BREACH LIVES! You should have seen my on Friday! I have a habit of commenting while watching episodes of Ben 10 or GR. Every other sentence, I was going: "Where's Breach?" That's pretty much how I was the whole time. "CIRCE! Where's Breach? HOLIX! Where's Breach? VAN PEDO! GRRR! WHERE THE HECK IS BREACH?" When Breach appeared at the end, I was pretty much hyperventilating! ^_^ I'm not obsessed! *shifty eyes* Anyway, this Chapter involves Brexness, Circeness, Wolfgangness, and all out awesomeness! Enjoy, my homies! Enjoy!
WOLFGANG'S POV
Wolfgang sniffed at the ground and growled quietly to himself. He could smell the recent scent of canines in this alley. In fact, the scent was everywhere. As he moved further down the old street, the smell became more and more obvious. 'I'm getting close...I'm getting...'
Smack!
Wolfgang let out a yelp, more out of surprise than pain, when his nose suddenly hit a brick wall. 'Huh?' His red eyes darted to the right and left. There hadn't been any turns or openings. The alley was completely straight. Yet, the odor was stronger than ever. It was as if the trail continued on the other side of the wall. 'I wonder...' He scratched experimentally at the brick.
The wall began to shudder and groan. Wolfgang jumped back as the brick barrier swung open like a door. Slowly, cautiously, he crept through. The wall closed behind him, leaving him in near darkness. His claws scraped the hard, concrete floor as he padded down the passage. The walls were dry and also made of concrete, but there was the faint scent of grass and rain wafting teasingly through the air. He took another whiff.
'White said that there were only three...' Sniff. 'But I can smell...at least ten...' Sniff. A sense of unease crept into his veins and that familiar lurch in his stomach returned. This wasn't right.
Since Nomad's death, Wolfgang's sense of community has steadily been growing. He had already made the mistake of disregarding his kin once. He didn't intend to do so again. 'Am I really sentencing more of my kind to death?'
'But I have a reason.' He reminded himself. 'If I don't, Skalamander won't get treated.'
The scarlet light from his eyes reflected off of the walls, sending back a red-hued image of a widening hallway. In the distance, he could see a bluish white pinprick of light. The smell of water and wood was unmistakeable! Wolfgang broke into a run, his instinctive longing for the outside beginning to overcome him. The blue light was coming closer...closer...
He jumped out of the cavern and squinted at the sudden increase in light. Soft, golden rays warmed his hide and a pleasant breeze ruffled his white fur. He was in a clearing. There were large oak and maple trees surrounding the area. He looked back over his shoulder. The passage looked like nothing more than a hole in a large hill.
His ears suddenly pricked. Someone else was nearby. Almost as soon as he processed that information, he heard the sound of rapidly moving paws on his right. Instinctively, he jumped as high as he could just as a dark figure shot under him. A brush of air on his other side made him turn around and swipe at the second figure that was leaping at him. Claws struck fur and an angry snarl pierced his ears. With a yank from below, Wolfgang found himself pulled to the ground and pinned on his back.
Leaning over him was a gigantic black jackal. His dishpan-sized paws pressed Wolfgang's shoulders into the grass. His yellow eyes were narrowed with suspicion. Up close, Wolfgang could see faint dapples of silver on the sea of black fur.
"What business do you have here, stranger?" He pressed his paws into Wolfgang's chest.
"Let up, Zeta." A lazy female voice came from Wolfgang's right. "He needs to breathe to speak."
The black jackal, Zeta, growled quietly as he reluctantly backed off. Wolfgang quickly jumped up. Another pair of jaws snapped at his side. He turned to his left and glared at the bearer, a brown brindle jackal with bright orange eyes.
"Now, now..." The calm voice came again from Wolfgang's right. He turned toward the speaker. She was a pretty russet jackal with gentle blue eyes. She seemed to be smiling at him. "Let's not be hasty, Eta." She took a step forward. "What is your business here, stranger?"
Regaining his composure immediately, Wolfgang nodded his head in greeting. He noticed that she had a fresh cut on her side. "I seek the Evo pack that inhabits this area. It's clear that I have found you." He glanced at the cut. "I apologize for that. Your attack startled me."
