Chapter List
Chapter Ten
Morning came when I wanted it to. I woke up after a long relaxing rest. After thirteen years of my life, today I finally woke up to the sounds of birds chirping, rather than the sound of alarms. I smelled the scent of cooking rather than the odor of a fire. I was still lying in the cool grass. It was still damp after the morning dew. I felt great for the first time in thirteen long years. It was a wonderful feeling.
Everything was better than at the farm. The birds, the cooking, the footsteps around me� Wait�footsteps around me? I opened my eyes and the sight of two large brown eyes right in front of my face suddenly interrupted the feeling. I let out a short yell in surprise and rolled away from the creature that was over me. I rolled right into the legs of another creature. I rubbed my eyes and sat up slowly. There were many animals gathered in a circle around me. I slowly stood up and looked around at them.
�What�s going on?� I asked nobody in particular. A tall canine stepped forward out of the group and smiled at me.
�You set the path for our freedom, Renard. We from the farm would like to thank you for that.� He told me. I was suddenly lifted up from behind by Terrance and Damien who sat me up on their shoulders. I felt odd and embarrassed as they began cheering for me. But I was happy. I was the hero of the day. Something I never believed I would be. Jewell was standing on the edge of the crowd holding onto the raccoon child, which Damien had named Collin. She was smiling at me and I smiled back at her. This smile was cut short however by Damien suddenly tripping over his tail, sending the group around me into a tumble. I fell over Damien and a couple others and we laughed at what had happened.
�Damien! Y� klutz!� Yelled Terrance while he laughed. I chuckled to myself. All the years I had known Terrance I never would have guessed that he was this playful happy wolf that, at the farm, would have knocked Damien a good one on the head for this.
I smiled and tried to roll off of Damien but I was forced into the center of the group with everybody near me. I was tugged, tickled, and pulled by everyone. It was a great morning. It was the greatest I had ever felt in my entire life.
The laughter soon died down as breakfast was called out. Creatures dispersed in different directions. I sat up on the grass and folded my legs and watched everybody for a few moments before Jewell came over after giving Collin to Damien. I smiled at her.
�Hey Jewell. So thi� is free?� I said to her. She smiled and nodded to me.
�Yes, it is.� She replied. I smiled widely and lay back on the cool grass.
�I love it. I�ve never been �appier.� I told her and closed my eyes. She watched me and smiled.
�I�d like to thank you for getting us out. Though� I probably shouldn�t complain since I was there for only a day.� She said to me. I shrugged.
�I s�pose you �ave every right t� complain. I mean� y� were taken from your home suddenly an� separated from your parents. That�s pretty rough.� I said. She smiled slightly then looked down at the ground. I opened my eyes and looked at her.
�� You�ll find them.� I told her, trying to give her some comfort. She tilted her head to look at me and smiled at me, nodding slightly. I smiled back at her then looked towards where a group was gathering. I guessed it was for breakfast. The scent of a nice cooked breakfast was great in my highly sensitive nose. I took in every smell then stood up and held my hand out to her and smiled.
�Hungry?� I asked her. She smiled and took my hand in hers and pulled herself up.
�Very.� She admitted. I smiled and we started off towards the group where the food was being served.
The breakfast was a dramatic change from what we were used to back at the farm. But the farm was in the past and I decided I should try to stop making comparisons. I had talked with a few of the animals there earlier that morning and found out of a nearby lake. I smiled and started off in the given direction, accompanied by Damien and Terrance. We reached the lake and smiled to ourselves. It was beautiful. Great blue sparkling water. Small and large fish swimming around in it. The surface was as flat as glass. That was at least until Terrance, after finding a close tree to climb up, leapt into the lake, disturbing the peace of it. I chuckled and removed my dirty and stained shirt and set it aside (leaving the rest of my clothes on lest some nosey creature disturbs us). I walked into the lake slowly. The water was cool and refreshing against my fur and skin. I smiled with satisfaction as I sat down near the bank and lay back. I left my head above the water, resting it on a large yet smooth rock. I let the rest of my body sway slowly with the slight current. I was completely relaxed. I closed my eyes and let the coolness of the water relax me even farther. I let out a small sigh of satisfaction. Almost everything I wanted I finally had. Ah� thi� is the life I�ve longed for. Thi� is everything I�ve ever wanted. Thi� is- I coughed and sat up as water was splashed all over my face.
�Hey Renard! Y� still alive over there!� I looked over and saw Terrance with a big smirk on their face. Though I could tell it was Damien who splashed me, especially with the innocent look on his muzzle. I smirked.
�Oh the obvious innocence, Damien.� I said sarcastically. Damien cast me a wry smile and kicked more water on me. I chuckled and kicked water back at him.
This continued for about half an hour before our game was interrupted.
�Ahem.� Came a voice behind me at the shore. I turned to look at a white furred tiger that was standing on the shore. I blinked at him.
�Um� yes?� I said, hoping for an explanation for the interruption.
�I�m sorry to �ave broken your� fun� but the three of you �ave been summoned. Come. Now.� The tiger told us. We looked from at each other then shrugged and got out. I picked up my shirt but before I could put it back on a heap of clothes was dropped in front of me. I looked up from them at the tiger.
�I do believe you require a different set of clothes. Unless you�d rather stay in those.� He said, pointing to my current clothes. I nodded then picked out some brown pants, a white shirt, and a green vest to put over the shirt. I waited until Damien and Terrance grabbed some clothes and changed into them also, Terrance pulled the small knife sheath from the old belt and fixed it to the new belt he had on. We were led through the group towards a smaller group where several animals were huddled around a large tree stump. We walked up as the cougar from before was speaking to the others.
�� So if we go to the west then we�ll have the advantage. Now, if you all will- ah! There you three are.� She said, addressing us. I turned my attention to her and smiled slightly.
�Uh� might I ask why we were called �ere?� I asked the cougar. She nodded and stood up strait.
�Yes, well, I had you three called here because you had proven yourselves useful by pulling that move with those humans. You could be useful.� She told us.
�Useful f� what?� asked Terrance, folding his arms. The cougar looked at him.
�For the resistance. You see, as explained before, the AFAS are trying to fight against the humans. We aim to break the human rule over animals. Unfortunately, we�re not exactly great in numbers. Nowhere near enough to fight a king�s army or even dream of taking on Emperor Diable himself.� She explained.
�Emperor Diable?� I asked her. She looked at me as if I asked what a fox was.
�You�ve lived quite a sheltered life, haven�t you?� I frowned at her remark. �Emperor Diable is the human in charge of everything. He rules over all of the kingdoms in all the lands. He�s a ruthless killer who does whatever is required for power.� I glanced back at Damien and Terrance then turned my attention back to the cougar.
�So, why don�t you just pull a surprise assassination, cat?� Terrance asked. The cougar suddenly lashed out and in an instant had her claws pressed sharply against Terrance�s throat. He gulped and looked at her. She snarled at him.
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