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lifeofclonewars · 4 years

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Zoolffe, Stinker, Zoost, Gonet, and Glo Koon

Did someone say modern AU!Wolfpack? No? Here you go anyway. This is long than I originally anticipated. Part 4 of Pun Wars but, as always, can be read alone. AO3 link in the post below on my blog if you’d prefer to read it that way.

Summary:

Grr has renamed Curveball to Stinker

Stinker Hey!

Booster Seat You should’ve seen that coming, vod’ika

Stinker Maybe, but that doesn’t make me like it any more

In which Wolffe helps his buir watch over his brothers (including Boost) at the zoo, Sinker acts like the little brother he is, Comet gets lost, and Plo gets decked in glow sticks.

—–

Wolffe wanted to help his buir out, he really did. But his vod’ikase seemed to have doubled in mischief-making since he left for college ten months ago. Now, home for the summer after his freshman year, he could point out all the things that had changed in the months he’d been away.

Like Boost’s haircut. Were all fifteen-year-olds that moody and prone to shaving most of their hair and dying it red? Wolffe had always been grouchy— since he was a baby and likely would be till he died— so he couldn’t use himself as a base of reference. But seriously, what had Boost been thinking? It wasn’t even ginger or anything close to that. Nope, he had to go full-blown maroon.

Not that Sinker had been any better. The thirteen-year-old’s hair was silver. Upon seeing it, Wolffe had not been able to tell if it had been the result of a prank, dare, or just sheer free will. He had told Sinker it made him look like a tiny, old man. The brat had kicked his shin and told him it looked cool in retaliation. A few weeks later and he still didn’t know, and he didn’t plan on finding out.

Comet, thankfully, hadn’t changed his hair. But he was ten, so it was bound to happen in a few years. Rather, the little rascal had taken to playing more pranks, mouthing off often, tackling Sinker and Boost (and once, an off-guard Wolffe, not that he’d admit it out loud), and then acting like a total sweetheart in front of their dad. He wasn’t quite at the teenage-brat stage Sinker had begun and Boost was well into but it was on the horizon.

“Yes! We’re finally here!” Boost exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air. The car made its way through the parking lot while their dad chuckled from the driver’s seat.

Boost, Wolffe, and Comet sat in the back, allowing Sinker the passenger’s seat. A year ago, the teen might have boasted about it, but now it was automatic. Comet was still too young and, well…Wolffe and Boost hadn’t felt too good about sitting in the front since—

Now wasn’t the time to think about that.

The maroon-haired teen had been the most excited about the trip to the zoo. He had pleaded and pleaded and even made a presentation he proudly gave. Buir had entertained him and sat through it, then revealed the presentation hadn’t been necessary: he had already decided on a date for them to go. Now that the day had arrived, Boost was practically vibrating in his seat from anticipation.

“Yes, it appears we are,” their dad responded. “Look at all this pandamonium.” He parked the car under a little sign with a cartoon panda displayed. Groans rang through the vehicle. The puns had begun.

“Well, at least we’ll remember where we parked,” Sinker muttered under his breath. Wolffe rolled his eyes at his little brother. Thankfully, since he sat behind said brother, Sinker couldn’t see or react to it.

The five Koons clambered out of the car and headed for the entrance. Buir led the way and Wolffe brought up the rear, making sure his brothers didn’t stray too far from each other. Soon enough, tickets were bought and shown and bags were checked and the family was in the zoo.

At the first bench, they set down their two backpacks. “Alright,” buir stated, pulling out two things of sunscreen. “Let’s get this over with.” He handed one to Wolffe and they set to work, applying it to themselves and to the little rascals. After that, baseball caps were placed on heads, and sunglasses passed out. Wolffe took the backpack buir didn’t grab, and then they set off to see the Big Cats at Boost’s request.

“Tigers, lions, and bears, oh my!” Comet said as they approached. Since he was ten, he was starting to get the hang of some of the references his aliit made that weren’t strictly cartoons. He’d been eagerly adding his own to the mix. Sinker smiled at him and gently punched his shoulder.

“Oh my, for sure, though the bears aren’t over here. Just wait ‘til the dad jokes for this start.”

Not a minute later, buir, being dragged along by Boost, who had a firm grasp on his hand, turned to his other sons and said, “Why are tigers terrible storytellers?”

Sinker sighed and indulged him. “Why?”

“Because they only have one tail!”

Boost snickered, coming to a stop in front of the tigers. Without looking at the plaque with information, he began to spit out facts about the striped cats.

Buir listened, giving Boost his full attention. While Wolffe appreciated the care his dad was showing, that left him to make sure Comet didn’t try to climb up anything either. That was another habit he’d picked up. Most kids are little monkeys when they’re younger because they found it fun and were curious; Comet just liked to make things difficult for his ori’vod.

Instead of climbing on the railing, Comet had apparently made up his mind to try to dig his feet into Wolffe’s back and try to climb up him instead. Wolffe grunted when he landed a solid jab in his side but otherwise didn’t react.

The little monkey somehow succeeded and clung to his older brother piggyback style. How he did it around the backpack was beyond Wolffe. Comet thumped his forehead against the back of Wolffe’s head.

“Hey, hey Wolffe,” he said. “I wanna go see the penguins.”

Sinker perked up at that. “I wanna see the penguins, too!” It was the most excited he had looked yet.

Boost, having finished his ramblings, overheard his brothers. He frowned. “But I’m not done here!"

"I can take Comet and Sinker by myself,” Wolffe found himself offering. Hmm.

Now buir was frowning at him. “Are you sure you want to, Wolffe?”

“I can handle it,” he reaffirmed.

“Alright. Keep your phone on and stay together! Be safe, have fun."

"Yep, we got it, buir. Bye!” Sinker was now the one to grab Wolffe’s hand and drag him along. “C'mon, you big lump nugget."

"I’ll send you all the jokes!” Boost called out as they left.

Sinker grunted as he pulled Wolffe along. “I come up to your shoulder now, this shouldn’t be this hard!"

"Comet’s still on my back,” he reminded. Comet waved from where he was. It’s not like Wolffe was being particularly cooperative with the pulling, either. Sinker didn’t seem to register that, though.

“Oh.” He dropped his grip on Wolffe’s hand, giving up. He pulled a map out of who-knows-where, double-checking they were headed in the right direction.

“Stay in sight,” Wolffe reminded. Sinker nodded and moved to Wolffe’s right but didn’t take his hand. “Sinker.” Wolffe turned his head to look at him.

Sinker turned, eyebrows scrunched together. “What?” A beat. “Oh, right! The eye…” He switched to Wolffe’s left easily.

“That’s better.”

They continued on their way, occasional comments coming from Comet. Things like, “Wow, I feel so tall. Maybe I’ll be taller than you one day, Wolffe!” and “This is farther than the map looked.“ Once, even, "That cloud looks like Boost when he’s mad,” which got a few chuckles.

Wolffe’s phone buzzed twice when they were almost to the exhibit.

