Chapter 13: The Black Snake
After a while Aroree came into the thrown room. "My Lord, dinner is served." She said.
They walked into the dinning room and sat down, waiting for Alex and Winnowil to return. Alex sat down next to Skywise, she wore a dress that draped over her shoulders. The sleeves reached her knuckles. Around the top of the dress hung beautiful white feathers. Her hair was pulled back a little and she looked kind of uncomfortable. When she sat down, Skywise looked at her.
"Wow, you look-" He started to send.
"Terrible! I hate my hair like this and I hate dresses. I especially hate black." Alex sent interrupting him.
"Actually I was going to say you look beautiful. but ok." Skywise sent with a smile.
Cutter just stared at her. He couldn't say anything or do anything. He just stared.
"Let's eat." Voll said and everyone started to eat.
Alex was silent the whole time. Skywise knew something was wrong, but he stayed quiet. "Young lady, I talked to your chief and have decided to let them both go." Voll said looking at Alex.
Alex just smiled slightly and didn't even bother looking up at him. "After dinner, I will have Aroree show you all to your sleeping chamber for tonight." Voll said looking at Cutter.
"Thank you, Lord Voll." Cutter said nodding with acknowledgement.
Winnowil kept looking over at Alex. Then Alex jerked her head up and looked around.
"Petal Wing?! Where is Petal Wing?" She said in a slightly low voice.
"Soft Pretty High Thing!" Petal Wing yelled flying into Alex's hair. She shivered and hid in Alex's hair when she saw Winnowil.
"Lord Voll, may I be shown to our sleeping chamber now, please. I'm getting tired." Alex said trying to pull Petal Wing out of her hair.
"Yes, of course, Aroree?" Voll said looking at Aroree. Aroree stood up and nodded. Then she walked out of the room with Alex.
"Well, looks as though you wolfriders do get tired." Voll smiled.
"She's just had a long day, sir. As a matter of fact I think I'll join her." Skywise said and followed the others.
"Thank you, Lord Voll. I think I'll join my friends." Cutter said getting up and following Skywise and Alex.
Everyone finished and Voll and Winnowil left to their sleeping chamber. "Here you are." Aroree said putting Alex and the others in a large room.
"Thank you." Cutter said as they entered the room and left Aroree. "Soft Pretty High Thing not look happy." Petal Wing said looking at Alex. Alex smiled and took the small ribbon that held her hair back, out. Her hair dropped down her back and over her shoulders. Some went into her face, which she moved out of the way.
"Much better." She said smiling. Skywise smiled when he looked at her.
Alex looked down at her dress and looked disappointed. "I hate dresses."
"Alex I'm very disappointed in you. Never do what you did today, again." Cutter said angrily shaking his finger at her. "Yes, my chief." Alex said looking down.
"Soft Pretty High Thing go home now?" Petal Wing asked peaking out from beneath Midnight's thick black fur.
"Not yet, Petal Wing. I still have some business to attend to." Alex said sitting down on one of the beds next to her.
"Cutter, what happened today-scared me. I thought I was ganna lose you and Skywise. Plus, I can't lose you, because you're the chief and I can't be the chieftess of the wolfriders-for a long time." Alex said looking at Cutter.
After a while Skywise sat down on a bed of furs and fell asleep. Cutter and Alex sat up and just looked at each other. They didn't talk for a few minutes.
"Thank you for coming after us today, but next time just forget about us." Cutter said lying down.
"What? But-" Alex looked at him. He gave her a sharp look and shook his head. Alex sighed and watched Cutter and Skywise sleep.
"Petal Wing cover mean soft pretty high things with wrap stuff?" Petal Wing whispered which brought a smile to Alex's face. Petal Wing flew around the room a few times then went to lie on Midnight who sat down next to Alex.
After a few hours of sitting there Alex started to fall asleep sitting up. She woke with a jerk when she heard something. It wasn't a noise outside, but a sending from someone. She listened to the sending for a few minutes.
"Come child! Die, in your creator's arms." Alex heard, but tried to ignore it but her curiosity got the better of her and she got up and went to the door of the room. Alex opened the door quietly and followed the sending.
After a minute she heard someone moving around in a room. She looked in the thrown room and saw Winnowil standing there.
"So you finally came." She said. "You were the one who was doing those sending?" Alex asked and something grabbed her from behind and took her closer to Winnowil.
"You are brave, child. But now you will die." Winnowil said looking down at Alex's surprised face.
"Your brother and lifemate will die as well." Winnowil said with a smirk.
"He's not my lifemate." Alex said. "Oh, then what is he?" Winnowil asked. "A umm friend that I care dearly for." Alex said.
