FicWad

Chapter 2: Whimpers and Whines

“Naki,” the gentle knock came to the smooth surface of the dark blue door as she stood in the empty hallway, void of any other presence because it was early in the morning hours and she was probably the only one up and about. Last night she was feeling the emotions of her pregnancy like she’d been for many nights. She’d been feeling ill lately, perhaps she’d come down with a bug but it left her feeling drained and tired. Just being pregnant took up most of her energy. She hadn’t handled the situation well last night and she knew that she and Naki needed to have a talk. Between their new family and preparing for the new baby, she did not have time to sit down and really talk to Naki about the changes. She would never want him to feel unloved or left out however and she wanted to explain these things to him. To her, Naki was her world and it was harder on him to adjust to the decision she’d made for both their lives.

“Naki sweetie, open the door… I want to talk to you, can I come in please so that we can discuss a few things?” She waited patiently for a few moments before sighing to herself. Naki was probably very upset with her… she was upset with herself for slapping him last night. It wasn’t fair for her to take out her emotions on him, after all he was still only a child. When she tried opening the door, she frowned because it was locked. Trying once more with a knock, she listened closely, ear pressed to the door to see if she heard shuffling inside. It was fine to be upset but not okay to ignore her. Not hearing anything she began to wonder if he’d snuck out of the window like he’d done in the past, and made her way to the back to see if the window was indeed open.

Outside the sky was a soft blue fading into a warm purple with clashing rows of orange. The sun was just starting to peak over high buildings and she shielded her eyes to the coming glare as she looked within Naki’s room. Empty… She frowned, sighing because she couldn’t fathom who he would go to and bother at the early hours. His blanket was gone too, his plush bed appearing noticeably bare without his favorite blanket on top of it.

“Morning Lady Layahla.”

She turned to see Rafeo emerging through one of the back gates looking a bit wild and unkempt. She had come to believe he had a suitor that he was well… being a growing young male with and so she never asked where he’d been not wanting to embarrass him. She smiled tenderly at him as he came closer. Neither of the boys called her mother, she respected their wishes, both boys had been close to their departed mother and she’d never want them to think that she wanted to replace their memories of her.

“Good morning Rafeo, are you doing well this morning?”

“Yes,” the tall and rather handsome young man said with a polite duck of his head. “Why are you up so early? Shouldn’t you be resting? I don’t think father would be happy about you exerting yourself so early in the morning.”

She laughed gently, “your father is a worrywart, he isn’t happy about many things.” He stepped closer, so that she could speak more clearly with the other. “Rafeo I need a favor. Naki was a bit upset last night and I think he’s gone off somewhere because of it. Could I get you to look around town for him? I’d do it myself but I wouldn’t make it far without getting tired.”

“Ah… sure, I could have a look around after breakfast, I can’t think of too many people who’d welcome someone this early in the morning so maybe he’s just moping somewhere.”

Layahla smiled with gratitude, patting the other’s shoulder slightly, “I greatly appreciate it. I suppose I can’t do anything more than return to bed and wait.”

“Don’t worry Lady Layahla,” Rafeo said with a smile, green eyes glinting in the sunlight, “leave it to me.”

ooOOooOOoo

“Prince Cerise is one of your brother’s home?”

Cerise gave Rafeo a narrowed eyed look before shaking his pink head, “if you’re looking for your boyfriend he isn’t here… Didn’t you just leave? Why do you sneak in here like every other night anyways? You guys are gross, I bet you kiss all night huh?”

Rafeo cleared his throat, “Prince Cerise I’m not here for Prince Leoin, furthermore none of that is any of your business and you shouldn’t spy on your brother or his company. Anyways, have you seen Naki then? Has he been through here?”

“It’s like 7 am, no one has been here. I would toss him out if he wanted to play this early. Why? Were you mean to him again? Did he run away?”

Rafeo rolled his eyes and sighed, “If you see him Prince Cerise please tell him to return home immediately because his mother needs him.”

Cerise purses his lips, “you guys had better not been mean to him or when I’m King I’m going to throw you out.”

Rafeo laughed at right at the smart mouth youngster, “Cerise you have two older brothers ahead of you, and furthermore you still don’t know how to shift. I have more of a chance of becoming King than you do.” He laughed, “Go back to bed squirt.”

