The Woodland Visitor Ch 22: The Fate of the World
#24 of The Woodland Visitor
Let me start by saying that I apologize to everyone whose been waiting. This tour has been more difficult than the others. With greater rank "DOES" come greater responsibility... Who woulda thunk that??? Anyway before you go calling me every name in the book, just let me grab a pencil. I'm sure there's some I haven't heard yet.
I just wanted to thank everyone who has waited patiently for each chapter. Never thought my writing would get the feedback it did. You all shocked me. Thank you everyone. I'll try to keep it up.
As always all characters are Copyright me. They 'are' fictional and any similarity to any person living, dead or otherwise( ??? always wondered on that one ) is strictly coincidental. This story is 'MINE' **Slaps at your hands and screams like little kid* Mine, don't touch... Do not Copy, Alter, Re-post, Lick, Eat, Use for Toilet paper, print, or claim in any way shape or form without my permission.
Enjoy, and as always, Feedback is appreciated.
The Woodland Visitor Ch 22:
The Fate of the World
Everyone gathered in the council room by Brenah's invitation. The council chambers consisted of one large table circling around the center stage with a small gap to allow the speaker to enter. I stood in the ‘Speakers Floor' as it was called and waited for everyone to sit down.
Setting around the table were those that I called my inner circle. Those people I trusted the most and needed to help me. Sienna was there along with her father, neither of them took their eyes off of me. The Wolf Pack was also present with Major Denton. Setting beside the Major was Kelah. The two were deep in discussion about some medical problem Kelah knew about, no doubt. The only one not setting at the table was Amber.
When I picked her up and held her, she knew something was wrong. When I went to set her down she started screaming and crying until I picked her back up. Since then she hasn't uncoiled herself from me.
It was hard to believe that I had been gone for two days. Sienna said that when I left the whole pack went out looking for me. Steve and Tamanae had checked Tanya's grave and said I wasn't there. They had just completed their second sweep of the area when I walked in as pale as a ghost.
I scratched Amber between her eyes and herd her whimper and clutch at me harder. I leaned down and kissed her on the nose then looked back at everyone present. With a deep sigh I started.
"I know that everyone wants to know what happened to me while I was gone. I had a long talk with several, well one ghost and the other... I don't know what he was. I was given information that will change how you look at things. It may even change your willingness to be here. By the time I'm done, if anyone doesn't want to be here, I will not hold you here. You will be free to go."
"To begin with, Brenah, you were right. I am a guardian, the Chrome guardian to be exact. Why I don't know that is because I believe that I'm a human. That belief has repressed my memories of who I am. This is a problem that I have to resolve myself. Once I do, I will become a guardian again."
I took a deep breath and scanned the Wolf Pack. "Wolf Pack. Tasha was the creator and mastermind behind your existence. The original Black Wolf was just a figurehead put in place until I was ready." I looked around at them and decided the truth would be too hard for them to handle. How could I tell them that Tonya had him eliminated? "He was to step down when I came on but was eliminated before I came in. Tanya deemed that I was to take on his namesake and continue on. You were also chosen to protect the world from the Red Scorpion's minions. Those humans that he chose to wreck havoc on the world. The Red Scorpion is none other than Rocare Diencin Tovin Ebon Corenna or the Red Guardian. A Guardian that turned evil when his mate was killed. He blamed her death on the guardians and the Tree of Life. Now he hunts the guardians to extract revenge."
I bowed my head as I continued. "He caught Tanya and her mate before they could find him. He tortured her mate before killing him. Tanya barely escaped with her life, that and the heart and spirit of her mate. She went into hiding and from there protecting earth. He would send his minions to look for her but they would be eliminated before they found her. He finally did find her and eliminate her. I don't know if he knows about me but I am not going to let him get away with that. The Red Guardian will pay for his crimes against the Tree of Life and the Guardians."
Steve stood up. "To avenge Tanya, I will follow you anywhere."
The whole Wolf Pack stood up and echoed his words.
He stared right at me. "As our Pack creed goes... ‘To the gates of hell and back, NOTHING will stop the Wolf Pack.' And I intend to uphold that. I will follow you wherever you go."
"You must remember, we will be fighting on a whole new level. If Rocare thinks the guardians are removed from the picture, who knows what he will do. Who knows what he will send. The only thing I do know is what he will meet when he does come. I will be waiting.
"Correction Tom... We will be waiting." Steve said.
One by one everyone at the table stood up and echoed his commitment. I looked down at Amber. There were a couple of things that were unlocked when Tanya gave me the help by unlocking some of my memories. One I would use now.
"Sweetheart, could you please do me a favor. Could you wait with mommy for a minute? I promise I'm not going anywhere and I will hold you again when I'm done."
"Promise?" Was the reply in my mind.
