The Lone Wolf

19, Open Your Eyes

Ahren let Fox have a few days to wallow. Fox spent those days creating a dent in the corner seat of the couch, oversleeping, overcrying, and undereating. Most times Fox awoke when Ahren had already left for his daily duty, and there were no notes left behind instructing Fox to go somewhere for his own labor.

Days and nights blurred together in a miserable haze. The heartache he suffered never waned. It would periodically leave him be when he allowed himself to cry, but it always crept back, settling itself within his ribs to ache anew.

Fox was somewhat used to this. Anytime he experienced a death, he spent his days mindlessly wandering, lost and hurting and barely having enough energy to hunt. What he didn't expect, though, was Ahren not forcing him to work. Maybe he thought it was safer to keep a mourning lone wolf in the confines of his house, rather than out performing labor and potentially getting upset enough to attack someone. It was hard for Fox to know, but he wanted to believe that Ahren was kind enough to give Fox a break.

A foreseen problem arose, however, when one morning Fox was pulled from his sleep by the sound of two men conversing. He recognized Ahren's voice immediately, but then he easily recognized Evander's.

"It's not practical to keep him here. I've already got half of the loners getting restless and throwing hissy fits over the fact that a bunker still lies empty and Fox hasn't shown up in four days. They're going to do something bad if I don't put Fox in her bunker," Evander said.

"Putting Fox in a hole in the ground will ruin him. You didn't see the look on his face when he found Star; you haven't seen how zombie-like he's become in his grief. He can't go in a bunker. I won't allow it," Ahren answered.

"Why are you coddling him so much? He's just another lone wolf. I'm sure he's seen plenty of death in his life and this death is just an excuse he's using to get special treatment," Evander pointed out.

"He's not 'just another lone wolf', as I've tried telling you before," Ahren stated. Evander scoffed.

"Do you honestly believe he's docile enough to be given this new position you want to introduce? For all we know he's manipulating everyone into believing he's not a threat, so he can strike when every single one of us has our guard down. I don't trust him. I don't care how timid he acts, how well he submits, or how much he goes out of his way to avoid violence. I bet all of it is just some elaborate tactic he's learned. He's playing all of us like chess pieces–"

"Has it ever occurred to you that Fox is just trying to survive?" Ahren interrupted. "He hasn't done a single thing wrong in all his time here, and you're still set on believing he's a bad guy?"

"'All his time here'. He's been here two months!" Evander retorted.

"Sh!" Ahren hushed. Evander exhaled in an annoyed manner. Ahren continued in a more hushed tone. "It doesn't matter how long he's been here for. He's had ample opportunity to try and run, or steal something, or pick a fight, or hurt a pack member. He's had so many chances, and he never took one. Not even when he was free to roam all night on Halloween did he choose to use that to his advantage. He just chose to have fun. And then his friend died, the only friend he has here, and he's crushed. He's not a threat, Evander. Why can't you see that?"

"You know why," Evander grumbled. Ahren sighed. A small moment of silence stretched between them.

"Listen. You're my best friend, and I know what you went through was hell, but not everyone is a master manipulator, not everyone has ulterior motives, not everyone is out to get you," Ahren said gently.

"Easy for you to say..." Evander muttered.

"I know... I'm sorry. I'm just asking you to give him a chance. I will take full responsibility for him. I'll keep watch over him here, and I'll keep an eye out for suspicious behavior, and you can just keep focusing on the real problems we have. Like the cannibal, or the one who can't keep his hands to himself, or the one who's on his last strike," Ahren replied.