Chapter 20: Pack

"The answer is that all other three people can move on. One himself has to stay behind." The lion seemed unimpressed but nodded. "I suppose you can go on."

Wasting glanced at Vanos. "I know you can handle the situation yourself. Can I tag along anyway? I need to stretch my legs. Get out of the town for a while."

Vanos told him, "Of course you can." Vanos smiled at Wasting, and Wasting returned. "Who else is going to keep you from abusing drugs?"

Wasting grunted. "One drink a night."

"Yes, with moonshine, one drink." Wasting growled. "You might be a big guy," Vanos said as he looked at him. "You know better anyway." Vanos gave him a second look over and Wasting stuck his tongue out at Vanos. Vanos growled at him.

The lion said, "I can teleport both of you." She conjured a bright pink ring and gestured both step inside. "I'll see you later."

Vanos and Wasting stepped in, and a bright pink light surrounded them.

Vanos stumbled out onto the street in front of his shop. He said, "Here we are, Wasting, right where I left it." He stared at the ice cream shop. He opened it up and entered.

Wasting examined it, and noticed the checkerboard pattern, the tables, the counters, none recently washed or polished. There had been broken glass and tables, signs of struggles. Vanos stared out the window.

"Someone should have cleaned up while I was gone," Vanos said until he stared at the glass from the window. He said, "Someone else attacked."

Wasting frowned. "That's awful to hear about." He saw crimsons and violats walking down the street without fear of each other. "You guys seem like you like each other in this town, considering you intermingle together." He had the urge to bite down and eat somebody inside, and he tapped on Vanos' shoulder.

Vanos stared at him. Wasting kept rubbing Vanos' back, and Vanos retreated from the touch, with a raised eyebrow.

"Can you kick in your cool Willpower power before I eat one of the citizens, Vanos?" Wasting fluttered his long eyelashes.

Vanos said, "You can find inner willpower. I would but I have no idea how to kick it on." Vanos went to the back. He opened the safe and found the Drakold that was in when he left the shop was still there. "No one has been here for days. That means they got kidnapped."

Wasting said, "Well, you should get the best of the trackers on the job, and maybe even some of the hunters."

"You mean the police?" Vanos asked.

Wasting laughed. Vanos tilted his head. "I think we are dealing with little more than a revolt or something."

Vanos said, "Police are there to protect the land."

"Yes, from the land itself. Individual people are stupid, and a risk to the rest. We have to lock up the bad guys. A private detective or tracker finds the good guys."

Vanos said, "Let me guess, you have only five jobs in Canida. Tracking, hunting, healing, traveling, and policing. Right?"

Wasting said, "Digging is important. Swillow always said she thought we wolves were going away from how we should exist. I know Swillow may burn this place down if she saw it."

Vanos said, "It is far from an ideal place for a wolf. Still, we are trying to find my sister, and my cousins. I will refocus on that."

Wasting said, "Wise." He opened the door, and both exited. Wasting first saw the poster on a pole he never saw. "What is this pole for?" The poster was a missing poster for Vanos.

Vanos came up to the poster. "This is a telephone pole, you know. You should be advanced enough to know that. You guys have blenders."

Wasting said, "Yes, because we like eating. Talking to each other? Not that much." He at least understood the concept of a telephone, then.

Vanos said, "I will tell you the entire situation." He told Wasting what happened. Day one of the month and they first found the Firefly Diary, and as the month progressed they learned the truth about Lhyna. They had also been attacked by Lantorn, and even their own cousin Mynt, plus Rhed and Blhu. By the end of it all, Vanos ended up on the moon.

"It has been a long ride, Wasting," Vanos said, the bags under his eyes explained for the first time since Wasting met him. Vanos laughed. "I think we did something bad."

Wasting said, "If your cousin was involved, she should know more than she told you. Why not go ask her?"

Vanos said, "I think it will take a long time for our relationship to heal." Vanos scanned the poster and said, "Entire hyena clan on the lookout. I should talk to them. Right?"

Wasting said, "I think trusting hyenas is always a bad choice." Who knew Wasting was a racist? "But, I mean, it's your only lead."

Vanos figured the audaciousness of Wasting's statement could be talked about later. Vanos took a walk down, and said, "Watch what you say."

