Shifted

[Modesty]

Damian
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

The air was warm still, sticky with humidity despite the summer months quickly coming to an end, and the sun having long set. An indian summer, they said, when the heat stretched out longer than it’s designated three months and into the fall. There was talk of global warming, greenhouses gasses and other destructions of man, but Damian wasn’t buying into it. The Earth had been through many phases through it’s history, several without an ozone layer, and the idea of man being the cause for this one was slightly more than egocentric. From what he had seen, Mother Nature could hold her own through all of the trials and tribulations thrown at her.

He was still as he laid beneath the stars, a head full of dark hair laying on a pillow of strong and calloused hands. Eyes were opened; slowly moving between the thousands of stars, though mind elsewhere than on the night sky. Fresh cut grass mingled with the smell of salt water, and the distinct scent of civilization were all apparent to him, though he paid them no heed. It had been months that he’d wandered his way into the small town, alone. What brought him there and where he came from Damian never spoke of, deflecting personal questions with sarcastic quips or misdirecting questions of his own.

The blonde that hugged his body stirred, and Damian sighed in slight annoyance at the interruption of his thoughts. She was never still, always moving and fidgeting. He swallowed any discontent with her, Amber. She’d been his distraction all summer long, and perhaps the only reason he hadn’t moved on to another town. Love? Hardly. But he’d had fun thanks to her in this world that was so unlike his own.

“The moons so big, I think it’s a full moon tonight.” She said, hardly quiet.

Eyes, unmoving from the sky, drifted towards the alabaster circle. Despite looking, he could have answered without. “Not for three more days.”

“You’re like really into stars and stuff, hey? You always get so quiet when you’re looking at it. Is that what you did, before you came here? Are you like an astronomer or something?” She asked, cautiously trying to prod into his past.

Damian chuckled. He hardly looked the part of an astronomer, or even someone that had managed to finish high school. In his early twenties he stood at full height an imposing six-foot-four. While he didn’t quite have the breadth of a star quarterback, he was lean and solid, well toned and strong. As if to prove it, his muscles were clearly defined in the fitted black t-shirt he wore. Tan skin was bronzed from the summer sun, unmarred by modern piercings or tattoos, but littered with scars from sources unknown.

Tearing his eyes from the sky, down to her, he diverted personal topics again. “Lets head down to the pier.”

Companion agreed, they rose and headed across the park down to the ocean front. He was quiet again, golden gaze across the water as the tide slowly rolled in. The moon, bright in the sky over head, held sway there. She controlled the change in water levels, as she commanded change elsewhere. But not tonight. Three days until yet another excuse would fall from his lips as to why he couldn’t be by Amber’s side. But in three days Damian would be long gone. His time in the small sea town had come to end, it was time to move on before his past caught up to him. There was only so long that he could be something he wasn’t, only so long before the costume of a sheep tore to expose the wolf beneath. He simply didn’t belong in such a tranquil place.

[Fadded]

Lorcan sat beside the dying alpha. The great wolf’s chest rose and fell slowly, blood oozing from his side. There was nothing the pack could do. They couldn’t go to a hospital to get treatment. It was forbidden to communicate with humans and taking the wolf there would jeopardize their entire existence. It was another werewolf that had cause the damage on their alpha. No other animal could possibly leave the bite and the scratches the way a werewolf could. Their healer had cleaned the wounds but the bite had nicked the life vein. There was nothing the man could do but bleed out.

As Beta wolf, Lorcan had to stay beside the alpha. The female had already been killed so there was no one else truly close to the alpha that could stay. Lorcan whined a little and nuzzled the wolf, staying the white fur around his face. The alpha took in a few more shuttered breaths before he passed. Lorcan’s black tipped ears flattened against his white head. When he was sure the alpha was dead, the wolf sighed and slowly crawled out of the den. They would have to leave the den and find a new home now. No one would go in there now.

The other wolves looked at him waiting for the verdict. In answer, Lorcan raised his head and let out a solid, lone, howl. Then the other joined in a symphony of mourning. When the mourning was over, Lucan sighed as he padded forward and ignored the smudge on his fur. He sat down and the others licked at him trying to comfort him. The alpha had been Lorcan’s best friend after all. It was the reason why he was the Beta. Well that and the fact that he had good leader sense.

A black wolf stepped forward and sat in front of Lorcan. He was bigger than the white wolf.

‘Lorcan, a council needs to be held on the full moon. There will be a reunion between our back and those of the north. A battle of dominance will be held. Everyone in the pack must be here in three days,’ the black wolf huffed.

‘I know. Why are you telling me?’

‘Because you need to find Damian. He was your friend. He needs to be here in three days. I suggest you go and find him.’

Lurcan’s fur rustled and he growled, curling his lips and baring his fangs. ‘You are not the alpha yet. You cannot order me around, Barca.’

The black wolf returned the snarl. ‘No, but I doubt you wish to fight it now and let’s face it, Lorcan, you are the only one who can find him. You know him better than any of us.’

The other wolves nodded their agreement until he was forced out of the territory in search of the wolf he had once called friend and the wolf his heart still beat for. Near the edge of the forest, Lorcan twitched his ears listening for anyone. His heart was pounding in his chest. He had never been so close to the human civilization. He whined and paced around a little before he gathered up his courage and morphed.

