Dot was all too familiar with what it was like to be scared, but that didn't stop her from hating it. And being scared for her brothers was even worse, because she could never be as scared for herself as she was for them. They were a family, a set, and would never be complete with even one gone.
And now, huddled with them in a snow-covered forest, on the run and with a pursuer right on their tails… not to mention with her oldest brother shot and clearly not in good shape… this was about as scared as she could get. They were all scared, but trying as hard as they could not to show it.
Dot kept her breathing as quiet as she could, ordering herself not to lose her nerve. Her eyes moved to her eldest brother, still hunched on his knees. She could see his teeth were clenched, apparently from the effort of keeping his own hoarse breaths quiet. Wakko was holding his arm, standing stock still except for his flicking ears. His eyes were narrowed, but other than that his face was hard to read. Dot wasn't sure whether to be reassured or worried by that… her immediate older brother did tend to be more mellow than her and Yakko, but when someone got on his bad side, there was good cause to be worried.
The siblings all remained still and silent, listening as the crunching of boots on fallen leaves grew louder. They stopped, still not that near their hiding place, but Dot still tensed. Her grip on Yakko's arm tightened, and she knew Wakko's was too. There was no way they could get away by outrunning the guy, but the two of them were ready to rip into him with teeth and claws if that was what it took. Their older brother always put his all into protecting them, but now he was the one who needed protecting.
And we'll do it.
Looking over at Wakko again, Dot saw his ears twitching even more incessantly, his expression now one of concentration as he listened. Then, all of a sudden, his eyes went wide and his tail frizzed. With one quick, desperate leap, he pushed her and Yakko to the side. The eldest brother couldn't suppress a pained groan, but it became clear that didn't matter when a flaming torch came flying into the thicket, barely missing the siblings.
Though no sooner was that danger avoided than another rose; the flames almost immediately caught on the brush, and for the first time Dot wished there was a lot of snow. Wakko pushed her away from the fire, pulling Yakko along. Their brother let out another groan before forcing himself to his feet and snatching both their hands.
"C'mon!" he grunted. "Go, hurry!"
The siblings pushed through the brush, but just as they reached the edge Yakko stumbled and fell. He grunted harshly, curling in on himself. Thoroughly terrified now, Dot pulled at his arm.
"Yakko, you've gotta get up! We've gotta…"
Before she could finish, quick and heavy footsteps punctuated the crackling of the flames. Looking up, she saw a Ticktokia soldier standing over them with a nasty smile.
"Well, look here," he sneered. "The king will be most pleased to see you brats."
Yakko let out a faint snarl as he began struggling to get to his feet. But then Wakko leaped in front of him and Dot on all fours, his fur raised and fangs bared in a vicious growl. Dot felt a sickening rush of fear, and she heard the same alarm in Yakko's strained voice.
"Wakko…!"
His voice cut off with a grunt as he slumped to the ground again, and Dot saw her immediate older brother tense. With a fierce snarl, he crouched and sprang toward the soldier. The man let out a yelp of pain as Wakko's teeth sank into his arm.
"Agh! Let go, you little…!"
Wakko let go just in time to dodge a blow from the man's other fist but wasted no time in attacking again. Still on all fours, he leaped to the side and lunged again, still snarling as he bit and clawed wildly. Dot was almost in disbelief; sure, she'd seen her immediate older brother mad, scary mad… but she'd never seen him go almost feral like this.
A grunt returned her attention to Yakko, who was pushing himself up with a look of combined determination and extreme fear.
"Yakko!" She grabbed his arm. "Don't!"
The eldest Warner set his jaw in a familiar, stubborn look.
"I can't… I can't leave 'im. I gotta help."
"You can't fight!" Dot insisted. "I'll help, we can take him! You just…"
An angry yell made her look up again, just in time to see the soldier throw another punch, which Wakko was just a little too slow to dodge. Dot shrieked his name as he hit the ground hard, letting out a short but sharp yelp. He lay stunned for just a moment, then began pushing himself up. But he moved slowly, clearly still dazed, and the soldier was approaching him with a murderous look in his eyes.
Dot felt the fur on her back raise as rage mixed with her fear. With a fierce snarl that bared her fangs, she pushed off the ground on all fours and sprang toward the man daring to threaten her brother. Grabbing onto his leg, she began biting and clawing herself, only dimly hearing his angry yell. His leg kicked as he tried to shake her off, but Dot clung on, still growling. If she could just get him on the ground…
A rough hand snatched the scruff of her neck, making her yelp. She heard Wakko yell her name, but the next thing she knew the man's cold, vicious eyes were boring into hers. The sight made her whole body go cold, and for a moment she forgot to move.
