The Tale of a Dog Hero

The Antihero

Oscar laid in the middle of the woods with burns, and cuts all over his body. He deserved to feel the pain. The weight of the Earth felt unbearably heavy as the sun began beat down on him in the morning light. He wanted to die. He didn't want to go on knowing that he had turned on his friends after working so hard to change the future. But in his attempt to change fate, he had ended up walking down the path of its creation. Before Oscar could succumb to his dreams, a figure loomed over him. The sun prevented him from identifying who it was until she tapped his nose and spoke aloud. "Oscar? Still alive, big boy?" Oscar groaned as he put a hand over his eyes. "Don't call me 'big boy'. It's weird. And what do you want, Maeve?" "Ah. Nothing more than to keep gathering information. But if you die, I can't get anymore info. So I need to check up on ya... Nice bird." "Touch him, you die. Plus, Tippy isn't here to watch what I'll do to you." Oscar dropped his hand and began to focus on his breathing. A few deep lung fulls of air and the cuts began to heal and fade. The burns on his skin scabbed and broke off to reveal fresh skin. A few more breaths and the burnt fur shed away and grew new patches. Oscar rose to his feet and put Ohm on his right shoulder. Maeve watched Oscar carefully and moved behind him. He clutched tightly to his left shoulder as if something was wrong with it. Oscar took a deep breath in and shoved his arm upward with a loud pop. Maeve side eyed his arm as he let out a sigh of relief. Oscar needed to go find his jacket. After a while, Oscar will begin to fell discomfort and eventually pain without the jacket. On the walk back, Maeve followed Oscar and began to question him. "What's the next step, antihero? Try to find mayor Kyler?" Oscar rolled his eyes. "I'm not an antihero. I'm just trying to right my wrongs and be a better person. I don't care what anyone thinks of me anymore. I just want Tippy to be happy with me..." "Well running away isn't gonna fix your relationship. Why try to fix a broken glass with duct tape? It won't work." Oscar looked down on Maeve as they walked. "You better think over your next sentence 13 times, to make sure you don't piss me off." Maeve rolled her eyes this time. "Please. I've seen you fight. I could take you d-" Oscar spun and grabbed Maeve's neck with his left hand and summoned his pistol with his right. Maeve stared into Oscars eyes as he pressed the barrel against the inside of her ear and leaned in closely. "You see what I want to be seen. You have no clue just how much effort it takes to WALK, sometimes. How careful I have to be when I hug someone. How slow I have to turn a door handle. This gift from Artemis wasn't a blessing. I am cursed with a power that has no adjuster. I have to guage it myself. Every. Time. I move." Oscar released his grip on her neck and continued walking. Maeve slowly grinned as she followed. "That was hot." Oscar looked back and gave a judgemental look to Maeve. "Don't kink shame me, Oscar. We all have our kicks and licks. And I'm gonna use that as material..." Oscar looked forward with disgust. "Hey. Maeve?... Shut the fuck up." Oscar hid in a tree to observe the surroundings around his jacket. When it looked good to grab, he ran up, scooped it, and ran back. As Oscar threw it back on, maeve jumped in a tree and flipped upside down, while her legs held onto the branch. "So Oscar, what's your plan, besides trying to make Tippy happy?" "Nothing. I'm gonna temporarily retire to focus on saving my relationship. When things are better, likely when Tippy is no longer pregnant, and she is ready to be a hero again, then I will join her." Oscar perched himself in a tree and thought about his next move. "How am i gonna be better, if I cant talk to Tippy?" Maeve flipped back over and looked behind Oscar. "Oscar?" He lifted his hands to his face and rested his fingers on his snout. "I could leave small gifts in the house while she sleeps? I've gotten good at sneaking aaaa- never mind, that's just wrong... And creepy." "Oscar. I wanna show you something." "Hnnng. She wants me to be a good dad too... How do I be a good dad? Mine was awful. I had no parents telling me right from wrong..." Maeve flicked Oscar in the left ear and he didn't react. She turned to face Oscar, drew her blade, and tried to poke Oscar. Before the blade could poke him, Oscar stood up and moved to the