Chat: The Wolfpack

Booster Seat

Why don’t leopards play hide and seek? They’re always spotted!

Curveball

Wayii!

Wolffe shook his head at the messages and put his phone back in his pocket. The small group rounded the corner, and they came across a small building, appropriately decorated with various kinds of penguins. A mixture of photographs and drawings spanned the sign reading “Lina Soh Penguin Cove” and accompanying wall.

Comet jumped off his back and would’ve made a run for the exhibit, had Wolffe not managed to snag the collar of his t-shirt and hold him back. Together, they calmly made their way in, thank you very much.

Once inside, both Sinker and Comet took off their sunglasses. Sinker placed his on the bill of his cap, while Comet took them completely off and hung them on his shirt.

“Aren’t you going to take yours off?” Comet asked.

“Nope.” Enough rude people had openly stared at him already today because of the scar. He didn’t need the added attention a visible prosthetic eye brought.

“Oh, okay.” Wolffe patted his vod'ika on the back, then shifted his hand to Comet’s shoulder to make sure he didn’t run over the people in front of them. He struggled against the grip for a moment but stopped when Wolffe’s grip tightened a smidge.

Comet stopped in front of every single exhibit for at least a few minutes. He rooted himself to the spot when they reached the one that had a few rockhopper penguins— according to the sign on the glass— waddling around. His eyes brightened, jaw dropping slightly as he tugged on Wolffe’s shirt to grab his attention.

“Those guys are like Lovelace in Happy Feet!”

Sinker chuckled next to him. “Yep. I gotta say, that was not what I expected you to say.”

The youngest scrunched his nose, eyes narrowing at his silver-haired brother. “What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“It means you’re unpredictable,” Wolffe deadpanned.

Sinker made a face at Wolffe and answered Comet himself. “No, it means that movie is older than you so I didn’t expect you to make a reference to it.”

“You didn’t say anything when I referenced The Wizard of Oz earlier!”

“That’s a classic! Everyone knows it! But a movie from over te—”

“One of them is walking this way,” Wolffe interrupted. If the duo kept that up, he was bound to have a headache by the end of the day. Nevermind the fact he’d volunteered himself for this.

Comet and Sinker snapped their heads to the exhibit where, as per Wolffe’s word, a rockhopper penguin was waddling closer and closer to the glass. They gasped in unison and Wolffe couldn’t help but shake his head fondly at his vod’ikase. It was like they’d never seen one before despite what they had just been arguing about.

There was a small rock formation that served as a perch for the penguins to get close to the visitors. The glass was tall enough people couldn’t just reach in and steal a penguin or for a penguin to somehow hop their way out of the exhibit without a zookeeper there. The one Wolffe had pointed out had swum the small pool of water between the rocks to waddle along the perch. Comet waved to the flightless bird when it looked his way and it tilted its head.

Comet gasped. “Did you see that? He saw me!”

Sinker peered at the sign on the glass. “This says his name is Vandor.”

“Hi, Vandor!” Comet said. His smile stretched wider, bright enough it nearly melted the ice in the room. Sinker took out his phone, taking pictures of Vandor and Comet interacting.

It took them another forty-five minutes to make their way through the rest of Penguin Cove. After his interaction with Vandor, Comet demanded they stop in front of each exhibit and read the signs to learn each and every individual penguin’s name. From there, he would find where each of them was, call out their name, and try to get them to react to him. He was remarkably successful with a good percentage of them. All the while, Sinker took pictures and videos, undoubtedly sending some to buir and Boost.

Right before the exit, Wolffe stopped his brothers and made them put their sunglasses on again. Using the lull, Sinker announced, “Buir sent me a dad joke in response to the pictures.” Wolffe gestured for him to continue. “Why don’t penguins fly? They aren’t tall enough to be pilots.”

Comet burst into giggles. “Hey, that’s a pretty good one.”

“For buir’s standards, yeah, it is,” Sinker agreed.

Wolffe held back an eye roll. “Where do you gremlins want to go next?” he asked instead.

His question prompted Sinker to pull out the map again. “Hmm. Well, I want to go to the primate house but that’s a long ways away. We should go somewhere closer first, right?”

“That would be preferable, yes.”

Comet tugged Sinker’s arm lower so he could see the map as well. “The polar bears are close.”

“I’m okay with that.”

“Great, that’s where we’re headed, then.” Wolffe took the map this time and placed it in the backpack. His phone buzzed again as he slung the bag across his shoulders.

Booster Seat

What do you call an alligator who solves mysteries? An investigator!

“I guess we know where those two are now,” Sinker commented.

The group spent a decent amount of time at the polar bears, though not as long as the penguins. From there, they saw the bears, which were just across the way from the polar bears. Sinker and Comet made a wide array of comments. From “They look meaner than any teddy bear I’ve ever seen” to “That one looks like Warthog” (which got some strange looks since Warthog was their bulldog), to even “Why are so many of them sleeping?”

After that, Comet got restless. He began to fidget more and Wolffe’s worries he’d start to climb up something he shouldn’t increased. While reapplying sunscreen, the truth finally came out: he wanted to switch groups. Wolffe had to pull up the family group chat to ask.

Chat: The Koon Cocoon

Howl are you?

Comet wants to join your group. Where are you?

Buir

We’re by the hyenas

Howl are you?

He says nevermind then

Ghosty Boi

Lol

Buir

Would you like to meet up for lunch?

Howl are you?

I think my bag has all the packed lunches, so that’d work best

Buir

Great. How about the playground by the children’s zoo? Around 12:30

Hook, Line, and—

Works for me

Howl are you?

Sounds good

They had another half an hour to kill before they had to set out towards the meeting area. Sinker insisted they went to the wolf exhibit, “‘cause you gotta see your namesake, Wolffe!” and because it was conveniently on the way to the playground. With a sigh, Wolffe relented and they made their way to it.

Once there, they noticed none of the wolves were outside; rather, they had all gone to the indoor section of their exhibits. The “Lothal Wolf Lodge,” as it was so aptly named, had a striking resemblance to the outside of the Great Wolf Lodge water parks.

“I think they should rename it the Wolffe Koon Lodge,” Sinker said as they entered.

“We don’t have the money for a donation big enough for that,” Wolffe responded.

Sinker huffed. “Well, maybe I’ll become a millionaire so I can and I’ll tell them to name it after you when I’m older. It’s a pun! It has to be done!”

“I thought you didn’t like puns,” Comet said. “You always groan when buir says them.”

“That’s because they’re dad jokes,” Sinker replied. “Puns on their own are okay. When said by dads is when they decline.”

“You make puns sometimes,” Comet pointed out. “Which might make them dad jokes in the future.”

Sinker cringed. “Let’s not think that far into the future.” He turned to the first exhibit and ignored his brothers. Wolffe chuckled lightly and followed his younger brothers through the lodge.

