Life as A Fox

Chapter 74

NSW-The Forsaken Author of the Lost Story (see my bio for explanation)

Also I have a new story out called 'A Forgiven Father' It is something I have written on the side for a while, and it's chock full of OC's but..you might enjoy it, it's kind of hard to explain...so just check it on your spare time.

Naruto and Yume glanced to each other than Yume glanced to Mastat "how can this be?" Mastat spoke. "I was not born in the valley like the other demon wolves, and before I came there I was a young female, I had a mate who died, you were our only child...it is a long story, but you need to hear this"

Begin flashback

Mastat's belly growled loudly, she glanced to her mate, he was a coyote demon, wolf demons were far and few in-between, and none she had ever met were right for her, they loved each other, but they were not soul mates. But they were content with this and were happy. She spoke "Bekill we must find food soon, my milk is almost dry."

Bekill nodded "I know my love, but there is nothing in this valley, all the animals are starving. The prey have fled" But still they managed to get two bony stringy rabbits to feed on. Mastat ate and ran to her pup, the only on of the litter, a little girl, she seemed perfectly fine, she had her father's coat and green eyes, but she could see that she would grow into a stong wolf.

Bekill continued to hunt while Mastat shared her body heat with her pup, who greedily suckled at what milk that remained. She slept soundly but heard a fearful noise that made her awake with a start. She ran holding her pup in her jaws. Fear running down her spine, as she dashed and leaped through the dead undergrowth of the forest.

The forest was cold and desolate, nothing made a noise, and the dry wood and branches snapped at her as she ran through them. She tripped upon something and she vaulted in the air. She landed on the frozen earth hard. She got up, her pup whimpered next to her, Mastat licked her to soothe the frail thing. She turned her head 'what did I trip on?' her heart almost stopped as she saw the body of her precious mate.

He lay gutted and bloody large chunks torn from his frail bony body. His eyes stared out at her, surprise and pain frozen upon his perfect face. His mouth hung open, blood still yet dripped from it. She howled in sadness, no! this could not be! She rushed towards him, burying her nose into his scent, his beautiful sent the smell of sagebrush and summer grass.

She whimpered and muttered his name over and over, what had done this? She glanced down. Large tracks were imprinted in Bekill's blood that stained the forest floor. She glanced around the forest was still deathly silent, this forest was cold and frozen, she hated this place now more than ever! Her mate lay dead and not even the forest would reveal the murderer!

She heard the whimpering of her pup as it scrabbled on the cold ground, shaking from the bitterness of it. Mastat rushed to the pup and grabbed it by its scruff. She would have to find a place to keep it safe, a place that was warm and full of food, a place where she and the pup could grow, and where she could mourn the loss of her mate.

She turned, but something happened, in natural forests, the sound of silence meant something bad was happening, but in this forest it was opposite, in this clod desolate place, any noise meant something not right was upon you. She turned an angry bear shoved its way through the branches, shoulder aside trees like it was nothing, the bear was hungry as well, driven out of its sleep by the cold and the hunger, it wanted food, and a scrawny coyote was not even safe from its vengeful paws.

Mastat growled and ran, she had strength to do so. The bear roared and chased after her, she could smell the blood of her mate upon the bears breath that breathed down her neck, she could already hear the sound of her body being torn to pieces by the bears vicious claws. She shook her head no! She would not give up! She would fight it!

Mastat growled and suddenly veered of the path, inbetween to larger trees that would slow the hulking bear down. She pushed her pup into the hollow of a tree, and placed leaves inside to insulate the pup. Mastat turned, she would protect her pup and legacy to her last breath. The bear came bounding down the embankment.

Mastat snapped and growled louder. She lunged, snapping at the bear with her fangs, ripping a part of the ear as she did so. She ran leading the bear away from her pup. The bear followed her roaring in anger. Mastat ran, and ran, keeping away from the fangs and claws of the bear.

She began to weaken, her body could only do so much. She turned her head, looking behind her. The bear was gone! How did she not notice it, she slowed and paused, her senses extended to their limit. She heard the rushing of a nearby river, she heard the sounds of mice underneath the earth burying themselves closer to each other for heat.

She waited, she grew scared, what if the bear turned back? She began to move forward. Then she was sideswiped by an enormous mass. She yelped as she was knocked to the earth, she bounced off the ground and began to roll down the embankment for the river.

She whimpered clawing at the ground for hold, but it was icy and slick. She managed to catch herself on a brittle log. She panted and groaned as her wound stung. The bear came lumbering down the embankment, drooling in hunger. She managed to stand and growl.

The bear lunged for her, she dodged blow, the bear slid on the ice and growled in surprise. Mastat took her chance she leaped around the bear, ignoring the pain and landed. The bear was turning towards her, its huge claws digging into the ice trying to catch a grip.

Mastat used all her might and shoved herself into the shoulder of the bear. The bear roared as it began to sink into the icy cold water. It screamed and tore at the bank trying to pull its huge mass up. Mastat snapped and bite at its paws and clawed at its face, making the bear fall back.

