I didn't want to enter the dark camp. The nightmare was to horrifying, but I couldn't stop myself from padding onwards. I could see dark, lifeless lumps strewn around the clearing; I knew each of them by name. I didn't bother to count the bodies anymore, mainly because I knew the answer, though it disturbed me greatly. Ravens crouched in the tree's that loomed ominously beyond the camps barrier, not daring to feed on the carrion. This dream was so familiar, yet something was slightly different, something was amiss, but what-
Then it hit me.
The bodies.
One was missing.
I counted, just to make sure. All the time, in my head I was thinking, pleading, 'Why? Why? Why?' But my answer proved my worst fears. One was definitely missing, and it sickened me to my marrow when it dawned on me who it was. The spot where he usually lay was untouched, and when I investigated further, there was no evidence he had ever existed. Even his house was empty. I trudged back into the centre of the camp, and began moving the bodies into a mounting pile near the well. When I was finished, I fished a lone match from my pocket, struck it on the well, and set the bodies alight. This is where the dream will end, with me staring into the flames of my burning friends and family...
But it didn't.
I sat in the flames light for what seemed like hours. Eventually the flames died, leaving grey ashes where my brethren had lain, lifeless. Then something completely unexpected happened; the world began to warp and twist unnaturally, making my eyes water and my head swirl dizzyingly. Then the world turned black.
I came to in a blinding whiteness, and I had to shut my eyes quickly against the harsh light. Finally I opened my eyes slightly, slowly adjusting to the light, but still feeling the need to blink rapidly every few seconds. The land where I had awoken was sparse, with no signs of life or movement; a barren wasteland. Although, I couldn't say it wasn't beautiful. Everything was covered in a thick layer of glistening, powdery snow that sparkled like priceless gemstones in the bright, yet weak, sunlight. It held a kind of savage beauty, a cold, ruthless immaculacy with a habit of crushing all living things into submission.
Then I saw him.
At first all I could see was a tiny trail of disturbed snow trailing its way up a small hill parallel to me, but then, it stopped. I could see a proud, majestic, snow-white wolf raising his nose to the icy blue sky; emitting a chilling howl that echoed throughout the abandoned valley. Soon after the howl ceased, the figure disappeared.
I began to run after him, feeling the snow pushing me back, the wind cursing at me not to go on, the sunlight blinding me so I tripped numerous times. I struggled onward until I reached the hill I had seen the white wolf on minutes before, but he was nowhere to be seen. Desperation crept into my mind, and I became fearful, scared I might have imagined him. I couldn't bear to think I had, that my mind had played such cruel tricks on me. I raised my head to the sky, taking a deep breath...crack. The ground opened up beneath me and I fell, hurling downwards into complete darkness, my mind ablaze with panic, the freezing air biting my lungs as I desperately tried to draw in breath. It was no use. I was falling, and there was no way to stop it. Falling forever...
"Katia! Katia! Wake up! Please, please wake up!" I opened my eyes reluctantly and focused my attention on the young boy who was leaning over me; his golden eyes were wide with mild panic and anxiety, face flushed with exasperation. It took me a few seconds to realise who this boy was;
"Toboe? What's wrong? Are you okay?" I croaked, my throat was dry and it felt like I had been screaming at the top of my lungs for days.
"What? I'm fine; it's you I'm worried about."
"Why? I fe-" I broke off as a bout of vicious coughing consumed me. Toboe shot up, grabbed his makeshift crutches and hobbled to the kitchen, and I could faintly hear the tap running. The coughing ceased and I took my hands away from my mouth, and resting them on my lap, respectively.
Something red caught my eye, and I looked down...was it, blood? It can't be blood, right? I was starting to panic when I heard Toboe shuffle back in through the kitchen and I quickly wiped my hand on my shorts. He smiled awkwardly and handed me the glass of water, which I accepted gratefully. I drank thirstily, the water was ice-cold; soothing my ragged throat and cooled my burning lungs. I smiled gratefully at him, but otherwise kept my eyes downcast. I was frantically racking my brains for a- a reason, after all it couldn't be blood...could it?
Pained. That was the word that came into my head when I saw her staring at the water I had given her. Her immaculate face was strained, and there were dark, prominent circles under her eyes. I wonder what's bothering her...maybe I should ask? After a few seconds of quick debate, I decided against it; after all she didn't look like she wanted to talk about it. And why would she tell me? After all, I've only just got to find out her name... This thought brought back the memory of yesterday evening, when she turned around and uttered five little letters that made me almost melt. She did look almost magical, ephemeral, an illusion or miracle...maybe even an angel. But now this angel was crouched low, head bent and eyes wide with fear; staring at her glass of water as though it was blood.
