Well, this was certainly one of the more unique caves he’d come across. Most were dark, damp, and somewhat barren. You’d be lucky to find some moss in them, or even a bat.
This place bursted with life. Some light poked through the roof of the cave. It made the dew on the abundance of plants glisten. Cenric stopped by one of the bushes that protruded from the earth and lifted one of its branches with his paw.
Mother said she had brought him here to escape from all the rain, but Thade didn't believe her. Not for a second. He saw her limping; he knew she was exhausted. She panted without having run anywhere, and each step further seemed to make her legs quiver more and more. Eventually, she couldn't walk anymore.
And, not long after that, she stopped breathing entirely.
The stolen boy stayed close to her body—unsure of what to do with himself—and tried to ignore the hunger and thirst that crept up on him dully. He stayed through the night, and the morning after, until the smell of rot became too unbearable and drove him away from the scene.
He began to sniff around the lair without much enthusiasm, or know-how, and confusion seemed to be the pervading emotion of his thoughts. Thade would look back in the direction of Mother every so often, and whine softly to himself, but he kept moving forward—unwittingly following the trail of another wolf.
Thade stopped alertly as he heard the rustling of a bush nearby, and he narrowed his eyes trying to spot the noise-maker through the leaves.
He too heard the rustling of leaves, but that was not his doing. His iris drifts off to one side, and he spots a boy—not even a year old— camouflaged within the bushes.
Was this a child of the court? No, he couldn’t be. Their domain was days away from here. Surely they wouldn’t let a boy his age wander this far, and alone no less. But anything’s possible. Cenric did not have enough information to jump to conclusions.
I have an audience.
He turned his head towards the boy. There’s no need to hide. I won’t hurt you.
Thade perked up at the stranger's voice, but did not approach. Mother had warned him viciously against approaching other wolves—most likely afraid that he might accidentally be discovered by someone he knew—and he remembered her fangs at his nape, even as he remembered that she was dead.
The first memory stung harder than the second.
So he blinked owlishly at the foreign male, and stuttered a step or two backwards, with his tail tucked and clung firmly to his pinched belly. He was scrawny for his age, and woefully underfed by most standards, but he didn't appear otherwise impaired; apart from the dreadful scent of a corpse wafting from him everywhere he went, like the rolling fog of a middle school boy's body spray.
Thade glanced over his shoulder for an exit, but didn't dare take his eyes from the masked timberwolf for more than that. The lad's hackles rippled a feeble warning, as he frightfully stood his ground.
Cenric’s attempt to coax the boy from the hiding spot did not work. He perked up, but he had no interest in revealing himself. He began to back away.
The Dèorwine almost walked in the different direction, he didn’t wish to add to the boy’s stress. Something kept him from taking that first step. A distinct stench. He’d only smelled it a handful of times in life, but it’s an aroma he could not forget. Rot and Death.
I am friendly,
he assured once more. He even got down in the mud to prove it. But I can understand why you’d be afraid.
Watching the unfamiliar male lower himself was almost like an out-of-body experience for Thade, who had never been treated with such deference before. He blinked a few more times as he considered the stranger's words, and slowly, ever so slowly, he lost the fearful arch to his spine and let his fur lie flat against his thin frame. He still didn't move any closer, though he no longer seemed to be looking for a swift escape either.
"Friendly?" the boy repeated with a soft frown. He didn't know the word. "That your name?"
He did not come any closer, but he seemed more relaxed than before and he began to speak. It’s a good start.
It is not.
Cenric wondered how the boy’s vocabulary was. So many questions. Hopefully the answers would reveal themselves in due time.
I am Cenric. Cenric Déorwine. What shall I call you?
Thade sniffed at the response, wondering at what the term "friendly" meant if it wasn't this wolf's name. His expression scrunched up thoughtfully as he began to formulate another question, but he was distracted by his superior's quicker tongue. "Cenric... D'yorwine?" he repeated, inadvertently taking a step forward out of sheer curiosity.
At the returned query, however, the inquisitiveness behind his pine-green eyes vanished, and the boy seemed to flash back to a worrisome thought. He looked down at Cenric's feet, and paused for an overly long beat; hesitating to say what he wanted, because Mother had worked so hard to ensure that he'd never say his real name again.
"Mother said not to say," he answered quietly.
That’s right.
The boy took one step forward, and for a moment Cenric believed he’d come out of his shell. That assumption was swiftly proven wrong. The following question reverted him to his former cautious state.
A name wasn’t given, but he was given equally important information. The boy had a mother. Cenric looked from side to side, expecting a woman to burst from the foliage and embrace her son or scold him for speaking to strangers. No one came.
Where is your mother?
Thade tilted his head, and sat down as if the weight of this question was too much for him to take standing.
"I don' know," he replied earnestly -- almost flatly -- because even though Mother had tried to brainwash this child into thinking he belonged to her, she had only succeeded in teaching him all the differences between her and his actual mother. So, despite calling the she-wolf "Mother," he never once put her in the same category as Wylla, and he wouldn't respond to a question regarding "his mother" with an answer about Mother. "Mother said I'm not allowed t'see my mama ever again," he added with a shrug. He'd stopped being as sad about it these days. It was just a fact of life to him now, more than anything.
The answer was puzzling.
