Finally, another chapter! Sorry for the slow updates…I know it must be extremely annoying but whatever! I hope this makes up for the intense slowness. Regular PV
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Sasuke led the wolves out of the meadow and up into the forest. Luckily he knew the area enough to where he could weave in and out of the forest and get to his home to where his brother was holding the meeting. His hair was on end as he ran, he just couldn't believe what his brother told him, it was almost preposterous to him. Orochimaru was alive. Somehow, he had managed to survive and no one had noticed him slipping away with those kinds of injuries. Sasuke growled lowly to himself.
" SASUKE!" Naruto called to him. " When are you going to explain what the hell is going on? We've been running for almost a half an hour straight and you haven't said a word!"
Sasuke knew it to be true. He had promised that he would explain things but he almost didn't know how to address it without striking fear into Naruto and Kiba's hearts, especially since Kiba didn't even know there was another wolf targeting him. And this news had more than likely upset Shino to the point where he wouldn't want to comfort or be around Kiba for awhile. Which would leave Kiba even more vulnerable to attack. Sasuke snorted. Things were getting more and more complicated as time went on.
" Orochimaru is alive. It has been confirmed by some of the Elder Wolves and Itachi himself. My brother is requesting the wolves to gather so we can have an official meeting about it." Sasuke glanced to the side at Shino who looked at his Beta and nodded his head. " There's been a wolf following you, Kiba."
" What?" Kiba asked, completely exasperated. He slowed until he came to a full stop, making the other three pause in their movements as well. " Who is it? How long have they been following me? Are they around now?"
" Kiba, calm down. I wouldn't let anything happen to you. I scared the wolf off when I met up with him at your house." Shino said, walking back to Kiba and nosing him a little to show a little bit of affection. Kiba jumped away from him, snapping his jaws and growling at them.
" THE WOLF KNOWS WHERE I LIVE?" Kiba snapped a snarl coming to his muzzle. They could all tell that Kiba wasn't taking the news well but they had been expecting this. He was using his anger to mask the fear he was feeling. And they knew it was a trying time for him, just having Transformed and then having this bombshell dropped on him was not exactly the best for his stress level.
" Sasuke…" Naruto muttered hesitantly, looking over at his mate and the wolf nodded a little. This was what Sasuke had been trying to avoid. Rage; any newly Transformed wolf could get it, especially when put through a good deal of stress.
Kiba's eyes shifted from a haunting yellow color to crimson as soon as Shino started to approach him. Shino took a couple steps back, awaiting an attack from Kiba but when the wolf didn't come, he relaxed his guard, only a little. Kiba snapped his jaws at them and watched them all carefully. Naruto was going to move towards his friend but Sasuke cut him off by standing in front of him. Sasuke was growling lowly in his throat, his ears flat to his head as he slowly approached Kiba. His body was lower to the ground as he moved almost if he was stalking prey. Kiba took a step back and also lowered his body, growling and snarling at the approaching wolf.
Shino knew what he had to do. While Kiba was distracted, he got behind him and jumped onto his back, biting the scruff of his neck and lowering him to the ground. Kiba whined and yelped trying to shake Shino off but the bite was too strong to break.
" Sasuke, Naruto, go on ahead. We'll catch up to you. I'm going to calm Kiba down first. It would be bad if he caused us all to be late." Naruto glanced at Sasuke who relaxed his stance and nodded. He turned around, nosing Naruto to make him go forward and leave the two wolves to work out the issues.
When Shino couldn't see either Naruto or Sasuke anymore, he let go of Kiba's neck but still remained on top of him, to keep him from chasing after the two other wolves. Kiba was still writhing underneath him, trying to get Shino off of him but it wasn't nearly as severe as earlier, his body was starting to become tired and he knew that if he gave it a few more minutes, Kiba would have fully exhausted himself.
And Shino was right, Kiba continued to struggle until his body went completely limp and was he panting underneath him. His eyes started to fade back from red and he laid there, completely docile. Shino sniffed a little, now the fear was coming up from the smaller wolf's body in waves. He was trembling a little and Shino remove himself from Kiba's body, allowing him to sit up. Kiba whined at the other wolf and he walked over to him, nuzzled him a little. Shino sighed a little and nuzzled him back. He had wanted to tell Kiba much earlier about the wolf but he didn't want him to freak out like he just had. He should have never given the signal for Sasuke to tell him, it would have better been discussed behind closed doors.
" What's going to happen now? With that wolf following me…I'm never going to feel safe. And he knows where I live, my entire family is in jeopardy." Kiba whined and he looked down at the grass, unable to look Shino in the eye. The other wolf licked Kiba's face, bringing it up so he could look at him.
