Chapter 9: Last of the Summer Dreams

Elinee stormed throughout the living room after hearing news about Garr's ill-fated reunion. Eliza couldn't remember the last time she saw her aunt so worked up.

"How can a father banish his own child?" Elinee raged. "Unthinkable!"

"He has to uphold the teachings," Garr said, his voice flat.

"Teachings are for education, not punishment!"

"Those teachings are considered sacred. They're the foundation for life in the pack."

Elinee stopped in her tracks, taking notice of Garr's mood for the first time. "Garr, I'm sorry. I've been so caught up in my own feelings. How are you coping? You are surprisingly calm considering what happened."

Garr leaned forward in his seat, his gaze fixated on another place and time. "I feel like there's a hole inside me. It's sad that it had to come to this but... at the same time, it's like a weight was lifted. The main source of stress in my life always revolved around my pack—was I carrying my weight, would I ever find a true place in it—you know, things like that. Then I got here and all I could think about was if I would ever find my way back to them." The wolf chuckled. "Guess I got the answers to those questions today."

"Closure is something not all of us can find or recognize," Elinee said. "As horrific as the circumstances are behind it, I'm glad you received it. Now you have time to start planning your future."

"I may already have an idea."

"I have some ideas too," Eliza said. "Especially when it comes to decorating your room now that you don't have to worry about leaving."

"That's just it, though. I am leaving."

Eliza rocketed out of her seat, her stare drilling into Garr until he looked away. "Why? The wolves didn't want you here but you're free from them now. Why leave? It doesn't make sense."

"I'd just be exchanging one cage for another." Garr noticed Eliza's eyes flare up. "Don't get me wrong! I appreciate everything you've done for me here, but I'm too comfortable in this castle."

"I don't understand," Eliza said in defiance.

"You've been showing and teaching me about this world and the things in it in your own way, but I didn't realize how little I knew until I saw the Lower Lands from the sky. This world is bigger than I imagined! If I'm leaving my old life behind, I'm going to take full advantage of my new freedom to do and see things I never could before."

"Why can't we do what we've always done and take trips on the broom?"

"This cursed forest is isolated from everything, like its own little world with you two as the only beacons of light. I want to go further than the Lower Lands. I want to follow my impulses and curiosity without worrying about being back somewhere at a certain time. And I... um... I'd like to find my mother."

Eliza collapsed in her seat, defeated.

Elinee came over and touched Garr's shoulder. "Do you know where she is, dear?"

"No... but we went all over the Lower Lands searching for my pack and at no point did anyone describe a shewolf that sounded like her, so I'm sure she's not here."

"What if you don't find her?" Eliza asked.

"I wasn't sure I'd find my pack and look how that turned out."

"But she could be anywhere in the world. It might take you ages to find her..."

Garr moved over to Eliza and knelt next to her, but she turned her head to look in any direction but his. "Eliza," he murmured. "I know you're not happy with this, but I remember the things we said on the beach... this doesn't change anything. I'm still your friend. I'm only going to be gone for a while. I promise I'll come back."

She finally turned to him, her eyes still filled with defiance. "Is that a promise you can keep?"

Garr nodded. "Believe it or not, the reason I can do this is because of you guys. Going beyond the Lower Lands terrifies me, honestly. Knowing there's someone waiting for me back here gives me the courage to go out there."

"I hope you find her," Eliza said.

"Just don't go giving away my room while I'm gone," the wolf said with a grin.

"Don't be too shocked if I decorate it while you're gone."

"Go ahead, surprise me. It's just another thing to look forward to when I get back."

Garr thought preparing for his journey over the next week would be a simple affair; grab some supplies, a map, and begin plotting out a path. But with Eliza and Elinee involved, it became an exhausting affair filled with magical relics whose purpose he couldn't remember, names of people from important places he'd never heard of, and dozens of maps detailing regions he wasn't sure he'd visit. When the witches were distracted, Garr slipped out of the castle for a bit of respite.

