āThat sounds exhausting,ā Douglas said truthfully, knowing how hard it was for him to always be good. He generally was, but from time to time, he had selfish moments.Ā āWhat if youāre not really in the mood for it? What if you want something that doesnāt benefit someone else?ā He asked, genuinely curious as to if he was missing something. Maybe there was some secret he didnāt know about to resisting those impulsive, selfish moments he had.Ā āThat sounds great, please!ā Dougās stomach grumbled as if on cue to the thought of grilled cheese sandwiches.
āI like to workout. But itās okay - I spar because I have to. Itās not exactly my favorite. I donāt dislike it, but itās just something I have to do. But I donāt like fighting much I really like to dance ā I know ballet. Thatās ā thatās kind of more my thing,ā the young manās face went red, a little embarrassed to admit. Heād gotten a lot of criticism about it from Alphonse and others in he pack by extension.Ā āI know itās not as cool or useful as fighting but it takes my mind off of things.ā
A giant question mark may as well have appeared over Dougās head when Hercules asked him questions.Ā āā¦No, I donāt know if those are the right words for him,ā He began, thinking about it to explain. Heād never really talked to anyone about this before; it wasnāt a negative thing for him. It just was what it was.Ā And then came the part where Doug talked too much. All of his attempts at secrecy fell apart; trusting easily was a flaw, but he was also so eager to make friends.āAlphonse is my alpha. Charles is our packās master. He takes care of us and we get protection by serving him. Heās an-ā he paused, autocorrecting himself to at least stop himself from mentioning that Charles was a hunter,āā explorer, so I track for him. Iām a really good tracker. Not to brag, But Charles says Iām the best tracker in the pack,ā He looked so happy about it; something good that he clung into for comfort when he didnāt feel like he fit in with the rest of the pack. āFinding people or things is easy for me once Iāve got their scent. Iām kind of a natural at it.ā
He looked up at Hercules, starring at him for a second before it clicked in his head that there was an inkling of concern in his eyes.Ā āJust to be clear, mister Hercules sir, Iām not in any danger. In fact, Iām doing very well. Iām alone, but Iām happy about that. I earned it. This is my first time getting to be alone somewhere. Iām usually by Charlesā side, in the next room, or on his plane. Or Iām with Alphonse. This is kind of a big deal for me, sir. I worked really hard to be trusted on my own.āĀ
If Doug had a tail, it would have been wagging from how proud he was of that fact. He had worked hard. So much so that heād lost count of how many hunts heād successfully tracked down for Charles. However, he tried not to think too hard about the lives that were lost because of his great success. Heād also worked very hard to repress that, too.
HERCULES gave Doug a small sad smile, over the years heād experienced many different kinds of cruelty and it was hard to try and rise above it every time. Doug was wrong, it was exhausting but it was also his destiny.Ā Ā āSometimes the hardest thing youāll ever do is be kind--especially to the people who donāt deserve it. ...but after awhile it gets easier.ā he explained, leaving out the heartache that came with ātoughening upā. Hercules smiled extending his arm out towards the next leftĀ āIts down here cāmon-- she does a mean milkshake too.ā
āHey now ballet is awesome! And its way more difficult to learn how to dance than it is to fight-- you gottaā be super tough on yourselfā Hercules began, he had tried to learn to dance as a kid but his dumb clumsy footwork and lack of a partner caused him to quit.Ā āTake it from me kid, thereās way more people out there who will be more impressed by a trained dancer than a fighter-- including me. I always wanted to Pasodoble.āĀ
Hercules had a pretty basic understanding of the hierarchy of packs. Jonathan fondly explained the inās and outās on the regular to him, although some areas were a little grey... and complicated. Hercules didnāt understand the loyalty to it but then again he had also never experienced a bond so worthy of protecting. It worried him that Doug was this young and in this deep--what had this kid been exposed to already?Ā āSo if Charles is supposed to take care of you where is he now? And your ...Alphonse guy? Are they letting you just run the streets on your own?ā he asked with a frown. Hercules could feel his heart ache for this kid, the excitement and pride in his voice, it was clear that Doug worked very hard to prove himself, it reminded him of when he was younger.Ā āIt must be such a huge honor to be the best of your pack. --Are you out looking for anything now?ā
A small smile spread across Hercās lips as he nodded at Dougās words. He was terrified this poor kid was in grave danger--walking into some kind of trap. But yet he seemed so full of confidence and excitement that this was a true reward to alone in the real world, to be trusted to be by himself. Something was quite adding up-- he needed to keep an eye on him.Ā āIn that case Iām really happy for you, just could have picked a nicer city with less crime although I bet you can handle yourself.ā he smiled.Ā āAre you going to be here by yourself for long? --ācause my roommate and I could help you out if needed anything.ā