C H A P T E R F O U R

• PRUSSIA }} gilbert •

"Wooh." I whistled.

There are lots of things about wolves that I like.

They have really nice eyes.

They have a good, strong hierarchy.

The stories about them are always good.

They're pretty cool creatures, you know.

But I don't like it when one of them is clawing up the interior in the back of my car.

"And I thought you were annoying as a person." I grunted, jumping out of the front seat and going to the back, where I opened the doors and jumped back as a sandy bullet almost shot into me. I pressed myself up against the side of the garage, a rake digging into my back. England sniffed the air and then glared at me, deep emerald gaze narrowed at me. He growled, as if to say, "I don't like you any more now, so get the hell away."

"Lovely personality." I breathed, before inching my way towards the door leading into the house. His snarl ripped louder.

"Bah. Shut up already." I growled back at him. He lunged, snapping at the air I was a moment before. I jumped over a recycling bin and hurled myself at the door, praying briefly for it to open before I slammed it shut and fell to the cold ground in relief. I kissed it.

A snuffling sound, followed by a loud bang and a shattering noise, made me raise my head.

Mein. Gott.

A wolf the color of the tundra raised its head from next to a cabinet, fixing me with a piercing ice-blue gaze. Its mannerisms told me it was a little surprised by my entrance, but otherwise it seemed impassive or at ease.

The room lay in ruins. Almost everything had been knocked over, including the vase that I heard fall. The wolf had carved its claw impressions into a wall, kind of like when little kids left their handprint in plaster. Paint chips covered the floor. The bottom corner of a maroon couch had been chewed off.

I got to my feet, too exasperated to swear. I shifted my position, getting ready to dart upstairs in case the wolf attacked.

The wolf turned back to a table leg, sniffing it. Apparently I was the least of its worries.

"Thanks." I feigned hurt and took a step to my left, before grabbing an animal catch pole, like the ones they use on TV. Bite marks lined the rod. I stepped towards the wolf, speaking to it in soft tones.
"Here, wolfy wolfy wolf. I'm not sure who you aree~ but I hope you like this song~… Please don't eat the awesome me~!" I sang.

I guess it wasn't in the mood to be serenaded. It could have just booed me offstage, but instead it curled its lips and let out a small growl.

"Hey, come on. Don't be mean." I came closer. It seemed to piss the wolf off more. The wolf raised its hackles and tail.

In a quick movement I shoved the catch pole around the wolf's neck – it snapped sideways at it, fastening its jaws around the pole – and pulled it closed. The wolf jerked away, making me stumble forward a bit before I caught my footing and pulled it out from underneath the table.

"You're coming with me!" I announced to the wolf. It snarled. I took that as a "Hell yeah! I can't wait, Gilbert! You're so awesome!"

I yanked and kept the wolf a good distance from me. My hands were sweating as I tried to keep the grip on the pole. It kept jumping at me and twisting its neck, trying to paw the noose off from around its neck. I started to feel bad for it, but when it turned a cold blue gaze on me I just felt a bit pissed myself. I mean, look at what I had to clean up thanks to it!

The bathroom was connected to the room so it didn't take as long as you might think, and I backed the wolf into it and slipped the pole off, grasping the handle and shutting it as quickly as possible.

I slid down into a sitting position against the door and felt the wolf throw its weight against it before letting out an angry howl.

Damn. Two wolves in ten minutes. I should be on a game show, I'm so awesome.

•••

• CANADA }} matthew •

I love Alfred. I really do. But his sadness is so overwhelming I just couldn't take it anymore.

I left in our shared car, and was now driving comfortably down the winding Vermont roads, past innumerable forests of bare trees. I passed by quiet towns and drove into the heart of a city whose name I couldn't remember, but Alfred would be able to name like the back of his hand.

Gilbert's rented house wasn't too far from here, so that's where I was headed. Hopefully he was home, and not out drinking. It wouldn't be unlike him to be dead drunk at two in the afternoon. I glanced down at a written direction on my hand before taking a right turn and trudging the car down a lane decorated with decayed, wet leaves.

1947. 1947. 1947. 1947. 19- ah, there it was!

There wasn't a car in the driveway, but I shut off the ignition and jumped up the stairs to the door. There were voices coming from inside, like someone having an argument. I knocked. I listened more and heard somebody groan, before there was a bang from inside and a German curse. I rolled my eyes as the door opened and Gilbert looked down at me.

