I could hear students crying out from every direction, and it was torture. I'd managed to remove the MECMO device without switching back into a human, but my breathing was strained. I knew I shouldn't have agreed to wear it, but it was either cooperation or disintegration; the former seeming like the best choice.

Where the frick is Dabi..?!

I raced along the treeline; trying to pick up his scent, but the smoke was throwing me off. That was, until, I caught a whiff of something. It smelled like him, but not quite right. Slowing my pace, I slunk into the bushes and followed my nose. People were nearby; I could sense them, and I finally ended up peering into the window of one of the main buildings. It was a risk, but finding Dabi was a priority. The first person I recognised was Kirishima; boldly standing beside the 1B teacher Vlad King. His eyes were narrowed and his chest puffed out, and I followed his gaze to exactly who I had been searching for.

Dabi...what are you doing..?!

The ravonette had his hand extended towards them; his piercing eyes staring right back into vibrant crimson. It took me barely a second to realise exactly what he was about to do.

I BEGGED YOU NOT TO HURT HIM, YOU-

I whined loudly as he sent out a rush of blue flame, but it was in vain. Aizawa, the absolute godsend, came bursting in in the nick of time and smashed him against the floor; stomping on his head repeatedly. If I hadn't already realised it was a clone, I would have leapt through the window and defended him, but I merely watched on; a burning anger rising in my guts. Unable to risk being spotted, I turned tail and ran back into the forest; mind set on finding Dabi. My wound was still bleeding, and each step came with a rush of pain, but I couldn't stop.

WHERE ARE YOU?! GAH...I SHOULD'VE JUST LET SHIGARAKI TURN ME TO DUST..!

"Sacré bleu, a wolf?!" I skidded to a halt; jarring my wounded shoulder in the process. The shouted whisper came from behind me, and I turned to see a quivering blond; sitting with his back against the bushes beside two unconscious students. I stared at him with wide eyes, but I couldn't bring myself to do anything more. He was ready to cry; I could tell by the way his lip wobbled, and I wished I could comfort him. I wished that I had no part in this bloodshed, or that it had never happened at all. Suddenly, I low mumbling broke me out of my thoughts, and both of us turned our attention.
"...Nomu?" I only caught the end of the sentence, but that was definitely Twice's voice. There were flames whipping dangerously close to where it came from, but I didn't care. Quickly, I raced towards it; pausing only slightly to take one last look at the young man I'd unintentionally frightened before leaping into the fray.

DABI!

I began to growl the second I saw him, and he looked taken aback for an entire moment before relaxing.
"Tenderfoot, where's the brat?" He asked; disinterested and flat. I growled again and moved closer.

HE'S BEEN CAUGHT! WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU SEND A CHILD OUT HERE, ESPECIALLY WITH A GUN?!

"Oooh, she's turned rabid! GET YOUR FUCKING DOG, BITCH!" Twice screeched; shoving Dabi forward and retreating a few steps. I was beyond livid, and my pain only seemed to ignite my anger; just like the flames that grew around us.
"I'm guessing he got taken down...Ah well, c'mon...We're done here..." He moved to head off, but I snarled again; this time lunging to snap at him. "The fuck is your problem..?" His eyes widened a little when he saw the blood matted into my fur, but he didn't say anything of it. Almost every fibre of my being wanted to tear his to shreds, and just as I was about to attack again, I felt a harsh sting against the side of my face.
"It don't bite! YES IT DO!" Twice announced; his measuring tape glistening in the light of the blue flames.

DON'T INTERFERE!

I wasn't a match for his speed in my injured state, and he landed another couple of blows before Dabi grabbed him by the arm and hurled him into a shrub as though he was weightless.
"Quit it, fuckface...She's obviously pissed..." He turned to me and stared me down; his face shadowed within a scorching cerulean frame.

(I drew this a few months ago and I just couldn't be bothered to redo it...The flames look like hair and I wanna cry)

"We're done here. You can calm down and come with us, or you can stay and get caught. Make up your fucking mind, you idiot..." He muttered; walking away and leaving me with bared teeth.

But...Mustard...Hisoka...

I knew I only had one choice, so I sucked up my anger and padded after him in a slow limp. Because I had been a bundle of nerves before leaving, I had neglected to wear the timer collar I usually had with my costume, so I had no clue as to how long I had been in predatory form. Too long, obviously, as my mind was still swirling with thoughts of violence against the pair of villains.

Calm down...It's almost over...then I can go home...I'll go see Tamaki...he always calms me down...then once the news of this is public...I'll go make sure Eijiro is okay...

Out of nowhere, a giant mass fell from the sky. People; four of them? I recognised one as Mr. Compress, and the others were obviously students; having smashed him into the ground. My guard came back up, and my hackles rose as I lowered my head.
"GIVE KACCHAN AND TOKOYAMI BACK TO US!" One of the boys cried out; his black and blue arms twisted and obviously broken.

