Larroka's Reign

By QuietOwl

Chapter One: A Second Chance

"We were almost destroyed in a mass genocide; it's time we returned the favor." -Larroka

It ended just to begin again.

In it's disgrace, the world caved in upon itself, tasting to much of the blood the planet would take no more. But, a planet cannot destroy itself, and the healing hands of Paradise worked through it's worn frame. For you see, in its destruction it would cease to exist and as matter cannot cease to exist it turns upon itself and space-time repeats itself. It heals in a manner of speaking.

But healing is a process of time; and so the world began again but, this time something changed. A small deviance occurred that would alter the events that were to come in a way few could have predicted.

An unborn was birthed.

And the cycle would be broken.

'I've been here before...' Where the words that whispered from four separate minds as new eyes fell upon the world they had been condemned to time and time again. The rotting decay of what was once a prosperous world while the sky-ships of the wealthy taunted the world below.

But that was not what drew one soul. Wounded and weary, he moved slowly with a limping gate seeking refuge from the snow storm around him. Blood spattered the white ground with each humbling step as a pair of golden eyes stated bleakly into the distance.

The same pattern that stretched on to infinity but, the white animal's attention was drawn to the skies as a small fleet of ships zipped overhead. He paused, something in him said that things would be different. To whatever these thoughts pertained; he didn't know. What would be different?

Another life besides his own was altered dramatically as the sky-ships tore over the city, whispering in the sky bitter promises of death and misery as they did.

The white wolf had no way of understanding or realizing that his and many other lives would be forever altered with this new life that was allowed.

Time can be a careless mistress.

Not far from his plight, another wolf, a she wolf was rooting through the corpses of her family. Pale blue eyes looked into his same sky as the nose lifted in an elegant arc. As the jaws tore open a cry rose from the depths of her heart; a bitter cry that swept over the land and filled it with a single voice.

The voice of the one who had not been meant to live.

The dogs of Freeze City gave pause as the fearful cry warned them, having forgotten the wild of their bloodline, they quivered in fear and glanced outside the city walls. The cats took to their perches and homes, tails twitching in irritation. And, the wolves were alerted to the existence of another of their kind.

A heavyset tan raised his head from a newly stolen hot dog, cocking his head to hear a little better as the pits of black on his dark nose flared.

A sinewy brute of both dark and pale slate fur that touched his face and chest paused, attempting to restrain his interest as his thoughts drifted to the 'x' scar on his chest.

A lithe red with a bracelet peeked out from behind the wall he had been hiding in.

And the last to react was a great black dog who knew the sound of her wild kin and turned her head to the noise but, went unheeded. Her human was preoccupied with drinking at the moment.

And finally, the white wolf, who cast a gaze in her direction but gave her little thought. After his brief pause, the white wolf limped once again to the city. Questioning his reasons.

Another did not share in his doubt.

Four Months Pass...

"Paradise... here?" The white wolf, now standing strong before the pack that consisted of his three other companions uttered. His eyes narrowed upon the two wolves before him.

They wait in a cave while a storm raged beyond the safety of the curved mouth in the rocks.

"Yes," The first was a pale gray and red she wolf with watery brown eyes, her voice was hinted with a faint Spanish accent as her larger, rounder ears and smaller figure told of her blood. "It's why we left Meheeco. Or... what used to be Meheeco."

"You can't be serious." The gray snorted, "Paradise in this dump? Yeah, right."

"Señor, tu eres muy muy tonto!" The male replied quickly as he shook his head, his large ears flattened against his head.

"What'd you say?" The gray demanded heatedly.

The female shot the gray wolf a dark look, "Mi hermano—my husband speaks no Common wolf tongue, his father was a higher wolf. He thinks you are a fool."

"Hey—if he doesn't speak Common, how can he say that?" The gray snarled.

"He understands it, he just doesn't speak it." She replied evenly.

"Enough Tsume," The white commanded as he ignored the sharp look that his pack mate shot him. "How does she think Paradise can be here?"

"Once we destroy the nobles and the humans, we can live freely once again." The she wolf replied, and her eyes lit up as she spoke, "Larroka teaches that if we destroy them, or even drive them back we might once again bring our world from it's path."

"Kill humans!" The young red wolf whimpered, "But I like humans..."

The Mexican male looked sharply at the young red, as did his mate, both wolves bristled slightly.

"They really aren't so bad you know, you just have to learn to live around them." The heavy tan added, not deeming such drastic measures worthy of the effort.

The male Mexican muttered something to his wife, looking disinterested. The female seemed to agree but held her jaws closed. Their eyes fixed on the collar around the tan's throat.

"Why does she think ending humans would do anything?" The white asked, wondering if what this Larroka said had even the possibility of being onto something

"Señor," The she wolf tilted her head, "They've driven us to this; look what they did to this planet, it is up to us to save our home and our people. We've been subjected to their cruelty and all we've done is run and hide, it's time to stop running."

"Not all humans are bad!" The red wolf protested whole heartedly as he looked at his bracelet.

"Domestique lobo!" The male spat heatedly.

"You may join us if you like, to see her with your own eyes. Don't judge her off of my words, I assure you that Larroka's finer tones will soothe your doubts." The female went on to say, her husband's ears flickered but he uttered no protest.

"Thanks but no, we've—"

"Thank you." The white cut off the tan mid sentence; drawing the attention of all three of his pack mates.

"Kiba? What?" The tan started.

But the white would offer no explanation as he lay his head on the cool stone and stared out into the snow, leaving his three companions to talk amongst themselves.

Through the storm, another pair sat inside the cab of a tattered and worn car. The back dog watched the snow fall as her bright blue eyes narrowed into the distance.

"Don't you worry Blue, we'll get them. Once this storm subsides they'll be out in the open, no where to run." He sighed as he reclined and lay his hat over his eyes and started to doze.

Looking over the icy field, the dog felt a chill crawl up her spine; something lay beyond her vision, something that she could only sense with her soul. It wasn't good, it wasn't bad but it was different. Why didn't this path feel right?

The wolf-dog, lacking the intellect of a true wolf, as a dog's brain is proportionately 25% smaller than that of a wolf's, stared off into the distance unable to comprehend the events in motion around her.