The War Within

Chapter 4

     Jake and Captain Reko walked through a trail in the forest, Captain Reko taking the lead, and Jake straggling behind with his new clothing on. Jake looked at his surroundings in awe, and greatly enjoyed the fresh, organic scent of the trees, plants, and the slight summer breeze. Captain Reko took a quick look back, catching Jake's fascination, and chuckled to himself.

        “You don't get out much, do you?” Captain Reko asked. Jake snapped out of his fascinated trance and looked at Captain Reko.

        “N-No,” Jake answered, “I-I usually stay inside.”

        “Heh, I don't blame you, kid. It's not safe out here like how things used to be.”

        “Do you remember a time when things were safe?”

        “I do, but…”

        “But what?”

        “Sometimes the good memories are the ones that can have a negative impact on you. It can give you a nostalgic feeling. It's all because of that monster, Zubelon.”

        “O-Okay, w-well...what exactly are you? Are you half person and half animal?”

        “A curious little guy aren't you?”

        “Sorry….No one's ever held a conversation with me for this long.”

        “Well, every Tasoolian is given a spirit animal at birth, so yeah, you can say that there's an animal inside all of us, but not everyone has the same animal. Well...you and I are from the same animal.”

        “A wolf? No no no, there has to be a mistake. I'm not like you.”

        “Heh, you can deny it all you want, but I saw the paw print on your neck. The sooner you embrace your inner animal, the better your chances of survival out here will be. If you weren't a Tasoolian, then that robot wouldn't have attacked you last night.”

        “....How do you know about that?”
        “I was the one who saved you, after all.”

        “You didn't save me. A wolf came out of nowhere and destroyed the robot.”

        “Hm...Well, I'll just have to-” Captain Reko stopped walking all of a sudden, causing Jake to bump into him. Captain Reko's ears moved around as he tried to detect a faint sound that he was hearing. He sniffed the air to pick up any scent. Jake's face had confusion written all over it as he lightly tapped Captain Reko on the shoulder.

        “Captain Reko?” He said, getting nervous. “I-Is there something w-wrong?” A low, ferocious growl came from the canine as he bared his sharp, but short fangs. Jake immediately took a step back, feeling like he did something wrong.

        “I shouldn't have left my swords at that house.” Captain Reko said. “Looks like I have to do this the wild way.” Three of Zubelon's robots flew down to the ground, surrounding the two in a triangle. Jake instantly remembered the robot that attacked him last night, and fear struck again. Captain Reko could practically feel Jake's fear brushing off on him. He looked back at Jake, seeing that the boy was quivering with fear, then he looked back at the robot in front of him, and chuckled as he took off his headband and communication wristband and dropped them in the grass.

        “Y-You’re g-going to fight th-them?” Jake asked with worry.

        “Yeah, and it won’t take me long either.” Captain Reko let out a loud howl that echoed throughout the forest, and in about two seconds, his body was transformed into that of a large gray wolf. Jake's mouth hung open, and his eyes widened the minute he saw the change from human to animal. The robots readied their plasma cannons and aimed for Captain Reko, who fearlessly stood his ground. Jake backed away and took cover behind a tree. He watched nervously while trying to not draw any attention to himself. The plasma cannons were fired. Captain Reko lunged into the air, pouncing on top of the robot in front of him and bitings into its head. He snatched the head right off and threw it over to the tree that Jake hid behind. The boy looked down at the decapitated head robotic head where he noticed a thick, red liquid dripping from the robot's head that painted the green grass a crimson red. Jake quickly came out of his hiding spot and picked the head up. He took his finger and took a small drop of the dripping liquid, then rubbed it in his fingers, realizing one peculiar fact about these robots.