Shadows That Bleed

by YamiYugiPuzzleshipper

Pure-Bloods are said to be myths, not even well-known within stories. "A specialized genetic coding of the moon and the dire," their spoken lore proclaims. They are creatures beyond the power of mortality, gifted by the gods themselves. Known as the Eternal Ones, their existence once extinguished, resurrection foretells a powerful omen.

44. Damage

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

Update schedule: Every other day

Chapter Warnings: Mentions of Possible Death, Mentions of Starvation, Mentions of War, Mentions of Bloodshed, Implied Torture, Yugi Gets Violent, Bloodshed, Character Killing/Deaths

So, first things first! The work log entry is broken into FOUR parts. The reason being that, otherwise, the entries stretch for an entire page and a half and I would rather not have an excessively long entry like that because it would drag itself out pretty badly. I meant to ask in the end notes if you guys would have minded a huge chunk like I do, but I totally forgot. Anyways, so, that aside, let's get onto the bigger more necessary notes!

Okay, so! There's a plot twist/subplot that comes up early in this chapter that will be explained later on. Because, as you'll see, there was a little kink in the plans with the gods and their idea of how to rectify the situation they created. But, mostly, it's going to be corrected and completely come to fruition in the last handful of chapters. We're not at the halfway mark yet and I'm totally going to say when we are, but anyways, there are a bunch more chapters to come before the end—not so much until the midway point though.

Anyways, so here we get some backstory on one of the gods. And then you'll get a little surprise at the end of the chapter as well~

Beyond that, enjoy~!

Chapter XLIV: Damage

Work Log Entry XLIV: March, 2004 (Part I)

March 10

A.T.E.M. is unnaturally quiet. He does not bother to interact with the others despite their attempts to do so with him.

The boss seems to believe that it may be the experiments that have altered his ability to socialize. He has grown furious but he is the one that made us do it.

March 12

The boss has introduced all of the wolves to the usage of a shock collar in order to prevent their attempts at escape or counterattack. They are restless and have grown vicious from the lack of exercise and their minds seem to be deteriorating as the time passes.

A.T.E.M. has yet to do anything worthy of being shocked but the others have been shocked over twenty times just this hour.

March 20

A.T.E.M. has not spoken as of yet.

We worry that his voice box may not work after all of the experiments.

The boss was not pleased with this hypothesis.

Yugi paced the length of the river once more. He was traveling the rocky banks for what seemed the millionth time. He'd been there for hours now. He'd skipped school, telling his mom and grandpa the earlier that morning that Yami's parents had made an emergency call for him to meet them. He had lied that he had no idea what had gone on, just that he'd walked with him to the airport and come back home and arrived late that night when he figured the two of them were still asleep.

Now he stood on the bank, picking his way across. The ice was so thick it was amazing that it had ever broken in the first place. How had it collapsed beneath them at any point? Yugi could hardly fathom that it was so weak in one area like that.

But then, he'd been unable to see it in the darkness of nighttime and the sudden flurry of snowflakes. And now he was similarly stunted because the sun was blocked behind what seemed like layers upon layers of clouds overhead. And if the snow didn't stop falling soon he knew he'd have no chance whatsoever of tracking anything left of the other boy. When he'd trekked through the woods and found the initial break in the river, it had been by auditory means. He'd heard the rushing water long before he'd seen it. And the surface was already beginning to frost over once more.

Yugi shook his head. He hadn't been able to catch a scent. He'd found one from their initial run but he'd missed it the moment he'd stepped back out towards the river. There had been nothing there for him to see. And the snow had started only about twenty minutes ago. If Yami had truly wound up getting out of one of the softer patches of ice along the river, then he had no doubt that he could track it by scent alone where he had breached.

He glanced around only once. It had been oddly quiet but the weather had put strain on the animals willing to brave the snow as it was. Yugi shrugged his clothing off and tossed them into his backpack a step behind him. Then he moved it to the base of a tree where the roots looked oddly raised, dug a small pocket of snow away, and dropped it there. He buried it with a fine layer, just enough to cover, and forced himself to get to his hands and knees.

He'd only changed by his own will, on his own, once before. When Aileen had poisoned him and he'd realized that it was the only way he could possibly help Yami if he needed it, he'd changed. And the times before that, Yami had been there to help him each time. He had been there to speak to him and encourage him to keep going.

And he would still be there to help if Yugi had not fucked up so terribly.

The thought made him bristle. The snow crunched when he crouched there. A burst of heat came into his body, surging through his blood. At first he could feel nothing but that. He struggled to force himself to focus. His mind was racing now. If he hadn't messed up, Yami would still be there. If he hadn't tried to get up when he warned him against it, the ice wouldn't have broken.

If he had not snapped at him, perhaps he would have dropped him out of the net sooner. Then maybe they might have even been able to scent the hunter before he spotted them. They might never have even gotten shot at. Perhaps they wouldn't have even run towards the river in the first place.

But had the hunter already shot off at the river beforehand? Was that why the ice had bowed beneath their weight to begin with? There was no other reason Yugi could think to explain it. And he knew that he'd shot at Yami when they'd both gone under. He'd heard it around the terrible popping in his ears when the water had enveloped him…

He rolled his shoulders. His spine popped. The noise made his skin crawl. Ribbons of muscle writhed beneath his flesh. A pulse began in the back of his head, throbbing painfully. His fingers flexed, gripping at the snow. He sputtered. Bile rose like waves in the back of his throat. He opened his mouth and it spewed from his jaws. A long strip of saliva clung to his teeth.

The heat was pulsating. His marrow was on fire. His back arched hideously. His shoulders rose and fell. His body heaved, shaking violently. His stomach lurched forward. He heaved again. The smell made his eyes burn. His mouth was salivating heavily. He almost thought he might drown. Drool dribbled in heavy strands, stained yellow and orange.

His body shuddered harder. His shoulders cracked and rose again. His face was burning. The skin prickled and ached. His gums were growing swollen now. The roots of them expanded, then pushed out. His first tooth to fall was his right upper canine. Then the other followed. Blood trailed down his jaws. He convulsed heavily and vomit spewed through the air into the snow. The steam which came up made him tremble.

His teeth dropped slowly, like gathering rainwater. He could hear his bones snapping now. His spine arched again. Then it seemed to splinter and break. His palms began to elongate. His back legs shifted and jerked beneath the pressure. He bore his teeth as new enamel pushed through his gums. He convulsed again. The world seemed dizzy before he clenched his eyes shut.

The snow was hissing. He vomited. Drool fell to the ground. A wind rustled the tree branches. He choked on the taste of blood and bile. His skin itched even more. The pores opened and fire lit his nerve endings. Fur sprouted through the openings, pushing hard outwards. His body writhed and he found himself lurching over. When he hit the snow, it steamed and rolled upwards in sweltering bursts of heat.

Then, abruptly, it began to cease.

His body seemed to lose its heat. And the pain began to recede. Yugi panicked. Had he fallen short of being able to change? Had he somehow stunted it? What if he wasn't able to anymore?

It sent a hideous tremor through his body. And then he noticed it as his eyes opened. His mouth opened and closed. And the snow trembled beneath his gaping jaws. He was panting and his tongue was long where it pressed into the cold ice. Yugi could have trembled with relief. His entire body ached and throbbed, pulsing with pain.

He'd done it. He'd changed.

Yugi remained immobile, lying there on his side, for a few minutes longer. Then, finally, he rolled over. It was so cold that his vomit was frozen already. He glanced at it only briefly. Then he turned towards the river. The snow was picking up. He didn't have time to wait and plan.

He took off upstream, racing against his pounding heart. His fur shuddered along his body. His shoulders shook beneath his skin. He lowered his head, breaths puffing from his nose. He trotted on quick feet, feeling almost as if he were gliding upon the snow.

He licked his lips and his tongue passed over his nose. The air was frigid but his body was oddly warm. He did not exude nearly as much heat as Yami had that day upon killing Aileen. He'd been so feverish then that Yugi had been scared he might die from heat stroke. Now, however, his body was warm but not overheated as Yami had seemed.

Yugi pushed the thought from his mind. He did not have time to hash over that anymore than he already had. He drew in heavy breaths and lowered his nose closer to the ground. The banks were slippery now, cushioned by snow and ice which padded the more painful stones lying beneath. He drew in a deep breath again. The scents to come up into the air were mere tendrils of snow and dirt.

