Chapter 8.
Five years later…
The royal prince was walking towards the stable, he had been able to escape from his mother's hands again and ran out of the palace before she could poison his mind against his father, one more time. Even being the tender age of six, Alexander could clearly understand that there was not love between his parents, that the noble feeling was totally stranger to both of them and that he had turned into a pawn, especially for his mother.
What he could not really understand yet was why they were still together or why his father seemed to be, sometimes, so in love with her.
Fortunately, he had the loving care of Lanike, who he considered as a mother and also that sweet and quiet lady that sent him presents every year for his birthday. The last time he saw her, he was five years old and she had come herself to bring him a present, it was a scroll with drawings about wild animals. They had sat together under an olive tree in the garden and looked at the images together, she had read to him the characteristics of all the animals mentioned and she had also included some of her own knowledge. She mentioned how some animals were related to the gods and how her favourite god was the protector of wolves. Alexander told her that he had never seen a wolf before but he knew he would feel scared, as they liked to kill human beings. Lady Iris said that this was not true and asked who had told him such a big lie. Alexander blushed and confessed that her mother had been the one telling horrible stories about the wolves, and how those mad animals belonged to the underworld. Iris laughed and hugging the little prince into her chest, she started to sing a song, the same lullaby Lanike used to sing to him when he was a baby and so he remembered that wolves were not the bloody creatures his mother had made him believe they were.
He sat on Thunder and kicking him gently on his flanks, he started to ride towards the near wood. The day was sunny and he was feeling happy, maybe because his sixth birthday was near and he was thinking what his father would give him as a present. He had promised, two years before, that he would give him a dagger to keep in his belt so maybe this year he would have it. He reached the wood and saw how thick the foliage was, the trees were so close one to the other that it seemed to build like a dome, darkening the path below it. He entered cautiously and tried to ride without making too much noise, he did not want to annoy the animals there or to attract the attention of unwanted enemies. He also knew that he should not have come alone but he felt like the need to do it, he felt as if the wood was calling him, inviting to enter in her heart and stay there.
Riding a bit further into the core of the wood, Alexander saw that everything was quiet, it seemed as if the place were timeless. He had never liked the silence, in fact it had always made him feel nervous but this silence was different, it was calm and inviting him to spend time there. He dismounted and tied Thunder's reins to a lower branch and he decided to continue his exploration on foot. He saw things he had never seen before, new and little animals and unusual flowers, a thing he liked too much but he had never dared to say to his mother because she would laugh and call him girlish.
After some time, Alexander realized he was hungry when his stomach growled loudly. He turned round and started to look for something to eat but he did not find anything he liked nearby. He went on walking until he discovered a bush of wild berries and he sat by it and started to eat. He ate so many that he fell into a deep slumber as soon as his stomach was satisfied with the sweet treat.
There, in the near shadow, an animal was looking at his prey. It was not the first time he saw him, in fact, he had been able to follow him without being noticed. He had seen how the little human pup had turned from a chubby baby into a stocky little child, a bit short but with powerful legs. He could see themselves together running fast along the woods. But that was prohibited. He could not interact with humans. The alpha male had already discovered him looking at the human children and had told him off. But Kyanos could not stop, he liked how the children ran wildly, laughing and enjoying themselves. They were so similar, little wolf cubs liked to play too, rolling over their mates, nipping their flanks and running fast like the wind. Sometimes, instead of howling, they barked and they enjoyed doing it as they could produce different sounds. But the leader had been angry with their nonsense and had banned them from getting closer to any human. Kyanos, who was already ready to defy any order he considered not rational, asked him why they should do that, because he had never seen a sign that humans were as dangerous as he made them want to believe. The alpha male stood in front of the young silver wolf and growled his answer; they would not cross path with any human being because that was his word and his word was the law inside the pack. Kyanos frowned his nose but thinking it better, he decided to accept the order, not because he believed it could be true but because he did not want to bring any problem to Asteri. The she wolf looked in his direction and sent him a thank you look and she reassumed her task of cleaning their den.
Kyanos woke up form his daydreaming and saw that the little boy was still asleep. He went to investigate the surrounding area and finding it empty of humans and wolves, he decided to take a bold step, he would get nearer the golden boy and tried to see how he really looked like.
The wolf was rather puzzled, he was confused too, he could not explain why the little boy made him feel like that, as if he needed to be near him, as if their friendship would be something important, essential for both of them. What was also strange was that those kind of feelings were too human like and Kyanos thought he had never been so close to humans to learn that kind of thing. But, sometimes, his mind played him tricks, as if he had had a double life, another one filled with images of happiness, care and love.
The silver wolf approached the little boy who was still sleeping near the bush. The first thing that Kyanos noticed was that the boy's hair was shining, as if it were on fire. The young wolf wanted to touch it; he wanted to see if it felt as soft as it looked or if it would burn his fur if he touched it with one of his paws. The small animal was attracted to this boy as a moth to a flame and he finally realized that he would not care if he got a little burnt, if that was the price to pay to be near him.
The wolf crawled in his direction, getting closer and closer, his tiny paws gave little steps till it was close enough to see the sleeping boy at a very close distance. The animal smelled the blonde curly hair and he was happy to discover that it did not burn but it was a bit warm, he immediately supposed that it had been a trick of Helios to keep the boy warm while he rested. He approached a little more and his cold and shiny black muzzle rubbed slightly one of the boy's temples. Alexander stirred in his sleep and the wolf froze in the spot, he did not want t he boy to wake up because he wanted to go on with his exploration as he was enjoying it a lot. The little prince, who was resting on one of his side, turned round and lay on his back. His hair was spread on the patch of grass as if it were a crown made of the finest threads of gold or maybe it was the mane of the lion, king of the jungle.
The young wolf was fascinated, contemplating his new friend; he wanted so badly to be near this human that it was almost painful because he knew he would not be able to achieve his desire. His defiance to the alpha mate could bring him many problems, one of them being kicked out of the pack.
The wolf smelled the air again, no thread could be smelled in it so he sighed loudly. He sat next to the little golden boy, set his furry head on the boy's lap without putting too much pressure on it. After sighing again, the silver wolf hid his muzzle in the open hand resting on the golden boy's belly; and Kyanos for the first time in a long time, felt like he could be safe and at home with this little One too.
TBC
