Real Dad Chapter 4

Fen stood up and yawned as the stretched his arms towards the sky. The sun shone down on his face, warming his whole body as he tried to wake up. He rubbed his eyes, trying to acclimate to the brightness of the vast grassy field which laid before him. A gust of warm air blew past him, an invisible conductor commanding every blade of grass in the field to sway in unison. With the lack of any trees in sight, the breeze has full control of the whole valley. Squinting his eyes, he could see a small child wearing a blue hat running around in circles chasing something. Fen smiled at the boy as he ran in circles playfully.

He approached the small kid calling out to him. "Hey Yugo. I didn't hear you wake up. What are you chasing?"

The kid looked up at the man as his face grew a huge grin which stretched from one ear to the other. It always made Fen feel a sense of accomplishment seeing this figure happy; almost as if whatever he did or was doing at the time was the right choice. The kid stopped and turned for a second, then ran full speed at the man with open arms, still wearing his huge smile. Fen knelt down and opened his arms for the kid, only to see the kid fall face first on the grass just feet away from him.

The man ran over to the kid, and picked him up into a hug and patting his head. "Shhh, you're okay. You just tripped. Nothing is broken." The man prepared himself to start hear crying from the small figure, but was caught by surprise to hear the boy laughing.

Yugo shook his head, face buried in Fen's chest, laughing into his shirt. The sound of the child's laughter was the second thing in life that would make Fen smile, no matter the instance. He sighed feeling relieved that Yugo hadn't hurt himself. For being young and agile, he was a fairly clumsy kid.

Fen held Yugo in his embrace for a moment, but looked down when he felt something wet against his chest. Yugo looked up to the man still smiling. Fen nearly jumped back away from the kid when he saw Yugo's face. He had been smiling, but his mouth had a cut on his lip as well as a few missing teeth. His eyes moving upwards along the boy's face noticed the flowing river of blood coming from Yugo's nose, which was cut across the top. His left eye was also puffy and adorned in scrapes mixed with a purple bruise circling it; however both of his eyes were completely colored black.

Fen stood paralyzed in placed not sure what was going on. The young boy squeezed the man tightly and buried his face back into the man's shirt. Fen had his arms raised above the boy, scared to hug him causing more pain.

The boy spoke, slightly muffled by the shirt now covered in blood. "You're the best daddy ever!"

Fen swiftly sat up from his backpack, breathing heavily as he saw the darkness of the woods and the trees still surrounding him. He looked over to his left and saw a small figure on a bedroll fast asleep. His breathing slowly returned to normal as he laid back against his bag, closing his eyes.

"It was just a dream…" he whispered to himself.

Leaning back, listening to his own breath in unison with the sound of the bugs chirping away was a welcoming calm which helped him relax from his nightmare. Between breaths, he could hear chattering coming from nearby. He looked over in its direction to see Yugo shivering. By the looks of the ashes around the fireplace, and the smoldering embers struggling to hold on to the remainder of their short existence, he noticed how the warmth which embraced the small boy has let go of its hold on both of them as it faded into itself. Fen rolled his eyes at the fact at how the boy was roaming the woods without proper clothing.

"Well if he is homeless, then someone has to take care of him. I won't leave him alone, but would he be safe on my adventures? What if he got hurt? Or taken?"

Fen stood up and undid the clip around his neck holding his cape to his back. He quietly moved over to the shivering boy, knelt down next to him, and covered his with the cape; still warm from its owner. Tucking it under the boy's back, Fen patted Yugo on the head softly. He could tell the cape was working at keeping the small child warm, for Yugo's shivering slowed down to a halt as he shifted slightly in his sleep, mumbling something under his breath.

Fen made his way back to his spot on the grass and leaned against his bag in an attempt to get some more sleep before the sun rose.

/

Alibert had been tossing and grumbling in his bed for the past few hours; not once getting comfortable enough to sleep. After what felt like an eternity of shifting one way, and another, he finally sat up and threw back the covers.

