The lone brute snapped back into reality, which was in a most hideous form. His keen blue eyes began taking every horrid thing in; The blood, the scattered bullet shells, and, most of all, his fallen comrades. With most dead or dying, he seemed to be alone. Suddenly he thought of his mate; The slender fae he had met when he was training as a pup, and went to look for her on the battle scarred land. In the distance he could make out her still form on the reddened earth, and with a sorrowful prayer he began taking shaky steps forward. As he approached, a sob rose in his throat, for a hole in her beautiful skull became visible to him. Upon reaching the still,warm body he sat, unable to move or do any more. His body trembled violently as he closed his eyes and set his head on her still side. Suddenly her side rose and fell,causing him to raise his head as she opened her eyes, forcing him to look up and into her gaze that symbolized love and pain at the same time. "Commander, I know I am not going to make it through the end, for the pain is beginning to numb. Please, for my sake, find a family. It will be better that way. I love you..." She whispered, trailing off. With a slight whine she closed her eyes for the last time. Her small,black body shuddered again with breath before becoming still, once and for all. As tradition and instincts took over, he raised his chestnut colored head to utter a great, mournful howl. Its sad, long notes sang through the air, alerting every living animal that though he was alive, his grief was unimaginable. As he lowered his trembling head,a horrid pain entered his right shoulder whilst a gunshot was heard. He managed a yelp as his large body crashed to the hard ground, unable to rise. He looked up to see the face of the two legged who had killed his mate and had wounded him. With a snarl not unlike that of an injured bear he somehow forced himself onto his feet and leapt at the cold-blooded killer. With a slashing motion he knocked the gun out of the human's hand as he crashed into the struggling form. He went for the throat before catching himself. Why should he give this human a mercifully short death? With what looked like a rabid grin he slashed at the face and chest of the gunman. Hate burned in his eyes for this enemy as he tortured it, slashing any and every possible part of its body, rendering it helpless. Finally,with a quick bite to the jugular vein, he killed the creature called a human. With a sigh of relief and yet pain, he collapsed next to the cold fae and passed out from exhaustion.
Once the great male was cautiously laid into his kennel as the vet shook his head saying" I'm sorry,Daniel. Commander is through here, but then again, so are you. You both lost a leg and, quite frankly, you couldn't ever have the time nor strength to help him recover. He is going to be sent to a canine rehabilitation facility. Once done there, he will, more than likely, be put up for adoption for a year then ,if not adopted, be sent to the local pound" The twenty year old boy began acting like a child as he begged piteously" But Doc! Please! Let me have him. You've seen his scars. He has saved my life four times, I can't just let him lose his! Just because I have issues doesn't mean I can't help him." As Daniel pleaded his case Commander awoke with a numb pain in his right leg. He looked over to see what was bothering him and saw absolutely nothing. The way his leg had shattered made amputation the only way for the great male to ever heal. He jumped in surprise and tried to rise but only got even more dizzy. He whined as Daniel used his crutches and made his way to the him. Tears were evident as the boy opened the kennel door to pet him. "Take it easy boy. You're gonna be okay, I promise. " The boy said as he caressed the brutes wolfish ears. With a comforting lick to the boys hand,Commander laid his head back down, ready to accept whatever fate may be ahead. Soon the kennel door closed and both men left the room. As he began to think back in his life he noticed all he'd ever know was three bads for every good. When he was a pup,for instance, He was born a single pup,there was bad number one,Since he was a single pup his father,a military wolf, expected perfection from his only prodigy,there was bad number two. When he was almost weaned his mother was killed in a bombing, bad number three. However, he did manage to get all of his parents loving attention to himself, so there was the good. Realizing this to be the truth, he thought of another instance; He was taken away from his father with no siblings to comfort him, He nearly starved when the truck broke down, and all of the other pups hated him for his favor with the boy, Daniel. But yet, another good had come once more, for he became Daniels devoted pet and partner. And so on was his life, such as now. He had lost a mate, lost Daniel, and lost his leg, but where was the good in all of this? Mentally he searched, wanting to become joyous for something. Sure, he was alive, but it was more burden than good to him. He had heard nothing but bad things about the rehabilitation centers, so that even if he were to pretend to be tough he was scared. He wondered how he would ever walk again as he looked to where his leg had once been. He hoped that soon the vet would be back so that he could eat, for his hunger was intense. Till then, he decided, he would try to sleep off the pain. With a yawn he tried to lay his head on his paws but, because he was missing a leg, he failed miserably. He would have to get used to only one front leg. With a slight growl he reconciled himself to laying on his side, which he noticed, was slightly sore.
