The Lone Wolf

17, Why?

Warning: this chapter contains graphic content that may be difficult for some readers to read. Please continue with care.
~

"Hey, I want to explore this place I spotted a few months ago. It's by the junkyard," Star said. Fox hadn't been around the junkyard much, mainly because he was called to work in other places, and jobs involving the waste sector were intended for more misbehaved loners.

"What is it?" Fox asked, curious. Junkyards had always pulled at him in some way. They were places filled with all kinds of things, and a younger Fox had always enjoyed exploring.

"It's this really tall tower. Goes way above the trees," Star told him. "I've never seen anybody on it, and it looks abandoned."

Fox was intrigued. "Sounds interesting," he said. He followed Star as she led him through the territory to an area he wasn't fully familiar with. As they neared the junkyard, the air began to smell of rust and inorganic decay.

The trees spaced out from each other the closer to the junkyard they grew, and they were smaller and had thinner branches. The air most likely wasn't good for them. A tall chain link fence rose high above them, enclosing a dirt lot filled with faded old cars, piles of tires, hunks of unidentifiable metal, and weathered materials that once had purpose but no longer did. A signpost was bolted onto the fence every hundred feet down its length. "No trespassing. Employees are not responsible for injury that occurs to unauthorized personnel."

"Do people get hurt here a lot?" Fox asked.

"Sometimes. They try to keep things organized but there's a lot of sharp objects and unstable structures in there. I've seen someone slip on top of a pile of old street signs and slice open their leg, ankle to thigh. Blood everywhere..." Star said.

Fox allowed his imagination to conjure an image of what that might have looked like. He shuddered and blocked the image out. "We aren't going in there, right?"

"Nah. There's not much to scavenge that'll be of any use. I just want to check out that tower," Star gestured with her head towards a looming figure in the dark. Fox followed her gaze. Fox had seen a few firewatch towers in his travels, and this tower was just like them. Square house on top of four strong beams with a single staircase leading up. It rested high above the treetops, a silent sentinel in the night.

Star wagged her tail and bounded over to it. It stood outside the junkyard, but it had its own fence surrounding the base, with the same warning sign bolted to it.

Star sniffed at the fence. She tested it with a single finger, probably seeing if it was reinforced with electricity, but no shock came. She checked over her shoulder to see if Fox was still nearby, then she began to climb the fence.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Fox asked. He didn't care if he fell to his death, but he did care about if Star would have to witness it.

"I don't know. I've never been in here. I'll be careful, don't worry," she replied.

Fox made an uncertain groan. He hesitated to climb the fence after her, and stayed on the other side as Star dropped down inside the fence. She sniffed around the deadened grass curiously, then sniffed around the rusted metal beams supporting the tower.

Fox watched as she tested the first few stairs leading up to the top. She cautiously stepped up, then looked over her shoulder again. "Coming?"

Fox lowered his head and gauged the stability of the structure. "I don't know about this... It's dark. Even with our vision we might miss something," he said.

Star took a moment to consider his words. She turned her head up towards the building on top. A still moment passed, then she smirked at him.

"Psh. Don't be a pussy," she teased. Fox's ears perked up in astonishment.