Managarm watched as the two morphs were led in the wolf practically carrying the fox. His mate moved slowly, putting herself behind Managarm.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t a fighter, it was just that she couldn’t fight right now.
Not with her stomach swollen with his child.
His mate, his child, his pack.
After six months of deceptions, risk, bloodshed and pain he had earned it!
He was not going to let his father take it off him now.
Fenris looked surprised to see him.
That’s if the older wolf could see him at all he looked drugged up to the eye balls. Managarm hoped he didn’t look that dumb when he was drugged, but he certainly did.
Like father like clone after all.
The surprise turned into something else before Fenris collapsed one hand still holding tightly to the small, even less aware fox’s arm.
Managarm didn’t know what that look was, it was like a look he had gotten the first time he had finally bitten Skoll on the nose for constantly harassing him, but sadder.
*****
Hours later, Fenris came to himself again, he opened his eyes but made no other move, Managarm’s mate, some kind of dog morph, was laying in his lap and Managarm was running his claws though her fur as she slept.
He never thought Managarm had what it took to be an alpha.
Hati? Skoll? Maybe. They could have been but if given the option Fenris didn’t think they would chose to be.
He didn’t think Managarm could have even if he had wanted to.
And looking at Managarm when he had first staggered into the room, if looked like he wanted to keep what he had earned no matter if he had or hadn’t wanted it.
Fenris didn’t know what to feel about that, Proud that Mangarm had survived sure, but if Managarm saw him as a threat to his new pack...
In the wild Fenris would let him go, he could already think of several area’s near the farm that could support a pack, area’s that Fernis didn’t normally bother with but could easily visit. Managarm could have gone there. And with each wolf having their own territories Fenris could visit...
It wouldn’t be the same as having his son back, under his protection, but it would be enough.
Here in the cramped little room?
There was a reason why they didn’t house alpha’s together.
“I know you’re awake.” Managarm said, still not looking at him. Although his scraggly hair shivered as his hackles rose and fell.
Fenris’s hair had been allowed to grow long. He had allowed his professor to tie it back, he had been well enough behaved to be trusted.
Managarm’s was a hacked mess, proof that he wasn’t trusted, that he had to drug him to cut it and that even then he would try to fight them off before they were finished.
Or maybe they just didn’t bother to cut it to length and just cut it to keep it out of the way.
Managarm growled quietly.
Fenris huffed, and Managarm’s ears went flat he shouldn’t have done that.
“Thought you were dead.” Fenris said at last. “Then I thought you needed to be saved.”
“This is a rescue?” Managarm asked an eyebrow raised.
Fenris huffed again, almost laughing for real.
“Hardly, got caught before I could come for you.”
“So you were going to come for me?”
“I like to have seen anyone try and stop him.” Came a third voice.
Fenris didn’t even release he still had one hand around Nott’s arm, until the fox pulled free of his grip to sit up and rub a hand over his eyes.
“Fenris next time I try to save you from an army armed with tranc-darts that are made to put you down for the count hit me.”
“I told you to leave me.” Fenris said sitting up.
“What and have Mani and Pandeia gut me for leaving you behind?” Nott shuddered. “I think not.”
“And you are?” Managarm lifted one ear in curiosity.
Nott shook his head and tried to get his eyes to focus, just because he was awake didn’t mean he was completely with them yet, the fox had suffered a dose that was to big for him after all.
It was clear when Nott released he had been talking to a clone of Fenris. His eyes grew wide and he tried to back away only he couldn’t seem to get his arms and legs to work properly. His feet sliding on the tile no real strength to their movements.
In blind panic he pushed himself into Fenris’s side instead.
Fenris looked from Nott to Managarm, this could go one of two ways. Managarm could either accept Nott’s fear of Managarm as a submission and the fact that he wasn’t scared of Fenris would make Fenris appear lower in rank than Managarm, which would make him seem less of a threat.
Or he could think that Nott was looking to him for protection which would make him appear more of a threat to his leader ship.
Or Fenris belatedly realised, he could remember how annoyed... almost insulted he felt when Jonah explained how he had tried to play on Fenris’ instincts to being accepted.
