Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot and other characters.
Legendary Werewolf
Chapter 15: Sanctuary
Meanwhile… "My children…walk the earth and find those werewolves – bring them to me, and together we shall ensure their stay is as 'comfortable' as they wish," announced Satan, sending his minions to various portals with a sneer in his face.
Back in the castle, Lucifer was playing on the floor when his daddy suddenly picked him up, followed by his mommy screaming frantically as they rush out of the castle. "Find those werewolves and bring them to me!" echoed a booming voice. Instinctively, the werewolf child clung close to his father and watched as hundreds of demons descend into the castle. "We need a place to hide from those bastards – got any ideas?" asked Kouga as he comforted his whimpering son. "I know where we could hang around until those demons give up the chase," replied Ayame as she led them onto a different path though the forest – past their hunting grounds. She could feel herself drifting back to the past as she padded through this familiar path 10 years ago…
FLASHBACK: Abandoned for a reason…
"Dad, where are you taking me?" asked 10-year-old Ayame as her father led her through the forest, grasping her hand firmly. "Dad, why won't you answer me?" she asked worriedly. Ever since she developed her werewolf traits, her father became a bit too cautious.
"I'm taking you to a safe place," he finally replied, "Those bounty hunters will never find you there." Ayame was told that her mother was killed by bounty hunters shortly after she was born and was raised single-handedly by her father, but right now she doesn't understand why she must be hidden away from the world when she could defend herself when necessary.
Standing at the door of a stone building was an ageing sorceress, whom Ayame came to know her name as Marissa – she was her father's guardian and mentor when he was her age. "Wait, you can't leave me here!" protested Ayame, "You're all I've got in my life. Don't leave me!" Her father sighed. "You'll be killed if those guys find you. It's better off this way," he explained as he hugged her, "I'll come back for you one day – I promise." And with that, he ran off and disappeared. She never saw or heard from him again…
END FLASHBACK
Ayame looked up at the old 'werewolf sanctuary' where her father abandoned her as a 10-year-old adolescent werewolf. "Those demons won't find us here," she assured them as she led them to the entrance. Almost immediately, a barrier appeared at the doorway as soon as they were inside; the translucent blue hue suddenly seemed to materialize into stone bricks, sealing the doorway, making it look as though no one has been here. As they walked down the corridor, the torches on the walls suddenly lit themselves with flickering blue flames – it's as though the tunnel seemed alive.
"Sorceress Marissa," Ayame called out, "Are you here?" As though it's an answer, she stopped dead in her tracks and stared at a pile of ashes before her. The blue robe…that's – she thought as she started at the silky cloth among the ashes, No, it can't be! Kneeling before it, she felt tears filling her eyes. Sorceress Marissa – the sorceress who cared and protected her until the day she left the sanctuary – is dead, now a pile of ashes on where she stood. Sensing her emotion, Kouga kneeled down and hugged her as she sobbed bitterly. "I may not know whose ashes this belongs to," he whispered, "But we know for sure that this person is in a better place now." Ayame nodded, wiping away her tears.
"Mommy, I can hear something," said Lucifer; Ayame heard it too and looked up. "Sounds like chanting," she said, standing up and stepping over the ashes as she followed the voices. Those voices, she realized, belong to countless generations of her kind; she could feel their magic as she gets infused with the long-lost Legendary Werewolf ability Lucius once possessed. She couldn't hear Kouga or Lucifer calling to her; she's in a trance even as her clothes tore off as she let her transformation take over. Then out of the blue, she felt her great-great-great-great grandfather's spirit merge with her soul; levitating a few inches off the ground as the 'light' surrounded her, emitting a glow identical to the torches that burned on the walls. Then just as it occurred, it ended as slowly as it began until Ayame lay nude on the stony floor, mesmerized.
Kouga hurriedly picked up the discarded blue robe and dropped it over Ayame while Lucifer knelt next to his mother, whimpering and whining as he nudged her shoulder. "I'm okay, guys," she whispered as she sat up on her own; tied the robe around herself as she stood up. "What happened back there?" asked Kouga, "What was that?" but Ayame stayed silent. "I'll explain later," she finally replied. Taking that as a direct answer, Kouga held her close and growled playfully into her ear, making her giggle.
