Ice and Wolf
My name is Yuu. When I was young, my clan, the Partas Clan was wiped out. It had been a strong hunting clan of fair people with ice blue hair and eyes. The north where we had lived was bitterly cold, and so was our way of life. "The strong survive and the weak die." was the ultimate truth.
I suppose me being the sole survivor singles me out at as the strongest our clan had to offer, and that fact wasn't wrong. My father had been next in line to be chief and he would have been, had not a rival clan wiped us out. I had been hunting danger beasts when the attack happened, so you could imagine my shock when I came back a week later to see my camp destroyed and everyone that I'd known slaughtered. It hurt me, finally experiencing the bitter truth of life in its entirety. I swore then and there as I stood over the dead bodies of my friends and family that I would never let myself be weaker than anyone. I would get stronger, so I didn't have to lose everything like this again.
I was standing in the middle of the camp when I heard some heavy stomping noises coming from behind me. I looked back to see a jet-black wolf 20 meters in height walking towards me. Its eyes were focused on me, but it did not come off as aggressive. I stood deathly still, unsure of what it could want. As this gigantic creature came to a stop in front of me, I heard a voice in my head.
"Do you wish to become stronger?" The wolf asked.
I was shocked for a second, but it seemed to know exactly how I felt. I nodded my head slowly. "I am Rema, follow me" it said, and I did.
After deciding to follow Rema, my life didn't change that much. I was still doing what I was before, hunting. Except this time, I was learning from the best hunter there was. I learned from talking with Rema that she was the Queen Wolf of the North and all other wolves respected her. None could compare to her in size, strength, or intelligence. She taught me many things over the years I spent with her, growing closer to her the longer we were together.
We would go and fight many, many danger beasts all for the thrill of the hunt. We hunted anything we could find. One memory I am particularly fond of is the time we fought a white king tiger. The beast was slight larger than Rema, with snow white fur and fangs almost as big as me. After a long drawn out fight and plenty of blood spilled, we both took it down, me dealing the final blow with my spear. That night as I laid back on Rema's stomach, I asked her how strong she thought I had gotten compared to when she first found me.
"You're definitely the strongest human I've seen, my little pup. Otherwise I wouldn't have taken you in. Though, even the weak can be strong if they form a pack." she said as she looked at me with one azure eye. I smiled back and closed my eyes satisfied with my life as a hunter. But it wouldn't last. I would feel the sting of the truth of this world once again.
One day while I was off training my body in the mountains, the S+ danger beast, Dragonlord showed up. This wasn't his territory or his climate, it had no business being here, but it was. When I came back a couple hours later, I found Rema bloodied and dying. I was shocked to my core, to see the one who took me in like this. "Yuu," Rema said slowly. "who would have thought a Dragon like him would show up here." She went on, "I'm going to die, but I can leave my strength with you, Yuu." She said quietly.
I stood there tearing up, unsure of what she meant. Rema's eyes began to glow, and I could feel her strength flowing into me. My body grew hot and I started to feel light. Like blood on snow my light blue hair dyed itself black like Rema's, and my eyes morphed color to match hers, a brighter, radiant blue. My vision grew keener, and my sense of smell became more acute. Atop my head wolf ears rapidly grew and behind me a midnight colored tail appeared. I had vampire-like fangs now. With tears in my eyes I hugged Rema's body. She whispered "Goodbye, my little pup. Remember, you are strong." Then she faded away, leaving me alone with the world and my thoughts.
I was deeply upset for a few days, thinking about how my long-time friend was suddenly gone. I'd spent so much time hunting with her that I didn't know what to do with myself now. I dwelled on the idea of hunting down the Dragonlord. He hadn't done anything wrong, he had simply been stronger. But I hated him. I wanted to make him suffer, so I decided that I wanted to hunt him. There was nothing better to do, and at least that was a good distraction from the fact that I was now alone. I had the power to kill the Dragonlord, and I would. My new body overflowed with wild energy and bloodlust. I knew its territory was far to the south, so that's where I headed.
My skills as a hunter came in handy as I lived off the land and hunted wild animals for food. It was just me, myself, and my spear. After getting used to my body for a while I learned how to conceal my ears and tail, though if I got too excited, they would come out whether I wanted them too or not. I also stopped in a village on the way and got some new clothes, I didn't blend very well with the people here because of my beast skin outfit, and also it was too hot down here for it.
I did meet a lot of people on the road though, including a lot of bandits, but they were never trouble for me. Years of hunting in the wilderness had honed my combat abilities. With Rema's gift I was untouchable. Fighting humans was almost as satisfying as hunting danger beasts, it was a thrill. One time I was surrounded by a large group of bandits, around 25, and they demanded I pay a toll fee. I refused outright, and gave them a wicked grin, my ears and tail appearing. The chief only had a second to look confused before receiving my spear through his face. The rest died quickly with me tearing through them easily. After I had finished, with blood all over the ground and a wild smirk on my face, a few passing villagers by saw me. That was how the rumors started, and probably how I attracted the attention of the empire.
After traveling for a month or so, I had made it to the Dragonlord's territory, and waited for nightfall.
The night was dark and gloomy, just like my mood as I remembered what had happened to Rema. I snuck through the forest following the scent of danger beast, my blood starting to get hot. My ears and tail were out, and my eyes had changed, giving off a faint glow in the night. My spear rested in my right hand as I tracked the Dragonlord to its nest. It was the same smell I remembered from the day Rema had died. As I came to the edge of a clearing, I saw it, resting at the bottom of a cliff. I whispered to myself, "You will experience the worst kind of pain", as I made my way around to scale the cliff. I hung my spear on my back and scaled the cliff swiftly, not wanting to miss my opportunity. At the top, maybe 100 meters up, I looked down at the colossal dragon, and a sick grin appeared on my face. "Death from above", I muttered a death sentence, as I grabbed my spear and dove off the cliff.
