VI: In The Shadows

A/N: (Tommy Wiseau Impression) Oh hai fanfiction readers! I'm back...did you miss me? It only took me, what, nine months to release another chapter? In all seriousness, I hope that my writing skills haven't gotten too rusty during my hiatus, but I'm not gonna pull some "plz be nice!" bullshit. Do tell me where to improve if needed. With that said, I hope you enjoy the chapter!


Do you like the way the water tastes?
And you knew but you could never say...
Then come forth 'cause it's coming round...
Round the water!

Beware the water!
Beware the water!

Deftones - "Beware"


July 8th, 2038

After spending the next few hours talking to Jenna, Wolf felt relaxed. His optimism was beginning to return. Now all he needed to do was talk to his father, but it was something that needed to be handled between the two of them, alone.

Before he left the house to walk Jenna home, he lightly knocked on the door to his fathers room, and waited for some type of a response. Nothing came, not even the sound of footsteps.

"Dad, I'm heading out. I'll be back in an hour or two..."

Still no response.

"Dad..." He knew he could hear him-he just refused to answer.

"Come on dad..." He whispered to himself.

Nothing...

Wolf hung his head low in rejection-Jenna saw this, and did the same. Deep down, she wished that there was something she could do to help, but even she knew this wasn't her time to intervene. Wolf looked back at her, and sighed, simply uttering: "Come on...let's go..."


It had been fifteen minutes since the two had left the house, and the entire time, Wolf remained eerily silent. Every few minutes, Jenna would look over to him and see a somber lupine, staring down at his feet as they slowly trudged down the street. This wasn't the Wolf that she liked to see; this was the Wolf that she met four years ago...

"Wolf, can you please say something?" She asked. "I hate seeing you like this..."

Wolf stopped in his tracks, a wave of guilt began to sweep over him as he came to the realization that he wasn't just hurting himself, but Jenna as well. He turned to her, and found consolation as he looked into her eyes.

"I'm sorry..." He whispered as he embraced her. "I just want to talk to him, that's all. He hasn't spoken to me in two days."

"You will, Wolf." She replied, lightly stroking his head. "When you get home, you should try again. But you can't stop trying, or you'll become what he is now."

"I know, and I won't stop. He's my father, I love him too much to see him like that." The two began to walk again as they spoke. "You remember when you told me to help him out, even if it meant to just talk to him, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I didn't exactly take up that suggestion immediately, and I regret it now, because when I did, we really opened up. I just wish we were able to do that again..."

Jenna placed a paw on his shoulder, and smiled at him. "I'm glad you did, I really am..."

They continued to talk as they made their way down toward the southern coast. As they journeyed onward, Solar was beginning to set, causing the cloud formations above them to turn a radiant glowing red. By the time they reached Jenna's house, Solar had dipped below the horizon, and the Corneria's skyline had become the primary light source. Wolf noticed the lights were on in the house, bringing him to the conclusion that her parents were home.

"Well, I guess I'll be heading out now." Wolf said, followed by a light peck on Jenna's cheek. "I'll be fine."

"Alright, remember what I said." As she turned to head into her home, she stopped, and turned back toward Wolf, looking puzzled. "Isn't that Leon?" She exclaimed, pointing behind Wolf. The lupine looked back and saw his green friend next to a brown beater, leaning into the left side window, apparently talking to whomever was inside. He poked his head up for a split second, and saw Wolf on the other side of the road, and then looked back into the car before it sped off.

"What's his deal?" Jenna wondered aloud.

"I dunno, nor do I really care. Probably one of his friends that he talks to about all his crazy conspiracy theories." Wolf responded half-mockingly. Leon was looking at them with a hint of apprehension. This came as a shock to Wolf, but he didn't react back. Instead, he gave the lizard a friendly wave. Leon grinned, waved back, and began to walk down toward his own neighborhood in the east.

"You know, I've never been with you when Leon was with you as well." Jenna noted.

"Well, I think that's for the best." Wolf chuckled. "He's...he's different, let's just leave it at that."

"He does seem a little suspicious."

"Yeah, but if you can look past his shifty demeanor, he's an okay guy. I mean, we've been friends since I was just a pup. I think that counts for something."

To be honest, Wolf actually didn't even remember how long it had been since the two had become friends. All he knew was that it was back in a time when they were still naive and happy-go-lucky. It was so hard to believe that at one time, Leon was just an ordinary lizard. In the back of his mind, that one phrase still lingered:

"There are things out there that if I told you about, would change your outlook on life itself! Stuff that would turn your fucking world upside-down!"

