Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Well...seems we’ve attracted new guests. Please forgive those two. My name is Devland...”

The gates to the community opened wider.

“And welcome to Lensvile.”

The words ran through Knox and his group’s ears as they took in the cut-off world through the gaps.

A place where they could find definite reprise from the struggles.

A place of both humans and mutes.

“Close the gates.” Devland ordered suddenly, keeping eye contact with the newcomers.

A slight pang of worry floated through Kara’s stomach as the gates closed again.

“You can trust us, Devland! We all just want a-”

“You’ll have to earn it.” Devland cut off swiftly, giving her a grin. He paced back and forth slowly in front of them, stopping as he seemed to trail his eyes behind them. “If you heard our friend correctly from the squirrel mute...Jessie’s her name...this safe haven didn’t stay a safe haven by default. Everyone within these walls have proven very well that they’re resourceful, hard-working and truly trustworthy.”

Devland brought his eyes on Knox in particular, eying the katana strapped around his shoulder. He grinned wider. “How about this. As with any potential guest we take in, I’m giving you this one task for you all to complete as admittance into our lovely community...”

Devland walked up closer and addressed them clearly.

“Bring back three things of importance. Of my choice, of course. And within three days. After that, you are guaranteed full entry into our wonderful abode.” Devland declared, gripping his suit tie. “I’d say that’s fair task for safety, am I wrong?”

Knox, Kara, Lute and Piercer all looked at each other. They had spent so much time just surviving and moving about just trying to make it to another day...and they were being sent out again. They saw no other choice. The reward in return was simply too great to pass down.

“We agree to those terms...but why are you even making us do this?” Knox questioned. ”What’s the actual point?”

Devland clasped his fingers together. “Glad you asked! You see...” The human gestured an open hand at the community behind him.

“Everyone in the community, mind the kids, have succeeded in the task you are soon to attempt to complete. All of the community members here are relatively exceptional at finding things, tracking things, and bargaining things as well...” Devland told them. “And that is how our community thrives. We have much of what we need that will last us a very long time thanks the hard work and usefulness of our associates and neighbors here.”

“Can we at least bump it down to two items?” Lute asked out of the blue, putting on a wide smile of desperation.

Devland was unamused.

“It was originally going to be four; one for each of you. But I felt generous today.” Devland divulged, pulling out a small notepad from his back pocket. He reached for the pin clipped to his suit and began to jot something down.

“Here.”

Knox took the note and read it’s contents. Three items were listed.

1. A wooden figure carving.
2. A book of a scientific study.
3. A Pocket watch.

Sighing deeply, Knox brung his eyes up to the human, who was tapping his shoes against the ground. Clearly he was in some kind of rush.

“Alright. And we only have three days to do it...” Knox handed the paper around for the group to read before he folded the piece of paper and put it in his back pocket.

“Three days. Just in case you already forgot.” Devland remarked, tucking his pen back in his suit pocket.

“Yeah, we didn’t.” Piercer shot back under his breath.

“Please, do be on it. I would hate to clarify that today counts as one of those days.”

Devland’s words caused everyone’s jaws to drop.

“Are you kidding?” Kara said, raising her hands in front of her, palm-up like claws. “Can you give us a break, man?”

“Today counts as a day. Take it or leave it. It shouldn’t be a problem if your truly ones worthy of admission here...” Devland turned back towards the community gate, waving for it to be opened once more.

“The clock has already started. Show me that your skill sets are truly of any value to this wonderful place. We’ll be counting the days.” Devland last stated as he disappeared behind the gate, leaving the group all alone.

Knox and the rest eyed the gates of their sanctuary should they finish their fight for it.

“Okay.” Knox began. “If he wants to play it the hard way...let’s play it harder.”

“Yeah, we got this. Matter of fact,” Lute pointed out to the wide array of various buildings and houses a few corners away.

“Let’s start with those. This shouldn’t be too hard.”

Lute struggled to keep his eyes open as he weakly pulled out the last item of the toy chest in front of him.

“How are there no carved figurines in a place like this? C’mon, at least give me a fake one...”

Kara appeared from the room next to his.

“No luck, either.” Kara mentioned irritatedly, leaning against the frame of the door. “People here weren't big fans of watches, wood stuff or anything scientific. Shame, really.”

Lute got up and moved towards the room’s window, catching the sun on it’s last glow just above the horizon. It was soon set to disappear.

“Looks like it’s time to move on.” Lute said, tossing the wooden sphere still in his hand off to the side.

Lute and Kara met up with Knox and Piercer as they left the neighboring building beside theirs. Knox brung a hand down his visibly exhausted face and Piercer’s eyes struggled to keep alert. They were clearly devoid of sleep, given they were faced with the possibility that their two friends were deceased, were chased by mute wolves in a rainstorm, nearly bludgeoned to death by Scooter Skunks and denied entry to the only secure place within sight.  

All without properly resting.

In other words...

“Almost midnight, everyone. It’s going to be extremely hard searching without a reliable source of light...and we definitely need to get sleep before we pass out.” Knox told everyone as he eyed the building Kara and Lute left. “Let’s rest until early morning. We should be fine then. As soon as the sun hits our eyes, we get back on it. We definitely deserve some shuteye.”

With everyone in unarguable agreement, they moved towards the house.

The sun was back in it’s full glory above the sky with only the clouds to steal it’s reign as they past over every now and then.

Giving up on the neighboring district to Lensvile, the group decided on moving further into the city and hoped to find any more places of noticeable interest. An old library, an antique store...anything.

And still no luck.

So they decided to leave behind the urban cityscape and follow way to a secluded part of the area. The stretch of various houses and were behind them as they came closer to a rundown, but still standing structure. It’s faded pink paint still stood the test of time as it’s color remained vibrant in the shining light. The giant logo of the letter ‘P’ stood center of the building.

Piercer kicked the old empty can across the ground as he followed Knox, Lute and Kara from behind.

“Piercer, you mind watching us on this one? Place looks big but we shouldn’t be more than ten.” Knox asked the Archerat as the mute got out his dagger, twirling it in between his fingers.

“I got you all covered.” Piercer replied as Knox nodded and led Kara and Lute into the old building.

Piercer ran a hand down the back of his head fur as he turned and kicked a rock into the near distance, following it’s path down the nearby grassy embankment. After glancing back at the place his group had entered, he traced his eyes down to his personal dagger.

The blade had a brown, wooden grip and a shiny golden cross-guard  which separated his hand from the silver blade. Piercer’s eyes shimmered in the light that reflected against it. It was the last thing he had to remember his clan by. Given to him personally by his elder, Arrus. He missed his clan. He missed his old friends. He missed his Elder. None of it should have happened.

His grip tightened, a sudden anger overtaking him.

“Those damned Humming Bombers...” Piercer looked for another rock and found one, throwing it over the pink building where his friends resided.

“And Scarlemange...” he mentioned bitterly through gritted teeth as he searched out another rock and threw it across the large rocky hill to his right.

“When I find them...they’re gonna pay for what they did...” Piercer growled as he clutched the next rock harder than before, no longer holding back his frustration.

“Argh!” Piercer grunted loudly as he hurled the larger rock over the same rocky hill that walled him from whatever was beyond it.

A few seconds of seething before he heard an audible ‘bonk’ on the other side.

“RAAUUGH!”

Piercer’s fur stood on end, the loud and echoing roar sending him stiff.

The Archerat’s pink eyes grew wide in a wordless shock as the white head of a gigantic mega mute poked it’s head past the large rock formation, blinking it’s eyes tiredly around in a confused frustration.

Then it settled it’s sights on him.

The sound of banging sent Knox, Lute and Kara back to the front faster than they already were, finding Piercer knocking hysterically on the glass door.

“Was that a roar? The heck is going on?” Kara asked herself as they got to the door.

“No time! Just run, and run fast!” Piercer screamed dashing back down the path they came. “Don’t even look back!”

They followed behind the Archerat, but Lute had the unfortunate luck to be the first one to break the desperate bidding. Lute’s eyes opened up as wide as they could as he caught eyes on the enormous white-furred Megabunny that was just now climbing over the wall of rocky terrain, sending pebbles down as pieces of it began to crumble apart.

The Megabunny's sights were directly on them.

An even larger roar was emitted behind the group as they ran as fast as they could, trying to find a quick escape.

“No, down that bridge over there! We can’t lead it back into the city!” Kara shouted as she led evenly beside Piercer with Lute not far behind. Knox was last in line to the bridge, the ground shaking underneath them as the stomps came closer and closer. They dared not look back again. 

It was only after their approach to the bridge that they noticed the raging water below it.

“We can make it, but we need to be fast!” Kara said, her feet hitting the ground as fast as she could muster. “Pick up the pace everyone! The gap will slow it down when we cross!”

The Mega-bunny roared once more, it’s black and beady eyes narrowed at the ones who awoke it. The tremors it’s footsteps made against the ground as it neared sent Knox down and sliding against the bridge just as everyone else was half-way.

“Knox!” Lute called out, cringing terrified at the sight of the Megabunny practically on top of them. “Knox, get up!”

Knox fought through the distortion of the trembling and looked up, the sight of a humongous Mega-bunny foot coming down right where he laid.

No time to think for him.

Kara, Lute and Piercer looked on in horror as Knox dove from the bridge and into the raging waters below just as the Megabunny’s foot came crashing down on the bridge, directly where he once was.

The force of the Mega bunny’s stomp sent the bridge into a broken mess just as the others cleared it, now safe on the other side. Kara looked on in a stump for what to do as Knox resurfaced from the tough currents of the water stream as it carried him further down.

He realized too late what his desperate move had cost him.

“Knox, it’s a waterfall! Swim out!” Piercer screamed at the top of his lungs to rival the loudness of the ravenous waters.

Knox turned to find himself edging towards a steep drop.

“No, no, no, no, not like this!” Knox yelled out as he tried in vain to swim for terra firma. The current was too strong for him.

Kara’s heart felt like it cracked when a scream emitted from Knox as he disappeared behind the waterfall’s end.

“Nooo! No, Knox!” Kara called out in a heart-wrenching voice. She ignored the Mega-bunny that was steadying itself from the tumble it made and ran to the edge upon dry land, looking over.

She breathed out the biggest exhale of her life.

A drenched Knox was getting to his feet, having landed on a building jutted out of the waterfall’s descending row of water not too far from where he fell.

“Thank god-” Kara was cut off by Knox’s quick thinking.

“I’m fine! Our luck is really being tested! But I can find a way to you! You see that radio tower over there? We’ll meet back up there, just lose the bunny first!” Knox shouted out through cupped hands around his mouth.

Knox awaited a reply and got one.

“You got it! Be careful!”

Another roar as the Mega-bunny finally found it’s footing and stepped out of the raging waters, following the group further and further away. Then all grew much quieter, save for the conscious flow of water that permeated his ears nonstop.

Knox took an extremely cautious peep down from the roof of the building that saved his life. He then immediately regretted the decision.

The human was met with almost three-hundred feet of a death that potentially awaited him. It was making him nauseous, so he pulled himself away from the weird draw of the height he was at. Sighing, he attempted to calm his involuntary shaking as he went to work. Looking up to where he fell, Knox found no vines or further method of getting himself any higher.

He quickly realized that going up was going to be a harder task then going down.

There were a few more structures that were broken off from other old, dilapidated buildings that proceeded further down. And if Knox were to be able to reach them, he would be half-way somewhere with his decent.

“Ah, this is crazy...” Knox muttered to himself as he pulled out the note he received from Devland. It was now drenched. Though somewhat still eligible, Knox went back over in his head the three items they all needed to retrieve that was on it. Just in case.

Knox eyed the window sill on the lower section just below and took in a deep breath. He began to lower himself down upon it, taking no time to over-think what we was about to do. After his foot made contact, he found himself glancing back at the roof of the nearby collapsed building which stood slanted right below.

He was going to have to jump and there was no room or margin for error.

“Okay...I got this.” Knox consoled to himself as he found his courage.

And then he pushed himself away from the ledge.

The rush that followed was almost like at Cactus Town.

Knox immediately rolled as his foot met the top of the building he aimed for but the impact was a lot rougher than he expected. The force of his fall sent his roll further towards the edge than he calculated, bringing him into a panic as his form tumbled closer it.

“Aww crap!” Knox yelled as he passed the edge, holding on to the corner of the building with one hand. His suspended form crashed against the side of the collapsed building as he was forced to look down below at the gathering of deep water the waterfall had produced. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. His grip on the side of the building was losing strength and before Knox knew it it, he unwillingly let go, his fingers exhausted of their strength.

Everything was a blur as Knox flailed about, descending closer towards the large pool of water below.

His life flashed before him. Everything he had ever witnessed seemed to pass through his mind at light-speed.

His youth.

Kara.

Lute.

Piercer.

His father.

Knox felt the force of the frigid waters as he torpedoed feet-first, now emerged in the waters.

Everything soon went hazy and faded to black.

A furred hand gripped the human’s wrist, the unknown form grunting as it pulled Knox out of the water. The human’s unconscious form was dragged across the soft sea of grass before being let go, leaving him safe on solid ground.

Knox began to blink weakly. His body ached all around.

Coughing out excess water, the human gradually lifted his head just in time to see a form rush hurriedly for the nearby forest of trees.

Although his vision still swam from the death-defying ordeal, Knox’s eyes were unmistakable in their assessment.

It was the form of a wolf.

Chapter Text

Hind-legs moved swiftly down the street with enraged calls echoing out as assailants tailed close behind.

Reaching a row of vehicles, the hyena mutes were held back for enough time as their target leaped from the pavement onto the top of the truck and met the other side with grace. The hyena mutes that were after her took a longer time climbing over them.

“Get back here! We’re gonna make you bleed when we...”

The voices trailed off as the figure moved further and further away from the city and into the nearby park.

The wolf looked back to find that she was in the clear and setting her wooden staff down, desperately unstrapped the sack. Digging through, she found a few apples and oranges along with a strange gray device she couldn’t quite name.

“It’s not enough...” the wolf said to herself, sighing and stroking a hand across her head frustratingly.

One of her ears twitched.

“You forget about us?”

The wolf thief stood as fast as she could with wooden staff in hand, but was tackled to the ground the minute she was ready to flee. The hyena mute that was hidden behind the nearby tree restrained her and planted her face against the grass as she growled in response, squirming to get free.

“I see you got her! Fast one, she is.” a voice called out which belonged to one of her previous pursuers out as they neared.

The thief wolf managed to roll her eyes up far enough to lay her sights upon the group of hyena mutes in front of her. There were now a total of four, all grinning. One pulled out a knife and held it against her neck.

“You expecting me to beg?” the thief laughed, spitting the grass and dirt out of her mouth.

“No, but we are going to tie you up...”

It took the wolf all of her restraint to refrain from pulling away as the hyena mute tied her wrists together from behind. The knife they had inches from her was enough of a reason not to.

“Now, answer us, wolf lady. Both where you came from and why you stole our stuff and we might make your death a swift on-oww!”

The hyena recoiled from the rock that made contact with the back of his cranium and made him drop the knife. The hyenas all looked to the source of the throw to find an unwelcome sight.

A human in a dark blue denim jacket stepped off of the concrete bench and began slowly walking towards the commotion.

“You folks really didn’t hear me coming? Geez, you all must be pretty slow today...” the human taunted as he gripped the hilt of the blade strapped around his shoulders. He motioned a hand to draw it but suddenly brought it away.

“Heh, you have some gall to just up and show your face at a time like this, especially being a human. Got a death wish, punk?” one of the hyena mutes retorted back, his jaws drooling greedily at the prospect of a free lunch.

“How bout’ you all come over here and find out?”

The daring reply was met with angry snarls and the pack of hyenas came at him one by one. The human grinned, cracking his knuckles.

A couple of seconds later and...

The last remaining hyena fell hard against the ground as the human’s fist met deep into it’s stomach with a follow-up across it’s jaw.

He stepped over the jumbled forms of the unconscious mutes, shaking his sore hand out.

“Threw that one a little too hard...” the human remarked as he walked over to the tied-up wolf.

The human finally had a decent chance to observe the wolf mute in distress now that the threat was done with.

The wolf had a blueish-grey colored fur mixed with white. She wore a black pencil skirt and a pink jacket over a collared black shirt to match. Her pink eyes store directly into his own, failing to blink once.

“C’mon. Let’s get further away from these guys. They won’t be out for long.” the human told the wolf.

“The name’s Knox by the way.” the human revealed, picking up her wooden staff and smiling at the face of a wolf who held no readable expression.

The her eyes never once left the human.

Knox helped the her up to her feet and guided her out of the park. He went back towards the streets and stopped.

The human then revealed a knife of his own. This earned him a growl. The human paused and looked up to find the wolf showing off rows of her dangerous teeth on full display.

“Easy, I’m just cutting you lose. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, alright?” Knox commented lightly, nervously chuckling before working on the rope that binded the wolf’s wrists together.

The second the rope snapped, the free wolf turned and rushed Knox, pinning him to the ground.

The maw of the growling wolf was inches from being around Knox’s neck. Her two hands gripped the human’s wrist as she kept him from escaping.

“The hell are you doing, I just saved you!” Knox shouted as a quick snarl sent his head reeling to one side.

“You apparently don’t know much about how the surface works for someone who was able to defend himself well enough back there.” the she-wolf spoke as she finally broke her silence with him. 

After a few seconds of eye contact with Knox, her griped loosened a bit. She trailed her sight downwards and clenched her eyes closed.

“Just go. I don’t have any grudges against you.” the wolf mute told Knox as she removed her hold on the human completely. She picked up her staff and just as she turned to walk away, she paused at the words that followed.

“You’re the wolf that saved me back in the water.”

The wolf mute looked back slightly, refusing to make eye contact with Knox.

“Don’t know what you’re-”

“Don’t lie to me. It was you.” Knox pressed. He got up to his feet. “You pulled me out of the water back by the waterfall...I mean your fur’s still not even dry. You...saved my life. Thank you.”

A small laugh emitted from the wolf.

“Is that why you saved me? To return the favor?”

“So you're admitting you did save me, huh?” Knox narrowed his eyes and grinned self-satisfied, resting his knuckles against his waist. “I would have helped you either way.” Knox clarified. “Those hyenas we’re clearly trouble. By the looks of things, you were desperate.”

The wolf mute turned around, baring her pink eyes at Knox again. 

“I’m out here for my children. I had to do what I had to do.”

“Figured it was something like that.” Knox said, sighing as he eyed a tall building not too far away. “I’m out here because of some stupid task I have to-”

“Listen, human...I’m not here to chat. I’m out here to get more supplies. More food. You saved me. Now you’re free to go.”

Knox pointed to the large building with overgrown roots snaking out of it’s windows just ahead, countering her last words.

“I need to look for some things, too. And by the way your looking towards the mall over there, I’d say we have the same destination.” Knox began to take slow steps towards the building. “Maybe we can even watch each other’s backs on this?”

He spun around on a heel to face her.

“Mind giving me a name I can properly address you by?”

The mute wolf gritted her teeth in a nagging irritation to the human’s persistence.

“It’s Cecilia.”

Knox and Cecilia were soon met with the open parking lot of the building in interest. Cecilia tapped a foot behind Knox as he tried the double doors and found them locked.

“Well at least we know no one’s been here in a very long while.” Knox assessed, kicking in the glass to one of the doors and chipping away the excess fragments still attached to it.

“Or maybe someone locked themselves inside...” Cecilia added, narrowing her eyes at the human’s brashness.

“Whoops..sorry.” Knox apologized, entering in through the newly made opening.

He glanced around at the enormous space within with the sun’s light cycling through the glass ceiling above as clouds passed in front of it. Knox eyed the numerous stores of the first floor before laying eyes on the malfunctioned escalators that lead to the second floor.

“We shoul-”

“You should check wherever you’re going to check. I’m not your friend nor am I your ally. I’m just here. Leave me to my business.” Cecilia cut in, walking towards and through the doors of a store to her right.

Knox observed the different stores on his side before scanning Cecilia’s. He noticed the faded store title above the doorway.

“Antiques Of Time...” Knox smiled in interest as he followed behind the mute wolf.

Cecelia passive-aggressively set down the staff in her hand and turned towards the human as he sped through the store entrance. He looked around at all of the different figure and doll assortments as Cecilia sighed audibly.

“I thought I made it clear I don’t like being followed?” Cecilia shot back at him.

“Yes!” Knox rang out in victory, opening the large glass compartment that held what he was looking for. He held up the wooden figurine of a man riding a horse up to Cecilia. “This is one of the items I’ve been tasked with finding. Just two more...”

“So you’re on a treasure hunt in the middle of a, might a remind you, particularly dangerous part of Las Vistas were humans are well-known for being majorly hunted? That it? Where are your parents, kid?” Cecilia snided through half-lidded eyes.

“No, you’ve got it all wrong. Well, kinda. There’s a place not far from here. Both mutes and humans live together there. And I know it’s crazy, but here me out: we have to find three items of the community leader’s choice before we can be granted entry. To see if we're resourceful enough to be worth emission, or whatever. Kind of stupid, but what can you do?” Knox said, looking to the wolf after he momentarily turned away.

 He watched Cecilia cross her arms.

“Yeah, mutes and humans living together is kinda crazy. But I didn’t fall down that waterfall for a little swim. I’m with another group and we were doing what I’m doing now. Just gotta get back to them...but this place may have more of what we need.”

Knox bagged the wooden figure and walked out of the store.

“And I’m not a kid...I’m twenty two.” Knox disclosed, popping his head back out of sight.

Cecilia drew her eyes back to the human doll she now had in her hands and lowered them, tossing the plaything back into the pile.

“Just what I needed...” Knox whispered to himself as he spotted a clothing store up on the second floor.

He stepped on the first step of the frozen escalators and waved Cecilia over.

“I’m still soaked from that unwanted dive. And I can only guess that your not exactly the driest either after pulling me out. It looks to be a store for the both of us, so if you want...”

Cecilia didn’t say anything as Knox comically jabbed his two pointer fingers at the store above, but she did walk up the elevator with him.

Once inside, Knox almost immediately spotted was he was looking for. A blue borg collared denim jacket met his fancy as he approached, swiping off the layer of dust that accumulated over it.

“Perfect start.” Knox said to himself. He noticed Cecilia walk past over to a rack of more high-end looking clothing.

“Say,” Knox began. “You always been the formal type? I mean, you have to be from some other community if you’re more focused on looks than...maybe I’m talking too much.”

“No, I know what you mean. It’s just...what I’m used to. I think it’s the right look for me.” Cecilia responded. She gripped the lining of her wet, pink jacket. “I saw it in a magazine, and it just stuck with me since. I have like, five of this same look back home, ha ha...” 

“Well,” Knox said as he picked out a black shirt. “If you’re able to chose, I say wear whatever you know truly fits you and not just what you think.”

Knox disappeared into the fitting room close by as Cecilia pondered upon the human’s words.

The mute wolf observed her reflection in the mirror next to her. She gripped the collar of her old shirt and began to change. Taking her pearl necklace off, she began her transformation. She was satisfied with her new look as she smiled proudly to herself.

Cecilia lifted the pearl necklace to put back around her neck but stopped. She remembered what the human said to her.

Retracting her action, she held the necklace loosely in her hands, giving it a long look before she pulled it apart, sending the pink pearls rolling all about on the store floor.

A few pink pearls rolled into Knox’s fitting room which prompted him to carefully peer out of his fitting room to make sure not to be rude. “Um, you good?”

“Yes.”

Knox emerged out of the changing booth and caught vision of Cecilia’s new look. She kept a similar look of her skirt and undershirt but had replaced her pink jacket with a cobalt blue pea jacket. Around her neck where her pink pearl necklace used to reside was a sky blue scarf that wrapped fully around her neck as the ends dropped down to her chest.

“I think I’ll keep the pencil skirt look. I know it fits me.” Cecilia told him, admiring her new look in the mirror.

“Funny enough, I didn’t even like pink all that much.” she admitted with a simper grin.

After about half an hour, they had found nothing else of further interest to them. Finding the wooden figurine was exactly what Knox didn’t expect to find. He got lucky with this one.

He held a now-unlocked double-door out for Cecilia as they left.

“Thank you.” Cecilia replied to the gesture, showing appreciation.

As they cleared the parking lot, they stopped on the road they first spotted the mall on. 

Knox eyed the sun in the sky and looked roughly down towards where he came from before. The big radio tower was still within view.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye. I appreciate you giving me a bit of peace. Things have been pretty rough lately. Thank you Cecilia...take care.” Knox told the mute wolf as he slowly turned away.

“Knox, I need to tell you something. I can’t...I can’t hold this in anymore.”

Cecilia’s beckoning for his attention made the human turn back around in interest. He stepped back over to the wolf, awaiting the words that were to come.

Cecilia gripped the backpack straps on her shoulders tightly before letting her arms flail to her sides. She looked away from the human, trailing her eyes up to the cloudy skies above.

“There was another human with me before...a child. This was five years ago. We had found her right after her own parents were murdered by other humans. We...saw it happen; me and my husband. And we found her and took her in. We trained her to survive.”

Cecilia’s shoulders dropped low and her eyes did the same.

“But we didn’t do it for her...we didn’t do it out of pity. We did it because we had a chance to use her...a-as prey. And my husband died because of this. We trained her, taught her how to take care of herself and we eventually went along with having our own children hunt her down...”

At this point, the mute wolf’s eyes were beginning to tear up.

“I put my children in danger because of old traditional instincts and customs...because of what happened to us before. I tried to dress like I was on top of everything...like I could be better than the humans that tried to kill us before were. So ironic...I was so focused on my image and trauma instead of nurturing the child to be more than what happened to her own guardians. And I lost my husband because of it!” Cecilia continued, wailing the words aloud as she buried her head in her hands.

“Because of meee!”

Knox checked around the both of them to make sure her crying wasn’t attracting any unwanted attention. He placed a hand on Cecilia’s shoulder and asked her the tough questions.

“Whoa, slow down there. What happened? Why we're you hunting a child? Did you just think that-"

“Charles.” Cecilia interrupted through the tears. “My husband's name was Charles. I loved him dearly...and the human child we took in...after we betrayed her trust, she killed him in self-defense. I chased after her and then she bested me...but she also spared me. I never saw her again...”

Cecilia wiped some of the built-up liquid from her eyes and gave Knox a lopsided smile. “And you know what my husband said to her before he died?”

Knox looked on at her with some empathy.

“What did he say?”

“That he was sorry.”

“And now your spending whatever time you can trying to make things right...am I correct?” Knox stepped in front of Cecilia to look deep into the mute wolf’s watery, magenta-colored eyes.

“Y-yes...”

“Is that one of the reasons you saved me?” Knox questioned secondly.

“Yes...”

Knox continued to gaze into her saddened eyes before finally giving her a warm smile.

“Then you’re already halfway there.”

Cecilia ran a hand through the fur of her head, obviously thinking about conflicting ideas on the matter.

“Cecilia, I can tell you’ve been hurting for a long time. I’ve been trying to ignore it, but the way you’ve been avoiding eye contact with me after you tackled me earlier...I think I understand. Trying to grow from something like that isn’t easy...” the human tried to assure her, trailing his eyes off to the side.

“Do you know why I’m telling you any of this?” Cecilia asked him as he met her eyes with a new assumption present. 

“You need to let these kind of things out. There’s nothing wrong with that. Trust me, I know.” Knox told her.

“No...not just that, Knox.” Cecilia replied, a sudden smile appearing on her face.

Cecilia began to wipe away the rest of the tears that had now calmed in intensity. She came closer to slowly wrap her arms around Knox, pulling him into a friendly hug which caught him by surprise.

“It’s because you remind me of her.” Cecilia revealed.

The wolf sniffed as she pulled out of the hug and rubbed her eyes, now calm and adjusted. “Thanks for listening to me...I hope I didn’t...change your opinion of me. I-I’m trying to learn from my mistakes.”

Knox almost immediately felt at his neck, gripping the black thread that held the necklace he purposefully hid away.

“Since you’ve told me something personal of yours...I have something I need to share with you. It’s only fair.” Knox said, pulling out the necklace of a wolf’s tooth as he held it out bravely to Cecilia.

“When I was about ten years old, our burrow got attacked. Attacked by two-headed flamingos and...some kind of giant mute. I can’t even fully remember much else, but I lost my parents in the confusion and I haven’t seen em’ since...”

Cecilia eyed the wolf tooth curiously and sat down on the curb, patting the sidewalk.

“Sit. I’m here to listen.”

Knox joined next to Cecilia as he proceeded.

“I escaped with my friend’s brother and two other adult humans. We made it for a few miles and stopped at a store to search for anything to help us...we were practically defenseless out on the surface...then...we we’re ambushed.” Knox stopped and rubbed his forehead, leaning his eyes down to the ground.

“By who?” Cecilia pressed, her eyes filled with concern.

Knox chose to hold nothing back.

“By other wolves.” 

Cecilia’s eyes widened and brung them in front of her to look out further into the distance.

“Oh.”

“They killed the two adults that saved us. Right in front of us. I was so enraged...I don’t even remember how it happened, but I killed everyone but the pack leader. I slashed his one good eye with this same sword...” Knox emphasized the katana strapped around him. “And then I bashed his teeth in and took one of them as a reminder of what I was capable of doing...so that I didn’t have to fear what was against me...”

Cecilia continued her gaze away from Knox.

“You did what you had to do, Knox. Don’t hold it against yourself.” Cecilia replied, wrapping an arm around Knox’s shoulder. “You don’t need to blame yourself for other people's cruelty. You were defending yourself...I know it's scarred you..."

Knox took in a deep breath. “I’m telling you a part of my own past to let you know that the past doesn’t have to keep hold over our futures...cause despite all of that, I’m still here with another wolf...willingly.”

The human watched as Cecilia nodded and gripped the wooden staff on the ground. She held it up in her hands.

“I’ll never make up for what I did to that poor kid...but I’m going to keep trying no matter what. I just didn’t want to end up hurting another human like that again. It’s why I was so adamant on avoiding you. When I saw you fall into the water...I just had to help.” Cecilia smiled bittersweetly at the human next to her. “I’ll happily lay down my life for that human child if I had another chance. But it’s probably best we never cross paths again. I don’t deserve someone like her. I just hope she’s still out there doing more than just...surviving...”

Cecilia looked directly into Knox’s eyes.

“Her name was...Jolene.”

Knox let the word swim around for a bit, but he found no one he knew of that name. He got up and reached inside his backpack. Ripping a page from his notebook, he pulled out a pen and began jotting something down. He gave Cecilia the piece of paper, her eyes going over the written contents. It held directions to a place she wasn't familiar with.

“The community I was talking about earlier...it’s called Lensvile.” Knox began. “But I don’t know if they’ll simply let you in, even if you brung your children with you. Guy seemed pretty full of himself, but still...if you have no where else to go...if you feel you aren’t safe where you are now...I’d advise checking it out. If your interested, of course. We’re sure to be there soon. I promise you that much.”

Knox squeezed his fingers.

“Listen, Cecilia.”

The mute wolf’s magenta eyes locked with the human’s.

“It’s not supposed to be easy.” Knox said. “If it is, then there’s definitely something wrong. I know not everyone will forgive you...but at the end of the day, it’s not about them. It’s about you.”

Knox finally turned away, gripping the strap of his backpack.

“Its not in my place to forgive you, either. But if you have a choice to make a change...do it. Start over, Cecilia. No one’s gone until they’re gone.” Knox finalized.

Their paths grew further and further apart with every step they took.

And as Cecilia glanced back, she looked to the piece of paper in her hand before folding it and putting it away. Wooden staff in hand, she glanced back behind her one last time before continuing back for home.

Then she smiled to herself.

Chapter Text

The last bit of illumination the falling sun gave off had depleted as it made full way past the horizon.

Night was now upon the city of Las Vistas.

So Kara, Lute and Piercer took hideout in a nearby dilapidated office building, waiting out for the darkness for their second chance at going back after their separated friend. They had gotten some sleep before they planned to head back out in route for the aforementioned radio tower Knox had told them to get to. That’s where he was supposed to be. They had little time to screw around.

Piercer stood posed against a work desk as he worked on sharpening the wooden sticks he brought with him. His dagger ran slick across the sides, edging them into his liking. A trash can held the freshly made fire that illuminated enough visibility.

“Are you sure having fire in a trashcan is the safest for us inside of a building?” Lute asked as Kara poked at the flames with a stick.

“Um, yeah. It’s in a trashcan. We’re fine...as long as we don’t knock it over...or pour gasoline everywhere...or-”

“Okay, okay. I get it.” Lute told her, plucking out a quickly melody with his accompanying lute. 

Kara smiled absentmindedly before looking up to the Archerat who had occupied himself with crafting his archery arrows. He was turned away from them. Something that had added to the quiet suspicion Kara had on her mind the whole day after they were separated from Knox. He was...off to her.

“Hey, Piercer?”

Piercer stopped his carving, knife held frozen in his recent attempt at swiping downwards. His hand tensed up it’s grip on the dagger, but it eventually fell to the side as he gradually turned towards the human’s call.

“...Yes?”

Kara gripped her knees as she sat, giving Piercer a subtle smile.

“You okay? You’ve been a bit...distant lately. I mean, more than I’ve ever seen you. I’m just...if there’s anything you want to talk about, We’re all ears. We’re you're friends now, remember?”

Piercer squeezed the handle of his dagger again. He pushed himself off of the desk and stepped over to the two humans and sighed, gripping the side of his forehead with his pink hands.

“I...I...”

Piercer drew in a bigger breath of air before continuing.

“I...when we were back at that place...where the Megabunny attacked us? That...it was my fault.” Piercer admitted, eyes aimed low.

Kara got up and looked at the rat mute in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”

“While you were all in that building, I started throwing rocks out of boredom....then frustration. Bad memories came up, and I kept chucking them harder and farther. Eventually...one of them went far over and hit the Megabunny hidden behind the nearby rocky hill. I caused all of this mess...” Piercer revealed as he moved to the wall by the windows and banged his head lightly against it.

“I’m sorry...Knox is out there all alone because of me...” Piercer continued to roughly tap his head over and over against the wall.

Kara narrowed her eyes, walking over to the self-degrading rat mute. He caught eye of her just as she brung her arms around him. She pulled her face back and looked him directly in the eye, sporting a empathetic smile.

“You probably already know this, but back before we all met you, I split from Knox and Lute to better our chances at escaping the Mod Frogs and Humming Bombers that hounded us. It was a well-intended decision...but it still held consequences as you already know. It led to everything else that followed.” Kara rested her hands on Piercer’s shoulders. “Things happen. It’s fine. Don’t put that kind of weight on yourself for something you had no real control over. We’ll find Knox, and we’ll all get in that community together, alright?”

“People...err, mutes make mistakes just like anyone else. It’s alright, Piercer. We’ll be okay.” Lute assured him, playing a C chord on his lute instrument. “We’ll find Knox before the third day and we’ll be back on track again.”

Piercer cycled his sight at the two and smiled. “Alright.”

“Now,” Kara crouched down and tapped the burning trash can. “How are we going to get back down without tripping over ourselves again?”

“Um...me? I can see in the dark, remember?” Piercer pointed out. “That’s how we got up here in the first place?”

Kara narrowed her eyes. “Right...never mind the fact that I tripped, like, four times.”

Piercer gazed at the stars that shone above in a splendor of glory as they walked along the street. The absence of light in the city made for a rather easy viewing of the cosmos above them. The Archerat continued his absentminded gaze at the night sky as Kara and Lute went over a few calculations.

“Okay, so we have one more day after this night before our time is up on delivering the goods to Devland. It’ll take us about a couple hours to reach the radio tower where we’ll meet Knox.” Kara said, tapping a finger against the palm of her hand. “We should be back on track just before the middle of the day. I’m just hoping he’s had better luck than us. Completing scavenging tasks for a place to live while looking for your best friend at the same time is a lot more stressful than I’d thought it be.”

The three passed by a few buildings with gaps in them. 

“Yeah, but shouldn’t we look around just a bit more? I mean, we know Knox. He can definitely take care of himself. We run the risk of missing one of the listed items for us to find if we just skip this area and go straight-”

“Halt right there, humans!”

Kara and her two companion shifted their gaze around until they pinpointed the source of the call. The voice originated from on top of a hotel inn just beside them.

On it’s roof stood a proud shape silhouetted by the light of the moon. It stood with it’s hands against it’s waist and a faintly apparent grin wide on it’s face.

“I’d be in your best interest to cooperate, so no one dirties their attire in a needless bout! Isn’t that a great trade off?”

“Who the hell are you?” Piercer hissed out, gripping his bow at the ready.

“I'm a Mod Frog, of course!” the form replied out in an overly joyous tone. The figure gave up it’s anonymity as it leaped from the building and met with a front-flip to the ground not far in front of them. “We’ve met before...” the Mod Frog claimed as the light revealed his form.

“You’re that damned frog that was with Mrs. Sartori! What do you want with us now? If you wanted to catch us, you should’ve done so then.” Kara reached for her buck knife and brandished it within view. 

“It’s Jamack. Not “damned frog”. Geez, have some respect...” Jamack told her with narrowed eyes as he straightened his neck tie.

“I’ll show you respect!” Kara growled as she stomped towards him with her knife pointed forward.

Lute gripped her arm and held her back. “No, we need to get out of here. Now. We don’t have time for this.”

“Oh, you’re all not going anywhere.” Jamack retorted calmly, his vision leaving his uneven tie.

Before anyone could protest, the roaring of an engine revved through the street. A black car pulled out of the alleyway between two buildings and stopped front and center in the street ahead of them. Kara, Lute and Piercer all grew intensively dreaded as three more Mod Frogs exited the car and slammed the doors closed.

A thin frog along with a much broader one walked up first followed by the third.

“Ah. Harris, Kwat, Brody. Nice of you to finally join me. Now...shall we get to business?”

Kara switched sights between the approaching Mod Frogs and Jamack as she and her group pondered what to do next. 

“Were you all-”

“Trailing you?” Jamack interrupted Kara, observing the non-existent fingernails on one of his hands. “Heh, we were trailing you since after the Megabunny problem you all had. I’d say that whole mess was incentive enough for investigation. Those things don’t go on rampages for absolutely no reason...and my hunch was right.”

Harris, Kwat, and Brody were just starting to circle around the group with weapons in hand. Piercer wasn’t going to let them have that advantage. Piercer raised his bow and shot an arrow straight past Brody, the sharp end leaving a cut against his cheek. The action caused the three to step back.

“Arrows beat bats and melee objects any day as long as the aim is good. And I’m all for some more practice.” Piercer taunted, glaring at his adversaries. “So...unless you want to look like a discount porcupine I suggest you and your frogs back off.” Piercer emphasized his point by bringing his second arrow up at Jamack’s forehead.

But Jamack just smiled back.

“You only have two left.  And there’s four of us. Best use them wisely. I imagine it takes precious minutes to craft them. Minutes you all don’t have.” Jamack took a step forward, which caused Piercer’s pull on the bowstring to further.

Kara twirled the buck knife in between her fingers. “You’re talking like we aren’t in play.” She tried her best to keep her sights on the three other Mod Frogs. But she found it hard, now that they were forming a wider circle around them all.

Piercer’s ears twitched. His eyes slid to his right.

He heard the whizzing of something coming towards him from beside him and his instincts went to work immediately, a gloved hand gripping the wet tongue that had shot out from Brody’s mouth. The Mod Frog realized his mistake too late. Piercer solidified his hold on Brody’s tongue with his second hand and swung his body using the momentum.

Jamack was the only one who apparently played jump rope.

The Mod Frog leader watched as Harris and Kwat both tripped over the tongue as it swiped by. Piercer then let go, sending Brody crashing straight through the window of the hotel inn behind Jamack.

Despite the failure of his colleagues, Jamack hadn’t lost his focus and shot his own tongue at the now-fleeing group. It just barely shy of Kara, but it’s length retracted after it went as far as it could.

“Dammit...get yourselves together, you three! We’re not letting them slip away. I’m certainly not!” Jamack leaped up on the roof of a building and began pursuing just ahead of his companions.

Kara, Piercer and Lute ran as fast as they could, cutting past a nearby alleyway. They heard the revving of a familiar car engine from behind and knew their time truly was limited. They needed to lose their pursuers fast.

“There! Bikes are our lucky ticket for the day!” Lute alerted his friends as he pointed out the two bikes by a nearby coffee shop they were approaching by.

They stopped just ahead of them and worked at the overgrown vines entangled within them.

“This one’s no good. Wheels are deflated...here, Lute, ride on the pegs of mine. Only other option.” Kara told him as she looked worriedly to the Archerat. “So, you know how to ride a bike?” she asked him with sprinkle of humor.

“I’m gonna find out soon.” he replied, finally freeing the bike from it’s viney entanglement.

Piercer got on and went a few peddles before falling over. Kara and Lute looked at him in apprehension as the lights from what was definitely a vehicle began to grow brighter from around the corner they came. The Mod Frogs were gaining on them.

Piercer tried again and failed, collapsing onto the ground with the bike.

“Oh my god, this is going to be the most anticlimactic build up to getting caught I’ve ever conceived...” Lute mumbled under his breath.

“I heard that,” Piercer said, finally getting some traction and stopping just before he fell again. “I think I-”

Piercer stopped and looked up to find Jamack running up and leaping from building to building, closing the gap between him and them by every second.

“You know, I think I just learned how to ride a bike!” Piercer exclaimed, hurriedly pushing himself forward and pedaling down the street. Kara and Lute unquestionably followed suit.

In a matter of minutes, the group had turned so many different corners they were sure they could have left Las Vistas by now. In other words, they were definitely lost. Piercer then caught sound of something approaching behind. And it was a worryingly familiar sound.

“I think they found us again...” Piercer told them as light once again came into view behind them.

They were on a long stretch of road and their was no where else to directly turn without stopping completely or going off the road into nearby bushes. Both options they had no time to pull off without getting caught. The lights only grew closer and closer.

“Keep pedaling, we can still find some way out of this!” Lute proclaimed as Kara zipped down the pavement road with Piercer close by.

Their efforts were fruitless in the end. The lights of the speeding vehicle had finally caught up to them, swerving to the side to meet evenly beside them. It was only then that they realized it wasn’t a black car...it was a gray van. The driver rolled down the power window and winked at them. It was a rat mute of both black and white colored-fur. A green baseball hat was worn on it’s head and a green vest to accompany it.

“Hey, need a lift?” the rat mute offered with a wide smile.

Kara, Lute and Piercer looked sideways to the van that evened their speed, all in incredulous disbelief.

“What?” Lute replied, still confused.

“She said,” another voice replied from inside the van, sliding the back door open to reveal the source. ”Do you need a lift?” another rat mute finished. This one was dark grey and wore a matching colored hat and vest.

“We don’t believe two humans and a mute would be pedaling this fast along a roadway unless they were being chased.” the black and white mute rat spoke, leaning an arm out of the window. “We can definitely help you. If you take a chance to trust us of course.”

Kara looked among the unsure looks of Piercer and Lute and nodded to them. “We’ll take your offer. This better not be some trick...” she replied, squeezing down on her brakes.

They all came to a stop and ditched the bikes, making sure to roll them off the road to help throw off their tracks. Now inside the van, the vehicle started up and they were off again.

The strapped themselves in and immediately began asking questions.

“Where are we going, exactly?”

“What are you’re names?”

“Why is cheese hanging from the ceiling?”

“All excellent questions!” the mute rat driver exclaimed, readjusting her mirror to fix her gaze on the new guests.

“We’ll start with the second one. My names Amy. And my fellow here is Brad.” the rat driver revealed, tipping her hat.

“And where we’re going?” Brad left his words up in the air for dramatic suspense.

“...Well it’s definitely safe for humans and mutes. But...we can’t tell you just yet. Might ruin the magic. Just hold on tight!”

The van picked up speed as it moved along the path into uncharted places to the group.

“Stop the car, Harris.”

Jamack swung the passenger door open and stepped outside, taking a quick gander around him. He soon found himself along the ditch that lined the road, keeling down and squinting through the darkness. Unidentifiable shapes became clear as the Mod Frog stumbled upon two abandoned bikes.

“Hm.” Jamack looked to his colleagues and waved to them. “Keep the car running.”

Jamack eyed the light pole beside him and jumped towards it, using his tongue to wrap around it and land with poise on the top. 

“Find somethin’ yet?” Harris shouted out from the car, leaning out of the window.

“Give me a minute...” Jamack replied under his breath, not bothering to fully vocalize.

Searching farther down the road wasn’t a problem for them anymore. By his luck he caught sights on the lights of a vehicle that had just turned west of them.

A grin crossed his face.
 
Leaping down from the pole, he landed and power-walked back to the car.

“Keep down the road and make the second turn to the left. I’ve got a hunch, alright.”

The black car launched itself down the road and followed the instructed path.

Chapter Text

And what a wonderful, magical surprise it was.

Two rows of various game prize tents accompanied both sides of the straight path further inside.

Fireworks continued their occasional display up into the night sky from further inside the large area.

Amy and Brad tried but failed to hold in their excited giggling as they observed Kara, Lute and Piercer’s awed expressions at the spectacle now in front of them. The van skidded to a stop and the two matching mute rats hurried their doors open and leapt out, sliding the back doors out for their passengers. Although the chivalry was taken kindly, Kara and her group’s sights never left the large statue of a mute rat and it’s child led beside it that was front and center at the entrance.

“No. Effin’. Way.”

Lute’s words slipped past Kara and Piercer as they gazed at the spectacular sight upon them through the windows of the van.

“Uh, yes effin’ way. Welcome...to...” Brad continued, winding up his hands before Amy jumped in front of him.

“Le’ Rat Terre!” Amy finished, emphasizing the wondrous amusement park behind them with expressive jazz hands and an exaggerated foreign tone. “But we normally just call it Ratland.”

Kara was the first to get out, leaning against the van for both emotional and support.

“Is...is this real? I have a feeling this isn’t real.” Kara told herself as she poked a finger at the palm of her hand, half-expecting it to phase straight through. This earned her a chuckle from Brad.

“I assure all of you, this is all. in fact, very, very real. Like, really real.” Brad told Kara, walking up to her and poking her shoulder.

Piercer looked at the two green-vested mute rats and “You built all of this yourself? It’s...huge.”

“Well...” Brad started. “We took what was left of the old world’s amusement wreckage and spun it into something new. Brad took his park hat off and waved it to Amy. “But none of this would have been possible without my best friend. She worked most of the placement and mapping ideas!”

“Awww stop it, Brad...this was definitely all of us. Equally. Well...okay it was kinda me a little more. Just a tad bit.” Amy joked, turning pink eyes towards the new group of visitors. “Well? What are we all waiting for? Let us give you three a good ol’ tour of the place. Maybe you’ll see some familiar faces?”

Piercer turned to Lute and Kara before double-taking at the amusement owners.

“Gives us a quick minute.” he told Amy and Brad, pushing Lute and Kara off behind the van, much to their opposition. He looked both of them in the eyes and then gripped his head fur. “Should we really be wasting time having fun at a time like this? Knox is still out there, waiting. We can’t really afford the time to waste time...”

Kara and Lute looked to each other, the point being fully understood. Kara steeped forward and rested her hands on Piercer’s shoulders.

“Okay, how about this? We stay and check around, but we don’t stay for more than an hour. We could find what we’re searching for here. Or maybe more supplies. We’re running pretty low. Then after that, were done. Well say thanks and make way back towards the radio tower. Sound fair?” Kara awaited Piercer’s unreadable expression before he wordlessly nodded.

“Awesome. Don’t worry, Piercer. Trust me, I wanna see that katana-wielding knucklehead just as much as you do.”

Piercer scoffed, folding his arms and looking up at the large Ferris wheel that protruded through the many other attractions. “It’s not like I miss him...I just want to make up for my stupid Megabunny-summoning mistake.”

The three reappeared from behind the van and Kara and Lute gave two big thumbs up to Amy and Brad.

“Alright then. Shall we start the tour now?” Amy offered, straightening her park vest.

There were more mutes and humans together than the group initially thought they’re would be. mute snakes and Timbercats walked by each others sides like they were naturally born brothers and sisters. A group of squirrels joked and laughed with a few humans as they battled it out in a game booth. A human couple walked around them as the two mutes passed by. Kara blinked at the sights. It was all so foreign. After being on the run for so long, she almost forgot what it felt like. To slow down and just relax. And talk.

Brad and Amy were well aware of their over-whelming need to experience their creation.

“You can...go ahead anytime you all want. We’re not holding you back.” Amy told them.

“Enjoy your stay, regardless of how long you intend to!” Brad added.

Piercer was suddenly jerked forth as Kara gripped his hand and charged through the entrance with him. Lute wasn’t far behind.

Kara left Piercer to grip his wrist as she let go and turned the corner after the human couple, leaving him and Lute to themselves.

“Well we-” Lute stopped before he could truly begin, eying the target booth just right of them. He wasn’t exactly drawn to the game itself, but the prizes hung across inside the booth. His eyes scanned it carefully. Then the unbelievable expression of luck grew on his face.

“No way...” Lute said to himself as he left Piercer’s side to double-check. He stopped at the counter, his suspicions confirmed.

Among the collection of assortments was exactly what they were looking for. A pocket watch to add to Devland’s list of items for entry into their community.

Kara was glad she paused ahead of time. Nearly bumping straight into the the pair of humans, her rushed attempt at stopping easily caught their attention. The two humans turned towards Kara and the first thing they caught note of was her extremely wide smile.

“Hi.”

The two humans blinked at Kara’s simplicity and smiled nervously.

The women gripped her sleeve. “H-hey. You new here? Never seen you before.”

“Yeah,” Kara put herself back together. “Sorry...it’s been a very long while since...I’ve really got the chance to talk to any humans in a long time. Besides my close friends.”

The man stepped forth with a hand outstretched. A more affable face grew on him. “It’s fine, really! We came from a pretty small hideout so we understand the feeling. We actually ventured out here to scout for our people and see if this place was legit...and it was.”

“That’s great.”

There was a small awkward pause between Kara and the two humans before the woman stepped forward.

“My names Elsie and this is David. Nice to meet you...?”

“Kara.” she responded. “My name is Kara. And it’s been a long, long couple of weeks.”

“You’re kidding?” Lute said as he watched Piercer rush to take off his backpack.

“Nope! There’s a working generator powered by some eels that makes washing machines work just as good as our van! On most days...” Brad confirmed, lowering his eyes at an old memory lost to them.

“Eels?” Lute said, catching the oddity. “Are there like...gigantic mute eels with muscles turning a crank twenty-four-seven?” he laughed off with an undertone of serious curiosity.

“Well, some creatures...just haven’t changed over the many years since...whatever happened. They work as perfect conductors. Don’t worry, we feed them.” Amy smiled.

Piercer’s eyes darted towards the two amusement park owners as he gripped his dirtied Archerat attire in dire desperation of their cleansing. “Please. Point me in the closest direction.”

Lute jabbed the mute rat’s side with his elbow and gave him a smug look.
“What, you don’t enjoy the comfort of your new skull shirt anymore?”

Piercer gave him a sharp glare before turning to follow Amy and Brad towards another building in front of him. Now left alone around a few humans and creatures he didn’t know, he resorted to whistling and searching around until his eyes met with the conversing Kara again. He jogged over to her which got the attention of the two other humans.

“Hey, you’re not gonna believe this at first, but...” Lute slowly reached into his pocket and revealed the silver chain of the unknown item before it’s base form finally came into view. The circular, shiny watch reflected in Kara’s irises as they widened.

“You found the pocket watch? No way! Where did you-?”

Lute pointed further down at one of the game booths.

