Three Forces Empowered | Dream Team

Chapter One

Sapnap was a warrior. He had fought for the king and the prince, honoring generations of his family that had served as well. Loyal to his friends, even if that loyalty would get him killed.

But at the moment, he didn't feel proud of his loyalty at all.

Mostly because he wanted to abandon it.

"Hurry!" the sandy-haired man on his left shouted, waving a hand forward. "We can't outrun them for long. If we can get far enough away that we can climb a tree or something, we should be fine! We just need to keep running!"

As if Sapnap needed that reminder.

The man, Dream, was an assassin, so his survival instincts were strong. He knew what he was doing. But Sapnap had been in the exact situation once before, and it still gave him nightmares. His survival instincts were strong as well. And at the moment, all he wanted to do was drop everything and flee until his legs could carry him no further.

"Tired," the man on his right panted, completely out of breath. The prince's cloak swished behind him as he ran, so obvious and noticeable that Sapnap wanted to tear it off of his shoulders and stuff it into his pocket or something.

Please, he begged, please don't let it end this way. I--- I just can't. Not again.

Howls echoed behind him, getting closer and closer by the second. Sapnap put on an added burst of speed, pulling ahead of his two friends. No, no, no, please, no....

There were too many of them --- a whole pack, just like last time. And if things happened just like last time, Sapnap doubted that he could get over the trauma. 

His chasers were right on their heels. He could hear their low growls, their quick breathes, the sound of their padded paws on the hard ground.

Wolves.

***

Sapnap still remembered his first encounter with the animals like it was yesterday.

He had been young, maybe twelve years old at most, and completely innocent to the horrors of the world. Why wouldn't he? He enjoyed sleeping out in the wilderness, gazing up at the stars above at night, or gathering seeds to feed the birds.

The birds adored him. He was like Snow White, except without that much singing and dancing and dwarfs that he had to do chores for.

But that meant that, when the wolves attacked, he was completely alone.

It had been noon. The sun was setting, basking the sky in soft colors of rosy reds and vibrant oranges. Such a nice setting for his death.

Then, the wolves attacked.

Even to this day, Sapnap didn't really understand why the wolves had attacked. He wasn't sure if he had provoked them somehow, or if he'd been roaming around too close to them, but one second he was fine, and the next second jagged lines ran down his chest, his shirt torn and blood already staining the fabric.

Sapnap stumbled back. The wolves at the front of the pack growled at him, their lips bared back, showing their teeth. Maybe he screamed. Maybe he didn't. But either way, he tried to run.

Wolves against a twelve-year-old. Who would win?

He ran through the trees, trying to give himself a boost by pushing off of their rough bark. He could still hear the yips and growls behind him, but he didn't dare look back. Somewhere in his brain, amidst all the panic, he knew that if he slowed down for even a second he'd be dead.

Ow, he thought with detached pain as his hand touched the blood on his chest.

Sapnap's feet hurt from so much running. I want to stop, please. I want to give up. This is so hard.

No.

I can't.

I won't.

Sharp pain exploded in his right leg. Sapnap bit the inside of his cheek to stop from shouting out. The taste of blood flooded his mouth.

He stumbled forward. His hands connected with a tree and he started scrambling up, desperately reaching up the branches. His leg hurt with every step, but he kept going. Sapnap hoisted himself up until he was halfway up the tree, but even then he didn't dare to stop. He kept going, higher than he had ever been before.

The sun was a lot lower in the sky already. How long have I been going for? Am I safe yet?

Sapnap stopped and strained his ears. He couldn't hear anything anymore. Is that a good thing? Or have I just lost my sense of hearing?

No, he was right; the howls of the wolves were gone. Either the wolves had given up and left, or they had learned the sneaky skills of a ninja and were crouching in the bushes below the tree, holding throwing stars in their paws and wrapping black bandanas around their foreheads. The idea was so absurd that he couldn't help but smile.

Night had fallen. Sapnap didn't move from his position in the tree, just in case he wasn't being crazy and there really were ninja wolves hiding beneath him.

He checked his wounds. If his father was there, he'd be able to tell him the severity, but Sapnap was alone. He'd have to figure things out by himself.

Sapnap suddenly felt dizzy. The inside of his head felt like it was going through a blender with power at max. Blood seeped out of the claw marks on his chest, and closer examination revealed that his leg had been bitten as well.

Great, he thought glumly. I'm going to die.

The stars were out in the sky already. Sapnap gazed up, ignoring the pain, and tried to make out the constellations his father had taught him. There's Ursa Major, he thought. That means... yeah, there's Polaris.

The sound of his heartbeat echoed in his ears. His eyes started drifting closed. Now that the urgent fear of wolves was gone, the adrenaline that had kept him going was gone too. He felt so tired. He just wanted to sleep.

Sapnap?

Oh, hello, Sapnap thought. You're the voice in my head, aren't you?

Sapnap, can you hear me?

Er... yes?

Answer me!

Sapnap rolled onto his side. His stomach sent another wave of pain through him. He couldn't feel the wound on his leg anymore. Is that a good thing?

Sapnap!

"Nuuuuggghh," he groaned.

There was the sound of rustling beside him. A hand stroked his cheek tenderly. Then, a pair of arms lifted him up and started taking him down.

Is this it?

Am I dead?

"Sapnap."

Sapnap opened his eyes and gazed up at the face above him. His father stared down at him, worry etched into the lines on his face.

"Hey, Sapnap," he said gently. "You're okay. Come on, let's get you home."

He didn't answer. All the pain from his wounds came at him all at once and he blacked out.