The War Within

Chapter 8

     Jake sat under an apple tree, looking around at the other Tasoolians of the village. He looked down at the grass and began playing with it, impatiently waiting for his father’s return. He pulled up some of the grass and sprinkled it in his hair. He then smiled a bit and took the grass out of his hair, and felt something hard hit him in the head right after. He winced and looked down at the ground, seeing a luscious red apple. He turned around to see if he could find out which direction it came from. Seeing nothing but little kids chasing each other, he grabbed the apple and stood up, rubbing his head.

        “At this point,” he said to himself, “I should be used to pain. I’ve survived a plane crash, I was nearly beaten to death, and...Oh, there’s nothing else. Well, besides the fact that my dad abandoned me.” He looked around the village and took a bite of his apple. “So this is where I was supposed to be after all of these years. It’s kinda quiet here...Yeah...the peaceful type. The only noise I do hear are those kids playing around. Do they really see me as one of them? Am I one of them? I guess that I am. I did get a familiar vibe from Agnus and Ca- I mean, my dad. I guess that I’ve been thinking too much about who I thought I was. Everyone else saw that I resembled dad, besides me and him. For so long, I was led to believe that I was a boy named Jake, but no. My dad named me after a type of rock, but I’ll accept the name. Besides, it has a nice ring to it. Igneous...I could say that all day.” Jake smiled a little and smiled even more when he heard the sound of a bird’s screeching. “Dad must be back!” He exclaimed as he began to run towards the entrance of the village. He was delighted to see Rai fly in with the others on his back, but he immediately felt that something wasn’t right. Captain Reko had blood on him as well as Red, and Kinsa was still unconscious, battered and bruised. Many other Tasoolians sensed the negative aura and walked over to them to see if everything was alright. Captain Reko picked up Red and Kinsa, and dropped down from Rai’s back, allowing him to turn back to his human form. Captain Reko took a deep breath, and walked through the crowd, ignoring their questions. He stopped when he reached Jake, who saw the look in his eyes. Captain Reko’s eyes, usually a lively dark blue, were dull, almost as if he weren’t alive anymore, but amongst the dullness in his eyes was pain and anger. Jake knew this look, for he has worn that look as often as he breathes.

        “Dad,” Jake said in a worried tone, “what happened out there? Wh-Where’s Agnus?” Captain Reko sighed and turned to face everyone else.
        “There...comes a time when you have to make a tough decision,” he said. “Sometimes, it almost seems impossible to make a decision. Many Tasoolians are suffering by the hands of Zubelon and Darzay. Sadly, we can’t save everyone, and we can’t keep everyone safe all the time. Like I said, we all have to make a tough decision. I...I had to make one today, and I’m not at all happy about it. Many of you loved Agnus and some of you were scared to death by him, but he was always the one to brighten up your day in the dark times that we live in. He went out to get food for us under my orders, but...things didn’t go as planned. I...I’m sorry everyone, but...Agnus is no longer alive.” Everyone gasped, and some began to break down into tears. Jake took a step away from Captain Reko, slightly shaking. He couldn’t believe that it was true, nor did he want to believe it. He began remembering the moments he had with Agnus. Captain Reko resumed talking, clenching his fists and fighting back his tears.

        “When I found him, he was already gonna die. He...he wanted me to end his suffering. I didn’t want to do it, especially in front of his son, but I made the decision and did as he asked. Now...as alpha wolf here, I should keep my pack safe, but I failed at my job. I was careless, and now someone close to me is gone. I sat there and mourned over Lavonna being killed, but I’m not going to do that for Agnus. None of us are. Agnus wouldn’t want it that way. This little war between us and Zubelon has gone on long enough. We’re gonna end it. Zubelon and Darzay will pay for everything that they’ve done, and I won’t stop until they’ve been killed. We’ll move out when I’m done training the one that’ll take Agnus' spot. Until then, no one is to leave here under any circumstances.” Captain Reko turned around and began walking towards the Mathius’ hut with Jake and Rai quickly following behind him. Jake looked over to Rai who was wiping his tears off of his face.