EDITED BY: DrummerMax64
Chapter Six - A Moment Is All It Takes
"Oh come on! Captain Mammalia's on!"
Edward looked up from the safety of his book to find that the channel Gary had only just started watching had been uncaringly switched. The culprit? It was none other than their sister, Lavender. She had sat herself directly in front of the small television with her legs crossed and watched the catchy opening sequence while their brother struggled to steal the remote back from her.
"So is Kim Pawsible," she retorted while swatting Gary's paw away. She continued watching the animated wolf on the screen.
"But, I'm gonna miss what happens when he battles Red Skull!" he pleaded.
"That sucks. I told you I was gonna watch my show."
"Come on, I was here first!"
"So? I missed two episodes in a row because 'you were here first.' I had to get filled in on what happened from my friends. Plus, it's the season finale, so shut it. I am watching my show."
While they continued to argue Edward gripped the book in his paws and pulled it close enough to his muzzle that his eyes were starting to strain reading the now enlarged text. More importantly, he was trying desperately to drown out the bickering between his siblings. If he could rephrase that, it would be drowning out the endless waves of bickering that ensued between those two.
The last thing he wanted to do was get in the middle of their pointless and endless cycle of fighting. To put it lightly, he was sick and tired of it.
When they woke up in the morning, there would be fighting. Whether it be over who would get the shower first, who would brush their teeth first, or even sitting in the chair next to their father, there would be some form of fight.
Even on their way to school there would be some sort of argument that would make either of their parents have to turn around and break it up.
And when they got home, they made it clear to their father, their mother, and more importantly Edward—who had already witnessed some form of it on the bus ride back from their middle school—that they were about to cause one massive storm. And regardless if he wanted to participate, Edward would most certainly be dragged into the fray. Whether he was sitting in his own bedroom, whether he was forced to sit in between his brother and sister on the bus or in the car, or even right now in the living room of their home after specifically being told that he was forbidden to go into his room until bedtime, just so he could socialize with his siblings.
Obviously, he had no intention of talking with either one of them, let alone worry about what was playing on the TV. He was too enthralled with the story he was reading to care about some silly television show.
The book was about this fifteen-year-old cougar who finds a mysterious stone in the mountains of the Spine. However, a couple months later he soon realizes that the stone he found wasn't any ordinary stone; it was a dragon egg. With the dragon now grown, his uncle slain, and his home burned to the ground, he fled to the skies, accompanied both by his newly acquired dragon and an old storyteller. Considering there were around six hundred pages to read and he was only a sixth of the way into it, something told him that this cougar's story was only just beginning.
Just as Edward began the next chapter of his book, something felt missing in the air around him. He looked up from his text and scanned his surroundings.
Right away he noticed the silence over the sound of the TV. It seemed that the bickering between his brother and sister had come to an abrupt end, leaving his brother irritable on the other end of the sofa; not that Edward was complaining. He was happy that everything was calm again.
But, that happiness lasted for only a couple of seconds, just as he got comfortable in his little corner of the world, the moment he felt safe.
A snow-white paw pulled the book down from his short line of sight. Instinctively, Edward's head pulled away from his brother, who had complacently leaned closer to him. He knew what this was. He knew exactly what this was. This was a straight-up invasion of his coveted personal space. And after thirteen years living together, Gary knew exactly how to push his buttons. A smug expression was plastered all over his face as he backed Edward further into the arm of the sofa.
"What do you want, Gary?" Edward asked quietly, masking his mild annoyance with a straight face.
For a moment, Gary stared awkwardly into his eyes, and Edward couldn't help but feel vulnerable. His ears fell behind his head. He couldn't move an inch.
While he was still trapped in that anxious state, his brother swiped the book from Edward's paws. The silver wolf pitifully tried to stop this, but to no avail.
Gary stared at the sapphire dragon on the front cover. Edward watched him diligently. If he were being completely honest, he didn't trust him in the slightest. He kept poor care of the things he did own, and it didn't feel right that the book he'd bought with his own chore money was put in the crosshairs. It felt dreadful. And what was worse was that he couldn't do anything to stop him.
"Why would you want to read?" He sadistically grinned.
"C-cause…it's fun?"
"Pft, geek."
His brother opened up the paperback and began thumbing through the various pages inside. Edward watched with apprehension.
The thought of him easily ruining the book Edward had his eyes on for a whole month and a half could very well turn into a reality. Edward knew better than anyone the way his brother treated the things he owned, especially the ones he stole from him and their sister.
He wanted his book back. Plain and simple. He couldn't bear the thought of his newly acquired piece of literature getting damaged in some silly "accident."
So, when he reached out towards his brother, Edward calmly and quietly uttered, "May I please have my book back, Gary?"
To that, Gary simply grinned. "What's the rush? I'm only looking at it."
"I just…want to keep reading my book, Gary," the silver wolf said in a firmer tone, his paw still extended.
His older brother put on an even smugger expression. Edward didn't like where this was heading.
"What, are you afraid I'm gonna ruin it? It probably is something stupid anyways. Something nerdy."
"Just give him the book and shut up," Lavender chimed in from her spot in front of the television.
"Sorry, I couldn't hear you," Gary yelled sarcastically. "Did you say get louder? Fine, I'll get louder for you. How's this!"
"Shut up!"
"How about you!" he barked back, pointing at her with half the book gripped in his paw, the other half flopping about haphazardly back and forth.
"Can I just have my book back?" Edward sheepishly requested from his corner of the world.
At the end of his sentence, his brother shot him one of the deadliest glares he could muster. This stark expression caused Edward's already extended paw to be brought back protectively to his chest. It was almost as if the snow-white wolf were a hot burner in the kitchen and Edward was just fur strands away from burning himself. Now that he thought about it, he actually did feel warmer by only looking at him; even the nerves at the bridge of his snout began to flare. His troublesome anxiety was making an untimely return.
Not now… he woefully thought.
He now fully regretted obeying his father's decision to have him stay with his siblings instead of holing up inside his bedroom like a normal wolf. The torment wasn't worth the time.
Gary started to slowly make an advance towards Edward and dangled the piece of literature just above the points of his ears. If they managed to actually retain their normal point, that is.
His brother felt just a little too close for comfort. So, for the sake of his personal space, Edward placed his foot against his chest to at the very least try and hold him back.
"What's the magic word?" Gary asked in a sing-song tone.
"…?"
Magic word? Edward questioned silently for a few precious seconds. He almost didn't reply. It couldn't be that word could it? Nothing this mundane…
So, albeit hesitantly, he spoke.
"Can I please have my book back, Gary?"
