First I want to say, I'm so sorry for not updating for a long time. I've been putting this story on hold for a while, and truthfully speaking, I was thinking of going on a hiatus. Also, sorry to the people who wanted me to add their characters in, I've added two characters in this chapter ( well introduced ) and this chapter is mostly going to be a flashback from Aatu's past (how he learned to talk, how he learned he was a wolf, and how his family members learned of it). If you want me to add anymore characters in, I am still taking requests. Thank you everyone for reading, please enjoy & review the chapter.
P.S I wrote this late at night so expect some grammatical errors.
Also, shout to Johnwolf for being a great reviewer, friend and story-writer. This chapter is based on his character, Aatu, from his Balto stories.
P.P.S Damn this chapter is long, one of the longest I've ever written in my time here.
"Aatu!" Shiroi shouted, running over to his fallen comrade. Toboe rushed in as well. Aatu laid unmoving with his eyes closed, and one of his legs twisted horribly. Blood gushed from the bullet wound, and the only thing that assured them that he was alive was the steady rise and fall of his body breathing.
"Is he okay?" Toboe asked worriedly.
Shiroi placed a paw on Aatu's body and leaned in.
"Sorry Aatu" he whispered silently. He bit into where the bullet wound was and popped the bullet into his mouth, then spat it out. The blood-coated bullet flew and landed on the snow, dripping with Aatu's blood. Aatu made no sound, not even a whimper which wasn't a good sign.
Shiroi then pressed his nose against Aatu's flank. As his eyes and markings glowed, the bullet-wound on Aatu began slowly closing up. After he was done, he turned to Toboe.
"We have to leave, it's not safe here" he said to the awe-struck Toboe who was standing with his mouth wide open at what just happened.
"H-how did you do that?" he stammered, dumbfounded.
"I'll explain everything later, help me move him" Shiroi commanded. He looked at Aatu's twisted leg, feeling a pang of regret that he didn't have the enough power to fix that.
The small red wolf helped hoist Aatu onto Shiroi's back. Shiroi was still weak, but he had enough strength to carry the heavier wolf. Breathing out a mist of cold breath, he and Toboe trotted away from the city and into the spot where the others were waiting.
"Mom?" a small voice pipped up. They were in a forest covered in snow. The voice came from something hiding behind several snowy bushes in the nearby trees. A batch of snow fell down from one of the trees, and a stampede of footsteps assaulted the earth.
"Hush Shin" a female voice whispered. A small red furry head poked out of one of the bushes and immediately went back down.
"Mom, I think they're gone" the small voice whispered. Both creatures breathed out a sigh of relief before emerging from the bushes and trees which they took shelter in. One was a wolf with a red coat and creamy stomach with amber eyes. The other taller one had silver fur with hazel eyes. The silver wolf collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily.
"Mom are you okay?" the red wolf rushed over to her side, whimpering worriedly. She had several scars along her legs and body, but the most recent ones were the scars from the traps that the hunters laid that caught her ankle. Her fur was ruffled, and missing patches of fur.
"Yes Shin, I'm just tired" she said assuredly. She slowly rose to her feet, limping a bit. The red wolf walked beside her, supporting her weight.
"Mom, where are we going now...?" The small wolf asked. The silver wolf turned her head and licked the small wolf's head reassuringly.
"We have to keep moving..."
Paradise... I have to find Paradise.. for my son...
Shiroi and Toboe trudged through the heavy snow, walking ever so slowly. There was a huge storm now, clouding their vision, but they kept going. They had to make it to the hut near the riverside. It was where the others were waiting. Shiroi's legs trembled with the effort to keep moving, and Toboe was shivering visibly too.
"I can't see anything" Toboe shouted to Shiroi.
"We're almost there!" Shiroi shouted back. "Keep going!"
"Shiroi-" Toboe stammered.
"I-"
"Can't-"
"..."
"Toboe?" Shiroi shouted.
No response.
