The Forgotten Wolf Chapter 4: Prelude to Problems
Charity suddenly screamed "KUNIKUN!" tackling Kunari. "I'M SO HUNGRY!" she said as they fell. Kunari yelled as they toppled over- "I'm hungry myself." he said calmly, lifting Charity off of him and leading her up to the apartment room. Once inside, Kunari sat at the table, leaning back on his chair. Charity blinked and then slunk to the ground and slowly began to creep towards Kunari her eyes glittering playfully. She slowly came near him a large smile growing on her face. Quietly she skulked up behind him and then jumped on him from the side knocking the table, chair, and Kunari himself over. She fell with them laughing and giggling happily. Kunari instinctively rolled over, recovering from the fall onto all fours. He had bared his teeth during the fall, but quickly hid them again, getting up to brush himself off. "That was surprising..." he said arrogantly.
Charity was sitting crosslegged on the floor her hands in fists over her mouth and her eyes shimmering innocently and sadly. "I'm sorry..." She whimpered sadly and sniffled. Aniu came in and gently touched Charity's shoulder, on Charity's knee was a bit of rug burn, and it slowly went away. Charity raised her arms up for Aniu to pick her up. Aniu, after picking Charity up and holding her closely, looked at Kunari. "She does that sometimes and never means to hurt anyone.... right Charity?" Charity turned her head from being buried in Aniu's shoulder and sniffled, cutely nodding.
Kunari nodded, looking Charity in the eye... the innocence... that childish look in her eyes made Kunari look away, blushing and ashamed. He walked closer to Aniu and Charity, looking down and asked, "Are you alright, sister?" Charity happily stretched out her arms for Kunari to hold her. Aniu quietly looked at Kunari her face going red.
"Looks like she wants to be held by you..." Aniu smiled and handed Charity to Kunari. "I'm fine Kuni-kun!" She giggled and hugged him around the neck. Aniu stepped back and looked at them, a sudden sadness and hurt flashing across her face. Bowing shyly she turned and left the room, a tear falling behind her as she passed. Kunari had taken her up in his arms, his head resting next to hers. Seeing Aniu walk off, Kunari wasn't sure of what to do... to him it seemed the best decision was to look after Charity for a while. he put her down gently, and picked up the table and chairs, setting them back in their place with relative ease. He then went to the kitchen looking for food for Charity.
Charity blinked and then looked around. Tilting her head to the side slightly she noticed something at the window and suddenly she saw it, a cardinal. Slowly she crawled to the window and watched outside intently so the bright red bird could flash by the window again. Her long brown hair, curly because it used to be in a braid, cascading gently down her back.
Kunari found some leftover meat that had been cooked recently, along with various vegetables and a can of broth. He checked through all the cupboards until he found a mid-size pan. He broke open the broth with his teeth, making a small mess on his face, and poured it into the pan. He turned on the stove-top to high heat and placed the pan on the burner. Taking the meat, he tore it into pieces no bigger than grapes, tossing it lightly into the broth, as well as bits of carrot and tomato. /I hope Charity will eat this... I don't have a single inkling as to what she likes./ About ten minutes later, Kunari put a bowl of the stew on the table. "Here you go, Charity. Time to eat." /ugh, I sound like an idiot.../ he thought to himself.
Charity turned with a look of pure joy on her face and standing up she ran over happily. "Thank you Thank you! I love this!" She sat down in a chair and began to eat it happily. "Mmmm... Brother?... uhm..." She looked shyly away, "Are you wondering how you're my younger brother, but I seem younger than you?" Kunari turned to her, looking confused, but interested. "Yes... I do wonder." he said slowly.
"Well, Aniu and my father were close. They spent a lot of time together, and time became me, and he left. Five years later, he came back, kidnapped me, raped me, killed me, and buried me right in Aniu's backyard. It all happened over thirty years ago." She reminisced sadly
"Why... did he do that?" Kunari asked. "I ... don't like to talk about it." She said. Kunari immediately apologized. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean for you to remember the pain."
"That's alright!" she exclaimed happily, twirling about. This pointed turn for happiness confused Kunari, but he took it anyway, smiling back to her. "Oh, it's almost one! I should be having a nap by now!" Charity said. "A nap? You still take naps?" He asked.
"Well my five year old body needs rest, silly!" and she handed him a cookie. Kunari examined the cookie, noticing the chocolate chips, when the room began to darken. A strange voice then stated "I can help you sleep." Kunari dropped the cookie, tensing and taking a ready stance. He didn't hesitate to ask fiercely, " Who are you?!" The figure slithered in, black fur everywhere. The strange wolf then said "Kunari... oh, the memories."
"Shut up!" Aniu said suddenly. She had appeared at the figures back with a sword at his neck! "Charity, take Kunari to... that place. Go now!" She yelled. the black wolf then said, "I'll find you, Kunari." Charity grabbed Kunari's arm, where he then turned and grabbed her, jumping out the window in the kitchen. He ran as fast as he could.
