Hiya! So, I'm not dead, I've just been busy xD I don't own Hetalia, and this story is rated M for a lemon in a later chapter. The plot was inspired by a wolf that appeared in my yard, and me (being the weird person I am) attempted to mimic it's movements throughout the day. Please rate and review! They are my fuel! (And yes, Forever a Brother will be continued soon). Oh, also, in this story there are no talking wolves. Sorry. xD It's mainly because I think it's a little cliche. It's still cool though! -Felix
Swift bodies darted side by side through the thick mass of snow residing on the ground, weaving through the misty labyrinth of lonely evergreens and barren spruces deserted by their leaves. Lightweight paw steps left uniquely shaped indents within the cold white substance as deep, throaty, song-like howls were exchanged. The pack veered left, narrowly escaping the steep drop of the cliff, tempting fate and gravity to make them slip and fall to their deaths.
Amongst the sleek, furry bodies of the wolves was a bare, thin, naked form that could only belong to a human male, most likely just under the age of twenty. He ran alongside the animals as if he were one of them, if not a bit slower. He ran by reaching his arms far in front of his body and thrusting his legs forward, in front of his upper limbs. He had scars adorning his back, showing them off proudly like they were beautiful garments instead of blistering, angry red battle wounds.
Unkempt, dark brunette hair swayed with his movements, a long, stray hair curl stubbornly sticking out on the side of his head. Snow collected along the boy's body, being shaken off with his movement and then piling up again. He made a growling sound in the back of his throat as a response to the chill being sent up his spine, forcing it to grow into a bark.
That boy thought himself, like his companions, to be a wolf. He had known that he looked different and lacked the same physical appearance as the cold-dwelling creatures ever since he saw his reflection in a puddle. This changed nothing, though. His mind didn't have time to start trying to comprehend this, as it was focused on the thrill of the hunt, the chill of the snow on his naked body, the quiet and begging whimpers of the pups.
Suddenly, there was a loud yelp and a slender white and gray wolf lost her footing, sliding off the end of the cliff, and plunging downward. Her claws scrabbled at the ice desperately The human, accompanied by the rest of the pack, cautiously yet expeditiously ventured to the place she had fallen. The wolf could still be seen, twisting and turning, screeching and crying. Asking someone to save her, a plea that would go unanswered. She was falling... falling...
The boy jolted, crouching on his cold, red legs. He remembered something... something very strange. In his mind, he could see other beings that looked like him, sitting on curved strips of stuffed material that looked similar to leather. Around them was metal walls, and the boy could recognize it as one of the gigantic metal birds he often saw above him. A beautiful woman with silky, light brown hair sat on one flashing beams of light with her smile, while he was on one very close to her. Very quickly, there was a flash of something very bright, and the boy was the one falling, arching his back and screaming as he fell through the air.
The wolf-like human saw the woman reaching out to him, pulling him close to her bosom and doing something odd with her mouth, while her eyes closed, tears flying from her face and being thrown up into the sky. It wasn't barking or yipping, let alone any sounds he was familiar with, but instead making complex strings of sounds.
"Ti amo, il mio bambino!" ("I love you, my baby boy!")
There was another flash and then he was on the ground, cold, dead carcasses of the others surrounding the boy. His back ached, but he was sore everywhere. He felt a lingering trace of warmth and realized he was clenched securely in the lady's arms, protected from the long fall from the flying metal bird, which, he noticed as he glanced around, had crashed into the ice many yards away. Tears streaked down his face as he let out a silent cry.
A wolf with it's footing still firmly dug into the ice howled, breaking the boy from his horrifying memory. Even though he didn't speak the mysterious language of animals, let alone any others, he knew this was the pack's way of saying a final goodbye to the she-wolf. Others joined in the mournful chorus, including the boy, with his awkward, high pitched whines. The last thing the falling animal did was bark pitifully, perhaps a final goodbye to her family, before her back hit the frozen water below and she went stiff and rigid.
The brunette boy lowered his head, thinking back to what the woman had yelled, so sadly, so frightened. "T-i am... amo..." The words sounded more like growls than words. He didn't know what it meant, but he guessed they had some relation to falling and dying.
The pack's alpha wolf brushed against the boy's leg with it's tail, signaling him it was time to move along, back to the den. He playfully batted at the other's tail, trying to ease away the grim atmosphere, before being shot a death glare.
The boy felt happiness bubble up inside him as one of the newborn pups strayed close to him, seeking his warmth and snuggling into his bare stomach. He leaned down and nuzzled it's head affectionately, burying his nose in it's soft fur, that had yet to experience snowflakes falling on and hardening it. For some reason or another, several other animals had thought him to be a female. It wouldn't actually be very hard to mistake him to be as such, because he was very small, very slender, and often helped take care of the young ones as if he were their mother.
