Cycle of Vengeance//A Camp Minecraft AU

Chapter Thirteen: The Fox's Tale

TW: PTSD

     A low whine escaped him as he paced the floor. Thunder crashed and lightning struck, sending shadows scattering across the floor of Gold's house. His throat threatened to fold on itself as the walls began to creep closer.
     Zud was saying something, but it was muted. Alxton couldn't make out the words. The only sounds his usually-sharp ears could pick out was the vigorous thudding of his own heart and his ragged, haphazard breathing.
     The boom of thunder echoed throughout the house, but it wasn't thunder to Alxton. The roar of a dragon bombarded him and he squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his paws against his ears so hard that it hurt.
     A hand landed on his shoulder, a higher-pitched voice saying something in a comforting tone. His legs trembled and he sank to the ground in a panicked heap.
     He didn't know how long he stayed there, warding off panic, unable to think, breathe, or speak. Eventually, though, the floodgates began to close. He slowly opened his eyes.
     Kate stared at him, their hand on his shoulder, her eyes flashing with worry. They spoke in low tones, trying to comfort him.
     Zud was on his other side, pressed against his side. His eyes were locked solemnly on the ground. When the hybrid shifted, he lifted his gaze to meet Alxton's. "You okay?" He asked quietly.
     "They just... I just... Why are they still fighting?" Alxton's voice flooded with hopelessness. "Why are they determined to get themselves killed?"
     Zud slowly shook his head. "They're grieving. They aren't thinking clearly."
     Alxton took a deep breath, letting the new air fill his lungs and refresh his mind. "We weren't always like this, you know."
     Kate tipped her head. "Like what?"
     "Angry. Vengeful. We used to be a team. We used to... I don't know." He rose from the wooden floor and, motioning them to follow, padded across to the back door, turning the sleek golden handle and stepping out into the dark.
     He was expecting a torrential storm, but it had faded to a soft drizzle. He didn't like the unpredictable weather. He didn't like anything unpredictable.
     A large sheet of clouds covered the sky. A glowing blob fought the clouds up above, but it was in vain. The blanket locked the moon away and cast the earth in an eerily dark night.
     Torches, sputtering or completely dead, lined the porch. Slick wooden beams lined the ground with a rickety oak fence separating the house from the wilderness.
     Alxton, his vision completely fine in the dark, stepped over a large puddle of water that gathered at the door. He leaned on the fence, gazing into the forest beyond.
     He turned as Zud let out a scoff, the man glaring down at the puddle he was ankle-deep in. He took off his black boots and stood on Alxton's right.
     Kate followed, gasping as they nearly collided with the puddle. Neither Zud or Kate could see, so they were at the mercy of their surroundings. Unfortunately, those surroundings had pooled water at the back door of Gold's house. She stood on Alxton's left.
     "So, why did you bring us out here?" Zud asked.
     "Because it's peaceful out here." He fought a shiver as a drop of water slid down his neck. "Even if it's a bit cold." He sighed. "When I first joined camp, it was a home. We were all brothers and sisters who joked and laughed and helped each other. We were a family." He raised his muzzle to the sky and watched his breath billow into the chilly night air. "This isn't a home anymore. We're not a family. This is a prison filled with strangers."
     Kate and Zud were silent for a long time. The rain continued to fall, but Alxton ignored it.
     Then Zud spoke up. "What changed?"
     Alxton flattened his ears, staring into his palms. "We became so focused on power and greed that we lost sight of what camp really was. We... we lost ourselves. And now everyone's paying the price."
     He glanced up, hearing a small, faraway voice. It sounded like a male, but it was so distorted he couldn't make out the words or even decipher whose voice it was. A spark of light flashed in the darkness, pure and lively.
     The spark grew to an ember, and an ember to a flame. The magic swirled and danced, creating the figures and places Alxton missed so dearly.
     He was probably hallucinating. He really didn't care.
     The edges of the magic fell in small granules of... was that sand? It was too far away for him to tell. The figures became more clear, their voices more pronounced, and the scene burst into color. Zud and Kate gasped simultaneously, confirming that this was no hallucination.