The Hidden City

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Rem awakened, looking around at his surroundings. Luca was still curled up next to him, and the fire was long put-out. The woods looked so much different in the day. The bushline and the trees didn't seem as frightening, but rather calming. He heard little footsteps of mice and other small animals nearby, and the sound of rushing water in a stream. He sat up and yawned while he stretched, tiredness still residing in him.

He looked over at Luca, he was sleeping so calmly and beautifully. Rem felt bad about having to wake him up but he knew he needed to if they wanted to get farther in their journey.

"Luuuuuucaaaa..... Wake up buddy," Rem sang, shaking Luca around on the floor.

"Mm... 5 more minutes..." He groaned, turning over onto his side.

"Nope! We need to leave Mr.Sleepyhead," Rem smiled, "Lets get going Luca!"

Rem picked up Luca and stood him up on his feet. He fell back at first but caught himself quickly and rubbed his eyes. Rem grabbed his sack and put all of the bedding and cooking supplies into it. He knew he could just leave it and Luca could make more, but he felt that as littering and he didn't want to harm the animals or plants.

Rem stretched some more, before laying on the ground to turn into a wolf again. It probably wasn't good for him to spend most of his time in that form but it was faster than him being a human and he could also carry Luca that way. He stayed still as his bones and skin morphed and shifted around him into place. When the transformation was complete he breathed in and out heavily. It wasn't the most painful thing in the world but that didn't mean it wasn't uncomfortable.

Luca grabbed the sack and flung himself over Rem's back, steadying himself and grabbing his fur so he wouldn't fly off. He used both hands to grab onto Rem while his teeth held into the sack that was also squished between his legs.

Rem started off walking before he started jogging, then running. He knew he'd be able to run for an hour or so before he got tired, and since he was going about 100 miles an hour they could cover a lot of ground. 100 miles an hour sounds incredibly fast from a human perspective but for a werewolf, who in their prime at 30-40 years old, can run at about 38000 miles per hour.

He noticed as they got farther and farther into the forest that the trees were more vibrant and the grass was greener. The vines grew more abundant and were thicker, the leaves were stretching so far across the sky that barely and blue could be seen. The plants on the ground looked much healthier and were all spread out on the ground. The liveliness of the forest made Rem feel at home. It's said that his kind of werewolf were created from the world itself, all made of water and dirt and plants. Rem figured his dna was feeling at home in the forest and around the nature which it was created in.

He grew bored as he ran across the forest. He began to think and zone out. He thought about all the vents that had led him up to this point. He felt like an idiot for leaving. He trusted a sick man who was hallucinating to know where the cure is. Was there even a cure? Or was this a punishment from the gods? Rem couldn't even bring himself to the thought of his god Phidmir being mad at his pack. What could they have been done to be cursed with a sickness like this?

Nothing made sense to Rem anymore. If his god really cared how could they make his pack sick and dying, a cure being a thousand miles away? By the time he got back they all might be dead. He decided not to think about it, it was only going to worry him and make him anxious. Instead he grew angry. How could Phidmir do this to his kind? He was supposed to be the god of the werewolves, and protect them. Instead he's allowed them to be sick and die. Did he even care?

Rem's thought tormented him. He had spent his whole life worshipping Phidmir and honoring him, and this is what he gets? What his people get? To be sick and die? Rem had followed every rule that had been set by the god, and made very sure to never break them. No fish, he was never to eat fish. Honouring his mother and father, even when they were being unfair and rude to him. No putting others down or being anything but nice, he had made sure to follow that one. What could anyone have done for this? Was it even Phidmir who made them sick? Or the work of a demon? But if it was a demon, couldn't Phidmir stop it and help the werewolves? He was a god after all.

Rem shook his head. It was better to not think about the possibilities. He was to honour the god, even if he cast a sickness onto them. He was starting to grow tired. From him running so fast and running for an hour was tiring. He slowed to a stop, letting Luca off his back. He stretched and transformed back into his human form. The transformation was even more uncomfortable now he was worn out. He would be able to run again in 30 minutes or so, but he needed to rest first.

"Sorry Luca, I need to take a break. We probably will have to every hour or so," Rem explained, sitting down on the ground.

"It's alright, I don't mind, it was getting boring anyway," Luca consoled, sitting down with Rem as well.

Rem breathed in and out, it felt so good to breathe. He didn't realize he was hardly breathing when he was running. He closed his eyes and sighed. He felt so cold, but in a good way. It felt refreshing. He realized how thirsty he was. It was so odd to him how oblivious he was to his own needs when he was a wolf.

"Hey, don't suppose you can get me some water?" Rem asked, his eyes still closed.

Luca reached into his pocket and grabbed a cup of water. He handed it to Rem, and he took it immediately and started drinking. It feels so cool against his throat, relieving the pain he felt from it being dry. He finished the glass in only a minute, setting the cup down next to him. He leaned back to lay on the floor.

He sighed and stared up at the sky. He could hardly see any blue but he saw the leaves very well. They looked intricately placed like mosaic tiles. He loved looking at all the different shades of green and their shapes. It looked like a puzzle you couldn't solve as there were too many pieces, but rather only there to confuse you.

He closed his eyes again, deciding he could take a short nap. He felt calmed by the blowing of the wind in the trees and the sounds of the forest. The birds chirping and animals calling out all seemed like a big lullaby for Rem, just for him.

He was just about to drift off into sleep when he felt a huge body land itself on top of him, rolling his over and pinning his arms behind his back.