Magics: Escape (Book 2)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Kai knew the moment the wolf met him, he would be dead. The panic and fear that had seized him kept his feet planted firmly in place. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his hands, the panic that had spiked in his stomach keeping him from screaming. The seconds that dragged by seemed like forever, and Kai prepared himself for jaws closing around his throat.

Great paws slammed onto his shoulders, finally tearing the scream from him. He stumbled backward but didn't fall, throwing up his arms against the wolf. He kept his eyes closed and covered his neck with one arm, guessing that was where the wolf was aiming. He would put up a fight if this wolf was going to try to bite him.

But that wasn't what happened at all.

A wet tongue slid across Kai's face, making him open his eyes in confusion and fright. The tongue dragged across his face again and again, and Kai spluttered in confusion. The wolf was licking him merrily, its tail wagging in a blur. It even seemed to be shaking with excitement.

"Stop!" Kai protested, unsure of what else to do. "Stop it! Agh!" He tipped his face away, trying to block the wolf's face from his own. "Bleh! Gross! What the heck!" The wolf pulled back and barked happily in his ear, then jumped down and rubbed against his legs, whining excitedly.

"What. The. Heck." Amy was standing on his left, her hand raised and a knife glinting in the sun. She looked like she had been ready to pounce on the wolf and bring it down, but now she didn't look so sure. She lowered the knife a little bit but kept it in her hand.

The wolf barked again and hurried away from Kai, charging straight toward Abby, who stood frozen in shock and confusion. When the wolf pounded toward her, she yelped and backed up a little, but the wolf paid that no mind. This time, he didn't jump onto her, seeming to know that since he was big he would knock her over. He stopped just in front of her and nudged his head under her hand, forcing her to pet him.

If the wolf had charged for Abby first, Kai would have tackled it. But Kai was starting to recognize this wolf, and it had greeted him happily, so he wasn't too worried about what it would do to Abby.

"H-Hello there," Abby stuttered, stroking his head as he whined happily, his whole body shaking with the wag of his tail. His mouth was opened, almost like a wolfish smile.

"Is that even a wolf?" Gabriel asked, his voice laced with confusion and terror.

"Definitely," Linda replied as the wolf moved toward her, circling her once in a playful bound before leaping up and clapping its paws on her shoulders, bringing her to her knees and making her face vulnerable. The wolf doused her cheeks with its tongue as she spluttered in exasperation.

"Okay!" she finally cried, pushing the wolf's paws off of her shoulders and standing. She wiped her face again and again as the wolf rounded back to Kai and nudged his hand for pets.

Kai looked down at the wolf, then knelt in front of it, studying it's dark green eyes. They locked onto his and they stared at each other again, but the wolf was still wagging its whole body in excitement.

A thought struck him, and he moved to the wolf's left side, tracing his hand along the flank of the animal. The wolf didn't try to bite him, only stilled and stared at him with a look of knowledge in its eyes.

Kai's hand trailed down to the right hind leg. Near the bend, there was a patch of fur that was thinner than the rest. He gently pushed aside the fur and peered at the wolf's leg.

What he found confirmed his thought.

There was an oval shaped scar, a sign that a spike had been driven through its leg.

Now he knew how he knew this wolf.

It was Komakii.

"Komakii," he breathed, and at the same time, Linda said: "Komakii??"

Abby was a second late, but she said his name in shock as well. She hurried over the wolf's side and knelt down with Linda on her other side.

"Who?" Amy and Falte asked at the same time, while Chase tipped his head at the wolf, blinking in shock and confusion. Gabriel chuckled a little, his face showing that he only briefly remembered him.

"Komakii," Linda repeated. "He was a wolf we rescued, but I could have sworn when Moon came he was killed." She ran her hand through his thick fur, earning a pleased tail wag.

"I guess he just escaped," Abby said happily. "Well, I'm glad it was him and not some other wolf."

Kai nodded his head, realizing this his heart was still pounding from the scary thought that he was going to be killed by a wolf. He wondered how his friends would react if that had happened.

Komakii yipped in happiness and skittered over to Chase, who stroked the wolf's head gently, the corners of his mouth turning up. "He sure looks happy to see us," he said without looking away from Komakii's white fur.

"Well," Abby said, "we kind of saved him from bleeding to death all that time ago. So I guess he would be happy to see his rescuers."

"You guys have such awesome experiences," Amy said in a mock-complaining tone, lowering her knife. She snapped it closed and shoved it back into the pouch she had been reaching for, closing the pouch right after.

"Hey, buddy," Abby cooed cheerfully when Komakii bounded back to their sides. He licked her chin happily and shook his head in a content way. "Were you looking for us that whole time? Did you miss us? Huh?"

Kai was glad to see her happy. Ever since Shintaro's capture, she had seemed distant and less cheerful.

"How long do wolves usually live?" Chase asked Linda with a curious look as Komakii shook his whole body merrily.

"Six to eight years, at least," Linda stated. "He must have been pretty young when we found him." She continued to run her hand through his fur soothingly. "I wonder how old he is now."

Komakii let out another bark, spinning around and facing the ones he hadn't met.

"He still seems to be pretty young at heart," Abby giggled as he bounded over to Amy and Falte, sniffing them. Falte held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, his face a mask of confusion and slight terror. Amy laughed and immediately knelt down to pet him.

"If they trust you, I trust you," she told him. "Aw, you're such a cutie! Yes you are. Yes you are!" She ruffled the top of his head, making him bark happily. He circled her legs and nosed through her belt, seeming to sense what was in each pouch.

He then turned over to Falte and sniffed over him again. Kai realized with a small smirk that Komakii was almost half the size of his father without even standing up on his back legs. Komakii seemed to sense that if he jumped on Falte, he would be knocked down flat. He simply nosed Falte's pants and hands, eager to get to know him.

"This is so fascinatingly terrifying," Falte whispered without looking down at Komakii.

Abby laughed. "You'll get used to him."

Komakii barked impatiently when he realized that Falte wasn't going to pet him without persuasion. Falte jumped, then lifted his hand and patted Komakii's head, earning himself a open mouth that looked like a smile.

Kai stood back up, which made Linda and Abby do the same.

"We should get moving," Linda said at the same time as Gabriel. "It's up to Komakii if he wants to follow us or not."

As if he knew exactly what she said, Komakii let out a bark and bounced over to her legs. He stopped at Linda's legs, then looked up at her with an expression that Kai could have sworn he would have seen on Chase or Linda herself.

His face seemed to say Well? What are we waiting for?

~

Aaaaaaaaayeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, I brought Komakii back!!

He's honestly so cute. I think I might post a picture of him in my Picture book or something XD.

Thanks for reading!!

Peace!!~~