Prologue: Meeting The Pack
Tsume gathered up both of her babies, Kiba in one arm and Nobara in the other, holding them close in a tight affectionate squeeze. Both toddlers grinned and Tsume couldn't help but smile despite her nerves as Nobara reached up to poke at Tsume's red cheek fang. The twins were fascinated by any spot of bright color and Nobara in particular loved to poke and prod at the clan markings.
It was good that they were both in such good moods today of all days. That always made it easier. They were still young, barely over a year old, but Tsume thought it was time for them to be introduced to the ninken. They were four years younger than most when they were introduced but Tsume was determined to start the twins young, just like she'd done when Hana was a baby. She'd always believed that the younger the child the better the bond to their ninken partner and it'd been a tradition in the main family since anyone could remember. Tsume had met Kuromaru at a year old and Hana had partnered her gray triplets at the same age.
"Kiba!" Nobara chirped, gripping her twins hand and swinging it about playfully. Her first and most used word, her brothers name. Tsume'd been amused when that had been the first word out of her daughters mouth but it made since and it fit the twins. They didn't like to be separated and each other was their favorite thing in the world. And now they'd be introduced to the ninken pack at the same time. It fit them.
"We go, go, go!" Kiba chanted, laughing with his sister as Tsume took the twins out the back door into the back courtyard.
"Do you think they're big enough?" Hana asked as she followed her mother down the porch steps. She knew the ninken could get awful rough sometimes even for her, and she was seven. The twins looked really small and fragile to her, not nearly old enough to meet the pack. But she also knew her mother would try her best to protect the twins, no matter what. She couldn't help but wonder if she'd been that small when she met her triplets.
"Don't worry so much, Hana-chan!" Tsume chided gruffly, crossing to the huge gate that indicated the beginning of the ninken's territory. She handed Nobara down to Hanam smiling at her oldest when Hana cradled her to her chest like she was made of glass. Hana had always been extra cautious with the twins, doing her best to be gentle. Much more gentle than Tsume ever bothered to be. "These little squirts will be fine. They might get a little scuffed but nothing that'll kill them."
Hana nodded uncertainly, watching her mother swing open the heavy gate with one hand. The unpartnered ninken occupied the back acreage of the Inuzuka compound, a large section of walled off forest that stood directly behind the their home. The Inuzuka simply called it The Territory. The huge area was private and kept quiet and no one but Tsume was allowed inside without permission from Tsume as clan head. It was safer that way.
The dogs were all allowed to freely come and go but most who were not partnered stayed within the private forest. They were allowed to do whatever they liked within the area. Some were wild and feral, some never showed themselves, while others were friendly and often came into the clan compound for food or for attention. Those, like Kuromaru and the triplets, stayed side by side in the compound with their partner. Her mother had always told her that the most important thing to remember is that within these walls the ninken weren't pets and they weren't tame, they were wild animals and they should be treated as such. The idea of her little baby brother and sister in there made her nervous.
Following her mom through the gate, glancing around cautiously. Her triplets had stayed behind in the house, sleeping in, and she felt surprisingly vulnerable without them by her side. And even though she'd been in the Academy for a while now she felt like she wouldn't be much use if one of the ninken decided to attack. She knew Kuromaru was near by, in the Territory already and her mom was just right there, but she still felt nervous. The dark forest, dense and filled with shadows, seemed ominous in comparison to the bright cobbled courtyard she'd just come from.
"Here we go, little fang." Tsume proclaimed once they'd reached a small clearing covered with thick lush grass, settling the little boy right in the middle where the thickest grass grew. The boy grinned happily up at them, his little teeth still blunt. "Bring her over here."
Hana obediently came closer, setting her sister right next to Kiba, where she immediately latched onto her twins hand again. She smiled at them, thinking of how adorable the two of them looked together. Kiba in his little blue jumper and Nobara with a big red bow in her hair.
"Kiba, grass!" Nobara said excitedly, pumping their joined hands up and down while they both peered down at the green grass growing all around them. They both promptly began to pull at it with their free hands, pulling tufts out and flinging blades everywhere.
"Come on, Hana-chan, let watch from the treeline. They gotta do this by themselves." Tsume nudged Hana back, setting a calloused hand on her shoulder and pulling her away. They both settled just inside the treeline, about forty feet away.
