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Literature Text
Chapter 1
A tall, sturdily built wolf struts through the forest, confident of where he is going. The pelt of the wolf is a deep, mysterious blue, and his eyes are crystal with flecks of gold. His curled tale has a strip of bright green flowing down the tail. His ears are alert, perked for any sign of movement. The most interesting thing about him: he's completely see through. I run to him, sprint, knowing he is my father. He is the one I haven't seen since the day of my birth. The one I want revenge on, and yet, the one I want to avenge. My conflict is unbearable. My legs propel me farther than ever before. I jump on him, but his see-through body goes straight through my claws, and before I can react, my eyes are open. It was all a dream. Again.
The canopy of woven green stems lets the rain flow down off of it and onto the ground. My warm, thick coat and sharpened claws glint in the light of the sun-shower. My eyes dart around, looking for something, but even I can't tell what. Suddenly, I feel a heat press against my fur, and I look to my left to see that I'm nose to nose with Realid... the she-wolf of my dreams. Her dazzlingly green pelt is flecked with specks of radiant gold, and her red eyes show puzzlement and questions.
"I heard you howling in your sleep again... did you see your father?" asks Realid softly.
I refuse to blush, even if she is so close to me. "I could've. But my image of him... has changed again." I reply. Every night I dream of my father - or what I think is my father. The image of him changes every night, as does the setting. "He's close this time! I saw this blueish wolf strutting through the forest. And right next to the entrance of our camp!"
Realid sighs. "It couldn't have been him. Not here. The patrols just went out and -"
"WE GOT A TRESPASSER!" shrieks a voice nearby.
Realid glances into my eyes. "For your sake, I hope it isn't him. Either way, I have to go. I'm on the next patrol." She kisses my cheek and leaves me there, astonished, afraid, and absolutely star struck. Then I force my self to stand up, shake off my dusty fur, and get out into the rain. What I saw in the middle of the meeting grounds is something I won't ever forget.
The canopy of woven green stems lets the rain flow down off of it and onto the ground. My warm, thick coat and sharpened claws glint in the light of the sun-shower. My eyes dart around, looking for something, but even I can't tell what. Suddenly, I feel a heat press against my fur, and I look to my left to see that I'm nose to nose with Realid... the she-wolf of my dreams. Her dazzlingly green pelt is flecked with specks of radiant gold, and her red eyes show puzzlement and questions.
"I heard you howling in your sleep again... did you see your father?" asks Realid softly.
I refuse to blush, even if she is so close to me. "I could've. But my image of him... has changed again." I reply. Every night I dream of my father - or what I think is my father. The image of him changes every night, as does the setting. "He's close this time! I saw this blueish wolf strutting through the forest. And right next to the entrance of our camp!"
Realid sighs. "It couldn't have been him. Not here. The patrols just went out and -"
"WE GOT A TRESPASSER!" shrieks a voice nearby.
Realid glances into my eyes. "For your sake, I hope it isn't him. Either way, I have to go. I'm on the next patrol." She kisses my cheek and leaves me there, astonished, afraid, and absolutely star struck. Then I force my self to stand up, shake off my dusty fur, and get out into the rain. What I saw in the middle of the meeting grounds is something I won't ever forget.
Chapter 2
His deep blue pelt and questioning green eyes. The strong muscles and curled tail. The stripe of green going down the wolf's back. It's the wolf from my dream!
"No! It can't be YOU!" the wolf howls, struggling against the iron grip of the guards. "No! NO! NO!"
"Why can't it be me? Where do you know me from?" I snarl. "Why should I ask you these questions? You are a trespasser into our land and you need to pay." Though, inside, I was just playing with the wolf across from me, trying to squeeze information about the wolf from the trespasser.
"I know," sighed the wolf. "But... I know about your father."
"No. You don't. I would know if you knew my father. What is your name?" I ask, unsure of where this is going. It was all so sudden. My fast reflexes to the wolf. My undeniable curiosity. I was also acting like a jerk wad.
"Reiada. My name is Reiada."
I stop dead in my pacing. "Reiada... your alive..." I whisper under my breath. "Let him go."
"WHAT?" the guard wolfs yell. "do you have any idea how hard it was to catch him?"
"Let. Him. GO!" I roar in the guard wolves' faces just for affect. They drop Reiada and whimper, then run away into the forest for their second round.
"Sorry about that, Reiada. We're not used to visitors here." I explain.
"Not a problem," Reiada replies. "The cuts and bruises should heal in a week or two. Either way, I'm surprised you remember me - no, I'm surprised you defended me. You haven't seen me since your father left when you were two."
I shudder. "That's why I can't forget you."
Let me explain who Reiada is.
It was the 15th moon of late Frostbite. My 2nd Birthday. My father and I were best pals, and Reiada was like my extended family. We sat around the fire with the pack, our tails fluffed to resist the cold night. Reiada stood and paced up to the front of the fire. And he began to speak about the tradition of celebrating births, as the alpha male is forced to do. After the speech was done, Reiada called my name.
"And so, we see this young pup become an apprentice in the art of the warrior!" Reiada had howled in joy. The pack howled along with him. And, as the ceremony goes, I howled - my very first howl - into the raising full moon.
The rest of the night was a blurr. We had painted my face with blue streaks of dying hashen leaves. The streaks are still on my face. We even went on a hunt, the entire pack. But, when we returned, the story is much different.