"Toboe!" Shiroi yelled. He sniffed the air, trying to catch Toboe's scent. He caught it, and moved towards it. With Aatu on his back, and the snow slowing him down, it was a devastatingly slow walk. Once he reached Toboe, the small wolf laid on his sides with his eyes closed. Worst of all, he was no longer shivering.
"Toboe..." Shiroi said, placing his paw on his body and shaking him.
"Toboe wake up!" Shiroi pleaded. The small wolf just laid there, his body rising in shallow breaths. Shiroi gripped Toboe's scruff, and began hauling both Aatu and Toboe, desperately trying to get through this blizzard. Every step was sapping his strength, and he didn't know how long he went on for until his vision began to blur. After what seems to be an eternity, he collapsed into the snow. Aatu's limp body fell on top of him and he let go of Toboe's scruff. His sides rising in heavy pants.
Aatu...Toboe...I'm sorry he thought to himself. He had dragged them both to their impending deaths. If only they haven't met him...this wouldn't have happened. Before his eyes closed, he caught a glimmer of light from the corner of his eye. He willed his eyes to open wider, and the outlines of a small hut appeared several feet away from where they laid.
But he didn't have enough strength to move.
He barked weakly, hoping that whoever was inside that hut would hear him. He prayed that they would.
Moments past without a sound being made. He barked again, trying to add force to it. He laid his head down, and his eyes slowly began to close. He didn't have the willpower to keep them open anymore.
"Over here!" a voice shouted.
"I think I heard something..." a female voice sounded.
Footsteps pounded the snow, Shiroi heard boots stamp on the snow, followed by a sharp stop.
"Oh my god" the female gasped.
"Aatu?" A voice shouted in a panic tone. "Holy shit! Aatu!"
Another person came running in, skidding on the snow and then stopped with a gasp.
"Let's get them in" another male voice instructed
He felt himself being lifted up gently, and covered in something warm. He felt his strength leave him and he slipped into the darkness.
Flashback
"Come on boy!" a young Fogul called out. They were just about to enter a nearby village after travelling through a forest. They were low on supplies and needed to restock while resting a few nights.
The rustling of leaves could be heard.
"Aatu come on!" Fogul shouted.
Darting out of the bush, a young animal with black fur tipped with white edges along his ears,tails and muzzle tackled the young teenager down.
"Ahh!" Fogul cried as he fell. "Aatu stop it!" he said, giggling as Aatu licked his face over and over again. As Fogul got to his feet, Aatu sat on his haunches with his tongue dangling on the side of his mouth. He tilted his head and looked at Fogul.
"Come on, Joey's waiting for us" Fogul said, walking away from the forest. Aatu whined.
"I know you don't like it, but we have to" Fogul sighed. Aatu scuffled his paws on the ground nervously.
"Fine, if you're not coming then I guess no food for you" Fogul said, walking away from Aatu. At the mention of food, Aatu's ears perked up and he dashed after Fogul. Fogul laughed a bit and shook his head. He wondered how much of what he said Aatu actually understood. The canine seemed to be a lot smarter than he looked, and understood what he said most of the time.
As they walked through the village, several people stared at Aatu in disgust. Some people closed their doors and covered the windows with blinds. A small child threw a rock that nearly hit Aatu, and he snarled in response.
"Easy" Fogul said, laying his hand on Aatu's head. Aatu looked up at him and whined.
"We're not staying long, we just need to buy some supplies. Come on, Joey's waiting for us at one of the local inns"
Aatu shifted his gaze away, kept his tail and ears down and walked along with Fogul.
Once they reached the inn, Aatu immediately smelled Joey's scent and ran up to greet him. He balanced on his hind legs and pawed at Joey.
"Down Aatu" Joey said while laughing. Joey, now almost an adult, had to take care of both Fogul and Aatu. Ever since the incident, he was placed in a very tough situation that required him to be both a brother and a parent to them. They inherited the money that their parents left them, but they had to travel from cities to cities, villages to villages in search of a job.
