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.

49. Training

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

Update schedule: Every other day

Chapter Warnings: Mentions of Death, Bloodshed, Hunting/BAD Hunting, Training, Mentions of Unrequited Love, Vague Mentions of Torture/Experiments

All right so! Hi again guys! The month of September honestly seemed to fly by for the most part and thankfully I got most everything I set out to accomplish done (sorry for the hiatus, but it was completely necessary to get back on track). Part four is just missing its last chapter. The next two chapters are set up to be posted on time, edited and set up on both sites for easy posting. Sky Dance's sequel is a few edits away from posting (so I don't know if I'll be posting it before next year), the wolf packs are still being somewhat situated and figured out. Just going to say, a goal of 6000 words a night on work days isn't as terrible as I thought it would be~!

Anyways, so, that aside! The pace picks up a bit more in this part of the story. You'll learn a little more about the gods, about some of the lore that the wolves have, some about their origins. There's not too much past that I'm going to be able to tell without ruining a few plot twists and major events though. New characters all around—I think there are two new packs that come into the picture in this part alone?

Okay, so, my only issue is that I'm NOT going to have time to groom and polish the chapters as much as I normally would before I post them (most of them get at least three proofreads unless I'm on a tight schedule). So, as far as that goes, I might have a lot more mistakes in this part than I did in the other two. The reason I can't go back and edit more than once or twice is because I have to fix a couple of events in the next handful of chapters because of the fact that I didn't have the files I originally did for the packs and the various members. So I'm going back and fixing that. Anyways! So yeah, if it's a huge mistake (like characters appearing where they shouldn't or names that come out completely UNlike their actual names or something crazy like that), please go ahead and tell me. If it's something that isn't too major then just feel free to ignore it and enjoy the chapter~!

Part IV

Chapter XLIX: Training

Work Log Entry XLV: January, 2005

January 1

Again, nothing has come about from monitoring the Pure-Blood.

Due to his age, he does not respond to the she-wolves in heat but they do not seem to care much for him either. However, the boss is eager to mate him and I think he expects to create a creature more powerful than even that of the Pure-Blood.

But I do not believe there is one.

Here, come with me.

Yugi huffed out a deep breath, winded, and then sighed as he rose to his paws. He panted and shook the snow from his fur as he flicked his ears with an exhausted expression. He watched Obelisk as the dark gray wolf turned and began to trot forward. The smaller canine huffed again, then moved to pick up speed and keep pace with him. It was exhausting to deal with him, physically draining as he pricked his ears further forward and sighed. The snow crunched beneath his paws and he wondered when the weather would let up. Would he still be alive by the time it happened?

With the rate of things that had progressed so far, he doubted it more than he was hopeful.

They traveled for a handful of miles, Yugi measuring the time by the position in the sky. He could feel the small residual pulse of energy which came with nighttime. He knew well enough how to understand this new draw of his senses, something that he had not noticed prior to Yami's disappearance. The wolf had told him similar words and he'd been dismissive of such a thing before then.

But now he felt it and he understood. It crept through his veins with gossamer fingers and made his nerves light with fire, comfortable and cunning. And it was subtle enough that it made him shiver with desire at times while he remained in his room doing homework and picking at equations and worksheets he had not finished at school.

His physical exhaustion began to wane beneath the touch of the night's approach now. He shivered and flicked an ear as he shook his fur out once more. The snow had been falling in sheets for a while now, an almost white icy wall forming before his nose even as they'd practiced a couple more fighting moves. He had not considered how hard it might be to see in his human form but the wolf perceived it easily. The seconds that passed as his mind and eyes processed this information and sight before him did well to even given him a chance to count the ice crystals as they fell in front of him.

Yugi flicked an ear again. Where are we headed?

The tunnels.

He tilted his head in consideration, looking around slowly for a moment. Why?

I have a specific task that I want you to accomplish in the tunnels. We both think that it will help you a lot to learn the truth of your potential stamina and speed. Obelisk did not look back at him but Yugi could almost hear the smirk in his voice as he huffed behind him and pressed his ears against his skull in frustration. We have much to teach you. In about two weeks' time something will happen that will require you to know your body's physical limits and understand your abilities. We do not have enough time to make you into the Atem from legend, but we have enough to make sure that Yugi is able to survive this ordeal.

He shivered, slowing slightly and letting out a deep breath. His stomach knotted at the phrasing and his heart seemed to clench as he considered the words more thoughtfully. If Obelisk were calling it an ordeal, then surely it was the equivalent of what Slifer had mentioned as a trial, yes? But then, what qualified as an ordeal or a trial for a god? What made up the definition of such words for them?

Yugi could not help but wonder if perhaps this definition lingered in the same capacity as Slifer's own comment, that he would come to find Yami at the end of them. Did that hint towards such a thing as this ordeal being such a bridging point? He shivered but the idea made his fur roll upon his skin with excitement.

It was possible, wasn't it?

Surely the gods did not lie…

Yugi sped up a step despite his tired state, and the two of them continued along the length of the base of the mountain's slope towards the entrance of the tunnels there. The snow was lightening only faintly as the two of them passed through the entrance. The white wolf nearly growled under his breath, distressed by the very idea of the last time he had been within this small mouth of an opening. He'd passed through it last after coming out of the labs, furious and annoyed and utterly defeated.

Do not dwell on such trivial things. Yugi blinked and raised his head, startled by the comment, but Obelisk did not so much as glance back as they began to trek faster into the tunnels. The smooth stone made the crashing of the water that much heavier in their ears and the white wolf nearly bristled with disbelief at such racket. The strength of it was immense and terrible and he shivered as he thought of the spray landing upon the stones and his own paws. You will find little answers in doing so and it will be a great waste of time to do something with such little productivity.

He flicked an ear. It's still fresh in my mind.

And it will remain in such a state for a long time to come. Obelisk trailed the ledge until the gorge was a wide stone of wall which put the water a few feet beneath them. The gray wolf quickened his pace only slightly, then leaped across the river without a second glance. The easy motion was so fast and fluid that Yugi shivered at the sight of it. He remembered slightly, somewhere in the back of his mind, just how powerful that tiger had been in the warehouse. He pictured, for the briefest of moments, the way she'd sprang so elegantly and the muscles had rippled like cool droplets beneath her pelt. He'd known this even within his state of pain and fear and despite Aileen's terrible sneers. And now he shivered and pricked his ears forward and tilted his head as his fur bristled faintly along his shoulders. But you will learn to suppress such memories about things so mediocre and needless as time goes on.

Yugi curled his lip faintly, the water roaring beneath him as he shivered and shook himself out. Then he pressed forward a step, sped up only a few more paces, and sprang as well. He landed far less elegantly than Obelisk had. His legs slipped beneath him and he collapsed into a heap for a moment. In a rare moment of wonder and laughter, the gray wolf turned to him with bright eyes, but the expression was gone again within mere seconds. His ears flicked and he snorted almost scornfully as he turned away again.

The stone was slippery beneath his feet when Yugi struggled to his paws. He fell and scrabbled several times, his claws making a terrible clicking and scraping noise which made him flinch. It was too terribly loud in the darkness; the water crashing against the rock was smothered beneath it as well.

You should not have slipped like that.

Yugi would have raised a brow had he been human. Instead he sneered, Well, thanks for that wonderful newsflash, Obelisk. I'll be sure to keep that in mind the next time I try to leap over a river and might miss.

The gray wolf snarled low in his throat, a distasteful noise rather than angry as one might have assumed. You do not utilize your strengths as a wolf, he answered dismissively. Your stumble is a direct link to such weaknesses. You must correct this.

Correct this?

You must learn to use your true form in a more productive manner sooner rather than later. They passed through a low-sloping tunnel entrance, away from the water, the roaring noise reducing itself almost to a trickle as they continued forward in the dark. Obelisk was but a dark gray mass before him, his eyes reducing him to a blur of color as the walls became similarly granite and brown in shade. He remembered briefly that moment of finding Annie's body within the den with Yami there, the blood and his dark eyes the most prominent beneath the blanket of darkness. Slifer and I have decided there are a few various tasks that we shall put you through in order to help with such utilization.

He flicked an ear. Tasks? he echoed softly. You want me to perform a few tasks for you?

It is not for us. It is for you and your survival later in this war. The gray wolf stepped further into the tunnel, his steps rapid but easy as Yugi followed immediately behind him. The white wolf bristled faintly, his eyes adjusting rapidly in the deeper darkness, and he realized rather abruptly, the tunnel had widened and opened into an immense cavern formation. To the right was another massive gaping maw of a tunnel, to the center one more, and to the left there was a fork of which he could not see the ends. The gray wolf did not look back at him but rather headed quickly for the forked formation. If you should wish to survive and ensure the life of your friends and family, you might desire to heed such advice and try harder.

He curled his lips back in disgust for a moment, then flattened his ears against his skull as a whimper nearly tore from his throat. His friends and family? Will it truly make a difference, Obelisk? he asked quietly. Because there is always predestination, isn't there?

