Hello! Ok, so one day I was pondering on how to finish Narumals (which is now complete) and I had forgotten what it was originally going to be. The only thing I remembered was that it would involve Itachi and Kyuubi. Then I had an idea, and you can read exactly what this idea was if you read Narumals. Ok, so this story is a prequel to Narumals in some sense, but it's Itachi and Kyuubi's side of the story. You don't have to read Narumals first, but I would like if you did. But any who, Naruto and Sasuke are kit and pup in this time period, which you will see. Onwards with the story!
Warning: Deaths, a bit of gore, attempt at rape (don't worry, if you don't like rape, then be happy because it's only an attempt; D), cussing, slightly cruel themes.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, but I do own the plot.
This will be only time I'll post the warning and disclaimer in this story...
Kyuubi's POV:
"Long ago, there was a war between foxes and wolves. As often is the case with animals, territory was what was being fought over. The war lasted for over ten years, and finally a truce was made. All this land that you see here, this is the fox territory. The land crossing into the plains that is the wolf territory." I pause, looking at each face of the kits, making sure they were paying attention.
Seeing that they were, I continued, "the pact made was no fox or wolf is to cross into the others territory, unless you were of high rank. And this pact still goes on today, but both fox and wolf alike dream of a time when that truce will no longer be needed, and all animals could live together in peace. And the ones who make that peace will be heroes, recognized by the whole forest. "
"'Kyuu?" I look at the face of the short brown fox, "yes?" "Why do other animals not have to follow these rules that wolves and foxes do?" "Because," I stop and clear my throat before speaking again, "they weren't the ones involved in the war of our ancestors. Alright, now off to bed, all of you." Protests immediately fill the air as parents begin to herd their children to their homes. "Nice work Kyuubi." I nod my thanks to the pale yellow fox, Tsunade the pack medic, before rising from the ground and shaking off the dirt from my fur.
"It was nothing. You know how much I enjoy retelling the history of the war." I growl sarcastically. The yellow fox rolled her eyes before playfully shoving me, "better hurry. You're gonna be late." I let out an exasperated sigh, "can't you go in my stead?" She lightly nipped one of my nine tails, "Kyuubi, as alpha of the pack, there are certain-" "Certain responsibilities that I must fulfill. I know, I know." I mock. "Good, then get going brat." I stuck my tongue at her, dashing away from her open jaws, angering Tsunade was hilarious. As soon as I was a good distance away, I began to slow down into a nice leisure walk.
Humor aside, being alpha was a big responsibility. Duty came before anything else, and though fun was strictly limited, I accepted it. For my pack, I would do my best to keep them alive and fed. My nose twitches as the smell of wolf is becoming stronger, and I can hear the howling of some as the moon begins to form in the sky. "You're late." I don't give the voice a response, knowing already who it is and what more they'll say. "Don't ignore me Kyuubi." I give a slight glance to the wolf walking beside me, "I'm here, am I not?"
Now he doesn't respond, and except for the small chuckle, the air is silent. We reach wolf territory, and I can see all the council wolves have gathered. These alpha meetings were always, and unfairly, held in wolf territory. The council consisted of the two former alphas of the wolf pack, which were Fugaku and Mikoto, both pure black wolfs, with the exception of silver on Mikoto's nose, the present alpha wolf, Itachi, who now moved away from side, and lastly, the former and present alphas of the fox pack.
Unfortunately, the formers were dead. Lions had been seen around the area lately, and they had killed both yellow foxes, Yondaime and Kushina, leaving behind their newly born kit. That little kit would be destined to be alpha if he grew up strong, but until then, I would act as sole alpha of the pack. I took a seat on the ground, far away enough to ensure them that I knew my place when in their territory.
In my opinion, the only reasonable wolf was Mikoto, who always gave me a smile and nod whenever I saw her. Fugaku always looked bored and disagreeable when here, and Itachi just looked emotionless, but it was him I felt most wary around. "Shall we begin?" Fugaku growled, looking ready to go back to his cave.
I ignore his attitude and nod. "First order of business, your foxes," Itachi paused glaring accusingly at me, "have been getting a little too close to wolf territory." I flatten my ears on my head, "they're just children, but they know the rules well. They won't cross. But besides that, there are more important matters to discuss."
"Oh, and what is that?" Itachi feigned ignorance. "Like the lions. The lion population is becoming out of control, they need to be driven out or maintained." I informed him, but he didn't seem to take my words to heart. "Of course, of course. And we'll get to that after we finish with the discussion of your foxes close breach of wolf territory," Itachi began again, and I could already tell that the meeting was going to be a long one.
