HPXKH II: Advent of Ragnarok

[Krytus The Dreamer]

So after all my projects and homework done I'm finally able to do some work, and here's the prologue. I kinda~ish already have chapter 1 written but i need to look over it a couple times and see if i can change anything, namely the POV I'm having a hard time deciding which one to go with 3rd or 1st person. I'd like an opinion on which looks and reads better

anyway here's the prologue

HPXKH
Advent of Ragnarok
Prologue: Sacred

If you were to ask anyone, be it mortal or Celestial, about how they saw The Great Kitsune the most common answer you would find was tricky, followed by scheming or calm. There were few moments when something or someone would break that mask he seemed to have on at all times. Some Celestials would even say it had been millenia since they had seen The Great Kitsune express anything outside of his suave demeanor. In this instance however it was three solitary words spoken to him without any hint of hesitation, with such true conviction that it almost seemed like they believed what they were saying.

“I’m not sure whoever is in there but I don’t feel any of the warning signs you told me about. I don’t feel confused, I don’t feel lost; in fact, it’s the opposite. I feel whole.”

The mere thought of those words alone made the nine tails’ fists clenched tightly enough to crumple a book he had in his hands. Even his study, which most would expect to have an almost militaristic approach to order, was not spared from his wrath. Papers, scrolls, books, anything that had information written on them was now in shreds and scattered about the floor. So great was his change in attitude that the two war-hardened Celestials assigned under him, outright refused to so much as touch the door to Kitsune’s study with anything less than a galaxy long pole.

To his shock however, came a knock. Gentle at first, almost courteous, but Kitsune ignored it and the brave soul who dared to approach the angered fox. He had only kept his gaze fixated on the moon, through his study window, high in the sky. It came again, this time with the door opening and a feminine voice to follow.

“Kitsune?” she asked alongside the unsteady creak of the door

When no answer came, she gulped and cleared her throat “I know… you don’t want me here~

“OH REALLY NOW!?” Kitsune slammed his fist against the glass, effortlessly breaking it “WHAT GAVE IT AWAY!? IS IT THE FACT THAT I’VE PLEADED WITH YOU NOT TO SHOW UP, OR THE FACT THAT I’VE SPECIFICALLY WARDED THIS TOWN AGAINST YOUR PRESENCE?”
She breathed calmly and kept her composure “Look, I know about your… patient. He’s never shown signs of the memories overwriting his own; it’s actually never even interfered at all with his day to day life.”

She paused once more, thinking about what she was about to say.

“Don’t you think it’s~

“What? A blessing in disguise?” Kitsune’s anger had instantly turned to ice as he mended the window just as easily as he broke it “Do you even know what you’re saying? What you’re implying when you ask that? I can’t believe I’m hearing this… from you out of all Celestials.”

“Your patient’s even stated it himself. The added memories aren’t a burden on him. It has quite literally affected him in such insignificant ways that the ‘victim’ in this brushes it off. Any changes to his personality can be attributed to change in environment and social status. It is natural to him, your patient will be fine.”

Kitsune refused to even look her in the eye as he breathed in deeply “Do you honestly think I care at this point?”

“W-What?” she shivered, almost as cold as the response Kitsune had thrown her way

“Do you honestly, wholeheartedly believe I care about that mortal at this point?” he repeated with just as much ice to his voice

She stood behind him shocked and at a loss for words. The Great Kitsune, the one who openly expresses his fondness for mortals and even makes it a point in his games to make sure nothing too overly cruel could ever happen to a single mortal was the one who said those words.

“I COULDN’T CARE LESS!” he screamed loud enough to rattle the world if his study hadn’t been enchanted to keep any noise confined inside itself “THAT MORTAL IS AN INSULT TO HIS MEMORY! YOU ARE AN INSULT TO HIS MEMORY! THE VERY IDEA THAT YOU BELIEVE THAT HE COULD EVER TAKE VIDAR’S PLACE IS AN INSULT TO HIS MEMORY!”

Tears started to fall from Kitsune’s eyes as he leaned on the wall for support “Vidar is gone. That mortal is holding onto memories that doesn’t belong to him. He may not be able to feel them yet but their very existence in his mind combined with the fact that he begins to act like him day by day is just… an insult. He’s no more than a ghost at this point.”