“That’s prince squirt to you,” Cerise called out in a haughty tone after him.
oOOo

“He isn’t home yet…why isn’t he home yet? He knows that the sun setting means it’s time to come home… he’s never been late before.” Layahla paced back and forth in the dining room, too stressed to eat anything.” Rafeo had returned with no helpful news, saying no one had seen Naki and he picked up no scent of him around town. Her nerves had been on edge since and she’d waited patiently all day for night to fall for her son to walk back through the door but nothing was happening. She could feel Phillius eyes watching her as she paced and she knew that he wished she would takes it easy but her worries would not be over until she knew Naki was safe and sound somewhere.

“Dear…”

“I know Phillius, I know but I can’t sit still. What if he’s run off somewhere dangerous? You know the lands run into the wilderness pass the outer fields… it doesn’t take much to cross them. He’s still so young, he has no clue what could be out there. His life has been sheltered, he wouldn’t stand a chance against anything lurking in the forest or the mountains.”

“Layahla calm down, I doubt he has the strength or stamina to get more than a few miles into the mountains if he would indeed go that far.” His tone as usual was bleak and voiced no relative emotions, “tomorrow morning we hunt and while I am out I will sniff him out. I’m more than positive he’s sulking somewhere in the grove of trees on our borders.”

Layahla plopped down onto a cushioned seat, sighing heavily as she thought of her son all by himself in the cold of the night. She wished that Phillius would go tonight but the moon was but a sliver in the sky tonight and there would not be much light for him to see. Even his strong and refined senses were no match for the pitch blackness that surrounded the Fields at night.

She felt a warm hand come over her own and she looked up into her husband’s eyes, “don’t worry, I’ll find him.”

oOOo
“Sir the teams have all secured their quotas for the day. Should I rally them all so we can head back or should we hunt deeper into the groove?”

Phillius cut his eyes towards his son, Rafeo had grown into a strong and dependable young man, his skills in both hunting and tracking were the envy of many of their peers and his strategic skills went unmatched amongst his peers. He would almost be a man that Phillius could be proud of if it wasn’t for his unfortunate interest in middle Prince. He turned his eyes back to the scope of trees he’d been watching, it wasn’t unnatural for young men his age to become curious about each other and the Royal family was the highest honor to breed into. The Prince being what he was however… Phillius did not approve of such anomalies and he made it known to his son. Hopefully Rafeo would realize that his interest were misplaced before he’d have to step in and force his son to see the error of his ways. No son of his would ever disgrace his name.

He narrowed his eyes at nothing… damn that Naki, causing him such trouble and putting such stress on his mother. He never liked the boy from the moment he’d laid eyes on him. The boy was a spitting image of his father and just reminded Phillius that the child of another man came along with the woman he’d desired since the moment he’d laid eyes on her. Every time he laid eyes on the boy it reminded him that some other man had had the luxury of touching the woman that was his and his alone. He grit his teeth in disgust before shaking away the thought and turning back to his son. “No, we’ll have plenty of meat to fill the factory for the town this month. Last month’s hunt was more than abundant and populations are high this year, take what you have and head back.” He raised his nose into the air, broad body covered in gilded fur shining in the rays of sun that snuck through broadly spread tree tops. “Did you catch any scent of him?”

“No. There isn’t a trace of him, not even a single hair. If he did pass through here the rain last night washed away his trace. At his age though, he can’t travel far without eating and he doesn’t know a thing about hunting yet.”

“Near the riverbank then?”

Rafeo nodded, “his hunger would probably drive him towards the easiest source of food which would be the river for fish. He could have reached it by now, he’s fast, I could reach it by nightfall if he is there.”

Phillius shook his head, “no not alone, we will wait again until nightfall to see if he returns.” He bared his teeth, “if I had it my way he could stay where he is and rot for all I care.” With that Phillius turned his massive body and sprinted off into the distance. Green eyes surrounded by a deep black looked back into the trees which stretched for miles, a mild concerned crossing them for a moment before he shook his head. “What do I care if he’s alright or not…” Dismissing his concern Rafeo too took off in the direct to rejoin the other hunters.

