WOLF

Well, Germaine is back from her holiday. And like usual she crashed on the sofa. /Sighs/
Well this means that I have to create new muses. So pack, appear!

/A wolf, a dragon and a young woman with fangs appear/

SAM This is just perfect…

TALON /Looking around the room/ Weredragat? Where are you…?

NIGHTSHADE /Leaning on Sam. She then buries her head in his fur/ Have you changed your shampoo?

SAM /Nuzzles Nightshade/

WOLF +++ means a flashback in the Guardians POV. He will get a name next chapter.
Means a flashback in either Tech or Rev's POV.
--- Just a break in the chapters.

WARNING I was listening to Somewhere by Within Temptation on repeat when I wrote this. I suggest you listen to it, you too Pyry Cole. Don't be afraid of the angst that will be written. And the graphic violence…
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The shop was impressive. Even by his people's standards. As the owner rummaged in the back rooms, looking for a towel in the clutter of musical memorabilia, he occupied himself by exploring. There was an entire wall devoted towards musical instruments. Guitars, Drums, Pianos, all sorts of high quality magic makers. On his world, music was considered sacred. A voice from the soul. Good thing that It was also the case here. He didn't know what he would do without music. Picking up a guitar, he plucked a few strings, before feeling guilty. This was the guys stock. He shouldn't be playing around with it. Despite himself however, he trailed his hand over a Wolf themed guitar. It was so much like his own back home…
"Got them!" Turning round, he saw the owner hold up some large fluffy towels. They were LARGE. So big, that even Luna could be lost in one. He chuckled weakly then. He missed Luna. He missed Tiger. He missed…His Pack. Nodding his thanks, he took the fluffy weapon of mass destruction and took off his shirt. The jeans stayed. He was too experienced to know that appearances could be deceiving. His own brother was evidence of that. After drying himself down, he stared out the window. The rain was really starting to get heavy. There was no way he could use a rooftop tonight.
"So, What exactly were you doing out in the streets, looking like that, on a night like this?" The Deer had walked into the small kitchen, pulling out packets and mugs. Still staring the drops merging on the glass, he whispered, more to himself than to his unusual benefactor.
"I'm…Lost. Alone." Then in a voice that even he couldn't hear. "Scared…" Turning to his savoir, he plastered a smile on his face. All his kind were used to deception.

It was one of the reasons they had survived for so long.

In a dank, damp cave, we huddled around a small fire. Although Vixen and Lion had tried their best, we were all too inexperienced with our powers. It would prove to be our downfall.
"This stinks." Lion had pulled up from his foetal position to look at us. Boy, were we a sorry bunch. His tail, usually a thing to ridicule, whipped from side to side, displaying his anger, his fear. His pain. I have to admit, I agreed with him.

We were…well, not betrayed. I mean, it was all part of the plan. Save our parents by making people think we didn't tell them. Fake letters, modifying certain items around the home, the works. We wanted them to be safe, just in case something like this happened. Though for some of us, the deception had been a little…a little too real. Vixen's mother had shot at her. Sure, we healed fast and the pain wasn't incapacitating. Yet another thing that had changed with the powers. But it was the face she had when she fired. She was smiling.

"We took down the Black widow gang, saving countless people from the mugging group. We rescued those girls from the fire at the children's hospital! They considered us heroes! What happened.?" Vixen finally looked at us since we escaped into the woods. Since her mother shot her arm. The wound had healed by know, but the memory remained.
"Are…Are they possessed? Like Andrew?" Poor Vix. She was the most innocent and naïve of all of us. Strange then, she was friends with Tiger. The Thunder Cat in question stood up and walked to the small opening Bear had made to allow the smoke to leave. He was good, I'll give him that. It looked exactly like a rabbit warren. She stared out at the pouring rain, glad Vixen had enough self-control to keep the wet at bay. Her eyes were still teary. She was hit the most out of all of us. Her father had to be the one to give the order to hunt them. As Commander of the Toronto police Dept. He had to.

Nether the less, it still hurt.