After Comet and Sinker debating which wolf looked most like Wolffe and which one acted most like him, they agreed they were hungry enough to head the rest of the way to the meetup. Which was fortunate; had they taken any longer, Wolffe would’ve had to herd them outside himself.

Comet climbed up onto Wolffe’s back once again, but not before Sinker was handed the backpack. It must’ve been more comfortable for him but it meant Wolffe got more pokes to his head and shoulders as Comet distracted himself as they walked. There was no reason for the poking— he was just acting on his little brother instincts, it seemed.

The playground they met at had equipment that was styled after different African animals. Slides, swings, monkey bars, and plenty of picnic benches and grass. Given the time, the area was crawling with families of all sizes and ages. Shrieks, laughs, and the gentle murmur of talking floated through the air as they approached.

Looking around, no open picnic benches were available. Something waving out of the corner of his eye caught Wolffe’s attention. He turned left towards it. There was Boost, waving both arms as obnoxiously as possible at a table he and buir had managed to secure. Sinker took off, as fast as a hunting lion, excited at the prospect of food. He tore the bag off his shoulders and opened it, digging around for his lunch box with only a breathy “Hi” to greet their dad.

Wolffe walked over and set Comet on the ground by the time Sinker and Boost had found their lunches and started eating. “Hi, buir,” he greeted.

Buir smiled. “Hello Wolffe, Comet. Glad you could make it safely.”

“Hi, buir!” Comet exclaimed. “I have so much to tell you about what we saw!” Delighted, buir beckoned Comet over and they sat together as the ad’ika began to talk his ears off.

Soon enough, everyone had eaten their lunches and shared anecdotes of their day. Boost was ecstatic the day was turning out so well; it had been his idea, after all.

Shoving his scraps into the closest trash can, Boost raced back over. “Okay, so I looked it up and the next dolphin show takes place in about twenty minutes. That gives us the perfect amount of time to walk over there and find good seats in time for it to begin. What do you guys think?”

“A dolphin show? That sounds pretty cool,” Sinker said. Comet nodded his agreement.

“It’s settled then,” buir announced, clapping his hands together. “We’re all going to the show.”

The three youngest cheered. Once the table was cleaned up and back to how it was before they used it, the aliit set off. Once again, Boost and buir led the way with Wolffe in the back and the other two between them. Already, the afternoon was set up to be intriguing, to say the least.

—

The dolphin show had actually been rather fun. Boost had wanted to sit in the splash zone and had to be reminded they didn’t have any extra clothes with them. Apparently, the prospect of walking around in wet clothes wasn’t appealing, as he then advocated for two rows above the splash zone. They did sit exactly two rows above it, close enough for some droplets to hit them but no need for ponchos or a change. Buir made one pun, letting the zookeepers make the rest (there were plenty): this show is fintastic!

After that, the Koons had gone into the section of the Chuchi Aquatics Center to see the dolphins underwater. Along with that, they were also able to see seals, orcas, and a cute little otter family that waved at Comet and Sinker. On the other hand, poor Boost couldn’t get them to wave to him.

“It’s because you stink since you never take showers. They can smell it through the glass,” Sinker teased. Of course, that led to buir and Wolffe temporarily separating the two before they could start arguing.

While the aquatics had been fascinating, Wolffe’s vod’ikase were still a tad restless, energy levels high from their lunches. As a result, they walked back over to the playground they had eaten lunch at. Upon arriving there, Comet noticed the Organa Family Children’s Zoo and detoured them towards that instead.

Buir let the pups free once inside. The children’s zoo consisted of a building with multiple activities and an outdoor, fenced in-area with a petting zoo, a small aviary, and other outdoor games. Coloring sheets, a stuffed animal hospital, mini-classes, matching games, and more spanned the inside. Hopscotch, more lessons, and even a see-saw enhanced the outdoor experience.

Boost ran for one of the lessons, Sinker for the aviary, and Comet for some sort of puzzle.

Buir took interest in the signs on a bulletin board, announcing upcoming events. A multicolored, vivid poster caught his attention. He beckoned Wolffe over and tapped on the poster. “How does this seem?”

In tree-frog green read “Glow and Behold, a Fluorescent-Themed Event for all ages!” A quick scan through told it was happening tonight, after sundown, for guests who paid extra for passes. Zookeepers would be showing off the bioluminescent critters the zoo had, have glow-in-the-dark activities, and have a few presentations and shows along the same theme.

He hummed. “I think Boost will like it. Comet will like the excuse to stay up later. Sinker might want to go just for the glow sticks.”

Buir chuckled. “Yes, that was what I was thinking. Would you like to go?”

Wolffe shrugged. “I’m fine with it either way. But if it’ll make them happy, I’m more willing to stay.”

“I guess that means we’re going to go, then. I’ll just need to purchase the tickets. Can you watch your brothers while I go do that?”

“Yeah, that won’t be too hard in here. What are we going to do about dinner?”

“I’m sure we can find a reasonable enough restaurant somewhere in this zoo.” Buir took a picture of the poster, probably as a reminder of exactly what he was buying tickets for when he got to wherever was selling them.

“Alright, be safe and quick.”

Buir grinned at him. “Always, Wolffe. Keep your brothers out of trouble.”

“That’s easier said than done.”

With a pat on the back, buir left. Wolffe found an empty seat and sat down. He took the chance to look through the notifications that had built up over the day. He’d only been looking at the chat ones so far. His brothers kept themselves occupied. Even if Boost and Sinker may have been on the upper end of the age range the children’s zoo was aimed at, they nevertheless found things to do and methods to have fun. At one point, Boost convinced the other two to join him in one of the lessons. They came back over to Wolffe afterward, spouting fun facts about pachyderms.

Before he knew it, buir had returned, tickets safely tucked into his backpack. They spent a good hour more in the children’s zoo, leaving only once Boost got antsy to see the snakes and, as Comet put it, “other slippery, slimy creatures.” There, another dad joke was told: Why are snakes difficult to fool? You can’t pull their leg! Boost jumped at the opportunity to hold a boa constructor when a zookeeper offered. Sinker stayed a safe distance away and took pictures, laughing at some of the faces he caught on camera.

Snakes, then the hoofed animals such as zebras, camels, donkeys, and antelopes. More pictures, more sunscreen, more bickering. A stop by the giraffes, okapis, cheetahs, and wildebeests. Comet was shocked to find out what warthogs really looked like, outside of their dog’s name and Pumbaa. They even caught a short program in the lemur house.

Coming out of the program, everyone was getting snappy with each other. That could mean many things but, given the time of day, simply meant one: dinner time. Sinker pulled out the map and listed off the options at buir’s request.

“I want to eat there,” Comet said, pointing to a restaurant on the map.

Boost scrunched his face up. “But that’s so far away. We should just eat here,” he pointed to a different spot. “It’s a lot closer, which means we’ll get to eat sooner.”

“Both those options suck.” Sinker yanked the map away from them. “I don’t know if you guys can read or not, but those places only have stuff we ate for dinner the past few days.”