"K-Katia? Are you-you okay?" I stuttered, feeling like a complete fool. She didn't respond, or give any indication she had heard me. I opened my mouth to try again, but then closed it. If she had heard me, she didn't want to talk to me; and if she hadn't heard me, then she wasn't in the mood for a conversation, at least not with me. I sighed and dejectedly switched on the TV, monotonously switching through the channels until the twins arrived.
Summer carried a few bulging shopping bags with ease, while her sister trailed after her. They had left early that morning, in the hope of gaining the better bargains down at the market; today was, after all, shipment day. There were rows upon rows of fresh fish, vegetables, clothing, fruits and unnameable things stacked seemingly sky-high; perilously balancing within the perimeter of the shallow, makeshift stalls. Autumn carried a small, leather book in her hand, chewing her biro absent-mindly as she ticked the things off the list.
"Autumn?"Summer called distractedly at first, but then she felt a tingling sensation trickle down her spine. Something wasn't right. Summer whirled around, panic rising in her throat-but Autumn was stood behind her calmly, staring levelly at her sister. She said nothing, but glanced suggestively to the left, then waited for Summer to look. She flicked her eyes to the left, and caught the shape of an auburn cloak swirling into the darkness of an alleyway.
Someone had been following them.
"Hey, what about the bargains on the North Side? I'm sure one of the neighbours mentioned something about the leather being great quality..." Autumn began to babble about random shopping nonsense and Summer just stared at her incredulously. What the hell is she on about? We're being followed and now she's more interested in shopping than ever...what is she thinking?!
"Hey Aut-" Autumn's face gained an expression of rage and desperation as she flung a hand over her twins mouth. Summer was silent with shock and let Autumn grab her hand and drag her across the bustling Centre Square and into a small bookshop. They found a cosy (relatively) quiet section labelled 'Foreign Agriculture' and settled into the unoccupied beanbags. Summer had had enough of waiting for her sister to explain herself and hissed angrily;
"What are you playing at?! What the hell is going through that thick skull of yours? We're being shadowed and you want to go look at books?!" Autumn merely closed her eyes and waited for Summer's outburst to subdue; after all, Summer was usually overly cheery and optimistic, but could quite easily switch to overly panicky and suspicious.
"Because," Autumn began calmly, trying to keep her own temper under control. "If we are being shadowed, then we don't want them to know we know they are shadowing us, do we? If we act normal then they won't notice any change, therefore we can observe them easily and in much closer detail." She told Summer smugly in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Oh."
"Also, don't say my name, otherwise they could quite easily find out who we are and where we live etc etc."
"So...what should I call you?" Summer had retreated meekly into her beanbag, completely in awe of the situation. When did Autumn get so...organised?
"A common name, common name...Aha! I'll be Haruhi and you can be Ai. There are loads of people called Ai round here, and Haruhi's not exactly rare, ne?"
"Um...sure, Au-I mean, Haruhi." Summer mumbled nervously, and Autumn smiled gently to reassure her. Summer wasn't always so boisterous and outgoing, after mum and dad had passed away; it took her a long time to recover. She suspected that being so excessively joyous and bouncy was Summers way of making up for her years of silence.
"Right. Now that we've got that cleared up we can execute the plan."
"Plan?!" Summer began to giggle uncontrollably, clutching her stomach in ludicrous mirth. Autumn shook her head and attempted to review her plan to her smirking twin.
"Yes. I have a plan." She sighed. "Now just stop sniggering and listen-"
I was sat on the edge of a ruined building, staring wistfully into the setting sun. It glowed a rich shade of crimson, bordered with fiery orange and belligerent yellow; all fighting for domination as the sun sank, defeated, back to its resting place below the horizon. I lay down and shuffled comfortably into a sleeping position, preparing for a long night of restlessness; but quite simply, I was waiting.
Waiting for Blue.
"I'll wait here forever if I have to, Blue. I promised I would, but you promised you would find me...so don't break that promise, please?"
The velvety dark sky was obscured with the dagger-like points of a devastated Noble ship, whose pinnacles were so sharp it seemed as though they were made solely to spear the stars themselves. There were sparse patches of weedy grass dotted around the wreckage, though they weren't much consolation for the hard ground. Snarling defiantly I dragged out a rough sheet of corrugated iron and propped it up against a shattered tree trunk. I scoured the wreckage for bedding, and salvaged a few blackened blankets and scorched pillows from the bedroom residences. I dragged them back to my shelter, and lay on my back, staring angrily at the indiscreet sky through a hole in the corrugated roof. After a few minutes of strained silence I exploded.
