A little story-related piece showing some of Clints and Kelvins Backstory.
cn: violence, slurs, dark topics, suggest child abuse, read at your own discretion.
āHush, youāre gonna annoy Dad.ā
Clint picked up the sniffling and yelping baby that had been put down on the couch, his little hands and paw struggling and kicking in the air, fur ruffled, and cheeks red from exhaustion. His little brother laid heavy in his arms, so he sat down on the couch, carefully placing him onto his lap. Still, the little one kept whining and gurgling, still visibly upset.
āHey, whatās wrong? Are you hungry?ā He held him carefully, slowly rocking his knees lightly from one side to another, and the infant with them. Loud screaming and rumbling was heard from the nextdoor room, voices of two adults who screamed at each other, fighiting. Clint knew the answer ot his question. No, he was not hungry. ā..I know, Iām scared, too.ā His voice was soft and quiet, just whispering at his brother who looked at him, the yellow eyes filled with tears, his little snout pulled into a huge frown, feet kicking uncomfortably. āBut you canāt yell, or else heās gonna get mad at you, Kelvin.ā The little boy tried his best to smile, and his one hand gently cupped the infants cheek, his thumb cradling the soft fur, pinching it a little and tickling his snout ā and it didnāt take long for Kelvin to pick up on the game, and his little whelps turned into ridiculous little growls, while he snapped at the fingers in front of him, trying to bite them. Clint smiled again, this time a honest one. "ā¦there we go, my fierce little wolfā¦"
Something in the kitchen broke. Again loud yelling. Clint flinched at the nois, his ears perking back at the noise and holding his breath. The cub on his lap was immediately starteld by the noise as well, as his eyes filled back with tears. "No, no no no! Shhh, shhhhā¦!" Clint tied his best to calm, him, but it was in vain - Kelvin started to cry and scream, all while Clint - with growing panic in his eyes - tried to hush him, somehow.
"Your god damn fucking brat is screaming again!!"
The voice of Clints father welled up, like an angry thunder roar. Clints ears folded back flat against his head, and his thin arms started shaking at the dreadful danger that filled the air. He bent over Kelvin, wrapping him into his arms to cuddle him, hold him, pet his back, rock him. "..Kelvin⦠sh.. .shhh⦠you need to be quiet, or elseā¦."
Who knows if that freak is even mine. Looks nothing like me, you fucking whore." .- "Of course he's yours, Jorge! I told you!" - "You also told me you didn't fuck Billy and then I caught you in flagranti, you god damn bitch! I swear, this brat should have never been born! But you just grabbed the money I gave you and did whatever with it, instead of----!"
More angry yelling, but Clint didn't understand most of it, except for the fact that his father was angry at his mother, and that he was really angry at Kelvin to have been born. He pulled the crying upset baby against his chest, his heart beating like crazy in fear. He knew that growing resentment in the voice of his father, and he knew that he would soon start to lash out again. But no matter how hard he cried, the little one kept screaming and crying, kicking his legs, his tiny hands grabbing onto Clints shirt.
Suddenly, the door to the room flung open. "CLIIIIIINT!" The young boy flinched at the voice of his father, who stood in the doorway, panting heavily, his face red in anger, his fangs bared, and his eyes hot and fierce and hateful, like glowing embers. Clint just stared at him, his eyes wide, while his arms clinged to the baby in his arms. "For fucks sake, why won't that brat just shut up?!" He stomped into the room, with Clints mother clinging to him, yelling at him to stop. Clint had jumped off the couch, pressing the crying Kelvin against him, his ears perked back, his eyes wide and fearful. "If he can't shut his face I'll make him! I'll give him a reason to cry about!" His father marched right at him, his eyes gleaming with hate. The scent of alcohol was omnipresent, filling the room like a billows of toxic fog. "I'll give him the abortion he missed out on."
No. That was it. For one, two more steps, Clint was frozen in fear before his survival instincts kicked in. No way he would let him. No way. Now it was Clint to bare his little fangs at his father, swiftly dodging the arm that reached out towards him to rip Kelvin out of his arms - and then he turned around and booked it. Clinging to his baby brother, he ran towards the shaggy trailer door, pushing it open with his shoulder - yowling half-scared, half-aggressive when his father yanked his tail in an attempt to grab him and keep him from fleeing, and he ran as soon as he regained his balance, without looking back just once. His fathers hateful words trickled down on him, but the further he ran, the more quiet they became.
And he ran, and ran, with tears fogging his vision and his muscles hurting from carrying the heavy baby. Fortunately Clint knew all the good places around his neighbourhood, and he knew a place where they would be safe, until Dad would be calm again, until Dad⦠wouldn't want to hurt Kelvin anymore. At least he hoped so. Clint ran into that old, unused garden shed of one of his neighbours on the other side of the trailer park, gently putting Kelvin down on the blanked he had laid out there from his past visits already, closing the door of the shed, before he came back to him, sinking down, his thin chest moving fastly as he panted completely exhausted. Kelvin was still crying, but even a fierce wolf would eventually grow exhausted, and so his crying had turned into little hics and sobs, his eyes filled with tears, looking up to him. Clint looked down, trying his best to fight his own tears back, while he carefully pulled him back on his lap. "ā¦.it's fineā¦. he's gone. We're safe." his voice was still shaky, and he was not sure if he spoke it out loud to calm his brother, or to make himself realize it - but it worked. In this little shed.. they were safe for now.
Slowly Kelvn had calmed down. With gently rocking, a soothing voice and affection, he had managed to brighten the cubs mood enough for him to look at him again, with his eyes big in wonder. Clint, he was still afraid. He knew he head to return back home somewhen, they needed food, Kelvin needed food that Clint could not find for him. Hopefully, his Mom would be at home and not send them to see Dad again. Clints slim fingers brushed over the soft, chubby head of his brother, and through the little bristly mane on his forehead, smiling when he lazily snapped at him again. Slowly, but steadily, everything around them had calmed down again. The yelling of his father was only a bad memory, he could hear the brids singing and chirping. Clint allowed his brother to bite his fingers, and watched him chew and nibble on them while his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and soon he stopped, tilting his head a little to nudge it against Clints chest, before he drifted off into a slumber. It was just a little gesture, something the infant probably did completely unconsciously. And still, Clint had never felt more loved, ever in his life before.
He teared up a little and watched his brother sleep. He would protect him from everything. He wouldn't let his father hurt him, ever.
He bent down, the tip of his nose lightly pushing into the soft fur on Kelvins forehead, and placed a little kiss on top of his head. "ā¦..don't listen to what Dad said. I'm happy you were born."