Mother nature was a cruel yet thrilling system. The animals following her rules were warriors all fighting fang and claw to survive. Ever since Gundham was little he found it all so inspiring. The adaptability and determination of the animals he saw and read about always inspired him to adapt and stay determined. So even when he was captured, stripped of his human form, and transformed into a wolf of shadows confined to a small cell, he stayed determined to survive no matter what.
…
When Gundham migrated to his old territory, he was unsure what exactly would await him. The years of isolation made him unable to understand his fellow shadow animals, yet the swan always stayed close to him. They arrived under the cover of night yet even in darkness he could see so much of his old territory had changed dramatically. But like any strong animal, he adapted to the situation and sought to scout out the island. Carefully he ran through the ruined city, through the mountain range, and into a wide open meadow. There his ears picked up a familiar sound. A mournful song that could only be sung by cerberuses in mourning. Yet when he heard their song he could've sworn he could fully understand it. Fully intrigued he rushed towards the source of the howling which laid in a vast desert near the meadow.
Shortly after he traversed into the frigid sand, the howling stopped. He kept moving in the direction he had heard it from but saw no sign of wolves. However his nose picked up their faint scent. Following it as best he could through the shifting sands he could not deny he felt light on his paws, his tail uncontrollably wagging. Upon seeing wolf tracks in the sand the feeling increased. Running even faster, he followed the tracks and finally found what he was looking for hidden among a rocky path. There they were in the safety of an oasis.
Wolves.
A whole pack of at least twenty wolves young and old laid about the oasis. As soon as he barged in eight of them leapt up and bared their fangs. Instead of growls he could hear the wolves speaking to him. This wasn't just reading their body language, he could hear and understand their words as if he were raised by them. Although this discovery excited him, the snarling wolves were still not thrilled with his presence. Of course they would, he was an outsider, a lone wolf that could pose a threat to their pack. If he identified the alpha male perhaps he could clear things up. Yet when he tried to sniff out the alpha male he was not present. Not only that but he could smell the depression and stress coming from the wolves. Their alpha male was dead leaving a vacuum of power the wolves were too depressed to fill. It was the opportune moment to seize control for without a strong leader they would suffer and possibly die.
"I see," Gundham said. "Your beloved alpha male is gone. You ask me to leave but I see how much you need me.
One of the wolves snapped at him.
"I will gladly challenge all of you for the right to lead you," Gundham grinned.
Some of the wolves, enraged by his cockiness attacked. Their anger blinded them making it all too easy to dodge their attacks. Having studied all animals and their behavior, it was simple to predict their attack patterns and exploit them. Smelling which one was the alpha female, he aimed to attack and pin her. Upon doing so she still bared her fangs and swiped her claws. A prime example of the ferocity and determination of nature. So he had no choice but to scare her into submission by biting her throat but not hard enough to pierce the skin. All the wolves froze in fear thinking he would kill her.
"I too am a proud wolf," Gundham spoke after lifting his head up. "I do not come here to strike you at your lowest point. I am here to guide you all to being bigger and stronger than ever!"
The alpha female asked why.
"Because you are my kin," Gundham said. "My brothers and sisters, not bound by blood, but by spirit. Together we will not just survive, we shall thrive in this sea of sand!"
The wolves were less afraid and more confused, but he could tell they were at least thinking it over. As an act of his loyalty, Gundham released the alpha female and licked her neck.
"I promise you all, if you follow me as your new alpha, I will protect each and every one of you with my entire being!" Gundham said.
Hesitantly, the alpha female licked him back and accepted him into the pack. Although he'd have to spend more time with them before anyone would see him as their alpha especially the grieving alpha female.
