Shadows Of The Past Novel: Stolen Heart (Jakovi Poza)

Chapter 3

It was a cold night, Foxy was walking towards the Big Tree territory. He couldn't help but think that he had banished Alfa, he had a feeling that it would give him peace. When he got there, he looked around to make sure he was alone, Foxy sighed softly and then sat down under a tree looking ahead. As he sat there, remembering the good times with Roxanne, Foxy smiled at that. I did right, Alfa is bad and always will be. He thought to himself. Foxy suddenly noticed how his beloved, who had a worried look, came out of the bushes. Roxanne silently started walking towards him, Foxy ignored it, he wanted Roxanne to come. As soon as Roxanne sat next to him, Foxy lowered his head.
"You've been sitting in your room all day, do you want to tell me something?" Roxanne asked thoughtfully.
Foxy didn't know what to say when he got home and locked himself in his room to find out more about The Sisters.
"I wanted to rest." Foxy lied.
Roxanne nodded slightly, then looked up at the cloudy sky.
"It's going to snow, would you like to make a snowman tomorrow?" Roxanne said.
"Sure, why not." Foxy answered right away.
In the morning, he is going to ask Gold about her friend who knows about magic. He wanta to do it discreetly and as soon as possible so that no one finds out.
"I remember last winter when I met Gold and Ella, it was a wonderful time." Roxanne said.
"Thanks to this, our group began to grow." Foxy mumbled.
Roxanne laughed nervously, she hushed as Foxy still looked grim.
"Are you still tired?" Roxanne asked.
"No, I'm just thinking about something." Foxy replied shortly.
"Foxy," Roxanne began to say firmly, "I'm starting to get more worried, you locked yourself in your room for another reason, I know that."
Foxy fell silent, suddenly irritable. He understood that some people might be worried about him, but he wanted to arrange it all himself so as not to endanger anyone. Foxy looked at Roxanne with emotion.
"I'm fine." Foxy whispered softly.
"Don't say that! Ever since we banished Alfa, you haven't wanted to talk to anyone." Roxanne growled desperately.
"I have my reasons, just like you." Foxy said calmly.
"What then?" Roxanne asked.
Foxy stood up, turning his back on Roxanne.
"Just like when you didn't tell me about the trip to the sinking moon." Foxy growled.
Foxy could already feel Roxanne behind him with remorse, Foxy shivered when Roxanne suddenly hugged him.
"I didn't mean to hurt you then, you know that right?" Roxanne mumbled.
Foxy remembered entering Roxanne's room and she was nowhere to be found, he was trembling with fear and desperately looking for Roxanne. Even though he didn't let her go to the sinking moon, Roxanne didn't listen to him anyway and went with Gold and Ella. Foxy, however, forgave her without hesitation.
"Yes, I know, it was...necessary." Foxy said.
Roxanne said nothing, only nodded her agreement.
"Then... will you tell me what's bothering you?" Roxanne asked as if she was demanding an answer.
Foxy sighed heavily and looked at Roxanne with composure.
"I can tell you many times that everything is fine." He said with amusement.
Roxanne still looked unsure, but this time she began to look in a different direction.
"Okay, we better get home now, it's getting colder and darker." Roxanne said softly, then she turned toward the forest. Foxy felt silly seeing Roxanne sad, he quickly took the snow and made a snowball out of it. Foxy without hesitation threw it at Roxanne, waiting for an attack. Roxanne spun around with a puzzled expression at this, but when she saw the amusement in Foxy's eyes, Roxanne took the snow with her hand.
"Oh you little!" Roxanne screamed, then she threw a snowball straight at Foxy. Foxy managed to dodge laughing, this time Roxanne ran towards Foxy and knocked him to the ground. As they both lay in the cold snow, their laughter could be heard. Foxy was about to hit Roxanne in the face with a snowball, but Roxanne managed to do it first. Foxy started coughing and laughing, quickly wiping his face with his hands. He felt a powerful cold on his face, but he ignored it. Roxanne snuggled up to Foxy, closing her eyes, Foxy wrapped one arm around her, then looked up at the cloudy sky again. He thought again about Alfa and The Sisters, would these thoughts haunt him for the rest of his life? He wished he could tell Roxanne everything, because in his heart he thought Roxanne would understand him.
"Aren't you cold?" Roxanne asked jokingly.
"Just a little." Foxy answered briefly and calmly.
"We'd better go home, we don't want you to be sick, hm?" Roxanne said.
Foxy laughed awkwardly, Roxanne got up first and helped Foxy up. When they were ready to go back, Roxanne went first, keeping Foxy company. Foxy watched as Roxanne led them back home, feeling much better as he comforted his beloved.
