Prologue

Smoke flew over the empty battlefield; the grass had been upturned from explosions, leaving marks in the surface, like gashes. The soil bleeding out from the Earth, littering across the once peaceful land. The otherwise green grass stained with the blood of the fallen.

Bodies littered everywhere, thrown about like toys belonging to a short tempered child. Limbs missing, spat across the field. No severed limb was close to the original owner.

Yet these bodies were of strange creatures; humanoid, but covered in fur. Colors varied from creature to creature, but all sharing similar features.

Long muzzles in place of the mouth. Large, pointed ears. Builds far greater than that of most humans; some larger than others, making identification easy between genders.

But all dead.

Well…almost all…

From a large gash in the Earth, a hand slowly rose up and sunk into the ground beside the opening; four fingers and a thumb, but each topped with a sharpened talon-like claw, increasing the force they held onto the ground.

Gruff, growl-like sounds came from the creature, whose other hand came up from the gash, latching onto the same ground, pulling themselves up from the dirt.

His crimson armor sporting clumps of dirt, yet another substance stained the body armor. The colors may have been the same, but there was a slight distinction between the battle worn armor, and the patches of blood across the chest plating and cloth that made up his armoring.

Pulling himself free of the dirt, he let himself roll onto his back, head resting back; chest rising and falling slowly but deeply. His weapon, a curved blade, resting against his left arm, blood slowly trickled down the smooth edge, before dropping onto the grass blades. Further staining the surface with the fallen blood.

His hands shook slightly, as they slowly moved from the ground to rest on either side of his head; flicking open the clasps of his mask, removing it from the extended muzzle and throwing it to one side. His fur slightly damp from being compressed close to his body for an unknown period of time. A small cut, just below his right eye, seeped out blood; staining the charcoal black fur down the right side of his muzzle. Said muzzle was parted slightly, letting out the exhales of his labored breathing.

A defiant shake in his breathing, which simply refused to go away.

His eyes, comprised of a dark yellow sclera and black pupil, were both dilated and darted in all directions every few seconds. His ears pressed flush against his skull, almost burying in the fur across the back of his head.

The past hours had been torturous on his hearing, and he began to question if his hearing had gone completely until the sound of the wind caught his attention. A sigh of relief passed through him once he had his breathing under control.

Slowly turning his head to the left, the creature's eyes finally managed to make out shapes in the bright field. The disembodied remains of his enemies…and…

"Brothers…" he said aloud, not expecting a response; his voice a hush whisper, finding it a struggle to say anything. It, frankly, amazed him he managed to get that word out. His throat felt parched; coughing shortly after speaking.

A strained groan escaped him as his body slowly rolled onto his left side, pressing his hands into the earth; pushing himself up, his claws slicing through the moist dirt as if it were air.

Finally positioning himself to his knees, he looked around the stained battlefield; seeing the scattered bodies, the blood stains and the gashed surface. A shaky, slow exhale escaped him, his hands coming to rest on his knees, clutching the cloth that went over his leg armor.

"It's over…" he said to himself, his ears slowly lifting themselves up from the back of his skull; gaining a better hearing range. The sound of wings flapping made themselves known. Most likely vultures fighting over who got the best flesh of the dead.

His head slowly looked down, his yellow eyes closing slowly as he inhaled deeply.

"It's over…"

One hand slowly uncurled from its grip on the cloth, and slowly moved to his side; patting along his waist, feeling the point where the waist cloth was attached to the armor of his torso. Eventually reaching a small pouch, almost directly behind his back. A quick shake created a light jingling sound; like metal coins, tempting a merchant to part with his valuables.

Finally gathering himself enough, the creature rose from his kneeling position; stumble slightly from the initial standing, but quickly righting himself.

He inhaled deeply, his ears standing up right, pointed to the sky, as his lupine muzzle turned to one direction, and his legs eventually got the message.

One job was finished, but another needed starting…

The sun slowly moved across the sky, the cycle almost half over and the moon was beginning to rise by the time he was finished. He stood before the line of creatures, all in the same position. Arms crossed over their chest, legs together, eyes gently closed if they weren't already.

He walked pass their heads, one hand carrying the curved blade, resting the blunt edge against his armored shoulder, while the other hand held a thick branch. Embers flickered from the fire that burnt the other end, cloth wrapped firmly and doused with flammable liquid. The only source of light and warmth for miles around.

The long wall finally ended, the creature coming to a stop at the two wolves that ended the lineup. He looked down, slowly lowering the torch to illuminate their motionless faces. One female, one male; one muzzle more slender than the other, one pair of ears slightly curved, while one had a larger build and a scar across their forehead.

A tired sigh escaped the living creature, closing his eyes and tightening his grip around both the hole for the blade and the base of the torch. Despite his work, guilt still wretched through him like an illness; starting in the base of his stomach, and working to the rest of his body.

Three bodies were still unaccounted for…

"You all died with honor…you fought for our people…" he said aloud, opening his eyes again and walking back the way he came. The whoosh from the flame spiked with the sudden movement, before the faint crackling returned.

"Your deaths were not in vain…we completed our task. Horror…is no more; vanquished from this land, never to harm a creature on this planet again. He slaughtered our people; the humans feared him, let him consume them…turned them on each other."

A hollow, low chuckle escaped him.

"He damn near did the same to us…But we stopped him. And for that…Zeta will reward you."

He slowly knelt down at the middle point of the line, carefully holding the burning end of the torch to the line of bodies long enough for the fire to spread to the bodies.

"May Zeta guide you; may Zeta protect you."

He rose to his feet once again, taking a step back as the fires started to spread, one body at a time. A line of fire soon consumed all of the bodies, the smell of burnt fur and flesh slowly filling the air around them.

He did stay long enough for the smell to stick to him; the torch was dumped on the bodies, he walked away, walking away. Humans would be arriving soon…they'll see the light and come…

'Their curiosity is their weakness…', the creature thought to himself as he vanished from sight.

I know, I know. The same stories three times in a row. Hey, maybe three is the magic number for me to actually finish this story.

OK, a few things to note;

#1 - This story will be my main focus now, and I will try to keep it alive and update it regularly. Expect a maximum of three updates a week (Sunday-Sunday), and a bare minimum of one.

#2 - When (and if) this story gets to the point in a Power Rangers series has a crossover, I will be more than happy to have a crossover with another team of OC Rangers. If you're interested, send a PM to say and we'll see how the story goes.

#3 - I'm sorry about deleting the same version of this story twice before; it won't be happening again, I assure you guys.

#4 - There will be foul language and blood throughout the story. So, don't be surprised if I drop the F-bomb.

Well, hope you guys like this re-reboot of the original Wolf Pack. R&R, tell me what you think, and I'll see you all in the next chapter. -Nf991