Chapter Seven

"What?!" I cried, staring at my brother in shock. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," He replied, "I could smell his scent in the air around him. And see that crescent mark on his forehead?"

I squinted, trying to see through the sun's glare. The half-moon symbol shone brightly above his eyebrows. "Yeah, so?"

"Every wolf clan leader has a sign on their head, representing their element and authority. When another wolf defeats him in battle and the loser has an heir, the same emblem will appear on his or her head. That way, the one who runs the pack is that of the same group. If the leader doesn't have someone to replace him after he dies, the older wolves will simply select a skilled wolf and engrave the pack symbol upon them."

"Oh…" I muttered, understanding. Gesturing to Celan, I asked "What do we do with him, then?"

"Well…" My brother mused. "Since the pack lives somewhere in the Wasteland, I guess we'll have to bring the wolf with us back to Haven. And besides, we still have to report back to Torn."

"Alright." I started towards the beast, meaning to lead it back to where we stood, but as I stepped forward, Celan growled. Surprised, I stopped and looked back at Zephyr.

"I can't get near him." I told him.

"Hmm…" He muttered, frowning slightly. Approaching the wolf, he stopped a few feet from it, reached out with a hand, and gently rested the palm against its furry head, moving it back and forth. Celan ceased the menacing sound, closing his eyes in content, his tail swishing from side to side. Smiling, Zephyr straightened and turned to me.

"I don't think he likes being near humans," He said "I'll have to keep a close eye on him on the way."

I shrugged. "That's fine. Let's head back to the city, before Torn sends his entire army down here to fetch us."

Nodding, Zephyr strode past me, Celan trotting obediently at his heels. Shaking my head, wondering exactly how my brother interacted with animals so well, I trailed behind.

Soon, we came to the exit. As the doors creaked open, the wolf whined softly and glanced back at the forest. It was as if he was saying farewell to his previous home. Petting his head fondly, my twin stepped though, into the metal room to where the other door was. I did the same. And reluctantly, so did Celan.

At the other end, the doors parted, revealing a steep ramp, and to the right, a two-seat Cruiser. Walking up to the vehicle, I waited patiently, and as my sibling and his clan leader approached, gestured to our mode of transportation.

"How are we going to get back now?" I said. "There's only room for two of us, and

we can't exactly leave Celan behind."

"He could fly back on his own." Zephyr suggested, but I shook my head at him.

"That's impossible," I replied. "He's probably never been out of the forest in months and he could easily get lost." Not to mention the fact that there were hungry Metal Heads around, just waiting for an inexperienced being to wander into their midst.

"How about…I turn into a wolf and I fly back with Celan? I'm pretty sure I know the way back. You could take the Cruiser, sis."

I paused, thinking and then nodded. That did sound like a good idea. My brother grinned.

"Alright then, let's do it!" He said. Closing his eyes, he concentrated hard, gasping as he began to change. Kneeling on his hands and knees on the ground, his muscles were shifting and bones creaking as he transformed into his other self. Screams of agony vibrated in his chest as he did his best to keep them silent.

At last, Zephyr rose. After glancing at me, his eyes telling me to be safe, he nodded to his clan leader. Celan barked, and together they ran forward. Spreading their wings, they shot into the air and flew away, headed for the entrance.

Smiling, I watched the two of them until they faded away from view, then walked over to the Cruiser. Hopping into the driver's seat, not bothering to open the door, I flipped a switch. The engine started with a gentle hum. Small flames shot out of the back as I maneuvered the vehicle towards the acid-filled ditch.

Just as the tip of the car tilted downwards, I pressed a button, making the Cruiser rise into the air suddenly. I continued to drive, my hair blowing in the breeze, occasionally turning in wrong directions and getting lost. In those cases, I had to backpedal, turn in a full circle, and continue in a straight line until I found another path. So much for "knowing the way back"…

Finally, I came to the place where we had first entered. Lowering the Cruiser so that it hovered just above the metal-made ground, I looked around for Zephyr and Celan. Seeing them standing several feet away, I drove over, slamming on the brakes just a few inches in front of them.

"About time you came! We were worried you got lost." My twin muttered as I got out of the vehicle. He'd turned back into his human form. Celan barked his agreement. Rolling my eyes at the pair, I walked, beckoning to the two as I passed. They quickly followed.

Rounding the corner, I gazed up at the sky. It was still bright and clear as we'd left it. Running ahead of me was my brother and Celan: the wolf had challenged Zephyr to a race, to see who would reach the Naughty Ottsel first, which he had pointed out. Their heavy breathing was the only sound that could be heard, as the rest of the citizens were inside their homes.

Jak and Terence were sitting on bar stools when we came in, exhausted from their pervious mission. Upon seeing the wolf, however, they yelped in surprise, jumped out of their seats and grabbed their weapons, training them on Celan.

