The walk back home was much like the walk out in every way save the absence of the tangible tension that once hung thick in the atmosphere. Father and son walked nose to tail, the both of them completely consumed in silence except for the scrape of their paws on the ground and the occasional screech of an owl roosted up in the trees. The moon hung full and bright above the sleeping earth, casting its soft blue rays down upon the canopy of the forest where they bled through to the two wolfish canines that plodded through the growth. The shrubs on each side of them seemed to reach out to them, attempting to snatch them up and hold them in their grip, but never succeeding as they would simply be brushed aside with the shrug of a shoulder or the flick of a neck. Down at Balto's feet little Kodiak trotted along at his father's hip, making sure that he stayed close so that he wouldn't lose himself in the growth. This task was difficult because Kodiak couldn't even stand to look at his father at the moment. He may have seemed as though he were fine just a few minutes ago, and even now, but in truth hated the fact that he had been lied to, and to make matters worse he was lied to by his own father. This made him feel a deep sense of betrayal in his young heart and he could feel his bottled anger burning way down in the bottom of his stomach. He would make Balto pay for lying to him, would make him suffer, hurt him-

"Stop," Kodiak demanded inside of his head, trying to force away the dark thoughts that spiraled around in his mind.

"But he lied to you," they pressed in rebuff, "doesn't that make you angry?"

"Yes, I'm mad, but that doesn't mean that I'm gonna hurt him," he replied, "He's my dad."

"I'm surprised that you still call him that," his angered thoughts said pointedly, "he doesn't deserve the title anymore after what he has done to you."

Kodiak locked his jaw, his own anger beginning to rise.

"Stop it," he demanded firmly.

"You hate him, you know you do."

"Shut up."

"He's nothing but a manipulative liar."

An inaudible growl began to rumble in his throat.

"Shut up!"

"Why is it that you try to love him when he clearly doesn't love you?"

"Damn it, LEAVE ME ALONE!" Kodiak suddenly screamed as loud as he could, making Balto nearly jump out of his fur.

Balto turned around quickly and saw Kodiak with his head down, and he could tell from the slow and broad movements in his chest and shoulders that he was breathing heavily and Balto could hear small sniffles coming from him.

"Kodi what happened?" Balto asked worriedly.

Kodiak didn't answer. He just stood with his head down and breathing hard, his body trembling noticeably.

"You lie," Kodiak whispered under his breath.

"Just wait and see. One day he'll turn on you."

"Who are you talking to son?" Balto asked nervously, shaking Kodiak gently on the shoulder with his paw.

Kodiak simply shunted with the little shake, but he otherwise remained perfectly still.

"He knows what you are."

"Son!" Balto yelled, but his voice barely registered in Kodiak's ears.

"No."

"He knows what you're turning into and he'll kill you as soon as he gets the chance."

"No."

Kodiak's body began to tremble intensely and his breathing came at a quicker pace.

"You're a monster."

"KODI!" Balto yelled.

"Shut up, shut up! SHUT UP!" Kodiak screamed, his voice beginning as a whisper, but building with each word he spoke until he was screaming so loud that his voice echoed off of the forest.

With tears rolling down his muzzle Kodiak turned and began to run off, stumbling occasionally on roots and rocks; but these little trip-ups were always short lived and unglamorous, for he would quickly regain his feet and continue to run.

"Kodi wait!" Balto called, but Kodiak kept running, disappearing quickly into the night by means of the untamed undergrowth.

"Kodi come back!" Balto yelled after him and began to give chase, heading off in the direction that he had last seen his son disappear.

Kodiak fled onward, crashing through the undergrowth and screaming loudly to try and drown out the now single dark voice that continued to taunt him as he ran.

"You can't outrun the truth," it mocked, "and you can't outrun me. I am a part of you, and I am never going away."

"Stop it!" Kodiak screamed, tripping over a root and rolling to the ground, finally breaking himself free from the undergrowth.

He lay for a very brief moment and was up on his feet again, continuing to run off into the open plains.

