"I guess I wanted to fit in. When Alpha asked for help... I didn't think to refuse. There was something about him that just made me want to do whatever he said, for the good of the Pack. He promoted me to hunter after you'd gone—said a loyal, tough dog like me was wasted on patrol. I should've been celebrating, but every time I've gone out to catch prey I've just felt guilty. Please, Lucky. You know I'm not a bad dog, really." |
— Bruno to Lucky in Darkness Falls, page 203 |
Bruno | |
---|---|
Affiliations | |
Current: Past: |
Forests Beyond[1] Wild Pack,[2] Leashed Dog,[3] Leashed Pack[4] |
Description | |
Species Breed Gender |
Dog German Shepherd/Chow mix[5] Male |
Names | |
Names | Leashed Dog: Bruno[4] Patrol Dog: Bruno[2] Hunter: Bruno[6] |
Family | |
Family | Longpaws (formerly) Sire-Dog: Unnamed Chow Mother-Dog: Unnamed German Shepherd Sister: unnamed shepherd chow mix |
Rank Positions | |
Rank | Hunter[6] |
Status | |
Status |
Deceased (killed by Breeze[7])[8] |
Book Appearances | |
Living | The Empty City, A Hidden Enemy, Darkness Falls, The Broken Path, The Endless Lake, Storm of Dogs, A Pack Divided, Dead of Night, Into the Shadows, Red Moon Rising |
Dead | Red Moon Rising |
Bruno was a sturdy,[9] bushy,[4] large, heavy,[10] shaggy,[11] thick-furred[5] brown,[12] male[4] German Shepherd-Chow mix[5] with black patches,[13] a hard, pointed[13] bulky face,[14] and a heavy,[13] big, burly,[15] thick-set,[10] muscular body,[16] long forelegs,[17] big paws,[18] a feathery tail,[19] and a long,[4] dark,[19] pointed,[20] whiskery muzzle.[21]
History[]
In the Original Series[]
The Empty City[]
Bruno and the Leashed Dogs come to Lucky's rescue when he is being chased by the foxes. He is the only one who worked hard to fight the foxes through his group's fumbling actions, including Martha who kept getting in his way. The Fight Dog races behind Bella, finally out of Martha's way. He grabs a fox's leg and almost instantly loses it, but he draws blood. After the foxes flee, Bruno takes a few steps towards Lucky, and sniffs him. His stance is nervous despite his big and burly body. He gruffly rumbles that they were foxes indeed.
When Lucky and Bella reunite, Bruno is the only one of the ogling group that has a defensive expression. Bruno starts to sniff at the meat on the counter, earning him a playful nudge from Bella as she teases him about his constant thought of food even when it is the end of the world.
Bruno is still snuffling at the meat when Lucky interrupts him to state he would share his meat as a thanks. He joins the others in wolfing down the meat. Bruno is introduced by Bella, who explains that his Mother-Dog was a German Shepherd. When Lucky shows Sunshine how to take care of her paw, he and the others watch in respectful silence. He praises Lucky, saying it was a fine job and splendid. When the dogs begin playing with each other, Bruno knocks over Daisy into a heap with Sunshine. He then grabs Mickey's leather item, and engages in a friendly tug-of-war with him. After the dogs tire themselves out and rest. Bruno snores along with the sounds of his friends sleeping along.
The Leashed Dogs decide to return home. Bruno agrees with Martha, who says that their longpaws were gone but the houses remained. He nods to Lucky, saying sagely that it's a shame that Lucky was on his own. He then tells Lucky that he's tough and probably would need someone to watch his back now and then. He flexes his muscles, leaning forward on his long, strong forelegs. Bruno says he is a bit of a fighter himself, handy in a tight corner.
Bruno tries not to appear too eager, not hiding it well. He, along with the other Leashed Dogs, were pleading with their eyes for Lucky to join them. The Leashed Dogs celebrate when he agrees to join. Bruno and the others left the mall, and as they walked, he told Lucky about how they were all friends before the Big Growl. He had muscled his way to Lucky's side.
Once the dogs arrive at their longpaw houses, they all explore their own homes. When another Growl rumbles the ground, the rest of the Leashed Dogs flee from their old homes and circle in panic. They huddle around Lucky. Bruno joins his distressed howl with the others when they discover Alfie is trapped in his house.
When Bella and some of the other Leashed Dogs are distressed and believe they cannot do anything, Bruno agrees with Lucky to save Alfie. He glares at Bella and the others. Bruno says that Alfie was part of their Pack whether he knew it or not. He is thanked by Lucky for his agreement and is told he'd make a good Pack member.
Bruno turns with Lucky and lopes to the ruins. Bruno points out that the front of the longpaw house was too destroyed for Alfie to be in there. He says that he'd be a dead dog already if he was stuck in the front, and so he continued to state that he must be in the back, in the kitchen since that was where his basket was. He is praised by Lucky on his good thinking. As they begin to find their way in, Bruno barks out to Alfie. His barks are not heard by Alfie, who has continued to yelp.
Bruno and Lucky clamber over the fallen bricks and pieces of twisted metal in the backyard of the longpaw house. Bruno follows Lucky's delicate path around the wreckage. Bruno is at Lucky's side as he scrambles up the pile of rubble. Bruno frowns at Lucky's struggles to open the metal wires, asking him what they should do now since they were not succeeding. He is viewed as a proud, old dog by Lucky, who feels a flush of confidence at Bruno's trust in him. As Lucky rushes forward to bound down from the pile of blocks, Bruno barks out a shrill alarm as a groaning tree gave a crack. Bruno's warning is met by Lucky's bark of gratitude for alerting him.
While Lucky went to retrieve Bella's soft-hide bedding, Bruno is growling reassuring words to Alfie, saying that he should stay calm since they were coming and it was not long now. With the soft-hide protecting their gums, Bruno and Lucky tear the wires apart with their teeth. Bruno stands on the rubble-strewn ground, panting from exertion. He calls out Alfie's name, asking where he is.
