Black Blood Chapter 4
#6 of Black Blood
New additions to the family can be both a wonderful experience and a stressful one...
Tom rubbed his eyes as they became heavier. He looked around and watched his father pace back and forth while his brother slept in the chair next to him. They'd been at the hospital for over four hours and it was well past the time they'd normally be in bed. "Dad?" Tom said with a groggy tone, but his father didn't respond. "Dad..." Again there was no response. Tom sighed, wondering how long they'd have to wait. He looked over at Ren lying back in his own chair. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep. Tom wished he could fall asleep, but the excitement was just barely keeping him awake.
As Tom watched his brother, Ren's eyes shot open. He immediately covered his ears and started moaning with pain. The shock made Tom's eyes widen as he watched his brother clutch his ears down. He looked around and noticed his father and many other Hunds in the room also had their hands on their heads reminiscent of having a headache. The only thing Tom could hear were the sounds of babies crying. Seconds passed before things calmed down. Ren shivered as he slowly let go of his ears. "What happened?" Tom asked.
A nearby door opened and out walked a nurse. "Mr. Renoir, you can see your wife now."
"Come on boys" Todd says as he motioned them to follow. Tom and Ren were wide awake now. Tom's heart beat with excitement while Ren's heart beat with anxiety and confusion from what happened moments prior. One by one they entered the room. There on the bed lay Mrs. Renoir and a new addition.
Sera looked at them and smiled. "Come say hello to Luna..."
Tom rushed over and gazed at the tiny Hund nestled into her mother. As Ren slowly approached from behind Todd walked around the bed and kissed his wife. He looked down. "She's beautiful" he said with pride.
Tom watched as his sister shifted slightly in her mother's arms. He smiled sheepishly, his eyes growing heavier as if his body finally had permission to fall asleep.
"He's been up all night..." Todd whispered into his wife's ear.
Sera smiled as she looked to Ren. "Ren, are you tired too?"
"A little..." Ren said as he rested himself against the bed. "I was sleeping until something woke me up..."
"Speaking of which..." Todd said. "Were your ears ringing a few minutes ago as well?"
"I can't recall..." Sera said. "I was a little preoccupied with this one here" she giggled.
"You said there was a ringing in your ears?" the Doctor asked.
"Yes?" Todd said hesitantly as he gazed at the white collar.
"What about your son?" the doctor pointed to Ren. "Did anything unusual happen with him?"
"He was... he was clutching his head."
"Did it hurt?" the doctor asked as he looked to Ren. He was met with a slow nod. "Well... that simplifies matters..." he grabbed a nearby clipboard and scavenged through the papers.
An unusual feeling of anxiety filled Todd. "What are you talking about?"
"Based on your accounts I can say with confidence that Luna is a white collar." The room fell silent.
"What?" Todd asked with a chuckle. "There's no way she's a white collar. We're both blue collars; a white can't be possible."
"It's actually more common than you think, Mr. Renoir. In fact, two blue collars are five times more likely to give birth to a white collar than to a black collar." He looked at Ren momentarily. "You two have done both. Perhaps you can do the impossible and your next child will be a red collar!" The doctor laughed.
"Doctor..." Sera said. "You're positive she's a white collar?"
"Yes, but if you're still having difficulty believing it I have a way to prove it." The doctor approached Sera and gently picked up Luna. "I apologize in advance..." The doctor said before he raised his paw and slapped it against Luna's bottom.
Screaming and crying filled the room. Todd and Sera grunted as a high-pitched ringing filled their heads. Ren whined as he fell to the floor clutching his ears for relief.
"What are you doing!?" Tom shouted as he tiredly glared at the doctor holding his crying sister.
"As expected... only the human and I are immune..." the doctor said.
"Let her go!" Tom shouted.
"Calm down..." the doctor said as he gently handed Luna back to her mother. Despite the pain, Sera patiently soothed her daughter until she calmed down. "Like all newborns, Luna can't control her own voice so it can be quite painful for blues and especially blacks to listen to her crying."
