Running With The Wolves (Shoto Todoroki X Izuku Midoriya)

Chapter 21: A Wolfwalker In Town

Here came the next the day, and the sun was slowly making it's way up into the sky. Freshly dressed in his puritan clothing, Shoto yawned as he made his way down the stairs with one hand rubbing a tired eye.

"Ah. Good morning, Shoto!"

Turning his attention towards the very source, said boy finds none other than his old man himself, fully dressed in hunting garments and busy packing his gear on the dining table.

"Good morning, Father!" Shoto greeted back as he made his way towards the man. "You're packing more than usual!"

Of course, he was talking about the concerning amount of arrows and bear traps messily sprawled all over the table.

"You've noticed, huh!"

"Why? What gives?" Shoto sounded more curious rather than confused or worried.

"There was an accident while I was at work. I'm still not sure how it even happened, but all I can say is that we lost our entire gunpowder supply when it crashed into the marshland" His father explained. "A new supply of gunpowder is yet to arrive, so the men and I will be using crossbows in the meantime!"

In the outside, Shoto had this blank expression stuck to his face. In the inside however, he was trying his very best to keep himself from stifling out a laugh, even a quiet one. Because if there really does exist an Almighty Lord in heaven, then he was one of the very few who knows that it was more than just an accident.

"Well, that's unfortunate!" Shoto bluntly commented instead before resting a hand on his right hip. "But what does that have to do with packing a lot of stuff!"

Suddenly, his father paused from his packing and this grim look appeared on his already stone-cold expressionless face.

"There's a rogue lurking somewhere within the woods!"

Thankfully, the hunter was more focused on the gear he was packing for his work. Because if he were to ever notice the shocked and worrisome look on his son's face, he will begin to ask questions. And just like his urge to laugh, Shoto was trying very hard to not to give off some sort of suspicious reaction, managing to swallow down the sharp gasp that nearly escaped his throat.

"More reason for children to keep away from such a cursed place!" His father added, his tone cold and serious. "The men and I have decided to stand guard outside the town. Which means I won't be returning home tonight." Continuing on with his packing, he then added "Also, we'll be scouring the woods in hopes of cornering that rogue. Or maybe even smoke out a native wolf or two perhaps from whatever den they're hiding in!"

"I see!" Shoto stated as calmly as he could, grabbing his cloak that hung on a nearby chair and draped it over his shoulders.

Loading the last of his gear, the hunter slung the large pack over his shoulder and announced "Ready, son?"

Putting on his buckled hat, Shoto simply responded to him with a hum and a nod.

"Alright, let's get going then!"

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The day may be breaking, but the air was still cold and the sky was still dim. But in spite of the early hour of the morning, the town marketplace was bustling with people. Shoto watched as both storekeepers and shop-goers go about the beginning of their day as he and his father made their way through the marketplace.

That's when all of a sudden, Shoto froze the moment his nose picked up a scent. But not just any scent, that very same metallic smell he detected from yesterday, and just thinking about it made his blood run cold. He was very hesitant, but just as the same as the day before, the scent was just too alluring for him to even ignore.