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."

Cover art: thequalityrunaway DOT tumblr DOT COMpany/ post/138570607597/for-confessions-of-the-red-cloak-au-once-upon-a

Squall frowned as he watched Cloud pacing, the wolf hadn't stopped the second his Alpha had left. Squall patiently reached out to him, and he'd pause for a while as they spoke or merely remained together, but the second he was free again he'd begin his woeful circle on the forest floor, every inch of his body exuding stress and misery and Squall was not far from joining him.

"It's not fair, it's not fair! Why would he want us apart- what if this is a trap? Angeal wouldn't do that … Squall we can't say … no, not fair," Cloud whimpered yet again, and Squall raised his hands to catch the wolf's head.

"I know," he agreed, pressing his head to Cloud's and breathing deeply.

So much for being prepared for anything. Somehow Angeal knew just how to make this challenge trying.

They never considered that they'd be apart for whatever trail awaited them. Every instinct new and old told them that it was wrong and painful and that they couldn't possibly do it. Only the threat that Squall would be banished and they'd be parted for good stopped Cloud from outright rejecting this proposal tooth and claw.

When Squall had heard his own challenge, and once he had acknowledged the difficulty that hid beneath the simple request, his mind had banked on, and subconsciously relied on hearing Cloud every night as he was becoming used to. Listening to his support, perhaps a secret rendezvous across the moors where no one could see, where they'd both be out of sight and out of the woods- Squall almost believed the challenge and potential social rejection bearable.

Beside him, Cloud had leaned against him to silently communicate his belief that he could do it, that Squall could succeed and that he'd be there to see him survive it.

Then Angeal's second task, Cloud's task, had shattered the illusion.

They would both have to go alone. It was a horribly numb feeling welling up from deep in Squall's chest all the way to the base of his throat, similar to tears and shadowing anxiety. Cloud mirrored his state identically, and in his wolf body his silent words were loud and clear to Squall's ears, metaphorically.

It was unthinkable, so they were unprepared for the shock and the pain of this declaration.

Though, Squall realised that Angeal was unbelievably crafty. He had said as much to the leader before he'd left, but the tasks were so tailored they'd undermine every bad opinion about Cloud and Squall should they succeed. Yet, if they failed they'd also just confirm those same prejudicial views. Then nothing could convince the pack otherwise.

Angeal must have been a master strategist, no wonder Cloud was so intimidated and awed by him. Speaking of Cloud …

Cloud's inner monolog was making him forget his rush of rational logic and panic too- what if these tests were just a mask to part them forever? How would they cope with being apart, no other Mates had left each other's sides since their union. What if Angeal took Cloud so far away that Squall could never find him? What if, what if-

The brunet's fingertips feathered through the fur behind Cloud's jaw to draw his attention. "Cloud, I need you, please …"

His lover understood his confusing plea like no one else ever would and turned human, hands over hands just as lips moved over lips. When they paused to breathe, they whispered, "I'm sorry Squall, I just …" his blue eyes bore into Squall's intensively when they parted for air. "Over one hundred days without you, I …" he sucked in a breath as if pained.

Fisting his hands in the hair on Cloud's temples, Squall swallowed back fears of his own. How could he live alone again? He'd forgotten how. They thought they'd go through a test together, though it made the most sense to struggle apart and prove their loyalty individually, it hadn't crossed their thoughts. They were mates now, a unit, they shouldn't have to carve individual paths to this extreme.

Squall gritted his teeth and pressed his temple to Cloud's, "Please, stop. Let's clear our heads before we decide anything …" Cloud reached for him holding Squall's hand as if it were a treasure. Squall returned the gesture before he consciously tried. Eventually, he conjured enough focus to stand and finally managed to find both his feet and bring Cloud to his after several attempts.

They had been sitting in that spot a long time, Squall's legs had become numb. He winced at the new blood rushing to his calves and smirked when Cloud laughed at his hesitant hobbling. It was a nice break in the mood, and he'd missed the light-heartedness in Cloud's soft chuckle.

For a moment, while Squall's body woke up again, they stood together just to be close, then Cloud whispered that he'd left his clothes back in the clearing.

Squall nodded and offered an uncertain smile "Shall we hunt?"

Agreeing with decisively happier spirits, Cloud led the way back to the discarded items and suggested that they go stake out near a stream he knew of, it was so late in the day now that laying a trap would be pointless. Squall pulled his hunting knife out and thought of sharpening it while they waited for an opportunity to hunt.

