A.N.: A little short of my usual 2000 words, but hey, doesn't really matter, right?
"Coyote, are you okay?" Fox asked quietly.
Alex nearly collapsed onto the hard ground as they finished the hike. He was fit. Better than all the others of his age. But that did not mean that he was able to finish the fifteen-mile hike without being breathless.
"No, I am not." Alex groaned, leaning against his pack, "I am dying here."
"I think you are good, to be so sarcastic," Fox said even as he passed Alex his water bottle.
"I am not being sarcastic, Fox." Alex said, looking up to see Fox looking down at him from above, "I am very serious here."
"Dead people don't talk." Fox commented then looked toward where a sergeant was standing and the recruits walking toward him, "Get up, Coyote. The next trail is waving at us."
"You mean rearing its ugly behind," Alex grunted but nonetheless, he climbed to his feet a little unsteadily.
"You okay?" Fox asked, a small note of concern creeping into his voice.
"Like I said," Alex grunted then glare at Fox, "I am dying here."
"Ooh, Coyote is dying!" Eagle popped up from wherever he was a moment ago, "Let's go to the medic!"
"Shut up, Eagle." Snake said, feeling a headache is coming up.
"K-Unit!" The Sergeant barked, "Haul your asses over here this instant!"
"Yes, sir!" The unit echoed in unison.
"We will begin our next trial tomorrow." The Sergeant said once everyone had gathered, "You have eight hours until then. I trust that you have no complaints?"
"No sir!" Came the echoes.
"Good," The sergeant nodded then took a sweep around, "about twenty of the recruits dropped out during the short hike." Alex rolled his eyes. Short, yeah right, "I am disappointed in all of your standards. Look at that kid over there, he is still standing straight and tall, while some of you are slouching like slugs."
Alex blinked when he realized that he was the 'kid'. Eagle howled with laughter.
"Are you talking about me, sir?' Alex asked with a raised eyebrow, a little irritated.
"Yes, you, Coyote."
"Excuse me, sir," Alex cleared his throat loudly, throwing Eagle a gaze that Wolf would have been extremely proud of if it wasn't from him, "But I am not a kid. I am twenty years old."
"You look young." The Sergeant said pointedly, batting away the subject like nothing, "That said, you are dismissed. Pitch the tent or whatever, I don't care. We will be going after exactly eight hours."
"Yes, sir!" The recruits yelled before dispersing, gathering in their group of four to five before setting up their tents.
"Coyote," The sergeant's bark got his attention, "Here!"
He raised his hand to catch the bottle thrown at him before it can hit him in the head, "Sir?"
"Meds." The Sergeant called out.
"Who called?" Alex was a little curious, "Peppermint?"
"Hospital, then her." The Sergeant said, raising an eyebrow at the nickname, "You good there?"
"Yeah, not going to drop dead anytime soon." Alex said as he slipped the bottle into his pack, "Thanks, sarge."
"Call me that again and you will get binned." The Sergeant called back as he headed off to the sergeants' favorite thing to do, yell at the unfortunate recruits.
"You have connections." Eagle whistled. It didn't turn out quite like a whistle and the whole unit winced at the sound.
"I wouldn't say connections," Alex said, looking away.
"So, was he your rich father's uncle? Uncle Sergeant?" Wolf sneered, "Coming to the camp to watch over his favorite nephew?"
"Piss off, Wolf." Alex said, a little irritated after the 'short' hike and definitely not in the mood for another argument.
"And what was that bottle he threw you?" Wolf asked, ignoring him, "Your favorite drink so his favorite nephew won't complain about the rations we have?"
"Piss off, Wolf." Alex said, stressing each word as he turned away, "I will set up the tent. Fox—"
"You are not going anywhere unless you answer my goddamn question, is that clear?"
"Yes, it is clear. Now, can I go?" Alex smiled sweetly though it never reached his frosty eyes.
Those around him noticed the coldness of his words, like honey laced on ice shards. Wolf, too engrossed in the confrontation, did not notice the change. Alex was getting irritated. And the throbbing pain right above his chest, that stupid bullet wound, was not helping. He won't even start on the shoulder that Wolf nearly wretched off the night before.
"You haven't answer any questions yet!" Wolf growled. Something he seemed to be constantly doing lately.
"I did. You asked 'is that clear?' and I answered 'yes'." Alex said with mocked confusion, "Or do you have hearing problems?"
"Alright, Coyote, Wolf, break it up!" Fox said, interrupting the two once again, having the best knowledge of Alex's mood and his obvious irritation.
"You stay out of this." Wolf snapped, "I am asking him as his leader. He cannot disobey me or I have the right to kick him out of the unit."
"Wolf…" Fox began.
Wolf simply ignored him and turned to Alex, who was about to walk away, "Just answer the-"
"Language," Snake inserted.
"—questions!" Wolf nearly yelled.
"And what might they be?" Alex asked, trying to remain calm.
"Who are you?" Wolf spat out.
"Coyote, K-Unit. Please to meet you."
Wolf looked like he wanted to strangle someone and that someone happened to be Alex. Alex reached into his pocket and twisted open the bottle, dumping two pills into his hand and popped them into his mouth like candies.
"What is in that bottle?" Wolf continued, slightly angered at the carelessness.
