9 Chapter 9: Alexcyn Ragvindr

Jake’s vision was black, and all he could smell were old potatoes and onions. It was not a good smell.

“Gale,” Mimi’s exasperated voice rang out as she spoke to her twin brother, “Is this really necessary?”

“You’re only allowed to come with because I’m in charge Mimi,” Jake thought his voice seemed to turn lighter as he spoke to his sister, but that could’ve just been the bag over his head, “And I say he keeps the bag on his head until we’re clear of the entrance.”

“I just think it’s a bit much considering he saved us-“

He heard Gale scoff, this time sure the bag didn’t muffle any of the noises, “He did not save us, I had the situation completely under control.”

Jake thought Gale sounded a lot younger when he was with his sister, a lot friendlier and whole lot more his age.

“Whatever you say little bro,” Mimi replied nonchalantly, and somehow Jake could hear the eye roll in her voice.

“You’re older by like- an hour. So stop calling me that, especially in front of him.” Gale hissed quietly.

This time Jake rolled his eyes and responded aloud, “Despite the all-encompassing darkness and shield of secrecy you seem to think this potato sack holds, dear Gale,” Jake sang, “He can still hear you.”

Jake heard Mimi let out a soft chuckled and smiled proudly beneath the bag over his head. Then shivered as he forgot to breathe through his mouth and the smell of rotting potatoes raked through him.

“Well I for one think-“Mimi started, but was quickly cut off by Gale.

“Sh!”

“Don’t shush me-!”

“Mimi, shut it! Something’s coming!”

Before Jake could take off the bag around his head, thundering paw-prints sounded against the ground and the earth beneath him shook. Then he was being pushed over and dragged by his collar somewhere fast.

Jake heard Mimi scream out as she too fell to the ground and he frantically tried harder to get the bag off of his head. Once it was, he saw the scene before him.

Two of the smaller wolves had Gale pinned to the ground, his wrists held in the mouths as the stood on his chest with a paw each. Mimi was being held at the collar by one of the smaller wolves, and the one that had grabbed Jake and dragged him from them, he looked up to meet its gaze and found-

-none other than Accalia staring straight at him. Bright blue eyes stared down at him amidst the cloud of white fur, and if she didn’t have a mouthful of his clothes in her jaw he would even have guessed she was wearing a satisfied smirk.

He pushed against her chest, “Get off of me, you overgrown puppy,” he laughed as she pushed him over and growled lightly.

“You’re one troublesome naked-rat I’ll tell you that much,” she replied while shaking her head, “Amoux nearly bit my head off when I told him I’d lost you to those humans,” she puffed her chest out, “good thing I’m such a great tracker huh.”

“Yeah right,” one of the other wolves called out, “Amoux suggested we come to the only known human village in this area and behold- there you were, smack dab in the middle.”

“Fighting off a kroaten no less!” The other two sniggered.

“I wasn’t fighting anyone! Or- anything,” Jake defended, “And no one hurt me either, so would you please spit the poor humans out? How did you manage to find me anyway?”

Jake watched as the three wolves looked to Accalia for approval, who in turn stared down at him hard and long- he gave her as much of a hard look as he received. She rolled her eyes before nodding to the wolves, and Gale and Mimi scurried away from the group as fast as they could.

“Your smell wasn’t hard to follow from the woods,” Accalia told him, “The human village was hidden to us before, but it was easy enough to track it down when we really wanted to. When we arrived at the border and saw you fighting that kroaten-“

“Jake?” Mimi called out, “who… who are your friends?”

“Yeah Jake,” Accalia asked as she glared at Mimi, “who are your friends?”

Jake let out a long sigh as he rolled his head back; he addressed Mimi and Gale first. “Remember how I told you I could communicate with the beasts?” He waited for them to nod their heads, “This is Accalia, and she was one of the first beasts I’d met when I woke up. She saved my life.”

“They won’t hurt you,” Jake told the twins, “I promise.”

Mimi seemed to relax slightly at his words, however Gale remained as stoic as ever. Jake never minded him as he turned from the siblings and spoke to Accalia.

“They’re taking me to the human town not far from here,” Jake told her.

