The Order of Events: The Red Wolf (25 page)

-Chapter 19-
Present

Two days had passed quite well and enjoyably for the Red Wolf. He spent good times with his new friend, learning more of the boy’s character, cutting tree limbs from the forest that they had taken food from in order to fix the wagon, building it into a grander home for the boy. Now it was less of a wagon, and more of a small shed.
              The two brothers stood beside one another, and marveled at their effort, and then something to the west caught their eye. A storm was coming, and would be upon them in less than an hour.
              The charcoal figure ushered the boy into the housing, watching the approaching, blackened clouds coming their way. “Get inside now, brother. The storm is going to hit soon.”
              Haerta crawled into the housing and watched the storm from the inside, rummaging through a sack he had taken from the horse before burying it, which he used for carrying provisions. “Looks like a bad one…”
              The charcoal boy smiled and stood outside the housing, watching his adopted brother searching the sack. “Are we out of food, already?”
              The boy turned the bag inside out and tossed it outside the shelter, hugging himself as he felt a cold breeze coming from the west. “It looks like it…burr…getting colder.”
              The Red Wolf picked the sack from the ground, and threw it over his shoulder, and ruffled the boy’s hair caringly. “I’ll go and get some more food for you.”
              The boy jumped from inside the shelter and hugged his adopted brother, speaking with a voice of concern. “Don’t go, the storm is coming, you could get hurt by it! It could be dangerous!”
              The beastly boy smiled, glad that the boy cared for his safety, but also feeling a sturdy responsibility for him. “I know it will be, but I can make it there and back sooner than you think. So, stay here, and get under something and stay warm. I’ll be back before you know it.”
              The boy let go, and the look of worry was still upon his features. “You promise?”
              The charcoal figure gave the boy a hug, and then gestured him back into the shelter with his head. “I promise. If something happens to me, how can I protect you? Don’t worry, I’ll be back before the storm hits hardy.”
              The boy crawled back into the shelter and sat in the remains of the wagon seating, inside, and watched as his brother of adoption morphed and charged on into the distance, the empty sack tied around his neck, and swaying roughly as the Red Wolf beat a good tread south. His brother watched, and waited for his return.

Back at the Order, the Mother stood on her balcony, watching far into the southwestern distance.  A storm was looming from the west and heading east, and was to sweep the lands with a cool, dowsing rain, one that was well-deserved upon the patchy lands of grass and deadness, for the coming months were to be dry and rude.
              Henk and Amen were getting ready to leave the infirmary for a walk, as Maela was lighting torches as the suns beautiful light was being blocked by jealous clouds.
              The healer called to the two patients and issued a sturdy warning. “Don’t be gone too long, you two. There seems to be a good storm coming along, and I have a pretty good feeling in my bones it isn’t going to be one that is any amount of peaceful.”
              Henk nodded agreeably to the old one, and spoke her reply. “Looks to be as you say, Maela, we promise we won’t be long, right, Amen?”
              Henk directed her expectation of reply to Amen, who nodded at her, but made his reply of little usefulness as he nodded to Henk and not Maela, who was too busy lighting torches around the room to see his physical reply.
              Henk smiled and called back to Maela, from across the room. “Did you get that, Maela?”
 

