Thank you all for being patient (or just not proving me otherwise) .
I want to thank anyone who is still reading and following this and I want to especially thank mrsedwards2016 for giving me the push I needed to get back to this. I fell out of love with it for a while and had to find my way back, but now I'm back to full OTP strength! This chapter is for you and anyone else who has been waiting!
To everyone who has this problem, I suggest reading some really good FF's, like the stuff from lowefantasy, lilyflower666, KuramaThe9Tails, Vanya-Deyja, shadowrealm818 or Davinia. It helped me get back into the fandom after someone ruined it for me.
Ok, this chapter is going to be insanely long, but it has to be, since I promised to finally reveal the plot Atem has in mind. One user at AO3 got really close to guessing it, so kudos to them.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed and followed. You guys make my day! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please R&R! It reminds me that I should be writing ^-^
Chapter 9 – Sending daggers
"I don't care if you're the Alpha! This is insanity!", a dark-haired wolf growled at Atem. The werewolf had expected an adverse reaction to his plan, but this was even worse than he had thought. The council was almost screaming mutiny in front of him, they were just too afraid to actually say the words. He would prefer it if they had the guts to challenge him. The fresh smell of blood and dominance in the air was always soothing to him, but the council was made up of a bunch of lazy cowards. They would never challenge him themselves. They had their little helpers for that. Atem was sure that his challenger from the other night was probably sent or at least encouraged by them.
"It is what I am going to do. You will follow through, whether you like it or not," he growled back, not willing to be moved on the subject. Couldn't they see that he was doing this for their own good?
"There is no way we can stand for this! Even if this works, have you even thought about the possible consequences?! Do you honestly think the pack will follow you on this?!" another wolf yelled.
"The pack will follow their alpha. The question is…will you?" Atem asked, letting a deep growl resound around the room leaving some betas cringing in their seats. Some of them were so riled up that they had started pacing around the grey-stone room in their wolf forms. It just set their alpha even more on edge. They were already pissed off at him and now they were wandering around, in wolf form, while he was still in a humanoid state. They could jump at any moment and he knew it.
"You really believe we can just go through with this? No matter how this goes, you will be risking all of our lives. Even if you think you're just going to put yourself on the line. What will happen if you get killed? As much as we all hate you, I'm not willing to find out", another young beta said, while he calmly brushed his hair back.
"Siegfried, I didn't know you cared", Atem stated with clear sarcasm. While it wasn't like him, he was over this theatrical show of diplomacy. If they wanted blood, they would better strike now, or heel like the mongrel they were.
"If you think what I am doing is wrong you are more than welcome to take me down and find a way to deal with the werehound the vampires have yourself. Then again, if you take over you will probably have everyone wearing those ridiculous fashions of yours by night's end" the alpha replied in a snide remark, clearly baiting the beta. He hated the pompous man even more than he did most of the other betas. He behaved more like one of those prissy vampires than the werewolf warrior he was meant to be. Siegfried was one of the many who had gotten his title by simply being born. It was an old system that didn't really work anymore. In earlier days those unworthy would swiftly be replaced by a more eligible wolf. With the war though, barely anyone had the time or energy to do the necessary dirty work.
Atem had wanted to get rid of the system a long time ago, but it would mean utter chaos as everyone would try to fight themselves into a position. Even if it would be utterly amusing to him, he really couldn't afford his forces being weakened more than they already were…
Right now, he had other problems though. Forcing his council into their rightful place below him and making them comply, without too many deaths. He would get his way, even if he had to add a few more wolf pelts to his chambers before the sun rose…
Was it so hard for them to see just what he was giving up for them? What sacrifices he was willing to make for them?! His father would have never been questioned in such a way. They would cower in front of him and they understood that any decision he made would be for the better of the pack. Then again, that fear may have led to his death all the same…
As the council disintegrated further into a mass of cowardice and deception, with everyone yowling over the other, Atem let out a deep reverberating growl, as his claws sank into the solid wood table before him, leaving deep marks.
"You will do as I say. Unless one of you can come up with a better solution within the next five minutes, I will be going forward with my plan and you will know your' place!" he commanded. His shoulders were drawn back in a commanding pose, while he sat on the throne, with the look of a seasoned warrior on his face, clearly over it, just waiting for the enemy onslaught to come rushing down the hill towards him. It was really how he saw the betas. He could do much better without them, but he would leave them the illusion of democracy…for now.
"Well…I have an idea…" a bare whisper came from a far corner of the table, as all eyes turned towards a rather flimsy-looking brunette.
"Fine,…what is your idea Rex?" the alpha asked, rather exasperated, expecting another one of the typically stupid ideas the man was known for.
"Well…the only reason why we're all freaking out is that they have one of those abominations and we don't. So, what if we simply made our own?" he asked.
