Arizium

Chapter 22

(A/N: Sorry it's from Wolf's POV again ;-; I'm sorry I really wanted it to be from someone else's but it HAS to be from his for this chapter. You'll understand... hopefully... OKAY THE FACT THAT HE'S MY FAVORITE DOESN'T CHANGE ANYTHING)

"Can't you walk on your own?" Wolf muttered disdainfully, when Lynx shook her head stubbornly and clung to his back harder, he merely sighed and accepted his fate as a pack mule as they followed Bear and Arro to the camp. 

"So why are you so destructive?" Arro asked Lynx curiously.

She just shrugged and responded, "People annoy me. You're supposed to get rid of things that upset you, correct?"

Wolf scoffed as Arro laughed and glanced at the girl clinging to Wolf's back like a lost kitten, "You just go around fucking killing everything that annoys you? How could a little thing like you possibly accomplish that?"

"People under estimate me, that's usually their first mistake," She retorted with a grin.

As they neared camp, Wolf noticed out of the corner of his eye that a boy was approaching him. He rubbed at his stump nervously and stared in disbelief when he noticed that it was the same boy that he had carried up to camp.

Wolf's breath hitched when he saw the boy's piercing purple eyes and ragged white hair, it was impossible that those sort of features were completely natural, or even human for that matter. The way he held himself was so confident and powerful that Wolf had to physically resist the urge to turn incorporeal. He heard Lynx scoff in his ear knowingly, making him turn a bright shade of crimson.

"Would it be alright if I washed up? " The boy asked Bear. At least he has the decency to ask permission, Wolf admired.

Bear nodded, "Go on ahead, Amaria can go next if she wants, I'll let Phoenix know."

The boy nodded his thanks and glanced at Wolf and Lynx curiously before turning heel to head to the river.

Wolf let out the breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding when the boy was out of sight. When he came back to his senses, he realized that Bear, Arro, Resa and Cutie had went on ahead without them.

"He's royalty, ya know," Lynx whispered in his ear mischievously "A Vlivian. Lucius Kantiar Vlivian, to be exact"

"A Vlivian?" Wolf repeated and glanced back at her with a puzzled expression, "Is he the prince?"

Lynx nodded smugly, "The very same. He's arrogant and rude, not exactly your type if I do say so myself, but he is kindaaaaa cute I guess," She admitted and pinched at his cheek.

Wolf blushed again and muttered "Let's just get back, yeah?"

When they stepped into the clearing, Lynx finally relented and slid off of Wolf's back, but only because she heard someone say something along the lines of "rabbit roast."

Wolf rubbed at his shoulders to try and loosen the knots that had formed when Lynx relentlessly squeezed him to keep from falling, and went to find the food that was promised. He found a place next to Bear on one of the logs that they used for sitting around the fire, and listened to the chatter around him.

"Who went hunting today, anyway?" Bear asked, "Did you go out, Wolf?"

When he shook his head, Raven came out from the forest into the firelight carrying a couple more rabbit carcasses, "I did. With all the stress happening, I thought we could do with a bit of a meal."

"Wait, were you using your powers? I thought you were gone during the day as well?" Phoenix asked curiously and took a bite of rabbit.

Raven shrugged and said, "I've been brushing up on my knife throwing skills," before taking out a dirk to skin the fresh kill.

"Is that why they all have stab holes?" Bear said and held up a roast hare to her eye to look through the hole to see Raven.

Raven smirked at that, "I never said that I didn't get carried away a little."

Madelina scoffed and glanced at her hare that was still cooking over the fire and observed the multiple stab wounds in it, "A little."

The conversation trailed into different directions, so Wolf decided to indulge himself in studying the plate of food that Bear passed to him.

I mean how different are fish, really? If we can link to avians, why not fish? What's stopping us? Would it impair you somehow? I suppose you wouldn't have a very good battle companion. But who says that a soul beast is solely for battle? Maybe some people prefer to live the quiet life of a sailor, then a fish would be ideal I suppose.... But there's still that barrier bet-

"So is that why you ran off?"

Wolf was startled out of his thoughts when he realized that Bear had directed the question towards him. Everyone else seemed immersed in different conversations.

"What?"

"You like him, don't you?" She said with a smug look that said: You can't hide anything from me even if it's half-way across the world.

Wolf was caught off guard by the sudden observation, "I... I-I... what?"

Bear giggled, "It's okay Wolf, I know you're Diifer."

He blushed and whispered, "Did Lynx tell you?"

She shook her head in response, "She didn't need to. Come on, when are you going to start realizing that literally nothing is hidden from me? I know everything, just admit it."

Wolf groaned and put his head in his hands, "No, it wasn't because I like Lucius. I hadn't even seen him conscious until just now."

Bear rubbed at her chin thoughtfully, "Hmmm... then something happened with... Phoenix. Right?"

He looked at her incredulously, "How did y-"

"You leave, she's depressed, come on Wolfie it's not like it's difficult to piece the puzzle together," she stated matter-of-factly and turned to face him with an excited look "Now, tell me what happened. Everything. Right now."

Wolf glanced around at all the others that were at the fire, including Phoenix, and muttered "Not now."

Bear huffed and grabbed his wrist to pull him up.

"What are-" Wolf started to say.

"We're going to the forest. Right now. So you can tell me. Obviously. Gods, why are you so heavy? Get up!" She whined and tugged harder.

Wolf heard Resa growl behind him as a warning, "Bear, not now, okay?" He stated tiredly and pulled his wrist free from her death grip.

Bear put her hands on her hips and studied him with a frustrated look, "Please?"

When he opened his mouth to go about rejecting her, he noticed yet again out of the corner of his eye the white haired boy coming back from the river with wet hair and his sister tagging along behind him. Even though he was obviously outnumbered and outmatched, Lucius still seemed intimidating and dangerous to Wolf in a weird way.

All conversation skidded to a stop when everyone noticed the twins. Lucius wasted no time in explaining, "Just listen, okay? I know we all got off to a bad start, but both Amaria and I realized that we all pretty much have the same goal here. We need the game back for the good of the kingdom, and you need it back so that you don't starve to death. We know that Knox, or whatever his name is, has to be the one causing this famine, right? You all know him best, so maybe we can find him together and just put a bloody stop to all this mayhem."

When he finished, Arro seemingly couldn't resist the urge to mutter "Geez, and I thought the girl was the blabber mouth," to which Madelina struggled to hide a snicker.

Phoenix ignored the jape and instead looked at Lucius with narrowed eyes, seemingly calculating if there was any hidden intent behind the prince's words. Either she was too tired of all the drama, or just sick of the feuding, because she relented without a fight.

"Alright."

(A/N: *happy dance*)