Amber Eyes

Legend of the wolf was known throughout the small village where she grew up, but to most, it was an old wives tale. But legends always have underlying truth to them. "Beware the wolf on the prowl at night, for he will devour you on sight. They say you can hear his howling cries... Beware... Beware the Amber Eyes."

Note: When it says "Present Day" that means the present of the undisclosed date that this story takes place in; not 2013

*Chapter 1*

Legend of Amber

The thunder roared outside of the small hut. The rain beat heavily against the small wooden windows that could barely stay closed against the ferocious wind. The storm had come from nowhere, and many people hadn't been prepared and were forced to take cover away from their homes, praying that their belongings wouldn't be completely destroyed by the rain.

Although the outdoors were raging, within a small wooden home near the center of the old village, little children gathered around an older woman in a rocking chair. Her warm, welcoming features were highlighted in the soft flicker of the fire. Her hair was nearly snow white with small flecks of brown near the roots, but soon they too would be pure white. Her old hand-made quilt was pulled over her lap, but slightly wrapped around a small child who had said they were cold. The old woman's voice was soft as she quietly told the old stories of their village.

"The stars then replied, 'Forgive us, and we will fall from the sky to grant your wish.'." She said softly, "And still to this day, the stars bless our world by falling, and granting the wishes of all who see them."

All the children looked to each other in amazement, and began talking about the Legend of the Star. For some, it was an old story they had heard from their mothers at bedtime, but to others, it was a new possibility and reason for why many things occurred.

"Alright children," the old woman smiled, "I believe that is enough for tonight."

A collective groan came from the group. "Tell the story of the wolf, Grandma!" A young girl with black hair called out.

The old woman smiled at the eagerness of the little girl. A dozen pair of pleading eyes looked up at the woman they all admired like their own grandmother. Sighing, she caved into her request. "This is the oldest story of the village," she began, "it has been passed down through generations of children like yourselves.

"Once upon a time, when the first villagers came to settle into this area, a young woman went out to fetch herbs for the young men that had been injured during their long trek."

The children all sat in anticipation as the old woman's voice.

~Hundreds of Years Ago…~

The sun shined softly through the thick, green foliage of the forest. It was dense, but not so bad that the young woman wasn't able to cut away a path with a stick as she walked through. Birds and other animals called throughout the forest; it was unlike anything the young woman had ever seen or heard in her life.

The further she walked, the thicker the forest floor seemed to get. Although she couldn't turn around; the herbs she needed grew near a river, and the sound of rushing water got louder the further she traveled. She knew she was going the right way and wouldn't be stuck in the beautiful, yet intimidating forest. Anyone would get scared in the forest alone. She had been offered company, but had politely turned them down saying she would be fine on her own; she now regretted her decision.

Don't be scared… nothing to be afraid of… she repeated to her mantra in her mind as she got closer and closer. She wasn't sure why she was so on-edge, but in the pit of her stomach something felt wrong, as though she wasn't meant to be there; she was intruding.

Finally, with one last swat of the stick, she reached a clearing, but it hadn't been what she had been expecting.

A few feet away from her, a small river fell from a small waterfall further up the river, rushing quickly over the shallow rocks; all pouring into a deeper pool to her left. The crystal blue water shined with the bright sun. Past it, hills upon hills rolled out in a sea of green and colourful flowers of varieties she had never seen.

As she walked out of the thick foliage, a fresh breeze swept across her cheeks to meet her, making her shiver slightly. Never before had she been so at peace, yet the unknown feeling of fear still crept through her whole body. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, trying to calm her frazzled nerves. As she released it, she opened her eyes, and her heart nearly stopped.

It hadn't been the beautiful miniature waterfall or beautiful fields that captivated her anymore; instead it was someone… or rather something that had caught her attention. On the opposite side of the river beautiful amber eyes looked up at her belonging to… a wolf.

~Present Day~

"Bad wolf!" a young girl cried.

"Don't go near the cursed wolf!" a young boy shouted as he jumped to his feet.

