Wolves of the Death

by Dantegrey

[AU] Since a childhood incident, Takashi Komuro has been dealing with a maddenning extra baggage. The average teenager is not capable of punching trought concrete, recognize a person by the smell at a mille away or overun a motorbike. With a recently broken heart, Takashi is trying to make the best of it, and then Them make their appearance...and the shit just got real.

7. Furry respite

There are moments in life, that leaves a mark, so deep, that they become impossible to forget.

Traumas or intense, emotional, moments; that had such an impact in the lives or perceptions of the world of the ones that lived them, that they could; even years later; revive them with unusual clarity, perhaps giving them a layer or two of whatever they need to make it more believable or endurable, but anyhow, those moments will endure in the memory, marking stones that they could use to establish a before and after in their lives.

For the dozen or so guards that were watching over the fence of the Takagi manor, the incoming arrival of Takashi Komuro and Saeko Busujima was one of those moments that would let them with mouths agape and eyes menacing to get out of their sockets. Not every day did you see a beautiful Japanese school girl; with black stockings, short leather skirt and combat boots, wielding a katana; riding a seven feet tall black wolf the size of a car. They jumped over the fences and the defenses that the Takagi Manor had like they were not even there. Easily passing over the concrete blockade and the metallic fence that separated the Manor from the main road. The patrols had already seen them, but alas, they were still trying to made heads or tails, hoping it was nothing but a temporal delusion from the stress they have been suffering in the past two days.

Saeko was greatly enjoying herself, riding Takashi; although a bit awkwardly, as she had no experience in any kind of riding; was a wonderful experience, the fur, warm and strong, yet soft to the touch, the muscles that moved under her, the wind on the face, the sensation of movement, unimpeded by any obstacle or any of Them. Yep, the woman was greatly enjoying herself. And the fact that Takashi has not only accepted but encouraged her darkest and the most violent side has only made it great. Frankly, it has been quite the shock to see the wolf form of Takashi, sitting on his haunches, looking at her with the most adorable puppy expression that she has ever seen. She would never admit that she squeal little a little girl and hugged the massive wolf, enjoying the fur like he was a gigantic plushy.

After a bit of time for the boy to accustom to his new body; walking on fours and the sensations and perceptions of his new form were a bit confusing and overwhelming; they prepared to join the rest of their pack in the Takagi manor. If Takagi was right, the manor is going to be something akin to a bloody fortress. Souichiro is not a man to trifle with, even after the incident with the attempt of kidnapping Saya, Takashi knew that Souichiro had too many contacts and weight in the government to do not have his own, private force to keep the grounds of his manor, relatively safe. Don Takagi, as the man was called, was a mountain of a man, with a right-wing ideology that sometimes made Takashi cringe. It was not a secret that Saya and her father has been at each other throats a couple of times, their shouting contests were a well know fact around the manor, and Takashi soon learned to get the heck out of there before he got involved.

However, this time Takashi suspected that is going to be a bit more difficult than he expected, Saya was pack, that means that he is not going to left her in the Takagi Manor unless the manor becomes a home for the pack. Unfortunately, there can not be two alphas in the same den, otherwise, they will, inevitable fight. There can be two packs, however, Magnus and Shizuka-sensei were a pack of their own, but the blonde nurse was very attached to Takashi´s pack, and surely, she would convince Magnus to help them. More than once has Takashi wondered if the real alpha of Magnus´ pack was Marikawa-sensei, from how he talked about how Rika consented the woman like she was a child and how protective the older Therianthrope was of Shizuka; even if she had no idea of what going around her, she had them both wrapped around her little bubbly personality.

Truth to be told, as much as an airhead as she appeared to be, Takashi owned a lot to the nurse bombshell; she was one of the few that partially understood how shitty his everyday life was, and helped him, as much as she could. Prescribing soft sedatives and other not entirely appropriate medicines for a school, the nurse had helped him to endure the worst seizures he had from time to time. Moments on where his cranium was trying his best to rip out of his flesh.

The temple was not far from the manor, with a bit of hurry, Takashi was sure that they would reach it in a couple of hours, but just to be on the safe side of things, Takashi kept his enthusiasm to the minimum. He was carrying Saeko on his back, and even if he loved to have the samurai-woman so close to him, he knew that none of them were precisely expert riders, and Takashi was not accustomed to run in all fours. It was a novel experience for both of them, but Takashi was sure that they were going to repeat it a lot in the future. It was exhilarating for both of them, and they did not want to make it a one-time thing.

The streets were filled with stumbling groups of Them; they really should start giving them a name, just to prevent confusions between Them and them; all of those putrid things were moaning and shuffling around looking for something to bite. However, Takashi realized that they were leaving animals alone, they did not seem to care about the cats that hissed at them from balconies, unless the animals attacked them. They reacted with violence, chewing at the animal like a swarm of piranhas, but the animals did not raise after. In the back of his mind, Takashi was relieved, that means that he was not going to face zombie cows or any other bad joke like that. The Zoo was seven blocks to the west, and a zombie elephant would be a complete nightmare.

Speaking of a nightmare, he really should speak with Magnus about the thing that has attacked them in the river. As much as he liked to be wrong, that thing was a Therianthrope, and it has been infected. However, why did the thing hunted him? could it be like it happened in the past? the thing recognized him as a source of power and wanted a piece of the pie for itself. If that´s the case, Takashi really should be extra careful, his pack was surprisingly high competent, but they are humans, enough hard it was to deal with Them, to add a Therianthrope to the mix. Takashi can soak a lot of damage, he demonstrated it, but if he was one of Them, then only a massive bullet to the head would have any chance to put an end to the living nightmare that he can become.

Taking a more scenic route, to prevent any useless confrontation; and Takashi would not lie and openly admit that he enjoyed walking Saeko like that, the woman over him, was really enjoying the ride and smiling like the angel she was; they reached a high ground over a broken building and saw the horror that was Tokonusu during the third day of the outbreak. The fires were already quelled, mostly in thanks to the automatic water systems of most buildings, but they did not delude themselves, at some point, the automatic systems will fail. A city is a very delicate thing, broke a pipe or a cable and you could let hundreds of persons out of water and electricity. As the time passed, the automatic systems of the factories and other necessary facilities for the everyday operations of the city would collapse, cutting down the supply of clean water, electricity, and heat. For the incoming winter, that could be dangerous, very dangerous, even a simple walk to the nearest, non-raided already, a supermarket could be a dangerous thing, and Takashi was not arrogant enough to believe that he was always being there.