"Damn it all! Where the hell are those stupid wolves? I dragged myself through every goddamned city and there's no trace of anybody! I'm sick of this-why couldn't I just be a normal wolf? At least then I wouldn't have to search for that stupid flower!"
I had pushed the roof away during my outburst and stood, growling, at the scenery. There was silence around me, and I was completely alone.
"This is stupid..." I groaned. Pulling the temporary shelter back into place, I settled back into the makeshift bed and sighed heavily. "But I guess I haven't got anything else to do... Porky won't ever stop complaining, unless he's around Blue; and I don't doubt Kiba will end up killing himself over Cheza. As for Toboe... whatever! He'll be fine." I decided there was nothing I could do until we assembled the rest of our rag-tag pack. So, ultimatum resolved, I closed my eyes resentfully and fell into an uneasy sleep.
The snowstorm raged outside, clawing at the edges of the cave in an effort to reach whatever pathetic things lay huddled in fear inside. Not that I cared. It's Cheza who's always on my mind. Always. But for some reason I stopped, facing the cave. What am I doing? I need to find Cheza! I can't stop until I-
"Kiba...Kiba..."
My eyes snapped open, but I was in complete darkness. The air was warm and musty, but didn't seem stale, just...old. I need to find my way out of this place! I need to- Then I remembered the vision, someone was speaking to me...was it, Cheza?
"Cheza! Cheza!" I tried howling her name, but my desperate call echoed of the walls and rattled against my eardrums. I sighed, trying vainly to recollect what Cheza had said.
"Kiba...Kiba. Don't push yourself too far, this One is safe. This One is glad you are trying to find her, but this One does not want you to come to any harm. This One will wait for Kiba, this One will wait forever if she has to..."
It was so clear, her perfect face outlined against a star-filled sky; with a slight breeze ruffling her beautiful rose-coloured hair. Her wide crimson eyes were filled with concern and anxiety-for me? Was I causing Cheza pain? I couldn't...This isn't right! I want-more than anything- to help Cheza, not cause her pain!
"Cheza! I'm sorry!" I howled wretchedly into the darkness, my desperate cries to be heard rattling down the tunnel that descended into the abyss behind me. "Don't worry, I will find you! We will find Paradise!"
There was a clear, pearly moon directly above me. It cast its watchful eyes over the silvery land, illuminating the frost so it glittered like millions of tiny crystals across the meadow. There were fuzzy purple-headed reeds outlining the murky duck-pond, of which on the dusty bank I lay, staring into the crepuscular, greyish-green water. A sudden rustle to my left startled me and I jumped up and pounced into the long reeds. My claws found their mark in a small wriggling object that mewled piteously when I shifted to equal my balance. Lowering my muzzle, I pushed my head through the grass and found myself face to face with a wide-eyed, innocent looking kitten. I jumped back in shock, accidently transforming into my human form, and releasing the young kit from my grip. It shot up -pearly white fur electrified- and shot off back toward the centre of the city. I sighed, staring at the mournful chaos that I had called home since a few months back. No. Not home. Home means where you belong. Where you feel safe. Where your family is. Where you can escape the harsh bullying ways of reality.
I will never belong. I have never felt truly safe. I have no family. I have nowhere to escape.
I have no home, and I never will. Not in this world. This is why I have to find Paradise. Paradise is not Earth, Earth is not where I belong, and so don't I belong in Paradise? Whatever the reason or course I take, I cannot stay on this world for the rest of my pointless life, crawling through the dirt just to mingle with the merciless crowds. I will never lower myself to a pathetic human! I am a wolf! I have my pride! Humans can die out just lie the rest of my kind! Just like my...
"Family..." my knees became jelly and I collapsed in a straggly heap on the dusty ground. My body shook uncontrollably and I covered my damp eyes with my hands. "I can't- I can't cry! I promised my- my brother..." Taunts of flashing memories swan past my eyes, his kind face, his sometimes moody, solitary nature, his ragged hairstyle that couldn't be tamed no matter how much I tried.
I remember when he first taught me how to hunt, in the freezing clutches of my first winter. He shot past me, bee-lining for the white lemming that had evaded my capture. I watched him, frozen with awe, as he raced through the powdery snow, his long, shaggy fur whipping from left to right as he accelerated. The lemming turned a sharp right, straight towards me and I shook myself to escape from my speculation, preparing to pounce on the panic-stricken lemming.
