Once upon a time, there was a Godly valley with mountains that could touch the sky and trees that cast long shadows. The people who live in the small mountain town are hardworking and happy, so long as they never stray into the forest where the wolves lurk in the darkness. Adults brave the trees in groups to hunt the vicious pack as they have for decades, the conflict is deep with no sign of victory for either side. But wolves are not the only threat, nor the village's only secret - and the link connecting them is a simple cloak of Red ...

Every night, from the highest peak of the uninhabited mountains, a single Wolf howls to the good folk of the valley – as a warning, as a message, and as a reminder of what they did:
"Beware, beware, the Path where the Witch once stood. Beware, beware, of the Wolf in the Wood."

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"Go away," Leon sighed as the wide-eyed female stubbornly kept pace with him all the way to the edge of the woods. He heard her briefly hesitate, but then her footsteps resumed undaunted.

He looked down at her with the most intimidating, commanding voice he could muster, his horrible morning made it twice as natural to turn cold, "You're making me late. Go home!"

Were all females this annoying? Or was it just those who seemed to hang around Rinoa? Because this little girl had been following him the moment he'd left his one-room house.

The brown haired puppy merely tilted her head and waited to see where else they were going. She had grown since he had last seen her, but it was the same puppy from the Heartily household that had taken a liking to him. She was wiry and thin with her sudden growth from a puppy into a dog, paws still large and eyes still overly bright as her tail thumped against his leg as if they were off on a pleasant hunt.

Leon nudged her as carefully as he could manage with his foot. "Go away," he groaned as she made his dissuasions a game and sat on his other side, waiting for his next nudge so she could play again.

What was he going to do with her? He sighed.

He was certainly not taking a runaway pup into the woods, someone might come looking for her, but he really didn't want to bring her home in person. As predicted, the village was buzzing with gossip over Rinoa's public heartbreak, and she had many sympathisers who weren't shy about speaking their minds whenever he was in earshot. If he brought the puppy back to her owners he would have to face both Rinoa and likely some early rising villagers, and, god forbid, Rinoa's Father.

He loosened the fabric around his throat at the uncomfortable shudder, imagining Rinoa's Father speaking seeing him anytime soon would not be pleasant.

Silently, Leon feared another brawl. Or, at the very least, there would be more rotten food thrown at him. He hoped his decision to leave his front door uncleaned in his rush to get into the woods wouldn't stink up his house later.

However, the little dog wasn't leaving him with a lot of options to avoid conflict. She was too young to be out in the woods, and if she got hurt, lost or terrified in the green maze, it would be on his head and on his conscience. Sighing, Leon knelt and scooped her up, the dog yelping in delight and snuggling into the red cloak at his throat.

Leon tried not to grin. "You're such a pain," he said instead, frowning against the stronger urge to spoil her with scratches.

The dog, Leon didn't care to name her, seemed happy in his hold as he reluctantly trekked back towards the community to hand over the little runaway. Maybe he could tie her to the fence or drop her through a window?

"Since when did you have a mutt?"

Not sure if his luck was turning for better or worse, Leon turned to face his older brother propping logs against a fence due for repairs. Seifer looked as intimidating as he always did, an, unfortunately, dark brow covered his face no matter his expression, and the scowl and hands in pockets pose only adding to his brooding appearance.

Leon remembered that Seifer was probably just stung over Rinoa's confession and quickly forgave his mood, "I don't. She's one of Heartily's, I think she ran away."

Seifer reached a hand out to the dog, who excitedly licked and nibbled at his fingertips, his mood brightened a little. "Angelo. She does this all the time, Mr. Heartily never had a litter of pups this rowdy," he almost smiled at the statement.

"Does she visit you when she runs off?"

Scowling again, Seifer shook his head, "She's always running towards the woods, or found sniffing around where your house is. I don't get it. But her fearlessness is making her attractive for tracking training."

Leon held her out, "Why don't you return her? I'm late for … something."

