AN-this is my first torchwood fanfic and only my second M rating! Please be nice in the reviews, non constructive comments will be deleted! Set after CoE-this is a fix it hopefully

Disclaimer, I don't own Torchwood

Chapter 1- Awakening

Ianto Jones's head pulsed. His neck ached, throat burning. He tried to crack open his eyes, but they burned, like he hadn't used them in a long time. He felt like he had been run over by a lorry, and his last memory, saying good bye to Jack, cut a wound deep in his soul.

I must be dead he thought, for no one human could have survived the infection that had spread throughout Thames House, except of course Jack. Unlucky, immortal Jack. If only I could have found a way to stay with him.

He finally got his eyes open, to be welcomed with bright blue sky that he so rarely saw in Cardiff. Looking around further, he saw rocky outcrops and damp, swaying grass interposed with heather and gorse. And a woman- wearing tight fitting leather dress with feathers and what appeared to be large fish scales interwoven into her short hair- crouched watching him. She smiled when she saw his open eyes, and offered him a hand. She was young, with wise old eyes.

In an instant he knew who she was- what she was. And that terrified him, dredging up a memory long since buried. A memory of dragons and wolves and huge cats. Of voices in his head and pain.

A Ke-anuri. A remnant of an ancient species that made Wales its home before the land was even known as Wales, born of magic and legend. The people he was born into, who he had ran from to live a normal, human life.

They had come for him in death.

-Do not fear us Ianto Jones, I am not going to harm you. Please forgive the intrusion in your mind, I didn't know what else to do.

The mental voice was soothing, with a softly spoken welsh accent.

"What do you want from me? To torture me for running away? Let me be dead in peace!" he pushed himself to his feet, pain stabbing through his body like a knife, and tried to move away from the figure.

"Why would I harm you? I just want to help." The woman slid in front of him, green eyes level and open, sending out waves of trust. –You can trust me. Things have changed, moved on. You're not dead Ianto. Our superior biology must have taken over and fought the infection.

"what!? That's impossible… I haven't shifted since I was twelve years old! I gave it up!" Ianto exclaimed.

"Maybe your desire to stay for your captain woke it back up. I heard you screaming for him in my head as you lost consciousness. I found you, near death but not quite, surrounded by the dead. I brought you here to heal. It's your choice now."

There has never been a choice with Ke-anuri. That's why my family escaped. He thought, and the woman chuckled.

-If you don't want me to listen in, stop projecting. I feel like I'm intruding.

-sorry.

She offered her hand again. "You don't even know my name- Its Siobhan- Pack master"

"You're the pack master?!"

"I said things have changed." She laughed, and pushed her decorated hair behind her ears. "Fancy a run?" she challenged, mischievousness glinting in her eyes.

"Is that an order?" Ianto grumbled, finally looking down at what he was wearing. Loose fitting tracksuit bottoms, obviously borrowed from a taller man.

"I don't like ordering the packs around, or my pack members. Respect of my leadership should be earned, not forced. You are free to go whenever you want, but its long walk into town." The woman- Siobhan- sighed. "You realise your life with him could be much longer if you just accept what you are. You don't have to stay with us."

"I was never any good. All I remember was the pain and not being able to control it. I didn't even know I had the healing ability." Ianto couldn't believe he was explaining why he left with his family to this strange girl.

"Sometimes it takes time. Emotion, love. I could teach you- I've taught a few that everyone condemned to burning out." She offered, obviously trying to keep the pleading out of her eyes.

"I… I made my life as a human… I couldn't go back to Jack, human or not now, but I can't… I can't be Ke-anuri. I can't go through the pain and the mood swings again."

"You can always go back to him Ianto, you've just chosen not to. Your fear of rejection of what you are, your fear of what you are because of the bad experiences of your childhood, is holding you back from seizing your life. From what I've seen in your head, Jack would be an idiot to reject you for being one of us, because it means you're alive."

-Let me help you. Please. I felt your pain when you thought you were going to die. If you could heal from the 456 infection unconsciously after all this time, think what you could do with some training. You could be something of his equal in ability to survive, though of course death is final for us, returning to the ground we gain our strength from.

-Why are you doing this?

-I lost my husband, to drugs. He made me promise to continue never believing in a lost case, to never stop trying to help love find a way. A tinkle of music flowed over the connection.

"Seriously, you're thinking about the Lion King?" Ianto exclaimed, incredulous. The pair had fallen into step across the rocky ground. He realised that there was a slight path they were following.

"I can't help it; I was watching it with my son earlier." She blushed, and hung her head. Ianto found himself laughing at the normalcy of it, despite the fact she was a shape shifting telepath descended from a race that preceded Homo sapiens. "What?" she asked, confused.

"That's just so… normal." She laughed at that.

"I'll have you know I am incredibly normal. Twenty seven, University educated and working as a teacher with a two year old son. Its just what I do outside of that humans would perceive as strange." She winked, teasing jovially.

-Maybe I will go for that run with you… its been years though, and it takes me a while.

-Just focus on the shift, it will happen. You're stronger now. And running is fun.

-I'll try

-Not try, succeed.

Ianto snorted. "Never heard someone say that about shifting before. My Tad always told me I didn't try enough to succeed when he was training me."

"Your Tad was an idiot." A frown crossed her delicate features. "To shift with control you must believe you can, not be put down every two seconds but a, forgive me, asshole." She growled, a sound that reverberated through Ianto's body and mind... and ignited something within him, an old anger at his father for making him feel inferior.

He heard himself grow and recoiled, shocked at himself. He had never done that before.

"You're ready Ianto. Lets run!" her laugh was musical, and her whole body bunched as she exploded through the air.

Ianto admired her for a moment, a mass of bright red fur, strong, lean muscles and setting a furious pace for him to catch up with. He was surprised to see one of her forms too was a wolf, something he had been told repeatedly was rare.

Its why his father had hated his weakness so much. The ones who had the wolf in their blood were meant to be stronger, gained more respect from the elders were generally seen as kings amongst the shifters.

-Come on Ianto! Stop worrying and let yourself run!

With a shake of fear Ianto gathered in himself all of the memories he had of his wolf form, of running and feeling free. He tried to avoid the dark memories, of his bones breaking and reshaping, of his father screaming when it took him half an hour to complete the change.

With a burst of warmth and a thud of his heart, Ianto exploded.

His next conscious thought was about the feel of the dirt beneath his paws, the uneven ground. He could smell a female ahead, an alpha by her scent and powerful shape, and something tingled in his memory.

Siobhan.

-I'm here Ianto, now where do you want to go.

-Cardiff. You're right, I need to at least see Jack, even if he doesn't see me. I need to know he's okay.

And so, the two huge wolves ran.

Review Please! Let me know if you think its worth continuing!

Vikki ;)~