Chapter 12: Dream Within a Dream

[The sky was bright as the sun filtered through the treetops awakening the sleeping world around the forest. There the Arctic Wolf stood on the edge of his den with his mother and father. He couldn't understand the feeling of joy that pulled at his heartstrings. He'd never felt so pleased with himself as he felt right now.

At this moment.

"To think you'd be our future king, what a day to celebrate with the Spirits." reminded his mother, who was staring at the rising sun.

"Mother. Do you really think I have what it takes to be a king?" asked the Wolf Cub, who was equally as giddy and excited to be the next heir as his tiny tail wagged happily.

"Of course you do. You're just as capable of walking the path of the kings as your father and I." the She-Wolf encouraged with joy, as she lowered her head and nuzzled her Cub with her snout.

Towards the darkness of the cave, the Arctic Wolf stood silently. He'd been subjected to reliving a strange scene with strange voices in a strange environment. He didn't know what made his environment important to those around him. He was equally as capable of becoming the next king. Equally as capable of protecting his family.

But this Cub looked unfamiliar to him. He was small and white as snow with the purest of blue eyes that shimmered like the surface of the ocean. His scent was unfamiliar to his own.

Yet he looked exactly like him.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of rustling behind him. Growling and whirling around to face the seemingly endless portal of darkness, the Arctic Wolf was drawn to the sound of whimpering. He couldn't understand what a small animal was doing within the den of his family.

Steadily walking towards the sound, he looked down and saw with a surprising amount of shock was another small white body. It was white and rather puny in size with a tiny tail and a rather sickly smelling scent. Lowering his head further, he nudged the furry mass and the animal was silenced.

It'd fallen asleep just in that one moment.

However, his confusion only grew when he saw a larger Grey Wolf steadily walking towards the animal and laid down beside it. He said nothing as his eyes steadily watched his friend's mate and the secondary Wolf Cub watching the early morning sun continue to rise into the cool airy sky.

"Ae're." spoke the Grey Wolf as he moved the sickly looking Wolf Cub between the warmth of his paws to keep it warm. "I will appoint you to the highest of courts and announce you as the king. You will have no parts of this twisted family. My beloved Young Master, so sick and weak, I will save you even if I have to cast aside my former self to do so."

'Ae're? Is that… me?' questioned the Arctic Wolf who watched the entire scene unfold before him in the form of a dream.

'If this is me… then who is the other Cub?']

The Arctic Wolf opened his eyes as he immediately shot up from his slumber. The lightning crackled as it rebounded off the surface of a nearby lake. The visions of his family seemed to flash before him, still fresh in his own mind. Looking out from the safety of his den, he saw the exact image of his mother nurturing the worries of an unknown Wolf Cub who looked exactly like him.

Was it him who'd been the one to be seen as the king?

"Ae're." the Wolf whispered to himself, as he felt the strange word pass from his lips.

"That's the name I gave you." spoke a rumbling voice from the shadows.

The Arctic Wolf named Ae're gasped under his breath and turned to see the same Grey Wolf walking towards him. He was big. Very big. Almost as big as his father, only grey in color. Ae're immediately remembered seeing the exact same Grey Wolf in the field when he first arrived in their territory. Only now when Ae're met the eyes of Ha'ta, he had more questions than answers and a bit of hatred.

"Ha'ta." Ae're spoke with a breathless tone, before immediately getting up and bowing, his tail hovering just above the ground.

"Save your breath, I only came here on behalf of my conscience."

"Ha'ta, I have so many questions. What am I?"

"What you are is something not of this kingdom. The Spirits have already made their decision and you were not part of it."

"The Spirits made their decision. But Father, he-"

"-only wants what's best for you."

Ha'ta and Ae're tensed up and immediately turned around to see the king of the forest silently step towards the two males. Striding past his son, the dark colored Wolf intensely glared at Ha'ta. Ha'ta immediately bowed, as he couldn't help but instinctively tuck his tail beneath his hind legs. Such a big Wolf displaying such cowardly behavior nearly made Ae're wonder what kind of family he was brought into.

His aloofness only became prominent as he watched his father viciously strike out at Ha'ta, his large fangs engraved their mark on the Grey Wolf's snout. Fresh blood dripped on the cave floor, discoloring his jaws. His father scowled at his guard, before grabbing him by the same injured snout and aggressively threw him against the cave wall causing chips of rock and sediment to fall.