Sobbing. All that was left of the maelstrom of emotion was nothing more than sorrow for a dear friend that had sacrificed everything to make things right again.

“Kitsune...

“Get. Out.”

“Kitsune we can talk through~

“I SAID GET OUT!”

Finally Kitsune face his visitor only to blow her away and shut the door in her face before they could see eye to eye. Now that he was alone with his failed attempts at laying his best friend to rest Kitsune felt the sorrows within himself weigh him down and all he could do was sob to himself.

End of Prologue

[furrygamer793]

And... You lost me.

[Obbl]

Wow, powerful. I'm looking forward to seeing where you take this

[Amazee Dayzee]

I think that what you have here so far is really nice! Can't wait for more!

[D-Rock]

Great, man.

If you want to do first-person, specify who's talking. I had that issue with Hearts of the Selfless, where it would sometimes take a bit to figure out who's perspective it was. I recall the Animorphs book series had a different POV per entry. But special event books and the finale would shift between the whole team. The POV was specified with the Chapter number in those cases. Try that if you want to do first-person.

[Krytus The Dreamer]

Great, man.

If you want to do first-person, specify who's talking. I had that issue with Hearts of the Selfless, where it would sometimes take a bit to figure out who's perspective it was. I recall the Animorphs book series had a different POV per entry. But special event books and the finale would shift between the whole team. The POV was specified with the Chapter number in those cases. Try that if you want to do first-person.

The reason why i did that was because I remembered seeing a video where someone complained about whenever people pointed out which POV it was saying "the audience isn't that stupid." Though i guess more could be done to tell which character it was in the view of

I think that what you have here so far is really nice! Can't wait for more!

Wow, powerful. I'm looking forward to seeing where you take this

Thanks I'm excited about this one cause i was struggling to see how to best start off chapter 1 and after several drafts I think i have something that fits

And... You lost me.

Why is that?

enjoy chapter 1

Chapter 01
The Passage of Time


The town of Babylon Gardens has earned quite the reputation over the years. Way back when, people saw it as nothing more than a quiet town that was great with pets. It was a simple town filled with simple people and pets living simple lives. As time went on, however, things began to change, ferrets inheriting a fortune from their dad, wolves moving in as a part of the town, pets getting married, and most recently it added a second pack of wolves or wolf dogs to its growing population.

Babylon certainly has changed as with everything given time. Of all the pets that lived in the seemingly quiet town Garm knew and understood that concept the best. How could he not, Garm himself is living proof. Disregarding that just the mere fact he was able to walk outside at all or even enter a store on his own was huge leaps and bounds for him.

“There ya go buddy,” The store clerk said slapping on a neat little bow on a flamboyantly wrapped box “Careful it’s a little heavy.”

Garm flashed the beaming wide smile “Thanks you sir, oh and don’t worry I can manage.” Using just one hand, Garm was able to easily lift the package that was almost as large as his own torso and with his free hand he was able to pull a wad of cash from a bag he had slung over his shoulder and place it on the counter “Keep the change.”

“Thank you and please come again.” The clerk waved goodbye as Garm exited the store and out into the sunny streets of Babylon

It’s been more than a year since Garm’s taken up residence in Babylon and absolutely none of it was spent living in isolation because of his outward appearance. Back then people feared him because he had the slightest resemblance to a feral wolf who wandered into town haphazardly. Now, however, saying that he’s grown quite a bit would be an understatement. His fur took on a darker shade just like his fathers and his build seemed to match some of the other wolves his age, thanks in no small part to his rather extreme hobby. Back in his old home people would drop everything and run at the sight of Garm, but now he wouldn’t be surprised if one of them outright fainted given his physic looks more feral.

“Garm!” the young black furred wolf-dog craned his neck across the street where a brown dog with blue goggles resting on his head waved “Same time tomorrow night? The team could use the brute force your character brings to the table.”

“I’m always up for a game of DnD! I’ll definitely be there!” Garm yelled back while still balancing the package in one hand

Even other pets who, at first, Garm struggled to interact with was being opened up to him. The days where he’d spend most of his time reading at home all alone waiting for his owner seem like a distant and foggy memory at this point.

