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.

57. Recovery

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

Update schedule: Every other day

Chapter Warnings: Starving Wolf, Hunting, Mild Bloodshed, Self-Harm During Panic Attack

Let me just say that animals (and people) can be really gross when they're starving. That's going to be your warning because Yami does three semi-disturbing things due to his starvation.

So the self-harm is done by Yugi, who gets stressed out enough that he does something that he hasn't before. But he does something that Yami is prone to whenever he suffers night terrors and panics in his sleep (cutting into his wrists or trying to force the Change in order to wake himself).

Yugi ends up panicked to the extent of choking himself with his choker. And, for the sake of future warnings, this WILL remain a thing for a little while. I don't want anyone caught unawares by it. It'll be marked as it is here with "self-harm during panic attack".

I'm SO sorry about how long this has taken to get posted. Life spiraled out of control again. It's still in a spiral right now. But I found the time to get this edited and posted. My schedule is probably going to be erratic after this, just so you know. I'm going to try to get this under control as soon as possible, however, so hopefully it won't effect anything for too long.

In the meantime, enjoy the chapter. Thanks for your patience and support of the story.

Chapter LVII: Recovery

Work Log Entry LI: July, 2005 (Part II)

July 16

It would seem that a hierarchy of power does not truly exist amongst the wolves when it comes to the time of breeding. We have observed each of them as they have paired off. The females tend to pick those which look the most aesthetically pleasing to them. And then they will turn away from the rest.

The males, on the other hand, tend to have an odder sense of selection. The females choose by looks but the males seem to simply wait for them to take the lead in such matters. It is odd to see such a thing.

My look-alike has rejected and attacked several of the she-wolves whom have drifted too close to him. He seems rather spiteful of the idea of breeding altogether. I wonder if perhaps he was, at one time, an omega within his own pack.

It would explain his behavior, if only mildly.

More interesting, however, is the fact that some of the younger she-wolves who are not going through their heat cycle are attracted to Atem. They seem to be drawn in by his looks, as he is not sexually active and has shown no desire towards them in any regards.

Of course, this development and his constant snapping his teeth at them seems to simply irritate the boss that much more.

It was a terrible feeling of guilt to fill Yugi's stomach when he saw Yami hungrily wolf down the rabbit he'd brought him. The darker canine had not scented the drugs in the carcass, though the accusatory glance he'd given him after eating it said he'd noticed. The small teen sighed softly, relieved to see Yami resting as he was. His breathing was even, his body looked relaxed.

He couldn't feel terrible for something that was beneficial to someone else, right? He swallowed hard, forcing away the thought entirely. It didn't matter. It was over and done with. Yami was asleep in front of him. He was so fast asleep that Yugi could hear the softest of snores leaving him.

He didn't want Yami to associate drugs with his food, however. If he got that idea, did that not mean that Yami would begin to turn his nose up later? He'd become suspicious and furious, like some of the dogs at the clinic had at times. The strays were always good about picking out the food that hadn't been touched with medicine.

He felt sick as he drew his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. He'd have to consider syringes at some point. If Yami turned his nose up at the food, he'd utilize the needle in its place. He wasn't entirely sure of how he should do it, however.

He was not sure what he was meant to do in order to fix the issue of feeling someone watching him, either. It had taken forever to backtrack enough to feel comfortable to come to the cavern. And even then he'd taken such a long route there was no way they'd truly bother to follow him any longer. He'd rounded the lake, followed the river, and slowly come back to find his way there.

And Yami had greeted him with a tense, frozen, unsure expression. He'd lifted his head, tired but cautious, silent and vicious. His eyes had flashed and he'd slowly moved to get to his feet. In an instant the black wolf had come forward a few steps, ears pricked.

Yugi had been relieved to see the wolf so alert as he was. He had smiled faintly, even as Yami had sized him up as if he were simply a piece of prey. He'd watched him with those dark red eyes, considering him as if he might be a deer to chase and hamstring. And then Yugi had noticed the way he'd stood.

It had been the perfect position to avoid pulling his collar. He had been behind the point of straining and potentially choking himself. He was an inch behind that point. But the tie out had seemed wobbly, slightly tilted to the side. And Yugi swore the chain seemed loose where it had once been tightly anchored into the stone. The wolf had stood there, staring at him and waiting for some action.

But he'd been clearly shocked when Yugi had tossed the rabbit over. Yami had faltered, stepping back and nearly turning tail before catching himself. Then he'd turned back, eyes narrow, looking between it and him and back again. And then, briefly, the wolf hesitated. His eyes had shot back and forth. Frantic, his claws had flexed and clicked. And then he'd rushed for it. In an instant he'd disappeared from Yugi's immediate sight and behind the stone nearest his stake. From there he'd eaten it with a loud series of crunches and swallows. When it was gone he'd looked over his shoulder, blinked, sensed the exhaustion coming through him, and glared.

Yugi had never felt so small in front of the wolf before that moment. It was as if Yami had all the anger the world could possibly possess, pressing it upon him painfully and glaring in an effort to expel it more forcefully.

Again he briefly thought of the implications of drugging him with the medication in the rabbit's flesh. He had been forced to cut through the thin lining of the stomach, burying them inside there. But now he wondered if perhaps he might just be better off carrying a syringe with tranquilizer within it. It might be a good idea to do so for as far as he knew. It would help as well if Yami should somehow be able to get loose. His eyes flickered briefly to the stake, the slightly lopsided state of it and the way it seemed mildly out of place. His stomach knotted, his mouth dry as he nodded minutely to himself.

Carrying a handful of tranquilizers would not be a bad idea, seeing as he could tell that Yami had already figured out much of what he had hoped he wouldn't. In his feral state, he was still intelligent enough to realize that the tie out was focused in the ground by the metal stake. If that were so, then Yami was capable of digging it up and attacking him if recognition still evaded him.

It was daunting to him to even consider such a thing as it was. The strength of the thought made his stomach knot, his heart lurching in his throat. He felt small and dizzy as he considered it. The wolf would be fast and efficient, despite his state of being now. Yugi had witnessed it. Yami was incredibly weak in body mass, but still somehow possessed enough raw muscle and prowess to first kill Obelisk and then mangle the paw of a packmate. His stomach knotted again and he looked at the wolf beside him.

Those few inches between them would hardly allow a buffer later. If Yami were persistent enough, the black wolf would pull the stake out of the ground and launch himself without a second thought. The impact would surely be the end of Yugi, as he was certain that the wolf would not stop until he was dead. Perhaps he would even do as he had upon facing Obelisk when he had come back. Perhaps he would be just as relentless and hateful then as he was now. The thought made his heart quiver in his chest, swallowing thickly at the very idea.

He looked so young, like one of the yearlings in the camp. But, unlike them, Yugi felt sick as he looked at him. He appeared so weak and thin, so incredibly emaciated, and the fur along his body was knotted so terribly… Yugi could not stop himself from slowly scooting closer. He hesitated a long moment, then reached forward. His fur was still greasy against his fingers, disgusting enough that it made him cringe. But his fingers sought to touch the soft knots of shed fur, the undercoat tangled harshly beneath. He hesitated again, watching Yami for a long moment, as if perhaps the lycanthrope might leap to his feet and attempt to bite through his flesh entirely. Yugi shivered, unsure of what more to do.

He wouldn't wake up earlier than necessary, he knew. Some small part of him realized and repeated this information to him endlessly. But he was unnerved as he tugged lightly on the fur. Yami did not react in the slightest but for a simple twitch of flesh beneath his coat. Yugi shivered, then scooted a little closer and reached out with his other hand as well.

He ran his fingers over it, then tugged lightly upon the fur there. It slid from his guard hairs like sand between his fingers. He shivered again, licked his lips, and pulled a little more. Sheets of dark black fur began to pull away in his grip. It came in ribbons of hair, thick enough that Yugi considered it to be half of his body weight. Briefly he pulled it towards him again. His fur was loose along his shoulders, his dorsal cape hideously knotted beneath his touch. He tangled his fingers within it, shifting to straddle Yami's neck. If he woke and tried to attack, he could at least try to pin him in this position. And, once he pinned him, he could jump aside the moment he gained the opportunity.

But Yami did not stir in the slightest aside from the occasional twitch when his fur was pulled too hard. He pulled again, the soft tufts of fur sliding away beneath his fingers. He tossed them away beyond the place Yami's shoulder lay so prone against the dirt. He licked his lips again, considering the task once more. Along his flanks, the fur was littered across in waves of dark black and gray, almost like he'd remembered Valon's to appear at the clinic.

Yugi was amazed to even think of this at the moment, surprised by the passing thought. Then he shook it off again and licked his lips. He pulled the fur away again, shaking his head slightly. And then he considered how much of it really remained in Yami's coat. There was so much. And his back legs looked incredibly knotted. For the briefest of seconds he thought to steal a brush from the clinic or purchase one from the pet store to run through his coat. He could groom him down, help him to lose whatever weight the coat might have possessed. But then he remembered briefly as well, how some of the fur could have matted and if it matted it could cut off his circulation where it was weighing upon the skin.

He nodded again briefly.

He'd have to find a way to get a brush. Then he could comb through the knots as necessary. He could pull away each of the tufts completely and eventually gather them into his backpack to dispose of them later. He frowned, grimacing a second later, and then sighed softly as he shook his head once more. Yami would hardly be pleased when he saw what he had done upon his waking.

---

The cavern was incredibly dark when Yami found himself again. The air was heavier than he remembered it being, or perhaps his lungs were simply strained beneath the pressure of providing him with breath. He flicked an ear and narrowed his eyes against the shadows. At first he could not see much more than the occasional flicker of a shadow against the darkness, various shades of gray and black shifting against one another. He blinked and strained his eyes, looking for a more comfortable vision through the darkness. And then he flicked his ears, moved to look about himself, and frowned.

The boy was gone. And the she-wolf was fast asleep in the corner opposite him. She was silent but for her steady breathing. The male closed his eyes after a long moment or two. It would take him too long to dig up the metal in the ground that held him so completely to the stone around him. But, as he stumbled to his feet after a long minute or so, he found that his body did not feel as weighted. It was an odd sensation, as if perhaps he had shed water from his coat.

He remembered the sensation of water in his fur. He did recall that. He knew it all too well. It was not something that he wished to experience anytime soon. It was disturbing, disgusting almost, and it made his lungs constrict to even so much as consider it. His fur rippled uncomfortably with a shudder. And then he shook his head slightly and glanced down upon touching something soft and almost spongy beneath his paw. He blinked, tilting his head downwards to sniff at the lump which his eyes strained to take detail of. It surprised him as he sniffed once more how much it smelled of himself.