"AAAAGGH!" he yelled. "There is no way I'm going to get any sleep tonight."

He slid into this slippers and tied a robe around his waist and grabbed a book from his nightstand. He then rubbed his eyes, which were sore and puffy, as he made his way out of his room and towards the kitchen. Alibert lit a candle, and placed it on the table along with the book. He reached into a cupboard and withdrew a glass, which he then proceeded to fill with milk from the fridge. Sitting down at the table, he rubbed his face exhausted from the day. Worry has set inside him like a stone, and seemed to have brought friends along as the day progressed.

It worried him not having Yugo. It worried him not knowing where Yugo was. It worried him knowing there was little to nothing that he could do. Alibert felt as if his chest was going to explode. He took a long drink of his milk in hopes that it could help some of the pain in his stomach. Placing the glass on the table, he put leaned his head against his open palm. Eyes half open, he started to page through the book.

'The Great Gobball Famine' one of the chapters read. This was Yugo's favorite story book. It had stories from all over the world, and showcased many different types of heroes and villains. Ever since Yugo couldn't sleep one stormy night when he was about five, Alibert had read him part of a story every night. He would never make it a full way through one story, for Yugo would fall asleep too quick. Alibert would kiss Yugo on the forehead, tuck him in, and continue the story from where he left off the next night. He couldn't tell if it was the stories or his book-reading voice which lulled Yugo to sleep, but he never cared as long as Yugo did sleep.

Taking another sip of his milk, he started reading the story to himself. It was one that he'd read a couple times over, but it was something to get his mind off of the thought of Yugo stuck somewhere in the cold alone. As he read Alibert's eyes got heavier with ever page. Before long he placed his head on top of the book, and closed his eyes.

/

As the sun rose above the hills, the darkness of night fled across the sky towards the west, following the moon in its decent. Warmth returned to the land as the creatures of the night ran for their homes. Their long night symphony filled with hooting and chirping subsided, and made room for the tofus and their joyous songs of the day. With the sun continuing its climb, light illuminated everything from the town square to the woods. Shopkeepers and townsfolk alike both awoke to continue their morning routines.

The guards had awoke, and made their way to their day posts; putting out the street lanterns as they went along. Dale had made his way back to the tower, and started logging down everything that had happened thought the night into a large book. Dale yawned, rubbing his eyes as he wrote of Alibert and his missing son. Luckily there was no other things to report for the whole night. Still, Dale worried about the child and how he fared against the bitter cold. As soon as Fai got there, he was to gather his friend along with Alibert and start scouring parts of the woods methodically. His skills as a tracker would definitely help.

Dale has been in a few different situations throughout his career as a guard. Before he came to Emelka, he had worked for a governor, a bank owner, and was even hired as a personal body guard to a man who feared he was targeted for crimes against a mob syndicate which he had not done; or so he claimed. Before he became a guard, Dale had even worked as 'Hired Hands' in contracts all across the World of Twelve.

Dale waved the page with his hand to help the ink set before closing the book and setting it aside on the desk. Noticing the rays of sunlight which peered through the windows, he collected his equipment and sat down to eat before Fai showed up.

As two guards walked thought the door to the tower, they greeted Dale with their usual half-awake grumbles. Dale looked at them with a half awake smile. Staying up late never seemed to bother Dale too much, but it always left him exhausted.

Dale straightened his back as he stood. "Fai, I'm glad you're finally here. There is an urgent matter which calls for immediate attention. I set everything up for you as far as the log book goes, so I'll be taking my leave early."

Fai, still groggy tried responding in the middle of his yawn. "What kind of matter? Do you need my help?"

"No, thanks. I'm going to ask in a favor from another friend. He works in town."

Fai nodded. "Alright then. I'll be here if you change your mind."

"Thanks, but it shouldn't take that long; hopefully…" Dale said turning his gaze out the window. He took his spear as well as his jacket and headed out the door. Making his first right down the main street of town, he weaved in and out of the people who were about attending to their daily errands. Following the loud sound of clanging on metal, he could tell he was close by.

