A/N: I came up with this while on our road trip back home from Las Vegas and San Diego. Roxas POV. I think it'll be interesting, and you'll see why soon enough…Enjoy~
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story.
Wolves At Heart
Chapter 1
I padded through the forest underbrush, silently creeping up on my prey. My deep blue eyes remained focused on my target, who hadn't yet noticed me. Finally, I was close enough, and I leapt, snatching the rabbit up in my jaws and killing it. Thank goodness I finally got some food, I thought to myself. Food was getting to be scarce these days, what with the humans trying to hunt for themselves close to our territory and the animals nesting up for the impending winter.
See, I'm an ookami, a human/wolf hybrid. Humans had been hunting us for years, trying to keep themselves safe, and yet we've done nothing to them. They feel we're a threat because we're so different from anything else. We can shift between a full wolf form or a human form with wolf ears and a tail, so they think we're freaks or something. We're different, not freaks, sheesh!
A sudden snap of a branch made me look up sharply, my eyes narrowing suspiciously. I quickly took a few more bites of my rabbit before standing, shaking my blonde fur out before going to see where the noise had come from. There was a tiny, terrified whimper that came from a bush, and I watched the foliage, puzzled. Was someone seriously watching me?
I cautiously approached the bush, sniffing the air quietly. As soon as the scent hit my nostrils, I froze; a human! But the human's scent was mixed with a heavy stench of fear, making me wonder why a human was out here if they were that scared. Nosing apart the branches of the bush, I was startled to see a pair of bright, emerald green eyes staring at me in horror. Backing away, I shifted to my human form and tried again.
"Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you," I murmured, smiling slightly. The human watched me warily, as though not trusting me. I sighed. "Look, if I was going to hurt you, you'd be dead by now." He seemed to realize I was right and carefully slipped out from the bush. I was greeted by a child almost as tall as me, just a few inches shy, with spiked, fiery red hair and bright green eyes. "So kid, what's your name?"
"Axel," he mumbled. He looked up at me timidly. "You're an ookami, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I am," I smirked, one of my ears twitching. "Never seen one before, have ya?"
"No…"
"Well, hopefully this won't be the last time," I chuckled. "How come you're out here all alone?"
"My parents took me out here to the forest and told me to stay here, and they left me and never came back," he whimpered, tears forming in his eyes.
"Aw geez," I groaned. I decided right then and there to take him home with me, human or not. I don't care what the others say about humans, this one can be trusted. He's different from them, I know it. "Hey Axel," I said, grasping his hand. He looked back up at me with a heart-breaking expression. "Come home with me, to my pack."
"What?" he whispered.
"Yeah, I'll take you home with me. I don't like the idea of kids dying in the forest, so I'll make sure you're taken care of. How long have you been here?" I asked.
"Two days," he mumbled. I stared at him, shocked; how was he not dead already? Okay, yeah, the kid's coming with me.
"All right, hang on," I told him. I stepped back and shifted into my wolf form, and then motioned for him to climb onto my back. I lowered myself down and let Axel clamber on my back, where he gripped my fur tightly so he wouldn't fall. I then took off at a fast run to my pack's home, a large clearing in a rock face where we were all protected.
As soon as I stepped into the clearing, I heard growls and snarls erupt around me. I sat down and let Axel slide off my back before shifting into human form again. He clung to my side as the other ookamis in the pack approached, watching them with terrified eyes. I placed my hand reassuringly on his shoulder before glaring at my pack mates.
"Will you all knock it off?!" I shouted at them. "He's only a kid, he's not gonna hurt us!"
"What gives you that idea, huh?" a voice demanded. I focused my glare at the source. It was Riku, my brother Sora's mate.
"He's been abandoned and was left in the forest for two days before I found him," I snapped. "The kid's fine. Trust my judgment."
"He's right, you know," Sora, chimed in.
"You can't doubt Roxas's judgment if he trusts something or someone," my other brother, Ventus, agreed. "If Roxas feels something is right, then we should all listen to him. After all, he's the least trusting of us here, and with good reason." Sora nodded.
"What's this about a human in the pack?" our alpha, Leon, demanded as he walked over, his mate and our mother, Cloud, following. Leon was also Sora, Ventus, and my father.
"I found this kid in the forest," I explained. "He's been abandoned, and has been out there for two whole days. He's starving, and I'm sure he needs sleep." I glanced down at Axel as he listened to our exchange silently. He gazed up at me with a fearful expression, almost as though he were expecting a beating. I had a feeling he'd been beaten before, and that just confirmed it.
"What if he turns out like all the others who have killed our kind?!" another ookami, Xemnas, barked. He was Riku's uncle, and despised humans with a passion.
