Chapter 9 — Unknown

• He kicked up his feet, watching as the dust rose into the air, disappearing slowly into the evening sky. The sight was almost entrancing and he found himself kicking up some more dust and watching it go before he realized he was indulging in some childish impulse and he gritted his teeth, picking up his pace as he walked around the palace grounds.
• It was a habit he'd developed a long time ago and he'd figured out that it didn't actually relieve any of his stress, it just created a distraction from the problems by giving him something else to think about. Like how his calf was burning with the strain of walking. It reminded him of some things that couldn't be kept at bay no matter how he tried.As he walked past the dead garden where creepers and moses had made their home, he couldn't help but grimace at the poor state the kingdom was in. The once blooming gardens of fresh roses, hyacinths, tulips and different types of flowers that had reeked of life and prosperity had withered and died, turning old and gray, the same way everything in this kingdom had gone to.
• He frowned. The wolf king had neglected his kingdom, had let it die and the people had become weak, helpless and hopeless. It wasn't supposed to be that way, he thought, clenching his fingers as he walked. It wasn't supposed to be this way but no one was doing anything about it. No one cared enough to make amends, to make sure the people had food in their bellies and proper housing. Nobody cared about that, it was all war, war, war.