Fallout, The Wurymmar Story: Part One

"You ever wonder what's out there beyond the edge of the Endless Plains?"

     The white Lupe turned towards his companion, a red Lupe, with a look of surprise on his face.

     "Now why would you want to go someplace else?" the white Lupe said in a somewhat incredulous voice. The red Lupe shrugged.

     "Well, don't you want to go exploring?" the red Lupe replied. "You know, see the world, take in the sights, and meet new people. Don't tell me you don't want to leave, Vrynian?" The white Lupe turned his head towards the distant sunset with a thoughtful look on his face.

     "Hmm, maybe sometimes," Vrynian pondered. "But aren't there monsters and humans out …"

     "And another thing, why do you hate humans?" his red companion said incredulously. "I don't see what's wrong with them." Vrynian sighed and shook his head, his shaggy mane rippling in the fading light.

     "It's not something I think about. It's just something we're taught," Vrynian muttered. "Remember what the elders have taught us: the most important thing we have is pride and we must maintain that pride. Thus we must not let the humans own us or they will take us over." The red Lupe sighed.

     "Maybe the elders are wrong. Maybe we should consider being their friends," he said distantly. Vrynian chuckled softly as he got up from the soft, green grass they were sitting on.

     "You sure are different, my friend," Vrynian said teasingly. He looked down at his friend at gave a slight smile. "I'm going back to the pack. You coming?" The red Lupe grinned back.

     "Sure let's go." With that the two young Lupes walked back down the small bluff towards a small grove of trees, the sun casting long shadows before them.

     ~*~*~*~*~

     "And why would you want to leave the Endless Plains?"

     The red Lupe looked on resolutely at the speaker, a blue Lupe with sharp eyes, and nodded his head respectfully.

     "I did not say anything about leaving the plains," the red Lupe said in a cheerful voice. "More like, going on vacation. I'm sure the rest would want to go." The blue Lupe's grip on the earth tightened but he forced himself to calm down, sighing profoundly.

     "If that is your wish," he replied resignedly.

     "Aw come one, don't be so uptight," the red Lupe teased. "That's why I want you to go. You know, go north for a while and relax. I know you want to." The blue Lupe saw the twinkle in his eye. Quickly he turned away before he felt the urge to throttle the young Lupe. He inhaled then exhaled before turning back to the other Lupe with a strained smile on his face.

     "Fine then. Go tell the others to get ready. We're going north," the blue Lupe said in a falsely excited voice, one the younger Lupe didn't notice. The red Lupe's smile widened and he bounded off into the undergrowth of the forest.

     The blue Lupe waited for the sounds of the retreating Lupe to fade into the distance and, when he was certain he couldn't be heard, he let out a loud snarl of contempt.

      I don't know how much longer I can take this, the blue Lupe thought. It's about time to do what I should have done a long time ago.

     "Yes, Wurymmar son of Maevenmmar," he said aloud this time. "Soon you won't trouble me anymore."

     With that, the blue Lupe began his walk back to where the rest of his pack had settled in for the night. The sun dipped slowly behind him and, even as darkness fell around him, his eyes still shined with malice.

     ~*~*~*~*~

     "Did he really say that, Wurymmar?" Vrynian asked breathlessly. The red Lupe's grin widened at his friend's expression.

     "Yup, you heard me," he replied. "He said it's fine." Vrynian's mouth, already open wide in surprise, dropped even further.

     "I don't know how you did it," Vrynian said in awe. "But you did it."

     "Yeah, let's go tell the others!" Wurymmar laughed. Vrynian nodded and the both of them rushed off towards the other Lupes gathered in the clearing.

     Later that night, Wurymmar lay awake, too filled with anticipation to sleep. He rolled over on his back and stared at the moon. It shone back at him, bathing him in its pale moonlight. A soft breeze ruffled Wurymmar's shaggy coat and he took in a deep breath of meadow air. All the preparations had been made and the pack would leave tomorrow. He had done a good job talking the others into going, even if some did express some reservation. Now everyone was prepared to go on a much needed vacation. All the thinking made him drowsy and, with the sound of the hooting of the Weewoos, Wurymmar fell into a deep, dreamless sleep along with most of the other Lupes in the pack.

     Most of the Lupes.

     ~*~*~*~*~

     Kreludor's gaze fell upon another Lupe, though this one was far from being asleep. The blue Lupe stood upon a small outcrop of rock and glared to the gathering of Lupes that now sat in a semicircle before him. He raised his head high; the wind blowing his stray blue fur over him majestically, and slowly turned his gaze from one Lupe to another.