The old woman chuckled at the enthusiasm from the children. It had been a long time since they had gotten so interested and attached to a story, no matter how many times they had heard it. Rather than being bored by an old woman's tales, they almost seemed to anticipate every time a large storm would roll in so they could all get together and enjoy the stories together.

A loud clap of thunder made the whole house shake. Children scrambled closer to the old woman for comfort and protection. A loud bang from the door made several children scream. Even the old woman jumped at the sudden noise. "It's the wolf!" the girl in her arm cried.

The door slammed open with the fierce wind; in the doorway stood a small frame, drenched in water. Slowly it walked inside, slamming the door closed against the wind. No one said a word as she leaned against the door. A dozen pair of eyes watched as the drenched figure turned to face them. Immediately they all stood and rushed the exhausted girl. "Sakura!"

The young woman's eyes lit up at the excitement of the children. "I see you've all been listening to Grandmother's stories again." Sakura smiled.

All of the children agreed, either calling out of nodding their heads excitedly. Making her way over to the chair, the dozen children followed her back over to the old woman waiting in the old rocking chair. Her old green eyes sparkled as she watched Sakura's interaction with all the kids. Sakura knelt in front of the old woman's chair, "Good to see you're all ok in this storm, Grandmother."

"We're fine, Little Blossom." Her old hands reached out and stroked Sakura's damp hair, pushing it out of the way of her face. "It was quite dangerous for you to come and see us, but I'm glad you are here."

The two stayed like that for a moment, the old woman looking at her true granddaughter. Many people called her Grandmother, but only Sakura was truly related to her by blood. She resembled herself so much when she was Sakura's age. She may resemble me, but her heart is so much purer than mine was…

"Finish the story Grandmother!" a child cried out.

The old woman was taken from her thoughts, and brought back to reality, as the young girl with black hair called out. Sakura's face turned to see the young girl, and turned back to her grandmother. "What story are you sharing this time?" she smiled.

"The story of the wolf." The old woman winked.

Sakura knew the story well, she had been enchanted with it herself when she was young. "That always was one of my favourites; please continue." Shedding her wet cloak, Sakura nestled herself down on the floor with the children, and many curled up next to her, listening to the soft voice of the old woman.

~The Next Day~

She wasn't sure what time it was when she woke up, but the soft breathing of the children in her lap told her that it was still early enough that their daily activities hadn't started yet. Her neck had become stiff after falling asleep leaning against the wall while listening to her grandmother's stories. It had been a long time since she had heard them; but all the same she still loved each and every one of them.

After a short while, a loud knock came from the door, stirring many of the children. Groaning, Sakura stood up and made her way to the door to see who had disturbed the poor children. It wasn't everyday that they were able to stay up so late, and they deserved their rest; so did she.

At the door, a village guard stood in the doorway. He looked down at Sakura, both in curiosity and amazement. Although she looked as though she had just woken up, her brilliant green eyes stared up at him defiantly, almost making him wish as though he had never set foot near the house. Quickly clearing his throat, he attempted to recover from the uncomfortable feeling that had overcome him, "I'm here to escort the children that were staying here last night because of the storm back to their respective homes."

Rolling her eyes, she left the door open as she went back into the house to get the children ready to go home. Many of them were still asleep, but they would have to wake up to head home to their parents waiting for them.

One by one, the sleepy children walked out of the house, each giving Sakura a hug before they left. "Tell Grandma we say thank you when she wakes up!" the little black haired girl from last night said as she ran ahead of the group to find her mother.

As the last one left the house, the guard turned to Sakura once more before she could shut the door. His face flushed red as he looked down at the innocent girl in front of him. "Th-thank you for looking after the children last night…"

Sakura looked up at him slightly confused. "I always take care of the children with my grandmother… it's nothing really special."

"I… well you're right, but I wanted to thank you for your hard work."

"I don't work nearly as hard as you do as a guard, so I should be the one thanking you." She smiled at him and bowed deeply. Her sudden actions took the young man off guard, and he began to stutter incoherent words. Raising her head again, she smiled at him once more. "Thank you for coming to collect the children, you should hurry on to keep up with them. Good day."