"It's... it's just going to be something to get used to..." Sera said as she nuzzled Luna.
"Right..." the doctor said with a sigh. "However... because of past incidents involving similar cases I am obligated to offer you an alternative."
"What kind of alternative?" Todd asked.
"Well..." the doctor cleared his throat. "Often times blue collars just can't handle the stress of raising a white collar child. Most often these young Hunds are abandoned and put into orphanages. What I'm about to offer can prevent that from ever happening with the two of you."
"Thank you for your concern, doctor" Sera said with a sigh. "But I'd just like to take Luna home."
"I understand how you must feel right now, Mrs. Renoir, but I must insist you listen to my proposal." No one spoke. "If you leave the child here... I guarantee she'll be adopted by a white collar family within a week. All medical expenses will be paid for in full."
Tom had no idea what the doctor was talking about. Half asleep, Tom could only catch a few words. "You can't have her!" Tom shouted.
"Please deal with your... son..." the doctor said with a glare.
"Come here..." Todd said as he lifted Tom up. "Let me handle this..." Todd said reassuringly to Tom as he brought his attention back to the doctor. "We're taking Luna home with us."
The doctor sighed with a disappointment. "I urge you to think about it some more. Don't endanger the life of your daughter because of your stubbornness."
"The answer is no, doctor." Sera said with a smile.
"You heard her, doc." Todd said with a smirk.
"Very well... she'll be released in two days." The doctor held the clipboard to his side as he walked past Todd towards the door. "I wish you all the best of luck."
Todd smiled as Tom shifted against his shoulder. "I think he's out for good this time..." Todd chuckled as he listened to Tom's light snoring.
"Poor thing..." Sera smiled. "I think we can call him in sick today."
Todd looked down and noticed Ren sitting on the ground, lying back against the hospital bed, his eyes struggling to stay open. "I think we all can call in sick today..."
Todd motioned Ren to stand. He knelt down and allowed Ren to rest himself on his father's free shoulder. "I've got you two..." Todd said as he secured his sons. He smiled as he and his wife gazed at one another. "Nothing's ever simple with our family, is it?"
Sera giggled as she gazed at her sons and then to Luna. "You know... I don't think I'd have it any other way."
"Ren!" a voiced boomed in the classroom, focused on the student napping on his desk. It didn't take long for him to raise his head, his red eyes widened. "That's the third time you've fallen asleep today. Why are you coming to class tired?"
Ren rubbed his stinging eyes while trying to not to stutter out the answer.
"It's our sister." Tom interjected. "Her crying has been keeping everyone awake at night..."
"I see..." the teacher said. "Regardless, it's your responsibility to get adequate sleep prior to class, Ren. I trust you won't do it a fourth time..."
"No ma'am..." Ren solemnly said with a soft yawn.
Not long after the teacher turned her back to the class did Tom notice Ren's eyes start to flicker again. Tom quickly tapped Ren's shoulder, making his eyes wide again. Ren looked at Tom, his face showing a mild annoyance which quickly turned into appreciation as he watched the teacher face the class again.
For three class periods the routine continued in which Tom kept Ren awake at the smallest hint of dozing off. Only when lunch time arrived was Ren able let loose on his desk. It didn't take more than ten seconds for the young Hund to drift off.
Tom let out a sigh of relief of having been able to keep Ren out of anymore trouble. "An hour should hold you until we get home..." Tom said under his breath. "Then you'll be able to get some sleep..." Tom's mind became skeptical as he thought about the condition back home. "I hope..."
As Tom entered his house he noticed it was quiet; a good sign. He glanced over at the living room and noticed the crib had been moved downstairs. He approached it and noticed Luna sleeping inside. He looked up and saw his mother sleeping on the couch. Tom knew none of his family have gotten much sleep since Luna came home four days ago.
