The Truthteller

Chapter One - The Arrival
He was probably one of the luckiest animals in the world. With his family scrambling for the little money they had, and his older brother falling ill, it was completely and utterly amazing that his parents had just barely managed to pay for his training. But, on the other hand, he had to also be one of the unluckiest. With the new spread of the wretched things called "Phantoms", there was a desperate cry for more young warriors. This meant that his parents hadn't exactly wanted him to train for war, but instead was forced to by strict word from the "Alphas", whatever they were. And Gray was both terrified and excited at the exact same time.

The young canine stumbled to a halt, his paws screaming in agony and his body aching for rest. His breathing came in sharp, raspy pants as he took a moment to rest. Despite the fact that he was carrying nothing except for a necklace given to him by his older brother, it felt as if five-hundred pounds of unneeded junk was laying on his backside, slowing him down and making him all the more exhausted. He had been climbing this mountain for several days, and he was admittedly amazed as to how far he was making it, despite his pain and tiredness. He could have sworn he would only last for a day, not four.

Gray blinked, heaving out a sigh. He didn't exactly know how much farther he had to go, though, which was a downside. He settled down into a sitting position, staring down at his pale gray paws. If he had the option, he would have fallen asleep right then and there. But, the words from his mother rang in his head like a sharp bell; ''"Climb Jamaa Mountain. At some point, you should come across a gate that will then lead you into a dark, gloomy forest. There, you will be met by the Alphas." ''

Closing his eyes, the young wolf let the words sink in. Sounded easy enough saying the directions, but actually having to use them to get to where you're going? Absolutely exhausting.

"Tsk. Dawdling, are we?" A deep, rumbling voice startled the canine back to reality. He stiffened, the fur along his scruff lifting as he snapped his head about, ears pricked. His breath hitched when his brown optics finally landed upon the owner of the voice: a tiger. In the middle of the rocky, grassy, foresty mountain ranges. Except, this tiger, who was clearly out of its habitat, didn't exactly look...normal. Its markings fancier and curled and a blue-gray, instead of black. It had a more bulky figure, and was far larger than any normal tiger.

The most outstanding feature of all, however, was the armor that he held. Thick metal cuffs locked around his wrists, an armored plate lain across his shoulders and chest, and a magnificent bright red cape, he looked like a figure out of a legend.

A smile was spread across his large maw at the look of awe and alarm spread across Gray's face, "Greetings, young traveler. You don't happen to be a New Jammer, are you?" His tone was rumbling, much like that of thunder, and vibrated in the lanky, small wolf's chest and body.

"U-uh," Was all Gray managed to choke out, taking a shaky step back. Who on earth was this beast? Whatever he was, he was truly the most terrifying thing he'd ever seen. "Y-yes?"

The tiger seem satisfied by this answer, but he rose a confused brow, despite the friendly look on his features. "Then why might you be heading the wrong direction?"

First, there was confusion. Then, this confusion soon melted into frustration, then quickly into embarrassment. Had he been heading the wrong way the entire time?! He felt heat grow on his face, and he lowered his body, curling his puny tail around his hind leg in shame. A nervous, guilty smile spread on his maw, and he felt a shaky laugh escape his dried lungs. "U-Uhm, I guess I-I got lost.." He admitted sheepishly, "C-could you help me? I, uh, am kind of tired and...uh, lost,"

What was he doing trusting a random stranger?! Immediately after he had asked the question, he had wished he hadn't. No way would he want to walk with this...thing! This huge, menacing tiger could easily chomp him and eat him whole if he made the wrong move or he said the wrong thing! ''Moron! ''He thought bitterly, but held his tongue. It was obviously too late now, he realized, for the tiger was looking at him warmly, and he was nodding.

"Of course, young one. What's your name?" He asked curiously, tail flicking side to side. Gray wasn't sure if he should be nervous or relieved by the tail movement. He always forgot if tigers and normal housecats used their tails the same way, like wagging it for irritation.

He swallowed down a nervous laugh, finding that he was shaking beneath the piercing emerald gaze of the big cat. The looming figure of the tiger didn't help soothe his nerves, either. "Uh, G-Gray, sir."

For some strange reason, the tiger rose a brow in another event of confusion. "Gray? Quite a peculiar name. We might have to change that, unfortunately," He seemed to be mumbling to himself, though the wolf could hear him loud and clear due to the feline's booming voice.