"Pestering my son isn't something you weren't responsible for enticing." the dark colored Wolf spoke with venom, as Ae're watched expressionless from his own position near the mouth of the cave.

Ha'ta said nothing, as he felt his head pounding with an intense pressure, as blood trickled in several streams down his face, nearly soaking his right eye to the point where he couldn't see. He shakily forced his legs to move his abundant weight across the cave floor and bowed to the king.

"Get out of my sight." the king ordered, before turning with a turn of a tail and escorting his son along a side pathway that led into the deeper parts of the den.

Ae're spoke not a word of condolences to Ha'ta, who'd only peaked his interest and curiosity and nothing else. He made no attempts to save him or help him. After hearing those hateful words among the Royal Family, he decidedly chose to follow the path his father laid out for him.

'Father. If my intended path is to become king, then I will fulfill your wish. If you'd so desire.' thought Ae're who walked in sync with his father, his eyes staring at the overall physique of the king.

"Ae're." the king spoke randomly as his eyes remained focused on the darkened path before them. "Did Ha'ta say anything to you?"

Ae're immediately reminded himself of his encounter with Ha'ta only a few minutes ago. He couldn't help but hear his words echoing around him like an empty void. He'd been programmed not to lie. It just wasn't something he'd been doing since he was born.

"He said a few things that are foreign to me."

"Is that so? Enlighten me with his words."

"He said something about me not being a part of what the Spirits have planned for me."

"Ae're, let me ask you a simple question. And you can choose whether to answer. Ha'ta was much like yourself. A mere Stray Dog in search of a new home so I rescued him. He was loyal to me and never questioned my ambitions or goals within this kingdom. But who is the one better off?"

"I won't betray you, Father."

"I know you won't. Now cast aside all worries Ae're. Your kingdom and your hunting grounds awaits."

"Yes Father."

Sect Leader Yao led Kira down a small path that wove through and around a dense jungle type of forest. The path turned east then west then north before suddenly stopping in front of an entrance resembling a large Japanese shrine gate known as a torii. Just past the torii was a luscious valley of sweet flowers that sparkled in the mid afternoon sun and greenery as far as his eyes could see.

And just beyond the valley were the Seven Pillars Mountain and just beyond that was the Jùzàiyīqi City.

"Where are we?" Kira asked, as he curiously walked along the beaten path before taking his time to walk up the stone steps and admire the immense natural beauty of the strange and unfamiliar world he found himself in.

"This valley is known as Azure Valley and is named after the Azure Dragon of the East and Spring." Sect Leader Yao explained wholeheartedly as he stopped silently to address his disciple's question with a smile.

Stopping at an equally small looking siheyuan that appeared to have been specially designed to accommodate only a very small amount of individuals at any given time. It was there that Sect Leader Yao stopped and turned to face Kira.

"This will be your new home, Childe Kira." Sect Leader Yao introduced with a gentle smile as he gave Kira a hand gesture to show his disciple the dwelling.

"Thank you so much, Master Yao!" Kira acknowledged, before remembering to bow to the man who'd been more than kind enough to give him the opportunity.

"Rest and replenish your strength. When night falls, find me within the walls of my home so I can inform you on several things."

Sect Leader Yao merely watched with admiration and affection as Kira hurried towards the siheyuan to get some well deserved rest. Coincidentally tired yet having strings of energy attached, Kira carefully selected a room and a bed to sleep in. He was satisfied with his decision to leave the safety of his pack to adventure out to discover his own strength.

And he was satisfied because he was one step closer to becoming an independent disciple of the Five Gated Sects.

Kira was awoken to the sound of a hooting owl. Springing from his bed, he looked at the large circular window and gently pushed it open. A cool breeze briskly met the Wolf's face as he trembled slightly despite his room being relatively warm in comparison.

"Hm? What's this?" Kira asked himself out loud as he saw a bundle of white cloth sitting just outside of his window.

Reaching down, he tried to desperately reach the bundle but couldn't touch the cloth with just his hands alone. So checking his surroundings both outside and in the hallway, he closed his eyes and materialized his Wolf tail and hung it out the window.

