Genre: AU/Fantasy/Drama

Pairings: 1x2, 3x4, 4+2, 3+1, 5x6, 6+2, 5+1 (good grief!)

Disclaimer: Don't own nothin' but these words

Warnings: Yaoi, lemon (copious amounts, probably), slavery, magic, nekos, some smut, sap, peril, abuse

A/N: This story is going to take a turn for the darker. Never fear, though. My love of naming things comes out again in this chapter. StandingOnTheRooftops, I'm sorry! I didn't do what you wanted, but I will probably next chapter (I hope). The plot is beginning to unravel. And that is all I will say.

Life Energy

Never in his young life had Duo ever seen a place quite like Venya. The royal castle was the biggest structure he'd ever seen, and the forested mountains right behind it were quite a sight. They were covered in a white blanket that Heero called snow, and he and Quatre promptly trekked out toward it to figure out what, exactly, it was. It turned out to be soft, wet, and very cold. He couldn't help it and flopped over to roll around in it, dig in it, and climb up trees to dive into it. By the time he wearied of this game he was pleasantly worn out and frozen to the marrow of his bones. At that point Quatre got very insistent that they return to the castle, and he agreed. He'd gotten used to sleeping on a soft bed.

The castle itself was different than Sheneva's. For starters, the gardens had tall, fruit-bearing trees. The fruits were orange-colored globes, and when he asked Heero about them the prince told him they were called oranges. He thought that was weird. A small, crystal-clear stream cut through the gardens, and many bushes with blue and pink flowers bloomed everywhere. The castle walls were not gray stone, either. The stone was a deep, deep green swirled with silver and pale blue. And there were large rooms that had big holes in the floor where hot water bubbled up. This was the weirdest thing of all to him, and Heero told him those were 'hot springs.' These were public bathing rooms, though certain rooms were for only certain members of the castle. For instance, Heero and his family and select others were the only ones who could go into a certain medium-sized room.

Today, Duo decided he was brave enough to try these hot springs. He'd been here for three days now, and he had never in his life immersed himself in water. Heero assured him it was a nice experience, that the water was relaxing. His recently-healed leg was still somewhat stiff, and Heero thought it would be a good way to loosen it up. So after he and Quatre went hunting, he entered the room.

Steam curled thickly in the air, which had a slight chill to it. That was another thing about Venya. It was much, much colder here. During the day it felt warm enough, but at night it felt freezing cold. Duo shucked his breeches and tunic, dropping them carelessly to the floor as he padded to the edge of the largest pool. Quatre followed him in wild form, head canted to the side. Duo dipped in one foot and yelped, pulling it back.

"It's hot!"

Quatre silently laughed at him. Sticking his tongue out at him, Duo remembered what Heero had told him and began slowly easing himself into the pool. The heat felt delicious, though he didn't like the feeling of his tail being weighted down with water. Quatre watched him until he was sitting, water up around his shoulders. He ducked in to his chin.

"How does it feel?" Quatre asked silently.

Duo sighed, smiling a little. "Much nicer than I thought it would. It's really warm. You gonna come in?"

"Maybe in a little while," Quatre said, beginning to wash his paws and face.

Duo folded his arms on the smooth edge. "Ne, Quatre?"

Aqua eyes met his.

"Do you like Trowa?"

Quatre blinked. "Why ask?"

"Sometimes you spend time with him. When I'm with Heero. Do you like him like a female likes a male?"

Ceasing his washing, Quatre looked at him steadily. "Not particularly. I do like him, though. I respect him as a predator. Apparently he's in command of Heero's entire army, which is very large. I had no idea when I first met him. I thought he was a manservant, maybe."

Duo giggled.

Quatre heaved a sigh that made his whole chest expand. "He's interesting. And he cares a great deal about his brother."

Beaming, Duo twitched his ears. "I know." Then he frowned. "D'ya think we'll get back to Wythiera any time soon?"