I was pretty confused. He was wearing an apron around his waist, and had rubber gloves on, the kind you use when cleaning. He stared at me, dumbfounded, as I peered around him to see an overturned bucket of water spreading from a carpet onto hardwood floors, an overturned table, and…what happened to that wall?

"What's up, Matthew?" He asked casually.

"Oh, not much. Just.. Yeah, I don't have a cool response. What are you doing?"

He shrugged. "Doing? I'm not doing anything. Why?"

I shifted, raised an eyebrow and gave him a look. "Alfred's driving me crazy." I responded honestly. "I came to hang out with you."

"Oh." He said, and shook his platinum hair out of his eyes. "That's too bad, I'm kind of busy."

"You just said you weren't doing anything." I deadpanned.

He frowned at me, seemingly annoyed that I had caught onto his mistake. "Well, you can't come in."

"I'll help you clean whatever you did." I said. It was odd that he wouldn't immediately invite me in and set me onto making pancakes. I looked at the mess again and he shifted in front of it. I turned my gaze to his and pouted before someone else's voice came towards us.
"Gilbert? You're letting all of the warm air in. Who's there?"

It sounded like… Lithuania? That was odd. Had he and Gilbert been arguing?

"Fine, whatever. Just get inside and don't ask questions." He said, opening the door open more. I stepped past him and looked around at the mess.

It looked like a war zone, quite honestly, and with nations that statement held a heavy meaning. Lithuania was on his knees smearing plaster onto a wall that looked like it had been massacred by an angry kitten. He, too, was wearing an apron, and when I said hello he looked a bit unnerved.

"Oh, uh, hi Matthew." He said, before glancing at Gilbert and applying more plaster into the deep rivets.

"Okay.." I said, skirting the table to look at a couch. It looked like it had been chewed off. "What happened here, exactly?"

"Long story, it's not very important." Gilbert waved the question off, disappearing around a corner and coming back with a towel, which he set down on the carpet around the overturned bucket. He was soaking up the water.

Okay, I thought. Fine. Don't tell me what happened, see if I care.

He got to his feet and shoved a rag at me. "Lucky for you, we ran out of aprons. Start washing that table leg. I have my doubts about it."

Lithuania laughed a bit, shaking his head before capping the plaster.

I was confused, but I did as told. While we worked, I heard a few noises coming from down the hall that sounded suspiciously like a blender. An angry one.

Twenty minutes later and most of the damage had been cleaned up, regardless as to what had happened. The couch was inevitable: they would have to get a new one to pay for the damage, but the wall had been fixed, the table cleaned, broken remnants of glass swept up, and water drying up. It smelled like paint.

I followed Toris and Gilbert upstairs and I settled down on a couch, feet curled up beneath me, while Toris sat next to me and Gilbert sprawled out across the floor. American football was playing, but I wasn't really paying attention. Gilbert was drawing something in the carpet, so it didn't look like he was. I turned to look at Toris to see him watching me. He smiled sheepishly and glanced away.

I hadn't really been paying attention, but I noticed that the blender sounds had stopped, although I had heard them a good ten minutes ago from upstairs. I noticed this the same time I heard wet footprints through the hardwood kitchen. I almost jumped when I heard a heavily accented voice.

"Um. 'Scuse m'. C'n I have s'me clothes now?"

The three of our heads snapped over, and I could barely process the image. Gilbert looked a little surprised but he pulled his face into an impassive look; Toris looked upset about something but more surprised than Gilbert.

I, on the other hand, was shocked. So shocked. There isn't a word for how shocked, bewildered, and worried I was.

Sweden was peering around the corner, wet hair plastered to his forehead, the naked skin of his shoulder showing. Toris gave him some kind of response I didn't hear and Sweden left. A few moments later, Toris got to his feet and followed. Gilbert turned over onto his back and let out a soft groan, and my gaze shifted from the door frame to him.

I tried to form some kind of intelligent response to what had happened. "Um. Wh-I.. I mena.. You.. He-Swe-uh… What?" I can tell you I have a few small unwanted hunches in the back of my mind, things I would really rather not think about right now.

Gilbert sat up and shrugged, before grinning devilishly. "What? Variety is good."

•••

ohsnap.

Kayso, I'll just say this right now : YOU'RE WELCOME! two chapters in a day? heckyeah!

well actually, that was so I could cushion the news that Canada is not a main character. I had originally planned on making him one, but had decided to add some variety with Finland. I was stupid and wrote this chapter in his perspective before realizing he wasn't supposed to be there. I'm lazy, and this was really the only way I could think of introducing Sweden as a wolf.

haha I like Prussia in this chapter. Cx

merry christmas!

- Chat