Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Enter the Admiral Temple
As I stand in front of the mirror of my bedroom closet fascinated at my newest gift, a vicious, flawless badass wolf suit, I can only fully admire the craftsmanship and attention to detail in what may be the coolest creation that I have the privilege of owning. The wolf ears somehow have state-of-the-art enhanced hearing that should help me in my journey. The heels of the boots have some type of catapult system that supposedly will allow me to jump twice as high as I would normally and a filtration tank on the snout of the nose that diffuses any toxic gases yet allows me to smell five times stronger than anyone not wearing the suit. I even have a hidden pocket on my left shoulder and my right thigh where I can store things like this lion urine that should ward off any predators that I might encounter on my journey.
I don’t know what the worst part is: the fact that most likely none of my family and friends will ever see this suit or that the coolest thing that I ever received was from complete strangers until two weeks ago—and not my parents.
I have to find a way to show my friends this marvelous suit. They would never believe me without seeing it for themselves. I would have to make sure Taylor is 100 percent sober and drug free before hitting him with this shell-shocking surprise. I’m sure Nassir will try to downplay the awesomeness.
I have no idea what Theresa would say or think about me dressing up in an extravagant wolf costume. I’m sure that Theresa will reflect on the reason behind this dress-up session versus thinking that I’m some strange weirdo. I would guess that my staring at her from across a cafeteria—5 minutes after meeting her—and getting hanging wedgies from one of the biggest animals at the high school wouldn’t help my “I’m a normal, cool kid” persona.
I better stop staring at myself standing in a wolf suit. I better take advantage of this time with the Admirals and try to get as many answers as possible about anything that my family doesn’t want to tell me and what the school system won’t tell me.
I think back to the Admirals’ temple, not knowing what to expect. I feel overwhelmed and somehow overdressed. As this enormous elephant sits in the center seat of the triple throne where it’s obvious that his seat is bigger in scale then the other seats, something about the way the animals communicate and share ideas, I can tell that the authority of the Admirals is shared equally with the raven and the chimpanzee. Sitting to the elephant’s right is the chimpanzee dressed in apparel that I can only guess lists his accomplishments from various badges and awards. The seat furthest to the left sits the raven whose role with the elders is not yet known, but I know it must be important because why else would she be placed in some respectable position on the council?
I ask as many questions as possible, such as: What happens in the Oasis? Is the story about the origins of the Great Pasture accurate?
“In due time, all your questions will be answered, and I can assure you that we will leave no stone unturned; however, we feel that giving you the information at this moment might alter your perception of what really is important,” the chimpanzee replied. “As a matter of fact, your uncle Eric and his team asked us those same questions years ago before he ventured into the forest, and we feel that we might have put the wrong ideas in their heads as far as what could be expected.”
I could tell that the chimpanzee was politely keeping some type of information from me.
“That’s why we are making sure that when you are ready to go into the void, you are protected by the best security and qualified specialists that the pasture has to offer and you return 10 days later safe and sound to your worried parents,” the chimpanzee continued.
I don’t know how much my parents would be worried about me leaving and I don’t know how much evidence that I would find in 10 days. However, this opportunity may not come again in a long time and I know that if I’m not the one pursuing this then my family will never know the truth.
Wow! I feel like I keep saying the same things over and over. Is it possible that I’m just trying to convince myself that I’m making the right decision?
The Elders tell me that this expedition will be an honored rite of passage and I will forever be welcomed into the Hall of the Admirals.
“We understand your curiosity and high standard in the pursuit of knowledge; however, we also think that many of your questions will be answered naturally in a real-world situation,” they told me.
I didn’t understand exactly what they meant at the time but I do now.
“You ever wonder where soy, veggie and garden burgers come from?” they asked me.
I figured there was some factory somewhere manufacturing it.
“You’re right! There is; however, that factory is not in the Great Pasture. It’s in the Oasis along with the technology specialists who are responsible for a large majority of modern technology, an extended library that has a provocative history that many animals might find controversial,” they continued.
Talk about technology, cellphones, automobiles, that 137-inch HD three-dimensional television hanging in your uncle Renny’s mansion. Where does this ingenuity come from? Certainly not from the Great Pasture, There is another world beyond that massive wall that keeps us safe while we sleep at night.
