"Not quite." Came a reply dripping with venom, holding a powerful taste of authority Toboe was sure even Tsume would take notice of. Tsume... The girl shape shifted back into her wolf form and tensed her shoulders. Even Scar looked apprehensive.
"I'm going to kill you."
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I paused, wondering whether he was going to take my threat seriously. There was a brief silence before Scar burst into a bought of nervous laughter. The other gang members exchanged concerned glances, but didn't say anything.
"Oh, really?" Scar made a step toward the Red wolf, but paused when I moved to parallel his indication. He grinned wildly and his eyes become wild with a joyful vexation. "Try it, runt."
The insult lit a raging fire in my gut, and I leapt forwards, swerving to dodge a gang member's feeble attack. I skidded as I landed, and suddenly realised I was cornered by the fire and a dilapidated brick wall. The 3 gang members surrounded me, Scar grinning maniacally from beyond the embers, and my heart began to race as I considered my options. 4 full grown men against me? I don't think that's fair...I was about to give up when I caught the eye of the young Red wolf watching me through the flames, as though entranced by the event. His golden eyes seemed far away, bright with pain yet healthy with youth. His coat however, deemed otherwise. I could count all of his ribs poking from a thin pelt of matted ochre fur, and his tail was dull and greasy. I felt a pang of ruefulness, and it gave me a new fire in my veins.
I leapt back into battle, thoroughly enjoying the expiration and exhilaration through my whole body. I grinned as I heard the crunch of bones and the rich blood rush down my gullet, but was constantly aware of Scars penetrating stare and shifty movements.I snarled maliciously as I reared backwards and crunched down on a man's wrist. He screamed and stumbled into the shadows, before his footsteps faded as he fled down the dingy alleyway. The other two paused, rethinking their actions briefly as they scrutinised me.
"What are you doing? Kill her!" Scar boomed his order to his followers, and they hastily jumped into action. While one attempted to attack me, the other pulled out a small knife and was waiting for his chance to strike. Scar, meanwhile, slithered down a dingy alleyway, his demoniac smirk still imprinted in my peripheral vision; haunting my every move. I emitted a low growl that reverberated throughout the concrete paving and layers of brick shacks, and a flock of pearly fantailed doves took flight into the darkening sky. A few minutes passed, leaving one man bleeding on the harsh ground, his neck ripped open and still spurting crimson bursts. The other man was still circling me, half-blind due to a gaping wound above his left eye. He had sustained considerable injuries, a deep slash in his right forearm, and a few chunks of flesh missing where my teeth had found their mark. We circled around the fire more times than I could count, before his knees finally buckled and he crashed into the dust, lifeless. I raised my gaze to the young wolf beside me, but his eyes were faraway and glazed. I sighed contentedly; satisfied I had protected this pup. Saying that, he's older than me...but he definitely doesn't look it. Poor thing. I sat down, relaxed my taut shoulders and yawned drowsily. Everything seemed tranquil and peaceful, the rhythmic breathing of the wolf beside me. It all seemed ...right. Almost as though, we were meant to be here... I sighed and rested my head on my paws, my eyelids turning to lead.
I was shocked when I felt the cold, dull metal of a gun barrel press against my temple.
"See ya, runt."
I realised it was Scar, and it dawned on me I was about to die. I closed my eyes and let my tail lay still on the begrimed floor. It's been fun, a tenacious ride but, a rollercoaster all the same. Good luck kid, and may the moonlight show your path to Paradise...
The gunshot rang throughout the courtyard, vibrating along all the corridors that twisted and turned; splitting off from each other and consequently creating a labyrinth of dark alleyways that could behold any danger, but that danger that did reside, surely withdrew from their posts and hid at the sound of the fire.
Scar was shaking, and he dropped to his knees; clutching his right wrist. The gun fell to the floor with a clatter. I stood, my tail quivering, blood dripping to the floor in deafening drops. The she-wolf kneeled beside me, her emerald eyes wide with shock, her ginger-tipped ears flattened against her head. I turned to comfort her, pressing my pelt against hers for support. She locked eyes with me, fear, empathy and concern swirling in those depthless green eyes.
"Are you okay?" She said in a shaky voice, and I tentatively licked her ear, smiling sheepishly to cover my embarrassment.
"I'm fine, I think-" I tried to stand, but my legs gave out and I collapsed onto the floor with a thud. The she-wolf stooped lower, trying to encourage me to stand up; but I couldn't muster the strength to rise to my paws. A gasping Scar interrupted my thoughts, his cold, icy grey eyes bloodshot and accusing.
"What are you? How did you-how could you?" He still clutched his wrist, but now his sleeve was drenched in clotted blood. When he removed his hand to point a jurisdictional pale finger at us, I saw his hand was missing. All that remained was a bloody stump, still bleeding freely from the fresh wound.
