Chapter Text
Tommy never told Dream about what had happened in the woods. He had simply said he fell and hit his head when Dream asked why he was taking an Advil.
It wasn’t hard to convince the older that nothing had happened. As Tommy barley saw him over the next few days.
He continued his usual routine of work, home, eat, sleep. Though he continued as if nothing had happened, he still thought about the red wolf.
The whole meeting felt like a dream, and Tommy was pretty convinced himself that it was the morning after. Though once he had gone to check out his bike and found it beat up, more scratches dusting the old paint than before.
Once Tommy had confirmed that the wolf was in fact real, he didn’t know what to do with the information. Even if he went back in the woods, there was no way he would ever see the creature again. It had most definitely moved on, probably traveling north or whatever the fuck wolves did.
Still, he couldn’t stop thinking about it, and eventually let his curiosity hopes get the best of him. Not a week after the last time he had gone in the woods, Tommy found himself riding his bike back down the same path as before.
This time, Tommy kept looking around, hoping to see a red blur beside him, but he never did.
He eventually came to a small clearing, where a stream had carved a path through the dirt.
Tommy stopped, leaning his bike against a tree, and walking over to the stream to drink from it. Some would think its nasty, but he was thirsty and running water is supposed to be clean anyways.
As he drank, he watched the water carry leaves and twigs with it. The leaves rustled with the wind, and Tommy closed his eyes, breathing in the fresh air.
Even if the wolf never came back, this was a nice spot to sit.
Then there was a huff beside him.
Tommy jumped, turning his head to see the giant wolf standing next to him, its tail wagging.
“I almost fell in because of you.” Tommy scowled, holding his chest as if to keep his heart from beating out of it.
Red huffed again, as if to apologize, it’s ear twitching.
“I didn’t think I would see you again.” Tommy says conversationally, as if it can understand him. In an odd way, it feels like it does. Its ears will twitch when he speaks, and its eyes will stay trained on him the whole time.
Tommy doesn’t have a lot of people to talk to, so if a wolf wants to listen, then he’s going to talk.
The blond stands, and even when he does, the wolf still almost stands at his throat. Its unnerving how big the fucker is. It could rip him apart easily if it wanted to, though it must not because Tommy is still alive, and he doesn’t get the feeling that is going to change.
Red trots beside him over to a tree, where Tommy sits again, the wolf flopping down next to him.
They sit there for a moment, Tommy watching as the canine glances around them, checking for danger he guesses.
“So, what do wolves like to do anyway?” Tommy asks it.
It looks back at him, tilting its head to the side.
He laughs at the sight. Technically this creature could kill him, but it looks like a puppy right now. The idea is so absurd it causes Tommy to laugh harder.
Red huffs, standing up before running off into the foliage. Tommy stops laughing, looking around.
“Hey!” He calls after it, but it’s gone. He sighs, leaning back against the tree. Maybe it realized it shouldn’t be hanging around a random human.
He watches the trees for a little bit, following the birds with his eyes. He gives them all stories on where they are going and what they are doing.
He is thinking about a sparrow, and her journey to find her lost friend, when he hears a rustling behind him.
Tommy turns around to see Red again, this time it has something in its mouth. It’s a rabbit.
The blond lets his mouth hang open in shock as the wolf drops the rabbit in front of him, licking its now bloodied jaws.
It looks up at him expectantly, waiting for his response.
“Thanks, big man.” Tommy manages, leaning forward to get a closer look at the kill.
Red huffs, sitting beside him again, resting its head in its front paws.
Tommy smiles, leaning back against his tree, and looking back up at the birds.
Maybe thirty minutes pass, before Tommy stands up to stretch.
The wolf looks up too, watching him walk around for a minute.
“I wish I could stay here all day.” Tommy sighs, cracking his back.
Red stays quiet though he can tell its listening.
“Dream has some stupid rules about being home at a certain time, except for work nights.” He continues, looking down at the wolf.
It tilts its head as if to ask why, and Tommy answers, “he wants me to be home in time for dinner. If I’m not, then I don’t get any.”
Tommy watches as the wolfs eyes narrow, its posture straightening.
“Yeah, I know! Its so unfair! Like, can’t I just make a sandwich when I get home? Why does it even bother him?” he continues.
“And he’s a hitter.” Tommy scowls “and not a predictable one either! He just blows up at the most random things!”
Its obvious at this point that the blond wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. He had been holding in these feelings for a while now. He used to have other foster kids to talk to about whatever abuse happened in the foster home, but with Dream, he was the only one.
Now that Tommy finally had someone- or something to listen to him, he felt the dam cracking.
“I just want to leave!” he takes a deep breath, pausing to look at the wolf. It stares at him, as if considering what it just heard.