His skin prickled beneath his pelt. His tail shuddered as he hurried forward. His paws moved rapidly and he paused along the bank where the ice had initially broken and they'd fallen through. Yami's scent was highlighted here, heavier than usual. The ice and moonlight and pine were so immense he almost thought he was lying beside him again. His heart trembled in his chest. Did his pillow still smell of him?

He shook the thought off, the pain crushing him. Then he drew in another deep breath. He knew the anxiety had caused his scent to come out more potently. And Yugi knew his scent more intimately than he thought he did anything else. His mind recognized it. And he knew it was not something he would have forgotten, regardless of whether he now bothered to reacquaint himself with it.

He turned around, then sniffed the air. The only thing he could detect beyond the lingering touches of both his and Yami's scents was the light fluffy touch of the snow overhead. It would come in blankets soon, swirling down in heavy touches.

His skin jerked. He turned again, sniffing. The river gurgled beneath the ice. If he focused even the smallest hint more, it would become a long and steady roar.

He turned towards it, judging the distance of the ice. The river was wider than usual, probably from the heavier rains and the momentary melt that had come earlier that month. Yugi cursed mentally, then looked about the bank. The stones were perceptible in his vision only by the soft rise beneath the snow, making the layer of white somewhat uneven. He trailed along the edge of the bank, eyes on the rocks, then spotted one which seemed larger, rising higher than the rest.

He circled around it. The stone was probably large enough to support all four paws. The only problem was that he did not know what lay beneath it and the snow. Were there pebbles? Or were there more rocks? Which one was more likely to bend under the pressure when he launched himself? Which one's structure would break and send him a shorter distance? If he landed on the ice, would he go under again?

A surge of bitterness swelled in his veins. His teeth were bared in the frosty air. Did it matter if he went under again? It might even be the better idea of searching. Perhaps he'd end up where Yami was.

But fear made him rethink. Maybe if he tested his weight on it before he tried to leap from it… But what if he did that and weakened what little foundation it might have? What if, because of this, he was unable to do anything more than hit the middle of the river and go under again?

His heart was racing. His stomach ached.

If he were so foolish as to throw himself into danger like that, he'd surely get himself killed. And that was hardly something he wanted. He didn't want to die. Death was nothing Yugi wanted to see at any point.

His ears flattened against his skull. He whined faintly. Then he looked about himself and backed up a few feet before running. When he reached the rock, he threw himself off of it. He cleared the seven feet of frozen water, landing nearly twice as far. He stumbled. The muscles in his back legs hurt. He shook it off, blinking, and then trotted forward in a hurried stride.

He trailed the river for miles.

And the pattern persisted for a week. On the last day of that week, tired and without a clue, Yugi took to the job in his human form. He could hardly detect the tracks they'd made. The snow had buried and covered most everything.

But Yugi had still tried everything. He'd traced the river, both banks, tested for cracks in the ice with wary paws. He'd circled back more than a thousand times it seemed. Yet the snow had not stopped and he was too exhausted to continue changing as he had so many times before.

So now he paced about the banks. How had he come to miss the net trap he'd been ensnared in? Had the hunter reset it yet? Would he attempt to kill him a second time? Why hadn't he come back?
Yugi shook it off and pressed his foot against the ice. What was he trying to find now that he had not all those other times? A week had gone by, after all. And the snow was a ton heavier than it had been initially. Now the air was cold enough that most people had called out of work or school in order to stay home. And here he was, trying again.

But there were no clues to be found even as he retraced each of their steps. He did not find pockets of snow or the ice broken in other places. There were no hints of where Yami might have wound up.

Impatience wore him thin to the bone. He was well aware that he'd lost weight. His eating habits had become all but nonexistent. He'd begun to grow angrier rather than sadder. And it was driving him insane with hatred that he was bound by his own lies and forced to waste time. He'd go home after pretending to attend school, ignoring it when his mom would give him strange looks for his outright lies. He'd come back before curfew, waiting just long enough for his mom and grandpa to fall asleep, then return to search some more.

Yugi shook his head slightly now. Yami was not dead. He couldn't be dead. His eyes narrowed. There was no way that he was dead. He shook his head, though another thought crossed his mind.

Slifer could tell him if he was.

His head snapped around.

Slifer could tell him.

Yugi spun on his heel. He had no clues to follow. But he could easily find Slifer to ask for answers. He knew very well that he could find her and—

He was jogging now.

Slifer knew where the labs were.

Yami might damn well be in the labs instead.

His legs raced faster and his mind was scrambling.

Blue-violet eyes flickered about the snow and he hurried faster. Where was the entrance? If it was big enough for himself and Yami to fall in as wolves, it was large enough for him to enter as a human. He'd forgotten a former trip to the tunnels to see Slifer. He'd gone as a human. Yami had gone with him.

He looked about for the entrance of it, the thicket of which he knew an entrance hid behind. Yugi looked over his shoulder. Was this the same part of the forest? He could not even remember. Where had he fallen into the entrance of the tunnel systems before?

He'd fallen straight into it…

Yugi turned his head, mind racing. His eyes snapped towards the tunnel entrance once more. He could remember it now. A muscle memory somewhere in the back of his mind told him the tunnel was there.

There it was. He could see the shadows of the snow where it fell against the lower branches of the thicket. His skin crawled as he hurried forward. Was that truly the entrance? Yugi crouched next to it, then pushed the brambles away. The snow was so thick that it fell in a rushing thud towards the hole beneath it. The noise rattled upwards and made his eyes widen further.

Then came the soft sliding noise of it as it followed the dip of the stone beneath. His skin crawled and he bore his teeth faintly. The thicket was dark brown, soaked from slightly melted snow which had been absorbed into the branches.

He looked it over, pushing it further back. He put his legs over the edge, thinking to drop back into the entrance. He slid down the slightly wet stone. The sound of his sneakers touching the floor made his stomach toss. He was so much lighter. Yugi felt sick; he needed to eat again. He had to start eating again…

Yugi pressed onto his haunches, weight balanced more pointedly on his toes. He reached out and touched the roof overhead. He'd have to move on his hands and knees. Perhaps changing would be much easier than bothering to shuffle about in the dank stony earthen path. Yugi reached out and forward a couple of times, then moved his palm about. He shook his head and pressed his knees towards the stone.

The snow was a soft cushion and he realized that, not only would he ruin his school uniform once more, he would also find himself chafing the skin of his palms and knees. Yugi shook his head and began to strip of his clothes. It would have to happen. He would need to figure this out. He would have to come back this way when he went home again. He would make a mental note for that.

Yugi moved a few paces ahead, hands and knees pained from the cold chill of the touches. His eyes narrowed and he nearly snarled in annoyance. He should have changed beforehand. For some reason Yugi thought oddly that he was like Alice within Wonderland, though he did not remember much of the story. Hadn't her adventures been a dream?

He could have sneered at himself. Wouldn't that have made his life that much easier? He could have spat at himself in anger. If he were merely dreaming, Yami would still be there. The anger which coursed through him caused his entire body to arch with pain. He clenched his jaws and his teeth ached as they ground together.

Yugi paced forward a single step. The bones crunched along his spine and his legs quivered. The pain ricocheted through him in violent bursts. His skin jerked and shuddered. His heart was in his throat. His head pounded. Blood filled his mouth. A heavy heat billowed through him. Yugi shuddered and his arms collapsed beneath him. His fingers flexed and curled inwards. His nails splintered and cracked, then hardened with rapid bursts of noise.

He whined and bile dripped from his jaws. The taste made his head swim. A twinge of blood colored his tongue. The weight of it was harsh, caking the muscle to his palate. His head swam, his vision dizzy. His ears flicked back and forth. His breathing came out tight and harsh. He could not comprehend the pain that swept through him. He gasped and expelled vomit. He choked and sputtered. The noise echoed through the darkness. The shadows seemed to swallow the intensity of his heaving. His retching reverberated in his own ears.

His spine arched. Then it flattened and jerked. His fingers grasped at the ground. His claws splintered from the grip. Then they repaired themselves. Rapidly his skin bulged and tugged. Fur came in a shower of white. He gasped and choked. His teeth fell from his aching mouth.

Somehow he did not collapse. Yugi shivered. His skin rolled along his body. He panted. Then he stumbled forward and began to make his way through the dark towards the direction he knew would lead him to Slifer.