"Sounds like a lifemate to me, but have it your way. You and your friends will not be here in the morning." Winnowil said as she pointed to the thrown.
Alex looked at the thrown and saw Voll stabbed throught the heart, bleeding to death. Alex gasped and looked back at Winnowil.
"You're a killer!" Alex yelled. "Oh no, child. I am a healer. I give life I don't take it." Winnowil said smiling slightly.
"How?" Alex asked. "Don't you remember? I saved YOU! 15 long years ago. I took you from the humans as their daily sacrifice. They said they found you in the forest. Anyway, I didn't kill you I transformed you into a human so you could live with them in peace. I gave you back to one of the humans who worshiped me and they took care of you." Winnowil said.
WHAT?! But wait, my mother said that they weren't real. That they disappeared."
Alex said remembering what Joyleaf told her a while ago.
"They did disappear. The glider's killed them because they lost you." Winnowil said smirking even more. "You were but 3 years old. That is why I looked at you so much during dinner, because you looked so familiar and then I realized who you were. You are Chieftess of those wolfriders, as you call them."
"No, I'm not chieftess of the wolfriders, Cutter is chief." Alex said to surprised to say anything about everything else Winnowil had just said.
"Then what are you?" Winnowil asked. "The chief's sister!" Alex said. Winnwil shrugged.
"Oh, and yes. I was the one that came to those two human children. I wanted them to make you come to me." Winnowil said smiling evilly.
"I knew it! It was you!" Alex said and Winnowil nodded. "Those children will grow up to hate you if you don't get home soon." Winnowil said acting slightly upset.
"We were just leaving." Alex said crossing her arms and looked angrily at Winnowil.
"Good, and don't come back unless you want to be killed." Winnowil said angrily. Alex looked at her for a moment then turned and walked back to the room she was sleeping in with the others.
"How is it possible? She killed my human parents?" She thought when she walked into the room.
"Alex. . . What's wrong?" Midnight sent to her. Alex looked up and smiled at Midnight. "Nothing, but we need to leave, now." She whispered.
Without hesitation Midnight stood and woke Petal Wing. "Soft Pretty High Thing leaving?" It asked and Alex nodded.
"Tam. . ." Alex sent and Cutter woke with a start. "Alex? What's wrong?" Cutter whispered. "We're leaving." Alex said quietly.
"Fahr, wake up. . ." Cutter sent weakly because he had just woken up. Skywise woke up, sat up slowly and looked around.
"Why are we leaving?" Cutter asked when Skywise was up and alert. "We were thrown out by that Black Snake." Alex said rolling her eyes.
"Thrown out?! But we were invited to stay." Skywise said looking at Cutter. "Yea, invited by Lord Voll. But he's dead. . . Winnowil threw us out." Alex said looking at Midnight, who was now standing next to her.
"WHAT?!" Cutter and Skywise said looking at Alex in surprise and disbelief. "You heard me, Voll was killed. We were thrown out, we have to leave, now. So let's go." Alex said swinging her leg over Midnight's back and sitting down comfortably.
Petal Wing looked up at Alex and looked at Cutter, Skywise and their wolf friends. "Soft Pretty High Things get going now?" It asked.
Alex smiled and nodded and leaned forward on Midnight's back. She looked at Cutter for a long time. They stared at each other for a few moments. Cutter felt as though Alex's eyes were piercing into his mind, searching for an answer. Waiting for her Chief's command.
"Cutter, what do we do?" Skywise asked looking from him to Alex and back to him again. "We leave. . ." Cutter said getting up and mounting Nightrunner. Skywise did the same and mounted Starjumper. And Cutter looked at Alex again to make sure she was telling the truth.
Her eyes told him everything and he turned away and they left the room. They immediately left the mountain without stopping to rest anywhere close to the entrance. Alex was silent the whole time and just kept looking at Petal Wing and the sky. She always loved counting the stars because she knew that there were to many to count but she had fun anyway.
Her dress draped over Midnight and almost made it look like they were one. Skywise kept looking at Cutter and back at Alex. Cutter was in the front not speaking but thinking about something that seemed to almost strain his mind. Skywise was next to him and they kept looking at each other and telling each other with their eyes that something was wrong. Alex was behind them. Farther behind them than they wanted her to be but she stayed her distance because she was too tired to deal with anything they had to ask her.
"Tam, something happened back there in the mountain. I've never seen her this quiet before." Skywise lock sent so Alex know.
"I know but she won't tell me and I don't know how to find out. Maybe she will tell that bug, and it will tell us." Cutter sent leaning his head back a little to point at Petal Wing.
"Maybe. . ." Skywise sent worried.
