Sorry for the ridiculously long wait everyone. Between school, work, and a few new comics I've been working on in the past few months, I haven't had much time to do so. And probably playing DFO through my entire break probably didn't help that either...Anyway, this last part is going to be broken into shorter chapters and the climax is only just starting, readers. So without further delay, enjoy your read ^^.
Chapter 4: Delete My Memories
(Jasper Park, the morning before)
Anna's stomach ached. But it wasn't due to a bug or a virus of any sort. It had been days since the last time she had eaten; since the last time she had seen her beloved adopted son. Now, the days dragged on almost without end, as though father time was teasing her at her loss. The wolf slowly forced herself to her paws, ignoring yet another stab of hunger pain, and made her way out of her den. The sunlight stung her eyes and she winced. The den area had certainly become a pitiful place. It was as though the energy had been sucked out of the loping wolves, filling the air with a cloud of lethargy. Kate and Garth were hardly ever around, having to keep a paw up on every search party. And poor Lilly never even left her den. It was up to Humphrey and Winston to try and keep pack morale strong, but considering jut how much worse Eve had been getting, there was little hope. With a sigh, Anna started to make her way from her home. Every day from dawn until dusk, Anna went out on her own to search for Silver. It was the only thing that helped assuage the emptiness she felt.
"Anna, maybe you should eat and rest." Winston's voice caused Anna's left ear to flicker. She frowned at the pitiful look the old wolf was giving her because she knew exactly where he was going with this.
"I can't. I have to find him." Anna said.
"I know, and we will. But look at you…" Winston gave Anna a glance over. She was thinner from being under fed and her fur was tattered and fray as though she had crawled a marathon through a thicket of thorn bushes. But the worse part of it was the sunken look on her face, as though her whole world had come crashing down around her.
"I'll be fine—I'm doing what I can." Anna gave a curt response and turned off. If Winston had said anything, she hadn't heard it, already resolved to sprinting off through the forest. The strength of will was the only thing fueling her, because her body was begging for the rest Winston had mentioned. She bound across the trails of lush grass and blooming flowers, calling out Silver's name in loud barks. She poked her nose in every bush and around every corner she came across, despite getting scornful jars for invading other animals' privacies. Though she had checked several of the same places before, Anna clung to the hope that Silver would somehow turn up in one of them, ready to dutifully follow his mother back home. But as the older she-wolf passed through the valley's of the territory, she knew in the back of her mind that Silver was somewhere further beyond her reach and prayed that at the very least, he was safe.
"I certainly hope you haven't been screwing around out here, Ophelia. We already have to deal with one screw up as it is." Anna's ears suddenly shot up like a bullet. They weren't very far away; right amidst the cracks of a thicket of trees, Anna could make out two wolves. One of them she easily identified as Ophelia, the drifting she-wolf that Kate had brought in to nurse to recovery a while ago. She was certainly back to health, and why she was still hanging around their territory was a complete mystery. The other wolf across from her was much bigger than she was. He stood tall with an air of authority about him. His fur was a dead-grass yellow, except for the lively shade of turquoise in his sharp eyes. There was a flame insignia burned into his right shoulder just like Ophelia. Anna turned to walk off. This conversation had nothing to do with her, and on top of it, something about that taller wolf made her feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Don't compare me to Narcus, Koda!" Ophelia let out an offended snarl, "He might've blown his chances to capture Silver, but I'm not that stupid."
The sound of his name struck an emotional and attentive cord inside Anna. She froze for a moment before quickly scampering into one of the nearby bushes. She could feel an anxiety welling up inside of her, and she perked her ears up to catch as much of the conversation as possible.
The one named Koda stared at Ophelia with an undertone of annoyance. Still, he continued on with his questioning. "And what makes you so sure?"
"I've been on this territory for a while now—I hear things. On top of that, his scent is everywhere, especially in the den of an older she-wolf. It seems that our dear Silver has done it again."
"You mean he's found another family to drag through the mud with him." At this, Koda gave an intrigued grin, one that could only suggest the inner machinations of something diabolical. Again, Anna found herself cringing at the intimidating air about him. "I guess old weaknesses never die, for both him and our master."