As he wandered under the arches of the courtyard, all the sensations of the Haunted Forest took on a new but still familiar feeling. Everything from the warm air to the soft squelch of the grass beneath his feet crackled with possibilities. His own optimism surprised him. The life of a lone wolf was rarely regarded with anything more than pity or contempt within the pack. Now that he was on the outside, the amount of freedom within his grasp was overwhelming.

Among the shadows of the arches, a shape that did not belong summoned Garr's attention. He peered up to see a golden wolf lounging atop an arch.

"What are you doing here?" Garr asked, his tone none too welcoming.

Larso flashed a smile. "You left without saying goodbye. Raslene wanted to come, but there was that whole thing with being a new mom—it'd be pretty weird if she went off scouting. And she couldn't just leave Jet with the twins. I've never seen him get so frazzled and defeated between two crying infants."

"Hmph." Garr stood his ground, his glare burning so deeply that Larso felt his skin prickle.

"You're still upset with me? Don't be this way."

"You told me I was ruined! You made me think something was wrong with me!"

Larso slid off the arch, dropping down next to Garr. When Larso reached out for him, he only grabbed air where Garr used to be. "Look, I'm sorry! I was trying to protect you and had to come up with something on the spot. I knew what would happen if you found your way back to the pack."

"Why didn't you just tell me that at the time?"

"Be honest, would you have stopped looking for the pack if I said you violated the teachings and would be punished?"

"Of course not! Look around you—does this look like the heart of human society? The teachings can work as guidelines but not to this extreme, don't you think?"

Larso grimaced, rubbing his arm as his discomfort showed. "It's not my place to say..."

"That's ridiculous!" Garr said. He was so close Larso could feel his breath against his face. "It is your place! And until recently, it was mine too! Just think, one day one of us can be... could be Alpha. Would you uphold something you don't fully believe in? What if the rest of the pack doesn't believe in it either? The teachings were written for a world we don't live in anymore."

Larso fell into silence under the weight of Garr's rant.

Garr released a long sigh, and with it, the stress of the past few days. "I didn't mean to unload on you like that. My life was upended, and I needed to vent. Guess neither of us were in a position to do anything about the way the pack works."

"Yeah, sorry. I've never really thought of stuff like changing the teachings," Larso said, his voice meek.

"Don't worry about it. And... I forgive you. I get what you were trying to do."

"They couldn't kick you out if you didn't come back. Sounds a little childish now that I say that."

Larso always had a vibrance to him. It was one of the reasons Garr liked being around him, and the exact reason he felt anxious seeing the wolf's mood weighed down with despondence. For the first time that he could recall, Garr comforted the one he considered a big brother.

"I told you, I get it," he said, patting Larso's shoulder. "By the way, how's my dad doing?"

"You know Graw, suffering in silence."

"He hasn't really said anything about any of this?"

"To me?" Larso had to stifle a laugh. "He's got a really short list of people he confides in and I'm not on it."

"Not much of a surprise. My name had a tendency to slip on and off that list."

Larso grinned, a mischievous grin that stretched wider than it had any right.

"What are you smiling about?" Garr asked, unsettled by the sight.

"Are you gonna explain those swanky pants I saw you wearing that one time, or do I have to wrestle it out of you?"

By the time Eliza noticed Garr was gone, she realized it had been a while since she laid eyes on him. It was simple to deduce that they were going overboard, overwhelming him with all the planning for his departure. She'd grown so used to him slipping away over the seasons that she knew exactly where to look for him.

Eliza heard voices as soon as she stepped into the courtyard and spotted the two wolves conversing by an archway. She ducked back into the shadows of the doorway, a range of emotions flowing through her from Larso's presence. Anger from the pack exiling Garr and for Larso making him feel low and unwanted. Sympathy followed when she remembered Larso wanted to protect Garr, and that Garr described them once as like brothers—brothers that would rarely see each other from this point on.

