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faofinn · 2 years ago

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No. 11 "All the lights going dark and my hope's destroyed."

@whumptober-archive

Animal Trap | Captivity | "No one will find you."

While the staff at ARC had been nothing but nice, Harrison felt stifled by it all. Steve had been there for him from the start, since the small cat he'd tucked under his arm after his parents had almost killed him. He'd even opened his house to him, let him stay in the spare room, even let him choose what he wanted to do with it. He didn't seem to care about his problems, or rather, the problems he created. Instead, he was a steady presence, there to pick the pieces up when things went wrong (which they so often did).

The only other wolf near his age that stayed over the summer was a slightly older boy named Fao. He had a younger brother too, Finn, who seemed to cause more mischief than the two combined, but never seemed to mean it.

Despite a rather rocky start between the two, which definitely didn't see Harrison’s wolf pinned and whining under Fao's, they'd become inseparable over the summer. When term time started again, it was only natural for them to share a dorm, and it shut their begging up.

Normally the school didn't have any problems from the surrounding town, but it seemed someone had it out for them. The farms nearby had livestock go missing, houses had their gardens trashed, the bins strewn across the streets. The Daniels were adamant that it wasn't the school's students causing problems, but the repeated meetings were met with deaf ears and angry people.

While the grounds had plenty of space for those students who had their wolf to shift and explore, their areas got smaller and smaller with the accusations. It wasn’t ideal, but they had to keep the kids safe, they had to come first. Fred, on one of his morning walks had come across a trap, and he saw red. It hadn't even been a humane trap, easily set off by a branch, and the branch snapped in two. While he put the notice to the school, warning against any shifting outside of the school buildings, he headed to the mayor's office, beyond furious.

His attempt was met with almost boredom, and they refused to do anything about it. The land was council owned, it wasn’t their problem. Fred was far from happy, but standing there wasn't doing anything. He needed to go higher, but his students were priority.

The assembly had everyone on edge, though it had been watered down for the younger years, an attempt to not worry them as much. The severity and seriousness of the situation had the older years worried, the reality of life outside the school not one they wanted to deal with.

Fao got on well with Harrison, they’d solidified a friendship quickly and were even quicker to start mischief in class, once the initial hostility had been dissipated. They often snuck out together at night, enjoying the land around the school, and even as the borders got tighter, they used it to let off some steam. Even after they’d been told basically not to go out at all, of course they’d not listened. They were going crazy cooped up inside, classes getting harder and stress building, and they needed to get out. Sometimes they stayed human, sometimes wolf, sometimes a mix. It didn’t matter really. They enjoyed themselves all the same.

They’d slipped out that night as wolves, Fao challenging Harrison to a race through the trees. They knew where they’d be safe, and they were careful, darting through the undergrowth, tails raised happily.

Harrison chased after Fao, his three legs not really slowing him down. He stretched out, gaining on the other wolf until he could leap at him, pulling him to the ground. It was all play, and he was sure Fao would return the favour.

They tumbled, Fao yelping as Harrison knocked him over. It turned quickly into a playful growl, wrapping his legs around him to keep him close as they scrapped.

Harrison growled in response, teeth nipping where he could. There was no heat, just play, just getting rid of all the pent up energy.

They were probably being too loud, but Fao didn’t care, too caught up enjoying the game. He countered Harrison’s nips with his own, all just play, no malice, and he was careful not to catch the skin underneath his thick fur.

With a happy yap, Harrison broke free, bounding ahead of Fao with his tail wagging. He paused a second for Fao to catch up, though sidestepped at the last minute, darting off. There was a sudden explosion of pain down his right front leg, cold metal biting into flesh. He could feel the snap, his leg forcing everything else to a sharp stop. He screamed in pain, writhing around and trying to get it off.

Fao chased after him, skidding to a stop as Harrison screamed, the snap of the trap echoing in Fao’s ears. His instinct was to panic, to run away, but he couldn’t. Harrison needed to stop moving, he was going to make it worse. Eyes flicking around, he didn’t see another, and he moved as close as he could, burying his nose in Harrison’s fur. The scent of blood and pain was overwhelming, but he had to try. Hars. Stop. Stop. Worse. He did his best to communicate, sending him an image of him still, the pain better. He had to try.

