I think that with this fanfic, I'm sort of testing the waters to see what people like, but it's been a lot of fun writing it up so far. Reviews are appreciated, especially those with suggestions for improvement, but I'll take any.
Some last minute info: the characters are werewolves (sorta). They have a human form and a wolf form, however they mostly prefer their wolf form. Their view on the world might seem a bit off, and it's supposed to be.
*If you consider this story to be overly cliche, boring, stupid, etc., please keep such opinions to yourself. I didn't telekinetically move your mouse and click on the link to the story.
Updates will be weekly until further notice.
Enjoy part 1!
~BrennaCoris~
Natsu yawned, his massive jaws snapping slightly as he fought against the last few cobwebs of sleep. The sun had begun creeping through the few gaps of the thick lichen curtain that offered him privacy, giving it a warm glow. Stretching out his limbs, he rose to his feet, shaking out the last curly scraps of moss clinging to his reddish fur. He pushed his way through the lichen, nearly crashing into a dark grey wolf. His eyes narrowed in displeasure. Gray Fullbuster, second commander, was not someone he wanted to see first thing in the morning.
"Watch it, popsicle," he snarled, swiping drowsily at the wolf. Gray bared his teeth in response.
"You're the one walking around with your eyes closed, idiot."
"Look who's talking." he shot back. Gray growled deep in his throat and he returned the gesture with pleasure. Natsu knew that if they fought, they would most likely end as equals, and that drove him up the wall. He wanted to beat the damn stripper, to prove his strength. The pack valued strength only second to family and friends. There was a reason why Erza Scarlet was pack beta, after all. Quite a few challenged her in the beginning - she had taken the role rather young - but none had managed to take her down. He wanted to be the one to defeat her, not so much as to take the beta position as to prove that he could.
"Boys. Not fighting, are we?"
He felt his spine lock into place as the beta's scent washed over him. Erza was large for a female, easily matching most males in size, and her unusually bold russet fur set her apart. She was easy to spot at any gathering, no matter how many wolves were in attendance. That, and her unmistakable, commanding posture and aura. She wore "leader" like human females wore perfume. His ears fell back on instinct.
"Definitely not, beta." he muttered in reply, casting a dark look at Gray, who eagerly agreed.
"Yeah, definitely not."
"Good. The alpha wants you both in his den right after you eat." Erza fought against a yawn. "Also, Natsu, you'll be going for the next Concourse."
Natsu wanted very much to growl, but Erza wasn't the problem. He hated the Concourse. The packs would all meet and interact for an one day and two nights, forgoing the usual boundaries, and the leaders had the joy of spending a pleasant four or so hours making mountains out of molehills over some insignificant bother. As commanders, he and Gray took turns attending the Concourse and doing their best to refrain from tearing out throats. Unfortunately for him, Gray's mate was close to having pups. It would be downright cruel for the alpha to insist that Gray leave his mate behind for two days. There was no guarantee for safety, and rogues and loners didn't respect the Concourse peace. If something happened to Gray's mate while he was away, it would kill him. Mating bonds were not to be taken lightly.
"Will do." he replied instead, smothering his frustration. Erza moved past him, her thick tail brushing his chin as she padded over to greet her mate. Jellal Fernandez, a greyish-blue wolf with a bright red scar framing his left eye, met her with a gentle nuzzle and led the way to the prey pile, his tail intertwining with hers.
"Flamebrain, you look like you ate carrion. What's with that look?" Gray asked.
"There's a wolf from Sabertooth who took to following me around during the Concourse. He's always asking about my mate." Natsu growled softly. Gray snorted.
"Does Natsu have a suspicion as to why the male is so interested?" A new voice joined their conversation, sweet and feminine. A lean female drew level with Gray, her grey and white fur flecked with blue. Gray leaned over to brush his nose against her ear.
"Nope." he sighed. "I don't even have a mate."
"Maybe he wants to be yours." Gray snickered. Natsu gave the wolf a harsh cuff on the ear and moved past him, choosing to focus on the prey pile instead. He'd fight the ice prick any day, if only to try out a new tactic on him, but food fell way higher on his list of priorities. Besides, they couldn't fight while Gray's mate was glued to his hip. Erza would have their hides.
