#Animal Trapping

[guardian-of-da-gay]

The Law Won

Read on Ao3

For Whumptober 2024 Prompt 3: Wrongfully Arrested

tw for mentioned murder, kidnapping, and wrongful imprisonment

Maddie had forbidden Tom from harming the raccoons around their house.  Tom was of the mind that raccoons were varmints that didn’t belong around the house.  Maddie was of the mind that no matter the messes they made, the outdoors belonged to wild animals first.  Inside their house was another matter.  When they realized there were raccoons in their crawl space–even squeezing into their basement–Maddie agreed to set some live traps.

Except somehow, someway, the raccoons managed to steal the bait without setting off the traps.  Repeatedly.  They tested and retested the traps themselves and they worked perfectly.  The raccoons were just too smart!

Tom suggested asking Tails for help.  Their youngest could probably build something no raccoon on Earth could outsmart.  But they had yet to involve their children in the fight.  Mostly because Maddie was nervous that if Knuckles, their resident warrior and hunter, knew they had a pest problem she’d one day be presented with an unsolicited pile of raccoon pelts.  Besides… Tails would probably build something that sent the raccoons to space.  As much as Tom seemed to relish both of these scenarios, Maddie was against them.

She was frustrated, but she was not at Tom’s level.  The raccoons were not her enemies.  They just had a lot of diseases and parasites that absolutely didn’t belong in her home.  And she explained as much to Crazy Carl when Tom brought him over.

Apparently, while trying to catch the ‘Blue Devil’ Carl had become an expert in custom-built live traps… Which was a little disturbing.  Maddie asked Sonic if he was okay with Carl being in his space and Sonic looked at her like she was crazy and declared ‘Don’t be weird, Carl and I go way back!’

So Carl came over and built something that Indiana Jones might struggle to get out of and Maddie paid him what he asked: a homemade dessert.  The Wachowskis went to bed that night, with Tom and Maddie feeling pretty good that their creature problem would be solved by morning.

They were all woken by what sounded like a metal avalanche.

Ozzie immediately sounded the alarm.

“Carl didn’t say it would be so loud!” Maddie complained as she staggered out of their bedroom.  A well-practiced vet instinct had her reaching out and snatching Ozzie’s collar before he could go running ahead.  She wheeled him back into the bedroom and shut him in.

The noise was still going.

“Carl didn’t say what would be so loud?”  Sonic darted in front of them.

Tails flew after him, fur puffed.  “What’s that noise?”  He asked.

“Carl set a raccoon trap in the basement!”  Tom said, tone bordering on gleeful.  

The sound changed.  The banging was getting closer.  Then it was in the kitchen.

“Oh no, not in my kitchen!”  Maddie yelped.  She ran down the hall, imagining her kitchen covered in roundworms and leptospirosis and salmonellosis and toxoplasmosis and–

“I’ll get them out!”  Sonic dashed ahead of her, Tails in hot pursuit.

“Wait, Sonic they can have–” parvovirus and distemper and “-- rabies !”

But Sonic was already gone.  She and Tom rushed to follow.  Up ahead, Sonic started cackling.  They entered the kitchen just in time to see Knuckles ushering the last of a family of raccoons out the back door.  He slammed the door behind them and moved in front of it.

He was, for some reason, covered in fishing line and empty tin cans.  The look he leveled on all of them was simultaneously ferocious and sheepish.

For a moment, they all stared at one another.  None of them expected for this to be the situation they would face tonight, but here they were.  Then Sonic started giggling.  Maddie didn’t find the situation that amusing, but Tom was smiling.  Tails looked nervously between them all.

“ Knuckles ,” Sonic wheezed between his fingers.  “What the hell?!”

***

“So you see,” Knuckles explained.  “I did not break my oath to protect this world with you!  I merely sided with the raccoons in this instance.”

Maddie frowned as she grabbed another snarl of fishing line from between two of Knuckles’ quills and cut it free.  They’d moved him to the dining room while Sonic cleaned the kitchen floor at warp speed.  Maddie knelt beside him, painstakingly removing the tangle of line from his quills and wishing she had her surgery lights from the clinic.

