Forgetting the Past
"You're a danger to not only yourself, but everyone around you!"
"I am not! That isn't true and you know it!"
"Alex, Siku is right, you are a danger to-"
"Balto, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying… I have to agree with Siku on this. You always choose the violent method over all other methods. You are just simply too dangerous to be with. I'm sorry, but I-"
"You're only agreeing with her because she's with your son!"
"You know that's not true. I'm agreeing with her because she's right. When you get involved, someone gets hurt. So again, I am sorry-"
"Don't… Don't apologize to me. I don't want to hear your poisonous words anymore. I help you save this hellhole and you turn on me. I never want anything to do with you again!"
"Alex, wait!"
And here he was; on a beach in Mexico. On that fateful day when he was betrayed by his best friend Balto and… well he didn't know what she was to him, but her name is Siku… thinking of her makes his gut wrench so he simply stopped thinking about it, occasionally drowning the thoughts with a corona.
As he lay on the beach, a bowl of water next to him, he gazed upon the Gulf of Mexico, marveling at how the sun seemed to make the water sparkle, something he never saw in Alaska.
The first time he arrived to Mexico, he nearly died from the heat. So he found shelter and hid, waiting till he shed out of his winter coat. Once he did, he made his way out and into the sun.
Now, after six months, he looked like a new dog. Having lost his winter coat, he looked thinner, his eyes were brighter than before, he smiled more often, he became more and more patient, and his fur started to become lighter, though still retaining the grey coloring.
"Ah, this is… the life," states Alex with a slight sigh. Being in Mexico did wonders for him, bringing his smile back, making him more compassionate, it even gave him the chance to flirt… though he's hoping he doesn't end up with multiple litters.
And that's when a single thought struck him; did he really care about his friends? Did he leave so he could change?
The thought didn't last long in his head as he thought about the water in front of him. He didn't want to think of Alaska ever again. All of his friends he had were nothing to him now. He was living the dream, at least he was living his dream.
Sure it sounded like he didn't care about Ryan, Kyle, Hunter, Bal- No, he didn't care about them any longer. Kodi, Aleu, Saba, Dingo, and Kiona, and Dakota may have called him Uncle Alex… well… they tried to. They mostly called him Uncle or Alwex. Occasionally he'd hear Kodi say Alwex, but he would catch himself and say it correctly.
He missed them and all, but not like they cared for him. If they did, they would have stopped him from leaving. Did they? Nope, in fact, Kodi was one of the people who told him to leave.
"You're no uncle of mine!"
"How… How can you say that? I took care of you when-"
"Just… Just get out of here! As far as I'm concerned, you're just another clone of Steele!"
"That ungrateful ingrate! I take care of him and he disowns me. Why I ought to… forget him."
As the tears formed, he simply wipes them away, not wanting to remember.
"Uncle Alex! Where are you going?"
"I'm sorry Saba… I have to go."
"Please… stay! Please!"
"I… I… I… I'm sorry, I won't forget you."
As he tears up more and more, he places his paws over his eyes and cries into them. He felt so awful for not telling her why he had to go, but here he was, living the 'dream'.
"Dakota, please… I have to go."
"No! I won't let you leave! You're our favorite uncle! If you leave… Please don't go!"
"I am so sorry… but I have to go… I will always remember you!"
"God damn it! Why?! Why am I remembering all of this?! Please… just make it stop!"
"Uncle Alex, where are you going? Please don't go!"
"Dingo, look after the others while I'm gone. Can you do that for me?"
"Y-Yeah… but where are you-"
"Stay strong… not only for yourself, but for your brothers and sisters. I hope I can come back some day."
"Oh… It hurts too much… I don't want to… remember! Please… just go… away!"
The memories soon faded, leaving a distressed Alex lying in the sand with his paws on his head as his tears fell onto the hot sand, absorbing into it as more continues to fall.
He suddenly shifts till he is in front of his water bowl before he submerges his head within the warm water. He wanted to forget and he would do anything just to make that happen.
It took a couple of seconds before his brain started to receive signals that it wasn't receiving any oxygen. As if on instinct, Alex pulled his head out of the water and took in lungful after lungful of the precious oxygen.
"I… I need to forget them… They will only cause me pain if I don't."