A Drop Of Blood
New Moon: The Hunt Is On
September 14, 2001
The hunt was on.
She ran swiftly through the forest, allowing the dark trees to camouflage her, letting the shadows of the night sweep around her, hiding her in it's darkness. Biting down hard onto her lower lip, the female wolf tasted the sweet blood pouring softly out and gained back some of her confidence. Sweat poured down her silver fur as she ran behind a tree. Suddenly, she was in a surrounding of trees in the middle. A ruffling
movement of bushes near-by made her stop and doubt herself as she whipped her wolf-head that way. Another ruffle in a different direction made her look over there. Slowly, a feral grin made it's way onto her face.
*Tricky, tricky, tricky,* she thought as adrenaline pumped in her blood and veins. He thought to lure her into the Moonlight, but she wasn't to be trapped so easily. Interesting, yes this would make the chase ever more exciting. She would never admit it to anyone...but she loved these hunts...where it was just her...him...the shadows...and the Moon...
The female wolf quickly ran away from where she stood, knowing to stay too long in one place and position was suicidal. After awhile of running endlessly, ducking here and there, her head became hazy and fogged. Her vision blurred as the Moon began dimming out of sight beneath the trees. She would collapse in a matter of minutes. Dammit but she had to get into the Moonlight! He tricked her again, leading her straight into the shadows where the Moon no longer stood! Suddenly, when she doubted she could take anymore of the darkness, a predator jumped out from the darkness, she knew not where he jumped, be it tree or otherwise. The other wolf landed atop her ready to pin her down and claim his easy victory, but she wouldn't give him that.
Always a fighter until the very end, the female wolf bit down onto her opponent's neck until she drew blood. The other wolf howled into the Moonlight, but refused to let her up or let her go. Finally, he looked down into her eyes and his dark blue eyes mesmerized her as he whispered out, "Cheater."
The female wolf felt a tugging of a smile at her mouth, but squashed the impulse and said instead as she tried to shrug, "I guess you lose then."
His eyes sparkled with amusement as he said, "Never. I never lose."
The female wolf was about to give a sharp retort at his arrogance when an amused drawl came out from the darkness of the trees, "Are they going to get off of each other or are we going to have to pry them off?"
Blushing, the two wolves backed away from each other hastily and turned in the direction of the voice to see a 17-year-old girl with short, dark brown hair and glinting dark eyes walk towards them. The girl wore a tight, black dress that was too low on top and too high on the bottom.
The older wolf watched in amusement as her sister and the other wolf changed their form. The female, silver wolf with the silver eyes slowly changed in the Moonlight to a beautiful 16-year-old girl with long, blue hair and dark, chocolate brown eyes. The girl wore a long silver dress much like her sisters. The male wolf changed into a dark, handsome black-haired boy with dark sea-blue eyes and he wore a silver shirt and silk pants. The boy's face was innocent and charming, but his eyes still held the predatory glint.
"Really, Akane, dear, I know Ranma is your mate, but you must not do stuff like that until after your official coronation," a soft, reprimanding voice said.
From the shadows walked the oldest, radiantly bright third sister with long light blonde-brown hair and a golden dress like her sisters.
Akane blushed as she whined, "Kasumi! He is not my mate!"
"Of course he isn't, Akane," Kasumi patronized her sister like one would a child in a tantrum, "Would you like me to tie your hair up in a pig-tail for you, Ranma-kun?"
"Um...thank you, Kasumi," Ranma said still blushing as Kasumi smiled sweetly and did just that.
And from the shadows walked out over a hundred others just like them, either wearing a dress or pants and shirt in different dark colors. All the young male wolves walked over to Ranma and stood behind him a grin on their faces. It would be obvious to anyone who the leader of the pack was...although unofficial...
Years before, the leader of this particular pack, Soun had died leaving three daughters, one to lead the pack. But once the leader was dead, the pack acted as though no rules remained. Arguments were made on everything and they acted as though there was no authority. Then, a young wolf took command. Though in no way old enough to compete with his elders, this young wolf reigned in everyone and took control and
nobody dared question his unofficial power. Although the rules said that the next in line for the leader of the pack be one of the three daughters of Soun, Nabiki knew that no one would listen to anyone but Ranma. So lies the problem.
The tribe would break up if Ranma was not the leader and yet the tribe would still break up if tradition was thrown to the wind. So, Nabiki brought onto an idea to the tribe Elders and they agreed readily. Ranma was going to be one of the three sisters lifemate. Kasumi was too old for him in wolf standards and Nabiki refused to since it was her idea therefore letting Akane be the only one. Ranma accepted his fate, albeit grudgingly, Akane, however faught it tooth and nail.