Mother and mama. Similar titles, two different entities. One told him he wasn’t allowed to see the other. Why is that?
Cenric inhaled the smell of death again, and he forms these horrid theories. There’s not enough evidence for any of them.
It’s time to address the elephant in the room.
You have a very peculiar scent,
Cenric pointed out. What happened before you came to this cave?
Thade responded to earth-knight's statement with a quietly perplexed look. He spared a moment to tip his chin downward, and take a deep whiff of his own stench, which made him scrunch up his nose at the sour-smelling reminder of Mother's unnaturally still body.
B'fore?
he repeated thoughtfully. The first thing that came to mind was the giant hole in the ground he'd found a few days prior — bigger than any rabbit's burrow he'd ever seen — and the scruffy black and white creature that had angrily emerged from it, teeth gnashing. Well, a giant skunk-thing tried'a eat me,
he said with a slight upper inflection, as if asking if this was what Cenric wanted to hear.
He carried on quickly, without prompting. And Mother fighted it off...
Thade's voice faded at the memory of the vicious battle Mother had endured, and the way she had held her wounded, dripping paw to her chest when it was all over; but she didn' walk so good after.
Infection would do the rest of the work, and it didn't take long. Mother is here too, she jus' wouldn' wake up after our nap no more.
Thade shrugged again, only half-understanding that Mother was dead and gone forever. Part of him didn't know she would no longer come after him, but he did at least figure that the longer she was "dead," the longer he had to find mama and papa.
I'm gonna go find my familie while she can't chase me yet,
he admitted in a giddy whisper, tail wriggling in the soft loam, as he fidgeted from his sit. The skinny lad seemed more eager now to share all his dirty secrets with the only other wolf he'd met in months. It didn't occur to him that Cenric might be on Mother's side; ready to take him back to her desperate corpse at any second.
It’s a scenario he’s seen play out many times before. Someone is wounded—whether that be due to a beast or their own kind—and they come down with a sickness. When that happened to a Déorwine, there were medics to prevent the injures from getting worse. His mother was not as privileged. The picture was clear now.
The way the boy spoke of this tragedy was unusual. Either he did not know the weight of the situation or it simply didn’t bother him. Cenric assumed the latter was the case. The situation was framed as a golden opportunity for him.
She is dead,
he stated in an even tone. Perhaps that was too blunt of him, but Cenric didn’t see the problem with that. Best learn the truth now than dance around it. The sooner that happened, the sooner he’d thrive. He seemed to be starting now.
Now’s a better time than ever. You won’t have to worry about her chasing you anymore.
“She is dead.”
Thade looked surprised. He knew what that meant, but how it applied to Mother was almost troubling. Oh,
he said softly, looking over his shoulder in the direction of where she — the child thief — would lie for all eternity. He had been worried all this time that she would catch up, and he had imagined the way she would treat him when she did… That was all done now?
Well, tha’s good.
He didn’t know how to feel relief, let alone show it, but he did seem to know how to express it verbally. The stray prince started to look around, eyes searching for a headway. D’you know the way t’get outta here?
Thade asked, turning his attention back to Cenric expectantly.
He seemed taken aback by the fact, but not upset about it. So his suspicion was correct; he did not care for her death, or perhaps repressed the grief. Cenric did not know the two well enough to conclude this was a defense mechanism, and he may never know.
There should be an exit back there.
He gestured towards its general direction. It’d be hard to miss.
There was little Cenric could do to aid the boy on his quest. He did have his own things to deal with after all. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t do the bare minimum. What are the names of your family members? If I come across them, I’ll let them know about you.
Cenric was informative and physically nonintrusive, leaving Thade less insecure in his presence, despite a determination not to remain it. He looked in the direction given and — in his imaginings — forgot to thank the masked wolf for his insight.
Green eyes returned to alight upon him, and he looked rather business-like as he explained: my mama name is Vylla, an’ my papa name is Mauler.
A pause. And I gots’a sister, too. Her name is Phaedraw,
Thade added, with a matter-of-fact air about him. My pack is Sag.. Saggannet.
He didn’t remember that part so well, but it was something.
I’m Thade,
he then announced proudly; no longer afraid that Mother come along to “remind” him that his name was Arthur. She was dead, after all, so the nice man had said.
He took a mental note of all the names, especially the domain. Cenric was a scout at heart; always traveling and eager to map out every territory he came across. There’s a good chance he’d come across this Saggannet, and when he did, he’ll tell them of their lost boy. Thade. A name was finally given.
I’ll be sure to remember.
Cenric nodded. I wish you luck on your quest, Thade. I’m sure your family will be thrilled to see you.
Thade gave a curt, thankful nod towards the lair’s apparent concierge, and picked up his grey tail into a determined posture. He turned in the direction of his exit and started off immediately at a bounding canter, feeling more spirited than he had in weeks. He was halfway gone when the boy suddenly slowed, looked back over his shoulder, and called out bye, Cenric!
before disappearing into the distant foliage with a hard rustle.
The boy was certainly more lively than he was when he emerged from the bush. He spun around and marched towards the exit like a soldier, his tail acting as a banner.
Before he completely disappeared from sight, he bid Cenric farewell, to which he nodded back. An hour or so would pass before he left the cave himself.