"Wolf!" The innkeeper cried out, ducking under the counter and bringing out a pistol. Aatu snarled at the sight of the weapon.
"Mam, it's not a wolf" Joey explained. "It's our dog."
"Dog? He doesn't have a collar or leash!" the innkeeper cried out.
"The thing is, he lost his collar when we were travelling. We actually got into a fight with a pack of wolves" Joey lied. At the sound of that, the innkeeper lowered her pistol and breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm sorry" she apologized. "The thing is, our goats and cows have been disappearing lately and it's because of the damn wolves."
"Disappearing? You mean they're being hunted?"
"Exactly, it's why all the villagers are on their edge. Your dog just looks like a wolf and I apologize"
"It's no problem" Joey smiled. He paid the fee to stay at the inn, and they walked upstairs to their room. Only once they were secured in their room, with the door locked did Fogul start talking.
"What's the deal with the townspeople here..." Fogul whispered.
" I mean, you can't blame them. He doesn't have a collar and could be mistaken for a rabid dog or a rabid wolf" Joey explained.
"Aatu doesn't like collars, you know that Joey" Fogul argued back.
"Well it's difficult for him to be coming with us and being treated like a rabid beast" Joey said, pinching the rim of his nose. In almost every village and city, Aatu was targeted because he did not have a collar on. One time he was shot at, and the other time they were in a city they had to pay a fee to get him out of the dog pound. Boy, was Aatu pissed about that.
Aatu whined at Joey, almost as in an apology. He laid his head on his paws, and looked away from them.
"Now look at what you did, you made him feel bad" Fogul said, walking over to where Aatu was and scratching his ears.
Joey sighed. He didn't understand how Aatu understood what they were talking about. The animal seemed to be way smarter than they thought he was.
"Look, I'm sorry" Joey said, walking over to where Fogul and Aatu were. He placed his hand on top of Aatu's head and Aatu licked it, accepting the apology. "It's just been...so stressful"
"We'll make it" Fogul said, putting his hand on Joey's shoulder. "We're a family, we can do it."
Joey smiled. "Yeah, let's get some rest. It's getting late."
The smell of blood woke Aatu up. Although it was a faint smell of blood, Aatu could smell it through the slightly opened window in their room. Odd scents mixed with the blood scent, and how Aatu leaped to his paws to track it. Using his nose, he lifted the window up, silently, hoping not to wake Fogul and Joey up. After the window was big enough for him to fit through, he nimbly leaped through and onto the ground. A normal dog wouldn't have been able to leap from such heights without sustaining injuries, but for some reason Aatu was able to.
He made good use of his dark fur,slipping into the dark corners of the village and walking without a sound towards the scent. The scent led him to a farmer's field, but the sight he saw was horrible
He saw goats,cows and sheeps...all of their throats were ripped open with blood everywhere. It was so gory, that he almost vomited at the sight of it. In the middle were six large animals ranging from silver to brown fur. They were wolves.
The largest wolf lifted his nose and smelled the air, and his eyes flickered to where Aatu was hiding. Aatu stiffened.
"I know you're there" the wolf hissed, it was a male.
"Show yourself or we'll come to you"
Having no choice, especially because the chances of him out running these wolves were slim, Aatu stepped out of the darkness. Almost immediately, the wolves surrounded him. The large wolf, whom he assumed was the alpha of the pack, pushed Aatu down to his side with his paw. His strength was overwhelming, using one paw to hold Aatu down. Aatu growled out of shock.
"What is a hybrid like you doing here? With humans?" the alpha asked.
Aatu's ears shot up at the question. The alpha took his paw off Aatu's body and Aatu stood up.
"You smell like a dog but yet you smell like a wolf" he said.
Aatu shook his head.
The alpha chuckled. "Don't believe me? Think about it..."
