Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own the game 'Minecraft'. I only own this AU Series.

Ty hunted two turkeys before he met Simmons, who had a satchel full of cattle meat and two rabbits. Simmons startled at the sight of Rive, but Ty quickly made up some sob story of how he found Rive entangled in a deer snare. Simmons relaxed a little, looking pitifully at Rive's scarred body. He refused to go near him though, but Rive didn't mind.

They made it to the horses first. They placed their kills on their horses and waited for the rest. The horses were frightened by Rive, so Ty hung out with him in the river nearby. He needed to wash off as much blood as he could off his uniform anyways. When Ty and Rive made it back, the other group returned.

The other group had gathered one buck, two does, three rabbits, one turkey and two pheasants. Ty was satisfied with their catches, and let everyone rest before they headed back to the base. Everyone was shocked to see Gabe go all soft on Rive, despite the fact that he was a wild juvenile wolf.

"When I was a boy I lived in a cabin in the woods with my Ma and Pa. There was a small pack nearby, Ma and Pa told me not to bother them and they won't bother us. One day when I was hunting, I found a couple pups, 'bout this boy's age," he scratched behind Rive's ears, "They came up to me. Real friendly fellas."

Vi cooed while Simmons winced. Killia's first reaction to seeing the wolf was pointing her pistol at it. The wolf whimpered, and Killia immediately relented at the strange behavior. Usually a wolf would growl and/or attack, but this one whimpered and cowered. Ty glared at her and she kept her distance.

She felt a little bad when Ty explained how he found the wolf. The wolf was all bones and no meat, with scars all over. His fur was matted and dirty as well, a real poor sight.

After their break, they set off. They went slow, so Rive could catch up. It was difficult, as whenever Rive would come too close, the horses would go crazy and try to go off course. Ty's horse was known for being fearless, so he rode at the back of the group instead. Jenny was fascinated with Rive, really.

As they strolled past the gate, passing soldiers stared at the wolf walking behind Ty's horse. Ty's captain persona dropped into place and he made fierce eye contact with anyone who instinctively put their hand on their gun holsters. He called a couple of soldiers over to help the group unload the horses.

The soldiers stepped around Rive warily. Ty patted his knee and the wolf padded over to him, following him inside the base. The salutes he got was expected, but everyone's faces twisted when they saw the canine at his feet. Imagine your superior walking in with a scarred wolf at side. Now imagine both bloody and broody.

Ty dismissed everyone, and he felt Rive press against his calves nervously. There was so many people, and the wolf was obviously terrified. Ty reached down for a quick comforting pat on the head as he walked faster to find Sky.

-

Sky sat up from his desk and went for his gun holster the moment he saw his best friend all bloody next to a fucking wolf. The wolf whimpered, hiding in between Ty's legs as the captain growled warningly. Sky hesitantly let go of his gun, and the tension disappeared.

Sky pointed accusingly at the wolf, "Care to explain?!"

Ty snarled, "Look at him yourself!"

Sky peered closer at the wolf, who shrunk away from his piercing gaze. It was as thin as a stick. He could see ribs underneath its thick pelt. It was also a little mangy and scarred. It needed help.

"We have medics, Ty. Not vets," Sky slowly seethed.

"But we have Herobrine," Ty said matter-of-factly.

Sky's eyes widened as he protested, "What's that supposed to mean? We don't 'have' him, we know him. We don't even know if he can he fully trusted!"

Ty raised an eyebrow, "You still don't trust him after I told you what he did for me? After he taught you?"

"He's killed people! I don't know his intentions! No one does!"

"I do," a familiar voice growled, filled with anger.

Sky didn't notice the blue flash behind him, but Ty and Rive did. Ty brightened up at the sight of the man, but Rive cowered. He appeared out of nowhere, and he sounded menacing. Sky swerved around to find the subject of their conversation standing a meter away from him in his own office.

"I-"

"I only want to help you, Dahlberg," Herobrine muttered, "I'm sorry if I can't prove it, but I really do."