“So?” Boost snapped. “That just means I actually liked what we ate for dinner. Just because you’re such a picky eater doesn’t mean we all have to suffer.”

“I’m not a picky eater!”

Comet snatched the map out of Sinker’s hands as the bickering continued. Wolffe reached over and grabbed it himself. He handed it to buir. “Why don’t you pick? They’re never going to decide on anything and I don’t care where.”

Buir picked somewhere that satisfied Sinker’s food choices, still had options Boost and Comet would eat, and was different from the three restaurants that had been argued over. It was small compared to other eateries they had passed throughout the day but that, if anything, established a cozy, family-friendly atmosphere. The Savanna Shack— decorated with giraffes, gazelles, cheetahs, and more— replicated a pit-stop on a safari. The waitstaff dressed up as tour guides and their waiter even had a stuffed African elephant resting across his shoulders.

Bickering calmed as bellies were filled. The snappy bickering, at least. They were brothers: bickering happened twenty-four/seven whether they registered it or not. Everyone was content with the adventures of the day.

After dinner, the crowds thinned, more and more guests leaving as the normal closing time loomed closer. Only those with tickets to the presentation stayed scattered around the exhibits. All things considered, it was a decent number of bodies; enough for clusters at every exhibit but not the overwhelming presence that it had been.

At the Australian animals, buir somehow had a bucketload of jokes to tell. If Wolffe hadn’t known his dad had prepared them all the night before, he’d have thought he’d looked them up discreetly during dinner.

“Can a wallaby jump higher than a building? Of course, buildings can’t jump!” directed towards Sinker, who groaned. “Are you enjoying the koala-ty time?” was said to Comet, who smiled and nodded. “What do you call a lazy kangaroo? A pouch potato!” to Boost, who shook his head. “Are your brothers platypushing your buttons?” to which Wolffe held back a “No, but the puns are.” Had it been Boost, he’d probably have said it, but since it was buir…best not to.

Like all good things, the peace came to an end. “I want to go to the primate house,” Sinker announced. “I said so this morning but I still haven’t been able to.”

“I don’t want to go there,” Boost retorted. “I want to see the Arctic animals.”

“The three of us already went there,” Sinker said. “You missed out, boohoo.”

“I want to see the bison and buffalo,” Comet piped up because what is an argument without the youngest butting in with their opinion.

Wolffe sighed. “Guess we’re splitting up again. Same groups?”

That appeased them. Buir nodded his confirmation; the groups split off. Wolffe, Comet, and Sinker were sent off with one more pun. “Did you hear about the awful jungle party? Somebody forgot to bring the chimps and dip.”

“Alright, adike, bison and buffalo are first.” Sinker opened his mouth to protest and Wolffe held up a hand and continued. “They’re on the way to the primates. I promise we’ll see them.”

Sinker’s lips twitched downwards for a second but he nodded once and let them continue on.

Once at the exhibit, they learned that buffalo and bison are different, despite most people using the word interchangeably. Buffalo lived in Asia and Africa, bison in North America and Europe. Huh. Guess you learn new things every day, even on summer break during college.

“They don’t do much,” Comet said as he watched a bison chew grass in front of them.

“Most of the animals we’ve seen don’t do much when the zookeepers aren’t around,” Sinker pointed out.

“That’s not true. I got the penguins and the otters to wave at me.”

“You’re a special case. That doesn’t happen to most guests.”

“The otters waved at you and Wolffe, too.”

Sinker shared an exasperated look with Wolffe. There are some battles you just can’t win.

Somehow, Comet found a way to waste a full hour at the buffalo and bison. He took his time reading each sign, asking clarification for every word he didn’t know, and even some he did know. He tried waving at the buffalo, seeing if they’d look up at him. When they didn’t, he tried the bison, who also didn’t. Slow, small steps were around the exhibit as he moved to look at the individual animals. Why he was doing so was beyond Wolffe.

Soon enough, Sinker had had enough. “Why are you taking so long! Ugh, you little brat, let’s go already!”

Comet looked half-ready to either punch, bite, or tackle his older brother. Wolffe repressed a sigh and tried to intervene. “Sorry, Comet. We have been here a while. It wouldn’t kill you to move on, would it?” The expression turned from one older brother to the other. Fortunately, or unfortunately, Wolffe’s phone started a consistent beat of buzzes. “Wait a second.”

Pulling it out, he noticed an alarm was going off. It was his daily reminder to take his brothers on a walk, something he’d been doing to let buir relax after dinner, get some of his vod’ikase’s energy out, and as an extra way to hang out with them with what time he had. The alarm was easy to turn off, but as he went to put it away, a non-buzzing notification appeared.

Comet began to sidestep his way away from Sinker and back to the bison behind him. Coincidentally, he brought himself closer to Wolffe in the process.

“Hold still another second,” Wolffe ordered. Comet stopped. “Buir’s typing.” Sinker pulled out his own phone as the notification rolled in.

Chat: The Koon Cocoon

Buir

Calling all Koons

Howl are you?

Comet’s right next to me

Hook, Line, and—

Yeah?

Ghosty Boi

Buir

Hello, Boost

Ghosty Boi

Buir

Just a reminder to reapply sunscreen and that we’ll meet up again for the fluorescence demonstration

Howl are you?

Yessir

Hook, Line, and—

Yep yep yep

Ghosty Boi

👍

Chat: The Wolfpack

Curveball

Boost, aren’t you standing right next to him?

Booster Seat

Hmm maybe

Curveball

I can’t believe you

“Do we have to?” Comet grumbled when Wolffe pulled the sunscreen from the backpack. “The sun’s gonna set in a few hours, anyway.”

“You said it yourself, it’s in a few hours,” Wolffe replied, squirting some onto his hand and grabbing Comet’s arm to rub it on. “And buir said so. You don’t want to disappoint him and end up with a sunburn, do you?”

“No,” the ten-year-old muttered, scuffing the ground with his shoe but otherwise submitting to his fate.

“I’ve put on so much of this I’m faintly sticky,” Sinker remarked, rubbing some into his own arms.

“You’re not rubbing it in enough, you should know that.” Wolffe finished with Comet and moved onto reapplying it on himself. “You still have some visible on your neck, by the way.” Sinker scowled and rubbed at his neck harshly for a second before continuing on elsewhere.

Once done, the bottle took its spot in the backpack. “Primates?” Sinker asked, looking more optimistic than he had a second ago.

“Primates.” The teen set his feet. “No running.” Sinker rolled his eyes and settled for a brisk walk instead.

They made it to the “Sheev Palpatine Primate House” in record time. The structure loomed high, dark, and mysterious, casting a long shadow on everything around it. From the outside, there was no hint of the liveliness and cheer the rest of the zoo showcased. Had it not been for the sign, it could be mistaken for a large corporation’s administrative offices, or maybe even a sinister government building. Looking at it sucked the joy out of the atmosphere and forbode guests from entering.

Wolffe quirked an eyebrow at Sinker. “You still sure about this?”

