Home is Here
A/N: Hey everyone, it's been a while since I wrote a Woodie and Wolfgang fic, and the Wolfgang rework and the animation that came with it gave new ideas for them.
Disclaimer: I don't own the DS games.
Enjoy!
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Trudging through the pine forest, Wolfgang sighed as he carried the large log on his shoulder. Woodie had chopped several trees this morning for their lumber supply and the strongman was tasked with taking them back to their camp. He didn't mine the heavy work, if anything it gave him something to do for the day to keep his mind off the things that had been bothering him lately.
It began one day when he had been telling his campmate about his performances at the circus and found himself filled with longing for the cheering crowds, travelling the world in his caravan, and, most of all, his friends at the troupe. It didn't help that the last memory he shared with them during a show involved his biggest mistake ever.
Vividly he recalled the stunned faces of his friends and the angry shouts of the crowd after finding out how much of his strength was just an illusion for entertainment. Their ringmaster faced most of the outrage by himself and their circus' reputation went down the drain thanks to his failure. He had spent the rest of that dreadful evening expecting to be chewed up for the huge mess that he made, but the ringmaster had simply dismissed him with a tired shake of his head, and it stung just as much.
Fake, they had called their circus, had called him. And it was all his fault everything went so wrong for them. That was why he made the deal with that creepy voice, to become exactly what he once claimed to be and make it up to everyone he let down.
Now if only he knew how to get back home, he thought with another sigh.
The camp soon came into view with Woodie stirring something over a pot with Chester lazily chewing on his eyebone by the fire. The lumberjack grinned upon seeing him. "Hey, buddy. Thanks for getting all that," he then noted with a frown. "But you could have taken it easy, eh?"
Woodie pointed to the five other logs Wolfgang had left stacked at the edge of their camp just earlier.
"Is fine!" Wolfgang muttered, buffing up his chest and flexing his biceps. "Wolfgang is mightiest. No trouble."
His face must have given something away as the lumberjack's frown deepened, but thankfully he didn't press him on the matter and focused on the boiling pot instead.
If there was anything good that had come from him landing in this bizarre and scary world so far, it was that it allowed him the chance to be the strongest man in the world once more, even just to Woodie. When he had first demonstrated his might by lifting a massive boulder with his bare hands, the lumberjack had been struck with awe, and it made Wolfgang feel special again. He wouldn't risk losing that by being anything but his absolute best.
As Wolfgang set the log down with the others, Woodie spoke again.
"I'm sure you're hungry after all of that. Wait till you taste my stew, Wolf! Was kinda famous for it back home."
Wolfgang's mouth dried up at that last bit. "Thanks, but Wolfgang is sleepy. Will go rest."
Woodie's brow shot up in surprise and he gave him a questioning look, but he eventually shrugged. "Alright, suit yourself."
The strongman wondered if he had upset his friend with his curtness lately. For all the protests his stomach gave, the thought of food at the moment brought back memories of all the big celebrations they would have after a successful show in a town. While praised was sung all around, he would eat to his heart's delight and enjoy his friends' company.
He wished for one more night like that.
"Good night," he quietly told him before slipping inside their tent. What he found there gave him a pause. The afternoon light fell on small, wooden figurines lined up on his fur roll. He stepped closer to get a better look and he gasped.
There was a bear, a lion, and an elephant among others. They were simple, yet excellently carved. He hesitantly picked up the small elephant and held it up to his face in awe.
"What do ya think?"
Wolfgang whirled around to see Woodie peering in with a shy smile.
"You…you made these?" Wolfgang managed to say.
"Yup!" Woodie rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I…I really liked those stories you told me about your circus and I've…figured you miss it back there, so…" he winced, as if unsure of what he did was helping or not. It was then Wolfgang caught a glimpse of the small cuts on his friend's fingers that he had seen these past few days and understood where they came from.
Wolfgang traced the elephant's trunk with his thumb and his heart swelled. Tears welling up in his eyes, he smiled widely. "Thank you…is wonderful."
The lumberjack seemed relieved at that and beamed. "No problem, buddy. Glad you think so!"
Realizing the tears flowing down his face, he quickly wiped them away. "Sorry. Wolfgang will work very hard tomorrow for Wood Man as thanks!" he said determinedly, and Woodie sighed.
"Wolf, you're pretty strong and I've seen that, but you don't have to keep pushing yourself so hard just to impress me. You're my best pal, eh? And it's not just because you're tough. You're more than that. You're like the nicest guy I've met, so don't think you have to prove yourself to me at all."
Taken aback, Wolfgang stared at him for a moment and then swept him into a tight hug, fighting the lump rising in his throat. "Wood Man is best friend, too," he murmured and could feel the grin on the other's face.
"Now, how about that stew? Maybe changed your mind?" he asked teasingly.
Wolfgang found himself chuckling. "Yes!"
As he was storing away the other figurines that his friend gifted him in his personal chest that night, he ended up taking the wooden elephant with him as he rested on his fur roll. While Woodie had long drifted off, Wolfgang laid on his stomach, admiring the little thing with drooping eyes. It was so small in his large hands, and made him think of his home far away, but also of his lumberjack friend right here.
It was a small thing yet brought a smile to his face. He then drifted off as well, at ease with that thought.
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A/N: Thanks for reading. I love writing about these two.
