Black Blood Chapter 5
#7 of Black Blood
Sometimes it can hurt to know too much...
Tom's eyes wandered around the cafeteria. He watched for sudden shifts and the familiar faces of those who were a constant burden on him. It had been almost three months since his and Emrik's confrontation outside the classroom. Tom had hoped that would have been the end of it, but instead Emrik's fellow kin and ilk took over for him. Tom was used to dealing with one white collar, but a dozen of them were starting to take its toll on him.
"You alright?" Tom's eyes focused on his brother sitting across from him. "You haven't touched your lunch..."
Tom glanced down at the pile of food on his tray, no doubt almost completely cold by now. "Yeah... I'm just not hungry." Tom's eyes looked up and noticed something behind Ren's right shoulder. At the table where all of the white collars congregated his gaze was met by two of the white collars. It only took a nod from one of them for all of them to stare in unison. Tom fought back the urge to glare at them as they all mockingly swiped their claws over their faces.
"Is that all it is?" Ren asked, his face showed a sense of seriousness Tom has rarely ever seen. "First it seems you haven't been getting any sleep and now you're skipping meals and staring off into space. What's wrong Tom?"
Tom shook his head. "Nothing's wrong Ren..."
Ren sighed and stared at the table. "You don't trust me, do you?"
"Ren, that's not..."
"Stop lying!" Ren shouted, surprising the Hunds sitting around them. Tom gazed at Ren's eyes filled with a tinge of rage. "Why can't you tell me what's actually bothering you?"
Tom closed his eyes. "Ren... this is something I don't want you to worry about..."
"I could help if you told me..."
"Isn't that cute..." Tom's eyes flew open. His eyes quickly focused on the white collar standing right behind Ren. She placed her muzzle next to Ren's ear. "Push the human's tray into his lap." Before Tom could open his mouth Ren's arms involuntarily extended and dumped the tray over the edge onto Tom's lap. Tom held back his groan as he wiped the cold, excess food off of him.
Ren's ears pinned to his head when he realized what he had done. "I'm so sorry!" Ren said as he grabbed some napkins.
"You should really learn how to eat at the table..." the white collar chuckled as she walked away, her tail wagging with satisfaction.
Tom's eyes shifted to the apologetic face of his brother offering him the napkins. "It's not your fault Ren..." Tom reached out and grabbed the napkins. As he wiped off his pants Ren gazed back at the group of white collars laughing and then back to Tom. A small whine echoed out of his muzzle.
"So what is this 'winter break' everyone is talking about?" Tom asked as he and Ren walked home from the bus stop.
"Everyone gets two weeks off from school."
"Really?" Tom asked in amazement. "Why?"
"I don't know." Ren said as he shrugged his shoulder. Mom says it was adopted from human culture."
"Really?" Tom wondered out loud as he gazed at the overcast above. "Did mom tell you anything else about humans?"
"Yeah. Did you know there were over eight billion humans at one point?"
"Is that a lot?" Tom asked.
"Yeah. There were four times as many humans than Hunds!"
"Wow... I wonder what that must have been like..." Tom chuckled. "It's hard to believe Hunds were the minority once..." Tom stopped. "Do you... know how many are left?"
Ren turned around and shook his head. "Mom or dad might know..." Tom nodded his head as he moved forward to catch up with Ren. "Do you..." Ren stuttered. "Do you wish there were more humans around?"
"That would be cool..." Tom closed his eyes. "I've never seen another human in person..." A chuckle echoed. "I doubt I'll ever get that chance though..."
"Sorry..."
"What are you sorry for?"
"You'd probably be happier with a human family... Having someone you could relate to..."
"What's going on with you?" Tom asked as he stopped in front of Ren.
"I've asked you the same thing, over and over, but you never answer... why can't you be honest with me?"
"Ren..." Tom took a deep breath. "It's something that only I need to deal with."
"No!" Ren shouted. "Let me help you! I don't know how much help I can be but I want to ease your pain..." The two stared at each other. "You don't need to do everything by yourself..."
Tom bit his lip. As grateful as he was that Ren wanted to help, how could he just tell his brother that all his problems stem from him being a black collar? Tom slowly shook his head side to side.
A dejected whine escaped Ren's throat. "Would... would things be better if I was a human?"
Tom's eyes widened as he tried to find the words to reassure his brother- even just a simple no, but nothing came out. Tears started forming in Ren's eyes as he took Tom's silence as a confirmation. Ren sniffled as he walked past Tom. "Sorry I'm such a burden..."