After a while Aroree came into the thrown room. "My Lord, dinner is served." She said.
They walked into the dinning room and sat down, waiting for Alex and Winnowil to return. Alex sat down next to Skywise, she wore a dress that draped over her shoulders. The sleeves reached her knuckles. Around the top of the dress hung beautiful white feathers. Her hair was pulled back a little and she looked kind of uncomfortable. When she sat down, Skywise looked at her.
"Wow, you look-" He started to send.
"Terrible! I hate my hair like this and I hate dresses. I especially hate black." Alex sent interrupting him.
"Actually I was going to say you look beautiful. but ok." Skywise sent with a smile.
Cutter just stared at her. He couldn't say anything or do anything. He just stared.
"Let's eat." Voll said and everyone started to eat.
Alex was silent the whole time. Skywise knew something was wrong, but he stayed quiet. "Young lady, I talked to your chief and have decided to let them both go." Voll said looking at Alex.
Alex just smiled slightly and didn't even bother looking up at him. "After dinner, I will have Aroree show you all to your sleeping chamber for tonight." Voll said looking at Cutter.
"Thank you, Lord Voll." Cutter said nodding with acknowledgement.
Winnowil kept looking over at Alex. Then Alex jerked her head up and looked around.
"Petal Wing?! Where is Petal Wing?" She said in a slightly low voice.
"Soft Pretty High Thing!" Petal Wing yelled flying into Alex's hair. She shivered and hid in Alex's hair when she saw Winnowil.
"Lord Voll, may I be shown to our sleeping chamber now, please. I'm getting tired." Alex said trying to pull Petal Wing out of her hair.
"Yes, of course, Aroree?" Voll said looking at Aroree. Aroree stood up and nodded. Then she walked out of the room with Alex.
"Well, looks as though you wolfriders do get tired." Voll smiled.
"She's just had a long day, sir. As a matter of fact I think I'll join her." Skywise said and followed the others.
"Thank you, Lord Voll. I think I'll join my friends." Cutter said getting up and following Skywise and Alex.
Everyone finished and Voll and Winnowil left to their sleeping chamber. "Here you are." Aroree said putting Alex and the others in a large room.
"Thank you." Cutter said as they entered the room and left Aroree. "Soft Pretty High Thing not look happy." Petal Wing said looking at Alex. Alex smiled and took the small ribbon that held her hair back, out. Her hair dropped down her back and over her shoulders. Some went into her face, which she moved out of the way.
"Much better." She said smiling. Skywise smiled when he looked at her.
Alex looked down at her dress and looked disappointed. "I hate dresses."
"Alex I'm very disappointed in you. Never do what you did today, again." Cutter said angrily shaking his finger at her. "Yes, my chief." Alex said looking down.
"Soft Pretty High Thing go home now?" Petal Wing asked peaking out from beneath Midnight's thick black fur.
"Not yet, Petal Wing. I still have some business to attend to." Alex said sitting down on one of the beds next to her.
"Cutter, what happened today-scared me. I thought I was ganna lose you and Skywise. Plus, I can't lose you, because you're the chief and I can't be the chieftess of the wolfriders-for a long time." Alex said looking at Cutter.
After a while Skywise sat down on a bed of furs and fell asleep. Cutter and Alex sat up and just looked at each other. They didn't talk for a few minutes.
"Thank you for coming after us today, but next time just forget about us." Cutter said lying down.
"What? But-" Alex looked at him. He gave her a sharp look and shook his head. Alex sighed and watched Cutter and Skywise sleep.
"Petal Wing cover mean soft pretty high things with wrap stuff?" Petal Wing whispered which brought a smile to Alex's face. Petal Wing flew around the room a few times then went to lie on Midnight who sat down next to Alex.
After a few hours of sitting there Alex started to fall asleep sitting up. She woke with a jerk when she heard something. It wasn't a noise outside, but a sending from someone. She listened to the sending for a few minutes.
"Come child! Die, in your creator's arms." Alex heard, but tried to ignore it but her curiosity got the better of her and she got up and went to the door of the room. Alex opened the door quietly and followed the sending.
After a minute she heard someone moving around in a room. She looked in the thrown room and saw Winnowil standing there.
"So you finally came." She said. "You were the one who was doing those sending?" Alex asked and something grabbed her from behind and took her closer to Winnowil.
"You are brave, child. But now you will die." Winnowil said looking down at Alex's surprised face.
"Your brother and lifemate will die as well." Winnowil said with a smirk.
"He's not my lifemate." Alex said. "Oh, then what is he?" Winnowil asked. "A umm friend that I care dearly for." Alex said.
