The Story of Lily & Rowen: Amarusa

Chapter IX: The Voice

After some time, Rowen began to see an appreciable number of wolves seemingly standing guard in a circular fashion around a wooded area. Rowen's eyebrows creased in confusion as he even beheld some wolves posted in the trees. It was a foreign configuration, yet the male admittedly had not witnessed a time of war.

"Is this even real? You furballs can climb trees? Since when?" Rax commented.

"Since now, I guess." Rowen answered, dumbfounded.

"No way son. I don't believe it. Go do it. Right now. I need personal confirmation that you guys can do that." Rax commanded.

"You know I'm too fat for this. I'd just hurt myself." Rowen snorted, mocking Rax.

"Yeah, ya know, you might actually be right. I suppose I can accept that." the bird sighed. "Seriously though, who do these guys think they're kidding? You can see them perfectly."

"I'm sure you'll let them know as we pass them." Rowen rolled his eyes.

"Sometimes your understanding of necessity just brings a tear to my eye." Rax sniffed and obnoxiously brushed his brown, white-spotted wing against his eye as though wiping off a tear.

As the duo got closer to the wooded area, the wolf density seemed to increase. The surrounding wolves seemed to watch Rowen and Rax, but didn't show much interest besides what a bird riding on a wolf might warrant. Rowen figured they had been told to expect a black wolf and a bird.

"Hey! Loser!" Rax suddenly shouted at a wolf in the trees with wings around either side of his beak to direct his voice.

"Are you serio..." Rowen was cut off by Rax.

"I bet you think you're real clever and all, sitting in a damn tree. Can see you perfectly, you know? Hahaha!"

"Rax..." Rowen shook his head in embarassment.

"Too bad your beak isn't as big as your mouth, stupid bird!" the male in the tree replied. "Maybe you'd then be useful in an actual fight!"

"Why don't you come down here and say that to my face, son? We'll see how useful you are after I introduce my talons to your frickin' eyes! In fact maybe you should use your eyes and watch out for Akarus, instead of back-talking me. Useless piece of..." he stopped himself.

"Rax. Enough." Rowen shamefully avoided eye contact with all of the wolves now looking at them.

Rowen quickly glanced up at the wolf in the tree in curiosity, however, and beheld an expression of shock and confusion more than one of anger in that particular wolf. The wolf briefly looked at him before turning away.

"Ah, wonderful, charming Rax." a voice came from ahead. "And I see you brought Rowen, too. Excellent."

Rowen's head snapped forward as he connected the voice with the wolf, who was none other than Angelo himself.

"Oh hey Angie." Rax greeted him. "Ya see I was just now testing the...discipline of our first line of defense. As you can see he kinda gave me an attitude, so I swiftly put an end to it. With experience from that alone, he can maybe now kill one, maybe two more Akarus before he goes down." Rax nodded. "My methods are a little unorthodox."

"I understand completely, and I appreciate your devotion." Angelo said somewhat sarcastically as he nodded, an amused smile lingering on his face. "Rowen, if I might be so bold, you look veritably awful. Is something the matter?"

"Don't worry yourself none about Rowen, Angie. He's just going through the difficult transition from being a zero to being a hero. I took it upon myself to take this wolf under my wing. To train him in the Ways of Rax." he raised one wing to the side of his beak towards Angelo, as though to feign a whisper. "He's kinda a square otherwise, ya know, so..." he said quite loudly.