Gentle Guardian

"Hey, _!" You smiled as you heard familiar padded feet approaching from down the hallway, and turned to see Wolfie bounding up to you on all fours. You pulled the last textbook from your locker and shut it firmly as he stood up next to you.

"Hey, Wolfie!" After briefly checking to make sure the lock was working properly, you turned away and started walking towards Professor Burns' class. Wolfie walked alongside you, as he always did. Both your tails swished lightly back and forth in each other's company.

"How were they this morning?'

You frowned, and remained silent.

"...That bad?"

You ears drooped and your tail stilled. You nodded, knowing it was no use trying to keep it from him.

"..." He frowned, but didn't press you for details. He already had a pretty good idea of what was said. As a "Fleshie Born," a term he hated almost as much as you did, you were subject to teasing and bullying by almost all of the other students. Thatch's gang, mostly, which narrowed it down to Dummygirl in the mornings and nights, but most of the others were not above joining in occasionally. Wolfie urged you to stand up for yourself, but you knew it would only make matters worse. Besides, maybe if you were docile enough you'd turn back into a human again. Casper and the others could sneak you out and you could go home.

Your friendship with Wolfie was the only thing that kept you sane. Sure, you had other friends... But it wasn't the same. None of them had ever been a human before. None of them understood. Many of them didn't even realize how bad it had gotten.

The two of you walked into the classroom and sat down together. You glanced at him and smiled reassuringly as you opened your textbook, and he smiled back. You both knew you were not okay, but now was not the time nor place to discuss it.

You took notes quietly on the importance of scream quality for the rest of the period, tapping Wolfie's shoulder with your pencil if you missed something or didn't understand a word or phrase. For some reason Thatch had stopped pointing this out to all of the teachers. It had been humiliating trying to explain that you needed help, and each time it happened the teachers had grown more annoyed with you and had lost faith in your abilities, despite your decent grades. Professor Burns was slightly more tolerant of you because, with Wolfie's help, you'd managed to maintain an A in his class. But even he seemed doubtful that you had a future in the Underworld. In fact, he'd accused you several times earlier on of cheating off of Wolfie's papers.

It hurt that even Burns didn't think you could succeed without cheating, but you tried not to let it get to you.

You sighed in relief, allowing your tail to wag a little as the bell finally rang. You took your time getting up and gathering all of your papers together, hoping to avoid the worst of the crowd that was flooding out the door. You felt the professor's eyes on you before he turned away and heard him sigh, smelt the smoke that erupted from his nostrils as he did so, and heard the words he mumbled under his breath, words only canine ears could hear.

"Typical."

You knew he was referring to how you lingered behind and how you had missed that question he had asked you earlier. He thought you were "slow" in more ways than one.

Your ears twitched, as if trying to dispel the words themselves from the very air around you. Wolfie's followed suit, as they usually did. He knew it bothered you, and it bothered him when you were upset.

"Come on," He said quietly, grabbing your wrist and pulling you from the room. You protested, insisting that you could walk just fine on your own. The students still lingering in the hallway murmured and whispered to one another. The rumors around the school were that the two of you were dating, and that you took advantage of your "boyfriend" by making him do your homework and forcing him to carry your books and bag. (Which he did do sometimes, even though you told him not to.) You tried not to let your ears and tail betray your emotions to the Creature Borns who sneered at you as you walked by.

Didn't they know you could hear them?

Wolfie tugged you around a corner and glanced around furtively as you entered one of his hidden passageways through the school. When you emerged you were stepping into sunlight. You slumped to the ground, leaning against the stone wall behind you as Wolfie joined you.

"I'm not a bully," You whispered, finally allowing the act to drop. You had a few minutes before the next class, and everyone else was rushing to their seats. You would not be interrupted. "I'm not weak."

"I know."

"I'm not stupid."

"I know."

"I'm not... I'm not worthless," You broke, sobbing quietly into your paws, afraid to be heard. Arms wrapped around you and a head rested on yours, gently licking your fur in a comforting gesture.