…
Of course it would take a long time for Gundham to gain the wolves' trust. Although canines are praised for their loyalty it has to be earned. So he did the best thing he could, he helped the pack hunt. Vegetation was scarce in the desert meaning herbivores were scarce. Fortunately his heightened sense of smell even stronger than his fellow wolves allowed him to track even the most elusive prey. Another added benefit of his monstrous form was the unnatural strength that came with it allowing him to take down a fully grown deer all by himself. Most importantly, he didn't need to eat nor did he long for food, meaning he could hunt and share his kills without taking any meat to restore his energy. The wolves took notice and grew to respect him for it.
Time passed and just as he was becoming accustomed to the conditions of the desert, the scarce number of herbivores dwindled further. Those remaining herbivores he managed to track were small in size and therefore not enough to feed the whole pack. Within two weeks the pack quickly starved down to their bones. This he could not allow as their alpha, so there was only one other option to survive the famine. Humans had to be added to the menu. Normally neither he nor his fellow wolves would dare hunt such a dangerous animal as man, but given the dire conditions of their territory they had no choice. Perhaps they could migrate to a more bountiful territory, but a wolf would sooner die of starvation than surrender their pride and territory. So Gundham led his pack to search and hunt for humans.
As he expected, while some of the humans were fairly dangerous with their sharp sticks, they were well worth the risk to kill. Together his pack could track and kill many of the humans, dragging their bodies back to the oasis, and completely filling the bellies of every wolf down to the omegas. Under these favorable conditions the alpha male and female would normally reproduce, but seeing as he was still so different mentally and biologically from the alpha female he couldn't fulfill this role nor did he want to. The alpha female was like a sister to him, so he paired her with one of the betas she was not related to. It was untraditional, but so was a one shadow wolf alpha running the whole pack.
…
One day Gundham and his pack tracked down a rather small female human traveling in the desert with a basket of fruit. Even if she was small her body could still feed the alpha female who had recently given birth to a new litter.
Gundham ordered the other wolves to attack. Upon hearing them the girl ran as fast as she could, clutching her basket tight to her chest. One of the younger wolves managed to catch up to her and grab her by the cloak. The girl fell down silently, some of the fruit spilling from her basket upon her hitting the sand. Seeing their prey was vulnerable, each wolves' instincts kicked in and compelled them to charge at her. But before any of the wolves could sink their fangs into the girl, something dashed in between them, kicking up the sand.
Once the sand settled he saw another human standing between his pack and the girl. Human wasn't exactly the right word as he could see she had shadows like him around her arms and legs although they looked more like tiger limbs than wolf limbs. Regardless he would not allow any creature to stand in the way of providing for his pack. Two other wolves agreed and tried to charge at the strange half human only for her to slash their heads off with one swipe of her shadows claws. Both wolves dropped dead and headless on the sand staining it crimson. All the wolves once confident in attacking now backed away whining with their tails between their legs. This wasn't an ordinary animal, it was a monster just like him. He wanted to tear her apart for killing his kin, but the cries of his living kin were more important. Hesitantly he called for a retreat. All the wolves ran away just as ordered then followed by him. The half human began to chase them only to be stopped by the little girl who held onto her leg. That day was an unfortunate and shameful loss that neither he nor his pack would soon forget.
…
That night at the oasis Gundham called his pack together to howl for their departed kin. Not since their original alpha male passed had the pack been so disheartened. Together all the adult wolves howled with heavy hearts, even inspiring a few of the pups to try and howl along. He could not bare to see his pack so defeated, so even before the omegas could try to raise their spirits with play, Gundham stood up.
"My brothers and sisters, I know this is an irreversible loss, but we mustn't lose our instinctual determination!" Gundham yelled. "We should remain proud and ready to bare our fangs at all that tries to kill us, just like our fallen brothers did today! We are wolves! The masters of our desert territory!"
Hearing his words the wolves lifted their heads in agreement.
"Will we allow ourselves to die without biting our killer?!" Gundham asked.
The wolves barked no.
"Will we run and hide from the humans that invade OUR territory and steal OUR food?!" Gundham asked.
The wolves barked no.