At Fao's nose in his side, he yelped again, scared and in pain. Panting heavily, he did his best to listen, looking to Fao with wide, terrified eyes.

It was working, thank god. Fao tried to reassure him, pressed up against him, despite the fact his heart was racing. How the hell was he going to get him out? He didn’t want to shift, but he wasn’t sure if he’d have a choice.

Harrison was getting dizzy, the overwhelming scent of blood making him feel sick. It took him back to places he didn't want to think about and he shook his head, trying to get away from it.

Fao did his best, moving to bite at the trap, desperately trying to get Harrison free, even when blood coated his tongue.

Harrison let out a low whine, his nose pressed to the dirt. His other paw batted at Fao, trying to get the pain to stop. Everything was foggy, everything felt so wrong, and he hated it. He wanted out, so he tried, pulling away as he snapped and snarled.

Fao pulled back, snarling in response just out of instinct. He wasn’t trying to make it worse, he was trying to help.

Harrison jerked away from Fao's snarl, the metal only digging further into skin. He could feel himself slipping, losing the fight against the pain. His head hit the dirt as he passed out, the blackness a welcome relief from the pain.

Harrison’s unconsciousness was as much of a relief as it was worrying. Unconscious, he wasn’t thrashing, making his wound worse, but it also compounded how unwell he was, how bad this injury was. Fao bit at the trap again, growling to himself frustratedly. He needed help, but he couldn’t leave Harrison.

As he slowly came back round, the pain was immense. He jerked away, his body not under his control as he shivered and shifted. That only made things worse, and he screamed. He couldn't focus on Fao in front of him, just the pain. He was going to die. He could feel it.

Shit. The fact he’d shifted made it ten times worse, the metal of the trap biting into his arm, already a bloody mess. He had no idea if there were cameras around, checking traps, but he didn’t have a choice. He had to shift too. Even in his panic, he managed it, and with shaking hands he forced the jaws of the trap apart. It made the bleeding worse, but it stopped Harrison from doing any more damage as he thrashed about.

“Harrison. Hars.” Fao said, his tone insistent. “It’s okay, you’ll be okay. I need to go and get help, okay? I’ll come back.”

His screaming slowly died down, drifting somewhere between conscious and not. Maybe he was still screaming, he wasn't sure of anything any more. Fao's words were lost to him, but as he reached for his friend, he was gone. That was it, then. He was going to die, alone and in the dirt.

Fao hated leaving Harrison. He wanted to stay, he really did, but he didn’t have a choice. He couldn’t fix this here. He shifted back, knowing he’d be faster on four paws than two feet, and pelted back to the school. He was going to be in so much trouble for this, but that didn’t matter. Harrison was more important. When he got back to the building, he shifted again, pulling on the pair of boxers he’d stashed outside, and then headed in. “Fred! Steve! Sheila!”

Fred appeared first, frowning at his semi-naked son. "What the fuck is going on?"

“Get Steve, now. Hars is hurt.”

"Where is he? What happened?"

Steve had already heard Fao's shouts, and stuck his head around the door. "What's going on?"

Chest heaving, Fao looked at him. “It’s Hars. He- he got caught in one of the stupid fucking traps in the woods. I know we weren’t supposed to be out, I know, but we were being careful, I know where most of them are now, please don’t be mad. But he got his leg caught and then he shifted and it’s so so bad, he’s bleeding a lot and I didn’t have anything to stop it with and I hated leaving him and I’m worried but I had to go, I had to get help. I got him out of it, so he can’t do any more damage, but he needs help, needs it now.”

Steve didn't move for a moment, his mind reeling. If Fao was that worried, it must be bad. "Right. Fred, call BWH, tell them we've got a major trauma, we need someone here yesterday. I'll head back with Fao, get Sheila to get the rest of the kit, I'll meet her here. Towels, blankets, whatever you've got, try and get them warmed."

Fred nodded. Their punishment could wait. "On it."

Steve turned back to Fao. "You know the way?"

He nodded. “Like the back of my hand. It’s quicker as wolf, but we can get there on foot. We’ll need torches, though.”

"We'll go as wolf. I can carry the kit." They didn't have time to waste. "Come on, let's go."