He panted and staggered. And his breath was a heavy current of bright white with each exhale. Yugi kept his ears angled forward. His eyes were shifting through the darkness in search of what he assumed were warped shadows. He strained his eyes to see around himself more comfortably. Then he relaxed slightly.

He could hear her approaching him. The welcome sound of her paws on the stone was alarming to him. He licked his lips as he spotted her. The golden eyes glowed and glittered. Her gaze bore into his.

For a moment he could not think.

Then, abruptly, eyes narrow, he growled, Is he dead? Is Yami dead?

The she-wolf was silent for a moment. She stood more directly at his height, he realized. She was level with him, but her head was larger, a bit broader. Her skull was wider in shape and her ears were possibly a little shorter than his own. But they were soft and gentle in their rounded triangular shape.

I cannot tell you that, she said finally, awkwardly. Her head tilted to the side and she considered him closely. They were mere feet from each other. Yugi watched her with dark eyes, annoyed. I have never been able to see the lifespans of you both. My ability to see your paths ceased upon your meeting each other. But, before then, I knew you as intimately as I might my own abilities.

But you know when a wolf dies. You are the one to lead their soul to Paradise!

Slifer flicked an ear. Her eyes were softer, sympathetic, but there was a secretive glint there as well. And a frost had begun to clear away any hint of kindness as the seconds passed. I am unable to intervene with Atem beyond what I already have, she said simply. You and he are beyond my jurisdiction of assistance. Cease your inquiries of me. I have no answers for you.

You are unable to help me? he spat furiously. Because I am Atem? You stupid gods allowed me to be born and yet none of you will help me?

Slifer curled her lip. You walk beyond us. You are meant to be among the mortal wolves. We are not.

Yugi snapped his jaws. You disgust me, he snarled. Two Pure-Bloods were born at your whims and none of you will take responsibility and guide either of them?

Should we interfere more, we will influence the design of which you are meant to create and weave for yourself. Should we step too closely and influence too greatly, the future may become more bleak than even the present.

Nothing could possibly be more bleak than this! Yugi roared at her. He sprang forward a pace, snapping his jaws. But he meant merely to display his distress, and she took it as such. Her ear flicked in acknowledgment of his pain but she did not do more. Yami is possibly dead! I'm the one meant to lead these wolves into battle and I don't have anyone to help me any longer!

Slifer remained silent for a long moment. Then she closed her eyes. It looked unnatural and altogether horrifying to behold her like this. He had only seen her close her eyes when she had meant to guide her daughter to Paradise. And now she was doing the same in front of him. It shook him and his heart rattled in his chest.

Yugi, allow me to tell you a story, she whispered, voice soft and parental now. There was a part of him which seethed under such a tone and another which welcomed it more than anything. When I was born, a great war was being waged. My mother and her kin were all but dead. The winter was harsh and terrible. The humans treated us as rats. My mother attempted to care for me as best she could. But even she was not impervious to the humans and their weapons. I was only two moons old when I found her carcass strung up by a tree. The humans had gutted her and put her pelt on display for us to see.

Yugi shuddered, fur rippling with the frantic need to flee. Slifer… he whispered, unsure of himself. Should he flee? He felt he might need to. The tone of voice had become cold, simplistic, so far removed that it horrified him.

At two moons, I had but one wolf to take care of me. And she died in an attempt to save me. She, too, was strung up on a tree, skinned and left on display. The war was growing harder and things were uneven and bleak. I was the only pup to survive for so long. But I did not possess the ability to hunt on my own. My mother's death taught me the value of hiding away from the humans, but it is by example that a wolf is taught. And I had no ability to carve weapons as the humans did. I lay starving, unable to do more than eat mouthfuls of snow.

He trembled, eyes wide in horror.

The she-wolf opened her eyes. Now, I was not a stupid child. Nor was I the most innocent creature to walk the earth. And I prayed for days that someone might end my agony. I waited for what felt like years. And when I finally began to succumb to death, I found myself welcomed with a choice. Her eyes glowed and her lips curled. It was that of whether to let myself die and possibly allow the death of others I could potentially save or accept a gift of which I might heal and be reborn again. I chose the latter, though I was so desperate to find an end to my pain.

His ears flicked. His fur shuddered. He almost snarled. His anxiety was a potent scent in the air. It drifted between them in zephyrs. The cold chill of winter seemed to embrace and amplify it.

But Slifer did not comment. Nor did she pause.

My dear mother, Lupa, gave me the ability to heal from my hunger. She taught me to hunt and allowed me to grow for about six moons. And, then, she guided me for one more year. Upon that final day she remained there, she reminded me of my promise. And she gave me my immortality, the ability to recover from any wound, to breathe life into dead lungs as I was struck down in battle or by hunger or disease or anything of the sort. She bore her teeth. And I led the wolves into war. I did it when she left me. And I killed and I slaughtered. I was to them as Athena was to the Greeks. I was a war goddess, but my paws were stricken by death. And I smelled of it. No one could look upon me without sensing it, knowing I had once treaded that path and come back.

He flattened his ears against his head. I don't…

She sneered at him, eyes like fire, teeth showing in a hideous expression. I was as an alpha should have been. Able to think on my feet and decide for myself what was right and wrong. I turned the tide, long before Ra or even Obelisk was born. But even I was not impervious. Things wore on me and I welcomed them when Lupa brought them to me. We were each touched by her, warriors beyond even the other Pure-Bloods' capabilities. She chose us for a reason. I, for my touch with death. Ra, for her grief upon her pups stillborn. Obelisk, for his ability to fight off forces which might have killed others.

He shook his head, eyes wide.

Lupa did not interfere beyond us. She left us there to guide the wolves. How we managed to win was beyond me. When we went up against the Harbingers, I was amazed we survived. That said, we were forced on our own at one time. And we were brought together by chance upon Lupa seeing us as worthy. When we went to slumber the first time, alongside her, it was because we thought it safe. It wasn't. Mistakes were made even back then. And they still impact now. The present is corrupt because of us. Because we were foolish and stupid. We have upset the balance of a great many things right now. But we are still trying to fix them. And to do further would be corruption. Our interference would mean death, possibly millions or maybe as slight as thousands. We made our choices back then, as we were free to do. And now, we leave you and your pack to do the same. Wolves are nothing if not champions. Humans brought us pain and chaos, we returned the favor tenfold. They brought us war and we won. You shall have to find your footing on your own. Yami cannot teach you your place. Nor can we.

He felt shame rush through him. And what if I can't do it?

Her eyes were cold, calculating, and her hatred clear. Then, the second Pure-Blood will do as necessary to ensure survival of the lycanthropes.

He bore his teeth. It's not Yami, is it? he whispered, heart choked in his throat with sudden realization. He's not the second Pure-Blood…

Her smile was cold and hideous. No. He is not.

---

Yugi was trotting with his clothes in his mouth. He'd been trying to find a place to change and dress himself, but it was hard to really consider. The trees were long and dark, shadowed in the forest along the miles of virgin snow. His paws continued to sink into the ice crystals, though his webbed feet managed to keep him from falling as far as he would have had he been human. He sighed and the laces of his sneakers slipped around his canines for what felt the millionth time since he ran off from Slifer.

His ears flicked and he dropped his clothing immediately. Wolves? His fur bristled faintly. Then he blinked and turned his head towards the source. It was faint, altogether unnerving, but he recognized it. The wolves coming towards him had a stride that he knew, if only vaguely.

Mai? Otogi? he called uneasily. Was he right or had he simply heard things?

At his voice, two forms came bounding through the snow towards him. They looked incredibly relaxed, and a pang filled his heart. Had he and Yami ever looked so nonchalant and careless?

Both wolves stopped a few feet away, wagging their tails in exuberance. Otogi tipped his head to the side, tongue lolling, and Mai stretched herself out in a leisurely action. It was slow, lazy, and her tail continued wagging. They both looked at each other and then to him again, ears pricked in wonder towards his possible request.

Yugi felt his heart squeeze in his chest. How could they be so easily joyful like this? It was amazing to him. There was going to be a war, Yami was missing, their former leader was dead. His stomach dropped and rolled painfully. He swallowed hard and flattened his ears against his head before pricking them forward again immediately. They didn't need to see how miserable he was.

