Chapter Text
It had all happened so fast.
Ever since the Pack was broken up, ever since he and Hound were taken away from them, Grizzer had been on edge. Pack’s shouldn’t be broken up. Pack’s shouldn’t be separated… but here they were. Alone.
Their Alpha would have never let this happen… but he was gone. He didn’t understand what had happened but Hound had cried about it. Whatever had happened it hadn’t been right, it hadn’t been fair, like being offered a cookie only to have it taken away. He’d curled up close to him that night, letting Hound cry against his scales for all their lost Packmates.
Shortly after that they too were sent away from their den complex.
Grizzer had never thought much on what Hound wore. Hound was Hound. He knew him more from his smell rather than what kind of skins he changed into. He tended to change his skins a lot but Grizzer didn’t like this solid black motif he was wearing now. He liked the white and gray skins. With the thin bits of red that claimed what Pack he was from.
Now all he wore was black. The soft black garments he tended to sleep in were normal. He didn’t find those wrong or upsetting. They were warm and Hound always let him burrow his way under the blankets when they slept in the den with all their other Packmates. He would lay along his stomach, guarding one of his most vulnerable parts, and bury his nose into that soft fabric while they slept.
His new skin he did not like.
He understood that they helped to protect him and the dark colors made it easier for him to travel in the night undetected but he could smell how miserable Hound was wearing them. He didn’t like them for some reason and therefore he didn’t like them either. Hound should be happy in what he wore while they worked together but that sadness just seemed to linger around him the longer and longer they were away from their Pack.
… and somehow Grizzer knew that they would never be going back to their Pack. That they were being forced to leave them. That the Pack was no longer a Pack anymore.
It wasn’t right.
This new… group -he couldn’t even begin to call them a pack because they clearly didn’t like each other and were always fighting and squabbling amongst themselves more seriously than just for dominance- that they were working with were not good for Hound or himself. Hound was always tense around them, clearly agitated at being in their presence, and their attitudes towards him -as if he were somehow less dominant than them- rankled Grizzer more than he cared to admit. He growled at most of them warningly if they got too near to them when they weren’t working and was always watching them with suspicion as they interacted with Hound. He didn’t trust them.
It was probably a good thing too because they obviously didn't trust him.
They would throw things at him, empty casings, small sticks and stones to try and get a rise out of him. Most of the time he ignored them but if they got too close to his nose, eyes and tail he would growl and shoot them a warning look. He was going to bite one of them one of these days. He just knew it.
Hound tended to be more angered by these events than he was. Yes they were annoying, but really it was kind of like a puppy biting at his tail in an effort to get him to play when he didn’t want to. No real damage was done and he could usually ignore it but like a good Packmate Hound always leapt to his defense, snapping and snarling at his attackers and driving them away.
He always made a point to lick his hand and arm - and sometimes face if he leaned down enough- in thanks for his efforts.
Grizzer honestly wasn't sure when they stopped giving Hound his Kibble. He hadn't even noticed the change really except that Hound started looking pale and thin. He seemed tired and he was losing weight. It reminded him a lot of that pup that had joined the Pack and had been taken in by the Alpha and -to some extent- them.
Dogma hadn't been able to eat much for a while. Grizzer wasn't sure why but he was always sickly and tired. He was plagued with nightmares, had panic attacks and occasionally they'd find him collapsed on the floor. The Alpha had been worried about him, a good portion of the Pack was worried about him and of course Hound was worried about him. That was all he needed to know to be worried about him too.
He had tried to stand on his own, growling and snapping at them, posturing and trying to prove that he was alright without their help. Dogma tried to pretend he was full grown and didn't need them but he was there in the beginning for his very first panic attack. He remembered crawling into his bed numerous times with Hound, curling protectively around him while he cried. He remembered finding him collapsed in the hall, whining worriedly, licking his face desperate for a response as Hound quickly checked him over before taking him to the Alpha for help.
He's seen that puppy struggle through it, he was not willing to see that happen to Hound.
Especially since they didn’t have the Alpha or Pack to help them anymore.