Foxy walked through a snowy world, seeing nothing but fog and falling snow. The sky was dark and the moon was in a blood-colored sky. Foxy looked around for someone, but he couldn't hear or see anyone. He shivered when suddenly he heard singing in the distance, Foxy hesitantly started to run there. He wanted to know what was going on when the chanting stopped, Foxy fell clumsily to the ground panting. What is happening with me? he asked himself in his mind. He felt cold and warm at the same time, he felt like he was about to explode. Foxy tried to breathe calmly, when he looked ahead he saw a figure walking towards him. Foxy shook his head and stood up with a scared expression on his face. As he looked at the silhouette, eyes of different colors appeared in the mist around him, Foxy had no idea what it meant, but he suspected it wasn't a coincidence. When an unknown figure emerged from the fog and darkness, she opened her red eyes. Foxy realized that the unknown girl was dressed like a witch. Did The Sisters visit him? They want to give him a clue where he can find them?
"Beware of anyone who stands in your way, wait for his light to go out, or your light will go out." The girl said standing in front of him.
Foxy took one step back, he didn't know what the witch meant, but he wanted to find out.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Foxy asked.
The witch did not answer him, only looked at him with wide eyes. Suddenly all the eyes that were watching him said the same thing.
"Beware of anyone who stands in your way, wait for his light to go out, or your light will go out."
Foxy's heart has started to beat like a hammer, is the witch trying to warn him about something? Foxy did not take his eyes off the witch, instead the unknown creatures hiding in the mist began to speak.
"Everything you love can be taken away from you."
"Beware, newcomer."
Foxy screamed as many witches emerged from the mist and attacked Foxy. Foxy then opened his eyes and realized after a while that he was lying in his bed. Foxy immediately stood up, trying to calm down. It was just a dream? Foxy asked himself. But the dream had to mean something, Foxy knew now that, he needed to talk to Gold as soon as possible. Foxy quickly put on his things and left the room. He looked for Gold, walked down the stairs, he noticed Sting sitting completely alone in the living room. Foxy approached him with a friendly expression.
"Hi, have you seen Gold?" Foxy asked.
"She went out into the woods with Alex, why do you ask?" Sting said softly.
Foxy sighed.
"I have to talk to her." He replied in a low tone.
Sting raised one eyebrow, he got up from the couch and looked expectantly at Foxy.
"Did something happen?" Sting asked sympathetically.
"No." Foxy said.
Sting checked that no one was watching him, then approached Foxy.
"I will go with you." Sting offered.
Foxy nodded reluctantly as Sting led Foxy to the exit. They put on warm jackets and hats, then went outside. There was a lot of snow, on the branches of the tree, only the white color was visible. Foxy went first, Sting a moment later walking by his side.
"Do you think Gold will agree to take me for a walk?" Sting asked boldly.
"If you're convincing and don't blush at the sight of her." Foxy replied jokingly.
Sting snorted briefly, looking straight ahead.
"I never blushed!" Sting denied.
"If you want to stick to your story, fine." Foxy said.
Foxy suddenly heard laughter not far from them, he started to walk faster with a serious expression on his face. He was sure it was Gold and Alex as he got closer, Foxy saw Gold throwing snowballs right at Alex. Sting came running in later with a slightly surprised expression on his face. Foxy came out of hiding looking at both girls who were laughing. When Gold spotted Foxy first, she looked like she spotted a ghost.
"Hello, am I disturbing you?" Foxy asked politely.
"Of course not, we're just having a snowball fight." Gold said with amusement. Foxy and Sting exchanged calm glances, Gold already suspected that they didn't come here without a reason.
"Something happened?" Gold asked.
"No, I just want to talk to you alone." Foxy mumbled.
Gold jumped then she quickly looked at Alex with an apologetic look, Alex nodded with a fake smile.
"Can I stay with you?" Sting asked.
Foxy gave Sting a worried look, Sting looked sad at this, then he said, "Okay, I won't bother you."
Gold followed Sting with a worried look as Sting was out of sight, Gold was looking at Foxy. Foxy took a deep breath and exhaled, straightened up, making a serious face.
"What do you have to say, dear leader?" Gold asked.
"Your friend knows about powers, right?" Foxy asked uncertainly.
"Yes,... is that why you want to tell me something?" Gold spoke up, terror was heard in her voice.
Foxy wondered if he could trust Gold, he was worried that Gold would decide to tell someone. I can trust her, we're friends. Foxy thought quickly.
"Yes," Foxy said, "I had a vision."
Gold was silent, staring at Foxy like he was an idiot. This made Foxy more confused and nervous.
"I don't know what it meant, but I want to know....does your friend dress like a witch?" Foxy asked firmly.