"Are you and the council volunteering to father such an abomination?" Atem asked with a raised eyebrow, not letting his own apprehension show. He could almost smell the bile that was rising in the throats of most of his council members, at the mere notion of even touching the pale skin of a blood sucker.
"What?! Of course not! We would never touch one of those filthy vamps! Just the thought of it is sickening!" he quickly stuttered, while holding up an arm, as if to ward off the very thought of it. It wasn't surprising that he reacted this way though; the idea had been brought up many times, but no one had ever wanted to be the creator of such vial and mindless beasts. Neither Atem nor his late father had banned the rape of enemy vampires because there had never been a need to. It was the one thing that enslaved vampires could count on, besides an untimely death of course.
"I'm sure there can be someone found who would do it. What if we use some of the criminals and traitors in the dungeons? We can promise them freedom or mercy for it…we don't actually have to grant it", another council member interjected.
"And then what? Unlike the vampires, we have no means to control these beasts. Who is to say they won't bite the hand that feeds them? They are known to slaughter their friends and families first. Until we know how to control them that is not an option and we don't really have much of a choice. If we did have any other choice I would not be proposing such a plan. Do you really thing I want to go through with this? I am literally sacrificing myself for the pack and in the end, you are all just simpering like a whipped pup. If the enemy takes up the offer, we will either find the answers we need to build our own army of monsters or they will kill me. It is a risk I am willing to take" Atem explained, giving way to some of his agitation at the stupidity of these supposed council members.
A silence took hold of the other wolves in the room as they sought out the gaze of other members. The alpha knew that the last comment had tempted them. After all, with him gone, no heir apparent, and no offspring from him, they could snap control within their greedy little maws.
It took only a few minutes of tense and calculating stares and whispers until the council finally reached a decision and Aknadin rose to make their decision known.
"Contact the vampire king," he said, with all too much grinning for an otherwise stoic werewolf. They were letting him run into this trap head first, and Atem knew it.
Back with a sleeping ball of silver, fluffy fur…
Another leader awoke within the vampire castle, to a seemingly empty bed. The covers where his new guard had fallen asleep were cold to the touch and only a few silver, hairs were left as evidence he had ever been there. Yami would have been panicked in his still half-asleep state if he hadn't woken up with a tuft of silver fur tickling his nose.
Hidden right underneath one of the over-sized pillows he wasn't using, was a shy werehound, only visible by the tip of his fur sticking out from underneath it, and his face, which was only visible from his nose to his eyes. All most people would have been able to see would have been two violet eyes looking out from underneath them, but as a creature of the night, the young king could see the weary look in the young-ones expression. The self-assured and happy attitude from yesterday had apparently disappeared over night.
Careful to only move in a way that Yugi could clearly see, the vampire king slowly moved his hands towards him. Cautious eyes watched him as if he were about to strike or snatch at the hiding werehound. Yami could feel his confidence waning the closer he got to the silver wolf. The fear and apprehension still had a hold of him, no matter how well the other had proven he could behave yesterday. He couldn't shake the innate fear he had been told to have since his early childhood, even if those violet eyes showed more fear than anything else.
By the time Yami could feel the softest tip of a single strand of fur, Yugi suddenly moved, causing the ruler to quickly pull his hand back. Yami had expected the reaction of any scared animal in such a situation. Instead, Yugi somehow managed to make himself so small, that he seemed to completely become one with the now seemingly overstuffed pillow. It was only now that Yami noticed that his new bodyguard wasn't just hiding underneath the pillow, no he had managed to open the buttoned side of the pillow cover and was now inside of it. He had made himself a make shift cave of sorts and was now refusing to leave it for some reason.
Deciding that the non-verbal approach wasn't going to work, the taller of the two chose to try a somewhat different tactic.
"Yugi…why are you hiding?" he asked the pillow next to him, not really expecting an answer. For a few moments, he couldn't hear anything. It was as if he was trying to play dead. Yami was close to just grabbing the other ends of the pillow and dumping it out onto the bed, be damned what the terrified wolf would do when a small whine came from within the confines of the feathery cave.
"I can't speak wolf, Yugi, you're going to have to come out and say what's wrong or show me," the vampire said, in a tone, most would use with a frustrated child.
Again an eerie silence took hold of the room, while the silver wolf was most likely thinking of what to do in his predicament. Yami could understand being afraid of a new place and that everything from yesterday was probably catching up to the younger male, but his instincts were telling him that there was more to it and like all vampires had a particular weakness…curiosity. Besides, if he had a problem, he needed to fix it now, before the council found a way to make him into a weapon despite everything Yami had done. Or so he tried to justify his prying.
Instead of a verbal response this time, the mounds of feathers and fabric moved until a small black nose and a single eye were visible. The other half was still covered by the corner of the inner pillow, which had flopped down to cover it behind the white fabric.