"I understand." The russet jackal moved closer and sniffed him curiously. "You are from a long ways away..." She looked up at him. "Have you come to join us?"
"Yes." Wolfgang replied immediately. 'That was easier than I thought...'
"My name is Theta." The female jackal bowed her head. "These are my brothers, Zeta-" She indicated the black and silver dappled jackal. "-and Eta." She nodded toward the brown brindle.
"My name is-"
"You will not need that here." Zeta interrupted. His voice had a bitter edge to it. "When you join this pack, you go by the name assigned to you."
Wolfgang blinked in confusion. "Why?"
"It's an incentive." Theta explained. "We will be allowed to use our birth names only when we have successfully secured total safety for our kind."
"Total safety...you mean-"
"Beta will explain everything." Eta cut in. "We'll take you to him now." The three jackals formed a V formation around Wolfgang: Eta a few feet behind, Theta a few feet to the right, and Zeta a few feet to the left.
Wolfgang walked in silence for a few minutes. 'They seem so well organized...' "Who exactly is Beta?"
"He's second in command under Alpha." Theta said. "We take any newcomers to him for evaluation."
"So Alpha is your leader." Wolfgang nodded his head slowly. 'They seem to be following Basic Pack Law... I thought that only the most traditional wild wolves continued to use it...'
Basic Pack Law, as most canines knew, was once the only way to form a pack: The power goes down in a line from Alpha to Omega. The Alpha led while the Beta was second in command. Unlike newer Pack Laws, this one involved a total dedication to the group overall. No creature had a singular identity. They were only parts of the whole, hence the concept of bearing ranks as names.
"What's this?" A low, rumbling voice grumbled from the approaching trees. Wolfgang almost recoiled in shock as a creature that looked like a cross between a bear and a wolverine lumbered out to meet them. He was brown with black spots, huge teeth, and amber eyes. He fit the description of one of the three dogs that had attacked Rex.
"Newcomer, Gamma." Zeta said, bowing his head submissively as he approached.
'Gamma...so he's third in line...' Wolfgang thought back to the descriptions he had been given of the three dogs. 'The second one was a silvery coyote-like creature with high speed and a whip-like tail...she is probably the Beta. And the half-skeletal red wolf is probably the Alpha...'
"Ha! Fresh meat, eh?" Gamma tilted his large head to the side. "Can you fight, newbie?"
Wolfgang looked the large Evo right in his yellow eyes. "I can take out a fleet of Providence agents with my eyes closed."
Gamma let out a booming laugh. "I like this one! Beta will be pleased." With a nod of farewell, he trotted off.
"Come on." Zeta turned toward Wolfgang and jerked his head. "Beta is further in."
A few minutes later, a silver flash shot by. Wolfgang looked over his shoulder and gave Theta a questioning look. That dog had looked just like the silver coyote creature...
"That was Delta. You're not likely to see much of her." Theta rolled her eyes and chuckled. "She never sits still."
'Delta?' Wolfgang frowned to himself. 'Then who...'
"Here we are." Zeta stopped walking as did everyone else. A shadowed figure was curled up underneath a large tree. Zeta moved forward and addressed it. "Beta."
"What is it?" His voice sounded like the movement of the earth itself. Wolfgang's muscles tensed.
"A brother has come to us through the gateway. He wishes to join our cause."
"I see..." The figure stood up. "Let us alone."
Zeta and Eta turned on their heels and ran off. Theta gave Wolfgang a friendly nod before following. Wolfgang watched her until she was out of sight before turning back toward Beta. He stifled a gasp at the grotesque form that was entering the light.
White's description was nothing compared to what Wolfgang was seeing. The wolf-like Evo's fur was like the hottest part of a forest fire. The exposed bones were slightly yellowed because of the air. His eyes were so dark, it was almost as if his whole face was a skull instead of half of it. His one ear twitched and he pulled his lips back into a grin on his right side. His left side was constantly grinning. He dug his bony claws into the ground. "Let's see what you're made of, newbie." He rumbled softly.
Wolfgang could feel fear coursing through his veins. 'If this is the Beta...' He wondered in the back of his mind. 'What's the Alpha like?'
…...
