The Pack Two Tales

Disclaimer: If I were Disney and Square-Enix… many of the game's male characters would be going at it right now…

Chapter 4

Roxas' POV

I yawned as I made sure everything was in order before leaving the Bakery. Seifer always had a knack of getting everything disorganized suddenly, leaving me to fix it back to its original order.

"Seifer! How many times do I have to tell you that the cooking sheets do not go in the flour pantry! The flour pantry is for flour you dunce!" Rufus snapped as he left the kitchen.

"Well, if you would just put things away after you were finished with them, you wouldn't have to worry about me putting them in the wrong place!" Seifer yelled back.

"That's not the point, you imbecile!" Rufus retorted.

"Call me something one more time. I swear I'll-"

"Guys! We go through this like every day! Seifer, didn't I tell you to stay out of the kitchen? And Rufus, you should know by now not to make Seifer put the kitchen equipment away… he's only a respectable person in front of the customers." I said.

"Hey!" Seifer interjected.

"Seifer… I'm exaggerating a little, but you never act decently with Rufus." I said.

"I can be decent with Rufus." Seifer argued.

"Well then, if you two can go a whole month without yelling and snapping each other's heads off, I'll let you split my next pay check fifty-fifty." I offered. I wasn't afraid to wager because I knew something like that would never happen.

"You're on!" Seifer and Rufus said together.

I smiled. This could be pretty entertaining I think. I sighed before looking to Rufus. "You're supposed to lock up today so I'm going to head out." I said and grabbed my keys and bag.

"Bye." Rufus and Seifer said together once again.

I walked out of the bakery and headed towards the park. Evidently Kairi and Sora finally tied the knot and their having a big celebration at the clearing.

I have to say, seeing the life of the Loup Garou has made so much of my practical life with everyone else seem so… well, misguided… sometimes it made me wonder what the hell I was doing with my life. And was it really all that worth it?

And it's made me appreciate a lot of things I took for granted: the comfort that can be found by simply sitting in the soft grass, how the smell of the rain smells best when sitting under a large tree, or the importance of having friends.

I hopped the fence around the park and walked in slowly. I figured I could take my time to enjoy the sights hidden in this sanctuary.

I hummed a quiet tune as I leisurely walked my way down a path never ventured. I paused when I saw a small bird singing on a branch. I approached it gently and smiled at the bird. "You sing beautifully." I said to it… I knew it couldn't understand me and I wished that I had the ability to speak through my thoughts… maybe then my statement would reach the bird.

The bird simply paused in it's singing at the sound of my voice and flew away. The slight rustle of the leaves was the only noise left for me. I looked up at the sky and chuckled. The pinks and purples and blues and oranges mixed together to make one hell of a sunset sky.

I continued my walk to the clearing when I spotted a rich green color on the forest floor. I moved over to it and knelt down to see what it was.

It was a feather. It really was the most vibrant emerald I had ever seen on anything, let alone a feather.

I reached down to take it when a growl startled me out of my solace. I stood abruptly and looked around. The growl sounded again. This time, it was even more prominent and I knew that kind of growl.

It was the one that Cloud told me I should never want to hear. It meant I was in trouble.

A snarl rang from the right of me and I turned to see a very angry looking… well… to be honest it looked like a very large wolf… but there weren't supposed to be wolves in this park, only Loup Garou… and I know all the Loup Garou so I was very concerned about my well-being at this point.

"Uhh… nice doggie…" I said softly and backed away slowly.

The large animal growled and snarled once more and took steps towards me. I found myself backed against a tree and I wasn't really sure if I should turn my back to the animal… he would attack for sure.

The wolf let out a bestial roar and all of my common sense flew out the window. I turned and ran as fast as I could through the forest.

Aw shit! I was gonna fuckin' die! I could hear the animal's footsteps get louder and louder. I screamed as I fell into the fetal position. "CLOUD!"

Suddenly everything got quiet and I looked up from my curled position to see Cloud's wolf form standing in front of me. Cloud and the unnamed wolf stood there just staring at each other. I knew they were really talking but I couldn't know what they were saying.

Cloud turned into his human form and turned to me. He offered his hand to me and I took it with a shaky hand. The adrenaline had yet to leave me. I laughed nervously. "Cloud, you'd think I was your boyfriend by the way you keep appearing before me all naked and stuff." I said.

Cloud laughed. "Maybe you should get naked and even the playing ground." I snorted at Cloud's suggestion.

"So who is that and why the fuck was he trying to kill me?" I asked getting a hold of myself again.

"He's from a pack that lives in Twilight Town. He didn't know you were a friend. He thought you were venturing to close to the clearing and saw you as a threat. He apologizes, right Axel?" Cloud said and looked to the red wolf.

The wolf gave a grunt before moving towards the clearing. I frowned but figured that was the best I was going to get.

"Hm… he's changed a little since I last saw him." Cloud said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, he's definitely acting a lot more serious and cautious… I thought for sure he would be the life of the party… he was so lively the last time I was with him." Cloud said and I shrugged.