"I know."

With the help of another passageway, you both managed to be in your seats before the bell rang. You liked Heady, even if she was indifferent about you. And even if her lectures sometimes jabbed unintentionally at your lower status, you took comfort in the fact that you weren't the only one. Mantha got a lot of negative attention, too, and as guilty as it made you feel... You were glad she got picked on. It took the attention away from you and it gave you something in common to talk about. Ra, on the other hand, was praised whenever Egypt was discussed in class. Royalty was a huge bonus in the Underworld, proof that you were the result of a superior lineage. And Casper... Well, Casper brought most of his troubles on himself. If he wasn't so friendly and prone to arguing, especially with Burns, the staff would like him just fine. Heck, he was related to Jasper the Jester! Now if you could just get him to behave. After all, it didn't help your situation at all when he tried to use you in his arguments about human anatomy. Like telling the fire-breathing dragon he's teaching the circulatory system wrong was your idea.

But the worst class... Oh, the absolute worst...

Was gym.

You weren't really that out of shape, but let's face it... The other students had been working hard for many years to keep their (already naturally tougher) bodies strong enough and fast enough to outlast and outpace any fleshie they came up against. So you were basically an average citizen thrust into the military without training.

Which looked really, really bad.

But the worst of it was the teacher. FrankenGymteacher was constantly examining your performance to see how you measured up to the other students, and they to you. If, by some miracle, you did perform better than someone else, that student was scolded and reminded that they were just beaten by a Fleshie Born, and they should try harder next time.

And the sports. Their horrible, dangerous, painful sports! You'd been hit, pushed, shoved, kicked, trampled, and very nearly avoided, on numerous occasions, falling into the conspicuous pit in the center of the classroom. Seriously, who designed this place?

Obviously they could fly, because you sure couldn't.

You were currently playing a game of slugby, a game you loved to hate. It might've been fun, if you were playing with friends, but this was a class activity. Not only were you getting yelled at by the teacher, but you had to keep an eye both on the ball, and on the bullies. Nothing had happened yet, but it was only a matter of time until...

"_!"

You turned towards Wolfie's voice, then towards the shape that appeared in your peripheral vision. Thatch had gotten the ball. His team was urging him to hurry up and score already, but he wasn't listening. He was aiming.

He was aiming at you.

By the time Wolfie saw this and tried to warn you, it was too late.

Normally you were fascinated by slugby balls. You had so many questions, like, what did it eat? Could it feel pain? Did it sleep in the supply closet? Was it friends with the other slugby balls? Did it have a language, or was the grumbling just grumbling?

Right now, you weren't thinking of anything other than pain.

The ball collided with your face and knocked you off your feet. And explosion of pain and color erupted from your left eye, and your cheek felt as though you had been slapped. You hit the ground with a dull thud, unable to contain a whimper as you clutched at your face.

He was beside you in an instant, glaring and growling at Thatch, but unable to do anything to him. The vampire was doubling over with laughter, and most of the rest of the class had joined him. Casper and Wolfie each took hold of you under your arms and lifted you to your feet. As soon as they were sure you could stand on your own, and your vision was alright (if a little blurry), Wolfie stepped towards Thatch and growled a little louder. He got the message, and quickly stopped laughing.

After determining that you weren't injured and that your vision should clear up soon, FrankenGymteacher allowed you to do something else for the rest of the period. While everyone else continued the game, you were doing pushups and jumping jacks in the corner.

This was a typical day for you.

"Goodnight, _."

"Goodnight, Wolfie."

The day had ended, and you were trudging towards separate corners of the cafeteria, out of the each other's line of sight. It was getting late, and the moon was filling in fast. The Headmasters hadn't actually known what would happen if they allowed you to share a corner, but they had assumed nothing good would come of it. You destroyed enough school property as it was. They didn't care to see the aftermath if you formed a team. Besides, the girls and the boys had separate dormitories for a reason. The last thing they wanted was complaints from the parents.

