Price of Life: Chapter VI
#7 of Price of Life
Selene stood in front of the threshold as a frightened rabbit would stand in front of a fox's den. Although the kindest man she had ever met was just beyond the door, she was afraid. She felt as if she was putting to much strain on the boundaries she had been given. Dante's work was important to him, so who was she to interrupt? But, something in her heart, a little voice, seemed to goad her into opening the door to Dante's room.
But Dante's kindness was ever expanding to Selene. It seemed unlikely that he would lash out at his new friend because she had stuck her nose into his business. With eyes squinted shut and hand trembling, Selene reached for the knob on the door. It was cold and rattled as her hand shook with fright. It was her first instinct to pull her paw away, but her heart was determined. It would not allow for a thin piece of wood to stand between her and the man that she adored so well.
With a fearless complexion, the wolfess tightened her grip on the knob and turned it, forcing the door open. She rushed inside, eager to see Dante. But what she saw...was nothing. The room was dark. The lights had been turned off. The room was cool, as the windows had been flung open. But no light from the moon appeared. There was no moon tonight.
Blind, the wolfess stepped into the room. A sound emerged out of the darkness. It was small, but Selene could hear little wisps of air fading in and out. Curiously, her ears perked, attempting to locate and identify the anomaly. It then dawned on her, it was Dante's breathing. As her pupils enlarged to let in the scarce light, she could see the outline of the black wolf on the bed in the back of the room.
She stumbled backwards as a mouse retreats from the sleeping lion. Her back to the wall, she hoped that he would not suddenly wake up and realize that there was an intruder in his room. It was then her arm grazed something on the wall. She ran her hand over it, and found that it was the light switch. Wanting to get a better look at where she was, she flicked it on, and the room became bathed in soft light.
Dante's body appeared, out of darkness. The room seemed to fill as the shadows were chased away by the lamp's glow. Dante's face could now be fully seen, expressionless, cheek flattened against the pillow. Some parts of the room would've been better off in the dark. The room was quite untidy. Books lay strewn everywhere. About the bed, on the bed, under the bed, stacked atop the desk and nightstand. One was even clutched in the crook of Dante's arm.
Not that any of these interested her. Selene was illiterate, due to the lack of such a thing as slave education. She had always been a curious wolf, however. Wandering over to Dante's desk, she saw papers strewn about. Most were covered in text that she could not read, but some offered pictures. What she saw in the photographs made her blood run cold.
Slaves. Hundreds of them all lined up in rows, shackles around their ankles and wrists. These were not sex slaves either. These were laboring slaves. Some as young as 3, some as old as 80. One picture bore the image of a pregnant woman, ribs showing from lack of nutrition, carrying a heavy yolk of water. There were men with dirtied faces and children with cuts all over their faces. An old fox stared lifelessly back at the camera. Blood was trickling down his leg.
There were other pictures, too. Well-dressed men stood around in olive drab uniforms totting rifles and sub-machines guns. All of them had whips at their sides and truncheons attached to their arms. They were seen threatening the slaves with their weapons. One picture showed one of the well-dressed ones raising his stun-baton in the air, poised to strike a woman who had dared to protect a frightened little boy.
These pictures made Selene want to cry. Her life as a pleasure-slave seemed like paradise compared to this.
Finally, a picture with handwriting on it showed itself. This one demanded the wolfess' attention. A man, prestigiously dressed in an olive drab uniform, stood smiling on a catwalk above the slave workers. His breast pocket was colorfully adorned with a lifetime's worth of military decorations. The short brimmed cap and red sash around his upper arm showed the wolfess that this was a man to be feared.
Someone, presumably Dante, had written something on the bottom of the photograph. Selene could not read, but the words had been drawn in anger, and their ferocious appearance told her that this man was hated by Dante.
KILL HIM
Just then, as if the words had brought something to life, a hand rested gently on Selene's shoulder. "Selene, I can explain..."
She turned around to see Dante. He had woken up from his sleep and walked over to her while she had been studying what was on the desk. He did not appear mad at her, which was a huge relief. However, he did not wear a smile, either. He looked like she had just discovered a very dark secret about him.
