Chapter 4
Sage
How long had Ritter been in this room? He didn’t know. Ritter could only count to Twenty and no higher. He had kept count to that point but had no way higher, eventually he counted again over from One. And then again. And then again.
Opera
This room had gradually, over the months he had been here, completely ground away his will to exist, yet a child’s want to play was inevitable, even in oblivion. Sometimes he’d walk around the room. Sometimes he’d sit at a section of the wall and trace the indents. Sometimes he would pretend to be a statue. Anything, ANYTHING to keep his mind off his imprisonment.
Sage
But perhaps his favorite thing to do was doodle. You see the floor was very dusty, and early in his solitude he had swept it all to one corner. Soon after he had exhausted all other kinds of fun to be had, he discovered that the dust made for excellent drawing. He could trace his finger in the dust to draw as he pleased, and when done, could be swept right back into the corner for fast clean up.
Opera
Unfortunately, Ritter didn’t have much to draw, he had spent his whole life in this quiet little house in the middle of a thick, impenetrable forest. All he had known was to be found and contained in an area no larger than a square Kilometer. So rather sadly his drawings were limited in scope. Trees, Lakes, himself, his mother, Kyra…
Sage
There suddenly were wet spots on the dust, Ritter started crying again, involuntarily, as he began to draw those he knew and liked. Ritter cried a lot, but could hardly notice or care when he did. The side door opened, and a plate of food slid in silently. Ritter rushed over to the plate, eyeing its contents hungrily, the smell of fried chicken, collared greens and macaroni with cheese told him Luzzane cooked today.
Opera
Ritter hated it. He didn’t hate the food, mind you, he absolutely loved the food, the greens were always cooked nicely, the fried chicken was seasoned so wonderfully and the Macaroni was Ritter’s favorite food in the whole world. Even though Ritter loved his mother, even he knew there was a reason his mother wasn’t the cook often. If he had been at the big wooden table in the living room where dinner was eaten, or in the overflow in the patio where those too slow to claim a seat at the table would eat, he’d give Luzzane a big hug with as much strength as his tiny Five year old body could muster and tell her how she was the best cook in the whole wide world. Perhaps she would pick him up and hoist him into the air and tell him with an Auntie kind of affection that it tastes so wonderful because she made it with love.
But Ritter wasn’t at the big table in the living room, he was in this prison. Ritter realized that this had no love in it, Luzzane didn’t love him, but she thought of him, she had to have made him a plate to give it another to carry down, Luzzane never let anyone in the kitchen when she cooked, nobody except him and Kyra on account of Kyra being her daughter and Ritter and Kyra being inseparable. Luzzane used to tease them, saying she could already hear the wedding bells.
Sage
Ritter didn’t dwell on this thought too long though, he scarfed down the food as fast as he could get it in his mouth. Eating wasn’t exactly fun, but the warm food kept him from thinking. As Ritter finished he placed the plate at the semi door. Someone would soon come and grab it. Ritter then decided to go back to his little dust corner, and doodled an imitation of his dinner, to the best effect his deformed shapes and bent lines could output.
But when the semi door opened, signaling someone was here, a familiar voice flowed through the door into the Den.
Vierna, quietly
Ritter, come here.
Sage
Unsurprising to anyone, Ritter sprinted at the semi door, clinging to his mother’s arm which had appeared. He began to cry into it. The first time he had meant to cry since the first night he had spent in this place.
Ritter, softly into Vierna’s arm
Mom, why am I here? What did I do? Please let me out, please take me away, I promise to be a good boy… Please… Please… I promise… I promise…
Opera
Vierna silently sobbed herself on the other side of the door, she didn’t know what to do, how could she possibly say no? This was her child. She remembered when her Mate was slain by the Orthodoxy, how she had to carry an infant Ritter across rivers and valleys. To the Beast House, to be taken in by Thaddeus. Oh how Vierna’s heart flutters with the soft motion of a beast’s final breath remembering how Young and Muscled he was when she first met him.
Vierna thought, for the time a raindrop falls, perhaps she could take Ritter away. Even if they chased them, maybe, just maybe dying in each other’s arms was better than this..
No, No, No. The very thought led Vierna to mentally castigate herself for daring to consider her child dying preferable. Instead Vierna, unable to gain a hold of herself, began to sing to herself, a song her own mother used to sing whenever Vierna got hurt. A song she had not thought of in so long, yet in this agonizing moment, she began to gently chant in her mother tongue.
