Summary: The final decision to be made… Some say it can't be left to the whims of one man. The Protocol states otherwise.
Aura stayed where she was for a while, overlooking the city below. A vague, distant sense of melancholy silently sat in the back of her head. Part of it wasn't hers as much as it was Lin's lingering pain imprinted onto her.
Some part of it was hers. She'd half-consciously tried to give herself a hug a few times now, but not to seek warmth. Something about the idea of Lin being her host gave her the urge to do so. It wasn't a habit of his; it was from her, that much she knew.
She'd also lost the strength boost Lin had given her, and again that wasn't his doing; it was her decision to tone down the energy-draining. Lin needed rest; she wasn't sure if that was an option with transfurmation, but it certainly wouldn't be if she ate up all the energy he recovered.
Her gaze gravitated to the grass. Yes, she remembered the red stains, remembered the small figure lying in the middle…
She stood up abruptly. She had to know. She wasn't going to delay any longer; it was about time she really decided what to do.
She started towards a nearby door. The room beyond was pure white and deathly quiet. As she passed through it, the latex-covered surfaces began to stir, and the familiar, half-liquid forms of the white latex drones that populated the nest emerged from them. They observed her, approached her, felt at her head and shoulders; she pushed away the few hands that reached for her chest.
She looked at their eyeless gazes. They were known to do this, but part of her had the disturbing idea that they could sense Lin within her.
She passed through. Onto the next balcony, right back inside, then right back outside. Her steps vibrated through the metal exterior stairs as she descended. The outside air vanished once more as she entered and passed through a laboratory and another white latex nest. The drones' eyeless gazes bored into her, but this time she paid them no heed. As unsettling as they were, she was preparing herself for something else.
A small chamber succeeded the nest, the second half of which was covered in dark latex; the room beyond that was covered completely. Red crystals grew out of the ground, much like the ones in the dragon nest and the wolves' den. There weren't any drones here. There weren't even any dark latexes; the crystal wolves had long since established their new base outside.
She went further ahead. Empty large rooms, covered in black goo, illuminated by the faintly glowing crystals.
Eventually she made her way out of the dark nest and into untouched territory.
And finally, she reached the reception room. One of the doors had glass panes in it that looked out over a set of stairs outside, leading down to ground level. The orange light of a descending sun shone through. The light of a dead world, drowned out by the white lamps on the ceiling.
She gave a glance to the unplugged lamp on the desk. Then she took a breath.
She'd release Lin here, then see what choice he made.
Then she'd act.
Puro sat silently at the edge, his feet in the water, the silence only broken by the waterfalls that streamed from the ceiling. He sat there, ruminating on…well, everything.
Humanity is my pack. That's what Lin had said.
We have to protect him from himself! Aura.
There's still time. And hope.
That had been him.
But, as he stared into the water, he realized that things were different now. There was no hope to be found.
Yet even now, the thought of forcing the human into any situation made him wince. The Protocol had been flawed, but it had the right idea—to keep the human sane by preventing forced transfurmation, then give him the freedom to make up his own mind from there.
But then, what was the point of preserving the human's sanity if he was going to die afterwards?!
"It's the right thing to do," he muttered to himself. "Assimilation…no matter what it does to him."
Then why aren't you doing that? Why aren't you trying to save Lin? Why aren't you taking action?
He looked at his hands. Too weak. Always had been. Just a monster, trying to be something more. Unable to stick with his pack, unable to save the human's life, unable to do anything right. How could he ever hope to rise above what he was when he couldn't even bring himself to do what needed to be done?
The door slammed. Puro looked up.
He froze.
The Wolf King entered the intersection.
Now was the time. No more waiting.
Aura closed her eyes and tried to focus, but the process happened purely on instinct.
She felt her mind splitting into two. One remained the same. The other…
The other changed. Pain and fear surfaced, or resurfaced, and it felt as though something started crushing it. The dark tingling in the back of her mind grew, came back in full force. The name Aura slowly faded away from it, replaced by another: Colin.
But there was something else that rose. Something Lin didn't recall being there before the transfurmation.
The human's body began to separate from hers, crawling out from underneath her liquified skin. Lin stepped out, gasping, reaching out to lean against the desk. Aura quickly wrapped her arms around his chest to keep him from losing his balance.
"I got you," Aura said. "You're okay…right?"
Lin panted. Aura waited patiently as he caught his breath.
"Haaa," Lin finally breathed out. "I'm…alright."