He gulped, then nodded. “Yeah. The interior’s bound to be better than the deathtrap the outside looks like, right?”

Sinker took the lead into the building, Comet not far behind him. Through the doors and up some stairs— the architects must have planned carefully for this to work; bringing the rising reminder humans are primates, too— and they were in the exhibit proper. Inside, neither took off their sunglasses, nor their hats. Rather, they stared in awe at the sight before them.

Thankfully, Sinker had guessed correctly. Greenery spanned the open exhibit from floor to ceiling; lush and healthy, food and cover. Sturdy trees stood tall and proud, vines hung lazily across them. It was a snapshot straight out of a jungle. Rocks, both fake and real, climbed the walls, providing seating and exercise for the primates. Lining the wall was a path, extended out as a bridge over the middle of the expanse and connected to another wall-hugging path on the other side before disappearing into a smaller room. Educational plaques made their appearances at even intervals along the railing protecting the walkers from falling. A small stream circled its way around the edges of the floor. Windows, nearly the length of the ceiling and far wall, lit the habitat with a soft glow kissing every branch, human, primate, and structure it touched. And that wasn’t even touching the activities and range of primates at home around the building.

Who would want such a vibrant view so obscured and hidden from public eye?

Groups peppered the path. Some were smaller, a couple and their baby or a trio of friends. Others were larger, an extended family enjoying a vacation or a small summer camp group, energized and giggling.

If Wolffe snuck a picture of starry-eyed Sinker and Comet for possible blackmail or possibly because he wanted pictures of his brothers whether he’d admit it or not, nobody caught him and nobody needed to know.

Phones took pictures up and down the path, Sinker’s included. They moved along at a slower pace than other groups; many passed them before they reached a quarter of the way through. A grin rested on Sinker’s face the whole time, delighted he got what he came for.

Chimpanzees, apes, and gorillas interacted by the stream below. Food passed between a handful of them, like an interspecies picnic. Howler monkeys and baboons roamed the trees, rocks, and floor, passing each other nonchalantly. Primates of all shapes and sizes hung in trees with their young, cradling them gently, teasing each other, relaxing. A splash sounded as one small monkey pushed the one next to it into the stream; the interaction reminded Wolffe of Boost and Sinker at the pool.

Comet and Sinker paused halfway across the bridge. Leaning over the railing, Comet seemed to be trying to look under the bridge, causing Wolffe to drag him back by the collar before he fell in.

“I know there are nets, but let’s not test them out, okay?”

A sheepish smile made its way to the youngest’s face. “Sorry.”

Another group made their way closer to them, also stopping for pictures on the bridge. Thankfully, there was still a decent amount of room left to move. Behind them, Sinker snickered. Wolffe turned, Sinker now to his left, Comet now at his back. He raised an eyebrow but Sinker merely smirked as both their phones buzzed.

Curveball

Attached: primate-house-adventures.jpeg

The picture was of a pair of orangutans seated in a tree. To the side, not in focus but visible, stood Comet and Wolffe. The former, as happy and enthusiastic as at the penguins and leaning over the side; the latter, scowling out at something. Whether it was Comet or the monkeys wasn’t clear. One thing was clear, however: Sinker had taken it moments before Wolffe had pulled the rascal back.

Booster Seat

Lol, you good there Wolffe?

Grr

I’d rather not have siblings in nets, thanks

Booster Seat

Was he trying? Sounds about right

Curveball

Sure looked like it

Grr

I’d say I don’t think so

But he’s been doing stuff like that more often recently

Booster Seat

Lol yeah, he’s definitely got Fett blood in him

Sinker had enough of the bridge, evidently, as he started to walk off and to the other side, half paying attention to where he was going, half glancing at his screen. Wolffe began to follow after, certain that Comet was right behind them.

Booster Seat

Still:

Wolffe for #1 Brooding Face

Grr

Wow, thanks

Booster Seat

You’re v welcome

Curveball

Daily reminder that Wolffe is a grump yvw

Grr

I’d say you’re wrong, but…

Booster Seat

But…

Grr

Ever since I got home…

Booster Seat

Oh?

Grr

You’ve been the main reason

Curveball

WOW

Booster Seat

😂😂

Grr

Nope, that was directed at you, too, Booger

Curveball

BOOGER jfkdafj;ads

Sometime in the midst of the chaos of the chat, Wolffe idly noticed they had made their way out of the primate house. Sinker had paused here and there and looked up, Wolffe matching his pace. Outside the house, in the back and the opposite side of where they had entered, a small garden with a winding path presented itself. Looks had been deceiving in more ways than one with this building. Large boards along the path told more information about jungles and rainforests, including how an average citizen could help with conservation.

Despite this, the chat continued to buzz, a total disregard for where the brothers walked. They wound their way through the garden and towards the nearest bench.

Booster Seat

I, unfortunately, can’t think of a good comeback to that

Curveball

You can think of all those puns but you can’t think of a comeback

Booster Seat

Those were 100% Dad I thought that was clear

Grr

Can confirm. Watched him look them up last night

Curveball

Creepy

Grr

He was in the living room, di’kut

At a bench, they stilled. Comet hadn’t whined about not knowing what was going on, which was a bit odd, but not too concerning. Maybe he’d found himself some patience. Without looking up, Wolffe reached out his right hand to clasp Comet on the shoulder—

And only hit air.

Kriff.

He spun, head swiveling, unable to find what he was looking for. Oh, oh no. This was not good. This was not good at all.

His phone got turned off and shoved down his right pants pocket. “Sinker,” he said, somehow sounding calmer than he felt. “Where’s Comet?”

Sinker’s head snapped up. “I thought he was next to you. Is he not?”

“No.”

Sinker’s eyes widened. “Wait, so you mean—”

“Yeah,” he croaked out. “Comet’s gone.”

“Uh oh.”

“Sinker.” He gulped, Wolffe’s voice hardening. “I know it’s been a year, but do I need to remind you I don’t have a right eye? And that I need you to be my eye, which includes telling me if our brother has gone missing?!” Before he knew it, Wolffe was lecturing his younger brother. Out of nowhere, his thoughts crashed down violently as the desperation of the situation fully sunk in.

This was great. Just great. Splitting up was a bad idea after all. He should’ve known better. Buir always had good reasons to be concerned, why hadn’t he listened to him this time? He was really gunning for Worst Older Brother of the Year, wasn’t he? Why did he ever think he’d be able to handle this?

He took off mid-sentence, Sinker to his left and keeping up, headed back the way they came. His head stayed consistently scanning back and forth, looking for a clue, a hat, a pair of sunglasses, a laugh, a whimper, anything that could lead them back to Comet.

Why had he thought he’d been good to watch over two rambunctious brothers? He couldn’t even avoid a car crash after driving for a few years. It’d only been one since he lost his eye and Boost gained his scars. He had felt fine when he’d suggested it but this showed that he wasn’t as adjusted as he thought. He knew he only had half of his former vision, he lived with it every day. And yet, he still dismissed it when Comet moved into his blind spot, didn’t check in like he should have. Like he was supposed to.