The two dogs find Alfie and loosen the tangle of broken wood and wire to free Alfie underneath. Bruno squirms between the wooden legs, grabbing Alfie's collar, and drags him free. Bruno grunts that they needed to get Alfie back to the others. As Alfie questions who Lucky was, Bruno interrupts. He introduces Lucky, and like his name was Lucky, Alfie was lucky was as well. He states that it was amazing that he was not crushed in there. He then says they need to continue walking out. As Sunshine whines that it was Lucky who got Alfie out and insists Bella to see, Bruno grumbles that he got Alfie out too.
As Lucky and Bella get into a heated conversation over how his actions could have killed him, Lucky states that he was fine on his own. Bella then points out that unlike him, Bruno did not know how to look after himself. They are interrupted by Sunshine, who cries out on where Daisy was.
Bruno says that they had to look for her, but he did not know where she had gone. He along with the others turn their gaze to Lucky, who had jumped up on a tumble of bricks and gave a commanding bark. The dogs retrieve Daisy and as Lucky demands they forget about their longpaws, the Leashed Dogs decide to take a memento of their longpaws with them. Bruno's pointed muzzle drips drool as he wet the peaked longpaw cap he held in his teeth.
The dogs leave the city and are on the more rural outskirts of the city. They come across a poisoned river. As they walk back across the field, Bruno's ears prick and he pulls up short, exclaiming that there were longpaws. He and the others sniff eagerly in the direction of the longpaws. He, along with the others, begin giving deep, joyous barks.
At Daisy being kicked by one of the yellow longpaws, the dogs form a cluster around Daisy. The dogs then walk farther out into the wild, confused by the longpaws' reactions and behavior. As they walk and some of the dogs begins to complain, Bruno agrees with Lucky that they have to focus on getting as far away from the danger as they could for the sake of their lives. As they walk, they finally find a clean river to drink from.
As the dogs begin splashing in the water, Bruno splashes into the water in a disastrous explosion of water. Bruno is in the deep end of the mainstream, surfacing the water. He is struggling to keep his head above the water, paws and body thrashing wildly against the strength of the flow. His eyes begin to roll toward them, pleading silently. He sinks and lurches up again, gasping for air.
As Bruno began to drown, Martha dives into the water to retrieve him. He did not seem to notice, too focused on keeping his head above the surface as he snatches gasps of air. The water tumbles him helplessly. As Martha drags him back to shore, his eyes open in surprise. He is tired and panic-stricken. He gives only a brief startled wiggle before going limp in her jaws.
He is tugged by Martha onto dry land. Bruno lays panting as he sneezes and coughs. His head is on the stones, forepaws sprawled in front of him. His muzzle is licked by Lucky. Bruno struggles to stand, licking Martha's muzzle and lowers his head in gratitude. Later on, the Leashed Dogs settled in a low hollow by the river for shelter. As Lucky wakes them up early, Bruno stretches his limbs tentatively, as if looking for injuries. But his dump in the river seemed to have not harmed him.
Bruno, Mickey, and Bella are taught by Lucky to hunt. He, along with the others, was doing his best slinking low to the ground and avoiding twigs and rustling brush as they snuffed the air for clues. However, they could not catch any gophers. Later, Mickey suggests Bruno and Alfie wait to ambush the rabbits that would be chased towards them by the others. Bruno and Alfie were more than willing to trot a cautious wide circle to the far side of the copse.
The dogs return to their new camp to begin making it their home. As Lucky and the other come back from their scavenging, Bruno opens his mouth to object as Lucky scrapes the ground to give tribute to the Earth-Dog: A rabbit leg. When rain begins to fall, the dogs decide to test their new shelter and all huddle in.
Lucky calls to the Leashed Dogs, exclaiming that the rain was clean rain, not black rain. Bruno and Mickey wildly follow Lucky into the rain, rolling and barking with glee. After, they cleaned themselves in the water. Bruno was a little fearful, but Martha stuck by him.
The next day, when Mickey gets his collar stuck and pulls it off, Bruno pads up to him with his collar. He helps Mickey get it back on. At Lucky's prompt as to what he was doing, Bruno gives him a surprised look and states that he was helping, of course.
Bruno objects to Lucky, who says that the collars were unnecessary and wouldn't give dogs a chance in a fight. The Fight Dog snaps that it was not true. He proudly squares his shoulders and juts his head forward. He claims that he got the blood of fighting dogs in him and that his collar did not change that.
The Fight Dog flinches back, startled as Lucky charged at him. His thick leather collar is seized by Lucky. He fights to keep his balance, but he was dragged by Lucky. Bruno was then flung around, yelping and trying to fight back but could not without leverage.
Bruno pants on the ground, Lucky's foot on his chest. He rolls over with a growl and staggers to his feet. He shakes himself and glares at Lucky, but eventually lowers his gaze.
Alfie comes and tells them all that he found lots of food. Bruno interrupts Lucky's concerns about investigating and said there is no harm in looking. He adds after Bella that if there is food for the taking, they could not not look. Bruno says that by finding food, they would not have to tire themselves out with hunting.
He is still aggrieved about the fighting demonstration, as Lucky notices. Bruno agrees with Martha that they should go look. He stays behind with the others as a backup team.
When the patrol of dogs come back from the Dog-Garden after their confrontation with Blade, the Leashed Dogs gather around them, listening to what happened. They pick up their longpaw things to travel to a new camp because of the Fierce Dogs potentially coming for revenge. As they walk, they come across a longpaw hunter carrying a dead deer. Bruno dashes forward, barking a greeting. After a warning shot from the longpaw's loudstick, it goes into its home.
The Leashed Dogs run down at the low building. Bruno flings his muscular body at the door with a crash, scratching the door with the others. He is questioned by Bella who asks him if he did not see the loudstick or hear it. Bruno shakes her off and scratches at the door again. He states that it was only a gun and that his longpaw hunted deer just like the one they saw now.
After a scolding from Bella on not greeting every longpaw they see, Bruno, Mickey and Alfie look uncertain. They all make it later on at the top of a hill, which gives them a view of the ruined city. The Leashed Dogs gaze at it, heads on paws.