Slowly he turned to face her. His blue eyes looked mildly perturbed, still. Getting transfurred must've been a strange experience for him; remembering the pain of humanity's loss when they separated probably didn't help. She briefly saw his eyes flash towards the paned front door, then back to her.
He straightened himself.
Only then did she realize she was still holding him. She slowly removed her arms.
They stared at each other for a moment longer. Lin's gaze remained on edge. Granted, she had transfurred him, and they were at the entrance he'd been trying to reach this whole time… Being so close to the dead world outside had to have some effect on him.
Bringing him here was necessary, Aura reminded herself.
Lin took a deep breath. He glanced around the room. "So… We're here…"
"Yeah," she said awkwardly. "It's, um…a strange place for a date, huh?"
Lin leaned back and half-sat on the desk. His eyes never left hers. Aura hesitated a little at the remaining apprehension behind them. Was Lin behaving like this because of the transfurmation…? She hoped she hadn't caused any damage.
Those riot humans ran to their deaths because they got transfurred, idiot! Of course he's not just going to shrug it off.
Maybe transfurring him hadn't been such a good idea after all.
"Lin," she found herself saying, gently taking his wrists. He flinched a little at her touch. "I get it if today's been really…demanding. If you want, you could just…sit down and get some rest, or maybe sleep. I'll keep you company, if you want."
He looked at her hesitantly.
"Just not in that way," she added with a smirk. "We're not at that stage yet."
"Right," he said awkwardly. "Erm…thanks, Aura. But…there's actually something I need to do."
"What is it?"
"It's about Puro," Lin quietly said. "He and I had an argument. I'd…like to make amends."
She gave a small smile. She grabbed the swivel chair and guided him into it. "First, take a little break at least, now that there's only one latex to harass you…"
"I need to find him," Lin whispered as she sat him down.
She sighed quietly. She didn't have the will to refuse. After what he'd been through… He needed some hope. If he wanted to make amends with Puro so badly…
"Ugh, me and my big heart," she sighed. "Okay, then. But I'll find him for you. You stay here, okay? I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Thank you, Aura."
She turned to a nearby vent. Puro had probably gone where he expected Lin to be. She could check the aquatic area first—
She stopped.
Then she turned back to Lin. He looked up at her with that same strange undertone of hesitation. She narrowed her eyes a little, observing him.
"How much do you remember?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"From when we were bonded."
He glanced away for a moment. "Erm… Not much. A few flashes."
She held his gaze. He looked back. Was it her, or had his breathing just turned a little shakier, his eyes a little wider?
She clenched her teeth. Then she strode over and placed her hands on the seat's armrest, trapping him.
Lin leaned back, eyes suddenly wide.
"You're lying," Aura whispered.
Lin looked at her, frozen. She held his gaze. He was not going to get out of this one. Trying to get her to leave so he could escape the facility behind her back?! She'd almost fallen for it, too!
"Aura…" Lin said, his voice little more than a strangled whisper.
She stared him dead in the eye. Lin flinched under her gaze. Why? Why was he scared?! Was he scared of her?! No, that couldn't be! Not this time!
"Were you really just going to leave?" she growled quietly. "Without a word? Is it that important to you? I thought… I thought we were friends…"
"Aura, listen—"
"No. No… I can't let you leave this place, no matter what the Protocol says. You know that."
"I—"
"Hush." She placed a finger on his lips. "Hush… It's okay. You're going to be okay." She leaned forward, their faces inches away from one another. "You're in my care, now."
"… Wolf King," Puro said.
"Puro," the Wolf King growled. "It. Has. Been. While."
Puro was speechless for a moment. Then he slowly stood up. "… I was just going home," he quietly said.
"Puro. Wait."
He glanced back to see the King coming closer.
"Why?" asked the King.
Puro didn't look at him. "Why what…"
"Why. Leave?" asked the King, his rough and growly voice having a softness to it. "Leave. Den?"
Puro shrugged. "There wasn't anything left for me there."
A brief silence. Then the King did something unexpected; he sat down on his knees before the younger wolf and gently took Puro's shoulders in his hands. A gesture too familiar, yet for the longest time it had been little more than a distant memory.
"Pack," the King said. He tapped his own chest with a finger—"Kin."—then placed that finger on Puro's chest.
Puro shook his head, looking down. "I don't have a pack," he softly said. "I'm an outlier. I was always the outlier. It didn't have to be that way, I-I could've…" He looked up angrily, trying not to let his voice crack. "I could've been one of them, if it weren't for…"
"You are. Of us."