"He won't, I can assure you of that," I stated in a deadly voice, fixing the older ookami with an icy glare.
"If he does, how will you deal with the problem?" Saix, a blunette and Xemnas's mate, growled.
"We will deal with it accordingly," Cloud snapped, towering over Saix until he submitted to the older blonde's authority.
"Then it is decided," Leon declared. "Roxas is to raise the human, help him to understand our ways, and teach him how to survive in our pack. Anyone who so much as looks at this human or Roxas the wrong way will deal with me. Xemnas, Saix, to my den, now."
"But Leon—" Xemnas tried to protest.
"Now," my father barked, using his power as alpha to make the silverette and blunette submit. Xemnas and Saix hunkered down slightly, and then followed Leon to his den. Cloud, Sora, and Ventus approached in their human forms once the crowd had scattered. Sora immediately went straight up to Axel, bending down slightly and looking at Axel, the brunette's tail wagging.
"Aww, he's so cute!" my brother exclaimed. "Roxas, what's his name?"
"Ask him, he can speak for himself," I chuckled, patting Axel on the shoulder in reassurance. Looking down at him, I said, "This is my brother, Sora. The ookami that looks like me is my other brother, Ventus, but just call him Ven. And the older blonde is my mother, Cloud." I gestured to each of them as I introduced my family. "The brunette who left with the other two is our father and alpha, Leon."
"I-I'm Axel," the redhead mumbled shyly, scuffing the rocks with the toe of his shoe.
"Hey now, no need to be frightened anymore, little one," Cloud promised. "You're safe now, and no harm will come to you as long as you live with us. That we can promise you."
"Yeah, Cloud's right," Ven nodded. "And don't worry about Sora here; he's probably one of the kindest ookamis here."
"Very true!" Sora chirped. His expression and tone became more serious, though. "Just a heads up, though. I'd stay out of Riku's way if I were you. He's the smaller silverette of our pack."
"Why's that?" Axel wondered aloud, furrowing his brows in confusion.
"Because he's not too keen about humans, just like his uncle. His mother, Xemnas's sister, was killed by humans," I explained. "Xemnas was the silverette that followed Leon earlier, and Saix, his mate, was the blunette." Axel nodded in understanding.
"Anything else I should know?" he asked.
"Not for right now," I replied. "Come on, I'll take you to my den so you can sleep." I led the redheaded boy to my den, where I had him curl up in the bedding I normally sleep in.
"Where are you gonna sleep?" he questioned me.
"I'm an ookami; I can sleep next to you if you want," I offered. "After all, it's been cold out, and I'm sure you're cold, huh?"
"Yeah, a little," he admitted, shivering slightly. I chuckled and rolled my eyes at him a bit.
"Come on, curl up next to me once I shift," I told him, and then shifted into wolf form. Axel stood and waited for me to curl up in the bedding, and then he nestled himself into my side. I nuzzled his cheek before placing my tail over him. Once he was asleep, I closed my eyes and went to sleep as well.
X*X*X*X*X*X*X
When I woke up next, the redhead was still tucked into my side, sleeping. Something was wrong, though. He felt too warm to be at normal temperature. I began to lick his cheek to try and wake him, but he merely whimpered and curled into my side further. Damn, he has a fever.
I carefully got to my paws, being careful to not hurt him, and then shifted into human form before bolting to the entrance to my den. Fortunately, Ventus was outside, standing guard.
"Ven, get Zexion, quickly," I told him urgently. "It's Axel, he's got a fever." My brother nodded in understanding before taking off to get the slate-haired ookami. Zexion is our healer, and the best one ever, in my opinion. His mentor is Aerith, Leon's sister. She's let Zexion take over, but she still helps out in case there's a severe enough case or if there's too many injured ookamis for Zexion to handle alone.
Sora bounded over to me, a question in his eyes. "What's wrong, Roxas?"
"Axel has a fever," I told him quietly. "Don't tell anyone yet. I don't want them to think he's dangerous. It's gotta be from lack of food, sleep, and being out in the cold for so long."
"Makes sense," the brunette agreed. "Should I get Cloud and Leon…?"
"Only if it gets worse," I replied. "Just stay here with me for now." Sora nodded, and I went back inside to keep an eye on Axel. He whimpered in discomfort and shivered violently on the bedding, so I curled back up with him, grabbing my blanket and covering him with it. It was made of rabbit skins, so it was pretty warm.
"Roxas?" a soft voice called into my den. "Are you there?"
"Come in, Zex," I answered back. The slate-haired ookami walked in, a bag of herbs and other medicinal stuff in his hand.
"Let me look him over," Zexion said, and I moved aside so he could. After a few minutes, I finally spoke up.
