Author's Note: Thank you for your reviews! There was so many that I got excited and started typing on this chapter right away! Hope you had a Happy Halloween!

Erika- I thank you for pointing out my mistake! It's fixed now, along with a few other things. Wolves are not only fun to draw, but they're really cute too. I'm glad you like the story, and hope that you'll continue reading!

SnowGummi36- Thank you for your opinion about the summaries. I'm following it and keeping the old one. Don't worry about Roxas; he'll be back for better or for worse. Sadly Riku and Cloud aren't the only ones going to suffer in this chapter… Thank you so much for reviewing!

Goldandblizzard- You're right Sora should run, but if he did, then there wouldn't be any Riku/Sora. Thank you for taking time to review! Please enjoy yet another chapter!

StromDarkblade- The story loves being loved. Thank you for your awesome review. I'm thrilled that you like the story. Sorry that there isn't any Leon and Cloud-ness in this chapter…

Poison Maker- Our hero's punishments will finally be revealed! (Dun dun dunnnna!) Thanks for reviewing and I hope you love this chapter also, because I had fun writing it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, and I never will. (runs away crying)

Warning: Language

Chapter Eleven: Punishment

"The pack has a certain order that must be followed. It is the traditions of the pack that keep us together, and have helped us to survive throughout the years, even with so many opposed to our lives. That is why punishment must be served to those who do not uphold our precious laws." Leon's voice held no trace of the tenderness he had spoken to Cloud with. His eyes contained enraged shadows, and although he spoke softly there was a hardness to his words that promised much hatred and pain. There was only an hour before sundown, and so the assembly that the alpha male wolf had called was quenched under a strict time limit. This fact only added to the tension that was steadily building itself to a unwanted, but unavoidable climax.

Leon's stone cold eyes seemed to bare into the heart and soul of the pack. The werewolves surrounded him like a crescent moon; they were afraid, but their interest kept their eyes from escaping the trial before them. Seifer and Kairi stood to Leon's left. Seifer's face was unreadable, but Kairi's was a mix of fear, confusion, and hurt. In front of the pack and facing the alpha male were the three offenders. Each had their hands bound behind them and sat on the fronts of their knees. The furthest left of the three sat Cloud, whose eyes were tight and showed sorrow and regret, but in some small corner of his mind he was relieved that Leon had found out; better this than having the other love a lie. Riku's back stood proudly erect and his face was crafted in a mask that hid all traces of his emotions. To the far right sat Sora whose shoulders sagged as if he was in pain. His skin was pale from fear, and his head was bowed; he refused to meet anyone eye to eye.

When Sora had seen his once lost friends he didn't raise the warning of their arrival to the rest of the pack. Instead he had tried to warn Riku, and the moment Riku had seen Sora's eyes he knew that the charade they had been living had finally closed its curtains to signify the end. The moment Seifer and Kairi entered the den they went straight to their alpha, and gave him a brief overview of what had happened. Leon had wasted no time in imprisoning the criminals.

An eerie silence hung in the air that seemed to gently rock back and forth like a hanged man. Leon slowly scanned his eyes over each of the convicted young men. His eyes lingered on Cloud for a half second longer than the others.

"Seifer. Kairi. Tell the pack what you have told me." Leon commanded.

Seifer cleared his throat; he didn't want to dig Sora deeper into trouble, but he refused to let Larxene's murderers off the hook. Kairi clung to him, and the look in her eyes told Seifer that he would have to do most of the talking, but all Seifer could think of was the cold and dead smell of Larxene's stiff corpse.

Leon growled when neither werewolf spoke, "Are these Larxene's killers?"

"All, except Sora." Seifer added the last part knowing the trap that had laid hidden in his alpha's words.

"Did the humans save you in any way?" At being called a human by Leon, Cloud's shoulders seemed to drop a fraction.

"They were out to kill us! Why would you think that they tried to save us?!" Seifer responded sharply.

"Sora said they saved you from the werewolf hunters." Leon spoke Sora's name as if it were something unworthy and disgusting. Sora made no move at the sound of his name being spoken as such; it was as if he was numb to the scene he was taking part in. Riku however let a sliver of anger spill into his eyes.

