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Atum-Coma: The City Hidden in the Nexus
By Demonabyss
Chapter 4: Cats and Dogs
The Prowler had stopped at what was once a town, but had been abandoned due to local murderous darkstalkers. Said darkstalkers had been killed some time ago by hunters and so the place was now a simple ghost town. This was the place where Felicia had chosen to meet Jon Talbain, the current leader of the werewolf pack. It would be a week at least before he showed up though, so in that time Felicia had decided to make a semi-permanent camp in this ghost town since the talks would occur at a devastated town not far from where they were. They also needed to do some heavy maintenance on the trains and it was not safe to do that out in the open wasteland or in the wilds. Right now, everyone was pretty much doing her (in Naruto's case his) own thing.
Naruto was walking around town with Ria and Mia, both in their smaller kitten forms, riding on each of his shoulders. They had been training in techniques for the past couple of weeks. They had improved their control, but still the jutsus misfired from time to time and they still used too much energy to actually do them perfectly. The three of them were now near the edge of town, not doing much as they had completed their training for the day. Naruto sat on a roof top while looking out onto the barren landscape. It was hard for him to imagine that this had all once been green and healthy with a blue sky instead of a blackened overcast sky. The boy was still a little nervous about meeting with this Jon Talbain guy. He didn't know why, but the idea of werewolves just bothered him, though after living with a tribe of catwomen it shouldn't have been a problem.
As he stared out onto the horizon, he saw something far in the distance. It was a mass of animals it looked like, almost like a small army. The mass moved in perfect unison as it approached. As it moved closer, Naruto was able to get a better look at it. The mass was a large group of wolves, humanoid wolves. In the front of this colossal pack was a distinctly larger white and blue werewolf. The wind shifted, carrying the scent of the hundreds of bestial darkstalkers towards the town. Immediately something inside Naruto just cringed at the smell of wolf. He didn't know what it was, but he could almost swear he heard a low growling being emitted from the back of his mind … or was that him? The blonde wasn't sure, but was broken out of his reverie by the sound of hundreds of catwomen coming to where he was from all over in the town. In front of the pride was Felicia, running on all fours as he had seen her do often. She had a pleasant smile on her face, as if she were seeing an old friend. Ria and Mia both jumped off his shoulders and morphed into their humanoid forms. They had tried morphing once while still riding on him, that hadn't ended well. In any case, they three of them watched as the two groups, one of felines and the other of canines. Naruto watched cautious eyes, his instinct in the back of his mind on guard at the sight of these werewolves.
Jon ran towards his old friend Felicia with his pack behind him. He smiled slightly to himself as he could spot her sky blue hair easily. She hadn't changed since he had first met her during one of her auditions when he had … accidentally interrupted it. He later met up with her during the Hutzil invasion and had stopped her from killing herself in order to rescue a human town. Even now he sometimes had a hard time understanding why she cared so much about humans. Ah well, it made her an excellent emissary to the human groups for the darkstalker clans. In any case, as he approached the town a strange scent passed by, causing him and number of other werewolves to look towards the source. On the top of a nearby building at the edge of the town were there were two cat girls and … a human boy in orange? He focused his senses on the boy he noticed a few peculiar things about him. The first was the fact that he practically reeked of fox, yet in an indirect way that he couldn't understand. The fox image was enhanced by the whisker like marks on the boy's face. From what he could tell, the boy seemed uneasy looking at him. There was also something else he could sense from the boy. A power, an immense dark power that was there brewing beneath the surface just waiting to be tapped into. He frowned as he ran, making a mental note to ask Felicia about the boy.
The blue-haired catwoman smiled as she ran up to her old friend, unhindered by normal greeting protocols. She gave him a huge hug which he reciprocated, causing him and others on both sides to chuckle. The catwomen race and the werewolves were on very good terms due to the fact that their leaders were good friends. The two groups were of the same type and the fact that they faced similar problems in regards to humans and other darkstalkers also brought the races together. "It's been awhile Jon, I was beginning to wonder if you were avoiding me," she said playfully.
The werewolf just chuckled. "With your chipper attitude, do you have to ask?" he replied good naturedly as all the bestial darkstalkers walked back into town. As they went into town, he could still feel that boy's eyes on his back despite the distance. "So, who was that blonde human I saw?" he asked. Immediately, Felicia became slightly more sober. Most other people wouldn't have noticed it, but due to the time he had spent around her he noticed. "There's something strange about him isn't there?" he asked softly.