Already thinking about the game the next night, Garm failed to notice a small crack on the street resulting in him tripping over it and the package sent flying out of his hands. Desperate, Garm was able to grab hold of the box and held it up letting his body take the blunt force of the fall.

“Jeez that was a close one. Watch where you’re going next time will ya?” Garm opened his eyes and found his body suspended mid-air

Just in front of Garm stood an all to familiar wolf-dog sporting an x-shaped scar on his chest and a strange blue mark underneath his left eye. In some way, it was almost like looking into a mirror, as the dog in front of him had the exact same face as him even down to holding a large box in his hands, except he wasn’t as bulky as Garm was and his fur had taken on a lighter tone more like his mother’s.

Garm quickly corrected himself so no one would see the blatant use of magic “What are you doing Wolf? You’re not supposed to use your magic out in public. Follow up, I cannot wait for you to finally pick out a proper name other than Wolf.”

“Gee, thanks for saving me bro, without you dad’s birthday present would be not feeling so well and I would be in deep trouble with the rest of the pack since they pooled their earnings together to buy dad this incredibly expensive gift.” Wolf responded in a deadpan manner

“Oh wow.” Garm jokingly punched his doppleganger shoulder “I didn’t know you added mind reading to your list of spells.”

Wolf seemed to take this in stride and chuckled “Alright wise guy next time you fall I ain’t catchin ya.”

On the surface, people assume Wolf and Garm are just close brothers which would explain away why they have the same voice and nearly identical faces. What most don’t know is that Wolf and Garm used to be one entity under the name Fen and separated when two strong sides of one being were in conflict with one another. Eventually the two reconciled and were able to move on with their lives, whereas the splinter side of the original Fen took on the name Garm, the original Fen remains undecided and assumed the temporary name of Wolf.

“All joking aside, you got the cake?” Garm asked as he looked at the checklist in his phone

“What do you think I’m holding?” Wolf gestured to the box in his arms “I even got confetti poppers, candles and party hats for everyone.” at his words a pointed party hat levitated out of the paper bag and fastened itself to Garm’s head

Garm rolled his eyes as he chuckled to himself “Alrighty then, let’s get moving. If dad’s surprise party is gonna be a surprise, we’re gonna have to take the long way ‘round.”

“Lead the way then.” Wolf stepped aside to allow Garm in front of him

With their adventure far behind them at this point, life seemed to have slowed down to a crawl. Honestly speaking, Garm was perfectly fine with a slow life. There was so much he didn’t get to do as a pup, and now that he was free from all the stigma of being a feral he wanted to experience it all. Even the more… intimate moments. The thought of finding someone alone made his cheeks the slightest bit warmer and Garm was just thankful that his dark fur disguised the blush.

Over a couple of fences and across some streets, Garm and Wolf had finally made their way back to their home. By no means was it anything fancy, it was like any other house with a dark green paint job. The only thing that stood out about it was slightly bigger than the average house available in Babylon and in a somewhat centralized location as well. The sandwich household wasn’t too far from where it was nor was the original Wolf house, which was all well and good. Both packs seemed to have picked up a somewhat heated rivalry in the year they’ve been sharing territories. Thankfully it’s only gone so far as trying to outdo each other in terms of decorations or sporting activities. In fact both packs have agreed to a sporting event every two months just for the heck of it.

Obviously the alpha of the Wolf house: Beta was none other than Garm and Wolf’s father, Connor Matthews who ironically was a German Shepherd/Alaskan Malamute mix breed. Over the years he’s spent finding both Garm and Wolf, Connor has amassed a small following of Wolf-dog hybrids wandering the streets. Thanks to his charity and drive to find his sons, all wolf-dog hybrids seem to look up to him as their own father leading to him becoming the alpha of his own pack.

Garm and Wolf made their way up the front porch and gently knocked on the door. Not a second later a gray furred hybrid almost as tall as both Garm and Wolf with an eye missing had the doors open and greeted the two.

“Finally,” he breathed a sigh of relief “I was beginning to think you two were never going to make it back before your dad. Do you have everything?”

“Of course we do White!” Wolf presented the tower of supplies to the hybrid “We’re not that hopeless.”

