All Those Years: Re written-Chapter Twenty Three: Oblivion
I took off.
It was too cold out today. The icy wind was rushing through my fur, making it feel wet and uncomfortable. I shook off my discomfort and tried to focus on my surroundings.
"Left." I muttered to myself, turning a sharp left into the dark woods.
I forced my ears to listen to something else other than my heartbeat, for voices, sniffing the cool air for any familiar scent-
"There!" I screeched to a stop and dashed in another direction.
I hardly even knew where I was going and was relying on my senses to get me to the secret den that belonged to my-former pack.
After all, I've only been in that den once.
✨✨✨
"Once?"Cream asked. "How did you know where you were going?"
"Instinct." Everyone answered.
Cream flushed and I gave her an awkward smile.
"Remember how I said that I wasn't my siblings full blood brother? How their mother wasn't my own? I was outcasted because of that, and my mother was more of a concubine, rather than someone who was important."
"So what happened to her?"
"She was killed for her prostitution."
Sharp gasps came from the room and I blinked.
Maybe I shouldn't have said that-
"Shade I'm so sorry." Sally said, surprising the entire room.
"For what? I didn't know her." I asked arching a brow. "My grandmothers been my mother my entire life. That woman only gave birth to me."
"Was she killed right after you were born?" Rouge asked.
"No one would tell me."
The silence around the room was my cue to continue.
With enough control, I skidded to a stop right in front of the hidden base.
It was meant to looks like a large tree, but I knew better. I scurried around it to look for the specific branch and I pulled, revealing a trap door opening up below me. I couldn't help the sharp yelp that escaped my throat as i slid down at an insane speed completely vertical, nothing but dirt and rocks grating against me.
Although it was already dark, I shut my eyes and tried to think on anything else, right before I hit solid ground.
"Fuuuu-" I groaned in up from my sprawled position, I cracked my back and shook off the remaining dirt from my fur.
My heart swelled at the bright surroundings. I stood to my feet to admire the empty space. There were candles lit around the walls of the room, giving it a warm glow and feel, a couple chairs scattered here and there, along with some tables. I recognized it immediately.
"This is the lounge area." I muttered to myself, walking around to drag my hand along the wooden furniture.
Although I'd felt a sense of comfort here, there was also the overpowering feeling of hate and abandonment when I took in everything. The main being the portrait of my deceased father, his wife and my two siblings. The portrait hanging over the cackling fireplace screamed authority, and importance. And where was I?
As far as some of these wolves know- I don't exist.
Tearing my eyes away from the portrait, I returned to the task at hand.
I figured everyone was at the dining hall considering the time of day, so i began my search for my brother and sisters shared study. Axle had given me directions if I ever needed them, and I was grateful for his advice.
I tilted my head upwards and inhaled, searching for their scent. My ears twitched when I heard someone a few rooms away from me, move some kind of furniture.
I walked silently along the dimly lit hall and I couldn't help the feeling of unease clawing at me.
"Why is the place so unguarded-" i muttered to myself, right beofre a large door was shoved open
"My Clarity!" a whine begged.
"Shit!" I hissed before hiding myself behind one of the large wodden statues that decorated the hallway.
Her scent filled my nostrils and a high sense of anxiety and alertness.
'Why is she so scared?' I wondered to myself.
"Leave me!" another voice, who I recognized ordered, making my ears bend backwards slightly.
Slightly.
'And now she's using her authority...What the hell?!'
The other voice whimpered at the command and the light footsteps told me it was a woman, maybe middle-aged and was a caretaker here. She would have no choice to listen to the given command since she was low in the hierarchy-
"Brother, I know you're there." the tone was laced in a large amount of disapproval, and my sweat dropped
"Heh. You got me sis" I smiled sheepishly, moving out from my hiding place. My sister stood there, a frown dug into her sweet face, her brows creased.
"You shouldn't have come" she said angrily, making quick steps so that she was closer to me, her voice in a harsh whisper. "You know you are forbidden here. " she said grabbing y arm, already tugging me back from the way I came." The servants will talk, and the Alpha-"
"Cut the bullshit Mia." I growled, yanking my arm away from her, making us both stop.
She wasn't taken aback, she just shut her mouth and hung her head before turning to me, not meeting my eyes. "Leave" she pleaded.
"How could you keep this a secret from me?" I demanded.
