Disclaimer: FFXV is not mine
The Wolf of Lucis
Regis worried for his son, he had ever since his birth. He'd been so small and then Aulea had died and he had been scared he would lose his son as well. There had been no signs in those first heartbreaking months of the infliction that would rule his life, perhaps because he had been so small and weak at birth?
He was six months old when terrified screams had rung out from his nurse, bringing Regis, Cor, and several of the Guard. Instead of his infant son, he found a small canine unlike any he had seen before. It had moved oddly, struggling to stand, whining in distress. When Regis had approached it had settled a little, going calm and limp when he had picked it up. He had held the pup all night and then watched as it twisted and cried out in pain as the sun rose, until he was left with a naked Noctis cradled in his arms, the babe falling asleep almost immediately.
Everyone present had been sworn to silence and somehow the secret had been kept. Regis stayed with his son every night until they had worked out that it only happened once a month on the night of the new moon. He'd searched the family records going back as far as they existed and could find nothing to explain what happened to his son, although he had managed to identify what he turned into, an extinct species of canine called a wolf, related to the modern dogs. How could his son turn into an animal that hadn't existed since the Founder King's time?
When Noctis was five and presented to the Crystal, he learnt of his sons prophesied fate.
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Clarus didn't know how to help his oldest friend. Noctis' condition was difficult enough to accept but to know…he hated the Prophecy, hated what knowing was doing to Regis. His own son was to be Noctis' Shield, meant to protect him from everything but that was one thing no one could protect the boy from.
Noctis would save them all from the Darkness, though Clarus doubted he would live to see it, not if Noctis was meant to be King when it happened. Very, very few Shields outlived their Kings.
He looked over as the door opened and a squealing Noctis toddled in ahead of his current Nanny who was desperately trying to catch the toddler who actually phased away from her. And he was already magically active, wonderful.
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Ignis had been introduced to his Prince when he was six and Noctis was four. He'd been eight when the King had explained why he spent a night a month with his son and had struggled to understand how that was possible. Even in a world of magic, that seemed fantastical.
Then Noctis had nearly died under the blade of the Marilith and Ignis saw the truth for himself as he watched over the younger boy. Noctis' comatose state did not stop the monthly transformation and Ignis had watched with wide eyes as the pale, still, boy on the bed was turned into a young canine, a wolf as the King called him. The young wolf had been whimpering and whining, unable to move his back legs at all, golden eyes partially open, and Ignis had reached out, gently stroking black fur, surprised when he calmed. The King had watched, smiling softly, obviously happy that Ignis had taken it so well and that Noctis had accepted his touch.
King Regis had later told him that Noctis would not let anyone near him in wolf form except for the King, the Marshal, and Lord Amicitia. That he had accepted Ignis when weak and in pain had been good. Ignis hadn't been scared, no matter the form, it was still his Prince, the boy he had looked after for four years.
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Cor watched his Prince and the future Oracle as she pushed his wheelchair through the fields of Sylleblossoms. Seeing him awake and growing stronger was an utter relief, he had thought for a while that they would lose him, especially when the injuries hadn't healed at all when he shifted to wolf form, although he had managed to open his eyes in that form.
Young Ignis' reaction to seeing Noctis like that had been a relief too. He had barely blinked according to Regis, reaching out to comfort him without hesitating. They had made a good choice in him to be Noctis' first Retinue member. He reminded Cor a lot of Weskham, so serious and refined even at such a young age. Leaving him in Insomnia had not been easy, the boy had almost snuck in.
"Look Cor!" Noctis called and he refocused on them, feeling a surge of relief as his Prince moved his foot. The Queen's healing was working! He nodded and Noctis grinned.
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Sylva leant over Prince Noctis' body, her hands glowing with the power of the Oracle as she poured healing energy into his back. No one doubted the attack had been arranged by the Empire, which explained how resistant his wounds were proving to even her powers. Finding hints of the Scourge had been expected since it was a Daemon attack and his own magic had been battling it already when he was brought to her.
