Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot and other characters.
Legendary Werewolf
Chapter 5: Hunted and Captured
Next morning…Lucifer happily ran up to his parents, hugging Kouga's leg as he greeted, "Morning, Daddy! Morning, Mommy!" The couple laughed as they watched him jump around them. "Lucifer, Daddy and I are gonna hunt deer for breakfast. Wanna come?" asked Ayame. "Yay! Deer!" cheered the little boy. "I'll take that as a 'yes'. Go get dressed up," she said, smiling as she watched him run off. "I bet he loves hunting," commented Kouga as he smiled at Ayame. "He sure does," she replied, "Especially when – " but was interrupted by a loud CRASH! followed by a THUD and a screaming kid. "Lucifer!" she screamed, running towards the sound with Kouga following close behind her, both having worried expressions. When they arrived at the scene, they found a smashed vase, an upturned table and Lucifer on the floor with a slightly bruised left leg. "Are you okay, son?" he asked as he checked on him for further injuries. "I'm okay, Daddy. Just tripped and the vase and table fell with me as I tried to hold on," replied Lucifer. "Just be careful next time. You scared your Mommy back there," said Kouga, noticing a shocked/worried look on Ayame's face. "Sorry…" apologized their son, hugging his mother's legs as an attempt to calm her down. Ayame took a deep breath and sighed in relief. "Mommy's okay now," she assured him as she petted his head, "Let's get you cleaned up." And with that, Ayame steered Lucifer to the bathroom with Kouga on her tail.
Minutes later…the sun just rose over the horizon, but dark clouds covered the sky and the ground was slightly damp. The rusty iron gate creaked open and closed as the small family ventured out, heading to their hunting grounds on the outskirts of the city. Usually, they'd transform into werewolves whenever they wished, but since it's only an ordinary 'breakfast hunt', they stayed in human form.
"Mommy, look at me!" cried Lucifer as he climbed up the nearest tree, grinning down at them. "Lucifer, get down from there!" she ordered, whispering it as she feared that hunters may be nearby. The pup obediently climbed down and crouched low as his parents did the same. "Kid, being a werewolf isn't easy," explained Kouga, "Your Mommy and I should be careful at al times. Almost everyone knows that this forest is a hunting ground for werewolves." Lucifer nodded, indicating that he understood despite being a 2-year-old pup. Their attention was then focused on a baby deer – a fawn – grazing on the grass before them. As Ayame sniffed out the fawn's scent, her nose picked up something else…a familiar-yet-dangerous scent. That only meant one thing: humans have trespassed on their territory. "Hunters…" she growled; Kouga picked up the same scent to confirm her. The very thought of trespassers on their grounds released a low, angry growl from himself. Those guys never learn! he thought.
"Daddy…" whimpered Lucifer, clinging onto Ayame's leg as his parents stood up, glaring as twenty bounty hunters surrounded them. "You…still alive?" she asked as she looked at their leader, "Didn't I rip you to shreds that night two years ago?" He simply laughed. "That was my twin brother, Jason," he replied, "I'm Jacob…and here to avenge my brother's death!" Ayame bared her teeth and growled. "And what have we here…?" continued Jacob, "A baby werewolf, I assume." Lucifer clung tightly to his mother. "That's it! You're all going down!" roared Kouga, unleashing his anger as he attacked those within range. "Ayame! Take Lucifer and run like hell!" he ordered. "You! After them! I want them alive…" commanded Jacob, sending half his team to chase Ayame and Lucifer. You're not getting away this time…he thought.
Kouga growled as nine hunters and Jacob surrounded him, blocking every possible escape route. "You've crossed the line too many times…now you'll pay!" he roared, ripping out the guts from some and snapping their bones with the rest; blood, ripped organs and broken, mutilated bodies covered his grounds. However, he unintentionally let down his guard for a fraction of a second and Jacob shot a silver bullet into his left shin; Kouga yelled in pain and collapsed, his blood leaking through his jeans and mixing with the others' on the ground. "Not so tough, are you?" mocked Jacob as he circled him, aiming his shotgun at Kouga's head. "You fucking bastard…I'll kill you!" shouted Kouga as he tried to claw him, but his adversary quickly evaded and dislocated the already wounded leg, the bone threatening to pierce though the skin. Satisfied, Jacob left Kouga whimpering alone as he tried to pull the bone back into position.