“I can carry kit too.” Fao said, still full of adrenaline that made his hands shake.

"If you can." He nodded, rushing to the front door. They kept emergency kit there, after a few too many incidents over the summer, and Steve was beyond glad they had. He shoved it over his shoulders, making sure it was loose enough, and then shifted, landing as a wolf.

Fao grabbed a bag too, chucking it over his shoulders and shifting again. It was a lot of energy to flit back and forth, but it was their only option. The bag was heavy on his back, but better that than have no kit when they got to Hars. He bounded into the woods, eyes keen in the dark, and followed the scents to Harrison, overwhelmed by the smell of blood and fear as they grew closer.

Harrison was all too still as they approached, covered in blood and barely breathing. His arm was held to his chest, but the blood continued to ooze.

Steve shifted as soon as he could, dropping to his knees and throwing the kit next to him. He reached for his pulse, relieved as he found one.

"Hars, just hold on. You're gonna be okay." He all but begged, trying to get a look at his arm. "I'm sorry, this is going to hurt."

Fao was quick, digging around in the kit for a torch, as well as a couple of the blankets they kept in there. They would be back at the house soon with more, but it was something. He covered Harrison the best he could, aware the cold wouldn’t help at all, and then dug through the kit to find supplies he thought Steve might need, anything that looked familiar.

The amount of blood turned Steve's stomach, and the mess of skin and tissue was just awful. He paused for a second before grabbing for the tourniquet. The amount he was losing wasn't okay, but he'd be better losing his hand than his life.

The pain seemed to get worse, and Harrison was screaming before he realised it was him. His body threatened to shift again, but he didn't have the energy to give into it. His eyes were far from human as he snarled, showing his teeth.

Fao held the torch, giving Steve light to work with as he tried his best to help. Harrison’s snarl set his own wolf on edge, but he pushed it aside. This was too important to lose his head over.

“We’re helping Hars, you’re okay. I know it hurts, I know.”

Harrison tried twisting away from Steve, desperate for the pain to stop. He whined, panting with the pain as he struggled to stay conscious.

"Fao. Fao?" Steve tried again. "Hey, I know he's a lot right now, I know, okay? But I need you to try and help him, try and calm him down a little. Whatever the two of you normally do, whatever usually helps, I need you to try."

Fao looked up, his mouth dry. “Yeah, I can… I can try.”

"You've got this."

He made a noise. He wasn’t so sure. He settled at Harrison’s head, and then reached out a shaking hand to stroke through his hair. “Hey, Tomcat. It’s me, it’s Fao. You got yourself in a whole load of bother. I know I was winning, but you didn’t need to do this. It’s okay, we’re gonna get you sorted. Just try and breathe, that’s all you’ve gotta do. Keep breathing. I know it hurts, I know, but you’ve got to stay with us. You can’t shift again. I’m right here. Just think about that. The two of us by the river this summer, when you pushed me in? I was so mad, it was freezing, and you just stood there, tail wagging.” He sent him that image, though it was much harder person to person, he could just about manage. “And after, when we sunbathed, and you laid your head on me and fell asleep, all warm and cosy. We nearly missed dinner, I thought Sheila was gonna kill us. But it was worth it, to snooze in the sun with you.” That was what he sent next, warm sun in their fur, the weight of Harrison’s head on him, how it felt to drift off together, tired and content.

It helped more than Fao realised, more than he'd ever know. He leaned into his touch, his screaming finally stopped. He looked up at Fao, grateful he'd had at least one summer he'd been glad to be alive for. His voice was rough from screaming, his throat raw.

"Wolfie. Thank you."

“It’s okay. It’s gonna be okay.” He soothed. “I’m here, I’ve got you.”

He shook his head slightly. He knew it wasn't going to be, but he'd made his peace with that. The summer with Fao had been worth it. He let his eyes close, though it wasn't entirely by choice.

Fao leaned forwards to kiss his forehead. “We’re gonna help, you’re going to be okay. Promise.”

Steve leaned back. "I've done as much as I can here. We need to get him back."

“How are we going to do that?”

"I'll carry him." He passed Fao his phone. "I need you to go ahead, hopefully the BWH medics are there. Give them that, they can have a look at it before we get there. Okay?"

