In the middle of the countryside, a black van ambled slowly along the bumpy dirt path. The tinted windows did not give away the identities of the passengers in the vehicle, however if one were to look closely they would see three silhouettes: Two humans, and one large dog.
In reality, all three of the van's occupants were supernatural beings known as werewolves, with only one of them in their true form.
Within the van, Orihara Izaya stared out at the passing scenery with curious red eyes. He dug his claws into the seat as they drove over a particularly large mound of dirt, the van rocking up and down before settling as they returned to flat ground.
The countryside was beautiful, but they had been driving through it for what felt like hours. The informant turned wolf was beginning to grow impatient (As impatient as one could be when they were still getting used to becoming a supernatural creature).
"How much longer until we get there?" He asked as he tore his eyes away from the passing rice fields, and focused on the two werewolves in the front of the van.
The man in the driver's seat glanced at Izaya in the rear view mirror, his pale gray gaze sending a shiver up the black wolf's spine. "Not much farther." He turned his attention back to the road.
Shiro's human form was even more intimidating than his wolf form (In Izaya's opinion). He had white hair and extremely pale skin. Across his face was a myriad of scars. He had a large diagonal cut that went from his lower jaw to across his right eye, with a piece of his bottom lip scarred over. Right where his shoulder met his neck was a large chunk of scar tissue.
In the passenger seat, a young woman brought her head all the way around to glance at the wolf. "Oh, you'll love it here, there's fresh air and plenty of room to run! A perfect place to learn to be a wolf! This is where Shiro and I learned all our moves too!" She placed her hand over her mouth, and giggled. "You should have seen the first time he tried to hunt! The rabbit turned him around and scratched him all over! He wouldn't hunt for a week after that!"
The stoic man in the driver's seat visibly deflated. "Mizuki…" He grumbled as his shoulders slumped, his long nails scratching at the steering wheel.
Mizuki giggled again, and waved her hand at the man. "Sorry, sorry! I can't help it, that's one of my favorite stories!" She turned her brown eyes back to Izaya and winked. "The full story is even funnier!"
The girl who had accompanied them was Shiro's wife. She had long brown hair that ended at her waist, with sideswept bangs. Perched on her nose were a pair of circular wire frame glasses, and behind those were a pair of warm brown eyes. Compared to her stoic husband, her skin was clear of damage except for one spot: a large scar on her calf.
Izaya looked between them as he shuffled his paws on the car's back seat. He felt awkward around Shiro and Mizuki. Although he was "one of them", he was still an outsider looking in on their dynamics. He didn't know what to do or say, especially when trapped in his current form.
His fur covered sides expanded as he let out a large exhale and settled down with his head between his paws. He still had time before they would arrive at their destination, so he used that to reminisce on the events of the day before.
After the full moon had ended, all the other wolves changed back to their human forms except for Izaya. He had known that would happen after what the pack leader, Jinsei, had told him the night before, but a tiny part of him had still hoped it was some cruel practical joke.
The now human werewolves had left the building to return to their normal lives except for Shiro and his wife Mizuki. Jinsei has requested that they take Izaya to 'the safehouse' and teach him everything that he needs to know.
Not only was he trapped in the form of a wolf for a month, he was spending that month in the middle of nowhere with two other werewolves, one of which greatly disliked him.
Would anyone notice he was missing? Namie would, but he doubted that she would care since her paycheck was an automatic process each month. Shinra might, if he wasn't too busy fawning over Celty. Shizuo would probably notice, but he would be happy that Izaya was gone, not upset.
Well, there's still Shiki- Izaya tensed up, the blood in his veins running cold as he remembered his boss. I just promised him I would hack the cameras for the footage and then I turn into a stupid dog for a month! He groaned and buried his snout against his paws. Ugh, he's going to kill me!
Before Izaya could descend further into panic, the van came to a sudden and abrupt stop. The only reason he didn't tumble to the ground was thanks to his strong claws digging into the seat once more.
"We're here!" Mizuki exclaimed as she hopped out of the car.
Shiro followed her out and went to the side of the van. The door slid open with a rumbling noise, letting the fresh air collide with the stale air of the vehicle after a long drive. His pale grey eyes regarded Izaya coldly as he motioned his head for Izaya to leave the van as well.
