Chapter 7

They're All Talk

"You're going to kill the King, but you're animals. You're talking to me right now," Grey says slowly.

Phoenix sneers at him. "You got a problem with that?"

"No, no," Grey replies. "I'm just confused on how you..." He runs a hand over the back of his neck and paces a few steps.

"Spit it out or don't bother speaking. If you wanna say something, say it."

"You've said you're not Generals, but the only other talking animal I've ever seen is a General. How are you... existing right now?"

"We are not Generals," Ky says, cutting off Phoenix before he can speak. "We have never been Generals. Many Generals are animals who can talk, but there are others who are animals, just not Generals."

"End of story," Phoenix adds.

"Why did you come and find us here?" I ask.

Phoenix rolls his eyes but doesn't reply, and Ky thinks for a few moments.

"We saw a bird falling through the tree line," Ky replies. "It looked suspicious so we decided to check it out. Then we saw you two and realized you're the Wolf and the Dove. Four is stronger than two."

"You want us to join you?" I say cautiously.

Ky shrugs. "Sure. I think it's safe to say we all want the cream puff gone. He tried to kill you two. Considering you two ran, you don't seem like the loyal forever and ever type that some of his followers are."

"He must've done something to yo-."

Phoenix cuts me off with a rumbling growl and a flash of wicked teeth. He leaps forward, standing directly in front of me and glaring with murder in his eyes. I can easily imagine the flames across his body crackling and sparking.

"Finish that sentence and you'll be dead. You don't get to ask that." Phoenix's gaze is intense, and I have to look away.

"Very well," Grey murmurs. "Still, though, how did you end up here? What are you doing so far out in the forest, away from the Sea? Forgive me for being suspicious, but out of everywhere you could be on Ragdon, you just happened to stumble across us?"

Grey has a point, and I join him, standing at his side. It would be nice if Ky and Phoenix truly meant no harm, but the King has his fingers everywhere and I'm not sure yet.

"We don't live in the Sea," Phoenix replies. "Never have, never will. We live out here, in the forest, away from the cream puff as I plot his demise."

"We're always wandering," Ky adds on, "and we're always moving. We'd been meaning to come down this way and check out Siren's Lookout for a while but got sidetracked with finding food. We were originally going to come down yesterday but hunting took longer than we thought it would, and so we decided to get some rest and make the trek today."

"How do I know you're not using an illusion right now to trick me of something?" I ask, remembering how Ky had cast the fire illusion.

"Oh, I cannot do anything to you. My powers will never work on you."

I frown. "How do I know you're not tricking my brother, then?"

Ky glances over at Grey. "I could, technically, but I wouldn't. I want your help. I think we could make a great team and take on the cream puff. The end of his reign is well past due. I mean, he's been around for, like, a hundred years. It's his time to go."

"It's his time to die, not just go," Phoenix snarls. "Besides, if we really wanted to hurt you, we would've done something by now. Ky doesn't want to hurt you, and I don't care enough to expend that energy. So, are you guys gonna join us or not?"

He doesn't care enough, I think to myself. That's just lovely.

"You want us to fight with you?" I ask.

Ky nods. "Yes, we'd love that."

"Love is a strong word," Phoenix mutters, wrinkling his muzzle and pinning his ears at Ky's sharp glare.

"I don't want to fight the King," Grey says as he takes a step back. "I can see that you do and I have no intention of stepping in your way, but I do not wish to fight the King."

"And why the fuck not?" Phoenix snaps back.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"I don't want bloodshed. No one wins in a fight."

Phoenix stalks up to Grey, eyes flashing. "I beg to differ," he snarls. "When the cream puff falls, I will have won."

"That's not what I mean," Grey replies, looking off to the side and running a hand down his arm. "Someone might emerge the victor, but innocents get caught in the crossfire and there's injuries and deaths on both sides. How can you call that a win?"

"So you're just gonna let the cream puff sit on his Throne then, huh?" Phoenix snorts, then turns around. "Ky, let's go. I'm not even gonna bother."

"Phoenix, be nice. We can have a civil conversation," Ky murmurs.

Grey sits down and leans back against a tree. He laces his fingers together as he speaks. "I never said that. I said that I didn't want to fight the King. I'd prefer to get him off of the Amethyst Throne in a more peaceful manner. I can't go up against the full force of his army, his Dragon, the Amethyst Throne, and the power he himself holds. A physical fight would entail just that."

"So you want to ask him nicely to please stop," Phoenix deadpans.

"He won't listen to that," Grey says quickly.

Phoenix huffs, flicking one of his long ears. "The cream puff ain't gonna listen to anything except you beating it through his skull. He's not gonna care until it hits him where it hurts."

"The King has all the power," I say, crossing my arms over my chest. I stand beside Grey, and the two cat brothers seem far bigger, far more intimidating. "How's anyone supposed to win against someone like the King? Grey and I got by keeping our heads down. I don't know how you two did it."