He blinked and looked at his flanks for a moment. Had his sides not been knotted before? He turned back, his stomach aching with a ferocity that nearly made him tremble. He blinked again, shook his head, and then lowered his eyes once more to the small patch of hair in front of his nose. Yami flicked an ear, glanced at the she-wolf as she slept, and then looked down again. Hunger gnawed at his belly again. He looked at his paw and the fur and his mouth felt heavy with saliva.

He lowered his nose again, sniffing. The fur smelled so strongly of himself. But it was marred as well, with something that he did not quite recognize at the moment. The tangles of fur smelled almost of sunlight and vanilla, maybe cinnamon and growing moss. He shivered, drool falling from the corner of his canines. The hunger was a dull roar within his ears, his stomach rolling and twitching and dancing beneath his skin. He drew in another big breath, then opened his jaws further.

He'd eaten something along the lines of this before, had he not? But no, they had been harder. They had been sharper and harsher in his mouth. They had cut and ravaged his gums and tongue. He'd bled endlessly upon eating them. He remembered that. But he did not recall what it was that he had chewed on so foolishly. He could not recognize the memory in the slightest.

He shook his head again. Then he opened his jaws wider, catching a mouthful of the dark knots in his mouth. He felt it flatten against his tongue, sodden and heavy with saliva. And it tangled on the muscle as he flattened it against the roof of his mouth and tried to bunch the hair more prominently to swallow. The heavy saliva in his jaws did well to slick it but weighted it enough to make it harder to swallow it away. A sense of exhaustion caught upon his insides, desperate as it clawed at him. His hunger grew more pointedly. It roared and cut through his flesh, begging his attention.

He could feel it tangling in his teeth for a brief moment, but then it passed into his throat and he swallowed hard. It seemed to slither like a chunk of rotting meat. But he ignored this, snatching at a new patch of fur and forcing this down his throat as well. His belly ached and churned and cut through him. He shivered and shook, parts of him roaring with pain. And yet somehow his belly seemed to accept the meager offering. It seemed to coil upon it, the acid singing as if with praise. He wanted to whine, but to do so meant weakness.

And, so, unable to find anything else that could potentially help to sate his hunger, Yami swallowed the fur he could find, then licked at the stone where the blood had turned darker than his own claws.

---

Yugi was uncertain as he stepped inside of the den. Ishizu had reported nothing out of the ordinary regarding Yami. She said that he had woken in the night at one point, licking at his own paws as if he might eat them in his hunger. She said that she'd heard the rumble of his belly for hours on end. She said that he had seemed too exhausted after this to do more than sit around and lay upon his stomach with his chin on his paws. She said that even when he did move, it was not for long and he looked incredibly exhausted more often than not. The dark-furred wolf had closed his eyes for hours and never opened them again. His stillness had, at one point, spurred her to limp towards him. And, when she'd gotten too close, he had sprung for her throat. He had performed an ambush tactic which would have allowed him to strip her carcass clean had she not jerked back in response. And then he'd settled back down, watching her with darkened red eyes and a wagging tail that spoke of malice as his body remained tense and somewhat shaky.

But then his stomach churned and his mouth grew dry. Yami was sitting up. His neck was arched back and the bones popped as he shifted his weight. Then he shifted forward and his legs trembled slightly. His red eyes were dark and unfocused for a moment before his head turned. They watched each other for a moment and Yugi realized abruptly that he looked much as a cat might upon spotting a mouse to catch. The wolf blinked, flicked an ear, came forward a few steps, and then took a seat on the ground in front of him. His dark eyes glinted fiercely and bore into his as Yugi came further inside on shaky feet.

"Yami," he muttered, unsure of himself as the seconds passed. He frowned minutely, nibbling at the inside of his cheek for a brief moment. He licked his lips, frowned a little more, and then shook his head slightly. Yugi came forward another step, hesitated, and finally sighed softly. He could see it now. It was something that perhaps Ishizu had not noticed, but he himself saw before he could think to prevent himself. He licked his lips again, stomach clenching. "Oh, Yami…"

The wolf tilted his head. His tail slowly dragged upon the dirt, wagging in a mild manner. His eyes were sharp, still rather unfocused in a way, but they bore into him more heavily than he'd ever known them to before. He felt it in his bones at that moment, the way the black wolf pressed upon him such a resentful sensation. Yugi swallowed hard, then shook his head. The canine wagged his tail again, long and slow drags which made it more predatory than he'd ever assumed before.

He shook his head, dropping the rabbit carcass at his feet with a sensation of hopeless pride that crashed through him. It made butterflies dance briefly in his stomach, a furious strip of cautious disbelief coming through him slowly. He shifted the rabbit away, watching him sharply as the wolf glanced downward at the prey by his shoe. Then he flicked an ear, leaned closer, and watched him with a more pointed expression. He opened his jaws slightly, showing his incisors. Yugi cringed when he saw the heavy rivers of drool which came from his jaws, his canines drenched.

Yugi shivered and shook his head. He was so estranged from the teenager he had known prior. He was not the least bit alike the boy who had spent so much time in his room with him. He looked nothing like him, even with those beautiful red eyes. He looked nothing like the boy who had so often snickered or snorted at him in annoyance. It startled him to see the wolf before him and feel that way, his skin crawling at the realization. If he had never locked eyes with Yami before, had never known him as well as he did, he would have assumed him to be someone else entirely. He would have thought him to be something unnatural and unknown to him had it never crossed his mind prior.

He shivered briefly, frowning. "Yami, come on."

The black wolf blinked. His jaws opened and closed with a sloppy squelching noise. It was clear he was too hungry to focus on Yugi altogether. His eyes were on the rabbit carcass beside his foot. And the drool dripped in heavy strings from his teeth. Then the dark canine got to his feet. It was a simple movement, something that shocked Yugi. And it exposed what Yugi had initially been afraid of.

The collar was missing from his neck. Somehow Yami had gotten himself out of the collar altogether. And the tie out was almost dug up from the way he'd clawed at it and pushed until it had given way. And now he could see it. Yami came forward but the chains were bunched on the ground behind him. They were laying on the ground inches from his back paw. The black wolf looked too hungry to realize his transgression. And Yugi was dizzy and disgusted as the reality came to him once more.

He'd have to sedate him, just as he'd feared formerly. He faltered, stomach twisting, and then readied himself. The other lycanthrope did not respond for a moment. But he saw his movements slow. He saw the way his ears pricked forward. He noticed the tension which claimed his frame. And he could sense the fear which made him step forward once more. The wolf was staring at him now, from the corner of his eye. He was paying him as much attention as he could without looking away for even a second.

He was exhausted. He was starving.

He was more worried about the meal than he was truly investigating the movement Yugi had made. But he was clearly aware of the way his hand was beneath the fabric of his pocket. He was clearly aware of the way the teen was staring back at him. He was not the least bit daunted by the sight of the reaction to the emaciated wolf's movement. He was too hungry to care completely. The worry was in his bones, but his first instinct was to get at the prey that he was otherwise unable to.

"Yami," he tried quietly. He slipped his fingers around the needle syringe in his pocket, pulling it out almost effortlessly. He hesitated when the black wolf drooled even more heavily. But Yami was hardly paying him any mind anymore. In an instant, mind made up, the canine leaped forward. He landed heavily on his paws, slipped to a collapsed position, snatched the rabbit in his teeth in a rush, and struggled for his feet again. His fur rose and fell in a nervous bristle, the whites of his eyes showing now as he looked towards Yugi. He peered up at him nervously, ears falling to flatten back against his skull with wide eyes. The small teen remained still for a long minute and a half. And then he nearly cringed.

Yami was trying to swallow the rabbit whole. He had begin to crunch it desperately between his jaws. He was breathing harder than ever. He was shuddering as he tried his hardest to do this. His entire frame was shaking as he crunched bone and squished organs. He gave a heaving sloppy noise when he tried to swallow the prey animal once more. He could do no more than try to gulp it down entirely.

Yugi could do nothing but simply stare at him, shocked and horrified by the way the other tried his hardest to swallow and choke the food down. He craned his neck back, coughed and choked, and crunched the rabbit harder between his teeth. His ears flattened back against his skull more pointedly. And then he swallowed it as if he had a throat much like a snake devouring a mouse. He choked it down without a second look, gazing up at Yugi with that same panicked, hasty expression. And then he lay there, struggling to catch his breath.

His entire body was shaking from the force of his inhales. His flanks shuddered and danced beneath his fur. His eyes narrowed and darkened. And the whites were visible as he peered up at him. And then, finally, Yami began to try for his paws. Yugi hesitated for a long moment, stomach tangled and heart in his throat. He glanced briefly towards where the collar and tie out lay. Then he looked down at Yami again. The wolf did nothing more than struggle for his balance.

Yugi pulled the syringe from his pocket, the glass entirely too warm for his own comfort. It felt like blood, heated as if with his own life source. He felt sick as he slowly removed the cap from it, the clear liquid terrible as it glinted in his eyes. He swallowed hard, looked down at Yami again, and readied his fingers to be able to push the drug into Yami the moment the two of them collided.

The black wolf stared back at him with fearful red eyes. He could see rapid shadows dancing across his gaze, panic chased by horror and then by anger. He peered up at him. Then he curled his lips back as far as they could. His face wrinkled with the force of it. His teeth were showing. His eyes were darkened, hateful. He pricked his ears forward. His shoulders began to square. Fur along his dorsal cape rose, then trailed down to the midpoint of his spine. The wolf shifted his weight briefly, his claws flexing slightly. The noise was a creaking, scraping. And then he flicked his tongue to run over his nose. Yugi could see the shaky white puffs of his breaths, the way his nose was steaming as well with hot sweat. Saliva dripped down his teeth and along his jaws.

"Yami," he warned softly, readying his needle between his fingers and pressing his thumb on the syringe. He shivered and licked his lips. Yami mirrored the action, an uneasy and fearful glimmer in his eyes. He could see the panic within his eyes once more. He looked sickly, as if he might vomit in front of him at any moment should Yugi so much as speak again. The whites of his eyes were shining brilliantly, as if he were shaking with fear. They stared at one another, eyeing each other almost blankly.

Yami lunged after a split second.

Yugi shook and fell back as the wolf slammed into his chest. He tried to open his mouth to bite at him. But his legs seemed too brittle and his aim was faulty. Yami stumbled from the impact, winded more so than even Yugi. He blinked, trembled. Yugi reached out with his left hand to grab at his scruff. Yami snarled and snapped his jaws, aiming for his wrist. But he missed each time, his teeth clicking in the air. He gaped. Then he tried again, missing once more. Yugi tightened his grip and aimed the needle for his neck. He would have risked parting the fur to find a spot properly, but Yami was too erratic. He could not do so without the wolf possibly turning to bite through his face rather than simply his arm.