The Capital
"General Esdeath" said the Prime Minister as he disgustingly ate a slab of meat, "Good job crushing the rebellion in the North, you can take your reward from the treasury, also I'm granting you leave for a while."
Esdeath frowned, "Why? I would prefer to begin another mission immediately" she said.
The Prime Minister didn't even look up from his food, "Why don't you go hunt down that Dragonlord that's been causing a ruckus lately, or what about that wolf-man that there's been rumors about." He casually said.
Esdeath considered it for a moment, "Both of those sound rather nice." She said with a sadistic smile as she turned and walked out.
Esdeath had heard about the Dragonlord causing trouble around the empire and had wanted desperately to hunt it. She had been busy crushing a rebellion, but now it was a different story. I'm going to enjoy this. I haven't fought a danger beast of this caliber for quite awhile. Esdeath walked outside of the capital and looked to the sky to see if she could spot her wyvern, and she did. Within minutes she was soaring through the air on top of her familiar towards the south. As she rode, she shuddered with excitement thinking how strong this Dragonlord could be. I'm also curious about how strong that wolf-man is, but I'll go after the Dragonlord first, he's less likely to be a disappointment.
Esdeath arrived near the Dragonlord's territory within a couple hours on top of her wyvern. She jumped off her familiar and landed in the forest below, beginning her search for the Dragonlord. Around her was a dense forest full of massive trees and lots of plant and wildlife.
To her east she could sense bloodlust, and she was surprised. She had never sensed this much bloodlust in one place before. It's the Dragonlord, I was right to be excited about this. Esdeath's mouth twisted into an evil grin as she made her way towards the Dragonlord.
After a couple minutes, she saw it. A hulking dragon beast with dark blood red scales reflecting the moon. It was sleeping under a cliff without a care in the world, because it was the strongest being, or at least that's what it must have thought. I should wake it up, it would be a waste to kill it without getting a proper fight out of it. But before she could move towards it a jet-black meteor smashed into the dragon's head making an explosion of dust and blood around it.
Esdeath was genuinely shocked, and she just stared for a minute. But soon anger replaced her surprise as she realized her prey had been stolen from her. She brandished her blade and waited for the smoke to clear. When it did, she was shocked again to see a wolf-man standing atop the dead Dragonlord's head with a savage smile on his face. Looking at him, Esdeath felt weird. He looked familiar but in a strange way. She was reminded of her childhood for some reason.
"You." She called. The wolf-man's glowing blue eyes snapped towards her in what looked like surprise.
He recovered and demanded, "How do you know my name?"
It was Esdeath's turn to be confused, "What?" She asked. "I don't know what you're talking about, but that was my prey you just stole."
The wolf-man ripped his spear from the head of the Dragonlord and jumped down from it and said coldly, "My name is Yuu of the Partas Clan, and this beast killed my friend." He paused. "Don't be angry at me because you lost your prey to another hunter." Now that he got a better look at the woman accusing him, he was vaguely reminded of his past. But he didn't have time to think about it long.
Esdeath thought for a minute. "What was that you said? You're from the Partas clan?" She demanded.
Yuu looked at her sideways, put off by the sudden interest. He answered slowly, "I was, a long time ago, before they were wiped out. I am the only survivor as far as I know."
Esdeath looked at the dead Dragonlord behind him and then back to Yuu standing in from of it. He was slim and muscular with midnight black hair. On top of his head wolf ears twitched as if they were listening to something, and a tail swished quietly behind him. Esdeath thought for a minute and her eyes went wide. She sheathed her sword, and questioned him "Yuu? You were Akio's son correct? I am Esdeath, my father was the chief, do you remember?" She sounded excited now.
Yuu's eyes went wide as he questioned her back, "You are Esdeath? The chief's daughter? There's no way…"
She responded, "I was away hunting danger beasts when it happened, I didn't think anyone else survived."
Yuu looked at her intently, "I was too, when I got back everyone was dead..." Yuu began to look sad as he said it.
Esdeath looked at him with compassion, "I know, they were just too weak, and they perished because of it, there's nothing we could've done about it then." She replied as she moved towards Yuu.
"I know, I still miss them though." He said quietly as his ears and tail began to fall.
Esdeath hugged him to her chest. Yuu was surprised but he had been lonely without Rema for so long that he didn't mind. As Esdeath was embracing Yuu she reached up and felt one of his wolf ears with her hand and said, "I miss them too" then she asked, "By the way, is a Teigu causing this?"
Yuu felt strange as she played with his ears. He answered. "I don't know what a Teigu is, but this form was a given to me by my friend Rema before she died."
Esdeath was curious now and asked, "Really? What kind of person were they? I've never met a human like that before."
Yuu's ears started to feel really good as Esdeath kept rubbing them, he almost forgot to answer, he said "Rema wasn't human, she was the Wolf Queen of the North, and I miss her a lot, even now." He went on, "She took me in after I found the clan destroyed."
Esdeath stopped playing with Yuu's ears and looked down at him and said "That explains a lot" she said again with concern, "Do you have anywhere to go?"
Yuu quietly answered "No." Esdeath smiled at him, "I am a general of the Empire, you could come with me." She went on, "In fact, I think I've made up my mind, you will."
Yuu didn't know what to say, but he didn't really care. He missed Rema a lot and Esdeath didn't seem like such a bad person. Yuu looked up at her and said "I don't mind going with you." Yuu then realized how tired he was, he had hardly rested since he set out to hunt down the Dragonlord and it had taken a toll on him. Yuu's knees became weak, "Hey Esdeath...I think...I'm gonna...sleep..." and he blacked out.