Beside her, Tails sat on a dining room chair, occasionally offering Maddie scissors or tweezers as she needed.  Maddie tugged a strand out of Knuckles’ quills and Tom held out the trash bag for her to drop it in.  Ozzie had gone back to sleep, but this time beneath the dining room table so he could still feel included.

Sonic snapped another picture with his phone and Maddie shot him a Mom Look™.  Beside her, Knuckles offered a less potent, but still effective Knuckles Glare™.  Sonic was really close to being assigned the second fishing line snipper and put to work digging through Knuckles’ quills.

“So you’re the reason the raccoons were getting out?”  Tom clarified.  “Why?!”  He shook the trash bag as he gestured his confusion.

“Why were you so determined to capture them?”  Knuckles asked petulantly.

“Because they carry diseases and parasites,” Maddie answered.

“That can get inside your brain,” Tom tacked on.

“Yes.  Really bad parasites.”

“Oh,” Knuckles frowned consideringly.  “Well… that’s not their fault.”

“Yes, that's why we were going to capture them and release them elsewhere ,”  Maddie explained, exasperated.  “Now they might come back.  And they walked through the kitchen .  Knuckles, we eat here!”

“I didn’t know all of that!”  Knuckles crossed his arms and looked away, inadvertently tugging some fishing line out of Maddie’s hands.  “I have been captured before and I was never once released safely elsewhere!”

“Whoa, whoa, wait.”  Sonic held up his hands to signal for a time out.  “How many times have you been captured?”

Knuckles threw out his arms.  “I just said ‘many times’!”  Maddie clicked her tongue as he once again tugged a fishing line out of her fingers.  She wasn’t sure how Crazy Carl was planning on them getting a raccoon out of all this… But it probably would’ve worked on the Blue Devil.

“Yeah, and I asked how many?”

“I don’t know!”  Knuckles shrugged.  “I was caught by scavengers on my homeworld.  I escaped.”  He shifted his arm as Maddie plucked at a stray string.  “Then again in Sandopolis by the Dingo Regime–”  He paused and actually spat on Maddie’s dining room floor before carrying on as if nothing had happened.  “Then I went to Prison World and then the arena–”

“Wait.”  Tails perked up beside her.  “Prison World?”  That’s… Knuckles, that's just prison .  You weren’t captured, you were arrested!”

Maddie paused her work and leaned back, both brows raised.  Knuckles didn’t look defensive or ashamed as she might expect.  He looked thoughtful.  Like it hadn’t occurred to him that being put in prison was a result of his own actions.

“Uh… I think we are getting off topic.” Tom said.  “The raccoons–”

“No, I think we’ve found a disturbing new topic…” Maddie said.

“Arrested?”  Sonic gasped.  “Actually, why am I gasping?  I’m not even surprised!  What did you get arrested for?  Was it something cool?”

Tom and Maddie both gave him a disapproving look.  Knuckles just shrugged.  “They didn’t say there was a reason, so I assumed it was a normal ‘capture the echidna’ situation.”

Maddie forgot her task entirely as she crossed her arms.  There were a lot of things wrong with that statement but first and foremost: “Yeah, there’s no such thing as a ‘normal’ capturing situation.”

“There is for me.”

“Wasn’t there a trial?”  Tom asked.  “Did you get a lawyer?”

“No.  And I don’t know what that is.”

“What about a sentencing hearing?”  Tom persisted.  “Did they tell you how long you’d be in prison?”

“No.”

Tom looked between Sonic and Tails before settling on Tails.  “So, was there just… no justice system?  Not even a really flawed one?”

“Oh!”  Tails started.  He fiddled with the tweezers in his hands.  “Um… well, we definitely had a really flawed justice system where I’m from but… Well, a lot of planets use Prison World and not all of them work the same.”

Maddie thought that was the most flawed part of the system then.

“How old were you?”  Sonic asked suddenly.

Maddie looked to Sonic, surprised at the question.  Then she looked to Knuckles, who once again, looked thoughtful.  She was forcibly reminded that despite Knuckles’s deep voice and the way he carried himself, he was a teenager.  He must have been even younger when he was arrested.

