Disclaimer: Do I look like Natsumi Mukai? *uh… the answer was no.* I don't +Anima or any of its characters except for Stream my character.
A/N: Your Christmas treat people! I slaved away last night to finish it so it may be just a little bit sketchy. Everybody give a huge Thank you Black Ookami Wolf for prompting me to finish this chapter. Just in case you get confused I'm going to put a description of the wolves at the bottom just so you know.
Chapter one:
Stream silently padded along the trail as she returned to her den mates. Her hunt had been successful and she now had three fat, juicy rabbits dangling from her jaws.
The other wolves had most likely returned from their hunts already. Stream guessed that they to had probably caught multiple game also. It was the middle of the summer and prey flourished in the mountains. The past winter had been harsh on the Bracken Shadow pack and three of their brethren had joined the Night Path up in the sky.
Through the thick green foliage Stream saw a slight black pelt jump up in the air. She shook her head slightly before speeding up into a trot to see if her friend was alright.
The willowy figure stood all four feet on the ground, hackles raised straight up as if in a challenge. The she-wolf sighed and calmed down seeing it was only her.
"Vigilant, be careful. One of these days your going to kill one of us when we come home." Stream chuckled. Vigilant was born into a pack of loners and never could stand up to anyone, the only way she got by was to put up a big show and hope it worked. Rouge, her mate, had found her there and had become smitten with her. When they finally decided that they wanted a family they left her pack and found the Bracken Shadow pack.
"Maybe I'll get you." Vigilant said going along with the joke. The two of chortled as they entered the pack's den way. The den way was a large space in front of the den itself where the pack could play and relax.
Vigilant nodded once before disappearing to go spend some time with her mate. Stream paced over to the kill pile. Many small animals were in it; in the summer there was more than enough small prey to sustain them that the pack didn't have to go hunting bigger game.
Stream threw the quarry a top and turned to leave when a small 'oof ' came from the pile behind her. She turned around again to find a tiny pastel orange wolf pup crawling out from under a rabbit. The pup's amber eyes got wide when she saw Stream standing over her.
"Uh, hi Stream." the pup said smiling guiltily. Stream sighed and smiled. Onyx was her friend's only pup. Onyx was also the only pup Stream could ever remember getting into so much trouble. She was always trying to sneak out of the den way and into the forest.
"Your mother wanted you to stay out of trouble today Onyx." Stream removed the rabbit from Onyx's scruff.
"I know Stream but I just wanted to play outside and I figured if I waited for you to get home you could help me how to hunt." Onyx said bouncing to her feet still smiling, her smile didn't look quite so guilty now though.
"How bout we bring this to your mother and then head down to the trainer's circle." Stream asked grinning. She carried the rabbit toward her friend, Garnet, as her hyper pup bounced along. Garnet and her had grown up together and had a very close bond together.
Technically they were sisters if you thought about it, but they never thought of it that way. It wasn't because they had different coats or anything like that they just had always known that they came from to different families and they accepted that.
Garnet's amber eyes gleamed when she looked up from her herb sorting and saw the two of them coming towards her, when she got up her crimson red coat flashed in the fading light. Garnet met Stream halfway and nuzzled her shoulder, Stream did the same before they stood apart. This was a traditional greeting between members of a pack, it showed the affection between the two wolves.
"I brought you some food." Stream said dropping the rabbit on the ground. Garnet nodded her thanks and fell upon it; when she was done she stood up once more.
"Did you have a good time Onyx? I saw you by the edge this afternoon."
"Yes mother I stayed in the den way." Onyx said, this was a question that had turned into tradition for her mother and her.
"Stream?" Garnet asked, looking for verification to what Onyx had said.
"It's true. I found her under the rabbit I gave you." Onyx nudged Stream's leg and looked up at her, "Alright since you've been patient I'll ask. Can I show Onyx some hunting techniques since she stayed in the den way today?"
Garnet pretended to be in deep thought over Stream's question, finally Onyx couldn't stand it anymore and she started jumping up and down saying, "Can I? Oh please can I? I was good ALL day!"
Garnet put a paw on Onyx's back to stop her excessive jumping. "Yes, yes. Of course you can. Make sure she doesn't wonder off." She said to Stream.
"Believe me I know. She goes everywhere if your not watching her." Stream's eyes widened on the word 'everywhere'.
"Run along now. I have herbs to sort." Garnet said shooing them toward the trainers circle.
"Yuck, Herbs. Come on lets go Stream." Onyx muttered.
Stream laughed before saying, "You hate herbs? How ironic is that. A healer's daughter who hates herbs."
"What's 'ironic' mean?" Onyx asked inquisitively, turning her head to one side as they walked along.
"Well it mean-" Stream stopped as a young dusty brown he-wolf walked in front of them. Stream's eyes flared in anger. "You go ahead Onyx I'll catch up with you in a moment." She said still staring at the male.
