War of the Wolves
Part I
by Devon Masterson

"I have to get Terry," Andy thought as he silently watched his brother practicing a kata from a nearby tree. Andy could see Terry's slow movements as he concentrated on using every muscle in his body to it's full extent. "Yes, he must pay and pay dearly he will."
Andy raised his hands and prepared to attack the last of his family. "Good-bye, brother, you were a worthy adversary," he thought as gave his last mental respects. He released the attack from his hand and watched as it flew towards his unsuspecting sibling.
SPLASH!
Terry felt the gruella attack hit in the back, then a sticky wetness. "What the hell?" he asked as touched the spot with his hand and looked at it. It was honey and with the heat outside the honey became very sticky and not so pleasant. Terry looked angrily to the direction that the balloon filled honey hit him from when he saw Joe step from behind the tree walked towards him. "Joe!"
"Hey, Terry, you want...what's wrong with you?" Joe asked as he came closer.
Terry looked at him and growled. "I'll tell you what's wrong," he growled as he jumped on Joe.
Andy watched the two fighting from the trees and started laughing, not too loud. He didn't want them to hear him. "I am too good," he chuckled to himself as he watched the scene unfold. He stayed up in the tree watching until the fight escalated. "I better get out of here." He jumped out of the tree and quickly went toward the house.
"What's going on?" Mai asked as she stepped out of the house.
Andy put on his usual serious face. "Just Terry and Joe horsing around. I was practicing on the other side of the house when I heard them. I'd thought I go check it out," Andy answered. "You... want to do something?"
Mai's eyes lit up. "Let's go!" she exclaimed as she grabbed Andy's arm.
As she pulled him along, Andy smiled. "I am good."

About 15 years later...

"John-Michael, come over here," Andy said softly as he looked around.
A twelve year old boy with long white hair pulled into a rubber band and baseball cap that he wore on backwards walked over to his uncle. "Yes, Uncle Andy."
"You and I are going to have some fun," he began. "I saw what you did to your sisters. I have to admit nice work for an amateur."
JM smiled as he thought about his seven year old twin sisters running from their playhouse yelling for their father. He remembered creeping in softly and removing the worms he had place there and putting them in a hole. Then when they came back with their father trying to get him to kill the "snakes" they had seen there was nothing there. He remember how Terry looked at them for scaring that way. He promptly sent them to the corner for a time-out. JM started laughing out loud again at the sight. "What do you have in mind, Uncle Andy?"
Andy looked over his shoulder and Joe coming. "Walk with me," he commented as he led him away.
A couple of days later, the Bogard-Higashi family arrived in Osaka for the first part of their vacation. It was two weeks in Japan and two weeks in Thailand.
"I want you to meet my nephew, Robin Usaki," Joe said as he stepped to the side.
A young boy about twelve years old looked up and greeted everyone shyly.
"Scape goat," John-Michael thought as he looked at his cousin. "Hmmm... I think Uncle Andy's plan might just work." He looked casually toward Andy and saw that his uncle shared his thoughts. Their plan was ready for action.

Almost everyone was out in the backyard doing various things playing, talking or sparring when all of sudden a wave of balloon assaults hit the unsuspecting members of the wolf pack in the backyard.
All kinds of balloons hit them as they dodged and ducked the. After the attack was finished, everyone in the backyard was pretty angry and looking for the culprit. The balloons were not ordinary balloons. Some were filled honey, some paint, others had water, then their was the whipped cream balloons. It was a mess if hit by different kinds.
"This is disgusting," Andy said as he looked down at himself. "Who did this?"
JM looked over to his uncle who was hit a honey balloon and a whipped cream one. "I don't know, but I am ready to give a serious pounding," he replied as he touched his head where he got hit.
"It has to be Joe," Terry accused as he tried to get the chocolate off of his daughters who were hit in the face and chest. Mina and Teri were contributing to his efforts licking the chocolate off. "He pulled something like this before."
"Dad, why would Uncle Joe attack us like this?" JM asked.
"Because he has a sick sense of humor," Terry answered as he picked Mina up.
Shara picked up Teri. "Come on , Sweetie," she soothed as she carried her daughter inside.
"I don't think Joe had anything to do with this," Roxy said to his defense as she tried to get some of the paint of of Charly and Jo. They had been standing next to each other when they were hit. She took them each by the hand to take them inside when Joe and Robin came out, completely clean, with some very questionable items.
"What happened?" Joe asked as he looked at everyone. He was holding a can of whip cream.
Roxy narrowed her eyes at Joe and Robin, then drew her conclusions. "Get them," she said as everybody started running after Robin and Joe.
The two broke out in all out run for your life as their entire family ran after them with intentions pain.
"This is the second time this has happened to me. I only know one person who would pull a joke like this and pin it on me...Andy! And now one suspects him that's why he's doing this. Well I'll get him and I know he had help. But who?" he wondered as he and Robin flew through the woods with everyone close at their heels. "Had to be John-Michael. He's the only one who's just as sick as Andy. I always knew the kid had it in for me, but I have to hand it to him he played his hand well. I'll just have to get him back. Four can play this game, if we survive."