     "You know why we're here," the Lupe said conspiratorially. The other Lupes nodded, grim looks on their shadowed faces, and the blue one continued. "You should know that a certain member of our pack has been going around and suggesting for us to go on a journey of sorts. And I have observed that all the necessary preparations have now been made and the pack is set to leave tomorrow, am I right?" Most of the Lupes nodded while the rest just stared resolutely ahead at their leader.

     "And now I must ask you, all of you, gathered here tonight," the blue Lupe growled. "Who is the true leader of this pack?"

     "You are, of course," one white Lupe replied.

     "You have always been our leader," another red one muttered. The blue Lupe couldn't help but smile slightly.

     "And have I ever steered you wrong in the past?"

     "No, never," the red one replied, his head shaking from left to right. The rest of the pack nodded in agreement.

     "So you do realize that, as leader, it is I that gives the orders, not some whelp of a Lupe!" the blue Lupe snarled.

     "But his father was the pack leader before this," another green female Lupe argued. The blue Lupe glared angrily at her. "And he saved us from a Dark Faerie."

     "Maevenmmar was a fool," he stated in disgust. "He was soft and thus the pack's control eroded under his command. That was why he made me the leader and sacrificed himself to kill that Dark Faerie. He wanted to redeem himself, and he did, but his personal sacrifice should not carry over to his kin.

     "You know how Wurymmar is: amiable and lively but also naïve and brash. If he continues to influence the pack then he may well take control and thus the pack shall fall. All the hard work of our ancestors destroyed and spread in the wind by some youth. Will you let that happen?"

     The blue Lupe's icy voice carried over the clearing and into the very hearts of the other Lupes. They gave a collective shudder and, recovering themselves quickly, shook their heads. With a smile, the blue Lupe jumped down from his rock and walked up to the others. The Lupes crowded as close as they dared and listened to the cold, harsh voice giving them orders.

     ~*~*~*~*~

      It was a very hot day on the Tyrannian Plateau, the sun's rays glaring down mercilessly onto the rocks, baking the ground like a Grackle Bug on an open flame. And it was the same rocky dirt that a lonely figure walked, muttering and cursing at the sun above.

     "Just my luck to wander out on the plateau on the first hundred degree day of the year," the youth, for he was barely 19 winters old, said. "What with this heavy pack and all." Indeed, as he raised his hand to brush his stray hair out of his eyes, the weight of the pack suddenly bit down on his shoulder where the straps lay. Stumbling for a second as the sudden shift in weight caught him off-balance, the figure grunted and heaved the heavy backpack higher on his back.

     "It's all these stupid potions," the youth lamented. "I knew that cheap sale was too much of a good thing." Without further ado, he steadied himself and straggled on over the hot ground, the sloshing of liquids in the back drowning out all sound.

     "Are we there yet?" the figure grumbled out of boredom to himself.

     ~*~*~*~*~

     "Are we there yet?" a green Lupe called tiredly as she struggled to keep up with the blue Lupe in front of her. The blue Lupe turned his head and shot her a dirty look.

     "How am I supposed to know where that whelp is leading us?" the blue Lupe retorted. A voice suddenly called in the distance.

     "Come on, we're nearly there," the distant voice of Wurymmar called. "I can see the volcanoes in the distance." The blue and green Lupes watched Wurymmar disappear behind a rocky outcrop. Then the blue Lupe turned to the green one.

     "Go tell the rest of the group," he said in a cold voice. "You know what to do." She nodded quickly and ran off down the rock-strewn hill. The blue Lupe turned his attention towards the top and slowly made his way up the incline.

     The rest will arrive here soon, he thought, contemplating the plan. She will distract the others loyal to that wretch Wurymmar while the rest of my subjects take care of him. No one will suspect us after his 'accident'. The blue Lupe laughed to himself, a wicked smile on his face, as he emerged over the top of the hill. Wurymmar was already waiting for him.

     "Hey, take a look at this view," Wurymmar said, beckoning his leader to observe over the top of the small cliff. True, the view was a good one. The cliff overlooked a wide expanse of seemingly endless rock with varying shades ranging from red to gold. In the distance, the calderas of the active volcanoes towered high into the blue, cloudless sky. "Nice isn't it?" Wurymmar added.