What are you guys up to? he asked, somewhat bewildered. Mai wagged her tail again and Yugi felt his eyes grow wide. The image in his head was that of a short-legged, gray animal with long fur of a texture that reminded him of wool. The eyes were wide, circular, bright brown with blown pupils. The ears were sharp and almond in shape, rounded slightly, the tuffs surrounding them large and bushy. There was a small, tiny set of horns inches from its eyes. Yugi stiffened. You guys were hunting?

Mai tilted her head and licked her lips. He would have laughed if he was human. Obviously she'd enjoyed it. He wanted to roll his eyes. Then he tilted his head slightly and considered them both. Neither of them had the slightest hint of blood on their muzzles. But, now that he focused, he could smell the sweetly scent of the serow meat on Otogi's breath.

Was it only the two of you?

Otogi wagged his tail in answer.

Yugi was about to speak again. But then a large black wolf with red eyes appeared in his head and every thought he had halted. He looked at Mai, heart squeezing in his chest, and wanted for even a moment to leap forward and attack her. But the physical outlet would have done nothing for him. And she hardly deserved that.

Yugi tilted his head for a moment. Then he pricked his ears toward her. He wondered if it was possible to project a series of images to her as well. He'd never tried it before. In truth, he was not even sure how it was that he'd managed to speak to any of them in the first place.

He licked his lips and shifted his shoulders. A hunter scared us, shot at us when we were looking at a deer killed by a hellhound. We tried to run, got to the river, and ended up falling through the ice. We were both separated. That was a week ago and I haven't found him yet.

Both wolves were frozen in place, eyes wide. Then, in unison, they looked at each other and back. Yugi flicked an ear uncomfortably.

Mai projected a picture of the river. Yugi nodded. Otogi projected a picture of a break in the ice, of a drowned wolf body lying against the stones of the bank. Yugi didn't have the heart to say they were human at the time. He nodded instead, feeling exhausted.

I need to go to the camp, he announced, eyes sharp. I'm going to organize groups to search for him. It's been a week and I'm not making any progress on my own.

Otogi and Mai wagged their tails. He flattened his ears against his skull and bristled faintly as he began to gather his clothing again. Maybe he should try to dig a little den and stuff them inside. Or perhaps it would be smarter if he went about trying to hide it in the branches overhead. He wondered at the idea. Neither would prove to be completely void of snow and soaked clothing, however. He nearly sighed in frustration. Maybe he could bring his clothes to the camp entrance and hide them in the cavern behind the waterfall. It might get some spray from it, but he did not know for sure.

He shrugged it off, then decided it was best to go ahead and hide it nearby or perhaps change back and get dressed. He supposed he did not need to truly worry about it all. In the long run it only mattered that he got home in clothes. He could just throw himself in the snow and walk home after dusting himself off, saying he was playing in it.

Let's go, he muttered, snatching his clothes up again and beginning to trot along. Mai and Otogi both glanced at each other, then seemed to grin in amusement as they followed instantly. He moved like an inverted white shadow among the snow.

Mai and Otogi looked at each other. Yugi looked as if he were one with the snow. He seemed so pristine white as to have had his fur molded from the very surface of the beautiful field of unmarred ice. The two of them moved in a slight flanking position, steps behind and to both sides of him.

He began to slow eventually, then turned his head towards them. You two need to go ahead of me. Go and tell them that I want search parties out and about, he directed quietly, eyes snapping between them as he turned around. I have one more place to look before I come back to the camp.

Both of them swapped looks, wagged their tails and dipped their heads, and then ran ahead of him. When they reached one of the ridges, Mai let out a small howl even as she raced alongside Otogi. They both let loose small, short bays to echo each other, and Yugi watched them until they disappeared beyond his vision. Then he turned and trotted into the trees, changed back and dressed himself.

He did not know if there was any chance Yami might be there, but he searched regardless. Yugi trotted along, colder than he had been with his thick pelt. His shoes were soaked as he continued to force his way through the snow in order to make his way towards the pier.

He checked the water. He did not think that there would be any sign, especially with the amount of snow which had fallen, but he still looked about the surface. He licked his lips. Perhaps he would be fine. Perhaps he would find him, completely fine and alive, somewhere nearby and not have to worry about it.

Yugi shook his sneakers and the snow fell away. His toes were cold but he could not find it in himself to care as he continued moving. It took him a long minute and a half of searching for any amount of ice which might have been formerly broken. But it all seemed as if it had been firmly frozen for a rather long time.

Yugi turned towards the warehouses, wondering if perhaps he might have hidden within the buildings. He searched each of the abandoned factories and warehouses. Then he looked through all of them, sniffing heavily in order to get even the slightest trace. And he caught nothing.

Not one of the fifteen abandoned buildings held even the smallest sense of the other wolf's presence. It made his skin crawl and his stomach ache. Yugi turned away and started back away towards the forest. He'd have to make his way to the camp and see if there was any news.

But, what met him upon entering the clearing again was that of several wolves running off together. They must have been the search parties. Yugi flicked an ear and continued forward, the waterfall roaring in his hearing. He could not tell how many had remained and how many had left.

Yugi moved somewhat slowly. His ears pricked forward and his nose wrinkled as he considered his options. Mai and Otogi would have told him had Yami returned to the camp. He knew they would have. And the fact that groups of three and four were even leaving as it was meant that they were taking the task seriously, did it not?

He could have sighed with relief. But another thought occurred to him. What had they said to get them to go and try to see what was happening? Had they told the truth? His throat felt tight, his chest heavy. By the gods, he hoped not…

Marik came up to his side. Yugi blinked, stopping short in surprise. He had not expected anyone had seen him at that moment. The fact that he stood in front of him now, eyes gazing into his, was both startling and somehow infuriating.

He pricked his ears forward. His head tilted to the side. Marik, he greeted in a somewhat dismissive tone. He sighed softly and the other male watched him with glittering eyes.

His voice was strong and smooth, more prosperous than Yugi remembered it to be. He could not recall many conversations with him, but now he felt uneasy as he listened. Other wolves stopped their actions to turn their heads and the white canine was acutely aware of how they all seemed to stare.

You should use such resources on better endeavors. He sounded almost authoritative and diplomatic, but Yugi felt he might as well have been staring at a snake with its fangs bared. He blinked, eyes sharpening as he continued. Death happens. You must simply move on. He may have been your beta but you can easily replace such a rank. It would be better to have a wolf within this pack as your second-in-command. He was going to betray us all anyways.

Yugi stared at him. When he blinked, it was long and slow. His ears flicked back and forth. The wolves were all staring. They were all swapping looks now. Their ears were flicking about. Their eyes were locked on them now.

It is best that he is gone before any damage was truly done.

And the damage done to me? a part of Yugi wailed in his head. But it did not come forward and he shrugged it off. His eyes flashed and he stepped closer once, blinking long and slow again.

He would have gotten us all killed.

The white wolf breathed in deeply, watching him closely. His eyes searched his pale lavender gaze and his ears flicked again. Marik was watching him. He was staring as if he had something in his eyes that might be worthy of provoking.

You know this! He was here once, pretending to be you. He was willing to masquerade in your place and pretend to know what was to come later. The gods have taken him for a reason. With a colder tone, one which made many of the wolves stiffen, he added, May Slifer take his traitorous soul.

Yugi stared at him. He was stiff. His body felt frozen. A tremor seemed to race through each of the wolves surrounding them. Many of them had drifted closer. Some had backed away and had their heads lowered and their ears flat. Yugi noticed all of this from the corner of his eyes. But, in front of him, there was only Marik.

And, beneath his skin?

There was only rage.

He didn't try to restrain it.

Yugi did not even recognize he had moved. In a flash, he had launched himself. Marik cried out as his teeth caught his face. He tore back a step. Yugi pulled fur and soft flesh away. Blood dripped to the snow. He lunged again. Marik rose onto his back feet to attempt to brace himself. Yugi slammed into his shoulder to knock him off balance. His teeth snapped into his face again. Blood splattered. His tail was stiff in the air, his lips pulled back, his incisors painted red. The gray wolf backed up a step.

When he tried to back up again, Yugi caught him by the muzzle. His teeth snapped into the bone of it. And blood sprayed and dripped. Marik screeched and struggled. He tossed his head frantically back and forth. He jerked back a step and Marik stumbled. Yugi released him, running on pure instinct.

