There was a strange wailing sound coming from the next room. From far I heard voices. Sleep-drunk I wrapped myself in the blanket and tried to ignore the sounds. This was not meant for my ears. For a moment I wondered what my life would have looked like if I was deaf instead of mute.
The unfamiliar sound stopped, I curled myself up and fell asleep.
As I woke up I felt refreshed. No longer I felt the need to hurry or stress out. Carmen was back home. Later, if the moment was right I would ask her what exactly happened to her, made her stay away longer than planned.
"You know what caused the delay," the voice inside said, "you saw her. The book 'Wars' made it clear."
What I saw, made me passed out therefore I tried not to think of. I told myself it didn't matter as long as she was back and stayed home. She told me to stay safe and that was what I did. I kept me and the animals out of danger and from tomorrow on I would keep an eye on her as well. There was no need to provide the world in medication brewed by us. I had seen the world, the crowd, heard them scold and yell. Most enjoyed the cruelty. It was their day out, an event they joined out of own free will.
Not one single person felt pity for the victims, those innocent people who's only crime was helping those losers. Big mouths they were each one of them. My mother should no longer sacrifice herself, she had done enough. It was time to rest. During her absence I learned a lot from the talks I had with the cabinet-maker, Rosemary, Basil and Rick. Each one of them was born ages ago and survived. It felt to me my mother wasn't that different from them. The carpenter, Quirk, told me we are related. Related meant family, at least to me. His face looked familiar to me but I couldn't recall in which way.
Later, I promised myself, later I'll ask how or what or someone will tell me what binds them. The Titans came first and the carpenter? If he didn't live with the Titans he lived in a different time. Was he a time traveler and if not who was?
"Mother?"
She looked up at me with tears in her eyes and it was as if it took her some time to recognize me. She gave me a faint smile.
"You slept well dear?"
I nodded.
"The dress... it fits you great... you look so lovely in it. Rick will love it."
"Rick?" I asked surprised.
"Rosemary told me he likes you..."
I sank on the sofa and stared at the upset woman in front of me.
"That's what she told me too, even said twice but..."
"But?"
"But... I love the clan, the trainings, like Rick but... I won't leave with him, live with him. He is not my world."
"There's a huge world outside to explore. You are still young, so young, you could use a warrior to protect you, travel the world with," she smiled through her tears.
"There's a world to explore here too. I saw a part of the outside world, heard stories... for now, it's enough. Like you said I'm still young, I have plenty of time or am I running out of it?"
She tried to sit in a different position and there it was again. That strange sound as if someone was in pain. Was something moving underneath her skirt?
"Come closer if you like to have a look, I hope it won't scare you or you won't scare it."
She opened her skirt and there it was a tiny heap of fur. A smelly heap of fur.
"It's blood," she said. "Once the bleeding stops I clean it up. It's too young to be on its own... I found it in front of the portal."
"What is it except for smelly?"
She grinned. "It's a companion. If I am not mistaken the same kind that belonged to those travelers on their way to the secret land. You remember the story Basil told on your last birthday?"
I nodded.
"What is it called?"
"Wolf," she said, "this is Wolf. Let's see if he survives it."
Total amounts of words: 3121
A part of the episode is published.
So now there's the additional wolf in their small family. I hope it survives long enough that it would help out isa when the time comes