A Howl To The Moon

Chapter 6: The Prophesied Five

The next two weeks went on like this. We talked, got to know each other, and every other day the queen would put us into what she calls the "Fun Deck" which as the name implies, is not very fun. We spent each day we were in there training constantly, getting used to each other's fighting style, finding out all of our strengths and weaknesses, and working on our "teamwork". I think we might have different definitions of words in Starhaven but let's just say we did not get thrown across the room by a hologram and beat up by each other while blind and deaf in an invisible maze where we were told had nothing but monsters and electric walls...I spent 7 hours in there clawing up the electric wall because I thought it was some thunder spirit or golem.

The next three days we were brought to the "Fun Deck" went on pretty much like the first day but...Luna accidentally lifted the safety switch with her telekinesis, Skylar scared Albert on accident with an illusion causing him to go hide in a corner and unconsciously send water blades flying everywhere but mostly at us, and I haven't seen Nig since the second day probably because he was using his invisibility. Then there was me...who pretty much got through all the chaos and destruction off of instinct and my wolf senses.

By the end of each day, we were all battered up and covered in bruises. The rest of the group spent the day after unable to move and they spent time out of their rooms only to eat, drink, or go to the bathroom. The only way they communicated during that time was through the holoscreens each of us had.

I, however, continued going to the "Fun Deck"-despite my reluctance- during the night and trained myself with the Deck's training programs. My mindset was basically since I don't have any magic equals I have to train harder and more than the others. And it was partly true. I spent hours on end each day even when the others were either, taking breaks, resting from yesterday's training, or simply being knocked out (which in Albert's case was pretty much the whole time).

By the time we all came to the fourth day of the first weeks of training, I had already become accustomed to nearly all of the programs, battle stances, and even A.I. movements. From then on I spent time on higher level training which was much harder. I was fighting with magic using dummies. Yeah...MAGIC USING DUMMIES...I find it hard to believe a piece of random metal with several magic crystals and circuits built into it can use magic but I can't.

Soon enough, by the last day of training, the others got to where I was and fighting the magic dummies while I focused on my technique which got faster, stronger, and became imprinted into my body. Of course, the Queen considered that I shouldn't just use one simple dogfighting style but also techniques from all over Cerenia and combine them with my street dog skills and wolf heritage. It took me a while but I mixed Kuda tree frog, Hearthcrest Aviary's tactics, my skills from being a street dog in Starhaven, Uriel's telekinetic cat stealth, and my instinct into a unique fighting style.

Even though it was a lot to learn and such a short time to do it in, I somehow managed to pull off what I thought I could never do in two weeks. Of course, I'm still reckless and have terrible judgment making me lose almost every match I've tried to fight in using this style but I'm learning. When I wasn't on the Deck though I was reading, trying to memorize all that I could so that I could try and be more useful since I didn't have any magic.

Even I thought I had overdone it since every night I was either limping, almost asleep since I didn't sleep a lot, wearing a blindfold since my eyes were seriously bloodshot, or all of them at once(which was most of the time).

Even though I spent a lot more time training that did not stop me from training with the others and lifting up the mood with optimistic teasing or stupid jokes. It was pretty tiring and after those two weeks, my body is completely sore. I can even feel my fur start to droop down. So I decided that I should maybe get a better night's sleep than I have any other night the past two weeks.

Again the white wolf descended into my dream in the same snowy landscape as before and it watches me intently only giving any movement or acknowledgment by blinking.

"Well? Aren't you going to say something? Something mystical or mysterious like in the middle of some Shakespeare play?" I ask, sitting down in front of the white wolf who I noticed seems to be at least close to my mother's or father's age.

"I have nothing to say. I'm here only to remind you of your heritage and the path you must follow," he says and leaves me in even more confusion before fading away and leaving me in the blizzard shortly before I wake up.

*~*~*~*~*

As soon as I open my eyes I notice that it's still only sunrise before I check my clock.

I slept for two days!? Oh, the Queen has to be mad at me, I get up quickly and run out of my room and straight down the stairs to find that it was still 2 to 3 hours before anyone except the guards.

I slowly walk back up the stairs, my legs still stiff and sore from training, to go back to my room to eat up the food that I had missed but had still been delivered to my room through the invisible hatch in the wall. It was cold and crushed up but I've had much worse in the dumpsters so this was pretty much like heaven to me.

After eating I take a hot shower to get all of the sweat out of my fur and wash it up with the green apple shampoo that I decided to use (and is kinda my favorite) all while thinking about that short dream.

What did that wolf mean? Why is it always him in my dreams? How is he related to me? Have I met him before? Thoughts raced through my head making what I thought was me standing in the dropping hot water for a few minutes was actually me with a dumb blank look in my eyes for an hour and a half.

I snap out of my daze and get out of the shower, putting a paw on my head like a facepalm. I quickly get out and shake off most of the water which leaves me as a big fluff ball for about ten minutes. After my fur settled down I come out of my room and to the second floor where I see everyone is gathered and looking down at the doors to the queen's chambers through the transparent floor and I grow curious.

"Hey, Skylar what's happening?" I ask before sitting down on the floor beside them.

"Finally up sleepy head? Well, today is the day that the prophesied five come. Queen Esmeralda said so herself," she replied and smirks when I give her a light push for the insult.

Before I could reply the doors open loudly and six humans come in and I immediately think:

This is going to be one long day...

*~*~*~*~*