The pack was staying in a wreck of a city—until strange, unfamiliar noble's troops seem to be prowling around. After a small skirmish, the result is the wolves scattered all over. It isn't long before they reunite, but how can they throw off this new threat and still stick to the path that leads to Paradise? (ARGH, hideous summary)
A/N: (Yes, I know author's notes are supposed to go after the story…)Welcome to my fanfiction. Yes, the summary sucks, as does the title…but I sincerely hope the story won't. Eh…this is my first fic, and I'd really appreciate it if you read and reviewed! Thanks!
Before the Red Moon
The damp streets were cold and wet. Dirty snow lined the roadways and alleys, gravel and broken bits of cement and assorted rubbish strewing the city. A sick yellow glow came from the lofty, sinister streetlamps, illuminating some of the unclean snowfall and causing shadows to shrink away from the dim, eerie yellow radiance.
In one of the deeply shadowed alleys, a figure huddled behind the tall shiny trash bins, glinting dully in the weak, flickering light. One of the bins was knocked over, and the general stink of mildew, garbage, rats and the darkness kept most people from wandering down it. Unless one was looking for it, one wouldn't notice the small, quarter sized splashes of blood leading behind the cans.
It was a dog. Or what one would identify it with at first glance. Its pelt was a warm brown with a lighter shade of the same hue washing over its body around its long narrow muzzle and throat, legs and underbelly. A series of silver bracelets adorned its right front limb.
But no matter the bracelets and size, this was no dog. It was a young wolf.
A low whine escaped the young lupine, his ears pinned against his head and his golden, honey colored eyes were wary. There were a few shallow wounds on his body, one up below his left eye several on his back and sides and on his right paw, where it stained some of the bracelet. The results of a skirmish with unidentified Noble troops.
Toboe then bit back another whine of uncertainty, for fear of alerting some of the other animals that might be hostile around. He had seen dogs, big mean ones. None of them were wolves though…but what really worried him was where his friends were. They had been split up after the fight. Perhaps he should venture out and try to seek them out? His heart pounded at the thought, fear still present from the initial terror the troops had inspired. As a wolf he'd be able to find them better…Toboe peeked out from behind the pathetic shelter and crawled out carefully. With aching apprehension, his paws practically trembling with the urge to flee at first sign or sound of a gunshot, he slunk to the mouth of the alley, hugging the shadows as if for dear life.
He glanced warily out from his hiding spot and made as if to step out when he heard the hard, heavy footfalls of several people running. His heart jumped, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"The tracks go this way! And judging by those and the blood trail, I'd say he's pretty close!"
"Hurry up, Kem, we don't have all day. Hey, these tracks are a lot bigger than the other ones. I think it's the little brown wolf with the bracelets. Maybe he'll talk."
Toboe felt the breath freeze in his lungs as his blood ran cold. The second noble began to talk again. His voice was far more haughty and commanding than the other one who had been identified as Kem.
The other gave a derisive snort. "I sure as hell hope so. Just before Naro's com went dead, I heard him scream something about a big white wolf. And then there was Asina who was killed by a big gray. His partner said something about him having a funny scar. There was another wolf too, really big from what we could tell from the tracks, but no one's seen him yet. So, considering the last outcomes of dealing with wolves, we can't let our guards down."
"Aw, Maron!" Jem whined. "You weren't there at the fight. You talk like it's no big deal—ha, look! The tracks go here."
Toboe could see their shadows, although lengthend by the street lamps looming closer to his hiding place. Trying to force down his mounting panic, the young wolf started to turn and run as quietly as he could manage away from the site, but his bracelet made a slight chinking sound. His heart began to hammer wildly as he forgot caution and sprinted off, his eyes wide.
"Look, there he goes!" Jem yelled, spotting the fleeing shape that could be identified as Toboe. He charged after the wolf, his boots thudding in the snow. Maron followed.
"Don't shoot him, idiot, the Lady wants them alive!"
"Well, how in God's name to you want us to catch him?"
"The commander gave us shockers for a reason!"
Toboe's wounds weren't bad, so he could still run. Blind panic helped. What the heck is a shocker? He wondered blandly as he ran, trying to find a way that he could evade the hunters. He sprinted down alleyways and made sightless turns, all in desperation to get away. It wasn't long before he came to a dead end. Skidding to a stop, his mouth open in disbelief and horror. Turning, he remembered that day with Leara, and how he had gotten cornered by her…what saved him was using the human illusion.
Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm! He told himself desperately, trying to regain composure. By the time the noble troops had rounded the corner and came to the dead end, what they saw was an apparently human boy, backed up against the dead end.
Jem stopped dead in his tacks, staring at Toboe who had that deer-in-the-headlights syndrome. His jaw dropped open, but nonetheless pointed his gun at the disguised wolf.
"Maron…" The other noble just grinned wickedly. "I was told about this. They can trick us. See that bracelet?" he gestured to the stained bracelet on Toboe's right wrist. "It's the same little ornament on the brown wolf. Use the shockers!"
Toboe looked up, frantically trying to force his force his flagging limbs to do as he wanted and jump, carrying him away from the danger, but he couldn't move! Stunned stupid! He stared dumbly, his eyes wide, fearful and round, sweat breaking out all over his body as the noble dubbed Jem inserted a strange looking device onto the muzzle of the gun and targeted Toboe…and fired.
In a fraction of a second, a big gray blue shot from the higher points of the building that looked down on the alleyway, snarling, just as the noble pulled the trigger, so the shot thudded harmlessly into the ground. The wolf that had attacked was big and silver, a huge, pale scar crisscrossing his chest; his piercing green-yellow eyes alight with savage flame.
"Tsume!" was the only word that Toboe could manage, coming to his senses and snapping out of his shocked reverie.
Maron staggered backwards with a shrill cry of panic and fear. Jem had four long bloody scratches on his face, sure to scar, made by Tsume's claws.
"Toboe, move!" Tsume growled. He was scuffed up from the previous skirmish as well, but it was nothing to keep him down for long. "Move!"
"Okay!" Toboe cried, jumping up, but in mid-jump, something struck him in the chest, knocking him over backwards and into the wall as a strange static leapt from the projectile that had smacked him. Spidery waves of pain webbed across his body, causing him to slide down, limp in the snow as blackness began to obscure some of his vision. It stayed dim as his body stopped obeying him, just lying limp as a ragdoll. His mind was fuzzy…he dimly heard a snarling howl of fury from Tsume, and then a yelp of surprise, accompanied by triumphant voices.
"Ha, got two of 'em! Nice shooting, Maron!"
"Yeah, no thanks to you. Shoot the big one again; it doesn't look like one shocker'll keep him out of it." Toboe heard another bang and a thud before the sound of something sliding flaccidly to the ground with a growl of defiance.
He weakly lifted up his head, the black patches overpowering his vision and dragging him down into the inky depths of unconsciousness just as the Noble troop—he couldn't tell which one—picked him up.