Obviously that question hadn't occurred to Quatre, either. His tail gave a lazy movement. "I don't know. But I do wonder why Wildfire told them to bring us here instead of take us home. You'd have been fine now, with your leg healed."

Duo looked at it, distorted beneath the water. "Yeah. But I'm kinda glad, too. I like being here with Heero and Trowa. I like Venya."

It was physically impossible for Quatre to smile in his wild form, but his eyes did all the smiling for him. "I do, too. I especially like the snow."

"Me, too!" Duo exclaimed, the spasm of his tail being slowed dramatically by the water. "I wonder what it is? Maybe we should ask Wufei. He's really smart. He'd probably know."

Quatre made a snuffing sound. "I'm sure he would. But I asked Trowa. Apparently it's frozen water that falls from the sky."

Duo frowned. "I thought frozen water was ice? Maybe he's confused. Snow isn't hard enough to be ice."

Quatre rose to pace around the room, sniffing at things. "Maybe. There sure are a lot of strange smells in this room."

"Yeah," Duo agreed, pointing to a small chest of shelves. "Those bottles, I think."

As one, two sets of eyes snapped to the door. Both Myda tensed, able to hear someone approach. Duo, who had long learned the way Heero's walk sounded, knew it wasn't him or his brother. Or the sorcerer. He half rose out of the water, ears straight forward and alert, claws sliding out of their sheaths. Quatre was back at his side in an eyeblink, just as the door pushed slowly and quietly open. As if the intruder were going for stealth.

The human was younger, maybe twenty-something years. He had wavy, dirty-blonde hair and eyes that reminded Duo of walnut shells. He looked surprised to see them both looking at him. Duo's whole body stiffened, and his upper lip curled back in a silent growl. A strange smell rolled off the human. Excitement. Anxiety. And a bright spike of lust.

"Wow, it's really true," he said, stepping properly into the room. "You really do have cat ears." He took another step forward. "Shit you're cute."

Quatre's body screamed stay away, but the human, like all of his idiot race, missed the signs completely. Duo's fingers literally itched with the desire to claw that sick grin right off the fool's face. "If he gets any closer, I'm going to rip his throat out," Duo said.

Quatre's body rippled an agreement, the threat of violence rolling off him.

"Aw, c'mon," the human all but cooed, "you don't need to be afraid of me. I won't hurt you. I just wanna play with you a little, that's all."

The door tapped the wall as it swung open. "I can assure you, fear is the very last thing on their minds, Toumak."

Duo, who had been so focused on the human he'd not even heard the approach of another, started at the sound of Trowa's familiar voice. The man leaned seemingly idly against the door frame, arms crossed over his chest. His posture was at ease, but the heat of anger seethed through his scent. Duo relaxed minutely. His anger seemed only to feed Quatre's, however.

The blonde human jumped, too. "General Barton!" he almost squeaked. "Ahh, I didn't hear you come in, sir."

"Obviously not," Trowa said, tone a little absent. "I thought Prince Heero made it perfectly clear that the Myda were to be left strictly alone."

Duo watched in glee as the human swallowed thickly, going a little pale. "Ahh, yes, well, I just thought that was a little harsh, sir. I mean, I wouldn't hurt them - "

Trowa pushed off the door frame and took one step forward. That was all, but he loomed impossibly tall into the room. "It wasn't for their sake that the prince gave that order," he said, voice gone cold and still. "It was for yours. Have you any idea, any at all, how easily these two could rip you apart? They have no love for humans, and can't you see in the gold one's body language the threat of aggression? Had I been even a moment later he would have attacked, and his darker companion would have been a heartbeat behind. These two are not simpering ladies you can woo and seduce, fool. They are wild animals with wild temperaments. How would I explain to your father that you were killed by them, after disobeying Prince Heero's explicit orders to leave them alone?"

By now, Quatre was sitting back on his haunches, purring softly. He'd gone back to washing his paws. Duo, amused as well and pleased by Trowa's words, folded his arms on the edge of the pool to watch this unfold.

