Summary: Lin and Puro get abducted by pirates. Luckily the local order of knights is there to foil their dastardly schemes, granting Lin the opportunity to exploit their weaknesses and fight back.
With can of peaches in his hands, Lin passed through the ventilation ducts, the large fans blowing a warm wind on his body. He quickly passed under a black crystal that grew on the ceiling—not unlike the crystals in the wolf den—and through a puddle of water. Messy patches of vegetation decorated the cold metal walls.
Despite the mess, he felt a little more relaxed as he passed through these ducts. Unlike Charlie's home, this place was actually well-lit. The pleasantly warm air made him feel a little better, and his stomach had finally settled down.
Not for the first time, a light metal clanking echoed through the passages. Lin paused, then continued. He suspected it was another latex passing through the gratings. A dark one, perhaps; he'd seen the black latex puddles here and there. This place must've been directly connected to the den or the nest. For some reason, the knowledge of one being near was now a comfort; at least someone might find him if he had another…episode.
He also wouldn't complain if they could help him get out of this maze.
"Where are you? You little…!"
He paused. That was new. Were there more than one?
As if to answer his question, a grating nearby popped open, revealing the head of a dark latex wolf. It looked around with annoyance, then stopped when it spotted Lin.
"… Human," the dark latex said. It slid out of the vent and rose to its full height. "You're here?"
Lin instinctively wanted to back away, but he stopped himself. He now knew these dark latexes were harmless—or, well, non-hostile, at least. Still, its grim masked face and imposing build didn't exactly comfort him.
"Hrm," the wolf grunted. "I guess it's a good thing I found you before he did."
"Who?"
"A pup," it said with an annoyed sigh. "Slipped right into the ventilation ducts. He's now somewhere around here. I think your scent might've attracted him."
Lin started. "He's going to transfur me…?"
"He can't. He's still a pup."
So pups—or, at least, dark latex wolf pups—couldn't transfur him. Good to know.
"What are you doing here?" the wolf asked.
"Trying to leave this facility…"
The wolf looked at him for a moment. "Right. Of course. You should move to the generator section, then."
"I don't know the way."
The wolf pointed down the corridor. "Second turn to the right, then go left at the T-intersection. You should be able to find your way from there. I'd come with you, but I've got a pup to catch."
"Thanks."
They parted ways. Lin followed the wolf's directions, and he soon found himself in a more spacious area of the vents. A room by all accounts, albeit a small one.
A black latex wolf pup sat smack dab in the middle of the open space.
Lin blinked. Was that…?
The pup spotted him. It squeaked, then made a beeline for him. Lin felt slight panic, but only for a moment.
The pup danced against his legs.
Lin hesitated, then leaned down to pet the pup's fluffy ears. It in turn rubbed its head against him affectionately. Soon Lin found himself kneeling down, placing the can of peaches beside him.
He resumed petting the little creature's head for a moment. Then, cautiously, he placed a hand under its belly and lifted it up in both arms. He might as well take it back to that wolf from earlier now. It wouldn't take long…
Soft footsteps approached. Lin looked up to see the adult wolf from earlier enter. It spotted the pup instantly and narrowed its eyes.
"There you are!" the wolf said. "You little rascal!"
The pup looked at him wide-eyed. Lin realized he'd frozen too. He quickly relaxed.
"I'm taking you back to the den," the wolf said sternly as he approached. "You're slowing the human down."
The pup looked from Lin to the wolf. Lin looked back at it, then cautiously moved to hand it to the elder.
The pup jumped out of his grip.
The elder wolf tried to catch it, but it dropped on the ground and scurried over to the can of peaches. The elder ran over and grabbed the pup, lifting it up to glare at it.
"… Think he's hungry?" Lin said.
The wolf glanced at him.
"He can have it," Lin said, gesturing to the peaches. "Help yourself too, if you want."
The wolf hesitated, then kneeled down to open the can. He fished out a peach and fed it to the pup, who devoured it instantly.
The wolf glared. "You better be thankful," he told the pup. "You and your human-hunting habits! This is the second time today, and you're getting rewarded for it!" He snatched a peach from the can and stuffed it into his own maw.
Second time…?
Lin didn't realize he'd been staring until he saw the wolf looking back.
It sighed gruffly. "Eh, right. You probably don't remember me. Name's Vexo."
"You're the one who saved me from that pup in the den?"
"Huh. So you do remember." Vexo nodded to the pup in its hands. "This here's the same one. Rascal would've been moved to one of the side rooms if we'd had the time to properly prepare for your arrival."
Lin looked at the pup's big, innocent eyes.
"I'm sure Puro told you all about that," Vexo added with a mumble, giving the pup another peach.
"He did."
"And about transfurmation."
"That too…" Lin trailed off. The wolf had directed his gaze to the side.
An awkward silence fell. Lin hesitated. He wasn't sure if he should bring this up…
Finally Vexo rose, taking the can of peaches in one arm. He brushed past Lin towards where he'd come from. "I should go."
