Chapter 12 of Questionable Destiny

I hope y'all have fun reading this, and if there's anything you want to say, feel free to leave a comment!

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Mere hours after accepting the mission of protecting the wagon, it was time to go. It was a very huge covered wagon where Edward, Alyva, Evan and Hugh could very easily fit in along with the many wares that were securely stored within.

Evan helped Ed inside, where the cat sat down, leaning against a big crate. Evan sat down next to him and took his hand. Alyva and Hugh jumped in too, with Hugh sitting at the opening, where he'd have a good view of anything behind them.

The corgi was on the front, where he'd take control of four feral equines carrying the whole thing. "Is everyone ready?"

Evan looked at the others, ensuring that they were indeed ready, before telling as much to the corgi, who then got the wagon to go at a comfortable pace.

Edward decided to lay down more comfortably, resting his head on Evan's lap, staring up at his face.

"Getting comfortable?" Evan asked.

"About as comfortable as I can get."

Alyva looked at the two, before her gaze shifted down to the floor with a sigh.

"Something wrong?" Evan looked at her upon noticing her dropped mood.

"It's… Well- you asked me about my friend, right?"

"Right, I did. Like I said though, you only need to tell whatever you feel like telling."

"... I first met her when I was twelve. Over seven years ago. From there we grew up together, getting much closer, and… much more than friends. I loved her more than anything, or at least I thought I did, but when it came to choosing between going with her or staying in the academy I made the worst mistake I could've made.

"I wanted to find her so I could make things right again, be with her again like if nothing happened. But that wasn't the case. Something did happen, and it was my fault alone. And when I tried to fix things over a year later, it was too late.

"She found someone new, someone I can only assume she loves just as much, if not more than she loved me. I didn't talk to her, because it didn't feel right. She has a new life, and I don't think she'd want me to just appear again out of nowhere. I didn't want to potentially ruin the new life she has built for herself. She doesn't deserve that."

Evan and Edward listened intently, saying nothing but nodding understandingly, showing great empathy on their faces.

Alyva pulled her legs to her chest and put her face in her knees. "I just miss her… so much. Even if I know that I can't be with her, I wish I had just talked to her again. Just to give her a proper farewell."

"Listen, I'm sure this wasn't the last time you saw her. You can get your goodbye someday, whether it happens naturally, or we'll make it happen. Alright?" Evan said, in the most reassuring tone he could make.

Alyva looked back up at him and could muster up a smile. "Thank you. You know, I don't really have much left. I haven't seen my family since I was a child, I'm done with the academy, and I've lost my girlfriend. I'd have nothing to work for and no one around me if it wasn't for the three of you. I'm very thankful that you let me tag along and be a part of your team."

"And we're thankful to have you," said Edward, as he sat up again, "I mean, it was getting boring with just us three anyways, so your company is more than welcome."

Alyva nodded with a soft smile and leaned back. "I really-," she started, but was interrupted by the sound of an arrow ripping through the canvas covering the wagon, before getting stuck in one of the many crates.

The whole team was immediately alert, their sharpened senses picking up voices from outside, as the wagon quickly came to a halt.

"Now what do we have here?" The voice was high pitched and raspy, and more than anything annoying. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind us taking a little peek of what you have in store, would you?"

"I would prefer it if you got out of my way," said the corgi.

"It looks like you don't know who you're dealing with, huh? I'm Cameron, the most feared bandit in the land. I'm sure you've heard of me, No?"

"Can't say that I have."

"Huh? Uhm, well you have now! Now if you were so nice, we'd like to take some weight off of your shoulders."

Footsteps surrounded the wagon, and Evan brushed his hand through Edward's fur. "Stay here, we can take care of these guys," he said, and headed to the wagon's front opening, seeing the one blocking their way.

Cameron was a pig, both literally and figuratively. He was small and chubby, but the many scars and his ugly grin still managed to make him come off as threatening. Most of his clothes were ripped apart, but most of his body was being protected by leather covering. He couldn't see any other bandits, but he certainly could hear them.

"Oooh, wouldn't you look at that…" Cameron's eyes darted towards Evan, and more specifically, the golden engraving on his blue shirt. "Looks like you got some very good protection for your stuff. It must be valuable then."