Gold was startled, but she quickly shook her head.
"N...no, she doesn't dress like a witch. But why are you telling me about some vision?" Gold mumbled.
"The beings wanted to warn me about something, about a new arrival." Foxy said.
Gold thought for a moment, covering her mouth with her hand. Foxy had the impression that Gold was lying to him, what if her supposed friend is from The Sisters?
"I think it might have been just a dream and not a vision." Gold replied, looking at Foxy.
"Seemed pretty real to me." Foxy said.
"Not every dream can foretell the future." Gold explained with a slight smile.
Foxy fell silent with a grim expression on his face, as if no one believed him.
"What if it's a vision?" Foxy asked quickly.
Gold stood by Foxy's side with a polite look as she looked ahead, she added, "then we'll be ready."
Foxy calmed down a bit when Gold said that, he felt more relaxed because he has someone he can tell everything. But he was afraid to tell anything to Sting or Roxanne.
"Do you have anything else to say?" Gold asked curiously.
"No, that's all, thanks." Foxy said calmly.
Gold nodded, then she ran to where Sting and Alex had gone. Foxy watched her suspiciously until she was out of sight. I hope it's just a stupid dream, I don't want anything bad to happen. Foxy thought.
"What am I going to do now?" Foxy whispered to himself.
Feeling helpless, he lashed out with his power into the tree with fury. Anger grew in him more, but when he noticed the destroyed tree, he began to run home in fear. As he ran out onto the moor, he looked up at the sky. Should I tell everyone? Is it time for me to stop hiding everything? Foxy asked himself in his mind. However, the thought that he would tell everyone that he knew about magic and that he was interested in The Sisters made him even more reluctant. What if they completely stop trusting me? Foxy asked himself mentally. Foxy shook his head, no one needs to know that. The wind began to blow in his face, Foxy took one last look at the clean moor covered with snow before turning back towards the house. On his way home, he looked around the snowy forest, feeling relaxed again and calmed by the silence around him. Foxy sighed softly, remembering how he and Roxanne had made a big snowman earlier. After a while, Foxy continued walking towards the house with a serious expression on his face. When he got home, he noticed Sting standing outside the house, Foxy had the impression that his friend was waiting for him. Foxy hurriedly approached his friend, sending him a friendly look. Sting, however, seemed to ignore him, looking nervous and indignant.
"What's going on?" Foxy asked.
"Nothing, just... I'm waiting for someone." Sting mumbled timidly.
Foxy grabbed Sting's arm, giving him a sarcastic look.
"For Gold?" Foxy asked cunningly.
"Nevermind." Sting replied quickly, looking straight ahead.
"Well, what's the harm in waiting with you." Foxy said in a pleasant voice.
Sting looked at him with a slight sadness and desperation.
"You can go if you want, I won't force you." Sting answered quietly.
"No thanks, somehow I prefer to accompany you." Foxy said.
Sting then stopped looking at Foxy as if he didn't want to tease him about it.
"What did you and Gold talk about?" Sting asked boldly.
Foxy was slightly surprised at his friend's question, was Sting afraid that they were talking about him?
"About the next meeting," Foxy lied. "There's supposed to be a snowstorm during the full moon, so we thought about changing the day."
Sting glared at him in surprise and fury. Foxy felt as if someone was trampling on his joy, he felt a deep anxiety, but he said nothing more.
"Why did you discuss it with her?" Sting asked.
"And why not?" Foxy answered right away.
Sting raised one eyebrow, his eyes were telling Foxy everything, does Sting suspect him of lying?
"Gold is not a deputy, you should discuss this with Roxanne." Sting mumbled grimly.
Foxy couldn't help but remain silent.
"I have the right to ask the council about any member, don't teach me." Foxy said calmly with a smile on his face.
"I'm not teaching, I'm just giving you advice." Sting replied.
"I understand, friend." Foxy said.
Suddenly the snow began to fall slowly, Foxy looked up in amazement. He noticed that the sky was obscured by clouds. He suddenly wondered where Roxanne was, had she gone out for a walk without him again?
"So, how are Roxanne and you? Everything going well?" Sting asked.
"All is well." Foxy replied.
Sting nodded at this with a serious face, Foxy was about to ask how is he and Gold, but he quickly stopped himself. He recalled that only Foxy knew about his feelings for Gold and he didn't want to support Sting that way.
"I hope it stays like this forever." He suddenly heard Sting mumbling under his breath.
Oh, I hope so too, my friend. Foxy thought calmly. As he was about to comfort Sting, he suddenly noticed a terrified Whiteflower covered in snow, it was obvious that he was running.
