Epilogue – Remnants of Hope
#19 of Within Escada
The ending of Within Escada following the events of the series. A short epilogue to close the series.
Within Escada - Epilogue - Remnants of Hope
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*Warning - Adult Content*
Contains homosexual and heterosexual characters and themes.
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Wolfe raised his paw as the doctor instructed him to do even though he didn't want to. "Now touch your nose and count to ten," the doctor asked as he watched the lupine. Wolfe counted aloud and grumbled to himself as Mark stood in the doorway watching him. "How have you been feeling today?" he asked as he made notes in Wolfe's medical record. "All I have is aches and my eye is itchy," the lupine said he pointed to the gauzed wrapped around his head over his right eye. "Well, you will be able to take the bandage off next week once it has healed enough," He said as he closed the record, "The only thing is that you're vision in that one will be gone." Wolfe just sighed as he turned to face Mark and waved him over. Mark sat down in the chair beside the bed and nodded to the doctor as he left. The lupine had a blank expression on his face as he looked down toward the foot of the bed.
"So, we will be leaving for Berlin at the end of the week?" Wolfe asked as he turned to face the cat. "Yeah," Mark said with some reserve, "Since our organization has dissolved for the sake of protecting national security, we have all been ordered to disband to keep all of the knowledge and secrets safe from ever being know." "What about your headquarters and stuff?" The wolf asked as he took a sip of water. "Destroyed in entirety," Mark said as he filled Wolfe's cup from a pitcher, "All of the computer data and technology has been moved to a secret location that even I don't know about to protect it all from being used as evidence or for the wrong purposes." Wolfe nodded in understanding as a flock of birds flew across the sky outside his window. "Well, I'm glad everything is somewhat back to normal," the lupine said as he continued to watch the birds. "For the most part, but things in the world will be changing because of it," Mark stammered to say as he thought deeply. The two sat in silence as they fought back their emotions of pain and suffering.
"We..." Wolfe paused as he took in a deep breath, "we have him to thank." Mark nodded in agreement as he took hold of the wolf's paw and gave it a squeeze. "We do," Mark replied, "and things will get better with time." The lupine squeezed back on the lion's paw as a figure stood at the doorway in waiting.
The nations accusing the United States had no solid evidence of how to link Red Fang to them. They didn't even have evidence of the countries that supported Maelstrom or even enough of a link to tie them to being funded by the Russian Government. On a global scale, the incidents are being handled as a national emergency caused by unknown technology used to attack world leaders and the people of the world. No blame could truly be laid on anyone in the public eye. In accordance with their orders, Red Fang was completely dissolved and disbanded to where they never existed. All of the arrested agents were released, soon learning that they were to destroy all evidence of ever being RF employees. The world was shaken; the threats of another attack drawing many nations to hold immediate changes in international policies and terror prevention. Douglas and Veronica left for the United Kingdom before the headquarters was destroyed; the thought of giving the final order of it's destruction being a huge burden to the bear. Uroso returned to his home in Italy along with Thomas to begin work on sealing off all of Red Fangs records and paying its large mass of employees worldwide their severance. The last known information received about Atlas was that he was being detained for crimes he committed in the country of Spain, his brother Jericho is presumed dead having escaped when he was under detainment.
"So we will be leaving tomorrow," Wolfe said as he sat on the front porch of the home he had grown up in. Jessica, Edward, Scott, and even Jeff had come by to help pack and see him off. They were upset, but with a degree of understanding when Wolfe had told them that out of Mark's and his own safety they had to leave. Wolfe had been approved to graduate early and had taken all of his exams to at least guarantee him an easy transition to an online program for his diploma. "Well, we will see you again eventually, it's just tough," Jessica said as she sat on the grass with Edward. "You'll all see me again one day, I'm sure of it," the lupine said in reassurance, "I'm planning on going to college out there anyways so it works out in a way." Scott patted the lupine on the back with a smile as Jeff rolled over onto his back and looked at the clouds above them. As they all looked up in the air someone called out to Wolfe from inside the house.
"Dad!" Wolfe called out as he stumbled down the stairs of their new home. "I'm trying to find them!" The lion called out from the kitchen, the sound of drawers being opened echoed. "This thing is bugging the hell out of me," Wolfe said as he held out a portion of the bandage out for Mark to cut with a pair of scissors. "Alright, alright..." Mark said as he held the blades and began to cut away the dressings. Once the last one was removed, the lupine pulled the small cover over his right eye away and turned to a mirror. He looked at himself and sighed at the reflection before him, a light scar over the eye with a dull white in his pupil. "It's not that bad," someone said coming down the stairs.
~~~~~~~ 12 years later ~~~~~~~
Wolfe sat at his desk filing out the remaining forms he had to send off in the morning for his purchase of a new office in the UK, where they would soon all be leaving to move to as well. He had finally started his own firm with Mark's guidance, along with Karen's pick of a great location in the Western side of London. As he closed up his laptop and rose, he stopped to look upon a picture frame on his desk. It was of him and Jacob back fourteen years ago when he got his drivers license. The wolf smiled as he took a stack of paper and slid it right into an envelope. He reached down for his briefcase before finding it was gone. 'That's odd, I remember setting it here,' he thought as he looked around the room and found it on the sofa. He shrugged as he grabbed it and pulled his coat out of the closet before leaving. Turning to lockup his office Steven called out to him from his desk. "Wolfe, don't you forget that Karen has dinner ready at seven," The fox said as he extended his paw for the envelope. "I wont forget," Wolfe said as he handed the envelope over and smiled. Steven chuckled, "And tell Mark he should bring some of that delicious cake he brought last week." "I'll give him a call in the car then," Wolfe said with a laugh, "I'll see you in an hour." With a nod he left through another door and down to the parking garage.
