11 Sukari
...I wonder what it's like to be loved by you, I wonder what it's like to be home. And I don't walk where there's a stone in my shoe, all I know, that in time I'll be fine...
The next time Chandler awoke, the warm and foul smelling breath of a wolf had hit him in the face. "Yeah, it's them alright." The wolf signalled. Chandler tried to crawl away from the revolting stench of the wolf, as he noticed behind the wolf was also standing a brown lioness. The lioness looked surprisedly at Chandler, but spoke to the wolf, "Don't be so harsh, wolf. If you only had the decency to tell them why they were here-" But the wolf interrupted,
"Don't spoil the plan now, Sukari." It sniffed Chandler's face, revealing rows of dagger-like teeth. Chandler noticed too that Joey was staring at the animals in horror. The wolf was calm, but seemed a little frustrated, "So you thought you could escape our little deal..."
Chandler gasped, he had forgotten about the deal he had been rushed into the night before, "...What, run away? Did you see the walls caving in over our heads?" Chandler mocked the wolf. The lioness was beginning to giggle a little but the wolf gave her a cold, hard glare and she looked ashamedly to the ground again. "You will give the stone to me, or I'll make a kill...A human kill" The wolf growled under its breath.
Then the lioness stepped in, "Have you even told them about the stone?" She asked, a little anoyed at the wolf's impatience.
"Fine." The wolf sighed. Chandler and Joey listened. "The stone. It's real name is the Suri Maha." As he said so, a low rumble could be heard in the distant sky. "We don't use that name much." The wolf looked behind him to the mountains, then looked back and continued, "The stone had been passed down through generations, the same family of stone holders, but the stone has gotten into the wrong hands...I work for someone who...is supposed to have inherited it. I need to bring the stone to its rightful holder..." The wolf stared at Joey who was beginning to feel more unsettled. Then Chandler interrupted "So you got us to do it for you?" Chandler yelled. The wolf continued to stare at Joey, "...you have the stone." the wolf's eyes were gazing into Joey's, who sat open-mouthed in disbelief. "Me? How me?" Chandler shook his head, "That's a load of crap. We don't have any stone. If you wanna damn stone just get one..." He shouted angrily, "Here is a stone!" He pointed to a stone as he stood up. He picked it up and shook it in front of the wolf's nose as he yelled, "A stone, See?" He then threw it next to the wolf's paw, his teeth gritted in anger. The wolf remained standing still, its eyes were fixed firmly onto Chandler's, "The stone isn't in its physical form, it's been absorbed, by you." He motioned with his head and eyes toward Joey. Joey sat open-mouthed in silence. Chandler felt his fists curl into tight balls, he wanted to beat up the wolf that instant, but had to refrain from doing so.
"Prove it", said Joey finally. The wolf sighed, "There is no way of proving it...unless you decide to use your powers, but chances are you won't know how to use them." Joey stood up, and suddenly looked shocked to find what had happened. "I... don't feel any pain... I'm healed." He panted astonished and wide-eyed at Chandler, who also looked surprised. The wolf shook his head and glanced quicky at Sukari, then looked back at Joey, "If it weren't for the stone's powers you'd be dead right now." He sounded a little angered, "Seems you absorbed it just in time to spare your life...but the stone can't save you from any more injuries." Then Chandler broke into anger, "I see your plan. You're gonna kill Joey so you can have the stone, how could you be so cold-hearted?" he shouted, gritting his teeth.
"In return..." The wolf began, but Sukari interupted, "-Stop it wolf, you know you don't have to kill him." The wolf glared at the lioness, but she contiued, "You can extract the stone from him in the same way it was extracted from its previous holder. Do it without killing him!" She yelled. The wolf broke in, "Silence, Sukari" he snapped at her with his powerful jaws, but she ducked, "I am choosing to follow the orders of Civet, which is to kill the holder of the stone." With that the wolf leaped in front of Joey, and exposed his vile teeth. The strong jaws clamped into Joey's arm as the wolf tried to bring him down, Chandler threw himself at the wolf and ripped at his silver fur in anguish. The wolf turned his head and snapped at Chandler who avoided the jaws by rolling himself off the wolf's back. Joey managed to run a metre away from the wolf where he bumped into Chandler. They turned around to see the wolf was headed for them in a slow trot, his muzzle frothing with spit. The lioness screamed at the wolf, "Wolf, no. Leave them alone!" She ran at the wolf's side, but he paid no attention to her, as his eyes were firmly fixed on his targets. "Stop!" She raised an agressive paw and dug her claws into the wolf's front leg. The wolf howled in pain and turned a pair of reddened eyes at Sukari. "You traitor!" He snapped at her with his jaws but missed her neck by an inch, she jumped to the side and yelled, "There's no need for this!"
...I wonder what it's like to fly so high, or to breath under the sea. I wonder if someday I'll be good at goodbyes, but I'll be OK if you come along with me...