"That's not true..." Tom said so softly that not even he could hear his own words. His own eyes started to tear up. Tom took a deep breath and wiped his eyes into his sleeve. "Ren!" Tom shouted as he turned his head. He watched as Ren slowly came to a stop. After a few seconds of just standing in place Ren hesitantly turned around to face his brother. Tom took this as his cue to approach his brother.
Ren remained silent as Tom approached. "Alright..." Tom muttered. Ren's ears involuntarily popped up in confusion. "I'll let you help."
It took a moment for it to register in Ren's head but soon he couldn't keep himself from cracking a smile as he wiped his eyes. "What do you need?" Ren asked as the two started walking side-by-side.
"I need some information."
"Wait. Would that actually work?" Tom asked as sat down on his bed.
"It should." Ren replied as he closed the bedroom door behind him. "White collars are always fighting each other over who's in charge."
"But I'm not a Hund. Would the same rules even apply for a human?"
"I think so." Ren closed his eyes. "You know when Emrik... did that..." Ren pointed to Tom's cheek. Tom nodded. "Do you know why he was suspended?"
"I think it must have something to do with me." Tom replied. "Ever since he came back he's been trying to get me to fight him, but he won't throw any punches like the first time..."
Ren groaned as things started to become clear. "So that's what they've been doing..." He shook his head in disgust. "If you make the first move then the fight becomes fair."
Tom remained silent as he thought it over. "So... if I won a fight against those white collars... I'd have dominance over them?
"Yep."
"And I could use that to make them leave us alone?"
"Us?" Ren's ears shot straight up. "Oh... they've been using me too, huh?" A low growl echoed from Ren's throat as he shook nodded his head. "Yeah... they should listen to you."
"Even though I'm not a Hund?"
Ren shrugged his shoulders. "I don't see why not... though I've never actually heard about it happening."
Tom chuckled. "You know what? Let's just pretend I'm a Hund!"
"What?" Ren chuckled from the sudden proclamation.
"I should just consider myself a Hund so there won't be any confusion."
Ren laughed. "You can't just become a Hund!"
"Why not?" Tom smiled. "I've been surrounded by them all my life. My whole family are all Hunds, so why shouldn't I be able to be one as well?"
Ren stopped laughing. He looked down at the floor. "What's wrong with you being a human?"
Tom suddenly felt his chest sink from the question. "I have no regrets being born a human, Ren, but I just want to identify with everyone else."
"I think you being unique is the best part about you, Tom." Ren smiled as he let out a soft sigh. "So... which collar?"
"Huh?"
"Which collar would you wear if you were a Hund?"
Tom stared up at the ceiling. "You know... I don't think any of them really fit me..." Ren tilted his head in confusion. Tom smirked. "I'll be a new kind of Hund; I'll be one who doesn't wear a collar!"
"Doesn't wear a collar...?" Ren asked, dumbfounded.
"Yep. I'll be a Collarless Hund!" Tom shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, I have to stay unique somehow, right?"
Ren smiled a toothy grin as he jumped forward and tackled Tom on the bed. Tom let out a gasp of surprise as he was suddenly being pinned by his brother. "Alright... Collarless Hund..." Ren giggled. "If a little black collar can pin you... what chance will you have against Emrik?"
"I guess I'll have to hope he has the same weakness as you!" Tom announced as he shifted his hands upwards into the pits of his brother. A howl of laughter escaped Ren's muzzle as he rolled away from Tom, clutching his arms against his body. Tom showed mercy on his brother and laid down opposite of Ren.
Ren took a few deep breaths. "So... you aren't really going to fight Emrik, are you?"
"Yep."
Ren remained silent as he gazed at Tom's scars. "Please don't..."
"I have to do it, Ren."
"No you don't!" Ren whined. "You're going to get hurt!"
"Most likely." Tom chuckled. "But I've had enough of him and his friends causing trouble for the two of us. If Emrik wants a fight then I'm eager to give it to him."
"It's not worth it, Tom..."
"It is to me, Ren."
"Why!?"
"I intend to keep my promise."
Ren sighed as he resigned himself. Despite his best efforts he to stifle it, he couldn't help but grin.
Tom walked through the aisles of chairs as Ren stayed close behind. Tom stopped in front of the sparsely populated table procured by the few white collars. Their reaction was instantaneous as their gazes focused on Tom. Tom's eyes were focused just on the black wolf of the group. "Emrik..."
"Well if it isn't the plague coming to spread its disease." Emrik said as he focused on his meal. "What do you want?"
"I've come to challenge you." The entire table went still. Tom watched as a toothy grin etched its way onto Emrik's face. Tom could almost taste the excitement Emrik was feeling as he watched his body shake in anticipation.
