The scream that I harked out was shrill, deafening enough to make a few crows scramble out of the trees and go cawing into the night, and it was then that my body finally decided to connect back with my brain.

I didn't remember scrambling to my feet, but I do remember the run. 

Brambles and low-hanging branches scratched deep at my ankles and face as I did so, my heavy tote banging against my side as I moved as fast as my short legs could possibly carry me. But no matter how fast I tried to run, whoever – whatever – was chasing me was hot on my heels, the sound of hot, heavy breath and vicious snarling no more than a few feet back.

How could I have made the dire mistake of accidentally stepping outside of the pack borders?! And even more so than that, how could I have been so foolish to sneak out without my dads' permission in the first place?! All that I wanted were a few tasty herbs to share with my family, and now here I was, running through the forest as I tried not to become the entree to someone's late-night snack.

I needed to get back inside of pack borders, and I needed to do it now. But with the jolting of my flashlight with every harsh step and the pitch-blackness of the forest around me, it was nearly impossible to see where I was going.

I needed help. I needed–

"Ow!" I yelped, all of the air punched out of my lungs at once as my toe caught on a divot in the earth and I went tumbling, face-down into the dirt. My flashlight slipped from my hand at the impact, bouncing a few feet away and out of my reach, and as I sputtered dirt out of my mouth, trying to get back onto my feet as fast as I possibly could, something yanked me back into the dirt. Hard.

The sensation of hot breath on the back of my legs as canines dug deep into my knit tote, shaking hard and trying to break off a piece as if the bag itself were my own flesh, was something straight out of a million nightmares. But even through all of the terror, I tried to think quickly on my feet.

'Take off the bag!' Sana instructed me, his frantic voice booming loudly in the front of my mind. 

'But–' I went to argue, to tell him that this bag was special, that it was made just for me by papa's hands, but Sana was having none of it.

'Just do it!' He bellowed, and I immediately obeyed.

Fortunately, with only a few, forceful tugs, I was able to fit the strap over my head and escape the wolf's ferocious hold with a grunt. And in the blink of an eye, I was off again.

The roar that sounded from the trees behind me was angry, just like a predator whose prey had given him the slip, but this time the sound came from slightly farther away than before.

'I bought myself a bit more time!' I thought, feet hitting the earth and kicking up mud, caked to the ground by evening dew, 'Maybe I can make it!'

Renewed hope made me smile through the fear, and maybe I really would have made it, if it wasn't for the fact that my flashlight was hundreds of feet behind me and I could barely see more than six inches in front of my face.

The tree came out of nowhere, but by the time I saw it, it was too late. 

I collided with the thick trunk with a harsh crack!, my forehead bouncing off of the ragged bark and tossing me back onto my butt as a sob worked its way up out of my throat.

"... DADDY!"

The scream was instinctual, and as I tried to get back onto my hands and knees, shuffling through the debris of the forest floor and combatting the dizziness that throbbed through my skull, my tears mixed in with the mud caking my palms.

"DADDY, HELP ME!" I called out again into the darkness, voice cracking with desperation and terror, "DADDY, PLEASE!"

I could hear my predator drawing closer as my reduced pace gave way to him catching up again, the solemn sound of those heavy, weighted footsteps an omen of impending doom. But I could only sob out a distress call, hoping that my daddies could hear it as I dragged myself across the forest floor, a tiny, helpless lump of flesh lost to such a big, big world.

Then, came the sliver of light through the branches.

I thought it was a mirage at first, my brain playing tricks on me as I struggled to come to terms with my imminent demise. But as I shuffled closer still and squinted, the dizziness from my head-on collision making my vision even more blurry than it usually was in the nighttime, I could distinctly make out the twinkling sight of my house's windows, bright and alive.

I'd made it! I'd really made it back home! And as the distant image of my dad's slender form and my papa's giant wolf running at full speed came into view, the tears started up stronger, boiling over to a fever pitch as I reached out my arms to them.

No matter how far away they were, daddy and papa would always keep me safe.

"Daddy!" I sobbed, barely possessing the energy to pull myself out of the forest and to the edge of the treeline, "Papa!"

Daddy and Papa were almost there, already having made it halfway across the gigantic clearing that connected our backyard to the forest, when I felt the pain.

It was so surreal that I think that my mind tried to block it out when it happened. But there was no denying the sight of the giant wolf, drooling and frothing at the mouth like an untamed animal as he locked his canines around my left forearm, digging the long, sharp knives that doubled as teeth so deep into my flesh that by blood began to flow like a crimson river at once, staining the grass below.

Then, like a beast gone wild, he locked his jaw and shook.

I felt each, little ribbon of skin and muscle as it was torn directly from the bone, and as he tossed my body around like a rag doll at his feet, the raw, visceral sound of ripping flesh made hot bile bubble up from my throat, vomit spilling past my cheek and onto the ground below, joining the blood.

Unable to fight, unable to scream, unable to cry, shock overtook my body and soul, and I could only lay there and choked on the foul stuff as the wolf continued his assault.

At some point, I remember flying through the air as he tossed me a few feet away like a disposable chew toy, and more vomit bubbled from my lips as my mangled arm flopped lifelessly, landing directly in front of my face.