I reply back that the technology is cool, I guess, but my main concern is my uncle Eric, my best friend Taylor’s parents and the well-being of my brother, Marcus.
The wooden double doors leading into the Hall of Admirals open and three huge animals walk through the door, instantly establishing a strong presence that I have only felt when around Lawrence the Bull and his jock friends.
The first animal is a moose with huge antlers proudly displayed on his head, he must be middle aged with an aura surrounding him that he could lead a strong team and also go into a battle and hold his own against the toughest of foes. The second animal is a panda bear, snacking on a strange stick that I have never seen before.
As the panda walks closer to me, I can tell that she is a female panda and is wearing distinctive eye glasses and a dirty medical bag that probably should have been throw away years ago. The third animal is a younger elephant, probably around my age, but sometimes it’s hard to tell an approximate age when another animal is five or six times your body weight. At this time, it’s hard to tell if he is related to the elder elephant because he has skin that is a shade or two darker, but to be honest, I haven’t seen to many elephants on my side of the pasture. I guess I should be nervous or edgy about meeting new and different strangers but who am I kidding, I’m a black sheep. I’ve been the outsider every day of my life in just about any situation possible.
“It is our honor to introduce to you three out of the five members of your specialized team.
Leading this mission will be the following:
Dennett the Moose is the commander-in-chief of every specialized expedition outside of the perimeters of the wall. His leadership and superb guidance is second to none and we are sure that he will keep every member safe from every logical danger and clear minded for the mission at paw.
The next introduction, I assume, will probably be your most familiar and most talkative companion on your expedition. Both of you are the closest in age and I take it both of you are starting your freshman year at your respective high schools.
Burke the Elephant is the documentarian of the group, as well as a skilled and seasoned archaeologist, who happens to have a photographic memory. He is also our main communication officer and will be your link to all your family and friends at your home and school. The mobile satellite system that Burke protects with his life is our only vital and crucial communication to the damage control. So he knows his priorities and responsibilities.
Dr. Borges the Panda is second in command and also an exceptional physician. She will be the secondary communication officer—we can’t express enough the importance of the satellite system. She will obviously take the lead in all medical situations and has an extensive and exotic education on most wildlife and plant life.”
I can’t help but to think that these admirals sure do use a lot of weird words, arch-e-owlogest? Exotic? I’ve never heard those words before in my life. The moose walks over to me and oddly speaks to me like an adult, which never happens.
Dennett the Moose: “Hello, youngling! It’s great to meet you and I’m sure we will have a great experience with my team members. We have multiple campaigns under our belt and a 100 percent success rate in bringing back each member of what we call damage control back to the pasture in one piece.”
Burke the Elephant: “Hey, black sheep, do you know what damage control means? Let me tell him! I wanna tell him! I named the team myself. Damage control is when all things go to hell and the only option left is get the animals in there that know how to get things right!”
I can tell through his enthusiasm and passion that he knows what he is talking about and, quite possibly, he might take his job way too seriously.
The raven: “I want to take this time to officially thank you for your contribution to your family and community. I know that the perception is that animals associated with the Monarchs are competing in some degree against the animals from the Admirals and the Danoki; however, this panel has always tried to unite not only the top three divisions but every animal from this covenant Great Pasture. So in the spirit of community we will add two very qualified team members that happen to be from the Danoki.
I’m sorry to say that we do not have any members from the Monarchs but you may understand why trusting certain members of the monarchs has been a challenge. Getting a commitment for such an excursion will become an even greater challenge.”
Dr. Borges: “Speaking of the Danoki, It looks like our old two friends are late.”
Burke’s dad: “With all due respect, I don’t know if we can do another campaign with these hot shots. I’m sure you remember what happened in the Lost City.”
Whoa! I guess the elephants are related after all. I’m not too surprised, but just when I’m about to ask what a satellite is, those wooden double doors open again.
