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Chapter Word Count: 2,630
The Wayne pack was very big. With eleven humans and seven other creatures, Haley didn't think she'd ever heard of a larger one. Which was a good thing. There were strengths in numbers. Life on the streets had taught her that. And though she definitely liked some pack members more than others, she loved all of them equally.
The pack leader was called Alfred. From what Haley could tell, he knew everything and could do anything. He was the oldest in the pack, which made him a source of knowledge and wisdom. The others always came to him with problems, and he always fixed what was wrong. Despite the fact that he called the others Master or Miss, they all deferred to him. Haley liked Alfred for all the support he gave to the pack. He was always there when they needed him. Haley especially liked Alfred because he was the one to give her delicious treats he cooked himself. Haley loved her pack, but Alfred and Jason were the only ones able to cook. There was a reason Haley's human mostly ate cereal.
The other pack leader was called Bruce. He liked to act like he was the main pack leader, but everyone knew he wasn't. While relatively quiet, Haley knew that Bruce deeply cared for those in the pack. She sometimes got the feeling he wished the pack were smaller. Usually this happened when the human pups had created some sort of chaos. But most of the time he loved being surrounded by everyone. He was Ace's human, and the older dog had only good things to say about the man. Haley liked Bruce because he was great at sharing body heat. Using a tactic she learned from her human, Haley could go right up to Bruce and press herself against him. He would let her press as close as she wanted.
Bruce's mate was named Selina. While she preferred cats over dogs, Haley still liked her. The woman's gentle nature meant she couldn't resist giving Haley a pat when they were near one another. Haley didn't interact with Hecate much, but the cat dearly loved her human. Selina ran an animal shelter in the city with the youngest human pup, Damian. They've helped numerous animals, helping them find packs like theirs. Haley liked Selina because she was able to keep Bruce in line almost as well as Alfred. The woman had a no nonsense attitude that was honestly needed to handle this pack. She didn't let Bruce boss her around, they were partners, equals. It's part of what made them such a good team.
Haley's human was the oldest of the human pups. The humans called him a multitude of things, the two most common being Dick and Richard. He was the best human Haley had ever met. He was the one who saved her from bad humans and took her off the street. He helped her even after she'd bitten him. He gave her a den to live in and a pack to be a part of. Now Haley always had food in her dish and a warm bed to sleep in. Sometimes she saw her human in the glowing box helping others, people and animals alike. Haley's human was kind hearted. He enjoyed spending time with the other pack members, especially the other human pups. Haley loved her human. He took care of her and others around him. The only times she had seen him attack another was in defense of those he loved, including her. Haley's human was brave, strong, and good. All those around him, human and not, could feel his presence as soon as he entered a room. Joining this pack was the best thing to ever happen to Haley, and her human was the one who made that possible. She owed it all to him.
Haley's human's mate was named Barbara, though her human usually called her Babs. Though the two only recently started sharing a den, Babs had always spent a lot of time in the one Haley shared with her human. Haley liked Babs from the moment they met. The woman had known that Haley was staying even before her human did. The day after they met, Babs had brought a bunch of toys and treats for her. Haley had never seen Babs standing up. The woman was always sitting in a chair. It wasn't a normal one though. This chair had wheels! It was so cool. None of the other humans had one. Haley wondered what Babs did to get herself such a cool thing. Babs sometimes let Haley sit on her lap as she pushed herself around the den. The only rule was that Haley had to stay still so she wouldn't fall off. Haley's favorite thing about Babs was how happy she made her human. That she loved him as much as he loved her, that she watched his back as he saved others. They were a team, and Haley was happy to have Babs in her life.
The second oldest human pup was named Jason. Out of everyone in the pack, Jason was the one Haley knew the least. From what she could understand, Haley's human and Jason had an odd relationship. While they got along and would help each other whenever needed, they didn't go out of their way to spend time together either. Jason didn't have an animal companion of his own, but he always gave Haley and her cousins a lot of pets when he saw them. Haley liked Jason because he had a big heart behind his initial harsh facade. He sometimes pretended that he didn't care about the others in the pack, but he would be the first to defend them if they were threatened.
The older of the two female human pups was named Cassandra. Most in the pack called her Cass though. She was the least vocal of the entire pack, both human and not. What she didn't convey through words she said with her actions. When Haley first came to the main pack den, everyone there started crowding her. It was a little overwhelming. Cass on the other hand let Haley come up to her at her own pace. She let Haley decide how quickly they got acquainted with one another. What Haley liked about Cass was how she showed her love for the pack through helpful gifts. It was Cass who got Haley two mini sets of stairs: one for each of her human's beds at the dens. They made it much easier for Haley to get on and off when she needed to.
The middle human pup of the pack was named Tim, short for Timothy. He was the smartest one in the pack. As a result, he sometimes got caught up in his ideas and forgot to eat or sleep. More than once, Haley had seen the older pack members carrying Tim from the Cave to his bed. The pup was often seen with a cup of coffee. Haley was usually able to tell where Tim had been based on how strong the scent of coffee was in a room. He also was the one who took Haley on her first undercover mission. While the fire was scary, it was fun to pretend she was a secret spy for an hour. Haley liked Tim for his bravery and determination. He never gave up until the people he was protecting were safe.
The younger of the female human pups was Stephanie, also known as Steph. She was the most energetic of the pups next to Haley's human. When they'd first met, Steph had let out a small squeal when she saw Haley. Pets had quickly followed. Steph and Tim spent a lot of time together, and Haley couldn't tell if the two were mates or not. Sometimes they acted like they were and other times they didn't. Maybe they weren't sure themselves. That was fine. They had plenty of time to sort that out. Haley liked Steph because she was outgoing and creative. A lot of the chaos the human pups caused started as an idea that Steph had. She put that creativity into helping others as well. While there were times where it got her in trouble, Steph always tried to stay optimistic about how things would turn out.