Sage
Audience, given that Vierna’s native language is probably known to you as German, we have decided the best way to present this moment is to have the original fully presented as is, and also provide you with translations.
Vierna
Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf,
Der Vater hüt die Schaf,
Die Mutter schüttelts B?umelein,
Da f?llt herab ein Tr?umelein.
Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf!
(Sleep, baby, sleep,
Thy father guards the sheep,
Thy mother shakes the little trees,
There falls down one little dream.
Sleep, baby, sleep!)
Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf,
Am Himmel ziehn die Schaf,
Die Sternlein sind die L?mmerlein,
Der Mond, der ist das Sch?ferlein,
Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf!
(Sleep, baby, sleep,
The sheep move through the sky,
The little stars are the little lambs,
The moon, is the little shepherd,
Sleep, baby, sleep!)
Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf,
so schenk ich dir ein Schaf
Mit einer goldnen Schelle fein,
Das soll dein Spielgeselle sein,
Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf!
(Sleep, baby, sleep,
I shall give you a sheep
With one fine golden bell,
That shall be thy playmate,
Sleep, baby, sleep!)
Opera
It was a song from the Oldworld her mother loved. Vierna had never really considered the Oldworld, she never had interest in such things, but “Schlaf, Kindlein, schlaf” had become ingrained in her mind for a very long time. But Tragedy! Her lullaby had eaten all the time she had with Ritter!
Vierna
Ritter, I’m sorry, I have to go, I got something for you though…
Sage
Vierna had to tussle her arm away from Ritter’s cling,
Opera
Though it tore her heart asunder to do so!
Sage
-and grabbed the plate, when she did, she slid something into the room, a small stuffed rabbit, knitted by Vierna in the dim glow of the evening SkyLight.
Vierna
Ritter, I want you to know your mother loves you so much, I would do anything for you, but I want above all, is to keep you safe. Know that right now, I cannot say why, but soon, I’ll explain this room.
Sage
And with those words, Vierna closed the door, and left Ritter alone. He quickly grasped at the Rabbit, and clutched it tightly on his chest.
Opera
And for the first time since he had been in the Quiet Den, Ritter slept soundly, not out of the dull grinding of his will but of a genuine, if distant comfort.
--One Year Later--
Sage
It had been a little over a year in The Quiet Den for Ritter.
Opera
While it was still a prison from which he could not escape, It had become a sort of a companion to him, a place of ennui over conventional despair.
Sage
Vierna had kept her promise, she came at least once a week. She always brought Ritter something, toys she made from simple materials, such as two wooden soldiers. Or she gave him books, she had wanted him to continue what little education he could be provided as a Werewolf child living in an isolated house. Whenever Kyra finished a book, Vierna had simply slipped it to Ritter for him to study. And Ritter studied, indeed in lack of other activities the books became a sort of quiet reprieve from his station.
Opera
But perhaps his favorite thing was to stare out the window. He would spend hours longingly looking out at the small lake The Beast House was situated near, its quiet surface felt so serene to him. Twas, for all accounts, a blissful serenity from which he would use as an escape, imagining himself diving into its clear depths. To submerge himself and refresh with the blue ripples of the leaves of nearby trees, oh, what splendor… With these little pieces of serenity, Ritter could almost suture together some semblance of peace.
In fact, the only thing that Ritter had truly grown to hate was the Wolf.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The Wolf… THAT Wolf, the one he encountered on the day of his exile, the one that snapped and snarled and bore its glistening white fangs at it behind those mysterious iron bars. Oh yes, it was here with him. Still behind the iron bars, yet it had not growled at him since his exile.
Sage
The Den was always divided whenever the Wolf appeared, the iron bars halved the room, Ritter on one side, and opposed by the Wolf. The Wolf’s intrusions never lasted more than a few minutes, but they persisted long enough to annoy Ritter. This time however, the Wolf was remarkably calm, it didn't growl, nor bite at the air nor even stood. It simply laid down with its head facing Ritter. Ritter himself had propped his body up to the tiny window, gently staring at the lake, taking occasional glances at the Wolf.
Opera
Something curious happened this time, Ritter decided that the calmness of the Wolf was worth investigating. He walked over to it and knelt down, gazing into its eyes. As he stared, something strange came about him, something scary, something horrifying, his bones went cold, and his blood froze. Ritter was overcome with some strange primal transfixture, and a shape began to make itself known within the inner darkness of the Wolf’s eyes. A strange pattern that was proportioned not by the congregation of shapes into a distinct form, but some unusual gap in geometry, edges defined by the lack of something as opposed to normal sight. Ritter kept staring, wondering what this was, he kept trying to look deeper and deeper, but like the sight of one's death, this was not something that could be seen with one’s own eyes. Slowly but surely, the prodding of Ritter's glare gave way to something in the Wolf. What was it? He could not yet make out what it was but was certain continued effort would change that, yes, it's getting clearer now, he can almost see it.. it is.. It Is… IT IS…!