"Sounds like a lifemate to me, but have it your way. You and your friends will not be here in the morning." Winnowil said as she pointed to the thrown.
Alex looked at the thrown and saw Voll stabbed throught the heart, bleeding to death. Alex gasped and looked back at Winnowil.
"You're a killer!" Alex yelled. "Oh no, child. I am a healer. I give life I don't take it." Winnowil said smiling slightly.
"How?" Alex asked. "Don't you remember? I saved YOU! 15 long years ago. I took you from the humans as their daily sacrifice. They said they found you in the forest. Anyway, I didn't kill you I transformed you into a human so you could live with them in peace. I gave you back to one of the humans who worshiped me and they took care of you." Winnowil said.
WHAT?! But wait, my mother said that they weren't real. That they disappeared."
Alex said remembering what Joyleaf told her a while ago.
"They did disappear. The glider's killed them because they lost you." Winnowil said smirking even more. "You were but 3 years old. That is why I looked at you so much during dinner, because you looked so familiar and then I realized who you were. You are Chieftess of those wolfriders, as you call them."
"No, I'm not chieftess of the wolfriders, Cutter is chief." Alex said to surprised to say anything about everything else Winnowil had just said.
"Then what are you?" Winnowil asked. "The chief's sister!" Alex said. Winnwil shrugged.
"Oh, and yes. I was the one that came to those two human children. I wanted them to make you come to me." Winnowil said smiling evilly.
"I knew it! It was you!" Alex said and Winnowil nodded. "Those children will grow up to hate you if you don't get home soon." Winnowil said acting slightly upset.
"We were just leaving." Alex said crossing her arms and looked angrily at Winnowil.
"Good, and don't come back unless you want to be killed." Winnowil said angrily. Alex looked at her for a moment then turned and walked back to the room she was sleeping in with the others.
"How is it possible? She killed my human parents?" She thought when she walked into the room.
"Alex. . . What's wrong?" Midnight sent to her. Alex looked up and smiled at Midnight. "Nothing, but we need to leave, now." She whispered.
Without hesitation Midnight stood and woke Petal Wing. "Soft Pretty High Thing leaving?" It asked and Alex nodded.
"Tam. . ." Alex sent and Cutter woke with a start. "Alex? What's wrong?" Cutter whispered. "We're leaving." Alex said quietly.
"Fahr, wake up. . ." Cutter sent weakly because he had just woken up. Skywise woke up, sat up slowly and looked around.
"Why are we leaving?" Cutter asked when Skywise was up and alert. "We were thrown out by that Black Snake." Alex said rolling her eyes.
"Thrown out?! But we were invited to stay." Skywise said looking at Cutter. "Yea, invited by Lord Voll. But he's dead. . . Winnowil threw us out." Alex said looking at Midnight, who was now standing next to her.
"WHAT?!" Cutter and Skywise said looking at Alex in surprise and disbelief. "You heard me, Voll was killed. We were thrown out, we have to leave, now. So let's go." Alex said swinging her leg over Midnight's back and sitting down comfortably.
Petal Wing looked up at Alex and looked at Cutter, Skywise and their wolf friends. "Soft Pretty High Things get going now?" It asked.
Alex smiled and nodded and leaned forward on Midnight's back. She looked at Cutter for a long time. They stared at each other for a few moments. Cutter felt as though Alex's eyes were piercing into his mind, searching for an answer. Waiting for her Chief's command.
"Cutter, what do we do?" Skywise asked looking from him to Alex and back to him again. "We leave. . ." Cutter said getting up and mounting Nightrunner. Skywise did the same and mounted Starjumper. And Cutter looked at Alex again to make sure she was telling the truth.
Her eyes told him everything and he turned away and they left the room. They immediately left the mountain without stopping to rest anywhere close to the entrance. Alex was silent the whole time and just kept looking at Petal Wing and the sky. She always loved counting the stars because she knew that there were to many to count but she had fun anyway.
Her dress draped over Midnight and almost made it look like they were one. Skywise kept looking at Cutter and back at Alex. Cutter was in the front not speaking but thinking about something that seemed to almost strain his mind. Skywise was next to him and they kept looking at each other and telling each other with their eyes that something was wrong. Alex was behind them. Farther behind them than they wanted her to be but she stayed her distance because she was too tired to deal with anything they had to ask her.
"Tam, something happened back there in the mountain. I've never seen her this quiet before." Skywise lock sent so Alex know.
"I know but she won't tell me and I don't know how to find out. Maybe she will tell that bug, and it will tell us." Cutter sent leaning his head back a little to point at Petal Wing.
"Maybe. . ." Skywise sent worried.