As powerful as he was, Takashi knew that at some point, there will be too many things to do, too many chores and labors to do, to keep his pack safe and healthy, as he could not do all of them. It was a good thing that he trusted his pack completely, okay, not all the pack, but the majority of them. Rei and Igou are a sensitive topic right now; they are part of the pack, and they are not. Takashi wanted to punch both of them, but at the same time, he has been friends with them for a long time, and first loves are not that easily forgotten. In resume, as any other teenager, he was still trying to made heads or tails about what he did feel about Rei and if he should rip Igou a new one or just kick them out of the pack and continue with their lives.

The Takagi manor can be seen in the distance, and Takashi could see some of the defenses that the surrounding streets have. Saeko commented on the blockades that she could see on the roads and main streets to the manor. It was useless against a walking horde of them, but to prevent out of control vehicles was a very good safety measure, not to mention that a competent squad with guns or even swords could keep a lot of them out of the place, as Them would not be able to use, their overwhelming numbers against the defenders. She was not military, but Saeko knew enough about fighting to realize that fight Them one on one was way better than face Them in open space and be completely surrounded from all sides. With a grim visage, they saw bit and pieces of other survivors, all of them doing their best, and of course, they saw crazy wackos like the ones that attacked Takashi the first day. Humanity was slowly sinking to their primitive state, not really a surprise, this was the survival of the fittest; as much as other wanted to discuss and protest, this apocalypse zombie crap is going to bring out the worst and the best of humanity.

Teenager angst apart, everyone and their mothers had demons inside; once the survival instincts and the social rules were out of the window, demons are going to get out and made survival even more uphill. Takashi has already seen that kind of demons; not only the cult-like bullshit that Shido tried to pull on the bus but the crazy assholes that shot at him and Rei two days ago when they were separated from the rest of the pack. Takashi was not eager to test his luck against anything, as powerful as he was, he was not invulnerable and an unlucky shot would put him down as fast as anything else. Speaking of weapons, even at that distance, Takashi could perceive the smell of gunpowder from all kind of weapons. The people of the Takagi manor was armed, and for his surprise, there was a lot more people than he expected would be.

With quickness, and always carefully keeping Saeko on his back, they run over any obstacle, dodging concentrations of Them and always with an eye of their surroundings, just in case, a cretin with a gun was playing the shooter on the surrounding roofs and windows. Not the first time Takashi has seen something like that when he was recovering things for Saya and Shizuka-sensei, he saw several of those, camping in a little fortress made of whatever they had at hand. It was yesterday and it still looks like it has been a lifetime. Time was starting to get little sense to Takashi now, in barely three days he has been experimented more things than in his entire life. Getting laid included, that drug-filled night does not exist.

Both; Takeshi and Saeko; loved the flabbergasted expressions of the guards and people around the blockades that they cross over, leaving a trail of people that swore to abandon alcohol that same day or wondered about they mental health, with a final, mighty, jump over the wall of the manor, Takashi landed in the yard of the manor, quickly crossing the distance that separated him and Saeko for the little reunion that the rest of his pack was having in a corner of the yard; near the garage of the manor. Of course, the rest of the pack was as freaked out as the rest of the people, only the visage of Saeko over the back of the massive black wolf keep them from raising their weapons and shoot.

"What the fuck?!". Screamed Morita with a can of beer in his hand and his jaw, meeting his new best friend, the floor.

It was possibly the best resume of the emotions that all the pack was showing, but the one that broke all expectations was; as usual, Shizuka-sensei, who just jumped at the side of Takashi and buried her head into the soft, black fur of Takashi, hugging all of what her arms could cover.

"Takashi is a big plushy now!". She shouted with childish joy, much to the amazement and amusement of Takashi and Saeko.

"Damn girl, I did advise you to make his not-so-little wolf howl your name, but this is a bit too much, don't you think?". Blinked Yuuki, as she was sewing a jacket; Takashi noticed it, and took mental note of thanking the girl later for the stitches in his own jacket two night before; and observing the seven feet wolf that was being petted like it was a puppy, by Shizuka-sensei.

Saeko spluttered and blushed, trying to make an argument as she got down the back of Takashi, although she would have loved to prolong the ride a bit more, she was happy to see the rest of the pack, safe and sound. They soon get together, happy to be together again, and sharing with the other what has been going on, during the day that they have been out. Saya, Rei, and Igou were still inside the mansion. Rei had a nasty fall during the desperate battle over the blockade where they separated and can move around too much, Igou was keeping her company and Saya was trying to put some sense into the heads of all the people that have taken refuge in the manor grounds.

They have seen the tents and the people moving around, all civilians like them, with the occasional man of the Takagi group, patrolling the gates and walls. The men of the Takagi group were the only ones that had weapons on them, apart from Kohta and Morita, who somehow, has earned the right to carry them around when they dispatched a little bunch of stray Them, that had slipped under one of the vigilance spots during the evening. Takashi was proud of his two friends, they have been keeping the pack safe, protecting them with all they had. It was a very good thing to have a marksman like Kohta in the pack. However, he was sure that Don Takagi is going to throw a fit at the image of the ordinance that the two teenagers; Kohta and Morita; had on themselves.

Kohta still had his rifle, a Knight´s SR-25 sniper rifle Takashi believed it was; Takashi didn't remember that well, the name of the gun but he had the utmost respect for the skills that Kohta had with the gun; along the six-shooter pistol of the dead policeman of two nights ago and a long knife in the belt. Morita had a nailed baseball bat; that was a nasty and cruel weapon, perfect to crush the heads of Them; and the shotgun, an Ithaca M37, that they found at Rika´s house. Morita has little accuracy, but the shotgun was just a "point to the enemy, pull the trigger" kind of weapon that would be perfect for him until the lessons that he has been taking from Kohta in shooting started to get results.

Yuuki and Shizuka have been taking care of Alice, who has adopted Zeke as a mascot and usually was running errands with the pup all around the mansion, helping with all she could. Yuuki´s talent as seamstress has been useful to the manor, as she has been sewing back a lot of ragged jackets and pants, from the skirmishes with groups of Them; the orange-haired teenager was not happy, but she didn't want to give any reasons to the Takagi to kick her sweet ass out of the manor. And she had a pack to belong now, the last thing she need was to upset the; recently discovered; seven feet tall wolf that was Takashi. Shizuka, on the other hand, has been helping around with any medical needs that the people around the manor could have, she was a certified nurse after all, even if she did not appear like it.

In general, the pack has been keeping themselves busy. The appearance of Takashi, however, has set waves all over the manor, especially in the guards, who were still shocked for the appearance of the Amazon like Saeko, riding a big ass wolf, over their fences and walls. Honestly, no one could have seen that one coming, so they quickly called back to the manor, but Lady Yuriko soon quelled their fears, the wolf and the girl were allies, good friends of her daughter, and there was no reason to worry. She soon managed to appease the guards, although the civilians in the yard, who were seeing the big wolf laying in the corner of the garage were a bit harder to convince.

