Embrace (Rocky x Chase)

Chapter 18- Sins of the Former

Clouds of uncertainty followed Rocky's every move. Had he done the right thing? Had he made a mistake interacting with them at all? He shook his head of the thoughts, traversing the old, empty corridors of the factory. To see Chase chained and helpless, all by his own paw, the thought brought shame to his mind. He betrayed him, his lover, and for what?

Dakota. Rocky sounded the name in his head, what was his game? What was his brother trying to do? He couldn't find his answer, sighing as he surrendered himself to his helplessness. He entered a massive, empty room, likely once filled with tons of machines and bustling workers in the years prior. The walls were lined with broken windows, small breezes and fallen leaves invading the building. This was exactly where Dakota said they'd meet up at, an odd location that befuddled him.

He spotted Chase's pup pack against the wall, the place Dakota had tossed it before locking up the shepherd. Seeing it only brought disdainful thoughts of shame to the puppy, making him sharply turn away from it.

Walking to the far end of the room, Rocky spotted a wall that he initially thought was splashed with paint, only to realize they were actually photographs. Curiosity getting the better of him, he walked over for a closer look. He approached the wall with a tilted head, looking up at the collage of photos all pinned in place with glass shards. Eyes trailing over each photo, Rocky took a gentle step back from the overwhelming amount of information. It was almost every leading figure in Adventure Bay, all with their own polaroid and their own place on display.

Even Ryder.

"What... is all this?" He said with narrowed eyes, trying to understand the puzzle in front of him. Nine photos stuck out from the rest, circled with red pen, a symbol to expose them clearly. An unsettling chill tickled through Rocky's veins as he squinted at one of them. The photo was of a Dalmatian, sending a flare of alarm through the puppy until he realized it wasn't Marshall. The name 'Fernia' was written below her photo, a name floating with familiarity in his head.

He stared at the wall for a long while, trying to make sense of the pictures in front of him. Lost in his focus, he didn't catch the shadow stalking up behind him.

"You found my roadmap," Dakota said, making his brother flinch in surprise.

Rocky turned to him, trying to soothe his frantic heart from the scare. "What is this?" He asked, a twinge of fear rising in his voice.

His brother looked up at the wall, a smile twisting on his face. "What else would it be? These are the nine victims, somewhere on here at least. Plus anyone else I was probably thinking of targeting." There was a glint in his eye, as he admired his own work. "This is where it all begins, or ends, at least. We're mostly in the endgame now."

"Endgame?"

"I've gotten this far already," Dakota explained. "The final target awaits. Those nine insects were nothing, all dominos to a greater cause."

Rocky looked up at him with a frown, his flight instinct starting to quiver. "But... you said all those bad things about them. They did do those things, right?"

"Of course they did!" Dakota almost snapped, flashing his brother a glare. "But where do you think it all begins? Who do you think allowed all this to happen behind the scenes?"

The air around them pulsated with a mournful song, swirling the dogs as Dakota turned to his sibling. "Who do you think allowed Fernia to get away with what she did, who do you think gave Wendy the okay to build that salon?!" Slowly his rusted paws moved forward, ferocity burning in his eyes. He stalked toward the puppy, his voice rising as madness flared into the air.

"I could kill a hundred dogs, Rocks! But it'll mean nothing if someone in the back just keeps unleashing them onto the city! Someone who keeps turning a blind eye to injustice and cares little as the city burns around them!!"