“Turns out Piercer has a knack for sharpshooting just as well as he does with archery. Was all him...I suck at that stuff.”

Kara paced back in forth in short bursts while grinning before giving Lute playful fist to the shoulder. “That’s what I’m talking about!”

She finally turned back to the two humans she had left mid-conversation. “Sorry, sorry. It’s just...we found this community and the leader wants you to prove that your a good scavenger hunt before you can enter. We have to find a couple of things before being allowed entry. And the kicker? Both humans and mutes live there! It’s kind of just like this place!”

“Really? Wow that’s...something.” David responded.

“You both could even-”

SCREEEEEEEEEE

An ear-piercing screech filled the air, causing many of the park attendees to look up at the moonlit sky.

Kara and Lute’s eyes shrunk into pinpricks at the sound.

“No...” Lute said under his breath as the creeping dread spread throughout his body.

A pink flamingo was hovering far above near the illuminated form of the moon. It screeched a second time as it dived towards some unknown park attendees seated on the amusement Ferris wheel. As the two figures fell from the wheel, they were left dangling on the one of the steel platforms.

Kara and Lute felt frozen in place as the two humans they were just talking to ran in front of them, shaking them back to action. Elise looked Kara in the eyes and pulled her by the arm.

“We have to go, now! They found us again!” David said aloud as he finally snapped Lute out of his shocked state. 

“No...” Lute repeated again, as Kara jumped into motion and grabbed Lute’s arm, guiding him towards a nearby building.

“We need to get out of here, we need to get out of here!” Kara’s heart started tripling in it’s beating. “Not again...I won’t let-agh!”

Through the panic, both Lute and Kara failed to notice the second mute flamingo that had took notice not long after the first’s appearance. The swooping it made in an attempt to grab them failed and instead separated them from Elise and David. The dive stopped the two adults from moving on with Kara and Lute as they fell on their backs.

“Just go you two, hurry!” Elise screamed as the creature, now clear to have a rider, turned around to aim a second time.

“What the hell is going on, now?” a voice called out as the originator rounded from behind a tent near the commotion and was revealed to be Piercer.

He stretched on his newly washed gloves and found his friends nearing a tall gray building next to him. He wasted no more time in following them. But as he made it to the door and raised his sights to the sky, his magenta eyes grew into pinpricks.

The Archerat’s eyes fixated on the pink two-headed mute flamingo with it’s rider coming full circle down towards the two humans that were now getting to their feet. His mind went blank. Everything was quiet. All but the subtle static that echoed faintly through the emptiness.. All but the recollections of his memories. Of his past.

They came back to haunt him.

“Elder, what’s this ab-ut?”

Piercer’s hand jerked to the bow around him.

“It’s alri-ht. I have this under c-ntrol.”

His eyes twitching, the arrow was now in his hand, firmly gripped.

It w-s a h-man. A white-m-sked hum-n.

His eye aligned with the arrow now pressed tightly against the drawstring.

Sc-rlem-n-e’s posse h-d fou-d them on-e m-re.

Piercer let go of the arrow.

Chapter Text

Piercer let go of the arrow.

The pink flamingo mute’s screeching was put to a halt just before it reached the cowering humans. The arrow had slid straight through both heads of the flamingo, leaving it to fall before it’s intended destination and skid past the two adults. The rider collapsed onto the ground after rolling over a few times and stopped close by.

Kara stepped out of the building door and beckoned the humans over. “David, Elise! Come on! Hurry!”

The two humans ran forth, doing best to ignore the dead flamingo and the weirdly-dressed rider that lay unresponsive in front of them. David passed first but as Elise followed, something caught her ankle. She shrieked and turned around to find the flamingo rider was still conscious and his hand gripped around her leg. 

What disturbed her most was the uncanny grin the rider gave off.

“Don’t you want to dance into the unforeseeable future?” the rider asked in a sing-song like tone.
“Scarlama-”

Before the rider could finish, Elise lifted her free leg and swung her foot across the side of the rider’s head, sending the head jerking back and effectively cracking the white mask it wore.

“W-what?” Kara said as the two humans ran past her and into the building.

“It was another human? The whole time? It was a...” Lute tried rationalizing what the implications meant as Kara shook Piercer’s shoulders.

Piercer’s gaze was still fixated on the two-headed flamingo that remained still and stiff on the ground. After a hand lightly slapped the side of his face, the rat mute shaking his head slightly and looked to his friends.

“Earth to Piercer! You there? We gotta go!” Kara told the Archerat as she guided him inside.

The doors slammed behind them and everyone immediately went to finding a way out the back.

“Up there. There’s a starca-”

CRASHHH

An enormous boom sounded throughout the room as something came crashing through the wall behind them. Everyone’s shock and panic died down as the cause was identified as a roller coaster cart. But who was in it gave further confusion to the whole situation.

Two figures began talking amongst themselves, oblivious to the eyes set upon them.

“It won’t go back! Benson, it won’t go back!” the pink-haired human continued to fret as she rubbed what seemed to be fur on one of her arms.

“Um, okay...this is...is is normal for girls, right? They’re supposed to grow fur on their arms and jump from enormous heights like no big deal-io...right?”

The kid called Benson blinked at the sound of a cough and looked out of the cart towards the group of humans and a single rat mute that stood amongst them.

The awkward stare-off was interrupted by a mute flamingo pushing it’s two heads into the hole in the wall, it’s thrashing body just barely too big to fit through easily. No one had any time to ask questions. The two humans leaped out of the cart and ran along with the rest of the group of escapees.

Right on cue, the struggling pink flamingo had just squeezed through the hole in the building’s wall and let out ear-piercing screech. David opened the back door for everyone, slamming it behind him just as the flamingo pushed against it with it’s massive weight.

Kara met with the two new young humans down the steps that led to the blocked exit doors. The next obstacle was the assortment of junk that oh-so inconveniently kept them barricaded inside.

“Quite an entrance you two made.” Kara quipped, pulling a rolling cart with boxes on top out of the way of the exit door they were desperately aiming to clear through. She paused after catching glimpse of the young girl’s arm.

“Um...is that an accessory, or...” Kara was cut off as a loud bang rang out, signifying the flamingo rider’s clearance through the door they closed behind them.

“Heh, no time to give small talk! Crazy, rabid flamingo is on our backs right now!” Benson nervously chuckled out and grunted as he attempted to pull the heavy pallet of wood off of the door to their freedom.

Piercer stood defensive behind everyone else with his bow and arrows at the ready. He pointed towards the door behind them that was currently on it’s last hinges. 

Meanwhile, Lute and David joined in and got the wood out of the way, finally revealing the door handle behind it. Just as they pushed forward and were met with the outside again, the flamingo mute had stopped on the top of the stairs.

“Wait! Wait! You’ll all be free of your struggles...just cease your running! Scarlemange has a-”

“Screw Scarlemange!” Kara shouted back at the masked rider through the crack in the door. She slammed it behind her and let out a hardy laugh, turning to join her fleeing friends.

Before she could take a full step, the doors barged open wide from behind. The force of the flamingo that emerged from it sent Kara flying forward and sliding on her stomach. Dazed, she wobbly stepped back to full height and continued to run. She didn’t dare to look behind her. Kara did not even want to know how close their pursuer was to them.

Unfortunately, it didn’t make a difference.

The only warning Kara got was a last-minute shout from Lute before something gripped the back of her shirt and her feet were suddenly off the ground.

“Kara, no!”  Kara heard Lute scream out as his friend was lifted into the air. 

‘No.’

Kara pulled out her trusty buck knife and positioned it accordingly through the apprehensive rush of the moment.

‘Not again...not this time.’

Kara jabbed the knife behind her with all of her strength and was met inside the shoulder of the mute and a screech to match. The grip the flamingo creature had on her was released and she was left to free fall towards solid ground.

‘I’ve fallen from higher places.’

Kara met the ground with a planned roll. The shock of the impact left her briefly disoriented, but ultimately okay. Her sore shoulder from her earlier encounter with the Scooter Skunks was re-agitated but she pushed through the pain.

“Kara, yes!” Lute said to her in glee as she joined the fray once again.

A familiar gray van skidded around a corner and in front of them all with Amy and Brad to greet them.

“Everyone get in!” Amy ordered as the back doors swung open.

Everyone rushed inside of the vehicle, cramming themselves around one another in the limited space as the van took off again.

“You okay, Kara?” Piercer asked placing a hand on her shoulder.

Kara winced, but smiled nonetheless. “That Scooter Skunk got a good swing in, I’ll admit. I’m guessing it still hasn’t healed up. But yeah I’m fine.”

The lot of humans and one Archerat all looked amongst themselves as the van sped out of Ratland.

“So...” Lute started, looking towards the pink-haired and dark-skinned humans. “What’s your names?”

“Heh, right. My name’s Benson and this is Kipo.” Benson revealed nodding over to the girl who hid behind him.

Kipo waved her left hand with closed eyes and a smile, keeping her left arm hidden behind her.

Kara looked on behind Benson and directly at Kipo. She quit her staring after realizing that she was going about it too long.

“I’m Kara, and this is Lute and Piercer.” Kara disclosed in return as she waved a hand to her two good friends. “And these are David and Elise. We literally just met, but now we’re like, super best survival friends.”

Both David and Elise laughed lightly before Elise turned to one of the amusement park rats.

“Hey Amy...is everyone back there...okay?” Elise asked as Ratland grew even more distant. 

Amy met the woman’s worries with a grin and a thumbs up. “Yup. We evacuated all of the humans just in time. We’ll be back to let them out of the basement hideout just as soon as you’re all in the clear. No need to worry.”

Elise sat back in her seat with a lighter head. David wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close.

Looking to the ceiling of the car, Kara closed her eyes and took in a deep breath at the sudden remembrance of the flamingo rider. And the mask that cracked and revealed the face underneath. Never in a hundred years did she guess...

“Lute...you saw him too, right?”

Lute looked over to Kara and guessed right. “The flamingo rider? Being human? Yeah, that was a mic drop for me...all these years and we never caught that?”

Kara looked down again. “We were a lot younger then. It probably passed over us with all the screaming and running, he heh...” She looked over to the ones who called themselves Kipo and Benson as the van stopped.

“Well, this is our stop,” Benson opened the door and led Kipo out. “Thanks for everything you two.” he finished, giving both Amy and Brad fist bumps. “And sorry for the mess we made. Wish we had a giant broom to clean it all up.”

“No problem-o, Ben-pal! We’ll get repairs done in no time. Can’t keep a good rat down, am I right?” Brad replied with honest optimism.
 
Kara looked up to Kipo and Benson just as they were walking off.

“Hey kids?”

Kipo and Benson’s attention turned back to Kara.

“Yeah, what’s up?” Kipo answered, her right arm still hidden behind her back.

Kara paused for a second, quickly bringing her eyes from her suspicions.

“Just...be careful okay? Crazy day today, ha...” Kara told them, waving a hand and bidding farewell.

“Ha! Yeah, no problem. Not our first run in with crazy things out to get us, fortunately.” Kipo replied with weak jest.

The van door closed and was off down the road before turning a corner out of sight.

Lute gripped the bridge of his instrument tightly as he store out the van window and into the darkness of the streets.

“We’re...sorry for all the trouble we caused.” Lute said without looking, catching Amy and Brad’s attention. “I know we probably brought over some unwanted attention your way.”

“Oh don’t worry about us. This is what we sighed up for. We believe in a world where humans and mutes can be themselves and not be judged. We’ll die for that future if we have to.” Amy assured them all with a bright smile that Lute never caught sight of.

“Though, we’d both rather not...if we don’t have to, I mean.” Brad added, lifting a finger up.

“Could you do us one favor?” Kara asked, glancing at the two mute rats.

Amy and Brad looked at her through the front car mirror, awaiting her words.

Kara rubbed her arm, as if hesitant to go on. “Could you take us to the big radio tower? It’s close to a large waterfall and just before some mountain ridges. It shouldn’t be too far from where we are now so I can give vague directions. We have to meet a friend there. He got separated from us and...are we asking to much of you?”

“After what happened back there, as long as you still rate us good, we’ll drive you all to the edge of Las Vistas and back.” Brad told them with a chuckle. “I’m only half-kidding. Just hang on tight. We’ll get you there in half the time you’d expect.”

It was still dark.

Knox continued his leaning against the radio tower and looked up to the moon in the sky.

It was a beautiful night. No clouds in the sky or anything.

A smile grew on his face.

It was a smile that held a trust and faith in those he called his best friends.

It was a smile that foretold that even though things were grim, a chance was still in full force. For all of them.

It was a smile that quickly retreated as he heard a distant screech. The human thought fast and dashed for some nearby overgrown scrubs and laid low while he scanned the sky around him.

Another painful squawk quickly followed the first as some creature not fully recognizable to him flew overhead and past his position and further away. Knox fully withdrew from his hiding as he deemed it safe again. He brushed off the dust he accumulated over himself and caught sound of something else.

He sighed agitatedly as he dived for the bushes a second time before a vehicle pulled up in front of the radio tower. He watch three figures get out as the vehicle sped off down the road again, leaving them behind.

“Knox?” one of the figures whispered as it looked around.

There was no doubt in his mind.

Knox withdrew from his position a second time and a wide grin overtook his face.

“Kara? Lute? That you Piercer?” Knox said back, cautiously approaching the two with rushed steps.

The two figures turned towards Knox and their forms became clearer and clearer until eventually he found himself in a friendly hug.

“Missed you, pal. Glad you made it. We didn’t take too long, did we?” Kara asked Knox as she finished by patting his back.

“Not at all. I actually just got here an hour ago...had no doubt in my mind you all were going to make it here. Now all we have to do is get back on track. And we really don’t have a lot of time if I gotta be honest.”

Knox reached inside of his backpack, unveiling a wooden carving of a horse-riding man to the three. He smiled as their faces lit up.

“So you made work out of your loneliness, huh?” Piercer said, grinning as he eyed Lute, who in return reached into his pocket.

Lute flashed the ticking pocket watch in front of him which brung their show-and-tell to an even draw.

“We’re two for three. And we have one more day. Can’t believe we’ve actually gotten his far. We can do this. Just one more and we’re back to Lensvile. We got this.” Kara affirmed everyone as she turned around and began walking. She made it two steps forward before stopping and turning around.  “So, anyone remember exactly where we left off? Cause I don’t have a damn clue.”

Knox gave of a laugh as he waved them over. “Don’t worry, I’ve got an idea. Maybe we can share road stories because I know I’ve been through some stuff.”

“You have a bigger notebook?” Kara countered, side-eying Knox as she picked up a stick and threw it up ahead. “Cause you’re gonna want one with all the crap we have to say.”

The gray van braked harshly as a black car speed past them on the road and cut it off.

Out stepped two figures who were illuminated in the lights of the vehicle Amy and Brad resided in. Their forms became unmistakable.

“Mod Frogs? Humans, get down!” Brad whispered harshly to David and Elise. They lowered themselves off their seats and onto the floor of the car, trying their best to remain concealed.

 The larger Mod Frog, Kwat, remained outside of the black car and stood by the back door with numb-chucks in hand. The two other Mod Frogs continued forth in stride, taking their merry time to get to the front side of the van.

One frog mute leaned on the passenger front door on Brad’s side and the second rested his arms on top of the rolled down driver’s side car window. Amy giggled deeply and tilted her park hat to the frog’s penetrating stare as he proceeded in his deep smile.

“Jamack and Harris? Ha ha, heck of a time to meet, huh? You all out on another human hunt? Cause we’ve been hard-pressed to find any, but-”

Jamack raised a finger which automatically caused Amy to stop talking. He held it suspended for a while before pointing inside of the vehicle. And not at her or Brad.

“You did a good job, regardless. We commend you!” Jamack told them with an ecstatic energy.

Amy and Brad looked at each other before they brung their confused looks back to the green frog mute.

“Huh?” Brad lifted both hands up. “We were just on a quick run for our park. We need some more bolts to screw in...for our ‘Super Rad’ roller coaster?”

Jamack didn’t respond, choosing to eye Harris through the window on the other side of the car. He jerked his head to the side. “Harris, please retrieve our new car mates from the back.”

Amy and Brad filled with dread as Harris lifted his nail-riddled bat up against his shoulder and proceeded to inch his way back to the end of the van. He peered through the dark-tinted windows and squinted. Sighing at the uselessness of his efforts to see, Harris gripped the handle back door and slid it open.

Harris only had milliseconds to react to the small blade that reached out for his gut. The Mod Frog stepped back further to avoid David’s rush for Harris’s neck.

“What’s the commotion, Harris? Is it that hard to-” Jamack rounded to the other side and paused at the sight of Harris holding back the human adult’s wrist to avoid getting stabbed through.

With a rush of conjured strength, Harris wrenched the human’s knife-wielding hand out and away from him. The Mod Frog followed up by charging his shoulder into the human’s chest which caused him to stumble back.

Jamack knew what was coming next.

“Stop, Harris. Don’t kill the hu-”

David corrected his stance just as Harris stepped up and swung his bat’s deadly end against the side of the human’s face.

Droplets of blood flew against the side of the van.

Elise spectated in disbelief as his husband spun around and fell to the pavement.

“Nooo! David! David!” Elise called out from the van in a cracked voice filled with horror. She bolted her hand for the van door handle and tumbled out of it in a clumsy rush. But before she could reach her downed husband, Kwat had reached the conflict and restrained her arms from behind.

“Let me go! Now!” Elise screamed through the tears streaming down her face. The human thrashed in vain as the larger Mod Frog watched her in a silent pity.

David’s stunned form caught sight of the knife in front of him and Harris wasted no time bringing the bat up above him.

Elsie flinched as the bat was brung down against her husband’s head. The crack that followed drew out any energy to scream.

Jamack quickly marched up to Harris and gripped his shirt collar, swinging him against the side of the van. 

“What the hell did you do that for? We need our captures alive! Is that so goddamned hard to understand!” Jamack shouted. He gritted his teeth harshly as his colleague responded with anger of his own. 

“He tried to kill me, Jamack!” Harris countered, swinging his blood-covered bat outwards with the hand that griped it.

“Do you have no restraint?” Jamack hissed as he tightened his grip on Harris’s collar and threatened to lift his feet from the ground. “You have a tongue, don’t you? Use it! You are not Mrs. Sartori! You don’t get to make the calls on who dies and lives!”

“Oh? And you do? is that it, Jamack?” Harris spat back with a venomous glare to match.

Amy and Brad were frozen in fear inside of their van as a deep moment of tense silence commenced.

Harris persisted in his sharp-edged stare at Jamack as his hand balled into a strained fist.

“Get in the car, Harris.” Jamack commanded.

Harris didn’t budge.

“Now.” Jamack told him through gritted teeth.

Harris stood in front of Jamack for just a bit longer before bringing his vision past him as his legs followed. Jamack stood in place and averted his gaze from the unmoving body of the unfortunate human whose form was half-hidden behind the van from where he stood.

The wailing cries of the remaining human continued as she was guided to Mod Frog car. Jamack turned and stopped at the front of the van. He slowly caught eyes with Amy and Brad who were both still unmoving as if lighting would strike them down at the first sign of movement. The only visible motion were the tears streaming down Amy’s eyes.

“I think this was warning enough.” Jamack told the two as he turned back towards his car, eying Harris through the front windshield. “If you continue to help humans, more of this is bound to happen. Although I can’t promise none of my own won’t...I won’t tell of your treachery. But sooner or later...it’s all going to catch up with you both. Drive safely.”

As Jamack finally joined the rest of the Mod Frogs, Amy and Brad watched on in grief and guilt as Elise was put into the backseat. The engine revved up and it wasn’t long before the Mod Frog car was gone and out of sight.

Brad immediately got out of the van.

“I’m going to bury him...w-we have to bury him. It’s only right, Amy.”

The headlights of the black car lead the way as the wheels responded well with the sharp turns that met them.

Jamack was tired.

He gripped the steering wheel hard as he caught glimpse of Harris in the back seat through the interior mirror.

And Harris’s vision met his all the same.

It felt as if a hundred words had passed through Jamack with just those few seconds of eye contact.

Ripping his eyes away, he focused back on the road just in time to meet another turn.

The night was long and Jamack wished for it all to be over as fast as possible.

Chapter Text

WARNING: This gets pretty dark....so yeah.

Two figures sat before the beautiful lake in the woods not far from their old home, one larger than the other.

“Haven’t been here in a long while...it feels...bittersweet.”

The adult mute wolf looked to the young human and ran a hand through her frizzy hair, which prompted the human to look up and meet with the wolf’s magenta-hued eyes. A fretted expression was apparent on her face.

“I know, Jolene...”

“I told you...it’s ---- now.”

"Right...----, I’m deeply deeply sorry for how we treated you. How I treated you. I wish I had the chance to make my peace earlier...before you hit me with that plank of wood.” the wolf chuckled out, looking back towards the lake with a small frown to contrast. “I caused you extensive harm...and I’m-”

“It’s okay, Cecilia...”

The wolf looked down to the human child and tried to say something. No words came out.

---- weighed the deathstalker staff in her hands before setting it beside her. A frown was still ever-present on her face, but ---- said her peace nevertheless.

“We’ve all got trauma. And it cycles until someone puts a stop to it...and that usually starts with yourself. Those humans you said wouldn’t help you when you and Charles needed it? That was the start. The rest just cemented your hate...your hatred for humans. It gave you a false reason to treat me like you did...and now your working to do better. I...I’m going to try and forgive you, okay? Just try to put it all behind you.” ---- folded her arms and continued her stare past the old lake.

Cecilia waited a few seconds in her stare at her former adoptive child before giving up on anticipating the return of focus on herself. She joined ----’s await for the suFnset on the lake.

“I never thought I’d see the day...” Cecilia told the human as she smiled at the body of water, taking a nearby rock and skipping it across the watery surface.

“See what day?”

The mute wolf smiled.

A smile that twisted into a hungry, twisted grin.

The wolf’s teeth glistened in the sunlight that abruptly halted, leaving the two in complete, perpetual blackness.

Wolf’s heart leaped out of her chest and she reached for where she last saw her deathstalker staff, but her hand was swatted away just as she had it, leaving three bloody cuts along the back of her hand.

---- hissed at the stinging pain and turned wide eyes towards her adoptive mother.

The pink eyes of Cecilia bore through the dark with a clear contrast. 

The human child turned to run.

She only made it a few steps before she was shoved from behind with a nasty snarl to accompany.

---- collided with the ground and immediately flipped herself onto her back and brung her arms in front of her.

Another slash left cuts across her arm. ---- cried out as the tears began to freshly sprout from her eyes.

"Stop! Please! We’re supposed to put this behind us! Why-agh!”

---- felt another scratch against her body. It kept going and going until Cecilia’s voice rang out angrily.

“I’m not your mother! You we’re never supposed to escape!”

Through the blood.

 Through the pain.

 Through the growing darkness.

---- still spoke.

And Cecilia heard clear.

“I still love you...even  i f   y  o  u   d  o  n ‘ t     l    o    v    e    m  e,   m  o  t  h  e  r.  “

The wolf’s jaws shot at ----’s fragile form and-

Cecilia gasped as she jerked upright in her bed.

Her racing heart mixed along with her shaky form as she wrapped her arms around herself and took in sharp, ragged breaths. The wolf’s eyes remained fixated in front of her, frozen and afraid of what moving would bring.

But bravely, she shot her hands to the fur of her head, pulling it to assure herself that she was truly within reality.

She found that she was.

She exhaled with a bittersweet smile and rubbed her face. All sorts of emotions began swirling around inside her, but she kept them at bay the best she could. Cecilia took in a few breaths of air before she broke down again.

Her attempts at calming herself were ultimately useless. A river of tears began to flow down her face. Everything felt surreal. Everything came at her all at once. She envisioned her husband, Charles. She envisioned her life before her children. She envisioned the first life she bore that was almost taken away from her.

By humans.

Cecilia growled and seethed through the blurry vision caused by the liquid that pushed through her eyes as her past began to eat at her mercilessly.

But then she remembered Jolene.

Her grip on the bedsheets that still loosely covered her eased.

 The terrors that constantly haunted her dreams hadn’t eased since she last saw her. She caught her long-deceased husband in the corner of her eyes on some days.

And when Jolene crossed her mind...everything seemed to come back to normal.

But not while she was sleep. Cecilia shook her head to get the terrifying images of the nightmare still fresh in her mind out of her head.

“I wouldn’t do that...I...” Cecilia self-assured, failing to impress her inner doubts.

Cecilia had a hard time grasping that. She wasn’t that delusional.  She knew who she was. Or at least, who she used to be. However, despite the inner turmoil, her remembrance of what the human she met a day earlier said to her gave some more sense of comfort.

“I’m telling you a part of my own past to let you know that the past doesn’t have to keep hold over our futures...”

Cecilia relayed the sentence over and over in her mind as she calmed herself.

The wolf turned and met the sight of a full-blown moon glowing coolly outside of her window. She chose to leave it uncovered tonight, feeling that being left in complete darkness wasn’t for the best interest of her mental state tonight.

“I feel like a child...” Cecilia said lightly to herself, chuckling lowly at the thought of needing her own personal light to keep her sane through the night.

Then she heard something from outside of her room.

Cecilia’s ears perked up and she grew alert. It sounded like...a voice. A short-lived word that never finished. And it sounded familiar.

Cecilia’s gut feeling began to stir. She could have brushed it off as just one of her kids up at night or her sister yawning sharply...but she went with her quiet suspicions and flung her legs over to the ground as she got out of bed. Grabbing the small knife under the pillow next to her, she slowly approached her bedroom door and placed a ear against it. She heard nothing. Gripping the door handle and opening it as silently as she could, Cecilia was met with the darkness of a straight hallway.

Nothing in particular. The wolf took a few slow steps forward, nearing the bathroom door.

‘Maybe I’m just shaken up...’  Cecilia thought to herself. ‘It’s been a terrible sleep-’

The moment Cecilia had realized the bathroom door was open was met late to her as she turned just in time to catch a dark figure standing inside. She felt something crash against her cranium. Her grip on the knife loosened completely and everything faded into darkness.

Cecilia’s eyes blinked slowly as her foggy brain came to again. And her eyes shot open at the sudden acknowledgment.

The acknowledgment that her hands were tied up behind her to the chair she sat in with two mutes standing in front of her.

“Cecilia...you okay?” a voice called shakily from nearby.

Cecilia jerked her head to her right and found a new-found dread arise as she found that her friend was in the same predicament as her.

“Elsa, are you hurt? Did they-”

“No...I’m okay. They caught me off guard while I was sleep...” Elsa told her, tears still streaming down her face. “T-they told me if I fought back they would hurt the kids..I’m sorry...”

Cecilia wrestled with the ropes that bonded her as one of the two hyena mutes stepped closer and store down at her with a sly grin.

She knew who they were now.

The hyenas that she stole from near the park.

“I’m sure you saw this day coming, she-wolf. You may be a wolf, but it doesn’t mean you’re the only mutes out there that are exceptional at tracking and covering tracks all the same.” the closest hyena told her with a slightly giddy tone, as if anticipating something exciting. Cecilia’s eyes shot back to the hyena and evened eyes with him, delivering a searing glare.

“Let. Us. Go. Now.” she growled through clenched canines.

The hyena mockingly straightened his vest jacket and reached into his back pocket. He held up a long knife and flicked it’s blade into clear view.

“I haven’t had the pleasure of giving out my name before with all the runnin’ around. Call me Gef.” the hyena revealed as he circled around the two wolves. 

“And you’re in no position to be making demands.” Gef whispered into Cecilia’s ears from behind.

“Where are my children?” Cecilia asked, growling in a building rage.

Coming full-circle, he stopped back in front of the two wolves and chuckled.

“I was waiting for you to ask! Do you even care about them as much as you think you do? Cause if I were you, I would have asked as soon as I-”

“Bring me...my children.”

Gef paused at the order. “Well, looks who’s still acting in char-”

“Bring me MY CHILDREN!” Cecilia repeated in a roar. Her teeth bared as the leader of the hyenas continued to beam.

Laughing at her useless attempts at empowerment, Gef moved towards the bedroom door and knocked on it.

“It’s party time! Bring in the little brats.” Gef signaled.

The door opened with two more hyena mutes stepping in. Herded from behind were Cecilia’s children. They walked in one by one.

Josef.

Rupert.

Sebastian.

Jack.

Margot.

Cecilia’s heart pulsed vibrations of somber relief as her bound children were positioned against the wall behind the hyena gang. Her hands gripped into fists and unclenched. She tried to work a way for her sharp claws to grind the ropes, but was not having much luck so far. Still, she desperately went at it.

“Everyone’s been counted for!” Gef exaggeratedly confirmed, twirling his sharp blade in the air. “Now...let’s recap.”

“Mom? Are you okay?” Margot called out in apprehension. Her face was twisted into a fear Cecilia never wanted to see again.

Cecilia looked through the group of mutes and smiled at her daughter. “Your mother and Elsa are okay, honey. Don’t worry, it’ll be-”

Gef knelt down and brought the knife uncomfortably close to Cecilia.

“Look,” Cecilia started as the cool blade was pressed softly against her neck. “What I did was all me. No one else here deserves any punishment. I was trying to survive, just like any of you. At least have some sense!” 

“Remember this?” Gef asked, waving his blade in front of her again and ignoring the wolf’s defenses. “It’s got some unfinished business with you, hehe...”

Cecilia’s fears finally shattered through her bold demeanor as the blade ran very slowly towards her eyes.

“Wait, please! I’ll do anything! Just...let them go.” she pleaded as her eyes began water. Meanwhile, her claws were still discreetly at work with the rope from behind.

Gef gave off a grin and brought his face uncomfortably close. “If I do, would you kiss me, hot stuff?”

Cecilia blinked and her heart grew sour. Through a heavy reluctance and her silent bid to speed up her attempts to cut her bonded hands free, she responded.

“Y-yes...”

Gef chuckled and reopened his eyes with traces of further malice. “How about this? I kill your friend, get a kiss from you and let your kids go? Sound fair?”

“No! I-you said if I-”

“Too bad.”

In a matter of seconds, Cecilia’s world flipped upside down again.

Gef swung his head over to Elsa and before she could protest, plunged the blade clean through her throat. Elsa’s eyes went wide with shock and uncontrollable horror as she found herself unable to scream or shout as the blood started to flow. Cecilia felt an insurmountable amount of rage pass through her as her friend went silent and her head slumped.

 “Nooo!” Cecilia yelled at the top of her lungs as her sharp claws finally cut through the bindings.

Her hands now free, Cecilia rushed herself forward and caught Gef off guard. She brung her forehead forward and against Gef’s snout, causing him to yelp out in surprised affliction. Cecilia ripped the knife from his hand and thrusted it into his shoulder.

“Ahh! You son of a bi-” Gef was cut off by a kick to his stomach, sending him into a few of his own gang.

Cecilia didn’t stop.

Cecilia brung the knife through one of Gef’s lackeys before they could retaliate and ended his life. She turned and was met a hook across her face, staggering her backwards. The knife dropped from her hand.

The two remaining hyenas snarled and cornered her as she leaned against the wall behind her.

Her children‘s forms shook and trembled as they watched their mother rage against the hyenas that took another piece of meaning from her.

In the end, Cecilia was left with a scratch across her face, and the two hyena’s were left without breath.

Gef started shaking uncontrollably as he tried getting back on his feet but Cecilia kicked him right across his face, dazing him. The mother wolf gripped Gef’s arm and began to pull him towards the door.

“W-wait! I’m sorry! We-we should have never-wait!” Gef cries were ultimately worthless as Cecilia wordlessly moved on.

She passed her children and chilled them with her distant look. “Don’t worry. I’ll deal with him. You’ll all be safe.”

As Cecilia dragged Gef’s pleading form out of the bedroom, Sebastian struggled in vain to free himself of the ropes and quickly eyed the bloody knife his mother left behind.

Gef grunted in pain as the alpha mother yanked him up by his arm and landed a right hook across his face. Then a left hook. Then a punch to the gut. Then a rake of her claws across his face. Cecilia failed to relent in her unfettered assault on the hyena mute as they neared the steps to the first floor.

Cecilia shouted as she kicked him backwards and left his body to twist and fumble down the set of wooden stairs. His painful yelps for mercy did not do him any well. Cecilia slowly stepped down the stairs and found herself standing in front of Gef’s broken appearance on the floor.

Through the adrenaline of anger, the wolf could still better observe the expression the hyena gave as she glared daggers into the mute's eyes.

The expression of pure fear.

And the expression of expectation.

Cecilia saw these things and relished in it.

"I’m going kill you...” Cecilia started with a lopsided smile filled with an intent opposite of his original purpose.

“Nice...” Cecilia leaned down and punched Gef across the face.

“And...” The wolf repeated her assault over and over again until Gef couldn’t muster the strength to speak.

“Slow!”

Despite Cecilia’s claim, her blood lust was unable to meet with her words.

Cecilia gripped Gef’s vest jacket and swiped her claws across his neck, leaving him to slowly bleed out underneath her. She watched hypnotically as his terrified eyes began to gradually glass over. Gef’s form soon gave up on struggling to escape the pull of death.

Droplets of tears fell down from the mother’s eyes and contrasted the wide, satisfied smile she wore on her face. But she failed to catch the unbound and small forms of her children hiding scared behind the railing of the second floor.

“M-mom...”

Cecilia twitched and blinked herself out of her trance. She looked behind her to find all of her children gazing down on her. Her heart dropped as soon as she caught their looks.

Cecilia slowly got up and accessed herself. She accessed the blood all over her black, buttoned shirt. In her fur. And on the ground.

Everything came back to her at full force.

“Children...please...I...we have to leave. It’s...not safe here anymore.” Cecilia told them through the rush of tears that she kept wiping away. She began to walk back towards the steps and closer to her adolescent kids.

“I did what I had to do...to protect all of you. As long as you’re all safe...that’s all that matters.” she looked back down at her blood-covered hands.

Margot shook her head and rushed downstairs and in front of her mother.

“I know...we know. You’re our mother...” Margot tried to comfort her, going in for a hug before Cecilia stopped her.

“No, stop...I don’t want you to get the...blood...” Cecilia was opposed to finishing.

“I understand.” Margot stepped back and gave her an unconvincing smile.

A smile that her mother couldn’t muster to fake herself.

“I’m sorry.”

Cecilia stood from kneeling in front of the newly-dug grave of her close friend, Elsa.

She lay buried right beside her late husband Charles. Cecilia and her pups all stood silently around the family they’ve lost and prepared to grieve their last grievances. 

Margot took the collected handful of daisy petals and tossed them above Elsa’s grave. They all watched as the petals spun and floated gently down around the burial. Sebastian brung his arms around his sister as she began to cry again.

“It’s alright, sis.” he told her.

Cecilia found it extremely hard to rip her eyes away from the two people that mattered the most to her outside of her kids. No matter how hard she tried, she felt that if she left their home, everything that she had built with Charles and Elsa would fade away with every step.

She knew it was completely wrong.

Charles and her closest friend assured her of that.

She had to let go of her fears.

She had to move forward.

The alpha mother's hands gripped the trail ends of the pink sweatshirt tied around her neck.

Charles's pink sweatshirt.

She kept it stored with her before she buried him. She sometimes found herself with her muzzle buried into it as it soaked up the tears flowing from her heart-striken face.

But she never had the strength to actually wear it.

Until now.

Cecilia looked down at the pea jacket she had on and reached into it’s pocket. Pulling out the white piece of paper, she re-analyzed the directions given to her by the human she met not too long ago.

Directions to Lensvile.

If that human was to be trusted, this was their last chance at an assured abode. A place for her and her pups to truly feel safe.

She took in a deep breath and chose to take the chance. 

Cecilia held the paper to her chest and closed her eyes. Taking in a shaky breath, she opened them back up to meet them evenly with her children.

“We’re going to be okay. It’s all going to be okay.”

Chapter Text

A room full of books; a chair sat upon by a mute.

The shine of a buck knife glinted in the candle light as it twirled in between the mandrill's fingers.

It's eyes remained fixated on it as he waited.

Dried up blood was left still streaked against the blade end. The mandrill itself wasn't sure how long he was left to glare at the weapon that distressed his patience so, but not soon after he was left pondering this, the door to his private office was knocked upon.

"Come in."

The office door slowly creeped open and in popped the faces of two mute wolves. They were wearing contrasting turtle necks, but the same expressions of apprehension and worry.

"Scarlamange? Y-you called us down?" Bad Billions asked, mentally knocking on his head a bit too late for stating the obvious.

Scarlamange did not answer.

His eyes had not yet left the buck knife, even as the two Newton Wolves had entered. The mandrill stopped twirling the knife and held it pointed slightly towards them with the sharp end. He left it in clear view for the two wolves to observe before the brothers fixated each other confused glances.

 The knife was stabbed into the wooden desk with a great force, leaving it to stick out as he released it. The wolves' fur was left to stand on end.

"This knife... belonged to a human." Scarlamange began. His eyes moved up to meet the Billions brother's. "And this human...put it in one of my poor flamingo's neck....nearly killed the poor girl!"

The Billions watched on with their hands clenched as the mandrill continued with his voice raising. Every passing moment felt tense. They were relatively fine with their 'human capture quota' as Scarlamange put it, but watching the mandrill mute rant in any sense of anger was always a scary, unpredictable sight.

"So..." Scarlamange began to close. "I've already spoken with the rest of the other groups about this...not like you two to be late."

"Please excuse us." Good Billions twirled good fingers. "We were on the hunt for some new erlenmeyer flasks since a certain someone knocked over our only supply and we ran int-''

"Alright, alright." The mandrill cut off. "Please do best to not be late again. First and final warning. But I also require something else of you...

Scarlamange pulled out the knife and held it to the Newton Wolves. His smile stretched from ear to ear. 

"Can you catch any trace of human still on this here knife? Maybe we can speed up the process of which human precisely did what they did. We already know they passed through Ratland...another problem I have to deal with..."

Good Billions grinned from ear to ear with him and corrected his glasses.

"Oooh, so something along the lines of a mystery hunt? Sounds thrilling." 

Bad Billions took hold of the buck knife and took in a focused sniff, closing his eyes and analysing any familiarities. But nothing came up. Good Billions had no better luck. Still, they took note.

"Nothin...but we'll be sure to let ya know if we find any humans sharing this scent..." Bad Billions assured Scarlamange.

The mandrill intertwined his fingers and lowered his head. Though his eyes narrowed, his smile widened.
"That is all." Scarlamange began to close. He tapped his fingers repeatedly against the wooden desk. As Bad Billions motioned to give the blade back, the mandrill noble held out his palm to him.

"Keep it. You'll need it. It'll make this whole mess much easier...you are dismissed."

As the two canine brothers made way out of the office, the 18th century-attired mandrill tapped his nails hard on his desk.

"I want them brought directly to me. Directly. Alive."
The Billions froze in their gaze at their employer and nodded vigorously in unison. They wasted no time shutting the door behind them as they exited.

And thus the mandrill was left to himself once more.
Scarlamange remained silent for a good while as he store unmovingly at the door in front of him. A good while that disapated as soon as he gritted his sharp teeth and banged his fists against his desk multiple times, before bringing his nails against the wood and scratching then down to the edge closer to him.

An abrupt laughter broke out of him as he rested his hands against his head.

Scarlamange took a long, deep breath. He arose and lifted his snout high.

"Everything is still on its course. No need to stress."

He told himself this as he relaxed his body and fell back loosely into his chair.

"What do you mean you can't make exceptions?" Kara blurted out loud at the suited human.

Knox and his group watched as the ever-shrinking gap in the gates that kept them from Lensvile's safe haven closed behind Devland. The community leader straightened his pose and looked sternly at the four.

"The deal was three items of interest for entry, not two. You have brought me a wooden figurine and a pocket watch.  You have failed at your task in bringing the third. A book-"

"Of science, yes! But c'mon, doesn't extreme effort count for anything?" We nearly died, like, over hundred times out there!" Lute was seething with a fustration he barely held back.

Knox rested a hand on Lute's shoulder and stepped up to the attired man.

"Look...we can at least come to a compromise." Knox spoke, wide eyes glinting for something more.

"Two of you stay while the others complete the task." Devland offered. "If you fail this one last day, you all leave for good. You'll never see us again and you won't speak of this place again."

Devland tapped his foot in another brief bout of thought and gave Knox a knowing look.

"One final condition."

Knox caught Devland's eyes as they left contact with his and trailed behind him. Knox knew that the community leader was going to say next before anyone else did.

"As price of failure, I also take your sword." Devland finalized, a growing smirk creeping into his face.

"I keep it until you come back, and if you return empty-handed...it's mine..permanently."

Kara interjected the idea.

"What? That's totally out of the quest-"

"Deal." Knox said simply.

Kara, Lute and Piercer looked to their friend with equal surprise.

"You're really willing to give up your precious blade to him?" Piercer asked incredulously, looking to Knox as if he was dangling out his soul for the sharks to snap at. Not very far off, honestly.

"Yeah. I'm aware the sword is simply a wager due to asking for extra. Letting two of us in before competing our task...there's gotta be something to pay for if we fail. Isn't that right Devland? Besides..."

Knox walked up to the leader before stopping almost within feet of him. He held out his hand and awaited for Devland to do the same.

"I know we won't fail."

Devland laughed hardily and locked Knox's hand with his own. The shake solidified the agreement.

The katana Knox had long-possessed was now officially up for ransom.

Knox lowered his head before he store up at the clouds closest to the sun.

Evening glory.

"Kara...Lute...I need you both to stay here."

Before they could protest against the notion, Knox continued.

"Kara...your shoulders still in need of attention. The damage that Scooter Skunk did doesn't seem to be going away. No matter how minor, you need that checked. And Lute...don't you think this place needs a little more pizzazz? Your playing would definitely lift some sprits here." Knox said, looking at the two.

"No need to lull us to sleep with excuses. We get it." Kara punctuated with a fist held out to him.

"Swear you'll be okay...even though I know you will."

Knox smiled and met her fist with his own.

"I swear. I really love you guys...and this sword."

Knox gripped the katana and unstrapped it from his back. He store intently at it's red scabbard and slowly unsheathed it from it's case. It glinted beautifully in the sun's light.

Taking a deep breath, Knox rotated to Devland's waiting form and re-cased the blade. The blade was held out to the community leader who gladly accepted it.

"It'll be a gracious gift to accompany my ever-expanding collection of exotics." Devland snided as he held the red scabbard in his hands.

Knox grimaced at Devland's handling of the blade and looked up and through his eyes.

"I'll be back for it soon. Keep it safe for me."

Kara met Piercer with a surprise hug, wrapping her arms around him tightly and nuzzling his black fur.

"I didn't forget about you, Archerat." she told the rat mute. "Keep Knox safe, okay?"

Piercer tried to hide his blushing face by trailing his sights to the side.

"Yeah, sure..."

Knox eyed the road they had came from. There was no time to over-think the consequences of failure. They wouldn't fail.

"Alright... No more time to waste. We're off, you two. Keep our new beds warm."

Four hours of searching.

Four hours of unrest.

Things still weren't looking so hot for the human and Archerat.

So they stopped by the cuff of the nearby forest for a quick drink to help gather their heads again. Piercer reluctantly went along.

"Well, this sucks." Knox said simply as he emptied the last remaining droplets of water down his dry throat. "Should've at least given us some more to drink."

Piercer simply sighed and walked up to the nearest tree. He then proceeded to bang his head against it with minimal force.

"Night's getting to you already?"

Piercer spun around with an agitated expression. He raised his hands into the air.

"We can't afford to sit around like this! You heard what Devland said. And what about your blade? We can't sit around any longer!"

Knox paused before responding.

"Relax. Nothing wrong with a small break."

Piercer pulled at his fur.

"It's been ten minutes! That stupid suited human is probably rocking that katana of yours like it's a baby." Piercer turned back towards the trees and leapt up branch to branch, getting higher with every jump.

"I'm going to keep look-holy mother of the rat gods."

Knox blinked at the mutes words.

"Holy mother of the rat gods?" Knox repeated with a chuckle.

"Human. Get up here. You truly need to see this to believe it."

"Um, okay?"

Knox struggled a bit initially, but eventually found his feet on the branches just below Piercer.
And then he saw it. The structure became easier to make out as his eyes adjusted through the darkness.

"Holy mother of the rat gods." Knox exclaimed in disbelief.

Just beyond a row of trees was a white building. And it was an unmistakable one.

It was an observatory.

A science kind of observatory.

"Let's get to it. My heart is literally doing backflips. I can't wait to victory dance in Devland's face." Knox told his friend with a wide smile.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

Pause.

"Shhh. I think I heard something."

"I didn't hear anything."

"Huh....maybe it's my nerves."

Closer and closer Knox and Piercer got. And though there was still no sign of human nor mute, the apprehension never ceased.

It wasn't long before the massive structure was finally directly in front of them.

Knox stopped just shy of the double doors with Piercer leaned beside it, arrow pulled lightly against his bowstring. And as Knox took in a deep breath, he looked to his comrade.

Piercer nodded to him.

Knox nodded back.

The human knocked on the door and paused for whatever souls awaited on the other side. 

Chapter Text

Knock Knock Knock

“I...don’t think anyone can hear that.”

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNO-KNOCK KNOCK

“That’s more like it.”

More silence met Knox and Piercer despite best efforts.

Every attempt and with every passing second ruled the possibility of drawing attention and ambushes. So Piercer had his bow’s aim fixated on the door and an eye trained for the darkened forest behind them. But they had been at it for nearly two minutes and two minutes was far too long.

Piercer scratched the side of his face as his eyes slowly glazed over with the expression of irritation. The Archerat shot a hand out to his quiver and flicked out an arrow. The Archerat pressed himself against the cold, gray double doors and slipped the arrowhead through the crack. His ears twitched as he went to work.

“Ooooh, a little classic breaking-and-entering? I’m game.” Knox said, narrowing his eyes deviously.

“Shhh. I’m concentrating.” Piercer quietly responded. He closed his eyes and re-focused in on the miniature clicks and clanks that resonated in response to the sharp end of the arrow. However, the arrow in his hands snapped in half after adding an unintended amount of pressure. 

“Dammit...” Piercer cursed under his breath as he started over with a fresh one out the bag.

Knox tapped his foot as his partner carried along on his quest for door domination. The human kept eyes on the world around the observatory, taking on Piercer’s usual role as lookout. The night gave them a chance of concealment to their misdeeds, and though to some mutes the dark didn’t matter, it still would have been a safer bet to have arrived at daytime.

A slow-stacking anxiety began to loom over Knox as he lowered a hand to his waist, finding nothing to grasp in return. His katana and saya were gone. The human was still not used to his sword being absent, but for what rewards lie in wait, he would have to suffice without it for the time being.

He would get his sword back. There was no question in his mind.

“Knox, it’s unlocked.”

Knox shot an excited look behind him to discover Piercer peering inside of the now-opened doors to the observatory. Knox rubbed his hands greedily as the rat mute gestured him over.

“The book will soon be mine, muahahaha!” Knox laughed, exaggerating an evil arm raise towards the sky.

Piercer rolled his eyes.

“You’re acting extra goofy today.” Piercer called out quietly as his loaded bow maneuvered around the inside of the building.

“Sorry. My modest attitude looses it’s composure when I’m ahead of the game.” Knox admitted. He drew out his knife and followed the rat mute inside.

Piercer took no time to waste. A plan quickly swam through his head. “We should look for an exit path. We can’t get trapped in here and going back out the front door should be our last resort. Keep eyes peeled for any.”

“Roger that.”

The inside wasn’t the brightest in illumination, but it was still just enough to get around with no trouble. Though with the Archerat mute’s night vision eyes, it wouldn’t be much of an issue...at least for him.

Right in front of them was another pair of doors that led to an unknown future.

“What if they’re all...just waiting for us?” Knox pondered, tapping his knife against the flat of his palm.

Piercer stood to the side of the doors, ready to breach inside.

“Doesn’t matter. Open it. I’ll cover this time.”

Knox took in a deep breath and stepped in front of the two doors. His lack of katana was starting to get to him and he didn’t want to admit it to himself. 

Taking in a swift breath, Knox pushed the two doors open as a mighty creak followed.

As the doors revealed the unknown, the two found themselves in their first section of the building. And it was enormous.  A  spherical projector occupied the center of the chamber and a long table resided nearby with a stage just ahead of it, curtains to accompany it. 

All was quiet. All was silent. And more importantly...

There was still no one in sight.

“Let’s not get our hopes up yet. There’s still more rooms to check. On guard.” Piercer reminded as he swiped his narrowed sights around in observance with his arrow pointed out and following his vision.

“No need to tell me...” Knox eyed an old pamphlet and barely made out the words and pictures still legible on it’s cover. He wasn’t sure if it counted as a “book”, but he sure as all hell wasn’t going to slip off the chance. He placed it in his bag and zipped it back up, gripping his knife tighter as he quickly rejoined his friend towards the stage.

Piercer pulled the curtains back and found nothing but various floating planets, stars and neutrons all floating up as fake props. But nothing else of interest.

“Getting a little nervous at the lack of science books.” Knox relayed as he tapped the knife’s end against his pants.

Lowering his bow’s aim, Piercer joined in on Knox’s outlook.

“Can’t blame you. Only so many rooms left. Let’s just clear the rest and find our resolution to this.”

Piercer lead way further into the observatory alongside Knox. Every second and every step was filled with a dread they couldn’t quite place. Not that they knew they shared it. Not that they knew if it really foretold anything.

As they reached the hallway, framed portraits caught their eyes. The recognition of who was framed inside slowly made the apprehension worse.

“Great...wolves. Just our luck.” Knox muttered as his composure sullied down even further. He got closer and observed the line up of what was clearly a lineage of wolves. Wolves of science. Not what Knox expected.

And Knox couldn’t place it...but they looked strangely...familiar?

“Billions and Billions...so that’s their names? At least we know what to scream if we get caught.” Knox quipped.

“They’re all probably a bunch of nerds. Keep up.” Piercer told him, paying no mind to the electric tesla coil encased behind a steel cage fenced in the wall nearby as he passed.

Knox looked on in wonder as electricity sparked about the cage.

“So you’re just going to ignore the electricity thing?”

The next room had a clear label in blue words above it’s entrance. It read ‘Telescope Room’.

As Piercer gripped the door, he looked to Knox for a wordless acknowledgment of his preparedness. The human nodded back as he raised his blade up in front of him. Piercer nodded back.

The door swung open and Piercer met either sides with his loaded arrow. Knox stepped inside and came to the same conclusion as Piercer.

No one.

But by the rat gods, were there books. Loads and loads of books. They all lay up for grabs on the multiple bookshelves. A warm feeling passed through Knox. “We found it, Piercer. Mr. Devland is going to be super pissed.”

Just before the two could relax, a muffled cry sounded off nearby, causing the trespassers to jolt back into alertness. Right in the corner to their left was a weasel mute, tied up and gagged leaving it unable to verbalize. It continued to squirm and struggle as Piercer nudged Knox’s shoulder.

“Not good. Hurry and pick out a book. I’ll get some answers.” Piercer pulled out his dagger as he approached the subdued weasel.

Knox ran up to the nearest book and pulled it out of it’s place, reviewing it’s title.

“’Of Stars And Things: A Beginner’s Guide To Astronomy’...got it, Piercer.” Knox bagged the astronomy book as he rejoined Piercer and the weasel.

“So what’s the deal?” Knox asked just as Piercer removed the gag from the weasel’s mouth. The bound mutes' bloodshot eyes bulged as it yearned to speak and now it’s wishes were granted.