Lorcan shook off his fur and took a moment to get used to his human body once more, short pale blond falling into his face and glacier light green eyes were illuminated by the moon. He pulled the clothes that he hid in the trees and sighed. Now to find Damian. Lorcan raised his face up and started to sniff around until he finally managed to find the man’s scent. It was almost covered by a human scent and that of the water. He sneezed a few times. He didn’t like that human stench.

The wolf hurried through the trees as he followed the trail. It didn’t take him long to reach the beach. He looked around a little more than wary. Then he saw the wolf he sought and a human beside her. He tensed. Why was there a human with him? He swallowed hard. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. He didn’t have to talk to the female bitch. He could pull Damian aside.

With his mind made up, Lorcan hurried forward. “Moon songs, Brother,” he greeted when he got onto the pier. “I need a word with you.”

(Sorry if I went through that a little fast. I could rewrite if you want.)

[Modesty]

Damian
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

As if some silent deity agreed with his last thought, a new scent was on the wind. This was not the salt of the sea or the perfumed stench of man, but something rich, something old, and something familiar. Despite the warm air a chill rolled across Damian’s skin, hair standing on edge. Without letting in on his awareness, he continued to walk beside his female companion. He casually removed his hand from the small of her back and put in his pocket, withdrawing his wallet. He handed her a bill or two of currency.

“Why don’t you go get some icecream?” He said, nodding to the shop on the boardwalk that was opened late. While it was phrased as a question it was more of an order, a kind of order he had perfected with much practice so that the other didn’t feel like it was.

“Alright.” She beamed, and turned to follow direction.

Amber had only gotten a few steps away when another voice broke through the night. “Moon songs, Brother, need a word with you.” Damian stiffened, though not noticeably enough for the woman’s eyes. He prayed she was out of range, but her laughter told him such prayers were in vain.

“Moon songs?” She asked, giggling.

“Icecream, Amber. I’ll meet you up there.” He said, voice suddenly hard. The blonde woman glance at him, lips parting to question before she caught his tone and thought better of it. Her gaze turned to the new male, lingering in curiosity, before shrugging and continuing on her way. Damian waited until she was out of earshot before he turned to the man who had spoken.

A word is one too many, he thought, but a respect for an old friendship kept him from speaking his mind. Instead, he conceded: “A quick word.” The word brother was purposely left out of the reply, he had forsaken his past life.

He took a moment to look over the figure before him that had once been familiar, even dear to him. From pale green eyes to blonde hair the man hadn’t aged at all. Time was kind to his people, gentler, slower. Still, there was something different about the Lorcan that stood before him, something more… somber. His nostrils flared, taking in the scent. It was stronger now, with the familiar spiciness that was unique to their kind. The more subtle flavours were apparent now too: fear, uneasiness, stress, excitement, blood… blood?

Damian didn’t question the other, the answers would come in time. Along with more vivid sight, hearing and smell came another gift to their kind, a sense of knowing. Man called it empathy, but they knew it as something more than just that. The emotions of the other stretched out and enveloped him, putting Damian on edge too. He stood his ground, though he knew the other would be more comfortable at the treeline. Damian wasn’t sure his resolve would hold in the forest. He was determined not to go back.

[Fadded]

Lorcan looked at the woman and narrowed his eyes. He tensed a little and did whatever he could not to start snarling and clicking his fangs at the bitch. She needed to learn her place. He was not talking to her. She had no right to start taunting their culture. She was nothing. Just meat. Why was she even here with Damian? His Daimon? Moon, he wanted to rip her to shreds for even trying to claim the wolf he had tried so long to sway in his direction.

No. Calm. Calm. He didn’t have time to deal with the human. He had bigger problems to deal with right now. The back was at the brink of breaking and now there were going to be other males fighting, snapping, snarling for the position of alpha. He didn’t want any part of the fight. He was just fine being Beta wolf, second in command below the alphas. He wanted to help make the decisions, hear the other wolves and care for them in depth. The Alpha could not put as much emphasis on it. Alpha was too much stress.

Lorcan sighed and walked over to the man and leaned against the rail beside Lorcan. He turned his face to the moon and watched the stars. “Change is coming,” he said softly. He looked back at the wolf. “Belarmus… he died tonight. A rogue wolf attacked him. We felled the other wolf but it was too late for Belarmus. When the full moon rises, the alpha fights will be begin. A reunion has been called. You have to be there. I was sent to bring you back,” he explained to him.

“Daimon… I know you don’t’ want to be a part of the pack again. I know you want to stay among the humans though the reason is beyond me. I… if you cared for the pack at all, if we were ever friends, you would come to the gathering. You will be needed there. Leave the bitch to her own devices.”

Lorcan turned away again and looked out at the water and how it reflected the dancing moon. Briefly, his eyes took on their golden sheen until he blinked. He didn’t like this form. He wanted to go back to the forest. He needed to run. He needed to mourn. He didn’t want to see Daimon again. Especially with the damn human! His fists tightened, claws extending momentarily before they shrank back. “Please Daimon, just come to the forest. I should not have to hide to talk to you. You are my friend, regardless where the moon guides your steps.”

[Modesty]

Damian
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

The discomfort of his old friend around the woman was apparent. While the thought of her getting beneath his skin would have otherwise amused Damian, he was all too aware of the many dangers that such a thing possessed. If Lorcan lost his cool for even a moment the consequences could be dire- for them, for her, for the pack, for others of their kin. The reality of the situation was more than clear to him, as he was sure it was to the other. If Lorcan had ventured so close to civilization there was a serious meaning behind it and he wouldn’t be swayed. The best that Damain could do was to send the woman away, to stand his ground and to command attention in hopes of distracting his former brethren away from less than savory things.

