Can I just say, really, really sorry for the virtually non-existent updates on everything else, this isn't something new I'm starting though, just a dump off my ipod that I wrote nearly two years ago and utterly forgot about, this won't take priority over Royalty, the Hetaquestria Series or even the Travellin' Soldier sequel.
For people who haven't read my update from Royalty, things have been pretty tough in the real world recently, I really haven't had the will to write for a while.
This is current SuFin, but be warned people, it will become DenSu eventually, if you don't like, you know where the back button is.
Sometimes the lone wolf isn't lone by choice... They may simply stand out too much to remain with the pack...
When you stand out, when you do not conform to the general crowd, you are cast out, or you exile yourself to not suffer the heartbreak of being rejected. You are not a freak, there is a place where you would be accepted, where YOU would be considered normal.
Of course there are some that prefer to be alone, they prefer the company of their own souls above that of the mindless, maddening masses. And then they find another, a creature such as themself, and then they realise that it's not the being around others that they don't like, that instead it's the individuals they have seems so far.
"Touch me and die brat."
The little boy snapped his hand away, eyes widening like saucers as he realized that the object of his intense scrutiny for the last half hour was, as if by magic coming back from the dead.
Tino, for that was the supposedly dead man's name, grimaced and spat the contense of his mouth onto the semi-frozen ground to his left, an unsanitary mélange of broken teeth, blood, bile and mud graced the ground. He then stretched, bones popping and scrabbled to stand. The boy from before was still stood there, jaw slack as he eyed Tino's wounds. Thinking about it Tino realized that the child had thought him to be another rotting corpse, so what drew him to gawp like an idiot at him, he could count at least ten bodies in close proximity.
"What do you want?" he snapped eventually. The boy started slightly and looked up at him.
"I collect ammunition, guns, whatever and sell it back to the soldiers." he said, eyes drifting back down to the many wounds that still trickled blood on Tino's torso. "I thought you were dead."
Tino snorted "Men have died from less."
"So why aren't you dead?" the question was innocent enough and, for a second Tino wanted to tell this little ruffian the full truth 'It's magic...'
Tino allowed his eyes to slip closed for a second, then he opened them, perfectly collected. He ruffled the boys hair gruffly "As long as there are Russians that need killing I'll be there, shooting at them."
The boy gave him a gap-toothed grin and pressed a string of bullets into his hand. Tino smiled and started the long trek back to base.
He hadn't got more than ten meters though before the boy called out to him "When does this war end then?"
The rugged soldier froze, end? There was no answer to that question, but he knew deep down that one day it would end, and hopefully then he could go home. Home, back with Berwald, their parting had been harsh and Tino had known even then that it would be permanent. Berwald had tried his hardest to keep Tino from going, it had been a strange, pitiful sight to see the stone faced, bear-man sobbing uncontrollably at Tino's feet.
He composed himself for a second time, "When we're all dead brat, this fight ends when we die."
Berwald no longer mattered, Tino had grown up.
He continued his long walk, boots crunching through the thin layer of ice down into thick mud, this track hadn't yet been travelled by humans since it last froze he quickly realized, however the trails left by numerous animals rendered it a virtually impassable frozen quagmire. He could distinguish some of the imprints and quickly found himself falling back into his old habit of working out which prints belonged to what animal. After quite a few hours most of the prints had vanished, one set still stood out however, those of a wolf.
Tino stopped, coming to the conclusion that the tracks were far too fresh for him to travel near safely. He then wondered how on earth to get to the camp without using the trail, it would be an impossible feat amongst the bewildering trees even for a seasoned hunter who had spent their life here, Tino had virtually no knowledge of this area. He had no choice but to follow the same trail as the cunning predator and so he studied it's footprints, trying to see any weakness, just in-case he came face to face with the animal.
Print depth suggest animal weighing over 100kg, wow, that was really large for a wild individual, missing toes on the front left foot... He spotted a tuft of fur caught in a low bramble, interesting colour, the animal appeared to be, at least in part dirty fawn. Hang on, he knew this beast. Yellow coat, missing toes, he had done that when it had attacked Berwald, he'd planted a dagger straight through it's foot. Yes he knew this creature very well, it and it's master.