The pack settled down. Most of the wolves went into their dens and began their dreams of yesterday. My father sat by me next to the campfire. My memory is blurred at this part. But, then... when the full moon was at its peak, and the stars were at their brightest, a rustle in the bushes stopped us in the conversation.
My father looked me in the eyes, which shone with fear. "Gengi, go hide."
"But, Dad -"
"NOW!" he snarled. I backed up and sprinted away. Then I dove into the bushes, just in time to see it. A wolf jumped from the bushes and attacked my father. The attacker was black with red streaks like claw marks all down his body. The snarling competitors in the fight rolled away into the bushes. I never saw him ever again. Then, Reiada... he abandoned the pack. Left without so much as a warning.
Reiada now looks at my with concern in his eyes. I shake myself into the present. "Go to the medicine den. They should fix you up."
Reiada gazes at me a moment longer, until I snarl and tell him I'm fine and that he should just go to the medicine den.
But I'm not fine. The memories are fresh in my mind, and all I want to do is cry. Tears are already threatening to pour out of my eyes and down my cheeks. So I run as far into the woods as I can without going into the other pack's territory. Then I climb up a tree and allow the salty liquid to pour down.
It has to have been fifteen minutes before I realize the pack must be concerned about where I've gone. It would be stupid to say that I'd gone out and cried. So, I catch a squirrel and bring it back to excuse myself for leaving. Once the sun sets, I'm already in my den, my eyes covered by my bushy tail to cover up the sounds of my sobbing. I feel a heat press up against my fur. Realid is back from her rounds. She must've heard me crying, or maybe my tail has already soaked through. Either way, I don't care. She is here to comfort me. Finally, my sobs go silent as I fall into an unsure sleep.
"No! It can't be YOU!" the wolf howls, struggling against the iron grip of the guards. "No! NO! NO!"
"Why can't it be me? Where do you know me from?" I snarl. "Why should I ask you these questions? You are a trespasser into our land and you need to pay." Though, inside, I was just playing with the wolf across from me, trying to squeeze information about the wolf from the trespasser.
"I know," sighed the wolf. "But... I know about your father."
"No. You don't. I would know if you knew my father. What is your name?" I ask, unsure of where this is going. It was all so sudden. My fast reflexes to the wolf. My undeniable curiosity. I was also acting like a jerk wad.
"Reiada. My name is Reiada."
I stop dead in my pacing. "Reiada... your alive..." I whisper under my breath. "Let him go."
"WHAT?" the guard wolfs yell. "do you have any idea how hard it was to catch him?"
"Let. Him. GO!" I roar in the guard wolves' faces just for affect. They drop Reiada and whimper, then run away into the forest for their second round.
"Sorry about that, Reiada. We're not used to visitors here." I explain.
"Not a problem," Reiada replies. "The cuts and bruises should heal in a week or two. Either way, I'm surprised you remember me - no, I'm surprised you defended me. You haven't seen me since your father left when you were two."
I shudder. "That's why I can't forget you."
Let me explain who Reiada is.
It was the 15th moon of late Frostbite. My 2nd Birthday. My father and I were best pals, and Reiada was like my extended family. We sat around the fire with the pack, our tails fluffed to resist the cold night. Reiada stood and paced up to the front of the fire. And he began to speak about the tradition of celebrating births, as the alpha male is forced to do. After the speech was done, Reiada called my name.
"And so, we see this young pup become an apprentice in the art of the warrior!" Reiada had howled in joy. The pack howled along with him. And, as the ceremony goes, I howled - my very first howl - into the raising full moon.
The rest of the night was a blurr. We had painted my face with blue streaks of dying hashen leaves. The streaks are still on my face. We even went on a hunt, the entire pack. But, when we returned, the story is much different.
The pack settled down. Most of the wolves went into their dens and began their dreams of yesterday. My father sat by me next to the campfire. My memory is blurred at this part. But, then... when the full moon was at its peak, and the stars were at their brightest, a rustle in the bushes stopped us in the conversation.
My father looked me in the eyes, which shone with fear. "Gengi, go hide."
"But, Dad -"
"NOW!" he snarled. I backed up and sprinted away. Then I dove into the bushes, just in time to see it. A wolf jumped from the bushes and attacked my father. The attacker was black with red streaks like claw marks all down his body. The snarling competitors in the fight rolled away into the bushes. I never saw him ever again. Then, Reiada... he abandoned the pack. Left without so much as a warning.
Reiada now looks at my with concern in his eyes. I shake myself into the present. "Go to the medicine den. They should fix you up."
Reiada gazes at me a moment longer, until I snarl and tell him I'm fine and that he should just go to the medicine den.
But I'm not fine. The memories are fresh in my mind, and all I want to do is cry. Tears are already threatening to pour out of my eyes and down my cheeks. So I run as far into the woods as I can without going into the other pack's territory. Then I climb up a tree and allow the salty liquid to pour down.
It has to have been fifteen minutes before I realize the pack must be concerned about where I've gone. It would be stupid to say that I'd gone out and cried. So, I catch a squirrel and bring it back to excuse myself for leaving. Once the sun sets, I'm already in my den, my eyes covered by my bushy tail to cover up the sounds of my sobbing. I feel a heat press up against my fur. Realid is back from her rounds. She must've heard me crying, or maybe my tail has already soaked through. Either way, I don't care. She is here to comfort me. Finally, my sobs go silent as I fall into an unsure sleep.