Hmm…perhaps, he drawled in an almost sarcastic tone, though part of it was underlined with curiosity. He trotted forward another step, then took the fork to the right and drew in a deep breath. Yugi hesitated behind him, doing the same. But he could scent nothing and the effort seemed incredibly wasted. But predestination is simply the end point of a series of events and trials in one's life. Should they be able to overstep and overcome such problems to block their life, then they shall find that their predetermined path will alter accordingly. Lives can be saved in such a way, if only for a limited amount of time.

Yugi shivered. He could help them stay alive for a little while longer than they might have otherwise. And that was certainly worth it. He could not argue that in any way. But it still made him wonder and his fur did shudder with a faint twitch of dismay at the very idea. Obelisk had hinted at a reality that he himself had feared for a while now.

This life as a wolf would leak into those of his friends and family and it would destroy them from the inside out.

It was with no uncertainty that Yugi thought this.

And it hurt more than he could ever think to put into words.

So he bowed his head and continued to follow him in a lazy stride as the deity ignored his reluctant state and wandered forth into another cavernous area. Yugi wondered how many miles these tunnels stretched, how far they were from the entrance of the labs once more. His fur shuddered once more and he let out a deep breath as he shivered faintly.

Welcome back, Slifer's quiet voice greeted them in an almost dismissive fashion. Yugi blinked and raised his head, looking about them for a moment. And then he caught the tiniest flash of russet in his eyes, the faintest touch of which he could mark out beneath all the darkness. He could not see her golden gaze, but he could feel its focus on his fur. She was studying him, perhaps marking his ability to find her now, and it made him bristle a bit more. I should have known better than to assume you would not find your way back here sooner rather than later.

Obelisk snorted. You don't need to give him grief for now, he said, but his voice sounded beyond amused now. Rather, I have brought him here for his lessons. We have to get him in shape, do we not?

Yugi flicked an ear and bristled faintly. So, if you all can predict the future—

The future? Slifer inquired calmly, flicking an ear in the dark. We cannot acquire the future or knowledge thereof upon such a subject regardless of how much we might wish. We know of the past and all of which happen within the present. But we cannot predict the future in even the slightest beyond our own theories and suggestions.

He blinked. So then you are worthless when it comes to predictions? he commented scornfully. Then how am I even supposed to believe you about what you say I'll need to know and what I'll have to do?

Does this boil down once more to Yami? the she-wolf questioned simply. I know your lifespans, regardless of how much you might wish otherwise. I know when a wolf will die and when they will survive a terrible ordeal. For now Yami's rests in a rather weak, withered state, like a rope which has been chewed upon. And yours is very simply a line of which there is no special mark or any determining quality. But the fact comes down to this. We can return Yami to you but you cannot accept such a gift if there is not effort to be put into such reward. The problem comes in the power he wields over you. And it shall destroy you if you do not try now.

Truly? he muttered, voice soft as his ears flicked about in the dark. The two deities blinked at him, a flicker of light in the dark, one without definition or color, and he shook himself out rather lazily. But neither of them was denying what he was asking, though they beat around the subject and he knew better than to inquire directly. Then I suppose I'll have to work to better myself, huh?

Both of them swapped looks as if they could not believe in such easy agreement, then shrugged it off as if they had not been surprised to begin with. Instead, blinking, they both turned to him in almost perfect unison.

Then your first task is to run from this cavern to the gorge and up to the opening of the tunnel where the water reaches the surface. Come back after that is done. You will build your stamina and muscle memory in doing this. Slifer sniffed and flicked her tongue along her muzzle as her eyes focused on the other deity for a moment. Yugi could not see the focus fall on the other god, but he could feel the tension lessened by her dismissal of attention towards him. Run when you return. Rest when you reach the lip of the tunnel and the water's opening. But do not travel back slowly. We have much to do.

Yugi flicked his ears, then glanced over his shoulder and towards the opening of the tunnel which had led him to them. And I'll come back here to find you both when I'm done? he asked quietly.

Yes.

He huffed and turned away. If this was one of the things that got Yami back, he'd do it gladly. With such resolve set, he began first to trot and then to sprint upon Obelisk chastising him for his slow speed. The constant click of his claws against the stone was the most consistent noise to exist within the darkness. But the river was harsh and terrible and roaring and his stomach tossed as he continued to run.

He found himself out of breath a mere couple of miles into the trek. The stones were close to his side as he continued but he had begun panting before he had even gotten close to the gorge's edge. He was forced to slow, exhausted, and his paws felt heavy as he looked about the darkness. More than anything his hearing was the guide for his movement, as the water seemed nothing more than a shadow of silver and gray ripples. He blinked and shivered as he shook himself out and began to move forward again.

It took him what felt a lifetime. It was an eternity to reach the mouth of the underground river to begin with. His paws ached and he swore they were blistered or perhaps bleeding by then. His mouth was dry and his stomach hurt. He lowered himself to his belly, panting and gasping for breath. And, by the time he thought to resume such a trek, it was impossible for him to make himself climb to his paws and move forward again.

His breaths came in white puffs and the sunlight coming through his cavern made him shiver. The opening was slight, beaten through purely by the water which had broken through the wall of the stone. He could see the smallest bit of the opening, curved upwards and beautifully arched in an almost perfect circular formation. But the stone was ragged where it dipped inwards and hung overhead. And it gave an almost jagged, lopsided appearance there.

Yugi remained there, catching his breath. The water must have been more powerful at some point to create the vastness of the tunnels he was traversing. It must have been far stronger and much more abundant at some point in the past. Because the tunnels were not unnatural. There was not a perfect smoothness as paved stone came to harbor. It did not feel like marble beneath his paws either. And no animal could have dug such a cavernous shape in the darkness. No migration patterns over thousands and millions of years would have formed such passages.

He shivered and looked at the river there. Perhaps during spring and summer, when the ice melted away and the water swelled more abundantly, the water would break the stone and weather it away into such broad formation. The high levels of water and cold temperatures and the mixture of pale heat and frosty shadows must have made such tunnels possible.

But where had the water come from? He blinked again and wondered at the idea for only a moment. The dam, he remembered, had caused a lot more issues than they had been prepared for. The waterfalls had splintered and part of the gorge had been broken when the water had swollen too much. The dam had malfunctioned on numerous occasions. The water being blocked as it was had forced much of the water underground, or so many had hypothesized. And the underground river formation had branched outwards and inwards and torn through the mountains until they had all but made the map of which the sewers within Domino would eventually follow. Yes, he remembered that now.

And the underground river from directly beneath the dam flushed outwards several hundred miles through the mountain cliffs and into the waterfall that made the camp's main den formation upon which they huddled during the worst of storms or when one was sick. Had that not been what Yami had explained to him that day?

He could not remember word for word, but the general gist had been that, right? He was too tired to care for such true recollection. His paws still stung faintly and his panting was rapid and heavy. He moved just close enough to the water to begin lapping at the cool stream. He flexed his paws, his toes and claws scraping upon the stone as he quickly gulped down mouthfuls.

It was only after doing so that he thought of the possibilities of germs or bacteria of any kind. But his immediate thought was also to scoff at such an idea. The lycanthropy was too powerful for him to be overcome by something so small and simple. He would not get sick from such a thing. It would be easy for him to recover even if he was somehow to have swallowed harmful bacteria. No trace of illness would do him much more than a perhaps wind him for a day if even that.

He had learned that too well throughout the various times he'd been wounded upon being infected. It was so easy. It was so simple in its way and manner of healing.

Yugi shivered and turned back around, drawing his lungs full of air. He tilted his head and listened to the water for a moment. Then he began to trot his way down the path the way he had first come. He felt his legs rebelling against him, his paws tingling with pain as he shivered and forced himself to keep moving.

You'd been gone for a while, Obelisk chuckled, ears pricked towards him lazily as he entered the small cavernous formation. Yugi panted harder, nearly collapsing from his exhaustion, and shot him a furious look. Slifer considered the two of them for a long moment, then turned away again slowly. We almost assumed you to have quit and run home.

I don't quit.

Slifer snorted softly this time, turning back to him, her stare invisible to him in the dark but burning a hole through his pelt and into his skin. You do not quit? Then tell me why I have many recollections of such things happening formerly?

He bristled. I have never quit when it was important. When it's counted, I have never bothered to just step back and let things happen.

Obelisk flicked an ear. I do believe that statement. It sounds rather truthful.

The she-wolf hummed softly. Yes, but to say you do not quit at anything in your life is simply not true. Rather, you have always been powerful enough to step up whenever it was necessary upon the stakes being raised for you. Especially when it should involve your friends.

Yugi flicked an ear and looked away. You're right. I care for my friends a lot more than almost anything else in the world, he admitted. And I'll be damned before I let you or Ra or anyone else tell me otherwise.

