True Heroes
A wind rose, but Theodore made no mistake. That wasn’t a wind meant to move clouds or bring rain. His pack was rising. The truth of the prophecy was living inside him, and now, his entire being stretched to the tips of his fur to receive it. The howl intensified, emerging from the throats of dozens of wolves, and it was drawing near.
He redoubled his efforts. His claws dug into the black heart of the evil tree. The creature shook and begged, but whatever noises it could still make resembled nothing but the gurgling of dirty water down a drain. Around them, the forest had frozen in waiting, or maybe the principle that had kept them alive was now suspended, making them useless.
Theodore couldn’t care less. They were doomed, the same way they had doomed his pack those many years ago.
But now, his pack was here. Their howls drew nearer and nearer, while he buried himself in the trunk he intended to destroy. He heard the sounds of battle erupting above him and around him. More, more, he needed his revenge. The years spent in solitude, during which his heart had turned slowly into granite. They had to pay for that, starting with this giant tree turning into dust as he dug into it, aiming for its roots, not only for the heart.
***
“What is happening?”
Vince heard Jack’s voice coming from afar, although he could tell his dear friend was holding one warm paw firmly against his arm, as if he were afraid that their designated guardian would disappear into the void if he didn’t hold him down.
His pain was subsiding. He could tell that something was still digging into his ribs, but it seemed as if that rhythmic movement offered him solace and he was looking forward to the relief it gave him.
But if Jack was holding him and talking from his right, who was there to his left?
He opened his eyes with difficulty. It was as if his eyelids were so heavy that the simple action of doing that required an insane amount of effort.
What he saw, however, made him wonder if he wasn’t still trapped in a dream. Above him, shadows moved. He could tell they were wolves, ghostly presences that materialized in mid-air. They were white, like Theodore, and they flew through the air, despite not having wings.
Even on the ground, at a distance from them, Vince could feel the wind they were raising.
“Is this a fairytale?” he croaked.
“Vee!” Jack exclaimed. His cute wolf muzzle came into view, only to start poking him in the cheek right away. “It looks like Skarg’s disgusting methods really work. And the Whiteflame pack is here! Can you believe it?”
“Skarg? Whiteflame? How long have I been out of it?”
“Not that long, really,” Jack said. “It is all happening really fast now, because Theo finally got it. I mean, I think he got it, because look! He managed to revive his pack, just like in the prophecy!”
“That’s really awesome news, Jack. So why on earth are we dallying here instead of making our contribution?”
“Well,” Jack said, cuddling against him, “you have the bad habit of getting hurt when the heat is on, and I wouldn’t leave you by yourself. By the way, it looks like my tongue really doesn’t have any proper healing properties. I tried to treat you myself, but I failed.”
“Because Vince was hurt by one of mine,” Skarg argued. “That’s why you couldn’t. You still have a tongue that heals. When the wound is not caused by darkness.”
“Selective healing. Psh,” Jack snorted. “How about we enjoy watching Whiteflame kicking the hell out of the Black Forest’s ass? Sorry, Skarg, but your people are pretty evil.”
“I know,” Skarg agreed. “But… I belong with them.”
“You could belong with us,” Jack said.
Vince tuned out the conversation for a bit. What they were witnessing had to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A pack being brought back to life.
“It’s like watching a fantasy movie. With a high budget,” Jack commented. “Wow, they are really, but really doing a number on those fugly trees. Sorry, Skarg.”
“They are ugly,” Skarg confirmed.
Vince smiled. Yes, he was only lying here, seemingly useless, but he was watching Theodore’s pack fighting their enemies and avenging themselves for the years they had been trapped in a purgatory not of their own choosing.
***
How deep did the roots of this tree go? Theodore couldn’t say, but he intended to destroy it whole. He would return to his pack once he fulfilled his duty as their alpha. For all the wasted time, he would reward them by giving them back the life they deserved to have.
Around him, dead roots were climbing high, high, high. Darkness enveloped him in a sly embrace, and Theodore stopped. He looked up, and the sky was barely a patch of blue above his head.
“Are you beginning to understand your situation, stupid wolf?”
The tree’s hoarse voice was barely a whisper.
“You are dead,” Theodore said. “There is only one thing to understand. And that is that I beat you.”
“Yes, you did, but there is one last thing I will do. Your pack is now alive, thanks to you. They will celebrate the life you have returned to them, but their happiness won’t close the wound in their chest.”
“There is no wound.” Theodore returned to his arduous task. He dug through the black roots, now giving easily to each of his attacks.
“There will be. Because I’m taking you with me.”
Theodore tensed, but it was too late. Roots wrapped around him from behind and pulled him down hard.
It was no use for him to continue digging. He was falling through whatever was left of the body of the tree, down into the darkness below.
***
Jack rested on his hind legs and wrapped his fluffy tail around himself. Vince was resting against him, as the cavalry headed toward them. Theodore’s dad was surrounded by his pack, and a warm light spread over the now-abandoned battlefield.
“Tharion, alpha of Whiteflame,” Jack said, remembering his manners. “I know you have no idea who we are, but we’re like good people.”
