Black Blood Chapter 7
#9 of Black Blood
Accepting the Past and Future
"Please!" Tom said as he teasingly nudged Ren's shoulder.
"No..." Ren said half-heartedly as he tried to ignore Tom's constant pestering.
"Come on, Ren!" Tom said with a slight whine in his voice. "We only have two more weeks left of summer vacation! Can't you go just once?"
Ren groaned and folded his arms across his chest. "I told you already; I hate the beach..."
"Is it because of what happened last time?" Tom rolled his eyes as he sat next to his brother on the bed. "Come on, Ren... I said I was sorry about laughing at you..." Tom watched Ren's ears flatten in embarrassment as the memory was, no doubt, being played in Ren's head. "It wasn't even that bad anyways!" Tom said with a chipper tone. "Just a little sand in your fur." Ren's entire body started to shiver. "Oh..." Tom nodded with understanding. "Don't like the sand?"
"It took three days to get it all out..." Ren said with slight annoyance.
Tom's shoulders slumped as he listened to his brother recollect about how annoying grains of sand are to dig out. Tom had no means of understanding how his brother could feel. His body didn't have a problem with it; a quick rinse under the shower could clear it all up within seconds. Sure, some would get into his scalp, but his hair was nowhere as thick as his family's body fur.
"Just go without me, Tom..." Ren pouted, turning away from his brother. "I'd ruin the trip if I went anyways..."
Tom slowly stood from the bed. He bit his lip as he tried not to appear too disappointed by Ren's decision. "I don't want to go unless everyone does..." Tom mumbled as he walked out of the room, dejected. Behind him, Ren looked towards the ground and let out a soft whine.
Ren sat there in silence staring at the floor, his mind going back and forth between the little argument he and Tom had just a moment ago to when they went to the beach almost a year ago. He remembered clearly that he said he didn't want to go back, and he knew Tom remembered it as well. So why was he being so stubborn in trying to change his mind?
"Knock, knock..." Ren's ears straightened up when he heard his mother's voice at the door. She walked forward, closing the door behind her. "I'm guessing by Tom's pouting that you're still not up for going to the beach?"
"He doesn't understand, mom..." Ren said as he shifted himself on the bed.
"You know it's not his fault, Ren..." Sera said as she softly sat next her son.
"I know..." Ren huffed as he gazed to his side, out the window. He caught a brief glimpse of the bay and the waves crashing on the beach. He quickly looked away. "I wish he'd just let it go already..."
Sera smiled as she wrapped her arm around Ren and pulled him to her side. "You know he won't let up... he can be just as stubborn as you, you know?" She playfully rubbed her nuzzle between Ren's ears, eliciting a slight giggle from Ren.
"Stop it!" Ren laughed. Sera pretended as though she hadn't heard him, but after another plea or two she finally relented.
"Now Ren..." A serious tone started to echo in Sera's voice. "Tomorrow is a special day. You know that, right?" Ren giggled as he nodded his head with excitement. "Then you should realize why you should go..."
Ren groaned with frustration as he was once again being bothered with the subject. "Can't we just go somewhere else?" Ren pleaded.
"No..." his mother said sternly. Ren's body stiffened slightly as his mother's voice became more forceful. "Your brother wants all of us to go to the beach together so that's the only option.
"But why the beach!?" Ren whined. "Don't you and dad hate it as well?" Ren watched as his mother's expression turned somber. "Mom?"
"I was hoping I wouldn't need to do this..." Sera said with a sigh. "Listen Ren... your father and I don't exactly like having sand in our fur either... but we're both willing to make that sacrifice for Tom." Sera watched as Ren started to become uneasy. "Ren..." Sera found it hard for herself to swallow all of a sudden. "I don't enjoy bringing this subject up... but you should try to make sure you won't have any regrets when Tom..." Sera closed her eyes, finding it difficult to bring herself to finish. She could feel Ren's body shaking in her arm. She didn't need to finish.
"No!" Ren shouted, his eyes tearing up. "Tom's not going to..." Ren couldn't bring himself to say it either. "He won't!" Ren tried to stare at his mother with defiance, but the longer he looked into her knowing eyes, the faster it waned. An agonizing moan echoed from Ren's throat as tears started flowing down his furry cheeks. His mother quickly wrapped her other arm around Ren and pulled him close. Ren weakly wrapped his arms around his mother as he sobbed into her chest.
"There, there..." Sera said as she gently patted Ren's back. "It'll be alright. Tom's still here with us. He's not going anywhere..."
Ren sniffled as he pulled himself away from his mother. He wiped his eyes into his arm as the tears slowly ebbed away. His breathing remained heavy and his body was still shaking as his mind tried to calm down. The occasional whimper escaped his muzzle as he tried to rid the thought from his mind.
Sera placed her paw on Ren's shoulder. "I'm sorry for making you feel like this, Ren, but whatever you're feeling now is nothing to what you'll feel if you have regrets later in life..." Sera leaned forward and whispered into her son's ear "Don't let this be one of them..."
Ren took a deep breath through his nose and slowly exhaled. As he repeated this a few times his body finally seemed to be calming down. Ren slowly nodded his head as he softly said "Alright..." He looked up to his mother with his reddened eyes. "I'll go..."
Sera rested her paw on Ren's head and slowly stroked it; trying to soothe him further. The two remained silent as both of them tried to rid that damned scenario out of their minds.
Tom's body shivered with excitement as his feet dug into the sand. He wondered how long it had been since that first time. A warm breeze caressed his face as he gazed up and spotted not a single cloud in the sky. He looked forward, then left and right. The beach was completely empty. Tom smiled as he looked back at his family getting out of the car. All of them.