A small slam echoed through the house as Ren unintentionally closed the door with too much force. Tom's body stiffened as he looked down and noticed Luna's eyes starting to move. Tom kept still knowing any more loud sounds would most likely... The sound of Ren dropping his bag to the ground sounded through the room. Tom watched as Luna's eyes opened slowly. Her face contorted and a small whine started to escape her muzzle. Tom closed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable.
As soon as the first scream echoed out of Luna's lungs Tom's mother jerked up in a daze. Behind Tom he could also hear the groaning of Ren as he ran upstairs to escape the crying. "Thomas!" his mother said with annoyance. "Did you wake Luna up?"
"No mom" Tom replied. "I was only watching."
Sera reached into the crib and gently pulled Luna out. She rocked Luna in her arms as she tried desperately to calm her down. "Now, now, Luna... No need to cry... please..." Tom didn't say a word as he spectated his mother. It took a few minutes before Luna finally calmed down, but it didn't seem like she was going back to sleep. "All rested up?" Sera asked with a smile as she carried Luna with her to the couch and sat back. She looked up at Tom with red eyes. "How was school today?" she asked with as much of a smile she could muster.
"Alright..." Tom responded, uneasy with how sick his mother looked right in front of him. The last four nights may have been restless for his father and Ren, but for his mother this was her sixth day dealing with Luna.
"That's good..." his mother said as she laid her head back and sighed. "Be sure to do your homework..."
"I will..." Tom said as his focus went from his mother to Luna lying in her arms. Tom smiled as he got closer. He stuck out his finger in front of Luna and watched. At the orphanage all the young Hunds would usually try to grab his finger, but... "Ow..." Tom said under his breath. He hadn't expected Luna nip at his finger. Tom watched as Luna continued to teeth on his finger for a few moments before letting go. Thankfully that little bit of effort seemed to tire her out as her eyes started to shut. Tom looked down at his finger covered with shallow scratched and bite marks from Luna's recently emerged teeth. Tom carefully reached down and took ahold of Luna. Their mother was too out of it to feel the shift. Tom gently placed Luna back in the crib. He looked back and was glad everything was calm again. Very slowly, Tom walked out of the room and upstairs, rubbing his finger in his shirt.
Inside his bedroom he chuckled when he saw Ren passed out on the bed. As quietly as he could, Tom went to the desk and placed his school material on top. He decided to get a jump on homework tonight. Tom dreaded the concept of tackling these problems without Ren's help, but it was a sacrifice he was willing to take.
An hour passed. Tom groaned slightly as he gazed at his progress. He was probably only a quarter of the way done with all his homework. Tom again considered waking Ren up and asking for his help. With him, he'd probably be able to figure out the rest of his homework is about thirty minutes. Tom groaned softly as he laid his arms on the desk and rested his head on top. He decided to wait. Perhaps when their dad came home and they've eaten dinner he'd be rested enough to help.
No sooner had Tom had this thought did he hear the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. He wondered if his father was going to take a nap as well. Tom sighed. Dinner probably wasn't going to happen until really late tonight. A slam echoed and Tom's head rose with anxiety. There was no pause this time; a familiar crying started echoing throughout the house. Behind Tom Ren flinched as he was practically forced awake. He tried to drown out the crying by sandwiching his ears between the pillows. It didn't seem to help much.
Tom walked out into the hallway. The sounds of shouting started mixing in with the crying. "Don't tell me how tired you are!" Tom's mind filled with anxiety as he heard his father shouting. "I haven't had any decent sleep in four days and I still have to work eight hours a day with no rest! I'm sure you've had plenty of chances to take a nap or two here."
"Dear... your voice isn't helping the situation..." Sera said with irritation as she tried to calm Luna down.
"My voice doesn't have anything to do with this! Our voices don't have anything to do with this! She doesn't hear what we hear!"
"That's not the point!" Sera snapped. "Would you act like an adult - like a father!"
Todd was taken aback by her words. "Oh... so you think I'm bad father? "Everything I've done up until now has been for Ren's sake!"
"Dad..." Tom said as he stood at the bottom step of the stairs.
"What!?" Todd shouted.
