We follow up one Part 2 with another, this one long overdue. And unlike Part 1, this one is actually written by me. :P

Drabble 12: In Dire Straits - Part 2

The Docks

Under the Docks

2:37 AM

I'm sorry, Mother. I have failed you again.

Felix panted shakily, his breathing strained as he removed yet another bullet lodged in his arm. He dropped it into the waters surrounding him, waters growing increasingly red from the accumulated blood he was shedding. Even for a lupine death machine like him, he knew he had gotten lucky, incredibly lucky, to still be alive right now. Not only had he been shot several times, all missing anywhere vital due to the chaos of the situation, but those suits Reynard had sent after him had gotten very close to finishing him off as well. He had only just barely managed to shake them.

And yet, he didn't feel lucky. The fact of the matter was, he had accomplished nothing. He had made two attempts now to exact his revenge on the Wilde family, and all he had to show for it was a myriad of bullet wounds. Meanwhile, he had only hit his targets once and he knew damn well it hadn't killed either of them. Perhaps he was being ungrateful, but Felix would've been more than happy to die had he just been able to drag Reynard down to Hell with him. He still felt that way now, even if he was in a much worse position to pull it off. He didn't even have Fenrir by his side anymore.

It was almost like a sick joke that he should continue to cheat death while the objects of his vengeance did the same in return. Would he be doomed to repeat this same tired punchline forever?

Felix growled hatefully to himself, struggling to keep his cool. And not just because the increased blood flow would stain all of these bandages and stitches he was applying to himself even further. He needed to keep his cool, always, in order to succeed. Lady Lang had taught him as much.

No...come to think of it, no she hadn't. She had actually taught him quite the opposite.

With little else to occupy his time other than constant pain, Felix couldn't help but think back on it.

Training Room of the Past

6:10 PM

He still remembered the training sessions clearly, but one in particular stood out.

Felix was around the age of fifteen at the time. After growing up in the Lang Family, he had already developed several essential skills: mechanics, biking, pack etiquette, competitive howling, etc. But what mattered most to him was self-defense. He had learned several lupine martial arts already, but had yet to find the one that suited his needs the most.

"It's not just about personal power," he had explained. "I want to be able to protect my brother. I never want to be helpless to keep him safe again."

"A noble goal," Lady Lang agreed. "Then I have just the style for you to learn."

Their current headquarters came equipped with a training room clearly inspired by old kung fu movies, complete with weapon racks and tatami mats. Lady Lang herself was dressed in a classic gi, black with silvery trims and the Lang Family emblem on her chest. It contrasted rather nicely with her still-pristine white fur. Felix got a plain white gi instead. The two wolves were roughly the same size at the time, which would not last.

"This style is known as Close Quarters Combat: Coordinated Pack, or CQ2CP," Lang explained. "It focuses heavily on defense, allowing you to effectively fight off large groups of attackers. Against one opponent, it makes you a veritable wall to get through. Sound good so far?"

In hindsight, this was, perhaps, the only reason he had escaped that fishery.

"Yes, Miss Lang," the teen wolf said instantly, standing up straight.

She frowned slightly. "You don't have to keep calling me that, you know."

"Call you what, Miss Lang?"

"Nevermind. Are you ready to begin your lesson?"

"You bet he is!" an excited voice yelled from the sidelines. The nine-year-old Junior, dressed in a green and black striped shirt and blue shorts, cheered loudly in support. "He's more ready than a...uh, guy who isn't ready!"

Lang smiled at Felix. "Your brother tries very hard."

"That he does. Now, let us begin. I am indeed ready."

"Very well."

He was not ready. Lang's first punch caught him on the cheek and nearly knocked him over. She followed up with a kick to the chest that actually did. "Tough love, Felix," she said, calmly waiting for him to get back up. "You need to be prepared for attacks to come suddenly and from anywhere at once."

"Come on, bro, you can do it!" Junior urged him on.

Felix stood up again, narrowing his gaze and hardening his focus. "I'm ready."