"They are the werewolf hunters!" Seifer shouted, and when he felt Kairi stiffen beside him, he realized the mistake he had made. By saying this he had proven that Sora had been lying.

An injured and betrayed silence radiated from the pack. Aerith's body shook, and Cid squeezed her hand to try and comfort her. She hadn't known how weak her power over the pack had been until this point. Sure if she commanded any of the werewolves of lesser rank they would do what she bid, but if her orders contradicted Leon's, than they would be ignored in favor for the male alphas. The pack's fear, idolization, and dedication to Leon overthrew any power Aerith had. She felt pathetic for not being able to stop this torment, because Leon's words were law.

"Where is Larxene now?" Because Leon already knew the answer, his voice was filled with cold venom.

"She was killed." Seifer responded automatically, and a hushed silence swept over the observing pack.

"What was she killed by?"

"A silver dagger." Seifer briefly closed to eyes as he tried to wipe away the memory of him pulling the dagger out of Larxene's body. The dagger had been thrust in at an odd angle and so it had taking more than one tug for the dagger to be set free from its bed of flesh.

"Why did you decide to stay behind at the city?" Leon questioned. Riku realized that Leon was not only surfing for all the lies that Sora had made, but he was also trying to evaporate the pack's sympathy for his younger brother. Something akin to hatred was born inside of Riku's heart for Leon.

"I was too injured to travel, and we had to dispose of Larxene's body; lest the sprit decide to haunt this world." Though Seifer had a feeling that if Larxene's soul wanted to linger, than there would be no stopping it.

"How did this outsider become blessed with our bite?" Only Cloud saw the fleeting emotion in Leon's eyes at the word 'outsider', but he was not delusional enough to keep this small waver from calm as hope for redemption.

"Larxene bit him in wolf form." Seifer stated. Kairi braved a peak at the spiky blonde haired werewolf, and an unrecognizable emotion passed over her face. Her grip on Seifer tightened.

"I was unaware that Sora was capable of speaking the truth." Leon snarled. "Now, that the facts are set straight we shall provide judgment upon the guilty. For murdering Larxene, Riku, and…Cloud will be…"

"They didn't kill her." Sora cut in. Despite his hunched form, Sora's voice was strong. These were the first words he had spoken sense seeing Seifer and Kairi approaching the den.

"Don't speak." Leon warned, and the hatred in his voice caused Sora to flinch.

"Sora tells the truth. There was another who did the actual killing." Seifer quickly put in. Kairi nodded most fervently.

"Please do not punish him for that crime." Kairi softly pleaded. Her eyes were locked on to Cloud.

"They are werewolf hunters. Surely they have killed others of our kind." Leon growled, and fixed his eyes on Riku in disgust.

"Actually, we have never killed a werewolf before." Riku volunteered.

"That is hard to believe." The alpha male scoffed.

"We are not totally innocent. Riku, Roxas and I have done our fair bit of damage. Before our mission to capture members from your pack we had captured several others as well." Cloud's voice was calm, almost heart brokenly so. No one attempted to interrupt him.

"I believe them. They should not be punished for the killing of Larxene or any werewolf." Aerith said bravely, and Cid squeezed her hand in approval and pride, but while Aerith expected this from the beta, she was surprised to hear echoing agreements. Perhaps she had more power than she originally thought. If it had been at some other time that this atypical support occurred, she would have smiled.

Cloud was the one who smiled. Hearing the shouts of agreement to Aerith's comment had him fighting back tears. Aerith, Cid, Tifa, Tidus, Yuffie, and Selphe thank you, he thought.

If Leon was relieved at hearing this for Cloud's sake he didn't show it. Once the chorus of agreements had silenced, Leon cleared his throat, "I will accept that they didn't kill any of our kind, but this fact does not exempt from punishment.

"I find Riku and Cloud guilty for hunting our kind with malicious attempt. For this each must pay their punishment. Riku, you will not only pledge your life for eternal servitude to our pack unless dismissed by me, but you must also sacrifice your eyes and your voice. No longer will you be able to see to hunt what you once have, and no longer will you use your deceiving voice for tempting unsuspecting victims to your bed.