"No! I'm not! I never was, and you knew it! But still, you had me go to the library! Still you had me distance myself from the pack! And for what?! We could've done just as well without human speech!"
He fiercely looked the taller wolf in the eye, but it was only a moment later that he realized what he'd said. He froze. Words got stuck in his mouth as he thought of what to say to apologize.
"Puro."
He fell silent.
The King glanced down—a gesture Puro had never seen before. "You. Mis-un-der-stand." He looked him in the eye. "I. Would not. Have. En-cou-raged. If you. Did not…"
"If I didn't what?"
The King sighed. "You. Loved. Travel. To library. And read-ding. Your. Dif-ference. Made. You…"
"Useful?" Puro whispered, his voice cracking. "That's what you wanted to say, right? You said it before. It's all for the pack."
"For. Pack…" He tapped Puro's chest with a finger. "And. For you…"
"For me…? No, no you said it was for the good of the pack! You said—"
"I. Said. Wrong… I. Hoped. Teach-ing. Brought you. Closer. To pack."
"But…" Puro's eyes stung. "But…it didn't. You knew it didn't. They just saw me as a teacher, in the end…"
"I. Hoped… And. Was wrong."
Puro was at a loss for words. Was this…an attempt to make amends?
"Why now?" he whispered. "Why come to me with this now?"
Once again, the King lowered his gaze for a moment. "I. Cannot. Speak well." When he looked up, he said, "I…feared."
Feared.
"Feared…?" Puro whimpered. Never in his entire life had he ever heard the Wolf King admitting to be afraid of anything.
"Feared," the King said. "That I. Fail you. Again."
Puro fell silent once more. He felt his jaw quivering. Something warm was dripping down his snout.
The Wolf King sighed. Then, with slow, almost careful movements, he took Puro in an embrace. "I am. Sorry. Puro."
Puro stood frozen for a moment. Then he found himself lifting his arms to hug back. "No…" he whimpered. "No, I'm sorry! I was so stupid, I…" He'd been the one to give up hope. He'd left his family behind.
He felt a gentle hand rubbing his back. His breathing was uneven. His kind didn't even need air…
But he felt…relieved.
"Puro."
They separated.
"Human," the King said. "Was. Seen. Leaving. Ge-ne-ra-tors. He. May. Be gone. Soon." He placed a gentle paw on Puro's chest. "Tell. Him. Good-bye."
Puro nodded, wiping his eyes. "I… I will." Oh no, now Human was leaving… This day had been…so strange.
The King rumbled. "I. Could. Ac-com-pa-ny…"
Puro looked up at him. "… Yes," he said. "I-I would like that."
Lin all but squeezed himself in the chair under Aura's emerald gaze. Her eyes were narrowed, her muzzle a sharp-toothed snarl. Lin felt his heart beating in his chest. He hesitantly breathed in to speak, but she shook her head, growling softly.
"Don't say anything," she whispered.
He vaguely registered something move in the corner of his eye. Something behind Aura, in the wall near the ground. He didn't dare avert his gaze for even a second.
"I caught you, Linnie," Aura whispered. Her eyes and voice were growing calmer now, almost gentle. "You're not going to talk your way out of this… This place is safe, Lin. The virus can't get you here. And it's…a nice home to live in. You'll see, I promise."
Lin felt himself trembling. He forced himself to look into those intense eyes of hers, as if expecting her to strike.
"Come on, don't look at me like that." Her voice cracked a little. Her eyes became almost…pleading. "I'm sorry if I scared you, okay? I get it, but…I'm still a little hurt that you were going to leave without even saying anything. I thought…" She trailed off, glancing away.
The thing that emerged from the wall grew. It rose, balancing itself on…something.
It was…a mask. On a mass of darkness.
"Please… Stop looking at me like I'm going to do something to you!" she pleaded, her voice almost a whimper. "I'm still your friend. I don't want to see you hurt. Please, just…"
Dual wings spread out from the masked intruder's back.
"Come on, Linnie," Aura said softly. She placed a gentle hand on his wrist. "Let's just…go, okay? Let's talk—"
The dragon grabbed her from behind and yanked her back.
Lin scrambled to his feet.
"Human Colin!" Fletch said as he held the struggling Aura. "Are you okay?! The Elder One sent me to guard this place when you reached it."
Lin realized he was panting, his breaths deep and ragged like he'd run a thousand miles.
