Shado: I came up with this idea a very long time ago. I was looking around my documents for an essay, and I found this. And sorry to say, this will be a longshot until I can at least be done with either Lost Angel or Love Hurts. Whichever came first.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Prologue
The winds shifted, headed south from the north, creating a small rustle in the green leaved trees. Swiftly moving like a dance in the wind, hanging onto the branches to stay alive and not wither on the ground. The sudden change in the wind brought a wolf's sense of smell more accurate at his surroundings. He grinned, running swift against the cool wind. Now he had an advantage of finding his soon to be prey within the forest.
He was a werewolf. A young, strong werewolf who was next in line to be leader in his flourishing clan. His father, the kind and well known leader of the Angel Clan. Why the clan is called 'Angel'? Well because every future leader had a marking of two, white wings on their left side. One an ordinary marking of a white wing, the second a smaller type.
Angeal was the current alpha male. His fur a glistening grey, with black aging fur markings on his head and neck, a so light grey that it was almost too hard to see the white angel wings on his shoulder. But they were visible none of the less. He was kind, cared for everyone in his clan. Under his rule, the Angel Clan flourished and became a tender, well known clan.
Angeal's son, however, was still very much like a pup even for his age. In werewolf form, he was the opposite of his father. Zack's fur was a dark shade of ebony, glistening in the moonlight, almost flashing white, when he runs fast in grassy meadows. A black, spiky mane spread about his neck, almost going down to his back and hung down the sides of his neck like a mane. A loose black bang hung over his forehead, in between two sharp ears. Along the underside of his body, was a dark shade of grey, the only indication he was in fact Angeal's son.
The whole clan thought of him as the hyper energetic pup. Always grinning, trying to cheer everyone up when something goes wrong with a hunt. Zack in a way was a spinning image of his father when they're human. He still had the spiky, black hair going down his shoulders with the loose bang over his right side. Angeal rather had a natural look to his hair, pulled back to avoid his broad face.
Both father and son were tall, a little bit above average. Their strong, build upper body made many woman sigh in a dreamy state. Zack wasn't as well toned as his father, but he made up musculine body with speed, luck, and his wide casual grin. The young werewolf was always so hyper, or so caught up over something so simple he was nicknamed the puppy in the clan.
But now, Zack was going to show them. He wasn't as lazy the pack thought he was, in fact it was only his father who knew he was smart. Angeal's son just needed to practice more on concentrating on one thing long enough and he'll catch on. Now if only Zack didn't have a curious personality on him, he wouldn't get as distracted than he should.
With a huff, Zack slowed down, slinking into the shadows, making sure to hide his mark behind a tree so it wouldn't give him away. The werewolf perked its ears, listening for the faintest step of his prey, a doe heading to a nearby stream. The stream was in plain sight of Zack, there was a bush on both sides of him, and hiding his form. Patiently he waited, crouched to hide his grey belly.
There. The doe cautiously stepped into the open, making her way to the edge. Ears flattened, Zack readied himself for the precise moment to launch. He watched, as the doe took her chance and lowered her head to drink. A good one minute passed, and the werewolf leaped. Zack jumped in full speed, the doe hardly had enough time to reach to the assault. She only had time to raise her head when Zack latched his jaws on her neck.
Zack crunched down, suffocating the doe as it let out a last grunt before it fell limp next to it's killer. Keeping his jaws on the neck a few minutes more for good measure, the werewolf pulled away. Licking away the blood on his lips, Zack grinned in victory. His first successful kill, and Zack didn't mess up even for a second! Zack felt like doing a back flip. But he had to eat what he could and fast.
The young werewolf didn't wasn't to waste his energy dragging his kill back to camp, plus that would take time. But Zack did have enough energy to drag the doe out of the opening and into the bushes. Now back in the shadows, Zack began devouring his fill. For Zack, he had a big appetite, and he always went for the upper respiratory half of his food. Tear his way to the heart with paws and teeth without swallowing, then devour the creature's heart whole then start his work in the stomach area.
'Always keep your honor, even to your prey and your enemies.' Angeal told him once, and since then Zack always ate the heart of his prey to show his own honor. When the heart was the first organ to be eating, in Zack's point of view, helped his prey on the way to the afterlife and leave him in peace. Many in the pack thought him as crazy, but Zack took every word from his father's teachings and literally implanted them into his head. The young werewolf also did a good job of keeping his word.