"Well, I guess he doesn't really like me all that much because I'm a stranger, and a human one at that." I said.

"He should know by now that not all humans are evil beings… I mean, I certainly wasn't." Cloud replied.

"Cloud… you weren't really a normal human. You could hear the Loup Garou's thoughts and you bonded with them on a whole different level… me, on the other hand, can't communicate with your pack unless you are in human form. And I'm sure that's always a drag for you guys to have to change when I come around to visit." I said.

"That's nonsense, Rox! Riku would suffer from Roxas withdrawal if you didn't come like every other day." Cloud said with a laugh.

I smiled. "I actually think it's the other way around. Riku… he's one hell of a wolf. I can't help but find him amazing." I said.

"Why thank you, Roxas. I never knew you thought so highly of me." Riku said while leaning against the tree. I smiled. Since the kids were all grown up now, he didn't have to keep an eye on them all the time. He had a lot more opportunities now to venture out of the clearing and explore.

"Riku!" I smiled and walked over to him and he and I did our special greeting. We would form an X with our forearms before pulling each other into a hug. We knew it was a little childish but we didn't care.

"Let's head to the clearing. Xemnas was actually wondering when you were going to get here. He thought it was odd that you hadn't come to annoy him yet." Riku said. I laughed as I ran towards the clearing.

I loved being so care free when I was here. I didn't need to feel obligated to do anything; I didn't have the weight of reality on my shoulders… because here, reality wasn't a burden you had to carry.

"Xemnas! Guess who's back!" I said and I giggled when Xemnas let out a growl that sounded a lot like a grown of playful displeasure.

Turns out that I had changed Xemnas a little by being here. I helped him loosen up a little. I think it also had to do with him passing his Alpha title to Sora. He had less reason to be serious all the time.

"So where is the happy couple?" I asked.

"Roxas!" I turned to see Kairi running over to me. I smiled at her. "Hey you! I still can't get over how big you've gotten… I mean, I remember when you were like this big!" I said and placed my hand down to the height of a five year old.

"I'm all grown up now. Look!" She looked up to the sky and my eyes widened at the large bite mark around the front of her neck.

Half of me was freaked out and the other half was happy for her. "Damn girl! Sora must know what he's doing to bite you there." I said.

Kairi blushed. "He's the greatest…" she trailed off and I felt my heart flutter for a second.

And that puzzled me. Why did I find Kairi so attractive all of a sudden? I mean, I was gay. But she looked so damn good, and she had this aura… I couldn't even describe it.

I heard a short growl behind me and I turned to see Sora glaring at me. I frowned. "There's no need to growl at me, Sora. I'm not going to jump your mate." I said and Sora shook his head a little before smiling at me.

"Sorry, it was like a reflex… I may not be able to read your mind but I can smell." Sora said.

I blushed. "Well, sorry about that… it puzzled me actually. I think I'm just going t-"

"Roxas, let me introduce you to the Twilight pack." Cloud inserted before I could finish and I sighed in relief as he pulled me towards the new comers.

"Okay, so Zexion and Xion, this is my good friend Roxas. He visits us from time to time and he's going to celebrate your mating and Sora and Kairi's as well." Cloud said.

I smiled at the beautiful forms in front of me. Their eyes glistened and sparkled and though their skin was relatively pale, it looked very soft and complemented their hair colors perfectly. "So you two are newly mated as well?" I asked.

"Yes. Xion and I have taken the lead of our pack and decided we would join Cloud's pack for the celebration. You are very privileged to meet not just one pack, but two coming together for a new generation." Zexion said in a soft but firm voice.

I nodded. "I agree… it's truly a honor to meet you and spend time here in the clearing with such an amazing race of people. Congratulations on your coming together." I replied.

Xion smiled. "Thank you very much. It makes me very happy to know that there are humans here that can appreciate our people and our way of life. But just to finish off the introductions, over there talking to Zell is Demyx. You should talk to him, it's very hard not to get along with him. He's so friendly. And finally there is our Beta, Axel. He's the one lying next to the boulder looking like a party pooper." Xion giggled.

I smiled and laughed a little but stopped abruptly when the red wolf lifted his head and growled at me.

God he scares the fuck out of me! Cloud patted my shoulder before moving over to his mate.

"Don't be afraid of him…" I turned at the whisper and jumped at how close Demyx was to me.

"Hi Demyx, I'm Roxas." I said and smiled at those large puppy eyes the Loup Garou sported on his lively face. Demyx took my hand and took me to the other side of the clearing.

"Hey! I just wanted to let you know that you don't have to be afraid of Axel… he's pretty harmless if you're a friend to Loup Garou. He just takes his job as Beta very seriously… I guess when he was Alpha he didn't really worry about his place as long as everyone was okay… but I think that now that he is beta he's realized that there's more to leading and protecting a pack besides just making sure we're all together, you know…" he spoke very quietly, probably to prevent Axel from hearing.