“They’re taking you where? No, absolutely not! Amoux would go crazy if he heard and-“

“Accalia, this really isn’t up to him. It’s my choice, alright?”

“I just don’t see the point of going there- you obviously don’t belong to anyone there. Come back with us to the pack, you belong there.”

Jake shook his head at the young wolf, “I don’t belong there,” he tried to explain to her slowly, but she interjected as soon as he said the words.

“What are you talking about? You saved my life, Amoux welcomed you into it- of curse you belong with the pack.”

He grabbed onto her thick fur to steady her, then told her once again, “Accalia, I don’t belong there,” and he watched solemnly as her ears dropped atop her head, “but it doesn’t mean I’m abandoning the pack, okay? Look at me- I am not abandoning the pack.”

She remained silent, and he continued, “I just have to figure some things out in the human world, okay?

Remember how I promised to help whatever was going on in the forest? This is how I help.”

“Jake, um-“Mimi’s voice shot out from the silence that ensued, and Accalia growled at her as she came closer, so she stopped moving altogether but continued to speak, “I’m sorry Jake but we have to keep moving, it’ll be dangerous to travel to the town at night.”

Jake nodded to her, and then turned to Accalia for a final greeting, “Go back to Amoux, and tell him what I told you. I have a feeling something isn’t quite right in the human world and I think it’s linked to the forest,” she huffed at him, “this isn’t goodbye. I promise.”

“Stupid naked-rats and their schemes,” Accalia muttered as she shoved Jake back with her large head, and then rested it on top of his.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jake petted her fur. He waved to the four wolves as they retreated into the thick forest and turned back to his human companions as Gale cleared his throat.

“I guess you weren’t lying about having a beast communicator system.” Gale said ruefully.

They had made it to the town just shy of sunset, and the street lights had already been lit. Despite the lack of sunlight the town was vibrant and shined in the golden light of the candles all along the streets and on balconies.

If Jake hadn’t known any better he would have thought it was a golden city.

Street vendors littered the town square and were lined up all the way around the centre, in the midst of the circle a large fountain sat and Jake smiled as he witnessed children playing in it and splashing older adults as they walked by.

“The town archives hold all the information of just about anyone, if you were someone before you woke up in those woods, the books will know.” Gale shouted over the loud chattering and noises of the market area. Jake nodded as he and Mimi followed behind him.

Just as they were about to turn a corner out of the market area, a strange man Jake had never met before grabbed onto his arm and tugged at him.

“Alexcyn!” He yelled in a breath of shock, “Alexcyn is it really you?” The man was dressed in fancy clothes and materials that looked softer in anything Jake had slept in in days, his face was turned into shock and wonder and a pleading look was etched onto his face.

“Err- sorry?” Jake heard himself ask dumbly.

“It’s really you!” The man embraced him roughly and Jake’s body went rigid as he stared at Mimi for help, “Oh! Your father will be so happy!”

“My father….sorry but, who are you?” Jake asked again.

“I’m Thomas! You know me!” Thomas said exasperatedly.

“Sorry,” Jake heard himself say the third time, “I don’t think I do.”

“What do you mean you don’t know me- we’ve known each other for years! Come on, your mother and brothers will want to meet you!”

The strange looking man dragged Jake all the way to the centre of the town yet again, but instead of stopping at the fountain he continued the path upward to a large oak and brick house that stood at the topmost centre of the town. It was the largest house Jake had ever seen so far and various guards were positioned both outside the gate that surrounded the house and the large front door that sat in the middle of it.

“Where’s the lady of the house? Where is she?” Thomas seemed to call at the servants that lingered at the door, but they paid him no mind as they stared at Jake in wide-eyed shock.

Jake looked to Gale and Mimi, who had followed them from the market area, for help. They only shrugged their shoulders and stared at the finely decorated home before them, from the plush couches to the grand two-way staircase that led up to a second floor.

“Alexcyn?” A strong woman’s voice came from the top of the grand staircase. Her long brown hair cascaded down her body and her eyes, as cold and hard as steel, stared down at him. He couldn’t read her face- no emotion danced there where he might catch a glimpse as to what she was thinking.

“Argax, Palis,” she called out to two boys who had appeared from the archway beneath the staircase landing she stood on, “It seems your brother has come home.”