The gray wolf blinked wide eyes, a swift flash of amber within the dark shadows. His ears flicked, a dark steel color moving about. He blinked, turned his head, and looked more pointedly at the white wolf standing those few feet away. He could still see Yugi struggling for his breath despite his obvious frustration and distaste towards her attempts to belittle him. It is not that any of us disagree with such views, Yugi. It is simply that you will have to draw a line and understand where they cannot be crossed upon more important matters coming forth within your life.

And all three of you need to come to realize that no one can survive in pure isolation as Ra suggested before. I am not a creature that can be completely put aside from wolves or humans altogether.

If Ra implied such a thing, it was not to make you so upset. It was simply a case of the wrong phrasing. She is very…opinionated on what Atem is meant to be. You are, after all, basically her creation—

No, I was created in labs by humans. And she gave me life. It does not go further than that.

Such arguments will get us nowhere, Slifer objected in a calm tone. The matter of this conversation remains. Yugi, we have many tasks for you to complete and none of them are to be slacked upon. You will understand later what each of them is meant to represent and do for you, but for now you must trust that Obelisk and I do have your best interests in mind upon requesting you do such things.

Yugi blinked and flattened his ears against his skull for a moment before looking between the two of them uncomfortably. Fine, okay. He huffed and finally took a seat. His legs were too shaky and his stomach ached as he struggled to catch his breath. He flicked an ear. Maybe he should try to work on his cardio at this rate.

You must use your true form more often. You need to build your endurance and speed and balance altogether. Yugi glanced up from where he'd bowed his head, surprised to see Slifer approaching him slowly. You will grow to understand your physical limitations upon doing such things.

Things such as what? What is it that you have planned for me? Yugi flicked an ear. As long as it does not drift into the line of murder…

Hunting, yes. Murder, no. Slifer ignored his startled look. We have very specific animals in mind that you are to hunt down. Several of them will teach you to jump higher. Some will teach you restraint. Others will teach you how to defend himself. You will understand as you hunt these animals.

The white wolf pulled the far corners of his mouth back and downwards into a canine grimace. They couldn't just tell him what it was that they wanted done first? He huffed.

Informing you will do nothing for you in the long run. We cannot supply you the realization of your lessons when you have not thought to put in the effort to learn them. Slifer watched him with steady eyes. But we will tell you what animals you are to hunt and allow you to go from there, yes?

Yugi flicked an ear. Sure, he agreed quietly. And why not? In truth, he did not care about the trials themselves or what the gods assumed he needed to know. Again, much of his desire to know and understand came simply from the need to have Yami returned to him.

You might even think to begin eating the natural diet of your true form, Obelisk stated, voice full of condescension and making Yugi bristle faintly with annoyance. His ears flicked again and he looked at the dark gray wolf with a near sneer on his canine face. You should truly think to do so. It comes to the fact that, as you know, human food and its various chemicals are not well within the digestive system of a wolf. You would find yourself stronger, faster, with a better control of your heightened senses and things of that nature. You would have far better an idea of what threats are posed to you if you should pay more attention to your wolf form.

He was just thankful that Obelisk had not called it his true form again. He shivered. It sounded almost like some kind of terrible anime line. He was not just a wolf, however. He was human as well. He only remembered being a human. Having been bitten to trigger the lycanthropy from its dormant stage did not change that in the slightest. He was and always would be human in his own thoughts when that was considered. And he felt sick as he considered their words.

But perhaps it might be a good idea to heed their advice with such a thing.

After all, he had sensed the disconnection towards Fuwa, but he had not understood why. And he had not known beyond suspicion why it was that Yoshimori had struck such fear into his body. And he still could not tell his classmates apart as far as who might be wolves and who might not. And, gods forbid he ran into a hellhound because he surely did not know how to tell them apart either.

He barely could register that Valon's scent was that of poison ivy and slight sweetened decay, of dirt and worn autumn leaves. He could detect it at times, but when he would attempt to focus on it, he would lose his concentration. He could not keep his mind on such a task as his thoughts too often split between things. And his senses seemed so simply to disobey him when such things came to mind.

You might consider supplementing yourself with human meals, as it would do well to help you in the way of filling your belly. But you need to understand that living solely on such a food does well to dull your senses. It will ruin your strength as a wolf. It must change or you will not last long within this world.

This world…

The phrasing could not have been more accurate to the small teen at that moment.

---

Obelisk trotted forward, legs almost a blur of movement as he looked towards the smaller Pure-Blood. His ears flicked, his eyes glittering in the dimming light. The snowstorm was coming again, faster than before. Yugi shivered and glanced at the sky, abruptly aware of just how little time they would have in order to travel in pursuit of the serow the gray wolf had come upon. At six o'clock, he was sure his mom would check on him.

He knew well that she had done so the last couple of days. He had come into the house minutes late and he would see her, eyes wide and relieved when he came up the stairs. He wouldn't comment on her obvious emotional state. But he would offer her a strained smile, look away, and ask if she needed help with dinner.

Whether she accepted or not determined if he spent more time with her than it took to eat dinner. He was not ready to speak to her more about the issue of the fire and the thought that he was involved in the arson. And he still wondered if it was possible that he had left some kind of discernible evidence that he had been in either area. He had no idea what his DNA looked like now that he was infected.

If the disease mutated its host so much as to give it the ability to change shapes, to hear and smell and see better, was it possible that it made the DNA untraceable to its original state? Or was he being too optimistic in that idea? Clearly if Anzu's father had his eyes set on him, then it was more or less because he had a lead of some kind…

Focus, Obelisk snapped, his voice making Yugi jump, surprise and startled. He had not noticed the wolf had stopped and was standing mere inches from him, snarling furiously. The white wolf flattened his ears against his skull as he tilted his head and stared at him with bright blue-violet eyes. Do not waste my time in failing to pay attention. I have something to show you and little time to ensure it is done. You have a curfew, yes?

He flicked an ear. All of Hokkaido has a curfew right now. We're all expected to be home by six o'clock at the latest, he said disdainfully, staring at the other wolf with narrowed eyes. What's your point? We have about an hour before I have to get back to my house. So go ahead and let's get this done.

You are an ungrateful brat, aren't you?

You're treating me like I'm an idiot. Do you not expect me to be upset about it?

Obelisk peeled his lips back and chomped his teeth. You think that I am treating you as if you are stupid now? Are you truly so foolish? I am trying to show you things you will need in the future and you think that I should waste my time with someone I feel is an idiot? You do not assume my time to be so useless as to be unnecessarily wasted in such a fashion, surely?

I don't know how valuable your time is. I don't even know how valuable mine is. But it has nothing to do with you, Obelisk. You said you have something to teach me and that's not happening right now. So we need to get a move on before my curfew is up, right?

Would your family even notice? he sneered. I do not recall ever seeing the police involved in your life beyond Ushio's death.

Yugi bore his teeth. My mom is far more worried about it now than before. Especially now that I'm the one under suspicion of being the arsonist to set the forest on fire and then the damn restaurant days later.

Obelisk considered him, shadows drifting through his brilliant eyes for a moment before he shook his head and turned away again. He began to trot quickly and Yugi hurried to follow him, shivering slightly. He felt somewhat dizzy, almost somehow distractedly so. He furrowed his brows and flicked his ears before moving a pace faster.

I told you that I would get that taken care of—

And? In the meantime I'm trying to reassure my mother that I'm not somehow in a gang or running around wreaking havoc in the city because I'm being a rebellious teenager. I'm sorry that I tend to care for what's going on with my family and friends. You might not care that I have a human life, but I do. And I value it, even if you and Slifer and Ra apparently think it unnecessary.

But we are not the only ones that think it unnecessary, are we? Does Yami not share similar views? Obelisk sneered softly, glancing at him sideways before stopping to scent the air. He slowed his pace again, drawing in deep breaths and exhaling slowly. He stopped completely, flicking his ears and bristling with anticipation as he considered the dim light that came from the sky overhead. Come, the serow is up ahead.

Yugi was grateful for the distraction. The debate—of which he knew the answer very clearly—about whether Yami thought his human half of life was unnecessary made his heart feel weak as it stuttered in his chest. He flicked his ears and ignored the instinct to turn away and trot aside as the two of them began to weave their way through lengthening silver and gray shadows. He shivered and shook himself out as a small flurry of snow began to fall again.

It had been on and off all day, a somewhat surprising occurrence now that he considered it. Yugi shook it off and tilted his head. The snow seemed to disappear again as the wind breezed faintly through the trees. He blinked and looked about them for a moment and Obelisk in front of him began to move faster.

He's towards the clearing, eating a few stray patches of grass. Watch me while I hunt him. You will need to take care to witness the direction I go and how much power is put into the attack.

I've watched nature documentaries. I know how wolves hunt.

And yet you have not done it for yourself, have you?

Yugi flicked an ear. Eating as a wolf seemed disgusting in all respects. How Yami even managed to do it was beyond him. How any of the wolves in the pack thought it was a good thing was so far beyond his grasp of understanding that he could not fathom it fully.