As his parents unloaded the car Tom approached Ren and grabbed his arm. "Let's get closer to the water!" Before Ren could even have time to register what Tom had said he was being pulled towards the shore. Ren's ears flattened against his head, his fur straightened up as he felt the sand under his pads of his feet. He said nothing, and just hoped he wouldn't trip over anything.
Ren let himself be led by Tom. He could feel the sand beneath him become colder and firmer the closer they got water. The sound of the waves crashing started to echo with greater volume as the two of them started to slow down. Ren shifted his feet and noticed that the sand was a bit damp. He looked around Tom and realized that they were only a few steps away from the water.
Tom released Ren's arm and walked forwards. He watched as the water retreated away from him before splashing forward with a layer of white foam. Tom shivered slightly as his feet submerged into the water. Slowly, he sat down in the shallow surf. He patted the water, splashing bits of it around as he motioned for Ren to join him.
"Uh... I'll just stand" Ren said, receiving a slight shrug from Tom. A few moments of awkward silence passed, more so for Ren as he just watched Tom from behind in silence, his legs hesitating whether to move forward into the surf or not. "So..." Ren said as he tried to catch Tom's attention who was staring out at the bay. "What's so special about the beach anyways?" Ren clutched his paws as he realized too late how that must have sounded coming out of his muzzle.
"Hmm..." Tom hummed as he stared at the sky, eyes closed. "Well... before I was adopted I had no idea it even existed." Tom opened his eyes as he stared back at the horizon. "Every time I look out our window and see this..." Tom smiled. "I remind myself that it's only because of you that I got the chance to experience it."
"Oh..." Ren felt himself slightly embarrassed being regarded that way, but he couldn't help but smile because of it, regardless. Ren took a few steps forward, stopping only when he felt the sensation of the cold water on the pads of his feet.
Tom looked back, wondering if Ren was going to come into the water. "Scared?" Tom giggled.
"No!" Ren's ears straightened as his embarrassment came again. His body jolted when he suddenly felt some of his fur become damp. Ren's eyes widened as he realized Tom was splashing water onto him. Ren looked down as he watched clumps of his fur became darker and matted. When it stopped he could hear Tom laughing; no doubt from seeing the same sight. Ren's shoulders slumped. "Please stop..." Ren said weakly as he turned away from Tom.
Tom quickly stood up when he realized Ren was about to walk away. "Wait!" Ren looked back at him. "What's wrong?" Ren looked down at his fur which now looked like he had suddenly developed spots. He then looked away from Tom again. "I thought you said it wasn't me laughing at you that got you upset!"
"I never said it didn't upset me..." Ren said with a bit of irritation.
Tom groaned with slight frustration. The two of them stood there, feet planted in the sand. Tom gazed over to where his parents were. He didn't know how but it seemed as though their father could sense something was wrong. Even from this distance Tom could recognize that look of worry of his face. Tom sighed as he looked back at his brother and then back at the water. "Wait here" Tom said as he went back to the water.
Ren watched with confusion as Tom went a little further into the surf. Tom stopped when the water came up to his chest. Tom took a deep breath and submerged his whole body under the water before immediately coming back up. Tom walked back towards Ren, his body slightly shivering from the increased sensitivity to the wind. Tom walked past Ren with a smirk. Ren turned and watched as Tom sat down in the sand, lay down, and rolled around. Ren's eyes widened when Tom finally stopped and got back on his feet. Ren's body suddenly tensed, a pressure started to build in his throat that he was having an increasingly hard time keeping suppressed.
Tom presented himself; his entire body was matted with a layer of sand. His hair appeared crystalized from all of the grains matted into it. Despite Tom's best efforts, he couldn't clear away enough of the sand on his face to allow his eyes to open without sand getting in them, but his ears were working perfectly fine. It started off faint, but slowly he could hear his brother's laughter increase in volume to the point he could almost picture him rolling around on the ground in hysteria. "Yeah, yeah..." Tom laughed a little with his brother.
"What's going on here?" an amused voice said.
"Nothing, dad..." Tom said with a giggle. The sound of Ren's laughter was starting to die out.
"Nothing huh?" his dad said playfully. Tom could suddenly hear Ren let out another laugh before his father said "Take my phone to your mother, please." There was a pause. "Now let's get this taken care of..."
Tom gasped as he suddenly felt himself being lifted up and carried. He didn't know where his father was taking him until he felt himself being lowered back into the water. He felt his father let go of him when his feet made contact with the ground. He walked forward until the water came up to his chest. Tom took a deep breath and submerged himself again. He stayed underneath longer this time, trying to wipe off as much of the sand as he could.
Todd watched as Tom emerged from the water with a small gasp. As Tom rubbed the sea water out of his eyes Todd stared at him with a bit of envy. "If only fur was that easy to clean..."
Tom laughed as he slowly opened his eyes, feeling a bit of a sting. As Tom made his way back to his father he realized his father was knee-deep in the water with him. "You don't mind getting wet?" Tom asked.
"Just a little" Todd replied. "Too much salt water in our fur is a hassle to wash out."
"Oh... really?" Tom said with a devilish grin.
Todd's ears perked up when he saw Tom's face. "Thomas... Don't. You. Dare..." His words feel upon deaf ears as Tom started splashing water at Todd; matting the fur on his legs, chest, and arms. Todd let out a groan before giving Tom his own little devilish grin. "You're about to see why size matters in this little game!" Todd moved deeper into the water and quickly started cascading Tom with splash after splash. Tom screamed playfully as he did his best to retaliate, but was sure it wasn't having much of an effect.
"Hey!" the two of them stopped when they heard Ren shouting. They looked back at the shore line to see him just standing there at the edge of the water, unsure as to what to do.