Saya appeared from one of those tents with a scowl on her face, but when she saw Takashi on the floor, she ran directly at him and tackled his side with a jump and a cry of being a bloody idiot. Takashi was more than accustomed to the Tsundereness of Saya at this point and moved his body to surround the worried girl as much as he could, using his tail and head to hug back the mumbling girl, who has been worried all this time for their lives. Now that he was back, she suddenly realized that she was hugging; much like Shizuka, who was still scratching the sides of Takashi and cooing all the fur she could; a massive seven feel tall wolf. It was different, even for all the weirdness that surrounded Takashi on a daily basis.

Unfortunately, Takashi had no answers, even if he could talk, the best he could do was to yap and bark, speaking practically by body language more than anything else. Curiously, the pack seem to understand, not what he was saying, but yes what he means. It was a bit confusing, but as everything of late, they just shrugged it and go with the flow, it was less maddening that way and they are too young to become alcoholic for the stress.

The pack, however, was happy to be back together; they missed each other, their presence was comforting, in a world that has gone shit in less than a couple of days.

On a not that positive note, the people of the manor did not take Takashi´s presence all that well; the big wolf scared most of them shitless; in fact, a lot of the guards were reaching for their weapons. The only thing that kept them from shooting, was the absurdity of the situation and the orders of the Lady of the manor.

Not every day you see a seven feet tall werewolf being completely dominated by a blonde bombshell that has claimed the back of the wolf for herself; using the entire, furry surface, as it was a big plushy, hugging, cooing and scratching all the black and silky fur that she could put her hands on. Takashi just endured it with all the dignity he could muster, giving the circumstances, and the addition of the distressed Saya, that was crying her relief under the fur of his left side; only kept the guard less inclined to anything rash or stupid.

Saya Takagi was the daughter of the owners of the place, and even if the ones that have taken residence in the yard of the house; in an impromptu camp; did not always see eye to eye with them, no one was stupid enough to cross neither of them. The Takagi are not people do you want to tangle with; rumors of their Yakuza like activities non-withstanding. Money and power was something that always has been used to describe the Takagi; a powerful, Right-winged family with a lot of influence in the politics and the army.

"Well, I will be damned, you found your wolf, about bloody time". Laughed the voice of Magnus from one of the doors of the basement of the manor. The massive man was dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans that could barely hold his mass, hanging from his belt, there was a fireman ax.

Takashi would have raised his eyebrow at the picture of the man like he was some kind of modern Viking. However, right now, Takashi was more worried about the safety of the giggling nurse over his back; Shizuka was not the agilest of the persons. She was a klutz her best days. Anyhow, Takashi turned his head to the man and deadpanned as much as his lupine features allowed him to do. It was a notable effort and as always, the blood bastard of Magnus seems to know Takashi better than himself.

"You are decades younger to pull a deadpan", laughed Magnus moving near the pack. "It is a nice transformation, do not get me wrong, my first time I forgot about the tail; now, that was embarrassing". The rest of the pack of Takashi seems to have accepted the man as it was one of them; something that surprised Takashi a little. For what Takashi knew, Magnus has only revealed to Kohta and Morita, the rest of the pack did not know of the real identity of Plushy, the massive dog of Marikawa Sensei; but something must have happened for them to be so accepting of the man.

"Let me guess", spoke Magnus to Takashi. "One second you are human, the next you are on your haunches, asking yourself what the fuck was going on". Takashi has to admit that Magnus has nailed it, it happened as Magnus said, Takashi was staring at the goddess made flesh that was Saeko and the next, he was waggling his tail on the floor. It was an odd sensation having a tail, his Beast, pretty much deals with it, but his upper conscious was still baffled about the extra appendage.

"Do not fret, lad, it had to happen at some point", shrugged Magnus. "Still, I will admit that yours is one of the oddest transitions that I have ever seen", chuckled Magnus."The wound of your back has been screwing with you for years, but you are recovering the time lost in leaps and bounds; in no time you will achieve balance and then the real fun will begin".

Now that made the entire pack raise a collective brow; well, except Shizuka who was still playing with her new toy and giggling to herself; what does Magnus mean with fun?. Takashi was already hell on earth, strong and durable enough, but Magnus has already suggested that Takashi was still scratching the surface of the hell that a powerful Therianthrope as him could unleash. As always, Takashi was a bit taken aback with that and excited at the idea, at the same time; the Beast was eager to see what they could do and Takashi was scared shitless of turning into the thing that almost killed him and Saeko in the riverbank.

"My apologies, but are you a friend of Takashi", said Saeko still confused by the appearance of the man that now so much about her beloved.

"Something of the sort", smiled Magnus ruffling the air of the head of Takashi and he tried to nip the hand of the man in response, lacking any ill intention. "I have been looking out for the champ for some time now; helping him to get back into the path of the Therianthrope".

"But we have never seen you before". Protested Saeko, who has never seen Magnus before; she did not know that Magnus and Plushy were pretty much the one and the same.

"Aye, you have", smiled Magnus, showing a lupine smile, "only not in person by in fur". Hinted Magnus and Miku got close to Saeko, whispering in her ear. Saeko widened her eyes and observed at Magnus, who kept smiling like the cat that ate the canary.

"Now, lets get into serious business". Said Magnus, losing a bit of his smile. "Your appearance is going to send some ripples here lad", turn his head to Takashi, who even sat, to help Shizuka and Saya to be more comfortable over his body, Takashi was a tall beast after all.

"Magnus is right Takashi", said Saya from her comfortable spot; trying by all means of ignoring the smug expression of Miku and the frown of Saeko; she was recovering from the sight of his friends alive and well, and turned into a massive beast. "Don't get me wrong, I am fucking happy with seeing you alive and well, but them?", pointed her thumb to the tents, "they are already nursing rioting thoughts, and my parent's people are already stretched thin as now".

"But we mean no harm", protested Saeko, leaning on Takashi's side as it was the most natural thing in the world, and for the two lovers, it was. Not that the rest of the pack did not repay of the closeness, protectiveness, and possessiveness of Saeko in that gesture. "Point is, that we have even helped by cleaning out groups of Them on our way here".

The little tidbit of the little harem of Takashi must be resolved fast before the women after the bones of the Therianthrope and the boy itself did something stupid. However, the pack knew that that was an internal affair and something that the pack must solve on its own. Magnus was laughing his ass; mentally; all the time, as much as he liked this pack, they are mostly, bloody teenagers and that means that they hormones thought for them most of the time.