He twisted his wrist. The wolf sputtered for air. He snapped his jaws and glared at him. Yugi ignored him, chewing his bottom lip as he focused his aim. It took him only a moment to recognize the best place. And then he quickly plunged the needle into his skin. Yami screamed and thrashed. The needle broke from its glass base. The blood that spewed into the air smelled heavily of drugs. Yugi trembled. Then he moved to sit up again. Yami had stumbled a few feet away. His eyes were glassy. His mouth was opening and shutting rapidly. He shook pathetically. Then he collapsed again. His eyes rolled up in the back of his head once more.

"You shouldn't have gotten out like that," Yugi reprimanded him softly, feeling better for saying it but also foolish and stupid for doing so to begin with. Yami could not hear him in the slightest, yet somehow this was more comforting than it should ever have been. He drew in a deep breath, crossing his legs, and watched the other lycanthrope for a moment. The lupine lay there, breathing long and slow as if he were merely asleep. Yugi sighed softly and shook his head.

This was not going to be a fun week, he realized as he took to the task of moving and restraining his alpha again as he had before.

Unlike before, however, Yami did not remain asleep for long. Perhaps he had not drugged him well enough. Perhaps the stress had caused it to metabolize more quickly than before. Yugi did not know, nor did he truly care he supposed. What mattered was that, as he leaned forward and raised Yami's head to slip the collar beneath his head, the black wolf's eyes snapped open. He blinked, eyes harsh and terrible. And then he opened his jaws into a gaping chasm of teeth.

Yugi did not have the chance to do more than blink. The wolf snapped his teeth shut. His jaws clamped down upon his wrist. Blood came in a harsh rush of bright red. It splashed upon the floor, streaked the walls, and sprayed his face. It burned upon his skin as he shook his head in horror. Yugi blinked, stunned. Yami blinked and dug his teeth in further. The pain was so terrible it stunned him. It made him tremble and blink, horrified once more. Then he shook his head sharply.

"Yami, release," he commanded in an annoyed tone. The wolf snarled in answer, lips drawn back completely. Blood drenched his teeth from its former spray. His fur was up in a bristle. His body was shaking again. His eyes flashed furiously. His ears fell back against his skull. He glared at him. And then he chomped down harder. As with Ishizu, he refused to release. The bones ground lightly upon each other. But they did not snap away into nothingness.

The wolf tossed his head slightly. Muscle and sinews scattered beneath his teeth. The heavy sound of blood spilling and dripping to the floor made his stomach clench. Yugi shook his head and frowned. Then he laughed softly when Yami stared at him in bewilderment. The dark-furred canine peered up at him in confusion. The noise had obviously startled him pointedly as they looked at one another for a long moment. Then, slowly, Yami ground his teeth harder.

But the pain did not increase. And Yugi could already feel the tingling of his nerves as they sought to mend themselves completely beneath his grip. The small teen shook his head and sighed softly. "You really need to let go," he teased, his other hand moving to reach for the chain that was already around his neck. Yami blinked, confused and startled. The laughter had obviously unnerved him once more. And so he barely seemed to realize that Yugi had moved in the first place. Then he tightened the collar around his neck. And Yami sputtered, releasing him with a betrayed, horrified expression.

Yugi released him again almost immediately, scooting back and away from the wolf. Yami stumbled to his feet, collapsed again, shook himself out, and glowered at him. They stared at one another blankly for a moment. Then Yugi laughed softly and looked his wound over. Yami had bitten through the flesh of his wrist, to the bone, and the muscle of his hand had been torn open to show the white beneath the array of red as well. He could not see any abnormal fracture or swelling of any kind, however. It was somewhat amusing to see that Yami had not bothered to break the bones as he was so easily capable.

The realization made him relax if only slightly. It was odd to him how incredibly capable the wolf still was. It had to be the natural instinct of survival and the lycanthropy which held him so powerfully like this. He was so strong still, despite his weakened state. It was almost alarming how easily Yami seemed to fall upon the strength which the werewolf possessed. He remembered Obelisk's words, about how the wolf possessed this strength regardless of its physical state. The adrenaline was the power at its most abrupt, but the strength remained with them entirely regardless.

"I'll clean it in a little while," he commented softly, shaking his head slightly. Yami was still staring at him furiously. There was such darkness in his eyes now that Yugi felt almost sick. The wolf bore his teeth for a moment, his tongue running over his nose in a clear display of fear. He wondered what had happened to Yami in the time that they'd been apart. He wondered how terrible it was then, how it was possible that he had come to know such fear in the face of someone such as himself. He wondered how long it had taken him to withdraw so completely, to be swallowed away by the pain and forced behind the wall he could see within his eyes. He could sense the displacement between the two of them, a chasm that stretched for thousands of miles beyond what he knew to breach.

He wondered how long it had taken him to forget him and it hurt to think for even a moment how terrible it truly was to consider such a thing. He swallowed hard, shaking his head slightly, and lowered his eyes with a heavy sense of discomfort crossing through him. He licked his lips, looked down at his hand and watched the tremble that caressed it as he slowly placed it in his lap and looked away.

"I'll clean it when I get home."

Yami pricked and flicked his ears. He shifted his weight. His anxiety was a curtain within the air. It pressed upon the small teen's skin and made him shiver with disgust for a split second. He could hear his lungs stretching and shrinking, a soft whistling and rasping quality embracing each breath he processed. Then Yugi heard his claws sliding upon the dirt and the way he seemed to sit up slowly. When the small teen glanced at him sideways, the wolf had begun to move towards the further corner of the cave from him. He took a seat behind the stake, eyes searching his body for a brief moment.

"Yami…"

The call of his name made his eyes widen drastically. His head snapped up from where he'd been seated staring at his own paws. A bristle overcame his entire form, making him almost twice his incredibly wounded size. He looked exhausted and scared, beyond simply fearful and perhaps terrified instead. He peered at him with dark red eyes, confused as he considered him. And Yugi ignored this as he licked his lips again and shook his head slightly. The two of them eyed each other for a long moment.

"Hey, relax, okay? You're okay. You're not going to get hurt. I won't hurt you."

The expression that the wolf wore was wary and confused and bewildered. He looked as if he might puke at any moment, scared and unnerved. The black canine flattened his ears against his skull for a moment or two. Then he blinked and flashed his tongue over his nose once more. He looked sickened rather than angry now, as if the statement were too great for him to process properly.

Yugi, a new voice called. Yugi stiffened, head turning in confusion. Yami, however, rose immediately to his feet with his fur in a fierce bristle and darkened eyes. He looked infuriated, confused and startled. His black fur shuddered briefly along his skin and he stared at the entrance of the cave with a hideous snarl on his face. Every part of his body was tense and quivering with ferocity. He snarled and snapped his teeth, glaring and peering through the entrance.

"Obelisk?" he questioned quietly, feeling dizzy for a brief moment. Then he licked his lips and moved to stand. When he put his bleeding hand on the ground, he nearly cringed. The dirt aggravated it enough to make him flinch and yelp. But he smothered the reaction as immediately as he could, shaking his head and sighing softly with a somewhat bewildered twinge beneath his skin. He frowned and swallowed hard. "What's wrong?"

Nothing is wrong, the gray wolf answered dismissively. He stepped into the den and Yami lunged. Immediately his teeth snapped at thin air. Obelisk gave him a wary look, bristling defensively. The black wolf jumped and lunged again. His teeth opened and shut again. He jumped, straining at the end of his tie out. He pricked his ears forward and snarled furiously. He leaped and lunged. He flashed his teeth. He bristled and snapped his jaws and wagged his raised tail angrily.

Yugi could not stop staring at the sight. It was bewildering how swiftly Yami had fallen into an offensive stance. He jumped and lunged, teeth snapping. He snarled and bit at the air. He strained and rose on his back legs, front paws nearly clawing at the air as he tried to pull forward. He snarled and chomped his teeth. He jumped again and bit at him furiously. "Yami…"

The wolf did not respond. And Obelisk bristled, shocked by the state of which the other wolf existed. The black canine snapped at him again. The gray wolf pricked his ears and then flattened them against his skull. He shifted his weight, moving to look to Yugi pointedly. The deity shuddered and tried his hardest to ignore the other canine but Yami continued to lunge. He continued to snap. He continued to snarl and bite at the air. He was bristling and furious.

"Obelisk, what's going on?" Yugi requested instead, speaking a little louder than usual in order to be heard over the snarling and teeth chomping. The sounds echoed around the small den and it made him feel sick as he shook his head and tried to hear himself over the noise. "Are you okay?"

I simply came to ask about progress towards Yami's recovery, he said slowly, though a cautious glance was shot towards the other wolf and Yami snarled and lunged once more. The chains pulled taut and clanked lightly with noise. He flinched and bore his teeth. Yugi glanced towards the black wolf as well, unsure of what more to say and do for a moment. I was simply curious as to what might have developed.

"I don't think much has changed, honestly," he stated. He held up a hand for Obelisk to inspect and the gray wolf blinked widened eyes before snorting loudly. The gray wolf shook his head slightly, clearly surprised by the sight of it. "I don't think he's going to really recover anytime soon, Obelisk."

He flicked an ear. I do not believe it will take him too terribly long, he answered in a dismissive tone, glancing at Yami sideways and curling his lip slightly. You forget that you two have a very tight bond. He will sense it soon, I suppose. He will come to remember you and he will become the alpha that you knew him to be before.

"I don't care about whether he's my alpha. I care about his friendship, Obelisk."

Yes, and you shall regain this at some point. I do not think you will have long before he recalls at least the faintest bit of it. I am sure he will come to remember you fully soon enough. He hesitated for a moment as Yami jumped and lunged and snarled. His teeth snapped and his ears pricked forward as he nearly stumbled on his thin, weak legs. Then Yami shook himself out again and Yugi frowned as he looked at him in turn. Obelisk bristled and flattened his ears against his skull with a snarl. He will learn to recognize you again.

Yugi swallowed thickly, then shook his head. The idea was amazing to him and he would have given anything to have such a thing become a reality. But the thought came with a small, uncomfortable and disgusting bite upon his guts. His heart was in his throat, his lungs tight and constricted for a long moment. Then he lowered his eyes and shook his head again. He did not think that was at all what he knew would happen anytime soon. He doubted very sincerely that something of that magnitude would come to pass anytime soon.