For a moment the older wolf stared Edward down, and Edward questioned if he'd followed his brother's instructions. He was nearly sure that please was the word he was looking for. It was that little shred of doubt that kept making him second guess himself. What if he was wrong?
However, with a satisfied snicker, his brother dropped the book—which Edward failed to grab on its way down—back onto his lap. It seemed that what he did…worked?
Gary eventually shuffled his way over to the other side of the couch and looked to the television show playing on the TV. That left the runt sitting on the other side of what could've been the world to assess the possible damage. It felt assuring to know that his brother's attention was focused on the TV so that he could be left in peace. It was exactly what he needed.
Edward flipped and thumbed through his paperback book, looking at all the places that might've been affected by the roughhousing. Almost right away he could notice some of the damages in the pages and cover. Trailing along the spine was a crease directly where his brother grabbed and shook the book by the clump of pages, looking like he'd almost ripped it clean in half. Luckily for Edward, despite the crease along the spine, none of the damage was significant enough to warrant taking it to their mother.
At first, Edward couldn't help but feel relieved. He had his book back safe and sound, and there were no nicks or dents in the cover or on the pages.
He looked upon his brother while he watched the television show playing on the screen. He couldn't help but wonder, why? Did he really have nothing better to do with his time? If it came down to the fact that Gary was simply bored he could have just hopped onto the family computer to play the video games they had instead of instigating pointless arguments and fights. And even though their selection of titles left much to be desired, there were still some great titles to play.
Even if the video games weren't on his mind there was also the rickety goal post against the side of the house. He could've just kicked a soccer ball through it for a couple of hours to burn off all of the excess energy gained throughout the boring schooldays. So the last thing he could do would be to pick fights with his family.
He didn't do it to their mother or father. He didn't do it to Lavender nearly as bad as he did to him. Why him? Was it because he was the runt of the litter? Maybe it was because he was an easy target? Or perhaps was it because their father didn't really think of him as one of the pack? Was it all of the above?
Regardless of the specific reason (or reasons) for his brother's actions, Edward found himself without a proper answer. Of course, this resolution did not sit well with him. All he wanted was a clear-cut answer to know for himself, but the likelihood of ever obtaining such an answer to a single question felt slim to none. Gary was a difficult mammal to reason with already, and trying to talk with him was doubly as difficult. So keeping these thoughts in his head would definitely do him some good.
However, there was one problem.
Instead of keeping the questions to himself like the good pup he was—like he normally would—he went ahead and did the unthinkable. The unimaginable.
His tiny little voice spoke up quietly, but enough to be clearly heard over the show in a soft mumble.
"Why do you have to be so mean?"
His cobalt eyes grew wide. That did it. With that little sentence, Edward sealed his fate. He watched as Gary's head slowly turned in his direction, and Lavender's purple colored eyes stared back at him in a clear state of shock. If Lavender was worried, then he surely was in trouble now.
Then came the snow-white wolf's response. Edward's head tilted.
"Excuse me?"
"N-never mind Gary," Edward attempted to say. "I didn't…don't—"
His brother stood up off the couch, his angry mug pointed directly at Edwards's muzzle. "No. Please, repeat that for me. If you don't have the guts to say it to my face then don't say it at all."
Once again he was backed into a corner. There was no escape. Gary got closer.
"Come on, say it again, runt!" And closer. "Say it again!" Another pause. He pushed the younger wolf deeper into the couch.
"Come on Gair," Lavender tried to help, but he simply ignored it. There was no stopping him.
"SAY IT."
Without a second thought, Edward finally decided to give him what he asked for.
"Why are you so mean to me all the time!?"
The sudden outburst grabbed the attention of both brother and sister as they stared stunned at their younger brother. He jumped off the couch and came up close, staring down the older wolf with tearful confidence. They were practically snout to snout. Eventually he found the strength to continue on, tears beginning to well up in his eyes as the first words came to light.
"Everything I do, everything I say, isn't good enough for anybody! No one cares about me, no one even acknowledges me anymore, a-and even if they did it'd only be for stupid farm stuff or if they needed their laundry done or something! Dad hates me, you guys belittle me on a regular basis, and I can't dare to speak my mind or else I get made fun of or shunned. The only ones who get me are mom, Charlie, and his friends, and even with their help I still get made fun of. What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so much?"
For a moment, time seemed to come to a screeching halt. The three of them stood there and stared at each other. With the clear exception of the television that was still blaring the latest Kim Pawsible episode, the only thing hitting their ears was the sound of Edward's muffled crying while he tried desperately to wipe away the weakness from his teary eyes.
Gary stood there and looked upon the scene with a blank stare, his paws obviously clenched into tight balls. Edward was honestly afraid of the literal can of worms that he'd ripped open, and he honestly didn't want to know what sort of thoughts were coursing through his brother's brain.
While they stood there in silence, it was only then that he finally noticed that he was shaking uncontrollably.
Everything felt cold. The strength Edward had just seconds ago had vanished without a trace. Various emotions were driving his anxiety: sadness, anger, and the most obvious, his blatant fear. He almost regretted even bringing up his problems in first place. But, it wasn't enough to stop him. It was about time he knew why he was treated so badly.
And even if he couldn't get a satisfying answer—if any at all—he could have solace in the fact that out of the three of them, their sister looked like she might've actually cared.
How did he know? He couldn't quite put his paw on it, but he was sure that it had something to do with the way she looked at him. It was as if she had donned their mother's gentle, caring eyes for a quick moment, even if hers were a dim shade of amethyst instead of that familiar sky blue hue of their mother's eyes. It was calming to see.
However, that happiness and peace suddenly came to an end when Gary began staring him down. Suddenly, Edward felt even smaller compared to his older brother (who was already a couple inches taller than him anyways).
"You know why we can't stand you?" he aggressively started.
"Gary—" Lavender tried to interrupt as her paw lightly brushed their brother's upper arm, but was stopped abruptly as he forcefully shook it away. While he began talking again, the young she-wolf quickly sped out towards the kitchen and towards where their parents were talking things about the farm. Edward wished that she didn't leave. He didn't know if he could face their brother's anger alone.
The taller snow-white wolf stared into Edward's cobalt eyes as he continued to deliver his answer. "It's because you're weak. You prance around here and work in the house all day like some…girl, and completely shut out the fact that we live on a farm and that we have a job to do to maintain it! I bust my butt every day to help out dad and Lavender with farm work, and we come back to the house absolutely tired while you're in here slacking off."