When Bella asks them to do away with their longpaw things once and for all, Bruno grunts in agreement with Sunshine that their things were special and from their longpaws. He takes the peaked cap in his mouth as though Bella might snatch it from him any second.
Once Martha began to scrape away the earth to bury her longpaw item, Bruno grumpily followed with his cap. The Leashed Dogs all howl together to the Earth-Dog to protect their items and bring home their longpaws.
A Hidden Enemy[]
Before their skirmish, Bruno and Martha had been paddling in the waters with the others. They had found a lake to drink from and enjoying it, not knowing at the time that they had moved into another Pack's territory. During the confrontation with the Wild Pack, Bruno defends Sunshine by standing in front of her at Bella's commands. As another Growl begins to shake and cause cracks in the ground, Bruno and Mickey try to drag Alfie's limp form towards shelter and away from the crashing trees. Bruno stands over Alfie as they began to mourn over the loss of Alfie.
When Lucky returns, earning whining and licking from the other Leashed Dogs, Bruno is still standing protectively over Alfie. He grumbles that it was a little too late for a heroic return. Together, the Leashed Dogs begin to howl. Even Bruno, despite being stolid, gave voice to his misery. When the Leashed Dogs want to bury Alfie, they realize they do not have his longpaw item to bury with him. Bruno growls that Lucky made them leave the longpaw things behind. He sounds angry, but seemed to be just covering his deep sorrow.
Later on, the dogs want to pay tribute to the River-Dog in exchange for clean water, but do not have any food to give. Finally, they decide on getting a stick for the river to play with. Bruno finds a beautifully-shaped stick that was sturdy, strong and bent to give it a good jaw-hold. He asks if it was good enough. His head is held proud as he pads beside Martha carrying the silver papery stick he found.
There is a storm that occurs at their camp, and the dogs find it unnerving. Even Bruno whimpers as he dashes from tree to tree. In the confusion, Bruno makes a sudden, clumsy break for open ground.
Once the storm passed and the dogs calmed, Bruno finds a storage they could use for food that was uncovered when the river washed away some loose earth. The dogs agree that their tribute must've worked and the River-Dog was repaying them. At Sunshine's announcement that they must have clean water too, Bruno strides to the water's edge and dips his head into the water to take happy gulps. He raises his dripping muzzle to look proudly at Lucky.
Suddenly he falls ill with monstrous retching. He spews thick, evil-smelling chunks from his mouth and his breathing becomes weak. Bruno collapses on his side, flailing weakly. His lips had turned a ghastly color and lumps of foul chunks clung to his mouth and gasping jaws. After having Lucky ram his head into his chest, Bruno retches more chunks from his mouth.
His eyes lost their dead, glazed look, but he didn't stir and rise from the ground as he breathed weakly. Bruno is sick and vulnerable from the water. The dogs find clean rain water collected in a bowl in the stone and Daisy says they should bring Bruno to the cave to drink it. Bruno's limp bulk body is dragged into the cave. His claws scrabble on the cave floor as he tried to help them, but he could not.
He is rolled on his belly so that he could drink the pure rainwater. Later, Lucky is told by Bella to spy on the Wild Pack for the sake of Bruno and Martha until they got back to their full strength. Since Bruno and Martha needed food, water, and a place to rest, Lucky agrees for their sake and the Pack's.
Later, Bruno and Martha are given some of the kills that Lucky and the hunting patrol catch. Bruno does not see Lucky again as he goes to be a spy in the Wild Pack.
Mickey later states that Bruno's and Martha's health have not gotten better even with the cleanest water and best food they could give. They doubt that Bruno and Martha would be strong enough to go to the lake for clean water even when they would not be caught. Later on, Lucky prompts to know what the condition of Bruno and Martha are again. He gets a similar answer from Sunshine and Daisy, who say that they were getting better but still needed time. Sunshine thanks the Sky-Dogs that Bruno was saved by Lucky.
As Lucky continues to spy for the Wild Pack, he tells himself continuously that he is doing it for Bruno and Martha's sake. Again, Lucky asks to see Bruno and Martha, but is told by Bella that he could visit in a few days but they were still unwell.
During the battle with the foxes, Bruno appears with Martha. His sturdy body is healthy and sleek as it turns out he recovered from his sickness and that Lucky had been lied to about their poor condition.
When Sweet demands they leave, calling them longpaw pests, Bruno snarls that they'd go where they wanted to. Mickey and Bruno took on Snap and Spring, rolling on the crushed grass in a frenzy of scratching, biting, and snapping. After the battle is over and Mulch is dead, Bruno joins in the mourn as they howl.
As Alpha goes over Bella's punishment, saying she would die for this crime, Bruno's brow creases in deep folds of anxiety. They defend Bella, and Bruno even says that Bella was a good leader. He throws Lucky a glance as if to urge him to tell them as well. When Alpha offers her a spot, but says she will be Omega instead of being killed, Bruno growls for her to show them she could survive with such a low task.
Darkness Falls[]
When Lucky and the Leashed Dogs are proposed the conditions of their entrance in the Wild Pack: starting at the bottom of the pack hierarchy, Bruno is among the three dog who turn instinctively to Lucky for guidance and advice. He, along with the others, are told by Alpha that Lucky was now the Omega.
Bruno lands on Lucky, pinning him so that he could take the scar Alpha wished to inflict on him for his treachery. However, before Alpha could give the delivering bite, a high-pitched sound occurs. Bruno gives a yelp of confusion as a storm of howling air passes over the Pack.
Bruno follows Sweet's lead, releasing his grip on Luck as the whining still continues. A dark smoke-like smudge rose beyond the forest, similar to a storm cloud but different. The dogs all fell into a stunned silence as they all watched the dark cloud. It's another reminder, just like Bruno who drank the river water, that the world had new reminders it was different.
Bruno follows Bella, who leads the Leashed Dogs as the whole Pack retreats from their old camp after deciding the storm was a sign to flee. The dogs pad through the forest, crunching twigs and dead leaves beneath their paws. Bruno stands at the front of the group, where the trees come to an abrupt end. He asks Lucky where they should go now.