Tom's eyes widened. A familiar feeling of fear crept up his spine as he gazed into his father's glare. Tears began to well up in his eyes as his father's expression softened into shock. Tom ran upstairs.
"Why does this keep happening...?" Todd sighed, dejected.
Sera approached Todd with anger and smacked him in the face. "Go apologize to him!" she growled, her teeth bared.
"Yeah..." Todd said softly as he walked upstairs.
Tom leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. He rubbed his eyes, wiping away the last of his tears. A soft groan escaped his throat as he heard a soft knock on the door. He turned his head and saw his father. "Come on..." his father said, ashamed. "Let's go for a ride..." Tom didn't say anything as he slowly stood up and walked past his father. His father shook his head as he turned around and followed.
"Where are we going?" Tom asked finally as the two got in the car.
"To get something to eat..." his father said as they pulled out of the driveway.
"Oh..." Tom said, surprised. He'd gotten used to only home-cooked meals. A moment of silence passed before Tom asked, "Are you mad at me?"
"What!?" Todd blurted out.
Tom tensed slightly. "You shouted again..."
Todd groaned. "Your mother and I are... under a lot of stress right now. I try not to let myself get angry, but..." a yawn echoed from his muzzle. "Lack of sleep makes it difficult to stay calm... even your mother becomes... physical. But... that's not an excuse to take it out on you." Tom looked at his father. "I'm so sorry for shouting at you."
"So..." Tom said softly. "If you got more sleep... would things be better?"
His father yawned again. "That would be nice... but we're at your sister's mercy for the time being..."
Tom sighed, wondering how long it would take before things went back to normal. The only way that was going to happen is if his family were actually able to get any sleep. He closed his eyes and grinned as he thought of an idea.
Tom waited as he lay in his bed. He watched the light shining through under the door. When it went black Tom slowly got out of his bed and crept out with his bag. He gazed down the hallway and noticed the lights in his parent's room go dark. He slowly walked down the hall and turned right into the nursery. He closed the door, placed his bag down and approached the slightly illuminated corner of the room where Luna slept.
Tom gazed over the side and watched as Luna lay there peacefully sleeping. He sat back and gazed up at the ceiling. For the first time he realized something glimmering above him; tiny stars that glowed in the dark. "Didn't have anything like this..." Tom smiled as he thought back to the Orphanage, to all the constant crying. "I don't think you can be any worse than many of them..." Tom said under his breath as he gazed down at Luna, her eyes open.
"Well hi..." Tom said with a whisper as he and his sister looked at each other. "How are you?" He was met with a vacant stare. Tom chuckled as he gazed around the room. It seemed he'd be able to handle almost anything his little sister threw at him. "Please don't get hungry tonight..." Tom chucked as he glanced back at his sister who just stared back.
Tom softly tapped his fingers against the crib, figuring out what he should do. He noticed his sister's eyes focus on his tapping fingers. Tom slowly extended his left hand down, waving his fingers in all directions. Luna was transfixed by the wiggling digits moving in every direction. A small giggle escaped her muzzle as she tried to reach out and grab one. Tom smiled and let his fingers get closer. He stopped once he she grabbed his index finger. She weakly tugged on it. Tom allowed her to drag it closer.
"Ow!" Tom muffled his scream as he felt a familiar pain. He cringed as he looked down and saw his sister gnawing on his finger. Tom sighed as he allowed his sister to continue, not wanting to risk upsetting her.
After a minute or so Luna released her brother's finger. She let out a little yawn as her eyes started to close. Tom wiped off his scratched-up finger. "Why do you only bite me?" Tom asked jokingly. He saw an opportunity in Luna's renewed slumber and went to his bag. Inside was his incomplete class work.
Two hours passed before a low cry echoed in the room. Tom quickly got to his feet and approached Luna. "What's wrong with..." Tom stopped as his nose found the answer. He gently picked Luna up and laid her on the changing table. He checked underneath and found some wipes and fresh diapers. As Tom unstrapped Luna's diaper he looked down and saw those eyes again staring up at him.