And this time he was, at least at first. He caught the knee strike Lang sent at his gut, but took an elbow to the face soon after.

Training went on like this for a while, and Junior's repeated attempts at encouragement weren't exactly helping. Although his similes did improve. "Wow, Felix, you've got more lumps than a toad with allergies!"

"You're relying too much on your basic senses," Lang told him. "Feel your emotions, trust your instincts, and react."

"But instincts are not always reliable," Felix argued, rubbing at his sore jaw. "Emotions even less so. I do not wish to lose control."

"Letting yourself feel doesn't have to mean losing control," she said, resting a gentle paw on his shoulder. "It can also be a great motivator, and help your body move before your mind can even catch up."

"I...I don't understand," Felix admitted, his stance wavering.

Lang regarded him for a few seconds in silent thought. Then she turned to the side. "Junior, could you come over here for a moment? I'd like to try something."

"Sure thing, Momma!" the young pup said, running over to them eagerly.

"Stand behind Felix, please," she instructed. Both brothers were confused by the request, but Junior did as she said.

"Now, Felix, I would like you to use your imagination. Picture me as your old mother, Ariana."

His eyes widened. "What?! But-"

"I don't like it either, but I believe this is the best way I can help you learn." She glared at them both. "Now, defend your brother!"

She stepped forward and threw a kick that would've swept them both had Felix not immediately turned his body and caught it. "Leave my brother out of this!" he warned.

"Make me," she said simply, backing away before coming in again, her attacks coming much faster.

But Felix stopped them all. Every punch, every kick. Even if he couldn't block an attack, he willingly threw his own body in the way to take the hit before it could reach Junior. By the time Lady Lang let up, Felix was even more battered, but Junior was completely unscathed.

"Good," Lang said, stepping away one last time.

Felix was trembling, his body shaking with adrenaline and his face contorted in righteous anger. Although the test was over, he continued to stand protectively in front of Junior, fangs and claws bared.

Lang remained calm. "I apologize for the charade. You should know that I had no intention of ever striking Junior. But although some part of you probably knew that, another part wasn't willing to take the chance. Don't worry, I'm not offended. You haven't been with me that long yet, so it's only natural to still be skeptical." She leaned in towards Felix, who flinched away slightly, and gave him a peck on the nose. "But I love all of my children. And I will never treat you the way they did. That's a promise."

Felix hesitated, looking back at Junior, who nodded with a smile. The boy was too trusting for his own good, and Felix was grateful he didn't remember the cruelty they'd suffered as clearly as he did. That was why Junior had come out of it still relatively innocent while Felix...had not. No wonder this training method had worked so effectively. "I understand."

She smiled warmly at them both. "I'm glad. Now, would you like to continue? If you wish to stop for the day, I will prepare some tea and a washcloth for you. And then perhaps we can catch the latest episode of Desperate Howlwives together."

"Ick." Junior stuck out his tongue in distaste.

"No," Felix decided, to his brother's relief. "I must take your teachings to heart, Miss Lang. Please, come at me again."

"Do...do you need my help again?" Junior asked hesitantly.

"That won't be necessary anymore," Felix said, waving him to the sidelines. "Because the fact of the matter is, I don't need to imagine that I'm protecting you. As long as I'm alive, I always will be."

"Awww, that's sappier than a forest full of maple trees!"

"To the sidelines, Junior."

"Yes, Felix."

"The bond between you is strong indeed," Lang chuckled, readying herself for another assault. "Let it continue to empower you, and one day, you might just earn the greatest honor of all within the Lang Family."

And then she struck.

Three Years Later

He didn't find out what that greatest honor entailed until the day he turned eighteen. On that day, Felix, still dressed in the typical biker garb of the Lang Family, was called into Lady Lang's office and presented with an opportunity much more valuable than any birthday present.

(Yes, even the miniature bike kit Junior had gotten him, although that was adorable.)

"Felix, how would you feel about becoming my new personal bodyguard?" she asked, smiling up at him from behind the desk. "I've been grooming you for the position for quite some time, and you are now of age to fill it. Albeit, just barely."

