Author's Note: Hey, everyone! Guess who's here with the next chapter! *drum roll* ME! Haha sorry, it's been a long week. Anyway, got some fun stuff in this one so hope you like it XD
To Verochi chan: So glad you like my story! Hope the chapter keeps you satisfied until next time :)
To .high: Hey again! Thanks for leaving another review and for your enthusiasm XD Some answers, sort of, may come in this chapter ;) - Also, for some reason, Fanfiction keeps shortening your user name... so... sorry about that lol
To FawntheFox: Hello, wonderful! I'm so happy I could make your day better! We'll have some fun Ace, Sabo, Law interaction very soon. Poor Lu is being passed around a lot lol. See ya next time!
To leafpool5: You are very welcome :)
To Nora: Haha, this was a pretty comprehensible review, I'm impressed XD Yep, I actually thought of you when I wrote Kidd getting punched. Figured you'd like that. Lu is just too precious and people must save him or feel the wrath of his protectors (the MANY protectors). Got some Katakuri and Luffy interaction coming up soon and the rescue will commence! (eventually) Lol hope you enjoy the chapter!
To Guest: Yep, lots of fun conversations to be had ;)
To B.A Victoria: I see you've found my other story! So nice to have readers who enjoy my work, I've got all sorts of ideas cooking ;) Lol, looks like you found this story at just the right time. (YAY update!)
Let me know what you think!
Luffy blinked as a bright light woke him, his neck burning with pain. Somewhat confused, the boy tried to push himself up, but his arms couldn't hold his weight. Flopping back down on the soft surface, he attempted to raise a hand to wipe sweat off his forehead but found he couldn't.
Now more awake, Luffy pulled at the strange cloth and winced when it tightened.
"I wouldn't do that, boy." A voice startled Luffy out of his attempts to tear the cloth, "The more you fight it, the tighter it will get." Glaring up at the leopard werebeast, the boy once again tried to sit up, his muscles straining.
'I-I still feel so… weak…' He thought, collapsing yet again. 'What's w-wrong with me?'
The beast, currently in its human form, reached over to move Luffy into a sitting position so he was leaning against a nearby tree. Gritting his teeth, the boy's head listed to the side, his vision blurring from the pain.
"Kalifa, is there truly nothing that can be done about the bite?" The beast asked, his voice sounding somewhat distorted to Luffy. A female, probably the witch, answered,
"I've done all I can, Lucci, the only way to heal it is to get him to Dogtooth."
Luffy swallowed, his breathes coming out unevenly. He flinched when something soft and wet was pushed against his forehead. A hand gripped his chin and held it in place as they dabbed at his feverish face. Whimpering when the piece of fabric was moved to the wound on his neck, the boy cried out in pain and his vision went black.
Lucci's eyes narrowed when the kid passed out again. Kalifa had barely touched the now festering bite…
Cursing under her breath, the witch caught the boy before he collapsed onto the ground and lowered him back onto the blanket. They had been traveling for a few days now, and their target's condition continued to decline. It had been concerning enough that he hadn't woken up fully yet, but the boy's fever persisted no matter what they tried. Though they had treated the cub's wounds, the true problem came from red-head's bite.
Kneeling before the now unconscious youth, Lucci gently moved the boy's shirt to get a better look at the putrid wound. It looked horrible, with pus seeping out of the incisions and the skin around it a sickening yellow. Growling in frustration, the leopard left the boy with Kalifa and stalked to the other side of their camp, where the wolf was waiting.
If Doflamingo's little whelp had actually sealed the bite properly, they wouldn't be having so many problems!
Eustass Kidd was chained to a tree with kairoseki, blood dripping down his face. Lucci found the wolf to be at least a source of stress relief on their trek. Grabbing him by the hair, the leopard yanked his head up to stare Kidd in the eyes.
"You have made this situation much more complicated than it needs to be." He growled out, slamming the wolf's head into the tree. "Because of your pride, the boy may die!" Kidd chuckled and spit a glob of blood onto the leopard's pants.
"Little Luffy won't die from something like that, or he wouldn't be worthy to be my future mate." Lucci snarled and backhanded the wolf, knocking a few of his teeth out in the process.
"I find it hard to believe you feel no concern for the object of your affection. By refusing to seal the mark, you show your inexperience and stupidity!"
Lucci knew very well why the wolf hadn't bothered to seal the claiming bite. He wanted the little one to scar and to remember the claim well. The werebeast had come across many young pups and cubs who'd done similar things, only to be reprimanded by their Head Alpha. Afterall, what was the point of claiming someone if they perished within a few weeks from infection!
Plus, to older wolves and werebeasts, it screamed insecurity.