Chapter 3
I open my eyes today, probably at sunrise. Pups are playing outside the den. "Oh, how cute," I say to Realid. I wait a moment - for a sigh, a reply, I don't know what - but I hear nothing. I turn around and see that she is gone. I stand up and shake myself. I expect tear drops to fly everywhere, but nothing happens. "Dry already?" I think. I shrug and pad outside.
I bask in the sunlight for a while, until I see a pup running straight at me! I shriek, but nobody hears me! How couldn't they? I clench my eyes shut, and hope he doesn't have claws yet. Instead of being trampled over, I feel nothing. I look up and see the pup's tail flick my nose as he leaves. No, as I leave. That pup was me! I have the same tail, and I remember this happening to me as a pup! I stand up and wait for it to happen. For my father to come running after me, pretending to be ferocious. And I do. But he is faint, see through, like a ghost. I can only see one thing: his eyes. His piercing, blue eyes. Then everything stops: the pups playing in the dirt, the healer tending to a wound, even the fire crackling in the center of the meeting ground... just stops. I hear paw steps coming nearer.
My father. He's walking towards me. Like, real me, not pup-me. I start to say something, I suppose I meant to say "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING HERE?" But he cuts me off.
"You've grown to be such a great warrior. You... look so strong." His eyes, big and blue, are flicking around me, assessing me as he did to me as a child. "I miss you, son. Remember that. I love you, and I... I wish I could find my way home." Wait, does he know I'm here? Did he stop the time? Did he come to me on this past-dream on purpose? I have so many questions, but he looks at me one more time and says, "I wish I could find my way home." Then the world fades into darkness.
I wake up, for sure this time, to sunrise. Pups are playing outside. I feel Realid's warmth near my fur. My ears are perked are alert, my tail still soaking from last night. I sigh, his rugged, scraggly, yet fluid and persuading, voice ringing in my head. "I wish I could find my way home."
I shake my head clear and curl up tighter to my... what do I call Realid anymore? I don't care. I curl up closer to her, my tail curls around her, my nose under her fur. Because if this turns out to be another dream, then I want to make the most of it. Before I drift off into another slumber, I feel Realid snuggle into my chest fur.
I bask in the sunlight for a while, until I see a pup running straight at me! I shriek, but nobody hears me! How couldn't they? I clench my eyes shut, and hope he doesn't have claws yet. Instead of being trampled over, I feel nothing. I look up and see the pup's tail flick my nose as he leaves. No, as I leave. That pup was me! I have the same tail, and I remember this happening to me as a pup! I stand up and wait for it to happen. For my father to come running after me, pretending to be ferocious. And I do. But he is faint, see through, like a ghost. I can only see one thing: his eyes. His piercing, blue eyes. Then everything stops: the pups playing in the dirt, the healer tending to a wound, even the fire crackling in the center of the meeting ground... just stops. I hear paw steps coming nearer.
My father. He's walking towards me. Like, real me, not pup-me. I start to say something, I suppose I meant to say "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING HERE?" But he cuts me off.
"You've grown to be such a great warrior. You... look so strong." His eyes, big and blue, are flicking around me, assessing me as he did to me as a child. "I miss you, son. Remember that. I love you, and I... I wish I could find my way home." Wait, does he know I'm here? Did he stop the time? Did he come to me on this past-dream on purpose? I have so many questions, but he looks at me one more time and says, "I wish I could find my way home." Then the world fades into darkness.
I wake up, for sure this time, to sunrise. Pups are playing outside. I feel Realid's warmth near my fur. My ears are perked are alert, my tail still soaking from last night. I sigh, his rugged, scraggly, yet fluid and persuading, voice ringing in my head. "I wish I could find my way home."
I shake my head clear and curl up tighter to my... what do I call Realid anymore? I don't care. I curl up closer to her, my tail curls around her, my nose under her fur. Because if this turns out to be another dream, then I want to make the most of it. Before I drift off into another slumber, I feel Realid snuggle into my chest fur.
Chapter 4
"Wake up, Gengi," I hear whispered in my ear.
I sigh and turn over.
"Wake up, Gengi," whispers the insistent voice.
I only wake up when I feel a kiss on my cheek. My eyes open wide with shock, and I roll over to see Realid. I purr, almost like a cat.
She nudges me onto me feet, smiling, and tells me that I'm on her hunting team.
I nod and pad out into the morning dew-ed grass, and prance into the forest with her and another she-wolf, Danri. Her pelt is golden and her eyes are orange.
The forest rustles all around me, filled with critters we cannot see. Then, we sit down.
None of us move. We know this game. We call it the waiting game, a game of patience. What we do is we wait... and wait... and wait... and wait... until a lone squirrel or other prey pops out of the bushes. Sometimes we even catch deer with this tactic.
A big rustle comes from the bushes. A deer leaps out swiftly, then stops and sniffs the air. I'm right near it, covered in the leaves that have fallen while we have waited.
I tense up, flexing my powerful muscles, and leap right onto the terrified deer.
"WOOOP!" I yell, scaring the following deers out of the bushes and into the clearing. They are then ambushed by Realid and Danri, who take them out easily.
My deer is strong, though, and bucks so hard that I can't get near its neck without getting hit with its large antlers. Realid and Danri know how I take down a bucking buck like this.
