(Warning: Cringey Content, Lot's of implied Trauma from Stone's past-it's getting emotional guys)

[Previously: I double over with relief and then slump against the pole as it gets dimmer. “Don’t worry, we’ll keep watch.” Tera says happily and relieved as well. 

At some point in the night, hesitant to show full support, certain tribe members came while it felt safe to cuddle briefly, or bring gifts. I remember opening an eye at one point to have at least six age-mates snuggling in sleep at once. I close my eyes again, “Thank you.” I murmur and get a few sleepy glances of surprise. 

When morning comes, it’s frighteningly cold as Tera and Silla wake me to let me know they have to leave. I touch noses and emotionally wish them, “Good luck, hopefully today you’re ignored and treated well.” They nod and push the gifts of food and blankets closer to me. I’m grateful as Tera wraps a blanket around me, he blushes a little and clearing his throat says something about not realizing how attractive I was when I’m not glaring. I flush and look away glaring at the ground to hide a smile.

‘Was having a supportive pack always like this? So calm, so nice?’

“Drink some water quickly,” Silla says, pouring it for me, I do my best to drink without spilling. Then they leave. I double over to watch the gate. And the sun “rises” and the town gets brighter and brighter. Maybe I’d be safer now that the town was starting to wake up.

I cough as the chain connected to my muzzle is doubled over the pole and pulled tight to strangle me. I can’t even cry out. I kick and try to turn but whoever it is, isn’t messing around. Pressure builds up so quickly I feel like my snout will start bleeding. I’m surprised about how quickly my vision starts to go black. I choke and wheeze, foaming as I struggle until finally I use all my miniscule breath to hopefully antagonize them enough to show their muzzle, “Coward!” I choke out quietly.

For a second I thought they didn’t hear me or that they didn’t care and I was gonna die when somebody notices and barks a command. The assaulter runs off, I gasp rolling forward eyes tearing up from the pain, while I wheeze I look around but they were swift and had already disappeared. 

The passing-byer runs over. “Are you okay?!” They pick me up a little to make sure I’m breathing enough. I look at them and nod even though no, I’m scared. After a very long time, the stranger soothing me kindly, a crowd forms and they let them know what almost happened. 

“I bet it was one of those kids from last night.” Someone murmurs behind their clawed hand. 

“But to kill them in that way, I mean it’s even allowed to beat them to death but that was…”

Whisper, whisper, whisper. I cover my ears for a second and take a deep breath, “Cowardly?” I offer. 

“Yeah.” One of them says, “C, can we unchain him?”

“It’s against the rules.” One says sadly, “We’ll just have to make sure someone is always watching over you.” They look at me, surprising me with the smile on their snout. Unsurprisingly none of the other tribe members look like they want to be the one to keep guard. 

“Oh for goodness sakes, just take over for ten minutes then get back to your lives if they’re so important.” The same one orders, “sheesh.” 

But as it gets as bright as possible a surprisingly large crowd gathers near, but not too close. The pile of gifts gets larger until the specific area for the pole has a sparse covering of gifts going all around it. Flowers, food, drugs. I also notice a surplus of curious pups bothering me. Some want to play fight, one leaving a doll as a gift which was really sweet, making me wonder if I did something specific for them in the past and a lot just terrified to get close to me yet constantly daring others to get closer. I want to interact back but I’m kind of unsure how. 

"Time for food," a guard says making me jump, I place the book I was reading down. “Didn’t know you liked to read, ” he says, sounding the nicest he’s ever been to me before. 

“Oh yeah I don’t normally do it in public.” I say softly, going to stand. 

“You don’t have to,” he says softly, crouching. He reaches his arms around me so that I’m suddenly enveloped by muscles and the smell of a guard which was like leather armor, dirt, and sweat, the salty kind not the bad kind. I kind of like it, I haven’t had this kind of closeness with anyone in a long time. “Don’t faint.” He says jokingly as he takes off the muzzle. 

“What do you mean?” I ask massaging my snoot. 

“You were hyperventilating.” He says. And I flush thinking of how to explain to me sniffing him. “Uh yeah.” Is all I manage. 

“I heard you were attacked from behind?” He asks seriously all of the sudden. I gratefully accept the fruit that he hands me from one of the many gift baskets. I literally shiver as I nod.

“I’m sorry, nobody should be attacked from behind.” He says with a pointed gab in the side but he says it a little jestingly. 