Upon returning home, the males were greeted by one of the female staff and she bowed respectively to the two men. “Lord Phillius welcome back, ah it’s about Lady Layahla…”

“What? What is it? Is she okay?”

“Ah yes, she felt ill this morning just after your departure so I called for a doctor to be brought over.”

A loud and pained moan could be heard ringing down the hall and Phillius side stepped the babbling woman to rush down the hall behind the sound. “Layahla!”

“Oh be quiet you bellowing man!”

Phillius brows quirked, revealing one of his few facial changes as he noticed just which Doctor had come to his wife’s aid. “Medica.” He gave a very formal and courteous bow to the very old and small woman who was revered as both an elder who held much wisdom and the ability to work her healings to the extent that it seemed magical. Many rumored that her healing skills and wisdom was indeed magical, being alive for many generations pass. “If I may ask, why have you come?”

The old, stern woman with hair that was a wispy gray with white streaks raised a brow back at the lofty man. “I’m here because everything explained to me indicated that your wife here was going into premature labor.” She could see the color immediately drain from the man’s harsh features and she held up a hand. “Do not fret, I’m the best of the best. I’ll try to get her through this as best as possible. I will not tell a lie however, the child is breached and your wife isn’t dilating well. This is going to be a very complicated birth.”

“What… then why are we here? Shouldn’t she already be at the hospital?”

“There is nothing more that I can do for her at the hospital that I can’t do for her here, she also refuses to be moved so what the lady wants, the lady gets.”

“Layahla,” Phillius said crouching next to his sweating lover on the bed, “why are you refusing to be cared for?”

“I want to be here, I need to be here when Naki returns.”

Naki. Phillius hated the boy’s name, everything with Layahla revolved around Naki and somehow the boy was always hindering her. “Dear he’ll be fine, I’ll send the boys out to search for him until they find him so please come to the hospital with me.”

“No I won’t have this child in a cold room surrounded by people I don’t know, I will have it here surrounded by love and warmth. This is where I’m supposed to be Phillius I can feel it. I need to be here for both of them I know it.”

“I’m not understanding Layahla,” Phillius said frustrated because his wife looked tired and worn out already and she couldn’t have been in labor for long.

“It’s not for you to understand,” the Medica said in the final tone that he’d heard many times before… all on bad occasions. “This is what she wants, some of us are more in tune with fate then others and your wife believes that here is where she should be so here is where she will have her child.” The other pressed a cool cloth to the other’s forehead. “She wishes to have a natural birth and so it shall be, now, you can either stay and cooperate or leave and do as you please.”

ooOOooOOoo

“Go out and find him and do not return until you do.” Phillius glanced from one son to another, the boys exchanging a glance before nodding to their father. His word was law in their home and disobeying came with harmful consequences. It had always been that way and they’d learned early not to anger the man. “You run until you catch his scent and then you run until you find him. Drag him back if you have to but return him here.”

Again the boys nodded before they shift simultaneously and exited their home without another word. Phillius watched on as the two ran side by side into the distance, the setting sun casting them in a warm gleam. He paid no attention to the wind dancing through the fields, sending blades of grass spiraling into the air, the smell of a storm creeping into the scene. He looked on, his eyes dark with anger. If anything were to happen to Layahla because of her obsession with that boy he’d regret the day they’d ever met.

oOOo
The forest was a long one, it was technically the borders of their land, just beyond it the lands led to a sprinkling of jetting mountains were the river ran through and officially separated the Mountain pack’s land from the Field’s. They ran through the night, moon light filtering through the trees providing them with adequate light. Their eyes were keen, even at the incredible speed the two could maneuver around trees that crossed their paths and jump over fallen trunks without being stopped. They were on a mission and they were not to be detoured, the faster they found the other, the faster all of this could over.

“I hate him,” Aiden said to his brother in anger, to outside ears the sound would be nothing more than guttural growls but amongst each other the words were perfectly clear.

“I’m beginning to,” Rafeo said with far more self-composure as he followed the path he knew all too well. “Don’t worry when we return him father will teach him not to play this silly game again.”

“I’m going to get to him before father does,” Aiden said again with rage.