Aura reached out to grab Fletch's head, but the dragon lifted her up and tossed her away like a ragdoll. She landed near the door on hands and feet, nimble like a cat, teeth bared and eyes narrowed.
"That's enough, lady!" Fletch ordered. "This is a breach of Protocol!"
Aura hissed. Then she turned to Lin and leaped over the desk towards him. Lin ducked to the side just in time.
Aura lunged again.
Lin's stomach lurched as Fletch grabbed him and turned around, heaving him along. Fletch grunted as Aura landed on his back, and he pushed Lin away. "Colin! Back!" He tried to grab Aura, but she climbed over him and jumped off, kicking him with both her feet in mid-air. Both fell to the ground.
Aura recovered quickly, and she reached for Lin again.
Lin's fingers brushed something. An unplugged lamp on the desk! He grabbed it and swung wildly. Aura narrowly ducked under his swing and lanched herself into him. With one arm she grabbed and grappled his makeshift weapon. With her other hand she grabbed onto his head.
"I told you," she whispered, her lips near his ear. "If we knew what we were doing, we would never have let those humans go."
Lin struggled, bracing himself for the imminent transfurmation. But Aura's skin didn't liquify.
The door opened.
Human?!
Lin grabbed onto her hair and yanked it down. She grunted. Lin wormed himself free of her strong grip. He shoved her back.
The lamp dropped on the ground with a clatter.
"Human!"
They turned to see Puro enter the room, eyes wide. Behind him loomed the Wolf King.
Aura froze.
Then she turned back to Lin and leaped for him yet again.
Fletch tackled her in mid-air, and they crashed to the ground. Aura struggled. Fletch couldn't get a good grip on her, and she shoved him back with her foot. She rose again.
Suddenly the Wolf King was onto her and lifted her up in one hand. Then he pressed her onto the ground. She struggled, trying to pry his hand off of her, but the King was too strong. With his free hand, he gestured for Puro and Fletch to approach.
He handed her to them, with each holding one of her arms, forcing her to her knees. She growled and snarled and fought to break herself free, but couldn't overwhelm the dark latexes' strength.
The King lowered his gaze to just above her eye level.
"You," he boomed. "Break. Pro-to-col."
Aura looked up at him with wide eyes.
Then her gaze went to Lin.
"Lin…!" she cried, her earlier fierceness gone. "Wait! Please! Please, I-I didn't want it to happen again! I just wanted to help you!"
Lin stared at her, frozen.
"You understand, right?! Please say you understand!"
Lin didn't know. Talking? Should he? What had she been trying to do?!
"Lin…!" she begged.
"Away!" ordered the King.
Without hesitation, Fletch and Puro rose, taking the pleading Aura with them. As they left, Puro shared one last regretful glance with Lin.
Then the door fell shut.
Lin stared at it, eyes still wide, breath frozen. Trembling. Still on alert, for some reason. Why? She was gone.
What had Aura been trying to do, really? Keep him here…how? Transfurmation…? Why was he still scared of that?
A padded furry hand landed on his shoulder. He snapped out of his trance and looked straight into the eyes of the Wolf King himself. The dark latex canid observed him for a moment, then gently nudged him along towards the front door. Lin thought about protesting—he didn't want to leave yet—but nothing came out.
The outside air met his face as he stepped outside. His bare feet touched smooth, dark latex-stained stone.
He glanced at the area stupefied. The ground just outside the facility was completely covered in the dark goo. Latex wolves with black and red fur roamed the area at the bottom of the stairs. Lin could swear some of them had horns on their heads.
Beyond the dark latex patch though, he saw buildings. Soil. Earth. Grass. Trees…and a golden sun hovering on the horizon.
He looked at the sight. A flock of birds flew in the distance.
Animals…but no humans.
No one like him. In a world so vast, he was now an anomaly.
He all but collapsed and sat down onto a stairstep. The Wolf King sat next to him. The creature let out a growl that somehow sounded like a sigh.
They sat there for what felt like an eternity. He'd made it. He was outside. Not on real soil, but the breeze blowing in his face and the sun in the sky were undeniable. He let out a shaky breath, his eyes stinging once more. It all felt so…beautiful to him.
"Why…" he whispered. "Why'd you go through all the trouble?"
The King glanced at him.
"The Protocol," Lin whispered. "Letting me pass through like that, putting those rules in place about transfurmation…just for me to leave?"
