Ike Penworthy

Chapter ~| 18

           

A black, wet nose sniffed at the door crack, a padded paw reaching out to scratch at the wood. There was only silence from the other side, but the wolf still persisted in her attempt to force the door open. A large shadow loomed over her, blocking what light the moon provided in the small area. A long, scaled neck stretched out and the large head perched upon it became level with the stubborn wolf.

"I don't know why you continue to try to get in there." Jax said, eyeing Cloud's strangeness. "We've already checked. No one is in there."

Cloud snapped out a snarl, her jaw clapping together harshly.

He sighed. "You're impossible to understand." Cloud gave him a bland look. "What?" Jax sputtered. "I meant that quite literally." She huffed.

The brush of soft boots on stone made both creatures turn to look at the silhouette coming their way. Ike stepped from the shadows and eyed them.

"She did it." Jax said, shoving Cloud forward. The Lýkos rolled her eyes, walking to Ike's side.

"Did what?" Ike asked quietly.

"Whatever it is you're coming to accuse me of." Jax said with completely obviousness.

Ike didn't show any humor, but her pale-blue eyes lightened in an internal chuckle. "What are you two doing?"

Cloud yipped and moved back to the door, scratching the ground.

"We were playing hide-and-seek, but she's more interested in this door than the game." Jax could have continued, but stopped when Ike went to open the door. The handle twitched left and right but it remained shut.

She glanced over the squat building just as Jax had done. Looking for anything of interest that would provoke Cloud's intense curiosity. There wasn't much to look at. The three windows were murky, covered in gunk. The back door had become a wall of thorns and effectively locked. The roof was some reinforced mixture of something or another. Only the front door was accessible, and yet it couldn't be opened.

"It was unlocked yesterday." Jax mused, touching the door with his snout. He shrugged. "Maybe the wind shoved it shut."

"What are you three doing?"

Three pairs of eyes turned to face Sorn as he entered the alley. Ike and Cloud returned to inspecting the door while Jax began talking, "We're doing studies on the sturdiest wood. This one seems quite resilient."

His voice was drowned out by the sudden bang of the resilient door. Ike stood over the threshold, looking like she'd just exerted too much. Jax could only figure she'd kicked the door open with her weird super-strength that came at even weirder times.

Four heads peered into the house. There was nothing to see but darkness. Bringing forth a spurt of flame, Jax lit his tongue and opened his mouth, letting the glow eat away at the shadows.

Furniture upturned, pillows and blankets torn to shreds, and the smell of rotten food was all of interest in the room. And yet, Cloud still wandered forward, sniffing around. Ike moved in too. She flipped a chair back onto its four legs and sat. There was silence from everyone as their eyes scouted the room, looking for something but none knowing what.

Cloud finally came to Ike's side and sat. She whined, nudging her hand.

"What is it?" Ike asked softly, brushed soft red fur.

Cloud barked and trotted to the broken bed frame. The mattress was against the wall, slaughtered into shreds of cloth and coils. The wolf scratched at the wooden floor. A ringing emitted from the constant fury of her dark claws.