"Candy." Alex shook the bottle to get the rattling sound, "I like sweets. Can't survive without them. Good stuff, good stuff."
Fox groaned, "What am I supposed to do with you, Coyote?"
Alex ignored him as he slipped the bottle back into his pocket. The pain killer numbed the pain slightly and he felt a little better as he stared at Wolf, awaiting his stupid questions that will undoubtedly come his way.
"Tsk," Did Wolf just 'Tsk'ed at him? Alex wondered in amusement, "You are no more than a little kid who needs candy and will whine and cry if he doesn't get it. I wonder why your father even sent you to this camp in the first place if he was going to ship you candies. Are you sure you are at the right place, kid?" The last word was emphasized with a sneer. Alex had never known that Wolf was such a…bully.
He swallowed and rolled his eyes inwardly. Well, it didn't matter as long as Wolf stay away from him. Gosh, why was he even caring about Wolf? That man could just die and well…he wouldn't give anything about it. But he knew that it wasn't true. He was tired of people, innocent, and stupid in Wolf's case, dying around him. No matter how much he hated anyone, as long as they weren't his enemy, he couldn't just let them die.
"Something got your tongue?" Wolf taunted.
"Yeah," Alex managed a smile, "My tongue kind of got twisted inside, so I was untangling it for the past moments. I am sorry for letting you wait."
"Okay, Coyote!" Fox stepped between them, seeing that Wolf's fist was clenched tightly, "Let's set up the tent!"
"Gladly," Alex replied as he walked away, Fox behind him.
Snake glared at Wolf when they were gone. Wolf shifted, still irritated, "What?"
"You don't have to be such a-"
"Bully!" Eagle chimed in.
"—to Coyote." Snake finished and Eagle was bobbling his head.
"I wasn't." Wolf protested with a growl, "It is just that he always try to annoy me."
"You were the one who had problems with his age and how young he looked." Snake pointed out, glancing at the figures of their two teammates, setting up the large tent that belonged to them, "True, he might look a little young. But he is twenty."
"Wolfie, are you missing the time when you were twenty?" Eagle oohed from the side knowingly.
"Shut up, Eagle," Wolf grunted, crossing his arms to stare at the two setting up.
"I have a theory!" Eagle's eyes suddenly sparked with what he himself called a genius idea and others the combined stupidity of the world.
"No one wants to hear your ideas." Snake groaned.
"It is a theory, not an idea!" Eagle corrected him while wagging his index finger, "What if," He deliberately paused, "Coyote actually wanted Wolf to hate him?"
"That is absurd." Snake said almost as soon as he finished, "Why would anyone want people to hate them? It is just simply unreasonable."
"But!" Eagle protested.
"No buts!" Snake countered, "Coyote, probably because he is new, does not know when to stop irritating Wolf and when not to. After a while, he will. Now stop sprouting nonsense and let's go help them."
Wolf was oddly silent, "Wolf?"
"What?"
"Let's go help them set up the tent!" Eagle said excitingly, "I call the inside!"
"We are all sleeping inside, Eagle." Snake whacked him over the head.
Wolf wasn't listening to them. He was wondering about Coyote. And about what Eagle had said. Was it true? He remembered seeing shadows, haunted shadows, in Coyote's eyes whenever he was taunting him. It was there for less than a second, merely a flash, before disappearing, replaced by that sarcastic, irritating, stupid, freaking amused smile. He groaned inwardly. How much he hate that smile. He swore he was going to strangle that Coyote one day. Just he waits.
"Alright, let's tell bedtime stories!" Eagle grinned as they sat in the tent with a light in the middle of their circle.
"I will pass." Coyote raised his hand and broke the circle, "I will just go to sleep and you-"
"Not so fast," Fox's iron grip on his hand halt him in mid-step, "I am sure you will enjoy hearing bedtime stories from Eagle, right, Coyote?"
"No." Alex said, refusing to humor Fox, "I am afraid I am not a big fan of bedtime stories. Goodnight."
"Come on, Coyote!" Eagle exclaimed, "Everyone loves a bedtime story! Snake, am I right?"
"For once, I agree with Eagle." Snake nodded, looking at Coyote, "Not on the bedtime story, but on being a unit. We have to be more open to each other and communicate more. Coyote, why don't you take a seat?"
Alex sighed and pretend to head back. When Fox's grip lessened, he darted to his sleeping area, much to Fox, Eagle and Snake's protests.
"Goodnight." Alex called out, "Have a nice dre-"
He was interrupted by a grip on his collar and he was dragged back to the circle. By none other than Fox of course.
"Oh no, you don't." Fox smiled sweetly and Alex shivered as he saw the purple evil aura around him, "Storytime for you, Coyote. Now sit up before I sit on you."
Alex groaned. It was going to be a long night. He swore that he was going to have a serious talk with whoever invented bedtime stories.
And so the night began with Eagle telling bedtime stories. It was horror. Not because of the sweet innocent stories that he told, it was more of the storyteller himself. He swallowed two more pills, willing the throbbing pain on his body to lessen.
Thanks for the follows, reviews and supports received! You guys are the best!
-Till next time!-
P.S. I will try to update as soon as possible, but sometimes I might be late because I have another fanfic I'm working on and well, I have school(that explained everything).