"That´s irrelevant to them", said Morita. "They are scared shitless of Them and; do not chew my ass for this Saya-san; the people of the Takagi, in their eyes they are little more than Yakuzas playing heroes. The infamy of the Takagi group and how the things have been going on here, since the first day of this bloody nightmare have them terrified of whats going to happen with their sorry asses".

Morita, who kept his shotgun hanging from his shoulders and his bat as it was an ax on his belt, turn his eyes to the tents.

"Fuck, I could understand them, If it wasn't for the pack thing that we have going on; I would have been as terrified as them or worse, tumbling around and moaning about juicy brains for supper". Shrugged Morita, who had the wisdom of the poor, people that had to fight every day for putting some warm food on the table.

Saya would have loved to snarl at the Mohawk boy, but she was clever enough to see that Morita has nailed it. Her family was far from being a loving pillar of the community; or at least, not behind closed doors, where everybody and their grandmothers could insult them and call them Yakuza or something worse. It was not a novel experience, and one of the reasons why she never had a lot of friends. Morita was right, people were scared, and the big, bad wolf, was hardly helping unless Them appeared in mass and Takashi could slice through them like he has been doing all this time.

"What options do we have them?", Saeko put her hand over the head of Takashi; scratching near his ear, taking strength from each other. "Should we abandon the manor, so the people did not collect pitch and forks?". The venom was almost tangible in her voice.

"Fuck no, not even in a joke, no way, nay", was the different yet identical responses of the pack. That surprised Takashi and Saeko a little, but let them known that the pack had their backs. It was a very comforting feeling, in a situation like this Zombie-apocalyptic kind of scenario.

"First of all, any pack that separates is doomed to die", pointed out Magnus with the certainty of a someone that has seen it before. "Second, the only problem here is this big doggy", signaled with his finger to Takashi who snorted; look who is talking, was almost hidden in the snort. "So, he only have to learn to change back, is not that hard but it will take a bit of time, so in the meanwhile, I will suggest moving his furry ass to the private gardens".

It has sense, the gardens were one of the few places that only the Takagi's had access; meaning Takashi will be left alone and only Saya, the pack or the Takagis will interact with him. At the same time, it was akin to a cage to Takashi, but the boy could understand the precautions that they are taking. The situation was shitty enough to deal with a bunch of cretins that could put the entire manor at risk of being overwhelmed by a horde of Them. As much as the Takagi´s personnel had everything more or less under control, a bunch of idiots with an idea could turn the tables in a second. Especially now, that Takagi senior was out with a lot of the best that the manor had, searching for supplies and other necessities that the people need.

Led by Magnus, it was an easy stroll to get the big wolf out of the eyes of the civilians camped in the yard. Shizuka loved the ride, and as soon as Alice and Zeke appeared in the corner of the building; even after a bit of the scare from the little girl; she was on the back of Takashi, riding along the nurse as if Takashi was the best steed ever. In a sense it was, but the pack was enjoying a bit too much, how the massive wolf was totally being dragged around by the blonde bombshell and a little girl.

The private gardens of the Takagi were actually quite the sight. A classic zen garden with a Koi pond and everything. Takashi almost felt like he shouldn't be there, just an accidental waggle of his tail and all the very expensive looking ceramic and furniture around would be shattered; not to mention that his pawn was bigger than the bridge that connected both sides of the garden. All in all, Takashi has to admit that it did look like a very nice place, one that had that sensation of peace and tranquility that he has only experimented when he was with Saeko. When they bare their souls; and bodies; to each other in the shrine where they passed the last night.

On a side note, Takashi noted that his senses as wolf were different than as a human, not that he was not able to move and pretty much still be lethal as hell, but it was an odd sensation. Being a wolf was something that should freak him out, but the Beast seemed to be curiously pleased as if they have reached some kind of mutual accord and were in harmony. Heck, he could get behind that, the Beast and him have not ever been accord; they did not fight each other, that much was certain, but neither entirely cooperate with other.

Except when somebody kidnapped Saya; that day the shit really hit the fan. The Beast took the driver seat and put the pedal to the metal, turning him into the most vicious and ruthless predator that dispatched the mercs as they were cattle in the slaughterhouse. Even today, Takashi has to admit that, that was not one of his brightest moments. Sure, he had little qualms in ripping them to shreds, especially when that bitch with the big knife, threatened Saya with cutting one of her luscious breasts and sent it to her mother as Christmas gift.

And the Beast demonstrated once more that he was there, luscious breasts, that was something that Takashi would have never thought about Saya. Saya was pack, and Takashi knew that Kohta had this kind of crush on the pinkette, however, Takashi could not fool the Beast, and the Beast would have little problem in shag Saya, and Saeko, and Hayashi-sensei and...well, it was easy to get the point. The Beast care little about nothing that was not the survival of the pack and its own needs and desires. It was a constant, not exactly battle, as the Beast never did anything that harms Takashi or the pack, but a struggle, between Takashi´s conscious and morals, and the simple but elegant, almost Darwinian ideas, namely eat, get lay, rest, kill anything dangerous, rinse and repeat.

Now that he thought about it, Hayashi-sensei was not there, and his senses soon picked up her nice smell and voice somewhere in the second level of the building. There was another voice there, one that Takashi has not eared in a while; Lady Yuriko Takagi has been one of the few that kind of understand what kind of bullshit Takashi has to endure daily and never did anything to separate Saya from him or made him awkward; as opposite of Soichiro Takagi, Saya´s father and a man that Takashi was not entirely sure what to think about.

The man was not an enemy, if he was, he would have demonstrated it crystal clear to Takashi as soon as Soichiro learned about his unique condition, on the other hand, Soichiro never really liked Takashi. Or at least, he did little to ease the almost permanent alertness that Takashi had around the man. Soichiro was a stone wall of a man; not as tall or broad as Magnus, but the latter was like a tank on steroids and had that permanent aura of controlled rage that sent all kind of alarms into Takashi´s brain. The Beast was wary of the man, it was human, so much was absolutely true, but he was a hunter too; a different kind of predator, but a predator as well.

There was a respect between predators unless there is blood on the table. So far, nor Takashi, nor the Beast had any reasons to start a feud with Takagi father. Not to mention that having Saya in the pack and starting something with her father would be a very stupid idea. Packs that started that kind of bullshit did not last long, but alas, their human natures sometimes get in the middle of all of it. The Beast always snorted at the thought, the human nature was not a positive one precisely. Humans are the most dangerous, egotistical, greedy and vicious of the creatures, they had little problem in hurt anything on their path, just to satisfy their egos or desires, with little to none consideration about anything that it was not themselves.