"I promise you." I thought back.
She looked up at me and nodded. I walked over to Sienna and let Amber crawl across the table to her. Turning I walked over to a point in front of Steve.
"Just so you know what you're up against. I want you to watch."
I walked back to the center of the floor and turned. Drawing from my memory and my slowly awakening powers I bowed my head. All of a sudden silver liquid began to appear as if it was seeping from my body. Once it completely covered me it began to solidify and form what could only be described as medieval armor. When it was fully formed I turned my head which was in the shape of a dragon head and moved to my movements making it look like it was real. And to top it off, it was in pure chrome. I looked from person to person as another memory awoke within me. Holding my left hand out a little bit from my side I spoke words that were uncovered in my mind.
"Lightning Strike, come to me." Flying up through the ground came a sword, the blade of which crackled with pure white electricity.
Then holding my right hand out the same way, I recited, "Lightning Flash, come to me" Another sword appeared the same way. This one had bluish electricity arcing along the blade.
"My friends, the game has changed and I intend to change with it. If the Wolf Pack is to join in the new game, then it too shall have to change. Are you willing to evolve to fit the game?"
Everyone was still in shock from seeing my helmet move as if it were real. The shock only lasted a few seconds when a hand was laid upon my shoulder. Turning my head I saw Sienna had made her way around the table and stood behind me. Turning fully around I stood facing her. Slowly she ran her hand across my helmet touching every part of it. Then putting one hand on each side, she pulled my muzzle down and kissed it.
"Nothing could keep me from fighting by your side. Not even The Red Scorpion. I will fight with you..." And in a very soft voice said, "And die with you."
"With you by my side, we will not be defeated."
One by one, the members of the Wolf Pack came around the table. Each one stood in a circle in front of me and put their hands into the middle. Steve looked up at me and nodded.
My swords faded out before they disappeared. Placing my armored hand on top of theirs I looked from person to person before I started. "To the gates of hell and back..."
As one the whole team answered. "Nothing will stop the Wolf Pack."
In the corner of the room the old man that met with me straightened up and smiled. Opening his hand he watched as glowing balls no bigger than a grain of sand flew forward hitting the members of the Wolf Pack and was absorbed into them. With a smile he whispered, "Now it is up to you Danteai to unlock their powers." To anyone watching, he just seemed to fade from existence as he stepped backwards.
The pack parted and I looked over to Brenah, Kelah and the Major. They stood up and made their way around the table and stood in front of me. The Major took one step forward then saluted me. I returned the salute and he smiled. "We are also at your service."
I dispersed the armor and could feel it flowing back into my body. Once it was removed I motioned for everyone to take a seat. I myself moved over and held my arms out for Amber who climbed back into them. Stepping back into the center of the floor I waited till everyone was again seated before I continued on.
"The next thing you need to know about is the prophecy. It is still confusing to me, but maybe together we can decipher it."
I closed my eyes and again saw the ancient writing. From that memory I recited the prophecy.
In a time of dire need shall arise out of the ashes the keys of survival for all souls.
The keys shall be two in number. One key shall correct an imbalance. The other key shall end life as it is known to all killers of the fang.
From death shall arise one of air who shall be the first key and be the light of truth. This key shall reside beside the bearer of the second key.
Out of the light shall arise a creature of death that walks on two legs and wields fire from a dark staff. This creature shall be the light of ages. By its destruction shall it be possible for peace.
When the final gate is breached, aided by life of the past, one key shall call forth those of armor in its natural form to gather mystic forces not known nor ever seen before to stop evil from finding the birthplace of life restoring peace to all.
Opening my eyes I looked around the council table. "You can see why it is confusing. I can decipher some of it but not all. ‘In a time of dire need shall arise out of the ashes the keys of survival for all souls.' Unfortunately this one has deciphered itself with the appearance of Pearl. The world that she was sent to watch over, for she was a guardian, was destroyed. Rocare, or the Red Guardian caught her and she was able to escape long enough to deliver Amber to another guardian before she died. Thus the first key was delivered."
"The second part is still a bit confusing. ‘The keys shall be two in number. One key shall correct an imbalance. The other key shall end life as it is known to all killers of the fang.' I'm afraid to interpret this one. But to me the second half of it could refer to the death of the Wolf Pack."
Brenah spoke up, "Okay, you said the keys shall be two in number. That must refer to you and Amber. The next part is one key shall correct an imbalance. I don't know. The last part could be interpreted in a couple of ways to me. The other key shall end life as it is known to all killers of the fang. Killers of the fang could refer to the Wolf Pack or refer to the enemies of the Wolf Pack or it could mean something else entirely. If you take it as the Wolf Pack being the ‘killers of the fang' then you could also take the part that reads ‘end life as it is known' to mean change, not death. In that case, it could have already happened by merging the two societies."