"What are you afraid of?" Yami asked with a questioning look taking hold of his features, still careful to not fully look the werehound in the eyes. He knew as his alpha he could demand respect that way, but from what little he had seen from the silver wolf, he thought it would likely only scare him more.
His only answer was a guilty look from the shining, violet eyes that refused to so much as look at his quasi-alphas face.
"Yugi,…if you don't tell me what is bothering you, I won't be able to help you and I can't stay in this room all night. I have to work and you have to pose as my guard" he said, getting slightly frustrated now. The cute 'helpless puppy look' wasn't helping him get anywhere and just made him feel like he had done something wrong when he was sure that he hadn't. It was a guessing game Yami was only used to during politics and he didn't like it one bit.
This time, however, he got more of a response. The small werehound wiggled slightly further out of his fluffy confine and used his fangs to carefully pull at some of the red fabric, covering the pillow. As he did so, a single button fell onto the bed spread, having come loose and a few beige feathers wafted out toward the vampire. It wasn't long until the ruler understood just why Yugi had been so apprehensive and was keeping his ears pinned back in shame. It was so simple, that he wanted to face-palm at his own realization.
"You accidentally ripped the pillow and now you think I'm going to punish you for it?" he asked, almost incredulously. Here he thought he had shown the other that he wasn't going to hurt him unless it was for his own good, but apparently, he hadn't gotten very far in that effort. Yugi didn't even dare to move a muscle, even when the corner of the pillow flopped down over his muzzle again. He gave out a short puff of air in an attempt to move it away from his muzzle, clearly failing in his attempt, as it just flopped down again, making him sneeze.
"I'm not mad at you, and I already told you that I'm not going to hurt you. If I had wanted to, I would have just done so yesterday" he lied. He knew that he wouldn't have stood a chance if Yugi had gone after him, but he wasn't about to show weakness to the werehound at this point. He already knew how precarious his position was as silver wolf's leader, since only the strong lead werewolf packs. Judging by those standards that title belonged squarely to Yugi and not him. He was only a tolerated ruler at this point and he wasn't intending to give him a reason to change his mind anytime soon.
"Pillows can be fixed and you probably just got one of your claws caught on the fabric. It's no big deal" he emphasized.
Wearily Yugi stuck his nose slightly out more. Still with averted eyes and ears folded back. It was a way of showing he understood, but still felt guilty, or at least that's what Yami interpreted it to be. He once again tried to touch the guilty little wolf, slowly moving his hand across the rustling fabric, so the silver-furred, wannabe pillow-monster could hear him move toward him. Again Yugi shrunk back from the touch, with eyes tightly shut, but this time he didn't hide within the feathers of the pillow. Instead, he held still awaiting some form of reprimand, despite anything his alpha had said.
When the vampire finally touched the fearful hound, he could feel the tense muscles underneath the unspeakably soft fur. It was as soft as he remembered it, but the tense muscles hidden underneath the silky silver tresses were a tell-tale sign of just how much power the minuscule-looking wolf truly had. It was as if he was touching a fur-covered metal beam.
The unbidden thought of a blade having no chance to slice through the lethal muscle he was currently touching came to his mind, but he quickly shook off the grasp of his own, learned paranoia.
It took some time before soft violet eyes finally glanced up at him and his triangular ears stood up once more and even more before the king could coax Yugi out from his safety pillow, but he couldn't help but laugh when he finally did.
Standing on his crimson bed, was a silver wolf, covered from head to tail in beige feathers, standing at odd angles. The sight looked as if the wolf had fought against an angry chicken and lost…badly. It was one of the most hilarious sights the vampire ruler had seen in a long time. Yugi didn't seem to understand what was so funny until his gaze fell on the mirror across from the bed.
The second he saw himself he jumped back, complete shock was painted in his eyes. He swiftly looked over to the ruler, as if asking if he was seeing things or if he was truly covered in fluff. It only managed to get a snicker from Yami, who turned away in his attempt to not burst out laughing. Yugi instantly tried to furiously shake the feathers out of his fur, to no avail. He tried again and again, perturbed each time, that somehow the stubborn feathers seemed to stick tightly to his coat. Even rubbing himself against the carpeting in the room didn't manage to do much more than loosening some of the feathery mess. A frustrated, yet helpless whine came from his muzzle as he flopped down onto the floor, apparently resigning himself to having to lick them off. That of course only managed to get them stuck to his tongue. By the time Yami was able to contain his laughter, he was greeted by the sight of an utterly dejected wolf, with its' tongue sticking out, covered in fluffy feathers.