White grabbed the bag and took quick inventory before moving aside “That’s great now get in before he pulls over and sees what we’re up to.” he ushered the two inside before quickly slamming the door shut and getting to work and enlisting the rest of the pack to help

White was Connor’s first rescue from the streets. As such he’s always been there at Connor’s side through whatever ups and downs they might have. Naturally the pack sees White was the second in command whenever Connor’s out or just calling in sick. He’s even been dubbed as Garm and Wolf’s Godfather because of how much Connor trusts him.

The Wolf House: Beta was as lively as ever, even more so with such a special occasion as the Alpha’s birthday party soon to be kicking up. Several Hybrids rescued from the streets cause of their parentage or the appearance ran through and about the house setting decorations and putting down food. Even Miles from the Alpha house was present, to see a fellow Alpha celebrate the occasion.

Though, the drawback with having so many hybrids under one roof with a looming deadline approaching overhead was the utter chaos that flew off the walls. Some were running to and from the kitchen setting up the food, others were just trying to get the decorations to remain intact while some were cleaning the place up to make sure it looked nice. A veritable tornado of chaos and fur.

“This place is as lively as ever isn’t it?” Wolf nudged his brother with his elbow “Sometimes makes you miss having the house all to ourselves right?” he winked

Garm chuckled “And miss this? Not for the world.”

The two shared a laugh as they stood witness to such discord and mayhem while Miles waved to the two in the corner. One would think nothing short of a bomb going off would be able to halt everyone running and talking at the same time but all it took was the sound of the door opening and closing and everyone fell silent. As everyone waited with baited breath a woman with a yellow sweater vest, jeans and short hair rounded the corner with a giddy smile on her face.

“Auntie Lei?” Wolf asked for everyone in the room since they were on edge

“Places everyone!” she whispered loudly trying not to be heard from the outside “He’s coming!”

Like that everyone dove behind cover. Some under the couches, some up the stairs and some in the closet, in such a short amount of time the house had gone silent and devoid of anyone moving so much as breathing. Wolf and Garm, along with everyone in the house waited for the birthday celebrant to enter the living room and spring the surprise.

“Why do i have to be blindfold~” a familiar voice echoed through the house after the door shut “Wait… are you sure we’re in the right house? It's awfully quiet around here.”

“Oh you’ll see Connor.” came the voice of Garm’s uncle

“Don’t tell me, I have another long lost pup!?” the mix breed rounded the corner with his tail wagging only for everyone to jump out

“SURPRISE!” confetti poppers popped sending an array of paper and strings flying all over the living room

Along with a rush of cheers and paper, Connor was abruptly thrown into a large hug by his two sons who had rushed down the flight and locked arms around him in no time flat. All the mix breed could do was laugh uncontrollably at the rush of emotions had been feeling. Even White broke through the cheering pack and made his way to the group hug and joined in.

“I have to say,” suddenly the house went back to being quiet to hear the words of its alpha “I know it's been more than a year since we’ve found my pups but seeing all of us together still brings a warmth to my heart unlike any other .” Wolf and Garm broke the hug to allow him to gesture to everyone “Not just my pack,” he then looked to his two boys “but my sons,” he then looked to Lei and alfonzo “my extended family,” he began to tear up as he gripped White’s hand harder “and though she might not be here physically, I’m sure my mate is happy knowing we’re whole.”

White, with a roll of his eyes and after he wiped a stray tear from them, then smiled proudly while still holding his hand “Enough with the sappy talk. Let’s be happy that all your efforts finally bore fruit. Be that as it may, we’re still going to look for other hybrids like us and give them the shelter and protection they need.”

“Here, here!” the entire house cheered

With that being said the entire pack broke ranks to quickly assault the table filled with a variety of dishes, either homemade or ordered in. Before Garm could get at the table, he decided for one last hug with his dad together with Wolf. They had scarcely known the love of a family member and now that they were celebrating with one the rush of emotions was a little overwhelming.

“I’ll leave you three to yourselves.” White said as he backed off to go join the food table “HEY SAVE SOME OF THAT CHICKEN FOR ME!”

Just as Garm and Wolf broke the last hug, Garm heard the faintest whisper from his dad “Meet me outside at the backyard in private. I want to give you something.”

