Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ use it merely for entertainment purposes.
The giant white wolf stared at the other giant, though slightly smaller wolf in from of him. By the look in the eye of the white wolf one could see that it promised pain to anyone or anything in it's path. In this case the thing was the other large wolf not more than five meters away. In less than a blink of an eye the white wolf charged the gray wolf jumping and crashing into it sending both into a role that lasted several meters. When the two predators finally came to a stop the gray wolf was on top of the white one.
Sensing its advantage the gray wolf went to bite the white wolf to try and end the fight. The white wolf seeing to sense the attack rolled to its side just avoiding the bite from the gray and knocking the gray off balance. The white rolled to his feet and once again lunged at the off balance gray again knocking him to the ground. This time however the white did not tumble with the gray and remained standing. After only a few roles the gray stood up and the white went for the bite to the neck. The gray jumped to the side and avoided the bite only to try his own. And because of the wound to the shoulder on the white he was unable to avoid and the gray was able to latch onto the white causing him to yelp in pain.
Up on the roof top Aishia, Cologne, and Happosai watched at the two Martial Artists turned wolves attacked back and forth. Knowing the kind of collateral damage that can result from two fighting Lycanthropes, regardless of form, Aishia called the other two's attention. "We have to get everyone off the street!"
Cologne coming out of her daze after seeing Ranma transform the subsequent fight acted every bit of her three hundred years of leadership. Speaking in a voice of pure authority she gave out instructions, "Aishia, Shampoo knows you as that form. You grab her and get her clear. Happi the Tendo's know you best so you get them, and don't grope. I'll get Saotome and Kuonji." The other two nodded and as one the three leapt off the roof and down to the street below.
Nodoka, Shampoo, Nabiki, Ukyou and Kasumi were too stunned by the sight of seeing a bloody Ranma turn into a bloody white wolf to move from their spot. Whether it was because of fear, awe, or both not a single one moved. At least that was until three blurs landed in front of them, grabbed them and leapt up to roofs across the street, all in less than two seconds. If a person had witnessed the event and could see the movement, they would have wondered where a third wolf came from and why it was on its hind legs. The observer would also wonder how to seemingly older than dirt, meter tall people were able to lift two people twice their size and jump up to a roof five meters away. Up on the roof the woman and four of young women came back to reality and noticed the appearance of new wolf screamed and jumped away, Shampoo momentarily forgot about Aishia. After seeing their reaction Cologne went up to them and began to explain. "Everyone please calm down, and Shampoo you know who she is."
"Oh sorry Great Grandmother," Shampoo apologized, "Sorry Aishia."
"This is an old friend of mine, her name is Aishia and yes she is a Werewolf," Cologne explained. "She came here seeking an unknown member of her kind. She found him in Ryouga, the gray wolf."
"I took him away so I could instruct him in his new abilities and try and keep away from a populated area," Aishia took over. "Unfortunately his obsession with Saotome Ranma made impossible to keep him in one place. He got lost and found his way here and attacked him. I tried to get here in time but obviously I was too late." Aishia then turned directly to Nodoka; "It is because of my inability to Ryouga away that has caused your son to be attacked. For that I am deeply sorry."
"Oh…um…that's um," Nodoka honestly did not know how to respond to the apology from a werewolf. Shaking her head to clear it Nodoka asked, "If Ryouga was the one you were looking for then what happened to my Son?"
"That I am afraid I do not know," Aishia said with regret.
"Are you the one that asked me for the information on the fighters?" Nabiki asked remembering where she heard Aishia's name before.
"Yes," Aishia answered. "But I do not believe that is all that relevant right now."
"She's right," Happosai agreed, "Now Aishia how do we stop them."
"We don't," Aishia said. "We wait until they stop. Any human that gets involved would not survive, they're both in a fury state now."
"Then why don't you stop them?" Ukyou asked.
"I would have to fight at their level," Aishia answered, "Two Lycanthropes are doing that much damage, just image what three would do." The group of humans looked down at the street and saw the entire area was in ruin. The street had been torn up, concrete walls were reduced to ruble, and vehicles torn apart. "Just be glad they aren't using and Ki attacks."
Back on the street the two wolves, Ranma and Ryouga where about to charge at each other once again. Under normal conditions Ranma would have been easily able to defeat Ryouga. In the wolf form Ranma had a clear advantage in power, speed and agility over Ryouga. The problem came from Ranma's previous injuries, the bite wound to his shoulder severely limited in all terms giving Ryouga the advantage.
