\n Wolfie Steel. ©
\n Assassin/Bodyguard for hire. ©
\n Written by Wolfie Steel©

\n The rights to all the characters depicted in this story belong to me, Wolfie Steel, with the exception of Linkin Doberman, Matt Bond, Hammy and Loboron. The rights to these characters belong to their owners and creators and are used with their express permission and with my never ending gratitude.

\n MORE legal stuff, this story contains scenes of a homosexual nature, mild violence, mild to strong use of language, if you are easily offended by any of this, or are not old enough to read the material, please go no further, otherwise please enjoy.

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\n Linkin Doberman: Linkin Doberman ©
\n Matt Bond: kashito91 ©

\n Part 34.

\n It’s now been a week since Mikey and Leo had become the new adopted sons of me and Tony and they are settling in well. I wake up in the loving arms of my beloved mate, it is something that will never lose its lustre, it’s a cold winter’s morning, snow is covering the ground, normally we would just get up and head out from home and towards the main house for breakfast, but this morning I decide to bring my mate breakfast in bed.

\n I head down to the kitchen and begin the task of cooking our breakfast, suddenly my phone which is on the coffee table in the living room begins to ring, so I head out from the kitchen to answer it, I see from the display that it is Senior Doberman calling.

\n “Ah Wolfie, I hope I didn’t wake either of you, but I just thought I had better call to let you know that I have a meeting to attend in London later today, I know that it is snowing but business won’t wait for the weather, so get some breakfast and then come to the main house”

\n I give my assurances to Senior Doberman that both me and Tony will be there suited and booted as soon as breakfast is done, and then I end the call. As I flip my cell phone closed, a smell enters my nose, suddenly it hits me what the smell is, gas, the burner on the stove has obviously gone out, I head back towards the kitchen to shut the burner off but at that precise moment the heating boiler fires up, then total blackness.

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\n I wake up minutes later to a scene of total devastation, I’m outside the house having been blown through the closed front door, Senior Doberman, Wolverine, Matt, Res, Todd Styles are all running towards me, it’s then my memory kicks into gear, Mikey, Leo and Tony are still in the house, I have to get them out.

\n I shakily stand and do my best to run towards the ruins of the house, I claw through downed wooden beams, burning wallpaper. I reach the staircase, most of which is either missing or on fire, adrenalin takes over and I race up the stairway, jumping the missing parts just to get to the landing. There in their room looking dazed and injured are Leo and Mikey, both crying heavily, there is just a small section of the landing floor left intact, I summon up all of my energy and slowly walk across the plank of wood.

\n I get to Mikey and Leo and look around their room, the outside wall is missing as it is directly above the kitchen, the wall with the window in is still mostly in place though the glass in the windows has been blown out with the force of the blast, I grab hold of their bed sheets and tie them together, I anchor one end around my waist and drop the other end out of the window, I order Mikey and Leo to climb out and to their safety.

\n Mikey climbs down and stands to wait for his lover, but Leo stands with me.

\n “Where is Tony?” He asks, I tell him that he is still in bed. Leo unties the bed sheet from my waist and replies.

\n “I’m going to help you rescue him”

\n I try to argue with him but it’s no use, just like Senior Doberman, once his mind is made up there is nothing that will change it.

\n Me and Leo head slowly into what remains of mine and Tony’s bedroom, I look to where our bed should be and see a beam laying on top of it, right where Tony would have been lying. Without thinking I rush to the bed and begin to lift the beam from the bed, sure enough Tony is under the beam, his paws are in awkward positions, he has many bleeding injuries.

\n Leo supports the beam as I gently lift Tony from the bed, the outside wall of our room is partially demolished and the floor is at an angle pointing towards the driveway, there is probably a drop of some ten feet to get us out to safety. With Tony clear of the bed, Leo releases the beam and follows me towards the drop. I stand at the edge of the floor, Wolverine sees me carrying Tony and stands just in front of the drop, and I now have just four feet to lower Tony into the waiting arms of Wolverine. In the distance I hear sirens as the emergency services race to the scene.

\n I kneel down and lower Tony’s now lifeless body into Wolverine’s arms, Wolverine steps back as I stand to make the jump clear of the wreckage. I land awkwardly on my right foot paw and crumple to the ground and then I am consumed by darkness again.