Gray found himself rather offended by that statement, and he lifted up his chin a bit. "H-hey, what's wrong with my name?" He tried to growl to show his defense, though it came out shaky and raspy—definitely not anything menacing or impressive.

"O-oh!" The tiger widened it's eyes, suddenly realizing what he had said. He cleared his throat, looking very shameful, though his optics showed a strange emotion of curiosity. What was this tiger's deal? "Did your parents not tell you? If you join war training, your name is changed. It's tradition here in Jamaa."

Gray frowned. He didn't like this one bit. What did he get himself into? "Why?"

"It's simply tradition. Mira and Zios established it long ago." He rumbled, turning. The young wolf got a full view of the backside of his armor, and it was admittedly impressive. Especially the rather torn cape upon his backside. "Anyway, let's be off. We don't want to anger the other Alphas, do we?" And with that, he began to lead the way, the vibrant red cloth lashing in the wind.

Slowly, the wolf began to follow, puzzled. Mira? Zios? Weren't those just silly little fairytales for toddlers? And what did he mean by "other Alphas"? Gray considered all the questioned in his head, desperate for knowledge from this mysterious large tiger, until finally he settled on one questioned that continued to slam against his skull, "O-other Alphas?" He repeated curiously, careful not to come too close to the big cat. He was still afraid of him, and those massive claws were probably just itching to tear him apart.

"Indeed." The tiger grunted, lush orange pelt rippling with the breeze that swept through the forest and rocky slopes.

"U-uh, what do you mean?"

The tiger gave him an odd look, seeming surprised by the question. Gray returned the expression with a cocked head and genuinely puzzled features. "I'm one of the Alphas, young one." His brows furrowed, "You didn't know?"

Shock rippled through the blue-gray wolf, and the canine had to stop himself from stumbling to a stop in dismay. He stared at the giant tiger, jaws agape. So apparently this was what an Alpha was! He shook his head quickly, nerves buzzing with unease and alarm.

The tiger was silent for a moment, looking forward. Gracefully, powerfully, he heaved himself up a pile of rocks with Gray scrambling clumsily after him. The stone scrabbled beneath his blunt claws, and it took him quite a bit of effort to keep up with the Alpha. Not built for climbing, it was rather hard for him to follow without falling behind a bit. When the beast-like feline finally did speak, he sounded troubled. "Where did you live, young Gray?"

The question confused him, but he answered nevertheless between gasping breaths. "Pinewood V-Village,"

Again, the big cat frowned. "I've never heard of that place. Is it far from here?"

Suddenly, Gray felt homesick. When he heaved himself up the last boulder and onto flat ground again, he let his head lower and his ears droop. "Y-yeah...Really far away.."

This Alpha seemed to notice his sudden drop in mood, and tried to calm his tone. "Well, I suppose I should introduce myself, then, Gray." He flashed him an amused, friendly glance, and Gray returned it with a confused blink as he spoke. "The name's Sir Gilbert, Alpha of the tigers. Pleasant to be at your service, New Jammer!"

The wolf frowned, trying to shake away the memories of his home village. "Alpha of the tigers? What does that m-mean?" He looked up at the tiger questioningly, slowly growing a bit more comfortable with his company. It was hard to shake off the Alpha's friendly aura, and he admittedly did feel a little more at ease with him around. At least he wasn't wandering around the mountains aimlessly alone.

"I train young tigers for the war." He said simply, looking forward once more. "That, and I'm also their..."mascot". But my main job is to lead the war against the dreaded Phantoms and protect Jamaa."

Amazement flashed through the young canine. He felt a twinge respect for the large tiger, and he felt his fear gradually beginning to ebb. "So...you wont be training me?" He asked, almost a tad sadly. He just started to like him, too! He seemed to have good character, be overall very patient and friendly...

Much like his older brother.

His heart clenched at the thought, and he mentally grimaced. Why did everything have to start reminding him of his family?

"I'm afraid not," He murmured, a chuckle on the end of his tone. He seemed to be amused by his question. However, his voice immediately dropped when he said his next statement, sounding a tad bitter. "No, you'll be trained by Greely."

Gray felt a bit nervous by his sudden change of tone. "Is Greely...bad?"

"Bad?" He emitted a soft chuckle, though it wasn't as warm as the canine had expected it to be. "No. But he isn't trustworthy, that's for sure."

''That's comforting. ''He thought, sighing softly. He flattened his ears back against his skull, suddenly not looking forward to meeting the other Alphas. He wished they were just as friendly as Sir Gilbert was, but apparently that wasn't the case. Hopefully, the tiger was just joking with him...but something in the back of his head told him otherwise.