The only thing stopping him from killing the wolf was his knowledge that Dogtooth could override the bite and save the boy, thereby saving his reward money. Feeling a need to mess with his captive, Lucci leaned in close to whisper into Kidd's ear.
"Do you really think you'll survive this, pup?" The restrained wolf smirked.
"You don't scare me, bastard." Lucci couldn't help himself and burst out laughing, drawing some glances from his subordinates. Grabbing Kidd by the throat, he pulled the prisoner close.
"I never did tell you who hired me, boy. Would you like to know?" He sneered, putting his mouth right next to the wolf's ear, "I'll give you a hint, he rules the territories in the mountain foothills and has a tendency to kill any who trespass in his lands." Pulling back, Lucci reveled in Kidd's wide eyes.
"That's right, we're going to see Dogtooth." Releasing the whelp, he stood and loomed over the captive. Lucci could only imagine what was going through Kidd's head right now. The wolf most likely had many fantasies about making a clean escape and taking Luffy back to his pack where they'd live "happily ever after" (not that the little brat seemed to be the submissive type). Of course, he hadn't considered the fact that the alpha interested in the same boy, was Charlotte Katakuri.
No one challenged Dogtooth.
It really made Lucci feel better to hurt and mess with Kidd, after everything he'd caused. The mission could have been a simple capture, but…
"Lucci!" Kaku called, sounding a bit anxious, "Wolves approaching from the east!" Immediately on alert, the werebeast whirled about and ordered his subordinates into formation with a gesture from his hand. Out of the corner of his eye, Lucci saw Kalifa scoop up the moaning boy and move him into the center of their defenses.
Elongating his claws and allowing his tail to appear, the werebeast inhaled deeply in an attempt to identify who was approaching. Recognizing who was approaching, Lucci narrowed his eyes and motioned to his subordinates.
"Stand down."
They relaxed, though still on guard, waiting for the wolves to emerge from the forest into the clearing. Seconds later, a beautiful, silver wolf burst into the clearing with another wolf in their human form on her back. Lucci bowed his head in respect to the two females before saying,
"Smoothie, Amande, what a pleasant surprise." The silver wolf, who the werebeast recognized as Smoothie, inclined her head in response while the long-necked Amande gracefully lept off her larger sister's back.
"Rob Lucci, greetings. My esteemed brother sends his regards."
Lucci always found himself fascinated by the female, her abnormally long-neck complimented by an equally large hat and a cigarette in her teeth. Amande took crap from no one and could easily take lives with her massive blade. It was too bad she was also an alpha or he would've considered courting her.
"May I ask why you have come to us?" Lucci questioned with a raised eyebrow, "Dogtooth has always waited for-"
"He had a vision." Amande interrupted, "His human is in danger, is he not?" The werebeast sighed and jerked his head towards the shivering boy held in Kalifa's arms. Amande narrowed her eyes and swiftly entered their protective circle to examine the little human, Smoothie right on her heels.
The long-necked wolf delicately touched Luffy's cheek, leaning down to inhale his scent. Crinkling her nose in disgust (and obviously smelling Doflamingo), Amande moved the boy's shirt to look at the putrid wound.
"Who did this?" The she-wolf asked, her tone slow and dark. "Who dared to mare the skin of our alpha's prize!?" Beside her, Smoothie motioned for Kalifa to lower the boy to the ground where she could curl protectively around him and lick his feverish face.
Lucci pulled Amande aside and quietly explained the situation, making sure to include every detail. How, by the time they'd arrived, young Luffy had been already been kidnapped by members of Doflamingo's pack, and they'd immediately given chase. After a long pursuit, they arrived just in time to confront the wolves and a lone human who was determined to rescue the small child.
During his explanation of the… incident… Amande asked a few questions regarding the boy's wings (coloring, size, etc.) and his perceived abilities, but otherwise listened quietly, puffing on her cigarette. Her face grew taught at Lucci's description the youth's wounds and his unbreaking fever, seemingly caused by the whelp's unsealed bite.
"Are you certain none of the symptoms are related to his… scarring?" Amande asked, glancing over to the human.
"We've checked the mark daily and have found no indication of it causing his fever. It appears to be more like a tattoo than a scar."
Humming, the she-wolf nodded and walked back to the circle of Lucci's subordinates. Smoothie whined and pushed her nose repeatedly into the child's cheek and neck, most likely trying to rouse him. Amande stopped her sister with a light pat to the head before turning to face the leopard werebeast.
