TRIGGER WARNINGS: This chapter contains examples of animal death, eye injury, and violence
The first wolf to be seen was white, with black dusty streaks on the sides of its face and haunting yellow eyes, followed by two even bigger wolves. One was brown with light blue eyes, and the other was a darker, rustic shade with amber ones. The fourth and last was an older wolf, whose fur had perhaps been brown once upon a time, but was now mottled with grey and white, and whose brown pupils had visible cataracts.
"About time you assholes showed," Max complained, walking up to them aggressively, "Gunner, what held you up?"
The white wolf shifted, and became a stout guy with a shock of short, platinum-blonde hair that faded into black on the sides, though his golden eyes remained. He was relatively short, only just tall enough for the top of his head to reach Max's chin. As he got closer, Biscuit noted the thin scars on his face; one ran across his lips and the other through his eyebrow. He also looked thoroughly unimpressed by Max, with his arms crossed impatiently. "We got lost. I caught the smell of another pack, and we had to take a roundabout."
Max's eyes widened, and for the first time, Biscuit saw his expression turn to genuine concern. "Was it... them? Are you hurt?"
"No, we're fine. we're all back here, after all."
The other three wolves shifted as well.
The most enormous wolf became a tall brunette. His intimidating size was compounded by his muscular physique, yet mitigated by his round blue eyes and sincere, goofy grin. He ran up to Max and wrapped him in a bear hug, lifting him off the ground. "Max! I missed you so much!"
"Yeah," Max wheezed out as his lungs were crushed, "You too, Titan."
The second wolf shifted into a tan guy with dark brown hair styled into an undercut, and a fuzzy scruff on his chin. He leaned far more on the chubby side, but was also rather tall, second only to Titan. His hooded eyes immediately shifted to look at Biscuit, and he tilted his chin in his direction. "Who the hell is he?"
"Um, this is..." Sparky tried to explain, only to realize he didn't know Biscuit's name.
Biscuit answered for him. "Biscuit. I'm Biscuit."
The chubby guy's eyes widened before he chuckled. "Like the snack? God bless your parents."
"Oof," Diesel bit out awkwardly, making a cut-it-out motion with his hands, "Ix-nay on the arents-pay."
"Fluffy," Sparky scolded and then whispered loud enough for Biscuit to hear, "He doesn't have any parents."
Fluffy quieted, a somber look on his face. "Well, damn. Sorry about your whole shit."
Biscuit said nothing, and simply looked at the floor.
The third wolf shifted into a much older man; his salt-and-pepper hair was shaved short, and his pupils were milky, indicating that his vision wasn't all there. As evidenced by his stature and stance, he was plenty strong, but it definitely came from defensiveness rather than power. He sniffed the air. "What am I smelling? Some lone wolf?"
"He's our prisoner, Rambo," Max said, walking closer to the old man, "Everyone, we're keeping him around in case his pack is nearby, and, if they give us trouble, he can be used as a bargaining chip."
Gunner blinked. "I'm sorry. We have a prisoner?"
"Yes, we do," Max said matter-of-factly, "When we get to the forest's edge, and the other pack gives us trouble, we hand him over and go on our merry way."
"And, what if no one shows up? What do we do with him, then?" Gunner crossed his arms, waiting for an answer.
"Simple. We ditch him."
"We can't do that!" Everyone turned to look at Sparky. "This poor kid doesn't have a family. If anything -" he took a quick breath before deciding on his next words, "I think he should join us."
Biscuit's eyes widened. He wasn't used to being pitied for his solitude; being by himself was just always so easy. There was no one to account for but himself. He wasn't even sure if he particularly liked this group, let alone was willing to become a part of their pack.
"I-" Biscuit tried to speak up, but was quickly overpowered by the beginnings of a screaming match.
"No, no, no, absolutely not!" Max snarled, pointing at Biscuit, "We don't even know this brat!"
"We know that he's by himself," Sparky argued, "And we all know better than anybody else what it's like to be abandoned."
Biscuit looked around to see the others shift around in uncomfortable silence.
Max looked at his feet. "That's different. How do we even know we can trust this guy?"
"He's right!" Rambo interjected, pointing at Biscuit, "He's got bad news written all over him. I can smell it. You can't take the smell off of a piece of shit."
Biscuit held up a hand to try and rebuttal. "Hey, I-"
"Oh, shut it. What the hell do you even know, you old man?" Fluffy barked at him, "As if you know what you're talking about. I don't trust the kid either, but if I wanted to hear from an asshole, I'd shit myself."
"There's no need for insults," Ollie said, looking between them frantically, "Maybe Sparky's right. He should stay."
"I say we vote," Gunner said cooly, "Who wants the lone wolf to stay with us?"