The Pack later arrives at the top of a rocky overhang. Bruno half jumps and tumbles over the rocks, his paws scrambling on the grainy earth. The Pack gathers around near the sheltered area beneath the overhanging rocks, all feeling miserable. Tensions rise, and Bruno snaps at Whine who tries to run away.
He rears away from the little dog at Bella's barks. Bruno and some of the others are ordered by Alpha to settle down. After Mickey decides to leave for his longpaws back at the City, some of the Leashed Dogs stand a while longer watching him walk into the darkness.
The next morning, Bella and Sweet engage in a conflict. Bruno stands behind Daisy and Martha, looking on warily. Alpha interferes and banishes Lucky.
The next time Lucky returns with Mickey, Bruno is seen again standing next to Sweet with his tail hanging between his legs. Bruno scrambles behind Daisy as the Fierce Dog pups are introduced to the Pack for the first time.
When Lucky defends the Fierce Dog pups, he mentions that Bruno was one of the Leashed Dogs, who weren't used to Pack Life but learned quickly. Bruno looks away with a murmur of embarrassed agreement.
Later on, Bruno is listening to Mickey describe the state of their homes back in the crumbling city. When Mickey mentions longpaws returned to the city, Bruno pricks his ears. When Mickey admits they had ill intentions and weren't their owners, Bruno states they must be gone for good with sadness in his voice.
Loudbirds come across the camp. Bruno whimpers and cowers along with Sunshine as the Pack erupts in an uproar. Bruno gasps when Daisy exclaims that longpaws were trapped into the "birds." He barks that there are longpaws up there trying to escape the belly of the creature.
He then barks that the loudbirds were going to land, saying that the longpaws will get out, like they did in the forest. He paws the ground excitedly, barking that they should be able to find it and help the longpaws.
Bruno starts after the loudbirds moving deeper into the forest. He is stopped by Bella, who tells him and the other Leashed Dogs that they were not to chase the bird. Bruno drops to the ground guiltily, his tail pressed to his flank when Alpha growls his agreement.
Later, Bruno is seen making his way under a huge oak as Lucky is collecting leaves. In that time period, Bruno rose to the hunter rank while Lucky and Mickey were away. He's sniffing around for prey, when he calls after Lucky. When Lucky trots away from him, he pursues him. He wheezes for Lucky to stop, until Lucky stops. He whines that it is hard to hunt out in the forest, mentioning that Fiery decided he and the other hunters should split up to sniff out small prey. But he adds that he had been searching for ages and had not caught anything.
Bruno then dips his head to Lucky, apologizing to him about earlier when he pinned down Lucky for Alpha to give him his scarring. He says that he didn't know what came over him and did not blame him for being angry. He sounds forlorn.
After Lucky reprimands him for not being honorable, Bruno's nose sinks to the forest floor and he whimpers that Lucky was right. He states that he was scared of Alpha and the whole situation. He includes being in disbelief with the foxes, and how everything fell into chaos so quickly. Bruno says that he thought being a part of a Pack would make him safe. His ears droop as he asks Lucky if he remembers when he drank the bad water and fell ill.
He flops on his belly with another whimper after Lucky snaps that he remembered because he was the one who saved him. Bruno says that he remembers, but he had not forgotten. He says that he did not know water could hurt him, but things that used to be harmless were now dangerous since the Big Growl. He thought he was coping with all the changes, adapting to life in the Leashed Pack. He trails off in a pitiful whine.
Bruno takes another deep breath, continuing to say that his fears for the better of him. He says he used to never be scared of anything, and that he was the toughest dog on the street. But since the Big Growl, he could not even sleep at night because he was fearful of another fight in the Pack. Adding that even the light of the Sun-Dog scared him, Bruno admits he is now scared of everything.
His eyes flick across the trees. He starts to shiver, saying that he wanted to fit in when Alpha asked for help. He did not even think about refusing, and that there was something about Alpha that made him want to do whatever he said, for the good of the Pack.
He continues to mention that following Lucky's exile, he was promoted to hunter, Alpha saying he was a loyal, tough dog. Instead of celebrating, Bruno felt guilty every time he went out to catch prey. Bruno gazes down at his snout, telling Lucky that he knew Bruno was not a bad dog.
Bruno looks up at Lucky with big, sad eyes. His tail gives a hesitant thump as he asks Lucky if he forgives him. As Lucky confirms with a sigh, Bruno climbs to his paws. He pants happily, his tail beating the air.
When Lucky asks if he needed help hunting, Bruno yelps that he thought he'd never ask. His tail is thrashing happily. He approaches shyly but falls short of touching noses with Lucky. Although Lucky says he's Omega, Bruno quickly replies that it was just a title, and it did not define Lucky. He barks that he knew what Lucky was capable of.
As the two stray farther into the forest, Bruno sidles up to him, asking him if he thought the scent was a bit strange. When a bird trills overhead, Bruno's body stiffens. He hurries after Lucky, who began padding between the trees.
The two of them smell small animals. Bruno gives a sharp nod to Lucky, and the two of them lower their haunches and stalk low to the ground. They ease themselves over a clutch of vines past the broken trunk of a fallen tree. Although Lucky finds it suspicious that the birds were on the ground, Bruno is already pushing ahead of him, hurrying around the fallen trunk with an excited yip. He exclaims that it was two pigeons.
The two pigeons, however, were already killed and fresh. Bruno states that they were still fresh, and that he did not smell anyone. He urges Lucky to come on, so that they could bring the prey back to camp. At Lucky's concerns that they'd track the mysterious hunter back to the camp, Bruno replies that there were all the dogs in the camp, and that he'd like to see them try.
Bruno leads the way, out into the camp with Lucky by his side. Sweet greets them. Bruno offers to take the kill, scooping it up with the other one he carried.
Later on, Bruno is sniffing the bedding in the hunters' den and pants gratefully across the camp at Lucky.
When Lucky is once again defending the Fierce Dog pups, Alpha mentions Grunt tried chasing a giantfur. Bruno widens his eyes alongside with a shocked Spring. When the Fierce Dogs come into the camp, Bruno and Whine are frenzied with fear and don't listen. He spins around chaotically, yelping. His panic catches onto the rest of the Pack.
