Chapter Twenty Nine: The Stroll

The air was dark and cold, and the child stood amongst the Underworld, renewed yet again. It had been far too long since their foot had touched the soil of the land they once called home. Something felt different, Something had changed within the world itself. And the child could sense it. The air no longer carried the same weight that it had possessed once before. At the very least, it wouldn't be long before the childs father came looking for his escaped prisoner. And that meant that the child had to be ready. There was much work to be done if they were going to accomplish their mission.

The first place the Child traveled was to the outskirts of the Lycan Kingdom. They could see there had been much development since they last layed their eyes upon it.

" There is a tension within the Kingdom " The child noted in their mind. There was something amiss, and they were curious as to what that could be. " Perhaps Gabriel Is in trouble " The Child pondered as they slowly approached the Kingdom.

With every single step, taking them closer, the childs body began to change. They had taken on a new form, a new scent, a new energy. They were now, for all intents and purposes, A Lycan. This would be the only way they could get a closer look at what troubled the once strong Kingdom.

As the child traversed the Kingdom, getting past the guards with ease with simple white lies, they noticed that the people were not in the best of moods. The child stopped one lone Vender, and elderly man what seemed to be the trouble and the elderly man replied " The Prince and that Damn Devil wolf are to be wed. And I don't approve of it"

" What devil wolf are you referring to? " The child asked, Never remembering there being a mention of a devil wolf.

" The noble lady, she said that her daughter is to be mated to our newly born Prince. She demmands a place on the throne as well as the Prince and a say in what happens to the Kingdom" The man explained.

" So Gabriel is still a baby..and the mother..must be Victorias Mother" The child remembered Victoria having been promised to Gabriel in the early days of his conception.

" Well, Are we not Wolves of tradition? Should we not respect our old customs and ways? " Inquired the child.

" Of course we should. But this woman is insufferable. She makes demands that we cannot fulfill. She expects everything to be handed to her on a silver platter. She is not humble in any regard " The man answered.

" I don't remember our people ever requiring humbleness over tradition" The child really needed to sell the idea of being a true Lycan. And from everything the child knew, tradition was born and bred within the Kingdom of Wolves. Whether that meant it was for a benefit or a hinderence.

" I know that you're speaking the truth. But that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it" The vender motioned with his hand for the child to leave and so they did, completely cloaked with a hood covering most of their face, the ventured further into the town. Lycans usually identified by scent, and the child had managed to disguise theirs so they were not to worried as they passed through crowds of people.

" I don't understand why Gabriel can't choose his mate.." The Child overhead one Lycan complain.

" He is promised to that one girl..but also the Princess of the Witches. Would the marriage with the Witches not be better for us all? " another complained.

" Not much has changed since I last came here" The child noted.

The streets were completely filthy. Mud and the scent of decaying meat covered the streets of stone and smoke filled the air, making it difficult to even see the enormous castle at the end of the Town.

" Home of the Lycan King and Queen. Home of the future savior of the world" The Child chuckled to herself at the thought of how naive people were to the truth. Only the child knew what would happen, and trying to enlighten the Lycans would only make for more trouble than it was worth.

" Hey you! " Called out a guard to the Child who stopped moving completely. A rather heavy set guard approached the child and stood in front of them. " Are you new to Town? " The guard Interogated.

" Yes " The child answered.

" And where are you from? " The guard asked.

" I am from a small hut a distance away from the Kingdoms walls..My parents did not want to raise me within the Kingdom. They felt as though being closer to nature would do me some good" The child lied.

" Hm" The guard seemed to be questioning the truth of the words within his mind. " And what is your purpose for being in town? " The guard inquired.

" I am here to see if there would be a place for me and my parents to set up shop. We are hunter and gatherers and my parents would like a place to sell their goods which apparently, this place needs" The child responded.

" There is an empty stall at the end of the market. Go to the Carpenter and have him give you a title slab, and bring it to the stall and put it there. That will claim it for your family " The guard answered and with that, he walked away.

The child rolled their eyes at the gullibility of the Lycan guards. " And this is why this kingdom will never be completely secure. They are far too conscious and yet trusting at the same time" The child made their way further into the town.

Once they passed the market, they arrived at the Nobles part of town. These houses were built far nicer than the ones surrounding the market. There had been quite a few Nobles within the Lycan Kingdom though many had either died off or decided to move over time, now only leaving a few dozen. Most of the Nobles tended to concern themselves with Politics more than anything else. They kept their bodies close to the throne as much as possible and kept themselves away from the market just the same. The market was common man's work. It was not made for the nobility.

As the Child passed by the Nobles houses, they found that there were was significantly less people on the street. This provided a sense of concerning silence that instilled a sense of dread. It felt like the Town had been choked out from the Nobilitys dwelling and the filth remained in the market, just scrambling to survive.

There was one time where this had bothered the Child, and they had even tried to help the Lycans repair their broken systems and traditions but it ultimately, changed nothing. The Lycans always reverted back to their old ways in the end.

" And this is why I told Father that we shouldn't even bother" The child continued walking, as a small child quickly ran across the street, chasing what seemed to be some type of bird, slightly resembling a chicken. " At least the children seem happy " The child thought to themselves.

" Hey You" A kid called out to the Child.

" Yes? " The Child said without actually turning to face the Lycan Kid.

" Give us your money" the kid demanded.

" I do not have money. But even if I did, what would you buy with it? There is nothing in town to purchase! " The Child answered.

" I don't care. We want your money and we want it now " The Kid ran up being the Child and swung his fist hard into the Childs ribs. However, the child did not flinch or make a sound that remotely indicated any pain.

" I said..give me..your money" The kid demmanded again.

" No. Now leave me alone before I get your mother involved" The child threated but the Kid simply laughed.

" My mother died in the war" the kid responded.

" What war? you are only 12 at most..there hasn't been a war in ages" The child pointed out which made the Lycan kid back up a little.

" Um..the..one with..where..um.." The kid struggled to lie, stumbling over his own words.

" If you're going to lie then you need to get it significantly better at it. You can't go through life, Expecting that things are going to come to you easily. So either you need to find a skill set within yourself to become a productive member of society. All you need to get better at lying. Or you need to improve your fighting skills. Because you're not going to get anywhere with the way that you're going." The childs words seemed to confuse the Lycan child who ran off, giving up any hopes of getting money from the stranger.

" It would seem children haven't changed much since I was last here. Still arrogant and expecting the world to give them something that they refuse to earn" The child continued on their Journey to the home of the Lycan Royalty.