"Is he gonna be okay?" I asked.
"…Yes," he told me. "It's just from lack of sleep and food, and being exposed to the cold for so long without decent protection."
"Gotcha," I murmured. "What can I do to help him get better?"
"I'm giving him some medicine to control the fever, but other than that, he'll have to sweat it out," Zexion answered. "He's going to be uncomfortable, to say the least, but just make sure he stays warm. If he begins to feel too cold, he won't get better very quickly."
"All right," I nodded. "Thank you again, Zexion."
"It's no problem," he smirked. "After all, this is my job."
"True enough. Where's Demyx, anyway?" I wondered aloud. "Usually he's, like, glued to you."
"I sent him out herb collecting with Aerith when Ventus came to find me," he explained. "I didn't need him getting in the way, you know?"
"Agreed," I chuckled. I glanced at Axel worriedly, and the slate-haired ookami noticed.
"You're awfully fond of him," he commented.
"Yeah, I am," I admitted. "But how can I not already be attached? He's practically helpless out here…"
"Not if you were to—" he started to say, but I immediately cut him off.
"I'm not going to change him, Zex," I snapped. "As much as I would love to, he knows nothing about ookamis, and would be completely confused if I did it now. Besides, he's too young for it now."
"…All right. I respect your decision," he nodded. "Just consider it when he's older."
"I will." Zexion nodded once more and then left with his things. Sighing, I shifted to wolf form and sat next to him, trying to keep the young human comfortable.
I remained by Axel's side for the next couple of days, not even leaving to eat. I didn't want to risk anyone trying to take advantage of his weakness and harm him. Even though Leon had threatened everyone in the pack that they would pay if they hurt Axel, I still doubted Xemnas, Saix, and a few others who had qualms about the young human.
There was Marluxia, a pinkette who despised humans as much as Xemnas. Larxene, his mate, shared this feeling. Naminé, Kairi, and Xion, Larxene and Marluxia's daughters, were still young enough to learn, so they weren't as bad. They were wary around him, but still curious. I had occasionally let them in since they were still pups so they could see him. They were surprised at how tall he was, which made me chuckle.
"He's so tall! How old is he?" Kairi gasped.
"I dunno yet. Never thought to ask," I smiled. I trusted the small pups, which was good. My instincts have never steered me wrong before.
"Well, can you ask him when he wakes up?" Xion asked.
"Why don't you ask him for yourself when he does?" I suggested, and she brightened.
"Okay!" Naminé chirped, and the three scampered out to tell their parents. Pausing at the entrance, she looked back at me. "Should I tell Mama and Papa about that?"
"Nah, I wouldn't," I replied. Didn't want to piss them off any more than they already are, anyway.
"All right. See you later, Roxas!" they squeaked, and then left.
There were more than them, though. Vexen and Luxord, Larxene's brothers, also hated humans. Xaldin, Xigbar, and Lexaeus, too.
Not all of the pack hates humans, however. Terra, Ven's mate, was wary, but accepting. Zexion and Demyx accepted him as part of the pack with no qualms, thankfully. Demyx easily trusts anyway, and Zexion went with my judgment. Riku still stood on the fence for me, and I couldn't tell if he wanted to harm Axel or just ignore him. I'd prefer he ignore the redhead, that way Sora doesn't lose his shit on Riku. Damn he's scary when he gets pissed…
"Mmm…" I perked my head up suddenly at the small murmur. Staring down at Axel, I realized he was waking up. I shifted back to human form so I wouldn't frighten him before crouching down on my knees.
"Axel?" I uttered, and gently placed the back of my hand on his forehead. The fever had passed, thankfully. The redhead finally opened his eyes and looked at me with his emerald eyes.
"R…Roxas?" he mumbled, his gaze bleary and confused.
"Shh, don't talk," I told him gently. "You had a bad fever, and you wouldn't wake up from it. Scared the hell out of me, ya know?"
"…Sorry…" he whispered. I brought over a stone bowl with water in it and helped him drink before speaking.
"Don't worry about it," I smiled. "As long as you're okay. I was just worried."
"Roxas?" Naminé's voice called into my den. "Roxy, are you okay? I can hear voices…"
"Yeah, I'm okay, Nam," I called back. "Come on in."
"Okay!" Naminé trotted into my den, but squeaked and jumped when she saw Axel looking at her. Her tail tucked and her ears flattened as she looked between us.
"Hey now, it's okay. He woke up just a few minutes ago," I told her. Looking back at Axel, I said, "This is Naminé, one of Marluxia and Larxene's daughters. Her sisters should be here soon."
"Yeah, Kairi and Xion are outside trying to catch up," the little blonde pup giggled. Suddenly, we heard them.