“I don’t know,” Knuckles said.  He glanced at Tails and stared at him a moment.  “Around your age I think.  It was not long after I lost my tribe… and the uniforms we had to wear!  Mine was the smallest they had and it was still too large.”

Oh, Maddie hated that.  A glance at Tom confirmed he was feeling the same revulsion.

Knuckles just shrugged though.  “Honestly I could have been arrested for anything.  I had no money.  Anything I needed, I stole.”

“Valid,” Sonic cut in while Tails nodded along.

“Not to mention all the places I broke into in search of the Master Emerald.  I never found it, of course, but you can trade jewels for food so–”

“Knuckles, did you rob jewelry stores ?” Tom gasped like a pearl-clutching church marm.

Knuckles nodded matter-of-factly.  “And the homes of wealthy individuals.”

“Nice.  Eat the rich,” Sonic said.

Knuckles did a whole body pause, eyes widening.  “Uh…… I did not–”

“Figure of speech!  Not literally!” Sonic said quickly.  “Don’t worry about it.  Carry on!”

“Maybe that’s why you got arrested?”  Tom proposed, getting them back on track.  “Rich people really don’t like being robbed.”

Well, nobody did, but Maddie got what he meant.  She could see some snobby rich person sending a little kid to jail for spite.

“No…”  Knuckles shook his head, his expression still thoughtful.  “No, now that I have context, the people who took me to Prison World must have been law enforcement agents.  The Dingos–” he spat again, “--took me from Sandopolis to another world with the intent of selling me, but I got loose and killed them.  Then the police came and I destroyed a lot of their vehicles.  So… it was probably either the killings or the vehicle damage.”  He tapped his chin thoughtfully.

The statement was met by a resounding silence.  Tom stared at Knuckles like he’d just grown a second head.  Sonic looked like he was mentally flipping through how he could spin this so it didn’t look so bad.  Tails stared at his shoes, clearly regretting bringing any of this up.

Maddie tried to emotionally undo the knot in her stomach.  It disturbed her to learn Knuckles had killed people.  Maybe this was somewhat offset by the fact the people he’d killed had been planning on selling him, she wasn’t sure.  She loved watching her hashtag girlboss favorite characters kill off everyone who wronged them, but in real life?  Her feelings were way more complex.  Further complicating things was how disturbingly callous he was about what he’d done.  Like taking lives meant nothing .

“I have said the wrong thing,” Knuckles’ eyes narrowed.

“No, no!”  Sonic tried, waving his hands like he could dispel the bad vibes.  “I mean…”  He winced.  “Kinda?  Just!  You might not want to mention k-wording people around anyone other than us, okay?  The average person on Earth doesn’t have a body count so… yeah.”

Knuckles was unimpressed.  “I do have a significant ‘body count’,” he emphasized.  “Killing was part of my life.”

Sonic chuckled nervously, his eyes darting to every member of the family and back to Knuckles.  “Well, if we ever need a hit man…”  He visibly suppressed a wince at his own bad joke.

Knuckles eyes narrowed to slits.  “You will find someone else,” he said sharply.  They all tensed as he stepped into Sonic’s space, towering over him.  “I will not be used as a weapon by my tribe.  If killing is necessary in my mission to protect the Emerald or this planet then so be it, but never by a whim or for your amusement!”

“Okay!  Okay, bad joke.  Sorry.”  Sonic took several steps back, holding up his hands in surrender.  “We wouldn’t really ever ask you to kill anyone.”

“The opposite actually,” Tom cut in.  “No killing anyone on Earth ever.”

Knuckles’ eyes slid to the side.  “What if I have… already possibly killed some people on Earth?”

“What?!”  Tom gasped, dropping the trash bag.

“Knuckles!”  Maddie yelled.

“They could be alive!”  Knuckles said quickly.  “Two disappeared, I don’t know where… but possibly to the next life.  The third, I simply did not check if he was alive or not.”

“You killed three people?!”  Tom threw up his hands.

“Did you not listen to what I just said?  I don’t know for certain!”

“When?”  Sonic demanded.  “ Where ?”

“What happens in Reno, stays in Reno.”

“Wha–”  Tom sputtered.  “At the bowling tournament?”

“Where was Wade?”  Maddie asked.  “Does he know?”