"H-Here, let me help" the vampire king finally managed to say between barely suppressed laughter. He quickly walked over to his supposed guard and deftly plucked the feathers from his tongue, careful not to touch it, before he let his fingers run through Yugi's thick fur. One by one the evidence of his losing battle glided towards the floor, until all that was left, was an utterly relaxed werehound. His closed eyes and the perk in his ears showed how much he enjoyed the treatment, while his tail lazily brushed the feathers from side to side.
In a way, Yami didn't want to ruin the moment. He could feel the contentment just radiating off the younger male. It was a feeling he had rarely ever encountered at all, let alone in the palace and he almost felt guilty about having to bring the werehound back to reality. He moved one of his hands under Yugi's muzzle, careful to keep his arm out of reach, and with his hand, he gently forced him to look up at him.
"Yugi, you remember what I asked you to do yesterday?" the vampire asked, making certain to look into the werehounds violet eyes. The younger male avoided his gaze in an instinctive show of submission, and gave the vampire's hand a gentle lick, before nodding. Every muscle under the thick coat of fur looked tense as he did so. It was more than obvious to Yami that he was apprehensive of what he may say next.
"I'm going to have to ask you to do so again. You don't need to attack anyone and I am not going to ask you to do so, but I need you to act like you would. Right now, people need to think you are dangerous and that only I can control you. If you do that no one will dare hurt you. Do you understand?" he asked the werehound.
His only answer was a slightly tilted head from Yugi and one of his silver ears swerving to the side.
"What don't you understand?"
A small bark-like whine was all he got as an answer, only serving to confuse the vampire more.
"In an understandable language?" the ruler asked him, causing clear distaste to show on the muzzle of the silver wolf. Yugi searched the room with his eyes as if some method of communication would suddenly pop-up and he could avoid shifting, but as a wolf, he was hardly capable of attempting to draw something, let alone to write. It would probably end up looking more like a puddle of puppy-drool than eligible writing. Yami had seen such attempts from Joey in the beginning, but his were more out of distrust for the people around him. A wolf would always feel more powerful in their true form than in their weaponless human form, he had once explained, but the young werehound seemed to have a complete aversion to being human unless it was absolutely necessary…
Seemingly giving in, silver-covered shoulders slouched towards the ground and the familiar sound of shifting could be heard as muscles extended and claws and fangs gave way to a more human-like form.
Amethyst hues peered cautiously towards crimson ones. The shyness from before the feathery incident had returned fully and the young werehound turned slightly away from the vampire ruler, but not enough to be dismissive.
"What do you want to know?" Yami asked again, hoping to make it easier for the younger male to speak.
"W-Why people fear me?" Yugi asked with a quivering lip and the sheen of withheld tears in his eyes.
In all honesty, Yami had no idea how he was supposed to answer him. Didn't he know what he was? What he was capable of? How do you tell someone that they were considered to be a monster?
"Yugi…, it's not because of you, it's because of what you are", he whispered, while carefully reaching to stroke the amethyst-tipped hair of the smaller male.
"Why?" he asked, looking as if he was about to completely shatter.
"The best way that I can say it, is that some of your kind once killed many people for no reason at all. Ever since then everyone thinks that all of you will simply go insane at any moment and kill anyone near them. Since your kind is much stronger than any vampire or werewolf people are terrified of that happening", he tried to explain.
"But…", he started, before he almost violently cringed away from the vampires' touch. The reaction made an ominous connection snap into place for Yami. He had seen this kind of reaction in criminals before…when they were caught.
"You have killed before…haven't you?" Yami asked, trying not to sound as weary as that knowledge made him feel. Had he let a monster into his home after all?
A distressed whine forced its' way out of the werehounds throat, instead of words. He looked away and held himself as if he were trying to comfort himself in a vain attempt. His breathing coming out in a shallow, almost suffocating pant.
"What did you do?" Yami asked, now beginning to recall all the places he had hidden weapons in the room. His voice took on a more demanding tone, just shy of sounding judgmental.
The werehound didn't answer, he only sunk into himself more, his grip tightening to a reddening level, leaving clear stains on the visible skin around his fingers. All the while his Adam's apple slightly quivered, as though he was trying to force out words where only high-pitched sounds would escape the constricted airway.
"Yugi. As your alpha, I want an answer" Yami growled. He was tired of not getting an answer and didn't think he was going to get one any other way. If he had to correct a mistake he had made by inviting the younger male to live with him, then he needed to know and strike while he still could. He wasn't about to take any risks. Even someone as innocent looking as Yugi could be a monster and he wasn't going to let him roam free if he was.
Seaming to have heard the command, the painful-looking grip on his own arms lessened, as the smaller male in the room began to answer him, refusing to look anywhere but the floor.
Instead of giving a verbal answer, Yugi managed a shaky nod, as bloody, pink tears started falling from his tightly clenched eyes.
"Did you enjoy it?" the vampire asked, dreading the answer. After the bloodshed he had seen last night, he wouldn't put it past the mysterious youngster.