"Err.." Ophelia suddenly seemed hesitant, as though choosing her words carefully. "There's still a slight problem. You see, it seems that Silver isn't around at the moment, and hasn't been for quite some time."
SMACK!
Ophelia suddenly found herself reeling onto the ground from a vicious back-slap across the muzzle, and before she could raise up in retaliation, Koda's paw was firmly pressed down onto her chest in an impossibly strong pin. The male snarled aggressively, showing his rows of ivory knives.
"And what were you planning on doing this entire time? We could have long-since brought him to our master if you had alerted me of this sooner. The Last Full Moon is quickly upon us, you fool."
"Watch yourself, Koda." Ophelia spat venom, "Make a habit of striking me and you'll lose that paw."
"Not likely," Koda let Ophelia up, though gave her a look that warned her against entertaining any thoughts of revenge.
"In any case, the reason why I even bothered to wait was because I have an idea where he went. There's an elderly wolf here who's sick. From what I hear, Silver and another one of the wolves most likely set out to try and find the cure—The Asimi Bloom."
At this, Koda's gaze turned up towards the sky. A bemused smile spread across his face. "I see…So he's gone back to that place. It figures. Once a bleeding heart, always a bleeding heart. We'll send a bravo team to look in on him. After all, the master would appreciate a push in the right direction for Silver"
"And then we rip his throat out—"
"No!" Koda both snapped and barked at her. "Killing Silver is a privilege of our master only."
"Huh!" Anna gasped, covering her mouth quickly after. So that was Ophelia's intent form the very beginning—to send Silver to his death. She felt fear and rage chocking her and had to keep herself from leaping at the two who could more or less overpower her easily. No, now wasn't the time for fighting, but rather to try and find Silver to keep him safe. Anna slowly started to back up—and quickly regretted it once her foot snapped a twig in half loudly. She froze; Koda's and Ophelia's gaze shot right at her. Or rather, it was almost as though they could see right through her; past the underbrush blocking away her body straight into the pit of her very soul. It made her tremble almost instantaneously. Something about these two was beyond normal; something about them was almost supernatural in their looks alone. But after an awkward silence, the two wolves turned back to each other. Anna felt like someone had just released her throat from a tight grip.
"Alright then. I'll stay here and make sure everything is in order for his arrival." Ophelia finally said.
"Good. In the meanwhile, I'm going to report to our master. For all our sakes, he could use some good news." Koda stated. Ophelia turned to walk off and the male started the other way. Anna let out a sigh of relief and turned in the opposing direction. So they hadn't seen her, and had no clue that she had overheard them talking. But how was she to find Silver before them without a clue on where to even begin?
"By the way, Koda." Ophelia's voice made Anna's fur chill, "What should we do about the mouse in hiding?"
"Hmm…what indeed." Koda's head turned sharply back in Anna's direction. The she wolf gasped, her position compromised, and she suddenly felt exposed. Every nerve in her body screamed for her to run, but she found herself suddenly unable to move. Eyes—sharp, glinting, and almost as wicked as Koda's were suddenly leering at her from every shrub and every bush. A low warning growl escaped her throat, but was mocked by a chorus of much deeper, darker ones from all around. The leaves rustled and one by one, the wolves stepped out of their hiding places, as though they had been there the entire time. Most of them had burned red fur, while others varied form brown to white. But one thing they all shared in common were the same flame symbols burned into their right shoulders. They slowly closed in around Anna, who found that the only movement she could make was the rabid pounding of her heart.
"Oh my..." Ophelia sneered. "Mommy came all the way out here to find her precious baby pup."
THWACK!
Anna felt something hard strike the back of her head and the world was suddenly spinning in dizzying circles. She teetered down onto the ground with a thud. Every muscle in her body was quickly going limp, and her eyes were beginning to feel like lead weights. The last thing she could make out was Koda standing over her, his sinister eyes glaring something fierce into hers.