Sage
A knock on the Den’s Semi Door scattered the Wolf into dust, and Ritter was jolted back to his primary senses, wondering if his mother had come, he carefully asked a question.
Ritter, cautiously
Hello? Who is there?
Kyra
It's me dummy.
Sage
Ritter let out a sigh of relief in the familiar voice, after all, even with all the time Ritter had been away from her, he still considered Kyra a friend.
Ritter
Oh, Kyra, what are you doing here? What if the Leader catches you? I'm sure he'd have you punished.
Sage
Ritter hobbled over to the semi door, hunched over slightly, hoping to catch a glimpse of his friend from underneath the divide.
Kyra
Actually, Thaddeus sent me down here. He wanted me to tell you something.
Opera
Ritter was confused, why would the Leader send Kyra down here? What could possibly be said to him?
Ritter
Ugh.. Why did he send you down here?
Kyra, ignoring Ritter's discomfort
It's so spooky down here, I haven't been down here since I Awakened.
Sage
Ritter felt a slight relief, Kyra had Awoken, which means she would not be condemned like he.
Kyra
Oh, honestly, I can't believe you failed, Ritter, it's so easy, just let the wolf out.
Ritter, bewildered
Let… it out?
Opera
Ritter thought to himself for a moment, what could Kyra possibly mean to let it out? From the Iron Bars that separated the two? And why would he? The Wolf had been up until that point, a dreadful presence that menaced Ritter at any opportunity. Ritter simply couldn't fathom the concept.
Ritter
Kyra, I don't understand what you're saying.
Kyra
Figures, it was so easy, so if you had a hard time, you must be stupid, good thing I don't play with you anymore, I wouldn't want to catch it.
Ritter, growing sad
Kyra, we're friends, we played together all the time…
Kyra
I have new friends, I run around with the Pack Ritter, I roam the forest and among the trees, I hunt the deer, the rabbits and one time I even brought down a big ol’ mountain lion. Thaddeus even said I had the makings of a Pack Matron, whatever that is, but I think it sounds cool!
Ritter
I guess, I guess I’m just happy you’re just not here….
Opera
Ritter wanted to sound relieved, he wanted to let Kyra know he was happy she was not suffering the same fate as he. But this increasing margin of betrayal from her has begun to take its toll.
Kyra
I’m glad too, I wouldn’t want to hang out with a loser like you.
Sage
Ritter began to crumble inside, the other person here who Ritter had left thought he was a loser. He realized that now, it was just him and his Mother, he had no one else…
Ritter, holding back tears
Well, what did you need to tell me Kyra?...
Kyra, remembering what she had come down here to say
Oh yea, I know, it’s your Mom Ritter, Thaddeus found her dead in her room, she.. Ugh, they said she hung herself? Anyway I don’t wanna be here anymore, bye Ritter, try to Awaken soon…
Opera
And so Ritter was left in that room, alone, learning that even his Mother was gone. She hung herself? Why? What had happened? Did she do it because of Ritter? Did she lie when she said she wasn’t disappointed in him? Why then, why would she come down here? Why give him these toys and books?
This was not something a child should be thinking, nor were they ever meant to handle such things. Atlas could hold the world, yet he was a mighty Titan, and Ritter was a child. And so Ritter was overwhelmed, and the only thing he could possibly think to do was lie down, whispering to himself…
Ritter
Why Mama…
Why Mama…
Why Mama…
Why…
Why….
Why…
Why…
---- 6 Years Later ----
Sage
It had been so long since then. Ritter could hardly stand, he spent most days laying in the corner of the room, passively fiddling with the toys his Mother made. But Ritter did not think about her. Never. He didn’t want to cry. Ritter only ever moved when the aches and pains a still body was heir to became overwhelming.
Opera
And that Wolf, that cursed Wolf, was still there, though Ritter hardly paid it any mind, it had become a kind of fixture of the room, background decoration to be ignored.
To be truthful Audience, had this day not been the one where he would be freed, you wouldn’t be told of it, frankly, what I and Sage have described could frankly have described any day Ritter experienced in the past six year, but as I just said, Audience, Today was a different day.