The pup nipped at the wolf-like human's skin, and he jumped, realizing it was hungry. He gently pushed it away towards it's mother, whom was lying on her side, nestled in a corner of the cave. He whimpered deep in his throat, feeling how cold he actually was after the baby left, taking it's small portion of heat with it. He didn't have the thick, warm pelts of the wolves, and the resistance his skin built up against the air's chill could only do so much. Sensing the boy's needs, another female whom was particularly close to him curled around his back, slapping his arm affectionately with her tail.
The boy snugged against her, feeling warmer already. He had very fond memories of this particular wolf. She had served as an adoptive mother to him, and on top if it all, she was the reason he was still alive. He remembered being alone in the snow, tears freezing on their descent down his face. The boy had crawled away from the wreck of the plane with the small amount of energy he had, but he was injured. Every movement brought a sharp flick of pain up his back. Then, like an angel, the motherly animal appeared from the camouflage the snow and trees provided.
The wolf stared at the boy, sitting battered and bloody in the snow. She had given birth not so long before to four pups, all of which died within the hour. She took a step towards the crying baby human, curious as to why he didn't have fur, except on his head. Even though she was an intelligent beast, it took her a long time to figure out what had happened too the boy, even what species he was. Those thoughts brought her the realization his mother was dead. She now came very close to him, enough that she could sniff his dark chocolate hair.
The boy looked up at her with sad hazel eyes, trembling, which was the combined work of the cold, being alone, and having a wolf so close to him. He gasped when her wet nose nuzzled against his already freezing skin. His tears stopped flowing, as he sensed the beautiful creature meant no harm. It was that moment she decided she was going to be his mother, to take care of him, to raise him as her own. She knew that things like him didn't have scruff, thus giving her limited options of methods to carry him.
The she-wolf lowered herself so her belly was rested in the snow, silently offering the little boy to climb on. He didn't quite understand at first, as he simply sat there, wondering in his small mind what it was doing. The wolf gently urged him towards her with a paw, and he finally got the message, gripping at her fur with chubby hands.
With the boy on her back, the wolf raced through the forest, slowing only a little when she remembered the human on her back, due to him wrapping his arms around her neck, frightened. She was taking him back to the pack's den, to establish him as a wolf and to raise him... he was going to be a human raised by wolves.
The boy made a pleased noise, rubbing himself against the she-wolf whom was currently wrapped around him. There were few currently in the den, as the others were hunting for caribou or other animals. Although he found the hunt very exciting, he could not run as fast as the others and was quite a bit weaker. On top of that, his teeth were not nearly as sharp as it would require to take down another animal.
As he snuggled closer up to his 'mother', ready to fall asleep, there was a loud, horrible explosion of noise, and the boy and all of the wolves jumped. There was a pained bark, something very dreadful to hear. Very slowly, the boy crept to the entrance of the den, peeking his head out. What he saw there equally horrified him and made him curious. There stood a creature. A creature that looked like him.
He had slicked back golden hair, broad shoulders and a wide stance, slinging a body over his shoulder. The body of a wolf. The boy jumped backwards, scared, growling a quiet warning. He tried to scramble back into the den, not wanting his fate to be similar to that of the other animal. But the man had his eyes locked onto the boy, and he stared in shock before he had slipped back into the den.
Knowing it would not be wise to enter a wolf den, as there were certainly more animals there, the hunter began to call out to the odd, naked boy. He wondered how long he'd been there, alone, naked, afraid.
"Hello? Hello? Do you need help?" He rested down the body, straying closer to the cave yet keeping a reasonably safe distance. "My name is Ludwig. You need not be afraid, are you hurt?"
The only response Ludwig received was another growl, but this one was louder and deeper; that sound could not have been made by a human. No, this was a wolf. A wolf crawling out of the den, eyes practically flashing in a warning. She was the boy's "mother" and she was angry. The fur on her body bristled dangerously, her stance showing she was alert and ready to pounce, to rip Ludwig to shreds. Tear his throat out, gore his eyes. She wasn't going to stand for a member of her pack being killed and treated a trophy, nor having a hunter trying too speak with her "son".
Ludwig felt his stomach drop and his adrenaline start pumping, aiming his rifle towards the belly of the wolf. He would fire if it came any closer. The she-wolf snarled at the weapon, circling the hunter.
Suddenly; she pounced. The boy stood, horrified, as there was a flash of fur, skin, teeth and blood, topped off with another loud bang. Both the hunter and the wolf fell, toppling to the cold ground, but only one could emerge victorious; the winner of the fight, the one with enough will to keep going. The red, thick substance with the tangy scent of metal splattered across everything. Who... who would die? The hunter, or the mother?