Tsume ignored her daughters worried face, instead watching the twins and trying to keep her own worry down. Despite her reassurances to Hana this whole thing was a risky operation every single time. Ninken, especially those from the Territory, were volatile at best. They were untrained and didn't have the emotional stability that came with a Bond. Unpredictable was the best word, she supposed. The ninken were unpredictable and there'd been times in the past that a child had been bitten or even maimed before they could be pulled away. It was a risk every single time a new child was introduced to the pack.
It was also an essential part of every single Inuzuka's life. Every Inuzuka came before the pack to get a ninken partner. Usually not before they were five or six but every child came here at some point. Ninken were more than just partners, they were an essential balance that every Inuzuka needed. If an Inuzuka didn't end up with a ninken, they never received the Red Fangs. They might as well not even be Inuzuka without the Fangs. They weren't looked down on as such but without the bond to a ninken they didn't have the instincts , reflexes or even the same chemical pathways in the brain as an Inuzuka with a ninken.
She'd only heard of three children going without a ninken in all the years she'd been alive, and in her opinion they'd been a pale imitation of what an Inuzuka should be. When a child received a ninken they received the Red Fangs, and the Red Fangs bonded the ninken and the child together on a cellular level. So many things that made an Inuzuka an Inuzuka came from that bond. Their sense of smell, their clan hierarchy, their instincts, their speed, their clan techniques, their more animal like disposition...
It wouldn't be inaccurate to say that after the Bond an Inuzuka actually became half canine and without that canine half they just weren't really Inuzuka. There were so many things that an Inuzuka did that depended on the instinctive side that came with the Bond. Pack bonds, family affection, the way dominance was displayed through body language. So many things came instinctively. It was nearly impossible for an Unbound to understand things on the level a Bound Inuzuka could. Which was another reason they didn't often marry outside of their clan...
Grimacing at the reminder of her late husband Tsume shook her head. Back to business. She whistled, high and loud and long, giving the ninken the signal to inspect new candidates. The bitches that had pups would bring them, currently hidden in dens around the Territory. Tsume knew this was actually a particularly fortuitous time for Kiba and Nobara, as there were four separate litters that had been born in the last year.
The pups would come and inspect Kiba and Nobara. Mostly by scent. Any pups born in the last year would probably find their way here soon. Kuromaru had always told her that smelling her for the first time had felt like an electric tingle from his nose to his tail and he'd been helpless to do anything but come to her. She knew that a pup could refuse a Potential if they wanted to though. But if they felt the Potential and liked the candidate they could also choose to Bond. It was an intricate process, the choosing of a partner, and Kuromaru had never been able to explain it very well to her. He said it was less of a choosing and more of a knowing, and it was a feeling no pup would ever mistake.
Kuromaru arrived first, as the Alpha he had the right. He trotted into the clearing and did a single circle around the twins, smacking them in the face affectionately with his tail, which made Nobara giggle uncontrollably and Kiba scowl. Scent mark placed, a protective precaution more than anything, Kuromaru positioned himself at her side, meeting her gaze with a grin. As Alpha he would preside over the event, his scent and presence hopefully keeping the rowdier dogs calm around the kids. Hopefully that would keep Kiba and Nobara from being injured or pushed around.
The first litter of puppies was a group of four, all a dark brindle that marked them as Aoyo's line. They were boisterous pups, sniffing and licking freely at the twins. She'd mark them as maybe three months old, each with long legs and deep chests that marked them as runners. Kiba laughed in delight, patting and petting at the pups eagerly, although none of the pups stayed with him. Nobara scowled at them, smacking one on the nose and shouting "No, puppy, no!" which made the pup cringe back and leave the clearing with his tail tucked. Tsume frowned, not encouraged by the reaction at all.
Nobara had always been her worry child. Born to small. Weak and sick as a baby, only just starting to get her health and strength. She was smaller than Kiba by a bit and she'd always been mildly standoffish with both Kuromaru and the triplets. She'd never liked to cuddle with the dogs like Kiba did and she often pushed them away when they became too rowdy for her. She wasn't a serious child by any means, she played loud and rough with Kiba but she just didn't seem interested in the dogs. Hopefully that would change with the Bond and her own partner.
The second litter was a multicolored bunch, two white and three red. They had huge paws and floppy ears, promising plenty of growth. That was always a good thing in a ninken. Based on the color and the size she'd hazard a guess that they had to be related to Akami, who'd been Tsume's fathers ninken. The three red pups left quickly after only a cursory pass around the twins, making it clear they hadn't found anything to interest them. The two white pups sniffed at Kiba furiously, ignoring Nobara, who frankly looked like she was contemplating falling asleep in the grass and sunshine. Finally, after several minutes dragged by one white pup bounded away, leaving the white pup with brown ears behind with Kiba. The pup plopped itself down across Kiba's lap and seemed intent on staying. Kiba was grinning brightly, petting the tufts of white hair around the puppies ruff.