A few wipes later Tom placed Luna in her new diaper and strapped it into place. Tom smiled when he heard Luna giggle from satisfaction. Tom held Luna in his arms and looked down. "Ready to go back to sleep?" Tom asked with optimism as he carried Luna back to her crib. After gently laying her down he watched, waiting for her to fall back asleep, but she didn't close her eyes. "Not tired?" Tom chuckled with a sigh as he leaned against the crib. "So... what do you want to do?" Tom asked as he gazed down.
Luna lifted her paws up and motioned them as though she was reaching for something. "Oh boy..." Tom sighed as he looked down at his left hand. "You want this, don't you?" Tom said as he again wiggled his fingers over Luna. Her gaze immediately went to his digits, trying in vain to grab one. Tom cautiously lowered his fingers down. It didn't take long for Luna to grab hold of one and start gnawing on it again.
The chewing went on for about five minutes this time. Tom sighed with relief when Luna finally let his finger go and let out a yawn. Tom chuckled. "So that's the key, huh?" Tom watched as Luna fell back to sleep. "Great..." Tom said as he watched a few drops of blood roll down his slickened finger.
Another three and a half hours passed before Luna woke up again. By now Tom's eyes were heavy. He slowly made his way back to the crib. Luna reached up with her paws again. "One more time..." Tom sighed as he lowered his fingers down. He felt Luna grab his finger and pull. Tom winched at the initial bite, but then there was nothing. He looked down and watched as Luna started licking his abused finger. Tom relaxed, enjoying his sister's change of pace. He gazed down and watched her lick at the scratches. His scratches began to sting as Luna's licking pressured some blood out of the small wounds.
"What the..." Tom's eyes widened as he watched his little sister lapping up the steady stream of blood trickling out of the various scratches. Soon Luna bit down harder than she had before, opening a deeper scratch. Tom's body tensed as he watched Luna's tongue lap at the fresh cut. "Stop that!" Tom said as he yanked his finger out of his sister's muzzle. A familiar noise began to rise. "Forget it. I'm done." Tom said as he scrambled to grab bag and rush out the door.
By the time Tom had gotten back to his room Luna's crying reached full force. Tom placed his bag down as he heard his brother's moans. He could hear the door to his parent's room open.
Tom swallowed hard as he quickly got into his bed. His body shook, trying to understand what he just witnessed. Images of his sister nipping his finger for blood kept playing in his mind over and over again. He clutched his finger in his shirt, letting the fabric absorbs the blood. "Why?" Tom asked himself. He pictured all children he helped at the orphanage and how none of them ever bit him or... Tom gulped. "Is it because she's a white collar?"
Tom rolled to his side and gazed and glowing number on his alarm clock. It was almost four in the morning. A soft smile formed on Tom's face. "At least I got them six hours of sleep..."
Tom let out a soft yawn as he watched the teacher write on the board. He looked down at his homework and grimaced at all the red marks. Despite his best efforts he wasn't ready to tackle these kind of problems on his own yet.
Tom glanced over at Ren and noticed how much more active he was compared to the past few days. Tom smiled, knowing he had accomplished something.
A knock at the door got everyone's attention. In walked a familiar face to Tom. "Already..." Tom groaned under his breath as the white collar who had became so personal with Tom's face two weeks ago returned.
"Well, Emrik, welcome back" the teacher cleared her throat. "If you would just head to your seat and..." before she could finish the principal walked though.
"Not so fast..." he spoke. "Emrik has one more thing to do... isn't that right?" he glared at the young wolf Hund who refused to make eye contact. A timid nod was all he gave. "Then get to it."
Emrik took a deep breath and walked through the aisle of chairs until he stopped right in front of Tom's desk. Tom glared at Emrik with tired eyes as he watched the Hund roll his eyes and clenched his teeth.
"We're waiting..." the principal said a deep tone which caused Emrik to straighten up.
"I'm..." Emrik said through his teeth. "I'm sorry for... you know..."
