Chapter Thirty-One – Ruins of the Past
The old stone wall rose before his eyes, as tall and sturdy as he remembered it. Theodore didn't stop for a moment, his heavy breathing loud in his ears. Yes, he was near, and his home, his pack's seat of power, was within reach.
Flakes of snow swirled about his head, rushing through the tiny holes in the wall, reminding him of his childhood, when his heart had been so light and filled with happiness. His wolf stuck his tongue out, ready to catch a few snowflakes. At first, they tasted as he remembered, but soon, that taste turned into ash, something bitter and metallic, and he heaved in an effort to get rid of it.
He looked up. Instead of the white of the snow from his memories, the sky was now pouring black flakes of soot over his head.
His pack was in danger. Whatever the smoke rising in the distance meant, he knew it couldn't be anything good. His wolf, restless and eager to uncover the truth as much as he was, hurried forward, using his superior strength and stamina to take him where he needed to be.
But the nearer he got, the more his paws became reluctant to propel him toward his destination. There were no sounds, no voices of his mates, no cheerful laughter, no shouts of victory to celebrate a successful hunt. The wind continued to blow relentlessly and a silence as deep as death stretched over what seemed to be nothing but the ruins of what was once a flourishing settlement.
He knew all of this. All the remembrance of the past he had and had held with him since his early days came rushing back. He'd been still a child when he came upon the destruction of his pack. After that he ran and ran, without looking back, frightened as only a pup could be. In the big city, he'd found a place for himself, even if he'd had to depend on the foster families humans could offer. Like Jack, he'd never spent much time in one place, driven by ambition and desire to uncover the truth of what had happened to his pack, waiting for the enemy that would surely present themselves to finish him off.
Yet, the pain was still raw in his heart. He passed through the heavy gate, half-opened as if abandoned and condemned to never close again.
His old home was unrecognizable. It was the same thought he'd had when discovering the destruction of his pack so many years ago. The dens and other buildings where his pack mates used to gather to share news of their lives looked like broken skeletons, their rooftops forever gone. Here and there, stone foundations jutted out of the ground like jagged teeth, while charred beams streaked the hibernal landscape, haphazardly thrown about.
If he was here, perhaps this was his chance to uncover the truth once and for all. That twisted tree – had the runes lied to him, after all? – believed he'd want to join his fallen pack, but such thoughts were as far from his mind as they could possibly be. Theodore believed that he was here to avenge his pack. After he did that, his mission would be over.
But he would still live, even if only the life of a lonesome wolf awaited him.
***
"I assure you that I totally know where we're going," Jack kept babbling while leading the way. He was anxious for them to get to their destination, but the trip there was taking a while. Definitely, but definitely he didn't want Vince to think that he had no idea what he was doing.
"I trust you," Vince said. "That knowledge of yours is a pretty cool thing. I mean, we got a snapshot of what's happening to Theodore, even though we're not there. That's magic, Jack."
Magic. Like the nehesh had said. Jack took one deep breath, satisfied – more than that, really – with the fact that he had a bit of magic, too.
His nostrils flared as his sense of smell caught something. Was that… ash?
"Vee, can you smell that? It kind of stinks. The air, I mean. Man, and you'd think these pristine lands would be free of any industrial exploitations and the like."
"I can feel it," Vince confirmed. "Something must've burned for a very long time. Whatever fire caused this, it didn't happen recently. That must also mean that we're near."
"Pretty much," Jack confirmed. The inner sense guiding him believed as much, and he wasn't inclined to contradict it. "Hey, look!" He stretched out his arm, pointing at a series of dark silhouettes, stern and morose against the grey sky. The weather was so weird, too. Jack couldn't even tell the time; it was impossible to say whether it was noon, or morning, or evening. They'd been walking for a while, so he was tempted to think twilight was close, but he wasn't sure. For all he knew, time could've stood still since they passed through the veil.
And even weirder than all that, he wasn't cold at all. Vince didn't seem to be cold, either. And they were both in the buff, so that didn't make any sense.
"That seems like a place we should explore," Vince confirmed. "Are you tired, Jack? You can hop on my back now that you don't have to act as the guide."
He wasn't; now that was another interesting thing that was happening. Jack felt like he was in shape for the first time in his life. Ah, those leaves the mysterious tree had offered him must be the equivalent of superfoods. He was full of vitamins and minerals and something that clearly gave him energy.
Absent-mindedly, he ran one hand over his forearm and yipped like a little dog.
"Vee, check this out!" Jack held his arm up. On it, little tufts of fluffy white fur had sprouted seemingly by magic. When Vince didn't react, he looked at his companion.
Only for his jaw to drop. Vince was covered head to toe in silver-grey fur, and even his face looked different. And he was staring at himself in astonishment.
"Vee, do you see what I'm seeing? We're turning into furries!"
"I… don't think that's the right way to put it," Vince said, stretching out his arms and examining himself minutely.