For unlike Ranma, who had to grow up and lead a pack at a young age, Akane spent her young years as any other cub would. Though their age was the same, Ranma was way wiser then Akane on things and Nabiki had hoped that he could be the one to tame her young sister. And maybe her little sister could show him how to live again too.
For Akane was the only one that Ranma indulged and tolerated, for if it were anyone else he would have punished severely, no questions asked.
They had grown up beside each other, somehow arguing all their lives...but nobody questioned the strong bond they had for the other...
"You're bleeding," Ranma said softly, his hand touching her lip slightly.
Waving it off, Akane said nervously, "No big deal."
Staring intently at her a minute, the leader said, "What have I told you about hurting your own self."
Anger flared in the young girl, "I am not a cub, Ranma! I don't need you to protect me! I must train just like others and I shall become as strong just as them and I shall protect the pack!"
"The mate of the leader need not protect the pack," Ranma said softly, nobody hearing those words not even himself for never in a million years would the strong predator admit that somewhere deep inside he actually cared for this stubborn female.
"Ranma, I don't need your protection anymore," Akane whispered softly as a shiver went through her while he touched her bleeding lip softly with his fingertips.
"We shall see," was all he said before turning away and having the pack follow him. Sighing, Akane turned back upward towards the Moon. She didn't want this...she didn't want to be like her mother...the forgotten mate of the leader...no she was going to be different then all those other females that swooned after Ranma...she had to be...
"What do I do, Great Light In The Sky?" she asked it desperatly, pleading for an answer to her predicament.
But the Moon remained silent.
And her question was unanswered.
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"Okay, class, you may put your brushes down," the Art teacher commanded. Looking at her work, Akane wryly thought how the pack would truly hate it. Especially Ranma. It showed the head of a girl with flowing long hair, faint brushes of an outline of a gray wolf around her, pushing between a forest of darkness and another forest of darkness. Atop it all above everything were two eyes, one brown, one blue. What this
meant, she did not know, but she knew the pack would disapprove of her involvement in such flesh activities.
"Ooooooh, Akane, mademoiselle. Tres Bon. Very very good. Do you mind if I enter this in the art competition?" the Art teacher said, practically drooling over her painting. Akane nodded and agreed in a non-committed wy, just another thing to have the pack on her back about. She was sure the Elders of the pack would have thrown her out had it not been for her sister's, Nabiki and Kasumi's influences and...Ranma...he protected her as well...
But she didn't want that anymore. She had been living in Ranma's shadow all of her life...but she wasn't going to anymore...after all...she deserved some light, didn't she? But who would understand, Kasumi was the mother of the pack so she wouldn't betray it, Nabiki held power, second only to Ranma's so she wouldn't give it up...but the youngest daughter of Soun...she was nothing at all...nothing important...so they made her Ranma's mate...so that no one would know how she shamed the pack by not being something more.
Giving a low growl deep within her throat, Akane picked up her book bag on the floor and walked out. On entering the cafeteria, she saw the hundreds of fleshes and shuddered involuntarily. As she walked inside she heard Ranma and his group call to her to join them, but deciding she'll start the change now, Akane continued on and sat down at a seemingly empty table. A boy with short, dark black hair was already sitting there.
Looking over at him, Akane asked as she smiled full of warmth, "Hi, do you mind if I sit here?"
He turned to her and Akane's breath caught slightly, but then continued on. *Goodness, he's hot!* she thought distractedly and immediately scolded herself. Akane had always prided herself on being different from the other female wolves and in no way would she ever be attracted to a flesh...but...but look at him!
The guy had short black hair like she thought before and he wore a yellow bandanna with black spots as a sort of headband. He had dark, black eyes and his face was absolutely breathtaking. *His eyes aren't mesmerizing as Ranma's though and his-wait!* she stopped herself right away.
Why in the world was she comparing this gorgeous guy to Ranma? No, no she wasn't going to let thoughts of Ranma ruin this.
The guy smiled at her and she saw briefly that his teeth were extremely sharp, *Fangs?* she thought dazedly.
"Sure, you can sit anywhere you want. My name's Ryoga, what's yours?" he asked her and Akane almost broke out laughing. *Cute and sweet!* she thought. This had to be a dream for no guy in the world could possibly be like this.
