Souen overheard, as she passed by the kitchen, her father and two cousins planning revenge on the Hikari family. "It has to be tonight," one of her cousin's voice, Arseny's, carried over, "If we're lucky, that alpha will still be weak from Boris's attack. I'm guessing he didn't go down without a fight." His twin added, "I'll come with you. Boris may have underestimated the beta, but I won't."

Souen rounded the wall and stepped into the doorway, staring at her foster father. "Dad! I told you that they didn't kill him on... It was an accident!" Kira's fist tightened on the table. "Do you hear yourself, Souen? They murdered your brother, and that's all you have to say? I'm beginning to question your loyalty to this family."

"If you like them so much, you should just go sleep with the dogs, 'cause you obviously won't with me," Arseny sneered at her and she hissed back, "Only because you smell as alluring as dog sh-"

"Enough." Kira silenced both of them. "Souen, when spring comes you'll be paired with Arseny and bear him a litter, so I suggest you start on better terms. Arseny-"

Souen looked shocked. "You told me it was next spring, not this spring! I won't finish high school then!"

Kira stared at her impassively. "There has been a change of plan. Arseny, please tone down the cologne. " Foma nudged his twin. " Told you." Arseny shoved him away. "Ah shuddup."

"But father-"

"Souen, please go to your room and try to come to terms with this. I know it's not what you wanted, but it is what's best for our family. The little werewolf family will be destroyed, and by next year, if all goes well, you will be– "

She hissed at Arseny and her father, "Don't even say it!" and left, running down the hall and slamming her door. She didn't want to 'do her duty' – she wasn't an animal. She wanted to get her degree, meet her real parents in Japan someday…

I'm sorry you feel forced into that position.

Krad.

She flushed a little at the thought of him – his long strong arms, soft hair, and feral eyes. She felt more for him than Arseny, and she'd known her cousin for most of her life. And, she didn't want Krad to disappear.

~I'm going to warn them,~ she thought as she sat on her bed. ~I will! Then they can just stay in their home. I'm sure father doesn't know where they live.~ She didn't bother to set up a decoy; she just slipped out of her human form, clothes, and the window, heading into late afternoon.

"C'mon, Moonlight, get in the trailer!" Dark coaxed, but the animal stood about a foot from it and snorted. Krad watched them warily with his arms crossed. The thief pulled on the halter, brought out some oats, and even tried to push him in from the rear, but it was obvious that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. "Augh! Fine. You leave me no choice." Dark went up to the cab and Moonlight watched jadedly, that is until Dark bought out a plush frog toy. Moonlights eyes widened and followed the green frog like magnets. "You want your squeaky? Well, go get it!" He chucked it in the front of the trailer and Moonlight ran after it, barely noticing as Dark closed the door behind the stallion. "Ha! Gotcha!" The white horse squeaked his toy contentedly and Krad muttered, "Okay, then…I'll call you in about two weeks if Midnight is…" Dark grinned as Krad fumbled around the word.

"Preggers? On stork watch? Knocked up? In a – "

"Silence! And yes."

Dark hopped back into his truck, "I'll be praying that she isn't!"

Krad snorted, "You and me both."

After the truck rolled out of his driveway, a shadow darted across his few front acres and he growled deeply, straining his human vocal chords.

It froze.

~It's me. P-please don't do that.~

Krad stopped. "Souen? I don't-"

She hugged the ground with her body and her eyes darted back and forth. ~I'm sorry, but I had to warn you: my father's planning on attacking your pack tonight.~

Her scent drifted over to him and he wanted to believe every word that came from her mouth. ~And how do I know that Kira didn't set you up to tell me this? You have to admit, you'd be the perfect candidate.~ Before she could answer, Midnight bellowed a challenge so loud both of them jumped. She then leaned against the fence so hard the wood squealed, baring her teeth at Souen with her ears slicked back.