Tsume let out a deep breath, relief relaxing her tense stance just a bit. The pup looked months 8 or 9 weeks old, maybe only just weaned. It was still a baby and likely hadn't even taken to wandering on it's own yet. The big paws, deep chest and body spoke of plenty of promise. He looked healthy too and hadn't shown any signs of deformity or injury.
"Akami's line?" She asked Kuromaru curiously, knowing that he would know for sure. As Alpha he inspected the ninken in the Territory regularly and he would know who was mating with who to produce which pups.
Kuromaru nodded, studying the pup with his one good eye. "Akamaru." He said, voice gruff. As Alpha it was also his right to name a pup when a child was chosen. Akamaru fit the theme of names that the main family had been following for decades now.
Tsume nodded, aimed a sharp smile at Hana and then looked up in time to see the next batch of pups tumble into the clearing. These one were older, maybe almost a year and Tsume tensed up just slightly. The older a pup the less likely a Bond and the more unpredictable they became. Those who reached a year without a Bond almost never chose a partner, instead choosing to roam the Territory.
An older female bitch hovered at the edge of the clearing, waiting for the four brown pups to complete their inspection. These ones were whip slender, built for speed and not much else. Tsume's niece Shippo had a partner that was very similar and she was one of the fastest shinobi in the Inuzuka clan. This litter passed within only minutes, prowling around the two children but not coming any closer. Akamaru gave a little baby growl when one came too close but was ignored by the bigger dogs.
"Why are they ignoring Nobara?" Hana asked quietly once they'd left. She was wringing her hands and shifting from foot to foot with a worried frown on her face.
"She just hasn't had a Potential come through yet is all, Hana-chan." Tsume told her, sharing a discreet glance with Kuromaru. They'd been here for almost an hour and they'd went through most of the pups already...
"Oh..." Hana murmured, still looking worried as the last group came into the clearing.
These were clearly different from the rest, part of the sniffer stock, especially bred for extremely powerful noses. The six pups were all a dusty tan and still chunky with youth, barely four or five months old. Their faces were all slightly pushed in and their fur was scruffy and wired. Cute but not the best combat partners. Tsume felt like cursing as again this litter bypassed Nobara, sniffed Kiba and then trooped from the clearing.
"Hana-chan, why don't you grab up Kiba and his pup and take them on back to the house." Tsume suggested, keeping her face mild and pleasant so Hana wouldn't see her worry. "I'll wait out here with Nobara."
"Okay." Hana nodded quickly and darted forward to scoop up Kiba in her arms. Akamaru whined fitfully, little white body squirming but followed after her as she trotted back towards the gate.
"Kiba, no, no, no!" Nobara shouted, clearly not happy as she watched her twin be toted off. She went to get up and follow on wobbly legs, having just learned to walk.
"Stay." Tsume growled, using the deep almost rumbling tone that she used when she meant business. Later, once the twins were Bound, they would be able to make the same deep growl but for now they both reacted accordingly. In this case Nobara plopped back onto her butt and pouted mutinously at her but remained where she was.
"Are there any left?" She asked her partner even though she was pretty sure of the answer herself.
Kuromaru gave her a look as he slumped over onto his side. "There are only the older pups left." He confirmed.
She grunted as she stared off to the side, studying the dark shadows of the surrounding forest. For an older ninken to choose a baby...it was nearly unheard of. She'd heard of it happening once, some three-four generations back. It didn't seem likely to happen now. Ninken chose children in the same sort of age range as themselves for a reason. It was just all around easier to Bond, for both the child and the dog. It had less risks and side effects as they both developed together.
Her lips twitched, wanting to turn up into a snarl as she imagined her daughter without a ninken at all. It was rare enough to have an Inuzuka without a partner but to have a main family Inuzuka without a partner...that was as rare as trees turning purple. It was almost unthinkable.
Any Inuzuka that didn't Bond were normally sent to live with other families, not that there'd been an Unbound in years but it was the usual practice. Kept close, usually placed with shinobi friends or a couple that couldn't have children of their own, but put somewhere safer. Not because they were lesser or looked down upon but because they simply couldn't cope most of the time. Inuzuka were known as rough and tumble in Konoha for a good reason. They played rough, lived rough, bit harder, healed faster...A child that didn't have the benefits of the Bond normally didn't do well being raised among Inuzuka. And to give up her baby...The very thought made her heart hurt but with Kiba in the house it would be necessary.
