The Last Wolves

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FancyFur didn't look the least bit amused or surprised which led Johanna to believe that he holds back emotions because if the situation were reversed, she would have been laughing outright at him.

He explained to her the plastic cover and again her opinion of humans sunk lower. "Huh. Isn't that kind of a waste for...'a tone of finality? And they're scared of getting sick? Of everything they could be afraid of...wow. So If they don't eat this plastic, where does it go?"

Again Johanna cocked her head and took the candy from his hand. She sniffed it and was again hit with that sickly sweet scent before putting it in her mouth. It actually wasn't bad. Just very different. It appealed more to her human taste buds than it usually would. "Nevermind. Maybe dessert isn't such a bad idea, FancyFur." She considered after taking a bite of a chocolate cupcake thing(after checking it for plastic of course). She decided that was her favorite. Even if it was kind of selfish, she couldn't deny that if her kind had a surplus of food, they would have indulged a bit. The only problem is that humans don't function like a pack. There are poor and rich...hungry and fat..Inequality. They don't even respect their own species.
 
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Elias looked at the wrappers strewn in between them as he popped a toffee in his mouth. He loved toffee. It was just so purely sweet and in stark contrast to his miserable life.

"They put it out of sight, and to them out of mind. But it does not just disappear. They pile up somewhere most people won't see them, and it poisons the ground and the air. Some people insist that this is the primary reason for the unnaturally malevolent weather. They point fingers and blame others."

He picked up a cinnamon bun and bit into it. The smell wafted all over him. This soothing atmosphere suddenly seemed so different from how he usually lived. He decided, whether or not this Johanna was sticking around, he would be sure to reward himself with sweets more often.

He decided he was done with his dessert, and picked up wrappers, leaving Johanna to finish at her own pace. "By the way," he said as he turned away to throw the wrappers in a dumpster. "My name is Elias."
 
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Johanna listened closely to FancyFur's words and continued chewing on the sweet treats he had brought. The milk was cool and sweet down her parched throat. She wasn't sure she'd ever had such a perfectly satisfying meal. Starving really makes one appreciate the food theyre given.

The more he said, the more her opinion of the humans was exacerberated. She Hated them. So much. But she still finished her meal. She ate enough to feel satisfied but not too much as to feel bloated. Her strength was coming back. And it felt good.

"Well thanks for finally informing me! I thought your name would have to stay FancyFur." Johanna smiled a little, but she was still bitter about the humans. She didn't want to be anything like them. "So Elias. How much longer do you suppose we have to continue looking like this? After what you've told me, staying in this form is feeling more confining by the minute." She glared down at her body and her long hair threw her face into shadow. She had a bit of a disgusted look on her face
 
Elias shook his head. "I take this form for weeks at a time. One must do what one must to survive."

He took all of the remaining food and put them in a small sack, which he then laid carefully inside the crack. He usually only got enough for one meal and stole again when necessary. Excess was considered a detection hazard. It was about time he renewed his hoarding ways.

Usually, there was a plan for the next few days, when to eat, how to steal, where to hide... but this newcomer threw everything off. He kept trying to find a new routine that would somehow accommodate this new wolf. A wolf who knew nothing about the humans or their ways, who kept snapping on about pride when her own life was at stake. She needed his help to survive around here. This was not going to be easy.
 
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Johanna took in a cut off whimper through her dropped jaw. Why would he--how could he--

The wolfgirl let him have enough space to put some of the food in his little hideyhole. She was still wearing a somewhat horrified expression. She certainly wouldn't be able to do that. Stay human for weeks? No way. Never. Nuh-uh. Nope!
Not happening.

Johanna softened her gaze and and tried to collect herself. If she couldn't reason with him, maybe she could challenge his philosophical beliefs. Just for a moment, she recalled her mother, whose fur had been the color of moonlight and her eyes a shining teal.
Why do you live Johanna?

Johanna stood and crossed her arms, biting back a growl of frustration. She will not stay human for that long.
"Then...why do you survive? Obviously you're not just hanging around in this filthy city forever. Right? What's the point? What's your goal? What's your purpose? Because if you don't have one you are dead already."
 