***

"Queen Jazmyn?" Karv the giant guard asked.

The hyena queen sat on her throne. She was a fair pink color, with dark brown patches. Her lair was bathed in walls of blue with the lightbulb itself giving off blue light. It gave a dream vibe or some would say psychedelic like a prognosticator's orb. Jazmyn gazed at Karv. "Yes?"

"You have guests. Two wolves, one of which is Vanos.."

Jazmyn gave a small wave, and he went to retrieve the two. He came back with the yellow and blue wolf. Wasting kept away from Karv, and clung to Vanos.

"I thought you were taken," Jazmyn said.

"Yes, and to the moon," Vanos said. "I know that something bad has happened. I am looking for my cousins and sister, do you know?" The air felt heavy.

Jazmyn said, "There have been a lot of disappearances surrounding you and your ice cream pack. Which is weird as Lilu herself has gone away. I thought she ran away. Can you confirm she was kidnapped?" She sounded nonchalant about the running away idea.

Vanos told her, "I think I know what's been going on." He told her the entire story from the beginning to the end.

Jazmyn's eyes widened at a few points, and she thought about the other parts. "It sounds a lot like we have work to do."

Wasting told Vanos, "I saw the calendar. It says that you have about five days to fix your situation before the eclipse. If you wait it out, they might give them up."

Vanos said, "They could, or they could use them as hostages that way they can collect the last treasure. Then it's game over for the entire empire of Wysdom." Vanos stared down, and said, "How am I supposed to weight many against few?"

Jazmyn told him, "Since one of them is my child, I can agree that is far from ideal." She jumped from the throne, and laughed. "Now, I can tell you are concerned. I am too."

"That laugh makes you sound less concerned than you think," Wasting said. Jazmyn proceeded towards him, and brought her face into his. He turned his snout sideways and she almost pressed herself into him.

She laughed again, and took a few steps away. "If it comes down to it, I think I know the choice I have to make, for you. Maybe a hostage for hostages?"

Karv approached, and Wasting stood in front of Vanos. Karv attempted to stare Wasting down, but Wasting stood taller. Male hyenas were shorter than females, and while hyenas were taller than a wolf most of the time, Wasting was a tall wolf.

Jazmyn said, "You should let him pass. I think we should avoid bloodshed. I have to offer him up, and you know it."

Wasting growled at them. "Vanos is the only true friend I've had in years, and if you are using him as bait, you're not."

Vanos said, "No, this isn't happening Jazmyn." He stared towards the hyena queen and went to her. The intimidation of her girth underpowered his will to fight. "You can send your guards around all the crevices in Wysdom if you need to. I know our only chance to find them is this. Use my as bait."

Karv tried to sidestep Wasting, but Wasting pressed his shoulder into Karv's chest. The two butted against each other and Wasting pushed Karv back. Vanos tucked his tail.

Wasting kept pushing and Vanos nudged into Wasting. Wasting broke the fight up, and slunk back. Jazmyn grinned at Vanos, and Vanos resigned.

Karv came up to Vanos, wary of Wasting, and said, "You are under arrest. I think you know the rest of the talk."

The door flew open. Karv snapped his attention and readied himself to fight. Vanos' eyes widened as he saw who it was.

A coyote wolf hybrid stood in the congregation room. She said, "My name is Mynt, and I am Vanos' older sister. I was former worker for Lantorn, and if you're taking him, you have to take us too. All of us."

"All of us?" Vanos asked.

He saw three more wolves walk in, without Karv being able to stop them all. The first one was the biggest.

She was dark brown, and had cheek fluff a lot like Mosor. She shared her coat color with her two daughters. Choclox.

The next wolf, a lighter brown wolf. He also had a patch of yellow around him on spots. His uncle, Paynut.

Then Vanos saw the last one. She smiled at him. She was a pure pink color, like Jazmyn, but closer to candy. She also had black patches on herself.

"Mom," Vanos said as he saw the three children of Sunday. The three children, and they were standing to support their children and nieces and nephew.

All three smiled and Vanos realized for the first time he had someone who had his back. Wasting stared at Vanos, making that four. Jazmyn tilted her head, and the original ice cream pack stood combined, the power of three, and they all knew what to do to save their children.