Wolf Moon

Abby Ebon

SummaryBday present for Aki Kochou Enzan has a secret…of the darker kind. He is a werewolf; you'd think that'd be hard enough to get a handle on – save that it's the red moon - the werewolf mating moon. Lost in a forest, with only Netto for company – what's a werewolf to do? Enzan x Netto.

Warnings: Male/male sex – and for my peace of mind, they are over 18.

I would also like to add – Enzan's past is my own creation – enjoy, and I apologize for the delay of this chapter.

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Hungry for Truth

It was as Enzan had feared – there was no proper food. Not that he had expected there to be – but he had hoped, even with a short flight, they would have had more then a few bags of pretzels and soda.

It wasn't like Enzan would let them starve though – he was fairly certain something decent to eat grew on the island. They could fish – but he didn't know how to gut one – and it would be his luck that Netto wouldn't either.

Maybe a small animal – he was fairly certain he could trap something, or use the wolf to his advantage …he only hoped they weren't trapped on this island long enough to try it. He wasn't sure how to go about skinning that something – other then with the scrape metal, there wasn't anything with a sharp enough edge – or clean enough… and how would one go about getting the fire hot enough to cook on it?

Outside - Netto let out a heavy sigh, as he watched, the flames of the fire flickered – the smoke spiraling upward was thick– but warm, and that's what mattered. They had a faint hope that the smoke would alert people to their presence, but realistically Enzan knew they'd had better chance with the sorry excuse for scrape metal that was the radio then a random rescue by smoke.

Netto's arms were wrapped around himself – but he wasn't cold – no, they were both getting hungry. They hadn't packed much food – and what they had scavenged from the plane wasn't promising in the least.

Enzan knew he had to distract Netto – gracelessly, Enzan stepped out of the plane, the metal noisily scraping the dirt beneath his feet. For all that Netto must have heard his approach, the other boy did not turn to greet him - nor even look in his direction. Netto's eyes were trained on the fire, brushing aside his annoyance, Enzan spoke.

"Are you alright?" It was softly spoken, his voice trailing away alike the smoke.

"Do you think we'll ever get home?" Netto's eyes caught his, holding them as he waited for his answer. Enzan wanted to lie – wanted to gather Netto in his arms and hold him, protect him. But that was what he wanted – not what Netto needed to hear.

"I'd say we stand a good chance of surviving until they do find us." Enzan settled onto the dirt and sand beside Netto, gazing at the fire with him. Netto was silent for a time – and Enzan was beginning to think he would not speak again.

"I found dog tracks out in the edge of the clearing – do you think there might be another person here?" Netto asked him, his gaze flicking to Enzan, then into the distance beyond the fire. Enzan resisted the urge to overreact – Netto had gotten away from him while he'd been searching the plane - and he hadn't noticed. If Netto got hurt, Enzan would never forgive himself.

"I doubt it," Enzan bit out – glaring at the fire, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Netto's shoulders slumped over, his slim hope defeated, "if you see a dog, promise to stay away from it?" Enzan finished softly, for a moment Netto looked as if he was going to argue, but he merely nodded. Somewhat reassured, Enzan searched his mind for a topic to pull Netto into a better mood.

"I think I may have seen it last night – it had your eyes." Netto mused aloud – and Enzan felt as if he'd been hit in the chest – he had been wrong, the wolf must have gone near enough to the plane for Netto to see it. It had wanted to be seen – wanted Enzan to know he couldn't predict his own instincts. Enzan let out a shaky breath – he pulled his fingers through his hair, trying to shake the feeling that Netto just somehow knew that he and the 'wolf' were one and the same.

"If you see it again – and it tries to get close, turn on your PET and merge with Rockman, alright?" Enzan asked, carefully not looking at Netto, who was frowning suspiciously at him.

"I don't think that would be necessary…" Netto muttered – upset at the thought of hurting a dog, wild or not, just because Enzan was so skittish of them. in the back of his mind he wondered what had gotten into him, remembering that they only had enough power to send a message if both Rockman and Blues' PETs were hooked up. That was another reason Enzan was messing with the radio – if they couldn't get it to work alone, they would have to use it to charge and connect the PETs – which would be risky to say the least.

Netto was now standing, looking out to the edge of the clearing with a determined look on his face. Enzan knew that he was planning on trying to lure the 'dog' in closer – he didn't know why Netto even wanted to bother with it, if it had been a real dog, it would be wild – and dangerous.

Enzan knew it wasn't a dog Netto had found – and there were no people – but how was he going to tell the stubborn boy that? Probably, it was just as well Netto was fixed on the idea – he wasn't depressed, and Enzan could work on the radio without a question every half hour or more. Where ever they were was abandoned – if it had ever been inhabited, and Enzan knew he wouldn't have to worry about wild animals – maybe poisonous ones, but he hoped Netto would be more careful then that.

