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Part 33 - Reverie

(Alexei)

"We're almost there!"

Alexei boomed out a laugh, eyes fixed upon the little husky straddling his muzzle. "Can you see anyone yet?" He kept his form gentle, wary of dislodging Nathan during the swim across the sunny bay's sparkling blue waters.

"There're a few people gathered on the docks." Nathan's curled tail wagged swiftly, brushing the short, white muzzle fur beneath him. "They're watching us!"

"Great! I am so very glad we can visit the Polcian district together now." Alexei kept on paddling, kicking his legs with renewed vigour. The scaled-down streets, houses and skyscrapers rested just a few more strokes ahead. In a matter of seconds, they'd find themselves at the water's edge.

A few of the little workers waiting atop the steel and concrete retreated back, doing their best to avoid the heavy waves beginning to crash against the harbour wall.

"No, don't run!" Nathan cried, waving his arms above his head. "He's not gonna hurt you!"

"We are here only to have a closer look." Alexei slowed his approach, wading through the shallower waters until his feet found the seabed. Even as he kept himself low within the deep water, both the docklands and people upon it barely came up to his chest. The busywork within the harbour came to an abrupt halt, each and every one of the workers downing tools to take in the sight before them.

Alexei smiled joyfully, but kept from exposing his teeth. "Hello there." He plucked his little husky from off his muzzle and held him within the security of his cupped paws. "See? I will not hurt you."

Several dozen Polcians of various different species had gathered upon the docks within minutes, each of them possessing a smile of their own as they welcomed their visitors.

"They're not afraid, Alex," Nathan cried with glee.

"Good! I do not wish for them to be." Alexei set his passenger down upon the harbour's edge, the crowd parting to greet their compatriot. His wagging tail lashed the sea, generating waves large enough to rock the little boats moored close by. "Everything is so small! I love this."

"No," his husky called, standing between a grinning fox and an awestruck lion. "It's you! You're big!"

"Perhaps," he chuckled back, reaching out with both paws to grab either end of a toolbox-sized shipping container being carried across the asphalt. He lifted it from the back of a flatbed truck effortlessly, basking in the fact that he could manhandle something so much larger than those looking up at it.

"Wow, Alex!" Nathan roared, joining the crowd in gazing upwards. "That thing must weigh tons!"

Alexei's ears flicked as he cautiously moved the metal crate over the mesmerised crowd, small flashes firing from the shadows as several members of the crowd grabbed a photo. He set the container down to the asphalt with a sharp clank, taking care not to crush an unmanned forklift waiting beside a tall stack of metal boxes the truck had been headed towards. Upon doing so, Alexei noticed the highway beyond the docklands in the corner of his eye; ground to a halt as road goers also stopped to observe the giant wolf floating beside their city. Even further beyond that, homes, factories and office buildings alike emptied; their occupants all keen not to miss out on the captivating sight on their waterfront. "This is amazing, Nate. Hundreds of Polcians are here. Thousands even."

"And none of them are afraid of you!"

Alexei peered back down to find Nathan sprinting towards the water. Instinctively, he lowered his paws, positioning them to await the husky diving straight off the dock. He caught him gently, wasting little time in lifting him up to his happy muzzle.

"I love you so much, Alex."

"I love you, too," he replied, ears warming. Without hesitation, and with no regard to the crowd around them, Alexei leaned down to share a deep, intimate kiss with his partner.

The city, the dock and the crowd: it all faded to leave the couple floating there, sharing themselves completely. This moment would have been perfection, if not for the spatters of rain slowly dampening Alexei's face. Clouds quickly gathered and darkened above, the shower intensifying until it'd drenched his fur completely.

"Nate?" He didn't get an answer. Suddenly, the wolf found himself floating alone in the midst of a gloomy, endless ocean. "Nate? Where are you!?"

Alexei gasped loudly, eyes shooting open to find a rainstorm pouring down from the night sky. His clothes and fur had been soaked in the course of his dozing, enough even to wetten the flesh beneath. Still, that wouldn't prove enough to force him from his dreams and his favourite park bench. Not yet at least.

"Nate," he whimpered mournfully, finally able to separate fantasy from reality. A flash of lightning illuminated the distant cloud cover; a crack of thunder following seconds later. It had been little more than a day since he'd bid farewell to Nathan, yet it felt far more like a lifetime. Alexei raised a paw to his face, wiping away the rain, and tears, before raising the hood of his jacket. Finally, he sat up straight to acknowledge the unrelenting ache within his chest.

