Plip Plip Plip-plip Shwooooowsh!
Eep sat up in total shock as the rain poured down, drenching her in seconds. She opened her eyes so she could try to find shelter. And she opened them again. And again. Nothing. She couldn't see anything. The heavy clouds were blocking out the moon and all the suns in the sky, and the rain had put out the small fire they had lit.
"Guy!" Eep whimpered. She scrabbled at the ground next to her in search of the brave young man. "Guy, wake up!" Man, he could sleep through anything. Even a torrential downpour apparently. "Guy!" she shouted desperately, shaking him around like a doll.
Guy finally startled awake and looked up from the sand. He could just barely make out Eep looming above him before the rain dripped into his eyes and forced him to blink. "Eep, what's going on?"
"It's raining," Eep explained. "Guy, I can't see anything!"
Having managed to clear the excess water from his eyes, Guy got up and looked at Eep. Except he couldn't see her. He reached out until he found her in the darkness and then moved closer until he could vaguely make out her features. He wished he hadn't though. Eep looked scared out of her wits.
Guy put his hands on either side of Eep's face. "Can you see me now?" he asked.
"Sort of," Eep replied. She had to shout to be heard over the pounding of the rain, even though they were only inches away from each other. "Guy, what are we going to do?"
Guy sat back down on the muddy ground and pulled Eep onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. "I – I don't know, Eep."
Eep tucked her head under Guy's chin and pressed her face against his neck. "I wish we hadn't left the cave."
Guy drooped guiltily and hugged Eep tighter. It was his fault they were stranded out here in the dark. Grug had warned them that he thought it was going to rain. The whole family had gone into a cave for the night, but Guy had wanted to be out under the suns. So once everyone was asleep he'd dragged Eep out with him. She wouldn't be so afraid if it wasn't for him.
"I'm sorry," Guy murmured. He buried his face in Eep's sopping wet hair.
The two of them sat there like that. Holding each other in the pitch black of the storm. Just as Guy was thinking that it couldn't possibly get any worse, it did. It thundered.
A crash ripped through the sound of the rain. Eep shrieked and her nails dug into the exposed skin of Guy's back.
"I'm scared, Guy," Eep sobbed into his shoulder.
"I know, Eep, I know," he replied. "I'm scared, too."
The thunder rumbled around them. Every time the ground shook, Eep shook a little bit harder as her body was wracked with sobs. Guy held her a little bit tighter each time, suppressing his own fear for her sake. Both kept their eyes closed to ward off the darkness. Somehow the darkness of their eyelids was better, maybe because they controlled it.
During a brief break in the thunder, a new sound started up. "Eep! Guy!" someone was shouting. "Eep! Guy! Where are you?"
"Eep!" Guy whispered excitedly. "Eep, do you here that?"
Eep sniffed and wiped the water off her face with the back of her hand. "What?"
"Eep! Guy!"
"That! Listen!"
They sat in complete silence, clinging to each other.
Then out of the foliage stepped Grug, with Belt on his shoulder. Grug held a torch out in front of him and Belt held an umbrella over it. "Eep! Guy!" Grug cried when he saw them sitting there. He rushed forward and swept Eep up in his free arm, moving so suddenly that Belt could barely keep the torch shielded.
Guy stood and moved closer to Grug. Belt glared at him and whacked his master upside the head. Whether it was for leaving the sloth behind with Sandy or leaving in general Guy didn't know, but either way he deserved it.
Grug set Eep back on her feet but her legs were still weak with fear and she collapsed. Guy dropped to his knees and caught her, lifting her back up.
"Here," Grug said, shoving the torch towards Guy. "Take this, I'll help her."
"I've got her," Guy insisted. He lifted Eep in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck to help balance herself.
"Fine," Grug grumbled. "Let's go." He turned and stomped back the way he had come.
When they made it back to the cave Grug warned Eep and Guy that they would be having a talk about the incident in the morning. He situated himself between the two young lovers and went to sleep.
Sure that her father was asleep, Eep crawled around him and over to Guy. Guy was still well awake, his guilt at causing Eep to be afraid eating away at him.
Eep laid down with her head on Guy's chest, startling him out of his thoughts. "Thank you," she whispered.
"What for?" Guy asked. "It was my fault we were out there."
Eep shrugged. "For protecting me."
Just a little Croods oneshot. In case you didn't know, nyctophobia (the title) is fear of the dark.