Nope. No. No. Now was not the time to delve into those…issues. Focus.

Find. Comet.

He didn’t pop up along the way back to the exit of the primate house. Hopefully, that meant Comet parked it where he was. Speed up. They needed to walk around the building and go through the front. A glance left. Good, Sinker was still there, frowning at his phone. His own buzzed for the nth time in the past few minutes in his pocket and he ignored it. Sinker was probably texting one of the chats, updating them on the situation. They had more pressing matters at hand.

They rounded the corner and raced into the building, throwing the door open, skipping steps as they hurried into the exhibit. Wolffe barreled his way down the path, shoving past the few people scattered along the trail who didn’t get out of his way. He might have growled at one person who gave him a stink eye but that didn’t matter. No signs of lost little brothers along the path or the bridge.

He glanced down as he hurried across the bridge. “Good, he didn’t fall into the nets,” he said, only half-registering them as coming from his own mouth. “Keep up,” he barked at Sinker, who had been falling behind, about two steps behind where he had been.

Across the bridge, into the smaller exhibit and still no glimpses. He wasn’t where Wolffe had last seen him. He wasn’t in the section right past where he had last seen him. The end of the building, the stairs. Not on the stairs. Down the stairs, don’t trip, don’t fall, shove open the door. The door slammed open from the force and he raced through the frame. He turned to his right, and—

There was Comet.

Deep breath. The poor ad’ika looked frightened out of his mind, eyes taking in the sight of his brothers. Scanning him quickly, Wolffe couldn’t detect any injuries on him. Thank Force. Sunglasses gone, hat askew and clothes rumbled, but no signs of injury. His shoulders dropped ever so slightly and he stepped over to his vod’ika, leaning down so they were at approximate eye level.

“W-Wolffe,” Comet whimpered. Oh, poor child. “Wolffe! I’m so sorry! I was still looking at the monkeys and I thought I was next to you still but it turned out to be a guy who looks like you from behind and I tried looking for you but you were already gone and by the time I was out here, I remembered I shouldn’t move if I got lost but I didn’t want to go back inside the building and so I thought here was better than anywhere else, and—”

“Shh, we’re here, you’re safe,” Wolffe whispered, cutting off the ramblings that had sped up as he said more. Tears glistened in the corners of Comet’s eyes and the weight that had lifted off Wolffe’s shoulders resettled with twice the force. He reached forward and pulled the little rascal into a gentle hug.

“I was so worried you wouldn’t find me! An’ I lost my sunglasses but I’m not sure how. That was so much worse than getting sidetracked in the grocery store.”

His arms tightened. “Shh, it’s okay. I’m sorry, vod’ika. It’s not your fault. You did what you were supposed to do, that’s a good thing. It helped us find you. I’m so sorry. It’s not your fault, it was mine. I should’ve been paying more attention and I will pay more attention from here on out. I’m sorry. Don’t worry about the sunglasses; they’re replaceable but you aren’t.”

An idea popped into his head. “Ah, you’re too big for this, but screw it.” He lifted Comet off the ground and half-set him on his hip, one arm under his legs to hold him up, the other wrapped around his back. Comet latched on, burrowing closer and clinging. His head found the nook between Wolffe’s neck and left shoulder and buried in, arms taut across his neck and shoulders, hat knocked back further.

Sinker stepped up to Wolffe’s left, feet light, and pulled the hat from the black hair. With a glance at Wolffe, he opened the backpack and shoved it inside. Zipper pulled up, he hesitated, then threw himself at the duo. Arms tightened around both backs and the teen dipped his head near Comet’s ear, mumbling his own soothing words and apologies.

The three stood there, wrapped together for a minute before Sinker pulled away when the door opened and a small family shuffled out. Eyes flickered at them, trying to be respectful but also curious. Wolffe watched them scurry down the path and make their exit. Sharing a look with his silver-haired brother, Wolffe made his way through the gardens and around the posters himself, Sinker walking as close as he dared. At the exit, they stopped. Where to go…?

Glancing around, Wolffe noticed they weren’t too far from the playground they had eaten lunch at, the children’s zoo on the opposite end of the expanse of grass. He told his plan to Comet, who nodded stiffly against his shoulder. With his right hand, he reached out for Sinker. The teen complied quietly, who also nodded when Wolffe told him the plan.

Wolffe tried to walk as evenly and gently as he could, careful not to jostle Comet too much. His grip on Sinker stayed firm as they made their way to the park.

The equipment was much less crowded than last time. Normal closing time having long since past, the other families had to have been there for the presentation and were killing time and energy. Laughter and the sounds of childhood memories in the making still rang out but nowhere near the roar it had been earlier in the day. Only a handful of picnic tables were taken; ones that were held exhausted parents, the odd older sibling, and a grandparent here and there.

Picking the closest table, Wolffe sat down. “Gotta move your leg, bud,” he whispered to the boy in his arms. Comet let Wolffe swing his leg around and readjust him so they could both sit comfortably. The backpack was wrestled off and placed on the table, contents presumably jumbled up in Wolffe’s frantic search. He leaned his back against the table and Comet curled himself tighter around his ori’vod, legs across his lap and arms tight around his chest, face buried in his side. Wolffe’s left hand came up on its own accord and started rubbing soothing circles into Comet’s back.

Sinker gingerly sat to Wolffe’s right. He folded his hands in his lap and looked out at the children running around on the equipment.

At last, Wolffe was able to drag his phone out of his pocket and turn it on. No doubt, Sinker had been messaging one or possibly both chats while they’d looked. And the likelihood of Boost, being Boost, responding and goading in at least one of them was sky-high.

There were thirty-three notifications from the Wolfpack group chat. Ka’ra gaa'tayl kaysh. Opening the chat and scrolling to where he’d left off, Wolffe saw the last message he’d sent in his haste to turn off his phone and start looking for Comet.

Grr

Besides, I was goifjdaskljakldsa

Booster Seat

Uh, Wolffe? Why’d you…do that?

???

Curveball

Uh oh

We’re in big trouble now

Booster Seat

What happened?

Curveball

Comet’s gone

Booster Seat

Jfkldasjkldaj WHAT

HOW DO YOU LOSE HIM HE’S SO CLINGY

Curveball

Don’t tell buir

Wolffe’s reactions are kinda funny tho

Booster Seat

Do tell

Curveball

Well, besides the lecturing me part. That sucks.

He’s hardcore panicking rn

Guess we’re retracing our steps oop

Booster Seat

Is he gonna ask anyone if they’ve seen him?

Curveball

His brain cells are turned off so no

Booster Seat

Kjasdfk;klas;klfadskjadsfkl

😂😂😂

Curveball

Headed back through the primates now

OMG HE LOOKS LIKE AN ACTUAL WOLF

People are literally JUMPING out of the way

Booster Seat

Buir’s looking at me funny stooooop fdkjfkasjs

I’m trying my best not to cry laugh!!!!