"You're able to understand the humans clearly, almost as if they're speaking in your tongue"
"You can do things that normal creatures can't do"
Aatu sat there, stunned. A sudden realization hit him as the facts dawned in on him. He never understood why he was able to understand Fogul and Joey. He never understood why he was able to run faster and jump higher than other animals. He didn't want to believe it because he knew Joey and Fogul's past.
What happened to their parents.
"And you know how I know you're a wolf?"
Aatu shook his head in confusion.
"I'm talking to you using the human tongue, and yet you understand perfectly fine." Aatu froze. He didn't know wolves could talk using human language...
"You live with humans, but do they know what you truly are?" the question pierced him
"What you can do?"
"Will they be scared?"
"Will they shoot you?"
"Desert you?"
All the questions flooded Aatu's mind. He whimpered, shaking his head as if to get the ideas out of his mind. The alpha regarded him for a moment before stepping forward and staring directly at Aatu.
"Come join our pack, we're your kin. You belong with us."
"The humans will perish soon in this village anyways..." The statement caught Aatu off guard.
What did he mean by 'perish'? Aatu began backing away, but the other wolves flanked him. They surrounded him in the open field, and the villagers were too far away or asleep to hear anything. In this field of blood, Aatu was alone.
The alpha wolf glared at Aatu. "Will you join our pack or not? Your humans will try and kill you once they find out what you are." Aatu shook his head, backing up further from the Alpha's piercing gaze.
"So be it" the alpha said, turning away from him. Aatu almost breathed a sigh of relief at being let go.
The alpha smirked. "But you know too much now... We can't let anyone who is not part of our pack, especially now that you've learned the truth about yourself, interfere with our plans with this village."
Aatu's eyes widened.
What are they going to do to me? he wondered. His legs were trembling now, half of him wanted to run away while the other was paralyzed by the huge wolves standing in front of him, glaring at him with burning gazes.
"Do it. Now." the alpha commanded.
Aatu turned around to see what was happening, but he felt a heavy blow to his head which knocked him onto the ground. He laid there, his vision blurring as he alpha crouched down to meet his eyes. His head wavered back and forth. Behind Aatu stood a brown wolf holding a thick tree branch in his mouth. One end of the branch had bits of blood, where it connected with Aatu's head. The brown wolf dropped the branch and walked over to the alpha.
"What are we going to do with him? Kill him?" it asked.
"Let me kill him" snarled one of the silver furred wolves. "I hate hybrids."
The alpha's mouth curled in a wicked smile. The alpha leaned into Aatu and spoke:
"Since he likes humans so much, we'll give them a big surprise in the morning" he laughed. Aatu's head dropped to the ground, and the last image he saw before slipping into unconsciousness was the evil glare of the alpha wolf.
"Aatu..." Fogul said, stroking Aatu's head. They bandaged him up to the best of their abilities. There was a bruise on his head, and when they put their medicine on the wounds, he didn't even flinch or make a sound which worried them.
"How are the others?" Joey said, sitting down next to Fogul. His eyes regarded Aatu with worry.
"They're fine" Lyla said. "Toboe has a fever... and this one-" she looked at Shiroi. "-seems to be exhausted. He probably carried them all the way here."
"I knew that it was dangerous" Fogul said, balling his fists in Aatu's fur. He turned around and punched the wall. "We should have at least stayed with them."
"We couldn't" Joey said, trying to calm Fogul down.
"This is the second time" Fogul seethed. "Why him?"
Joey put his arm around his younger brother, but Fogul shrugged it off.
"Fuck!" he shouted, startling Lyla and making her jump up. "After the first time, I thought it would be different. I thought we would be different." he raged as he marched towards the door and threw it open.
"Fogul, wait!" Lyla shouted, but Fogul already left, leaving the door open with the cold breeze coming in.
"I'll get him" Joey said, sighing as he got to his feet. He laid his hand on Aatu's head for a bit, before chasing after his younger brother, closing the door behind.