He shivered but slowed at the place where the trees were beginning to thin out. Obelisk did not sprint forward as he'd expected, rather slowing and pricking his ears forward. Both of them could hear the animal breathing, a sound that was slightly labored and tired. It was shoveling the snow with its large muzzle, trying to get at what little bit of grass remained alive beneath. Truthfully the small wolf wondered how it was that they were even surviving in such a harsh winter. The snow was almost nonstop beyond patches of sunlight which only slightly melted the ice away. The temperatures were plummeted beyond what was usual for Hokkaido. There was a wolf pack in the mountains that was clearly picking the ungulates off as he suspected they had the boars formerly.

He wondered if there were any of the wolves in Honshu as well. If there were, had they lowered the threat of boars and serows as these wolves seemed to have? The last couple of years there had been far less frequent attacks from the boars. And the deer were more frequently spotted than the serows for the moment. He wondered when that would change, if it would even. But how long had they been within the forest like this? How long had they been alive within the mountains as it was?

He truthfully could not remember the last time a boar attack had been too terrible in Hokkaido. Most often they happened in Honshu, where the boars seemed to be far more aggressive. He supposed it could have been the wolves which held them at bay. Perhaps the ones in Honshu had no predators to scare them from attacking the people or chasing kids from the schools. Or perhaps the wolves were being hunted as well and had gone about chasing them towards the people as a way of protecting themselves.

Obelisk moved forward now. Yugi pricked his ears. The snow flew into the air as Obelisk ran. The serow blinked and looked over. Its head rose. A harsh whistling noise came from its nose. Yugi shivered. The serow moved to spring away. Obelisk charged it. The goat-antelope moved a few paces away. The gray wolf snarled and snapped his jaws. He caught up with the back leg. And, as Yugi watched, Obelisk's jaws opened.

It was almost like a dog tackling a practice dummy for security training. Obelisk was swifter than Yugi knew how to watch. He snapped his jaws. And his teeth caught the back leg closest him. He heard the cracking rather than saw it. But the serow cried out, a low bellowing noise. Obelisk kept his grip. The two of them were caught in place there.

The serow spun on him, as if it had larger horns. It aimed its forehead at him. Then it tried to step away. Obelisk kept his grip, not moving in the slightest. The two of them looked at each other. Yugi stepped closer, surprised. It reminded him, oddly, of the documentary he'd watched when he was twelve. The wolf had attacked a bison. And the two of them had been stuck in a stalemate.

That wolf then had caught the back leg.

And the bison had been brought to a complete stop.

Because the wolf weighed enough to bring it to a halt.

And so they had stood within the snow, breathing hard and tired.

But Yugi did not remember how that event ended. He had no idea whether the wolf had simply released it or if the pack had come forth. He could not remember. But he supposed it did not matter.

The serow was hardly as big as the bison had been.

And Obelisk was bigger than the wolf he'd seen in that video.

The gray wolf proved this in a matter of seconds.

Obelisk released just long enough to snap his jaws again. His mouth closed in on the ungulate's nose. The sound was that of bone breaking. The wolf snarled. Yugi bristled with anticipation. He could smell blood and it made his body feel somehow warmer than usual. He flicked his ears. The ungulate snorted and tried to keep its footing.

Obelisk shook his throat out. The movement jostled the animal. And then he released and went for the throat. Yugi could hear the impact more than see it. And it made his fur bristle once more as he began to take a step forward. The snow crunched under his feet. The serow stared at him with glassy eyes.

He could hear the harsh whistling. Obelisk was trying to get through the thick fur and to the jugular. The serow pawed at the snow, tried to get its footing again. The gray wolf moved a little closer, placing a paw beyond its shoulder. In doing so, he seemed almost to straddle the ungulate. The sight was bewildering to Yugi, who shivered as he stepped forward. He'd never seen a wolf do that in a natural environment. And it struck him as odd just to witness it.

But, as he got closer, he felt sick. The blood was coloring the snow. There were small bits of steam rising into the air against the ice. But the blood was freezing rapidly. And the serow was growing extremely still now. The breathing was labored and heavy. The eyes were becoming too glazed to see through. Yugi could see the life draining from those black and brown eyes.

Obelisk released it only when the animal had grown still for a full minute. Then he moved to jump over it. When he turned back, his muzzle was splashed bright red. Yugi shivered and his fur rippled with a bristle. He shook himself out, the snow clumping upon his body now. He moved forward a step again, stomach churning as he came to the other side of the animal. The snow was a bright flash of white, moving in immense clumps before his eyes.

Shaking them out is a good way to daze your prey.

Yugi shivered. Obelisk sounded so fucking delighted about it.

Come, take a bite, the gray wolf instructed, tilting his head and watching his face. Yugi blinked, staring at that stain of red across his long muzzle. And none of it made him feel even remotely inclined towards moving forward. He shivered when the deity narrowed his eyes, brows knotting together in a slight snarl as he lowered his head. Well?

Yugi forced himself to move forward. He was a predator in this form, he reminded himself. That was why the blood smelled so sweet and the saliva in his mouth doubled with desire. The white wolf slowed his step and came to a stop before him. He looked downwards toward the animal before his paws. He blinked and flicked an ear.

But no part of him—despite the obvious desire his body produced—truly wanted to taste this prey. His stomach knotted further. He stared down at the blood across the snow. He lowered his mouth.

He'd had dreams of eating deer.

Why should this have been any different?

He wished he could have convinced himself of such a thing. But then he stepped forward again, claws touching long wooly fur. And his stomach dropped as he tried to think straight. He wished he could have lowered his mouth to the snow and licked at the blood at the very least. It seemed a failure to have followed Obelisk this far and then stopped himself from at least taking a taste of the animal they had been hunting.

I'm not going to eat that.

Obelisk blinked and curled his lip. You will not eat it?

The white wolf felt as if he had just been caught with his hand in a cookie jar. The shock of the idea made his stomach drop as he stared at him for a moment. Then he flattened his ears against his head and stepped back. No.

Why not?

Yugi flicked an ear and looked away, nearly snarling with his growing unease. Because I'm just not, he snapped, shaking his head. I don't want to and I'm not going to, okay? Leave it alone.

This is why you will die.

The white wolf raised his head, startled, and his wide eyes fell on the other canine. But the deity ignored him now, opening his jaws wide and snapping them shut in the wooly coat of the serow in front of him. He tugged a mouthful of it away, stripping it to the source of pale white skin almost as pure as the snow beneath.

Yugi hesitated for a long moment. He considered turning away and trotting off. Then he thought to ask him for an explanation, to demand he tell him the meaning of such a statement. But then exhaustion came over him and he simply sniffed. The air was so cold and the snow looked like a sheet of pale blood lying across the surface of the earth. And he felt sick as he finally looked towards the trees over his shoulder. They were so thin and rose so little, like broken pillars, and so he found mild comfort in them because of this. With a shiver, not the least bit amused, he began to move towards them instead.

Obelisk was watching him, he knew, but it was not enough to make him look back. With a simple determination, Yugi began to head for the camp once more. He had buried his bag inside of the alpha's den to keep it sheltered from the snow he had known was coming. And he would change in the camp and head home again before curfew came.

He would have to check his phone when he was human again.

Because he'd turned it off since the moment he'd left school, doing so in order to prevent his mom tracking his location there. But he wondered if the cold air would have destroyed it by now. It was so frigid that it had frozen much of that blood the serow had expelled. It would not have been shocking to him to see that the phone had not made it in the meantime.

Yugi spotted movement in the snow a few miles into the trek. The dust of white was shifting, an animal moving about the ice crystals. The white wolf blinked and shivered, stomach dropping. His head turned about to consider the area surrounding him. His exhales were crystalline. The trees were bare and stripped and spread about in handfuls, with what seemed to be miles between them. The cliffs were far beyond them, miles away from where he stood.

He watched something white plodding in the snow.

And his fur bristled as a sense of excitement came over him.

He stepped forward. His stomach churned. He licked his lips. He sniffed as he caught the slightest flash of pink. And now he recognized the animal. It had taken a particular movement, a sloping kind of jump, to realize it was a rabbit he was staring at. The ears were too tucked towards the body to recognize at first glance. And the nose kept twitching but it was so white as well that he could not see it at first.

Yugi tilted his head, eyes caught and trained there. A part of him was desperate to dig into such a piece of prey. The animal looked somehow rather plump, perhaps even pregnant. But he couldn't tell beyond that. The rabbit was slow, hopping as if it had not ever known a predator's presence before. He wondered if it was a house pet or if it were wild. It was so plump he could hardly think to call it a wild animal.

But, by the gods, did his stomach growl. And his mouth had begun to water again. He wondered at this hunger, dismissive of it for a moment. And then he took a step closer. His body fell into a natural instinct he had never considered before.