“You need to get out of here, now! They’re going to kill you!” the weasel claimed in a shivering panic. “Untie me, we need to leave now! The four-eyed one is insane!” the weasel claimed aggressively.

“Four-eyed wolves? That doesn’t sound too pleasing.” Knox clenched and unclenched his hand. “Let’s get o-”

Piercer’s ears twitched as his pink eyes grew wide in an instant.

“No time, hide now!” Piercer ordered, racing towards the close cluster of branches that jutted out of the ground and hiding behind it. Knox followed unquestioningly, leaving the weasel mute to fend for himself.

Voices faintly arose from outside the Telescope Room and became clearer with every step.

Knock knock knock knock

“Ooooh weasel? We’re hoooome.” a mockingly singsong voice announced through the door.

The weasel began cursing in hysterics as Knox and Piercer looked on in hiding. The door slowly creaked open and in stepped four different wolves. All sporting blazers and turtlenecks, two were alike in looks but the other two ahead of them stood out distinctly.

One wore a black blazer and had dark gray fur, and the second wore a white blazer and with golden, round glasses rested between it’s snout. This one in particular raised it’s nose and lowered it’s eyes in silent scorn at the poor weasel before him.

“Oh dear...Mark? How did you ungag yourself? We know you’re a crafty little thing, but this is rather impressive!” the bifolcaled mute wolf slowly stepped up to the weasel as he locked eyes deeply into his capture’s.

“But still...seems a bit strange.” the wolf continued, leaving a pondering thumb and pointer finger on it’s chin. “We tied that gag pretty securely...and the cloth that kept your mouth shut seems to have been easily ripped with what seems to have been a sharp tool, not chewed off...”

Knox and Piercer didn’t like where this was going.

“And if my assumptions are correct...” the wolf corrected his glasses and smiled. “...the culprits are still in this room.”

Knox’s heart began to race faster. They were definitely toying with them. If anything, the racing pulses within their chests had already given them away the moment they walked in. He gripped his knife tightly.

The mute wolf straightened his turtleneck and took off his glasses. Eying the black-blazered wolf beside him, he motioned his head towards the petrified weasel mute before rubbing small specs of degrees debris out of his focal lens.

“Brother Billions, please showcase an example of what could befall our unwelcome guests, should they continue to test our patience.”

The wolf pulled on his black blazer and narrowed his magenta eyes with murderous hunger.

“With pleasure.”

The weasel shook and rocked in a final bid for his life, but in the end it was all but fruitful.

“No, no! W-wait! Wai-AGHH!”

The wolf shot forward it’s jaw and with an iron grip, latched it around the weasel’s throat. Within seconds, the mute’s body ceased in its struggles. The wolf released the weasel and turned around with blood-covered teeth and fur, eyes fixated directly towards the telescope structure.

“Now...for our new prey. I believe it is evaluation time.” the white blazered wolf exclaimed excitedly, the light from the outside moon glinting against his glasses.

“And don’t make us count. Coming out now would do you a whooole lot better. Trust me.” the black-blazered mute wolf warned as he rubbed away at the blood-stained fur of his chin.

The jig was up.

They’d been caught. And no amount of waiting would change that. So Piercer chose to reveal himself first, arrow trained between the four wolves that blocked their only chance of escape. Knox joined suit soon after.

“Hey...you’re...” one of the other mute wolves started. They paused for a moment’s thought before she snapped a finger and growled. “I knew your scents were familiar. You’re both part of that posse we chased awhile back!”

Something clicked in Knox’s head. And as he looked to his rat companion, he could tell that he wasn’t the only one that felt the familiar pull of remembrance.

Back in the heavy downpour.

Not long after they had found their old hideout had burned down by unknown means.

The wolves that chased them through the blinding rain before managing to evade their sights.

Knox had choked on his words, but Piercer made up plenty in his place.

“Let us through, or two of you isn’t going to make it out of this room alive. Three if I have an extra second.” Piercer’s threat was elaborated by the drawback of his bowstring, arrow at the ready. It cycled amongst the four turtlenecked wolves.

One of the wolves growled lowly, resisting the urge to move forward and out of line of her alpha.

“I’d like to see you try, ratboy.”

“Enough, Megan.” the wolf in the white blazer took a step forward but halted as Piercer mirrored his step. The wolf raised an eyebrow as the rat mute glowered him on. “I implore you to stand down. I really wouldn’t bet on believing we’re the only wolves here.”

After keeping the wolf’s unfaltering gaze, Piercer slowly lowered his bow.

“Absolutely splendid! Now...let us introduce ourselves...”

The two standout wolves grew in closer with wide smirks plastered on their faces.

“I’m Good Billions.” the first wolf revealed, straightening his glasses again through habit.

“And I’m Bad Billions.” the second mute gave out.

“And we’re...” they both said in unison.

There was a brief pause before Bad Billions broke it.

“Ha! Did ya expect us to finish it together? We’re the Newton Wolves...” Bad Billions clasped his hands together as his eyes hungrily observed his cornered guests. “Now...explain why the hell the prey we’ve been chasing popped up inside of our observatory.”

Knox didn’t hesitate to step forward. He caught the growls of the other Newton Wolves as he zipped open and reached inside his backpack. “Oh, calm down...” he told them as he pulled out a book. “We came here for this...a book of science.”

Good and Bad Billions looked at each other and wordlessly. Bad Billions approached and snatched the book from Knox’s hands. He scanned the cover. “Of Stars And Things...huh...forgot that one was back here.”

Good Billions snapped to one of the Newton lackies and pointed out the door. "I need you to bring back some restraints for our science thieves here. Rope will do just fine."

“This is all your fault.” Knox said to Piercer as he tried again in vain to free himself from the ropes that bound his wrists.

Piercer looked at him incredulously.

“How!?”

“I dunno. Just is.”

“Quiet, you two.” Good Billions ordered. He stood in front of them with his arms behind his back. “We have a test for you. Normally, we’d just eat you and call it a day. Maybe experiment a bit before...but you seem to be creatures in the pursuit of knowledge. And well...that’s the only reason you both are still breathing.”

“So...the test?” Knox smiled nervously as the two Billions store down at him with a knowing look.

“You have ten seconds to give us ten things of interest that you know.” Good Billions said as he revealed a worn-down timer in his hands. “You surpass the time limit, and my fellow pack will eat you both alive where you are.”

Knox took in a deep, unconcentrated breath and readied himself for failure. What kind of ‘things of interest’ did he need to say? What if it wasn’t enough? Did it have to be science-related? He had no time to answer these questions as Good Billions clicked the timer button. The ticking began.

“Start.” Bad Billions said simply.

Knox swam for ideas in his head. The first one came out.

“Um...there are more ways to arrange a deck of cards than there are atoms on Earth?” Knox told the wolves, yearning for some kind of evaluation. The two Billions nodded their heads.

The ticks of the timer came and went, and through the encouraging motivation to not die a horrible death, Knox barreled through distant remembrance of intriguing facts like a knife through cake.

“...and bubble gum does NOT stay in your stomach for several years after you swallow it, that’s just a myth!” Knox finished just as the timer went out.

“My, my. Impressive. Death can be quite the motivator...shame though. I was going to take my time with you.” Good Billions had somewhat of a disappointed look on his face as he and his brother turned to Piercer.

“You’re turn, you little lab rat.” Bad Billions spoke with a smirk.

Piercer growled and snapped his teeth at the Newton wolf. “What’d you call me, star boy?”

Unflinching, Bad Billions motioned for the timer and started it himself.

“Ten seconds, rat nose.”

Knox looked worriedly at the Archerat as he continued to glare into Bad Billions’ eyes defiantly.

“This is fucking stupid.” Piercer said out loud as the Billions’ sharp teeth began to show.

“Eight seconds.” Bad Billions said with a sneer.

Knox widened his eyes. “Dude, now’s not the time for pettiness! If you don’t do this, we’re dead! We’re not beating them!”

“Six seconds, ha ha.” Billions was salivating through his teeth.

“Dude!” Knox shouted, still unsuccessful at gaining the rat’s attention.

“Five...fou-”

“The term “archery” comes from the human Latin word “arcus”, which means bow. We rats as a species have been proven to have great memory. A "moonbow" is a rainbow that happens at night. When a person dies, their sense of hearing is the final thing to go. Lightning can in fact strike the same place twice. You can't die of 'old age', only from diseases brought on by old age. "I Am" is the shortest complete sentence in the the English language. Hummingbirds are the only animals able to fly backward. Earth is the only place in the known universe confirmed to host life. A year on Earth lasts just over 365 days. And wolves can’t climb worth shit.” Piercer finished rapid-fire succession.

“...Zero...” Bad Billions muttered silently just as Piercer finished, glowering at the rat in frustration. “Show off...”

“That last one wasn’t exactly a fact...” Good Billions said through gritted teeth.

“Still got the other ten, didn’t I?”

Silence followed Piercer mocking words as the two Billions circled the double trespassers.

Knox twisted his wrists inside the ropes that tied them together, eying the hungry-looking mute wolves as they grew in uncomfortably close. “So, uh...about your end of the deal? Since we did what you asked?”

Billions and Billions laughed as they gripped the ropes around their captives’ bound hands and began cutting them free.

“Relax...we’re aren’t just wolves of science. We’re also wolves of our word.” Good Billions ensured as the wolves freed them.

Knox stretched out his wrists and gave the two co-alphas a long look.

“Our weapons, too?” Knox asked.

“Of course...you’re going to need them out there...probably sooner than you think.” Bad Billions gave Knox a look that he really didn’t like. Even in the heat of the current situation, it felt...off.

Knox grabbed his knife from one of the many other Newton Wolves that surrounded them. One mute wolf gave Piercer his bow. As Piercer reached for his quiver full of arrows, Bad Billions stepped in between and picked it up himself. Before Piercer could say anything, the wolf snapped one of them in half.

“You know...I know we’ve met before on much more discreet terms...back in the rainstorm. But your scents seem...oddly familiar to something a certain something given us to compare with.” Bad Billions told the two as he took out a second bow, snapping it as well.

“The hell are you on about now? Stop snapping my arrows and let us be on our-” Piercer was cut off by a sharp snap of Bad Billion’s jaw just in front of Piercer’s snout. He continued with a sadistic grin.

“This ‘something’...I’m sure it looks familiar.” the gray-furred alpha claimed as he reached into his inner coat pocket and slowly revealed a sharp object from underneath.

Knox’s eyes widened as he caught it’s full form, but straightened his face soon after. But it was too late. The two Billions had already caught the expression.

“This knife was used to pierce the neck of a poor ol’ double-headed flamingo back at a place called Ratland. You know anything about that?” Good Billions imputed. The looks the two wolves were giving Knox and Piercer made it abundantly clear that this wasn’t just a question. It was a test.

Knox exhaled and clenched his knife tightly.

“It belongs to my friend. Those flamingos attacked us first, and our friend had every right to defend herself.” Knox told the Billions’ in a low tone as he hovered the knife in front of them. “And that friend is a long, long ways from here. So you’re not rolling anymore dice with us.”

Good Billions nodded to one the Newton lackeys. “Nova...please open the front doors for our guests.”

The Newton wolf wordlessly passed by Knox and Piercer, but not before Knox caught the heterochromia in the mute’s eyes. One was a distinct aqua blue as opposed to the other’s original magenta. The human couldn’t help but notice them before the mute met the doors and gripped the handles, pulling them out to reveal potential freedom.

But of course, he and Piercer knew it was going to be far from that simple. Not after what the Billions' had just revealed.

“The only reason we’re not dragging you off to Scarlemange right now is our fairness. Your interests and acknowledgments in the sciences hasn’t gone unnoticed...so we’re giving you a head start to run. And when we catch you...we’ll make you tell us everything you know about your...friend.” Good Billions’ voice was clear and concise, but it was clearer that he was struggling to hold himself back.

But there it was again.

The name that was following Knox from a distance, haunting them ever since they entered the Las Vistas district. Only now, the name was right at their doorstep. A name that Piercer was all too familiar with.

“You take me to Scarlemange, and I’ll put that dagger right where it rightfully belongs.” the Archerat seethed through his teeth.

“Oh?” Bad Billions met with Piercer nose-to-nose. “And where would that be?”

Piercer smiled briefly before his face grew darker with a deep frown.

“In that filthy monkey’s cranium.” Piercer concluded.

The Newton wolves all growled dangerously at the rat and human as Bad Billions back-stepped slowly away from Piercer with a sly smile snaking across his face. “You have ten seconds to run. You both better prey you're just as fast as your answers.” he told Knox and Piercer as they began backing up.

“Ten.” Good Billions started.

Knox and Piercer had already turned and sprinted towards the door that led back into the dark of the night. They got what they needed. All they had to do was make it back to Lensvile.

Every step wasted was a step that led them closer to both failure and a painful demise.

Chapter Text

The moon was hidden by the gray clouds overhead in the dark of the night. It was barred from laying witness to the family of wolves that traversed through the pouring rain.

A hand rested against the top of a younger wolf as her eyes arose from their distant stare at the wet grass underneath them.

“Is everything alright, dear?”

The younger wolf immediately met with the voice’s owner, giving a forced smile.

“Yeah. We have to be. Right?”

A small frown appeared and formed into a grin just a swiftly as it had appeared. Lightning crackled the sky and a roar of thunder followed.

“It’s okay to not be. As long as we keep moving forward. We can talk about your worries later. How’s that?”

The small wolf nodded and continued her stare to her side.

 A brief moment passed before the young wolf’s ears perked up again.

“You want to know something?” the adult wolf asked.

“Yeah?”

“I truly believe you and your brothers are much braver than me. You all are the reason I’m able to keep going. You’re all much stronger than you think yourselves to be. Whenever your doubts creep in, just remember that. Even when I’m gone. Okay, Margot?” 

“Okay, mother...thanks.”

The howls of the Newton Wolves echoed throughout the night as the drizzle rained lightly upon Knox and Piercer. Rainclouds had snuck in while they were preoccupied with looting science books and it didn’t help that they blocked out most of the moon’s light. Well, at least for Knox. Piercer’s night vision had proved vital for him once again.

“Just keep following my voice. We’ll be outta this in no time.” Piercer told his partner as they dashed through the forest and whizzed past the multiple trees that greeted them through it.

Despite Knox’s long-withstanding experience with surviving on the surface, the human was beginning to lose his quarrel with the worries that longed to enter him.

‘What if we don’t make it back?’ Knox relayed through his mind as the bitterness slowly took effect. ‘What if they catch us? What if they do to us like those wolves did to Kassie and Bradley-’

Knox stopped himself internally. Gritting his teeth, he frowned and his feet pounded the grassy terrain below him and a much faster rate, surpassing Piercer as he picked up the pace.

“We’re getting closer, prey!” one of the Newton Wolves called out, which Knox recognized to be Bad Billions.

And Bad Billions was right.

Knox and Piercer snuck a quick glance behind them to find the wolves gaining closer and more ambitious in their hunt for their targets. Even as they bobbed and weaved around the trees, the Newton Wolves continued to find themselves ahead in the race for their blood.

Piercer’s eyes scanned the ground with lightning speed and took every second to gather the straightest sticks he could find. He found himself missing a few but gathering enough as he pulled his bow from around his shoulder.

“What are you doing?” Knox asked with bated breath as the Archerat stuck all but one stick in his quiver pouch. Piercer drew the stick against the bowstring and aimed behind him.

“Doing what I do best.” Piercer replied as he gathered a full breath of air and focused. He narrowed his eyes and wavered his bow around at the congregation of pursuing wolves until he felt his heart flutter.  Then he let the stick cut through the rain. 

Piercer smiled deviously as he heard a yelp cry out behind him. He readied another one and continued his creative attempts to slow their chasers down but frowned as his makeshift arrows were eventually spent. A couple of wolves had recoiled and fell behind to hold their eyes and snouts in pain, but this only made the remaining bunch much more angrier than before. Their prey was fighting back, and they didn’t like that. Not one bit.

“You’re only delaying the inevitable! Just give yourselves up and we’ll be sure to be easy on one of you. Scarlemange wants humans alive, so if you don’t struggle we’ll be sure to send you packaged nice and ready!” Good Billions shouted out behind them.

“I think I’ll pass!” Knox replied as he store Piercer in the eyes. “Piercer, we won’t lose them. They'ret oo fast. Listen to me. There’s no time. I need you to escape and lose them through the trees. You’re good at that, and there’s no way they’ll get to you. I can draw-”

Piercer immediately shot down the idea. “We’re not separating again! The Megabunny that chased us before? That was on me! I caused that! And I promised Kara I would bring you-”

“Piercer!” Knox said sharply, his expression hardened into that of extreme seriousness. “Please. Trust me. I am going to get out of it.” The human’s expression softened with a wide smile. “Once I lose them, I’ll circle back around. We’ll find each other again before you know it.”

Piercer remained wide-eyed until he turned back to find the Newton Wolves dangerously close. He re-met sights on his friend before he nodded. Knox hurriedly took off his book bag and tossed it to the rat mute and gestured him off. “Keep it safe until we meet again. That’s two things I can’t wait to get back.”

Piercer clenched his eyes shut before opening them abruptly, turning towards a nearby tree and dashing up the trunk, disappearing into the leaves. A few wolves stopped at the base and surrounded it as the remaining few continued their bid to stop Knox.

Now he had to play his own part.

“Ha! Big mistake leaving your archer behind! Keep running and we might have to rake a few claws against some human skin. Just a little. Cause you’re really starting to piss us all off!” Bad Billions said as he began to laugh viciously.

Knox panicked as the howls and growls grew in much closer. They were now practically on his heels. He had to think fast. He would not get caught. Not after everything. His eyes scanned around until he found something that gave him a slight glimmer of hope. Even through the darkness, a long, thick branch stuck out not far in front of him. He had only moments to act before he passed by it. He slid against the muddy ground and gripped it with one hand before immediately slinging it behind him.

Bad Billions was leading the forefront and never had the time to fully react.

An sharp shout escaped the co-alpha as he collided with the remaining wolves behind him. They all collapsed into a heap, leaving Knox time to escape their eyes. If he continued running, they would eventually tire him out. He had to hide. Taking mental notes from their previous encounter, he remembered that covering himself with mud would throw off his scent trail, but he had no time. Now approaching a plethora of overgrown bushes, he mentally swore as he dived into them and held his breath. His hand was clasped tightly around his nose and mouth as he awaited for their approach.

“Brother, you shouldn’t continue. I can take it from-” Good Billions was cut off by his brother as he watched him stumble forward with a bloodied hand against his left cheek.

“No...no, I can practically feel him. He’s around here somewhere.” Bad Billions said through clenched canines as he lifted his snout to the branches and leaves above as the rain grew a bit more aggressive. He removed his hand from the side of his face and revealed a cut that traversed across it.

A sudden rage overtook the partially-blinded Newton Wolf as he bellowed out his fury. “Come on out you f-cking insect! I know you’re still around, and if you don’t reveal yourself I’ll make you feel real pain...and I’ll-”

Bad Billions paused himself. One of his ears twitched back and fourth.

And then his smile began to slowly form once again.

Bad Billions looked to his brother and nodded his head in a particular direction. Good billions got the memo as he watched his brother walk beside the various nearby bushes.

“Since we already know you’re close, I’ll humor you with some wordplay...” Bad Billions offered with a chuckle. “Tell me what you think.”

Knox watched in a frozen posture as the the co-alpha walked along the group of large bushes not far from him. He ripped open the first one as he began his taunt.

“The chances of escape are one and one million, so why attempt it in the presence of the Billions?” He started, pulling open another bush. He turned and tried one adjacent to him.

“Scream, run, hide, attack...the Newton Wolves will never cease to be right on your back!” Bad Billions finished with a snarl as he tore apart the bushes extremely close to where he resided.

“So far from home, but not far from us. We’ll find you afraid, that you can surely trust.” Bad Billions added as he growled, digging his hands through a bush directly next to where Knox was hiding.

Good Billions watched on, visibly pleased by the theatrics.
“Ooh, ooh! Not bad, brother! Rarely hear you rhyme far outside of the realm of science.”

Knox pulled his knife and gripped it tight, ready for what would soon come next. He already knew the Billions were screwing around. Bad Billions had finally stopped in front of his place of temporary asylum.

Bad Billions leaned in close to the bush, revealing his teeth with a wide grin.

“Come on out, pal. I swear I’ll use just one claw. One claw against that eye of yours to repay what you di-oh shit!”

Bad Billions flinched back at the right moment as Knox’s knife swished out of the bushes and across where his neck one resided. Knox burrowed through the other side of the bushes and quickly found a steep drop awaiting him.

“Enough of this!” a voice called angrily out of sight.

Everything happened faster than Knox had time for. A Newton wolf came barreling through the bushes and straight into Knox, effectively sending them both over the hidden cliff. The pain of contacting hard against the side of the rock cliff hadn’t yet fully registered. Everything spiraled until they were both submerged into the depths of the water below.

Knox was the first to re-emerge.

He gasped for air as he began swimming for nearby land. The lighting now decorating the sky above didn’t help matters. A down-pouring of rain accompanied it as the brewing storm grew worse. He had the Newton Wolf that tackled him on his mind but no time to check if it was still after him. He just needed to get away as fast as possible. The human pulled himself out of the water and just before his last leg left, something gripped it from below.

Knox let out a surprised shout as he watched the Newton Wolf’s head finally emerge with a unfriendly grin plastered on it’s face.

The heterochromatic eyes gave it’s identity away.

“Let go, furball!” Knox yelled as he desperately kicked away the wolf’s grip on him. He managed get to both feet and made a break for it. It was only then he realized he had lost his knife in the chaos after grabbing at his knife sheath to find nothing was there.

“Get back here, punk! I didn’t get my fur drenched for nothing!” Nova called out behind him. The Newton Wolf found herself out of the water, but as her left leg met the ground, she immediately collapsed. Nova let out a howl of pain as she came to a startling revelation.

Her ankle was dislocated in the fall.

Knox ignored the frustrated demands and continued to put foot to ground. He was unaware of how tired he really was and his side ached horribly. However, it wasn’t the pain that made him stop in place.

It was the shaking of the ground and an ear-piercing screech. The human turned around in an instant.

In front of the helpless wolf was a very long, orange and pink mute worm that had shot out of the body of water. And it had teeth. Lots of them. The Newton Wolf was no longer prioritized with Knox. Her eyes went wide with fear and froze at the monstrous sight, stuck in apprehension on whether limping away or staying still was the better option.

Knox grit his teeth and turned away, eying his guaranteed escape through the underpass of what was a concrete bridge. But a memory shot straight through his thoughts and stopped him once again.

“Knox...” Lute store him straight into the eyes. “We need to be alive to save Kara. Of course we do...but doing the right thing shouldn’t be a thing of the past. No matter what. She would've done the same thing.”

Knox sighed exhaustively.

“Damn you, conscious!” Knox exclaimed as he looked around desperately in his mind for a plan.

He chastised himself for putting himself in jeopardy for someone clearly had no qualms with biting his face off if given the chance and reason. But the guilt wasn’t worth it. Even if he was clearly not in the blame with just leaving all together. His brain lit up as he caught eyes on a rusted sign leaning close by. He gripped it with both hands and pulled at it, falling to the ground with it in hand at the unexpected ease.

The mute worm raised it’s head at the vulnerable Newton Wolf and readied to strike as the wolf growled with her teeth bared and eyes narrowed in defiance. Nova apparently accepted her fate, but not without spite.

“Hey, wormhead!”

The call brought the attention of both the bloodthirsty worm and mute wolf towards Knox. He threw up the middle fingers of both hands proudly at the towering worm as he smiled widely.

“Come get some, jerkweed! You’re not the first large snake I’ve dealt with!” Knox taunted before picking the long sign pole up and backing up as the worm pondered it’s target. Having made up it’s mind, the worm opened it jaws and screeched as it shot towards Knox’s position.  The human cursed under his breath and disappeared behind the bushes once again.

He peeked through to find the worm getting closer. He took in a deep breath and drew the pole sign back. Just as it’s head stuck through the leafy bush, Knox swung it with all his might. The flat end of the sign landed with a mighty and audible smack against the drooling worms face, sending it twirling back and briefly stunned.

Nova watched on in disbelief as the human emerged from cover and swung the sign a second and third time, sending the worm into a maddening, disorientated rage. Knox wasn’t fast enough to evade the tail end of the worm as it sent him flying back into the water with a splash. The mute worm followed him under.

A great thrashing ensued and the Newton Wolf watched on in agonizing tension, wondering what would become of her when the hungry and disturbed worm came back when it was done.

But the unexpected happened.

The worm's head shot back out of the water and thrashed about as it swam away down the river, shrieking in pain as it disappeared further down the stream. Knox broke through to the surface and gasped for more air.

“Victory! Sweet, stupid victory!” the human exclaimed to the sky. His newly-found knife was held high above him.

He climbed out of the deep stream for the second time and stood above the Newton Wolf.

“Heh, you really threw away escape, risked death and fought off a giant mute worm just so you could get dibs on me yourself? You must be insane.” the wolf told him with a pained chuckle. Her eyes shifted quickly to the blade in the human’s hand and back to his eyes. “Well? Get it over with. I’m not one for theatrics, worm hunter.”

Knox smiled incredulously through the pouring rain. “That’s really all you got out of that?” He instead re-sheathed the knife and held out a helping hand to the Newton Wolf. “I’m just doing the right thing. I could, so I did. And your leg is obviously injured...”

Knox looked to find a small cave nearby.

“I’ll just take you to that cave over there. Then you’ll never see me again...hopefully. Your angry science friends should find you here shortly. It’s just a gesture towards the idea that maybe humans and mutes don’t need to always try and kill each other. My friends help to remind me of that.”

The Newton Wolf scoffed lowly and store deeply at the human before slowly giving out her hand. Knox reached to meet it, but the wolf suddenly shot forward with her jaws opened wide.

Knox panicked as the mute wolf’s teeth clamped around his right arm. A sheering pain shot through it and caused him to shout out as he fell with the Newton Wolf to the wet ground.

“Stop!” Knox told her. The wolf responded by biting down harder, breaking the skin.

“Please! Don’t do this! You don’t have to!” Knox relayed again, trying to keep his cool.

The Newton Wolf’s heterochromatic eyes seemed to shimmer before she finally resolved to let go.

Knox breathed heavily and got to his feet.
“Oow!?” the human expressed as he gripped his arm and glared at the conflicted wolf.

“Why in the hell would you believe such a stupid concept!?” the mute wolf yelled, attempting to stand, but failing to bring her hurt leg to cooperate. She instead fell onto her back and growled. “You’re a naïve surface dweller and nothing more. I mean how can you be so stupid to trust me after you watched our pack alphas murder that weasel right in front of you!?”

The words hit a deep chord in Knox’s heart. She did have a point. But then he remembered why he saved her in the first place. He lowered his head and clenched his fist.

“I wasn’t always like this.” Knox started gloomily. “In fact, I was the opposite. For a long time, I didn’t trust mutes as far as I could run without stopping. But...” Knox looked the mute wolf square in the eyes with solid resolve once more. “The people I’ve met along the way shaped me into a better person. The world can’t always be like this, but if we don’t stick our necks out to try then it’ll remain the same bitter place it is now.”

Knox extended his hurting arm and offered his hand for the second time. He paused to say one final thing.

“This is bigger than us.”

Nova was left with a choice to make again. She frowned deeply in the rain as the human’s unwavering hand remained suspended for her to take. Her pupils contracted as lighting struck close by.

She took his hand.

Knock brung her arm around his shoulder and lead her to the cave. After laying her gently against the rocky wall inside, he backed up.

“I seriously wish I would just stop having ‘wolf’, ‘falling’ and ‘water’ come together all the time.” Knox joked to himself, leaving Nova confused for what he meant.

“What’s you’re name again? Isn’t it Nova? I mean, I get it...supernova...the whole science getup...” Knox stopped speaking as the Newton Wolf glowered at him. “I’m going to go check something real quick.”

 The human made sure there were no unwelcome inhabitants hiding within the small confines.

“You should be fine. Just tell your friends we’re not worth it. We’ll be long gone by the time you all recuperate yourselves. Take care, I guess.” Knox stretched out his arm and blew out air through his lips as he made way to leave the cave.

“You keep trying to save people and eventually it’s all going to come crashing down on you.” Nova told Knox, making him stop just outside of safety from the rain.

The human turned around with an acknowledging grin.

“Yeah. I know. But it’s all part of the weight of living.” he replied before turning back and disappearing out of sight.

The rain didn’t seem to want to let up.

In fact, it was getting much worse. The rain fell from the sky like liquid bullets as she waited in the darkness of the cave. Luckily for her, she wouldn’t have to for any longer.

“Nova? Nova, can you hear me? It’s us!”

Nova’s ears perked as she aimed to stand herself up, but declined herself the unnecessary hassle of further worsening her leg.

“I’m in here! Look for a cave opening!” Nova screamed back as loud as she could.

The outside rain was loud, but a mute wolf’s hearing was not to be underestimated. Nova’s heart leaped with relief and relaxed to the sight of Good Billions hastening inside of the cave. A breath of closure left his mouth as he hurried to her side.

“It’s just my leg. It’s not broken...just dislocated, I think.” Nova told him as her co-alpha lifted her up, careful not to hurt her further.

“Did you catch where the human went?” Good Billions looked into Nova’s eyes with a focused look. She knew he cared for her completely, but the hungry look of desprativity for an answer didn’t fly past her.

“No...no I just had enough energy to get here. He was gone before I could really tell.”

Good Billions continued his gaze into her eyes.

“Alright. Let’s get you back to the observatory.” Good Billions inched her forth as they neared the cave exit.

“Oh...and Nova?”

The Newton Wolf looked to her co-alpha, already aware of her sin. 

“Yes?”

Good Billions looked at her through his wet glasses and gave her a smile. And not the straightforward and friendly kind.

“Do refrain from such rash actions again, unless it is ordered of your alphas. Understand?”

Nova shuttered inside at the worded discipline, but she hid it behind a simple nod.

“Yes sir.”

Knox muttered grouchily as he attempted to climb the wet and grassy incline to reach the road that resided just above him. His bitten arm didn’t help speed the process up much, but he still managed to make his way to the top.

An arm suddenly reached over the side as a familiar friend made his presence known.

Piercer had an outstretched hand out to Knox as he smiled.

“Welcome back, my friend.”

Knox smiled back and took it gratefully.

Kara and Lute watched on as Devland swung Knox’s katana back and fourth in slow motions before checking his watch.

“It’s almost midnight. Not much time left.” Devland said with a obnoxiously simplistic tone of voice.

Lute tapped his foot against the wet ground as he rolled his eyes up to the retreating storm clouds above him.
“Yeah...we know that already.”

Devland’s smug grin quickly morphed away as a shout from the front gate’s guard rang out.

“The human and the archer rat are back!” the squirrel mute shouted down at Devland.

Kara exhaled a chuckle, running for the gate with Lute following behind. Devland grinded his teeth and slowly walked after them.

The gate opened and Kara wasted no time hugging Knox and giving Piercer a noogie against the top of his head.
“I knew you could both do it!”

“Let’s not rush to emotional conclusions.” Devland walked past Kara and Lute before stopping in front of the two returnees.

“Do you have-”

“Here ya go.” Knox happily interrupted, already digging inside his dampened book bag and handing him the science book. “Of Stars And Things. I’m sure it’s a great read, but I was too busy trying to live to read it.”

Devland took his time studying the cover and flipping through the pages before slowly looking back up.

Knox stepped up and looked him straight into his eyes.
“Now...my sword? I missed it dearly.” he asked of him, refusing to hide the expression of pure victory that he gave off.

Devland pulled the katana’s edge out of the ground and re-sheathed it, slowly handing it to him.

Knox gripped the scabbard and took the blade back out, kissing the steel blade lovingly.

“I missed you, baby.”

The reunited group’s eyes were now all on Devland as he stood in silence.

“You can tour us around tomorrow morning. I’m super exhausted.” Piercer said, breaking the silence and walking past Devland before looking back. “Kara, mind showing me to the nearest towel? I’m just as wet as the ground is right now.”

Kara laughed and guided him forth. “Yeah...you look like a grey, wet doormat."

Devland waved a hand weakly at the large gate.
“Isn't this what you worked for? Why are you still out here? Please...do enjoy your stay.” he said to Knox, lacking any genuine excitement.

Knox didn’t hesitate to comply with the earned invitation. His heart burned brightly on the inside.

He restrapped the katana around his shoulder and walked through the large gated community doors into a whole other world of it’s own.

A world they had fought hand and claw to find.

Chapter Text

Two figures sat before the beautiful lake in the woods not far from their old home, one larger than the other.

“It feels kinda like a nostalgic dream...being out here in front of the lake so early...”

The adult mute wolf looked to the young human and ran a hand through her frizzy hair, which prompted the human to look up and meet with the wolf’s magenta-hued eyes.

“I know, Jolene...”

Jolene paused in her gaze and then brought it back down to her feet.

Seeing this, she didn’t fail to catch her foster child’s minute fretting. The alpha mom sighed a long sigh before resting a hand within the other.

“I’m deeply, deeply sorry for how we treated you when we first met. I was a bit...cold and distant. But I’m not the same person that I was so many years ago. I should’ve told you about my past experiences with humans. It almost...shaped me into the same monster I thought all humans were..."

The wolf tried to say something else. No words came out.

“We all have troubles. And it carries on until someone puts a stop to it...and that usually starts with yourself.” Jolene replied to try and assure her. “Those humans you said refused to help you when you and Charles needed it? That’s what helped stir your hate...your hatred for humans. But you have to keep it all behind you...” Jolene folded her arms and continued staring past the old lake.

Cecilia waited a few seconds before scooting herself closer to the human and wrapping an arm around her. She pulled Jolene closer until her head rested against her shoulder.

“I never thought I’d see the day...” Cecilia told the human as she smiled at the body of water.

“See what day?” Jolene asked.

The mute wolf grinned.

“The day where a wolf and a human would get along like this. I’m glad to have found myself wrong about that.”

Cecilia rested a hand on Jolene’s shoulder before getting up fully to her feet.

“C’mon, let’s get back to home. Your packmates are definitely up by now.”

The alpha mother’s eyes shot wide open in the dead of the night as the door to her bedroom opened in a rush.

“Cecilia! It’s Jolene, she’s gone!” her husband relayed it a panicked voice.

A smaller wolf popped out from behind her alpha father with a few tears beginning to streak down her eyes.

“I-she...must’ve left right after me and Jack fell asleep. I’m sorry I didn’t...I didn’t...”

Cecilia arose from her bed and wrapped her arms around her child. They met eye-to-eye.

“Margot, none of this is your fault. She most likely snuck out to get extra training hours in. Let me go out and look for her. Just relax yourself in your room, okay?”

“*sniff*...okay.”

As Margot slowly reentered her room, Cecilia’s husband gave her a concerned look.

“You should let me go instead.” he offered. “Better yet, we can both-”

“No.”

Cecilia’s serious expression melted into one of easiness. She cupped her hands against her husband’s cheeks.

“Charles...someone has to stay behind to watch over the kids...make sure they’re safe. I won’t be long. I swear.” the alpha mother assured. Her magenta eyes cut deep into his.

Sighing in defeat, Charles nodded.

“Okay.”

Jolene awoke with a startled gasp.

Her head was throbbing with pain. It was extremely dark and as her eyes adjusted to what they could, she registered two forms behind her as her body was pulled against the leafy floor of a forest.

She was being dragged.

“So what’s the full plan of action, exactly?” a voice asked gruffly.

“Once they figure out she’s gone, it’ll be too late. They’ll-”

The dragging stopped.

“Did you hear that?” one of the unknown assailants asked it’s partner.

The furred hands that gripped Jolene’s shirt collar had finally let her go, leaving her head to hit the soft and leafy ground below her. It was then that Jolene found the courage to look at her kidnappers.

They were mute wolves.

“Come on out, you coward! I know your hiding.”

Nothing but silence and a slight breeze against the leaves below and above.

Until something whirred from behind a tree fairly far away. By the time it was noticed, it was too late.

The rock connected hard against one of the wolves, causing him to immediately clutch his head in pain.
“Son of a bitch! Shit!”

The second mute wolf looked on with teeth bared at the shadowy figure that revealed itself right after. The form became clearer and clearer the closer it’s paced footsteps brought it until it’s identity was revealed in a conveniently placed light that the moon gifted through the forest of trees.

“Cecilia!” Jolene exclaimed, earning a sharp growl from the wolves that stole her away.

“You! Dammit, looks like we weren’t fast enough, ha ha.” one of the human-thieving wolves said with a chuckle.

The rock-stricken wolf had finally regained it’s composure and straightened out his leather jacket in agitation, teeth shown on full display with a wide grin towards the figure in the moonlight.

“Cecilia, Cecilia, Cecilia. It’s been a long while. How have you been?” the mute wolf asked with a fake, excited tone.

Cecilia removed herself from the moonlight and continued forward with a deep frown, her form becoming nearly invisible to Jolene as her foster mother rejoined the surrounding darkness.

“It’s me, Ty!” the wolf thief introduced as he brought out his sharp knife from his sheathe. “My buddy here is Flint. And you owe us a human.”

“You should have never have trespassed before.” Cecilia let out a deep growl. A deep growl Jolene had never heard from her alpha before. “And you’ll never trespass again.”

Ty slung his knife-wielding arm back and charged straight for her.
“Oh yeah?”

Cecilia stood stagnant and bold as a statue as the wolf in the leather jacket dashed straight for her with the full intent of ending her life.

Jolene watched on helplessly as Flint joined in after his own alpha with nail bat in hand.

Cecilia waited until Ty swung before ducking under the swoosh of the blade. Bringing a clenched fist up square against his jaw, the mother wasted no time slamming a fist down against the top of his head. Ty slumped to the ground, disoriented. 

The alpha mom’s eyes shot beside her and caught sights on the approaching bat. The alpha mother leaned back as it swung dangerously close to her. Flint let out a roar of anger as Cecilia danced round his second swing and pushed him into the tree in front of them. His head met the hard bark with a solid thud. Flint slid down the tree and before he met the ground, Cecilia gripped his shirt and yanked him away, leaving Ty at her mercy.

“Wait-” Ty managed to weakly say before Cecilia gripped him by his shirt collar and slammed him against the tree.

She kicked away Ty’s knife and gripped both hands around his neck while she gazed hauntingly into his eyes. The pressure of her hands increased around Ty’s throat as he scrambled his hands against Cecilia’s face, desperate to pry himself away from her. No amount of his pleading would cease her growing attempts at silencing him forever.

Accept for one thing.

“Mother!”

The familiar call halted Cecilia in her tracks.

She craned her neck to the side and found Jolene a few feet way, drowning in her tears. 

“Please...don’t kill him. Just send him away...I promise not to sneak out again...” Jolene offered shakily, wiping away the continuously streaming tears from her face.

Cecilia’s murderous expression eased on sight of the poor girl’s pleading form as she muttered something under her breath. 

The alpha wolf met with Ty’s wide and terror-stricken eyes once more. She leaned in until they were snout to snout and she began to speak through tightly clenched canines.

“Listen and listen very, very, very closely. And do not miss one word. If I find you, your pack, or any one even remotely associated with you come through our territory again...” Cecilia brung her mouth to the side of his head and finalized a whisper into his ear.

“I’ll make you bleed out for years, and years, and years before I let you die. I’ll make you wish you were dead before you even met me.”

Cecelia punctuated her claim by grabbing his head and slamming it against the tree behind them. rendering him unconscious along with his fellow pack pal.

The alpha mother breathed in heavy breaths of seething anger that remained before she looked upon a frightened Jolene. Then all of it melted away.

Cecilia wasted no time running up to the wide-eyed human child and wrapping her up in a loving hug. The mute wolf held her close and let the human bury her teary face into her jacket.

Jolene’s heart had eased it’s thumping. Her headache had disappeared like magic.

“You don’t need to apologize, Jolene. I already understand. Just please...please don’t scare me like this again.”

Jolene smiled through the slowly receding tears.

“I love you.”

Cecilia smiled as tears of her own followed just as Jolene’s had begun to retire.

“I love you too, darling.”

Around the brown, wooden table were many different faces.

Wolves.

A pig.

Humans.

And...whatever Dave was.

Cecilia set the last cup of blueberry tea down on the dinner table as she joined her husband Charles into a seat beside him.

“It’s wonderful of you to have introduced us to your friends, Jolene! We’re more than welcome to have given them refuge here, at least for the short time they need.” the Alpha mom snickered as Dave put back down his cup after being tempted to gulp it down whole.

“Heh, yeah if it wasn’t for Joley, we would have been Megamute mini meals!” the larvae mute exclaimed.

Jolene’s eye twitched.
“For the last time, Dave...it’s not Joley...it’s Jolene.”

Dave looked wide-eyed at the human blankly before picking up his blueberry tea.
“Whoops. Sorry. Again.”

“Anyways...this is Davey...”

“Hey!” Dave shouted.

“...and this is Benson. That’s Mandu, and she’s Kipo.” Jolene finished.

“Woah...” Margot was mesmerized by Kipo’s pink hair. “Love your hair color.”

Kipo almost melted in her seat.

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, thank you! And your blue fur is awesome! You’re whole family’s blue fur is awesome!” Kipo complimented as Jolene gritted her teeth in embarrassment, gesturing with her hands as she tried without words to tell her to calm down.

But Cecilia and Charles simply laughed along with her wolf children.  Friendly smiles grew across their faces.

Composing herself, Cecilia raised her cup of blueberry tea, signifying a toast.

“It’s been a pleasure meeting all of you. Here’s to the future. A future were humans and mutes can one day come together in peace. A peace that my precious children have helped to remind me is still possible. Especially you, Jolene...” the alpha mom gave her a warm look as she returned it to everyone else.

“To a better future!” Cecilia exclaimed with her drink held high.

Everyone else followed along, with the exception of Mandu, who simply squealed.

“To a better future!”

Jolene brung her drink back down to her lips and readied to drink.

But as her eyes drifted back to mother alpha....

Her eyes widened.

Something was hidden within Cecilia’s pink jacket. It stuck out almost like a sore thumb now that she paid enough attention. It was a white envelope. Jolene shook her head. She clenched her teeth tightly.

A white envelope.

With a pink Aries symbol.

Wolf felt as if her eyes would pop out of their sockets....but then another, much stronger feeling took it’s place.

Realization.

Lucid realization.

A bellowing rage filled Jolene’s heart.

Throwing her cup to the side, the blue tea was left to splatter onto the floor as Jolene climbed the table and bounded towards Cecilia. Everyone was too shocked to react before she slammed straight into the alpha mother.

Cecilia fell back in her chair as the Aries envelope fell out of her jacket. Jolene straddled her and landed her first punch against the alpha wolf’s face.

“Jolene, stop! What are you-” Cecilia never got to finish as the second punch silenced her.

“You’re a monster! You haven’t changed! You’re a liar! A LIAR!” Jolene told her with a tripling anger.

“This isn’t real!” Jolene screamed as she continued her rabid assault.

Despite her friend’s calls for her to stop.

Despite Margot and the rest of the young wolves pleading for her to stop.

She continued regardless.

“None of this!” Jolene screamed, tears falling down her face.

“NONE OF THIS IS REAL!”

Wolf’s final punch was what broke the illusion.

She awoke with a madly racing heart.

The ten year old raised her head from the wet ground beneath her. Her mind was still spinning, and she clenched and re-opened her eyes at the world around her to make sure she was truly in control. Eventually, her thoughts gathered. She looked all around her and connected herself back to reality before bringing her eyes upon the towering water tardigrade that was left suspended in disbelief in her successful escape from her dream prison.

Mulholland.

“H-how did you-” 

The death glare that Wolf gave Mulholland stopped his words flat.

She wasted no time running to her friend’s sleeping forms, shaking them until they stirred and praying it wasn’t too late.

“Hmmm...huh?” Kipo slowly drew open her eyes. “Jolene...Jolene, is that you? W-why did you do that to-”

“None of it was real. Just forget it, okay? We need to leave now.” Wolf ordered, helping her up to her feet.

Wolf and Kipo did the same for Mandu, Dave and Benson before an angry shout met their eardrums from behind.

“YOU WON’T ESCAPE! I’VE WORKED TOO HARD FOR THIS!” Mulholland cried out to them in a heated anger.

“GET BACK HERE! YOU CAN’T LEAAVE!”

They had no qualms with ignoring his voice. Wolf and her group ran and ran and ran through the closest forest until they were finally met with an end that led to a bridge crossing.

“Alright...alright, I think we’re cool.” Benson said through his desperate gasps for lost air.

“’Think’ isn’t enough.” Wolf replied, walking past him and pointing her deathstalker pole further down. “Let’s cross and find someplace to rest.”

The gray wolf cloak held up by the wooden stick in the ground.

It was Wolf’s primary focus as she absent-mindlessly listened to Kipo and her friends discussing the next plan next to her. The campfire kept them warm, but it’s effect seemed to past through Wolf’s mind.

Everything that was that gray wolf cloak had occupied her mind.

The empty, magenta eyes seemed to stare back through her very soul.

“Hey, Wolfie? You with us?”

Wolf shot her head back around to Kipo, sporting a wide smile.
“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. Just tired...”

 A little too wide for Kipo.

The pearly purple-skinned human got up and drew herself closer. Worry was written all over her face. Wolf’s smile had all but disappeared by the time she got close.

“Anything you wanna talk about? I mean, we just nearly got eaten by a giant water mute that creates dreams based on...our memories...” Kipo only managed to make Wolf retreat even more. Still, Kipo’s smile never faltered.

“Anything, Wolf. We’re all here for each other. Right?”

Wolf’s eyes opened as pieces of her dream flashed through..

Something was hidden within Cecilia’s pink jacket.

A white envelope.

With a pink Aries symbol.

The same envelope that Wolf was now reaching for.

She couldn’t hide any it longer.

Chapter Text

“What happens after we die?”

Knox looked up at his father with curious glee for an expected answer. The question stopped his dad and caused him to roll his eyes over in a brief bout of thought. Then he folded.

“Aha, you got me.” Knox’s father said with a slight chuckle, crouching down to his height. He stared caringly into his son’s eyes and his smile widened.

“It’s not really for me to tell you. When you’re older, you’ll be able to put the pieces together for yourself a lot easier.” Knox’s dad straightened his legs and turned halfway away before giving him a wide grin.

“But if you want my thoughts, I believe our life energy returns back to mother nature.” Knox’s father slid a finger and thumb down the lining of his white lab coat and tapped the folder clasped to the clipboard in his hand.

“I’ll see you later, champ. Daddy’s got work to do.”

Knox’s eyes slowly opened up to the bright morning sun’s light.

An instinctual yawn followed suit as he stretched out his body and groggily arose from the bed he found rest upon through the night. After rubbing his eyes, Knox’s mind immediately snapped to the one of the few things that had always gotten his first attention.

His katana.

The sword laid restfully in it’s red saya scabbard against the wall closest to his bed, awaiting for it’s service to be of use once more.

It was another reminder of their victory.

Somehow, despite the odds, he and Piercer had made it back safe thanks to the miracle of spotting the Las Vistas science observatory after hours of tired searching. Even more of a miracle they had escaped those dorky Newton wolves that resided there...but now that the Lensvile community was officially their home, all that was left was to understand how it all operated.

Knox gripped the katana and slowly slid it out of it’s case. The sun’s light reflected beautifully as it gave the blade’s edge a heavenly glow.

“I helped take down a dictatorial mute snake with this sword, heh heh...” Knox reminded himself with a self-humoring chuckle while admiring his withstanding and longtime weapon of choice.

His feet lowered and touched the carpeted floor. Taking in a deep breath, he walked up to his book bag and checked through to take inventory in case he left anything he might need. He opened up the many compartments, leading himself closer to the conclusion that he was all set. He opened one of the last couple that were left.

 His eyes went wide.

Inside one of the side compartments pressed against the bottom was a long, ripped piece of purple cloth.

Knox’s jaw was left to fall open as an unexpected and painful reminder of his past quickly gnawed into his mind.

Knox looked into Kessie’s dead, empty eyes as Elias gripped his shoulder from behind.

“C’mon...let’s...let’s bury them. More mutes might have picked up on us...”

Knox slowly turned to barely meet the young human’s eyes. Elias was gripping his deceased brother’s lute tightly and shifting his sights elsewhere around him, paranoid of his own claim. A very, very plausible claim.

So Knox did was was on his mind.

He gently lifted Kessie’s head and removed the purple scarf from her neck. Elias watched in confusion as Knox picked up his katana and ripped through the cloth, leaving him with what he wanted.

“What are you doing?” Elias asked with a slight pang of puzzlement.

Knox wordlessly wrapped the lengthy, purple cloth around the hilt of his blade, tying it into a firm knot and securing it.

He looked to Elias and sighed a broken sigh.

“Making another reminder for myself of who else I’m fighting for. So I don’t forget.”

Knox’s hands began to shake as he held the purple cloth in his hand.

Images of blood and sharp fangs overcasted his brain.

The sharp fangs of wolves.

The cloth was gripped tightly as Knox spun to retrieve his katana and re-tie the purple cloth around his blade’s hilt once again. The first time in eight years. He had forgotten why he had even taken it off. Maybe he had thought he had escaped something. But clearly the cloth was a reminder that he hadn’t like he thought he did.

Instead of mounting it on the nails he hammered into the wall earlier in the night as a makeshift mounting piece, he strapped his sword around his shoulder and made way out of his room.

Knox’s foot met the last step back down to the first floor and found Kara and Lute both sitting around the kitchen counter with Piercer choosing to lean against the wall nearby.

“Holding secret meetings without me now, huh?” Knox quipped lightly as he approached the conversation.

Kara tapped the counter top.
“Just didn’t want to interrupt your beauty sleep. You’ve been through a lot yesterday.”

“I mean, I’m seriously not wrapping my head around what you said in your groggy reply last night.” Lute added. “Wolves obsessed with science and wearing turtlenecks nearly ate you and Piercer? I gotta see that for myself sometime.” Lute paused as everyone laid eyes on him weirdly. It was then that Lute realized what it sounded like.

“No, I meant the Newton wolves, not seeing you both get...okay, whatever.” Lute looked away as they all chuckled.

“So, what are we talking about? Mind catching me up? Or is this a ‘is there going to be lots of food and buffets?’ kind of conversation?” Knox asked with jest before leaning into the counter, joining the bunch.

“Well...” Kara began. “The whole Scarlemange ordeal you and Piercer told us. If he was given the buck knife that I had used on one of those two-head flamingos, and then had those Newton Wolves to watch out for us...there’s a huge possibility they’ll be scouting us all out for a long while. We’ve gotta be ready for something like that.”

Knox side-glanced and nodded his head.

“We were also actually discussing what exactly we’ll be doing in Lensvile.” Kara added in.

“What do you mean?”

Kara got up from her stool and stepped closer before resting an arm against the counter opposite of Knox.
“Devland had us go on a treasure hunt to prove our usefulness. Nice. But that can’t be it. There’s got to be some kind of system to how this place is still intact. Are there group runs to go out and bring stuff back? Do they have sources outside that bring stuff in? This place is looking way to much like how it all must’ve been two hundred years ago.”

Knox paused and quickly took in the group’s musings.
“You’ve got a good point. I mean, I was thinking the same way yesterday. Guess we’re gonna-”

Knock knock knock knock knock

Knox and the group all turned towards the front door. Lute immediately got up jogged over to check it.

Piercer couldn’t help but grip his bag of arrows. His ears began to twitch.

Knox couldn’t put any blame towards him, as he caught his own hand after it was sent resting against the back end of his sheath.