"Silver? Please say something! Say anything!" Snow's voice was like a luminous beacon tearing through the fog of Silver's thoughts. He hadn't been aware of how hard his claws had been digging into his skin, or that he was even still holding his head for that matter, until Snow called out to him again. His silver eyes adjusted upon opening—not to the light, but to the realization. Every one of his memories had come painfully resurfacing to the edge of his thoughts, as though being violently shaken awake from a dream. It was a bitter-sweet satisfaction, however.
"Snow…It's okay—I'm fine." Silver whispered. His mouth was a little dry, probably from the screams his painful recollection brought on. The young wolf slowly sat up and looked around. Snow was nearly looming over him like a shadow, and the moment she realized he was okay, she jumped on him.
"Don't scare me like that!" Snow exclaimed, nuzzling her face into his chest. Silver's arms locked tight around her as he apologized, not at all in a rush to move her away. Arin let out a sigh of relief, and though she was trying to hide it now, Bianca let the tension in her face finally relax.
"I can remember everything." Silver said softly into Snow's ear, gaining an affectionate coo from her before his muzzle moved away. "I know who I am—what I am; All the places I've been; How many lives I've lived. I can remember it all."
"How many what?" Arin blinked, thinking he hadn't heard right, but the midnight wolf was already back on his paws. He caught the all-too familiar scents of the area, even through the overlay of soot and ash. His mind quickly fit the pieces of his memory together with ease.
"This forest…It used to be my home back when I was a pup…"
"Really?" Snow, Arin, and Bianca gasped. Silver nodded and started off up the now familiar trail. His mind washed away the charred remains around him, giving way to a lush, green forest with the sun shining cheerfully through cracks in the leaf canopy above. Silver felt like a ghost, wandering trails of long-since dead land almost on impulse or instinct. Every now and then, a familiar face would tickle his memory when he looked into one of the dens, or up towards the trees, or near the crooked patches of clearing in the forest. Silver finally came to take a seat before what used to be a mud hut pressed against the back of a cliff. The roof was completely ripped off and the leveled structure had become so incredibly brittle that flecks of it strewn in the wind. Silver closed his eyes, hearing voices in his thoughts of a group of pups as they ran up to him, ready to play. He would always give them the slightest of smiles before racing off from the two old wolves that served as his parents.
"What is this?" Arin took a step inside the fallen inner sanctum as Snow took a seat close to Silver's side.
"This place is in worse shape than all the others." Bianca took notice. She tried to make out broken shards of something burned into the floor, but quickly dismissed it. Everything was scorched too black to even be remotely identifiable.
"This place used to be my house…." Silver voiced silently. Snow's ears perked up. A sense of sad pride welled up inside of her as she took a step forward—placed her paw onto the ashen ground before her—realizing that they were now wandering the remnant of her beloved's memories. But at that thought, something else Silver had said started to nag at her, or rather, it had been nagging at her the entire time no matter how many times she chose to dismiss it. He had said 'lives'. How many lives he had lived. Snow couldn't help but feel something not quite right about it—something she wasn't catching on to. It must've been bugging Arin as well, for the otter was scratching his head in intense curiosity towards Silver. It was only a few moments sooner that he decided to round on his canine friend.
"Shiney Eyes, what did you mean earlier?" Arin asked, overturning something ovular in the soot using his toe.
"About?"
"About the whole 'many lives' comment. You're not about to tell me you're some immortal, blood-sucking vampire wolf are you? Because that would unexplainably explain a lot." Arin looked up, half-joking, but almost stared when Silver didn't seem particularly surprised. He groaned and slapped his paw to his face. "Lord in Heaven, don't say yes."
"I'm no vampire, but I have lived more lives than I care to remember." The calm in Silver's tone—the arrow-pointed seriousness that glided along an ocean of simple words—was enough to send all three of them in a quizzical stare his way.
"Uhm…" Bianca came to perch on a shard of broken wall. She pointed her wing to her head. "Are you sure you're okay, Silver? I mean, you were doing a lot of screaming back there—maybe you broke something."