By now the two wolves were both dripping with blood and panting from exertion. But the two supernatural creatures were far from giving up. Both were driven focused by a human desire but were amplified by the surging instincts of their wolf forms. Once again the two charged each other trying to gain dominance in the struggle. With the shoulder injury Ranma was a little bit slower and Ryouga was able to gain the advantage and latched unto Ranma's neck. He then began to force Ranma into a submission position and get a better grip on Ranma.
With a howl of pain Ranma jerked himself free from Ryouga's grip causing even more blood to start flowing. To the observers on the roof it was clear that he was loosing. But the stubbornness Ranma had as a human was only amplified by the instincts of the wolf so he carried on. After he broke free Ranma jumped above another lunge by Ryouga and avoided another bite to the neck. As he came down he was in perfect position to bite down on the back of Ryouga's neck. With the combine force of the bite, fall and sheer mass of Ranma it was no surprise when Ryouga collapsed under him as Ranma landed. With Ranma in superior position he began to shake his head violently driving his fangs deeper into Ryouga's neck causing Ryouga to howl in pain this time. After several shakes it appeared that any resistance from Ryouga stopped. Ranma stopped shaking but still maintained his bite to ensure that Ryouga was no longer a threat. After nearly a minute of silence and inaction on the pair Ranma finally let go of Ryouga then tilted his head back and howled in victory, "AAAAWWWWOOOOO!" After the howl in victory Ranma then collapsed in exhaustion and blood loss.
When Ranma finally fell the observers saw the two Lycanthrope combatants begin to turn back into humans do to loss of energy, "We need to get them out of here and treat their wounds or they will die!" Aishia said.
"My home is not far from here we can take them there!" Nodoka responded. The female Werewolf nodded and leapt down to the street soon followed by the two three hundred plus year old Martial Arts Masters.
Ranma awoke with a severe pounding in his head, in all his time on the road and at the Tendo Dojo he could not remember when his head hurt more. When he tried to sit up, the pounding in his head seemed to rush to the rest of his body, especially this left shoulder. Slowly opening his eyes Ranma looked to his left and noticed his shoulder chest were bound in bandages. "What happened to me?" Ranma asked himself. That was when he remembered the bite, the huge wolf and, "MOM!" Ranma sat up only to feel sever pain shoot through his body again. "AAHHH!"
"Ranma you must not move yet!" a familiar voice filled with concern to Ranma's right spoke.
Ranma turned to the voice, "Kasumi?" he asked. "Where am I? What happened?"
Kasumi walked over to Ranma and gently held his hand, "You're at your Mother's house. And we'll tell you everything that happened once you've gotten more rest." Ranma was about to protest but a frown from Kasumi stopped him causing him to close his eyes and relax. "Good rest Ranma, everyone will be into see you when you wake up again."
"All right Kasumi," Ranma said with a yawn before once again falling back asleep.
A few minutes later Kasumi entered the living room and joined several other women. "Ranma woke up a few minutes ago," she informed. "He went back to sleep soon after."
"That's to be expected," Aishia said from the other side of the living room. "He should be in and out of consciousness for the next couple of days until he fully heals. We'll still have to keep an eye on him and Ryouga."
"How is the Hibiki Boy doing?" Nodoka asked.
"About as well as Ranma," Aishia answered. "He woke up a few hours ago but went back to sleep soon after."
Not long after Cologne entered the living room with a cordless phone, "I just got done talking with Happosai, he's still running Tendo and that Lousy Panda ragged around Osaka. Now then why don't you tell us what you've found out old friend." After Ranma and Ryouga were brought to Nodoka's home and their wounds treated by Cologne and Aishia stories and brief histories were exchanged in hopes of clearing up any questions anyone had. Some questions were answered but other questions were raised as a result. Like how did Ranma become a Lycanthrope, not to mention one of the most powerful though extinct lineages? And how did the revelation that Genma was not Ranma's real Father affect the engagements? It was also during this time that a few people had to be distracted so more important matters could be addressed, hence the reason Happosai took Genma and Soun on an impromptu training trip.
"I contacted several packs in the America and Canada to see if there was any ties connecting Ranma's real Father to any Lycanthropes," Aishia said. "From what I've been told there is no direct connection. There were Lycanthropes in Ranma's Father's tribe in the past, but that does not really mean much. Native American tribes almost always had ties to Lycanthropes. But it appears that those Lycanthropes of his tribe died off just like the humans."
"So no more information then," Cologne surmised. "So why don't you tell us about the Great White Hunters of the North?"