With that, she closed the door as the young guard realized he had forgotten about the children and sped off after them.

"I see they've all left."

Sakura turned to find her grandmother in the doorway of her bedroom. Her brown-white hair was already brushed and braided to the side, falling down to her hip. Sakura had always been jealous of her grandmother's long hair, but long hair had never suited her face before, so she kept it just to shoulder length.

"A guard just came to escort them back home, although I'm pretty sure that it will be the other way around." Sakura laughed.

Her grandmother laughed with her; her old green eyes crinkled as she smiled. Sakura loved hearing her grandmother's laugh; it was whispery and light but still had the softness of her normal speaking voice. Everything about her grandmother made Sakura envious. She hoped that when she grew to be that age, she would age as gracefully as she had.

Slowly her grandmother's laugh lightened and slowly faded. "Little Blossom, will you go see your brother today? I need him to come and repair some of the fencing that was ruined last night in the storm."

"Of course, I'll go see him now." Sakura said as she rushed to her room to get ready.

She closed her bedroom door behind her and grabbed an old pink working dress and a pair of boots to trek through the mud. Giving herself a once over look of her outfit, Sakura brushed her hair so it settled her bed-head enough so that her brother couldn't make fun of her as he always did. She tried to prove to her brother that she wasn't just a little kid anymore, but he always seemed to see her as the nine year old girl that he had left with their Grandmother when he had to go off to become an apprentice.

Giving herself a final approving glance, Sakura made her way out of the old cottage-like home and down the old muddy roads of their village.

Old wooden homes lined the normally dirt road. The rain had made them difficult to tread without nearly falling over. People greeted her and each other as they passed, wishing everyone a good morning. The village radiated the sense of peace and love you would feel from a family, but with every person who was fortunate to live there.

"Good morning, Sakura!" Rika called.

Sakura and Rika had been friends since they were young and in school together. Sakura didn't entirely approve of Rika's choice in men: their old teacher Mr. Terada, or Yoshiyuki Terada, but she still supported all of her efforts to win him over. In Sakura's opinion, she didn't need to try much harder since he had been waiting for Rika to be of age before officially proposing to her.

"Hey, Rika! I can't talk right now; I'm off to see Touya!" Sakura called back.

Rika smiled knowingly and waved her friend good bye and wished her luck. It was no secret to anyone that Sakura was trying to prove to Touya she was old enough to find a man to be her husband. If it weren't for her grandmother, Sakura would have moved out and found her own home to prove her independence, but the older her grandmother got, the more concerned Sakura became for her; despite all the strength the woman showed on a regular basis.

Sakura arrived at her brother's home, and knocked loudly on the front door. Excitement radiated off her as she waited for Touya's approval. She could hear her brother's feet softly padding across the wooden floor towards the door. She wasn't sure she could handle all the excitement when the door opened to reveal an extremely tired Touya.

"Morning, Touya!" Sakura said happily.

Touya squinted his eyes as he looked down at his little sister whose smile looked like the sun. "What are you doing here so early, Squirt?"

"Grandmother asked me to come and see you and ask you to fix her fence…" Sakura trailed off, and tried to motion to her appearance to get a reaction out of Touya, but his glazing eyes seemed to completely disregard the way she looked. Sighing, she understood that he needed to get back to bed. "Let's get you back into bed you lazy oaf."

Sakura slipped off her boots as she stepped into her brother's home and draped his arm over her shoulder and slowly dragged him back to his room. He worked hard to make money to provide for himself as well as give money to Sakura and their grandmother so they could get by. Sakura tried to tell him that if he would let her, she would get a job too, but he insisted that she was too young or too weak to get a job that would give her any real money. Sometimes she wished she had been born a boy so she too could help him out.

"Sakura…" Touya groaned as she tried to slip him back into his bed. Sakura looked at her brother expecting him to be vaguely awake, but as far as she could tell he was fast asleep; he was dreaming about her.

Someday Touya… Someday you won't have to work this hard for me. Maybe I'll be able to help you out instead. Sakura thought as she softly closed the door to his room.