"That's careless of you," Cloud commented, his hair standing up in a multitude of directions as he pulled his shirt over his head. "What's a wolf without his teeth?"

Squall flipped the knife in his hand a few times, watching Cloud sort his hair back into place with a tender look. "I'm not a wolf."

"Figure of speech, love," the blond smirked, it was a strained expression. He stood closer than normal too, brushing up against Squall's side as if making up for their inevitable future. "You're a wolf to me … but if it pleases you; then what's a hunter without a weapon?" he tilted the knife to see the lacklustre sides for himself and Squall relented.

"I was going to sharpen it later. Or earlier, my brother kept me, I hope I wasn't too late."

Cloud shook his head "Angeal is a patient man. Come on, the prey won't wait for us."

Squall looped his hand through Cloud's and neither said a word until they had been resting an hour beside a promising water source. The wolf watched with curious eyes as Squall sharpened the knife of steel, he tilted his head, admiring and jumping at the occasional spark that jumped from the steel whenever Squall hit a dry spot of flint- the mountain was full of odd shards like that.

"My people use bone for daggers and knives," Cloud said as a final set of sparks landed on his open palm, he grinned in the face of Squall's cautioning look. "We save metal for ceremonial pieces, beads, hooks- things that bone just can't be shaped to purpose."

Squall stopped sharpening to judge his progress, "In my village, the bones feed the dogs- it's easier, the marrow doesn't rot, and unlike people, the dogs don't complain. That we can understand at least. The blacksmith charges much for his work, but it lasts," he took up the wet stone again and nudged Cloud's hand out of reach with his foot. "It'll burn you," he warned.

Cloud disagreed with a shake of his head "It's only sparks."

Behind them, prey came and went, and they ignored it.

Sky blue eyes remained fixated and hypnotised by the irregular sparks, Squall let him get close again when he saw just how intense his focus was. He understood the desire not to think and let himself concentrate purely on the menial task, one movement at a time.

When it was done … he kept checking for sharpness, aware that he was now grasping at straws for distractions. His thoughts couldn't be more sorted now, he'd turned them over as often as he had rotated the knife. Don't drag out a kill, he snorted to himself and threw the thing a few feet away.

"Why'd you do that?" Cloud wondered, having followed the arch the steel made as it flew to embed itself in the muddy earth. He sent a disapproving look up at his lover, "It's going to need polishing later."

"Later," Squall agreed, taking Cloud's hand in his and pulling him to sit by his side against a rock. When he settled into a comfortable position, he asked: "Are you okay to talk now?"

Eyes widening a fraction, Cloud sourly glanced away. "Do we have to?"

"Don't drag out a kill," Squall advised. His lover squinted grumpily until he felt the squeeze on his shoulders. "For me?"

"That's playing dirty," Cloud growled, tucking his head into Squall's neck before huffing a great sigh. "Yes, fine, I'm okay to talk … but I don't like it."

"Neither do I," Squall confessed, the admission rolling off his tongue straightforwardly. Yet despite their verbal readiness to speak on what happened that morning they didn't speak for several minutes, one wondering where to start and the other hoping to mute the discussion altogether.

Eventually, Cloud whispered, "I don't know how this will affect our bond."

Squall tilted his head, and Cloud took that as a sign to keep speaking. "I think I could have dealt with being cooped in my village, and you in yours, because we're used to it, and it still feels close. But Angeal has been making plans for migrating miles and miles away- it's too far!" he twisted his hands together, "When the wolves were alive mates rarely parted, and when they did it was under extreme circumstances … injury, death, war with another pack …"

"Is that why you're reacting so strongly to it?" Squall wondered aloud "Because your wolf spirit sees long-term separation as a tactic reserved for an extreme misfortune?"

Cloud shrugged "I don't know, Red. It just feels so wrong." He leaned into the fingertips that scratched at his skull and breathed easier as he relaxed into the tranquil touch. One eye opened lazily, "What about you? Isn't it a sad thought for you too?"

Pressing his lips against Cloud's forehead, Squall hummed, "Yes. It's been a fear of mine to be separated ever since we found each other." Although, his nightmares and concerns were filled with people from his village, guns and fire, blood and death, and a screaming Father speaking of sacrilege. It was a gruesome vision, chained to a fear of being discovered as much as being separated. Now, Angeal's terms had given him another silent avenue of those same concerns. This scenario coloured in dread as he could see no other way to convince the man that there was another way to prove his loyalty for the long term.

"Angeal doesn't have a mate, he doesn't understand," Cloud grumbled childishly.

Squall didn't comment on that. "One hundred days, you said."