"What way should we put it, then?" Jack asked.
Vince made a strange sound. His entire body was contorting now, changing by the moment, until he landed on all fours.
Jack took a step back. "Vee, be real with me? Are you possessed by demons right now? I promise I won't freak out."
He didn't even have time to freak out. He had barely finished talking that his chest first jutted forward and then caved in so fast that he ended up bending from the waist. Something was definitely growing out of his tail bone, because he could feel it. And then, he was starting to feel ridiculously strong.
"Oh, well," he said, his voice fuller and lower than he had ever heard it before. "We're not furries."
"No, we're not," Vince confirmed, his voice husky and sexy.
Jack shook his head and lifted one paw to feel his muzzle. "We're wolves. By the way, am I white all over?"
"Yes. You look like you belong to Theodore's pack."
Did Vince think that because he looked different, he couldn't be part of Theodore's pack? Jack wished he knew what to say to comfort his friend.
A cavernous sound rose from the ruins in the distance.
"Let's go, puppy," Vince said and broke into a run.
Jack didn't need any other encouragement. He took after Vince, as fast as his paws could take him, which proved to be quite fast.
***
The ribs of the longhouse where his father had ruled with a firm hand and undeterred wisdom were now barely standing, the ghost of the majestic place it'd once been. Theodore stopped for a moment, contemplating what to do next. If this was merely a vision, a trick played on him by the evil spirits behind all this, he would soon learn what enemy he'd have to face. Seeing that he didn't intend to go down without a fight, that meant that the one who had destroyed his pack would have to come after him.
And when they did, he'd be ready to face them.
He continued to look around. The remnants of the place where the pyre for Embercasting was held every year loomed near. Theodore moved cautiously now, keeping his heart from hurting by sheer power of will. Abandoning himself to grief at the sight of these beloved places would weaken his resolve to deal with his enemies. His pack needed to be avenged, not cried over.
The circle on the ground was still fresh despite the heavy snow that must've fallen for days now. Memories of his last happy Embercasting flooded his brain. Visions of cheerful flames dancing around themselves and reaching for the sky, while pack members threw old items into the fire, sprang up inside his mind.
Was this what he had to do? Relive the Embercasting as it once had been? Would that pull the enemy out of hiding and force him to face the last wolf of Whiteflame?
He wasn't an alpha, Theodore thought with bitterness. He'd been nothing but a spoiled child who had helped the evil spirits lurking at the outskirts of their settlement destroy his pack. He had never been the alpha of Whiteflame. For that, he would repent. But first, he would vanquish the enemies that had led to this destruction.
Enter the circle.
He didn't need a creepy voice to tell him that. He knew what was expected of him. But the evil spirits goading him now had little knowledge of how powerful Theodore had made himself to be while waiting for this moment.
Without showing any sign of hesitation, he entered the circle. And in a moment, the ruined settlement came alive around him.
He was back to the last Embercasting – the one he'd ruined. He was scared, and pack members all around him were whispering worriedly.
The child he'd been back then had chosen to run. But Theodore was no longer that lost pup.
"Show me what you want me to see so badly, and then show yourself!"
The wind blew harder. Whispers rose from the lips of all the ghosts, mingling into a single voice.
You killed us!
Theodore hung his head low. He knew he was to blame, and he deserved all the harshness of those accusations. Ghosts kept gathering around him, closer and closer until there was no room left for him to breathe.
Remember. Remember how you killed us.
The stone underneath his paws was cold. It seeped into his bones, making him tremble.
"I will accept your punishment," he said in a low, mournful growl.
Remember, remember, remember…
Theodore closed his eyes. He did remember. The ruins, the scattered bodies, no one alive to hear his cries.
"It was my doing. Because I stole the flint," he admitted out loud again.
You killed us.
Theodore raised his eyes. And right in front of him, a shadow towered, with empty eyes and a gash instead of a mouth.
As a wolf, he wasn't easily scared. But the apparition made him take a step back. His paws refused to help him hold his ground. An alpha wouldn't cower in fear, no matter how scary the creature in front of his eyes was.
Remember. Stay in the circle, coward!
Coward. The word cut to the bone. Theodore stopped, his blood curdling to a stop in his veins. No wolf of Whiteflame was a coward.
A jolt coursed through his body, forcing him to close his eyes once more. Again, he was back in his childhood, at the last Embercasting, but when he opened his eyes, the crowds around him, everyone alive, were no longer invisible.
And the frightening apparition was right in front of him, as it had been before.
"Come, little alpha," the ghost-like creature said, offering an arm… no, a twig. A charred, gnarled twig that could hardly be considered part of a living, breathing being. "Let's use the flint together."
Theodore blinked. He was supposed to give the flint back to his father. But to use the flint, like a true alpha… He wanted to. He wanted to show the entire pack how worthy he was to be his father's successor. Even though he'd prove his worth through battle once he became of age, it felt so long until then.