His anger made him bloodthirsty. The fight was over the moment he'd snapped. Yet Yugi did not sense that. He caught Marik by the scruff as he was stumbled forward. He jerked him back and sent him onto his side.

He caught him by the skull. Then he knocked him onto his back. His teeth aimed for his eye. Marik squirmed and kicked at him. Yugi bore his teeth inches from his face.

If you ever speak of Yami in such a way again, I will kill you, he spat furiously. He could taste blood on his tongue and it was disgusting. Yugi bore his teeth again. His exhales were hot against Marik's eye. The other wolf's pupils were blown with fear. His ears were flat against his head. His lower body was twisted upwards, his underbelly exposed, tail tucked tightly.

Yugi pulled away, then looked to the others, tail raised high. Would anyone else like to speak to me about replacing Yami? he snarled furiously. He snapped his jaws and all of them flinched and bowed low to the ground. He bore his teeth and glared at each of them. His rage was so powerful his body almost shook. Yami is still alive. And I'll be damned before I allow a single one of you to speak ill of him.

Not a single wolf questioned him. Another week passed. Yugi had not gotten a single hint of where Yami might have been. And the other wolves likewise offered him awkward apologies. Each one would creep up to him, head bowed and ears flat.

Yugi had yet to learn even a single one of their names. Since all of their time and energy had been put into hunting and finding Yami, it seemed unnecessary to even bother with introductions. His own time was spent at school once a week to make sure they did not completely leave him in the dust with curriculum and his own solo searches.

He had come to school this time. And he'd ignored the stares he'd gotten upon entering the classroom. Many of the whispers he'd heard had been about how the drugs he was on must have had terrible withdrawal symptoms. Someone had suggested he was on PCP and then another had laughed that was how he had wound up killing people. The theory was he murdered them, then stole their wallets and bought his drugs.

Yugi had not entertained looking into the mirror that morning. He knew how badly he'd done with taking care of himself. He'd forgotten to eat more often than he cared to admit. And he was often staring into space when he was stuck at school for the day. He knew his eyes looked black from lack of sleep since he snuck out every night to keep checking for anything he might have somehow overlooked.

The teachers were gaping at him. He noticed it, even as he ignored them. His head was propped in his chin and his eyes were glued to his paper in front of him. The rings beneath his eyes made them even more sallow than they already were. His skin had pulled taut over his bones and his baby fat seemed to have disappeared altogether. Yugi may not have cared to study it further, but he knew that much at least.

Even Valon gave him a somewhat disturbed look as he took the seat beside him in confusion. "You look like shit."

"It accentuates my eyes."

The hellhound tilted his head. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he offered awkwardly. A small part of him was eager to see if there was anything, that dog—or perhaps it was the wolf—mentality which begged to make him feel better. The majority of him, however, did not care in the slightest. It was odd working with such confliction all of the time. He was used to it, but he still found it strange. So many wolves so often complained of feeling too much. Yet he felt only what the canine side of him could.

Yugi looked over at him. His eyes were paler than usual. The bags beneath them were deep and blacker than even Valon's pelt. His lashes framed them in a way that made the visual abuse that much worse. His cheeks were sunken around the edges. His hair looked matted or knotted around his bangs. He looked as if he had dried blood near his right ear. His collarbones were more pronounced. His shoulders looked thinner. His wrists were hardly the size of the circle his pinkie and thumb made when he pressed them together. His clothes hung from his frame in a ragged fashion.

"No," he finally muttered. "No, I don't think you can help me in the slightest, Valon."

He left it at that, nodding and getting up to go to his regular seat. He did not glance back or turn around again to talk to him for the rest of the day. Yugi was so thankful he might have burst into tears.

---

"Slifer."

He looked ridiculous calling into a tunnel like this. And he knew anyone who might have been foolish enough to go into the woods in the first place would think he was nuts. But Yugi ignored that part of his mind which rebelled at the very concept. He remained crouched there, listening to the steady sound of the water underground. In the sunset he could hear it, because the forest around him seemed rather still and lifeless and below ground the sound was softly amplified. It bounced about upon the walls, ricocheting until it met his ears.

"Slifer," he called again. He tilted his head and listened harder. He was not sure what made him finally look back down. He had been about to give up and climb down. It could have been a movement or it might have been a sound. Either way, Yugi found himself looking.

And, in the shadows, a pair of glowing golden eyes peered back at him. Her gaze was translucent, a single uniform shade of golden-gray which shone brilliantly in the dark. He wondered at the sight of them. Then he licked his lips.

He had not bothered her since their argument weeks back. Crouching in front of the mouth of the tunnel, watching her now, he felt slightly awkward. Yugi tilted his head and narrowed his eyes, his lips twitching until they pulled into a grimace. But she had come for him. She had come when he called her. It was somehow amazing to him that she had done so.

"I need your help."

The she-wolf peered at him silently for several minutes. Then she spoke, voice soft and critical, her eyes sparkling in the dim light. What is it you seek from me, Atem? she requested. He thought he could hear her claws touching the stone wall between them, keeping her from approaching him fully. I will not tell you more answers of which you desire. I know that you are not foolish enough to ask me about Yami once more.

The warning in her tone was tangible. Yugi might have snapped at her, had he possessed the energy. Rather, now, he merely shook his head and continued to stare. If he truly focused enough, if he had pushed the brambles further back, he might have seen her softer features. But, as it was, he had pushed them only enough to be able to spot that she had come when he called.

But he imagined her ears pricked and her lip curled in frustration. They had not parted on good terms. His anger for her dismissal had been hideous. And his disgust towards her inability and refusal to give him answers had felt like a stain on his soul. He imagined her shoulders distinctly squared and her fur rising into a bristle along her tail. He'd noticed that last time they'd spoken. Her tail would gain the smallest lift of fur when she had gotten irritable.

"I haven't found Yami yet," he said in a cold tone, eyes flickering about hers and his lips curling for the briefest of moments. He shook his head slightly, then narrowed his eyes and watched her. "But that's not what I came here for."

The goddess peered up at him. He thought of monsters that lived in sewers in books and it made him almost hiss. But she was curious, not antagonistic or angry as one of those beasts might be. So he merely frowned faintly, tilting his head as the silence stretched until, finally, with mild annoyance, she asked, Well?

He frowned. "I need a new beta. You mentioned that you were once an alpha. And I…I need help. The pack is suffering because I don't trust any of the wolves there to replace him as my second-in-command."

She was silent for a long moment. Then her breath came out in a misty current of silver-white. Yugi blinked down at her. The blue-violet-eyed teen watched her stare back, peering easily. The goddess slowly tilted her head, something he only saw from the angle of her eyes now.

But you would trust me? she asked slowly. Her voice was both amused and bemused. You would trust the very god which told you formerly she would not help you with your own issues or finding your alpha?

Yugi tilted his head to mirror her. "I need someone to fill the position. And I need someone who will do it without going behind me and destroying what I'm trying to do. And I do not think you're going to tell me what I should and shouldn't be doing," he said slowly. Then he narrowed his eyes further and swallowed hard. "I need help from someone who can hold his place as the beta. The pack is suffering otherwise."

Do you assume that I should do this because of the fact that my daughter once sat as their leader? she drawled softly. Yugi blinked and raised a brow, staring at her coldly. She reconsidered for a moment and her eyes glittered in the dark once more. No, you are not so foolish.

"I just wanted to know if you would hold the spot. You can show up at the camp for a little while, ignore everything else, and leave as you see fit. I don't care. I just need to get them to relax and believe that there's still some kind of structure in the pack. Even with how tilted and stupid it actually is."

Slifer watched him. You appear to be beyond yourself with stress.

He bore his teeth. "What tipped you off?" he sneered. Then a small current of shame came through him and he sighed loudly. "Will you take his place or not? All we have to do after that is meet the pack. You can all get your names and everything and I'll be okay to ignore that you exist unless something comes up."

Ah, the life of a goddess. You do make it sound so fine. She was sneering as well, but hers was playful where his had been bitter. She pulled away and her eyes disappeared from his sight. Very well. I shall offer my assistance with this task. It will not last for long.

Yugi blinked. Did she mean that Yami would be back before long? Or did she mean that something would happen to push her out of the position? Did she think Marik or someone might be foolish enough to challenge her? He bristled faintly.