Flashback
A scream woke him up. Aatu groaned as he pushed himself off the ground. He shook his head to clear his mind, everything was a blur when he opened his eyes up. He felt something wet on his fur, which he thought was rain. He staggered a bit before steadying himself.
Another scream.
He blinked multiple times to clear his vision, and once the blurriness went away, he noticed a young lady staring at him in horror. He tilted his head in confusion, still not being able to comprehend what happened due to the blunt force that knocked him unconscious. The villagers started coming out of their homes now. It was day time now, which was a huge surprise to him because the last thing he could remember was that he walked out during the night. He noticed some of the villager's eyes widening as they looked at him, and some withdrawing their rifles, aiming at him.
He snarled at the sight of the guns. Then he saw Fogul and Joey coming out of the inn, Fogul still rubbing his eyes to clear the sleep. Once they've spotted him, they froze. He noticed the fear in their eyes, a sight that he will never forget. He cocked his head and looked at them, then he looked down at himself and a realization came over him.
His fur was coated in blood, and the goats that laid nearby had their throats torn out. There was blood on his snout and muzzle, and his whole coat was splattered in it. The wetness of the ground was a result of the goat's blood. It was a gory sight to behold. He looked frantically to the villagers, to Joey and Fogul, shaking his head in confusion. A bullet whizzed past and landed beside his legs, startling him. Not knowing what to do, he sprinted away. He turned around to see Fogul and Joey's eyes, still wide with confusion and fear, before a bullet embedded itself inside one of his hind legs. He yelped in pain, but continued loping away. He loped out the village, into the forest that they walked through before settling in. The blood on his fur caught hold of some of the leaves and bushes and he ran past them. The blood on his paws caused him to slip, and he slid along the earth. He laid there for a moment, panting and whimpering. He licked at his hind leg, biting at the bullet until it popped into his mouth. He gave a snarl before spitting it out. He laid there, sides heaving.
How could this have happened?
He tried to materialize some sort of concept that made sense to him. Closing his eyes and laying his body against the bloody earth, he tried to think.
Then it hit him.
Those damn wolves set him up. He pushed himself off the ground and limped towards a nearby pond. Jumping into it, he washed the blood on his fur away. Shaking himself to get rid of the excess water, he heard the rustling of leaves nearby. Immediately, he was on his guard, growling at the sound.
The wolves came out of the bushes, with the alpha in the front. They walked casually towards him, walking along the sides of the pond to not get their paws wet.
"You... Damn you!" Aatu screamed as he lunged towards them. The silver furred wolf leaped at Aatu and pinned him down with its fangs at his neck. He felt pressure on his neck and winced. The wolf was giving him a warning not to move.
"Why?" Aatu croaked beneath the wolf's weight on him.
"You're a wolf, although not full, and you belong with us" The alpha spoke, narrowing his eyes. "We only showed you how humans think of us."
"You bastard, you framed me!" Aatu growled.
"You don't belong with them. And your humans? The probably don't want anything to do with you after seeing that"
"They're my family" Aatu growled, thrashing. The silver wolf placed a paw on Aatu, holding him down until he quit struggling.
"Do you know how I know you accepted yourself as a half-wolf?" the alpha asked.
Aatu glared at him.
"You shouted at us just now using the human's tongue."
Aatu froze. He did yell at them, unconsciously... Only wolves know how to communicate or speak human language. After a moment, the wolf on top of him let go, and he jumped up. Although no longer snarling, he kept a cautious distance from them.
"Come, I'm willing to offer you another chance at joining our pack" the alpha said, setting his gaze upon Aatu. "We will take revenge on the humans who dared raise their guns against us."
"Why? What did the humans ever do to you?" Aatu asked.
The alpha looked away from Aatu. "My son was only a pup before the humans slaughtered him."
Aatu felt a pang of sympathy for the older wolf.
Then the alpha turned back to face Aatu. "So now, they must pay. They will pay with blood, and there will be a massacre today."