The blonde human was now the color of sour milk. "I-I . . . ahh, you, I didn't - "

"Leave," Trowa said. "Now."

The human let out a squeak like a trampled mouse and fled. Duo hissed laughter. Trowa closed the door, calm restored. He looked at the two Myda.

"Heero gave his permission that you two may defend yourselves," he said, "just please refrain from killing anyone. That fool is the son of one of the major noble houses, and he has quite a reputation for tumbling both young men and women into his bed."

Duo swallowed a snarl. "I'm not promising anything," he spat. "I'll never let a human touch me again."

"Nor will I," Quatre agreed, ears flicking a bit.

Something passed over Trowa's face. Was it . . . sad? "I came looking for you because the Wolves are here," he said. "They don't want anything important discussed until the two of you are there."

A bolt of excitement shot through Duo, followed immediately by dismay. Sighing, he climbed out of the inviting water only to hiss as cold air hit his skin. And the water plastered his tail to his leg. He gave it a morose look, ears going flat, and looked up when Trowa paced toward him. The man had a small grin on his face, and he had a huge, thick-looking towel in his hands. Quatre watched without a hint of tension as Trowa walked to Duo's side and wrapped the towel around him. He lifted Duo as if he weighed nothing, chafing his skin with the soft material. Duo couldn't help it and started purring, warmed again in moments.

"There," Trowa said, setting him back on the floor, "hurry and get dressed."

Beaming at him, Duo picked up his discarded clothes and scampered out. He wanted to look nice for the Wolves - it was his first time meeting one.

o0o 0o0

Quatre watched Duo with amusement in his eyes. Being around these humans had mellowed his volatile temperament quite a bit, and Quatre's too. He glanced up when Trowa moved toward him now, reaching down to stroke his ears. He allowed only a moment of this before rising and pacing out of reach. Then he transformed.

Bless Wufei for his clever idea of enchanting clothes. In the wilds of Wythiera Quatre had never minded being naked in his secondary form. But around humans it made him distinctly uncomfortable. He still didn't like wearing things on his feet, though. His toes wriggled slightly in the soft boots, then he met Trowa's eyes.

This human posed something of a conundrum. He both liked him and loathed him. Trowa had the weirdest energy of any human he'd ever encountered. He was all soft and gentle most of the time, but then there were glimpses of a steely strength, a temper that would make even a dragon think twice about assaulting him. His protective instincts were strong, and Quatre wondered what it would take for those instincts to take the fore. This gentleness of Trowa's, it was a false personality and it didn't suit him. However, even Trowa didn't seem aware that it was false. As he headed to the door and Trowa followed him, he wondered how to make the man see this.

"What would you have done, if you were me and Duo were Heero, and you found yourself in our former situation?" he asked after a moment.

He heard a slight falter in Trowa's even stride. For several heartbeats the man didn't respond, and Quatre was just beginning to think he meant not to when he drew in a deep breath.

"I wouldn't have stopped until my death, trying to kill Grascien and free my brother," he said quietly. Almost a whisper.

There was that buried intensity. Seething just beneath the surface. Quatre longed to reach inside the man and pull it out, to make it stick all the time. And he said nothing further about it. There had been many, many times when he struggled so hard against that collar and chain that he'd choked himself out. He still ached at times to sink his teeth into that human's throat and drain his life away. Duo was almost back to his normal self now, but Quatre would never forget the pain in his eyes, the blood on his skin, or the mindless rage that had claimed them both.

Duo came bounding out of their shared bedchamber as they rounded the corner, looking beautiful in his black breeches (bare feet, of course) and tunic belted at the waist in silver. The leather had been dyed a rich red, and Quatre didn't ask why Duo wasn't wearing a shirt beneath it. Duo didn't like the restriction, though he would probably get too cold in a short amount of time.

"That's what you're for!" Duo had chirped when Quatre pointed it out.