He lowered his nose slightly to the snow, breathing in deeply. The scent was soft and earthen, mild where his own probably would have been harsh and unnatural. But he knew it did not matter to begin with. The white wolf continued to breathe in, drawing in as many details as he possibly could.

He paused when the rabbit turned its head to look about them both. It seemed more interested in simply glancing around rather than looking for possible threats. Yugi shrugged it off, took a step forward, and waited until it settled again after reacting to the snow's crunching beneath his feet. For a moment neither of them moved. Then the rabbit, fixated on a sight other than him, began to look for food once more.

Yugi tilted his head, tensing his muscles, and then sprang forward.

It was odd how naturally he moved. His muscles seemed to simply speed forward with anticipation and instinct. It was strange to witness and behold such a sensation. It seemed like something he would have heard about rather than done himself. And he could almost feel the gliding of his pelt over his skin as he came forward.

The rabbit's head didn't turn. It simply sprinted. Yugi remembered only a moment later that it could see him very clearly. He pushed a little faster. The rabbit sprinted as if it were a snow hare. He had never seen or known such swiftness before. The small animal was several yards ahead of him in mere seconds. Yugi huffed and snarled low under his breath. The action was somewhat distracting.

But it did not tamper him in any manner. The white wolf moved faster. His paws barely seemed to touch the ground anymore. The rabbit was like a small blur of movement, rapid as it led him through the trees. When it began to tense its muscles, moving in a way that he knew instinctively meant preparation for a zigzagging motion, Yugi went the opposite direction. Somehow his body had known these signs, had studied them in that split second.

He turned opposite, sped faster. The rabbit didn't have time to change direction. It skidded in the snow, white powder flying everywhere. Yugi opened his jaws wide and leaped.

The rabbit screamed when his teeth closed. Blood specked across his tongue. The animal thrashed. Its body shook and its claws cut through the air. The falling snow seemed to come faster. The animal screamed again. He tightened his jaws and shook his head. The rabbit went limp almost instantly. Its eyes seemed to vibrate with pain. The paws trembled. The blood gushed in his mouth.

And then Yugi dropped it.

A small sense of shame came over him as he looked at it now.

The white rabbit lay on its side. The throat was almost crushed. The paws were spread out. The body looked as if it had been wrung out. The fur was splotched where he'd cut through it. And the plumpness of its form made him shiver.

His mouth watered again, the blood a beautiful taste. But it did nothing to wash away the sense of despair that gripped him.

If it was so simple for him to kill another animal, why was it that he had assumed himself capable of surviving? Yugi shook his head and looked away, flattening his ears against his skull. He shouldn't have done that. He shouldn't have killed the poor damn thing.

But he was hungry.

And his first instinct from the moment he had seen it, had been to chase.

Perhaps he should have simply done that.

But he was still so hungry.

Yugi looked at the rabbit again.

He had caught it.

Why shouldn't he eat it?

His stomach knotted and he opened his mouth in an attempt to force himself to take a bite. He licked his lips, pressed closer, and moved to snatch the rabbit forth. The canine halted millimeters from it, his breath pushing upon its fur. It sorted it apart, skin pale and white and almost bluish with death and frigid air.

He pulled away again, ears flattened once more.

He shouldn't have done this.

Yugi glanced around uncomfortably. His stomach dropped again. He looked back at the rabbit, then towards the direction of the camp. Finally, reluctantly, a sense of dread crawling through him once more, Yugi looked to the small prey animal.

He would bury it.

And then…maybe…when he was truly capable of finding his taste for such a barbaric action, he might attempt to eat it.

---

Yugi glanced up at the bird. The immense brown eagle was seated several branches overhead. The animal was roosted there, staring at him as if he were a piece of prey. The lycanthrope hesitated, watching it with darkened eyes, and shivered as he glanced over his shoulder. Slifer and Obelisk had both stated that the bird was there, near the tunnel entrances. But it was also wounded and so had not moved for migration. It could not fly for long periods of time, but it was not likely to go down without a fight. And Yugi felt sick as he looked back at it again.

The head was turned towards him, the deep golden beak aimed at his face as it watched him. The bird was dark brown and speckled, the underbelly an almost tan color. The wings were huge, he could see, and the crest of its skull was faintly striped with black splotches. The feathers there stuck upwards in a frilled kind of design, rather than simply smooth like many other raptors. But its eyes were dark and glinting and he swore there was a scar that lined one as if a claw had hooked it and torn upwards at some point.

Yugi shivered. If he did catch this thing…

He was sure he was going to lose at least a finger or two.

Maybe it would even take his eye…

He drew in a deep breath, praying that his healing would do well to defend against that. But some part of him doubted it and another part requested he stop and reconsider. If the animal was strong enough, it could easily cause permanent damage.

Or, at least it could have…had he still been human.

Yugi shook it off.

It was now or never, he supposed.

But how was he to get the animal to come down? Climbing up there was a mistake that he did not think he was foolish enough to make to begin with. It was a stupid idea to consider it, especially when he was all but blind to the attack should it dive him. And if it dove at him, he was going to end up being knocked out of the tree and into the snow. And why would it leave it at that?

Yugi shook his head and paced about the tree. Either it remained up there because it was hurt. Or it did so now because it was studying him as much as he was it. The small wolf considered, pulling on the sleeve of the hoodie he had thrown on before leaving the house. Then he paced again. The snow wasn't falling anymore and so he was mildly hopeful that perhaps his clothes would not become soaked.

He had no plans to change, after all…

But Yugi was not sure he would be able to catch it another way. He was not the same powerful wolf that Yami was. He didn't know how to throw himself very high into the air and he doubted even his instincts could teach him such a thing.

It did not take long for the bird to come to him.

The small teen was still considering a means of attack. He was staring, eyes flickering about, but the bird came forward. Abruptly, in a hushed whisper of noise, the raptor shot forward. Yugi nearly screamed. The bird's talons were aimed for his face. He ducked and nearly threw himself into the snow.

The bird missed him by only an inch. Yugi could feel the force of the dive it had taken in a flash of wind beating upon his clothing. He hissed and turned towards the animal with wide eyes. The bird wheeled around, silent but for the gentle rustle of feathers through the air. Then it dove for him again and Yugi flinched once more.

The claws were aimed for his face.

He ducked backwards, throwing himself into the tree trunk with the force of his movement. The bird missed him again. The feathers were inches from his face. He breathed out roughly. The bird landed in the snow this time, slow and cautious now. And then it turned around. The eyes glittered. The beak opened slightly. The feet flexed. The wings ruffled slightly.

Yugi stared at it, frozen in place. His stomach dropped. He breathed in roughly. The bird stared at him with that same furious expression all raptors seemed to wear. Its eyes were almost black with hatred. The wolf would have backed up further had the trunk not been behind him. He breathed in again, trembled, and stared.

Birds were great and furious. They were forces to be reckoned with.

But he was as well, wasn't he?

He was a werewolf, for fuck's sake.

Yugi shook his head. The bird raised a leg, then flapped its wings. When it lifted into the air, he dove aside. He landed in the snow, rolled over, and got up again. The bird wheeled once more, dove for him. He dodged aside, then tore off for the trees.

The bird settled into the snow where Yugi had been moments before. It stared out towards the pale shadows, the gleam from the snow hard to find the boy against. The shade was a sliver of bright silver and the trees were pale and almost glistening with white frost.

The juvenile human did not return.

But a great white dog did.

It barreled straight towards the bird. And the eagle launched itself into the air. The canine snapped its jaws and circled beneath it. The lips were drawn back. The teeth were bared. The brows were furrowed. The ears were pricked. The shoulders squared and the canine circled beneath it.

For a moment the bird remained wheeling.

Then, as Yugi had anticipated, it dove.

He sprang aside. The bird flew past him. The wolf flicked his ears. Then he snarled again. He bristled, spinning around. The raptor dove again. The talons hooked on his shoulders. Yugi turned his head and snapped his jaws. The eagle nestled there, nearly falling sideways from his back.

The white wolf snapped his jaws again. He spun around. The eagle held fast, wings half-opened, talons deep in his muscles. He could feel the blood more than anything. Yugi chomped his teeth. His eyes flashed furiously. He stepped and circled rapidly, trying to push it off by way of dizziness or perhaps dislodging the claws.

He was not sure what he was attempting to do anymore.

But he wanted the bird off his shoulders.

And he wanted to lick at the wounds he could feel bleeding so heavily.

His fur was slicked with it along his shoulders. He could feel it. And it enraged him.

Yugi considered the bird. Then he glanced at the tree. His eyes flickered and glinted. His ears pricked forward. His teeth were bared. The snarl rising from his throat was harsh and hideous. He snapped his jaws, then glanced at the tree again. The trunk was wide enough. The bird was hooked into his skin…

He threw himself at it.

The bird's wings flapped. It let out a startled noise. The wolf spun sideways, slamming his flank into the trunk. The movement jostled the bird, threw it into the stripped bark. The raptor tried to release him. Yugi snarled and snapped his teeth. Then he did it again. The bird hit the trunk, cried out again.