Rafeo glanced over at his brother who was looking and now acting like his father more every day. His father wasn’t someone he wanted Aiden to aspire to, he was revered and respected but the man’s meanness and cruelty was not something he’d wish to inherit. Lady Layahla had made things better, made him softer, less angry over the loss of their mother. He’d hoped Aiden would take comfort in her as well, Rafeo was closest to their mother but Aiden was nothing more than a small child when she passed and the void of her tender warmth and love left him far emptier that it did Rafeo.

“The riverbed is coming up.”

Rafeo too could hear the trickling water and he hoped that they didn’t have to reach the river in order to find the boy. The river caused smells to be masked and their noses wouldn’t be of much help if they had to search the area. Nomads also roamed the sliver of a border between the two lands and he didn’t want any trouble. Stopping and calling to his brother who paused in his tracks as well. They stood on the very outskirts of the forest, the land of soft and lush grass turning into hard rocky grounds. He sniffed the air, nose filtering out smells he didn’t need and zoning in on smells he wanted.

“I can smell him,” Rafeo stood high, ears flicking in different directions to try to decipher any unnatural noises. He could faintly hear the sound of nails scraping against a rocky surface and his head pointed upwards to a high sloped mound which jutted out many feet from the ground but was not big enough to be a mountain.

“He’s up there,” Aiden asked with irritation, the thought of having to scale that thing putting him in an even worse mood. “How did he even get up there?”

Rafeo shook his head, “he’s small, and the climb was probably easy for his stature.”

“Well it’s not easy for mine,” Aiden huffed. He could smell rain in the air and if the downpour started while they were climbing, they could slip and fall and break something.

“I’ll go, you stay here and keep guard.”

“No way,” Aiden said with a shake of his furry, gold neck, “who knows what could be up there. For all we know something ate him and it’s just laying up there with a big, fat belly waiting for desserts.”

Rafeo smirked and shook his head, “you and your imagination. Fine but don’t complain if you’re out of breath by the time you reach the top…”

Together they scaled the mound and Aiden was indeed out of breath by the time with reached the sloping top. It didn’t take much looking because there was Naki, sitting near the edge, his small form lit by the moon, and his clothes dirty as he swung his legs back and forth over the edge.

“You damn brat!”

Naki jumped as he finally noticed the other two, who shifted back into a human form, their tails wrapped about their waist to stop from revealing all. “Why… why are you two here?”

“Are you stupid,” Rafeo asked in annoyance, folding his arms as he too glared at Naki who rose from his spot. “Do you know how worried your mother has been?”

Naki’s eyes cast down the ground before he cast them back up with a hot emotion burning in them. “She doesn’t care about me and neither do you guys so just go away!”

“Stop being a brat you idiot, she’s a mother, of course she cares.” Rafeo always had a flare of annoyance when others spoke badly of their mothers just because things didn’t always go well. He’d give anything to have another day with his mother and here was this brat trying to run away from one who loved him dearly. It seemed that Aiden too shared his sentiment.

“You’re so stupid, I hate everything about you! We don’t even have a mother anymore, our mother is dead and she is never coming back no matter how much we wish for it. Your mother is here and she’s nice! I’d never run away from the person who loved me that much.”

Ever since the two had come into their lives, Aiden felt a stinging jealously for the motherly love Naki would always receive. Lady Layahla was kind to them too but her kindness just made him think of their mother and how she’d never be back and for whatever reason that made him so angry towards the boy.

Naki’s light eyes stared back at the other in confusion as big drops of rain began to pour down from the dark sky above them. He didn’t understand… just nights before the other had said… He narrowed his eyes in anger.

“You said she didn’t want me! You told me, you told me you heard it yourself. You told me she said she wished I wasn’t there anymore! Why would you say those things! Why would you be so mean!?”

Rafeo glanced over at Aiden with a frown. “Aiden did you really tell him those things?”

Aiden pushed his soaking hair out of his face in irritation, “he deserved to hear it, always crying for attention, always cowering like his life is so terrible, he doesn’t even know what we’ve had to grow up with and still he selfishly wants all of the attention we’ve been missing out on for so long!”

Rafeo sighed, there was so much to say and do in this situation; it was something he realized, as he grew older, they couldn’t take out their frustrations of their life out on their step brother. He’d have to sit Aiden down and explain these things to him but he knew it’d be harder for the other to understand. For now however they needed to find cover, the storm was picking up in ferocity, lightening cracking in the sky, wind blowing harshly.