The pack had claimed a nice chunk of territory. The woods were lush and full of life, meeting with the base of a mountain in the east and cut off by rapids in the west. The rocky plains of Sabertooth were further up north while abandoned human buildings towered in the south. Three out of four borders were rarely threatened and two of those three had good natural defenses. It saved them hours of patrolling and too many battles to truly appreciate. Their "camp", as the humans called it, was set up within a fissure in the cliff that opened up into a spacious hollow. His and Gray's dens faced the entrance, flanked by the mothers' den on the left and the healer's cave on the right. Past the mothers' den came the ledge that led to the alpha's den, and the beta's den directly below it. The other wolves used a network of tunnels that branched out from a large makeshift den made of wood. They had used their human forms to build the den, and a few members even went as far as going to the nearest human settlement to see what they could bring back. At least five able fighters slept in the makeshift den rather than their private caves as a first response to any possible attacks. It had been his suggestion, one he had made after a harsh battle during one of their many conflicts between the packs. Even though many wolves disliked his idea, two battles and the complaints withered out of existence.
Natsu padded towards the prey pile, a lump of food taking up the center of the hollow. Many agonizingly delicious scents called to him and he pulled away five plump rabbits that caught his attention. When food was plentiful, they all made sure to eat their fill. He doubted five would be enough, but he could always go back for seconds.
"Oi, Salamander." A gruff voice he instantly connected to Gajeel Redfox called out a demanding greeting and he twitched an ear in response. The black-furred wolf came to a stop in front of him, his shadow falling over the rabbits. A low growl left his throat in an attempt to get the black wolf to move, but, as usual, Gajeel thoroughly ignored him. Natsu forced a swallow.
"What?" he snapped. He could count the amount of times his breakfast had gone uninterrupted on one of his human hands. It was beyond annoying. Half the problems brought up couldn't even compete with food in level of importance, yet they always won.
Red eyes glinted down at him. "Quit being so touchy."
"Quit interrupting my meal."
"I just came back from a hunt." Gajeel ignored his snippy reply. He resumed tearing through the rabbit. It was common knowledge that Gajeel went on lone runs in the morning, usually returning with a decent haul, but he never mentioned them.
"What about it?"
"There's a dominant scent on the border with the humans' crap. New and light by our marks, but it gets stronger slightly further out. She's powerful and her den is close by." Gajeel said. He paused in chewing and lifted his head to stare at the black wolf.
"A loner?"
"Most likely. The scent is relatively clean."
"What do you want me to do about it?"
"Alpha wants you to go and put her in place, or somethin' like that. Go ask him." Gajeel moved toward the prey pile. Natsu watched Gray carry food back to the mothers' den, most likely for his mate, and the full extent of Gajeel's words sunk in.
"Wait." He stood sharply, leaving the remains of the last rabbit on the floor. "She?"
"Were ya even listening?" Gajeel muttered, irritated.
"A female?" he questioned again. Red eyes performed a perfect roll.
"Yeah. Lone female."
Now he was interested. Females were generally weaker than males in raw strength, with the exceptions of a typical Erza and an enraged Mirajane Strauss, and most were claimed by males. It was rare for a female loner to show up. He assumed that she had been aware of his pack's boundary marks, seeing as she didn't actually cross the border, yet she had to have confidence in her strength to stray close enough to be noticed. He didn't know if Gajeel's judgement of her strength was accurate, but she interested him.
"Natsu!" The alpha's voice rang across the hollow with sharp clarity. He lifted his face in the direction of the alpha's den and took in the commanding stature of a light grey wolf. "Get your hide over here. Gray, too."
The alpha returned to his den and Erza began climbing up the narrow ledge. She paused halfway up, glared at him and in the direction of where he assumed Gray was, and finished the climb in two powerful bounds. He picked up his pace to follow her, narrowly beating Gray in reaching the ledge, and ran up to the alpha's den. The cave wasn't much larger than his own, but, by wolf standards, the alpha was tiny.
Shapeshifter wolves were larger than their animal counterparts. Common grey wolf males came close to a hundred pounds, grey wolf females reaching ninety. Shapeshifters were a head taller and males reached a hundred and fifty pounds at least. Makarov Dreyar, pack alpha, barely reach the shoulders of a common wolf, and his human form was sized to match. He couldn't have passed seventy pounds in weight. However, no one had been able to win against his uncanny speed and agility since he'd taken the alpha spot when he was just past his mid-twenties. He led the pack with a level head, keeping the pack's interests ahead of his own. The other packs had taken to speculating when Makarov would step down. He was a threat to them despite his size, but he was also getting on in his years. Personally, Natsu thought Makarov stepping down would make it worse for the other packs. Erza was everything the current alpha was and more, surpassing him in nearly everything but battle skill and knowledge. She would make a truly terrifying alpha.
