{"sf1_id":928199,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Aspire Arcadia: Chapter 1: Are You Ready?","author":"Koda_The_Wolf","words":4788,"posted_at":"2015-10-30T23:46:00.000Z","tags":["Adventure","Canine","Epic","Story Series","Wolf"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/928199-aspire-arcadia-chapter-1-are-you-ready","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/928199","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=928199\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"\"Are you rabid? Kid?\" One of the wolves asked, slowly\nwalking towards him, \"do you have a death wish or something?\"\n\"Seriously kid, get lost or we'll put some hurtin' on ya,\"\nthe other warned, glancing at his sword. \nPatch glanced discretely at the female wolf, who quietly\nbacked away. Good. At least she'd have a chance to get away from these two. \n\"What's with you guys anyway?\" Patch teased, hoping to draw\ntheir attention away from the fleeing wolf girl, \"why not mess with someone\nyour own size? How pathetic.\" \nHis words only angered the wolves more. \n\"What the heck am I saying...\" he muttered to himself,\n\"they're only getting angrier... maybe I should make a break for it while I still\ncan... wait... they won't really kill me will\nthey...?\"\nThe first wolf ripped his sword out of its sheath and\nstarted advancing toward Patch, rage burning in his eyes.\n\"I'm getting sick of you,\" he growled, clasping the hilt of\nhis sword, \"little kids like you should be-\"\n\"Stop!\" A voice cried out, silencing everyone else. Patch\nand the two wolves glanced back to see the female wolf on her hind legs, aiming\na bow and arrow at them. \n\"Put your swords away, or I'll shoot!\" She warned, cycling\nher aim between the three of them, \"I'll do it, I swear!\" \nPatch glanced at her, confused. He had come to rescue her...\nwhy didn't she run away? Most importantly... was he being held hostage along with her attackers?! Who the heck did\nshe think she was?!\nThe two wolves placed their swords in their sheaths,\nprompting Patch to reluctantly do the same. \n\"You'd kill two members of a rival pirate crew? In their own\nterritory?\" One of the wolves teased, crossing his arms, \"you've got more of\nyour mother in you than I thought.\"\n\"Quiet!\" the female wolf barked, \"now g-go away!\" \nThe other wolf laughed, hearing the slight fear in her\nvoice. \n\"You might be a little in over your heads here, kids,\" the\nother wolf said seriously, \"It's too late to get out of this now.\"\nThe female wolf lowered her bow slowly.\n\"Oh yeah?! Well...\" she threatened, stuffing her arrow back in\na small quiver on her back and slinging her bow across her chest, \"wh-what are\nyou going to do about it?!\"\n\"A few scars might remind you to keep your nose out of\nadult's business,\" The wolf replied, placing his paw on his sword, \"either\nthat, or putting you down permanently would fix the issue entirely. I haven't\ndecided yet.\"\n\"Hehe, well, okay,\" the female wolf said with a complacent\nsmile, \"only if you can catch me!\" \nBefore they could even realize what she said, the female\nwolf turned around and bolted straight down the path as fast as she could. For\na half second, Patch and the two wolves were confused and surprised at her\nquick escape. A safe distance away, she stopped and turned back towards Patch.\n\"Well?!\" She cried out at him, \"are you coming or not?!\" \nHe suddenly realized that he was kind of in danger too,\nsince the wolf pirates were after them both. The two turned towards them,\nshaking their heads.\n\"Oh no you don't,\" one of them growled, drawing his sword\nagain. \nWithout thinking twice, Patch broke out in a dead sprint,\npast the two pirates and down the path towards the female wolf who waited for\nhim. A burst of adrenaline filled his body as he heard the other two wolves\nturning to chase after them. \n\"Come on, follow me,\" the female wolf said, leading them a\nlittle further down the path. Eventually, it led them back into the forest,\nwhere the cover of foliage and the gradual steepening of the landscape would\nhelp hide them.\n\"Don't look back, just run!\" The female warned, cutting off\nof the path and into the forest. \nPatch avoided trees, holes, vines, and jumped over fallen\nlogs as he followed the female wolf deeper into the forest. She was so fast, he\ncould barely keep up.\n\"Here,\" the female wolf said, stopping near a tree that had\nfallen on its side. The roots were exposed, leaving the perfect hole to climb\ninto and hide. The two of them squeezed together in the hole, careful not to\nmake too much noise.\n\"Okay...