It was than that the other moved, leaning against the railing beside him. That same spicy scent of soil and pine overlapped all others and reminded Damian of the home he had left behind. “Change is coming.” The Beta said, pointing out the obvious as he watched the lunar goddess in her blackened sky. Damian didn’t answer, it hadn’t been something he had meant to comment on. A mere breath and the male continued, the next words stopping all breath to come: “Belarmus… he died tonight.”

The next words he didn’t hear. A rushing of all his blood filled his ears. He willed his knees to stay strong and support his weight, and conceded to lean on the railing beside the blonde. Belarmus? Dead? He swallowed, quelling the howl of mourning that tried to escape his throat from deep inside his now wounded heart. The Alpha had raised him in Damian’s youth, in replace of the loss of his father. While he had turned from home, it was only from Belarmus’ love that he had (narrowly) escaped banishment. He cursed himself for not being there at the passing, and wondered if he had been alone. But now, the smell of blonde mixed with fur on Lorcan had let him know that his old friend had been there in the end. Silently, he thanked the moon. If not him, at least it had been Lorcan.

There was a brief window of actual silence as the Beta paused. Damian was quick to piece together the information that he had missed. They’re be the challenges when the moon swelled to her full form, they needed all present. It was the only time rogues, lone wolves without a pack, could join the ranks and contend. He was being summoned. While Damian had no want for the crown it was a formality, it was to honour the passing father of their kin.

Lorcan was speaking again. This time he was reasoning, pleading. Again the humour of a phrase was lost too the seriousness of the situation. There was something ironic about the comparison of Amber to a female dog, but even the irony couldn’t bring a smile to his lips. He could feel tensions rise, and with them his own. He too wanted to run, to shift, to howl and mourn. The stubborn side of him told him no, wondering if he could return to kin and leave again? The answer was lost to him.

There was a long silence while he weighed the choices. Despite all the doors ahead of them, all closed by one. He owed thanks and homage to the leader that had just passed. His head bowed, voice sullen and serious. “I will return, for Belarums.” But I won’t stay, he thought- the words didn’t need to be said.

With a sharp intake of breath, Damian lifted his head and looked towards Amber. She waved. He looked away, to the man he stood beside that he had once known so well. “I need to say goodbye. A sudden disappearance would draw attention.” The explanation was meant to lessen the pain, Lorcan had been through enough for the day.

[Fadded]

Lorcan wiped his nose, trying to wipe the stench of Belarmus’s blood away from his all too sensitive nose. It proved uneventful. It was stuck to his fur, not his skin. He couldn’t get to the fur without shifting and there was no way he was shifting right here in front of humans. That was death to his whole pack. He wouldn’t do anything to put his pack in danger. It was his life, his home, his past, present, and future. He may not ever want to be an alpha, but the pack was always his first priority. It would have been Damian, but it was clear the other wolf did not want him in the same way.

The wolf wondered if the moon had cursed him. He had always wanted to be close to Damian. When they were young, it was just the yearning of friendship. As they grew, he had realized he had wanted more. His heart ached for him. He was the only wolf he could picture beside him. He swore up and down that he was imprinted to the man. But he remembered the rejection. Their first heat, he had tried to court the other wolf shyly. He had been all but pushed aside and then a couple of years later… Damian had left him, the pack, their life, everything in live with the damned humans. It had broken their friendship and Lorcan lived with that broken bond by drowning everything he had into the pack. If he had energy to spare, attention to give, worry to share, it was the packs.

He had devoted his live to Belarmus and he had been loyal. Lorcan had followed every damn law, every code, every whim. He had hoped to forget Damian and that gnawing feeling he should have run after Damian. Belarmus had been good, pitying his loss of a friend and brought him closer in rank, made him think and advance his knowledge of the laws. The others looked up to him. He helped them with Belarmus’s guidance. Now that the wolf was dead, what was he supposed to do? What if an alpha was chosen that he could not serve? Would he be a sorry disappointment to the man who had saved him from despair?

At first, Lorcan didn’t even realize Damian spoke. He blinked a few times to gather his wits and wiped at the lonely tear that fell from his eyes. He glanced back at Damian and then the woman that waved like all was right in the world. He felt like it was a mocking gaze from the little minx. He shook his head and cleared his throat a little. He turned to face Damian and leaned against the railing backwards so he could turn his gaze up to the sky completely.

“Go say your goodbyes to the chew toy,” he huffed a little. What did this human female have that he did not? Well… besides the obvious. Damn biology. “Thank you, for coming back with me,” he said, even if it was solely for Belarmus’s memory. He shut his eyes. Just a little longer and he would be able to go back home and mourn properly.

[Modesty]

Damian
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

If Damian noticed tears or sighs he showed no sign. He had never been one of much emotion, and one of even less words. For all the words that were unspoken by his lips there were twice as many thoughts. Here, in civilization he was quieter still, and his head even louder. Aggression had calmed, carefully reigning in his actions. That calmness was one of the reasons he had left, as much as it was a result. How fitting it was that he would return to fight, return for death. But such thoughts were not for now.

Chewtoy? Sudden, and unexpected even to him, was the laughter that rippled through him and erupted from his throat. It was true laughter. He wasn’t sure why he found the nickname so humorous at that moment. Perhaps it was an outlet for tension, perhaps all the irony of the last few moments had melded. It was funny all the same. One thing was certain, for a split moment his eyes glowed a little brighter and his teeth were a little sharper. It was only with a deep breath that he managed to calm himself.