Looking through the peephole, he turned back towards everyone.

“It’s some guy. A human.”. Lute relayed as he slowly unlocked the door and revealed the person behind.

The human stood straight in front of their house’s door. He was a rather broad and tall male with a noticeable scar running across the side of his face. His mohawk-like hair stood distinct along with his camo-green pants.

“Morning.” the human greeted. “My name is Peke. I’m one of Mr. Devland’s associates instructed with showing you around Lensvile to get you familiar with the in’s and out’s. Am I too early?”

Lute paused only to look back to his friends with an unsure expression.

It was Kara that filled in for him.
“Uh...yeah, just give us a few minutes. We’ll be right out to meet you.”

The human now understood as Peke nodded and stepped back, leaning against the brick wall beside the door as it closed, leaving them in their own privacy once more. Kara sighed and knocked a quick beat against the counter with her knuckles.

“Everyone ready? I’m itching to get this over with. We need more answers.” Kara got up and walked towards the door, ready to face the sun.

“Yeah,” Piercer pushed himself off of the wall and followed suit. “But I’m keeping these.” Piercer added, straightening his arrow pouch and bow. “Don’t trust this guy. Don’t trust this place. At least not yet.”

Kara narrowed her eyes exhaustively at the Archerat, not bothering to put up an argument.
“Ugh, fine...”

But Kara’s eyes widened in surprise as he caught Knox gripping the side of his saya, which held his precious katana. “You too, Knox? Hey, I get it. You fought hard out there to get that sword back...but we need to at least show that we’re at ease here.”

Kara had anticipated a witty remark, but her expectations were hardly met.

“All of this could still be some kind of entrapment. Piercer’s not that far off in his suspicions.” Knox brought forth. “Besides...this Devland guy irks me the wrong way, too. I’m sure you feel the same. This is for safe measures to show we aren’t simple, desperate newcomers.” Knox held down a serious expression as he opened the door for Kara and Piercer. Kara stood in place for a short moment before passing him by.

“Alright...but I already lost my precious buck knife. And I’m not replacing it with some random kitchen knife to bring around with me.”  Kara responded as she went through the door without a weapon.

Lute held up the house key and gripped the door.
“I’ll lock it.” he offered, strapping his lute instrument around his shoulder and leaving Knox to smile and let go.

As Knox turned, Lute happened to meet sights on his katana.

That’s when he caught eyes on the purple cloth that was tied around his sword’s hilt.

Lute paused and left the key halfway inside of the door.

He felt a deep, penetrating void in his stomach that took it’s merry time growing. A long, deep breath filled his lungs and then shakily released. Still, the void remained.

The door clicked locked.

The morning sun had reigned supreme once again, overshadowing the rainy events that had happened the night before. It helped symbolize the start of a new chapter as Knox, Piercer, Kara and Lute were led around Lensvile and greeted to the numerous facilities, and community members. And they were met with open arms all along the way, finding interests in the various roles some key persons played in the town. From blacksmiths to clothing tailors, it seemed so far they were in good hands with any needs. 

“We have another social worker around, but she must be really busy at this hour. Her name is Mrs. Mudiwa. She works as the community therapist and she’s also a helluva cook!” Peke noted to them, as he guided them down the pavement road past the multiple townhouses and towards what seemed to be the biggest townhouse of them all in the center.

“This is the main office. It’s Where Devland resides...” Peke revealed. “He instructed me to take you to him so he can relay the ground rules of the community...”

As they approached the building, Knox spotted another human sitting on top of one the brick of a nearby house with his arms folded. Watching them. Knox and the human gave each other long looks as they passed.  The then human brushed a hand through his short, blond and rugged hair before he put his feet back on solid ground and made way back inside of his house.

Peke caught the interaction and slowed down a bit.
“Oh, that’s just Shaun. He got here around the time this place officially became Mr. Devland’s community. Bit of a recluse to most of us and a little dense, but I wouldn’t mind him too much.” Peke suddenly brought full attention to Knox and Piercer, who wore their weapons like a badge of honor out in front of him. “Got a reason to fear us?”

“We don’t mean to intimidate. We just got here and...it’s just for habit’s sake.” Knox replied, failing to meet his escort’s eyes.

“Alright...let’s get you to the boss-man.”

“We only have a few days before he returns! If we don’t double the load for him, we’re screwed...do you understand, Sophia?”

The chameleon mute stood at attention, nodding her head in understanding.

“Yes. I understand. I’ll go back with Pete. We’ll find more. We will.”

Devland clenched the edge of his desk before easing himself back in his chair.
“Good. His raise in demands hasn’t made things any better. I feel he’s slowly breaking his promises to us. We’ll need to dig deep this week and-”

A sudden succession of patterned knocks resonated against Devland’s office door, prompting him to sit upright rather quickly.

The community leader pinched the bridge of his nose and waved Sophia off.

“Open the door for our newcomers. You are dismissed.” Devland told her.

Sophia griped the doorknob with her long, purple tail, not bothering to put the effort in the normal way. The creaking was silent as Knox and his small pose were revealed. She slid past the four, eying them analytically before disappearing around the corner. Peke saluted a hand towards the group as he followed behind Sophia, leaving them alone.

Devland smiled and leaned forward, resting his intertwined hands against the desk.

His full attention was now on Knox’s crew. The community leader fixed his suit collar and lifted his hands in greeting.

“Welcome and glad you could make it so early. Please, all of you take a seat.”

Kara, Knox, Piercer and Lute all sat across the desk next to each other, looking on at the man that had given them solitude not long ago. Now, things we’re soon to be given clarity.

“Now, as you know...I have granted you entry into this community for your quick wits and resilience. But that was a requirement tied to outsiders. You are no longer of that description as of now. I’m sure you’ve been wondering-”

“So how did you keep Lensvile safe after all this time?”

Devland paused in his expression as Kara elbowed Knox.

“Oh, that’s a fine question. I don’t mind answering. You see...not only do we have gate guards on duty every shift, but we’re also in a rather secluded part of Las Vistas when it comes to outsiders. Despite the many homes and buildings, any troublemakers rarely come around.”

“And have any?” Knox rebounded quickly.

Devland tapped the desk and remained frigid in his seat.

“Yes. And we took care of them. One recent example tried to break in after repeated warnings and threats, and our trigger-happy gate guard Jessie shot him in the foot with an arrow. He never returned. We give chances. Just not many of them.”

Knox remained silent.

“We also have underground basements in every home to assure safety should any Mega mutes make an unwelcome appearance. Any further plans of defense go on personally between me and my close associates.” Devland finalized, eying Knox as if to challenge him for another question.

Knox instead rested his arms atop his thighs.
“Alright...continue.”

“Now where was I? Right...” Devland stood from his chair and double his height over the four. “Now that you’re inside, I’d like to bring to your attention three simple rules. They are not to be broken. Under any circumstance.”

Knox, Kara, Piercer and Lute were all ears.

“One...” Devland started, bending forward to rest his hands steadily against his desk. “You are required to help out on any scheduled scavenging tasks to resupply the needs of this community. Kids and skilled trade workers such as our fellow blacksmiths are not required. One would be unethical, and the other already contributes plenty.”

Knox and the gang nodded silently.

“Two...you are to report any and every trouble to me directly if my main associates are not available. Anything that you hear having any shred of relation to this community gets relayed to me, Peke, or the lovely Sophia that has just left out. You let us know every bit. That’s a key contributing factor of how this place stays intact.”

Devland grinned widely and emphasized a single word with his hands.

“Trust.”

“Right. Trust.” Piercer relayed right back, his magenta eyes shooting straight through the community manager.

“A very fundamental and vital word, yes.” Devland dragged his eyes from the rat mute’s arrow pouch and continued to his final rule.

“Now...rule number three...in relation to the second rule.”

The four all awaited the final proclamation.

“You are all under every single circumstance not to tell anyone of this community.”

Knox felt his heart flutter.

Knox got up and reached inside his backpack. Ripping a page from his notebook, he pulled out a pen and began jotting something down.

“I’d advise checking it out. If your interested, of course. We’re sure to be there soon. I promise you that much.”

Knox squeezed his fingers for the second time that week as Devland finished up.

“Anyone that arrives under the impression of being invited will not qualify for entry.” Devland returned to his chair and rolled it in close to his desk. “They must find this place on their own. It’s how we deal with transparency, overpopulation and control. You could be unknowingly recommending a merciless killer for all we know. We evaluate from the gate, not on your assumptions.” Devland sighed and got up for the second time.

“Is all of this clear? The noncompliance and or breaking of these rules will result in permanent banning from this community. And worse case scenario...you’ll end up like our poor mute friend with the arrow through his foot. Any objections?”

Devland stood stagnant as Knox and co. looked to each other and nodded.

“None.” Lute said.

“No. I’m good at keeping secrets. Like really, really good.”  Kara told Devland as she waved her hands out.

Piercer tapped a clawed finger against his chin.
“Mmmmmmmm...fine.”

Knox got up and reached a shake-ready hand out to the suited human.
“Yes. We’ll keep these rules to a T.”

Devland slowly met Knox’s hand with a hand of his own, giving him a deep smile.
“For your sake’s you all better. But outside of that, you are all welcome here. Please roam freely. Meet more people. There’s a dinner get-together tonight as well. I hope you’ll make your appearances there too, if it fancies you all.”

Kara and Lute both got up at the same time, their hands clenched into fists in front of themselves.

“You bet it does!”
“You bet it does!”

Kara and Lute store at each other immediately after the fact before the former looked to Devland.

“See?” Kara told him.” “We’re all on the same wavelength.”

The moon hung high in the air with a few passing clouds as it’s company.

Knox kicked a lone rock across the street while he was watched on by Piercer from the steps of their new home. The rat mute’s eyes watched the human diligently as Kara stepped out through the door sporting a red leather jacket comfortably in the chilly breeze of the night, leaving Lute alone inside to finish dressing up.

“Ready for the big feast, Piercy?” Kara began, poking the side of his arm.

Piercer remained unmoving.

“He’s been acting off...a bit different ever since this morning.” Piercer said in a lowly voice to her as she sat down beside him.

“Different?” she whispered back, feigning a smile to Knox and pointing towards the house door behind them as he turned towards them. “We’re just waiting on Lute. He’s almost done.”

Knox nodded wordlessly, continuing his back and forth pacing.

Kara looked back to Piercer for further explanation.
“It’s...it’s probably nothing. Maybe I’m just reading into things too much. Let’s just-”

"Halt there!"

The voice that rang out belong to Jessie, the squirrel mute that regularly stood as gate guard and had met Knox and his crew at the gate first time around. Jessie voiced a few more words back and fourth with the unknown entities at the gate before turning to her gate guard companion.

“Go get Devland, and fast, Luke.” Jessie told her partner as the human leapt from the platform and began to bound down the street past Knox.

“What’s going on?” Knox shouted out as Luke dashed past him.

“We’ve got multiple outsiders at the gate! I need to alert Mr. Devland!” the human answered back in a rush.

Various other residents emerged from their houses as the loud commotion was brought their attention. Lute finally joined the call to interest and waited beside his friends.

It wasn’t long before Devland came striding back with Luke, walking as fast as he could to meet with the mystery guests. The community leader disappeared behind the cracked gate as it closed, leaving him vulnerable to whatever intentions any outsiders had for him, minus Jessie’s trained crossbow that remained aimed down behind where they couldn’t see.

“Who do you think it is?” Kara asked, keeping her eyes on the mumbling that went on out of sight behind the gates.

“I sure hope their friendly. I’m tired of using my lute to fight. It’s gonna break at some point.” Lute added with a chuckle that quickly morphed back into an observational silence.

It felt like forever. At least to Knox. He could practically hear his heart thumbing in anticipation through the silent night.

The gates began to slowly open back up again.

The silhouette of six different figures entered first.

One taller. Five much smaller than the first.

Highlighted by the moonlight, the tallest figure grew slowly closer with it’s arms wrapped around it’s sides, leading the other five in. A sky blue scarf wrapped around it’s neck. A black pencil skirt. A cobalt blue pea coat.

The figure paused just short of noticing Knox standing in the road.

Knox’s eyes slowly went wide. The mystery figure was no longer a mystery.

“C...Cecilia?” Knox called out, his expression that of disbelief.

The blue and white-coated mute wolf matched his surprise, the nervous grip on her scarf faltering as her arms were left to fall loosely to her sides. She observed and analyzed the human that stood relatively far from her.

“Knox?” the wolf called back. A wide and joyous grin spread across her face as the mute wolf dashed forward for the human. The mute wolf opened her arms and embraced Knox with a tight and energetic hug, which almost left him breathless.

“Cecilia...” Knox repeated. “It’s...nice to see you again, too.”

The mother wolf released her death hold and took a step back, cupping Knox’s cheeks and leaning in for a quick peck against his forehead as her children joined up behind her.
“I’m glad I listened. It wasn’t safe to be home anymore...”

Knox’s smile slowly fell into a frown as he side-eyed a hastefully approaching Devland.
“Did you...did you tell him-”

“Knox.”

The human turned fully and reluctantly towards the Lensvile’s community leader. Devland’s deeply stern expression told it all before he said anything.

“I need you both at my office. Immediately. Knox...you have some serious explaining to do.”

At this point, Knox just wanted things to unfold as quickly as possible.

Whatever came next, he was ready for it.

He had to be. They've been through too much for it all to end so soon.

Knox took in a deep breath and nodded.

“Alright. I’ll explain everything.”

Chapter Text

A human and wolf were seated in two chairs next to each other.

“Knox...” Devland said as he specifically store down the human from his office desk.

"Ms. Cecilia...” he called next with an equal stare.

“Now that we have gone over the community rules with our wolf friend here...explain yourselves. Now.”

Knox sighed.

“I met her after she saved me from drowning. It was after we had left to complete your quest. I fell off a waterfall and got separated from my friends after we woke a Megabunny...unwillingly.”

Devland eased his frustrated and uneasy expression to let pass wider eyes.
“So that’s what all that ruckus was about? Could hear it all from here.”

“Yes,” Knox confirmed, leaning forward. “Then Cecilia saved me. I followed to thank her, but found her later on being attacked by some jerk weasel mutes...”

Devland’s eyes lit up, but quickly narrowed back down.
“Weasel mu- oh never mind, please continue.”

“Right...” Knox continued on. “After I took care of them, we joined each other. She was...not exactly friendly at first, but we got used to each other.” Knox slightly laughed, halting after he caught Cecilia’s frozen eyes on him. They looked deeply into his eyes. The wolf quickly snapped her eyes back to the community leader after he started again.

“Well...” Devland got up and gripped the side of his face. “Is this all?”

“He saved me and my children by giving me those instructions.” Cecilia concluded. “I don’t believe me and my kids would have survived more than another month had he not given me a chance...please understand-”

“I understand completely.” Devland responded, unfazed by her sentimental. “What I don’t understand is why Knox withheld this information from me in our earlier meeting.”

Knox kept his eyes trained directly into Devland’s. 

“That was entirely my fault. I take full responsibility for that, and I’ll do everything I can to rectify that mistake...but I also know full well that had her kids not have been with her, you would have never let her in. I know she deserves to be here...and I didn’t want to take that risk.” Knox said, clenching his knees with his hands.

He didn’t see it, but Cecilia gave Knox a small smile.

“And here we are.” Devland turned to face away from them. “This is your last warning. Do not leave me out on anything like this ever again. Or I will send you and your group away permanently. Including Ms. Cecilia. Do you two understand this?”

Cecilia and Knox nodded in understanding.

“Good. I’ll remind once more that you two are to stay together in Cecilia’s new home until your scavenging task is complete. She’ll need to prove her loyalty before I give her my best in accommodating her. You are both dismissed.” Devland turned back to face them again. “And do enjoy the party. It’s to start soon.”

Devland hurried them out the officer door and shut it with a parting gesture.

What they didn’t get to see was Devland’s nervous expression manifest fully as he fell back into his chair, holding his head in worried thought.

“They can’t be the same ones.” the community leader assured himself with weak resolve. “It’s been too long since they left...but they can’t be...”

 The mirror mirrored Kara’s reflection into itself.

Pulling her hands from the sink water, she splashed her hands against her face, washing away any possible drowsiness that might have resided. The community dinner party was not long to start, and she felt an unexplainable wave of dread wash over her. A small wave, but one enough to send her to the bathroom at the last minute.

“Don’t tell me after getting chased by Mod Frogs, captured by mute snakes and nearly beaten to death by  skunks on scooter bikes that I’m suddenly getting antsy about a freaking dinner party...” Kara said to herself as she grabbed a towel and dried her face.

But deep down, she knew it wasn’t any of those things. It was something much more personal. Something she had tried to avoid. Something that was right in front of her. Brought to her attention in the mirror’s reflection was a silver chain. Her mind went blank, and her hands slowly went for the necklace half-hidden under her shirt. A finger looped around the silver chain and pulled upwards to reveal the green-hued hexagon crystal that accompanied it as it’s main centerpiece.

Kara couldn’t move.

Then everything seemed to spin.

She clenched her eyes tight and collapsed to her knees, nearly ripping the necklace off as she clenched it.

“I’m sorry Amanda...” Kara cried out as tears began to blur her vision. Her sobbing became more apparent and aggressive as she failed to pull herself up, falling back against the wall behind her. “I’m sorry....I’m sorry...”

Her sobs didn’t go unnoticed. Piercer knocked on the door repeatedly from the other side as she went on in her sudden grieving.

“Kara, are you alright? What’s wrong?” the Archerat called as he tried his best not to invade her privacy. After getting no reply, Piercer gripped the door handle and slowly revealed himself to the scene of Kara’s breakdown.

The rat mute immediately knelt down to the human’s side and laid a paw on her shoulder.
“Kara, you have to tell me what’s-”

“I miss her...” Kara relayed to him through her broken crying. “I miss my sister. And I don’t even know if I can still believe she’s still alive.”

For so long, she and her group have been on the road in search for solitude. And practically none of it was spent grieving for their loss. The loss of a sister and friend. Piercer knew the feeling. He conjured images of he and his fellow Archerat clan on the last day he would ever see them alive again. It was jarring. He still had nightmares and hallucinations. He just didn’t tell anyone.

Piercer lifted his hand off of Kara’s shoulder and wrapped his arms carefully around her trembling form, comforting her.

“I understand.” Piercer told her softly. “I’ve lost people I love too, as you know. And I haven’t had time to grieve. At first, I tired my best to avoid it. Like I had to keep moving away from the idea to survive. Then I met you and Knox...I believe it’s time for you to finally start that process now.”

Saying nothing else, Kara responded by resting her head against his chest as Piercer welcomed her sadness, making it clear it wasn’t just her’s to bare alone.

Kara finally replied.

“I’ll try...” 

Cecilia cattled her children timidly behind Knox and Lute as they entered the large dining area of the building. There were familiar faces from earlier that Lute and Knox could make out, but the mute wolf was completely out of the loop. She and her cubs had just got here. The alpha mother grated her teeth as her presence was made known to the various humans and mutes who had gathered together. She could’ve analyzed their mixed looks all day, but ultimately, she couldn’t let her own internal judgments get the best of her. However, what she could make of all the passive expressions and side glances as they passed by was clear to her.

‘Wolves have never been in this community before...’ Cecilia thought to herself.

“Oh! Knox and Lute, just a minute.”

The call got their attention. Just around the corner popped out another human. She was relatively tall and sported hoop earrings on each ear. Her afro was adorned with a red headband around her forehead. She waved and walked up to them with a welcome grin.

“So...you all made it!” she exclaimed joyously. “I was told their were newcomers, but unfortunately I was busy with some working matters to properly introduce myself. My name is Mudiwa. “Ms.” Mudiwa when I’m on the job, ha ha.”

“So you’re the mysterious therapist and famed cook Devland’s assistant was talking about? Ha, nice to meet you.” Lute gave out his hand and shook hers, Knox following in suit.

“I’m guessing it was Peke?” Mudiwa replied with a raised brow. “He’s always overstating my abilities...and eating up my macaroni casserole. My assumption is he’s talking about me to everyone so he can flatter me into another plate full...but that’s just my theory.” Mudiwa jested with a chuckle.

And then Mudiwa’s eyes moved to Cecilia and her younglings. The alpha mother’s heart began to race faster, but her smile grew wider nonetheless.

“And you must be the newer newcomers. Welcome to Lensvile.” 

For a brief moment, Cecilia’s mind went blank. But she caught herself. The alpha sucked in a discreet breath and built up a small momentum of confidence. Just enough to get her tongue rolling.

“S-sorry, it’s been awhile. A very long while since me or my children have been around this many people. We’re extremely grateful to be here. My name is Cecilia...and these are my children; Margot, Sebastian, Rupert, Josef and Jack.” Cecilia slowly held out her hand to shake. 

Mudiwa wasted no time meeting it. “It’s nice to meet all of you.” the therapist said, waving to the young wolves who remained within comfort behind their parent. “We’ll all get used to each other soon enough.”

The door next to Knox and Lute opened suddenly and revealed the eventual forms of Kara and Piercer.

“Sorry were late...” Kara said with a small voice.

“No worries. You must be Kara...and Piercer.” Mudiwa responded, shaking their hands respectively.

“Here, let me lead you to your tables. I made sure to keep you all seated next to each other. Mr. Devland will be here shortly to get you all properly introduced.”

Mudiwa nodded them over to the direction she began to walk. Knox and the rest unquestionably followed, Cecilia gluing her eyes forward in an attempt to dodge the growing contact of eyes that brung attention back to her from behind.

 Piercer and Kara found themselves seated first with the Archerat holding her hand under the table, helping to keep her calm from her recent breakdown.

The tables were already accommodated with refreshments and were fairly large, but as Cecilia observed the table Knox planned to join his friends at, she quickly understood that there weren’t enough spaces for her and her children. She looked over to the empty one behind her and half-smiled.

“It’s okay, we’ll just-”

Knox held up a hand, halting her turn away from his table. He turned to his group and found they were already aware of the situation.

“It’s fine, dude. You all need to catch up. Besides, we’re only, like, seven feet away, anyways.” Lute affirmed with finger guns.

Knox nodded and took a seat beside Cecilia as she and her children took seats at the round table. It was only then that he finally got to take time to speak with the mother’s kids.

“So...how’s it been? On the road to get here, I mean. You all must be exhausted.” Knox asked, pondering for a moment at the slice of bread he pulled out of the basket.

The kids all looked to each other before one rested a hand on the shoulder of Margot, the only girl of the bunch, as her eyes gradually darted down. He responded for her.

“It’s been...”

Cecilia nodded him on.
“Please, Jack. Raise your voice...it’s okay.”

He took in a deep, exasperated breath.
“It’s been hard. But we made it. We all...” Jack paused and clenched his eyes shut before opening them up to meet the human’s. A new-found smile spread across the wolf child’s face. “We made it. That’s all that matters.”

Knox wasn’t buying it. They were clearly here, but something else was certainty left behind. He lifted his glass of water and took a sip. “I’m glad you’re all okay. I know it wasn’t easy.”

“Sebastian tripped over a bucket and woke up a group of Deathstalker scorpions and we all almost got eaten because-ow!” the larger wolf, Rupert, gave Sebastian a narrow-eyed look as he rubbed his shoulder.

Cecilia sighed with half-lidded eyes just as a voice cut through the overall room chatter. Everyone stopped talking in the room as they laid eyes on one Devland as he finally made his presence known to everyone.

“Hello and welcome, all. I’m very pleased to have everyone present this fine night! As you know, as per ritual...this isn’t just any ordinary dinner party. This is a get-together to commence a proper warm welcome to our newest members of this wonderful community. I’d like to waste no time before the dining to bring them to the full spotlight. Please, if I could ask them to stand...”

Cecilia met eyes with Knox and he smiled in return, raising his shoulders and following the request to stand.
“Might as well bask in the glory while we’re still fresh, right?”

Cecilia felt comfortable enough to follow behind his action, gesturing for her children to do the same. Lute, Kara and Piercer copied the actions.

The whole room was on them.

“Now...” Devland continued, raising the drink glass in his hand. “Let’s give a toast to they're best here at the lovely Lensvile!”

The raising and clinking of glass from humans and mutes alike initiated all around to the newest additions to the neighborhood.

“It’s a real lucky honor for us all to be here at all. We’re thankful for everything really.” Knox spoke up, mirroring the gesture with a glass of his own. “Looking forward to doing our part. I speak for all of us on that. Cheers.”

And with that, the friendly congregation all pursued after Knox’s action in downing their drinks.

“Thanks for that. Didn’t know what the hell I was going to say.” Kara admitted with a shrug.

Giving Lute and Kara fistbumps, Knox sat back down with Cecilia as they were finally served a full plate. The human took a firm stab at the fried carrots and took a bite. The wolf children (minus Margot) wasted no time in their attempt to ravage the dinner plates, but a disciplinary stern look from their mother stopped them in their tracks.

A sigh left Cecilia’s mouth and her sights floated around the room until something caught her eye through the many different bodies and forms present.

Another human with messy and short blonde hair had hawk eyes on her from across the room.

There was something undeniable about this man. Something...hauntingly familiar.

Cecilia’s eyes shifted back and fourth with this particular human. Despite looking away and secretly shifting them back discretely to check, the man’s gaze remained fixated on her. Even as the cheerful commotion died down and everyone went eating to their own business.

Then it clicked. It clicked in the way she had hoped it never would have.

NOT SAFE

The alpha mother’s body immediately seized up.

WOLVES HERE

“No...” Cecilia whispered under her breath, clenching her teeth.

WAIT UNTIL MORNING

The mother wolf clenched and unclenched her clawed hands and abruptly got up. Looking to a confused Knox, she smiled down to him.

“I’m making way to the nearest restroom. Need to wash my face.” Cecilia told him simply as she caught eyes with her children next. “I’ll be right back.”

The mute wolf didn’t have to check back to know who had mirrored her action. The dinner knife she had secretly snuck inside her pea jacket went unnoticed as she slipped into the bathroom.

Cecilia’s magenta-hued eyes met back as she found herself in the reflection of the slightly-worn mirror.

She waited. She waited for the inevitable. She could feel it through the chills that ran over her fur. And her ears picked up the confirmation through a pair of particular footsteps.

Her eyes narrowed as the door to the bathroom slowly creaked open behind her. Steps were present against the tiled floor until a figure popped up in her peripheral vision in front of another sink beside hers. The sink cut on and water streamed out as the person gathered a handful.

“Small world, no doubt.” the man said as he coated his face with a splash of sink water. 

Cecilia didn’t reply. Her gaze into the mirror at herself only hardened.

“It’s been about five years and even from far across a large room, I can still recognize remnants of those poisonously condescending eyes.”

Cecilia still didn’t meet eyes with the human, even as she felt them beam at her unmoving form.

“The name is Shaun. Never got the chance to tell you while your mate was choking me near half-to death with the blood of my friend all over y-”

“Enough.” Cecilia just barely stifled a growl. Her teeth felt as if they would finally shatter under the pressure she was clenching them. “That was long ago. Perhaps this is more karma at it’s work. But you are not absolved of your sins, either. Your “friends” were the cause of their own fates. And just barely brung you along with them. You should have left my family alone. And you will not be of any further trouble to me. Leave it at that.”

The alpha mother slipped past a grinning Shaun and as she gripped the door handle to leave...

“So where is your husband?”

Cecilia stopped in her tracks as her hand tightened around the handle of the door. It began to jitter with anger.

“Didn’t see him at your table. Did he croak before you got here? Or was it-”

Shaun never got to finish before the bathroom door slammed behind the wolf.

It was as dark as it was before when the get-together came to it’s end. Knox led the way as he walked slowly down the street back to their housing.

“So...you and Cecilia are supposed to go back out there square in the morning, right?” Kara asked as they stopped.

Knox nodded and looked at the pavement.
“Yeah. We meet at Devland’s office for the task square in the morning, yeah. We don’t know what it is yet though...” Knox sighed. “Hey, listen...I’m sorry. I’m sorry for not telling you about inviting Cecilia. I never clarified that back out when we found each other again before coming here. I should have back when Devland first-”

“It’s cool. Really, I understand. You were unsure if it would have disqualified her immediately had he known you told her to come here before.” Lute budded in with a smile.

Piercer shrugged in agreement.
“I honestly would’ve done the same. And I still don’t trust Devland.”

“Does his many suits rub you the wrong way, or something?” Kara replied with a chuckle.

Piercer narrowed his eyes, indicating seriousness.
“Don’t tell me you all don’t either.” Piercer said this just as Cecilia and her children caught up fully with the group.

Kara lowered her eyes. “Yeah, okay...I don’t either. I don’t think any of us really do yet. But the people here seem genuine. Let’s just tone the passive hostile thinking down a bit until further notice.”

Knox turned away from the conversation to meet directly with Cecilia and her young ones. He failed to keep in a sigh and gave his friends a tired look. “Okay, it’s time to recharge for the big day tomorrow. I’ll have to stay with Cecilia in her own place tonight and until we come back from Devland’s assignment.”

Kara stifled a surprised look and nodded.
“Right...well, good luck in advance. I’m sure this’ll be a doozie.”

Knox waved his pals off as he joined the alpha mother by her side and up the steps to her assigned house. Her children predictably all rushed inside before them. All accept for Margot, who remained by her mother’s leg. Her mom laid a hand on her head and looked down to her. 

“It’s okay. Take a look inside. Get used to it. We’re all going to be here for a while.”

Pondering the advice, Margot slowly made way inside after her brothers, with Cecilia and Knox not far behind.

The layout was the same as Knox and his group’s assigned house, accept for a few different placements of furniture. It was relatively dark, but the moon and a few candles helped alleviate this. Jack, Josef and Rupert all stood and argued on who would stay with who, but the score was settled by Cecilia as she stood authoritatively in front of them, her size towering over their forms.

“Since you all can’t come to a solidified agreement, I shall choose for you. Josef, Rupert and Sebastian will take this one and Jack and Margot will join each other in the next. Same arrangement as usual.”

Jack mumbled under his breath before complying.

However, Margot simply giggled.
“Splendid!” she said in a mockingly joyous tone. “Now I have someone to share my extensive knowledge of flowers with all day!”

With all children but Jack satisfied, they went through their rooms and closed the doors, leaving Cecilia and Knox alone.

“I guess were heading upstairs then?” Knox guessed satirically as he waved both hands to the stairs. “M’lady...” 

Cecilia laughed lightly.
“Don’t mind if I do.”

Once the second floor met them, they were met with two rooms. One directly in front of the stairs and one further down the hall. Knox pointed to the one further away and gripped the strap of his katana case.

“Whelp, I guess I’ll see you in the morn-”

“Knox...could you...sleep with me tonight?” Cecilia interjected with her eyes briefly darting to the ground.

A slight blush overtook Knox, but he tried his best to hide the unexpected shock of the request. Thankfully for Knox, he didn’t have to ask why.

“It’s been a long journey and I don’t...I don’t feel safe, that’s all...just for tonight until the morning is all I’m asking. I mean, don’t feel like you have to either.” Cecilia gripped one of her arms as Knox looked into her eyes.

The human felt a slight feeling of apprehension pass over him as he stared frozen at the slits in the alpha mom’s eyes.. He held back the urge to glance at the purple cloth that remained tied around his long blade.

“That’s...fine with me...but I’m sleeping on the very edge of the bed.”

Knox and Cecilia situated themselves on the bed of the room, sleeping opposite sides of each other. The human couldn’t bring his eyes off of his katana, which laid on the nightstand next to him. He couldn’t stop staring at that cloth that remained tied to his sword and his conscious.

“Those hyenas came back, Knox.”

The human shifted to the alpha mother to find her staring at the ceiling.

“They came back awhile after you left and they tied me and my family up...they killed my friend. And I killed them in return. I just...wanted you to know.” Cecilia closed her eyes and turned to face opposite of him.

Knox took in the new information, dragging his eyes away from the wolf.

“...oh.” Knox replied simply. “If you ever feel you need to, Ms. Mudiwa’s therapy talk is always an option. You can let out anything you feel your comfortable with to her. I believe I need to do the same at some point as well.

Getting no response, Knox took his own turn in staring up at the ceiling. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to get this stupid task done and we’ll try our best to get things straight. I promise.”

“Okay.” was all the human got back.

And the pull of the weight of everything the day had loaded on to him was what eventually pulled Knox into a deep sleep.

“Elias! Elias? Where are you?”

Knox held his unsheathed katana by his side as his eyes darted around in panic. The trees surrounded him with their colossal size present to his every step.

“You see...”

Knox turned to his right just in time to meet a rather familiar form tied to a tree not to far off.

Bound to it was a wolf blinded in both eyes.

The exact one that murdered Kessie and Bradley.

Knox clenched his teeth and raised his voice so that it echoed.

“Come out you coward! So I can do the same I did to him to you!”

“This was no wolf...” a voice monotonously responded as the originator revealed itself from behind the same tree.

“He was a mere dog...and dog’s deserve to be put down.”

The voice belonged to a wolf mute of pitch black fur. A necklace of bones adorned around it's neck. It hovered it’s sharp claws against the throat of the blinded and struggling mute wolf before he slowly dragged them across his neck, giving him an agonizing exit form his life.

Before Knox knew it, multiple wolves gradually revealed themselves around him, finding one was restraining his lost friend. 

“Elias! Let him go right n-” 

Knox was interrupted as the black-furred wolf stepped forward with unrushed steps.

“I’m about to show you what a real wolf looks like.” the mute wolf told him with a hauntingly wide grin. “And I believe I’m staring right at him.”

Knox gripped his katana tight and charged forward with maddened eyes.

Knox awoke to reality as the nightmarish rendition of his past finally came to a halt.

But this time, he didn’t awake with a shout. He merely took another quick glance at the still-sleeping form of Cecilia.

His apprehension only grew. He felt that if he turned back around, she would-

“No...” Knox whispered as he forced himself to lay his katana off the nightstand and on the floor, out of sight.

“No...” Knox repeated to himself as he clenched his eyes shut and forced himself to return to sleep, regardless of what other past horrors lay in wait.

Chapter Text

Jamack stood amongst his Mod Frogs in the large ball court in anticipation while his gaze followed Scarlemange as he spoke on. With the mandrill mute’s arms crossed behind his back, he finally turned directly towards them again. A glint of skepticism and optimism mixed together into something ultimately unreadable as Jamack tried in vain to observe so.

“Even though your human-catching ethics are rather impressive...bringing back only one human this time around is disappointing to say the least. But alas, low points are a part of the game, I guess...oh, and speaking of games!” Scarlemange pipped up ecstatically at the approaching human whose face remained twisted with an unshakable glee underneath the mask she wore over it.

A glee that Jamack knew full well was not by choice.

And thanks to him, this was her fate.

Elise's fate.

In the human’s hands was a tray with a single glass of fresh lemonade, ready for the taking. Scarlemange’s taking, of course.

“Why, don’t mind if I do.” the mandrill voiced as he sipped down half of it’s contents, punctuating a satisfied sigh. 

A moment of satisfaction, a moment of the Mod Frogs awaiting in awkward silence, and a moment of thought before Scarlemange came to again.“Right! That other thing...what was the other thing you were going to inform me of?”

Jamack felt an elbow dig into his side and met with the eyes of Harris as he wordlessly nodded his head towards the mandrill. Well red-eyes certainly wasn’t gonna tell him.

“Right. Well...you see, back at...where we found this human...”

Scarlemange sat the glass of lemonade back down and store deeply into Jamack’s eyes. They didn’t blink, nor did they move.

“Jamack...if you’re going to tell me something big...be very, very clear and concise about it.” Scarlemange took a step closer to the Mod Frogs as he shooed the human away. “Tell me now.”

Jamack watched behind the mandrill as Elise’s form disappeared behind the dining hall doors. His teeth clenched behind his lips. He would have to break his promise to them. Something he rarely did, because he made sure in trying his absolute best to never put himself in a position to lie. It bred the possibility of owing someone back. Well...whoops.

“We found that human in the van of the Ratland owners. Amy and Brad. We believe they...have been smuggling and giving other humans sanctuary.” Jamack revealed.

The whole ball room was left to silence as Scarlemange remained stagnant in his gaze. Then he smiled. Then he laughed. The mandrill laughed until he gradually slowed down into an exaggerated sigh of what seemed to be comical relief.

“I honest-to-mute thought you were going to say one of your own died or something, ha! As for the brave little Ratland rats...I’m hardly surprised. I’ve actually been given some confirmation of this after my flamingo riders so graciously gifted me with something that no doubt belonged to a human.” Scarlemange turned away and retracted away towards the stairs to the second floor. “The Newton Wolves have also relayed to me that they’ve recently had a run-in with the owner’s human friends...knowing wolves, they probably let them go for some stupid hunt and lost them that way...but I digress! I’ll deal with Ratland. You all just keep reeling in the humans.”

As Mrs. Sartori took the lead back outside, Jamack felt a pressure lift off his mind.

But some piece of it refused to leave. Jamack couldn’t quite place what it was.

And he really hated that.

The engine to the black car revved on gently as Jamack’s foot pressed slightly against the gas pedal. He found his intense and unmoving look at the long road stretched in front of him finally break as his mind suddenly called him to look at the still bright evening sky. The sun was a welcoming sight to behold, given the earlier storm that had passed by a couple days earlier. He never took the proper time to observe the ever-omniscient ball of fire in the sky.

“I just want us to be on the same page, Harris.” Jamack said as his eyes remained steady ahead. “I understand why you did what you did. To that human. Rush-of-the-moment action. He had a knife.”

Quiet followed, but Jamack could tell a pair of red eyes were now on him, if they weren’t already.

“I know.” was what Jamack got back.

The stretch of road never seemed to end.

A balled fist was raised opposite of Jamack’s driving hand and left suspended next to him.
“I’ve got your back. No matter what.” Jamack proclaimed simply.

“We gotta get along anyways, otherwise we all end up dead.” Harris stated as Jamack finally found his gaze briefly leave the front window. The same time Harris’ fist met with his own.

Jamack followed up with a nod.

 But Jamack’s vision met back with the road too soon to notice the small figure that fled across it from behind a nearby building.

“Watch out!” Harris shouted as Jamack automatically stomped the breaks, swerving just in time to spare everyone a a gruesome sight. The tires slid against the pavement as Jamack did his best to correct the imbalance in control, quickly assessing they weren’t going to be on the road for very long.

“Hold on!” Jamack commanded as their vehicle veered off into the grass and bumped boldly into power line pole, sending the airbags out in reaction.

Everything was a disoriented mess, but Jamack pushed through it and reached for his pocket knife. He deflated his airbag with it and as it decreased it’s pressure against him, he found room and concentration to speak.

“Everyone alright?” Jamack called out as he looked to his fellow Mod frogs, already getting his confirmation.

“Yeah, yeah.” Harris confirmed, fighting comically with an airbag of his own.

“We’re fine, but the hell was that?” their newest Mod frog, Brody, asked while Kwat easily handled the airbags of his and hers alike.

Jamack raced to look out his side window. His eyes caught the cloaked form of the culprit dash just out of sight down an incline and into the nearby broken city. “Someone that needs to be taught a lesson for crossing the street without looking.”

As Jamack swung the drivers side door open, three more figures dashed out across the street. But it wasn’t lost on him or any of the Mod frogs about who they were. Their colorful jackets and helmets gave them away immediately.

“Goddamn Scooter Skunks...” Harris muttered as he met with Jamack outside of the car.

The last of the three Scooter Skunks turned attention to the Mod frogs just before she disappeared behind the slope. “I wouldn’t trail us if I were you, froggies. This human is ours! Keep moving and get lost!” the skunk mute yelled out as she continued after her group.

Human.

It’s all Jamack needed to hear. 

Jamack slammed the car door and waved Harris over. Looking through the back window, he addressed the newest recruit.

“Brody, you're with us. Kwat, watch the car. We’ll deal with the biker punks. And we’re bringing back the prize. If we’re not back by sunset, head back to our territory. You’ll find us there eventually.”

Kwat nodded wordlessly as Jamack, Harris and Brody rushed down towards the city and after their newest goal.

Jamack and Harris’s feet pounded against the grassy ground before they slid down the slope to the underpass.

By the time the Mod frogs had caught up, they found the cloaked human already surrounded by the Scooter Skunks.

“C’mon kid, just give yourself up and everything will be fine!” the leader, Loretta, offered whilst swinging her arms out, the rusted pipe in her right hand arching with them.

The human youth only stepped back, pausing and gripping her purple cloak in remembrance of the Scooter Skunk that was behind her. Jamack observed one arm still within it and assumed she must be clutching something against her chest. It remained hidden under her cloak.

“AHEM!”

The Scooter Skunks brought their full attention to the Mod frogs who stood at the other end of the underpass. Jamack stepped forward and outstretched arms of his own. His usual smile of confidence went on full display as he and his two frogs followed suit. Harris gave out a practice swing with his nail bat as Jamack stopped not to short of skunks.

“I believe you biker scoundrels know very well about our rather impressive human count. You really think we’re gonna let you just-”

“Enough talk!” Loretta interrupted, pointing behind her at the trapped human.  “We found em’ fair and square. Now unless you want a pipe to the face, I’d advise turning around. Right. Now.”

Brody was fed up. The Mod frog took a solid step forward, eying directly at the Scooter Skunk that remained behind the human.

“Look, just give us the damn human! We don’t got time for th-”

*whistle*

Brody stopped and shot his eyes towards the origin of the whistle only to find his vision go white briefly as the force of a thrown lug wrench met him square against his forehead. The Scooter skunk that launched it let out a hardy laugh in response.

“Yeeoowch!” Brody cried as he stumbled back and tripped over a nearby worn down tire, clutching the top of his head in pain as he fell.

Apparently on the same wavelength, Jamack and Harris dashed forward together in retaliation. Leaping into the air, Jamack rotated his form before shooting out his tongue. But it wasn’t after any Scooter Skunk. It diverted and instead got hold of the thrown lug wrench, shooting it at the skunk mute residing behind the human. Barely missing, the brief distraction was enough to resend his tongue around the same skunk as his feet met the ground. The human teen wasted no time in bolting away at her reopened path to freedom.

 Jamack bent his knees and pulled his tongue back, sending the Scooter skunk forward and straight into Loretta. They both fell into a heap on the ground just as Harris’s bat met defensively with the third skunk’s weapon.

“Go! We’ll handle this, just get the human!” he shouted as he barely ducked under the Scooter Skunk’s swing and backed up.

Jamack nodded and grinned as the gift he’d been given scrambled out of the underpass towards the other side. He sprinted forward and eyed a nearby light pole. Why waste time on his feet? The Mod frog took in a deep breath and launched his tongue around the vertical pole, launching himself forward with greater speed.

The human glanced behind to find an uncomfortable sight. Jamack was heading right for her. The human’s mind raced faster, darting it’s head around for any sort of quick fix to the current predicament. Luckily, it was found in the form of the dirt that she ran under. The human’s run morphed into a slide as her hands collected a handful of fine dust. Jamack only got to register the smirk on the young human’s face as a cloud of dust rapidly overtook his vision. The Mod frog got the memo swiftly with just enough time to bring both arms protectively over his eyes as the dust cloud consumed him.

“Crafty girl, I’ll give her that.” Jamack admitted to himself through gritted teeth as the dust settled. He wasn’t expecting less, but he gave credit where it was due. The Mod frog took a second to brush off some of the mess she made on his Mod suit. But as much as his dirtied suit irritated him to no end, Jamack had bigger things on his mind.

He caught glimpse of the human as she cleared a swift turn into a worn-down shop and put feet to ground as his pursuit continued.

Maintaining a clean and pristine Mod suit would have to wait for the moment.

A loud crash was heard within the shop just as Jamack passed through the entrance. He darted his eyes around and met fast with the open door of a room that led further in. The Mod frog bounded forth and passed, quickly finding the source of the raucous noise. The dated, wooden floor had collapse under itself, a large hole left in it’s wake.

Jamack looked down it as the dust cleared to find the human hanging by a single hand. Her other hand was busy with clutching the square, paper-like object in her remaining, dangling hand for dear life.

“No, no, no, please, please...” the human muttered as the tears slid down her cheeks, her face contorted with absolute horror as her once-firm grip on the floorboard began to loosen.

The second the human’s hand slipped, two things happened:

Jamack’s tongue shot out and responded quickly to the human’s rapid decent, wrapping around her waist and placing her on solid ground away from the hole. The second thing being Jamack’s tongue shooting back down the hole again to retrieve the small, thin object that the human had dropped upon letting go. He had noticed her hiding something within her cloak earlier, and this had to be it.

“Perfect leverage to keep you from running.” Jamack thought cunningly to himself.

The young human grimaced at the tongue that let her go, leaving her free to do as she wished. But as she got to her feet, they refused to budge.

“Give it back.” the human girl told the Mod frog in a low, growling tone.

Chuckling, Jamack pulled the square object from his tongue and waved it tauntingly close to the hole in the ground next to them. “One wrong move against or away from me, and this precious item of yours goes for a trip down the rabbit hole.”

Seeing a visible concern perk up on the human’s face, Jamack knew she was here to stay. However, he had to know more about the leverage piece he held for it to be of any practical use. The human widened her eyes as the Mod frog drew the flimsy item in front of him.

“A photograph, huh? Looks pretty important. Say...who are these-” Jamack started before he was interrupted.

“My family!” the human angrily revealed with clenched fist drawn out in front of her. “My parents and brother! Now give it back! Please...or I’ll...”

Despite the angry bravado the teen gave off, Jamack had noticed the human’s legs we’re trembling. Tears began to fall down her pale checks.

Jamack paused as the context was finally put together.

“You we’re running from those scooter punks...after you found your old hideout. Is that it? You went back for your family’s stuff?” Jamack assumed, making full contact with her eye’s.

A simple, solemn “Yes.” followed.

The human no longer held any visible anger. As the human collapsed onto the floor, all that was left was sadness. The teen clearly wanted no part in showing weakness, but the emotions came out as they pleased regardless.

Jamack stood frozen in time the second the human gave her answer. A pressure overtook his thoughts for the second time. He was as still as a stone statue. Perhaps this was his weakness. Something he had also wanted no part in showing. But thinking back, maybe he should’ve heeded the warning signs.

Carrying about the human Harris had killed in self-defense.

Capturing the human’s partner Elise and turning her into Scarlemange.

Caring about the stuff he had always did. Why now?

Why was HE of all frogs-

“You need to do some soul-searching.”

Jamack’s head slowly dropped low as the words cut through his brain to haunt him once more. His eyes were forced to stare deeply into the frozen image of the human’s family. Their smiles beamed a cheerful light that the human would most likely never see again in person.

A build up of oxygen expanded his chest.

And then it left his mouth.

The crying human’s eyes widened in shock as the photograph was held out in front of her. She looked up at the Mod frog with a confused and distant look. Jamack knew it all too well. It was a look of a wavering distrust. 

“Take it.” Jamack told her, drawing his eyes up and away from the younger human. “Take it and go. And fast. This is your only chance. And if we meet again...” Jamack erased the thought. “Just take it and scram.”

The human slowly arose to her full height and flicked her eyes back and forth between the Mod frog and the photograph. The invitation wasn’t left up for long. With a swift snatch from the frog mute’s hand, the photograph and the human were gone. The girl slipped past Jamack and through the back door. As the door flew open and the sunlight washed over her, Jamack caught the human’s gaze one last time before she turned the corner out of sight.

Jamack stood stagnant with his hands in his pockets. Without another thought, he rotated and began to walk back the same way he came. He didn’t know what else to think. He had just willingly let a human free. He never did that. Ever.

But that lasting pressure on his mind did finally lift. The one that had plagued him all day. He thought about what had dragged his conscious to the forefront after all his years of being a Mod frog. Ever since he was a tadpole, he’d been hammered the Mod frog ideals. So why was he getting softer!? It irritated him to no-

Then he paused again. His eyes fixated on the worn-out and broken titles of the shop floor. The first idea sparked into his mind.

“Stupid Kipo...” Jamack muttered to himself as he reached for the shop entrance’s door. “Stupid, cotton candy-haired little...”

Jamack continued his silent ranting as he slung the door open and the sunlight fully met with him.
“”You need to do some soooul-searching.” the Mod frog repeated mockingly. “Yeah well-”

“Took you long enough, Macky.”

Jamack froze and turned to his left to find his fellow Mod frogs. Harris leaned against the shop’s wall while Brody stood with narrowed eyes, a bump on his head clearly apparent. That Scooter Skunk’s wrench definitely left it’s mark.

“H-hey! Um, so the Scooter Skunks are taken ca-”

Harris unfurled his arms and took a few solid steps forward. “So...where’s the human?”

Jamack felt a wave of nausea pass throughout his body. He tapped his foot twice and gave out a manufactured sigh. “Damn human got away. First the brat dirties my suit and then she nearly has me fall through the floorboards of this stupid, run-down building!” Jamack punctuated his act by kicking the wall of the shop. “Not having a good day. Let’s just get back to the car and go back.”

Jamack passed by the two Mods with a disgruntled expression. Harris and Brody turned and looked at each other, knowing smiles stretching on their faces.

By the time they got to the car, Kwat was still there waiting. She had already pushed the damaged, but still functional Mod car back onto the road. That frog was always handy to have around when your car needs a good push. Or flip, depending on the circumstances.

The doors open, closed, and they were back on the road towards base.

Seconds passed.

Jamack turned immediately at the sound of a flicker.

A look of complete surprise took over him as the scent of a freshly lit cigarette passed over. Harris store into the distance from his passenger-side window as he wavered the smoking cylinder in his hand.

“You...smoking again? You okay? Thought you quit...” Jamack asked, half-expecting a ranting outburst about his failed love-life, or something or the sort.

“Testaments and revelations, Jamack. Testaments...” Harris paused to tap the burning edge of the lit out of the open window. He never finished the second part again.

Jamack allowed the foreign, burning scent to punctuate the ride back the territory as he returned eyes to the road again.

The morning was long gone and in the distance, a sunset of an overwhelmingly orange hue took over the sky.

The black vehicle made it back to pond territory, but the front bumper was busted and mangled. They’d need to find a new ride if they were to avoid constantly getting laughed off by every Mod frog that passed by. Well, as they parked, Jamack and the crew caught snickers from the various Mod frogs present. They definitely noticed the rather unmissable front damage. 

As Jamack and his crew approached, their boss, Sartori, took notice. She flew to them with her fly assistance’s help.
“What held you three up? Not like you to be this late.” Sartori asked with the usual, stern look.

“Well, we were held u-”

Harris laid a hand on Jamack’s shoulder, promptly stopping him. Harris met him directly into his eyes and smirked. “Don’t worry.” Harris told him simply.

“Kwat...if you would please.” Harris said to the broad Mod frog as he pulled out his second cigarette of the day.

Jamack barely had time to react before his vision blurred. By the time he recuperated, his face was already shoved against the ground, held down by Kwat’s strong restraint.

“What the hell is the meaning of this! Let me go!” Jamack demanded with a loud rage, trying in vain to keep from gathering grass into his mouth. But he remained unable to move, despite his commands.

Mrs. Sartori looked on in shock before her expression contorted to that of an anger of her own.
“What in Mute’s name are you doing, Harris!? I swear Kwat! If you don’t let-”

Harris took the chance of ignoring his supervisor’s order, kneeling down in front of Jamack and lit the cigarette in front of him.

“Harris! Why are you doing this? What did I-”

“Revelations, Jamack.” Harris cut in smoothly before taking a drag of his smoke. The tree frog mute gazed directly into Jamack’s eyes with a creeping smirk overtaking his lips. He then twisted back towards Satori and let loose his build-up of smoke.