\" the female wolf whispered, peaking out of the hole\nin the direction of the path they had abandoned. \n\"I doubt they'll follow us out here...\" she whispered, \"we\ncan't be too sure though....\" \nSo much had happened, seemingly all at once, that patch\ncouldn't think of the words to say. Instead, he struggled to catch his breath\nwhile the other wolf quietly kept watch. \nThey probably stayed there for several hours, making\nabsolute sure they had shaken their pursuers. Neither of them said a word to\nthe other. Instead, they watched and listened carefully to the woods around\nthem.\n\"I think we're good,\" she said, finally relaxing. She pulled\nherself out of the hole and helped Patch out as well. \n\"Are you okay?\" she asked, handing him his sword.\n\"I should be asking you\nthat,\" he replied with a small smile, \"what was that anyway? Who were those\nguys? And... wait... are you a pirate?!\" \nThe female wolf sighed and then chuckled. \n\"I'll tell you later okay?\" She said, adjusting her gear,\n\"for now, do you... uh... do you want to grab a drink or something? We're near a\ngood place.\"\n\"S-sure...\" Patch replied, caught off guard by her request,\n\"I'm not sure how to get to the city from here but...\"\n\"We're not going to the city,\" she replied, headed off\ndeeper into the forest, \"we're pretty close to-\"\n\"Wait,\" Patch said, cutting her off and finally realizing\nwhere they were, \"you mean... are we close to...?\"\nShe nodded.\n\"Eidous,\" she replied casually, \"the city of thieves.\"\nOriginally, the village of Eidous was a trading post between\nVeridia, where they were, and Incarnadia to the north. That is, before it was\noverrun by pirates, criminals, and bandits looking to sell their stolen loot.\nMany attempts were made to shut the illegal trade down, however its location in\nthe depths of an extremely dense forest, nestled against the intersection of a\nhuge mountain region, made it extremely difficult to find. As a result, most\nanimals wrote the city off as a myth while many criminals and pirates flocked\nto this \"paradise\" of bandits. Patch had made several attempts to find the city\n(hence why he was in that area in the first place), but could never find it. He\nalways had to turn around and head home. Now he was being led straight there by\na mysterious (probably a pirate) wolf girl who he still didn't know the name\nof. It was getting rather late and the sun began to sink out of the sky as they\ncontinued. The forest cover became increasingly thicker, making it dark in the\nforest they were traversing. \n\"Almost there,\" she said, leading him onto a path that appeared\nto be regularly used. Hundreds of paw and hoof prints as well as cart-tracks\nlittered the dirt path. As they continued, they began to pass by other animals.\nThey all looked rugged in some way. Some had scars and carried weapons while\nothers hid their faces behind hoods. The close they got to the city, the more\ntraffic filled the streets.\n\"Have you ever been here before?\" The female wolf asked,\nglancing back at him.\n\"No,\" Patch replied, glancing around in awe, \"I've always\nlooked for it... but I was never able to find it...\" \nThe female wolf chuckled.\n\"Well it's your lucky day then,\" she replied, \"just stay\nclose to me. These are all criminals and thieves you know.\"\n\"Right...\" Patch replied, \"so uh... have you been here before? I mean... obviously you have but...\" \n\"Yeah,\" she replied quietly, \"more than I'd like to have\nbeen...\" \nAfter walking for a bit more, they finally reached the gates\nof the city. Thanks to the huge cover of the forest, it appeared to be\nnighttime there. Street lamps lit up the old, cobblestone street which were\nnavigated by animals of all kinds. Along the streets, carts and shops were set\nup, selling a variety of goods that had probably been stolen from somewhere.\nPatch immediately noticed that there were a lot of taverns and bars, where\npirates gathered to party the night away. Patch was amazed. It was a very\nlively city that was completely hidden from view. Most animals would tell him\nthat the city didn't exist at all... but he was here, seeing it for the first\ntime.\n\"Come on,\" the female wolf said, leading him down one of the\ncobblestone streets. \nThey navigated through crowds of traders, who bought and\nsold supplies to each other. \n\"Hey kid, nice sword,\" a merchant said to Patch as he\npassed, \"why not check out what we've got here? Brand new inventory, fresh from\nthe Incarnadian Navy.