She took a chance and peeped out of the shadows again only to realize she'd long been made from the way Larso was staring at her.

"Eliza!" Garr called. "Come over here!"

"We've never been formally introduced," Larso said.

Garr pulled Eliza in and presented her like a life-size trophy. "Eliza, this is Larso."

"Hello," she said. Peering into his azure eyes, she found no trace of the resentment the other wolves in the pack held for her presence.

Larso smirked. "So... Garr tells me you like to peek under the curtains."

When realization dawned on Eliza, she grabbed Garr by the base of his ears and pulled. "Why would you tell him something like that?"

"I had to explain the pants!" Garr whined.

"It was part of an outfit!" she explained. "I just wanted him to look nice. We even brushed his fur so it could be..." She took notice of Larso's fur and how pristine it was. "Actually, I wanted his fur to be more like yours."

Larso offered his arm. "You wanna?"

Eliza reached out, her hand shaking with hesitation as if hovering near an open flame.

"It's so silky smooth!" she exclaimed at the touch. "See Garr, if you brushed more your fur could be this luxurious."

"You heard that, Garrie? My fur is luxurious."

Garr tilted his head to the sky. "Ugh."

"I've tried to teach him my brushing regimen," Larso said. "He just never sticks with it."

"There aren't enough hours in the day," Garr muttered.

"You're not so bad. For a human, I mean," Larso said. "You know quality when you see it."

"You're pretty decent yourself," Eliza shot back. "Garr made you sound like a self-absorbed jerk."

"He did, huh?" Larso cut Garr a look that said he'd be eating those words if Eliza wasn't there.

"This was a much better first impression than Musso's."

"That's not a high bar to clear."

"About Musso... is he okay?" Garr asked.

Both Eliza and Larso stared at Garr in disbelief.

"Garr, how can you ask that? After what he tried to do to us!" Eliza berated him.

"As aggravating as Musso can be, the pack is a family," Garr said. "I wish he didn't take things so far. I never wanted to hurt him."

Larso chuckled. "Don't worry about Musso, the only thing Cure Water couldn't heal was his ego. Thanks to his punishment, he knows what it's like to be you in the pack now."

"See? He's fine and he got what he deserved," Eliza said, though both wolves felt there was a little too much satisfaction in her voice. "You don't have to worry about making amends with everyone before you go."

"Go?" Larso repeated, narrowing his eyes. "Where are you going?"

Garr fiddled with his thumbs, a pained look upon his face. "I never got the chance to tell you that I'm going out into the world to see what's out there... and hopefully find my mom."

Larso was taken aback. "I guess me dropping by here won't become a regular thing, huh? But it makes sense for you to go exploring. There's no one holding you back now. Not sure if I could do it. I hope you find Sylva, though. Always wondered what became of her."

"Larso... I will be back."

"Even so, we live in two separate worlds now. The only reason I could make this detour while scouting was because the pack isn't that far away from the Haunted Forest. Oh yeah, and 'cause I'm quick as lightning!"

Garr felt a pang of sadness. "You're leaving, aren't you?"

"Like I said, this was a detour. Got to get back to the pack sometime, you know?"

"I don't know how but we'll meet again," Garr said, pulling Larso into a hug.

"Garr, always the sentimental one."

"Weren't you the one that came here looking for him?" Eliza asked with a smirk.

Larso coughed. "Stay well, lil' bro. You and Sylva better have some great stories when you get back."

The day of departure arrived before daylight itself, stemming from Garr's desire to strike out while the heat was still bearable. With an old rucksack over his shoulder and a case of the jitters underneath, the wolf found himself standing in the courtyard once again, with Eliza and Elinee bidding him farewell.

After a week of what felt like too many goodbyes and too many promises to return, the time had finally come.

"You sure you don't want me to drop you off anywhere to give you a head start?" Eliza asked, motioning to her broom.