The blond looked worried, "Will you have enough to eat, though? And your village-"

Squall shushed him "We've had famines before in the past, and our storage shelter will be full of food for weeks. I should be able to get by in that aspect … plus there's always odd jobs no one wants to do when the snows get here, I can volunteer for that-"

An elbow into his side cut him off, "I wish you'd stop talking like you were actually considering this."

Squall blinked "Cloud … I am."

"You can't be serious?" the blond looked him in the eye with a growl. "I'm not going to give you up just like that-"

The hunter put a hand over Cloud's mouth "Stop that. Angeal wouldn't do that to you, does he want to see you miserable?" immaturely, Cloud didn't answer and glared off to one side with the biggest pout Squall had ever seen. He hesitantly brushed Cloud's bangs from his eyes, "I know you're angry, but can't you see that he's trying to help us?"

Cloud shoved him away and began to angrily pace again "Help us? He wants to isolate us- the second I'm over the mountains I swear the rest of the pack will abandon home and follow us, it's the perfect way to move us out without my interference." He covered his face and growled a few more things too muffled for Squall to hear.

Squall stood up and took Cloud's shoulders in his hands, "But you've made your people face many problems for me, don't you think it's fair we face our fears too?"

That shut Cloud up. He raised his hands and rubbed his arms, looking younger than he was in a moment of vulnerability. "This isn't just you saying that because you feel guilty that I'm constantly rule breaking for you?"

Squall flicked his ear, and Cloud grinned for a moment.

Sobering quickly after that spot of humour, Cloud murmured "You're always so rational … why do you think that Angeal's trying to help us?"

"Because he's targeting our flaws," Squall said carefully, "You must not have heard me earlier, but when we pass it'll show all those who thought I can't keep a secret under pressure, or that you can't stay loyal to the Alpha, completely wrong." He saw Cloud's face of surprise and smirked. "No one will be able to say otherwise once Spring is here."

"I …" Cloud rubbed his forehead and smiled, "Yeah, I see. So, you're sure that this is the best way?"

Pulling him close Squall shrugged "Unless you think that challenging your leader again is going to prove anything other than your rebelliousness," Cloud nipped at his throat in reprimand, but Squall didn't pause, "I think we should agree. But, I'd like permission to tell my Mother, at the very least, an excuse to why I can't go back into the trees. I couldn't stand it if she suddenly thought that I was avoiding her."

Cloud hummed and thoughtfully suggested "You could have a hunting accident; it might scare you away from the woods for a while … or your musket could break- hasn't it rusted to pieces now? Are you even upkeeping that gun?"

Squall ignored the question, and Cloud's knowing smirk, and said, "I thought maybe something a bit closer to the truth- that I'd angered you, or your people and until I'd earned their forgiveness I was to keep to my own. I was going to wait for you to come to me, and if there were stories that I went looking for you, it would betray your trust."

"That's elaborate … and close to the truth, but you're a horrible liar, so maybe it's best to keep to the truth here …" Cloud squeezed his hands around Squall's waist and sighed. Thinking, he promised, "I'll do my best to plead your case. Family is important to wolves too, I'm sure I can get Aqua on my side …"

"I know it's unlikely," Squall assured him, "But if I can't say beforehand, then I'll ask to tell her at the end before I leave. I want to tell all my family goodbye, if possible."

Cloud smirked, "That shouldn't be a problem. Poor Red, getting dragged off by a wolf, what will your family say?"

"That I'm insane but normal was never something I was good at," Squall chuckled. He turned his head slightly when Cloud leaned up to kiss him and met his lips halfway, Cloud hummed against him, and they missed yet another opportunity to nab a kill when their noises scared away a fat looking wild goose.

Squall glanced over his shoulder at the racket it made and Cloud laughed, thankfully in better spirits, Squall hated seeing him sad. The blond returned the knife to Squall from where he'd thrown it and whispered "Run away with me? Just for a night?"

Squall agreed. "You know, my family are starting to notice that I spend nights here now. If I don't think of a convincing explanation soon, they'll think I'm up to something."

Cloud growled in his ear sensually "Only fraternising with a wolf, nothing sinister about that, right?"

Flicking Cloud's ear again, Squall answered back "Depends on what you want from me."

"How about everything?"

"Yours."

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The updates will likely be slower from here on out - I've got a busy final year in Uni. Please be patient, this will be finished! It is not a Discontinued Story just yet. This story might be updated fortnightly or even Monthly depending on what assignments or how busy I am, please keep with the story, thanks for reading up to this point!