“I’ll find you in the trees.” He said, and nodded.

The dark man turned to head towards the woman with the icecream. Damian was shockingly somber by the time he met her. The farewell was short, he had never been one for long goodbyes. She questioned. She offered sympathy for his loss. She asked to come. And then she raged, when he said no. Midway between her tears and cursing, he bent to kiss her lips. He whispered farewell and left her there, silently dumbstruck. Finally, he thought. He wondered if she’d ever shut up.

When he reached the forest line he was already shaking. The pain had already started in his joints, threatening to betray him before it was time. Long ago he had mastered the beast inside him, but moments of strong emotione weakened the control. He felt humanity losing its grasp. Damian didn’t look for Lorcan, he could scarcely think. The change had a way of consuming. One brief lucid thought brought a sharpened smile to his lips; when Lorcan had said change was coming it had been a double entendre. He hadn’t caught it before, but how could he of?

Strong arms peeled the skin-tight shirt from his back, revealing the hardened body beyond the years of his face. He gasped, another pain ripping through his stomach and stealing his breath. Fingers with lengthened claws fumbled with the button on his jeans, but it was too late. The pants tore, bursting with swelling body. Sinews snapped, bones lengthened and skin prickled with fur. One last shudder ripped through him. What once was a man was now dark and large; a black wolf.

It was renewed sights, scents and sounds that met the lupine. Pine, always pine. With composting leaves, and needles, and soil. Worms beneath the soil. Ants on the trees. He could smell the sea, and the crabs within it. And that stench of humans near by that was so overwhelming he sneezed. He’d nearly forgotten how bad they smelled. He could hear heartbeats, breaths, wind and the weeping of Amber at the icecream shop far behind him. And then he could hear a howl as it ripped through him. It was for the pain he had just felt, the frustration of returning, and for the difficulties that lay ahead.

[Fadded]

Lorcan blinked at little at the man he called brother and friend when the man just started to laugh. He tilted his head to the side. What was he laughing at? Nothing in this situation was funny! Their alpha was dead! Their friend, their ally, their teacher was gone forever from this world! He started to growl when he realized what exactly Lorcan was laughing about. The name. Chewtoy. He smirked a little and relaxed again. Yes, it was a funny name but to him it was rather appropriate. She was Damian’s chew toy, just entertainment for a moment before it was thrown away. A human couldn’t mean anything else.

The white wolf nodded before he headed for the trees. Once there, he pulled off his clothes and stuffed them in his hiding place even as the change started to take place. He was used to the transformation. The man was welcome as the joints and bones popped and changed within his shivering skin. The fur was welcome, the fangs and all the scents were familiar and of course welcome to his nose. Well except for the human stench. He snarled a little before he sneezed and sat down panting, tongue lolling freely out of his mouth as he waited for his best friend. He pretended Damian didn’t kiss the human and pushed away the pain of seeing the man fawn over a bitch.

When Damian joined him, he watched as the man shifted. So beautiful. The wolf’s black fur was so shiny and soft. He could just imagine cleaning that fur with his tongue. He gave an involuntary shudder before he got up from where he had been sitting and joined the man. Lorcan lifted his head and howled beside Damian’s lonely note. In the distance, he could hear the pack answering the mourning call. His heart swelled. Ah, family. He loved them all so much.

‘Come,’ he commanded. As a Beta, he was the one in charge momentarily since they didn’t have an alpha to look to. ‘The pack will be waiting. I’ll let you go to our fallen friend and mourn. Then we have to leave and find a new den,’ he explained as he started to weave through the trees, roots, and plants.

[Modesty]

Damian
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

There was a resounding chorus to meet his mourning yowl. It was faint, but it was many. Even after so many months of isolation, the sound was rallying. It was a beacon to him in the dark of the forest, like a siren to ships. A shadowy part of his mind told him that answering, he would crash into cliff faces like those ships that responded to the fable siren song. He stamped his front foot, pacing a little on great paws, digging into the leafy cover of the forest floor. He was hesitant. The heart, the broken one that was pained at the loss of his uncle, drew him towards the sound of family. But his mind, and desire for freedom, held him back.

‘Come,’ All resolve diminished. Alpha’s word was law, binding him to do its will. It had taken all his strength, once, to disobey. Now was not the time for such feats. Damian briefly wondered if he would have that strength again. He wondered who would be crowned king of the silver-lighted world. Vision flickered, briefly, to Lorcan who was the top contender in the pack. It was often that Beta became Alpha after tragedy, but not certain. Young rose to be strong, or sometimes outsiders bested the pack, and new blood ruled. And rules were to be obeyed, no matter who reigned.

The laws were different in the realm of the wolf, beneath the moon. He quietly recited the laws: respect the elders, teach the young, co-operate with the pack. Play when you can, hunt when you must, rest in between. Share your affections, voice your feelings, leave your mark. The pack comes before all others. Loyalty or death. And never, never expose yourself to humans. But Damian hated sulking in the shadows like vermin when their people had once ruled as Gods.

The wind rippled through his ebon pelt as he darted through the trees, ever in sync with his white counterpart at his side. It had been some time since they had run together. Already old familiarities of the life long friend were leaking back into his bloodstream. Brothers, forever… once. Such loyalty had extended to all the back, but had been something more between them. While Damian had been problematic, at best, as a pup it had always been Lorcan that had cooled his temper, or saved him from a lashing. Aureate orbs closed, allowing his other senses to guide him.