The wolf snarled. The talons were ripping through solid flesh and soft fur. He could feel it. But it was something he was grateful for now.

It meant the bird was losing its grip.

He slammed his flank a last time. The bird flapped its wings, struggling. Its claws ripped through his flesh, tore what seemed to be a gaping hole into his skin and fur. The wolf threw himself sideways once more, fell against the bark. Doing so dislodged the bird entirely.

But its talons were nearest his underbelly. And Yugi opened his jaws wide as the bird tried to recover from its dazed status. The raptor opened its wings, trying to move away. And then Yugi stretched his neck out. His jaws, opened wide in his growing fury, slammed shut. The throat was caught in his teeth. The bird screeched, flailing, and Yugi tightened his grip.

Within seconds the bird began to grow limp, bones crunching beneath his teeth. Yugi could taste only feathers and hollow bone, skin that seemed more like smooth plastic than true cells and pores. The wolf stared, his prey falling completely still. Then he dropped it away and moved for his paws.

His shoulders were screaming protest. The bark left on the trunk had fractured further and scraped against the wound, burrowing into the tender muscle. The white wolf turned to look at it, surprised that it did not look terrible. The fur was soaked and the skin was exposed, bright red beneath the strands. But it was not hideously so.

He ran his tongue over it, surprised that the feathers did not coat the muscle. His own blood was harsh and metallic and tasted almost like what he imagined an old penny might. He shivered, staring, and his stomach dropped as the seconds passed. The wound would heal easily enough. But now he would have to take the bird to Obelisk and Slifer down in the tunnels.

He flattened his ears against his skull, huffed, snarled under his breath, and opened his jaws just enough to grab the bird's skull. He'd carry it as he would have a pup, just to keep from having to deal with feathers stuck to the roof of his mouth for the rest of the day.

---

Yugi screamed. The gray wolf stared at him with a horrified expression that quickly became amused. His eyes glittered with laughter and his head tilted. His ears flicked and then pricked forward again. His jaws opened and he panted, the sound in Yugi's head that of laughter. But the small teen was too horrified to even look towards him for more than a split second. In his hands, the feathers were glued to his fingers by a pasty substance he did not want to give a name.

His breathing was shallow and his eyes were wide with horror. He was drenched by it, bright hideous red and pink and narrow white bone. The feathers were glued there, caught in his skin from it. And his hands were soaked and frozen there.

"Oh my gods…"

This is exactly why restraint is a good thing for a wolf to know.

He nearly sneered at him. But he could not think to say anything. So he merely released it. The sound as it fell from his hands was that of a harsh thump. He gagged, at first thinking to raise his hands to his mouth, and then to scream again.

You should not have lost your temper.

He blinked. Then his eyes flickered over, his face pale and ashen. He stared at him blankly, his hands shaking. The feathers made a strange rustling noise with each movement.

"You piece of shit."

I told you to listen and you did not. You cannot blame this on me.

"You knew something like this would happen!"

You did as well. You have seen what happens when a bird is run over.

He gagged and squeezed his eyes shut. Oh gods…

It is not my fault that you did not heed caution when I instructed you to do so. A lack of restraint causes many similar issues within a pack and you did not think to apply that to this hunting request as well, Obelisk said simply. Yugi had opened his eyes again and was staring at the mess in his hands. When he moved away, the gray wolf considered following him but stopped instead. The lycanthrope was crouched in the snow now, wiping the blood and guts from his hands. The feathers were flecked with red and gray which he thought to be intestines there. You should perhaps pay more mind to the warnings you are given, yes?

"You didn't warn me of anything. You said—very simply, mind you—that we were going to see about hunting birds. And then all of the sudden you mentioned I would do this without changing."

You changed in order to hunt the eagle. And these birds are not the same, and the Change was not necessary.

"This is disgusting, Obelisk." He shook his head and cast him a small glare of frustration. "I can't believe I ever followed you in the first place."

It is not my fault that you do not listen.

"There was nothing to listen to," he spat. "You never said anything!"

You know very well that there is a lesson to be learned and that you are the one meant to discover it. Should I tell you everything, life becomes nothing more than a game of going through motions. You know that it is not my fault that the bird exploded in your hands. You applied too much pressure when you caught them.

"I didn't know they would—"

You did not think that applying too much pressure would have a consequence?

"Knock it off," he snapped. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

Why should I know that when you do not know that holding a bird too tightly might have consequences?

"You're a piece of shit." He continued wiping his hands in the snow until his skin was cold and the pores looked stripped of the blood that had lay upon them before. Now he stepped around with a glance at the dead body which lay scattered in what seemed to be broken pieces. He shivered and glanced at his hands before crossing his arms. "Now what?"

Now? We do this until you can catch a bird without crushing it.

Yugi shot him a horrified, stunned look. "You can't be serious."

I am.

"You're just torturing me."

Well, I must admit that I did enjoy the way you let out that shrill, girly noise of a scream moments ago. And your frustration is very fun to behold. It's very amusing. Now, let us get a move on. We have only until six before your curfew comes into place once more.

Yugi shuddered and looked down the trail of the hill they were on, feeling sick to his stomach with disgust. He couldn't believe they'd wandered this far just to find a bird in the first place, nor that they had even gone so far as to wander out of Domino and nearer Oniro in order to find one of the greenhouses for the rice farms. The quails were still plump and happy for the most part, though he was sure that would change soon enough.

The second time he cried out it was because the bird was still moving. He'd grabbed it too hard, as he had the first. But, unlike then, he'd caught it in a somewhat lighter grip. It was just enough that the bird was still alive. But it had not done him well to avoid the hideous crunching of bone or the way that Obelisk howled with laughter. The action had caused him to drop the poor animal. And now it was in the snow, right wing broken, its left leg crushed. It kept trying to find its balance and falling over, circling and collapsing.

He couldn't breathe.

Well? Why are you simply standing there?

"I don't know how to take care of a bird." He exhaled loudly and gulped in a breath, then looked towards Obelisk with shining blue-violet eyes that looked pale panicked. "My mom would do the surgeries for them and I…I only ever helped with their aftercare…"

Obelisk blinked and tilted his head. You think I mean for you to save the bird? he questioned in a bewildered tone. No, I mean for you to put it out of its misery, Yugi.

"I…H-huh? N-no, I'm not going to…" He'd killed too much already as it was. He'd killed the rabbit. He'd killed the eagle. He'd killed the first quail he'd laid hands on while it was eating some stolen seeds. He'd killed people and other wolves. He was not going to bloody his hands further. "I…I can't…"

The gray wolf flicked an ear. Humans have such strange senses of morals, he announced, rising to his feet. Yugi blinked and looked over, stomach knotted, heart in his throat. And the wolf did not so much as glance at him as it closed in on the small bird once more. His jaws opened and spread, then snapped shut hard on the animal's neck, nearly severing its head from the body. The corpse moved somehow still, however, wing flailing, leg kicking.

Yugi could not breathe.

He stared at the limbs until they finally stopped moving.

And then he puked violently.

Part of him was desperate to run from the idea of these lessons altogether. He did not want to see the bird's dead body or think for even a moment longer about such an issue. His stomach knotted further. His eyes closed tightly. He wondered if one of the other wolves would come to eat the corpse and the bile threatened to crawl up the back of his throat once more.

Oh gods…

There was a simple crunching in the snow behind him. Yugi reacted instinctively, spinning around with wide eyes. The wolf to come forward was red-furred and slim and he relaxed as Slifer took a seat a few feet away and stared at the corpse with a somewhat dismissive look. The more you come to run in this form, the more power you are able to put into your hind legs when you change as well. But we must find birds that are not grounded. The birds resting in the marshlands should be our next targets. They can fly. They will give you reason to leap into the air. And that will strengthen your legs much more. You will be able to run faster and leap farther as a wolf when you change again. And is that not a good thing to know?

"How long is this going to take?"

You shun your wolf body too often, Slifer admonished him quietly, turning to him now with glowing golden eyes. We must rectify this problem and fix it as necessary. You will learn these skills only as you practice and I cannot tell you how long it might take for you to understand such abilities.

He stared at her blankly for what felt like hours. And then he turned away again.

---

Yugi raced as quickly through the trees as he could, paws moving almost too fast to touch the ground. He'd almost forgotten curfew around their teachings and so he had about twenty minutes to get home before his mom would truly panic. She knew that he was turning his phone off and no doubt it seemed far too suspicious to her now that she'd told him about the fact that Anzu's dad wanted to speak to him. But he had waved it off as simply wanting to speak to Mazaki in person rather than over the phone. And he didn't want to have her call him saying that he was there and needed to talk to him when he was still out of the house.