"N-no, not at all. I just need somebody to protect me when we go through the spreading woods. You see, we-"

"Right, of course, and you hire Evan- fucking- Rigel to help with such a tame task. Seems very likely."

"What? I don't know what you're talking about," the corgi looked confused, glancing at Evan peeking out behind him, who quickly got back inside.

Only a few seconds after, an arrow shot out of the wagon, swishing right past Cameron's ear. The pig flinched back, but then chuckled.

"Looks like the pup ain't quite as good as his father though." He tugged a roughly 20 inch Long blade from his waistband, holding it up in the air, before shouting: "If you can't hit from that range, how about you try yourself in close combat? Come on, don't be a coward!"

Suddenly, another arrow struck Cameron's blade, shooting it out of his hand. The pig grunted and picked his blade back up. "Well, if you don't want to get serious then I will. Take them out guys!"

At once, several daggers cut through the canvas of the wagon, and three people ripped through and entered. A gray fox, a skunk, and a white cat.

They all wore thick, dark cloth armor and torn robes. None of them were as visibly well fed as Cameron, with the cat being the lightest.

Alyva kicked the cat right back out. He tried slashing at her with his dagger as he fell down, but he was already gone too far.

Evan quickly glanced around the situation. Edward looked like he was getting ready to fight, which Evan wanted to avoid. "You stay here!" he told Ed, and tackled the fox, ripping an even bigger hole into the canvas as both of them fell down.


Hugh grabbed the skunk by an arm and threw him straight out of the back opening. He got up and walked over to where the skunk now laid, who rolled away and jumped back to his feet.

"You might be strong, but what do you have to say about this?" The skunk pulled out two daggers and looked for weakspots in Hugh's armor, but Hugh punched him in the face before anything could happen, sending him back down to the ground.


The cat's dagger flew handle first into Alyva's hand, leaving the cat unarmed.

This didn't stop the cat from jumping back up and swiping at her with his claws. She akwardly swiped around with the dagger, and while her technique wasn't great, it kept the cat far enough away.


Evan pinned the fox to the ground, holding down both of her hands, where she held one dagger in each.

She kicked him against the leg, but he didn't flinch, and retaliated with a headbutt, before jumping away and leaving her with a bloody nose.

She got up and charged at him, but he stopped her with a kick in the stomach, sending her back down.

"Hey, you!"

Evan turned around to see Cameron dragging the corgi away and holding a blade to his throat.

"Could I interest you in some hand-to-hand combat, or would you prefer if I started a bloodbath?"

Evan clenched his fists and took a deep breath. "If you drop your weapon you can have your fight."

Cameron laughed and slammed his blade into the wood of the wagon, threw the corgi to the side and glanced at the fox. "You help take out the others. This one is mine."


Hugh seemed to have knocked out the skunk, when the fox jumped on his back, her daggers sliding through weak spots in his old armor. He threw her over himself, but she rolled away immediately upon hitting the ground, swiftly getting back on her feet.

Whenever he swung his fist at her, she easily dodged with quick movements, oftentimes jumping out of his field of view, giving her plenty of opportunities to attack, even if the swipes weren't very effective.


Alyva didn't land any hits on the cat, but the same was true the other way around, as she did a good job keeping him away.

Finally, with one thrust of the dagger, even though she missed, she got him to stumble, giving her time to throw a crate at the cat with her mind. The cat flew back out from the impact, while Alyva carefully put the crate back down.


Cameron spread out his arms and feet, awaiting the first attack. Evan took the bait, running at the pig with a fist ready for a punch.

Evan's fist crashed into Cameron's face, right under the nose. But that didn't stop Cameron, who grabbed him and spun around, before throwing him to the ground.

Evan just barely avoided Cameron's foot as he crawled back, but a second kick hit him right in the chest, knocking him back down.

"I thought you would put up more of a fight," Cameron said, "with how highly your father used to talk about you, I didn't think his son would be so pathetic."

Evan shook his head and rolled through the dirt, far enough so he could get up without Cameron stopping him. He glared at the pig, but tried to keep calm. He couldn't let Cameron upset him, that was clearly what he was going for, but he wouldn't get that satisfaction.


