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3

Sambinon's house in the suburbs of Gondomar had grown completely quiet as the night dragged on. The prior events of the evening left little to be heard or seen from the home, creating a polar opposite atmosphere that now surrounded the little cub. The clock, surprisingly still functional, lay on the floor in the living room counting the seconds of two-thirty four. Aside from this, everything in the front of the home was lifeless and still. Nothing seemed to be disturbed and it would be hard for someone to tell that anything had happened at all from just walking in the door. However, if they were to travel down that small hallway leading from the kitchen to the master bedroom, the story would become drastically different, almost unbelievable.

The stain from the father's blood was no longer running, having dried up from the amount of time that had elapsed. It faced a now closed door because Sambinon decided to shut off the entrance to the room in part to block out that sight, and also to allow no more access to him or his parents. It was the best he could do, but he knew that the door would be easy to open without a door knob. It provided that little bit of relief to be in a room alone with his fallen parents. He hadn't thought of calling the police yet, still in a huge amount of shock from earlier. Sambinon wasn't crying anymore, although he was still incredibly heartbroken. He wasn't trying to come to terms with it yet, because he still found himself wishing it were all a horrible dream. He hoped that he would wake up any minute in his bed, realizing this was all a nightmare that would make him appreciate his parents more than he ever had in his life. The first thing he would do is run into his parents room, waking them up as he always did, then get plenty of hugs from them once he explained his terrible dream. But this felt too real to him for some reason, making him upset to realize that this theory was probably never going to be proven.

After shutting the door, he went back to the same spot in which the wolf and bull terrier had left him. He was knelt down on the bed beside his mother, occasionally looking down at his father. The shock of what had happened made him feel emotionless for a time, which also made him feel bad for not showing how upset he really was. But he had cried for so long, his tear ducts just couldn't create anymore tears, so he just sat there, rubbing over his mother's gown to just feel a non-reciprocated touch. He closed his eyes once more, remembering when his parents would reach out to hug him and show affection, something he wouldn't be able to feel anymore. He had lost all hope of helping them now because it had been too long since the wolf had said they died. Doctors probably couldn't even solve his problem. He also didn't want to call the police, knowing that when they showed up his parents' bodies would be taken away and he really would never see them again. He would do that a little later after he felt he could finally part from them. It was hard to think about this for Sambinon, being so young and really not prepared to be on his own at all.

Minutes passed by as the little cub continued to look down at his mother, running his small hand through her fur and straightening it out again to make her look clean. He had reached a point where he felt that he couldn't hang on to them much longer, knowing that someone needed to know they were dead and have a funeral for them. He couldn't survive in this house all by himself. Sambinon looked at his mother's face one more time before sighing sadly and moving himself to the edge of the big bed. He extended his first foot down to the carpeted floor, making sure he was securely planted before reaching the other one down to meet it. He slid off the sheets and stood on the floor next to the bed, seeing his father's feet on the other side of the footboards from where he lay. He looked down at the ground to avoid seeing his father's more serious injuries, and made his way to the door as he drug his feet. There was nothing in his being that was perky anymore, making him a different cub entirely from that same morning.

He knew the time had come to call the police like his parents had taught him in times of trouble, but it was going to be so hard to tell them what had happened. He wasn't even completely sure how his parents were hurt, only able to say what kind of injuries they had sustained. Just before he reached the bedroom door, he turned and looked at his parents for what he thought would be the last time, trying to hold on to some kind of memory that he would carry for the rest of his life. Somehow, a single tear found its way out of Sambinon's eye and ran down his little cheek. He was too stunned to even wipe it away.

He whimpered to himself as he turned his head to look at the door once more, eyeing it and extending his hand to the hole of the missing knob in an attempt to pull it open from there. However, his motion was abruptly cut short from a sound that resembled a very windy day in downtown Gondomar. But this noise didn't seem to be coming from outside. Sambinon stared wide eyed at the door, hearing what seemed like papers being flipped about further down the hallway and possibly in the living room. It picked up rapidly, getting stronger and stronger as it made the door swing a little in front of the cub. Sambinon stepped back out of confusion and fear, wondering what on Earth could be happening now. There had been strangers in his house already tonight, but this didn't look like it was turning into the same problem. No one could make wind stir up inside of a house like this, nature that was supposed to stay outside. The sound of pages and papers rattling got more and more fierce, beginning to mix in with harder objects that could be heard clamoring about. It seemed as if the house had a tornado running through it, making Sambinon worry about his safety once more. He ran back over to the side of the bed quickly and ducked down as the door flew open and hit the wall beside it. He could hear things being thrown around by this wind, sending gusts through the archway of the door that pushed against the sheets of the bed and Sambinon's face. His whimpers turned into screams of fear, gripping the bed sheets tightly to prevent from falling backwards.

But just when it seemed the wind would surely tear the house apart from the inside, it quickly ceased, making all of the rustling things in the living room and kitchen fall to the floor or slowly swing to a stop. The bed sheets in the room had stopped flowing from the gusts, and the pressure on his face had subsided. Sambinon had his eyes closed tight, trying to hide his face behind the sheets of the bed when he noticed the immediate silence. All that could be heard now was the light banging of pots knocking against one another after the initial crash of heavier objects hitting the floor. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the open doorway. He didn't move for a moment, but he wanted to make sure he shut the door again since the wind stopped. He scurried over from his position and grabbed the door to shut it as quickly as he could and made sure it stayed shut by itself. He whimpered and travelled backwards to the side of the bed once more, hoping that someone else hadn't come into his house. He would be wary of anything being possible at this point in the evening, finding himself shaking from the anticipation of what could be happening.

But Sambinon couldn't have been able to guess where the wind came from or who had caused it. Just down the hallway, the living room light flickered on and off for a moment before finding the strength to stay on from some unknown source. However, behind the couch and in front of the bar, the origin of this power could be identified by two black figures crouched down as if they had just landed from a long distance fall. Their forms started to become a little more solid as an apparent vortex began to dissipate around them. Afterward, they quickly became the solid figures of two black wolves. Without standing, they both opened their eyes with frightening synchronicity, showing bright yellow that contrasted with their fur.

One was a male figure, and the other female. They did not wear clothes, but there was enough fur and fluidity in their presence to cover up any kind of indecency that mortals would find on their bodies from being disrobed. Their fur looked to be very soft and sleek, showing no signs of aging or wear. The male began to rise to his feet, looking around the living room of the home with squinting eyes. The female rose beside him and surveyed the other areas of the house. He was looking to his left, seeing the clock on the floor amidst all of the things disrupted by the force of their vortex. There wasn't anything damaged, it just looked like some kids had taken out everything in the room without putting them back. His face didn't make it appear he was too surprised by what he saw, scanning the room with unmoving eyes and mouth. He was really just looking around to orient himself after the space travel he and his partner had gone through. He and the female were silent for a brief moment as they both stood in the same spot, not affected by the final rattle of the pans and other hanging objects. The rest of the house was still in the dark apart from the living room in which they stood, only illuminating the kitchen partially from the overflow of light.

Although there was no wind blowing throughout the house anymore, there was still an invisible force surrounding the pair that would make their fur sway from time to time. It was inaudible, but the presence of the two would definitely seem intimidating to any other on planet Earth. The female's eyes fell onto the path leading down the hallway, piercing the length to create an invisible path and destination. "They're down there," she said plainly, nodding in that direction.

The male then fell on the same path and nodded in agreement. "We must hurry. No one can know we were here," he instructed.

The female looked over in his direction, but was gazing past him. Those bright yellow eyes began to glow after she observed the room for a moment, completely covering the sight of her pupils. Suddenly, everything that was on the floor started to shake lightly as if coming to life before all moving at the same time. There was nothing attached to drag them along, only the air in which they started occupying. She stayed unmoving, but the objects were lifted up off the ground. At first they were being blown in obscure directions, but they soon slowly began to spin in a very controlled whirlwind in front of the coffee table. Judging from her glowing eyes and apparent fixation on the twirling house items, she must have been the one doing all this. The pages of books began to shuffle around once more, and the metal decorations rattled as the wind picked them up. However, nothing in the calm tornado hit each other, showing that the female wolf had an apparent unseen command over them. Her facial expression stayed still as she nodded lightly, which suddenly forced everything in the whirlwind to go in opposite directions. Each piece quickly flew back to where they were before the house was ever invaded. The books were tucked nicely under the coffee table and the cheap decorations found their perches in the entertainment center. The last item was the clock that made its way back to the wall safely and securely. The light from the female's eyes then slowly started to subside to a normal radiance, revealing the black pupil in the center as she turned back to the hallway.

The male had not strayed away from his viewpoint, keeping a watchful eye and ear for any movement that might come from the bedroom in the back of the house. Once he knew his partner was done cleaning up the living room, he spoke once more, "Let's go." He began leading the way down the hall, reaching the tiled floor of the kitchen after a couple of steps. When his foot hit the floor of the new room, the lights instantly turned on, brightening up the path as they walked. This was clearly something intended by the wolves as their concentration never wandered from the end of the hallway. The female traveled beside him at the same pace, falling back a little because of the narrow hallway fast approaching. Their steps were in perfect time when the wideness of the kitchen quickly narrowed to the close walls of the corridor.

As they entered the small space, the hall light turned on as well, showing them the damage done earlier that evening. The male looked at the door, seeing the knob missing, but once again didn't seem surprised by it. He stopped right in front of the door and fully faced it, examining the damage further.

The female had come up behind him, but knelt down at the blood stains on the wall opposite the door. She looked at it for a second then slowly lifted her hand, palm facing out toward the mark. There was no sound or light that came from her, but the stain started to slowly fade like it was seeping into the paint. This happened only seconds after she held out her palm, fading the spot away to nothing and leaving no evidence of it ever being present. She did this with a precise quickness that marked how prepared she must have been for it.When it had fully disappeared, she put her hand down and stood up once more and turned in the direction of the male wolf. Everything they were doing must have been carefully planned ahead of time, each one's actions bouncing directly off the other. Now they both stood and looked forward straight at the broad wooden part of the door.

Sambinon was still looking at the door, frozen from the fear of what could be happening in the house. He had heard the things start to rustle in the living room, but it seemed that it ended this time with a lot of things landing or hitting walls more softly than before. He couldn't make out what it was, making him frightened the more he waited. His breathing got quickened when he heard very light footsteps going through the house and saw the light from the kitchen and hallway make its way under the bedroom door. He wasn't sure whether the two bad guys had returned, or whether this was someone completely different. He had also heard mumbling further down the hall, but it was so muffled from where he was that he couldn't identify it as one of the voices from before. What scared him the most was that it was getting closer and closer until he saw shadows interrupt the light from under the door as the unknown figures approached it. There was nothing he could do to keep them from coming in the room, and he was defenseless if they happened to be meaner than the others that came into the house earlier. He started to cry weakly, newfound tears beginning to glass up his eyes again as he discovered a new reason to panic.