Outside it was cool and soothing, as clouds of grey swash filled the sky. The inside seemed rather stuffy in comparison, as Maela had the windows shut all morning, in expectation of what she thought would be the assault of a storm.
              Henk and Amen walked across the innermost wall side, Amen running his hand across the wall, feeling the cool, smooth green stone on his hands. It was a very comforting touch, as he was getting tired of an old infirmary bed, with rough, old pillows, and itchy linen.
              Henk leaned on the cool stone wall, and was joined at the side by Amen, the silent one, who was only but a couple inches taller and was touching shoulders with Henk, who noticed the gesture the moment it happened. She looked at Amen, as he looked ahead at the great tree at the center of the walls. He seemed not to have noticed it, but Henk did, and liked it rather a good amount. She always felt a slight tingle when she was around the silent boy. His touch was always welcome, even if it did not come often.
              The spectacle-faring girl felt her head tiresome, and attempted a lean on Amen’s shoulder. The silent one moved from her pressure and looked in Henk’s direction.
              Henk tried to make it seem as if she did not try to do the action, and stood up straight, and stroked some loose hairs hanging down the front of her face back into her hood.               “Oh…uhm…sorry, I feel rather tired. Still feeling the beating a little bit.”
              Henk looked back at Amen, as he was still looking in her direction, and she heard footsteps from behind her, and turned around to see Theira and Dred leaving a pathway between walls, and entering the central circle of the Order.
              The two mischief makers stuck their tongues out and scoffed at the more intelligent and attractive Henk, and leaned on each other. Speaking in irritating fashion as was their usual accord. “Oh, look at this. It’s Amen and Henk, making time against the wall, aye?”
              Henk shuffled back, awkwardly, and bumped against Amen, speaking in a nervous manner. “Uhm…no…actually…we were…”
              As Henk was coming up with an explanation for their being against the wall, Mensh produced herself from the previous tread of Theira and Dred and took place at their side, looking upon Henk and Amen awkwardly, as Theira and Dred continued their phrasing. “Yeah, I bet you weren’t. It’s not like Amen would be much good for that kind of thing. It’s not like he can make any emotion with his face, so how could he make any other motion?”
              Henk felt embarrassed, and felt the warmth of Amen behind her, as he leaned over her shoulder and shook his head, a kerchief of a tongue on his face, waving back and forth on his features at the two annoyances.
              Mensh caught the sight and laughed, as Theira and Dred stood annoyed, one of them elbowing Mensh in the side, and pointing at the pair of Amen and Henk as they spoke.
              “You think that’s funny, huh? You’re such a loser! You’re hanging out with them all the time, and fixing them up in the infirmary. You might as well go with them. You’re so lame, Mensh, I mean, you really just…” Theira was cut off from her speech, as Mensh delivered a good smack to her face, and stepped between the double annoyances and the pair of patients, speaking her piece. “I do think it’s funny, and I’m not a loser, and neither are they! If I’m lame at all, it’s because I ever thought hanging around you two was cool at all!”
              Theira and Dred stood perplexed, as did Henk. Nobody would’ve thought that Mensh would have stood up for them, shaping herself into an impressive figure, as she dished out a good portion of speech to the annoying pair. “Why don’t you two go away, and don’t come back to me anymore for anything. I’m done being friends with you two!”
              Theira held her hand to her face, watching as Dred laughed, pointing at the red mark on Theira’s face. “Hahahaha…your face is red, Theira, you have a good mark right on your…”
              Theira elbowed Dred in the stomach, causing her to run off, as Theira chased her madly, yelling at her. “Oh yeah, I’ll put a good mark on you, too! Come back here, quit running, you jerk!”
              Mensh watched as the two ran off and disappeared into a path between the walls, after rushing through the trees.
              Henk and Amen came from behind Mensh and placed their hands on her shoulder in approval, Amen nodding in agreement as Henk spoke. “Thanks a lot, Mensh. That meant a lot. I guess we’re truly friends now, right?”
              Mensh cut an awkward face, and leaned on the wall, as she felt a growing feeling of strength within, and smiled upon her two friends. “I guess we can make it official then, trading two bitter ones for two betters, aye?”
              Henk laughed, and Amen stood still at the comment. Both wrapped Mensh in their shoulders, and headed for the infirmary, Henk speaking as she looked at the sky above. Only grey clouds of peace were upon it, the clouds of storm and terror not yet upon them.
              “Yeah, and we got rid of two pains, and got one gain!”
              The two laughed, as the silent one, Amen, walked with them, and was the last one in, closing the door of the infirmary as the chatter of the two young girls led on.

Above, the tree limb perch of Hoosun was in use. The owl stood on his spot of surveillance and was pleased. He had heard every word and saw everything that had just happened. The one known as Mensh was making good progress, indeed, tossing dead wood for life bearing roots that would grow and harbor friendship, a friendship that would ever last and maintain, through time and death.

Out to the southwest, the metal one had put together a small fire of sticks and bundled bush, warming the still form of Samana that was still in deep slumber from wounds received from the falling tower, as the wind outside was harsh and wet, ripping at the foliage about the forest.
              Kurlank had fixed Samana up rather well, and was at her side, awaiting her wakefulness so that they could continue the journey which was set before the young one.