"Come on in, Ren!" Tom shouted back, but Ren still seemed hesitant.
Todd laughed. "He's still worried about having to clean it all out... Wait here." Todd started moving towards the shoreline. Tom snickered when he saw all the fur below his father's chest was dark and heavy with water as opposed to his fluffy, bright red fur. He watched as his father picked Ren up. It was fairly obvious Ren didn't like where this was heading, but he didn't really have a choice now. Todd returned to Tom with Ren in tow.
"Alright, Ren, you can let go..." Todd said as Ren kept clutching onto his neck, refusing to get in the water. "Guess we have to do this the hard way..." Todd closed his eyes and let himself fall backwards into the water. Ren tried to protest, but his voice was quickly cut off as the two of them disappeared under the surface with a splash. After a second or two Ren emerged gasping, wiping the fur away from his eyes. Moments later Todd stood himself up; his fur now fully drenched.
"Well... we're all wet. Now what?" Ren said as he shook his head rapidly; sending drops of water flying in every direction. Tom turned away as some of the water started smacking him in the face. When Ren was finished the fur covering his face stood in every direction.
Tom chuckled as he readied his hand under the surface. He waited for Ren to turn his head before swinging it forward. Ren yipped in surprise as some of his fur became matted again. Ren faced his brother with irritation.
"You going to let him get away with that, Ren?" Todd said with a bit of laughter as he slowly waded away from the coming confrontation.
Ren placed both of his paws under the water and pushed upwards, away from himself. Tom closed his eyes as the water bombarded his face. "Is that the best you can-" Tom was silenced by the sudden rush of salt water in his mouth as Ren repeated the motion over and over again. Tom turned away, coughing, as he tried to catch his breath while Ren continued to splash at his back. "If I didn't know better, Ren, I'd say you're enjoying yourself" Tom let out another cough.
Ren chuckled as he slowly eased off on the splashing. "Might as well make the most of it now, right?"
Tom turned with a smile. "Glad to see you're finally having fun." Ren smiled back as he adjusted some his fur falling in front of his eyes again. "You know what would be really fun?" Tom asked with a smirk. Ren's ears straightened, his head tilted slightly with curiosity. "What do you say we team up?" Tom asked as he motioned head to the side. Ren looked over and saw their father slowly approaching them. Ren smiled deviously at the thought of getting a little payback on his father.
"That was fast..." Todd said as he approached his sons. "Thought this area was going to turn into a warzone" he chuckled. He didn't receive a response from either of them. "Hello?" Todd said as he nearly came within an arm's reach of them.
"Now!" Tom shouted.
Todd's ears straightened, his eyes widened in surprise as he was suddenly being double-teamed. He quickly turned his head away. "No fair!" Todd shouted. "Who said alliances were allowed!?" He slowly walked forward, guided by the sound of their laughter. "Yeah, yeah, keep laughing... you won't be laughing when I do this!" Todd lunged forward and grabbed ahold of one of his assailants.
"No!" Ren shouted playfully as his father lifted him out of the water and held him above his head. Todd smirked as he gazed at Tom, who had stopped splashing out of surprise. As water dripped down from Ren's fur onto his, Todd boasted, "No one can challenge my strength!" Todd turned around and threw Ren towards the deeper water. Ren screamed with surprise as he suddenly found himself thrown in the air, falling towards the water. With a huge splash Ren disappeared under the water. As Todd turned to face Tom he could hear Ren emerging to the surface and wading his way back towards them. "Your turn!" Todd said playfully as he lunged forward and grabbed Tom underneath his arms.
"Wait, dad." Tom said as he was suddenly lifted out of the water. "Wait!" Tom said with more urgency as his father readied him for tossing.
"No chickening out, Tom!" Todd laughed as he pulled his arms back, aiming in the same direction Ren was swimming from. His arms started to launch forward.
"Dad, I can't swim!" Tom shouted as he was released from his father's grasp.
Todd's ears dropped immediately when he realized what Tom said. His body started to move on its own; propelling itself forward to catch up with the flying boy as he approached the deep water. As Tom disappeared with a splash Todd's eyes narrowed, his heart rate skyrocketed. The water was now up to his neck as he approached the source of the ripple and immediately dove under. Todd tried to spot Tom, but the murky water added with the salt in his eyes made it near impossible to see anything.
"Where is he!?" Todd's mind screamed as he blindly moved his arms around, trying to get any kind of hold on him. "Did the current take him deeper!?" At this point, Todd had no idea which way was which. His blood started to boil as his lungs desperately cried for more oxygen. Todd groaned as his arms started to tense up. His body started to tremble. "Tom..." His mind started to go blank. The scene kept replaying over and over in his head. Why couldn't he have just kept his grip on him...? Todd's eyes blasted open as he felt something pulling at the fur on his left leg. His lungs released what little air they had left in them as his arms instinctively rushed down to his leg and felt a familiar smooth texture. With his remaining strength Todd yanked upwards.
As Tom was forced to the surface his lungs immediately opened up and inhaled with a gasp. His chest burned, his mind was a haze as he felt himself being pushed through the water. Underneath him, Tom could hear someone gasping. He looked down and realized he was, again, being held up with his father's hands underneath his arms. Tom's mind started to rush. "Wait!" Tom shouted desperately as he tried to free himself.
"I'm not throwing you, Tom..." Todd said, trying to calm Tom down. "I'm not throwing you..."
Tom started to cough up a bit of water. He felt like throwing up as his stomach churned with the salt water he had swallowed upon entering.
