THE DARK AND STRANGE RUMORS

24 FEBRUARY, WEDNESDAY, OVER COFFEE & ICECREAM

What Todd told us was like something from a horror movie - the kind I wasn't very good at watching, but even as a bad audience for this genre of film, I could tell that this was more of a B-grade movie with over the top acting and all the dramatics of Lorent wolves rolled into it.

CRC or Common Rogue Community were a loose network of rogues who lived among humans or mixed species communities (like in Winderhill). Traditionally, they used to pass secret notes to pass news among weak rogues trying to live a normal life, but now they had an online private forum. Todd was a new member there, so no, he would be unable to vouch for any one of us to obtain a membership. Not until he reaches a senior position.

"That's alright." Beta Lucas waved it off, "Telling us that its online is enough."

Todd paused and looked worried, but then he continued.

There had been rumors floating on the forum about Beta Lorent - who was ironically the CRC's most infamous enemy, second only to the Rogue King. Everyone knew that Beta Lorent was the Rogue King's most trusted second in command. "Everyone" being all the rogues in general - even the common ones (which meant the weak ones who were trying to live normal lives). They even knew about Beta Lorent's relationship with one of the Rogue King's lovers and his plan to overthrow the Rogue King one day.

Now, it would have been very useful if someone would have told us about it. Then the Lorent Pack wouldn't have been harboring the future Rogue King. Oh wait, Bell wanted that position too. (I guess the evil quest for power ran in their family.)

The CRC didn't likes the Rogue King, Beta Lorent, the Green Packlands... they were like somewhere sandwiched between the rogue wolves who committed crimes and gave them a bad rep, and the pack wolves who labelled all rogues as criminals.

True, but in our defense all rogues smelled the same AKA really bad. I felt like this was just another example in my growing list of things the goddess messed up when she created us wolves.

Anyway, it was touted as good news when the Green Packlands declared war on the Rogue King. When did we declare war on the Rogue King? I mean, I know I did, but how did they know about it? Anyway, according to rumors, not the news or any credible source like that, we had declared war on the Rogue King. The CRC members had speculated and hoped that we would destroy each other.

Even better news was that the Lorent Pack and Night Leaf had an internal fight, and Beta Lorent was killed. Nothing better than hearing how your enemies' infighting had caused the death of your second most hated foe - even though it was mostly made up.

Beta Lorent really did a lot of horrible things to common rogues, including the coercion to participate in criminal activity. The rogues under him were also terrible bullies. He would probably win the unpopularity contest. It sounded like the rogues hated him even more than the Rogue King.

"Todd, I don't think your rumors are very accurate." I informed him.

"Sam..." Beta Lucas raised his hand, "Maybe we should let the rogue finish telling us everything first."

"Okay." That did seem like a good idea, "Please continue."

I was rewarded by the latest rumor about Beta Lorent - it turned out that he had returned from the dead and was now doing even more horrific things than before, the latest being the kidnapping of healthy, full grown male wolves of a specific height and weight.

Eh? The specifics sounded really weird, even for a Lorent, but how was that more horrific than kidnapping small pups or young girls?

And this was the horror movie part.

"They say he is looking for replacement limbs." Todd said.

Oh.

WTH.

Suddenly, it was our turn to look stunned.

"But how can that be possible?" I asked.

Todd shrugged haplessly, "It was what I've read on the forum and heard among other rogues. The magic in the Green Packlands is wild and dark."

What magic? Todd was making the Green Packlands sound like the Colored Mountains 2.0 - only our new version was weaker, and smaller, and just generally non-exsistent. If we had real magic, we would have gyaaras (the single one in our dungeons didn't count), and fruit trees that flowered and bore fruit all year round, and you know... all that awesome legendary stuff!

I thought of Heller's castle and shook my head, we were nothing like the Colored Mountains.

And this was just the more believable parts. The rest of what Todd told us was even more ludicrous. Like how the lover of the rogue king, the one Beta Lorent was having an affair with, had been beheaded, but she was also resurrected and showed up at Beta Lorent's hideout like the headless horseman, only that she was also horseless. She walked to Beta Lorent's hideout with her head in her hands, and then Beta Lorent sewed her head back on for her.

The death god's constant attacks had slowly but surely eroded the Rogue King's network. Oh, by the way, this death god wasn't the same as the one that ran with the Blue Demon Warriors. There was a second motorbiking death god in town, his army wore black and had white cat masks. Some say this second death god only had one arm.

Why not just ask Beta Lorent to sew on a refurbished arm for him?

And then I realized that Bell was the one armed death god in Todd's story and changed my mind. Bell was very fortunate that they managed to regrow his arm. I guess Beta Lorent didn't have the resources or the large number of powerful healing wolves to assist in the "intensive operation" of regrowing his limbs, huh?

"What else do you know?" Beta Lucas' voice boomed then, "Tell us something useful, Rogue, and perhaps we might release you!"

