Chapter 42
Prophecy and Morality
Zanuark woke up, two days passed since the Sons of Entei was scared off. Zanuark rested uneasy, and Kaisa woke up him multiple times throughout the nights. He had been crying in his sleep, as his ghosts began crying.
After the third night, Kaisa finally sat in front of him when he was eating in the morning. "Please let me help you." She said.
Zanuark looked down. He lost his appetite and sighed slowly shaking his head. "Zan, please! I don't like seeing you this way. Where is my guardian, my savior, my soldier that would not falter? Where did he go?" She asked.
Zanuark looked up at her. "He ran away when the ghosts haunted him."
"Ghosts?" She wondered aloud.
Zanuark nodded. "Their screams, every one I've killed, I can hear them. Their families crying. The brutal and painful deaths… They are coming back." Kaisa looked down, unsure what to say. "I'm scared, what if I am doomed to be separated from you for all eternity?"
Kaisa looked back up. Zanuark's tears welled up in his eyes. "What if I am doomed to be sealed? All the chosen seven are appearing, and there is only one more to appear!"
Kaisa looked him in the eyes. "Don't say that, ever. You will never leave me, until death do we part."
Zanuark looked at her and wish he could reason with her, but he was unable to. He was scared, afraid, and vulnerable. He turned his head and closed his eyes.
Kaisa turned and padded off sobbing. Zanuark could feel her pain, feeling heavy, his chest hurt. He felt heavier than stone and fell to his side. He disappointed Kaisa. "I betrayed her." He kept mumbling to himself.
Dorian approached Zanuark and tried to get him up but failed miserably. Pheobe approached next. Pheobe looked down pressing her paw to his fore head. "Leave him alone."
Dorian looked at Pheobe, "Are you sure, he seems-" Pheobe looked at Dorian. Her facial expression reassured him that it was alright.
Zanuark eventually fell into sleep. Closing his eyes and drifting into sleep. In his dream, he saw a blue figure that stood on two legs instead of four. It looked at Zanuark, its eyes were a light blue blaze. A strange aura radiated off the figure, dark and light blue orbs drifted off shrinking and disappearing.
It walked closer to Zanuark, and Zanuark began to move backwards. The figure seemed to grow as it grew closer. Zanuark watched as it grew larger, until finally its body consumed him. The blue became a sky and a field appeared. The landscape was devastated. Great mountains were reduced to hills. The Great Plains was reduced from a fertile landscape to a muddy and dead marsh. Bodies littered the ground, uninflected by wounds, but dead. Blood drawn from their muzzles.
Zanuark walked around, wondering where he was, if this was even home. Soon, night began to fall on the sky and his dream faded. He woke up, it was night. He looked around the cave for Kaisa, but she was gone. Zanuark padded out and looked into the sky. Moon high was yet to appear. Zanuark hurried off for the moonlit cave.
He padded inside, and just as he thought, Kaisa was inside staring down at the water. She was alerted of his presence by paw steps. She turned his head to him briefly and backed to the pool. He sat down and waited, not coming any closer.
Kaisa turned her head briefly every now and then to Zanuark to see if he moved. Eventually she spoke up, "Why are you here?"
"I'm sorry…" Zanuark apologized.
"For what?" Kaisa snarled.
Her face pierced Zanuark more heavily than Kaisa would ever know. His ears lower and his tail down. "For being an ass. For disappointing you, hurting myself more than I thought possible…"
Kaisa sighed and turned back to the pool. "I don't care about what you said. It's the fact you were hell driven that we'll be separated permanently. You couldn't at least have any hope. That it was wrong, after the fact you have proven you aren't driven to use your power for bloodlust, but to protect. To end war. To see it through, that we can coexist with Eeveelutions. Our daughter is a Leafeon for Arceus sake. You will be a grandfather in a moon or two."
Zanuark looked down at his paws. "I'm scared. I live every day with the fear of losing you, or my family for good. I can't live like this. Knowing any day could be the last time I see you."
A paw was placed under his chin and rose it up. Kaisa looked down at him. "Then stop it."
"How?"
"Just stop it. Stop fearing what is to come, and focus on now. You live here, not next. Can you do this?"
Zanuark slowly nodded. Kaisa smiled and dropped her paw to the floor. She headed back to the pool and looked at the orb. Zanuark sat next to her and she leaned over on his side.
The moon moved into position and the cave lit up brightly again. Zanuark could feel the memories of the first part of his life come to mind. He sighed wondering where his littermates were, and where all his siblings he never met were. He knew where Celina was, but Cali and Cora, he had no idea where they were. Neither did Pheobe, and only the daughters of her first litter remained in the cave. Zanuark then looked at Kaisa for a moment, knowing her parents were gone but unsure of any siblings. After a few moments he finally woke up the courage to ask her on the touchy subject, "Kaisa, I never knew if you had any siblings."
