It had been another long day at school. His grades were poor, he got into another argument with a teacher, and walked home in his usual, miserable, self. But that was the least of Wolf's worries.

The familiar scent of cheap beer hit Wolf as soon as he entered in the front door of the tiny apartment he lived in with his parents. He dreaded stepping in further, but he knew that would get yelled at for being late to get home.

As he opened the door, the small kitchen was directly towards' Wolf's right, as his mother, Luna, quietly washed the dishes, not paying attention to Wolf coming in. His father wasn't home. Wolf didn't know the exact time but judging from his mother's stern focus on the boiling pot in front of her, she could tell that father would be back home soon. Wolf quietly walked by and set his schoolbag down nearby the lone bed in the studio apartment, then he walked between the bed and the wall, resting his head against the thin wall and breathing out a quiet sigh of relief.

Privacy was a privilege inside the small apartment, and given that his mother was busy tending to the chores, Wolf essentially had the apartment to himself. He closed his eyes, trying to rattle away the memories of the day and focus on other, happier things.

This didn't last long. A thunk was heard from nearby the kitchen, and Wolf popped open his eyes, his face nearly frozen with fear. There stood a tall man, a lupine that looked much the same as Wolf did, only much older and more weary-eyed than even Wolf was. He only heard rumours on what his dad did for a living – whether it was working at the factory or the assembly plant, he wasn't sure. But somehow, it was even worse than anything Wolf could have experienced.

His father stumbled over towards the couch, situated directly across from the bed, so that Wolf could see directly in front of where his father sat. Their eyes briefly met, as Wolf glanced away, not wanting to see the shell of a man his father was.

"Come out, I can see you," growled Gareth.

His efforts proven futile, Wolf slumped over towards his father, his head tilted directly towards the floor. Gareth tilted Wolf's head upwards with his hand so that their faces glanced eye to eye, with Gareth giving his usual look of disgust.

"What happened now?"

Wolf didn't reply, not being in the mood to discuss anything to his father. His mother said nothing, although Wolf could tell that she was trying her best to stay out of the situation.

Gareth sighed, a heavy breath leaving his mouth as he slumped back into the couch. "Always something with you. Go away, then, I'll find the truth soon enough."

Gareth got up from the couch, as Wolf quietly headed back to where he was beforehand. Gareth walked nearby the kitchen area, opening the fridge as he picked out one of the numerous beer cans that was chilling inside. He picked one out and opened it up in haste, taking a few gulps down without too much trouble. It made him forget about the rising cost of rent, at least for a little while. It was just about the only thing he was good at, other than getting into intense arguments with Luna.

It soon descended into the evening. Dinner was hastily prepared for by his mother, placed onto the lone table in front of the couch. The three of them ate silently, not saying as much as a word to each other. Most of the kids in school talk about what they have for lunch or dinner. Some have a steak, others have fish, others have "gross" vegetables. What does Wolf have usually? Food. None of his parents bother to elaborate on it, and it tasted more or less the same. So why bother asking about it? His parents didn't care. It was dumb luck that the family didn't have to choose putting food on the table or having a roof over their head.

They ate their meal in quick order. Soon Wolf was tasked to wash the dishes, while his mother tended to the laundry. Gareth opened up another can of beer, scanning back and forth between the slop on television and the dishes that Wolf was cleaning up. Knowing he had a lot of homework to go through, Wolf was hastily washing the dishes, but Gareth was keeping a close eye on the work being done by Wolf.

"You're sure you're washing those clean enough?" he growled.

"Yes, father…"

Gareth stood up, looking down on the dishes. The dishes were clean, but there was still bits of dishsoap dribbling down on the drying tray. "You know the soap sticks onto the dishes if you just leave them there without drying it off," Gareth growled, resentment growing under his breath.

Wolf sighed as he glanced over at his father. "Sorry, I'll dry them off better next time."

Gareth turned Wolf's head so that they faced each other, freezing Wolf in his tracks. "You'd better. If you're going to be worth anything in this world, you'll have to do better than that."