“Are so called “Mod frog” here...is a snake.” Harris said to Sartori.

Mrs. Sartori was still not impressed. With the help of her fly assistants, she hovered up to Harris’s height and bore down on him, highlighting an unmistakable seriousness. “Harris...if you do not clarify now, I will take an eye of yours as a warning not to test me again.”

“No need, no need.” Harris waved his hands out in front of him with a cool demeanor. His cigarette still burning, he knelt back down to Jamack and held the burnt end of his cigarette close to his cheek. “Now...my ol’ buddy, ol’ pal...please tell our boss here about how you let that human go today?”

The words sent an uncontrollable chill rippling through Jamack’s body. He should’ve known. He should’ve known the moment he met with them so suddenly out of the old shop. The revelation Harris meant was now as clear as crystal. If they didn’t see it, they most definitely heard it.

The remaining ordeal with the human. The relapse of judgment. The handing-over of the photograph. The releasing of the human. The entire incrimination.

“No point in playing dumb, right?” Jamack asked with a nervous smile.

Harris didn’t answer. He only drew the cigarette’s burning end dangerously closer. Finally, Jamack croaked.

“Alright, yes! I let a human go, okay! But it was just a kid! I know we’re supposed to-” Jamack was cut off.

“Enough Harris.” Sartori ordered, her eyes glaring down on Harris with a growing utter contempt. She leapt from the support of her mute flies and landed in front of Jamack. Reaching into her suit, a shiny pair of long scissors came into view.

Jamack’s heart dropped.

“You know the rules. The consequences. You were told and told it over and over again since your livelihood as a young tad. The Mod Frog mantra. There is no questioning it. And there is no more need for your tie.” Mrs. Sartori told him as she gripped the black tie roughly, effectively choking him.

Jamack gasped for breath and eyed the scissors as they unhesitatingly snipped his formal Mod tie cleanly in half.

He was officially a Mod Frog no more.

“But that’s far from the only thing you deserve. Why should I stop there?” Sartori told Jamack. A wicked grinned took over her face. “Make sure he can’t escape. Harris...hold his mouth open.”

Jamack could only do so much as Harris forced open his mouth, Sartori reaching in to grip his tongue. She pulled it out harshly and hovered the blades in between.

“This is your true punishment. A true Mod Frog’s gift is their tongue.” Sartori’s voice chilled Jamack to the bone.

“Not like this.” Jamack thought as the scissors got closer. “Not like this! Not a chance!”

The Jamack’s brain jolted into survival mode. They held down his arms and chest. But not his legs.

What Harris and Kwat had thought was more desperate struggling was actually a more calm and deliberate Jamack putting a last-effort plan into action. He was actually positioning his feet as straight as he could muster. He managed as much strength into his jump as he possibly could. To Harris and the rest of the Mod frog’s surprise, Jamack had actually managed to leap himself upwards, sending Harris and Kwat off of him.

The Mod frogs all watched as Jamack frantically searched for a follow-up. He could already tell Brody and Harris were ready to bring him back down, their mouths expanding and aiming their tongue launches toward him. But just then, Jamack found a tree. Sending out his un-snipped tongue, it moved fast to wrap around the nearby tree trunk and shot him away from the pond.

By the time Harris had moved to follow, Jamack was too far away to chase.

“Leave him. He’s got no tribe. No tie. and no pride. He’s already dead.” Sartori told Harris as she turned away.

Down the road Jamack went, head low, hands in his pockets. The road stretched on for an unaccounted amount of miles. He had no use for measuring the distance traveled, as there was no other place he had planned to go.

So as the sun made it’s final bid for the day, he kept on until he ended up passing through a park. He marched on and on until he heard a sudden melodic noise resound out from above him.

Jamack shot his head upwards, ready for an ambush.

What he got instead was a familiar face. That damn sea otter...

“Puck? Ugh, not you again.” Jamack rolled his eyes and turned to walk away.

“Aw, don’t be so down, dear chap! What’s on your mind?” the sea otter asked with a melody to accompany.

“None of your business, sea rat.” Jamack quickly retorted, waving him off.

Jamack continued on for a few steps...and then stopped. He slowly turned back around with his arms crossed and eyes closed.

“Well, I mean, since you asked...”

Chapter Text

"What a marvelous attraction!"

Amy and Brad shot their sights to the sky at the distant but still audible exclamation with their various other visitors following suit to find flying figures in the distance. The two amusement rat's hearts dropped. Despite the high heights, the wings and two heads of the fast approaching creatures was unmissable.

"Oh, no...it's Scarlemange! We need to-"

Brad's desperate rush towards action was met with a faster-approaching flamingo mute with a masked human riding upon it's back. The bird and rider swooped dangerously close past Brad, causing him to stumble over onto the ground.

"I wouldn't try anything if I were you!" the rider mute called out, re-positioning for another swoop, if need be.

By the time Brad met eyes back with Scarlemange's flamingo, he was already setting his down onto the ground in front of him and his sister.

"Now, now..." Scarlemange began, now unmounted and pacing towards them slowly in a predatory manner. "It's rude to leave so early when you're guest have just arrived! Don't you think, my dear park rats?" Scarlemange was now mere inches from the two rat siblings, towering over them by enough to give a clear physical prowess in height. His eyes shot through their own like needles, daring any choice of rebellion.

Brad stuttered, but gathered himself enough while he glanced to his sister.

"Wh-what brings you he-"

"You've been harboring humans. Admit it now, and I'll make this whole ordeal soooo much easier for everyone."

Scarlemange's accusation struck down any real chance of a brave front the two rat mutes could conjure up. They'd finally been fully exposed. The two had been ever since their recent group of human park guests had visited and the pair of Scarlemange's flamingo scouts that found them all not long after. Word was eventually going to get back to the mandrill...and so it had.

Another glance to his sister and Brad met them back with an unblinking Scarlemange. A deep breath and a longer exhale left Brad's lungs as his eyes hardened in a last effort of defiance.

Brad's body stopped shaking and his fist clenched tightly, his knuckles becoming more defined against his skin.

"Yes, we have been harboring humans, Scarlemange. And you know what? We don't regret it. Not one bit!"

Amy joined in while various humans were picked from the sky by the multiple flamingo riders. She gripped her brother's hand, joining in on his proclamation.

"Brad and me created this park for everyone! Mutes AND humans! The world won't be divided like this forever, Scarlemange. There's going be a day where both-"

"ENOUGH!"

Scarlemange pointed to a human rider beside him.

"You! Take these two to the sky, now!"

Without question, one of the mandrill's masked riders whipped the reigns to their flamingo and shot forward with it. In no more than a few seconds, both Amy and Brad were in the claws of the two-headed flamingos. Their forms wavered upside down as Scarlemange approached with his winged mute flapping right in front of them.

"You two will pay dearly for your abhorrent treachery...but before we get to that..." Scarlemange took his merry time digging behind his red frocked coat and gradually revealed a capsule filled with a blue substance.

Amy and Brad's eyes expanded in horror.

"Worry not, my little prisoners...I'll be sure to guarantee that you're little fun entertainment park of betrayal goes out..."

Scarlemange turned and threw the capsule over and down towards the amusement park with a ferocious roar. His sinister grin grew wider the closer it got to the ground.

"With a BANG! Hahahaa!" Scarlemange cried out in maniacal laughter as a bright flash of light was followed by a loud roar and ear-defending explosion, decimating all of Ratland and the surrounding area in it's wake.

The sun was brightly shining.

A slight nudge aimed to interrupt Knox's sleep within the comfortable confines of his covers. Soon after, a pair of hands began gently shaking his shoulders. The shaking became more intentional until he finally came to, blinking his eyes open ever so slowly.

Panic soon set in.

Magenta-colored eyes paired with a wide smile with razor-sharp teeth displayed themselves mere inches from the human's face.

"OH SHIT!"

Within the span of a second, Knox had grabbed and swung the pillow underneath him against the creature's face and tumbled backwards onto the floor. Instinctively reaching for his katana, he shot his face back over the bed as a bellowing laughter commenced and he soon assessed what had just happened.

"Bwahahaaa! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me, I just had to!" Cecilia clutched at her heart as she collapsed on the floor in a heap.

Knox, still in a defensive stupor, eased the iron-clad hold he had on his katana and his eyes narrowed into thin slits of betrayal.

"Whyyyyy?"

The mother wolf's laugh calmed and her smile died down to a guilty frown. Rubbing the back of her head, she composed herself and got to her feet.

"Sorry...perhaps my humor is a bit...out of touch?" Cecilia approached and held out a hand.

Still a bit shaken up, Knox met with her hand and arose, turning away quickly to grab his katana again.

"Let's...go and get this whole thing over with. Devland said he wanted us as soon as we woke up."

Downstairs, Cecilia found her children were still asleep. Giving her the proper time for a brief goodbye, Knox leaned against the nearby wall she gathered them all together. Many assurances later, her youngest child, Margot, gave her mother a long and pained hug, which was mirrored by Cecilia.

"Don't you worry, dear. We'll be back in a flash. Oooor within two days, if I'm being frank. Make sure your brothers don't burn the house down, alright?" Margot's mother quipped to her as the eldest children pipped up.

"Hey! I remember candle and fire safety!" Rupert claimed out loud.

Giggling, Margot's spirits arose. Even if by just a little.

"Okay. Be safe, mom...you two, Knox."

Knox gave her a quick wave of his hand.

"I'll make sure we both come back in one piece."

Devland's main office building was just in sight. Concepts of a future unknown passed through both Knox and Cecilia's thoughts as they walked silently down the pavement. A few glances and looks from inhabitants met the wolf as she side-eyed the various homes they passed by on their brief way towards the center building. Glances that held a sense of apprehension and worry to her. But Cecilia dismissed the idea of their resentment. She was extremely new to the community, and so was Knox. Drawing curiosity was expected and she couldn't blame them. At least...not yet. Maybe she was thinking too much-

"You alright?" Knox asked, causing the wolf to shoot full attention from her overcasting thoughts.

Didn't last even a second.

The moment Cecilia readied a reply of reassurance, another face caught her eyes right up ahead.

It was the face of someone she dreaded to see once again.

A dirty-blonde haired man was propped up on the railing of his doorstep, eyes trained deeply on the alpha mother as they grew nearer. And with a unfaltering smirk to match.

The same man from the welcome party. And her horrific past.

Cecilia met his glare with one just as equal if not more venomous as they passed each other by. She wouldn't let this pesky human ruin anything for her, or her kids.

The imprint of the man's grin never left her mind as her teeth instinctively bared and clenched. Even as they knocked on the main entrance door of Devland's office home. A reptile-like figure Knox recognized from their first meeting with the community leader answered rather quickly, wordlessly waving them in.

"Sophia, right?" Knox asked the tall mute with a smile. He got an unchanged and irritated look in response.

"My name isn't your business. Mr. Devland is." the chameleon responded in a low and venomous tone, clearly not in any conversational mood. Ignoring Knox's immediately sour expression, she pushed herself off the nearby wall as Knox and Cecilia came inside and slowly stepped further down the hall. "Almost there." Sophia relayed as they came closer to a familiar door.

Opening the door for them, Sophia backed up and let Knox and Cecilia through, revealing Mr. Devland eased back in his office chair. He ceased fiddling with his miniature desk globe and set it down to clasp his hands at their arrival. "No need to waste any time. Take a seat, you too."

Cecilia and Knox did as they were told, taking the very same seats adjacent to Devland as they did with their first meeting. Knox and the wolf mute gave each other quick, slightly nervous glances as the community leader began his debriefing.

"As you both know, I need you to help alleviate any issues of trust between us by successfully completing another supply run..." Devland leaned in and emboldened his trained eyes on the two. Scooting in his chair as close as he could, he revealed his task. "I want you two to bring back a cassette player."

Knox went blank.

"A...a what?" he countered in confusion, arching an eyebrow.

Devland leaned back and chuckled. Reaching a hand down into one of his drawers, he pulled out a piece of paper and slid it to him. The community leader explained further as Knox and Cecilia observed the descriptive illustration drawn on it. The buttons included a play, pause and rewind button. "It's an old-world device that I've found an extreme liking to. It accepts cassettes...small tapes that could hold helpful info in helping us thrive. Maybe even find out vital things from the old world and it's past..." The office chair scooted out from under Devland as he arose to full height. "I'm giving you two days max to retrieve a device of this nature. There could be variations, but they should all play this the same..."

Knox watched as Devland pulled out a rectangular object no bigger than the palm of his hand and tossed it to him. Observing the now-ancient piece of technology, Knox felt a brief wave of apprehension wash over him. "We do this, and Cecilia and her kids get to stay?"

Devland let out another hardy laugh.

"You do this and your whole group gets to stay! You fail at this...you're all out. That is how seriously I take this."

Knox went silent as he went back to studying the media object. He flinched as Cecilia wordlessly retrieved the object from his hands, giving it a long, unreadable look.

"We'll be able to get your task done within just a day, should no added problems arise."

Devland raised an eyebrow at the wolf's claim and smiled widely. He maneuvered from his desk and to his office door, opening it for them slowly. "Then by all means, get to it. The day is still fresh. I hope to see you within the time frame."

After waving off his friends, Knox found himself stepping further and further away from the safety of the Lensvile community once more. It was actually getting rather tiresome. As much as he hated to admit it, their brief stint inside the gates made him a bit softer for lesser conflict...but he knew better. No place was ever truly safe. Just...safer than most others.

"Knox."

The human gripped his katana's strap as he caught back up to the alpha mother.

"Yeah? Sorry, I was just thinking about-"

Cecilia didn't let him finish.

"I know what Devland's talking about. And I know where one is." the wolf revealed. She stopped with Knox as he looked at her in surprise.

"Really? How? That's super freaking convenient! We can go and get it and be done with this mess..." Knox caught that Cecilia's expression was still stuck on the down side. "What?"

"That's the issue, Knox. What are the odds that...remember back in the park when you helped me with dealing with those hyenas? The bag I stole from them had a device of this exact description." Cecilia re-studied the illustration of the so-called cassette player again on the piece of paper.

"The same hyenas you said you killed after they found you again? You think they're connected to Devland? Cause that is a huuuge assumption of a coincidence to go off of." Knox told her.

Sighing, Cecilia folded up the paper. Her fingers gripped the collar of her pea jacket as she continued forward.

"I...I don't know. It's just...odd to me. Let's just continue and get this done with. My home should be just a few hours away."

The shining sun accompanied the two on their way as they went. Knox kept a hand on his katana's case as he flanked slightly behind, giving glances past the trees and the gaps within. A whistle from Cecilia whipped the human out of his caution and found her nodding her head towards an old, run down warehouse just out of the vicinity of a nearby town.

As Cecilia approached the door, Knox slowly withdrew his blade and pondered on what she could possibly gain from wasting precious time searching through an old warehouse.

"Thought you said that recorder thing was at your home? This is...your home?" Knox asked with eyes still focused behind them for safety awareness.

"No..." the mother wolf took a long glimpse at the pink sweatshirt tied tight around the dual handles of the rusted building. "Just needed to check something really quick."

The sword in Knox's hand nearly dropped as he flinched at the sudden loud noise that erupted behind him. He turned to find Cecilia banging on the burgundy walls of the dual doors, staring unflinchingly forward at whatever consequences lay within, or without.

"Um, Cecilia? What are you doing?"

Cecilia responded by merely lifting a finger out to him, signaling him to be silent.

"The creatures that I trapped within these walls could easily be the death of us both. We must be patient..."

After another solid minute of waiting, Cecilia breathed in a deep breath and began to untie the pink sweatshirt from the doorhandles. Now loose, the wolf held the clothing in her hands and hugged it against her chest.

"Everything alright?" Knox asked.

Gripping the doorhandles, she very gradually peeked inside and let out a sigh of relief.

"I starved them out. Their no longer a threat." Cecilia replied.

Knox arched an eyebrow before finally catching what was said at the greeting party the day before.

"You mean what Rupert was talking about? The Deathstalkers? You were chased by one of those things?"

Cecilia turned from the door, placing the sweatshirt inside of her backpack.

"Yes. Let's go now. My home isn't very far from here."

Just beyond a break in trees, Knox had finally spotted the alleged home of Cecilia. Many roots snaked their ways through the multiple windows, glass shattered many years before the present. They grew nearer, and soon they were in it's wake.

"Just the same as befo...what?" Cecilia's jaw dropped before she fell on all fours and dashed towards the home as fast as her legs would permit.

"Hey! What's the rush for?" Knox asked in vain before sighing and running after her.

Cecilia's heart dropped and pounded faster and faster at the unspeakable sight now in front of her.

Her legs were buckling. Her teeth clenching. They felt they might break for the third time in a week.

In front of her was a grave.

A dug-up grave.

The dug up grave of her husband.

Cecilia's eyes immediately darted to the front steps of her old home. Bones were strung and hung along the railings. She didn't need to guess.

It raged a fire in her heart she'd never raged before. But her voice was silent still. She whipped the dagger from her hip and began to walk for the front door. All the while, Knox followed behind.

Finding the door was locked, the wolf had no qualms with barging down her own door. After the fourth attempt, the door caved inwards and fell with a loud thump.

Cecilia continued forward while Knox raised a finger, trying to lighten an un-lightable mood.

"I...could've locked picked it..."

On the first floor, she went door by door, yet Cecilia had found nothing. Sword now drawn, Knox watched her back as she carelessly stomped her way up stairs. Knox didn't have to see her face to know she definitely wasn't playing around.

On the second floor, her kids' rooms. Then her late-husband's study. Then the last one.

Her room.

Cecilia had her knife at the ready. She slowly twisted the doorknob to see it it was locked. It slowly turned a full rotation. A growl failed to stay within her jaws. After a brief lapse of silence, the alpha turned the knob and kicked the door inwards.

A shrieking laughter filled their ears as a dark figure darted out in a crazed hysteric, and a long makeshift scythe was raised above it. Cecilia didn't even flinch. Where the blade came down, the wolf mother was no longer there. Side-stepping the intruder, Cecilia wasted no time in driving her knife deep into it's side. The scream of agony that followed didn't match the intense roar of anger Cecilia had let out as she followed up with a punch to it's throat. Then a sweeping kick that knocked it off it's feet. At this point, the threat was fully accessed. A wolf with unkempt, midnight black fur lay on the ground beneath Cecilia. A necklace of sharp teeth of an unknown origin was worn around it's neck.

Cecilia met the black wolf on the ground, pummeling him with punch after punch. Knox lowered his sword, watching as he quickly got that help would not be needed in the slightest. Despite the gruesome beatdown in front of him, his eyes were more fixed on the mute's necklace. It seemed to paralyze him more than the gruesome thrashing the mother wolf was giving him.

He knew in his heart what it was.

Cecilia got up and grabbed the black wolf as it thrashed and panicked, passing Knox and uncaringly dragging the mute down stairs and outside. Knox slowly moved to trail her once more, but before he rounded the corner, a final shriek sounded out. The intruding wolf was no more.

Cecilia returned with blood on her fur and resumed towards her room.

it was only a few seconds later that she came back with two things: a pillow case, and a gray device.

No words were conversed as Cecilia tossed the device to Knox and passed him once again, her eyes empty and void.

Now outside, the pillowcase full of her husband's remains was held tightly in one of her hands.

Her legs finally gave to the rush of pressure. Of everything that had just occurred. She collapsed to her legs, her hands barely saving her from a face plant. The dirt that she reflexively gathered within her hands collected and clumped together under the pressure of her squeezing hands. Tears came rolling down like a rainstorm.

"Oh god...I should've...buried them somewhere else. I need to come back for Elsa..." Cecilia wiped her face, but the action did little to clear her watery-eyed vision. Just as Knox reached out a hand to reassure her, she held out a hand to stop him. In a forced manner, she straightened herself up.

"The universe will continue to punish me until I make things right...somehow..." Cecilia's other hand remained unmoving against the face. She gradually got up from her knees and brung the sack of her husband's bones over her shoulders.

Knox watched as the alpha mother slowly walked past him and back towards where they came. He watched her as she went, almost forgetting about the gray device that Cecilia had given him.

'This has to be the cassette player...'  the human thought to himself as he observed it.

Knox turned one last time at the dead wolf that now lay in the very grave it dug up. It's black fur glistened in the sun. It's scythe was propped up in the ground as it's grave-marker. More of a warning, if anything.

But it was the bone necklace of teeth that it wore around it's neck that still sent chills down the human's spine.

"It's not...they can't still be..."

It was clearly  familiar. And for that reason, Knox immediately cleared it from his mind. He would not remember. He would not go back. There was no need. He refused to even believe he saw it.

Knox told himself this over and over again as he followed behind Cecilia. Back to Lensvile.

Darkness was all there was.

All there was for hours. He couldn't really tell precisely how long, but it didn't matter in the end.

All that mattered now as the wait.

It was only the one brief moment where a plate of food was slid in to keep him living that he caught glimpses of any light. But there he sat, awaiting the eventual moment where he'd have to face his past mistakes once more.

It wasn't long.

The metal door creaked open with a mighty swing and he was greeted with the silhouette of a broad creature.

The closer it got, the more dread filled his guilt-ridden heart. He knew in his heart who it was before he actually did.

"Be very lucky I'm in no rush. No rush at all. I'll give you an honest chance to tell me where the she is...and if you still then refuse..." Scarlemange drew in closer to the human, baring down on him with his eyes. "I'll have to take more...forceful measures. I'm sure you're well aware of what they are. I'll give you a short while to ponder first." The mandrill's scowling frown morphed into a mischievous grin as he turned away for the cell door. But just before Scarlemange closed the human into the darkness alone once again, he looked towards his old mentor figure.

"Sleep tight...Lio."

Chapter Text

The daisy petals of her flower bracelet parted ways as the tips of Margot’s claws moved them around in a slow and careful manner. Her eyes were low and exhausted. She never did fully sleep through the night after her mother and the human left. 

‘Human...’ Margot thought to herself after a sudden realization. She had forgot already?

“Kno...Knox...right, Knox. That was his name.” Margot finally recalled. “I mean...they should be safe...mom will be okay, just go to sleep-”

The movement of another young wolf across from her on another bed rustled and had begun to shake groggily. He stretched out his arms and turned her way. “You...you still up, Margot?” her brother asked, rubbing his eyes and clearing his foggy vision.

Margot locked eyes with her brother for no longer than a second before turning away and laying down. She covered herself in her blanket before answering. “Sorry, just can’t...sleep. I’ll be okay.”

A few seconds passed before Margot’s ears perked up.

“You wanna talk about it?”

Margot slowly uncovered herself and her eyes became misty.
“...yes.” Margot replied with a sniffle.

Jack made his way over to his younger sister’s bed and sat down beside her, looking at her worryingly as her eyes began to increase in intensity with tears. Her brother Jack brung a hesitating arm around Margot’s shoulder and patted her back with the intent of comfort.

“It’s...it’s not about about mom...not entirely.” Margot clarified. She cleared away her tears and looked Jack in the eyes. “Do you ever...” Jack watched as his sister tugged lightly on her ever-present daisy bracelet.

“Do you ever think about...Jolene?”

Jack’s eyes widened and an uncomfortable wave washed over the insides of his body.

“Do you ever wonder where she is? If she’s still out there...surviving? Because I can’t sleep...every time I think of mom, I think of her...I’ve never stopped, even after all this time...” Margot’s eyes remained fixated on the wooden floor in shame. “I think of what we did to her...and what we could’ve done differently still...”

Margot let go of her inner turmoil, which had been kept in for too long.

“Even after I eased mom’s hysteria...even after I told her and you all how I really felt, even before we...” Margot paused and looked out through the window to the glow of the moonlit sky.

“Mom lied to us. And...once she revealed that the story she told us about Jolene and humans in general was a lie? I...I didn’t know what to believe anymore. I just knew mom was...going through a lot of trauma. Stuff kids our age shouldn’t have to try to understand. We tried helping mom as much as we could, but to be honest, Jack?”

Jack continued to look to her, no longer tired and refusing to blink for what came next.

“I...I grew scared of mom, too.”

Jack didn’t know what he could say to that. Everything her sister told him was almost exactly what he wish he’d had the courage to let out. He pulled her sister closer and caused her fixated gaze on the moon to break.

“None of this was your fault. We were kids!”

“We were supposed to be her packmates! Her friends!” Margot shot back.

Her fangs bared unintentionally, lips parting with misplaced anger to show her razor-sharp teeth on full display. 

An action she immediately regretted.

“I’m sorry, Jack....I’m sorry.” Margot brung her head down in shame, leaving her brother with the only option he felt he had left.

Jack wrapped his arms around Margot and gifted her with a warm hug. The only thing he knew she could understand when words just wouldn’t cut it.

The older brother was just about to will some words together before a door creaking downstairs broke apart their conversation. Looking to each other, the two young wolves bolted for the bedroom door and out to find the front door of their newest home had been opened. And in that moment, the two found their smiles returning. 

Their mother looked down at them through her heavy eyelids, a very feint smile mustering in vain to part her lips. However heavy, nothing would beat the weight of carrying the physical memory of her lover around her shoulder, or the words she would have to say to her children to explain it.

In the midst of the edge of a forest, a gathering of various mutes was underway.

Scooter Skunks, Newton Wolves, Humming Bombers, Mod Frogs and Umlaut Snakes.

“Gerard. Lemieux. If you would please do the honors.”

A large gathering of flames began to rage through the night in a concentrated and controlled fury. They licked and rolled against the night air as a loud and clear voice rolled down from one of the many mute flamingos that hovered above. It demanded full, upmost attention and nothing less.

“Mutes! Of all kinds and quirks! I bring upon you the traitors! The defectors! Those among us who unopenly do not fully understand my rule...this is a reminder of what the consequences are. For those of you who do...this is a victory...” Scarlemange's grin widened as he snapped, his personal flamingos pulling him down closer as he stood within the pink vehicle they shouldered with it.

And in the mouths of these dual flamingo were two rat mutes.

Those rat mutes were Amy and Brad.

Among the Umlaut Snakes, their leaders Cotton and Camille nervously whispered amid themselves.

“He’s actually insane. Like, I knew he was messed up, but this?” Camille said as quietly as she could muster, afraid of the minute possibility of another mute group hearing.

“I knew we should’ve pulled out when we could have...we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t need the protection...those Diamond Cutters when Nevarr was still ruling em’ were admittedly trouble...”

“But they aren’t anymore, Cotton...those humans and rat mute...the Timbercats...they helped us take that son of a bitch down. The Diamond Cutters are under fairer rule now. So is our alliance with Scarlemange really necessary anymore?” Camille threw back, her eyelids narrow and uncertain.

The question was left to linger around in Cotton’s mind as she looked into her bandmate’s eye slits. She already understood that their broader threat was taken care of.  She was even sure that the Diamond Cutters were more allies now then enemies. So why was she complacent in still dealing with the imperious ape again?

“I guess I’m...just worried. Worried that whatever repercussions we’re seeing now might fall onto us....and I don’t want that for any of you.” Cotton’s head lowered for a moment before the tip of Camille’s tail propped it back up to face her.

“I think you know just a good as me that this isn’t us. Hell, I’m sure that’s how all of us feel.” Camille said back with an assured smile.

“Then...then we leave after this. We...we have to figure something out. I just can’t stand for this anymore.” Cotton reluctantly trailed her eyes back to the poor amusement rats who helplessly dangled from above.

The two rat colleagues continued to gaze down in horror at the fiery pit that they were so carelessly suspended above. Even from their height, the flame’s unfriendly warmth was still felt against their fur. Despite clear acceptance of Scarlemange's madness, the two never thought he would ever resort to such an abhorrent act.

“No matter what happens, Amy...it was all worth it.”

Amy looked back from the flames and to her friend of many years, wiping away the tears from her eyes. Any that escaped helplessly evaporated under the heat below them. “I know, Brad...I know. I don’t regret any of it either. We did something fantastic for the future. They’ll never take that from-”

“SILENCE!” Scarlemange's voice boomed, turning back towards the mute crowd.

The mandrill’s arm leaned out of the rolled down window of his car door. Looking down at the rat mutes, he sneered and opened his mouth with words that began the amusement park rats’ decent closer to their demise.

“Watch this moment and remember it very closely. This is the result of those who betray the natural order of this new frontier.” Scarlemange spoke loud and clear to the multiple band of mutes that all watched with both mixed and matched expressions.

Cotton and Camille lowered their heads in shame and apprehension.
”I can’t watch this, man...” Cotton relayed with a heavy sadness.

Scarlemange's eyes shrunk into thin pin pricks.
“Now, my precious flamingos...drop them.”

The air began rushing against Amy and Brad’s fur, and there was little time to process their last moments on earth. All Amy and Brad could muster to do was look each other in the eyes and smile defiantly.

“NOOOO!”

A loud and bombastic shout.

A pink blur.

That’s all anyone could register before Amy and Brad were sent away from the upcoming decent into a heated demise. A form crashed into the ground with the two rat mutes tumbling and rolling to a halt on the ground beside her. Amy and Brad shook their heads in their daze and looked up through their confusion to find an extremely welcoming sight.

A pearly purple-skinned human store back with warm eyes, an expanded furry hand waving to them.

“Kipo! What were you thinking! We don’t have a plan!”

Kipo looked past the hostile mute crowd to find a young, grey wolf pelt-adorning human with chocolate skin, waving her deathstalker staff through the bushes she revealed herself from. Just as she poked her head out, another set of arms pulled her back, but a bit too late. A second and third face popped up from hiding. Another human sporting a green hat and the other, a green bug mute.

“Aha...hey everybody! Didn’t mean the crash the party. We were just gonna get our rat pals and-”

Before the human could finish, the Newton Wolves approached with no intent on letting them go. Their leaders Billions and Billions took the forefront. “Jolene...Benson...Dave...good to see you all again!” The canine’s teeth was shown in light of his lips parting.

Benson paused and locked eyes with the two wolves. He finished his sentence with a higher octave.
“...leave?”

“Now, I’d advise the action of coming out of those bushes so we can make this whole ordeal a whole lot easi-”

As Good Billions reached for Benson’s shirt collar, a rustling resounded from the thickness of the bushes they resided and a blue form shot out with a mighty squeal, ramming Good Billions in the stomach. A pig of a bluish tone landed on it’s feet and squealed once more in protective defiance, standing it’s ground amongst the pack of science wolves, all of which easily towered over her.

“My girl, Mandu! Always ready for action!” Dave proclaimed, folding his multiple arms proudly.

As Good Billions corrected his unbalanced footing, he and his pack growled with the intent for blood. Wolf took this opportunity to play defensive and jumped out and beside Mandu, holding her death stalker’s pointed edge towards the wolves.

“Back off, you damn fleabags!” Wolf warned with clenched teeth, jabbing the deathstalker at the pack. She looked back at Kipo and the two rat mutes, who were getting cornered in by the Mod Frogs. “Kipo, we can regroup later! Just run!”

The words failed to assure Kipo as her friend’s assurance came too late. Mod Frogs circled her with various weapons at the ready. The Scooter Skunks revved their scooter engines and blocked off any escape into the forest behind them.

“Naw, purple girl! Not today! You’re ours!” Wheels, the Scooter Skunk co-leader, claimed as she revved her scooter again for intimidation purposes.

Scarlemange slapped a palm against his forehead and dramatically dragged it down his face at the spectacle that was now spiraling. “Oh...my...GAAAWDS!”

“Oooooh! This is getting goood!” Boom-Boom, another Humming Bomber, eccentrically expressed as she and her group observed from above within the trees. However, her leader was less than enthusiastic. Easy watched with exhausted eyes as the commotion continued down below. He didn’t care as much about what would happened to the human trouble makers...he just wanted to be free to go for a deeply needed nap. Scarlemange had him and his crew working non-stop at surveilling for stray humans. He and his pals were always just barely ahead of the weekly amount, and the fear and reminder of what he could do to him if he didn’t comply...

As the Humming Bomber was sourly reminiscing, something pink shot past his peripheral vision. Before Easy even registered what had transpired, one of his nectar cases was snatched from the bandoleer around his waist.  

A high and mighty voice spoke out close by as the Humming Bomber leader’s eyes widened in shock.

“Actually they’re mine!”

All of the Humming Bomber’s eyes were soon locked on a green frog mute in a black suit. He leaned against a close-by tree with a stolen nectar bomb in hand. It was no longer than a few seconds before every mute and human had their eyes on this newest guest.

Mrs. Sartori was the first to respond.
“It’s the goddamned traitor! You’ve got some deep nerve showing your face back around us!”

Another form leaped down from a branch just above Jamack, landing behind his partner-in-crime with a cheeky smile to mismatch his nervous tone of voice.

“Eh...hi.” the sea otter, Puck, said simply.

Scarlemange released his iron grip his teeth had on each other and roared in demand of attention.
“ENOUGH OF THIS!”

Jamack smirked, not hiding the shakiness of his hands as he held out the nectar bomb in front of him, making sure to emphasize it’s presence to the mandrill dictator.
“Yes...enough of this. Kipo and the rest of these dimwits are mine. Take it or leave it.”

A fist slammed hard against the hood of the flamingo car. It retracted and was left clenched in front of Scarlemange's face.
“You don’t have the guts, you damned lowly frog.”

Jamack paused, his smile never faltering. Everything was silent for a moment....before Jamack jerked his hands forward, fumbling comically with the nectar bomb as it tumbled within the former Mod frog’s hand. “Ouwahooops!”

The site of such childish handling of a severely dangerous item caused some mutes to gasp in surprise and anxiety, not sure if this was another one of Jamack’s antics, or he had really lost his mind. Even Puck was growing more concerned.

“Uh...hey, buddy...” Puck tapped Jamack’s shoulder from behind, unable to fully observe the unmovable grin the mute frog had on. “Could you maybe...chill out just a tad bit?”

Jamack finally stabilized himself, the lone nectar bomb grasped firmly within one hand once again. He looked back at the sea otter, the frog’s exaggerated expression catching him further off guard.

“I’ve lost my stupid Mod position, my pride, AND my tie! All within the span of a day! Do you think I CARE about being blown SKY HIGH!?” Jamack’s booming words sent Puck whimpering back a bit. “Now...”

Jamack wrapped a tongue around a branch and leaped down, swinging out and landing directly beside Kipo and the Ratland rats. Looking to Kipo, he gave her a discreet wink, which she immediately got. The mute frog looked around at every gang of mutes before settling on Scarlemange's.

“You’re gonna let us go or we’re all gonna have a blast to the past....and no one’s coming out of this. Or...” Jamack tossed the nectar bomb in the air and caught it in his opposite hand. “You let me and the jaguar girl go. Her little band of brats, too.”

“Hey!” Benson called out, arms angrily waving from afar. “We’re not just brats! We’re cool and hip brats! You here me!”

Jamack gripped Kipo’s arm and got her to her feet. “You rats follow me too, and you better not try anything...now, we’ll be heading out.” Multiple eyes beamed at the former Mod frog and his new group of catches as he merrily strolled past him with the nectar bomb proudly shone in hand. As he approached and stepped through the pack of Newton Wolves, growls began to chorus around him.

Billions and Billions were the last mutes to stand in his way. Good Billions approached with a lasting confidence and held out a hand, expecting the nectar capsule to be his within the minute. “I know you’re bluffing, you green shrub. I would concur on the idea of stopping the charade and just-”

Jamack held a finger up at Good Billions, eyeing the wolf without hesitation or fear.
“I literally have nothing left to lose. The best thing to do is to step aside and re-access that little thought of yours. Oooor...attack me, and this bomb tumbles. We all die. So you should just let me and my cargo go and think about how I outsmarted you, and plan on where to go from there. After we’re long gone, of course. Simple as that.”

Jamack brushed past the co-pack leader as if he were nothing, leaving the wolf to correct his glasses and grit his teeth in agitation. Kipo, Puck and the rest of her group all hurried behind him, making sure to keep close together as they made way away from the night that almost ended in a nightmare.

“Would you be willing to let your father go again, Kipo?”

Scarlemange’s echoing words came down on Kipo and her legs stopped on instinct, failing to move any further. She felt plastered to the ground, the heaviest weight holding her in place. The only movement she could muster was shifting back to look the mandrill in the face. Her eyes wide and filled with the thirst for answers, her lips parted.

“My...dad? You....know where he-”

Kipo’s desperate connection with Scarlemange’s eyes was broken by a heavy hand on her shoulders. She turned to find Jamack looking to her with shimmers of what she could only assume was empathy.

“True or not, his only intentions are to use you. Giving in to his demands means putting your friends here in danger. Even if he’s not playin’ mind games, we’ll find a way to get your dad back, kid. We all will.” Jamack’s assurance lifted a smile on Kipo’s face, but her heart still deeply strained. Like it was ready to pull apart at any minute.

Despite this painful feeling...Kipo turned away, ripping her eyesight from Scarlemange's.

Despite the painful feeling of leaving behind one of the very few chances she had of meeting her father again, Kipo continued to walk beside her friends as Puck lead and Jamack in turn took the rear, keeping the nectar bomb present to ward off any quick ambushes that may come up behind them.

She continued away from the flicker of flames that grew more distant despite that growing belief that the mandrill wasn’t lying in his words.

NOT SAFE

WAIT UNTIL MORNING

Cecilia had awoken from her sleep in an exhausted daze. With her eyes wide and heart pulsing erratically, she looked to her hands and found them tightly gripping the bed sheets. After her mind calmed down and her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, she let her head fall back down against the pillow. Her eyes however, remained fixated on the ceiling. 

“Goddammit...” he wolf cursed to herself, a feigning smile growing on her face. A smile that held nothing but disdain for her inability to be at ease.

Three times in a row this night the same thing happened. With every attempt, she found herself unable to remain asleep. A distant memory or unrelenting worry clawed at her mind, choking, clawing and pushing her to remain awake. It was a plaguing affliction that had remained attached to her ever since...

She thought back to a few days before when she had reluctantly asked the human Knox to accompany her while she slept. While it was more of a paranoid assurance that a certain someone wouldn’t find it easy to simply sneak in and kill her...she couldn’t help but conjure up the thought that night was one of the only nights she truly dreamed in peace. But his nightly presence was no longer an option. She would have to continue to face her nightly terrors alone, like an adult.

‘But maybe not right now...’ Cecilia’s mind concluded. Rubbing her eyes, the mother got out of bed and took weak and slightly wobbly steps towards her door. Through the hall. Down the stairs. Past the kitchen. Towards the home entrance. And on the steps of her home to take in the nighttime air and gather herself.

At least that’s what she intended to do.

The front door’s knob was twisted and pulled inwards.

She had wished she’d checked through the peephole first, but it was too late.

“I know what you did to that child, wolf.”

In front of Cecilia sitting on the steps below her was none other than Shaun. The human from the welcoming party.

The man from the group of humans of her past that had effectively changed her life forever.

Running a hand through his blond hair, he slowly arose, not bothering to turn towards the alpha.
“That human child. Didn’t catch her name...that you’d have her hunted down with the very direct intent of having her murdered after promising her a place to call her home...disgusting.”

Cecilia was still at a loss for a reply.

“You think no one caught on to what you were doing back then? Ha...now, I’m not a saint. Hell no, I’m not. But you? When the curtains drop and you’re left with the choice of leaving behind yourself or him...that samurai guy...I guarantee it’ll be him.” Shaun got up and inserted his hands in his pockets, taking slow steps down towards the sidewalk. But not before pausing.

“Well...at least after you're done using him for emotional comfort. Have a nice day, Ms. sunshine.” Shaun finalized, ultimately meeting eye-to-eye with Cecilia and giving her a wide smile. More of a smirk than anything.

The wolf watched wordlessly as the human walked off. Her arms were loose at her sides. She still hadn’t yet taken all of it in.

But she did managed to turn around and head back inside.

Now out of the rays of the moonlight, she closed the door gently with the darkness of her new abode welcoming her once again. Her eyes were vacant and her lips unmoving. The wolf mother remained this way as she made way back up stairs and down the hall. But she passed by her room. No, her intended goal was to get to the bathroom. She strolled in front of the door to Knox’s room, staring at it’s door handle for a number of seconds before twisting around and opening the door to the bathroom.

It was there where she came face to face with an unwelcoming sight in the mirror.

Herself.

Her eyes remained fixated on the magenta-hued irises that store back unflinchingly.

Her maw opened up slightly, and revealed her sharp teeth with an accompanying snarl.

And then she punched the mirror.

Blood and broken glass followed.

Chapter Text

*Click*

Mr. Devland had inserted the newly re-acquired cassette tape into the player and pressed play.

The community leader narrowed his tired eyes as his pupils store intensively at the familiar device, it’s insides spinning and sending back reeling sounds in return. Words soon began to resound, but all of it was a jumbled mess; nothing said or played was of any practical use.

But Devland already knew this.

He had no qualms about waking up in the dead of night after being notified of Knox and the wolf mother’s return. He needed confirmation. And now he finally had it.

A shuffle from his side brought him back to reality as one of his associates spoke up.

“So...now what? I mean...if this is the same one you gave to those hyena punks for reference, and it somehow ended up in that wolf’s paws...what does it say about what happened to them? Where does that leave us?" Peke asked, folding his arms.

Devland's reply was swift.
“With less problems. That’s what it leaves us with.”

“Care to explain what that means exactly?” Sophia asked, pushing herself off of the nearby wall. “We shouldn’t have involved those damned sketchy fleabags with us in the first place!”

“Careful with the tone, Sophia...we needed a way to find more of these tapes, and those “fleabags” were the only quick ticket to those means. It was worth the chance for more information.” Devland leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temple.

“And now that ‘chance for information‘ is likely laying in a grave somewhere. And with a key witness to their demise now likely sitting comfortably within these walls...”

“Here’s the end point, you two...” Devland arose from his chair as his eyes failed to leave sight of the cassette player. Resting his hands heavily on his desk, he made clear his orders. “Keep a closer set of eyes on the newcomers. The samurai and the wolf, especially. Suspicions from them can’t grow any further from this. If they find out what we’re doing-”

“It could spell the end for you.” Sophia interjected, a slick smirk hidden from view.

Devland set his eyes directly into the chameleon mute’s. “It could spell the end for all of us. Tread carefully, Sophia. Need I remind you of the consequences for us all should we not meet our quota for-”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah...” Sophia canceled out Devland, turning towards Peke. “Making some breakfast. We got a long ass road ahead and I can only stand so much classical music on an empty stomach.”

As the chameleon mute passed him by, Peke could only manage to shrug his shoulders at his community leader, following suit of his partner.

Ravenous wolves

Footfalls in the forest

Never could find

Just where the door is

So as they came

Right on his trail

His father appeared

His terrors had slightly quelled

“Dad? You survived? What are you doing out- how did you get here?” Knox asked as he shot his eyes back behind him briefly, the howling only growing nearer. He brought himself closer and stopped as if  reconsidering his assessment. Knox’s father was still donning the same lab coat he had for work all those years ago before he had lost him, his expression vacant.

“I don’t know how you found me, but we have to go! The wolves! They’re getting close-”

His father suddenly shot a hand forward, gripping Knox’s wrist. Before he knew it, his father had pushed him to the ground, a long syringe emerging from his other hand. It hovered dangerously above his neck as Knox struggled to keep it away. The magenta liquid dripped from it’s sharp tip.

“Dad! Stop! What are you doing!?”

Closer

“Dad, what’s gotten into you?”

Closer still

“Stop!”

The howls were now upon them

Knox awoke with a sharp gasp. Heavy breathing followed suit.

He hadn’t noticed it right away, but he looked to the right to find his hand firmly clasping his saya, the long blade resting dutifully within it on his nightstand. The purple cloth still tied around it only helped in re-digging the painful memories...but he held tightly to his reasoning for it’s display. So, forcibly tearing his eyes away, he eased grip of the sword and took his time lowering and leaving his feet to dangle from his bed.

His final part in assuring he and his friends had a safe place to live was finally complete. They had brought Devland what he wanted, and now they had time to think...to reminisce on how far they’d come. And although things weren’t peaches and cream with the community leader, they had no reason to complain in hindsight.

One more heavy sigh left Knox before-

Knock knock knock knock

Just as Knox aimed to release his weapon, the abrupt noise prompted him to bring it closer. He aimed to get up and move towards the door, but he found himself stuck on the spot. His mind went blank.

‘Why can’t I get up? Get to the door, Knox!’ Knox thought frustratingly to himself. He finally budged.

As the door was pulled open, Knox had to lower his eyes to meet with the smaller form of a young wolf.

“Oh...hey, Margot. What’s up?”

The human didn’t miss the wolf’s quick gaze at the sword he was still clinging onto.

“Good morning...um, my mom just wanted me to check to see if you were awake. Breakfast is ready downstairs.” Margot told him with a small smile.

“Breakfast...haven’t heard that word in a while, ha. I’ll be right down.” 
Margot nodded at Knox before turning away and disappearing from view.

The katana was left propped up against the wall as Knox stepped out of his room.

Footsteps hit the last set of stairs, alerting Cecilia to another presence. “Good morning, Knox. Please, take a seat. Everything’s almost set.”

On top of the large, circular table was an assortment of different morning nourishments. Not too much, not too little. And to top it all off, the mother wolf’s children were already sat down, leaving two chairs empty. 

Knox’s vision narrowed down to those two vacant chairs. Fangs immediately came to mind. His mind went blank again until a hand landed on one of his shoulders, prompting him to flinch towards it’s owner.

Cecilia looked upon him with worry, a wide smile to contrast. “Are you feeling well?”

Knox waved her off almost immediately, conjuring a smile to match hers. “Yeah, sorry. Just still waking up. Don’t think I slept as well as I thought I did.” Knox forced himself towards one of the last seats and sat down. “So...this was all pretty fast.”

 A small laugh left the alpha mother’s maw in response. Knox didn’t take his eyes off of the plentiful food as Cecilia sat next to him. “Thank the fridge. Everything was practically laid out for us. Surprised we didn’t check it sooner...guess we were to preoccupied with Devland’s little games.” Just as she had finished, her eyes stopped short of one of her sons , Rupert, who had a full stack of pancakes paused in front of an open jaw.

Sighing, Cecilia pinched the bridge of her nose. “Rupert, how many times do I have to tell you, no pancake eating dares at the dinner table!”

“Oh c’mon ma, you know it’s funny!” another one of her sons, Jack, pipped up with a sly grin.

As Knox’s eyes kept low, they eventually ventured under the table, right where Cecilia’s hands were concealed. And that’s when he noticed one of her bandaged hands.

“Hey...your hand okay?”

Cecilia blinked a few times, and Knox didn’t fail to catch her surprised expression before she rebounded with a cheery smile. “Oh. Hand just slipped while I was cutting some fruits for later. Not as good as I used to be, I presume. Ha, ha.” 

A full set of knocks thumbed against the front door of the house, sending everyone into full alert. Rupert’s pancakes slid off of his fork and he sighed in relief as they landed back safely on his plate.

“I’ll get it.” Knox offered as he arose. A smile instantly widen upon his face when he caught sight of who it was through the peephole. “Well...” Knox began, looking back to the family of wolves. “Looks like we’ve got more people to catch up with.”

Cecilia gave Knox a puzzled look as he opened the door, welcoming in not only the brighter sunlight from the outside, but three new forms as well. Kara, Lute and Piercer all made way inside of the home, quickly assessing the space.

“No fair. You all have higher roofs?” Kara joked as he gave Knox a friendly hug. “It feels like it’s been forever.”

Knox nodded sheepishly, turning to Lute and Piercer. “All together, like the good ol’ days, huh?”

Lute scoffed, giving him a friendly punch to the shoulder. “It’s only been a day or so, but whatever time device you’re using, I want in on it.”

The room went silent before Knox broke it with an arm extended behind him.
“I can’t possibly hide the wolves sitting down behind us for long, so why don’t I introduce you all properly? We barely had the time at the party.”

As they reached the table of mutes, Kara took note of the flower bracelet one of the only girls had on their wrist. “Oh, I remember making flower bracelets when I was younger! Did you make it yourself?”

Margot paused for a moment before her energy showed itself, as if she considered something beforehand. “Y-yeah...ever since I was a pup. I’ve always loved daises, so naturally...” she laughed lightly.

“Gotta show me the ropes sometime, kid.” Kara then turned back to find Piercer still beside the door. “Piercer, stop brooding mysteriously in the corner. You’re creeping out the kids. Come over here.” Kara told the rat mute as Piercer slowly leaned off the wall and approached reluctantly.

“Haven’t had the best experiences with wolves in the past...so forgive my hesitation.” Piercer said in a way that wasn’t too clear to be defined as an apology or a statement. Noticing the uneasy stares the wolf children were still giving him, he sighed. “Sorry...still getting used to things being...like this.”

“Piercer, was it?” Cecilia asked, holding out a hand for him to shake. She hovered over him in height just enough to look down at him. “I understand completely. Still finding place here myself.”  She found the action of his hand meeting hers a moment of clear hesitancy, but she appreciated it all the same.

After everyone made themselves known, Kara took initiative.
“Mrs. Mudiwa actually met with us beforehand, and she wants to introduce us to a few key people in the town as well. Just so we know who to go to if we need anything. Perfect time to make some connections.”

“So people can’t label us as the awkward band of randos down the street that don’t leave their houses, basically.” Lute added in.

“Okay. Sounds good. Cecilia? You up for it?” Knox asked as she darted her eyes around to her kids. “You don’t have to if-”

“No. I’ll go. Kids, if you want to stay, that’s fine. I’ll be right back.” the mother said before Margot scooted out of her seat and walked up beside her.

“I’ll go. Tired of staring at walls all day.” Margot tugged at her daisy bracelet. “And I can only count flower petals for so long.” 

 The wolf mother looked to her remaining children and found Rupert’s face pressed against the table, the stack of pancakes gone from his plate. Sebastian and Josef feigned innocence. Jack raised a hand as if volunteering. “Guess we’ll just...stay here and keep an eye on him.”

In less than an hour, Ms. Mudiwa had already familiarized them all with many of the community’s inhabitants. One key one being the town’s blacksmith, Johnston. He specialized in re-purposing and making use of any kind of miscellaneous metal and other materials. He had also played major part in why there was even a reinforced gate. The town’s head nurse was the second. She was a fox mute by the name of Cassidy. She seldom held back her engulfing interest in all things medical, and had an entire room dedicated to her study.

“Really? I actually wouldn’t mind checking a few books out if that’s okay with you?” Kara requested with bright eyes.

“Sure thing! Come around anytime you want. Before midnight, of course.” Cassidy chuckled as she made way back into her home.

Lute stepped up from behind, tapping Kara’s shoulder. “I didn’t know you were into playing doctor as a kid.”

“I wasn’t,” Kara clarified, noting the subtle tease. “But I guess my interests peeked after getting slugged in the shoulder with a metal pipe. Still gotta get that Scooter Skunk back for that one...”

A grating sound paused the group as the sound of one of the gate guards spoke out. 

“Alright, the path is clear. You’re good to go.” Jessie the squirrel mute notified a familiar figure as he nodded and made way back down the street.

“Peke? Haven’t seen him around in a while.” Knox made eye contact with him briefly before he continued towards Mr. Devland’s office. “What’s he doing?”

“Oh, it’s just a weekly scout of more supplies.” Johnston told, overhearing them. “Usually it’s us community volunteers, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of us bring back as much stuff as them, honestly. Peke and Sophia are experts at that kind of stuff. It’s a running gag that if any of us were to beat their scavenging game that we get to be the newly proclaimed community leader.”

As Johnston finished his hardy chuckling, Knox and the gang were all but cheeky. Ms. Mudiwa stepped forward as they all spotted Mr. Devland emerge from the main office with Peke and Sophia trailing behind him.

