Wolf Bloodline; Part 2

Unacceptable Facts (Ryuu)

Eight hours after the tournament, somewhere east of the third kingdom;

I opened my eyes in an unknown part of the forest. There was no creature and I was with my rescuer, Ronk. He had wrapped my chest with a cloth and covered my wounds. I was not surprised that I had once again been hit in the chest and even thought of wearing armor on my chest from now on. I sat silently on a log, lost in my thoughts.

Ronk had built a fire between us and was stirring a cauldron with a spoon to prepare dinner. I couldn't stop thinking about Rose's helpless face, the people who had died in the tournament, and every person I had lost. Success meant nothing.

I had to do something and try harder for them. I knew I had to stop Miron, but he was stronger than I thought. What was I going to do?

"Drink it, you need the energy," Ronk said, holding out the bowl.

"No thanks, I don't want anything to eat," I replied.

Ronk sat down next to me. "Tell me, Ryuu, what happened."

"Nothing important. I'm just thinking."

"The ones you lost?"

"Like I said, it's nothing."

Ronk shook his head slightly. "You're more like me than your father in that respect."

"About what?"

"If you try to solve your problems on your own, the result will be worse than death."

"You're the one who told me not to trust anyone. You taught me not to give responsibility to others."

"Yes, but you should know that the people fighting with you are not only there to fight. They are there to support you in every way. It took me a long time to realize that, but now I know."

I wanted to stand up and tell Ronk how I felt. "It's not about the war or my friends. It's about the fact that no matter how hard I try, someone always dies in my arms. The enemies are getting tougher and everyone expects more from me. I wish I could find my uncle...."

Ronk interrupted me. "Ryuu, don't fool yourself anymore. We both know that Miron killed your uncle."

I didn't want to believe it, but I hadn't heard from him all this time. I couldn't hold back my tears. "No, it can't be. You told me he was alive."

"It was the last thing he asked me to do to make you stronger. I thought you had a right to know."

"So why now? You've kept it from me all this time."

"Because I still want to see if you'll go through with it. Only then can I continue to help you defeat your enemies."

I didn't know what to say. What if I really wasn't the right person like he said? "I don't know. I'm not sure anymore."

"They say that when you have nothing left to lose, there's no one stronger than you in the world. But that's a big lie with all the pain it brings. That's why I want to tell you something."

Calming down, I took a seat and decided to listen to Ronk. "When I was about your age, I was considered the strongest of my kind. I liked the respect and trust of the people. It made me an even stronger person. I thought I had everything until I met your father's sister."

"Dad's sister?"

"Yes, there were three siblings in total: an older brother and a younger sister. They were very happy together. They came to our clan that day to collect compliments. I fell in love with her at first sight. She was quite strong and suddenly became my dream. We got married soon after and although Kaika didn't like me at first, we became a family."