Todd glanced up and noticed Tom's nausea. "Ren!" Todd shouted. Go get some bottles of water from your mother!" Ren immediately obeyed his father's order and trudged through the rest of the water before sprinting on the sand. Todd felt the water level slowly lowering down his body as he approached the beach. When the water came to his calves Todd asked, "Think you can walk?" Tom nodded slowly. Todd gently brought Tom down until his feet touched the sand.
Tom's legs were a little unstable as his father supported him out of the water. His mind was still in a haze as it slowly came down from the sudden rush. His stomach continued to churn. Tom stopped and clutched his stomach.
"Try to get as much of it out of your system..." Todd said as he slowly lowered Tom to his knees. Tom leaned forward and held his head low. At first only few guttural sounds escaped, but after a few seconds a rush of fluid escaped from his mouth. As Tom took a deep breath his father kneeled beside him and slowly rubbed and patted his back. Another burst erupted from Tom. A few groans followed, but the vomiting seemed to be over.
"You... doing alright?" Todd asked nervously as he continued to rub Tom's back.
Tom nodded slowly as he straightened himself out. He remained on his knees as his father took a seat next to him. "I think I'll pass on the swim next time..." Tom chuckled weakly.
"Me too..." Todd said with a sullen tone. As glad as he was that Tom seemed to be alright, he was unable to laugh along with him. This was the second time he'd done something to scar Tom. Todd began to wonder if he could do anything other than scare Tom.
"Dad! Tom!" Ren shouted with panic as he carried three bottles of water in his arms. Ren quickly approached the two and offered the water.
"Try to drink as much water as you can, Tom..." Todd said as he slowly lifted himself to his feet. "I'm going to head back to your mother. Stay with him, Ren." Todd sighed as he proceeded to put some distance between himself and Tom while he sorted out his thoughts.
Ren quickly sat down next to Tom. He opened one of the bottles and offered it to Tom. "Thanks" Tom said as he took the bottle and brought it to his lips. The water felt soothing going down his throat.
"Are you alright?" Ren asked as he leaned closer.
Tom stopped drinking. "I'm alright..."
"But you could have-"
"I didn't, Ren!" Tom shouted with frustration, surprising Ren.
"Why are you yelling at me? What did I do?" Ren's ears lowered against his head.
"Nothing!" Tom grunted. "Let's... just not talk about it... please..." Tom said before he started finishing off the first bottle. Tom could feel his entire body shaking.
"I shouldn't have come..." Ren muttered.
"What?" Tom asked after finishing the bottle.
"If I hadn't agreed to come, none of this would have happened..." Ren let out a whine. "I didn't want to have any regrets..." Ren's mind recalled his conversation with his mother. All of it. As Ren remembered what led up to his mother told him about regrets, his eyes began to tear up.
"No regrets?" Tom asked with confusion.
"No regrets when you..." Ren looked up to Tom with teary eyes. As that thought lingered in his mind, realization smacked Ren in the face as he realized that time could have been today. "You can't go!" Ren lunged forward, taking Tom by surprise as he latched onto his arm. "Don't ever go!"
"Go?" Tom repeated back. His heart sank when he realized what Ren was referring to. Tom couldn't even remember the last time he had that thought. Regardless of when it was, it didn't have the same weight as it did now. Tom leaned forward, allowing Ren to adjust his from Tom's arm to his torso. "I wouldn't dream about going anywhere..." Tom reassured Ren, feeling Ren's grip tightening around his body. Tom clenched his teeth as he tried to keep his own eyes from tearing up.
"This day has been a disaster..." Todd moaned as he buried his muzzle into his paws. "It's all my fault!"
"It was an accident, dear..." Sera said as she rested her paw on Todd's shoulder. "Just learn from it."
"I almost killed him!" Todd grunted as he looked up and glared at Sera with watery eyes. "Do you have any idea what it feels like to come this close to killing your own family!?"
"No, but dwelling on it isn't going to get you anywhere!" Sera shouted. "You can't keep thinking about what could have been or what should have been. You made a mistake, yes, but you also acted quickly and Tom is still alive because of it! Count this as a blessing and just be thankful..." Despite her own words, Sera was having difficulty, herself, trying to remove any thoughts of Tom drowning from her mind.
"Do you think he's afraid of me?" Todd asked he gazed at Sera with softening eyes.
Sera wrapped her arms around Todd's neck. She smirked. "You mean like the time you yelled at him?"
Todd's shoulders slumped. "Why'd you have to bring that up?"
"Was he afraid of you after that day?" Sera whispered.
"No..."
"Then I think you already know the answer..." Sera said as she softly nuzzled Todd's cheek.
Todd smiled as he pulled Sera closer to him. He let out a sigh of content as felt as though a bit of weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He gazed forward and noticed Tom and Ren had come back. Tom was starting to play with Luna as Ren sat nearby and just watched. Todd chuckled when he noticed Ren's fur was starting to become encrusted with sand. He then looked down and noticed he hadn't escaped that fate either.
Sera looked back. "I think they're having fun without us..."
"How dare they!?" Todd shouted facetiously. "Perhaps we should... join them?" Todd asked, still a bit unsure.
"I think that's a good idea" Sera smiled as she grabbed Todd's right paw, turned around, and led him back. She could feel Todd squeeze her paw affectionately as they continued their family outing.
Approximately another hour passed before they started packing up everything. Ren tried to get as much of the sand out of his fur before getting into the car. For now, it didn't seem like much sand would find its way onto the seats or floor of the car, but as he shifted his body he could feel the grains nestled at the roots. A groan of frustration echoed out of Ren's muzzle as he began to itch uncontrollably. Tom chuckled next to him.
After Todd loaded the last of the supplies into the back of the car he went to Sera who was securing Luna in the child seat. "I'm going to walk back with Tom."