Slowly, Izaya scooted to the edge of the car's plush seat and bunched up his muscles. He jumped off and landed on the soft grass below, his legs shuddered at the sudden impact and he stumbled for a few pawsteps before righting himself.
Finally free of the stuffy van, Izaya found that his nose was overwhelmed by dozens of new smells. Unlike the city, however, none of those smells left him feeling sick or dizzy, so the amount was manageable.
When his eyes gazed at the world around them, he found that they had stopped in front of a traditional Minka house. The wooden building was old, but still in surprisingly good shape. Surrounding the building was a large expanse of forest that seemed to stretch on for miles, and it looked like the only way to get to the house was through a tunnel of trees. Izaya was surprised the van managed to fit through them at all.
Looking back at the house, Izaya hummed thoughtfully. "So this is the safehouse?" He guessed.
"This house belongs to Jinsei's family," Shiro's calm voice melded well with the peace of the forest. "He inherited it after he had been turned into a werewolf. He decided to use it as a place for our kind. We can come here and learn more about our new form, and we don't have to worry about being discovered. It's kind of like our safe haven."
Those pale grey eyes looked into Izaya's red. "Tonight, I'll take you into the forest to show you how to understand being a werewolf. There's a lot to learn, but don't worry, we'll get through it all before the next full moon."
Izaya sighed and shook his head irritably. "But why do I have to learn it? I don't want this… I don't want to be a werewolf. I want to be a human…" His heart skipped a beat and a feeling of sudden sadness overtook him.
It had taken Izaya years to admit he was just a simple human being, but when he finally did, it was no longer true.
He whimpered and flattened his ears, turning his eyes down to the green grass below him. "I want... I want to be me…"
After a few moments of tense silence, a strong hand gently landed on his head. "I know how you feel..." Shiro promised him, his voice much more tender than it had been a few moments ago. "But you have to understand, the wolf is you. It has been you since the moment you were bitten. Nothing can change that now."
The comforting hand retreated and Shiro began to walk towards the old building. "Come on." He motioned for Izaya to follow him. "We should get some rest, it's going to be a long night."
Izaya nodded his head and slowly followed after the other man. He pushed away the sad and confused thoughts that had plagued his mind the past few days, and idly wondered what Shiro had planned for him.
Well… I suppose I'll just have to wait and see.
When the sun had set and darkness overtook the countryside, Shiro led Izaya away from the old wooden house and into the forest.
The man moved fast, and Izaya struggled to keep up. The rocks bruised his paw pads, leaves from bushes tickled his nose, and the wind rustled his messy fur. He was thankful for his new night vision, otherwise he would have lost the other werewolf a long time ago.
His eyes turned upwards to the sky, where the large moon beamed down on them. The light from the moon was warm and comfortable, as if being held in a mother's embrace. He wondered why he felt that way.
He returned his gaze to Shiro just as the man stopped. He yelped and skidded to a stop as he looked back up towards the other werewolf, and then scanned the area where they had stopped.
It was a small clearing surrounded by trees and foliage, with healthy green grass underneath them. The trees were tall, with large plumes of leaves on their branches. They nearly covered the sky, except for a small hole that the moon peeked through. It was as if the trees were respectfully moving their branches aside for the astronomical body.
When he looked back towards Shiro, he found that the man was looking up at the moon with a smile on his face. He stared for a few seconds, gazed around the clearing, and then nodded. "This place is perfect." He turned to Izaya with the smile still present. "It's time for you to learn how to be a wolf."
Izaya huffed in confusion. "And how am I supposed to learn anything when you're still a human?" He questioned.
Shiro's smile turned into an amused smirk. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then, before Izaya's very eyes, he began to glow a gentle white color. His body began to turn transparent with the only things visible the white lines that outlined his body. Those lines floated upwards and morphed into the form of a large wolf. Then, the transparency gave way to the corporeal form as he landed on the ground with a soft thump.
The glow faded away, leaving a white wolf behind. Shiro opened his pale gray eyes and glanced at Izaya, their eyes now level with each other. "Is that better?" He asked.
Izaya's jaw had dropped, his wide red eyes stared at the wolf in confusion. "W-wait! How did…" He looked up at the sky, and then down at Shiro again. "But… But it isn't a full moon! How did you change?!"
