Who am I?

PART VII

Kicking and thrashing about, Wesley wouldn't stop fidgeting, and it was starting to annoy the knights, now. He didn't want to go back to their city, why couldn't they see that?

He had since long come into sight of Gummadoon, and sneered at the sight of it, gaining their attention as he did this, but he didn't care.

Riding along the knights were only too glad to see the sight of Gummadoon, and frowned when the young cub sneered and hissed at it.

Sir Plucki tried to restrain the cub, and keep him still, but the cub would have none of it, he was going to continued annoying the living daylight out of them. Sir Plucki in a way, also wasn't surprised that the cub wouldn't stop fidgeting and trying to escape, the cub had been forced against his own will to come back here, even thought they knew that he didn't like this place.

Slowing their unicorns down to a trot, and trotting through the open gates, they ordered the gates closed, and so once seeing the gate shut, they dismounted their unicorns, and guided them towards the stables.

Now in the stables, and tending to their unicorns, Wesley who was still tied up on the top of the unicorn, began to kick again, and so he fell off it, and landed in the hay, beneath. Quickly standing up, he was about to run off, and find any mean of escape, when someone clasped his shoulder firmly, stopping him from going anywhere.

"Let me go" cried Wesley.

"Lad, you are not returning to the forest, it's too dangerous" said Sir Plucki sternly.

"I don't care, what you say, I will return" said Wesley hoarsely.

Fighting against the gummi captain's grip, Wesley tried to pull himself free, but he couldn't, his grip was too strong.

Leaving his unicorn, Sir Plucki took the cub by the arm, and lead him towards the Councillors Tower. Walking into the Tower, having practically dragged the cub along, having that Wesley at time stopped and refused to walk any further, they now stood before the Council. Untying the cub, Wesley shot him a venomous look, and he too turned to face the Councillors, knowing that he could not escape now.

The Council however did not look at all impressed by the young cub's behaviour, and waiting a moment, one of them then spoke

"Young one, what do you remember of us, before your village was attacked"

A silence filled the room, Wesley did not seem to answer, only stare at them, when finally he spoke though rather grumpily.

"Not much, only that you had vanished, when I was two years old"

"Anything else?" asked another Councillor.

"Gummadoon Knights, riding through our village, the day you vanished, collecting the last of the gummies that were to go with you and I saw you" he said pointing at Sir Plucki.

"How long do you think we've been away for, young one?" asked another councillor.

Wesley pulled a face then began to walk away.

"What do think your doing?"

Wesley felt someone grab his shoulder and spin him round, then he came face to face with Sir Plucki.

"Where do you think your going, lad?"

"Ha!" shouted Wesley kicking him in the chest so he released his grip.

Running over to a knight guarding the door he kicked him in the face and grabbed his staff then charged at Sir Plucki.

He swung the staff ready to hit him but he caught and wouldn't let go.

Sir Plucki was both surprised and angry with the cub. Cubs had never attacked him before yet Wesley attacked him with so much...hatred. Yes, it was their shining in his eyes as clear as the snarl on his face.

Knocking the staff out of the cubs hand Wesley lunged at him trying to hit him, what was wrong with him all the time they'd known Wesley he'd never acted like this.

Restraining the cub himself he held him close trying to calm him down, but Wesley continued to kick and scream.

"I don't have to answer your questions or stay in this prison"

"Lad, calm down"

Holding the cub tighter than before so he couldn't move at all he heard Wesley's labored breathing. He was tense and seemed to be waiting for him to loosen his grip so he could pounce on him again, but that wasn't happening anytime soon.

Wesley continued to struggle but he was just to strong he'd never get out of this iron grip, so with one final deep breath he relaxed instantly going as limp as a fish.

"Wesley"

Sir Plucki released his grip and looked down at the cub in his arms, he was exhausted from the struggle and his eyes no longer held that fierce rage and hate they had done a moment ago.

Tears seemed to weld up in the cub's eye, as he surrended to an exhaustion enduced sleep.

"Enough, for now, let the cub rest in his room until he is ready to talk"

Nodding, Sir Plucki left the Tower, with Wesley in his arms. Gaining any glances particularly worried one's from the cubs as he walked to Wesley's room. Entering he placed the cub down and pulled the blanket up to his chin before walking out of the room, and closing the door.

***

The Council sat there shocked and astounded, unable to speak a word.

Not until now a gummi attacked another of their kind, so seeing a display of a cub of ten years old, attacking a Gummi Knight, also the captain, was unheard of.

Finally finding their voice, they remained seated and sat in silence, awaiting for the Gummi Captain to place the cub in his room, as they saw him return, and stand before them.

Sir Plucki then spoke and gave his view of what he had witnessed in the forest, when Wesley vanished, and strangely knocked out the humans.

Still the Council remained quiet, though they were mainly putting the information together, when finally they realised it was all starting to make sense, and their suspicions were right.

"He doesn't know" said Councillor Wooddale.

"That's he neither living nor dead" said a councillor.

"He's a ghost" said another.

"But doesn't know that he's a ghost" said Councillor Berryboum.