He then saw the door start to slowly creek open, creating a shrieking noise as it has been beaten up before by the criminals and the wind. This made Sambinon yelp and jump onto the bed quickly, seeking refuge in the sheets as he ruffled through them to get underneath. He knew this wasn't going to be anywhere near sufficient, but he was in such a state of fear that he was seeking more comfort right now than actual coverage. He was shaking a bit, turning into a very tight ball that sat on the bed right behind his mother's body. He still heard the squeaking of the door's hinges for a couple of long seconds before everything seemed to fall silent again.

The male and female wolves were standing in the now open doorway, having not moved any limb to achieve the task. Their bright eyes took in the scene of the bedroom before they stepped forward. They saw the bodies of the mother and father as well as everything in the room that had been disturbed. It was a sad sight, but this was something they seem to have expected as they stayed calm and looked around.

The female took the lead and stepped in front of the male into the room first. Her feet glided across the carpet, travelling over to the fallen parents on and near the bed. She looked down at the father, then at the mother as she found her destination at the bedside. Her eyes studied the body for a few moments before she made her motion. Raising a hand to place it on the forehead of the mother, she gently rubbed it across her face while her eyes studied the wound that had been revealed by Sambinon earlier from shaking the body. She appeared as if she were in deep thought and also in a state of sympathy for the fallen family. She then looked to her right as the male stepped forward and knelt down beside the father on the floor. He was also studying the body, checking over the wounds with his piercing eyes as his hands rested his knees. He had closed his eyes to think for a moment before opening to meet them with the female. He nodded gently over to the bundle that was near the headboard of the bed. The female turned to look where he was pointing her attention, and saw the lump that was trying its best to keep still. She already knew that this was little Sambinon, nodding back to the male wolf before she took her hands off of the mother.

She fixated her stare on the trembling mound and walked slowly over to it, making her presence known but not intimidating. She knew it was best to use her physical being to move the blanket so that it wouldn't shock the cub too much. She reached the spot beside Sambinon and moved her hand down to grab the part of the sheet next to him. The softness collapsed as she grasped it, moving slightly already around the little tiger's form underneath.

Sambinon had heard the two enter the room, their soft footsteps treading lightly across the carpet and stopping once. He was still unsure of exactly who these strangers were, but he didn't want to look out from under the blanket to see because of the trauma he'd already been through. And it wasn't that he believed he wouldn't be spotted, he was just at his wit's end and didn't have the willpower to think of something better at the moment. He just wanted to disappear, at least to a point where he couldn't see them. As his mind raced up to this moment, he felt one of the stranger's hands clasp around the bed sheet. He closed his eyes so tight that he began to shake even more, not knowing whether this was the wolf coming back or someone completely different. It all became a moment of finality for him as he felt the cool air of the room sneak under the blanket as it was lifted off of him. He crouched down as far as he could while sitting on his knees, placing his hands over his eyes in one final attempt to disappear. However, this luck didn't come through. He was still curled up over himself, knowing he was now out in the open for whoever this was in his house to see.

He sat there, lightly whimpering as he was shaking. Sambinon was sure that at any moment he was going to be disturbed by something done to him by this presence. But he slowly began to realize that nothing had happened for a few intense moments. His fear started to go into confusion, his body calming just enough to stop the shaking. It soon became unclear if they had just left or if they were watching him, but he was a little reluctant to check still. After a few more seconds of still and quiet, he decided it best to see in hopes that they did leave him alone. It was dead silent, not even the noises of outside interrupted as he slowly lifted his hands off of his face and opened his eyes. His direction of view was already on his mother's closet at the left of the bed, but about half of the view seemed to be obstructed by something black. It was a fuzzy kind of vision, sending more curiosity through the cub's body than fear now. He looked at the black spot strangely, allowing his eyes to start moving upwards as they followed the form. When they did, it became clear to him that this definitely was not the wolf from earlier. It seemed to be naked, but he didn't really take notice of this as such. He recognized fur that seemed to be coving it and saw it flowing. This indicated to him that this was another being, but not one he had ever met before. When he finally reached the peak height of the figure, he met eyes with the bright glowing stare of the female wolf. Those yellow eyes froze him in his place, staring back up with his mouth open a bit from shock. He didn't know if he should feel scared though, sensing that there was nothing too intimidating about how she stared at him. Sambinon was just in shock from seeing another complete stranger. He made out that it was also a wolf, but there was something about it that gave it a different kind of presence than the one who had hurt his parents.

Just as he was fully realizing that this first wolf was standing in front of him, he heard another sound coming from the foot of the bed. He then remembered that he did hear two voices through the door, turning to look at the source of the noise. That's when he saw the other wolf beginning to stand up from his crouching on the floor. This one had the same glowing eyes as the other as well as the same midnight black fur. The wolf was gazing at Sambinon the same way, starting to make him a little nervous to have the two staring him down at the same time. He sat up on his knees and held his hands close to his chest, visibly getting more frightened from the situation. This is when he felt the soft touch of the wolf in front of him on his shoulder, making him jump slightly and look up.

The female was looking down at him, smiling softly as the first mark of expression the entire evening. It was a completely different sight for Sambinon to see on the wolf, but she knew this was the best way to make him feel more comfortable. She gently rubbed on his shoulder. "Everything is okay, little Sambinon," she said warmly. "We are here to help you."

Sambinon realized this was a female, and just looked at her with wide, shocked eyes from hearing her speak. She didn't look like she ever had spoken her whole life, and the fact that she knew his name made him even more confused than he already was. He didn't remember ever meeting these two before, but apparently they knew about him. Had he been introduced when he was a small baby? He stared back up at her, not muttering a word for a moment until he realized how impolite it was to not respond to someone he was supposed to know. He was aching to know when he met the two wolves before, so he decided to finally speak up. "H...How do you know my name?" he asked weakly.

She continued without hesitation. "We have been watching you for a long time," she informed him, taking a second to look at the other wolf as she spoke.

The male wolf was standing straight up now and nodded in agreement. "Yes, Sambinon, you have been a point of interest for us. You do not know who we are, and you have never met us before in your life. But, we have come at this moment to help you in your time of need. We are here to take you and your parents where you belong."

Sambinon looked back at the female wolf who nodded to reassure that the male was telling the truth. He wasn't sure what to think at this moment, however, because it was very strange to think that he'd been watched by these two without him noticing. He had no idea where they came from, and he especially didn't know why they were interested in him specifically. "Where I belong?" he asked the female as he gazed up at her still.

"Where all of you belong, Sambinon," she responded with the same smile as before. "We want to take your parents with you as well." Her eyes were soft, releasing the tension in Sambinon she knew he was feeling.

But Sambinon's emotions then went back to the dark place they had been in earlier, realizing that they must have come too late. His parents were dead now and they wouldn't be able to help them anymore or take them anywhere. "My Mommy and Daddy..." he started to say, but found he couldn't bring himself to finish the rest. Saying that his parents were dead would be too much for him, so he just nodded over to their lifeless bodies without really looking at them. It just hurt too much to do either.

The female wolf rubbed Sambinon's shoulders gently. "We know," she explained plainly. She saw the cub look back at her with wondering eyes before she continued. "If you will allow us, we can do what we can."

Sambinon perked his ears up slightly, looking quickly from her to the male wolf and back again. "You mean you can help?" he asked, traces of excitement and amazement in his tone once more.

The male wolf nodded and spoke, "We will do all that we can. But first you have to give us permission to do so. You are in control of your own life, Sambinon. We will not interfere if you wish us not to. If you do not trust us, we will not act." He looked briefly back down at the body of the cub's father as he spoke.

Sambinon felt the swelling of hope start to knock out the overwhelming sorrow in his stomach and chest. This could possibly be what he was wishing for, a way to make his parents feel better and maybe even come back to life. He didn't know these wolves, but they were the only thing he had left to trust. They hadn't shown any aggression or hostility towards him so far, so he didn't really give much thought as to why he shouldn't believe them. He sat straight up from his slouched position and nodded quickly to both of them. "If you can help, I want you to. Please," he begged, still having an expression of awe from wondering what exactly these two would be doing for him.

The female then looked over to the male and nodded. She stepped to the side to stand beside the mother as the male crouched down once more to the father. She looked back at Sambinon and held up her hand. "We need you to stand back for a moment," she instructed the cub, who obediently slid back to the pillows that were slightly disheveled from their original positions.

Sambinon sat there on one of the bigger pillows with his hands in his lap as he watched the wolves' movements. He tried his best to lean over far enough and get a full view of what they were doing without leaving his seat. He couldn't really see the male wolf, but judging from the actions of the female, it looked as if the male was making the exact same motions on the floor by his dad.

The female looked down at the mother's body, her head facing the female's legs as she stood beside the bed. She closed her eyes slowly and squinted more as they were shut to show an apparent state of concentration. Her hands left her side and outstretched to gently lie upon either side of the mother's head on her temples. For a couple a seconds, there was nothing happening as the female wolf kept her eyes shut tight. She was focusing, shutting out everything around as her mind searched for the inner power needed to succeed at this task. Suddenly she found it, grunting and gasping as she opened her eyes. There was a huge, bright light that had the color of a normal incandescent bulb shooting out from under her hands at first, and then began slowly filling the space around her. The same light started to come up on the floor beside her as the male was doing the same thing, holding his hands on the father's chest.

Sambinon jumped, his back hitting the wooden headboard with a light thump from the suddenness of the light. He was only frightened for a brief second before his mouth dropped open in astonishment. He saw the light start to emit from the female's hands and wondered what was happening. Sambinon rubbed his eyes once to see if they were fooling him, but when he stopped the light was still there. She actually had light coming out of her palms. How could these wolves be doing something that incredible with just their bodies? It didn't make any sense, but he could only hope that the light was doing more good than harm to his parents. He leaned in more, finding it hard to believe all of this wasn't some dream, but he also couldn't decide whether he wanted it to be or not.

The female wolf continued to hold her eyes open, recovering from the initial push of light and returning back to her calm expression from before. The light started to shine brighter without taking up anymore space as her eyes reflected it. The only sound that came from the spectacle was a light ringing, seeming to fill the room to eradicate the silence. It had become so bright after a couple seconds that it was half coving the front of the female wolf as she stood there unmoved and unaffected by what she was doing. The light lower to the ground beside her also reached the same peak of radiance, adding to the noise in the room. It created a peaceful atmosphere as it continued, making the room seem as if it were protected now from anything bad further happening in the house. The two lights commanded by the wolves' hands combined together finally after more intense moments, bursting into a sharp brightness in the entire room for two seconds. It turned everything white before it started to fade and slowly brought the space back to its normal illumination.

Sambinon had to shut his eyes when the room flooded with the flash, covering them further with his arms. The light was so bright it seemed to take his breath away for a couple seconds as he heard the ringing get louder. The glow that still radiated through his arms started to subside after a few seconds so he lowered them in anticipation of what had happened. He opened his eyes as well, but noticed that he was suffering from the same effects of stepping from a dark room to a well lit one. He had to stay squinted until his vision began to clear up, but the sight of the black figures beside his parents was still undeniable. They slowly went from a blur to solid, definitive forms as his vision soon began to clear up. What he then saw were the wolves in the same positions before the light, but the female's hands were no longer on his mother. She didn't even look as if she were very affected by the light she caused. Sambinon then quickly looked to his mother's body and started to crawl on the mattress, making it squeak as he made his way over to her. He lifted his hand and placed it softly on her chest where he remembered the injury used to be. It was completely gone, leaving no trace of blood and only a hole in her gown. He turned to look at the two wolves, the male now standing up beside the female. "You fixed it! They aren't hurt anymore!" he said still shocked, but beginning to feel overjoyed that there was finally some hope. They had done what they said they would do and he was beginning to feel safe around them. He crawled over his mother's body and placed his hands on the footboard to look down at his father. The wounds to his head were also gone, making Sambinon jump up happily and clap his hands as he looked to the wolves. "Thank you so much!"