"Father left me here for a purpose," she explained as she led them to a large room, "I may not know the exact reason why he had abandoned me, but I know he fears my safety." Ayame further explained that during her stay at the sanctuary, Sorceress Marissa taught her everything she had taught her father, shaping her physically and mentally to the experienced werewolf she is today. Kouga took in all the details of this room: a bubbling hotspring sat in one corner of the room, along with shelves stacked full of towels standing idly by the walls; an obstacle course filled almost half the entire room, covered in a layer of dust and cobwebs as it has been unused for several years; a bed, a table and two chairs sat in the least used corner of the room, serving as a place of rest and relaxation after hours of intense training.
"The door at the far side leads outdoors," Ayame explained, "But it's not directly connected to our world on the outside – Sorceress Marissa wouldn't tell me how it came to be so." Lucifer crept to the door and peeked out the edge: acres of land spread out in all directions, covered with grass and wildflowers blooming as though it felt like springtime all-year-round. Trees of all kinds, shapes and sizes litter the endless landscape; not far off, a humongous waterfall glittered as the water crashed onto the boulders below, blending into the calm river that followed. "An indoor paradise," Sorceress Marissa called it.
"You've got a nice place here," Kouga whistled, "So this is where you've honed your skills." Lucifer laughed as he ran straight to the hotspring, spraying water in all directions as he splashed around. The Alpha Wolf couldn't help but chuckle as he watches his son enjoy himself. "Honey, I'll be outside if you need anything, okay?" he said, kissing her before heading 'outdoors' to resume his personal training. Not planning to stand around all day, Ayame headed straight for the obstacle course and calibrated its settings according to her preferences. As she waited for the contraption to 'warm-up', she forced herself to relax and summon her strength. Then as if right on cue, she bolted like a deer.
Dodging arrows, spikes, miniature – but sharp – weapons from the walls, floor and ceiling, she acted quickly depending only on her inhuman senses. However, even though she had trained herself in the contraption several times, one obstacle still made her lose her balance – literally. A wooden pole swung past her ankles and tripped her, but she quickly rolled away as a mallet came crashing down, missing her by a hair. As she waited for the course to reset itself, she rummaged through the backpacks they carried. Among the supplies they've brought, she fingers brushed the cover of the spell book. "Maybe it's time I learned something new," she mumbled as she took it out…and noticed a small slip of paper stuck in the book's back cover.
It was a note from her father. "Ayame, if you're reading this, I'm probably dead by now," he wrote, "The reason I left you at the sanctuary wasn't because I was abandoning you – it was to protect you until you've learned to protect yourself. I hope you understand. Dad." Ayame wiped away her tears, regretting earlier thoughts about her father abandoning her because she was a 'difficult little monster'. "Don't worry, Dad…" she said to herself, "I'll protect my son as you have protected me." She then turned her eyes to the hotspring…but Lucifer wasn't there. "Sweetie, NO!" she screamed, running to and snatching her son away from the obstacle course – and her left leg suddenly became a pincushion of arrows.
Hearing her scream, Kouga rushed indoors and found his mate on the floor, bleeding profusely. "Lucifer, her me a towel from one of those shelves – hurry!" he ordered as he broke and pulled the arrows out of her leg before using a healing spell to mend her broken bones and some damaged nerves; it wasn't enough to heal her completely as he had used most of his energy from training earlier. "You'll be fine, honey…" he assured her, taking the towel and tearing it to shreds for a makeshift bandage, "But try to be more careful next time." Just then, the familiar sound of roaring laughter echoed throughout the sanctuary – the barrier was broken! "You couldn't escape me," echoed Satan's voice, "I have ties in every dimension!" And with that, the werewolf family was seized by the lesser demons as they were abducted to Hell. The last thing anyone would hear was Ayame's scream…