Children of the Moon
By: 'trivnar'
Chapter 1 - Magpie
Zayin sniffed the air, brows furrowing as it brought him the scents of oil and grease, rot and the rest of the putrid paraphernalia of odors that accompanied most human habitations. His brother, sitting on his haunches with his tail curled around his paws, had flattened his ears back across his skull and bared his teeth at the city.
"You want to hunt here? The food—"
"Is the only food around."
Daleth looked back over his shoulder, at the empty wasteland behind, then at the overcast sky, which would hide any moon that night.
The two wolves seated on the clifftop overlooking the city were alike in build and features, but not in manner or coat. Zayin, the elder, was robed in a rich, thick black, while his brother was clad in white with one black footpaw. Both watched the city with golden eyes – one pair brooding, one pair exuberant.
Daleth finally bowed his head in resignation. "If we're going, we'd better go. At least it's not snowing."
Zayin snorted, then rose and trotted down the steep slope.
The wasteland above the city had once been a rich plain, kept fertile by the yearly flooding of the great river than ran across it in a long winding track. Now all that remained was a dry and dusty gorge, the cracked land proof that no water ran underneath it, even miles below.
The plain ended abruptly, as the underlying stone suddenly sheered away. The river had once plunged over the edge of the cliff in a thundering curtain, filling the bowl below with water. In the dark shadows at the bottom of the bowl, where rainbows had danced, the domed city of Leixlip clung to the worn stone.
The path down was steep, but four legs and finely honed instincts made short work of it. There was a tense moment when the ledge where Zayin stood crumbled out from beneath his feet, but he managed to jump onto a lower protrusion with dignity intact.
No one noticed two wolves enter through the broken dome. They saw only two boys, one with black hair, one with blond, and paid them no heed. Nor did they notice the strange shadows they cast, or that when they splashed through puddles of water it was paw prints they left behind.
Now that they were in the city, Daleth showed much more enthusiasm at the prospect of eating. He sniffed hungrily at the air, leading the way through the more dilapidated outskirts into the heart of the city proper.
Here the streets were clean and made of some synthetic material that had a slightly springy feel underpaw. The people were well dressed but not nobles, for they kept to their own, not so easily accessed sectors.
Zayin watched his brother out of the corner of his eye, more concerned with making sure no one bumped into him and broke his illusion of human form. He could hold it if lightly jostled, but a large collision would shatter it.
He was jealous at his brother's ability to dodge through the crowd effortlessly, not so much brushing them with a tail tip, even though he passed close enough to relieve at least one man of his wallet.
Eventually Daleth led them to a street vendor, who was selling hot meat off a grill. Zayin couldn't tell what kind of meat by the smell; a bad sign, but his brother paid the exorbitant price anyway and snatched the two largest slabs in his teeth.
They retreated to a quiet alley, where they sat on the lid of a closed dumpster and devoured the tough fare. Zayin tilted his head back, peering up at the sky through the broken pieces of the dome. The dark clouds had bellied out, and carried the distinctive feel of rain. As if his appraisal had been noted, the temperature dropped a few degrees.
"We should find shelter," Daleth suggested. He rummaged through the wallets, keeping only credits and dropping the remainder behind the dumpster. "I'm glad I don't have fingerprints," he grinned, "humans sure have it rough."
"I dunno, I think I'd rather like having hands." Zayin helped shove the credits into the pouch that hung around the white wolf's neck. "Sure would make stuff like this easier."
"'This stuff 'is only necessary because we need to use what humans have created to survive. Once we find your Paradise you'll be glad enough for your paws."
Zayin knew Daleth was only teasing, but he lunged off the dumpster as if he'd been stung. At the same moment the skies opened in an endless torrent. The smell of wet dog filled the alley as the wolves' fur stuck to their lean frames.
Zayin snorted water from his nose. "We won't be able to find anything in this slop. Where's that shelter you mentioned?"
They deserted the alley, looking for an overhang or a canopy, but each likely spot was already taken by humans, and none looked like they were in the mood to share, especially not to suspicious and smelly strangers.