"He said he got estranged from the pack."
Vexo stopped and glanced back. Lin paused for a moment. The words had come out of his mouth before he could stop them.
"He said he was different," he finally added.
The wolf didn't react. Lin waited, but Vexo remained quiet.
Lin hesitated. He was just about to retreat and bid him farewell when the wolf sighed through his nose. "That's what he said, is it? That we got separated because he's different?"
Lin looked at him questioningly. When Vexo didn't elaborate, he hesitantly asked, "Wasn't it? Then why'd you…banish him?"
"Banish him?"
Lin paused at his sharp gaze.
"He left," Vexo finally said. "It was his choice. He banished himself."
"What? But he said that even if he went back to the den, you wouldn't accept him."
"Wouldn't accept him! We've been waiting for him to come back! For years we've been waiting!" He huffed.
Lin swallowed, but Vexo's glare wasn't directed at him; the wolf had instead opted to look at the wall.
"He said he was different from you," Lin carefully said.
"He was a maverick, yes. And he was often a loner because of that, sitting to the side, reading one of his books while we were doing whatever. But he was our maverick." His gaze snapped to Lin. "You think we wanted him to leave? Puro and I were born from the same crystal; we grew up together. I would've personally dragged him back home if the Wolf King didn't stop me."
Lin fell silent for a moment. Something about this suddenly…clicked. Something Puro had said…
They won't care. He never cared.
He…? There were two people Lin had in mind as to who that might be, and one of them was raging at the mere idea of exiling one of their own.
"Could the Wolf King have banished him in secret?" Lin mused.
Vexo sighed. "He left… And no, there's no way the King did that. Those two were close."
"So the King didn't care that Puro was different, either?"
"Care? He encouraged it. He wanted Puro to learn and explore. King personally accompanied him on his adventures." He sighed. Then the slightest smile played at his wolfish lips. "You should've seen Puro's face when he and King came back from their first visit to the library."
"Was he happy?"
"Heh… Yeah." His face grew grim again. "But that was then."
Lin pondered on that for a moment. Puro had said that someone didn't care. Who could that be? If he and the King were as close as Vexo said, the only person Lin could come up with was the King himself…but if he really encouraged Puro, that wouldn't make sense. Could it have been someone else? Could it have been Vexo after all? Then again, if Puro was that distanced from his packmates, would the words from one other random wolf really hurt him that badly? Assuming it was just words…
"Does he really think we won't accept him?" Vexo asked.
"He said you wouldn't care."
The wolf sighed through his nose.
"Were he and the King really that close?"
Vexo looked at him. "Why do you keep talking about the King?"
He hesitated. "Never mind."
Vexo didn't respond. Eventually he resumed walking. "If you think this here rascal is a handful, you better prepare. Those pups in the generator section are worse.
Lin sighed. "I'll keep that in mind, thanks."
The wolf left. Lin, in turn, turned to the opposite direction, where a lone grating big enough for him to pass through awaited. It was his only way, really. Better hope it was the right one.
The moment Lin stepped into the next room, he felt a change in the air. As if he'd stepped into a swimming pool area. Sure enough, he found himself on an elevated tiled floor with railing to prevent him from falling into the water below.
He stared at the water in question. He knew this place had a flooding problem, but this looked like a genuine swimming pool. As if the room was made for it. How had the generators survived this?
They didn't, he realized. At least, most of them probably didn't.
Lin crossed the 'bridge' passing over the water ahead. Disturbingly, the water didn't remain still; he noticed the occasional shape drifting along under the surface. Latexes, probably; most likely the same ones he'd seen through the window in the vents. They didn't come out. He wasn't even sure if they saw him. Not that he was dying to make their acquaintance…
A door, followed by another body of water. No bridge this time. Lin grimaced. Swimming had always been a weakness of his. Thankfully, it looked like most of the water was shallow enough to walk in.
He carefully let himself slide inside, shivering as he did. He held onto the edge of the elevation behind him to ensure he wouldn't fall and drown.
By the time his feet hit the bottom, his head just about stuck out above the water surface. He grimaced. This wasn't comfortable, but it was doable.
As he walked on towards another platform across, he noticed to his dismay that, once again, he wasn't alone. From the corner of his eye he noticed other figures swimming around. Not unexpected, but still nerve-wracking. If any of those latexes felt like getting a new host, there was nothing he could do. Running and hiding was hard enough to do on land; in the water, it was impossible.
Thankfully he reached the other end without problems. He reached up to grab the edge of the platform.
"Human?"
A figure emerged above him on the platform. Startled, Lin looked straight into two familiar eyes. Another dark latex wolf?
"Human!" Puro cheered. "You made it!" He reached down to grab Lin's arms and helped him get on dry land.
"Hey Puro," Lin said once he was standing. Last time they saw each other, one of them was in a ventilation duct.
