Chapter Ten

Steve Meets Alex

I was on my way back home when my wolf started snarling. He would growl off and on until we were maybe a hundred blocks from home, and then he ran, his eyes glowing red with hostility. I didn't know what was happening, but I ran after him.

Maybe it was an intruder. A monster? No, few monsters could survive the daylight.

I arrived in the clearing I called home and drew my iron sword. My wolf was growling at the fence I used to keep sheep. I didn't know why he was being so mean to them.

"Ash!" I yelled at him, but to no avail. "Stop!"

He went closer to the sheep, and they scattered. I was afraid he was going mad, and might eat them, so I went closer to him.

About that time I saw a figure in the corner of my eye. I looked up and saw another person behind the sheep enclosure.

Ash charged towards her.

"Ash, no!"

The girl screamed.

I ran in front of Ash and prepared myself for the worst. If my dog was turning against me, he would attack either of us. If he just didn't like the stranger, he would still yield to me.

I stopped in front of the girl and held my sword out in case Ash tried to lunge. He stopped short in front of the blade, sat down, and began to pant. His eyes slowly turned back to a natural brown as he realized the new person was being protected by his master, so therefore must not be a huge threat.

I turned to face the girl. "I'm so sorry," I apologized. "He doesn't do well with strangers."

She just looked at me, her green eyes wide with shock.

"Um, this is my. . . dog. His name is Ash," I explained. "Because his paws are black like they've been burned, and also I found him in the Nether when he was just a puppy."

She still said nothing, but she looked more relaxed. Then I remembered something.

"Oh! I forgot!"

She looked startled. I laughed.

"My name, I forgot to tell you my name."

She visibly relaxed and smiled a bit.

"My name is Steve," I told her. "What's yours?"

Her tiny smile went away. There were a few moments of silence. The she told me, "Alex. My name is Alex."

"Nice to meet to Alex," I smiled.

She smiled back.

It was getting close to nighttime when we met, so I offered to let her stay with me and Ash at least for tonight. She accepted, and helped to add a new room onto the house where she could sleep.

We had just finished the room and put the bed in when the sun's light disappeared completely from the sky.

Alex looked out of the window at the stars. She seemed amazed by all the nature she saw.

I left out of the room to prepare food. I opened a chest near the furnace, grabbed a few potatoes, put them in the furnace and waited.

I watched the coals burn as I thought about everything that had happened. I couldn't believe it.

I wasn't alone.

I had thought that I would have to travel this whole world to find out, and the answer had come from my front yard.

Where had Alex come from? She obviously didn't have a place to stay because she had accepted to stay here, unless she did, but it was just too far to travel at night. She was unarmed and didn't seem hostile, so she didn't really pose a threat to me.

As I was thinking about all of this, a sudden nausea swept over me. I was overcome with fatigue. Everything around me seemed to turn a darker shade of the color it originally was. I tried to move, but I was so tired.

Then it was gone.

The colors were brighter, I felt fine, it was as if nothing had happened at all.

The door to Alex's room swung open.

"What was that?" She asked, her orange waves of hair bouncing as she half-ran towards me.

"I don't know," I told her. "But it kind of reminded me of the Wither Effect, except that doesn't make you weak."

"The Wither Effect?" She looked confused.

I nodded. "Yeah, it happens when the Wither is near."

She still seemed a little lost.

"The Wither is a huge monster with three heads and a floating body and he shoots flaming skulls at anyone who gets near him," I tried to explain. "But it couldn't have been the Wither because he's in the Nether," I added.

Alex nodded slowly. I guess she understood enough of it.

"So," she said. "What was that then?"

I didn't have an answer for that.