Itachi's POV:
I love the way the red fox got so easily irritated. I found it amusing how he figured he could be on equal terms with superior creatures such as wolves. "Now as I was saying, your foxes have been getting too close to the wolf territory. You know what will happen Kyuubi if they cross, child or not." He nods, his lip curling to show his fang. He wasn't happy, but who cared. I was going to delay what he wanted to talk about just to irritate him further.
"Good. Now, I propose an idea for you to use in order to keep your foxes in line." Kyuubi rolls his eyes, "and that would be?" I know that no matter what I say, he won't follow it, but I throw it out there regardless. "You patrol the borderline, and ensure they keep to their side. Easy, no?" He doesn't speak, but instead is glaring at me.
I open my mouth to continue, but a tiny voice disrupts me. "Mommy!" I turn unamused as my younger brother ran to our mother. "Sasuke, you're disturbing a very sanctual meeting." Father growls, but mother waves him away. "Don't be so hard on him, he's just a pup. He probably saw a scary shadow, right honey?" Sasuke nods, pressing himself into her fur. "Plus, Kyuubi doesn't mind, right?"
I glance at Kyuubi who is laughing, shaking his head, "of course not. Children need attention." Sasuke looks up from mother's fur, and spotting Kyuubi, his tail begins to wag slightly. "Kyu!" He removes himself from mother and rushes to the red fox, practically launching himself at him. "Hey there, how have you been?" I watch with mild frustration, I had forgotten that children absolutely loved Kyuubi. They loved him so much, it made me sick.
"We have a meeting to continue, Sasuke leave." I growl, and father agrees. Sasuke pouts, but smiles when Kyuubi pushes him along. "Go back to your cave Sasuke, and hurry up and grow into an alpha yourself." He leans in close to Sasuke, whispering, "become an even better alpha than your jerky brother." I hear, despite the low audio of the insult, but I figure Kyuubi purposely did it by the smirk on his muzzle. Sasuke dashes back to the cave, giggling the whole way.
Kyuubi clears his throat, "well, back to the meeting. I would like to bring up the lion problem." Mother, enthusiastic about how well Kyuubi handled Sasuke, agrees heartedly. "Fine." I growl, wanting to retire myself. "What did you have in mind?" Father sighs, looking as bored as ever. "I'd like to bring up the option of chasing them out of the lands, but in a way that will not bring violence." I glare at him, "are you suggesting we handle them peacefully?"
When he nods, I chuckle, "you want us to rid the land of fierce, carnivores, without fighting? You'll be dead. The only option is to fight, obviously." He shakes his head, "if we fight, we'll be easily overpowered! There's no way we can take them down!" I snort, "well you foxes won't be able to. But us wolves have much more strength than needed. We can deal with it, so don't worry." He's about to protest again, but I stop him, "meeting adjourned. Go home."
Kyuubi is growling, tails flaring in anger, but I know he won't start a fight on wolf territory. "You'll be sorry if you do that, I'm warning you!" He shouts, but I ignore him, rising and going back to my cave. As if a fox would know how to deal with such matters. This was obviously a job for a wolf.
Kyuubi's POV:
I watch angrily as Itachi walks away, ignoring me. "Bastard," I mutter before bidding Fugaku and Mikoto goodbye, turning to go back home. If the wolves seriously engaged in battle with the lions, they would be sure to lose. Getting rid of them was going to take more than strength, but also brains.
Well, if he wouldn't take my advice, then he would suffer the consequences. I just hoped that he wouldn't drag others down with him.
I trot back into fox territory, treading quietly so I don't disturb the others. "How'd it go?" I turn to Tsunade, surprised she was still awake. "Fine, I suppose. But Itachi's still as much of a bastard as he's always been." She chuckles, "don't let him bother you." I suppose I shouldn't have let him erk me so much, but damn it was hard to ignore him!
"How's Naruto?" I ask, trying to change the subject. "He's in my cave," she says, a low sad tone in her voice. I nod, and follow her as she led me into the fox nurturing cave, also known as Tsunade's cave. We enter silently, and I immediately spot the small yellow bundle of fur curled up on the ground.
He looks up as we near him, and his eyes are glassy. Tsunade nudges me closer to him, before turning and leaving us alone in the cave. Settling next to him, I say "hey Naruto. How are you feeling today?" The little fox cub is silent, and my heart wrenches at the unfair fate that has been bestowed upon him.
He was so young, and already his parents had been snatched away. "Kyuubi," Naruto whimpers, and I immediately become alert. "What is it?" "Where are mommy and daddy?" I swallow hard, not really sure how to answer him. It had been almost month, but still no one had been able to break the news to Naruto that his parents were dead.