The younger wolf stared at his elder brother dumbfounded. If anyone were "slacking off" anywhere in the house, surely he didn't mean Edward, the one who cleaned after the five of them, the one who helped with the laundry and cooking, the one who helped make sure that everyone had what they needed for each and every day for school and work. Surely not. Because without his help, their mother would be stuck doing all of the housework by herself.
"And you know what's worse?" he continued, "It's the fact that you think it's okay. We're busting our butts outside tending to the crops that keep the money coming in, and all you want to do is stay inside. But, that's not even the half of it. What's worse than that is that you keep on defying dad. You keep on throwing away what makes us who we are: wolves. I mean, look at you. You're so skinny you look like a toothpick, you don't care about pack mentality, you've got absolutely no bark or bite, and you can't even howl."
The added emphasis on the word made Edward's ears flicker. Even his nostrils began to flare as his paws tensed up, his free paw balling into a fist while the other clenched the book still in his paw tightly. He could come to terms with the fact that he didn't like working on the farm. He could also come to terms with the fact that their father didn't like him much.
But the fact that he couldn't howl was something that he couldn't stand, and his family knew that. Gary knew that. Ever since he was a little pup they all knew. Even when their mother had tried to remedy the issue through the help of several doctors, therapists, and psychologists, they knew, especially when they all came to the same conclusion that there was nothing more they could do. Being specialists in their respective fields, with all the tools in their arsenal, their judgement was deemed final. His case was one in a million in their terms.
So, of all the things he could've picked out of the seemingly many things that could've irked him, Gary had to go for the low blow, the one thing that he knew Edward would get agitated over.
"You can't howl," he repeated. "I mean, come on, Ed! Every wolf on the planet can howl, even the runts. If you can't even pull off a howl, how can you even be considered a wolf in the first place—"
"Shut up."
"What," he questioned in mock defense. "I'm just telling it like it is. I haven't heard you howl once. Not a single time. Even the doctors couldn't help you. What a shame. Looks like you really aren't a w—"
Gary's eyes grew wide as his younger brother took a step forward with his paws up. With a hard shove Edward's silver and white colored paws pushed him backward towards the television, Gary's rear hitting the floor with a hard thud and an audible whine. And in the midst of that, there was another noise that reached Edward's finely tuned ears. A crack.
Biscuits, was the only thought that managed to run through his mind.
He had no chance to question what exactly the noise was or where it came from, and now there was the aftermath of his actions to deal with. His older brother had hurriedly gotten up from the floor and rushed over to him, roughly grabbing him by the nape of his t-shirt.
"Who do you think you are!?" Gary barked. "You know what you are? You're an ant. An insignificant, gross little insect crawling around like he owns the place. Then you have the nerve to crawl up in here and take a bite out of me? Let's get one thing straight, ant: you are nothing. You don't matter to anyone." He then snatched the book still clutched in Edward's paw and started waving it around in the air again. "You are some nobody stuck in your own little world. And you know what? I think you should get a GRIP!"
Gary forcefully threw the book off to the side of him, Edward reaching out to grab it, but again failing to catch it in time. The book sailed like a bullet across the room. Eventually, it collided against the wall in a space near the top of their family's bookshelf, the pages voicing their dissatisfaction until the impact.
Now, normally this wouldn't be quite an issue. If it weren't for one minute detail that even made Gary sound a curse under his breath, they would've been fine.
This detail was none other than their great-grandfather's ceramic plate, which was elegantly presented with its own special stand to showcase an old family photo that was clearly printed onto the center. Notably present in the picture was a younger version of their father and their six other uncles and aunts who they'd come to know back in their home city of Howlbrook. It was the only one of its kind, and looked absolutely beautiful.
So when they watched helplessly as the book hit the empty wall above and then fall and collide with that special plate, knocking it down from its stand and off the bookshelf, and finally making contact with a sharp crash on the wooden floor, Edward wished he had been able to grab it in time.
And right on cue came the rest of the family around the corner, their father leading the charge as he, their mother, and their sister looked upon the scene. Alabaster first looked at his two sons, then down at the shattered ceramic as he crouched down next to it. Edward and Gary stepped away from each other and guiltily waited for their father, who was scanning a large piece of the plate. You could almost see the utter despair and anger in his eyes. You could almost sense it.
As soon as Edward realized this, the eldest wolf lightly growled and dropped the piece of the plate he was holding. Alabaster turned to his two boys and saw his anger, his rage in its fullest form.
The two pups held their breath. Their father opened his maw…
…Only for him to be stopped by their mother who had gently placed a paw on his shoulder. Both husband and wife locked their gazes, one as soft and gentle as a cloud and one as fierce as a violent storm. But as seconds passed, the storm eventually faded, leaving their mother to assess the damage and their father again looking at the broken remains of his family heirloom.
When she finally spoke, she adorned a calm, clear, policing tone. "You two go to your rooms for the rest of the night. We will talk about your punishment in the morning."
The eldest of the kin looked at his younger brother with a perplexed look on his face. With his own melancholy expression, Edward pondered why Gary was so shocked. Was he stunned that it wasn't their father who was dishing out punishments for the two of them? Or was it the fact that he wasn't even speaking in the first place?
Regardless, Edward brushed it off. He and his brother—who was trailing behind him—walked slowly past Lavender, their father, and their mother and trudged on up the staircase, leaving his book sprawled out on the floor with the shattered ceramic next to the bookcase. When the time was right he would collect it and let this moment casually slip into the banks of his memory, eventually to be forgotten.
For now he'd let their father look over the damage and grieve the loss of his coveted heirloom. And in the meantime, he would have to think of a way to somehow apologize for the two of them. He only hoped that their punishment wasn't going to be too severe.
o o o
The morning afterward, despite the obnoxiousness of his alarm clock, Edward awoke to blissful peace and quiet. No fighting, no shouting, not even the slightest bicker from either one of his siblings, something that was extremely hard to find nowadays. He could actually hear the birds chirping in the tree outside his window.
He would try to relish this small moment as best as he could, because the likelihood of it happening again were slim to none, and also because of the fact that once he left the safety and sanctity of his bedroom he would have to face whatever punishment his father had in store for him. Needless to say, he was eager on taking his time this morning. There was no rush.
He stared aimlessly at the ceiling of his room and let time pass him by. Past his room and a ways down the short hallway he could hear the tuneful humming of his sister's voice along with the sound of the whirring shower faucet in the background, which provided a calming white noise that nearly lulled him back to sleep.
But, before his eyes had the chance to fully close back up, he rose from his sprawled position and scooched over to the edge of his bed. A warm yawn filled his lungs. He wanted so badly to crawl back under the bedsheets and sleep for just a little while longer. But, in the end, he pushed the procrastination building up in his mind aside. The last thing he wanted was to face any more punishment deeper than he was already in.
