Animalia: The Green Forest, Book 2

Chapter 27

Samson knocked on the doors of Alex's house. It took a while until someone answered.
"Samson!" Ferris opened the doors and was smiling at Samson. "It's good to see—" he looked shocked. "My boy, is everything okay?"
Samson's head hung low. "No, nothing's okay," he rasped. "I just want to see Alex."
Ferris opened the doors wider to allow Samson in. "She's in her room," his orange eyes were bright with concern. "Jaxon and Rose are with her."
Rose is here? Samson's heartbeat quickened. I need her right now. "Thanks," he rushed over to Alex's room. Her doors were open. Samson hesitated a bit before stepping inside.
Alex, Jaxon, and Rose were all sitting on her bed. "That's why I think you both should come hunting with me sometime!" Alex was chirping.
Jaxon looked queasy. He had Alex on his lap and he stared down at her. "Er no, I don't think I would be any good at that."
Rose was about to reply until she noticed Samson. "Sammy!" She hopped off the bed. Then her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, are you alright?" She ran toward him and embraced him in a hug.
Alex and Jaxon slid off the bed. "Bring him over here," Alex patted the covers. "Help him get comfortable before he talks."
Samson allowed Rose to guide him to the bed. They both sat down on it while Alex and Jaxon seated themselves on the floor in front of them.
"Sammy, what's wrong?" Rose held one of his hands and gave it a gentle squeeze. "We're here for you now. You can talk to us."
Samson felt his emotions starting to overwhelm him. His body trembled as he fought to control them. "A lot has gone wrong for me," his voice shook. "Last night something terrible happened. . ."
Alex looked alarmed. Both Jaxon and Rose's blue eyes were wide with anxiety.
"It's okay, Sammy," Rose pressed her cheek against his shoulder. "Take your time telling us."
Samson leaned closer to her and closed his eyes. He waited for himself to relax a bit before speaking again. "Last night, my mother. . ." Samson's breath hitched in his throat as he remembered the events of the night before. "She died."
Alex's eyes widened with horror. "No!" She jumped up. "Please, tell me you're joking!"
Samson shook his head. "Why would I joke about this?" He asked sadly.
Alex wiped at her eyes. "This isn't fair!" She wailed. "Why did this have to happen? She was such a nice person! She watched me grow up and she would help take care of me when I was little! She was like a second mother to me!"
Jaxon instantly jumped up. "Oh, Alex," he pulled her into a comforting hug and started whispering reassuring words into her ears.
"Samson," Rose's voice was full of grief. "I'm so sorry. I know how much she meant to you. She was such a wonderful mother. She didn't deserve this."
Samson buried his face in Rose's chest. Being psychically close to her comforted him just a bit. He felt her hands rub his back soothingly and relaxed his tense muscles.
Nearby, Jaxon was still hugging Alex. Alex's arms were wrapped around his neck and she was nuzzling his collarbone with whimpers.
Samson pulled away from Rose after a while. "I need to go home," he said weakly.
Jaxon and Rose glanced at each other. An unspoken agreement passed between the siblings from that one look. "We're coming with you." They both announced in unison.
Samson was deeply touched by their kindness. "Thank you." He slowly got off the bed and stood with his head and tail dropping.
Rose and Alex pressed against either side of Samson while they walked through the house. Jaxon was close by, and he held Alex's hand.
Windleton was waiting outside of Alex's house. "I knew you would be here," he gave Samson a sympathetic look. He lightly touched the tip of his tail on his son's shoulder. "I buried your mother already. I'm sorry I did it without you. I didn't want to put you through that."
"It's fine," Samson sighed. "I don't think I would have been able to handle it anyway. Where did you bury her?"
"Around the same area as Luca's daughter," Windleton spoke softly.  His gray eyes were void of emotion. "You can come see her."
The teens followed Samson's father back to their home. Samson felt his heart sink when they approached the grave. Two people lie here now. He realized numbly.
Rose had stayed back and was talking to Windleton. She eventually returned to Samson's side. "Your dad told me what was going on," she murmured. "I don't exactly know what happened to her. Maybe she was too stressed?"
"That's probably the case," Samson murmured, feeling guilty. I should have noticed something sooner. Maybe I could have done something and prevented what happened to her.
"It's not your fault," Rose said as if she could read his mind. "You weren't responsible for this. Please don't blame yourself."
It is my fault! Samson wanted to shout. His chest tightened as his emotions threatened to overwhelm him. He saw his father approach him from the corner of his eye.
"Son," Windleton sounded weary. "I can't do this anymore. I can't live here anymore knowing I couldn't have saved my mate."
You're leaving me too? Samson started to breathe heavily. "You can't abandon me, I'm your son," he fought back a whine.
Windleton shook his head. "You don't need me anymore. You have friends here who you can rely on."
"But you're my dad," Samson winced when his voice shook. "I'm supposed to be able to rely on you too. You can't leave me too."
Windleton started to back away. "Every animal has to part ways with their parents at some point," he looked distressed. "Samson, I know you're strong enough to get through this."
"You can't leave me at a time like this!" Samson hissed wretchedly. He barely stopped himself from raising his voice into a wail. "Don't be like your sister. . ."
Windleton looked slightly taken aback. Then he let out a sigh. "Goodbye, Samson," he turned and slowly walked away.
Samson felt coldness spread through his body as he watched his father leave. I keep losing everyone I love. He wildly glanced at Rose. What if I lose her next?
Rose's eyes were filled with sympathy. "Samson," she whispered and cupped his face in her hands. "It's going to be okay. I know things are hard for you right now, but I will never leave you behind. I love you, and you know I will always be there for you. Please don't give up."