"It's so good to see you, Human! I only just got here, myself." Puro glanced at his big tail. "Thing is, um… the water's weighing me down a bit. I was just going to dry myself off. I would accompany you further, but this might take a while…"
Lin hesitated. "… Anything I can do to help?"
Puro paused. Then he pointed to one of the three doors ahead. "There should be towels in there… I was just going to get them when I saw you."
Lin nodded and approached the door in question. Puro didn't know about his episode, and having a bodyguard to protect him against the generator latexes would be nice. Besides, he might as well help a friend out, given that they were going to part ways soon. Grabbing some towels wasn't much of a task, was it?
The room beyond was largely flooded as well, but Lin spotted the open box with towels practically next to him. He reached inside it.
Then something caught his eye.
A device sat at the other end of the room. For as much as he could tell from its humming and the LEDs on its side, it looked…active.
A generator…?
He ripped some towels out of the box. He didn't know what the device was, and he didn't care.
He briskly returned to the room and handed one towel Puro, who'd taken a seat on the ground. Then he squatted down next to the wolf and used the other towel to scrub Puro's back.
"Um, Human?"
"Huh?"
"… Nothing," Puro finally said. "Thank you for helping out! Human is so nice."
Lin stopped. He was…scrubbing Puro's back. He had barely even realized it; he'd been acting on autopilot if nothing else, as if just assuming the wolf would expect help. What had possessed him to do that? He'd intended to just hand Puro the towels and let him do the rest, but…
He resumed scrubbing, this time being slower and more careful with his movements. He sought out the wettest parts and focused on those, methodically drying Puro off. Once his back was dry—or, well, as dry as Lin could make it—Lin moved on to the back of his head, and after that the top and sides. He carefully dabbed the ears as well.
By the time they were done, the towels were all but soaked. Puro stood up to shake off a few persistent drops.
"Thank you again, Human," Puro said.
Lin nodded. "Everything alright?"
"Yes, I can move more easily now." He paused. "Ah…I hope it wasn't for nothing. I might have to swim again if I'm to accompany you…"
… Right. Lin hadn't thought of that. "Where do we go from here?" he finally asked.
Puro perked up. "This way, Human!" He strode to another one of the three doors and opened it, revealing a flooded hallway beyond. The pool looked completely empty save for some boxes floating in the water.
Lin approached and checked. It was shallow enough, thankfully. He stepped in, and Puro followed. The water barely reached the wolf's knees.
They started towards the other side with a modest pace. As they did, Lin caught himself glancing at the wolf beside him, hesitating. Recent events had given him many questions, but was it his place to pry?
"Hey um…Puro?" he said, still unsure.
"Yes, Human?"
"I…just met Vexo."
Puro paused. His ears flattened slightly. "You did…? What did he say?"
"That the pack wants you back."
Puro said nothing.
"Puro…" Lin said, his hesitation only growing. "Does this have to do with the Wolf King?"
Puro gave him a long glance, mouth hanging open. Then he directed his focus on the road ahead.
Lin suddenly felt stupid. Of course this wasn't his business! This was between Puro and the pack. "I, um…" Lin said. "I thought I should mention it, in any case."
Puro remained unresponsive. Deciding he'd said enough, Lin turned to face the way ahead as well. They walked beside each other in silence, the only sound being that of the water making way for their feet.
Lin wouldn't call himself much of a talker…but hearing Puro be this quiet felt downright wrong. He felt like an idiot—why did he have to bring it up?! Why did he have to ruin this?
"Human."
Lin glanced beside him.
"You're right," Puro said, looking down. "This is about the Wolf King. He... He always encouraged me to keep studying..."
Right. Vexo had mentioned that.
"…even though it drove a wedge between me and the pack."
Lin glanced at him. "He knew it did?"
"Yes…and he kept having me study anyway. For the 'good of the pack'."
"But you love studying, don't you?"
"I should never have gone through with it," Puro softly said.
Lin took a moment to connect the dots. So Puro's already fragile bond with the other pack members had basically been sacrificed altogether in favor of the other latexes learning to talk…? He never cared, Puro had said. The Wolf King had never cared. Now it made sense.
There was only one question that remained: Was this the full truth, or was it Puro's interpretation of it? Vexo had offered a different perspective, though he seemed to be unaware of the King's involvement.
Lin suppressed a grimace at the idea of asking the King for his side of the story. Traveling all the way back was one thing. Confronting the giant wolf personally about how Puro felt used for his agenda? Preferably not.
"I'm glad I can talk to you," Lin found himself saying, voice quiet. "I'm sorry for what happened with the pack…but for what it's worth, your studying helped me."
Puro perked up a little. "Thank you, Human…but I think we could've befriended you even without speech."
Lin glanced at him. He wasn't too sure about that.
They reached the other end of the corridor. Another door awaited, which Puro opened.
Water.
They overlooked what was once an enormous room, now largely flooded by water. Cardboard boxes and other garbage floated around, and piles of white fish—which upon closer inspection seemed to be made of latex—were haphazardly placed on the dry areas.