But halfway through eating the intestines, something screamed in the forest some ten leagues away. At the instant Zack raised his head and perked his ears to pinpoint the source. The anguish cry came from the south, further into the forest. His paws felt strong vibrations, something big was chasing whatever screamed. And it was big. Never one to fail helping others in need, Zack broke into a full run towards the commotion.
With a good run and a few leaps, Zack reached a small clearing to find a paler almost golden wolf defending itself from a bear demon. The wolf was smaller than Zack, and one of it's legs was injured, but worse was that there was a gaping wound around it's rib area on the left side. Ears flattening, Zack watched a few seconds as the other tried desperately to injure the bear's eyes so it could run.
Howling, Zack leaped at the bear, paws around the thick neck and biting and tearing at the small ears. The bear roared in anger, trying to swipe the werewolf off with no success. The paler wolf blinked, considering whetherto run or help fight. With a loud huff, the paler wolf lashed it's sharp nailes at the bear's face, scratching one of the eyes and it's nose. With a defeaning roar, the bear demon rose to it's hind legs, turning itself to the other direction.
Instantly Zack let go of the captive ear and watched in victory as the bear galloped oddly towards wherever it's den was. Turning around, Zack stared at the other wolf, taking a better look at the beautiful creature in front of him. The wolf was a creamy pale in the shadows, but in the moonlight it's fur shown like golden silk. The ears were pointed and curved cutely, giving it a bit more of a puppy look. What Zack found astonishing him was the eyes, the eyes were a deep shade of blue.
"Thanks...I owe you, if you didn't come along I'd for sure be bear kill." the wolf huffed, still trying to catch it's breath.
Zack could hear the rasping and cracking of the lungs trying to work. He didn't know much of injuries inside, but he knew that cracking in the lungs meant you had a lung problem. Blinking, Zack realized that the panting wolf in front of him had sharp canines. They were sharper than any wolf's Zack had ever seen. The werewolf prince glanced at the paws, seeing that they were flexing the nails in and out like a cougar's.
"You're not a normal wolf." Zack tilted his head.
The cute ears flattened. "I'm no ordinary creature. In fact, I'm not sure how to show my thanks to you."
Zack gave him a confused look as the wolf took a step back, lowering it's head in fear. He noticed the strange creature was also shaking, making his lungs cracking even more.
"Why are you scared?"
"I'm not what you think I am..."
Zack confidently stepped closer and gave the other a formal lick on his cheek. Gently Zack nudged the wolf to follow, also mixing his scent onto the other's fur. Tentively the paler followed, limping a little as they walked side by side.
"Oh, forgive my manners. I'm Zack." the werewolf grinned.
"I'm Cloud."
"Cloud eh?" Zack glanced at the golden shine fur. "It suits you."
"That's what everyone says." the paler snorted.
"Oh really? Everyone calls me puppy." the werewolf wagged his tail.
"Oh? I can see why." Cloud tried to laugh, but quickly turned into coughing because of his lungs.
"Hey, I've got a kill up ahead, right next to it is water. We'll rest there for a bit until you're ready to move again." Zack offered.
"Thank you...it'll probably take a few minutes."
"Take as long as you want buddy."
Zack sat down as he watched Cloud first take a good gulpfulls of water. Afterwards the pale wolf's breathing got better. And Cloud's strength seemed to be returning after taking in the rest of the stomach intestines that Zack didn't get to finish. Zack felt a small bit of guilt for not finishing the intestines in time, but Cloud needed it the most. Plus, Cloud looked a lot better after he finished his fill.
"Ready? Let's get going. I don't want to get caught in the dawn." Zack stood up.
"Yea. Let's go. You sure you don't want anymore?" Cloud politely asked.
"Yea I'm sure. Besides, we need to get going." Zack said, leading the way.
Cloud followed, silently hoping that every being above that he wouldn't get killed when he reached the clan. He knew that the leader was forgiving, and treated his enemies as if they were friends unless they attacked first. Cloud hoped that the rumours were true. Plus, he was in the forest for a good five months, so Cloud's true scent was covered with pines and forest wilderness.
The two traveled to the edges of the forest, across the meadow and towards the edge of the Angel Clan territory. The territory was centered in the valley, but was still surrounded by a wide river that held a strong barrier from the vulnerable dens or huts of the Angel Clan. From the mountains Cloud always peered at the territory, taking in every detail in case he needed to blend in and escape any of the other clans trying to take over his familiy's territory.
