All Alone, Alone Again

[Scamp]

April 5th

Scamp was overwhelmed. He couldn't concentrate. He wanted to, but just couldn't. He finally ended up here. In Canada. What a strange and cold place. This is where he tracked down Angel though, and he needed to see her. He needed to. He needed it. He didn't want to be alone anymore. He had been alone for over a month. He had cried pretty much every night. 

"Angel!" he called. He came across this rotting old barn. He looked around. Was anyone around? He honestly wasn't sure. He had run away from the Rouges a week ago and only just got here. Maybe he was wrong and they weren't here. Oh, but he really hoped they were. 


"Angel!" he called once again, trying to hold back a stream of tears. Not because he couldn't find Angel, but because he'd never see his father again. Never. And the last thing they did together was playing around, or sometimes fight.


No meaningful conversations. No heartfelt goodbyes. Just seeing his father's body played around and chewed with. He closed his eyes, holding back his tears.  Tramp was gone, and he never even said goodbye. He was gone. 

And was it his fault?

[Angel]

In a corner of the old barn, Angel stayed curled up under a patchwork blanket, laying on a small swath of hay. The hay pricked at her skin underneath her soft fur, but she was so tired it barely mattered. The journey to Canada from Europe was rough on the little mutt. She hadn't realized just how little she'd slept during the journey until she staked out a corner of the barn to stay in. After the night in front of the fire with a belly full of stew, Angel had fallen right to sleep in her makeshift nest of hay.

As the faintest rays of morning light broke through the rafters, Angel's eyelids fluttered open. She wasn't sure how much sleep she'd gotten, but she was sure it wasn't enough... she still felt so deeply exhausted. She sighed very gently and rolled over, attempting to get as comfortable as she could and get at least a bit more sleep before she tried to actually get up for the day ahead.

But then, she heard him.

"Angel!"

The mutt shot up from her nest, her one upright ear stood straight up. She could scarcely believe her ears. Had he really gone all this way? Was she completely sure she wasn't still dreaming?

"Angel!" the cry came again, the voice cracking and more desperate. There was no question now. Scamp had found her.

She quickly scrambled to her paws, bits of hay sticking from her fur, and ran out from her cozy corner of the barn. There, just beyond the doors, stood Scamp. He looked absolutely grief-stricken, and for good reason. She was devastated by Tramp's untimely death, but she could only imagine how much worse it had been for the boy mutt, losing his blood father, the one he was the perfect spitting image of.

"Tenderfoot..." the old nicknamed escaped her maw in a voice barely above a whisper. Tears stung at her eyes and before she could fight them back, Angel felt warm tears run down her cheeks. She ran up to him and immediately buried her muzzle into his neck, nuzzling him deeply. "Oh, Scamp... I'm so glad you're still alright... I was so worried you would be stuck there in France..."

After a few moments of nuzzling, she raised her head back up and looked straight into his deep brown eyes, shining with tears as well. "How did you find us all the way over here...?" she couldn't help but ask, softly shaking her head. "D-did Lady and the girls make it out too...?"

[Scamp]

"Angel!" Scamp said relieved. He nuzzled her deeply, as she nuzzled him. It was a few moments later when he was brought back to reality. He smiled as he was called his nickname. "Angel, I'm alright, okay?" he said. He then frowned. Tears still stung his eyes. "No, I left a month later after..." he closed his eyes, holding back a choking sob. "You know, I didn't leave earlier because I was worried they'd hurt my mom and sisters, but they are way to busy, so I ran..."

"I- I'm not sure how I got here, I just kept walking, and found myself here. And I also caught your scent halfway here," he said. He looked down as she asked about his mom and sisters. "I... I don't know, I'm sorry,"

Scamp pawed at the dirt angrily. "I'll get them though, I will,"

[Angel]

He had come so far, crossed an ocean... for her?

For the right choice.

Scamp angrily pawed at the ground, swearing his revenge, and Angel sighed deeply. "It wasn't right," she said softly. "Your dad did nothing wrong. I told them to make the right choice, and they didn't..."

She shook her head a bit, ears flopping slightly. She didn't want to picture the grisly scene more times than she already had. "I'm glad you're out of there, Scamp... you'll like it here. I haven't been here too long, but these people... they feel like they actually have morals."

She stared into his dark eyes again, a warm smile tugging at her muzzle as she did. She couldn't help but bury her muzzle into his neck again. "Tenderfoot... I love you so much... I'm sorry I left you there by yourself..."

[Scamp]

Scamp looked up. "Of course it wasn't his fault, he did nothing wrong! All he did was try and save an innocent pup!" he cried out in anger, getting riled up at how disgusted he was at the Rouges. "An- and they executed him for it!" he stammered, tears streaming down his face, and he didn't even bother wiping them away.

"Now he's gone, and I'll never see him again," he sobbed, the reality crashing down on him heavily. He tried for a smile as Angel smiled at him. "At least I have you, right? I love you, Angel, I hope I never lose you. Ever," he placed his neck on her head in a comforting gesture.

"Don't worry, you were right to run away when you did," he said softly, his tears still coming down.

[Angel]

Scamp, remembering his father dying at the hands of the army they thought they could trust, broke down into tears, and Angel found herself shuddering with silent sobs as well. Tramp was every bit as much of a father to her as he could be in all but blood. He made sure his family was safe, brought them to the Rogues to keep them safe... and like her boyfriend, she realized, she couldn't thank him, for all he'd done not only for her, but for the rest of his family as well.

She shook her head as Scamp rested his neck on her head, nuzzling back. "Of course not, Tenderfoot," she whispered gently. "I'm not going anywhere."