But the most notable feature was the pile of wooden planks and crates on the other end of the pool, adorned with a crow's nest and a sail. Lin hesitantly stepped into the water—checking for movement before continuing—and approached the 'ship' with Puro following closely.
He touched its wooden hull. The ship didn't look stable in the slightest, yet here it was. What—
"Avast, human!"
He jumped when something landed into the water next to him. From the splash rose a latex—a humanoid dog with pointy ears and white fur, brandishing a…
A plastic toy cutlass?
The dog—which Lin only now noticed had four arms, plus four squid-like tentacles protruding from its back—raised its weapon in front of Lin's face. Lin raised his hands defensively.
"Human?! Did you just say—" Splash! Lin whirled around to see another dog shaking its head, sending waterdrops flying all over. Dual black eyes with small white pupils observed him curiously.
"Human!" the first one grinned, drawing Lin's attention. "You're getting kidnapped! Onto the ship, you! And you too, big wolf!"
"Eh?" Puro yelped.
Lin stared at the squid dog creature, its modest height, the weapon it brandished, the black-and-white eyes that looked back intently, the toothy grin on its face.
It was the single least intimidating thing he'd seen in this facility so far.
Lin glanced at Puro questioningly, but the wolf looked just as confused as he did.
"Onto the ship!" the dog repeated, its ferocity tempered by juvenile cheerfulness. It gestured to a rope ladder that hung down from the ship in question.
"Ah, but wait!" Puro said. "We come in peace! We just want to get the human across!"
"No human is getting across these seven seas! Onto the ship!"
Lin was still apprehensive, but proceeded to climb up, once again followed closely by Puro. Resisting might get him transfurred. He made his way onto the wooden deck.
"Now, human," the squid dog from earlier said as it followed. It shoved a plastic cutlass much like its own into Lin's hands. "Fight me!"
Lin paused. "Fight you…? But you already captured—"
"Ha!" It swung its weapon.
Lin flinched back, raising his sword to block. The latex pressed the attack. Lin vaguely heard Puro's cries of surprise in the background as he struggled to defend himself.
Soon he failed to avoid a hit, and his opponent's sword poked him in the gut. Thankfully the pup controlled his strike somewhat.
"I won!" the pup cheered. "I beat the human!"
Lin lowered the sword, feeling a smile threatening to rise. "Yeah… Yeah, you sure did." He looked at Puro. The wide-eyed look on the wolf's face was…kind of amusing as he looked from Lin to the pup and back.
"Human?!"
Lin grew pale at hearing at least three voices exclaiming the same word in tandem. More squid dog pups climbed aboard and made a beeline for him. Before he knew it, he found himself facing down no less than five pups examining him, sniffing all over, asking questions.
"You're human!"
"You smell weird!"
"Is it true that humans like petting dogs?"
"Can you pet me?"
"Is it true that humans are scared of getting transfurred?"
"Why? What's so scary about it?"
"How does it feel to be transfurred?"
"How does it feel to transfur?"
"He doesn't know that! He can't transfur people!"
"What? Oh, no, why not? What happened?"
"Humans can't transfur!"
"They can't?! Human, is that true?!"
"Uh," Lin said. "No, I can't transfur people."
"Why not?"
"But you can get transfurred, right?"
"I'd rather not," he quickly said.
"Why not?"
"I heard transfurmation is really cool!"
He raised his hands, backing away a little. "I'd just rather not!"
"But why not—?"
"Children!" Puro announced, silencing them. "I-I mean, pirates! Please stop pushing the point. Human has his reasons." His gaze turned more stern. "And-and, it's against the rules to try to transfur him! Even the pirates' code dictates this!"
"I wasn't going to transfur him!"
"We were just asking!"
"You think Captain Chip would allow transfurmation on his ship?" the one with the cutlass demanded. He grabbed another sword and shoved it in Puro's hands, grinning the whole time. "I take that as an insult! Fight me, big wolf!"
"Eh?!" Puro looked at the sword in his hands, then turned to Lin. "Human?!"
Lin hesitated. "… You need back-up?"
"Hey, you can't help him!" Chip objected. "I beat you!" He raised his sword at Puro. "And now I'm going to beat you!"
Puro yelped.
Then he turned and leaped off the ship. A splash followed.
Lin felt a spike of worry, and he ran over to the side to peer over the edge. "Puro! You okay?"
The wolf looked up at him. "I'm alright, Human! You're so kind, worrying about—" His eyes widened. "Human! Pirates!"
Lin raised an eyebrow and looked to the squid pups. They'd joined him in looking down at the water, all quiet. Now though, Chip was quick to raise his sword again.
"Argh! I'll get you!" he proclaimed.
"Captain!" another pup suddenly cried. "Knights!"
All—including Lin, and Puro below—turned to follow the little creature's gaze. As if on cue, a bunch more latexes emerged from the water, each one with anthropomorphic shark characteristics. They looked juvenile too—something that was emphasized by their modest height.