"Are they going to come back soon?" He whimpered, and tears were forming in his eyes. I slowly shake my head. "No. They're not." His face looks as if he had already suspected their death, but that didn't help to ease his, or my, pain. We stay in silence, both unsure of what to say to the other. Sighing, I get up. "I'm going to bed Naruto, if you need anything; you know where to find me." I make my way to the cave opening, when his small voice stops me.
"Kyuubi?" I turn back to him, "yes?" He looks to the ground for a moment before his eyes meet mine once more, "you won't leave me, will you?" I smile, "I won't. I'll be here for Naruto, I promise." He returns the smile, the first in a long time. I wait until he curls up once more, closing his eyes, before taking my leave.
~Time Skip~
The forest is in a mess today. I can feel the tension of all the other animals, and it's the fault of those lions. This wasn't their natural habitat, but somehow they were led here. Maybe there was a lack of food where they had come from. They were currently residing in the deserted part of the forest, but each day, they were getting closer and closer to all of us.
It made me nervous to think that they'd soon be here and hurt all my friends and family, and even though I was against it, I would fight those lions to protect them. "Kyuubi," I look at the small fox, looking anxiously around his surroundings. "What's wrong?" "They're outside the bordering lines of the forest, and they've already launched attacks against some of the smaller animals.
I was afraid of that. Unfortunately, the lions had breached the forest faster than expected. What was I going to do? "Gather the others, and hide deep in the forest, I'll see what I can do to get rid of them." He nods, running off to do his task, but he hesitated, "the wolves told me to tell you that they'd take care of it. But Kyuubi, it's really bad," he turns back to me, and I see that he's been injured.
"Were you attacked?" I rush to his side, inspecting the wound that's around his left front paw. Nodding fast, he rushes away from me, avoiding my gaze. What the hell was happening out there? I begin my own dash towards the bordering lines, and the thought of others getting hurt or even dying is making my stomach do flips. The smell of blood hits my nose, and the further I go, the thicker it is in the air.
The air is quiet though. Where were the others? I stop to a slow, careful trot, not trusting the silence. The soft rustling of leaves blowing in the wind is the only sound, and it's unsettling. A low growling makes my ears prick up, and I don't recognize it, but it could still be someone I knew. Following the sound, I push through the brush and spot the maker of the sound.
The sight makes my stomach do flips, the blood makes my head hurt, and the lion that lays on the ground is glaring at me. His fur is dyed red from the open wound on his neck, and there was no doubt that he was dying. My fur is rising, and backing away from the crippled lion, I turn to leave. "Didn't I tell you to leave this to the wolves?" It was a question, but a command, and only one wolf could be so snobby. I glare at Itachi, who had appeared from nowhere, sitting calmly next to the now motionless lion.
"I'm only trying to get my friends and family out of here, not to fight." I growl, continuing out of the area. I hear the padding of his paws as he follows me, and I become more annoyed. "As alpha of your pack, you should be ensuring the safety of your wolves." I warn him, not happy that he was so calm during all this chaos.
"Don't bother worrying about my pack. Unlike your foxes, they can hold their own against the lions." I spun around angrily to tell him off, but he was gone. "Snobby bastard." I scoffed, listening for any indication of life around me.
I traveled deeper into the forest, but everywhere I went, there was silence. No birds. No scuttling of feet on the ground. Even the wind had stopped blowing. Something wasn't right. It didn't feel safe here, but I couldn't explain what was causing it. There was a strange, unfamiliar scent filling the air, but that didn't mean it was a lion. I didn't know all the scents of the forest by heart, so it could have just as well been a raccoon or squirrel.
"Kyuubi!" I swerved around, bracing myself for an attack, when I saw a small black pup dashing towards me. He planted himself against me, shaking like a leaf. Sasuke? Why was he out here? I stepped slightly away from him, when something caught my eye. A lion! "Sasuke, don't move," I muttered lowly. Sensing my anxiety, he followed my gaze and froze. The lion was injured on his hind leg, but that didn't stop him from stalking closer, a low growl emitting from his throat. 'Fuck.' Was the last thing on my mind before I planted myself over him, shielding him from the lion's hungry jaws.
Flaring my tails, I flattened my ears against my head and let out my own menacing growl, warning him to keep away. He observed my small size, and deciding he could take me, even in his condition, he launched himself at me. "Run." I uttered, tossing Sasuke aside before dodging the lion's claws. I hoped Sasuke was taking my advice about getting out of here.
The lion landed on the ground for a second before he attacked again, but I was ready. When he was inches from me, I twisted around him and latched my teeth above his right eye, my claws digging into him to keep my grip. He let out a roar, and was bucking to get me off, but I only dug more and bit deeper to ensure that he wouldn't throw me off.
