The Truth of the Prophecy
Vince growled and swiped one arm through the air, hitting Theodore in his broad wolf chest and knocking him several feet back.
“You have to understand what the prophecy is telling you, Theodore! And it is not about you sacrificing yourself or fighting alone!”
Theodore didn’t hesitate to regain the lost ground. Vince mostly felt him rather than saw him, because the army they were fighting against didn’t wait a moment for their squabble to be over.
The tall trees rose before them in a tight line. Not a speck of dust would slip between their bodies. Vince had to blink several times to realize that not even his wolf eyes would be powerful enough to distinguish one tree from the other.
They were like a pack. Of course. How hadn’t he thought of that? If their roots and trunks and branches were animated by the souls of the pack that had confronted Whiteflame, that meant that—
They also had to have an alpha, someone to lead them.
“Find the alpha, Theodore!” Vince shouted. “Point him out to me, and this will be over!”
“Their alpha is dead! I killed him! It was one of these ugly trees, spewing lies, and I split his head like a melon beneath my paw!”
Vince understood what Theodore was doing. Their minds, like their bodies, worked together. If the alpha was still among the dead trees advancing to crush them, he would emerge, challenged by someone of his stature. And if there was no alpha, if Theodore was right, then this pack stood no chance against them, no matter how numerous.
Still, Jack was somewhere behind them, unprotected. Vince hated that the wisdom tree and the nehesh weren’t forthcoming with what they knew, but he had no time to dwell on such details. He was the guardian, and he needed Theodore to go the hell back so he could fulfill his purpose.
“If their alpha is dead, then this fight is easy!” he shouted. “I reckon you could take a break, Theodore! Go check on Jack! Now!”
Busy as he was berating Theodore into doing what was expected of him by the complicated thread of fate, he missed the tree before him by an inch. That seemed to be enough to count as a mistake. Roots sharp as nails went into his side, lifting him into the air. Pain shot through him like a short-circuit, but Vince didn’t bother with it. His rage increased tenfold, and bloodlust emerged in his veins. With a loud battle cry, he pushed the claws of his hind feet against the bark and broke free. His maw opened of its own accord and crushed what had to be the tree’s heart. The entire trunk succumbed, turning into sawdust by the moment it hit the ground.
“Don’t mess with a guardian!” His voiced echoed against the wall of enemies. Vince understood what gladiators felt in ancient arenas when facing death. There was power in knowing that sacrifice was noble and worth every drop of blood in one’s body.
“Vince, you’re hurt!”
“Theodore, go to Jack, now!”
He turned slightly and felt his rage turning into pain laced with a fury that grew from the depths of his soul. A cluster of trees, taking advantage of how two wolves couldn’t go against them, were closing in on Jack’s unresponsive body.
“Theodore, now!”
***
Theodore gritted his fangs and broke into a run. Vince had been right all along. Someone had to keep Jack safe, and it wasn’t the guardian. It wasn’t the guardian who needed to go against that army of darkness, either, but how could he split himself in two? Not even an alpha could fight a battle like this alone.
He growled and pushed away the trees trying to reach Jack. He crushed branches in his fangs, destroyed roots with his claws, threw his entire weight against trunks that gave only a little resistance. But just when he thought he was done with them, others emerged. More and more numerous, determined to beat him by numbers instead of strength.
Theodore howled. They would not have Jack. They would not hurt Vince. When they had gone against his pack, he had been a child, but he was an alpha now. One with claws and fangs and a determined heart.
He moved fast. He was no longer planning his next moves, instincts taking over. It no longer mattered if he lived or died. His heart was wild, indeed. Just as the prophecy in the rock had told him before. Now he understood it, and under its magic, he was now free.
“Theo?” a sleepy voice called out to him, astonishingly loud and strong against the din of the battle he was fighting.
“Jack, are you finally awake?”
“Yeah, and you wouldn’t believe it. I have such crazy stories to tell.”
Theodore couldn’t spare a moment to look at Jack. “Can you keep them for later? As you can see, we’re all a little busy here.”
Jack laughed. It was a sound so clear, so natural, that it cut through the black shroud that had kept closing around his sanity since the battle started.
“Yeah, why not? Wait, what exactly is going on here? Why are we fighting these trees again?”
“Again?” Theodore exclaimed.
“Eh, long story. By the way, I threw a flint at them and they burned pretty nicely. That might, or might not have been the flint of Embercasting.”
Theodore showed all his fangs as he dove into another attack. “I missed you, Jack.”
“Are you for real? Like dead serious?”
“Just serious. Hopefully, not dead,” Theodore said, a resurgence of hope springing in his chest.
“Then we should fight together,” Jack declared.
“Stay where you are! I’m protecting you!”
“Yeah, right.” Jack snorted and now he sounded like he was quite close. “Can’t you see I’m a wolf like you?”
Theodore looked at Jack. “A very pretty wolf.”
“Aww, stop it!” Jack teased him. “Can’t you see we have a fight to win?”