Not that he looked it after the massive growth spurt he'd had. He would have towered over Lady Lang even if she were standing. "I...am honored, Miss Lang. But I am really not sure I am the best candidate," he said humbly. "There are others in the pack who are stronger and have far more experience than myself."

"Perhaps, but there's a reason I've had my eye on you in particular, Felix. Ever since the day we first met." She turned her chair so that she was now facing off to the side. "There was something special about you. I had just pulled you out of one of the worst households I'd ever seen, and yet all you could think about was your dear brother. According to him, you've willingly thrown yourself into harm's way for his sake more than once, have you not?"

"...I have," he admitted. "Junior was the only one I ever truly considered family. At least, until I met you."

"And that is exactly the kind of attitude I want to see," Lang affirmed, turning back and grinning at him fondly. "Someone who puts the needs of his family above his own livelihood, as you have done time and time again. I can think of no better wolf to serve as my right paw. Will you accept the position, Felix?"

Felix was silent for a moment, still a bit awed by the offer. But Lady Lang knew what she was doing, and if she wanted him for the position, it would not be proper to argue the point any further. He trusted her, and thus trusted her judgement. For the sake of the Lang Family, he must accept.

He only realized later that his own thought process had just proven her point. "Miss Lang...I acce-"

"Not so fast!"

"Oh no…" Lang muttered.

Felix recognized that voice. He had said that there were others in the pack who were stronger and more experienced than him, and there certainly were. But there was one wolf in particular he had been thinking of when he'd made that claim, and that wolf had just kicked open the double doors to Lang's office.

The first thing anyone noticed about Paxton Reamus was his smell. While there were many in the pack sadly lacking in good hygiene habits, that was nothing compared to the overpowering stench of blood that emanated from the red wolf, his crimson fur several shades darker because of it. If not his smell, then certainly his state of dress. He wore a pair of black shorts, torn at the knees, and a not-so-typical Lang Family biker jacket, ripped open at the front to expose a torso heavily covered in bite and claw marks. A thick metal collar was wrapped around his neck, a broken chain hanging down at his side. His dangerously red eyes stared calmly, yet intently at Felix, and he smiled in a way that promised immense suffering in his near future.

It could be said that the Lang Family was mostly made up of civilized wolves getting more in touch with their wild side. Paxton was a wild wolf trying to pretend that he was civilized. And not trying very hard.

"I'm gonna have ta object to your decision, Momma," Paxton said, stepping into the room while never taking his intense gaze off of Felix. "I've been serving ya for far longer than this runt."

Felix resisted the urge to glare back at him, knowing what happened to the last guy who had dared show signs of aggression towards Paxton. He took all such signs as a challenge to his dominance. And truthfully, he was the most dominant force in the Lang Family.

Outside of Lady Lang, of course, who showed no signs of intimidation at all. Mothers rarely did. "Now, Paxton, you do indeed have an impressive résumé. Highest mission count. Highest combat rating. Highest...fatality rating." She frowned in that disapproving, motherly way meant to incite guilt in her children. "However, I do have some concerns about your...temperament."

"Temperament?" He tilted his head slowly to the side. Not in that cute puppy dog sort of way; more like that detached sociopath sort of way. "What temperament?"

"I can't imagine," Felix snarked before he could stop himself.

"Shut your goddamn mouth, brat!" Paxton's fur briefly raised like an aura of flames and his voice deepened enough to be practically demonic. Then he was back to normal. Still scary, less outright nightmare-inducing.

There was a loud crack and Paxton slowly turned his head again, taking notice of the hole he had punched in the wall. He stared at it for a few seconds, as if he needed to register what he had done. If indeed he had registered it. "I'll fix that later."

"Regardless…" Lady Lang said, still completely calm, "I have chosen Felix as my bodyguard and that is my decision to make. Understand, Paxton?"

