Chapter 8- Empty Hope

Chapter 8- Empty Hope

 

The loft was buzzing. Wolves rushed in assisting with the injured Luna using herbs and medical foods. She was sprawled across the soft grass provided as a bed. She hadn’t spoken since being brought back. Trabon was still close holding her paw tightly in his in. He muttered things neither Shadow nor Crystal could hear to her. Donvu stood nearby attempting to comfort him. “Trabon, it is likely she will be alright; although she has suffered greatly”. Trabon turned around his face still smudged with tears. “Who did this”? Shadow looked from Crystal to Donvu and back to Trabon. “Chanoue, most likely”. Donvu said. Trabon turned back to his sister. “Who is he? Why did he do this”? Trabon burst out. “Chanoue is a power hungry wolf bent out on humanity’s eradication, at the cost of anyone who opposes him”. Donvu said laying a paw on Trabon. “She didn’t deserve this”. He stammered. “None of Chanoue’s victims deserved what they wrought”. Donvu said calmly. “And he will pay”. Shadow said firmly. Donvu turned around and looked at him. “Yes, Shadow, could you come to my room, we need to talk”. Shadow nodded to him. Crystal began to follow him but Donvu raised a paw. “Not you my dear, this is a personal matter”. She stopped. “Stay here with Trabon, we will return shortly”. Shadow walked out with Donvu and they headed up the stairs into Donvu’s room. Shadow moved inside slowly as Donvu passed by him curtly. He slid down into his chair and stared over at Shadow. Shadow sat down and looked back at him. “I know what you plan to do Shadow”. Donvu said. Silence filled the room. Then Shadow broke the stalemate. “He has my mother”. Shadow said simply. “You can’t fight him alone I told you this”. Shadow shook his head. “I know but what about the others, won’t they help”? Donvu looked down then back up. “They need more time before they are ready”. Shadow became testy. “But we don’t have more time; Chanoue could kill my mom at any moment. I can’t just let her die”! Donvu rubbed his face with his paw sighing. “Your mother wouldn’t want you to die for her. Going out and getting yourself killed isn’t going to save anyone”. Shadow growled. “Donvu, your family was wavered and shattered, I get it. But my family was strong, we were to start new beginnings and now Chanoue is destroying it. This is personal”. Donvu began to get annoyed. “So your personal life matters all the more than the world’s fate? Do you not understand that there are more things at stake? There are wolves here with families too. If we plan things out right we may be able to stop this coming war. But we need more time”. Shadow stood up. “We don’t have more time. Everyone innocent or not has been wrapped up in this. Luna is in just as bad a position and it’s my fault, our fault. Crystal and me have done nothing but ruin the lives of everyone we met. It’s time we save the ones we that we can”. Donvu settled back against the chair, almost hissing with annoyance. “Shadow this is foolish”. Shadow headed for the door. “Foolish or not, I’m going to save who I can while I still can”. He crashed through the door in rage slamming it behind him.  

 

 

          Shadow walked down the steps into the loft. Luna appeared to be sleeping among the hay. Trabon was on a branch above her, absolutely beside himself. Shadow looked up at him then down at Crystal who had her back to him. “Were going after her”. Crystal turned around. “What did Donvu want”? Shadow shook his head. “Never mind him, we need to go now”. Crystal looked back at Trabon then to Shadow. “We don’t know where he went Shadow”. Shadow turned and groaned angrily. “How do we find her”? Trabon called out to them. “I know where. Donvu told me not to tell you”. Shadow growled but stood strait, silencing himself. “Where”? Trabon flew down. “I can take you to them, I know what it’s like to lose family”. Crystal tapped Shadow. “But Shadow, that means were on our own? Do you realize that if we go off like that he will kill us”? Shadow snorted. “We don’t have time to ague, open the gate Trabon”. Trabon flapped his wing and a small gateway portal opened. “Shadow, this is crazy! We need an army to face him”! “I’m going without you then”. Shadow dove through the opening. Crystal looked back at the loft door then the opening. “Trabon, if were not back in the next hour, send help. Please”. Trabon nodded. “Go, its closing”! Crystal jumped through into the dirt below. Shadow stood there looking around. “Let’s go”. He marched forward into a misty forest ahead.