“Thank you for reminding me. Then if you’re so tough, how about you put your money where your fangs are?”
“Ugh, that didn’t work. Keep your artistic license for better things,” Jack recommended.
Theodore laughed. These trees had no chance against them.
Yet, they were so many.
***
Unfortunately, Jack didn’t have time to indulge in sweet, sweet banter with Theodore, as much as he wanted to do just that. At first, he clumsily swatted a tree going for his head – or ears – and yipped when the ugly creature thing fell.
“Look, Theo, I got one!”
“Awesome! Now let’s get the rest!”
That was good advice, of course, only that these fugly trees were a little bit too many.
“Wait, where is Vee?” He was starting to find his footing in this fight, and it felt pretty good. As his human self, he would never picture himself as such a bully, but boy, it felt good to be so efficient in dispatching their enemies one after the other.
“He’s fighting up ahead,” Theodore shouted. “He warned him about protecting you, and I kept telling him to protect you. He won, as you can see.”
“I see, and I’m glad. But I’d rather have both of you by my side. Ouch,” he exclaimed when a couple of his claws got too deep into a piece of tough bark.
“What is it?”
“I’m afraid I broke a nail.”
“You’ll get over it.”
“You think?”
“Yes, of course.”
So, in this battle, he was supposed to be the secret weapon because Theo and Vee just couldn’t fight alone. But so far, while he was getting pretty good at this fighting thing, and he managed to land more kicks, hits and bites than he was getting back, it felt like they were caught in a stalemate. Those disgusting trees continued to push against them, and they continued to push back. And in this whole debacle, he couldn’t even see Vince.
“Theo, I think there’s something we’re missing!” he yelled.
“We are together now. What could we be missing?” Theodore was by far deadlier than him, but he was an alpha, so that was all explainable. Not that Jack was jealous or anything like that.
“Not exactly together. Let’s advance toward Vince. By the way, what do you think of the wisdom tree and the nehesh? They’re both pretty annoying, right? They are standing right there, eating popcorn and having fun at our expense.”
“You are putting on quite the fight,” the wisdom tree commented.
“Oh, it speaks,” Jack mocked. “Damn, one day I will get so good at my clairvoyant thing that I never have to rely on vague prophecies and strange mythical creatures.”
“You do that, Jack,” the wisdom tree advised kindly, not bothered in the least by all the shade Jack was throwing at it.
Vince was still at a fair distance from them. It was clear as day that he was having the worst time out of the three of them. While he and Theodore were going against some puny fuckers, Vince had to take on the whole army.
“He is so amazing!” he exclaimed. “Look at Vee fighting all those trees at once!”
“More amazing than me? Just watch me!” Theodore shouted. “Race me to him if you can, wolfie!”
Jack whimpered. Why did Theodore have to call him that? They weren’t anywhere near a bedroom, and he had just accidentally discovered his new favorite pet name.
***
Vince no longer looked around. He was fighting like he’d been born for it, his entire being focused on being the arm that protected, just as he’d been told. Never before in his life had he felt like he was living up to his purpose, not like this. To understand why you existed was the most exhilarating feeling possible.
He would never tire. He would fight and fight. Sharp branch tips nicked him, some went through, but he didn’t feel a thing. Finally, he was where he was meant to be, and the blood of all the guardians before him coursed through his veins.
“Vee!” he heard a beloved voice calling to him from behind.
“Jack! I’m so happy to hear you!”
“We’re coming to help!”
He lost sight of their enemies only for a moment. At first, he didn’t feel a thing, but as he watched Jack and Theodore hurrying toward him, a new wave of pain struck him all at once.
Vince stared down at the single branch that had gone through his body, entering through the middle of his chest. His heart beat wildly and erratically, sounds were fading, and his paws moved slowly, as if he were wading through water.
“Vee, no!” Jack cried.
Vince wanted to say something, to assure Jack that it was all fine, that a guardian’s purpose was to protect others, but no words came out of him. His eyes were closing, narrowing his vision until he could only see a few shapes on the move, and then nothing.
***
“No, no, no,” Jack repeated plaintively. “Theo, we should do something. Vee!”
Theodore didn’t need to be told twice. He jumped over Vince, hitting the tree that stabbed their friend, taking it down. Vince wouldn’t die; he was sure of it, as he was sure of the heart still beating in his chest.
“Jack, take care of Vince!” he shouted.
He would have to keep the army of dark trees at bay until none of them remained.
A sound like rumbling earthquake shook the ground underneath his paws. The sea of trees parted and cowered, making him stop.
“That’s one big motherfucking asshole!” Jack’s pointed commentary erupted from behind him.
Theodore stood frozen in place as another tree, so tall and wide that it no longer looked like it could exist anywhere but inside a nightmare, emerged through the path that had been cleared by its tenebrous saplings.
“Alpha of Whiteflame, you will die here today.” Its voice was coming from deep inside its trunk, low like a growl.
