Chapter Six

The journey to Cavask was less than comfortable. Clinging to the back of a man he had just met only a day ago with a vixen grabbing onto his hips, he blindly followed the path of the swiftbike, which furiously zipped around the Unonian landscape, equipped with its familiar trees and vegetation, now encased in a frozen wasteland.

Fox could barely move. Often he couldn't tell if his hands were still glued to the backside of Todd, wondering if his fingers, though protected by leather gloves, were still movable and flowing with liquid blood. He quickly realized that these people were used to this traveling, as he never felt Todd's body quiver or shake as a cold gust of Careinian wind tore at their fur or a frozen burst of Unonian wind flowed around them, encircling them in a hard love.

"How much more to Cavask?" Fox chattered. "Watch for Mafians, remember!"

He thought he heard Elena say something, but he couldn't tell. At least the voyage wasn't as bad as the trek through the foreboding Ta'lavero Mountains – the jagged peaks that seemed to forever separate the two nations ever since the Careinian met the Unonian that faithful day so long ago. It was a wonder how they made it through the rocks, especially with Fox leading the way. While he never rode over mountains, his experience made up for the foreboding peaks. Wind whipped like the currents of the eleven seas through every crevasse and every rock formation conceivable. Even as they continued through there, and then moved back down, Fox couldn't understand why the region was densely populated with trees and shrubs, almost as if they too were trying to keep the two nations divided.

Suddenly, in the distance, a vast city appeared over the horizon. Like a mountainous island in the midst of a sea of snow and vegetation, Cavask welcomed the weary travelers with a comforting picture. Hazy objects soon took the form of buildings – large buildings that seemed to reach to the clouds, along with millions of smaller ones – apartment buildings and houses, no doubt, peeking above the stone wall.

The path of the bike took an abrupt turn to venture onto a paved road, which lead to the city like a vein returning to the heart of the nation. Every long second that passed drew them nearer to the town, but, as Fox anticipated the arrival, it looked like they'd never reach their destination.

"Where in Cavask are we going?" he asked. No one answered, apparently. His only comfort was knowing that he was home, home in Uno. Canvhis was too cold for his liking. It was truly how the stranger put it – the air was much better on the eastern side of the mountains.

At the corner of an intersection the bike finally came to a stop. With clumsy steps, Fox gladly stepped off the swiftbike and stretched. As he brushed the ice crystals off his face and trench coat, he looked over at Todd, who jerkily took off his gloves.

"Why have we stopped here?" Fox asked. "This just looks like a drab row of connected houses. Is this where you live?"

Todd removed his gas mask, while at the same time putting on his shades and brushing off the fur of his ears and his hair, which were left exposed throughout the trip. "No," he coughed. "We live a block away. This is where our friends live. It's Christ's Mass, remember?" He grinned a wide grin, and Fox couldn't remember seeing such a warm smile in such a long time. "Both our parents taught togetherness and love, but they stressed it during Christ's Mass. We never had much – never had enough – but we at least had each other, and that was more than what most had, so we never complained."

"Wait," Fox commanded as Todd was about to knock on the black-painted wooden door. "There's something I have to tell you. I… I don't know if we won the battle of Cavask or not. I was struck down during a skirmish and carried over the mountains a while ago, so I have no idea. I haven't seen any troops so far, however, but that could be both good and bad."

Still grinning, the fox shook his head as he turned to the door and knocked exactly twelve times.

"It's twelve since there are twelve adults in our group," Elena explained as she fixed her hair. "We watch out for ourselves at all costs. You'll be number thirteen, Mr. McCloud."

Commotion could be heard from within the house. Then, with a burst of energy, the dilapidated door was opened with incredible force. Foxes of all ages and genders came pouring out, each expressing a warm embrace and gentle, gracious expressions, with their numbers much more than twelve.

"Todd! Elena!" the oldest one blurted. "You've made it! How was the trip to Provinsk? Did you find them?"

Todd shook his head but kept his glow safe within his face. "No, no Jenko. Both her and my parents are still missing. Even the neighbors can't understand where they've gone to."

"Well," a young kit replied amidst the mass of happy people, "You've still got us, right Todd sir?"

"Of course we do!" he added with a grunt as he picked the child up and set him on his shoulders. "How's your father, Kio?"

"Father is sick, but Jenko says he'll be better." More conversations bounced off the walls of the curving street.

"Jenko, may we introduce our friend?" Elena asked as she stepped forward, smoothing out her dark clothing. "He's a very important man, and… he needs to know, and needs to know very fast."

