AN(of doom): Hello! This is my first MR fanfiction, so be nice. This is set after STWAOES. Reviewers get chocolate chip brownies fresh from my cyber oven! (Yum...)
DISCLAIMER: I do not under any circumstance own Max and the Flock. Poor me. But I do own Pip and the pack, and my nifty cyber oven, and the plot. NO STEALING!
I stopped, checking the scent trail again. My pack's targets had stopped here for the night. That meant we were about maybe an hour behind, because the charcoals in the fire pit were fresh. "Come on pack! We're getting closer." I looked around, and my pack looked right back at me. I could see all the emotions going on through their heads, fear, anger, excitement, reluctance. However, when I looked to my little brother, I saw nothing in his eyes. As usual.
So I bet by now your scratching your heads saying, "What in the world is she talking about?" Well, I'll enlighten you. My name's Pip and I'm an eraser. If you're wondering, an eraser is part human and part wolf. Not the type of eraser you find on the end of a pencil. Yes, I did say part wolf, and no, I'm not crazy. I'm 14 years old, have two brothers, a sister, and a mom and dad. And that, my dears, is why I'm an eraser. It's why my younger brother is an eraser too. Still don't get it? The fact that we have family means that the School can hurt them. It means that the School, the place that experiments on people by grafting animal DNA into them, would be able to torture them. So I had to cooperate with the School's wishes or else my family was as good as dead.
I was now currently tracking the infamous Max and her Flock. There were seven of them in all, including their talking dog, Total. I knew everything about them that the school knew. Why? Because it was part of my so-called training. My pack and I were some of the best erasers ever. Instead of killing, we captured, giving the prisoners a chance to find a way to escape from the school again. We worked as a team. And all because of that, we were being sent to our deaths. We were being sent to capture Max the Merciless and her Bloodthirsty Flock, as all erasers call them. Everyone knew without saying that if you were sent to capture Max's Flock, you were dead meat. It was an easier way to kill us for the whitecoats, though. Instead of having to take out a needle and stab us in the neck, they just had to call us up, say the mission, and then not have to worry anymore. I mean, come ON! How lazy can you get!
But anyway, back to the story.
My brother was the sweetest boy around, but he could sometimes be sooo annoying by how he can hide his emotions. It's one of his abilities, along with being able to morph into a true wolf.
"Ready to go now, Toodles?" "Yeah, but… I mean it's just so scary having to do this. I'm only six!" I was shocked at how he showed his emotions to me, but I quickly hid it. "Don't worry, I'll protect you." Toodles looked up at me fearfully. "Are you sure, Pip?" "Of course, don't worry. I'll always be there to protect you. Always." I smiled at him, and he smiled back, doubtfully. "Pinky Promise?" "Pinky Promise." Toodles smiled again, this time a full-on smile. I had basically just assured him I would not die, and he knew it. To him, a Pinky Promise can't be broken, no matter what happens.
During that heart-breaking conversation, my pack had gotten ready. They hadn't interrupted us because they were nice like that, and they understood what I was doing. Every single person in the pack had siblings. But lucky for them, none of their siblings had been turned into erasers.
"Let's get moving. We've almost got 'em!" I shouted, taking of into the trees, my pack right behind me. About an hour later, I smelled the distinctive smell of bomb-making children. That had to be either Iggy or the Gasman, who must be with the rest of the flock. "Quiet now, slow down. I've whiffed 'em." My pack stopped immediately. "Sonya and Merry, you go around to their east side. Sienna and Piper go to their south side. Snake and Deladius go to their west side. Maraqua, Toodles and I will come from the north. The Hunt starts when they say the word erasers or flyboys. Go fast and silently. May the pack's good karma be with you." Everyone nodded and headed off to their assigned places.
I watched as Iggy woke up the rest of the flock, having heard twigs snapping, which I had done myself. He walked around, tapping each flock members hand twice. Max the Merciless's hand was the last to be tapped, and when it was, she sat up ramrod straight and asked in a low whisper, "Flyboys?"
I rushed into the clearing, but not before whispering to Toodles, "Stay close, my little Toodles." The Flock gasped in shock as they saw the first erasers since they had been told we were dead. "Looks like the snarled are back!" Max shouted. "Hey! We're not snarlies! More like packers but who cares!" I shouted back, enjoying the look on her face when she heard me respond. "Long live the pack's good karma!" I shouted before pretending to lunge at the little girl, Angel.
I suddenly had the intense urge to go bash my head against a tree and drop dead, but I ignored it. "Sorry li'l girlie, but that won't work with me." I said before grabbing her up and dashing out of the place. "Let me go!" she shouted, pounding my back with her tiny fists. "Shh, honey, I'm not gonna hurt ya. I just needed you outa' the way. Now sit silently and wait till we're out cold. Then escape, kay?" I said while climbing up a tree. "Okay, but why do you want to help me? You're an eraser." Angel said. I smiled. "Let's just say I'm a good person okay? Or at least that I try to be." I set Angel down on a branch that was high above the ground. I looked her straight in the eyes and said, "Stay safe little one." And with that last sentence, I jumped to the ground. I started running back to the battle, hearing Angel shout encouragement to me.