Paxton deflated quickly, his head lowering in submission. "Yes, Momma. Unless…" His gaze turned back on Felix. "I challenge Felix here to an honor duel over it."

"What?" Felix stiffened, struggling to maintain the same level of calm that Miss Lang possessed. He was a skilled fighter, one of the best under her care, but even he was hesitant to take on a living hellhound like Paxton.

"Don't be a fool, Felix," Lang said quickly. "His challenge has no authority against my ruling unless you accept it."

"But he will, won't he?" Paxton asked, once again hammering Felix with his stare. "Because I know what he fights for. And what he fights for is very important to him, isn't it?"

Junior...he wouldn't...

Paxton kept staring. Then, without another word, he got up and started to leave.

"Wait!"

He stopped, his back still to him as Felix stood up abruptly. He was larger even than Paxton, but right now he sure didn't feel bigger. "I accept your challenge."

For the first time since he entered the office, Lady Lang showed genuine fear. "Felix, no!"

Paxton looked over his shoulder, and smiled.

Junkyard

12:00 AM

The honor duel took place at the stroke of midnight, within the bounds of a junkyard the Lang Family used to toss parts even they couldn't salvage. The Langs were seated on the piles of junk surrounding the two contenders, including Lady Lang herself inside a broken-down convertible, looking very uncomfortable despite the luxury chairs.

It was not a bike duel. Under the light of the full moon, the two wolves were going to settle this claw-to-claw and fang-to-fang. On one side was Felix Dire Senior, once again supported by a naive and cheering Junior. On the other was Paxton Reamus, crossing his arms and still just staring at his opponent.

Danger Dan did not show up, due to concerned parties claiming that his presence would be somewhat detracting from the mood. Instead, it was Lady Lang who announced the beginning of the honor duel, and not in a particularly enthusiastic fashion. "Honor duel. Start."

Felix slowly approached Paxton, claws up in a defensive stance. The red wolf made no move in return, but kept his eyes locked onto him, following Felix as he circled around him. The younger wolf knew he could attack at any time and it likely wouldn't make much difference if Paxton didn't even bother to uncross his arms, but his opponent was so unsettlingly quiet that he found himself hesitating regardless.

The quiet was soon broken by his own brother. "What's the holdup, Felix? You're taking longer than a sloth eating a jar of molasses!"

At that moment, Paxton's eyes finally left Felix, looked briefly at Junior, then stared back at Felix again. He smiled.

That was when Felix attacked. He led with a punch that struck Paxton under the chin, breaking his nonexistent guard and staggering him. Thinking only of Junior, Miss Lang, and how much he wanted to keep Paxton far away from either of them, Felix laid blow after blow into the red wolf, rocking his head from side to side. Finally, he grabbed the chain hanging from his neck, pulled Paxton in, and delivered one more punch that sent him flying back into a junk pile.

"Yeah! Woohoo!" Junior cheered. "That's how it's done!"

Felix was still trembling with rage as he glared down at his adversary. "Get up! I'm not done with you!"

"Heh. Now lookie you, tryin' to get all mad," Paxton chuckled, obeying his wish to get back to his feet. He did it with so little difficulty it was like he was just getting up from the couch. "Boy, you're outta your league. I've gotten worse beatings than that from my own folks."

"So have I," Felix admitted.

"I know. But the difference between you and I?" Paxton asked, spitting a wad of blood onto the ground. "You had to wait for Momma to come and save ya. Me? I saved myself!"

The Lang Family prided itself on taking in orphans who needed a home. Even orphans by their own design.

Paxton bounded across the ground on all fours, closing the gap between them faster than Felix expected. With a loud snarl, he drove a fist into the larger wolf's gut, and while he was hunched over, bit into his shoulder. As Felix roared in pain, Paxton kicked him to the ground, tearing a chunk out of his shoulder in the process.

"Oooh, now that's gonna leave a mark!" shouted a wolf from the audience.

Junior was much less amused. "Get up, Felix! You can do it!"