"Speak up and say it right!" the principal said with a higher volume.
Emrik tensed and his mouth ran. "I'm sorry for attacking you wrongfully and promise never to do it again!"
"Are you satisfied with his apology, Thomas?" the principal asked.
Tom watched with amusement as Emrik's eyes widened. He was so tempted to just say no and continue Emrik's embarrassment, but his mind had other things on its mind. "You're lucky I'm not in the mood for this..." Tom whispered so that only Emrik could hear him. Emrik's eyes glanced at Tom's. Tom sighed and nodded his head. "It was good" he said so the principal could hear.
"Very well" the principal said. "Now get to your seat." Emrik wasted no time. The principal looked over to the teacher. "So sorry to have interrupted your class. Please, carry on." The teacher only nodded in acknowledgment. As the principal opened the door he peered over his shoulder and gazed at the class. "Behave, all of you..."
Tom looked around and watched as everyone's bodies stiffened up. Only when the door clicked behind the principal did everyone collectively relax. Tom let out another yawn as he glanced at the clock, counting down the time until lunch.
"What's wrong with you?" Ren asked as he stood over Tom's shoulder.
"I'm just tired..." Tom said weakly as he laid his head on his desk.
"Oh..." Ren sat at his seat. He looked around the empty classroom. "You have a bad dream last night?"
Tom's eyes cracked open as his finger started to itch. "Something like that..."
"Think you'll have it again tonight?"
"I really hope not..." Tom groaned as he eyes shut again.
"So... want anything from the cafeteria?"
"If you're hungry go ahead and go..." Tom whispered.
"Ok..." Ren said. "I'll be back as quickly as I can."
"Alright..." Tom muttered. The sound of the door clicking was the final signal for his mind to blank out.
Minutes passed before Tom's eyes flew open as he felt his entire desk shift. He looked around in a dazed panic before his eyes focused on the Hund in front of him. Tom groaned as he laid his head back down. "What do you want?"
"Where's the defiant human from before?"
"Trying to take a nap. Go away."
Emrik chuckled. "Don't think things between me and you are done. I'll put you in your place one way or another."
"I told you before... I'm not in mood to care about anything that you say. Now go away."
"Fine" Emrik smirked as he approached the door. "I assume your 'brother' is eating lunch?"
Tom's eyes opened with a glare. "Why?"
"No reason..." Emrik chuckled as he closed the door behind him.
"Oh no you don't..." Tom said under his breath as he stood up. Tom rubbed his eyes as he quickly left the classroom.
"Want to take a nap before we get started on homework?" Ren asked as he watched Tom collapse on his bed. "I guess that's a yes..." Ren giggled.
Tom's body went limp. Emrik and his friends made it impossible for Tom to put down his guard. "Stupid white collars..." Tom mumbled into his pillow. His mind drifted from Emrik and his friends to Luna gnawing at his finger. "You all just have it out for me..." Tom's mind went blank.
"Tom..." what seemed like a voice in the distance got louder and louder every time it echoed. "Tom." His eyes flew open. He looked up and saw Ren standing over him. "Dinner's ready." Tom gazed at his clock. To his surprise he'd been asleep for over an hour. It certainly didn't feel like he'd slept at all, though. Tom slowly pushed himself out of bed.
Tom didn't say a single word the entire time he was at the table. He only watched as his parents' demeanor resembled the ones he was used to. Tom smiled as he took another bite.
"Tom you've been awfully quiet today" his mother said. "Are you feeling alright?"
"Just tired, mom" Tom responded. Again more talk of how well-rested they felt this morning. Tom was happy for them, but wished they would stop unwittingly rubbing it in his face.
"Want to get started on homework?" Ren asked as they walked up the stairs. Tom nodded his head.
As Tom gathered his school work and sat down Ren closed the door and joined him. "Sorry about not helping you yesterday..." Ren said as he opened the first text book.
"It's fine." Tom said with a yawn. "Have to get used to it sooner or later, right?"