“What happens in Reno–”

“Nuh-uh.”  Maddie held a finger up in front of Knuckles face so she knew he was on thin-fricking-ice.  “Does Wade know?”

Knuckles sighed the most teenager-like sigh.  “ Yes .  He was there when it happened.”

“Oh my god,” Maddie said, turning to Tom.  “I’m going to kill him.”

“You just said that’s a bad thing!”

“I’m not actually going to kill him!  Because killing is bad!”

“Wait, wait, hang on!”  Sonic zipped forward to stand between Knuckles and the rest of them, spinning his hands like he could physically rewind the conversation.  “ Wade saw you maybe kill some people and he was just… fine with it?”  He turned around and looked between Tom and Maddie to see if they understood the significance of this.

“Well… sort of.”  Knuckles rumbled.  “They were trying to sell me.  Or use me for some sort of weapon?” He shrugged like this was no big deal.

Wade was dead.  He was so dead.

“He acknowledged that it was a difficult situation.  Then the Whipple matriarch, Wendy, was concerned that if they went to any sort of authorities, that I would not be able to claim self-defense since I do not legally exist and have no ‘legal protections’.”  He scowled at the memory.  “Apparently my strength is not enough protection because it is ‘different’.  She was quite sure I would be imprisoned in a government laboratory forever.”  He held out his mitts and shrugged once again.  “We all agreed to leave Reno in Reno.”

The Wachowskis sat with that for a moment.  Knuckles was right.  He wasn’t just an illegal alien he was an illegal extra-terrestrial .  There was no justice system to represent him here.  Not even a really flawed one.  Just like that world that asked no questions and threw a little kid in jail for killing his captors, he would likely wind up in some G.U.N. holding cell.

Assuming they didn’t know and hadn’t already let it slide.

“Okay,” Tom broke the silence.  “From now on.  Avoid killing people at all costs.  Like never, ever, ever do it.  If you’re in trouble like you were in Reno, you call us okay?  Call your tribe.”

“The family that slays together,” Sonic muttered under his breath.

“Sonic,” Maddie admonished.

“I mean, Dad’s right!  Sonic said.  “We’re stronger together.  There’s nothing we can’t fix–in a non-lethal way–if we work together.”

Tails nodded beside him.  “We all look out for each other,” he said.

Some of the tension eased from Knuckles’ shoulders.  “That is agreeable,” he said.  “I am a proud echidna warrior and always will be!  But… I do not want killing to be a part of my life.  Not even our neighbors, the raccoons.”

Maddie let out a breath.  He’d been so casual before that she’d been afraid… But no, he’d been casual about stealing too.  To him it was the same: stealing to eat.  Killing to escape.  Just parts of his life.  Parts that he didn’t want or need anymore.  Just so long as the Wachowskis could keep their promise to stay by his side and protect him as his tribe.

She readjusted to kneel before him.  “I promise, it won’t be,” she said.  She took his hand because she felt she should and gave it a squeeze.  “No more stealing for food. No more being captured.  No more killing, okay?”

Knuckles stared at her hand.  He never fully relaxed, but she did see a degree of tension ease from his shoulders.  He offered  her a small, almost wistful smile.  There was a part of him that didn’t believe her.  But he wanted to.  “I would like that.”

[justinorick5]

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[marzipanandminutiae]

"most allegedly haunted houses turn out to have gas leaks!"

no they don't. you are merely skimming the surface of mundane shit that can be wrong with old houses with your one puny little explanation that only fits a very small number of cases. try harder

[hawkeye-bird-and-animal-control]

Reasons to Hire a Professional Animal Trapping Service Provider

If you have a wild animal problem on your property, it is important to hire a professional animal trapping service provider to remove the animal safely and humanely.

[egophiliac]

we were fucking ROBBED

[amagicalmoonlight]

AU where everyone’s alive and Purple and Gold try to get their respective parents together in the ultimate plan to become siblings.

Part 2 for those interested!

[stil-lindigo]

motherhood.