An utterly horrified look took hold of the werehounds face, as he shook his head in denial.
"Then why?", Yami asked with narrowed eyes, moving ever so slightly towards the table in the room.
The now-shaking werehound looked him in the eyes, his violet gaze causing the king to inhale sharply. The younger male raised his claw-tipped arms into the air. His palms showing. A normally innocent move suddenly felt life-threatening, as the hairs on Yamis neck stood at attention. Before the rules fingertips could connect with the rim of the table beside him, Yugi let his gaze suddenly drop, his hands closing around the base of his own throat.
As the memory of the silver wire constricting the younger male's neck came back to him, it all made eerie sense. The injuries on his body the other night, how he hated being in his human form, and the way he was utterly terrified of werewolves. If his reaction to Joey was anything to go by…He was a victim, of the death arenas.
It was a known fact that werewolves often forced captives to fight for their lives in a bloody sport. Bets were often made and only one person usually ever left the arena alive, if any did at all…It was one of the things their kinds, unfortunately, had in common. The vampire king had come across one of these fighting arenas before. When he forcefully stopped the fighting hardly anyone of the victims could be saved. Most of them were mentally scarred to a point that they were no longer deemed capable of living. It was one of the few times he had actually condoned a so-called mercy killing.
Under the circumstances, he would have been defending himself and likely fighting for his survival. It was a natural reaction he couldn't condemn anyone for. He himself would take up a weapon in a struggle to survive even just another night…who was he to judge? But as a ruler, he had to be sure.
"Did the person who died attack you?" he asked trying to get some more information.
"Di-" Yugi tried to force out, shaking his head, as if it would be able to shake off the apparently horrible memory.
"No want", the younger male finally forced out, as his hands, still curled around his neck still shook, as if unable to move. The previous trickle of tears breaking out into full-on sobbing, as blood-tainted tears spilled onto his cheeks.
Moving closer to the obviously distraught male, the vampire king gently reached for his arm, making sure to be in Yugis' line of sight. The last thing he needed now was for him to lash out and accidentally strike him. He understood that he had probably been conditioned to expect punishment for anything, but right now that was a problem Yami didn't have the time to deal with.
"You were just defending yourself Yugi. We all have to do some things that we don't want to do…they were probably better off not having to suffer any longer under the people who made you fight…" he said, repeating a speech that had long since turned hollow for him. It was a slightly changed version of what he told the families of captured soldiers when their loved ones returned…in pieces.
The young wolf didn't react to his words for the longest time, frozen in his own little world. Yami was about to move closer, when Yugi suddenly sprang into action, throwing himself at the vampire, arms wide open. The next thing Yami knew, he was on the floor with a sobbing humanoid wolf on his chest, with his hands curled into the fabric of his shirt, as if his very existence depended on him never letting go.
Seeing as they were probably not going anywhere, anytime soon, Yami relented and gently hugged the distraught male, telling him everything was going to be ok…knowing it was a downright lie…
For the first time since he could remember, Yugi cried without the crack of a whip or the swipe of a claw reprimanding him. The bloody saltwater obscured his senses to the point where he could only smell the newcomer approaching him and his new master. A werewolf.
The muscles in his humanoid neck coiled like a vicious snake as the wild scent reached him. It was a smell he had come across before, but in his emotional state, all his instincts were telling him, was that there was a threat coming and out to get him.
A vicious growl tore from his throat, or at least a growl as vicious as his tear-addled state could manage. His eyes started to turn silverish, as his savior quickly let go of him. Fangs elongated from the corners of his mouth, while his hackles stood on end. His silver fur visibly seemed to turn from a soft, cloud-like mass into silvery daggers just waiting to strike.
As the heavy wooden doors audibly ached under their forced movement, Yugi bared his fangs in a snarl. Before the wood could even hit the stone walls, the silver werehound made his move…
"Ya-", was all the blond werewolf in human form could get out before he found himself prone on the floor. Joey didn't even register that an uncomfortably warm fog was wafting around his exposed neck when the sudden change of position finally hit him.
Joey instinctively started to raise a hand towards his head, probably pounding from the undoubtedly strong impact his thick skull had just endured, when his sensitive ears picked up the threatening growl coming from directly above him. Freezing in place, his eyes met with maddened violet eyes, just daring him to move, in only a way a superior predator can. The effect was only enhanced by the blood streaking down from around his eyes. One second, he was opening the door to his friend's room and the next he was facing down a monster waiting to turn him into its' next meal!
The loud shout of its' name barely registered with Joey as he felt his entire body paralyzed with a fear he hadn't felt in years. Pinning him down was a furious werehound. In the short time, it had taken him to even realized he had been downed; it could have killed him a thousand times over!