"Whiteflower? What happened?" Sting asked first.
Whiteflower was breathing uneasily as Foxy and Sting walked slowly towards him with worried looks.
"Whiteflower?" Foxy called him.
"F...Foxy! Someone has invaded our valley!" Whiteflower said in a panicked voice.
Foxy froze with concern, what did the intruder want from their valley? He knew that as a leader he had to react quickly.
"Where did you see him?" Foxy asked seriously.
"I...I saw him near the Tall Tree territory on my way home!" Whiteflower replied.
Foxy and Sting exchanged hostile glances, then they looked back at Whiteflower.
"Sting, go find the rest, I'll look for Roxanne." Foxy ordered.
Sting nodded as he was about to run home when Whiteflower shouted, "I met Gold and Alex on the way in the woods, she told me to find you as soon as possible! But I think I saw Roxanne with that intruder!"
"What?" Foxy asked in amazement.
Without giving Whiteflower or Sting an answer, Foxy began to run quickly towards the Tall Tree's territory. Whoever it might have been abducting Roxanne, the thought of Roxanne being held captive by an intruder made him shudder. I'm coming for you, Roxanne! Be strong! Foxy screamed in his mind. When he was about to run out of the forest, Gold blocked his way with a surprised face. Foxy shuddered at this and began to breathe uneasily.
"Calm down, we need your help." Gold mumbled.
"Where is Roxanne?" Foxy asked quickly.
"Whiteflower saw her with some guy." Foxy heard Alex behind her.
"Where are they?" Foxy asked sharply.
Gold grabbed Foxy's arm, fear was in her eyes.
"Probably not far from here." Gold replied.
"W...We can't belittle, we have to help Roxanne." Foxy mumbled in a low voice.
"I agree, let's go." Gold said, then she quietly and nimbly ran out of the forest. Foxy came out of the woods right behind her, followed by Alex. Gold was leading a small patrol towards the Tall Tree when they entered the area of ​​the Tall Tree, they found no intruders or Roxanne.
"Where can they be now?" Alex asked.
"Across the moor, that's where they must be." She confessed threateningly to Gold.
As Gold began to patrol towards the forest where he lay on the other side of the moor, Foxy became more concerned. He was afraid that Roxanne would die at the hands of an angry intruder, or worse, kidnap her without their knowledge. The closer they got to the forest, the worse Foxy felt.
"Look, traces." Gold pointed.
Foxy took a quick glance at it, indeed there were tracks of two people near the forest.
"Let's follow the tracks, we must be careful." Gold said, then she went on patrol again.
Foxy was shivering slightly from the cold, he didn't want to imagine what was happening to Roxanne. He only hoped that Roxanne wasn't with the intruder, but the familiar footprints in the snow indicated that the enemy was not alone.
"Here!" Gold called softly to them.
Foxy ran quickly leaving Alex behind, hiding behind the bushes he saw Roxanne and an unknown man, he was much taller than Roxanne, which worried Foxy.
"We'll attack when he's not looking in our direction." Foxy growled softly.
Gold nodded at this and continued to watch Roxanne with the intruder. A moment later Alex joined them with a scared expression on her face. Suddenly as the man looked at Roxanne, Foxy looked expectantly at his members. Now! He called out in his mind, then came out of hiding with a hostile expression on his face. Gold and Alex joined him a few seconds later, when Roxanne noticed them, she looked like she had seen a ghost. The man, seeing Roxanne terrified, he looked where Roxanne was looking.
"You!" Foxy yelled menacingly. "Who are you and what are you doing in our valley?"
"Foxy, wait!" Roxanne shouted quickly, defending the intruder.
Foxy was surprised, he didn't understand Roxanne's reaction and why she was defending the intruder.
"I can explain it all to you." Roxanne said.
"Roxanne, what are you doing?" Gold asked quickly.
"Go away, Roxanne. I won't let this guy hurt you." Foxy growled hostilely.
Roxanne didn't move out of Foxy's way though, she gave him a desperate look.
"I didn't mean to hurt Roxanne." The intruder confessed uncertainly. "She's not to blame here."
"How dare you answer for my deputy." Foxy snorted defiantly.
"I'm not looking for trouble." Unknown man said.
Gold stood beside Foxy with a menacing expression, although Roxanne gave her friend a pleading look, Gold did not react.
"That's what you're looking for when you enter our valley, sir." Gold replied impatiently.
"I came here for a reason." The intruder said.
Fury was rising in Foxy, but when he suddenly remembered the dream with the witches, he had the impression that his mind had gone mad. Were the witches talking about this newcomer? Will he change their lives? The man looked seriously at Gold and Foxy before saying, "My name is Dark and I'd like to join your group."