[jay-birds-fly]

A candid image of me cleverly tricking my unsuspecting friends into sharing an interest with me so I have someone to infodump to

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)

[tapeworrmart]

Closure ⛓️

[demigods-posts]

i think it's hilarious that no matter how important the situation is. annabeth will stop everything to greet an animal. stuck in the underworld and trying to save your friend's mom's soul while simultaneously trying to prevent a war between the gods? pet the three-headed guard dog. trapped in the deepest pit of hell and on the brink of death while trying to prevent the rise of a goddess determined to harm everyone and everything you care about? cuddle the half-dead cat. trying to help your boyfriend get his second college recommendation letter so the two of you can begin living the safe and happy life you had always wanted together? adopt and share custody of a hellhound with a goddess.

[justinorick5]

Welcome to Arkansas Wildlife Removal, your premier solution for pest control in Alexander, AR! We specialize in safely and efficiently removing unwanted wildlife, ensuring your property stays critter-free.

Visit us at www.arkwild.net or call us at (501) 765 6210.

[cup-o-stars]

Originally I was gonna draw her in my favorite outfits she's worn, but with barely any digging I realized she consistently has the best looks- as well as the most- and it will take way too long to pick through them. So I just drew her.

[elyhentai]

I love working out but how does one avoid being horny 24/7 I can't stop my slutty thoughts help

Artist: Copernicus

[rockymountainqueen2]

Hunter didn't run with the (dire)wolves, but he did spend the night with them.

Writing Request!

Hunter gets adopted by direwolves.

Sorry.

Hunter plucked a twig out of his hair. “No—you’re fine. I should have known better than to take a new palisman for a flight right away. Stupid of me to think I was experienced enough it wouldn’t be a problem, huh?”

He’d seen enough palisman awakenings to know that what Dell called their “teething power” was unpredictable, and they weren’t used to flight right away. He’d given the advice countless times—give them a second to figure out flight themselves before you hop on the staff. He’d also watched his advice be immediately ignored by countless young witches who wanted nothing more than to share first flight with their palisman, and had done the exact same thing he just had, shooting off erratically into the sky and crash-landing.

Despite the crash, despite the long trench he and his new palisman had left in the forest, Hunter’s body buzzed with excitement, with exhilaration. She’d woken up—and she was beautiful. He reached up to touch Waffles’ face, half expecting this whole thing to be a dream. But she was real and solid underneath his fingers, and he couldn’t help but let out a whoop of happiness.

He was answered with a mournful howl.

Hunter shut his mouth, falling instantly into survival mode. He teleported to the top of a tree, crouching silently in the branches and waiting, watching the forest carefully. A minute ticked by. Then two. He might as well have been part of the tree; he didn’t move a muscle. The howling didn’t start again, but Hunter’s ears twitched, picking up a pained yip, and snuffles. He leapt carefully to the next tree, barely shaking the branch when he landed. Then to the next, and the next, until finally, he found the source of the howling and snuffling. A direwolf pup crouched in the forest, one of its six legs caught in a steel trap.

Hunter’s breath caught in his throat. Seeing a direwolf pup in the wild was rare—mostly because the packs guarded their young jealously, and the majority of those who did stumble upon a wild direwolf pup were quickly ripped to shreds.

But this one didn’t seem to have the rest of its pack. It snuffled and whined, alone in the trap. Hunter watched for a few more minutes, waiting to see if the rest of the pack would give itself away. When the forest showed no signs of movement, he leapt down, landing softly on the ground and approaching the pup slowly.

“Shshsh, I’m not going to hurt you,” he murmured, “I’m here to help.”

It was startling how similar direwolves looked to the pictures he’d seen of human realm wolves. He supposed that was where one or the other had gotten its name. Aside from the extra set of legs, and the tusk-like fangs that curved from its lower jaw, this pup could have jumped right off of his T-shirt.

Hunter examined the trap. It was a fairly simple model—he poked the trap demon in the eye, and it let go, glaring at him. Hunter gently lifted the pup out of the trap, glaring right back at the trap. It was small, far too small to catch a full-sized direwolf. Either the trap had been meant for something else, or poachers were after the pups for exotic pets.

Heavy teeth sank into Hunter’s arm, but the puppy didn’t have the bite force to actually break skin. Hunter lifted his arm up to look the dangling pup in the eye. “Stop that,” he commanded the puppy sternly, “I can’t bandage your leg if you’re chewing on my arm.”