"Why?" Sera asked as she gently closed the car door.
"Just want to talk with him..."
"Dear..." Sera gave him a worried look.
"It'll be fine" Todd reassured her. "Besides... this will give you time to set up the surprise..." he smiled.
"Oh?" Sera smiled back. "And what about Ren?
"I'm sure he's itching to take a shower..." Todd smirked.
"Oh haha.... Don't take too long, alright?" Sera walked towards the driver's door.
Todd opened the back door. "Tom, could you come out here with me, please?"
"Ok..." Tom said as he unbuckled himself. As he got out of the car his father closed the door behind him. He watched with confusion as his mother started driving off without them.
"So..." Todd muttered, breaking Tom's concentration. "You feeling alright?"
"My skin feels a little warm..." Tom said as he presented his arms.
"Your skin is a little red..." Todd said as he gazed at them. "Does is hurt when touched?" Tom nodded his head. "Ah..." Todd shook his head with embarrassment and frustration. "We forgot humans get sunburns..." Todd looked up at the sky. It was mid-afternoon; the sun wasn't hovering directly over them anymore, but it wasn't casting any long shadows yet. Todd moved so that he cast a shadow over Tom. "Try to stay in the shade as we walk, alright?"
"Alright" Tom replied. As his father took a step forward he walked in tandem to stay next to him. He tried to make a game out of it by matching his steps with his father's. His stride wasn't as great as his father's, though, so he practically leapt with each step. When Todd noticed this he started taking shorter steps. Tom giggled, realizing his father had already caught on to his little game.
"Did... you have a good time today?" Todd asked meekly.
"It... could have been better" Tom replied with a sigh.
"Yeah..." Todd said with his own exasperation. "I played a part in that, huh?" Tom didn't reply. "I'm so sorry, Tom... You must think I'm a horrible father, huh?" Todd chuckled in self-pity.
"I don't think that..." Tom replied. Todd's eyes widened when he felt Tom grab ahold of his paw as they continued walking. "Why do you think you are?"
"I..." Todd swallowed. "I almost killed you, Tom..."
"It wasn't on purpose was it?" Tom asked, timidly.
"Of course not!" Todd exclaimed as he stopped and knelt in front of Tom. "I would never intentionally hurt you!"
"See?" Tom smiled as hugged his father. "You're not a bad dad."
"Thank you, Tom..." Todd whispered as he softly hugged back. "I know that I don't always act like the father you deserve..."
"But you're the one I want." Tom interrupted.
Todd couldn't help but laugh. "You're too much, you know that?" Todd let go of Tom and stood back up. "Shall we continue?" Tom nodded his head. Todd was surprised again when Tom grabbed ahold of his paw again. Todd smiled as they walked on, his tail softly wagging.
A minute of silence passed before Tom looked up at his father and asked "So what was your dad like?"
"My dad?" Todd chuckled. "My dad and I were never really that close."
"Oh... sorry."
"Oh no, it's fine!" Todd reassured Tom. "My uncle was more of a father to me than my actual father."
"What was he like?" Tom asked. "Was he like you?"
Todd laughed. "Far from it; my uncle was a very reserved person who preferred being by himself..." Todd sighed as memories started to fill his mind. "It really wasn't surprising, though; he was a black collar."
"Like Ren?"
"Yep" Todd replied.
"You should invite him over!" Tom said with excitement.
Todd gave his son a smile. "I'm afraid I can't do that, Tom. My uncle died a long time ago."
"Oh..." Tom's excitement vanished as his shoulders slumped. "Sorry."
"Nah... He's in a better place now..." After a moment of silence Todd looked down, wondering why Tom was being so quiet all of a sudden. He noticed that Tom seemed to be lost in thought as he stared down at the ground while they continued to talk. "Tom?" He didn't get a response. Todd wondered if mentioning his deceased uncle had ruined the mood. Todd sighed. He decided not to press the issue; he knew Tom would be his usual self again sooner or later.
The longer they walked in silence the more Todd's mind began to reminisce on his uncle. Todd remembered when his uncle came to live with him and his family. He didn't think much of him at the time; he didn't really notice him that much. Todd had three older brothers that he looked up to, but by the time he started his third year of middle school all three had already moved out of the house. He remembered feeling lonely not having someone nearby he could just talk to. His parents were apathetic, to him at least. There was only one other person living with him that he might be able to talk to.
Todd stared at the wooden door. It was an oddity to him. He'd seen this door every day, but had never gone inside since his uncle moved in. His uncle had been living in this room, in this house for years but still felt like a stranger to Todd. He took a deep breath and knocked. He waited for a few seconds, but there was no answer. As Todd was about to knock again he heard the door click. It cracked open, revealing his uncle.
"Todd?" his uncle asked, genuinely surprised to have a visitor. "Is something wrong?"
"No..." Todd responded nervously as he gazed at the black collar around his uncle's neck.
They stood there in awkward silence before his uncle opened the door wider. "You want to come in?" Todd nodded his head. "Sorry for it being so messy... I haven't had a chance pick everything up yet..." Todd watched as his uncle stepped over various books and papers before reaching a chair in the corner. "So what brings you here?"
"No real reason..." Todd shrugged his shoulders. "Just wanted to talk to someone..."
"Ah..." his uncle nodded. "You miss your brothers, don't you?" Todd nodded back. "It's not all bad, Todd. You just keep doing well in school and you'll be moving out like them.
Todd gazed around his uncle's room. His parents would always get mad whenever his room was dirty, but it was never anything like this. "What do you do in here?"
"Oh... I do various jobs online. It helps pay the rent."
"You pay rent?" Todd asked with surprise. "Dad doesn't let you stay for free?" His uncle shook his head timidly. "But you're brothers!"