Onyx smiled and said, "Okay. See you." Before dashing off for the trainer's circle completely oblivious to the tension between the two adult wolves.
"What do you want Rock Breaker?" She asked, her voice icy as his were blue. He smiled slyly as if he know something she didn't. "Tell me or we have nothing more to talk about." Stream stepped forward to move around him. He block her, and then sniffed her scent.
"We could be a great parents Stream. I know you've always wanted them." Rock Breaker said taking yet another step toward her.
Stream let back a full-fledged snarl and took a step forward, snapping her teeth together causing him to back away but not vary much. "Yes, want pups but yours! I want a worthy mate." With that Stream slammed into his shoulder and pushed him a side.
Rock Breaker had been after her ever since her first hunting ceremony. She had constantly told him that she had no desire to be his but he still continued to advance upon her. Once he had even challenged her to a match to decide if he had the right to be hers. During the battle she bitten him so hard on the snout that he now wore a deep scar upon his snout from it. Ever since then he had pretty much left her a lone.
Onyx pranced over to her excitedly, "What did Rock Breaker want Stream."
Stream looked into Onyx's amber eyes before saying, "Nothing, he just wanted to know what we were going to be doing."
"Oh, well then can we get started on the stuff I'm going to be doing in the future. Hopefully sooner than we think."
"Alright lets go." Stream said.
~ * ~ * ~
"Stream its time for Onyx to head for the den!" Her adoptive mother, Petal Stone, called. Sometimes it seemed that she was just an ordinary wolf. Stream's head swiveled a round to face her as if in mockery of what Petal Stone had thought.
Stream's eyes were a normal ginger green but where was the mark. Around her eye formed the tattoo that branded their two worlds apart. Her pup was human and she was a wolf. Even her pelt was different, it was grey with black patches splattered on top.
"Aw," Onyx sighed. "Stream was just teaching me the proper death strike for the mole!"
Petal Stone laughed, "I'm sure there will be plenty of time for that tomorrow little one."
"Alright. If you say so Petal Stone." Onyx said her hyperness damped only slightly, even after all of there training.
Stream and Onyx launched themselves up the pit's side. When they reached the top a dark brown wolf slid up next to Petal Stone. Each of the wolves nodded once then after he returned the favor they licked him muzzle twice, then Stream moved over to Petal Stone and nuzzled her shoulder; Petal Stone did the same.
"I came looking for Petal Stone but I see she is momentarily unavailable." Eagle said, his amber eyes shifting toward Petal Stone's grey-blue ones. They seemed to be talking to each other like this but neither Stream or Onyx know what they were saying.
Stream figured it wasn't something that Petal Stone was to happy about because her eyes kept getting darker and darker as if they were recalling something Petal stone had tried desperately to forget.
Suddenly their eyes drifted back to Onyx and Stream. Petal Stone's eyes returned to their former state and she said, "Well, lets get back to the den shall we? Onyx must be tried."
"Of course Petal Stone." Stream said. Then without further interruption the four of them headed back to the den way.
When they got back they found a muddy brown colored male launching himself onto a pale yellow male. The two of them snarled and snapped each other viciously. Garnet and Vigilant sat on the edge of the skirmish and watched occasionally howling or thumping their tails.
"Oh, I hope father wins this time." Onyx said to Stream as Zenith took a swing at Rouge. He missed and Rouge leaped on top of him but before Rouge could force him into submission Zenith had already latched onto Rouge's front leg and had him on his back belly side up.
Garnet saw four of them standing there and she bowed her head saying, "Eagle." then she and the others walked over to him and licked his face twice. They then moved over to Petal Stone and nuzzled her shoulder. Once the greeting was over, the pack climbed up the steep pathway that led to the place where all of the Bracken Shadow pack's ancestor's were buried. This was the place where they would come to sing to their ancestor's where it was to usher another one into the Night Path or to bring the attention the newest pack member. Tonight they came up just to celebrate.
~ * ~ * ~
Stream stretched out her front paws. Last night they had howled until the moon had disappeared from the sky. The others were still fast a sleep from what she could see. Stream silently crept around them careful not to wake them.
When Stream got out side she heard the strangest noise, a curtain buzzing sound. But before she could figure out what it was she felt a strange stinging on her left shoulder. She looked down to find blood rushing from a wound.
Stream swayed slightly before falling to the ground. The last thing she remembered was a strange feeling of her body shifting or was it changing.
A/N: Phew! I finally finished it at, wait for it… 2:09am. I know there much +Anima in it yet but I just wanted you to get a feeling of how she been living her life as wolf. I promise the next chapter will have loads more +Anima.
An IMPORTANT question for you: How old is Upas? And how old Fly's friend the commander dude? If you don't know that's okay I'll do without.