She nodded. "I did, but, they disappeared with my parents."
Zanuark looked down. "Then, that legend, you talked about years ago."
Kaisa once more nodded. "Yea…"
Zanuark looked at her, "I, actually found out happened behind that. Froslass, many of them, but, they're dead now. I protected the princess of Articuno Mountains."
Kaisa twisted her head. "Seriously? Did you find any of the other victims?"
Zanuark sighed. "No, sadly. I just got rid of the Froslass, but, they were scared of me, and the only thing that I understood was "eye of death" out of them."
Kaisa looked down at the water and back at Zanuark. "I wonder how different my life would be if you were never found by your mother."
Zanuark looked at the orb, searching for answers. "If the order wasn't given to siege the Great Plains."
Kaisa looked down. "If you didn't introduce yourself as Zenobe's brother."
"Okay, I think we both get it."
The moonlight soon stopped shining onto the orb and the cave fell dark once more. Zanuark sighed, and pulled Kaisa in close. "I wonder how all my victims have felt in their last moments, especially my most recent…"
Kaisa looked at him. "What happened?"
Zanuark looked down. "I defied Entei, and ripped off the leader of that revolt's limbs off. Then threw him far away to the point I have no idea when he died, or where he landed. I just knew he went off south past the ocean."
Kaisa narrowed her eyes. "Defied Entei, as in the god?"
Zanuark nodded. "I thought Entei was about to attack me, but, after trying to intimidate me and failing, he looked scared, and then disappeared in a column of fire."
Kaisa looked at him. "That is why people don't mess with me, because they have you to deal with." She giggled. Zanuark was not amused. "Sorry…"
Zanuark shook his head. "It's alright. I never wanted this power, but we wouldn't be together if that was the case. You would have died for good, and I would have probably killed myself. None of this pain is worth it without you."
Kaisa pressed her face to his side. "I'm glad things have turned out the way they have in the end."
Zanuark nodded. "I am two, I have someone to be by my side, even when not together physically."
Kaisa lied down in a flower bed with Zanuark next to her. The two rested together easily. Drifting back into sleep with each other's warmth.
Zanuark woke up, and headed for the cave with Kaisa. The two walked inside to find a unit of Mightyena standing with a Flareon. "Zanuark, is it?" One asked.
Zanuark nodded.
"You are under arrest for murder and treason."
Zanuark twisted his head. "The only ones I've killed have been during active duty or in service of another."
The Mightyena smacked him down pinning Zanuark to the ground. "There are multiple eye witnesses of your crime, and you will be tried upon a jury of peers."
Kaisa came to his side pushing the Mightyena off Zanuark. "Get off him you uneducated pest! He has done nothing of this sort, and has time and time again saved this empire!"
The others with the Flareon tensed and growled. "Wait." Zanuark spoke up. "Leave her alone, I will come peacefully and answer to this nonsense." Kaisa looked at him. "But, she will follow. Otherwise you can bring Zenobe here himself, and he will object to this nonsense as well."
The Mightyena looked at the Flareon for a moment and the Flareon nodded.
Zanuark narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?" He demanded. He looked around and looked at the smallest Mightyena. "You, state your rank."
"Ugh, Private first-class." The Mightyena answered.
"This is a farce. Get out of my sight." Zanuark growled. "This wasn't authorized by anyone. You got the entire unit of the elite stealth and recon commander, Charybdis, in here. If you do not show me your token of warrant, see yourself out."
Before anyone else could say a word, Zanuark began talking once more. "Oh, where are my manners? Did I forget to say the charges of blasphemy and treason you can get for this? You, Flareon, get out of here, the rest of you stay put. Kaisa, go get Charybdis for me."
The Flareon took off and Kaisa padded away. A moment later Kaisa walked back with Charybdis.
"Let me get this straight, why are you doing this?" He asked the Mightyena who accompanied the Flareon.
"We were just getting payed." He answered. "The system forgot us and we were never sent to a unit, so we started mercenary work."
Charybdis narrowed his eyes observing the Mightyena that stood before him. "Very well then, I don't find anything wrong with you, but you have been noted. Don't let me hear anything about criminal acts again or I'll bring this up."
"Yes sir!" The mercs chanted. Charybdis nodded them away and looked at Zanuark shaking his head. "You have so many enemies. You're the one who will only fight as a last resort. It doesn't make sense."
Kaisa nodded. "It really doesn't. Apparently we just aren't ready for peace."