He could not be allowed to succumb to the Starscourge or be left unable to walk. He was the Chosen King, the one who would save them from the Darkness, to do so he had to live to adulthood and be able to fight. She was confused by King Regis' explanation of what the Prince went through every month, she had never heard of anything like it. She knew it was not due to the Scourge, his infection was new, and his magic was fighting it. Was it something done to help him fulfil the Prophecy? She didn't see how but the Astrals granting him the form, was all she could think of.
He groaned, leg twitching as a nerve began regenerating under her magic. It was why she was doing it a bit at a time, to give him time to adjust and because it would weaken her too much.
"Easy Noct, breath," Regis murmured to his son who had his eyes clenched shut.
She finally drew her magic back and Noctis went limp, panting for air.
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Luna read to Noctis as he lay in bed, worn out from another healing session. The sun was setting but she kept reading even as blue eyes moved from staring out the window to look at her.
"You should leave," he whispered, and she looked up from the book, reaching out to clasp a warmer than usual hand. She had noticed that both Noctis and his Father had slightly cooler body temperatures than normal, so it was likely something to do with the Crystal and their magic. Now, Noctis was becoming too warm for a healthy non-magical person.
"I won't leave you alone," she told him, and he looked away, cheeks red. She reached out to cup his cheek, gently urging his head around to look at her. "There is nothing to be ashamed of Noctis. I am not afraid of you."
"I turn into an animal! I…why? Why me Luna? What if I hurt someone?"
"I have spoken with the Marshal about this. You have never hurt anyone so why are you worried you might?"
"I…I don't remember anything when I wake up. Dad showed me pictures. I'm a wild animal Luna."
"Shh," she soothed the scared boy before her. He seemed more scared of this than he was of the Scourge infection that was now all but gone from his body or even the possibility of never walking again. "The Marshal said your injuries remain, even if you were violent, I would not be in danger. I will be the next Oracle dear Noctis, I can defend myself. I promise I will be careful," she told him, holding eye contact, able to see the colour beginning to change.
He slumped back in the pillows, breathing heavily, but he nodded, eyes now almost fully gold. She squeezed his hand, feeling his nails lengthening, before letting go and leaning back in her chair. He whimpered softly, hands clutching at the bedding and then in the time it took her to blink, Noctis was gone and in his place was an animal similar to a dog. His fur was the same black as his hair and he was whimpering, trying to move, dragging his lower body.
"Shh Noctis," she whispered, slowly offering her hand, holding still as he sniffed her and then he was butting his head against her hand. She smiled and began petting him. She looked away as she sensed a familiar presence, watching Gentiana glide towards the bed.
The messenger rarely opened her eyes, but she did now, staring down at the young wolf on the bed. She was…shocked?
"Is this not the Astrals doing?" Luna asked, suddenly scared for him, and Gentiana shook her head. "Who could have done this to him? It isn't the Scourge." Of that she was sure.
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She stared down at the young animal that had taken the place of the Chosen King, watching Lunafreya gently pet it. She was correct, he was not a daemon, and this was beyond even the Accursed. Ifrit? His hatred for humans had not lessened any and she knew what the Accursed had done to her beloved. Why? What was the point to it? The animal he had become was not one that had lived since the time of the Founder King, perhaps even Solheim, which would seem to indicate Ifrit or one of the others.
The wolf whined and then licked Lunafreya's hand, making her smile and laugh softly. He tried to move closer, dragging his lower body. She reached out and rested a hand against softish fur, feeling the heat radiating from the broken body. She felt him tense slightly at her touch but Lunafreya scratched behind his ears and he went limp, utterly relaxed. Gentiana carefully lifted his body, placing him closer to the girl and ensuring he was more comfortable.
He had not attempted to bite or scratch either of them, he was very placid but was that due to his wounds? With her hand resting on his side, she reached out with her power, searching for what had caused the transformations. It felt…dark, this had not been done for his benefit, he had been cursed, but she could still not tell how, why, or who. And that worried her. If the Chosen King were compromised…
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Gladio watched as Noctis collapsed on the bench, breathing hard. Maybe he had pushed the kid a little harder than normal, but he'd be moving out of the Citadel next year. While the building would be secure, nothing could match the Citadel's security. Noctis had to be ready to defend himself from any threat.