Before Sky could say anything, he got shoved aside as Herobrine walked forward to Ty, "Needed me again?"

Ty gestured to the wolf next to him, "He needs help."

Herobrine looked at the wolf, and bent down. He patted his thigh, and the wolf cautiously moved from Ty's side. He cooed softly, extending his hand. Rive stared at it before cautiously sniffing it. Herobrine slowly guided his hand to Rive's cheek, where he started petting him.

Rive immediately stepped closer, appreciating the pets and pressing himself close to the new human with strange white eyes. Rive was practically sitting in Herobrine's lap, and Sky treasured the sight of a renowned murderer being all soft on a canine.

The wolf's eyes were shut in bliss as Herobrine continued scratching his fur gently. Sky was about to make a remark about what 'help' meant when Herobrine placed one hand over Rive's eyes and they both went still.

Rive's tail stopped wagging and his ears bent forward, alert. Ty and Sky watched anxiously as Herobrine jerked away from the wolf. Rive opened his eyes, clearly clueless as to what had just happened. Herobrine was breathing heavily, and after a moment he cupped Rive's head in his hands.

"Your parents would be proud of you."

Rive stilled. Ty gave the pair an odd look while Sky wondered why the fuck was the man talking to a wolf.

Rive spoke sadly, "You know?"

Sky's eyes widened at the English words that had just come out of the wolf's mouth. He stared at Ty, who smirked back.

"I saw," said Herobrine as he delicately petted his big, furry head.

The wolf whined, "Can you help me?"

Herobrine sighed, sitting back and letting Rive rest on his lap, "Maybe. I know a couple of small packs looking to expand their numbers."

He frowned at Rive, "But I don't know whether you'll survive the pack pecking order, especially after what you've been through."

The wolf looked at his paws sadly, his tail thumping against Herobrine's legs slower than before. Herobrine was absently petting him as he thought, and he suddenly looked at Ty, "Hunting's just about the same for all creatures though. Same tricks and tips."

Ty hummed, "Obviously we can't teach a wolf to hold a bow and arrow."

Herobrine laughed, "No. However, I've hunted alongside wolves before. Not that different from you hunting in your half form."

Sky butted in, "You've hunted with wolves? Ty, you hunt as a dragon?"

Ty growled, "Half dragon."
Herobrine deadpanned, "I've done many things."

It was silent. Sky felt he had destroyed the mood until Herobrine concluded, "Alright, Rive, on some nights you can join me and these two so we can teach you all you need to know."

He looked at Ty, "Are you busy much?"

Ty shrugged with a lazy grin, "I can bribe those in charge of shift scheduling."

Herobrine chuckled, just as Sky asked, "Okay, but where does the wolf stay?"

"His name is Rive," chorused Herobrine and Ty protectively.

"Fine! Where does Rive stay?"

Herobrine ushered Rive off his lap and stood, patting down his legs to remove the white fur, "That's for you to think about. I'm no commandant."

He folded his arms and smirked, and Ty raised an eyebrow at Sky, "Well, sir?"

Sky decided he should never be around Ty and Herobrine at the same time. Their energies matched each other perfectly, and with their snarky remarks combined, it was a recipe for a bad day. He groaned, rubbing his hands down his face.

"The wolf-Rive can stay. But he sleeps out if anyone gets hurt."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," Ty cooed, patting Rive's shoulders as he left the room.

Sky looked at Herobrine, who was still trying to get white fur off of his clothes.

"You never told me I can speak to fucking animals!?"

Herobrine looked at him with disinterest, "You never heard your horse talk to you? You've ridden him right?"

"No!"

Herobrine raised an eyebrow and asked, "You've never even heard the birds outside?"

He pointed to the balcony. Indeed, there were soft voices.

Sky protested, "I thought they were just soldiers' voices, you said I could hear across far distances."

Herobrine looked at him incredulously, "Soldiers don't talk about seeds, Dahlberg."

"Oh."

Herobrine sighed, and said, "Look, why don't you go to your horse at the stables and try talking to him."

Sky narrowed his eyes, "How do I know this isn't a game to make me feel and look stupid?"

