A/N: Uh, when was the last time I updated this? Sorry guys, I forgot I was going to a wedding. But it was fun writing this one when I got back! Enjoy this one!

CHAPTER 11: The Nightwatch

Claw marks trailed the ground, following the white wolf that stalked the forest. He was the nightwatch, the wolves proud to serve those underground, to fight for the only freedom left. He stuck out like a sore thumb, his white fluffy hair fitting him for snow rather than deep forest.

A twig broke behind him, and the wolf spun around silently, his claws digging deeper into the ground. An intruder, he thought. The white wolf crouched low to the ground, creeping forward as he saw the little green shell that meant trouble. The Koopa Troop was making advances every day, getting closer and closer to the known location of the underground.

The white wolf readied his haunches to spring, just as his prey was stolen from him. A gray wolf whose coat matched the forest better leapt out from the undergrowth and tackled the intruder, the white wolf growling at himself for being so slow.

He jumped out anyways, and watched as the gray wolf pinned the frightened koopa. "Please, no, don't hurt me," the creature said from inside his shell. The gray wolf laughed and kicked the shell over to his white fluffy companion. "I got… lost is all… I don't know where my troops are!"

The gray wolf continued to laugh. "Right, well, listen you tiny insignificant koopa, we're not going to just let you walk away. Are we Storm?"

Storm shook his white fur and then kicked back the green shell. "Not if you tear out all the fur on my body."

Catching the green shell, the gray wolf looked inside and said, "And trust me, he has a lot of fur."

Storm seemed pleased with himself, strutting his fluffy fur. "And boy do I look good in my fur!"

The gray wolf rolled his eyes. "You are so arrogant. What would Diego say if he found you strutting around like that? You cal yourself a wolf…"

"A handsome wolf is what I call myself, yearling. You scraggly ball of fur…"

The koopa came up with a quick line. "Bowser… does not… fear you…"

"Right, and I'm the king of the world," the gray wolf said. "If he doesn't fear us, then why do you?" The foliage behind him swished as he kicked the shell back to Storm. The nightwatch never got much more entertainment than kicking around koopas and driving them off, so they tended to get bored and have fun with what they could.

Behind the gray wolf leapt out a very small and skinny red wolf. However, the gray wolf and Storm both knew that lean and powerful muscle lay beneath that fur. "Diego…" the gray wolf said.

The older leaner wolf known as Diego looked as his nightwatch patrol. "Timber, Storm. Where are Misty and Lars?"

Storm shrugged. "I don't know. Misty and Lars ran off somewhere, so Timber and I started creeping around, looking for any intruders…" Storm had his belly to the ground, pretending to stalk something. Diego hit him on the head with a paw. "That's for acting foolish. You're older than this yearling over here!" Diego motioned to Timber, who was still young for the nightwatch. "You should be acting older than that."

"I can't help it. Those two lovebirds should be back any moment."

Timber couldn't help but laugh. "I doubt Lars sees it that way."

"Poor Misty, she's been in love with him the moment she saw him."

"Probably before then. She dreamed of him, and knew he was hers!"

"You two are ridiculous," Diego chimed in. "Let's chuck this koopa out of here. We need to find those two before the sun rises. We can't be seen."

"Ay, ay, cap'n!" Storm said, then picked up the fearful koopa and trotted off, his white fur flowing.

"Never call me cap'n," Diego muttered, as he and Timber followed.

As the door behind Luigi closed, he recalled his conversation with Toadsworth.

"There is no hope but you, Luigi. The people don't know you're alive. If they did, then word would have spread too quickly and Bowser would have you killed. Don't let them know, Be a silent hero, and once people hear of the progress, they will know that you are the one who's to thank for it."

The castle, Luigi remembered. Toadsworth had confessed to that as well. "You know I had no other choice, Luigi. Only a few minutes after the princess was captured I ordered it to be destroyed. It would hold off the invasion of the Koopa Troop, if only for a little while. Not many people liked me after that. But I still lead the toads, just as the ambassadors lead their kingdom's people. Most of the royal families are gone."

Luigi took one last look back at the closed door, then continued through the dimly lit tunnel just as he'd been instructed. Get out before the sun rose, he was told. Holding on to the walls he walked, he grew more and more worried about his friends: Mario, Peach, Daisy, and Timber. Toadsworth had told him Mario was still possessed, and both princesses were still being held captive.

But no one had heard of or knew where Timber had gone. Toadsworth suggested the nightwatch, as most wolves had joined it after the fall. Timber would be full grown by now, Luigi knew, as they aged much faster than humans.

Poltergust on his back, Luigi felt the tunnel slowly crawling upwards, and he walked for a good ways until he reached solid wall. Looking up, he saw a bit of moonlight drip through a hole. Jumping up, Luigi was able to disrupt a screen that had been sitting up above him. The screen and all the undergrowth that had been settled over was sent tumbling down onto Luigi, hitting him in the head.

Rubbing his head, Luigi gathered the net and foliage and then did a super jump out of the tunnel. Bathed in moonlight, Luigi did his best to cover the hole with the net and then used the foliage and undergrowth to hide one of the many entrances to the underground.

Deciding against using his flashlight for fear of being seen, Luigi used the moonlight to guide him. He had hardly any idea of where they were, only that it was somewhere in the forests of the Fang region.

He hadn't gotten far before he heard a rustling around him. He was warned by Toadsworth about the nightwatch, but also that the Koopa Troop was slowly making an advance on the underground. As the rustling continued, Luigi realized he had no idea of whatever was surrounding him was friend or foe.