Wolf grabbed the washed dishes and started drying them off again, as Gareth returned to his drinks. Whenever Wolf asked his mother about why his father sat and watched them do chores, Luna just simply said, "he works hard all day." That was her way of saying she didn't want to talk about it. But even at his young age, Wolf knew better. There was something simmering deep down inside Gareth, something that made him angry and bitter and resentful at how his life turned out. Something that made him take out his frustrations on Wolf and Luna.

Soon his chores were done. His father continued to drink beer and watch the TV, while his mother lied down on the bed, staring up into the ceiling and thinking about nothing in particular. Wolf was left to do the homework himself, sitting quietly in the corner of the room with his notebook in hand.

The homework always confused him. What's the sense in doing all of this? he'd often ask himself. All the numbers and phrases confused him. He'd consider asking his parents, but his father was too drunk to be of any help, and his mother was just as clueless. Both of them would always say, "I'm too busy," or 'I don't know.' Wolf tried studying as hard as he could in school, at the library, as much as he could at home with his parents constantly being in his presence. He'd try to figure it out for an hour or so, before eventually giving up and writing all kinds of scribbles onto the sheet and calling it a day.

Soon it had gotten late in the evening. Both his mother and father had fallen asleep on the bed and couch respectively, leaving Wolf all by himself in the apartment. The TV was on quietly, left on a sitcom with people way too happy for their own good. The crowd in the background seemed to laugh at just about anything. Why wasn't our house like that? Wolf would wonder from time to time. But for now, he enjoyed the fact that for tonight, the apartment was at least quiet. Not all nights were like that. Most nights his father would shout at him for no reason whatsoever.

Before he knew it Wolf was awoken by his mother, as the TV was shut off and the sunlight beamed down the one window inside the apartment. "What's the matter with you, sleeping on the floor like that?"

"..Wha?"

"Never mind," Luna barked. "Get dressed and eat a granola bar. You're going to be late for school otherwise."

Wolf barely had enough time to wipe his eyes when he was given the orders. "Do I have to?"

"As long as I'm feeding and clothing you, you'll follow my rules. Now get dressed."

That ended any conversation between the two, as far as his mother was concerned. His father was already gone, having gone into the early morning shift at work. Whenever his father was out of the house, his mother took control of everything, doing everything she could to morph her child into what she wanted.

The fact that his head ached from the constant bits of homework he had to wade through and the sickness in his stomach from having to go back to school weren't enough to persuade Wolf to try to buck out of going out of the house that day. Besides, it would mean his mother not working that day, and it often meant that there would be less food on the table that week. So he went outside anyways, shaking his head as he walked out the door for the day.

Soon Wolf was back from one prison to another. He was back inside the classroom, handing in his homework from the previous night. When it was returned to him a few minutes later, it came back up with a failing grade. Whoop dee doo. Nothing new. Wolf scrunched up the marked paper, burying it inside his pocket. His teacher tried giving him a few words to help him improve his homework, but Wolf had learned by now to simply nod and zone out what the teacher was saying. Nothing ever worked, and it wasn't like he could even afford going to a prestigious college, so why bother?

He eventually found his way outside for recess. It was another cool day in the fields, his thin jacket not doing much to protect him from the cold wind, and from others going near him to mock him.

"Look at that jerk. I hear he pees himself while he sleeps."

Here we go. He spilled juice on himself one day, and it turns into him becoming a bed-wetter. It didn't help that he kept mostly to himself and hardly talked to anyone, so there was nobody to defend him.

Wolf simply scoffed at the gawkers and went over to another group of kids who were throwing around a tennis ball for fun. Wolf quietly asked if he could join in their game. They simply scorned back and ignored him, leaving Wolf alone again.

He soon found himself wandering alone in the field, not really doing anything in particular, but not interacting with anyone either. He was left at peace for a bit, until he ran into the same group of kids teasing him earlier.

"Hey, look at how crooked his teeth are!"

The accusation came from nowhere, but Wolf reflexively felt his teeth, trying to figure out if they were tilted in any way. There was no way for him to know for sure, but it didn't stop his classmates from pointing and laughing at him.

One of the kids started poking around at Wolf's stomach, something that they did just to annoy him for being a weird and lonely kid. Wolf growled as the kids started poking at him, each jab churning his already upset stomach.