And it hurt to consider that as he swallowed hard and shook his head again. "Do you honestly think so?" he asked slowly. The bewilderment and fear in his voice was enough to make Obelisk stare at him with dark eyes. "I mean…I just don't see it happening anytime soon…"

It might not be too terribly soon, the deity stated with a simply shake of his head as well. The wolf flicked his ears. Then he flinched as Yami snapped his teeth and snarled. The fact that the black canine was still so capable of launching himself forward as if to bite into him was shocking for the deity. He had never quite seen a wolf spurred into such a rage. And he could see the foam of his saliva as he strained at the end of his two-foot chain. The wolf bit at the air, jumped again, and wagged his long dark tail slowly but surely as a war flag might flap within the wind. But I am sure that he will come to know you and understand the situation once more.

Yugi flinched when Yami strained again, so much more harshly than before. "Okay, let's go outside. I don't want him to hurt himself doing this any longer."

Obelisk hesitated for a long minute. Then he flicked his ears and flattened them against his skull for the briefest of seconds. Then he turned away as well, looking towards Yugi over his shoulder. Then he trotted out the den as Yugi got up to follow. The moment the gray wolf disappeared from his sight, Yami fell into a snarling fit. He did not lunge and launch himself anymore. He simply flicked his tongue over his nose and flattened his ears against his skull.

"Stay calm over here, okay?" Yugi said gently, nodding towards Yami briefly as he followed the other lycanthrope. The statement was met with a blank, unfocused stare. And then he seemed to grow incredulous, eyes darkened as if with a shadow. Then he blinked, stared some more, and turned as if he might take a seat at the other end of the small cavern again. But Yugi heard him moving again the moment he stepped out of his sight.

And then the snarling began anew. It was vicious, so loud that it made Obelisk flinch. Yugi swore the earth was shaking beneath his feet at the noise. He frowned and swallowed hard, shaking his head slightly and feeling mildly sick. Yami began to all but bay seconds later. His snarl was a booming roar of a noise. His claws clicked constantly as he paced about rapidly. The chain scraped upon the stone hideously. The noises echoed in uneven, dull roars within the den. Yugi swallowed hard as he turned to Obelisk.

"What the hell is going on down there?"

The deity blinked and angled his head to look down. Yami launched himself at the end of his chain, snarling and spitting. He strained so hard Obelisk was amazed that he did not see blood. But he grew furious, more hateful than ever, as they looked at each other. He is very angry.

"I couldn't tell at all. Thanks so much for relaying that information," he deadpanned in annoyance.

I mean that it is perhaps my presence which makes him so furious. He seems only to grow more and more upset the longer he is exposed to me. He saw me look down at him and he is reacting in this way, he answered derisively, turning back to Yugi. Yami had lost his angry snarling and chomping his teeth. But he was furiously pacing again. And he had begun growling and whimpering, perhaps even whining in a state of despair or maybe even panic. I should think he is afraid I will hurt you.

Yugi snorted, but a part of him felt warm and flush with the idea in and of itself. He nearly trembled with excitement at the thought. "Really?" he asked slowly, unsure of whether he should believe such a thing to begin with. It seemed so unlikely, but so much of him was desperate to do just that. Because it meant that some part of Yami was still in there; that he knew and still cared for Yugi in some way or another. But he realized how unrealistic it was and it made him ache to think of such a thing.

It would explain his behavior now. He tried to chase Ishizu from the den. And he is furious now that I have come here. He was angry the moment he spotted me coming into the cavern. Obelisk paused and looked towards him, wondering briefly at the idea of what torture might have been done to the black wolf beforehand. Had something happened to make him so spiteful and hateful towards him? He still had no idea the things that Yami had been forced through in that time he had been out of their lives. And he did not know how he was meant to see this in any manner. He did not think for even a moment that even Ra knew of what might have happened to him in that time either. I believe he is under the impression that I am going to hurt you.

"I doubt that would matter to him at this point."

Obelisk raised his eyes to Yugi's, considering him for a long moment. Then his ears flicked and he curled his lip back briefly. What is it that the two of you were doing when I called for you? You did not seem to be fighting then. I had not assumed the two of you to be at war with one another.

Yugi hesitated for a moment, glancing into the den as well. Yami spotted him and snarled but it was not with as much disdain as he'd reserved for Obelisk. Instead he pricked his ears forward, snarled as if telling him to get his ass back into the cavern, and glared at him with an expression of pure annoyance as if Yugi were nothing more than a disobedient pup. The small teen frowned for a moment, then pulled away. Immediately he heard Yami pacing again, snapping his teeth in annoyance.

"I had just drugged him and was putting him back on the tie out." He hesitated, then looked his hand over and showing it off to him once more. "And he gave me that in response."

The gray wolf looked somewhat pleased by the sight, almost snickering when he snorted and flicked an ear in response. A love bite, he teased before pricking his ears forward and looking at Yugi playfully. Bites through the hand are always considered a love bite.

Yugi snorted loudly. "In what world?"

The world of werewolves. The wolf flashed him a sloppy smile of all teeth and a long, lolling tongue. Yugi smirked slightly at the statement and shook his head after a moment or two before rolling his eyes. Any bite to the bone or on the hand is nothing but a little love nip. We like to show our affection by drawing blood and grinding bones.

"You're so full of shit."

He wagged his tail, eyes smirking brilliantly with amusement. Yes, well, I try. He paused after a long moment and turned towards the den with his ears flattened against his skull once more. It was a surprising sight to behold the way Yami strained at his collar and tried to back up against the wall to slip the chain over his head. But the angle was incorrect and he could not twist properly enough to slip away from its hold. Instead he backed further into the wall, panted pathetically, and tried to toss his head in an effort to relieve himself of the pressure of the chain around his neck. Obelisk looked sideways towards Yugi in surprise. He is trying his hardest to remove that chain from around his neck. I have never seen an animal move in such a manner to get loose of something before.

Yugi thought briefly of videos he'd seen with wolves trapped within metal bear traps. He'd seen them writhe and roll about the floor in a panic. He saw in his mind the way that the canines would twist and roll and whine and bite at the metal in a state of disorientation. They would simply roll and flip upon their back and onto their feet and back and forth as quickly as they could. They would try to angle themselves properly, miss the opportunity, try again and then flail as if they were too afraid of another predator coming to fight them amidst the pain swallowing their senses altogether.

"I'm going back in there. I'll see if he'll calm down some."

Obelisk did not get the chance to so much as blink before Yugi disappeared from his sight and moved into the den. He lowered his head, watching, as Yugi moved to take a seat just beneath the dip of the den where Obelisk could just see him, though mostly his hair poking over the top of the stone behind him. The small teen was seated rather effortlessly there, legs crossed. But the sight of him being there made the black wolf halt in his actions of pulling his collar off.

He'd gotten himself tangled, his paw caught in the chain, but he did not react further than staring at Yugi in shock. He looked stunned for a brief moment, puzzled by the sight of the other wolf in front of him. And then he blinked, flicked his ears, and slunk closer to the small boy. But Yami did not move to the edge of his chain, nor did he strain himself to get more than a foot nearer him. He simply blinked, moved back several steps, and lay down when he found himself at a comfortable distance from the lycanthrope in question.

How strange.

Yugi blinked and tilted his head back. Yami snarled when he noticed Obelisk looking down at them. His fur rose into a bristle and he lunged at the edge of his chain. He snapped his teeth and pricked his ears forward and bit at the cold air angrily. Yugi immediately turned to him again and the gray wolf lifted his head away from view. In an instant the black wolf lowered himself back onto all four paws, tilted his head, and considered the entrance for a long while.

He seems almost to recognize you even now.

The small teen nearly scoffed. "I think he knows more that I've fed him. I don't think he remembers me at all."

He doesn't have to recognize you to remember you. He simply has to know that you give him a feeling of familiarity and he will soon find himself comfortable with you once more. The gray wolf was silent for a long minute, eyes flickering as he took a seat. Yami growled but he was not lunging or snapping his teeth. Instead the other wolf simply moved to lay back down with his ears pricked forward and his lips curled briefly. A few moments passed and then his lips fell back and the tension eased from his body but for the bristle upon his bony shoulders. He will remember later.

Yugi looked at him for a long moment. Then he sighed softly and shook his head slightly with a frustrated exhale. "How long do you think it will take?" he asked after a long handful of seconds. He frowned and shook his head again, biting his lip before lowering his eyes. "I mean, what's your best idea as far as the range of time it might take him to recover his memory?"

He was quiet in turn. Then he snorted. I will not say more than a week at the most. I doubt that it will take longer than that. The gray wolf hesitated for a moment. When he poked his nose down again, Yami snarled and started to rise to his paws. Obelisk pulled away again and Yami growled but settled after a long moment. Yugi looked at Yami for a long minute, then towards Obelisk and back. Was he truly upset by the idea of the other wolf being near him? Or was it simply that he saw Obelisk as a greater threat than he did himself? I do not think his memories are as heavily buried as his nightmares are.

The small teen stiffened considerably. "His nightmares?" he repeated as a sense of anxiety crashed through his insides. He shivered and shook his head, swallowing hard and feeling slightly overwhelmed by the very idea. How many nights had Yami suffered through them alone? How many nights had he clawed his arms open in a desperate panic in order to wake himself, sickened and confused and waking to a mess of blood and cut muscle? Yugi was horrified just thinking of that.

His nightmares, Obelisk stated with little care. He was dismissive and simplistic in his tone before he slowly pricked his ears forward and looked away without a second glance. He suffers them just as the rest of the world does.

Yugi bristled, tempted to snap at him in response.

But then the gray wolf shook the statement off, shedding the small teen's anger as if it were merely water in his pelt. He did not move beyond the task of focusing on Yugi long enough to say, It does not matter, Yugi. The fact remains that he is here before you now and he will recover his memory soon enough. It does not matter that one day he does not remember you. It matters that one day he will and it will happen sooner rather than later. I cannot name the day it shall happen, but it shall come to pass at some point.

Yugi shivered and shook his head as he looked at Yami. The black wolf looked so tiny and thin, like a dark twig amongst the dirt. He seemed incredibly shaky and tired, as if he had been beaten senselessly by something or other. He looked as if he had been drained of energy and exhausted so forcefully that it would knock the wind from his lungs. He appeared sick and small as he lowered his chin to his paws. And, as Yugi watched with a shocked expression, the red-eyed wolf seemed to drift to sleep.

Obelisk seemed amazed as well, mystified as they looked at one another. The gray wolf shook his head, surprised, and then flicked his ears as he considered the lupine in question. The darker canine seemed incredibly small and tired, as if the world were stretched upon his shoulders and pinning him there as well.

The teen blinked, moving to cross his legs once more, tucking his feet under his thighs and tilting his head in consideration. He slowly looked over his shoulder to glance towards the gray wolf with a considerate expression.

The two of them were quiet for a long moment. Yugi wondered if talking would bring Yami to wake again. But some part of him doubted it, as the black wolf was too exhausted and hardly seemed capable of stirring at any moment.