Taking the puppy (she immediately began to settle, squirm and look from her new vantage point) Seifer said nonchalantly, "You're off to meet your secret lover again?" the twitch in his hands gave away his curiosity, he was more invested in finding out than he let on. Surely he didn't still think that this was an elaborate ploy to hide Rinoa from him?

Not bothering to deny it, Leon shrugged. "I just don't want to be around gossip today."

Snorting slightly, Seifer muttered, "Not much you can do when it's Rin…"

Rin? Leon thought, a Selphie-esque mischievous smile tilting the corner of his mouth when he spotted the barely there blush his older brother was masterfully powering through. He hadn't realised that they had gotten so close, his past grumpy behaviour made sense now more than ever, it must have really hurt to hear the girl he liked pining after someone else. He had never been as close to Seifer as he had his other siblings, but they had grown up together and loved the same family, how could he not wish him the best?

Maybe, just maybe, something good could come out of this.

Grinning at the thought, Leon nodded, "You should make a move on Heartily." Seifer looked up with a scowl and angry blush, but Leon pressed on, "She's probably going to have a mass of suitors looking to comfort her after I told her that I was spoken for," he couldn't help but smile at his own words, and was positive that Cloud would back him up, teeth and all. He pointed in the direction of the village, "You'd better be there to take her attention, and maybe she'll realise that you're the obviously better man for her."

Seifer's eyebrows rose in shock. His mouth hung open for a moment before he sputtered, "Are you serious?"

Leon nodded slightly, "I know you've been trying already, but now she's finally gotten the message …"

Slowly, then gaining confidence, Seifer nodded. He looked at the pup who was listening unaware and leaning forwards towards Leon for attention, and he came to a conclusion in his mind; finally realising what Leon had been telling him all along; his secret lover was not Rinoa, Rinoa could be pursued. He gave Leon a small smirk as he squared his shoulders, all intimidation gone, "You're giving up a fine woman, Leon. What kind of lover are you hiding from us that outshines our lovely Rin?"

Smiling secretly, Leon stepped backwards in the slow transition of leaving and spoke his mind, "Someone I wouldn't trade for the world."

His brother smirked, "Introduce us some time. I won't tell Rin!" Seifer called after him, the puppy beginning to bark hyperactively now Leon was out of her range of affections.

Leon gave Angelo a strange look as he waved goodbye. He wasn't exactly an animal lover, his occupation as a hunter had steeled his nerves against most wide-eyed, fluffy creatures. But, on the other hand, he'd been around a good many hunting dogs enough to hold a slight fondness for them, though he'd never own one of his own. Too much work, and not enough resources to feed another mouth. Therefore, he was at a loss to try and rationalise why this little pup was so god damn interested in him.

Seifer walked away, the pup quietening at last, and Leon moved into the trees with a sigh of stepping from a cage into freedom.

No gossip, not expectations and secrets, and no prying eyes. It felt like safety and fresh air, it felt open and welcoming, it felt like home.

He didn't bother to tread the well-worn path and took his normal, abnormal routes, picking through the undergrowth on invisible paths and discovering spaces and clearings, logs and rocks that no one else had seen. He spotted animal tracks and evidence of life everywhere, unlike the well-trodden paths that the wildlife had learnt to avoid. This was the wild roads, the paths untouched by civilisation and man, and it was the way that would lead him to Cloud. Cloud, who always seemed to know where he was heading.

He found Cloud sooner than expected, the young man was sitting in a tree, throwing pinecones as he had in their childhood games and more recently after the ten-year transition. He grinned when Leon finally spotted him, his superior senses had likely seen Leon's approach a mile away, and he hurdled a small, spiky projectile down at him.

Leon caught it as it sailed through the air, and promptly returned it, "Maybe you should have been a squirrel guardian, I've seen you with these so often I'm questioning your roots," he teased as he craned his neck to look Cloud in the eye.

Cloud growled playfully, even as a human, he could snarl like a beast, and prowled along a higher branch before loosening his clothing one-handedly, effectively distracting Leon. "If I'm such a harmless squirrel, then you don't need to run very fast to escape me, do you?"