"Yeah..." Ren said as he brought up a page of math problems. "You know how to do these kind of problems, right?" Tom glanced over and stared at the page. He nodded his head. "Alright, try to do as many as you can without my help." Tom only responded with another yawn as he started writing the problems down.
After they finished their math and science homework Ren pulled out a language arts book. Tom let out another yawn as he stretched his body upwards. Ren placed the book on the desk, but didn't open it. He looked at Tom with sad eyes. "What's wrong?" Ren asked.
"Huh?" Tom was caught off guard. "Nothing's wrong... just tired."
Ren looked down and sighed. "Is that all? You're usually more enthusiastic than this... I'm not used to you being this quiet..."
Tom placed his hand on Ren's head. "Oh, am I boring you?"
"No!" Ren said with a yip. He was met with a laugh as Tom lightly tussled his head fur. "I'm just worried about you... I thought with Emrik coming back..."
"Forget him; he's not worth getting worried over."
Ren peered at the scars on Tom's left cheek. He felt his chest sink as he remembered that day. "If... if you say so..."
The lights went off around the house. Tom had decided to turn in for the night not long after he and Ren finished their homework. Tom debated in his mind whether or not he should work another "night shift." On one hand he wanted to make sure his family didn't regress back to their exhausted states. On the other hand, however, Tom couldn't help but think about what Luna did to fall back asleep. He had avoided interacting with her since he came home. One night shouldn't be too bad, he thought.
The next morning Tom awoke with enthusiasm. He felt he could take on Emrik with his revitalized energy. He peered over at Ren and his enthusiasm faded. He could already tell something was wrong when he noticed Ren squeezing the pillow over his head. Faint whines of exhaustion could be heard escaping from his throat. "Oh no..." Tom said as he looked at the clock; Ren didn't have any more time to sleep. "Ren..." Tom gently nudged Ren. "Ren... you have to get ready for school." A whine echoed from Ren as he pulled his head out from under the pillow. The fur on his face was matted in every direction. On any other day Tom would have laughed from the sight, but he was too distracted by his brother's blood-shot eyes to find any humor from it.
Tom kept an eye on Ren to make sure he didn't fall asleep in class. Thankfully it wasn't as bad as it had been a few days ago, but Ren's desperation for some sleep with still evident. When the lunch bell rang Ren interpreted it as nap time. Tom sighed as he leaned back and glared at their guest behind them.
"Aw... did the runt not get enough sleep?" Emrik chuckled as he leaned forward. "Wake up!" he shouted. Ren's ears straightened and his eyes flew open. A gasp escaped him as his heart rate jumped drastically.
"Don't you have something better to do!?" Tom shouted.
"Maybe" Emrik responded. "But nothing as amusing as this..." his eyes wandered back to Ren who was closing his eyes again. "No sleeping!" Ren's widened, exposing its reddened hue to Tom.
"Let's take this into the hall" Tom said as he stood up.
"With pleasure" Emrik smiled as he jumped out of his seat.
As they left Tom said to Ren "Go ahead and get some rest." Ren narrowed his eyes as he watched his brother close the door behind him.
"About time you showed some backbone" Emrik said with a smirk.
"Why are you doing this?" Tom furrowed his gaze.
Emrik stared at him with a blank expression. "Because I don't like humans."
"You and every other white collar" Tom clenched his fists. "Why are you involving my brother?"
"Besides the fact it's what gets the biggest reaction from you? He's a runt; all he's good for is following orders. It's his purpose in life to obey us - something you are getting in the way of."
Tom shook his head. "You white collars are all insane. Are you all born with this attitude!?"
"Let me put it this way, human" Emrik snarled. "Every time I see your face, every time I hear your voice, even when I smell your scent the blood in me boils. If I could I would attack you again and make your right side match your left, but my father would get upset..."
Tom noticed a slight twitch in Emrik when he finished that last part. "What did he do? Yell at you? Beat you?" Tom watched as Emrik's tail drooped slightly. "You know... I'm guessing that all that fur must hide bruises pretty well, huh?"