"We're not voting," Max glared at him, "It's my plan or nothing. I'm the leader, remember?"
"And we're the pack, and everything you decide affects all of us. You don't exist in a vaccuum. Or did you forget?" Gunner glared back, and the two locked eyes as he closed the distance between them. "So, we vote."
Biscuit was surprised to see them arguing toe-to-toe. So far, everyone else had followed Max's orders begrudgingly, like annoyed children. But this guy was methodical and stubborn, forcing Max to take a few steps backwards.
Max looked at his feet, avoiding Gunner's eye contact. Biscuit imagined that, had Max been in his wolf-form, his tail would be between his legs. "Ugh, you're right. Fine. Whose okay with this little weirdo sticking around, then?"
Gunner abstained from the vote, his hands behind his back.
Fluffy and Diesel both slowly raised their hands.
Rambo planted his hands on his hips and glared at Biscuit.
Titan, who seemed to have mentally checked out from the entire conversation, raised his hand cluelessly with a wide grin. "Sure!"
Ollie, who had stood closer to Biscuit and grinned at him encouragingly, and Sparky, who had his hands planted on his hips in triumph, both raised their hands.
Finally, with the silence, Biscuit spoke aloud. It was directed at everyone, but mostly Max. "Look, I'm flattered, I guess, but... I'm fine with your plan to keep me around until you leave the forest. I don't usually stick with others long-term, anyways. I'll cooperate with you all until then, and then we'll go our separate ways."
Max's eyes widened in surprise as he genuinely heard Biscuit out for the first time. He sighed. "Well, it's settled. He doesn't want to join, debate over. But, Sparky, since you apparently just love him so damn much, you can keep a close eye on him and make sure he doesn't run off."
"I see." Sparky frowned, looking at Biscuit. The expression on his face was difficult to read, but Biscuit guessed it was dissapointment.
Ollie said nothing, but the previous smile he wore had fallen.
Max raised his hands in exasperation. "Okay, so does anyone else have something to say before we hit the road?"
Biscuit paused. "Can you at least get rid of these handcuffs?"
"You walk in the back," Max told Biscuit, "Stay close to Sparky and Fluffy."
"What are we, babysitters?" Fluffy protested, "I'm not his dad. Sparky said he'd watch him."
"Hey," Sparky chided, lightly pushing his shoulder, "Be considerate! He's just a kid."
"Yeah," Diesel teased them, "It's like the two of you have practice for when you make some babies of your own."
Biscuit did a double-take. Sparky's mouth was opening and closing like a fish, and Fluffy crossed his arms, his cheeks visibly flushed.
"That-" Sparky finally said, "That's physically impossible! I mean, unless we adopted- not that I mean we should-"
"Please just stop." Fluffy covered his face with his hand.
Max overheard, and bursted out laughing. Then, in a moment of self conciousness, composed himself. "Alright, enough fooling around. Let's get a move on."
"Let's get a move on!" Titan repeated, running farther ahead than anybody else.
Biscuit had met different pack leaders; They were usually prideful and commanding. But, as much as Max seemed like an asshole, everyone else treated him less as a leader and more like an annoying friend. And despite how he tried to seem detached and methodical, it never lasted more than a minute before his composure gave way to crudity or delusion.
Max had ordered the pack to transform and find a dry place to hunt before making the eventual journey. Shifters did not need to change out of clothes to transform. It was a bizarre symptom of their nature and something no one Biscuit ever knew could explain.
Transforming was not painful. As a child, it was definitely uncomfortable, like your arms falling asleep, but by adulthood, it came second nature to Biscuit.
The smells of the forest and the other wolves were much more apparent in this form, and the world came into sharper focus. Everyone else had completed their own changes, and Max's words came through into Biscuit's mind, like fixing a broken radio. Alright, let's get the hell out of here.
The sun had risen, bathing the snowy forest in brilliant light. As the wolves trekked, the loose diamond formation of the group gave Biscuit an idea of the hierarchy.
Max was in the lead, Diesel, who seemed to act the most casual around Max, lagged slightly behind, and Gunner ran a close third. Rambo and Titan held the same distance behind those two. Then Ollie, Sparky, and Fluffy followed behind them in a row.
And then there was Biscuit, in the back.
Are you holding up? Sparky thought to him, The red wolf in front of Biscuit glancing back to check on him.
Yes, thank you, Biscuit responded.
Oh, so he's alive, Fluffy chimed in, He was so quiet, I was worried he didn't have any thoughts in his head.
Hey, Sparky warned, cut it out.
Yes, sir. Whatever you say, sir. Fluffy's tone dripped with sarcasm. Biscuit could sense Sparky short-circuiting.
