Art by the awesome  levvvar

It'd been a week since Roger stepped through the portal with Jake. Without a watch, time became fluid for him, with only the sun to mark the time of day. He stood in his loincloth as his squirrel friend painted his body with green pigment, lost in thought as Jake picked up on it.

"Something bothering you, Rog?" He said.

"A little... I'm just thinking about the decision to come here."

"Having second thoughts, huh?" He looked at the mouse with a knowing smile. "Don't worry, I felt the same way after the first couple days."

"Why'd you go back?" Roger said, his tail flicking as Jake painted over a ticklish spot on his midsection. "Just to get me to come back with you?"

"Yeah, actually. I'd known for a while you were feeling the same things as me. Wage slavery, not feeling like you belong... I figured I'd be doing you a favor. Do you wanna go back?"

Roger was silent for a while, his nose twitching.

"Nah. I just need time to adjust to not checking my phone every few minutes."

"Addictions," Jake added. "I know how it is; you're bored for the first few days and then you make friends and get enough sleep and you get over it."

"The tribe's been really nice to me." Roger nodded. "It's like I'm family here, they welcomed me in right away."

The squirrel smiled, painting a spiral on Roger's belly.

"It's part of how the tribe grows, we take folks in and teach them how to survive."

"I just wish I could bring my old friends over." Roger returned his friend's smile. "Think you can talk to them?"

"I think I can"