Herobrine huffed, "I literally talked to a wolf. I promise this isn't a trick."

-

Sky made sure the stables were empty of people as he walked further in to find his horse. Sure enough, he spotted his bay Andalusian, Boy eating a sack of hay. He stepped closer, leaning against the door. Boy looked up at him, chewing lazily.

"Uh, hey, Boy."

Boy grunted, "Hello."

Sky gulped, "H-Holy shit, you can talk."

Boy tossed his head, "Finally, you can understand me."

He figured Boy would talk just like Ty did. Boy was hard to break, he was running in the wild before Sky got him. He still had his wild side, but the trust they built was strong.

Sky then realized the others horses were staring at him. He awkwardly grinned and leaned against the door, "So, uh... Nice weather today."

Boy whinnied, "You're bad at this."

Sky frowned, "Hey! I just realized I could talk to godamn animals hours ago, cut me some slack."

Boy tossed his head in amusement, grunting. As Sky pouted, Boy started to nibble on his shoulder, demanding, "Give me a carrot."

Sky rolled his eyes but walked towards the snack bin, "If I had known horses were so needy, I would have never come here to talk to you."

That statement earned offended neighs from the entire stable. A soldier ran over, worried that a coyote has snuck in and frightened the horses. Sky lied, saying that he knocked over something that spooked the slumbering horses.

-

Killia helped the soldiers carry the meat to the pantry. Simmons praised her for the buck over her shoulders, saying that they would have a feast because of her. After helping unload the horses, she was told to help put them back in the stables to untack them and let them rest.

She led Alastor and Ty's horse, Jenny, while Simmons and Gabe led the other horses. Alastor was very interested in Jenny, nipping her spine as she raised her tail and whinnied.

Killia rolled her eyes and patted Alastor's neck, "Down, boy. I'll lose my position if you get my captain's horse to foal."

Alastor's ears flattened against his head but he did nothing. Killia walked faster, wanting to separate the two as fast as possible. She hitched Jenny outside, untacking Alastor before tucking him into his stable. The stallion looked around in interest, before choosing to nibble at the hay net.

She did the same to Jenny, who was oddly affectionate. When the two were stabled, she snuck an apple for the two of them. She returned to Alastor and rubbed his head, praising him before leaving.

"You don't talk much, but you sure do love your horses," said Simmons from where he waited.

Gabe grunted in agreement, and Killia shrugged.

-

Ty was nowhere to be found so she decided to loiter around in the dining hall to wait for him. Vi, Simmons and Gabe decided to grab a quick snack, and Killia sat with them, occasionally joining in the conversation.

As Simmons retold his story of finding a wild chicken hitching a ride on a doe, Killia heard someone call her last name. She turned around to see her superiors, Jerome and Mitch looking down at her. They were grinning mischievously, arms on each other's shoulders.

"Yes, sirs?"

Jerome said excitedly, "We want a rematch. You're free, right?"

Killia looked at her new friends who were super invested in the chicken-on-a-deer story. She replied, "We're supposed to wait for Captain Ellis."

Mitch cocked his head, "I saw him go to Sky's room. Why does he have a wolf with him?"

Gabe grunted from Killia's side absentmindedly, "Long story."

Jerome shook his head and butted in, "Okay, forget the wolf. We'll tell Ty we stole you for a quick moment. He'll understand. You in or not?"

Killia hummed before standing up, "Sure."

Which led to Mitch being pinned to the ground by Killia's knee as she twisted his arm behind his back. Mitch's face scrunched up in pain and when he groaned, Killia relented. Mitch turned around the moment Killia lifted her knee and clutched his arm.

"Jesus Christ, you're no joke."

Killia smiled as she offered a hand, "Of course not, sir."

Mitch groaned as he took her hand, and was shocked once more when she jerked too hard and he stumbled. She was around his height, but he definitely weighed more yet she manhandled him like he weighed nothing.

Jerome rushed over from the side, "Are you okay?"

Mitch chuckled, letting go of his arm, "Yeah, not the worst thing that has happened to me. Don't worry, bro."

