My thoughts are silenced when who I presume to be the lead Guard begins to speak. "Fan out. My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV has asked for what is believed to be called the pewter pendant. It was last seen on Wolf, and since no one has seen her since Arcane's foolish sacrifice, it has been decided she is dead. We have reason to believe the pendant can be found here when Wolf dies."

I have to stop myself from snorting. As if, Wolf's not dead. Dove's going to find her. I believe it's gonna take a little more to kill her than not seeing her for a while.

With a nod, the Guard and Soldiers disperse, beginning their search for the pewter pendant. The pendant I know they won't find, since Wolf is not dead.

"You." I raise my head, and the lead Guard is walking toward me. I look down at him when he stops in front of me, tilting my head slightly to the left. He only rises to my shoulders, and I've got a head and neck on him. "What are you doing out here?"

"I needed to stretch my legs."

"What's your name?"

"Brook."

"Brook?"

"Yes."

"Did you know Wolf when she was still alive?" She's not dead.

"Yes." But I'll let you figure that one out.

"Where is the pewter pendant?"

"I'm not sure."

"Surely you would have some... inkling as to where it is? Do you not?"

"I do not. Are we done here?"

"No. You're going to tell me where I can find the pewter pendant. My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV desires it, so I will retrieve it for him. Perhaps bringing him this gift will get me promoted to a higher status. Maybe even be gifted the opportunity to train more Guard and Soldiers." The dream of controlling more Guard and Soldiers swims in the lead Guard's eyes. But then it's gone as he awaits a reply I won't give him.

"I don't know where Wolf might've left the pewter pendant."

"Are you sure? Because, if I remember correctly, Brook, you and Wolf were quite close."

"Yes, I'm sure. I do not know where the pewter pendant is or where one would go to find said pendant."

"Hmm. Perhaps we should get Luke down here. He'd get the answer from you real quick."

"Luke?" Who's Luke? I've never heard of him before.

"Yes. Just a new little project My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV has been working on. With some help of the Amethyst Throne, of course. Those in rebellion will never stand a chance. That's why My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV has requested that we not punish those opposing him. A better show for the end of the measly rebellion." A smirk crawls across the lead Guard's face. I keep my face neutral.

"Hmm," is all I say.

"So tell me. Where can I find the pewter pendant? You knew Wolf when she was alive, so where is it?" The lead Guard's fingers tighten around the dagger sheathed at his hip, opposite the sword.

"I don't know."

"You know something you're not telling me."

"I don't know where the pewter pendant is, alright?" I remain still, staring evenly back at the lead Guard.

"What is it you're not telling me?"

"I'm afraid I do not know. I have already stated many times that I do not know the whereabouts of the pewter pendant."

"You're lying, Brook. You knew Wolf very closely. So tell me, where is the pendant?" I watch as the lead Guard undoes the snap on the dagger and draws it from its sheath.

"As I've said before, I do not know where the pewter pendant is. Sorry, I guess." Not really sorry.

The lead Guard huffs a frustrated groan. Sunlight glints off of the dagger as the lead Guard points it at me, but I keep my cool. Weapons and threats aimed at me have been common enough that I don't let them get to my head. I tilt my head to the side as the dagger quivers ever so slightly. The movement is barely there, but I catch it. A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. 

"You're new to the lead Guard position, aren't you," I snicker.

"Wha-."

"Hush. I'll tell you what, put the dagger away. It will not help you get any answers."

"Like you have any right to be ordering me around." Keep it up with the tough guy attitude and it'll get you nowhere.

"Shut it, Guard. I could gore you right here, right now, and you'd be defenseless against my attack. You'd be dead before you could choke out 'I'm sorry'. So put that dagger away."

The color drains from the lead Guard's face. How he made it to the lead Guard position is beyond me. Probably one of King Garonda XIV's twisted tactics for keeping himself in power. How, though, I have no idea.

