The War Within

Chapter 3

     Four hours had passed since the airplane crash. Daylight's alarm rang, awakening all of nature. There was a small house that sat deep in the forest. It had a cone-shaped roof, created out of twigs, and walls built out of logs. Inside of the house was a large bed with a black wool blanket. Laying in this bed was Jake. Most of his clothes were removed, besides his underwear. He had white bandages wrapped around his arms, legs, and his stomach. His chest rose up and down slowly, showing a sign of life. Jake opened his eyes slightly. He raised up, surveying the house around him. There was a shelf at the right corner of the house. The shelf consisted of scrolls, a bone that looks like it's been chewed on, and a jar that held a green substance inside. On the left side of the house was a pair of twin swords that had tiny bloodstains on them. Jake gathered his thoughts together. He put a hand on his forehead, thinking of what happened last night.

        “Am I dead? Did I really end up as wolf food in the end?” Jake whispered. As Jake was staring down at the bed, he noticed that it had a lot of shedded gray fur on it. The sound of a whistle startled Jake. He stared at the doorway as the whistling sound came closer and closer. An odd-looking man entered the house. The man had the ears of a wolf, instead of human ears, and a long furry tail with gray and black fur. He was a spitting image of the shadowy figure that Jake encountered during his nightmare. The mysterious man wore an unzipped black vest with a cyan shirt underneath, withered black jogging pants, a red headband, and an odd-looking device on his right arm. Jake stared at the odd man with a raised eyebrow.

        “Glad to see you alive,” the man said. He spoke at a low, calm tone, but even then, Jake noticed a sternness in his voice. He walked over to his shelf and grabbed his bone.

        “I'm actually surprised,” he continued, “I wasn't expecting you to still be alive.”

        “Um...who...what are y-you?” Jake asked.

        “Name's Captain Reko. I'm the alpha wolf of the Alpha Squad and Resistance as a whole.”

        “Resistance? Alpha Squad? What are you talking about?”

        “What part of Tasaloo are you from? Everyone knows about the Resistance and the Alpha Squad. You must've hit your head too hard or something.”

        “Wh-where are my clothes?”

        “Those torn things? I got rid of them. Don't worry, I found some new ones.” Captain Reko laid down on the wooden floor on his stomach and started gnawing on his bone. Jake watched in awe, for he had never seen anyone like Captain Reko. As he watched Captain Reko, Lotus sprung to his mind. A loud gasp escaped his mouth, and he tried getting out of the bed, but pain struck him in all of his wounded areas. He cried out in pain. Shortly after, Captain Reko stopped what he was doing, and chuckled.

        “And just where do you plan on going?” He asked the boy. Jake got back into his previous position.

        “I-I have to find her.” He answered.

        “Find who?”

        “My best friend, Lotus. She and I were separated a-after the exp-plosion. Have you seen her?”

        “If I would have seen this Lotus person, then she'd be here with you. Also, you're not going anywhere with those injuries.”

        “Please, you have to help me find her. I'll never forgive myself if something happened to her.” Seeing the worry in Jake's eyes, Captain Reko sighed and grabbed the jar with the green substance inside with his tail, then tossed it on the bed in front of him.