He slowly got up on his feet and strolled over towards his dresser, not even bothering to open the blinds or flick the switch on the wall to allow more light into the room. He quickly plucked out a pair of black cargo shorts and a maroon t-shirt from the top two drawers and put them both on. Once that was done, he took a few small steps to the left to get in front of the rectangular oak framed mirror sitting next to the dresser.
In the reflection, he saw the outfit in its entirety. It seemed to match correctly, against itself and his fur. He twisted and turned to double-check, eventually coming to an adequate resolution, and then stared closely at the state of his bedfur. Fortunately, his fur didn't seem to look too messy, only requiring a simple brush up and nothing more.
Once he was satisfied enough with his look to feel comfortable and confident with himself, he was ready to tackle the day.
He slowly strolled over to the door, placing his paw onto the knob. But, instead of turning the golden-looking metal to open it, he stood there and stared into the dark colored wood.
He would be lying if he said he wasn't afraid of what he would face once he got down the stairs. Their father wasn't exactly merciful to begin with, and now that something close to his heart was thoroughly smashed to pieces, things weren't looking that bright.
What's worse was that he wasn't even the one to throw the book in the first place. Although, the argument could be made that Edward was the one to instigate the fight, but even then it was still Gary who threw the book (which he shouldn't have done anyway).
Either way, the downward spiral that was yesterday evening left Gary and Edward in their father's crosshairs. Neither one of them was safe. And what could they do to stop it? It wasn't like Edward could just hole up in his bedroom for the rest of his life. His father lived only a couple of rooms down. It wouldn't take him more than a couple seconds to sniff him out.
He needed to face the music. However, if he were being completely honest, it felt like a very feasible option. It was his father after all.
A sigh billowed through Edward's snout. It was time. He built up what little confidence he had and sharply sucked in some air.
The door slowly opened to reveal the second floor hallway. He held his breath as he stared at the other doors scattered around the space. On his immediate right was the bathroom that Edward, Gary and Lavender shared. Their mother and father shared their own personal bathroom in the sanctity of their space directly across from Edward's room, so they rarely ever utilized the one down the hall. Currently, Lavender had the reins of that space. She was still clearly humming some familiar tune that he almost wished he could recognize. It put a slow rhythm to Edward's step as he slowly started to make his way down the hallway towards the stairs.
But before he even took a step forward, he gazed at the open door of the bedroom that Lavender and Gary shared directly across from the bathroom. Since Edward was lucky enough to have a mother who understood the kind of relationship he and his siblings shared and being the introverted mammal he was, the bedroom on the far side of the second floor was bound to him. And even though a good seven years had passed since that decision was finalized, Gary still made sure to show his resentment to that outcome, not that Edward cared. Gary didn't understand, and probably never would.
Shaking that thought aside, his ears honed in on another sound that had creeped through the open doorway to his left. When Edward peered into the darkened room, he saw that Gary was sitting at the edge of his bed, slumped lazily as he finished the remainder of the yawn Edward managed to pick up. While Gary began rubbing his eyes, Edward took the chance to flee the scene and be on his merry way. Things were nice and quiet, and he was keen on keeping it that way.
Edward quickly walked around the corner past the rustic-looking wall light and down the staircase to the foyer below. As he descended towards the first floor he peered through the window next to the front door, gaining the slightly hindered view of their farm and the crops that looked to be sufficiently growing before him.
After reaching the foot of the stairs he stepped closer and closer to the window, allowing himself to take in more of the outside world and a feel of his surroundings. When he reached the glass, he was greeted with one of the calmest settings he could ever find on the farm.
Gentle winds were blowing through the fields, rustling the leaves on the trees just beyond the front porch while waves of corn and wheat gently swayed back and forth with the wind. The early morning rays blessed the sky with a light orange hue that touched the few sporadic clouds that dotted the late-spring skies. If Edward had to guess, the temperature must have been around a comfortable sixty-eight, even with the slightly chilly night that they had. It was perfect.
Just looking at the scene made him want to bust out the old hammock from the attic and spend a couple hours in the sun. Then he could finally read his book without interruption.
My book… Edward regretfully remembered.
The whimsical thoughts of relaxation and leisure were soon replaced with that of worry and anxiousness as his gaze transferred over to the living room—the scene of the crime, Edward and Gary's blunder.
Edward slowly strolled toward the room with his eyes set on the space where the plate had made contact with the floor. As he peered around the corner, he anticipated the various bits and pieces that were more than likely still scattered around the corner of the room.
But, to his surprise, there weren't any pieces of ceramic scattered around at all. Not a single piece. Instead, in their place was a small brown cardboard box, filled with all of the pieces of the heirloom.
He kneeled down and looked around and inside the brown cardboard. What was left of the heirloom was sitting inside. It felt terrible to see it like it was.
Upon further inspection, there was something that caught Edward's eye. On the side of the box was a plain yellow sticky note with the words Wallace and Son's Repair and Maintenance and a phone number. A sigh of relief rushed out of Edward's lungs.
The Snow family had close ties to the Lupins—Wallace, his wife Sheryl, and their five pups, all wolves—on Charolete's side of the family. Apparently, Edward's grandfather was friends with Wallace's dad and served with him during the Great War in the same platoon. Once the war was over and everything began to calm back down, the Lupins settled down in Bunnyburrow and opened up their shop under the name Bunnyburrow Repairs and Maintenance, eventually turning into Wallace and Son's soon after Wallace's father passed away. Their family's shop was located in the center of town next to a bakery shop and a clothing store that they also frequented occasionally.
At least there's a chance to fix this, he thought to himself.
If anyone could fix anything, it would be Wallace. It would pain Edward to see that the one thing their father cherished be broken and thrown away so easily. It would almost be like Gary completely ruining the one thing he'd actually be able to call his own. But, in this situation, the item in question had vast amounts of sentimental value being one of the few remaining items that showcased the entirety of their family at that time. More specifically, the mammal Edward's father focused on the most in that photograph was his own father, Norman, Edward's grandfather. From the stories that Edward's mother told him, Norman was one of the most influential animals that Alabaster ever knew; he looked up to him and thought of him as his role model, and from what Edward heard his grandfather seemed like a really nice guy.
A few months before Edward, Gary and Lavender were brought into the world, Alabaster was hit with some grim news. Norman had been caught in a bad car accident while attempting to get back to his home from the central town in Bunnyburrow. His mother didn't get into exact details of why he was there and who he was with, telling him that the injuries he sustained were too severe. Later that night, he passed away. The end result of this tragedy left Edward's father broken and tattered. It was as if he was just a shell of his former self. And here he was, years later, a bitter old mammal still trying to cope with that hard fact.