“We’ll discuss this later, we need to find cover now, both of you come with me.”

Naki didn’t want to go anywhere, he was so angry and upset, and why would someone say such terrible things only for them to be a lie? What had he done to Aiden, what had he done that so wrong? Ask for his mother’s attention? Was that something to be hated for?

“You don’t deserve love,” Naki yelled out in anger over the noise of the storm. “What mother would want a terrible person like you? You’re just like your horrible father! I bet your mother would not want you,” he yelled out, returning the horrible words Aiden had told him the nights before. “You deserve to feel alone,” he ended harshly, his emotions just as high.

Aiden’s temper instantly flared. He didn’t feel himself shift or lounge at the other, all he felt was anger and hurt over words from a person who didn’t deserve to say them. He felt his teeth sink into supple flesh and he wasn’t sure if it was the cry of pain, the taste of blood, or his name being yelled out by his brother that snapped him back to reality.

The downpour was coming down in a near blinding shower as they both hit the ground, rolling on top of each other. Dangerously they landed against the edge and he rose in horror as he felt the edge of the mound give an ominous tremor just before the ground softened by drenching water caved beneath them both. He felt teeth sink into his skin just as he closed his eyes, sure that he’d fall to his demise. He opened them to see his brother hanging onto him for dear life. Frantically his clawed at the piece of mound hanging onto its source, managing with the help of his brother to make it back to safe ground before more of the edge crumbled down.

He immediately shifted back, bloody back against the ground, body rising and falling with heavy pants as he tried to still his terrified heart. The pain of his brother’s rescuing bite didn’t even register in his mind, only the fact that he’d almost died.

“You idiot!” Rafeo’s voice rung out over the mound as he stared back at his brother and then out over the edge in horror. “Aiden… what have you done…”

Aiden, still trembling, rose shakily to his feet, still trying to catch his bearings. It didn’t take long though for him to realize that only two people stood on top on the mound where there was once three. It felt as if his life was ripped from his body as the realization begun to dawn on him. Quickly, he ran to the edge to look over and wished he hadn’t. There, down far below buried in the heavy debris of the mound was nothing more than a bloody arm peeking through.

“Oh Gods…”

He fell back onto his bottom, eyes taunt with fear. “Raf… Raf I killed him… I… I killed him…”

Rafeo frowned, eyes searching frantically for any sign of life but the arm was just there, unmoving. The drop was long but he could have survived… The rocks piling onto of him though, Rafeo swallowed…

“Raf…”

“Aiden shut up, I need to think! Just…” He crouched with his eyes closed, hands to his temple as he tried to think. “We… we don’t know if he’s dead… we… we can just say we found him this way already.”

“No Raf… I attacked him, they are going to know… they will know that I did it… my teeth marks are in him… they are going to ask and I won’t be able to… am I going to be punished to death?”

Rafeo looked up sharply at his terrified brother and drew him into a hug, “you idiot… why did you… why’d you have too…” He bowed his head. Aiden was legally no longer a child, if trialed and found guilty then not even youth could save him from the punishment for death. “No Aiden, no I won’t let that happen.”

He pulled back from his brother, staring at him fiercely as the rain continued to pour, “You listen to me. You cannot go back!” He knew it was true, Aiden was the worst of all liars and even if they’d never suspect him, the guilt would eat at him and he would try to confess. Rafeo couldn’t allow that, he’d take his brother’s mistake in as his own. “You need to run, you need to go someplace far from here and don’t look back.”

Aiden’s ears flattened to his head and he looked at his brother in confusion, “but where do I go… how will I survive? What about you? I can’t leave you here with my mess!”

“I’m not asking you too,” he said fiercely, every moment they wasted was a moment they didn’t have. “Aiden run! You go towards the mountains and you don’t come back.” He gave his brother a fierce hug before pushing him away. “Go now!”

Shocked and confused Aiden didn’t know what else to do, he didn’t want to face the punishment back at home but how could he live with himself knowing what he’d done here tonight? In a daze he simply did as Rafeo said, he quickly but cautiously scaled back down the mountain and began to run, and run, and run.