“Hey, Cup,” Zikah smiles as I walk up to him. My mother also smiles in my direction. We are all standing near the entrance of Jam Mart Furniture. It feels like this moment should be awkward, but all I feel is relief.
“Your father has explained to me everything. I’m proud of you. We are also getting back together,” she looks at him. This will be interesting!
After my first journey, my mother changed. She used to be extremely rude, but now she loves me at all times. I think she has gotten more experience as a mother in between then and now. Like my father, my mom looks exactly like me.
“Zara, I’m glad that you forgive me,” Zikah grins widely at her. Then I am dismissed, and they go back to their private conversation.
I trot back over the bridge, where many of the animals still wait for me.
“You’re back! I want to continue talking,” smiles Daymond.
“I do have an interesting topic on my mind,” I reply with a straightforward voice.
“What is it?” questions Wandel, with curiosity surging through his bones.
“How to prepare for the enemies. I was trained by one of the greatest Alphas ever, and his name is Faber. He taught me very well, and I want to pass on skills to you,” I guarantee.
“Faber? Isn’t he the Forgotten Alpha?” Ranel, Nile and Quinn all ask at the same time.
“Yes.”
“Wait- I’ve never heard of him. Are there more alphas than I know about?” asks Rosa. She looks me directly in the eye, hoping for me to answer instantaneously.
“Yes, there are, Rosa,” I begin to explain.
“On the journey home from Zone Two, Rapicik had explained to me many things. One of them was how Faber became an alpha. After all, Sir Gilbert was already the tiger alpha. But Rapicik then thoroughly told me how this happened. If an animal becomes a great figure in Jamaa and makes a very, very deep impact on the land, they can become an alpha. The reason why Faber wasn’t as popular as Sir Gilbert was because he wasn’t the first ever Tiger Alpha. He also told me that there are only a handful of these kind of Alphas,” I finish re-wording what Rapicik explained to me several nights ago. I remember that moment like it was yesterday. I learned so many interesting things from Rapicik on the journey home.
“But how exactly do they become an alpha? And how come the alphas live so long?” Ranel, who is pretty smart, ponders over the thought.
I peer into the bright, blue sky. This was a tough question or Rapicik to answer. But I clearly remember what he said when I asked the same thing as Ranel.
“To become an alpha, you have to visit Liza and sleep in her hut for a night. There’s a special room to sleep in there, and you will have a super important dream there. A mysterious force in the dream checks everything about you, and decides if you really can become an alpha. If you can, you will become one. The alphas all get improved immune systems, more healthy bodies, and new skills depending on their personalities. That’s how they live longer than an average Jamaasian. However, they can die if they are killed in battle, or a serious disease is too much for them. They would also eventually die after a long time,” I repeat Rapicik’s words. He is very wise to know all of this, and I assume that Faber explained this to him.
“What happens if that force doesn’t accept them?” Nile raises an eyebrow.
“You’ll go into a Coma. You will sleep until you die,” I squint at them all, watching their shocked expressions. I know of something else that will make you sleep until death, too.
“Have you ever seen me before, Cup?” a very, very small and childish voice asks me. Whoever just spoke doesn’t come out of the crowd.
“Who are you?” I ask the voice.
“I am Orellan.”
Finally, an unusually small bunny makes his way out of the crowd. He looks familiar for some reason. He looks at me with his mud brown eyes. He also has white fur, and all of a sudden I remember exactly how I know him.
“Do you wish to speak to me in private?” Orellan asks. I nod. He must understand that I’m confused. This is the bunny from the dream I had, a long time ago. In that dream, I had gotten a Diamond Sword from my mother Zara. I went outside, and all of a sudden I was popular. But then I found out that a small, white rabbit was being bullied by Archie. I felt horrible for him. At that moment, I realized that being popular wasn’t what I wanted.
“Alright guys, storytime is over. You can leave,” Armin tells all of the animals sitting near the bridge. Wandel is the first to leave, trotting towards his den.
Orellan and I walk over the bridge and into Appondale. We remain completely silent as we continue the small journey. Mud clings to my paws as we go through the dirty ground. I spot the Conservation Museum, as cool as ever. The Pet Shop is still there. Nothing looks like it has changed. The sky's still blue as Orellan leads me into the cave on the far left part of Appondale.