The King placed a finger on Lin's heart. "Virus. Breaks. Body." The finger went to Lin's forehead. "As-si-mi-late. Breaks. Mind." He focused his attention to the sun again. "Pro-to-col. Not. So you. May leave." He paused. "Pro-to-col. So you. May choose." He glanced at Lin again. "You. Are. Alone… You. Are last. Hu-man… Stay. Or leave. Is not. Our. Choice."
"But the riots… You made the Protocol because of the riots…"
"Ri-ot. Hu-mans. Died." He sighed. "We. Failed…" He looked at Lin again. "But if. Im-pri-son… You. Will hurt. As last hu-man. And so. We. Cannot. Choose. For you."
"I…don't know anymore," Lin croaked. "I wanted to leave, but…I'll die, won't I? And if not that, I'll be alone." He didn't even know where to look for other surviving humans, if there were any. The power company was his main candidate before he found out that there was nobody there, either. "What about them?" he asked quietly, nodding to the latexes below.
The King followed his gaze. "They. Ex-plore. And change. Land… One day. Our kind. Will. See world." He paused. "For now. Not far… But. Their grounds. Are safe. For you."
Lin fell silent. Then he sighed. "I don't know anymore."
"Then. Wait. And think," the King said. "Our. Doors. Are. Open. To you."
Lin nodded. He hesitated. "I…I want to see Aura, if that's okay."
The wolf looked at him. Though his expression didn't change much, the gesture itself looked questioning somehow.
With the King at his side, Lin was led to a set of stairs which, surprisingly enough, ended in a corridor with what looked to be apartment doors at its sides. Hunching under the low ceiling, the King led him to one specific room door and pointed to it.
"She. Is. Guarded," he clarified. "But be. Careful."
Lin took a deep breath. Then he entered the room.
The apartment beyond would've looked cozy, were it not for the blinds dimming the sunlight and the inhabitants' quiet, grim postures. Three pairs of eyes turned to Lin as he entered.
"Human!" Puro said, speeding over. "You're still here…?"
"For now," Lin quietly said. He met Aura's emerald gaze. "Can I…talk to her for a moment?"
"Of course." Puro stayed where he was, as did Fletch.
"Alone, if that's okay," Lin softly added.
The two dark latexes shared a glance. "Erm, Dragon Colin?" Fletch said hesitantly. "She just tried to kidnap you?"
"I know. I'll be fine." He wasn't entirely sure if he believed that.
The duo momentarily hesitated. Then they left. The door slammed shut, leaving Lin and Aura alone.
Aura slowly got off the bed. "Lin," she said quietly. "Let me explain. I-I wasn't going to hurt you. I…I wouldn't. I couldn't." She stepped towards him and reached out with her hand.
Lin took a step back. He realized his breathing was off again, if only a little.
She lowered her hand, her gaze pleading.
Lin tried to compose himself. He shouldn't be scared of her. She could've attacked by now. She'd had at least one clear chance to transfur him during the fight in the reception room—and even before it—but hadn't taken it.
"I wasn't— I wasn't going to transfur you again," she pleaded. "I couldn't. Not like that, not without your permission. I couldn't go that far. I thought about it, but—"
"Then what were you planning?" Lin whispered.
"I-I don't know, okay?!" She reached out again and slowly approached. This time he didn't back away, and she gently placed her hands on his shoulders. "Yeah, I was going to take you…somewhere, but I…I would've snapped out of it eventually! I swear! Or at least I would've—"
"Treated me well as a prisoner?"
"I…"
"Aura."
She fell silent.
He gently placed his hands over hers. "I know what you were thinking about while we were merged. The boy…"
She tensed. Her gaze wandered.
Lin held her shoulders. "You still…?"
"Still what…"
"Still blame yourself?"
She glared at him, but her anger soon melted away. She looked down again. "I saw him in the vents, I…could've helped him. I should've helped him. He was so scared…"
"He ran, didn't he?" Lin said softly. "He was scared of you."
Aura nodded. "I should've gone after him… I later found him on the balcony…"
The red stains. She'd remembered that when they were merged. Lin could visualize it like her thoughts had been his own.
Lin felt her tremble a little. Aura closed her eyes and turned away from him. A silence fell.
"Aura…" Lin finally said. "You didn't know."
"Stop!" she snapped, facing him. "I've been hearing that excuse for years now! 'I didn't know!' I should've known! We should've all known! And now they're dead!"
"But you said it yourself," Lin said softly. "When you realized what was going on, you did try to save them."
"I said stop!" she cried out, grabbing him by the shoulders. "I don't want to hear it!"
