Kingdom of Creatures [Discontinued]

Chapter 2: Taunts and Tensions

"Aleks. We're going the wrong way." The thief snapped, briefly juggling one of the fruits as it slipped from his bundle

"No, we're not. This is where we came from."

"You think I'd know which damn way we came from, considering you've sent my ass over here to steal shit about 50 go-"

"Shh. Did you hear that?" Aleks halted, putting his finger up close to his lips. His eyes shifted from side to side before he ducked down into a nearby bush. The other grunted, following his actions, unamused, but listened in. A bird chirping. His own breathing. What did Aleks hear..?

The thief, after a moment of silence, broke in. "I don't hear anything."

"It sounds like it's getting closer..." He said in a low, hushed voice, grabbing his dented crown tightly.

"I... What the hell are you on about?" He nearly screamed in frustration, not picking up on what Aleks heard.

"Oh... Wait! I'm sorry! It's just the sound of you being a god damn asshole." The man smirked slyly, pleased with his own joke, and got to his feet. The thief snarled and eased himself up as well.

"You know, I could kill you right here. Nobody would know, nor would they care."

"Eddie, I'm a king."

"You were a king." He barked back.

"Well, if I mean nothing, why is it that you're still stealing food and working for me?" Aleks questioned, hoping he would win over the argument.

"Because I still trust you. I still think that we can take down Jordan's kingdom." Eddie turned his attention down to the dusty path ahead of them. "Also, you're my best friend. You've always been."

"That's what I thought." The worn down king took his crown off from atop his head, examining it and rubbing some of the scratches and splotches off of its surface.

A broken wall had appeared in Eddie's vision off in the distance. He frowned as Aleks have him a triumphant grin.

"Told you we were going the right way."

"Shut up." Smiles were exchanged as Aleks nudged his friend, quickening his pace to reach home.

As the wall emerged into view, a wasteland of ash and rock appeared. The houses were burnt to a crisp, their walls a blackened shade. Not one of them stood up completely unharmed. The shops had been affected in the same manner; black, torn, and depressing. The kingdom almost seemed to reek of darkness and decay, as if the corpses that were long put to rest were ready to spring back to life.

Down the path, near the center of the walls, was a broken castle. Half of it had collapsed inwards, leaving the inside exposed from above. It was filled and covered thickly in ash and dirt. The towers had been cracked, and some didn't even stand. One of them had fallen over, crushing a nearby shop, which had been filled with jewels, until Eddie looted it.

Eddie hadn't always been a thief, or, not exactly. He had stood by Aleks, serving his king loyally, and sometimes snuck out in the darkest nights to snatch things and bring them to him in desperate times, such as the food shortage. They were a normal, friendly kingdom, but he knew king Jordan of Zyrille and Aleks had something going on between them, and Aleks would never tell him exactly what it was. But, from what he'd seen, he could tell it was nothing good.

Most of the time he went to steal from Zyrille because of this, and saw wide smirks as it pleased Aleks. Although it's high defenses and population, they had apparently never seen more than his outfit. It made him laugh just thinking about it. An orange cape, draped in white fur around the edges, and pointed fox ears on top. How hard was it for them to just spot him out and take him down? They'd gotten so close so many times, too... Eddie looked back onto his broken home, returning his train of thought.