Vinliam Oneshots II •🦢•

Furry Au: Beginning Of Our End {M}

★ Warnings!: Blood, Corpses ★

"Michael! Hurry up for class, you'll be late," William yelled with a sense of urgency, his voice echoing through the hallway as he called for his middle son to join him at the door.

Michael yelped back, saying he'd be done in a few minutes.

His father sighed, shutting the front door and going to sit at the wooden kitchen table. It was another basic morning in their cottage, despite the news broadcast being an uproar these recent weeks. As well as the newspaper milking all the recent predator incidents.

As far as William knew, groups of predators, mainly wolves, were mauling small prey country towns; killing everyone and setting the groups of buildings in flames. Being a cautious man, he was always prepared if their village was ever possibly struck by this tragedy. Luckily for him, their cottage was located on an upper hill in the forest; far from the village but nearby enough to be counted as residents.

...

"Father! I'm ready to go." Michael strutted out of his room, passing by Evan who was lounging on the couch, struck by a fever yesterday.

"Good, go meet your older sister outside and wait for Vincent to come pick you two up." He spoke in a firm voice, leisurely watching the news next to Evan.

When his eldest kids went outside and sat on the bench, he paid his attention back to the television. It was currently talking about the weather; William could say he wasn't very interested in it if it wasn't for it abruptly changing into breaking news and revealing a horrifying discovery. With a flash, William got off of the couch and leaned in closer to the television. Their town's name was listed at the bottom, and it displayed predator raid right at the bottom's edge.

"Elizabeth! Michael!" He ran to the front door, ushering both of them inside. "Get in your rooms and do not come back out until I say so," he watched as they curiously obeyed his instructions, Elizabeth taking Evan's hand and bringing him with them.

William rushed outside, his tail flicking nervously when he noticed it was a complete ghost town, many were hiding. And just above the horizon, was a group. A large group.

His ears twitched and he ran back inside, locking his cottage door and running a hand through his hair. They'd find his house eventually, he had to do something about his children. Maybe he could bring them to their shed a little bit further out in the pine woods.

William watched as his children stared at him wide-eyed before Michael spoke up. "What's wrong?" He questioned.

"Just.." He backed up from the door to grab their hands, leading them to their backyard and sauntering out into the woods. He crouched in front of Elizabeth, "Just go back to our shed, okay? Back in Narthwarch territory. I'll come get all three of you when I deem this place safe. So, Elizabeth, as my eldest, please take care of your brothers." He turned his gaze to Evan, then Michael, then finally Elizabeth again. He arose, feeling a faint shame in his chest when he saw their faces tainted with fear and confusion.

"I will, father." She nodded softly, taking her brothers' hands and reluctantly backing up; still glancing back and forth at her father as they tottered deeper into the leaden woods.

William frowned deeply, going through the backdoor. He had absolutely no idea what to do, he didn't know why he didn't head with his children. Perhaps, he was concerned for someone. That someone was Vincent, wasn't it? Even though Vincent was a wolf, he knew the raiders wouldn't take kindly to realizing a fellow predator was living as an ally with prey.

William clenched his hair in frustration. Vincent would be here soon, right? Or maybe he realized there was a raid, and he left without William. No, he cared too much for him, that's impossible.

As he tried to ponder about what he had to do, the screams from outside just got more pounding. The faint smell of smoke just got stronger. The faint rustlings outside his house, got closer. William raised his head from his hands and jumped up from the table, his nose twitching while he tried to pinpoint the scent.

As he cautiously approached the door, its handle suddenly rattled, causing William to let out a surprised squeak and instinctively step back. His mind raced with the sudden thought of making a quick exit through the back door and down to the town below. Considering the predators that were closing in, it seemed wiser to head to a place they might have already searched.

Because he certainly couldn't stay in this house.

William neared closer and closer to his backdoor, his hand flinching as it neared the knob. With a swift flick of his wrist, he unlatched the door and bolted out of the cottage. He ankled through the trees and downward of the perched hill, heading right into the baleful, rural settlement.

It was deathly quiet, and it appeared as any other town affected by these riots. Buildings were burned, and charcoal streaks ran down the edges while the vague smell of charcoal filled his nose, as well as the tangy iron scent of blood. Various bodies filled the dirt roads, and somehow William was only neutral about it. He had known this would happen to their town eventually, it was an ongoing apocalypse for prey, even if he didn't expect it this early. And he certainly didn't expect it to happen this quickly.

William carefully stepped over the bodies, looking behind him continuously to make sure not a single soul was following after him. He just had to arrive at Vincent's house and check up on him. Then he'd leave. Then he'd go after his children. He sped his pace up, arriving at the front of the town's sign before passing by it. Vincent's cottage was also in the woods, so it'd be easier for him to slip there unnoticed.

William cautiously made his way into the untamed wilderness, hurrying along the uneven cobblestone path while peering intently into the enveloping darkness. As he ventured further, he encountered a pair of forsaken houses before finally arriving at his friend's foreboding front yard.

With a deep breath, he walked to the door, rattling its handle. However, it was locked, and as he peered past it to view the windows, to his surprise, the lights were on. "Vincent? It's me.." He began, having a small pout on his lips as he knocked urgently. "Vincent! Are you okay?" He yelled at the door.

Complete silence.

It was only then he noticed similar rustles behind him, and a large hand wrapped a hand around his mouth, colliding their bodies tightly together. "You should've known better than to trust a predator, sweetheart."