Part of him thought Leon was just talking out of his ass, but another part of him couldn't help but think he knew something, but he wasn't telling...well, at least until "another day", but what was that supposed to mean? What if "another day" never came? What if there really was no such thing as "another day" and it was just, as he thought, more bullshit? These thoughts were brushed off, as he needed to get home, but seeing that it was late (Wolf didn't have a watch on him, but he figured it was around ten), he thought that perhaps Jenna's parents could drive him home.

"Hey Jenna, do you think your dad could give me a ride home? I really don't feel like making a trek back home in the middle of the night."

"I'm sure we can work something out. Come on in."


Wolf and Jenna got inside, went through the living room, and to the right, which led to the kitchen. Over by the sink stood an older lupine a few inches taller than Wolf, Arthur Harrington, Jenna's father. In many ways, Arthur looked like a younger and dark brown furred Verne O'Donnell. They both had similar builds, but it was Arthur who edged out Verne slightly when it came to height.

"Oh hi, Jenna." He said in a slightly nasal tone. That was one of the key differences between him and Verne aside from fur color, his voice. "Hey Wolf."

"Hi, Mr. Harrington. " Wolf replied with a grin. Arthur turned the sink faucet on, and began to wash his paws.

"I'm assuming that you two walked all the way back here?"

"Yeah, we needed the exercise."

"Hah, well I would have picked you guys up. It's been getting pretty humid lately, and I don't want you guys suffer heat stroke."

"Don't worry about us. We'll be fine" Jenna replied reassuringly. Arthur turned the water off and looked around for something to dry his paws off, but with nothing in sight, he merely wiped them on his dark blue jeans.

"So, are you staying over for the night, Wolf?" He asked.

"Well, I was just planning on walking Jenna back here. Besides, I need to get some..." He paused, and looked towards Jenna. She knew what he was going to say, but he really didn't think it was his business. "I have some business to take care of."

"Ah, I understand."

"Yeah, though if it isn't too much of a burden, do you think you could drive me home? I really don't feel like getting home past midnight."

Arthur smiled at the younger lupine. "Well, the misses is asleep, but I think Jenna can handle the place for the time being, right?"

"Yeah, I'll live." She replied with a hearty chuckle.

"Okay, good. Should I fire up the car?"

"Nah, I need a few minutes to relax. It's been a long day."

"Alright, when you need me, just give me a holler."

"Will do..."


Wolf took this time to walk back outside to the opposite end of the house where the ocean lay. While at this time of day, the sea was practically invisible, he could still hear the soothing sound of the waves as they crashed on the shoreline. This was his "calm before the storm".

"How long do you think you'll be?" Jenna asked from behind. Apparently, she had followed him outside.

"Not long, maybe ten minutes tops. I'll meet him out in the front" He replied, still looking ahead. He could sense that Jenna was still troubled. He turned around and stared directly at her, shooting her a smile. "I'll figure things out. Don't worry about me." She returned the favor, planted a kiss on his cheek, and went back towards the house. Immediately, his smile faded, and was replaced with an apathetic gaze. He turned back towards the sea, lit a cigarette, and let his mind drift away. However, his slip from consciousness was interrupted by a voice, but not Jenna's.

"I know you were talking about me to her." Leon hissed into his ear. The lupines chest tightened. He turned around and confirmed that it was indeed Leon standing behind him, his arms crossed as he glared at him menacingly.

"Leon!" Wolf stifled, trying not to attract anyone's attention. He drew in closer to Leon and continued, this time sounding more irate. "What are you doing here, and why is it your business?"

"Jenna doesn't need to know about me, Wolf." He replied coldly. "No matter how little you spoke of me, it's already too much."

"What the hells is up with you and all this secrecy? Is it a crime to talk to friends about other friends?" Wolf was becoming increasingly annoyed by the lizards demeanor. "Does this have to do with that "mind blowing" bullshit you may or may not share with me?"

"Look, I don't need her to know about me. It would be in my best interests if she was kept in the dark about me. She might think-"

"That you're weird? I think she already feels that way." Leon chuckled at his response, but immediately wiped the smirk off his face.

"Yeah, well she doesn't need to have those suspicions raised any further, understand?"

"Whatever, now can you please get out of here? What you just did practically scared the shit out of me, and Jenna doesn't need to see this. Don't you have some New World Order awareness meeting to attend anyway?" Wolf grinned as Leon rolled his eyes before turning to make the long walk back home.

Wolf was once again alone, which allowed him to think about what had just transpired. These past few talks had helped Wolf shed a whole new light on Leon, and he wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to know how it was going to turn out. With the recent interactions with him, Wolf couldn't help but feel as though there really was something shifty about Leon; something dark.

But what...