A wolf in human's clothing

Chapter 2: A boy and his wolf (as well as a bunker)

The next morning...

Ricky narrowed his eyes at the morning sun. He reluctantly sat on a bench in front of a neighborhood park. Morning... He thought. Interesting... He rubbed his tired eyes, sat up, and rested his feet on the ground with his head down. Come on... Wake up... He thought. Wake u... Huh?! He noticed a shadow covering his feet. He looked up and saw Colonel Martinson with his left hand behind his back. He immediately got up and said, "Are you...?!" "Martinson." Colonel Martinson said. "Colonel Johnson T. Martinson." "Colonel... Good to see you, sir." Ricky said, sticking his hand out. Colonel Martinson bent down and shook Ricky's hand. "My name is Ricky London." Ricky said. "I don't really have a home." "I'm sorry." Colonel Martinson said, deadpan. "But, right now, I want to ask you something. Have you seen this wolf around here?" He pulled out a rolled piece of paper from behind his back and unrolled it. It showed a picture of a white wolf with an anthropomorphic appearance and the word "Wanted" over it. "She's....dressed like a maid." Ricky said. "And, she's anthropomorphic. How is that possib...?" "Focus!" Colonel Martinson exclaimed sternly. "Have you seen her?" "No, I haven't." Ricky answered calmly. "I don't even know her name." "Aris." Colonel Martinson said. "Her name is Aris. She is 25-years old and was supposed to be taken to one of our English camps, but she's escaped. The U.M.F.U. is willing to offer one million dollars to whoever turns her in." Ricky stared at the picture in confusion. "I'm....sorry. I still don't recognize her." He said nervously. "All right. Carry on, Ricky." Colonel Martinson said, as he rolled up the paper and walked off. Just as I remembered. Ricky thought. Abandoning homeless children. I....wish God was here for me... He continued looking down. I don't know if I'll ever find happiness... No friends. No family. No one...! Everything has no positive affect on me. He got up and walked up to the swing. He sat on one of the swings, gripping the chains. "Will I ever find happiness?" He asked himself quietly. "Or will that never happen...?" He sat on the swing for a few hours. "Hey, you little brat!" A voice called out angrily. The teenagers stomped towards Ricky. "I'm not done with you, twerp!!" Ricky frantically sat up and took off, scampering. He heard the teenagers shouted words he wished he didn't hear. "GO AWAY!!!" He screamed fearfully. "LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU MONSTERS!!" He continued running as fast as he could until he jumped into a dark alley in the city and reluctantly hid behind a dumpster. He peeked behind it and saw the teens run by. "Oh....Oh, gosh...!" Ricky gasped in relief. "They're gone! Thank goodness..." He sat down next to the dumpster, continually mourning over his homelessness and family losses with his head down. "....My life is nothing." He whispered to himself. "No one loves or even likes me... What do I have to be thankful for?" "Be thankful for Jesus saving us from sin." A soft-spoken voice said. Ricky urgently looked up and saw a strange figure looking directly at him. The figure had his/her arms around his/her legs. "Who's there?!" Ricky cried in shock. The figure walked out of the shades and revealed herself to be an anthropomorphic she-wolf. It was, Aris, the wolf that was on the wanted poster Colonel Martinson showed him. However, she looks slightly different from the picture. There are numerous, but minor tears on her pink dress, which resembles a maid's uniform, she has one black eye, and a slightly unnoticeable scar under it. "Oh....!" Ricky cried fearfully. "You're.......You're........!" "My name is Aris." The she-wolf said with a voice softer than a cloud. "Oh....Oh, no!" Ricky cried, his "fear-meter" breaking. "No...!! Don't kill me!! PLEASE!!!" "No, no! It's okay, it's okay!" Aris cried, instantly dropping on her knees and lightly grabbing Ricky shoulders. Ricky began crying, "Let GO of me...!!" "I'm not gonna hurt you!" Aris cried. "Calm yourself!" Ricky is still freaking out. "Take deep breaths." Aris said, sounding more calm. That did the trick. Ricky took several deep breaths slowly and calmed down. Aris let go of his shoulders. "You're....Aris?" Ricky asked, still, but not entirely, in shock. "Yes." Aris responded softly. "I am, in fact, the one they call Aris." .....She's.... Her voice is very soft... Ricky thought. But, isn't she a criminal?! He decided to ask her, "Are you a criminal?!" "No, I'm not a criminal." Aris said, slowly getting up. "God would not want me to become a murderer or a thief." "B-But, the Colonel of the Army, Colonel Martinson, showed me a wanted poster of you!" Ricky cried. "Wouldn't that mean you're a criminal?!" "The U.M.F.U. wanted me dead for one reason." Aris said, still calm. "To prevent me from spreading the word of God to all the children of America." Ricky stared at her, speechless. "I have been spreading the word of God to the children of our country, trying to give them hope during dark times. The U.M.F.U. didn't want that. Their Military unjustly imprisoned me, beaten me, and tortured me." Ricky is in complete shock. "I was able to escape the prisons and find a place to hide." Aris continued. "Later, I found you, Ricky." "How do you know my name??!" Ricky asked, completely shocked. "We've just met!" "Indeed, we have." Aris said gently. "But, we need to leave. We can't stay here forever." Aris pointed at a door behind Ricky. Ricky turned around and saw that it is a bunker entrance. "Wha-?!" Ricky cried. "What's a bunker doing HERE??!" "It has been my family's bunker since I was a little girl." Aris said. "It was our secret picnic spot since it's against the law to eat outside now." "Why...??" Ricky asked. "Why would the U.M.F.U. outlaw eating outside?? That's unnatural!" "They hate happiness." Aris said, opening the steel door. "Their laws are ungodly. They only care about absolute power." "I know..." Ricky sighed. "They're tyrants. But, my Grandparents told me not to talk to strangers. So, let me go." Aris stared at him, filled with shock herself. ".....You're Grandparents passed away, didn't they?" She asked softly. "I'm so sorry about tha..." "LEAVE ME ALONE, STALKER!!" Ricky shouted, as he ran off like a maniac. Aris made a sad expression.