The male wolf nodded to him and spoke. "Yes, we have mended all their wounds. Their bodies are healed and back to a stationary state."

Sambinon was so excited he was bouncing on the bed, looking at his mother again. He placed his hands on her shoulders and started to shake her a bit in hopes that she might wake up and be alive. "Mommy! Are you okay?" he asked her. He was only able to do this a couple times before he felt another paw on his shoulder, this time from the male wolf.

The male was looking down at him with a softer gaze, but it still had sternness behind it that caught Sambinon's attention. "They must rest," he began to explain with a deep tone. "But they cannot rest here. We have to bring the three of you back with us. It is where you must stay."

He saw that Sambinon had tilted his head in great confusion, but this is something he expected. "Your life here has come to an end, Sambinon. You must come with us and fulfill what you were meant to do."

"W...what am I supposed to do?" Sambinon asked the wolf. "I'm just a little cub. I don't know if I want to leave here." He was so caught off guard by what the wolf was telling him that he wasn't sure what to ask. He didn't believe there was anything he was meant to do, and it was risky for him to leave with complete strangers. But they had helped his parents, showing that they could potentially be trusted. They made it sound so final for him though. He couldn't imagine a life anywhere else but here. He was so young, his immature mind hadn't fully grasped that there could be an outside world separate from Gondomar yet. He also didn't think the wolves could shoot light from their hands, but they had proved him wrong on that already.

Then the female spoke once more. "We understand that this is confusing to you Sambinon. We also realize that there is nothing we can say to assure you we are telling the truth. You just have to trust us. We know what is best for you, but we cannot force you to do something against your will. That is not our job."

Sambinon was looking at each pair of eyes as they spoke, making a direct connection with both of them in these important words. His parents had always told him not to talk to strangers unless they were around, but he felt comfortable confiding in the wolves because they helped him. It seemed as if this interaction was one that broke the rules his parents had set for him, but he still didn't want to disobey. However, it became final in his mind that this was a matter of his parents' safety. If he didn't take a chance and allow these wolves to take him and his parents away, his parents may never get better. However, he didn't fully think through why taking them to a specific location was the only way for them to do so. He knew this meant he was going to be brought to a new and potentially strange place, which made him nervous and scared to take that chance. But as scary as that thought was, he felt obligated to his parents to do everything he could for them. These wolves were the only ones offering to help, so his naïve decision making skills told him to disregard any potential danger the wolves could further cause for them. He wasn't even concerned with 'what he was supposed to do' as much as helping his parents in any way he could.This didn't make it any easier to give them an answer, however. He nodded first, "Okay, if you both think it's best for me and my parents, I will go with you. Do you promise that you're not going to hurt them or me?" he asked finally, trying to reassure himself that he was making the right decision. To him, asking if they promised was the unbreakable code of trust that, if broken, would cause something terrible to happen to the wolves for being dishonest. But he was able to grasp that this decision was one that would affect his life in more ways than any other had. His eyes took on as much of an intimidating look as he could muster when he asked the question, showing that he knew he was given the control of what happened and he was not going to be tricked.

The two wolves read this from Sambinon's demeanor and how he was carrying himself. The male smiled from the reaction and the seriousness in the cub's tone. This is something that no other being on Earth would be able to do. He and the female had a presence designed to make mortals feel reluctant to question them, especially after showing off their powers to someone, for fear of being hurt. They were dark, had the disposition of those never to be retaliated against, and the aura around them was so prevalent that most would run away on sight. It was made for this very purpose after observing Earth for so long and finding what its creatures found intimidating. It wasn't made to intimidate for fun, but more to help them gain control over situations in the very rare instances they needed to come down to the planet. There was a reason Sambinon had been chosen. It was this strong determination to protect, which he was exhibiting at a remarkably young age. He was willing to risk his own safety for a chance to help his parents. Having this bravery so early was different from most on Earth. He was exemplifying a will that very few would be able to portray even in their later years. But it was clear in Sambinon's eyes that he was not afraid of anything right now. The male responded, "Yes, we promise to do everything we can for you and your parents. There is no need to worry." He looked over to the female as he explained this, seeing her nod at Sambinon in agreement.

Sambinon still kept the same facial expression as before, thinking if this was something he really wanted to do. They could be saying all this stuff to take him away and make things worse, but they had healed his parents' injuries already. They couldn't be so bad if they could do that for him. His gut was telling him to seek the help the wolves offered, but thoughts of his parents telling him to be wary of strangers was also weighing in. The wolves were right in that he wasn't intimidated by them at all. He honestly started feeling in control over them despite their obvious supernatural powers. He thought they had really given him this control because he was apparently so important. If he was so special, then he had to make it seem like he was. But, at the same time, he did feel inferior to them. They seemed so strong and powerful, but they were compassionate to him as well. He had to make a decision. "What are your names?" he asked with the same authoritative tone, something he wasn't used to so it only sounded authoritative to him.

The two wolves were a little surprised for the first time, but it wasn't apparent on their faces. Neither one of them had been asked their name before even though they had them. What surprised them more than that was the reason Sambinon wanted to know. To the wolves, names weren't as important as they were to mortals. The male looked over at the female once more before he decided to answer the question. "My name is Onix," he said.

The female then took her turn. "And my name is Luna," she followed up as she smiled at the cub. They both watched Sambinon closely to figure out if he was accepting their words as truth. They knew he had been questioning it the entire time.

Although, this time Sambinon had not questioned it as much as the other things. He wasn't sure if everything they said was true, but their names weren't as big of an issue to lie about for him. "Okay Onix and Luna, I want you two to help us as much as you can. I trust you," he said finally, his demeanor only lightening up slightly. He didn't know what to expect from the two wolves, but he decided that it would be okay to trust them since they had given him no reason not to so far. He was aware that he was taking a big chance, but there was really nowhere else to turn at this point. Given the quickness of meeting them and coming to this decision however, he still felt skeptical of the two. He would go with them and try to trust them. But if they started acting differently, he hoped he could return home with his parents.

Onix looked at Sambinon with a smile of his own. "You have made the right choice," he informed the cub. "We must now take you with us."

"But wait," Sambinon started, looking up at Onix. "Where exactly are we going? Do I need to bring anything with me?" He couldn't imagine they would be travelling too far with him being so young. After all, he had some things in his room that he wanted to take with him if he were moving away. He also thought it necessary to ask this question when leaving with someone new.

"No, you need not worry about packing anything," Luna said. "We will take care of that for you. When we leave all of your things will be brought back with us as well."

Sambinon tilted his head, confused now as to how this was supposed to work. If he didn't pack up his things, he couldn't see how anyone could know what he had to bring. "Umm, okay..." he started to say, showing how unsure he was about their plans. "Well when are we leaving? How do we get my Mommy and Daddy to go with us?" he asked.

Onix held up a hand as the questions seemed to start pouring out of the little cub. "We will leave immediately. There is no reason for you to worry about the arrangements. Luna and I have everything planned out for you and your parents already." He looked over at Luna and nodded to her. After doing so, he leaned down to the father's body and, without exerting any effort, started to pick up the father and drape the body over his shoulder with one arm.

Sambinon watched the wolf, and was amazed at how easily he had lifted his father up from the ground and carried him. Onix looked so much smaller than his father, so he naturally expected some kind of strain to come from the wolf, but none came. "Be careful with them!" he said warningly when he saw his father being carried. He looked to Luna as she also started to lift up the mother, hurrying over to help her the best way he could. When she lifted up the top half of his mother, he rushed over the sheets and steadied his mother by her sides so that Luna could handle her with care.

Luna accepted the help and smiled a bit because she knew it wasn't necessary for the cub to assist her. However, she allowed Sambinon to feel as if her were contributing, letting him lead the mother carefully into her arms as she eventually cradled her under the knees and neck. "Thank you," she said politely to him.

"You're welcome," he responded, trying to mind his manners in front of strangers that seemed kind so far. Although the plans were set into motion, Sambinon still twiddled his thumbs a little as he watched the wolves. "So, how are we going to get to this new place?" he asked.

Onix, with the father over his shoulder comfortably, held out a hand to the cub. "First you must stand beside me," he instructed. "In order for us to leave, we have to be touching your body so you can travel the way we do."

Sambinon had been so confused ever since the wolves arrived, that he decided to not really question this. They obviously were different from him in some way and able to do things that he couldn't imagine he would ever be able to do. His eyes were still looking at Onix with wonder as he nodded in response. He crawled over the sheets, turned around at the side of the mattress and managed to slide off backwards with a little difficulty due to his height. When his feet planted firmly on the carpet he looked up at the two wolves individually before going over to Onix, waiting for instruction.

Onix looked down with a soft gaze and opened his hand, extending it down to where Sambinon could reach it.

Sambinon looked at the paw for a second and then back up at Onix. He saw him nod down in reassurance, making him believe that he wasn't going to get hurt. He then reached his little arm up and placed his hand in the bigger one of Onix.

Onix covered the cub's entire hand in his as he close around it. "Now we will head to our destination. However, in order to get there, something is going to happen you have never experienced before." He saw Sambinon just gaze up at him, his mouth started to hang open a bit. "But do not worry. It's going to feel really strange to you at first, but nothing bad is happening. This is just what we have to do in order to get home."

Sambinon turned to Luna once more, seeing that she was also giving him the same reassuring nod. He gulped one last time and looked back at Onix, nodding to show that even though he was nervous, he was ready for whatever had to be done.

Onix nodded back and then looked straight ahead of him, Luna copying all of his movements. He closed his eyes gently and lowered his head, showing some more intense concentration through the squinting of his eyelids.

It took a couple of seconds before anything started happening, but soon Sambinon heard a windy sound accumulate around him. He then remembered the sound that came from the other end of the house earlier that night before the wolves came to the room. Making the connection, he began to feel the same nervousness from before as he was unsure of what this wind could mean. He was looking around as the sound started getting louder, seeking some kind of source. As he watched the wolves more, he saw that Onix and Luna's fur was beginning to lift as if the breeze were coming up from underneath them. They still seemed unaffected though as they kept their eyes shut with the same amount of concentration. His own eyes started to get a little more frantic as the wind started to pick up on his fur as well, moving the sheets of the bed slightly in front of them. Then he heard a muffled sound coming from all around them, seeming to envelop their location and distorting the sound of the wind. The space around them grew darker, turning black and making them look as if they were standing in space in the middle of the bedroom. Sambinon was frightened, but he couldn't speak from the shear shock of what was happening. The black space faded in around them and started off big. But it seemed to be getting smaller around them as the seconds ticked by. Sambinon reached his other hand up to hang onto the outside of Onix's leg to seek comfort from this scary ordeal. His insides had also started to feel a little strange, almost like he was shrinking in size. Then he noticed a huge white flash of light that shined similarly to the light Onix and Luna shot from their hands earlier. It didn't last as long though, only shining for around half a second before it went away.