Why do you survive...?

Elias became cold. "Do you need a reason to survive? Must there be some larger purpose to living that every wolf should fulfill to be deemed worthy of life, otherwise they do not deserve the luxury of their own body and soul? That is human ideology.... The thought that wolves who no longer have anyone to live for should just keel over and die would be exactly what I needed to leave you in that alley to be mauled to death!"

Elias took a breath. He did not mean to be so harsh. It was just that her philosophy was precisely the thing he had tried to teach his brother before his death, only to see his errors too late. It wasn't in his brother's nature to alienate other creatures as solely bad or exclusively good just due to their species. To him, humans were just like wolves, with their own dreams and fears and uncertainty that drove them to lash out when they feel trapped. Why are all creatures so feeble?

In fact, he did have something to live for, but... no. This she-wolf would never even consider helping him, not on a journey that would so closely resemble suicide. Yet it was so tempting to finally share the one thing he had been holding on to for so long.... He hesitated.
 
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Johanna struck a nerve in the male. Obviously something she said sparked a reaction that actually made Elias look like he cared about something. It just wasn't a reaction she liked.

His eyes blazed dangerously and his voice rose with every word he spoke. Johanna looked very confused and a little concerned honestly. He'd misunderstood her completely. But should she bother to explain? Should she even try to prove to him that she wasn't like humans? She knew she wasn't so she shouldn't care about what Elias thinks. His words stung her and she turned her back on him so he couldn't see her expression. Who did he think he was anyway? Her cheeks burned crimson and her hands curled into fists.

First he saves her from certain death and starvation with a cold attitude and then he blows up on her over a simple question? Elias is so infuriating! It's pretty easy for Johanna to see that he regrets letting her live at all. So why was he still standing there? She knew why she didn't immediately shift and shut him out by running away. For she had a goal. To find wolves, start a pack, stay strong with her own kind and find that connection of family she used to have.

It would be just her luck to find a wolf like Elias who didn't want her around anymore. Her shoulders slumped and her head bowed. "You misunderstood me. But if you really think I should have died, I'll go. Obviously you don't want me near you anymore. I won't be a burden." She said, still facing away from him and trying to keep any and all emotion out of her voice. The first wolf she finds in two long and lonely years and he doesn't think she was worth saving. Damn. That hurts. Johanna started to walk away with sore injuries and what felt like knives in her left ribs. Maybe she'd stay for a few days and get her strength back before beginning her search again. How long would it be this time? 3...4 years? Johanna winced, but didn't look back.
 
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Elias thought to himself. Was he really about to let go of another wolf? A chance at finding others? For what, if not his own damned pride? He sighed.

"No. You will stay with me until you learn how to get by for more than a few measly hours," he said, his face not even moving to look at the retreating figure. If she really wanted to live, she'd know that the place to do that is with him, at least until she can take care of herself.

It would be a while before Elias trusts her enough to tell her about why he really lived. In fact, he did have something to keep him going. A dream. But without other wolves, it would only stay a dream. He needed a companion as much as she needed a temporary bodyguard. If she heard him and returned... he was sure they could come to some sort of arrangement that didn't involve snapping at each other so much. He felt guilty for making her feel unwanted when she was most vulnerable.
 
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She stopped when he spoke again, but she didn't even attempt to meet his gaze again until after he was finished. Anger burned in her heart and Johanna whipped around to face him again, scabs and scars obvious as she stood before him. He didn't even look up!
She scoffed and narrowed blazing eyes at him, stepping closer with each word she snarled.

"Look, pretty boy, in case you forgot since I'm wearing this frail disguise, I'm still a wolf and I can still defend myself if I have to! No one made you Alpha of anything so you don't have any right to tell me what to do! I may have wanted to find a packmate when I came here, but you're sorely mistaken if you think I'm desperate enough to stick with a dog who thinks I don't have enough self-respect to walk away!" Johanna growled viciously, ending her spiel right up by his face. Or as close as she could get on her tiptoes.