"Yugi! Let him go! Now!", he heard his vampire friend order from within the room. Joey was fighting his inner instinct to submit to the obviously superior threat currently on top of him. The slightest movement might set that murderous pile of blood-sucking furball off.
The blond male could feel the slight shift of movement from the paws currently holding him down. The potentially lethal claws prickled through his shirt in an ominous way, as if to reiterate the potential doom they promised. The blond stayed still, even after he could no longer feel his imminent demise staring at him. It was only when he heard the distinctive bone-cracking sound of shapeshifting, mixed with an apologetic whine, a few feet away from him that he mustered up the courage to raise his head.
Crouched with a head bent in shame was the kid he had helped rid of the metal leash just the other night. His face was covered in bloody tearstains, while he was trying to communicate something with his feebly shaking hands. Wolfish whines only he could understand were intermittently escaping his mouth, while the werehound was looking back and forth between him and the angry-looking Yami.
"Why did you attack him Yugi!?", Yami demanded. His voice clearly making his displeasure known.
The younger male couldn't get the words out, getting more hysterical by the second. Joey could sympathize with the panic the werehound was feeling. He had angered his alpha by attacking another pack member, or so it would be translated into terms an average wolf would understand. The anger always was closely followed by reprimand. A punishment that could range from a verbal lashing to death. Begrudging as he was, the werewolf decided to help the little guy by translating the pitiful whines for his non-K9 friend.
"He didn' mean it Yami. He couldn' tell who it was an was jus' protecting ya", Joey stated, in a far more off-handed way than he felt.
"Couldn't tell?! He's a werehound! He could probably smell you from the other side of the castle!", the king retorted, clearly not wanting to accept his explanation.
"Yeah, if his nose wasn' tryna impersonate a waterfall he could'a. Besides, he wasn' being serious. I'd be dead otherwise", he explained, pointing a thumb at the male in question. "Anyway…The stupid council wants ya in the throne room. Som'thin' 'bout a prisoner", Joey added with a shrug, as he finally righted himself and symbolically dusted himself off. He was still shaken on the inside, but his werewolf pride would never let him show just how badly he had been caught off guard. He used o be a fighter for crying out loud! No way in hell would he ever admit to what just happened under anything but the worst forms of torture!
"A Prisoner? Since when do they take prisoners?", Yami asked, not really expecting the werewolf to have an answer for him. Even Joey knew it was weird for them to not just order the execution of anyone captured. They never cared about actually getting the king's ok on it. So why were they doing it now? Something wasn't right about it. Not to mention the fact they had sent Joey to get Yami when he didn't show up for the regular breakfast drink. One of them had even deigned to have one of their servants give him the order when they would normally just barge in on Yami as they pleased or just forge his signature. Then again, maybe they were too afraid of the new hound in the castle to pull the former…
Yami looked at the werehound boy, still slightly sobbing on the floor, and back to him. In a split second, the vampire king had already made a decision and started giving commands with a stern look that didn't hide his apprehension in the slightest.
"Yugi, clean up. I want you in your werehound form and this time, don't attack anyone unless I tell you to.", the vampire sighed.
The pale figure instantly nodded and started wiping his face with his hands, doing his best to follow the order. It was only a few minutes after Joey threw the male a piece of cloth that he transformed back into the silver monster everyone feared.
Traveling down the halls of the vampire stronghold was their king, closely followed by one of their enemies, now loyal to the ruler and the veritable personification of the boogeyman. Something even the most innocent of children would know to fear. If they didn't command respect, nothing would…
By the time the vampire king reached the throne-like chair in the throne room, all eyes were openly staring at him and his companions. Pale faces decorated by elaborate head dresses in colorful hues that stung senses were stuck in expressions of horror and revulsion. Set at an angle towards an ornate, shimmering chair, the color of the sun, were two long tables, seemingly decorated by the colorfully dressed vampires in the room. Anyone entering the room for an audience would be struck by the scene, as they walked down the crimson carpet in the middle of the black marble floor, swirling with greys and silvers stone. For many, it must have felt like walking into the jaws of death or stepping onto the back of a bird about to take flight with their hopes and dreams.
Yugi did not need to contemplate what would be awaiting him in his case. You could clearly see the two main emotions in the room fighting against each other and the later was taking over the crowd, purely discussed at his very existence.
From what Yugi could tell the word had already made its way around the castle and it seemed that most of the vampires were anything but happy about the new addition to the court. A furry creature in the middle of fang-bearing vampires was never a welcomed sight. He had no idea how the blond werewolf managed to live here. From what little he had managed to piece together the blond was a free-roaming werewolf in this place. That he wasn't locked up and treated like his former owners had treated him was beyond him. But then again, most things were currently beyond his understanding…
He had always heard the whispers of the whip wielders, speaking of fanged monsters, who hunted the young and sought to eradicate anything, not of their 'high breeding'. How they were at war and indiscriminately killing all and any they could find. Yet here there was one running around their very stronghold and he himself had yet to be put to death. In fact, he had been saved, when starving him may just have done the trick in finally ending him.
