The year was 4021, and world war III had long since passed. The world was in ruins, shattered by the folly of mankind, and animals ruled the planet now, both on land and at sea. No one knew if humans were still around. If there were any humans, then no animal had ever seen them before.
Our story takes place deep within a giant forest, in a place that would once have been called the suburbs of Seattle. In this part of the world, bears, or large-claws as they were known, ruled over anyone else, and no one dared to defy the large-claws. One such beast lived in a little cave on the side of a little grassy green hill. This large-claw was different from the rest, and his name was Tamaki. Now, Tamaki was a very, very silly guy. He would spend his days gazing at his reflection in the river, never catching any salmon for himself to eat. All the others large-claws would make fun of Tamaki and call him names, but Tamaki hardly ever paid them mind. He would just sit there all day and admire his reflection, often gazing in awe at his golden fur and bright blue eyes that no other of his kind seemed to have. The other large-claws made fun of Tamaki's fur, calling him a little misfit, while some of the other animals pitied Tamaki, for he would never be able to camouflage in the darkness of night with his coat. Tamaki didn't mind, though. What the others said hurt, and sometimes he just curled up into a little gray ball and cultivated his special mushrooms, but he always got over it when he saw his only friend.
Now, Tamaki had never spoken to his friend before, but he would always have a smile on his face when a strange little creature would wander over the big hill on the other side of the river to drink. Tamaki was, in fact, scared to talk to his friend. All the other animals seemed to believe that large-claws were big, scary, mean creatures that would eat any animal with one gulp. Tamaki wasn't like that at all, but he didn't want to scare his only friend away, and so he waited by the river for his little friend day after day, admiring his reflection until the particular thing came. Tamaki had no idea what the little guy was; the creature stood on two legs, and cupped its agile front paws to bring water to its mouth as it crouched low. The creature seemed on edge with Tamaki's presence, but never ran away. The pale thing seemed to cover itself in removable fur, but Tamaki knew the fur wasn't the property of his friend, as he could recognize the black and white stripes of night-thieves and the coarse hairs of bush-tails covering the stranger. Tamaki would watch as the little guy delicately drank from his hands, and almost wanted to grab the creature in a big hug for how cute he was. Tamaki knew in his heart, however, that he could never do such a thing, so he just watched on in silence as the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months.
It was on the first chill day of autumn that Tamaki could take it no more. He just had to know more about his friend, so he hunted down the one animal who could tell him more. Tamaki followed his nose for miles and miles, over hills and through valleys, receiving strange glances as he moved further and further from his usual territory. Most animals had never seen fur quite like Tamaki's before, and they were interested in him. Soon Tamaki had a little pack of animals following him, but they soon dispersed as he reached his destination. He was at a place he had only ever heard rumors of; he had arrived at a den of a pack of wolves. And not just any wolves, but the den of the largest and fiercest pack for over a hundred miles. Tamaki was nervous, but he had always had a little bit of brave stupidity going for him, so he walked closer to the den until a lone wolf came out to meet him. This wolf was gigantic, with bright red fur and a sneer that would have scared any other large-claw clean out of their pelt. Tamaki liked the wolf's fur, but he still liked his own even more, and thought so even as the wolf rumbled a deep growl at the golden creature.
"Who dares approach my pack!?" the wolf growled at Tamaki, baring his fangs in a show of clear hostility. The wolf was surprised, however, when the large-claw grinned brightly at the wolf, placing a paw under his face as though he were stroking his chin (which the wolf thought to be a particular action for a large-claw). The wolf could have sworn that at that very moment he saw beautiful sparkles surrounding the beast, accompanied by an angelic face complete with puppy dog eves that melted even his hardened heart. The wolf then noticed the unusual color of the large-claw's fur and eyes, but he didn't think it was odd. He thought the colors were really pretty.
"My young hunter, fear not! It is I, the ever-wonderful Tamaki, here to inquire on a most important subject!" (The wolf snorted at this, as he wasn't young by the standards of any animal.)" "Is the wolf named Kyoya present at the moment?"
The wolf didn't know what it was about the queer bear, but he, for some reason, took a liking to the odd animal almost instantly.
"Why do you want Kyoya? He's really busy, ya know." The wolf was taken aback as the lights seemed to dim all around him, casting a lone spotlight on the mysterious stranger. Nothing like his had ever happened to the wolf before, but he didn't feel frightened, but rather curious. The large-claw huddled for a moment, creating suspense as the wolf watched on with bated breath and attentive eyes that still seemed to glare at the beast. He jumped in surprise and his hair stood on end as the large-claw seemed to blossom under the spotlight (the wolf wondered how the light had gotten there in the middle of the day), and bright red roses bloomed all around the creature as he began to speak. (By this point the wolf was beyond surprised, and just watched on with dumfounded amazement and a hint of skepticism as the large-claw did his thing.)
"My new friend, I have come on a long journey for Kyoya. Do you see my fur? It was once beautiful, but now it is matted and dirty. It's a shame, really, that I cannot share my true beauty with you now. Why do you think flowers grow in large, open fields? Because both creatures of the land and sky can view them, of course! The beauty of the flowers is shared with the world, as all beauty should be. It is a true crime that I cannot show you my true allure, for it is a sight to behold! I will give you advice, my friend, so pay heed to my every word. My wolfish friend, despair no longer! If you would smile but a bit more, I am sure all the ladies would love you! Why, they would flock to your side like sheep to a fold, and…" by now Tamaki was lost in his own world of roses and fantasies.