Balto was finding it very difficult to track Kodiak, for his son had disappeared into bushes that were so thick he would have to get down on his belly and crouch-crawl, while Kodiak being so small could just slip right through aimlessly without any problems. Balto knew that Kodiak was steadily getting further and further away, for he could hear his son's screams growing fainter with each passing moment. Balto moved as fast as he could through the shrubbery, but even still it was a painstakingly slow process: rise up and step over a branch, duck to the right, and duck to the left, crouch all the way down onto your belly and slide for a few feet, then manage to snake your body around a huge rock as you rise up. Balto didn't even know how much further these bushes could possibly go, nor did he know where he was going. All that he had to go off of was his son's scent, and even this was difficult because it was distorted amongst the leaves. The only thing that he could really do was try and determine the general direction in which Kodiak ran, making a guess as to just how far he should make a turn or whether or not he should keep going straight.

"Hold on Kodi," Balto called, wincing as a branch whipped around and slapped him in the side of the face, this cutting his cheek minorly and making it slowly seep blood.

Balto was scared. He didn't know what to do about this and he was in no way prepared for it, for whenever it was he that had to fight, he had to do it as a juvenile, not a pup; and on top of that he had never even gotten close to this phase, just the nightmares and gait. This however, was really bad, and that in itself was an understatement. Balto knew that there wasn't very much more before that wall in Kodiak's head would come crashing down and he would lose his son completely to the darkness inside. He couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't. He would die before he let his son turn into a monster. Balto continued to fight his way through the tedious shrubbery, weaving in and out of tight spots where thorns protruded, threatening to snag his fur and slice his skin, and he struggled to keep himself on the right track for some of the places where Kodiak had gone were impassable for him and he would be forced to reroute then struggle to pick up the scent again. Balto slid his way under a low branch, ducking his body almost to the ground to get beneath it and as he stepped out on the other side he set his paw down directly on a thorn that stuck straight up from a vine. This thorn was a good inch and a half long and at least half of it jammed its way into Balto's the flesh between pads and snapped off inside before he could even realize what had happened and he pulled his paw up with a pained cry. Balto studied the point of entry, finding only the tiniest fragment of the thorn sticking out from his paw. Balto saw the blood seeping slowly from the wound and cursed loudly in his frustration then began the less than pleasant procedure that would be needed to remove the thorn from his paw. Wincing, Balto sat back onto his haunches and unsheathed a claw on the paw opposite from the one in which the thorn was imbedded and brought it up to the thorn, placing the tip of his claw directly beside the thorn. Balto took in a deep breath and pinched his eyes tightly together and gritted his teeth in preparation for the pain. Balto then dug the tip of this claw into the skin directly beside the thorn and began to slowly cut around it, slicing the tissue away so as to expose more of the thorn so he could grip the damn thing in his teeth and pull it out. Balto grunted with the pain that he felt as he cut his own skin, but he knew that it would be over relatively quickly and would go away as soon as the burning splinter was out. Balto finally finished cutting around the thorn and inspected his paw, seeing the blood running slowly down the side and dripping to the ground; but now it looked as though he could take it in his teeth so he gave it a shot, moving the paw to his mouth and feeling for the end of the thorn with his tongue. He found it a short time later and clenched his teeth on it then winced and began to slowly pull it from his skin. Finally the last of the thorn pulled free from his skin and he opened his teary eyes and spit the slinter into his good paw, then looked at the repulsive thing in disgust. He was quite surprised at just how long it was, but that was unimportant at the moment. He had wasted too much time as it was. Kodiak was out there somewhere and to make matters worse he was losing it, completely lost and unpredictable. This disturbing thought in mind, Balto discarded the splinter and rose to his feet, being careful to step OVER the thorn vine this time, and then began to continue on his way.

Kodiak continued to flee across the moonlit plains, his little paws never seeming to want to stop no matter how tired his body felt. He was bawling hysterically as he ran, sniffling between his heaving breaths, and wincing from a pain that he felt in the back of his skull. After another few yards or so this pain finally brought him down to his knees and he screamed, pitching over onto his side and holding his head tightly, his eyes screwed together from the intense drilling sensation that he felt in the back of his skull. He winced and curled his body in tight, burying his face into his stomach and he let the tears flow.