     The blue Lupe nodded sincerely, for the scene was quite awe inspiring, and pretended to continue looking in the distance. In reality he was waiting for the sounds of the other approaching Lupes.

     "Say, where is the rest of the pack?" Wurymmar inquired to the blue Lupe. He smiled wryly and turned to face Wurymmar.

     "They'll be here soon enough, don't you worry."

     ~*~*~*~*~

     Meanwhile, further down the hill, around a tall wall of rock, a white Lupe watched as a green female Lupe led about half the pack around another path. He turned towards a red Lupe.

     "Where is she leading the others, dad?" Vrynian asked. His father held up a paw to his mouth and motioned him to follow with the other.

     "Just follow me son," the red Lupe replied. "Our leader calls us." With that he proceeded to follow another dozen Lupes up to the top of the hill.

     Hmm, where's Wurymmar I wonder, Vrynian thought as he padded up the rocky hillside to join his father.

     ~*~*~*~*~

     "Isn't this breeze nice, Wurymmar?" the blue Lupe asked lazily. Wurymmar turned his head and closed his eyes, taking in the fresh, country air.

     "Sure is," Wurymmar replied in a relaxed voice, his eyes still closed. "Why do you ask?"

     "Because I also sense the winds of change in this breeze, don't you?"

     The cold, harsh tone made Wurymmar spin around. Behind him he saw his leader with a sneer on his face, about a dozen Lupes standing behind him, all with severe looks on their faces.

     "What's the meaning of this?" Wurymmar said warily, backing up a bit. The blue Lupe glared at him, his hackles raised. The pack took a collective step towards him.

     "Wurymmar, Wurymmar. So young, so brash, so ready to take my place," the Lupe said in a dangerous tone. Wurymmar's mouth turned into a frown, his eyes narrowing slightly.

     "What do you mean? I don't want to be pack leader," Wurymmar growled incredulously. The blue Lupe shook his head and gave a small laugh.

     "Oh but you do, don't you?" the Lupe remarked. "Using your charm and wit to win over the rest of the pack, like you're doing right now. Then you're going to turn them against me and take over as leader, just like your father did to mine. Your father was a weakling and the pack deteriorated under his command and they only respect him for that foolish sacrifice he made to protect the pack."

     "Don't you dare talk about my father like that!" Wurymmar snarled contemptuously. "The pack will suspect what you're doing! They will never forgive you if you hurt me!"

     "Will they? Whose word will they trust?" said the blue Lupe in a low voice full of malice. "You? No. No one will suspect me, not with them standing behind my word," he said smugly, gesturing to the other Lupes and laughing wickedly. "You are a threat to the pack and to me." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "And I will dispose of all who threaten the pack." Wurymmar lowered himself into a crouch, knowing what was coming, and backed up another step. The pack mirrored him and moved threateningly closer, some growling angrily. Then he felt the edge of the ridge against his back paws.

     The blue Lupe glared menacingly at Wurymmar, his mouth curled into a sneer.

     "Get him."

     Wurymmar sidestepped to avoid the raking claws of a green Lupe and deftly swatted aside another attack. But, his eyes focused on the Lupes in front of him, Wurymmar didn't notice a blue Lupe moving swiftly to his side, just out of sight. The figure sprang and barrelled right into Wurymmar's side.

     The hit took all the breath out of Wurymmar's body, causing him to stumble over the edge. The Lupe plummeted down the rocky cliff, bouncing off a few rocky outcrops, before finally hitting the base of the cliff with a sharp thud.

     "Goodbye, Wurymmar son of Maevenmmar," the blue Lupe said coldly as he looked down at Wurymmar's unmoving body. Then he motioned for the rest. "Let's go."

     The Lupes moved to follow their leader and began their descent down the hill. One white Lupe lingered behind the rest, looking down at Wurymmar's battered body below. Tears of anger welled up in the corner of his eyes before falling to the barren ground.

     I'm sorry, Wurymmar, I should have stopped them, Vrynian thought angrily. He won't get away with this, I promise you that my friend.

     With that, Vrynian turned and padded off down the other side of the hill to join the other retreating Lupes. Below, sprawled amid the debris of the rockslide, Wurymmar's unfocused eyes stared at where the dark shadow of a Lupe silhouetted against burning sun was only a moment ago. Slowly his eyes closed shut, darkness enveloping him.

To be continued …

Author’s note: Is this the end for Wurymmar the Lupe? Will Vrynian ever return? And who is that human with the heavy pack? You’ll have to wait to find out!