He'd still be coming to the Citadel to train, for his Princely duties as needed, and at least one night a month. No one trusted the soundproofing of any other building enough to allow Noctis to remain elsewhere on those nights. He'd never seen it himself, though he knew his Dad and even Ignis had. He'd thought his Dad was pulling his leg, trying to trick him with a horror story or something, when he'd explained what happened to Noct once a month. It was only when the Marshal and Ignis had confirmed that he had been willing to believe. Those two would not work with his Dad to prank him like that.
He had to admit, he was curious, but no one would let him see. His Dad had point blank said no because of how he often treated Noctis. He pushed the kid, that was his job. Yeah, he'd been hurt, nearly died, but that wouldn't stop an assassin. They were art war and there was always the chance of him being caught alone by someone who wanted him dead. So he did what he had to, to get him to train, even if it pissed the Princess off…and yeah, maybe that wouldn't translate well to an animal.
Gladio sometimes wanted to ask him what it was like, but the kid never talked about it. It was understandable, who would want to talk about being a wild animal for a night a month? Ignis had told him that Noctis was never violent but he wasn't sure if he believed him on that. Pity he only changed one night a month, if he could control it then it'd be useful, especially if ever caught alone by an assassin.
Maybe…he needed to change how he dealt with Noct even when he was being a brat?
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Prompto tightened his grip on the strap to his bag, looking up at his brand new school. High School. Things would be different now, they would. Even if...even if he didn't make the one friend he really wanted to, maybe he'd still make at least one. He'd worked so hard to change from that unnoticed kid he'd been, to become a better person all round, so what if he still got anxious, he could do this, he could.
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Noctis was shocked when the blond almost tripped over to him before happily introducing himself. Then the wind shifted, and he caught his scent and had to swallow, hard. He nodded and shifted to the side slightly, letting the other teen fall into step with him, mind reeling. Why did he smell like…home, safety, welcome?
No one knew, but as he got older, his senses got sharper. It was like the separation between him and the wolf was fading away, leaving him with instincts that scared him and senses that could make living in a city hell. He may only change shape once a month, but the wolf never really left him. He was terrified that one day all he'd be was an animal in human shape.
His scent was…vaguely familiar…he'd smelt it before, always at school, at a distance. Except…oh, they had met before. He remembered what he'd said to him then, and now he felt guilty. He…Prompto, looked very different now, was that all because of one absent comment? And his scent hadn't been around as much after that. He'd obviously hurt his feelings and yet here he was, awkwardly trying to make friends.
Having a friend sounded nice but it also scared him. Could he keep his infliction from a friend? Surely he would be disgusted and scared of him if he ever found out. So…he just wouldn't find out, should be easy enough.
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By the end of the first week of high school, Ignis was shocked, hopeful, but also wary. It had taken him a few days to realise what was causing the change in Noctis but once he had, he had begun doing his job. He knew Noctis would hate that he was running security checks on the other teen, but he would do anything to keep his Prince safe.
He had actually seen Noctis smile! He could count the number of smiles he had seen from his Prince, especially since the attack, using only his fingers. Then in the last week, he'd seen him smile twice, both times because of Prompto Argentum. So far, he had found nothing that would indicate any risk, thankfully. The blond had been adopted, brought to Insomnia as a refugee when he was a toddler. It was highly unlikely the Empire was using toddlers as spies and assassins. Digging into the Argentum's though…well he did wonder why they had ever bothered adopting a child, they certainly didn't seem all that interested in raising him.
So far, all the security check had done was make him concerned over whether or not he should be informing someone official about the lack of adult supervision and care in young Prompto's life.
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Prompto slumped down on the bench, happy to soak up the sun for a while. He grinned when Noctis sat next to him, pulling out his lunch, ignoring the way his own stomach churned.
"Where's your lunch?" he asked as if he'd heard and Prom forced himself to shrug.