Sage
And the differences started around Noonish. At this point in time, Ritter was sitting by the window, overlooking the lake, when he saw something unusual. There were a number of individuals standing on the far side of the lake, they wore elaborate and beautiful clothes, far nicer than anything Ritter had ever seen before. These were clearly extraordinary individuals, at least that’s what Ritter thought. While gazing at the figures, one of them seemed to meet Ritter’s eyes, taking notice. This man was tall, and muscled. With dark brown hair spiked up. The man moved closer, but Ritter ducked from the window. He knew nothing of these people, but he knew that he was tired of being noticed.
A few moments after Ritter sat back down and began to make one of the wooden soldiers fire on the other, he heard the bloodcurdling roar of beasts. Then he heard the sounds of mysterious powers activating, and finally he heard the destruction of flesh and life. It filled all around the house, in the yard, the living room, even the upstairs. Ritter simply chose to ignore it.
Opera
After all, Ritter had long since learned that not caring didn’t hurt. So for as long as there was bloodshed above, Ritter simply played with the wooden soldiers.
-----
Inquisitor
Do you think that's all of them, Mars?
Maxwell Mars
I think so, I can't imagine a small pack like this one would have more then.. I'd say twenty members.
Inquisitor
Alright, anything else you think we need to do?
Mars
Well, first we need to sweep the perimeter, make sure all of them are accounted for, I'm going to look for that kid I saw.
Inquisitor
Are you sure they're not upstairs where we found the other one?
Mars
Unlikely, that one was a girl, I saw, well, I think I saw a boy. Ambiguous though, I just saw them in a sub window.
Hmm, I'll sweep the basement, you and others go through the rest of the house.
Sage
Mars went about into the basement, climbing down the stone stairway to a small area with a few doors. The child was here, Mars knew it, while Mars could not call upon a Wolf Like Form, he still possessed its enhanced senses, and he was able to smell a child present.
The first door he entered was a pitch black room, no lights, no furniture, nothing. Mars considered this might be some kind of Awakening chamber, he had seen many at his point, they were usually crude. This one was no better.
The second door led to a room with some boxes filled with miscellaneous items and furniture.
Opera
A storage room, how thrilling.
Sage
However, as Mars looked around the Storage room, he noticed a small square semi door. Putting his ear to it, he heard some noise, though difficult to determine what was in there, he knew it had to be a person. Mars knocked on the door.
Mars
Hey, whoever is in there, step back!
Sage
Mars kicked the wall above the semi door, and the stone came down effortlessly. When Mars walked into the room, he saw a young boy, no older than 12, sitting in ragged clothes, holding onto some wooden soldiers.
Mars
Child, are you alright? What's your name?
Sage
Mars reached his hand out towards Ritter. Ritter simply looked down and continued on with his soldiers. Mars approached the boy, and knelt down to his level. He grabbed on of the soldiers and made little noises with his mouth imitating gunfire.
Opera
And Ritter realizes that the person before him, is real, of flesh and blood. Ritter realizes that someone has actually not only come into the room, but is taking him out of it.
Mars
Child, what's wrong? Are you scared? You don't have to be, I'm going to take you away from here.
Sage
At these words, Ritter looked up, the light returned to his eyes as he gazed upon who he now realized was his savior.
Ritter
Really? I… don't have to stay here anymore?
Mars, reaching his hand out again
No, not anymore.
Sage
At these words Ritter stood, not to ease pain, but to take the steps he had long abandoned in the black reaches of his heart. A desire ground to dust in these haunting years of imprisonment. Ritter grasped the hand and clung on tight.
Mars
What were you doing here?
Ritter
I.. failed.
Opera
Mars was at a loss for words, a Quiet Den? To think this pack was so backwards, so barbaric as to imprison Runts. It made him sick, he wanted to go upstairs and impale each and every one of those foul mongrels again for even thinking of doing something so horrible. But no, he couldn't, he knew that his primary purpose now was to make sure this child was safe and secure. The pack was already dead, but this child was alive, alive and needing someone.
Mars
Child, what is your name?
Ritter, weakly looking up
Ritter…
Mars
No last name?
Sage
Ritter's silence told Mars what was to be said about that.
Opera
As Ritter's mind whirled with all sorts of thoughts, of freedom, of places beyond the room, the house, even the lake, one voice in his head began to subsume the others. One after another, each thought was devoured, until looking up at Mars, it became clear as the sky.
“I want to be like you”