…and the plastic cruciform swords in their hands.
"Attack!" Chip proclaimed.
Then he jumped overboard. The other pups followed suit. Puro backed away as five splashes erupted from where they landed. Lin looked down from the pups to the sharks, strangely interested.
"Pirates!" the shark in front proclaimed, raising his sword. His voice sounded just as juvenile (and dramatic) as the pups'. "You'll no longer be terrorizing the seven seas after this!"
"We'll see about that!"
"Ah," the shark said. "But we've got Puro the Scholar on our side! You stand no chance!"
Puro paused. Then he too raised his sword, eyes wide. "... Yes! Human! And the seven seas! We'll save you!"
The shark in front exclaimed a battle cry, then charged the dogs, his peers following closely behind. The dogs in turn did the same, giving their own roar, plastic swords raised.
Puro ducked to the side, right when the two mighty armies clashed.
The warriors were too distracted to notice his absence. He turned to face Lin on the ship. "Human!"
Only then did Lin become aware of the dumb smile playing at his lips. He quickly regained his composure.
Puro rounded the battlefield and made his way to the ship. "Human! Come down from there!"
Right. Lin made his way to the rope ladder and climbed down. Part of him was reluctant to leave, and that was exactly why he should leave. He'd been slowed down enough.
He joined Puro, and they started towards the entrance on the other end. It was a little ways away; this was a big room, with some deeper patches of water. Lin wondered if—
Four tentacles rose from the depths nearby.
Lin froze. "Puro…!"
Another squid dog emerged from the water, blocking their path.
Lin's eyes grew wide. Though still partly submerged, the beast easily towered over him and Puro both. It must've been more than twice Lin's height! Dual black eyes with white pupils peered down at him.
Lin had seen big latexes before—the Wolf King, the Elder One…but he hadn't expected to see one here.
The creature smirked. "The human and the scholar seek to flee?" it boomed in an overly dramatic voice. "You'll first have to get past me for that!"
Lin vaguely heard cheers behind him. Apparently the battle had been paused.
"Mav?" Puro said. "What are you…?"
"That's Admiral Maverick to you!" the big dog said.
"Mav, what…" He paused. "Erm, Admiral… With all due respect, Human has a mission of his own…"
"A mission?" Mav's eyes turned to face Lin.
Puro nodded vigorously. "A big mission! Big! Erm…right, Human?"
"… Right," Lin said hesitantly. "Sure. Really big."
"S-save the world kind of big," Puro added.
"Hm-hm," Mav said. "Argh, we're pirates! Why should we care!"
"You-you can't do any plundering if there isn't a world to plunder!" Puro said. "And, um, besides, I thought dogs liked humans?"
Lin raised an eyebrow at the wolf.
"Oh, you silly scholar." Mav grinned down at Lin mischievously. "That's exactly why we're abducting him! Who else is going to help us build our fleet with their dexterous hands? Or feed us? Or pet us? Or hug us in the middle of the night when bad dreams keep us awake?!"
The pups cheered once more.
Lin glanced to Puro. "Um, Puro…?"
The wolf looked at him with a grimace. "Ah… I don't know what's going on, Human. Knights? Pirates…?"
"You did mention there was a rivalry…"
"Oh, but this is no mere rivalry!" Mav proclaimed with his dramatic voice. "It's the eternal battle between the Shark Kingdom and the Squid Dog Pirate Fleet!"
"It's the imagination of cubs," a new voice intervened.
Another shark, albeit one much taller than the others. Its height almost matched Mav's. Another super-latex? How many of those were here? Unlike the younglings, this shark sported white hair on its head—a very human trait—and showed no signs of amusement on its stoic face as it gazed at its peers.
"Cubs that should be getting ready for chow time…"
Ten juvenile voices whined in protest.
"Noooooooo!"
"But chief…!"
"I don't wanna eat!"
"We can't play pirates versus knights without them!"
"Rules are rules," the tall shark said, arms crossed.
Mav, on the other hand, smirked. "Come now, Varan. Chow time can wait. Your knights happened to show up at the perfect time—with the human to fight over, no less! We can't let that go to waste!"
"You'd do well to establish some laws in your own pack, Mav…" the shark grumbled.
Mav laughed. "Ha! Laws! You hear that, Captain Chip? Prince Soda right here wants laws!"
Varan's eyes narrowed a little at the nickname. Mav seemed to notice it, and his smirk grew more challenging.
"What's wrong, Your Highness?" he taunted. "You want to hit me, don't you? Oh, but you can't, because of those laws of yours."
"As I was saying—"
"Oh, right, you're royalty! You've got immunity! You could hit me, if you wanted…"
"I sure could."
"Then do it."
Varan looked at him for a moment longer, eyes showing mild annoyance. Finally he sighed and shook his head. "You cubs…"
Another whine went through the crowd. Lin, on the other hand, felt a little relieved. At least there was one somewhat temperate latex around…
Then Varan smirked. "Get those pirates."
