Chapter 7

It was earlier than dawn when we all woke up. Coil and Stem had informed me that Craterday was nowhere to be seen. Coil looked angry but Stem was understanding. I didn't know why but she was. How could anyone understand why he would leave? He just abandoned us with Coil; who's shoulder still needed days of rest; and Stem and I who know nothing about this place. Craterday could be about anywhere now. He probably knows how to move around these places pretty decently.
"If I see him, I'm going to claw his pelt off." Coil grumbled to himself.
"Well he could've left for some other reason than just to leave. Maybe he was going to lead us somewhere dangerous and thought better of it." We both looked at Stem. I was kinda hoping that she had an idea where he went but she gave no meaning behind what she said. "Look I have my ideas where he went and why he went but it concerns neither of you if you can't see other reasons then he just left to stay away." I had to admit she had a point. I dipped my head showing that I agreed silently. Coil looked at her, his anger somewhat gone. For the moment anyway.
"Fine but I want to know your reasons for this." Coil claims but still in an angry grumble.
"Well I think it has something to do with Lert and Neako. They are some wolves," she didn't get the chance to finish when Coil growled, quieting her.
"Lert and Neako? Raspy voices with a touch of anger almost every time they speak? Great! Craterdays going to get killed or he's going to start a fight with someone he can't win against. Those are the wolves that broke his pack." He told us. I wasn't sure about Stem but I thought Coil was in the pack as well.
"I thought you were in the same pack as him." I told him and Stem nodded agreeing with me. "I mean neither of you mentioned how you knew one another. So I just assumed that you two were in the same pack."
Coil nodded. "I can understand that. I lived near his pack and helped them fight the two brothers but I wasn't in his pack by any means. I helped them because I too didn't agree with them. We at first on our journey didn't trust one another at all. Neither would sleep without the other one asleep or somewhere far away." He takes a breath as if remembering when they were still more or less enemies. "After we both saved one another's life a couple of times we learned to trust each other. And before you ask about Craterdays curse," he looks at Stem, probably because I hadn't known of it until he told me his past with his old pack. "At first it didn't act up at all but soon it did. That's when he told me what happened in that fight. Yes I had been there but I still didn't know why some of the wolves asked him if he was fine. And after what you said Stem, he could be going to the Underground Portal. In case you didn't know that's the only way to get into Infernum. I believe it's more or less a place of dead things and darkness. According to what my parents told me." Coil tells us. Not that I knew what they called half the places around here were in a language I didn't know.

After the talk with Coil about him not being from the same pack and where Craterday may have gone, we started to make our way to the Underground Portal. We were moving slow and I hate to admit it was from me. I couldn't move over rocks that good or run through grass than trees then back to grass. It was really hard but the farther away we got the less encounters we had with sword wolves. It was like they became non-existent.
"Why do we have to climb over so many rocks?" I pant out of breath.
Stem almost seemed to hold in a small laugh where Coil rolled his eyes. "Because this is a short way to the Underground Portal. I'm hoping to beat Craterday there, but he's definitely better at judging jump distances and he's traveling alone. So most likely he'll beat us there anyway." Coils' voice was that of understanding and urgency. I knew he wanted me to try and move quickly but that he understood that I was not used to such walking places.

I felt like we had gone over every small mountain like thing but it was just a bunch of rocky hills. Very rocky in that matter. Coil didn't seem to want to stop let alone hunt. Stem looked like she was ready to pass out and I was starving. We needed to stop but Coil kept wanting to move on so neither of us protested. My paws were killing me, my stomach was empty, and my yes we're about to fall shut. We'd been up since dawn this morning and now it was past Moon Shine. How can Coil keep wanting to go? Isn't he tired at all?
"From the looks of it you two won't be able to cross that will you?" Coil said, pointing to a small river. Large enough we'll definitely have to swim but small enough we won't have to for long. "Ok we can stay here for a while and rest. I'll go hunting you two get nests made." He walks off and Stem finds some nearby ferns and dry moss to make nests. I start to make them as she gathers more.
Almost as soon as we got done with the nests, Coil came back with a rabbit and a squirrel. He gave us the rabbit; which was bigger than the squirrel; and he ate the squirrel. Stem hardly ate anything before she went to sleep. I finished the rabbit then passed out.

I woke to complete darkness and I knew I was dreaming. I was by water when I fell asleep but now, I was practically in a volcano. I only knew what these were because of the elders' stories and legends. "Hello?" I asked werley. I had no clue why I was here or what I was here for. "Anyone here at all?" As I was looking around there was lava all around me but there was this rock place in the middle which was what I currently am standing on. Well hello. I wasn't expecting someone so dear to Craterday to come here. This voice was raspy like what Craterday told me from the fight with his pack and what Coil had said. "Are you Neako or Lert?" I didn't know and I have never heard either of them before. Cleaver wolf you are. Thinking about what your friends said. I'm Neako. My brother Lert would have given you a much different greeting. Craterday and Coil will mostly see him. You and Stem will see me most of the time. I hope you like the setting I chose for this meeting. I see Neako come out of nowhere. Like he just walked through a bunch of mystery mist that came out of nowhere as well.
"I guess, it's different that's for sure. So what do you want with this group? You know Craterday, Coil, Stem, and me." I looked at him with curiosity. And he looked back with surprise. Was not expecting such question to come to me. Let alone someone besides Craterday and Coil to not be frightened. I just looked at him without saying anything I moved to the edge by the lava. I didn't know what made me do it but through a bolt of energy I created a lightning bolt mixed with lava and flung it at him. "Expect that?" I really just had to ask. I hadn't expected it but now I believe I knew why I had come to this place. I could make bolts of lightning and mix it with a liquid substance. No I didn't. You learn fast enough for my purpose. You could be valuable. I could show you whatever it is you want to know. Sword fight? I'll show you. How to use your powers? I'll show you. Come and join me. I was going to take his offer but I didn't know if that would be a good idea. I mean from there sounds of it he only wanted to use me and I wasn't going to be persuaded like that.
Get off me you big… Neakos voice trailed off. And I snapped out of my thinking process to look back at what was happening. I thought I would've seen Lert fighting his brother for trying to add me to their group but instead I saw Craterday.

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