"Cloud, because you are a werewolf your punishment is dissimilar from that of your human companion. You must surrender your rank in this pack, and be known as the omega. Not only will you be forced to eat last, but you will be forbidden to take part in any pack tradition, and you will not be able to join us as a wolf. In our wolf forms you are anyone's meat, and will bare the name lone wolf until the dawn."

"I will take their punishments." All eyes turned to Sora.

"Your lying could have endangered the pack. The punishment that awaits you, Sora is far from painless." Leon barked.

"Regardless, I ask that I be the one to receive their punishments. It was my choice to bring them to the den, and if it weren't for my decision, than they… would not have to be punished. Brother I beg…" Sora cut off his words when he felt his older brother's hands lift his chin up so that the two could look eye to eye.

"Don't. Call. Me. Brother!" Leon hissed, and with his other hand he struck a blow across Sora's face. The force of the strike caused Sora to be flung to the ground; if his hands had been untied than they would have immediately flown to his face to cradle the emotional and physical pain that his brother had caused.

A wordless cry of hatred escaped Riku's lips as he crashed his body into Leon's. His lunge sent the both of them sprawling and Riku went mad trying to hurt the alpha male in any way possible. Despite the fact that his hands were tied, and his feet were numb; there was only one thought that pulsed through his mind, and that was simply to protect Sora. At that moment he hated Leon for the cruelty he gave his brother, he hated the pack for not putting an end to it, he hated Cloud for ever seeing something to love within the Alpha, he hated Roxas for dying, he hated his father for the beatings, but mostly he hated himself for his own shortcomings.

Cid and Seifer yanked Riku off of their Alpha, but not before Riku gave Leon a painful kick to the stomach. Seifer and the beta restrained Riku from going for another round, and Leon leapt up from the ground and delivered a hounding blow to Riku's head and gut. Riku slumped in pain, and his fierce struggling ceased. He strived to stay conscious, and bid away the black maggots that swarmed his vision.

Leon's body loomed over Sora, as the young werewolf gently picked himself up from the ground. Sora slowly lifted his gaze to Leon's. The face of the younger werewolf was empty as he waited to hear his brother's words. It was funny, how he still referred to Leon as his brother, but there had been a time when Leon was not like this, and Sora couldn't help himself from searching for some trace of it.

"I will agree to your begging." Leon began, and Sora's blankness was replaced by shock. "You shall receive triple punishment for taking on that human's and Cloud's penalties, but because the human assaulted me he still must swear an oath to our pack for eternal servitude. Sora, I find you guilty of the hunter's crimes and of endangering the pack with careless choices. Your punishment is as follows: never again will you be able to transform into your wolf form when the moon is at her fullest. You will be confined in our jail on said nights, and be forced to wear silver to stop your change. The title of Omega is given to you, and unless spoken to, you will not speak. A breach of this punishment will result in the loss of your right eye, if you should fail to uphold the contract a second time your left eye will be lost to you. If you should break this vow a third time it will be at the cost of your life. Don't worry Sora; I doubt that you will survive the Moon Mother's wraith tonight, so you don't have to fear the second half of your punishment."

"I do not accept this. I will receive what punishment I am due." Cloud fought not to let lose the tears that built up in his eyes, but a single drop escaped and slid slowly down his cheek. Cloud knew that Riku would never agree to Sora's punishment either, but at the moment Riku was unable to speak, because he was so busy trying to gather his wits and his breath.

"My word is final. You don't have to accept it, and I reject your wishes. I declare this the end of our trail." Leon's eyes flashed dangerously, and Cloud wondered what had happened to all the kindness he had seen earlier that day.

-xxx-

With a pot of mixed zinnias in her hand, Naminé watched as Axel left the cottage to transform. The sun had almost disappeared from its throne in the sky, but Naminé's heart felt as if a sheet of darkness had already descended upon her sky.

Although she would never admit it to Axel aloud, Naminé truly loved him. Love not as one soul fated to the other, but as a mother would love her son, or as older sister would love her younger brother. Axel had been the one to break her free from her self isolation. She not only wanted to see him smile, she needed him to.

After setting the flower pot outside, Naminé went back inside to retrieve another pot of flowers. This process continued until she had successfully removed all the flowers from inside the cottage and placed them outside in the garden where she knew they would benefit the most from sun, shade and or rain. With this task completed, Naminé scanned her garden. All her hard work over the many years had paid off, because now her place of refuge was the silver lining of the world.

