The two Swedish shikamimis stand in front of Nolan’s front door. Elias reaches up to the door with a fist and knocks on it. Next to him, Lias peers over his shoulder.

By the corner of the sidewalk, Brett gives the two a thumbs up; next to him, Clayton gazes at the two with an austere expression.

“Bring him to my office when you can.” Clayton then whisks around the corner and out of sight behind the wooden fence.

Brett dashes after him.

---

The mound of blankets shift. Nolan’s head pokes out from underneath them. His ears are flat against his back; his eyes are wide. He gazes around, sensing an amicable presence nearby. His ears loosen as he slips off his bed and onto his feet. He takes a blanket and drapes it on his shoulders like a cape before padding out of his room.

Nolan approaches his front door and cracks it open. He peers in between the open slit.

Gazing down at him are the two Swedes with sweet smiles on their faces. Their pointy, yet delicate ears along with their strong and large antlers radiate a sense of novelty and security.

“Hey, sweetie…!” Lias coos to Nolan’s right. A concern look overcomes his face. “Are you okay…?”

Nolan glances over his shoulder with fear.

“Is there any way we can help?” Elias pipes up with knitted eyebrows. “We’re here to listen to you.”

“Yeah! And we brought oat cookies!” Lias holds up a paper bag with the cafe’s emblem stamped on it.

Nolan whirls his head back to gaze at them. His eyes land on the suspended bag. He takes the bag with one hand, turns around, and shuffles inside.

The two friends exchange looks of reassurance before stepping inside. Elias closes the door behind them as Lias follows Nolan into the living room.

Nolan climbs onto his reclining chair and curls up into a ball; his blanket lays over his body. He opens up the bag, pulls out a cookie, and nibbles on it.

Lias sits on the sofa that is situated to his right. He leans his arm on the armrest and looks at him with compassion. “What’s bugging you…?”

Nolan halts his nibbling and flicks his eyes to aside. He then flicks them to Lias, noticing that Elias now joined his friend on the sofa.

“You can tell us,” Elias informs gently, leaning forward to look at him. “We’re here to help you.”

Nolan continues munching on the cookie. At the struggle of keeping the terrorizing memories at bay, he turns his droopy eyes downward.

Lias reaches over to him and runs his hand down his head and flat ears. “There, there. Tell us when you can.”

Nolan pulls away and slightly straightens up to gaze at them with wide, fear-filled eyes. “The bear…”

The two blink with blank stares.

Lias then shudders, emotion springing back into his face. “Yeah, bears, ugh.” He hugs himself.

Nolan shifts in his reclining chair. “Carter...turned into a bear…” He sinks back into a ball underneath his blanket before becoming still. He looks down at the armrest of the reclining chair.

“Oh, the goalie…,” Elias breathes out with understanding.

Lias gives him a pitiful frown. “I am so, so sorry you had to witness that…!” He pets him some more.

In a whisper, Nolan confesses, “I’m scared...I’m-I’m scared he’ll...come and...attack me…” He clutches onto his wrapped blanket and cookie bag.

“No, no, he won’t come and attack you.” Lias brushes his fingers through his soft hair and tense ears. “He’s in jail. You’re safe, Patty.”

Nolan peeks up at the two. “He still scares me…” He rotates his head away, forcing Lias to retract his hand.

“I’ve seen you as close friends with him though,” Elias remarks from behind him.

He snaps his head to him, his sparkling, blue eyes large with frantic trepidation. “No, no, after what he did to the penguin, no, we can’t be, I don’t want to be, he’ll maul me too!” He whirls his head away with a squeak, grasping his blanket and bag.

Lias cranes his head in an attempt to make eye contact with him. “So you’re no longer friends.”

“No!”

He fixes his posture, gripping onto the armrest. “Well, I will say you’re pretty brave to be friends with him in the first place.”

“Yeah.” Elias glances at his friend before gazing at him. “I wouldn’t have gone near him at all.”

Lias glances at his friend. “Same here!” He turns back to Nolan. “You guys got along really well, knowing he’s a predator—”

Nolan whirls his head back to them, his ears now sticking out behind him. “That’s because I don’t want to be a prey! I wanna be strong!” Anxiety then crosses his face, softening his expression. “But-but once I thought I can be as tough as a predator, this happens and I just get so scared…!” His face crumbles as he sinks back into his blanket. “I hate being a weak prey…!” His ears fall back against his head.

Elias raises his eyebrows. “So you want to be strong?”

With a sniff, Nolan peers up at him and nods.

“Stepping out of your house would be the first step.”

Lias nods with a sweet smile. “That’s right!”

Nolan looks out to the looming the door. “But he might come and...attack me…”

“He won’t, dear,” Lias tells him. “We’ll be with you.”

Nolan turns back to the two. “Here?”

“No—” Elias shakes his head. “—we have to take you somewhere.”

Lias holds out his hand. “Come on— Strong bucks unite.”

Nolan peers at his hand. He then pushes his blanket and the paper bag aside and takes it. His ears slowly rise.

Lias stands up, bringing Nolan to his feet. Elias stands up as well.

Lias gazes at him with a small smile. “There we go. Just a few more steps and we’ll be heading outside.” He then guides him across the living room, toward the door.

Nolan looks at him. “Where to?”

Elias comes to Nolan’s left side, which is his free side. “Coach Clayton’s office. You’re not in trouble though.”

Nolan instantly halts in the middle of the foyer, having the two friends stop their motions as well. His ears pin themselves behind him as his eyes stare wide ahead at the intimidating door.

“But we’ll be with you,” Lias coaxes. “Okay?”

Nolan gazes up at Lias, noticing his cordial expression. He then turns to Elias, who has a subtle version of the same expression. Elias slips his hands into his.

With the two prey holding onto him, a sense of comfort rises within Nolan. His ears slightly lift as his look of paranoia fades.

“Okay,” he murmurs.

Lias then opens the door with his free hand and guides the other two out.

Notes