side. He dropped out of the tree and began walking into the forest. "Where are you going?" Maeve tried to follow Oscar. "Get lost, Maeve. Why do you want to be around me? You checked that I'm alive. I am alive. Now beat it." Maeve caught up to Oscar and walked on his left. "Because you still haven't given me information, and I want show you something. Firstly. I know about BeeGee, and so does Pollux." Oscar summoned his pistol and pressed it against Maeve's chest. "Where the fuck is he... You've been working for him, huh? That's why you're so interested in me... You're his little rat he can send out? Hm?... Listen, I don't care about you at all, and you have a very limited amount of seconds left to talk." Maeve stared into Oscars face with a calm manner. "Oscar. Why do you think I just told you this? Follow me if you wanna see where he is. You are gonna have to be fast though. He has been... Different lately." Oscar followed Maeve through the woods with his gun still in his hand. "You really act like an antihero..." Oscar scoffed at the thought. "Please. I don't go teaching punks a lesson because they crossed the street wrong. I deliver punishment to those deserving. I've even got a hero name set up. Underdog... It fits because of my rough past." "Yeah. I got that." After a few more hundred feet, they arrived at BeeGee's location. She was gone, yet the car battery is still there. "Alright Oscar. Here's the plan. You definitely wont be able to touch him, let alone shoot him. Without looking around yet, do you think you can see him fast enough?" Oscar raised his arm to point the gun at Maeve while she took a few steps forward and turned. "I see him in the corner of my eye. I'm gonna try to look at him and back at you. You are gonna have to figure out where exactly I looked. If your off by even a few feet, he may already be gone." Oscar nodded and held his breath. He focused as hard as he could and time began to slow. Maeve slowly glanced upward and to the left. On a hill, to the right of Oscar. As she looked back at Oscar, her mouth opened to speak. Oscar spun around as hard as he could, and looked to the location. He barely caught a glimpse. A figure in a tattered, grey cloak. There was a white scarf around his neck, and only his feet could be seen. His hood was up, but his face couldn't be seen. Like his face had been wrapped in shadows. Even with time slowed for Oscar, the figure was gone before he realized. He turned back around to see that Maeve is nowhere to be seen. Time resumed its pace, and he stood at a fork in the road, alone. Oscar realized that if that was Pollux, and he can move that quickly, then Oscar may be in deep water. He quickly left the scene and debated on what to do from this point on. Where would he go? He cant talk to his friends after fighting everyone, and then running away. James Kyler is likely somewhere safer than his office. The last thing Oscar can really do is find another base of the resistance, and go from there. Oscar set off to his home village, to talk to anyone who could help. Along the way, something pulled at Oscar's heart. Like something wasn't right. He felt hated for what he did to Zane and Zuko. He was regretful for what he did to Nexus. And he felt guilty for what he did to Tippy. The usual feelings he felt all morning. So what's off right now? He reached the village and headed to a bar. Inside were a male coyote, a female minx, and a male lizard. They all sat at the counter and talked about a business. As they were talking, the minx pointed out Ohm on Oscars back. The coyote approached Oscar with the linx following behind. "Excuse me? You seem to have one of my experiments." Oscar gave him a side eye before looking for something to drink. "Im not looking to take it or anything. Just wanna ask a few questions about how you have that bird." Oscar rolled his eyes. "I found it being sacrificed on some stone table. I rescued him." The linx walked up and examined Oscar. "Hey... You're that one guy that got banned from here after killing his parents a couple years ago." Oscar sighed and turned to face her. "It was seven years ago. Not 'a few'. Also, I didn't kill my parents. Corruption already did that. Now leave me in peace." The linx returned to her seat. "Rude..." After the bartender declined him drinks after hearing he was banned, Oscar left, leaving the coyote alone with his questions. He tried his luck at a good stand, but the