Okay, so for this chapter I was really torn between just making it about Wolf or moving on with the story, so I'm not sure if the route I took was the right one. Well, we'll see. Enjoy, and R/R!
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It was dark once again. On the illuminated screen, Wolf's encounter with the shadowy figure pixelated before the delighted eyes of the cloaked adversary. A small grin curled onto his unseen face.
"Excellent. With that wolf out of the way, McCloud will have no choice but to surrender..."
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Wolf shivered. He'd never been this cold in his life. But where he was, the temperature was mild – not at all near the freezing temperature Wolf felt. He wasn't frozen from the outside. He was frozen by fear.
Kneeling beside him, Fox looked on. Unbelievable. I can't believe the petrified heap I'm looking at is really Wolf O'Donnell, he thought with bewilderment. Where did Wolf's father come from? Why did he go to attack his son? And why was Wolf so afraid?
"Wolf...I don't understand..." Wolf's heartbeat quickened. "Deep breaths. Easy," Fox spoke soothingly, like he was dealing with a stray dog or an orphaned child. "Can you try to explain what just happened?" Wolf shook his head. His gaze was blank; he was in the middle of a flashback. His nightmare.
"Mom!" A young Wolf called out to his mother. Her silver-and-white fur glistened in the sunlight, matching the coloring of his own. "Look what I can do!" He climbed up the sturdy, old oak tree in his front yard, His mother watched on happily.
"Great job Wolf! But be careful up th-" She was interrupted by the front door slamming. Wolf's father strode down the steps, off to work. Wolf watched on silently as his dad approached his mom, his black flight suit reflecting the sunlight. Wolf only heard hushed whispers exchange between the canines, but soon his mother stepped back.
"No, this can't be happening. Blake, how...how could you?" His mother sounded enraged, but also Wolf sensed fear from deep within it.
"Why won't you accept it, Luce? I promised I'd stop, it's just...to hard." Ashamed, Blake O'Donnell looked at the ground. Wolf didn't understand what they were talking about.
"So hard? Blake, think about what kind of example you're setting for Wolf. Imagine what he'd think when he finds out his father does-"
In a rush,
Blake pulled Luce against him. He put a paw over her open mouth.
"Shut up! Nobody can hear you!"
Struggling, she broke free of his grasp. "I don't care, Blake! I'm going to the police!" She tried to get away, but the larger wolf was too quick. Grabbing her, he pulled her into their work shed, then shut the door. At first, Wolf heard nothing, but then the crack of a gun echoed through the tranquil air.
A few minutes later, Blake emerged, covered in blood. He yelled at Wolf, "Go! Get out of here! Nobody wants you, and nobody will! Nobody ever did, except her! And now she's dead! So GO!"
And Wolf went.
Wolf's breathing slowed to normal. He opened his eyes. The sun had risen; he had fallen asleep. He turned to the left and saw Fox sitting beside him, giving him a small grin. The vulpine's eyes were bloodshot, but he had refused to fall asleep in case Wolf woke up.
"Feel better?" The younger canine asked. Wolf nodded. "Alright. Are you up to telling me who that was?"
Wolf looked at the ground. "He...was my father."
Fox nodded. "And why are you so scared of him?"
Wolf shook his head. "When I was eight...he killed my mother."
Tears glistened in his eyes. "I loved her, Fox. I loved her more than anything. She always kept me going, told me there was nothing I couldn't do. Then, one day, I had just shown her that I could climb a tree. From that tree, I watched my dad come outside. They got into a big argument, and my mom threatened to call the police. Then, he dragged her into our shed...and shot her. Then he told me to run away. That nobody ever cared for me except her, and that nobody...nobody ever will. So, I left."
Fox closed his eyes, turned his head upward, and faced the sky. He'd had a feeling Wolf's childhood hadn't been wonderful, but he'd had no idea it was this bad.
"I'm sorry, Wolf." He looked over at the lupine, who returned the glance through his tears. "Is that why you were so afraid?"
"Yeah, that, and the fact that he died about five years ago." Wolf shuddered. Fox's eyes widened.
"So...was he a ghost? But...that's impossible! I never would have hit him! I-" Fox was cut off by Wolf.
"Look, Fox, I don't know why he's here. He's dead. But, what I do know is that thing...is still out there. Somewhere. And I can't take him down alone."
Fox was caught off-guard. Wolf was asking him for help. And after the story he'd just heard, he found that he couldn't say no. "Alright, Wolf. I will."
"Thank you, Fox. Thank you for everything." Wolf said, getting to his feet. He stumbled a bit, though, and had to sit back down. "But first...uh, I don't think I can think straight, let alone walk." He looked sheepishly at Fox, whose eyelids were starting to droop. He hadn't really slept since he arrived at the island two days ago.
"Uh, yeah. Maybe we should sleep." Fox's eyes started closing, and he slowly sank to the ground. He curled himself up into a little ball, as though he were a cub, and quickly fell asleep.
Wolf looked at him a second longer. Slowly, a small grin stretched onto his face as he sunk into sleep.
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Sorry 'bout the lack in action in this chapter. Don't worry, I'll make up for it soon. Thanks for the reviews I've already gotten, it's seriously awesome people even look at this thing. Alright - later!