Then, she turned, accidentally whipping strands of her long hair against his cheek when she started to storm down the alley and into another set of backroads around the corner. Eventually she started to run, still on two legs, faster than any human could. Elias could track her if he really wanted to, but she was blazing mad and doubted he wanted to be snapped at again.

Running usually came with a sense of freedom, but in her human form, it didn't feel as strong, especially with her injuries bothering her so much. Johanna was heading for the less populated edges of the town, grumbling at the fact that all of this was over a misunderstanding. She had never meant that any wolf should die! That would only prove the humans right in assuming they were on the verge of extinction and no matter how true it was, Johanna would argue the point as far as she could if she were against a human.
If any wolf could not find a purpose, they were surviving, but not living. If they had not yet found happiness, like Johanna would in a wolf pack, they weren't really living like they should. She only meant that they should find a purpose, a goal. Something to strive for at least. But not death! No wolf's death should be so meaningless. And the fact that humans force upon them that sort of fate makes Johanna hate them to no end.

Misunderstood or not, Johanna probably wouldn't be able to stay with Elias if he was going to act so superior like that all the time. Some wolves just don't get along and if they were going to be so discordant all the time, the harmony of a pack would never find them and as long as he was going to be that way, she wasn't going to seek him out again.
The she-wolf continued feeling bitter for as long as she could, eventually stopping to rest beside a trash can. Her defense against the lonely ache in her chest was fury so she continued to find reasons to stay mad so she wouldn't succumb to the tears fighting to well up in her deep blue eyes. Had she just run from the only wolf she'd find in years? Could she even last that long alone anymore? She sure didn't feel like it. She wondered how long it's been since she truly last felt happy. It was far too long ago.
 
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A pained look almost crossed Elias's emotionally removed face. He had let his fight take over his reason. That long string of misunderstandings and cryptic arguments made him more exhausted than sneaking into the butcher's. I really should learn how to deal with others better. Being only around one other, very tolerant wolf did not help his abysmal people skills. He preferred to be alone, sure, but he also needed a traveling companion if he were to fulfill his goal of reaching that ideal haven. She was as good as any, if not a little prickly. But then again so was he...

He sighed, letting the resignation show in his face for a moment. Then the concern started to take over. Johanna wasn't as tough as she tried to be. It was just this morning he had to bring her food before she starved, because she didn't know where to get food without getting killed. This city is full of personality. She would be brave and strong, but bravery and strength aren't sufficient here. If it were, he wouldn't be in search of a traveling companion. Heaven knows there were enough who were braver and stronger than he that didn't last.

Finally, Elias decided it would be best to at least track her and keep her safe from a distance. She would probably pick up on it, but what's a little dignity to possibly finding Sanctuary? He'd better make his move, fast.

A second passed before a man passed by the alleyway. He thought he felt a presence, so he peered into it... then shrugged. Probably the wind. The alleyway was completely empty except for an old tarp.
 
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Eyes misty and body trembling, Johanna tried to keep her defenses up in order to figure out what to do next. Long term goals could be thought up once she found someplace safe...
So the weary she-wolf picked herself up using the alley wall and wrapped her bruised human arms around her ribs, still achy from last night. And then she walked. Her feet were killing her what with all the litter and lack of very tough skin on her soles. But of course she trekked on, keeping herself aware of her surroundings as she neared the edges of the city where it was mostly abandoned. Soon she found a garbage dump with a broken down school bus in it. It had holes and broken windows, dusty seats and flat tires, but it was shelter and she was in no position to turn up her nose...which was bothering her a lot because of the stink.

Johanna sighed and climbed into the bus, finally letting herself rest again. She was still weak especially in this form. Maybe she just needed to sleep some more. It was still early and she was pretty sure humans would like to ignore all this waste they produce so Johanna laid herself down on the seat, curling up in a ball and pulling her hair over her shoulders in a small attempt to keep her warm. Maybe she'd dream up a nice plan for the future.. just as she was drifting off, she took in a deep breath at the edge of consciousness. She recognized the scent..but didn't bother to care before falling asleep again with a single tear rolling down her cheek. She dreamt of Sanctuary.
 
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