While Felix gasped and clutched at the wound, Paxton looked down at him passively, taking the time to chew and swallow before advancing again. "See, I can hear your anger, but I ain't feeling it. If you're gonna tap into your wild side to fight, then don't half-ass it. You wanna fight like an animal, then get up and fight like an animal! You don't wanna make me pull Junior in here, do ya?!"

A very concerned Lady Lang drummed her claws against the side of her car.

"You will not touch him!" Felix snarled viciously, getting up and ramming himself into Paxton, bowling them both over. Letting out feral sounds that he didn't know himself capable of, Felix cut loose, foregoing his fists in favor of raking his claws across the wolf's already-scarred chest and face. He didn't care anymore about the duel. This monster was a threat to his family and he wanted to make him hurt.

And yet, Paxton was only laughing. "Come on! You can do better than that! Make me bleed! Show me your savagery!" The red wolf grinned and turned his head, pulling down his collar as if inviting Felix to bite down on his exposed neck.

He almost did too, if not for the small, almost imperceptible voice that whimpered behind him. "Felix?"

Felix sat up and turned around, his claws dripping with his enemy's blood. Junior was still watching him from the sidelines, but the excitement and admiration he had seen in his eyes before was gone. Now he just looked frightened. He couldn't tell if he was frightened for him or...of him.

"I concede," Felix said instantly, his throbbing arms going limp. "I won't go that far just to win. The position is yours, Paxton."

But far from being pleased with his decision, Paxton was furious. "What?! You think you get to enter into a duel with me and just walk away?! I don't think so!" Paxton reared up and stabbed his claws into Felix's shoulder wound.

The crowd immediately erupted into outrage, but Felix screamed too loudly to hear it himself. While hooking his claws into the sensitive flesh, Paxton raked his other set across Felix's chest, causing his blood to splatter onto him, then kicked him off, quickly reversing their positions with Paxton now on top. "Now I'll show you how it's done! This is what it means to be a Lang!"

"I decide what that means."

Paxton froze, stopping his assault instantly as Lady Lang now stood beside them. He got off of Felix and stood up straight, smiling nervously at her. "Uh...hey, Momma. Looks like I won."

"You think so, do you?" Lang asked, betraying nothing. "Come closer, please."

He stepped closer. "Sure. What is it?"

Like a whip, Lang's arm shot out and she backpawed Paxton hard enough to knock him back to the ground. "You dare to claim victory after violating not one, but two tenants of the honor duel code?"

In complete contrast to how he had carried himself a minute ago, Paxton meekly put a paw to his cheek, his ears flat against his head and his tail drooped on the ground. "W-What do you mean, Momma?"

"One, attacking an opponent who has already surrendered," she listed impassively. "Two, doing so with clear intent to kill! You will not take the life of another of my children, Paxton! Ever!"

"Yes, Momma, I understand," he muttered. He was showing his neck to her as well, not with the expectation that she would bite it, just out of an instinctual lupine act of submission.

But with what she said next, she might as well have torn out his jugular anyway. "No, Paxton, you don't understand. This is a grave and unforgivable offense you have commited today. I cannot turn a blind eye to your actions any longer."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying...you're out, Paxton. Out of the pack, out of the Lang Family."

The entire junkyard went silent. Those words had not been spoken lightly. Throughout the history of the Lang Family, Lady Lang had never turned down any willing orphan who wanted to join. Not the weak, not the sickly, not the outcast, not even other species. She loved all of the pack as her children, equally and unconditionally. So when Paxton Reamus became the first mammal in history to ever be kicked out of the Lang Family, the gravity of the situation was not lost on anyone.

Least of all Paxton himself. "N-No, Momma, please!"

"Don't make this any harder than it has to be," Lang said, looking away and shutting her eyes tightly. "Just go."

"Yes...Momma…" Knowing he couldn't call her that any longer, Paxton threw his Lang Family jacket to the ground, then turned and fled on all fours, never looking back.

Felix might've felt sorry for him if not for the fact that the psychopath had nearly torn his throat out for kicks. As he sat back up, he was suddenly glomped from behind by his frightened little brother. "Are you okay? You look worse than...well, a lotta things. You're pretty messed up."

