King of Creatures

Epilogue

It had been a few weeks before Amari, Max, and Aoshanay had decided to head back out into the "real world" again. Aoshanay had set off a signal and waited for Nixus to come flying close to them – He couldn't land in the city itself, which Amari didn't argue against it. He had hugged and kissed Aayma and promised that he'd come back. He gave Nixus the cold shoulder the whole flight back, trying hard to ignore his overwhelming excitement over being in a private jet for the first time ever.

Once they returned back to the building, Amari looked up at it with unease. He had showered, a long, well – deserved shower, changed into a pair of jeans and a light green sweater, then he hugged a tear – filled Aoshanay good – bye, and left with Max in his truck, to his home, where his mother was.

Amari took several deep breaths and rubbed his arms. "You'll be okay." Max said reassuringly, patting Amari on the leg. Amari smiled and nodded before looking out the window. He was going to see his mom again. Let her know he survived...Let her know that he wasn't mad at him...That he still considered her his mom even if she wasn't, biologically. He rehearsed what he had to say, waved at some birds that passed by.

The GPS instructed Max, who turned a corner and pulled up to a nice, white house. Amari looked up at the house and tried to control his breathing. Then he grabbed onto the door handle.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Max asked. Amari looked away from the house and back at Max.

"No," He shook his head. "L – let me go first, then I'll uh, introduce you. Sorry, but she might be shocked to see I'm still alive." He said with a small laugh.

"That's understandable." Max nodded. "I – I'll wait here, good luck." Amari gave him a nervous smile before opening the car door. He stepped out, whipped his sweaty palms on his jeans and walked towards the house.

Amari slowly ascended the stairs, rubbing at the spot he had been stabbed weeks prior. It's a habit he had picked since "the incident" a few weeks prior. He was now face – to – face with the door. The door to his old home. Amari looked back at Max, who gave him a supportive thumbs up. Taking several deep breaths as he turned back around and knocked on the door.

A few minutes passed.

Nothing, he knocked again, louder this time.

A few more minutes passed and still nothing happened. No one lives there anymore, your grace. "What?" Amari looked around for who had made that noise and his eyes landed on a bird's nest perched right above the door frame. "W – what do you mean?" He asked.

Nobody has lived there for many months sir. Vacant, several squirrels that moved in told me. "So there...gone?" Amari asked looking at the door. Yes your grace...Amari nodded before turning around, staring at the ground. "T – thanks...for letting me know..." Amari said sadly before making his way off the porch. "Oh, and you don't have to call me 'sir', and 'your grace', it's fine." He added, turning around. Yes s - ... I – I will pass it on. Amari smiled at the bird before getting back into Max's truck.

"What happened?"

Amari shook his head and leaned back into the seat, staring at the vacant house. "They're not there. S – she moved." Amari wiped a tear away.

"Well, there's always Devon, right?" Max tried. Amari smiled and looked over at Max.

"Yeah, yeah there is."

The drive to Devon's was much shorter than the ride to Amari's old house. This time, Amari brought Max with him. Again, Amari tried to control his breathing as he made his way up the steps, rubbing his stab wound as he made his way to the floor, then once again, he was face – to – face with a door.

Amari took a deep breath, then knocked. The door swung open revealing a tousle haired Devon , whose eyes instantly widened and the pop tart he was holding in his hand fell to the floor.

"You're lying." He said after a few minutes before pulling Amari into a bone – crushing hug. "Whose this?" He asked eyeing Max.

"C – can we come in? I – I'll tell you everything." Amari said pulling away and smiling at Devon, whose eyes were still wide with shock.

"You'd better! My best friends a zombie!" Devon exclaimed stepping aside.

He took everything really well and gasped at the right moments and was very gleeful at Amari being a King. "I'll have to see your new crib." Devon said.

"Yeah of course, you could move in if you wanted!" Amari said.

Their conversation ended well past midnight, Devon invited the pair to stay the night, but they declined. Amari looked nervously at Max as they left the apartment. Their next, and final destination.

The Village, where the vampire, now known as Hendricks, had taken Penelope. Amari was to over see the trial, he had no idea how this trial would go. Who would be there, but he did know it would hold all kinds of creatures, not just animals, but other creatures, vampires, ghouls, centaurs, hybrids...even elves and fae folk were to be there.

Amari looked nervously out the window, he didn't realize how many creatures he's "in charge" of. Responsibility seemed to be crashing down upon him and he wasn't so sure he'll be able to cope with it. He would be the first king to return after centuries, would he even be welcomed in? Nervously, he rubbed at his stab wound.

...

A few hours drive away, sat a very angry girl in a very cold cell. She was sitting on the floor, with her knees to her chest and staring at a blank spot on the ground. Her nail beds had been chewed to death, her blonde hair was now stringy and looked almost brown seeing as she had refused to shower for the past few weeks.

Someone slid a plate of food through a slit on the ground. "Dinner." Sang a voice. Penelope didn't look away from the spot on the ground.

"You know tomorrows your trial?" It sung. "It'll be the end of your liiffee...They'll sentence you to death for treason all because you tried to end to new King of Creatures." They hissed.

"Of course, I don't think he deserves it...The title I mean. There are things he doesn't know of. That's obvious." Penelope shifted a little but didn't move from her spot.

"He'll soon discover that he can control things... beings...I've seen him. I've been...watching...He thinks he can make flowers grow a- and can speak to teeny wittle animals..." Penelope now turned her head to face the speaker. She couldn't see them though, they were hidden in the darkness of the hallway.

"I heard the king talking to a friend of his...saying he might yet spare you...Because she cares for you, the one the king was speaking to I mean."

"Aoshanay?" Penelope whispered hoarsely.

"Is that her name? Ah...well, she's half creature herself isn't she? Either way, if it's true – you being spared I mean – and if you're willing...Maybe we could, ah...devise a plan...To overthrow the king...Maybe..."

Penelope heard footsteps slowly fade away and she turned her head back and continued staring at the blank spot on the floor. This time though, a smile danced on the corners of her mouth...