All Wolves within the Five Great Nations had prehensile tails that were gifts from Ha'bon the Monkey Spirit after he was given a second chance of salvation after returning the Benevolent Jade Crystal to Sk'u, the Deer Spirit of the Future. According to folklore, Ha'bon was incredibly mischievous and often switched around various things among the other Spirits in order to have a decent laugh. However, it was during one of these pranks did Ha'bon make the horrible mistake of stealing the Benevolent Jade Crystal from the Sk'u's antlers, which were the main source of the Spirit's powers.

As a result, Sk'u grew irate at the loss of its sacred jewel and began to conduct serious and almost near irreversible damage upon the earth. From droughts to famine to diseases that killed nearly two-thirds of the entire population of Humans and animals alike, her behavior had gotten so out of control that the very existence of everything she and the other Spirits created would've been wiped out.

Ha'bon seeing the horrible and indescribable amount of destruction to his people and followers returned the jewel but not without a price. The Monkey Spirit would forfeit a piece of his own soul into the Wolves, who were directly connected to Sk'u and Ok'u.

That tiny piece of Ha'bon's soul would be integrated into future Wolf generations and give them the ability to manipulate their prehensile tails.

Kira maneuvered his tail and secured it around the cloth and hoisted the bundle through the window. Opening it he found two enormous glazed red bean buns. The Red Wolf realized he hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch and was somewhat starved. After sniffing it a few times and in just a few bites, the Wolf devoured the bun savoring the sweet sticky red filling inside. He hummed with delight as his eyes lit up. In a few more bites, both buns were completely gone leaving the Wolf satisfied from hunger.

"The moon is so beautiful tonight. I wonder what Tazuna and Riku are up to." Kira asked himself as he noticed the brightness of the room shining through the window. "Ah! I almost forgot! I was supposed to be meeting Master Yao!"

Scrambling to his feet, the Red Wolf heistly noticed a medium sized chest and opened it. Inside were white and black robe garbs that appeared to be very similar to what Master Yao was wearing along with Division Head Jiang and Protector Zhan. Trying on the clothing, he spun around in the mirror surprisingly thrilled with how fitting and comfortable his new outfit was. Using the headband supplied for him, Kira meticulously tied back his hair into a very short ponytail.

Kira slid open the front door of his sleeping quarters of the northern house and quickly made his way over to the impressive looking house of his master, Meng Yao.

The interior of the house wasn't anything special and resembled the same interior of the as the siheyuan Kira was staying in. There were rows of bookshelves along three of the four walls with two much smaller shelves along the fourth wall on either side of the door. These shelves were densely packed with various books and manuals.

"Master Yao."

Sect Leader Yao was tightly pressed against his chair as he was currently engrossed in reading one of these books. He long since sensed Kira entering onto his property without having to look up from his reading material.

Kira, still being a child at best, was unsure about what to do so he patiently decided to wait until Sect Leader Yao acknowledged him. He realized it wasn't any different from getting acknowledgement from Riku who gave it to him on his own terms and conditions.

"Good evening Childe Kira." spoke Sect Leader Yao, who finally decided to place his book down on his desk and stood up from his chair. "Did you receive that package I left for you?"

"The buns? I did! And they were delicious!" Kira answered with enthusiasm, before remembering he needed to keep his behavior in check and quickly bowed to make up for the mistake. "They were very good, Master Yao."

Sect Leader Yao merely grinned slightly before reaching behind his back and pulled out a fan that was securely strapped to his sash and opened it with a snap. As he fanned his face, he allowed his smile to continue to remain on his face when he spoke again.

"From this moment on, you will be accepted as my Junior Disciple and will be an Unofficial Member of the Yao Sect. I will teach you some general knowledge of picking medicinal herbs and refining medicine. I will also teach you meditation, and life saving healing techniques as well."

"Will you teach me how to fight? I want to be stronger so I-"

Kira stopped mid sentence when he saw his teacher stand over him. Kira had been enthralled by his natural beauty, the Wolf was caught off guard when he received a smack on his head from the paper fan.

"Ow! That hurt!"

"The first rule you must learn is to never interrupt your master when he's speaking. Always wait to speak, no matter the situation." Sect Leader Yao instructed with a stern tone, despite his eyes and lips being relaxed.

"Y-Yes Master Yao!"