"Stop it!"

"Hah, you're so stupid!"

One of the kids then poked towards his belly button, and Wolf grabbed the kid's hand, pushing it out of the way of his stomach.

"Hey, stop holding my hand, weirdo!"

"Don't call me that, you…" Wolf yanked the kid's hand and whipped their whole body towards one side, shoving it out of his way. He then turned towards the kid and, without a second thought, started walloping the kid with all his might, knocking the kid down towards the ground. Wolf stood over the kid as all the rage that had built up inside of him was being released all at once. "I'll show you who's the boss here, you fucker!" Wolf shouted, using the same words his father used in the past.

Wolf then started punching the kid senselessly into the cement, maiming his face with all his might. The other students gawked on in horror, while a couple of them ran towards one of the supervisors to try to break up the one-sided fight. When the supervisors arrived, they pulled Wolf away from the stricken child, shouting noisily as one of the adults had to lift Wolf up to prevent him from escaping. "Let me go! Let… me… GO!"

Wolf soon ended up in the main office of the school, huffing and puffing as the last bits of rage flooded out of his body. He then got shown into the principal's office. I'm in trouble. He then got word that his mother was going to pick him up from the school. I'm in real trouble. His thoughts soon morphed into what his mother was going to say, and more importantly, his father. I'm dead.

The owl principal poked around with his thick-rimmed glasses, being as calm as he could while Luna crossed her arms in disgrace.

"Now listen, ma'am, normally this kind of behaviour is an expellable offense. But I'm not that kind of principal. And the last thing I want to see is a child not get their education. He still needs to be punished for what he did, of course. But for now, I'm suspending him for the next week, just so that he can be separated from the children for a bit. Afterward, we'll place him in a separate part of the school, so that he doesn't interact with the other kids as much. There, he can also focus on his schoolwork a lot more. But if I can give one word of advise, I'd be more gentle with the kid."

"Don't tell me how to parent my child."

"I'm not, ma'am. But he's clearly going through a rough phase in his life. For what reason, I couldn't tell you. But he needs to find a way to exert his energy in a way that isn't going to harm others, or even himself."

Luna then left the office without another word, as she grabbed Wolf by his coat as they walked out of the school.

"It's so hard to take care of you when you're acting up like this," Luna grumbled. "You're lucky that we can't afford to place you in a boarding school. They might be able to whip you up in shape."

She said this a lot to him. She never followed through on that threat, but the idea of him being shipped off to a place far away sent shivers down his spine. The idea of his life somehow becoming worse never sit well with him.

When the two arrived back in the apartment, Wolf sat quietly on the couch, staring blankly on the floor dreading what was coming next.

His father returned from work a bit earlier than usual, giving a large glare at Wolf as he entered the apartment. Luna carefully went up to Gareth and spoke quietly about the situation. Gareth listened intently, shaking his head as he heard what Luna had to say. It was hard to make out what the two were talking about, given that they didn't want him to overhear what they were saying, but Wolf was able to make out a few words.

"What are we going to do with the child, Gareth?"

"He's going to end up a bum, at the rate he's going. Sometimes I wonder if he's really my kid."

"With the way he beat up that kid today? That's something he would have learned from you, not me."

"How does this have to do with me? You're the one that's near him all the time."

"What, so this is my fault all of a sudden?"

"It's not my fault I have to work so much. If it wasn't for this good-for-nothing job I'd teach that bum a lesson or two…"

The two trailed off, as Gareth stepped out of the apartment briefly, while Luna sighed as the door shut behind her. Wolf turned away from Luna, ashamed to make eye contact with her.

"Why aren't you like the other kids, Wolf? Why can't you be a normal child for once?"

Within a few minutes, Gareth returned back to the apartment, seemingly in no better mood than before. Wolf got out of the couch and leaned against the wall next to the closet nearby. Gareth had already gotten started on drinking some of his beer, keeping to himself. Wolf sat quietly, not saying a word. Luna was left to read over some bills while sitting on her bed, not wanting to break the silence in any way.

Dinner came and went without incident. Gareth had downed his third beer of the day, having gotten a head start from arriving home early. When he went to the fridge for his fourth, Luna was standing nearby as she was about to start the chores for the night.