The Fierce Dogs approach, and Bruno was continue to yelp as the camp escalated in chaos. But when Blade comes forth to state she wanted to retrieve her pups, Bruno says it would be the best if the pups were with their own kind. Bruno, Whine, and Dart part to reveal Lick and Wiggle.
Later, when Lucky challenges Snap to a challenge, Bruno emerges from the mist along with Mickey, Spring, and Dart. When he loses, however, the Pack settles for the night.
The next day, Bruno comes to see Lucky in his Omega Den. The thickset old dog asks him how he was feeling today. He tells Lucky that Alpha called a meeting, and asked if Lucky was coming. He's joined by Lucky, and the two of them make their way back to the meadow.
He and Lucky join the gathered Pack. When Alpha states there was panic and chaos when the Fierce Dogs invaded their camp, Bruno drops his head guiltily. The dogs discuss new locations for a camp. Bruno yelps about the giantfur, but Alpha states he was no threat in the end.
Later on, Alpha states that the Pack would depart the next day, before the Sun-Dog greets the lake. Bruno and Sunshine exchange glances.
The Broken Path[]
Coming soon!
The Endless Lake[]
Bruno travels with the Wild Pack while Moon, Lucky, Storm, and Martha follow their tracks. He is the first dog to meet the journeying group returning to the Pack. He thumps into Lucky, hitting his muzzle against the earth as he snarls for him to stop and tell him who he was. Once he realizes it is Lucky, he pulls back and barks that it really was him. He licks his brown muzzle sheepishly, apologizing and saying he did not recognize Lucky's smell under the dirt, mud, and salt water caked onto his fur. He is later seen whining when Lucky mentions Fiery's death, and how the yellow-furred longpaws fed him the same river water that made Bruno sick. Although not mentioned, he is with the Pack as they all group together and divide to hunt.
When the Pack is traveling, they come across a house. Delighted by the thought of longpaws and possible food, the Leashed Dogs investigate the sound despite Alpha's orders to stop. Lucky is sent to retrieve them. However, the Fierce Dogs come to confront the Wild Pack when Mickey and Daisy find out there are no more longpaws. Bruno turns abruptly, almost knocking Lucky off his paws. He asks Alpha what they were going to do while he shakes his thick fur, which is the color of wet sand.
When Storm confronts Blade, Lucky tells the dogs they should go and help her, asking Bruno and Spring to help him. Bruno and Spring bolt along the near side of the road, slamming their forepaws against the salt pools so they spray over the Fierce Dogs. Bruno is charged by some Fierce Dogs who snap themselves to attention at Blade's orders.
He is busy dodging the attacking dogs. He looks as though he is struggling with the lunges of the Fierce Dogs, gnashing his teeth but unable to move as quickly as Spring. The Fierce Dogs close in on him. At Lucky's orders to return to the longpaw house, Bruno spins on his heels and makes for the striped house. He makes it inside the house, where Lucky counts him while doing a head count.
Bruno wakes up the next morning along with the rest of the Pack. As the Pack climbs the steep incline of the cliff, Bruno limps and is panting heavily.
When the Pack regroups and decides on a new leader, Bruno speaks up, saying Lucky should be the leader. He raises his dark muzzle, saying that he had brought us such a long way, and showed more courage than any other dog. His feathered brown tail thumps the tail. Martha agrees with him, barking that he always had the best ideas, like the time he rescued them from Terror by getting them to climb into the longpaw dwelling.
Bruno's chest puffs with pride, and he gives his nose a satisfied lick.
More coming soon!
Storm of Dogs[]
Bruno appears for the first time when the Wild Pack is practicing battle practice. Bruno juts his paw out with a stiff grunt as Bella and Martha take turns blocking practice.
When Dart and Moon return from a patrol, having found something strange, Sunshine scrambles between Bruno and Martha to voice her shock at how the longpaws may have returned.
Later, when Sweet investigates on a patrol and returns, Dart is shocked to know that the longpaws spotted her and asked if they knew where the Pack was. Bruno gives a low growl
Bruno is seen again when the camp is safe, where he is stretched out by himself, snoring loudly, a short distance away from Mickey and Snap, who were curled in beneath a low bush. Bruno's lip twitches as Lucky snaps a twig under his paw, but he does not wake up.
When Lucky is elected Beta of the Pack, and the Wild Pack has to make symbolic offerings for his ceremony, Bruno steps forward into the circle and drops a sturdy branch on the ground before Lucky. He keeps his head low as he speaks that the branch was strong and that it represented Lucky's courage and honor since wind and rain can never break it.
Bruno doesn't meet Lucky's gaze, still feeling bad about siding with the wolf-dog, Alpha, who wanted Lucky out of the Pack. His nose is touched by Lucky, who silently vows that Bruno should understand he could stop feeling bad about the past since it had long been forgotten.
When the Wild Pack rescues Lucky from Blade's trap, Bruno is sent along with Snap to get him something to eat as he began to warm up after being cold for so long. Bruno catches a bird that he specially caught for Lucky, who is later given a piece of the bird.
Later on, a Growl rattles the earth, causing a state of panic among the Wild Pack. Bruno barks that the last time a Big Growl happened, the clear-stone shattered. His brown ears flick back as he says it just shattered.
When the Leashed Dogs insist on warning the longpaws that a Growl was coming, Bruno sidles up to Moon and sits heavily. He states that he was not going to help, because he was a Pack Dog now and his longpaws abandoned him. He added that the ones in the town were strangers. His eyes are cold as he is honest about his feelings.
Before the Leashed Dogs leave to warn the longpaws, Sweet assigns Bruno and Martha to see what they could find around camp, but not stray far. He gives a stiff nod, and he starts jogging with Martha deeper into the valley, sniffing at the freezing grass.
Once the Growl comes, Bruno's barks are heard among the Wild Pack's as he and the others yap for Lucky and the Leashed Dogs. Bruno barks back that they were over under a tree trunk by the pond's edge.