Naminé's eyes came to a rest when they were met with the pear tree. She couldn't bring herself to smile, but she managed to surprises the tears that threatened her eyes. Slowly like a new born fawn, she made her way to the tree.

-xxx-

Riku and Sora had been thrown into the holding cell that was located in a room right above the male alphas. Sora had gone into the prison down hearted and slowly, but willingly. Riku had been thrown into the jail unwillingly. Seifer and Cid, the ones who had been escorting him now sported bruises and cuts. Riku was slightly irritated to know that the full moon would heal those small wounds before they could really begin to hurt.

It was strange how he never felt that uncomfortable living here, even if it was a lie. There was something that kept him tied here, something that made this place his home.

Sora lay curled in a small ball. No movement came from him, but Riku knew that the young werewolf was alive. Leon had placed something shiny over Sora's head, before he had roughly shoved his sluggish moving brother into confinement. It was something that had made Sora's beautiful eyes cringe and his body still as a statue.

The last bit of the sun's rays slowly started to sink into the depths of the shadows, and Riku calmly, but swiftly looked around for something that would cut through the ropes that bond his wrists. He saw no jutting out nails, missed place weapons, or sharp corners. The werewolves had successfully cleared this damned room of anything that could possibly aid in escape.

But did Riku want to escape? He had no idea where Cloud was. What punishment would befall Cloud if Riku and Sora were to run away, and would Sora even be willing to leave his pack behind? Riku was once like Sora. He once had lots of chances to end his father's beatings and break free from the hell that he had been born to, but there had always been some small seed of hope. Although Riku realized now how impossible the chances of the small hope had been; there was still some part of him that longed for it to be true. Riku had stayed with his father, because he had held on to a small belief that one day his father would recognize his love for his son. Sora stayed with the pack for the same reason. The young werewolf wanted his brother's love, and as long as he still had a shred of hope that his brother would give his love to him, than he'd never leave.

A soft sound and a small movement awoke Riku to his senses. Turning his head towards the sound he could barely make out Sora's petite form in the darkness. The werewolf's body was trembling and a pain filled hiss escaped his chapped lips.

"Sora…?" Riku asked the other uncertainly was laced within each syllable that he spoke. He carefully got up and let his feet carry him to the huddled youth.

"…never again will you be able to transform into your wolf form when the moon is at her fullest…"

Riku racked his brains for any sort of knowledge that would explain the outcome and reason for Sora's punishment, but his mind was in such a panic over Sora's welfare that he came up with nothing.

Why hadn't Sora answered? Riku tried again, "Sora?"

"…y-yes…?" Riku could hardly hear the tattered word, but he felt like his heart had been wrenched out of his chest. Sora's voice had been so weak, so drenched with pain that Riku felt his heart ache.

Riku's feet had brought him beside Sora, and the silver haired young man quickly sat upon the ground and reached to brush away the bangs that hid and shielded Sora's eyes. The usually cheerful eyes now contained over whelming agony. Riku wished that he hadn't dared to look into Sora's eyes, because now every part of his own body felt like it was under going some kind of torture. Sora's pain was so raw and real that Riku let out a small gasp. This small noise spurred Riku into action.

If his hands had been tied in front of his body, Riku would have gnawed off the rope, but his arms were tied behind his back. Letting out a roar of rage, Riku strived to pry the rope loose with his fingers and nails. He scrunched up his left hand, and tried to tug the bindings free with his right. The rope rubbed his white skin into a red, raw and bloody mess. His nails tore with their effort for freedom, but Riku was barely aware of the stinging. His mind could only concentrate on Sora, whose body was racked with pain.

It was like there was something trying to rip its way out of the boy. The wolf inside of Sora was haunting for an opening where it could escape its human skin. All of the physical pain Sora was feeling was internal and caused by his other self. The moon was calling to her wolf child, but the wolf could not break free from its prison. Tears streamed down Sora's soft cheeks, and if his hands hadn't been bond, than Sora would have ripped away at his skin with his nails. The restless wolf was seeking for a way to squeeze through the bars of its cage, even if it meant destroying it.