Biscuit said nothing. He knew he shouldn't get too used to running in a pack. He'd be alone again soon enough, after all.
Hey, Ollie said to him, It's not that fun running in a pack, is it? It's pretty annoying, especially since we never quite know where Max is leading us. I mean, I know you mentioned not having a pack, so I'm not trying to insult you or anything, but... Actually, just forget I mentioned it. I mean, have you always traveled by yourself? I can't imagine that being very fun... Actually, I'm sorry, you probably like it that way, right?
Biscuit blinked at the sudden onslaught of thoughts. Ollie had been pretty quiet so far, only speaking up a few times when he could get a word in edgewise with the other pack members. However, having his thoughts easy to share made him a lot more talkative.
Biscuit nodded. Uh... yeah. I don't do this often. I usually travel alone.
He internally scolded himself for such a lackluster answer. How much information should he even be giving these people?
Oh, Ollie responded with a slight delay. So what's... it like? Having no pack?
Biscuit internally screamed. Uh, it's... alright, I guess. I don't have to clean up after anyone. I can go wherever I want.
That's good, Ollie thought back, but Biscuit could feel an undercurrent of curiosity and knew he wasn't satisfied with that answer. Rambo was right. You're a lone wolf. You must like it a lot.
Yeah, Biscuit offered back uselessly. He thought for a few seconds and then asked, What's it like to be in a pack...like this?
Like what?
Like...this one. Dysfunctional.
W-we're not- Ollie sputtered before continuing, I promise, we're usually a lot more friendly than this. You haven't really seen our best side.
Biscuit paused, For what it's worth, I think you're quite nice.
Ollie didn't respond for a few seconds. Thank you. You too.
Am I? I did blind you. Sorry about that, by the way.
I'm - Suddenly, Ollie recalled the memory, and Biscuit got a brief hint of the violent moment from the opposite perspective - Ollie walking into the cave, looking down and seeing him, only to feel a sharp hot-red stab of pain. Then, as soon as it came, Ollie stomped down on the intrusive thoughts, quieting them. I'll be fine.
I'm really sorry, Biscuit apologized again, I was trying to protect myself, and you were a stranger. It wasn't personal, I just-
I'll be fine, Ollie repeated, and then, in a tone that was meant to be reassuring but felt quite ominous, I've been through worse.
Hey! A louder voice that took Biscuit a few seconds to register was Max shouted, We can stop here.
The pack stopped running, and Biscuit caught the scent of nearby elk.
I got it, I got it! Titan shouted as he ran after a buck. He leaped up and caught the elk's throat in his jaws and the prey fell limp. Titan tore at its throat with an eagerness that Biscuit felt was excessive.
Rambo trotted up to him. Easy, boy, it's not goin' anywhere.
As if it had heard him, the buck suddenly sprang back to life and started swinging its head, its great antlers nearly missing the wolves.
Max, Gunner, and Diesel all ran over. The buck swung his antlers, narrowly missing Gunner's head. It struck Diesel instead, knocking him a few feet away. It was only over once Max went for the belly and shredded it with his jaws, finally offing the creature.
Diesel shook himself free of dirt. I meant to do that.
Why, of course, Gunner replied back, thoroughly unconvinced.
Sparky spotted an elk nearby, running for the trees. Fluffy, Ollie! And, um, Biscuit! Those ones over there!
Yeah, yeah, Fluffy huffed as he caught up to the pair and nearly snagged his teeth on a hind leg, but narrowly missed. Sparky unsuccessfully tried to do the same, and both slowed down in exhaustion. It's up to you two now.
Ollie and Biscuit shot past them after the lagging doe.
Ollie was running in odd, s-shaped paths, his teeth reaching out to bite at the feet of the doe but always missing.
Then it clicked. His hunting was shoddy because his injury was affecting his depth perception.
Ollie, Biscuit thought, Do you need some help?
I'm fine, Ollie replied, I got it.
With a sudden determination, Biscuit shot past him like a bullet and sunk his teeth into the elk's hip. Then, with its pace slowed down, Ollie got its other leg, finally bringing it down.
When they finished it off, Ollie trotted closer to him. Honestly, you should get this whole elk to yourself. You definitely earned it.
It's fine, Biscuit replied, I owe it to you, anyway.
Instinctively, Biscuit got closer and nuzzled his head under Ollie's neck. The contact only lasted a few seconds, but he pulled back once he realized what he was doing.
If Biscuit could blush in this form, he definitely would be. I-I didn't mean- I'm, uh... That was just a way of saying that it's all yours!
Ollie was frozen in place. I see.
The two walked back over to the rest of the group in awkward silence. Biscuit could see Ollie's tail wagging.
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