"You challenge me?"
"Yes."
"It's about time..." Emrik smirked as he stood up from his table. He whispered something to another white collar who then dashed off. "Let's go somewhere a bit more spacious."
"Lead the way..." Tom said as Emrik and his friends made their way through the cafeteria. It didn't take long for the entire place to go silent as word of what was about to transpire spread from Hund to Hund. Tom watched as Emrik's friends spaced themselves into a haphazard circle, using their bodies to cordon off a small, open area.
"What are you waiting for?" Emrik teased as he walked into the small area. "The fight starts in here."
As Tom took a step forward he felt something tugging at his arm. When he turned his head he watched as Ren latched onto his arm. "Please Tom... don't..." Ren pleaded.
"It's too late now, Ren." Tom said as he slowly pried himself from Ren's grip and walked into the fighting zone. Within moments all the other Hunds in the cafeteria started to surround themselves around the white collar circle. Tom sighed as he watched Emrik showoff that he was having the time of his life. "Shall we start then?"
"Just wait a little bit" Emrik smiled. "There's someone I want to be present for this fight. He should be here any moment now... ah there he is."
Tom followed Emrik's gaze to the cafeteria doors closing behind the principal. Everyone went silent and remained still as the principal approached the circle. The Hunds in his way quickly shifted themselves so as to not get in his way. "This is certainly a surprise..." The principal said as he came to stand between Tom and Emrik. "Though... it truly was only a matter of time..." he said as he gazed at Tom. "Emrik... is my presence really necessary here?"
"Well sir..." Emrik stuttered, half excited, half nervous. "I just wanted to make sure nothing like last time happens again."
"No... we wouldn't want that, would we?" he stared at Emrik who only weakly nodded back. "Now Thomas..."
"Yes?"
"You are the one who declared the challenge, correct?" Tom nodded his head. "Well to make sure there is no room for error, you shall be given the first hit against Emrik..." his eyes shifted. "Which he will not defend himself against." His eyes returned to Tom. "After that he is free to fight back. Do you understand?" Tom nodded slowly. "Good. Then on your go." The principal walked into the crowd of onlookers.
Tom swallowed as he approached Emrik. "What's wrong?" Emrik mocked. "Nervous? You better make sure your first hit counts..." Tom tightened his fist as he glared into Emrik's amber eyes. Tom pulled back his arm and threw it straight at Emrik's left cheek. Tom felt his knuckles dig into the wolf's fur before making contact. Emrik's head turned away from the punch and remained still for a moment. "Not good enough..." Emrik grinned as he twisted his body and slammed his paw straight into Tom's stomach.
Tom lurched forward as the air in his lungs was forced out. As his upper body leaned forward Emrik sent a kick straight into Tom's chest. As Emrik's foot made contact Tom managed to latch onto Emrik's leg, pulling the Hund backwards with him. As Tom's back impacted the floor he released Emrik's leg, causing him to stumble past him. Tom quickly got to his feet as Emrik balanced himself out. Tom charged forward, aiming another punch at Emrik's head.
Emrik chuckled as he ducked beneath Tom's punch and grabbed a hold of Tom's shirt. "Like this!" Emrik pulled his arm back then forward, hitting Tom under his left eye. Emrik pulled back again threw another punch at Tom's nose. Hit after hit ensued as Emrik's paw aimed for every part of Tom's face.
"Tom!" Ren shouted as he watched Tom putting all of his effort into just trying to free himself from Emrik's grip. His scream was drowned out by the cheering and other noises echoing from the Hunds around him. Ren tried to move forward but the white collar in front of him prevented anyone passing. All he could do is watch as his brother's face started to become coated in a thin layer of blood.
Given no other choice, Tom kicked upwards into Emrik's groin. A loud yelp echoed throughout the cafeteria as Emrik released Tom and double over, clutching himself. A loud, ensuing, ringing echoed in the ears of all the Hund's from Emrik's sudden yip.
Tom had every opportunity to do a follow up on Emrik but his vision was becoming blurry and his body was having a hard time just keeping itself balanced. All Tom could do was keep himself steady as Emrik recovered. A low, primal growl echoed from Emrik's throat as he glared at Tom. Emrik slowly approached Tom, knowing the human was beyond being able to defend itself.
Ren's eyes widened in horror as he noticed Emrik had his paws poised for swiping with his claws. "No!" Ren pushed himself past the white collar who had become too engrossed in watching the fight. Ren threw himself between the two fighters and threw up his arms. "Please stop!" he pleaded with tears in his eyes.
