Unknown World part 4

Chapter 6

I began walking away into the mist. It was a dark and heavy mist. There seemed to be no life at all. The grass beneath my paws was wet and dieing. The trees were black and dieing. Everything was dieing, not a single thing had life in it. So you see what I have to live in? It's horrible isn't it. All dieing and black as my soul. I wasn't sure where this voice had come from but it was raspy and almost evil sounding. While you keep looking around trying to find me, maybe you should know who I am. My name's Lert. Thought you might remember me. Growling I immediately remembered who this wolf was. "I thought you were dead!" I yelled remembering that this was the wolf who had attached my old pack. And put this dumb curse on me. The one that was meant for my alpha. "I saw you die!" I hadn't stopped growling the entire time. Ohh Craterday, you never learn. You should know I never die. Lert followed that sentence with an evil laugh. His 'never' had an odd anger tone to it. "Right you never die yet you're dead and living in this-this, I don't even know what to call it! But it definitely isn't anywhere good that's for sure." I was slowly moving to the voice, Lert knew I would be looking for him.
I soon found the black wolf with blind black eyes. Which if I remember correctly, he had dark green eyes when he was alive so it must be from when he died his eye color changed. "Well, Lert you haven't changed a bit. Well except your green eyes are now none-seeing black eyes." Lert looked straight at me with surprise in his eyes. "What didn't expect me to find you? I'm a decent tracker you know." I looked at him with a hard stare. He was in a small clearing surrounded by trees. How was I to expect you to find me, when you've never been here? Anyhow, I brought you here to ask you about Coils attack today. Don't you think that's a bit weird. I looked at him with a calm face, of course he had a smug look on his face. "I don't think it's weird. What I do think is odd is how you know about it and are giving me a look that almost makes it seem like you knew it was coming. Ohh I don't know how but I do believe you have gotten into all our minds with you dumb brother Neako." Lerts eyes seemed to almost light up like flames. I had never seen such anger from any wolf before. To be honest I do believe that he did set his eyes aflame. It went from black unseeing eyes to a red and orange flame color, but still unseeing.

