The Forgotten Journey (Always On The Run SEQUEL)

Chapter 7: From Fman's Perspective

It was nearly two days after Freedom Day, and daylight was breaking. A few animals had managed to break free from Fman's mazes, but he was sure that that number would be growing.

They were smarter than  he had anticipated, but maybe that was a good thing. They could help him find WretchedJungle, then he would have  no use for them any more. 

Two days prior, he had waited for the animals to fall asleep, then used stolen herb treatments from the Alpha Graham  to lengthen their sleep.  A few noticed his presence  and became suspicious, so he had to fight them himself. He figured that they would take at least a couple of days to wake up, so he prepared a surprise for all six of them.

Fman placed all of them in different areas, leaving the six animals to find there own ways out. And if they didn't, so be  it.  

The black wolf with streaks of red stood patiently at the entrance, his tail tucked around his front paws. His fur was scraggly, but in a way that only added to his mystique.

Fman, or Mack, a name he had ditched long ago, was a hacker, simply put. He was quite renowned, actually. But as of lately, the wolf had restrained from making himself known. He'd stopped using his abilities that once reigned terror over Jamaa, and the terror he once held slowly trickled away until it was nothing but a myth. A myth. Fman clawed at the ground until pieces of rock lay around him.

"What is going on!"

Fman looked up, doing his best not to act surprised. The wolf that stood before him had arrived hours earlier than Fman had predicted, and he barely looked scathed. His fur was black and white, contrasting with the wolf's now-venomous blue eyes.

"You must be Julian," the hacker said, ignoring the bigger wolf's question.

"I asked you a question—"

"Yeah, yeah. Wait until the rest are here. You'll figure out what I want from you eventually."

"You brought the others here too?!"

"Hey! I said wait your turn. I refuse to answer questions twice."

Julian gaped at the unbothered look that Fman portrayed, doing his best to analyze the scraggly wolf's intentions. After a moment of staring, Julian spoke. Again. Naturally, Fman didn't like it.

"Can I at least get your name?"

Fman, hesitated for a moment, carefully choosing what to say next.

"Mack."

•~•~•~•

Aparri had been the next animal to show up. After that was Bepper, and then Skorm. Lilac was a bit later, but only because she had gotten stuck in a well. Fman didn't remember there even being a well close to where he'd put Lilac. 

Fman could tell that some of the animals who had been there for longer were starting to get anxious upon noticing Wisteria's absence. Namely, Aparri and Julian. Fman left the group and began a short walk over to the river nearby. Perhaps Wisteria had gotten lost? She'd ought to be turning up soon. Although, Fman had given her the hardest route for a reason. She'd helped end the phantom war, hadn't she? Although, he guessed, selflessness didn't always equal smarts and physical strength. Both of which Wisteria needed to solve his maze. Maybe he shouldn't have given Wisteria the river route.

Fman sighed as he approached the river, gazing out into the water without any sight of Wisteriamoon. After a minute or two, Fman caught sight of the wolf. She wasn't as far as he'd hoped, but he could at least see her now. She approached the part of his maze that he knew would take the longest. It required a thoughtfully crafted route from stone to stone in order to cross the large river. Fman was unsure if the wolf would be able to successfully attempt it, and he knew that it would take Wisteria a while to figure out the correct way to go about it. He sat and waited patiently.

Not a minute later, Fman watched as Wisteria jumped into the cold water without hesitance. He stood up, confused.

"What the—"

Fman made his way closer to the river, getting flecks of water on his fur in the process. Wisteria sure was taking a while to come up. He'd wait for her. He wasn't about to give the wolf an easy way out by rescuing her. It was best to weed out the weaklings, anyway. Fman turned to walk away from Wisteria. His footsteps slightly echoed as he got farther away from the river, farther away from the sound of the water's loud roar. At least he had the other animals to work with, if not Wisteria.

Fman hit the surface of the river fast. He pawed blindly through the water until he grasped a tuft of fur in his paw. Biting Wisteria's scruff, he yanked the unconscious wolf as hard as he could. He used his hind legs to swiftly push off the bottom of the river, and after a few tries, he managed to break the surface.

"That was a lot easier than Wisteria made it loo—" Fman was met with a mouthful of water.

Fman threw Wisteria up onto the cave floor, hoisting himself up after her. God, he hoped he wouldn't have to give her mouth-to-mouth. Maybe he should just let her—

Fman's thoughts were interrupted with Wisteria's coughing.

"Oh, good. You're up. I was so worried I would have to give you mouth-to-mouth or something." He eyed Wisteria, awaiting a response of some sort, but the wolf just coughed pathetically.

"Anyway, you're late." Fman gestured back toward the way he'd come from. "You really held all of us up, you know." Wisteria glared up at him.

"What the heck, Mack!"

"Don't call me—"

"I almost drowned!"

"And I saved you." Wisteria opened her mouth to say something again, but Fman interjected. "We're all waiting, so join us whenever you feel like it." Fman began walking away, practically feeling Wisteria death glaring him as he did so.

As Fman walked away, dripping water, he grinned. He was actually ahead of schedule. It seemed like he'd gotten the right group of animals, after all.

Lol how are y'all liking this update two years later?