The unknown werewolf had helped him twice now. Once by command of his alpha and now in defense of him against that very man. The one the vampire had called Joey could have simply let him struggle and suffer the rath of Yami, yet he had translated what he had been struggling to say and had even explained things to the king for him. Maybe the wolf had been forced to be docile by magic? There was really no other way Yugi could explain the werewolf's behavior. All he had ever known from their kind was pain and the pleasure they took in violence. Could one individual really be so different?
Yugi was brought out of his musing by the deep voice of his new alpha, commanding him to sit. Without even thinking, he followed the order, only to find something soft underneath him, instead of the cold, grey marble he had expected. Glancing to his side, he could see an utterly terrified vampire youth shaking in a corner behind the throne his alpha was now residing in. He could only guess that he had been made to put something there and was now thanking his gods he had survived his near encounter with the beasts' bottom.
"Ah, the king finally chooses to come", he could hear one of them say in a sarcastically mocking tone, while others came up with similar remarks. His alpha not even giving the slightest hint he was annoyed by the comments, though he probably heard them.
"Council, you requested my presence?", Yami asked, in a neutral tone, not giving away any emotion. The clear difference in his demeanor made the silvery fur between Yugis' shoulders stand on end. It was creepy, to say the least.
"Yes, we caught a little spy, who wanted to see you. We figured you would like to see him, before we finally put the little craton to death", the vampire in pale turquois robes answered in a self-satisfied tone. From what Yugi could remember from the other night, his name was Dart, Dartz, or something similar. He was one of the ones most interested in having him killed. The lust for death was part of his personality as it seemed.
Without even giving the king the time to comment, the turquoise-haired man snapped his fingers. The ominous smile on his face had been a bad sign, judging by the tenseness suddenly coming off of Yami. It wasn't visible to most, but the stiff black fabric of his suit jacket moved ever so slightly as the two vampires in amour and spears moved to open the passageway directly opposite from the throne he was currently sitting on.
Once the passageway was opened wide enough to see what was on the other side, Yugi could see a cloaked figure being held by another set of guards, with a third holding a long-stemmed axe with a spear like, pointed end directly aimed for the neck of the prisoner. Whoever it was, was deemed dangerous enough to warrant the threat of an immediate demise by beheading in the presence of the council and the vampire king.
Though Yugi couldn't see any of the features of the diminutive person, he could smell the wrongness of the situation. What smelled like a male had the distinct sent of werewolves clinging to their skin, but the smell of vampire was also there. How or why the person had both scents, even the werehound couldn't tell, as the pungent sting of fear and apprehension was overpowering everything. If he was dangerous enough to be held at weapon point and restrained, why was he terrified? The conundrum of the situation made the silver wolf unconsciously tilt its' head to the side, in a confused puppy look, that made the cloaked figure gasp and stand up straight, unable to truly move away from Yugi, as doing so would mean impaling himself on the hele bard of the guard behind him.
Instead of looking toward his alpha, the guards looked toward Darts, who waved them forward. On command, they dragged a reluctant male towards the maw of the council tables, towards the seemingly indifferent king of the very things that captured him. When the figure had been forced within a few feet of the throne, the guard with the spear-like weapon used the shaft to harshly hit the man in what was likely the bend of his knees.
From beneath the now prone figure's hood, a mass of unruly white hair came loose, causing the werewolf in the room to take in a sharp breath. When Yugi glanced over to the blond, who had positioned himself among the other servants, he saw Joey's skin impressively attempting to match the prisoner's hair color. His blue eyes widened in shock as the cloaked figure righted himself enough to look towards the ruler's face. The gaze was quickly followed by the werewolf and -hound.
"You", Yami said in an undiscernible tone. It was something in between disbelief, fear, and fury. "How dare you return here?!", the king yelled, standing up from his thrown.
Yugi could tell that his new alpha was furious with the albino-haired vampire before him, but all it did was make him more confused. The blond werewolf was treated like pack, but this male, of the same species as the king, was being threatened for returning to his own lands?
The cloaked male's hood fully fell from around his face, revealing a startled and even teary-eyed male with soft pale features, decorated by hand and line-shaped bruises, which despite his undoubted healing capabilities were still visible. Whatever had caused them had been recent. The young man looked more like a scared mouse than a threat worthy of being held by guards…just what was so dangerous about him?
The no longer obscured face of the man trembled as he tried to get out words. However, they seemed unwilling to face the same harsh treatment as the male was apparently facing.
