It had been twelve years since The Hunt, the world had thought we were gone; extinct.
They chased us out of our homes, burned the forests we lived in, the houses we'd bought as we tried to blend in. Our kind had always been hunted for our skins, so we'd be sold out by our own family, by our closest and most trusted friends. For money or their own life, even that didn't last long. And so we were…
Moving, always moving…
Running, running, until there was no place left for us to go.
Trapped… Killed.
But we weren't, we knew we could survive.
There was a way, safety in numbers, yes; but not stealth. So we decided on it, or rather, our mother did.
Yes, granted it was painful, we split up. And we never expected to see him again.
And so our mother was gone, the last leader of our family, off into the forest.
Forever.
-
"Oh God."
A dirty blonde teen was on his knees, large blue eyes watery with despair and sadness. "Why?" he sobbed, "How are humans so violent, sick, cruel twisted beings that they could do something like this to mother?"
A brunette boy, much younger than the dirty blonde, kneeled as well, only closer to the stuffed creature before them. A large wolf, glass eyes not belonging, nor the terribly angry expression his face wore, not even his smell was easily recognizable under the chemicals used to preserve his body.
Lips drawn back into an angry snarl, dangerously sharp teeth bared, tongue curled, safe away from his teeth. His hackles were raised all along his back, brows furrowed; ears laid back in a threatening manner.
The brunette stood slightly, rubbing his nose against the shiny black one on his mothers lowered head.
"Hello momma." Blue eyes sparkled sadly, "I… I wish I could have been old enough to talk to you and get to know you. We all really miss you, a lot. Especially Demyx, I don't know how he was able to carry on and take care of me an' Roxas." He paused and stroked the brown-yellow fur, "You're so pretty, a shame they made you look so angry, Demy said you were always so calm and kind, and happy."
Demyx stood, scrubbing at his eyes with the back of his hand. Walking over he hugged his mother around her neck. Muttering softly into his ear, "Love you mommy." He touched noses with his mother then backed away.
Roxas nuzzled his face into the blonde fur that was so much like his own. Cuddling against his stiff and frozen figure.
Demyx gathered his two younger siblings and ushered them away from the stand, he turned his head back to the blonde wolf. "Good bye, Cloud. If dad is with you up there, tell him we miss him."
And with that the trio walked away from the stuffed wolf. The metal plate on it was a brightly polished golden color, the mahogany stand recently cleaned as well. It read, Male Northern Midgar Werewolf, 300 pounds, Six feet, seven and one half inches tall. Human Identity: Cloud Strife.
-
It was dark outside; the pine trees were black silhouettes against the night sky backdrop. The constellations glittered in the darkness above. Black storm clouds gathered on the horizon, being pushed ever so slowly and steadily across the night sky. There was a rustling of leaves below them as the wind blew through the dark trees. The forest was otherwise silent, excluding the occasional quiet whispers between the three men traversing the trails through the wood.
A light flashed around, highlighting the black trees, bushes and shrubbery around them.
"C'mon Axel! There's nothing out here!"
"Yes, and I can't believe you were able to drag me into this."
"Oh shut up you two, I told you, you could just turn around and head on home." Acid green eyes glinted in the light from the flashlight.
"And what just leave you to get killed?"
Axel turned around and faced the two following him, illuminating a short teen with slate hair, and a white haired teen with green blue eyes.
"Well you heard the story!" the red head snapped at them, "I want to find them!"
"At one in the morning?" the slate haired teen said in his monotone voice, an expression of disbelief covering his face.
"Shut up Zexion! I needed you to help me find them, 'cause you know stuff about wolves and werewolves and stuff."
"Then why am I here?"
"Do you not remember all the crazy shit that happens to you? Riku! If any one has a chance of something weird happening to them, its you."
"Just live with it Riku, I'm here for my know-how. I have to actually do something." His monotone voice was annoyed and tired. The fringe of hair covering his right eye turned silver in the sudden shock of moonlight.
"Yeah so c'mon! Zexy, tell us where they might be?" Axel faced the emo with excitement on his face.
He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a
'Ahwoooo!'
they jumped. The noise was close, maybe thirty feet away.
'Arh!'
The snarls were getting closer, another howl sounded, the thundering of feet headed in their direction. The three were paralyzed.
"FUCK! We weren't supposed to actually find anything!" axel all but wailed. Axel and Riku both turned to Zexion, who was no longer there. They panicked even more.
"Quick! Up here!" Zexion called from high up in a tree. The two rushed over and clambered up, twigs and branches breaking, creaking and snapping. The tree groaned slightly as it took on the weight of the trio until they were a safe distance from the ground.
Silence reigned, the only noise was from the high winds, blowing the dark clouds over the sky.
"Do you think they're gone?" Riku asked, a little too hopefully. Looking to the shortest member of the group, who was highest up in the tree, just below a bald spot in the branches
"No." Zexion warned.
And he was right, a gun shot went off somewhere nearby, followed by a pained yelp. Seconds later three lupine figures ran out of the brush, the biggest one limping as a shiny liquid slid down its leg. The two smaller ones huddled at the base of the tree they were in.
"U-up the t-tree." The wounded one said, groaning in pain, standing on shaky legs. The two immediately leapt into the tree and sat on a thick branch, waiting. Barely a foot and a half below Axel.
"Aren't you coming up?" an innocent voice asked.
"I can't. Not with this leg. I'm sorry you two."
Axel's eyes widened at that, but stayed silent.
"B-But-"
There was the sound of yelping dogs in the distance, followed quickly by the barks of recognition. They found the trail.
"Stay up there!" the large wolf growled, "I'll lead them off!"
The large wolf then galloped away, leaving the two smaller werewolves huddled up in the tree. Whimpering sounds drifted up the tree as the trio dared not to move, or even breathe.
Zexion recounted the dangers of wild young werewolves. Their documentations were mostly false, and had few true cases; but the tall tales of werewolves barely his own age leveling cities and towns. Murdering on the night of the full moon. Massacring the villages around where they lived. He shivered invoulantarily, though it could be blamed on the cold winds from the north thet were blowing in just now.
Winter was setting in during the next week and a half, tonight it was meant to snow.
The barking dogs entered the clearing, busting through the leafless brush, rattling their branches like an ominous wind chime. Their paws left prints in the patches of falling snow, as they snuffled the area. One paused at the base of the tree the five sat in. But it bolted away, when another dog barked and set after the bloody trail the larger wolf made.
It was silent after the dogs left. The clouds covered the sky, turning it darker that black. The only spot uncovered was the spot around the moon, curling and swirling ominously around the white orb in the sky.
"Do you think it's safe?" one whispered to the other.
"No."
"What about the moon?"
"He's smart, he should scare them off before its covered.
"Yeah, but what if-"
The sounds of fighting started, snarls and yelps, growls and whines, then it was once again,
silent
A loud crashing sound erupted from where the dogs and the werewolf had gone, like a tree being felled; followed by a canine scream. One dog came sprinting for its life, tail between its legs, well, leg. Its wounds illuminated by the last rays of the moon. Large teeth marks decorated its back, and large chunks of fur, skin and flesh were missing from various parts of its body. It yelped as it ran. And those hidden in the tree, were sure it was the only survivor.
The last few beams of light were swallowed up, covering the area in inky darkness.
The Scream continued.
If any one could bother to review and tell me where you would like this story to go please say so. This will be other wise left be, unless I get a good idea for the next chapter.