Then a huge branch slammed against the soldier's head, a loud crack splitting the air as the wood splintered. Dot yelped again when his hold released, sending her tumbling to the ground. She sat up just in time to see the brute drop like a rock, clearly out cold. Then she saw something that made her jaw drop with shock.
Yakko stood there, the broken end of the branch clenched tight in his fists. His fur was standing on end, fangs bared in a growl, but his eyes… looking at them, Dot felt the closest she'd ever been to being scared by her eldest brother. They were full of rage and a blazing hatred that she never saw him direct to anyone before. If that guy got back up, Dot was now more worried about him getting home in one piece.
But when the soldier didn't budge, the frightening look suddenly dropped from Yakko's face, and he stumbled back a step. A strained, wheezing groan escaped him, then he collapsed. In that moment, time seemed to start again.
"Yakko!" Dot shrieked, scrambling to her feet. Both her and Wakko reached their brother at the same time, dropping to their knees on either side of him. Wakko grabbed their older brother's arm, and Dot couldn't remember the last time she saw him this scared.
"Yakko!" He shook the eldest Warner's arm, fingers digging into his sleeve, but Yakko didn't move or respond. Tears began streaming down Dot's face as she cupped her oldest brother's face in her hands… it felt so cold.
"Please…" she whimpered. "Yak, please… please, you've gotta get up, we've gotta get…"
She trailed off as she felt a warm, tingling sensation in her hands, then she gasped. They were starting to glow. Her immediate thought was to pull them away, but something made her hesitate. Wakko's confused, scared voice seemed to come from a distance.
"D-Dot… what're you doing?"
But before she could reply, the glow intensified. In that same moment, she heard Yakko's strained breathing hitch. Panic overcame her, and she yanked her hands back. The glow faded, but at the same time she realized her oldest brother's breathing hadn't stopped. In fact, it seemed easier, and his face had relaxed just a little.
"Dot, how'd you… do that?"
The Warner sister stared at her hands for a moment, then looked up to see her immediate older brother staring as well, eyes wide and tears still spilling from them.
"I-I don't know," she whispered. "It just… just happened."
After a few beats, Wakko spoke again, his tone a little hopeful.
"C-can you do it again?"
Those words immediately brought Dot's attention back to her eldest brother. Whatever she did helped, but she could tell it wasn't much. Her heart began pounding as panic flooded her mind; she had to do more, but how? She didn't even know how it happened the first time! But before she could even begin to figure out what to do, her ears twitched. The sound of approaching footsteps barely registered before Wakko had leaped in front of her and Yakko, growling.
Before Dot could turn to defend her brothers, an anxious voice spoke.
"Please, please, no need to vorry."
Dot whirled around, a combination of fear, anger, and confusion raging in her head. something about that voice struck a familiar chord in her, but none came at the sight of the speaker: a thinly built man with a rather large, bald head and big glasses that still did little to hide his anxious expression. Dot immediately moved to shield her unconscious eldest sibling the best she could, face set in a glare and fangs bared.
"Who are you?" she growled. The man held up his hands, clearly uneasy about pushing them into attack.
"O-Otto Scratchansniff," he said. "I vas one of your parents' advisors and…"
Wakko growled again, unconvinced.
"An' how'd you know we were here?"
Scratchansniff looked even more anxious at that question.
"Er, vell, I can explain, but it is rather complicated, and…"
Another voice interrupted, but this one was calm, monotonous, and somehow set Dot's teeth on edge just hearing it.
"Oh, I got him."
A second man suddenly seemed to appear as if materializing from the air. He was much shorter, but his face was hidden by the hood of his red and white robe.
"Name's Pip Pumphandle, the Seer of the Spire," he droned. "Seers know about these things, you know. Why, my great aunt Theresa on my father's side, she had a real intuition. You know, she correctly predicted about 340 different events while she…"
A soft, ragged sigh from Yakko made Dot jump, and her fear for her brother came rushing back. Placing her hands on his cheeks again, she looked at the newcomers with almost desperate hope.
"Are you here to help our brother?" she asked anxiously. "Please, you've gotta do something! I tried, but I couldn't and he's really hurt!"
Pip stopped talking, his head turning to look. Annoyance flared in Dot when he was silent for a moment, but then he spoke again, his voice just as dull.
"Oh, of course, that's why we came." His voice seemed to gain a slight warmth. "Death's not his destiny, after all."
AN: So, so sorry the wait was so long! Holiday stress and lack of feedback had my motivation to write lagging, and I needed a small break. But I have no intention of abandoning any of my projects except under extreme circumstances, so no worries. Can't let rough patches get you down, or you'll never achieve anything. A very Merry Christmas to all readers, hope your holidays are full of fun, family, and blessings for the new year!