I woke up to the sound of Stem pasing. "Hey? What's wrong?" Stem stops to look at me. And I still lay down, stand to my paws and go over to her.
"It's nothing really, I mean it could be but I doubt you could help. What are you doing up? It's not Moon Shine yet." Stems eyes showed that she didn't want to talk about what had woke her.
"I heard you pasing and I wanted to get away from Lert. That stupid wolf and I don't get along at all. To be honest you probably did me a favor by pasing. Lert and I would've gone out to kill one another." I told her not to expect what she was about to stay next.
"You saw Lert? How? I've only heard him and Neako." She lowered her voice as she said that. I had nothing but surprise in my eyes, I had not expected to hear her say that.
"Wait, you heard Lert and Neako? Yes I saw him. I've met him before. He's the one who tried to curse my alpha but I blocked it instead. Those two are nothing but trouble. Neako is better than Lert, he at least listens to you when you speak but gets on his bad side and you'll regret it. Lert on the other paw will claw your head off if you even step so you have half a muzzle in front of him. Even if you miss speak, you're bound to be dead." I told her. I didn't want to admit how I knew them that well and if she asked I'd explain it to her. '' You can't tell Leaf or Coil about this, it could end up taking their lives. I don't believe that Coil or Leaf know their names so if you mention it only say their names. If they tell you they know them let me know." Stem looks at me and I was hoping she wouldn't ask how I know them.
"Ok I won't. But why did you tell me about Lert when you didn't know I knew him." Her voice was questioning and accusing.
"I was hoping you didn't know their names. But now you do then it doesn't matter. If you have any questions about them let me know. But only when Leaf and Coil are gone." Stem nods her head and tries to go to sleep. I stayed up and went to the top of the rock while the rest were sleeping in it's shade. The sun still burnt my pelt. The sun here didn't seem to want to take a break.
I don't understand why Stem was to meet Lark and Neako. They don't just go up to wolves in their dream unless they have a score with them or someone they know. Could this be my fault? Because I have had a score with him since he killed my old pack? After he put the curse on me I snuck away with a few wolves and we killed him. A painful death, stabbed by two swords in both his front shoulders so he could no longer stand. Me and the others each took turns clawing and biting him. He died soon none of us could let him suffer like he had done to many of us. As I thought of the past I sighed. It couldn't have been a good idea. We weren't killers but he ruined our life and our pack. Attaching him at night when we knew how to move around the best.
Sooner than I expected it was MoonShine and the others were waking. "Well? You dead or alive up there Craterday?" Coil called with good humor. "How long have you been up there?" I looked down to him to see he was really just trying to be good humored. Rolling to my side I slide off the rock still landing on my paws.
"I might as well be. Sense quarter from HighNoon to Moon Shine." I could tell my voice was soft and rougher than normal. Like I just woke from the dead. And I wouldn't blame them if they thought I was dead up there. All of them gave me a stare that told me they thought I just rose from the dead.
" Take the lead. We'll need water soon. And like you said you know the desert better than us all." Coil said. I mean I'm glad we're on the same page now but I don't believe I could lead them to water. The sun had taken a toll on me and I felt light headed and ill.
"No you can. Just look close to the sand and once the color starts to look wetter you on the right track. Then you have two choices, eather dig down or keep going to see if you can find a water hole." Shock spread around all their faces as I denied to lead them. Coils' shoulder still hurt him but as long as we travel like we did to get here we should be fine.
"Ok then, follow me." Coil starts to limp off and Stem immediately goes next to him. Leaf comes next to me as I start to follow them.
"Are you good? You look horrible and sound just as bad. You know you could have some sickness. I was a healer before I came here. I could help, really I could." Leaf just kept rambling about how she was her old mentor's favorite apprentice out of all of her friends and family when they were apprentices. "We could stop for a bit to help you. I could test out my healing skill, I haven't had to do anything like that for a while."
"Leaf just be quiet please. Nothing you do can stop the worry inside me." I told her defeated. Leaf looked down kinda sad but she kept walking next to me. I felt bad that I had said that but there was no going back.
"Hey mister half dead." Coil called to me trying to lighten the mood. I think it helped Leaf, her head went up and she had a mistevis look in her eyes. "Are we close to water? I think the sand is different but I don't know."
I walked up to check the sand, sure enough I could smell the scent of thirsty animals getting water. "Yes, just continue straight, you'll find prey and predictors getting water. Most likely opposite sides from one another. Anyone tries to sneak up on the prey they will run. Everyone here is more active at night then in the day." Coil sniffs the air and looks at me with confusion in his eyes.
"How can you smell that? I can't smell anything of any sort that describes what you just said." Coil looks hard at me. He didn't necessarily live in my old pack, he lived on the other side of it where there was plenty of water and good growing trees and plants.
"I used to live in the desert. I know how to tell things like this." Coils, Stems, and Leafs eyes all light up a bit more. "What?"
"You sound much better and more like yourself with your sarcastic voice with most things." Leaf points out. "Now can you lead us to the water now?"
"Fine." I lead the way and just like I said there was a bit of every animal there. Some animals looked up to see the small band of travelers coming but most ignored them.
"Can we just drink or do we need to do stuff?" Stem asks me.
"Yes, the water hole is never allowed to be owned by anyone. Come on." I lead them to the edge of the water and we lap some up.
We got done and left, no one said anything.

After a long walk we got to the forest on the other side of the desert. The thought for Lert still hadn't left my mind. And I wasn't about to tell them I was going to ditch them once they fell asleep. I needed to get to where they live and not just in the Dream World. I knew two ways to get there besides that and I planned on leaving and getting there. I couldn't and wouldn't let them hurt Stem or Leaf or Coil; even if he's a pain. "We should make camp here. And rest, we'll have to move in the day again." I tell them, Coil nods in agreement and Leaf finds some ferns to make a small nest with.
"This is definitely better than the desert sand." Stem comments and soon all of us were laying down sleeping.
When I was sure everyone was asleep I got up and left, hoping no one heard me. I needed to get to the Underground Portal. Even though I knew the coordinates to the place and could easley travel there, you had to go through that portal to get to the right place, otherwise you could end up somewhere you don't know. I haven't gone back to where my old pack lived for a long time. Let's hope I can still find that cave for the Underground Portal.
The ground here was like a rainforest. Not much of a difference besides, wolves live here. I don't believe we have left Sword County yet but I took them to the short pass. It's one of the shortest parts from the Go Getters territory to Kill Grounds or the other side of Sword County. Wolves there will kill for no reason and that's where I'm going. Kill Grounds was where I grew up, I know everything about that place but what most don't expect is that they do have some law. Coil knows where the Underground Portal is and I hope he doesn't put two and two together. I may have some problems then.

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 eyes 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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