It wasn’t long before the smells began to change. The pack was nearing. Their urine marked the boarders of the land they called home, home that would be no more. It wasn’t the first time they had moved, but it had been a long while. When goodbyes were made they would bind the body and burn it, and migrate. They would find a new home. Near a town, in a forest, where den and cabin could coexist in private depending on the preference of the pack member towards biped or quadruped form. He smelled death long before he saw the pack.

Damian stopped, begrudgingly lowering tail and ears to subservient position, though he refused to lower his head. Lorcan would go first, and then the pack would emerge, one by one. They would greet him. They would smell him. Some, at the stench of humanity, would growl. Some would growl for his abandonment. But some select few would rejoice at his return. Damian just needed to wait to see how it would play out.

[Fadded]

Lorcan loved the feeling of the dirt beneath his pads and claws as they dug deeper, throwing him forward with more speed. He loved how he ran beside his long lost friend and companion. They used to run together all the time, racing each other to the river, the pack grounds. He almost started laughing and howling, but he knew it was wrong. Now was not the time to rejoice in the midst of the mourning, so he kept silent, secretly enjoying running beside Damian. He let out a howl then to announce their arrival.

The pack itself was 10 members big including Lorcan and Damian and three pups. The pack was dying. The merge between their pack and their brothers of the north would save their pack from extinction. Lorcan greeted the members, each coming to him to nuzzle and lick him in greeting before they turned to Damian. They did as Damian predicted. Some snarled or growled, few came to rub against him in welcome. The children were more open to it and they flocked to their new brother and licked at him. Lorcan sat down and looked over the pack and made sure nothing happened.

Lorcan looked at the little pyre that had been created while he had been out looking for Damian. Even the body was already wrapped. He growled a little and walked over to Barca who was watching the pyre.

‘Barca, why have you already constructed the pyre and wrapped up the body?’ Lorcan asked, puffing his chest out a little.

‘Because it needed to be done. These are our ways,’ the black wolf growled, tensing a little.

‘You were to wait until we returned so we could all build it together. Damian hasn’t mourned over Belarmus. You were supposed to wait.’

‘You didn’t announce that, Alpha,' Barca mocked, baring his fangs and clicking them together in challenge.

Lorcan responded in kind, his hackles and tail rising. The two wolves started to circle each other, growling and pawing the ground, waiting for the other the move. A female gray wolf was quick to intercept the two wolves and gave them a luminescent glare.

‘Now is a time of mourning! Not fighting! Save your energies and fight when the moon full!’ she growled. ‘We should have waited but we did not. No reason to bark at something already done. We haven’t burned Belarmus. We waited. Hide your fangs! Both of you!’

The two males growled a little before they pulled away from each other. Lurcan snorted a little agitated as he walked over to Damian and sat down beside him. Barca was starting to get on his nerves. He had no doubt that Barca was trying to become the next alpha. He hoped that a brother of the north took the arrogant bastard down and made him submit. Lorcan had no intentions of becoming an alpha. He was perfectly fine staying the Beta.

‘You have time to mourn, Damian. When you are ready, we will burn him.’

[Modesty]

Damian
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

It was only when the pack emerged that the sheer size, or lack there of, hit him. They had been in steady decline, he knew, but there were so few. In his short twenty some-odd years of life they’d lost half their numbers. The guilt for leaving weighed heavy on his heart, just then, though he showed no sign. Rather, he was momentarily happy, nudging the youth as they rubbed down his length, nipping at him in urge to play. For all the many faults that Damian possessed he had always had a way with children. Perhaps it was his recklessness that they enjoyed, the fun.

The happiness was short lived, ending abruptly to the growls. His ears pressed flat against his skull, head lowered in active submission. He wouldn’t grovel, but he’d give them the respect they asked for. Such compliance, too, came to an end when the two males began to circle one another. His hackles rose, teeth barred and a low and vicious growl was let loose. Old habits died hard, it seemed. He had always been the first to come to Lorcan’s aid. They were always a pair, always inseparable. While a wolfs code stated he couldn’t intercept the fight, he had always been searching for a reason to fight Barca again. Someone needed to put him in his place, and Damian would be happy to do it. It was Sheila, the grey and oldest of them, that broke it up before blood could be untimely shed. Damian conceded, head lowered in apology to her, though posture stayed rigid as he watched the other black.

The next to address him was Lorcan. It was only then that his golden gaze swept to the pyre that he had been cautiously avoiding. The body that been wrapped, prepared for the burning. It, Belarums, had already shifted back to human form as their kind did when life no longer lived within them. Some of the back left, others stayed, standing back. Damian paced, uncomfortable, a low whine of sadness barely audible escaping him. Finally, he laid down beside the remnants of is deceased uncle and silently said his goodbyes.

An hour passed and it was time. Sheila had slipped off her fur and stood, unclad, at the pyre. She spoke a prayer of the moon, asking the Goddess to guide his soul to the stars above where he could watch over them, like all their ancestors that had passed. It was then she lit the tinder. The dry wood gave life to flame, burning quickly and enveloping the body. The smell was overwhelming. Damian was glad they wouldn’t stay. Along with his brethren he let loose a final howl to send of the soul of his kin.