Paradise. Since his brother had mentioned it, the melody now ran through him, to which he unconsciously adjusted his stride. It rose and fell with his paws, stirring in him the need to travel, and travel far. But of which direction and what he searched for other than a vague feeling he had not the slightest clue. What he needed was a flower of the moon to show him the way. But such a thing had not been scented since the white wolf.
Daleth shook his head, causing his ears to flap loudly and breaking Zayin from his reverie.
"What are you planning? Do we stay here or move on?"
Zayin hesitated. "We stay. I'm going to talk with the crows."
It was a measure of how Daleth was accustomed to his brother's strange requests that he didn't bat an eye.
They walked back down the tidy streets until the smells grew progressively worse. Ironically, the dome was in better condition in the slums, although no longer lit. The wolves' eyes adjusted effortlessly to the half-light. The nobles had had the dome rubble from the main city dragged down to the outer edges, and it was on one such pile that Zayin settled. With his back pressed up against the rising curve of the dome, he found himself comfortably sheltered from the rain.
There was no need to howl or spill fresh blood to make the black birds come to him. Daleth watched well away from the scene, under two blocks of metasynth supporting each other like tent-poles. His brother had once told him that he "opened himself up" and the birds would hear and come. Personally, it made his hackles crawl.
Zayin watched quietly as the Corvidae began to gather, perching on the rubble all around him. They bobbed gracefully up and down on their thin legs, black eyes glinting. White flashed suddenly amidst the black, and a magpie landed directly in between his front paws.
The crows made their displeasure know at once, fanning their wings and screeching loudly. Zayin growled at them several times before they fell silent. He studied the magpie curiously.
Most of the world's animals had faded away until they only remained in books long forgotten. However a few had managed to survive – the wolves, since they knew how to hide themselves; the crows, since they could eat anything; insects, for they thrived in human waste. Magpies were of course part of the crow family, but as they were forced to compete with the bigger, more ferocious birds, were far less common.
"You've come before."
She spread her wings and ducked her head in an imitation of a submissive wolf. Only from a distance. I am Akasha.
She spoke very clearly, with none of the extra bird-chatter he expected.
I know you seek a song.
Zayin sprang to his feet, causing half the flock to take to the air, cawing in agitation. Over the racket he could hear Daleth growling nervously. "What do you know of it?"
Akasha spread out her long tail feather behind her. World's End draws near, and the wolves have still not found the prophesied way. The white one came close, but he lost his guide, and now there are none left of the living lunar race. What will happen, some have started to wonder, if the way is never opened?
"What are you saying?"
Only what you already knew, wolf. The reason why you have no words, only a melody. There is no one left to sing it.
The crows had lost interest now, and most had already flown. Only a few birds remained, who pecked in disinterest at the ground.
"How do you know all of this?"
I have watched the nobles make their flowers many times, and I have watched the wolves take them away. But the door has remained shut. Why are you any different?
Zayin bared his fangs at the bird. "I will find it!"
They all said that.
"I have to find it! I promised –" His gaze darted over to Daleth and he lowered his voice. "To keep him safe."
Akasha contemplated his words. Well it could be worse, she said finally. You need a flower, and for that you need a human. Find the Alchemist.
The magpie jumped into the air, white pinions flashing as she streaked towards a hole in the dome.
"Hey wait!" Zayin jumped after her. "Where do I find this human?"
It's no good unless you do it yourself. She called back. The journey is the most important part, after all, not the destination.
Then she was gone, apart from a lone feather slowly drifting down to land at his paws.
In two large bounds, Daleth was at his side. "I heard that last bit. What did she mean, the destination is not important?"
Zayin shook his head. "I don't know. I'm more concerned about why we have to find a human. What do they know? Paradise belongs to the wolves."
Daleth shifted from paw to paw. "I dunno, maybe it's a place where wolves can live with humans, together, without having to be afraid."
He gave his brother a cold stare. "I'm not afraid of them!"
Daleth backed off, tail between his legs. "Well I am. They'd kill us, all these humans, if they knew what we were. For all we know, we could be the only two left."
"I won't believe that. And I'm not chasing after some human on the advice of a magpie." He turned to go, hesitated, then picked up the green and white feather, tangling it into the thick fur of his neck.
A/N - Weekly updates? I'll try to aim for that. Please let me know your thoughts!