Through the ripped-up material of my favorite jacket, I could see the bone in my arm, surrounded by the flesh around it that was ripped up, gnarled, and bleeding so much that I felt myself getting lightheaded already from the loss.

That was when – to my utter delight – daddy and papa finally made it to me.

Daddy's green eyes – mirror images of my own, bright verdant ones – stared down at my disfigured form with absolute horror as he ungracefully slid into the dirt beside me. Screams of disbelief ripped their way out of his own throat at the sight of me, and he wasted no time in pulling my limp form into his lap at once, cradling my smaller figure in his arms as he scanned my entire body with wide, panicked eyes.

"Oh no, no, no, please, my baby!" Daddy hollered, shaking beyond belief as his free hand reached over to rip off a piece of his own shirt to use as a tourniquet. "Oh my God/dess, please, my Ecko!"

I coughed, vomit that still lingered in my airway bubbling out of my mouth once more. I choked out my next words, desperate to know if this was it. At least if it was, I had my daddies here with me.

"Daddy..." I whispered, vision flickering with little dots of black around the edges, "I'm sorry. I just wanted to make you yummy tea, I never meant to be a bad boy."

My daddy just stroked my face with the softest touch to ever exist in this world or the next, his tears dropping down onto my own moist cheeks as another patrolman came and crouched down beside us, tying off the makeshift tourniquet on my upper arm.

"Shh, sweetie, you are not a bad boy. You are never a bad boy. Just breathe, sweetheart. Daddy's got you. I'm so sorry, my love. I'm here."

"I love you, daddy." I mumbled, trying to snuffle in closer to daddy's warmth. He was always so cozy, and smelled so much like home. I loved him so, so much. 

"I love you too, my sweet boy. More than you can ever, ever, ever imagine." Daddy's sad frown turned strained as more tears bubbled up behind his eyelids, and a look fractured between the deepest love and pure, unadulterated terror flickered across his face. 

"Where is papa?" I asked, wondering where he could have gone. "Is papa mad at me? Does he still love me too?"

"Papa is here, too and he still loves you so, so much, just like I do, Eck. He's not mad at you at all, either. He's... he's just..." His vision flickered momentarily over my shoulder, and in the reflection of his dark pupils, I could faintly make out the flickering scene of a vicious fight. "... A little bit busy right now. But he will be here soon, I promise, sweetheart. Just breathe with me while we wait for him, okay?"

"Okay, daddy. I can be patient. I can be brave." I winced out, trying my best to run through all of the affirmations that daddy has ever taught me in my head. But still, I was unable to resist crying out loud when the patrolman tying the tourniquet squeezed it so tightly that it pinched me so, so hard. "Daddy, it hurts!"

The expression that Daddy offered in response was one of someone in so much pain that it almost hurt to look at him, too. "I know. I know. I'm sorry, baby. I'm so sorry. I'm here."

He rocked me back and forth gently now, screaming something that sounded like 'Tell Benji to hurry the hell up!' But I couldn't be so sure, seeing as to how everything was starting to get really, really fuzzy.

"Daddy, am I going to die?" I whispered, barely able to feel my own vocal cords now. "Please don't let me die, I'll be such a good boy from now on, I promise. I'll always do the dishes when you tell me to and I'll never go out into the forest alone again, I swear. Please, daddy. I don't want to leave you."

"Oh, my Ecko..." Daddy's voice cracked as he stroked my hair, fingertips sifting through the red strands that likely matched the blood that now coated my body. It felt so nice, to be held by him. So safe, so warm. I wanted to stay like this forever. "Don't worry about anything, sweetheart, you aren't going anywhere. Daddy's got you. We are gonna get you all fixed up so soon, okay? I promise, sweetie. I promise."

"Okay, daddy." I replied, nuzzling in deeper. Daddy would never lie to me. If he said I would be okay, then I was. It felt so good to let go, and now, I felt like I was floating. "I'm so sleepy. I'm just going to take a little nap." I told him, yawning.

"Wait, no sweetie, you can't fall asleep." Daddy's frantic voice cut through the static, and my brow furrowed. 

"But I'm so sleepy, daddy." I slurred, nodding in and out of consciousness. "So sleepy."

"No sweetheart, no, stay awake for me! You have to keep your eyes open!" He hollered, a certain urgency in his voice. But even then, it all felt so far away now, like he was speaking to me through a funnel, or maybe one of the paper towel rolls that we used to swordfight sometimes.

I wasn't surprised that he was being so silly right now though. After all, daddy is always so silly. So, so silly.

I giggled at that funny, funny thought.

And then, in the warmth of my daddy's arms, I slept.

__

WOOO, HERE WE GO!! I'm so excited to get started on this journey as we start getting to know our newest protagonist, Ecko! How are you guys feeling so far?!

Want more and can't wait? 👀 Become a Patron! You could get up to 2 chapters ahead, exclusive character art, one-shots and more! 

The most recent one-shot is 'Jax x Corey Mafia Alternate Universe! (NSFW)' Link is in my bio! 

Xoxo, Alex