Wolf's Weakness

Chapter 12

                After a few moments of reflection Wolf managed to rouse himself from his bed, the hangover he most assuredly deserved felt like it were draped over him like a damp blanket. This wasn't something he was unfamiliar with, these days hangovers were little more than a visit from an old friend to him. During the night's tossing and turning his eyepatch had fallen askew, exposing his scarred and damaged socket to the open air. After feeling the sting on his exposed nerve endings he had to take a moment to cover it.

As the captain planted his paws on the cold floor the rose that rested on his nightstand caught his attention for the second time, he couldn't resist at least giving it a smell. The scent was particularly reminiscent of Panther, his lingering cologne was unmistakable. Rolling the flower over in his palm it was clear how well his feline friend played the role of the eccentric villain- the thorns hadn't been shaved off and a small pin was affixed to the end of the stem with some tape, providing a counter-balance for throwing purposes.

Wolf bounced the rose up and down in his palm a few times to get a good idea of its weight. He'd seen Panther do it a hundred times, figured it couldn't be that hard- right? Doing his best to emulate the exact motion that Panther used he attempted to toss it across the room, flinging his arm wide and releasing his grasp with the best timing he could muster. As predicted the flower simply tumbled and fell limp not even halfway to its destination; apparently rose-throwing is a learned practice. Wolf sighed, picking it up off the floor and placing it back on the table before proceeding to get himself dressed.

The morning progressed slowly; Wolf took his sweet time with a shower, some coffee and a light workout- doing everything in his arsenal to shake the haziness from his head. After getting all the whining and moping out of his system the night before he felt readier than ever confront what awaited, trying to stay focused on the only thing that mattered; getting Leon back into his arms. The morning's next roadblock came into view as Wolf found himself standing in front of the stove, eye wide and staring at the appliance like a deer in headlights, as if making breakfast were the most foreign concept in the world. He hadn't really considered it but after Panther came into the picture he didn't really do much cooking at all. In fact, his skills in the subject appeared to have deteriorated quite a bit. He tried to scrap together some food that required little effort but his omelet was beginning to look more scrambled than anything else. Regardless, food was food and he plated the crumbly eggs alongside some other easy to produce sides. As always the canine dished out a little bit more for himself and a little bit less for Leon. Wait- that's not right. Goddamnit. Wolf exhaled frustratedly and tossed the empty pan over at the stove, clutching his face in his paws and glaring at the second plate that he'd made without thinking. Well, it was there. He had to do something with it.

*knock knock knock*

"Rise and shine, sweetcheeks." A gruff voice commanded. Without further warning the door to Fox's closet shot open revealing Wolf standing in the entrance, he was carrying a couple of plates and glass bottles. "Have a nice little nap?" The grey muzzle asked as he reached in to flick the light on. The sudden brightness made Fox wince, he looked like a cornered little wild animal.

"Come to antagonize me some more?" Fox talked a big game but he could barely think straight, his head was pounding in pain and his arm had kept him up all night.

"I'm here to feed you, you little ingrate." Wolf sneered as he sat himself down, shoving the extra plate into Fox's lap. "I don't want any of that back so I expect you to eat it."

Fox looked down at the food that he was given, while rudimentary the smell still made his mouth water in anticipation. Eggs, sausage, toast... He hadn't eaten over the last 24 hours and to his nutrient-starved body even something basic like this looked like the best food in the world.