A growl started to echo from Emrik. His teeth became bared.
Tom smirked. "Considering you were suspended... I can only imagine how your father reacted."
"He praised me for what I did!" Emrik shouted.
"Oh I believe that, but then... why are you restraining yourself now? Don't you want to make daddy proud of you?"
"Shut your diseased mouth!"
"You must have done something awful to piss him off. Like I said, suspension is hardly praise-worthy. Was it the first time he beat you? Or is that how he spends quality time with you?"
"Shut up!" Emrik rushed forward and held Tom against the class door.
Tom gazed into Emrik's rage-filled eyes. "I won't pretend that I understand white collars or Hunds in general, but right now I can tell by you not assaulting me what it was that got you in trouble." Emrik huffed. Tom leaned his head forward. "I'm curious... if you hurt me right now would your father be happy or upset when you get home?"
Emrik winced as he eased his grip on Tom. "Seems like I know now what gets the biggest reaction out of you. You push my buttons, I'll push yours right back." Tom turned and reached for the door knob. He gazed back at Emrik who kept his eyes closed as he stared at the floor. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry for the way he treats you."
"I don't want your pity..." Emrik chuckled. "One of these days you are going to make a mistake. When that happens I will make you pay for talking down to me!" Emrik huffed and dashed away.
Tom sighed as he opened the door. He noticed his brother's eyes opening and closing; deciding on whether to fall asleep or not. Tom took his seat next to his brother. "Hey, you don't have to stay up. Go ahead and take a nap."
"Did he do anything to you?" Ren looked to his brother.
"No. We just talked."
"So you're ok?" Ren asked, his eyes getting heavier.
"I'm good."
Ren smiled as he laid his head over his arms. "That's good..."
Tom leaned back and gazed at the white ceiling. He let out a little sigh knowing full well that Ren would probably be too tired to help him with his homework. He wondered if he'd be able to finish all of it only for it to get so many red marks on them. "Looks like we both suffer when you're tired..." Tom sighed as he closed his eyes, knowing full well what he needed to do.
Tom lay on the ground, staring up at the star-filled ceiling. Above him he could hear his little sister shuffling and making a few whines. Tom sighed. It had been perhaps over two hours since his parents went to bed and finally Luna woke up. Tom propped himself up and stood over the crib. He looked down and watched as Luna set her eyes on him. She smiled and lifted her paws towards him with a giggle.
Tom just stared at Luna and her twitching digits. "Why?" Tom asked as he dangled his left hands right out of Luna's reach. "You want me to bleed too, huh? Is that all you white collars want from me?" Luna started to get frustrated and let out a few whines as she tried to grab hold of Tom. Tom slowly lowered his hand. "You'll grow up hating me, won't you?" He watched as Luna reached out and grabbed his index finger and pinky. He looked away as he allowed his sister to take control and pulled his hand downwards.
He felt Luna's teeth nibble on his middle finger. He could tell the skin had been punctured when Luna's biting turned into licking. Tom stared at the ground as Luna had her way. Tom felt Luna's licking trail from the tip of his finger down to its base and then to the palm of his hand. He felt a cool sensation on his palm as Luna sniffed it. Tom turned as the pattern continued; lick and sniff. Luna pulled his hand closer and nuzzled the side of her muzzle against it. Tom giggled from the slight tickling sensation. Luna's movements became slower and weaker as her eyes began to close. She rubbed the side of her head against Tom's hand one last time before her arms dropped down. Her head leaned against his palm.
Tom remained still. He gazed down at his hand which had become his sister's own personal pillow. He shifted his fingers, gently rubbing behind her ear. Luna shifted slightly, pushing her head against his palm. Tom smiled as he continued to rub her head gently. "You know what Luna..." Tom whispered. "Promise me you won't be like them..."
Sorry for the huge delay between chapters
Please comment / critique so I can improve for the next chapter
Thank you to those who have been patient, and I hope the newcomers will enjoy