FSE

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With a heavy sigh and a bandage wrapped around his shoulder to cover the embarrassing mark, Nick opened the tent to a sun directly overhead and everybody sitting around having their lunch. His expanded sense of smell could already tell that once again, they were suffering bad porridge. "Fantastic," he grumbled. After reaching back in the tent for his little bag of granola, he weaved through the little circles of men huddled around their fires to find Drake once again gulping the horrid stuff down.

"Why hey there, Nick! I was worried you'd be out of commish all day!" Drake smiled as he scooted his chair to the side, offering up some of the scant room around the fire.

"Thanks, Drake. Yeah, I didn't feel too good there for a while, a little bit sick." He eyed the food and held his stomach. "Ugh. Probably because of that stuff."

Drake just laughed and took another bite, a smug smirk gracing his face as a trail of the mush dripped from the corner of his lips. "Still not a fan huh? Neither was I, but you'll come around, they always do. After a while out here you'll finish that bag of granola of yours and this will be all that's left."

"Not looking forward to that day." Nick grumbled while unfolding a fabric chair and sitting down. "I still don't know how you finagled me into coming on this trip."

"I don't either!" He jabbed. "Maybe I have a way with words, or you're just stupid!"

Nick rolled his eyes through another burst of hearty laughter from Drake, not appreciating being the butt of all his jokes. "Ah, you know I kid, Nick. There's no one I'd rather be with than my friend and colleague."

Nick forced a laugh and dug his hand into the bag. "What were you talking about before I got here anyway?"

"Oh nothing much," Drake mumbled though a mouthful of porridge, some still dripping out the side of his mouth. "We're just trading tales and stories. Yun here was just telling me about the Eight glowing cities."

The Eight glowing cites, a tale Nick knew all too well. In fact he had written a paper about it in graduate school. His conclusion: a fanciful tale to fool the gullible, the embellishments not plausible. Although... With the lack of evidence on either side of the possibility... there could be a small chance that they actually existed

"Well," Drake began. "He says that there is a legend of eight grand cities that used to be around here, they were the hub of human growth and development."

"Yeah I know the story, Drake," Nick interjected. "The cities were held together by an advanced government much like our own. But they all fell, supposedly on all the same day and no one knows why."

In the back of Nick's head something surfaced, like he had always known it. It was a list of names, Tempest, Listurne, Selfer, Helcrest, Winsturs, Tresit, Truld, and Futurda. The names of the Eight cites. Images of great castles, of blacksmith and forges and castles of old flickered unbidden to his mind...these great cities, all in his memory. When he had never seen one of them.

No one had.

"Hey Nick, you alright?" Drake's voice grabbed Nick out of his mind, his thoughts returning to the present as Nick shook his head and found Drake snapping his fingers in his ear, his face directly in front of his own. "Are you sure you're back with us? Maybe you should go lie down again."

"Hmm? Oh! I'm fine. I...I was just thinking of something." Nick answered. "You know about those cites they...well..." Something inside him wanted to tell them all he knew and be able to prove it somehow. But he held it back and just shook his head. "It's just a story. Nothing of real merit to it." Drake slowly nodded and translated the words for the other locals who shrugged him off, still believing.

"Well, I'm not gonna argue with you." Drake sighed. "I mean you're the expert in that type of thing. I just like to think that something like that may exist."

"Heh, yeah. Expert." Nick shrugged trying to change the subject. "I would hope so."

Drake stood up and reached into the air stretching. "Well, it's time to get back to work. You ready to get back to it?" Drake stood before offering a hand."I have some stuff that you might like to look at."

"I'm good. Still a bit shaken, maybe, but I can get by. Show me what you've got." With a tug and pull that did nothing to settle his still churning gut, Nick was pulled to his feet to dive back into the dirt.

The rest of the day went by without anything exciting happening. Drake's big discovery for Nick was some pottery he had found and out of that, there was really nothing to write home about. No inscriptions or nothing. As his stomach started to growl at him, once again Nick found himself sitting in his tent diving back to the remains of bag of granola. With each little handful, his supply dwindled until he had but a few crumbs left.

"Damn it." He muttered, crumpling the bag up and tossing it behind him.

The sun had already set over the horizon and the only light was from the several camp fires that were littered around the camp like candles. Nick slid into his sleeping bag praying that he would get better sleep then last night but his mind wouldn't stop churning with itself, asking questions and trying to find answers that it didn't hold. Time after time his mind stopped asking one question, but each question raised more and more questions after that. As he thought, one hand slowly made its way to his shoulder, gently rubbing the small patch of hair, or fur, under the bandage.

