A new power - Chapter Six

Stonebreaker


The next morning, Jimmy was the first one to wake up.
He went to check on the wolf, but it wasn't there! So, he ran around the Tortuga, looking for it. He searched through every room, apart from Martin's.
But when he didn't find it in the other rooms, he carefully opened the door to the last room where he would believe the animal was. He peeked inside, and saw the wolf sleeping in a nest made of pull-overs and sheets that belonged to Martin.
Panicked that Martin would wake up and notice the creature in his room, Jimmy tried to drag it out of the room, when he suddenly heard a groan. Martin just woke up!
Jimmy froze, scared of the brother's reaction, but he just smiled.
"It's OK. I allowed Stonebreaker to sleep in my room tonight, I wanted to excuse myself for everything I did and said." But before he could go on, the red-haired man fainted.
"Hey Jimmy, wake up! I must have shocked him. Was I that mean to them?" Martin asked Stonebreaker, who has just got up from his nest. That one looked at him, then at Jimmy, then he nodded carefully.
"Oh, no. This is worse than I thought! How will I explain all of this, and tell them I'm sorry? They'll never accept it. I was so horrible to them over the last few weeks." He buried his face in his hands and sighed. "But I have to go through this. I have to try and explain it to them."
He stood up, and went out of the room. In the control room, Aviva and Koki looked for their companion. But when Martin stepped in, they instantly stopped all movements.
"Good morning Aviva. Good morning Koki, beautiful day, isn't it?" he greeted them, to loosen the atmosphere. But they didn't react. They just stood there, and didn't move, staring at him as if he was an alien or something they have never seen before.
"Err…could you please say something, this is getting awkward." he said, embarrassed, and rubbed his neck, looking on the ground.
Then, Aviva ran up to him and hugged him, almost making him fall over. First, he was happy, but then, he noticed that she was crying.
"Hey, hey. Everything is OK, you don't need to cry." He patted her on the back, comforting her. Then, he pushed her away and held her shoulders, looking into her eyes. "I'm really sorry for everything that happened. I let my feelings, my hate, take over and didn't care about you anymore. I was heartless, selfish and stubborn, and I won't be able to forgive myself for what I did and said to you. If you don't want to have me in the team anymore, I can understand that." He let go of her, and started walking away.
But he then, he felt her hand grabbing his. She pulled him towards her, and kissed him passionately. Surprised, but happy, he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her, kissing back. Koki wanted to go out of the room to give them some privacy, but then, Martin ended the kiss and signed her to sit down. She took her seat, and so did Martin and Aviva.
"What happened Martin, which made you change your mind? Only yesterday, you were, well, distant. You wouldn't talk to either one of us." Koki asked him, curiosity in her eyes.
"Well, you noticed that it was a recent development. Yesterday evening, I sneaked out of the Tortuga to have a bit of peace, and went to the cliff north of here. I sat down, and just looked at the stars, when, suddenly, the earth started to crumble and I fell down! Then…" But Koki interrupted him.
"Didn't you know that cliffs are dangerous? You should have learnt your lesson when you rescued that wolf."
"Yes, yes, but let me finish. So, I fell to my death, as I thought, but I managed to hold onto a root sticking out of the wall. I was safe for a while, but I knew the root wouldn't be able to hold my weight for a long time. When I started to fall again, I felt a grip on my shirt and I was dragged to the safety of the strong earth. When I looked up, I saw that Stonebreaker saved me…" then, he was interrupted again.
"Who's Stonebreaker?" Aviva asked.
"He's the wolf, but please, just let me tell the story, OK? Thanks. After Stonebreaker saved me, I wondered why, because I thought that all wolves are heartless killers. But he made me make up my mind, and I accepted him and named him. Then, I remembered my horrible behaviour over the last few weeks, and now, here is my excuse. Do you accept it?" He finished, and looked at them with his big puppy eyes.
First, they seemed to think about it. Martin felt cold sweat forming on his forehead. If he wasn't able to forgive himself, would the others be?
Finally, Aviva stepped forward, and hugged him.
''Yes, Martin. We forgive you. You were driven mad by your hatred towards wolves, and we understand that."
Koki also hugged them, and for some time, they would just stand there. Martin smiled. He was so happy they forgave him. Maybe he too would be able to forget the horrible things he did these past weeks.