Edward felt terrible about what happened to his father and his plate; he wouldn't know what he would have done if he experienced something equally as tragic. However, that feeling wasn't strong enough to be fully sympathetic to his cause. Not only did the end result of Norman's death leave Alabaster broken, it left him bitter and almost downright repulsive. No amount of tragedy could excuse how hard he was on Edward specifically, and he sure wasn't this crude to any other member of the family. What made it worse was that Gary had picked up on it too.
But, against his better judgement, Edward would do his best to apologize for what happened and try and quell some of the bad blood between the two of them, regardless if it would be in vain or not.
If Edward wanted to be the better mammal, and if he was still the kind mammal he knew he was, then that was the least he could do.
The silver wolf took one more look around the vicinity for the item he came for as he transitioned over towards the archway leading into the dining room. There was still something missing that he'd been wanting to grab since last night and only now did he have the chance to do so. Unsurprisingly, he found the book sitting neatly on the top of the book shelf, exactly where the plate would have been if it hadn't been so carelessly knocked down.
Before he had the chance to even take a step to grab the book from its resting space, something heavenly made its way to his nose. Edward sniffed the air and took in some of the fantastic scent.
Toast… and coffee. Wait, is that waffles too? It's gotta be, he determined quickly. His stomach rumbled. For all the traits he seemed to not possess as a wolf, he was thankful that he still had a great sense of smell.
Edward turned tail and nearly rushed over, led by his stomach, back through the foyer and into the dining room. The only thing that he could think about was the food that filled his nostrils. He almost forgot about the book and the plate for a moment. If it weren't for that slight hesitation that made him do a double take towards the living room, he surely would have strolled on by. A few seconds of staring at the room later, he sighed. I'll get it after breakfast, he compromised.
With that, he turned his head over towards the kitchen. He was practically drooling at this point. All he wanted to do was see the food with his own eyes and bask in its glory (and to see if he was indeed right with his assumptions).
But that would have to wait. Coming into view from around the corner was none other than his mother, Charolete, who was standing in front of the stove with her back towards him. With a flick of her ear—more than likely picking up on the creaking of the floorboards below Edward's feet—she turned to him with a warm smile.
"Good morning, sweetheart," she greeted.
"G'morning mom."
He made his way over around the kitchen's island and towards the stove near the far corner of the room. Without missing a beat he wrapped his paws around her waist and hugged her, and received a hug back in return. When they separated, she went back to cooking while Edward took a step back to watch.
The way that she worked food felt like magic. No matter the dish, everything she cooked tasted fantastic and looked immaculate. It was like eating from a five star restaurant.
This would surely be no different.
Today's meal looked to be one of his mom's breakfast specialties: Eggs-in-toast, topped with green onion, cheddar cheese and a side of bug patties—or for Edward, a couple of nicely seasoned tofu patties. Just looking at some of the ingredients laid out on the counter, the patties, the eggs, the toast, made him salivate even more than the smell managed to do.
Though, he couldn't help but notice the lack of waffles. He could have sworn he smelled them if the additional stench of sugary syrup meant anything.
Edward's stomach supplied a rumble big enough to halt the thought dead in its tracks.
Charolete, picking up on the noise, grinned and teased, "Sounds like someone's hungry this morning."
"Just a little bit," he replied.
"Well, I think you're going to like what's on the menu today."
The she-wolf ruffled the fur atop the youngest wolf's head and shared a laugh before going back to her duties.
She stared at all the ingredients in front of her, left to right, taking them all into account—the eggs, the lightly baked toast still warm from the toaster, cheddar cheese, the green onions, tofu and bug patties, and lastly the salt and pepper. Then came her tools—spatula, fork, bowls, plates, they were all accounted for. She then shut her eyes and took a slow breath in.
This was Edward's favorite part.
The pans were ready, their heat beckoning the call of fresh food. The ingredients were all sorted neatly in their places beside the stove. Edward could feel the rush of adrenaline as he waited patiently in suspense.
Then, she opened her eyes. Showtime.
Her paws grabbed three pieces of toast and placed them into the left-topmost pan. The butter beneath the bread sizzled under the heat of the copper, which created a slightly greasy aroma that Edward couldn't get enough of. Just as the slices of bread got situated into their places she grabbed two of the three eggs sitting inside a glass bowl and cracked both of them over the rim of the pan, expertly allowing the innards to fall directly into the hollowed out center of the toast. Right after adjusting the slices of bread and moving them around in the pan, she grabbed the small platter of patties and began quickly scooping up the seven bug versions with her spatula, placing them onto the right-topmost pan in an orderly fashion. As for the three seasoned tofu patties, they got their own smaller pan on the bottom left burner.
All of this occurred within the span of a single minute, and Charolete wasn't even breaking a sweat. How is she so calm? the young wolf wondered.
Without missing a beat, she grabbed the bowl and the remaining two eggs and cracked them open against the rim of the glass. With the fork she whisked away at the yolks until all that remained was a thick yellow liquid.
Before she began cooking the whisked egg into scrambled eggs, she tended to the food already cooking on the three pans. The eggs inside the toast were cooking beautifully, and both the bug and tofu patties were sizzling in the heat. It smelt wonderful. Even the bugs looked fantastic.
But, as she worked on the food, she was faced with another problem. Both she and Edward looked around the counter. She was missing a pan. If the scrambled eggs weren't ready by the time the other meals were ready, they would get cold. That was something neither of them could allow to happen.
Seeing the problem, Edward hastily opened the cupboard door next to the stove, grabbed an appropriately sized pan and placed it into the only remaining burner left on their stovetop.
"Thanks, sweetheart," she lightly smiled as she turned on the last burner. "When I tell you 'go,' start setting plates for service, yes?"
"Yes, chef," he replied formally, shuffling towards the sink to first wash his paws, then back to the counter to prepare for the dishes.
"Good," came her hesitant reply.
She went back to her tasks and observed the rest of the food carefully, maneuvering each item inside until she was satisfied enough to move onto one of the last items on her list.
With the pan at an optimal temperature, she grabbed the bowl of liquid egg and poured it inside. Instantly, the heat began cooking the whisked egg as the liquid directly against the copper collected and clumped up into a solid mass. The she-wolf tentatively made sure that the egg didn't burn and stick to the pan, her spatula moving the nearly finished portions to the middle, allowing the rest of the egg to fully cook.
