It had only been a short time of traveling through the thick of the Deep Wood- and poor Darcy was already quite fed-up with his smaller companion. Whilst the young boy lumbered about kicking dry leaves and stray sticks to and fro, the blackwell, in his awfully tiny stature, insisted on traveling along his larger company by foot. Cuppy had refused time and time again to have the golden boy carry him, unless it was absolutely, positively necessary. Unfortunately for Darcy, this made their progress… Rather slow.
‘Cuppy,’ he spoke up, down to the cup trailing behind him, ‘are you so sure about traveling along like this?’
‘You have asked that four times already. My answer still stands: keep your fingers away from me, lest I bite them off your hand!’
The boy only huffed at the threat, ceasing his shuffling to watch as the blackwell caught up. Strolling along, and past him without even a glance from his haunting eyes. But, before Cuppy could make it too far away from the little boy- Darcy slid a foot right in front of him at the last moment, suddenly tripping the poor cup and sending him tumbling forward over the boys’ foot.
‘Whoops!’ the golden child exclaimed, rather lamely, ‘are you alright? Do look out where you are going.’ The blackwell blubbered, flabbergasted and frustrated.
‘It is you who should be looking out for yourself! What with your history of thoughtlessness!’ Cuppy snapped up at him, picking himself off the dirt floor of the forest and brushing dust from his cup.
The two continued wandering for a small bit afterwards, the canopies of evergreen leaves blocking the rays of the sunshine, though few poked out through holes in the cover creating bright lines streaking down towards the earth. Red, orange, and yellow leaves rolling down like gentle snow. For how short he was, Cuppy had been navigating the swathes of color rather well. But, Darcy could only focus on how slow they were still walking along. A thought passed him and he moved ever closer to his companion once again, leisurely trodding up behind him. The boy lightly kicked the back of the cup, sending him forward- but the push was not strong enough to send him to the ground.
Hands balled into fists as Cuppy turned around on his heel, straightening himself. Furiously he stomped up towards the child, his normal scowl now barred into gritted teeth. Darcy looked down at him- first, without a hint of concern on his face, but that soon changed when he noticed smoke begin to rise up, up from where his company was standing before him.
‘You had better quit, before I decide to gnaw through your neck as you sleep! I know you are doing it on purpose!’ The cup spat as the smoke grew thicker.
‘It is not me who is slowing our pace! If you are so set on pussyfooting around like a bug, you might as well get used to the threat of being stepped on!’
‘Why you-!’ Cuppy fumed, quite literally, as he could barely form a sentence in his anger. Darcy quickly took notice of the smoke at the boots of the blackwell burning into a surrounding fire, catching onto dry leaves and sticks as it threatened to spread along the forest, hungry for fuel. Cuppy, however, did not stop his seething.
‘If I were any wiser, I would have known not to bother with a fool such as yourself!’
‘Cuppy-’
‘But I suppose it is my mistake to think you would be any smarter after hitting your head so hard on the ground!’
‘Cuppy, the-’
‘You had better speak up fast, before I leave you behind to fend for yourself!’
‘The fire!’ Darcy yelped out finally as in his quick thinking, he grabbed the blackwell in his only fist and whisked him up before stamping out the growing flames with his foot. Cuppy was too taken aback by the sudden arrest as the boys’ hand covered his entire face. Clasping the childs’ wrist with his gloved claws, his boots dangled in the air while flittering smoke followed them, before dissipating into the wind. He had no thought of nipping the hand that held him in his flustering.
When the golden boy was sure that there were no fires left to eat away at the earth around them, his grip on his companion loosened as the blackwell fumbled up to stand on the childs’ open palm. At first he opened his mouth to begin fussing once more, but closed it as Darcy looked at him with thin, furrowed brows in concern.
‘You had caught fire. I had to do something.’
The cup looked at him, squinting his sharp eyes as he dusted himself off- though he was not dusty at all. In the boys’ hand the bottom of the little boots were hot to the touch and warmed his paw as Cuppy stood. The child added on,
‘If you are to help me, I cannot have you blowing up in flames and burning to ash. Will you bother to listen to me now?’
Sighing, the blackwell motioned. Circling his hand signaling for the boy to get on with whatever he was going to say.
‘If you care to go back to dawdling alone in these trees, you ought to perch on my shoulder or ride in my arms. I can walk much faster than you, all you need to do is tell me where to go.’
‘What have I said regarding such? I would rather not have your hands… Hand all over me.’
‘I am carrying you right now.’
And Cuppy looked down to see he was far above the ground, upon the little boys’ hand that held him in the air. Up here the wind reached, cooling his warm boots in the breeze that fluttered the boys’ golden hair and red fur on the blanket which shrouded him. In his defeat, Cuppy climbed aboard Darcys’ shoulder on the agreement that he would not set the boy on fire- and Darcy in turn would keep his hand away from him, other than to place him where he decided to stay while on their wandering.
It was smooth sailing after that, as the two companions did not say much at all the rest of the day. In his thoughts only Bucky remained, as Darcy could only hope wherever his beloved friend was, that the younger boy was having a much better time than he.