The Blacksmith shop was connected to a forge almost as large as the shop itself. Hanging from the racks on the counters were a wide collection of weaponry from simple daggers to more complex exotic swords. Dale made his way past the racks and peered around the corner of the shop where a man was hammering away at a piece of metal glowing on top of an anvil.

"Still manually making weapons? That'll take all day. You know they should have factories which mass produce them?" Dale said with a laugh.

The man looked towards the noise with anger, but then smiled seeing Dale standing there. "Yeah. The day they can trick thirty people to work in a single forge all day, and come out with weapons of real quality, that will be the day I retire."

Dale laughed at the man's rebuttal, and moved in for a handshake. "So good to see you Lobo. Your wound healing up well I see…"

Lobo turned his right arm towards Dale, showing off a scar which spanned the length of his forearm. "It was just a scratch. The war couldn't kill me that easily."

"Well I'm glad you're all right." Dale first said with a smile, but suddenly lost the expression in his face as he stared into Lobo's eyes. "I need your help Lobo. There is a child that went missing, and I could use another tracker's skills to help find him."

Lobo put down his hammer, and wiped his forehead. "Alright. I can help. Give me the details."

Dale cleared his throat and responded. "Male, young. Ran off alone into the woods in the early morning. Hasn't been seen since."

Lobo let out a sigh. "It mustn't be that far past nine. Why the sudde-"

"Yesterday morning..." Dale interrupted, shaking his head.

Lobo's eyebrows furrowed a bit. "Dale. You know as well as I do th-"

"I know, forty-eight hours. Which is why I need your help. We've covered the whole town last night, which leaves the woods."

Lobo exhaled deeply. "I'll help. You know I will. The only question is why you waited so long."

"This was just made known to me last night shortly after my shift started. Searching the town was all we could do due to the limited visibility."

Lobo nodded, turned around towards his shop, and started closing it up. "Help me close up, then we can head out."

"Thanks Lobo." Dale said dragging the racks inwards allowing him to close and lock the windows. "We have to go and get Alibert, the kid's father after this."

Lobo looked at Dale puzzled for a moment. "Wait. Isn't he the innkeeper? The Crusty Gobball, right?"

"Yup. The very same."

Lobo nodded to himself. He knew of the Alibert and Yugo. Most of the town knew about the two and how mysterious Alibert would get whenever someone brought up his wife. Apart from the mystery, Alibert was kind to everyone. Not many people could run both a full inn, and take care of a child at the same time; but somehow Alibert found a way for it to work. Hearing how well family could work alongside a business made Lobo think about a family of his own. One day, he would find the right girl. But how soon would it be? Blacksmithing wasn't a child-safe profession, and he knew that; however, he still couldn't help but wonder what family life was like.

"Okay. Looks tightly locked. I'll grab my hat, and we can go." Lobo said locking his front door and pocketing the key.

"Alibert should be awake by now. I hope he at least got some rest last night." Dale said as they both started walking through the town towards the inn on the hill.

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As the sun rose above the trees, brightness threatened the peacefulness of Yugo's sleep. He stirred awake, trying to cover his eyes from the light. Shifting slightly, he noticed the cape which was covering him like a blanket. He pulled it over his eyes and turned his head away from the sun. After a moment, he realized that the cape wasn't his.

"This must be mister Fen's" he thought to himself.

Carefully removing the covers, he looked over in the direction that Fenrier was sleeping. When his eyes saw the tree line on the opposite side of the clearing unobstructed, he became confused. Pulling the covers down and leaning on his elbow, he scanned the clearing for signs of the man. He noticed the burned out fireplace reduced to ashes, but other than himself, there was no one around.

