Chapter 4 - The Pack’s Origins: Lone Wolf

Even lone wolves will find a pack to join. It’s all about the right one to be with

“So who will start?”

That was the question on Sunset’s mind as she waited for them to begin their origins. And that was on their minds as they were looking at each other, trying to decide who will speak first.

Suddenly, Shade had spoken up.

“I’ll start I guess”

There isn’t much I can tell about my past. I was an orphan, found at the steps at some run-down orphanage in Manhattan. I lived there for most of my life and before I wasn’t always like this, y’know.

Sunset looked with a raised eyebrow. Looking at Shade, he was easily the bulkier of the three boys. The height helped portray the wild look he had on him.

“Seriously?”

Shade nodded and showed him a picture, causing Sunset’s eyes to bug out of their sockets. The picture showed someone with his looks...except he was pot-bellied, had a lot of baby fat on his face and had a rather gloomy look on his face. He only wore a plain white T-shirt and a pair of grey shorts and white trainers.

“W-wow...Um...You…” Sunset was struggling to say something that wouldn’t offend him.

“I look like a dwarf, don’t I? Forget about it...I know I look ridiculous.” Shade remarked with a smirk.

Sunset began to wave her hands in a vain attempt to persuade him that she wasn’t thinking that.

“What?! No! You don’t look- I mean- It’s not- Ahh screw it…your kid self looks like a butterball” Sunset relented
“That’s alright. I get that a lot from these bozos” He said, hooking a thumb to the others behind him, who nodded in agreement

Anyways, I was easily a target because of my appearance. I was called all sorts of crap. ‘Fat Shadow’, ‘Boulder of Darkness’. Hell, my personal favourite is when one person had loaded my backpack with heavy stuff, causing me to act like a turtle. Little prick…

But I decided to keep quiet.

“Wait...really?” Sunset was confused about that.

Sandy decided to answer.

“Oh yeah. He told us that the boys were like wild broncos. Big and powerful. Being a giant turkey, he would’ve been battered like one”

Anyways, I may have kept quiet...butI was slowly starting to get pissed at their behaviour. But I was afraid that they would retaliate if I snitched so to help cope, I began to do some cardio to get my mind off the torment. It was a great way to release my tension. I was even beginning to burn off my fat bit by bit.

Then one day…

“La-la-la...Wash here, wash there, wash everywhere.” Shade was currently in the shower, cleaning up after a workout. He was getting thinner, burning the fat each time. He was so into his shower, he didn’t realise that someone was watching him. He had salt and pepper hair and a grey skin complexion. Currently, he had on a polo shirt, a pair of beige slacks and trainers. It was Jump Start, one of his tormentors. Snickering to himself, he and three other boys, grabbed him and hauled him to the hall. Shade had no idea what happened but soon...he got his answer.

Thrown across the main hall, he saw everyone. Soon, his brain caught up with what happened and tried to cover up everything. But it was too late. Everybody began to laugh, Jump Start and his goons laughing the hardest.

Hot tears fell from his eyes, but he didn’t make a noise.

“I had never been so humiliated in my life…” Shade morosely lamented. His head was down and his eyes were scrunched shut. Flora went over and rubbed his back in concern

Sunset looked shocked. Even during her She-Demon phase, she wasn’t that...OK, that time with Rarity and the green hair dye job at the Spring Fling was similar, but she had a goal to be the queen of the dance. She wouldn’t do something just for kicks.

“Oh my God...I’m so--” She was about to respond but Shade held a hand out.

“Please don’t. I don’t like pity”

Falco added his own two cents.

“Trust us. He doesn’t like to be reminded of his naked truth. And feeling sorry for him doesn’t help either.”

Something did click in Sunset’s mind, though.

“Wait...Falco said that you were also a betrayed soul...How were you betrayed?”

Soon Shade’s face grew into an angry snarl.

I was hiding in my room at the time. I didn’t want to see their mocking faces. That was when I heard two voices: One was Sure Shot...the other was someone I thought I would call a friend…

“Here, man. Just as I promised.” Sure Shot spoke

“Aw thanks! These are gonna be good!” The other voice replied.

I peeped out and saw it: Sure Shot was handing some chocolate bars to someone. He was rather pudgy with short brown hair as well as grey skin.

“That info was useful, Crunch Time.” Sure Shot spoke.

“Oh yeah...I know he’ll be mad but he’ll laugh it off.” Crunch Time said as he began to devour the snacks.

As soon as Sure Shot left, Crunch Time went to the yard, unaware I was watching the whole thing.

“GRRRRRRRRRR……” I was growling while gripping the door.

Sunset’s jaw dropped. THAT was a bullshit reason to sell someone out

Shade then grumbled how he never should’ve made friends with someone who thinks with his gut.

“So...what happened after that?”

Shade just sighed.

“I skipped town. Couldn't stay in a place when the only kid who thought was your friend was only interested in his friggn' stomach. Began living my life on the streets, getting into fights, robbing people, shops. Even joined a biker gang for a bit. I left on good terms. But then came the day I met the old man. I will never forget that encounter...

Shade, now 16, was busy in a garage he took over. It was a gift from the biker gang he rolled with. Currently, he was repairing the gasket on his Harley Davidson. While he did have a place to call home, he still felt kind of lonely. Now that he was out of the orphanage, he had found freedom. He bulked up and learned some basic forms of combat. Mainly, how to adapt to his surroundings and use what he can grab. If that doesn’t work? A good old fashioned knuckle sandwich.