"Don't you think that's a lot for now?"

"Who asked you?"

"It's rather expensive, drinking them all at once. We still have to pay the bills, you know."

Gareth grumbled, ignoring Luna's words as he brought out the beer can from the fridge. Four turned into five. Five turned into six. Six turned into seven, but he had lost count by then. He was stumbling towards the bathroom when he bumped into Wolf, who was holding a dish in his hand, nearly dropping it from Gareth bumping into him.

"Hey, watch it, you…"

"Sorry…"

"Shut up, you dickhead," grumbled Gareth, grabbing Wolf by the collar of his shirt. "If it weren't for your good-for-nothing mother…"

"Hey!" Luna snapped out of the daze of her chores and ran over towards Gareth. "What do I have to do with this?"

"SHUT UP!" Gareth pushed Luna out of the way, causing her to stumble down towards the ground. Wolf tried to run away, but Gareth grabbed Wolf by the collar again, this time lifting him up so that their faces met.

"Listen, kid, you're a loser and a bum, you'll never amount to anything…" his mind trailed as the words slurred out of his mouth. "I ought to show you a lesson or two…"

Luna got back up from the ground and separated the two from each other, as Wolf landed onto the ground. He ran inside the closet, hiding beneath a pile of clothes, covering his ears as best as he could to muffle his two parents shouting over them.

"Get back here, you coward!" shouted Gareth towards the closet, as he attempted to stumble towards there, only to be stopped by Luna standing in the way. "Move."

"You're not laying a finger on him."

"Whose side are you on, anyway?"

"I don't want children's protection knocking down our doors again!"

"Are you fucking backstabbing me again?"

"Wha..?"

Gareth shoved Luna fiercely towards the kitchen counter, feeling the rage build up instantaneously in his body as he clenched his fists tightly. "I'm tired of you constantly nagging me on what to do with that bastard…"

Luna shouted as Gareth reached for her throat, managing to grab it with both of his hands for a moment before Luna squirmed away from his grasp, shoving him aside as he stumbled back into the kitchen table.

Wolf could do nothing but stay inside the closet, frozen in fear as he could hear his parents fighting and glasses smashing onto the floor. His heart pounded against his chest as he felt the urge to stop them, but he knew he would only make it worse if he did. He kept still in the closet and tried to block out their voices from his head, begging that they'd eventually stop.

Gareth clenched his fists to strike at Luna again, and in a moment of panic, Luna grabbed the closest item within her reach, a cast-iron frying pan. As Gareth charged at her, Luna swung the frying pan directly onto Gareth's head, hitting him with a swift blow.

Wolf heard the sound of the frying pan with a distinctive "BANG," then heard someone falling down to the ground with a thud. Then, silence. Wolf waited for someone to say something, but nobody spoke a word. Usually there would be more fighting, more arguing. But it had come to a sudden stop.

Wolf slowly got up from the pile of clothes inside the closet and cautiously poked his head out the closet door. He could see his mother kneeling on the ground next to where his father was laying, fear and terror visible to her eyes. She had a hand on Gareth's neck, feeling for any sign of life inside, but his body was quickly turning cold. She held her hands over her mouth, muffling out the sobs she was starting to form, horrified at what she had done.

Wolf got out of the closet and went towards the kitchen area, glancing at both of his parents. His mother was sobbing, but she stopped as she noticed Wolf coming over. A silence fell over the room, as they were both unsure of what to say.

Luna's mind was still racing, trying to work out what was going on, and what to do next. She then knelt down to her son, who was still staring at her. She kept silent, letting out peeps of sobs as she held her son close to her body, frozen in fear of what to do next.

She slowly started to move her eyes away from her son, fear growing within her.

Wolf was shocked at what he saw: the frying pan she had just used to fight his father was now covered in blood. Not just a little blood either: his father's blood. He could see it dripping from the pan onto the floor, forming a puddle underneath. He could only stare at the frying pan in horror, unable to comprehend what he was looking at.

"Mom…?" Wolf asked in a soft tone. "Is… is Dad going to be okay?"

Luna paused for a few moments. "I hope so. But it's far too late now…"