So he'd settled for running the moment he'd realized that the energy in his body hadn't been excitement—and how could he have ever confused them when he hated having to kill those animals in the first place?—but rather nighttime's steady approach. And so now he was hungry from wasting his energy hunting that damn eagle and then those stupid quails—and, oh gods, the very thought of them made him sick—and changing to take off as he had. Because, as Slifer had pointed out, he could have run faster if he were used to such speeds in his wolf form.

His belly grumbled as he slowed his pace slightly, heading down the hill and through scattered trees. His ears flicked and a passing thought came through his mind, that of the rabbit and its broken body spread about the snow. The thought made him slow further and the grumble of his belly grew a thousand times louder, it seemed.

He slowed once more. His belly tossed and growled. His breathing grew a little heavier. And he licked his lips as he looked towards the tree he knew to have buried the prey animal. He hurried towards it, mouth watering with desire for something—anything, truly—to fill his stomach as the ache pulsated desperately for attention.

Yugi considered this, glanced over his shoulders, and then turned back to the mound of snow. He had to place his clothes aside, knowing that the fabrics would become soaked as they remained there, and considered the choice of eating as Slifer and Obelisk had instructed him to. If he ate as a wolf, that meant very well that he was going to lose something of himself, didn't it? It made him far more wolf than it did human, did it not?

And it scared him to know such a thing.

Because, should he give into his hunger and do this, it was clear that there was a line he was crossing that could not be padded back over. He could not turn back and cross it once more, hide away in the shadows where the line wasn't visible.

But, oh gods, was he hungry.

And he could hear Valon telling him to eat, that he needed to stop starving himself. He remembered the statement that a starving wolf was a murderer. And, if he starved himself more, he would end up killing.

Of course, he did not think he was in that same place as he had once been when Valon had been forced to give him a cup of coffee with blood in it. But he was still cautious and that warning lingered in his mind much more of the time than he dared to admit.

Yugi raised a paw, hesitating, and then lightly shoved the snow aside just deep enough to cover his toes and claws. But he did not know what it was he truly wanted to do. Could he cross that line and not worry? Or was doing so something that might kill him?

And then he wondered.

What would Yami think of him if he did this?

Would he think it a good thing?

Or would it alienate him from him?

Would he think that Yugi had changed too much to recognize?

What if Yami hated him when he came back?

Yugi shoveled another paw of snow out, eyes focused on this small clump of snow he had dug and covered the day before. And now his stomach tossed but the hunger made his mouth water more. He was starving and the rabbit smelled good, despite the frigidness of the air and the icy frost that edged the line of the prey animal's scent.

He hoped to the gods that it did not make Yami see him as someone or something else entirely. If he saw that he was wolf-like rather than human, would he even feel as comfortable with him any longer?

It was true that Yami was more wolf-like than he himself was, and that the red-eyed teen preferred wolves to humans, but he had to wonder. And it terrified him to think that perhaps this change in his appetite—if he could truly call it such a thing—might break their bond altogether.

If that bond still existed, that was.

He had no idea if it did any longer.

Yami had, after all, seemed incapable of recognizing him before now in all of those dreams. Or at least he had until the last one. That was when Yami had called him by name, had tried to speak to him about whatever it was. And Yugi hated himself for not being able to recognize that he'd been trying to speak before then, that he'd been running over whatever words Yami had been trying to get out.

But perhaps he had simply meant to say "Fuck you" for all Yugi knew. He had gotten only the first half of the word finished. So perhaps it was simply something to say that he hated him, that he wanted him to stop.

But the wolf from Paradise, the one who had shared cages with Yami…

He had said that Yami had requested him there.

Yugi flicked and flattened his ears against his head, staring now at the large rabbit he'd killed and buried there. The thought made his mouth water but his stomach still churned faintly. Could he do this?

He wanted to believe he could.

But the idea of alienating half of himself for the sake of what others had thought was necessary of him made him hesitant. So Obelisk and Slifer assumed him to need this. But did he really? Was there no other way?

His belly growled.

Yugi lowered his mouth. At first he thought to open his mouth and simply grab it, try to tear it open and force himself to eat. But then he nuzzled the fur. And the softness of it shook him. He shivered and breathed out roughly, the fur separating where his exhale stirred it. His first instinct was to recoil. His second was to repeat the action.

A puff of smell had come forth. And it was soft and sweet, like clover and spring growth buried beneath the heaviness of snow and winter. He licked his lips and where his tongue pressed lightly against the fur, there was the slightest taste of blood. And the liquid, clumped and frozen within the thin strands, tasted almost divine.

His mouth watered immediately and he blinked as he considered the rabbit in front of him. The hunger tore through him and his mouth opened again before he could consider it. The bite he took out of it was almost large enough to completely eviscerate the animal. The meat was stringy from being frozen but the taste was good regardless. And the way his stomach rejoiced at the sensation of being fed made him eat faster.

He had swallowed the rabbit in a matter of minutes, licking his lips and sniffing around to look for leftovers. His stomach knotted only after he had finished, bile threatening to trail up the back of his throat. But his belly felt so much fuller than it had in weeks and the sensation was almost satisfying enough to make him forget curfew and simply lie down in the snow, stretched out for rest.

Yugi took a moment to really consider this, then licked his lips a last time before slowly getting to his feet again. He looked at his clothing, wondering if somehow the blood had still smeared upon his muzzle despite the frozen state of his meal. And so he lowered his jaw into the snow and began rubbing against it to clear whatever red might have been there. He did not truly see anything, but the reality of the situation was that he needed to get a move on.

It did not truly matter if he was a little bloodied. He could always lie and say he had bit his tongue or truthfully bite his lip until it bled and looked a little swollen. He could cover for such things. It was not impossible for him to do such a thing. It was hardly a problem in all reality. He simply needed to get home.

---

The hallway was deserted except for a few stragglers that were still standing at their lockers. Yugi had picked his open, lazily grabbing one of his notebooks in order to make it to class on time. But it was a smooth, laminated item that he had come in contact with first and so he had stopped trying to grab his spiral to look over. And, in his fingers, as he slid it out, was a sheet of paper with various prices and pictures and titles and summaries of things which he had not noticed before.

His heart lurched and leaped into his throat. His eyes grew wide as he looked it over. He slipped it quickly back between two of his binders, horrified as bile swelled in the back of his throat. The sight of it had caused the blood to drain from his face and his fingers felt numb as he stared at it.

When he drew in a shaky breath, all he could smell was smoke. It curled in his nose and burned in his lungs. He froze, horrified. But the smell seemed to drift as soon as it had come. He thought of flesh and hair. And then he imagined fur and claws. And there were teeth, white and yet somehow charred with black as well. He pictured a screaming body alight in flames and the sound of people yelling. And for some reason he thought of nets with blood soaking the metal fibers.

He shook his head rapidly to clear the thought. His hand was trembling as he reached over to grab the edge of the locker door and draw it to a close. When it clicked he swore he saw flames dancing in front of his eyes. And he heard Aileen whispering in his ears for the smallest of seconds. But it passed again almost immediately as Yugi shook his head and looked back at the books in his hand.

He hadn't grabbed the notebook he'd meant to get.

Fuck it. He'd take a detention before he opened his damn locker again.

Yugi felt sick as he headed to class. The teacher was standing behind the desk, answering a question of some kind that another classmate was asking. The small teen took a seat nearest the door, a complete opposite of the place he usually sat. Normally he took a spot close to the inside of the class, near the middle or the opposing windows.

So it was not surprising to see the expression that marred several faces as they wandered by. Particularly Valon glanced at him with a raised brow, hovering for a split second before seemingly shrugging off his concern. He turned and wandered back towards where Yugi normally sat rather than cause disruption. His friends hesitated when they saw him, then very awkwardly began to take seats near him.

"What's up, Yug?" Jonouchi asked, trying his hardest not to let the sudden disruption of seating arrangement get any more awkward than it already was. He twisted around in his seat to face the smaller teen and almost wished he hadn't. Yugi looked slightly ill from where he had been drumming his fingers on the desk with a distant expression to his eyes. The small teen blinked, sat up a little bit, and then looked quickly down at his books again as if they might have some kind of answer.

"I think Fuwa is alive."

The admission caused all three of them to falter, frozen in place by the words. Honda blinked and glanced at Anzu whose eyes had grown wide and horrified by the very suggestion. Yugi did not raise his head, instead narrowing his eyes and folding both arms across his desk. Jonouchi edged a little closer, lowering his voice to match Yugi's.

"Dude, there's no way," the blond hissed. "You saw what happened. He caught himself on fire."

Yugi blinked and glanced at him from beneath his lashes. "I caught him on fire," he corrected quietly, voice calmer and almost deadly. Honda blinked in shock at the change in his demeanor but the small teen looked away again, almost as if he were ashamed of such an admission. "But no one knows if his body was ever recovered. And there's every chance that maybe somehow someone managed to grab him and drag him out before the police got there. There's never been any real report about what happened…"

"You're forgetting that Aileen chick that attacked us at the warehouse. She said you'd killed her husband, didn't she?" Honda muttered, though when Yugi glanced up he had to look away rather quickly to avoid losing his nerve. Something was extremely wrong in his blue-violet eyes. Something was beyond what he knew how to handle. And the way the small teen spoke and looked at them now was almost painful to truly witness. "So, if he'd survived, why wouldn't he have tried to contact her before Yami wound up killing her?"

