Oceanum Collis

•Chapter 26• Little Chats

Orlando and Misty were still throwing punches at each other. The young man managed to kick the young werewolf to the ground. "I'm impressed." Misty smiled at him. Asher kept his eyes on the two as they fought each other. He suddenly felt a light tap on his shoulder. The young werewolf glanced over his shoulder. "I'm going to collect some firewood and some food. Care to join me?" He asked. Asher turned to Misty for a second. "If you're wondering if you could keep her alone with him-" Hayes started. Asher stood up from his seat. "Oh, no, she would kill him if she could. That's what I'm worried about." the young werewolf replied. "Sure we can leave the two alone for a few minutes," Hayes tells him. "I sure hope so. Because I am not cleaning that up." The werewolf replied. Hayes let out a chuckle. The two of them wandered off into the forest together. "Can I be honest with you about something?" Hayes asked him. Asher turned to look at the elven prince. "We might have been wrong about your kind. You, and the girl, aren't as bad as I might have thought." Hayes tells him. Asher puts his hands into his pockets. "Is this you apologizing to me before you kill me?" Asher asked him. Hayes chuckled again. "No," He started, "I think we should finally put our differences aside. If the prophecy is true, and the boy is-" He continued. "And that's a big if," Asher said, cutting him off. "There might be a day where we will all be united again." Hayes continued. The young werewolf didn't respond. United after all those years? Asher let out a sigh. "I guess you're not that bad yourself either," he said quietly. Hayes looked at the werewolf with a small smile on his lips. "Thank you," He replied.

Asher scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat. He then lightly scratched his nose. "So, do you think he's ready?" He asked, trying to change the subject. Hayes sighed. "I'm not sure. At least he can hold a weapon now without dropping it within three seconds." He answered. "And he can almost kick the toughest wolf to the ground," Asher added. Hayes frowned at him. "He kicked you down multiple times." He said. "I was talking about Misty," Asher replied. Hayes picked some berries from a bush they walked by. "There is something I've been meaning to ask you," Hayes tells him. He turned to look at him again. "What is she truly?" He asked him. Asher glared at the elven prince. "She's a werewolf." He answered. "No, no. I mean, what is she to you? She's not your sister, although you act like she is." Hayes explained. Asher picked some twigs up from the ground. "Not that it's any of your concern but to me, she's my sister. She always will be." He tells him. The young werewolf leaned forward slightly. "You're not planning on doing anything to her? Do you?" He asked. Hayes holds up his hands in defense and shook his head. "No! Of course not." He quickly replied. The two boys gathered more food and firewood in silence until Asher spoke up. "Your sister on the other hand-" He started. The young werewolf had a cheeky smile on his face. Hayes glared at him. "Don't even start. Serena's off-limits for anyone. Especially you." He tells him sternly. "What about little emperor back there?" Asher questioned. "No," Hayes said, "My sister is way too young to be worrying about any of that anyway." He added. "I thought she was over two thousand years old," Asher said. Hayes rolled his eyes. "All I wanted to say, is that she's not that unpleasant to look at." The young werewolf admitted. "Just don't touch. That's all I'm saying." Hayes tells him.

After a while, the two boys had split up. Asher wandered off by himself. He picked up some small branches that were on the ground. "I thought I would find you here." He suddenly heard next to him. Asher glanced up to see his father standing by a tree. "Well, well, well," The older man spoke up, "What do we have here?" He continued. He grabbed her hair tightly, pulling her head up. Serena put her hand over his, trying to release herself from his grip. He looked into her green eyes. "What were you doing in our territory, sweetheart?" He asked her. "I could ask you the same question. Your son was in my territory, Remus." Serena said. The older wolf let out a chuckle. "He wasn't." He tells her. Serena just glared at the man. "Fine," Remus sighed, "Let's say he was. That still doesn't explain him." He said. He pointed his finger towards Orlando. Serena looked at the young man before looking back at the older werewolf. "What about him?" She questioned. "He's human, sweetheart." Remus started. The she-elf opened her mouth to speak. "Come on, sweetheart. I could smell him from a mile away." Remus continued. "He's nothing special. He was lost. I am escorting him back to Andillar where he can be with his people." She informs the wolf. "Save the lies for someone who can't see through them," Remus tells her. He leaned down to her ear. "Adelio?" He whispered. "I'm very disappointed in you, son. Teaming up with them?" Remus questioned. "Father? How did you find us?" Asher replied. "Oh please, I could still smell you if I was in another land. You have a strong scent, son." Remus tells his son. "Father, this is not what you think." Asher started. "Oh, no, I think this is exactly what I think," Remus said. He stepped closer to his son. "You're trying to earn their trust so you can sneak into the castle. That's very clever my boy." Remus complimented his son. Asher frowned at his father. "What? No. Father, that's not what I'm doing here." he tells him, "The elves could be right about this. This boy-" He continued. Remus holds up his hand. "I can't believe what I'm hearing." He replied. Asher sighed in response. "You've sided with them?" Remus asked him. His voice became a little louder as he spoke. "You cannot be serious," Remus added. "Father, if you would listen to me... I can explain everything." Asher tells him. The older werewolf glared at his son. "Explain? What's there to explain? You betrayed your kind for a human and an elf." Remus replied. "It's a little more complicated than that," Asher spoke quietly. Remus focused his eyes on his son. "Please do not tell me that you and that elf-" He started. "Why does everyone think that? No!" Asher said. "Your mother and I were the same when we were your age," Remus said quietly. "Whatever. Okay? Serena's gone. I'm just helping that human get inside the castle and get Serena back to her people. Peace restored. The emperor will be gone. We can all go on with our lives." Asher tells him. However, his father didn't seem to believe a word he spoke.