"All possessions are transferred," Luna said, her voice muffled by the black space around their bodies.

Sambinon looked at her with wide eyes, almost completely against the leg of Onix. He then heard Onix respond, barely able to make out what he was saying.

"Good. Get ready Sambinon," he instructed. "We're going to travel now." Neither one of the wolves had opened their eyes as they were speaking to the cub. They just kept the same intense expressions on their faces.

Sambinon looked around him anxiously as the black space got so small that it was basically outlining their figures. This is when he felt himself start to get smaller on the inside first, then the outside. He thought he was being crushed for a second, scared to death of what was happening to him. He yelped out at the point where he visibly started to see his body shrink down, but he had been cut short as all the bodies disappeared from the room entirely. His shout echoed throughout the room when they were gone, reverberating off the walls of the house.

There was no evidence left in the house now of the events that transpired. Not a single thing was out of place. If someone were to come by, they would see everything the way it should be and just assume that the family was out for the day. No one would know about the break in or the wolves that visited afterwards. The house was vacant and that's the way it would stay for a while because the family would never return. It would be a phenomenon that baffled the community for generations to come.

* * *

The darkness surrounding the huge mass of rock was speckled by the stars and galaxies as they rotated calmly around it. When there was no activity, there was nothing but silence to accompany the visuals. Rogue falling stars and blasts from exploding nebula would flash in the far distance, seeming to be only raindrops falling or flowers blooming in space. However, you could not hear these events because of the great space between them and the land mass. The formation was lit up by these stars as it was all the time, leaving faint but efficient illumination for all of the area's inhabitants. It had stayed mostly dark with its structures blending in against the pale highlights of all existence.

This silence would soon start to break apart slowly as wind picked up in the area of the large clearing at one end of the rock mass. It circled some dust around in a rotating fashion as a dim vortex started to appear. The debris wisped around it quickly, the speed picking up at the same pace as the growing dark circle. This was the same vortex that the group had travelled through on the way back from Gondomar, going through space so quickly that it really only took a couple of seconds for them to make the trip. When the vortex became large enough for their entities to pass through, it was replaced by their bodies as it vanished. This placed them firmly onto the ground hard enough where all had to squat to secure their footing. The debris shot in all directions around them, the wind of the vortex being released and sent away.

Onix and Luna stood there with the bodies of Sambinon's parents still in the same position, their eyes closed as they recovered from the journey. Before they opened their eyes, they had started to stand up straight, being used to the impact of the short but powerful drop of the vortex.

Sambinon, on the other hand, felt his feet hit hard on some sturdy surface and his body start to expand to its original state. All this had happened so quickly, it was sending a rush through his head and caused him to feel slightly dizzy as he stood there. His eyes were shut more tightly, clamping onto Onix with all the strength he had in his little body from the frightening ordeal. He felt like his body had returned to normal, but the atmosphere around him felt like it was drastically different. His fur seemed to be lifting itself up slightly as he stood, making him wonder if he were possibly under water. He had not tried to breathe yet, holding his breath from feeling like he'd been shrunken earlier, so he decided to test his underwater theory. He slowly tried to breathe in through his nose, but his breath was caught, sending an incredible pressure into his lungs that he never felt before. Gasping for breath, he held his throat and squeezed on the leg fur of Onix. He kept his eyes closed, not wanting to open them and feel the sting of water. Thankfully, this sensation did not last for long as he felt pressure being sent onto his back in between his shoulder blades. This pushed him forward and forced him to open his eyes, exhaling loudly from shock and the propulsion power. Once it was there, it pushed itself against him further and sent a very warm and calming glow through his body. The blocking mass in his lungs started leaving him with his exhalation and air seemed to begin flowing freely through his nostrils down into his body once again.

Sambinon didn't take much notice of his surroundings at this point, looking directly up at Onix and seeing that it was he who was placing his paw on his back. He realized that Onix must have used some of his amazing powers on him to help him breathe, but he wasn't sure why he needed help in the first place. After blinking and staring at Onix, who now had his eyes opened with that bright yellow shining brighter than before, he noticed the backdrop of his line of sight. It blended in with Onix perfectly, illuminating his black fur with a cool midnight glow. Sambinon looked behind the wolf and saw the glory of their view for himself. He was momentarily captivated by the black sky, seeing lots of shiny things all throughout the horizon. He figured for a moment that it was still night time wherever they had brought him, but this all changed as he turned around to observe his surroundings. Looking behind him, his eyes started getting wider as his breath was taken away again by the sight. What he saw was something only in children's books of outer space his parents had shown him. Not only were their stars in this sky, but there were huge clusters of them and many flashing lights that made up all of existence in the universes. He didn't recognize it as such, but he was definitely setting sights on the large expanse of galaxies rotating around the large rock mass for himself. It was an extraordinary view for him to behold, leaving him in awe and making him wonder how such a beautiful place could exist. The white, pink, purple, and orange colors of the flashing lights off in the distance reflected in the cub's eyes as he stepped forward. He could see many things moving at different speeds, but it looked incredibly far away as if where he stood was a different realm altogether. He also noticed there were groups of these clusters which moved together and that all of them were moving individually around where they brought him. It was hard for Sambinon to tear his eyes away from such a magnificent sight of stars and other marvels of outer space, but he soon became curious of this new area.

He turned around once more to see Luna and Onix facing him with his parents still in their arms. "What is this place?" he asked, sounding like he was half whispering from his astonishment. "It's so beautiful here."

"You are now where we reside," Onix began to explain. "You are in the middle of space, as Earth's creatures call it, and this is where we call our home in the midst of all existence. Everything that has ever been revolves around this mass, but we are far off from anything else so that we may not be seen."

Luna then continued, "This is where we also carry out our job and, as soon as you are ready, you will do the same." Neither of their expressions was harsh as they explained this. They wanted to make sure they didn't put too much shock or pressure on Sambinon, making sure to appear as calm as they now felt.

Sambinon's mouth stayed slightly open from the information. "You mean we're in space right now?" he asked as he looked around him at all the stars once more, trailing down to also see what kind of land he stood on. "That's why I couldn't breathe when we first got here," he realized. He looked back at the wolves as he said this.

"Yes, that is true. I have given you an exterior force that resupplies its own oxygen so you can live in the same space as us," Onix told the cub. After noticing Sambinon look at him in confusion, he pointed at the little one's body with his left hand. "Take a good look," he instructed.

Sambinon followed the direction of the motion and lifted his arm to look at his hand. At first he didn't notice much, wiggling his fingers around to feel what it was like to do that in space. But as he did so, he noticed a slight contrast between the space around him and an outline that seemed to move along with his digits. It really wouldn't have been noticeable if Onix had not told him to look closely. It was mostly clear, but the edges of the outline created a faint white shine. He also observed that his fur was no longer had a floating effect as if they were underwater anymore. This semi-clear barrier must be what Onix was talking about, letting him breathe fully. However, when he looked back at Onix and Luna with a grin of excitement, he found that neither one of them had the same glow around their bodies. "How come you two don't have the same thing?" he asked curiously.

"We are not creatures of Earth, Sambinon," Luna explained. "We were born here and, therefore, our entities can live in such an environment. We cannot alter your body and make you anything other than an Earth being, so we have given you this protective shell so that your lungs can obtain oxygen and release carbon dioxide. It recycles within itself, never containing too much of either and allowing you to live."

Sambinon picked up both of his hands and looked at them, observing this barrier even more in amazement. This was all so cool to him. He was starting to feel good about his decision to come with the wolves because they were obviously trying to keep him alive. But they also raised a lot of questions for him. He looked back up at them and spoke. "Does that mean...you guys are aliens?" Sambinon asked the two.

Onix's deep voice responded quickly. "The word 'alien' is a relative term, Sambinon. To us, you are the alien, along with everyone else that doesn't come from the same place. However, we do not use that term because our task involves us being familiar with all forms of life that have ever existed. You will learn as you stay here the knowledge we can bestow. Through that knowledge, you will find what it is you were born to do. Although you were born on planet Earth, that is not the destination of your birthright. You will discover what our job is and go from there to find what makes you a particular point of interest for us," Onix explained.

The distant galaxies, stars, and solar systems rotated around him slowly as he spoke, creating a respectable sight for Sambinon to see as he was given this insight. But this also made Onix and Luna look very mysterious to him, prompting his mind to come up with more and more questions he felt compelled to ask. He stepped forward to them until he stood beside them as he did when they arrived. "How long have you two lived here?" His eyes were filled with curiosity as he looked up at them.

Onix decided to stay silent while Luna smiled down at the tiger. "We have lived here for a very long time, Sambinon," she explained. "And there have only been rare instances where we leave this place. It is here that we do our part since there are few times when leaving is completely necessary." She stopped, not wanting to explain what exactly they did just yet.

Sambinon's curiosity had not yet been satisfied, however, so he nodded and prepared for the next question. "What exactly do you guys do out here so far away from everything else? Why don't you want to be seen by anyone?" His queries had started to leave him rapidly because of the speed of his thoughts. He genuinely wanted to know the answers, but his mind was working so fast that he didn't realize he was giving the two wolves no time to answer any of them. This was just so incredible to him, like something he would have dreamed and wish he could revisit once awoken. But this was nothing of the sort because it felt so real to him. He knew he had to be conscious right now in spite of how unreal everything around him seemed to be.

Onix gently held up a hand and motioned for Sambinon to calm down and silence himself. "For now, we have told you all you need to know," he said. "We will tell you more when the time has come for you to learn it. It won't be long though. We plan on teaching you some things after you have rested from your ordeal."

The little cub could only stare at Onix and nod, realizing that he probably was being a little frantic from all the excitement. His eyes started searching his surroundings once more, noticing all of the formations of dark colored rock around the circular area in which they stood. Everything was so cool and peaceful around him, making him feel like this setting was similar to a summer's night with the stars shining perfectly above him. He also surprisingly didn't feel cold at all, even though he knew he was in the middle of space somewhere.

Despite all of the beauty, Sambinon began to feel like the place was very empty aside from the towers of stone that jutted out from the ground. The wolves didn't look like they had much, which made him wonder how boring it must get in this place sometimes. His whole body turned around in a full circle as he looked for something else that could possibly be used by Onix and Luna. There had to be more to this place than openness and stars. He didn't understand the importance of their work, but he assumed they didn't work all the time. Not even his parents did that. When he finished the three hundred sixty degree revolution, he looked at the ground underneath his feet. It was smoothed out under his bare feet, seeming to be a lot more so than the ground around the clearing. He looked around to see what other areas of the ground were of the same consistency, trailing his eyes to different parts of the mass. Then they fell on a path that sectioned off from the circle clearing, leading away from it and going down the length of this new land. Sambinon saw it had the same smoothness and obviously marked a path that was meant to be followed by the wolves. It kept going and going until the path seemed to disappear slightly at the horizon. It didn't seem like it was too far, maybe a couple of blocks worth of walking if he were to compare it to back home.