Leon blinked a few times, then ended up with a massive wolf jumping down on him. "Ow …" he coughed as the bulk of Cloud's wolf body settled on his stomach and refused to budge. Large paws and sharp claws dug into the soil either side of Leon's chest and successfully pinned him to the ground. Leon breathed deeply to inflate his collapsed lungs again and absently ran his fingers through the soft edges of Cloud's pelt.

Cloud whined after Leon had fully relaxed, the subtle tension of pain and impact gone, and leaned towards him to softly lick at his jaw in apology. The snout and wet nose poked at Leon's face and neck insistently as the man struggled to free himself, Cloud's breath hadn't improved from the first encounter.

Cloud turned back abruptly with a raised eyebrow, bracing himself over Leon's prone body almost possessively. "You smell like a bitch."

Now coughing with indignation, Leon muttered: "Oh thanks."

The blond buried his head into Leon's chest, eyes widening and hands grasping at him to prevent him leaving, "Oh crap, no, I'm sorry- I mean an actual female dog, and a human female, you smell very nice as always." He attempted to joke shortly after his quick explanation, "Good enough to eat, as always."

Leon smothered a laugh, "As you have done," he pointed at one of the fading marks his brothers had taken great pleasure in tormenting him over. Cloud beamed.

"Can I do it again?" his eyes had lowered to half lids, and his tongue swiftly licked his lips, and his gaze focused on Leon's lips as often as his eyes.

Leon pushed the tips of his fingers into Cloud's hair and brushed it through the thick, wild locks of blond for a few luxurious seconds before guiding Cloud's head down to his lips, unable to hold back his sigh of pleasure to finally be back in his presence. Lips on lips, hips against hips, Leon let Cloud's tongue slip into his mouth as he appreciated the former Wolfe's state of undress.

Cloud's muscles flexed and rippled under Leon's familiar touch, his kissing breaking the pattern for several happy little sighs to escape. Leon enthusiastically made up for Cloud's diverted attention, revelling in the soft sounds the blond made under his hands and against his lips.

Leon nipped at Cloud's top lip and made a path of nibbles and sucks across the blond's face to his collarbone, where he left a bright red mark with petty thoughts of payback until Cloud's moan derailed his train of thought. The newfound location of his mind was in memories of another time, another night, where Cloud had made those exact same noises, and his blood heated almost dizzyingly.

Cloud smiled down at him, still arching into the palms Leon smoothed along his back and sides, and he whispered, "I missed you."

"I missed you," Leon returned, Cloud pressing his forehead and nose against his and sighing comfortably. Thoughtfully, Leon whispered, "Why were you gone so long?" the seven long nights in the village, in the woods alone, working in the fields waiting for the call of his blue-eyed wolf - worrying frantically that something had gone wrong, that he was missing, that he'd somehow missed the call – had been unbearable. He had been so relieved to finally hear the song of his absent lover that he'd grinned all evening without a thought of who saw him.

Above him, Cloud guiltily glanced away, "I'm sorry … I needed some time to think," he reached for his clothes, the heated mood steadily cooling though the pair always remained in contact. Leon pulled him into his side once he was adequately clothed – breeches only – and Cloud continued to explain after a nervous shift wracked through his body. "I spoke with my village healer, and with Marluxia about mating, what it was like, what we had to do and …" he blushed "It was, um, a lot to take in. Aqua was more helpful than the man, can you believe?"

Leon grew concerned over his nervous chuckles and squeezed his hand.

Caught, Cloud dropped his façade and admitted: "Aqua told me the mechanics so that I wouldn't go and try and hurt myself, or you, by doing it wrong … we could have been mates already if I hadn't of thought there was something more to this."

"What do you mean?"

Humming to stall for time for a few seconds, Leon allowed this, Cloud eventually began to speak towards his bare feet, "Aqua describes the moment of becoming mates as being physically, mentally and emotionally aligned, close or intimate with each other. Because we both thought that there was something more to the physical, we were mentally blocking ourselves." He curled up on himself, "I know I said I didn't want to rush you into this but … I wish I had you as mine already."

