Coyote

[40] end of one adventure. beginning of another.

"That wasn't Wolf's intention," Wednesday said. "He ran away from the mutants because he feared death, not to open space."

Thankfully, Zorro couldn't hear Wednesday. And as long as The Rocketeers didn't know that, then Wolf was happy to be a quick thinker in their eyes. "Well, some coyotes do call me Mr. Brain, so—"

"Which coyote? You don't speak to any of them," Wednesday said.

"—it was a pleasure helping you defeat the mutants," Wolf finished. "Now that I'm a member of the team, do I get a codename?"

"Yes." Zorro extended his arm, and Wolf shook it. "Welcome to the team, The Freelancer."

Wolf gasped. "That's my codename?"

"Do you, like, like it? I chose it for you," Lola said.

"I love it." Wolf smiled.

"Welcome ter the team, The Freelancer," Chichi said through the speakers.

"Welcome to the team, I suppose," Bentlee added.

Wolf couldn't stop smiling. Finally, he was part of a team that didn't make him feel left out. He also liked his teammates, which was a bonus.

Zorro returned to the front and sat beside Chichi.

Lola stayed with Wolf. She hugged his arm, pressing it against her chest. "I can't, like, wait for The Coyote to meet you," she said. "When I, like, told him about you, he was excited that I, like, found someone to keep me company while he wasn't around."

"You and he were a thing?" Wolf asked.

"We, like, still are."

Wolf faced her and raised his brow. "What do you mean?" He knew exactly what she meant. But he wanted to hear her say it so he wouldn't feel like he jumped to a conclusion.

"He's, like, my boyfriend."

"I warned you about getting involved with her," Wednesday said.

Wolf always avoided getting involved with women in relationships. It was a major red flag. He had heard about people losing their lives over such a thing. He loved his life—no matter how bad it was.

"I warned you, Wolf!" Wednesday laughed in his ear. This was the longest and loudest laugh she had ever had.

If Wolf had known this back then, he wouldn't have entertained Lola. But she had a sex appeal that was hard to ignore. So she didn't have a hard time bedding him.

He cleared his throat. "What do you mean he wants to meet me?"

"We are, like, in an open relationship. As long as we know who we're both with when we're not together, then it's, like, cool."

Open relationships were the norm. It made cheating almost nonexistent. There were a few exceptions, like in everything else. But Wolf was selfish. He had a 'what's mine is mine' mentality. He hated sharing—especially his girlfriend.

"We 'ave arrived in Deadland Egypt," Chichi announced over the speakers.

Wolf looked at Lola. "We will continue this discussion another time."

"Hopefully, by that time, Little Rabbit will be, like, around. I really want you to meet him. You two will hit it off. I promise. You're, like, so similar."

"We'll see." Wolf placed an oxygen-plaster on his nose before activating his combat suit's breather. He walked out of the shuttle and found no mutants in the surrounding area, much to his appreciation. Though he would have loved to redeem himself and prove he wouldn't always be a damoiseau in distress.