But as his eyes found the path to disappear, he was caught off guard by what it led up to, making him gasp in total astonishment. The smoothed out path had led straight to this immensely huge building that was already prominent from far off. He could only imagine how big it was once he got closer to it. This structure was truly amazing. It looked like a palace to him with huge columns in the front and domed roofs on the top. There seemed to be three main sections to the building with huge openings strategically placed as what appeared to be windows. The front archway had humungous doors that towered to about half the height of it made out of what also looked like stone, but not as heavy or thick as the rest. It was a cool color, just lighter than the granite that was around the rest of the rock mass in space. It had the same color granite steps leading up to it that were also very wide, piecing it all together to be a marvel for Sambinon to behold. The presence of it at the far end of the land made it look like the crown jewel of the area by far. It was like his arm stretched out and pointed involuntarily at the structure as his eyes got wider than they had been that entire night. His other hand came up to his mouth as a result of his shocked reaction. "What in the world is that place?" he asked as his words were a little muffled from his hand.

The wolves each stepped a little to the side so Sambinon could get a clearer view of the building, looking down in the same direction at their only real structure. Onix turned his head back to the cub that wasn't looking at him. "That is where you will stay to sleep and rest, Sambinon," he informed. "That is the place we call home. Now, so will you."

"It's amazing," Sambinon gawked at it, obviously having never seen a house so big first hand much less been able to live in one. It was going to be a little ways to get there, but his excitement cancelled out that burden. "Can I go over there and look at it?" he asked, his eyes finally strayed away from the structure and back on the wolves.

Onix nodded gently. "Yes, we will show you where you'll be quartered. You already have your own room built and waiting," he informed the cub as he looked back at the house with those glowing eyes.

Sambinon was shocked from this information. "You mean there was a room built specifically for me already?" he asked with the same kind of wonderment.

Luna smiled. "Yes, Sambinon," she started. "We have been waiting for you a long time. This housing structure was built with you in mind." She was smiling only a little from the apparent astonishment the tiger felt, judging from his facial expression. She then, along with Onix, turned slowly and began walking out of the circular area and down the path towards this building at the other end of the rock mass.

Sambinon stood there in shock for a couple seconds before it registered that the wolves were walking away. Half from fear of being left alone and half from wanting to see the house, he scampered up to them as fast as he could with his feet shuffling along the ground and creating a little dust. His feet slowed down, still wearing his khaki pants and green jacket from earlier, but he also realized he was not wearing shoes. He worried for a second that his feet would get really dirty if he lived here, but remembered the wolves had supposedly gotten his things here already. Then, he figured, he would be able to put some on. He also guessed that this huge place had a bath or something in it so he could clean up. Even though it was all the way out here, he thought they must have a bath. What kind of house didn't have somewhere to clean your body off? As he was thinking of these questions, he realized another. What kinds of wolves have magical powers? He had to keep reminding himself that he was far from everything he knew and it had to be different here. He would have to develop a different kind of logic. Right now he just hoped that he had the things from his home somewhere in this facility.

They continued to walk down this smoothed path, not really saying much to each other. However, Sambinon was a little nervous to say anything at the moment because he had asked so many questions in succession previously. He decided it best to preoccupy himself during the walk with a little sight-seeing. His arms swayed semi-comfortably as he followed close behind the wolves. They weren't looking back at him to make sure he stayed behind them, almost as if they knew where he was without having to actually see him. He was looking around as he walked, noticing all of the rock formations that seemed to tower up. The space didn't seem that vast to him now that he was able to get a good look and observe. The path seemed to be a little engraved into the ground, separating it from the rest of the turf and creating a sudden step from it to the rest of the mass. There were some things he started to notice that he hadn't before. A little ways off to his left started a mountain range that reached a little higher than the house they were travelling to. It seemed to go around the edge of the horizon and circle around to the back of the house, past it, and continued on to the other side. The ends of the range stopped at about the same place the circle area began, creating a jagged view under everything that was behind the land. Sambinon couldn't believe how beautiful all of this was as the lights from outer space hit the dark colored rock just right all around him. There really didn't seem to be too much else other than this granite composite that made up anything on the land mass. As hard and rough as things looked around him, Sambinon did feel safe with the wolves since they had exhibited some supernatural powers. The mountainous barrier also made him feel like he was even more protected by the very land he stood on. The formations that jutted from the ground started a little ways from the path, providing a good clearing along its length as they continued to walk.

All these thoughts kept Sambinon's mind busy, making him completely forget how long the walk would have been if he concentrated on just that. They were almost there now, giving him a better view of the big house in front of him. There were two rectangular structures set apart from the house on opposite sides of the path that seemed to be smoothed out as well. Sambinon didn't really take much notice of them as the steps of the building quickly approached. As they were passing through the rectangular pieces outside of the house, he felt the butterflies start to wake up in his stomach. He was getting a little nervous, trying his best to stay as close to the wolves that led him as possible. The steps were huge and it seemed like there were quite a few he would have to climb in order to reach the porch surrounded by columns. He was so distracted by the fast approaching house, that he hadn't noticed the wolves stop about midway of getting past the rectangular structures in front of it. He bumped into Onix's leg and jumped back, yelping for a second from the surprise. He looked up at the two of them with some confusion. "Aren't we going into the house?" he asked them.

The two wolves both started to turn and go in opposite directions towards the different pieces on either side of the path, carrying Sambinon's parents. "Yes, we will go in," Onix said. "But first we must put your parents down and let them rest here." They stepped slowly and made it to their destinations, stopping in front of them. Onix gently placed the father onto the top of the platform on his back, making sure he stayed straight along the surface. Luna had done the same thing, gently sliding the mother out of her arms and atop the granite foundation. After each of them made sure that they were securely on it, facing up with their arms laying at their sides, the two turned and looked back at Sambinon.

Sambinon was watching them as they did this, wondering why they would leave them outside the house to rest. It didn't seem too logical to do that when there was a big house right in front of them. "Don't my parents have somewhere to stay in the house? Why do they have to stay out here?" he asked.

Luna drew his attention. "We will explain that in a little while, Sambinon," she said plainly. "Right now it is important that you see where you'll be staying and settle in. You have had a very long night, so it's best you take some time to rest. Your parents will be fine. There is nothing out here to harm them." Her words were soft, calming the tiger cub down a bit.

He felt comfortable with leaving his parents out here for the time being because of her sweet tone. He nodded at her with a slight smile on his face. "Okay," he agreed.

"Now follow us," Onix said. He turned with Luna as they got back onto the path and started to head up towards the steps.

Sambinon followed quickly behind them, seeing the form of the house get closer and closer through the figures of the two wolves. As they reached the steps, he looked down at them as the others started to walk up. He was so awestruck that he wondered if anything cool would happen when he stepped on them. However, this also made him nervous as he raised his foot and gulped from the growing anticipation. He planted his foot down and realized it must have been an ordinary building from the lack of reaction. He then looked back up and saw Luna and Onix beginning to gain distance on him, prompting him to start hurrying up the steps as quick as he could to catch them.

There were roughly twenty of these huge steps Sambinon had to climb to reach the front porch with his two leaders. He stepped up on the flat platform and looked around him, realizing just how fast and huge this place was. The columns were at the edge of the porch and were surrounding a vast space that made up the area. The ceiling was so tall to Sambinon, matching the incredible height of the doors that led to the entrance. It looked as if it were a long hallway in itself that just had sunlight shining through the columns. Sambinon found himself looking around him like he did before in the circle area as he walked forward and continued to follow Luna and Onix. It was all made of a cool, gray colored stone as well, but it had specs in it that shone bright when they reflected the light of space around them. Everything also looked so clean with no traces of abandonment like Sambinon would expect from a place that was built a long time ago. It was well polished and had a strong aura of timelessness.

He made sure to keep looking in front of himself to avoid another collision mishap, seeing the wolves stop in front of the huge doors. Sambinon was right in his earlier assumption that they were made of stone, but he was wondering how Luna and Onix were going to open doors that were so giant. He didn't see a handle anywhere, but he suspected there was yet something else the two were getting ready to show him.

Onix and Luna both stepped up to the huge doors and stood there for a second, each in front of their own stone gatekeeper. Their motions could be read as second nature as they casually lifted one arm each and pressed it against the slabs. Without seeming to exert too much effort, they both pushed as the tall doors submitted and started to open, swinging towards the interior of the building.

Sambinon was once again amazed at the apparent strength of these wolves. "Oh, wow! How did you guys get so strong?" he asked, not paying much attention to the interior of the building yet. It seemed like there was nothing these two couldn't do. They healed his parents, let him breathe in space, and transported him through it as well. He wondered if maybe they were the gods of some kind of religion he'd never heard of. It just didn't make any sense that they were able to do all these things. He was confused as to why he was so important to them, knowing he couldn't even begin to do the incredible feats they achieved.

His stare was met by Onix who turned his head to look back at the cub once more. "The doors are not as heavy as they seem. They are designed for even you to open at this point. But you will get stronger, Sambinon. We will teach you some of our techniques and skills as you progress in your training."

He had said this so plainly, it made Sambinon wonder if he was actually telling the truth. This was such a big deal for the cub, but they talked about it as if he should have expected all this from them. But the part of this statement that confused him the most was the aspect of them training him. He didn't let his mind drift too far into wishful thinking, but he could only assume that maybe they were going to train him to be like them one day. He shook his head, trying to keep the intense pressure behind that responsibility out of his head for the time being. He then followed them as the doors stayed open and crossed the threshold to the inside.

The interior was just as grand and big as the exterior. As Sambinon looked around, he saw the floor was made out of more smoothed granite and there was a path that led all the way down the center of the main room. This room was the only one visible as he walked in, being spacious and having a very tall ceiling he assumed reached to the domed roof from its shape. He imagined this is what the inside of one of those old chapels or churches would look like if it was stripped of all its seating and alters. The foundation was flat ground, with the central path being a pure white color in comparison to the light gray of the rest of the stone. It reflected the light of the many torches that hung at an angle off the walls which encompassed this huge open space. However, the torches didn't emit the lighting of a normal flame. Sambinon noticed that it was a bright white essence that shone down, much whiter than the light the wolves could command with their hands. It made the white center walkway vibrant with a holy glow. Housing the torches on either side of the room were the columns just like the ones that surrounded the outside porch. They were solidly carved and had the same color as the main walkway, but without the glow from the torches. These columns also seemed to be hiding other parts of the entire building, but the tiger cub was way too fixated on this center room at the moment. His eyes went down the glowing path and there was another small group of steps that were much smaller in size than the ones he climbed moments ago. They led up to a slightly higher elevated platform at the far back wall of the room. On this plain were more of the bright torches hanging evenly apart from each other. They were hanging over two large thrones whose backs stretched far up along the wall and had the same glow of the path leading up to them. They were the only thing on the platform, creating a majestic aura around them amidst the emptiness of the room. The scene around the seats made it obvious that they were only for very important creatures to sit upon, so Sambinon could only guess that these were for Luna and Onix.