"We're different from them. As long as we look like Beasts, we were accepted. As long as we looked like Humans, we were accepted." She then turned to face us, her ears flattened, her whiskers drooping.

"As long as we are both, Human AND Beast…." She slumped against the wall, rubbing at her eyes furiously, denying the existence of her tears. She was determined to be the strong one, always. Without a word, I took her In my arms and nuzzled her, sharing some of my strength. So we had been going steady for a while. At first we were like chalk and cheese. We hated each other's guts. Over time though, that changed. Gripping my paw firmly, she continued.
"They will never accept us. We aren't mortal. We are Guardians."

Eagle and Bear just exchanged glances. They had been thinking the same since day one. Like fools, we thought we could just become another part of the city's nightlife. We could become a force for good, despite the fear we instilled in peoples souls.

We were wrong.

"I was looking for an old family member. Since my parent's death, I've been looking out for myself." The Deer just stared at the boy in disbelief.
"But you're just a teenager! Only 15, if I'm any judge." The boy smiled slightly.
"16 actually." He accepted the mug of warm…well, he wasn't quite sure what it was. But it warmed up a little of his body. But it couldn't warm his soul.
He walked over to a picture on the wall. It showed a small family. Probably the Deer's. It was the classic picture, Two parents, three children, one a girl the other two boys. They were at a beach somewhere. Sand was stretched out for miles. The mother was playing some sort of game with the two older children. The Deer that was before him was holding the infant in his arms, smiling for the camera. Holding it out, he called to his rescuer.
"Your family?" He just nodded and looked away. The boy didn't say anything. It was obvious. They were gone. Just like his family.

I just stared at the photograph in my hands. It showed them, my parents and brother by adoption. I had only just joined the family, a little of the orphanage still in me. Be silent. Be behaved. Do this. Do that. A little slave. I was saved though. After being presented with countless opportunities for escape I did it. Without me to take the "Discipline" that was regularly handed out, many infants wouldn't have survived. Thankfully they were shut down, good homes for the others found. But I only knew them for two years. And in those two years, I had been CURSED with these powers. The "Gift" That caused such hatred, such anger, such violence…
I turned my head from the photo to the two graves before me. Both of my parents. Murdered by her mother.
I felt my claws extend out of reflex. I WILL find her. And she will pay…

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"Daniel. Please don't do this! You can fight it!" It had finally happened. It was only to be expected. Nobody could hold back such Darkness forever. The vampire virus had completely taken over Daniel's body for the past ten years. Now it had affected his mind. He held up the woman struggling in his hand. I could see the veins pounding beneath her skin, bulging through her flesh. My own predatory instincts coming into play. And Daniel could see them too.
"I'm sick of pig blood Wolfie…" His fangs extended and he scraped them across her flesh, fuelling her terror. Nether the less, I had to try and reason with him.
"What about Bridget? She's nearly finished the cure. You can go back to being human-" He lashed out, punching a sizeable hole in a nearby wall. The human crowd that had gathered around our little street theatre pulled back, not wanting to be next.
"And do what? Go back under your shadow? I have the power now Wolfie. And you're scared that I'll take your place as Guardian!" Scared? I never WANTED these powers. They were my blessing…And my curse. Most definitely, My curse. Suddenly, he brought his mouth down over the woman's throat. I tried to use my powers to drag her away, but I trained him too well. To harness the Darkness too well. The wet gurgle that emerged from her mouth was accompanied by a sick sucking sound. I had no choice. Quickly I powered up a Solar Flare and thrust it towards Daniel. But it was too late. He vanished in a mist of black smoke, his taunts still echoing in my mind. Approaching the woman, I felt no life in her. Only the virus. She wouldn't have any self-control…And no cure can help a corpse, a slave of my brother. Pulling out Luciendar, I gave her soul piece.

And I hated myself for it. For I could have prevented it.

