• A.K.A Wolf Act VI- Past




    With Surt-Lim’s invasion only 4 days away, I felt the need to tell Hotaka and Sparks about the horrible news. Hotaka was outraged while Sparks sat there quietly, not saying a single word. I don’t get it; any normal kid would be petrified, why isn’t Sparks saying anything? Come to think if it, Sparks hasn’t said anything since we’ve met him. Why? He wasn’t incapable of talking, for all I knew his mouth and vocal cords were fine. No kid would choose not to talk. I dared never to ask him.

    The night of the sixth day was slowly approaching, our sleeping time diminished as the Surt-Lim’s raid date crept closer and closer, just like he was. For some reason, as I laid down, as a human, Sparks laid abnormally close to me as a little wolf. The heat seeping out of his skin was so comforting, I fell asleep almost instantly. Right about when I drifted into my dream, I felt something press against my forehead; I didn’t bother to wake up.

    {Sparks’ Dream}

    It was like I had a bird’s eye view of the whole thing. There was a mother wolf and six pups, one if which, was Sparks. I just knew that somehow. All of the pups, looking no more than 3 weeks old, were yipping for attention from their mother. But, one was louder than all of the other pups combined, Sparks. There was not a moment where he wasn’t howling, whimpering or yipping. Then, almost in the blink of an eye, they were gone…every single one. Only tiny Sparks was left behind. He was absolutely silent he seemed to be dead. But his slight breathing and movements proved otherwise. I don’t get it did they just leave him? Then Surt-Lim walked into my dreaming view, “Run, Sparks!” I tried to shout but nothing escaped my mouth. I wish that I could stop what was happening, even though it’s probably just a dream.

    Surt-Lim pressed his forehead against Sparks’ just like he did with me when I first changed into a human, and just like me Sparks transformed into a little boy. But, the only way Surt-Lim changed anybody was if…I didn’t finish the thought. I jumped down from my tree view and my thought was confirmed; Spark’s family had been killed. Was it because he wouldn’t stop barking? Or just because Surt-Lim had stumbled upon them randomly…I refused to believe it was the first option even though I knew I was right; Surt-Lim is just that cruel. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes as I stared at the bare little boy that I had grown so attached to, even though I knew he couldn’t hear me I mouthed, It’s okay Sparks, I will never ever leave you…never!

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    I flashed awake and pup Sparks was fast asleep in the crevice of my chest and right arm, I let a few tears slide past my cheek bones as I held Sparks tightly in my arms…”Never,” I whispered. Only by sleeping did I realize why Sparks was silent, a mute, because he was scared that of he said anything, anything at all, someone he cared for would be killed. And I also noticed that his mother didn’t say anything to her pup either, so the last thing Sparks heard from his mother was the sound of her being slaughtered. I could feel Sparks quiver next to me, and I hummed a lullaby Mother howled softly to Ichio and I, just so he could feel that I cared enough for him to make sure he gets a good night sleep. The way I felt and how I remembered Mother’s lullaby made me blink into my abysmal black colored wolf form. I didn’t think Sparks noticed, so I softly twined my tail with his, I promise to never leave Sparks for the rest of eternity. I thought to myself as I nuzzled closer to Sparks.

    I awoke to, once again the sound of Zero yelling and screaming to get us up for another painful daily marathon to try and get the most out of our time as we could. He was no only three days away, how he found us and what he would do once he did was still a terrifying concept to ask yourself. We hadn’t eaten in more than 2 days and Hotaka would not shut up about how his own stomach sounded like a grizzly was scaring himself. Hopeless. Zero sternly said that if any unlucky deer or badger were to cross our path, we would take action…that made all of us even more hungry. The chances of a delicious deer just randomly walking in front of four wolves, running full speed; we had a better chance of winning the lottery twice. But as we closed in on the one-in-a-million chance deer that so clumsily waltzed onto our path of running, it ran away full speed. We were already exhausted beyond comparison so we just let the deer go on with its happy life…not without a few dramatic refusals from Hotaka though.