Sambinon was amazed even more by the inside and couldn't believe that he would be staying here. He felt more like he was visiting a beautifully made temple than being shown around his new home. "This is incredible," Sambinon gasped. "It's all so pretty. I'm going to be living in here?" he asked.

Luna and Onix turned to face him once more. "You're living quarters are over here. Please follow us, Sambinon," Onix instructed. Without much hesitation, they started walking to Sambinon's left as if to head past the pillars on the side of the grand room.

The cub didn't have much more time to marvel at his surroundings before he had to follow the wolves some more. He kept his eyes on the sight for as long as he could before one of the pillars started to obstruct his few and send everything into shadow from behind it. The area behind these columns was a little darker than the main area, but Sambinon could still see where Luna and Onix were walking. He tried his best to walk directly behind them just in case he did get lost, looking up and watching the backs of their heads as destination points. The shadows continued on for a little bit, past a couple of columns to get halfway through the depth of the overall structure. That's when Sambinon noticed a faint light come from his left, seeming to escape through the wall and interrupt the faint darkness he walked in. He wasn't sure if this was their destination, but then saw the wolves turn slowly and begin to walk into it. Because they were leading him now, he wasn't so nervous to follow since he found the building had already looked wonderful elsewhere.

He picked up his pace slightly as he saw the wolves go out of sight for a moment, catching back up to them as they crossed under an archway this new light outlined. After taking a couple more steps, he found the wolves had led him into another room lit by the same bright torches in the other part of his new home. It was nowhere near as big as the grand space at the front of the house, but it still had enough area for way more things than Sambinon currently owned. There were windows in this room, however, that gave him a cut off version of the view he had outside of the house. The length was half that of the entire front room and a third of the width. The ceiling was a little shorter, but still taller than Sambinon was used to at his house in Gondomar. Although it wasn't as extravagant as the other space, it still made the cub excited that he had his own room that resembled the same importance as the rest of the facility.

After realizing the spaciousness of it, he started to study it more closely. To his left, taking up one half of the room, was a different kind of flooring from the gray granite that took up the right half he saw first. It was the same white marble that filled the main path into the house, and it was glowing from the torches that lined the walls around it. On this part, the marble took up the entire floor instead of just a slim trail. Sambinon felt himself get really excited from this because he would be able to see it every day in his own living space. This excitement would only grow as he thought to look around the rest of the room, stepping forward in between the two wolves. He then looked to his right where the floor returned to the gray granite and found that Luna and Onix had told him the truth before once again. Everything that was in his old room sat at the far wall of this one, nicely packed away in all of the storage units he possessed. His bed was there along with his dresser and night stand, all of which seemed unharmed from the travelling. However, they seemed really bare being just the furniture pieces and that was all. He wondered if everything had really made it here. Then he noticed three white chests he'd never seen before lined up along the wall beside everything else. They seemed much bigger than he would imagine chests to be, probably reaching up to his waist if he were to stand in front of them. Sambinon wondered if they contained new things or if that is where the rest of his items were stored.

Luna's voice interrupted his thoughts. "This is everything that was in your room on Earth, Sambinon," she said. "All of your clothing is stored in the manner you remember, and everything else is inside the new storage," she explained, extending a hand to point at the chests on the floor.

"You need to start settling in now, Sambinon," Onix ordered. "There are matters of great importance you have to attend to soon." Both of them looked down at the cub, their eyes shining a more pale yellow now that bright light reflected from them.

Sambinon met that gaze and stared for a couple moments, a little shocked by the sudden change of pace Luna and Onix were creating for him. He also wondered what this event was, whether it was a celebration for him or something else. He had just arrived and was getting used to his surroundings, so being thrown into another task started to stress him out a little.

Luna smiled and knelt down to him as Onix turned and began to leave the room. "Do not worry, Sambinon," she tried to console him. "We want you to get as comfortable as possible. We know this will take some time because of your new location. However, there is not much time before you are needed. We will be waiting for you outside." She stood up, having not made any physical contact with the tiger throughout the transaction, and started to follow Onix outside slowly.

Sambinon couldn't respond to any of this at the moment. He watched Luna until he couldn't see her anymore due to the archway of the entrance to his room. He then looked around once more at the two sections of the room, starting to feel a little overwhelmed again. This was all very exciting and beautiful to him, but he just sensed that things were going to get a little more important than anything he ever dealt with before. He sighed out, trying to relax again as much as possible, thinking it best to take things one step at a time. He faced the side with all his belongings and shuffled his feet as he walked over towards them.

He shortly began to walk amongst everything, checking to see if these were the exact same pieces he had at home and not just a replica. He walked over to the bed and looked at the sheets. They looked the same as his back home, but he knew there were others that may look that way as well. He took a corner of the comforter in his paw, making them shuffle across the mattress quietly, and pulled it up to his nose. He inhaled deeply, thinking he would have to in order to smell it through this clear barrier that now surrounded him. But he found that he could still smell perfectly as he traced the scent of his old room still on the sheets. It made him feel like he was back home again, but that also felt like it was so long ago now. So much had happened in the past couple hours, the drastic changes already giving him the impression he had grown some. It kind of made him sad to think of what he had, including his parents, but he tried to cancel out that feeling. Luna and Onix seemed like they were going to take care of them all so he trusted things would get better finally.

He let go of the sheets and turned to study these new chests. They were made of wood, but they were white as if they had been burnt and then cooled off. The metal around the outside ridges and the latch itself were all black. They certainly didn't look like any chest he'd seen before, so he was excited to touch and open them. Sambinon scampered over to the three chests and stopped at the one in the middle, seeing that it did come up to just above his beltline. He rubbed one paw over the wood and felt the texture underneath his fingers and palm. It had the course feeling, but was slightly polished off to apparently avoid any splinter poking out from it. He continued to the metal of the latch, realizing how cool it was in comparison to the wood. It made his body shiver for a second more from surprise than it actually being too cold to touch. He placed a finger underneath the flipping part of the lock and popped it up, causing the lid of the chest to catch itself on the metal ring at the top of the latch. Sambinon then worked the metal ring off the part it held to and placed both his hands on the lid to push it open.

He looked inside and, as the wolves had said, his stuff was inside looking up at him. He had to stretch a little to push the lid up and against the wall so that it would stay open, smiling at seeing more things from home. The first was his pair of white sneakers he would wear all the time when playing around outside. They were untied and the shoe strings sprawled out over everything else as if it were keeping things secure until Sambinon arrived. He leaned over a bit, still being able to stand because of the chest's height, and pulled them out to set them on the floor with a clop.

He saw a bunch of other things as well like his books that he would read and a couple of toys he loved to play with. Sambinon didn't feel like taking all of these things out right now so he just reached in with a hand and started to sift around, getting a good skim over the objects inside. The sound of things rattling and shuffling against each other and the wood of the chest echoed throughout the hollow room. It seemed this chest had just his shoes and other things he used for entertainment. But all of it was there, making Sambinon feel secure once again to have some normalcy in his presence.

Then Sambinon heard the sound of someone's voice to his right, making him jump and look over with wide eyes. He saw that it was Onix standing in the doorway, watching him with those piercing eyes. He hadn't realized how long he'd been looking around his new room and guessed that maybe the two wolves had been waiting on him for a couple minutes at least.

"I apologize for rushing you so soon, Sambinon," Onix started, his face expression unmoving as he spoke. "But we require your presence now. Please follow me outside to the front steps."

Sambinon didn't want to be rude so he started to move a little more quickly, not caring to completely unpack at the moment. "Okay, sorry," he apologized. "Let me just get my shoes on first." He ran over to the dresser and instinctively opened the middle drawer as he remembered where he always had his socks. He pulled out some white ones, slid the drawer back in with a smack as it hit the rest of the wood, and ran back over to the spot where he laid his shoes. Sambinon plopped down on the floor and looked at the bottoms of his feet to see if there was a lot of dust on them from outside. After setting the socks beside the shoes, he used his hands to bend his leg up for a closer look. To his surprise, the bottoms of his feet were cleaner than he thought they would be. He only had to brush off each of them a couple times to get them clean enough for his socks to be worn comfortably. Once he did that, he reached for the socks, pulled them apart, and started to slide them onto each foot. He straightened them up before reaching for his shoes. Sambinon had just learned how to tie them recently, so after sliding them on over the socks he sat there concentrating hard on how the laces were supposed to be tied. The plastic ends of the laces lightly tapped against the fabric of the shoe as he started to work. He was biting his tongue lightly as he crossed them, made loops, and eventually secured them on the first shoe. Copying this technique, he did the same for the other shoe, tying it tightly before he stomped his feet on the ground in satisfaction.

Onix nodded. "Alright, let us make haste," he instructed. "Please follow me, Sambinon." He then turned without any gesture and began heading out of the room as if to assume the cub was right behind him.

Sambinon hurried to catch up with the wolf, clopping behind him with the aid of his sneakers. This time he felt like walking beside Onix instead of behind, catching up to this new position before he slowed his pace to a casual walk. He found he still had to walk briskly even though the wolf was travelling at a relatively slow pace. "Why are we going outside, Onix?" he asked, deciding it best to start addressing them by their names now. He looked up at the wolf with a smile, thinking that some kind of celebration like a welcome home party or something.

However, Onix's eyes stayed locked straight ahead as they walked. He didn't speak at first, but it didn't make Sambinon feel like he was being ignored either. Onix had taken a few more steps before he finally opened his mouth to respond. "We are going outside for something very important, Sambinon," he said. "I must ask that you remain calm during these next moments. They will test you as they would any other being so we do not expect anything other than an extreme reaction." This is when he looked down at Sambinon as they walked with a glare that demanded he be taken serious. "But you must trust that everything done is for the best. You are in our care, and we will not do anything to harm your well being."

Sambinon met this stare for a couple seconds before the wolf looked away from him once more in search for their destination. He nodded and then looked forward as well, wondering what could be waiting for him outside. It was obviously something extremely important so he mentally prepared himself for some other strange occurrence that always seemed to happen around Onix and Luna.

They both continued walking along the left side of the building behind the columns that surrounded the grand center room. The shadows went over their faces as they walked along, but the changes in light didn't seem to distract either of them. Onix still looked very stern while Sambinon was obviously a little worried about their destination. They rounded to the front part of the building where the center space was visible once more, and made their way to the huge front doors that were still open from their first entrance. The two walked along the outside edges of the area before they reached the open exit and turned once more to leave the building onto the front porch.

Once entering the outside space again, Sambinon looked around to see if anything was different. He had assumed something would change because of this imperative ceremony he had to attend, but he found that this wasn't the case. He saw the exact same things as before. The stars and galaxies were revolving around the rock formation, and the path was still plain and bare. He noticed then that Luna was standing in between those two rectangular structures at the bottom of the steps, clearly waiting for their return. His parents were also still lying in the same spots that Luna and Onix had placed them in. Absolutely nothing looked as if there was any kind of event getting ready to happen. It really confused Sambinon as he walked across the porch and began making his way down the steps beside Onix.

After carefully progressing down them, he continued with Onix on the smooth path a little further until he felt the wolf's hand on his shoulder. The wolf didn't have to say what the gesture meant. Sambinon knew just from the pressure of the hand that he was being told to stand there. He was maybe half a foot in front of where the rectangular platforms began to jut out of the ground. Standing in the designated spot, he watched as Onix continued on to join Luna where she stood the same length away from the structures as Sambinon on the other side.