"The real world is very cruel, Todd..." his uncle said with a groan. "At least you can make it out there... Me? I don't have a lot of options."
"Why?" Todd asked curiously.
"I'd rather not discuss it..."
"Come on! Tell me!" Todd watched as his uncle's ears went stiff and his body shivered slightly.
"Life is becoming more and more difficult for black collars, Todd." His uncle's ears flattened against his head in shame. "Just now I wanted to keep silent about it, but just your little command forced me to talk."
"I didn't command you!" Todd said with shock.
"It was unintentional, Todd, but you did tell me to do something. Has a white collar ever told you to do something?" Todd nodded his head. "Now imagine everyone else is a white collar and you're the only blue collar." Todd eyes widened. "That's what life is like for me and other black collars, Todd. I couldn't go a single day without losing control of my body constantly." His uncle started to laugh with pity. "And I just told you all of this because you told me to..." He reclined back his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling. "Solitude is my only escape."
"I didn't know, uncle..." Todd whined apologetically as turned towards the door. "Sorry for bothering you."
"Wait... Todd..." his uncle sighed as he scratched behind his ear. "I... I didn't mean to take it out on you... Was there something you wanted to talk about?"
Todd received a pleading look from his uncle. "Not really..." Todd said as he took a seat on the ground. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"
"Something I want to talk about?" his uncle scratched his head, pondering what he should even speak about.
"Dad told me you lived in the city before coming here."
"Yes..." he chuckled softly. "Unfortunately I was forced to move away because of this..."
Todd watched as his uncle gripped the collar around his neck. "Why did you go to city then?"
"Ah..." his uncle smiled. "It was almost seventeen years ago I moved to the city. It was quite different, to say the least, than it is now." He looked to his nephew with curiosity. "Do remember ever going to school with any humans?"
Todd thought back. He remembered a few back in his first years of elementary school, but they suddenly vanished. "Kind of..." Todd answered.
"Well when I moved to the city humans were the majority" he smiled. "Things were so great back then..."
"Because there were humans?" Todd asked, confused.
"That's right... being around them just made my stress go away..."
"Are all humans really that nice?"
To Todd's surprise his uncle started laughing. "I wouldn't go that far..." his laughter subsided as a wave of bittersweet nostalgia swept over him. "But... I felt normal around them. They could tell me to do all sorts things... but I never felt forced." He smiled. "It was liberating to have felt that kind of freedom..." his smile vanished. "Until that damned disease ruined everything..." His eyes widened. "Pardon my language."
Todd shook his head. "My brothers used that word all the time."
"Oh dear..." his uncle shook his head. "Anyways... the disease... it started killing humans by the thousands every day. My friends... my coworkers... my..." he paused and shook his head. "They all succumbed to it. With them went that freedom I felt..." He closed his eyes again, trying to remember that feeling. He found it harder to remember with each passing day. He let out a soft chuckle. "It's been quite a few years since I've said this much..." He opened his bloodshot eyes. "Thank you, Todd."
Todd smiled. "No problem."
"Is there anything you want to talk about now?" Todd shrugged his shoulders. His uncle gripped his paws together as he thought to himself. "How's school going? Are you doing well in class?"
Todd's ears flattened in embarrassment. "I'm passing..."
"You should reach for more than just passing Todd. A good education is one of the keys that can determine your future. Would you like me to help you out?"
"Ok" Todd said.
"Alright..." his uncle smiled. He let out a small yawn. "I don't mean to be rude, but I really need to take a nap right now..."
Todd's ears perked up. "Oh!" Todd stood up and walked towards the door. "Sleep well, uncle."
"I guess I have no choice now..." he responded with a drowsy smile as Todd closed the door.
As Todd began spending more time with his uncle he started to realize things he never paid attention to before. One example was the way his father interacted with his uncle. It always seemed like his father was mad over his uncle not having enough money. Todd suspected it must have been about the rent. Every day for the next week after that his uncle would always have bloodshot eyes from staying up all night trying to make money. Todd would usually leave his uncle alone during this time since he would always be too busy, too stressed, or too tired to talk.
As the year progressed Todd noticed a significant improvement in his grades. While his parents gave him a quick praise when they saw his report card, his uncle was more elated by his progress.
Todd maintained his good grades throughout high school. When he was a junior he found the perfect surprise for his uncle.
"Hey uncle" Todd said as he slowly opened the bedroom door.
"Welcome back, Todd" his uncle said with a smile as he turned away from his computer. "How was school?"
"It was good" Todd replied. "I actually brought someone for you to meet." Todd stepped aside, revealing another figure behind him. His uncle's reaction was immediate. Disbelief covered his face as he watched the teenaged human enter the room.
"This is... quite a surprise..." his uncle said as stood up and approached the human. "Are you a friend of my nephew?"
"Kind of, sir. I only met Todd yesterday" the human responded.
Todd's uncle's body shivered with delight as it experienced a feeling for the first time in many years. "What a polite young man you are" he said with a smile. "Tell me, how does it feel being around Hunds again?"
"It's better here than it was at my previous school... Not many of those white collars here... Though I've never seen a Hund wear a black collar before."
"Many go their entire lives without seeing a black collar. We're kind of reclusive" he said with a chuckle. "What about you? Where did you live before coming here?"
"A little ways outside the city."
"Oh? What was it like living in the city?"
Todd slowly left the room to let the two of them talk. It was probably around forty, forty five minutes later when the door opened. "I think I've occupied enough of your time" Todd's uncle said as the two left the room. "I'll let you get back to my nephew."
"I'll meet you upstairs" Todd's friend said as he walked past him.
