metathesiophobia
A young gray wolf walks down the road filled with lush green trees. The warmth of the sun feeling as if he's being hugged by a warm fire. The sun's rays dance with the shadows from the leaves, using the sounds of the blushing leaves as their music. The only other sound's the light rattling of the remaining chain links from his ankle lock.
He has no idea how long he's been walking down this seemingly endless path. However, to him it didn't matter. This was something new to him, something he didn't mind taking his time with after all, he liked this new feeling. He would slowly speak to himself.
"Relic from the past, Chained and bounded long ago, The Lingering Snow"
As he spoke his short poem, he thought back to where he was before, a harsh land where there was hardly any green, only the cold and gray. The gray wolf walked in line with others, crossing the frozen land. Bound to one another by the ankle as he walked one behind him fell to his knees slowing the line down. Before long one of the guards came and ordered the tried Canine to stand.
Tried as the fallen canine looked up at the figure, the person obscured by the light spoke again "stand, you're holding the line," he said reaching for the whip the others looked at the figure then away as the fallen canine struggled to stand. They had been walking in the cold for so long. The figure raises the whip up and swings.
However, before he could finish his reflection the sound of a twig being stepped on brakes his train of thought. 'Never stop moving lest the trackers find him,' he thought to himself starting to walk down the long road again. Slowly picking up speed. Slowly going from his walk, to a jog, then from a jog to a run.
As he does so he would think to himself thinking up another poem.
"An sin from kindness, Misguided I confounded. Annoyed with myself"
As the wolf ran through the woods, he would misstep and falls. He scampers back to his feet hearing others behind him, using trees to keep his pursuers at bay. He would come to a drop, below him is a river. Without a second thought he throws himself over the edge and into the river as his pursuers grow closer only to see him splash into the water.
As he rolls and spins in the water his vision fades into darkness as a memory plays in his head.
As he rolls and spins in the water his vision fades into darkness as a memory plays in his head. The wolf remembers how he would walk down the dirt path going to meet his father halfway on his home from work. A smile on his face. He would scamper down to him would jump into his father.
His father would then grab his son and embrace him. Always happy to find his boy on that same road, heat or cold, rain or snow. His father would see his son with a smile. Over time he would teach his offspring how to hunt, track, fight and escape people as he got older and older. One day his father looks at him and says 'remember son, if I don't return take care of your mother.' The wolf gives a determined nod at his father walks off down the dirt road.
Like always he waited. A day became a week. That week became a month. That month a year. Over time he stopped waiting, the wolf started to help out more and more at home. Helping his mother clean, helping with the hunt and sparing with others around his home.
Over time like his father before him, he had to go and help the people defend his home from another group. A fight going on for longer then he's known, armed with some armor and a sword at first it was uneventful.
One day he found someone scouting their walls. The other person looked up at him. A young feline, no older than thirteen. Scared, unsure as to what the wolf would do to him, the wolf pointed to the trees. Letting him go, his heart taking over his mind.
With a jolt he wakes up back in reality, he looks around and sees other beings around him As he did so he would see a few felines. The wolf feels his body weaken on him as he drifts in and out of consciousness.
When he's fully awake, he finds himself in a cell. He starts looking around trying to find a way out only to see another canine looking at him from outside. A small fox no taller than four feet tall, the fox looks at the wolf and nods. "Hello, my name is Fin, how are you?" The wolf didn't reply. He just looked at the smaller fox and said "I want to go home."
The fox looked at him "Okay so where do you live? "he asked the wolf, after a bit the wolf replied "substratum village." The fox's ears lay down as he spoke "That village is gone, it's been gone for two years now" the wolf blinks unsure of what he heard. "What do you mean gone?" The fox goes on telling him what happened, a war that lasted ten years ended with the fall of substratum. As the fox spoke the wolf refused to take in what he said he refused to believe such a change. The fox shakes his head "I know it's hard. I'm sorry, part of the pact says we can't keep you here though, so you are free to go but at least let me." the wolf barked no in defiance.
The fox packed the wolf some new clothing to wear. His last clothing ruined from the fall, he would rush to substratum wanting to go home. Wanting some familiarity. When he saw his was home he went down to the village only to see ruins. As memories played in his head, it dawned on him, his mother. He would then start rushing down to where his house should be only to see it was crushed. The wolf wanted to say a poem to help him calm down, but couldn't as reality started to set in. From behind he heard someone say 'Hey' he turned to see Finn holding his hand out "follow me, I can still help you." The fox said looking into the wolf eyes, The wolf sees the determined look in the foxes eyes as Finn sees the uncertain look in his. The wolf takes the fox's hand, as he did so he noticed, the cold on his iron around his ankle was gone. "Hopefully, we'll find them, so tell me your name?" Finn asked, as he looked back at the wolf who replied "my name is Felix."