Curveball

“Good, he didn’t fall into the nets”

Run Wolffe Run

Wait, no, wait for me!!!

Wayii, slow down!

Booster Seat

I’m dying. I’m dead. You’ve killed me.

I’m seriously gonna get in trouble with buir soon

But don’t stop

Curveball

We’ve found him

Please don’t tell buir

Booster Seat

I promise

There were many options Wolffe had to deal with this. The one he decided on probably wasn’t the best, or the most mature, but it was his favorite. Nothing like a little brotherly affection, right?

Grr has renamed Curveball to Stinker

Stinker

Hey!

Booster Seat

You should’ve seen that coming, vod’ika

Stinker

Maybe, but that doesn’t make me like it any more

Grr

:3 Suffer

Booster Seat

w h a T did I just see

Stinker

My eyes! I’m scarred for life now

Grr

Good. Suffer.

Booster Seat

I think I liked you better when you were at college

Grr

I liked you better then, too

Stinker

Great, now that that’s settled, let’s not lose Comet again

Booster Seat

Yeah, that’s pretty important, Wolffe

Grr

I hate you both

With that, Wolffe turned off his phone and put it away before turning to Sinker with a frown, who was pocketing his own phone. “That really was unnecessary, you know. Sorry for the lecturing, but the texts? Not needed to be done that way.” His now empty hand rested on Comet’s leg.

Sinker was smart enough to look slightly guilty. “It was kinda funny, though,” he mumbled. Wolffe leveled him with a stare. “But I won’t do it again and I’ll help you more next time,” he amended.

Wolffe nodded once. “I thought so.” Sinker continued to stare at the playground. A frown etched itself onto his face and he huffed to himself. Wolffe rolled his eyes. “Go swing or whatever, I don’t care. Just stay in sight.”

The silver-haired teen ran off like a cheetah with his brother’s permission. Wolffe turned his attention back to the little brother still curled around him.

“Wolffe, ’m really sorry,” Comet muttered into his chest after a moment of quiet. Or, as quiet as it could be with kids shouting on the playground a few yards away.

“You’re okay, vod'ika.” Wolffe ran a hand through Comet’s hair, ruffling it somewhat. “As I said, you did what you were supposed to. I’ll pay better attention in the future."

Comet propped his chin up on Wolffe’s chest and gave a tiny, sad smile. "Can I go swing with Sinker?”

“Yeah. Stick close to him."

He took off, leaving Wolffe at the picnic table with the backpack and thoughts and feelings to sort through.

—

When Sinker and Comet were finally ready to venture out to the rest of the zoo, they had time left for one more exhibit before they had to meet up with Boost and buir for the fluorescence demonstration. The sun had begun to set, casting long shadows and an orange glow over everything. Light jackets, tucked into the proper backpacks before the groups had split, were thrown on as the evening chill settled in.

Comet kept squinting, even with his hat back on, as they made their way to the birds of prey, which they had compromised on. Wolffe took off his sunglasses and gave them to Comet. He could handle more stares if it meant his vod'ika was more comfortable.

This time, Wolffe made sure he had a hand in both his brothers. Sinker to his right, Comet to his left. This way, even if he couldn’t physically see one of them, he still had the reassurance they were still there. Neither protested; Comet looked like he’d have grabbed Wolffe’s hand if he hadn’t offered it first anyway.

His phone buzzed again. "Sinker?” he prompted.

With his free hand, Sinker pulled out his own phone. “Boost sent another one of buir’s jokes.” He cleared his throat and put on an exaggerated drawl. “What’s the opposite of a fancy dog? A meerkat.”

“What’s a meerkat, again?” Comet asked, pulling himself closer to Wolffe’s side.

“Timon in Lion King is one,” Wolffe answered.

The lightbulb above his head was almost visible. “Oh, yeah. We passed by them earlier, didn’t we?”

Two nods in response. “Yeah, you were more eager to see the giraffes,” Sinker said.

Comet nodded to himself. The trio lapsed into silence until they were in sight of the “Yavin Birds of Prey Aviary”.

Silence accompanied the trio at this exhibit, the antithesis of the penguin cove. Had that really been that morning? Not even twelve hours ago. Force, what a long day it became. If someone had told Wolffe a few days ago that today would consist of splitting into groups per his own suggestion, losing Comet, finding Comet, a gazillion dad jokes, and a fluorescence demonstration, he’d have laughed in their face.

“Only the owls are really awake,” Comet noted, his voice ringing in the nigh-empty room.

Wolffe gave a low hum in acknowledgment. He leaned against some railing or another, watching the other two walk about. One other couple stood by the eagles, dead on their feet and swaying towards each other. Looks like it had been a long day for everyone.

The skylights drifted from deep orange to violet to navy to black, slow and delicate, soothing over the aches of the day like a worn, favored blanket. Had they been out in the country, a dazzling array of stars would have poked through the endless black, displaying the galaxy for all. So close to the city, the small pinpricks were satellites and planes, a backdrop to the skyline filled with lighted windows and blank spaces.

It was easy to lose track of time staring at such a sight. Time was an odd, fickle thing. Stretching anxious situations longer, shortening precious moments to a blur. Freezing in place when contemplating the world, galaxy, universe. All too much yet far too little.

“How much longer?” Sinker asked, sliding up next to Wolffe, snapping him from his reverie.

As if on cue, their phones buzzed.

Booster Seat

You guys need to hurry up this is amazing

Buir is DECKED in glow sticks

Grr

Proof or it didn’t happen

Booster Seat

Attached: Plo-more-like-Glo-Koon.jpeg

Stinker

Oh, I have to save that

Grr

Same

Stinker

What an icon

Booster Seat

He says thank you Sinker

Stinker

Lol

“With that amount of glow sticks, he’ll be easy to find,” Sinker commented.

Comet stood on tiptoe, trying to get a peak. Wolffe lowered his phone and showed him the picture. His eyebrows shot towards his hairline. “Woah. I didn’t know that many could even fit on a person.”

“He’s a giant, walking glow stick,” Wolffe agreed, putting the phone up and extending his hands to his brothers. Energy renewed thrummed between them again. They had a presentation to crash. “Let’s go.”

—

How do you find a giant, walking, glow stick of a dad? By having eyes. Given that it was a fluorescent show, everything was aglow in neon greens, blues, pinks, and oranges. But all of those in close proximity and moving? Easily buir, and a sight to see. Not even the trees had that many glow sticks on them.

“I’m glad you all decided to stick around,” buir greeted them. They all let it go, teetering on the edge of exhaustion that would be whisked away when the festivities began soon.

Rather, all but Sinker. “You’re my ride home, I had to stay,” he grumbled. The lights reflected off his silver hair, tie-dying it bright and eye-catching, hats and sunglasses having been taken off at the aviary. Groans rang out.

“Somehow he made it worse,” Wolffe caught Boost griping under his breath.

“How was the end of your day?” buir asked politely. “Boost and I had a zootastic time.”