\"\n\"No thanks,\" he replied quietly, following the female wolf\ndown the road. \nEventually, they reached the end of the road where a variety\nof restaurants were lined up. Colorful lights were strung across the street and\nlively music played from all over, giving this area a relaxing feel. The female\nwolf sat at the counter of one of the restaurants and sighed. \n\"So... this is it,\" she said, glancing a Patch with a small\nsmile, \"the city of thieves you heard so much about. Nothing really special\nabout it.\" \nBefore Patch could reply, a waiter approached the two of\nthem.\n\"Oh hey! You're back!\" he said, immediately recognizing the\nfemale wolf, \"long time no see!\" \n\"Y-yeah, sorry,\" she said, shyly staring at the table,\n\"we've been at sea for a while...\"\n\"Well, you're always welcome here,\" he replied happily,\n\"what can I get for ya?\"\n\"Fruit punch,\" she replied, \"two of them... please.\" \nThe waiter glanced at Patch and smiled.\n\"Oh I see,\" he teased, \"a heck of a place to go on a date.\" \nThe female's face lit up red as the waiter returned to the\nback to grab their drinks. \n\"My name is Juniper by the way,\" the female said after a\nlittle bit of silence, \"sorry I forget to mention that...\"\n\"Patch,\" Patch replied, with a confident smile, \"nice to\nmeet you. Though I wish it were under different circumstances...\" \nJuniper chuckled.\n\"Yeah... at first I was so confused. Like 'where the heck did he come from...'\" She said, staring at the\ntable, \"two wolves who were probably four times as tall as you were... what the\nheck were you thinking?\"\n\"I thought you were in danger,\" Patch replied, \"honestly, I\nwas terrified when I saw how big they were. It was at the point of no return\nthough.\"\nHe smiled a bit and glanced at her.\n\"Did I at least look cool when I confronted them?\" He asked.\nJuniper laughed.\n\"Yeah, you did look kind of cool, I guess,\" she replied,\nwiping a tear away.\nThe waiter returned with their drinks some time later. It\nwas a clear, blue liquid nestled within hollowed out coconuts.\n\"So why were those two after you?\" Patch asked as Juniper\nstuck her muzzle in the coconut for a drink, \"those guys were pirates weren't\nthey?\"\n\"They're members of a rival pirate gang,\" she replied,\nwiping juice from her mouth, \"they must have recognized me, so they were trying\nto give me a hard time.\" \n\"Recognized you...?\" Patch wondered out loud, \"and who exactly\ndid the recognize you as?\"\nJuniper sighed and reach over into her bag. She produced a\ncrumpled sheet of paper, which she laid out across the table and smoothed out.\nIt was a wanted poster. One Patch had easily recognized from his own collection\n(he collects wanted posters of known criminals, hoping to one day find and\nbring them to justice). On it was a notorious pirate captain, Captain Keira,\nwho was most noted for going head to head with the Veridian Navy. She was also\nthe most wanted pirate in Veridia, probably in the entire continent of Vitraia.\nHer bounty was well over three million gold coins if she was captured alive,\nand one million if she was killed. Her notoriety granted her the nickname \"Hydra\"\nor \"Demon of the Sea\".\n\"I know her,\" Patch said, observing the wanted poster, \"The\nDemon of the Sea, I hear about her all of the time... isn't she the most wanted\npirate or something? Don't tell me you're a part of her crew?!\" \nShe quietly stuffed the paper back into her bag.\n\"I'm her daughter,\" she replied. \nPatch glanced at her, with surprise and suspicion. Now that\nshe mentioned it, Juniper did look a lot like the Pirate Captain. They had the\nsame eyes and hair color... it had to be true. \n\"My father is a Commander in the Incarnadian Navy,\" Juniper\ncontinued to explain, \"When my mother got captured that one time in Incarnadia...\nwell... I guess he couldn't resist the spoils...\" \n\"Whoa that's... insane...\" Patch said, unable to find the right\nwords. The girl he had tried to save from pirates was actually the child of the\nbiggest pirate imaginable. Not to mention her other half being a prominent\npirate hunter. \n\"So... being a pirate... how does it-\" Patch began to ask.\n\"I'm not a pirate,\" Juniper quickly replied, \"I never wanted\nto be one.\"\nShe stared quietly into her drink. \n\"Everyone asks me that... how it feels to be a pirate... Like\nit's something to be proud of. I've seen so many close friends... pirates that\nhelped raise me... I've seen so many of them die or get seriously injured. My\nmother's face is on flyers all over the place, with a price on her life.\nInnocent animals get hurt... because of us.\"\nJuniper sighed.\n\"Sorry,\" she replied, taking another deep breath, \"I love\nthem. The pirate crew is practically my family. Each one of them helped raise\nand train me to survive... I shouldn't talk bad about them.