He pulled out his week-old phone; a replacement for the one he'd lost to the flames that'd also claimed his home and livelihood. Its storage card sat devoid of memories, with the exception of one special photo. "I miss you." The image of himself and his husky smiled back through the spatters of gathering rain; a reminder of their parting at the harbour. With the pain and emptiness that had followed since, Alexei would have given anything to experience it just one more time.

He stayed upon his seat in the park until he could weather the storm no longer. With a sad grunt, the broken wolf pushed himself up to shuffle his way along the darkened path, his destination the speckled lights of the surrounding houses.

As he padded heavily through the drenched, depressingly dark city streets, Alexei's mind wandered uncontrollably. Thoughts flashed by at such speed that they remained elusive, unable to be grabbed onto and processed for meaning. All he could focus upon was a crippling unease that he just couldn't shake: he had no apartment, no job and no Nathan.

So tied up in knots by his darting internal imagery, Alexei never realised that habit had taken him back to his former neighbourhood. He stopped in his tracks, the pouring rain an afterthought as he took in the dark, lifeless main strip. Nothing had changed in the week since the fire. Sleepy houses sat silent, their occupants cozied up to enjoy their final evening before the start of another work week. The occasional car would rumble by, their drivers uncaring of the wet wolf moping on the pavement as they rolled off into the distance.

Alexei knew that if he continued onwards, past the bus stop that he and Nathan had waited at to embark on their first trip into the city, he'd see the one change that had afflicted this area.

'I can't,' he rumbled internally, thoughts finally slowing enough to be tracked. 'I can't see my street... my old street again.'

He whined out loud, head hanging low for the short walk to stand beneath the bus stop's rickety shelter. As hard as he tried not to, Alexei couldn't help thinking back to the times he'd waited here with Nathan in his pocket. He looked down and held a paw his chest, missing the sight and the sensation of his little husky nestled against it.

Mercifully, the bus that would carry him back to his makeshift home arrived mere moments later. Alexei hoped stepping aboard would offer up an escape from his reminiscing, but if anything, getting out of the cold, rainy night strengthened it only further.

'What do I do, now?'

'I can't go on.'

'Will I see Nate again?'

'This hurts so much.'

He slumped down in his seat, pulling the hood of his jacket tighter. If he couldn't stop himself from tearing up on his way up the hill to his grandfather's house, he'd at least do so in relative privacy.

The rain persisted for the entirety of his journey, pouring down upon him all over again once he'd disembarked from the bus. Another short, damp walk later, Alexei padded up the stone path to the old, farm style house that he again called home.

Loud creaking forced the wolf's ears to flick as he pushed the front door inwards, taking a moment to dry himself somewhat on the porch before moving inside. The darkness of the hallway greeted him, as did the old, musty scent of wolf that his nose had yet to adjust to.

When he'd arrived here with Nathan a week ago, Alexei had hoped that he'd get used to living with his grandfather again quickly. If anything, he figured their proximity might go some way to improving their relationship, what with everything that had happened at the store, and with Nathan before that. In reality, things had barely changed from that first day following the fire; the house he'd grown up in still as far away from feeling like home as it could do. Despite this, the fact that his elder hadn't disowned him following the past month's events filled Alexei with some semblance of security.

"Alexei? Is that you?"

Just ahead, a dim light crept out from the living room halfway along the hall, the low chatter of his grandfather's television the only thing audible from inside.

He removed his jacket and hung it upon a free peg beside the door, pacing towards the illuminated archway before responding. "Yes, Grandpa; it is me."

"Where have you been!?" Alexei stopped at the doorway, peering in to find his elder looking back from the armchair opposite. "You are wet to the bone! What have you been doing out in this weather?"

"I went into the city, then to visit the park. The weather was nicer before..."

'Before I fell asleep.'

"...Before it got dark."

"The park? Why?"

"I like the park," he answered, shuffling into the mood lit living area. The couch beneath the main window to his right looked invitingly comfortable after his long journey home. He remained mindful of his damp clothes however, choosing to remain standing. "I've been thinking there."