The next morning, while the frost still clung to the grass, he awoke, but in a much different place than the vets office. The day before, he had been taught how to balance, not walk nor get up, but balance on three legs. This was a difficult achievement for the male, for his weight was placed so that a four legged animal could walk happily, not a three legged. He had angrily snarled when failing but was overjoyed when able to stand on his own. But now, he couldn't stand if he wanted to. Not because he only had three legs, but because the vibrations from the truck going down the highway were almost unbearable. Along the highway he heard annoying sounds such as cars passing the truck, horns honking and humans he didn't know. The strange scents overwhelmed his keen nose. He heard a loud horn honking before a boom and collision was felt under his paw(s). He was jerked and his kennel was thrown out of the back of the truck as it exploded. As it hit the ground it burst open, throwing him out of any possible harm. He instantly tried to rise but to no avail. He tumbled back to the ground after trying once more, knowing he couldn't stop or else he'd die here. With a sudden burst of strength he managed to rise onto his paws successfully. Proudly he grinned and stayed up, having learned to balance the other day. It was obvious to him that this corn stubble field would hurt if he fell, but just standing there would not help him at all. It was obvious the big male had no clue what to do. Although he knew he couldn't walk like normal he seemed unsure of himself as well as his techniques. Confused, he bent his front leg slightly and jumped it up, moving it forward. Feeling proud as a Pouter pigeon he moved his back legs in a normal walk. With that movement he fell on his face. The stubble poked many parts of his body as he struggled into a sitting position. Once more he launched himself into a stand before hopping his front foot forward. Okay, this might work He thought as he moved his hind legs forward once more, but this time quicker. Seeing as it was successful, he repeated the cycle many more times, making his way to the woods. But for every two steps forward he seemed to take a step back, For he was constantly falling. But, being the proud male that he was, he continued to the thick strip of forest, a known safe haven. Though it wasn't very far to the dark haven, his foreleg was sore. He had used muscles he never knew he had and was paying for it. As he entered and the darkness crept over him, he realized that he had dreamt of a place such as this. Since he knew nothing of the animals here he was wary, jumping even if it was a small squirrel scurrying to its home. As his searching went on for a place to call his own he passed several bears, a ferocious sight when angered. He had not met a single wolf here but knew they were extremely near. Though he was in territories that weren't of his own he held his head high as a kings. Once finding a territory he liked, he howled out a challenge for all to hear and accept if wishing. For if they didn't, the territory was his. A snarl was heard behind him and he whirled, almost upsetting his balance. A large,black male stood there snarling, his hackles raised and teeth clicking their warning of ferociousness. A sly smile crept onto the new males face, the look of the Devil most would say. Not wanting to back down, Commander snarled and held his head and tail high before waiting for the males response. With a snarl of anger the ebony male tackled Commander, ripping at all he could. Commander suddenly knew what the human he killed felt like as he fought back the male. He couldn't lose while still being alive, his military pride wouldn't let him. He rose onto his hind legs as the other wolf did, a prime advantage for Commander. As the male snagged Commander's ear he went for the males throat and threw him to the ground. The other male whimpered and tucked his tail, for he was a coward and did not want to die like a military wolf. Commander released his death grip on the males throat and raised his head high, revealing military dog tags. "Learn your place and stay there Private" He snarled as he allowed the male to go. Smoldering hate burned in the males eyes as he left the territory that once belonged to him. Knowing he should find his boundaries he began walking to the north. As he came to the end of his turf he scent marked it every ten feet, telling all the wolves it belonged to him. By the end of the day, he had scented all four borders fearlessly. He had found a large but snug den in the center of his home and walked towards it, extremely tired. Although he was tired he knew that he would have to sleep lightly, otherwise other wolves would come take over. This feat was easy for him however, because he had learned to do so in times of war and critical need. He let out a howl to the moon, telling it and other wolves in the area of his victory and new land. At the end he let out a bit of a warning, telling others to keep away, for the land was his and his alone. Never again did he plan to have a mate, for he felt that he would be betraying Ebony. A mate would hold too much pain in his heart. 