"Ugh. What have I gotten myself into?" He whispered, letting his head sink back into the uncomfortable camp pillow he had.

"Nick!"

Nick's eyes widened and he shot up. "Drake! Is that you?"

"Human!!!!" It called again.

Nick fell back to the pillow. "Great, now everyone is trying to trick me!" He mumbled and covered his head with the thin fabric of the sleeping bag.

"Nick!"

It came again, plaguing his ears, forcing him to listen. "Niiick!!!"

"Come on Drake! It's not funny! Come on out!" He barked looking though the small window to the forest. No answer came. "I just want to sleep guys! Come on!"

"Niiick!" The voice rang out again, this time echoing slightly. Nick unzipped his sleeping bag, grabbed his coat and stepped outside hoping that it was the diggers just playing games.

"Niiick." It rang again coming from deep within the forest. Nick took a heavy breath. "God I must be crazy." He pushed into the brush following the voice as it continuously rang, beckoning him. Nagging him to move faster. Above him, the moon seemed to shine brighter to help guide his path. In the glowing moonlight, he could see a curvy, illuminated path in front of him like it was highlighted just for him.

"Faaaaster!" It called , goading Nick to speed up to a slow run. Now, the voice seemed a lot closer. Panting and growing sweaty he paused in a small clearing to catch his breath. One ear kept listening for the voice as he doubled over panting. But nothing came. Only the normal sounds of the forest filled his ears. "Damn." Nick sighed, "I'm such an idiot. Drake come on out!" Nick shouted. "You're so funny hahahaha!"

"Are you going to stand there hunkered over and shouting to nothing all night?" For a split second Nick thought it was Drake but the voice was wrong. It was slightly deeper. "Or are you actually going to do something worthy of your brain."

Nick timidly looked up and there before him was a wolf, sitting on its haunches like a dog waiting for his food, only this canine had a certain look of disappointment on its face as it looked at him. "Umm...what?"

The wolf stood and moved closer. "When I was told to come here and call that human name, I must say, I was expecting something more." Nick stepped back, the heel of his boot snagging on a root and knocking the shocked professor onto his ass.

"You are Nick, right?" It asked moving close, growling softly. Nick could feel its warm, wet breath blowing against him. "Well... you'd better be, otherwise I'd have to kill you." It paused and took a step back, "Well you wouldn't understand anything I'm saying anyway!" It jeered doing the closest thing Nick could think of as a laugh.

"Hey, shut up! I understand! I'm just a little....shocked." It was all that came to his head and strangely enough the wolf understood it as it came forward again. The wolf pushed his muzzle forward and sniffed his shirt. He snuffled up Nick's chest, following a familiar scent until he found the bandage and with a snarl, tore it to shreds revealing the patch of fur.

"Ah! There we are. Foolish...hiding His gift. Then Nick," It said with a certain tinge of disgust as if he didn't like it. "Follow me." Then the wolf turned, his tail and nose held high in the air and started to trot away on the moonlit trail.

"Hey! Now wait just a minute! Who....or...um what do you think you are?" Nick called after him. "I thought all the wolves in this area were supposed to be exterminated!"

The wolf paused and let his tail drop as he looked behind himself. The expressions he made seemed to be even more expressive then any human could do and he looked rather annoyed.

"Didn't He give you all the knowledge?" The wolf turned back around and trotted back, Nick seemed to freeze where he stood.

"Yes...but not this...recent I...guess?"

The wolf's tail rose again as he growled slightly. "Please just strike me down now." He muttered. "I am Dente. Did He mention anything about me?"

"Well he did say something about calling his closest follower." Nick recalled, thinking back to the encounter with the God. Dente just looked at him for a couple seconds before erupting into a hyena like chuckle. "I wouldn't say closest follower."

"Wait! Do you talk to this God on a daily biases." Nick asked finally rising onto his two feet again.

"No, I was told by our elder that I would play an important role and it looks like it's dragging you through the mud." Dente said with a slight sneer to his voice. "Now follow! I will not be slowing down so if you need to take a rest, forget it." The wolf trotted on with Nick starting to fall behind. He made his way through the forest weaving in and out of the trees and bushes while Nick was busy tripping, hitting, or running into everything.

"When did Humans get so clumsy?" He laughed taking a quick look back at the brush covered Nick, twigs and leaves plastered in his hair, his clothes and his fur.

"Oh I'm sorry! What happened to the wolves who don't speak?" He repeated back with a frustrated groan, but it was met with another chuckle.