"Nam! Are you in here?" Xion shouted.
"Yep! I'm with Roxy!" she answered. The raven-haired pup and redheaded pup ran in, too, and their reactions were the same as Naminé's had been, which made me laugh.
"You didn't tell us he was awake!" Kairi squealed.
"Well, he just woke up a few minutes ago, Kairi," I pointed out. "Anyway, don't you three have a question for Axel?"
"Oh yeah! How old are you, Axel?" Xion asked him.
"Um…ten," he said, making them gape.
"How come you're so tall, then? Roxy's already 13 and you're almost as tall as he is!" Kairi yelped.
"I just am," he shrugged. I grinned and wagged my tail when I saw how comfortable the four were becoming. That is, until I heard Larxene's shriek for her pups. I winced at the pitch; I will never get used to that.
"Better get going, you three, before your mother has my head for keeping you," I laughed.
"Okay, see you later, Roxy! See you, Axel!" they chimed in unison, and then scampered out in wolf form.
"That was different," Axel remarked, watching where they had disappeared to.
"Yeah, they're silly. But you can't help but love the pups," I smiled softly. "Besides, hopefully, if they can learn to trust you, then their parents will, too. It'll take time, but hopefully they will."
"Who are Larxene and Marluxia, anyway?" the redhead asked me.
"Oh, Marluxia is the only pink ookami in the pack, so he's easy to recognize. Larxene, his mate, is blonde, but has two parts of her hair that stick up a bit, kinda like a bug's antennae," I told him. "And she's a bitch. Stay out of her way if you can help it."
"Gotcha. Who else is there?" he questioned. I told him about Terra, Zexion, Demyx, Luxord, Vexen, Xigbar, Xaldin, and Lexaeus.
"Zexion and Demyx are as trustworthy as Sora and Ven, so don't hesitate to go to them if you can't find one of us. Demyx, even though he's the omega of the pack, is very protective of those he cares about," I assured him. "And Zexion is our healer. If you're ever not feeling well, go to him."
"Okay," he nodded. His stomach growled suddenly, making him blush and me laugh.
"Hungry?" I asked, chuckling. He nodded shyly, and I got up. "I get us something to eat, then. I'll even get it cooked for you, seeing as humans can't eat raw meat. Sora can keep you company until I get back."
"All right," he agreed. I stepped out, calling for Sora. When the brown wolf bounded up the rocks, I gave him a reassuring grin.
"He's better now," I told him. "Mind keeping him company while I get us some food?"
"Sure thing, Rox," he said, and went inside in human form. I left, going out to hunt for a bit in wolf form. I had caught a couple of rabbits and was about to head back when I heard it: howls and snarls coming from home.
"Shit!" I cursed, and raced back home, bringing my prey with me. I dropped them just outside the clearing before running into the clearing and spotting Xemnas and Saix trying to get past Sora and Ventus, who were standing in front of my den. I snarled and lunged when Xemnas tried to strike Sora, bowling him over and baring my teeth in his face. He snarled back, and I snapped my jaws at him. Out of nowhere, however, Saix rammed me before Demyx could stop him, and I rolled before swiftly jumping back onto my paws. My ears were flat against my head as they backed me into a corner.
"Xemnas! What is the meaning of this?!" Leon bellowed, and the pack parted to let him and Cloud in. "We talked earlier, and I warned you and Saix if you stepped over the line, I would banish you from this pack! I do not make idle threats!"
"But Leon, I—" Xemnas tried to make excuses while Saix hunkered down beside him, Cloud towering over the blunette.
"No excuses, Xemnas," Leon growled. "You and Saix are now banished from the pack." Xemnas gaped at him for a second before glaring.
"You will regret this, Leon," the silverette snapped. He looked around at the pack. "Anyone who wishes to follow me as their alpha, join us. We will not allow humans in our pack." There was silence, and then Vexen, Luxord, Lexaeus, Xaldin, and Xigbar stepped forward. A brief pause, and then Larxene moved forward.
"I'm following Xemnas," she stated coolly, and looked at Marluxia meaningfully. He remained where he was.
"I'm not going, Larxene," he told her. "The pups are happy here, and I'm not going to risk their lives for our happiness."
"Fine," she spat. "Be that way." She strode over to Xemnas and Saix, along with the others that were choosing to follow.
"Riku? Surely you would choose to follow your uncle," Xemnas said to his nephew.
"…You tried to attack Sora," Riku growled. "All because he wouldn't let you kill a human. Sora is my mate, and I will never abandon him. You're on your own." Xemnas glared before turning and leaving with his new pack in silence.
A/N: Wow, long chapter. I got more to come, though!