Anyhow, Takashi found himself a space big enough for his mass and took a place in the garden; the rest of the pack and Magnus took seats around and started to plan their next move. Now that the pack was mostly complete; only Igou, Rei, and Hayashi-sensei were not present and the first two were still an item of debate among the pack; they could start pondering what the fuck are they going to do next.

So far the pack has managed to survive quite well, but it has been three days since the start of this nightmare and supplies were relatively easy to find. In a month, millions of products will reach their expiration date and without anyone working on farms, food is going to be a problem. Apply the same calculation for things that people took for granted, like toilet paper, running water and electricity, but way sooner than a month and you had the perfect recipe for a bloody nightmare; more that they were living right now.

"So, any idea of what to do from now on?", it was Miku the one that spoke first, she always was an extroverted person, and within her pack, those traits come out more often. "Don't get me wrong, I love the place, I have never been in nothing half luxurious as this, but this is not going to last long".

Saya glared the girl, it was her parents home after all. Even if she has had more than one argument with her parents about it, she loved them, and will never allow anyone to talk badly about them. Even if she herself, has been one of the more vocal of the criticizers of her parents.

"Love, admit it, this is a bloody powder keg and those assholes of the yard are the biggest box of matches that I have ever seen". Miku answer the glare of Saya with brutal honesty and facts; the only thing that Saya could not argue. "Mohawk boy was right, they are scared, heck, I had my own guardian wolf", she winked an eye to Takashi and he felt relief that wolves did not blush, "and I am scared as hell".

"Not to mention the weapons". Said Kohta taking a seat on a bench of the garden, as uncomfortable as Takashi or Morita about accidentally breaking something expensive as shit.

"Ah, shit, that". Snorted Morita, with the unloaded shotgun over his shoulders. "That could have gone ugly and fast".

Takashi shared a glance with Saeko and she was the one that spoke for the two, although the curiosity in Takashi language has been enough for the pack to understand what he wanted.

"Weapons?, Kohta, Morita, what are you talking about?". Asked Saeko, between the pack, and almost in an organic manner, they lost any formalities and suffixes. They are pack, and that was enough.

"Only Takagi´s people have weapons around", said Kohta. "Practically at the second of our arrival, the people of Takagi tried to take our guns from us".

"We try to resist", keep the tale Morita, wishing for a beer right now, "but we were two against five and it was not as if we could flip the bird at them and splatter their brains against the wall as if they were part of Them".

"Fortunately, Magnus and Lady Yuriko appeared and set things straight", sighed Kohta in relief. "Otherwise, it could have ended on a very sour note".

"Euphemism for a colossal fuck up", laughed Morita.

"They saw us as children", sighed Saya, who pretty much feel the same way, especially after talking with the civilians in the camp that has been set up in the yard. "We are children that had little idea of how things work and whose opinion is little more than background noise".

"Not to be the Debby Downer here, lass, but they had a point", chuckled Magnus. "Three days ago, your worst nightmare was exams, acne, and puberty. They are just unable to cope up with the world going on flames around them and grab whatever piece of normalcy they can find".

"They are idiots". Saya huffed.

"Aye, they are; they are humans", shrugged Magnus. "I have seen humanity do a lot of amazing things, unfortunately, there is nothing of that greatness, there"; pointed Magnus with his thumb in the general direction of the camp; "and instead there is a lot of desperate people".

"Nor that we can abandon them", said Shizuka over Takashi. She was playing and keeping an eye on Alice, who was using Takashi´s tail as a slide. Zeke by his part has found a comfortable spot in the legs of Takashi and was napping without a care in the world.

"They are people like us, no?", she blinked with her usual optimistic nature. "Well, I know that you are an amazing bunch of children, but these people are not that amazing and they have seen hell to get here; that is still weighing heavy on their minds. That's why they are a bunch of grumpy meanies".

Magnus smiled brightly at the comments of the nurse, sharing a glance with Takashi. They did not exchange words itself, but they shared a short mental conversation of some kind, more akin to body language and expressions that spoke louder than words.

"See?, that is the person that Rika and I fell in love with, isn't she the sweetest thing ever?".

"Aye, that´s why the pack would die for protecting her, you smug bastard".

"You know, sometimes I forgot that she is a total klutz", smiled Miku with a raised eyebrow. "From time to time she says amazing things".

"Yuuki-san, that´s rude you know?", pouted adorably Shizuka, making the pack laugh.

"Anyhow, the question remains", set the conversation back to course Saya. "What do we do now?".

"Magnus-san..:", started Saeko and Magnus raised a hand stopping her.

"Nothing of that -san, thing", smiled Magnus. "I am an old Norwegian, all that -san, -chan, -kun, etc goes right over my head, Magnus will do".

"Magnus then", smiled Saeko. As Alpha-female of the pack, Saeko shared the same sensations as Takashi about Magnus. The man was not part of the pack per se, but it was a welcome friend, a valuable ally and a mischievous bastard. "We would like to hear any suggestion that you may have for us; like it or not, we are still young and lacked experience, so any advice would be more than welcome".

"There, you see?, you see now why being with your soul-mate is the best thing ever", laughed Magnus at Takashi. "She is quite a woman, lad, well done". Congratulated Magnus to Takashi, making Saeko blush slightly.

"Now, answering your question", turned Magnus to Saeko. "If it was me, I would have made a run for the mountains ASAP".

"Why?", asked Morita, an urban boy through and through.

"The mountains are perfect for Therianthropes", explained Magnus."The smells of nature are, as a lack of a better word, natural for the Therianthropes, opposite to the cloud of smog that covers any big city like Tokunusu. A lot less of Them in rural areas, you can see them coming from miles and in the forest is way easier to fight Them than in streets or inside of buildings".

"Ah, I see, sorry man, I am a city-boy", chuckled Morita.

"Not the only one, any of us lacks any survival training", sighed Saya.

"I had some basic notions", confessed Kohta. "The Black Water trainer that taught how to shot, taught me a lot of tricks for survival in the wilderness".

"My father and I used to go on training trips to the mountains", smiled Saeko with nostalgia. "I know some basic things about survival too".

"Its a start", nodded Magnus. "The Mountain is a natural stronghold, not to mention how the forest has its own sounds, depending on the number of Them in the area, you can have them running around hunting ghost sounds or directly to a trap, however, living in the forest and the mountains is a harsh and crude way of living. People of this age and era are hardly prepared for that, maybe as a pack, you will have a better chance, alas it is a personal opinion, perhaps you should try something different, after all, it is your pack, not mine".

"Any suggestions?". Asked Saeko to the pack around her.

"Personally, I am a bit afraid of leaving the city", admitted Morita. "Concrete jungle or not, this is our home turf, if we manage to make ourselves strong in zones that we knew, we will play at home".