Yugo shifted himself up to a sitting position, keeping the cloak around him for warmth. He moved it aside to reveal his bandaged leg. The off-white bandages had a deep red stain on them, but it seemed to have mostly dried overnight. Yugo gulped as he prepared himself for the pain in his leg as he stood up. Putting pressure on his injured leg was only a fraction of the pain that it had been the night prior. He could stand, but he chose not to run to avoid any unnecessary pressure. Half-limping, he calmly walked over to the stream and kneeling down, he cupped his hands to drink for it.

The cool, refreshing water quenched his throat which was parched from the bread he practically inhaled last night. Handful after handful, he drank from the stream enjoying every sip he took. He was unsure of how far from home he was, but he knew he had to get home before nightfall. It was nothing short of a miracle that Fen showed up. Without his help, Yugo very well could have frozen to death.

As Yugo drank, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He tried pulling away and turning around in the same movement, but started falling backwards into the stream. A hand shot out from behind him and grabbed Yugo's arm, stopping him from falling in. Yugo looked up at the figure to see Fenrier smiling, holding a few fish on a string in his other hand.

"Careful there. You almost fell in." Fenrier said pulling Yugo to his feet away from the stream.

Yugo was happy to see Fen, and relieved at how he wouldn't have to walk home alone. "Thanks mister Fen. I didn't hear you. And when I woke up, I thought you had left."

"And not say 'Goodbye'? I said I'd help you. I wouldn't go back on my word. Now let's cook these up, and we can talk about today."

"Yeah. As much as I like the woods, I think I'm ready to go back home." Yugo said making his way back to the bedroll.

"Wait. You mean… you're not homeless?"

"What? No. I live with my dad. Well, he's not really my dad. But he raised me ever since I was born, so he is my dad in a way. He owns an inn in Emelka."

Fen sighed a sigh of relief to hear how this kid had somewhere to live. But it hurt him slightly to hear how he wouldn't be able to ask if Yugo could join him on Fen's adventures. Fenrier felt ashamed of almost offering to take someone else's child away to the far off lands of the World of Twelve. He also felt terribly worried for the boy's father who was probably looking for his son all this time.

"Are you okay mister Fen?" Yugo asked looking at Fen who had been looking at the ground, standing in place.

"Oh, yeah. It's just… I was thinking about you dad and how badly he misses you. What made you run away from your home?"

Yugo's glance shot to the ground remembering the fight that took place just yesterday. "Um… I got into a fight with my dad about having Az in the kitchen. He's my tofu friend. He broke one of my dad's pots, so he got mad. I said some bad things, and ran away." Yugo's eyes started to fill with tears as he admitted what he did, and realizing how wrong he was insulting his father.

Fen put his hand under Yugo's chin and raised his eyes to meet Fen's gaze. "It's okay. I'm sure your father will forgive you. People fight sometimes. It's normal."

Yugo half smiled, and went to hug Fen's legs. "Thanks mister Fen. For everything."

Fen put a hand on top of Yugo's head. "You're welcome little one."

As soon as they were done eating, Fen has explained where he thought they were in correlation to Emelka, and the route they would have to take. According to Fen's math, they were no more than thirty minutes from the outskirts of town. Yugo tried to follow along as much as he could, filling his face with some of the fish they caught that morning. Yugo looked down at his legs and feet, now covered in dirt and dried mud. The first thing he was going to do when he got home was take a warm bath.

[Author's Note: This story have gone further than I had even imagined, and that is all thanks to you, the viewers. On the close of this story, I will give you all a hint as to what the next story will be about. As I write, I constantly check my stories' progress on the website. I have noticed an influx of stories about Wakfu starting to flood the pages. This leads me to think how more and more people are inspired enough about the fandom to seek out more Wakfu to consume (A curse which lead myself to this spot now).

If we keep this incline of people, Wakfu might very well become as big of a recognized fandom as Hetalia or even Homestuck. Keep up the good work!

Dale and Fen belong to me. Fai and Lobo belong to my good friend Nimue. And everyone else belongs to Ankama. Again, if you haven't already, watch Wakfu! Now on Netflix!]