REX'S POV
Rex could hear Breach running after him and slowed his pace slightly. 'Sheesh, she's slow!' He waited until her footsteps grew close before breaking into a fast run once more. "You call that running?" He called mockingly behind him. He heard Breach laugh. It sounded like the tinkling of small bells... For a moment, Rex's heart beat seemed to adopt the rhythm of her laugh...
He started to run up one of the emerald hills, toward the castle ruins at the top. He couldn't hear Breach... He glanced over his shoulder and frowned. 'Where is she?' He reached the top of the hill and looked around. "Breach?" He called. "Breach? Where'd you go?"
Rex heard a whooshing sound behind him, quickly followed by someone tackling him to the ground. "Whoa!" He yelped as he fell forward into the grass. The weight moved off of him.
"Gotcha!" Breach chirped brightly.
Rex sat up and gaped at her. "How'd you..."
Breach pointed toward a hovering red and black circle which disappeared as she did so. "Portals. Duh!"
Rex laughed. "Right. I don't know if I'll ever get used to that!" His grin faded as he turned to look at his own hands. "I wish I could remember how to use my powers..." He thought back to what he had read in his Journal. Apparently, he could create various weapons and transportation devices at a whim. Not only that, but he could cure some Evos. 'I wish I could just...remember how...'
He felt a warm hand on his shoulder and glanced at Breach out of the corner of his eye. 'And what about Breach? I still don't know how we became friends.' Her hand moved soothingly across his shoulder blades, drawing him closer. 'Still...' He admitted to himself. 'This feels kinda nice...' He allowed himself to be pulled against Breach, instinctively nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck. He felt her shiver a little and rest her head on top of his.
"You don't need to worry about anything, Rex. Until you remember, you're in good hands." Her larger arms moved around them, acting as a sort of shelter. Her smaller arms were hugging him.
A smile came to Rex's face. He just could never keep the image of a scary Breach in his head, no matter how vivid his previous descriptions of her had been in his Journal. None of those images were real. None of the Journal notes seemed concrete. They were only previous thoughts.
"Thanks, Breach." He closed his eyes. "I don't know what it is...I just feel completely at ease with you." He felt Breach tense for a moment. What was that about? She relaxed again almost instantly, making Rex wonder if he had imagined the initial tensing.
"I'm glad you feel that way, Rex..." Her voice was the softest of whispers. Did he detect a hint of sadness in her tone? He sat up more to get a better look at her face. He frowned slightly when he met her veil of black hair.
"You know..." He muttered, looking at her critically. "You should put your hair back."
Breach seemed taken aback by this statement. "Huh? Why?"
"No one can see your face when it's like this..." He brought his hands up and placed them on either side of her face, gently brushing her hair back behind her ears. "See? That's-" His eyes met hers and he felt the words die in his throat. Those eyes...they were such a striking shade of yellow-green... They seemed to pierce the deepest part of his mind. Yet, they were soft and sparkling with a much gentler emotion... He couldn't tell quite what it was.
Her pale skin starkly contrasted her ebony locks. Strangely enough, it seemed to compliment them at the same time. Her slightly flushed pink lips were turning up into a small smile. Her eyes moved to the side and her cheeks gained a pink undertone. His fingers were still touching her skin. It felt warm...and impossibly soft.
"Th-That's better, isn't it?" Rex stuttered, his voice sounding quiet even to his own ears.
It felt perfectly natural...pulling her closer...bringing her head to a rest on his chest...feeling her cuddle up against him...
His previous thoughts of his Journal faded. He couldn't care less about previous details at the moment. That was the past. This was the here and now.
Here he was happy.
Now he felt safe.
…...
CIRCE'S POV
"You're looking pretty good, Circe." Doctor Holiday muttered, taking some notes on her clipboard. "You'll probably be okay to move around within a few days."
"What happened?" Circe was staring down at her sheets. "I've been out of it for so long...I want to know what's going on..." She glanced at Holiday. "Can you tell me anything?"
Holiday smiled sympathetically. "There's a lot to tell, and I don't know everything."
"Could you tell me about what happened with Breach?"
Holiday pulled up a chair and sat down. "I can. It may take awhile though."
Circe grinned despite herself. "I don't see myself going anywhere at the moment..."
It was a few hours before Holiday finished telling about all that had happened in the past month and a half. Circe closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to comprehend all of this new information.