Once the two wolves were beside one another, Onix turned to face Sambinon as well. They both had intent looks in their eyes, placing each of their arms behind their own backs before Onix spoke finally. "After you have thoroughly rested, your training will begin," Onix informed the cub. "It is then that we will also tell you what it is you are here to do. But first, there is something that must be done."

Luna then continued. "It is a tradition that the intelligent creatures of Earth have practiced for thousands of years to honor others," she said. "And in doing the same for you, Sambinon, we hope that we will honor you as well."

The two wolves both paused for moment. They saw that Sambinon was incredibly confused as to what they meant, and they were prepared for his reaction once he found out. They knew he would react either with sadness, anger, or both, but it was how he handled these emotions that would tell them what they needed to know in regards to their plans. "We must bury your parents in their rightful resting place, Sambinon," Onix said, the heaviness in his tone carrying the weight of the statement.

Sambinon had been looking at the two with curiosity, but hearing these words made his heart drop to the pit of his stomach very quickly. His breath was cut short for a second, making his mouth drop open as he looked first to his mom and then to his dad on their platforms. He had assumed all this time that his parents would eventually be okay, but this brought him back to the overwhelming fear he felt earlier. It seemed like the wolves had healed them before which made him question how this could be what had to be done. He took a couple of short winded breaths and then looked at Onix and Luna. "What do you mean bury them?" he asked as his voice shook from the fear of this actually happening. "I thought you said you guys fixed them! You healed where they were hurt. Doesn't that mean they're going to be okay?" He felt the desperation start to overtake his emotions as he realized just how much burying them would mean. He would never see them again and that was the finality of no hope for him. He began to leave his spot and run over to the platform where his mother's body rested.

Luna walked over to him, meeting him at the rectangular structure as he was trying to climb up on it in vain. She kneeled down beside him, forcing him to catch her gaze with those yellow eyes. "We healed their wounds out of respect, Sambinon," she explained. "We did not want to bury them with the defilement of those criminals."

Sambinon's eyes were fully conveying his emotions of helplessness and fear. "But you said you would do everything for them!" he said loudly from the feelings welling up in his chest. He was so loud he began to yell everything he said. "You can't just bury them! Then I'll never see them again!"

Onix then started to walk over as well, standing at a distance behind Luna. "We did do all we were able to do, Sambinon," he explained. "We are not capable of bringing a dead body back to life. We were not given that amount of power."

"You're able to do everything else!" Sambinon accused the both of them. "Why can't you bring them back to life?" He was looking back and forth between the two of them, his sadness turning into a look of pure frustration.

Luna's expression did not change, however, as she replied, "That is too great a power for us to obtain. I admit that it is one of the few abilities we do not have, but that is how life works. When it ends, it is final and the spirit moves on."

"That's not fair! You tricked me!" Sambinon yelled, slamming his little fist as hard as he could against the platform in front of him. He ran away from the two wolves and hurried over to the other structure where his father lay, also trying to make his way on top of it with the same amount of little success. "I don't want them to be buried! I didn't know this was going to happen!" he yelled, not looking at them as he jumped up to try and catch the ledge.

As Luna stood, she and Onix both began following Sambinon over to the other side of the path. "We did not trick you," Luna tried to affirm to the cub. "You gave us permission to bring you hear under the stipulation that we do all we could for them. We never once said we'd have the ability to bring them back to life. We are doing what we promised you." She didn't bother kneeling beside him as they stood on either side of the cub. He was too visibly frustrated for her to console him at this point.

Sambinon's sadness mixed with his anger completely took over his body now. He stopped trying to get on the platform, getting even angrier from his failed attempts, and stepped back from the structure. He had travelled backwards onto the center of the smooth path once more with an expression of extreme anger and frustration. His eyes were squinted and his mouth was in an exaggerated frowning position. "I trusted the both of you," he said a little bit more quietly. "That's still tricking me." His vision was becoming blurry from tears filling his eyes as his emotions forced him to lash out with much more ferocity in his voice than he had ever thought he was capable of. "You brought me here and you're taking my parents away! I don't want to be here anymore! You did nice things for me to get me to come here! Why didn't you tell me the truth? I should have known! You guys are nothing but mean!" His voice echoed all along the rock formation, sending a wave of primal adrenaline and emotion through the outside space. His eyes had shut tight as he was yelling this, forcing the tears to overflow from their wells and pour down his cheeks. After he opened them, Sambinon's blue eyes shone from the outside stars and galaxies reflecting off his tears. He looked at them, taking deep breaths from the amount of energy he had just exerted that came from the pit of his heart and stomach.

Luna and Onix stood in their same spots, feeling the brunt of this amazing drive of frustration and sorrow coming from the cub. They were not showing him any signs that they had been affected in their facial expressions, but stayed still until they felt Sambinon had caught his breath a little. It was completely silent for a few intense moments until it seemed the tiger had cooled from the overwhelming rage. Luna stepped forward once more to approach him. Her footsteps were soft and her expression gradually became one that suggested she understood these emotions. "Sambinon," she began, her voice staying at the same tone it had been with only a hint of softness. "We understand why you are feeling this way. But you must also realize that this is out of our hands. There is nothing we can do to bring life to death."

Onix walked forward just a few steps with his hands still behind his back. "It is important that we bury them here as tribute to your future legacy, Sambinon," he explained. "By doing that, their spirits will always be here with you."

Sambinon was still finding it hard to take anything but deep breaths until that same flood from earlier started to lift up into his lungs and chest. He sniffed a couple of times, trying to hold back the burning feeling of crying in his eyes and throat. He looked at the both of them for a couple of seconds before he realized he was unable to hold it back any longer. He whined once before his mouth hung open and he began crying out, sending more tears down his cheeks as he fell to his knees and placed his face in his hands. His body was rocking back and forth as he did so, the crying getting muffled as he sniffed louder in between sobs. "I just want my Mommy and Daddy back...I don't want them to go away," he cried. "Why did this have to happen?" he asked primarily himself.

Luna knelt down once more and placed a hand on his shoulder, keeping it there to provide some sort of consolation to the poor cub. "Onix and I brought you here because of this unfortunate circumstance, Sambinon," she explained. "You have an internal drive to continue on even though you are hurting right now. We see it."

Sambinon looked up at her, his eyes still very watery from his continuing sobs. Although he was having trouble fully recovering, his ears perked at this ominous observation they made of him. He sniffed one more time before he wiped both of his eyes with one arm to look at Luna more clearly.

"We promise that one day you will make your parents proud of what you accomplish," she went on. "You will do great things that can change the tides, Sambinon."

Onix stepped closer to the others as she spoke, picking up from Luna's statement. "But first you have to trust us," he said. "If you don't, then we cannot continue further. We are only here to help you and are out for your best interest. Another power we do not have is the ability to counteract free will, Sambinon. You have to want us to help you in order for it to take place." His face was stern and his posture showed his vast intellect, standing upright and looking down with an unmoving tone and expression.

Sambinon looked from him back to Luna as he considered what his options were. It hurt so much to think of his parents being buried and he did feel like he was manipulated into coming with the wolves. However, it was true that they had technically not lied to him about bringing his parents back to life. He did assume that, but he still felt like they were a little wrong for misinforming him. He thought there could be a chance that they weren't looking out for him or doing what was best because of this incident. But he also knew that if he were to go back home, there would be nothing for him. He would never find out what they did here or what he was supposed to do either. The same doubts seemed to resurface in his head about them. What if they didn't do what was right all the time? Could anyone be that perfect? They definitely carried themselves like they were. The problem was whether he completely believed that or not. This event, along with those that led up to it, had really tested his ability to carry on with Luna and Onix. Would the payoff be good enough to stay here? Would he be able to do this training for his new mysterious 'purpose'? His thoughts were then interrupted.

"All we need is your word of trust and your willingness to continue," Luna explained, piercing into the mind of Sambinon once more. "We know you have the ability to do great things like us, and we would revel in the opportunity to show you how. It would be the best for you and everything else." Her hand was still on his shoulder as she spoke, her tone getting more solid yet easing on Sambinon's mind. "Just give us your word of acceptance."

Sambinon couldn't do anything but look at the ground as the reality started to sink in. He shook his head, the final tears of the last crying spell finding their way down his cheek and hitting the ground in front of him. "I just don't want my Mommy and Daddy to go away forever," he said as he wiped his nose one more time with his arm. "I'm going to miss them so much. I wish this had never happened." He brought his hands to bury in face in once more as he shook from more sobs.

Luna did what she could to keep the little cub calm, moving her hand from his shoulder to under his chin. As she lifted up, she brought Sambinon's gaze to hers once more. "They will always be with you now, Sambinon," she assured him. "A spirit cannot be tamed by the confines of a mortal body. Where ever you go, whatever you do, they will be by your side giving you strength. As long as you never forget that, you will accomplish amazing things."

Sambinon began to realize how thoughtful this was for Luna to say. They hadn't seemed that emotionally caring for him until now when was vulnerable again. To him, this was a sure mark of protection and affection he was receiving. He began to believe them once again solely from this kind of support which also led him to believe that burying his parents was the best thing to do. It didn't make it any easier for him to speak the words that would give the wolves permission, however. He started looking at the ground once more, sniffing one last time to get over the feeling of crying.

"It is what they would want, Sambinon," Onix spoke up suddenly as he kept his gaze on the cub. "Let them be at peace."

Sambinon looked back up at Onix, taking in his words as something anyone would say if they truly cared for his parents. That coupled with the evidence of their hospitality and comforting sentiments made him find the strength to give them permission for a proper burial. "O...Okay, you can bury them. But can I say something to both of them before you do it?" he asked with longing in his eyes.

Onix nodded to him in agreement and then motioned for Luna to stand as well. They both walked to opposite sides of the path to separate platforms, Onix by the father and Luna by the mother. They each looked over to Sambinon once more. "Let us know when you have said your respects," Onix instructed.

Sambinon quickly climbed to his feet and hurried over to where the wolves had stood earlier before he made that desperate dash for the platforms. He could see the structures both perfectly with Luna and Onix standing by them. He wasn't sure how he was going to do this, but he wanted to make it was as special as possible. He took a deep breath. "Mommy and Daddy," he began. "I want you both to know that I love you very much. And even though you are dead now I trust Onix and Luna when they say you will be with me forever. I'm happy to know neither of you is hurting and that you will be happier when you are resting..." He paused for a moment to inhale one more time to hold back more tears. "I...I'm going to miss you so much as being alive...but since your spirit is still around me and helping me, I feel much better. I don't know what I would do without you two. You raised me well and I will never forget you for as long as I live. Thank you, Mommy and Daddy." He then fell silent, looking at the ground now as he concentrated on remembering his parents when they were still alive. He stood there for a couple more minutes, getting up the courage to tell Onix and Luna he was ready. He rubbed his eyes with his forearm and then looked up at the two and nodded. "Okay, I'm done."