The waiting game again. I merely dig my claws into the skin of the bucking deer, provoking it to buck again. Finally, the deer has lost all its energy, and falls to the ground with a snap of its exhausted bones. Then I bite its neck, finally, and drag it back to the camp with Realid and Danri - completely silent, again, only because of the huge deers that cover their mouths.
When we get back, the sun is up and the pack has awakened, hungry and eager to eat. The pups are suckling on their mothers, and the mothers are gnawing on bones from yesterday. We aren't starving, we're hungry.
We all drop the fresh kills onto the pile, which consists of half-eaten squirrels and a chipmunk without its tail. I look around and see a tiny pup running from its brothers with it. Then I smile and rip off one leg from the deer, as I'm hungry, too. But the leg wasn't for me. I pad to the mothers and drop four legs, one by one, by each of the five mothers. They glance up at me gratefully, and I say, "Dig in."
I leave them to their deer legs, and run over to the fresh kill pile. I modestly take the half-eaten squirrel and head over to Realid.
When I get to her, she purrs and rubbs against me. I blush, and kiss her on the cheek, just as she did to me this morning. She blushes through her green pelt before turning back to her chipmunk.
I shyly nudge her. "Does this make us... together?"
She looks at me with her caring eyes. "Yes."
I sigh and turn over.
"Wake up, Gengi," whispers the insistent voice.
I only wake up when I feel a kiss on my cheek. My eyes open wide with shock, and I roll over to see Realid. I purr, almost like a cat.
She nudges me onto me feet, smiling, and tells me that I'm on her hunting team.
I nod and pad out into the morning dew-ed grass, and prance into the forest with her and another she-wolf, Danri. Her pelt is golden and her eyes are orange.
The forest rustles all around me, filled with critters we cannot see. Then, we sit down.
None of us move. We know this game. We call it the waiting game, a game of patience. What we do is we wait... and wait... and wait... and wait... until a lone squirrel or other prey pops out of the bushes. Sometimes we even catch deer with this tactic.
A big rustle comes from the bushes. A deer leaps out swiftly, then stops and sniffs the air. I'm right near it, covered in the leaves that have fallen while we have waited.
I tense up, flexing my powerful muscles, and leap right onto the terrified deer.
"WOOOP!" I yell, scaring the following deers out of the bushes and into the clearing. They are then ambushed by Realid and Danri, who take them out easily.
My deer is strong, though, and bucks so hard that I can't get near its neck without getting hit with its large antlers. Realid and Danri know how I take down a bucking buck like this.
The waiting game again. I merely dig my claws into the skin of the bucking deer, provoking it to buck again. Finally, the deer has lost all its energy, and falls to the ground with a snap of its exhausted bones. Then I bite its neck, finally, and drag it back to the camp with Realid and Danri - completely silent, again, only because of the huge deers that cover their mouths.
When we get back, the sun is up and the pack has awakened, hungry and eager to eat. The pups are suckling on their mothers, and the mothers are gnawing on bones from yesterday. We aren't starving, we're hungry.
We all drop the fresh kills onto the pile, which consists of half-eaten squirrels and a chipmunk without its tail. I look around and see a tiny pup running from its brothers with it. Then I smile and rip off one leg from the deer, as I'm hungry, too. But the leg wasn't for me. I pad to the mothers and drop four legs, one by one, by each of the five mothers. They glance up at me gratefully, and I say, "Dig in."
I leave them to their deer legs, and run over to the fresh kill pile. I modestly take the half-eaten squirrel and head over to Realid.
When I get to her, she purrs and rubbs against me. I blush, and kiss her on the cheek, just as she did to me this morning. She blushes through her green pelt before turning back to her chipmunk.
I shyly nudge her. "Does this make us... together?"
She looks at me with her caring eyes. "Yes."
Chapter 5
I pad through the forest, giddy with the fact that I've found my way out of the friend zone... Which is big. Very, very big.
Where was I? Ah, yes, padding through the forest. The sun shines on my blue fur and Realid's green pelt. Our tails are twined together like intersecting vines on a tree. Our feet sometimes trip each other, sometimes on purpose (to get that accidental hug), and sometimes on complete accident as we walk entwined.
"We should probably catch something," I purr to Realid. "We can't go out saying we're going to hunt and then come back empty-handed."
Realid sighs. "I suppose you're right, Gengi. I think I saw a rabbit hole by the southern river yesterday."
We pad through the thick forest of trees and down to the Southern River, where we part from each other's bodies so that our hunt wouldn't end up just as a jumble of broken legs. I'm padding around, looking for some suitable gift for Realid, when I find the rabbit hole. It would be an easy catch, I think, if it's in there. So I pad over to it and start clawing at the grass that surrounds it, when I see something unusual for a rabbit's den: blood. Fresh, gleaming, and red. And... something impossible to see at a rabbit's den: claw marks. Badger claw marks. I stop clawing and hastily back away, but it's too late.
Before I can react, I'm screaming, and the rabid, foaming badger is on me.
"REALID! REALID, HELP!" I shriek as I watch my own blood fall onto the sparse grass.
"Gengi? GENGI!" Realid is screaming, looking for me, and finally she sees me. I can tell, because I hear the thumping, quick footsteps of the she-wolf I love. I'm clawing at the badger, wishing it was a bunny, wishing I would've checked the tracks, when a shadow falls over me, and Realid is there, pulling the badger off. Before I black out, I wonder if she sees me mouth the words, "I love you."