"Where do I go?" he asked. "Give me a moment!" Charity said, closing her eyes. Kunari had many thoughts on his mind. /Where am I going? Who was that? what does he want? how does he know who I am? and/ He froze. "ANIU!" he called out, turning to go back. Charity concentrated, and soon grass, trees, mountains and lakes passed before them in a blink. Kunari tripped, not having realized that she teleported them both. He got up, frantically trying to go back, but he couldn't. Charity had grabbed his arm. he fought against her grip, his wings coming out in a bright flash, but he paid no attention.
"Don't go back! You can't! Aniu can care for herself! YOU need to stay away from him!" Charity exclaimed, trying to reason with him. When Kunari finally stopped struggling, she let go. He then walked about the new land. The trees were white, the grass green, and a blanket of snow coming from the heavens. Kunari walked, endlessly mindful of what had just happened. /I can explain how I got here, but where is "here?" What does that wolf want? who is he? Why does he know my name?!/ "Ow!" Kunari ran into a tree, lost in thought.
Charity laughed from up on her perch in a neighboring tree. Kunari threw a hand back, a glow forming around it, but on realizing that it was Charity, he instantly flinched, his ears falling. The glow faded. Charity's face was thrown into sadness, and she turned, jumped out of the tree, and walked away. Kunari felt horrible, ashamed that he had threatened Charity, so he followed, trying to apologize.
"Charity! Please, wait! I didn't mean to do that! I just ... you scared me. Sister, please forgive me!" he pleaded.
Charity sighed and slowly turned, putting on a sad smile. "It's okay Kunari... just... understand. Even if you tried... I can't die." She sighed and sat down on a tree root. Around her floated small yellow balls of light that glimmered gently around her. Her small white dress blew lightly in the breeze. Kunari was shocked at that, but shook himself and persisted, walking slowly closer to her, until he sat right next to her.
"I'm just on edge... I'm scared... why is this happening? ... I didn't mean to take it out on you."
She gently placed her hand on his and smiled warmly at him. "Do any of us ever MEAN anything?" She giggled at her thought and then stood up. "What do you think of her forest Kunari?" She twirled and laughed. "beautiful huh?" He took some time to recognize who she meant. "Her... Aniu's forest? I... yes, it's beautiful. but... why is it winter here?"
"winter?" she said, "My dearest brother... it isn't winter here... it isn't any season for that matter. The trees may be white but the ground is not covered in snow, the ground may be green and fresh but there are cold gusts of wind... it is never day nor night here. I guess you could call it limbo..."
"hmm... then..." he stopped mid-thought. "It doesn't matter. All we do now is wait. She will come, right?" He said, very worried. Charity finally showed some sign of sadness. "I... I don't know... Kunari." She murmured and sat beside a puddle, looking into the depths of it. "There's no guarentee..."
"I want to see her again." he said plainly, thinking out loud. Then, shaking himself, "That's not what I should be thinking about... Right now, I want to talk to you. I want to know more... you know who I am. Can you tell me more?" She looked at him and then dipped her finger in the water, meticulously moving it around in circles. "Tell me what you want to know, I'll tell you as much as I can..."
Kunari stood in thought, and then cleared his throat. "You say you're my sister... were we raised together?" She froze at that statement and then slowly stood up, her hair covering her face. "You were born five years after I died." She whispered and looked at him, a tear falling down her cheek. "Mother... I mean... Diana... was with a different man than my father when she had you."
"Oh, that's right, you already told me that... but then... how are you so sure that I'm your brother? Are you so sure that the feeling we're getting isn't something else?"
She shook her head and walked over to him. "Give me your finger." Kunari was confused at this. "What?" he asked.
"Here" she pricked his finger and then pricked hers. Suddenly from the two came a bright light that nearly shot into the sky. The drops of blood were suddenly pulled together and fell to the ground. The light slowly faded. "Our blood resonates our mother's lineage."
Kunari threw his hand back when she pricked it, and then the light came. "ow!" He flinched, sheilding his eyes.
"Our.. Mother's lineage? and... what is that?"
"Here" she pricked his finger and then pricked hers. Suddenly from the two came a bright light that nearly shot into the sky. The drops of blood were suddenly pulled together and fell to the ground. The light slowly faded. "Our blood resonates our mother's lineage."
Kunari threw his hand back when she pricked it, and then the light came. "ow!" He flinched, sheilding his eyes.
"Our.. Mother's lineage? and... what is that?"
"Goddess..." Charity said and then giggled. Kunari understood what she meant. Kunari turned and walked a few steps back, thinking.
She tilted her head cutely and then looked up into the sky, her eyes turning a bright crimson color. "Aniu..." She whispered and then slowly disappeared, leaving Kunari in the forest alone.
Kunari heard her whisper and turned to her, seeing her disappearance. He threw his hand to her "WAIT!" Too late, he was left, unable to do more than sit, alone, confused, and terribly worried.
Suddenly she returned and appeared beside him. "We've got to go... Aniu's coming here, but we've gotta go. Come on!" She picked him up with amazing strength and disappeared yet again. Now she was at a burn site. A normal forest surrounded them, and infront of them seemed to be a burnt down cabin of some sort.
Kunari examined it. After some time, he spoke. "What was here, and what happened?"