You curled up on the floor, wrapped your tail around you and tried hard to fall asleep. But you were so afraid. What if this was the time you hurt your friends? What if you went after Mickey and Monaco? Sure, they were mean to you, but they were mean to everybody. Besides, they must like you somewhat, because they love dressing you up. Especially your tail. They would spend hours brushing it and tying ribbons into it. Which were sometimes really difficult to pick back out, but it was the thought that counted, right?

You were too lost in thought to hear your own whimper.

You heard soft footsteps coming from your right, and something slightly larger, and slightly warmer pressed against your side.

"W-what are you doing?! We'll get in trouble!"

"You always get in trouble."

"But..."

"You know it's true. They're sure to blame you for something."

"You're going to get punished."

"That's okay. I've been punished before."

"But..."

"Shhhh. _." The light in the cafeteria was shifting, as the sun had set and shadows where growing quickly all around them. "Just sleep. It'll all be over soon."

The weight against your side was pressing harder now, leaning into you. You leaned back. The quivering subsided, then everything went black.

You glanced around the room nervously as you sat down, trying to ignore the stares and whispering. This had been going on all morning now, and you were getting pretty tired of it. Thatch and his gang where teasing you worse than usual, and they kept returning to the idea that you and Wolfie were dating, which everyone knew was not true, and for some reason the Headmasters had not commented on you sharing a corner. You had thought that they'd be angry, but they didn't seem to care. Finally, you could stand no more.

"What happened yesterday?"

Casper and Mantha shared a look, and Ra stared awkwardly at the ceiling.

"Well..."

***Flashback***

The students were gathered together for breakfast, and all eyes were trained on the werewolf couple playing in the corner together. You had somehow ended up in Wolfie's corner, and you were play-fighting over a traffic cone. You broke apart at random intervals to pounce at the ground near each other's feet and, quite literally, bounce off the walls. One of you would get a hold of the traffic cone and take off, and the other would give chase. Around and around you went, filled with boundless energy and enthusiasm. Basically, you were behaving like puppies.

It was an adorable sight, and most of the students and staff sat or stood nearby, watching. By dinner you had tuckered yourselves out, and you had plopped down and yawned widely. Wolfie stopped what he was doing and laid down beside you as you rested your head against the wooden floor. He laid his head on yours and closed his eyes, licking your ear affectionately.

Thatch and his gang began laughing, making jokes about how sickeningly sweet, harmless, and in love the two of you were.

"If they're so harmless, why don't you go over there and pet them?" Mantha had challenged.

"Maybe I will," Thatch had swallowed nervously, approaching you carefully.

Wolfie's ear twitched, and one eye opened and focused on him. Then both eyes were open and he had lifted his head slightly, growling as a warning that the other boy was too close. Thatch quickly retreated, and he had laid his head back down and slept.

***End of Flashback***

You blushed furiously and held your tail to your face, burying it in the long, soft fur.

"I did that?"

Mantha nodded.

"You were really cute together!" She smiled.

"Don't know where Wolfie got to, though." Ra added.

"What?"

"He was gone this morning. And you were back in your corner."

"Oh..." You had thought it strange that you'd woken alone. You had assumed that Wolfie had gone back to his own corner after you'd fallen asleep, but now that you thought of it, you hadn't fallen asleep in the first place. So he must have set things straight afterwards, while you were still sleeping it off.

"He really looks out for you." Mantha's smile widened. "Why is that?"

"We're best friends," You answered, surprised. Everybody knew that. "And we're both werewolves, and we've both been human before. We understand each other,"

"Hah! OW!"

"Ra..." Mantha mumbled under her breath, smiling stiffly.

"Okay, okay..." He reached down to rub his ankle.

Suddenly the room went quiet. You heard those familiar footsteps echoing in the silence. You struggled with you options: Face him, take it, or run.

You didn't have time to choose.