The lead Guard stares me down, and I don't break my gaze. After a few moments, he grumbles in the back of his throat and tears his gaze from my eyes. I internally smirk but keep my expression neutral. "How'd you get that scar," he finally asks after a minute of silence.

"A fight," I state simply.

"Hm. Tell me about where I can find the pewter pendant."

"I've already told you. I do not know where it is."

"And why is that?" You really need me to spell it out for you?

"Do you really need me to spell it out for you?" I echo my thoughts out loud. The lead Guard takes a step to his right, moving into my blind spot. A wave of irritation shivers down my spine, but I keep it hidden, simply following his action by shifting so I'm still facing him. Try as he might, it's going to take a lot more than that to intimidate me.

"Let me guess. You think, naively, I might add, that Wolf is still alive."

"I don't think Wolf is alive. I know Wolf is alive. It's going to take far more than not seeing her for a little while for her to be dead. Let me know when you find a body. Until then, Wolf's still very much alive. Tell that to your King. I bet he'd love to hear that half of the Wolf and Dove prophecy isn't actually dead. Or should I say The King's Remorse prophecy? It's coming true. Just you wait. Forgive me for copying Phoenix, the black cat, but the King now resides on a throne of sand. Just wait for the storm to blow through. Time's a ticking." I turn and walk away, swishing my tail.

"You're wrong. And was that you doing some dumb horse way of flipping me off?"

"Sure," I mutter, just loud enough for him to hear. True though; he was being a jerk.

"You were supposed to be the mature one!"

"Is that why you chose to ask me about Wolf?" I pause.

"Well, you were the one who decided to follow us."

"You haven't answered my question."

"Kinda," the lead Guard admits with a shrug.

"Did you think that since I was supposedly more mature that I'd tell you what you wanted to hear?"

"I was hoping you'd be honest."

"I never lied when answering your questions. I can assure you of that. But don't assume anything without facts. It's a dumb thing to do." I continue walking, taking the scenic route back to the tent Clap and I share.

I ignore the protests from the lead Guard for me to stop. I don't care what he says. Something about his words rubs me the wrong way, but I cannot figure out just what it was. Unless it's all of it. He's just wanting to please King Garonda XIV, but perhaps that's it. You've never been able to understand why people compete so hard to get promoted to a higher ranking. Toxic environment.

Clap is still asleep when I reach our tent. She's stretched out on her side, tail curled over her hind legs. I sigh. I should probably try to get a bit more sleep before everyone wakes up. My mind spins. I'd never fully get used to living in a place like the White Tent Sea after living in the Green Grass Field for so long. I'd grown fond of the peaceful days of sleeping when you wanted and eating when you were hungry beneath the sunny, cloudless sky, though I had never forgotten why Clap and I were trapped there. And that it was a prison despite the beauty and perfect weather.

When my eyelids flutter shut and my body relaxes, I try to slip into Dreamland. But it refuses to catch me in its grasp, remaining just out of reach. I can feel its weight settle over me, but I remain aware of my surroundings and able to open my eyes, even when the weight grows heavier.

After another few minutes of trying to fall asleep, I give up. There's still another hour or so until people start to wake up and get ready for the day, so I relax until then, always keeping an ear out for anything out of the ordinary.

Soon enough, I hear the first few footsteps of people shuffling around. The sun is just barely peeking over the horizon and casting its bloody red rays across Ragdon.

While I wait for Clap to wake up, I let my mind wander.

Where are Dove and the others? Have they managed to find the new Midnight Wolf? Or Wolf herself? Where have they gone? I hope they're alright and safe. And that Ice has found them. He set off a few days ago, so hopefully he was able to catch up quickly.

Hope does nothing to make sure he has, but I can't really do much else.

I can't leave the White Tent Sea to see. I need to keep Clap safe and make sure nothing happens here. How I'd be able to do much against King Garonda XIV's entire army, I do not know. But I'd just have to do my best. For now, though, I'll continue helping people to rebuild.

