Hello! I'm Raven's Wolf. This story is actually an extended, revised, updated, polished version of a complete story "A Wolf Of Raven's Heart" I wrote three years ago. It's still on here, so if you really want you can read it to find out what happens. But in this version much will be changed, and done better. So, if this is your first time reading it, I recommend you please stick with me while I finish it! No reading ahead, it'll ruin it.
Please enjoy, and please read AND review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans. I own Silver.
A Wolf of Raven's Heart Extended Version
Chapter One: Flying Colors Find Homes
Silver trudged along the dirty sidewalks of Gotham City. His head was down for the most part, though on occasion he would glance into a shop window or watch people walk by. He was wary, always wary, turning his head at the slightest sound of possible trouble, alerted by sounds that anyone else would have simply dismissed as city noise. In fact the boy was quite unusual, though no one seemed to notice, for he looked normal enough. He was 15 years old, and just a tad under a lanky six feet tall. He had bright, fierce eyes and short, slightly spiked dirty blond hair. He wore a black windbreaker jacket with red trim over a white t-shirt and blue jeans. He dressed rather lightly considering the coming Gotham winter.
He looked normal enough. That is, until you really, deeply looked into those bright, fierce, blue, green, orange, yellow, silver eyes. Then you could tell that there was something different about this boy, Silver. And there was.
Silver had the power of the wolves and the Silver Magic that they all had. That magic was what got him his nickname, Silver.
The magic was a versatile one, and more of an energy or aura that he could call upon than a "magic" in the traditional sense of waving wands and wearing pointed hats. "Magic" was a technical term. The energy could be used as a pure, destructive force. It could be used to heal, to empower physical objects. And surely many other ways he had not yet discovered. With the power came certain physical abilities of wolves themselves. Heightened senses, mainly hearing and smell. Quickened movements, that, combined with Silver's human form and the power of the silver magic, were faster even than actual wolves.
But no faster than the particular creature the powers came from.
Silver had always been fascinated with wolves. He was obsessed with and consumed by them. He was young when he was granted his powers, but strong. A wanderer, without parents. A loner. The perfect choice.
He was walking through some distant woods several miles north of Gotham when he saw a wolf. A real one. Instinct caused him to burst into a run, chasing the wolf who had seemingly indicated for Silver to follow. But then the beast broke into a full run, speeds reached that were much higher than any mortal wolf's abilities.
But this wolf was no mortal.
Before Silver knew what was happening, he was keeping pace with the creature, and drawing to himself all the power and speed and skill of him as well, as well as that of his species. The Silver Magic also settled within him at that time, though he knew it not. The creature had felt the wolf in the boy, felt his desire. The creature also had a need of his own. And so, he gave Silver the powers, and with them the boy would be close to the wolves always.
He had quickly discovered his amazing talents. Over the next five years he had trained himself to use them as best he could. His use of choice - fighting petty crimes. Crimes that led to things that haunted his past.
Silver had heard of the Teen Titans, and what they did. He had lived his entire life around the area of Gotham and the surrounding towns, so it would have been hard for him not to. As he wandered about these areas he fought crime where he could, but he was a loner by nature. He never used to think he'd be part of a team, not truly.
...
By now night had fallen, yet Silver walked on. He walked despite the many dangers that a dark Gotham City could present. As if to prove that point, the boy hadn't gotten too far before he heard the sound of an alarm. Here we go...
His wolf speed quickly got him to the bank that was under siege. Nothing major, he thought. Just a couple of guys with guns... He leaped into the air, landing on one of the men running out of the building. As he came down he knocked the man over, and slashed the chest of another right as he was attempting to get into the getaway car. He slashed him with his hand, but it was not his normal hand. It had momentarily glowed silver and taken the shape of what looked like a wolf paw, giving him the ability to leave a scarlet line down the man's chest. It was at this point that the men first noticed him.
"Hey! Get 'im!" Shouted one of the men, weapon raised.
Silver quickly jumped up into the air again, hands glowing silver. He came down as bullets fired at the spot where he had been, and fired the blasts of energy, knocking the last two men down, and out cold.
He brushed of his hands. "Not bad, not bad. Try harder next time, guys." Silver was used to this kind of confrontation, but it still got the blood flowing. It was that adrenaline rush he had been living for the past five years. "Time to clean up the goodies."
He walked over to one of the fallen men and picked up the stacks of green that had fallen out of his bag. He neatly stacked them next to the bank, slipping two of the bills into his jeans pocket. Hearing the sounds of the police and bank officials coming, he prepared to leave. The cops rolled up, followed by a bright, blue car. The T-Car.
"Well what do we have here?" Cyborg said, getting out of the driver's seat. Robin walked over to Silver, his hand extended.
"The name's Robin."