Yugi sighed softly, closing his eyes, and then shook his head. He would wait until Yami woke up again to bother with anything else. He was sure that Obelisk could wait to tell him anymore than what he already had if he was truly desperate for a conversation of some kind. He leaned back against the stone wall behind him and sighed loudly, too tired to bother with anything more.

---

The teen woke again only when the sky was almost too dark to see in the small cavern. It was shocking to him, the way that he'd startled into awareness so many hours after Obelisk had seemingly left. He supposed he had to have been gone for a while, that he must have wandered off for a while longer than Yugi knew him to have. The small teen ran a hand through his hair, nearly groaning under his breath. His skin was frigid with cold, a handful of snowflakes lying upon his clothes. He glanced outwards, seeing the thick flakes which were drifting about in the darkness. He could see them bright against the dark and he frowned as he looked about what little he could see in the forest beyond him.

But then he heard a shuffling noise. It was long and scratching. And Yugi blinked in surprise with wide eyes. His head turned, blinking again, and he frowned as he swallowed hard. He shifted his weight, tired as he reached up to rub at his eyes for a brief moment, and then shook his head again slowly. He leaned forward, looking about himself, and then froze in place.

Yami was moving in the dark. Against the shadows painted gray from the strained light which came through, the wolf was a large but somehow disgustingly small void of black. He shifted and moved about with barely even brief moments of pause. Yugi strained his eyes, blinking and worrying himself to see what was going on for the dark canine in front of him. Then he heard the scraping noise again. And he noticed the way his paw rose and fell, tucking and pulling.

His heart sank.

"Yami."

The word was enough to make the wolf halt. His head lowered, his paw pressed into the dirt again, nails clicking in the silence of the small den. He blinked and his eyes flashed brilliant red when he shifted his weight and turned only slightly towards the entrance. In an instant Yugi felt dizzy upon their eyes meeting, the sense of surprise coming through him before he could even think straight.

"Hey, stop that." He hesitated, then shifted to stretch stiff limbs that popped with protest. The pain screamed through his limbs, his weight making it harder than ever. His knees ached and throbbed. His heart skipped a beat as the red eyes bore into his, measuring and anticipating. "You don't need to dig up that stake. That's a bad idea, Yami."

The wolf flicked an ear. He narrowed his gaze. Then he snorted loudly. His paw moved again. He clawed at the chain that he had been shifting about in front of him. He looked tired and angry, more than mildly frustrated with the circumstances of being caught. The dark canine bristled briefly, the fur rippling along his body, and then he lowered his eyes and began to paw at the metal again. The grating noise it made caused Yugi to shiver for a brief moment. And then the wolf pricked his ears forward, shook his head slowly, and pressed upon the metal more pointedly. It sounded incredibly as if the wolf were simply baiting him to say something more.

"You don't need to dig up the stake, okay? I promise you're okay. I'm going to let you go soon enough. I just want you to recover some before I do," Yugi said quietly, swallowing hard, and he shook his head slightly as he licked his lips. "I don't want you to end up hurting yourself again just because you got loose and managed to get out. If the pack were to find you…"

The mention of the family unit made the wolf stiffen and turn to him slowly. His eyes were monotonous in the dark, a dull gleaming red much like bricks, and Yugi was not able to read his expression in the slightest. He could not understand the look in his gaze, nor the way his face seemed to morph within the darkness. It surprised him somewhat, how easily the red-eyed wolf seemed to peer at him so coldly and without care. Yugi felt sick to his stomach as Yami slowly moved forward a step. It was clear in the way he came forward a step that his intentions were far from easy. He snarled softly, ears pricked forward, eyes glowing, lips pulled back into a silent sneer. He looked like a wild, incredible predator, far beyond what his sleek form seemed to represent.

Yugi shivered. "Yami, I'm trying to help you, okay? I want you to remember that. I don't want you to get hurt any worse than you already are. I don't want you to get hurt at all, okay? I want you to heal. I don't want to see you any worse off than you… Are you okay right now? Are you sick? Are you at least well enough to think this through? You don't want to get yourself hurt for nothing, right? I mean…"

He did not honestly know why the little teenager spoke to him like this. In the back of his mind, the words translated correctly into the burdensome phrases the other spoke. But he hardly cared for them. He thought the words mere pinpricks of dull noise within his ears. It hardly made sense for the boy to speak such things to him. He did not think that the statement truly made sense in regards to himself.

When he crept closer, a shadow against the gray of the stone in the den, Yami wished for a moment that he might be lighter in coloring. Had he been he could have snuck up on the boy without much trouble. Surely the human would never have been able to tell him apart from the rest of the earthen den beyond him. He would never have known to look for his eyes. And he could have bitten through his throat and swallowed chunks of flesh before the larger solid gray wolf could ever have come to know of such a thing.

The hunger clawed at his belly. He wished for a moment that there were some small stones nearby. He would kill the small human boy. But he was incapable of reaching him. And he was not able to lunge forward beyond that chain which held him at bay. And he could not dislodge the collar from his throat.

But the boy was capable of doing such a thing. But he was sure someone else might find pity in their hearts to release him should they happen to come across him at some point. And he was starving with the intensity of which his belly gargled and demanded his attention. He shifted closer, wishing more than ever that he might be able to sink his teeth into the boy's soft flesh and swallow gulps of fresh, throbbing muscle and swiftly-dancing blood. He licked his lips at the very thought.

Then he launched himself.

But, as expected, he hit the end of the chain.

This time, however, the force of it knocked him off his paws. He yelped and shook himself out, shocked by the bite in his throat. He was amazed that he could still breathe and that he could even still see. The pain was so acute in his neck. And he wondered why it was that he could not feel blood beneath his fur, nor the hairs sticking to his skin. He flexed his paws and gulped in an uneasy breath of air, so tight in his lungs and cold against his throat that it made him tremble and feel worse.

He wanted almost to sob loudly. Had he been in a human skin, he thought he might have. But now he merely shook, trembling, and panted for air as desperately and hopefully as he was able. He felt sick and dizzy for a moment. And, had he anything in his belly beyond the bile in its pit, he might have puked it up in an instant. Instead he stumbled for his paws, standing tall and too slim to be normal. But his legs shook and his paws stung. He wondered at the sensation, but there was nothing more he could do than stand there without thought or consequence.

He swallowed and gulped and lowered his eyes for a moment. There were no small stones. There were no specks of blood left to lick from the dirt. He could not find any tufts of fur. And the human boy had not brought him food in the time that he'd fallen asleep.

He could do no more than take a seat, the ache in his belly making him reckless and merciless. His ears flattened against his head, the gargling growing an octave louder. He lowered his head and his mouth felt flecked with a stinging sensation. He flicked his tongue out to run over his nose, the sweat cold and glistening but salty enough that it made him ache further. He shifted his weight and swallowed hard, then shook his head and closed his eyes.

The human shifted his weight. The wolf opened his eyes and raised his head.

"Are you hungry?"

The words translated themselves but the canine could think of no way to answer. He could find no means of which he might speak in turn. Rather he closed his eyes again and lowered his head further, snarling under his breath as he slowly pricked his ears forward. The bile was cutting through his stomach lining so harshly that it made him want to puke. But there was nothing to expel and so he simply bore his teeth and flicked his ears unhappily, every part of him hateful and resenting of the human boy in front of him.

"You wait here, okay? I'll go and catch you something."

The words were so quiet that he almost did not hear them. Then his red eyes snapped open, his head turning towards him and his attention caught upon the small teen before him. The two of them stared at each other for a moment. And then the boy moved to strip, dropping his clothing to the ground. The wolf strained to grab at them, the scent strong enough to make him want to swallow them whole as he had the rabbit formerly. He wagged a raised tail, ears pricked forward and eyes glowing in the dark. He licked his jowls and shifted his weight uncomfortably.

The boy was gone in a pelt of white fur like the core of a thousand stars. He disappeared out into the snow beyond the den and the wolf whined as he reached a paw for the clothing pile those few feet away. He strained and struggled, winding himself with the effort. Each time the collar tightened and he whimpered in distress at the sensation. The bile rolled within his belly and he whined and paced. His entire body was shaking and tired, his thin legs all but shattered beneath his slight weight. He wanted to puke, his mouth opening wide and his teeth flashing. He wanted again to reach his paw out and try for the clothing.

But another part of him was hopeful in the most sickening of ways.

He wished more than ever that the boy would come back with food. He did not care in the slightest what the prey might be that he brought back. He cared only that he might tear off chunks and swallow them whole. It was dangerous how weak and small he was at the moment. He could feel it. His bones had become brittle. And he could hear them grinding each time he moved. He could hear them ringing in his ears, the pop making his heart ache as he paced rapidly.

He was dizzy and disconcerted. Food was in such short supply. He could not rely on himself to gather any. He was too weak and the animals might hear him before he saw them to begin with. He had suffered such a thing far too many times. He was tired of it. He was exhausted and hungry and he could not find it in himself to care to do more than wallow in this grief.

But then his mind turned to the spiral in the dirt. And his fur rose and fell in a rapid shudder of a bristle. He swallowed hard, his belly rolling with pain and roaring with mounting desperation. The need he felt in that moment was enough to make him tremble. But he remembered that damn metal in the ground. And he thought briefly of how it would give way beneath his weight if he pressed upon it hard enough. He shivered as his eyes fell upon it. If he could dig it up then he could escape. But he needed to find a way to get the damn metal from his neck as well. He had to find a way to relieve himself of this entirely. And then he could run.

He could find something or someone to kill and eat. He did not care anymore what it might be.

And he'd ruined his meal of the dead wolf in his fighting with that damn gray male.

He flicked an ear and lowered his nose to the metal. The earth was still somewhat disturbed, but the cold temperature had done well to mend its broken structure. He could feel the ache in his paw as he lowered his claws to shovel for the first time. He had not dug in what felt to be ages. But he understood the pain in his belly to be more powerful than his discomfort at such a moment. He could repair his broken paw pads and shattered claws when his belly was full.

He could heal…

He could heal and he'd be all the better for it.

He dug his claws further into the dirt. Then he used his other paw, balancing himself precariously. His belly roared again. His mouth opened wide with desire. And he shifted his weight to spread his hindquarters more purposefully. He shifted his weight, then clawed desperately at the earth. The hardened dirt was lodged painfully beneath his claws. The ache was enough to wind him briefly. And he snarled in discomfort at such a sensation. But it did not stop him entirely.

And so he dug harder, faster, struggling for the ability to find the metal spiral and pull it away from the earth entirely. He could think of nothing to help him further. And when he saw blood on the dirt, he had the impulse first to lick at the sand and swallow a mouthful. Then he thought to lap at the wound itself. But the pain was miniscule and he could not find it in himself to care much longer.