We need to make the most of the time King Garonda XIV is not calling upon people to work for him. I can only hope it'll be enough time to get the tents safe once more to live in.

Having people crammed into tents is just asking for some disease to sweep through. But people living in hastily and precariously built tents is also just asking for people to needlessly die.

I can only hope what Wolf, Dove, I, and the rest of the group are trying to do will be enough. I can only hope this soon becomes a children's story, one that tells the true story. Not the one King Garonda XIV wants to be told, where he's the hero and Wolf and Dove are the most notorious of villains. The one where children know the truth about what really happened during this time.

"B-Brook?" Clap's words snap me from my thoughts, and I turn around.

"Ah, you're awake. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," Clap murmurs, getting to her paws. She stretches her forelegs out in front of her as she arches her back in a stretch, groaning before blinking the sleep from her eyes.

"Brook?" Wyatt echoes Clap's question as he stands outside the tent.

"Yeah?" I nose my way through the flaps.

"Hi. Yeah, can you come help us real quick? We're working on getting the supports for a new tent. Gotta work fast before our King brings us back to work."

"Sure. The ones by the Earth Tree, right?"

"Yeah."

"I'll be there in a few minutes." Wyatt leaves with a nod, and I duck back into the tent to tell Clap that we're heading out for the day.

Clap scampers alongside me for a few minutes until she darts after a mouse or whatever has grasped her fickle interest for the time being.

She pauses to look at a bright yellow flower for a moment, eyes wide, before dashing off. After leaving the Green Grass Field, Clap never lost her wonder and desire to do what she wanted when she wanted.

In the Green Grass Field, life was pretty much eating when you're hungry, sleeping when you're tired, and doing whatever piques your interest. We had no responsibilities in the paradise prison.

I adjusted back to life in the White Tent Sea quickly, but Clap never did. The Green Grass Field is what Clap grew up with, it's all she had ever known. People have stopped what they're doing to watch Clap before, but no one has ever said anything. Perhaps they're scared Clap works for King Garonda XIV and is some sort of test, but I'm not sure.

The Earth Tree draws near, and people mill about at its foot. Several tents are partway built, while others are simply a pile of logs laid out in a rough outline. Off to one side, people are assembling beds, sorting mattresses, and doing the finishing touches on the chests to be placed at the foot of the beds once the tents are finished. It's like a well-oiled machine.

"Where do you need me? I'm here to help." I ask Wyatt as I watch Clap bound off to try to catch the rabbit she had seen fleeing from her. Dust rises as she skids in a sharp turn, speeding up to stay right on the rabbit's heels.

"Getting the support posts up. First step in building the tents." I nod.

"Get the harness attached. We need to make the most of our leisure time before King Garonda XIV insists upon our work again."

"Yeah, it's right over here. Stand still for a minute, will ya?"

Once the harness has been fitted over my shoulders and strapped on, I wait for Wyatt and some others to hook it up to one of the support logs laying on the ground.

"Sorry," I mutter when someone had been standing to my left, directly in my blind spot, and I had almost knocked them to the ground, feeling uneasy and jumping to the conclusion that they were a threat.

"Ready, Brook?" Wyatt says.

"Yep."

"Go for it." I nod, digging my hooves into the soil and throwing my weight against the harness.

This log is heavier than the one from yesterday. My nostrils flare as I slowly bring it to move. Bit by bit, the log moves. With the help of Wyatt and some others, we move the support log so it sits upright. A faint sheen of sweat coats my body.

The tent has just been assembled when a commotion arises a ways off. My head snaps up, ears pricked. What's going on? I call Clap over to me, and she's by my side in an instant.

Thank you for reading this! I hope you enjoyed both this chapter and the story as a whole! Please consider a vote!

Hmm. What's the commotion?

What did you think of the interaction between Brook and that lead Guard?

Reading Dove's chapter, you know Ice did find the group. But I wonder when (or better yet, if) the group will meet up with Brook and Clap in the White Tent Sea again.

Until next time, stay healthy!

-Werewolf14-