Mirrors of the Soul
Based on the folklore of a "dog-man" in Hawaii called the Kaupe. Spun to be a werewolf AU lol, but with a twist. It was used in the DC tv show Legends of Tomorrow as well.
Lucy had heard the wild rumors of the dog-man of Nu'uanu Valley, but she chalked it up to Hawaiian folklore. These islands were full of such supernatural tales, and as a transplanted college student, seemed more like ghost stories intended to keep children from misbehaving. She hadn't heard of any actual werewolves confirmed in the last few centuries, and this was probably not a real case. As far as she was concerned, superstitious hocus-pocus wasn't going to keep her from hiking in the valley. It's lush rainforests, waterfalls, or Pali cliff overlooks were stunning, especially near sunset or sunrise. A slice of nature surrounded by a growing metropolis.
While the professor droned on at the front of the lecture hall, one of her closest friends slides into the seat next to her.
"You're late Natsu," she whispers, "class started 20 minutes ago."
"Did I miss much?" the young man retorts. Lucy shakes her head. "Then I'm not late at all," he grins back.
She rolls her eyes but can't help a chuckle from escaping. "Got any plans this weekend?"
"Tomorrow yeah," he shifts in his seat, "but should be free Sunday."
"How about you take me on a Dave 'N Busters date Sunday so I can kick your ass at RD again."
"You're on!"
The next morning, Lucy awakens to perfect outdoor weather. Balmy breezes lightly shifting her curtains and blue skies as far as the eye could see. It seemed her roommate hadn't made it back to their dorm in the night, probably staying the weekend with her boyfriend off campus. Lucy sighs, and turns on her bed facing the window, maybe one day she'll be able to do the same. Yeah sure, Hell might freeze over before Natsu saw her in that way. He was the best of friend that any could be, but no matter how many times she threw subtle hints or flirted with him, it all seemed to go right over his head. Oh well, the times they spent together sufficed, but for now the valley was calling her name.
Not only did she like simply being surrounded by the peace and tranquility the forest could provide, it also served as a perfect, distraction free place to write her stories. Notebook, extra pens, fully charged laptop, trusty outdoor blanket, lunch, and ready to go, she ascends the Lulumahu Falls trail. It was only a 2-mile hike round trip, but unlike some of the other trails in the area, this one cut through a bamboo grove and wasn't one of the official paths. As such, traffic tended to be lighter with fellow hikers opting for the maintained trails instead.
She reaches the end of the line and finds a shady area with large flat boulders to sit on. Thank goodness for the recent sunny weather. The trail had been mud-free, humidity was lower, and the air was crisp. Lucy takes out her laptop, balancing it on her thighs and gets to work, letting the sounds of the forest send her into a rhythm. Her words flowed forth like the gentle burbling of the nearby stream of the same namesake. Hands gliding across the keyboard like the chirping birds around her. Every now and again there was a crackle of a falling branch, or footsteps of a fellow nature seeker, but she paid these no mind, her characters kept her enthralled.
It was great when ideas came to her so easily. The infamous writers block plagued her from time to time, but not today, and it wasn't until the light was growing dim that she realized how long she'd been in the writing zone. Oh crap! It may still be warm for late fall, but the sun also set quicker in these later months. She checks the time on her phone and guestimates another hour tops before she needed to get out of there. Alright, this chapter was almost finished, she could make it!
She didn't make it.
And by the time she'd stumbled into what she assumed was the Kaniakapupu Ruins, it was dark, cell phone coverage was nil, and it was growing a bit chilly. Thank goodness for her blanket! Lucy had two options, keep trying to find her way out through unmarked trails and risk getting more lost, or staying put until morning. The clear skies were in her favor and the bright harvest moon chased away some of the darkness. She groans and finds a decent rock to plop onto, guess she'll just hunker down for the night.
About a half mile away, deeper into the Nu'uanu valley, something catches the scent of the lone female, but that wasn't good, for he recognized the scent. 'What is she doing here and on this night of all nights?!' He came here to hide during this phase of the month, an ancient calling against his bloodline to guard the heiau of Kaheiki. Legend has it, his ancestor had impregnated a human female shortly before being killed by a chief from the island of Hawaii, and to atone for that progenitor's misdeed's, a descendant was born as a Kaupe every hundred years or so to guard the heiau of the priest that helped to stop it's rampage.
A thousand years later, it was Natsu's bad luck that this curse fell upon his generation and with puberty came the confirmation. He tried consulting the most knowledgeable kahuna's and priests he could find in the hopes of breaking the curse, but they all told him the same thing, this was his ancestors atonement and only the gods could see fit to change that. Yeah, well his family had been punished enough for something they hadn't even done. It wasn't fair in this modern era to keep suffering like this. All he wanted to do was settle down some day like a normal person, but who would want a freak like him?
Natsu's worries were confirmed the moment he crept up to the ruins and sees Lucy sitting on a rock all bundled up. With his keener eye sight, he can see her hiking back pack near her feet and puts two and two together that she must have gotten lost. He could only imagine how cold she must be with nothing more than a light blanket to stay warm with. At least his fur helped with that, but it was still another 10 more hours before the sun will rise. Natsu paces as he weighs his options. Great, so what should he do? He couldn't leave her all alone. But if he made his presence known it might scare the hell out of her.
He fails to realize that Lucy is now staring in his direction. It was strange at first the mixed scent of Natsu and canine. She couldn't see him through the darkness but knew he was out there somewhere, and it wasn't a total shock. Lucy groans internally at the irony. The man had been keeping a secret, though she was no better.
"Natsu," she lets out an exasperated exhale and stands up. "You might as well come out I know you're there."
That was impossible! How could Lucy know that he was there in the first place, and second, he wasn't some random person! He hears her sigh.