Sheila had already made the arrangements of the move. She’d sold the property. The den had been cleansed. The pack belongings would be moved, in trucks, to their new location with Barca and the pups. But that was all he knew. After the burning Damian sought out Lorcan to gather more information. He lowered his head, showing respect for the acting Alpha. It felt a little odd.

'Brother.' He hadn’t meant to say it, but he had just slipped out. 'We have much to discuss. Please, fill me in. Where do we leave to? Have any rogues showed interest? I fear for the challenges. With the pack so few, any loss would be dire.'

While not often, the fights had been known to result in fatalities. It was the price for order, it was their way, as brutal as it may have seemed.

[Fadded]

Lorcan watched over the pack and offered them comfort when they asked of it from him. He kept his eye on Damian in case the man needed him. Barca also stayed on his radar. He had a bad feeling about that wolf. He wouldn’t put it past Barca to attack Damian. Barca never seemed to like Damian after all. Barca hadn’t even greeted Damian back into the pack when they returned though he had been eager enough for Lorcan to go find him and bring him back for this time of mourning. He had the sinking feeling that Barca was going to become their new Alpha.

When Damian was done mourning, he watched as Sheila lit up the pyre with their old Alpha resting peacefully upon it. Like the others, he howled the final mourning note. After this, the mourning would be kept to the heart and cried alone. He sighed a little and bowed his head in honor for the man he had respected and loved ever since he was a little pup getting into all sorts of trouble. The man had always been there. Now… now they were alone. Lorcan looked over at Damian when the man called to him. He gave him a nod and motioned with his head for the man to follow him. He was going to start leading some of the wolves on foot.

‘We are going to go deeper into the wounds, towards the mountains. We will meet with our brothers from the east there. They come from the other side of the mountain so they’ll arrive on the full moon. This arrangement had been made before Belarmus… passed on. Then when the next alpha is chosen, he and she will decide where our new den will be placed. Till then, the bottom of the mountain will be our temporary den. We’ve scouted the area already. It is safe there.

‘In regards to rogues… that is yet to be seen. I’ve seen some roaming around but that might be cause the full moon is coming. They might have sensed that our alpha was growing weaker. Today was the first time a rogue interacted with us and attacked Belarmus. I have no doubt that more will come and try their luck or stay close until the moon rises so the fights may begin. I have no doubt Barca will try to coax me into a fight. I have no will for it,’ he explained.

[Modesty]

Damian
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

It was with unpracticed ease that Damian fell into stride beside the white wolf, obeying the silent command given to him in form of a nod. Shoulder to shoulder they walked, a light trot as the rest followed slowly. He paid no heed to the young ones as they raced in and out of the trees, playing games that Lorcan and he once played as children too. Eyes stayed on the path ahead, ears perked, body tense and alert. Their Alpha had just died to attack, it had set him on guard. These were dangerous times, as always, but now so more than ever. With forestry programs cutting down their running grounds, and civilization expanding faster than ever, it was getting harder and harder for their kind to hide. An integration into society was inevitable, but they shied away from it still. If they didn’t adapt they’d die. Damian knew this, but his people refused to admit it.

The knowledge of such things made it less of a surprise when Lorcan announced their direction. East. Retreating. Or that was how it felt to the full grown male as he padded silently further away from the town he had been living in for the past few months. Despite darkening thoughts, he listened on.

‘Meet? A merger?’ He asked, surprised. On second thought it made sense. With so few of them left they needed new blood in their ranks. They needed new mates to whelp pups, and more bodies to protect them. There was safety in numbers. But a combination of two packs was tricky. The laws, thought generally the same, differed from family to family. Some were more lenient, some were more aggressive, some were more… wild. For some it would be difficult adapting to strangers. But change was coming, like it or not.

He remained quiet while his old friend continued to talk. At the name Barca he felt his lips pull back in a half-snarl. He had no love for the man. It was the last sentence that caught his attention though, causing him to turn his head to look at the wolf beside him. ‘You don’t intend to fight to Alpha?’ He asked, incredulously. ‘If Barca gains title the pack won’t survive. He will rule with an iron fist. Bark and bite is fine, but it takes more to lead. You will just stand back and let him take it? Or just hope the Eastern pack has someone more fitting?’

There was a sour taste in his mouth, but he swallowed. It wasn’t his home anymore, he didn’t have a say. Anger was not his to feel. Time changed, and so did people. Damian didn’t remember Lorcan to be so timid or reserved. Perhaps he didn’t remember quite so much. Perhaps his own aggressions and recklessness had overshadowed a more docile friend. The last seemed the most likely.

[Fadded]

Lorcan growled a little at his old friend. The man just assumed he wanted Barca to win? He didn’t. He knew the danger that came with Barca as the alpha, but he was Beta. Beta offered advice and helped steer the pack in a better direction. Beta held the pack together and a family unit. Yes, Alphas made the final decision but Lorcan was no fool. He knew that he did not truly know best when it came down to the point. He made many bad decisions. He didn’t want to lead his family and friends into disaster!

‘I know the dangers. I never wanted to be Alpha, Damian. I served Belarmus loyally and faithfully. That is all I am, a Beta. I do not think I would be a good leader for our people. I can advise and say what I think is right but when it comes down to the decision making, I frankly suck at it,’ he grumbled quietly. ‘Barca is tough, but maybe this pack needs a bit of a strict order,’ he answered, clearly defensive about his position. ‘And if I won and became Alpha, what then? Barca would probably be Beta. He will always bark and bite at my heels and then eventually, he’ll win and take the lead.’