"Bob Marley reference", giggled Shizuka from the back of Takashi at the words of Morita, earning a surprised glare of the boy and another round of laughs from the pack.

"Perhaps a mix of both?", the voice of Hayashi-sensei came from the other end of the garden. The Redhead woman has finished her business with Lady Yuriko and has joined the rest of the pack.

To be honest, when she saw the monster wolf from one of the windows, she almost had a heart attack, but before Magnus joined the rest on the yard, the tall man eased her worry, by informing that the wolf was Takashi. It has taken a while for her to digest that, but at the end, Takashi has earned her faith a hundred times over, during the two days on where they have been running from Them. The young Therianthrope has given his all to protect them, and it was only adequate to answer him in equal measure.

"Any ideas, sensei?", raised an eyebrow Miku. The pack may be informal with one another, but the oldest among them; namely Shizuka and Hayashi, were their teachers and the adults around, so the sensei term was deeply ingrained in the teenagers. "We are starting to debate, so you have come at the right moment, and even picked up some strays on the way". Miku eyed the other two people behind Hayashi-sensei.

For what Takashi and Saeko could pick of the body language of their pack; Igou and Rei were not precisely welcome among the pack. Miku has openly snarled at them, Morita was frowning, Saya had another frown of her own brand and Kohta had a very, very neutral expression, but the colder eyes Takashi has never seen on him. Shizuka, Magnus, and Alice didn't seem to care one way or the other and Zeke open his little, round eyes, saw them and huff once before snuggling back into Takashi´s fur to continue napping. The black and white dog seems to have the priorities of life, really clear and straight.

Even so, even from the other side of the garden, Takashi could pick up with very easily, how Igou and Rei were scared. The musky sensation of fear was like a needle for his enhanced senses. Along with the sweat and the echoes of their body language. It was a curious thing, how Takashi depended way more on body language than words to express what he means. Somehow the pack seems to understand more or less what he wanted, but that works both ways and Takashi could read them, equally well.

They may not be pack; well, not entirely sure if they are part of the pack or not, it was still up to debate; but for Takashi, Iguo and Rei could be carrying a neon cartel with their emotions, perfectly visible to all of them. As it was now, fear was chief among the emotions that the pair was feeling. Not really a surprise. The Takashi that they believed they know; in truth, a monster of the myths of mankind; has transformed into a seven feet tall black wolf. Takashi would admit that that piece of info could unbalance anyone; especially if they are teenagers with a serious emotional baggage after them and with puberty playing whack-a-mole with their hormones and feelings.

For the moment, they are tolerated, and Takashi did not say anything about them. Takashi could see as bright as day that the pair was dying to ask what the fuck was going on, but to be honest, Takashi did give a fuck about what they wanted and just enjoy the presence of his pack for whats worth. In two days, Takashi has received a very harsh lesson about giving things for granted, and right now, just with his pack safe and healthy around him, it was more than enough.

In a display of common sense, neither Igou of Rei made a comeback to the not so veiled insult of Miku; taking a seat in the edge of the circle of the pack and just stand there. Hiyashi-sensei, on the other hand, was more than welcome and the redhead woman walked to Takashi and just pick up his fur with fascination, still having difficulties to believe it, even with solid proof in her hands.

"Sensei", giggled Miku, "focus, sure Takashi´s fur is awesome, but you were saying...".

"Ah, sorry, yes", a bit of blush emerged to the cheeks of Hayashi-sensei. "As I was saying, why not a bit of both, Tokunusu is a coastal city; perhaps we can take a boat and made a run for a nearby island".

"There are dozens of little islands on the coast". Murmured Kohta. "But because of the noise of the floating airport, lots of them are little more than ghost towns, I believe, something about that appeared on the news about a couple years back".

"Good memory, Kohta", smiled Hayashi. "Indeed, when the floating airport construction ended, a lot of little fishing towns of the nearby islands moved out; the airport presence disrupted their business and living with constant air traffic. One of those islands could be perfect, as it already has some structure and natural resources to make a living, not precisely the most luxurious of the lifestyles".

"Hot water is going to be a luxury in no time", sighed Saya. "With Them roaming around, soon, the infrastructure of the city will collapse, we will lose electricity, water, heat, etc. The manor had its own generators but those are for emergencies, not for 24/7 service".

"In resume, we are pretty much screwed, unless we build ourselves our own little wolves den". Resumed Morita with a smile. "More or less, what everyone was thinking, although I will confess that I am going to miss this place".

"Oh, how so?", raised an eyebrow Saya, who has never pegged Morita as one that dwells in luxuries.

"Kobe beef steaks and European cold beers". Answered Morita. "From my perspective, that is the food of the gods".

The pack chuckled at the honest simplicity of the teenager. Only recently have they learned that he was a ward of the state. The majority of his money went into Fujimi Academy, and more often than not, Morita has to pick up part-time jobs; very discretely; in order to pay the rent and food of his little apartment. From the perspective of Morita, this place was something akin to a bloody paradise.

"Good taste, lad", laughed Magnus, slapping the back of the boy. Morita winced a little, Magnus was like a walking, speaking heavy tank, and even if he lacked any ill intention, his had was like a paddle and hit like a truck. "But before all of you start to plan things, allow me to point out the elephant in the room".

"Oh?", said Saeko, not really seeing the problem.

"Saya´s parents". Answered Magnus. "Yuriko is a very intelligent woman and I do respect Soichiro, but the man is stiff as an iron bar; he would never let Saya go unless he is completely sure that it is in good hands. Takashi; from Soichiro´s perspective; yours are the last hands he will trust".

That raised some eyebrows and made Takashi body language irradiate confusion. What has he ever done that could have put him in such a bad light with Saya´s father?. The kidnapping thing should be a plus, Takashi did save Saya from that mercs before she was crippled. Takashi always has maintained a polite and respectful stance with the Takagi, so he could not see what the problem was.

"Not your fault, lad", sighed Magnus. "It is a long tale, but let's just say that Soichiro´s experience with Therianthropes, has been violent and bloody, to put it mildly. The idea of his only daughter running around with one is not a pleasant thought for the lad; on the other hand, Yuriko; who has always been the brain of the two, to be honest; is delighted to know that her little girl is protected by a powerful Therianthrope".

"I see", sighed Saeko at the news, and Saya was practically in the verge of one of her explosive temper tantrums, as soon as he could put her hands on her father; that arrogant bastard. "That´s a very delicate situation indeed".

"A piece of advice", said Magnus, crackling his neck before starting to walk out of the garden. "Now that the pack is together, take five and prepare yourselves. Eat, rest, resupply, etc. Plan your next move and be sure that all the pack is one hundred percent behind it". Magnus raised from his position and looked at the sun. "Now, if you excuse me, I had patrol duty at the roadblock".