Leon smiled, "You will, and, for what it's worth, I'm yours now."

Cloud melted slightly, eyes still averted, and leaned against his arm "I … I found out how two males have sex and …" he coughed, "I don't know what I was expecting, but I was surprised."

Leon's confusion melted away when Cloud, stuttering, and blushing, explained what he had been told. Uncertain as to what he felt now, it was an odd mix of surprise, disgust, interest and intense embarrassment, Leon opted to stay silent as his future mate was. However, he couldn't help but wish Cloud would say something to stop his imagination running wild with the news.

"I …" he began when the air got too brittle for him to take any more. "I see why you needed time."

Cloud nodded, looking better now the explanation was out of the way. Knowing his people's open culture, Cloud wasn't nervous over the act itself but instead worried about Leon's reaction, and how to explain sex in a way that wouldn't sound unappealing. Cloud spoke and confirmed all of Leon's suspicions, "I needed to think and accept what I had learnt, and I was nervous about telling you, you know. I thought you'd … you know, hate it and change your mind."

"Well …" Leon rubbed at his eyes, images of intimate poses running through his mind with equal amounts of unease, interest and a shred of desire. He would think about this later, he decided, "It's good that I know now. I'll need to think about this as well," he confessed, Cloud pecking his cheek to put him at ease for his next words. "But it's not that different is it."

"No …" Cloud relaxed. "I … I guess it's … instead of just the words of sex meaning something that happens to someone else, it's us, and that's … strange. I'm sure your den is full of stories about couples too, having babies or yawning too much. Weird now that we're the ones who might have to carry the implications instead."

Smiling, glad to be assured of how normal sex really was, no matter the parties involved, Leon pulled Cloud to lay down with him again and resumed combing his fingers through his blond hair. "I don't think I'll mind having sex, but, please Cloud, don't bite me where everyone can see. The gossips are driving me insane," he groaned.

Cloud's bottom lip stuck out very slightly before he bared his teeth "But I like everyone knowing that you'll soon be mine."

"Cloud!"

Humming playfully, Cloud's fingers traced air light patterns into the creases of Leon's shirt as he returned to his mischievous comments, "You hardly protest when I'm biting you."

Leon grumbled, "Stupid … do you know how many questions I had to dodge when people saw them?"

Cloud's humour toned down slightly with a hint of seriousness shining in his eyes "No, but I expect you'll tell me."

Rubbing at his neck, Leon tried to keep his tone neutral as he described the usual pests. "My brothers have barely left me alone, and I don't want to know what the village leaders think of me, I'm glad that we've been too busy to cross paths. But then Heartily made it worse, before it was just family banter and now I'm the village villain again."

"Again?" Cloud sat up looking pissed, "If they start with their bullshit again I'll tear out their tongues."

"Easy boy," Leon patted his cheek condescendingly. "If you bark too loud they'll hear you."

Cloud's deadpanned with increasing irritation, "Keep on talking like that and bruises on your neck will be the least of your problems," he growled.

Chuckling disbelievingly, Leon returned to his complaints, "Anyway, Heartily, or Rinoa Heartily, has been told for a long time that she was privileged enough to be more than worthy of any man in our village. Somehow she went from privileged to spoilt and thought she could have anything she wanted, and everything her way. When she saw my neck, she confessed in front of a small crowd that she wanted me as her chosen husband." Cloud growled predictably, and Leon quickly scratched at the back of his neck to sooth him, Cloud's eyes closing against his will at the pleasurable touch.

It was like distracting a dog with attention, Leon mentally laughed.

"I rejected her of course, but now that makes me the bad guy. I made the best girl in the village cry," he dismally recalled the rotten food he'd found splattered across his front door the following day, the eggshell steps around the village to avoid anyone who'd take physical action. Life had never been easy between himself and his community, but it had never been cruel. "I'm back in people's wrong opinions … nothing seems to be going right there."

Cloud quickly leaned down to press several light kisses along his brow and eyes "You've done nothing wrong. You're not wrong, I'm proud of you for staying loyal to me in the face of all that, and I'm so sorry you have to face it at all."