The storm was growing wild and fearsome, and was now at hand. Showering the land with what appeared as an ocean of water, it continued and swayed about as the Red Wolf made his way speedily back with provisions to keep his brother from hunger and starvation.
              The visibility of the weather was not great, and the beast could not make out anything that was within a good twenty feet of his eyes. Ahead, he spied something, but it was not what he had expected. It glowed and billowed smoke and steam from the drowning rain, caution and fear arising from within the beast as he took great gallops through the wetness and then stopped within only five feet of his destination. Investigating the scene justly, he searched about the vapor, and made out the slight outline of the shelter, and something swaying back and forth at the mouth of the entrance, like a pendulum.
              It was then that fear had gripped the beast wildly by the heart, ripping deep into his most vital organ as the vapor cleared, and revealed a figure hanging from the top of the shelter entrance, swaying wildly, and then turning to face the watchful beast. It was the boy he had come to call brother in the previous days. He was hung by a tightened chain about his neck, and cut deeply by blades. His blood had been drained, and had formed a great pool of redness beneath the dead figure of the boy.
              The Red Wolf morphed into his charcoal boyishness, and stood before the scene. The shelter had been burned. It must have been shortly before the rain had reached the shelter, for the timber was only lightly scorched, the meeting of rain and fire causing the vapor that had hidden the sight from his eyes prior to his discovery.
              The beastly boy tore the chain from its hanging position and held the boy in his arms, kneeling in the pool of blood, as molten tears coursed down his features, causing steam to rise sorrowfully as he held the one he cared for in arms. Looking upon the scene, the beastly boy sniffed the boy’s body, saddened, cradling his head against his diced form, and then caught something on his scent, one that was unfamiliar to his knowledge.
              The beast looked around the shelter and saw puddles that had formed out of many footprints. It looked like a good twenty pairs of feet had trampled the ground around the shelter. The charcoal figure inspected the wounds on the boy’s body and noticed a slight curvature to the wounds. It seemed that all of the cuts were dealt with one weapon. The weapon obviously belonged to the one who had killed him, along with the scent.
              The molten tears dripped onto the boy’s face, as the beastly boy swiped hair from his bloody brow, speaking in a vengeful monotone. “Brother, I should never have left you, but I will bring vengeance upon those who have done this to you. I will taste their blood with my own teeth and make them suffer. Your body shall never again be given the ignorance of respect again!”
              The beastly boy howled a cry, louder than any cry ever given into the sky, as he cremated the form of his brother in his arms, for surely he would not allow any further desecration of his figure.

Kurlank sat next to Samana, watching the storm from inside the forest, the winds raging loudly and carrying a sound of pain and anguish with them.
              Kurlank heard the cry, and felt the pain as well. It came from a greatly pained beast. As Kurlank rose to attention of the cry, Samana shot up from her lying position, and was upright, and looking out past the metal one, and into the storm, speaking in a tone of panic, feeling a loss for breathe. “Oh my…Kurla…Kurlank, I can feel his pain, it hurts so much!”
              Kurlank turned from the raging weather, and held Samana by her shoulders, pushing her back to rest as he grabbed a hollowed fruit filled with water for her to drink. “Samana, you’re awake, you can feel his pain, you say?”
              Samana guzzled the water, and caught her breathe, pushing against the grasp of Kurlank and rising from the ground, grabbing her coat from the ground at her side. It was built out of a tough material, made to withstand great damage and the fury of combat, and was barely damaged as she put it about herself, speaking to the metal one as she prepared herself in a hurry. “I can feel it, Kurlank, right inside me. We’re connected, we have been all this time, the dreams, everything. We’re meant for something.”
              The metal one stood at her side, and watched her douse the fire, as he spoke in his echoing manner of booming quality. “What do you believe you’re meant for, Samana?”
              Samana was ready to leave, and looked out from behind some foliage, brushing it aside as she spoke back to her metal friend. “I believe he is to teach me a lesson of persistence. I’m not dead yet, and I believe I’m supposed to teach him to be his better half, human. I’m going to stop him no matter what!”
              The metal one was at the side of his friend and clasped her hand, and put his other on her shoulder and spoke. “I am at your side. Shall we venture further onward, Samana?”
              Samana turned to her friend, and drew her blade, cutting the foliage with a quick few strokes, creating an exit, and sheathed her blade as she smiled at his words. “Wouldn’t have it any other way, let’s get out of here, head onward!