Suddenly you were drenched in slime and tentacles. You gasped, immediately regretting it and spitting furiously. Your friends had not had time to warn you, and Casper was already at your side, frowning at Thatch. Of course he was unfazed. He knew Casper wouldn't DO anything about, as there was nothing that COULD be done that wouldn't require some form of meanness or intentional scariness on his part.

The students roared with laughter. In the commotion, nobody noticed the doors behind them open and shut.

You let your ears and tail droop miserably as you accepted defeat. Then, without thinking about where you were, only about getting the food out of your fur, you shook.

You realized too late what the consequences would be.

You watched Mantha and Ra lower their hands, which they had held up to shield themselves. They had been splattered regardless. And you saw their expressions go from disgust, to worry. And you knew. Even before the hand grasped your shirt collar you knew what you had done.

"HEY! Watch it! Grrr!"

You were yanked out of your seat from behind as they crowd fell silent once again. You lay on the ground, looking up and Thatch, dripping with slime. He looked furious. You whimpered and squeezed your eyes shut as he reached out to you, obviously intending to pick you up by the neck. Maybe he would beat you up. Maybe he would just hit you. Maybe he was going to stuff you in the trash can. Whatever it was, it was bound to be horrible.

But his hand never reached you, and the crowd was silent for a different reason.

Casper had been the first to spot him, as he looked around for help, or at least a glass of water to splash and distract Thatch with. Of course, the two of you were too preoccupied to notice, but instead of stepping in he actually stepped back, murmuring a quiet "uh oh," under his breath. Several others, including Ra and Mantha, had seen this and followed Casper's gaze.

He was shaking, fists clenching and unclenching as claws dug into the flesh of his palms, loosened, and repeated. A low, dangerous growl emanated from tightly clenched teeth.

"Look what you did, FLESHIE! You're gonna pay for that!"

Something about the combination of those actions and those words just made him snap.

Your eyes flew open, and the hand paused, outstretched, as a great clattering and a loud, feral snarl arose from behind. He had bounded up onto a nearby table, sending plates flying and classmates scattering, diving to get out of his way. He then leapt to another table that was closer to you, and from there...

He landed with a resounding thud, hackles raised and teeth bared as that same low growl resumed from between them. Wood splintered beneath flexing claws, and there was a look in his eyes that you had never seen, nor thought you would ever see in someone so kind, so gentle.

He lunged forward and snapped at the air not far from Thatch's face.

Thatch pulled his hand away and took a quick step back, glancing around in vain for a gang that had long since abandoned him to his fate. Wolfie stepped even farther forward, getting right into the vampire's face before letting out a snarl more akin to a roar.

In a shower of sparks, Thatch was already out the door, screaming as he flew down the hall. For a moment, nobody moved. Then Wolfie seemed to realize what he had down. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and held out a paw to help you up. You reached for it, hesitated, then accepted the gesture. After all, he was still Wolfie. You could hardly be afraid of your best friend.

The rest of the day was awkward, to say the least. It amazed you how quickly he had gone from one state to its complete opposite. One moment, he was terrifying. The next, embarrassed and guilty.

When night fell you walked silently towards the dorms together. Normally, you would part ways with a nod or wave. But today you both came to a halt and stared at the ground. You hated to admit it, but you were really starting to consider the possibility that the others were right. Maybe... Maybe the two of you weren't just friends.

Maybe that wasn't a bad thing. He had been pretty impressive...

"Um... Thanks. For, you know..."

"It was nothing,"

"No, really. You were... You were great back there! I mean, did you see the way Thatch took off?!" You grinned nervously. "For a minute there, I actually thought you were gonna... You know..." His eyes widened.

"N-NO! I would've HURT him, but I wouldn't have gone THAT far!"

"I know, I know..." You were blushing for so many reasons right now. The silence returned as you gathered your courage.

You quickly leaned over and licked his cheek.

"G'nite."

You left him there, gazing after you in bewilderment. His mouth slowly stretched into a smile and his tail lashed furiously from side to side.

"G'night, _."

(I've actually had this done for some time now, but I kept forgetting to post it. Eheh. ^-^"

Anyway, enjoy.)