" I won't let anything happen to you, Kiba. You have to believe me. I would rather die than let that wolf get his hands on you. I promise that I'll protect you with every fiber of my being even if worse come to worse. If you want, I'll never leave your side. I'll patrol your house every night, risking my health and safety for yours. I'll follow your family and make sure that they won't ever be harmed, if that is your wish." Shino said with a completely serious tone to his voice. Kiba's stomach was doing cartwheels as he heard that and it made his entire body feel warm with relief. " Kiba, for now, I can only offer you this promise. I will explain everything that I know later, but for now…We need to go meet up with Sasuke and Naruto. We're extremely close now and I'm sure you'll get more than a few answers when we arrive at the meeting grounds."
Kiba nodded his head and they set off again. After running for a few minutes they came to a road, one of the main roads next to the Uchiha manor. Kiba had remembered seeing it on one of the few occasions when he had gone over to Sasuke's house to do a project or hang out. Which had been awkward then but in Kiba mind, would be even more awkward now since they were just going to sit around and do nothing but watch movies. Shino looked around and then took a deep breath, his body quickly reverting back to normal. Kiba watched as Shino stood there in all of his naked glory and then wondered, how was he supposed to transform back into his old self.
" The trick is to picture yourself in your human body and just go with the feeling you get. Don't be fearful of it, just let it happen." Shino muttered as he looked at Kiba.
The wolf nodded, closing his eyes and picturing his reflection in the mirror. In his mind he could see himself flexing his non-existing pecks and looking at his body. He felt a prickling sensation on his skin and instantly wanted to shake it off since it was actually tickling him with strange pin pricks but he assumed this was the feeling Shino was talking about. He kept completely still as he continued to picture himself. When he opened his eyes, he was standing on his feet, and Shino was smirking at him slightly. He was happy when he was able to do it but then realized that he was now nakedly standing in front of the wolf. A flush gathered on his features.
" Come on, there will be clothes inside." Shino said as he walked forward into the street. Kiba followed after him, almost trying to use him as a shield to hide his naked body. But he noticed that there were wolves everywhere, all Changing into humans again and just walking nakedly without shame. All of them seemed to let Shino pass, almost bowing to him as he passed them. He got up to the door and knocked in a pattern. The door opened and a man with robes was standing there, he handed one to Shino and, after sniffing Kiba for a few seconds, handed him one as well. They put them on as they walked and it seemed that the house was buzzing with life and it was all gathering at a door that seemed to head down to the basement. The path cleared a little as the other wolves saw Shino.
" What's going on? Why is everyone moving out of the way?" Kiba asked as he felt Shino grasp his hand. He had a feeling it was because Shino didn't want him getting lost in the crowd but also had a feeling that it was because he just wanted touch Kiba. Shino pulled him forward and placed him at his side, putting an arm around his shoulder.
" It's because I'm a Gamma and have a higher rank in this clan. I would do the same if Sasuke or Itachi were walking behind me. It is protocol; we must let the more important wolves attend to their business first. And since they know you as my mate, they will show you the same respect. Same thing goes with Naruto and Itachi's mate, when he takes one." Shino muttered as they walked down the stairs together, which was proving to be slightly difficult since they were walking side by side. The stairs were a tight fit and Kiba was rubbing his hip against the railing as they walked down. He thought about shoving Shino into his railing and hogging up the entire stairwell but he thought that Shino would only shove him back and it would be even more uncomfortable for him.
When they finally stepped foot on the basement, Kiba was awe struck. It was a beautiful area, covered with tapestries of wolves and their transformations. Some of the woven wolves' eyes glittered like jewels and made them even more striking. The whole room was littered with books, covering shelves upon shelves, giving the room a hint of sophistication. He looked over towards the front of the room and saw Sasuke and Naruto sitting together on a large wooden chair that rested next to a large podium where a man who looked much like Sasuke sat; his face seemed hard with concealed emotion but it didn't make him any less beautiful. Shino directed Kiba towards them and they took a seat on the other side of Sasuke, who was almost nervously stroking Naruto's head. The blond didn't seem to mind and let his mate continue.
Kiba looked up at the wolf at the podium. He could assume that was Itachi, Sasuke's older brother. He had never seen him when he had taught at their high school because he was still flunking Advanced Algebra and wouldn't make it all the way to Pre-cal, which one of the two things he was teaching. The other had been Calculus and when Kiba had heard about Sasuke's brother teaching such classes, he instantly assumed that Itachi had been a genius, just like Sasuke. It was one thing to learn Calculus, but teaching was a completely different.
