Strays
Disclaimer: i owns nada
Warning: eventual yaoi
AN: Whoever can give me the following info about the quote in this ch gets acknowledged at the begining of next chappie: name of character, author, work, and line/page number. good luck people.
Chapter 2: Pack of Warriors
As Rude and his brothers drifted off to sleep, a pack of warriors began to stalk through the Slums looking for dinner and perhaps a challenge. Dinner was easy, small animals satisfied both the weres and their vampire companions. All four men were tall, lithe and powerful. Angeal was a werewolf, his black, slightly spiky hair and cobalt blue eyes stayed the same regardless of which form he took. He was also broader in shoulder then his brothers-in-arms. Sephiroth was a werecat; his long silver hair became white fur when he changed into a panther while his green cat-slit eyes stayed the same. Genesis and Tseng were vampires; Genesis had auburn hair and ice blue eyes while Tseng had black hair that hung just past his shoulders and dark brown eyes.
Angeal paused just outside of an alley, sniffing the air. He had caught the scent of a young werewolf coming from down there. His nose picked up other scents that were tied to the pup but not werewolf. He cocked his head, ears picking up the sounds of four sleeping pups. Silently he motioned the others to follow. Cautiously they entered the alley, the others having picked up on the mix of scents that had caught the wolf's attention. At the end they found four boys huddled together: on each end was a dark haired youth, the one on the right having caught Angeal's attention, between them lay a pale redhead and a younger blonde who instantly had Sephiroth's attention. The boys on the ends had their arms flung protectively across the younger two. Angeal leaned over, eyeing the boy with spiky black locks. "This one's a werepup," he murmured. Sephiroth nodded towards the blond beside the pup, "And this one is a werekitten." They looked at the others, Genesis standing in front of the redhead and Tseng before the boy in sunglasses despite the dark. "These two are human," Genesis stated, hand reaching for crimson locks. Tseng softly cleared his throat causing Genesis to jerk his hand back apologetically.
Voices at the alley's mouth alerted the warriors to the presence of company.
"They were spotted ducking in here earlier, boss."
Startled, Angeal and his brothers jumped to the roof of the building behind the boys.
"How foolish, boys, this one is a dead end. Tonight you become mine."
Tensing, Angeal growled while Sephiroth hissed and the vampires snarled.
"ZRC's goin' down."
"Remember, the blonde and the redhead are mine. Do with the other two as you please."
With this last statement the threat at the alley's entrance moved in noisily.
The sound of approaching footsteps woke Rude and Zack. They tensed as the Don's men moved in to cut off their escape. Tightening their hold on Reno and Cloud, the older two mentally prepared themselves for the worst: a fight that would result in them seriously hurt or dead and the younger boys in the Don's clutches. Shudders alerted them to the fact that their brothers were now awake and understood what was going on.
The men on the roof above them watched as the boys prepared to fight. They saw them gathering strength, ready to spring into what would surely be a hopeless battle. A smug voice came from below, "Give up, Rude, Zack. I'm sure Cloud and Reno don't want to see you hurt." The sight of the young weres close to shifting and the young humans ready to fight tooth and nail for freedom spurred the four men into action.
The Don's goons took an involuntary step back as four men jumped from the roof behind their targets to the space in front of them. A murmur of "thank Gaia" came from behind the human wall, the boys breathing a sigh of relief. "Who are you? How dare you come between me and my property!" Don Corneo demanded. "These boys are ours," Angeal responded. "And if the indignant grunts and gasps behind me are any indication, I believe you never had any claim to them at all." Sephiroth hissed as he brandished his freakishly long katana at the lowlifes in front of him. Angeal's Buster Blade was also threatening the Don's henchmen. Genesis and Tseng bared their fangs while displaying a crimson rapier, a handgun and an EMR to further discourage the goons. Faced with this arsenal, Don Corneo's men began to edge their way back up the alley, pulling their protesting boss with them. "Sorry, boss, but 'the better part of valor is discretion' or something like that. This situation just became too dangerous to your health."
Cloud listened as the Don and his men retreated. What did they mean by we're theirs? he wondered. His eyes fallowed the swish of silver hair as the man in front of him turned around, sheathing his blade. The man knelt down reaching for him. Cloud shrank back.
"It's alright, kitten, we won't hurt you or your friends…"
"They're my brothers."
"… Brothers, then. I promise we won't hurt you. We want to protect you."
"Why?" Rude and Zack demanded, holding the other two tighter.
Angeal reached for Zack. "Calm down, puppy. We…"
"I'm not a puppy!" Zack growled, baring his teeth instinctively.
"You don't know what you are, do you pup?" Angeal asked head cocked to one side.
"What do you mean?" Zack mirrored the man in front of him.
Angeal smiled, setting his hand on Zack's shoulder. "You're a werewolf, pup. You're ears and nose are sharper then a human's. You could smell those thugs coming couldn't you?" Zack only nodded. Cloud looked confused.
"I thought I smelled trouble. That's why I woke up." Sky blue eyes met green ones.
Sephiroth smiled. "That's because you're a werecat, a kitten. Young weres are rare. By were society rules, Angeal and I are to take you in and train you and your friend."
While Angeal and Sephiroth calmed the young weres, Tseng and Rude were engaged in a staring contest. Genesis, seeing an opportunity, reached out and began to pet Reno.
"Why you pettin' me yo?" The younger redhead looked confused as Tseng and Rude snapped their heads around to see what was happening.
"Genesis." Tseng sighed.
Genesis grinned. "What? He's cute."
Before he could respond, Tseng felt a hand on his arm. Rude looked him straight in the eyes and said, "I trust you. Just don't separate us."
All eyes went to Rude, his brothers' wide with surprise and the warriors quickly assured him that the boys would remain together.