Mister Ōkami

I rush forwards, instantly wanting to help. Frostt is desperately trying to stop the blood flow. Everyone else is either too squeamish to watch or is frozen in fear. I don’t know if it’s luck, or maybe instinct, but I locate the source of the bleeding immediately and apply pressure.

“Clean the wound. We can save him,” I order.

“Who are you to order me around? Watch your tone,” Frostt says with a huff.

Despite her complaining, Frostt cleans up while I hold the pressure. The pup is very weak…he still could die… I won’t let him go without at least attempting to save him. I lift my eyes to the ceiling above…if there is anyone above us, and you have the power to save this child, I would greatly appreciate it, thanks…

“He’s dead, Suisen,” Frostt says. “You killed him.”

“I did not!” I exclaim, returning my gaze to the child.

He does look dead… I carefully lift my paw, the vessels aren’t leaking anymore. The pup’s so still, though… He lost way too much blood. I don’t know what I’m doing; there is no proof that he can be saved at this point, and yet I believe. I believe.

I paw his tiny mouth open and breathe into him. No response. I try again… A small squeaking noise comes from the body and, as if by magic, he begins to breathe again. He’s alive!

“He’s not dead!” I announce.

“No freaking way!” Frostt exclaims.

“Hmph, he’s probably got brain damage, now, though. I’d be surprised if he survived the night,” Mr. Ōkami replies.

They tried to kill the pup. They nearly succeeded. Gently, I lick him, watching him carefully to make sure he is still breathing. It couldn’t have been my own doing. That invisible unseen outside force was involved…

I can’t explain it, it’s unexplainable. I feel there must be someone out there… Maybe we aren’t actually alone in this dark and dreary world. I take my leave and head to Kurai’s Cozy again.

“I cannot see you, but I know you are there. I do not know you, but perhaps we can change that,” I whisper, staring up at the ceiling again. “I don’t know what I’m doing, or where life is taking me… If only I had some guidance… Something outside myself.”

I pace for a bit and lie down. Crisp, Toosh, Kurai, and the new wolves, Bound, Ellie, Springy, Crusty, Pip, Rip, and Earless show up shortly after. I assume Frostt is looking after the little boy pup, Chain. As I had eaten a ton of food, I puke some of it up to feed the Omegas.

“Here you go, guys. I would give you more, but I need at least some of it,” I say.

“Thanks, Suisen. You’re always looking out for us little guys,” Kurai says with a grin.

I spend some time socializing with the Omegas. Apparently, most of the higher ranked wolves are sleeping in other dens. However, the other dens don’t have Kurai. I’d rather be close to my little friend. After all, she’s been helping me out a lot more than she may even realize.

The hours tick by and I grow tired. As I lie beside Kurai, a little voice whispers in my mind, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

“Huh?” I ask. “Who said that?”

“When you show love to them, you show love to me,” the voice whispers.

“I love them, I really do,” I say.

I wasn’t that close to X, I know. We had only just met. Still, though, still, I feel a heaviness waking up knowing she’ll not be here. Her deep blue fur will not be seen mingling with the other colors of wolves here.

“Suisen? Did you sleep well?” Kurai asks.

“Y-yeah, I did. Did you sleep well? You look exhausted,” I remark, giving Kurai a lick.

“Meh… Today’s a new day. I bet Alpha will be sorting us out for patrols again. I wonder if I can go hunting again. Or, you know, I could be forced to stay here and clean up again,” Kurai says with a shrug. “Now, you best get moving. You don’t want Alpha to catch you snuggling with Omegas.”

“Again, I see nothing wrong with sleeping here,” I say, but I move my sleepy bum.

“My pack,” Mr. Ōkami calls out. “It is time, once again, to head out. We saved more lives yesterday, even though we saw lives lost… Today, we will search again, and also bring back food! Hunting patrol, I need Viper, Hill, Ziff, Walk, Yola, Vicious, Presha, Oil, Moov, Lucy, Edge, Gargle, and Ava. We still didn’t have enough food for everyone yesterday, and our pack is still growing. I need you guys to bring food back, or else!”

There would have been even more food, but Alpha eats way too much. It’s a wonder he’s not getting fat. Then again, it appears he does the border patrol daily and that DOES take a lot of energy. He paces a bit, his strong, beautiful, muscles rippling.

“I would ask Frostt to go hunting since she’s good at it, but I absolutely need her on border patrol. Clementina, you’re a good hunter as well, but you seem to be good at looking after the pups,” Mr. Ōkami says. “Now, with that said, I feel confident leaving Suisen in charge of the den while we are away. Border patrol, I need Frostt, Bounce, Jewel, and Hash. A small group of strong wolves. I can’t risk bringing any weak wolves along anymore. Things are getting far more dangerous by the day.”

The newest wolves, for the most part, are still recovering. Soon enough, though, I suspect they’ll be allowed out. I wonder when it’ll be my turn to go hunting. I haven’t had a chance to practice and improve, but I do feel honored that Mr. Ōkami trusts me to run the pack while he’s away.

“Yes, Alpha,” everyone aside from Kurai and Chain say.