trader naturally declined him service, so Oscar put down a few coins and took a slice of turkey. While the trader was yelling at Oscar, he looked down an alleyway, to see through it and down a block, he could see Zane holding Tippy's hand as she limped forward. Oscar immediately began to panic. How did she get hurt? Who did it to her? Why did she come here for help? Was it nearby that she got hurt? Oscar needed answers. He rushed over and tried to talk, but when he got near, Zane created a wall infront of Oscar. "Hey! Zane, drop this wall!" "No. You arent allowed near her right now." Tippy tried to clear up the situation. "It's fine, Zane. Let him on over." Zane reluctantly shifted the wall back into the Earth, and Oscar walked up to Tippy and took her hand. "What's going on Tippy? Are you alright? Did someone hurt you?" Oscar looked her up and down for blood "No no, Oscar. Ya goof. My water broke. I'm going into labor. Im gonna ask you to watch out. We gotta hurry..." Oscars eyes widened and he began to panic even worse. "B-but... Oh god. It's already time. W-what do I need to do? How do I help you? C-can I get anything for you?" Zane put a hand on Oscar's chest. "Calm down. Don't stress her out. Its important that she-" Oscar slapped his hand away. "Don't tell me what to do during a situation like this. I just want to help Tippy." "The stress of all your questions isn't good for the child, Oscar." Tippy tried to add her own opinion. "Boys. Just help me get to the emergency room. Oscar, you can get a bucket of water for me." Oscar grabbed a nearby bucket and headed for the lake. "Tippy, you shouldn't encourage this. It isn't good for you or him" Tippy groaned as she continued on with Zane's help. "He is still learning. He will get better, but you gotta be patient with him. You two got along so well when we were younger. How the old days changed, huh?" Zane nodded as he took both of her hands to help her up a few steps. "You are still young, yet very wise, Tippy." Oscar returned with a bucket just as they were entering the building. "Is there anything else I need to do?" "Ehm. Wheelchair?" Oscar quickly walked down the hallway, grabbed a wheelchair, and moved back. As she sat down, Oscar went to ask another question but Zane stopped him. "Damn it Oscar. I said not to overwhelm her with questions. Just shut up for a minute." Oscar's face shifted to a frown and he leaned close to Zane. "Listen here... I've put up with enough of your shit. I have every right to be a bit panicky. I doubt you have any experience in this type of thing, so what would you know about ever being a father?" Without a word, Zane opened a portal, and lightly rolled Tippy into it. Before Oscar could stop him, a wall formed to block anything Oscar could attack it with. When it  finally dropped, Zane stood with his arms crossed and a pissed expression on his face. "Outside. Now." Oscar and Zane marched outside. As soon as Zane cleared the doorway, Oscar summoned his pistol and pointed it at Zane. "Let her go, Zane. I'm not missing this." "You wouldn't have to if you didn't act like a child. You need to grow up." "Don't TELL ME HOW TO ACT IN A FREE WORLD! You have no honor taking her away like that." Oscar pulled the trigger to hear a few clicks. "I know how your gun works, Oscar. Stop relying on such cheap tactics if you follow honor." Oscar dashed forward and tried to punch Zane in the gut. A small shield formed out of sand before the hit could land. "I never said I would follow your system." Oscar tried again, but faked and jumped to the side to strike from there. Another shield. Faster and faster, Oscar moved around Zane. Faster the shield moved to interrupt Oscar's strikes. Every punch against the shield sent waves of sand rippling off of it. Every second that went by, Oscar threw four punches, in different angles. Then six punches a second. Nine. Twelve. Oscar reached a speed where he created 5 afterimages. All striking at once, the images and Oscar hit from six different directions, only for Zane to create a sphere of sand around himself. Zane dropped the sand, as the afterimages returned to a now out of breath Oscar. "Fueled by anger, and you abandon all tactic and reasoning. You need to be better Oscar." Oscar looked at Zane and tried to wrap his hands around his neck. "I KNOW!" Zane opened a portal to a random dimension as Oscar jumped toward him. Oscar fell face first into a cold, large building.