"You really are ignorant. You and your entire race! We've always had the ability to speak with one another, only now your ears are open to it. To any other Human your short muzzle would be making our sounds."

"Look! I'm only a college professor! I'm not some prophet for you wolves. I didn't ask to speak with you." The thick woodland opened up to another small clearing where Nick was able to finally catch up to the wolf. "And what is this anyway?" He covered the small patch of fur with his other hand.

"It's a marker put on you by Him. It will distinguish you from all other humans."

"A marker?" Nick said rubbing the spot the motion and feel of the fur sending shivers through his spine. "By Him? Who is this He and Him you keep referring to anyway!"

The wolf walked up to a thick wooded area that seemed impassible, even the illuminated path stopped right at the end. "He is what has been and will be. He is the voice of Mother Wolf and our creator. He is our God, you spoke to him." Dente moved to a spot near the edge of the clearing and spoke a couple words that Nick didn't catch. The moment he said it the forest started peeling back. Vines rolled down to their roots, grass gave way to a path, and trees receded giving Nick enough headroom. "Make sense now?"

Nick was too stunned to say anything. He moved forward and as they walked the corridor closed behind them, blocking it to the rest of the world. But in front of him, another world was unfolding. There was a dim light at the end which they were moving towards and as they came closer Nick could see parts of it but it wasn't until he finally made it through the veil of trees and brush that he could truly marvel at what he saw. They were standing on the edge of the remnants of an ancient city.

Dwellings surrounded a center market area which held a large building, the largest in the city. Green vines had made their work of a lot of the small buildings and dwellings on the sides, reclaiming them into the forest. But there was a line they seemed to dare not pass, almost as if some force held the forest back. The buildings in the center crumbled but were not overtaken. Above him the huge canopy overtook the sky and it was impossible to see the sky but for some reason there was still light.

Along with the spectacular buildings, a mash of early human architecture and...ingenuity, the inhabitants stared back at Nick. All of them, wolves with beating eyes that dug into his very center. It seemed as though the entire world was watching him. The quiet murmuring of the crowd of wolves echoed off of the old, decrepit buildings and filled his ears with more noise than he could have ever planned.

"A human once again enters our Capitol. That hasn't happened in many ages." Nick heard through the crowd as he noticed an old, limping wolf with a gray covered body moving toward them. As soon as his first words were spoken, the wolves quieted down. "And many ages have we waited for this to happen again."

"I brought him like you have asked Elder. The Human named.....Nick." More whispers assaulted Nick's ears as the watching wolves gossiped about his arrival.

"Ah, Nick." The old wolf pronounced his name with a sharp 'Ich' sound at the end. "Yes, we've been expecting someone like you for quite some time now." He moved closer and Nick notice just how large he was, his head came up to Nicks chest.

"Yes...a...and you are?" Nick replied not really sure of what he should say. He figured that he was talking to the leader of the tribe and being a scholar and someone who studies mythology and old civilizations he didn't want to offend them by not using the proper greeting. If they had one.

"You may refer to me as Linth, I am the city's Shaman and leader." Linth spoke quite majestically, around him the other wolves spoke quietly with themselves, like small growls and nips, about their leader.

"City?" Nick questioned glancing around. "This place is amazing, and it's quite a feat that no human has found it before but I would hardly call it a city."

Suddenly the murmuring stopped and all eyes once again landed on Nick, everyone including Dente looked at him with eyes that looked ready to hurt him in a moment's notice. "Watch what you say Human!" Dente finally said. "No one will know if you go missing."

"That's enough Dente!" Linth stepped in. "He speaks the truth. We are but a fraction of our once great power. Our punishment has taken its toll, that is true, yet the Gods have been favorable! They have given us enough food, gave us shelter from the Humans and protected us against them and their ravenous ways."

"Protected! Now there's a joke!" A single voice rose out of the crowd of wolves, a burble of motion as the crowd parted to make way for a much younger black wolf. He looked about the same age as Dente, as far as Nick could tell, and he walked with a blustered pride and his nose high in the air. A small posse of four other wolves followed him. "The Gods banish us to the likes of ferals and simple-minded fools while the humans got to continue their conquest of the world! While we sit here waiting upon waiting; a fraction of what we used to be. I'd say they forgot us!"

Nick took a step back from this one, he didn't seem too happy about his presence, but Dente stepped in front of him. "Watch your mouth Ehrin. You know very well why The Giver and Mother Wolf did what they did!"