Luna and Onix nodded simultaneously at the cub and then met each other's gaze from across the path. They each placed a hand on the bodies of the parents in the middle of their collar bones as they turned to fully face the structures. Their eyes closed once more as their heads pointed lower toward the stone the parents were placed upon. It took a few brief moments before there was another ringing sound emitting from somewhere around them.

Sambinon had closed his eyes after he gave them the command to bury them, but they soon shot open when he heard the noise. It was similar to the ringing that took place when the wolves had started to heal his parents. But when he laid his eyes upon the current sight, there was a difference. Luna and Onix were standing and facing his parents, looking down in the same manner as before. However, there was not a fantastic glowing light coming from their hands this time. He was hearing the sound, but all he could see was the fur on the two wolves start to lift up slightly as if another invisible force were blowing around them. His parents had much the same effect, his mother's gown blowing easily and his father's leg fur beginning to lift just slightly from the wind accumulating around him. Suddenly the ringing got a lot louder, causing Sambinon to jump from the immediate change in volume. He stayed focused on what happened, noticing that this now loud ringing was the mark of a faint white outline forming around his parents' bodies. It would get brighter then duller again a lot like the pulse to a heartbeat. Sambinon looked at the spectacle in amazement, not as much worried about whether his parents were being harmed anymore. He was slowly feeling himself trusting what Luna and Onix told him. His eyes wandered from one structure to the next, the stars reflecting off the wetness formed by his tears.

Luna and Onix seemed to be concentrating intently once again, keeping their hands securely on the bodies before them. The wind started to pick up even more as the outline began to fluctuate faster and faster. While the light was fading in and out, it seemed like the parents themselves were getting smaller. However, it became obvious that they were sinking through the stone of the structures at the same rate of the flashing outline. These platforms were now recognized by the cub as the tombs for his parents. They would be sent through the stone so no one could disturb their eternal slumber.

Sambinon would have been completely shocked once more by the sight, but his emotions were more fixed on his parents finally starting to disappear. It took everything in his will to not run up to the wolves and demand they stop right away. But he knew that this was the best thing for them, and that there was no bringing them back to life. The cub trusted that this is indeed what they would want done for them in their deaths. The wind around the wolves began to reach him now, blowing the strings and hood of his jacket. It got stronger the further the bodies receded into the stone resting places, completely lifting a lot of Onix and Luna's fur in the process. Sambinon had also noticed that their eyes were glowing again as an indication of using such amazing powers. But soon that light diminished completely, along with the sight of the mother and father as they were completely covered by the seal of the structures.

The wind slowly died around the three left in the outside space, but the wolves saw that Sambinon was frozen when they turned to look at him once more. He had reduced back to looking at the ground with his hands tightly clasped together in front of his waist. Without moving, Onix addressed him. "They will never be disturbed now, Sambinon," he said only a little more softly. "They will have eternal peace and their spirits will move on happily. They are proud of you, Sambinon, for being selfless and respecting of them."

All Sambinon could respond with was a nod. That was it. He would never be able to see his parents again. This was a moment he never could have guessed he'd have to deal with this early in his life. Up until now, his parents did seem like eternal forces that could never be hurt or taken from him. They were his protectors, but now they had been taken away. He figured he was lucky to have Luna and Onix there to take their places, but he knew they wouldn't be able to do for him what his parents had done for him his entire life. "Would it be okay if I were left alone out here with them for a little while?" Sambinon asked the two wolves without looking up from the ground.

Luna nodded along with Onix, knowing that this was something Sambinon needed to have closure on by himself. "Of course," she said softly, being more capable of doing so than Onix. "We will be inside. When you feel ready to come in, we recommend that you get some rest, Sambinon. You have been through one of the hardest struggles for children your age, and we commend you greatly for sticking through it. Take as long as you need." With that she turned with Onix and they both started walking slowly back towards the huge flight of steps to the equally enormous building.

Sambinon heard their softer footsteps trail off until they were inaudible, still not opening his eyes as he was making himself put what had just happened into perspective. There was no way that this was a fantasy. These emotions he felt were way more real than even the most realistic dreams he ever had. He sniffed a couple more times before he fell to his knees again and managed to look up at the two structures that surrounded the smooth path. This vision was what he would call home, but it was going to take a while for him to get used to it. He was grateful that he would be able to visit his parents at their graves, but for a while he knew he would see these graves as a symbol of their deaths rather than their resting places. A lone tear trailed down his cheek once more before he found the strength to hold back the rest of them. It burned, but it was satisfying to feel the strength that told him it was possible to carry on. The stars and galaxies continued to rotate all around him as he sat there in silence and solitude for a while longer.

* * *

After staying outside with his parents for a little while, Sambinon had decided to go back to his new room and unpack some more. Luna and Onix had granted his wish to be alone the entire time, not interrupting once to even see if he were still out there. They really had no worries because there was nowhere for him to go anyway. They had apparently gone to a part of the building he hadn't visited yet because he still had not seen them the entire time he was in his room again.

The exhaustion had started to take over his body as he began to unpack the things in the chests. Luckily for him, he didn't have to worry about putting his clothes away. They were transported as they were in his old room within the drawers. The only things he needed to arrange were the objects that stood freely about his room back in Gondomar. He had taken off his shoes and laid them underneath the bed, scuffling over to the chests in his socks to start with the process. He was honestly still in shock from not having his parents anymore, a blank stare staying on his face as he saw all of his possessions and nonchalantly put them in some kind of automated order around the room. He did this going through two of the chests fairly quickly, but when he sat down one of his last toys from the second chest he noticed Luna standing in the doorway. He acknowledged her, but didn't make any indication that he was happy or sad to see her. He just opened the last chest that contained his shoes from earlier and continued to take everything out and arrange it how he wanted.

As he was going back and forth, Luna noticed his state of shock and started to walk into the room more. She made her way over to the chests and looked at him. "How are you feeling, Sambinon?" she asked him.

Sambinon still didn't make any kind of eye contact as he still moved like a zombie back and forth from the chest. "I don't know," he started to say. He really didn't know how he felt right now. So much had happened in around twenty four hours that it was hard to wrap his head around.

"Everything will be okay, Sambinon," she tried to reassure him. "As long as you trust us, we will teach you everything you need to know. You won't have something like this happen again."

The cub didn't know how to take this. It shouldn't have happened in the first place, but he was aware that this was an opportunity to have a different family now. He had no doubt that Luna and Onix could take care of him. After not responding to concentrate on getting everything organized, Sambinon came back to the chest and looked up at Luna. "What am I supposed to learn?" he asked. "You keep saying over and over again that there are things I must do and that I must learn. Why haven't you told me what they are yet?" He was becoming more inquisitive because he partly wanted to test and see if the wolves could honestly be trusted fully. He didn't want to go into this new family being blinded by a big lie.

Luna knelt down to him and gently wrapped her hand around his smaller forearm. "We will inform you of everything as soon as you wake up. It is not wise we bombard you with information before you get some rest."

Her eyes were still unmoving, but Sambinon knew this made sense. "Okay," he said, deciding it best to wait until after he had slept to question them any further. His mind was spent and he didn't want to think about anything too hard at the moment. He then turned once Luna let go of his forearm and leaned over the edge of the open chest. The only things left inside were a short stack of books. He leaned in a bit further to grab them all at once, succeeding in getting them all in his hands. However, when he lifted them to see the bottom of the chest, he noticed a white piece of paper with a drawing on it. It didn't take long for him to realize that it was the picture he had drawn on his first day of school. He gasped from shock and set the books quickly on the floor beside the chest, going back in quickly to pick up the picture and look at it more closely. He stood beside the container and realized that this was the exact same picture he drew earlier that day.

He looked up at Luna with wide eyes and was returned with a light nod. When he started examining it further, he saw the stick figures that were his family when they were whole. His father had a circle for a body because he was a little bigger. The red ball was flying through the air and the sun was bright yellow. Sambinon carried it over to his bed and crawled up onto the mattress with his legs hanging off the side. His tail wagged with happiness, but he soon started to feel the sadness of his parents once more. He was so glad that this picture was brought back with him, though he just thought it was a bittersweet way to remember them. He sniffed lightly with his eyes fixed upon the paper.

Luna slowly walked over to the bed, watching Sambinon as she sat down beside him. She had sat so softly that the bed didn't make any kind of protest. "They love you, Sambinon," she said as she put a hand on his shoulder. "Even now, they love you more than ever. Do not worry for them, they are watching over you as we speak."

Sambinon looked over to her for a moment, nodding in agreement. He then leaned in her direction and wrapped his little arms as best he could around her midsection in a comforting hug. This was the first time he had willingly made an affectionate motion toward either her or Onix. He liked how she spoke to him when he was sad, so he thought it best to show that he did appreciate it. He felt her wrap an arm around his shoulders, gently pulling him closer so he would feel the comfort he sought. After a moment he pulled away and began to crawl across the bed, behind Luna, and to the headboard. Because of his less graceful movements, the bed did indeed squeak from his shifts in body weight.

When he reached the head of the bed, he lifted up the drawing and placed it on the stone wall in front of him. Holding it there with his hands, he turned his head to look at Luna. "Do you have anything to make it stay here?" he asked.

Luna nodded. "Here," she said as she scooted over to the headboard. "Move your hands. I'll make it stay." After Sambinon did as she asked, she placed one hand in the middle of the picture and looked intently at the wall. Without showing any kind of exertion, a blue light started to come from behind her palm and onto the drawing. It was not as big or magnificent as the healing light or the one that guided the parents through the stone of those platforms, but Sambinon still watched with interested eyes. There was no sound, but the paper seemed to be getting more flat by the second. It was also changing color, beginning to slowly match the shade of the stone behind it. This continued until the paper and the stone had become one with each other. As she lifted her hand, it was clear that she had engraved the picture into the wall to make it a part of the building permanently.

She sat back and Sambinon quickly took her place to examine the spot. He ran his hand across the surface, seeing how the lines were now the points where the stone was engraved in. It was amazing and beautiful, but most importantly it was now something that could be there forever to remind him of his parents during a happy time. He looked over to Luna. "Thank you so much!" he exclaimed, sounding excited for the first time in a while.

Luna nodded once more. "It is my pleasure," she said. "Now I must urge you to rest, Sambinon. You need to get as much sleep as possible. We have important days ahead of us, and you need to be at your best." She got up from the bed and started to walk toward the entrance of the room again. When she reached it, she turned to see Sambinon taking off his jacket and khaki pants to be in just his underwear, shirt, and socks.

"Okay," he replied. "I'll try to go to sleep." He positioned himself under the comforter and pulled it up to his neck as he lay on his side. Sambinon adjusted his pillow some to get more comfortable. He stayed like that for a couple seconds before he asked, "Luna, will you be here if I get scared or start getting sad again?" Despite feeling protected, this was still a new place for him that he'd yet to know what was like in the dark. He also didn't want to get upset and feel like no one was there to make him feel better.

"Yes, Sambinon," she replied. "Call out to us if you feel you must. But attempt sleep the best you can." She smiled a little at Sambinon's nods of satisfaction and raised one of her hands, open palmed. Her glowing eyes radiated through the room for a second more before she closed her palm, the lights of the torches closing out as well.