It didn’t look like Wolf heard it since he immediately made a beeline for the food just as White did screaming the exact same sentence. Garm had no idea what it was about and why Wolf wasn’t included but it didn’t seem too out of the ordinary. So while everyone was busy decimating the party table on par of what Garm’s seen with Police dog gatherings, the black furred wolf made his way out the front door and simply went through the fence.

Seeing as it was late spring, there was still some cold in the air before it gave way to the summer nights. Garm enjoyed the breeze as it combed over his fur and brought the surrounding plant life to life. It was so mesmerizing that he almost didn’t notice his own dad approach from behind him.

“You know, your mother enjoyed the breeze almost as much as you do now.” He placed a hand on Garm’s shoulder as he came to listen “If only your mother could see how big you’ve gotten. You more so than your brother.” He chuckled “Must’ve had something to do with your grandfather on her side. You should’ve seen him. He was massive!”

Garm turned to his dad who only sported a warm smile on his face “So why did you bring me out here? Why isn’t Wolf here with us?”

“Oh I just wanted some one on one time with my son is all. As for your brother, well… I’ll call him out in just a bit. I did want a one on one after all.” Connor chuckled to himself again “Now for what I really wanted to give you.”

Connor reached into his collar and pulled out a red shard attached to a golden colored string before presenting it to Garm. The hue almost seemed hypnotic the way it held Garm’s attention to the point where he heard no sound from the breeze. In fact all other sound aside from his father’s words seemed to be blocked out.

“This gem, was something i gave to your mother before we separated. It used to be a full necklace but it broke and only two shards remained of it, one goes to you the other goes to your brother.” He undid the lock on the string and put it around Garm’s neck before fastening it

As he did though something strange came over Garm. Suddenly his legs felt a little bit wobbly as his strength seemed to have failed him. He staggered momentarily but was able to keep himself upright. His vision almost seemed foggy for some reason.

“Now go on,” Connor turned Garm around “I wanna take a moment to myself to enjoy the breeze. Enjoy the party.”

From the moment Garm was pushed, it seemed like that initial momentum was all that was keeping him going. The world spun as his vision clouded and his sense of hearing dulled. When he reached the door, he felt too weak to simply turn the knob and let himself inside till it opened for him.

“Garm?” Wolf said as he opened the door “What are you doing outside? C’mon in the party’s just getting started! They even turned on the Soda fountain!”


“I was talkn... to… to dad. He… gave me a necklace” Garm said woozly

Wolf set down his soda can and looked at his brother with concern “Dad’s been inside the whole time, and what necklace. I don’t see anything.”

Garm would’ve looked but the moment he tilted his head down, the world spun even more before falling on his knees and passing out.

***

Garm’s eyes were slow to open, but when they did, the black furred pup found himself isolated amongst a crowd of people and animal, all hiding their faces under hoods to protect themselves from severe weather. His head was hung low as well, he couldn’t push on, nor did he even have the drive to. What was the point? He had already failed.

“You will keep moving pup.” a cloaked figure said as he stopped behind him

“No.” Garm responded shakily as he lowered his head

“You have a duty to her,” he said almost in a snarl “so you will continue or would you like to add this to your growing list of failures.”

Begrudgingly, Garm did as he was told on continued to move. From the corner of his eyes he saw a white wolf with a strange blue mark under his left eye skulking nearby under the shadows. The wolf was accompanied by a four tailed fox, both looking from afar.

Eventually the congregation found itself stopping in front of a steep cliff only lit up by the torches everyone carried with them. Here, the one who had scolded Garm in the back of the line moved past everyone else before coming to a halt and lowering his hood. It was a grizzled man who, despite his previous tone wore a mask of sadness like anyone else in the crowd. By his side, carrying a bow and arrow was a panther warrior, who only sneered in the direction of Garm.

“She wasn’t the strongest among us,” the man began “she wasn’t the most skilled of us either nor was she the most cunning. She wasn’t allowed to be. She had led a life restrained by her own body and was unable to engage in the ways of her people. However, that did not stop her from doing whatever she could. She cared for others, she listened to their worries and strifes and made their concerns known. She might not be the best of us, but she was our voice. She brought us together and held us tight. Now that voice is gone and the town has fallen silent. We remember you oh village voice, in your limelight as a heralder of those who wanted to be heard till your final words have been uttered, and will be dearly missed. Fare thee well… Lady Halena.”