\"\nShe glanced at the table, \"Still, I wish they didn't have to\nparticipate in such evil...\"\nNoticing that it was a sore subject for her, Patch\ndiscretely tried to change the subject.\n\"So... is anyone of them here? Your friends?\" He asked\ncarefully.\n\"No, I came here alone,\" Juniper replied, \"they don't like\nme going too far from the cove. So I had to sneak out to come here.\" \n\"Why here?\" He asked, \"of all places, why would you come all\nthe way here to a city like this? A city of criminals and thieves?\" \nJuniper smiled.             \n\"Promise you won't laugh?\" She asked, glancing at him.\n\"I promise.\"\nShe glanced back at the table.\n\"It's pretty quiet here now, but as pup I used to love\ncoming here to hear stories. Adventurers would sometimes stop by here and tell\nabout their experiences travelling the world. Personally, I've never been far\nfrom Veridia, but they told tales of places covered in rainforest... places that\nsnowed all of the time and vast deserts as far as the eye could see. It was\namazing!\"\nPatch watched as Juniper's whole face lit up as she\nexplained the stories she heard. She had a huge smile on her face as she\nanimatedly retold her favorite ones. About a sailor who helped chart the\nworld's continents and a pilot who flew her dragon across the world. Patch was\nmesmerized as well. Though he had never been outside of Veridia, he had similar\ndreams as well. To travel the world and see many different places while, at the\nsame time, helping the animals in need there. It's what his father did. He\nremembered hearing stories about his father's role in restoring peace to\nfaraway places and yearned to do the same himself. Even though it only seemed\nlike a pup's dream. For some reason, it felt like it was closer to reality than\nbefore.\n\"Every now and then, you might be able to hear great stories\nlike that,\" Juniper explained, calming down, \"I want so much to be like them.\nThey get to see the world and they have a purpose... unlike being a pirate, I'd\nget to see the world and make it beautiful again... not pillage it for everything\nit has.\"\n\"I get it,\" Patch replied, \"I've felt the same way before...\nlike I could go out in the world and do something rather than sit at home and\nhear about it...\"\n\"You understand then,\" Juniper replied with a smile, \"it's a\nburning pain in my heart that just won't go away. There's so much out there,\nand I hate the fact that I'm missing it on a pirate ship...\"\n\"Why don't you run away?\" Patch asked, lost in his own\nthoughts, \"you could make that dream a reality... we could make that dream a reality I mean...\"\nJuniper laughed.\n\"If I could, I would,\" she replied, \"If I had the chance, I\nwould take off and never look back. Being the daughter of a wanted pirate\ncaptain makes things a lot more difficult... the crew thinks I'm in danger, so\nI'm always being watched. Every time I get away, even for a short time, they\nalways find me and drag me back. I love them so much, but sometimes I feel like\nI'm being held hostage.\"\nThose words struck Patch in the heart. He and Juniper both\nhad the same dream. The same potential. There was nothing stopping him from\nliving that dream... but her? Her fate was practically sealed. \n\"If you could...\" Patch asked seriously, \"if you could be\nfree. Would you go off and see the world with me? Leave your current life\nbehind and go off into the unknown with someone like me? Who you've only just\nmet? Would you seriously do it?\" \nJuniper glanced down at the table and nodded.\n\"Yes,\" she replied quietly, lost in her own imagination, \"I\nreally would.\"\nThe thought of living her dream was almost overwhelming for\nJuniper. So much that she didn't even want to think about it... but she couldn't\nhelp it. \nPatch glanced down at the table. His mind was cluttered and\nhis heart was stirred. Why not? Why not run off and chase their dreams? They\nwere still young... and, between the two of them, they would likely be able to\nsurvive of their own.\n\"I've got to get going,\" Juniper said, standing up, \"Reka is\nprobably wondering where I am... last thing I need is for her to come searching\nfor me.\" \nShe turned to Patch. \n\"I can take you to the main road, so you can find your way\nhome.\" \nPatch, still lost in his thoughts, glanced up at her.\n\"O-okay,\" he said, standing up and pushing his seat in.   \nIn silence, the two headed down the streets of the city,\nback into the forest, and onto the main path where they ran into the two wolf\npirates. They were both lost in imagination. They imagined leaving their dull\nlives behind to chase adventure. To make a difference in the world like no one\nelse could. Was it just a dream? Or could it really happen? It was a question\nweighing heavy on both of their minds. \n\"That sword,\" Juniper asked, breaking the silence, \"can you\nuse it?\"\n\"I'm pretty good with it,\" Patch replied, glancing at it,\n\"I've had a lot of practice with a bunch of different teachers, plus I\nexperimented a bit with my own methods... why?\"\n\"Just curious,\" Juniper replied, \"my family taught me how to\nuse one too.\"\n\"And the bow and arrow?\" Patch asked.\n\"Yeah.\"\nEventually, they reached the main path leading towards the\ncity. The sun had gone down and a few sparse streetlights lit up the path.\nFireflies circled around them as the temperature dropped to a cool, warm\nbreeze. \n\"Can you find your way home from here?\" Juniper asked,\nstopping at a sign that read \"Veridian City: 10 Miles\". \n\"Y-yeah...\" Patch replied. \nHe didn't want to lose her. Somehow, leaving her felt like\ntheir dreams would be gone forever.\nJuniper felt the same way.\n\"Patch,\" Juniper said quietly, \"Th-thanks... for hanging out\nwith me... I'm really glad I got to talk with you about... you know... that. There's not a lot of animals who\nreally understand me.\"\nShe clutched her chest.\n\"I feel like I have a chance at living my dream now,\" she\nsaid, glancing down at her paws, \"for some reason, I feel like it's in reach...\neven more so than before.\"\n\"M-me too...\" Patch replied quietly. \n\"Anyway... I hope we can meet again someday,\" she replied,\n\"who knows, maybe we'll find each other in the midst of chasing our dreams.\"\n\"M-maybe...\" Patch replied, \"I hope so...\" \nJuniper reached out and hugged him around the neck, pulling\nPatch's face against hers. \n\"Alright then,\" she said, \"until next time.\"\n\"Yeah,\" Patch replied, \"until next time.\"\nThe walk home was filled with so many thoughts and feelings,\nit made Patch's head spin. He felt so close to being free... so close to living\nhis dream when he was with her... it was like she was some sort of angel, able to\nsave him from his boring life. He climbed through the forest, towards where he\nhad last seen Puzzle, his sister, on the way to their den. \n\"There you are!\" He heard Puzzle's voice cry out, \"where the\nheck have you been?! Oh geez, I thought something happened to you, I was so\nworried! I almost went and told mom and dad, I was so scared!\" \n\"I'm fine,\" Patch replied quietly. He wasn't in the mood to\ngo back and forth with her.\n\"Did something happen?\" Puzzle asked.\n\"No.\"\nShe glared at him.\n\"Tell me,\" She muttered.\n\"Nothing happened.\"\nPuzzle sighed and followed him down the path. \n\"I'll find out eventually,\" she muttered.\nThey eventually returned home, back to the den filled with\ntheir eighteen brothers and sisters. Several of them played outside in the\nyard, while others were still off doing their own exploring. \n\"Hey there he is,\" Howell, one of Patch's brothers, said as\nhe passed.\n\"Find anything good?\" Abigail, one of his sisters, asked.\nPatch ignored them all and headed inside. \nHe shut himself inside of his room. Where he surrounded\nhimself in his thoughts. There had to be more to life than hanging around in\none place, just surviving like the rest of the animals who knew were doing. He\ncouldn't believe how close he was to feeling free... when he was with Juniper. It\nwas so overwhelming... having been that close to realizing a lifelong dream, only\nto be abruptly pulled back to reality. As much as he loved his family, he\ncouldn't shake the need to be out finding his own way. \n\"Something bothering you?\" One of his older brothers, who\nhad been there the whole time, asked, glancing at Patch from over the top bunk\nbed. It was Carbon, the first born out of all of them. Carbon was an all-black\nwolf who kept to himself most of the time. He was very smart and offered useful\ninsight and advice to his younger siblings. If there was anyone Patch could\ntalk to, it was him.\n\"I met a girl,\" Patch said quietly.\n\"Oh, so that's it?\" Carbon asked.\n\"Not really, there's more to it...\" Patch replied, glancing up\nat Carbon, \"promise you won't tell?\"\n\"I promise.\"\nPatch took a deep breath and then sighed.\n\"I found this girl on a path deep in the forest... long story\nshort, we ended up going to Eidous, the city of thieves, and we talked for a\nbit...\"\n\"Eidous? Seriousy?\" Carbons asked, sitting up.\n\"No joke,\" Patch replied.   \n\n\"What did you talk about?