"You'd better go." ~Some were-jaguar must have teased her once and now she hates all of you. Also, there is a hole in the fence not far from here.~

Souen shot off into the dusk and Midnight stamped her foot. "You really hate them, don't you?" The horse looked at him in a way that clearly said, "Duh!" Krad added, "You'd better not have a bun in the oven. Kei's going to kill me." He could have sworn she grinned, then she nudged him in the shoulder playfully and trotted off with her tail in the air. He adjusted his coat and whispered, "Freakin' bipolar horse," before heading back inside.

Dark and Daisuke went outside to transform together while Riku left a little earlier to transform around one side of the house. The two brothers waited for the hour of their birth to roll around, and Dark watched as the change gripped Daisuke first. When Daisuke was finished, he watched Dark's transformation with a kind of sick fascination.

The older son shuddered to the ground, the hair at the nape of his neck stretched and grew down his spine, then spread left and right in a thick coat. The redhead winced at the sharp pops and snaps coming from Dark's legs and arms, then again as his spine jutted out into a long tail with a crack. Finally, his ribcage reformed, a muzzle sprouted, and the wolf kicked off the shorts and stared at Daisuke for a moment. He didn't see any human in that bright yellow. Then, something changed and a pink tongue lolled out of his mouth as Dark said happily, ~ Ahh, gets better every time.~

He eyed Daisuke up and down. ~Aww! What a cute puppy! Too bad he isn't prepared for…a surprise attack!~ He put his rear in the air and dropped down on his front legs, then jumped.

~Hey!~

They scrapped around for a few moments, and eventually Dark smirked down at Daisuke. ~Heh, pinned you.~

Daisuke struggled with his tail curled up to his belly, then froze as Riku rounded the corner. She was smaller and slighter than both of them, but sleek, with long legs, and a narrow muzzle.

~Hey, Riku,~ Dark said casually, and took his paws off Daisuke, who was busy staring at his adopted sister. Her coat was beautiful; darkest down her back and paws, and tawny on her belly, it seemed to encompass every pleasing shade of brown at once. The redhead rolled over and his wolf said, ~So pretty. You see now?~ Under his fur he was blushing deeply as she looked at him.

~H-hi, Riku!~ From behind he suddenly received a hard push, and his nose touched with Riku's. ~Ahh! Sorry!~ By now she was blushing, too, and her ears went down in embarrassment.

~DARK!~ The younger brother turned and barreled into Dark.

"Raaargkh!" Riku jumped on him as well. ~You're such a pervert! What the hell is wrong with you?~

They rolled around on the frozen ground, a mass of nipping and barking until Dark detached himself from the pile. ~Alright, enough. We've still got a job to do around here, remember?~

Daisuke shook snow out of his fur. ~We do?~

Both Dark and Riku grinned at him. ~Border patrol.~ The black wolf began to trot, and the two other wolves followed.

Daisuke felt his brother's haunch on his right, and his sister's flank on his left. His wolf asked, ~Together now, as a pack. Happy. Are you?~

~Race you to the east corner, Dai!~

He picked up the pace to keep up with them both, and was surprised at how fast they could run – it was certainly the closest thing to flying he'd ever felt. The snow scattered under their strong paws and was thrown up like sand. His breath came out in thin silver wisps, and as he took in every smell of the harsh tundra he answered, ~Very!~

"It does not matter why," Krad answered Satoshi evenly, watching as his brother's muscles twitched in preparation for his transformation later that night. They were both equally touchy and ill tempered the night of the full moon, and in about an hour, both of them would be in their wolf forms.

"If you must know, tonight we may be attacked by a few were-jaguars, but I received this information from a…questionable source, so–"

"Souen," Satoshi said, without batting an eyelash, but a trickle of sweat ran down his neck. "How could you think that it was anything but a lie? You…" he paused and looked straight at his brother – straight through him, it seemed to Krad, and then Satoshi grinned painfully. "Ha. You...your in love with her, aren't you?"