The panther then handed the man his bow before drawing his own. Even as Garm hung his head low, the Panther sneered at him before gesturing to join them. Begrudgingly Garm drew his own bow, off his back and notched an arrow, which all three had dipped into beating torches. Now alit with flames, all three in unison let their arrows fly into the unknown, before colliding with a ship at sea.

It was here where Garm fell to his knees once more sobbing as he buried his face in his own hands. He did not know how long he sat there nor did he care. He had failed the one he held most dear to his heart. For this there was no redemption.

“Garm?” Vidar asked

“May we stay with you?” Kitsune continued

When Garm lifted his head, to see the two a sudden impact had knocked Garm to the ground. Suddenly his eyes adjusted to what he was seeing and found himself in the middle of the forest outside babylon. He did no know how he got here or why he was even here to begin with, but that was not important. The dream was.

“What… was that?’ Garm breathed heavily to himself

“Okay… clearly I need a better approach.” A brown ferret wearing a weird green hat groaned as he lay comfortably on Garm’s chest

“Uh…” Garm started “Quick question… do you know how i got here?”

The ferret refused to leave his comfortable spot “That depends, do you know how to raid a magical temple for its magical resources?”

Garm looked at the ferret as if he was crazy “No, but I don’t see how tha~

“Welp, then I don’t care.” the ferret then picked himself up and started walking leaving a confused Garm in the middle of the forest

END OF CHAPTER 1






Watching over the celebration from a few rooftops away sat a hooded figure licking his lips at the chicken leg he managed to swipe from the table before anyone noticed. The way the chicken tasted was delicious. There wasn’t too much of one spice overpowering each other and the meat tasted good enough that it could stand on its own despite lacking any kind of sauce to go with it.

He was so enamored with the taste that he almost didn’t hear someone approach him from behind “Oh, Anubis, you have to try this, it tastes amazing.” he turned to a second hooded figure as he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a second one and tossed it into his hands “You know you want to try one.”

“WuKong.” Anubis spoke out but was cut off when he held out his hand

“Wait wait,” he leaned in closer “This is the best part.”

At first there seemed to be nothing of value but soon enough a cry of terror could be heard from the partying house “NOT THE SODA FOUNTAIN IT WAS SO YOUNG!”

“It says here its a couple years old so it probably was bound to give way sooner or later.”

“BUT IT HAD SO MUCH SODA TO FOUNTAIN!”

“Maybe we can improvise. Oh look a conveniently placed pack of mentos.”

“NONONONONO!”

“OH GROSS THIS IS GONNA TAKE WEEKS TO WASH OUT!”

Due to the antics he had set up WuKong was now on his sides trying not to cry at the sight of his masterpiece. Not only were they dense enough to not realize the plug it was connected to simply had no power but they also used the mentos he left lying around. Its like they were too stupid to realize.

“WuKong,” Anubis growled on deaf ears as WuKong continued in his fit of laughter “WuKong!” when he had failed a second time Anubis balled his hand and punched the nearby chimney “WUKONG!”

This was enough to startle the prankster into attention “What are you crazy, you’ll blow my cover! Besides i thought you learned how to control your form.”

“I did,” Anubis growled “That’s why there is still a house left to speak of. Now tell me, did your mission go as planned?”

“Yeah, yeah, I managed to trick that idiot into taking in the shard. Now will you get off my case?” Wukong pouted

“Good, now it is up to me to supervise his development. Here’s your next assignment.” Anubis set down a folder filled with pictures

“Already?” whined WuKong

“Check the list of candidates one more time, and no dawdling.” Anubis said jumping off the rood leaving an irritated WuKong to himself on the roof

“AT LEAST GIVE ME BACK THE CHICKEN!” he yelled

“No.” was Anubis’ response

[ChekeBello]

The prologue was nothing I expected, really that's not a common way to see GK

Man, I really wish we know all the U&U VC's story, all u did in version 2 is cannon? or are u reworking the story??

