Wolftale AM

Chapter 2: Dawn of The Pack

A young adolescent wolf-like creature was padding through the forest. He didn't have a pack, he never had a pack. His name is Nightmare, but not yet. He's not a wolf, but some other being of unknown origin. He was staying close to a fence that was built by humans, most wild animals tend to steer clear of there, it was his best bet for safe travel. If he had to choose, he probably wouldn't be a loner, but if you already don't have a pack, there' not much of a choice. Deeper in the woods, while providing more coverage and spots to hide also had more of the possibility of being found and killed by a pack. Just as he passed a large gray building with cages filled with domestic dogs, Nightmare heard a loud and pained yelp.

Dust was whimpering in his cage. A human had just kicked his brother. There was blood pouring out from the wound. He yipped and barked hoping Papyrus would respond. The larger dog stayed silent, the only signs of life left on him were the rising and falling of his chest. Dust went crazy. He barked and growled clawing at his cage trying to get to his brother. The human walked away, probably to get something to shut Dust up. Then, one of his claws caught on the latch and unlocked the cage. The young dog slammed his body into the door and it fell open. He ran to his wounded brother. Papyrus was just clinging on to life at that point. Dust tried to clean the wound, but he knew his brother was too far gone. After a while, Papyrus stopped breathing. Dust nudged his brother with his snout. Whimpers escaped him. Then he heard shouting, the human had returned. Dust shot up growling. The human pointed a gun at him. Dust knew what it was, he had seen other dogs die from a bullet. So he ran, he ran as far and fast as he could. Eventually, he found a room with an open window. So he jumped through and continued running. Then he saw the woods he had only seen as a pup in a cramped cage. Dust kept running towards the freedom in the trees amongst the other wild animals that had lived their whole life in its shadows and warmth. Then the gunshot came. The bullet lodged itself into Dust's left hind leg. He fell down from the sudden impact. His leg was bleeding an incredible amount of blood. Then, as Dust tried to wiggle away, something grabbed him by the scruff and pulled him away from the human's line of sight. Whimpers escaped him. The pain was too much. Dust had passed out.

Nightmare looked at the hurt pup. He nudged him with his nose, he got a small whimper in response. He looked back to where the dog had come from. A human was slowly walking over to where the two were. A strangely shaped object was in his hand. It had the smell of smoke and gunpowder. Nightmare, despite his own slow pace, dragged the injured dog to somewhere safer. The human looked around a bit before going back to the building he came from. The dog was starting to wake up. Nightmare spoke with a strange wolf-like accent the dog was not accustomed to. 'What happened, are you okay?' The dog whimpered before responding with his own unfamiliar accent from domestication. 'I tried to run away, he killed my brother' His voice had a mix of pain and fury. Nightmare licked the dog's head. 'I am sorry for your loss' The dog seemed to be a little less frantic, but he was still on edge.

'Is there anywhere farther from here we could go? Is your pack willing to take another dog?' Nightmare shook his head before looking and the wound again. He nosed it. 'The gun.' The dog stopped for a moment 'Can I get your name, I'm Dust' Nightmare pawed the ground 'Don't have one? Did your mother never give you one?' Nightmare stayed quiet. 'Then I shall, you saved me. What about Angel!' Nightmare shook his head vigorously. Dust had a teasing tone and soon was panting with amusement. 'Just kidding, what about Dream?' Nightmare liked it more, but something didn't fit right. Dust looked at the goop that resembled fur. 'Actually, you're more of a nightmare... How about Nightmare!' The wolf's tail wagged with happiness and gave a bark of gratitude. Dust then shakily stood up. Nightmare rushed to his new friend's side to be a support. The two walked out of their hiding spot and together went into the unknown of the forest...

Alright, I know. I Dusttale it's Dust that kills his brother, but I feel like that wouldn't fit here. I don't think that killing his brother would ever cross his mind as a domesticated dog. I needed Papyrus to die still. Man, I hate myself. I planned to have another chapter solely focusing on Dust and his time with Papyrus, so I built up some character for him and grew too attached. But it's done. Also, Nightmare is literally a wolf looking thing with a bucket of magic evil goop coating him. He doesn't just have a black coat. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter!

             ~Roller