"How do we tell him?" asked Sir Plucki.

"I'm afraid we can't, the child has to find out on his own" the councillor replied.

"The question is, why has he returned" they said.

The meeting over, and the captain dismissed, Sir Plucki went back to his duties, the conversation, and the words of the Councillors still on his mind.

***

A FEW HOURS LATER

Jumping out of bed, fully active and alert, Wesley scanned the room to find that he was alone, good no one was with him.

Opening the door and running out of the room and into the corridor, Wesley seemed to be in deep thought about something, and he froze in the corridor, wondering how to escape, but there seemed no point in that now.

Every time he escaped from this place, the knights also managed to track him down only to bring him back here, which he detested and felt like a prisoner here.

Walking down the corridor, and onto another path, which led him into the opening, Wesley blinked a few times, and raised his paw, to block out the sunlight in his eyes.

Walking further on, he was led back to the castle wall, where down below, were the training grounds. Freezing in his footsteps for a moment, Wesley watched as a few knights trained and went up against one another.

Watching how they ducked, and fought, Wesley immediately became intrigued and wanted to try it out, but he knew himself, they would never let him.

Quickly running out of the training grounds, when he saw them look at him, he tried to shrug it off, and stop himself from going forth and picking up one of their staff's and using it.

Coming nearby to where the cubs played, Wesley looked confused once again, as he saw another cub, slightly younger than himself, cower and whimper at him, before slipping away from sight.

Looking bewildered, Wesley then walked on, and passing the area where the cub's actually played, Wesley noticed then how all the cub's then suddenly vanished from sight where they saw him, but that's not got him. What got him, was the fear he saw in their eyes, and how they immediately tensed when they saw him, what was wrong? Why were they all avoiding him?

Walking off again, he felt slightly hurt by the fact that they didn't want to include him in, just when he decided that for once whilst he was in this city, that he would play.

Feeling left out, Wesley walked towards the main centre of the city, where all the stalls were located, and residents bustling about the place, though when he arrived he found that it was quite busy.

***

LATE AFTERNOON

Finished training, and dismissing a few knights, Sir Plucki left the training grounds and headed for the hall.

Upon entering the hall, he saw a few knights that weren't on duty, and all the gummi residents seated, except for a few cubs, who still preferred to run around and play.

Scanning the hall, he noticed that someone in particular had not joined them, and he left to go and find the cub.

***

Wesley

Sitting on the window edge, I place my paws on the stone, and feel the coldness of it, as I inwardly involuntarily shiver.

Pulling my legs up to my chest, I wrap my arms round them, and I begin to rock myself to and fro. I feel so alone.

What do the other cubs see in me, that makes them fear me, so? Why do the adults ignore me, like I'm not there?

I feel like I'm invisible to them.

Hearing the door knock, I ignore it, I just want to be left alone, to figure this out.

The door opens, and Sir Plucki walked in, looking for the cub, but he not here.

Seeing the cub was not in bed, the sheets thrown back, he looked round the room, and saw the shadows casted upon the walls of the cub's room, and wondered whether Wesley was hiding in the shadows, again.

Looking into the shadows, he soon spotted the cub, who by now had climbed down from the window ledge.

"Wesley" he said.

The cub didn't reply, only stayed quiet and stared back at him.

No tears stained the cub's cheek, but his eyes told the gummi captain, that the cub's was far away, thinking about something.

Neither of them said anything at first, just looked at one another and couldn't help but think that this had happened before.

"What the point, in bringing me back here?" asked Wesley quietly.

Sir Plucki sighed, how many times did he have to tell the cub, before he realized?

"For your own safety, lad" he replied.

"Is it?" questioned Wesley. "The cubs here, fear me for no reasons, and the adults ignore me like I don't exist".

A few moments of silence was heard, and Wesley still continued to stare, keeping eye contact with Sir Plucki.

Sir Plucki stared back at the cub, realizing the cub was not questioning his safety, but his very own existence.

The cub was slowly starting to figure out his existence, step by step, he was gradually drawing closer to the truth of what he really was.

"I feel like I'm invisible here, like I'm a ghost to everyone" Wesley said.

Having jumped several stages, unknown to Wesley though, Sir Plucki looked at the cub. The cub was so close now to finding out the truth, but he wouldn't say anything, the cub had to find out himself, the question was how would the cub handle it?

Wesley had just confessed that he felt like a ghost, now all he needed to do was realize somehow, that he is a ghost.

Walking over and kneeling down beside the cub, so he was eye level with him, the cub then said

"I feel like I've been rejected, unwanted" he said.

"That's not true, lad" said Sir Plucki.

Wesley turned to Sir Plucki then, and looked into his eyes, he smiled weakly.

"Why do you say that?" asked Wesley.

"Lad, there are some days, when we are ignored, or left out" he said.

Wesley then looked back down at the floor, thinking over Sir Plucki's words, when his stomach then complained, he looked up sheepishly.

"Hungry?" asked Sir Plucki.

Wesley nodded, and the two stood up and left the room, towards the hall.

END OF PART VII

PART VIII COMING SOON!