"So…? Ya still haven't answered the question. Why do ya want Kyoya?" The red wolf interrupted with a flat look. Tamaki was struck dumb at the creature that had interrupted him so rudely, and all the color seemed to drain from the large-claw as he huddled by a tree, the spotlight still trained on him as the golden creature cultivated his special brand of mushrooms. The wolf blinked in surprise, and wondered just how frivolous a large-claw could be. The wolf sighed, and thought with a slight bit of amusement that this large-claw presented zero threat to the pack. The wolf wondered if the frivolous guy could even hurt a fly.
"I'll go see if Kyoya is busy." The wolf turned to leave, but hesitated as the bear called out to him.
"I don't want to be nosy, dear wolf, but would you mind telling me your name?" The wolf looked back to that angelic face and couldn't resist. He mumbled something, but the large-claw's small ears could not quite pick up the sound.
"Pardon? What did you say, my new friend?" Tamaki was glad when the wolf didn't scold him for calling them friends. Tamaki had never had a real friend before, not including the pale creature he had never talked to.
The wolf called back over his shoulder as he padded towards the entrance to the den. "It's Kasanoda." The wolf could practically feel the large-claw's radiant smile as he sat in the dirt.
"Well then, Casanova, I'm sure we'll see each other sometime in the future!" A large, angry tick sign appeared on Kasanoda's head upon hearing his new nickname, but he didn't say a word as he disappeared into the dark hole of the den. Soon another head emerged, which became the long, sleek body of an unusually small, black wolf. The wolf's eyes were quite long and thin, and the body was unusually skinny for a wolf, but Tamaki thought it made the hunter look all that much cooler. So this was the rumored Kyoya, Tamaki thought, the guy who knows everything about anything.
The wolf appeared to be in a grumpy mood. "What do you want? I was woken up from my nap for this, so it had better be good." Tamaki didn't want to waste any more time, so he asked the black creature about the odd thing that lived near him. The wolf sat in silence after the large-claw explained everything he knew before speaking.
"I would have to check my records, but yes, I do believe that I would have at least a little information on the subject. What price are you willing to pay?" Tamaki blinked. He was quite oblivious to the ways of the world, and had not known that Kyoya's services required payment.
"Well…."
"Are you implying that my services for you should be free?"
"…no." Tamaki said in a small voice, tapping the tips of his two front paws together, claws clinking (1). Kyoya heard the sound of clashing claws, and an idea formed in his mind. He sighed and spoke.
"I have a proposal. I will render you my services in exchange for one favor." Kyoya could see the merit in having a large-claw, the strongest of all known creatures, owe him a favor. Tamaki thought for a moment, and then nodded.
"Alright! As long as it's not right before winter, because I have to eat to hibernate, you know, and I won't have the time to come here!" Tamaki smiled, and Kyoya felt his icy heart melt a little. Not a lot, mind you, but a smidge.
"Acceptable. Follow me." And with those words, Kyoya took off in a brisk trot towards a large valley in the distance. Tamaki bounded behind the black wolf, annoying his companion before Kyoya nearly lost it. Clearing his throat, Kyoya thought of the perfect way to shut the talkative large-claw up.
"May I inquire as to your name?" Kyoya asked, still trotting. The valley was now looming near.
"Of course you may! My name is René Tamaki Richard de Grantaine, but you may call me Tamaki!" Kyoya wondered how such a seemingly small brain could remember such a large name.
"Well then, Tamaki, why don't we play a little game?" Tamaki nodded eagerly, excited by this new prospect.
"The game is called the silent game. Whoever talks first loses, alright? Ready, set, go." Kyoya spoke in a dull tone as Tamaki snapped his jaw shut, nearly busting with things to say but not wanting to lose the game. Kyoya sighed, and the two padded on towards the rift in the mountains.
(1): You know how, in the anime, Tamaki makes two finger guns and points them at each other and taps his pointer fingers together when he's been spoken harshly to? Yeah, it's that.
A/N: Well, hello there, my darlings! How long has it been? A year? Oh, dear, I was gone for too long. Anyway, darlings, this is my first Ouran fanfic! What do you think? I really enjoyed writing it, because I've been rather depressed lately and writing this seemed to help lighten my spirits. I originally planned a one-shot, but you know how these things go…you plan for one chapter and it turns into a story! Anyway, I'm thinking this entire spiel will be around 3-4 chapters, but we'll see. I just wanted to make a silly little story based off my absolute favorite characters! Anyway…finals are coming up next week, so I may have to postpone updating until after. I actually should have been studying instead of writing this, but…yeah.
Note: I just realized that wolves wouldn't be called wolves, but I'm too lazy to go back and change the name, soooo…..just imagine all the animals still know that wolves are called 'wolves'.
Question of the day: What kind of animal will Mori be? First person to get it right gets a preview of the next chapter as soon as I'm done writing it (probably before the break, so at least 3-4 days in advance). Good luck *cackles*. It's not at all what you would think he would be.
Make sure to review, like, or favorite if anything in here strikes your fancy! Don't worry; the story will get much better later on. I promise! This is AeonFirebrand, signing out!