Capítulo 17: Kip’s Past, Tommy the Knight
Ares awoke to find himself asleep in his bed in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. He reaches up to hold his head, trying to calm himself down from his nightmare. Forced to relive the moments of his tortured childhood.
'Damn…' He thought, taking a slow deep breath; 'When will these nightmares end?' With a deep sigh, Ares tossed the covers and sheets aside, sliding off the bed and groggily walking to the bathroom, wearing a tank top and sleeping shorts. Before he walked in the bathroom, he looked towards the clock in his living room, seeing the time as 3:18am.
He walked up to the sink and turned on the water, cupping his hands to collect some of the cold water, then splashed it onto his face. He repeated this a few times before turning off the water, staring at his reflection in the mirror.
As he stared at his reflection, flashes of the nightmare came back. Images of the room filled with dead younglings, all either cut open or missing limbs. The sounds of crying and clinking chains. The smell of blood and rotting meat.
And then, His face would flash. The monster with the twisted grin, chuckling as he marveled at his work. Laughing as he slowly lowered a scalpel towards Ares' face, his face twisting into a nightmarish ear to ear grin.
Ares shook his head, taking a slow deep breath, walking into the living room to grab his jacket and pants. 'Prehaps a breath of fresh air would do you some good.' He thought, slipping his jacket on and buttoning it up; 'Not like I'm going to get much sleep with that face hounding me again…' He then grabbed his pants, sliding them on and headed outside.
Once he stepped outside the dorm, a rush of the cold night air rushed through his fur, causing him to close his eyes and slowly take in a deep breath, exhaling slowly before walking. He had no destination set, he was simply clearing his head.
Ares found the nighttime oddly calming for him. The hustle and bustle of the day time swallowed by the silence of the night, followed by feint chirping of Bats. He also noticed a lot of the Nocturnals were out and about, but they kept to themselves. A few owls, bats, even the occasional canine sneaking around.
Ares looked up at the night sky, covered in white twinkling speckles, some clouds floating through the sky, casting a shadow as it floats past the moon. Ares took in another slow deep breath, then exhaled, enjoying the peace and calm.
Ares let out a soft chuckle, images of everything that's happened since he came to the school flashing into his head. 'This is definitely the most entertainment I've had in years.' He thought; 'Finding a pack of random animals to call my own…' Flashes of Abby, Kip, Thomas and Rachel pop into his head; 'Get into a scrap with a bunch of uppity Mythicals…' Flashes of the group of thugs from the bathroom pop up, then them laying on the floor; 'Made frenemies with a dragon noble of all things…' Images of Vamps came into his mind, making him chuckle; 'Then got shot…and now I'm being dragged into a war between the royal families…'
Ares looked up at the night sky again, hearing the words Ticoré said to him when he was still young. 'you'll be able to make lots of friends who will appreciate you for who you are, horns and all!' Ares closed his eyes and smiled, looking back towards his Dorm. "I suppose that's enough fresh air for now."
As Ares started heading back to the dorm, his jacket pocket started vibrating. He reached into the pocket, pulling out his phone, seeing it was a call from Kip. 'Why is he calling me at this hour?' He answered the phone, bringing the phone up to his ear. "Should you not be in bed by now, Kip?"
"Ares! Come quick! Something's happened to Tommy!" Kip's voice was filled with panic; "I went to get us some drinks, and when I came back the room was wrecked and Tommy is gone!"
Ares, now jogging towards the other dorms, held his phone in front of him, having switched to speaker mode. "I'm on my way now. Which dorm room?"
"208!" Kips voice started cracking slightly; "Please hurry!" Ares hung up the phone and hurried to Dorm building 2.
Once Ares entered Dorm Building 2, he found Kip outside his dorm room wearing a long sleeve shirt and jeans, pacing in front of the door on the phone. When Kip saw Ares, he quickly ended the phone call, running over and hugging Ares. "Oh thank God you came!"