Shiro's fur shook as he chuckled. "Werewolves can change at will, it just takes some practice." He motioned his snout to the moon. "The only day we have to change is the full moon. That's when the moon's the strongest."
Izaya followed the white wolf's gaze and sighed. "I'm so confused…" He admitted as he sat on the ground, lowering his head and shaking it side to side. "None of this makes any sense… I wish… I wish I could just be human again." I wouldn't take it for granted this time…
He heard Shiro sigh and the shuffling of pawsteps. The white wolf settled against his side, the warmth of his fur helping pull Izaya out of his thoughts. "Hey… It's okay to be confused or not know everything. I felt the same way when I first turned."
"Y-you did?" Izaya asked, letting his gaze settle on Shiro again.
The wolf nodded his head. "We all do. It's a big change, and one that takes getting used to." He stood up and nudged Izaya. "But once you learn how to be a wolf, you'll love it, believe me. It's way better than being a boring old human."
Shiro said the word 'human' in a slow, disgusted way. It was exaggerated, and it was obvious to Izaya he was only acting that way to cheer Izaya up.
"And no matter what, you'll never be alone," Shiro promised him with a firm look in his eyes. "You're in our pack, and we take care of each other no matter what."
Warmth blossomed in Izaya's chest. He knew that Shiro didn't particularly trust him, but that's why he believed all the words that reached his ears. Even though he disliked the informant's choices, he was still taking the time to help him understand the new situation he found himself in. Izaya appreciated it more than he could say.
Ignoring the churning nervousness in his gut, Izaya got to his feet proudly and gave a determined nod. "Okay, Shiro. Show me how to be a wolf."
Shiro's tail wagged for a moment as he nodded. Stalking into the center of the clearing and motioning for Izaya to follow, he asked,"What can you smell?"
Izaya stood near Shiro as he raised his nose upward, sniffing the air. There was an overwhelming jumble of smells, he could barely make out any of them. "Erm… The grass… Mud… Trees?" He guessed.
Shiro chuckled. "You're thinking like a human, not a wolf. You need to let your instincts help you. Close your eyes."
Izaya gave him an incredulous glance for a moment before sighing and letting his eyes slide shut.
"Now try again," Shiro's soft voice reached his ears.
Listening to the more experienced werewolf, Izaya took another few deep breaths through his snout. As he focused, the bundle of different scents finally began to separate into separate, discernable smells. As he began to pick them out, he realized he could tell exactly where they were coming from.
He smelt the difference between the fresh and dry grass around them, the different berries on nearby trees, and even the sap and bark of the trees themselves.
He could tell that Shiro was in front of him, a strong smell of old books and chocolate was his indicator. There were several scents that seemed to pass through the clearing, deer, mice, and birds; Those scents weren't as strong as Shiro's, Izaya guessed that meant they were older scents.
When he relayed all this information to Shiro, he heard the wolf make an approving noise. "Very good. Now, listen. You can hear every little thing in the forest."
Izaya kept his eyes closed as he listened. He angled his ears and caught the sounds of a mouse scuttling, an owl hooting in the distance, and the gentle scratching of squirrels climbing through the trees.
"And your paws can hear through the earth, even the smallest of movements."
He pressed his paws further against the Earth as he felt the gentle vibrations through it. Shiro's pawsteps next to him, the rabbit hopping in the underbrush beneath them, and the small rodent digging in the soil below them.
Izaya let out a soft exhale and opened his eyes. "There's so much…" He looked towards Shiro as his tail wagged. No wonder I got such a bad headache in Ikebukuro.
Shiro's eyes went from Izaya to the foliage around them. The informant saw the muscles under his fur bunch as he glanced back at him. "Keep up if you can." He challenged, and then took off into the forest in a sprint.
"Eh?! Hey! Wait!" Izaya took a few stumbling steps as he struggled to figure out how to run in the quadrupedal form.
He stumbled past the bushes in an awkward run, only to trip over an exposed root and crash into the ground. He blinked wearily and looked ahead of him, but Shiro was already long gone.
Izaya got back on his paws and shook his fur free of dirt. He glanced left and right, but he still saw no sign of the white wolf.
Shiro's words returned to his mind. "You're thinking like a human, not like a wolf."
Izaya closed his eyes again and took a deep breath. After a few seconds, he found the fresh smell of old books and chocolate once more. It was a straight trail deeper into the forest. He opened his eyes and began to run again.
