HOPE YOU ENJOY
PLEASE VOTE
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Hours passed and Katie was left on watch against her will. Sure, she was happy to take over and try to keep an eye out for danger so her friends could peacefully sleep a little. She also knew she'd be able to try sniffing out any zombies without looking like a freak or coming up with excuses if Keith took notice since she was the only one awake right now. She knew better to only reply on her extra sensors since she didn't always catch wind of single zombies that wondered about alone, she's made such a foolish mistake when it was just her and Matt.
But what she hated over being on watch was the waking up and freezing to death. At least when she was asleep, she didn't notice how much colder it had gotten and right now, her blanket was useless. It was also dark, very dark and impossible to see any further than her own fingertips held out. If anyone or anything came towards them, she'd barely see them in time to warn the rest.
A trig snapping earned Pidge to lift her head, her hand sneaking towards her switch blade she left laying beside her leg for easy access. Her eyes glancing around, struggling to see anything before she heard a snarl echoed in the distance. Forcing herself to kneel and reach for her pen torch hooked to her bag before turning it on and looking around.
Shining the light around, keeping a tighter grip on her blade handle and ready to take care of anything or anyone that was heading towards them. A second growl echoed the air, growing closer and seemed to be coming from a different direction making her turn towards it. Frowning as she shined the light over Keith who groaned, pulling the blanket over his head.
She stood up when the grow came behind her again and spun around with her torch, trying to light up the intruder. Biting her lip as she couldn't see a damn thing and knowing whatever it was, was clearly toying with her.
She knew it wasn't a zombie since they'd straight out run towards her and try to eat her where she had sat. Meaning an animal or a cannibal was messing with her and that's something she couldn't handle alone, not while trying to protect two sleeping bodies.
"Wake up!" Katie called out, her eyes scanning the area around them as she slowly moved towards Keith since he laid the closest.
Giving the slightly taller man feet to force him awake before slowly stepping backwards and kicking at Shiro feet. Feeling him jolt awake as he was already the light sleeper between them. She watched as Keith sat up, rubbing at his eyes before grabbing his knife, knowing something was wrong by how alert Katie was.
Shiro was up on his feet within the blink of an eye, holding his axe in his right hand and a torch in his left. His eyes scanning around for something as Keith stood up, edging closer towards them to all go back to back.
"What's happening?" Shiro simply asked, keeping his eyes focused on the outline of his troch reach, awaiting for something to step into the light.
"Either an animal or an cannibal is toying with us. They're smart, keeping a distance but running around us to spook us. I can' cover three separate directions on my own and it's gotten close to both of you while I was checking the last direction I heard it" Katie explained barely above a whisper and turning her gaze towards the direction of another twin snapping close by.
"Should we try making a run for it? Head outside the woods and try to take it on in the open ground. It won't be able to hide in the trees anymore if we do" Keith asked as he glanced to where the outline of the woods stood and knew their be an open area where they could make a stand against whatever was hunting them.
"No but we've still got limited light supply. If it's been smart enough to keep away and out of the torch light than it'd do the same no matter where we go" Shiro replied with ease as they'd simply be wasting their energy over running without knowing if the hunter was still after them or not. It was best to not run around like a headless chicken.
"We'll have to just wait them out. Maybe they'd go away now we're all aw-KEITH!" Katie started to calmly say before screaming out as Keith was tackled to the ground, earning both Shiro and Katie to stumble forward from having him crash into them.
"Urg! His drool is so slimy" Keith groaned out as he shoved his hands into the wolf cub jaw, pushing his happily panting face away.
"A cub?" Shiro blurted out in shock, not expecting that to be the thing stalking them in the woods. Not one that was rather content in sitting on Keith stomach and drooling like crazy while happily panting.
The cub was still small but not overly small, almost a full adult and showing it was in it's later months of being a cub. Midnight black fur that was rather thin due to it still being so young and bright blue eyes that held a bit of mischief to them.
"Yeah, I know this furball. I helped save him a trap within the city where those bandits were. I think it's around seven months old, it's still a young pup but clearly able to survive without his mother. I think he got abounded. Or his mother was killed by the undead in the city when they were walking through. All I know is that he's the only wolf I saw in the city and he was left" Keith huffed out as he tried shoving the cub of him enough to sit down and stared at the wolf that simply laid across his lap ready to sleep for the rest of the night.
"Aww, he's adorable. Can I fuss him?" Katie cooed as she kneeled down, staring at the cub that simply stared at her, showing no signs of aggression.
"Sure, he likes ear scratches" Keith admitted as he scratched behind the cub ear, knowing the cub was surprisingly tamed for being an wild animal.
"Did you take him in?" Shiro asked as he kneeled down on the other side of Keith, running his fingers through the thin fur of the cub as Katie happily fussed the cub head.
"Not really. I saved him so he wouldn't catch the undead attention and lead them in my direction. Fed him a little of my food when he didn't seem to walk away but than I kinda just .. well, I ended up caught inside the bandits camp. I somehow entered their campsite and hid up. He was left wild in the city last I knew" Keith answered with a small shrug, using his arms to keep himself sitting up as the cub did hold some weight to it.
"He must have followed after you once we opened all the gates. Caught your scent and sniffed you down. He's clearly attached to you already. He thinks your apart of his pack" Katie commented with a goofy smile, completely loving the wolf and finding it rather cute that he followed after Keith this far.
"Pack? Oh no, I didn't agree with that" Keith blurted out in panic as he didn't remember ever agreeing to such a thing when saving the cub.
"I don't think you've got much of a choice" Shiro admitted with a grin, his eyes holding a knowing look as the wolf seemed rather content with Keith.
"Welcome to the team ... Urr, what did you call the cutie?" Katie started to welcome the wolf before nervously glancing towards Keith for the cub name.
"I didn't. If I name him than I'll get attached" Keith stated as if it was obvious and noticing both Shiro and Katie frown.
"I'm gonna call you Cosmo" Katie perked up with a huge and bright smile, squishing Cosmo cheeks with her hands.
"And she's attached to him" Keith sighed as he knew they'd be stuck with the wolf for good now.
"You care more for him than you show otherwise you wouldn't have shared your food with him in the past" Shiro grinned back as he ruffled Keith hair, knowing that the cub was joining them with or without their consent.