With the absence of Magnus, the pack stop the planning and just, enjoyed the others company. The star of the show was Takashi, of course, everyone wanted to know what the heck has happened and how on earth has he turned into a bloody wolf. Unfortunately, Takashi has even less idea than them about how it has happened; a second he was observing his personal goddess of war butcher Them and the next, he was a wolf. It was a bit confusing, but at the same time, his massive form felt perfectly natural.

Takashi wanted to transform back into a human, but he did not know how and that was a bit annoying. He wanted to speak again, but the pack seems to be able to more or less understand his meaning, even if he could not speak. Takashi remembered how Magnus managed to spoke in his dog form, but the bastard has slipped again, distracting the pack with the urgency of the situation and the joy of the reunion. Takashi had a mental list of questions for the man; from how the heck does one transform back and forth, to how it was possible for that thing in the riverbank to exist.

Takashi was not a stupid child, he suspected that whatever turn people in more of Them could affect Therianthropes and turn them into that thing. A sobering thought indeed. Takashi was a nightmare with claws and he has been awakened into his real powers not four days before; what a monster with the experience and powers of Magnus could do, if he turned into a similar beast was something that Takashi shudder to imagine. Anyhow, Takashi has been bitten before; like a zillion of times; first on the Academy and later by that thing, that almost ripped him in half, and he was not turned at all. It was possible for the Therianthropes to achieve immunity to the sickness or whatever it was?, if that´s the case, he really should talk with Shizuka-sensei about it.

And speaking of to do things, Takashi really should do something about his not-harem. Saeko and he were an item, now and forever; however, Takashi felt like the worst piece of shit ever for his emotions about other females. Saya was his oldest female friend? it was something else but they are scared shitless of the possibility of being more?. Miku has already stated in very plain terms that she would jump his bones gladly, and to be honest, Miku was an exceptionally attractive woman, not only in body but in mind too. Hayashi-sensei was one of his oldest crushes, the redhead woman was older than him, but the Beast care little about that, she was beautiful and sensible, something that he was not.

Saeko, Saya, Hayashi-sensei, and Miku. Four women that had, more or less, caught his little wolfish heart. Ah, and Rei...but that was a topic that he was not totally ready to discuss. Personally, Takashi blamed puberty. Puberty was a hard moment for everyone, and with his own problems to deal with, Takashi knew that he was not thinking as straight as he would have liked. The soup of hormones and Therianthrope powers was a dangerous combo. Takashi has dozens of questions, and so far, his most reliable source of knowledge on the matter was Magnus, picking an answer from the man was quite the chore. The bastard was close; with Shizuka around it was a sure affirmation that Magnus would never leave her behind, but something comes first before any of his questions or the timing was off ninety percent of the time.

Being sincere with himself, Takashi has to admit that his Therianthrope status was mostly a matter that do-or-die, kind of situation. So far he had the senses more or less controlled; a blessing compared with the horrid days of the past; and his strength, agility, and resilience were still to be tested for their limits, the claws were a nice ace under his sleeve, but this transformation had caught him with his pants down. Speaking of it, he was dressed when he transformed, he did not notice his clothes on the floor, did it means that the clothes changed with him? or will he be completely naked as soon as he got his humanity back? That would be awkward, especially if the change came as unexpected as it has been the first time.

Ass naked in the middle of the Takagi´s garden, now that would be awkward…

Still, Takashi thought that perhaps it was a good time as any, and as the pack started to move to their diverse duties and ideas; even a blushing Saeko, who was dragged by a smug looking Miku wanting to know everything about the wild night they have shared in the temple; Takashi found himself yawning. Not that it was physical tiredness, but the mental one. Being unable to speak has made him overthink everything and right now, a peaceful nap in the middle of the garden, sound extremely appealing.

Closing his eyes, Takashi started to nap, accompanied by the fresh breeze of the garden and the murmur of the Koi pond.

Meanwhile, the rest of the pack was moving around all the manor; after all, they have promised that they will not be lazy hands and will help with whatever the Takagi's could need. Kohta and Morita were the ones that had it harder at the beginning, as they almost ended fighting for their weapons, but at the end, two extra armed hands, loyal to the Takagi were welcome by the people of the manor. Miku was a pretty good seamstress and was able to keep an eye on Alice and Zeke when the two were running around the manor doing all kind of errands for the people. Saya was mostly on the HQ, being the daughter of the Takagi has its perks, learning as much as she could of what the heck was going on.

From Saya´s perspective, the entire world has gone to hell in a handbasket.

The radios of the packed HQ of the manor were either with statics or delivering all kind of horrid messages of help, death, and threats. Them were a menace to everyone and in this kind of situation, the best and the worst of humanity tend to surface. So far, Saya was listening to the worse of it. Anyhow, the radios were already trying to establish a line of communication between the teams that were outside in the vital supply runs that they need to survive. Saya was not deluding themselves that at some point, they will be forced to relocate all the people in the manor.

As secure as the place seems to be, the manor was not prepared to hold these many people, much less kept them feed and safe for an indeterminate amount of time. The emergency generators will keep the place up and ready for a while, but at the rate that they consume gas and without a constant supply, they will fail. At that point, they will be forced to move out to another location and with all the maps that Saya was scanning right now, she didn't see a lot of possibles. Far from it, so far she only saw a lot of pain in the asses to deal with, and she was being exceptionally generous with the number of dead weights that she will be carrying.

Saya was not a cruel girl herself, in fact, she was a very emotive child; however, she has inherited her mom´s brains and in this kind of situations; brains are extremely cruel. Survival was not kind, like it or not, Saya was running calculations, turning people into numbers; all but her pack, that was something that she would never turn into numbers; and trying to fit those numbers in what she had in front of her.

Not too long after her calculations, a deep frown was firmly etched into her features. As much as she has suspected since she saw the tents on the outside, the numbers did not fit. The people on the tents were pretty much dead weight, they did try to provide manpower, but at the end, they are not prepared for the kind of violence and discipline that the men of her father are capable. There is still a limit of how many capable hands could be used for a job; there too many hands available and those that were doing nothing will soon start to wonder why did they not pick up weapons and do things as they should be done.

On a single conversation with a couple of the civilians out there, and Saya knew that sixty percent of them did not like her father, and saw him as a little more than a thug with delusions. The fact that they were alive and smooching said thug food and house did not seem to enter into their thick skulls. At some point, Saya´s father will have to deal with a possible riot, and weapons and ammo are not that abundant.