Silver looked out to the three. But of course they wouldn't know the truth about him; about who or even what he was. Or rather, wouldn't suspect that the knowledge had been right under their noses the entire time. Afterall, there had only been one person who had truly known who he was without need for explanation. Silver thought of how easy the old wolf he used to stay with had accepted him, and knew that the elder's level of understanding could not be rivaled. Silver took a deep breath, then walked across them, so that his back was facing them. His eyes scanned the charred remnants of his homeland before slowly closing.
"Snow, you remember when we were pups, how we used to listen to the old wolves tell us stories? Remember one in particular about the spirit of the moon—the one in which the greedy wolf spirit sought to control the world?" Snow only nodded slightly, not sure where exactly her lover was going with his explanation. Still, Silver continued as though there were no uncertainties whatsoever. "Because of his greed, the wolf spirit of the moon was split into two separate beings, his power halved and seemingly forever doomed to be. But within this fate, the two halves sought to become whole again, and in doing so, killed each other over and over again. Endless life. Countless death. Each cycle ending and beginning the exact same way."
At this, Silver slowly turned his head back, just enough for the silver of his strong, honest eyes to settle onto Snow's. "One of those halves is me. That greedy wolf and I are one, and the same."
"Yeah, he definitely broke something." Silver wasn't sure when Arin had the time to clamber onto his back, and now he sat loosely, pulling up his eyelids in some sort of mock examination. "Maybe something fell on his head before he was doing all that screaming and knocked something loose. Quick—" He slid down Silver's back and lifted his tail, "Someone get me a really cold thermometer."
Silver grimaced and flicked Arin off of his back with his tail, protecting his rump from even the idea of medical assault.
"Even I knew about that story, but that's all it is—just a story for little chicks and pups." Bianca stated.
Silver turned fully to Snow, who only glanced to the side to spare the feelings of the one she loved. He didn't deny that it sounded crazy. And he also hadn't really expected them to believe him in the first place. Besides, there were more important things to worry about aside from the truth of his identity. Silver shook his head slightly and gave them a reassuring smile.
"Sorry, just a little joke, guys. I'm alright, let's focus on finding the flower for Eve—we don't have much time left.
"Best idea you've had yet." Bianca chirped and fluttered off to go search overhead. Arin patted Silver's shoulder and scampered off after the bird. But Snow couldn't dismiss it just as easily as they could. That look he gave her didn't waver in every word he spoke. She knew it well, for it was the same expression he always gave her when he was reassuring her, or when he told her he loved her. And on top of that, Silver never lied.
"Are you sure you're okay, Silver?" Snow lovingly stroked her muzzle against the side of Silver's.
"Yes, I'm okay." Silver nodded and licked her cheek. If Snow had her way, nothing would have pleased her more to share another makeout session in the midst of wheedling more information from her mate. But Eve's time was ticking and, torn between duty and pleasure, Snow moved off in the other direction. The four spread out across the burned land once more, overturning every stone or charred stump they could find. But the land reeked of death and destruction, too much for any kind of life to be sustained at all.
Silver could feel every nerve in his body being constantly ransacked by a sick nostalgia. Not only by being back in his home, but because of the vivid memories of what had happened. He could easily recall who did it and why, and the knowledge of it all started to feel heavy on him. Afterall…it was his fault things ended up this way. It was his fault things always ended up this way whenever he was involved. And then his thoughts turned to Snow. He loved her deeply, more than he had ever loved anyone before. And because of that, he felt a sense of worry entangle the weight already on him. Just being near him could bring consequences Snow couldn't imagine, and he tried not to question himself about his ability to safeguard her from them.
"Snow….will you still want to be near me if you ever found out the truth?" Silver voiced aloud. His question wasn't answered by a voice, but rather by a rustling that made his ears flicker. Silver's head snapped up, eyes scanning every direction. It could have just as easily been Snow, Arin, or Bianca, so why did he have this feeling of suddenly being on edge? It had passed as quickly as it came and Silver decided to brush it off; now wasn't the time to entertain suspicions.
It hadn't been too long before the group reunited back together just a little ways off from the dried up lake. Silver could tell by the looks on the others' faces what the answers would be, but he still felt compelled to ask.
