The Wolf & The Mocker

NOTE: Warning! This story contains implied violence and discusses mental health struggles and stigma.

The Wolf & The Mocker

by Dark Twain

Did you know that individual human beings aren’t truly singular entities but are in fact entire ecosystems in themselves? You aren’t just the collection of atoms, molecules, cells, fluids, and meat animated together into what you call a “self”. Oh, there’s much more! You also contain what’s called the human microbiome which is comprised of fungi, bacteria, and other microbes that are distinct from you but also make up and profoundly influence what you call “yourself”. Each human is a whole world!

Oceans of bodily fluids. Continents of flesh. Forests of hair. Caverns, tunnels, mountains, and plains. It’s all there. It’s all you. It’s all us. From the beginning. Tiny worlds populating the surface of a wet rock that is hurtling around a spark, in the void.

Now picture this: What if PLANETS were also just…people with humans as part of THEIR microbiomes? What if planets had their own social constructs AND kept tabs on all the sentient species on their surfaces? What if one of those planets got so sick because of imbalances and sicknesses in their “microbiota” and one the neighboring planets in a nearby system got worried and wanted to help, even if it was just to help a single cell/person on that sick world?

Zeh’Ev, or the planet earthlings named “Wolf 1061c”, located Ophichus constellation, 14.1 light-years from Earth, found themselves in this predicament. Like any self-respecting planet, Zeh’Ev, but we’ll just call them “Wolf’ (it’s easier on the tongue), is a good host, a good neighbor, and a good worker.

What’s Wolf’s job? It’s something humble and respectable. Earthlings would probably describe the position as a doorman. One may wonder what door is being guarded by the 2nd planet orbiting the red dwarf (from whom Wolf gets the surname Wolf 1061) in the Ophichus constellation. That’s a different story for a different time.

Just know that Wolf is a good doorman…doorperson…door-world…well you get the idea. They’ve been living in this upscale neighborhood, earthlings call the “Milky Way” for eons and eons. They never leave their post, but they often make calls to the neighbors to make sure packages (meteors, comets, etc.) and mail (celestial missives, newly formed black holes, extinction notices), get delivered to the proper addresses.

In the Sol system, Venus and Mars are usually very talkative. Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Mercury, and Saturn typically mind their own business but will occasionally trade in idle gossip. Especially Jupiter. Ever since the earthlings were able to get a better look at Jupiter’s stormy blue underside, he’s been the talk of the system. Earth, however, has not been returning hails. She’s been sneezing metal particles into space. She’s sneezed so much metal, that her entire orbit looks like a bed of empty soda cans. In fact, some of her sneezes have even reached Mars (who’s graciously yet to complain).

Earth has been sending out weird buzzing sounds into the void (must be the work of the humans on her surface). Her skies have darkened. Her blue has faded. Wolf had grown concerned. But Wolf is a good door-world; and like any professional door-being, they know that the next step is to do a wellness check for poor ol’ Earth.

Fortunately, unlike most planets, Wolf has especially keen vision. They can see down to the surface of other planets even 20 light-years away. To clarify, it’s not exactly “seeing”. It’s more like knowing that presents itself to Wolf as they expand their awareness. Think of it as telepathy but in iMax but with two-way audio and one way video.

Wolf can “see” and “hear” everything they’re focusing on. They can even “talk” to other objects and entities, but most mortals can’t hear Wolf’s voice and those that do hear it, can’t see who’s speaking. It’s estimated that only 1 in 10 million mortals can coherently hear the voices of planets. Many in that special group of people are often assumed to be demon-possessed or mentally ill. In fairness, some of them are insane or in-dwelt by malevolent entities but that’s supposed to be exceedingly rare.

Something very bad must have happened to Earth. After all, A.O.D, The Supreme Architect of the Universe, has made all worlds interesting, stable, and beautiful. He formed each of them (trillions and trillions and trillions of them) with specific purpose according to The Grand Design.

A.O.D. doesn’t have favorites but if any planet had that title, it would’ve been Earth. A.O.D. spent a LOT of time working on her. He handcrafted her shape, her orbit, her climates, and gave her this HUGE moon! He even handcrafted the creatures that live on Earth. No expense was spared on Earth and her mortals. You wouldn’t even believe the invoices! The entire Andromeda galaxy didn’t even cost a tenth of the Earth’s budget. And now, she had gone dark.

So, Wolf observed her…for . Before the sneezing started, A.O.D. made a personal visit (which never happens) and stayed on Earth for a few decades before returning to the main office. Things seemed to get better for a while after that. Sometimes things became much worse and then better again. But now, Earth was in the worst shape she’d ever been since her birth.

The problem seemed to be these humans that live on Earth. They were so frail and so short-lived but they were smart and did every terrible thing they imagined. They poisoned the skies, shifted the continents, and killed each other. There used to be many humans. Now they were comparatively scarce. Many of the surviving humans were changed by the cosmic energies they unleashed into their world. Spirits and monsters now roamed the emptied wonderland.

The altered humans developed gray skin and lived shorter lives. The gray ones, Roamers, were still human but were often rageful and were highly susceptible to madness and forming agreements with evil spirits, often being manipulated by those invisible beings. They had the hardest time hearing A.O.D.’s voice among all the people remaining on the Earth.

After a while, Roamers were no longer content to remain in their cities or travel in small bands across rural territories tormenting unaltered humans. Some Roamers began joining themselves to especially nasty spirits called Dwellers. When a Dweller unifies with a Roamer the two become a new and terrible creature: The Mocker.

The Mockers only had one goal: Take Earth for themselves and remove any evidence that A.O.D. made her the shining jewel of the galaxies as outlined in The Grand Design. Wolf was so sad to see Earth in her wounded and sickly state. They had been sending regular reports to the head office but had not received any responses. Things seemed to be looking worse by the day.