The spiral of metal was halfway unearthed when the boy came back. This time he was met with a panicked growl of, Yami, no, stop it! and the wolf spun in a mirroring state of mind. The white wolf came towards him too quickly. He pressed back a step. But it kept coming. And so he lunged.

The two of them collided in a hard knot of fur. Black against white, the two wolves rose onto their back legs to fight. The white wolf did not retaliate, however. As the darker canine bit into his face and tore a chunk of fur, the other moved only to drop to his four paws again. And then the other had moved away from him before he could blink. The black wolf opened and closed his mouth, panting and snarling as his belly ached and rolled and his paws bled and his jaws felt sore and his ears flattened against his head despite the dull ringing.

He paced a step, then whined and snapped his teeth, desperate and starving. The white wolf stared at him for a long moment, then looked back over his shoulder. His head snapped in the direction as well, body shuddering and shaking with desire. A small mouthful of dead rabbits were clumped in the entrance, where he must have been dropped them upon seeing his stance there. The white wolf, his fur like silken moonlight, looked at him for a brief moment with eyes as brilliant as the galaxy overhead with its bright blue-specked violet gaze. Then it trotted to the entrance again and hastily gathered the carcasses in his large mouth.

He was shaking, a pathetic cry leaving his lungs as he looked towards him in something of a panic.

Would he take the food away?

Would he simply flee with the prey in his jaws?

What would he do if he did?

He did not know that he could fight with him or argue against it in the slightest.

He whined and opened and snapped his jaws shut again, pacing pathetically in his growing anxiety.

Yugi watched him, saw the way he trembled and stepped back and forth rapidly. He was all but baying, miniscule croaks and panicked cries which made his heart shake. The white wolf flattened his ears, cheeks puffed outwards and pulled with the tension of carrying the burden of rabbit carcasses. They were all pale in color but for a gray and brown one that lay on the bottom and, as Yugi inched closer, he saw the hunger so vividly in Yami's eyes that he realized abruptly that he was going to lunge.

He dropped them.

The black wolf strained forward and reached a paw out, drool dribbling from his large jaws. He opened and shut his mouth, whined pathetically, and then clawed again. Yugi shifted forward, then pressed his own paw upon the nearest rabbit. Yami responded with a hideous snarl, snapping his teeth and staring at him with eyes full of a panic that shook Yugi to his core. The white wolf hesitated for a moment, then pushed the piece of prey forward. Immediately Yami snatched at it with his paw, pulled it back to him, and snapped it up in his teeth.

Yugi felt sick as the wolf plucked it up, held it in the air, and then slammed it back down as if it might need a killing blow. But the darker canine did it all the while staring at him, a clear message that he was starving and would fight him for what little food he could get. The white wolf shook his head, lowering his chin towards the ground, tucking his tail beneath his legs, and slunk forward in a hesitant pace. He whined, tucked his nose towards the prey, and then inched it away from himself and towards the other male.

In an instant Yami snatched it up as well. But he did not make a show of beating the rabbit against the ground. This time he simply dropped it again at his paws and glared at him. Yugi repeated the gesture, moving all seven of the rabbits to him. The dark wolf launched himself at them, swept them up in his own bony mouth, and then turned and trotted to the other end of the cavern to drop them and hastily lie upon his belly and dig into his meager meal. Yugi relaxed at the sight, glad for once to hear the hideous crunching of bones against canine teeth. Then he turned and stepped towards his pile of clothes, moving to curl up with his nose beneath his tail.

Yami ate the meal in what seemed to be mere minutes. He seemed to swallow the food away almost entirely, as if the rabbits were nothing more than simply air to be gulped down. But then he whined and his ears flattened against his head. He licked at his paws and got up to sniff at the ground for what felt like a long minute and then, finally, he raised and turned his head towards Yugi with a panicked expression. He whined, an unusually haunting and despairing noise, and the white wolf blinked before he got up again.

Do you want more? Obviously he did; the black canine shaking and flattening his ears against his head as he licked at his nose in a panic. The moments passed in an exaggerated manner, it seemed, and Yugi sighed softly as he shook his head and lowered his eyes. Give me a few more minutes. I'll get something. But you can't dig up that tie out. I'm serious. If I come back and it's not in that same spot, I'm going to be pissed, Yami.

The statement made the black wolf snort loudly, but he looked more desperate than arrogant now. And so Yugi sighed softly, flicked an ear, and turned to trot back into the snow. The flurry was enough to make the trees look almost completely white, the snow so thick that it was like standing in the forefront of a blizzard. But he felt small and tired as he licked his lips and hurried into the trees. He had found the rabbits by chance. And he could not entirely find more in the span of minutes he had before. He'd come across the warren by mere accident rather than anything else.

He frowned and shook his head and trotted forward as quickly as he could. He did not know if he should scale the mountain's ledges overhead or to simply head further into the trees to find a boar rather than a serow. The serows were easier to catch. But the boars were faster to run into. He would have to scale the ledges or he would have to go into the open. Either had their downfalls. Either could lead to him getting wounded.

He wondered if perhaps he should go to find the birds. Yugi looked around briefly. He could find that stupid quail farm once more. He could hunt them, dig them out of the snow and bite through their necks and carry them back. They were there. They would be the easiest catch he could possibly find. But the time that it would take to get there and back and potentially being caught by the people there…

He shivered and shook his head. Then he bristled and trotted forward as quickly as he could. The sound of Yami moving about in the dark did nothing to deter him from scaling the mountain and its various ledges beyond the den. The white canine pressed as closely to the mountain's side as he could, holding his place there to keep himself from perhaps stumbling or falling over the side. He scented the air, swallowing in mouthfuls in order to catch even the smallest hint of a smell for the serows that might possibly exist somewhere further up the mountain.

Yugi brushed against the stone again. Small patches of snow fell upon his coat for a brief second as he came in contact with it. Then he snarled, shaking himself out, and looked about the white flakes falling in such thick flurries swirling within the air. He swallowed and shook his head, flicking his ears, and hurried to step forward and race at a more convenient speed. He needed to know if he could find anything of the manner at the cusp of the mountain's slope. He did not know if there was anything truly awaiting his efforts there. And he did not want to leave Yami there for much longer on his own. It would have been foolish for him to trek his way up there and find his efforts fruitless.

Yami could dig the stake up at any moment. He could find his way out of that cave if Yugi was not careful. He needed to find the easiest prey he could in the quickest amount of time possible. If he failed in so simple a task he did not know what it was meant to do for himself. He shivered and shook his head, pricking his ears forward. He wished he had thought to get food to begin with. He should have gathered prey before he'd fallen asleep. He should have asked Obelisk to do the same.

He shook his head and his paws crunched into the snow. He hesitated, flicking an ear, and pressed closer to the stone. He could do nothing more than lick at his jowls. He considered the frigid chill of the air, hungry as he too considered the blood that had once coated his tongue. He'd savored the taste of the rabbit for those brief moments it had remained there. And he had hurried to reassure Yami instead of the meal he had meant to gather for him. The black wolf had seemed so terribly desperate and terrified that he would take the meal away at any moment. His heart shook at the very idea.

The serow he finally ran across was on a ledge only a few feet from him. Yugi leaped forward as he spotted it, rushing but keeping his mind prominently on the end of the stone pathway. He wondered what had caused it, if it was naturally formed or perhaps from thousands of serows moving about the path before then. Had they perhaps carved the little pathway? He shrugged the thought off and launched himself forward again. The serow managed to dodge, turning around in rapid succession to face him. But the prey animal was hardly powerful enough to fight him off to begin with.

Yugi was well aware of this, as was the animal itself.

The two of them stared at one another. He wagged his tail slowly and wondered if the goat-antelope could even truly see him. He supposed it was staring upon his eyes, watching him in an effort to find an escape route. Yugi attacked head on, the element of surprise long lost. The animal dodged aside, but the wolf turned with efficiency. The snow had done well to slow him from what could have potentially thrown him over the edge.

The ungulate backed up and twisted away from him. The action allowed it to drop onto the ledge below them. But the backwards glance was all Yugi needed. It stopped the animal from escaping him altogether and so he lunged. It was a powerful blow to the throat which ceased its actions. Yugi had jumped forward again, though more upwards than outwards. And the action was just enough to allow him to snatch the neck without losing his balance. In an instant the ungulate kicked and tried to toss him away.

And Yugi simply bit down harder.

A few moments passed. Yugi shook his head violently. The ungulate twitched and kicked. Then it tried to match his movements on stiff limbs. It braced itself for a harder toss. And Yugi bit down further. If he could perhaps angle the head enough to the side…

He lost his grip. The ungulate had kicked hard enough to dislodge him. But the animal lost its footing as well. And, as Yugi looked with a shocked, dismayed expression, the serow was sent over the side of the ledge. It fell violently, tumbling, the snow rolling in the air with each movement, and Yugi hurried forward to meet it at the bottom. But, as he tried to catch up, the animal seemed to find its footing again. And, as it rose to his feet, the goat-antelope shook itself out. It whistled out a shaky warning breath, turned, and prepared to jump away.

Yugi pushed himself rapidly for the prey animal. If he did not move fast enough, it would escape. And he did not think he could allow such a thing to happen in the slightest.

But he needn't have worried.

In a flash of dark gray fur, the serow was effectively slaughtered.

Bright red coated the ice and Yugi nearly tripped over his own paws in shock.

He landed in a tumble, then rose to his feet again with a simple shake of his coat. He stumbled and frowned, ears pricked forward and breath somewhat heavy with disbelief. He blinked in the darkness, sighed softly, and then padded forward uncertainly. That was mine, was the stupid statement that left his mouth. Had he been human he would have blushed and ducked his head with his hand over his face, horrified by the thought. But now he simply flattened his ears and fought the urge to duck his head and turn away.

Obelisk looked over with a bloodied muzzle, amusement in his eyes. And you're an idiot, he stated simply, shaking his head. He licked the red from his jaws and shook himself of the snow falling from the heavens. Yugi shivered and looked up for a moment, finding the sky a hideous shade of gray that looked almost sickly. Then he turned back, relieved not to have to face such a thing anymore, and watched the darker wolf with a slight tilt of his head.

What are you doing here?

I came to speak to you. But then I saw the serow and I noticed you up on the ledge. So I figured I would finish off the kill since you seemed unable to yourself.

I wasn't unable. I was just…not very good at it.

Obelisk snorted. Whatever you would like to tell yourself at the end of the night, Yugi. He fell quiet for a long moment before he flicked his ears and then pricked them forward with a shake of his head. Now, as for the serow, is this what you plan to feed to him?

Is it so obvious?

You have never been so willing to hunt for yourself before. I see you in this state of mind, willing to kill and eat, only when it comes to Yami.