“I’ll never do it again, at least to a coyote.” I say joking back but subconsciously touch my throat, darkly. He smiles and then focusing on me a little too intensely, rubs his cheek against mine. I cover my snout and suddenly become too emotional. 

“Don’t cry, it’s normal tribe member contact.” 

“I’m sorry,” I cover my eyes, “I’m just not used to it.” 

“That’s all of our faults.” He says softly moving my arm and I look up at him cautiously. Then booping my nose with his he seals the pack member acceptance and I bury my snout in his fur.

“So mushy.” He laughs but doesn’t move. ‘It’s like he’s apologizing.’ I think to myself. ‘Or making up for lost time, a lot of them are.’ 

“I wish…” I start.

“Don’t.” He says softly. And I listen. I stay pressed close to him as long as he allows. Which ends up being until the other guard shows up. 

“Why is his muzzle off?” The guard asks all business. 

“He was eating.” The guard currently snuggling with me answers, monotone. 

“Are you done eating?” The first guard asks me.

‘Not wanting the other guard to get in trouble I stuff a handful of bugs in my mouth and nod.’ As the second guard puts back on my muzzle he tells the first one, “If you’re too intimate they might turn against you.” 

“I don’t like most of them anyway.” Guard # 1 says casually. 

Guard #2 sighs, “At least help me stand guard normally.”

“No.” Guard #1 looks at me, “Are you fine with this?” He puts an arm around me gently. I nod not wanting to look him in the eye in case I blushed and it was misread. I like the first guard a lot. Because of his humor.

After a long minute of standing professionally the second guard sighs angrily and sits down on the other side of me. Quickly to get it over with he boops my nose with his and starts eating some of my food.

“Ah, that’s rude.” The first guard says. 

“It’s fine.” I say quickly, “Really I have enough for all three of us.”

The first guard snorts a little, “That’s really nice of you.” He bumps me with his arm, “You sure?” He picks up a fruit. I nod and he enjoys it. After that though he stands up brushing himself off. “I’ve got to go guard the front gate, see you later.” The second guard follows after him quickly, making me feel twice as alone when they’re gone. The day passes with good and bad interactions. Some threw flowers, some rotten fruit or stones. 

I curl up on my side to sleep only to wake up with hardly anyone around, that is, except for five out of the ten that wanted to beat me up the other day. I uncurl quickly looking around only for them to laugh it off.

“Nobody wants to protect you all day. It’s because it’s not worth the effort. You’re not worth the effort.”

“It’s not like you came over until you made sure I was unprotected. Let’s just get this over with.” I say growling. The one with stripes jumps forward first. I dodge the first kick but sitting down I’m at a disadvantage. Most of the others, just waiting for someone to start it, lunge forward and I disappear under the claws, punches, and kicks. I cry out in pain, not able to protect my body or face. Rolling over to the poll I curl around it to protect my stomach and eyes. One of them bites my wounded shoulder and I scream. They laugh and I get claws down my side. I whimper and feel a plea leave my mouth.

“Please stop. I can’t take it anymore, please! It hurts.” 

“Hey!” Somebody yells at them and for a blissful moment it stops. Then they scare the would-be hero off by bearing their bloody teeth and it continues, but they drag me away from the pole, holding me down, they start taunting me.

“What did it feel like?” They laugh. 

“With a wolf? Really? That’s disgusting.” 

“How can you call yourself a coyote?” 

“Yeah, ha ha more like a dog.” 

“I’d die before I let one touch me.”  

Silver crouches next to me, rolling me over to expose my stomach and face. He grins sadistically, blood dripping from his mouth.

“Did that hurt?” He gestures to my shoulder. I gasp for air, everything is fuzzy. My senses go in and out but when they refocus I hear. “Bet it hurt when-” I scream covering the rest of the sentence, I get in a satisfying solid kick knocking Silver back.

“I bet he liked it!” 

They watch me struggle and try to get back up, back to the safety of the pole. I dig my claws into the dirt, breathing it in, spit and blood mixes clumping the fur on my face. My brain swirls with traumatic images from the taunting and I wince and whimper from the pain, crying. 

My attackers seem to get more and more worked up, with each cry of pain torn from my lungs each drop of blood that splatters the ground. Silver then has Stripes and one of the randos, sit me up against the pole, “this is for my face,” he says and winding up, claws me as hard as he can across the cheek. I cry out and fall on my side, whimpering as blood blinds me. 