“Cup, you do know about the Dream World. I am sure of it,” Orellan dips his head.
“Yes, I do.”
“Then you must remember the dream from long ago. I sent it. I might’ve been young, but I was smart. I always knew there was something special about you, and I needed to send a message to you that being popular didn’t mean everything,” Orellan admits. Everything is starting to make more sense now.
“I’m sorry that it made you feel bad, though. But I feel empathy for you, too. We were both bullied for our sizes. But size does not matter at all. Your heart is what matters,” Orellan glimpses at me with his sparkling brown eyes.
“Orellan, thank you,” I say out loud.
“Without that dream, I wouldn’t be the wolf I am today. It changed me from being envious of others, to doing what I know is right,” I can see him smiling as I explain everything the dream has done for me.
“I hope that we can be friends now. After all, that was just a Jammer’s Dream. Now this is the real life,” Orellan offers with a sigh.
“Yes, we can. But what’s up with that sigh?” I ask him. I already know that we can become great friends in the future, and I want to him him. I want to understand him.
“I’ve never had a real friend before. Most of them betrayed me, or left me. I never talk to them anymore. I hope you don’t do that,” Orellan stares directly at me.
“I wouldn’t.”
“Good.”
“Now… you say that you went to the Dream World. Do you know how dangerous it is?” I smirk a little at the thought.
“Yes, but I did it because I was young. I was always curious, and when I found it, I did many experiments with it until I had it down,” Orellan laughs.
“I hope the Dream World is never used again, though,” I lie, not telling him a deep thought going through my mind. “Too many have died from it.”
“Yes, and that’s why Liza covered up the entrance to it. She did it while you were journeying with Nova and Kurkah,” says Orellan.
“Where was it, anyways?” I try to get an answer.
“You’re not going back, are you?” Orellan raises his eyebrows.
I look at him. How could he read my own thoughts?
“I have to. There’s something I really, really need to do. It is very important,” I admit with a groan.
“Fine. I will show it to you. But only if I can come with,” Orellan gives up immediately, hoping for an adventure.
“I’ll meet you at midnight. By the forest near Liza’s hut,” Orellan says. He dashes off before I can respond.
I will be going to the Dream World. Archie is still there, being killed multiple times by the Phantoms- in different realities. I can bring his spirit back to this world and he will be alive again. I have many questions to answer. Who is his grandfather? Could his grandfather really be my enemy?
I prance out of the cave and back into Appondale. Orellan is nowhere to be seen.
There’s some time left before midnight. Probably about seven hours. So what am I going to do until then?
“Cup, something terrible is going to happen. In only a short amount of time,” I hear Sinsar’s voice from behind me. I quickly turn around and spot the almost elderly monkey walking towards me.
“How do you know?” I question his thoughts.
“I saw it in a vision. Many animals are going to be wiped out,” claims Sinsar, staring me directly in the eye.
“What do you think it could be?” I wonder, now believing him.
Sinsar stares into the clouds coming towards Jamaa. They are dark gray and look like a ton of rain. I squint, trying to get a better glimpse of them. They actually look dangerous. The wind is whirling in circles where they’re at, and I can hear in the faint distance many things being blown over by the extreme wind. The storm is coming from the south, where there is a large forest. Beyond that, there are just more mountains until the land comes to an end near the ocean. The sky is starting to get darker as the storm slowly comes in our direction.
“This is one of many disasters to come. In my vision, a mysterious voice told me that three terrible disasters would come to Jamaa soon. They would come one by one. They didn’t tell me what the disasters would be, but I’m sure the first is this terrible storm coming,” gulps Sinsar.
I look directly into Sinsar’s aging eyes. It’s hard to even tell his eye color anymore. He must be getting old. His brown, monkey fur is starting to fall off, too. How much more time does he have? Is he telling me this now because he was worried he’ll die before anyone found out?
“I should warn everyone else. Do you wanna come with me?” I ask him.
“Yes, I will. I’d be happy to. If their lives depend on us, I want to do it. At this point, it’s the best thing I can do.”
I think he realizes himself that his time upon this planet is nearly up. I feel bad for him, but I don’t mention anything as we journey through Appondale and back into Jamaa Township.