The wolves all settled down, quieting themselves as Itachi looked up at them from the podium. He glanced down at Sasuke and Shino, almost to make sure the two of them were there. " Good," He said finally, " everyone who should be here, is here and with a few extras. But that's to be expected." The wolves seemed completely at attention as he spoke and even Kiba felt himself hanging off his words. There was a pull about him, a certain power that made him want to just sit at his feet and listen to him speak for hours on end. " I've sent a message to the males and some females in this pack. But the real message was sent to my Beta and Gammas. Sai, come forward and tell the pack what you've learned from the scene."
Sai moved from the other side of the podium to the front of it, coming to stand in front of it. He looked around the room and the wolves were staring back at him expectantly. " My fellow wolves, we have made a startling discovery. The wolf named Orochimaru is not dead, he has returned and is more than likely trying to threat our pack."
There was an uproar of howls and snarls when Sai stopped talking. Some of the wolves were on their feet, shouting up at Itachi who was looking down at the uproar with slight disapproval.
" We must stop him, my Alpha!" One cried.
" Allow us to fight for you, my Alpha!" Another yelled getting to their feet and balling their fists. His head rose and he stared at Itachi's face with such admiration and love that it was almost pathetic.
Itachi held up his hand up and the wolves all silenced themselves and sat down. They were all sitting at attention again and it almost fascinated Kiba to see someone watching another person with such focus.
" For now, I'm just telling you to keep yourselves focused. We have no information on where Orochimaru resides and what his true intentions are, we can only speculate. I will not allow you to go off into battle unless we all are ready. And I'm also a firm believer in having a plan, I will not have my clan slaughtered because of our haste. I also still have to inform the other Elders of Orochimaru's presence in case he is going to go after them again." Itachi said and the other wolves nodded. " My pack, please be patient and let things slowly work themselves out. Don't be too hasty and try to protect my name just because you encounter someone in Orochimaru's forces. Is that understood?"
" Yes, My Alpha." They all seemed to say in unison.
" The meeting is adjourned, return home to your mates and enjoy the rest of the full moon while it lasts." They all howled and started moving around, heading back up the stairs.
" Wow, that was a lot shorter than I expected…" Kiba muttered and Shino shrugged.
" He was just getting the word out, it would have been longer if he had a plan or more information about the situation. Since he doesn't know much, the meeting will be kept short so there are no useless speculations being thrown around. Itachi doesn't want to cause a massive stir among the wolves because they will start fights and will lay down their lives to protect Itachi. I was actually surprised he didn't give an order about it." Shino said as he stood up. Kiba got to his feet as well and then looked over at Sasuke and Naruto who were still cuddling on their chair. Well, it was more like Naruto was struggling to get up and Sasuke was forcefully cuddling him.
" It was useless to give that order." Kiba turned towards the podium where the Uchiha was coming down. His steps were graceful and he seemed completely calm, despite the fact that everyone else seemed to be in an uproar about what was happening. " They're extremely obedient to me when it comes to battle decisions. They trust me very much after I was able to lead them successfully through our last scuffle with the vampire clans." Itachi said as he came to stand in front of Shino; they nuzzled a 'hello' and when Itachi stepped closer to Kiba, they did the same. " Even now, you're newly Changed mate can feel his obligations to obey me. You were staring at me the entire time when I was speaking, it is a desirable trait in a wolf. We need straight obedience otherwise our foundation will crumble and we will be easily defeated."
" Itachi," Sasuke stood up then, letting Naruto go, much to the Uchiha's disappointment. " what exactly are we supposed to do in the meantime? Are we just going to wait for Orochimaru to make his next move?"
Itachi sighed then. " Unfortunately, that is the safest thing to do. I have a feeling that if Orochimaru knows that I know he's alive, he'll want to show off to me even more. Get my attention focused on him. And then in his flashiness, screw up at some point. He will be vulnerable at that moment and we have to be ready."
" So, you're going to use yourself as bait…" Sasuke said in an almost disgustedly sad tone.
" I have to protect my pack, Sasuke. And if I have to, I will dangle myself in Orochimaru's face to get him to attack. I will bring him down this time even if I have to give my own life in the process, which is why I've made certain decisions." Itachi said as he stared at Sasuke. " My Beta, you will be acting as Alpha in my absence as I go to gather information. This is an order and you are not allowed to refuse. I've picked you for your natural leadership abilities and the fact that the wolves respect you almost as much as they respect me, little brother. Do not disappoint me." Itachi stepped away from Sasuke then, leaving the other Uchiha in shock as he stood there. When he finally regained his composure, he grabbed Itachi's arm and pulled him back.