He didn't get to answer before Lang wrapped him up in a hug from the other side. She was sobbing, both over nearly losing one of her sons and being forced to lose another. "Where did I go wrong?"

"Junior...Miss Lang...I love you, but please stop aggravating my injuries."

"Sorry!" Junior yelped, releasing him.

"I'm a mother, Felix. It's my job to be aggravating," Lang said wearily, letting go anyway. "My apologies. I was just overcome with emotion there."

"As was I," he admitted, looking away. Indeed, he had been overcome, his fear and rage nearly turning him into a monster just as dangerous as Paxton. If that had gotten out, it could've been him slaying a packmate today. And he doubted either Junior or Miss Lang would be so happy to see him after that. His instincts were dangerous. His emotions were dangerous. Felix decided then that he couldn't afford another slip-up.

"Felix, are you alright?" Lady Lang asked.

She had seen his face, now hard as stone and intending to stay that way.

"I am fine, Miss Lang," he said, completely monotone. "And I resolve to do better."

The Docks

Under the Docks

Back to the Present

So much for that.

Felix hadn't been able to keep a handle on his emotions for a while now. How could he, when his primary motivation for doing so was now resting eternally in his backyard? It obviously hadn't done much good anyway.

And it wasn't even what she really wanted. Lady Lang had been quite clear that he was to harness his emotions and use them to empower himself. Instead, he had decided on his own to keep them shut away, against her wishes, under the belief that he couldn't trust himself otherwise. The incident with Paxton had confirmed that belief.

Had he really been such a good son, he would've realized by now that Mother knows best.

He couldn't keep his emotions in check anymore, and maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. His usual approach hadn't worked out so far, so why not try a change of pace? It was less cold professionalism and more indignant fury that had gotten him out of that fishery and put a hole in Reynard's arm. The emotional approach evidently had some merits.

Felix looked curiously at one of the support beams next to him. Deciding to experiment a bit, he envisioned said structure as Reynard's dirty, mom-murdering face. He focused every bit of hate and rage he had for the Count, pulled back his right arm, and with a loud roar of fiery passion, slammed his fist into the beam.

It snapped in two with a powerful crack, leaving Felix's arm throbbing and the wolf panting in exertion. Now that felt good. Yes, nothing like a little percussive therapy to take the edge off. No more holding himself back. The next time he faced any of the Wildes, they would feel the full force of his wrath. And you know what they say: third time's the charm.

Another loud crack caught his attention, followed by another in quick succession. Felix remembered then that support beams were called that for a reason. "Oh dear."

He got to experience more of the emotional spectrum in that brief moment. Fear, for the good possibility that the pier was about to collapse on his head before he leapt boldly into the water to escape it. Sorrow, for the workers whose morning he had just ruined by causing an entire walkway to fall. And when it was all said and done, amusement, towards the shocked civilians now staring helplessly at the gap in their path, and for the sheer ridiculousness of the situation in general.

He laughed about this for a good while. Then he cried over the loss of his mother and his failure to protect her, and smiled with glee at the thought of avenging her.

When the wolf finally pulled himself out of the water again, he was still physically a wreck, but was mentally better than ever.

At last, the tale of the other brother is told! When it came to Felix, it wasn't hard to come up with the main focus of his story, considering how much he contrasts with Junior. With all of these emotionless killing machines you see in media, it became an interesting experiment to try to explain WHY Felix is the way he is. Or, more accurately, why he stayed as emotionally-stunted as he was shown in Drabble 2 instead of opening up a bit more.

Though if Felix were to get physical personifications of his emotions like in "Inside Out", they would all probably be just as capable of killing you.

On the other end of the spectrum, Paxton Reamus was designed to be the most unbalanced, axe-crazy psychopath we could think of for the purpose of giving Felix a very good reason NOT to listen to his emotions. You know, in case all the hellhound imagery was too subtle. He belongs to me.