"As for your other lessons, there's much to obtain. Including a set of body and spiritual chants. Although it won't allow you to be adequately capable of successfully subduing your enemy. The chants will strengthen your body. If you want to learn martial arts, then you'll have to discover that on your own terms. I won't object to the idea however. Do you understand now?"

"Yes! I understand!" Kira answered clearly.

"Good. Now return back to your sleeping quarters and return back to me in the morning."

Kira straightened his sleeves with a simple wave of his arms and bowed to Sect Leader Yao. But as he turned to leave, however, he noticed a book on the shelf. Thankfully, he knew how to read thanks to Tazuna and Riku's teachings. He only managed to glance at the title, which was "Ways of Dark Cultivation." But it wasn't the title that was catching his attention, it was the language of which the title was written.

The first born language of Wolves.

'That book! It's written in our language!' Kira gasped internally, before averting his eyes and made his way back to the siheyuan.

It happened to be later that night when the moon had caught Kira wide awake. No matter how much he tossed and turned and flipped and rolled, he just couldn't find it within himself to fall asleep. His mind was racing with images of the book that was just sitting on the shelf.

" 'Sha'la Ka Tul'su Mi'la Ve.' Why would Master Yao have a book written in our language?" Kira asked himself out loud, as he laid curled up on his bed.

"Maybe it's a sign." cawed a voice from just in front of him.

"!"

Kira screamed and immediately covered his mouth, before falling out of his bed, thanks to his right foot getting caught in his blanket. As he scrambled to his feet, he looked over and saw a Black Crow with a tiny messaging box on its left foot. Staring at the Crow, Kira realized the bird was equally as surprised as he was.

"Relax kid. I'm not going to hurt you!" the Crow cawed, before bowing to the young discipline. "My name is Muir."

"Muir… Ah! I-I'm Kira!" the Red Wolf introduced with a stammer, as he bowed back instinctively in return.

"You're looking for your prince?" Kira asked Muir, as the Crow was freely snacking on a piece of bread that Kira had saved from his dinner.

"I am. He hasn't returned for many many moons now, and I couldn't sit idly by and wait for him to return." Muir answered diligently, as he looked up from his snack. "Your scent is mixed with his, so I figured you might know where I could find him."

'Could he be talking about Tazuna?' Kira asked himself, as he watched Muir go back to pecking his bread. 'I knew Tazuna had royal blood but I figured it was only because of his status as an Alpha.'

"I… don't know where he is. You might be able to find him in Jùzàiyīqi City." Kira mentioned. "But you should probably be careful though!"

"Careful? Of what?"

"There's a zombie arm roaming around!"

"A…zombie hand..?"

'Great. Now he's going to think I'm crazy!'

"So you've been a witness of it too…"

"Huh?"

"The zombie arm which you speak of, isn't JUST your strange arm from a horror lover's imagination. That…arm was the result of a failed experiment!"

"Wait. What do you mean a failed experiment?! What are you talking about?!"

"That arm was an experiment used by the Nobles to help get better information about corpse reanimation techniques. If it's able to be perfected, then Nobles could use that technique to bring about mass destruction using the alchemist powers of the living dead!"

"What?!"

Muir began to tell the fluttering news and rumors of his superior's kingdom becoming slowly corrupted and divided the land between those who followed their king and those who remained on the side of the Freelancers, who decided to abandon their kingdom, in search of a different region to call home.

As Kira listened, he wondered about Tazuna and Riku. Frankly, he had zero experience with these kinds of situations. But because of the seriousness of the situation, Kira returned to what he knew best.

"Hey Muir. If it's not too much trouble, I'll help you find your king!"

"You will? But you don't even know his name!"

"And you've flown all the way here! Surely there's something I can do for you!"

"Well, just listening to me is good enough for tonight. But for now, you should get some rest."

Kira nodded and crawled back into bed. His body was physically tired because of his Wolf form needing to be restrained for longer periods of time. But his brain was whirling with all the new possibilities and adventures he would have throughout his experiences in Azure Valley.

As he laid there, his eyes hovered over the brink of sleepiness, as he could hear Muir settling down on the window sill, using Kira's old uniform as a makeshift nest.

'Goodnight Tazuna… goodnight Riku. I hope you two are doing well out there.'