Leon smiled slightly "I may bring it on myself at times, but thank you."

Cloud wrapped his arms around Leon and nudged his nose against Leon's cheek until his silver eyes were on his unnatural blue, "I think you need a break, run away with me again?" Before he had finished the question, he had his answer, and Leon found himself walking towards the mountains again, hand in hand with Cloud.

Cloud didn't have a premade den this time, so they made one together. They made a low ceiling out of sticks and leaves, wiggling themselves under a small rocky outcrop for the rest of their protection and dry earth. Leon lay on Cloud, draping his cape on either side of him and listening to the forest while Cloud's heart beat a steady rhythm against his cheek.

Cloud was running his hands through Leon's hair, rubbing at odd spots here and there in his soothing brushes of fingertips. They hadn't spoken since they had laid down, and Leon wasn't inclined too, he was tired, and now he didn't have to hide it. No weaknesses for the villagers to see, just an invitation for Cloud to be near him.

When an hour had passed with Leon slipping in and out of consciousness to the rhythm of Cloud's hands through his hair, he sighed and found the resolve to break the silence. He smiled at Cloud and leaned into the hand now cupping his jaw, "How do you always know?"

Cloud smiled, "I was with you, remember? Those ten years. I watched and learned you, you would always run your hand through your hair when you were stressed. I thought it was something you did to relax," he did it again, and Leon's eyes threatened to roll back into his head when the blond half tickled and half scratched at a sensitive spot at the nape of his neck.

"Ah…" he sighed.

Below him, Cloud chuckled fondly, his chest mildly jolting Leon from his rest. "You must know me too, you learn me so fast it's like you're remembering and not being taught."

Leon smiled.

The wolf-guardian shimmied until Leon was face to face with him "Just so you know, my self-control hasn't improved since last time. You smell so good," he buried his nose into Leon's collarbone and kissed feverish kisses along the bone in an invisible necklace.

Pleased that Cloud was showing signs of lust again, Leon's hand sneakily moved between them to cup Cloud through his trousers. His inhale was violent, for a moment Leon feared Cloud had inhaled his own tongue. Then Cloud groaned and rocked his pelvis up into Leon's hand, biting at his throat the once before pulling back.

"By the Guardians, Red!" he unsteadily moaned, a slight laugh trickling into his unsteady speech, "So bold, so fast."

Leon smirked, "I learned well."

Cloud nuzzled his nose against his cheek "Yes you did, wonderfully," he groaned again when Leon squeezed. "Fucking tease," he pulled at Leon's shirt "Off."

"Yes, Mr. Wolf," Leon rolled off of Cloud, out into the open and pulled his shirt from his shoulders, his cape falling back too. Cloud's arms wound around his waist, startling Leon, "Aren't you waiting for me?"

Cloud nipped at his shoulder, completely nude and strangely predatory, "Na. I'd rather have you moaning under me right here, out in the open so I can see everything."

Leon gulped "But so might someone else …"

"So shy? If your hand hadn't been in my pants a few moments ago I might have laughed," he kissed Leon's jaw possessively, a seductive glint in his eyes as his hands groped and teased Leon's exposed flesh. "I know you've got a wild side, Red, being so modest doesn't become someone as free as you."

"Is that how you see me?" Leon murmured, relaxing into Cloud's touch.

"As free as a wolf, you'd make a good wolf, but you're not quite like me and mine … very close," he licked across Leon's shoulder blades, "It's intriguing, I think about how to define you very often … Stay still," he growled like the wolf he was, hungry for his next fill.

Obeying with his eyes closed, Leon tried not to blush as Cloud's hands quickly stripped him of the rest of his clothing and robbed his modesty. He failed very quickly when the air of the open forest brushed against his naked body, he looked away from Cloud with blood rushing close to the surface of his skin.

Cloud chuckled and divested himself swiftly, arms around Leon and offering comfort for his uncertainty, "Have I ever told you how attractive you are?" he purred into Leon's ear, chin resting against his shoulder and pressing almost uncomfortably whenever he spoke.