As we near the bridge, I finally decide to speak to Sinsar again.
“When do you think the real battle will come? The final one? The one that will be a betrayal?” I wonder.
“We’ll never know, Cup. It could be one of the disasters. I’m not really sure at this point,” responds Sinsar with a raspy voice.
We both trot onto the bridge and greet the animals still on it. The first one I see is Ranel. Then I spot Daymond and Rosa. Wandel is the last animal I see that I recognize.
“Guys, guys. You have to listen,” I try to speak over the crowd. Everyone is talking about the latest news and gossip.
“What is it, Cup?” asks Daymond.
“It’s about our future, Daymond,” I reply to his question.
Then everyone falls silent, ready to hear whatever I have to say.
“Three disasters will soon be coming to Jamaa. They will destroy many of us,” I warn. I look at Sinsar, and he nods.
“The first is coming soon. Do you see that storm coming in from the south?” I gesture towards it.
“I do! I’ve seen something like it before. Aren’t really bad storms called tornadoes?” Wandel wonders with fright starting to appear on his expression.
“It might be a tornado. Just be careful, stock up everything you can, and remain in your dens,” I warn. Before anybody else can respond, I leave with Sinsar at my side.
“Nice wording,” compliments Sinsar with a grin on his face.
“Oh, it was nothing,” I laugh.
“I’ve got to go warn Minc-” Sinsar starts to say, but Mincero comes out of Jam Mart Clothing and greets us.
“Oh, hey, Sinsar. And hello, Cup,” Sinsar smiles at the sight of us. Mincero looks slightly younger than Sinsar and doesn’t have as many elderly features. He looks as bright as any tiger and beams at us with sparkling blue eyes.
“We have to warn you about three disasters. Jamaa is in danger. The first disaster is coming soon, and it’ll be a terrible storm,” I blurt out before Sinsar can tell Mincero.
“That’s not good. But I’ll do anything to protect the animals living here in Jamaa. Our future must continue,” Mincero dips his head.
“Thanks, Mincero,” I smile.
“I’m going to leave you now, Cup. I need to talk with Mincero privately. I hope you don’t get into too much trouble,” Sinsar smirks.
“I won’t. I hope you don’t, either,” I smile back at him. Then he trots off with Mincero at his side. They both head to their dens a little ways away from Jam Mart Clothing.
I walk down the Jamaa Township pathway. It looks as bright and happy as ever. Flowers are blooming, the grass is a beautiful green, and the sun still shines bright. But the darkness is coming. The darkest days are nearly here.
“It’s me, Cup,” a girl’s voice says behind me. I turn around, stopping the journey to my small den.
Behind me, Nova, Ranel, Katira and Rocky stand side by side.
“What’s gotten into you, Cup? You look extremely worried,” Nova asks with concern in her voice.
“Well, it’s because Jamaa is in danger,” I respond.
“How?” Rocky wonders, and he also has concern in his voice.
“Three disasters are going to come soon. They’re all going to wreak havoc on us, and the final battle could be one of them. Kurkah can also be coming at any moment. And I have no idea who the real enemy is anymore,” I explain to them all.
“Don’t worry, Cup. We’re all going to get through it together,” Ranel tries to raise the amount of happiness surrounding us.
“Yeah,” Katira, the wolf I once trusted, chimes in.
“Nobody asked for your opinion, traitor,” I snap at Katira.
“I changed, Cup! I did the wrong thing back then. I am certainly on your side now,” Katira argues.
“What’s this all about?” Nova raises her eyebrows.
I look at Rocky. His expression tells me that I should admit what happened back in Zone Two.
“Karant and Brent had my father Zikah trapped. I know you probably know about that. But I went to confront them on the last night in Zone Two. They were already angry about me killing Jalar, so they were going to kill my father. Then Katira blocked the entrance so neither of us could escape. She betrayed me. Luckily, Rocky came in a held her off. I fought Karant and Brent at that moment. I killed Karant after a vicious fight. Rocky and I let Brent and Katira go, but we will never forgive them,” I explain thoroughly to Nova. She nods slowly.
“But I have changed!” Katira once again argues, attempting to prove her point.