Lorcan sighed and glanced back at the pack. ‘I like being a family. I like being close and being the one the others come to when they need something. Yes they can go to the alpha but… I don’t know, it just feels more personal, more heartwarming when you are talking to someone who doesn’t hold sway over you. I don’t want that kind of power over people.’ Frankly, he didn’t believe he was suitable for the job.

‘What about you? Will you fight for Alpha? You would be a good leader. You know when to be strong, when to be gentle. We were a good team when we were younger. Albeit, then we were quite the rowdy pups, but we’ve grown now. I would like being a team again. We would be a good match. Your ideas about humans are different from mine. I… I am more like the wolf. You know more about humans. We would match well and share information for a new look at things,’ he hinted. ‘You are a strong wolf. I remember you beating me quite a few times when we’ve fought.’

[Modesty]

Damian
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

The reply came quick. It was a low grumble, defensive and denying. Damian turned his gaze back to the forest before them, still following the direction they had started out. Quiet, as always, he listened and swallowed back his anger. There were many words he could reply with and coward topped the list, but with Belarums so newly burned he didn’t want to start any quarrels. Beta new best, the saying went, though Damian wasn’t quite sure. For someone that spoke so fondly of the pack he sure was quick to throw them to the wolves. He resisted the urge to smile at the turn of phrase, the night was full of all sorts of irony. Any amusement did not show as he replied, dismissive; ‘I will leave the advice to you then.’

The next words threw him for a loop. He nearly laughed. It was only with practiced detachment that he respectively held his cool. Him? Alpha? The black sheep (in wolf’s clothing) of the family? He, the one that had barely escaped banishment and then only because his blood-kin was alpha. He, the one that had nearly exposed the pack… twice. He, the one so marred with scars from past fights that he looked as if he had been beaten and tortured in his youth. Rowdy didn’t cover the half of it. Damian was as lawless as they could come without being exiled. It had only been his strength and speed that kept him alive in many of the dangerous situations he had found himself in. Clever? Sure. But reckless. Had he grown up in human society they would have imprisoned him long ago.

Thoughts shifted momentarily, contemplating the idea of it. If ever he was to return to the pack, now was the time. It was one of the only times when outsiders, rogues and other packs could enter one that was already formed. If he was to return from his self-expatriation this was prime opportunity. Some, like Barca, wouldn’t accept him as leader. But there would always be someone that opposed. Damian shook his head, shaking away such thoughts. He had left before with reason and his reasons hadn’t changed. He was sick of hiding in shadows, sneaking between the trees and sleeping on dirt. He craved a bed, companionship and excitement. The human world offered it all to him.

‘This place is not home anymore.’ The reply was quiet, low. He didn’t continue, knowing how much it would hurt his friend. ‘I am not welcomed here anymore.’

The white was speaking again as the pair travelled down the path. What a pair they made, indeed. Polar opposites; white and black, light and dark, salt and pepper. Wolf and human? He growled, instantly taking offense. The next words were forceful, angry. ‘I am as much wolf as you. Speak to me like that again and you will see just how much fur and fang I am. I just haven’t forgotten that we are more than just dogs. I’m not afraid of walking in the light. Why should they get freedom and us fear?’

It was an old argument he had that always fell on deaf ears. Damian’s temper had always caused him to lose sight of the bigger picture, and even some of the small pieces within it. If Lorcan had hinted at anything he hadn’t caught wind. He was too busy defending himself, preaching his believes and outcasting himself from his brethren.

[Fadded]

Lorcan snorted at the man’s comment. Leave the advice to him? He knew Damian was mocking him. It was obvious the way he said it. His tail puffed up a bit and he walked just a bit taller. Was he being silly? Yes, most likely. Damian just always seemed to rile his fur up and made him puff. He even kicked one of his back legs in a ‘matter is closed’ gesture he used to do all the time when they were younger and they either tied or he was too stubborn to realize he had lost the argument. If he won, he’d be prancing around like a goof ball. Some things just didn’t change.

At his home comment, he frowned and looked back at him. ‘What do you mean this isn’t your home anymore? You are welcome. You are always welcome here. You may have left, but you are here now. You are here when it matters. You are still my friend, my brother,’ he called to him. ‘The others accepted you coming back. You weren’t sent away. They asked me to bring you back. Stop excluding yourself from your family. Even if you leave… home… family… it stays with you,’ he explained.

Blinking, Lorcan looked back at the wolf when he started growling his human comment. ‘What are you talking about? I didn’t call you human. I know you are a wolf,’ he answered. ‘All I meant was that I cannot live outside the forest. The forest and this form… it is everything for me. I rarely take my human form and just walking out to the beach to find you, I was so tense. All I wanted to do was run. You… you braved going there and living there by yourself. You have seen what it is like to be human. That is all I meant, Damian. I would never dream of calling you human. And we are not dogs! You’ve seen the humans! There are many of them, few of us! If we fought to make our stand, we would be wiped out!’ he growled.

He would have said something else, but he sensed something on the wind. He froze and brought his head up, his ears perking forward as he listened. The others, seeing him stop and tense, also and started to sniff and look around for danger. What was Lorcan sensing? It wasn’t long before a foreign wolf’s scent. Lorcan’s hair bristled as he crouched low, waiting.