"Boy...I've slept through a lot..." She murmured as she opened her eyes again.
Holiday chuckled. "Well, that's one way of putting it! Any questions?"
"Yeah. About twenty four, but I'll get to those later." Circe fixed Holiday with her red gaze. "I just want to say this: Breach would not use Rex the way White says she did."
"Rex stopped believing White's story pretty quickly, once he got over the initial depression." Holiday breathed a sigh. "I just wish I knew why Breach left. Don't get me wrong." She added quickly. "I wouldn't want to sit around in a cage either. I just would have thought that, if she and Rex were as close as it had seemed, she would have left him a message of some sort other than the locket."
"She would have! That's how I know White's nothing more than a lying, no good, son of a-"
"Circe." Holiday cautioned.
"What?" Circe shrugged her shoulders innocently. "I was going to say cow!"
"Well..." Holiday shrugged her shoulders. "He does have a thing for milk."
Circe burst out laughing. "Seriously? I thought that was just something people said to make fun of him!"
"Nope! It's completely true!"
"That's just...amazing!" Circe snorted, shaking her head.
"Say Circe..." Circe looked up at the doctor. "When you were out of it, you kept saying all of these poems."
"Seriously?" Circe raised an eyebrow. "I remember saying them to try and keep awake... I don't recall much of when I was zonked out... I was quoting poetry in my sleep?" 'Yikes...I should have gotten out more back in Abysus! No human should be able to do that... Then again, I'm not exactly human...'
"Yes, you were." Holiday placed the clipboard to the side. "You have a liking for Robert Frost, don't you?"
"You like him too?" Circe perked up, her eyes glittering excitedly.
Holiday merely smiled and began to recite:
"I often see flowers from a passing car
That are gone before I can tell what they are."
Circe jumped in eagerly:
"I want to get out of the train and go back
To see what they were beside the track."
Holiday said the next verse and the two switched out with each stanza:
"I name all the flowers I am sure they weren't; "Not bluebells gracing a tunnel mouth- "Was something brushed across my mind
Not fireweed loving where woods have burnt-"
Not lupine living on sand and drouth."
That no one on earth will ever find?"
"Heaven gives its glimpses only to those
Not in position to look too close."
Holiday nodded her head appreciatively. "Very good."
At that moment, the doors opened. The green-clad ninja, Agent Six, was leading Rex and Breach into the room.
"Hey!" She smiled brightly as the two approached. "What were you guys doing?" She figured she would talk to them about the incident Holiday had told her about later.
"We were just hanging." Rex shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "How're you feeling?"
"Great!" 'Yeah...hanging out...I believe that...' She added smugly to herself.
"So, what-" Rex was suddenly cut off by a ringing noise. He stared into space for a few seconds before suddenly reaching into his pocket. "I keep forgetting that's my ringtone..." He muttered. "Hello? Yeah. Uh huh... Sure thing!" He closed his phone. "Noah's coming back over." He frowned. "Which is kinda weird...he said that he needed some shut eye...Ah well! I'm gonna go out and wait for him! Be right back, S-dawg!" With that, he bolted from the room.
Six's eyebrows shot up and he stared after Rex's retreating figure. He didn't say anything for a few minutes. Finally, he muttered, in a totally dumbstruck voice: "...S...dawg...?"
Circe heard a muffled sound next to her and turned toward Breach. Her best friend seemed to be fighting an overwhelming desire to burst out laughing.
This story just keeps getting better and better as time goes on! Whaddaya think of the Evo dog pack? The concept of their names comes from the Greek alphabet (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, etc.). But they all DO have real names. I'm gonna give my readers a challenge that will last for the next few chapters: Come up with names. Girl names, guy names, whatever names! You may see them used. It's a pretty big pack after all and these puppies are gonna need their old names eventually. Oh! Here's another thing: Van Kleiss is STAYING dead in this! I don't want him back, nor do I need him! Your flames will still go to White for this particular story. One thing about the new episode: Was anyone else relieved to see Kleiss lose his Pedo Claw? I was! At least he can't molest Rex again! (At least I hope not... O_O) Anyway, please review! I'll love you forever if you do!
BREACH LIVES! WHOOOOOOOO!