse than yesterday. Not to mention the look he was giving the crustacean.
Shrimpo shook his head, keeping his brows furrowed. "DID YOU GET ANY SLEEP?"
"Not really." Boxten said flatly, his blinking slow and his key turning. Shrimpo's brows raised, as if he were to be surprised. He felt a bitter stir in his gut, and his frown deepened.
He let out a sigh, shaking his head. "SERIOUSLY? IT'S LIKE YOU'VE NEVER SLEPT ON A FLOOR BEFORE."
"I haven't. " Shrimpo could see Boxten's look fade into a glare. "Have you? "
"I HAVE NOW. " He retorted. "AND IT'S NOT AS BAD AS YOU SEEM TO THINK IT IS. YOU SHOULDN'T BE DEALING WITH THIS."
"And you think yelling at me is going to fix it?" Boxten's tone was laced with sarcasm and exhaustion, and he frowned. Shrimpo didn't know whether or not he preferred a snappy Boxten, or a cowardly one.
The crustacean huffed, and broke their staring contest. Boxten did the same, looking down. The two returned to their silence, except for the slow notes emitting from Boxten.
Shrimpo brought his knees to his chest, digging his fingertips into his shins. This was getting unnecessarily annoying. How hard was it for someone to just sleep ? Surely one could eventually rest even in the most uncomfortable of circumstances—hell, he'd been able to do it for who knows how long! His whiskers twitched, there was no way he'd want to deal with a half-energized Boxten for the rest of his days.
...
He sighed. He looked back up at Boxten to see him staring at the ground, his hand mindlessly picking at the grass he sat upon. His expression was void of anything notable, with slow blinking eyes.
His frown deepened, and he blinked. A thought popped into his mind, which made the bitter feeling return again. It was stupid, but he was tired of seeing Boxten like this. It was... pathetic. Too pathetic, even for him. Shrimpo bit the inside of his cheek and sighed once more.
The notes of music only continued.
Shrimpo turned around to see his bag still lying against the tree. He reached for and grabbed it, then opened it. There were his clothes, and the empty bags. Shrimpo tried not to look at the jerky bags for longer than he had to, the clawing feeling in his stomach only continuing. Closing the bag, he looked up towards Boxten.
The music box was staring at him, more specifically the bag. Shrimpo glanced down at it, then up at him. Then, with his right hand, tossed it a small distance towards Boxten.
He, of course, flinched as it landed in front of him, then darted his eyes back towards Shrimpo. His initial shock turned into confusion. "Wh.. what...?"
Shrimpo stood up, to which Boxten's gaze followed. The crustacean motioned towards the bag and the toon. "USE THAT AS A PILLOW, AND REST." He kept his tone neutral. "I'LL BE BACK."
"What??" Boxten blinked at him, almost bewildered. When Shrimpo started to move away from him, Boxten stood. "Where are you going??"
Shrimpo turned his head towards the music box. "I'M GOING TO GET SOMETHING FOR YOU TO SLEEP BETTER, BECAUSE CLEARLY, THIS,"—he motioned to Boxten—"ISN'T WORKING."
Boxten frowned, brows furrowed as if he were offended. "You- you're getting something? For me ??"
"WHO ELSE WOULD IT BE FOR, IDIOT?" Shrimpo snapped, and Boxten shut his mouth just as quickly. He already had an idea in mind of where he was going to get it. "DON'T WANDER OFF."
And with that, he started walking off again. He ignored a "but-!" from Boxten as he sped-walked, being met with silence the further he moved. He was facing the clearing, and in the distance, he could see the dull figures of what he could only assume to be human homes.
He made steady work, pushing past some of the bushes that led to the break in the trees. He ignored the branches that dragged against his legs as he passed, and soon, he was out of the woods. He looked around from where he had entered.