Oh.
Whines turned to cheers, and the battle between the armies resumed. Lin stumbled back as Varan abruptly leaped at Mav, dodging a grapple from one of the dog's tentacles. The two started a fight of their own. Mav tried to get a solid grip on Varan, but the shark jumped around with unexpected agility.
Puro grabbed Lin. "Uh…Human! We've got to go!"
More dogs and sharks—all juveniles as far as Lin saw—began to emerge from the depths. Cheers sounded, and some had swords or other accessories with them. Reinforcements, it seemed, had arrived.
Some were fighting quite closely to the two wrestling leaders, all but blocking the way ahead.
Puro looked around frantically, eyes wide. Lin, on the other hand, felt almost at ease. He still kept an eye out for any rogue latexes looking to transfur him, but so far none of the dogs or the sharks had shown any desire to do so.
He noticed the plastic sword still in Puro's grip. Lin hesitated, then reached for it. Puro handed it to him with a confused look.
"I guess," Lin said, "we'll have to fight our way through." He spotted an approaching squid pup and raised his weapon.
The pup did the same. It swung its sword. Lin easily blocked, then—slowly and carefully—swung back. The pup parried.
Then it moved in and tackled him, dropping its sword in the process. Caught off-guard, Lin stumbled back, but was able to catch himself from falling. Being in water had its advantages.
The pup giggled childishly in his chest. It didn't even fight; it just held him in its grip, arms and tentacles and all. Lin once again became aware of a smile on his face.
His hand went to the pup's head to scratch its fluffy ear. The pup all but melted into the gesture. Its grip on Lin weakened a tad.
Lin kept petting it for a moment. Then he looked up at Puro, who looked on wide-eyed. "Human… You have defeated the pirate!"
"Hm, no he hasn't," the dog murmured. "I'm holding him hostage, for pets."
Lin chuckled. The pup wasn't exactly wrong. It still clung onto him with four arms and tentacles. With that many limbs, Lin wondered how the other sharks were so successful at fighting them—even the fight between Varan and Maverick seemed pretty even, with the former dodging and swiftly slapping away the latter's attempts to grab him.
He looked at the fight between the two giants. Varan ducked under a tentacle and grabbed onto Maverick's waist. Maverick moved to counter, but abruptly froze, his eyes locked on Lin.
"… Pets?" the giant dog said.
Lin paused.
Varan took advantage of the situation to grapple Mav into a headlock, keeping the dog's head to his chest. The shark glanced at Lin as well, but didn't seem as distracted.
"PETS?"
Oh, no.
Lin glanced up to see a half dozen pups and cubs storming towards him. He froze. Before he knew it, they'd crowded around him, speaking excitedly.
"How is it? How is it?"
"Are humans that good at petting?!"
"Why though? Why're they so good at it?"
"His hands look different from ours. Maybe that's it?"
"Two hands!" one of them said, taking ahold of Lin's other hand and placing it on its head. Lin was caught off-guard, but indulged the pup.
"Hey, no fair!"
"I want pets too!"
"One at a time," Lin quickly said. "Form a line. I've only got two arms, you know."
They complied. Well, half complied; though calming down a little, there wasn't much of a line to speak of, and the crowd remained as it was. At least they looked a little more patient.
Lin closed his eyes, breathing out quietly. Petting dogs… It was kind of relaxing, even when they were really latex amalgamations of dogs, squids and humans.
"Erm, Human?" Puro said.
Lin looked up at him. Then he became aware that they were surrounded, with the dogs and sharks standing shoulder to shoulder in a circle around him. Well, all except the two adults, who were still grappling and fighting for dominance.
Lin tensed at the many eyes. Oh, no.
One of the pups—who he recognized as Chip—smirked mischievously. "Pets," he said. "Pets. Pets."
The others paused.
Then they followed suit.
Oh, no…
The crowd began to close in. "Pets," they chanted with each step they took. "Pets. Pets. Pets."
"No!" Puro said. "Human has given enough pets for one day!"
"Pets. Pets. Pets."
"Form a line!" Lin tried. "Form a line, and everyone will get a turn!"
"Pets. Pets. Pe—"
"Pirates!" a new voice intervened. Lin looked over to see another figure nearby—a female squid dog whose height seemed to match Puro's. "Leave the human alone."
The crowd's smirks turned into frowns. "Awwwwwwwww!"
The female met Lin's gaze, and she gave a smile. "Don't worry, human. Lady Dahlia is here to save you from these vile pirates and rogue knights…"
"But Sis…" Chip whined.
"…and to do the work these overgrown pups right here"—she gestured to Varan and Mav—"should really be doing."
"I'd be an overgrown cub, thank you," Varan deadpanned as he struggled to maintain his headlock on Mav. The dog managed to get him off-balance and retaliated.