15 minutes later...

Ricky sat on the same swing from earlier, thinking about his shocking encounter. Aris... She's really enigmatic... He thought. I don't trust her. Although, she sounds more sweet than criminally insane... I still don't know about her. But.... If she's telling the truth, I shouldn't have just abandoned her and make her vulnerable to the Army! I have to go check on her. He jumped off the swing and took off. He later returned to the alley where Aris sat on the ground next to the bunker with her arms around her legs. She looked up and saw Ricky. "Ricky! You're back." She said slightly enthusiastically, as she got up. "I'm glad you came back." ".....I really hope I can trust you." Ricky blurted out. "I mean, wolves are predators. Even the ones with an anthropomorphic appearance. Can I trust you?" "Of course you can." Aris said kindly. "I wouldn't kill you even if we're in an alley." Did that even come out right? Ricky thought. I don't think that came out right. Aris opened the steel door and walked down the stairs, followed by Ricky. The stairs are made of metal and the walls are brown-colored. "Where IS your family, Aris?" Ricky asked. "And, how did you find this bunker?" "This bunker has been established by the American Government during the War of the Unions." Aris said calmly. "They hid many American citizens because of all the destruction the war left behind. It didn't stop for 30 years. Until the formation of the United Mothers and Fathers of Unionism. And, as for my family.... They too were unfairly executed by the Army." Ricky made a disturbed expression. "Why?!" He asked in complete shock. "What happened that caused their unfair execution??!" "A similar reason to mine." Aris said sadly. "They cared for others, but the U.M.F.U. feared that it could bring hope into America. They don't want hope in territories they have power over. They only care about power, oppression, and the enjoyment of their people's suffering." "Even if it means abandoning homeless children?" Ricky asked. "Unfortunately, yes." Aris said sadly. "They don't care about the wellbeing of children. I do." ......... Ricky is speechless. He couldn't believe what he is hearing from a wolf. They arrived at the bottom. The room is the size of a gymnasium. Lines of beds lay on the left and right sides of the room and a large bathtub full of warm water is on the left side of the room. There is also a steel door at the end of the room. "This place is....huge!" Ricky exclaimed in surprise. "Larger than a normal bunker.... Or is it normal?" "As normal as ever." Aris said, facing Ricky with a smile. Her black eye saddened Ricky. "Do you......live a happy life despite the U.M.F.U.'s control over everything?" Ricky asked. "Yes, I do!" Aris said cheerfully, kneeling on one knee and setting her hands on Ricky's shoulders. "But, my family's execution hurt me greatly. But, I try to live my life to the fullest. Even if I was scheduled for a trip to the U.M.F.U.'s English camps." Her optimism is.......terrifying. Especially when it's in a dictatorship. Ricky thought. I honestly have no hatred towards her, but she's a complete stranger. He looked past Aris. "You should probably clean your wounds." He said. "Does your bunker have any spare clothes?" "Yes, I do." Aris replied kindly. "Okay." Ricky said. "I throw your torn up dress away then while your cleaning your wounds." Aris smiled, as she turned and walked off. She's beyond enigmatic. Ricky thought. But, I shouldn't judge others. I need to keep her away from the Military. I'll do whatever it takes....I guess?