So this was the one he needed to confront, not engage in useless fights with the minions.
“I will not.”
“So proud for an alpha without a pack. I will not be the one to die, no matter what you think.” The huge crown swayed, and when the giant tree bent, it blotted out the whole sun above.
“That is where you’re wrong. You are already dead. And I have a pack.”
“Who? The useless seer? The dying guardian?”
“Hey,” Jack protested from behind. “I’m not useless, and Vee is just a little indisposed. Nothing but a flesh wound.”
“Enough of this chatter. Prepare to die, alpha of Whiteflame!”
Theodore dodged out of the way as the tree raised part of its roots and made the ground shake when they landed. He was fast as he jumped on the knotted trunk. He wasn’t abandoning his pack, he was avenging it.
No, that was no longer his purpose, he thought as Jack cheered him loudly. He was doing all of this so his pack could live.
***
“Vee, you really have a bad habit of getting hurt these days,” Jack reproached in a gentle voice while licking Vince’s wound. He had seen Theodore doing it, so maybe he could make it work, too.
“Jack,” Vince wheezed, “don’t let Theodore fight alone. No matter what happens to me.”
“Don’t worry about Theo. I think he’s going up against the other alpha, and he has this thing down pat.”
“Your jokes don’t land which must mean that you are scared. Don’t be, Jack. It will all be fine.”
“That’s the one thing people say in movies just before they’re about to kick the bucket. Don’t kick the bucket, Vee! Stay away from the bucket, you hear me?”
He needed to lick faster, way faster. Vince was truly badly hurt, and he wasn’t doing a very good job at being a wolf with a healing tongue. What use would it all be, even if they won, if Vince weren’t around—
No, no, he needed to stop thinking like that. There had to be something he could do.
“Wisdom tree, give me one of your leaves,” he shouted. “I don’t care if you don’t move much or you don’t want to talk to us about how the prophecy works or whatever. I need you to make Vee better!”
“My leaves won’t help now, clever seer.”
The wisdom tree sounded like it was right there, but Jack still jolted when he saw it.
“What should I do then? Look at him, he’s closing his eyes. Vee, don’t close your eyes!”
“I’m right here, Jack,” Vince mumbled. “Don’t worry, I keep telling you.”
“Ah, help is here,” the wisdom tree said.
“What?” Jack raised his eyes. “You!” he hissed as he saw Skarg stealthily moving toward him.
“I know how to help Vince,” Skarg whined. “He was touched by one of mine, so you can’t heal him.”
The skeleton boy wolf looked as dreary as ever.
“And you came here to rub it in or what?”
Skarg moved closer. “No. I’m sorry I abandoned you. But I was scared.”
“Hmph. Well, you came at a bad time. As you can see, we’re all a little bit busy. Vee is a little dying—I mean, no, not like that. I mean--”
“I know what to do to save him,” Skarg said.
“Can I trust you? Does your cure involve dead squirrels?”
“No. No dead squirrels, I promise.”
“Is it disgusting?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.” Skarg crouched by Vince’s side and began scratching at his wound with a dirty long nail.
“I don’t think I should let you do that. Or maybe I should. Bleah, I think I’m going to be sick.”
***
Theodore was on top of the tree now. Mercilessly, he was picking apart the trunk, branches and everything he could get his claws and fangs on.
“Your efforts are in vain. Can’t you see you’re not making a dent, no matter how much you try?” his enemy taunted him.
Theodore said nothing. Even a being like this had to have a heart, shriveled and dark as it might be.
And when he got there, he knew what to do. Vince was in Jack’s care, and he believed in them.
He needed to go deeper and deeper. Ignoring the giant tree’s eerie laughter, he continued his work.
“Do you think you can defeat me if you find what you’re looking for?”
“I have a better idea than that.”
The words of the prophecy fell into place for him. He hadn’t seen their meaning because he’d been too caught up in his sorrow and pain. But even in such dire circumstances, or maybe because of them, he saw it clearly.
Yes, there it was. The ugly beating heart, a tangle of branches and roots and dead leaves, pulsing under the bark.
“Ah, you found it,” the giant dead tree mocked him. “Try to destroy me, and I’ll only become more powerful. Can’t you see that I’m feeding off your power, alpha?”
Theodore sank his claws into the beating heart. “Feed all you want. I’m not in this alone. Rise, Whiteflame!”
“What?” The giant tree shook. “How?”
Theodore ripped through the dead heart. “Rise, Whiteflame, rise!” he chanted.
“You can’t—that’s not--”
“Now you die!”
A deep howl from afar shook the tree. That was the only sound Theodore needed to hear.
TBC
@DavidB - thank you!! I think you'd like the next chapter even more :) As Theo's pack comes alive...
@Derek - I wanted Jack to be so, so extra, so he got two astral parents instead of one. And the pack rises!
@Mark Mortland - oh, yes, I wanted Jack to be a wolf despite his astral origins :D I hope you'll enjoy the pack rising!
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