When Sweet warns the Pack that the Growl meant Blade was coming for her sacrifice of Storm, Bruno sits heavily and clears his throat, saying that she was right and that Sweet was wise. He says that they all agree Blade is a menace, but that there were limits to her power. That she could not control the elements, and that no dog could.
When Whine insists Lucky and Sweet spill the secrets they had away from the Pack, he shrinks back behind Bruno and Martha at Sweet's glare. He suggests doing what Blade wanted, and giving Storm over, hiding behind Bruno. Bruno did not meet Lucky's eye.
When the Pack decides to vote whether or not to kick Storm or keep her, Bruno trots heavily to circle of dogs to vote her out. He runs his tongue over his dark muzzle before thumping his paw next to Dart's. Despite Lucky feeling betrayed, and insisting that Storm was part of their Pack, Bruno gives a long sigh. He says that he did not want to turn over the pup to be killed, but that tough decisions had to be made for the greater good. He continues to say that if giving over Storm means Blade leaves them alone, then there is a chance that it will stop the Storm of Dogs, and preventing that battle was the greater good. He sniffs, looking shamefaced despite his words. He continues to reiterate that they needed to drive Storm out of the Pack before it was too late, to let her take the chase with her. Bruno stays with Whine and Dart, his paw in the mud.
When Sweet disqualifies their vote for not having four paws, Bruno shakes his head and sits a short distance from the others, licking the mud from his forepaw. When Whine states that he was not sticking around to be slaughtered by the Fierce Dogs, Sweet states that he, Bruno, or Dart were free to leave. Bruno raises his eyes to hers, his bushy tail sinking between his legs. He says that although he was worried about what keeping Storm in the Pack meant for the safety of other dogs, Sweet had made her decision as Alpha, and he respected that. He did not want to leave.
After Whine leaves, Bruno sighs, saying that although Whine was not much of a fighter, but he still hated to see Whine go because losing any dog made the Pack weaker. He turns his sad brown eyes to Lucky and Sweet, asking them if they really thought that the Wild Pack could overcome the Fierce Dogs. He says that they have been raised to fight, and that it had been in their blood. After losing Fiery and Alpha, he asks on how they could hope to defeat them.
Later, when the Wild Dogs are on the move again, Bruno helps Sunshine up on her paws after she skid on the ice. He noses her gently with his whiskery muzzle, that he could carry her. Bruno grips her by the scruff and lifts her up. He takes turns with Martha carrying Sunshine.
When Daisy nearly falls, Bruno almost loses his footing and slips down the bank. He heaves himself back onto the path with a grunt.
At the appearance of Arrow fleeing his Pack, Bruno is skeptical on whether he's going to trick them like Fang did, stating that you could never trust a Fierce Dog. He snaps at Arrow's neck, demanding to know how he found them. As Arrow pants that they should move, Bruno snarls for him to shut up, silencing him. He, Bella, and Woody prepare to pounce on Arrow if he makes any wrong moves. Dart murmurs that Blade will be angrier than ever knowing that Arrow betrayed her as she creeps close to Bruno's side.
Later, when the Pack is choosing battle formations, Bruno is one of the dogs chosen to be a fighter in the front of the Pack. During the Storm of Dogs, Bruno comes to Lucky's aid, fending off Mace. He along with other dogs push Mace back. After the Fierce Dogs regroup, Bruno continues to fight despite being badly wounded. He fights on, though he could barely drag his hind leg and his face is twisted in pain.
After the battle is over and won, Bruno and the others smell prey. Bruno barks that Mickey was right, joining in to kick back the dirt. The dogs find a warren of rabbits. He seizes a couple with Mickey, snapping their necks with firm, quick jerks. As Sweet declares they will eat together, shoving a couple rabbits towards Twitch, Bruno, and Daisy, the dogs join together in eating the prey. Bruno joins in with the others as they howl together.
In the Gathering Darkness arc[]
A Pack Divided[]
Bruno is first seen in a hunting patrol consisting of Storm, Lucky, Breeze, Bella, and himself. The Beta, Bruno, and Breeze drive a weasel towards the Fierce Dog, with Bella at her flank. However, their chase is interrupted when Lucky says that he smells something, and the other dogs then glance at one another. They tip their heads back and sniff the breeze, and Bruno guesses that it is deer, though Breeze points out that it seems to be stale. Still, the hunting group decides to track the scent in case the large prey is there, and as they get closer to the scent, Breeze yelps that she scents another deer. Bruno bounds toward her but almost immediately halts, plunging his muzzle into the scrubby undergrowth. The thick-furred dog barks that he smells another, and soon all the dogs of the patrol are barking out that they smell deer. However, Storm points out that none of the scents are fresh, causing Bruno to scrape at the earth with his claws in frustration. Bella wonders if this might be the deers' camp, and if they are away, but Bruno seems puzzled at the idea of deer living in Packs like dogs. Bella replies that they might.
When Storm brings up the idea that the place might have to do with the Golden Deer, the dogs get into a disagreement on if the Spirit Dogs are real, and after an awkward silence, Bruno growls that his Alpha believes in the Wind-Dogs and the Golden Deer, which makes it good enough for him. All the dogs watch him thoughtfully, and the large dog continues that he hopes the deer they saw today were real, and not shadows, but that regardless, they must find some real prey for the Pack today. He finishes that some deer Pack might live here, but they aren't here now. Lucky agrees with his Packmate and gives the order that they need to find food to take back to the Pack. But as the dogs go back the way they came, something rustles in the undergrowth beside them, and Storm realizes that there is prey. She thinks that Bruno is right, and that questions about Spirit Dogs are unimportant now. However, at the end of the day the patrol is mainly unsuccessful, and they bring back little prey.
Later, when Sweet makes Twitch the Wild Pack's Third Dog, Bruno gruffly tells the long-eared dog that he'll make a tremendous third in command, and he adds that Alpha has been wise. The next day, when loudbirds fly over the forest, the Pack's dogs start panicking, and Bruno barks that they should run. Once the loudbirds eventually fly away, the whole forest seems to relax, and Bruno gives his shaggy coat a violent shake.
