Lone Wolves

A.N.: Full disclosure: this is going to be a slight au. The two main differences are as follows: 1.) this does not follow the main storyline or timeline of RHATO, and 2.) Jason has dogs. I saw some fanart (I can't remember who the artist is. If anyone knows who made the art with jason and a german shepherd, please leave it in the reviews. I'll edit this chapter so everyone can see) and decided to make a spin on that, featuring my two dogs. Ginny is passed (hence why she's depicted as less active), but Sheba is my current dog.

Edit: I copy and pasted the first draft of this chapter from google docs and something went horribly wrong. This is the hopefully more successful take two.

Enjoy!

The bed shook, waking Jason, who sighed. He realized he forgot to turn his swag off last night and woke up covered in bitches.

Dragging himself off the bed, he scratched Sheba behind the ears before pulling on a t shirt and dressing gown. The dogs strained against the door, desperate to get out.

He made his way downstairs as the dogs raced to the front door. He let them out and started brewing a cup of coffee to ease his early-morning headache as he waited for them finish their business.

But, they just kept. On. Barking.

Rolling his eyes, he stepped out to see what the problem was. Both were stationed near the side of the fence, Sheba trying to stick her head out, Ginny howling like a mad dog.

Jason turned when he heard the door open again. Bizarro stepped out, looking confused.

"What am wrong, Red Him? Me heard dogs."

"Yeah, they're onto something," agreed Jason as he looked back at whatever it was the dogs were barking at.

"Me also heard screaming last night. Perhaps onto that?"

"Screaming?!" For a reason he couldn't describe, icy fear dropped into his stomach. He raced to the gate, Sheba on his heels and Ginny following behind, and unlocked it. Both dogs dashed out into the trees surrounding the building.

"Stay put," he told Bizarro before following after.

Dew froze his feet as he followed his pets.

The woods were fairly dense, he supposed. Definitely a decent place for a body dump. Maybe even a murder. Someone could've easily-

He stopped in his tracks when he finally caught up to the animals. They were pawing and nosing at something on the ground. Some sort of carcass, most likely.

Guard down, he trudged closer to get a proper look. He frowned as he realized the figure wasn't a carcass, but rather a mangled human body. Cuts and punctures bled over bruised skin, and wherever it wasn't bruised was white as a ghost. A mop of black hair turned crusty with blood where it wasn't being licked up.

As he made his way around to the front, his stomach dropped.

He pulled hair out of his brother's eyes, seeing a badly bleeding tear on his temple. Bloody vomit dribbled from Dick's mouth onto the ground. He swallowed and continued checking him over. Pulse: weak. Breathing: raspy. Temperature: sickeningly cold. Wrist: shattered.

Jason pulled off his dressing gown and wrapped it around him, tying it to tight for warmth. He held him close and carried him inside, dogs and Bizarro on his heels.

"Wake up Faye. Tell her my brother needs help. Fast."

"He am Red Him's brother?" Jason nodded.

He laid him on the couch, trying not to cringe when he reset Dick's broken wrist, and then splinted it with a magazine and some of Artemis's stray hair ties.

Footsteps entered the hall, leading to the lobby. Faintly, he heard Faye muttering something about being woken up, Bizarro trying to explain, and the third pair of footsteps were undoubtedly Artemis.

"What in the blazes did you do, Jason?" Ma nearly screeched as she entered, pulling a glove over her hand.

"I find him in the middle of the woods, immediately call for help, and you still think it's my fault?" he immediately shot back.

"Move over," she replied. He stepped around to the back of the couch, watching as as Artemis handed her disinfectant, suture needles, and thread from the first aid kit.

"What could have caused this?" Artemis wondered aloud.

"No idea," he said. "Could have been Joker - the cuts might fit his knife - but that doesn't explain why he isn't wearing anything."

"Based on the teeth marks, it was probably a wolf attack," Ma interjected, finishing the stitch on his face. "Jason?" Together, they rolled Dick onto his stomach, and she continued her work.

"Might not be his first attack either," she pointed out once she'd pulled the gown down over the back. Jason frowned at the scarred, tooth-like punctures.

The woman continued suturing in silence, finally standing up half an hour later.

"Stay with him, if you want," she said, pulling off her gloves. "Make sure he takes it slow, once he wakes up." Jason nodded, and she left, once again grumbling about her arthritis.

"So this is your brother?" Artemis asked, shooing Sheba away from licking the stitches.

"Yeah. We haven't talked in a while, though."

"Why Red Him not talk to Red Brother?" Bizarro cocked his head, sounding heartbroken.

Jason sighed, tracing a stitch on his brother's shoulder. "It's complicated," he admitted. "He was part of a team which I wasn't allowed to join; I was jealous; we didn't talk much. Then, he moved out, and we stopped entirely."

"Will Red Brother live with us?"

"I don't know. Listen, I'm sorry for waking the both of you. Go back to bed. I'm the only one he knows; I'll stay until he wakes up."

They left, Artemis throwing a look at him before walking out. Sheba returned to lick the blood out of Dick's hair, Ginny laying beside her. He shifted Dick into the recovery position before padding into the kitchen for his coffee.

A couple hours passed until he heard a low groan and Dick moved on the couch. A second later, he threw a hand out and started frantically groping for something. The second Jason handed him the trash can, he was spewing putrid bile into it, again and again and again, until all he could do was dry heave and shake like a leaf.

He pulled the can away just as he started groggily taking in the room. Jason knelt down to eye level, much to Sheba's protest.

"Dick," he started, and the man locked eyes on him. He seemed to relax with a sigh.

"Hey, Jason," he said. "Where am I?"

"Short answer: Ma Gunn's home for the criminally infirmed."

"And the-" his breath hitched as he tried to sit up. Failing that, he held his ribs and laid down again. "-long answer?"

"Also: my and my team - well, kind-of-team's - house."

"Hm. How'd I get here?"

"The dogs found you in the woods, covered in injuries. We brought you in, and Ma Gunn - remember her? - fixed you up. You had 50 stitches in total. What happened to you?" Dick shrugged and winced.

"Don't remember."

"How can you not remember?!" Jason exasperated. Dick was about to respond, but then turned downright green, and had his head in the trash again.

"Long story," he replied.

Jason deflated. "Stay here and rest. Is there anything else you need?"

"There should be a backpack near the right post on the front gate. Bring it in for me?"

"I'll get it," Jason replied. "You sleep."

A.N.: So, short chapter, I'll admit. I wanted to get it done so I can treat you guys. I've been absent for a while, and there's no excuse. Leave your thoughts and ideas in a review and I'll see if I can incorporate them! Thank you for your time, and GOD BLESS!