"Yes, we shall keep fighting till the bitter end, never letting go of our pride as wolves!" Gundham barked. "Together we will all survive and flourish even in hell!"
The wolves howled in agreement, their spirits restored and ready to fight again.
"Good," Gundham grinned. "Now rest my brothers and sisters, for tomorrow no matter what dangers we will face, we will find and take food for our pups."
The wolves agreed and went off to rest. All expect for one rowdy pup that had ventured away from his mother and litter mates. The pup who had only stopped nursing a few days ago, wobbled over to him as he laid by the oasis. Gundham noticed the pup's mother looking for it and nodded to her reassuring her he would look after it. As he did, the pup nestled itself between his front legs.
"My what a brave little pup you are," Gundham smiled and gave the pup a lick to warm it.
Then he heard something from above . Looking up to the star filled sky he saw the swan shade circling around the oasis. He felt he maybe once knew her name, but he had no idea what it was. Even the sound of her voice which he hadn't been able to understand had faded from his memory. However he had no doubts she was his guardian angel of darkness. Why else would she fly over a desolate place like this?
…
Time passed and the wolves thrived again, their spirits empowered by Gundam's leadership. Fortunately for them, the strange half human hadn't appeared again. The pups grew up but weren't quite ready to hunt, so they were still hunting a lot to feed them. Humans remained rather easy to track and kill as they ventured between the meadow and their city. Of course the city humans would catch on and attempt to stop them. It was an inevitable confrontation between two apex predators, one he would be prepared for. He wouldn't underestimate the humans unlike they would most likely underestimate him and his pack.
The day the first real confrontation came, Gundham smelled the human hunting party, a total of nine grown men. Compared to his hunting party of 14, the humans didn't stand much of a chance even with their sharp sticks. Carefully he signaled his packmates to the humans' location behind them. He advised them to remain calm, half of the wolves including himself would attack from the front allowing the rest to attack the humans from the back while they were distracted. The plan worked as they managed to kill two of the humans. Then Gundham noticed something. A single human among them not wearing a mask and dressed in gold robes, clearly their leader.
"Brothers, sisters attack the rest of the guards, the shining human is mine!" Gundham parked.
His packmates followed. Swarming the remaining 6 humans, barking and snapping at them while also being careful to avoid their sharp sticks. They did well to lead the humans away from the unmasked one, giving Gundham the perfect opening. He lunged forward, grabbing the maskless human's spear and ripping it out from his hands. With his only weapon gone, Gundham easily knocked the human down into the sand. For a moment he looked down at his prey and saw the pure fear in his eyes, he was void of any determination to survive. Seeing this pitiful display of nature, Gundham sank his fangs into the maskless human's throat, killing him instantly. With this human's death, the humans would be crippled just like the wolves were when they lost their alpha male. Terrified, the surviving humans tried to fight and take back the body of their leader. Their emotions blinded them, making them expose their weaknesses. Swiftly he and his pack killed all of them. It would be a feast of meat to fill every wolf's stomach, that was all that mattered.
...
Before Gundham could believe it, the pups had grown into strong if immature juveniles. They learned to hunt alongside him and the others and showed promise. Of course being juveniles they often acted before thinking, a behavior he'd have to correct time and time again. It didn't help when the strongest of the juveniles always led them to go hunting instead of patrol. No doubt the strongest juvenile was itching and training to be the next alpha male.