“Yeah, Mr. Devland wanted to make it clear that he wasn’t one to let his community do all the heavy lifting. Every week or so, he goes out with them to make sure they play a part in keeping us stocked up.

“I wonder how long before Devland loses his breath, he heh.-ow!” Piercer rubbed his arm as Kara retracted her elbow,  clearly stifling a grin.

Ms. Mudiwa looked unaffected. “It’s most likely a publicity stunt. I’m completely sure Peke and Sophia do all of the work...still, it’s been an effective structure so far, I’ll admit.”

The thoughts began pouring into Knox’s head all at once. Thinking it the perfect opportunity, he raised the question.

“Hey, Ms. Mudiwa. How long has this place being going on, again? I mean, I would assume you’ve been here for a good amount of time. Don’t think I’ve asked before.”

Mudiwa seemed to ponder it before she answered with a smile. “It’s easily been about five years. About at the start of this place was when I found it. It was a much, much less safer place then. Lack of security, multiple break-ins...but things got better over time. Almost immediately within a few days, dare I say...”

“And how long has Mr. Devland been going out like this?” Knox pried further. “ Maybe I’m asking too much, but...”

Ms. Mudiwa dismissed his worries. “No, it’s fine. He’s been at it for just about as long. Before, he was just another one of us. When we first started, we all equally took turns bringing back food and tools to keep afloat. But over time, he just...kind of started commanding the room. Took care of organizing routines, guard duties and such. Don’t tell them I told you, but Sophia over there was once an antagonizer before she joined in here. Tried to kill Devland, and after a heart-to-heart with Peke, she grew and ended up here. I’d say she’s earned it...despite what her attitude might show you.”

Knox nodded, taking in the information. “Thanks Ms. Mudiwa. Just wanted some insight.”

Just as they finished, Mr. Devland, Peke and Sophia had just passed by their position. The quick glance Devland gave to Knox and his group didn’t go unnoticed. But it wasn’t the glance that gave him an off feeling. It was the way he did. His face wasn’t one of confidence, but that look faded as soon as he met Jessie at the gate, waving her off as he came close to slipping through the gate. But just before he did, he turned and pointed directly to Mudiwa.

“Counting on you Ms. Mudiwa. As always, we’ll be back before sunset. Keep everything in check.” Devland voice shouted out, a grin forming on his face.

“Of course. Stay safe, you three!” Mudiwa replied as the gates closed shut.

The whole idea of Devland and his subordinates leaving out put Knox off completely, alarms going off in his head that he didn’t yet have specific reasons or deductions for. It just felt...off. And he didn’t have to ask if Cecilia or his group felt the same way, as the looks he found them giving each other made it clear that he wasn’t entirely alone on the thought.

Or maybe Devland was just doing his part.

Sure, they all agreed that Devland was a pompous jerk to some degree...but maybe they were all still somewhat paranoid from their previous encounters out of the gate. Before life became so much easier. Knox held these thoughts with a grain of salt...but he still knew better than to cast out his doubt.

But what didn’t fly by Knox was the black bag that Peke had carried over his shoulder. It was stretched to it’s limit, and was shaped rather oddly-

“Knox.”

The human jerked his head to the left to find the eyes of the alpha mother staring right at him. Before he could ask what was wrong, the wolf towered over him, bringing her injured hand into focus.

“I do want to talk about it. The truth. About this...”  the words came out in a hushed tone, as if she was worried that his friends or Mudiwa would hear. “Please...later tonight. Besides...someone’s gotta explain the broken mirror sooner or later.”

“’Always be punctual’, my tail...” Sophia murmured as she kicked a nearby tree, cursing under her breath.

“Relax, he should be here any minute. Probably got held up.” Devland looked to the sky as the seconds ticked. He had expected company to land in as soon as they got here, but the one hour trek was met with an empty field they were instructed to meet at.

“If we stay out too long, we're gonna start drawing suspicions...especially from that lovely new group. They’d looove to get as much as possible on you, Devland. They’re practically aching for it.”

Devland grew hot and his teeth clenched shut. Swirling around, he stomped up to Sophia and paused millimeters away from her face. Slowly motioning apart his mouth, he etched out his command with venomous emphasis.

“I don’t want to hear anymore lip from you. I’ll have you back out on your own in a heartbeat. Got that, Sophie?” Devland’s eyes bore sharply into the chameleon’s. But despite the unflinching seriousness of the community leader’s words, her expression hadn’t faltered.

The only indication of acknowledgment from her was a simple “Sure.” A smile remained etched across her face.

The flapping of wings was soon apparent amongst the sky above them. Devland and his lackeys looked back to the sky to discover three pink flamingos hovering above, shifting into dives that closed in on their positions with immense speed. A strangely welcoming sight, indeed. They had finally arrived.

The riders’ identities were familiar and realized just before they arrived to meet them on the ground. Out of the three, a huge orangutan with orange fur and a powdered wig stepped off first, a smaller ape with white hair spiked on each side followed suit.

“Gerard. Porcelain...” Devland greeted.

Then the third ape, more gracious in appearance, stepped off, walking past the two previous mutes in slow and patient strides. A smug smile was plastered across his face as his regal cape slightly fluttered behind him.

Devland almost stuttered, but managed to bring out the name clearly.

“Scarlemange. Pleased to meet you agai-”

“Do you have it?”

Ignoring the interruption more out of self-preservation, Devland nodded, waving out to Peke.
“Please, Peke. Show him what he requested.”

The black bag was carefully set against the grass below as Peke opened it and revealed the object of interest from within it’s depths. A red and bronze record player was taken out with pristine handling as if it would shatter with the slightest shake.

The item of interest gleamed in the rays of the sun, despite it’s relatively rusted state.

It was a record player.

“Excellent!” Scarlemange exclaimed. He merrily stepped over and lifted the record player, cradling it in his arms as if it was his own child. “Do you know how long I’ve been searching for this...beauty? Ha, what a library of symphonies I’ve collected over the years, but somehow every one I’ve come across was either busted, or non-existent! This...is working...isn’t it?”

The way Scarlemange punctuated the concerning question was more of a dare for it not to be than a genuine inquiry. The sharp-ended wording made the gulp in Devland’s throat understandable.

“Y-yes. We’ve tested it’s functionality beforehand. Completely workable. I mean, it works!” Devland assured this, holding up his hands in a satirical defense.

Scarlemange’s expression drifted back to that of a caring father, the mandrill resuming his loving gaze at the musical player as if in a trance.

Devland caught Sophia’s glare of impatience before sighing defeated. If he didn’t end the deal soon, Sophia surely would, regardless of the consequences. “Mr. Scarlemange, sir. Um...your end of the bargain.”

The mandrill shot his eyes up to meet directly with the human, his frown shifting gradually into a smile. “Of course, of course. Wouldn’t want my number one community of needing brats to starve to death, now would we?”

Clenching his teeth, Devland watched on as Scarlemange motioned for Gerard to retrieve his end. The large orangutan returned with two bags of what Devland hoped were fresh fruit. What he didn’t hope for was the bag Gerard had carelessly slung at him and Peke. Peke managed to catch and steady himself, but Devland wasn’t as prepared.

“Now, now, Gerard! No need to crush our trade partners! At least not yet...” Scarlemange giggled as he approached the community leader, who was still scraping himself off the ground. Just as Devland straightened himself, the mute ruler was already towering over him. “I don’t think you understand...even after all of these years...”

Devland met his gaze with a shaking concern. “Understand what?”

Uncomfortably close, Scarlemange leaned closer. “That trading with you is a fully removable option on my behalf. That there's nothing stopping me from not keeping all of those scary mutes away from your quaint little sanctuary. That I merely do so to lessen any complications with an inefficient community of workers. Can’t get precious things like this music box if you’re all half-dying.”

Devland let the realization rumble through his mind on repeat as Scarlemange turned to walk away. But he stopped abruptly, short of just reaching his flamingo car.

The mandrill turned slightly, the one eye that Devland caught sight of gleaming in the sunlight.

"Another thing. Have you by any chance run into a pink-haired human? Traveling with a defunct Mod frog, a blue pig and a girl in a wolf pelt? I need to you to answer me correctly.”

Devland didn’t hesitate. “No! No, I haven’t seen or taken in anyone of that description. But I’ll be sure to notify you if that changes.”

Scarlemange stood in place for a moment before continuing his way to his personal flamingo. 

“Same time next week, Devland.” were the last words uttered out of Scarlemange’s mouth as he and his posse flapped off and gradually out of sight.

Devland stood stagnant for a moment more before straightening his tie and turning away. Without looking at Sophia or Peke, he stepped back the way he came.

Back to Lensvile.

Chapter Text

A bout of curiosity was all it took.

Ms. Mudiwa passed by Mr. Devland’s office, feeling a gnawing urge pull at her mind. As if the spirit of all cat-like curiosities had pulled at the back of her shirt collar and beckoned for her to stop. Stop right before the knob of Devland’s office door.

Seconds passed. Then half a minute.

She had to know.

Her arm outstretched and slow-approaching with dramatic fashion, she gripped the doorknob and twisted. 

Creaking followed with the showing of a rather clunky study aided by the slight evening light of the retreating sun. Books of all kinds were rowed together on multiple bookshelves that stood adjacent to each other on both sides of the room. Papers of all kinds were stacked in various places as if they were still looking for an official place to reside. Mudiwa took in a deep breath and focused. If she was going to bring meaning to her intrusion, she’d have to also bring intent into what she was looking for.

Cycling through a few books, she found nothing of too much interest. A few books of science and nature tied to the old-world, and some miscellaneous other topics. After skipping through a few papers, she again found nothing of particular interest.

Sighing in defeat, Mudiwa’s eyes trailed to Devland’s desk and she shuffled over. She had little time. Three drawers were on the front side. She pulled on them and found them locked. Gritting her teeth, she looked on the top of the desk in afterthought...and something caught her eye. Hidden slightly under a thin stack of papers...was something glimmering from the sunlight behind her. Mudiwa moved the paper and found a silver key.

“Ha ha, no way...” Mudiwa whispered to herself as she tried out the key on three of the doors. The first and third did not respond, but the second drawer did. “Devland must’ve been in a hurry to bring back supplies...”

Without a second thought, Mudiwa pulled out the drawer and found a few items inside. A few pens, a cassette tape, and journal. Growing apprehension for time was filling up her chest as she pulled open the book.

“The documented timeline of negotiation efforts. Signed, Mr. Devland Dejoiner...” Mudiwa read out to herself. “His last name is Dejoiner?”

She continued.

Entry #1

After weeks of dedicated hard work, me and some fellow humans have since gained greater trust and made use of our shared peril. We no longer have the safety of our burrows, so we’ve opted to create our own place. A run down town called Lensvile. We’re going to build it up the best we can.  It’s all we have for now...

Entry #2

It’s been a while since my first entry since everything settled, but I fear we just aren’t going to last very long. Over the past few weeks of just getting settled in, mute groups of various kinds have found an interest in our little refuge. We’ve barely have a gate up, and Mudiwa suggests we allow Mutes into our home, too? After all of the harassment and threats we’ve received from them on the outside? How can we aim to trust them anyhow? She’s too naive...luckily we have someone capable of constructing a gate. We’re almost done with it’s base construction...

Sour memories of earlier clashes with Devland flooded back into Mudiwa’s mind. She opted to leave out Devland’s fearful beliefs of Mutes from the newcomers, but she found herself regretting that decision. Perhaps he hadn’t changed...perhaps he had...

Entry #12

I had to do it. I won’t blame myself for the opinion or accusation of others, should anyone find out. And they won’t...but either way, it was for our survival. Our community...our home would have been ramp-sacked without his protection. It almost was...so I had to make the deal, or otherwise he was going to things much, much worse. Don’t have much else to say, despite today’s unfolding. Sleep is going to be my refuge tonight.

“Deal?” Mudiwa repeated to herself. “What deal? What was he...” the therapist stopped herself to continue onward. 

Entry #14

Today I’ve learned the full price of a missed deadline in Scarlemange’s world. Three times in a row. And the price was one of our own. Or the whole community goes. He gave us one day to choose who that was. I could’ve choose anyone. I could have volunteered myself. But then who would keep up the act? The thin veiled illusion that everything was fine? So I chose. It was the new pair we had brung in. The hedgehog brothers. I had no choice. This was for all of us. They leave at noon. They won’t be returning. This is the price of freedom that I’ve carved out for us. I’m not a monster. It sickens me, too.

“Scarlemange!?” Mudiwa nearly shouted in shock. She hadn’t thought of that tyrant in years! She was aware of his presence and influence throughout Las Vistas, but only now was the Mandrill’s name brought back up on such a personal level. Her heart panged as she sped through the rest of the entry, an edge built up on every word she passed.

Entry #56

Demands, demands, demands. Nothing but demands. How we kept up Scarlemange’s games for so long I’ll never know, but over the years he’s only been getting more needy.

Mudiwa was livid. Her teeth clenched and she barely held back the urge to demolish Devland’s office in a fit of rage. She furiously flipped ahead further in a hurry, and corrected herself back to the latest page, knowing her time was limited.

I feel he’s slowly trying to drown us out, asking for things he knows is excruciatingly difficult to find. As if he’s had no more use for us, and is torturing me with that fact...slowly. This month was a record player...in WORKING condition. As tasking as it was, my associates Sophia and Peke were able to assist in pulling it off JUST in time....if it weren’t for them...well, now all we can do is wait. 

“Traitorous bastard...” Mudiwa seethed, resisting the urge to rip the revealing page out in momentary spite. 

It all made much more sense now. The abrupt halting of talk whenever she walked in on Devland and his tight-knit group...the highly-questionable hyenas that had came into town earlier but never came back and with no word from Devland of their growing absence. For the many years she resided in the community of Lensvile, Mudiwa had always wondered why she was left out of the majority of meetings Devland and his two much closer associates Peke and Sophia had engaged. And the relative safety of their town...yes, they were impressively prepared for any basic attack, but in hindsight it was no wonder they were relatively left alone. Because Scarlemange had to have made it so as part of the "deal".

She was never considered a major part of his discussions, despite her close ties to the neighborhood along with clear experience with communication and organization. She was mostly left to relay information to the community and bring everyone together for gatherings. Maybe then to her it was just a matter of how thing just were...but with she now knows is true, her suspicions were finally laid to rest.

The sound of muffled talking caught in her ears and Mudiwa shot her eyes towards the door.

She only had seconds to act. 

Moving swiftly, the therapist dashed to Devland’s desk and tossed the journal back inside, sure that it was positioned how she found it. The click of the drawer lock followed suit. Placing the silver key back under the paper she found it under, she power-walked back to the office door. Whether she ran into someone going outside or not, she could not be caught inside the office.

As quickly and quietly as she could, she left as the voices grew clearer with no one yet within sight.

“That’s definitely Devland...” Mudiwa whispered to herself as she turned to her left within the hallway. “The restroom. Perfect!”

Mudiwa made way through the restroom door and leaned against it. Just as she concealed herself inside and out of sight, a clatter of footsteps made way to the office she had just rummaged through uninvited.

“Damn it...forgot to lock the door this time...” Devland’s exhausted sigh could be heard through the door Mudiwa had her ear pressed against. “Well, let’s recap on resources again. Scarlemange’s not making this any easier.”

As the office door closed, Mudiwa slid against the bathroom door to the floor, overcome with relief. She’d just have to hope none of them found anything out of place. For now, she just had to leave. And a certain few had to know what she’d found.

It was sundown by the time Mudiwa found herself collected enough to knock on the newcomer’s door. 

“I need you and your friends to come to my study. As soon as possible. Now, if you can. I’d like to bring to attention...a suspicion you’ve no doubt had for a long time.” Mudiwa told Knox, her eyes stricken with apprehension.

Knox rubbed his eyes, still tired from being disturbed out of his early nap.
“Yeah...I’ll come now, actually. I’m sure Cecilia would want in, too. Just give me a minute.”

It wasn’t too long before Knox, Lute, Kara and Piercer found themselves pacing behind a hurrying Mudiwa, clearly doing her best not to give away any panic, but failing miserably to do so. Cecilia stepped quietly behind them all, like a spectre trailing along the night. 

“Sooo...what’s this all about?” Knox pressed.

“Not until we’re inside my office. Not one word out here. Can’t risk it.” Mudiwa told him, eyeing a few residents passing by and waving at them as she reached her home. Inviting them in with the push of the door. “Inside. Quickly.”

The brightly insides welcomed them warmly and it wasn’t long before they were all hearded within a room, clearly her personal workspace. Multitudes of books were contained within bookshelves on one side and a long, blue sofa to their right, awaiting it’s service. In the middle was a desk, and there she planted herself with a heavy thud.

“Please, sit. You’re going to want to for this.” Mudiwa permitted with her hands rested under her chin.

Everyone but Piercer took seat on the long sofa, awaiting whatever urgent news that needed saying. As Kara looked to her companions, she loosened her shirt collar and stretched her arms, loosening herself for the reveal.
“Whelp, this isn’t going to be anything I want to hear, that’s for sure.” she remarked, a string of nervousness peaking under her conjured humor.

Lute leaned back into the sofa, closing his eyes.
“Look, as long as you’re not telling us there’s poisonous squirrel mu-” 

“Lute, I swear to god if you finish that sentence...” Knox cut in with a small laugh.

Mudiwa tapped her fingers on her desk before slamming her palms down.
“There’s really no other way to say it. Devland is lying behind all of our backs.

Mudiwa paused, as if contemplating the weight of her words.

"He’s...he’s working for Scarlemange.”

“What!” Piercer shouted, the first to leap to his feet in rage. Knox followed him before everyone else.

“Mudiwa, you can’t be serious. I mean I caught an ‘off’ vibe from him, but don’t tell me I’m actually spot on!” Knox felt a growing anger fester within him. Of all people Devland wanted to partner up with, it just had to be Scarlemange?

Mudiwa rubbed her face with her hands, her eyes fixated on the wood of her desk.
“I’m completely serious. I found his office unlocked this morning...after he left out. I read through his journal. I’ve had some suspicions long before. It’s been going on ever since after this place got settle down...I don’t know how we’re supposed to handle this.”

“Oh I know how to handle it.” Piercer’s words came out sharp, like a knife to butter. Knox knew what the Archerat was planning to do before the mute even finished.

Piercer was half-way towards the door to leave with his bow drawn before Knox slipped between him and his goal.

“Get out of the way, Knox. His death is already set in stone. He’s not getting out of this alive.” Piercer told him, a cold, puncturing glare to match the bitterness of his words.

Still, Knox remained firm.
“Handling things this way won’t fair us better, and it won’t make things-”

“What things?” Piercer growled back. His clawed hands gripped tightly to his bow. “You mean the things Scarlemange took away from me? My entire clan? My purpose? They’re gone! The whole reason I agreed to join you was to get closer to ending that murderer’s crusade! Have you already forgotten that was your promise!?”

Piercer pushed against Knox as the human continued to resist against his wishes.
“Piercer, I’m not doing this because I don’t understand. This isn’t the way we should handle this, and you yourself said the deal didn't matter and that we we're-”

Piercer grew nose to nose with Knox.
“Get out of the way, Knox.”

Arms suddenly wrapped around Piercer from behind. The Archer rat’s form tensed up and then relaxed. He knew who it was.

“We’ve all lost something, Piercer.” Kara sounded solemnly from behind. “You’ve got to remember that we’ve all lost much to him. I refuse to shut it out for any longer. Our burrows that were destroyed...those masked humans at Ratland...they’re connected. I’ve lost my home because of him. And so did Knox.

The reminder cut deep. But Knox refused to repress it for longer. The mega monkey that destroyed his home. The flying figures through the dust. The death of his best friend. The separation from his parents. It was Scarlemange’s doing. The name haunted him for years. And now he was closer than ever before.

Piercer’s shaking gradually resided, and his eyes trailed downwards away from his friend. Saying nothing, the Archerat slipped from Kara’s grip and slumped against the nearby wall, falling silent. Mudiwa had witnessed the ordeal just as he calmed down.

“I know this isn’t a pleasant revelation. But we all must remain resolute in our control.” Mudiwa warned empathically. "The repercussions of this getting out now could be catastrophic. As painful as it already is, Piercer...I urge you to listen to Kara. Things were be rightfully sorted soon.”

Mudiwa opened the door for them to leave. “Get some rest. We’ll meet again and discuss how to further handle this. Don’t give Devland or anyone else any hints on any of this. No one outside of who’s already here. Put on your best act. That’s how we do this. Is this understood?”

Everyone nodded. All but Piercer who stood frozen with his eyes on the floor. He only managed to utter a low, “Yes.”

Knox stepped up to Piercer’s brooding form and no smile of guarantee was offered. Just an expression of  promise that he needn’t worry about his pain. And Piercer could see it. The expression made it clear that they’d both see it all to the end. Together. 

So as Knox held a hand out to Piercer, the Archerat accepted it.

The moon’s foreboding glow washed over them once more as they made way back to their homes, the burdensome weight of secrecy and rage varied, but still trapped within them all the same. Every late-night community dweller that they passed by felt like a stab in the back. How they all passed them with knowledge of what was soon to unfold, which ever way it did.

“Hey, wolfy! Where you going so fast?” a voice rang out from across the street.

Cecilia knew who it was before she turned her head to meet the lanky figure along with everyone else.

It was Shaun, the human from Cecilia’s earlier bout’s. And a part of her past that she desperately wanted gone.

“Aren’t ya gonna introduce me to your new pawns? Ha, I mean friends?” Shaun asked deviously, stretching out his arms mockingly and in await for an introduction.

“Um, who the hell are you?” Piercer asked bluntly, clearly not in any mood to strike up an uninvited chat.

“Me?” Shaun put his hands in his pocket, a smug and underhanded smirk taking over. He held out a hand towards the alpha mother and chuckled. “You’re mute wolf companion there is an old face to me. From looong ago.”

Cecilia felt the inside of her go red with an enclosed rage. 

“Let’s go. We’re not doing this.” Cecilia cut through, turning and continuing towards their home.

“Running away from your problems again, wolf? How’s that been going for you all these years? Still manipulating people to get what you want?” Shaun questioned, his taunting nature turning into that a growing anger. “Cause I’ve got-

Knox stepped in and stood between the two arguers. “Ok, what is this all about? I really don’t have time for dealing with-”

“Let’s go, now. He’s not worth it.” Cecilia urged again, grabbing Knox’s arm and walking him away.

“So controlling...is that how you were with that little human girl? Hell, is that how you were with your own husband and children-”

One second and Knox and felt the pressure of Cecilia’s hand release his arm, and the next he found her bounding swiftly towards the human, her growls of rage echoing throughout the community. Shaun had reached for something behind his back, but he wasn’t fast enough to prevent the mute wolf from bounding into his chest, sending him sliding against the pavement.

Multiple community members began to gather from their preoccupations and outside of their homes in confusion and shock to the commotion. Devland was soon one of these individuals, and him and his associates Sophia and Peke bounded out of their respective places of rest in a rush.

“What’s the meaning of all of this?” Devland demanded as he power-walked closer.

Cecilia pinned one of Shaun’s wrist and had already drawn blood before Knox could intervene, raking a claw against his face. She landed three more blows with her fists before Knox managed to pull her away. 

“Stop! Calm do-” Knox stopped and reflexively gripped at the red katana he had against his side as Cecilia turned towards him with fangs bared. Images of black fur and piercing canines pierced through the human’s mind. A symphony of whispering voices from the past chanted him on. 

Do it. Do it. Do it.

Shakily, Knox stayed his blade. Then he let go.

A silence grew upon the community. Cecilia retracted her feral rage as it was drained out by a halting shock. Her eyes widened as she lowered her claws and looked around at the multitude of faces that were on them.

“Is this not all that you need to see, Mr. Devland?” Shaun growled, a shaky laugh escaping his adrenaline-fueled body as he got to his feet, holding his bleeding face. “She’s shown her true colors! The wolf is amongst the sheep, and I think I’ve made it crystal-”

“Oh shut the HELL up!” Knox shouted back. “You started this-”

“Enough!”

Devland’s voice boomed through the neighborhood, gaining the majority stage for attention. He looked to Peke and nodded him forward. “Peke, take Shaun the holding house on the right, pointing to an empty gray house. “I’ll be with you soon...Sophia, take Cecilia to the other. We’re going to get to the bottom of this. Knox, you and your group are going to explain exactly what happened here to me. This destructive behavior won’t stand.”

Sophia walked up to the wolf with a glare that cut through her narrowed eyes.
“Go. Don’t make this difficult.” the chameleon told her, expression unwavering.

Defeated, Cecilia complied silently, turning foot to slowly walk towards the isolated home with Sophia in tow.

“Let me speak with her first, please!” Knox pleaded.

“Devland, you’ve gotta let me be the one. She’s not going to talk to anyone else.” Knox pressed. He clenched his fist, mixed emotions bubbling within.

Devland store back at Knox, a pure impatience lining his face.

“Please...she didn’t start this. Those two have bad blood apparently. I’ll be able to calm her down. Just-”

“5 minutes.” Devland responded, tapping his foot. “You have 5 minutes. Any more, and I’ll have Sophia take you out herself. Let the wolf know she’s on a full day within those walls while your there. Same as Shaun.”

Wordlessly, he walked passed Knox and continued towards the home Sophia was escorting the wolf. Before Knox had reached the stairs, Devland was already done notifying the chameleon, eyeing him as he passed by once again.

“5 minutes, Knox...meet us at my office when you’re done. Sophia will be waiting outside the escort you.” Devland clarified.

Knox turned to the door, and after a lengthy pause, took a deep breath and walked inside.

“Is the cage really necessary?” Cecilia asked as she was pushed into it’s confines.

A key emerged from Sophia’s back pocket as it traversed it’s way into the cage’s lock. With a twist, Cecilia was free no more.

“I think it’s more for you than it is for me.” Sophia told the wolf as Knox entered.

Knox went wide-eyed at the unexpected imprisonment.
“Where the hell did you get a cage?”

Instead of humoring the moment, Sophia opted instead to place a solid finger against Knox’s chest.
“You now have four minutes and thirty seconds. Be outside soon.”

Footsteps trailed downstairs and the bold closing of the front door followed.

The samurai and wolf were left alone in the dimly lit holding cell room.

"Knox, I'm not-"

“I need you to tell me everything. From the beginning. How it all started. What that guy meant. Why you did what you did." Knox wasted no time in demanding, cutting her off. "Beyond why you adopted the kid. Beyond what you told me back at the old mall. Tell me the whole story this time.” He leaned in and gripped the black bars tightly, leaning in closer and meeting her eye-to-eye. Something far different than what Cecilia was used to from him drilled through her. “Maybe it’s my fault too for not asking sooner...for not holding more skepticism. But this is how we move through this. Regardless of what happens next.”

The words came past her and she fell numb. She trailed her eyes behind her, finding a familiar sight meet her as she did.

A cracked mirror hanging on the wall.

A wide, contrasting smile couldn’t help but stretch on Cecilia’s face as her eyes observed her hand running across the fur of her head through the spiderweb of multiple reflections. A strangely cathartic feeling passed over her, despite the lump in her throat.

“Okay.”

Chapter Text

The stars were out in a great abundance.

On top of the highest tree in the Timbercat village, Yumyan barely felt the axe in his bushy tail as he leaned back, arching his eyes upwards more than before to fully take in the wonder. The wonder of the stars. The twinkly mixture of both clustered and spread-out dots of light reflected into the Timbercat’s wide eyes as a nostalgic rush of memories filled his mind. He vividly remembered the first time he climbed the tree when he was much younger along with his dad before his father moved on to the great yarn heavens above.

Just as vividly as what his father said to him, just a few nights before his grandiose exit defending their home from the horde of rabid Deathstalkers.

“If you find it in your heart that raising your axe against or for someone isn’t in the right place of mind, don’t ask your comrades, or your axe. Ask yourself.”

His much younger self met with the present in this moment. Eyes lit up with a familiar curiosity as bright as the stars.

“Hammerpaw...”

So caught up in this moment of clarity, it ironically made the first few calls for his attention from the ground unnoticeable.

“Hammerpaw...?”

“Hammerpaw! We’ve got intruders!”

But ultimately, the leader of the Timbercats didn’t need it.

The multitude of flapping wings caught his ears before indiscernible figures grew nearer in the distance. And as Hammerpaw’s eyes grew wider upon the realization, he stood firm on his feet and withdrew his axe, tapping the wooden handle with a grumpy impatience. 

The nightly star gazing would have to be postponed.

“Hey! What’s crackin’, old furry friend?” an identifiable voice called out amongst the flock of mute birds that now clearly lined his sight.

Hammerpaw knew who it was before the group landed not too far from him. Their leader, Easy, landed first.

“Humming bombers! You are not welcome here, so turn your feathery tails back around to where you came from before-”

“Easy, easy, pops! Ha ha, get it? Anyways we’re here on Scarlemange’s orders.” Easy told him, taking off his aviators. “Unfortunately this time around, he didn’t give me any ‘fancy paper of peace’ with his name on it this time for proof so...”

“What does he want?” Hammerpaw asked, ignoring Easy’s antics. The grip on his axe only tightened further at the mention of the mandrill tyrant.

“He wants to know if you’ve had any recent contact with a purple-skinned human named Kipo, that’s what he wants. That slippery little frog Jamack stole one of my nectar bombs and waltzed outta our meeting like it was no biggie. Kinda pissed me off. You seen em’?” Easy elaborated.

The moment Kipo’s name was mentioned, Yumyan's attention tuned out on everything else. What was Kipo up to now? Was she safe? Did they-

“Uh, hello? Cat got your cat tongue, big guy? Have you see-”

“No.” Hammerpaw answered. It was a single word, but it boomed with a bold clarity.

“Heh...alright. That’s all I came here for. The boss man just wanted to know your answer, that’s all. Just in case things get...messy. For whatever happens next, I hope you’re not lying.” Easy warned him, trailing his eyes to the sky. He whistled aloud, the echo drawing the attention for his fellow Humming Bomber’s return.

 Flapping their wings above him, his gang all rejoined to his sight and he spread his own wings, ready to join them.

“Why is your loyalty so strong for him? Even after what he did to your friend?” Yumyan Hammerpaw asked, his questioning stopping Easy’s attempt at flight in it’s tracks. Hammerpaw’s voice was stoic and unassuming to any care, but deep down, laced with a curiosity for understanding.

To this, Easy said nothing. His face remained fixated on the sky above him, but away from the Timbercat.

“We’ve both lost people we’ve cared about to his actions. He’s always used some kind of fear in us to try and get what he wants. And it’s no doubt plagued you too, young one. His hold on you has led you to do...things you would never conspire to do outside of his control. Isn’t there even a bit of rebellious rage for justice in your heart?” Hammerpaw finished, clenching his teeth.

A tense quiet remained for a bit longer before Easy’s beak finally opened in response.

“There is no more justice. Only survival.” Easy answered in a monotonous tone before swiftly taking flight and joining his fellow group.

A few leaves were swept up from the treetop into the air by the Humming Bomber’s flapping, causing a few to drift past Hammerpaw. He caught one in his paw without taking his eyes off of the group of flying mutes.

“You’re wrong.” Hammerpaw said in barely audible voice. “I just hope you figure that out before it’s too late.”

Just as Hammerpaw let go of the the leaf, a rustling commenced from behind him. Molly Yarnchopper’s head breached through the thick of leaves as she struggled a bit to pull herself on top the massive tree.

“Hammerpaw, the Humming Bomber’s! They-” Molly stopped short of finishing, realizing all was quiet again with no enemy in sight.

“Oh.” Molly added, lowering the axe in her hand she had struggled to pull up with her.

“It was a warning from Scarlemange, if not a simple message of curiosity. We need to work on our defensive strategies. We’ve not taken into account threats from the sky as much as I’d like to think.”

Molly tilted her head to the side.
“Well, what was the message about?” she asked, a pang of worry causing her to frown with narrowed eyes.

Yumyan took in a deep breath and sighed, looking at his reflection through his well-polished axe.

“It was a message about Kipo.”

Mist had began to form in the area long enough to make long-distance visibility nearly impossible.

All was still on the ground before bare feet landed, and the space was quickly left void once again almost as quickly as the leaves crunched under the pressure. A young girl donning a gray wolf pelt leaned behind the nearby tree she leaped for, peering her head out past the road and at the nearby restaurant across it.

Waving a hand over, Wolf remained with eyes towards the place of interest as Kipo, Benson and the rest of the gang joined her on the ground. It was only when she heard a thud did she clench her teeth and resist turning herself back around.

“Sorry, lost my-”

“Yeah, I noticed.” Wolf replied to Dave as she trailed her eyes around the building once more. She found it right enough to step away from the tree she hid behind. “Nothing seems out of place. Let’s take this slow. Never know what could still be inside...”

As the restaurant grew nearer, so did the knot in Wolf’s stomach. Although years of surviving on her own made her judgment almost as sure as steel was hard, and even though there was enough incentive to believe that everything was aces, something just felt...off. Still, she discerned the unbased worry and stood watch behind them as Jamack entered first with Puck following close by.

“Everything’s still clear.” Jamack whispered to Wolf. “Me and Puck will check the back just in case.”
 The ex-Mod frog and otter bard cautiously made way towards the back rooms.

Amy held the door open for Brad, Kipo and the rest of the group as everyone began to finally feel a bit more at ease being sheltered from the vulnerability of the outside.

A paw rested against a visibly stressed Amy after she took a seat and rested her elbows on the table in front of her. Brad sat next to her and gripped her hands assuredly.

“We did everything we possibly could to keep things functional and safe. This is not on you, Amy.” Brad told her. “It’s on none of us. We did our part to make this world a better place, and we did not fail in our attempts. We’re merely set back. Things will sort out.”

Amy wiped the few tears that escaped her eyes and smiled back.
“I know, Brad. I just wish...no, nevermind. No use in dwelling.”

Benson and Dave approached beside the two rat mutes, wearing optimistic smiles that contrasted Amy’s inner demons.

“Brad’s right. Don’t worry about how things are now. The future’s still in progress. Let’s be sure not to waste any time in rebuilding it.” Benson said, laying his backpack down at another table.

As everyone settled down in front, Wolf remained standing, staring out at the growing of the fog.

A whistle sounded from Jamack’s mouth as he gripped the knob of one of the backroom doors. He caught the sign on it that read ‘Employee’s Only’.

“If anybody’s home, I’d suggest you tell us, otherwise we’ll have to make ourselves known in a much less friendly fashion.” Jamack warned in a mockingly sing-song tone. The frog mute gripped his knife harder after getting no response.

“Only one way to find out.” Puck straitened his cowboy hat and raised his guitar, ready to swing.

Jamack raised his hand and counted down to his partner.

One.

Two.

Three!

Jamack swung out the door and pointed his knife at...nothing. 

Sighing, Jamack peeked further inside and found it to be a small room for various storing on racks.

“Two more to go it seems. We’ll come back to check. Some of it could be useful.” Puck said, approaching the door behind them.

Setting up a similar tactic, Jamack knocked on the second door with his knuckles, looking to Puck when the seconds of silence went by. Like before, Jamack held his hand up in a ball.

One.

Two.

Three!

Despite being on guard, they both equally flinched at the sudden lurching of a figure awaiting inside as the door was pulled open. A loud and panicked shriek rang out from the unidentified person as Puck leaped back at the unmissable sharp object in their hand. Thinking quick, Puck slammed his guitar at the assailant’s hand, causing them to yelp and drop the knife. Jamack followed up with a swift kick to their side before tackling them to the ground.

“Um, Wolf? You’ve been standing all day. Don’t you want to rest just a bit?” Kipo lifted a finger Wolf would never see as she said this.

“Yeah, girl! It’s not like we can’t do the same from the comfort of our seats.” Dave pointed out with a wide smile. 

Wolf’s straining eyes caught sight of something vague through the blanket of fog outside. She gripped her deathstalker as her instincts flared up again.

“These windows are so big, we can literally keep watch from all the way back there!” Dave continued, pointing towards the rooms where Jamack and Puck were just as a loud shout rang out from the same direction.

“Uh...” Benson gripped his pipe and looked between the source of the loud noise and Wolf’s solitary form.

“There’s someone or something out there. Hiding in the fog...Kipo and Benson, go check out the scream...I’ll handle this.” Wolf told them, pulling the restaurant door open. Before she left it to close, she looked to Amy and Brad. “Hide behind the counter over there. Don’t want them knowing there’s anyone else here if they haven’t already.” The wolf-caped kid left outside without looking back.

Benson double-took before ripping his eyes off Wolf to assist Jamack and Puck. He and Dave ran into an unexpected sight as they did; Jamack was holding down another person by the neck. It turns out it was another human female with long, dirty blonde hair wearing a blue bomber jacket. Part of her right arm was wrapped in bandages. She looked up at Jamack with a crazed expression, doing her best to push him away.

“Let me go, let me go! You don’t understand what the hell is going on! Let me go before they-”

“Before who?” Jamack said, tightening his grip but not harming her.

The lady tried to calm herself down, failing despite her best attempts. Her panic-stricken voice tried to steady as she continued.

“T-the wolves. The wolves in the cloaks, they-I had to and they-”

Wolf store impassively at the fog, twirling her staff and pointing the deathstalker pointer at the unknown. She remained in this pose for a moment before speaking her claims.

“Come out. Now. I know someone’s there!” Wolf made clear her confident awareness as Stalky remained in it’s accusational position.

The mist concealed a haunting laughter that soon expanded into a chorus. Multiple different voices all joined along as the evocative hackles filled the air. An all to familiar feeling rippled through Wolf’s veins as she readied for whatever came next.

A good distance away, the dark silhouette of a singular being stepped out from it’s concealment, donning a wide grin that could be regarded even from the far distance. With it’s arms wide, it presented itself.

“No intentions of harm, young child.” the figure assured, now fully revealed to be a wolf mute. The his black fur was mostly covered by the wine red cloak that covered it’s body. The hood rested over it’s head just enough to reveal his face. A necklace of what seemed to be teeth rested around his neck.

“You won’t think me a child if you try anything, I swear to you that. Now what’s your business?” Wolf quickly retorted, pushing her staff forward and taking a step forward.

There was no hesitation in the chuckle the taller mute wolf gave off, taking striding steps closer and closer away from the fog and closer to her.

“My name is Remus. I am here on personal matters. It just seems that fate would have you in the way of my path to fulfilling such matters.” Remus’s smile faltered, just a bit. “I would hope I’m wrong about that.”

Before Wolf could start up again, Remus pointed at the run down restaurant behind her.
“The voices of my ancestors tell me...call to me...that what I’m looking for is within those walls.”

“And what are you looking for?” Wolf questioned, a clear tone of hostility resonating through her voice.

“An eye for an eye. An eye that has already been taken. I’m just waiting for theirs in return.” Remus revealed with eyes closed, steps moving him closer, the mist seeming to follow right behind him.

“Stay back! Whatever is in there isn’t your business. Go back or-”

“Or what, little human? I see through your words. Through your heart. Dare I say...” Remus halted in his walk, close enough to stare through her eyes. “...that wolves are no stranger to you, as you aren’t to them."

Wolf’s eyes shrunk nearly into to pinpricks. 

Wolf’s grip on Stalky loosened as a long and distant memory manifested into the present in the form of a hallucinated whisper in her ear.

She flinched as a non-existent hand lay itself on her shoulder.

“Remember what I told you, child...” the collected, but stern and unmistakable voice of her adopted mother vocalized from behind her.

“The only thing they fear...is you.”

Chapter Text

“Remember what I told you, child...” the collected, but stern voice of her adopted mother vocalized from behind her.

“The only thing they fear...is you.”

Wolf’s teeth chomped down hard. Her eyes narrowed again. Her pupils were trained on the mass of wolves, but her ears were filled with the echoing of an all-to-familiar phantom voice behind her. Without a second of thought, Wolf spun around and swung her staff behind her, hitting nothing but the air.

Digging her heels into the ground, she then faced Remus and his pack again before lunging straight for Remus’s neck. Her deathstalker staff aimed for his throat, the child shouting in an angered fury.

But Remus’s expression held one of an unflinching resolve. Before the pointed end of the deathstalker staff met it’s target, a blur sped past and took an iron grip on it, snatching it from her grasp. The force of the blur’s shove sent Wolf back and into a roll before she straightened herself onto her feet. Another wolf clad in an all-black robe stood defensively in front of Remus, dropping her Stalky just beside itself.

She was now weaponless. But not defenseless.

One by one, multiple mute wolves all donning black robes walked out of the lingering fog. Necklaces adorned with teeth were worn by them all. Wolf was outnumbered a dozen-to-one. But none of it mattered to her.

She charged again, dashing straight for the two wolves as her fists clenched in frustration. Despite her maddening resolve, she knew she would need Stalky to be as effective. As two more wolves met her halfway to Remus, she slid under them and collected dirt. A third wolf met her head on and was met with a face-full of it, effectively blinding him. After meeting another with a punch to it’s gut, the fourth wolf mute gripped her by the neck and slammed Wolf down, causing her to lose her breath and cough out.

She wasted no time in making her prowess clear as she chomped her teeth down hard on the hand that constricted her, causing the wolf to yelp and retract. Not fast enough, Wolf was able to land a solid left jab into it’s face and followed up with a right. The human’s instincts flared up to the two wolves she slid under earlier and turned to meet them both with kicks to their chests.

However, Wolf’s world quickly turned upside down as she found herself buried head-first into the ground. Coughing out some of the dirt, she nearly bit her tongue in anger and desperation trying to free herself from what turned out to be Remus holding her down with one hand. Despite her best efforts, the child’s attempts to free herself continued in vain.

“I won’t ask again, you feisty little human child...where is she?” Remus asked monotonously. A monotonous tone that dripped with a deadly seriousness.

“I don’t know what the hell your talking about!” Wolf roared, unwilling to give any indication of anyone, no matter the cost. She was hoping her friends slid through the back door. But knowing Kipo...

“She’s right in here!” the voice of Kipo rang out to the robed wolves, walking out of the restaurant just behind the dirty-blonde haired human who took a few steps back inside. Her face was plagued with a lingering fear.

“But you’re not touching her. She’s with us now. And whatever you think she’s guilty of is not on her. It’s not her fault for what she did to one of yours. She was defending herself! One of your own attacked her unprovoked!” Benson continued for his friend, stepping out with Dave in tow.

Jamack, Puck, Amy and Brad all stood in front of the newerprotectively, and just as Kipo was starting to speak again, Jamack broke the line and took bright and bold steps forward.

“You see, our human gal here that you’re looking for was scavenging and one of your own must’ve broken from your group and ran into her. And what I assume is against “wolf pack order”, they disregarded your leadership and acted independently.” Jamack hypothesized, stopping short of Remus and Wolf.

He reached behind him into a back pocket, earning immediate growls from the numerous cloaked wolves who were then silenced by Remus’s free hand halting them. Grinning from cheek-to-cheek, Jamack revealed his ultimate ace card. Now held up for every wolf to see was his trusty nectar bomb he nabbed from the leader of the Humming Bombers.

“This...this I have ZERO issues using. Zero. So let that human go now, or we all go sky high.” the frog mute ordered, holding the highly explosive object in front of him like a badge of honor.

Remus locked eyes with the frog for a good moment before slowly widening his grin. He let go of Wolf, who wasted no time fumbling away towards her friends.

“Okay.” Remus backed up and leaned down to pick up Wolf’s staff and tossed it to her. “The situation here has already been made clear.” Giving the human he'd been chasing a long look, he broke eye contact with her to meet directly to a specific wolf behind him.

One of the wolves shrunk back as his leader approached them. Now barely nose-to-nose, Remus look down on the slightly shorter member of his pack as they began to stutter for an explanation.

“I-I wasn’t-she-”

“You told me your fables. And this ordeal has solidified what I’ve assumed from the start. I’ve no place for liars and cowards.” Before the wolf could respond, Remus slipped something into his hand from under his cloak and slid it through the mute wolf’s chest.

The blood the stabbed wolf coughed out dribbled against Remus’s face as he buried the blade deeper, twisting it and eventually rendering the lying wolf stiff. With a slick motion, Remus pulled the knife out and let the mute wolf collapse to the ground. A small pause ensued as Remus motionlessly observed the deceased form along with his remaining pack members before turning back to Jamack with a contrasted smile.

“It seems your worries are ones to be quelled. There is no further interest in the human girl. We’ve found our resolution. It would seem another fate is still on your trail for us to leave be.” Remus looked to the nectar bomb Jamack still wordlessly held in front of him. This earned the frog a chuckle.

“The compounds within the mix that typically makes those nectar bombs tick dilute within about a week after it’s mixed for use.” Remus informed as-a-matter-of-factually. “My guess is those feathered bombers change them out pretty frequently. They’re also quite delicious drinks after their explosive components expire. You should take a swig!”

Jamack gritted his teeth at Remus’s smugly passive way of saying that he was seriously gambling with the extent of the nectar bomb’s usefulness. It was likely that it wasn’t explosive anymore. Luckily, he didn’t have to worry about the chances. Remus waved a clawed hand out of his robed and signaled to his clan. The cloaked wolves began to step back into the obscurity of the mist until they were no longer visible. Following suit, Remus’s eyes floated past Jamack’s and seem to meet everyone’s gaze at once.

“Apologies for the intrusion. All is resolved here. There’s still one more unfortunate wolf that has a date with death. Can’t say they’ll be as lucky. May your ancestors guide you.” Remus finalized before lowering his head and backing into the mist from where he came.

And just like that, all was silent again. As if nothing had ever happened. The blood flowing from the lifeless cloaked wolf in front of them the only tangible proof of their confrontation.

After a long, drawn out look at the nectar bomb, Jamack unscrewed the capsule and downed the sweet liquid in two gulps, throwing the empty glass casing on the ground, shattering it.

“Very dramatic. Excellent performance!” Puck piped up before remembering the dead wolf that still remained. “Err...too soon, I presume...you okay, Wolf?”

Wolf nodded spitting out the remaining access dirt she collected during the scuffle.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“So...” Kipo started, turning towards the newest addition to the cast, further breaking the awkward silence. “What’s your name?”

The woman gripped the edges of her unzipped jacket and sighed a sigh laced with exhaustion. Still, a glimmer of hope remained as she spoke.

“Amanda. My name is Amanda.”

After a decisive discussion on the next move, they all decided to follow the road next to the restaurant to see where it led.

“So...what’s the overall plan, anyways? I mean, every minute that passes by, Kipo’s dad and her burrow people...they could be in serious trouble.” Benson said, looking to Kipo whose eyes remained fixated on the ground.

“I know...but we have to regroup on this. Maybe even get help. We can’t just waltz right up to Scarlemange and have a chat...I know you understand Kipo...right?” Wolf looked to Kipo, hoping for an all to familiar spark to shine in her eyes.

Kipo took a deep breath and let it go.
“Wolf’s right. We need time to map out how we’re going to do this. If we’re reckless, then we’ll end up getting people hurt...or worse. Let’s find another place to rest first.”

And so they began their search for safer grounds once more. Following the nearby road, they continued on until they reached a steep decline by the paved trail. It led out to a whole other town, neighborhoods, stores and lampposts all resided in their run-down glory below them. It was a place they’ve never seen before.

“Wait...wait, what?” Benson squinted his eyes at a particular spot, making sure he wasn’t loosing it from dehydration. “Do you...see what I see over there?” Benson pointed down to a particular section and led everyone’s eyes to the same spot. The movement observed from afar was enough to conclude their confusion.

“Is that a community...full of humans and mutes?” Kipo asked herself rhetorically. “No way...okay, th-that is awesome!”

But Wolf stepped between them in their revelation.

“Yes, a community that has mutes and humans together. Nice. But it doesn’t make it safe. We don’t know who they are or if we can even trust them.” Wolf double-took at the gate community, narrowing her eyes.
“They could be under Scarlemange’s control for all we know. Taking orders and everything! Them being out in the open like this-”

“How about this?” Jamack cut through. “We sneak around the place, come midnight. We won’t even have to get too close. Just to see what’s up. There’s many places down there for us to rest in, so after we settle down we can give it a quick look.”

 A small pause ensued, and after Kipo’s puppy-dog eyes nagged Wolf’s vision for too long, she turned away and grunted in defeat.

“Ughh fine.” Wolf relented, dragging her Stalky against the dirt. “But only at night. And only after we settle down. I think we’ve been close to capture and death enough recently.”

As Jamack smiled at the cooperation, Amanda stepped up to him, tugging his sleeve.

"Hey, can I talk to you about something...in private? Just don't think everyone else should hear it yet." she told him, smiling.

Jamack found the smile a bit...off for some reason. Like he should of remembered it somehow. He couldn't quite put his finger on it as he followed suit further in the forest away from everyone else.

"So...what is it-what the hell, lady!"

Jamack grunted as Amanda shoved him into a tree, completely out of sight from everyone else. He found himself pressed against it with a razor-sharp knife held against his neck that dared him to resist. A tense few seconds passed before Amanda spoke again.

"So you don't remember me, huh? That's a damn shame and a pity." Amanda's eyes began to water as the knife began to shake. "You and you're frog pals are the reason I have this burn," Amanda held up her left arm to re-show her bandages. "...and the reason why my friend isn't here with us!"

It all came back to Jamack like a freight train.

The car was parked, they were back and after a good while, Jamack had slowly drifted asleep.

The car keys were usually rested beside him on the nightstand that resided beside him.

Well, normally would be, and were before. But they weren’t there anymore.

Jamack's eyes lowered in a growing sourness.

“Boss...did you...burn down the human’s hideout?”

“Heh heh, Jamack...don’t worry about it. We don’t need to worry about them anymore. They’re gone.” Sartori replied. “Get’s some sleep.”

As the knife edged dangerously closer, Jamack laid a hand on Amanda's shoulder, an unusually cool look on the frog mute's face.

"I wasn't there when it happened. My boss...my ex-boss stole my car and did it while I was sleep. I...I can't possibly say what I would've done if I was there...but nothing like that..." Jamack coughed to stifle unwanted emotions. "I'm no longer with them, Amanda. I swear to you, no matter what happens I'll stick with you. I'll do anything I can. I'll never be able to fill the void that losing you're friend made...but I'm not going anywhere. Dead here, or dead out there."

The tears blinded Amanda's vision as Jamack slowly gripped the arm that held the knife against him. Bringing it down with minimal effort, he reached forward and hugged her.

"It's going to be okay." he assured her.

Wolf remained awake on watch as her group slept on for the time being until next to midnight.

But something continued to haunt her through the creeping dark.

The voice of the one she once called her caretaker.

Her so-called adoptive mother.

It returned again. After so long. After so long, it returned and it disgusted her. It made her want to hurl. Want to kill the voice within her head. She thought she already had. Turns out she was wrong. And it filled her heart with a silent fury as she glared blankly into the coming night sky. And in this, a new voice manifested.

Why didn’t you kill her?

Why did you spare her?

Was your pity for her defenseless form that big?

That grand?

Her soul is floating out there with it’s body still attached.

Do you even remember why you did it? Was if for you, or for torMga

Do you even remember her?

She could be anywhere.

In the nearby forest, in a town far away...

Or she could be 

right behind you.

“Mind if I join you?”

Wolf quickly shifted her eyes towards a newly-awoken Amanda. She rubbed her groggy eyes and scooted next to Wolf as the kid gripped her head and hid her eyes.

“You...you okay? I can take over for you if you want. I know I literally just joined a few hours ago but you can trust-”

Wolf held up one hand, her eyes still clenched tightly together.
“It’s alright. I got it.”