"Don't shoot!" I yelled, running forward, stepping in front of the animal and holding my hands up. My brother did the same.

"What-what is that thing?!" Terence yelled, refusing to lower his guard.

"It looks too big to be a Metal Head." Jak remarked.

"That's because its not," I snapped at them. "And besides, he's friendly."

"Don't worry, he won't hurt you." Zephyr added.

"Yeah, right…" Jak muttered, but he and Terence dropped their guns by their sides. I smiled, nodding approvingly.

"Will you two keep it down?! I'm trying to get some beauty rest!" Daxter had been sleeping on the bar table. Aroused by our cries, he raised his head, wondering what was going on. Then he saw the wolf.

"YAAAAAAHH!!! WOOOOLLFF!!!!" He screamed, running across the slab of wood. Reaching Jak, he leaped on his head, where he clung tightly onto it, claws buried into the blond-green hair.

"Calm down, Dax," His friend muttered, rolling his eyes at the Ottsel's reaction. "It won't eat you."

"Uh-uh! I am not coming down here until that beast goes away!" He gazed down at Celan fearfully. Jak sighed.

"What in the name of Mar is going on in here?!" Torn demanded, marching in from the room upstairs. Spotting the wolf, he added "And who brought that dog in here?"

"Er, we did." Zephyr spoke up, pointing to me and him. Torn turned to us.

"Well then, get it out of here! This isn't some kind of animal shelter!"

"But we can't!" I said. The ex-KG commander looked at me suspiciously. "And why not?"

"Because he belongs to a friend of ours!" My brother interjected.

Torn stared at him. "Oh really?" He questioned, leaning back and crossing his arms.

"Yeah," Zephyr replied, nodding. "She told us that her dog went missing before we came here and we'd agreed to look for it. We're found it in Haven Forest, so we decided to bring it here to stay for the night and then go to the Wasteland tomorrow to give it back to her. I mean, if you let us." He added.

I stared at my sibling. For as long as I'd known Zephyr (which was since birth, mind you) he'd never lied to anyone. Especially not to me.

So why the sudden change in attitude?

And more importantly, would Torn believe him? I looked at the man, waiting for his answer. He was still gazing at Zephyr, as if he expected him to correct himself. For a few minutes, silence filled the room. Jak, Daxter and Terence were staring at Torn, also waiting for his response.

The red-haired man opened his mouth, breaking the stillness. I could swear everyone was holding their breath when that happened, including me.

"Alright," He muttered. "The wolf can stay. But you two have to take care of it. It will sleep in your room and nowhere else. One wrong move and he'll be kicked out, along with you both. Understand? I don't want him running wild around here and breaking stuff. "

"Easy for you to say," Daxter muttered. "I'm the one running the place." But Zephyr and I nodded.

"Good. Now that that's settled, everyone needs to go to bed. Its getting dark and I have a bunch of paperwork I need to get done." Torn ordered, walking back upstairs. Smiling, I followed him, with my brother and Celan behind, as our bedroom was on the next floor.

Above, we parted ways, with the Commander turning right and Zephyr, Celan and I steering in the opposite direction. Inside our room, I disappeared into the bathroom position in the corner, while my brother lay on his bed. The wolf, after traveling around in circles, curled up in the center of the floor between the beds. With his tail wrapped around his body, he laid his head on his crossed paws, closed his bright green eyes and dozed off.

With my damp hair and clothes, I crawled into bed, pulling the covers over my body, shifting into a comfortable spot. Across from me, my brother was already asleep, his light snores vibrating off the walls. I gazed up at the ceiling. Questions whirled around in my head. What had happened to Celan? How had he winded up in Haven Forest, so far form his original home? And, the most important, why had he split from his pack in the first place? M eyelids began to droop, and soon I fell asleep, knowing one thing. That only tomorrow would answer my curiosity.

Author's Note: An update! Finally, eh? Sorry to keep you waiting. I had trouble with this chapter, seeing as whether to just to let Zephyr and Selik bring Celan back to the Naughty Ottsel and persuade Torn to let him stay for the night, or to just let them bring him back to his pack. I chose the first option…and what you read above is the outcome. Wonder if it was any good…Maybe you can review to let me know? I'd appreciate it! By the way, since I have trouble writing and updating so much, I have decided to set a goal for myself: TO SUBMIT AT LEAST ONE CHAPTER EVERY MONTH. As shown by the capitals, it is of great importance to me. If you don't see a new chapter every four weeks or so, please tell me. Then I can beat myself up for it.

Terence: And I can help!

Me: Great…. -.- Anyways, now you know. Hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter and I'll see you all next month or sooner! Oh, and I do NOT own Jak, Daxter or the rest of the cast. I only own Selik, Zephyr, and Terence.