However, there were a few humans that were especially encouraging to observe. Wolf spent a lot of time watching this one family of storytellers on Earth’s northwestern hemisphere who had endured a lot of hardship but remained hopeful. That family had lost 3 children. Their one surviving child was special. He was bright, inquisitive, and unbothered by the evil in the Earth. He was…buoyant…joyful, even. Wolf often spoke to this child named “Ā”, when his father was away defending their territory.

There was another person that Wolf watched almost as closely as Ā. It was a half-Roamer who lived in a trade city west of Ā’s family. It’s odd, the main office never sent missives to Wolf concerning Earth but sent a missive concerning this half-Roamer named S’agenouiller (/sahzh/noo/yay/). The instructions were clear: Steer S’agenouiller away from harm and whisper encouragements and truths to him daily. This was highly irregular. Nevertheless, we must remember that Wolf may’ve been a planet, but they’re a door-world: a guardian. They simply presumed this would be like any other assignment.

S’agenouiller was the opposite of Ā. Melancholy, not unintelligent but rigid and simplistic in rationale with a tendency to view the world in binaries and extremes. Ā had a supporting family. S’agenouiller’s mother had died young. His father was mostly absent, marauding the countryside and volatile when home. He was often alone, managing the family’s pawn and junk store in their Roamer city. Hope was not a word S’agenouiller knew or had reason to believe in.

Wolf spoke to him mostly in dreams. It seemed the best approach would be to tell the young man stories about The Grand Design and A.O.D. and the beauty of the worlds beyond the sky. Sometimes, Wolf would sprinkle in stories about the unique species of large blue hermit crab that carved and lived in shells made from volcanic glass found only in Wolf’s oceans. S’agenouiller would often collect these shells in the dreams. His own special treasure in a world of pain and lawlessness.

But when S’agenouiller awoke from these dreams, he seldom remembered them clearly and was only left with a vague impression of their meanings and truth. Even in the dream, the stories, lessons, and warmth seemed like fantasy. How could such amazing and wonderous things be true? As a half-Roamer, he was despised by his fellow altered human beings and when his lineage was discovered by an unaltered human (because not all his of visible skin was gray), he was often treated with distrust and revulsion.

Even still, Wolf remained diligent. They guarded their ward from 14.1 light-years away. They warded negative probabilities and malevolent spirits away from S’agenouiller during the day and rigorously worked to sow hope into his subconscious at night. These were wonderful gifts of grace, but they did not protect from the unkindness of others, nor did they subvert the young man’s will. He could choose a posture of ingratitude toward his safety, and he could choose to disbelieve his dreams.

Then the day came. On S’agenouiller’s 33rd birthday (most roamers didn’t live beyond 30 years), Wolf received a missive from the head office. The message was simple. The Oldest of all Dwellers had noticed the special protection S’agenouiller had received and had requested from the head office to be granted custody/ownership of him. The request would only be granted if S’agenouiller freely chose union with the Dweller. The Dweller was allowed to proposition S’agenouiller directly. Wolf, however, was forbidden to interfere for 40 days. The missive came directly from A.O.D.

For 40 days and nights, S’agenouiller did not dream of sparkling worlds or of carved volcanic glass seashells or of creation or redemption narratives. Each day, he lost a little more of his long-sown notions of beauty and freedom. His daily goings-on began to accumulate tiny inconveniences and misfortunes. People seemed to get a little bit meaner. His soul began to forget the simple joys of respite he experienced every night for many years now. He was left with only the persistent botherations of breathing and the profound discomfort of living in a ruined world and a ruined body; fearing the fast-approaching day when he would die an agonizing premature death.

Then, the whispers came. The Oldest Dweller appeared before him with promises of relief, long life, and the power to make the world right by his own hand. The power to silence it all. All of the unfairness. All of the suffering. If the world wouldn’t change, he could change everything under the skies himself.

Wolf wanted to leave orbit, to rescue their ward and stand by his side. They felt the overwhelming urge to plead for clemency for S’agenouiller or to ask for license to wield the Ancient Flaming Sword to cut down that fiendish Dweller once and for all. At last, the final hour of the 40th day had arrived. After many days of indecision and fear and doubt, the half-Roamer made his choice.

He could stand it no longer and made a pact with The Oldest Dweller and the two immediately merged. A dark new creature was born that day. There was no longer any Oldest Dweller. There was no longer any S’agenouiller. There was only The Grand Mocker.

It stood 3 meters tall with a glistening dark chocolate complexion and a lithe, strong figure. Its eyes were heterochromed, with one blue and one gray. Its hair was cut low to its chiseled skull with crisp parts at the edges and in the left eyebrow. It was androgynous yet alluring…inexorable. With preternatural strength and ferocity, it slew neighbor and relative alike. The city was razed in a day.

The Grand Mocker then became the enemy of all mortals. Its proposition to anyone it found, Roamer or not, was simple: Kneel in loyalty or perish. It became a terror on the continent and its infamy spread as it subjugated the land with its cunning and brutality.

That day, another new thing happened. A planet prayed and wept. Wolf begged and pleaded with A.O.D. to be allowed to abandon their post to rescue their ward…their friend. No eye had ever seen anything like it. Wolf 1061c, the 2nd planet orbiting the red dwarf star of the Ophichus constellation, darkened with clouds and storms. Even the mortals and animals on their surface wept and petitioned with one will and in one voice.

The Supreme Architect listened compassionately and then in a voice that roared like countless oceans while somehow as gentle as autumn wind, spoke to the entire Ophichus constellation. All were silent as The Ruler revealed His plan.

What was this grand plan? That’s a tale for another time. After all, are not all these stories recorded in “The Griot’s Tales of the Emptied Wonderland”?