-

When they had finally reached their destination, Gray was greeted by two large, dark crimson pillars. Above his head was a archway with ancient golden writing imprinted within it. Wordlessly, Gilbert led him through, with Gray following in awe. He hoped Jamaa was as amazing as he imagined it was. As they walked along a dirt path, the thick forest around them became thinner, and the refreshing sounds of birds and critters filled the air. The wind stilled, and suddenly Gray was reminded of his old home.

The two walked alongside each other, with the young wolf taking everything in. Maybe, he thought, ''everything will be okay. I'll find new friends, I'll live in a familiar, lush forest. I don't always need my family there, anyway!''

Then, Sir Gilbert halted in the middle of a clearing. A smile was stretched upon his great white maw as Gray stumbled to a stop beside him. The wolf frowned, looking about, unsure as to why he had decided to stop him here. And then, his brown gaze locked forward, and he saw ''them. ''

Many, many creatures began to slip their powerful bodies out of the ferns and bramble undergrowth. His breath hitched, and Gray took a shaky step back as they stepped forward, standing before him in a mighty wall of animals. They all made a ring around the both of them, murmuring amongst each other in a different array of tones and pitches. Gilbert merely faced them calmly, while the young wolf shakily jumped behind the tiger to try and avoid all of their piercing, wise gazes. To no avail, however, for they seemed to be everywhere. He felt exposed, frightened, trapped in their attention like a deer caught in a spotlight.

"Gray, let me introduce you to the other Alphas," Sir Gilbert mused, stepping aside. Once again, Gray was smack in the middle of the clearing, with no protection from behind a mighty, powerful tiger. He shook violently as they all gazed upon him at once. The tiger nodded, "Alphas, this is Gray. He will be a new member of Jamaa."

A softer voice broke the quiet, and a panda stepped out from the ring to face him. Much to Gray's alarm, Gilbert turned and strode into the crowd of Alphas, leaving him alone with this approaching stranger, "Greetings, Gray," The panda murmured, kneeling down so their eyes locked. The young wolf was given a full view of the panda's body, and was rather unnerved that she walked on her hind paws, instead of all four. Her eyes were a bright neon purple, with her thick body being white with unnatural pale blue markings. She had black hair upon her head, and old, ragged clothes. In her left paw she held a wooden staff. "My name's Liza, the chieftain of the Alphas."

Her voice was soothing, and held a motherly sort of tone that calmed the wolf's nerves a bit. However, he still recoiled, shaky in her watchful, wise gaze. She smiled gently, before nodding and turning to walk back into the ring. Before Gray could have a breather, another Alpha stepped forward—a grizzled, old monkey with strange contraptions.

Goggles strapped on his head, with leather straps on his chest, he looked to be some kind of intelligent being. But his crazed white hair and beard could have also showed that he was crazy. Either way, Gray was nervous in his presence, "Salutations, young one!" His voice was filled with life and joy, something much more energized than that of Liza. "I am Graham, the monkey Alpha, at your service!" And with that, he, too, jumped back into the cluster of animals.

How was the wolf supposed to take this all in in one go? He was already shaky and exhausted, he didn't need any more excitement! But, alas, more excitement was given when a bright pink-and-purple rabbit leaped forward, a smirk on her muzzle. "The name's Peck, newcomer! Nice to see ya!" She threw out a small paw, grinning brightly, but not quite so warmly. "The bunny Alpha, of course!"

Dumbfounded, the gray-blue canine stared at the rabbit's paw in confusion, unsure as to what she was trying to do. Of course, he was so dazed from what was going on that his brain wasn't quite working properly, either. He looked back up to Peck's face questioningly, and she rose a brow. She then shrugged and turned, deciding not to explain what she meant, and hopped back into the crowd.

And then, came forward the koala, with a ragged green hat and a staff of his own. "Hey, there! I'm Cosmo, the koala Alpha!" He said cheerily, seeming far more polite than the last Alpha.

This time, Gray managed to choke out a shaky, broken reply, "H-hi.." His breath caught in his throat, and his chest tightened, afraid as to what the koala might do.

He smiled gently, nodding in response, before striding away. Relief swept through the young wolf, only for it to quickly vanish when the deer Alpha made an approach. He introduced himself as Sigurd, before continuing on.