The catwoman sighed. "His name is Naruto and we found him a few weeks ago on our way here. He's very friendly and has been training with us and teaching us some interesting techniques. What bothers me is that I'm not sure if he's a darkstalker or not. He reeks indirectly of fox, has healing abilities that no normal human would have, stamina that gives me a run for my money, and his energy levels are much higher the some of the best trained catwomen I have. If I didn't know better I'd say he was bestial type darkstalker, but other then the smell and those whisker marks he doesn't show any outwards signs of being one. I'm just not sure what he is," she explained as they walked to her temporary apartment near the train station.
Jon was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "Do you think that he might be a half-breed, like Donavon?" the werewolf suggested.
Felicia frowned. "I've thought about that and it might be a possibility. The only problem is his smell it doesn't match up at all. He smells more like someone who is possessed by a demon, but he doesn't show any of the symptoms of possession at all other then that. I'm just not sure," she explained as they went inside. It was small and sparsely furnished, but it was enough for the time being. With the world being the way it was, they couldn't spare much on frivolities. "Want something to drink?" she asked.
"No thanks. Anyway, perhaps we could have Gil and Agatha look at him, they'd probably be able to figure out what he is," the werewolf suggested as he shifted back into his human form of a lithe man with pale white hair.
"Perhaps, but I'm a little reluctant to have those sparks experiment on him. You know how sparks are once they get going." She shivered as she remembered the last time she had seen Spark madness. "Creepy. Anyway I have a favor to ask you," she said in a sweet tone which would cause any male's senses to go on high alert.
Jon Talbain was no different. "Oh no, whatever it is no. I will not be corralled into one of your favors again," he said defiantly.
Felicia laughed lightly. "It's not life threatening. All I want is for you to help Ria, Mia, and Naruto with their power control is all." She turned towards him and instantly her eyes seemed to double in size as she clasped her paws in front of her and stuck out her lower lip slightly in a pout. "Pwease?" she said in the cutest and sweetest voice imaginable. She looked like a cross between a large kitten wanting some milk and a little girl asking for some candy.
Jon's eye twitched. That look should be registered as a lethal weapon. Despite being an accomplished martial artist and the leader of one of the most influential darkstalker groups, he STILL couldn't say no to that face. He even was absently calling it her "Kitten Face" technique. Damn her for inventing it and damn him for falling for it EVERY DAMN TIME! "ALL RIGHT! I'll train them; just put that face of yours away." She smiled brightly and went back to the kitchen. "Manipulative, overgrown, fur-ball," he muttered under his breath.
She just smiled wider. "I love you to Jon."
Naruto walked through town back to his temporary apartment with Felicia, Mia, and Ria. All around him were catwomen and werewolves doing various things. Despite some of the werewolves being in human form, Naruto was still unexplainably uneasy. He couldn't understand it. He shook his head as he noticed Felicia walking towards him with a white-haired man next to her. Despite his change in appearance, the blonde knew this was the same werewolf he saw leading the pack earlier. Again as before, something inside him was snarling, telling him to get away from the canine. Naruto ignored it in favor of the reason that if Felicia trusted him then so could he. "Hey Naruto, we were looking for you. This is my friend Jon Talbain, he's agreed to help you, Mia, and Ria on your control problems," the catwoman explained.
Naruto looked at the man who had agreed to help him. He reminded the boy of some of the Anbu ninja he had rarely seen back home. Still, the fox boy was willing to give the guy a shot. "Nice to meet ya kid, lets go find those two fur-ball sisters and see what you three can do," Jon said kindly to help ease the kid's tension. The boy eased somewhat, but not completely, he'd have to work on that.
They quickly found the twin cat girls and began training. Immediately the werewolf could see what Felicia had been talking about with this boy. He had a lot of stamina and kept going even when the two kittens were starting to tire out. That was also part of the problem, even though it was one many darkstalkers had when they attempted to use human techniques. Humans were used to using a limited amount of power and thus developed techniques that were effective and efficient. Darkstalkers on the other hand, wielding what was known as the power of the cursed Dark, normally had four to five times the power of a human the same age and training. This kid had even more then that and yet for all intents and purposes, he seemed almost completely human. In any case, it was his job to help these three out as there were others who were starting to become interested in the techniques from just watching them. "Okay, I see the problem. Sit down you three and let me explain," he said seriously. The three did so, Naruto in the middle with Mia and Ria at his sides. "Okay, the problem is you're simply using too much power in the techniques. When you let your power flow into them, begin with just the barest amount. Start with just enough power to feel a slight relief and go from there," he explained.
