Ppgz & Rrbz A wolves story

CHAPTER 21: TENSION IN THE WOLF PACK

Eyes closed, he could feel his heart beating against his ribcage. Each beat felt painful as if his heart was struggling to keep going. Something made him feel like there was a tear in his heart, and yet he couldn't remember what it was.

Taking a deep breath, he shifted so that he was in a more comfortable position. A certain darkness pressed against his eyelids, and he didn't open them yet. He still felt sleepy, and every bone in his body ached. They ached from a hollow pain, but they weren't just physical. There was this underlying mental pain beneath it all.

He gripped himself tighter, resting his head against thin air. He could hear the trickling of water around him. The noise was soft and gentle, lulling him to sleep.

Despite that, there was another thing calling for him... Calling for him to wake up. It was a pleading cry, a gentle murmur, like a little prod in the side. He desperately wanted to approach the noise, yet he didn't wish to get up.

After a few more minutes of lonely silence, he finally opened his eyes. All around him was darkness. He was floating in thin air. Gently jumping down, he could feel his toes graze the floor underneath him. It rippled and felt like water. When he took a step forward, he could hear splashing.

A light was calling for him a little further off, and it attracted him like a moth to a flame. The boy could hear his heartbeat speeding up, although he didn't know why. A numb feeling had overcome him, and he couldn't seem to feel anything. He started to run toward the light. He didn't even feel the sensation of wind pressing against him as he ran. It was like his entire body had stopped feeling anything, and he was running on automatic.

When he reached the brightness, he skidded to a stop and shivered. A clear surface floated above the ground, facing him. A mirror, he noted. It was foggy and clouded over.

He reached out to touch the mirror, and his fingers went through it. A stinging sensation entered his body and he pulled back. He knew what this mirror was. It was his ticket home; it would help wake him up from his hazy dream. But there had been this weird pain that came with touching the mirror, and he knew it would hurt a lot more if he went through it completely. He didn't know how he knew; he just did. So the boy didn't want to enter, even though he could still hear the voice calling for him. It sounded shaky and scared.

He gazed into the mirror, eyes clouding over. Hazy memories of when he had still been awake danced around his brain. Everything seemed to surround a broken heart and burning flames. Yet he couldn't remember any more than that.

His reflection was a boy with a blank expression and long red hair. Peculiar red eyes stared back at him. The boy blinked hard.

Just who am I? What happened to me when I was still awake?

"Did you come back to get your ass kicked again?" snarled Butch, glaring at Vix

Vix held his hands up. "No."

"You lied to us," Blair hissed, stepping forward menacingly. "You told us to leave our first hunting grounds. You trapped us!"

Vix seemed like he was trying not to laugh. This made the Rowdyruff Boys angry. "I didn't lie—for once. And shhh, don't let Danes hear you. We went to the first hunting grounds and you weren't there. Danes had Ren and I track you."

"Danes is here?" spat Bandit, eyes widening and then narrowing. "You little piece of—"

"Whoa, let's not say something we'll regret now," Vix interrupted, stroking one of the bats on his shoulder. "I'll tell ya what. I won't fight you boys tonight."

Butch didn't relax. "And why's that?"

"I thought you wanted to fight us," sneered Blaze

Vix glanced back at Blair, who was still being held back. "Not today, I'm afraid. Today you have someone else who wants to talk with you."