"Where's your hand gone? Did I tear it off by accident?" The she-wolf laughed cruelly, her eyes alight with passionate...blood-lust? It certainly appeared so, with fresh blood dripping from her teeth and curved, thorn-sharp claws extended. I shivered, my tail involuntarily brushing against one of her back paws. She turned to me; no longer remained the caring, beautiful green eyes that had perceived me with such worry moments ago, now what remained was burning orbs of violent lime, hatred and expiration evident.
Suddenly her image blurred, and the outline of her head became hazy and unclear. Lines and dots swam across my vision, but when I tried to focus on them, they danced away; out of my range. Then the world changed to charcoal black and I passed out.
The informative ring of the Silver Stallions pub bell attracted the attention of the two twin waitress', Autumn and Summer. They were both 18, though Summer was older by roughly 2 minutes. They had waist length strawberry blonde hair, both in fish-tail styled plaits that curled round their heads on different sides, Summer's plait was on the right, Autumn's on the left. Their bright blue eyes sparkled in cheery unison, and their cheeky smiles were identical and carefree; as it would appear to strangers or customers.
"Hi there! Welcome to the-"
"-Silver Stallions public house!" Both twins' jovial smiles fell when they witnessed what stumbled through the ancient oak doorway. A dainty girl in her early teens was dragging a huge, brownish dog with great difficulty, her brow knitted together in furious concentration. The twins rushed forward to help her, but Autumn hesitated when she saw the gleaming fangs and razor claws stained crimson. Summer threw her a puzzled look over her shoulder, but said nothing. Autumn shook herself and grabbed the dogs hindquarters; and between the twins help and the young girl, they managed to haul the limp body into the old storage room, which had been refurbished to the twins own particular taste of contradicting seasons.
Summer's corner of the room was overrun with bright, rare flowers, and metal geckos decorated the walls; which were artistically painted using all shades of green, (plus splodges or red) and cleverly given the illusion of a rainforest canopy. All her cushions and bed sheets were dark green, with splashes of grey. There was an open drawing pad with a few random sketches lying askew on one of the pillows.
Meanwhile, Autumn's corner was painted with warm browns and reddish-orange leaves that seemed to fall onto the golden ground. She had a small cutting of a red Acer in a glass plant pot, and it showed how the roots dug below the surface and situated themselves where the nutrients were richest. Her cushions and bed sheets were vivid maroon and flecked with patches of intense, yet cheerful, bronze.
The rest of the room was occupied by a miniature kitchen; consisting of a microwave, cooker and sink, a small settee, decent sized flat screen television mounted on the wall opposite the kitchen. The room was decorated extravagantly, and all the artwork indicated it was done by a professional, though it had a childish hint that indicated it was the work of a blossoming artist. There were a few dirty dishes and cups on the counter in the kitchen, but everything else seemed sanitary and generally hygienic.
The twins rested the huge brown dog on the fluffy, padded rug in front of the settee, and stepped back to examine the younger girl. Summer broke into a huge grin and grabbed her wrists, swinging her round until the girl, laughing, begged her to stop.
"Stop! Stop! I'm getting dizzy!" The girl closed her eyes and laughed, her initial shock worn off by Summers friendly gesture. Autumn smiled shyly when the girl turned to her, but hugged her whole-heartedly all the same.
"So, who's this handsome man...a new boyfriend perhaps?" Summer joked, and Autumn made a heart symbol with her hands. The girl shook her head vigorously, blushing a rich tomato red until she realised the twins were joking. She sighed, and her face became gravely serious.
"You know I told you there were more? More wolves I mean, and I came across him," The girl jerked her head toward Toboe and carried on, "I first saw him when I was patrolling the back alleys-like I always do- and I spotted a small fire and some men cooking beside it. I didn't notice him until I saw a huge bully of a man holding him up in the air before slamming him down onto the floor... I saw his back leg was broken, and I knew I had to do something so-" The girl continued to recall the rest of the story to the twins, Summer's face dropped and gained a concerned frown, while Autumn's intent expression never changed throughout the events telling. When the girl finished, her face was flushed and she was breathless, but she managed a weak smile nonetheless.
"That's...intriguing." Summer finally broke the silence with her awkward statement, but the younger girl seemed not to notice; she was transfixed, staring at the rapidly changing colour of the carpet. It was originally a pale cream, but now it was a vivid crimson. Summer kneeled beside the girl, with one arm round her shoulder and the other hand clutching hers. It was Toboe's back leg that was bleeding; the break was difficult and badly situated. Autumn rose, and made her way determinedly to the kitchen. There were sounds of cupboards being opened, and the tap running. She returned with a roll of fibreglass-otherwise known as Plaster of Paris- a wide brimmed brush, scissors and a cup filled with water.
