"I-I'd love to, but I've got other stuff going on- I have to find Wolf. She's out there somewhere, and I need to find her. I need to know she's safe. She disappeared when Arcane's Midnight Tear hit the ground, which means Arcane thought she was evil -that's not the case- and she-."

"I don't think that's the case. It was probably just some accident or something. But the new Midnight Wolf might know how to find her."

"You really think so?" I try not to get my hopes up- this very well could be a mistake. But my heart begins to race with the possibility of someone who might know where Wolf is and how to find her.

"'Course he does. Why else would he have told you, Dove. Anyways, hate to break up this 'let's-find-Wolf-thing', but something has come up." Phoenix has his usual scowl darkening his face.

"What is it?"

"Remember Freedom?"

"The one Arcane accidentally killed? Yes, I remember Freedom." He's taking precious time away from finding Wolf. Please, shut up, Phoenix! I'm not usually the grouchy type, not like you are, but I've got a sister to find.

"She's come back to life." Phoenix curls his lip.

"Whoah, I didn't realize Arcane could bring back people!" Ky's eyes light up.

"Well, apparently he can."

"Where is she?"

"Little problem- she's been dead for decades."

"Where's the problem? We can help her adjust." Ky shrugs. Please stop, Phoenix. Cut to the chase. I need Ky to tell me how to find the new Midnight Wolf.

"Corpses rot. Arcane bringing her back to life fixed her body, but her mind had been rotting- she's, well... decomposing brain doesn't usually lead to full brain function, ya know?"

"Oh, ok. Like how? Is she alright?" I ask.

"I mean, she's alive, I guess," Phoenix says.

"Ky, how about you tell me how to find the new Midnight Wolf, and then you and Phoenix can continue your conversation about Freedom. Ok? I really need to find Wolf." Come on, please tell me how to find Wolf.

"That's the thing. I don't know anything about what happens after a Midnight Wolf dies- there's been no stories to hear. The new Midnight Wolf could be just about anywhere on Ragdon."

"Wait, Ky. We've been almost everywhere on Ragdon. Emphasis on almost."

"Yeah? Doesn't change the fact I'm not sure where to start looking for the new Midnight Wolf."

"We haven't been to the northernmost side of the island- Ragdon Volcano's smack dab in front of it. A bit of a pain to cross, if you ask me. And Arcane lived on the top of Ragdon Volcano, so perhaps the new Midnight Wolves would, like, spawn on the northern side since no one ever goes there? You're the Midnight Wolf expert, so you'd be the one to know."

"Worth a shot. That sorta makes sense. Where'd you say Freedom was? She might know since Arcane brought her back to life."

"She was in the forest just beyond the Singing Marshes the last time I saw her. She was on the move, though, so we'll have to track her a bit. But I can do that no problem."

"We leave now?"

"We'd be fine, but don't you need some, like, food or something?"

"I'll shift into my bird form if I need to. I don't need as much in that form. Wolf comes first."

"I don't think she'd want you to sacrifice your wellbeing for her."

"Don't care. I need to find Wolf. Nothing's going to stop me from finding her and making sure she's safe and sound."

"Hey, don't get that angry glow in your eyes now, Dove! I'm sure she's safe. I mean, Wolf's the Wolf in The King's Remorse prophecy! She's got a hell of a lot of power. If anyone's dumb enough to attack her, I doubt they'd last more than a minute or two."

"How would you feel if Phoenix went missing, Ky?"

"Wouldn't happen. I'd kill them before they could take me." Phoenix snorts, as if the idea were the most ridiculous thing on Ragdon.

"Hypothetical question. What if?"

"I wouldn't rest until I found him again. But I wouldn't be too worried about him being hurt- Phoenix can take care of himself." Ky's ears draw back unconsciously as his mind thinks about losing his brother.

"We're wasting time. Let's go." I start off toward the distant figure of Ragdon Volcano.

"You're not getting anything?"

"No time to do that. I'll be fine. You coming or not?" I look back over my shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah. You're going to need help." Ky bounds after me, Phoenix a few paces behind.

"We're leaving Brook and the others?" Ky asks after a minute or two, but I barely hear him.

"Can you see Dove? He's not going to wait around for them. There's not time for that. They'll be fine," Phoenix replies in his usual sharp tone.

xxxx

It's not long before we leave the White Tent Sea behind. But Ragdon Volcano still looks just as far away as it did before. I speed up a little more, my thoughts becoming more and more consumed by Wolf. The need to find her drives me ever faster. Faster, faster, faster. We need to find her. I shift into my bird form and take off, ignoring Ky's cries for me to slow down. Trees shrink beneath be as I fly higher.

"Do it, Ky. Just like the first time," I hear Phoenix say faintly. I don't listen for the response.

What Phoenix meant suddenly becomes apparent as the sky darkens and heat blazes past me. Just like the first time we met, fireballs speed through the air, racing by, hurtling straight toward me, surrounding me from all directions. I tuck my wings to my sides and plummet to avoid being burned.

So that's what he meant, I think as I twist around another fireball. The air around me sizzles with heat, and a few of my flight feathers turn black as they singe. I'm thrown backwards when one of the blazing mini infernos slams into my chest. My nerves explode with what they perceive should be screaming pain, but I choke back the cry as my mind drifts back to Wolf. She wouldn't be able to see this. This is just an illusion, something Ky has woven.

The ground rushes up beneath my back, wind making my feathers flutter as my wings remain limply open, and I flip over just before I collide. My wings splay to the sides, and my legs reach out for a graceful landing. I shift back into my human form.

"What was that for? You're taking precious time away from finding the new Midnight Wolf, precious time I need to find Wolf before she's been gone too long." My eyebrows furrow into a glare.

"You need to calm down. You're not going to find Wolf if you're so consumed by trying to track her down. Trust that Wolf will be ok for now. I mean, you're the Wolf and the Dove! You guys are basically the most powerful on Ragdon. Probably the whole world if there's places other than Ragdon."

"Low move," I growl under my breath as I turn around and continue walking toward Ragdon Volcano.

Twigs snap beneath my feet. My fists clench as my mind goes over what Ky said. Again and again.

Calm down. You're not going to find Wolf if you're so consumed- Stop. Just. Just-. Just try to find her. You said it yourself- Wolf will be fine. She's more powerful than you are, more powerful than she knows. She can be like Phoenix if she needs to be. And she's got the pewter pendant, so she's basically invincible. But what if it got taken away when she went to the alternate parallel universe? No, just believe she'll be ok. You gotta believe. Otherwise, what faith did you have in the first place?

xxxx

A tree comes crashing to the ground, snapping me from my thoughts. I look around, only to find Ky and Phoenix walking quietly a ways behind me.

Thank you for reading! I hope all of you are staying safe during the coronavirus outbreak. 

Hmm... What has Dove heard?

In my mind, I've imagined Dove as becoming a little more like Phoenix in that he has laser focus on one thing. In Dove's case it's finding Wolf, not killing King Garonda XIV like Phoenix wants.

What do you think about Ky's illusion to try to get Dove to calm down? Do you think it'll work?

-Werewolf14-