"Of course not." Krad snapped back too quickly. He felt his heart race. It was stupid, ridiculous, insane… Him in love with that damn jaguar's daughter? Hah…

Perhaps Satoshi was still concerned about spending time alone with Risa. At any rate it was a great way to change the subject. "I know Risa's still unstable, but-"

"Unstable! She. Tore. Her. Door. Off!"

"You can stay in my room."

Satoshi turned away from him with his cheeks flushed in anger and his fists clenched. "I want to run, I've been cooped up in here for two months!"

Krad blinked and his light eyes seemed to darken. "Look at us," he murmured. "It is not even the witching hour, yet here we are baring our fangs at each other."

The blunette covered his teeth and unclenched his fists slowly. "I just…"

"This is why I search for a cure for this…affliction." Krad took a step forward and placed a light kiss in the haphazard part of his little brother's locks. "Please be patient. I should be able to get rid of them before the night is over." Satoshi fought internally for a few seconds.

~Well, it's your fault if she rapes me…~ He sighed as Krad dropped the key to his room into Satoshi's palm.

"How close are you?"

Krad raised one eyebrow. "To a cure?" He smiled vaguely and nudged his brother up the stairs. "Close enough that those Niwas should be worried."

After making sure that his brother and sister were both in their places, he stripped down to nothing but a pair of dark shorts and stepped out into the snow beyond their porch. His blood was already boiling, and as cool sweat dripped down his body, he glared up at the light of the moon, round and perfect as a pearl.

He hated their curse, not because of the wolf self that was welling within him even as he thought, but because it forced him to lose control. Every single time it was different, terrifying, and for him, extraordinarily painful. His brother and sister seemed to somehow…relax during their transformations, but he couldn't.

The clouds parted and revealed the moon. If one had been standing near the side of the house, they would hear sounds starting as that of a man in pain, until they morphed into a mixture of animal yelps, along with the sound of someone cracking branches over their thighs, and finally, whimpering before the silence.

The white wolf with a golden stripe walked out into the snow, his head erect and ears swiveling for any sign of danger. He didn't have to wait long. After a mile or two, he saw them. Since there was nowhere to hide in the tundra, they made their way to him, their dark coats shining in the milk-white powder around them. Their coats weren't silver-tinted like Souen's. One leaned more toward the color of blood, while the other had more of a dull amber sheen.

Krad's body locked up. The closer they came, the higher the hair down his spine rose.

~Looks like he's all by himself this time.~ The reddish one grinned, showing a row of needle thin, yellowed teeth. ~I ain't complaining.~ The other replied.

~Aren't you eloquent.~ Krad snarled as one of his black lips curled up in disgust.

So, Souen hadn't been lying after all, but why…?

~Ooh!~ The red one exclaimed, and the wolf realized that the two were parting to circle him slowly. ~He's got a mouth on him, doesn't he? But I guess we'll have to see if his bark is worse than his bite.~

Krad's lips were fully drawn back now, his tail standing high in the air, stiff with anger. ~ I did not mean to kill that were-jaguar.~

Foma, the amber one, murmured, ~That isn't the point. He's dead, and we have our honor to fight for.~

The wolf's ears slicked back. ~I see. Unfortunately–~ Foma froze with surprise as the wolf broke their circle by soaring over his back. ~You will have to catch me first!~

The two cousins screamed in anger and tore after him, their claws unsheathed. Running away was highly unconventional for Krad, and his wolf wasn't happy at all, but there was minimal chance that he could go against both of them and come out unscathed. Fortunately he had come up with a plan.

Only a half-mile from where he wanted to lead them he felt a muscle in his chest tear under his skin and his legs crumpled underneath him. He hit the ground hard and rolled, then slid almost a yard before coming to a stop. He knew nothing was broken and so he tried to scramble to his feet, but the impaired muscle screeched at him and only allowed for three functional legs. He held the injured paw up close to his body; the jaguars were closing in. ~So even in death you ensure my demise, Boris,~ he thought and hunkered down with the thought that if he took at least one of them with him, he'd be content.