There was five, including him, that were the possible next leader of the nearly wiped out Kaosu Hyoukyo Clan. Many of the other clans just called his clan Boutoku Clan to shorten the meaning of the clan. But Kaosu Hyoukyo was the original name, one that rarely anyone outside of the clan knew. It was said that this clan was cursed, cursed by a being that was dangerous, and brought many bloodshed in every other generation of the bloodline of the clan.
Cloud hoped that his home scent wouldn't be revealed for the next few days that he needed to heal. By then he would leave and return safely to his clan without anyone realizing he was missed. After all, Cloud was only a shadow to the whole clan. The only person that kept him sane was his father, who saw him as a unique creature compared to the rest of the clan.
Sighing, Cloud pushed his family out of his mind. Right now he needed to focus on giving a good impression that he was a werewolf. He only needed to hide his nails, and keep his mouth shut so his fangs won't get noticed. It would make Cloud feel a lot better if he managed to sleep in the same hut as Zack. Then when Zack was asleep Cloud could roll the clan's scent over him to cover his scent.
The pair reached the river, and Cloud suddenly felt unsure of himself. He didn't know how the werewolves crossed the river. No matter how many times he watched the valley from the mountains, he couldn't see just how the werewolves crossed the the wide river that would drown any that would try to swim across. Cloud glanced around, taking note there wasn't any docks or boats or even a glimpse of a bridge.
"Don't worry, I know of a secret way to get across. Just follow me, and keep your footing strong or you might get swept away." Zack explained.
Keep your footing on what exactly? There isn't a sign of a bridge anywhere! Cloud wanted to question his thoughts out loud. But instead he watched carefully as Zack walked straight to the water, walking in an odd way through the mudd until he found solid ground. Cloud nervously followed, his anxiety gave off a strong scent that nearly made Zack cough.
"Hey, relax. You'll be just fine." Zack tried to reassure.
Cloud slowly and reluctantly released the tension, shivering when his paws met the cold water. Following Zack's exact foot prints, Cloud found stones that was just below the surface, stretching across the river. It was strange for Cloud, he felt like walking on water. The stones were below the surface enough to stop anyone from being swept away, but deep enough for enemy clans to not notice them when they try to figure a way across.
Relieved, Cloud followed the shadow figure in front of him, for the coming mist was becoming thicker for the morning to come within a few hours. It wasn't until they reached the other side did Cloud stop to lick away the numbness in his paws. Zack chuckled, licking his own paws. When they finished Zack lead the way once again to the huts and dens. The whole clan was already out and watching their approach.
"Zack, I see that your solo hunt was sucessful." Angeal, the biggest of the werewolves, said.
Cloud instinctively lowered his gaze, keeping a good two tail lengths away from Zack.
"And who is this? I've never seen a wolf with such fur before." the leader turned his gaze upon Cloud.
Letting his instincts take over, Cloud lowered his ears in respect and bowed.
"And with manners." Angeal added.
"I saved him from becoming bear kill. He was already injured when I jumped in, so I thought I should bring him home. His lungs sound funny." Zack explained, gently nudging Cloud closer with his nose.
Cloud whined, he really wanted to snap his jaws at Zack's nose for not knowing anything about showing respect to anyone you met for the first time, but refrained now that he was surrounded by a well feared enemy. He glanced at Angeal, who studied him with gentle, caramel brown eyes. At once Cloud noticed that the leader recognized his origin, but what surprise him was that Angeal went along with his silent plea.
"Send him to Aerith, she will help him with his illness. And Zack, I'm proud of you. You were successful in your first hunt, and you helped another in need." Angeal smiled kindly.
"So he can stay?" Zack perked up, a wide hopeful grin on his face.
"Yes. And what would your name be?" Angeal asked, transforming into his human form.
"Cloud." the paler wolf replied, also going through transformation, as did everyone else in the clan.
Zack stared. The figure in front of him was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.
Shado: Well, not sure if this was a true prologue. But here it is anyways. Hope you liked.
1) Cloud is a vampire, he just has the power to shapeshift because of his clan. More will be explained in the next chap.
Kaosu = chaos
Hyoukyo = Curse
Boutoku = Curse
Review plz!
