Flare had the plastic chair in the room pulled up next to Zeryx's bed, carefully resting a hand on the sheep's leg. It'd been almost half a year since the ram had jumped from that apartment building. Even though he'd never once heard the curious sheep speak, the shire felt connected to him just by their circumstances. Nobody had told him he needed to keep coming to see how Zeryx was doing, but he felt it was the right thing to do. He had wanted to do it.

One thing the shire had decided, is that no decision is ever final. If he was lonely or outcast, then he could decide to reach out. Was he reaching out for this man? Surely it would be easier to connect with someone who is able to speak back to you. Zeryx had a new world, all to himself now. One of his own creation. Sniffing back a sudden tear, the shire wondered if the young sheep was happy with that...

---

Zeryx had tried to find his way out of the snowfield with the scarf wrapped around his neck, but he felt like he was walking in circles. As though something were holding him back still. He hadn't been able to find that ghostly horse, nor Isaac, nor anything. No wildlife or any living thing; his 'ideal' world of being alone was becoming less ideal by the second. It felt like more and more of a prison. There was nothing to do; nobody to even try to connect with. He had enjoyed writing poetry when he could get others to look at it. As strange as it was, the ram came to a realization; trying to fit in, trying to get people to notice him, was better than erasing all of that out of existence and having nothing at all.

The ram stopped, looked up at the sky, and howled in grief... he got what he wished for. Just like Isaac said he would. "I'm sorry!! I don't want to be alone anymore!!" Zeryx cried, and fell to his knees, feeling dizzy, his vision blurring until he could see nothing but white.... "Let me go.... give me another chance..."

---

Flare bolted upright in a panic. The normally quiet machines had suddenly become a cacophony of alarms and beeps, prompting the doctor lion and nurse assistants to burst into the room. The nurse checked the readouts from the machine.

"His heart rate is accelerating, doctor! Brain is showing increased signs of activity!" The nurse called out in concern. The ram groaned quietly

The shire looked shocked, and then noticed that Zeryx's hand was moving, gripping around the scarf. "He's moving!" Flare pointed excitedly at the ram's clutching hand. Soon after, the black sheep groaned into his oxygen mask, his field of vision no longer white, but blurry. He didn't recognize any of them... the bull was nowhere to be found. Instead there was a lion, and a wolf. "Mmmphrr..."

The lion's heart skipped a beat. This was a rare miracle, happening right in front of him. The sheep had found his way back. "Sir.... can you hear me? Sir?..."

Flare fell back into the chair. Zeryx was awake. He felt like somehow, he'd been given a second chance, and he started to cry tears of joy. Little did he know, that the sheep felt exactly the same way as the lion helped the ram to sit up, not removing his breathing mask just yet.

"Where am I?.... I was in a field..Who are... you....." Zeryx's eyes adjusted to the light in the room, and as the doctor tried to explain that he was in a coma, he stepped aside to introduce the horse that had stayed by his side all that time. The sheep paused, shocked. There he was; was he still dreaming?

Flare managed to compose himself, wiping the tears from his eyes and standing up. "Hi there, Zeryx... my name is Flare. I was hoping.... hoping that perhaps we could be friends."

Zeryx smiled a little bit, nodding feebly. "Yes... I think that would be just fine. And thank you... for saving me."

Flare whuffled softly. "I could say the same to you, Zeryx." He grasped the rams hand tightly, feeling relieved. "Thank you. You get back on your hooves; I've a few stories to share with you when you're feeling better, if you'd like."

Zeryx just nodded and smiled. It seemed that both he and Flare were going to get a second chance after all.

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The End