I remember a few hits to the ribs later and I couldn’t breathe. I think I pass in and out of consciousness. A kick to the spine and then the stomach, I make a noise each time of contact and then I’m gasping, retching, wheezing, and it starts all over again. My ears are ringing and then someone or something is shielding me. I barely open an eye.

A cream colored coyote cries out as it gets stomped on.

“Wait!” Silver’s high pitched voice of urgency pierces the ringing of my ears. “Stop attacking!” He grabs two of the coyotes, throwing them out of the way and falls on his knees next to the cream coyote, his voice full of concern almost to the point of tears, “Are you okay?” I don’t hear the savior's response as I pass out.

When I regain consciousness I’m still where I passed out and only a few moments later. Silver is glaring at me, the cream coyote is still protecting me, he growls a warning at the others. “What are you doing?” He refers to the cream colored coyote voice softening. 

“What you’re doing is wrong!” The coyote gasps, shivering as he presses further into me, I wince as it hurts.

“Why?” Silver questions, “Don’t you know he’s the one that ruined my face.”

“I like your face the way it is, it was never ruined.” The cream colored coyote whimpers. Silver opens and closes his mouth, not sure what to do. 

Stripes shoves him and growls, “Move your bitch.” 

Silver turns on Stripes, eyes starting to glow as he grabs him by the scruff, “Don’t call him that.” He lets out a low, threatening growl. 

Either Stripes didn’t think he was being serious or he was too stupid to stop because he growls back, “I’m going to finish what I started so, move your bitch, or he’s gonna get hurt too.”

Silver leans back a little and lets go of Stripes scruff. There’s a second of tension as they look at each other then Silver knocks the insulting coyote to the ground with a bloody snout. 

“Apologize.” He growls looking down at the shocked, pack “leader”. When Stripes doesn’t immediately obey, Silver stomps down on his ribs, making me wince knowing exactly what that felt like.

Stripes screams, “What’s wrong with you!?”

“Apologize to my boyfriend right now!” Silver snarls pointing to the cautious cream coyote. Stripes' brain finally gets jogged as Silver steps down harder.

He starts crying, “Ow, ow, ow okay! Just get off me!” Silver lifts his foot immediately, waiting. Sniffling Stripes gets to his feet he lowers his ears so Silver will let him get close enough to boop noses. “I’m sorry.” He says to Silver.

Silver flicks his ear, “To my boyfriend.” He says firmly.

Stripes looks past the cream colored coyote and grits his teeth, “I’m sorry for insulting you.” The cream colored coyote gives a tense nod.

Then Stripes and the other coyotes looked around at the gathering, angry crowd, all it took was one person to move and everyone would follow. The three randos see that things are going to get bad for them so they drag Stripes away. 

The crowd lets them go and then some whisper to get the doctor as I don’t move to get up. I cry out, flinching as someone touches me, but the soothing voice I recognize as the coyote doctor. It doesn’t take long for him to diagnose my broken ribs and minor organ damage.

“He’ll probably need a shot.” He sighs. I stay limp against the ground just trying to survive one wave of pain at a time. “Until then.” He starts burning a familiar scent near my nose, after breathing it in, the pain fades until I become warm and lightheaded, numb. In my drug induced state I notice the brief fight between the cream colored coyote and Silver as Cream refuses to leave.

Silver folds his arms and hovers, glaring angrily at anyone who tries to get too close to him. To my amusement he gets chewed out by a few adults. Cream curls up near me making sure that my wounds start getting cleaned and basic medicine is applied until we could hopefully beg for a shot from the wolves.  

I zone out again, pain though numbed, still exhausting. But gasps of fear and whispers of, “Wolf.” Make my eyes shoot open. 

“Where?”

“Coming this way!”

“Hide the children.”

“Run!”

“What about Stone?"

"Let's hope they ignore him.”

"Let's go!" Silver grabs his terrified but stubborn boyfriend and tears him away from me, dragging him away to hide in the shadows. 

I pant as soon, I'm all alone. The sound, the scent of danger approaches. All I hear other than the faint footsteps is my heart beat. The sight of three sets of paws appears in the corner of my vision. The scent of wolves is strong, burning my snout. I’m in no shape to defend myself and I hear one of them sniffing, taking in the humiliating scene before him.

“This isn’t how I expected to find you.” The Admiral growls. Then grins cruelly his eyes gleeming, "But I kind of like it."