Kurai is too busy cleaning her bum and Chain is still too weak and traumatized to say anything. Mr. Ōkami walks over and slaps Kurai, but he wouldn’t dare slap the nearly dead pup. Instead, he just casts a glance at the child and turns away.

“Suisen, Clementina, good luck holding down the den. We might be out for some time…” Mr. Ōkami says and then approaches me. “I’m sorry I have to leave you behind again… I really need to set some time aside to hang out with you.”

“You owe me nothing, Alpha. I owe you the world,” I say.

He has such a tender look on his face. I love him, but I wish he would stop beating up Kurai. I sigh, longingly. Never before have I felt love like this. This romantic love. I’m hoping this is more than just lust.

Mr. Ōkami howls and the two groups head out. I sure hope no more lives are lost. I can just imagine the ghost of X following the border patrol. Oh X, you will not be forgotten.

“Soooo, Clementina?” Kurai calls out after Alpha leaves. “I mean, ummm, you don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to…”

“What’s up, Kurai?” Clementina asks.

“I know you’ve been concerned about your lack of strength. I was wondering if you’d be interested in a strength training lesson,” Kurai suggests.

“Oh! I would LOVE that! Can you really boost my strength as easily as you did my speed?!” Clementina asks.

“I can at least try!” Kurai says. “I wanna help you. You seem nice for a Rho.”

“I’ll be honest, that Speedy Bean made me have a headache afterwards and I’m a bit shaky…” Clementina says.

“Ah, yes, withdrawal… You may find yourself wanting more Speedy Beans, but the more you eat, the more you’ll want to eat,” Kurai warns.

“You guys talking about strength?” Crisp inquires. “That’s lame. Who cares about being strong? We have an Alpha to be strong in our place. After all…those of us who are weak usually get to hang out in the den all day… Except, well, Suisen here seems pretty strong and yet this is the second day in a row she has been asked to stay here. Interesting…”

“If we never grow in strength, we’ll never get Alpha’s approval! I mean, well, obviously I’LL never have Alpha’s approval…” Kurai says.

“See? There’s no point in trying! Maybe he should try being nice to us first. Then maybe I’ll try harder. I nearly died the other day, just like little Chain,” Crisp says. “I coulda died… Oh X, I miss you!”

There’s a moment of silence. Afterwards, Kurai, Clementina, Ellie, Pip, and I head to train. Pip, after seeing her brother’s struggle, is determined to get stronger. She’s a little older than Kurai, but Kurai certainly feels older.

“I’m gonna help my brother. He needs me to be strong,” Pip says. “I was there when they put the chain on him, but I had no strength to save him. I was there when my parents were dragged away… No more. I wanna be big and strong!”

“And I, for my son. He may be an adult, but he’s my child, and I love him. They killed my mate…but I will rise up!” Ellie says.

“Okay, so, the secret is… Strength Leaves! Speedy Beans alone can’t rank you up that much, but if you add Strength Leaves, you can rise in the ranks!” Kurai announces. “Unless you are me. If you’re me, nah, you’re just a permanent Omega.”

“You don’t think the big scary Alpha is going to make my brother a permanent Omega, do you?” Pip asks, looking sad.

“I don’t know,” Kurai says. “It’s possible. Us who nearly die are…not respected…”

“You nearly died?” I ask. “I mean, you did say you would have died if Alpha didn’t save you…”

“Yeah. I was nearly dead by the time he saved me. He carried my tiny bloodied body back here, though I barely remember anything. I just… I was dying… I saw this large black thing reach and I felt his teeth in my skin. He thought I was gonna die, but I proved him wrong. Sometimes, I feel like he wishes I had died,” Kurai says. “But, anyways, I’m here to teach you guys about strength.”

Kurai squeezes into a tiny crevice and returns with a mouthful of round green leaves. She sets these before us, taking a few for herself. I sniff at mine, curiously. They smell…oddly tasty…almost metallic, like fresh meat.

I bite it and…uh, well, I guess it’s alright for a plant. It’s got a flavor, that’s for sure. Unlike the Speedy Bean, I don’t really feel that much different. Pip, however, seems to think she’s stronger.

“It’s working! It’s working! I can feel it!” Pip cries out, excitedly.

“It sure is,” I lie, licking her head gently. “You’re gonna be so strong if you keep training.”

“I’m gonna be strong!” Pip announces, hopping up and down.

“Hmmm, very interesting leaves!” Ellie murmurs, stretching her legs.

“Up, up! Come on, guys! Stretch those muscles! The leaves should be taking effect now!” Kurai cries out, stretching fits her left arm and then her right arm.

“Ooh! I feel it, too!” Clementina says, stretching like Kurai.

We stretch our legs, then our backs. Stooping our faces low, we raise our bums into the air. The other wolves watch, curiously. Ahhhh, that actually feels REALLY good.

“Okay, now, we high-step around this circle…” Kurai says, drawing a large circle of saliva using her tongue on the floor.

We all follow her lead. I haven’t had this much fun since before the old goat got elected. I high-step along, howling all the way. The others who are left in the den and not participating have come to watch.

“Okay! Now, we do a little rapid bows! Get into “play” position and quickly right yourself again as many times as you can manage!” Kurai prompts.