Meanwhile… "Kouga? No!" screamed Ayame, swiftly turning around as her husband's painful cry followed the echoing gunshot – her hearing is more advanced than normal werewolves'. She then found ten hunters before her, all grinning evilly as they surrounded the female werewolf and her pup. Left without a choice, she placed Lucifer beside some bushes and said, "Lucifer, stay here and don't move unless I said so!" and he nodded, then watched his turn her back to him as she faced the enemy. "One down, two more to go…" said Jacob, appearing among them. Ayame growled angrily and pounced, letting her rage overflow as she sank her teeth into a hunter's neck and ripped his whole head off; blood sprayed in every direction as she tossed the head into another hunter's hands and clawed the body limb by limb. Lucifer crawled into the bush and continued to watch, fascinated by his mother's supernatural abilities in human form. Normally, kids scream out once they see anything like this, but Lucifer is a child werewolf – he has seen this too many times. Within two minutes, Ayame successfully killed six of the hunters…but was thrown off guard as one pounced onto her back and another punched her stomach and lungs, making her cough out blood. "Mommy!" screamed Lucifer, climbing up a tree to escape Jacob's clutches. "Daddy! Help us!" he yelled.
Kouga heard him. They're in trouble! he screamed mentally. Driven by instinct, he grabbed his leg and pulled sharply, ignoring the pain as the bone snapped into its original position. He then dug his fingers for the bullet and pulled it out; tearing a strip of his shirt as a makeshift bandage, he wrapped it around the wound to stop the blood from gushing out. Then he grabbed a fallen tree branch and used it as a cane, limping hurriedly as he followed the sound of punching, yelling and cracking bones. Once he arrived, he saw six – scratch that, make that seven – hunters sprawled on the blood-splattered ground, their dead eyes staring at nothing. Ayame was busily trying to shake off one clinging onto her back, and Lucifer seemed to be left alone on the tree, watching the scene below. "Ayame, look out!" screamed Kouga as Jacob aimed his shotgun at her head. She didn't seem to hear him, but she finally managed to throw the hunter off and snap his neck in just one second. Seeing an opening, Jacob adjusted his aim…and fired! However, Kouga moved fast enough and intercepted the bullet's path, striking him in the collarbone and knocking himself unconscious as he hit the ground. "Daddy, no!" screamed Lucifer as he watched his father's blood leak onto the ground.
"Kouga!" screamed Ayame as she ran to him…but has not gone quite far when a silver net crashed onto her, its barbs catching onto her hair and clothes and its weight forcing her to stay down. "Howler, Biter – here boys!" she shouted, summoning her two hellhounds – they're her bodyguards as well as gatekeepers; the other two, Cain and Diablo, are the 'backup' pair. "Take Lucifer home! Guard him with your lives!" she ordered. Lucifer immediately jumped down and landed on Howler's back, wrapping his tiny arms around its neck as the hellhounds hightailed out of the clearing. "Get that kid!" ordered Jacob, sending two of his men after them.
"Let go of me!" shouted Ayame as she struggled in a hunter's arms, wincing as the barbs scratched her; Jacob hauled her unconscious husband off the ground and the couple were tossed into an armored van, locking them in, She managed to untangle herself from the net and tossed it to a corner as the van moved, taking them away from home. "Honey, say something. Anything!" she pleaded as she carefully pulled out the bullet and tore a strip of her shirt for a makeshift bandage. Kouga stirred at the touch of her hand. "What happened…where am I?" he asked, groaning as pain surged through him like an electric shock. Ayame slowly explained what had occurred earlier while he was out cold. "They won't get to Lucifer easily," she assured, "My hellhounds are specially trained for this situation." Jacob looked at them through a small, barred window as he sat in the passenger seat, smirking. "That's what you think," he mocked, shutting the window before Ayame could say anything. What was that supposed to mean? she wondered.