To his surprise, the pup let go. Hunter rummaged through his apron pockets, pulling out a pair of heavy gloves he used to handle some of the more clawed palisman. He mentally kicked himself for not using them earlier, but better late than never. He didn’t have bandages with him, but his polishing cloth was better than nothing. He tied it swiftly around the pup’s injured leg, just the right tightness to stem the bleeding. As thanks, the pup bit him again, with no effect on his gloves. This time, it was easier to shake off.

“You’re welcome,” he told it grouchily, “Go find your pack.”

Waffles trilled a warning, and too late, Hunter realized he’d let his guard down. Eyes glittered in the trees, and a low growl hummed through the air.

Hunter dropped the pup like a hot potato and jumped to his feet. A quick spin told him that the direwolves had him surrounded, but they hadn’t pounced yet.

The pup, he realized. They were giving him space and judging whether or not they could rescue the little creature. How long would that hold, though? What was more important to a direwolf? Pup safety, or revenge? No research had been carried out successfully. Due to the ripping-into-shreds tendency.

Hunter made a choice that was either absolutely brilliant or the last thing he would ever do in his life. Before the wolves could make their decision, he scooped the direwolf pup up and threw it towards one side of the circle.

The startled yelp and the look on the pup’s face as it flew through the air was so comical Hunter would have laughed if he wasn’t so worried he was about to get mauled. But his gamble paid off—the entire pack lunged towards the pup to make sure it was alright, for the moment forgetting about the interloper in their midst. That one moment was all Hunter needed. He bolted, teleporting away to give himself extra time.

Fly? Waffles chirped. Hunter shook his head. He’d love to—and most times, it would be the best option. But he could feel the magical energy still bursting out of Waffles at the seams, and he couldn’t risk another crash, not right now with direwolves on his heels.

The pack recovered from their surprise and Hunter heard their howls tear through the trees. He ran faster, vaulting over rocks and fallen trunks, occasionally teleporting again when he could feel their steps thrumming in the ground and hear their panting behind him.

Snap

Hunter’s momentum kept him moving forward so fast he didn’t even realize for a second what had happened until he was abruptly yanked to a stop, and his left leg exploded in a riot of tearing pain. Hunter crashed into the ground, but he barely felt the impact. The direwolves howled again—no—wait—that was his voice, screaming.

Hunter’s breath seized up in his chest. The ground turned into a blur. His leg throbbed. Direwolf teeth snapped closer and closer.

Ding

A sound like a pealing bell rang softly through the trees, and a haze of golden light tumbled around Hunter, just as the first direwolf closed the distance. The creature thudded heavily into the golden bubble that surrounded Hunter, its claws scrabbling uselessly at the surface.

His staff floated in front of him, wings outstretched. The golden light cast strange shadows, concealing any color of the bird, and Hunter squinted, his head spinning.

“Flapjack?” he murmured. He knew, somewhere in his gut, that he was wrong. But it felt so familiar—so right.

“Safe,” Waffles chirped, and just like that, the spell was broken. Flapjack was gone. But the palisman he did have—his brave, beautiful, loyal palisman—was still there, protecting him. “Keep safe.”

Hunter dug his fingers into the dirt, taking deep breaths and steeling himself to look down.

Another trap demon had locked its jaws around his leg. The thick steel had bit straight through his boots, and already blood oozed out around its teeth.

Hunter’s stomach heaved, and he tasted bile.

Can’t breathe, he thought dizzily, and laid down flat on his back. Just breathe, breathe, breathe. He pulled up a handful of dirt, pouring it slowly onto his forehead. The steady pressure of the falling soil dragged him back down into his own body, and he took a deep breath, repeating with another handful of soil. Outside, the direwolves settled, pacing around the golden bubble. But inside the shield, inside, Hunter felt the stillness of the forest seep into his bones. If he died here, the forest would move on. It was strangely comforting

Hunter sat up, moving slowly and carefully to avoid moving his leg and setting off a fresh round of tearing. Still, every second felt like knives stabbing further into the wound. With a clear mind, Hunter could see that the wounds hadn’t actually bled that much—the jaws, for all the damage they were doing, prevented the blood from exiting the wound.