Wait...I didn't know we were abducting anyone..?!

"Get out of the way, Compress..." Dabi ordered with a smirk as he extended his arm.
"G..got it..." The masked villain croaked from beneath the pile of students; glowing a pale blue before disappearing. I flinched as Dabi sent a wave of flames towards the roughed up students, and Toga; who had arrived at some point during the distraction, clapped her hands together excitedly. And all out battle broke out; Twice running at the boy I recognised as Endeavour's son, and Toga went after the broken-limbed greenette and his companion.

Dammit...I...I don't wanna fight them..! They're just trying to rescue their friends..!

"Ugh! I can't believe you wrecked my exit! Unrehearsed amateurs..!" Mr. Compress reappeared in the same spot; groaning as he tried to climb to his feet. I rushed over and slipped under his arm; allowing him to use me as leverage. "Ah, thank you, my dear. You're too kind..." He gave me a quick pat on the head before we started back towards Dabi.
"You got Bakugou..?" He asked expectantly, and my ears fell flat against my head.

W..wait...does he mean...Eijiro's friend..?!

"Of course!" Mr. Compress reached into the pocket of his trench-coat; pausing for a few moments before one of the students shouted out.
"Midoriya! Todoroki! We're done! I took these out of his pocket..! I'm assuming their Tokoyami and Bakugou..." The boy with two pairs of arms glared daggers at all of us as he held out two glistening marbles.
"You rescued them..!" The green-haired wreck sounded so relieved, but I wasn't convinced. I knew the league was sneaky. There was a catch to this situation.
"Nice job, Shoji..!" The student with bi-coloured hair commended his friend as he let out a burst of ice towards Twice; sprinting back to where they stood.
"Moron..." Dabi growled; ready to strike the boy down, before Mr. Compress gently placed a hand on his wrist.

When Kurogiri appeared before the first years; blocking their path, I took a moment to really look at them. The son of Endeavour in particular. I vaguely remembered him from the Sports Festival, but now that I was studying him at a closer distance, I realised something.

His left eye...really looks a lot like Dabi's...

"So I'm guessing these are Tokoyami and Bakugou? They were so proud of themselves for rooting through my pockets that I thought I'd let them gloat..." Mr. Compress explained cockily; his back turned to the shocked students. "If I'm flaunting something shiny...It's because there's something else I don't want you to see..." He partially removed his mask; sticking his tongue out to reveal the two marbles the one named Shoji had supposedly taken from him.

I knew it...decoys...

He had used his quirk to make two large chunks of ice appear like the abducted students, and if I wasn't so against the whole situation, I would have been impressed.
"One last bow...and then the curtain falls..." My ears twitched; a high pitched ringing making me want to whine and howl. My instincts were heightening, being in this form for so long. The second I noticed a faint glow from the bushes; right where that blond boy had been hiding, I leapt. A glimmering blue laser shot out from exactly where I had predicted, and I took the hit for Mr. Compress; yelping and being thrown back into his side. My large size struck him hard, and the marbles flew straight out if his mouth.

C..crap!

The students all moved at once. The poor freckled boy barely got a few feet before stumbling, but Endeavour's son and the one named Shoji were quick on their feet. The latter swiped up one of the marbles, and the other was so close...until...

...Dabi got there first....

"Well...isn't that a tragedy..?" The ravonette mocked him with a lopsided smirk; one that certainly would have driven me crazy outside of a battle zone. "Poor little Todoroki Shoto..." He held his gaze on the boy for longer than I would have expected, but I didn't pay too much mind to it. The blast of the laser had really messed me up. All the fur was singed from my left side, and the jump had only worsened my bullet wound.

I c..can't move anymore...

"Release him..." Dabi ordered, and Mr. Compress happily obliged; snapping his fingers as the other villains retreated into Kurogiri's warp gates. Bakugou appeared in Dabi's grasp; eyes wide in terror as the freckled boy began a stumbling sprint to reach him. It was breaking my heart; so much so that I couldn't even force out the yelp of pain that was stuck in my throat as Mr. Compress did his best to somewhat carry me towards the portal.
"Stay back...Deku..." The ashen-blond whispered as his features melted into the abyss, and as we followed suit, I couldn't miss the anguished screams his friend let out into the darkness.

Wh..what have I d..done..?

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***I dislike this chapter...but I tried...and I did promise an update today...ugh. Thanks for 55k reads, guys! I love you all so much 💖 - just gonna put it out there that I made a ko-fi account! I want to take up writing full time (original stuff, of course) and I'm trying to save up for a proper digital notebook because writing on my phone is torture...

http://ko-fi.com/wombatsquid

I'm hopefully going to start a few courses soon so I can learn more about literature, as well as graphic design! I feel bad trying to self-promote but I just thought I'd go out on a limb 😅***