Ares could hear in his voice that Kip was shaken. He gently pushed Kip off, holding him by the shoulders. "Tell me what's happened."
Kip took a slow deep breath, trying to calm down. "Tommy and I…we were getting ready to watch some anime. I went to get us some drinks, and when I got back…" Kip raised his hand up to his mouth, covering his mouth; "T-The room was wrecked, and Tommy was missing."
Ares nodded, gently patting his shoulder. "I'll have a look around, see if I can find anything." Ares then moved to the door, opening it to move into the room.
Ares saw the room trashed, the table flipped over and the couch knocked onto its side. There was papers scattered everywhere, the window kitchen area over the sink open, the curtains fluttering slightly from the gentle breeze.
He slowly scanned the room, taking in the scene. 'Hmm…scratch marks on the table and couch.' He thought, noticing gashes on the side of the couch and bottom of the table; 'No sign of forced entry, judging by the lack of marks on the door.'
He slowly walked around the room, seeing scuff marks on the floor. He followed the marks towards the counter top under the window. 'Looks like whoever it was jumped Tom, then took him out through the window. But why?'
He gently moved the curtain aside to look out the window, seeing something bright red stuck in the fabric. As Ares looked closer, he noticed the red objet was a bright red feather. He took it out of the fabric, giving it a sniff. He then let out a soft grumble. "Smells like…Ash…" Ares turned to look at the room again, all the pieces adding up; "Looks like I'm going to pay the Phoenix family a visit."
Ares quickly walked out of the room, Kip looking at him with worry in his eyes. "W-Well? Did you find anything?"
Ares nodded, holding up the feather. "The Emberwings have him. Probably using him to get to me." Ares lowered the feather, bowing slightly; "I'm truly sorry I'm dragging you two into this."
"Well what the hell are we waiting on??" Ares lifted his head hearing Kip, slightly confused as he saw Kip run into the room; "Gimme a few seconds to change so we can go save Tommy!"
Ares looked at the door, then the feather, quickly putting the feather in his coat pocket before walking back into the room. "Hang on a minute Kip! What do you mean 'we'? This is going to be royal family business! If you get involved-"
Kip suddenly poked his head out of the bedroom, wearing only camo kaki pants, glaring at Ares with his hands on his hips. "I'm already involved, mister!" He walked over towards Ares, glaring up at him; "Those feathered jerks got me involved the moment they took Tommy from me!" He then raised his hand, pressing his pointer finger against Ares' chest; "And you can be damn sure imma show them I'm not just a cute face!"
With an annoyed huff, Kip spun around and walked back into the bedroom to get dressed. Ares raised an eyebrow, taken aback by how serious Kip was acting. 'Heh…guess those fangs aren't just for show after all.' Ares thought, nodding to himself.
A few seconds later, Kip walked out with a tight fitting 'spider-pig' t-shirt to go with his camo pants and black boots. "Alright hot stuff, let's go get back my Tommy!" After saying this, Kip rushed out of the room, Ares following right behind.
"Do you know where the Emberwings are holding up?" Ares asked as they left the building.
"Of course I do." Kip snarled back; "They're in the building on the other side of town. Big red building, Phoenixes going in and out all day. Kinda hard to miss."
It didn't take Ares long to notice Kip was acting differently than he normally did. "Kip, are you sure you're up to rescuing Thomas?"
Kip stopping dead in his tracks caught Ares off guard as he stopped a few feet away from Kip. He was about to ask him why he stopped, until he saw Kip's shoulders trembling. Kip suddenly spun around to face Ares, tears in his eyes as he glared at him. "I would die for Tommy, because he would do the same for me!"
Kip raised his arm to his face, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I know I tease him all the time, and I know I get on his nerves a lot…but he knows he means everything to me! He's the reason I'm alive to repay him now!"
As Kip composed himself, he and Ares continued heading towards the Emberwing HQ while Kip told him the story of how he and Thomas met.