Aatu froze. Fogul and Joey were still in the village...
"But...my family..." Aatu whimpered.
"They're no longer your family, do you really think they will take you back after what they saw today?" Aatu whimpered again. He imagined the times that he spent with Fogul and Joey, how they always said that they were a family.
How they always said they had to stick together. He didn't want to kill anyone, nor be part of a pack that desired revenge.
"No" Aatu stammered.
"What?" the alpha snarled, walking closer to Aatu.
"I don't want to kill, and I don't want to be in a pack that kills" Aatu said, backing away. "Not all humans are like this!"
"Then you're just a hindrance and we should have gotten rid of you when we had the chance" the alpha nodded to one of the brown furred wolves, who nodded back. The brown furred wolf leaped at Aatu, knocking him down. But this time, Aatu wasn't going down without a fight. He snarled and thrashed, biting into the wolf's leg, who let out a yowl of pain. Aatu kicked at the wolf with his hind legs, knocking him back. He rolled to his feet and snarled at them.
The alpha then nodded to two other ones, who joined the fray. Together, the three of them surrounded Aatu. Leaping at one of them, Aatu bit down on the wolf's shoulder earning a swipe from one of the other wolves which knocked him to the ground. Before he could get up, teeth gripped his neck and flung him against a tree. A loud crackling sound could be heard as Aatu fell to the ground, gritting in pain. Struggling to get up, he felt himself feeling lifted up and thrown again. He felt one of his ribs crack as he smashed against another tree, sending a flurry of leaves falling down to the ground. He gasped and coughed, before the wolves walked towards his fallen body.
"Get rid of him" came the command. He felt fangs grip his neck and tighten. They were trying to suffocate him. He struggled feebly, using his legs in an attempt to kick whoever was squeezing his neck away, but the weak kicks did nothing. His vision started becoming blurry.
"Aatu!" shouted a voice nearby.
Immediately, the wolf who was gripping his neck let go, and his head fell down to the ground.
"Aatu!" the voice shouted again.
The alpha growled. "Leave him, if it's those brats they probably brought some villagers. We'll get rid of them today...just not now."
"As for you..." the alpha said. "The crows will eat you alive."
He winced as the alpha walked over his body, nearly crushing him to death. When the wolves left, he tried standing up but fell down again. Several rib cages broken, and he was beaten nearly half to death.
"Aatu where are you?" Fogul's voice echoed through the woods.
I have to...get away... Aatu thought and he dragged himself away from the pond. He crawled to a pair of bushes, and curled up into a ball. Through the leaves, he could see Fogul and Joey walking nearby. He stiffened, and tried to make no sound.
"He's not here..." Fogul said, worriedly. "I don't get what happened, Joey..."
"Wait, look there's blood" a couple of shuffles could be heard as the two teens walked towards the pool and examined the droplets of blood near it.
"Joey, do you think that Aatu...killed the goats?" Fogul asked, his voice cracking a bit.
"What do you think?" came the reply.
"Aatu...he's gentle, kind and smart. I don't think he would..."
"Then he didn't" Joey said. "I found something else as well... At the scene, there were multiple colors of fur."
"That means..." Fogul started.
Please leave, Aatu thought
"Yes, there is a possibility that another animal slaughtered the goats."
Leave the town and go on without me, pleaded Aatu in his head.
"Why didn't you say that earlier?" Fogul asked angrily.
"I tried talking to the village chief but he wouldn't listen" Joey explained. "I was hoping that we could find who caused it here and take them back."
No...Please...leave the town, begged Aatu silently.
"Poor Aatu... he must be so scared and alone..." Fogul said, balling his fists.
"Don't worry, we'll find him" Joey said, putting his hand on Fogul's shoulders. "First, let's go back to the village."
No! Aatu shouted in his head. They can't go back to the village now...
