Light of the Red Moon

Chapter One

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Wolf's Rain franchise. I do not own any of the characters depicted apart from my own original characters, nor do I share any of the beliefs the characters in this story express. I am not profiting financially from the creation and publication of this story.

As the world was falling into hell, in the City of Freeze a wolf that goes by the name Tsume dragged another, Toboe, up the stairs of a manmade structure towards the place he had made his own, and where he had left his most treasured possession. With his grip still tight around the back of young Toboe's neck, Tsume paused at the landing of the stair's "whatever you see, you say nothing to nobody about it, got it runt?". Toboe didn't reply, still heartbroken, until Tsume growled lowly in his throat and shook the pup with viciousness until Toboe nodded morosely.

Before Tsume could growl a threat, the heavy wooden door squeaked open and purple eyes peeked around the corner. Toboe was speechless, and he stared wide-eyed as a small figure with hip length silver hair stepped hesitantly towards them before suddenly Tsume let go of the pup's scruff and drew the small figure into his side. Tsume kept one eye of the pup as he bent down and nuzzled into the girls neck, her small hands clutching desperately at his leather jacket. "Saya," Tsume rumbled into her moonlight coloured hair, and she smiled softly as Tsume caged her in his arms "this is that runt I ran into". He growled softly, not threateningly Toboe noticed like Tsume had at other times, just in annoyance and slight fatigued "the one you were worried about".

Bright purple eyes snapped open and pinned themselves on the young wolf, his breath escaping him before he got up the courage to speak "I'm Toboe". He had seen some of his kind before, only ever from a distance, but he had never seen a female before. From what he understood, they were extremely rare, and when a male had a scent of a mateless one, he relentlessly hunted her until she became his. He wondered how long it took for Tsume to track down his female and force her to become his.

There was a small flicker of a smile of greeting from the small female wolf, but her eyes cut shyly to her feet at the attention "my name is Saya". Tsume's scowled in the young wolf's direction, gently nudging his mate into their den while grabbing Toboe's arm and dragging him in before slamming the door behind him. Toboe awkwardly rubbed his arms, his heart still painful as Tsume walked across the room until he sat on the windowsill, Saya's graceful figure clutching onto his shirt and following him until she sat between his legs and resting against his chest with his arm's steel bars around her.

Toboe paused before shuffling to sit by their feet and wrap his arms around his legs. There wasn't any talking, just the sound of peaceful breathing from Saya as Tsume ran his fingers through her hair, his hand rubbing her back in the process. "I never meant to kill anything" Toboe mumbled into his arms from where he'd burrowed himself into a ball. He felt safer here in the presence of the adult wolves then he has in a very long time, and he wondered if this was what being in a pack felt like "Granny…she..I was all alone to the entrance of the dome. And she was so nice to me. She said I was so little my eyes had barely opened". He lifted his arm where silver bracelets clinked together "she gave these to me. And we lived together ever since".

Saya shivered hearing and empathetically feeling his sadness. And attuned as he was to her, Tsume's voice was gruffer then he meant when he said "don't you mean she kept you as a pet? That human tamed you, you are nothing more than an obedient dog". Saya looked up at him unhappily, but he just glowered out the window into the city of men, disgusted.

"I wasn't!" Toboe yelled, "I wanted to protect her. But she still….". Toboe trailed off and Tsume filled him in "she still threw you out?".

"She still died" Toboe said miserably, "she died" he whispered, whimpering when Saya slipped from Tsume's iron hold and moving to sit by Toboe's side lent against him in silent support while he cried. Gathering himself he continued "I…let her die".

Tsume stiffened as they all heard footsteps on the landing, and shooting a look to his mate Tsume strode to the door, opening it but moving in such a way that Saya, and therefore Toboe, were hidden from view. "Sedo" Tsume said emotionlessly, starting to feel on edge. The man on the other side of the door stood impassively, getting straight to the point "nobody's going to come".

"Then why are you here?" Tsume replied questionably.

"I'm leaving after this. Tsume, you're just too different from the rest of us", before he turned to leave Sedo paused "say goodbye to Saya from everyone".

Tsume's lips twitched into a scowl, before gasping and looking into the sky as a eerie ringing filled the air.

Toboe and Saya were still huddled into themselves on the ground long after the dreadful noise left, and Saya shivered and leaned into Tsume as he knelt by her side and stroked her head calmingly. When the smell of his terrified mate slowly left the air, he turned to Toboe as Saya crawled until she was almost completely hidden beneath his body, pressing her shaking figure against his chest and pressing her cold nose against his collar bone "hey. Now cut out of it would you" he spoke nudging Toboe.

Toboe slowly lowered his hands from his ears "is it, is it gone? You felt that too, didn't you? You heard it right?" when Tsume said nothing, just crouched there impassively with Saya hidden in his shadow Toboe looked down at his knees "such a sad voice".

"It was a machine that's all" Tsume said blankly "probably the sounds of some old robot breaking down". He stared out the window, not even thinking about it as he leant his head against his mates while Toboe looked up at him disbelievingly.