"Stop it," he begged, "Make it stop! Dad! Please! Help me!" he bawled out, his voice breaking sharply, "It hurts! AH GOD IT HURTS!"

He pitched over onto his other side and fell silent for a moment, simply laying there in his little ball completely motionless, almost appearing to be dead; but after a few moments a low laughter began to become audible from Kodiak, laughter that steadily built in volume until it became a loud, demonic fit of hysteria. Kodiak continued to laugh and he struggled to his feet, wincing and ducking his head when he finally stood. After the pain subsided he began to slowly stagger on, swaying from side to side weakly as he walked. He got a few feet before he had to lean up against a rock and rest from his weariness, ducking his head down to rest.

"Look at you," he muttered softly as he lifted his head, the voice that came forth being one that did not belong to him, "you're a freak, a monster; a repulsive thing that needs to be destroyed."

Kodiak then began to laugh again, but this was cut short as an intense pain exploded inside of his head, causing him to drop his head down again.

"Stop," Kodiak begged weakly, this voice being his.

Tears flowed freely from his eyes and dripped to the earth below him.

"Stop?" the dark voice replied, taking on Kodiak's body and causing him to lift his head again, "Why would I stop? Why would you want me to stop? I'm trying to help you."

Kodiak dropped his head again.

"I don't want your help," he demanded weakly, "I- Ge- GAHHHH!"

He fell over onto his side again as the pain in his head suddenly exploded forth again, quite possibly even more intense this time than ever before, and this time it wouldn't go away. It continued to pound against his skull, this experience so intense that he almost felt as though he would pass out.

"Get up," he demanded in his voice of darkness, "On your feet!"

Though the pain still radiated through his skull, Kodiak staggered to his feet and began to walk again, his gait still about as unsteady as a drunkard's. A white flash shot through his eyes and another pain erupted inside of his head, but Kodiak continued to walk on, his face pointed down to the ground and tears dripping from the end of his muzzle.

Balto continued to slither his way through the unforgiving shrubs, picking his pace up slightly for he could now detect that the scents he was following were growing fresher, meaning that he couldn't be very much further behind his son. Balto snaked his body around another rock and ducked under another branch then stepped up and over a thick root, making sure that he always paid attention to where his paws fell so as to avoid another incident with a thorn. Onward he plodded until finally he could see little strips of moonlight shining upon a long strip of ground adjacent to his position. Knowing that he had finally reached the end of this accursed hedge grow, Balto nearly ran as he made his way out of the remaining few feet of the bush, jumping and sliding rather than stepping and jumping and juking rather than a simple sidestep. Finally Balto crashed through the end of the thick brush, out into an open plain that spanned for maybe three hundred yards before it came to an abrupt end at the edge of another, much thicker part of the forest. Knowing that they were very likely to run into trouble out in that part of the woods, Balto began to hightail it in the direction that his son's scent ran, hoping to catch up to Kodiak before he could get too close to that dreadful place. Though he had to admit he was dreading what he would find when he did catch up for even this far away he could hear his son's pained screams.

"GAAAAAAAHHH!" Kodiak cried out, falling to the ground and holding his head tightly with his paws.

He pitched over onto his side and curled up loosely into a ball, tucking his muzzle into his chest.

"OH GOD PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!" he screamed loudly, tears streaming down his face.

He was immediately tormented by laughter, dark and hysterical laughter that mocked his cries, taking sick pleasure in his pain.

"GAAAAAH!" he screamed again as a flash of pain drilled into his skull.

Kodiak was terrified, and never before had he endured so much pain. He felt as though someone were slowly jabbing a hot iron rod into his brain, one that was covered in barbs constantly worried their way into his head. Another pain shot through his skull, this one slightly less intense, and he rolled slowly over onto his chest and buried his face into the ground, his cheeks up to his eyes and a length of his muzzle becoming covered in mud from the dirt that clung to the parts of his face that were wet from tears.

"Kodi," Kodiak suddenly heard someone call from a distance, but he didn't register. He just continued to lie there, almost thinking that the voice he heard was one that he had imagined.