Leon snorted "Not in as few words …" he finished his sentence with a note of pride that he had maintained a level voice as Cloud's fingers tickled his abs and steadily caressed lower and lower …

"No. I won't tell you, I'll show you. But, I'll say this; guardians, everything about you is good enough to eat!" His teeth sank into Leon's shoulder the moment his fingers found and gripped his swelling length.

Leon moaned and tangled his fingers into Cloud's hair "God …"

"He can't help you now." Cloud's mouth roamed his shoulders, carefully leaning him forwards to reach his lower back and trail patterns with slightly clawed fingertips like he was miming tearing into a delectable kill. All the while his hand moved over Leon's now hard member and the brunet soon forgot about everything other than Cloud's constant touch.

Cloud encouraged him to kneel up with a soft whisper and palms against his thighs, when he complies Cloud's hips press against his ass, and Cloud's hard member rubs hot and persistent up against Leon's lower back. He shudders helplessly when Cloud's hand returns to his aching hardness, his own palms holding Cloud's hip and another tangled in his blond hair, holding him still to kiss.

Their lips made soft, moist sounds as their bodies soon fell into a mindless and pleasurable rhythm.

Hot … dazedly Leon thought as his body happily overcompensated for exposure and then some for the exercise, their kissing turned open mouth though Leon struggled to think as Cloud's free hand joined in pleasuring his hard length. Cloud's tongue was excitable and breath-stealing on his lips, and Leon's mindless grinding without Cloud's hand to steady them was drawing soft, pleased noises from the blond. Leon loved them.

Leon's palm against Cloud's hip served to keep their bodies close together, Cloud controlled their movements, the pace of Leon's pleasure and the lack of control made Leon's mind weak, nothing to focus on except what he was being given.

Leon broke their kiss, offering several small and unsteady ones as Cloud's eager hands brought him rapidly to his edge.

"Come on Squall," Cloud whispered into his ear, and his vision turned white. Panting unsteadily Leon felt his body respond, his member pulsing and his lip being drawn in-between his teeth as he found release.

He was barely aware that Cloud was still moving, and was just distantly realising that his back had become sticky once Cloud had relaxed against him. He didn't care, he held Cloud's head against his own as the blond embraced him from behind.

Cloud hummed, pleased and sleepy, "There's a stream nearby, we should wash off."

Once the suggestion, the words, finally registered in Leon's tired brain, Leon gripped at the blond locks "Not yet," he sighed.

"Hmm? Alright." Leon felt him smiling. "I like you smelling like me anyway … so don't let that girl touch you again."

Leon snorted "That's what got to you?"

Sighing aggravatingly, Cloud nipped at his ear "Good nose, remember? And scents are essential to wolves … when I smelt her on you," he growled, "I hate it."

Tilting his head in acknowledgement, Leon asked "What about the dog scent? There was a puppy that didn't leave me alone earlier."

Cloud nodded, politely disinterested in the explanation, "You're a magnet for wolf-like things, it seems," he chuckled "I'm not sure why I felt so strange when I smelt her scent … maybe it was my wolf getting mad that you'd need another besides me."

"Not my choice, she runs away and comes to find me … she's just a pup you know, doesn't know any better."

"That almost sounds cute," Cloud admitted with another smile. "I've got no explanation for my reaction for that one. It's not like my wolf is easy to understand in a human mind, all I know is that when I smelt her, I wasn't happy with it … that's all. I'll try to reign that part in, but no possessive women on you, I hate it." he grumbled.

Leon smiled, "Why would I ever want them when I've got you?"

Cloud blushed a little, "Maybe you should talk some more during sex, flattery will get you everywhere," he snickered at his own joke while Leon rolled his eyes.

"Not flattery when it's true."

"Oh, you. Just kiss me."

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thequalityrunaway DOT tumblr DOT COMpany/ post/141026879897/i-remember-you-his-friend-stayed-with-him-that - FANART! For chapter 15 (go look at it! Cloud's naked XD)