A/N: Thank you all so much for all of the support! I'm trying my hardest to write for you guys. I've also been editing this chapter and the one prior to create a better overall story. Also, I'm writing [SPOILERS] Dusk's back story, and a few other small conversations and short stories. I'm out of school, so I should be able to update more than usual ~(^-^)~ Okie, you can go read the actual chapter now, baiiiiii!
The gray and white she-cat quickly acknowledged the wolf pup's presence, and that it was the same one she'd run into earlier. "A-are you okay..?" the black pup asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "Doing great, considering I have more wounds than I can count, my family either dead, or as good as dead, and a demon following my every step. So yeah, I'm REALLY having fun today," Moon replied, her voice gruff yet sarcastically nonchalant as she spoke. She shifted in her uncomfortable position, which caused even more pain. She groaned in displeasure.
The pup took on a worried expression, but said nothing. Dragging herself to a corner of the cage, Moon silently fell asleep, her blood pooling around her, causing her pelt to turn to a dark crimson on her right side.
Moon opened an eye as she heard a distant whispering noise. Fully awake, she watched intently as a shadowy figure appeared before the pup. The wolf pup murmured something inaudible to Moon, but seemed to be confused. The indistinguishable figure replied to the pup in a condescending voice. Moon strained to make out the words. "That can wait." That's what the figure had said.
Confused herself, Moon kept her undivided attention on the pair across the room. The pup boldly stood and said something yet again inaudible, and seemed to be internally petrified. The now scarred she-cat couldn't blame him. The blackened shadow stated something in a tone that made the pup seem inferior. The pup shrank back, his fear now blatantly plastered onto his face.
He shook himself, then adopted an furious expression before talking just a little louder. Moon could finally hear their conversation. "Back off or I'll attack," the little black pup stated threateningly. The figure laughed. "Well, I guess you'll have to attack, then!" it cackled before taking a step closer. The pup's ears flattened as the figure leaped at him, completely dissipating as it entered his body.
The pup yelped in pain as the figure began to overtake him. His eyes became darker and darker until they were pitch black. Moon closed her eyes, not wanted to see what happened next. She still heard his cry, "Get out of me, please!" Moon squinted her eyes shut, consciously forcing her breathing to remain steady, in hopes of convincing the figure that she was still asleep. Her thin body tense, she prepared for whatever came next. She began to hear the patter of soft footsteps heading her way.
The steps paused, as if to attack, and Moon swiftly leapt into the air, dodging the sloppy attack by the wolf pup. He smashed into the wall that had defined Moon's sleeping posture only seconds before. Landing lightly, Moon groomed her paw casually, throwing a smug glance in the pup's direction as she did so. The blackening smoke began to fade from his coal colored eyes. Feeling secure, the once beautiful she-cat informally strutted over to the shivering pup, who began to cry upon her appearance. Moon reached down to the trembling wolf pup and swiped a tear off of his frightened face.
He looked astounded that he had not been killed instantly, and looked up at Moon with wondering eyes. "So, what's your name, little guy?" Moon asked levelly, her plumy tail swishing over the ground behind her, wrapping comfortingly around the petrified pup. "M-my name is S-scar," the ungroomed pup replied in a small voice, a stutter present in his words. "Mine's Moon. I think we've got a lot of questions to ask each other," she commented.
"D-did you watch me and the shadow talk?" Scar asked, almost sounding as if he didn't want to hear her answer. "Of course; I've always got an eye open. Who was that, anyway?" Moon asked in return. "I-I really don't know, I'm just s-scared," the terrified Scar responded.
"Calm down, little buddy, don't rush yourself," Moon soothed, sending him a quick, encouraging glance, before beginning to groom his matted and ruffled pelt. "Moon, can I tell you something?" Scar queried. "Fire away," Moon permitted in between licks. "I-I lost my family in a battle with other wolves and my mom and brother got taken away by zookeepers," Scar explained, attempting and failing to hide a tear from Moon's view. "You have my sympathy, Scar. I've lost my family, as well... They won't be coming back. Well, one will," Moon reasoned with herself.
"Who will that one be?" Scar inquired curiously. "It's a long story. Let's just say that what just happened isn't very different from what he can do to me," Moon replied as memories of her past flooded her thoughts. Growling slightly, she pushed them away. She shifted into a more comfortable position, and Scar began to gradually calm down.
Pressing closer to one another for warmth, the pair talked all night about their lives, and how they had ended up where they were.
[Time Lapse]
The wolf and cat had become almost inseperable in the past years. They lived in captivity under he daily struggle to survive, until one particular day.