But then he heard it again, closer this time, and he also heard the voice accompanied with heavy footfalls and panting breaths. Slowly Kodiak lifted his head, his body trembling, and looked out to see the silhouette of his father running toward him. Kodiak winced as another pain shot through his skull, trying to bite back a scream, but as the pain escalated he simply couldn't hold it in anymore and he cried out loudly.

"GAAAAAH, AHAHA! AHHHHH!" He screamed and buried his face into the ground again.

Balto finally arrived at Kodiak's side and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Kodi!" he called and turned kodiak over onto his side, "Kodi talk to me, what's happening!"

Kodiak screamed again and let his head fall again.

"PLEASE JUST KILL ME!" Kodiak begged loudly, tears pouring down his face, then he screamed again as the pain rocketed through his skull again.

Balto had tears of his own in his eyes, but these tears were of a different kind of pain; the pain that comes when a father has to watch his child suffer before his eyes and there's nothing he can do to help.

"Kodi," he said desperately, "I-"

"PLEASE DAD JUST KILL ME!" Kodiak begged further and pitched over onto his back, "IT HURTS SO MUCH!"

"I can't Kodi," Balto suddenly cried out, his usually steady voice breaking out into sobs, "I won't."

"GAAHH! PLEASE!" Kodiak screamed again.

Balto was overwhelmed. He didn't know what to do. What was there that he could do? There was no way he was going to kill his son, but just allowing him to suffer like this was completely out of question.

"PLEASE JUST MAKE THE PAIN GO AWAY!" Kodiak cried out and pitched over onto his back, clutching his head tightly.

Thinking quickly, and basing his next actions off of a story that he had heard in a newspaper, Balto knew what it was that he had to do. He had heard of a human man who had been mugged, brutally beaten, and had received a major trauma to his brain as a result; but what resulted was truly remarkable. The man's head had been impacted severely with a blunt object and this caused him brain damage, bruising a specific area; but the damage he received gave him the ability to solve any problem at the drop of a ball, something truly remarkable that completely baffled the physicians who inspected him. Balto was hoping for a similar affect, thinking that if he were to strike Kodiak in the area where he assumed the battle was taking place he might be able to form a crease in his son's head that would seal off the wretched beast either temporarily, or hopefully, for good. As to whether or not it would work in this case, or what the actual outcome of this would be he did not know, but he was desperate, willing to do anything to stop his son's suffering that wouldn't involve taking his life. He just hoped that whatever happened would not permanently damage Kodiak. But the concept of striking his own son was very difficult for him to overcome and was something that he was not thoroughly looking forward to doing; but he knew that it had to be done.

"DAD PLEASE DO IT!" Kodiak pleaded, "PLEASE KILL ME!"

Balto waited for Kodiak to expose the back of his head and he closed his eyes tightly, taking in a deep breath of courage as his paw reared back into a sort of fist.

"I'm sorry son," Balto whispered and brought his paw smashing down heavily onto Kodiak's head, near the back, just above the area where the spine meets.

Kodiak did not fall unconscious from the first blow and screamed in pain from the hit. Balto knew that he would have to do it again, and he bit back tears as he drew back his fist again and clubbed his son.

Finally Kodiak ceased to scream, ceased to even move, and Balto knew that his job was done. Balto stared down at his son with tears streaming down his face and looked at the paw that had struck him with disgust. He quite literally threw it down into the snow and returned his gaze to his son, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Please forgive me Kodiak," Balto begged him softly, though he knew there was no way that his son would hear him, "I never wanted any of this to happen. It's all my fault. I should have known better, but I was stupid. I was blind, and I let my natural impulses get the better of my judgment, and it leaves you to have to suffer for my mistake."

The tears continued to roll down his face and he wiped them away with his paws then stepped forward to Kodiak's unconscious form.

"Please, just come out of this okay," he pleaded, "please."

That was friggin intense. I myself didn't think that it would go that far, but I guess it did, and to say the honest truth I'm glad it did.

Now as for that little stunt about the brain damage. It's no bull. I actually saw a story about it on the news where this guy was mugged and he was hit hard enough in the right part of his brain and now he sees nothing but math everywhere he looks.