"We shall ride ahead and take the boy with us." The female said dryly, leaning down to scoop up the child in her arms, "Smoothie is the fastest of the younger Charlottes and will get us to Komugi Castle by nightfall." Lucci nodded in agreement, knowing that at the rate they were going, they would be about a day behind them. Kalifa assisted Amande in wrapping Luffy in a blanket and leaning him against the wolf's chest from where she sat on Smoothie's back. While he would prefer to deliver their target directly to Dogtooth, this was the best solution to guarantee not dying when they arrived.
Lucci looked up at the sky, feeling a bit apprehensive of the clouds covering the sun.
"Ride swiftly, I smell a storm coming." The leopard informed the two she-wolfs who nodded in appreciation.
"My brother will look forward to your arrival." Amande said curtly, holding the boy tightly, his head resting on her bosom. "I'm sure he will wish to question your… other prisoner and make him pay for damaging his human."
The leopard glanced back at the red-head who was barring his teeth and glaring at them. Jabra smirked down at the wolf and whispered something to him, most likely mocking his helplessness.
"Please inform your Head Alpha of my apologies for this situation and that we are bringing him the perpetrator." Lucci requested with his head bowed low. Smoothie yipped and stomped her feet, definitely ready to leave.
"I shall." Amande responded as her sister turned and bounded into the dark forest. Lucci growled and turned to his comrades.
"Get ready to leave, Dogtooth will be expecting us, or rather, you." He sneered to the now pale Eustass Kidd. It seems the pup was finally starting to understand the severity of what he'd gotten himself into.
Katakuri stood with his arms crossed on a balcony overlooking the main entrance to Komugi Castle, watching the torrent of rain fall. When he'd had a horrifying vision that resulted in his young human's death, the alpha immediately sent for his younger sisters to go and find out what was wrong.
One thing he'd learned after many visions was that the boy would play a pivotal role in… whatever was coming and needed to survive.
A howl cut through the rain, drawing the alpha's attention. There, with paws pounding hard on the wet soil, was Smoothie. Rushing down to the entrance hall, Katakuri saw Brulee had beat him there and was wrapping his younger sisters in blankets. When Amande saw him approaching, she threw off the shawl Brulee had put around her shoulders and rushed forward, clutching a soaking wet bundle.
"Brother, y-you need t-to…" The she-wolf stuttered as she shivered from the cold, pushing the bundle into his arms. Somewhat confused, Katakuri shifted the blankets and froze, eyes widening. His young human's face was flushed, and he wheezed, not breathing properly. But, worst of all, was the horrible stench of Doflamingo that wafted from the boy's body.
Feeling fury bubbling up inside of him, Katakuri yanked the blanket and shirt aside to take in the unsealed bite mark. Now he understood why they'd brought the boy directly here.
"Brulee, come see me in my quarters when you've finished taking care of your sisters." The alpha ordered as he turned and walked swiftly towards his room. Once inside, Katakuri removed the soaked blanket and settled the human in his lap. The poor thing looked close to death.
Working quickly, the alpha elongated his claws and ripped the brown shirt off the boy, leaving him in only his ripped shorts, thin wrists held together with cloth Katakuri recognized from Lucci's witch. Now getting a better look at the bite, it was obviously done in a fit of anger or perhaps possessiveness, if the tears in the flesh were anything to go by. In some cases, young wolves could get away with a rough claim, but a partial seal had to be done.
'The wolf had most likely just eaten raw meat.' Katakuri thought angerly, cursing the carelessness of the perpetrator. 'Though it appears he had no intention of sealing it, regardless.'
Wasting no more time, the alpha pulled down his scarf and willed his sharp teeth to extend more than normal. Holding the boy tightly, knowing this would hurt, Katakuri bit into his human's neck. The pain was so intense that the youth's eyes flew open and a jagged scream escaped his lips.
'I know, I know, just bear with me!'
In order for this to work, his bite needed to completely eclipse the previous. So, Katakuri continued to work his teeth in as deep as he could, feeling blood flow into his mouth. Eventually, the child stopped screaming, but whimpered and thrashed in his hold.
Once he felt that he'd done enough damage, Katakuri slowly removed his teeth and used his saliva to seal it, properly. With each swipe of his tongue, the little human shuddered but relaxed, seemingly happy the pain had stopped. The process took no longer than ten minutes and the boy slipped back into unconsciousness when the last incision closed. Wiping blood from his mouth, the alpha turned the youth so he could examine the eerily familiar wings etched into his human's skin. It was strange to finally be able to feel them with his own hands.
"Brother, all is well?" Brulee asked, peeking into his room. Katakuri nodded and readjusted the human so he was resting comfortably against his chest.
"I have taken care of the most obvious problem, but it seems I need to speak with Amande and Smoothie to get more details regarding his condition." His sister nodded and closed the door behind her before approaching and peering at the still shivering human.
