Ok…so I'm starting a new little series of one-shots called The Monster Within. Obviously it is about monsters in the DN universe. I am pretty indiscriminant with all the characters so there is not real main character to this set. I usually write slash, but don't be surprised if there is a hetero in here somewhere…if you don't like it…then don't read that one-shot! Best option honestly.

So…the monsters I have so far are as follows:

Werewolf

Vampire

Ghost

Witch

Demon (kinda like inuyasha-style)

If you guys have any input or requests for different monster/creatures or and specific character you want to see go ahead and let me know and I'll see what I can do. ^_^

On to the stories!

Near - Werewolf

Another long lonely night it seemed. I sat waiting on the edge of the cliff waiting. For what I still have yet to decide. I can't remember the exact amount of time I've spent here anymore. Every night I come out here. For years. Waiting.

My days are spent as normal. Well as normal as one can be at an orphanage. I have friends and school. I eat and I play. A normal life. But…

…I miss my pack.

I remember them all so well. Running through the trees. The hunts. The beautiful moonlight symphonies that decorated each night. All the howls of my pack and all the neighboring packs.

When they died, I was sent here. To this enclosed shelter. Alone. With all these strange people with fear in their eyes. Fear of me.

Because even without knowing…they can tell that I am not like them.

Snow-white hair in locks of curls with pale skin so light its almost translucent. I sit differently too. And I don't speak the same. I've tried to fit in with this world, but I just do not belong. I'm not human enough for these people.

The days blend together with the only exception of 2 humans. Mello and Matt. The only two humans that speak to me as if we shared a secret. As if they understood my strange patterns and knew. They didn't though, I'm certain.

I could smell their human blood easily, they were not one of my kind. Though they were intimidating in their personalities. Both had such a presence about them. Mello, the fierce alpha grey wolf, huge and territorial. Matt, the red wolf, small, fast, and sly. Had their scents not given them away, I would have mistaken them for wolf-blood.

Tonight again I sit on the cliff overlooking the sea. It was a fair distance from the Whammy house, but the distance didn't matter. I would be back by morning. I just needed to see the moon again. Remember the better times before life here. I'm still waiting for whatever it is that I lack to find me. I pray that whatever it is, finds me soon. I detest these lonely nights.

A rustling in the shrubs behind me call for my attention. It was too large to be a rabbit or mouse or any other small mammal. I took in a deep breath, hardly believing it to be true.

How did they get here?

Why are they here?

And…What did they see?

I turned towards the brush and call out for them.

"Mello. Matt. I am aware of your presence. You may come out."

Sure enough, two young men, no older than 13 crawl out from under the shrubbery. Mello has on his customary black clothing, making him blend well into the night. I have always found it to suit his personality greatly. Matt on the other hand…where Mello blends in with the night around him, Matt stands out against it. Matt wears bright colors and his orange goggles reflect the moonlight, making them shine.

I only spare them a few seconds glace before turning my attention back to the solitary moon before me. I can hear them creeping up behind me slowly, almost hesitantly, before each taking a seat beside me.

"So…Near…Why are you out here?" Matt. A calm voice trying to rationalize a curious situation that he doesn't understand. I'm not sure how to answer him properly though. Do I tell him the truth? They did manage to track me down, an amazing feat in my opinion. In my distant voice, I respond.

"I am waiting."

I can almost feel Mello's confusion, his furrowed brow and firm jaw set in resistance to my answer. Clearly, he was hoping for something more. Matt, like Mello, is confused, but I can see his eyes glaze over as he sets about to decipher my sentence.

"What are you waiting for then?" Ah. Mello. He would have to ask, wouldn't he? I can feel a cut-off sense of annoyance at the question before I answer.

"I do not know Mello. I am just waiting. It is quite lonely." It is the best answer I could come up with. It was lonely…

…but…wait…

I turned towards my human friends with, I'm sure, shock on my face. I look to the left, seeing Matt, in all his bright glory watching me with careful eyes. Then I turn back to my right to see Mello staring as well. Suddenly, I notice the warmth radiating from them, combining with my own, mixing and entwining and rolling back to them. Their soft scent tickles my nose with each breath I take, as if they belong there, by my side.

"My pack." I hear myself whispering, "I was waiting for my pack."

As if it had always been there, I could feel myself curling into the comfort of my two friends beside me. It was what I had been waiting for. My pack. A soft smile lit my face as I could feel their curious stares soften to match my own expression.

"Yeah. We can be your pack Near." The happy voice from my right spoke…

"We needed one too." Then the left picked up the sentence in a calm tone.

We sat there for many hours that night. The peace from simply relaxing and watching the beautiful moon. Peace and comfort with my pack, a feeling I had not felt in a very long time. I was happy for once.

I finally found what it was that I had been waiting for.

A calm voice from my left suddenly broke our quiet in the early hours before dawn, sounding highly amused.

"You know, it's pretty cool being friends with a werewolf."