Beta Lucas struck a very imposing figure. I took pause at his sudden uncharacteristic outburst and then I remembered how Beta Lucas had brought the ghost of Ki to the dungeons to scare the Lorent warriors.

Beta Lucas was a rather convincing actor. He was very natural as a proud and no-nonsense beta wolf character. My Dad was probably acting the role of the stoic strong and silent alpha wolf then? As cool as it was that my dad and his beta also had this kind of formidable presence, this wasn't really the right time to show it off.

Todd's hand trembled and he struggled to quickly set down his cup of coffee, "Ple...please... I know it sounds unbelievable, but this is what the rumors say."

Due to the pressure the one-armed death god's army was putting on the Rogue King, he was believed to have moved into his base at the Green Packlands. Beta Lorent and his lover were probably with him. The CRC cautioned its members to stay away from the Green Packlands ATM.

"Actually, the CRC should caution its members to stay away all the time." I told Todd, "With or without the Rogue King in the neighborhood, we'd still shoot on sight."

Fluffy smiled, and helpfully demonstrated my point by putting out his hand like a gun, pointing it squarely at Todd's face and shooting it.

Todd suddenly stiffened, and then he started looking panicked again.

Bad Fluffy!

"Are you sure?" Beta Lucas continued in his imposing Beta persona, "Think carefully, Rogue. Have you told us everything?"

"Yes, beta, sir." Todd nodded quickly, "This is all I know, but I'm just a new member of the CRC. If I hear anything more, I... I can send word to you."

Beta Lucas waved him off, "The best thing you can do is take your daughter home and pretend none of this ever happened."

"Gamma Harry, take our van and dispose of the rogues..." Beta Lucas ordered.

Which caused Todd great alarm, but after pausing, Beta Lucas continued his instructions in detail and what he meant was for Gamma Harry to "dispose of the rogues" by taking them in our pack's multipurpose white unmarked van (the one we took from the rogues), and drive Todd and Daisy out of our Green Packlands.

There was a discussion after that about where best to drop them off. Beta Lucas wondered if Todd's home might be monitored by warriors/rogues. Also the park behind their home might have stepped up security. So it was decided to drop them off behind Winderhill station.

"As for you alibi..." Beta Lucas frowned.

"I... I could say I found her wandering at the station on her own. Maybe the rogues realised they caught the wrong person and abandoned her there or perhaps she had escaped." Todd offered.

"But that's lying, Daddy!" Daisy gasped.

"Well, just this once..." Todd tried to explain.

Daisy shook her head, "Mummy says we must never lie - even if we die."

I'm quite sure Jennifer didn't really mean that, right?

"If we lie, we will be just like the bad rogues!" Daisy was truly distrought now, "Mummy says a real wolf is always true and loyal."

But they WERE rogues.

"Daisy, please." Todd tried to reason with his daughter, "We need to survive."

"Then if the bad rogues were just surviving, does it make the bad things they do okay?" Daisy put her hands on her hips and berated her Dad.

"Well..." Todd looked at a loss, and then he turned to us, "Sorry, she's still young and my wife is human and has quite extreme views. Don't worry. I'll take care of it. No one would know we were here."

I tilted my head to regard the rogue pup, "Then tell me, what should you say if anyone asked you what happened?"

"The truth!" Daisy insisted, "The Rogue King put me in a big cage, but I was rescued by a wolf fairy and a prince who made the trees fly up and hit the bad guys, and then we hid in a waterfall and then I was good and waited in another cage with Barry, so the moon goddess gave me ice-cream and let daddy take me home."

I blinked. Okay... Ironically, I doubt anyone was going to buy that.

And then I smiled at the little girl, "Yup, I think I like your version better."

"You might suggest that she might have been exposed to some kind of drug during her capture." Fluffy offered.

Ki smiled and agreed, "That would not be the first time rogues lose their capture because they were high on something."

{Mate!} ~❤️

Oh, he was awake!

I stood up quite on instinct, "I have something to deal with now!"

Todd quickly stood up and bowed too - which reminded me that he used to be a pack wolf too.

"I'm afraid I would not be returning the lunch box to you." Ki said, "Please accept this as a parting gift instead."

He produced from under the refreshment trolley, a bright yellow lunchbox and opened it to show a yellow water bottle and two smaller yellow food containers.

Todd looked surprised. Daisy's eyes lit up.

Ki handed the box over to Todd's trembling hands.

"Please excuse us." Ki bowed at my Dad, and then to me he gestured towards the door, "This way goddess."

It took a moment for me to realize Ki was excusing us from whatever I said I needed to do next.

Just as I was stepping out of the room, Daisy said, "Thank you goddess! See you!"

I don't think she understood how seeing me was a bad idea - did she want to be kidnapped again?

And then Todd's voiced called out quickly, "Thank you! Thank you so much."

Ki shut the door and led me away, "Where are we going, goddess?"

"To Bell." I said.

"Understood, goddess."