“It’ll take a while for me to believe you,” I squint at her. Then she goes back to remaining silent. I can’t believe I ever thought she was beautiful.
“I don’t think she’s that bad. If she did do that, she must’ve changed,” Nova tries to explain to me.
“Well, in my opinion, she hasn’t. I’ll have to wait for a while and see for myself,” I stare at Katira with anger in my voice.
“Cup, let’s just go. We can talk about that later. I have other things on my mind. Us four- not including Katira- have to go somewhere private,” Rocky croaks out. Katira scowls at him, then she trots over towards her den.
“Rocky, don’t be so rude to her,” Ranel tells him.
Rocky glares at her, then his expression brightens.
“Fine. I won’t. But only because you said so,” Rocky finally responds after a long period of silence.
“Let’s head over to my den. Nobody else is there currently,” Nova says out loud. We all follow behind her as she leads us to our new destination.
“I still don’t like her either, Cup,” Rocky whispers in my ear as we all enter Nova’s den.
“Me neither,” I whisper back.
I suddenly realize something. At first, I hated Rocky. He seemed to be taking Nova away from me. She’s my best friend. And honestly, I do have a crush on her. I’ve never admitted that, though. But Rocky made her distant from me. She would never know who to talk to. But then Rocky changed. Today, the three of us are all friends. Could Katira change, too?
Nova lights a small lamp, and we all sit down on pillows.
“What do you want to talk about?” Ranel is the first to ask Rocky.
“The Dream World. Do you know about it?” Rocky asks Ranel.
“I think so. Is it where you sleep in a secret place, then you can travel through time and other animal’s dreams?” Ranel responds with a higher pitch of voice.
“Yes, that’s exactly it,” Nova says.
“How did you know that I wanted to bring Archie back to life?” I look at Rocky, shocked. He hasn’t mentioned that he knows this. But I can tell by his expression, the looks he keeps giving me, and the fact that he is now talking about the Dream World.
“Because I want him alive again, too. And so did Nova. Us three all got the eagerness to bring him back to life,” replies Rocky with relief flooding through his voice. He must be happy to know that he was correct.
“Do you all know Orellan?” I question. I have already planned to meet him at midnight near Liza’s hut.
“Yes,” everyone else immediately says.
“Good. I’ve already planned to meet him near Liza’s hut at midnight. We are all going to the Dream World with him,” I explain.
“Then that sounds good. But what about that storm? Is it going to delay us?” Ranel wonders as she looks out of a small, narrow window. Outside, the sky is darkening as the storm approaches.
“Hopefully it will be gone by midnight. Storms that bad usually don’t last very long,” I reply.
“Anyways, why do you three want to bring my brother back?” Ranel asks, leaving the storm topic in the dust.
“Because his grandfather might be the enemy today. I was told about the story of his grandfather. His grandfather was a young wolf named Archie. Back then, that Archie was small and bullied for his size. One day he disappeared. Some of the older animals in Jamaa claim that they still see the other Archie. Faber himself told me that he got a vision about being killed, and that’s why he left Jamaa. What is the other Archie wants revenge on Jamaa?” I explain every going through my mind about the final enemy. But the final battle will be a betrayal. Somehow, I have to know the enemy personally. I don’t know who the old Archie is, though. Could this older Archie be in Jamaa right now, in a disguise?
“Interesting,” Ranel nods.
“I never did like my brother that much. Despite us both being ‘popular’, he was still rude to me. I always did feel a little bad for you two. I’m still terribly sorry for how I acted back then,” Ranel apologizes again.
I nod, understanding that she’s changed over time. But Katira still has a lot of time to prove that she’s changed.
“We have to come with you,” a voice says outside of the window. I look directly at the window, but nothing is there.
“Who was that?” Rocky growls.
The door creaks open and I see who it was. Brent, Katira, Wandel, Daymond, Nile, and Rosa.
“If you’re going to the Dream World, we’re going too,” Brent walks up to me and demands this.
“It’s dangerous. And how do the others know about it now?” I question his actions.
“We already explained everything to them. Wandel, Daymond, Nile and Rosa would all be helpful on a trip to the Dream World,” Katira argues. She snickers and gives a high five to Brent.