He was really angry now. Slamming himself into trees, dashing and tossing wildly, doing everything in his power to get rid of me. Pain shot up through my body each time it connected with a tree or the ground. If it wasn't for his mane, I could have gone for the throat and ended this already. I tasted the metallic blood from the wound from where I was biting, and it was making me uneasy. I disliked blood; it made me a bit queasy.
His leg must have been hurting, since he was suddenly limping slightly. If I could decommission that leg, then I would have a chance to at least escape. The lion was beginning to slow down, tired from his mad struggling. Seeing my chance, I quickly removed my teeth, and reattached them to his injured leg.
Letting out a pained roar, he threw himself on the ground, kicking and trying to get me. I wasted no time, biting down harder and harder until I felt something snap. Jumping away, the lion scrambled to get up, but he slipped when he tried to put pressure on that leg. That did it, now I had to get out of here and ensure that Sasuke, and anyone else still out here, was safe.
I gave the lion one last look before deciding to leave him for whatever animal wanted him. I practically limped as I ran through the forest, trying to find Sasuke, when a familiar scent hit my nose. No, two familiar scents. I sped up until I got into the clearing and relief filled me when I spotted Sasuke. "Kyuu!" The little pup dashed towards me, making me flinch slightly when he crashed into me, making my minor wounds flare pain.
"Thank God you're alright, you didn't run into anymore lions did you?" I breathed out, just glad that he was in one piece. He shook his head, "no, but I ran into Itachi." I look up slightly, seeing that Itachi was watching with mild amusement in his eyes. "If you'd have let the wolves take care of this, you would not have gotten hurt." The wolf alpha spoke, disapproval in his voice, but there was a hint of laughter in there.
Itachi's POV:
"If I hadn't been out here, your little brother might have gotten killed," he growled. "He would have been fine. He's a wolf, not a weak fox." I said uncaring. He was glaring hard at me, and it was quite amusing to me. "Come on Sasuke, I'll take you home." He muttered finally. Sasuke hesitates for a moment, before following him. "I chuckle lightly at his behavior, but he's too angry to pay me any mind.
I watch the two of them go, liking that I had won this round in our game of cat and mouse, or rather, fox and wolf. Of course it did matter to me if Sasuke was killed or injured; he was after all my successor if something had happened to me. He was next in line to be the alpha of the pack, especially since I didn't plan on having any pups of my own.
The females of the wolf pack didn't spike my interest, and I didn't plan on having a mate and children getting in my way. I had a life of freedom to live, and that's how I wanted it to stay. So Sasuke's survival was vital to the pack, because if something happened to him and me, then the next in line would be Kakashi, and he definitely wouldn't be the best leader. He was more interested in that dolphin, Iruka. So I suppose I was somewhat grateful to the fox, not that I would admit it.
There's silence around me, and that isn't always such a good thing. I listen for an indication of a lion near me, but if there is, it's keeping a low profile. The smell of blood is in the air, and it's an exciting type of smell. The thought of beast against beast, wounding one another, going for the kill, aiming to be victorious, it was a beautiful thing.
These lions were definitely messing with the wrong wolf. If they were aiming for a fight, then they got it. I was more than eager to comply. My own blood was pumping through my veins and I was itching for a fight, be it lion or not. Maybe I should have fought Kyuubi. It would have put him in his place, and maybe then he wouldn't be so damn arrogant. But now wasn't the time to be thinking of that pathetic fox, I wanted an opponent worth my strength, and a lion would be an excellent match.
They were skulking through the trees, waiting for a chance to strike their victim, but that wasn't going to be me. I could smell the dirty stench of a lion now, and I would personally take it out. I would show that fox who was superior, and then maybe he'd show me some damn respect. "Come on out lion, I know you're-" My words got stuck in my throat at the sight before my eyes.
Fugaku and Mikoto, my father and mother lay at the feet, dead, of a dirty lion. The lion sustained minimal injuries, but I would change that. I was going to make him for laying a paw on my family. A snarl ripped out from my mouth, and could feel my fur rising in angry. The lion was watching, probably thinking it could take me on its own. But oh how wrong he was. I waited for him to make the first move, which he quickly did, launching himself at me. I easily sidestepped the attack and latched my teeth into his underbelly.
I viciously tore at his sensitive, vulnerable stomach, ignoring his roars of pain. I would make him pay. Make him pay with his life. I was going to kill this lion, watch him bleed every last drop, make him suffer. The lion never had a chance, and it was a fool to think it did. He tried to roll over me, tried to crush me, make me stop, but I wouldn't stop until he breathed his last breath.
Moments later, the lion stopped his struggling, and instead laid on the ground, his eyes becoming glassy, proof of his death. His blood was all over me, but that was fine by me. I still was angry, and I needed something to get this anger out of my system. I would kill the next thing that crossed my path, lion or not.
Itachi is pretty fierce... I'd keep clear of him...