He heard their footsteps as they left, and he dragged himself out of the bushes in an attempt to follow them. But he couldn't manage a few more steps before collapsing and panting for breath.
A laugh came from the bushes behind him. He turned his head to see the other wolves still there. How could he not have noticed them before?
"I guess we know who to target first..." a voice said.
"Don't you dare!" Aatu snarled at them.
"It's time to put the plan into action" the alpha commanded. The wolves split up, running past his body. One of them ran towards the village, while the others ran somewhere else.
No! Aatu thought. Mustering all the strength he had left, he pushed himself off the ground, wincing in pain. He started limping back towards the village.
"Wolf!" a villager shouted. A grey wolf bolted through the village, as a crowd of villagers consisting of all men with guns, chased after it.
"Follow it! Maybe it will lead us to its pack!" another male villager replied. They chased after the wolf, but the villagers didn't know that as they were chasing that one wolf, the alpha and his pack quietly made their way through the forest, and towards the village.
Aatu first heard the footsteps of one, then multiple people as they ran past him. Since he was hiding in the bushes, they didn't see him. But he caught the scent of one wolf, and it was the wolf that held him down earlier.
Why is there only one...? he wondered. Then his eyes widened in realization as he noticed all the villagers that ran past him just now were male, holding guns. That means the villagers left were females, children or elders and had no way of protecting themselves.
Aatu ran out of the bush, and barked at the villagers until he got their attention. They turned around, and Aatu ran. He ran, ignoring the pain. He easily outran them, and he arrived at the village, which was being ravaged by the pack. His eyes darted around, trying to find Fogul and Joey. When he couldn't find them, he took in the scenery of the villagers being attacked by the wolves. There was a young girl who was crying as the silver furred wolf crept towards her. She held a stuffed doll in her hands. Anger suddenly ignited in Aatu. For some reason, the image of a young girl being killed by the wolf was just too much to bear. His eyes went wild with rage, and he sprinted towards the silver-wolf. Tackling him to the ground away from the little girl, he bit into the wolf's neck and ripped it out. The wolf let out a whimper before its body started convulsing.
Then it finally laid still, leaking blood out of its throat.
He heard a scream, a scream from someone he knew too well. Turning his head towards the inn, he saw Fogul and Joey on the wooden floor of the inn, with the brown wolf cornering them. Joey in front of Fogul, trying to act as a human shield. Saliva dripped from the brown wolf's mouth as he advanced towards them. He has never gotten pissed before, but seeing his family threatened sent Aatu into a fit of rage. He howled and ran at the brown wolf. He tackled him, and they rolled on the ground before Aatu actually pinned the larger wolf to the ground.
"Aatu!" Fogul exclaimed. Aatu looked at Fogul for a brief second, which allowed his opponent to take advantage of the brief distraction and threw the younger wolf-dog off him. Separating themselves, the two animals faced each other, snarling viciously. They ran at each other, and collided once again. Aatu, snapping and clawing at the brown wolf. The older wolf, trying to pin Aatu down but the younger wolf was just too fast, even with the injuries. Aatu never fought this viciously before, and he poured every last ounce of his strength into defending his family. He pinned the wolf once again, and gripped its neck in his jaws.
"Get the fuck out of here...and never come back" Aatu growled at him before releasing him. The wolf ran away, whimpering with its tail between its legs. Aatu breathed a sigh of relief as he turned back and limped towards Fogul and Joey.
"Fogul...Joey..." Aatu said, speaking for the first time to them. Their eyes widened in surprise at him being able to talk, but before he could reach them large fangs gripped his body and threw him back. He yelped as he landed.
The huge alpha wolf stood over him now, eyes blazing with rage.
"You... I knew I should have killed you the first chance I had"
Aatu staggered to his legs, letting out a weak snarl. The alpha charged at him, which he dodged by leaping to the side. He lunged at the alpha, biting its shoulder and clawing its flank. But it paid no heed to such weak attempts, and threw him off. The alpha was fast, before Aatu could get up, the alpha was on him again. It raked its claws along Aatu's flank, drawing blood and causing Aatu to howl in pain.