When he heard his youngest packmates were off hunting alone again, he took to the cliffs to look for them. The cliffs, while very hot, were an ideal place to scan the desert. It didn't take long for him to find the juveniles running through the shade of the cliffs. Then he saw what creatures they were headed for. A tall normal looking human, an abnormally large and ghostly looking white fox, and a woman with blonde hair. He shuttered realizing the woman was the same one with tiger shade claws. The juveniles being so young had no idea the danger they were in and charged straight at the group. One had his throat sliced open by the man's sword. When the juveniles tried to circle them the half human summoned her shadow claws and took out two more. At the same time the strange fox hardened its tail somehow and stabbed one of the juveniles directly in the head. Despite their fallen packmates, the remaining juveniles still bared their fangs and kept attacking. Gundham could not allow the pointless carnage to continue and let out a loud distorted howl that echoed from above. Once the juveniles heard and saw him they swiftly fled back to the oasis. In one fell swoop they lost four promising juveniles. All because this half human and her abnormally strong companions decided to waltz back into their territory. Admittedly the juveniles were also at fault for being reckless, but then they had no idea how deadly their opponents were. An underestimation he hoped the juveniles would never repeat after today.
...
Five years passed. Over the course of those five years the world became even more dangerous. The shades that roamed the desert and normally left the wolves alone, now fused with each other to form far more aggressive chimeras. While they still didn't attack the wolves, they attacked and killed a lot of humans. A few wolves were unfortunately lost while fighting the shades for their human prey. Human prey was becoming more scarce as the presence of these dangerous chimera shades as well as his pack's reputation caused less humans to venture out into the desert. Yet even under these conditions the pack's pride and determination to live shined through. The promising if wreckless juveniles had all grown up into strong and loyal adults. The leader of the litter had now made third litters of his own pups. If Gundham wasn't their alpha, this strong wolf certainly would be.of course Gundham wasn't going anywhere, since unlike the recently deceased alpha female, he was not susceptible to the ill effects of aging. He had lived over a thousand years and would gladly live another thousand with this pack and all their future descendants.
Said descendants were now whining at their father's paws and licking his muzzle begging him for food. Their little tails wagged as their fuzzy faces looked so hopeful for their father to magically produce food for them. A few of the juveniles laughed at their siblings' immature behavior even though they were the exact same way a year ago. Eventually Gundham decided to intervene.
"Alright pups, your father and I will go get you food," Gundham said. "Now be patient and wait with your babysitters."
On cue, the omegas came over to herd the pups back to their den in the rocks. However one pup managed to squirm out of the group and back to her father. She whined, not for food but for her father's safe return. Her father lowered his head nuzzling and licking her head reassuringly. It worked and the pup returned to the omegas and her litter mates.
"Quite the caring pup, that one," Gundham said. "I'm sure she will grow into a strong and compassionate wolf just like you."
The father wolf looked at him to agree.
"Now then, let's bring back a fine meal for your pups!" Gundham said proudly.
…
The hunt went rather smoothly, meaning there would be plenty for the pups and juveniles to eat. Then just as the pack was dragging the bodies back to their oasis, Gundham smelled something.
"No!" Gundham yelled and ran ahead to the oasis.
The father wolf let go of the prey and followed swiftly beside him. Upon coming closer to the oasis entrance they could see human tracks going in and out. Seeing the blood in the sand made them run even faster. But no matter how fast they had run, the horrendous sight that awaited them would not have changed. Upon entering the oasis his nose was flooded with the palpable scent of death and wolf blood. The sources of the scent lay scattered all around the oasis. Omegas and juveniles drenched in their own blood and impaled with spears all over their body. All of them dead, except for one juvenile that was still clinging onto life. Gundham ran over to him.
Gundham said. "What happened?!"
The wolf explained how an army of masked humans came and slaughtered all of them, including the pups. Instantly the father wolf stepped back before rushing to his den. Moments later he let out a heart wrenching cry that could only come from a father. Meanwhile the surviving juvenile's head dropped to the sand, his breathing becoming even more shallow.
"Stay strong young one!" Gundham yelled.
Seeing the spear lodged in the juvenile's torso, Gundham bit it with all his might to rip it out. Before it would even budge, the juvenile stopped breathing. Gundham held his head down yet could still see and smell all the carnage. Then he saw the father wolf solemnly marching out of his den. In his mouth he carried his young daughter, her brown fur soaked red and her head cut off. The father wolf cried explaining the masked humans must have taken her head.