"Thanks, but I just want to go wherever my legs take me," Garr said.

"You haven't changed your mind on carrying a few magical items, have you?" Elinee asked. She seemed ready to sprint inside and grab them if he said otherwise.

"I told you, I shouldn't have need for those, not even the Luna trinkets. I don't want to accidentally turn myself into a rabite."

"It's true that moon magic can be quite fickle," Elinee thought aloud.

"I hope you two know how much I appreciate everything," Garr said. "In many ways, you've treated me better than my pack."

"You've been saying that for days!" Eliza said. "Don't worry, we understand how you feel."

Elinee wore a dream-like smile as she said, "Don't be afraid to introduce us to a mate if you find her. I'll anticipate your return with lots of pups, dear."

Flustered at the thought, Garr said, "Um... I wouldn't look forward to that."

"The offer still stands, dear. We'll welcome him with open arms just as we did with you."

Garr furrowed his brows. "That's not what I meant!"

Eliza sighed. "You better go before she starts naming your unborn children."

"I did like the sound of Gree," Elinee said. "Gree McGraw."

"I'm outta here!" Garr took off at a sprint. They all waved to each other until he was swallowed up by the depths of the Haunted Forest.

"It's just us girls again," Elinee said.

"Yeah," Eliza murmured. "Just us..."

Elinee retreated into the castle while Eliza wandered about the courtyard, wrapped in her own thoughts. With every passing minute she imagined where Garr was and what new thing he'd discover. But those were only surface level thoughts; beneath those came the depressing feeling that the only true friend she made since returning to the Lower Lands was that much farther away.

Eliza shook her head, and with it the anxiety and sadness. Garr's journey was his choice. She couldn't do anything to stop him.

But there had been one wrong she'd yet to set right.

"If Garr can take chances, so can I," Eliza said, poring over the pages of the Necronomicon.

In the dead of night, isolated in the secret room behind the bookcase, Eliza gave in to her anger and desperation. The tome held the justice she sought. Within its pages was the solution to loneliness, the secret to seeing Spikey again.

Finally, she stumbled across the page for the resurrection spell. She studied its contents and imagery, laying out how to call one back from beyond. One detail puzzled her—the need for a condensed, massive source of Mana to stabilize the spell. A seed-shaped idea came to her, and she smiled in the shadows.

"Don't worry, Spikey. I'm going to fix this mistake."

~End

Afterword

Whew! This was a long time coming.

What was supposed to be a nine-chapter side story to New Testaments: Secret of Mana ended up being a somewhat challenging, drawn out process that ran into writer's block, apathy, and even entire chunks of story lost to corrupted MS Word files. But it's done, and now I've got that warm feeling you get when you're determined to finish a project and finally succeed. And even though it's over, this was just one chapter in a much larger book. What will become of Garr out in the world? What consequences will Eliza's meddling with the Necronomicon bring? Any unresolved plotlines and most of the characters within this story will be revisited in New Testaments DX: Secret of Mana proper.

Of all the scenes throughout the story, one of my favorites occurs in Chapter 5 after the Kippo encounter. Eliza suggests using Garr to ease the villagers into accepting him as a member of a foreign race, and Elinee shuts her down in defense of him. It's an empathetic, emotionally intelligent rebuttal pulled from real life experiences, and gives the audience a peak under the sweet granny veil Elinee normally wears.

I have ideas for a sequel, tentatively called Bristles & Ash, that would take place around two years after New Testaments DX: Secret of Mana, or about three years after the start of this story. Besides the return of Eliza and Garr, there would be more characters, and a larger scope. The world and the characters living in it will be slightly different after the events of NTSoM, so it will be interesting and fun to revisit them. Since the follow up to Changing of the Seasons happens after NTSoM, it makes sense that I wouldn't start writing it until the main story is over... which is just a nice way of me saying there's no current timetable for when it'll happen.