"Speak now traitor!", Yami yelled at the man, who only flinched back at the statement, "Why did you come back, knowing we would put you to death for siding with the werewolves…Ryou?"…
Yami couldn't believe his eyes. There, thrown on the hard, stone floor before him was the one vampire he hated even more than Dartz…his former friend turned traitor, Ryou Bakura.
He had sold their secrets to the werewolves and run off with them, costing countless vampiric lives in the process. Back when he had heard of his friend's treason, he didn't want to believe it, he even spent days searching for him, convinced he had been kidnapped in an attempt to blackmail his family, only to find out that he had not only gone of his own free will but had sold his own people out to be with some werewolf. Ryou had even gotten his own family killed in the process!
But it was only part of Yamis' fury. They had been friends. If he had known that Ryou wanted to flee and be with a wolf, he would not have approved of it, but he would not have stopped him either. He could have simply left, but no, he had to sell out the lives of innocent vampires to get a cushy place within the pack of the very monster insistent on killing their kind! As petty as it may be, that hurt him more than anything… the senseless death of the people, who did not care for him, but were still his to protect, brought about by someone he trusted.
It wasn't lost on him how he may very well be running into the same trap with the werehound by his side, but that would be a problem for a later date.
"I-I..", stuttered the all too familiar voice of the man he had called a friend. He obviously hadn't changed much, if he was still stuttering at the slightest sign of confrontation, that is if he ever really knew him to begin with. Instead of continuing to choke out unintelligible syllables, he just held out his hands, palms upstretched and let a small amount of blood magic seep from them. The action immediately had Yami taking a step back and earned Ryou another blow to the head, sending him back to the floor with a hard thunk.
"Using magic to try and fell our beloved king, as if the death sentence wasn't already set! Guards! Behead and de-heart this traitor!", Dartz yelled out in sickeningly sweet sarcasm. The council member knew very well that Yami would not want to watch his former friend be killed in front of him, but would be forced to watch, due to his position. It wouldn't even surprise Yami to find out that the man had planned this, just to get back at him for the other night. Though he had no idea how he would have managed to get Ryou from the den of the supreme alphas den to the vampire castle.
Despite how much he had learned to hate his former friend, he was desperately trying to come up with a way to either avoid having to witness the carnage or at the very least make it quick. His eyes darted around the floor as if an answer would come to him, as one of the guards dragged Ryou upright by his hair. He was just about to wing it when something utterly out of place caught his crimson gaze. There, formerly obscured by albino hair, was a piece of paper laying on the carpeted floor. It was at that moment, that the albinos' actions started to make sense to him. Ryou hadn't been trying to use magic on him, despite the fact he was a gifted magic user, he had used it to make a letter hidden with invisibility magic visible again!
"Stop!" Yami yelled as he walked towards the two guards and the unconscious vampire between them.
"Yami! You can't possibly be siding with a traitor, now could you?", the turquoise-haired council member cooed. He was obviously having way too much fun with the situation, thinking had already won.
"I didn't know you were blind Dartz, but he has a letter with the official seal of the werewolf's supreme alpha", Yami retorted, picking up the piece of paper with the symbol of an eye and a crescent moon stamped into gold-colored wax. The statement had barely left his mouth when a flurry of action overtook the throne room. Some members of the council cried out, claiming it a fake, others stood and tried to emphasize their screaming with the sound of fists hitting the hardwood table in front of them and others began muttering their usual gossip and theories of treachery.
Ignoring the clamor, the vampire king strode back towards the throne being guarded by a thoroughly confused werehound. He sat down and used one of his claws to open the seal, while a hush fell over the room. Everyone was intent on finding out just what was in the letter.
As the words formed into sentences in his mind, Yami could feel himself being ambushed by pure dread. Every word made his world crash and burn just a little more. Cold shivers ripped their icy fingers down his back and held his throat. By the time he had finished the letter, he almost found himself wishing he had watched his former friend be put to death…
It was an authentic letter with a proposal he had yearned to receive for the longest time. Written here was a proposal for peace between the two species, a possibility to end the war that had killed so many of their respective kinds, but the cost the werewolf wanted…the thing he demanded for the deal…He couldn't be serious! There was no way the man could have been anything but drunk and suffering a severe concussion when he came up with this. There was just no way the being who despised his kind's very existence and thought them worse than vermin could have written this!
It was an offer of peace that would cost him everything demanding a sacrifice even he wasn't sure he was willing to make. But as the letter fell from his disbelieving hands and the bile-like taste of rancid-tasting blood came to his tongue, Yami had to come to terms with the fact of what was written on that cursed paper…it was a proposal for peace that according to the demands of the wolves would be solidified by the two rulers…more precisely through marriage…their marriage, to each other…
For anyone fearing a stereo-typical marriage-contract quickly followed by affection, I will gladly prove you wrong…
R&R or like, thanks!