AN: Long Chapter Ahead. Split into two parts to make more digestible.
More time had passed since then. It had been a few weeks since Reida and Felaud were taken to enemy forces to be 'slaughtered'. None of the pups were let in on the matter, so Amari, who knew had to basically become their parents for the duration Reida and Felaud were gone.
"Where's Filten?" Amari asked Zaltan who hadn't reacted as he suspected he would.
The eldest pup had grown up a lot. He looked a bit like Reida but resembled Felaud in terms of his size. Regarding his magic, he was still average for the most part.
He raised his head up and shrugged lightly. "I think someone said he was at Aunt Tamira's place. He's been there the whole day. Didn't you notice?"
Amari's mouth turned dry, but he shook his head. "No, I didn't know. That explains why I haven't seen him around." He paused for a moment, then added, "Well, I guess I'm going to have to go over there and find him."
"Careful, things have been awkward with both armies skirmishing in each other's borders from time to time," Zaltan called out as Amari walked out.
He was level-headed. A stark contrast to his younger brother.
"Would you like to come with?" Amari paused at the entrance and asked.
"Riux and the others went hunting. I have to wait for them to return."
Riux was the pack's hunter. In some ways, he could even be considered to be better than their parents.
Amari nodded and stepped out into the night, alone. He was used to it and preferred it that way.
He crouched in the flora, trying to stay hidden. Zaltan was right, the border skirmishes between the two opposing factions were gradually violent. Amari didn't have the skills to defend himself. In fact, even Filten could defeat him with his current skillset.
"I'm not exactly a capable big brother, am I?" he cursed under his breath, trying to stay hidden and still move fast enough.
The real issue, Amari figured, would come when he needed to return to the den with Filten. They couldn't use Shadow Movement since that would alert the opposition to their location. He had to find another way. He racked his brain for any other magical ability that could help but came up empty. He would have to rely on stealth and luck to get them out of the situation.
He had to find a way to get back to his family safely or he would never forgive himself. He had to be brave and protect them.
His nose was assaulted by all kinds of odours. One stood out as the most revolting. It reminded Amari of the time he'd torn the pages of a limited edition book. This smell and that event caused an unpleasant feeling in his stomach.
Amari crossed his eyes to glance at the bridge of his nose. A relatively large ant had situated itself there and stared back at him curiously. A large drop was behind it too.
'Goodness, fuck me!'
[Name: Unknown]
[Race: Earth Ant]
[Species: Demon Beast.
[Rank: Lesser Demon Beast]
[Attributes]
[STR: 1]
[AGI: 4]
[STA: 3]
[INT: 5]
[MP: 5/10]
[Remark: This is the most common Demon Beast species. There are countless places where they can be found, and though their appearances and abilities vary from place to place, they are generally the same. A single ant is useless but when together in the tens of thousands, Lesser Earth Ants can stand off against Higher Fire Lions.]
This was surprising information.
What followed was a long outlandish stare off with the larger-than-average ant. Amari then sighed, flicked it off and moved towards Tamira's den at the same speed.
After what seemed like an eternity -- but was only half an hour -- Amari arrived at Tamira's den.
Silence permeated the space like a library during festive periods.
'There's only one guard here.' He noted.
The guard tensed as he saw Amari emerging from the forest. "Stay back," he warned, his voice low and commanding. He inched forward, ready to protect himself from any attacks.
"Calm down, uncle! It's me, Raion'shalang!"
"Prove your identity."
Amari racked his brain for a few seconds until he settled on something.
He looked around and whispered lower than anyone should hear.
"I know where Reida and Felaud are."
The guard's eyes widened as he glanced back to make sure no one had heard him. He quickly turned back and shoved Amari into the cave.
'What the hell?' Amari thought to himself as he stumbled into the cave. He had no idea what was going on. His heart pounded against his ribs a bit, but it subsided soon enough. He cautiously looked around, trying to figure out what the guard was up to.
Apart from the sparse number of wolves here, there was no one in Tamira's den. And everyone of them was either extremely old or a child
"You have to stay here for now." The greenish wolf said.
"Why?" he asked.
"The war escalated earlier today. Orders from the leaders say everyone not battle capable should stay indoors."
"Alright, that's fine. Did Tamira also go with them?"
"Yes."
"What about my little brother, Filten?"
The guard paused and looked back at Amari, shaking his head. The pounding in his heart began again. He'd often described his panic attacks as his brain and heart fighting each other. This time, they fought together. His brain told him something wasn't right, and his heart agreed.
"At this time? Don't bother yourself, kid."
"W-what do you mean?"
The wolf guard turned away. "What I mean is that your little brother is probably gone. It's been a few hours since the battle intensified. He insisted on following the Luna. But at the level of that battlefield, there's no way he's surviving."
Then he left to guard the den again
Amari stumbled forward, trying to understand the guard's words.
"Now is no time to sulk, Amari. You have to do this for your family. He probably isn't dead anyway." He shook his head and then turned to the door.
He was about to leave when a voice from the corner called out, "I wouldn't go if I were you." Amari stopped in his tracks, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He slowly turned around and saw an old wolf leaning against the wall, her yellow eyes sparkling in the darkness.
"Why?"
She leaned closer to him. Her gray fur shined in the dark. "Well, the guy the Luna and your parents went to fight, he has a name he goes by. You probably won't survive if you make that mistake.
"Well, what do they call him?" he asked.
The old wolf cackled a bit.
"Well, they call him Vornolia the Destroyer around here."
****
Note: Luna there refers to Tamira, sorry if that wasn't clear in the first place.