She felt a sense of accomplishment while she did this, that she managed to fight this bear. She paused as she watched the bear sink further. The bear was going under, it would drown and she would be safe to go back to her pup. She turned away, not noticing the massive drenched form rising from the river, the bear was strong, it would not be beaten so easily.

It flung a paw at the wolf, grabbing it. Mastat shrieked as pain tore through her once more. She was being dragged into the water along with the bear! She scrabbled and clawed at the icy embankment, no! She had to get to her pup! But the ice cold water numbed her body, it went limp, she couldn't command it.

She tried to fight it, she tried to fight the current and the bear, but she could not, she was drifting...drifting away from her pup, drifting away from the bank, drifting away from conciousness. The last thing she remembered was falling into blackness.

Mastat stood with her eyes closed, crying from the memory, from the loss. She opened them slowly. "The designs upon my fur help cover the scars the bear left upon me, I floated in that river and it brought me to the valley, somehow I managed to hold to life...until there...I met Fimir, he was a young male wolf then, with dreams of becoming alpha, he saved me...and we soon grew to love each other and we became soul mates after sometime...He and I then became alpha's, we had our litter, but only one survived, our only child Fenrir."

Mastat turned looking to Fenrir. Naruto and Yume were silent still Yume spoke "My adoptive mother, she said...she found me in the hallow of a tree...all alone...they had tried looking for my pack..." Mastat shook her head "we did not have a pack, we were just a pair of fools in love, but we managed to make one good thing in this world...our daughter..alive and safe...I had given you up for death."

Yume began to cry "For so long...I have wondered...why would my mother abandon me...I thought it was because I was ugly, but no..it was because you were trying to protect me" Mastat nodded "yes child...I wanted to save you from the bear...I am so sorry I was not there to raise you, to teach you the way of demons."

Naruto nuzzled Yume "Do not fear, she had learned them well, I found her...well...we found each other, and we learned from each other, she lived a hard life in the pack of wolves, but I...we saved each other from it." Mastat turned to Naruto "I thank you greatly, for saving and protecting...and loving my precious daughter...no longer dead...or lost..but found."

Mastat stepped forward, Yume did as well. They carressed each other's heads, as mother and daughter were reunited once more. Mastat spoke "you remind me so much of him, but your scent reminds me of my home land, on the island I grew up on, then traveled across the wide lake to mainland, there I met your father, on the grass lands."

Yume spoke "Mastat, my mother, I...remember now, your scent, the one of wild flowers and lake water." Mastat nodded "my daughter...come, I wish for you to meet someone." Mastat turned "Your step brother, Fenrir." Fenrir bowed to his new sister.

"I am so happy to meet you, now I am not alone in this world, I have one I can call sibling." Yume embraced Fenrir as well. Mastat turned to Naruto "come my son, you are family now." Naruto nodded and embraced his 'mother-in-law' The two white wolves with blue eyes grinned at each other, "might I add, you have such beautiful markings, I was quite jealous when I saw them myself."

Mastat grinned "it is tradition among us wolves, to decorate ourselves, I was shy around the piercing of ears, but...the dyeing of fur...that I can handle." Naruto grinned Mastat cocked her head "I would say...green would go nicely for you, to match the eyes of my daughter."

Naruto nodded "Maybe later, come now, I wish to show you my territory, and my pack" he added as he turned and looked up at the mountain heads, the leaders of Konoha of present and old. He knew one day, hopefully a wolf head graced that ancient rock face.

Naruto greeted Fenrir once more, this time as a brother instead of a friend. Fenrir and Mastat then met the pups, Mastat was now a great-mother, and Fenrir, an uncle. Naruto scented someone else on the breeze, he turned it was Kakashi, Gaara and Bee.

Gaara and Bee looked differently at him, they were smiling and Gaara...Gaara was crying, why was he? Naruto edged forward "Kazekage-sama, it had been awhile since I have spoken to you, the first and last time I saw you was at the chunin exams"

Gaara shook his head "Naruto stop pretending and get over here" Naruto froze, then he grinned slowly "so the truth is revealed eh?" He said then ran at Gaara he leaped and knocked him over as the two long time friends embraced each other once more.

Naruto lept up and tackled Bee as well. The three of them, who all knew each others pain, the pain of holding a demon inside of them, the pain of dying...and coming back to life...all of them knew how it felt and waht it was like, all of them were from the same cloth, they had a bond few people could ever know, or would want to know.

Naruto rubbed his head against Gaara's hand as Gaara scratched his ears, they got really itchy after awhile! Kakashi cleared his throat "I would hate to break up the reunion, but...we have a war going on, shall we get to business?" Naruto, Gaara and Bee looked at each other then grinned and said "we will, we just got lost on the path of life." Naruto said mimicing Kakashi.

Kakashi sighed "I am supposed to fight a war with these idiots? Kami help me" he said as he waited for the three goof balls to get serious.

And...we are back, okay I think I will take a little break, I have like uploaded a chapter once everyday it seems I need to refill my writing juices. So enjoy.

NSW