After another minute on the burner, as well as a good round of seasoning of salt and pepper for all her items, the scrambled eggs were finally complete along with the egg inside the toast. She placed her spatula under the bottoms of the toast in the other pan, then gave her son the signal he was waiting for. Edward was ready.
"Go."
Like lightning, Charolete lifted the pan off of the burner and placed each individual piece of toast onto the three plates with ease, then scooped the scrambled egg into the piece that still had its shot-glass sized hole empty.
Once the second pan was cleared away, Edward went to work. He centered every slice of toast and cleaned up the pieces of scrambled egg that had missed the toast entirely. Then, he grabbed the bowl of freshly grated cheddar cheese to his left and began layering it on top of the bread and eggs. Next, he grabbed the bowl of green onion and sprinkled it onto the two pieces that didn't contain the scrambled egg, knowing that the one who preferred the other kind of egg also didn't like the taste of onion. Finally, he grabbed the pan on the stove that contained the patties and placed each individual one at three triangular points on the plate, putting the three tofu versions on what would be his plate.
After putting the pan back onto the burner, he looked at each plate with a smile. They looked pretty good. Not great, but good enough.
However, it felt like there was still something missing. Something that would add a little more flair into the dish.
"...!"
He had it.
He ran over to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of sriracha, and then rushed towards the silverware drawer, grabbing a small spoon. When he got back to the counter, he removed the cap from the bottle and squeezed a dot of it to the left of each patty. A smile crept on his muzzle. He took the spoon and for each plate rested it on top of the dot and swiped the spoon parallel to the rim of the plate, creating a yin-yang like shape with each dab of hot sauce.
Edward took a step back and looked at each plate. Another smile formed, then a rush of excitement. They looked stunning. He looked toward his mother standing behind him who adorned a smile of her own, awaiting her judgement.
She chuckled, then finally spoke.
"They look absolutely beautiful, Edward. Nicely done."
"T-thanks."
To see that even his mother, the former chef, thought that the dish looked nice, it made him feel a sense of pride. Although, it was a faux sense seeing as how all the work came from his mother's paws. He just sat back and cleaned some plates. At least he made the dishes look presentable. His mother had the professional experience built up over years of hard work. He was still just a young pup learning how to cook himself, so he assumed that he shouldn't be too hard on himself. Perhaps one day he could learn the way his mother had learned?
"So, are they ready for service? Looks like our diners are finally at the table," she asked, snapping him out of his thought.
Edward gave a hesitant nod and a smile, "Yeah."
When did they get into the kitchen? he wondered. He didn't hear a thing when he was working with Charolete. So when did they make it down? He shook it off. It was breakfast time, more importantly, food time. Little ninjas…
"You don't have to worry about the dishes today either, I'll take care of them. After breakfast, your father will be coming in to assign you and Gary your… project for the day.
More like punishment, he grimly thought before replying, "Okay."
Taking all three plates from the countertop, one having to balance onto his forearm, he moved into the dining room with a genuine faux smile to face both his sister and his brother sitting at opposite ends of the table.
At first glance, Gary looked to be incredibly groggy. He was struggling to stay awake as he nearly nodded off. It made Edward remind him that he was still tired himself.
On the other hand, Lavender looked to be fully attentive, amethyst eyes wide open and a smile adorning her face as Edward made his way over. To his knowledge, it seemed as if she was trying to hold the same kind of smile he was.
She must be tired too, he assumed.
He placed the plates in between the glasses of water and sets of silverware in front of their representative diners—first, the scrambled egg-in-toast minus onion for Gary, second, the regular meal for Lavender, and finally, the tofu patty version, Edward's plate.
He sat down at the seat next to Gary and took a good look at what he created one last time before it would be cast away into the pit that was his stomach, then dug right in.
Needless to say, it was fantastic. The perfect blend of flavor all packed together neatly on a single plate. On top of that, all three of them were completely silent while they ate their breakfasts, Gary's muzzle nearly falling into his food as he bobbed in and out of sleep. What more could Edward ask for?
With their food eaten and their stomachs full, Charolete took their plates, glassware, and silverware and took them into the kitchen.
But amongst the clattering of glass and metal, a light feminine voice could be heard calling out to him. "Hey Ed…?"
He put a smile on and replied, "Yeah Lav?"
"Sorry for getting mom and dad involved. It wasn't cool of me to do that. I just thought that you two might actually get into an actual fight that time, considering the subject and all."
"It's fine."
Edward sat back and stared up at the ceiling, eyeing all of the little details on the chandelier hanging above. He couldn't blame the lot of them for not being good at small talk, he wasn't good at it at all.
But before he could get too comfortable, Lavender spoke once more, Edward turning his gaze to the awkward looking wolf in front of him. He noted the strangeness of her body language and the way she spoke.
"Listen, Ed...do you mind doing me a favor? Just for today?"
"..."
For a second he sat there and contemplated what exactly she had in mind for him. He had an idea, but he was hoping that he wasn't right with his assumption.
But rather than just blowing the whole idea aside, he played along and agreed to whatever she had planned. "Sure."
"Could…could..."
She was obviously struggling with whatever she needed to say, which was something extremely out of the ordinary for her. Edward waited patiently for her to get the words out. He was certain that he wasn't going to like it. He prepared for the worst.
Lavender paused and took a breath, then looked him dead in the eye, almost pleading.
"Could you possibly work outside today? Please? I'm…not exactly feeling well…and I'd rather not push it with the yardwork we do—"
"Sure," he agreed, understanding the message.
Lavender smiled, a sigh of relief easing the tension in her shoulders. "Thank you."
"No problem."
"Well, I guess that makes my job a whole lot easier."
The stern baritone voice made the lot of pups at the table shoot to attention, Gary specifically being the most drastic as he brought his head up from the tabletop. They looked to their father who was leaning against the archway leading into kitchen, staring each of them down.
He transitioned to the chair on the end of the table and continued, pointing to Edward, "Today, you and Gary are going to be working outside." Before the eldest of the three pups could object, their father shot him a glare, halting whatever he was going to say dead in its tracks. "Because of what happened yesterday, I thought that a little farm work would be punishment enough for the both of you."
"But, dad—"
"Gary, I will not have any of it. I of all mammals should know by now that all you wanna do is display yourself to the pack. But, by picking on the runt? Come on, Gary. You've got to do better than that."
As Edward felt the personal jab and Gary sounded a disgruntled huff, Charolete stepped sternly into the conversation from the kitchen while she finished up the remainder of the dishes. "Alabaster, back to the punishment."
He mumbled and complained quietly, then ultimately resigned. "Yes dear," he groveled, then looked towards the three pups. "Your mother and I came to the decision late last night after cleaning up the rest of your mess. We felt that the hard work would show Edward how to properly tend to the farm, while building what little relationship you two have. The latter was your mother's idea."