"I'm too young to have met one personally but my Father did once," Aishia said. "As is said the last, or at least believed to be last of that lineage died out five thousand years ago. They were among the strongest of my kind. As the name suggests their domain was in the North, and mostly concentrated around what is now Northern Europe, Northern Canada, and Siberia. Though fewer in numbers than many other Lycanthropes they always commanded respect from other Lycanthropes. What made them so respected was not because of their physical power but because of their almost unrivaled ability to manipulate Ki and Chi." She then took some tea that Kasumi brought in a few minutes ago. "Their physical power was actually average but with their ability to manipulate the energies around them made them a dominating force on the battle field. Legends say that they're one of the two off shoots from the first Lupines. They became primarily the Ki and Chi users and my ancestors became the physical powers."
"If they were so strong why were they whipped out?" Cologne asked.
"The same reasons several other kinds have disappeared," Aishia answered. "Outside forces coming into their territory, inner conflicts of power you know the usual aspects that lead to the downfall of a people."
"But surely some descendants must have survived," Nodoka interjected.
"Well breeding between packs is far from unheard of," Aishia said, "And some packs have claimed to be descendants of them. But the actual direct lineage has been gone for almost as long as Human's recorded history."
"And yet you believe Ranma is one," Cologne says. "Are you sure he is a Great White Hunters of the North?"
"Yes," Aishia answered without hesitation. "Like I said my Father met one and described her in great detail to me. He said 'She had eyes as blue as the deep ocean and fir as white as a glacier. The fir was so soft and yet so thick it was like it was made of pure silk. And don't let you Mother hear this but the most beautiful Lupine I have ever seen.'" Aishia then laughed at the memory, "Unfortunately for him Mother was within hearing distance. Not a pretty sight afterwards let me tell you." All the women in the room laughed at the good humor. "Though I do suspect he has something more in him. He's a bit too big, he should have been a little smaller than Ryouga in wolf form. Ryouga was bitten by one of the larger lineages of Lupines. And though turned Lupines are often smaller than their Sire, Ryouga is still of good size."
"What other kind of Lupine do you suspect Aishia?" Cologne asked.
"I really can't say without other resources," Aishia said. "I'll be able to get more information once he wakes up and I can call in some friends to do some tests."
"What do we do know?" Nodoka asked.
"We wait," Aishia answered. "In fact Kasumi, I think Nabiki and Akane will be home from school soon."
Kasumi then looks at the clock on the wall and notices the time, "Oh my! You're right I should get back." She then stands up, "I'll tell Nabiki and Akane that Ranma has woken up when they get back from school. Nabiki will probably inform Ukyou after I tell her."
"I should be getting back to the Neko Haten as well," Cologne says. "Shampoo is probably about ready to kill Mousse by now and the afternoon rush is about to start."
"We'll let you know if Ranma wakes up," Nodoka says seeing them out. "And tell Nabiki and Shampoo that they can come by any time." The two nod and exit the house. As she sees them off she cannot but help think of the reactions from people when they heard Ranma was injured. Genma, though not saying it seemed somewhat happy, probably because Ranma beat him just a few hours prior. Soun cried near gallons of water saying the Schools would never be joined. But what dismayed just about everyone, except Genma and Soun, was Akane's reaction. When she learned that Ranma and Ryouga were injured in a fight she immediately jumped to the conclusion that Ranma was picking on Ryouga. She then went off into a rant about Ranma being a pervert but by that point no one was paying attention to her. After that Nodoka forbade Akane from coming to see the two boys, Genma tried to object but that was when Happosai said he was taking him and Soun on the training trip, thus ending the argument.
When she returned to the living room she found Aishia in the same spot deep in thought, "Is something the matter Aishia?" Nodoka asked.
"What oh no nothings wrong," Aishia answered. "Just thinking on what to do once they're both awake."
"What will happen to my Son after he awakens?" Nodoka asked worrying for her Son's well being.
"He'll have to be taught how to control his new abilities like Ryouga," Aishia answered. "I'm just wondering how he'll take it. I really hope he doesn't react like Ryouga. Everything I told him just made him either more depressed or even angrier." She then shakes her head a couple of times, "That's the problem with using emotion based Ki attacks. They have a tendency to mess with people's minds."
"Will my Son have the same problems as Ryouga?" Nodoka asked.
"I don't think so," Aishia answers, "At least not as likely. All though he uses emotions to focus his Ki he doesn't just rely on them. And he's willing to listen to others for advice on how to train. Ryouga, in my personal experience with him, doesn't like to listen to others very well. He really needs a wake up call unfortunately I have no idea who he'll listen too that is even remotely rational." She then looked at Nodoka asked, "The question I have for you is what will do?"
"I plan to divorce Genma and fully start to live with my Son," Nodoka answers.