"Get out of the way!" Emrik shouted.
Ren's body tensed. The overwhelming urge to move his legs surged through his body, but his body remained still. "Please..." Ren pleaded again.
"Ren..." Tom said softly as he watched his brother.
"I don't have time for this!" Emrik shouted as he backhanded Ren right in the nose. A whine escaped Ren as he doubled over on the floor, clutching his nose.
"Leave him out of this!" Tom shouted as he rammed his fist straight into Emrik's own nose, causing another yelp to escape his throat.
"You accursed disease!" Emrik shouted as he wiped his nose and charged towards Tom.
"Enough!" a voice boomed, silencing the crowd. Emrik stopped in his tracks. "Thomas, Emrik, Ren stay behind. Everyone else, return to your classrooms." In an instant all the Hunds shuffled in all direction towards the exits of the cafeteria until only four remained. Did you enjoy this fight, Emrik?" the principal asked.
Emrik wiped his nose. "For the most part, yes. I could have done without the interruption..." he snarled towards Ren who continued to clutch his nose on the ground.
"Emrik, you asked for me to spectate the fight to make sure nothing was done improperly. However... you seemed to have made another mistake quite similar to your first one. Can you tell me what that is?"
Emrik's eyes widened with horror. He glanced at Ren then back to the principal. "It's not my fault! He's the one who intervened with the fight!"
The principal furrowed his brows in frustration. "You seem to have the definitions of 'intervene' and 'disrupt' mixed up. Intervening would imply Ren here had attacked one of the fighters. He remained clear of both of you and only acted as a minor disruption that could have been easily taken care of by having someone else remove him from the fighting area. Instead you decided to include him in the fight yourself!" Emrik's body was tense as the echo in the principal's voice grew louder and louder. "Now tell me, Emrik... what collar is Ren wearing?"
Emrik's muzzle quivered as incomprehensible stuttering escaped his muzzle.
"A simple yes or no question then... Is Ren a white collar?" Even Tom could hear the increased intensity in the voice. Emrik closed his eyes and shook his head. "Then I'm sure you know what the problem is here." The principal looked to Tom and Ren. "I want both of you to head to the nurse's office, now." He turned back to Emrik. "We're going to my office. I'll let you tell your parents why they're going to have another meeting with me."
Emrik whined as he slowly followed the principal out of the cafeteria. Ren sniffled as he tried to clear the blood out of his nose. He looked over his shoulder to see Tom kneeling beside him. "Hey..." Tom said. "Are you alright?"
Ren's eyes widened. "Am I...?" Ren stuttered as he pointed at Tom's broken nose, his blood-shot eyes and his reddened, blood-covered skin. Tears began to pour out of Ren's eyes as he threw his arms around Tom's neck. "I told you not to..." Ren whined as he sobbed into Tom's shoulder.
Tom closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around Ren's back. "Sorry..."
"I always enjoy seeing familiar faces in my office..." the principal said as he gazed at the three Hunds sitting across from him. "Though there is one change..." he noted towards Sera.
"I told my husband I'd handle it this time." Sera said with a faint smile as she cradled Luna in her arms.
"Your presence is definitely an improvement over that powder keg you call a husband" Emrik's father said with a chuckle.
"Do I have to remind you why we're here?" Sera said without shifting her gaze. "It's the impulsiveness of your son that is causing so much trouble as of late."
"Don't you dare speak of our son!" the mother chimed in.
"So sorry... I did not mean to offend you by pointing out the obvious."
"Why you little!"
"Dear..." her husband whispered. "Trust me, she's one you cannot break."
"Ma'am..." The principal cleared his voice. "Your husband is behaving himself today... Please follow suit otherwise I'll make sure the two of you have a matching set." The wife quickly sat down. "Speaking of your husband..." he shifted his glance. "You seem to be acquainted with Mrs. Renoir."
"We were once neighbors and childhood friends, that's all." Sera said nonchalantly.
"Both of her parents are white collars." Emrik's father chimed in. "Instead of putting Sera in an orphanage like others would have done her parents decided to keep her." He chuckled. "She was given the good life by white collars, but now she hates them all."
"I am grateful to my parents for what they did for me. They, along with my daughter here, are the only white collars I have respect for." Her gaze shifted to the principal. "No offense."
"None taken."
"She never told me why she developed all this hatred for white collars."
"The fact that you don't understand why I hate white collars is one of the reasons."
"Stop talking like that!" the mother grunted.
"Stop talking like what? Please explain." Sera said.
"You sound like a robot from human television!"