He followed the dark apparition, forgetting all about wanting to give the flint back to his father.
***
Vince understood well why Jack had asked him to be courageous. Whatever awaited them, inside the heart of those ruins, would be cruel to the faint of heart. He felt it in his bones. Being a guardian had seemed such a vague thing when his parents had told him about it first. Caring for Danny had been so uneventful until Ryder's coming to Glasstone. So, in many ways, everything they were facing now was completely new to him as well.
The first thought that came to his mind was that the ruins they could now see clearly resembled those of a forgotten kingdom. Ash and soot lay everywhere, tainting the snow. What unnerved him was that all that snow – which they hadn't seen on their way here – seemed to be fresh. So how the fire that must've burned a long time ago spread all that soot anew?
Whatever questions they had, the answers had to lie deep within the bowels of this corpse. What Vince knew he had to do right now was to keep himself from scaring Jack.
"Are these the houses and dens where Theo's pack lived?" Jack asked.
He was cute in his human shape, but as a white wolf pup, Jack was simply too cuddly. Vince felt some of his worries fade as his eyes fell on his companion.
"What?" Jack asked, in his new wolf voice.
"Nothing. You're very pretty," Vince said.
"Thank you," Jack said in his usual cheerful voice. "You look dashing, by the way."
His coat wasn't white like Jack's. Or Theodore's. Vince had to wonder if the silver grey of his fur mattered in some way. Unlike Jack, who'd had the privilege of meeting a pair of magical creatures who'd offered him guidance, he felt like swimming in the dark.
Jack lifted his head, staring at something behind Vince. "Vee, I think that's--" His words died in his throat.
Even without turning, Vince understood that his courage would now be put to the test. But he wasn't worried anymore; amidst this destruction, he understood his role as a guardian, deep in his bones.
Without hesitation, he turned and positioned himself between Jack and the danger looming before them.
"Guardian and useless clairvoyant," a voice dark as the depths of hell hissed at them.
Vince couldn't yet see the owner of that voice, but he was ready to take them apart, whoever they might be.
"Hey, that's personal," Jack quipped from behind Vince. "I'll have you know that, in certain very respectable circles, I go by 'clever clairvoyant'. So, keep your negativity to yourself."
"Jack, can you see it? What is it?"
"Um, is it invisible to you, Vee? The shit-stirred is right in front of us. Looking just as ugly as when it kidnapped me."
That was bad. If he couldn't see their enemy at all, how was he supposed to fight it? But if he admitted that out loud, wouldn't he give their opponent knowledge that would soon become an advantage?
"Straight ahead, and a bit to the left," Jack whispered from behind him, catching on quickly.
Vince pounced without thinking. His claws met dry fabric that ripped with a hollow sound.
"Awesome, Vee," Jack cheered. "Be careful! Dodge to the right!"
Something swished through the air, missing him by a hair's breadth.
"Now, cut through its midsection," Jack continued to shout his directions. "Right above you!"
He could now feel the creature attacking them. Even though he still couldn't see it, he was aware of motion happening all around him, and his muscles – his new wolf muscles – could barely wait to be put to use. Vince moved with ease, feeling his power surging with each attack he landed. Whatever the creature was wearing, its garment had to be in tatters by now.
The only thing frustrating him was that he must've barely cut through a bone or what counted as the creature's flesh. It was as if a mere skeleton with little meat on its bones hid inside that floating robe that kept rustling around him.
"You cannot kill me, guardian," the cavernous voice taunted him.
"Maybe not. But I can stop you from carrying out your plan," Vince said, grunting as he dodged and attacked in quick succession, at the direction of Jack's shouts.
"I am the one doing that," the creature said with glee. "You cannot save your alpha. You'll be busy here, chasing shadows, while my brethren take care of that foolish wolf."
That wasn't good. As much as Vee wanted to believe that he would be able to defeat this monster, whatever it was, if they didn't reach Theodore in time, they'd fail in their quest.
"What else do you see, Jack?" he shouted. The creature had to have a weakness. And Jack, being the clever clairvoyant that he was, had to be able to identify it.
"Um, um," Jack whimpered in frustration. "What else, what else… Ah, I think I see it! Vince, jump and drop from above!"
It was a weird piece of advice, but Vince had already learned to trust Jack, regardless of how strange his words could be at times.
He pounced through the air and landed on top of something that felt more solid than the creature he'd been battling for minutes now. The horrible sound of bones breaking confirmed that he was right on the money.
"You got it, Vee!" Jack confirmed. "Let me kick it, too."
Vince's hidden instincts surfaced. "Jack, no!" he shouted.
But Jack's front paws caught in a black mire just as he tried to hit the defeated creature.
"Ah, what's going on?" Jack complained.
Hideous laughter rose from underneath their paws. "Two stupid wolves. You fell right into my trap."
TBC