"Natsu, I can pick up on your scent, now please just come out."
With a lot of trepidation, he steps beyond the tree line into the clearing. "Lucy… but how?"
"Just come closer," she sits back on her rock, "we both have a lot of explaining to do."
Okay things were getting a little weird, and considering he was the werewolf, to think this was all really strange was… Weird! No one outside of his family had ever seen him in this form because he'd done well to stay completely hidden from humans, and even though clearly this woman knew it was him, Natsu was still hesitant to let Lucy see him for what he was. It was also a bit unnerving how unfazed she seemed to be. He finds a fallen log about 10 feet away from her and sits down on the edge of it. If he needed to take off again, it would only take mere seconds to do so.
Lucy adjusts the blanket around her body, then props her head with her hand against her knee. "I assume you are confused?" Natsu nods. "Despite modern technology, Hawaii is more isolated then the continents. Back home, my family hails from a long line of hunters…. Creature hunters." She tips her head, "I remember my mom telling me how my great, great, grandfather immigrated to America to establish a line of Heartfilia's in the new world. I think it's silly and I moved here to get away from it all because I didn't want to continue the tradition." An exasperated sigh escapes her lips. "How ironic that I run into one so easily."
"That still doesn't make sense. How did you know it was me?"
She taps her nose. "I can track. Look I know it seems strange, and it's not normal for a human to do that so easily. How do I explain it… Somewhere in my family line, an ancestor was imbued with a few abilities. I can't see in the dark, which is why I'm stuck here, but an enhanced olfactory system allows me to detect scents."
"And, what do creature hunters do exactly?" his voice filled with an air of hesitancy.
"In the old days, they hunted to kill."
Natsu tenses up and leans back, "should I leave?"
Lucy just waves her hand, "I came here to Hawaii to get away from that life. Just wanted to be normal, ya know, but it seems I can't run away from it either." She shivers as a breeze funnels through the clearing.
"Are you cold Lucy? I'm sorry I don't have a jacket or anything and I can't leave the area till morning."
"Why not? In fact," she pats the area next to her, "come closer and tell me your story. It's only fair since I shared mine."
"I-I really don't like anyone seeing me like this, you're the first outside of my family to."
"I'm not gonna hurt you and I don't care what you look like. I know you're still you." Natsu shakes his head. "Suit yourself." Lucy stands up, gathers the blanket around her and trudges over.
"Wait, what are you doing!" Natsu scrambles to his feet, tripping, and falling backwards over the log with a thud.
She rushes over to help him up, "Are you okay?!"
He rubs the back of his head, "I've got a hard head," he winces, "more my pride that got hurt."
Lucy chuckles, "see," she pulls him to his feet, "should'a just stayed still."
After getting him to come back to the rock with her, Lucy pulls her feet into a cross-legged position. "Alright, now spill."
With a deep exhale, Natsu lets the words flow. Everything he knows about his family, the curse, and what it's like to be a Kaupe….
All the while Lucy sits quietly not wanting to interrupt him. She'd heard other tales of werewolves, old legends and such, including the idea of a curse causing the transformation. Though this was the first time she'd heard of a curse carrying on through a bloodline before. Guess, there is a first time for everything. The tale he told was heartrending. Their family's ancestor may have been cursed because of a cold-blooded killer nature, but the man sitting next to her was nothing like that. Natsu would give you the shirt off his back if you were in need and he always made her feel safe, especially at night. If only there was a way to break the curse.
Having determined for herself what kind of soul lay behind his Olivine hues, the longer she stared at him, it occurred to her that Natsu… wasn't that bad looking in this condition. Hawaii didn't have wolves so did that make him more of a Weredog? Not that she truly knew what a werewolf or weredog was supposed to look like since old tales differed on appearance. Some depicted them as more human with canine features, others as more canine-like and barely human anymore. Almost all of the stories described large fangs and claws dripping with blood, no ability to discern right from wrong or with any human consciousness left. Boy were they wrong in this case! Natsu was fully aware of himself and more scared than she was. His human fangs did look a bit longer than normal, his eyes still green but more canine-esque, with claws on his fingers and toes. Tufts of fur covered the parts of his body that she could see, but he wore a t-shirt and baggy pants, so it wasn't much. A tail was definitely coming out of his lower back with pointy ears growing through his pink head hair. Lucy tips her head, those ears were really cute! She wondered what he would do if she rubbed them…
"Ahem. Are you even paying attention anymore?!"
"Huh?" Lucy shakes her head. "Sorry," her face flushes and she's glad it's too dark to see it. "Curiosity and all."
"I can't let you touch them, so don't even think about it."
"Touch what?"
Natsu rolls his eyes, "my ears that you've been staring it for a solid 5 minutes."
"Oh, why not," she pouts.
"Because they are sensitive." Okay that was a semi-lie. They were sensitive but rubbing them made him feel good in a provocative manner. "So, as I was saying, we have no idea how to break the curse, no one in the family ever knows who in the next generations will become the next one, but it usually happens when the current Kaupe is close to death."
"Is this why you've never tried to make a move on me?"
Well that was blunt! "Um, I guess, yeah… what makes you think I would have?"
Lucy shrugs her shoulders a little sad by his response, "wishful thinking, I guess. Anyways, don't worry, your secret is safe with me Natsu."
"Y-you know Lucy," he shies away, "if I had… asked… what would you have answered?"
"Yes," she smiles, "I do like you, if that wasn't already obvious." Chuckling, "I just figured you only saw me as a friend."
He takes a leap, "wh-what about now, even after knowing this about me?"
"Hmm," Lucy leans against him, resting her head on his furry shoulder, "the huntress and the werewolf," she chuckles, "it sounds like a movie plot, but," she looks up and smiles, "yeah, I'd still like to be your leading lady."