Duke was the second youngest of the human pups. While he was more reserved than some of the other pups, he still had an energetic and eager personality. The other pups sometimes teased him for questioning their antics, but Duke was always just as eager as the rest to cause mischief around the den. Usually the mischief involved some sort of prank on Bruce. Haley's human liked to show Duke the area around their den when he visited, as the pup had never been there before joining the pack. Haley often joined them on these outings and gave her opinions on various places as well. Haley liked Duke because he was new to the pack, just like her. Before she'd come along, Duke was the newest addition. He was still getting used to the ways of the pack like she was. It was an unusual connection, but still one that they had.
The youngest of the human pups was named Damian. Of all the human pups, he was the one who spent the most time with Haley's human. Often, he brought Titus with him when visiting the den Haley shared with her human and his mate. Damian and Haley's human were extremely close. The two seemed to be able to know what the other was thinking without even looking at each other. Occasionally she saw the two of them on the glowing box together, saving people. She always yipped happily when she saw it, which for some reason confused the humans. Haley liked Damian for his dedication to what he cared about. He spent a lot of time with his various animal companions as well as at his animal shelter. Haley had seen it on the glowing box before, and she's discussed the place at the park with dogs who'd found packs thanks to it. Haley was glad that there were humans out there who wanted to help animals in need. And she was proud to call one of them a pack member.
Ace was the oldest dog in the pack, which made sense since Bruce was his human. Due to his age he didn't move around nearly as much as Haley, which limited their time together somewhat. Even so, Haley enjoyed being in what the humans sometimes called a cuddle pile with Ace and Titus. Sometimes Alfred the Cat would join them. Titus liked to tell the other animals in the pack about times before they entered the pack, back when the only human pup was Haley's human. Haley liked Ace for the vast amount of knowledge that he had. He knew the best places in the den to sleep and the easiest way to get treats out of each human pack member. He enjoyed sharing this knowledge with the other animals, and Haley knew that she would share it herself when it was her turn to do so.
Hecate was the older of the two cats in the pack. Her human was Selina. Haley didn't spend much time with Hecate, though not without effort. The cat simply didn't socialize with others much, with the exception of her own human. Even so, Haley enjoyed the limited amount of time she'd spent with the cat. She liked how despite Hecate's hard exterior, the cat really had a kind personality. She just wasn't the most social of animals, which Haley did her best to respect. The time that they did spend together was good enough for her.
Titus was Haley's favorite cousin. His human, Damian, spent a lot of time with Haley's human. This meant that the two dogs also spent a lot of time together. Whenever their humans went to save people, Haley and Titus would sit and watch them, either in the Cave or from Bab's systems in Blüedhaven. Despite his much larger size, Titus was only a little bit older than Haley. As a result, the two often sought each other out even when the rest of the pack was around. Haley could tell that both of their humans were happy the two dogs got along so well. Their antics often made the two human pups laugh. Haley liked Titus because he was her best friend. He kept her company when their humans weren't around and played with her. They could always count on one another. They missed each other when not at the same den, but they were together enough that it wasn't too bad.
Haley wasn't entirely sure what sort of creature Goliath was. Her human had once called him a dragon-bat, but since Haley didn't know what a dragon was, that didn't help her. Goliath used to spend most of his time in the Cave, occasionally leaving with Damian, his human, to go help people. Recently, though, he began living somewhere else and only occasionally visited the pack den. Haley was very jealous of Goliath's ability to fly. She'd wanted to ever since her human carried her around on his string the first time they met. Haley liked Goliath because he always licked her back in greeting. He was the only one other than Titus who did that. Haley understood that humans just didn't lick others, but she appreciated that Goliath spoke the same body language as her.
The second cat in the pack was named Alfred, like the pack leader. From what Haley understood, cat-Alfred was named after human-Alfred by Damian. Like Hecate, cat-Alfred tended to stay by his human. He also spent a lot of time on the cat tree in the glowing box room. Cat-Alfred liked to stay in areas high up, like his cat tree or the shelves Damian and Bruce put on some of the walls. Haley wished she could jump that high. She'd tried a couple times but didn't get nearly enough air. Haley liked cat-Alfred because he was always calm, even when the rest of the pack was being crazy. While Haley loved the high-energy the pack usually had, every once in a while she wanted a little peace and quiet. And she could count on cat-Alfred to be in a quiet spot.
Bat-Cow was the only cow in the pack. Haley had no clue how a cow could end up in a pack of humans, but she kept forgetting to ask Bat-Cow herself. She guessed that Damian had something to do with it though, since the youngest pup was Bat-Cow's human. Bat-cow used to spend all of her time in the Cave, but last month the pack built her a den of her own and fenced off a portion of the territory for her to use. Haley could tell Bat-Cow liked this new arrangement much more than the other one. Haley liked Bat-Cow for how gentle she was. Despite her large size, she would never hurt another creature. Like everyone else in the pack, she just wanted to be with those she cared about.
Haley's pack was the most unique one she had ever heard of. They were all just a group of strays who found each other and loved one another. Haley would always be grateful to her human for rescuing her that day and even more so for bringing her into their pack. Each member of the pack was unique and different from the others. Haley loved each and every member of her pack, and she was the luckiest pup in the world to be able to call them hers.
I thought about splitting this into two parts, one for the Batfam and one for the pets. But I decided against it. I figured I'd give you a longer chapter instead.