"No…," Gundham whispered, all he could see was red. "NOOOOOOOOO!!!!"
He howled with pure sorrow and rage so powerful he could feel his fangs and claws grow longer. The pain of horns morphing out of his skull overwhelmed his head but he kept howling. For a moment all the wolves stepped back in fear.
"Shameless cowards!" Gundham snapped. "That's what these humans are. They are not apex predators, they are not the masters of this desert, they are spineless weaklings that kill our young and weak ruthlessly and leave their bodies to rot!"
The wolves barked in agreement.
"No more!" Gundham growled. "If they wish to kill our most precious and vulnerable, we shall do the same to them!"
Upon his vow Gundham let out a loud distorted howl full of hate and sadness. His packmates followed with their own wrathful howls including the father wolf. Their eyes were set on the masked human territory.
…
After a few days of carefully scouting the masked human's territory, they found their opening. It helped that the humans were preoccupied by some sort of celebration. The pack waited in an abandoned temple behind the castle for the perfect opportunity to strike. Keeping his nose up, Gundham checked for the human scents that revealed they were calmest and therefore most vulnerable. Among the scents he caught wind of the half human and her male companion. However, their presence didn't matter to him and his pack. If they could get revenge on the humans they'd gladly risk a fight with them
Once Gundham heard the human celebration and smelled their joy, that was the moment they had to attack. Swiftly the pack surrounded the castle, attacking and killing any guards they saw but one managed to escape and warn the humans. By then Gundham had climbed to the top of the castle. Surveying the humans below him he looked for the one that would cause the most hurt if he killed them. That's when he saw the young human leader standing beside his mate. In an instant he decided to kill her. Then the alpha male and the entire city of humans would know his pack's pain. He lunged forward, sunk his fangs into the alpha female, and kicked her mate to the side with her body.
Gundham let out a powerful howl signaling his kin to attack. Together they'd kill as many humans as they could as punishment for the innocent lives they ruthlessly stole. Of course this made the half human, her companion, the strange fox, and some strange skeletal creature attack back. Yet even with the fours' strange powers and strength, the sheer number of his kin kept them back. By the time the remaining guards assembled and started fighting back, his pack killed ten humans attending the celebration. The human's alpha male, crippled by fear and grief sat completely paralyzed looking at his beloved mate bleed out. Noticing this vulnerability, Gundham tried to attack him only for the half human's male companion to intercept and block the attack. He bared his fangs and was ready to take him on until he heard some of his kin cry out in pain. Even with their numbers, his kin were being fatally wounded. This quest for revenge was a suicide mission. Upon realizing that, he made another distorted howl ordering them all to retreat.
…
Back at the oasis the wolves panted and tried to reclaim their strength. Gundham watched over them dreading the sands would be stained with red soon. It was inevitable the humans would retaliate after the attack on their territory. How soon that attack would be he did not know, but he couldn't risk his beloved pack suffering more from it. There was no other option, his kin had to abandon their desert home and search for a new territory far from the humans that wanted them dead. With that in mind, he stood up to speak to his pack.
"My brothers and sisters, you all fought so valiantly today and inflicted as much pain as you could on the human filth," Gundham said. "However, I see now that even with our strength and numbers, those humans will stop at nothing to exterminate us. This is all my doing as I was the one to lead you to eat human flesh and attack them when they were most vulnerable. Therefore I alone will pay the price. I will fight off the humans so that you may all escape to a new, safer, and more bountiful territory far from this forsaken place!"
The father wolf hearing his words stood up and barked in defiance prompting all the other wolves to bark as well.
"So, even though I have misguided you all, you still desire to fight and die in this desert alongside me," Gundham said. "I should have known my words would fall on deaf ears, afterall I raised you all to fight to the bitter end with pride. Very well, we shall fight together to kill the humans!"