His awkward gait returned, and Izaya had to stumble quickly to the side to avoid a tree trunk in his path. This led to him losing traction and falling into his side. He let out a frustrated growl. Why is running so hard?!
Let your instincts help you.
The informant forcefully reminded himself of those words again as he tried once more. He stopped trying to control the way he ran, and just went with what felt right.
Suddenly he was no longer stumbling like a newborn pup, he was running as though he had been a wolf all his life. The bushes and trees flew past him as he galloped further into the foliage.
A warm feeling rose up inside of his chest. Running through the woods, it was almost the same feeling he got when galavanting through Ikebukuro, dodging Shizuo. But there was something different about this… He just couldn't put his finger on it.
Izaya let that warm feeling stay as he ran after Shiro. It was about thirty seconds later that Izaya reached the end of the scent and slowed to a stop.
The scent doesn't continue from here, he must be around here somewhere. Izaya thought as he lowered his nose close to the ground and began to smell.
The scent made its way from the straight line he had been following towards the bushes to his right. He ignored the ticklish leaves as he trotted past the bush and up to a tree. It seemed that the scent went straight up the tree… Wait… What?
Izaya pushed up his front paws and placed them against the tree trunk so that he could look up into the tree itself. At the top of the trunk, relaxing against the branches, was none other than Shiro in human form.
"Hey!" Izaya called out from the ground as he stomped his paw against the tree trunk. "That's not fair!"
Shiro smirked down at him. "You found me, didn't you?" He slid his legs off the tree and jumped down.
By the time he hit the ground, he was back in his wolf form. Shiro crouched down and let out a loud bark before he took off again, but this time Izaya was ready for it. He pushed off the tree trunk and chased after the white wolf.
They flew past trees and jumped over roots, the wind howled in his ears and his paws met the ground with soft thumps. He could feel his heart pounding as he picked up speed, that strange warm feeling returning to him.
Shiro to keep a small lead over the less experienced Izaya. But the informant broker kept a close eye on his surroundings, and noticed a small hill in their upcoming path.
As Shiro sprinted past it, Izaya veered towards it and tramped to the top. With a graceful leap he flew through the air and landed next to Shiro without falling over. The white wolf jolted in surprise and looked over at Izaya, his grey eyes glowing with emotion.
When Izaya looked into those eyes as they continued to run, he finally realized what the warm feeling in his chest was. In the forest, as a wolf, he felt no worries or responsibilities. He felt like he could run forever and ever.
He felt completely free.
The sudden realization sent a burst of energy through Izaya as he let go of any remaining hesitation. The two wolves sped side by side through the woods. They ducked under fallen trees and leapt up rocks.
After an exhilarating run they burst through the bushes and into a large field. The light of the moon beamed down on them as they both skidded to a stop.
Shiro stared up at the moon for a few moments as he regained his breath. Then he lowered his ears, raised his head, and let out a loud howl.
Izaya felt a chill go up his spine as the sound echoed through the meadow, the howl music to his ears. Even though he had only been a wolf for a few days, he understood exactly how Shiro felt. The freedom to run and explore, to be in a place where you belonged, it was exhilarating.
He angled his head back and let out his own chilling howl. Shiro and Izaya's voices mixed together and echoed throughout the meadow as they let anyone within the forest know that they were wolves, and they were free.
Shizuo found it difficult to focus on Shinra's stitching, the pinching sting of the needle entering his skin was barely noticeable in comparison to the seething rage that had overtaken his body.
"Annoying, annoying, annoying…" He growled out, the metal cup of water that Celty had given him now crushed in his clenched fist. "Annoying… Dammit, what a pain…"
It had been a routine job until he and Tom were surprised by the very person they were sent to collect debt from, who attacked them with a large switchblade. It seemed the debtor knew they were coming and was completely broke with no way to pay them back, so he resorted to violence.
Shizuo easily defeated the threat, but in the fight their crazed client still managed to get a few good slashes in. It quickly turned his mediocre day into a terrible one. He had to get stitches and tell Kasuka that the clothes he bought got ruined… again.
Celty patted his shoulder comfortingly. [It's okay, Shizuo. It won't scar, and your clothes can always be repaired.] She said, referring to the worst of his wounds, a sizable slice across his chest and the blood stained dress shirt on the nearby chair.
