Zan awakens, coughing out water violently, as he looks around in a confused state of mind. He turns his attention to his nephew, coming to the quick realization that he had saved him, but didn't save his pack. It was the near evening in Gongmen City, so this could only mean this was a day after the siege had occurred, and Zen never left his side since.
"You... you saved me... But couldn't save them?!"
Zan seemed to be getting upset towards his nephew, but he was beginning to become conflicted because this wasn't his nephew's fault, not by a longshot. However, he just couldn't believe Zen saved HIM of all people, he was still trying to process everything. The fact that he was somehow alive, despite all odds believing he shouldn't be. Zan moved a hand to try and remove the blades piercing his arm, to which Zen stops him, "Don't remove 'em, Unc. It's gonna be fine--"
"Calm down, these barely grazed me because of the armor."
Zan took the first blade out, then the second, but the third didn't budge and caused him to grunt and collapse in pain. He had a look of regret on his face for doing that, as Zen sighed, and decided to take a piece of cloth off of his former disguise from one of the former wolf soldiers, then applied pressure around the wound to where the third blade struck. Zan proceeded to hobble himself up to his feet, and went out to the docks, with Zen closely following behind. Zan applied pressure on his own wound, around where the blade was, he stopped and knelt at the harbor. Zen looked on at the shipwrecks, including the big one which is where Shen was last seen on, Zen hopes that Shen is dead, especially after what he did to his uncle.
Zan, on the other hand, was mournful and very melancholic at the sight of the shipwrecks that lay in the harbor. His pack, for all he knew, was either dead or missing, and he had no one else but Zen. To which, he clenched his fists, then he leaned his head up slowly and let out a mourning and sorrow-filled howl, to which Zen did, too.
When their howling was finished, Zan looked over at his nephew, and proceed to brush Zen's bangs out of the way of his scarred right eye. Zan chuckled and said, "Heh, guess we both got matching scars..."
Zen smiled back, and replied, "Yeah, only... I didn't get hit with a rake. I got stricken by those stupid blades."
Zan frowned slightly, "Ah... that's also something I noticed but Shen lied to me about that. I'm... really sorry. About... everything, kid. I never wanted you caught up in all of this." It almost looked like Zan was about to cry.
Zen shook his head, and put a paw on his uncle's shoulder, looking him in the only eye's they both each have, "Hey... it's alright. I can forgive you... Whatever you were then, doesn't define who you are in the here and now. You're still my uncle at the end of it all."
"Heh heh... fair enough."
Zan shrugged and proceeded to wipe his tear away, he's glad his nephew has chosen to forgiven him after all that's happened. He proceeded to walk with his nephew into a lone sailboat, they decided to get in. They both eye each other, as Zan asks, "So... where will we go, Zen?" To which Zen shrugs, and replies to his uncle's inquiry, "Well, my parents' place was crushed by the falling Tower of the Sacred Flame... so... where ever the wind takes us, I suppose."
Zan nodded in agreement with his nephew, as they both begin to set sail and row past the shipwrecks as a symbol of Zan finally moving on, but there's something more to that. Zan was no longer alone, he had Zen, and Zen had him. They were all they had, they were the only family they had left, and to the both of them? That's all that really mattered to them.
YOU ARE READING
Sins and Separation
FantasyA young wolf has been living without his uncle, but never knew why his uncle was absent from his life, and his parents weren't very keen on telling. He can only remember that he saw his uncle briefly as an infant cub, but then never saw him again a...