Over the next few years Kiba would have very little control over himself and his senses. Inuzuka children were very nearly feral at first with hardly any control over themselves. To go from normal human senses to half canine instincts was a difficult process. Their entire brain and the chemicals in it would be going through a dramatic shift. It was why Inuzuka children were generally cloistered in the Inuzuka compound for the first year or two after a Bond. They liked to bite, scratch, kick and pounce. All of that was normal for puppies but put them in with other none clan kids...it was a blood bath. The Inuzuka considered it a normal thing, a way to learn how to fight and learn control but it wasn't something none clan kids could handle. So if Nobara ended up Unbound...for her own safety she would have to be placed with another family.
"We'll wait another hour and then..." Tsume trailed off, not even knowing really what to say. Instead she leaned back against a tree, crossed her arms and tried not to think about the fallout if Nobara came away without a ninken.
It didn't take much longer for Nobara to begin to cry. Her wails were loud and long and piercing. Big fat tears dripped down her red scrunched up face. She stayed where she was but more than made her displeasure known to the world. No doubt her cries were echoing for quite a ways, especially to the dogs, who had such sensitive hearing. Hopefully it would attract a partner.
Xxxxx
He was trying to dig a mouse from it's den when the cries reached his ears. At first he ignored it, focusing instead on the nice crunchy yummy mouse that was just beyond his reach. He knew the man village was close, he could even see a wall through the trees, but he had no interest in going there. The man village was noisy and smelly and not particularly interesting. He'd never been inside of it, born and raised in the mountains, but his mother had told him when he was a pup and still pack.
It wasn't until fifteen minutes later, once he'd swallowed the nice crunchy yummy mouse, that he began to get a little irritated. The man baby was still crying, cries now turned into a distressed wail that seemed to pierce the very forest air. It was coming from beyond the wall and he spent a few minutes listened, staring at that wall, as he decided what to do.
He could go and eat the man baby, that would not only shut it up but would fill his belly too. He didn't normally eat babies but if this one was still crying then it must be abandoned, or maybe hurt. Hurt and abandoned babies normally had something wrong with them/ So was it a mercy to eat the man baby? Perhaps it would be.
Decided now he paced the length of the wall for a little while, to see if there was somewhere he could jump over. There wasn't. The wall was solid rock and taller than he by several times, so the only way to go would be under. With an irritated snarl he began to dig, ears flattened as he listened to the man baby continue to wail.
It took him another irritatingly long while before he dug deeply enough to get under the annoying wall. Then he had to wiggle and wiggle and squirm through the hole, made as small as possible. He wasn't small, in fact he was the biggest of his litter and the pride of his mother. So squeezing through such a hole almost made him consider turning back. But the plaintive cries from the man baby kept him going.
Once he was on the other side he crinkled his snout, the stench irritating. There were plenty of other canines here in these woods and he knew by scent alone he was invading another alpha's territory. But if the other alpha was a good alpha he would have eaten the poor man baby already. So he felt no guilt at all for ignoring the scent marks and venturing into the others territory. He'd avoided other packs since he left his mothers pack but the man babies cries spurred him along, goaded his instincts. And he was a good wolf, he listened when his instincts spoke to him. So he would find the little man baby and show it mercy.
Trotting along the path he followed the sounds, which had now turned into more of a whimpering noise than anything. It didn't take him long to find the source, his long legs eating up the distance easily.
He crouched in the brush, peering into the clearing where the man baby sat all alone. A woman stood at the other side of the clearing and a half breed lay beside her, both completely ignoring the little thing even as it whimpered softly. He hoped his pale coat, as pretty as it was, didn't give him away. It wasn't the best camouflage but his mother had liked the color.
After confirming that the woman and the half breed were paying no attention he turned his attention to the little baby, who'd fallen silent. He almost flinched when he realized the babe was looking right at him with huge gold eyes that still looked shiny with water. It was a girl babe he guessed from the tufts of long fur on it's head. She had pretty eyes he supposed, tawny like his fur. She reached out to him with chubby little fingers and he found himself utterly unable to resist crossing to her.