With his mouth agape, the wiry old fox nodded and nervously began to go over his gray and white wispy hair with a knotted hand. "We should tell him at the proper time. Who is this man who has graced us with his presence?"

Fox stared at the men and women the whole time. He couldn't get over how poor they looked, with their tattered scarves, their black clothing which was typically delegated to those who couldn't afford colorful garments, and their little quirks about them, whether it was torn boots, studded bracelets, or a simple linked chain wrapped around their pants for use of a belt. These people were a different kind of poor, a different kind of pain. Frankjo referred to it as urban poverty, but Fox never believed him until now.

"Sir," Fox replied, "my name is Fox McCloud, of Selena."

Everyone ceased talking. In unison, they turned to him and began to step back. All except for one, that was.

"Velina!" one of the men boomed. "Get back here! You have no right to walk up to that man like that!"

"I must!" she coughed as she ran up to Fox. Her young feminine frame, frail yet maintained well, knelt in front of him. "Mr. McCloud, sir, I want to thank you for what you have done." She began to sob as her long hair, which fell to her shoulders from a cloth scarf, bounced. "You are truly a man of God! A great man the Almighty has sent us to protect us from the evil that threatened all who lived in the limits of this holy city! We are all forever in your debt, sir."

There was a long pause. The only sound heard was the faint weeping of the lady at Fox's feet and the constant noises from other areas of the town. With a hard stare, Fox for the first time could not put the person back in her place. To her, he realized, he was much more than a fighter, much more than a killer, and much more than just a good man.

"Velina," Fox began, "as long as I live, the Mafians will never taint this city. Night cascades over the souls and din, but never eternal night. This city is eternally safe."

With a very comforting smile, she nodded and using her black dress to wipe the tears from her visage. Others soon moved to stand next to her. The man who called out her name earlier stood at her side while placing a hand on her shoulder.

"We owe you everything, Mr. McCloud, sir," Jenko added.

"What do you mean?" Fox asked.

He grinned. "Come," Jenko replied. "There is much you must know, sir, before the night moon kisses the battle-scarred city."

"Can we go inside now, Jenko?" a younger vixen anxiously asked. She gripped her sides as her black dress and red fur blew in the frigid wind.

"Of course, dear," he said with a nod.

Fox picked up the vixen kit and headed inside. He waited for the others to file into the drab city house which stood juxtaposed to two other homes just like it. The once white stone, enhanced with dark jaku wood and windows of a dark metal and thick glass, now stood tired and dark gray, looking as if the life built into the home had died. But, as Fox stepped into the abode, no sign of death befell him. The room was ablaze with conversation and joy, as the young danced and scattered around the spacious living room and kitchen with the energy and fervor of angels. The adults, Todd and Elena included, went to work in a back room, most likely the dining room since Fox could view a table peeking out from the doorway. And the old, who were few and far between, sat in old, dilapidated furniture, with their old worn out faces staring at the excitement and atmosphere that fell upon the warm inside of the dwelling with relaxing stares.

"Is this where you all live?" Fox asked.

The fox who had scolded Velina earlier set a plate of aachos down and walked toward Fox as he put his arm around his shoulder. "Tell me, Mr. McCloud, sir, what do you see in front of you?"

Fox grimaced. "I see drab, worn out furniture in a room with dirty light fixtures, old wood, and faded wallpaper. The kitchen is large and full of cabinets made of old rich jaku wood and white countertops filled with countless pots and pans. I see poorly maintained tiles, old floorboards, and what looks like a table of food in another room. But… none of that matters at all. I see other things too." He turned to him. "I see love, I see joy, and I see togetherness. I see a family. I remember my own too."

The fox smiled as he patted Fox on the back. "And we would be honored if you would join us for Christ's Mass."

"I'm going to kill you."

The entire population around the table gasped. It was as if the ceremonial day hinged on those terrible words.

"What did he say next, Jenko?" Kio squeaked.

Jenko nodded as he turned to the small kit. "He didn't finish. Right after I opened the door and he spoke, a bayonet poked through his stomach as a Unonian Royal officer pinned him into the door jam, listening to his last bubbly words." He made gestures with his hands as he spoke. "The blood is still there from yesterday. Ikrisia and I have been trying to clean it off all day."