Alyva went for the other side of the wagon, where Hugh still struggled landing a hit. She stretched out an arm and held the fox in place, just long enough for Hugh's fist to collide with her chest, before being sent several feet back. But she didn't stay on the ground for long.

She got up, shook the skunk awake, and the two of them got back to action. They both ran towards Hugh at once, but Alyva pulled the skunk towards her, just to kick him in the back of his head.

"Ow!" The skunk yelped, and looked back at Alyva, rubbing his head. "Oh, come on, that's not fair."

Alyva responded with a kick to the face, sending the skunk falling on his back. She then jumped off the wagon, on top of the skunk, raising her dagger as she pinned him down.


"Your father was a good man," Cameron teased. "He was smart, strong, and skilled. All the things you're not."

Evan stayed calm and kept quiet. His only thoughts were about what Cameron's plan was, and how to fight it. Whatever Cameron would say, wouldn't distract him from that.

"You must be glad he's dead," the pig continued. "That way he won't see what disappointment you turned out to be."

… Evan ran. He charged at the pig, his arms outstretched slightly, ready to tackle him to the ground.

They both fell to the ground upon impact, Evan pinning Cameron down and smashing his fist into his face, as he suddenly felt a piercing pain in his lower back.


Alyva brought her dagger down, but stopped inches before the skunk's face. She hesitated, before raising it again.Before she could have another stab at it though, somebody grabbed her wrist from behind.

The cat from before pulled at her dagger, but she ripped it out of his hand, stabbing the skunk in the shoulder when bringing the dagger down. Then she pulled the cat away with her psychic powers, throwing him forwards, face first into Hugh's outstretched, armored arm. He fell to the ground unconscious and with a bleeding nose.

The skunk screamed in pain, distracting the fox long enough for her to get a second fist full of Hugh.


With an arm around Evan, Cameron pushed a knife into the coyotes back. It was much smaller than his main blade, but still dug inches deep into Evan's flesh. He grunted in pain, a scream getting stuck in his throat.

"Your father was also easily angered if you found the right words." Cameron threw Evan off of him, onto the ground. He walked back to the wagon and pulled his bigger blade out of the wood. "And just like him, you're going to bleed out on the ground."

Evan struggled to get up, but Cameron only kicked him back down. A wave of pain rushed through his body as he hit the ground, and the scream finally escaped his lungs, the knife cutting into his moving flesh. And it would only get worse, as Cameron kneeled down over him, his blade inching closer to Evan's body.

A sudden burst of flame burned the side of Cameron's face. He got up with a loud grunt and glared in the direction the fire came from, spotting Edward's body poking out between some crates.

"I thought I told the other idiots to take care of the rest."

Edward didn't answer, but raised his hand and let two vines sprout out of the ground, which wrapped around Cameron's arms.

With some struggle, the pig ripped out the vines and freed himself, just to get hit in the face again, by a bolt of lightning.

Cameron held his eye, where he just got hit, while Edward threatened him with another fireball.

"Piss off before I turn you into cooked pork," Ed said, the fire in his hand growing bigger.

"I like your style, kid." Cameron stepped aside. "Fine, I'll let him live. Now that I know how pathetic he is, I doubt he'll be much of a problem for us."

Cameron got his group together, conscious or not, and left the scene as if nothing happened.

Edward jumped off the wagon and hurried towards Evan, kneeling down next to him.

"It's alright, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you anymore… Hugh!" Edward called out, and Hugh got to them immediately. "Get him on the wagon, but be careful."

Hugh carried Evan back on the wagon, and everyone else followed.

"I suppose we should pull out the knife, right?" the corgi asked, looking at Evan who was again laying on his front.

"Absolutely not," said Edward, "the vest protected him a little, but the knife is still pretty deep in. Pulling it out now would most likely cause a lot of bleeding."

"So what? We can't just leave the knife in, right? Especially if we go through the spreading woods."

"Is there no way we could prevent or stop the bleeding?" Alyva asked.

"Well…" Ed started, "I could do something that would potentially do something about the bleeding, but it would be very painful… And I don't know if I could-"

"I could ease the pain," Alyva said. "At least for a while."

Evan looked at Edward, pain written all over his face. "Then let's do it."