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It was 6 years ago, in the Middle school on the other side of the city. The classes just let out for the end of the school day as the kids ran out to greet their parents or get onto the bus to head home. But there was a small pack of kids hanging out behind the lunchroom. The pack consisted of 3 wolves, 2 jaguars and a bear. The pack was surrounding a Labrador, whose back was against the wall.
The bear took a step towards the young dog, sneering at him. "We don't like your kind hanging around the locker rooms, ya freak."
One of the wolves snarled. "Yeah! All you do is stare at everyone changing with your tail wagging! You practically droll everytime one of the track horse guys comes in! It's disgusting!"
The young Labrador whimpered nervously, his ears folded back. "I…I'm sorry. I-I don't mean to stare…"
The bear punched next to the dog's head, making him yip and jump. "Sorry ain't enough, Kip!" He grinned a sinister smirk as he turned his head back to the pack, still staring down the terrified dog; "I think he needs a little help learning his place. Don't you, boys?"
Kips eyes went wide as the pack started cracking their knuckles, chuckling as they started moving closer. 'S-Someone…Anyone…' Kip thought, closing his eyes tight; 'Please save me!'
A loud 'oof!' sound made Kip open his eyes, seeing a gazelle ramming his head into the side of the bear, knocking him onto his back, holding his side and crying out in pain. Before Kip knew what happened, the gazelle was standing in front of him, arms outstretched and staring down the pack.
"That's enough you bullies! Leave him alone, or else!" The gazelle called out. Kip recognized the gazelle as one of the guys from his history class. He felt his cheeks get warmer as he realized this guy just saved him, his tail wagging slightly.
The bear growled angrily, standing up as he held his side. "And what are you gonna do if we don't, grass chewer?"
The gazelle smirked. "Then I'll call in my buddies to have a nice little chat with you." With that, the gazelle snapped his fingers. A few seconds later, 3 lions and 2 grizzly bears walked around the corner. The pack recognized them as the stars of the wrestling team, their ears folding back as they stepped back slowly.
One of the lions cracked his knuckles and his neck, snarling at the pack. "Are we gonna have a problem, or are you gonna leave our buddy alone?"
The bear leading the back knew they were out muscled, turning away. "Tch, whatever. That mutt isn't worth out time anyways." With that, the bear led his pack away from the school.
Once they were out of sight, the gazelle let out a sight of relief. "Oh man! That was scary! Even with you guys backing me up…" He faced the wrestling team, bowing; "Thanks a million! I don't think it would have ended as nice without you guys here."
The Lion chuckled, waving his hand in front of his face. "Maybe not, but I'm just glad we got here in time." He looked towards Kip; "Anytime those guys give you trouble, just come find me or the guys. We got your back." With a warm smile and nod from the wrestling team, they headed back to their practice area.
When the team left, the gazelle turned to look at Kip, a look of concern on his face. "They didn't hurt you too badly, did they?" He looked down nervously; "I was gonna jump in earlier…but I was scared they'd just beat us both up." He then slowly offered his hand for a handshake; "I'm Thomas, by the way."
When Thomas did this, he noticed Kip's face scrunched up into an angry face, his cheeks puffed out. "You big dummy!" Kip barked, stomping his foot; "Why did you try to protect me?! Now those jerks are gonna go after you too!"
Thomas blinked, then stomped his foot back. "Dummy?? That's what you call someone who stood up for you?! You're the dummy! Dummy!" He then blew a raspberry at Kip.
Kip and Thomas glared at each other for a few seconds before Kip snickered, then laughed, holding his stomach as he laughed till he had tears forming. Thomas tilted his head confused. "Why are you laughing?"
Kip's laughing fit slowly died down, catching his breath as he rubbed the tears from his eyes. "Sorry. It's just I've never had someone stick up for me, then call me a dummy." He walked closer to Thomas, booping his nose with his; "Thanks for saving me!~"
Thomas blushed, stepping back slightly. "Wha-what was that for??"