The other Alphas introduced themselves to be Jade, Barret, Juno, Edmund, Sophia, Cornelius, Ruby, Harper, Otto, Marco, Amelia, LaSalle, Atlas, Boomer, Olive, Valentina, Biff, Hudson, Felicity, Andy, and Avalon. Liza made one more approach to state that he'd have to meet the marine Alphas another time, much to his relief. But one question rang in his mind when the final Alpha slid back into the crowd.

...Where was Greely?

Rather lost, the blue-gray wolf watched quietly as most of the Alphas departed, bidding their farewells as they slipped back into the foliage and undergrowth of the forest—leaving only Peck, Cosmo, Liza, Graham, Sir Gilbert, and him in the clearing. He looked shakily to the five main Alphas, silently wishing for answers, far too shaken to make even a little noise.

Sir Gilbert cast a glance in his direction, realizing his puzzled expression. The tiger Alpha furrowed his brows and looked to Liza, who was busy fiddling with her staff, "Where might be Greely?" He rumbled questioningly, his voice wavering with an irritation Gray was unfamiliar with.

Liza stiffened a bit at his voice, before glancing over her shoulder to look at the armored tiger. She rose a brow and looked around, seeming to suddenly realize the absence of one of their Alphas, "I...don't know," She scratched her head, gazing at the other Alphas in confusion. "Do you any of you know?"

Gray ducked his head, feeling the awkwardness rise among the Alphas as they all shook their heads. Dread filled within him. What if he was going to be the only person without a mentor? Before he could dwell further on his troubling thoughts, excitable Peck piped up. "Probably playing with those stupid Phantoms. We know how untrustworthy that bitter mutt is.." She scoffed, flicking her brush in the air, before catching it again. She looked incredibly bored.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Sir Gilbert grumbled, curling his claws into the soil. "I bet you he's planning with him right now!"

Liza glared at the both of them, opening her mouth to scold them. But, she was cut short by the rustling of the undergrowth. Gray's eyes widened with dismay as a towering, hunched-over figure slid out from the lush foliage. Amber eyes pierced into him, and he felt his body press against the ground as a wolf, larger than any he'd ever seen, crept out from the ferns to face him.

His massive pale blue-gray paws made indents in the dirt as he approached Gray, and the young canine recoiled, trying to avoid his fiery amber gaze that pierced into him. Finally, the great dark blue-gray wolf with a matted, scruffy coat, halted, glaring upon his lanky, frail form judgeingly. Gray felt trapped beneath his looming figure, and was unable to move, frozen to the spot in fear. By far, this was the scariest Alpha of them all.

"What was that you said, Gilbert? Peck?" His voice was ragged and powerful, and finally his optics tore away from the newcomer and onto his fellow Alphas. The tiger and rabbit stared coldly at the intimidating wolf, clearly unfazed by his otherwise terrifying figure. Gray was silent as he watched the Alphas communicate, scared and begging in his mind to go home. "That I was a traitor?" The canine snarled, though his voice held anything but hostility. In fact, he sounded bored, careless, dull.

The rabbit and tiger made no response, and instead turned and strode away, back into the forest. Cosmo and Graham quickly followed, seeming unnerved by the tension. Only Liza stayed to accompany Gray and this strange wolf Alpha, which the young wolf was admittedly both relieved and nervous about.

Liza smiled gently, albeit uneasily, and stood beside Gray. She rested a gentle paw on his shoulders, and he flinched at her touch, "Greely. I'm glad you could make it," She nodded politely, completely dismissing the event that had just occurred.

''This is Greely? ''He thought with horror. No, no, no! He was going to be trained by ''him? ''This beast of a wolf?! ''My life's over. ''He mentally groaned, but could only stare as the wolf Alpha fixated his cold, unnerving gaze upon his small body once more.

"Is this my new apprentice?" He narrowed his eyes, looking him up and down. Gray wasn't sure if he was doing so judgingly or not, but he was pretty sure that he didn't like him one bit. Dread and fear filled his stomach.

"Yes." Liza confirmed, "This is Gray. He's a newcomer from afar, from a village called Pinewood Village. Gilbert has informed me this."

The wolf Alpha huffed, but made no comment on the last part of the statement. Gray was getting the feeling that Greely and Gilbert didn't get along too well. "Well then, Gray, welcome to Jamaa." He rumbled, lifting up his chin. "I am Greely, the wolf Alpha—and your new mentor."

Chapter Two - The Basics
((TO BE ADDED))