"Anyway, human," Dahlia said. "Now that this fight is over, I think it's safe for you to move on…"
Lin nodded to her in thanks. He gently pried himself free from the squid pup that clung to him, then turned towards the exit.
The latexes' downcast gazes drew his attention as they trudged through the water towards the deeper sections. No doubt their route to the mess hall. He hesitated.
Their eyes.
Their big, beautiful, sad eyes…
He sighed. "Okay, all of you…"
Over two dozen pairs of eyes turned his way.
I'm going to regret this.
"If you form a line," he said, "and then go have chow time without complaints…I'll give some pets."
The sea of eyes lit up like stars in the night sky. Frowns turned back to grins, and before Lin knew it, both armies began their march once more, albeit much more disorganized.
"Line!" he reiterated, trying to sound authoritative. "Form a line!"
And form a line they did. Soon, the arguments started.
"Hey! That's my spot!"
"No it isn't! I was here first!"
"No fighting," Varan—who'd ceased his duel against Maverick—ordered. "Everyone gets a turn."
The arguing ceased. Lin looked at the first latex in line—a shark cub looking up at him with excited anticipation. Lin had to admit, he didn't know sharks could look this cute.
He reached out and pet the creature on the head. It gratefully accepted the affection, closing its eyes and purring like a cat.
With his other hand, he reached out towards the pup who was in second. It eagerly stepped forward, and soon Lin found himself petting two at once. Seeing the pup and cub melt like butter in his hands made him almost forget that he was standing on what used to be a battlefield, and that the creatures he was surrounded by could take over his body and mind in an instant if they wanted.
After about a minute, he stopped. A doglike whining sounded, but the latexes didn't object. The pup gave a parting hug before it and the cub dived into the deeper parts.
With that pattern, Lin continued giving pets for the better part of twenty minutes. His arms became sore after a while, but he continued nonetheless, always petting two youngsters at the same time. Each one got about a minute of pets. When he was done, the children would leave for their respective mess hall with little complaint (barring some more whines). Throughout the entire event, Puro looked on in wonder. Maverick and Dahlia were smiling the whole time as they beheld the scene before them, and even Varan flashed the occasional smirk. Despite the cold water, Lin felt warm inside. He'd been reluctant to do this at first—only opting to do it because he felt bad for the kids—but now he was glad he'd made that decision.
Finally, the last two youngsters—a pup and a cub—proceeded to leave. Before they dived underwater, the pup turned to look at Lin. "Human?"
"Yes?"
"You'll visit again, right?" the pup said innocently.
Lin opened his mouth to respond. Sure, he wanted to say, but the word got stuck in his throat. He couldn't bring himself to say it, to lie to those innocent eyes. It shocked him. Why couldn't he say anything?!
Eventually he just settled for a quiet nod. Both kids cheered. Lin's gaze wandered down to the water. Only when he heard two splashes did he look up again.
"That was sweet," Dahlia smiled. Lin glanced to her and the other three remaining latexes.
"To stay when you could leave…" Puro said, eyes wide. "Humans really are excellent…"
Lin felt his face get warm. He glanced away, jaw clenched. He wasn't excellent. He really wasn't.
"That they are," Maverick agreed, grinning. He then leaned forward and lay down flat on his stomach, his head inches from Lin. Lin took a few steps back.
Varan sighed. "Really, Mav?"
"Hey, I'm not going to let this opportunity go to waste."
Dahlia smirked. "In that case, neither am I."
Varan sighed again. "Human, you really don't need to…"
"It's fine," Lin said, trying to keep the tremble out of his voice. Was that nervousness or something else? He didn't feel scared…
He hesitated for a moment, then reached up to scratch Dahlia's ear. With his other hand, he proceeded to pet Mav's muzzle.
"Hrm," Mav hummed, his eyes closed, a smile at his lips. "Excellent indeed."
After a while, Lin stopped, much to the two dogs' disappointment. He turned his gaze to Varan and hesitantly raised a hand.
"Thanks," Varan said. "But there's no need."
"Aw, c'mon, Sodie," Mav said. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience!"
"Sharks don't need pets."
"Oh, and what about all of those cubs here just now, huh?"
"Besides," Dahlia said, "aren't you part cat?"
Varan gave them both an unamused look. Then he looked to Lin and hesitated. Lin raised his hand a little as an invitation.
Finally, with another sigh, Varan stepped forward and kneeled down.
"There ya go!" Mav said.
The shark glanced at him annoyed.
Lin reached up to scratch Varan's catlike ear. With a soft sigh, Varan closed his eyes and visibly relaxed. With his head hair to get through, it was a little different from the other sharks' smooth, slippery scales.
Why did Varan have hair, anyway? Was he part dog…?
"Be sure to give him a royal's treatment," Mav said.
"Shut up, Mav," the shark muttered.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Varan gave a deep, guttural growl that somehow sounded more annoyed than threatening, even to Lin.