Kip giggled, winking as he stuck his tongue out playfully, his tail wagging. "It was a thank you for my knight in shining armor~"
Thomas blushed deeper hearing this cute dog praising him, huffing as he turned his head away, trying to compose himself. "Wh-Whatever. I was just looking out for ya is all. Don't read too much into it."
Kip giggled, covering his mouth slightly. He then leaned forward, his eyes wide with excitement. "Hey! Wanna hang out? There's a new movie out that I wanna see, but it'd be better with a friend! It's 'Predator Town II; When Humans Strike'! Some kinda cheesy horror movie or something."
Thomas quickly turned his head to look back at Kip, his little tail wiggling fast. "No way! That's out already?!" He then raised his hands up to his face, smiling ear to ear; "I've been waiting forever for that movie to come out!"
Kip giggled, pulling out 2 movie tickets from his back pocket. "Then it's a date. I was gonna ask that jerk if he wanted to see it, but I'd much rather watch it with a cutie like you, Tommy."
Thomas tilted his head slightly. "Tommy? But my name is…ah whatever. Come on! Let's go see the movie!" At that, Kip and Thomas took off running to the movie theater, Kip smiling happily.
Over the next few months, Kip and Thomas became close friends. Kip would constantly play flirt with Thomas, making him blush, and they'd have playful scraps from time to time. And when needed, Thomas would protect Kip from the pack trying to bully him.
After a year of them becoming friends, Thomas was heading to Kips house to watch some movies when something strange caught his eye.
Kip lived in a lakeside suburb, each of the houses surrounding the lake with a dock connecting the houses to the water. Down by the dock next to Kip's house was a group of kids, all cutting up and laughing. Thomas suddenly recognized the group as the pack from school that kept harassing Kip, and his heart dropped.
"What the hell are they doing here?" Thomas whispered. He quickly and quietly moved closer, trying to find out what they were talking about. Once he was close enough, he was hiding behind a big tree between Kip's house and the dock. There he could hear what they were talking about.
"Good riddance to that freak! Bet that mutt can't even swim!" One of the Jaguars laughed.
The bear chuckled, turning to walk away. "Even if he could, those chains will keep him down. Let's go." He waved his hand, the pack turning to walk away while laughing.
As they went to leave, they found Thomas standing next to the tree, glaring angrily at the pack with tears forming in his eyes.
The bear chuckled, sneering at Thomas. "Well well well. If it isn't the little 'hero', the gazelle. Sorry runt, but you're a bit late." The bear looked towards the lake, pointing his thumb over his shoulder; "Your freak show of a buddy decided to take up scuba diving."
Before he knew what happened, the bear felt something hit his stomach hard, then a sharp pain shot through him. He looked down in shock seeing Thomas ramming his head into his stomach, both his horns piercing through him. The bear let out a wail of pain as Thomas ripped his horns out, crumpling onto the dock as the wood turned a deep red from the bear's blood.
Around 45 minutes earlier, Kip was in his room getting ready for a hang out date with Thomas. As he slipped on a crop top shirt, he smiled as he looked at his reflection in his mirror. With a wink, Kip headed towards the front door. He opened the door, shocked to see the bear and his pack. Before Kip could react, the bear swung a metal pipe, hitting Kip on the head and knocking him out.
As Kip slowly regained consciousness, his mind was trying to process where he was. 'My head…what happened?' He could feel his arms and tail floating, but why? 'Why am I…cold? And wet?' As his mind slowly came back, he noticed his lungs burned; 'It…it hurts to breathe…am…am I…?'
As Kips consciousness slowly started fading again, all he could think about was Thomas, seeing all the times he was there for him. His last thought was 'Tommy…' before he lost consciousness again.
Kip slowly felt air being forced into his lungs as he slowly came back, along with firm presses on his chest. Kip suddenly took in a sharp inhale as his eyes opened, turning to the side to puke out mouthfuls of water, coughing violently. He looked around, trying to get his bearings on where he was, when he felt something grab him from the side.