“I do know who you are, Jack,” Tharion replied.
“Wait, are you trying to tell me that the past really happened? But you know, time travel and everything the sci-fi novels taught me--”
“We watched without being able to intervene. We were trapped in our world and witnessed our beloved son struggling to find his way back to us. And that only happened because you were here to assist him. Welcome to our pack.”
A handsome-looking woman about the same age as Tharion walked toward them with arms opened wide. “Welcome to our pack, our sons.”
“Oh, you’re Mom,” Jack said. “Wow. Theo’s Mom, I mean,”
She laughed, showing her straight white teeth. “You can call me Mom, if you wish, Jack. But I don’t really know if he will be too accepting of being called Theo.”
“He’s already fine with it,” Jack said, waving a paw. “So, you guys are really back? All of you?”
“Yes, the ones Theodore saved as a young boy back then. He saved us twice. But where is he? Isn’t he with you?”
Vince straightened up, holding his side. “He was fighting the enemy alpha. We thought--”
“Where is Theo?” Jack exclaimed, as reality finally caught up with him. “He should be here, celebrating and… what is going on?”
Theodore’s mom hurried to comfort him. “We will find him. We were so caught in fighting our enemies that we lost him out of our sight. Don’t worry, Jack.”
“Sorry if I’m being too dramatic. I’m just getting a bit too used to all this drama, and I don’t think it’s a good thing.”
“We will find Theodore,” Vince said.
“You are hurt, guardian,” Tharion warned him. “We must see to your wounds.”
“That has been taken care of. Skarg here helped us.”
Tharion frowned as his eyes fell on the skeleton wolf. “That is a vestige of the Black Forest.”
Jack knew where this was going and he didn’t like it. “Please don’t say that he must die. He helped us. Twice. Or thrice. Many times, even. He may look raggedy and all, but under those rags, I assure you, beats a heart of gold. A figure of speech.”
“Husband, we saw it. The boy helped them.”
Tharion seemed torn, while Skarg skulked back, showing signs of being afraid. Jack ran back and pushed him forward with his muzzle.
“Can’t you accept this orphan into your pack?” he asked.
Tharion seemed puzzled at the question. He turned to look at his wife for help. A short nod from her seemed to convince him.
“Skarg, you can stay here with your new pack,” Jack said. “Vee and I need to find Theo and bring him back, because it’s over, and a big fat beautiful lady should be singing somewhere, only that we can’t do that yet, because he’s a no-show.”
“I’m coming with you,” Skarg insisted. “I can help.”
“Skarg, we are one tough seer and one tough guardian. Do you really think you can keep up?”
“I saved Vince. And I saved both of you before. I can ask you things.”
Jack really wasn’t in the mood to fight endlessly over a moot point. The easiest choice was to let the boy come along.
“Tharion and gang,” he said, “can you wait for us?”
“Where would we go?” Tharion asked. “Take some of our finest with you.”
“It’s not a bad idea but--”
“We must hurry,” Skarg said, grabbing a clump of Jack’s fur and pulling at it. “Theodore must win, or else--” He stopped abruptly.
“Else what?” Jack asked.
“I can’t tell you here.”
“Are you shy?” Jack turned toward Vince. “He’s shy.” Then he looked at Tharion and his wife and the others, an entire pack of white wolves, some turned into their humans like their alpha, some still in their wolf shape. “He’s shy.”
“We will trust you. But we will come after you if you don’t return in the next hour.”
“That puts a bit of pressure on our performance,” Jack argued. “But you have a point. Just don’t start celebrating without us.”
To his surprise, Tharion knelt in front of him and pulled him into a strong, manly hug. “Bring back our boy.”
“That’s totally what I’m going to do. Vee, are you ready?”
“I’m so ready I’m about to leave without you,” Vince teased him. And he was indeed several steps ahead, with Skarg leading the way.
They were true heroes, after all.
***
He was underground again. Theodore felt unnaturally calm. Maybe it was because he knew that his pack had revived. Whatever this evil tree hoped to achieve by keeping him prisoner, it didn’t matter. He had made the prophecy turn into reality, and his pack’s future was secured.
Of course, his heart nudged him to not forget about his lovers. If it weren’t for them, he would accept his sacrifice. But he knew that Vince and Jack would both be sad if he didn’t return. Slowly, he began walking around, feeling the ground with his paws. His eyes would adjust to the dark any moment now.
“You brought me here,” he said out loud. “What is it that you hope to achieve? You lost. Your pack is gone. I will escape this place, and you will not even have the one last satisfaction of beating me.”
“This is your burial place. Enjoy it while there’s still life in your body. There will not be for long.”
“You underestimate the power of an alpha. I am not scared by your tricks. If you believe that you are dealing with the same scared boy of ten from long ago, you are mistaken. Too bad you won’t live long enough to witness my escape.”
“Alpha, you fail to understand your situation. You believe that I condemned your pack to non-existence. You did the same to mine. And now, we are both trapped. You will have me as your companion for all eternity.”
“That sounds boring. I will not tolerate it.” Theodore barely suppressed a grin. Jack must have rubbed off on him since he felt the need to joke under such circumstances.