"Find anything?" Snow asked before he could.
"Luck insists on making me it's—"
Whump! Bianca shoved her wing into Arin's mouth, not at all pleased with the unwelcomed bite that came with it. "I've circled this area at least five times," She said with a grit, " But I couldn't see anything. I hate to say it, but it looks like whatever fire happened destroyed everything in sight.
Silver felt his eyes divert to his paws, a surge of both pity and anger shocking his nerves. His memories once again resurfaced the name and he let it roll of his tongue in an inaudible growl. "Garnet…"
"Look again!" A loud thump of Snow's paw hitting the ground snapped Silver out of his reverie. "We have to look again—turn over everything. It has to be around here somewhere, it just has to be." She exclaimed. Her slightly wild eyes made the others jump, but when she started heading forward, the three did not follow after her. She turned back and frowned sharply. "Well come on, grandma's running out of time."
"Snow…" Bianca started.
"Snowflake, we've searched every inch of this place. Maybe it's just not here—"
"No, I'm not giving up!" Snow snapped at Arin, who took a sudden step back. "Bianca, let's go." She turned to the bluebird. Bianca sighed and rubbed the back of her head, searching for the right words to handle the situation. But then, what could she say?"
"Snow, we tried."
"Fine, you give up too!" Okay, maybe that was wrong. Snow's voice edged, even to the point of letting out a snarl. The snowy she-wolf rounded on Silver. Silver had never seen Snow's eyes so wild with panic before. Snow was usually so optimistic and upbeat; she was normally the one that helped pull everyone on top of the world with her. But now, she was as scared and falling like a bird who's wings were clipped. Silver didn't want to give up either. But in the back of his mind, even he felt that the Asimi bloom would never grow in a barren wasteland such as this. Snow could read his expression, and just for a moment, her ears drooped before arching with anger.
"You too? Fine! I'll find it myself!" Snow stormed away, turning over everything she could, even if that something was as unorthodox as a pebble. "It's here somewhere!" She overturned a boulder, kicking up ashen debris. "I won't give up—we've come too far for this!" She slammed her paws into the ground, only proceeding to dig frantically. The other three looked on in helpless frustration as Snow tossed dirt, soot, and ash wildly into the air. Her fur was beginning to blacken from the mess, and the particles agitated her nose and eyes. But she didn't care. She was determined to find what they had been looking for no matter what. "It's gotta be here! It just has to!" Tears started to sting Snow's eyes. Silver couldn't take watching her be so helpless any longer. He slowly walked over to her, his silver eyes reflecting nothing but love and understanding for his beloved. He gently laid his maw down on Snow's shoulder.
"Snow—"
"NO!" Snow suddenly jerked back and let her paw automatically fly. But by the time she came to regret it, her claw grazed Silver's cheek just enough to make a small scratch appear. She froze, but Silver didn't seem bothered with it.
"I'm…" Snow dropped her gaze to her paws. She wanted to apologize, but her voice was caught in her throat. Instead, she walked past Silver, Arin, and Bianca towards the lake. Arin made an attempt to follow, but Bianca put her wing in front of him and shook her head. Instead, She nudged him in the opposing direction, until the two of them were walking out of Silver's line of sight. Silver walked over to join Snow at the edge of the dried up lake. The wind blew a nice sheen of ash across the air, some of which flecked the black of Silver's fur. For a while, neither he nor Snow said anything. While he was gazing up towards the sky, she was staring down, right into the very pit of the lake.
"When I was a pup, I used to get into a lot of fights with my pack." Silver's voice sounded soft, and with an uncanny wisdom. Sure, Snow always thought he seemed older than he really was, but this was different, as if he had years to contemplate life. "After my fights, I'd run off to this very spot. At night, the moon would reflect clear in the middle of this lake. It was the only time I ever felt like I could be at peace with myself."
"…" Snow looked to him, trying not to focus on the scratch she gave him.
