Fatal Justice

† Chapter Thirty-Two †

Brotherhood, it is forged by heart, and unbreakable by sword. 

He settled back but his interest had been piqued by his new brothers. 'So, where are you guys from?' He asked.

General answered, 'Here, there. No real home.' 

'How long have you been out here?' 

'A lifetime,' General had no change in tone that indicated emotion, 'Our mother abandoned us when we were pups.' Amigo exhaled long and hard, as if the memory still bothered him. 

'You are blood brothers then?' 

'Yes.' 

"Hey, can I be part of this conversation?" Fox interrupted and his eyes switched to the man beside him, "It's awkwardly quiet." Fox then explained. He sighed and then a mind-link was formed between the four of them. 

He looked back at General, 'Is this your territory?' He re-asked his earlier question. 

'Not really,' General once again answered, 'From birth, we only know the way of the wolf. This is the first place that we found where nobody bothers us, we usually scare them off. Except you.' General's eyes glittered with a display of amusement. 

'Yes, well, I am not easily frightened,' He sighed, 'Besides, I protect my own.' 

Amigo spoke for the first time, 'I wasn't going to hurt him,' When the attention shifted to Amigo, he flattened his ears a little, 'Your friend, I mean, he just took me by surprise so I threw him.' He nodded in understanding at Amigo's explanation. They had all caught each other by surprise. 

'My name's Fox,' Fox realized they had never introduced themselves, 'And this is Joel.' 

'Where do you guys come from?' General asked this time. 

He sighed. 'I left Conquistador.' 

A dark look passed through General's eyes, 'I have heard of you.' 

'I am sure half the country has by now,' He agreed, 'It is not who I am anymore.' 

After a long moment, General nodded, 'I can see that.' 

'Good,' He felt relieved that their judgement wasn't harshly given because he hated that he was still tied to his past, 'Is that what made you... see me as an Alpha?' 

'No,' General said thoughtfully, 'You already carried yourself like an Alpha, that's why I thought you were a threat until I realized you weren't, then I knew you were worthy.' There it was again, people seeing something in him that he couldn't. 

Fox gave him a lopsided grin, 'I told you that you're a natural.' 

'Do you have mates?' He felt inclined to ask because it had become a sore subject with common ground these past few years. 

Amigo exhaled, and then spoke quieter, 'Nobody understands us. When I met my mate, she rejected me.' 

General growled quietly in defence of his brother, 'She was a bitch anyway. I never found mine. Guess some of us are just unlucky.'

'My mate was murdered by my sister,' He said. 

'I made a terrible mistake that got my mate and pup murdered,' Fox added. 

There was silence between the four of them as they confessed their pain. Once again, it brought them closer, and nobody spoke meaningless words. He was honestly a little surprised that Fox had openly admitted to his darkest secret but then he was proud because that meant Fox was healing. He supposed the first step in healing after something tragic was being able to talk about it because nothing good ever happened from bottling it all up. 

'We have a lot in common,' Amigo broke the silence, 'How did you two meet?' 

Fox smiled a little at the memory from days ago now, 'I was starving and I happened to come across Joel enjoying a fresh kill. I figured I had two options, be able to eat or get eaten, and either one was good enough for me.' 

He scrunched his nose up and looked at Fox with narrowed eyes, 'I would not eat you.' Then, he decided to tease, and said, 'Your meat is probably tougher than a bull's and flavourless anyway.' 

'That was a classy insult,' Fox chuckled, 'Guess it's better than you making fun of my name.' 

'What kind of wolf has the name Fox anyway?' Amigo piped up. 

'Exactly,' His lips curled into a smirk when Fox scowled at Amigo, 'I am not the only one who thinks it.'  He shot Amigo a wink when Fox wasn't looking. 

Fox crossed his arms indignantly and continued to scowl, 'I don't think we can get along if you're all gonna gang up on me. Three to one is not fair at all.' 

'I didn't choose a side,' General mused with a chuckle. 

He leaned back with a genuine smile crossing his face. Their banter was friendly and frankly, it was nice. He hadn't ever really gotten along with his siblings but this could be a new path that he explored. A new view on the term of family. He found himself comfortable in the presence of his newfound brothers, and that didn't happen often. 

He was used to backstabbing, throat-cutting, and fist throwing. This was different though, as he listened to Fox banter with Amigo. General had lost interest in the conversation and chewed mindlessly on one of the leftover bones. 

Somehow, he just knew in that moment. They had all crossed paths because it had always been destined to happen. Fox had taught him what it was like to have a true friend and brother in just a short amount of time, even when his trust had been so broken he jumped at shadows that lurked too close. 

He liked this. 

This feeling of finally being surrounded by people he could trust. People who weren't constantly looking to tear him down or make him bleed in a heap on the floor. They didn't seek to make him feel pain because they knew what it felt like. They weren't sick or twisted, they were lost and brave. He had found the right people to surround himself with and call brothers. 

Even when the fire had burned down to glowing embers and the snow glittered in the darkness of night beyond, his heart was light and he observed the relaxed states of his company. For the first time in his life, he wasn't afraid to admit that he felt hope. He didn't foresee an endless abyss of pain and suffering anymore, he saw his brothers and their good hearts. 

Even when the world had done them wrong and they got the short end of the stick, they refused to lose their humanity to the cycle of revenge. They hung on, even when the broken pieces were making their fingers bleed. They survived, even when their lungs had stuttered and lost their air. Because in the end, all life had purpose. No matter how small, how damaged, or how painful--life always had purpose. 

They had just needed to find theirs. 

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Oh, god my heart is going crazy. I love love this! 

I hadn't originally planned this chapter but then I got carried away and here it is! I adore it, I adore the brotherhood, I adore Joel and his phenomenal character development. Just perfect. Oh, and double update so you can enjoy with me hehe