Chapter XX: The second take
The next morning, the wolf woke up in Jennifer's arms. She had unlocked the crib and lifted Aran from the mattress, a disturbance that abruptly ended his sleeping. Still groggy and half awake, he felt her take him to the chair next to his crib.
The rocking motion of the cradling caused Aran's diaper to shift a little, which in turn made him realize that the garment was no longer dry.
"Hey there, little wolfie. Are you in there somewhere?" she said, looking into his eyes.
Aran did not respond and patiently waited for his caregiver to explain what she was doing.
"I've got a nice bottle for you, pup. Are you thirsty?"
The wolf nodded slowly.
"Good. I'll have to take your pacifier from you, though."
Before Aran could protest, not that he wanted to, the collie did as she announced. There was no room to speak, though, as she quickly exchanged the pacifier for the nipple of the bottle. After the bottle of formula was empty, Jennifer fed him a dose of the antidote again.
"Have you thought about what I told you yesterday?" she asked after Aran was done.
"Yush, but even though I get why Wesley was here, I still don't really understand what _I_am doing here."
Slightly agitated, the collie carried him back to the crib.
"Did I say something wrong?" he asked, as she put him down on the mattress.
Jennifer did not respond. She slid up the bars and latched them in place.
"I... Are you mad at me?"
She sighed.
"No, little one. I'm not mad."
"Then why did you put me back here? Do you want me to sleep again?"
"On the contrary. You'd probably want to stay awake for what's coming," the collie replied without a trace of emotion.
Aran turned to his caregiver, his face pressed against the side of the crib, his muzzle between the bars.
"What did I do wrong?"
"Trust me, if you knew what kind of answers I can give you to that particular question, you would've probably preferred to swallow your words."
This sudden change of mood frightened the black wolf. Instinctively, he grabbed his stuffed husky, hoping that the plushie could supply him with a little comfort now that his caregiver was not doing so.
"Since you can't seem to figure out why you're here, I've arranged something for you. There are conditions concerning your participation, though. Or rather, your lack of participation."
"What conditions?"
"You will stay in your crib. It doesn't matter if you sit or lie down, but you stay in there. Second, you will keep your back to the door until I allow you to do otherwise. Lastly, you are forbidden to speak."
"I _did_do something wrong, didn't I? You _are_mad at me..."
"Aran, I'm not mad," Jennifer replied with determination, "but you need to understand this clearly. If you so much as hint that you'll turn around, I'll have to punish you, and for each word you speak, I'll have to spank you."
"Spank me?" the wolf replied as he grew restless. "Why would you-"
"Just trust me and do as I asked. You'll be okay," Jennifer interrupted, giving Aran's pacifier back to him.
Aran repositioned and turned his back to the door, leaning against the bars of his crib.
"Be a good puppy and wait for me to return, okay?"
The wolf nodded and nervously petted his stuffed husky, trying not to think about the somewhat itchy sensation at his crotch. His anguish grew as the minutes passed, afraid of what would be happening. Why was he not allowed to speak or turn around? And most of all, why did Jennifer threaten to punish him?
His reflections were disturbed by the sudden return of his caregiver. Aran heard the door open, followed by Jennifer entering the room.
"I see you decided to be obedient. Good boy," she praised. "Are you ready?"
Aran nodded slowly, still uneasy about the mysterious upcoming event.
"You can come in whenever you feel like it," Jennifer said, obviously not addressing the black wolf.
The door softly creaked as the visitor entered the nursery.
"Hi Aran," a female voice said. "It really is you, isn't it?"
He nodded. Something about the voice sounded vaguely familiar, but he could not determine what it was or whom the voice belonged to.
"You probably don't remember me, but I know very well who you are. I used to be afraid of you, even terrified. For a long time, I feared going to the places where I was sure to meet you. You've done some horrible things to me and to a couple of my friends as well."
A shiver crept up Aran's spine. Who was this girl, and how did she know him?
"Even years after everything that happened, I felt a strong hate for you. I even cherished my hatred at some point. You've hurt me so bad that it scarred my soul, Aran. I didn't even want to be here in the first place, let alone talk to you."
Aran tightened his grip around his plushie. Who was this girl? Was her story even true? Was this not just one of Kaiser's tricks?
"You have forgotten about me, haven't you? Don't feel guilty, I understand that. After all, it affected me far stronger than it did you. Even though you have done detestable things, I've learned to cope with my hate. I cannot forgive you, not yet, but I've started to comprehend why you did what you did."
'Why is she telling me that I hurt her, but she doesn't hate me for it? What strange kind of person is she?' Aran thought.
"Jennifer told me about your parents, about how your father hated you and your mother didn't love you, about how your father used to settle disagreements with violence and how your mother refused to defend you. I didn't see how that was relevant, until she explained the Chain to me."
'Chain? What chain?' the wolf asked himself.
"Still, I don't think that the Chain is an excuse for your behavior. Every person has the choice to pass it down, or to revolt to its power. You wanted to know why you're here, well, this is it. Kaiser brought you here to teach you how you can become free of the Chain."
She remained silent for a few moments, as if she was searching for words. When she spoke again, Aran concluded that the girl had paused because she was on the verge of tears.
"You turned middle school into hell for me and you maybe even felt good about it. I want to forgive you, Aran, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to do just that," she then said resolutely.
The wolf heard someone move, followed by the sound of the door being shut.
"I hope this answers some of your most glaring questions, little one," Jennifer commented after a while.
Aran did not respond. Instead, he let his head hang low, ears folded flat against his skull.
He finally knew who had been talking to him. Gina Althares, a vixen he used to bully during middle school. The wolf let the pacifier drop from his muzzle.
"I'm here because of her, right?" he asked with both fright and grief.
"It wasn't by her request, but she is indeed a motive. Are you satisfied now?"
"No..." the wolf barely managed to utter. "She made me recall things I had purposely forgotten. I'm a terrible person."