Gary's head tilted. "Ladder? Why's mom climb—"
"No, latter," Edward clarified. "With two 't's instead of 'd's. It usually means the last option out of two—"
"Shut it!"
The youngest and eldest wolf pups shut their mouths upon their father's order and obediently waited for him to start talking again, which he then calmly directed at Gary.
"Because of your younger brother's incompetence with the basics of farming, today's your lucky day. Today, you both get one of the most mind-numbing tasks I could give: you two will be going around the farm and pulling out any weeds that you can find."
While Gary blatantly showed his dissatisfaction with his new role, Edward breathed a sigh of relief. His mother and him usually went around the gardens outside the house and weeded regularly. This couldn't have worked out better for him. It would be a cakewalk.
"Do we at least get to use the chemical?" Gary asked.
"...Under normal circumstances, yes, I would let you use it. But, again, since Edward doesn't have any experience with it and your mother's resistance to the idea, the chemical is out of the question. Instead, you'll be using the tools in the shed. You'll both be working ten minutes from now 'till dinner. Get yourselves ready." He then turned to Lavender. "Looks like you've got the reins on the house today with Charolete."
She cleared her throat. "Looks like I do."
"Your mother and I will be making a run to town after lunch to pick up a few things, so make sure these two keep working."
"Will do."
"Alright you three…" the wolf looked at all three of his pups then sent them off. "Get going."
o o o
A little bit over six hours and a very uneventful sandwich-filled lunchtime later, Edward and Gary were hard at work removing weeds and other flora that had grown around the crops. They had covered the little portion of fields that were up by the shed, greenhouse, and around the house, and now all that was left were the crops by the edge of the road. Although it spanned a house length past the stretch of dirt that led to their house, the combined teamwork of both the Snow pups made it bearable.
And if Edward could take away anything from this punishment, this work was nothing to joke about. It was the definition of back-breaking.
Today was one of the hottest days of the spring to date, an unbelievable seventy degrees Fahrenheit, and Edward could feel it. He had been panting since the end of his lunch, and there was just no possibility of shaking it. Both Gary and him knew that if they stopped now at the pace they were going—nearly an hour after their parents had left for town—they would be in even more trouble for slacking off.
Weeding aside, Edward couldn't imagine farming being a recurring thing for him. He couldn't imagine another day let alone another hour full of the heat, the dirt, the sweat, any of it.
He had to give Gary and Lavender credit. Weeding was hard enough in large quantities. But actual farm work? Edward wanted no part in it.
This was truly a suitable punishment for him.
He used the picker in his paw to dig up another weed stuck firmly in the ground, which allowed the dirt around it to fly freely up into his face and then into his eyes for the fourth time.
"Biscuits!" Edward bitterly cursed, throwing the sharp part of his gardening tool into the soil as he started rubbing his eyes.
Through Edward's foggy vision, he could spot the blob that was Gary and his brown lawn bag getting closer.
"Again? Seriously?" he asked sourly, looking at Edward with a glare.
The younger wolf contained a growl building in his chest, only agreeing after a short exasperated sigh, "Again."
Gary let out a huff and shook his head. Edward finished rubbing out the remainder of the dirt from his eyes and looked out past the paved road in front of them to the fields beyond, the Hopps' farmland. A small gust of wind ruffled the plants and Edward's fur. That hammock seemed absolutely tempting.
But, unfortunately, he didn't get to enjoy the scenery for long. The eldest pup had opened his maw once again, this time in the usual spite and malice he normally displayed.
"It's like you're not even trying. I thought you and mom gardened together?"
Edward attempted to switch the topic back to their work, too tired to deal with any of his brother's shenanigans after a long day on the farm. "Look, let's just get this done. We're so close to finishing this up, and I don't know about you, but I just want to relax for the rest of the day. So if we could just finish this and not start anything, that would be great."
"Wow, looks like someone's feeling confident today," Gary huffed.
"Nope, just tired."
"You? Tired? After finally working a day, who would have thought."
Edward ignored the last jab and grabbed both the weed picker and the invasive plant he had just pulled from the earth and moved towards his own brown lawn bag, discarding the plant. He picked up the paper bag and moved it over to the second to last row.
He wasn't there to fight with his brother, he was there to atone for his mistake yesterday.
But still, Gary kept going. "Do you even know how much work we have to do out here to maintain everything? If anyone should be tired, it would be me, Lavender, and dad. You just sit in the house all day."
Edward slowly turned to Gary and crossed his arms. "You do know that someone has to clean up your mess, wash the dishes, do the laundry, tend to the garden, and run errands, right?"
"Pfft, please. Mom does almost all of the work around the house. There's no way that your lazy butt would be doing all of that."
The younger pup bent down and dug his gardening tool into the soil next to a weed. "Ask mom, she'd vouch for me."
"No way," Gary doubted. "She's totally biased. She'd take your side in a heartbeat."
"You can trust her word. She's honest."
"I wouldn't know."
"…"
Edward faltered at Gary's last statement. It was difficult to comprehend for himself. It was true that their mother spent more time with him and hardly any time with Gary, but it wasn't out of will, and it certainly wasn't her desire to push away her kin.
On the contrary, their mother would never do such a thing. She loved everyone. That would mean that if anyone pushed anyone away, it would be none other than Gary himself. It was he that preferred their father over their mother, and he almost shut her out completely. If it weren't for the need for food, laundry, and cleaning, Edward was sure that Gary didn't care at all.
But, instead of telling Gary the truth and instigating yet another fight, he attempted to once again focus on the current task at hand by honing in on another weed a couple of feet down.
And, again, Gary kept going and began following him where he went, not that Edward was surprised in any way. It was as if he was asking for a fight.
"If you even cared about what we do here, you wouldn't be sitting inside all day. You would be out here helping us maintain the one thing that brings money to the farm and food on the table. But, you know what?"
Edward waited for a second to allow him to answer his own question, then turned his head to find that he was waiting for a response. He let out yet another light aggravated sigh. "What?"
"I think dad already knows that."
The youngest pup's ears flicked and adjusted themselves in Gary's direction. The mention of their dad flipped the conversation into something different, a place where he didn't want to go, at least not now. However, Edward was certain that Gary noticed his negative reaction based on the light chuckle that seemed to linger in the air. He continued.
"Maybe that's why he thinks so highly of you. I think we both know you mean nothing. You and him aren't on good terms already, considering that you're pretty much less than an omeg—"
Edward threw the picker into the soil. He could feel the agitation brewing inside him, which managed to spill out when he stood up and spoke over his brother, "Gary, stop."