After talking about a few things, the Deer went to bed. He offered the sofa bed to the boy who took it gratefully, enjoying the feel of a soft, well softer, mattress beneath his time weary bones. Struggling to get comfortable, he pulled the covers up to his chin, he watched the world go by outside the window. The rain had calmed a little, but it was still too wet to leave the building. Not that he would leave without saying goodbye at least. His kind held a very strict rule on that. All Guardians are expected to repay their debts in various ways, no matter what the transaction. Stealing the clothes was one of the exceptions to the rule, as long as he expected to repay them later. As he lay there he considered the Deer. Were all people in this world so kind? In all the years he had travelled the Multiverse, he had never came across such a considerate person who wasn't another Guardian.

Wait. That wasn't true. The children. They never cared what he and his kind were. Never…

"C'mon Uncle Wolf! You're so SLOW!" My niece Luna, the Moonlit Dragon, scrambled up the rock face. We were only a matter of feet from the summit. It was our regular thing. Whether it was climbing mountains, or potholing, or even flying, it was our regular Uncle-Niece bonding time. A special time.
Ha…I can still remember when I first saw her. An egg to be sure, but He could feel the soul within. And it was special. Even by Guardian standards.
"Uncle! We're nearly there!" I panted and grinned. She was just one ball of energy. And an unusual one at that. The spark of life within her was unlike anything even the Goddess Shauni herself had seen. As she crawled over the rock-face, wings held tightly to her back, tail helping to propel her along the mountain, I considered what would happen if I lost her. My soul-sister, Tetrinna wouldn't just tear me to shreds, Amurudo wouldn't just banish me to the Thunder Mine. I would have broken my own heart. I was helpless to defend my family once. Never again.

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"Tech, I love you." Rev spoke out loud to an empty room, trying to gather enough Guts to tell his crush how he felt. In his mind, he thought,
'What if the feelings aren't returned? MAJOR burnout…Not to mention what it would do to our friendship…' He crossed over to his bed, where a large stuffed Coyote doll was hidden among the pillows. Even if Duck promised not to enter other team-mates rooms without permission, he was still careful. There was no way he wanted anybody else to know about his crush, before his actual crush. Crashing onto the bed, he thought back to when he first realised he had…feelings for the genius…

We were once again in battle. Massive had broken out of jail, once again, to rob some artwork or something. The only thing I needed to know, was that it was our job to stop him. Duck quaked out of the road of a flying piece of metal that Tech stooped in its tracks. Using his powers, he flipped the sharp point and threw it back at the gravity manipulator.

Too bad he caught it with his own powers.

It descended into a game of catch. Myself and the other Loonatics had stopped all our attacks to watch. It was like that ancient game. Now what was it called… Something to do with a smell…

STINK! Yeah, that's it, Stink!

Anyway, Tech had really pushed back Massive. Unlike my green-furred Coyote, he didn't have healing powers. He smirked as the giant dropped the pillar, too exhausted to continue. Tech pulled out his patented Vilian-Nabber 2000 when-

Wait. MY coyote? Where did that come from?

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We were in the lab, as usual working on some sort of device that would benefit the team. Currently, it was machine that would apply sunscreen during the hot summer. So it wasn't a weapon. Who cares? Tech always seemed a little upset when the devices that he made with his very own paws caused pain. Possibly even death if it wasn't aimed right. And I knew that he dreamed a lot about that same fact. He occasionally sleeps in the lab, too concerned with whatever invention dominated his mind. As I watched him bend over to check the fittings, I wished that he would pay that amount of attention to ME, instead of a lifeless piece of metal…

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I was in the lab again. This time Tech was busy patching me up after the whole Rip thing. I know the others thought I got away without a scratch, but Tech was a coyote. His kind were evolved to track down wounded creatures. To be honest, It was slightly unnerving, to know that he still had the predatory instinct, but at the same time it was comforting to know that he was using it to help the team.
His paws ran over my ribs. So I had cracked one or two…It was no big deal. But all the while I was aware of the gentleness, the, the care in his movements.

Maybe I should get hurt more often.