“This is Nott Lovell.” Fenris said resting his hand on Nott’s head to try to calm down the fox. “He’s usually a bit more mouthy than this.”
Managarm didn’t seem to know what to say to that. Particularly when Nott seemed to pass out against Fenris’ side.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your pack?” Fenris said, noticing the dog’s eyes had opened at some point in Nott’s panic attack.
“Losna.” The dog said. “My name is Losna.”
Fenris nodded deeply to her. Managarm must know Fenris wouldn't truly submit to him. But he could make it clear that he had no intention of taking his pack from him.
“So...how long until your pack is three instead of two?”
Losan smiled and rubbed her stomach about to answer when Managarm rested his hand on her shoulder she turned her gaze up to him.
“Another month, maybe.”
“Great more cubs.” Nott muttered.
Fenris looked down at the fox who was looking out from behind Fenris.
“You with us for good this time?” Fenris asked.
“Think so...” Nott said looking at Fenris’ clone instead of Fenris himself. “So your Managarm?”
“Yes.” Managarm said tilting his head to one side not sure what to make of this tailless fox.
“You’re not going to shoot at me, bite me, remove any limbs or try to strangle me are you?”
“Er...” Managarm finally lost his guarded expression and looked at Fenris for an explanation.
Fenris was sure his amused expression wasn’t helping but he couldn’t help himself, it was fun to watch Nott confuse the heck out of someone other than himself for once.
Meanwhile Nott had taken Managarm’s confusion as a no.
“In that case I don’t see why we can’t get along until we can get out.”
Fenris blinked. How much of Fenris’ dancing around instincts had Nott been awake for?
“Out?” Losan asked.
“Sure, there’s no way Pandeia and Mani are going to leave us in here.”
“Nott.” Fenris tried to interrupt, it wouldn’t do to get everyone's hopes up.
“Besides it’s not as if they’re alone they’ve got -”
“Nott!” Fenris growled.
Nott blinked, and then his years dropped, after six months of living free he had gotten sloppy, the cell was probably bugged.
Two alpha wolves in the same room each with something to protect? Fenris could imagine the scientists writing on the clip boards from the moment Managarm had first spoken until now.
After six months of freedom Fenris was not going to condemn himself, Nott or his son’s pack to a lifetime of that.
Although... that didn’t mean he couldn’t screw with the bastards while he was stuck here.
Fenris pulled Nott a little closer, Nott looked at Fenris confused for a moment before rolling his eyes either putting it down to Fenris being concerned over Nott because of the overdose, or putting it down to ‘a wolf thing.’
And promptly took the chance to grab some more sleep.
Fenris tried not to smirk wondering what the scientists would make of it since they already seem to think that he saw Nott as less than a pack-mate and more of a mate mate.
*****
Damn Nott was board stiff. It had been hours since he had woken in the cell. And a few hours less than that when all the pretty colours had gone away and the tingling in his limbs had faded. He thought he had hid it well enough after he woke up the second time but with the way Fenris was still hovering over him maybe not.
He had fallen asleep again after that since Fenris was in big bad protector mode, and Managarm being sane, if a little tense for some reason, he figured it would be no problem to sleep off what was left of his sore head. He always claimed to be nocturnal after all.
Except that meant he woke up in the middle of the night with everyone else asleep.
All alone with no one to pester.
Nott was going to go crazy before morning.
He knew he should have learned sign language, at least then he could go looking for the hidden camera’s and have a one sided conversation with whoever was watching them complete with name calling and questioning of parentage, but nope stuck here.
Nott tried to stretch to find Fenris holding on to his ankle.
Stupid over protective wolf. When he got of here he was going to give the guy a teddy bare or something to hold in the night instead.
And why was it always wolves?
Fenris had scared the fur off him when they had first met and had threatened to shoot him if he didn’t stop babbling, Hati tried to rip his tail of, that she-wolf Pandeia shot had tried to choke him, and now Fenris was being all touchy feeling.
Then again Managarm was curled around Losan on the other side of the room, maybe all wolves were touchy feely. Fenris never seemed to mind when Russell would grab him, jump on his back, pull his hair.