Ireallywannabealinebreakwhenimolder
Tino continued down the trail, now being extra cautious not to stumble across the animal, or worse, be found by it's master...
But luck was not on Tino's side, he soon found himself within sight of the wolf, his hand instinctively tightened on his rifle, a bullet wouldn't kill the almost supernatural beast, but it could knock it out for a while, like him. For some reason the face of the little brat from earlier rose in his mind, he thought of the boy finding this monster, it would kill him in an instant.
He swore to himself, what was he to do, knock the demon out and leave it for someone innocent to happen across or try to bend it to his will, no, the spells on it were probably too strong. His mind ran in circles, conscience versus logic. The decision wasn't a hard one to make.
He loaded a single cartridge into the rifle, he knew if he missed, the animal wouldn't give him a second go, it would rip him to pieces. He aimed for the delicate point at the base of the skull where the bullet would do the most damage, composed himself and fired. Six and a half feet of wolf-man hit the ground in a heap of bones and long fur.
Ireallywannabealinebreakwhenimolder
Tino let out a breath he hadn't been aware that he was holding. He flicked the spend casing out of his rifle, shouldered the weapon and made his way towards the animal. It rolled onto it's back as he approached, groaning in pain. He jabbed his foot in it's side and muttered a few choice words in his preferred olden tongue. It's eyes, a deep ocean blue, snapped open and trained on him, the beasts nose wrinkled into a snarl, sharp fangs making their presence known. Tino suddenly doubted he could control this monster, but something else surprised him almost immediately afterwards, it's eyes were clear and piercing, not clouded with magical binds that bent it to another's bidding, that only made it more dangerous however.
It dropped it's gaze from him and closed it jaws with a resounding snap before twisting the bulk of it's shoulders and finding it's feet, staying on all fours though, as it still was eye to eye with Tino.
The pair stood for a second, almost, but not quite touching, before it spoke quietly "Don't use magic, please," it started, voice strained and face downcast, "It is no longer needed."
Tino bit his lip, thinking how he really couldn't spare much magic, not whilst he was still healing, and the wolf-man seemed to be pretty much spent himself. On closer inspection his long fur was in filthy mats and his skeleton was clearly visible, what had happened to the animal?
"Where is your master?" Tino questioned
"He's gone, the bear ate his mind."
The sniper found himself wondering about this creature, all sentient beings, even as low on the scale of intelligence as this one, had deities and demons, usually based on their greatest fears and most dangerous enemies, the bear symbolized true power and wisdom in some cultures, obviously not the wolf-man's though.
"How does a bear eat the mind, and mind alone, of a powerful spellbinder?"
For a moment, the creature didn't speak but instead motioned for him to walk shoulder to shoulder with it.
"He stared too deeply into it's eyes, did you know the eyes of the bear can kill?"
"No, I was not aware that a look really could kill"
"Well, a look from from the bear, not just any bear but THE bear, it's a death sentence."
"So what is the bear then, if it is not just any old bear?"
The huge Canid sent him a disbelieving look, "You mean you really don't know?"
Tino shook his head.
"The bear has many names," it started, sounding like a well practiced saga teller, "many, many names, I call it the devil, a demon, my born enemy, but you have another name for it."
"Yes? You're testing my patience dog I didn't leave you unbound so you could philosophize about your goddamned boogey-man."
"You call it Su-san."
Ireallywannabealinebreakwhenimolder
For what felt like the hundredth time in the last few minutes, Tino blinked. Berwald surely wasn't capable of harming an experienced spell-weaver like Joa, the wolf-man's old master? He had looked Berwald in the eyes plenty of times without adverse effects. In fact, Berwald had beautiful eyes, the bear had eyes the colour of the frigid winter sky of his homeland, eyes that reflected the savage beauty of the place where he was born, they were the eyes of a survivor dragged so far out of his element. He missed those eyes more than sanity.
"Oh my god," said the wolf in horror, "he's got you too."
Tino snapped back the real world with a jolt, "Don't be stupid you brainless fleabag, I have full faculty of my brain."
It shook it's large head vigorously, "No you don't, and you have no clue. That monster you think loved you has his revolting, freakish claws firmly embedded in your mind. He ALLOWED you to keep it, for the time being, but mark my words, when it suits him, he will rip it from you in the same way he took precious Norgie from me."