Sora's clouded and unseeing eyes were a mirror of his pain and fear, as he let out a suffering cry. Riku knew that this scream would torment his sleep forever if the wolf-boy did not survive this night. The pain filled scream was echoed by another and another. Each howl bounced off the walls of the room as if it too were trapped. Riku felt his anxiety and worry heighten to new levels. There had never been another time in his life where he had felt so terrified.

It came as a shock to Riku when he felt the rope slacken, and without hesitation he roughly pulled his wrists apart to snap the rope. Once his hands were released, he began working on setting Sora's own hands free from their bond. The blood from his wrist and fingernails did nothing to help Riku's swift fingers from untangling the knot, but the rope came off quicker than his own.

Immediately after they had been freed, Sora's arms wrapped themselves around Riku's waist. Sora's fingers dug into Riku's flesh, and he knew that he'd have bruises there in the morning, but none of that mattered. His pain would be like a second compared to Sora's whose pain might last a lifetime.

Sora buried his sobbing face into Riku's lap, and let out little gasps and cries of pain, but at least the screaming had stopped. Riku cradled his body against Sora's and with his right hand he stroked his hand through Sora's hair. His fingers were light and tender as a butterfly's delicate wings as they traced circles of comfort. Riku's blood mixed in with Sora's chocolate brown hair.

Sora's body shivered in pain, and Riku felt the vibrations like cold slaps of water. Riku's mind was in chaos, and the only word of comfort he could manage was the one word that kept spinning over and over in his head. "…Sora…Sora…Sora…"

-xxx-

Running in his wolf form had allowed Axel to think about his sorrow over Roxas's departure. The spiky blonde hair, and the deep, gentle blue eyes had not only burned their way in Axel's heart, but they had left their image strong in his memories. He had never wanted anything as much as he wanted to be with Roxas. Even if Roxas didn't love him, Axel needed to be beside the young man.

He knew what he needed to do, and all that was left was to tell Naminé. The answer had appeared in his mind as he had threaded his way though barriers of trees. He had to find Roxas. He had to bring the energy and happiness back into his heart.

Axel also knew that he would never leave without Naminé. If he left her alone in these woods she would cease to exist to the outside world. Although he didn't know exactly what Naminé was, Axel knew that she would eventually disappear if she was forgotten. Her birth had been the cause of someone's deep longing for a companion, and the only reason why she was still around today even after her maker had been killed was because someone had always thought of her. Someone had always kept her alive through their beliefs. First it was the man that had imagined her to life, then it was the brown haired girl she always drew pictures of, and now it was him.

When he had first met her, Naminé had been blinking out of life and into nothingness, but as he grew up and spent more time with her, she had began to look less like a glimmer of light and more like a solid human.

Axel loved Roxas, but he would never abandon Naminé. If she refused to go with him, then Axel would have to let go of Roxas forever.

The fiery red haired young man dressed himself as he hiked down the familiar path that led to the cottage. Axel's eyes widened a fraction to see Naminé standing patiently at the entrance to the garden. In her hands was a basket of pears, and beside her feet were two bags packed with the essentials for traveling.

"Always one Step ahead?" Axel asked his eyes held an unspoken gratitude.

"I have to be." Naminé responded with a smile.

-xxx-

The most beautiful sound picked up in the air. It was followed by others of its kind, and Riku felt his body relax. Sora's grip never lost it's strong hold, but the tension in his body slackened as the pain ebbed away. The chirpings of the morning birds brought with them the soft light from the dawn.

Riku's vision was blurry, and it took him a moment to realize Sora wasn't the only one crying. Softly Riku bent his head to whisper in Sora's ear and a small, relieved smile tugged at his lips, "It's over..."

'…for tonight.'

-xxx-

Author's Note: The judgment part was very fun to write, and that's not because I like to see people in pain (I don't), but because it's a major (for me at least) scene for the story! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I was debating over what chapter I should place Sora's punishment, but I decided that it was best to leave it in this chapter. Hopefully I don't regret that later…

The next chapter is either going to be titled Forgiveness or Pain of Loss, but it all depends on the size of the next few scenes. It will probably be a mixture between Cloud and Sora scenes, but I don't always follow my outline… I'm not sure when it will be posted. It might be posted before or after the 2nd chapter of my other story. Thank you for reading and please review!