Some days later, he called Stonebreaker to join them to eat.
"He deserves it. He saved me, and remembered me how important love is. Without him, who knows what would have happened. Well, I would be dead now, for sure!" he said, giving him a big piece of roasted chicken.
Happy to have something good to eat, Stonebreaker ripped the flesh from the bone, waving his tail. Martin patted him on the head, looking at him with caring eyes. He couldn't understand himself. Why did he hate such a beautiful and kind creature? He was nothing like the wolves that attacked and killed his brother and best friend.
That animal was a good friend that understood him and was there when he needed him. It was like he knew the rules they set up for the Creature Adventurers. And then, he thought of something.
"Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we let him help us on our creature adventures?" he asked the others with sparkling eyes.
First, they looked at him. Then at each other. Then, Aviva said:
"I'm sorry, Martin, but that won't be possible."
"But why not? He has almost fully recovered, and with his great sense of smell and his stamina, he could be a great help to find injured creatures that need our help!"
"We know!" she tried to explain it carefully to him. "But he is a wild creature. He has to return to the woods where we found him."
He just looked at her, tears starting to dwell in his eyes. Then, hugging Stonebreaker, he said:
"But…but I just learned to love him! I have to catch up all that time I lost. I want to keep him, as a friend and as a member of the team!" he begged.
"Martin, you know as well as I do that he has to go back. Even as a crew member, we can't keep him. He surely had a pack before he was injured and couldn't follow them anymore. He belongs to live free and…in the wild." She finished, and started to cry as well.
Martin smiled weakly when he heard Chris' favourite phrase, and finally let go of the wolf after hugging him one last time. Then, they started the engines and flew back to the woods where they saved him.
During the night flight, Martin stayed with Aviva and Stonebreaker, sad to leave him. The animal, too, seemed to be depressed, as if he knew what was going on. He pressed his side against Martins, trying to comfort him, and licked his hand. Martin smiled again and stroked his back, also trying not to be too sad. Aviva just sat there, with her head resting on Martins shoulder, sleeping.
Finally they arrived. Jimmy landed, careful not to wake them up so that they could sleep until the next day. When he went to his room to get some sleep himself, he passed by Martin, Aviva and the wolf, all three sleeping. Stonebreaker slept on the ground, his head resting on his front paws, Martin laid on his side, using the wolfs back like a cushion, and Aviva rested with her head against his chest.
"Good night, Stonebreaker." Jimmy said, stroking the dark grey fur on his neck. The wolf growled a little, laid his paw on his nose and continued sleeping. Sad, the red-haired man went back into his room, hoping that they would be able to let go tomorrow.

The next morning, they all woke up, only to remember what they had to do today.
Martin and Aviva accompanied Stonebreaker outside, to a clearing near the cliff where they saved him from.
"Good-bye, Stonebreaker. I'll really miss you, you know? But I hope we will be able to see you sometimes, when we are here somewhere. Take care of you, little buddy. And stay away from traps and cliffs!" Martin joked.
"Yes, and take care of the pack you belong to. I hope you will find them again." Aviva said, trying to hide her tears.
Martin hugged him again. "Don't forget us, OK? And I won't forget you. Even if we are far away, you will always be here, in our hearts. I love you, Stonebreaker." He was crying as well, sad to leave his new friend.
When he let go of him, the wolf ran to Aviva, licking her hand, as if he tried to say: "Don't be too sad. I won't be gone forever."
"Yes, I know." She said, wiping her tears away. "But it is still difficult. We spent so much time together, that I almost see you as a part of our family."
"Good bye, buddy. Stay safe!" Martin said and waved, walking away. When he passed past Aviva, he gently took her hand and took her with him. "Come. We don't want to make it even more difficult to say good bye." He wiped his cheeks.
"Ok." They went back together, leaving Stonebreaker behind.
On the way back, Martin was very silent.
"Martin, you did the right thing. He belongs in these woods, they are his home." She said, trying to explain it to him.
"Yeah, I know. But now, it is like losing Chris for the second time. He remembered me of him so much, and in this short time, I almost thought of Stonebreaker as a second brother. Do I have to lose everybody I love?" he asked, facing the cloudy sky.
Aviva didn't know what to answer, she couldn't even imagine the pain he had to be in, losing both his brother and his new friend. So, she just took his hand and led him back to the Tortuga.

With Stonebreaker:
He watched them leave, thinking about what they said. He didn't know why, but since Martin spoke to him for the first time, he was able to understand the language of humans.
He knew exactly why they left him, and he knew he had to go and find his pack again, but he had been gone for such a long time that he didn't know if they would still accept him. And he almost smelled like a human, because he stayed near them for more than a month.
But when he wanted to start to look for his pack, a small part of his mind suddenly went crazy! It told him to go back home.
"But, I am home! I live in these woods, and I have to look for my pack, for my family.
"No. This forest is not your home. The big turtle is. And these humans are your family."
"I am a wolf. How can they be my family?"
"They took care of you! They looked after you, and they shared their meals with you. These are things that a real family does to her members. Martin even said that you were like a new brother to him!"
This made him change his mind. In his pack, he didn't have any relatives. Yes, everybody treated him with respect because he was their leader, but these humans were the only ones that showed him what love was. They loved him and cared for him. They were his real family!
With that thought racing around in his head, he ran through the wood, back to the Tortuga.