Fox, who sat uncomfortably at the head of the table, stewed some bread in his ikvu soup. The soup, made especially for Christ's Mass, was mostly beef with a collection of sweet fruit and spices, giving it a bittersweet spicy taste – common with winter meals. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Jenko asked as he polished off the little he was given, as he gave most of his portions away to the children.

"I'm sorry for allowing them into the city."

A young adult who sat next to fox set down a spoon in a clatter. "Mr. McCloud, it was inevitable for them to breech the old walls of Cavask and enter the city. The body may be sore, but the soul is stronger. You only proved to the Mafia that Cavask is truly in God's hands. Nothing evil can taint this city of God."

"Thomasso is right, Fox," Todd added. "Ever since Uno gained its independence from a three thousand year occupation from Canvhis, Cavask has never witnessed a defeat. The sun never rose and never set with the city being under the control of a foreign nation."

Fox paused as some of the children whispered to their guardians and coughs echoed through the drab, poorly-maintained room. "I know. But if I had only acted more quickly, if I had only continued to fight instead of listen to the voices, I might have saved more lives."

"But you saved a whole city," Thomasso replied, "and you saved us too."

Fox grimaced. Still feeling hungry, he looked out at the food laid upon the table. Familiar dishes, reminiscent of Janetka's cooking, were sprawled out on the impressively large jaku wood table. Fox smiled. Maria would sit next to him, secretly holding his hand underneath the table while trying hard to patiently wait for the food to reach the table, the prayer, the solemn Christ's Mass chant, and the prayer used exclusively for the wonderful holiday, said by all Unonians that day, beginning with the words Atevius ni versonka. Fox swore he could hear Maria's voice above all others. She sounded like an angel whenever she prayed, like her lips were specifically designed to recite the ancient words of God. After the commencement, he could barely wait to open his eyes to see the beautiful vixen's face again as her smile would bring his soul to its knees. Her eyes, the portals to her soul, were never dark that day, but always bright. Even as Frankjo and Janetka went about their muses and conversations with the two, Fox's focus would only be on her, the woman who he loved, who he planned to share his entire life with, who…

"-would chop wood from dawn to dusk in Drawshk."

Fox shook his head. "What?"

Jenko laughed. "I guess my stories really are bland after all. When I lived just outside of Drawshk, I would chop wood for the factories to use as fuel. I remember the rumors that circulated around that area – of the Council of the Chaljsko, the elders of that fighting style who could predict anything and foresee the future of Uno as well as the past and the present."

Fox rolled his eyes. "Frankjo, my teacher and guardian, told me that it's a farce."

"Who?" Jenko asked. Others gave puzzling looks to Fox.

"Frankjo," Fox repeated, "an old Careinian who followed Unonian ways and traditions."

Jenko cleared his throat. "Come all, we shall begin the closing prayer. You are sitting below the cross on this day, Thomasso, so you will recite it."

Thomasso, who sat under a crudely constructed Unonian Cross etched in the wall behind him, nodded as he did the sign of the cross. "Almighty, you cast your most Holy Light onto the darkness, giving your servants, who are most undeserving, life. Christ, our light, has penetrated our once dark souls and ignited the fire within us. Father, I ask in your most holy name that you kindle our flames and keep us from the cold winds of discord, doubt, and despair. Most High Father, we ask that you forgive your servants, and we ask in the name of Christ that you keep us within your holy works. Deliver us from the Mafia. Uveshk."

Fox opened his eyes to the sight of the old one staring at him. "Come, we need to talk," Jenko said. Some glanced at Fox and nodded, others pretended not to hear. Nevertheless, the command was as blatant as the condition of Uno, and Fox knew it had to be about that.

With a nod, Fox stood from his seat and pushed the chair in, performing a slight bow as he began to leave the room to honor the hosts. "Everyone, you are the reason why Uno is known throughout the entire Cosovian continent as a nation of great talents. I thank you." With a final bow, the vulpine male stepped outside the doorway to where Jenko stood.

"Don't worry about rushing your meals, children," Jenko chuckled. "We'll have ample time for singing and dancing." Putting his arm on his back, the old fox led Fox to the front room and offered him a seat.

"Tell me about this Frankjo," Jenko began as he moved a newspaper off an old chair.

Fox sat down. "He was my guardian for nearly a decade. He taught me the Chaljsko, how to be a man, and how to live for the Almighty. He, along with my father, molded me into the man I am today."

Jenko smiled. "Of course he did."

Fox cocked his head. "What?"

