(The little chapter number thing is currently under progress c:)
"I'll meet you here this evening, ok?" I held my chin straight, so I could look right over Kaytalie's head. "So don't wander off, alright?"
"My injuries have healed. Why are you still here?" I asked her bluntly, not meeting her face. But even looking over her, she looked a bit hurt. But I was preoccupied to the point it didn't register in my reactions.
"They uh...they don't have a new assignment for me...? Yes, so they want me to stay here, and make sure your alright." She replied. I wanted to convince myself that I was refusing to look at her because of her flashing pelt. It still flashed, everything I thought it would stop, it would give me a headache with the popping colors. But I couldn't tell myself that for sure. She just wanted to be nice...but I couldn't get myself to change my tone.
"Jacent, go on." I glanced down at her, and she was looking at me worriedly. I looked over my shoulder, and realized the guard was looking at me impatiently.
"Oh...I, uh...huh, ok..." I rambled, though I'm not sure if it was to Kaytalie or the guard. I followed the guard through the narrow rock entrance to the large den. I felt claustrophobic, rock brushing against the fur on my shoulders. But the walls seemed transparent. As I looked at the walls, I could catch glimpses of wolves running, fighting in the walls. But I could barely turn my head without my muzzle running into the walls.
"Remind yourself why and what your doing, aloud," The guard commanded in a growl.
"Why...?"
"Just do it Jacent!" He snarled.
Fear smashing into me like a wall, I instantly let my thoughts run to my mouth. "Our leader, Traniconda feels the need to meet all the pups when they're young. He wants to be their first teacher, besides their parents. I am a guard, there to make sure nothing endangers the pups or Traniconda."
Before I knew it, claws hit me in the face. I hadn't realized the walls had opened up into the main room. I looked up to see the guard baring his teeth at me, blood dripping off his paw. "Don't disrespect them like that!"
"What did I do?" I asked with a whine.
"Traniconda can protect himself, and nothing's going to happen anyway. You're there to give yourself a job." he sneered. "Maybe now you'll have a reason to get out of here." He huffed as he turned and headed out the way they came. The walls suddenly jutted into place, revealing the real pathway. I backed up to sit in front of the entry way. I looked around frantically, the rock turning into a blue-shaded mirror.
And opening in the cave on a slightly raised platform made from the floor caught his eye as it changed colors. The proud gold and brown wolf known as Traniconda padded out with his head held high, though it was clear he knew the only one waiting there would be a guard. Traniconda looked at his cave proudly, though his smile seemed to fade when his eyes fell on me.
He sat down, looking me over, his muzzle held high. I looked back, feeling out of place. He turned his eyes to the large opening where the pups would enter, and my mouth instantly was filled with a bad taste. Like a poisoned medicine if it could got rotten. I turned to look at the left, trying to catch my cut, if it was possible. My eyes fell on the stone beside me, and I could see my reflection glistening back. The marks through my left cheek felt strange, burning pain poisoned by sweetness. The blood-red lines in my face seemed to change, and as the taste in my mouth started to fade, so did the color. It seemed to melt away, until it had turned to a purple scar running down my face like water.
The world seemed to slam into my head all at once, and I closed my eyes against the darkness.
When I opened my eyes, I turned to look back at the cave. The world seemed to be covered by fog, and when I looked down, my body had disappeared into the mist. When I looked back up, Traniconda had appeared where he had been sitting before. But now a pup sat in the room. Only one; a tiny, yet strong-built male pup sat in the room. He sat there, staring back at Traniconda awkwardly. Traniconda seemed to have a neutral, yet unimpressed look on his face as he stared down at the pup.
"Hi," The pup squeaked, trying to get attention instead of the other non-existent pups taking up more of Traniconda's eye.
A smile suddenly appeared on his face, and he bent down to reply to the pup. "Hello," His reply seemed dramatic, but as I thought about it, realization hit me. This was his meeting with Traniconda. I was the only pup there. Not even a guard had showed up. I stood up, watching myself and Traniconda as I started to pace to the other side. I basically hit a wall halfway through the cave. A wall holding the fog in on this side, while the rest of the cave seemed clear. The fog was going to make me go cross-eyed, I could swear. The wall didn't look real, and I was able to walk right through it the second time.
But as I did, the sound of glass shattering rang out in my ears. The world seemed to reflect onto the other side, the other side barren while this side now had Traniconda and myself. As I focused my eyes on the ground again, Traniconda's words caught my attention. "Why is he the only scrawny pup here?"
"My name is Jacent!" I replied back.
There was someone else there, someone else Traniconda was talking to. But when I looked up, it was still only the two of us. But before I looked down, I realized something. Traniconda wasn't actually there. A scrawny, old, sick-looking white-ish wolf sat in his place. I locked my eyes on him, turning and walking back to the other, foggy side.
As the sound of glass shattered in my ears again, Traniconda and I appeared on the foggy side again. And the gold and brown pelt of Traniconda was back. And he was suddenly talking back to me with a smile on his face. I turned and went back again. He was mid-sentence when the glass shattered on the other side. "I feel bad for you- how bad is it really?"
The pain of cold ice started to creep down my muzzle, and harsh words were pounding in my ears. Every time I took a step, I would end up being pulled back to my original place. I sat down, trying to stay put, but I was pulled back even faster. This time, the glass seemed to shatter in my ears four times all at once.
I shut my eyes tight, and opened them up to find the mirroring stone in my face. I had slumped over onto the wall, and as I pushed myself up, Traniconda was standing there, looking at me with concerned eyes. "Jacent? Jacent, why don't you head back outside for now, ok?"
I looked back at the stone, and my face looked as if it was healed, though I knew it wasn't. I could feel the wounds sting, and blood dripping down my face. And I suspected if it weren't invisible, my ears would be bleeding. But it was completely invisible to me, and to the pups. "Al-alright," I replied, my mouth dry. I turned and slipped back the way I had come, not meeting his eyes or the pups. As I looked around, I realized there was fog drifting into the tunnel from the main room.
I could hear his voice echoing down the tunnel too, though I could see I could walk through it. He was mid-sentence once more, and the faint sound of broken glass haunted me ears.. "Jacent's been through a lot, helping protect our pack. He's probably- I need another guard here. He was slumped against the wall with his face and ears bleeding, how's that?"
I looked at the walls of the tunnel at my reflection, and now I could see he was right. But some how, Traniconda had changed the appearance of many things. He had even made another wolf look like himself when I had met him. How bad was what? How was he doing this? Does Traniconda even show up to any of these or does he have wolves take his place? Who is he actually talking to? Why does the fog have anything to do with glass? How...how...how...?
As I stepped out of the narrow tunnel, I lost my thoughts and tripped over myself, passing out on the ground.