    Because Surt-Lim’s invasion was now three short days away, Zero made us run straight through the night. Sparks passed out at about 3 am and Zero and Hotaka had to take turns carrying poor little Sparks. I couldn’t help but pity him, he was no more than 1 year old and is now being forced to run hundreds of miles without food. It was frustrating watching Zero press on and push us all so harshly without taking others into consideration. And I think Zero got a huge wake up call just five hours later; I passed out. One of the last things I remember about that day was the sight of Zero getting blurrier and blurrier and then Hotaka’s concerned, warbled voice, then the feeling of clod, wet soil against my fur.

    I thought I was awake but it turns out that I was in a deep, deep dream. I knew that because I was back at my old home with Zero. I was small and around 7 months young, as was Zero. Everything seemed so untouched, as if life was just one huge Tetras game, not one thing could be moved without our whole world collapsing.

    “Come over here, KiKi!” Zero squeaks as he hopped over to the side of our small brook that ran right between his and my family’s territories.

    “I could’ve sworn I saw a fish in here yesterday! Momma didn’t believe me but I knew what I saw!” He chirps with his once usual happy-go-lucky smile that made me feel like magma on the inside. Almost like I couldn’t control myself, I responded, “Yeah right, ZiZi. It was probably a feather or something.”

    “No! It was a scaly, nasty, water-breathing fish!” Zero protests, stomping a paw on the ground. His description made me sick to my stomach; fish have always sickened me. I was about to go back to my mother and the rest of my family when Zero grabbed my small, charcoal tail in his white as snow mouth.

    “Come on, KiKi! We have nothing to do around here! This could be our one chance to have an adventure!” I knew that this wouldn’t end well and, as much as I tried, I couldn’t go back to my family. It was like I had no control over my own body, but for some reason, deja vu kept yanking at my brain. Zero bounded and hopped up the stream as I trotted right behind him. After a long while of following this so called “fish”, my puppy legs were beginning to weaken.

    “Are we almost there, ZiZi?” I asked uncontrollably as I panted heavily.

    “I found it!” Zero exclaimed as he jumped from one side of the brook to the other. I reluctantly ran over to what zero was so worked up about…”A minnow?” I asked as my ears folded back beyond my control. I could see the happiness run like the brook out of little Zero’s white face. “I didn’t say it was going to be a big fish,” he said with a disappointed tone. I wanted so badly to say I’m sorry, or, It’s ok, Zero. But, just like form the beginning, I could control nothing.

    “I’m going back,” I said when my tail swished as I turned in the opposite direction.

    “W-wait, KiKi!” I heard Zero call. And then, the sound of pebbles shifting, and a yelp. Zero’s pained yelp. When I turned around, Zero had slipped on a loose rock and his left leg was mauled by a jagged rock. His blood raced down stream, sending chills down my small spine.

    “Help! Yukiru! It hurts!!!” Zero howled as he tried to stand, and in doing so, fell again and slashed his leg open even more. “Yukiru!” He called once more. I froze. I had absolutely no idea why, Zero, my lifetime friend, was bleeding profusely and I did nothing. I smelled a familiar scent of my mother and Zero’s mother coming closer and closer.

    “Momma!” I was finally squeaked out. Within seconds, Zero was lifted from his bleeding pool and being carried back to our once loving family. My mother picked me up by the scruff of my neck and carried me, as well, back to my awaiting clan. After being scolded and kept away from food, I was finally able to see my best friend. His leg was wrapped in weeds and grasses that helped in the healing process. “I’m sorry, ZiZi,” I whimpered.

    “I’m fine but why didn’t you help me, KiKi? Why?”

    When I woke up, it was night and Sparks was cooking fish for dinner. I looked over and saw the scars On Zero’s human arm, “I’m sorry, ZiZi,” I whispered, then laid my head back down.

    End of Act VI