"Forgot it," he couldn't tell the truth, that he was running out of money for the month and couldn't afford three meals a day. To his shock, Noctis pushed half of his own lunch over. "Oh…no…"
"Eat Prompto," Noctis told him and he looked at him, all he could see was…concern? Noctis nudged it and he slowly took the food, forcing himself to eat slowly.
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"Specs?"
"Yes Noctis?" Ignis looked over at him.
"You did Prompto's security check?"
"Of course Highness, he passed otherwise he would have been transferred."
He grimaced at that; it wasn't fair that if there had been even a hint of something Prompto would have been the one moved. He knew the blond attending on a scholarship and while there were other schools just as good, the odds they'd take him and on scholarship if he was moved due to Noctis…well, he would have likely been stuck in whatever free local school there was. Prompto was too smart to lose the opportunities he would get from attending their school. Just because he was on scholarship didn't necessarily mean the family was poor, the school was crazy expensive, out of reach for a big portion of the people in Insomnia.
"Noctis?"
"Is…are they in financial trouble?" he asked and Ignis turned around, leaning against the counter.
"Highness, that information,"
"I know," he cut him off. "It's just…in the last three weeks, he's only had lunch five days and it's not because he's not hungry, I can hear his stomach."
"That explains the vegetables," Ignis offered and he shrugged slightly.
He hated vegetables and Prompto liked them so what was the problem? "I've sat through enough health lectures Iggy, missing that many meals isn't healthy, and he always has ridiculous excuses, though forgetting is the most common."
"I see," Ignis pushed his glasses up, and Noctis smelt what he equated with concern in his scent. "I will increase the size of your lunch then to compensate. Do try to eat at least some of the vegetables."
"They make me feel sick," he grumbled. No one believed him because testing came back negative on food allergies or anything like that, so they all thought he was being picky. All he could think of was that it was the wolf, canines did tend to be carnivores after all, but then why was bread and dairy okay? It wasn't a confirmation of Prompto's financial status but at least he'd be able to make sure the blond ate one good meal a day five days a week.
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Noctis smelt them before they got close, hitting the alarm on his phone even as he began herding Prompto towards the shopping centre, surely they wouldn't try anything in such a busy place?
"Noct?" Prompto whispered, blue eyes wide.
"Keep moving, helps on the way," he murmured, as amazed as always at how well Prom could pick up the slightest shift in his mood. He was human so how did he do it?
"What is it?"
"They're trying to box us in, we need to get into the centre where we can lose them in the crowd or hide till the Guard arrive. It'll be okay," he promised, he wouldn't let Prompto get hurt. He was a civilian and while he ran every day, he didn't know how to fight. If anything happened to him, it'd be his fault, he knew there was always the risk of assassination attempts and yet he still went around the city with Prompto without even Gladio to defend them.
"Noct!" Prompto yelped and Noctis yanked his arm, pulling him behind him, summoning his sword. People screamed as a man with a gun lifted it to fire and Noctis hurled the blade, seeing it slam into the mans chest. He heard Prompto gag behind him but then he was being yanked down by the blond, seeing a bullet hit the wall nearby. Then the Crownsguard descended on their attackers, several moving to surround the two teens protectively.
Not exactly the way he'd thought he'd take Prompto to the Citadel for a first visit. They spent three days in lockdown in his suite and Noctis was just glad the new moon wasn't for another week and a half.
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Gladio watched as Noctis hovered over the blond who had obviously been shocked by the attempt on their lives, realising he would have been collateral damage to the assassins. Poor kid. This was why he'd been reluctant about Noctis' friendship with him, well one of two main reasons, the other being the risk of Noct's secret coming out. Noctis had refused to see sense but maybe now he would? Or the blond would pull away because of the danger?
It wasn't like he wanted Noctis to be alone or to lose his first friend, but it was dangerous. If they stayed friends after this, then something would have to be done to make Argentum less of a liability. The kid apparently ran every morning before school, would it be all that hard to add in some weight training and then self-defence? Maybe when Noctis did his own training someone could work with the other teen.
TBC…
Only planned to be a 2 parter.