The two late-arriving members have entered the temple, and on first impression, I could tell that we were dealing with two livewire animals. What seems to be an egotistical deer and a devotee pony that’s dressed way too nice for the occasion, come strolling through the doors acting like they own the place. This deer is unquestionably well built and seems to carry himself like he has won every competition that he has ever competed in and will win any future possible contests. I can tell that he is a natural born leader, especially as a member of the deer family. Most deer have a way of going anywhere they want to and getting very comfortable there in no time flat.
I can say that even without visually witnessing this eager-to-please pony follow the deer’s tail around like a determined shadow, I could tell that I instantly wouldn’t like him and I also could tell that he probably didn’t care who liked him or not.
Stag the Deer is one of the Danoki, but he’s also part of the pasture’s firepower specialists. Firepower is the formation and creation of a certain tool to help fight off adversaries. Of course all firepower is forbidden in the pasture and with good reason since the pasture was erected so many generations ago. However, outside that 30-meter-tall wall, no pasture rules apply and Stag will certainly be the animal in charge of weapon control.
Poncho the Pony is the second in command only to Stag in weapon control. Poncho’s knowledge of the outside land along with speaking multiple foreign languages will be invaluable in any journey to the outside territory.
Stag the deer barely gives me any eye contact at all but the pony makes a conscious effect to stroll over to me and make it a point to remind me that he speaks numerous languages and reads bullshit exceptionally well so don’t make him have to make an example out of me to the rest of the group. “Your little wolf suit doesn’t scare me. I know you’re a little sheep underneath all that fur, claws and blood,” he said.
Then I think to myself, “Wow! What a bottom tail!”
The raven: “I have to say that we are glad that we can find some time for you to meet your fellow travelers and teammates. We want you to have a great start to your high school experience and understand that taking this trip is a big step; however, until the time is right we want you to stay out of trouble and we will be contacting you shortly.”
Most of the animals say their goodbyes and escort me to the Admiral Hall entrance. I thank everyone present for their time and shortly come to the realization that I know the Danoki members will be characters but why am I judging these animals that I’ve just met. I’m sure other animals judge me compared with other members of my family, such as all sheep are followers and all sheep have a hole in their chests where their heart should be. I will make a conscious effort to give these animals a chance and determine their character traits on their behavior and demeanor not on their stereotype.
I walk outside the temple in a good mood. Finally, I am starting to get somewhere with progress toward my real goals. I can barely attempt to take in all the recent revelations that just occurred. I have plenty of time before the winter abundance, so I have plenty of more time to process things.
Those gigantic wooden doors swing open behind me. I hear thumping footsteps behind me.
A voice calls out: “You probably need a ride home, don’t you?”
Burke and I jump into some type of all-purpose vehicle; it looks like a mixture between a jeep and an ambulance truck.
I ask Burke isn’t he about a year older than I am? He said, “Yeah, but his parents don’t really mind him driving because they know that he is responsible.”
I thought about what he said for a little bit and asked him, “A photographic memory means you don’t forget a lot, right?”
“No, it means I don’t forget anything, ever, EVER!” Burke shouted. “I remember the names of every student in my third-grade class, what I had for breakfast seven years ago on my eighth birthday. I even remember being born, 14 years ago, at Admiral Hospital on the third floor. The nurse was chewing pink bubblegum.
“I remember your uncle, too. He was the coolest sheep that I have ever known in my life. If you’re his nephew, then that makes you cool with me.
“Look, my dad won’t tell you everything about what he knows because it might explode your brain but I have been to the Danoki temple and what’s underneath it, the dungeon. Maybe we can find some answers there before we head outside these walls together. I know somebody who can get us in. Do yourself and the rest of the team a favor and hide the wolf suit until we depart. If anyone in the pasture sees that suit they will panic and cause a pandemonium.
“My dad says a lot of things but one of the most important things that I use every day is to take notes of your surroundings. I use that method and it keeps me relatively safe and able to survive inside these walls and outside in the wild. Eric knew this as well. He was smart—I mean he is smart—his disappearance doesn’t sit well with me and I know it doesn’t with you.
“Have a good week and remember that this Friday, right after your lunch period, don’t tell any teacher or anyone in the office. Just walk out of school alone. I’ll pick you up in front, we’ll try to see what happened to Eric, and our first step is Danoki Dungeon,” he told me.