Shade sighed. Despite getting out, he was still lonely. His only friend sold him out for some candy and he was a laughing stock thanks to Jump Start. He wanted a family but...who would adopt a 16-year old biker?

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a scuffle from outside. Peeking out, he saw a group of street punks in leather attacking an old man...or trying to attack an old man.

One thug tried to stab the old man but he moved out of the way before using his energy, guiding his body to the wall, causing him to be knocked unconscious.

Another tried to attack with a 2 x 4, however, the old man intercepted the blow, destroying it with an elbow strike, then delivered a palm strike to his torso, knocking the wind out of the thug as he fell flat on his behind.

A Third tried to punch the old man with a brass knuckle on his left hand, but the old man caught the fist by the wrist, backhanding his torso three times then tossing him into a pile of garbage.

A final one bought out a revolver and was about to shoot, when suddenly Shade decided to run interference slamming a wrench into his spine, bringing the revolver off course. He then kicked his legs from underneath him and kicked his fallen body into a dumpster side. Seeing his foe fallen, he proceeded to go back to the garage.

“Thank you, young man.” He said in a wisdom-filled tone

Shade just let out a grunt and said: “Yeah well, they were making a lot of noise.” And he walked back to the garage

“So what are you doing right now?”

Shade looked over his shoulder, looking at the man like he was a twit. “Why do you wanna know?”

The old man just shrugged. “Normally, kids like you would be in education”

Shade let out a harsh laugh “Me? In a plain building with some ass in a pinstripe suit with weedy glasses, telling me my 123s? Get real, old man. I don’t have a family so how will I get a place?”

“You know, I think you may have a chance if you try.”

“You wanna talk to me about taking a chance? For crying out loud, I spent a good ten years on the streets.”

“You never know if you don’t try…You never know...Lone wolves eventually find a pack to be with...” And with that, he walked away, leaving a confused Shade.

Shade had a look of nostalgia from the meeting.

“I never understood why he told me that weird quote. My next meeting soon answered that for me.”

Shade was busy riding his motorcycle on his way to a nearby diner. He was off to the junkyard to see if there were any new parts but he got hungry. As he finished his lunch, he noticed the same street punks he met a few days ago, trying to steal his cycle.

“HEY! THE FUCK YOU THINK YOU PUNKS ARE DOING?!”

As he rushed towards them, Shade had no idea that he was being watched. With a mighty snarl, he attacked the closest one with a hard haymaker that sent one of the thieves on his back. Turning quickly, he grabbed another by the front of his shirt and threw him into a wall. Another tried to tackle him, but Shade responded with a headbutt on the nose, causing his nose to bleed as he bent down to cover it. Shade double hammered him into the ground. Suddenly, two smaller males went and grabbed his arms, restraining him. It was a struggle, but they manage to keep Shade from moving

Suddenly, the leader of the punks came up towards him. He had grey skin with blue eyes and had a red mohawk. He was dressed in a red T-Shirt and loose grey pants, showing his boxers as well as black boots. He had a sadistic look on his face as he began to crack his knuckles.

“Well, well. Looks like a Lone Wolf found his way into shit central” He sneered in a high-pitched voice.

Shade knew who this was. The bikers smashed this gang a few years ago.

“Flame Strike...I thought you would be hiding by now.” Shade snarled.

“I was. But then I heard you were in town. I decided that I won’t be happy until you are face down in front of my feet”.

Soon, Flame put on a knuckle duster and began punching Shade in the stomach and face. With each blow, Shade coughed up saliva from each blow and was barely standing.

Flame was about to deliver one final strike, when he felt his fist being restrained. Shade’s vision was blurry but he did see the old man from earlier.

“What the hell are you doING!” Flame began but soon yelled as he was flung through the air.

The rest of the punks saw their leader and began to launch an assault. One tried to attack with an extendable rod but he ended up swinging through air as the man dodged it and directed the momentum to another charging thug, causing them to crash. Another used a switchblade to try and slash him, but Draco managed to disarm him and flip him onto his back. Two more tried to come and attack from both sides with a chain and a pipe respectively. Grabbing the chain, he swung with all of his might so that the one wielding it slammed his back into the pipe user. While they were disoriented, he quickly delivered a powerful roundhouse causing the two to collapse in a heap.

Flame Strike growled. This was not how it was supposed to happen! He was supposed to beat down Shade to show his dominance. With a roar of fury, he rushed towards Draco, fist ready to turn his head into paste. Instead, Draco just moved his head then delivered a flurry of touches, paralysing him. He then just pushed him back as he fell to the floor, still frozen.

Shade just saw Draco walking up to him before he blacked out.

Sunset looked at Shade in awe.

“Yeah...He took me in and healed me up.” Shade said whimsically.

“What happened?” Sunset asked

“When I came to, I thanked him. Then I asked why he helped me? You know what he said?”

“Why not? Youngblood like you doesn’t deserve to be wondering alone. And besides, you always feel stronger when you are fighting for someone other than yourself.”

‘“That geezer asked if he wanted me to stay with him. You can guess what my answer was.”

Sunset had a knowing look.

“So you found a family.”

Shade simply closed his eyes and smiled.

“I ain’t regretted it to this day”

Author's Note

Do you know the best thing about COVID-19?
More time on this story. But other than that...IT IS FUCKING BULLSHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The next five will be the backstories for the other five members.
Here is Shade's.
Next one...Not sure