He was out of bandage substitutes. As long as Waffles could keep the shield up, he’d be safe from the direwolves. And as long as the trap demon remained lodged in his leg, he wouldn’t bleed too badly. Trying to leave now was certain death. But he couldn’t stay here forever.

It almost felt wrong to summon his penstagram scroll, like he was breaking the forest’s calm. But, he argued to himself, all creatures had a way to communicate distress to their fellow animals. This was simply his howl.

Still, he kept his messages short. One to Eberwolf, and another to Viney. He trusted them to tell anyone else who needed to know. Then, the call completed, he sat and waited. Only a few direwolves remained pacing. The others laid a little ways away, playing with their pups and leaving the hunt to their fellows.

Hunter watched the remaining hunters. They watched back. And slowly, one by one, they drifted off. Only one stayed. It laid down, but kept its amber eyes fixed on him. Hunter met its stare. Neither of them broke eye contact. Somehow, Hunter was certain that if he did, the wolf would call its pack, and they’d attack the shield until Waffles couldn’t hold them back any longer. Finally, the direwolf yawned, rested its head on its paws, and closed its eyes. Hunter breathed a long sigh of relief.

The respite didn’t last long. The golden light around him flickered, and Waffles chirped an apology. The direwolves perked up. The shield flickered again, then went out entirely.

One

Two

Three

Hunter’s heart beat a quick tempo in his chest, but he didn’t dare move. If he ran, he was prey, and he wouldn’t stay out of their reach this time. Waffles fell to his hands in staff form, ready to fight.

The direwolf closest lifted its head again, slowly rising to its feet. It took a few steps closer to Hunter, unconcerned. It sniffed the trap around Hunter’s leg first, its lips peeling back in a snarl of disdain. Then, its nose came inches from Hunter’s dirt-streaked face. It snorted, sending a blast of hot air in Hunter’s face.

Then it laid back down.

The rest of the pack followed its lead, sniffing Hunter’s face, then settling in a big pile around him. One of them started to lick Hunter’s injured leg, but stopped when Hunter yelped, his stomach heaving again. He dug his hand back into the ground, settling his breathing back down. He had to stay a calm part of the forest. Otherwise… he didn’t want to start to think what they’d do to him.

Despite the danger literally surrounding him, Hunter couldn’t help but lean back, resting against one of the direwolves’ flank. The steady rise and fall of its breathing slowly lulled him into an easy sleep.

Waffle’s chirp woke him. The sun had risen, dappling the forest floor with light. And sitting in a circle of happy direwolves was Eberwolf, who seemed completely unconcerned with the massive creatures, despite the fact that he held their injured pup in his lap.

“Good sleep?” Eber signed, letting the pup go.

Hunter sat up. His head pounded, and his mouth felt drier than the Titan’s palm. He couldn’t feel the trap around his leg anymore—in a panic, he sat straight up, dislodging a puppy that had curled up on his chest. But to his surprise, the reason he couldn’t feel the trap was because the trap was gone, and his leg had been wrapped in clean bandages.

Eber chuckled. “V-I-N-E-Y. You slept. Took all her magic to keep from being torn.” His face split into a proud grin. “Not like me. Not like you.”

“Mrgh?” Hunter managed. The puppy he’d dislodged crawled back up to him, someone discontentedly. Hunter scratched its ears to placate it. “What happened?”

“Part of the pack now.” Eber howled, as if to emphasize the point, and the rest of the pack howled with him. And strangely, Hunter felt a deep pull in his chest, too, a call to open his lungs and heart and howl with them.

Eber grinned again. “Helped a pup. Didn’t back down. Showed good defense. Earned respect. And trust. Very good.”

“Oh,” Hunter responded faintly. The fact that he’d even survived the night surrounded by a direwolf pack made his head spin. But still, a glimmer of pride shone underneath that. Not many people could say they’d befriended a direwolf pack—especially not one with pups.

“Very good,” Eber repeated, “Now? Time to go home.”

Hunter felt a twinge of sadness at the idea of leaving the forest behind, but the feeling was quickly overwhelmed by a wave of relief. “Yes, please.”