Trowa led them into what looked like a war council room. Quatre didn't doubt that was its primary function. After all, Venya was a military kingdom. Heero and Wufei were already there, along with six Wolves. Three of them were gray with white and black markings, one of them was pure white, one was a rich rusty red, and the last was jet black with bright gold eyes. All of them were large, the three grays larger even than Quatre in wild form.

The largest of the six, one of the grays, rose from his sitting position. "I'm glad you are here," he said.

Quatre's ears went back just a little. The Wolf didn't actually speak - indeed, how could he? Rather, he projected his thoughts in the same way Wildfire had done. It was the way of the Mystics.

Directly at his side, another of the grays, a female stirred. "Before we begin, let us introduce ourselves. I am Darksong. This is my mate - " she looked to the larger male at her side - "Stormchaser, leader of the Dream Pack. This is our son, Windwraith."

The final gray, smaller than both his parents, dipped his muzzle in greeting, dark brown eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"This," Darksong continued, now looking at the white Wolf, "is Ghostshadow. She is a member of the Healer Pack." Now the rusty. "This is Bloodmoon. He is a member of the Moon Pack, son of their leader." And finally to the black Wolf. "And this is Nightwing, member of the Runner Pack."

Quatre dipped his head. "I am Quatre, and this is Duo."

Stormchaser sat back. "We have news from Wildfire," he said, "who has been coordinating the Mystic effort." He looked at Heero. "With the help of your sorcerer, we believe we know now why the necromancer wanted the two Myda."

Judging by the look Heero shot Wufei, he was unaware of the sorcerer's involvement. Wufei gave him a smile completely unrepentant.

"Necromancers typically come from Somatolai," he said, "an island that, legend tells us, periodically disappears from the world altogether only to reappear at other times. Necromancy is very different from sorcerery. One cannot simply call on magic and use it. Rather, necromancers must use the life force that is within themselves to utilize this dark power. In other words, whenever a necromancer performs any of the dark arts, it takes something out of him that he cannot get back. Necromancers are always killed in this fashion only to rise as undead, incapable of using any magic at all. It is a pitiful existence."

"The magic that the Mystics use," Darksong picked up, "is as different from sorcerery as is necromancy. A long time ago, a very old undead necromancer - lich, they're called - figured out how to use a specific type of Mystic energy to once more use necromancy. It's a complicated process, but I will try to explain. Life energy comes from every living thing on this world. Myda have the ability to manipulate energy, which includes the magic sorcerers use. However, one who knows how to manipulate life energies, a necromancer, can use a Myda's ability to directly manipulate the energy of life."

Quatre, who had settled onto one of the cushions on the floor, felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. At his side, Duo went pale and still.

Heero frowned. "Isn't that what they do already?" he asked.

"Yes," Ghostshadow inserted here, "but only their own."

"Maybe a demonstration would be better?" Windwraith suggested mildly.

Darksong flicked her son a look. "Yes, that is a good idea. Wufei, would you mind?"

Quatre glanced at Wufei, knowing already what the Wolves were thinking. The sorcerer nodded and focused on Quatre. Watching him closely, Quatre waited until he felt the magic building within the man. He cast a simple sleep-spell, and Quatre latched onto it and turned it into a globe of bright, green light that hovered over the palm of his hand.

"What he did," Windwraith explained to the other two humans, "is take a sleep spell and turn it into that globe of light. What a necromancer does is similar to the same. When they reach for their own life energy through a Myda, they can instead touch the life energy of other life. Almost as if the Myda acted as a mirror and deflected their target to something else."

Heero nodded. "I believe I understand."

"There is more," Darksong went on. "Most Myda cannot provide the level of deflection required to do this. Like all Mystics, some are born with stronger magic than others. It is the same with sorcerers. Quatre and Duo both possess an impossibly strong magic resistance. It would be extremely difficult to overpower them with any spell, and they would easily allow a necromancer to tap into the life energies of another."