Moving silently, something he was the best at, he kept one eye on the woman and her half breed. He didn't want to be spotted unless he had to be. He was still several feet away when her scent reached him and he froze, locked onto her with every fiber of his suddenly tingly being. His whole body shuddered once as he inhaled, muscles tense yet weak at the same time. Her scent was soft and young and sweet, filling his lungs and making one thing surge hot.
Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine. He thought, moving quickly towards her, crossing the last few feet in a single leap. The little babe bared her teeth in a human greeting of pleasure and showed no fear as she buried her little fingers into his thick fur. She's home. Home and den and safe and mine.
Xxxxxxxxxx
Tsume resisted the urge to go to Nobara, steeling herself against the girls cries. Sshe kept her face blank and her eyes closed, not wanting to see the way Nobara was frantically watching, waiting for her twin to come back. Tears were pools in those gold eyes and Tsume wasn't immune so she simply didn't look. If Nobara had a chance of getting a ninken than she had to do this on her own.
Trying to distract herself she thought on Akamaru. He may look like a runt now but she was sure he would be anything but when he finished growing. Akami was a massive animal, bigger than most ninken Tsume had ever seen. He'd be a good combat partner in the end, lots of power behind him, but a good blend of speed and power too. Akami's mate this year was one of the fastest ninken in the whole pack, famous for winning several races with his partner. So Akamaru had every chance of being both fast and large. If Kiba trained the way they were supposed to they would make quite a formidable pair, perhaps even better than she and Kuromaru if they worked hard. Perhaps.
In the end Kiba would be her most likely heir, when it came right down to it. She knew Hana was more interested in working in medical jutsu. She'd shown quite an interest in being a vet, more so than she'd shown in being an active duty shinobi. She showed potential in the clans techniques but the Inuzuka would never truly submit to a clan head that was less than a full combat shinobi. It was just the way they were. Not that they really had much of a choice. It was her decision in the end. Unlike other clans she had absolute power over every decision made for the clan, although she could choose to be advised by the council. But even so their would be many that would protest a med-nin as clan heir. The clan heir had always been and always would be a full combat specialist. And Kiba just so happened to be ten minutes older than Nobara, making him the first candidate.
The time ticked by slowly and finally Nobara quieted slightly, wails becoming whimpers. All the while Tsume tried to distract herself. She let an hour go by and then even another thirty minutes, fighting her protective instincts every second of the wait. The time seemed to drag by for an eternity. Kuromaru drifted off into a doze beside her. Nobara fell silent at last, all cried out. She was sure Hana must be getting worried by now. It was that thought that finally made her give a defeated sigh and open her eyes.
Tsume froze, dark eyes flaring wide as she took in the scene in front of her. Kuromaru, sensing her sudden tension, opened his eye and immediately bristled.
Sucking in a slow breath, Tsume locked eyes with the white and gold wolf crouched over Nobara, adrenaline surging through her so fast she actually felt dizzy. The wolf was big, not quite full grown but over two years old for certain. It was a sleek creature with muscle definition that promised even more growth It was already more than half Kuromaru's size but she knew it would get bigger. Its fur was a burnished gold with splashes of white along its forelegs, belly, throat and face. Predatory copper eyes were locked with hers, daring her to move. He was challenging her to try and come and get Nobara from him. Tsume kept absolutely still, well aware that the wolf could kill Nobara before Tsume could so much as twitch. Fear clogged her throat and she prayed fervently like she hadn't used in years.
Then she watched in disbelief as Nobara squealed in delight, chubby little hands reaching out to tug on the wolf's long ruff. The baby who'd shown absolutely no interest in any other dog was hanging from the wolf's fur like he was a tame puppy. The wolf snorted at her in dismissal, turning his back on her and curling around the babbling toddler snugly.
"Puppy, puppy, puppy!" Nobara laughed happily, clapping her hands in excitement when the wolf licked her cheek. She then buried her little face into the wolf's fur and promptly fell asleep against the wolf's side.
"I'll be damned." Tsume muttered, still watching in shock. She'd known wolves sometimes mingled with the Ninken, Kuromaru was proof enough, but she never heard of one choosing a child, not even an Inuzuka. This was clearly a wild wolf, come from over the wall. And clearly this wolf had chosen Nobara. This was unprecedented. "I'll be damned." Tsume muttered again, slumping back against the wall in relief.
I don't own anything obviously.
This chapter had been rewritten! :) Thank you for all the favorites and reviews and the support even though I haven't updated in forever. But! I'm back on the case and I'll continue the story with a new chapter soon!