'I should have stayed by her, protected her. But no, I decided to leave her alone' He thought angrily, all his anger targeted at himself. Tears threatened to spill as he thought of some of her last words."Commander, I know I am not going to make it through the end, for the pain is beginning to numb. Please, for my sake, find a family. It will be better that way. I love you" She had said. He really couldn't find a new mate could he? No, he loved Ebony too much to 'betray' her in such a manner. It really wasn't better that way, still, maybe he could honor her wishes. IF he found the correct fae,of course. Slowly,tiredly,weakly, he made his to the den. There he laid on his side and slept a light peaceful sleep.
It was late in the morning when he woke, not knowing how tired he really was the night before. A hunger pain rippled throughout his stomach. It seemed as though his stomach was gnawing on his backbone and he rose wearily. This indefinitely would be a new experience fore him, not because he had never hunted before but because he had never ran nor hunted on three legs. Until his muscles and accuracy built he might be forced to scavenge on dead things or only kill the very weak and slow. He hobbled out of the den like that of an old mans walk. Though he tried,ever so skill fully, to be quiet , he couldn't seem to keep from snapping twigs here and there. Aha! There he saw a fat mother rabbit, standing stock still to keep from gathering attention. As he stalked toward her he noticed that under where she was standing was a nest full of baby rabbits. Wisely, he let out a bark and the scared mother went down in her burrow with the young, which in turn would make it easier to get them all. But scarcely had he thought about how he would dig them out, after all, he only had one leg to dig with. Nonetheless, he tried shoving his muzzle in the hole, which would have worked if it weren't for the mother bunny's teeth. Taking that as her opportunity she had bitten the tip of his nose. Astonished, he yanked back so forcefully that he fell on his back before rolling over to his side. He snarled before standing once more and walking away from the vicious mother. After a little while he stumbled upon a freshly killed deer. "Better than nothing I guess" He mumbled before ravenously tearing into the warm flesh. As he ate he thought of what would happen next. He wanted desperately to get back into the military but knew that until he was stronger he would not be able to get back in till then. Quietly to himself he thought of what might happen until that time. Once he finished his meal he trotted towards the den to sleep it off. His sides seemed slightly bloated as he made his way through the dense underbrush. As he passed by a large bush he heard a piteously weak whimper . With a growl he turned and looked behind the bush to see a hound pup, obviously left to die by her master. It was weaned but had never been in the wild nor eaten fresh meat. Commander knew he couldn't just leave the pup, but how could he take care of it? With a sigh he stopped growling "Its all right little one, I don't bite...unless you're food that is. But I just ate so you're safe. I'm Commander. Follow me young one, if you are hungry you'll come" He says as the tiny female stops cowering from Commander's hulking body. "I-I-I am Aluna." The small black and tan fae stuttered as she began following Commander to the dead doe. "Well, pup, you can stay with me as long as you need" He says before stopping at the doe. If Commander had thought he had been hungry earlier, it was nothing compared to this pup tearing into the tender meat. Even though the small fae had never eaten fresh meat before she had taken to it like a snake to mice. By the time she was done, there was little left for even the vultures to nibble on. Birds twittered throughout the trees and as they walked to his den. They both were forced to run as an angry Blue Jay pecked at their heads. By the time Aluna and Commander had arrived at the den it was beginning to cloud over, a sure sign of rain