Amanda responded by going silent as she joined Wolf in her sights towards the stars. The sky was relatively clear, save for a few drifting clouds every now and then. But in the far distance, a clear thunderstorm was brewing.
 
“Sooo...” Amanda started up again. “What you did back at the restaurant was super rad. Like, damn girl! Seriously, who taught you how to fight like that?”

“I taught myself.” Wolf answered while quickly turning away to her deathstalker staff.

Amanda caught Wolf’s shaking grip on it and frowned a bit before leaning her head back against the large tree behind her she shared.

“Huh...that’s cool.” Amanda told her. “Well, thanks for doing what you did back there. I owe you. I already lost everything but the hope that I could live another day to find...” Amanda trailed off and found her eyes towards the ground. “As long as I’m alive, there’s hope. Hope that I can find the ones I’m looking for.”

Wolf said nothing to this but finally caught full interest of the white bandaging that cased her upper arm up to her wrist.

“That already healed?” Wolf asked, pointing towards the point of interest.

Amanda’s eyes went wide before she looked down at the bandages wrapped around her right arm.
“No...no it’s not. It’s...it’s a burn I got from somewhere. I haven’t been able to properly care for it...but I’ll manage.”

Amanda arose and stood straight, looking down on Wolf with a manufactured smile.
“I should get some more rest. We don’t have much time before midnight. Every seconds counts. See ya then.”

Amanda stepped back over to her sleeping spot and relaxed back into a readying slumber.

And Wolf was again to herself.

 Every inch into obscurity the sunset fell felt like it was ultimately coming down to bear on Wolf. It didn’t sit right with her that such a community would be functioning so well by itself without outside help. It made no sense. And she wasn’t letting that process of thought out of her head until she was proven wrong.

And at midnight, she would soon find out.

Chapter Text

Ravenous wolves

The returning howls of two wolves cut through the frantic badger mute’s thoughts as the thoughts of her family were snatched from her mind.

Footfalls in the forest

The badgers feet ached and ached as she dashed through the deep snow and past the dead winter trees, but she had to keep moving. There was no stopping, nor turning back. Not if she wanted to live. Every step she didn’t take meant a closer dance with death. But they were steps she was quickly running out of the ability to make. Her feet ached so bad. She just wanted to see her brother again. Her child again.

Never could find
Just where the door is

“Damn it!” the badger shrieked as she caught a glimpse of the two wolves right back on her trail.

They had caught up to her again. Like they said they would. Like the older one had promised her. A sickening canine smile had accompanied that equally sick promise.

So as they came
Right on her trail

Her doom drew nearer
Her time had sailed

The pounding grew nearer and nearer and nearer still. Images of her newborn the only thing left to carry the badger forward.

Closer

“Please, don’t do this!”

Closer still

“I’m begging! My famil-”

The howls were now upon her

The force of one of the wolves colliding with her back knocked out any chance of her finishing her plea.

The badger left warm tears on the dirt below as her face was pushed against it, any further attempts at resistance met with a harsher force to meet it.

“I-I caught her, mother! I did it!” the voice of the younger wolf called out behind her as the taller wolf halted in her sprint, stopping a few feet from their prey.

“Good, good. Now, you know what to do next.” the older wolf reminded her, giving her a creeping smile as she folded her arms behind her.

The younger wolf, clad in a gray skirt and a private school uniform to match, looked to the older wolf and frowned, double-taking away from the badger who remained frozen in shock.

“But mother, I- she has a-”

The older wolf gave out a sharp growl, her magenta eyes narrowing dangerously as she looked through the young cub.
“Mother Rudina. Not mother. Do not forget this again. Now, finish the job.” her mother warned the youngling, paws clenching tightly. But suddenly, the frustration halted, an undoubtedly forced smile coming back to meet the cub. “...Please.”

The young wolf turned back to the badger mute whose face was as pale as a badger face could possibly be.
“She’s wrong to do this. I know you’re too young to fully understand, but she’s wrong! She’s just-”

“Cecilia, my child,” Rudina cut through, boldly, but with a conjured warmth to match. “Don’t listen to her. Remember, she is our prey. You can’t undermine your baser instincts without risking starvation and death. This is your test. Do not fail your mother.” the mother wolf told her child, taking a few steps forward.

Young Cecilia’s mind was spinning. She knew this was part of her training. Her testing. Her will to do what was necessary. But was this really necessary? She felt queasy.  Her fangs began to bare but her heart was racing with apprehension.

“Mother Rudina...do we really have to do this? She...” Cecilia questioned, her eyes getting misty.

“I just want to see my child again...” the badger managed to say through her tired voice and drained eyes. It came out as barely audible.

Cecilia and the badger met eye to eye with unfettered emotions. The badger’s mortal fears and young Cecilia’s innocent lack of certainty collided and everything seemed to pause within this moment.

All until a solid push sent Cecilia off of her target and onto her back. As Cecilia got back to her feet, she found her mother holding the badger against a nearby tree. Rudina’s hands squeezed tighter around the mute’s neck as the badger tried in vain to fight back. Looking back to her child, Rudina gave out a disappointed expression.

“You still have much to learn, child.” Rudina told the young wolf as she moved her eyes back to the badger. In one swift motion, she slung the badger mute back against the ground. Before anything else could happen, one thing did.

Rudina slid her canines around the badger’s neck and bit down hard. Blood poured out as the helpless mute gave out one last cry that barely lasted a second. Cecilia remained still as all grew quiet once more. Blood covering her maw, Rudina let go of the deceased mute and turned back to where they came.

“Much more to learn...” Rudina said to her youngling again as she passed her by. “We’ll talk about this later.”

Cecilia’s eyes were still on the badger, now bloody and lifeless. A bloody and lifeless form that once held a dying light in it’s eyes, pleading for her to come to her senses.

“Cecilia. Let’s. Go.”

Her mother’s voice snapped her out of her stare and she rushed to meet her, only looking back one more time as the deceased form grew smaller and smaller.

Forks and knifes clinked and scraped against glass plates as three wolves ate at the dinner table.

Cecilia observed her mother and father as they silently ate away. Their eyes never left their plates. The suspense was eating her alive, ironically. But her mother was the one to break it. Rudina darted her eyes up to meet her child’s and set her utensils down gently. But her eyes held a weight many times heavier.

“Cecilia failed her hunting test. Again.” Rudina revealed.

Her husband looked to Rudina and found her still glaring daggers at their daughter. Sighing, he laid a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “I figured that. You didn’t come in exactly jumping for joy, darling...”  the father wolf flinched slightly as Rudina laid eyes upon him next.

“Alphonso,” Rudina began in a low tone. “We have no time for jesting around. Have you forgotten who is soon to come? If she’s not ready by then, we’ll be the laughing stock of the entire Alpha society!”

The words rung through Cecilia painfully, but she remained silent, dragging her sights to the uneaten meat on her plate.

“Rudina, sweety...we’ve only started for a month or so, let’s not rush this-”

“The High Alpha will be here soon. I fear Cecilia’s hesitation won't go unnoticed. I am simply in unease at her-”

“Rudina.” Alphonso called to her again. “We’ll talk about this later tonight. But for now...let’s all just enjoy our meals.”

And then the silence reared itself again.

Cecilia pressed her little ears against the bedroom door of her parent’s room, catching the muffled but still clearly audible voices of her mother and father.

“You can’t be serious...you can’t be serious. Are you really saying what you’re saying right now?” Rudina’s voice asked quietly, but the harshness was evident.

“We can’t live like this, Rudina. Not here. You and I know how the High Alpha is. How...I don’t want to raise little Cecilia here, and neither should you. This place...it isn’t what I thought it would be. I thought it would be a great place for her to learn and I was wrong. ‘Hunting for food’ and murder are blurred lines here.  They’re practically the same thing!”

“We can’t just leave! Not after everything I-”

Alphonso stifled a growl.
“That’s what this place has done to you now? It used to be about all of us!” Alphonso hissed. He lowered his voice, dragging both hands down his face. “I’ve tried my best to ignore it, but this “alpha society” is a cult. I’ve seen some of our neighbors do...unspeakable things to outsiders. To mutes who had no idea where they were. Neighbors who I’ve been close to for years, Rudina. They would’ve never have done those things before...and the High Alpha has them all on a leash...please don’t let this be true for you too, sweety. I love you...”

Cecilia awaited for more, and her ears twitched when her expectations were met.

“Alright.” Cecilia heard her mother say. “You’re...you’re right. But I need to...clear my head. Please, let’s just continue this talk down at the cliff side. We can settle this over some fresh air.”

“Okay, honey...”

As quietly as she could, Cecilia retracted her head from the door and tiptoed back to her room. Under the covers, she soon heard her parent’s door unlock and steps grow closer as her bedroom door slowly creaked open. Through half-closed eyelids, Cecilia observed her father’s warm smile before the door shut just as quietly, leaving her alone again.

A pair of footsteps moved downstairs. Then the front door closed.

....

.........

................

“Honey, wake up!”

Cecilia jolted out of her slumber and as her eyes focused in, they fell unto a shocking sight. Her mother was spattered in blood and her fur was unkempt as if the wind had ruffled it all out of place. Tears continued streaming down her cheeks as she spoke the words that would change her world forever.

“Your father, he- they attacked us and...” Rudina collapsed onto the wooden floor in front of her daughter. “Humans! They killed your father! They ambushed us while we were out and your father tried to protect me...he told me to run.”

Cecilia blinked as if she was still dreaming. She rubbed her eyes, hoping to wake up from the abrupt nightmare. But her mother gripped the edge of her bed, pulling herself closer.

“This is real, honey. Your father is dead. He’s...he’s not coming back...” Rudina clarified in a sobbing mess on the floor.

“No...no, he can’t be...” Cecilia told her mother, as if the statement itself would change reality.

“He is. And he was wrong. Everyone out there...they’re all savages. Including those ruthless humans! They stole your father away from us. And now you know why...” Rudina’s expression went from distraught and heartbroken to angry just as fast as Cecilia’s tears made her blink.

“W-why what?”

Rudina’s frown curved upwards, but just barely.

“Why those outside of the Alpha society are never to be trusted. They’re all to never be trusted. You’re father was wrong about what he said. They’ll use us to get what they want. Want to steal all that we’ve built. And I want you to be strong for whatever else they do next. This is why I wanted you to do what I wanted you to that badger. You must be strong for me.”

Rudina climbed up on the bed beside Cecilia and hugged her close. Some of the blood that resided on her mother ended up on her as a result, but this was the last thing on the young Cecilia’s mind.

Cecilia cleared her confused and weary eyes and shut them tight, re-opening them with a stirring ocean of sadness, anger and resentment.

“You know, my dear...” Rudina began as her child’s head rested on her shoulder. It’s not too late to test your ability once more. "Those humans are still out there. We can find them together. You and me. And then, you will truly be tested.” a slick smirk grew on Rudina’s face as she awaited an answer.

The moon was concealed by thick clouds as Cecilia replied.

“I-I’ll be ready this time. I promise. I won’t fail you.”

...

.........

....................

“And who are you now?”

An older, present version of Cecilia store solemnly through the splintered and cracked mirror from within her cell. Knox’s words had cut through her sour reminiscing like a flash of lightning.

“Someone who can never truly make up for what they did. And I’m not ever going to.” Cecilia turned away from the mirror to meet Knox’s form. She looked at him, but not at him. Not in his eyes.  “I just can’t stand to be that person anymore. Perhaps it’s more of a selfish goal than anything.”

“When that human kid spared you, it broke the idea.” Knox suddenly inputted.

Cecilia’s eyes flashed up to finally meet the human again.
“What?”

Knox drew closer to the cage bars. He reach into his shirt and hesitated for a moment before revealing the wolf tooth necklace he hid underneath for the second time to her in a long while. ”The idea that humans weren’t to be trusted. I believe it’s a part of why you did what you did to that human you took in. You were so scared of the idea of the lie your mother told you being false that you would do almost anything to keep it in place. The belief that your father hadn’t died in vain. That your mother was right. That child...was another obstacle to that belief.”

Cecilia stood with eyes unmoving.

"When the human child spared you, it seems it was the final nail in the coffin that was what your mother raised you to believe.. " Knox gritted teeth at the idea of asking such a deeply personal question. Still he persisted.

“Do you think...have you ever had the suspicion that it was your mother who had really murdered your father?” Knox brung up, paining to ask such a risky and deeply personal question. “To be frank, and by the sound of it, she was a straight psychopath.”

“A psycho-what?”

“She used you to further her own beliefs. She lacked the care she should have had towards you.” Knox told her.

“I’ve had my doubts...” Cecilia admitted, pacing slowly within her small confines with eyes glued to the ground. “She wasn’t exactly a saint.”

 “Your mother no doubt had a role in your decisions, regardless of how much you’re still at fault, which you of course still are.” Knox stated as he got closer. “But you aren’t your mother. You have to remember that.”

Cecilia didn’t reply, but her expression of an overbearing guilt said all that need to be said.

“I’m no therapist, Cecilia. But Ms. Mudiwa is. You should talk to her when you get the chance....and soon.”
Knox paused, getting up from the seat he had pulled over next to the cage. Sighing, he rubbed a set of fingers against the side of his cheek.

The door downstairs suddenly swung open with a loud voice following suit. Sophia’s command came through loud and clear. “Party’s over, you two. Knox, get down here. Now. It’s Devland’s time to talk.” 

Knox reached through the bars and laid a hand on Cecilia’s shoulder.

“Hang in there. “

Chapter Text

Knox walked through Devland’s office door to find Kara, Lute and Piercer all residing in chairs, leaving one for him. He eyed Devland intently as he joined them.

“So, now that you’re here. I think it’s best to question what your view of events on-”

“She didn’t start this. He did.”

Devland unfolded his arms and pressed his hands against his wooden desk.
“I wasn’t finished. Shaun has already been spoken to. And I know everything I need to know about your precious wolf friend.”

Knox’s eyes widened. His fist clenched.

“Ms. Cecilia is certainty a controversial character...” Devland tapped his fingers slowly. “But I’m sure you know about it all already.”

Knox rose from his seat and continued to stare at Devland.
“What are you trying to say?”

Devland chuckled, closing his eyes.
“That wolf mother is not someone who I would even think to keep around in this community. What her aggressor told me about her...that she tried to do to him years ago! And the human child she tried to have killed? Are you even in your right mind to bring her here and not mention these things?” 

Knox clenched his teeth tightly as his eyes darkened. Everything Ms. Mudiwa had revealed to him and his crew about Devland’s schemes came flooding back like a tsunami. 

“So I’ve decided. I’m sending her away. She’s to leave by-”

“She’s not going anywhere.” Knox interrupted, tone still calm.

Devland’s forehead furrows bunched as he narrowed his eyes and his anger grew.
“What did you just say?”

“Thing is...that’s one major key thing she has on you.” Knox looked to Piercer, eyeing that he still had his archer’s bow. “You’re talking about her past faults. And not her present. Something I can’t say applies the same to you.” Knox takes a solid step forward, earning a cautious alarm from Pete and Sophia. “Piercer, make sure Sophia and Peke don’t try anything.”

Piercer understood completely. He pushed himself out of his chair and reached for his ever-present bow, training it on Devland’s assistants, Sophia and Peke were too late to reach for their knifes, and Piercer took note.

“What the hell are you two doing?” Kara asked incredulously.

“Uh, yeah this is a huge, huge step forward that I did not see coming.” Lute spoke as he gripped his shirt collar nervously.

“Drop them and kick them away. Now.” Piercer demanded, passing over his friend’s questionings.

Doing as he asked, the human and chameleon mute removed their weapons and tossed them away. Sophia store daggers into Piercer as he watched them dutifully.

“You’re gonna-”

“Shut up.” Piercer commanded lowly, stopping her words in her tracks.

Devland stood, his expression much less than friendly.
“What the hell is the meaning of this! You have no say nor power over-”

Devland halted his words as he watched Knox pull his katana out of the scabbard. He slowly raised the sword’s pointed edge directly at the community leader’s neck. Stepping closer, Devland stuttered as Knox spoke up again.

“Open the drawer and take out your journal. And the cage jail keys while you’re at it.” Knox demanded. “I won’t ask you again.”

The dark fire in Knox’s eyes didn’t go unnoticed to Devland. He could’ve sworn his eyes grew into slits. Surprised face turning to a deep scowl, he wordlessly unlocked a drawer to his desk and pulled the journal of interest out.  Seeing Knox waving a hand over, he hesitated but ultimately tossed Knox the keys to the community cell cages.

“Now...let’s take this all outside.” Knox ordered. “I’ve had enough of your pseudo-virtuous bullshit.”

“I need everyone’s attention!”

Knox’s proclamations for the community’s attention eventually drew everyone from their houses and places of busy work. The sight of Knox and Piercer’s weapons drawn at the one’s who promised to keep Lensvile together drew expressions of confusion, shock and apprehension.

“This isn’t a takeover. And this isn’t a threat towards any of your lives.” Knox clarified to the distraught community members. “But Devland sure is. And I’m going to have him prove it himself. Lute, take these and unlock Cecilia’s cell. Trust me, okay?”

Lute gave him a long look. One that held a tinge of doubt, but ultimately he took them.
“Are you sure about this, Knox? And I don’t mean about Devland. I mean about doing this now? Are you...” Lute trailed off, ultimately knowing the answer.

“Too late to turn back now.” Knox told him, expression somewhat regretful. But quickly regaining full resolve, Lute nodded to him and left as he turned back towards the gathering crowd.

One of the fresher faces was Ms. Mudiwa, who speed walked over to the katana-wielder in a panic.
“What in the world! I told you to not do or say anything rash! This is absolutely the most rash thing you could have done!” she chastised, dragging a hand in disbelief through her fro.

“Oh, so you knew-”

“Shut up!” Knox and Mudiwa said to Devland in unison, earning themselves his silence once again.

“He was going to send Cecilia away, I had no choice.” Knox told Mudiwa. He turned to Devland pointing his sword at him again. “You’re going to open that journal and you’re going to read it all to everyone here. To show them who you really are. A scared coward that was playing a role with self-interests above everyone else. Get up and move.”

Devland glowered at Knox as his eyes failed to leave him while he listened. The community leader quickly found himself in front of the chattering crowd as the journal trembled in his hand. Piercer shepherded Sophia and Peke beside him.

“Begin reading.” Knox told him.

Devland’s eyes trailed across the first entry and grit his teeth. A long quiet drew upon the night as the moon hovered above. All eyes were on him. The words started slow.

“It’s been a while since my first entry. Since everything settled...but I fear we just aren’t going to last very long. Over the past few weeks of just getting settled in, mute groups of various kinds have found an interest in our little refuge. We’ve barely have a gate up, and Mudiwa suggests we allow Mutes into our home, too? After all of the harassment and threats we’ve received from them on the outside? How can we aim to trust them anyhow? She’s too naive...”

Mudiwa clenched her fingers into fists upon re-hearing what she already read herself.

“I had to do it. I won’t blame myself for the opinion or accusation of others, should anyone find out. And they won’t...but either way, it was for our survival. Our community...our home would have been ramp-sacked without his protection. It almost was...so I had to make the deal, or otherwise he was going to things much, much worse...” Devland continued.

The crowd began to murmur louder as Devland artificially cleared his throat.
“Today I’ve learned the full price of a missed deadline in Scarlemange’s world....”

“Scarlemange?” one voice in the crowd repeated, cuing a rippling effect of deep concern.

“Three times in a row. And the price was one of our own. Or the whole community goes. He gave us one day to choose who that was. I could’ve choose anyone. I could have volunteered myself. But then who would keep up the act? The thin veiled illusion that everything was fine? So I chose...” Devland sourly admitted as he read.

“It was the new pair we had brung in. The hedgehog brothers. I had no choice. This was for all of us. They leave at noon. They won’t be returning. This is the price of freedom that I’ve carved out for us. I’m not a monster. It sickens me, too...”

“What?” Peke shouted, causing Devland to jump slightly. “That...was you? You told me they...” Peke couldn’t finish, his quickly building rage rising up inside. 

“Devland struck a deal with Scarlemange that if he’d keep supplying him with what he asks, he’ll continue to leave this place alone...but for how long will that be?” Knox said, looking to Peke. “He’s already lied to his own close associates about giving up two mutes who were living here just like you all are now. What makes you think he wouldn’t do the same to any of you if or when he becomes desperate enough?”

As the crowd continued the speculation amongst themselves, Devland remained speechless, unable to meet the mixed emotional gazes the group of residents all had on him.

“Our deal was to never hurt anybody. You couldn’t even keep that?” Peke continued angrily, causing Piercer to step up and remind him of his position. “No, no need, archer boy. I don’t care what happens next. I’m not following his antics anymore. ”

Sophia only stood in silence, her momentary trance at the ground painting a clear picture. Her eyes suddenly darted up towards Devland and took a few steps to reach him before tapping his shoulder. Before he could fully turn around, Sophia slung her fist into his face, causing him to drop the journal and spin to the ground.

“The mother that went out to search for her two sons never came back, either. Her blood is on your hands, too.” Sophia growled, shaking her fist out. “I knew her well enough. You despicable...” the chameleon mute went silent before finishing, opting to step back and sit down on the steps behind her, silently glaring forward.

It was at this moment that Lute returned back into sight with Cecilia not far behind. Amongst the gathering, her children all caught sight of her and ran over with gleeful eyes. Margot was the first to reach her.

“Mom!” Margot exclaimed as she practically ran into her, nearly toppling her over. Her mother replied with a smile and a pat on her head.

“Tell us when the next meeting is with Scarlemange.” Knox demanded evenly at not just Devland, but Sophia and Peke, a stoic expression hiding his impatience. “Whatever charade you’ve all had over this community ends now.”

Peke and Sophia looked at each other and then to Devland. Sophia then crossed her arms and scoffed.
“Devland never tells us when and where until it’s a day before or on the day we’re supposed to.”

To that, the katana in Knox’s hand dragged along the ground as he drew closer to her. Knox felt his grip tighten on the handle as he drew eye-to-eye with the chameleon. “Don’t lie to us. It won’t end well.”

“Calm your tits, samurai. I said what I said, and what I said is the truth. You wanna make it any more than that, then I’ll happily respond by kicking your-”

“Hey! Hey! Look, Knox...I get it.” Peke came in between the two. “You’re tired of all the lies and you want your friends to be safe. But she’s tellin’ the truth.” Peke doubled-down for her. “Devland’s the only one who fully knows. He might have it written down somewhere in advance, or-”

Knox brought his sights back to the community leader, who remained disgraced on the ground.

“You’re only going to make things worse for the people here.” Devland replied, ignoring Knox’s questioning. A smile slowly grew on the man’s face. “In fact, you might be the one who ends up getting everyone kill-”

“When, Devland?” Knox asked, gritting his teeth harder.

Devland didn’t budge.
“You’re going to get everyone here killed.”

“When and where?” Knox asked, his voice raising. The atmosphere was quickly turning much more tense and practically everyone witnessing events unfolding could see it.

Devland’s cheeky smile only grew larger, as if he knew some grand secret that was worth suffering for. “You’re going to be the cause of everyone’s suffering, just as that sick wolf was the cause of that chi-”

Devland’s sight blurred as Knox reached forward and gripped the community leader’s shirt collar, yanking him up with minimal effort and slinging him fully onto his back on the ground. His sword hovered beside Devland as it shook in his hand.

Knox had dealt with liars long before. And they nearly got him killed. Nearly got his friends killed. All because he loosened and let his guard down. And it was happening again by living here in the unusual safety of the walls, which he conflictingly wanted for so long. But it was costing him his edge. His edge for survival. He wouldn’t let that happen again. He wouldn’t-

“Knox!” Kara intervened by gripping his shoulder and shaking him. “We’ll get what we need out of him...but not like this.” Kara caught Knox’s frustrated and aggravated expression as he turned to her and slightly flinched before regaining her neutrality.

It was like a blast from the past. She’d seen the same expression years before. While they were still fresh after meeting each other. The same eyes. Fear. Apprehension. Distrust. Almost like a wild, trapped animal.

“Hey, pal,” Kara continued. “Don’t worry. We’ll be okay. Things will work out. But we need to control all of this. This community is confused and scared. Doing things like this won’t help anyone.”

Knox’s eyes remained fixated into hers as they slowly softened. The community watched on as Knox drew their direct attention again. “Devland and his pals have been lying to you all this whole time. And even they have been lied to. Well...the lies end here. We may not know what the future holds, but it’s a future under no more veils and fallacies. If Devland’s deal with Scarlemange is the reason this community stayed safe for so long, then we’re more than happy to carry that torch."

“Piercer and Lute...take Devland to the jail cell.” Knox told them. “We’ll get what we need from him soon enough.” Knox told them, slowly re-sheathing his katana and turning away to pass Kara and Mudiwa. He stopped just beside them and paused before looking back with a much eased look than before. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to...act like that, Kara. And Mudiwa...I’m still...not even sure I made the right decision.”

Mudiwa’s eyes stopped short of Knox’s shoes as she kicked a nearby rock and sighed. But then her eyes shot up to his as a face of full resolve met him back. “I guess we’re going to have to find out. At least it’s sooner than later.”

The figures of Peke and Sophia were brought back into focus as Knox asked Mudiwa observed them nearby, Piercer’s bow still trained on them. “You think we can trust them?”

“No,” Mudiwa replied swiftly. “They’ll be questioned just as Devland will be.”

Peke moved to protest, but brought his foot back the second he remembered Piercer. He eyed the Archerat as he spoke. “Look, we made a huge mistake-”

Lute waved his hands out incredulously. “You think? You decided to partner up with a egocentric guy in a suit and a mandrill tyrant? That monkey is responsible for my brother’s-” Lute paused before a wall of emotions came rushing to him, which he tried his best to hold back. “We lost our communities to his actions...we lost people we loved...”

“I did it out of fear. I wasn’t sure of what else I could’ve done to make sure me and everyone here were safe! It doesn’t excuse anything, but please kid, I am sorry...” Peke told Lute, practically begging him to understand.

Meanwhile at the gate, Jessie drew her eyes away from the community to something that made her ear twitch from the outside. Through the dark of the night, her keen eyesight caught sight of nearby bushes rummaging. It wasn’t long before a head slowly emerged.

“What? Who’s-”

 The squirrel mute’s eyes widened as she reached for the alarm bell.

“We’ll talk about you and Sophia later. I know you both clearly have qualms with Devland to, so-” Knox halted at the sound of bells coming from the community gates.

“We’ve got more outsiders! I’ve got eight counted for. I mean, what do we-” Jessie paused as she noticed Mudiwa began to jog over.

“Hold on, Jessie. Let me take a look.” Mudiwa climbed up the wooden ladder and stood upon the structure as she gazed over the gate. “Huh...let’s see what they have to say first.”

Knox and the rest of the community watched on as words were exchanged back and fourth to the outsiders, too far away to fully make much of anything. But just as Knox aimed to get closer, an announcement was made aloud.

“We’ve got more newcomers. They seem trustworthy enough, so we’re letting them in.” Mudiwa said loud enough for Knox and the gang to hear.

Slowly, almost dramatically, the gates swung open. As Knox and his friends drew closer, the faces became much more apparent.

A frog mute in a black suit. A sea otter. Two rat mutes. Kid with pink hair. Kid wearing a bookbag with a pale-green baseball cap. A blue pig...

Wait...Kid with pink hair? Kid with a green hat? 

Knox, Kara, Lute and Piercer had no doubt met some of these characters before, reminiscing on the whole Ratland incident.

...a child wearing a wolf pelt. Some weird bug...dude. And-

Kara’s eyes narrowed at the sight of the familiar Mod Frog. A fire began to burn before her eyes slowly grew wider. They had stopped on a very familiar face. Her arms felt like jelly.

“Amanda...?” Kara barely managed to get out. A foot stepped forward, but paused as if unsure. As if she was seeing a mirage. “A-Amanda?” Kara repeated louder as the person of interest caught sight of her.

The hand on her bandaged arm fell as she and Kara caught each other’s eyes. “Kara...you...is that really you?” Amanda asked, power-walking over.

The power walk quickly evolved into a full-on sprint as tears began to form and fall from their eyes. Knox and Lute looked on in absolute disbelief as Kara and Amanda embraced, sobs of glee and overwhelming happiness taking over their ability to coherently speak.

“You...survived? You made it out?” Lute asked, a widening grin possessing him.

Knox joined in on the hug with Lute as Piercer looked on in a slight confusion.

“What about Johnathon? Where is he?” Knox questioned, almost tempted to look back at the group of newcomers again to check. “Did he...”

Amanda’s face went blank before softly gripping the bandaged arm.
“He...didn’t make it. “

Knox, Lute and Kara’s faces deflated and all that was left was silence. Johnathan was the reason any of them even had a chance at the start. His dad was a survivor nut, even from the safety of the burrows. It was clear he had passed the spark down to Johnathan. The hideout. The food. The smarts. He was a big part of that.

“And what of that frog punk over there? He’s one of the frogs that were with that Sartori frog boss when they ambushed us on the road here! If he-” Kara was stopped by Amanda’s hand on her shoulder.

“He’s no longer with the Mod Frogs.” Amanda defended. “He wasn’t even there when it happened to us. He’s one of the good ones now. And he’s also one of the reasons we’re even here, honestly. I...I don’t have ill will towards him. Please give him a chance.” Noticing Kara still glowering with eyes fixated on the frog mute, Amanda’s grip on her sister’s shoulder tightened slightly. “We’ll get the ones responsible. Don’t worry, sis. We’re together and that’s what matters now.”

To this Kara began to relax, albeit reluctantly.

A feet feet away, Cecilia smiled at the friendly spectacle beside her kids as Knox and his old friends went on. But the moment her eyes cycled through the rest of the new group that approached closer through the gates, they laid upon one of the smallest forms of the bunch.

Her blood ran cold.

Her heart pumped faster.

The wolf’s eyes widened and shrunk into pinpricks as her maw dropped open in absolute disbelief.

The child in the gray wolf cloak met her gaze and mirrored her actions.

Despite the chatter amongst them, all seemed deafened to them both. No action disturbed them from the meeting of their eyes. Not the shaking of Cecilia’s skirt by Margot. Not the questions of worry by the cloaked human’s friends.

The only difference is that one of them made the first move.

Deathstalker staff in hand, the human child’s teeth clenched down hard. A face contorted with many emotions grew closer and closer as the form eventually bounded madly towards Cecilia. A roar of pure anger and resentment bellowed from the girl’s vocal chords as she grew nearer and nearer. 

Cecilia took a step back but froze. 

Margot and the rest of the pack looked on in shock and horror as the cloaked child leaped up above their mother and swung the deathstalker down against their mother’s head. The audible thunk caused Margot to wince, shaking in place and unable to draw the strength to move at the sight of the all too familiar human.

Cecilia’s sight went white for a split second and an overwhelming sore feeling overtook her cranium. Dazed, the mother wolf could do little as the child spun around and screamed as the pointed end of her deathstalker staff came rushing into Cecilia’s shoulder. The wolf immediately went limp and began to fall as if under a sudden massive weight. A numbness coursed through her veins.

The girl hovered over the wolf, staff trembling in her hands as she spun around to Margot, who stood as if a statue, hands over her mouth. Before the girl could move against her, an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back, Kara struggling with the kid as she dragged her further away.

Cecilia was left laying on the cold cement ground, staring up at the darkness above as her vision faded in and out.

But she still didn’t move.

She couldn’t move.

Still, she had a feeling she wouldn’t even if she could.

Cecilia’s eyes remained fixated at the night sky. The twinkling stars that remained slowly being overtaken by the dark clouds that had finally caught up to them from afar. Lightning danced amongst them as the rumbling began to grow in volume. A drop of water contacted the fur of her head. Then her arm. Then her chest.

The circling of her children came into her narrowing sight as they surrounded her, but she could not make out what they were saying to her. Even as they shook her.

It was like she had seen a ghost.

Like she refused to believe it otherwise.

But the reality that was gradually creeping in as Margot’s worrying and shaky voice came back into focus was that it was no ghost. It was reality in motion. And as her vision grew darker and her thoughts hazier, she knew only one thing was certain.

It was her.

Chapter Text

Lighting flashed and streaked and thunder rolled on, following suit. Rain had long since joined in to help decorate the dark night.

“Thinking about going after them?”

Jamack lifted his blank gaze from the ground to meet eyes with an approaching Puck as the sea otter pondered a few chords with his guitar with a smug look on his face.

“Maybe...” Jamack responded, tapping his fingers against his dress pants as he watched the rain from the safety of the steps.

The frog mute mentally smacked himself for the second time. He still hadn’t fully considered his choice in joining the group of human nuances in their crusade. He just wanted leverage and a way to stick it to Mrs. Sartori. She genuinely frightened him, but he basically had nothing to lose.

“It’s only been a few minutes. You can still catch up with them if you really-”

“Alright, fine! Since your twisting my arm so hard, I’ll go.” Jamack threw his arms up in a fit of pseudo-frustration, getting to his feet. With Puck in tow, Jamack made way to the gates and past Knox and his gang. He waved towards the squirrel mute who had just closed the gate. “Hey, squirrel girl. Open back up the gates. I’m going after them. They’re gonna need me.”

The squirrel guard silently fumed, her furrows bunging. “My name’s Jessie, frog boy. And I’m not a child so don’t call me a-”

Jamack had already tapped his foot against the ground over twenty times before he cut her off.
“Look, those kids could’ve been swallowed whole by a Venus HUMOUNGUS fly trap by now, so would you please?”

Jessie gritted her teeth hard and relented after seeing Mudiwa silently wave her on. The gates were reopened once more as a grinning Jamack with Puck close behind passed through back into the unknown.

However, Mudiwa couldn’t hold in the sense of guilt in leaving them on their own again. “Are you two sure you don’t need any of us to back you up? We’ve got plenty of people willing to-”

“No need, mam. No need. We’ll be back soon. Just keep that gate-opening crank real warm.” Jamack quipped as the gates began to close again.

Jamack’s smile faltered however as he caught glimpse of Kara's hauntingly vacant gaze not far off. It sent a unanticipated shiver through his body as they disappeared behind the fully closed gates. His sight remained fixated where the human’s eyes had once focused in before his trance was broken by a tap on his shoulder. Puck looked up at him with bravado.

“Ugh, why are you coming again?” Jamack asked as he began to walk forward, scanning the ground.

“Well, I never intended to stay for long. My traveling band of harmonious misfits are waiting for me after all. Figured I’d tag along for one last hurrah until we meet again.”

Jamack knelt down and observed particular disturbances that made themselves clear to him within the wet dirt. He got an impression of a couple footprints and caught an instinctive clue on their target’s direction.

“Right. Well anyways, it seems the ragtag band of humans went through here.”

Mandu squealed calmly with delight as Knox ran a hand back and fourth against the back of her head. His eyes held onto their kind, four-eyed stare as he sat on the steps, even as Mudiwa called his name. However, the second call finally brought him out of his transfixion. “Oh, sorry. What is it? She still not awake?”

Mudiwa sighed, running a hand through her hair.
“Well...she’s awake. But that must’ve been one hell of a hit, because she doesn’t even seem to remember where she is.”

......

Mudiwa opened the door to Cecilia’s residence, revealing an all-to-familiar space. He immediately moved sight to the living room couch, finding the five wolf children around with their mother sprawled on top of it. A stupid, pained grin stretched across her maw as she noticed them all.

“Oh...new guests! I suppose I should introduce myself again...if...if only I could remember a name to give you, ha ha...” Cecilia said, her voice akin to a newly-made drunken fool that has never once tasted alcohol before. Unfortunately for her, her choice to try and get up left her another quick reminder of what she currently could no longer remember; a sharp pain shot throughout her cranium, causing her to grip her head in anguish.

Mom, you’ve got to remember! We’re you’re family...don’t you remember anything?” Margot pleaded.

“Mom? I’ve been single and ready to mingle ever since I can remember! I’m at the prime of my life!”

The words seem to visibly deflate Margot as she backed up into his brother Jack’s arms. 

Mudiwa hastily made way past the kids and held her down by the shoulder. “Listen, you’ve got to relax. You may not remember it, but you’re seriously hurt.”

Knox’s eyes widen with curiosity as he caught glimpse of something peculiar that stood out on Cecilia’s shoulder. “Did you ever check that lump out?” Knox made way closer to Cecilia and gently lifted her arm to reveal a tear that went through both her pea coat and shirt. “Hey Cecilia, could you very easily lift your back? We’re going to have to take your jacket off.”

Cecilia narrowed her eyes at this, growling somewhat seductively. “Oh, you crazy thing, you.”

“Cut it out. We’re just inspecting an injury.” Knox clarified to her, carefully sliding the jacket sleeves off of her.

“Suuuuure.” the mother wolf replied back, winking at him before suddenly grimacing and gripping her head as another pained flare shot through it.

Knox ignored her and looked behind himself to Lute, holding out his hand.
“Hey, can you lend me your knife really quick? I am not removing her shirt.”

He received the sharp tool as asked and worked to remove the right sleeve of Cecilia’s long sleeved dress shirt. Ignoring the wolf’s continuous ranting about how clothes can’t regenerate themselves, Knox finally freed the material from view and revealed what was underneath. A large lump had indeed resided were suspected, it’s form pink-red and swollen.

Knox’s eyes immediately widened at the sight, and Lute quickly repeated the action. It all came back to them both.

“Deathstalker. It was a deathstalker pincer that the kid jabbed her with.” Lute said aloud.

“Deathstalker? Oh no...I’ve had enough of those things...” Margot’s brother Sebastian said, reliving through his mind the terrifying memories of moments not too long ago.

“That weapon the kid had. Now that I remember, that weapon’s edge did look familiar. Must’ve put it on the tip.”

Lute scoffed in slight disbelief. “You really think a child took that from a freaking Deathstalker?"

Knox looked on at Cecilia’s injury before grinning at the idea.
“With what she’s done here in mere seconds, I’d say it wouldn’t be impossible.”

“It isn’t impossible.”

Knox and Lute looked down to the smaller wolf, Margot. Her eyes held a heavy weight to them that they both couldn’t quite place.

"Trust me. She highly capable of it. Because I already know what she’s capable of.” Margot’s eyes trailed to the floor.” And her name...is Jolene.”

A name that Margot and her family weren’t the only one’s familiar with.

Knox’s eyes narrowed more, his face expressing a coming revelation.
“Jolene?”

Wolf ran and ran. She ran harder than she ever had in her entire life.

The shouts for her to stop weren’t registering to her as her friends. they were registering to her as barks and howls. Reminiscences of the past she made the mistake of not finishing off that had finally found their way back to her.

Ouroboros.

“No...no, no, no, NO, NO!!” Wolf’s voice gradually rose into a roar that threatened to cut through the thunderous sky and pouring rain itself. 

Now through the neighboring forest, she found herself just in front of a collection of old, decrepit buildings. Wolf absentmindedly leaped over the locked wooden gate that held a sign. A warning to trespassers not to enter.

A warning she failed and cared not to read.

Dashing past the first few structures to keep as much distance from the friends wolves that were chasing after her, she settled for an old bar to her left. She practically barged through the double doors and collapsed onto the floorboards, the rain that drenched her form quickly soaking into the wooden floor. It was here where she decided to curl into a ball and cry. She felt as if her soul was separate from her own body. Like she was simultaneously questioning her own self about why she was falling to this point.

Through her tear-soaked eyes, she caught glimpse of the furry knot tied around her neck.

The wolf cloak.

The child immediately began pulling and struggling with the knot that held the wolf cloak around her. After freeing herself, she chucked it across the room, it landing behind the bar counter. Breathing heavily, she attempted to get to her feet, but collapsed again all together, her deathstalker clattering to the ground. The tears wouldn’t stop falling. Why wouldn’t they stop falling?

But it didn’t matter why anymore. All it took was a slight creak. Wolf’s instincts immediately kicked in. Her eyes shot towards the stair set in front of her, her eyes stretching wider and her teeth clenching at what she saw. On the top peaking through the railing was a rough-looking porcupine mute donning a cowboy hat. It’s western aesthetic didn’t go unnoticed as an afterthought. 

“Intruder!” the porcupine yelled out before positioning it’s back towards her.

Wolf had only the blink of the eyes to react before the spot where she once resided was riddled with quills.

“Okay, seriously, how does she do it?” Benson asked half-jokingly, half out of breath as they made way through the rain.

“Trust me,” Dave answered. “I’ve lived five lifetimes and I still don’t know her secret. Maybe it’s the flower Kipo gave her?”

The downpour had just begun to simmer down and the rainstorm had finally granted them a much needed mercy.

Just then, Kipo let out a cheery laugh, her now-magenta eyes shooting from the ground to in front of her again.
“Guys, I picked up the trail again! More footprints this way!”

The doors to the old bar burst open and out went Wolf.

She went into a barrel roll against the wet ground and twisted back towards where she came and awaited her assailant. All was silent for a moment before out slowly stepped the same mute, a twisted grin pastured on it’s face. Not long after, two more joined him.

“You shouldn’t have come, little girl.” the cowboy-esque porcupine mute said aloud in a gruff voice. He grabbed and titled the tip of his hat as his two companions backed him up. “We’re the Death Rattlers. And I’m Jenson. Do you want your death quick...or slow?”

Wolf’s deep smile contrasted the dire threat.

“Let’s dance, pricks.” Wolf invited, waving her hand towards herself mockingly. She twirled her deathstalker staff as the three porcupines angrily ran at her.

Jenson halted abruptly, skidding on the muddy ground to swing his back towards her, exposing his quill-filled back. Before Wolf knew it, a dozen porcupine needles we’re upon her. She acted quickly and launched herself into another roll, but was met with second wave of sharp, prickly quills from one of Jenson’s partners, just as fast as the first. Not quick enough to move, Wolf twirled her staff as fast as she could and hoped for the best.

On instinct, Wolf clenched her eyes and gritted her teeth in response to multiple parts of her body being stuck by the sharp projectiles. She opened them apprehensively, heaving to the sound of cocky laughter as she rushfully examined her body. The girl frantically pulled out pins from her arm, leg and neck as the mutes laughed on at her misfortune.

“Heh! Hurts doesn’t it? Trust me, it’ll get much worse from here on.” Jenson warned her, drawing closer.

To this Wolf said nothing. Her eyes were directed at the ground and her expression hidden from view. And then her slowly arisen face revealed itself once more. The look of absolute disregard and blood lust on the child’s face had caused Jenson and his lackeys much surprise. The feeling was fleeting, however.

“Remember what I said? Nice and slo-”

“You’re gonna wish you had never crossed me...” Wolf said in a deep whisper before raising her voice. You’re gonna wish you were never born.”

 Wolf had pushed a foot deep into the soft, wet mud before leaping forward into the air, spinning and using the momentum to launch her deathstalker full-force at one of Jenson’s pals. Landing back on her feet, she dashed towards Jenson while the staff came down beside him, winding up a fist to strike. What Jenson didn’t expect was her to pivot her foot as she approached, changing target’s in a moment’s notice. Her body maneuvered and cycled to his second comrade beside him, her fist digging deep into the side of his face.

Jenson turned towards the child now beside her. Her deathstalker staff had just hit the ground, leaving Jenson’s other lackey to stumble away from it’s decent. Jenson was unable to fully register that Wolf had spun in an arc after her punch had effectively knocked one of them out. Her foot had come back around and all Jenson could register was the whiting of his vision and an excruciating pain. Wolf’s heel had impacted Jenson dead in the face, sending him rolling over himself into the old bar’s steps. The back of his head hit the edge of one of the stairs, knocking him out.

Wolf had handled two of them, at least for now. But the third was still in play. She knew her staff wouldn’t reach the mute in time, and so as she steadied her footing, she caught glimpse of the remaining porcupine mute as she cursed her in anger. 

"I’ll make you pay, you little brat! I swear!” the last porcupine screamed in utter contempt.

Wolf had just begun to fully face her as the porcupine positioned her back towards Wolf. It was undoubtedly another barrage of quills that were about to be sent her way. And being much closer, she had a feeling this one would definitely put her out. But she had put up a fight. That’s all she cared out in the moment-

“Hey, porcu-punk!”

The porcupine shot it’s vision out towards the territory entrance, but before she could adjust to the situation, a flash of something was already upon her. The launched, thick stick had impacted the porcupine square in the face, leaving her seeing stars. The frog mute responsible for it retracted his tongue and landed on his feet not too far away, straightening his suit back out. “That one’s on the house.” Jamack said coolly.

“Aw, nice one, chap!” Puck commented, running next to him.” “I’d say the performance on that was rather stellar! Great form, perfect sneak-to action, the whole nine yards!”

Jamack side-eyed him. “Look, it doesn’t matter how much you congratulate me, I’m not getting buttered up into joining in on any of your ludicrous performances.”

”No, no! I was being genuinely honest. And ‘ludicrous’? How could you...” Puck’s eyes widened just as Kipo, Benson and Dave arrived, running past them.

Wolf didn’t even glance at them. Within a seconds notice, Wolf was upon the last porcupine, throwing punch after punch after punch into her face. Frightened by the extended anger, Kipo and the group hesitated before Benson stepped forward, a nervous smile overtaking him.

“Uh...W-Wolf? Girl? You...you can stop now. You’re safe now. We’ve got your back...way more than that dude has teeth. I guarantee you!” Benson’s feigned smile turned into a grimace as the next punch landed against the porcupine extra hard.

Wolf had ignored him outright. “I’m not gonna be your prey, Margot! I’m not gonna-”

A hand reached out and wrapped around Wolf’s retracted arm, stopping her assault.

Wolf’s maddened, wide eyes contacted with the opposite. Kipo met her back with soft eyes on the verge of tears. But a comforting smile joined them.

“No. You’re not. Because I’m here for you, Wolf. We’re here for you.” Kipo slowly reached her arms around her and pulled her into a hug. “And that’s never gonna change. Never.”

Wolf’s shrunken pupils had begun to dilate and the tears finally began to fall slowly down her cheeks. No longer were they held back under the veil of stoicism.

Benson and Dave joined in with Puck and Jamack eyeing each other with a sense of awkwardness. Not knowing her remotely well enough, they resorted to simply resting hands on the rest of the groups shoulders. 

Wolf let out her emotions in ways they had never seen her before. But in the moment, Wolf didn’t care. She was safe. She was safe. And only after a few minutes of relaxation, Wolf pulled herself out of the group’s hold.

She store out into the woods before them where they had all come from. There was an unsure silence amongst them all as they looked to Wolf’s unmoving form.

“We’re going back.”

Kipo blinked at the rash decision.

“But Wolf...you just...I’m sure that wolf you attacked is...” Kipo didn’t know how to properly proceed. Even understanding the context clues. Her gray wolf cloak...her clear group-leading skills...she still felt like she barely knew enough to say what she felt she was truly worried about. “It’s just that back there, you clearly had beef with who you we’re attacking. Are you sure-”

“We’re going back.” Wolf repeated, this time a bit softer. She turned her head over her shoulders to them. The faintest smile followed. “I’m not gonna ruin this chance for you all...or for me. This is the place we need so we can focus on getting your dad back. So we can recuperate. These people can help us. You were right about that. We’ll figure everything out from then on. Besides...” Wolf stuck the end of her staff into the ground. “...I have all of you.”

Kipo’s worried face slowly formed into one of a trusting assurance.

“Okay.” Kipo put her hands on her hips, conjuring whatever gusto she had left in the moment. “Let’s go.”

Knox gazed over at Cecilia’s sleeping form as he began to speak.

“I...I should’ve told you all about her sooner. It would have complicated things a lot less...” Knox told his friends as he sulked against the nearby wall. “I met her during our run to collect items for Devland’s stupid initiation challenge, as you all already know.” Knox clarified, looking to Kara and Lute in particular. “She told me about her past...how she used that child to further her own goals for her children...to hunt her as a test...and how she was trying her best to rectify it.” Knox looked down at Cecilia’s kids, all clearly laced with deep regret. Regret they were too young to expect to carry on their own. “But the true burden lays on their mother. Not her kids. All of you here I would hope are working to right those wrongs as well.”

Jack looked up into Knox’s eyes with an unfaltering resolve, his fists clenching.
“Jolene showed me how wrong I was about her before we even betrayed her trust. And I wished I had done something before. I just wanna prove that I can be better.”

“She doesn’t need to forgive us...” Margot added in. “But we need to forgive ourselves. Even if we never see the same person we did before all of this...we’ll never make it up to her in any possible way if we don’t...” Margot played with her daisy bracelet before her ears perked and her eyes shot for the front door.

The front door suddenly swung open, revealing Piercer. The Archerat’s eyes were filled with urgency.
“The wolf cloak-wearing kid and her friends. They’re back.”

On cue, the gate alarm bell was rung. Mudiwa took in a deep breath.
“Okay. We keep Cecilia and the kid separated until further notice. Children...” Mudiwa eyed Margot and her brothers. “That means you all too...at least for now. We can’t hide from this problem for long, but we need to ease ourselves into his until we figure things out, okay?”

Mudiwa was met with solemn nods from the group of wolves.

“Good. Now after this is settled. We talk about how we’re going to handle Devland, Sophia and Peke. We’ll ask them the tough questions tomorrow. We need all the sleep we can get...it’s been a tough night for all of us. But for now, let’s handle this.”

Wolf held in a deep breath. She saw the gates again. She saw the gate guard again. She saw the gate open again. She saw the residents from before that witnessed her wrath.

But she didn’t see Margot. And she didn’t see her once so-called “mother.”

The deep breath was secretly let out.

“Where are they?” Wolf asked, barely failing to mask her shaky voice.

Mudiwa stepped forward and looked down upon her.
“We’re aware of the friction between you and the wolves. We’re to make sure that tensions here with you and them aren’t triggered, so we’re to separate you from them to ensure your safety. If you’re to stay here within these walls, we want you to feel safe. To be safe.” Mudiwa waved out a hand behind her to Wolf, Kipo and the rest of her group. “So for now, we’ll show you your new home. We’ll introduce you around later. You all are clearly deserving of rest.” Catching closer glimpse of Wolf's injuries, she grimaced slightly. "Also, let's patch you up while we're at it."

Wolf clenched her staff, her face flat with no readable expression. But her grip eased as Kipo’s hand landed on her shoulder. Kipo nodded her head forward towards the row of houses that lay in front of them. And with Kipo, Wolf followed.

“My name is...my name...I know...I...”

Cecilia sat alone in an inky darkness. No light in sight. She looked around, holding no particular expression, if not curiosity. She tried getting up, but a hand pressed boldly on her shoulder from behind.

Do you remember?

Cecilia spun herself around, stumbling back onto the ground.

“Remember...what?” Cecilia’s question to the unknown remained unanswered. So, she began to walk. Walk into the oblivion. She gripped her coat in apprehension to what could happen next.

Her name.

Cecilia sight moved up at the pitch-black, and seemingly non-existent ceiling above her, mind hazy and spaced out. She found that though still challenging, her eyes remained open for much longer periods without the overbearing feeling of wooziness bearing down on her to close them. The unknown voice sounded...familiar.

The one you heard in the forest. In the rain for the first time. You said it was a beautiful name.

This time, the echoing voice resided from directly behind her. The alpha spun around to meet it and she blinked in absolute denial. before she could muster the words, the form moved closer and embraced her warmly.

It was her husband, Charles.

The blood from the knife that did him in was still present. It streaked down his chest as he hugged her.

I was there.

The words were whispered into her ear.

And you were, too. It’s time to remember. It’s time to face it.

Cecilia’s mind went blank again. Of everything accept for that one thing. That one word. It grew ever clearer with every second. And with every one of those seconds, the dark world around her became brighter until...