"I took those photos," he confessed "while I was in the Badlands."
Selene's confusion was abundant. "But why did you take them? And who is that guy?" She indicated the man who wore the decorations.
"Well, I wanted to see what the slave yards were like for myself. I couldn't put my plan into operation without seeing what that world was really like. That man in the picture is Colonel Virgil. He is the government's top official in slave-related matters. "
Amid her tears, Selene managed to ask, "What plan? What are you talking about?"
The black wolf sighed and said, "I'm going to start an uprising, Selene. I have an underground operation in motion. We're trying to get as many weapons and as much manpower as possible. We're going to raid the Badlands, kill Virgil, and set those poor creatures free. I may go to prison for the rest of my life, but I don't care. Life is not meant to be locked up like a bird in a tiny cage, starved and worked to death. I will pay whatever price I must to give those people life."
Dante appeared more messianic than ever to the wolfess now. The man who saved her was risking his entire life to help more of her kind.
When she was young, Selene's mother had read a holy book to her. And in it, there was a story of a man who led slaves out of bondage, despite the life of luxury he had once lived.
That story reminded her of Dante. His bravery and selflessness only made her love him all the more. She could not take it. Her heart was overflowing with fondness. He had to know, had to know that she would stand by him forever.
Selene broke down in her savior's arms. She caught him by surprise. He hesitated to put his arms around her supple hips. Pressed against his chest, Selene could hear his heartbeats multiply quickly.
"Selene?" Dante asked. "Are you alright, dear?"
Selene nodded and looked up at him with a smile. "There's something I need to tell you, Dante."
"And what would that be, hon?"
"I think I'm falling in love with you."
Selene could only laugh at Dante's expression. His jaw hung with indecision. His voice had retreated, unsure of what to say. Taking her hand, he guided her over to the bed, where he sat her down. He held her hand as a father would his child, meaning that he had something important to say. He finally managed to find it. "Selene," he cautioned, "I'm flattered, really. But..."
"But what? Is there another woman in your life?"
The question came so suddenly, he actually recoiled. "No!" He exclaimed. "It's not that! It's just..."
"So, then what's the problem?"
The wolf, full of discomfort, released her hand, and walked over to the window. He stared out at the moonless sky, and began to explain, "I'm a hated man, Selene. Everywhere I go, I get dirty looks from people who think that I ought to be in an asylum. I've seen slavery opponents go up in flames as they're tied to that stake. I'm practically asking to get myself killed. If the revolution begins, when it begins, I won't risk you getting hurt."
Selene gave a sigh of relief. She had begun to think that Dante was already...romantically involved with Raksha. "Is that all?" She said with a tone of bravery in her voice. She went over to where he was standing and wrapped her arms around him again. "You've done so much for me, I want to repay you. I want to be your girlfriend and if that means putting me in danger, I don't care. I'd do anything to hear you call me 'lover'."
Dante looked at her as if he'd seen an angel. "Do you really mean that, Selene?" The wolfess could only smile more. "Of course I do, love." And with the, she kissed him. This was no friendly kiss, however. She had gone for the lips. It was light, but still warm and passionate.
Dante, flabbergasted at the wolfess' action, was dazed. His brain was whirring uncontrollably, searching for a solution. When it had found one, the simplicity of it all made him chuckle to himself.
With gentle lips, Dante kissed her back. It lasted only for a few seconds, but for the couple, the blissful interaction seemed to last an eternity. "I guess I was a little afraid to admit it at first, but I think I'm falling in love with you too, Selene."
The wolfess smiled. To see her affection returned warmed her heart. She had hoped he would. "So, we can be together then?"
"Of course," said the black wolf, his teeth forming that grin she loved so much. "You're right, we'll get through this whole thing together, I promise."
Tired from the night's ordeal, the wolfess melted back into her boyfriend's arms, ready for sleep. Seeing her cute yawn made Dante chuckle. With nimble arms, he scooped up the wolfess into his arms and began to carry her.
"Come on, love," Dante said, putting Selene toward the bed, "let's get some sleep." And both of them fell asleep in each other's arms, underneath a moonless sky.
To Be Continued