Her father had a lot of men that are loyal to him; several of them ex-soldiers of the JDF and things like that; but the bullets were for Them, not for the civilians that they are supposedly protecting. Bullets will dry and they will be forced to face Them with close combat weapons, again, there are not that many swords available. Katanas; or at last real weapons and not cheap imitations; were not that easy to find and use effectively. Sure, any two bits could pick up an iron bar and try his luck, but Saya knew that that was a desperate attempt.

Without looking in the kitchen and the results of the last supply runs, Saya was unable to calculate how much food and water did they have or how long it is going to last. Still, her mom was in the manor, so she knew that her mother had everything controlled. And that led her to think that her mom knew something that she didn't. Saya may not always see eye to eye with her parents, but she knew that her mom was one of the most intelligent persons in the world. She was the reason behind the Takagi´s fortune.

They were a match made in heaven; or in hell for their enemies; Soichiro was a legend among the JDF special forces, a leader of men and a charismatic bastard that seems out of the samurai flick; Yuriko was an intelligent woman, who was the responsibility for keeping the Takagi´s at the top of the richest families of Japan.

With that data, Saya walked out of the HQ, determined to find what the heck did her mother know that she didn't and what did her father pretend to do with all these people. Saya knew that his father was not a heartless man, sure a stoic and stone-faced bastard, but not heartless. He was loyal to Japan and abandon people for the laughs was not on his character, however, he was also a soldier and he must have a bloody plan. Saya was determined to find it.

On another part of the manor, Alice was running with Zeke trailing behind, the people of one of the walls needed more wood and nails to reinforce one of the yards walls, and she was eager to help. Alice was a little girl with a lot of courage in her little body. She has witnessed the murder of her father, stabbed by a bad man when her father was only trying to save them from those things. Mom died too, a lot of Them caught her in their home and made her a lot of harm. The first night with Takashi-nii and his friends she dreamed of her mom, the screams were something that she could not forget.

Still, she had a pack now; she didn't understand much about the pack thing, it was a bit over her childish head, but she liked it. There were funny people like Morita, Kohta, Saya, and Miku; a woman that was almost as childish as her and that she felts like a mom, Shizuka, nice big sisters like Saeko and Hayashi-sensei and she even had a pet!. From her point of view, she had something akin to a family and that was something that she craved.

Them has taken everything from her in a single night, and the next day, she had a facsimile of the same thing. Did she miss her parents?, absolutely, for a child like her, losing her parents was a devastating blow; luckily for her, Takashi and his pack was nearby and took her in. Takashi was not a strange figure for Alice, she has called him her big brother on more than one occasion when he picked her up from school and the such. Alice knew that her father met Takashi in one of his investigation works. If Takashi was a bad person, her father would not have allowed him to pick up from school and accompany her to the playground, no?.

Happy to have a family again, Alice continued to be useful to them, repaying their kindness and love with all she had. The pack was still young and weak after all, and they would need to be at their best if they wanted to survive another day.

Distracted, she passed running at the side of Magnus that was walking out of the garage of the Takagi´s, after raiding the beer stash there. Finding good beer was starting to become a problem.

Magnus saw the little munchkin run around, followed by the tiny dog that the pack seems to have adopted as a mascot. The little thing was way more clever than the humans believed, after all, he has had the good sense of getting closer to a powerful therianthrope pack.

It has been quite a while since Magnus found a pack with half the talent and capabilities of this one. As much as it pained Magnus' heart; Therianthropes of the power and lineage of Takashi were on the ways of extinction. Humanity has polluted the planet too much; they created systems and way to exploit nature to its utmost limits and the planet was reaching its breaking point. In a sickening thought, this disaster may be just what humans need to get their heads out of their collective asses and realize that their politics of I, me, mine, for me was the absolute recipe for a disaster.

As much as humanity loved science and believed they could science the shit out of everything; this zombie nightmare has blindsided them good. Without a way of knowing how the things are going on outside of Japan, Magnus could not know if the rest of the world was as fucked as Japan was.

Magnus was in Japan for a long-delayed vacation; he did a favor to a friend in Thailand, and just swim all the way to the country. There, he found Shizuka and Rika and form another pack, it has been a century since he left his old pack into the hands of his grandchild and explore the world again. Magnus lacked any reason to think that the pack of his descendant would have any problems with Them, that pack was more than capable of surviving a nuclear apocalypse. They have safe houses and lands to get back if the things went too much pear-shaped.

That was one of the reasons why he was still around this young pack. Magnus liked them, he saw a lot of himself in Takashi, he saw a lot of his old pack on them. Usually, Therianthropes do not mix with each other, being Alphas means that they did not react well to any kind of pressure or dominance; but Takashi, as powerful as he really was, was practically a baby born among the Therianthropes. It was not a surprise that some cretin has tried to stole his power, it was notable and with time and experience, Takashi could be quite the beast, equally and maybe even surpassing Magnus. He still had a long work ahead of him for that, but it was a possibility.

Opening the can in his hand, Magnus took a long sip of the beer and moved deep into the manor. The place was a pretty nice one, a comfortable and perfectly organized Mannor. Yuriko´s touch was visible on the good going of the manor and Magnus smiled for himself.

Not really a surprise that Soichiro was so wary of the Therianthropes, Yuriko was part of Magnus old pack in the States. She was the daughter of one of the members of Magnus pack and Soichiro married her, taking her out of the pack and into Japan; just to discover that his own daughter was kind of sweet with a powerful Therianthrope. Talk about irony. Yuriko felt in love with Soichiro, it was kind of a love at first sight, and the packs understand that pretty well, but Yuriko walking out of the pack did not sit well.

Now, Magnus was laughing his ass off, seeing how Soichiro was housing a young but powerful pack in his home, and his only daughter was part of the said pack, and perhaps one of the mates of the Alpha male of the pack.

Karma was a bitch.

Anyhow, Magnus was just entertained with the show until Rika was back, and then they could pick up Shizuka and look out for a safe place. Still, Magnus suspected that Shizuka has taken quite a liking, maternal liking, to the young pack and abandon them would be not among her plans. Magnus would hate to break the heart of the beautiful blonde, she was one of the most beautiful souls that Magnus has found in decades; her hour-glass figure did help too, and Magnus was delighted to have such a wonderful and positive mate on his pack.

And speaking of packs, even if it was still up to debate, Magnus look from one of the windows and spat the beer in half laughs, when one of the girls of the pack of Takashi, stabbed that slimy bastard of Shido right in the guts. Now, that must have hurt, but why on the nine worlds would have that girl the need to stab Shido like that?. That was a precise and tremendously painful wound.

There is no fury as a woman scorned or something along those lines, and Magnus laughed as he saw how Yuuki Miku shoved a long kitchen knife into the guts of Koichi Shido; twisting the kitchen to be sure that it hurt like hell.

If anything, Magnus has to admit that Takashi´s pack was always an interesting one.