"For your safety!" she cried out, looking at me now, with water swelling in her eyes.
'Hold your ground Shade!' I commanded myself.
"Mia for the love of- I'M THE BIG BROTHER HERE!" I yelled. "I'm the one who's supposed to keep you safe."
"No, I am" a deep and controlled voice interrupted.
I turned around to face the opposite side of the hallway and look at the tall figure that was my brother. His black fur seemed more menacing because of the warm glow from the fire, and his eyes focused as they glanced between my sister an I. "I'm supposed to keep you both safe." he said staring at me with a mixture of compassion and anger.
"You're here." he said in disapproval. "Go back."
"Hell if I will!"I growled angrily. "Nes told me everything! How could you keep this from me Ax? I thought we we told each other everything?!"
"We do." he nodded once. "I tell you everything i think would benefit you. This...this will not." he said gesturing between us. "It causes a problem, I tend to enjoy avoiding problems. As is my role of the next Alpha."
"Your Excellencies" a union of voices chorused, right before they gasped in horror at my presence.
"Yeah take it alllll in, I'm in your little dirt-hole" I growled at them, keeping a front to hide my sudden rush of fear and shame inside me. I hadn't paid attention to my surroundings enough.
"Leave us. We will join you shortly." Axel commanded them.
Without any hesitation, they all bowed and rushed past me, careful not to touch me; the disease.
"You're planning on fighting this thing?!" I asked them, already relaxing as those wolves put more distance between us. "Nes told me that it was pure energy. Those cowards! Setting a curse like that instead of fighting like real wolves." I growled.
Axel twitched. "She told you everything?" he muttered. "We have to make this quick." he told Mia.
She nodded, tears in her eyes.
"Make what quick?! No, no you ain't, you're gonna stay here and tell me all about this dumb Oblivio-"oof!"
Axle had quick stepped his way over to me and embraced me, holding me closer than ever. 'H-hey, what are you-?"
"Did Nana tell you about the chosen ones?" Mia asked between sobs.
"Yeah, but-I didn't hear much sinceI just wanted to come see you guys." I said holding her. "Listen, I know how we can get out of here. All we have to do is ditch this place and-"
"We are the chosen ones." he said simply, for once breaking his calm demeanor, as he shook, shook in fright.
"From the-"
"Prophesy." Mia finished. "We are the wolves who are capable of defeating Oblivion."
Axle released me and my feet returned to the ground.
"So, you guys can stop it? You won't get killed?" I asked with a smile.
Ax looked at Mia for a second and back to me. "We will, but the pack will not."
"Wait. Hold the phone."Clover said bringing my from my dazed state.
"Oblivion. It's a natural power that destroys whatever the caster wants" she began
I nodded.
"There are five chosen ones to defeat this thing."
"That's right."
"But they die?" Amy asked, already gripping my arm.
"Remember it is a ball of energy, and I told you it was like Hyper Hedge-"
"Super Sonic." the room chorused.
"Yeah,That. Sonic has to absorb the emeralds powers to make them his own right?"
"Right" Sonic agreed.
"With Oblivion, Its a massive amount of energy, not only from nature, but from the dark wishes of someone who plans to kill. For example. If I were to use the spell for wiping out an entire field of wheat, it would do just that. Nothing else will be harmed."
"I get it. So if you want to kill a pack of wolves who you despise-" Tails began
"It would wipe out every last wolf in it's way." Rouge frowned
"Right. It's very precise, so if the chosen ones were to absorb all that energy-" I started, hoping they would guess and I wouldn't have to say it.
"Especially from the same clan it was out to destroy-" Cream gasped.
"They'd be killed instantly..." Amy finished, tears spilling.
"Excuse me..." Cream whispered and excused herself into the kitchen. Amy told me she was the youngest of the group, and I felt bad for dishing this stuff o her...come to think of it-Mia would've been her age right now...
"Shade...were you one of them? The chosen ones?" Clover asked worriedly casting her gaze to Amy.
I made eye contact with Sonic and lied evenly with a smile. "No. I was an outcast remember?" I turned my gaze to comfort Amy and she smiled.
God, I would give anything to see that everyday...But I can't.
"This is how it ties to your problem." I began, searching their faces.
They all leaned in, Sally and Amy specifically, itching to know why I told them all this in the first place.
"Oblivion still exists."