"That is because we are closer to the source of our powers here. Once you reach the center of the island, you will be able to see Sagittaruis's own island and possibly his daughter's island, Riel," Libra explained to me.
"Wait! I thought that all of the Sagittarius's children were males?!" I asked with confusion.
"Riel is more of a man than either of us are! I assumed that she was a he up until just now," Howl growled out.
The wolf's reply made Libra laugh, and it was a beautiful noise that made me feel energized.
"Yes, as your pet said, Riel is the only woman in respect of gender, and I forget that sometimes. I am sure that you will have a chance to meet her as well after this; Chez and Her are very close," Libra explained, but Howl spoke up again.
"Close? I am sure that she is the only of all the siblings that has ever tried to harm Chez, and Riel does it on a weekly basis!" Howl exclaimed.
"That is part of a pact the two made long before Zack had found us the first time and long before your time. Chez also takes turns hunting her as well, per the agreement they made with the pact. They do it to keep the other in shape and at the top of their game. Before the SkinWalkers came, Sagittarius would also take turns hunting the two of them," Libra explained.
I began to move my arms again, and it was much easier this time. Still, any attempts to lift my body off the ground were met with what seemed to be the pressure of a mountain on my back.
"Is there an easy way to get through this?" I asked and then said, "I don't really have time to be lying around right now."
"You don't really have much of a choice at this point. You just need to keep doing what you are doing now. You, of all people, should know that nothing is worth doing if it's too easy. You will get through this and get back to the girls you keep thinking about. It seems you have gained quite the collection of new lovers, and you will need a home for them," Libra told me but then remerged into my body before I could say anything.
Libra went silent from that point, but she gave me a feeling of satisfaction. I had been initially worried that she was angry with me, then the feeling that she projected onto me pushed that thought out.
[Focus on your breathing first so you can get the blood moving correctly first. After that, it will be much easier for you to move.] Harold explained to me.
'Where did you learn this from?' I asked Harold as I started to focus my breathing in a rhythmic pattern.
[You, I think, but I don't know when. I just remember you telling me something like that. I don't know if it will help, but it is better than nothing.] Harold explained.
"Howl, try focusing your breathing," I called over to my big blue wolf, but I got a strange barking laugh as a response.
"What do you think I have been trying to do this entire time? What have you been doing? Struggling to try to stand? I can't even feel my paws right now!" Howl barked out with a laugh that turned into a cough that sounded like he was trying to choke out a furball.
I furrowed my brow at the wolf's jest, but he was right about the loss of feeling in my limbs. I could still feel my hands and feet, but they were cold, and that meant that they weren't getting enough blood.
I closed my eyes and focused, getting my breathing to a nice and even pace. The heat started to return to my limbs, but I also started to feel more energized like I had from hearing Libra's laughter.
The two of us continued breathing for about thirty minutes, and I could rollover. Now I was starting to lift my arms and legs, but Howl was still unmoving.
After another hour, I was able to get up and on to my feet, but I was shaky and feeling exhausted from the exertion it took to get up to this point.
"How are you doing?" I asked Howl as I walked over to the other side of the enormous blue wolf.
He was panting, and his sizeable pink tongue was hanging out of his mouth. The wolf looked like shit, and he still didn't have his breathing under control.
"I am nowhere near as strong as you, and I am also a lot bigger than you. I will be here for a while, but I will catch up," Howl growled.
I grinned and then patted him on the head once, but it made the wolf wince, so I left him be. I needed to get to the center of this island, but I was still amazed by this place.
I turned to look back out at the endless space, and I pondered why this felt different than when I had been in my head.
[Simple questions get simple answers. This place is 'real,' and the other is a construct of this place in your head. Outside of here, you can create almost anything in your mind if you want to, but here, this is really the space outside of Hydrocus.] Harold explained, and I nodded to myself in understanding.
So this place actually existed somewhere in the smashed-up multiverse in my mind, and it was more real than the one in my mind. Sure it made perfectly good sense; no way I wouldn't understand something so simple that makes absolutely no sense.
[You and that idiot are the ones that made it like this, so of course, it doesn't make any sense. Regardless, this is the way it is.] Harold said, and I could feel that he was equally frustrated from the haywire reality that we were all in.
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