Tech was currently in the lab, checking up on the crystal fragments from the T.D.M.S. The event that had taken place should not have been possible…The energy matrix within its structure was too similar to humble, everyday light energy. It should not have had such an affect on Zadavia's portal…
Sighing I replaced the shattered fragments and wandered over towards the bed in the corner. My own room was too far to walk. I needed sleep if I was to ever figure this thing out. AS I lay on the mattress I tried to sleep, but for some reason my mind kept being dragged towards someone. Rev. Why did he, of all the team, have these feelings? I mean, their two families weren't exactly the best of friends… The "Coyote issue". He'd come across it plenty of times. In fact after he had joined the Loonatics, Zadavia had conducted a background check on all of us. How even Tech didn't know, but she managed to get some surprising results.

He was kicked out, not for the explosion as he had recently thought, but for his species.

"But…but that's-" I was shell shocked. I mean, I knew these things happened, but it was the University! Surely the professors had to have signed some sort of moral code?
"Its despicable…" Turning round I saw the rest of the team. Why did they have to be there, now of all times? I didn't want them to know. I didn't want their pity. However, it was kinda surprising how even Duck had supported me. We were never exactly the best of friends. Lexi came around and put a supporting paw on my shoulder. This was unbelievable. Just because I looked different, just because I had teeth for meat rather than carrots?

I'm ashamed to admit it, but I stormed off right about then. I NEEDED to be alone. It was a fault of my kind. The instinct is there and sometimes, in cases of extreme anger or pain, it came out. Right now was one of those times.

I left for the lab, a room designed for me to be an outlet, to HURT something. To bad Rev had to be there too. Damn his speed.

"Rev…You know how dangerous I am right about now." I tried to warn him. I couldn't bear it if I hurt a team-mate, even when I have such little control over myself. Nether the less, he just stood there. Slowly, he came up to me and hugged me. All of a sudden, I broke down. It was too much. Too much pain, too many people judging me over my birth.

After about an hour I calmed down. I knew that he probably wanted to be somewhere else, but he stuck by me. He helped me keep the beast at bay.

I think it was about then I started to really notice him. And the feelings he stirred within me.

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As he tried in vain to sleep, he stared at the various instruments. The pain of being separated still burned in his soul, and he needed an outlet. Good thing then, he was in a music shop. Bursting out of the bed, he grabbed several instruments with his powers that remained. As the instruments began to play themselves softly, he began to sing to himself softly.

/Lost in the darkness, hoping for a sign Instead there is only silence Can't you hear my screams?
Never stop hoping Need to know where you are But one thing is for sure You're always in my heart/

Pack is the most important thing for any canine. Without it, they were lost, helpless. Pack was the only thing that would ever truly accept him for what he is. The only ones who would ever trust him.
/I'll find you somewhere I'll keep on trying until my dying day I just need to know whatever has happened The truth will free my soul/

He couldn't just give up though. He needed to find out where he was, what happened with his powers. He would not be weak again.
/Lost in the darkness, try to find your way home I want to embrace you and never let you go Almost hope you're in heaven so no one can hurt your soul.
Living in agony 'cause I just do not know Where you are/

The darkness within him, an effect of sacrificing himself for the greater good, further excluded him from the world. Immortality and eternal youth made sure that even if he kept his powers a secret, he would be hurt by the eventual deaths of his friends. His family.
/I'll find you somewhere I'll keep on trying until my dying day I just need to know whatever has happened The truth will free my soul/

It is a Guardians fate, to be forever alone. They may protect the vast multitudes of worlds and life forms, but they would never become a part of them.
/Wherever you are, I won't stop searching Whatever it takes, I need to know/

His girlfriend…She was the only one who really understood how he felt. She may never be excluded, because felines were accepted more easily than canines, but she knew how tortured he was. The Darkness is not a burden bared lightly. /I'll find you somewhere I'll keep on trying until my dying day I just need to know whatever has happened The truth will free my soul/

Maybe one day, his kind will be allowed to walk in the streets in their true forms, never to be afraid of rejection again. Who knows, maybe even he would be accepted. He would just have to continue on, fighting the Darkness as they have always done. To protect people who would always turn on them.

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WOLF

Well? Is that enough background? Now I have to figure out how to get the two to meet…