"Is there anything in particular you would like for me to do?" Brulee asked, her eyes roaming the boy's many bandaged appendages that were now soggy from the downpour.
"Take him to one of the guest chambers and get him warmed up." Katakuri requested, moving the child into his sister's arms. "He also needs new clothes and fresh bandages, especially on his neck." Though the human's wound already looked much better, the alpha was taking no chances.
"What about you, consuming that… infection like that!? Will you be all right?" Brulee asked in a concerned voice.
"The additive in my saliva already purified the defilement, so there's no need for you to worry." Katakuri said all the while thinking how gross it had tasted. The things he did for people. Thankfully, wolves had many interesting properties about them that Katakuri had discovered over his many years of life that came in handy during situations such as this.
'Definitely going to brush my teeth and wash my mouth out before eating again…'
"Should he be restrained?" The female asked, eyeing the cloth around the human's wrists.
"Don't bother chaining him, I doubt he'll cause trouble in the condition he's in. But, just to be safe, lock his door. Also, send for Sanji, I wish to speak with him."
Brulee nodded and left his room, taking the boy with her. Katakuri sighed and fell back against his bed, glad the child was going to survive, but angry he'd been put into the situation in the first place! He needed to speak with his sisters to hear the whole story.
Lucci had better have a damn good explanation for his human's condition.
Whitebeard sat in his chair feeling somewhat frustrated. The last couple days of questioning the two humans, or one human and a… hybrid?... had come to a standstill.
It was quite entertaining to watch Ace attempt to question the two as the tattooed one, Trafalgar Law, was quite open with his answers, and the other, Sabo, refused to reveal anything of use. The fact that the blonde was the young pup's older brother probably played into his silence, even though they'd made it very clear they only wanted the child safe.
Separating the two of them proved to be most effective as Trafalgar had no problem relating everything that had occurred during his captivity and why Doflamingo's pack was after him in the first place, though no specifics were given. His testimony also gave them an idea of what condition Ace's pup was in and that he had been claimed by the wolf, Eustass Kidd.
The fact that the mark remained unsealed worried the old alpha as he knew such a thing could be life threatening.
Despite everything they'd learned, and their many trips between the Keep and the battlefield, a trail to follow had yet to reveal itself. Rob Lucci was a very intelligent and cunning hunter who left no evidence behind of their target destination.
Whitebeard took a long drink from his cup of alcohol, mulling over who hired the beast to kidnap young Luffy. It had to be someone of prestige as the hunter's fees were… extravagant.
If only the blonde human would reveal whatever secret he was hiding, perhaps the investigation and pursuit would speed up. It was obvious that Trafalgar and Sabo were keeping something from them in regard to the battle, something they both weren't willing to reveal. When questioned about it, the tattooed doctor only said that it wasn't his place to say.
Surely the young one understood that they only wanted to help his little brother? Even Ace was starting to get frustrated with their lack of progress. Surprisingly, his son was being quite patient with their two captives.
'It's nice to see him finally make some new friends.' Whitebeard thought with a chuckle, 'Not that he would admit it.'
"Pops!" A voice called from outside his door that the old alpha recognized as Marco's, "May I come in?"
"Of course, son."
The blonde entered quickly and approached his chair, holding something delicately in his hands. Whitebeard raised and eyebrow at the little bundle of cloth and asked,
"What is it, Marco?" His son took a deep breath and held up his package.
"You… you won't believe what we found, yoi." The wolf said quietly as he gently unwrapped the cloth and showed him what he held. Whitebeard's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped open as he took the little thing in one massive hand.
The shimmering feather was gorgeous and seemed to change between a translucent white and a vibrant scarlet even as little specks of light radiated from it. Whitebeard felt his thoughts racing as he ran a large finger over the soft down. There was only one race he knew of that produced feathers like this, and they'd gone extinct centuries ago.
"One of our scouts found it during their last exhibition to the battleground, yoi." Marco said, still admiring the beautiful feather, "Do you think…"
Everything was starting to fall into place for the old alpha, the wariness and unwillingness to share everything that had happened and Rob Lucci's appearance. It all revolved around young Luffy.
"My son, if this feather truly belongs to Ace's pup, the boy's value has just become priceless. Not only for us, but for all wolves."
"But, it's impossible, yoi… They were killed off during the first Great War!" Whitebeard laughed loudly and wrapped the feather back in its covering.
"Gurarara, the Fae were always a stubborn people, Marco, it wouldn't surprise me that one or two survived. Bring the humans back here and contact all the commanders, we need to have a meeting."