" You're expecting to die, aren't you? You've practically trained me to take over in case something happens, and is this it, isn't it? The moment where you go off and selflessly give your life to bring down Orochimaru. Well, if that is the case, as Alpha, I will not allow you to go alone."
Itachi smirked a little and then poked Sasuke in the forehead, making Sasuke cover the spot on his head with his hand. He started pouting a little as he rubbed the mark unconsciously. He looked back at Itachi who was looking up and out of the basement at the people who were still around in the living room by the door of the basement. " You jump to too many conclusions about my actions. I will not be going alone, I plan on brining Sai with me as I gather information, so rest your weary mind with that. I also do not plan on dying, I will not let you have my position so easily little brother; you'll have to work harder than that."
Sasuke seemed to be calmed by that and nodded his head. Itachi patted his head like one would to a good dog and gave him a small nuzzle before heading up the stairs with Sai following behind him. " I'll keep in touch." Itachi added as he disappeared into the crowd of wolves.
" Sasuke, you've gained a huge amount of responsibility…" Shino muttered and the Uchiha turned to look at him. " What exactly are you going to do with it, My Alpha?"
" For now, I'm going to do as Itachi said and keep everyone from doing things they will regret. Until I hear otherwise, I won't say anything to the pack. But in a few days time, if Itachi hasn't returned, I'm going to announce my temporary position as Alpha." -
Elsewhere
Orochimaru smirked a little as he watched Itachi. He had passed down his position to his more than adorable, little brother. It had been a seemingly smart move on his part, separate himself from the pack and leave himself in the open so Orochimaru would come running to get him. But the wolf knew that Itachi was far more powerful than he seemed and could easily defeat him since it would be a one on one Alpha fight. Orochimaru decided that for now, he would just sit and wait, watching Itachi and all the moves he was making. It would prove to be more than entertaining.
" My Lord, forgive me for the interruption." Orochimaru turned his head towards the person pulling him away from the delectable Uchiha, a frown on his face. But he quickly smirked when he saw it was his own Beta, Kabuto.
" Ah, Kabuto. It is no problem that you've interrupted. I was just watching my favorite wolf struggle in his decisions." Orochimaru said with a satisfied chuckle.
" I assume then that you appreciate the bit of Warlock magic I was able to snag." Kabuto said in regards to the crystal ball that sat on a pillow in front of his Alpha. The wolf nodded his head with a wicked smirk on his face. He took his hands off of the crystal and looked over at his Beta expectantly. " I have some unwanted news about the Elder Wolves. They seem sense your presence in the world once more and starting to rally their packs to come searching for our lair. And some of the weaker ones are fleeing with their packs to form stronger alliances."
" I see. But they do not interest me at the moment. I have my eyes set on only one of the Elders for now. And once I have him in my grasps, I won't let him go. No, Kabuto, Itachi is the only Elder we need before assuming power in this world. And then our dreams of eradicating all races except for werewolves will be realized. No more bloodsuckers, no more magic users, no more half-demon, half-human monsters, and especially no more, unimportant, weak, mundanes.(1) The world will be perfect and united under the same rules and loyalty; and I will be the person they worship." Orochimaru said with the most evil glint in his eyes and Kabuto only smirked as he saw that look.
" I will continue to gather information on the Elders and if you so wish, trail Uchiha Itachi." Kabuto said as he bowed to his Alpha. " You cannot keep tabs on him constantly since you still have to fully prepare your army and I will be your eyes and ears, if you believe me capable."
" You're correct, My Beta. Keeping track of Itachi will be our number one priority while I'm building up our army." Orochimaru said. " Do as you see fit and report back to me daily if possible." And with that Kabuto turn on his heel and promptly left the room, leaving Orochimaru to watch over Itachi with a disgusting facsination.
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1. Mundanes are humans. Mundane tends to mean boring or average and if you apply that to humans, it makes sense because they have no amazing abilities compared to the Otherworlders. Also, it is a Cassandra Clare reference because I love the Mortal Instruments.
Kiba: Super, another chapter is done and barely any questions were answers.
Me: Hey Kiba, go fall down. I'm building suspence.
Shino: The relief wouldn't be as good without mountains of suspence.
Kiba: I don't care, I want Orochimaru to die and this to be over with.
Me and Shino: Doesn't work like that.
Me: Fine Kiba, I promise you that there will be more action in the next chapter. How's that?
Kiba: You better keep your promise, lady.
Me: I will, I will. Now calm your pants so Shino can get in them.
Shino: Now that's what I'm talking about...-molests Kiba-
Me: Isn't that wonderful? This was Hitoko-sama.