“And what do you think you will be able to do to break my spell? If you had only stopped in time, alpha, you would be above ground with your pack. But you chose to destroy me completely, and that is your doom. Ah, it appears that I must show you the extent of my power, here, in this place.”
Theodore didn’t have time to react, because his paws were quickly trapped by growing vines that held him in place. No matter how much he struggled to move, there was no point.
Strength and brute force wouldn’t help him now. He needed to think. And if this evil tree was promising him eternity, he had just as much time as he needed to find an escape.
***
“It stinks so bad,” Jack whined as they slid down dead roots deeper into the ground. Skarg was leading the way, and he could barely see him.
“How are you a wolf if your nose is so sensitive?” Skarg asked.
The smell of rot was getting the better of him, and Jack would have loved a pair of plugs for his nostrils. “You do have a point, my friend, but there’s a logical flaw in it. I mean, if I have a nose that can smell practically anything, it comes with the territory that the smells I don’t like will seem overpowering.”
“How long until we reach Theodore?” Vince asked. As a guardian, he was focused on the quest, unlike Jack, who preferred to joke around. But that was why he was a seer and not a stern, serious guardian.
“Not very long now.”
Skarg had barely said that when they fell through some kind of resistance and landed in a large room.
“Oof,” Jack complained. “When we get back to normal life and everything, I’ll find the cloudiest, fluffiest mattress and sleep for twenty-four hours straight.”
“You brought them,” a cavernous voice spoke.
“Hey, who are you?” Jack shouted. “Vee, are you close?”
“I’m right here. I believe that Skarg had a little secret mission.”
“For real? I smell betrayal! I mean, I should have smelled it before.”
“Jack! Vince!” a voice Jack knew so well called to them. “Are you truly here?”
“Theo! What the heck are you doing? Don’t you know your pack is alive and well and can barely wait to start celebrating?”
“Silence!” the cavernous voice ordered. “You should tremble for your lives!”
“As if,” Jack countered. “We are here to take Theo and you can’t stop us.”
He had no idea if he could even see where Theodore was, but speaking positively was beneficial, as far as he remembered. He could manifest their victory or something like that if everything else failed. Or maybe he was a little bit scared and not dealing with it sounded just fine.
“And how do you plan on taking your alpha out of here when you can’t move yourselves?”
Jack grunted as he felt his paws getting stuck. “Not this again,” he complained. “Vee?”
“Worry not, Jack,” Vince’s voice came from somewhere above.
“How are you moving? You should be stuck, the same as the others,” the cavernous voice complained. “Skarg, catch the guardian.”
“Tough luck, evil being,” Vince taunted. “Skarg shared your plan with me, and I’m about to destroy you.”
“Skarg, you traitor! It doesn’t matter. I was planning on keeping your alpha alive and torturing him for all eternity, but have I changed my mind. I will kill him now!”
***
Vince was already close to Theodore. Skarg had whispered to him what he should expect, and while his first impulse had been to shake the boy for the whole truth, there had been no time to waste.
A guardian was the arm to protect the others. And now, he was right in front of Theodore, catching a branch that had shot from the depths of hell, aiming for the alpha’s chest. He held it and twisted it, making the evil tree howl. The earth shook.
“Vince, what are you doing?” Theodore scolded him. “Free me, and I’ll fight this creature.”
“I’m afraid we don’t have time for a pissing contest, alpha. This time, you’re in my capable hands. Learn to live with it. Also, I’ve spent too much time getting wounded and being out of it. This is my moment, and I’m not letting you ruin it.”
“I’m your alpha, and I command you--”
“Keep your commands for the bedroom. Now let me do my job as a guardian and kindly shut up.”
True satisfaction coursed through his veins as each of his attacks struck true. Their quest beyond the veil had been a string of trials of tribulations. But none of it had been in vain; they were all discovering themselves. And Vince now knew who he truly was.
He let out a howl of victory. His wolf was amazing, and Vince knew that he was deeply in touch with him, becoming one.
The earth and walls shook. They were crumbling, and now they were moving upwards, faster and faster, the sky opened above their heads.
“Is it over?” Jack asked once the earthquake ended. “Truly? I’m starting to become allergic to trees. Not all of them but like a good number.”
Vince didn’t have time to react and someone barreled into him from the side. He didn’t know when he had gone back into his human shape, but a very human, and very handsome Theodore was holding him in a tight embrace.
“I’ll have a word with you, guardian,” Theodore whispered, his eyes glinting with mischief.
“I heard that,” Jack protested. “What about me?”
“Do you want me to scold you, too?” Theodore asked out loud.
“Definitely. I can’t live without you complaining about something,” Jack confessed.
“Then you should get over here. Right, Vince?”
“Right,” Vince said, losing himself in his alpha’s blue, arresting gaze.
TBC
Thank you for reading!
@Derek - there will be a bit about Skarg, too :) After our heroes get, ahem, a little less busy.
@Mark Mortland - they are finally together! I know, I know, I too get attached to my stories, but all things must end... It will be a pretty long happy-end (not just one chapter or so)
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