Yugi flicked an ear. Eating raw meat isn't even that great, he huffed. But his mouth was watering and he wished he could dig his teeth into the prey animal once more. He was starving as he thought of this but his most prominent instinct was that of feeding the black wolf. The white canine flicked his ear, shook his head, and turned back to Obelisk more pointedly. Well, anyways, the point is that I planned to drag it in there and let him eat it for a while.

The gray wolf nodded almost dismissively. You would have to place it against the stone formation in the back, I am sure. There is not truly much room within that small den.

He nodded in response, the same nonchalance in his action as had been in the deity's. Then he sniffed, turned away, and grabbed at the ungulate's torn throat with his jaws. For the briefest of moments he had the impulse to dig his teeth into the piece of prey. He was hungry and his mouth watering. But he doubted that Yami would be very happy to find him taking a bite of food from him, no matter how small. Yugi shrugged it off, salivating heavily, and then tugged.

Do you truly plan to simply let him eat this the entire time? You have no intentions of taking a bite for yourself?

If I did I would have done it by now. He paused and tugged harder, the muscles rolling beneath his pelt and his bones seeming to almost sharpen beneath the strain. The wolf kept his grip firm, then backed up further and clenched his teeth more pointedly into the animal's neck. The canine released it a moment later, turning and moving to circle the carcass and then push at it with his nose. He would not risk hurting himself by way of stepping backwards with the serow in his jaws like that. He needs it far more than I do anyways.

Obelisk flicked an ear. Hmm. He was noncommittal and lazy in his response. Yugi did not grace him with so much as a sideways glance. Then he pushed harder at the prey, shoving it headfirst into the den and hurrying to jump in after it. They recovered Marik's body.

Yugi faltered, his momentary pride in having done such a task leaving him in a rush. He blinked, pricked his ears forward, and then turned to look over his shoulder. And? he asked slowly. Had they caught his scent on it? Had they rightfully assumed him to have killed the gray and tan wolf?

And nothing. I simply wished to tell you. Ishizu is being doted on for the moment and no one seems to suspect you in the slightest. He paused after a moment, tilting his head and flicking an ear. Do you have an idea for what needs to be done regarding your friend's father?

The white wolf paused again, freezing in place in surprise. He blinked, flattened his ears against his skull, and curled his lips back. No, I had not even considered it before. I'm rather surprised that you even remembered it.

Obelisk snorted and flicked an ear. Why be surprised by such a simple thing? He shook his head slowly. You forget that I am a deity. I remember a lot of things. And even if I were not a god, werewolves have perfect recollection.

Yugi nearly scoffed at him, shaking his head. He turned to pad into the den. His eyes shot to the figure at the other end of the cavern and he relaxed as he saw the wolf seated there, salivating heavily and twitching with desire. He shifted his weight from one paw to the next with a slightly annoyed, impatient expression, and licked his lips rapidly.

I'm more curious about whether you had some kind of plan for it.

I'm heavily tempted to simply kill him. Obelisk fell silent again. But I shall not need to.

Yugi paused and then turned his head, bewildered by the idea. He tilted his head and flicked an ear. Yami whined in desperation for a moment, his belly growling loudly. What do you mean? What are you…? He's not going to die, is he?

The other wolf sniffed disdainfully. It is not the right of Atem to know where death lurks. Just know that it is in your shadow and you will find great misery in the times to come. The deity paused for a moment, then got to his feet again where he'd taken a seat in front of the den. I have other things to do, Yugi. I have no reason to remain here. I will see you in passing later, yes?

The white wolf was nearly shaking for a moment. Then he licked his lips and shook his head. Yes, he answered, turning back to Yami with a small wag of his tail. He hesitated for a moment, then moved to snatch the serow by the neck again once more. He dragged the ungulate forward, then nudged it with his nose to put it within range of the wolf. The black canine tried to gather it in his mouth as well, catching a foot by his teeth, but could not find the proper traction and did not have enough room to allow him such movement.

Hold on, Yami, he said softly, wagging his tail slowly. I'll take it over there if you don't attack.

The black wolf hesitated, trying again to tug it and then whining in discontentment. He paused a moment longer, stared at Yugi curiously, and then whined as he tried to pull the carcass closer with his paw. He could not get a grip in the slightest, whined in dismay, and then finally turned and trotted to hide behind the stake as if it might give Yugi more reassurance. The white wolf nodded, wagging his tail again, and nudged the serow away again with his nose once more.

Yami was trembling in the corner of his eye. Yugi nearly snorted in amusement.

The white wolf leaned forward and stepped over the ungulate to grab at the back leg and drag it behind the stone formation as well. He dragged it back, away towards the wall, then allowed its leg to fall back into place and moved around to get to the other side of the carcass. Immediately Yami licked his lips and launched himself forward. Yugi was horrified, as he took a seat, to see that the wolf was biting and swallowing the fur in his mouth as he tugged it away from the flesh.

He wished he could have told him not to, could have pleaded with him otherwise. But he could still hear his belly and the way his jaws worked so quickly to strip away the fur and try for the meat beneath. He shivered and shook his head, lowering his eyes. Yugi did not want even in the slightest to look towards Yami now, feeling mildly sick and bewildered by the very idea. He was so desperate for food, so hungry that every attempt to find a meal was enough to make him lash out as violently as he possibly could.

Yugi shivered at the thought. Then he took a seat and looked towards the other male with a flash of pain in his heart. He could not think for even a moment how terrible it was what the black wolf was going through. He had to be starving. He had to be all but robbed blind in that sense. And no wonder he was so hateful and resentful. He had no reason to be happy in the slightest when it came down to it. Yami was, for a better part of it, more or less forsaken by the gods where his hunger was concerned.

---

If he kept Obelisk as the beta for a while longer, it would allow him time to nurse Yami back to health. But the problem came down to the fact that perhaps Yami was not going to be fit to run as his second-in-command again. If that were the problem, what was he meant to do about it later? He had no idea what he should do or say in regards to the rank. And he doubted Yami would have much of an opinion on such a thing for a long while, if ever at all. The black wolf would go by what it was that Yugi asked of him. He knew that. It was one of the things that struck Yugi as foolish but also made him feel incredibly good about the black wolf being by his side.

His loyalty was unwavering in that way and Yugi felt immensely grateful, nearly empowered by the very idea. Yugi was struck by the idea that the wolf might hold such powerful feelings for him in that manner, willing to do anything and everything at all to ensure he was safe and or mildly happy. He did not think for a second that he would go further than comfortable for his own sake, though he remembered briefly how Yami had said that sex with him would fix all the woes in his life.

He shivered, then dusted himself off and paced forward again. Yami had gorged himself almost relentlessly on the food. He had swallowed large mouthfuls of meat in mere seconds. And he had looked incredibly hungry and shaky in that way. His face had been smeared with blood, covered, and Yugi found his teeth running over his nails. The layers of keratin split beneath his incisors. He tore at them, allowing them to drop away briefly to the stone. He shook and tilted his head, frowning, and considered the wolf asleep in the corner of the den.

The serow had been gutted, the organs swallowed away and pulverized where they remained. Yugi was surprised by the hollowed belly and the meaty paste which showed within its stretched flank. He bit harder at his nail and blood touched his tongue for a brief second. He thought briefly of what the serow so often smelled like, sweet and yet slightly sour. He was hungry for a split second, belly growling briefly. Then Yugi licked his lips, shook his head, and sighed loudly.

The wolf's ear twitched. Then his eyes cracked open, a bleary slit of dark red. The dark canine blinked, looked forward into the den, and then lifted his gaze upward to regard him curiously. Feeding him so much had done well to restore some of the ease the wolf had formerly possessed while around him. And the reality of it made him shiver as he bit harder at his nails.

"Go back to sleep," he muttered softly, shaking his head briefly. "It's not a big deal. Go ahead and go back to sleep, okay?"

Yami was silent, though Yugi doubted for even a moment that he might push words into his mind as well. The wolf stared at him for a long minute or so, his eyes sharp and silent as he considered him for that stretch of time. He finally moved to lay his chin upon his paws and close his eyes once more, shifting his weight to grow more comfortable. Then he began to breathe more evenly, though Yugi was sure in the back of his mind that the wolf was not asleep yet as of that moment.

Yugi remained quiet for as long as he possibly could, closing his eyes for a brief moment and then sighing loudly and pacing once more. He wondered if Obelisk knew the extent of which he would go through for this wolf in front of him. And he wondered not for the first time if perhaps Slifer ever wondered at what love felt like, as he felt somewhere deep in his bones that perhaps she had never known it formerly. The small teen let out a deep breath, opened and closed his mouth, and then lowered his eyes briefly to the wolf once more. The canine was watching him from narrow slits of red again.

The teen smiled faintly at the sight. A part of him was desperate to ask if perhaps Obelisk would fight for his place within the pack. It was a considerable question, an idea of which he wondered the consequences of. He ignored the way the thought made his skin crawl for a split moment. His heart was in his throat, his mouth dry as he shook his head and ignored the pain that had bloomed in his belly.

He was more than slightly lucky that the gods had taken so well to his request in the first place. And he was more than only mildly lucky to have an alpha that had helped him survive in the first place. He was grateful to see that Yami was there before him now, even if he was not entirely healthy at the moment. He could count his blessings as it was—on his fingers for the most part. He had friends, he had his family, he had Yami, he had Obelisk and Slifer, he had his infection to help him, he had good grades. It was a strange concept, three of these additions making his heart ache for a brief moment as his belly began to writhe.

He had never truly considered any of it to be a blessing before. But now he wondered at how differently he felt and it made him feel warm and soft for a brief moment. He felt incredibly good to know that his initial instinct now was to consider it a better thing rather than a hindrance as he had formerly. He was pleased to find this, more than slightly in all actuality. It had been exhausting blaming the lycanthropy for so much as he had. It had been enough to make him feel tired and annoyed more than anything. And he felt terrible for the idea of what he had formerly considered it now as he thought it over.

Yugi was relieved to think that he'd been able to think so clearly of it as a blessing, a move in a direction that made his heart skip beats with satisfaction. It was amazing to him how much such a thing could have changed in such an amount of time. He could not remember how long it had been since he'd been bitten—two months? Three? Perhaps even four?—but it had certainly changed his perspective. It had helped him to grow more, even if he so often wished to hide away behind such blindness he'd owned before then. He'd been able to turn the other cheek and ignore it all. He'd been able to pretend that he wasn't suffering more than night terrors and hallucinations and the occasional migraine and anxiety attack. He'd been able to pretend that his grandfather was not interested solely in some mythology that he'd been chasing for years prior to his birth, but that he was simply testing his hyperosmia for the fun of learning what he could and couldn't smell with such a heightened olfactory sense.