Memories. Terrible memories of many animals dying. Memories of animals trapped in the Dream World, searching for Zios. I clearly remember what Rapicik had told me about his early experience with the Dream World, when it was believed to be safe. Now there are many more animals about to enter it.
“You can go. But let me tell you this, Katira- your actions right now aren’t making me trust you any more,” I growl. Rocky comes to my side if Brent and Katira want to attack again.
“Don’t worry, Cup, we’re only coming to help,” Katira’s expression suddenly becomes more friendly.
“You can all come, but don’t blame me if you die,” I give out one final warning.
“We definitely won’t,” Daymond guarantees.
“Cup, I have changed, too. Trust me. I didn’t do the right thing that night, and I’m sorry that I was ever your enemy,” Brent whispers an apology into my ear.
“The past is the past, tough boy. Who’s laughing now?” I laugh directly in his face. Rocky laughs along with me, then Brent goes back to the door.
“I don’t think we should go outside. It’s downpouring now,” Rosa says to everyone and she gets a glimpse outside the window.
“The storm is upon us,” Nile takes a deep breath.
“Hopefully it’ll pass by quickly,” Daymond responds.
“Hopefully we won’t die before we even get to the Dream World,” grunts Ranel with worry in her voice.
“We won’t. How bad could a storm possibly-” Nova begins to cheer us up, but a super strong bolt of lightning slams the ground outside and shakes us off of our paws.
“What kind of lightning was that?” Rocky gasps.
The door suddenly bursts open. Rapicik, Faber, Dawn, Armin, Marr and Nymin come in. They’re all completely soaked. A few other animals come in behind them, too, but I have no idea who they are.
“We’re sorry for coming in, Nova, but we couldn’t stay out there in that weather. It’s like a a giant animal, bigger than Jamaa, is breathing as hard as possible onto us,” Rapicik shakes off his fur with a growl.
“Did Sinsar and Mincero tell you all about the three disasters coming?” Faber asks.
“Yes, they did,” I reply.
“Good. This storm is the first one to come. Nova, do you have a basement in here?” Faber demands an answer from her.
“Sadly, no, I don’t,” Nova’s expression turns from worried to frightened.
“Get under the tables. The worst part of the storm is yet to come,” Dawn warns with a stern voice.
We all do as he ordered. We get under the furniture, squeezing into different areas.
“Sorry that we haven’t spoken for a while, Cup. I’ve been busy with Nymin trying to adjust to this place,” Marr says as we get under a table together.
“It’s alright. I know that it can be hard to adjust to a completely new place,” I feel empathy for him.
“I feel empathy for you, too. You must’ve felt the same way when you arrived at Zone Two for the first time,” Marr smiles.
“Yes, I did,” I smirk.
“Jamaa is very wonderful, though. There is so much more to do. It’s absolutely beautiful and full of surprises. The animals here are wonderful, and I can’t understand why Faber ever left this place. I hope Zone Two gets to stay here forever, because I want to live here now. I would protect it with my life,” Marr stares at his paws.
“I believe you will be staying. We’ll be able to talk much more in the future if you do, too,” I tell him. He brightens up.
“Hello, Cup. It’s me, Nymin,” Nymin joins in on the conversation.
“Hey!” I tell him.
“This might be an awkward time to talk, but I really want to apologize to you. I haven’t spoken to you for a while. Hopefully we’ll be able to talk to each other more now,” Nymin suggests.
“Marr had the same problem. I know I can become great friends with you both, so don’t blame it all on yourself,” I guarantee Nymin.
“That is, if we survive this storm,” Nymin gulps as the rain hits the roof harder.
“We will. We can’t think about death yet,” Rocky says from behind me.
Out of nowhere, the wind swipes the door right off of its hinges. The door flies out into the air and is nowhere to be seen. I gasp as a large, funnel shaped figure slams into the ground from above. Is this a tornado?
“Everybody, get to the opposite side of the den! Now!” Rapicik shrieks as the funnel spins in a circle. We all immediately squirm to the other side.
The tornado rips apart everything in its path. I can hear an animal screaming, then it gets sucked up in the distance. I close my eyes. I can’t watch this.
The tornado gets louder, and then I open my eyes one more time to see it coming directly towards this den.
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