Scar and Moon were laying beside each other when a new visitor entered their exhibit. They didn't think much of it; the saw hundreds of other people like him on a daily basis. But, for some reason, something about him put Moon off. His presence made the fur on her spine instinctively rise, and she kept her gaze focused on the strange man.
"Who is that?" Scar asked the lithe she-cat, seemingly as disturbed as Moon. "I don't know, but I don't appreciate him being here, that's for sure," Moon replied, her eyes never leaving the man. Flexing her claws, Moon kept her swirling emotions contained under a level stare and posture.
Suddenly, the man bolted towards their cage. He swiftly broke the lock, and swung the door open. Moon jumped away defensively, while Scar snarled at the new threat, backing away as Moon had done. Tranquilizers were shot into the pair, and Moon gave a final furious growl as she went down. Scar probably met a similar fate; he leapt in front of her at the last second. Sure enough, a dull thump sounded to Moon's front. She closed her eyes and accepted the welcomimg darkness, and faded into a deep slumber.
Moon awoke. She didn't know how long it had been since she had left the zoo. Scar stood shakily, and Moon rose and stretched casually. The cage now trapping them was located in what appeared to be a Human nest. Two muffled thumps sounded to her left, and upon whipping around, Moon and Scar were met with the eyes of the man. Two disheveled lumps lie on the ground before them. They appeared to be a wolf and cat, as well. They didnt seem to know each other, and obviously didnt know the two in front of them. One was a scarred male that seemed to be of a similar age to Moon, the other a female wolf. "Kill them," the Human ordered bluntly.
Moon hissed and backed off; the last thing on her mind was causing the dehydrated animals pain. Scar bristled and growled at the man, seemingly daring him to reopen the cage door. The Human did just that, and was too quick for Scar as he smashed his side with his strange paw. Scar retaliated, biting the man's arm, and not letting go. Blood flowed from the Human's newly acquired wound.
The unnamed wolf and cat were abruptly thrust from the confines of the cage. Moon hurled her full body weight at the door as it closed with a click. The Human stood above them, raising its hand. The man first hit the wolf, then the cat. Moon held her composure against the cries of the injured animals, and swiftly began to pick the lock of the cage, using her claw as a lockpick. "Moonlight!" Scar exclaimed as he further examined the she-wolf. "Moonlight?" Moon echoed, forcing herself to hold her attention mainly on her work. Scar's eye proceeded to cloud with a chilling black smoke. Moon's right was already steaming with blue smoke, the little slit in the center focused intently on the lock that was holding her and Scar captive. "Yes, Moonlight! She's my sister," Scar snarled in response to Moon's words, his lips drawn back into a furious expression.
"I don't think this is a good time for a family reunion," Moon called back sarcastically. A yowl from the tom punctuated her statement, and blood proceeded to clot around his eye where the Human had struck him. The lock finally broke, snapping into pieces from Moon's expertise. The pair exploded from their cage, emitting terrifying cries of battle as they did so. Landing upon the man, Moon dug her claws into his neck, then fastened her teeth into his hand as he attempted to shove her roughly away. Scar ducked below the Human, tearing the flesh as he swept the his feet from under him.
The unidentified wolf and cat stared up at the fighting animals with a mixture of shock, terror, and gratefulness mixed in their wide, stunned gazes. The Human hit the ground with a thud, blood pooling beside his neck where Moon had torn it wide open. Moon gave a final hiss at the struggling Human before turning to the mortified wolf and tom-cat. Her expression shifted from one of menace to its typical light-hearted manner. "Hey, guys. So, how's your day been going?" she asked unceremoniously, her calm, analyzing eye settling upon the recovering wolf and tom.
"Sis?" Scar questioned the stunned wolf, sounding endlessly worried. "Brother, is that you..?" Moonlight asked reproachfully. "Yes.. It's me," Scar replied with a smile of pure giddiness. Moonlight ran towards her brother jovially, before resting her head on his shoulder, tears beginning to flow from her closed eyes. "Hate to cut this lovliness short, but we're still here," Moon called from the side, now having layed down beside the tom-cat peacefully, her paws tucked neatly beneath her chest. She gestured with her tail towards the sand colored tom as she spoke.
"What's your name, cat?" Scar questioned, turning his head slightly to look in the tom's direction. "My name is Dusk," the sandy cat replied smoothly. "Well, I'm Scar, and that's Moonlight," he said, nodding his head towards his newfound sister as he mentioned her name. "I'm Moon," the gray and white she-cat said from beside Dusk. "It's nice to meet you," she added, extending a paw in a joking form. "M'lady," Dusk joked, licking the paw grandly. The pair chuckled at their little joke, while Scar and Moonlight simply rolled their eyes exasperatedly.