He'd stopped eating shortly after that. Hound was worried, trying to figure out why even as he continued to try and give up his meals so Grizzer could eat. They were at a stubborn stalemate for a few days before Hound finally started splitting his rations with him. It wasn't ideal but it was better than neither of them eating.
It had caused him to loathe the group they had to work with even more. Grizzer knew things were coming to a head between them. The animosity that had been slowly building was ramping up and he was ready for this fight for dominance. He'd make sure to cover Hound's blind side so he could win.
While he had been expecting the fight, he wasn't ready for how quickly it had started. They had been sent out to track down a group of puppies. Hound had been against the order as soon as it had been issued but had still agreed with it and they set out. Grizzer didn’t like this group and he didn’t think that they would treat the puppies any better than they had him. It was perhaps the first time he had followed a command but not wanted to. He couldn’t let down Hound but he didn’t want to find them. Not if they had to turn them over to the rest of the group.
Hound seemed to agree, the smell of stress and anxiety heavy on his scent as he only gave him half hearted commands as they tracked them through the wilderness.
Of course they did find them, all seven of them, because Grizzer was good at his job. They had been sick and scared and immediately armed themselves. Well two of them did with the glowing light sticks he had only seen a handful of times before. He knew how dangerous they were so he made a point to move between them and Hound, whining pitifully at them to try and show them they weren’t out to hurt them even if they had found them.
Hound talked a lot to the young girl, kept his hands up and his posture submissive. Grizzer just kept his head down and whined at the wookie that was watching him closely. Hound managed to eventually talk them down and reassure them that they wanted to help.
And they did help as much as they could but Grizzer suspected that Hound knew it wasn’t going to end well for him. He kept trying to get him to stay with the pups the last few times they met up. Told him to guard even as he tried to walk away and leave him there, Grizzer wasn’t going to leave him. Not when he knew a fight for dominance was coming…
… but it was over before it began…
Someone else had stumbled across the pups and brought them in, dragging them kicking and screaming onto the shuttle while the group gloatted around them. One of them had come up to talk to Hound, the so-called alpha of this so-called pack, to growl something at him threateningly. Grizzer had turned to keep his eyes on him, waiting, almost daring him to attack Hound.
The growling between the two ended with the fake alpha pulling his blaster and shooting him not Hound.
He’d yipped and shied away from the pain only for someone to kick him hard enough that he skidded off to the side. Hound was yelling for him and he was aware of him fighting several others, trying to get to him, but it wasn’t enough. Grizzer lost his footing and he stumbled, sliding down a small slope that was off to the side of the clearing they had landed in several days ago. He struggled not to skid down it but his leg wouldn’t move right and it hurt badly. The blaster had done too much damage.
He tumbled the rest of the way down the slope, bouncing off several small shrubs and rocks from where they protrude from the ground, yipping in pain with each hit. He had to admit it went a lot further down then he had been expecting and he continued to roll helplessly down the slope. Finally he fetched up on something. Three of his legs struggling to find purchase on the steep ground, his left foreleg was almost completely useless.
Hound… he needed to get back to Hound.
Grizzer could still hear him yelling from up at the top of the rise. Every now and then calling for him, sounding more desperate and worried. He whined, desperately trying to answer Hound’s cries and get back to him.
Suddenly everything went still, Hound wasn’t yelling anymore, the echoed retort of a hand blaster and another much quieter blaster came from above and Grizzer let out a small bark, trying to hear Hound call for him.
But there was no sound from his Packbrother.
Panic gripped him and Grizzer struggled, laboring on three legs to drag himself up the hill. He had to get back to Hound. Something bad had to have happened to Hound. Hound won’t have left him down here.
The hill and his own injuries were against him though and if that wasn’t bad enough the sounds of fighting were coming from above. Several small explosions and even more blaster fire. Another ship wheeled overhead but Grizzer could care less about it. He needed to get back to Hound.
What little progress he made he suddenly lost as he stepped on a branch and it rolled under his foot. He skidded back down the slope, going slightly further than where he had originally stopped rolling. He only managed to arrest his slide this time by biting at a root and giving himself a moment to get his feet under him again.