******

John-Michael walked into the room he and Matt shared when he heard and the later felt a splash.
Then he was covered in chocolate and something hard. "What the hell?" he asked as he looked down.
Shara rushed into the room and gasped. "Watch your mouth, young man," she said sternly. "Are you okay?" she asked in a softer tone.
"Yes, just sticky," he answered as he tried to figure out what was mixed with the chocolate. "NO!" he yelled as he figured it out. "NOT MY CEREAL!!!! SOMEONE WILL PAY" he exclaimed as his eyes glowed a familiar red.
"Hold on, mister," Shara commented. "Before you prepare for ultimate destruction, take a shower and then I'll take you to the store to get some of your coveted Fruity Pebbles."
JM's tone softened. "Thanks, Mom," he said as he moved to hug her.
Shara stopped him. "After the shower."
JM smiled and went to the bathroom. "This has to be Uncle Joe and Robin paying us back. They kept giving us dirty looks all night. I knew they knew. Well we'll just have to get them back," he thought as he took his clothes off.
Downstairs Andy and Terry were coming back from sparring when a bucket of honey and flour dumped all over Terry and a little on Andy. Terry growled as Joe peeped around the corner and then took off. "What's with all this damn honey, I keep getting hit with?" he asked as he headed for the shower.
Andy looked toward Joe headed. "I guess we were found out. This could get out of hand."
Terry stalked angrily up the stairs, to the room he and Shara were staying in.
"What happened to you?" Shara asked as she walked into the room.
"I was dumped with a bucket of honey and flour, that's what happened to me," he answered as he went to the bathroom, he started to strip off his clothes.
"Who did that?"
"I don't know, but I am tired of all these attacks. I'm going to play there game." Terry turned on the shower and got in. "I can't believe this," he muttered.
"Would it, make you feel better to know that John-Michael shares your pain? He got hit with chocolate and his Fruity Pebbles."
"I know he was pissed," Terry commented as he got inside the shower stall. "But no it doesn't make me feel any better."
"How about I join you then?"
Terry turned his head and looked at his wife pitifully. "Maybe..."

******
Everyone was standing outside faced off as they prepared to do their worst. Over the past couple of days, all kinds of practical jokes had been pulled and all missing their intended target causing a large all out prank war. The entire family split into teams to take out another team and it was starting to get out of hand.
As everyone poised to do their worst, Andy raised his hands. "Stop," he commanded. "This whole things has gotten out of hand. We are being childish."
Everyone looked around sheepishly except the children, since they didn't know better.
"But, Uncle Andy..." JM began.
"No, John-Michael it's over," Andy interrupted before JM could reveal his involvement.
"You're right, Andy," Terry said as he lowered his prank weapon of distruction. "Let's all just go in and get cleaned up, then will go out."
The kids cheered and ran off and the adults followed after them.
"You got me pretty good, Robin," JM complimented as they ran to the house.
"Thanks. You got me too!"
"Truce?"
"Truce," Robin replied as they went to their room.
"Oh and Robin," JM began, "Touch my Fruity Pebbles again, cousin or no cousin, I'll kick your butt."
Robin smiled devilishly. "Who me?" he asked.
JM narrowed his eyes. "I see I am going to have to stash my cereal from now on."

*******
The elder wolves were sitting around talking, while the kids were asleep.
Shara leaned her head on Terry then lifted it curiously. "Andy, is your name Andy or Andrew?"
"It's Andrew," he answered.
"What's your middle name?" Shara asked.
Andy looked uncomfortable. "That is my middle name. I have never been to found of my first name," he said as he casually looked at Terry.
Everyone noticed his look towards Terry and began to get curious.
"What?" he asked.
"Terry's not your real name is it?" Joe asked.
"Is your's Joe?" Terry asked suddenly defenseful.
"Yeah," he answered. "What is your real name?"
"Terrence," Andy answered without thinking then he looked instantly sorry as he looked at Terry's face.
"Thank you," Terry commented, "Francis."
Andy cringed at hearing his given first name. He hated it just as much as Terry hated his first name. They had both made a vow never mention it, but neither aniticipated having a family either.
Joe began to laugh hystrically as the others looked at each other in utter shock. "Francis?" he laughed as he pointed at Andy.
"What's your middle name, Joe?" Andy asked trying to throw the attention off himself.
"Kyoto," he answered as he continued to laugh.
Andy was quickly becoming agitated by Joe's laughter. The vein in his forehead began to pulse. "Joe," he said calmly for the sake of their friendship and Roxy. "You really don't want to mess with me when it come to my name."
Joe took the hint and snickered a bit before he became quiet.
"Well we can definetly say this vacation's been a learning experience," Roxy commented as she snuggled up next to a calmer Joe.
"I'll say," Mai added as she latched on to Andy and kissed him on the cheek to help assuage his hurt feelings about his exposed secret.
"I just wonder how that whole prank war got started," Terry commented as he put his arm around Shara.
"Let's just leave it in the past," Shara commented as she leaned her head on his shoulder lovingly.
Mai sneaked a secret look at Andy that no one saw. She owed many dates to his practical joking nature and she was not going to screw that up even now after they were married. She would let him have his fun and she would have hers too.
"I am too good," Andy thought as he looked around the room. No one would ever think it was him, the savior of sanity amongst the chaos of the past two weeks. Never would they think that he had cause the war of the wolves. "Yeah I am too good and stopping the war was a nice touch too."

© Devon Masterson
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