Nott hopped Mani was looking after the pup, Fenris getting caught would hit him hard. Nott frowned. And Mani had better not be looking after Jonah. If Jonah...
Bah there was no point getting wound up over something that might not be happening even, Pandeia would keep Jonah in line and hopefully keep Mani to busy looking after the runaway’s to feel guilty that Nott had gotten caught saving her.
Nott was still board, he pulled his foot free of Fenris’ grip and rolled over.
Managarm was here, which meant Owen probably was, and Valente had already been looking for him. So that meant they would find them all the sooner right?
If the writer marked the next part two years later al la Jak and Daxter Nott didn’t care if he would mean the end of his own existence, he would kill her.
*****
Two years later Two weeks Later...
Nott was not happy, was not happy at all. The wolves were meant to be the golden boys of the complex, why? Nott didn’t know but he did know that the military wasn’t happy with the current wolves on the font line.
So why the hell was he, and the very, very pregnant Losan meant to be the ones saving the wolves?
At least they had given him guns. Losan just had a key.
And he had already been told that if he gave her a gun, or took the key from her then they’d have to start over again, without any weapons at all.
Nott took the lead, when the first dog jumped out at him he fired and the dart hit the dog on his leg.
Which would be fine, except Nott thought he had been given a real gun.
With a yelp he back peddled as the dog tried to keep lurching forwards until the tranc-dart’s drug dragged him under.
Nott let out a stream of curses that left Losan blinking in confusion. Before he turned to one of the cameras in the ceiling and gave it a one fingered salute.
“You want to kill people?” Losan asked.
“No.” Nott snapped knelling next to the dog making sure he wasn‘t holding anything or had anything stashed under his collar. “But a dart takes time that a bullet doesn’t, if I had been any closer to him he could have killed me before he dropped.”
“Oh.”
They took three more turns before their next target attacked them. Another swift fox much like himself. She looked like Nuit, his late sister, and that fact made him hesitate before firing. She took advantage of that and was already lining up a punch as she sprinted towards him.
Nott smacked her with the but of the rifle, the impact left a trickle of blood between her eyes as she fell to the floor but she was alive, and out of the way. She didn’t have anything either.
Nott started walking again, listening to the clicking of Losan’s claws as she followed.
Something wasn’t right here. He was armed and his targets weren’t. And there weren’t even that many targets.
This was a training mission they would give to a two year old, if that. Nott himself was three it would have been an easy mistake to make...or were they going easy because of Losan’s condition?
“Stay close.” Nott said over his shoulder to Losan. The dog growled. Nott sighed. “I’m not saying that cause your pregnant, I’m saying it because I’ve got a bad feeling about what’s ahead.”
That seemed to satisfy her. Ha, maybe he learned how to dodge hormonal time-bombs from living with Pandeia after all.
Nott pushed that and thoughts of how the cubs were doing to the back of his mind to concentrate on this to-easy-mission, that kept reminding him of the complex he had escaped last year, he just coudln’t figure out why.
When something seemed too easy it usually meant there was a catch.
After some more walking where Losan got more annoyed at Nott’s slow pace, and Nott started to think he was going to have a heart attack from the suspense they came across a door.
“Your up gatekeeper.” Nott quipped.
“Gatekeeper?” Losan asked.
Nott sighed. “Just unlock the door.”
As soon as the locked clicked at the turning of the key the door slammed open and a large dog grabbed Losan by the shoulders ready to bite her throat out.
Losan kneed him in the stomach, or at least Nott hopped it was the stomach. Then hit him under the mussel with a open palm, knocking out two teeth as the dog fell flat on his back out cold.
Losan looked over her should at Nott smugly as he let out an impressed whistle.
They walked though the door to see the two wolves caged. Fenris was laying in away that looked calm and relaxed, last time he had seen him like that he had been waiting for someone to wander close enough for him to grab and toss in the river he was lazing against.
Managarm however was glaring daggers at Nott.
“Why did you let her go first!”
Suddenly Nott realised why his part of the mission was so easy. He wasn’t the one being tested.
“If I had we would have had to start this all over again.” Nott muttered.
“You always did hate repeats.” Fenris said. Were you in danger?