Before Todd could get a chance to follow, he suddenly felt himself being hugged from behind. "Thank you, Todd... really."
"Not a problem, uncle" Todd responded.
Over the remainder of Todd's time in high school his uncle helped him apply for scholarships to various colleges. Eventually, he was awarded a full scholarship to a University in the bay area, four hours south of them.
"I'm so proud of you, Todd" his uncle said as they hugged each other goodbye. "I know you're going to do well at college."
"I'm afraid I won't be able to handle the stress..." Todd chuckled nervously.
"Let me give you one last piece of advice, Todd. Things... many things happen in life that we have no control over. It's important to realize you must focus on making your future better rather than thinking about what could have been..." a sigh escaped his muzzle. "Dwelling on past can be painful... if you don't learn to let it go..."
"Uncle?" Todd asked as he watched depression overtake his uncle.
"You're a strong kid, Todd; stronger than I could ever hope to be. You'll be fine." They went for another hug.
"Thanks, uncle" Todd said as they separated. "I should probably get going before the traffic picks up."
"Drive safe" his uncle said as he watched Todd get into the car and drive off slowly. He waved him off with a proud smile. Even after the car had disappeared from sight he continued to wave, but his smile had faded and was replaced with grief.
That was the last time Todd ever saw his uncle. He took some comfort knowing that they were able to say goodbye to each other, but...
"Dad..." Tom said as he tugged on his father's arm.
Todd snapped out of his daze. "Yes?"
"We're home" Tom said as he pointed to the house in front of them. Todd hadn't realized how much time had passed.
Tom let a little yawn. His legs were tired, his skin was starting to feel like he was in an oven despite the shade his father provided and the constant ocean breeze. He felt like taking a nap or maybe even just go to bed right now. He waited for his father to unlock the door. He didn't seem to have the key, though. "I gave the key to your mother" Todd said when he noticed Tom's slight irritation. Todd rang the doorbell and waited, but no one was answering. What should have taken just a few seconds turned into a minute.
"Ring it again?" Tom suggested.
"I don't think that's necessary" Todd replied with a smile as his ears twitched. Tom was a bit surprised when the door suddenly clicked and cracked open. That was it, however. No one opened the door to welcome them back or even just let them in. It was just cracked open. "You should be able to open the door now" Todd said with a smile.
At this point Tom didn't care what was going on; he wanted to get inside and lie down on something soft. He pressed his hand against the door and pushed.
"Surprise!" a pair of voices shouted in unison. Tom's body flinched in surprise before he realized it was his mom and brother in front of him. Tom's eyes noticed the various colorful items that now littered the walkway. It reminded him of when it was Ren's birthday a few months ago. There were even a few balloons that had 'Happy Birthday' written on them.
"What's all this for?" Tom asked with an amused grin. "Whose birthday is it?" He looked back at his family with confusion. His dad's and Luna's birthdays were later in the year and his mother and Ren have already had theirs.
"It's yours, silly" Sera said.
"Mine?" Tom asked, surprised. "How did you find out when I was born?" Neither he nor anyone at the orphanage knew when he was born. He only knew he'd been at the orphanage for eight years. Since no one knew how old he was when admitted they reset his age to newborn. For all Tom knew he could have actually been at least nine or even ten when he was adopted, but it was never a big concern to him and just accepted being eight years old.
"We actually don't know when you were born, Tom" Sera said.
"Then why is today my birthday?" Tom asked as his father closed the door behind him.
"It's the day you entered our lives" Sera responded. "One year ago today."
Tom blinked in disbelief. "Today is...?" he asked under his breath. Tom knew it had been about that long, but he never knew the actual date he was adopted. He wondered why he never took that date to heart. Perhaps he only cared that he was adopted and not the specifics that came along with it. Or perhaps he really didn't understand dates before school. "So... what happens now?" Tom asked.
"You get to open some presents" Todd said.
"And cake!" Ren said with excitement.
"Cake!?" Tom's eyes lit up with. "What kind of cake?"
"Vanilla with strawberries" Sera said. "It's in the kitchen." Without another word spoken Tom and Ren ran past their mother. Sera smiled as she watched the boys vanish into the kitchen. Sera turned to Todd and gave him a semi-worried look. "What's wrong with Tom's skin?"
Todd chuckled. "Sun burned..."
"Oh... that's right..." Sera said as she shook her head. "I knew we were forgetting something... "
"I doubt that stuff... what was it called? Sun block? I doubt it's even being manufactured anymore" Todd said with a shrug. "That market is kind of dying out..." Todd said with a sigh. "Could have worded that better..."
Sera let out her own sigh. Her ears perked up when she heard the sound of plates and silverware being rattled in the kitchen. "I'm going to go serve them some cake" Sera smiled as she turned around.
"I'm going to take a shower" Todd said as he approached the stairs. "Make sure they don't eat too much cake" Todd said as he walked up.
"No promises" Sera with a giggle.
Todd twisted the handle and was immediately met with a high-powered stream of water. He waited a moment to let it warm up before he stepped in. A sigh of relief escaped his muzzle as he felt the salt being washed out. He grabbed a bottle nearby and started rubbing it into his fur, all the way to the roots. As he went down to his legs he could feel those stubborn grains that were dug in.
After Todd was completely lathered up he stood underneath and flowing water. His mind drifted back to his memories.
Three months after Todd moved out he received a phone call from his father.
"Dad? This is unexpected."
"I wish it were under better circumstances, Todd."
"What's wrong?" Todd asked, anxiety filled his mind. His father was never one for small talk; if he had something to say it was important.
"Your uncle has passed away."