"Aatu!" he heard Fogul scream. Joey desperately looked around for a weapon he could use against the huge wolf.
"Once I'm done with you, I'll get rid of them. Or maybe I should make them watch as I tear you limb by limb"
Aatu, suddenly enraged, bit and snapped at the alpha. He bit everywhere, its shoulder, its flank, its legs but it was simply too strong. It gripped Aatu's entire body within its mouth and bit down. Aatu could feel his bones cracking as he let out a scream. The alpha shook him like a rag doll, and he saw black circles clouding his vision. He gasped as he felt more pressure on his body and he felt his body going limp.
"Let him the fuck go!" Joey screamed as he stabbed the alpha with a large pitchfork he found lying down on a sack of hay. The alpha dropped Aatu, who landed on the floor with a small whimper, and staggered. It suddenly focused its attention on Joey, and as it staggered towards Joey, overwhelming him with its size there was little Aatu could do but snarl on the ground.
"Leave him alone!" Aatu barked weakly. "It's me you want!"
"I have a better idea..." The alpha hissed. "I'll kill him in front of you, then kill you along with the pipsqueak..." The alpha opened its mouth, revealing its huge fangs and leaped towards Joey.
A gunshot was heard, and the alpha's body dropped towards the earth. It laid, twitching and convulsing. A bullet was shot right into its neck. Fogul was seen holding a revolver, his hands shaking as he held it.
"I-"
"just-"
"my-"
"son..." the alpha convulsed, coughing more blood out before twitching one last time, then laying still.
Fogul dropped the gun, and Joey got to his feet and put his hand on Fogul's shoulders to steady him. Seeing Aatu's battered and broken body, they ran towards him.
"Aatu, oh my god..." Fogul whispered. Aatu's eyes were closed, but hearing Fogul's voice, one eye opened and he let out a weak bark.
"Joey...Fogul..." he said, gasping heavily for breath. "I'm...sorry..."
"For what?" they asked. "I'm-" his voice broke as his body shook.
"-A wolf" he finished.
Fogul put his hand on Aatu's head.
"So?" Fogul said, trying to sound tough but his voice cracked a little.
"I...overheard that...wolves..killed your...family" Aatu said weakly, closing his eyes and allowing tears to stream down his ravaged face.
"Aatu...we always knew that you were a wolf, or at least... part wolf" Joey said. "We knew when we first picked you up."
"We just didn't know that you could talk, that's badass" Fogul said,laughing a bit. "Not all wolves are like that...you know? I mean, just look at you for example."
"You should have seen Fogul, when you ran off. We went back to the inn and he started crying like a baby" Joey said, laughing a bit.
"Hey, shut up" Fogul said, wiping his face with his sleeve. "You don't know how scared we were. What were you thinking?"
"I'm...sorry..." Aatu started. "I was...so scared...that...you...wouldn't..accept...me..."
"We're family" Fogul said.
"You'll always be apart of our family" Joey added in. "You saved our lives too..."
"I"m so glad..." Aatu whispered weakly. He let out a whine, before wincing in pain.
"So tired..." he let his eyes close. It felt like something that was holding him down was suddenly lifted off him. He no longer cared that his body was battered and broken, or the pain that he was enduring. The fact that Fogul and Joey accepted him for who he was... he was happy that he still had a family. His tail wagged one last time, before he drifted off into unconsciousness. He heard the footsteps of the villagers as they returned. Voices were heard yelling and shouting. He heard Joey talking to someone, and he felt multiple hands on his body, petting him as if a sign of apology. He felt himself being lifted up gently, wrapped in something warm.
My family... he thought before drifting off.
Sorry that I focused on Aatu & Shiroi's part here rather than Kurai. I promise there will be a more in-depth chapter concerning Kurai's pack the next time I post a chapter.