The trio nodded and went back to doing the Henge jutsu again. Mia and Ria were both trying to transform into Lucy, who was watching as well. Naruto on the other hand tried to transform in Jon himself. The cat girls were able to transform into the basic shape of Lucy, but got the coloring wrong as they still retained their black fur and colored hair. Naruto ended up in a similar position, right shape wrong color scheme. The werewolf did get a chuckle out of seeing himself with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a big dopey grin on his face. It wasn't perfect, but it was definitely a step in the right direction.
Weeks passed and Jon continued to train the trio along with other cat girls and younger werewolves who all had become interested in the techniques Naruto had brought with him. The Kawarimi jutsu was more popular among the older darkstalkers due to its usage and tactical value in battle. On the other hand (or paw to be more accurate) the Henge jutsu was becoming a favorite of the younger due to the fun they could have with it. It was also during this time that Naruto had earned the nickname Kit due to smelling like a fox and it had stuck. It annoyed the boy to no end but it was definitely a step up from his nicknames from Konoha. The boy hadn't thought much about his "home" since he had met up with Felicia and the catwomen tribe. Getting attacked by that crazy red dude and then ending up with a large group of humanoid feline females, it was easy to see why his old life had been shoved to the back burner in his mind. Now add to the shape shifting wolves, the leader of which was now training him. His life had taken a very weird turn. What he failed to realize was things were going to get much weirder very soon.
Forces gathered as the time for the talks came closer. Darkstalker groups from all over the world were gathering in this one place. However, that created a problem. It made it a prime opportunity for hunters of the Dark. True, due to the world failing as it was, many hunters simply joined up with the human groups, however there were a few fanatics running around. One of the most dangerous was Bulleta also known as Baby Bonnie Hood. She was a teenaged S-class hunter with blonde hair, blue eyes, a red hood and cape, with a heart as black as any darkstalker and obsessed with wiping them out. She had come here to this town a few days before the talks would begin to hunt down one specific darkstalker, the leader of the werewolves, Jon Talbain. The blonde girl giggled insanely from her spot on a cliff, over looking the town. With the talks, no one would notice one more human in town until it was too late. 'Oh yes, you'll make a fine trophy wolf boy,' she thought maniacally as she stroked her Uzi.
DARK TOME: Creatures
Main Type: Bestial
Sub Type: Shifter
Werewolves: In popular folklore, a man who is transformed, or who transforms himself, into a wolf in nature and appearance under the influence of a full moon. The Werewolf is only active at night and during that period he devours infants and corpses. According to legend, Werewolves can be killed by silver objects such as silver arrows and silver bullets. When a Werewolf dies he is returned to his human form.
In truth, werewolves can transform at any time with proper guidance, however under the full moon a werewolf is forced to transform as their wolf instincts flare up at the sight of the moon. Also, because they can control their transformation, usually, they can be active during the daytime, though like most darkstalkers they prefer the night. They do not feed on corpses or infants; that is just propaganda and superstition. However, the legend of silver objects being lethal to werewolves is correct, but only if it gets into their blood stream. Otherwise only prolonged contact with it can do any serious damage. Wolf's bane has been known to have similar, if far less lethal, effects on werewolves. The legend of becoming a werewolf due to a bite is only partially true. What is truly needed is a blood transfer of some type in order for that to happen. Even more so is the fact that the blood must be compatible much like a normal blood transfusion. If not, depending on whom it is transferred into, it will disperse harmlessly (darkstalkers) or it will poison them causing incredible pain before death (humans).
Werewolves, despite their human forms, have a harder time of blending into society then catwomen. Due to the fact that their human and bestial natures as less blended than catwomen, it's harder for them to balance them and keep their bestial instinct under control. Their instinct becomes harder to repress the longer they have to keep it in, especially under a full moon. This is why occurrences of werewolf attacks happen mostly in cities or crowded areas where there is no place safe and or private for them to release it. They can travel in packs or on their own, depending on the situation. Like catwomen, they choose their leaders, though unlike them it is less like a democracy and based more on strength. Recently, Jon Talbain has been given the role of leader and as a result has stopped the majority of hostilities towards humans. However, not everyone is happy with this.
AN: For those of you who are wondering, I'm basing darkstalkers mostly on the anime first, then the comics, and lastly on the games. Naruto is based off of the anime and what I've read in fan fiction. I also plan to do a few things that I've never seen anywhere as well as include characters from other sources that I've not seen anywhere else in fan fiction as well. Sorry for the wait but college and work come first. Please R&R.