He swallowed hard and licked his lips, shaking his head as he turned to Yami briefly. The black wolf was fast asleep, sides rising and falling in a steady formation. The canine had moved to lie down on his side, his ribs visible and harsh in definition beneath his fur. The thought was rattling, but he remembered soon after the way that he had seen Yami's ribs that first handful of nights he'd been sleeping on the couch. He'd seen and felt terrible but the wolf had recovered so simply and almost at a reasonably extraordinary speed.

But he didn't know for sure how many days or weeks or months it might take for Yami to recover fully. And if he did not know that, what was to say that he could ever achieve it? The thought made his mouth grow dry and he bit at his nails again, flinching when pain came in a wave and blood specked his tongue again. He shook his head, flustered and slightly annoyed by the sensation, then sighed softly and looked away. He could give Yami however much time was necessary to ensure that he was healthy at the end of the day, but he did not know how long he would be capable of spending the amount of time with him that he had so far. It seemed almost impossible now that he considered it, because when he thought about it, he did not know how long he could skip school like this. And he already did not have a pass for the rest of the week as he planned to skip through that as well.

He drew in a deep breath. Yami's ear flicked. Yugi blinked as a sound reached his ears. In the corner of his eye Yugi saw Yami raise and turn his head in unison with him. They both peered past the snow in the lip of the den. The sound of the ice crunching was enough to make Yugi slightly nervous. He still had not outgrown the feeling of someone following and watching and tailing him. The small teen had doubled back several times, leading off towards the river and then traveling atop its frozen surface for several miles before finally stepping away and hurrying off. It was mildly alarming to him, how easily swept up he'd become in the need to save Yami that he'd overlooked the possibility formerly of someone following.

And, had they had dogs, the backtracking would have worked for a limited time. It was nothing he could sustain for long, as they would have caught his scent with limited effort. It was not hard for him to consider that they would have followed them. It was hard to bury the pain that the very thought brought. He had no idea if there was any true way that he might come across the reality of such possible devastation. Yami could be killed right in front of him if he was not careful enough. And no matter whether he ran in his wolf form or he stumbled along in his sneakers, it would always be clear he had been there, because anyone could follow his tracks within the snow.

There was so much that it was impossible to miss when someone moved within it.

He could even detect when the mice and rabbits moved about in it. He could hear them. He could see the way the snow sagged only slightly as the field mice moved beneath. And he could spot a rabbit within seconds of hearing it there. It was enough to give him an idea of where to hunt. But it was horrifying as he could not stop himself in any manner. The thought made him want to puke as he focused on the noise of the other approaching. Yami was sitting up now, he realized, sniffing lightly at the air but seeming to draw at a blank towards anything coming. And so he began to get to his feet, shaking himself out, his fur moving to give a brief illusion of muscle and power before it fell slack again. And then he was merely skinny, so much so as to make Yugi throw up and his head spin.

Atem?

Yugi nearly dropped with relief. "Hey Ishizu," he commented softly, breathing in deeply and then shaking his head briefly before smiling faintly. He saw Yami flick an ear, staring once more at the entrance as if he might be able to scare away whoever might have been brave enough to come there. And the small teen smiled a little wider at the idea, tilting his head as he considered the dark-furred wolf. "Relax, aibou."

In an instant those dark eyes flickered to his, ears pricked towards him in consideration.

"It's okay." He smiled a little wider, amused when the wolf snorted and sniffed again, paying more attention to the intruder than he was the teen. Yugi rolled his eyes and turned back to the entrance. Now he could make out her paws, impressively large despite her feminine build. "Is it sunset already?"

She stepped into the den, shaking herself of fresh snowfall, and Yugi shivered at the sight. She had looked like some dark ghostly figure when the white had been against her long coat. He frowned faintly at the idea, wondering briefly who might die next, and his head was spinning with the concept. Immediately he glanced towards Yami, a prickling feeling creeping through his skin for the briefest of moments. Then he turned back again as quickly as he could, relieved by the fact that Yami did not understand the title he had called him by. He swallowed hard, licked his lips, and then lowered his eyes.

It is time for me to relieve you of your stay here, Ishizu said in a voice that seemed to lean towards the idea that she herself had caught the word and was unimpressed by its many implications. But, should she have asked, Yugi would have simply said it was meant in friendship rather than affection beyond such a sense. He could have lied as simply as this, but he doubted it would have done him well. He doubted his voice would have failed to break beneath the weight of the statement. And so he simply tilted his head, watched her a moment longer, and then nodded. I will see you in the morning, yes?

"As soon as possible," Yugi promised without a second thought. He paused, glancing at Yami briefly as the wolf moved to circle about to the stomach of the serow and take a bite. The teen smirked in amusement, shaking his head. Yami was truly trying to stake a claim on the meal? Of course Ishizu would not bother to try to fight him for it, nor did he think for even a second that she would try to steal a bite from the black wolf.

He wondered again what visions she might have had before, how unsurprised she had been upon seeing her former beta there. He wondered if perhaps she would have been the one to see him and it made him feel sickly for a brief moment.

The gods had not been able to see him.

Yet, perhaps, somehow, Ishizu had.

The thought was incredibly daunting, almost enough to knock the air from his lungs altogether. He swallowed hard as he considered again. What secrets did she know? How many lies and visions were hidden within those bright blue eyes? How many things could she predict that would come with certainty? How often had she been wrong?

He bit his lip.

She had been blessed with the ability when she'd been in the labs. And she had been given it by Ra herself. He could not find it in himself to think that she would ever truly be inaccurate. She'd been touched by the gods, after all. She had to know the moment that something would happen. She had seen her brother's death, Yugi's birth. She had seen him and watched him within the labs. She had witnessed a million different things that no wolf ever should have.

And now she was perhaps doing the same thing, staring at him with eyes that seemed full of cunning rather than amusement as they normally were. He shivered, licked his lips again, and shook his head briefly as he turned away to make his way to the entrance. He hesitated, then looked over his shoulder at her again.

"Tell me if anything happens when I'm gone."

Ishizu blinked, tilted her head, and seemed to laugh when she spoke again. Nothing will happen when you leave tonight. And nothing shall happen tomorrow when you return.

He shivered, undone by her easy statement, and hurried to remove himself from the cavern as quickly as he possibly could.

---

What were the odds that she might be wrong?

Yugi had not been able to do more than pace restlessly for the last handful of hours. He'd been exhausted when he'd come home, had spoken only briefly to his mother and grandfather, and had disappeared into his room without eating. His mom had knocked on his door and handed him a plate that he'd left untouched for the most part. Then he'd begun to pace, chewing nails bitten down to the quick, the beds bleeding and his fingers stinging from even the briefest movement of air against them.

He glanced at the window, thinking briefly that perhaps he could climb out and head to the den again. He could check on Yami and Ishizu, could make sure she was right in her statement. He could easily calm himself down again and try to find a sliver of sleep before the sun rose again. But the thought made him cringe, as if something would go wrong should he leave the house. Was someone lurking about, waiting for the chance to follow him this time? Had they been hovering, waiting and plotting?

He ground his teeth together.

He had felt that way for a while now, but there had never been any proof. And so he wondered if perhaps it was merely his paranoia which caused him to think such a thing. He licked his lips, turned on his heel again, and drummed his fingers against his arm to help reign in the stress which ate at his insides for the moment. He wanted to puke again, head spinning and mouth dry.

But what if, on the off chance, something did happen?

What if the universe decided that tonight would be the night to take Yami from him forever?

Yugi could feel it in the back of his mind. Something persistent and deadly nagged at him, sensing his weakness. He ground his teeth and shook his head. No, the gods wouldn't have given him back just to take him away again, right?

But how many days had he waited for them to return him?

How many days had he had him before he'd lost him? How long had they been together in the first place? Yugi couldn't remember any set of days. And the more he tried, the darker his perception of time got. The nagging began to grow in his skull. And his chest was beginning to feel tighter than ever. He hissed and drew a breath through his teeth. He narrowed his eyes and tried not to snarl in desperation. There were far too many fears creeping through his mind, too many questions and never enough answers.

Briefly he thought to reach his hands up and run through his hair. But instead they found his choker. It was an odd sensation, as if something were tugging there but not him himself. It was enough to make his head spin. His fingers tightened, tugging. And his breath cut off with a sharp noise, brief and painful. He gaped at the sensation, eyes burning at its touch. He loosened his grip. But the thoughts came back full force again. It was immediate and painful.

He saw a flash of bright red eyes in his mind. And there was no small splash of despair which came through his system. He shivered and his hands knotted. He choked. His choker strained in his fingers. Yugi tried for air and failed. And then he blinked against tears. Something burned within his stomach. Something lurched in his blood. Something writhed in his senses.

He wanted to puke. He wanted to lie down. He wanted to simply sit. He wanted to breathe. The pain in his head was a throbbing prick of needles. And his eyes were watering heavily now. He didn't know if he was crying or not yet. But he could feel them there, ready to race down his cheeks. He clenched his fingers against his choker. And then he tugged again. It was harsh enough to make the fabric cut into his skin. He could feel the sting of the pain in his neck. He bristled at the sensation. But there was also a surprising rush of energy that came as well. And the thoughts halted for a brief moment.

He released his choker. But the pressure of doing so made him tremble. And the thought of holding himself upright was excruciating, painful enough to make his body feel frozen. His lungs were too tight again. The thoughts were racing in his head. He couldn't think straight. Yami was back. But he wasn't with him. And the fact was that while she could see the future, he himself couldn't.

His hands reached up for his choker again. The fabric was pulled roughly, tightly. He tightened and bunched the leather. And it cut into his flesh harder once more. It was a sensation which made him dizzier than ever. And his head was racing as before. He could not see most of his room now. There were splashes of sky blue and dark indigo. But there was not much more. His eyes squeezed shut. His hands yanked again. How the leather did not split was beyond him.

The world seemed to spin about him. The air was too tight in his chest. His hands trembled. He pulled harder. Then he tugged until his throat felt too tight to breathe. He trembled and nearly fell. The needles and pins had grown tenfold. Tightness in his throat made his heart quicken. Adrenaline raced through him. His skin felt hot and clammy. He stumbled. Then he swayed. The pain in his lungs made him bristle.

He didn't know if perhaps he was choking himself to death or his heart might give out at any moment. He felt sick, dizzy. His heart was racing. His stomach was knotting. He felt almost as if he might vomit. But another part of him was lost in the darkness. He was gasping and sputtering, choking on the air. And then he found his other hand moving to clutch at his shirt. He was fisting the material. He was tugging it harder than ever. He was dizzy. And, he thought briefly, he swore he was going to die.