Lowering his head to keep the lichen out of his eyes, he pushed through the curtain and into the alpha's den. Makarov had stretched out on a thick pad of moss while Erza loomed from a dim corner, the outline of the door to the alpha's human rooms behind her. Gray's claws scraped at his hip and he moved aside to let the ice prick in.
"I take that Gajeel already told you about his find?" Makarov asked.
"Kinda." he replied, just as Gray asked, "What?"
Makarov chuckled. The sound came out as a shaky growl.
"Gajeel picked up a loner scent on our southern border. He says it's female, and dominant enough to give him a pause." he said.
"Is she mated?" Gray asked.
"He says her scent is clean." he put in. Makarov nodded in agreement. Natsu looked at the alpha. "What do you want us to do?"
"I want Gray to take a team and follow a Sabertooth scent trail that crosses our border. It could be nothing more than an accidental crossing, but I don't want to take any chances with the Concourse coming up. I want you to track down the loner. Demand that she respect our boundaries and if she refuses, use force. If she needs it, offer our aid." Makarov issued orders steadily and calmly, never falling into the typical bossy tone he always picked up from the other pack alphas.
"Sure thing, gramps, but why did you need Gray?" he asked. Gray swatted at him and earned a warning growl from Erza, at which they both immediately froze.
"You're both commanders." Makarov said simply. "Get going. Erza and I have much to discuss."
They both bowed their heads in a gesture of respect and backed out of the den. Natsu turned and ran down the ledge, returning the greetings tossed his way before weaving through the narrow fissure and emerging in the shade of the woods. It was cooler without the sun, a quiet warning of encroaching winter months. The immediate ground by the fissure was worn by many sets of pawprints, the short grass flattened and sometimes even torn. He set out at an easy pace that he could keep up for miles while covering plenty of ground. The pack's territory was ingrained into his mind, every tree, bush, and rock familiar and expected. The forest rushed by in a blur of greens and browns marked by the occasional splotch of vivid color. Various scents told him of prey that he could catch but didn't need to.
The sun had made considerable progress by the time the abandoned buildings came into view. He could smell them long before he could see them, the stench of decay unmistakable, and he didn't pause when the grey stone became visible through the tree trunks. There were three towers in all, dotted by empty, square windows. Six or so smaller building littered the space around them. None of the buildings were complete. That had been a conflict his pack had won - Makarov wouldn't allow the humans to build right on the edge of their territory and the human alpha was forced to respect that decision. Something about keeping it all under wraps.
He drew to a stop by the border and sniffed the air, picking up many scents he would much rather never smell again and a very faint but terribly sweet scent that pulled him along like a fish on a hook. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind from the scent, and failed. If anything, the scent just wriggled deeper and built a permanent home in his focus, drawing his complete attention. He followed it along the border for several minutes before it veered away, pulling him out of the pack's territory with it. It grew in strength and he forced himself to pause, sorting through the scent. Definitely female. He made out strawberries and something humans called vanilla, with something indescribable underneath. A few more steps forward and he entered a pool of her scent, a place she must have stopped. He picked out confidence and slight interest, but no worry. If she had paused because she had heard Gajeel on his run, she hadn't been afraid.
The trail kept going, becoming stronger the farther he went from the border. He tracked it past one of the small buildings and through a maze of boulders, most likely left over from the humans' project. They formed an unnatural mountain, shaped like a cone. Her scent was layered around the boulders. She came by very often. Padding around the boulders, he drew close to a narrow gap where her scent was especially strong. He slipped between the walls of stone and picked his way through, emerging in a small den. A neat pile of moss and some soft human stuff was pushed against the back wall. Human clothing hung on a chip in the rock on his immediate left, thoroughly covered in her sweet scent. She was a shapeshifter.
The rest of the den was bare, so he returned to the outside and settled by the entrance. Normally he would have moved away from the human things, leaving a clear trail for the loner to follow, but he didn't want to take the chance of her ignoring his presence. Her scent drew him in like a magnet. He settled down with his back pressed against a sun-warmed boulder right by the entrance to her den, letting his head drop down to his paws. He would wait for her to return, and he would claim her as his.