"Yes I do! The punished us for a war we didn't start! I'm sure Human history will tell you the same story of how the conquest of the mighty Lycan race allowed...no inspired them to dominate the world!" Ehrin looked up to Nick, his small posse doing the same. "Isn't that right, Human?" The wolf almost spat the moniker. "Tell us how your great race defeated our once mighty and proud race."

Nick immediately thought back to his magazine and the article regarding anthropomorphic wolves and how they replied back with a response of basically, 'that's stupid.' Nick knew what Ehrin was talking about now with the knowledge that the God had given him but he knew that none of the rest of the Human race knew anything about this.

"I'm afraid that the rest of the Humans don't know about any such war. They don't even know anything like you ever existed."

After hearing that, Ehrin stuck his nose high in the air, much like Dente had and his tail rose above Linth's. "See! They don't even care. They stopped caring. All those humans do is destroy! We should kill him and kill that little party of his. Set an example! Show those Humans what we can do!" Nick didn't very much like the sound of that, taking a few steps back towards the corridor, but it had already closed back up.

"We will do no such thing!" Linth spoke up, "The Human is here to help! Much like our ancestors!"

"And look what happened with that." Ehrin scoffed. "I'm wasting my time. I know for a fact that unless we do something with these Humans in our forest we will get found out! If you'll do nothing then I will have to do something about it myself."

"Hold it, Brother! Don't be an idiot!" Dente called out. "Don't ruin this chance we have! I don't like him any more then you do but it's all we've got. We just have to trust Sumitar."

Ehrin turned around and walked nose to nose with Dente. "You and I know full well what they can do, and what they will do." With a slight growl, he glared at Nick baring his teeth and walked away without so much as another word. Nick stood in the awkward silence as the black wolf left, he felt as though he had to break it somehow. "So...brother?" Nick asked, just wondering if that was a sign of respect or if he actually meant brother. But Dente left in the opposite direction not saying a word his tail no longer standing tall behind him.

"I'm sorry if I offended anyone, I didn't mean to." Nick asked Linth.

"No, you didn't. The two are brothers, but they have never seen eye to eye and as they grew their differences grew as well. Now I'm surprised they call themselves brothers. Well, Dente calls them brothers. I've never heard Ehrin call Dente his brother."

Nick watched Dente walk away. "Now. You must be tired." The elder wolf said. "Follow me to your dwellings."

"Wait! I'm not going back to my camp?" The rest of the crowd started to disperse and Linth started trotting away along with them leaving Nick alone. He stopped a little ways away.

"You must come with me. We will need you here when we receive the instructions from Sumitar.I suspect it will be very soon."

Nick shook his head in resignation. It didn't look as though the leader was going to let him leave, and if he tried to leave alone he could imagine that there would be no way to get through the thick mess of forest that protected the city. So he was left with little more to do then follow Linth. "I must warn you." He said. "They will come looking for me and they may find this place."

"I do not think so. This place has been kept secret for ages. I don't think they will find it any time soon." The old wolf said with confidence. "Come."

"Don't underestimate humans." Nick didn't move from where he stood. "If I am lost in the forest they will send out a full expedition to find me within hours."

"What have I already said?" Linth growled, turning around. The few who were straggling back to their homes paused for a moment. "You must stay here, it's is the easiest way."

"Just think about it for a moment!" Nick paused for a split-second, just realizing what he was actually doing. He was arguing with a wolf, and one that could probably maul him at any moment. "When was the last time you really looked at a Human..." Nick paused as the wolf looked at him with flashing eyes. "I mean...what I meant to say was, when was the last time you say Human technology? We have machines that can move massive amounts of dirt, others that talk with each other. Hell, we have satellites orbiting the planet! I mean, look at this!" Nick dug into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, woefully out of range and close to being dead but it would work as a demonstration. "If I had a little more power I could talk to almost anyone in the world from right here. From this very spot. Now tell me, do you think it's wise to say I can't go back...For me to have disappeared out here?"

Linth sat back on his haunches as Nick shot reasons why he couldn't stay back at him. Truth be told it, was very sound reasoning and while trying not to show just how interested he was in the piece of glowing plastic that Nick had just revealed.

"Look, think about it Linth. This area has been kept secret for probably thousands of years but our site is literally a couple hours hike away from here, you tell me what is safer."

Linth drew in a heavy sigh. "I do suppose it's best that you go back to your own kind, so as to not arouse suspicion. I'm sure Dente will be up to taking you back to your site, you just mustn't speak to him about Ehrin."

Nick yawned as the elder left to get Dente once again. "What the hell is going on?"