Among Wolves

Chapter 1 – Myth

"This should be a good place to camp" Kiba said as they landed in a wide, open clearing, a river running through it before disappearing back into the trees.

It was now 5:30pm when they did, and darkness was falling quickly; now, only half the sky was lit up by the amber glow of the setting sun.

They were downstream, so it made it easier to catch fish, but they didn't realize they were up wind, making it easier for them to be hunted.

"Now what?" Naruto asked when no one moved.

"Well, we should start by setting up camp, so maybe Ino, Shikamaru and Kiba could set up the tents, while Naruto and I go and find some fire-wood, and when we come back, we can all go hunting to find something to eat" Sakura suggested.

Kiba and Shikamaru shrugged before they started on their own tents, while Naruto and Sakura equipped himself with weapons.

"You owe me for this" Ino said as she walked up to Sakura.

Sakura smiled, "I know" she said before she and Naruto returned to the shadows of the trees.

Ino sighed and shook her head, walking over to her things to start on her own tent.

--

Ancient and pure, it is their song of the wind and that of the moon.

--

It was now getting closer to 6pm, and Sakura had only found enough firewood to last about a night or so.

'Maybe Naruto's gathered more' she thought as she stooped to pick up another long stick, but, as she straightened, the wood started slipping from her grasp.

In the shadows of a tall oak tree about 10 meters away, a tall boy of about 16 stood, watching her silently as he leant against the tree.

Sakura didn't move as her eyes fixed on him; he bore tattoos over his face and shoulders, which possibly extended down his back, however Sakura couldn't see what they were of, but, what really caught her gaze were his eyes.

They were amber, wild, steady, elegant and proud, and as clear as sunlight in spring water, full of wisdom, knowledge, power, freedom…

The wood finally slipped from her grasp and crashed to the ground by her feet.

Startled, Sakura gave a cry of surprise, and stooped to pick the pile up again when she realised what had happened, but, when she looked back to where the boy stood, he wasn't there.

Could she have imagined him?

"Sakura-chan!" called Naruto from a distance.

Sakura's head snapped around as she heard him crashing through the forest.

"I'm here, Naruto!" she called back, and Naruto appeared moments later with armfuls of firewood.

"You ready to head back?" he asked.

Sakura looked back to where the boy had stood, puzzled at his disappearance.

"Sakura-chan…?" Naruto asked, taking a few steps towards her crouching figure.

"It's nothing, I thought I saw something, but the shadows were probably playing tricks on me. C'mon, we'll head back, it's almost dark" Sakura said, standing and heading back to camp with Naruto, but not before taking a final glance at where he had once stood.

--

Amber eyes, wild, steady, elegant and proud, as clear as sunlight in spring water; filled with wisdom, knowledge, power, freedom…

--

The fire had been lit and some birds and rabbits had been caught to eat; it wasn't much, but it was enough until the next morning.

They had all eaten and had been swapping stories through the night.

Sakura had told one about ancient clans, Ino had told one about people called mind walkers, who were people able to control another's mind, Naruto had told one about foxes, and Shikamaru had told one about the early people of his clan and the deer; now, it was Kiba's turn.

"C'mon, Kiba, tell us one!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yeah, hurry up, Kiba!" Ino urged.

Kiba chuckled, "Ok, ok, I've got one. Well, it starts with the beginning of the clans, when clans like the Ookami clans, Kitsune clans, Kawauso clan, Kuma clans, Inoshishi clan and the Azarashi clan existed.

"But, each of the main clans were at war with each other. Each clan came from a different land; the Ookami came from the land of Demons, the Kitsune and Kuma from the Fire, Kawauso from the Waterfall, Inoshishi from the Earth and the Azarashi from the Water.

"In the end, no one seemed to win and returned to their land, but, the Ookami clans resorted to the Forests, and not all went back to the land of Demons. The Ookami clans consisted of the Ippiki-Ookami clan, half of which returned to the land of Demons; the Garou clan, half of which found a place in the land of Lightning, and the Hakurou clan, half of which went to the land of Snow, but the rest stayed in the land of Fire.

"The Ookami clans had tattoos that were never the same among them; some had them on their face, others on their shoulders, arms, backs, chest, and legs, even on the backs of hands, but, the only things that made them recognisable, were the three, claw like tattoos on their left cheek, and their amber eyes that made it seem like you were looking into your own soul. And, the people of the Ookami clans weren't human, but wolves, even if they took the human form.

"They formed an alliance with the Kitsune clans and helped rid the land of Fire of the Kuma clans, which retreated to the land of Snow, the land of Void, and the land of Earth.

"Over thousands of years, the clans started to die out for no apparent reason, until the Kitsune clans, Kawauso clan, Kuma clans, Inoshishi clan and the Azarashi clan had died, but, because they were the only clan to survive, the Ookami clans were said to be the cause of it all, killing off prey that the other clans needed to survive, and when only they were left in the forest, they were named the Wolves of Konoha"

Once Kiba had finished, they all felt cold, despite the warmth of the fire before them.

"Damn…where'd you pick up such a story, Kiba?" Shikamaru said, staring into the heart of the fire.

"It's been tossed about my clan for generations, but I don't know what it has to do with my clan anyway. It's just a myth, though, it's not like its true or anything" Kiba said, petting Akamaru.

Silence fell over the camp for a while before Naruto spoke.

"But…what if it was true…what if…a myth wasn't just a myth…what if a myth was true?" he asked, staring into the flames.

"Then it wouldn't be a myth, dumb-ass, and we wouldn't be camping out here if it was. In the myth, the Ookami were the strongest among clans after they and the Kitsune clans drove out the Kuma clans, and then they managed to kill off all the other clans single-handed" Kiba said.

"What about their tattoos…what did they look like?" Sakura asked quietly.

"I think they were claw like markings, and they were on their faces, shoulders, arms, backs, chests, and legs, even on the backs of their hands, but they always had three, claw like markings on their left cheek which made them recognisable" Kiba explained.

Sakura watched the flames dancing before her eyes, 'That boy had tattoos…were they…claw like…?'

Shikamaru suddenly stood, stretching with a yawn, "It's all too troublesome, so, I'm off to sleep" he said before entering his tent.

Naruto suddenly stretched too with a yawn and got to his feet, "I think I'll go to sleep too; 'night guys" he said, entering his tent like Shikamaru.

After a while, Ino entered her tent too, leaving Sakura and Kiba by the slowly dimming fire.

Akamaru yawned and placed his head on Kiba's knee, his eyes heavy and tired.

"I think we'll hit the hay too" Kiba said as he and Akamaru stood, "What about you?"

Sakura didn't look up from the fire, "I think I'll sit here for a little longer"

Kiba nodded, "Alright; good night, Sakura" he said before entering his tent.

Sakura stared into the amber flames of the fire, thinking of the boys' eyes as the wind picked up slightly.

She finally stood and entered her tent, falling asleep as faint howls seemed to dance on the wind.

Hey guys!

Here's the first chapter of Among Wolves.

I hope you all like it, and I'll try and get the next chapter up asap!

Please read and review, and then, if you have any ideas, I would greatly appreciate them!