"What are you doing, Autumn?" Summer threw her an exasperated look, though her body language was sparked with curiosity. Autumn narrowed her eyes and knelt beside Toboe, set down the water and proceeded to untie the fibreglass roll. She stretched out a length of it, and began cutting it into strips and piling it up besides her, all the while avoiding the gaze of her sister. The girl was still frozen, and she couldn't take her eyes away from the injury, her eyes were shiny and her hands clasped together. Summer realised what Autumn was about to do, and shook the girl beside her gently to recall her from her daydream. The girl blinked a few times before she turned to Summer, who smiled graciously and pulled her to her feet.
"Take her out Summer, go shopping or something."Autumn called after her sister as she was leaving the room, but looked up when she re-entered to collect her things. "We need milk, bread, and sugar really, but don't rush it; I'll need at least 2 hours, got it?"
"Sure."The reply was brisk and unfeeling, very unlike Summer. She was usually bouncy and extravagant, always an optimist in the harsh times. Autumn glancing at her sister, and saw tears streaming down her face, loose hairs stuck to her face and her slender form shaking violently. Autumn dropped her scissors and hurried over, deeply concerned and troubled by her sister's irregular behaviour. Summer never cried, never.
"Don't cry Summer, please." Autumn begged her sister and hugged her tight. She could feel tears welling up in her own eyes. She could feel her sister shaking as though she was freezing, and it scared her. She had a faint inkling of what had upset her sister so much, but it had happened so long ago...
"Its, it's just like-like when mum and dad-when they-" That was all her sister could manage before her throat closed up and fresh tears spilled over her thick eyelashes. So it had been that that had triggered her sister's emotional side.
When they were both adolescents-maybe 8 or 9- they lived with their parents in a small, 2 bedroom apartment near the city's outskirts. It was a brisk life, both their parents were hard workers, their mother travelled everyday to the city's town centre to attend her many cleaning jobs, their father worked further afar as a food transporter; and was often out of town for days on end, with no guarantee of return. So both girls were left alone for the majority of their childhood, and consequently formed an unbreakable bond.
One day neither their mother nor father returned, and the girls simply waited; they knew of nothing else to do. They stayed in their flat for 2 weeks before they sighted their parents. Summer had gone outside to hang up their washing in the blazing afternoon sun, and the gate squeaked open, revealing two battered, bruised and bleeding adults; weatherworn and dusty. Summer had hurried them inside, where Autumn had been calmly reading her book about biology. The scene unfolded, a tale told, but some secrets kept locked away in the twins hearts. Their father had succumbed to death first, passing out with all the dignity he could muster; their mother looking on helplessly while Autumn attempted to perform CPR on her dying father. The last words she uttered remained paralyzed in the sister's memory forever, the very reason they found reason to live.
"Go, go far away from here! But always remember the prophecy, the one written throughout the fabric of life itself, to prevent the world from ending."
"Follow the moons purest path, and find the flower that shines in the darkest cave with the brightest light; the howling wind shall guide your path to Paradise."
With those last words of a forgotten prophecy, the dying wolf bode her daughter's goodbye, and waited for death to claim her in its tantalizing icy grip. The twins concealed their identities as wolves for a decade, moving constantly from town to town; seeking information on the prophecy and living of odd jobs they cooperated with. It seemed that after so long, they themselves had forgotten their true heritage, and contentedly lived out their lives as normal humans. That is, until a certain, stubborn little pup stumbled right across their peaceful plans.
But that is the tale of another wolf, one to be left for another day, another chapter in the story of the world, and how it will end.
Summer finally looked up, drying her eyes and sighing heavily. Autumn was secretly relieved, she had never been the one to comfort the emotional, and usually it was the other way around.
"Hurry up, or she'll be suspicious." Autumn whispered gently to Summer.
"Is he, a, you know, a wolf?" Summer asked, her throat clearing and eyes less inflamed.
"Of course he is! But if he isn't, he's the biggest dog I've ever seen!" Autumn laughed and rose to her feet, extending a hand to her sister. Summer took the offer, and became serious as she collected her jacket and purse from the table. She paused, her back to Autumn.
"It's all changing, you know that right?" She said; a strong hint of disappointment in her tone. Her hands hung limp at her sides and her shoulder visibly sagged. Autumn was shocked a little, but quickly recovered and set back to her work; cutting up strips of fibreglass and piling them up.
"I know. I think we both understand that we can't live here anymore. We need to fulfil our mothers wish, and find Paradise." Autumn murmured softly, not revealing any detectable emotion in her voice.
"It's changing, just like the seasons." Summer whispered, barely traceable.
"Seems like we're finally living up to our names."
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Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it! ^-^ Please review if you have any constructive criticism, but don't bother if it's a complaint T_Tll I promise to update as soon as I can, please stick with me, thanks and bye!