Chapter 10
Coping
It took us the rest of the day to get back to the white box house. When we arrived on the scene, we found that our long trek had been for nothing. The houses were now ashes. Everything was burned down and gone. I stifled a sob and glanced down at Razor to see how he was reacting. He looked at the ashes with despair written all over his face. I lay down with my head on my paws. "Now what?" Asked Razor. I closed my eyes and took a deep, shaky breath before answering. "I don't know. I just don't know." Razor turned around and snuggled close to me. "Then I guess we'll have to make something up," he said. I smiled and looked at the sky. It had all been so perfect. In my mind the Sparkle had, had no problems. It had been a perfect place I could escape to. Now it was a war zone, with danger everywhere. Razor walked around to face me. "My mom died on earth. She was really nice, like you. I was taken away by the talking wolves. They said I was always one of them. I never believed them. Now, I know it's true. I bit the paw of their leader and scratched his nose up. He was immensely embarrassed, and they locked me up. I was to be eaten the day you rescued me. It's gross, but it's true. I'm sorry you're stuck as one of me. It's awful to be a talking wolf." He erupted into angry sobs and curled up next to my head. "It's ok. Razor, you'll be alright. Did your mother name you?" Razor shook his head and looked up at me. "She was supposed to name me the day after I was captured. Until then, she called me Pup. I just miss her so much." He buried his face in my paw and cried for a few more minutes. He eventually lifted his head to look me in the eye. "I'm barely three months old. I want you to be my mommy." I kept the gasp silent as he looked at me with those glittering eyes. I shook my head and looked again. He was so beautiful! Beautiful and innocent. If only everyone were like him. "I...I don't know what to say!" I answered. He looked down at his paws, clearly embarrassed. "I didn't know you were so young. I mean, when I talked to you back at the multicolored Ferar Tree, you seemed so much older!" He looked up at me again and nodded. "I was angry. I had chosen all those words and such before you found me. I'd been thinking them since I'd been given the boot." He smiled slightly and stared down at his paws. "Well, we best get up. If you want to call me mommy, that's fine. Mom is fine too. I don't mind either one. Or you can call me Sarah. Whichever you prefer." Razor gasped and looked at me with renewed respect. "What? What is it, Razor?" He stuttered as he said,"Your name! You're the princess! I never knew." He stood and made a quick bow. I stood up also, but I did not bow. I just stood there looking stupid and confused. "You've come to save us! Every animal on the earth, on the Sparkle, and anywhere else around has certainly heard of you! Humans are the only ones who do not know. There are soo many people to choose from. I wonder why he chose you?" Razor seemed like an ancient, wise wolf. He was really no more than a pup, but he was speaking with such excitement and knowing. "What do you mean? I want to know! I am so sick of animals being surprised when they hear my name. It means nothing special! There are many Sarah's!" Razor shook his head and stared at me in wonder. "The story is much too long. I'll tell it to you when we arrive at the orange tree. If that's ok, Mom." I took a few steps forward, nodding my head, and looking stupid. It wasn't a long time before we reached the orange tree again. The birds didn't even part their feathers. They just tossed down a few oranges and kept covered. "It's because of the war," I explained to Razor. He stretched out on the grass and closed his eyes. I looked at the oranges. How would I ever get those open? I shrugged and lay on the grass a few feet from my ‘son'. He began the long story, as we sunned ourselves. "It all started a long, long time ago. A wolf was sitting in the woods. Her pups were playing in the grass, and she was keeping a watchful eye on them. The little wolves asked their mother if they could go to the stream. It was only a few feet away, so their mother said ‘yes'. The pups ran into the stream and played there for a while. The sun peeked through the trees and warmed the river and the pups in the river. They did not notice when the sun was blocked. The mother was sleeping. A loud screech was heard, and the mother jumped up. She saw nothing. She looked toward the sky and saw a large form carrying something small. It was limp. The mother ran to her pups and noticed that only four of them were there. The pups explained the creature that took their brother away. They said it was big, with scales, sharp teeth, a long tail, and get this. It looked like a lizard. The mother was scared for her life and the lives of her pups. She took them to a very old woodchuck that lived in a log upstream. She asked the woodchuck what the thing was, but the woodchuck didn't know. The mother asked many, many animals in the forest, but none knew. They became worried and followed the mother and her pups. A horse-like creature appeared in a meadow to the traveling, scared animals. It told them that the creature was a dragon, that it'd be back. It told them to run and hide. That dragons hunt for sport, when they're not hungry. The animals, upon hearing this, ran off. The mother stayed a moment longer and asked the horse creature what it was. It said it was a ‘unicorn'. The mother nodded and thanked the unicorn. She took her pups and found a cave. They lived there and watched the savage dragons carry animals into the sky and to their caves. It was too much after a month of the killing. The mother went down to the lake and tried to drown herself. The pups were long gone. Each pup had been slowly eaten by the dragons. The mother sank in the water, but she was brought to the surface. She was carried to dry land and was given meat to eat. She ate and sunned herself with her eyes closed. "I just want to die," she sobbed after sunning for a half hour. Whatever had carried her to the shore sat beside her and answered,"You mustn't die. You must pass on these words I will tell you." The wolf agreed and slowly opened her eyes. A centaur stood above her and explained the strange creatures she would see. The wolf listened intently to everything that the centaur said. He gave her the words to pass on and he was gone. The wolf ran through the forest telling everyone within ear shot the words. The words were these. ‘One will come. Her name will mean princess. She will visit the dragons, the unicorns, and the Sparkle. She will be wise and will seem a fool. Listen to her and let her defeat the dragons for you. Do not interfere with her work. She will outdo you all.' Those words have been passed on for quite some time now. I know the princess is you. Everyone around thinks you're incapacitated. They think you're stupid, crazy, and a fool. This proves everything the centaur told the wolf was true. That is how I know it is you. Quint also knows it is you. Not too many know if it is you that is the one that will save us or not. Everyone is surprised at your name and the possibility of you being the dragon slayer is fresh in their minds when they hear the name ‘Sarah'. That is the story. I heard it from my mother. Everyone has heard it somewhere. And now we are all waiting." I looked at him, still slightly confused. "Waiting for what?" I asked him. Razor opened his eyes to look at me and said, nonchalantly,"Why, we are waiting for you to prove yourself. Princess, you must slay the dragons. That is one of the oldest ways to say it. ‘Slay dragons' is so old. But it is accurate. You must slay the dragons to prove you are the one who will save all creatures. If it is not you, then we are all fools. I believe it is you, Sarah. I believe it is you." He smiled knowingly at me, and closed his eyes. I sunned a while until I drifted off to sleep. My dreams were full of me slaying dragons.