Fao nodded, grabbing the kit again and throwing it over his shoulders, shifting and taking Steve’s phone in his mouth. He’d be quicker that way, and he could be delicate with it. He pelted through the woods, the path even more familiar now, and he skidded to a stop at the doors, shifting again and struggling to find his boxers where he’d left them before. He’d managed to smear more blood on Steve’s phone, as well as some drool, but he quickly wiped it off.

Sheila met Fao at the doors, scanning over him. "Are you okay?"

“Fine.” He said breathlessly, still feeling more wolf than human, his brain struggling to keep up. “Steve… Steve’s coming. Are they here yet? The medics?”

"They're almost here." She nodded. "Can we get you cleaned up?"

He shrugged, before he looked down. There was mud spattered up his arms and legs, mixed with streaks of blood, and he was drenched in sweat. “‘M fine, I need to talk to the medics.”

"You're covered in blood, Fao. You won't be able to go anywhere. Please, two minutes."

“Steve told me to go ahead and meet them, so they know what to expect. I’ve… I’ve got the pictures on his phone.”

"And they're not here just yet. I'll call you as soon as they are, I promise. But, you'll want to go with him, won't you?"

“Don’t know if I can stay human.” He admitted.

"That's okay. You can stay with me, if you'd prefer. We've always got meds."

“I don’t know.”

"It's okay. You're doing so well." She pulled him in for a hug, ignoring the state of him. "I'm proud of you."

He pulled back, a wildness in his eyes. “No, you shouldn’t be.”

"Hey, hey, it's okay. You're alright."

He shook his head. “No.”

"Fao. Breathe, it's okay."

“No, no.”

"Fao, come on. You can do this." She leaned away, her voice light. "Fred? Can you grab my red bag?"

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He whined, stepping back. “I know I fucked up.”

"No, no, no. Fao, sweetheart. You're okay. I'm not mad, nobody's mad. You're safe."

His wolf prickled at his skin. Why weren’t the medics here yet? Steve said they’d be here. Harrison didn’t have time to wait. “I’m sorry.”

"I know, but it's okay. I promise, it's okay." She turned to see Fred. "Ah, brill. Do we have any Q's? Can you grab me one?"

He backed away from her, eyes wide. His chest still heaved, his hands were still covered in Harrison’s blood, drying on his skin. He was supposed to be helping. Why wasn’t he helping? Why wouldn’t she let him?

"Hey, Fao. Why don't we clean those hands, mm? Just before the medics get here, so you can tell them all you need to, yeah? Can you let me come sit with you?"

Fred offered the kid a smile, discretely sneaking Sheila what she'd asked for while passing her the wipes. "I'm going to go get the gate, okay? They'll be here soon."

“I’m sorry.” He whimpered, more of a whine. “Please don’t hurt me, I’m sorry.”

She knelt, inviting him to do the same. "I'm not going to hurt you."

“We were being careful, needed to run off steam, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, please. I’ll be better.”

"I know you were being careful, you always are. I don't blame you for wanting to get out there. It's okay. Sit with me, sweetheart?"

Reaching a hand out behind him, Fao realised he’d hit the wall. He couldn’t go back any more. He could maybe run past Sheila, but Fred was around, he’d easily catch him. He was stuck. He had no choice but to kneel, eyes flicking around the room.

"Hey, there we go. Well done. That's really well done." She praised, offering the wipes. "Here, just to clean your hands."

He stretched out to take it suspiciously, roughly wiping the dirt and blood off of his hands. It didn’t do much, not really. It stuck to him, under his nails, the lines on his skin.

Sheila shuffled closer. "Can I help? "

He flinched. “No. Please don’t touch me.”

"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." She said softly. "I'm just gonna sit here."

“Don’t touch me.” He repeated.

"I'm just sitting here. Not doing anything. Want another wipe?" She held it out to him.

He took it like it was going to burn him, hands shaking, and scrubbed to try and get the rest of the blood and dirt off, still looking at Sheila.

"That's it, you're doing great. You're okay, I'm not mad."

There was still some blood caught around his nails, but he couldn’t get rid of it and he was struggling to keep it together enough to do it. “‘M sorry.”