 

          Sarina stared at the cold floor with little to no thought. She felt like she was going insane. Trapped here waiting to either be killed or die. Kanoue hadn’t spoken since she first met him. He was huddled down in the darkness unable to be seen. “Kanoue, please speak to me”. She called. The squat form rustled but didn’t move into the light. “I can’t… I can’t do this”. Sarina mumbled. Kanoue watched her. He felt curious of her presence. “Come and kill me already”. She whined. As though answering to the call, the tall bulky and disgruntled form of Chanoue stepped inside. “Hello my dear”. Sarina snarled and bit in his direction. “Vile worm, come to gloat”. Chanoue chuckled. “Funny you should mention such a thing”. He caressed the amulet string around his neck in his paw. Sarina stared at it. “The last item on my list, now all I need is the tomb”. Sarina watched him, her eyes twitching. “That’s it then, go ahead and kill me. I don’t fear the dark fate”. Chanoue’s face worked its way into a smile. “No. I still need you. Do you remember when I mentioned your son”? Sarina remembered alright but refused to speak of it. “I want him to see my victory; I want him to know his efforts amounted to nothing”. Sarina tugged forward. “That’s it? Bragging rights? Chanoue for nature’s sake spare the games. You have what you want now leave my son out of it”. Chanoue laughed louder than ever. “No, I’ve seen him work hard to stop this and I want him to have closure; to know that I did it. But don’t you worry; I will deal with you when he comes”. Chanoue’s eyes moved to the dark corner. “Kanoue, come here for a moment”. Kanoue scuttled forward. “Yes”? Chanoue grinned at him briskly before turning. “Grab her chains”. Two wolves grabbed Sarina’s chain brasses holding her down. Chanoue aimed the stone and snapped the chains away. “Alright, just one more loose end to tie up”. Chanoue spun around. The stone gleamed in his paws as it shot a beam of energy into Kanoue. Kanoue was thrown backwards onto the floor. He yelped in pain as he fell to the ground. Sarina gasped. Chanoue threw the stone out into the snow, just now piling onto the forest floor. Chanoue jumped down on all fours and gripped Kanoue’s leg in his mouth. Kanoue whined as he was pulled out, out into the cold winter storm now arising. Kanoue was left shocked. Chanoue had drug him into the dirt then dropped him and stood up. He picked up the stone again and fired it once more into Kanoue’s body. Kanoue squealed and wrenched with pain. Chanoue laughed at each stir. The red glow shined in his eyes. “Chanoue stop! Stop now”! Chanoue lifted the stone up. “Your right, we’ll leave him here”. Kanoue looked up in terror at Chanoue. “Brother, please”. Chanoue glanced back at him. “You’re nothing Kanoue. I never really cared for you. Even something as stupid as you should have known. How pathetic. Your worthless to me now, I have all I ever needed and you, you will finally get to see your dead rat mother”. Chanoue growled at Kanoue before stomping away into the snowy fog. The two wolves holding Sarina’s chains pulled her behind them. She spun around getting one last look at Kanoue before being pulled away. Kanoue looked up at the sky. He had no idea what to think. It had happened all so fast and yet he knew all that had happened. But this was it; he was going to die here. Kanoue laid with his head in the snow and stared unblinking into the distant trees as snow began to cover his lifeless body. Kanoue’s mind reeked of pain. All he thought was clouded in horror. Chanoue, he wasn’t out to help him. Something had happened but Kanoue couldn’t grasp it. His memory was fading quickly. This was what it was like to die then. To slowly be pulled into darkness with no memory of how it came to be. He was swiftly leaving. He made no attempt to move. He wanted to have it come fast and embrace him. He forgot Chanoue, Sarina, the tomb; all of that no longer mattered. All Kanoue wanted now was for it to be over. He was encased in the snow. He still didn’t move even as nearby footsteps sounded in the forest.

 

 

          Shadow trumped through the brush, clawing through the snow encumbering the tree’s overhead. The storm had started up some time after they had arrived. The cold was chipping away at his paws but he ignored it. He had to find Sarina. Save her and avenge those Chanoue had mercilessly killed. He hadn’t spoken to Crystal at all. She remained mostly silent. He liked it better that way. He could let his mind think freely. Crystal knew she couldn’t interject on his plan even if she tried. Shadow stopped suddenly. The smell of other wolves was close. “This way”. Shadow said sternly rounding through another dense tree bunch. Shadow squeezed through the bundle of branches before entering a small clearing. A large rocky cave was sitting on the side. “This must be it”. Shadow said moving closer. “Yes, I can smell Chanoue here”. Shadow stuck his head into the cave and looked inside. There was small pile of snow falling in through a hole in the cave roof. Shadow sniffed at the air and caught the smell of something much worse; blood. He looked down onto the floor and noticed the blotchy red coloring on the rock floor; his mother’s blood. “What has Chanoue been doing”? Shadow growled. “Shadow”! Crystal had called out to him. Shadow looked up over his shoulder and ran back outside to her. “What? What did you find”? She looked down. Shadow followed her gaze to a lump of snow at her feet. “It’s a pile of snow, what- Shadow’s words were cut off as Crystal brushed the snow away and revealed a patch of fur frozen under the cold mesh. “Who is that”? He asked, helping her brush away the snow. It was a wolf, a hunched and disfigured one at that. His eyes were clasped shut and his body was curled into a tight ball. “Dead”? Shadow asked. Crystal didn’t answer. She nudged the corpse a few times. “Possibly,” But then the figure moved. Its tail straitened out from behind its legs. The legs moved slightly with a shiver. Near death, Kanoue raised his head and opened his eyes at the two wolves standing above him.