Before Yami wound up killing her…

He hated the phrasing of that. Yugi almost snapped at him angrily, but shoved the idea way, instead sitting up a little and forcing himself to raise his head to look at them. Anzu wouldn't meet his eyes and Jonouchi almost flinched when he glanced at him. Honda was busy pretending that he was interested in looking at the skirt of a girl who was leaning too far over her desk a few rows down.

"Yeah, she did say that. But I don't think he was…conscious when she did that. I don't know. I kind of have this feeling that maybe he was saved. But at the time that she attacked me, he was probably still recovering."

Jonouchi turned back now, raising a brow in confusion. "Do you mean like what happened with your hand that day?" he asked quietly, studying his face now.

"No. I mean…I mean that I think someone saved him, managed to rehabilitate him and now he's after me again." Yugi opened and closed his mouth, aware now of just how crazy he might have sounded. He faltered, then shifted to bunch his shoulders up and exhale loudly with a shake of his head. I sound like an idiot, he thought miserably, but he kept talking regardless, forcing the words out of his mouth in order to speak the fearful statement that had lodged itself in his throat. "I think he's alive. I think he's recovered. And I think he's after me again."

"Why was he after you in the first place?" Anzu finally asked, shaking her head. "You haven't done anything to him."

Yugi blinked, eyes widening in surprise at the statement. She hadn't hesitated. And she didn't sound even slightly unsure. His chest felt warm that she still believed in him despite how much had changed between them. He drew in a deep breath, then exhaled quietly and shook his head.

"I don't know. I think he just wants to hunt wolves. I don't know beyond that. I had never even realized he was a hunter before he showed up here and then I was worried that he…" He shook his head again and turned away. "It doesn't matter why he's doing it, just that he is."

And that Yami is no longer here to help me…

I'm on my own…

And my alpha is completely gone…

He swallowed the despairing thoughts away. "And, I guess when he decides to announce himself again, I'm going to have to put an end to it this time."

The statement was said so simply that all three of his friends stared at him in shock. But Yugi didn't blink, instead glancing at them, and then finally turned away as the teacher began to announce their new subject of study for the day. As they turned back to the front, the small teen let out a shaky breath, noticing that his formerly injured hand was trembling and his other was gripping the edge of the desk so tightly that his knuckles had turned bright white.

---

Yugi was still thinking about Fuwa when he trotted into the camp. His fur was slicked with water which had begun to crystallize from the cold, and his nose twitched where he could feel frost forming along the tip. He didn't bother to consider it, however. The wolves had all taken note of his appearance. The Japanese wolves had begun to bow down before him, wagging their tails. The American wolves were looking at him, dipping their heads, but would not meet his eyes as he wandered forward.

Only Yusei wagged his tail around dipping his head, but his royal blue eyes would not meet his either. Yugi considered him for a moment, thought about speaking, but then merely wagged his tail in response and continued walking.

He looked towards the den he'd been headed in the direction of, then paused. His head turned slightly and then his eyes grew wide as he considered the alpha in front of him. Echo was licking her paws, laying a few feet away. Her eyes were on him but lowered so as not to make direct contact with him. The white wolf flicked an ear and the she-wolf sniffed lightly as if to scent him for a moment.

Echo.

She blinked and now her ears pricked forward and her head tilted in bewilderment. The darker-furred wolf got to her feet when he jerked his muzzle in a beckoning motion and then began to trot once more. She glanced at Yusei who tilted his head in surprise but wagged his tail in response before turning away to head back over to Serena. Echo looked back to Atem, faltered, and then finally sighed and took off after him.

The white wolf paused near the entrance of a small cavern, an outcropping of an upright stone which was lurched forward in an almost standing position. The she-wolf hesitated as the other considered the entrance, then turned around and took a seat.

I just wanted to talk to you about something.

She flicked an ear and her gray eyes drifted towards the snow. Does it have to do with the pack hunt? she asked in a rather cold tone, something flustered and tired in her tone. Yugi would have raised a brow had he been human, but now he simply sniffed and shook his head. I do not care to speak about Marik any longer.

The white wolf tilted his head. If I wanted to talk about Marik, I'm sure he would tell me enough to make me never ask again, he retorted. His ego is large enough to overshadow all of Japan. No, that's not at all what I wanted to speak to you about.

She flicked an ear and now her eyes flickered to his, curious and questioning.

Yugi supposed that was as relaxed as she would be with him for the moment. It didn't matter, however. He hardly cared, after all. You said that your beta was sent here to meet me after the rumors got out that I was born, yes?

Echo blinked and her lip curled faintly. Yes. He came here of his own accord.

You didn't send him?

He was never one to be controlled so simply.

Yugi blinked, eyes widening and then ears flicking. A small sense of warmth surged through him for the smallest of moments. He remembered Ra saying that he was perhaps the most trustworthy wolf within Paradise. And he recalled all of the devotion that Yami had for this single wolf, the way he'd cracked upon even thinking of him and broken down before him like a pup. He remembered his helping him that first night of his change.

The words were spoken so affectionately that he felt as if he had known the wolf before he'd died, as if they'd perhaps crossed paths as well.

What was his name?

The question had a strange effect on her. She halted, her eyes growing sharp and glittering as they met his for the first time. Did you never get to meet him?

Yugi blinked and flicked an ear, dread filling his gut as a stunning realization came through him. Yami was not the only one that this wolf had touched so brilliantly. He'd had a similar effect on Echo and Yugi did not want to be the one to tell her that he was long dead. But to say he had and then explain to her that he did not know where he was or why he was not with him did him no good.

I never met anyone who looked like that, no.

What about a gray wolf with long white legs and dark blue eyes? Or a ginger one with black legs and a tawny undercoat and golden-brown eyes?

He blinked again, startled. She sounded so insistent now, as if she could see through him. As if she knew. His stomach churned and he slowly shook his head.

I don't recall ever meeting either of them.

His brothers came to help him when we got a phone call from Hokkaido saying that he was sure he was on track with finding you. She looked infuriated and vicious rather than sad now. I had assumed they would have found you. His brothers were some of the best trackers within my pack.

Yugi flicked an ear. I did not meet them.

But now he wondered.

Had they been there that first night?

He remembered three wolves, with eyes of teal and dark blue almost as royal as Yusei's, and a third of brown so light and brilliant it could have been amber in all reality.

They had reminded him of Jonouchi's when he had remembered them more noticeably the following week. But he'd forgotten much of that dream as the days had passed. And he'd drowned out much of what had happened before…

And he supposed he still had not properly met the two brothers. After all, neither of them had come forth to let him see them. And none had spoken to him directly aside from that night when they'd teased him lightly…

I'm sorry. I never met them.

Echo looked away now, staring at the trees over Yugi's shoulders and growling softly with discontent. I suppose all three of them were captured by the humans running the experiments then, she answered dryly. She shook her head roughly. My beta, my gamma and my delta. Perfect.

Yugi felt his eyes stretch wide in shock. When they went missing, when did you go ahead and replace their ranks?

The dark-furred she-wolf turned her head and stared at him coldly. I never replaced any of them. Or at least not actively. He will remain beta until he's released from the labs and after that, when he's back with me, he'll be fine.

The white wolf blinked and his heart hurt as he stared at her. She was in denial. Because she knew just as well as him that this wolf was dead. She knew it. She suspected it, even if she wouldn't admit it. And the pain had done a startlingly powerful job in preventing her speaking their names.

And, abruptly, Yugi wondered rather sickeningly if perhaps she had felt similarly for this green-eyed wolf as he himself did Yami. He wondered if his rejection had been as obvious, as painful and miserably. He wondered if he had been as close to her as Yami had been him. He wondered if they had been closer than usual for an alpha and beta, if they were the best of friends with a bond that could have only survived without the unrequited feelings.

Perhaps…

If he hadn't been born…

Yugi shivered and shook his head. It didn't matter. He needed to stop the thought before it became any worse. He drew in a deep breath, then exhaled loudly and looked at her with darkened eyes.

I'm sorry that happened.

All for a wolf who doesn't know how to help himself, let alone his own pack. The words were spat at him as if with venom and Yugi blinked, stunned by the obvious hatred in her gray eyes. Her fur rose along her shoulders, bristling with disgust and frustration. You cannot lead your pack, let alone yourself. And three of the best wolves in my pack—three of my best friends—were destroyed for the purpose of what? Of meeting you? Of wasting their time to find a wolf that is meant to bring only destruction? And you think it was worth it?

Yugi stared at her, shocked and horrified.

And then he wondered, watching her face and seeing that intense hatred which burned in her eyes.

Was it worth it?

Was he worth it?