But I can't dwell on it for long. Because soon after I think this, the world goes dark like the pupils of Realid's beautiful eyes, and I hear, I feel, I see nothing.
(Thump, thump) The beating of a rapid heart.
(Thump, thump) The thumping of large, steady paws on the ground.
(Thump, thump) The two seconds I had before I passed out.
(Thump, thump)
Thump, thump. Thump, thump. I open my eyes, and I'm in the same clearing I was in when the badger attacked me. Or, at least, it seems so. Besides the shining sun that I see instead of blood on my eyes, and the rabbit tracks leading into the rabbit hole that had held a devil.
The thumping gets faster, steadier, louder, and then, a wolf leaps from the shadows, covered in a shadow that doesn't allow me to see it's details. It's about to reach the sunlight, when -
"Gengi..."
"Gengi, wake up, PLEASE!"
"Gengi, no, no, you're so young."
"Gengi... no.... Gengi..."
I open my eyes slowly. The real sunlight hits my eyes like a punch in the face. But the next thing I see warms my heart like the boiled broth from Mama's old badger stew (what a fitting example). It's Realid, standing over me, with the rest of the pack, trying to wake me.
"GENGI!" Realid screams and hugs me.
I rub my head, patting her back simultaneously. "What happened?" I inquire to the rest of the pack.
Reiada steps forward, telling me the story. "According to Realid, you and her were hunting, and you were looking in a rabbit hole, when a badger attacked you. You couldn't get it off, and by the time she got there, you fainted from blood loss."
Then Reiada steps back and blends back into the crowd of wolves.
I touch the eye that had felt the claws of the badger. "Will it heal...?"
The healer, whom I hadn't noticed was there, told me that only time would tell. "But it does seem more likely than not that it will; but we can't say for sure yet."
I nod to the healer and ask the rest of the pack to leave me and Realid alone.
Reiada looks back at me, concerned, before he leaves, but then remembers how I snapped at him when before and scuttles out.
When everyone leaves, Realid stands up with tear marks on her beautiful, fluffy face, the whites of her gorgeous blue eyes red from crying. "I... I thought I lost you."
I look up at her, trying to think of what to say, and hear myself replying, "I thought I lost the world. But most of what I was thinking of when I was in the darkness was you, Realid. I couldn't stop thinking of you."
She sniffles and tells me she has to go and deal with some... business. But, I know that whatever she'll be doing, her mind will be blurred. Because I know Realid, and when she gets emotional, she's really distracted.
And when she leaves, I fall asleep nearly immediately. And my dream horrifies me.
Where was I? Ah, yes, padding through the forest. The sun shines on my blue fur and Realid's green pelt. Our tails are twined together like intersecting vines on a tree. Our feet sometimes trip each other, sometimes on purpose (to get that accidental hug), and sometimes on complete accident as we walk entwined.
"We should probably catch something," I purr to Realid. "We can't go out saying we're going to hunt and then come back empty-handed."
Realid sighs. "I suppose you're right, Gengi. I think I saw a rabbit hole by the southern river yesterday."
We pad through the thick forest of trees and down to the Southern River, where we part from each other's bodies so that our hunt wouldn't end up just as a jumble of broken legs. I'm padding around, looking for some suitable gift for Realid, when I find the rabbit hole. It would be an easy catch, I think, if it's in there. So I pad over to it and start clawing at the grass that surrounds it, when I see something unusual for a rabbit's den: blood. Fresh, gleaming, and red. And... something impossible to see at a rabbit's den: claw marks. Badger claw marks. I stop clawing and hastily back away, but it's too late.
Before I can react, I'm screaming, and the rabid, foaming badger is on me.
"REALID! REALID, HELP!" I shriek as I watch my own blood fall onto the sparse grass.
"Gengi? GENGI!" Realid is screaming, looking for me, and finally she sees me. I can tell, because I hear the thumping, quick footsteps of the she-wolf I love. I'm clawing at the badger, wishing it was a bunny, wishing I would've checked the tracks, when a shadow falls over me, and Realid is there, pulling the badger off. Before I black out, I wonder if she sees me mouth the words, "I love you."
But I can't dwell on it for long. Because soon after I think this, the world goes dark like the pupils of Realid's beautiful eyes, and I hear, I feel, I see nothing.
(Thump, thump) The beating of a rapid heart.
(Thump, thump) The thumping of large, steady paws on the ground.
(Thump, thump) The two seconds I had before I passed out.
(Thump, thump)
Thump, thump. Thump, thump. I open my eyes, and I'm in the same clearing I was in when the badger attacked me. Or, at least, it seems so. Besides the shining sun that I see instead of blood on my eyes, and the rabbit tracks leading into the rabbit hole that had held a devil.
The thumping gets faster, steadier, louder, and then, a wolf leaps from the shadows, covered in a shadow that doesn't allow me to see it's details. It's about to reach the sunlight, when -
"Gengi..."
"Gengi, wake up, PLEASE!"
"Gengi, no, no, you're so young."
"Gengi... no.... Gengi..."
I open my eyes slowly. The real sunlight hits my eyes like a punch in the face. But the next thing I see warms my heart like the boiled broth from Mama's old badger stew (what a fitting example). It's Realid, standing over me, with the rest of the pack, trying to wake me.