At the Tortuga:
When Martin and Aviva came back, the others instantly rushed out to comfort them.
"Is everything OK?" Koki asked, seeing them walking with their heads down.
"Yes, it is just that…we thought of him as a member of our family, and it is horrible to lose family." Martin answered, sighing.
"I know what you mean, but we can come here whenever we want and visit him. I'm sure he will be delighted to see you sometimes." she said, gently lifting his chin. "You have to accept that he is a wild animal. He wouldn't have been able to stay here forever."
But when they wanted to go inside, they saw something running towards them.
When they tried to see what it was, they saw it was Stonebreaker, running as fast as he could. As he arrived, panting, Martin stepped towards him.
"Hey, you had to stay there. We can't take you with us, you belong to this place."
The wolf didn't seem to understand. He just paced in front of the entrance and wouldn't do anything else.
"Please, Stonebreaker, you have to go and find your pack." Martin begged him.
"Perhaps he doesn't know where to go. He was here for so long that his pack probably moved somewhere else without him and now, he can't find them anymore." Aviva thought, and stroked his back.
"Yeah, I think you're right. I'll help him to find them. Come, Stonebreaker, we have to look for you pack." Martin jumped up, and went out, the wolf following in his steps.
After several hours of walking, they arrived in a clearing. Exhausted, Martin sat down on a rock to get some rest.
"Stonebreaker, stop. I need to rest my feet a second." he said. But when he bent down to take off his shoes, he noticed marks on the ground. Wolf tracks!
"Hey Stonebreaker. I think I found your pack." He cheered, showing the marks on the ground. "But I'll let you find them yourself. They would probably not accept you if you come with a human."
With these words he stood up, hugged his friend and made his way back, but this time, he didn't look back.
With Stonebreaker:
Sad, he laid down, his head on his paws. Why wouldn't they understand? This was not his home, the turtle was, but they sent him away every time he tried to get back. He just couldn't explain it to them: he could understand their language, but he couldn't speak it. But as he thought about it, he suddenly heard a scream.
That scream, he already heard it somewhere, he knew it. And then, it was like the wall that separated his mind suddenly got a hole. A powerful thought squeezed through, and settled in his mind, dominating everything else.
That voice that cried for help, was the voice of his brother Martin. And he had to save him!

With Martin:
He slowly made his way back, but as soon as he was a few yards away from the clearing, he heard a rustling in the bushes, but before he could even move to see what it was, a whole pack of wolves rushed outside and formed a circle around him, with the black alpha male standing in front of him. It was too late to escape, and if he moved, they would attack him. So, he tried to distract them with a joke.
"Err…what does the raven ask the wolf? 'Howl's it going?'" he laughed, but either the animals didn't understand him, or they had no sense of humour, because they just tightened the circle around him, growling. He started to panic, and that's when he made a huge mistake.
He tried to burst through the ring of wolves.
Instantly, they all came running towards him, teeth showing, with a deep growl coming out of their throats. One wolf tackled him to the ground, another one bit his leg to stop him from running away.
The pain shot through him like a lightning bolt, and he let out a scream of agony. He knew that the wound was deep, and he was constantly loosing blood. The other wolves came closer and started to slash him with their claws, opening more wounds, and his vision slowly became more and more blurry.
But just before he lost consciousness because of the lack of blood, he saw a brown lightning rushing out of the bushes behind him, tackling the alpha male of the pack to the ground and starting to fight it. The black wolf backed up, shaking its head. Trying to see the scene more clearly, Martin narrowed his eyes and saw a brown wolf with a broad stripe of grey fur on his back.
"Stonebreaker…" he whispered.
The wolf stood protectively over him, not letting any of the other wolves hurt him. But he didn't want to attack any of them except from the alpha male. The pack, too, behaved mysteriously. They didn't step forward to attack the brown wolf.
Then, a thought came to Martin: They were Stonebreakers old pack! They must have been taken over by another wolf after he disappeared, but they still see him as a member.
But the new alpha didn't seem to know the old leader. He jumped forward and attacked him. The other wolves just stood around them and watched them fighting, unsure about whom they should help. Martin, too, just lied there, unable to move a muscle or he would have lost even more blood.
But he could clearly see that Stonebreaker didn't have a good time, either. His old wound still disabled him from making some movements such as slashing his enemy. The other wolf was healthy and had more fighting experience. Every blow he landed opened another wound in vital spots, and instantly, blood started to drip out of them.
Martin knew that himself and Stonebreaker would both die if he did nothing to help him, so he grabbed his Wolf Power Disc, slipped it into the reader and touched one of the motionless wolves at the edge of the 'fighting ring'.
"Activate: Wolf Power!" he yelled. A powerful glow of blue light shortly blinded all the wolves, and the two males stopped fighting to shield their eyes. After it was gone, Martin stood there in his Human/Wolf hybrid form.
Luckily, the activation closed all of his wounds and the blood stopped dripping, but he knew that they could open again if he was hit, so he had to be careful.
Instantly, to profit from the confusion, he ran towards the enemy and bit its shoulder. The black wolf howled in pain, and tried to bite him, too, but Martin was too fast. He quickly slid underneath the new leader and ripped the soft skin on the belly apart.
But before he had time to react again, the leader let himself fall, trapping Martin under him, and bit his throat. Martin roared, but his scream ended in a gargle as his own blood rushed out of his neck and chocked him. The last thing he saw was that Stonebreaker attacked and killed the black wolf, and that the rest of the pack ran away.
Then, everything went black.