Silvershore

Chapter Thirteen

"That...that guy you were carrying on your back..." Leia paused for a moment. "You're...you're absolutely sure...? It's...really Roscoe?"

"Yeah...that's definitely the same Roscoe." Alpine sighed. "When I first arrived there, I thought it was just a coincidence...Roscoe isn't an extremely rare name...but, the more I looked into it...it sickens me, but...he really does look like Daruk. He's got the pelt, the long tail...and he has his mother's yellow eyes."

"Kiyoka..." Leia flattened her ears. "She...she was the mother, right..?"

"That's right. This guy is Roscoe. Daruk and Kiyoka's son..."

"Does...does he have any memory of us?" Leia asked.

"No...he doesn't like me much...he'd like you, though. You're much better at...socializing."

"So, the memory loss thing...it really worked. He doesn't remember a thing...about us...The Pack of the Water..."

"D-Don't...even mention that." Alpine growled.

"I'm sorry."

Alpine and Leia sighed simultaneously.

"I thought The Pack of the Water was gonna kill him for sure..." Leia whimpered. "They were awful...scouting pups to be assassins..."

"I can't believe they let him go after all that..."

"Well...they did erase his memory...and fabricated a lot." Alpine sighed. "But...that also erased his memory of ever being in The Pack of the Fire. Which means...he, and everyone else, thinks he was born a loner, and found The Pack of the Earth after his parents were killed.

"When in reality...both of his parents are alive, in The Pack of the Fire. Daruk had a secret child with Kiyoka, and that's Roscoe. He grew up here, as our best friend...until The Pack of the Water scouted him."

"Did his mate ever even find out?" Alpine asked.

"I don't think so...her name was Misa, right? She always seemed...a bit distant from the world. I doubt she'd even care, now..."

"...Y'know..." Alpine took a deep breath in. "Every time I'd hear Roscoe's name, while in The Pack of the Earth, before I knew it was him...I felt a stabbing pain in my heart. But...then I noticed the way he was fighting that cougar. He went all out. Every last ounce of strength he had, he used it to destroy his enemy. That's...that's Kiyoka, for ya. He's got so much of his mother in him..."

"...Other than the crazy bitch part."

"Eh...there might be a little of that in there."

The two of them laughed together.

"...How is he doing, Alpine?"

"He's...he's the beta of The Pack of the Earth, actually..."

"No way, Roscoe's the beta!?"

"I know...and he's so loved by everyone. Like...everyone who knows him adores him. And...why wouldn't they? He's the same Roscoe we used to know...just in a different setting."

"...God, I've missed him." Leia sighed.

"Well...Leia..." Alpine took a deep breath in. "If you want to see him again...there's room in The Pack of the Earth...whaddya say?"

"...With Daruk as our new chieftain, things have felt...so weird, here. And the way Aries just...does everything he says, without any hesitation...it just doesn't feel right. But...most people have just...adapted to him. Daruk has, surprisingly, not been a cruel chieftain. So, although things have calmed down a lot...everything feels so off."