\" \nPatch sighed. \"I was thinking about what I wanted to do with\nmy life... I want to travel the world and see all kinds of different things while\nhelping others out... I know it sounds ridiculous but... I feel like it's something\nthat I have to do... like I was meant\nfor it... Anyway, Juniper, the girl I met, feels the same way... she wants to do\nthe exact same thing.\"\n\"Yeah?\" Carbon said. \n\"Yeah... except something is holding her back...\" Patch said.\n\"Is she scared?\" Carbon asked.\n\"No, I don't think so,\" Patch replied, \"it's more like her\nfamily that's stopping her.\"\n\"And what's stopping you?\" Carbon asked.\nPatch, surprised at the question, glanced up at Carbon.\n\"Huh?\" He asked.\n\"I asked what was stopping you from living that dream.\" Carbon\nreplied, \"Because I can't think of anything.\" \n\"Mom and dad would never let me go on my own,\" Patch\nreplied.\n\"So?\"\nPatch stared at the ground.\n\"Do you think I could?\" Patch asked, glancing back up at\nCarbon, \"do you think I'd have a chance to survive out there? All alone?\"\n \"Do you think you have a chance?\" Carbon asked,\n\"And would you really be alone?\"\nPatch found it difficult to answer all of Carbon's\nquestions, which only sparked him to think more.\n\"Between the two of us... I think we could...\" Patch replied,\n\"We can both hunt, we're both trained to defend ourselves...\"\n\"So what's the problem?\" Carbon asked, laying back down.\n\"Well I...\" Patch began to explain before Carbon cut him off.\n\"What is your heart saying?\" Carbon asked, \"Ignore all of\nthe excuses you're making for yourself and find out what you really want. Now\nthink about all of the things that are in your way. All of the inhibitions\nyou're putting on yourself out of fear. Are they worth crushing your dream?\"\nHe glanced down at Patch.\n\"Are you happy?\" He asked.\n\"N-no...\" Patch said weakly.\n\"I'm asking because that girl... Juniper? I'm sure she feels\nthe same way. I know you, Patch. You have potential, even mom and dad know.\nThat's why they gave you all of the training you asked for and sent you to\nothers to get more. That's why they don't get mad when you go off exploring.\nThey've pretty much prepared you for this, I'm wondering why you haven't\nrealized it yet.\" \nCarbon laid back against the wall.\n\"You just need a little push. You and Juniper both. Somehow,\nI think you two already got that push. Now is the time to take your first\nsteps. Stop being afraid and take the plunge. I'm sure you'll be happy you did\nit. Otherwise, it'd be wasted potential.\"\nHe slid off the top of the bunk bed and headed towards the\ndoor. \n\"I know a lot of animals who ignored that feeling,\" Carbon\nsaid, glancing back at him, \"do whatever you want, but know this. You'll hate\nyourself and be miserable for not following that gut feeling. You both need\nsomeone to save you from yourselves. I believe you both already met that\nsomeone.\"\nHe headed out the door, closing it behind him. \nPatch's heart ached. His head was a wreck with all kinds of\nthoughts and imagination. He could do it. He knew he could. What was stopping\nhim? Carbon and Juniper's words tortured him the entire night. Even during\ndinner, he couldn't focus on the conversation. Instead, he stared out of the\nwindow at the big world outside. It was calling to him, and he wasn't the only\none who knew that. \nAt the end of dinner, he returned to his room. Closing the\ndoor behind him, he sank against the wall, weakened by all of the thoughts.\n\"I can do it,\" he whispered to himself, charging up his\nmotivation, \"I can do it...\" \nA small knock on the door, drew him up slightly from his\nthoughts.\n\"Can I come in?\" His father, Kodiak, asked.\n\"Y-yeah...\" Patch whispered, moving from behind the door.\n\"I won't ask, because I already know,\" Kodiak said, closing\nthe door behind him, \"I was sixteen before, so I know that feeling.\" \nHe sat against the wall, beside Patch. \n\"I left home when I was sixteen... only because I was unsure\nof what I would do and I felt like I was unprepared,\" Kodiak explained, \"I\nspent a year and a half getting ready. My parents supplied me with everything I\nneeded before they sent me off on my way. As much as your mother and I were\nafraid this would happen, I figured at least one of you would get that itch to\ngo off.\"\nPatch was silent. How did he know? Did Carbon tell him?\n\"Do you think you're ready? Patch?\" Kodiak asked seriously,\n\"It's my duty as a father to know. But more importantly, it's important for you to know too.\n\"Yes,\" Patch said without thinking. It was what his heart\nhad been screaming at him.\n\"I'm ready.\"  ","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/928202-aspire-arcadia-chapter-2-if-you-could-be-free.json"}