I shall meet you at the camp.

He rolled his eyes at himself when he thought blankly of how she might know where it was. She knew because that was where her daughter had lived for however long. He shivered. How old had she been? How old was Slifer?

The teen met her as a human. Slifer was a glorious beautiful red-furred she-wolf. She stood to his ribcage in height, inches taller than that of a Great Dane he remembered meeting at the clinic. Her head was smooth, her body a solid color of rich soft russet. He had seen it before, but her frame appeared almost delicate and slim. Her ribcage sloped gently upwards, not tight like a greyhound's, but slightly similar. Her legs were longer, thinner, and her back legs seemed powerful, as if she were built to leap. Her tail was long, hanging far beyond her hocks.

Yugi shivered. She was beautiful, ethereal, dangerous in appearance. She looked as if she might enchant someone while tearing their throat out seconds later. She was powerful, her aura young and ancient all at once. He did not know what to say, nor to think.

"Thank you."

The she-wolf hummed softly and turned away. She began to trot and he kept to her side. When they came upon the entrance, she swept past him, trotting faster, then sprinted and leaped without a single glance. She disappeared behind the waterfall and he sighed as he forced himself to follow. He sprinted, jumped, and groaned as he nearly fell over upon reaching the other side. He hated the stupid waterfall and the camp beyond it.

You shall have to lead the way.

He sighed quietly, rolling his eyes. Then he nodded and turned away, starting to scale the wall of stone at the end of the small cavern. He picked at the edges of the thistle overhead, pulling himself up and out of the small hole. He got to his feet again and dusted himself off. He was soaked, however, and the way the snow crystals lightly began to drift upon his chilled form did nothing to make him look more presentable. He ignored the urge to huff in frustration, turning back when he heard the slinking of Slifer's thin form in a simple rustle of thorns.

Several wolves looked up. Some glanced away again upon recognizing him. Others tilted their heads and began to bristle upon seeing Slifer. A couple froze in place with wide eyes. Marik, further within a group of she-wolves, blinked and considered them both with a gaze of purple ice.

He would have smirked at him had he cared enough. He glanced at Slifer sideways. Her eyes flickered to his. They considered each other. Then she tilted her head, saying, I am well aware of Marik and his presumptuous attitude. Do not concern yourself with how we might butt heads.

He felt sick. Something inside of him twisted painfully. He remembered her words from minutes before, how it would not take long. It made him frown faintly before he shrugged it off.

He clapped his hands together. The noise made each of them look up with wide eyes. They did not know his human form by sight, but he was aware that they knew his scent. And he knew they could sense him as if he was omnipotent and their prayers his beckoning. He supposed it was and they might have even assumed that of him.

"As each of you is aware, Yami has been missing for the last two weeks. Because of this, many of you have begun to worry that his absence will affect the pack in a negative manner," he announced loudly. His eyes flickered towards Otogi and Mai, both of whom stared at him with shocked, bewildered expressions. "To rectify this problem, I have brought a momentary replacement to take care of his responsibilities within our pack."

Many of them turned to Slifer, somewhat bewildered. Amazement flashed through some of their eyes. One of the she-wolves dropped to the ground in a bow, whining and wagging her tail with her eyes on the ground. The others quickly swapped looks. An image pushed through Yugi's mind, of what he assumed to be Ra, Slifer and Obelisk. It was truly only three forms, wolf shapes of ginger, golden, and gray fur.

None of their eyes were colored. Nor did they have definitive features beyond the solid pelts. Yugi considered it, then nodded in agreement.

"Correct. This is Slifer."

A rippling wave of silver and gray pelts bowed down in respectful poses. Yugi blinked and smirked slightly, voice low when he snickered, "Looks like you're more popular than me, Slifer."

The she-wolf looked towards him. It's because I am beautiful and you look disgusting, she stated without a single second of thought. Yugi burst out laughing, then shook his head and rolled his eyes. Her golden eyes sparked with laughter before she turned away again. She strode forward a step, raising her tail and pricking her ears. Each of the wolves froze and began to collectively rise to their feet once more. I am aware that tensions are high at the moment regarding the loss of your beta for the time being and your former alpha. Trust that all issues shall be taken care of as necessary.

He blinked in surprise. It shouldn't have surprised him how easily it was that she addressed them. She was a goddess, after all. Grace must have been natural for her by now. Perhaps she had always been elegant and regal, however. Perhaps she knew more of it than even Ra did.

Yugi looked about the wolves and then back to Slifer. All of them watched the pair with glowing, considerate expressions. He turned away and considered the way that each of them looked at them with such clear eyes. Then, finally, Yugi looked towards them again.

"Slifer will be here when you might need her. But she has other responsibilities, as you are all aware." He watched as their eyes immediately came to his face once more. "I do not expect her to remain here with us often and it should not be a surprise to any of you should she not be here for long stretches of time."

As if it were a dismissal, the red she-wolf wagged her tail once, regarding them all with her glowing eyes. I shall return soon, but for now I have something that must be done. Yugi blinked after her, confused and startled for a moment, and then watched as she slipped through the tunnel of the waterfall cavern.

When she disappeared completely from sight, Yugi pressed his lips together in a thin line. Then he turned back and looked about them. How many were even in this pack? A small bite of guilt lashed at his insides. He was so selfish. He had told them to run about and look for Yami and yet he did not know a single one of them by name beyond Marik, Mai, and Otogi…

But today was not that day. He would find time soon and it would not be then. He shook his head, running a hand through his hair.

Mai came towards him. Her ears were against her head. Otogi was at her side. Both of their heads were lowered when he looked at them. He tilted his head at them in confusion. The two of them kept their heads almost low enough that their chins touched the ground. Then came the image in his head.

The river had been tracked several times. Not one wolf had caught a trace of the black canine in question. But this time, they'd found human prints. And they'd found dog tracks. And another piece of evidence was a syringe which looked freshly used. The needle was splintered with red and the glass was perfectly pristine, laying in the surface of the snow as if it had been dropped in haste.

At first he stared at them. Then his stomach churned and his blood heated. Had Yami found his way back to the river? And a hunter had injected him with a drug to subdue him while his dog had kept him preoccupied? Yugi blinked, then he turned on his heel to follow the direction Slifer had gone.

He didn't look back but he could hear Mai and Otogi whining as he departed. It took him only a few minutes to catch up with where he knew Slifer had retreated. The hatred in his blood was boiling. He couldn't think straight beyond kicking his clothes off and burying them beyond the brambles, in those immense inches which rose so much higher than they appeared. He dropped into the tunnel.

Bile came up the back of his throat. His entire body arched again. The muscles rolled beneath his skin. The tendons seemed to crack and ache and he spat a mouthful of vomit. His eyes narrowed in the darkness. The anger was flashing in red in his head. His body was burning with it. His veins raced with fire. He snarled and snapped and teeth fell from his gums. The aching flesh was serrated roughly, the enamel sharp as it pushed rapidly upwards.

He was not completely aware of the changes going on. His body was too hot. And his mind was racing. What if Yami was being tortured again? What if they were already picking him apart and running experiments? He couldn't breathe for a moment. When he drew in a deep breath, a snarl came, long and sharp, from within his throat. He raced forward, body on fire and teeth bared. How dare they!

He exploded into the cavern, snarling so loudly that it rumbled along the walls. He sounded like a rabid animal, as if his humanity were long gone. He bore his teeth and snapped his jaws. His tail was raised and his ears pricked, shoulders squared. The she-wolf approached him from the shadows but did not raise her head or her eyes. Slifer almost appeared to slink towards him, head lowered and ears back against her skull.

Where are they?

She growled softly. His voice thundered through her skull. The intrusion made her fur rise into a soft bristle of anger. Still, she was not willing to fight him. Had his head been clear, had she not known a moment such as this might come to pass, she would have. But instead, now she wrinkled her muzzle into something almost like human contempt.

How long it had been since she'd been human. She could barely remember such sensation. Slifer curled her lips. Had she ever turned human before? She wondered for a moment. Then, quietly, dismissing such curiosities, she said, I shall lead you there. But should you enter them, it will be on your own.

Yugi wagged his tail and saliva dribbled from his mouth. Good, he snarled.