"Thinking? You've been out thinking!?" Maxim switched of the television from his seat, turning to his right and his grandson's left to glare at the clock sitting upon the mantelpiece. "It is after nine. You have been gone since lunchtime."

In all honesty, Alexei hadn't realised he'd spent anywhere near that length of time away from home. "I... I have much to think about."

Maxim scoffed loudly, turning back to face the doorway. "All we must think about is the shop."

"The shop?"

He nodded firmly, extending a finger. "We must discuss what is to be done about it."

"It has burned down," Alexei retorted. "What more is there to discuss?"

Maxim met his grandson's offhandedness with a low growl. "We must talk of rebuilding, or trying to open at a new location if that is not possible!" Alexei didn't respond, other than to fold his arms and look away. "We must also talk about the meeting with the insurers next week, the bank, also our--"

"Okay, yes, I understand. We have plenty to discuss." Even though the demise of his and his grandfather's former store posed a very real problem, Alexei couldn't bring anything close to his full attention upon it. Instead, all he could think about was the picture on his phone, silently screaming out for his attention. "Let us wait until we meet with the insurers. When we have an idea of what amount we will get, then we can decide what is possible. There is nothing to do now."

Maxim groaned loudly, slumping back in his armchair; a sign of his apparent begrudging acceptance. "And what of the scum that caused this?"

"I spoke with the police yesterday, after Nate left to return home." He tried his hardest to stifle it, but Alexei couldn't stop from letting out an impatient grumble. "You know this."

"Yes, but you have not told me what they have said!"

"Fine... They told me they are investigating. They will contact us when they have more information. Even so, they believe that there is a good chance Yuri will go to prison, as will the others when they are caught."

"If."

"If," Alexei rumbled back. "For this to happen however, both I and Erik must give evidence. This means interviews, court dates..." He let out a long sigh. "It will be difficult to face, for Erik certainly. After all, Yuri is his brother."

"Perhaps, but this is good." The elder wolf straightened his posture to sit upright, a glint in his eye suggesting he'd not quite finished his questioning. "So... what happens with you now?"

Alexei shrugged. "What do you mean?"

"You will just roam all day, acting upset?"

Another grumble required suppressing, though he'd fail to do so all over again. "What else is there!? I have no job to go to, and as I have said, we must wait for insurance to pay out before anything can be done.

"So you will just...?" Maxim matched his grandson's irritable intonation before drifting off. "You will wander the city, sit in the park and mope all day, every day!?"

Alexei scoffed, folding his arms with a dismissive scowl. "You make it sound as if there is an alternative." His grandfather muttered something beneath his breath, though the slow, exasperated rub of his brow spoke louder than words. "You have one? I would very much like to hear it if you do."

"Alexei... You must forget this Polcian."

"What?"

"You, him... Velikan and Polcian, it would not work. Despite what is forced here in the cities, we are not meant to be together."

That comment struck far too strong a chord with Alexei, forcing him to swipe at the air in disgust. "I am not speaking of this with you. I do not wish to hear of your views."

"You must cheer up!"

He stomped forward, readying himself to storm about how he needed something to be cheerful about. Instead, a blow to his shin stole Alexei's attention. "Alexei!" The low table in front of the couch jolted out of position, causing the old vase resting atop it to rock dangerously. "Be careful!" Maxim barked, lurching out of his chair to hurriedly steady the antique with both paws. "This was your grandmother's favourite!"

"I know! I-I didn't mean to," he replied remorsefully, ears and shoulders drooping in tandem. "I--"

"Do you not understand? You must move on!" the elder roared, snapping back to the original conversation at hand. "You must live your life!"

Alexei sensed himself both reach and tumble over the precipice in one fell swoop, rage and despair bubbling together in the pit of his stomach. "At last, something we can both agree on!" His grandfather looked annoyed and perplexed all at once, but he refused to wait for a response before marching indignantly out of the room.

Maxim's footsteps followed him out into the darkened hallway, prompting his grandson to halt suddenly at the base of the staircase and glare back.

"What do you mean!?"

"I mean that living my life, my life, is something I would like also!" Alexei started up the staircase with angry stomps. "I do not think this much to ask."

"Alexei! Stop!"

He paid his grandfather no further heed, striding straight off into his old bedroom and slamming the door shut behind him. Here, Alexei could return to solitude, escape from his problems and reunite himself with Nathan in transient reverie all over again.