She let herself indulge in her grief for a few minutes, just holding onto Scamp tightly. She was still heartbroken, but she felt so much better knowing the pup she adored was here... safe. She felt the tiniest bit more at home, breathing in Scamp's slightly musky but soft and familiar scent deeply. Slowly her gentle sobs died down, and she began to lick at Scamp's tears running down the wiry gray fur of his cheeks.

"I know it's been rough, hon. But you're safe here, I promise. As long as I'm here, I'll make sure nobody else in our family dies unjustly." She gave a wag of her tail and a slightly crooked smile. "Your dad will be proud of you... of us. I know he wouldn't want us moping around all the time over him. What do you say we take a walk around the camp? Get you caught up with everything here."

[Scamp]

Scamp smiled gratefully, even though she couldn't see him, he was smiling, albeit a sad smile, but a smile nonetheless. He wanted to hold Angel forever, and never let go, but he knew at some point he had to. His sobs had died down to a whimper, and he was almost good as new, or as good as you could be when your father had been murdered by his former comrades. He was thankful that his father adopted Angel as if one of his own, and it saddened him to see that she lost her father figure. He knew he had lost his father too, but he still had his mother and sisters. And Angel. Of course Angel.

"You'd better not, or I'll have to track you down again half away across the world," he joked with a small smile, although, he didn't mind. He would follow her anywhere, and look for her anywhere. He'd always find her, no matter what. No matter what it took. He breathed in Angel's scent.

Scamp nodded slightly as he was told it was safe here, but he wasn't all that sure yet. He hadn't met anyone here, just Angel. He wasn't complaining, though. "I hope no one dies unjustly like that again," he said with a wince. His smile widened as she mentioned what his father would say. "He'd be very proud of us," he said with a nod. His smile faltered though. "I know he wouldn't want us moping around... but I miss him, a lot," he sniffed.

He gave a nod. "Yeah, let's take a walk, we have a lot to catch up on, don't we?" he gave a timid chuckle. "What has happened?" he asked, beginning to walk. "Who are these people you've joined?"

[Angel]

"I know he wouldn't want us moping around... but I miss him, a lot."

Angel sighed deeply, shaking her head. "I miss him too..." she agreed softly. At this point, they always would. She was never as close to Tramp as Scamp was, especially given she had only been a part of their family for a handful of months before this war had begun. But it was still a huge blow to the poor pup's already damaged psyche.

Now, however, she had to be there for her Tenderfoot. If they were going to keep fighting, they were going to do it together.

She nodded at Scamp agreeing to walk with her, and she stood back up on all fours and the two mutts began to make their way out of the barn and around the rest of the mostly-constructed camp. It was early enough in the morning that they were the only ones out and about. She would have to bring him to the council soon... but for now, it was their time alone.

"Well, after I left Paris, I was trying to figure out what the nearest safe place was. I thought that there was still an army down in Africa... but they ended up being taken down by those Blackbloods, earlier last month," she explained. "So I really wasn't sure where to go for a while. I almost just went back home. But I kept asking around, and I figured out that some of those Freedom Fighters survived. Called themselves the Dawnseekers. And so, here we are, in Middle-of-Nowhere, Canada."

[Scamp]

"I miss him too."

Scamp could help but smile. He was glad that Angel missed Tramp as much as Scamp did. Even though it had only been a handful of months that he had even been with Angel, they were the best months of his life. He wouldn't trade them for anything, not even his father coming back. He loved Angel a lot. And always would.

He felt that if Angel was around, he could get through anything, even the death of a parent. Well, almost. He would still be miserable, but at least he could be miserable knowing he still had Angel.

Scamp listened to Angel's story, nodding at some parts and looking horrified in others. So, apparently the Freedom Fighters had been decimated by the Blackblood Legion, and they retreated here, in the middle of nowhere. In Canada? He shook his head when she brought up the prospect of going home. "No, I don't think that would have been the best idea," he said with a frown.

Dawnseekers? What an odd name. He really didn't mind, but it took him back. "Where is everyone?" he asked. he looked around. No one seemed to be out and about. He kept walking. He wasn't sure if he could trust anyone here, but if Angel said to trust them, he probably would. Suddenly, a horrible thought went through his head. he stopped very suddenly. "Wh-what if some of the Rouges followed me? Or you?" he said, his eyes wide.

[Angel]

"Eh, it's still early... everyone will start waking up soon," she said with a shrug as they continued through the camp. "I'd have slept in a little longer if--"

"Wh-what if some of the Rouges followed me? Or you?"

Angel had taken a couple steps ahead of Scamp, but stopped as well when he posed the question. For a minute, her chest tightened and she drew in a sharp breath. What if? Oh god, what if they did? She was so determined to get away, the thought hadn't even crossed her mind.

Her mind raced as she thought back to her journey to Canada, trying to recall if she had seen anyone, felt anything... but then again, the Dawnseekers had not let her into their territory without some struggle, with a fair amount of tears and yelling. She had to convince the council to let her stay and join their ranks. It stood to reason that this army would not let anyone just trespass.

"N-no, no, I don't think so, Scamp," she sputtered quickly, still internally panicking but trying to rationalize. "They defend their territory. I had to practically fight my way in. You only got into camp because most everyone's asleep... at least, I hope that's the reason."

The sun was slowly drawing up into the sky, beginning its transition from pink and orange to a bluer sky. It wouldn't be too much longer now before people started to wake up and prepare for the day. Angel, among the anxiety of the threat of a Rogue following after them, was now concerned they would try to drive out Scamp, especially knowing he defected from the Rogues.

"We'll have to meet with the council. Make your case for defecting and joining me here. I don't want them to turn you away. They're nervous about outsiders seeing as they're still recuperating from their huge loss back in Africa..."