Night of the Wolf
Pt. Two: Silver Crosses




**AUTHOR'S NOTES: Dr. Who references flying around here, watch for falling TARDISes**



Karl stood around the statue saluting the great Rudolph Zeppellin II, his watch ticking upon the waiting. Rain clouds were starting the gather around Lucia Town, the weather had gotten colder. The blonde teenager rested against the statue's foundation, his arms folded. In his uniform pocket was his good-luck TARDIS keychain and a green rabbit's foot. The blue police box appeared dented and scratched from years of abuse and wear-and-tear. Stepping onto the premesis was Leon, wearing shades and a killer smile on his pouty lips. Karl breathed a sigh of relief, then smirked. "You scared me, Leon."

"My apologies."

"Forgiven. Shall we be off?"

"We shall." Leon ran alongside Karl as he pedaled his bike down the road. The restaurant they stopped at was a quaint little Italian-style café on the edge of town. Karl parked his bike outside and looked inside, Leon was by the bicycle looking at the people across the street. He heard what they were saying.

"What is Young Schubaltz doing what that little freak?"

"I thought Young Schubaltz was such a good boy with good morals."

Leon frowned, his hair covered half his face, doing a good job to mask his angry and rage. Karl touched his shoulder and jumped when Leon did.

"Sorry, but Felicia and Mario doesn't seem to be here. The shop is closed."

"I see." Leon slid his hands in his pockets and smirked, but the smirk was to mask the pain. "Well, let's just get some coffee, I'm not really that hungry anyway."

"Something wrong, Leon?"

"Oh nothing's wrong, Karl. Nothing at all."

"You sure? We can finish lunch at the Academy."

"NO!" Leon snapped to that remark, causing Karl to buckle under the bark. Seeing Karl wincing, the handsome teenager turned around sadly. "...I'm sorry, Karl."

"T-that's okay, Leon. Coffee's fine."

They sat down at a small coffeehouse with a cup of cappucino and some cinnamon rolls. Karl stared into the pastries with a hungry glint in his green eyes. "Father would kill me if I had too many of these things."

"Your father sounds like a real jerk." Leon took a savory bite out of a cinnamon roll.

"Well, it's my fault he's that strict." The blonde teenager stirred sugar into his coffee. "I promised to take on the Schubaltz name for the Honor of the Empire."

"Empire.... pheh." Leon stirred the coffee even more. "We used to fight for the honor."

"We as in...?"

"The Shadow Lords... my werewolf sect. They were my family when my mage and my psioncist family didn't want anything to do with me. They taught me how to use my magic and psychic gifts to defend the honor of Mother Gaia."

"Mother Gaia?" Karl sipped his coffee, inquisitive on what he's being told.

"It's a long story and I don't want to bore you."

"No, this is fascinating, Leon. You should tell someone about this."

"...who'd believe me?" Leon's voice was low and didn't try to conceal to pain and the sorrow. "...I'm already an animal in everyone's eyes."

"Everyone thinks I'm some kind of spoiled brat." Karl frowned, his hands cuffed around his mug of coffee. "I don't have very many friends and I'm not well-liked in school."

"I thought that too... I used to be one of those who thought that Good Little Karl was a mama's boy... But this is not the case now. I know you better."

"And I used to think you were a snot-nosed anarchist punk who cared about nothing but himself and money. But now I know you better."

"Tables have turned this day, I reckon." Leon smirked and sipped his coffee, Karl reached for a roll, unrealizing that Leon was also reaching for one. Their hands connected, causing Leon and Karl both to pull away, blushing. The town clock chimed 1 PM, lunch was officially over. It was raining outside, they darted back to the school.

"I am unsure that my parents would accept us as friends." Karl turned toward Leon with a sad frown on his face. "But I don't care what they think."

"Karl." Leon smiled, then reached to touch Karl's cheek with his hand. The history teacher stormed out and dragged Leon off by the unpierced ear.

"You are late for history, young man. Get in here now!" She crowled, Karl parked the bike and walked inside.



The family was gathered around the dinner table, Thomas was saying grace before they ate. Karl looked up to see his father looking directly at him with an angry scowl on his wrinkled, war-torn face. When Thomas was finished the family went to eat, Karl didn't appear to be hungry at all.

"After dinner, it's target practice for you, Karl." The older soldier spoke with a deep, raspy voice.

"Alright, father."

"What did you do in school today, Thomas?" Their mother smiled as she twirled a noodle with her fork.

"I flunked another test." Thomas sighed and continued to eat. "But what else is new?"

The blonde woman turned toward Karl and smiled. "I heard you made a new friend, Karl."

"What are you talking about, Patricia? Karl ain't got time for friends." Their father boomed, his eye on Karl.

"Well, Mario and Felicia were telling me that Karl stopped at the café today with a boy with black and blue hair. So tell us his name, Karl."

"His name's Leon." Karl ate a small forkful of spaghetti, and drank it down with wine.

"That young punk that was recently transfered the the academy from Hillsdale?" The old soldier glared coldly into Karl's eyes.

"Yes, father. Leon is different, but he's not a punk!"

"He sent four boys to the hospital and one of them was completely castrated. Those four were next to be shipped to the Imperial base for military training and now the mayor and the academy don't have anyone to ship there until next year." The grey-haired man growled, his fists clenched.

"He was protecting me! Those boys were about to beat the living shit outta me!"

"Nonsense! You are a black belt in Karate and a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do! You could have easily fended for yourself!"

"But if you will just listen...!!"

"No more excuses, Karl! To your room!"

With a hurt look on his face, Karl excused himself from the table and walked upstairs to his room. Patricia glared at the old cuss and frowned with great anger.

"Why are you giving me that look, Patricia?"

"Have a heart, Victor. Karl was only trying to tell the truth."

"All fabrications, Patricia! Karl is well aware of defending himself."

The older woman sighed and finished eating.



Opening the window to the outside world, Karl looked back to see it anyone was coming. He bound for the thick tree branch right at his window and crawled to the trunk. Then he crawled down into the mud and looked back. The study light was off, that was always a good sign. Karl made a beeline for the gates, then opened them with his hands. The streets were wet from the rain and the fog, Karl was very careful about slipping while running. He got to the edge of the road when he spotted Leon walking down the street.

"Leon!"

Looking up, the raven-haired teenager saw Karl standing there. He smiled and rushed over to confront the blonde.

"What are you doing out of your castle, Prince Charming?" He joked.

"I came here for a night on the town with you, Big Bad Wolf." Karl joked back, both of them laughed light-heartedly.

After the teenagers stopped laughing, they paused to collect their breath. Karl and Leon looked each other in the eyes, it was plain as day that there was something there. They just couldn't tell what.

"The nomads are having a festival outside of town, care to dance?"

"S-sure... I...." Leon took Karl by the hand and they rushed to the edge of Lucia Town where Gypsy-type travelers were dancing the night away, drinking homeade liquor and eating exotic foods. They looked at Leon with a big smile on their faces, but the nomads were leery of Karl's presence. Leon spoke to them in a foreign language, they dropped their guard. The musicians played music, Leon took Karl by the hands and they danced the night away. Time went fast and the bonfire got bigger, Leon and Karl stopped dancing so fast to look each other in the eyes. Karl's digital watched beeped 1 AM, causing them to break from their enrapturing stare.

"I-i got to go, Leon. See you tomorrow at school." Karl rushed from the festival back home, Leon sighed sadly and sat down on a log with an old nomad woman.




-Continued-