Later that day, Bruno is on another patrol with Bella, Arrow, and Lucky to look around the town. The Beta instructs the dogs to go carefully and be concealed by the grass in case there is still a risk of loudpaws, and the patrol obeys. There is a scent of longpaws in the meadow, and Bruno is confused as to why they would have come there. Lucky replies that he doesn't know, and the dogs edge forward cautiously. On the track that leads to town, Storm notices grooves in the mud, and Bella and Bruno explain that it is the tracks from a longpaw with very large paws. The dogs reach the hardstone path of the town, where there are more stationary loudcages. Bruno stares at the monsters and says that they are asleep, so the dogs should move very quietly. The patrol goes up to the dormant loudcages, and Lucky suggests not going much farther. Bruno notes that there are more of them farther on that look almost as big. Lucky decides that they will go back to camp to report to Alpha, but Bruno whines and asks if they will have to move again. The big dog's head is drooping with unhappiness, and he looks at the forest, talking about how it took them so long to find their camp and how it is their territory. Bruno resentfully growls that they fought of Fierce Dogs to claim it, which causes Storm and Arrow to bristle. The Fierce Dogs exchange a glance and Storm wonders if Bruno despises them. Lucky agrees with Bruno that none of them want to move again, but that lonpaws, giant loudcages, and loudbirds seem to be a tougher enemy than Blade's Pack.
Just then, Arrow paces forward, scenting Ripper, one of Blade's dogs, then he runs between the sleeping loudcages. Bella insists that they have to go after him in case it's a trap, and Lucky reluctantly agrees, but Bruno angrily yelps that he won't go to back him up. The former Leashed-Dog states that if he wants to go running off searching for his old Pack, he should deal with the consequences. Storm gapes at her Packmate, feeling hurt, but Bella doesn't pause to argue, and she, Storm, and Lucy bound off in the direction Arrow went. They soon find Arrow by the dead body of Ripper, and Arrow mourns for his former Packmate.
Bruno stands beside the rest of the patrol, having followed them after all, and he coldly says that Arrow could have fooled him. The burly dog glares at Arrow and Ripper, then slants his eyes at Storm. The young dog stiffens and thinks that Bruno can't be talking about her, as she was never part of Blade's Pack. Storm then realizes with a jolt that Bruno had never really liked her, and he had always judged her as a Fierce Dog; although he tolerated her, she always had to prove herself and her goodwill to him. Storm takes a step closer to Arrow, but instead of rising to the big dog's taunt, the male Fierce Dog calmly gazes into the burly dog's hostile eyes. He says that they are not like Wild Dogs or Leashed Dogs, who grow into their nature and decide who they are, but that Fierce Dogs have their nature made for them by longpaws. Arrow continues to explain what it was like in the Dog-Garden, and once he is finished, Bruno growls that they can't trust a Fierce Dog. No other dog hears that except for Storm, and she isn't going to cause a fight by challenging Bruno. However, she wonders if the burly Fight Dog might be right on if the Pack can truly trust Arrow.
That night, Alpha tells the Pack another storm about the Wind-Dogs, and Daisy fantasizes about catching the Golden Deer on the ground. Snap laughs that it would make the Wind-Dogs pleased with them, and Bruno thoughtfully agrees that it could bring the Pack great fortune.
Later, when foxes come to attack the Wild Pack camp, Lucky barks commands to the dogs. He orders Bruno, Ruff, and Rake to reinforce one end of the ranks. During the battle, Bruno is seen dodging with surprising agility, and he bits down on a fox's neck fur, then smashes it to the ground. Snap pounces on that fox, pinning it with her forepaws, before another fox attacks her. After the fox's retreat, Alpha demands if any dog knows what caused the attack, and Bruno is seen licking his bloodied jaws, perplexed. Storm shows the Pack the body of a dead fox cub, and Breeze suggests that it was one of the Pack's Fierce Dogs who killed the pup. Dart says that they know Storm wouldn't do that, as she grew up in the Wild Pack, but Bruno grunts that Arrow didn't. The dogs of the Pack argue on if Arrow did it or not, but Lucky eventually silences them, enraged, and he orders them to stop bickering. Bruno begins to object, calling the golden-furred dog Lucky, but the latter barks back that the former will call him Beta. The burly dog flinches back, shocked.
Bruno is next seen as a part of another hunting patrol, along with Lucky, Storm, Breeze, Whisper, Snap, and Arrow. Storm notes the patrol members all came from different backgrounds. The patrol finds a full grown female deer, and the dogs slink into position. Bruno is to one side with Arrow, while Storm is on the other side with Lucky. They quietly ease forward, but Bruno and Arrow begin to rise, and Storm worries that they will scare the deer too soon. However, Breeze moves swiftly between the two dogs and nudges their flanks, and Storm is grateful, thinking that her dark brown Packmate must have realizes that they were about to ruin the plan. Bruno and Arrow then sink back into their careful stalking positions. The deer suddenly starts, smelling Snap and Whisper approaching, and it starts to flee. Lucky gives the signal and the other hunters corner the deer; soon the hunt is over. The dogs stand over their prey, triumphant, and Bruno is seen nodding, licking his chops.
However, as the dogs start to pick up the deer, a loudbird flies over them, so the patrol goes to take cover in a shrub. Whisper tells Storm that he feels safer with her here, but Bruno, who is behind the female Fierce Dog, grunts that he will be safer if he doesn't draw her fangs in his direction. Storm thinks that she should be furious at the burly dog's remark, but instead she is simply sad that her Packmate really thinks she killed the fox-pup. Once the loudbirds have left, the dogs come out of their hiding place, but find that the deer is gone; all that remains is a stain of blood. Bruno says that he doesn't understand and looks bewildered. Whisper wonders if the deer might not have actually been dead and Bruno wonders if that is it, and if it got up and ran away while they were hiding. Lucky rebukes this idea and says that a deer couldn't play dead. Snap says that another creature must have taken it, but Whisper suggests that the deer got up again like the Golden Deer does every New Leaf. Bruno growls that the gray dog might be right, and Breeze nods, but Storm snarls that it wasn't a Golden Deer, and regardless they have no prey for the Pack.