He was tired, Grizzer let his head rest on the ground for a moment as he panted. The sounds of fighting from above had quieted again. Hound still wasn’t calling him. He let out a weak whine suddenly dreading getting to the top of the slope. Something bad had to have happened to Hound.
A thin high whistle echoed through the still air.
Grizzer lifted his head, recognizing the command to come, but also knowing that was not Hound calling for him. It was subtly different, in a way he hadn’t heard in a long time. The last time he had heard that whistle was when Hound was teaching it to Dogma… but the pup had run away. He remembered the Alpha calling for them, his scent stressed and panicked even as he held himself together like he always did. He followed Dogma’s scent for them all the way through their den complex and out onto the streets to one of those places where all the shuttles landed and took off.
The Alpha had been devastated. Hound hadn’t been much better. A lot of the Pack that hadn’t left or were sent away had been upset. The pup had just left and no one knew where he had gone or why.
But now he was here of all places?
Another thin high whistle echoed almost forlornly through the air.
He wasn’t sure if it really was the lost puppy but Grizzer took the chance. Maybe if it was then he could take him back to Hound? Grizzer let out a small series of yipping barks, the sound he was supposed to make when he heard a command but needed help or couldn’t complete it.
There was movement from above on the ridge, a loud chirp and something small was scurrying down over the edge towards him. It was small and off white with hints of maroon, its coat causing it to stand out against the side of the slope. Its long ears perked forward as it neared, its fluffy tail high and swaying back and forth quickly in a happy greeting.
He growled at it warningly. It looked vaguely like a tooka but it wasn’t. It was something else and he didn’t like the thing trying to mimic something it was not. A faint feeling of safe seemed to echo softly in his mind, almost like a soft breeze blowing against his scales and spines.
The odd feeling and strange creature almost made him miss the human that started sliding down the ridge towards him. He was taking his time on the slope, holding onto branches and small saplings as he went. He paused when he was still well out of reach even if Grizzer was at his prime. He said some words, the only one he understood was his name but the soft click and low whistle he knew was a command to stand down.
It had been awhile since he heard that voice but he knew it almost as well as Hound’s. A faint whiff of his scent reached him as the wind shifted and Grizzer was whining, trying to get his feet back under him so he could push his way up to him. Dogma smiled and slid closer to him, clicking and whistling softly to him to try and keep him from getting too excited.
But how could he not? The missing pup had been found! He’d come when they needed him most like any respectable Packmate would. As soon as he got close enough, Grizzer kicked hard with his back feet, propelling him up into his chest. Dogma fell back into the slope and Grizzer proceeded to welcome him back. Licking his face and neck with large laps of his tongue and making sure to make happy grunting noises in the back of his throat.
Dogma told him to stop a couple times but he knew the puppy didn’t mean it. Ever since his first panic attack on that shuttle, when Grizzer had scaled the boxes to get to him, he had never said no to Grizzer licking his face. He always pretended to be affronted but Grizzer knew by his scent that it made him happy to be half mauled like this at times.
Phew-wett!
Grizzer sadly stopped greeting Dogma, recognizing the command that to stop. He let out one more soft whine and snuck in a small lick before he obeyed though. Dogma was at least smiling at him so he doubted he was in trouble but now that he stopped he could pick up the worry and anxiety on his scent. He was glad he was alright but there was obviously something bad looming over their heads.
Dogma said something to him as he rubbed the back part of his head. He gave him a dopey smile in return, uncaring and unable to understand. The head rub felt so good that it took him a moment to realize that he said his name and Hound’s.
He whined again and looked up the slope. He’d been trying to get back to Hound. It was obvious that Dogma picked up on what he had been trying to do. His eyes narrowed at the torn up ground where Grizzer had tried to climb up before going back to the wound on his leg. It ached and made it hard to move but… Grizzer needed to get back to Hound.