"GENGI!" Realid screams and hugs me.
I rub my head, patting her back simultaneously. "What happened?" I inquire to the rest of the pack.
Reiada steps forward, telling me the story. "According to Realid, you and her were hunting, and you were looking in a rabbit hole, when a badger attacked you. You couldn't get it off, and by the time she got there, you fainted from blood loss."
Then Reiada steps back and blends back into the crowd of wolves.
I touch the eye that had felt the claws of the badger. "Will it heal...?"
The healer, whom I hadn't noticed was there, told me that only time would tell. "But it does seem more likely than not that it will; but we can't say for sure yet."
I nod to the healer and ask the rest of the pack to leave me and Realid alone.
Reiada looks back at me, concerned, before he leaves, but then remembers how I snapped at him when before and scuttles out.
When everyone leaves, Realid stands up with tear marks on her beautiful, fluffy face, the whites of her gorgeous blue eyes red from crying. "I... I thought I lost you."
I look up at her, trying to think of what to say, and hear myself replying, "I thought I lost the world. But most of what I was thinking of when I was in the darkness was you, Realid. I couldn't stop thinking of you."
She sniffles and tells me she has to go and deal with some... business. But, I know that whatever she'll be doing, her mind will be blurred. Because I know Realid, and when she gets emotional, she's really distracted.
And when she leaves, I fall asleep nearly immediately. And my dream horrifies me.
Chapter 6
Darkness fills my dream, along with swirls of black smoke. A moon slowly appears, full and looming, shining brightly, but not bright enough to show through the thick tree line that I make out in the dream. Stars peck into the skyline, and soon I see a fire begin in the middle of the clearing. A shrub. Some wolf dens. I feel a strong sense of de-ja-vu.
Then, the outline of two talking wolves.
Wait, I know where this is from.
... it's... it's the night when my father disappeared.
My heart, I can feel it, pumps against my chest. As loud as the thumping that I know hear in the forest, which had been canceled out with our loud chattering and laughing.
Then, the rustling in the bushes.
"GET INTO THE BUSHES!" he yells.
"BUT DAD -"
"NOW GENGI! DON'T QUESTION ME!"
I watch the faint outline that is me scurry into the bushes, a forgotten tear running down my shadowed form.
Just then, the assassin appears: twilight black with blood red streaks like claw marks running down his sweaty form.
And those eyes... those horrible, white eyes, blank of all expression. How could this... creature... be canine?
My father shoves the assassin off, but he quickly rebounds and they go rolling into the bushes.
Leaving a trail of blood behind them.
But, whose is it? They already were out of sight, so I couldn't tell. But this was definitely planned. By the Shadowpack, probably. Those sneaky mutts probably wanted to kill my father so as to take over our pack. Thank god, I was coming to age when my father died. It was hard, but with the support of my eldest brother, Yaine, and my mother, Tanzi, I was able to keep our pack together.
Then what I saw hit me.
"DAD! DAD, NO!" I'm screaming, my voice ringing out into the space of the dream, but before I could chase my father in the woods, I wake up with Tanzi standing over me worriedly.
"Gengi, what's wrong? I heard you screaming, and I thought you hit your eye on something," she explains, her caring eyes looking me over as if I were still a pup.
"No, no, I'm fine," I assure her, standing up. "In fact, I think I can see again in my other eye."
"That quickly? I'm not so sure, Gengi, it's pretty fresh, and you -"
"I'm FINE mom," I tell her with a chuckle, waving my paw at her so she leaves.
But, I'm not. I can see that Realid knows as I run past her into the woods.
I think I feel a tear streaking down my face, but I can't tell. I'm too busy running.
Too busy sprinting to find my father to feel emotion.
Too busy sprinting to find my father to realize what I was leaving behind.
Or to hear the thump of another wolf's paws heading straight for me.
Then, the outline of two talking wolves.
Wait, I know where this is from.
... it's... it's the night when my father disappeared.
My heart, I can feel it, pumps against my chest. As loud as the thumping that I know hear in the forest, which had been canceled out with our loud chattering and laughing.
Then, the rustling in the bushes.
"GET INTO THE BUSHES!" he yells.
"BUT DAD -"
"NOW GENGI! DON'T QUESTION ME!"
I watch the faint outline that is me scurry into the bushes, a forgotten tear running down my shadowed form.
Just then, the assassin appears: twilight black with blood red streaks like claw marks running down his sweaty form.
And those eyes... those horrible, white eyes, blank of all expression. How could this... creature... be canine?
My father shoves the assassin off, but he quickly rebounds and they go rolling into the bushes.
Leaving a trail of blood behind them.
But, whose is it? They already were out of sight, so I couldn't tell. But this was definitely planned. By the Shadowpack, probably. Those sneaky mutts probably wanted to kill my father so as to take over our pack. Thank god, I was coming to age when my father died. It was hard, but with the support of my eldest brother, Yaine, and my mother, Tanzi, I was able to keep our pack together.
Then what I saw hit me.
"DAD! DAD, NO!" I'm screaming, my voice ringing out into the space of the dream, but before I could chase my father in the woods, I wake up with Tanzi standing over me worriedly.
"Gengi, what's wrong? I heard you screaming, and I thought you hit your eye on something," she explains, her caring eyes looking me over as if I were still a pup.