"Silver," Silver said, shaking the boy's hand. Robin. Silver knew him. He'd seen and heard a lot in the past few years. Robin and his team were also the reason he'd wandered back into Gotham in the first place.
"You took care of these guys?"
"Yup ," Silver replied shortly. The police rushed past to apprehend the robbers, leaving the Titans alone as well as Silver. They assumed the wolf-boy was with them.
"That must have been pretty quick," Robin said. He sounded legitimately impressed.
"Well, you know, I was nearby..."
"I wouldn't be surprised if you were the 'Silver' that's been doing all these tricks and stopping crooks I hear about outside of town?" Robin's look was accusing, but half-jokingly.
Guilty. "Can't deny that one."
"We'd like to see what kind of skills you have, maybe have you help us out somehow." Robin said.
Oh great... Raven thought from her spot in the back seat of the T-Car. He's going crazy on that recruiting program again... she shook her head and went back to her book.
"Would you like to come do some tests?" It sounded like they were going to stick him with a needle and see if he checked out, or something similar.
Well that was quick.. Silver thought. He had considered checking out the Titans, but suddenly he thought otherwise. He was, after all, a loner by nature. A wanderer, too. He had lived the past six years of his life without a permanent home.
He began to turn the offer down. But then, he looked into the back seat of the T-Car, and saw her. Her beauty seemed to possess Silver immediately.
She was Raven.
Silver had heard of her, the Lady of the Darkness. She felt his penetrating stare and looked up from her horror book. He quickly looked away, afraid to meet her cool gaze.
He had decided he would definitely be "tested". "Ah, sure." And before the wolf-boy knew it, he was on his way to Titans Tower, sitting in the backseat, in the middle, right next to Raven. Starfire had agreed to fly, so the spot was open.
The boy could hardly contain himself. Like the girl he was suddenly enchanted by, much of his power could be released by strong emotions, mainly anger. If he got angry, however reckless he may become, his powers multiplied tenfold. But he was not angry now. He was feeling nervousness and love. Raven could feel it. She could feel all of his feelings coming towards her, and she shut them out.
No one spoke much, not even Beast Boy, who had been awoken by the Titan alarm that had called them to the robbery. Robin asked Silver a few questions about himself, but didn't get too much information.
"So where do you come from?" the leader asked.
"Nowhere, really." Silver ignored the silence that prompted him to say more.
"You usually walk around these streets at 10:30 at night?" Cyborg asked. Not accusingly, more in an attempt to warn him. Cyborg knew all too well the dangers of Gotham.
"Usually I'm not in the city."
Silver said so little largely due to his solo nature. It was in his personality to be a loner, and the years alone and in danger had taught him to be slow to trust.
But he was also distracted.
Raven continued to read her book, and for all Silver knew she was completely unaware of his strong presence beside her. She wasn't.
No, she knew he was there. She could still feel the emotions coming off his body like radiated heat.
Eventually the awkward ride ended as the team arrived at the tower. Robin was a careful leader, but still let Silver inside. He had no reason not to trust him yet. Besides, all the valuable information in the Tower was under Cyborg's lock and key.
Robin pointed out to Silver the basic layout of the tower, gesturing upwards towards the stairs to indicate rooms, making sweeping motions towards the kitchen and living room. The impromptu tour didn't last long though, and soon they were outside again, ready to commence testing.
Silver faced a large expanse of jagged rocky terrain, where tricks and traps lay at every turn. Every hundred meters or so there was a huge pole with lights fixed to the top that illuminated the square area. The obstacle course, set up in the 'backyard' of the tower.
"We'd just like to see what you can do," Robin explained. "It is a little... dangerous..."
"Don't worry about it."
"Well then, GO!" The course was activated.
It started easy. Five drones flew through the air, firing lasers rapidly. Silver made some symbol with both hands, then quickly brought them apart, a ball of silver energy forming. He flung his arms outwards, and a round shield of energy spread before him, reflecting all of the lasers in random directions. Silver slowly began to bring his left arm sweeping over to his right with visible strain, the muscles in his arm flexing. As he did so the lasers began to be absorbed, though it seemed as though the shield was disappearing. Then suddenly he flung his left arm back over in a slashing motion, sending the shield's energy, and the absorbed attacks, at the drones. They were knocked to the ground, smoldering and in pieces from the power of the shockwave.
It was a simple technique that Silver had learned. It took less than one percent of his magic, using mostly energy absorbed from enemy attacks. That was the thing about his magic, it had its limits. Silver had spent countless hours in training trying to determine just what those limits were, and thus was able to deduce how little of his strength it took for that particular technique.
True, his magic could be drained, but it would recharge. In little bits of time, hours, sometimes sooner. If he ever was able to release all 100 percent of his energy at one time, not only would it completely drain his body and be very painful and tiring, but it would flatten entire cities. That's why Silver could be dangerous when angry. The angrier he got, the more energy he could discharge at once, in pure blast form.