“Ha, this one wasn’t interesting the first time around even.” No, so relax already.
Losan wasn’t listening to them as she stepped forward and tried to unlock Mamagarms cage.
“The key doesn’t fit.”
Nott frowned as he looked back at the door they had come in though.
“Losan Check the dog you knocked out.” Nott said.
Losan stepped forward and knelt by the dog, who had nothing in his hands.
“Check the collar too.” Nott said quietly.
Just as Losan slipped her fingers under the dog’s collar something grabbed her by her scruff.
Nott fired a dart before Losan even had chance to yelp. She landed in a crouch as the African pained dog morph blurred into Vision and passed out cold on the floor.
“Looks like some of the Garm project survived your fiery revenge after all big guy.” Nott said releasing that it was the painted dog’s smell that was reminding him so much of last years escape. One had attacked Mani, it had been the first time he’d seen her really fight instead of cringing in fear or lashing out in anger at finding her handler dead.
“Indeed.” Fenris growled.
“Losan.” Nott said sharply. “Check his collar.”
Neither Managarm or Losan said anything at the other’s sudden change of mood as Losan found a key hanging from a chain around the painted dog’s neck.
If the painted dogs that turned invisible were still around...
Nott glanced at Fenris who was watching Managarm closely. Oh yes, if Nott was having flashbacks of Mani chasing an invisible target, Fenris would have worse memories attacking him.
Like Great Danes that had been stronger than Fenris, Or the hyena’s that killed Skoll.
The Garm Project had had quite a few branches.
Nott eyed Losan’s stomach. Wondering just how many.
EDIT: Added some more
That night Nott sat in the corner of their room. Fenris was asleep curled tightly against one wall taking up as little room as possible, while Managarm and Losan were sprawled out on their bed.
Nott wanted to walk over to Managarm and stamp on his tail. Fenris was bending over backwards to... well not to submit, but to not dominate.
Sadly Nott wasn’t really helping. Managarm scared him, the same way Fenris used to scare him when Nott was only half awake.
He’d gotten over that quickly. But with Managarm snapping at him for the mission a few hours ago, and the constant tension around between father and son...
Nott hit the ground hard, the wind kicked out of him , and his gas mask flying off, unable to reach it in time before something bit his tail and dragged him into the air.
Gas burning his eyes, his nose, his lungs.
Claws digging into his arms
Teeth digging into his tail.
The fear that he was going to be ripped in half , a horrifying crunch, popping, and pain pain PAIN.
Blood on him around him splattering against the wall where he hit it dripping on the floor where he fell.
Too far away the wolf with Fenris’ face but bloodshot eyes ripped his tail to pieces. Swallowing some before turning to look at the humans and fox Nott had been trying to protect.
He couldn’t move, pain, shock, gas, did he even still have his legs he couldn’t feel them...and everything was going dark, darker, black. Mani screamed.
Someone was shaking him but his shoulders, someone was screaming...
Oh wait that was him. When had he fallen asleep?
Once Nott’s scream had turned into confused muttering whoever was shaking him backed of...which meant -
“Aww fuck. Sorry Fen.”
Nott looked over at Fenris who had his head ducked but his tail twitching every few seconds. As if Fenris would lower himself to actually wag his tail when hopeful, or when he was happy for that matter.
“Oh stop looking like a kicked pup over there.” Nott muttered. “First time I had that dream in months.”
Fenris looked even worse at that.
With a sigh Nott got to his feet, he hardly noticed the change in his centre of balance anymore, which was a good thing cause if Nott wobbled now Fenris would probably try to sink into the floor even more. He walked over to Fenris, and cuffed him over the head. And then flopped down and lent against the wolfs side.
Stupid touchy feely wolves.
Although seeing Managarm’s stupid, incredibly confused face was worth it.
“Nott?”
“Shut up, I’m cold and tired.”
“I thought you were nocturnal?”
Nott opened one eye and glared at Fenris who huffed and flopped back down to the floor. Allowing Nott to use his side as a pillow.
Nott eyed Fenris for a few seconds before settling down to sleep again. Wondering what had put that amused look on the wolf‘s face?