Chapter Seventeen - Infatuation
Joyce and Tracy stood frozen as they stared at Marrok, thinking of what might happen next.
"What do you want, Marrok?" Joyce asked furiously.
Joyce, the mother of Zeke, is a very brave and strong wolf. She was one of the warrior wolves in her time. She was much stronger than the hunting wolves. And at that time of her age of fighting, that's when she met Zeke's father who was a hunting wolf, but in secret, a philosopher wolf.
"Of course you know what I mean, Joyce," Marrok replied as he looked into Joyce's strong stare. "You always know what I mean."
"Actually, Marrok, I don't..." Joyce was about to say until Marrok suddenly clawed her down.
"Mom!" Tracy cried, "Please stop!" And she began to think... Zeke, where are you?
***
Zeke was alone again as Winter was no longer there to talk to him, so he decided to stroll around the forest, but somewhere far away from his home. As he strolled, he suddenly felt something strange like a struck of sorrow was buried deep into his heart.
Hm... He thought as he walked on the snow. Why do I feel this way? Am I just missing something?
"Zeke!" Winter's meow echoed into his head.
"What the?"
Zeke suddenly shook his head as Winter's joyful call echoed in his mind.
What was that? He thought as he tried to continue his stroll, trying to preoccupy his mind with something else but... It feels so strange. I seem so lonely without Winter around...
"Oh..." someone suddenly said, "falling, huh?"
Zeke turned around and found out that it was the chipmunk from before.
"It-it's you," Zeke gasped, "Why...?""
"Yeah, I know..." The chipmunk went down from the tree, "I just really like going down here, you know. So..." He came closer to Zeke, "I see that you have problems with your heart, huh?"
"What?" Zeke didn't understand, "My heart?"
"What he meant to say was that you're falling in love, sonny." The woodpecker suddenly appeared beside him. "It seems quite obvious."
"Yeah," the chipmunk nodded. "You and that cat..." He winked an eye as he drew a heart in the air.
"What!?" Zeke reacted, knowing that what they meant was such a ridiculous idea. "No way that's what I'm feeling! I can't be in love with Winter. She-she's a cat while I'm a-a wolf! Are you crazy?"
"What? Us, crazy?" The chipmunk raised his hands until shoulder level, "C'mon. You've gotta be kidding me. It is truly obvious that you're missing that cat and that you want her in your life."
"Well, I do miss her...but what you're saying about loving her isn't true."
"Oh, really?" The chipmunk smiled sheepishly as he rubbed his chin.
After seeing Zeke nod, showing that he really didn't have special feelings for Winter, the chipmunk swiftly approached him with two tiny berries in his ears and a flat pebble on his hand. He slowly placed the pebble against Zeke's chest as if it was like a stethoscope.
"Ahh..." The chipmunk said as he felt his heartbeat, "You do. You're heart said so."
"What?" Zeke felt dumbfounded, "Are you crazy? You can't even hear a thing with those berries in your ears."
"Oh, really? Don't believe me?" The chipmunk took off the berries from his ears, and put them close to Zeke's ears, and to Zeke's surprise, he heard a tiny voice say, 'I love Winter'.
"What the!?" Zeke gasped as he stepped backward. "No! That ain't true! It will never be true. Winter and I are just friends and we will be friends until the end."
"Oh, really? Until the end?" The chipmunk looked at Zeke sheepishly with his arms crossed together.
"Really," Zeke raised his brow seriously.
"Really, really, really? Until eternity?"
"Yes."
"Oh, okay, fine," the chipmunk and the woodpecker began to walk away as if nothing happened which gave Zeke a great relief, but as he began to walk away, the chipmunk and the woodpecker suddenly appeared beside him again, singing...
Zeke and Winter sitting on a tree...
K I S S I N G
First comes love; then comes marriage
Then comes-
"Wait," the woodpecker suddenly stopped, "What do you think would their babies look like?"
"Don't know."
"Stop it!" Zeke suddenly exclaimed as he began to imagine weird things in his head. He didn't like what they were thinking of. "I'm serious about this, guys. Winter and I will never have special feelings for each other. We're both different. Have you ever seen a wolf and a cat together, hm?"
"Uh," the chipmunk was about to say 'he and Winter' but then...
"Okay," Zeke cut him off, "Not me and Winter..."
"Fine..." The chipmunk rolled his eyes as he began to give up from making Zeke spill the beans, "You two don't deserve each other because you're both different and that you won't ever, ever..."
"And never," Zeke added.
"Okay, and never end up with each other."
"Good," Zeke nodded.
"Yeah," the chipmunk and the woodpecker began to look away, but the chipmunk continued saying... "But have you ever thought that cat might actually have feelings for you as well?"
Zeke suddenly paused as he listened.
"You did notice her actions towards you..."
"Yeah, but it's not what you think."
"Then fine," the chipmunk stared at him for the last time. "But if you ever change your mind, give this to her and if she ever accepts it, it truly means she has feelings for you as well."
The chipmunk faded away just like the woodpecker, and as Zeke approached the place where the chipmunk last stood, he saw a pink flower on the snow. It was so beautiful and its petals had glitters, but as Zeke looked at it, he shook his head and walked away. He knew that what the chipmunk was trying to make him do was just crazy.
No way, Zeke thought. I can never love a cat and a cat can never love a wolf...
***
"Winter, stop moving," Scarlet cried as she wore a pair of gloves just to avoid Winter's claws. "You really need this bath, you know. Mother will get mad at me if you don't."
Winter didn't really want to, but she had no choice. Scarlet was already doing her best to keep her comfortable. The water was warm, but what really bothered Winter was not the water, but what would happen after she gets out of the water. And as she remembered what happened before, when Zeke saved her life from drowning, she remembered his smile as he saw her fur puff out.
She began to remember the moments that she and Zeke have spent together yesterday. It was something different from everything she did in her life. Her life was much exciting now once she is around Zeke. It was much happier. And remembering moments, she would never forget the time when Zeke got himself stuck in a tree trunk. It was hilarious.
"Meowrr..." Winter began to purr of amusement as bubbles began to pop on top of her head.
"Oh," Scarlet noticed, "You seem quite happy, Winter. What are you thinking of? Is it about love? Because mother once said that if a cat wiggles its tail slowly to the right, they must be either thinking about food...or love, but then, you have already ate so I think you're thinking about love. Have you met someone special, Winter?"
Winter suddenly gasped as she was just thinking about Zeke earlier. She thought of something crazy after that which made her freak out and jump off the wooden tub.
"Huh! Winter!" Scarlet began to chase Winter (again).
When Winter hid underneath the table which was something quite unexpected to do after just thinking about an awkward thought, Scarlet quickly picked her up, bringing her back to continue her bath.
"Winter," Scarlet said as she had Winter in her arms, "What just happened to you? What made you do that so suddenly? Now, look at you. You're a mess. I have to give you a bath again."
Awhile ago...was Mistress saying that I'm in love with Zeke? Winter thought as Scarlet brought her back to take the dirt off of her fur. There-there's no way that I am...