"I'm quite surprised that someone like you would even mention something pertaining to humans." Sera smirked.
"That's not the point!"
The husband laughed. "Give it up, dear. Sera's been raised by white collars; she knows how to handle them."
"It's quite amusing that being completely cooperative and polite can actually make white collars so upset."
"As much as I'm enjoying this little reunion..." the principal cleared his throat. "We do need to discuss today's incident concerning your children."
"Ah yes..." Sera said. "It would seem your son wasn't content on harming just one of my sons; he had to attack both. Tell me, is the three strike rule still in effect?"
"It is indeed" the principal chimed in, causing Emrik's parents to fidget uncomfortably. "Today's incident along with previous one a few months back means Emrik now has two strikes against him. If he receives one more before he enters middle school he will be automatically expelled. Now... I'm sure that's not something he nor either of his parents want to have on his permanent record..." There was only silence. "Didn't think you would... Now besides the mandatory ten school days suspension... did I mention he'll have to attend summer school for missing so many days now?" Emrik's parents rolled their eyes. "Anyways, at this point I will allow Mrs. Renoir to suggest any further ramifications."
"What!?" Emrik's parents said in unison.
"Well, normally I would make the decision for punishment, but seeing how this the second time your son has wrongfully attacked her family I'm allowing her to offer her opinion."
"You can't do that!" Emrik's father raised his voice for the first time at the meeting.
The principal let out a bit of laughter. "I can't? Do you remember what happened the last time you told me what I could and could not do? If you want, I can make your face symmetrical." Emrik's father shut his muzzle tight. "Mrs. Renoir?"
"I actually have a solution which could benefit both parties. Why not transfer Emrik to a different school? His rash behavior seems to stem from his irrational hatred of my son, Thomas. Separating the two will not only relieve the stress placed on my sons, but will also ensure Emrik isn't around what makes him... reckless."
"Not a bad idea..." the principal noted. "I'll even add my own twist to it. How about we make sure neither attends the same middle school as the other?
"You can't be serious..." Emrik's mother said dejectedly.
"You should be grateful to Mrs. Renoir. She's giving your son a chance to have his two strikes removed. You should ponder what her husband would have decided if he had the choice. Now I must prepare the paperwork. I will give you a call when it's ready to be filled out." Emrik's parents said nothing as they stood and walked towards the office door, their bodies tense with frustration. "A bit of advice..." The two stopped in their tracks. "Make sure your son knows all the rules by the time he gets to his new school." The two quickly walked out of the office.
"If I may bring up one more issue..." Sera said as she slightly adjusted Luna in her arms. "I'm aware of how closely-knit white collar students are at school. I'm afraid that some of Emrik's friends will want to act out of retaliation towards my sons."
"I wouldn't worry about them..." the principal said as he leaned back in his chair. "I plan to give each of them a personal talk regarding our tolerance towards bullying."
Sera smiled. "You know... I think you've gained some of my respect."
Todd sighed as he gazed at his sons through the rearview mirror. Neither him nor his wife wanted to take any chances and decided to have their sons' wounds checked by a doctor. Thankfully neither one of their wounds were serious, but the doctor ended up having to prescribe Tom some pain medicine for his broken nose. Side effects include drowsiness... Todd chuckled when he saw both of his sons passed out in the back seat. Medication and stress had taken its toll on the two of them as their bodies swayed with the motion of the car.
Neither stirred as the car came to a stop outside their home. Todd gently unfastened Ren, picked him up, and carried him inside. He returned to the car moments later for Tom. He was careful not to irritate any of Tom's wounds as he slowly carried his son inside, upstairs, and into his bedroom. Todd gently laid Tom onto his bed. After pulling the covers over Tom he knelled down and gazed at his son's face which had begun to show signs of bruising.
"You know... before we adopted you, your mother and I never could have imagined how much shit would happen to you in such a small amount of time." Todd tightened his paws. "We want to give you the life you deserve but... maybe we're just only being selfish in the end..." Todd stared at the ceiling and took a deep breath. He remained there in silence as he sorted out his thoughts. Minutes passed before he looked back down at Tom. "Sometimes I wonder if would have been happier if we never had gone to that orphanage. Todd watched as Tom's head shifted slightly from side-to-side. Todd chuckled. "You don't think so, huh? You're fine putting up with me?" Tom's head remained still. "I guess that is asking for too much..." Todd took another deep breath and exhaled slowly. He leaned forward and gently nuzzled Tom's forehead. "Get well soon, alright?"
Please feel free to comment/critique on the chapter
A special thank you to Ravens Fire for motivating me to stop being slower than a camel lol