The wolves howled in agreement. Then the father wolf approached Gundham. He explained how Gundham had always been like a father to him and as such he would give his life to defend him, all the wolves felt this way. So, in order for Gundham to have a fighting chance to kill the human's alpha male, the father wolf proposed he and all the other wolves fight till their last breath to weaken the human alpha for the wolf alpha to kill.
"I see," Gundham lowered his head. "It is easier to die than to see the ones you love die. If that is how you feel I will carry the weight and burden of your sacrifices. Know that I too saw you as family and I am eternally grateful and proud of you, my son."
Gundham came close and licked the father wolf who in turn did the same. This was not solely a defeated goodbye, but a promise to keep fighting fang and claw just as Gundham had always taught them.
…
Not too long after, the alpha human entered the oasis accompanied by his guards, the half human, the man with the spear, the strange fox, and the skeletal creature. Gundham let out a howl from atop the rock wall to catch their attention and hopefully intimidate them. The alpha human male barked at him angrily in that language he long since forgot before Gundham summoned his whole pack to attack. The humans charged towards the incoming pack with their sharp sticks. Some managed to stab a few of his packmates, but not kill them. The half human and her group also charged in and attacked. The strange fox bit one wolf in the neck, the skeletal creature summoned white arrows to hit some wolves, the half human clawed two wolves' throats out with one swipe, and the man with the spear stabbed a wolf in between the eyes. Despite the whining and cries of the hurt wolves, the rest continued to attack. They ran through the soldiers and tried to dogpile the human alpha as planned, tearing his robe to shreds in the process. yet the human alpha remained strong and stabbed as many wolves as he could. Ever faithful, his soldiers came to his aid and stabbed wolves as well. One soldier shouted as he stabbed his spear clean through a wolf's head. Ten wolves were now dead and bleeding out on the sand, but the remaining wolves would not relent. Despite the guards surrounding him most of the wolves kept trying to attack the human alpha including the father wolf. Just as the father wolf lunged at the alpha male from behind the man hurled his spear directly into his neck. The father wolf fell yet still tried to crawl towards Masaru with its fangs bared.
More time passed as his pack tried and failed to kill the humans. By this time the blood stained sand around the oasis was littered with dead wolf bodies and a few dead humans. While the wolves panted the humans sweated. However neither would back down. They all kept fighting under Gundham's solemn watch. All until the man stabbed the last wolf to death with his spear.
Now he had to face the human alpha in order to not only avenge his pack but ensure his brave kins' sacrifice was not in vain. Thinking of his beloved pack, Gundham descended from the rocks, landing in the water of the oasis. With a grin, the human alpha wiped the sweat from his brow and pointed his spear at him. Everyone grew silent as they watched their human alpha inch closer towards him.
"You will pay for the death of all my kin," Gundham lowered his horned head and growled earning a respective growl from the human alpha.
Then both man and beast roared and charged at each other, the alpha human with his spear and Gundham with his horns. The human alpha roared, plunging his spear through Gundham's left eye and pushing it through until it came out of his stomach. Blood spilled out and floated in the water as he howled in agony. His distorted cry of pain echoing on the wind. The human alpha kept his hands firmly on the spear as he tried to use it to push Gundham down into the water. He refused to fall in his fatally wounded state and continued to bare his fangs at the human alpha.
"No matter my pain and sorrow, I will never surrender to you pathetic human," Gundham growled. "I will do whatever it takes to survive and flourish even in this hell your kind created!"
The human alpha roared angrily back at him. Finally, the Gundham's legs gave out and he collapsed into the water. The blood spilling out of his body spread through the small pool of water turning it red just like the sand around it. Swiftly his shadowed body faded into nothingness. He looked up at the sky, hoping to see his guardian swan once again to guide him into his next life. Of course after all the sins he committed out of pride, she did not appear to him leaving him to die alone and ashamed. Through the ringing in his ears he heard the human alpha yelling in agony as loud as he could.
"I see…," Gundham fought to speak with his final breath. "Neither of us… are satisfied…"