That night, after a meager prey-sharing, Storm hears a quarrel in the clearing, and she sees Breeze, Bruno, and Dart standing around Arrow, snarling. Lucky comes over and castigate the three dogs for accusing Arrow. The Beta decides to make a new rank of scout dog to end the constant squabbles in the Pack; dogs of this rank would accompany the hunting patrols and scout for dangers. Bruno growls that it sounds good. Lucky selects Whisper, Dart, Breeze, and Daisy as the scout dogs, and along with other compliments to the Beta on his idea, Bruno agrees that it seems positive all around.
Later, as Snap, Lucky, and Storm chase what they think is the Golden Deer, they hear grieving cries from the Wild Pack's camp. Alpha's howls are heard strongest, but Storm also recognizes the voices of other dogs, including Bruno's. When the three dogs get back to the camp, they find the cause of the baying: Whisper is dead.
Dead of Night[]
When Whisper's body is in the Wild Pack camp, Bruno is seen pacing anxiously back and forth, his big paws skittering across the ground, as if afraid to touch the earth where Whisper died. When Lucky returns to find the act committed, he blames foxes.
Bruno speaks up, stating that they would need to find the fox den if they were to exact their revenge. Later on, he is with some other dogs gathered around Twitch to discuss the strategy for revenge. Bruno snarls that they will have to see how the foxes will like being attacked in their own camp.
More coming soon!
Into the Shadows[]
Coming soon!
Red Moon Rising[]
Bruno had been killed by Breeze. The pack found him with no jaw and no throat, and so they buried him. The incident left the pack wondering who had murdered Bruno.
The Exile's Journey []
Coming Soon!
Trivia[]
- Bruno's longpaw memento was a peaked cap.[20]
- Bruno used to have a thick leather collar.[10]
- When asked about why Bruno disliked Storm and Arrow so much, Gillian responded that he has very complicated emotions when it comes to his former Pack and his new one. She also stated that he likes his life to be simple, and often sees things in plain terms, and black and white, such as the instance where his Pack was threatened by Fierce Dogs.[22]
- She stated that he was not in love with Spring, but blamed the Fierce Dogs as a breed for the death of a fellow Packmate.[23]
- Gillian has also stated that "once Bruno commits himself, it's in his nature to do it with every fibre of his being."[24]
- Bruno stated that he had a sister at one point, and also stated she had pups.[25]
Quotes[]
- "They’re right, Lucky. Shame to be on your own. You’re tough, I dare say, but even you probably need someone to watch your back now and then. Bit of a fighter myself, you know? Handy in a tight corner."
- —Bruno to Lucky The Empty City, page 106
- "Alfie's one of our Pack whether he knows it or not. And I'm going to help!"
- —Bruno to Bella The Empty City, page 122
- "I've got the blood of fighting dogs in me! My collar doesn't change that!"
- —Bruno to Lucky The Empty City, page 198
- "The truth is that my fears got the better of me. I never used to be scared of anything. I was the toughest dog on the street! Now I can't sleep at night for fear that a fight will break out in the Pack. Even the light of the Sun-Dog doesn't make me feel safe. You never know what's out there, what's watching from behind the branches. Now I'm scared of everything."
- —Bruno to Lucky Darkness Falls, page 203
- "What are we going to do, Alpha?"
- —Bruno asks Alpha for orders The Endless Lake (book), page 174
- "My Alpha believes in the Wind-Dogs. And she believes in the Golden Deer. That's good enough for me. It should be good enough for any dog in the Pack. I hope that any deer we see today are real ones, not shadows. But whatever prey we find, it has to be real. I don't care if it's not a deer. WE must find some food for the Pack, even if it's small. So, do we plan to hunt today? Because this might be where some deer Pack lives, it might indeed. But they're not here now."
- —Bruno A Pack Divided, page chapter 4
- "Are we going to have to move on again? It took us so long to find our camp. It's our territory! We fought of Fierce Dogs' to claim it."
- —Bruno about their territory A Pack Divided, page chapter 9
- "Not me. If that creature wants to go dashing off in search of his Fierce Dog friends, let him deal with eh consequences!"
- —Bruno about Arrow A Pack Divided, page chapter 9
- "Although, she realized with a jolt, Bruno had never really liked her... Bruno had always judged her first and foremost as a Fierce Dog. He might tolerate her, but she always had to prove herself and her goodwill, every pawstep of the way."
- —Storm thinking about Bruno A Pack Divided, page chapter 9
- "We can't trust a Fierce Dog."
- —Bruno A Pack Divided, page chapter 9
- Bruno: "Storm, wait. Just a moment. I need to say something. I'm—I'm sorry... for how I've behaved. I mean it. I've been unfair to you, and I apologize. I don't thing you're the bad dog, I really don't."
- Storm: "But you don't like Fierce Dogs–"
- Red Moon Rising, pages 19-21
References and Citations[]
- ↑ Revealed in The Exile's Journey
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Revealed in Darkness Falls, page 14
- ↑ Revealed in The Empty City, page 87
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Revealed in The Empty City, page 80
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Revealed in A Hidden Enemy Pack List
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Revealed in Darkness Falls, page 200
- ↑ Revealed in The Exile's Journey, pages 265-266
- ↑ Revealed in Red Moon Rising, page 84
- ↑ Revealed in A Hidden Enemy, page 242
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Revealed in The Empty City, page 201
- ↑ Revealed in A Pack Divided, page 96
- ↑ Revealed in The Endless Lake Pack List
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Revealed in Darkness Falls, page 19
- ↑ Revealed in The Empty City, page 225
- ↑ Revealed in The Empty City, page 83
- ↑ Revealed in The Empty City, page 250
- ↑ Revealed in The Empty City, page 104
- ↑ Revealed in Dead of Night, page 7
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Revealed in The Endless Lake, page 214
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Revealed in The Empty City, page 142
- ↑ Revealed in Storm of Dogs, page 147
- ↑ Revealed on Gillian's Facebook
- ↑ Revealed on Gillian's Facebook
- ↑ Revealed on Gillian's Facebook
- ↑ [Citation needed]