Tha was a great recap of that past year and then things started to go relatively bad, but they are focusing only on Garm... Have to say that I will miss the name Fenrir/"Fen" tho and I hope we learn about the other wielders' past year shenanigans.

A list of candidates? Are WuKong and Anubis part of some kind of Org. XIII? Are they still looking for members? More importantly, how can I enlist? xD

[D-Rock]

Wow, things happened fast. And I see that the prequel didn't have the happiest of events.
The intrigue continues.

[Amazee Dayzee]

I am also interested in knowing what happens next!

[furrygamer793]

wow, Anubis is a jerk, just give him the chicken.

[Krytus The Dreamer]

Well since Finals just recently wrapped up and of all times to get an art block my brain decides yeah this is a good time I decided to get back into this. To get my momentum back here's a really short chapter

Chapter 1.5 (Wolf)
Wounds heal, Scars Stay

It was unlike any morning Wolf had ever had in his entire stay at Wolf House Beta. Ever since day one, under no circumstances, was the morning ever without this crucial aspect at the beginning of the day. For the first time in the year or so he’s stayed at Beta house, it was dead silent. There were no continuous thuds of paws running across the halls to and from the showers, there were no small disputes about who got more than their fair share of bacon, there wasn’t even the faint smell of fresh coffee brewing in a pot.

The lack of noise or chaos in any form brought Wolf to a sharp jolt up from his bed. Everything was as he had left it. Video game and movie posters littered his side of the wall, while Garm kept his wall clean. Wolf’s nightstand was proudly decorated with full-on nerd pride of D&D dice of various colors and sides, action figures of pop culture’s most recognizable icons and a star wars themed alarm clock that didn’t seem too useful until today. On the flip side of the room, Garm’s nightstand only contained a single set of dice in a small pouch and a lamp. Underneath the table though was worn down pages of the pridelands series, with a space reserved for the final book along with various other books. Ironic, that between the two of them the love of reading remained with Garm instead of Wolf.

Speaking of Garm, Wolf’s eyes finally drifted towards his brother’s bed and found his still sleeping form. All of a sudden last night’s events came rushing back like a cold shower down his spine. Everyone was in a state of panic at first. It made no sense that Garm would decide to run away. The easiest thing to assume was him being kidnapped, the window was left open after all. However, both alphas Connor and Miles brought the hybrids in line and organized a search just like that, even bringing in the wolves from House Alpha. A pack takes care of their own as the saying goes.

Luckily enough both houses working together were able to track down Garm in the middle of the forest before aunt Lei and Uncle Alphonzo thought it fit to call in the police. When they did find Garm, the poor wolf-dog was too out of it to give a proper recount of the events. With that in mind, everyone went to their respective house for a good night’s rest… at 3am. Everyone must’ve been tired from the party and the following search afterward, which explains the lack of every day scheduled commotion.

Giving himself a good stretch, Wolf got out of bed and made a beeline for the door to rustle himself up some food. Before he could even touch the doorknob, Wolf flinched at what his brother would most likely say to him right now.

‘You’re a slob you know that. At least make your bed before you run off to breakfast.’ Wolf chuckled at home much the thought was embedded in his head and proceeded to have it taken care of.

As Wolf slid down the railing of the stairs and somersaulted to stick the landing Wolf was met with a curious sight. Wrapped in a blanket and on the couch was a trio consisting of uncle Al auntie Lei and his own father Connor cuddled together. It wasn’t because they didn’t get along, more like they had comfy beds to sleep in. Wolf had to wonder why they fell asleep on the couch.

“It started with Connor you know.” Wolf’s ears twitched and followed the sound to his Godfather behind him leaning against the fridge with crossed arms “After the incident, he couldn’t sleep and went down for a glass of water. Apparently, your aunt was going through the same thing. Then I came down and then Al came down. So we had a moment.”

“Was there something wrong?” Wolf asked as he took a seat at the table

“Oh, ya know. Trauma and such.” White hummed softly to himself as he opened the fridge “I make a mean cheese omelet want some?”

Wolf tried his best to hide his flinch “Uh, trauma? And uh yeah sure.”