~Satoshi, Risa, I–~ The wolf heard hoof beats, loud and bearing down on his exact location. As Arseny closed the distance between them, he realized just whose horse it was and grinned a grin of death. The smarter twin hit the brakes and stared as Arseny's path was cut off abruptly. Teeth as thick as ivory piano keys knocked the big cat sideways and dug deep into his shoulder. Even Krad found himself cowering as his horse pressed the jaguar into frozen dirt, blood bubbling just underneath her velvet lips as her eyes flashed white.

Arseny squealed and slashed at her long face, but she flicked her muscular neck and threw him high into the air. While she was occupied, Foma shot past her and ambushed Krad, which he had expected. Within seconds Foma had exposed his neck and Krad had wrapped his jaws around it.

~If you both persist, I will let her kill him.~

One orange eye rolled to look at Arseny, then at the black mare raising her two front hooves in what looked to be a killing blow. ~Stop!~ Foma hissed, and his twin just managed to avoid her, but one paw got caught under her hoof. The amber jaguar in Krad's mouth hissed, ~This isn't fair!~ and Krad tightened his grip, letting him gasp for a moment before replying. ~Life isn't fair. Retreat now, I won't ask you again. You are nothing compared to Boris's father and…~ The smell of the creature revolted him, something strong underlying a smell of rot. ~…You disgust me.~

As his jaw relaxed, Foma tore out of his grip, hissing and spitting like a badly-oiled engine. Both twins then turned tail and ran, and Midnight followed them for a good half-mile before calming down enough to return to her stall. The white wolf stood for a moment and looked at the elaborate red stains in the snow, then limped his way back to his front door. He knocked the handle a few times with his paw and pushed inside, then headed upstairs.

Once he arrived at his bedroom door he eyed it nervously – it was open a sliver, but didn't look as if it'd been forced. He flushed under his fur. ~Maybe that wasn't a very good idea…~ But since he didn't hear any noise, and could smell both his siblings inside, he slipped in. It was obvious that they weren't anywhere on the floor, which meant they were on….the bed. ~My sheets officially need to be washed…~ he thought as his head popped just above the mattress. Both of them were curled in opposite directions, their muzzles under their tails and their backs touching. Satoshi's coat was the exact opposite of Risa's; showy with its pearly white and soft bluish sheen, while hers was entirely for camouflage; soft chocolate and tawny browns. He could tell simply by scent that nothing had happened between them, or at least nothing more than the brush of their coats against each other. He padded over to where Satoshi lay and awakened him with a nudge to his neck.

~Hn…Krad? What is it?~ Satoshi yawned and his pinkish tongue curled up to his canines. ~Risa's heat has worn off, by the way. I think it passes quicker if she is near either of us.~

Krad nodded. ~The night is only half over, if you still wish to roam.~

The younger brother's ears drooped as he noticed Krad's front leg barely touching the carpet. ~Are you okay? What happened?~ His gray-yellow eyes locked onto four thin scratches on Krad's shoulder.

~Oh, that's nothing, it…~

The wolf within Satoshi flooded him with instinct, and before he knew it, he was lapping at the wounds in slow, gentle strokes. ~Always getting hurt. Never letting me help in fights.~ the omega muttered, and Krad's ears flicked back in embarrassment.

~ I just…I'd rather be the one to…~

Satoshi came back into control and closed his jaw with a snap. ~Sorry. I'll just wake up Risa and you can rest here.~

~Satoshi–~ he regretted it the moment the idea had popped into his head, but…

…no, you are my son…

…pictures, ultrasounds…

No, he couldn't tell him. He couldn't tell them that they weren't truly brothers. It was his cross to bear, alone. The knowledge hurt him enough.

~What?~

Gritting his teeth underneath white velvet lips, he answered softly, ~Nothing.~ He watched as his brother woke up his sister and, together, they trotted sleepily out of his room. Krad hauled himself up with his good arm and curled up, his rough black pads snagging on the soft fabric.

~Satoshi…I wish I was…a true brother, one who shares the same blood running through your veins.~

I know I haven't updated in a while but this chappie makes up for it right?*sniffle