With renewed determination, Grizzer squared up to the slope, ready to try and get back up it again. He wasn’t sure what to do when the pup suddenly wrapped his arms around him and lifted him up with a grunt holding him to his chest. He’d been picked up by Hound plenty of times. He really didn’t like it but he trusted Hound. He trusted Dogma too but he was pretty big for him. He was worried about the puppy hurting himself… but he had lost a lot of weight so maybe it was okay…
He hooked his paws over his shoulders like Hound had taught him and Dogma wrapped an arm around him and turned to ascend the slope. Grizzer whined, worried that they were going to fall again. Dogma just told him he was a ‘good boy’ and that it was ‘okay’ every time he whimpered, clearly more concerned about him than falling.
He was such a good little Packmate.
It was nice to not have to worry and let the puppy take care of him for a bit. Now that he wasn’t moving he was starting to realize how tired he was and how much his shoulder hurt. He slumped against Dogma, trusting him to take care of him for now.
He was surprised by the little not tooka. It would scramble up the slope pulling branches down and over enough for Dogma to grab and use to help pull himself up and keep his footing. It even unraveled a thick vine from around a tree and brought it down for him to use as an improvised rope.
He called it ‘Mimiko’ a couple times and Grizzer decided that it was nice even if it did pretend to be something it was not. He would remember to thank it for aiding them later. It was only proper.
Finally Dogma pulled the two of them up to the top of the slope with a grunt. He took a minute to readjust his grip to get a better hold on him and then Grizzer found himself being carried across the field. He lifted his head and sniffed the air but could tell that Hound wasn’t nearby, his scent too old. Hopefully Dogma was taking him to Hound.
He rested his head on Dogma’s shoulder and sighed. Mimiko had clambered up onto the opposite shoulder and was watching him worriedly, a strange sense of reassurance seemed to echo from her and she let out a low chur as if he needed the comfort.
It was nice but he’d rather know where Hound was.
There had obviously been a battle. He could smell the ionization from blaster wounds and charred flesh. Whoever had fought it had been quick and decisive and he was glad that group was gone… but he needed to know where Hound was.
Dogma was talking to someone that fell into step alongside them. He snuffled recognizing the smell of one of the pups and the smell of stress and fear in her scent. Dogma seemed to be relaxed in the other’s presence though. There was no spike in the feelings of worry or fear from him so it had to be okay.
As they talked they said Hound’s name a few times. He hoped that it was a good sign that Hound was alright. Dogma said his name and Grizzer turned his head enough to gently lick his neck.
“Good boy.”
He was a good boy. And Dogma was a good pup. He was so glad that the pup was back.
They had boarded a ship and his nose was assaulted with smells. The other puppies were onboard, sick and stressed but safe. He recognized the smell of medicine and pain. Burnt flesh permeated the air but he could tell they were amongst other pack brothers. Not their Pack but those of the lesser packs that they would go off the planet to support or regularly visited the den complex.
They were amongst pack brothers which was so much better than that group that they had been forced to go with.
… and amongst all those random smells and scents there was one he’d recognize as well as his own.
Hound.
Dogma was starting to put him down but Grizzer tried to shift to look around and see him. He needed to see Hound. The sudden movement was enough that Dogma lost his grip on him and he dropped not more than a few inches but it was enough. He let out a yip in pain as he shoulder was jarred and pain flared up his side.
He felt Dogma’s hand on his ribs, rubbing a quick soothing motion along his scales but it was the trembling hand that rested over his nose that caused him to sigh in relief. “Good boy,” Hound told him, reassuring him with a small ‘okay’ as his fingers scratched lightly against the small ridge of scale along the side of his nose.
He smelled like medicine and pain but he was alive and that was all Grizzer cared about as he shuffled closer to where Hound lay. Dogma was retrieving several items from Hound’s belt that he knew would sting slightly before numbing the area on his shoulder. He never did like being given medicine but at least it would get rid of the pain in his shoulder.
Grizzer lifted his head enough to rest it next to Hound’s, giving his forehead a small lick as he moved. Hound said something to him again. The words were lost to him but the soft affectionate tone was not. He made a point to nuzzle in close to him and sighed. They were safe and they found the lost puppy.
Their Pack was so small now but at least the three of them were together.
He only wished that the Alpha was still with them to know his puppy was found and safe once again.