Wolfe walked leisurely to his vehicle, a light skip in his steps to announce his own excitement. He pulled open the driver's side door and climbed in before he reached into his coat pocket for a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Depressing the start switch on the dash, the interior dash panel burst to life and let out a roar from the engine. Rolling down his window, he shifted into reverse to pull his black beast from it's second home taking a glance into the mirrors. He was now thirty, his once youthful appearance showing the years now of a stronger, wiser wolf. He pulled the ramp of the parking structure and waited for a gap in the other moving vehicles to squeeze into. "Call from Mark," the vehicle spoke to him as it displayed a notification on the holographic display. "Answer," Wolfe said before he heard the lion call out his name. "Wolfe!" the lion cried out as he could be heard shutting the door to his flat, "What time is dinner at, buddy?" "Seven is what Steve said when I left," the lupine said as he flicked the ash of his cigarette out the window. "All right, I'm on my way there then. See you soon!" Mark said before ending the call after exchanging goodbyes.
Wolfe turned left onto a street leading out to the suburbs when his vehicle announced another caller to him. He grinned in pleasure as he commanded the assistant to answer.
As soon as Wolfe entered the door Karen called out to him to come help her in the kitchen. "Can you help me with these dishes up here?" She asked as she sat some plates on the counter. "Yeah, let me just get my coat off," he called out as he saw a tail move away from his line of sight. "Thank you", Karen said as the lupine walked in and grabbed a few of the plates and made his way to the dining room. "Dad is in the back yard I presume?" He moved around the table setting down glasses. "Yep, he got here awhile before you did," the fox said as she carried a large pot to the table and set it upon a potholder before greeting her husband. "Hello there sweetheart," Steve said as he planted a kiss on her cheek. As Steve turned to help his wife the clamor of fox kits ran past his feet in laughter. "Sorry Steve," Jessica laughed as she was followed by Edward who carried a car seat with another sleeping fox inside, "They're excited to be spending the week here and are both thrown off cause of jet-lag." "Babe, you gave them candy bars at the airport," Edward sighed as he shook his head, Jessica sticking his tongue at him. "GRR!!!" Wolfe said to the small kits who screamed in laughter at him as they ran around the table, making him smile.
As he set the table, a black tail swished outside his vision. "I'll cut it off damn it," the lupine grinned as he turned to Scott, who only chuckled. "You sure wont," Jeff said he groaned while holding onto a large box, "I'll be cutting it off myself if he doesn't go and get the other box from the car." "Hey! I'm helping!" The panther exclaimed to the ferret as he pointed to a corner for the box to be placed. "I'm gonna have Wolfe help hold you down, that's how I'm gonna help you," the ferret scowled as Scott quickly caught the wolf's willingness. Scott quickly ran out of the room, Jeff and Wolfe laughing. "How've you two been, Jeff?" The wolf asked as he began setting out plates. "Good, we moved to France last year," Jeff smiled as the panther carried a box into the room. "Great stuff, we'll be moving to London in a month, we'll be a good train ride from each other," Wolfe said as he pointed to an empty space for the box to be placed.
"Hey handsome stuff," Jessica said as she kissed the wolf on the cheek, "working hard?" "Yeah, just finished up work and I'm still working," the lupine said as he waved at Edward who was busy showing Karen their newest kit. "Just remember to be safe and give us a call anytime. Raising kids in France is a handful and I could always stand a cocktail and a chat," Jessica said before laughing with the wolf, panther, and ferret. "I'll call you more often then," He said as he finished setting the table. As he walked back to the kitchen he looked out the back door, seeing the lion talking to someone outside. Wolfe slid open the sliding glass and walked out grass, dodging the two fox kits bursting with energy.
"Hey there," Mark said as he turned to him. "Whom are you speaking to?" the wolf inquired seeing no one else with the cat. Just as he turned to look back from where he came he was suddenly tackled to the ground by a white beast slightly smaller than himself. Mark burst into laughter as Alex, now rolling with the wolf on the plush lawn and trying to pin him down, suddenly attacked Wolfe. Everyone inside heard the ruckus and briskly ran to the patio before chuckling to them. With the exchanges of growls and barks, Wolfe gained the upper hand and held the fox to the ground before licking the tip of his prey's nose. The two were covered in grass and dirt as they stared one another down sternly. "Hi honey," Wolfe said with a smile before nuzzling against the fox. "Hi baby," Alex said as he nuzzled back, kissing the wolf's cheek.
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There we go; short, sweet, and simple to tie everything up. I hope you all have enjoyed it and the whole series. This series took me around 4 years to actually write but I feel like I actually did a pretty good job evolving into a strong writer. Work on my two new series' has begun and I'm talking with a bunch of people who are encouraging me to write it about ideas and where to go. Until then, hope to see you all again when the new series comes out.
- WDE
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All characters, structure, scenario, and plot © 2011, 2013 Wolfe Dimitrivich Escada aka XenialShadow
All artists, music, brand names, company names, slogans, registers, and trademarks are copyright to their respective entities and used only to enhance the story.
The majority of the story is purely fictitious and is not to be taken into account in the event of coincidental reality.
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