"No, no, I'm fine," I assure her, standing up. "In fact, I think I can see again in my other eye."
"That quickly? I'm not so sure, Gengi, it's pretty fresh, and you -"
"I'm FINE mom," I tell her with a chuckle, waving my paw at her so she leaves.
But, I'm not. I can see that Realid knows as I run past her into the woods.
I think I feel a tear streaking down my face, but I can't tell. I'm too busy running.
Too busy sprinting to find my father to feel emotion.
Too busy sprinting to find my father to realize what I was leaving behind.
Or to hear the thump of another wolf's paws heading straight for me.
Chapter 7
I stop in the middle of the forest, far away from the sounds of the pack. My heart thumps like the beating of a mouse's when about to be eaten. The sun beats down like a hammer, only a few clouds shielding me from the blinding light. Then there's a rustling in the bushes, but before I can react, the assassin is on me. My legs collapse from under me, cracking painfully, but amazingly nothing is broken.
"LITTLE WOLF, LITTLE WOLF, YOU ARE DEAD!" the assassin whispers loudly into my ear.
"Not true, not true," I say in response. Then I kick up like a bucking bronco (just like my dad taught me to do) and, when he falls off, claw his belly.
It's the blood-red wolf that had attacked my father.
"YOU! YOU! YOU BIG, FAT, KILLER!" I scream over him.
"Ah, so you recognize me," he smirks and kicks me in the gut.
"What, no claws?" I tease, my glinting red claws digging into the ground.
All he does is grin grotesquely and sit there, as if waiting for something.
A drop of blood appears on his chest.
My blood.
"What... how did you..." I stumble with my words.
My vision becomes blurry, and the world begins to look like a dream.
Thump, thump.
"Goodbye, little wolf." The snarling, grinning killer stands up and pads away.
Thump, thump.
More and more blood pours from my chest, unseen claws tearing away at my flesh.
Thump, thump.
Is this what happened to my father? I wonder.
Thump, thump.
Slowly, a red haze dribbles over my gaze.
Thump, thump.
And the silhouette of a large wolf appears.
Thump, thump.
Just in time to see me black out.
"LITTLE WOLF, LITTLE WOLF, YOU ARE DEAD!" the assassin whispers loudly into my ear.
"Not true, not true," I say in response. Then I kick up like a bucking bronco (just like my dad taught me to do) and, when he falls off, claw his belly.
It's the blood-red wolf that had attacked my father.
"YOU! YOU! YOU BIG, FAT, KILLER!" I scream over him.
"Ah, so you recognize me," he smirks and kicks me in the gut.
"What, no claws?" I tease, my glinting red claws digging into the ground.
All he does is grin grotesquely and sit there, as if waiting for something.
A drop of blood appears on his chest.
My blood.
"What... how did you..." I stumble with my words.
My vision becomes blurry, and the world begins to look like a dream.
Thump, thump.
"Goodbye, little wolf." The snarling, grinning killer stands up and pads away.
Thump, thump.
More and more blood pours from my chest, unseen claws tearing away at my flesh.
Thump, thump.
Is this what happened to my father? I wonder.
Thump, thump.
Slowly, a red haze dribbles over my gaze.
Thump, thump.
And the silhouette of a large wolf appears.
Thump, thump.
Just in time to see me black out.
Chapter 8
Blurrs of black surround me in my dream, swirled with red, dark, dark red. Two green, flashing green eyes, shining with fear and sadness.
Then a burst of light shines through my cloudy world view and a shadowed wolf walks towards me.
"Hello, Gengi," the wolf says solemnly.
"Who are you? Where am I? Am I dead???" I blurt out.
The wolf calmly steps out of the light. He's stark white with black tips on his tail, ears, paws, and wings - which are angel-wing shaped. "I am Snow-wolf. And, yes. But it is not your time, Gengi. I don't know why you died."
I look at him, angered and sorrowful. "Because of that stupid Shadowpack wolf, who killed my father!"
Snow-wolf scowls. "But, we have no footage of any Shadowpack -"
"Footage?" I interrupt.
"We watch the packs 24/7."
My eyes widen, thinking of my little smooch with Realid.
"Of course, we're not peeping toms."
I sigh softly and he chuckles.
"Anyways, we don't have footage of any Shadowpack wolves leaving the shadowpack meeting grounds. They've stayed within their hunting grounds for a while now," Snow-wolf frowns. "But um... No, it can't be that."
I turn to him, eyes bright with excitement! "Who is it? Who are you thinking of???"
He turns to me and calmly says, "Well, I'm thinking of Bloodclaw."
(Bloodclaw is like the devil of wolves, but he can harm you even if you are alive.)
"But he's been trapped in the vaults for years. He couldn't have gotten out," he argues his own opinion.
"It must be him though," I reply firmly.
He nods and waves me away, saying, "It's not your time, Gengi, go back, see your father!"
"Yes, Snow-wolf," I say, bowing. "Wait - see my father? He's alive???"
But Snow-wolf doesn't reply, and soon I'm sucked back into my bloody, scarred world.
Then a burst of light shines through my cloudy world view and a shadowed wolf walks towards me.
"Hello, Gengi," the wolf says solemnly.
"Who are you? Where am I? Am I dead???" I blurt out.
