Twisted Wonderland

Lupine Reliance

You walk down one of the school's long hallways with Rook and Ruggie. The hyena sighs dramatically. "Man. Why'd Leona have to put ME in charge? Talk about drawing the short straw."

"It means the Roi des Lions has great faith in you, Monsieur Dent-de-Lion." Rook tries to reassure. "The dorm is his pride, he knows he can trust you with it."

"Yeah, well, trust doesn't fill an empty stomach." Ruggie grumbles. "There better be some T-bone steaks in it for me later, or it won't be worth it!"

Rook nods. "Yes, I suppose so. Yet another reason we need them to make it back safe and sound."

"Ruggie!"

Turning around, you see Jack racing towards your little group. He comes to a stop in front of the hyena. "I got your text. What's this about Leona getting kidnapped by the guys who attacked the school?"

"You pretty much summed it up right there." Ruggie folds his arms. "I need to round up everyone in the dorm and check in with 'em. Could you give me a hand?"

"Oh, sure. Happy to."

You're about to start walking when Jack steps in front of you, gently taking your hand in his as he examines the various scratches on your arms and face. "Hey Y/N, why are you all banged up?" Jack flattens his ears with a growl. "Did those guys hurt you?"

You shake your head. "No. They weren't interested in me. They just took Grim and the others and I couldn't do anything to stop them..."

You lower your head, many different emotions overwhelming you. Jack wraps his arms around you and holds you close. You hug the wolf back, feeling safe in his arms.

"The NRC Tribe members were together at Ramshackle when it occurred." Rook explains. "We were in the midst of an SDC postmortem when they attacked us. Vil, Jamil, and Grim were all taken just as Leona was."

"They got Jamil and Vil too?" Jack asks.

Rook nods. "And the freshmen that tried to rescue Grim were gravely injured."

Jack lets out a frustrated growl. "Why are those guys so reckless?"

"I must return to my dorm and fulfill my duties as vice housewarden." Rook looks to Jack. "Monsieur Fier-à-bras, would you be so kind as to go with Y/N to check up on our injured comrades in the infirmary?"

Ruggie flicks an ear. "That would actually help me too. You can see if any students from our dorm are there."

Jack nods. "Got it. I'll be in touch once I know more." Jack lets you out of his holds but he gently holds your hand. "Let's go, Y/N."

You wave goodbye to the two boys and follow Jack to the infirmary. They watch as you disappear down the hall.

Ruggie turns to Rook. "Think she'll be alright?"

Rook sighs. "Y/N cares very deeply about her friends. Seeing them hurt like this may just be too much for her poor heart. But she's strong. I know she'll recover from this."

"I hope you're right."

Jack leads you through the maze like halls to the infirmary. A crowd gathers at the door, many students trying to be treated.

"Excuse us, coming through." Jack pushes his way through the crowd, about to walk into the room.

"STAY!"

You jump back, startled by the loud voice. You look up to see Crewel guarding the door.

"Sorry, all beds are occupied. Write your names on that paper and then wait in your dorm. The nurse will attend to you later." Crewel scrunches his eyes. "Wait, you're both perfectly fine. What business do you have here?"