"Akane," she grinned at him and suddenly she heard a low growl at the back of her mind. Suddenly, all the loud people froze and cleared through and all there was her and Ranma. Shaking off the feeling Akane almost growled, Ranma was watching her and he was angry. Very, very angry. *Oh well,* she thought angrily, *I can do what I want!*
Turning back to Ryoga, her smile got even brighter and she struck up a conversation with him, *Suck on that, Ranma!* she thought triumphantly.
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The dark, blue-haired girl exited the school with the other students in the afternoon. She heard her name being called and she turned around to see that boy from earlier...what was his name?...Ryoga...run up to her.
"Um...hi, Akane," he said, scratching the back of his head as he blushed.
"Yes," Akane inquired sweetly, at least this guy wasn't an arrogant jerk...like some wolves she knew.
"Um...o-okay-b-bye," he said quickly before dashing off.
"Weird guy," Akane mumbled to herself and turned around, but an annoying voice made her stop in her tracks, "Hanging around with fleshes, are we, Akane?"
"Shampoo," Akane whispered like a curse under her breath and she whirled around. From the shadows of the building walked out two girls and three guys: Shampoo, Ukyo, Mousse, Kuno, and Ranma. They were Ranma's usual crew.
"What, us half-breeds aren't good enough for you, you had to go find a flesh to hang out with?" Kuno sneered. Akane looked at Ranma for help, like she usually did when she was in trouble, but he just looked at her.
*You got yourself into this mess, Akane, now get yourself out,* he demanded to her in her head. It wasn't cruel and it wasn't malicious...it was the leader teaching the cub to learn to fight.
"Get lost," she waved her hand dismissively, but her insides were shaking with terror.
"What, can't face the music, Akane?" Mousse laughed.
"Tell me, Akane," Ukyo whispered into her ear, "Does human flesh taste better then animal flesh?"
"That's enough, Ukyo," Ranma commanded as soon as he saw the raw pain in Akane's eyes.
"Bastards," Akane whispered as tears entered her eyes and she rushed off.
"That was cheap, Ukyo, even for you," Shampoo whispered. The others nodded as they looked after where Akane had ran.
Ukyo shrugged, "Hey, it isn't my fault that her father had to die because he got addicted to human flesh and killed his own wife, a human, because of it. I mean Nabiki and Kasumi have all shown their wolf heritage, but that half-breed hasn't shown anything but human weaknesses. Who knows, maybe she'll be like her father and..."
In a flash, Ranma was beside Ukyo and his hands dug into her arm, his eyes turbulent as he whispered, "Take that back. Every word."
Ukyo turned her eyes away and whispered, "I take it back."
Ranma finally turned and walked off, not looking back...he knew where to find Akane...
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The silver wolf sobbed in the center of the large cave as the other silver wolf walked inside.
"Go away, Ranma," the crying wolf sobbed.
Jumping up to where Akane was crying, Ranma said, "Akane, don't let what they say get to you. Be strong, be-"
Akane jumped up then, her eyes furious with barely restrained violence, "I can't, Ranma! That's what you and Nabiki and Kasumi don't get! The rest of the pack gets it except you three! I can't be strong and I can't be anything but a half-breed, the only thing worst then a human. You could go be strong Ranma, but...but...I-"
She bit her lip and jumped down from ledge that they were on. He jumped down after her and said softly as he transformed back to his human form, "You are strong, Akane. I-I...you are a member of the pack and no one can say otherwise."
Akane shifted to her human form and turned around to place her hand on his cheeks softly as she said, "You just don't get it Ranma. You were always accepted, you and Nabiki and Kasumi and Ukyo and Mousse and all of them...you guys were always accepted and expected to be a bright new generation. Me...I've never been that. I've never been that because I'm a half-breed. Nabiki, Kasumi and me share the same father...but it isn't the same because their mother was a full-breed...mine was a flesh...and nothing you or Kasumi and Nabiki can say can change that awful fact. Face it, Ranma, I'm not one of you."
He saw it then, the flicker turning her human-brown eyes to silver.
"No!" he gasped. *It isn't time!* he thought desperately, pleading *Oh Great Moon above, it's not time! She isn't ready for it yet!*
But it was too late, for Akane's change had already started. He couldn't help her now...his Akane was about to disappear from his life forever...
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Author's Notes: And yet she starts another series. Don't worry, like Rose Warrior, I'm iffy on this one too. If you like it e-mail me at silverflame_maiden@hotmail.com. :) Actually, I started this way way back (in the time of Forever Bound) and just decided to put it on ff.net. It seems that the fics I put on ff.net seems to demand I finish them more.
Disclaimers: Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and this is roughly based on the novel Blood and Choclate by Annette Curtis Klause.