“I’m going to soon too.” Tommy finishes, flopping back down beside the wolf “I’m saving up to move out in a year or two, and then Ill never have to come back here again.”
Red stares for a minute longer before moving closer and dropping its head in Tommy’s lap.
The blond laughs slightly, reaching down to pet the fur. He can feel himself calming down, and he imagines the wolf is trying to comfort him in a way.
The thought makes him smile as he looks back up at the birds.
About two days after second meeting, Tommy decides to go looking for the wolf again.
He is riding home from work, feeling good about the tips he made.
He even decides to go to the convenience store to get some snacks.
The store clerk rings up his Coke and trail mix. The Coke is in a glass bottle, its so old that the sticker is peeling off. Though most of the sodas in this convenience store are old. They probably have been selling the same ones since the town was built.
“Will that be all?” The Clerk asks him. Tommy looks at the random snacks beside the counter, and his eyes land on some dried meat for hunters.
“yeah, I’ll take some of this.” He puts a bag on the counter.
“You hunting kid?” The clerk asks him as Tommy hands over the money.
“Uh- yeah, sure.” He grabs his things and walks out to his bike, hanging the bag of food on the handle before kicking off.
It only takes him fifteen minutes to get to the path. He rides down the now familiar curves, trying it keep the bag from bouncing too much so his soda doesn’t unsettle.
The clearing comes into view, and birds scatter as the blond rides into it.
He rests his bike onto the tree, same as last time, and sits down. He opens his chips first, watching as the birds begin to settle again.
Suddenly the sun is blocked by something, and Tommy turns to see red looming over him.
“Hey Red!” he smiles, letting the wolf sniff him. After it finishes making sure he smells right or whatever it does, Red looks back. As if looking for something.
Tommy leans to the side a little, trying to see whatever the wolf is looking at. He finds it very easily.
It’s a brown wolf. A bit smaller than Red, but huge all the same.
Its eyes are caramel gold, with a streak of white on its snout.
Its tail is wagging as it stares at Tommy, obviously excited.
“Uh- you’re friend I assume?” Tommy looks up at Red, who give a huff of approval.
“He isn’t going to kill me, is he?” He half jokes, slightly aware that he very well could be killed by this new wolf.
Red gives a bark, which Tommy takes as a firm ‘no’.
“Ok, if you say so.” He says, relaxing a bit.
Red glances back at the brown wolf one more time before sitting next to Tommy.
The smaller wolf seems to take this the ok to come closer. It bounds forward, immediately shoving its snout Tommy’s face.
“Ok- Yeah nice to meet you too.” Tommy grins as the wolf sniffs and walks around him, its tail hitting Tommy every now and then from its wagging.
Red just watches as Tommy gets harassed by the energetic wolf.
Eventually, the brown wolf calms down and sits on Tommy’s other side, much closer than Red ever did.
Tommy lets himself lean against the wolf’s belly, which gets him a lick to the face.
“Ew.” He wipes his face with the back of his hand, the wolf brown wolf huffing.
The blond hears a rustling noise, and looks back over at Red, who is going through his bag.
“Oh, right I forgot about that” Tommy reaches over and grabs the bag from the wolf, “I got snacks.” He explains, pulling out the coke and bag of jerky.
The cokes sticker had fell off, and now had now label. The liquid inside was slightly warm, but Tommy was still gunna drink it.
The wolf eyes the bottle of coke, before standing and walking closer, sniffing it.
Tommy lets it, assuming it’s just curious.
The wolf barks, and to Tommy’s surprise, the Brown one answers with its own.
“What?” Tommy raises an eyebrow at the two, opening the bottle.
Red goes to sniff it again, before pulling away and barking again. Brown huffs and settles back down.
Tommy doesn’t know what the fuck just happened, but he assumes they just were curious.
“Ok. Well now that’s settled, I got you food too.” Tommy takes a swig of his drink before taking out the jerky.
He held a piece out to Red, which eyed it, sniffing it the same it did the bottle.
After a second, it took to the meat from Tommy’s hand.
“Is it good?” Tommy smiled, pulling out another piece for the brown wolf, who was shoving its nose over his shoulder to try and grab a piece as well.
Red huffed, flicking its ear.
“I know it’s not fresh or whatever, but I thought you would want something.” Tommy smiled, handing the piece to the Brown wolf.
Red’s tail began to wag, so Tommy took that as a win.
The rest of the afternoon went by with Tommy watching the brown wolf chasing random things, and Red taking a nap.
Tommy felt at ease for the first time in a while. He didn’t think about Dream, or his funds, or how he was stuck here. He just laughed when Brown missed a target and brushed through red’s fur with his fingers.
The forest was quiet, and so was Tommy’s heart.