The three of us evacuated the house, taking the back door. Lucius covered my eyes for his so-called surprise. As soon as he uncovered them, I was presented with a huge object covered with an unclean fabric.

"Go on, take a peek.”

I knelt in front of the surprise. I lifted the hem of the cloth, going under it. The uncomfortable feeling in my stomach departed as I found Fenris smiling with his tongue protruded. 

"Fenris...you are safe," I murmured and lightly embraced the werewolf.

Fenris released short whimpers and growls as if he was trying to explain what happened. I listened throughout his speech.

"That must be heart-wrenching. It is good that you are well, " I responded.

"Is this wolf experiencing a severe case of constipation?" Aramastus questioned.

Lucius elbowed his stomach. "Silence, you dense idiot..."

The werewolf snuggled his jaw against my neck, raising his front legs to return my hug.

"Let's go, children. Such a tearful reunion may be continued later.”

"Where are we heading next?" Aramastus asked.

I slipped out from under the cloth, petting Fenris through it. His tail swished side-to-side as I gave him much attention that he deserved.

"We go back to the hideout as quickly as possible.”

"What of the ippótes?" his companion asked. "I've been diverting them to different locations but soon they'll eventually head here in search of the prince.”

"No lives were taken?" Lucius queried.

"None," the latter replied. "Well...I did snack on one and two knights, do they count?"

Lucius smacked the back of Aramastus' head.

"I told you to control yourself!"

"How do we take Fenris with us?" I intruded between them. 

Lucius turned around, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Fenris, have you ever tried flying before?"

The jerk of the cloth indicated the tilt of Fenris' head in question. The wolf whimpered. 

Can werewolves fly?

…

…

…

A loud and joyous howl blasted through the skies. Fenris' limbs stretched forward and back while my brother's zephyrs carried him with us.

I sat behind Lucius, holding on to him as I watched the werewolf take pleasure. His tongue fluttered to the side like a flag.  He kept glancing at me as if he was asking me to keep watching him fly.

Aramastus was on his own pegacorn. Brother trusted Argo for our safety while he concentrated on keeping Fenris alive.

At the far distance ahead, there were ridges. Chains of green mountains and hills went on until we reached a plain of grassland. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary with the large landmass until a hillock protruded out of nowhere.

"Time to descend.”

The direction of our way abruptly shifted. A tingle of ticklish sensation bothered my sides as we made our landing.

Brother slipped off from the pegacorn, sauntering towards the isolated hill. He pressed his hand against the elevated soil. A scratchy and rough sound was heard with the collapsing of the rectangular block of the front side of the hill, showing a passageway leading downstairs.

Torches hanging at the walls lit up. Aramastus led the way as he pulled his pegacorn behind him into the narrow passage.

"Where is this?" 

He beamed at me. 

"Your new home. This is the place where runaway ancients reside."

Lucius gently pushed me inside, ushering Fenris to follow. My brother entered last with Argo. The rough and scratchy noise was heard again as the entrance closed.

We made our way downstairs. The mossy and red brick walls slowly shifted into dark blue quartz. The floor that was waiting for us at the last step was smoothened out in obsidian elegance. Laughter resonated from below.

I was told that no Ancients other than my brother lived outside of the walls, but it turned out that my people have been tossing out what they called defects.  There were people from Florencia who escaped, deciding to lend aid to my brother in a fight that would equalize the distribution of Ancient power throughout the world.

They called themselves Scums. 

They withdrew themselves from the status of the high-end society of Ancients and chose to rise against not only the Higher-Order but also against the royal family. They were rebels led by my own older brother. 

Lucius, the great general of the Ancient army, was now a traitor to his own kind and truthfully, I did not mind at all.

"Chii, Fenris, welcome to the Boonies. Welcome to your new family."