"I knew Frankjo, Fox. I once spotted him walking toward Drawshk, as he would typically park his swiftbike near my dwelling on the edge of the woods. I would always ask where he came from, what business he had in Drawshk, and why he looked tense whenever I saw him." He winked. "Anything to be a bother."

"What did he say?"

"He would always tell me the same story, word for word. He would say that he was privileged with making a kit into a man, that he was constantly on the watch for Mafian soldiers, and that he had to meet with the council."

"Council?" Fox asked. "But he told me that did not exist!"

Jenko nodded. "It's a rumor. But the expressions he made with his face told me he was telling the truth. There is a Council of the Chaljsko, the Da'velu, and he reported to them many times. He told me his staff was given to him as a gift a long time ago from the members in that council." He dropped his voice. "The art on it was like nothing I had ever seen."

"I remember his staff," Fox replied, "but that still doesn't tell me why he went to them, if they do exist."

"He told me he needed advice."

Fox scoffed. "Frankjo? Advice? That Careinian was wise beyond his years."

"I know. But he was limited in his own abilities."

"What are you trying to say?"

Jenko sighed as if a great barrier in his soul had been breached. "Frankjo, your father, and I had the same teacher."

"You knew my father?"

Jenko nodded. "I did, and he was a very strong man, like you. But he had his flaws."

Fox furrowed his brow. "You are a liar. You probably remembered a story Frankjo told you and twisted it around."

Shaking his head while laughing slightly, Jenko stared at Fox. "I wish it was a lie, for what I am about to tell you will make you hate me for the rest of your life. Our teacher taught nearly five hundred Unonian young adults the Chaljsko during the Hazardzianian occupation over forty years ago. He was a skinny, stouthearted raccoon from a northern Unonian town whose eyes shone like fire and whose mind could pierce the cold heart of the Carzinski himself. He was truly blessed."

"So what happened then?"

"Fox, the same teacher who taught your father, Frankjo, and I also taught General Bronson McRasko. McRasko quickly became the strongest Chaljsko fighter in the entire group. His power corrupted him, though. Consumed with greed, he turned his teacher in to the Mafia to be killed. Then, he rose above the ranks to become the elite general of the Mafia himself, as he destroyed McResivo. But the Mafia grew in power after that. It was like a dark cloud had accumulated over Uno, and at the center of the storm was McRasko. He is evil, Fox, and more powerful than you can imagine just yet."

"McRasko knew my father?" Fox asked.

"He did."

"And he was taught by the same teacher?"

"Yes, he was."

Fox scoffed. "Impossible. McRasko doesn't know the Chaljsko – the Chaljsko relies on the strength of the Holy Spirit. McRasko is evil, like you said."

Jenko folded his arms. "You're right in that sense, Fox. But you don't know how or why." He shifted his gaze behind him as he heard noises coming from the dinning room.

"You can't even explain to me why that is. I don't know how it is so, and neither do you. You probably never knew my father anyway."

Jenko furrowed his brow. "I knew your father, but I do not know his son. That is your father's bandana around your neck, is it not?" Fox clutched the cloth as Jenko continued. "I don't blame your disbelief, Fox, but your entire past and future are so… different, so unusual. That's why McRasko wants you."

Fox couldn't find any words to counter. He didn't know why he had been so harsh with the man, but he found it difficult to believe anything he said, though he finally accepted his words as truth. Like the morning light penetrating a dense forest, he felt he was finally stumbling on the path to know his past, the whole past with his father and his mother and Drawshk, and why people throughout his whole life knew he was different. Suddenly, something inside him snapped. "It's not just my green eyes then," Fox confessed. "It's true that there is something different about me, isn't it, sir?"

"The first step is believing it, Fox. As Frankjo probably told you hundreds of times, 'when you sniff truth, run over any obstacles you find to reach it. Only then will you see not with your eyes, but with your soul.'"

"Frankjo never told me that."

Jenko leaned toward Fox. "It was the last words his teacher spoke to him."

Fox looked up at the old vulpine forlornly. "Please, tell me more."

Jenko shook his head. "I've told you just about as much as I know, Fox. You know the rest. Only you – no one else in this world." Standing up with a grunt, he offered Fox a hand, to which he grabbed and pulled. "I've been keeping you from something this whole time. Everyone's had there chance to remind me about it." Jenko smirked as he let a hand fall to his tattered black pants. "Your friend, Sorrento, has desired your company for a long time now, but he wanted me to tell you at the right time."

"I will be back," Fox said.

Jenko nodded. "Go to him. Return when you can."