Todd's eyes stared blankly at the wall in front of him. He remained motionless despite his legs suddenly feeling weak. "What... what do you mean he passed away...? How?"
His father was silent on the other side for a moment. Todd could hear his father taking a deep breath on the other side. "He... overdosed on antidepressants."
Todd's knees went out as he collapsed to the ground, still holding the phone to his head. "It... it was an accident... right?"
"I don't think so, Todd."
"How can you say that!?" Todd shouted at his phone. "He could have misread the instructions and-"
"Todd!" his father shouted back.
Todd swallowed. "What?"
"He'd been taking the medication for almost eleven years..."
"Eleven years?" Todd repeated in disbelief. It was ten years ago that his uncle had moved in with them. "It couldn't have been that long, could it?" Todd's mind thought back to all the times he spoke with his uncle and how he would smile from time to time. "I mean... he must have stopped at some point, right?"
"Todd... I picked up his medication every other week. He never stopped."
Todd gritted his teeth as his grip on his phone tightened. "You knew about it, huh!?" Todd snarled. "You knew he had a problem and you didn't do anything about it!?" Todd shouted.
"Don't use that tone with me!"
"You two were brothers!" Todd shouted as he found the strength to stand up again. "He was your brother and you weren't there for him! You forced him to pay rent! Do you know how many times he stayed up for days just to make sure he could pay you!? You did nothing except treat him like he was a burden! You did nothing to help him! You never even talked to him like he was family!" Todd chuckled mockingly as he realized that was something he and his uncle had in common.
"You have no idea what you're talking about!" his father shouted back through the phone. "You want to know why he'd stay up for so long? Because those pills caused insomnia! You want to know why he did all those jobs? To pay for those damned pills! I wasn't going to be the one to pay for them! You need to face reality, Todd. Your uncle brought this upon himself! He was an addict!"
"You're lying!" Todd slammed his fisted paw into the wall. "Don't you dare speak about him like that... he was a better person than you ever were!" Todd snapped his phone shut and tossed it aside. He suddenly found himself alone in silence. As he came down from his rage he was suddenly hit with the reality of the situation. An agonizing groan escaped his muzzle as he clutched his head in pain. "Damn it, why!?" Todd tried to rationalize why his uncle did it, but it only made things worse. "Why didn't you tell me...? Todd asked in a low groan. "I could have helped you... right?" Todd covered his eyes as his rage turned into sorrow. He made his way to his bed and buried his face into his pillow to muffle his outbursts.
Todd didn't go to class the next day. He remained in his room and stared blankly at the ceiling. A thousand thoughts ran through his mind as he tried to find some way to make sense of it all. Despite what he said to his father last night, Todd was starting to wonder if it was himself who didn't do enough for his uncle. He thought he had a strong bond with his uncle, but apparently it wasn't strong enough.
There was a knock on his door. Todd lazily gazed over and noticed an envelope pushed underneath the door. Todd hesitantly got up from the bed and grabbed the letter. He stared at for moment. "Renoir..." Todd eyes widened when he realized the letter was from his uncle. Todd opened the letter with hesitation. He gazed at the hand-written letter for a few moments before he began to read.
Dear Todd
_I can imagine what you must be feeling right now as you read this letter. Confusion. Sorrow. Anger. Betrayal. You have every right to feel what you're feeling right now. I don't know if you'll ever forgive me for what I've done, but I just want say that I am so sorry Todd. I wish things had been different so I could continue to watch you grow into a fine young man. But I've been fighting this battle for so long, and I just wanted to be free from it. I pray that you don't blame yourself for what I've done. This isn't your fault. This isn't your family's fault. This isn't anyone's fault but my own. I lacked the strength to move past all the tragic events in my life, and instead chose the easy way out. _
You, on the other hand, are so strong Todd. I've watched you grow all these years and I've always admired how you always had a positive attitude. To tell you the truth, you're the reason I strived on for as long as I did. You gave my life a little meaning. I'm always grateful for that day you knocked on my door.
Thank you, Todd. Please, continue to be that boy who would always care more about the feelings of others before his own. However, please don't neglect your own happiness; you deserve it just as much as anyone else. Whatever hardships you may face in life, face them with those you care about. Having someone by your side during hard times makes the pain more bearable.
Continue to do great things, Todd. I'll be watching over you with a proud smile.
Todd's eyes watered up as he finished the letter. He took a deep breath and forced a smile on his face. He chuckled as he closed his eyes. "You give me too much credit, uncle." He laughed softly as he wiped his eyes. _ _
The whole house was silent as everyone lay in their beds, sleeping. Tom, however couldn't sleep. He didn't know if it was his burning skin, the sugar in his system, or the excitement from earlier in the day that kept him awake. He let out a sigh as he rolled himself out of bed. He stood in the middle of the room and stretched his legs, grunting slightly from the burns. He approached the closed window and tried, as best as he could, to open it quietly. The whistling of the wind vanished as the window opened wider and wider. Tom's skin felt relief from the cold ocean breeze. He stood there for a moment and gazed out a familiar sight- the bay shone silver as the moon rested above. Tom sighed and kneeled down on his arms and watched as the moonlight danced in the waves.
A soft yawn echoed from the other side of the room. Tom gazed over and realized he had woken Ren up. "Sorry..." Todd said.
Ren rubbed his eyes as he approached the window. He stood next to Tom and brought his arms onto the windowsill, mimicking his brother. He gave Tom a huge smile before he stared out into the bay.
Tom smiled softly as he shifted his gaze back out the window. So much has changed for him this past year, but this view always remained the same. It was a constant reminder to him, showing what he now had in his life. He thought to himself, "I doubt there's a better place than here..."
Don't worry; there shouldn't be anymore flashbacks in the series.
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