It was surprising how terrible and hateful he looked. Slifer watched him with a rather cold, displeased expression. His anger came to her in waves. Her fur lifted in response to each. She bristled faintly but the darkness did well to give Yugi an inability to see her response. She very slowly turned from him, moving in a stiff trot of a pace.

Yugi was at her heels in an instant. His snarling failed to cease. The goddess ignored the rumbling noise, her eyes cold and terrible as they looked forward within the darkness. She moved upon the precipice of the cavernous crater beneath, the gentlest trickle of water from the pale, thin stream around the upraised stone. She moved until she was parallel to the rock, then placed her paws upon the thin ledge resting beneath it.

Yugi snarled a little louder. The air was stale, stony and earthen and wet. The chill of the atmosphere around him bit at his skin from beneath his fur. His paws felt packed against ice and his ears could catch only two sounds—their heartbeats and the water. The direction of the trickle's flow made his fur bristle furiously.

Slifer moved further along the ledge, a small pebble breaking under her touch. It fell away into the water with a gentle splash. Yugi waited behind Slifer for only a moment as the she-wolf carefully trailed the sheer drop of stone. Then he looked down and leaped.

The water shot straight into his face and splashed across his body, despite how little of the stream seemed to exist there. He tipped his head up, his paws aching from the landing, but his toes so cold that he could hardly feel the tingling. He watched her as she considered him, looking cautious, and then continued to simply walk about the stone ledge. She did not bother to speed up, instead tracing her route without worry.

Yugi growled in annoyance, nearly snarling once more. He was tempted to chomp his jaws again, to startle and perhaps bully her into moving faster. His ears flicked about and his eyes shot along the walls which lined the chasm he rested in. There were skeletons, the stench of decay and mold and blood coming to his nose. He huffed and his breath was misty in the air. His fur rose and fell in a shudder, his ferocity growing as he bore his teeth.

Slifer moved past him, trailing the length of the stream. Her paws were so soft that the water seemed to merely ripple beneath her. Yugi, turning back to follow, almost thought that she was walking atop the water. But he could see where it wet her paws as she continued forward and it made his skin crawl.

She was a goddess. Why could she not move faster? Was she stalling? Yugi snarled low in his throat, lowering his head, and moved angrily behind her. She would not turn and face him in a fight. He knew that already. Her initial dismissal had done well to assure him of such a thing.

They continued for what felt like hours. Yugi was snarling louder now, ears pricked forward and anger making his blood boil. His tongue flashed out against his tongue and he almost thought to lunge forward. Then he jerked, jumping faintly. His head snapped around. A distinct roaring noise burst forth from his left side, echoing within the cavernous tunnels and making his ears ring. His eyes flickered about the tunnel for a moment, mind rapidly working to assess the existence of it. But he knew of the raging water, though its source scared him. And, beneath that sound, was yet another. He could not recall it, however, and it made his skin crawl.

Slifer dropped over the edge of a small cliff of steep stone. Yugi paused, eyes wide, and came to the side to look at the height of such a precipice. He hesitated, then considered the large distance. But the she-wolf did not turn back and reality slammed into him that he could not wait.

He jumped. The pain nearly crippled him. His legs ached upon landing. And his pads felt as if they had split. Yet the ache seemed to immediately smooth away. His impatience, his anger, forced it aside. There was no time to focus on it. He raced forward, teeth bared again, and the goddess did not glance at him.

The roaring grew louder.

Slifer dropped along the face of another wall of sheer stone. Yugi hurried after her. The drop this time was only inches and the roar was deafening now. He could feel tremors burst through the air, vibrating against his skin. His fur was soaked from the spray which burst upwards. A single trickle of water from the stream they had followed formerly dropped into the immense crash of the racing river beside them. The stones rattled from the force of it and the white wolf looked beyond his shoulder to see that the darkness of the tunnels burst forward.

The walls of this gorge were almost nonexistent beyond where he stood now. In front of him, Slifer began to slow. Her trot was stiff again and she looked towards him with glacial golden eyes.

Beyond here you are on your own.

Yugi snarled, this time with a sense of delight in his body as well. Yami had to be there. He wasn't dead. Yugi refused to believe that. He probably wished himself deceased, but he wasn't. There was no way. Somehow he felt that he might know it had he passed. Wouldn't Slifer have hinted at that by now as well?

He bore his teeth at her, tail rising and ears pricked. Thank you, he dismissed her, turning away. He tore off down the stone tunnel. He could hear her heartbeat behind him for what felt like miles. His entire body was stretched in his sprint. He could hear the river roaring even louder beside him. The walls of the gorge were immense and large beneath his paws. He ignored the thought, eyes searching for the end of the darkness in front of him.

Yugi leaped from one small ledge to the next. He cleared another ledge, leaping to the top of a small wall, and raced faster. Finally, minutes later, the darkness seemed to seep away. He was panting now, eyes flickering about the shadows. Then, in a flash, his rage returned. And his vision became focused on one small image before him.

The smooth arch rose wide in the air. A strip of yellow banded across the top, with characters he could not understand in their worn appearance. He slowed only slightly, peering forward. The river had slowed, flowing through two different passageways. Beside the entrance of this smoothed, human-made tunnel, the natural one echoed with the chamber of noise. He flicked an ear, then leaped from the small ledge he was standing on.

The water was shallow here, but he imagined the natural path of the river was by far deeper. Yugi shook it off. His coat was drenched and his nose was cold, icy and wriggling as he sorted through various scents. Mold was the first he could catch, bursting in his nasal cavities with a chilled, bitter touch that soured his temper further. Chemicals came next, that of harsh burning anesthetics and artificial fires. The walls were lined with small patches of lights and he wondered at their shallow illumination.

The pipes ran wide as well as narrow along the surface. There were inches of stone pressed to either side, brick and cement which served as careful steps. The water was icy where it embraced his paws and Yugi ignored it as he padded swiftly forward.

The water trickled softly like a brook beneath his feet and his tail twitched as his fur rose and fell in a shudder. He snarled low in his throat. His body was too hot. And he was unable to stop himself from biting at the air in his hatred. The tunnel stretched for what felt like forever. In the pale yellow of the light, he bristled and the scents came forward more heavily.

And now he caught the electricity which burst in the air. It shuddered and shivered, touching his fur and setting it alight. He snarled again, charging, his adrenaline bursting with hatred. His ears pricked forward and he could hear them all now. The wolves' heartbeats were low and unsteady. Breathing was a raspy affair. He could hear low growls and slight snarls. There were breathy whimpers and hisses of sickness which cloaked the air.

A cough caressed his ears. A human was striding nearby. Yugi jumped onto the stone lip of the step which hovered an inch above the height of the water. He hoped when the river grew swollen from melted water late springtime, they were all drowned. His anger made him faster than he thought he'd ever known himself to move. His paws were rapid, the click of his claws falling in swift succession.

A familiar scent came to him. Sickness and death plagued his senses. He could hear the last shudders of hearts as they grew silent. He could smell the harshness of decaying flesh. He could taste the blood and drugs on his tongue. He could feel the earth, drenched and sweltering with heat, like blood lapping at his paws. And he could see it. He could see the devastation of the many bodies which were lying still in cages.

But his mind was focused on this human. And his hatred swelled further. He rushed faster. His entire body was pushing at speeds he did not know. He might have compared it to a cheetah had he not been so enraged. He sprang as the human rounded the corner. His teeth opened and blood coated his tongue. The scream was hideous and cruel in his ears. The racket made the wolves all move to their feet. Panting and rasping met his ears.

The human tried to throw him off. Hands fisted at his neck. Fingers tried to dig into his throat. A knee kicked at his ribcage. Yugi shook his head harshly. The man screamed again. Blood spewed into the air. The wolves were baying now—with cries, chants, loud calls of alarm and panic. He could not tell what they were. They came in a deafening harmony of his blood pounding in his ears.

This man smelled of wolfsbane and iron. He smelled of copper and butter. And Yugi wanted nothing more than to make it cease. He pulled back and opened his jaws further. The man's face was covered in blood. He was blinded and his blond hair soaked in red. Yugi was breathing heavily, hatred making him burn. Exhaustion did not touch him in any fashion and the white wolf wagged his tail.

The wolves began to howl. He could not hear them fully. But he thought he understood them somehow. His name. They were calling for Atem.