"How will anyone win against the King if they don't try?" Ky muses, tilting his head to the side. The red bandana around his shoulders falls over his right foreleg, revealing a lengthy burned hole on the edge.

"I don't know," Grey replies, "but I don't think you can if you go up against the whole of his power. He's strong. He has many on his side. He has the Judge and the Justice who always rule in his favor."

"They're just hunks of rock. They're stuck so far in the past they can't tell up from down. Don't even bother with them. Besides, they're at the Garden more often than not."

"What even is the Garden?" I find myself asking.

Phoenix snickers. "A place I've been meaning to burn down for ages. We should go to it. It'll be a blast turning it to pieces."

"Well, aren't you awfully punny today." Ky's brown eyes glimmer with amusement.

"How can you so casually insult creatures with that much power?"

"Because I couldn't care less about them. They're not worth my time, and they'll go crumbling to the ground, just like the rest of the cream puff's reign. You shouldn't care either. They're among the less powerful of the cream puff's creations."

"Less powerful?" I snap, ignoring the dark glare Phoenix shoots my way. "The Judge and Justice sentenced us to death, and the King listened."

"They're all talk. They don't attack. You can overpower them, so can I, so can Ky."

"They sentenced us to death, and Grey almost died." I jab a finger toward my brother. "I almost lost him because of the Judge and the Justice."

"He didn't die though, did he?"

"Phoenix, be nice," Ky says, folding his haunches and sitting down.

"Grey's standing right there, isn't he?" Phoenix growls. "Any of us could defeat those stupid gargoyles. They're all talk. Without the cream puff, they're nothing. All they do is follow the cream puff's demands. They didn't even really sentence you guys, because the cream puff knew the verdict the Justice would give before they were even in the room. So really they've got zero power. You almost lost your brother because of the cream puff, not because of the Judge and Justice."

I stare down Phoenix, working over his words, and he holds my gaze.

"The Judge and the Justice might hold a great deal of influence, but I'm sure we don't have to tell you how their trials usually go," Ky adds. "The cream puff's on top. He could've overruled the verdict."

"I'm still angry with the Judge and the Justice," I reply.

Grey places a hand on my shoulder. "I'm alright," he murmurs.

Ky ducks his head and nods. "And I'd never tell you to feel not angry. It must've been a horrific experience to go through."

"Are you really going to kill the King?" Grey asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

Phoenix huffs a laugh that rumbles in his chest, flashing his fangs as his eyes blaze. "There's no question about it. I will kill the cream puff."

"And what do you want from us?"

"You're the Wolf and the Dove. You both hold a great deal of power, and four is stronger than two, no matter what my brother might say. As you've said yourself, the cream puff is no easy target, and so we'd like to join forces. All of us want him gone."

"Why us?" Grey asks.

"You're the Wolf and the Dove," Ky repeats. "It doesn't matter if you've only had the pendant and the medallion for a short while."

I frown. "How do you know more about the Wolf and the Dove than we do?"

Ky chuckles, looking off to the side as his ears draw back and he ticks his head to the side. "I-. I like the Midnight Wolves. There's a great deal of overlap between them and the legend of you two. I've always found it interesting."

"Where did you learn all of that?"

"I've... I've had a lot of free time on my hands. Phoenix and I have traveled a great deal of Ragdon. We can't take the cream puff down with just the power the two of us have —shut it, Phoenix. You know it's true—." Ky shoots a pointed look at his brother before continuing. "We've been looking for alternative ways to still take the cream puff down, but also still be involved. I won't settle for anything less than Phoenix getting his shot, but I know we can't do it on our own."

"My god, this is getting sappy." Phoenix wrinkles his nose and pins his ears to his skull. "Let's get moving. The sun's gonna start setting soon and we should probably find a place to sleep."

xxxx

We do find a place to sleep.

Phoenix leads the way through the forest, and a while later determines that we're far enough away from where Grey and I crash landed that the Guard and Soldiers wouldn't find us, at least yet.

"It's an island," he says. "There's only so far you can run. But lucky for you, the Guard and Soldiers are absolute idiots when it comes to fighting."

I lay down on the ground, pillowing my head on my arm. Grey settles down beside me, and Ky curls up a few paces away. Phoenix glances at us, then turns his back to us, resting his cheek on a foreleg.

Through breaks in the tree branches, I see stars twinkling above us and the colorful, swirling clouds of dust making up galaxies. A midnight blue blankets the sky, a dark background for the kaleidoscope of colors shining in the cosmos. Something about the mesmerizing sight makes me feel so small, yet also draws me in.

"First night not in the Sea and away from the King," Grey murmurs, voice soft and distant. "Never thought we'd be anywhere but there."

"Same here," I reply

"Go to sleep," Phoenix grumbles without lifting his head. "I'm keeping watch."

I doze off at some point a while later, falling into a dreamless slumber.