He looked to those assembled. "If you take it to mean the enemy of the Wolf Pack, then it could mean that you become untouchable to them. But it could also refer to an enemy we haven't seen yet."
"That is entirely possible. I'm still gonna try to clarify it before I decide. Now the third part has already been clarified. From death shall arise one of air who shall be the first key and be the light of truth. This key shall reside beside the bearer of the second key. Amber has been accepted into my family."
"How do you know that you're the second key?" Major Denton asked.
"The fourth part is what I'm using to identify me as the second key. Out of the light shall arise a creature of death that walks on two legs and wields fire from a dark staff. This creature shall be the light of ages. By its destruction shall it be possible for peace. A creature of death that walks on two legs and wields fire from a dark staff could refer to me as an assassin. A dark staff could refer to my weapon. Now me being a Guardian, I could be considered the light of ages."
"Then what does, by its destruction shall it be possible for peace, mean?"
I shook my head, I didn't know.
Again Brenah spoke up. "Could it refer to Tanya? After all she was an assassin and a guardian like you. By its destruction could mean her death."
"I thought of that but the third part put's doubt into my mind. Shall reside beside the bearer of the first key. Tanya didn't know Amber so it kinda negates that to me. Besides I believe Tanya comes into the last part. When the final gate is breached, aided by life of the past, one key shall call forth those of armor in its natural form to gather mystic forces not known nor ever seen before to stop evil from finding the birthplace of life restoring peace to all. Aided by life of the past could refer to Tanya."
"If that's the case, then what would, one key shall call forth those of armor in its natural form, Mean?" Brenah asked.
"I have no idea. Armor in its natural form could mean anything. Possibly it's referring to creatures with natural armor like an armadillo has. To gather mystic forces not known or ever seen before could refer to those creatures. Although the part that states, to stop evil from finding the birthplace of life restoring peace to all, seems easy enough. The bottom line is, we have to stop Rocare from reaching the tree of life."
"How do you propose we do that?" Steve asked.
"Seriously, I have no fucking idea." I replied.
"If we could only decipher one more part of the prophecy, the whole thing might become clear." Brenah said.
"Or it could confuse us even more." I replied gravely.
"I'm afraid that you may be right. Mythology has shown that prophecies only reveal themselves as they are absolutely needed, and no amount of guessing could change that."
Steve stood up and looked around the room. "So what exactly do we know?"
I gave a deep sigh and turned back to the group. Holding up my hand I began to tick off the known facts. "One, the Red scorpion is more than a world terrorist. Two, he is bent on destroying the guardians. Three, Tanya sacrificed her life to find this out. Four, sooner or later I will be found out for what I apparently am. Five, somehow Amber is the key to defeating him." I switched hands. "Six, I'm gonna stop him no matter what."
Steve stood up. "You mean we're gonna stop him. I think I speak for the whole pack when I say that you are not leaving us out of this fight." He held his hand out to stop me from speaking. "Yes I know what can happen and I also know what will happen if he succeeds." He gestured around the table to the rest of the pack. "We've already discussed this before tonight, and kinda figured that something beyond our comprehension going on. Even with what you revealed tonight, which I for one am still trying to comprehend, I don't think any one of us will want to be left out. In fact, with what you revealed to us, I for one feel our chances of survival have just gone up significantly. And to tell you the truth, I'm itching to find the one who has made our life a living hell and stop it once and for all." The whole Wolfpack stood up and added their voice to his.
"But you've seen what you're up against..." I protested.
Steve walked around and placed his hand on my shoulder. "If what you've shown us is any indication of what we're up against, I can honestly say that I'm scared. But at the same time I can't stop picturing Tanya's body as you held her through her last breaths. The state you were in afterword is what affected me most. There is no way that I'm gonna let you go through that again. No matter how... scared I am. If the game has changed then we will just have to change with it. I feel that my sole purpose in this world has been to train for this mission, and yes it's just another mission. Besides, I can't let my brother do this alone."
"But..."
"No buts', we need to sit down and make a plan."
I looked around the room and saw to a person, everyone was waiting for me to begin. I looked down into Sienna's eyes and saw she understood what I was going through. I leaned down and kissed her before I turned back to the rest of the pack. With a sigh, I began what would be our turning point in this world.
"Alright, if everyone would take their seats."
Steve rubbed his hands together and with an evil grin on his face looked around. "Alright, now were gonna finally kick some as..." He let out an ooff of breath as Tamanae elbowed him in the ribs then placed her head on his shoulder.
"As for a plan, right now I don't have one cause I need more information, that's where you all come in. this is what I need from each of you..." I began as the Wolfpack leaned forward to hear what I had in mind...