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\n I wake up in a bed in a bland room; I look around and see Wolverine, Res, Mikey, Leo, Senior Doberman, Todd Styles, Lavender Foxtail, and Matt Bond with Throttle, Modo and Vinnie from my days in the service of Van Daz, but there is no Tony.

\n Senior Doberman sees me wake up and kneels by my bedside, tears in his eyes, the great dog is sobbing his heart out, I look at him and I ask the question that I fear I will know the answer to.

\n “Where is Tony?”

\n Senior Doberman takes my paw in his shaky paws and makes his solemn reply.

\n “W-Wolfie, I’m so, so sorry, but Tony didn’t make it, h-hi-his injuries were too severe, he died in the ambulance on the way here. B-But before he died, he did manage to tell me that he loved you so very much”

\n The rest of what Senior Doberman has to say doesn’t register as I throw my head back and let out a blood curdling howl. I cannot take it all in, Tony cannot be gone, my life partner has to be alive. The more I think it though, the more I come to the realisation that I have lost the dog that I called my loving mate.

\n I scream out Tony’s name over and over again hoping that the noise of the screaming will bring me out of the obvious nightmare that I am suffering, but the nightmare doesn’t end, I feel the tears on my cheeks matting my fur. Images and memories of Tony flow through my mind, each one forcing more tears from my eyes. Senior Doberman ushers everyone except Mikey and Leo from the room closing the door behind him as he leaves.

\n Mikey and Leo rush to my bedside and just hug me tight whilst crying their eyes out, I wrap my arms around them both and just cry into their fur.

\n I am a broken wolf, too weak to continue, the darkness takes me again, hopefully this time for good, then I can be reunited with my lover, my Rottweiler, my Tony.

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\n My eyes flicker open again; I’m still in the same room, how long have I been asleep? Who knows, more to the point, who cares, without Tony I am lost, in the back of my mind I know that I must live for Leo and Mikey, but how can I go on without Tony?

\n I look down under the bed sheets and see the extent of my injuries, both legs are wrapped in casts, a large bandaged is wrapped around my waist, and I can’t move my back. I lift my paw to my throbbing head and feel a bandage wrapped around it.

\n The door to my room opens and nurse Lavender Foxtail enters. I look up at her solemn face and her look speaks volumes.

\n “My words cannot express my feeling of sorrow adequately enough; I can’t even imagine how you must be feeling at this time. I do have to tell you of your injuries, two fractured legs. a partially displaced vertebra, a collapsed lung, and a heavily bruised left arm, from these wounds you have a ninety five percent change of recovery, so the odds are good, there is one injury that I doubt will ever heal, and that is your poor broken heart”

\n With that, the nurse wiped her eyes and hurriedly leaves my room. The door remains open and a seven foot tall black wolf enters with tears of sadness in his eyes, Wolverine.

\n “Brother, when I found out about you and Tony, I couldn’t have hated you more, the thought that my flesh and blood preferred males as opposed to females made me feel sick to my stomach, but I made our mother a vow whilst I watch her die, I vowed to love you and keep you safe, and even to this day I intend to continue that, I had a chance to see you and Tony together and yes I will admit that my mind has been changed, so much so that I am now with Senior Doberman. My proudest moment however was when I saw you dressed up in your wedding outfit, I had the proud honour of giving you away to Tony, and from that day to this, I have never regretted it”

\n My ears splay back against my head and Wolverine gently encompasses me in an emotional hug and he whispers into my ear.

\n “You feel alone right now, you loved Tony very much, but you have to move on, it’s what Tony would have wanted, as you well know. Tony is looking down on you from on high, urging you onward, making sure that you, Leo and Mikey remain safe. It will take a while, but you will find someone else, you won’t love them more than you loved Tony, but you will still love them, it’s who you are, it’s what you do. Now my brother, get some rest, you have a long road to recovery ahead of you”

\n I ponder Wolverine’s words, is it true that I will find love again? Maybe I will, but if I do, they may have my body and part of my heart, but the lion’s share of my heart will always belong to my loving Rottweiler, my ever loving Tony.

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