"Run!" The sharp command made me freeze instinctively and I suddenly ducked into the snow. I knew he had told me to run, but I was so scared I couldn't move. What was happening? Where was my brother? Why did he-
"Katia! Katia! Get up! We've got to go-now!" I felt sharp canines close around my scruff and drag me up. I came eye to eye with a burning golden orb. I felt reassurance, if he was here, I was safe right? The slaughtered lemming left, forgotten in the reddening snow.
"But-"
"No time, go!" He shoved me harshly in the direction of the ominous pine forest we called Deaths Cove. I had never been close to its borders, and my pack had never even been near it- never mind set foot inside. It was forbidden. Wolves did not dwell there. I started to run, urged on by my brother, my paws churning up freezing snow that stung my eyes and numbed my sensitive nose. I finally reached the outskirts but I hesitated, my overwhelming panic finally rising in my throat and making my knees go weak with utter fear. I felt the rush as some wolf raced past me;
"Brother-"
"Follow me!" That's all he said before he disappeared over a small dirt ridge. I was more terrified of losing him than I was of whatever we were running from. I raced after him without a second thought, trying to locate the tiny sliver of silver darting between the trees. I finally caught him up in a small clearing ringed by tawny ferns. He turned to me, eyes blazing.
"Get in." He gestured to a rounded badger hole to my left. I was astounded; what if there were badgers in there?! I mean, they were so rare, but the set looked pretty fresh, with scrape marks around the entrance. Badgers are formidable fighters, ruthless and dangerous, even we wolves caution them.
"What?!" I panted, partly because I was out of breath and partly because I was so shocked that he had even found it, that he even noticed it, that he- wait...then it clicked. My brother knew this place. He had been here before. This- this was forbidden! But...why? I steadied myself and locked eyes with him in a steely gaze.
"You've been here before, haven't you?" I was expecting him to come up with an excuse of some kind, to dodge the question or ignore me completely. But his blunt answer caught me completely off guard, it was utterly incomprehensible for my brother, a straight answer that is.
"Yes."
"But- why? It's forbidden, what in Paradise possessed you to come here?!" I was torn between my emotions, anger for my brother directly breaking the laws of the wild, jealously that he hadn't told me earlier, and awe for his bravery and audacity to even dream of entering this cursed forest. When I looked at him, his gaze was glazed with an indistinctive emotion I couldn't decipher.
"I came here because- because of the flowers."
"What flo-" I broke off at the shrill screech in the distance. No. Not in the distance. Close. Close to the pack. I flattened my ears in fear and looked desperately to my brother. His demeanour was calm, but I could see in his eyes that he was as terrified as I was. He was trying to stay strong, for me. I was always quite good at that, figuring out what people were thinking by what they betrayed in their eyes; I guess it's a skill I acquired when I didn't speak. But that was years ago, I suppose its forgotten now.
"Look, I know you want answers. Right now I need you to trust me. Do you trust me?"
"Of course." He grinned.
"Good. I'll make it simple. I came here because of the Lunar Flowers, you remember the legend? Anyway, I found a whole field of them, and they bloom every once a full moon. I wanted to protect them, I don't know why, but I heard this voice, telling me to watch over them..."
"I don't underst-" I was cut off once again by a shrill, high pitched whistle that accompanied a metal bullet that shot past my brother, inches from his face, and buried itself into my shoulder. I growled in agony and collapsed to the floor, whimpering, writhing uncontrollably. I never imagined I could experience such extreme pain. Guess I was wrong. My brother snarled madly and launched into the bushes, savaging the thing that had thrown the metal thing at me. When he returned I hardly noticed, but there was blood everywhere...soaking my coat, drenching the floor, staining my brothers silvery coat.
"Katia..." I raised my head feebly to look at him. "I'm so sorry, please forgive me...and when we meet again, be it in Paradise or on the cursed Earth, I hope you can still call me your brother."
"What are you-?"
He raised his unsheathed paw and ripped open my shoulder. I howled in excruciating torture and the world went black.
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So...there's chapter 3! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! I hope you realised that the Italic text was a flashback/memory, if not...T_TlI I cannot foresee you future being very observant.
Anyway, please review if you have any good points or criticism you want to inform me of, I don't mind criticism-as long as its constructive and informative, after all, I'm not your flippin' agony aunt! I'll try to update soon, see ya!\^0^/