Back out in the wet, muddy streets, Sakura slowly made her way back to her grandmother to tell her Touya wouldn't be able to get it done today. If she knew how, Sakura would have done it herself but Touya had never taught her how to use a hammer or build anything. The only things she had really learned from him were how to read and write, cook and how to use a dagger for self defense.

"Well don't you just look like a ray of sunshine." A teasing voice called out.

Lifting her head, Sakura spotted Yukito, her brother's childhood friend. His silver hair was blowing softly in the wind as he smiled at her from his place on a roof. Like her brother, Yukito was an apprenticing to be a builder, and so they were often called to repair homes after rough storms.

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him, making him laugh at her childish action. "I was supposed to ask Touya to fix Grandmother's fence, but he's been overworking himself again and I ended up putting him to bed…" Sakura sighed.

Yukito gave her a soft smile before carefully jumping down from the roof to stand beside the small girl. He was about the same height as Touya; at least a good foot taller than Sakura. At one point, Sakura had thought she was in love with him, but that quickly faded when he had made it painfully clear that he was noting more than the sister he never had. Even though she had gotten over him, he still held a soft place in her heart.

"Why don't you pick some herbs for him and make him a nice dinner tonight? He misses both you and your grandmother a lot, you know…"

"That's a great idea!" Sakura beamed. It would be a great way to prove to Touya that she was responsible and mature and she would be able to spend some quality time with him. She would kill two birds with one stone. Jumping up, Sakura wrapped her arms around Yukito giving him a tackle hug before sprinting off down the road to find fresh herbs and later pick up some meat and vegetables from the market.

Now where was that old grove…? Sakura thought to herself. When she was a little girl, her grandmother had taken her for walks and shown her the different types and uses of many herbs and plants surrounding their village. By chance, Sakura had found a small grove filled with every type of herb she could ever need: it was her own special place.

Pushing branches out of the way, Sakura walked into the thick forest, keeping an eye out of the old tree she used as a landmark. The beautiful, dense foliage of the forest seemed to almost reach for her as she made her way through; either stopping her, or welcoming her to their domain. Soft chirping birds echoed through the trees, and animals of all different kinds called to each other. Several silenced themselves when Sakura drew close to them, but as soon as she passed, they would start up their calls once again. It was a place of ultimate peace.

To her right, something caught her eye. For a moment she wasn't sure what it was; maybe it had been just her eyes playing a trick on her. Looking more carefully she recognized where she was. If she headed towards the low hanging willow tree, she would see the grove around there.

Comfortable with her bearings, Sakura jogged towards the old tree, carelessly beating away the thick foliage out of her path. I'm not totally useless, Touya! Sakura thought excitedly. She reached the old tree and looked around for the grove, but as far as she could see, there were no familiar landmarks to point her way to the grove.

A soft breeze brushed the back of her neck, making her shiver. In the breeze, the smell of flowers and herbs tickled her noise. Over there! Spinning on her heal, Sakura followed her nose to the source of the smell.

Swatting away her last branch, Sakura knew she was officially lost.

Instead of arriving in the small green grove, Sakura found herself looking out into a beautiful pasture filled with some flowers she could name, but many were foreign to her. A small river of crystal blue water fell from a small waterfall further up the river. It's swift current over shallow rocks was all that separated her from the seemingly endless field. Sakura was, to say the least, awestruck by the beautiful scenery in front of her. Even in some of the best paintings, nothing could describe the breath-taking view.

Excited by her discovery, Sakura made her way to the river to look into the water. Little minnow fish swam with the water towards a larger basin which connected to another river that led back into the forest. Their almost translucent bodies shimmered under the sun's warm rays.

Soft rustling caught Sakura's attention, she hoped it would be a small furry animal come for a drink at the river. She wasn't totally wrong…

On the opposite side of the river, Sakura found herself looking into the eyes of a beautiful wolf with…

Amber Eyes

Heey Guys!

I hope you enjoyed the first chapter for Amber Eyes! Please Let me know what you think!

~CiaraUotani