Hercules: (Not) My kind of Hero {Complete}

Chapter ιθ

Human realm: Western Woods

Hercules marches on, not even looking back to see who and if he is being followed. Thanks to the new bond between him, Gabe and Nate, Hercules is able to tell that Nate is somewhere in the Western Woods, sadly nowhere near any borders.

"You really don't take orders well do you?" Akira's soft voice comes from close by, though Hercules could swear the man was walking several paces behind him.

Damn wolfman

Hercules just shrugs in answer, it has been a long, long while since he actually obeyed orders. Including his father's orders, which usually come with a hefty penalty price if not obeyed. In the end though, when all is said and done, it is the end result that matters most. And the growth made along the way to the end result.

Still, something about the whole situation didn't sit well with him. There was some obvious reluctance of the Council or Elders in the Throne room to share that old myth or legend before things like this happened. 

Why would they hold back essential information about the possibility of their First King still roaming the Western Woods? I just hope they will not take too long with excavating the tomb their First King was buried in and do a DNA test to confirm he is indeed where he should be, in his lovely tomb.

Arriving at the spot where he had left Nate behind, Hercules was not surprised to find it empty, in fact, he had anticipated it being empty. What he didn't anticipate was the fact that nothing was disturbed or that there were no paw prints in the soft earth. It seemed like Nate just vanished into thin air, no trace of the young wolf anywhere. 

How is this possible?

Walking along the edges of the clearing, Hercules made his way to the part where he swore Nate was before he left. "Do you smell him anywhere?" He posed the question without looking up from the ground, still intent on finding some kind of hint, wolf or human. When no answer came, he turned around and was silently glad for the ability to not show any surprise or fear on his face, for the look Akira gave him, was so intense that it would have a lesser man stumbling backwards.

"Well?" Putting his hands on his hips, took most of his willpower, and to keep his feet firmly planted in the earth to keep them from trembling.

"I would never have taken you for a fool Hercules, yet it seems that you are. Indeed a fool." The voice didn't seem right and the fact Akira's eyes were staring at him, unblinkingly, had his gut tighten in worry. 

"However, that is neither here nor there." Akira seemed to return to his normal aloof self, shaking his head lightly. "To answer your question, his scent is here, in this clearing. It is faint, but still traceable for the next half hour or hour if you wish to pursue." 

The hairs on the back of his neck rose as a heavy gaze seemed to settle on him and a creepy, dirty feeling washed over Hercules. Associating the feeling with a threat to his person, Hercules whipped out his sword, slashing the heavy object behind his back in an arch that would have split an enemy from groin to throat, but nothing was there. 

Akira's gaze was focused on a point behind Hercules in the time it took Hercules to unsheathe his sword. Confirming that there was something there, something unnatural. Not human or were like. Something that defied Nature's rules.  Though he himself and Akira defy Nature's rules as well, this --thing --  was even worse. For its mere presence corrupts the foliage and earth around them. The worst thing was that the presence was affecting Akira, which is a dangerous thing for everybody involved.

"Lead the way to Nate then Akira." Looking back at the woods, Hercules shrugged and contacted Gabriel before departing, telling him that he was with Akira and that they had picked up Nate's faint scent. Gabe cautioned Hercules, telling him to wait until others were there before going in. Something was wrong in the Western Woods and it blocked all communication to the outside world if they proceeded beyond their current point.