'Don't give up'. Samson's distraught red eyes met Rose's passionate blue ones. Something in her gaze comforted him. Right now, he wanted to do nothing but be held in her arms while she gently consoled him. But he couldn't bear to display such weakness with Alex and Jaxon around.
"I won't give up," Samson breathed out. He felt like he was suffocating with emotion. "I'll never give up, as long as I have you by my side. Please, Rose, stay with me for the rest of my life. . ."
Rose gently rubbed his cheeks. "Of course I'll stay with you," her eyes sparkled. "Forever. I will always love you."
Samson felt his heart lift. I'll miss my parents so much, but the pain won't hurt as bad with Rose here to support me. He blinked tears away. I don't deserve her.
A sudden squeak startled Samson. He pulled away from Rose to see that the sound had come from Alex. The molly's eyes were wide and her ears were flattened as she stared in a random direction. Jaxon was protectively holding on to her.
Samson flinched when Luca suddenly swaggered towards the group. The large fox didn't seem to be aware of Alex or Jaxon's presence for once. He was heading straight for his cousin instead.
"What's going on here?" Luca sniffed disdainfully. "It's like I just walked into a funeral!"
"You did walk into one," Samson replied coldly. He jerked his head toward the graves. The stones still lie on top of them. "Your daughter lies here. And now; my mother, Iris, lies here too. . ."
"Iris died?" Luca sounded horrified. "Which one is she?"
"She's over here," It was Rose who answered. She was crouched beside Iris' grave and was gently patting it.
Luca pushed past Samson and stood by Iris' grave. "No," he was trembling. "No way. How did this happen?"
Rose looked slightly surprised at his reaction. "No one really knows." she avoided his gaze. "It could've been sickness. Could have been stress. Could have been anything."
Luca dropped down on his hands and knees. "How come no one called me to see her?" He rasped. "I should've been there."
Samson felt his blood boil at his cousin's words. "No, you shouldn't have," he growled. "You were the cause of a lot of her stress. You killed her, Luca Reynard."
Luca whipped around to face him with a look of distress. "No I didn't!" He protested. "I didn't do anything!"
"You caused so much trouble around the forest." Samson stalked toward Luca. "You've hurt a lot of people. You've killed some of our own family members—" he grabbed the back of Luca's shirt and yanked him backwards. "You are the reason why there's chaos in this forest. You don't deserve to grieve for her."
Luca gagged as the collar of his shirt tightened around his throat. "Just let me stay here for a few seconds," he panted. "Please. I loved her so much. She was like a mother to me."
Rage gave Samson the strength to drag his heavy cousin away from the grave. "Maybe you should've thought about that before committing the crimes that got you disowned by her!" He released Luca and glared down at him. "Don't ever come back around here again." Samson warned with a deep growl. "You're not welcome here anymore."
Luca scrambled up to his feet. His eyes were wide and his tail was puffed out as he faced Samson. "You can't do this to me, I'm your cousin," his good eye shone with pain. "We're family. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
"I know damn well family means nothing to you," Samson retorted. "Your relatives mean nothing to you. You've hurt and abused them just to get what you want."
"You're still caught up in the past?" Luca didn't even look guilty at all. He looked a little scornful. "You need to let it go."
"You need to leave," was Samson's only reply. "Get out of here."
Luca's purple gaze flitted past Samson to stare at Alex. There was a hungry look in his good eye as he watched the small female.
Alex caught him staring. She instantly looked away, her eyes full of fear. Jaxon saw this and tightened his grip on her.
Jaxon visibly tensed when Luca's eyes moved toward him. Then the human lifted his head and boldly met the large fox's gaze without flinching. Hatred burned in both of their eyes.
Luca was the first one to look away. "I see how it is," he said out loud. The tip of his tail twitched irritably. "I'll leave now, if that's what you want." He stalked away into the trees.
But you'll be back. Samson narrowed his eyes. You'll be back to cause more trouble soon.
Jaxon was the first one to move. He walked over to Samson and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?" He asked quietly.
Samson shrugged it off. "No, I'm not okay," he grunted and turned away. "But that doesn't matter right now. How's Alex?"
Jaxon glanced at his mate. "Luca's appearance kind of gave her a scare," he started sympathetically. "But she's fine now. I would never let him do anything to her again."
"I know you wouldn't." Despite the current situation, Samson suddenly felt a sudden twinge of acknowledgment for the human. Jaxon is very protective of Alex. The fur on his tail ruffled. He knows about the things that Luca has done to her. He's not afraid to stand up for her.
"Alex will always be safe with me from now on." Jaxon spoke up, still staring at the place Luca had disappeared at. He gave Samson a respectful nod before returning to his mate.
Samson followed right behind the human. I hope Jaxon's right. He thought uncomfortably. He might be stronger now, but at the end of the day, he's still just a human. No matter how hard he tries, he'll never have the same advantages that we animals have.
"Hi Alex," Jaxon pulled his mate into a hug once he reached her.
"Hi," Alex squeaked out.
Rose approached them now. "Sammy?" She glanced at him. "Are you alright? What are you going to do now?"
Samson let his head and tail droop. "I don't know," he sighed defeatedly.
Alex sympathetically blinked at him. "You can stay at my place for now," she gently offered. "You need to take a break from all this stress. You can always return to your home later once you start feeling emotionally better."
Samson looked up and stared into Alex's orange eyes. They were shining with passion. It comforted him. "Thank you, Alex," he murmured. "I would really appreciate that. I promise I won't be a burden to you."