The first thing Austin could remember was the warmth of his brother beside him.
Marshall had always been the playful one—full of energy, laughter, and an endless supply of optimism. Austin, on the other hand, was different. Even as a young pup, he had been more reserved, always watching, always thinking. But no matter how different they were, the one thing that never changed was their bond. They were brothers.
And brothers always stuck together.
But there was a time when Austin wasn't sure if he'd even have a future with Marshall.
Austin had been two years old when his world nearly fell apart.
It started with exhaustion. At first, it was barely noticeable—he just felt more tired than usual, his legs heavier when he ran, his breath coming shorter when he played. Then came the fevers, the aches that never went away. He tried to ignore them, not wanting to worry anyone, but Ryder and Chase had noticed.
And so had Marshall.
"Are you okay?" Marshall had asked one night, curling up beside Austin in their shared bed at the Lookout. His baby blue eyes were filled with concern. "You don't look so good."
Austin had forced a smile. "I'm fine, little bro. Just tired."
But he wasn't fine.
The next morning, he couldn't get up.
His legs wouldn't move, his body felt like it was burning up, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't even lift his head. He heard voices—Ryder, Chase, Marshall—all of them panicked, calling his name, trying to wake him. But Austin couldn't respond. His body refused to listen.
Then everything went dark.
When he woke up, the smell of antiseptic filled his nose, and the beeping of machines rang in his ears. The ceiling above him was white and unfamiliar.
A hospital.
"Austin!"
Marshall's voice. He turned his head and saw his little brother sitting beside him, his ears drooping, eyes wide with fear. Chase stood behind him, his expression calm but worried, while Ryder was talking to a doctor near the doorway.
Austin tried to sit up, but the sharp pain in his body made him wince.
"Don't move too much," Chase said gently. "You need to rest."
"What… happened?" Austin's voice was hoarse.
"You collapsed," Marshall said, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. "You scared me, Austin."
Austin swallowed hard. He had never seen Marshall look so… vulnerable. His little brother was always smiling, always full of life. But now, he looked like he had been crying.
The doctor stepped forward then, his face serious. "Austin," he said, "we ran some tests after you arrived. I need to be honest with you and your family—your immune system is severely compromised."
Austin's heart pounded.
"What does that mean?" Ryder asked, his voice calm but tense.
"It means Austin's body isn't strong enough to fight off infections," the doctor explained. "If we don't intervene, even a minor illness could become life-threatening."
Silence filled the room.
Austin glanced at Chase and Marshall, and the worry in their eyes made his stomach sink. He didn't understand everything, but he understood one thing—he was sick. Really sick.
"Is there… anything we can do?" Ryder asked.
The doctor hesitated. "There is one option," he said finally. "A new treatment. We can inject Austin with wolf DNA to strengthen his immune system. It's experimental, but it could save his life."
Wolf DNA.
Austin's ears perked up at that. It sounded impossible—could he really survive with part of him being something else?
"It's risky," the doctor warned. "His body might not adapt to the changes. But without it…"
The words didn't need to be spoken.
Austin looked at Marshall again. His brother's eyes were filled with silent pleas, with fear, with hope. Chase's gaze was steady, waiting for an answer. Ryder was already thinking things through, weighing the risks, the possibilities.
Austin took a shaky breath.
"Do it."
The next few days were the hardest of Austin's life.
The injection had worked—his body had accepted the wolf DNA—but the process of recovery was grueling. His muscles ached, his fevers came in waves, and his body felt like it was fighting itself. Every night, he lay awake, feeling the changes happening inside of him.
And through it all, Marshall never left his side.
His little brother curled up next to him every night, whispering stories, telling him about the missions the team had gone on while he was gone. Chase and Ryder checked on him every few hours, making sure he had everything he needed.
Slowly, he got stronger.
After two weeks, Austin was finally able to stand on his own again.
The first thing he did?
He found Marshall and wrapped a paw around him. "I'm here," he whispered. "I'm not going anywhere."
And for the first time in weeks, Marshall smiled.
But Austin's struggles weren't over.
The wolf DNA had saved his life, but it had also changed him.
He was stronger now, faster. His senses were sharper. But some part of him always felt… different. He wasn't just a Dalmatian anymore. And for a long time, he wondered if that made him less of who he was supposed to be.
The doubts lingered.
Then came the attack on Marshall.
Austin had still been recovering when he got the news. Chase had told him what happened—two dogs had attacked Marshall during a mission. Ryder had stopped them before it got too bad, but Marshall had been shaken.
And Austin hadn't been there to protect him.
That was the moment everything changed.
When Austin was finally strong enough to stand on his own again, he made a promise to himself. Never again. Never again would he let someone hurt his brother. Never again would he stand by, too weak to do anything.
A few weeks later, when those same two dogs tried to bully Marshall again, Austin had confronted them himself. One look in his eyes, and they ran.
For a while, he thought that would be the end of it.
Then Cody and Stephen came back into his life.
They had once been his friends, but when they saw Austin standing up for Marshall, they turned on him. The teasing started first—mocking him for defending his "clumsy" little brother. Then the attacks came, sharper, crueler.
Austin didn't fight back.
Instead, he withdrew.
People started calling him "Mute" because he barely spoke. The nickname stuck. But Austin didn't care. If being silent meant keeping his pain to himself, then so be it.
Because at the end of the day, all that mattered was Marshall.