Lorcan’s ears twitched when he heard a rustling of leaves to his side. He didn’t turn fast enough. A tan male wolf jumped from between the trees and pounded Lorcan into the ground. The two wolves rolled, snarling and snapping at each other. Growls escalated in volume as the two fought. The tan wolf tried to find purchase for his fangs in Lorcan’s throat but Lorcan kept him away, his claws digging into the fur and kicking, scratching at the other wolf’s under belly. The tan wolf yelped and jumped back. Lorcan got to his feet and the two started to circle each other.

‘What do you want?’ Lorcan snarled.

The other wolf’s answer was another lunge. Lorcan dodged and bit down on the other wolf’s back paw, snapping it. The tan wolf yowled and limped back a little. The younger wolf just continued to snarl. He attacked again and Lorcan kept slamming him down, biting, scratching until the young thing stopped moving out of exhaustion. The tan wolf shifted into a young teenagers, bleeding marks all over his skin and throat from Lorcan’s fangs. Lorcan pushed the young wolf on the ground and didn’t allow him to get up.

‘What do you want? Why is a pup like you attacking us?’

“You killed my father!” the boy snarled. “You toyed with him and shook him and snapped his neck!” the boy howled. He tried to get Lorcan off of him but the boy was no match for a grown wolf and he was tired.

[Modesty]

Damian
• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

The man of few words had become the wolf of even fewer. If Damian was listening, he showed now sign. He had grown quiet beside the chiding white wolf, head down in a sulking manner. His ears were perked, turned back in a way that showed either annoyance or discomfort. While had many retorts to all the valid, or invalid depending what side you were on, points he didn’t voice them, but rather kept his thoughts to himself. It didn’t help that Lorcan had completely missed his point.

Despite their opinions on some very important things differing, they still seemed to be in sync. As Lorcan froze, so did Damian. Head rose, nose to the wind and sniffing. At the same time, Damian tensed as well- though he didn’t crouch, he still his ground. Hackles rose, ears forward, waiting and watching. As the tan teen burst from leaves, Damian could do nothing but watch. The two tumbled, teeth tearing at fur with aggression. Towards the end of the tumbling, white wolf stood atop the younger, questioning motives. And then it became clear. He must have been the sun of the rogue that killed Belarums.

“Your father killed my uncle. Your father killed our Alpha. His punishment was death. You will be lucky if you escape the same fate for attacking Beta.” He growled, responding to the young one.

But the child’s words hadn’t escaped him. Toyed? It was a harsh word that he couldn’t particularly apply to his old friend. But how well did he know him anymore? Had grief driven him, blinded him until he saw red? It was Damian that was the careless, reckless one and even he wouldn’t have ‘toyed’ with someone before killing them. That was on Barca’s level. He waited to heard Lorcan’s reply.

In the brief moment of silence before the discussion continued he wondered how Lorcan would punish the youth. From the look of the wounds, and the loss of his father, Damian felt he had been punished enough. The problem was that emotional wrought rogues possessed the danger of exposing their kind. That, or he would continue to attack and threaten the safety of the pack. It was a dilemma to be sure.

[Fadded]

Lorcan snarled at the young pup and pressed him harder into the ground. The little thing squirmed beneath him and tried to get free to no avail. Lorcan was the stronger wolf here. He gave a bark, the young boy stopped moving and looked up at him scared out of his mind, but trying to put up a brave face. For a moment, Lorcan stopped. He reminded him so much of Damian. When they were younger, they to had been reckless in their passion and did things they would regret. This was just a little boy. Lorcan couldn't kill him. The big wolf sighed and loosened up his grip a little.

"You are a wolf. The law states that death shall meet a stranger wolf if they attack another pack. It was our right to kill him. He killed our alpha. Shall we ignore the rules and let people do whatever they will? Then there is no justice. I will offer you mercy, something your father didn't give our alpha. Now you have a choice to make, pup," he growled. "By the foolish act you just committed, I can only assume that your pack is dead or you are an outcast. I will give you the opportunity to earn your place in our ranks if you stop these foolish out bursts, or you can go back the way you came and hope the Mother has mercy on you while you walk the path of a lone wolf. If you want to once again indulge into foolishness and attack me, you will not receive mercy a second time."

The young wolf looked up at Lorcan with turmoil in his eyes. He didn't know what to do. All he knew was the pain in his chest. He didn't want to serve the wolf that had killed his father, but what other choice did he have? He was injured and alone. The young thing tucked beneath Lorcan and managed to lick the white muzzle in apology and fealty. Lorcan snorted a little before he licked the boy's cheek.

Barca growled at the decision. He would have killed the boy. The young wolf couldn't be trusted! He already tried to hurt them, not to mention his father killed their alpha. When they started to move again, Barca hurried over to Lorcan.

"Why did you spare the boy? He could be a danger to us in the long run," he growled.

Lorcan glared at him and bared his fangs. "I follow the code. He may have attacked but he is just a young wolf. I will not murder a pup. We need more wolves in our pack. That is the whole purpose of the merger. Another pup will be a blessing later. He is angry now but over time, his heart will calm."

"What if it doesn't calm? Just leave him here."

Lorcan snarled. He wasn't in the mood for more defiance tonight. "The moon will desert us if we abandon a child," he snapped before he continued to walk. The young boy walked surprisingly close to Lorcan and Dorian's heels.

"What is your name, boy?" Lorcan asked.

"Gerro," the young thing murmured.

"Keep your eyes open, Gerro," he warned. He didn't quite trust Barca to keep his fangs to himself.