The wolf calmly steps out of the light. He's stark white with black tips on his tail, ears, paws, and wings - which are angel-wing shaped. "I am Snow-wolf. And, yes. But it is not your time, Gengi. I don't know why you died."
I look at him, angered and sorrowful. "Because of that stupid Shadowpack wolf, who killed my father!"
Snow-wolf scowls. "But, we have no footage of any Shadowpack -"
"Footage?" I interrupt.
"We watch the packs 24/7."
My eyes widen, thinking of my little smooch with Realid.
"Of course, we're not peeping toms."
I sigh softly and he chuckles.
"Anyways, we don't have footage of any Shadowpack wolves leaving the shadowpack meeting grounds. They've stayed within their hunting grounds for a while now," Snow-wolf frowns. "But um... No, it can't be that."
I turn to him, eyes bright with excitement! "Who is it? Who are you thinking of???"
He turns to me and calmly says, "Well, I'm thinking of Bloodclaw."
(Bloodclaw is like the devil of wolves, but he can harm you even if you are alive.)
"But he's been trapped in the vaults for years. He couldn't have gotten out," he argues his own opinion.
"It must be him though," I reply firmly.
He nods and waves me away, saying, "It's not your time, Gengi, go back, see your father!"
"Yes, Snow-wolf," I say, bowing. "Wait - see my father? He's alive???"
But Snow-wolf doesn't reply, and soon I'm sucked back into my bloody, scarred world.
Chapter 9
My eyes open slowly, but surely. The world has a weird, reddish haze about it, as if there is blood over my eyes. The silhouette of a large wolf stands over me."AAAH!" I shriek, flinging my paws everywhere. "GET AWAY FROM ME, ATTACKER!"
"Good, you are awake," the dark wolf whispers. "Get up, son."
"Son??"
"Yes. Son," the wolf replies as though surprised at my surprise. "Meaning, my child who is a boy. I'm your father -"
Before he can finish, I'm up and hugging him. "I missed you, dad..."
"I missed you too, son."
Then I get off him. Stare at his open wounds, his scars. Look long and hard into his shadowed over eyes. Gaze at his ruffled, clumped gray fur, that obviously should be white. And then I look away, embarrassed that I would ever be so prejudice of someone who I had been searching for for so long. Obviously I would look much worse than he does; I mean, I just died. Literally. The blood soaking up my chest and tainting my once so soft and green pelt.
"Don't be ashamed, Gengi. I know I must look terrible. I've been away from wolves for so long, I haven't really thought about how I look," and he chuckles, deep and resonating. I could actually feel the vibrations emanating from his tough physique.
"Dad, the pack will be so relieved! We have to get home, have you cleaned up and-"
Dad interrupts me. "Son... I'm not going back."
"W-what?" I whimper. "I just found my long-lost father, and now he won't even let the others know he's alive?"
"Gengi, I'm sorry. But things are much better when I'm-" he starts. I cut him off.
"DON'T GIVE ME THAT SPEECH. DON'T GIVE ME THE SAME CRAPPY SPEECH THAT THE NEW LEADER GAVE ME AFTER YOU DIED. DON'T YOU DARE TRY AND MAKE IT SO EVERYTHING'S BETTER! NO! I WANT TO HAVE YOU BACK, DAD!" I scream with the sudden fury and passion of a thousand Sun Warriors.
"Son... I never..." He stares at me, his ears back.
I glare at him. "Do you know how hard this was for me, Dad? You left me. When I was a pup. I barely knew you, and then you left. But you left a big enough impression on me for me to miss you, to wonder. And now you're saying we can't let the pack know you're alive? I never knew that when I'd finally meet my father that he'd be a self-loathing lump like you. Someone who's just like the rest. Who doesn't really care but decides he'll pretend.
"You're a phony little fraud. You said that you'd come back one day just before you left me. And now you're saying that you can't come back now that you're alive." I sat there, waiting for a response. A tail wag. An ear twitch. Nothing. He just kept his freaked out position. "I should've known. Only a sicko would fake his own death." I stood and began padding away. "At least now I won't ever dream of finding you again. Dad." I dropped every single ounce of my hatred, anger, and sorrow onto the last word I said to him.
"Gengi... I..." Dad trails off.
"You changed."
And I slip into the bushes, over the river, through the forest, past the rock field, and back to the village. Even as Realid tackles me, overjoyed to see me alive and okay, then takes me to the infirmary, I'm still thinking of how he looked at me. True sorrow. True, passionate hope for forgiveness. Pity, even. They were getting ready for tears. Which is odd, for him. I always knew my dad as a poker-faced wolf. Has he changed?
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Gengi's Past:
Chapters 1 - 9 (Part 1) All jumbled up into the same part.
Gengi is a 21-year-old wolf in the world, prince of his pack and heir to the throne. He was only 3 when his father died - or so he thinks. Constantly he dreams of different wolves coming through the forest, and almost always wakes up to find them gone. When a mysterious wolf - Reiada - appears in his village, he knows something is not right. Something tells him to leave his pack for a while, even though the love of his life has finally come to him, even though everything is perfect - and he finds his father. His past. His life. Gengi's Past: Part 1: Finding My Father shows the epic journey of a determined son with a past that almost nobody can puzzle through.
All other pages/chapters will be deleted from my journal portal, however they are all here. P.S: Any edits/mistakes you wish to point out? Send me a note! I'd be really grateful.
© 2013 - 2024 neokasey82
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