With a growl, a furry black beast sprang at him, sending him to the forest floor. Luigi tried desperately to grab the hose of his Poltergust and smack it against the beast's head.

"Lars!" a voice rang out, and the wolf stopped its attack, although kept a grip firmly on Luigi's leg.

"Let go of me!" Luigi yelled. He'd just gotten out of a coma, and this was the treatment he was given? "Don't you know who I am?"

The black wolf growled and let go of him. Luigi sat up and the black wolf began to circle him, a gray she-wolf following him.

"Well," the she-wolf said. "Looks like Bowser's got himself some humans on his side. What do you think about that, Lars?"

Lars growled in agreement. "Odd, Misty." Then the black wolf took a longer look at Luigi and stopped his growling. Though he continued to circle him, his expression was confused, almost dumbfounded.

"You don't know who I am?" Luigi asked. "I'm Luigi!"

The gray she-wolf laughed. "Luigi! Oh, all the things I could say to you right now. Your costume is very accurate, however. Mustache is dead on! Bravo!"

"Misty…" Lars warned her.

Misty continued. "C'mon, just where did you get that from? Did Mario's dead soul make it for you?!"

Luigi saw the pain in Misty's eyes as she said that. And even though it hurt him too, he pulled the hat off his head and showed it to Misty. "This is my hat! It's real!"

Misty grabbed the hat with her teeth, threw it to the ground, and stamped it with one paw. She growled and wordlessly took a step towards the plumber. She was grieving for so many things, Luigi knew. The loss of her kingdom was enough. Freedom was worse.

Lars jumped in front of Luigi just as Misty was about to rip Luigi's throat out. "Misty! I… I think he's telling the truth."

"You think this imposter is real?! How do you know it's not one of Bowser's new tricks…? And now, he knows where the underground is. He was standing right on top of the entrance! And for that, he must die."

Lars realized where Misty was coming from. What if this was an imposter? He would know where the entrance was, and then all would be lost… Growling, Lars stepped beside Misty and then began to advance towards Luigi.

"I'm Luigi! Really, it's me…"

"Misty! Who is that?"

Growling, Misty turned around towards the voice, and three wolves walked through the foliage and surrounded Luigi. A gray wolf, a small and skinny red wolf with a pointed muzzle, and a fluffy white wolf, all glared at Luigi.

"He says he's Luigi," Lars said to the red wolf. "But we're not sure."

"Of course we're sure!" Misty shouted. "He's a fake, and we all know. He knows the entrance to the underground, we saw him touching it."

Luigi looked at the five wolves around him, suddenly aware of his vulnerability. If they killed him, then all hope would be lost. But there was one wolf Luigi knew. One gray wolf with a fang sticking out of his mouth.

The gray wolf and Luigi both stared at each other, until the red wolf leapt in between them. "What's wrong with you?" he asked the gray wolf.

"I know him," he responded. "That's Luigi. I'm sure of it."

"Ptah," Misty said. "Well, you said you were there when it happened. Go on, Timber, ask him a question only he'd know the answer to."

"Well," Timber began, and Luigi's mouth hung open in shock. "Honestly, I don't remember much…"

"Ask him something!" The furry white wolf complained. "The sun's about to rise!"

"Fine. What happened after the bomb? Every detail."

"Well…" Luigi began. "Afterwards, I remember you were standing there looking for you mother, with your yellow and neon green helmet, and I took you to your house. I left you there, hoping that someone would let you in. And then you got on that plane and…"

"Enough." Timber said, and he stared emotionlessly at Luigi. Timber turned towards the red wolf. "That's him."

Luigi smiled and the red wolf nodded in approval. Shame rose up in Timber's chest and he turned away from his hero he thought to be dead. Dead by his deeds, no less.

"Timber," Luigi said. "I can't believe it's really you! I'm so happy that you're alive!" Timber just recoiled from Luigi's attempted hug and walked backwards.

"Yeah, it's good to see you too," Timber said. "We all thought you were dead. I mean you were gone for a year…"

All of the wolves besides the red one looked surprised. "I didn't know you woke up," he said. "Luigi's been in a coma, everyone. I was one of the few to know."

Timber wheeled around to face him. "Why didn't you tell us Diego?"

"Yearling, you would have told too many souls to keep track of. Luigi's survival being kept hidden was the key to our hope."

"Hope?! What hope? Everyone who's made it out is living an unfit life underground, and all those who didn't are now slaves in Bowser's regime! Keeping Luigi's survival a secret was the dumbest thing anyone could do! It makes everyone think he's dead!"

"Bowser, King Boo and Dimentio believe him to be dead. That is where our hope, our fighting chance lies! Yearling, you speak of things you can't comprehend."

"The sun is rising," the white wolf said.

"We need to go underground. Luigi, you come with us. Sorry if this is inconvenient for you, but it's not safe during sunlight. Quickly, you uncover it, Luigi."

Luigi ran over to where he'd come out of the underground and pulled up the undergrowth and net, revealing the tunnel he'd come out of. All five wolves jumped down inside, Timber last, who gave Luigi a curt nod before descending. Luigi jumped down into the hole with them.

"Someone will cover up the net and undergrowth," the red wolf said. "Follow us." The wolves turned down the tunnel, and Luigi found himself with no choice but to follow.

A/N: More of Toadsworth's conversation with Luigi will be reaveled later, promise! I wrote out that whole scene, did a readover and almost fell asleep because it was so boring. So now it will be revealed in snipits! Toadsworth didn't have very much to say, though...