Sinker gave a half-hearted shrug but responded, “Tiring,” when Boost nudged him in the ribs.

“It was a unique experience,” Comet replied smartly.

“We survived,” Wolffe said. Buir turned to him, and he stepped closer, addressing the perplexed expression. Making sure the others couldn’t hear, he expanded. “Something happened that might make Comet a bit jumpy for the rest of the night. We took care of it. It can wait until tomorrow when we aren’t so tired.”

Buir clasped him on the back. “Good to know. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

Wolffe let out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. He turned back to his brothers. “What do you snots want to do first?” They all mocked offense and gave their answers, launching into a night of fun.

They quickly found out there aren’t many naturally bioluminescent creatures on land, and most of them were small and creepy crawlers. Glowworms and fireflies, and a certain kind of snail. Marine animals, on the other hand, there were aplenty. The ones the zoo did have were on display: a respectable aquarium for various fish and a glass case with the terrestrial ones. Zookeepers who had a penchant for acting put on multiple shows that were “fun and edumacational” for kids.

Worm-on-a-strings that glowed had been handed out, along with glow sticks. Every Koon had at least one glow stick bracelet on; Boost later sneak-attacked them into wearing some on their heads. Comet got a glow-in-the-dark penguin painted on his cheek.

Giant, glow stick tic tac toe. Making zoo animals out of glow sticks. Neon, bright bubbles that, when popped, left a burst of color on what it landed. One station directed how to make a firefly jar to— temporarily, they stressed— hold the bugs. Ring tosses with bracelets, glowing paints. A certain presentation involved tossing various glow sticks into the air as responses to what the kids learned.

Vivacious and vibrant in the dark, laughter and cheers filled the night as friends, families, and strangers shared a luminous evening to remember.

—

Wolffe stared at the picture frame in his hands. The frame was decorated with animals of all shapes and sizes, the small zoo logo in the left corner. Inside the frame rested a picture of the Koon brothers, covered in glow sticks and worn out but all with various sizes of smiles plastered on. His younger brothers had raced to the computer to print out the picture as soon as they stepped back inside their home. A better print-out, on photo paper and not copy paper, was to be printed in the next few days, but they had wanted Wolffe to have the picture as soon as possible.

“Now you’ll have something to take to college to remember today,” Comet had insisted. Boost and Sinker had nodded fervently in agreement.

Their last stop of the night had been at the small shop by the exit. Buir had decided to let them all get one reasonable thing as a memento, especially since their trips to the zoo were few and far between with their usually busy schedule.

Comet found a stuffed rockhopper penguin and immediately named it Vandor— it looked like penguins were setting up to be his latest obsession. Boost got a zoology book which, looking back at his actions throughout the day, made sense. Sinker wanted Wolffe to get a tiny wolf figurine but got it for himself when Wolffe told him no.

That had been the turning point. As much as Wolffe insisted he didn’t need to get anything, Sinker pressed that he did. Soon enough, Comet and Sinker had banded together with him. They scoured the shop for the perfect object. When they approached him with the frame and a picture picked out, he couldn’t say no. His vision might have blurred for a moment but they didn’t need to know that.

A knock at his bedroom door had him set the frame back down on his desk. He rose and opened the door. There stood Comet. “Aren’t you supposed to be asleep? It’s late, vod’ika.”

“I know, but I was having a hard time falling asleep. Can I sleep in here instead?”

After what they had gone through today, it was the least he could do. “Fine. No snoring.” Comet gave him a lopsided grin and slipped past him. He launched himself onto Wolffe’s bed, digging himself into the covers.

“What?” he asked cheekily when Wolffe turned to look at him.

Wolffe rolled his eyes half-heartedly. “I’ll go get ready for bed. No drooling on my pillow, either.”

Comet gave him a mock salute as he went to brush his teeth.

Twenty minutes later, Boost came in to grab something from his desk. He paused when he saw Wolffe lying on his bed, Comet draped across his left side on his stomach, arms and legs sprawled out. Wolffe was scrolling through his phone, the lights off. Boost opened his mouth to say something but Wolffe glared at him and put a finger to his lips. “He just fell asleep,” he whispered.

Boost hesitated. Instead of grabbing whatever he came for, he grabbed his pajamas and started to get ready for bed. When done, he walked over to Wolffe’s bed. “Dogpile!” he exclaimed softly, before flopping straight down onto the mattress and his older brother. Wolffe let out an “oof” at the impact but otherwise didn’t react as Boost settled in.

Ten minutes after that, Sinker slinked into the room. “Wolffe?”

Wolffe grunted and moved a hand from his face which belonged to a still awake and very annoying Boost. Sinker took that as his cue to come over. He was already in his pajamas and his eyebrows furrowed as he took in what was happening.

Boost had positioned himself on his side against Wolffe’s right side, right under Wolffe’s elbow which was bent from holding his phone up. He’d taken to bugging Wolffe by throwing his hand out and letting it rest wherever it landed and waiting to see if Wolffe would move it or not. It got old real quick.

“Uh,” Sinker looked unsure how to continue. “I was gonna ask if you knew where Comet was since he wasn’t in his bed, but it looks like you’ve got an extra blanket there.”

Boost lifted his head slightly. “It’s a dogpile now. Join us!”

“More like a wolf pile,” Sinker quipped with a smirk.

Siblings have to make things harder than necessary, of course, so Sinker climbed over all three of his brothers, lifted Comet to be even more on top of Wolffe, and squished himself into the space he made. “G’night, guys,” he mumbled. He made himself comfortable and was out like a light.

Wolffe and Boost shared a look. “You better fall asleep that fast,” Wolffe said, nudging the top of Boost’s head with his elbow.

“Only if you get off your phone.”

“Deal.”

Little did they know, as buir went to check on his boys like he did every night before heading to bed himself, he felt the need to check on the older two’s room first. The door had been opened a smidge, the lights off. He knocked gingerly and cracked the door open more.

There were his boys, all cuddled up and fast asleep, somehow all fitting on the twin bed. Warthog had wandered in at one point and was curled up against their feet. His chest filled with warmth as he observed the sight. He took a picture or two, smiling to himself. On his way out, he made sure to close the door. What a sweet sight after a draining day. It was begging to be shared in the Fett parents chat.

—

Chat: Fett Dynasty

Think Outside The Fox

Jate vaar’tur, my lovely aliit

Attached: wolfpack-snuggles.jpeg

[Multiple people are typing]

Werewolf? There Wolffe!

N O T A W O R D

[37 new messages]

Mando’a Translations

Buir: parent

Vod’ikase: Little brothers (plural)

Aliit: Family

Ori’vod: Big brother

Wayii: Good grief!

Vod’ika: Little brother (singular)

Ad’ika: Little one, son, daughter

Adike: Plural of Ad’ika (see above)

Di’kut: Idiot

Ka’ra gaa'tayl kaysh: Stars help him.

Jate vaar’tur: Good morning

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it. Congrats on getting to the end!

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