......

Cecilia’s eyes slowly opened back into reality.

A reality that held no more mercy for her remembrance. The form holding the knife against her neck made that clear.

“Jolene.” Cecilia said, a slowly-forming smile growing on her face. “It’s Jolene...I remember.”

However, Jolene wasn’t smiling.

“It’s Wolf. You’re going to call me Wolf from now on.” Wolf told her through gritted teeth. The knife edged closer ever so slightly. 

“Wolf...” Cecilia looked confused for a moment, shaking her head and remembering the lingering pain the strike Wolf gave caused her. It was all coming back slowly. “Ugh...I’m sorry...I...listen, I know what I’ve done. The pain I’ve caused you-”

“And you’re going to remain IN LINE from this point forward, regardless of what you say you’ve done better or how you’ve changed.” Wolf continued, cutting her off . “If you lie to your kids...if you hurt my friends, or anyone here, or if you step outta line once...just once...I’ll kill you. I end you right then and there. Like I should’ve so many years ago. Like I would have. And then I’ll take your skin as a new fur coat like I did this fella.” Wolf hissed, warning her with dead eyes, motioning the knife briefly towards the gray wolf cloak she donned.

“Do you understand? yes or no?"

The weight of the situation finally caught up to Cecilia as her mind began to unwind from her unclear state. Her teeth chattered in a deep-seated fear, but she drew in a breath and attempted to relax. Staring straight back into Wolf’s eyes, she gave her answer.

“Yes, Wolf. I understand.”

Wolf remained on her chest, the knife wavering awhile longer before she swiftly withdrew and made for the door.

“...Wolf?”

Wolf halted and her grip on the door handle threatened to break it under the pressure.

“I never deserved you, even before we ever met.” Cecilia fought for the right words to say. “I’m starting to accept and understand why I am who I am...but no amount of explanation will ever change that. My only wish is for you to truly understand that from me. I...I only want to ask you one more thing...why...why did you spare me all those years ago?”

“I didn’t want to end up like you. And I didn’t want Margot to, either. Taking someone they cared about from them...even if it was a pile of lying trash like you. I was terrified of that. Terrified of becoming like you. That’s why.” Wolf answered, immediately opening the door and shutting it as quietly as she could, against what her inner turmoil wanted.

If Cecilia’s exhaustion from the day’s events hadn’t forced her to fall asleep, she would’ve store at the door up until the sun rose again.

Chapter Text

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

The clicking of fingernails in the darkness against the armrest of the throne continued as the double doors in front of it’s occupant opened up.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap.

Through it revealed Gerard and Porcelain dressed in morocco-esque attire.  A particular human was secured in between them. Gerard and Porcelain shoved the human forward, his bound arms unable to save him from an ungraceful fall.

Tap, tap-

“Oh, it it would seem that our little friend has yet to talk. Lio...why are you making this so difficult?” the slither of moonlight fell upon the mandrill’s face as he leaned forward.

Lio laughed through a rough cough, smiling despite his predicament. “You know I’d rather die before I give her up to you. Besides, at this point she’s long gone, Hu-”

The mandrill rose to full height before Lio could finish, snarling into the dim room.
“Don’t you DARE finish that, Lio! Don’t you DARE! You will address me by SCARLEMANGE! Scarlemange! Do I make myself clear you lowly, undesirable-”

Scarlemange’s pupils dilated back to normal size as is chest heaved in wake of the abrupt anger. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he took in a deep, controlled breath and exhaled.

“I tried to play nice, Lio.” a short burst of poorly-controlled giggling escaped him as a mischievous grin formulated. “I tried so hard to be fair...” Scarlemange reached inside of his cloak as he stepped away from his throne, inching closer and closer with every step.

Lio’s eyes widened further at the sight of a familiar object. The perfume bottle was held tightly within Scarlemange’s palms as he knelt down in front of him. “...but there are ultimately other ways to make you talk.”

Despite the clear implications, Lio reformed his stubborn resolve and hardened his glare. Not a glare of resentment, but one of solitude. “As long as it isn’t by my own volition. That’s all I can find solace in. I failed you. I failed Kipo, too. All I wanted was-”

Hands shaking, Scarlemange growled and held out the perfume bottle to Lio’s face and sprayed. The effect was almost instantaneous. Lio’s eyes shrunk into pinpricks and his smile widened to an unnatural length.

“Now...” Scarlemange’s smugness overtook his anger.

“Tell me what you know about Kipo.”

“Cecilia told me about you. She told me about what she did. She even told me your about your real...” Knox paused as his eyes trailed from Wolf to the night sky. “She told me things I now feel I should have never have heard. It feels like I violated your livelihood in a sense. I’m sorry-”

Holding out her hand in a stopping position, Knox got the message as Wolf cut in.
“None of it matters. It’s not your fault.” A scowl failed to hold itself in as she tugged on the knot of her gray wolf cloak. “But people like that don’t just change, Knox. She’s...unstable. Untrustworthy.”

“But she’s also trying.” Knox added. “As someone who’s led a youth of distrust, I know. Trust me. I just wanted her to start over again...not perpetuate the same cycle she was taught to believe...didn’t even expect to go this far with knowing her.” Wolf didn’t say anything to this, but Knox felt deeply that she didn’t have to.

 Wolf’s eyes then trailed down the the red katana at Knox’s side. An eyebrow raised on Wolf as she chuckled to herself. “So you’re just as ready for danger as me, eh?” Wolf reached the deathstalker point out to touch the casing of Knox’s sword, earning a nervous flinch from him.

“H-hey, careful with that thing!” Knox exclaimed. Sighing, Knox observed the purple cloth tied around it’s handle. “Yeah.  Had it since I was still a kid. It was...a rocky road before we got here. Was way before, too. Guess I’m still not over it.”

“Nor should you be.” Wolf inputted.

A small pause before Knox felt at the wolf tooth that was fixed to the necklace under his shirt.
“Can I tell you...apart of my past? Given what I know about you, it’s only fair.”

Knox watched as Wolf eased back and leaned her head against a balled fist.
“Shoot.”

Taking in a deep breath, Knox clenched his eyes shut tight as he mentally prepared himself to open up.

“Back when I was a kid...a few years older than you actually, I was in a burrow of my own. My mother and dad were...scientists. I don’t remember much of what they actually did, but they told me their were other burrows with people like him...trying to find ways to make the surface safe again...”

Wolf rested her fists against her cheeks as he continued.

“But then...we were attacked.“ “Knox’s grip on his katana strengthened. “By those flying flamingo people. And a mega monkey thing. It led to my best friend’s death...led to us escaping...without my parents.”

If Wolf was drinking something, she would’ve let it fly.
“Mega monkey? Flying flamingos? So you’re a victim of Scarlamange’s chaos too, huh?”

Knox diverted his eyes, not wanting to give away too much of what he already knew about him.
“Y-yeah...honestly, who isn’t at this point...but that was long, long ago.” He reached inside his shirt and pulled out the wolf tooth necklace. “After two people got me and my best friend’s brother to safety, we were ambushed by...mute wolves. They killed the ones that saved us. I lost it. Don’t remember much of how it happened, but I killed every one of them but the leader and took this tooth as a warning to them. Now it’s a reminder of my perseverance.”

Wolf looked unreadable as she store on.

“Whatever you went through...I can relate to some degree. I lost myself after that. I couldn’t even as much as look in the direction of anything with sharp teeth after that. Ironically as a wolf tooth hung just beneath me. Ha ha...like some source of anger I could conjure up. But it was when my friend Lute brought me back. Helped me to trust people again...I have him to thank for finding myself again.”

Wolf took in everything said and sighed.

“I know that she’s trying to start over and all, but old habits die hard. And after what she tried to do to me...it’s a miracle I haven’t made her a shish kabob with fangs by now.”

Knox’s eyes widened.
“Hey, now let’s just-”

“Point being...” Wolf store Knox directly into his eyes. “I decided to let her go all those years ago. I already took her mate’s life. That was damage enough.  But if she steps outta line...I won’t hesitate this time. I swear to god I won’t. Make sure I won’t have to.”

What was Knox to say? This wasn’t his trauma to hold power over. This was Wolf’s. 

“Just watch your back, samurai.”

Just as Wolf rose to full height and turned, Knox added in one more thing.

"You know, I think some of my friends here have actually ran into some of your companions. Just haven't had the time to talk with everything happening. We should get together and talk with Mudiwa about everything. She's basically the new town leader but is too modest to take the title, ha ha."

Wolf smiled a small smile and nodded.

"I'll let em' know."

Knox had eyed his long blade for the longest time. Long after Wolf had made her way back to her friends. It took Knox a while to get up and head back to his.

Morning had come again.

Lute, Kara, Amanda and Piercer all turned to the now-opened door of their home to find Knox bathed in the outside sunlight, leaning against the door frame.

“It’s time again.” he relayed, tapping the casing of his katana at his side rhythmically. “Like before, We’re gonna start with Peke and Sophia. And then Devland. This time, we’ll tell if they’re lying or not. I’m sure of it. Let’s see if their stories match up.”
 
“Oh great, we get to hear more of Sophie’s sarcastic, monotonic denials and degrading quips.” Piercer muttered, earning a smile from Kara.

“I told you Knox, we should just tie them up and have Piercer stare them down all day. They’ll admit something eventually.” Kara caught Piercer’s narrowed stare from her peripheral as Amanda stifled a laugh.

Knox chuckled slightly, quickly regaining his stoic demeanor. “C’mon. Let’s get started.”

As Lute caught up to Knox outside, he laid a hand on his shoulder.
“You okay, man? You’ve been through a lot on your own lately.”

Knox gave him a side glance and waved him off.
“Yeah, I’m doing fine.”

But Knox felt his scabbard pull as a firm grip wrapped around it. Looking to Lute, he found his hand gripped just above...

The purple cloth tied around it’s hilt.

“Knox...” Lute started again. “Remember that I’m your best friend. You can talk to me about anything that’s on your mind.” Lute reminded him, a faint smile cutting weakly through.

Knox choked on a response. But a familiar form approached from afar, breaking the tension.

Cecilia had began before she stopped in front of them.
“You’re going to Devland to question him, aren’t you? I-I can help. I know enough about-"

“Cecilia, no.” Knox replied firmly, shutting her down. 

“Why not? Knox, I’m good at this kind of thing. We both know everything we need to know. At least let me accompany you-”

“I don’t want you or your family to get involved in this. You don’t need to...just let us handle this.”

This earned a look of surprise from Cecilia before it grew blank.

“Fine.” Cecilia stated simply, the wolf walking backwards and turning away from Knox and the group.

Knox took a hesitant step towards the retreating wolf, but a clawed hand gripped his shoulder.

“We don’t have the time.” Piercer reminded him.

A double-take at Cecilia going back into her home was all Knox mustered before he and the gang continued to the holding cell house. 

An hour of questioning and cross-examining claims later, and a conclusion was met.

Sophie and Peke were telling the truth.

“Like I said before...” Peke began again. “We want to make up for what we did. We want to make sure Lensvile stays safe.”

Knox gave Peke a long look before sighing. Turning to the nearby barred window, he gripped the vertical metal bar with one hand, pulling it absentmindedly. “One more night. You both stay here until tomorrow. Then we’ll consider a solid answer. But don’t get it twisted; I believe you’re both telling the truth.”

“Then why won’t you just let us out of this stupid house prison?” Sophie snapped out, her teeth gritted and her tail slapping the bed behind her.

Knox turned towards her with a grin as he left after Piercer.

“Just so if you do by some chance have betrayal on your minds, you’ll remember what’s waiting for you again. It’ll be fresh in your head.”

Devland had gave up on an easy escape.

He remained in silence in the middle of the room, a few candles and the moonlight through the barred windows was all the light he had now that he’d watched the sun tedious fall for the umpteenth time.

His wrists were tied together expertly in the chair he was seated. Piercer called the knot his ‘Archer special’. Whatever that meant. 

The doorknob to his holding room began to giggle suddenly. Devland jumped slightly at the sudden disturbance, but his annoyance quickly overshadowed.

“Great...sword boy is back...” Devland muttered to himself.

A few more seconds of shuffling and tinkering an audible click was heard before the doorknob twisted.

“Taking our time are w-” Devland’s heart dropped as the figure behind the opening door slowly revealed itself. “Oh no...”

The knife used to pick the door lock fell to the side of the pencil skirt of it’s wielder as the form stepped inside and closed the door behind themselves.

“You...what the hell do you want? Where’s Kn-”

“Shut up. You’re dealing with me, today.” Cecilia affirmed a creeping smile widening her cheeks. “And it will be the only day I need.”

This earned her a chuckle. A chuckle laced with an unhidable apprehension, but a chuckle nonetheless.
“I’ll be glad to disappoint you, psycho wolf.”

The wolf mute said nothing to this. She responded in kind by taking dramatically short steps until she was directly in front of him. Her form towered over his defenseless position.

“Oh...no. You won’t.” the wolf said matter-of-factually,  raising the sharp blade in front of her and running a finger lightly down the edge to the tip. “I’ll make sure that you don’t.”

Devland managed a stubborn expression, but internally he was shaking. The ex-leader of Lensvile did his best to control his breathing, but the human knew she could notice it. That she could sense it. Notice his abnormal breathing. His sweating.  His subtle shaking. The way she looked him over. She had him figured and he knew it.

Cecilia drew closer, her magenta eyes taking up his entire attention briefly before they trailed to the knife again.

“He won’t allow it. Everyone here will see you for what you really are!” Devland claimed aloud desperately.

The knife in the wolf’s hand shot out and stopped just in front of Devland’s neck.
“You’re one to talk.”

Devland gulped.
“What?”

“Remember the cassette recorder? The one me and Knox gave you?” Cecilia asked, eyes beaming into the human’s.

Devland’s suspicions and fears had finally come into fruition. 

“...we needed a way to find more of these tapes, and those “fleabags” were the only quick ticket to those means. It was worth the chance for more information.”

Wide eyes grew wider. 

“And now that ‘chance for information‘ is likely laying in a grave somewhere. And with a key witness to their demise now likely sitting comfortably within these walls...”

“I killed those hyena friends of yours, Mr. Devland.” Cecilia revealed, retracting the knife and twirling it. “I killed them because they killed my friend. And you’re partly responsible for that.”

The alpha wolf’s eyes transformed into something much more unhinged.

“They tied my kids up, Devland.” Cecilia’s teeth were bared openly, a rabid snarl escaped. “So I took their lives away. And now...” The wolf gripped Devland’s shirt  collar and roughly pulled him up close to her face. 

“You’re gonna tell me where you're supposed to meet Scarlemange next.”

Devland’s mind was panicked. Racked with fear. The empire that collapsed on him was coming back for more.  But then he thought on what Scarlemange himself would do to him. 

“You won’t hurt me. What would Knox think of you?” Devland combated. “Ha, y-you’ll only be confirming what I and I’m sure everyone else here is thinking. That you’re a monster.” 

For a moment, Cecilia’s eyes widened, a part of her resolve weakening. It was but a brief slip.

Cecilia let go of Devland’s collar and gave him push to his chest, sending him on his back in the chair. Tossing the knife behind her, the wolf crouched down and unfurled her sharp claws in his face. Slowly, she dragged them across the side of Devland’s cheek, leaving small but noticeable scratches in their wake.

“I’m not a monster. Not anymore...just a mother who will do anything to keep her family safe. And you’re not family. Tell me. Now.” Cecilia demanded with callous. It was almost a chilling whisper, devoid of all doubt. She would get her answer.

“O-okay! Okay...” Devland relented, eyes trained reluctantly on hers. 

Meanwhile, Knox had found himself ready.

He stepped up to the second floor, katana strapped to his side. Even if he hasn’t expected to need it, he always had it on hand. His mind was always on and it hadn’t stopped even after they found some resemblance of a stable place to live. He tapped it rhythmically as he reached the final step and approached the holding room to Devland.

But he stopped in his tracks as he reached for the handle.

Two things he noticed at once.

One. Scratches in the wood near the doorknob.
And two. Muffled talking inside the room itself.

Two voices.

Brandishing his katana, Knox pushed open the door and took an offensive stance. But to his surprise, the scene of a familiar wolf kneeled down over his treacherous captive was revealed to him.

“Cecilia?” Knox was bewildered at the sight. He re-sheathed his sword. “What in hell’s fire are you doing? We made it clear we didn’t want you to do this, let alone by yourself!”

“He gave us a location.” Cecilia stepped from Devland’s trembling form and walked towards the human with a triumphant grin. “The little weasel gave us the exact place Scarlemange’s supposed to meet him at next. We got what-”

“It doesn’t matter!” Knox cut in, growing louder. “He could still be lying for all we know. You could’ve even killed him and we’d never know!”

Cecilia’s confident demeanor shifted into one of agitation.
“Well, what’s done is done. I saw his eyes. He wasn’t lying.” Cecilia brushed past Knox and through the door. “And if he is, then I’ll-”

“You’ll what?”  Knox stepped back in front of the wolf in the hallway. “Kill him? This isn’t how we do things, Cecilia.”

Cecilia’s eyes went distant, as if looking through him.

“No. But it is how I do things, human.” Cecilia went chest to chest with Knox, looking down on him. “And if your past experience with wolves have taught you anything, you’d do best not to challenge my-”

Before the alpha wolf could register anything, a hand had wrapped around her throat, forcing her against the wall. Cecilia blinked as the sharp edge of Knox’s katana rested mere inches away from her throat. Reality ensued. She observed wordlessly with an open maw as Knox’s tightly gritted teeth grinded on full display.

“Don’t you ever threaten me with my past again. Ever.” Knox told her with a erratic anger. An erratic anger that soon dissipated. “Don’t you...”

The sword dropped from Cecilia’s neck, as did his hand. He fumbled back and his back hit the wall opposite of her.

Sniffling, the alpha mom’s stoic composure finally fell apart like a water dam.
“He’s the one who sent those damn hyenas out there. And they killed my friend! Almost got my kids killed! He’s the one that enabled their actions by using them. He’s the one who...” tears flowed down her fur as she slid down the wall.

Knox took in a few shaky breaths, still getting his mind together. Images of shadowy wolves as black as night continued to pounce around in his mind, sharp fangs working to penetrate his brain. But a blankness overcame with his breathing, leaving his mind clear again.

He crouched to Cecilia’s level and store her in the eyes for a moment. Before she knew it, Knox had pulled her into a hug. She gave a slight resistance to the comfort, but gave in and accepted it.

“It’s...okay.” Knox assured her. “I get it. We’ll figure things out. But this...this will only make things worse.”

“Playden Side Street...the road just by the edge of town. Not too far from here.” Cecilia suddenly informed. “That’s where Devland said he planned to meet Scarlemange. He said in two days from now.”

Knox took this in and nodded.
“Thank you. Please, just...go home. Sleep this off. We’ll talk again soon.”

Receiving a silent nod, he watched the alpha wolf rub the fur of her head as she slowly made way down the stairs.

“I’m sorry.” she said.

Making way through the front door, she left Knox to lean back again the wall and stare at the ceiling.

Chapter Text

The walk back to her new home felt like forever.

Her feet were heavy, but a strange feeling of some revelation washed over Cecilia. After all of this time, putting an end to those hyenas wasn’t enough. And now she finally felt she got herself across clear to the one who put them in her path.

“...you’ll only be confirming what I and I’m sure everyone else here is thinking. That you’re a monster.”

Perhaps.

But if she was any monster now, it wasn’t the same kind she was before.
She would make sure she would never go back. At any cost.

A drawn out sigh escaped her as she reached for the knob to her home. She paused before opening it and-

“So, you’re you’re finally back. Just in time for the surprise!” ruff voice from within rang out.

The sight made her heart sink.

In the darkness in front of her was an all-too familiar human. And with knife in hand, she was holding Margot captive. 

It was Shaun. 

The reason for her short imprisonment. A part of her troubled past.

And despite being guarded, he had somehow escaped his prison house.

Cecilia growled deeply, unfurling her claws. Her body was shaking with a seething, indescribable anger.

She then caught sight of her remaining kids, Jack, Rupert, Sebastian and Josef. They were all up reluctantly  grouped together against the wall doing everything in their power not to intervene.

“He got us by surprise while we were sleeping!” Josef told her mother, bared fangs on full display. “I swear, human if you don’t let my sis-”

Shaun laughed and brought the edge of the knife dangerously closer to Margot’s neck, causing her to let out a sharp whimper.
“Shut up, kid. Any of you intervene...she goes bye bye. I swear I’ll do it.”

“Then what the hell do you want?” Cecilia snarled, taking a step forward.

Shaun let out another laugh, clearly reveling in the secluded chaos.
“Isn’t it obvious? I want you to step back outside. Slowly. I’m making a grand exit. And a point. Get moving. Now.”

Cecilia stood boldly in place until Shaun’s face contorted into a maddening glare, emphasizing the knife against her daughter.

“Nooow.” the deranged human demanded again.

Cecilia found herself walking into the street with Shaun and her captive daughter ahead of her. The human made sure to order them out facing forward as to make sure they wouldn’t try anything slick.

A few people caught sight and it wasn’t long before the issue was made clear to the community. Faces new and old to the residency all watched on in apprehension and horror as the scene unfolded.

Knox, Piercer and his crew all came out of their respective homes to witness just as Shaun had made it to the gates with Margot. Jessie stood on her watch guard platform, hesitating with her crossbow as the loose screw of a human shook his head at her.

“Try it. Take your shot. Face the consequences. You’re choice.” Shaun told her, effectively succeeding in the squirrel mute lowering her aim. “Now open the gate, or the little brat dies right here. Alpha b-tch, get over here. You’re coming with us for the ride!”

It took everything within the mother wolf’s being not to lash out, lest she risk her child’s life for the second major time in her life. So she complied.

Pushing through the gathering, Knox and his posse got a clear view.

“How did that sicko get out and what the heck is he planning?” Lute pulled at his hair, watching as Piercer walked forward unstrapping his bow.

“Whatever it is, it won’t come to fruition.” Piercer stated monotonously, readying his aim. But a hand gripped his arm and forced it down. The Archerat found it was Knox.

“We can’t risk it. We don’t-”

Piercer looked him dead in his eyes. Ones that begged to be challenged.
“You don’t think I can? You know me. I don’t make empty promises. Just say the word. Give me a nod.”

Just then, Kipo, Wolf,  Benson and Dave came forward to the scene, Mandu squealing right beside them.

“What’s going on he-” Wolf failed to finish, her eyes growing wide and her grip on her deathstalker staff growing tighter. “No...no, no, he couldn’t have...how did he end up here!?”

“What?” Kipo asked, eyes cycling back and fourth to her and the commotion.

“H-he’s that scumbag that got away from me! He’s apart of the group that killed my...” Wolf’s eyes, once drenched in a red anger were just as quickly drenched in tears.

“He’s part of the group that killed my parents...” Wolf revealed. “All that time he was just...here?” The internal battle of the drive to spring forward and end Shaun and the paralyzing trauma coming back full force was too much for her. Too much too soon. She ignored Cecilia’s presence and collapsed, Kipo acting fast in holding her up.

As Kipo and her friends comforted her, Knox looked from Wolf to Piercer and nodded. The Archerat knew what to do.

In the span of a mere two seconds, Piercer had sent the first arrow into Shaun’s shoulder. The pain flicked the knife in his hand reflexively away from Margot’s throat, freeing her. The second arrow whizzed through Shaun’s hand, causing him to drop the knife altogether.

“Son of a bi-”

Before Shaun could register the situation fully, Cecilia barreled into his chest full force, sending him on his back. Without a moment to waste, the wolf snarled as she began pummeling him mercilessly. 

Cecilia had remembered, too. It was faint, but she remembered. She mentally berated herself for not putting it back together sooner.

The rainy night she found Wolf. The rainy night she hear the shots. The slight glimpse of the group of humans that were responsible for them. She thought it ended with his invasion of her home. She was wrong. The culprit was more than nearly responsible for her death. But he was also nearly responsible for Wolf’s.

The hypocrisy of her anger. She knew it. She felt it. The twisted human under her was a mirrored look into her own past. And she couldn’t stand it.

“How dare you!” Cecilia roared. Fist after fist contacted with his face, loosening a few of his teeth in the process. Cecilia then pulled him up by his arm and swung him against the gate behind him.

Shaun hit it with a resounding thud, rattling the gate. His disorientated body stumbled forward, leaving opening for the wolf to grab his arm and flip him over her, Shaun’s form arching over Cecilia before coming down on his back. A painful shout left Shaun’s mouth as he writhed in the damage he had accumulated.

Margot watched on in fearful awe as her brothers circled around her, assuring her that she was safe.

“Cecilia, okay! T-that’s enough.” Knox told her, approaching carefully. This earned him a slight glance from her, pupils shrunken in the midst of her rage. But they softened, and a more calculated look took control.

Cecilia had a hand out towards Knox as she spoke. “Knox...please hand me your sword. Just for safety.”

Knox was taken aback.

His katana was his third arm. It was just a part of him as his own head. When he gave it to Devland as bargain to assure he would come back with what he wanted as compensation for lying about Cecilia, he knew for a fact that he wouldn’t fail in his task. He wouldn't allow himself to.

Knox and Cecilia exchanged a long look. The look had maintained even as Knox skillfully unsheathed the blade. Cecilia got the message. She nodded her head.

Knox handed it over to the wolf.

 The mother wolf looked to her children one last time and smiled. “I’ll be back, kids. Don’t worry about me. You know your mother can take care of herself.” Turning away with a deadly serious expression, she looked up to the apprehensive gate guard just above her.

“Open the gate, squirrel...” Cecilia told Jessie.

The gates soon enough opened to reveal the world Shaun would be tossed back into, both figuratively and literally. Cecilia dragged Shaun by the arm and slung him forward into it’s unwelcome territory.

“Walk. And don’t ever come back.” Cecilia watched on as she saw the last glare of hatred she would ever get from him.

Slowly but surely, Shaun’s bruised and defeated form limped and stumbled down the pavement road.

Cecilia waited outside of the gate for a few minutes before pushing herself off it, katana in hand.

Jessie looked on as she walked towards the path, a nervous and unsure feeling in her gut.
“What are you doing? He’s done in. He's got like, two arrows in him. And you already did more than a number on em.”

“Just making sure he stays gone.” Cecilia walked off with eyes trained forward. “I’ll come back when he’s far away enough.”

“That fanged b-tch...” Shaun cursed before spitting out another glob of blood from his mouth. He had pulled out the arrow in his shoulder after a bout of hesitation, but he practically had nothing to lose doing it at this point. “Heh, that’s okay. Been wanting to get out of that fairyland hellhole ever since I got in anyways. Can’t wait to see the day it burns, ha ha!” he said to himself.

The leaves crunched underneath him in contrast to the silent night around him. A sudden thought of self-preservation crossed Shaun’s mind and he instinctively reached for his knife and remembered he had lost it in the scuffle back at Lensvile.

“Whatever. Don’t nee-”

Shaun paused as he ungracefully circled his sight around his environment once more, unadmittedly unsure of his preparedness to handle what was ahead or behind him. Despite the stillness in the air, something just didn’t feel right. But his cocky demeanor wasn’t long gone. Spitting red at the ground again, he scowled and began to weakly walk forward again.

“Place made me weak, that’s for su-”

Footfalls heard too late.
From behind a nearby tree, something flashed in the moonlight.

The moonlight’s glint disappeared as the long blade disappeared within Shaun’s chest and appeared through the other side.

A cacophony of coughs left Shaun’s windpipe as he store into the eyes of a towering wolf in the dark of night, hopelessly gripping the edge of the sword that was embedded through him. The magenta eyes glowed as they store hauntingly narrowed into his terror-stricken eyes.

The eyes of Cecilia.

“You should’ve left when you had the chance. But it seems your fate was inevitable.” she whispered harshly.

Pulling out the blade, she then shoved him to the ground, leaving him a indefensible mess.

“Here’s you’re knife back.” Cecilia reached into her pea coat and dropped it next to him.

She left slowly and quietly, leaving him defenseless to the elements around him without mercy. His futile attempts at cursing her existence through his gurgling went on deaf ears as he grew weaker and she grew farther.

The bloodless blade hovered just above the ground in Cecilia’s grip as gates opened back for her to walk through.

All eyes were on her.

The mother wolf found that Wolf’s eyes were amongst them, and she couldn’t bare herself to meet them for long. Thankfully, her children were there to bring full distracted attention to.

Margot slammed full force into her, almost succeeding in knocking her over.
“Mom, you-you’re okay! I-I’m okay! Everything’s okay. Right?”

As she said this, she felt a pair of eyes intensify onto her. She couldn’t explain how, but she knew who they belonged to. If anyone in the community could see through her, it was her. Bravely, Cecilia met the eyes of Wolf along with her friends in the distance amongst the crowd. But she hadn’t expected the look she had gotten. There was resentment, sure. But also a strange curiosity. It was as if the only true connection that spawned anything worth salvageable between them was a inquisitiveness about her actions connected to a shared experience from all those years ago.

Or maybe the wolf was trying to rationalize her spinning mind.

So she shook her head and clenched her eyes shut amongst he crowd of humans and mutes alike.

"Yes...yes everything is okay, kids. He's not going to hurt anyone anymore."

A familiar figure made way from the front of the crowd, holding up another mute.

“Are you okay? Is he gone?” Mudiwa’s voice cut in to Cecilia’s side and found the therapist had come close with a noticeable caution. Supported by her was a mute fox in a red shirt with a black jacket worn over it. He rubbed his head as he squinted in pain. “I asked the guard here to take it easy, but he insisted he watch Shaun get his ass handed to him first. Wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

“He better be gone, cause I had a few right hooks I’d love to of added to the combo you gave em.” the fox joked, giving out a chuckle.

To this, Cecilia couldn’t help but smile.
“It’s over. I made sure to watch him until he was far enough away from this place. He’s not going to harm anyone anymore.” Cecilia confirmed to him quietly with a faint smile. “I do hope you’ll feel better soon.”

“Gee, thanks.” the fox told her, turning slightly with Mudiwa as she aimed for the nearest medical assistance. “If only your good wishes could heal this headache-ow!”

Mudiwa double-took to the mother wolf as Knox and his group approached.

“Hey, that was pretty intense...you all good?” Kara asked, acknowledging the wolves.

Margot let out a small laugh, the adrenaline still present in her tone.
“Just...still shaken up by the whole ordeal. I-I’ll be okay. Just glad it’s over.”

“Heh. I’ll meet you all back at the house. Just gotta talk to Cecilia. Make sure she’s okay. I’ll be quick.” Knox gave them smiles as they walked further away.

Knox’s smile shifted opposite the further from sight they got.

“I used my coat to wipe off the blood...couldn’t come back here with it. Too much blood.” the words came out of Cecilia rather weak.

"Blood?" Margot repeated, consciously holding back the urge to put together the pieces for herself.

Cecilia choked on a response, but turned back to Knox, offering him back his blade.

Knox continued his expressionless eyes on Cecilia as she came closer before he reached out for his katana. He looked it over, his thoughts running across the blade. 

The mother wolf stood in silence with Knox alongside her children as she rubbed her arm.
“I’ll...we'll just go.”

Cecilia nodded over her kids and took a few steps back towards her home before a singular name stopped her in her tracks.

“Cecilia...” Knox caught the wolf’s attention, her ears perking as she turned back to him.

Knox’s eyes trained on at the moon before falling back to his katana. The wolf looked on at him without words, fearing any would change the source of what he had to say. So she waited until he finally found them.

“If you hadn’t of done it...I would’ve.” Knox spoke, almost in a whisper.

Cecilia stood stagnant as their shared outcome of thought stirred within her mind. And then she smiled. She came back and lowered down on the step right beside Knox and gave him a small hug.

“I would do anything to keep this place safe.” Cecilia said into his ear.

“Anything.”

Knox felt assured in her proclamation. But knowing better for what he already found her capable of, he found the assurance bittersweet.

Anything was being honest about her past. Telling him things about her that she didn’t have to for transparency.

Anything was choosing to forego her distrust of humans and join the community, doing what was best for her children.

But anything was also disobeying direct instructions to leave Devland be.

And at one point to the wolf, anything was betraying the one child that needed Cecilia the most. At her most vulnerable.

Anything meant a lot of things.

Knox closed his eyes as he slowly pulled away and got up, looking down on her and her kids.

Conjuring one last smile for the night, Knox waved them off. “We’ll make sure to clarify events to everyone tomorrow so we’re all on the same page. No more fear mongering in this community. Don’t let what this sad sack of a human did take your rest away tonight. See ya in the morning.”

Maybe going forward, anything would be an improvement, not a step back.

Maybe.

Maybe he wasn’t so sure of himself, either.

Chapter Text

MARGOT

A small grunt left Margot as she landed outside of her house, looking back up at her smiling brother at the window as he gave her a thumbs up. Margot reciprocated the gesture, leaving her other hand against her waist, occupied with gripping the folded note tightly in her hands.

However, Margot could see the worry laced within his gaze as well.

The grip only tightened.

A clawed hand tugged on the daisy bracelet around her arm as she took in a deep breath. She would need to be quick if she were to go unnoticed. Particularly by her mom.

She wasn’t supposed to leave the house unsupervised, especially with the shaky relations of being newcomers, and with the controversy of her mother’s recent actions still wavering around the community. But assured in her mother’s preoccupation, the young wolf took in one more extended breath and stepped forward towards her goal.

The house just by the end of the road, next to the main office building. She just had to cross the street and cut through a few fences and backyards and she’d be there. It wouldn’t take long if she hurried.

“No problem...” Margot whispered to herself, psyching herself up.

It was rather early in the morning and the sun had just begun to make way above the horizon. Dark enough for normal sights to find trouble in spotting the details, but light enough to still risk being spotted. So Margot dashed towards the nearest structure, a circular brick structure that housed in an overgrown flower which rose well above her height. She stopped behind it, looking out to still find no one in sight.

With half the distance cleared, she dived towards the side of the first home and rested her back against it’s outer wall, letting out a deep exhale.

“Maybe I’m being overly dramatic...maybe I should just go and knock...no...no, this is the best way. I don’t want to...” Margot shook her head and continued behind the row of houses, doing her best to not intrude anyone’s attention and getting closer to Wolf’s house with every step until...

Margot peeked her head cautiously through the back window of the house she was looking for. Just by luck, there they were, all sitting in discussion at the dinner table. It was Wolf and her friends. The weird human with the pink hair had said something inaudible, and Wolf laughed in response.

She had laughed.

Wolf’s joyful face seemed...so foreign to Margot. She hadn’t seen her laugh since before she...

“F-focus...” Margot reminded herself.

She needed a way in.

As quietly as possible, Margot had jumped for the second floor ledge and climbed on it’s roof. She found the second story window only to find the blinds closed. She checked the one next to it and found a small gap in the blinds. It was in the corner of the room that she spotted...

Margot’s spine shivered at the sight of the temporarily discarded gray wolf skin pelt that was left underneath the bed. A glimpse at who it could have been had Wolf not been so merciful. Taking in a deep breath, she tore her eyes away and spotted Wolf’s deathstalker staff in the corner.

“Definitely her room.” Margot said to herself. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a small knife and went to work on the window, trying not to break the locking mechanic that held it closed shut. With a resounding click, it was free to lift. And that the young wolf did, climbing inside and unfurling the paper she held onto so tightly.

Her eyes automatically went back over her writing, as if what she said just wasn’t enough...that maybe there was something left to change.

Dear, Jolene Wolf

I’m sorry for everything. Sorry for all the pain I-

Margot’s ears perked up at a sudden sound, but it was much too late to properly react.

The turning of the knob was swift and before Margot could even turn away, she was staring into the eyes of her former friend.

Wolf’s eyes went from surprised to laced with anger and instinctive action within milliseconds. The human dived for her deathstalker staff and had it swinging at the wolf’s head, but luckily for Margot, she was swift to react. Margot ducked under the pointed end while stepping back from the second swing, but what Margot didn’t see was the leg sweep Wolf performed too fast for her to evade.

Before she knew it, Margot choked for air with Wolf’s foot on her throat and the toxic end of the staff just above her. Margot tried in vain to get free.

“What the hell are you doing in my room? Didn’t I make it clear I didn’t want you pulling anything? Didn’t your so called mother warn you about messing around with me? Was it not clear en-”

“I wanted to- ack! - give you this!” Margot desperately tried to clarify through the pressure on her neck. She waved the note in her free hand frantically “I wanted to apologize! I just couldn’t-”

“Wolf took her foot off of her and drew in closer.
“You couldn’t what? Tell me yourself? Couldn’t just knock?”

By this time Kipo and the rest of the gang had just approached from the hallway and through the door.

Kipo was the first to speak.

"Wolf, why are you screaming to yourself up here? I wasn’t finished with the whole mega bunny bit! There was this extremely cute little baby one that I passed by and WOAH WHY IS THE WOLF KID HERE?”

“Yeah, that wolf kid is DEFINITELY NOT supposed to be here. Like, at all.”  Dave added in. “Can she teleport or something?”

Wolf spoke, not once blinking or losing eye contact with the wolf.
“She was just leaving.”

Margot, shuffled away from the deathstalker’s tip and held the note to her once-best friend.
“Please, Wolf I only wanted to give you this! I only wanted to apologi-”

Without a second thought, Wolf snatched the folded letter from Margot’s hand and eyed it deeply...before looking back at her and holding it in front of her.

And then she ripped it in two.

Margot watched as the letter drifted onto the floor in halves. Her heart dropped lower than it already was.

“If you don’t have the heart to face me, then I don’t have the mind to read it. Leave.” Wolf punctuated her seriousness with the twirling of her staff, the pointed end threatening to come swinging again. “Now.”

Margot held back the tears. She nodded in understanding. She picked up both halves of the note. She backed up, never losing contact with Wolf. She climbed back out of the window, and then she closed it. She climbed back down and slowly began her deflated walk back to her own house. But she took the front. She didn’t try to hide herself anymore.

She watched nothing but what was in front of her as she made her way back from which she came, even as the eyes on her began to grow. 

She threw a small pebble up at her room window and her brother Jack responded soon after. He lowered the knotted rope of bed sheets down to her and Margot climbed back up through the window.

“So...how’d it go?” Jack asked as the rest of her brothers awaited an answer.

All they got was a wordless plop back onto her bed and the pulling of sheet covers over her head.

The two halves of the apology letter were still clenched tightly in her paw.

KNOX

Knox felt an indescribable wrenching feeling in the pit of his stomach as he sat amongst his group. Cecilia was seated right next to him, and for reasons he didn’t want to come conclusions to, couldn’t bear to lay eyes on her. Maybe it was the earlier incident with her and Devland. Maybe it was his past trauma dealing with mute wolves. Maybe it was the uncertainty in letting her take his sword and do that Shaun guy in. Maybe it was- 

“Firstly...I want to address you, Cecilia.”

Knox finally brought purpose into looking at the mother wolf and her expression of deep worry wasn’t hidden very well.

“Is it because of what the kid did to me?” Cecilia asked, squeezing a hand in her other. “Or rather, why she did it to me...” she clarified in more of a reflective tone than a question.

 Interlocking her fingers, Mudiwa rested her elbows on the table. The stare she gave the wolf was serious.
“I need you to keep your distance away from Wolf and her group. Until things settle down and she finds it in her to make some kind of peace. I’ve seen your commitment and contributions to this place and you’ve yet to disappoint, so please don’t get it twisted. I trust you. But I hope you understand.”

The mute wolf’s eyes drifted from Mudiwa slightly as she nodded in agreement.
“I understand.”

“Okay...now let’s start with a plan on untangling the rest of this mess, shall we?”

Mudiwa rubbed her forehead before collecting herself again. The severity of the situation hadn’t truly dawned on her until now.
“So we have to welcome the newcomers to the community, decide on what to ultimately do with Devland and then plan out a strategy for meeting with Scarlemange...and all before tomorrow. This should be fun.”

Mudiwa took her eyes off the group as she reached into a nearby cupboard.
“Anybody want one?” Mudiwa offered, a smile cutting through her clear exhaustion as she pulled out the door drawer that revealed multiple shot glasses.

Kara lowered the hand Lute raised in response and he gave out a disappointing expression.

“Sorry, this ride is for kids over the age of 20.” Kara jested goodheartedly, rising to meet Mudiwa with the offer.

“Thank the gods I’m not a kid.” Piercer added, joining in for a shot.

But Knox didn’t respond. His eyes absentmindedly store at the glasses filling with red wine.

 A necklace of sharp teeth of an unknown origin was worn around it's neck

Knox clenched his eyes tight in an attempt to suppress his thoughts. He wouldn’t go back...no, those days were long gone. It wasn’t possible.

The bone necklace of teeth that it wore around it's neck that still sent chills down the human's spine

 It was a coincidence.

Nothing more-

“Hey...Knox?”

The hand that rested on the human’s shoulder jolted him back to the president as his eyes darted to meet it’s owner. Cecilia looked him over with a worried look dressed with a smile.
“You feeling alright? You look like you’ve seen the future, ha ha...”

But Cecilia saw what was in Knox’s eyes.

Her façade of a smile morphed into a frown that held her true expression. She gripped his hand with one of her own, re-affirming her earlier smile. What she saw was the reminiscence of fear.

A fear of her.

“Alright...now, let’s get together our plans on welcoming the newcomers first. This should be the easiest. Then we discuss Scarlemange.” Mudiwa clarified, tapping her fingernails on her desk.

JAMACK

The sun had gone way and the night had taken it’s place once more.

Jamack saw it through the window as he finished speaking on a tale he half-regretted letting out of his mouth.

“No way. Ha, you’re telling me you got duped into letting Kipo and Wolf go by them bargaining a stain removal spray to get a stain off your necktie? Bwahahahaah!”

Amy, Brad and Puck all did their best to hold in their chuckles as Amy covered her face with a hand.

“See, this is why I don’t get sensitive with people. What’s the point of sharing sensitive topics if all you get are laughs? It was one of my best ties!” the former Mod Frog motioned a hand down his newly acquired tie of a navy blue that replaced his cut and discarded one. He would’ve favored a traditional black again, but eh, it’s all they had.

Amy cleared the build up of coming tears from her eyes as she put out both hands in de-escalation.
“No, no! We’re laughing with you, pal. Promise. it’s just...I’m glad you went from that to where we are now. Seriously, we owe you so much for what you did to get us out of that crazy mandrill’s cross-hairs...even if it was a selfish motivation at first.”

“Gee, thanks.” Jamack muttered in a lowered tone, shifting his sights at his shoes. “I should finish tidying up. The head lady in charge wants to introduce us to the crowd, so I might as well look my best.”

“Oh, you mean Mudiwa?” Brad clarified. “Seems like a nice gal. I really don’t sense any bad intentions from anyone here...besides that loony human guy they sent away. But he doesn’t count!”

Meanwhile Puck was looking Jamack up and down.
"Look your best? You barely have a crease on you!”

“Eh, still not enough.” The mute frog arose from the kitchen stool and made way for the restroom door. “Meet you all outside. Promise I’ll be quick.”

Splash.

Jamack needed to hurry. He was holding them up.

Splash.

Another splash of water impacted his green face as he gathered himself.

And the slight creaking of something opening to his side.

Jamack already knew who it was before the cold steel of a knife was pressed against his throat.

“Amanda...” the knife pressed closer in response to the name. “When I told her that I’d stay by her side to see the justice of your friend’s death served...I meant it. The entirety. I’m...truly sorry for the damage my former boss caused you. But I can’t stop you from hurting me. I won’t.”

Stillness followed.

Then the knife retracted from Jamack’s neck.

“Don’t make me regret my mercy....don’t make me regret believing you.” the unmistakable voice of Kara told him.

As the window to the bathroom shut quietly, Jamack continued his attention at himself.

Jamack’s eyes never left the mirror, and the stare he had through his own reflection.

Eyes that held clear indication that he was no longer the same frog that had left his old faction.

He pulled his long look away from the mirror and turned to join his new house mates outside.

KIPO

Kipo stood on the elevated stage of the community get-together made in response to their arrival. The crowd of humans and mutes alike all awaited her coming words within their seats.

It was all so...like what she had dreamed of.

Kipo began to speak as her friends stood beside her.

“I’m so glad to suddenly be apart of this community. We all are. It’s a symbol of everything I’ve pictured for us. A symbol I wish to see spread more than in just one community. Hopefully the world itself will learn to trust one another again.”

It was all so kind. All so beautiful.

“So,” Kipo continued. “For how ever long we choose to stay here...we’re extremely grateful for you all choosing to take us in. Again, I speak for us all when I say...thank you!”

Clapping and warm cheering ensued. Kipo nodded at Wolf and Benson’s smiles. Felt the gleeful dance Mandu did. The uncalled for bowing that Dave initiated in response to the attention.

But Kipo knew the truth. The reality. That despite her genuine, cheery speech...this couldn’t last for them very long. They had to find her father. They had to stop Scarlemange.

I was all so close, yet so fleeting.

WOLF

Wolf couldn’t sleep. 

Nothing new on occasion...but recent events made it a true obstacle.

With everything that had happened, it was all to much to fully register. The recent welcoming of her group didn’t help quell things like she’d hoped it would.

From nearly losing Kipo to Scarlemange, to the weird group of cloaked mute wolves to finding a safe haven again, to finding out that...

Wolf clenched her teeth at the though of her.

Not Margot. Not Margot’s siblings.

Just her.

She still couldn’t believe it. 

That such a monster could possibly change. That she would be within the same walls as her. She avoided her presence entirely at the welcoming party. Wolf couldn’t even mention her name. She wouldn’t. She didn’t deserve a common label. Not for her. Cause that would give it agency again. Something to plague her mind once again. And she wanted to forget her as much as she possibly could.

Wolf knew she couldn’t escape it forever.

But for now, if she could just close her eyes and...

*clack*

Wolf’s eyes shot back open. She froze in place, unsure of what to make of the sudden noise.

*clack*

It came from the window.

Wolf immediately rose out of bed and went for the folding knife at her bedside table. Opening the blinds, the kid immediately rolled her eyes at the rather unwelcome sight of Margot, obnoxiously waving her hands up and down.

Opening the window, Wolf glared at the wolf below her.
“What?” she harshly whispered.

“Please...let me up. I’m ready to say what I have to say...I have to do this, Wolf.” the look in Margot’s eyes gave the impression she was on the borderline of breaking down.

After a long look, Wolf left the window wordlessly. It was an excruciatingly long handful of seconds before Wolf returned with a knotted rope of bed sheets to lower down for the wolf. 

Gripping the makeshift rope, Margot hastily pulled herself up and eventually through the window, stumbling over onto the wooden floorboard in her rush.

“I’m sorry, Jolene! I mean Wolf! I’m sorry for what we did. What I did...we...we all are. Jack, Sebastian...everyone. I was too coward to say sorry in person because I didn’t want to end up hurting you more than I have already. I was protecting myself...”

Stepping up to Margot until she was nose to nose with her, she watched as Margot gulped but held her ground, her magenta eyes refusing to leave contact with hers.

Margot blinked and flinched as Wolf’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her into a hug.

“I just want you to prove me wrong.” Wolf admitted with a shaky voice. “I want you to prove to me that I’m just holding on to a past image of you and that you can really change. That you have changed in some way. In any way outside of for your own personal gain. That’s all I want from you.”

Margot wanted to say something. Anything that expressed her glee in Wolf’s decision to give her some kind of chance. But nothing came out immediately. Her eyes began to water and soon, tears poured down her face as she returned the gesture.

“I will, Jolene.” Margot promised. “I will. I won’t lose you a second time.”

CECILIA

It was as dead as night can be.

Cecilia’s eyes left the window of her children’s bedroom as they slowly trailed back towards the recently dug grave. After Knox and her went out to retrieve the cassette tape for Devland after he threatened to send her out of Lensvile, they had run into those strange wolves...and Cecilia saw the way Knox had reacted, despite his best efforts to hide it. She wanted to tread carefully on something that could be so personal, but she wanted answers all the same.

“Is it someone you know?”

Cecilia’s heart leaped as she turned towards the short figure standing just behind the wooden gate door that separated the backyard.

Wolf.

Cecilia remained as still as an undisturbed puddle, her eyes following the human child as she grew closer the only registered movement.

It was only when Wolf sat next to her that her eyes averted to the spot of interest. 

“I...it's a makeshift grave. It’s for my mate.” Cecilia answered, a finger of hers twirling the edge of the still-loose dirt of the grave. The wolf eyed the pink sweater scarf hung on top of the wood plank that stuck up from the ground in front of it.

“I knew him. My condolences.” Wolf darkly quipped, but her face held a serious expression.

“Why are you out here? I-I was just-”

Wolf cut her off.
“I want to know why.”

At first, Cecilia frantically searched for what she meant. But it didn’t take long to get it. The mother wolf tugged at the sleeve of her newly acquired black collard shirt. She contemplated her words before her lips finally parted.

“My mother had all kinds of books and articles from the old world she’d rent out from my old town's library that she would read and at some point she became rather obsessed. If I could give her any credit, it would be for my love of reading. But...the things she taught me...the things she always pointed out...”

Wolf clenched her teeth underneath her unmoving lips as she watched the wolf mother’s head dip.

“Topics about the history of wolf hunting by humans was a reoccurring theme.” The wolf let out a long, drawn out sigh. The grave of her once-mate was all she could focus on. “Listen...Wolf. I’ve lived in an environment of many wolves...and we were all sold the same ideology. That humans aren’t to be trusted. And I fell right into it. I became enamored with our High Alpha’s promises of a future devoid of that kind of future repeating itself...even though in reality, I recognized soon after you escaped our cruel treatment of you that we were only repeating history ourselves.”

A weak laugh escaped Cecilia.

"Funny isn't it? The human customs we follow despite our so-called hatred towards humans. My clothes...the pearl necklace...my way of talking...It's rather humorous thinking on it now."

Wolf and Cecilia’s eyes met evenly for the first time in years.
An uncertain stillness crept over.

“Margot snuck out to see me.” Wolf revealed.

Cecilia’s eyes widened at the revelation. “She did what?”

Sighing, Wolf picked out a nearby flower with half-lidded eyes.
“Calm down, mother hen. She was trying to apologize. For betraying me. At least the second time she did it directly.”

“Snuck out...twice?” Cecilia brought her hands to her face and rubbed them against her cheeks.

Wolf let out a sharp chortle, leaning back.
“Maybe....but you’re getting better.”

Cecilia was taken back from the comment.
“How in earth’s name have I gotten...”

“Well, for one,” Wolf began, looking up at the moon. We’re here together alone with no one watching, and I don’t want to skin you alive. That’s a start. Let’s keep it that way.”

Cecilia felt a deep chill pass through her at the words. Her hand balled into a tightening fist.
“Jolene...I’m soo sorry. I wish I could’ve been the mother you always deserved. But there is no going back. So whatever I can ever hope to give now...I’ll do anything to give it.”

The mention of her birth name again revived something ancient in her past. Wolf’s eyes went wide. Almost immediately, Wolf pushed her hands against the ground and soon she was back on her feet, facing away from the adult wolf.

“Tomorrow’s a new day.” Wolf began her way back through the wooden gate. “Guess we’ll see what it holds for us.”

And just before Wolf disappeared out of sight, Wolf paused to look back.

“And don’t get mad with Margot. I’m sure you already understand. She’s just doing what you wish you could’ve done.”

Cecilia was all alone again, save for the grave of her husband Charles to keep her company.

A strange wave of peace. 

Not freedom. But just...peace.

It was enough.

And it was at least something to hold onto for Cecilia.

At least until tomorrow.