I nodded at his words. "I'll keep that in mind." I said and looked around at all of the Loup Garou together today to celebrate. It made me very excited and a rush of wild enthusiasm rushed through me.

I watched with amazement as Zack suddenly broke into song. He stood and began to dance around singing. There were no words, it was just a bunch of La's but it was an awesome thing to hear and it struck me.

The others must have known the song because suddenly everyone was singing and dancing. I wished then that I could dance and sing as well.

I noticed Axel was now sitting on the boulder. He wasn't dancing or singing. He just sat and looked out to the forest. But his ears twitched to the silent beat of the tune.

I smiled. After a minute I managed to get the hang of the song and I started to sing along with everyone. I felt as though this was the closest they would get to howling at the moon.

But after I thought about it… I couldn't help but think this was better.

I laughed when Riku ran up to me and pulled me into the circle of dancing Loup Garou. I had no idea how to dance the way they did!

Riku then proceeded to teach me the dance. Step-hop-step, step-hop-step, turn, turn, turn, clap. Stomp-clap, stomp-clap, stomp-clap, hop! I laughed so hard when I stumbled and tripped at first. But when I got it all under control, I was surprised when they started taking it up a notch.

I watched in awe as Cloud and Squall did back flips after their stomps and claps. Zack and Xigbar did round offs and cartwheels instead of turns. Then I realized that they were passing on the chance to improvise. Hayner Larxene looked to Riku and I.

It was Riku's turn and mine.

Riku suddenly took my hands and we stomped together before twirling.

We basically went through everyone as we sang and then suddenly Kairi's voice filled the clearing.

"Free as the wind, we do as we choose, we bend never break, and we howl at the moon!" She sang the pack members cheered at her verse.

It was followed by the refrain of 'la la lai's' before someone else picked up the solo tune.

"The birds in the sky, the mole in the ground, we won't stop hunting till the balance is found!" Zell sang and I smiled when his father pulled him into a proud hug, his mother kissing his face before laughing and singing the refrain.

"Staying true to nature's pulls, long live the way of the wolves!" I sang suddenly in the spirit. Riku and Zack almost howled at my verse and I laughed when Riku pulled my head into a headlock and gave me a nuggie.

We sang some more and I waited for the next verse.

"We won't back down in the face of strife, only we can run to paradise." I looked around to find the person who was singing. I had never heard such a haunting yet beautiful voice.

Then I saw him… the red wolf that was once sitting on the boulder was now standing in human form at the edge of the clearing looking up at the moon. His red hair wild and free and his eyes sharp with emotions I couldn't identify.

Demyx yipped at Axel's verse and pulled him into the excited fray of dancing and singing. Hayner danced around them with a laugh and Demyx grabbed his arm as well to join the newly formed inner circle.

It soon got so dark that I could only barely see people from the light of the moon. The Loup Garou had stopped their singing and dancing and simply sat telling stories. I liked the one's Demyx told the best. They were so funny! Zack also had quite a few funny stories but they were usually at Xigbar's expense so for every tale Zack got a bonk on the head.

You'd think he'd learn by now…

"I need to get home…" I said softly when I realized how late it was. But I couldn't walk through the forest in the dark… I'd run into so many trees if I tried.

I looked around. Cloud was a little busy with his mate… didn't want to disturb that…

Riku was sleeping, I smiled as Xemnas curled his large wolf form around his mate. I yawned before laughing when I realized Zack and Demyx were still telling stories to the newly mated couples. Hayner and Larxene were laughing at Demyx and Zack who started to fight over who would tell the next tale.

I sighed and decided I'd rather not disrupt the peaceful happy atmosphere. I rubbed my eyes a little to see if somehow my vision would get clearer before walking towards the city.

I moved slowly as to not hit any trees or trip. After around ten minutes I was sure that I was either lost, or very lost.

I sighed and continued forward. I yelped when I tripped on something and fell to the ground. I groaned a little at the stinging sensation on my cheek before standing again. I dusted myself off and moved to continue when I was suddenly face to face with glowing green eyes.

I let out a frightened noise and was about to turn and run when a gentle hand took my arm. I was pulled forward and I just decided to trust the dark figure and hope it was taking me back home.

When we reached the fence separating the city from the forest I got a good look at my guide who was now illuminated by the street lamps.

It was Axel. "Thank you…" I spoke softly fear still running through my veins at his presence.

Axel just looked at me with those still green eyes before shooting forward at me.

"Hey! W-what are y-you doing?" I released a scared yelp when I felt a tongue slide across my cheek intensifying the sting.

He pulled away and sent me one last blank look before moving back into the forest. I placed a hand on my cheek and gasped when I realized and the stinging was gone and the cut that was probably there had vanished.

I walked back to my small apartment and plopped down on my bed.

I couldn't help but fall asleep thinking about that mysterious and terrifying green-eyed wolf.

"… we won't back down in the face of strife, only we can run to paradise…" I sang his verse softly to myself before falling asleep.

A/N: There we go! The first chapter of Akuroku! Let me know what you think in a review!