He knew he should have answered her. She was his friend and she was just trying to comfort him. But he couldn't find his voice, he was too busy glaring down at the sliced dress shirt with a low grumble in his throat.
Tom finished sipping out of his own un-crushed cup, and set it on the coffee table. He seemed to notice the tension that Shizuo was causing, as he decided to answer Celty for him. "It's been a while since someone has tried to jump us like that. I think we were both just a little surprised."
"Oh?" Shinra asked as he neared the end of his stitching. "You don't get attacked a lot?"
"Not usually." Tom picked up his cup again and swirled the liquid around with his straw. "Most people just make lame threats or try to convince us to give them more time. When we do get attacked, it can be pretty irritating."
Celty slumped her shoulders and shook her helmet. [Why would they even borrow money when they know they can't pay it back? It makes no sense!]
Shinra finished stitching the wound and set his tools down. "Well, addiction is a powerful thing, Celty! I know that very well! After all, I am absolutely addicted to loving you- Urk!"
A swift jab to his ribs from Celty stopped him from beginning a tirade about how much he adored the supernatural being. Tom chuckled at their antics, but his small smile faded away as he noticed that Shizuo still had an enraged expression on his face.
"Shizuo?" He asked, ready to calm his friend down if he had to. "Are you alright? If it's about the suit, you know Kasuka will send you replacements. He always does."
The blonde bodyguard tightened his grip even further on the metal cup. "That asshole had a switchblade…" He growled.
Tom raised his eyebrows for a moment before he understood. "Oh…"
"It has to be the flea He's been quiet for too long, he's up to something!" Shizuo angrily exclaimed,"Every time Izaya is quiet, it means he's planning to do something to this city! And then I get attacked with a fucking switchblade. It has to be the flea!"
Out of the corner of his eye, Shizuo saw Shinra freeze up at the mention of the pest. Suspicion instantly overwhelmed the blonde, and he whipped around to face the underground doctor. "What is it? What do you know?! Did he tell you what he's planning?"
Shinra quickly shook his head. "No, no, Shizuo-kun, it's nothing like that… It's just…" He sighed. "I don't think it's Izaya. Shiki-san visited me a few days ago with some news. Orihara-kun is missing."
Shizuo's anger faded in an instant, his face an expression of bewilderment. "W-what? Missing?" He grew suspicious all over again. "How do you know it's not a trick?"
"Because Shiki-san told me. Orihara-kun may mess with people, but he would never disappear without letting the Awakusu-kai know. He did some searching, but it's like Izaya just vanished. There's not even any footage of him leaving the apartment." A worried expression crossed the underground doctor's face.
"That could be a trick!" Shizuo vehemently insisted.
[I don't think it is…] Celty interjected. [Izaya always likes to leave with a big spectacle, like when you got fired from that bar and then he went underground. Shiki-san said that his apartment was a mess too, the desk and computers were broken and things were knocked over.]
Shinra nodded in agreement. "But the strangest thing is that he vanished right after a meeting with Shiki-san. He was talking to Shiki-san about a job, and then right after that he was gone…"
Shizuo wanted to try and come up with some other reason that it could be a big trick… But he couldn't think of anything. His mouth suddenly felt dry, and a pit of dread appeared in his stomach. "What do you think happened?"
Tom hummed thoughtfully from his seat on the couch, his eyebrows pinched together. "Izaya has a lot of enemies… Maybe he ran out of luck…" The debt collector morbidly suggested.
Shinra, who still looked concerned, shrugged his shoulders. "I guess we won't know for sure until he comes back…"
If he comes back. Nobody said it, but they all were thinking it.
They fell into an awkward silence, which forced Shizuo to face his confusing thoughts. He thought he would be happy to hear Izaya had vanished off the face of the Earth… Why did he feel upset?
Was it because he wasn't the one to chase Izaya away? Or was it because he was actually cared about if the louse was alive or not? No, it couldn't be the second one… Or could it be?
Shizuo growled again, his emotions a mess of anger and worry. He quickly pushed them away, he didn't want to face them. He didn't want to try and understand what they meant.
Even when he forced them into the darkest corner of his mind, one question still managed to remain at the forefront.
Where are you, flea?