“Isn’t it obvious pup? Your brother’s act of heroism, while admirable on its own, had its fair share of consequences.” White cracked three eggs in one motion masterfully “For Lei, it left a hole in her heart where she thought she could have a loving family. As for my... I mean… your father… it wasn’t his best night. It crushed him when he met Lei and found out he just missed one of his pups. I’ll never forget the look on his face when he saw your brother in that picture. He just shut down at how close he got and how far he still had to go.”

The sound of the eggs sizzling in the pan combined with the scent of cheese beautifully mixing harmoniously did nothing to quell the turmoil inside Wolf’s head. Still, nobody knew that it was him who made the decision to leave in the first place. He knew there would be consequences to his actions and he thought he was prepared for whatever followed. For the most part, he thought he was right until now. Of course, he would be breaking his Aunt’s heart, but he didn’t know how devastated she would grow to become. And his father. The way White described that night, almost felt like ice in his chest. Wolf was sure that night he did the right thing. It was supposed to be for the best, but when confronted, truly confronted with the results of his choice, that assuredness began to wane. It hit Wolf hard when he realized just how oblivious he was to the people he cared about.

“Hey, Pup.” White snapped his finger in front of him literally snapping him out of it “Breakfast is ready.” in front of Wolf sat a golden wrapped omelet with cheese just oozing out the sides

Wolf shook his head to wake himself up “Uh… thanks.”

“By the way, since you’re up I’m gonna need you to do something.” White said already working on the dishes “Your aunt agreed to tour the new neighbors around Babylon, but with her state, she isn’t waking up till noon at the earliest. Can you be the one to tour them around town?”

“Um… Sure why not?” Wolf continued after a brief pause

Wolf quickly shoved the omelet down his mouth not even taking his time to savor the taste. After being presented with new information, Wolf just didn’t want to have time for himself to think about it. The past is past and there was nothing he could do to change it. All he could do was accept what had happened and try to make to most of the present.

“Whoa that was quick, I didn’t even get time to have a nice breakfast with you.” White said as he put away the pan while Wolf brought out a carton of orange juice “When I asked you to cover for your aunt I didn’t mean right away.”

Wolf downed the whole carton and threw it in the trash “Sorry White, I kinda got excited to meet new faces around here. Where did you say they moved into?”

“The Brown house down the street~” and like that Wolf bolted out the door leaving white alone to his breakfast “and he even finished the orange juice. Putting that on the grocery list.”

It was weird being out this late into the morning for Wolf. Since everyone in Beta house was noisy and a lot of them were early birds under normal circumstances, Wolf would be up early too. He’d see the paperboy delivering news to anyone who still reads papers, the neighborhood mailman being antagonized by pups and other dogs and the alluring smells of several different breakfasts would congregate into the air.

Now things seemed to have calmed down a bit. Humans going to work or school has already left by now leaving their pets to look after the house while they were gone. The result was the streets looking deserted while the temperature continued to rise. Eventually, though Wolf had found his target, which in hindsight wasn’t supposed to be a problem considering there was a giant truck sitting in front of the house.

Maybe it was the way the world outside Babylon treated him, but Wolf, despite only being a few steps from the front door was already under layers of mental preparation. He had to recall the tact and manners he practiced for the GOE, what to say in case they decided to call the authorities, and how to make himself as harmless as he could be. It was important to keep in mind that these people probably haven’t been in Babylon Gardens yet and their outlook might not be as open as others in the nice town.

Wolf, after a few rounds of breathing exercises, reached out to knock on the door to introduce himself. His hand got nowhere close to the door, since his ears stood on end at the scream from the Sandwich household.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?”

A sudden wave of hesitation came over Wolf before he pulled away his hand. Not a moment later Wolf dashed off towards the house of Peanut and Grape.

[Nathan Kerbonaut]

Ah, so this is a sequel of an earlier story of yours? Even if that was before my time on the forum, I decided to get caught up with this story. It's really good! I look forward to more

[Amazee Dayzee]

I really think this story is coming along nicely! Can't wait for more!

[D-Rock]

A rather solemn title for this chapter, really, but a good one. Choices have consequences, some longer-reaching than others.

Well, let's see if Wolf what's going on.

[ChekeBello]

1.5? So should we expect 1.8 final chapter prologue?

Jokes aside, once again a nice reading, although following the screams is the natural thing to do I'm quite curious about this new neighbors...