The Beast Within

A King's Game: Chapter Twenty-One

When Phelan beheld the fields outside the castle walls, his mouth fell open in awe.

"I didn't know the world could look like this," he whispered.

I laughed and playfully punched his arm.

"Wait until you see what's inside the trees."

We broke into a run towards the woods. It was miles away, but we were spurred by anticipation.

We were free.

Phelan's excitement was quickly deflated by exhaustion, and we had to stop several times so he could collect his breath.

"Is it—going to take—much longer? I'm not used—to running." He gulped air like water. "Oh, my sides—hurt!"

"You have a way to travel faster," I told him.

Phelan's wolf had the foresight to grab the blanket its human wore, and held the covering between its teeth as it ran. This, thankfully, reminded my wolf to take my clothes with it, too, though there was hardly enough left to call them proper attire.

Our wolves made quick work of the distance, and leaped and howled in joyful noise as they approached the treeline. It felt like coming home. There was a long-missed comfort under the shade of the forest, but nothing was as lovely to witness as Phelan's unbridled glee. 

He became a boy again, with eyes full of unending wonder. He shouted and listened as the echo of his voice rang through the trees and startled a flock of birds into flight. He took deep breaths through his nose and held his hands high in the air. He threw fistfuls of dirt and leaves in celebration. After tiring himself, he sat against a tree and sighed. His eyes were teary, and he chuckled as he wiped them away.

"I never dreamed I would be this lucky," he said.

Though it was desperate to run, my wolf allowed me to change back into myself. I joined Phelan in sitting.

"You're a new person," I said. "You can go wherever you want, and—"

"Do whatever I want, and say what I please and eat what I please! I can even do this!"

He stood and ran towards a tall trunk. He tried to jump and kick himself off of it, but fell short and ended up plopping hard onto the ground, in a pile of unrestrained giggling. 

As I watched him play, perhaps for the first time in his life, I was at peace. I touched the vial around my neck and silently thanked both fate and the twins. A soft breeze carried across my skin, prickling it with a chill, and I was reminded of my naked state. My wolf had dropped my clothing on the forest floor, so I went to dress myself.

Phelan made no move to cover his body, but I didn't judge him for that.

As tattered as my clothes were, it took me several moments to figure out which were the correct holes to put my arms and legs through, and as I searched my hand grazed a lump in one of the pockets.

A tube held together by a delicate string.

My tapestry.

Until now, I didn't have the chance to look at it. I pulled it from my pocket and broke the string.

"What's that?" Phelan asked as he pulled himself from the ground.

I smiled at the finished picture. "It's a gift."

I turned the tapestry so he could see it.

It was an image of me standing next to a gray wolf with one hand resting on its head. My other hand was raised with my palm flat, and perched on it was a white spider. Surrounding the trio was a forest of orange and red and yellow trees, and behind them lay a world full of possibilities.

"That's beautiful," Phelan said.

"Yes, it is."

I rolled the tapestry back into a tube and tucked it into my pockets. When I looked up to say something to him, I found Phelan's expression overtaken with sorrow.

"What's wrong?"

"I didn't think of it before...with the court gone, that means...the prince is dead, too, isn't he?"

I gave a grim nod. "I'm sorry."

"I'm really free."

"You are."

"But I wish it could have been different for him."

I put my hand on his shoulder. "His spirit will watch you, and he'll see all the marvelous adventures you'll have."

"Do you truly believe that?"

"I do. Because I know that my pa is doing the same." 

After hearing my words, he relaxed.

"Well, Phelan, now that you have freedom, what are you going to do?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. There's a lot to do and see, isn't there?"

"Oh, yes."

"Then I think I want to do and see all of it."

"A pretty big task," I said with a chuckle.

"I have the time for it. I'll start by walking through the entire woods, and after that I'll roam the world beyond it. What are you going to do? Do you think maybe...you might want to join me? See everything together?"

It was a tempting offer, and I almost accepted it.

"I've done my share of wandering, I think. Now, the only thing I want is a familiar face. I suppose I'll finish what I set out to do in the first place and search for my sister. Good or bad, I must find out what became of her."

Phelan's face scrunched in disappointment but it quickly passed.

"Thank you," he said. "I know you were forced to...that is, you might not have wanted to bite me...but I'm glad you did."

"I'm glad I did, too."

"We're brothers now. Maybe one day we'll find each other again—and we can be in a pack!"

"I might like that."

"After you find your sister, of course. She would be welcome to join us, too."

"That's very kind of you."

"What's her name, so I can listen for it?"

"Credence."

"That's a good—"

He stopped and slapped his hand over his mouth.

"I can't believe it," he exclaimed, "a day full of names, and I still don't know yours! The queens said it, but I can't remember."

"Josiah."

"Josiah, yes. Josiah, Credence, and Phelan. That sounds like a good trio."

He went to the spot where his wolf had dropped the blanket but did not move to pick it up.

"I think it's time to give someone else a taste of freedom," he said.

He released a whimper as his human form twisted. The brown wolf looked at me and gave a gentle huff.

"I hope you enjoy it," I said to the animal.

It turned and walked away, and I watched with a smile as my new friend disappeared into the trees.