"What's next?"
Ten towers firing lasers emerged from random places in the arena, surrounding Silver. They also fired laser discs rapidly that had a small explosion upon impact. Silver leaped into the air to avoid these. In a second and a blur he was at the tower closest to him. A bright silver line of energy filled the air for a split second, then the tower fell, sliced in half. By the time it had fallen Silver was at the next tower, and had bombarded it with energy that resembled Star's starbolts. It crumbled and fell under the barrage. He leaped to the top of the next tower, and as his hand had done to the second criminal earlier in the night, it seemed to be a wolf paw. He slammed his charged hand down into the cannon, and ripped it out. He hurled the cannon at the nearest tower so hard it collapsed upon impact.
This is hard to keep up... Silver thought as he dodged the persistent laser fire. Sure, it's easy enough, but so much, so fast... aw, screw it, I'll keep it up. I know I'm just doing this to impress Raven... funny, I hate show-offs! Soon the entire course was in ruins.
Even Raven had to be slightly impressed by how this boy had fought. Not bad, maybe recruiting boy wasn't so wrong after all. Of course she meant Robin by 'recruiting boy'.
A tired Silver walked out of the ruins and over to the team.
"Great job Silver," Robin said. "To say the least. You passed."
"With flying colors!" Cyborg added.
"How exactly did you get these powers? And what exactly are they?"
"Well, the power of wolves. It's called Silver Magic." Silver replied shortly, panting from exertion. He did not want to get into the awkward story of chasing a wolf through the forest at this point.
"I thought I sensed wolf in you," Raven said, speaking for the first time since meeting Silver.
Her voice is so beautiful too.. Silver thought absently. Out loud he said, "Yeah. An immortal wolf, actually."
"Hey I'm the animal boy here, I sensed it too!" Beast Boy said.
"Good... for you...?" Silver retorted sarcastically. Beast Boy crossed his arms in response and looked away, attempting to appear more hurt than he was.
There was silence for a short time, broken by the Boy Wonder. "Well, we would have to do a background check..." he began. "We've had... bad experiences in the past, with new members."
Beast Boy winced in remembrance of Terra.
"Ah," Silver said, sensing the tenderness of the subject and not asking more. "Well I wouldn't have much to give you. I chase a wolf, I get powers. I wander from town to town fighting thieves. I don't have parents."
"You... don't have parents?" Raven asked him. Again he was not expecting her to address him, though he was of course glad that she had.
"No, I don't." He would have been more happy that she was talking to him if the subject hadn't pained him.
"Good enough for me..." Robin said, wanting to avoid unease. "We'd need to talk some things over, and check things out, but... If you want, I believe we can see about opening up a spot on the team for you."
Silver was taken aback by the offer, despite the hospitality and up-front manner the Titans had taken thus far.
"I..." He looked at Robin. His gaze was strong. His cape blew softly in the wind, and he looked then to Silver more of a hero than the wolf boy could ever be. He saw the alien Starfire, the powerful Cyborg. The shape-shifting Beast Boy.
The dark girl Raven.
It's now or never, he thought. A home. A place. A purpose.
Raven's gaze strayed for a second to the boy's bright eyes.
Her.
"It couldn't hurt to check things out."
Robin nodded, apparently pleased. "Do you mind just coming in?" He motioned behind them towards the Tower.
Silver followed the team inside, and played video games with B.B. and Cyborg while Robin worked on some computer work to make sure Silver checked out. It was late, and he was tired. But for the first time in a very long time, he was beginning to make friends. Laughing. Beginning to belong.
After a few minutes more, Robin got up and walked over to the boy. "Well, if you want, you're in."
Before Silver could reply, Starfire exclaimed, "Let us celebrate our new friend!" She then flew over and attacked Silver with a hug.
"Uh... thanks... can't... breath..." he struggled against her smothering embrace. Finally she stopped, and Cyborg extended a hand "Well, welcome to the team."
"You mean if I accept..." Silver said. This was his last chance to back out. Peacefully, anyway.
"Do you?" Raven asked.
Her voice did him in. "Of course!" And he was stuck in another one of Starfire's hugs.
...
Silver was to sleep on the couch that night until a more permanent and personal residence could be acquired for him. He didn't mind. For the first time in five years he was sleeping in shelter that wasn't a charity organization or a parking garage. It was very late, but he was not yet asleep. He felt the quiet excitement of all the sleeping Titans up in their rooms, all eager to see how their new member would turn out.
He did not intend to let them down.
The boy stared at the stars through the huge front windows of the tower. The same stars that had been his home so many times before. He had wandered those stars without meaning for far too long. But not anymore. Now he had a purpose.
There was also Raven.
He did not intend to let her down, either.
Silver drifted into a peaceful sleep.