Humans moved about in another corridor. The man in front of him tried to grab him. Yugi opened his jaws wide. He snatched at his head and threw his mouth from side to side. The vertebrae snapped loudly, heavily. It burst so thickly he quivered. Then he dropped him away.

Yugi turned his head. There were only two people coming towards him. His lips curled back hideously. His teeth glowed as he stared. The silver-gray-haired man was recognizable in front of him. He bore his teeth harder, snarling louder. He chomped his jaws. The other man began to slow a few steps behind him. He was watching Yugi with an expression he could not read.

The white wolf lunged at the taller man. His teeth opened large and wide. His teeth were a flash in his brown eye. His jaws clamped to his face, holding his skull. The weight of his attack threw him down. The man beyond them seemed to snicker softly. The noise made him snarl louder. His eyes rose and fell on him, angry and smoldering. He tightened his teeth.

Pegasus, he remembered the name. That was who he was holding. He was the one who had set Bakura on him. He had infected him with wolfsbane and liquid silver. He had tried to kill him in the woods.

Yugi shook his head sharply. Pegasus punched and kneed at him. The kick to his back leg might have stunted him before. But his anger knew no bounds now. The white wolf simply threw his head again. And Pegasus screamed loudly for help.

Yet the only one standing close enough to offer assistance did not seem to care. His face was covered in a mask of some kind. It looked almost feathered, in a sharp plastic design. The skin beneath the eyes was heavily wrinkled. And it looked almost blackened within the shadows of its thick frame. They were beady, a hideous brown so flat it made him shudder.

Pegasus kicked at him again. Yugi released, backing up a step. When the human managed to get to his feet, the white canine leaped again. This time he aimed for the throat. And, with a singular focus, Yugi felt sinew and muscle and bone break and serrate between his jaws. He landed in a mass of blood along his jaws and face. His entire body quivered with hatred.

The wolves screamed with something like amazement and joy. Yugi paced forward. The human in front of him smirked. His lips looked almost leather. Yugi bore his teeth, snarling furiously. He snapped his jaws. Blood was smeared along his right cheek, his eyes covered along the corners where his muzzle further wrinkled. His breathing was furious, a hideous panting of hatred.

And then he smelled it. The scent was deep, familiar, beneath the currents of medication which made his fur lift. He smelled of the softest hint of pine, of decay and darkness. And the thought infuriated him. He had Yami. He had Yami!

Yugi snapped his teeth again. He licked his nose. Their blood was disgusting against his tongue. The man in front of him smiled wider. He went to leap, then yelped. A buzz of electricity slammed into his shoulder. He jerked, a convulsion crashing through him. It lasted only a moment, however. His adrenaline was crashing too hard through him. The pain did not register. And the shock was so minute he could not tell if it had ever truly existed.

He wagged his tail, eyes glittering. The human stopped short, staring at him in shock. Yugi lunged for him, then cried out. He was thrown sideways, rolling with the impact. With a snarl, he struggled to his feet. His body convulsed again. The taser was crackling. He snapped his jaws.

He anticipated the next shock, preparing himself, but it did not come. Yugi was released of the small flash of pain. The man cried out. His arm was raised upwards. A beast of deep gray, so deep it possessed the slightest hint of blue, had leaped at him. The taser crashed to the ground. The immense wolf threw him onto his back with the attack.

The screaming echo of the captive wolves was horrifying. He thought of seas of red and his pelt dragged by sticky liquid. Yugi shuddered and his fur rose and fell in a rush of adrenaline. The wolf knocked the man's head forward. The hit was enough to draw blood. His beady brown eyes rolled up in the back of his head. Yugi snarled low in his throat.

The blue-gray monster turned towards him. Its tail rose and its lips pulled back. Yugi snapped his teeth again. The snarl that answered him was an amazing roar. It crept beyond his blood as if he were on fire. His nerves were bursting, pricking with pain and electricity. It felt almost as if a force were pushing through him even as the adrenaline seemed to be slowing.

Dark, glowing amber-red eyes stared at him. The ears pricked forward. The head rose slightly. The beast came forward a step. The claws clicked loudly against the stone. Yugi stepped forward to meet him. His tail rose and wagged slowly. His eyes glittered, hateful.

The man was still alive. He should have killed him.

Somehow the idea of this man's survival was even more a disgusting crime than the idea that Yami might still be in one of the many cages.

They collided in a flash. Yugi bit at cold air. Teeth found purchase in his shoulder. A tug threw him across the floor. Yugi's head slammed into a steel cage door. It rattled and the noise shook him. He scrambled to his feet. The wolves were howling. His heart was in his throat. Blood coated his tongue. Yugi threw himself forward again.

White against gray, the two of them landed in a mass of teeth and claws. His black claws bit into his fur. His skin split beneath him. Yugi yelped at the pain. His scruff was caught by large canines. The wolf threw him once more. Yugi rolled with the impact now. He gasped and sputtered. His body felt weak, shaky, for a moment. Then he snarled. Hateful, he came at him once more.

This time the gray wolf allowed him to bite at his face. Then he turned his head. A forelimb rose and slammed into his side. Yugi let out a scream. The bones of his ribs seemed to crack. Immediately he let go. The wolf held him with a single paw to his side. His claws were beneath his fur, in his skin. He panted, eyes glazed and fearful.

Yet the wolf merely snarled down at him.

Drool dripped in a heavy stream of glistening liquid. Yugi cried out again. The pressure on his ribs increased. Instinct flooded him. Harsh and cold, the shock of such foreign touch burst through him. He craned his head back, exposing his throat. And his tail curled up and between his legs. It tucked tightly and he trembled. The whimper which spread through him was one of meek surrender.

His eyes were averted, falling upon the cage he'd hit moments before. Within it sat a single thin she-wolf. Her fur was black but with a small blaze of dark gray along her chest. Her sleek build was dog-like, her ears too pointed to be pure wolf. Her cheeks were sallow, sunken, and her gaze was crystalline. Her eyes were oddly colored, her right a hideous aquamarine which made his heart shudder in his chest. The left was a glowing, perfectly abnormal golden shade, one which seemed to seep beneath his skin with fire.

The wolf above him snarled and grabbed him by the scruff. He was hauled to his feet with a yelp. But the grip was soft, almost gentle. He panted, drawn from his shaken realization, and trembled faintly. Blood leaked from a cut on his side. His ears rang in the stillness of the tunnels. The wolves had all grown quiet.

Somehow they had fallen into a nonsensical silence.

The gray wolf smacked his shoulder with a hard muzzle. The thickness of the appendage shook him. Yugi nearly tumbled. Then he staggered forward. His eyes flickered towards him. The amber-red gaze was kinder now, encouraging him to move forward. Yugi stumbled, then yelped as he dropped over the step. The water splashed into his face and he tumbled over himself for a moment. The wolf dropped down beside him and began walking. Yugi hurried to his paws, following.

It took him a few long minutes to actually feel the shuddering his body had taken on. The pain was acute now. He felt small and weak and tired. But the anger was still there. And it was so hard to think straight with it there. He should be back at the labs. He needed to find Yami. That man had smelled of him—or at least he had faintly…

The gray wolf did not pay anymore attention to him. It was only as they began to make their way towards the red-furred she-wolf feet away. She sat there on the ledge he'd left her at, golden eyes softened with something almost akin relief upon seeing him.

Yugi hung his head. He felt chastised and stupid now. He had run from her with the idea of spilling blood until he found Yami. And he hadn't even been strong enough to beat one wolf. What if one of the other wolves had gotten loose? What if they had gotten to him, killing and fighting and trying to destroy him?

He doubted he could have fought them off.

The gray wolf stood beside him, head tipped towards Slifer. We have returned, he said in something resembling a sneer. Yugi blinked and glanced at him, then towards Slifer.

The she-wolf smiled faintly, her golden eyes boring into his. Did you find what you were searching for? she asked in a gentle tone. Her kindness was lost on him, however. The white wolf was more ashamed than he thought he'd ever been before and so could not meet her eyes.

Staring at the ground, he snapped, No, I didn't.

Not for lack of trying, the gray wolf growled beside him, and he could hear the laughter there. It stung and Yugi hated him for it. But then those amber-red eyes were on him and his lips curled in frustration as he raised his head to glare at him. The wolf did nothing more than snort at him. His long tail wagged. I have been wondering when I might meet you, Atem. Allow me to give you my name. I am Obelisk.