"What have you done with her, you-" That was the first thing I heard when I raced back to the camp. Fortunately, for me, I was able to get there in time to stop her from saying anything bad around my brother. "Hey! Watch your language! There are some young people here, if you haven't noticed!" I shouted while dodging a roundhouse kick she sent at me. I took the few seconds she gave me while getting her next attack ready, to look at how my pack was doing.
What I saw was not that encouraging. Every single person in my pack was unconscious except Toodles and I . Unfortunately, I wasn't able to think anything else, seeing as a certain Miss Maximum Ride had decided to get me while I was distracted. "Owchies!" I yelped, clutching my ribs. And then I saw Toodles.
Hewas at the edge of the clearing, watching me, unaware of Fang, who was creeping up right behind him. My eyes widened as I felt time stop. No no no NO! Not Toodles! I thought as red flushed my eyes. I then preceded to morph into a full eraser, the mindless beast I never wanted to become. I saw Toodles eyes open wide as he saw me morph. He knew that I only morphed when I thought the time was desperate.
I rushed at Fang and knocked him over, baring my teeth at him. I was just about to break the avian's puny neck when I felt it. It was a paw on my back. I whipped around growling. Toodles whimpered, cringing. I stared in shock at him. He was in his full wolf form, he only did that when it was super important. As far as I knew, he had only done it once, and that was the day he had become an eraser. He had done it to show any side effects of the operation to the whitecoats, who had had knifes up to our family's necks.
I felt tears begin to sting my eyes. I blinked, trying to clear them. Toodles was still whimpering. I moved up to him, trying to send how sorry I was to him with looks. He morphed slowly back into a normal six-year-old. He was still shaking, this time with the pain it cost us to morph. Toodles looked up straight into my eyes and said in a whisper, "Morph back Pip! Please…" I nodded and started to morph back.
But of course, life just isn't as easy or fair. Which I personally think sucks. While we had been having this touching conversation in super low whispers, the whole flock had been creeping up behind me. The second before they jumped on me I saw their faces reflected in my brother's eyes. I whirled, catching them off guard. "Think you could sneak up on me?" I said, my voice sounding deeper and more rough.
The flock had threatened my little brother, and they were going to pay. I growled, red tinting my eyes. I was going into Blood Rage. "Toodles, get out of here. Find mom and dad. I'll be alright." "No! I can't leave you here! You'll get hurt!" I dodged a punch that was sent my way and said, "Toodles, get out of here!" And with that, I rushed them.
I punched Iggy in the stomach, my eraser self enjoying the audible oomph he let out. I dodged a round house kick from Fang, grabbing his leg and flipping him over. Max, while I was busy, kicked me in the ribs. I snarled at her, and jumped out of the way from a bomb sent by Gazzy just in time. I looked around and didn't spot Toodles. Good.
A few minutes later, and I realized that I was losing. Even though I was built for endurance, I was wearing out faster than the Flock. Probably had something to do with the fact that the Flock currently had more members conscious than my pack. I saw that Toodles still was gone, which was very good.
Nudge kicked my shin, distracting me long enough for Max to punch me into a tree. I finally gave up then. It was pointless to go on. I was battered and bruised, also my vision was swimming and had little black dots in it. I looked up into the triumphant faces of my enemy's and morphed back into the girl I really was. "Nice job." I said smiling. "You've just passed a test." Max looked hard into my face. "Really? I thought all the tests were done." I grinned even wider. "You were right. I've just always wanted to say that. Sorry for the false alarm." The Flock looked relieved, and Max started walking up to finish me off.
Suddenly I spotted a little white dot in the sky, which landed right in front of me, stopping Max in her tracks. It was Angel. "Stop! Don't hurt her, she a good person, I swear!" She pleaded with Max. "But honey, she's in eraser." Max said looking puzzled. "But she's a good eraser!" This time it was Toodles, who had rushed to my side after Angel had arrived. The Flock tensed up, thinking Toodles was going to hurt them. "Don't worry, this Toodles, he's my new friend!" Angel said.
I blinked, trying to get rid of the little dots in my vision. Angel must have picked up something from me, because she turned to me, worried. "She's almost unconscious." "A bit of an understatement, dearie." I said painfully. I was slipping into a world of black. "We should just kill her now." Max said with distaste. "No Max! You can't, I won't let you." Angel cried defiantly, arms across her chest, feet firmly planted in front of me. "Fine." Max said after a pause. I looked up to her, surprised. "Maybe you aren't so merciless after all, Max." I said, starting to slip in the darkness. "Pip, don't forget your promise. Never forget the promise!" Toodles said to me just before I blacked out.