"This comes at a terrible price to the Myda," Ghostshadow murmured, her dark brown eyes haunted. "It would cause unspeakable agony, more of the mind and heart and soul than the physical body. They would eventually die, and like a necromancer rise as undead. A perverted, twisted form of life incapable of feeling."

A shudder wracked Quatre's frame. Like all Mystics, necromancy stirred a deeply-rooted fear in him. To his left, Trowa reached out and touched his hand. His eyes snapped up to meet the human's, and for a moment he was drowning in compassionate green. Then he looked away, annoyed.

"Wildfire believes this necromancer in Tsorkran is a lich," Darksong said. "He is more than likely looking for a way to resurrect himself. Together, Duo and Quatre would provide him with all the power he needed."

"Why those two?" Heero asked, his blue eyes flicking over to Duo.

Quatre saw a gleam of possessiveness, protectiveness, and worry. It warmed him.

"Wildfire flew to all corners of Wythiera," Ghostshadow explained, "and found not a single Myda capable of handling the levels of energy these two could handle. A single one of them is ten times more resistant to magic than any other Myda, and together they are a hundred times more resistant. The necromancer could use them to not only resurrect himself, but drain half the life energy of this entire world."

Quatre stared at her, aghast. At his side Duo shrank back, face gone utterly white. Quatre immediately wrapped his arms around him and Duo curled into him, licking his lips and swallowing as though fighting not to be sick. Quatre found himself doing the same, and a strong arm went around his shoulders. He glanced up to find Trowa looking down at him with that same compassion - and a hint of something else. That steely intensity that was at the core of his being. His real self.

"Don't worry, little ones," Darksong said, rising. "We are here to make sure that doesn't happen. Heero, Windwraith and Bloodmoon will bond to you. Quatre, I to you. Trowa, Stormchaser to you. Wufei, Ghostshadow to you. And Duo, Nightwing to you. The six of us are already bonded, and we will comminucate directly with Wildfire. She continues her search for this necromancer."

"She has other news, as well," Ghostshadow piped up. "She found the other human you were searching for. The brother of the traitor girl?"

Heero took sudden interest. "Zechs?"

"Yes," the white Wolf confirmed. "He was half dead. She healed him and is wondering what you would like done with him now."

Quatre shifted back as Duo lifted his head, giving Heero a curious look. The Warrior Prince stared at the wall as though he, himself, wasn't quite sure.

"I'll ask her to tell Wufei where she is. Wufei, I want you to bring him here. Take an armed guard with you. Until I know this man, treat him as you would any prisoner."

Wufei inclined his head.

"If that is settled," Stormchaser said, shaking his great body, "I would like to seal the bonds now. It is a simple thing. Sorcerer, you will have to remove that protective web you placed over the prince's mind until the bond is complete. Then you may replace it if you wish."

Wufei simply nodded, and the six Wolves each moved to stand in front of his or her chosen bonded. Quatre, no stranger to the bond, urged Duo to sit upright. Duo looked far from over that shock, but he was obviously ready to set it aside for the moment. Darksong paced to stand in front of the gold Myda, and her eyes were smiling. As she reached for Quatre with her mind, he reached back to meet her halfway. Like pieces of a puzzle rounded to perfectly smooth edges, they met and merged without an iota of difficulty. Thanks to his own bond with Duo, he felt the younger Myda bond with Nightwing just as easily.

It was over quickly. Being bonded with a Wolf was different than being bonded with another Myda. Wolves had a far stranger view of the world than other Mystics. They were the only ones who only halfway existed on this plane. Their other half was rooted firmly in Dream. Dream was a strange world half between this plane and the plane of death. It was a place of unreality, a place of merging and blending where things that mattered here had no importance. Darksong's mind was like peering into a dream. No bright, sharp edges. It was like seeing things through a veil of smoke.

She sent him a reassuring feeling. Nightwing leaned forward and licked Duo's mouth, causing the younger Myda to jerk back in surprise, giggling. Quatre tried not to give into the urge to panic. Somehow, he would keep his little friend safe.