Lin returned her gaze. He didn't flinch this time.
"That's why you did what you did, wasn't it?" he said after a brief silence. "Why you were so intent on keeping me here."
She wilted. "I let him get himself…killed…"
"And you didn't want the same thing to happen again."
She fell silent.
"I wasn't going to leave, you know," Lin said. "Not yet, anyway. I still have to make up my mind."
She looked up at him, eyes glistening with latex tears.
"I remembered what you were thinking about while we were merged," Lin said. "When I got out, I panicked. I was going to run, yeah…but not outside. I knew that would've killed me."
"Then…where?"
He shrugged. "As far away from the lobby as possible. I just needed to find some others who'd…help me out."
She looked at him. Then a slight smile broke through. "Heh… Save you from the crazy snow leopard, you mean?"
He couldn't help but smile a little himself. "Yup. Exactly."
She looked down, chuckling. Then her chuckles turned into sniffles.
Lin carefully moved forward, placing his arms around her in a hug. She accepted it.
He gently rubbed her back and head, letting his fingers run over her white hair. He felt her tremble in his grip, heard her sniffling, trying to pull herself together. He waited patiently, feeling her soft fur brushing against his skin.
"I'm sorry," she whimpered.
"I know," he said softly.
"I didn't mean…to…"
"I know."
"If we'd... If we'd kept them here, you wouldn't be..."
"I know."
They stayed like that for a while longer. Then they slowly separated.
"Um… Hey, Lin?"
"Yes?"
"If you want to leave, I…won't try to stop you anymore." She looked down, her voice quiet. "But promise me you'll at least say something when you go."
"I promise."
After a bit of a debate, Lin eventually gave up on trying to have the King release Aura from her jail. He'd wanted to continue the argument, only for Aura herself to stop him. Eventually, the King had returned to his den to have some others relieve Fletch and Puro from their guard duty.
As Fletch proceeded to reenter Aura's room, Lin turned to leave, only to feel a paw on his shoulder. He looked right into Puro's eyes.
"Human…" Puro said. "Can I talk to you?"
Lin had an idea what this was about. He considered what to say, how to address their conversation in the flooded section.
"Human," Puro said meekly. "There's something I need to confess."
Lin hesitated. Confess…?
Puro fidgeted, his gaze low. "Human… The truth is…I knew things. I didn't think Aura would go this far, but I knew she would be breaking Protocol to try to get you to stay."
Lin looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
"I didn't tell you…" Puro said, voice trembling. "In fact, I…thought about taking action too, because I thought she might be right. I just didn't want to let you go, Human. I'd been waiting for you for years, and seeing you just…leave…" He looked away. "I put so much hope in the idea that you'd help me. That you'd…be my pack." He closed his eyes. "I… I knew about Aura… I knew about humanity's fate too, but…I couldn't bring myself to tell you."
"Puro…"
"I-I couldn't let you die, Human, but—"
"Puro."
He fell silent.
"I'm sorry I'm not what you hoped," Lin said softly. "But you don't need me. Not for this." He paused. "You and the King…?"
Puro nodded. "We talked and…made amends."
"Good. I'm happy for you, Puro."
"How?" the wolf whimpered. "I failed you…"
"You were desperate, weren't you? Just like her."
He nodded quietly.
"I get it…" Lin said softly. He placed his hands on Puro's shoulders. "I'm without a pack too, Puro. And I'm still considering leaving, even now."
"Even so…I made mistakes. If I'd done things right, maybe the Protocol could've been done in a better way…"
"Everyone makes mistakes, Puro," Lin said softly. "The leaders make mistakes; their Protocol was flawed to begin with. And you did a lot of things right."
"Did I?"
"Puro, you united the facility… You brought people together, you learned how to talk and taught others to do the same. You helped me along my journey."
Puro fidgeted. He still didn't look convinced.
"Everything turned out alright," Lin said softly. "For now, don't get too hung up on what went wrong. Think about how you want to move forward."
The wolf nodded, downcast. "In that case, I…want to make amends with the other wolves. And Human…" Puro looked up at him. "For as long as you're still here, at least…can we be friends?"
Lin nodded. "Of course."
They shared a hug, then parted ways. As Lin walked through the corridor, he found himself unsure of where to go. Maybe he should go to Yanida, who'd offered to keep her door open for him. Maybe Varan or Mav had a place for him to rest. Maybe he should just take the more obvious option and spend the night in one of these apartments.
He had plenty of time to think. Well, until he fell asleep, that was.