"Oooh, look at you," Gary deviously grinned at the interruption, "Have you finally found your bite?"
"Come on Gair. Please, can we just get through this work?"
Edward stepped away and picked up both the garden tool and lawn bag. He hurriedly shuffled over to the next weed and began attempting to pull it from the ground.
"Aww, but I was having fun!"
"You're picking fights," Edward tried telling him, grabbing the freshly picked weed and tossing it into the bag.
Gary pushed it further. "What, you can't take a little heat?"
It was then that Edward finally broke. He looked up, stared straight into Gary's brown eyes and began to speak, his newfound confidence taking shape.
"No, I just think it's a little sad for you to be picking fights with someone who's 'less than an omega.' Isn't that right? Was that what you were going to say? Well, if you're asking me, I think that's kind of pathetic. And the best part is that I think dad would agree."
A dark expression swept over Gary as his paws turned into fists, then he spoke.
"Shut up."
"What," Edward grinned, enjoying the moment, "you can't take what you dish out—Oof!"
Before he could get the last word out, Gary's snow-white paws shoved Edward backwards into the paper lawn bag. Luckily for him, he was able to find his footing again as the bag crumpled under the weight of his foot.
"I said, shut up!" the eldest wolf yelled.
At first Edward looked at his brother towering over him. He could feel the fear that made his entire body shake. There was a high chance that if he pursued this any further he could wind up getting hurt, or worse, into even more trouble than they already were in.
However, he wanted to be strong, to prove that he wasn't going to simply be bossed around. Confidence was once again building in his chest. Edward shook his head and stood back up on his feet. His grey colored paws wiped the dirt from his shirt. "You're such a hypocrite."
Edward bent down, picked the bag up off the ground and reached for the weed picker he'd callously thrown down.
And that's when he heard it: the sound of a low, gargled growl just barely loud enough to hear, then the harsh rustle of dirt, and finally…claws. Claws… he thought. He could practically feel the tension looming in the air around him; it couldn't have possibly been the heat. What made matters worse was that his back was towards his brother.
Fight or flight?
Edward thought over the two options for a millisecond before his body made an executive decision and quickly leaped from his crouched position over to the next row of plants. With his back to the dirt, he was able to get a clear view of the deranged look in his brother's eyes. Gary had swiped the air where Edward originally was, only faltering when he realized that his target had moved.
The silver wolf looked upon the act of aggression. He was in a state of shock.
He… he actually tried to hit me… he tried to seriously hit me…
He didn't want to believe it. The next thought that went through his head after that was: Run.
As soon as he kicked up the dirt and bolted down the row of crops, his older brother took another attempt and swiped in his direction, giving chase after failing a second time.
Both wolves bolted down the rows they were in, the runt losing speed as his legs began to pathetically tire out, his older brother managing to easily gain up on him. Edward wished that the work he did earlier wasn't as bad as it actually was, perhaps then he might've had the stamina to lose him. He cast the thought away and focused as much as he could on running away.
Edward jumped over to the final row of crops, the fur on his foot grazing the leaves of a young corn stalk, causing him to nearly stumble when he hit the dirt.
Unfortunately, Gary wasn't that far behind. He ran through the row beside the one Edward was running through, his physicality showing just how superior it was to his younger brother's.
And when the white furred wolf inevitably got close enough to him, he lept over the knee-high row of corn and tacked Edward to the ground.
It took a short moment for both wolves to regain their senses, Gary only letting up from Edward to flip him over so Edward could see him clearly. He grabbed the nape of his little brother's shirt and with his other free paw unsheathed the black claws from under his fur. His brown eyes looked directly into Edward's cobalt ones.
"Don't you ever call me pathetic again, do you hear me?"
"Get off of me, Gary," Edward attempted to warn him. At the same time, as he was squirming to find an opening in Gary's defenses, he noticed that his arms were open to move. He quickly noted how stupid his brother could be before a plan formed in his head.
"I SAID, DO YOU HEAR ME—"
Before he had the chance to finish repeating himself, the runt pushed his brother off from on top of him and used his legs to successfully push him back to the ground. In the meantime, the stupefied Gary lost his footing and managed to twist in the direction he was falling.
The eldest pup fell with a hard thud, managing to land face first into a line of some purple colored flowers near the roadside.
When everything calmed back down, Edward let out a pent-up breath and began panting once again as he got up from the ground.
"BOYS!"
Before Edward had the chance to fully assess the situation himself, Alabaster came rushing onto the scene along with Charolete, both with looks of worry on their faces.
"Mom, da—"
"Get him away from those Nighthowlers, Al," Charolete ordered, ignoring their youngest son.
"I know, I know." Alabaster pulled Gary from the ground and back towards the corn, but not before he started sniffling and growling, then convulsing as their father tried keeping him down. "Gary, it's going to be okay son, just keep breathing, keep on breathing."
Edward looked at where Gary was before, noticing an entire flower was missing.
Is… he okay? Was he allergic to whatever that was? Edward thought in a panic.
The silver wolf attempted to ask what was on his mind, "I-is he okay—"
His father's baritone voice interrupted him, booming like a cannon, "Get out of here!"
Edward flinched at the command and stared at him. Each and every word said felt like daggers piercing his very flesh.
"B-but—" the pup stammered.
"GET INSIDE NOW, EDWARD! YOU'VE DONE ENOUGH!"
Edward heeded his father's words and began to take his first couple of steps. He struggled to move away from the scene he'd caused. Gary looked as if he were in tremendous pain.
I… I can't believe I caused this… he thought.
Then, the snow-white pup stopped convulsing. What came afterwards was bone-chilling. He looked up to his younger brother with a snarl. Gary was growling. His eyes had suddenly changed. Edward froze in shock. It was then that his older brother began sprinting over towards Edward. Before Gary could get to him, Alabaster leaped forward and tackled the eldest pup to the ground, holding him back.
"EDWARD, GO!"
Without a second thought, the silver wolf ran back to the house, tears streaking down his face in waves. All he wanted was just the day to be over. He wanted to escape the punishment cleanly without any major fights. And all his plan did was go up in smoke.
Edward ignored the clear sound of a deep, mature yelp and a feminine scream as he made it to the house. He wanted to just forget this all even happened. The plate, the work, the fight, the look in his brother's eyes. Everything.
This wasn't what he wanted. He wasn't like this. He wasn't meant to be like them. He was meant to be nothing. Just as they said.
Nothing...
Edward wished he could forget that moment and erase it from existence.
And, after some time, he eventually did.