"There was an old couple that took care of me. Gramps, he used to scold me all the time. 'There will come a time where you'll have to man-up, Silver. Truth isn't always found on the path before you'. It pissed me off. I used to threaten to drown him in this lake." A sad smile spread on his face, despite his moment of dark humor. "The truth isn't always in front of you, Snow."
"They were right, Silver…" Snow's voice cracked. "They told me I couldn't do it. They warned me not to, but I just didn't listen. Mom and dad are probably losing their minds…grandma is running out of time. All I did was add pressure to an already horrible situation."
"Don't say that, Snow."
"It's true," Snow turned away, "I'm always going on about being out in the world; always going on about how everyone is treating me like a pup. But all this time, I'm only alive because of you. You, and Arin, and Bianca. I didn't do anything! I couldn't even save my grandmother. I'm just a pup." She looked down and closed her trembling eyes tight. "Just a dreamer and nothing more."
"That's not the fun-loving, thrill seeking Snow I know talking." Silver rose to his feet. "When we started his journey, you knew full well that it wasn't going to be easy, but you went. That's the wonderful thing about you, Snow. You take risks. You make chances. You dream and you're not afraid to try things that other's won't. In all the places I've been; in all the lives I've lived, I've never met anyone like you." Silver reached out and placed his paw on Snow's cheek. The snowy wolf's cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. Silver's wise, sure gaze was eroding the panic that was holding her, and his touch was playing on her urges again.
"The Asimi bloom is somewhere. As long as it exists, we'll pursue it, and as long as we do that, there will always be hope. Isn't that what you taught me?" Silver's words sent a surge of confidence coursing through Snow's body. He always seemed to know exactly what to say to her. As a small smile crept across her mouth, she nodded, resisting the sudden urge to rain kisses on her mate.
"Good, now let's go—" Silver's ears suddenly shot up like a bullet. A pressure had rapidly begun building in the air around him; a feeling of danger that seemed to put his senses right on the edge. Something was coming—no, that something was already there and had been hiding the entire time. The sick feeling of foreboding closed all around Silver, and he found himself shielding a puzzled Snow with his body.
"Silver, what's wrong?" Snow asked.
"Stay behind me." Silver hissed. His eyes darted around the seemingly empty foreground. It wouldn't have been half as bad if he hadn't felt this feeling before; if he hadn't known who this sickening tension belonged to.
"Aww man, and here I was hoping to surprise you. I guess your senses aren't as dull as Koda said they would be." The voice could've been playful, if it wasn't laced with something dark and aggressive. To any normal wolf, it would have seemed like the group of sunburned red and yellow wolves materialized out of nowhere. But Silver could easily make the group of canines advancing on them from the distant shadows of the trees beyond. Their lips were curled back, revealing their sharp fangs, but what really made Silver let out a malicious snarl was that each one of their shoulders were branded with a flame insignia burned through their fur to their skin.
"But then, that pretentious prick seems to get a kick out of screwing with others' heads."
The wily wolf caused one of the old withered branches of a tree to crack, but it surprisingly didn't snap under his weight. His fur was a wild combination of grays, blacks, and white, especially around his almost lion-like mane. One of his eyes was a pale blue while the other was a vibrant green, and a long scar branded the bridge of his muzzle. Like the others, his shoulder was burned with the same flame insignia.
"Man, you really do look like the master though. If it wasn't for a slight color difference—" The wolf pointed a claw playfully to his muzzle, "—You'd never be able to tell you two apart."
"Silver?" Snow had practically been huddled underneath Silver as he protected her with his body. He knew that his moment of peace wouldn't have lasted. It never lasted, not while Garnet had anything to do with it. His fur stood on end and deep, dark growls whipped from his throat. Certainly, the surrounding wolves were scary, but he was suddenly starting to become more so than them.
"No matter thought, onto business." The wolf dropped down and pointed a claw to Silver. "Silver, Master Garnet would like to have a word with you. And we won't be taking 'no' for an answer, even if we have to…" He grinned darkly, "drag you back one piece at a time."
Was regaining his memories a good thing, or did it just open up a whole new world of hell for Silver and his pals? Find out in the next chapter of Silver Snow!