"You're okay." She repeated softly. "Can I help yet?"

“I don’t need help.” Fao grumbled. “I need the medics to get here.”

"They're not here yet. I need to help you, you need to get him under control."

“I need to shift and stay that way.” Fao whined, but he knew he couldn’t. “Too much back and forth.”

"I know, I know. Can I help?"

He shook his head. “No.”

"Fao, I need you to reason with me, yeah? I'm trying to keep you in control, trying to let you make the decisions, but you're going to hurt yourself if you don't let me help." Her voice was soft but firm. "The best way you can help Harrison right now is to help yourself."

“I’m fine. Steve said I had to speak to the medics, I’ll speak to them and then shift and it’ll be fine.”

"You're not going to make it waiting for them." She said. "I can feel it from here. Hell, you're making me struggle with it, I can't imagine what it's doing to you. You've been through so much this evening, you're doing so well."

As much as she hated it, she knew Fao wasn't going to hold on much longer, let alone have a coherent conversation with the medics. She rocked backwards, taking a moment to breathe and prepare herself. She hated doing it, but the kids had to come first, even if they didn't realise.

"I'm really sorry you had to go through all this. You're okay, you're gonna be just fine." It was a well practised movement, a swift jab to his thigh with the injector with one hand, the other to make sure he didn't lash out and bite her again.

Fao’s eyes narrowed as she moved closer to him, his wolf bristling with suspicion and fear. It was warranted, too, because he felt the bite of the needle in his thigh, and yelped, quickly turning into a growl. The surprise sent him over the edge, shifting, his paws scrabbling on the floor.

"Easy, sweetheart." She soothed, sighing as he shifted. She'd obviously waited too long to get close to him, but the sedation would work either way. "You're okay."

The sedation worked quickly, and turned Fao’s thoughts to syrup. He whined, flopping onto the floor, his paws no longer working to hold him up.

She slowly reached for him, her hand in his fur. "There you go. You've done so well. You're just a snoozy pup now, eh?"

He whined again, feeling wrong and the fear building. Her hand in his fur made him flinch at first, but he soon relaxed under her touch.

"There, that's better, huh?" She kept her voice soft, her words as gentle as her touch. "You're doing so well.'

He shuffled closer, seeking the contact now. All the fight had drained out of him, he was exhausted, and every time he closed his eyes he could see Hars in the dark, smell the blood.

She stroked across his nose, working her way to his ears. It was obvious what he was thinking about and her heart broke with each small whine. She clicked at him.

"Hey, come here, yeah? Come on." She opened her arms.

He wriggled closer, laying his head in her lap. His tail wagged slowly, and he fought to keep his eyes open, overwhelmed.

She bundled him into her arms, holding him close. She pressed a kiss to his nose, murmuring softly to him. The sirens had only grown louder, and the tyres crunched on gravel as the medics pulled in. With a little struggle, she made it to her feet, Fao still in her arms.

He grumbled as she picked him up, but didn’t struggle, nestling into her. His ears flicked at the noise of the medics, but he couldn’t find the energy to care about it, the meds too strong.

Fao seemed content enough in her arms as she updated the medics, showing them the videos and photos from the phone. It was more than a little concerning, worse than they'd hoped, and the glances they shared worried Sheila. There was nothing they could do until Steve got there, and the silence they stood in was deafening.

Steve arrived with Harrison thankfully not long after, his son in an absolute state and not getting any better. Fao, even through his haze, could tell things were bad, and stretched out to try and see him, be able to say bye before they got him in the ambulance.

Sheila kept Fao from the fuss until they were sorted enough. They were going to knock him out, but Sheila knew he'd want to say bye to his friend. She headed over with Fao in her arms, talking softly to the wolf as she tried to explain what they were doing. She held him out enough for him to stretch his nose and touch Hars.

Harrison flinched at the wet nose against his cheek, making a small noise in surprise. He managed to crack his eyes open, though they quickly rolled again. His last thought, the furthest thing from private, had been Fao.

Fao worried for Hars, through the haze of drugs in his own head, Sheila’s words meant something, but not as much as he’d wanted. He could tell Hars was thinking of him, his thoughts loud and obvious, and his tail wagged softly.

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