Jerome looked at Killia, "Where did you learn how to fight? Did you take classes when you were younger?"

Killia patted down her uniform, dust flying into the air, "Somewhat. I was taught for a while, but I started teaching myself and developed my own style."

"Drew!"

Killia turned around to see her captain stride into the practice hall with the wolf from before at his heel. Mitch flinched, clutching Jerome's shoulders as he hid himself behind him. Jerome strangely didn't feel threatened or scared. He looked at the wolf with curiosity.

Ty said, "Vaughn told me you came here because two... Children dragged you away."

Mitch and Jerome mocked offense behind Killia's back. Ty rolled his eyes and continued talking to Killia, "I have some unexpected things to see to, you'll have to follow the rest. They have base guarding duty. I left Simmons in charge. That clear?"

"Yes, sir."

Ty nodded, stepping aside to talk to Jerome and Mitch. Killia left in a hurry, wanting to meet the others who must have been waiting for her. As she walked away, she heard a voice that didn't belong to the three men she had just conversed with.

It was softer, more gentle.

"She smells just like you."

She turned around, figuring someone was talking about her. Yet, she only saw Ty and Jerome stare down at the wolf at his side. Ty looked puzzled, while Jerome looked... Intrigued. Mitch was still terrified. Thinking it was nothing, Killia left the hall.

Ty looked down at Rive as he talked, humming softly. He couldn't answer him now, though, so he just reached down to stroke his fur. He didn't notice Jerome react to the wolf speaking.

"With all due respect, captain, what the fuck?"

Ty smirked at the trembling Mitch over Jerome's shoulder, "Don't worry, Hughes, I got our overlord's permission."

Jerome remarked with a light laugh, "Must have not come easy, right?"

Ty cocked his hip to the side, resting his hand there as he absently said, "Nah, involved a lot of shouting."

The wolf at their feet looked in between the three men in curiosity. He noticed Mitch, and moved his head closer to get a sniff.

Mitch screamed, "Get it away from me!"

"His name is Rive," said Ty.

"You already gave him a name!?"

-

Mitch still refused to go near Rive as Ty explained (more like lied) about how he found Rive. Jerome expressed great pity and sorrow for the wolf, giving Rive a scratch behind the ears. Rive decided that he loved Jerome and would die to protect him.

Ty noticed the way Jerome looked at the wolf with true empathy behind his eyes. He didn't think Jerome would like having an apex predator in the base, yet the man was so soft over Rive. Rive seemed particularly interested in Jerome as well, constantly sniffing him and licking his knee.

Ty also noticed how Jerome's scent was oddly similar to Rive's.

He left the practice hall to investigate. He heard Mitch heave a sigh of relief as he left and smiled to himself. He dropped by the archives, taking out a key and unlocking the door before finding Jerome's personal data file.

Once he had the manilla folder in his hands, he led Rive to his room. The wolf was exploring it, sniffing at every furniture and item. Superiors get their own rooms, unless they really wanted to share, and Ty was happy to call his medium-sized room his home.

He has his desk but he never calls anyone to his room if he needed to talk to someone. He usually just talks to them at a private place somewhere in the base. His room was a mess, and for perfectly good reason. His dragon side had an instinct to build a nest, and so he did, cramped up on half of his bed.

The nest was made out of stolen pillows and blankets, and he was proud of his work. He made sure Seto put heavy locking charms on his door and balcony doors.

He patted the empty side of his bed, "It's not much, maybe I'll buy you a dog bed or something the next time I go over to the village."

Rive sniffed at the mattress and cocked his head, "A dog bed?"

Ty hummed, watching Rive jumped onto the bed. The wolf circled the area, before lying down with a content huff. He rested his head on his paws and tucked his nose into his tail.

"I don't think I need a dog bed, this is just fine."

Ty sat in the small space next to Rive and scratched his matted fur, rolling it in his fingers. He smiled, "After your nap, I'm giving you your first bath."

Rive's ear flicked towards him, "Can we eat after?"

"Sure."

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