Razor clawed at my paw. I slowly opened one eye. As soon as my eyes were open, I noticed that something awful had just happened. Razor threw himself on my neck and whined. "What's wrong, baby?" I asked in a hoarse voice. Why was my throat so dry? "Mom! Oh, Mom. They came! I thought they'd killed you. I'm so scared!" It was hard, but I managed to swallow. I gasped for breath. My body hurt, my legs hurt, my ears hurt, even my mouth hurt. "What...happened?" I asked. Razor stood up and told the stories while his tears dripped on my neck. "The dragons came! While you were sleeping, they came! I heard them. I stood up and ran. I tried to wake you so you could come with me, but you were too sleepy! You wouldn't wake up. I hid in a strange bush until they left. They hurt you badly, Mom! I think they knocked you unconscious!" I groaned and tried to move my legs. They all moved fine, but it hurt to move anything. At least nothing was broken. "Ok. Just stay calm. We'll be alright. I think we can keep on going." "Mom! You look awful. You can't walk looking like that! Mom!" I growled and he shut his mouth. Slowly, carefully, I got up. I was stiff and so sore. "It'll be alright, Razor. We'll keep going," I said to comfort him and myself. He frowned but let me comfort him. "Come on. Let me carry you now. You aren't fast enough." Razor shook his head in horror. "Mom! You can't carry me! Not from lack of water and your wounds!" I shook my head and angrily looked at him. "I have to get to the orange tree. You tell me which way to go, and I'll carry you there. I can run. Trust me, my little boy." Razor collapsed in the dust. The grass was gone and only sandy, gritty dust was left. He shook his head over and over again. I walked to him and picked him up by the nape of his neck. He let me carry him. "You need a new name. Anyone who knows your name is Sarah will try to kill you. Even Sariah is too close." I walked on, trying to think up a name. I set him on the ground and caught my breath. He seemed very heavy. I quickly drew in a deep breath and said,"I'll stick with Wolfette. Simple and not commonly used." Razor looked up at me and said,"That sounds good. I like that name." He lowered his head, exposing the loose skin of his neck. I picked him up and continued my trek toward the hopefully still standing orange tree. Razor told me what his mother looked like and her personality. It didn't hurt him any to talk about her. He said it was because he liked his mother and everything he remembered about her was good. He said she was a smart, young wolf and would have protected him from the talking wolves if she could have. I let him talk. It kept his mind off of the tragedy at hand. The Ferar Tree came in sight. Razor started chatting about how he liked the trees. He talked about the Clyuires and the dragons. He seemed to like all the different creatures. He said he liked the creatures because they were different from the animals on the plain old world. As we neared the tree, shadows came over us. I knew they were the shadows of dragons. Each time a shadow passed over us, we ducked and flattened ourselves to the ground. We eventually made it to the tree. "It's ok. It's Sarah. I'm going by Wolfette so no one will capture me. I am your friend, remember?" A small group of feathers parted and a bird fell to my shoulder. "We know you. Don't worry. Just say Wolfette when you come close and we will instantly know who you are." The bird smiled. I thanked the bird for its kindness toward me and my ‘son'. "Why don't you change back to human?" I sighed and shook my head as I explained. "I cannot. I am stuck as a wolf. I do not know why. I only know that it is safer for me as a wolf than as a person." The bird nodded its head in agreement. "Anything that is not an animal is in danger. Even the trees are in danger. It is a wonder the dragons did not decide to eliminate us. Oh, and we are not birds. We are called Chilidean. We have to have a different name from the tree, because, though we are a part of the tree, we are not the tree itself." I laughed and nodded. "Makes sense. Can we have a few oranges? I noticed that you didn't have one in your mouth when you came down from the tree." The bird held its wing up and pointed toward the tree. "Those stupid dragons, they have run the ground dry of water. We have barely any fruit. We do not eat the fruit. We save the fruit for our friends or weary travelers. We can give you two oranges. That is all." I nodded and said,"That'll be good. Thanks." The Chilidean got off my shoulder and bounced back to the tree. Two oranges came from the tree. The Chilidean nodded after I thanked it and covered itself with feathers once more. I looked at the oranges. I was faced with the same problem as before. How would I get to the juicy middle?
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