Even if something poisonous did manage to get Netto – Enzan wouldn't let him die. Werewolves were immune to most poisons – and sicknesses. The bottom of his stomach squirmed unpleasantly – he was suddenly aware that he had been planning to subconsciously turn Netto if something went wrong.

He was a living and breathing lie to his best friend, even though it was necessary – he hated it. He knew he should explain before anything went wrong – maybe give him more in-depth information for dealing with a werewolf – but he was puzzled at where to begin.

Enzan could just blurt it out – I'm a werewolf, Netto – that's how I know you shouldn't go looking for that 'wild dog' – because that was me last night, only I don't remember it – right, who was he kidding? - that would go over swell. Then when they got back, if Enzan had ended up turning him, Enzan could look foreword to Netto committing Enzan to an intuition for the insane – or perhaps worse - abandon him.

Enzan could have said any number of things – but he didn't, instead he watched Netto walk to the edge of the clearing. His eyes turned back to the building fire, he prodded it with a stick – the flames leapt up, as if in response to his taunting. Letting the flames hypnotize him, he remembered the last time he had seen eyes the color of a flame.

--

In the entire world, there was one alleyway Enzan had feared more then the monsters under the bed, or his room cloaked in darkness. It was the alley he passed every day on his way to and from school.

Other towns had haunted houses – they had the alley, children heard rumors of criminals using the back roads to smuggle in and out of the town. The alley – the children agreed, had to be the main one, for all that it was not even a street away from the school.

It was set between two ancient buildings, some teachers said had been around since "before sliced bread", and naturally the children could not wrap their minds around such a world, so it must have been a very long time ago.

Even Mrs. Olmer, who had lived her whole life in the little town and was long and thin like a spider, with snow white hair – did not remember seeing the old buildings being made, as she recited the old tale of the school being built.

That Enzan had to go past this alleyway every day – and there were no short cuts or going around it, gave him a certain amount of… popularity. Enzan hated that popularity – he had wished he could just be left alone, for all he pretended the alley did not bother him – every question they asked about it only made the walk home worse – or dread the coming back to school all the more.

Then came the day Enzan wished he could forget. He had gotten a detention – he did not remember why – only that there had been a girl and glue involved. Dusk had settled over the town early, and as his home was the big manor visible from the school (the reverse was also true) not even three streets away, Enzan knew he could walk it – he did, after all, walk it every day.

Nonetheless, Mrs. Olmer had made a fuss over it – calling his guardian, making sure someone was there – telling him she would watch him until he made it to his house – finally – after walking him to the entrance of the school, she let him go.

Away from her cloying presence, Enzan grew less sure of himself, but he looked reassuringly over his shoulder – and there she was – she waved reassuringly. In a huff, Enzan hurriedly turned back around, quickly passing the smaller houses that lined the street and growing more confident the closer he got to home.

He imagined he was a brave knight patrolling a street filled with shadow-monsters and thieving sorcerers, pretending – Enzan had learned young, was a great way to pass the boring between times.

And sure enough, the trick worked – before he knew it he was on the street with the alley. He reached reassuringly into his pocket for the key to the house – he wouldn't need it to open the door – grown-ups did that for him, but it was reassuring all the same that he was only a few houses away from home.

Without blinking – or sighing, or holding his breath, all the things nervous people did – and he must have crossed this alley at least a hundred times before, he started across. He did not tempt his imagination by glancing at the alley – instead he looked foreword only.

Because, Mrs. Olmer was watching – and it was very likely so was a grown-up in the house.

Something in the alley stirred, and a low growl that echoed in his bones broke the dusky silence of sunset. Still – he did not look, insistently pretending that darkness was tempting him – a knight, a defender of light.

Out of the corner of his vision he saw a dark shape with eyes the color of burning flame leap from the alley.

Its weight caused him to fall and sharp teeth caught his hand – biting him, it bled and he screamed. Shots from his guardian's gun were fired – it was a weapon Enzan was never allowed to touch, but knew the sound of – for his guardian told him if ever they were separated to go in the direction of the shots.

He struggled on his hands and knees – dragging him self to the other side of the alley – then he knew it was real, because the wild dog did not disappear. Then, as if a miracle had occurred, it yelped as a second blast rung the air, wetness pressed into the skin of his back, and the stench of blood made him dizzy.

It seemed life forever as Enzan lay trapped beneath the alley beast – but then he heard – as if from a great distance, his guardian's voice. Then he was wrapped in a blanket, rushed to a hospital – only to be told he was a werewolf.

It was proven three days later on the full moon.

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For a moment more, Enzan watched the fire, then – he inhaled deeply, drawing in the scent of its warmth and of his current surroundings. It was time to get back to working on the radio.