"So, do you guys want to come home with us?" Scar inquired, ignoring a snort of laughter from behind him. "Sure, I want to go!" Moonlight exclaimed. "Sure, why not?" Dusk replied, standing up and stretching. Moon mimicked his actions, licking some Human blood from her claws as she did so. "Home being..?" Moon inquired. "Wherever the wind takes us," Scar replied dramatically, causing Moon to roll her eyes as Scar had done before. She gestured with her tail for Dusk and Moonlight to follow her before padding after Scar, who had already prowled out of the ajar door of the Human nest.
The four walked 'home', the grass below them soothing their pads, sore from traveling so long. As the unsuspecting group travelled past, something rustled in the bushes to their right, and they caught the scent of Human. Moon growled as zookeepers jumped out of the bushes from all directions. Moon's right eye flared blue, and she let out a yowl as they quickly approached the encircled animals. Scar and Moonlight were frozen with terror; Moon and Dusk were the only ones currently self-aware.
The zookeepers took Scar and Moonlight first, roughly throwing their frozen bodies into crates. Moon swung her claws at anything and everything; she was in her own world, and her only instinct was to survive. Her claws scored something furry, and she realized too late that she had struck Dusk across his chest mistakenly. "I hope he's okay," was her last thought as she was overtaken by the Humans, whose circle quickly shrank, trapping her. Accepting it, she sighed as she was thrown into a painfully familiar splintery crate beside the sand colored tom.
[Smol Time Lapse]
Dusk and Moon were thrown roughly into the cage behind Scar and his sister. "Great," Scar commented. The gash from before opened on Moon's shoulder, and she hissed in pain. Dusk had been filled in on her powers and backstory on the way to the zoo. He had comforted her, claiming that everything would be alright. Moon's story had been discussed as well. Now, Dusk walked up to Moon, lying down beside her. "Your powers," he whispered. Moon nodded, and the slice on her shoulder slowly closed again. "Thanks," she mumbled before standing tall again, her gaze flickering among her friends, searching for further injuries.
Looking over at Scar, Moon saw his face fall, hiding a distraught expression. It seemed to clear soon after, with Scar breathing heavily. "Scar, are you okay..?" Moon inquired, walking to stand beside her lifelong friend, worrying for his well-being. "Don't tell the others, please! I'm trying to keep it in," Scar whispered urgently, keeping his voice low so that Dusk and Moonlight could not make out the desperate words.
Dusk gave Moon a confused look, and she dismissed it with a flick of her long-furred tail. Dusk, unfortunately, would have to wait. On the trip to the zoo, she'd learned more about him, and had gradually developed feelings for the good-hearted tom. Moon disengaged herself from her thoughts, responding to Scar, "I won't. But you have to fight it," she stated firmly, her eyes glimmering with worry and sympathy. "Thank..you.." Scar replied as sweat formed on his brow and he began to pant.
Moon stepped back, silently instructing Dusk to do the same with yet another swish of her silky tail. He still gazed upon her unsurely, but complied, trusting the nimble she-cat. Moonlight ran over to her hurting brother as he let out a yelp of pain. "What's going on?" she asked Scar, the same worried expression Moon held forming upon her face as well. "I'm back!" Scar abruptly yelled with a horrific laugh.
Moon hissed, understanding exactly who this was. The fearsome creature proceeded to lunge for Dusk, ripping at his fur. Dusk fought back hard, biting Scar's hind leg. Moon leapt in, charging the black-eyed beast. The agile she-cat pinned the unhinged Scar to the ground, tearing at his muzzle. "Please, stop!" the desperate scarred cat screeched at the overtaken wolf. "Oh, you want to stop me?" the wolf growled with a gruesome laugh. "Well, I'm never getting out of him!" he howled, shoving the white and gray she-cat off of himself with surprising force.
"Scar, please! I love you!" Scar's sister begged from behind Moon, attempting to encourage Scar to take his body back. A tear streamed down Moonlight's face as she barked the words. Moon hurled herself at the seemingly strengthening wolf, hitting him hard in his ribs. A sickening crack sounded before the stunned wolf hit the ground with an audible thump. Moon stood with blood pooling around her claws. She stared right through the convulsing Scar, a hard look of hidden sympathy in her eyes.
The stricken wolf coughed and spasmed, a strange black substance trickling from his parted jaws. Moon sighed, still looking down upon the hurting Scar with the haunting stare. "Ugh, my head.. What happened..?" Scar asked slightly, stirring from his fetal position.