{"id":1450,"date":"2024-05-19T01:00:41","date_gmt":"2024-05-19T06:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/?p=1450"},"modified":"2024-02-10T10:22:48","modified_gmt":"2024-02-10T16:22:48","slug":"back-on-the-bus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/back-on-the-bus\/","title":{"rendered":"Back on the Bus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Quahog Republic sat quiet now behind them, lights glowing low, the last echoes of music and laughter still lingering in the salty air. The band was sprawled across the lounge, quiet for once, a collective exhale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thane had disappeared into the bunk hallway, needing space to breathe, process, recover from the weight of what had just unfolded. His heart still beat heavy, full.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gabriel climbed the steps onto the bus last, the old bass still in his hands. He stood at the front for a second, eyes sweeping across his band \u2014 his <em>family<\/em> \u2014 before slipping down onto the couch next to Mark, who was flipping idly through show notes on a tablet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mark looked up and gave a small grunt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThat was one hell of a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Gabriel leaned back, bass across his lap like a sleeping animal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cYeah. It really was.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Mark studied him, that steady, no-nonsense presence he always carried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Gabriel nodded slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cIt meant a lot. Him seeing me. Playing with him again. I don\u2019t think I realized how much I needed it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Mark didn\u2019t say anything at first. Then he set the tablet down and looked out the window, the low light catching in his gray fur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cNot many people get that. Closure. Or a chance to show the folks who mattered how far they\u2019ve come.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Gabriel smiled softly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cHe doesn\u2019t know everything. Can\u2019t. But he saw what counts.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Mark gave a small grunt of approval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cAnd he saw you lead. Not just play.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Gabriel looked down at the worn fretboard under his claws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cI learned from the best.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Mark smirked, then after a pause added:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s proud. You can see it in how he watched you. Like the moon rose just for you.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Gabriel blinked, eyes stinging again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cThanks, old wolf.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Mark grunted again, but this time with a hint of warmth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cGo get some sleep, pup. Tomorrow\u2019s gonna be loud.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>The Next Morning: Viral Inferno<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The bus rolled out under a pale gray sky, tires humming over old highway. Diesel was sipping his third coffee and muttering about early morning fog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emily sat crisscrossed at the front lounge table, her tablet propped up as her fingers flew across the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cUh, guys?\u201d she said quietly. \u201cYou might wanna see this.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Cassie leaned over. Jonah was still snoring. Gabriel padded up barepaw, rubbing sleep from his eyes. Thane stood behind the bench, arms folded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emily turned the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Quahog video<\/strong> \u2014 the father\/son duet, the cheers, Gabriel\u2019s speech \u2014 was <em>everywhere<\/em>. Music blogs, fan accounts, even regional news stations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But then\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rolling Stone posted it.<\/strong><br>With the headline:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><strong>\u201cThe Bass Runs Deep: Gabriel\u2019s Surprise Duet With His Father Breaks the Internet\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Over a <em>million<\/em> views already.<br>Dozens of celebs had shared it.<br>One of the top comments simply read:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><em>\u201cI haven\u2019t cried at a bass solo before. This band is built different.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Emily turned to Gabriel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cYour dad\u2019s already trending. So are <em>you.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Gabriel blinked. \u201cHoly sh\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHey,\u201d Mark barked from the kitchenette, not even looking up.<br>\u201cNo swearing before breakfast.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thane smirked behind him, ice-blue eyes soft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gabriel just laughed. That deep, <em>free<\/em> kind of laugh that only came after healing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He plopped into the booth beside Thane and leaned into his side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cLooks like I\u2019m not the only one who saw him now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Thane bumped his forehead lightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cTold you.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The bus kept rolling. The world kept watching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the pack? They had <em>more<\/em> to give.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Quahog Republic sat quiet now behind them, lights glowing low, the last echoes of music and laughter still lingering in the salty air. The band was sprawled across the lounge, quiet for once, a collective exhale. Thane had disappeared into the bunk hallway, needing space to breathe, process, recover from the weight of what [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tour-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1450"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1450\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3066,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1450\/revisions\/3066"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}