"Oh thank god! You're alive!" An all too familiar voice made Kip's ears twitch. He looked and saw Thomas, soaking wet, hugging Kip tightly.
Kip coughed a few more times, pushing Thomas away slightly. "T…Tommy? Why are you soaked?" Kip giggled weakly; "You look like a waterlogged Buck!"
Thomas looked at Kip, confused, then chuckled back. "Speak for yourself! You look like a drenched feather duster!"
Kip looked at himself, confused as to what Thomas meant, seeing he was just as soaked as Thomas was, letting out a loud 'eep!' Sound. "What happened?? My outfit is trashed! Oooh and I'm gonna smell like wet dog for a week!!"
As Kip went on and on, Thomas smiled, tears forming in his eyes as he hugged Kip tight, cutting off his rant. "I thought I lost you…"
Kip, taken aback from this, finally remembered what happened, seeing flashes of the pack. Kip slowly wrapped his arms around Thomas, his tail wagging slowly. "You just keep saving me, don't you? I'm so happy you're there for me, Tommy."
A gruff voice clearing his throat made Kip jump slightly, looking behind Thomas to see a Lion in police uniform walking up. "Sorry to interrupt, but we got the bear cub and his group of misfits in custody. Luckily their wounds weren't too severe."
Kip's ear twitched, seeing the scene around them. A bunch of medics were placing the pack on gurneys and loading them into the back of ambulance vehicles. He noticed each one of them had wrappings and gauze soaked in blood on their bodies.
The officer pulled out a notepad. "I know you two are shook up, but I really need your information on the events to get a clear picture of what happened. Would you mind coming with me down town to answer a few questions?"
That's when Kip heard the story from Thomas' eyes and the word of the bear. The pack attacked him. They dragged Kip's unconscious body down to the dock, chained him up, and tossed him into the lake. They knew exactly what they were doing. They wanted to kill Kip simply because he was different.
That's when Thomas came by, seconds after they tossed Kip into the lake, and attacked the pack to save Kip. If he arrived even a few minutes later…
The police charged the pack with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and a few other charges. They gave Thomas praise, keeping enough of a level head to miss any killing blows, and let both Kip and Thomas go.
As they walked outside, Kip was still processing everything. He looked up towards Thomas, who looked at Kip, smiling warmly. "I bet those jerks won't bother you again, Kip." Thomas raised his fist up slightly; "And if they try, they'll have to answer to me again!"
Kip felt his fur stand on end as he lunged at Thomas, wrapping his arms around his neck and kissing him lovingly, making Thomas blush deep. He then broke the kiss and hit Thomas' shoulder. "You big dummy!!" Kip tried acting angry, but his tail wagging gave away he was as happy as he had ever been.
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Kip and Ares arrived in front of the Emberwing hideout, catching their breath. Outside was a single Phoenix guard, looking towards them curiously. "Do you two have business with the Emberwings?"
Ares took a deep breath, walking towards the Phoenix. He then saw a yellow blur rush past him, Kip landing a kick to the side of the Phoenix's head, sending him crashing to the ground.
Kip quickly got on top of the Phoenix before he could recover, grabbing him by the shirt collar. "You're god damned right we have business with you pompous Fucks!!" He pulled the Phoenix closer, glaring angrily into his eyes; "You have about 20 seconds to give Tommy back, or I swear to whatever god you fire chickens worship, I'm gonna show you that these fangs aren't just for show!!"
Just then, the alarms started going off throughout the building, Ares looking towards the sound. "Well so much for the quiet way in." He looked at Kip; "I'm guessing we're going with the 'loud and messy' plan?"
Kip snarled as he suddenly bit down on the Phoenix's neck, tearing out a chunk of his neck before standing up, spitting out the feathers and meat, wiping his mouth slightly. "Definitely messy. These bird brains can rise from their ashes after a while, so let's send a message."
Ares nodded, cracking his neck. "And that message being?"
They both charged in the building as Kip growled. "Don't Fuck with us!!"
To be continued.
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