Finally he gave a nod, signaling for Lin to stop. Varan rose to his full height, giving Lin a small smile of gratitude.
"Now," Puro finally said. "Human has somewhere to be."
"Yes," Varan said, back to his stoic self. "We've held you for long enough. I think it's about time these pirates let you free." He gestured to the door ahead. "You'll want to go that way if you're heading for the exit. Everyone's under strict orders not to assimilate you."
"The adults among them will keep the kids at bay," Dahlia added. "Though I know that's hard to believe after seeing these two pups going at it…"
"Cub," Varan corrected.
Lin nodded quietly. "Okay. I should go then."
"Yes, Human Lin!" Puro affirmed, and he started towards the door. "Let's go!"
"Actually," Varan said, "Puro, I'd like you to stay for a moment."
Puro blinked. He looked from Varan to Lin uncertainly.
"You stay here," Lin told him. "I'll go ahead."
"… Alright then. I'll catch up with you later, Human!"
Seated on the ground with a potted tree for a backrest, Aura stared at the patch of grass before her. There was no one else around thankfully. Then again, few latexes ever went to this particular balcony; it was too close to the white latex nest.
Her eyes were fully glued to the green on the ground. She remembered every drop, every little stain of red that once coated it. And in the center of it…
Her fingers twitched, threatening to turn into fists, but too weak to do so.
She leaned forward and reached out, touching the delicate grass with her paw.
I'm not going to let this happen again, she vowed. This will not happen again.
With renewed determination she rose and made her way into a nearby air duct. Lin should've crossed the vents by now—and if not that, he'd still be there.
The others wouldn't like her influencing Lin's ultimate choice in any way. She had to bide her time, wait for him to be alone.
And if he wouldn't listen… Well, there was only so much she could do before having to resort to more extreme measures.
Vexo eyed the door ahead. The door to that room, where the King resided. Hesitance, countered by a strange mix of guilt, curiosity, and even anger fought within him.
Puro…
Would the King tolerate it? Of Vexo making demands?
He shook his head, huffing. Only one way to find out.
He stepped forward and through the door. He entered the latex-coated room and turned to face the swivel chair.
"Sir," he said, ignoring his slight nervousness.
The chair twisted, and two dark eyes looked down at him. Vexo suppressed a wince. Barring the idea of transfurmation, he never fully understood why dark wolves induced such fear into humans compared to other latexes, but he also never understood how Puro could stand this giant's gaze with a smile on his face.
"Sir," Vexo said, this time more stable. He had to stay collected. Be unafraid, like a wolf should be! "Recently I had to chase down a pup. He'd gone into the vents."
The Wolf King didn't respond, instead glaring down at him, silently urging him to continue.
"The human was there."
Now there was a reaction: The King tilted its head slightly, and Vexo heard a quiet grunt.
"He…talked to Puro," Vexo carefully continued. "And said that Puro mentioned you."
No response besides the usual glare.
"He…seemed to imply something about the reason Puro left…"
The King still didn't respond.
Vexo hesitated. Then finally he lowered his head and turned to the door. "I'm sorry, Sir. I shouldn't—"
"What."
He stopped. The King was looking at him, still.
"What did. Human. Say," the bigger wolf demanded.
Vexo hesitated. "Erm… I'm sorry, Sir, but he seemed to think that…you…may have had…something to do with Puro leaving."
The King stayed silent. Finally he nodded. The gesture made Vexo feel that he was free to leave, but as he turned back to the door, he hesitated yet again. He slowly faced the Wolf King.
"Is it true, Sir?" he whispered.
The King—whose attention had been drawn to one of the many screens on the wall—turned back to him.
Vexo forced himself to look into those eyes, darker than any other latex's he'd seen. "Is there another reason why Puro left?"
The Wolf King let out a deep, quiet growl. Vexo immediately looked down. He was out of line.
"Apologies, Sir, I—"
"No."
Vexo slowly looked up at him.
The King looked back down silently.
Finally he spoke three words.
"Where. Is. Puro?"
Once Human was gone, Puro turned to face Varan—and found all three gazes on him. He blinked. What was this about…?
"Just before the human came here," Varan finally said, "we received word from the crystal wolves. As it turns out, the Elder One has sent someone to the front entrance."
"Dragons?" Puro said, shocked. "How many?"
"Just one."
"Oh…"
"Doesn't that concern you?"
Puro shook his head. "No. If he were really worried, he would've sent more."
"Told ya, Sodie," Mav said.
Varan ignored him. "Are you sure about that, Puro?"
"We're talking about one of the people who told his guys to pretend they couldn't see the human sneaking around," Mav said. "He's obviously the overly cautious type."
Varan gave the dog a glance. Then he turned back to Puro expectantly.
Puro hesitated.
Aura.
The vent.
You remember what we're trying to do, don't you? Are we really going to let all of that be for nothing? We have to protect him from himself!
We'd be saving him!
We'd be saving him.
"Yes…" Puro finally said. "Yes, I'm sure."
