Chapter 53
Young Kane's POV
Blaze chatted with me as he wove through the forest.
"Kane, do you know? I can smell a stream ahead!" he said excitedly. "Should we get some water? And are you hungry? I think we should catch a rabbit!"
He had just awakened, full of enthusiastic questions—the kind of enthusiasm that carried an almost childlike innocence.
But I had no mood to respond. Four years of captivity had drained my spirit. I just wanted to reach my destination as quickly as possible.
This left Blaze feeling somewhat rebuffed.
"Why won't you talk to me?" he asked in my mind, his voice tinged with hurt.
I didn't answer. Four paws pressed against soft fallen leaves, each step bringing me closer to the Silver Moon Pack's encampment.
My heart pounded faster and faster. Blaze's pace quickened.
I was finally going home—that place that had abandoned me, that place I had longed for day and night.
Suddenly! Blaze's four legs left the ground. The entire wolf was caught in a net trap. Rough hemp rope dug into our fur as we were hoisted high, swaying in the air.
Blaze whimpered, struggling to break free.
"A trap!" he cried out in my mind. "We've been caught!"
A warrior emerged from concealment, wearing the Silver Moon Pack's distinctive totem. He was dressed in dark gray leather armor, gripping a short sword, his eyes wary and cold.
I immediately had Blaze shift back to human form. The net couldn't bear the sudden weight change and dropped sharply. The hemp rope bit deep into my skin. Ignoring the pain, I explained urgently: "I'm the son of Silver Moon Pack's Alpha Walter! I'm Kane Argyle!"
The warrior completely ignored me, his voice dripping with contempt: "You Blood River slaves! Not a word of truth from any of you!" He used his sword tip to lift a corner of the net, sneering as he looked me over. "Trying to impersonate the Alpha's son? You must have a death wish."
"I'm telling the truth!" I continued to argue, my voice sharp with urgency. "My mother is Luna Chloe! Four years ago I was sent to Blood River as a hostage, and now I've escaped back!"
The warrior froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. He laughed so hard he bent over, as if he'd heard the most absurd joke in the world.
"The Silver Moon Pack's current Luna is Luna Jenna, and the Alpha's son is Prince Julian. What bastard spawn are you to come here spouting such nonsense?"
His words were like ice water poured over my head.
My eyes first showed confusion, then burned with anger as I tried to prove myself: "I'm not lying! I was chosen by Alpha Walter to be a hostage! I fought to the death in the arena, nearly killed by a giant lizard! A man who wielded fire saved me! He trained me, taught me to fight! Every word I'm saying is true!"
The warrior's interest was piqued. He narrowed his eyes: "A man who wielded fire? What did he look like?"
I described Xavier's appearance—tall and imposing, long hair and golden eyes, clad in flame armor, with a belt set with rubies at his waist.
I remembered every detail about him, because he was one of the few sources of warmth I had in Blood River.
The warrior's expression turned strange. He mocked: "A hostage from an enemy nation, someone with even lower status than a slave, could actually get close to the Crimson Flame Warlord? Could this story get any more fake? Boy, you should at least use your brain when making things up."
"I'm not making it up!" I was nearly in tears. "I sparred with him! He has a wound at his waist, left by a lightning strike!"
The warrior's brow furrowed, a flash of seriousness in his eyes.
He muttered to himself: "The Crimson Flame Warlord has an injury? Now that's useful intelligence..."
He stared at me for a long while, as if weighing something.
Just then, urgent footsteps and low wolf howls came from the distance.
Three massive wolves burst from the trees. Leading them was a golden wolf, its size a full circle larger than an ordinary werewolf, eyes burning with furious flames.
The Silver Moon warrior's face changed dramatically.
He pointed at me and cursed loudly: "You little liar! Trying to trick me by claiming to be Luna Chloe's son? That abandoned woman died alone long ago!"
Cursing all the while, he shifted into a gray wolf and fled headlong into the forest depths.
The golden wolf shifted to human form—a vigorous middle-aged man with a full beard and a vicious scar at the corner of his right eye.
He spat in the direction of the fleeing Silver Moon warrior. "Listen well, you Silver Moon scum! I am Brian Gonzalez! If you dare come again, I'll tear you to pieces!"
His angry roar echoed through the forest.
Then he turned and looked up at me, still hanging in midair.
Brian stared at me for several seconds, confusion flashing in his eyes, as if trying to recall something.
Suddenly, he narrowed his eyes: "You... I think I've seen you at the Warlord's place?"
Without waiting for my answer, his expression turned fierce. "You little bastard, you actually defected!" he demanded angrily. "What intelligence did you give them?"
Another warrior with bronze skin stepped forward and cut the rope holding the net with one slash. I crashed heavily to the ground. Before I could get up, Brian had already grabbed my collar and hauled me upright.
"The great battle is imminent," Brian said roughly. "We'll take you to the front lines first. We'll deal with you later."
At that moment, I was completely shocked by the news of my mother's death.
Mother... dead? When? How? Why didn't anyone tell me?
Brian and the other two warriors—the bronze-skinned man and a tall, thin young man—roughly bound my hands and feet and dragged me toward the battlefield.
The rope cut painfully into my skin, yet I felt no pain at all.
Mother is dead.
These words echoed repeatedly in my mind, like a dull blade cutting at my heart again and again.
I was dragged toward the front lines, stumbling, the world before my eyes blurring.
I had finally escaped, only to discover I had nowhere to call home.