Thrown To The Wolves

Ch. 1: Of Farewells and New Beginnings

Young: So this is an idea I've been tossing around for a while. Had one of my friends read this before I posted it, and they said they liked it, so I hope that you do as well. :3
Lloyd: We meet again, Young One.
Me: Yeah...I'm capturing you once again to muse with me for another story. Hope you don't mind.
Lloyd: Whatevs. So the usual?
Me: Yup yup!
Lloyd: Alrighty then. Young doesn't own ToS or Namco.
Me: Also, please ignore my terrible excuse for Dirk's accent. I tried...xD If you want, you can give me some pointers in your reviews :D Enjoy!

An agonized scream echoed throughout the forest; the sound of pure pain and torture. It continued on for what seemed like hours, but then, suddenly, it stopped. Shortly after, a shrill cry sounded. Not but a few seconds later, a crash rang out, and the wailing ceased. Glowing eyes turned towards the noise. A furry head cocked itself in curiosity. The wolf separated itself from the pack and stepped forth into the night. Its nose twitched as the sharp, iron scent of blood flooded its senses. Becoming even more intrigued, the animal pushed through the bushes, only to come across what looked like a human. Its head tilted, and it stepped forward, only to pause when the child cried out and pushed itself closer to the woman behind it.

"N-no...please go away wolfy..." The three year-old human whined in a high-pitched voice.

The wolf lowered itself closer to the ground, tail drooping slightly. It sat there for a moment, staring at the boy curiously. The child stared back, wondering if this was the moment he was going to die. But he wouldn't let anyone touch his mommy! His daddy would come find him, and then...and then...then they would be safe. And they would run away like they always did. The bushes rustled, and the wolf turned its head, ears pricked, listening. The scent of its fellow pack-mates caused it to lower itself to the ground once more.

The one at the front, apparently the alpha, gave a short, questioning growl. In response, the wolf who had been with the human turned its gaze towards the boy. Said child whimpered and pressed himself closer to his mother, almost looking like he was going ot try and hide himself in the woman's bloodied dress. His eyes betrayed him though, for they held a strong will and determination. The alpha growled, and moved towards the boy, standing straight, showing that he was the dominant one. When he recieved only but another quiet noise from the human, he glanced towards the others, twitched its tail, and then moved towards the back of the pack. One by one, the others followed, leaving only the one who had originally been there. Said wolf stepped forwards and stared the boy in the eye, before leaning its head down and nuzzling his cheek.

"W-what...?" Was his only response.

The wolf let out something that sounded similar to a sigh, before nudging the child to his feet using its head. The brown haired boy turned his gaze curiously towards the wolf, wondering what it was trying to do. Did the animal want him to follow it? But...his mother. He looked towards her, and knelt, and stared at her for a moment. She appeared to be sleeping, hair quite literally everywhere, including her face. Pushing some of the hair from her face, he pressed against her with his hand in an attempt to wake her up. But it didn't seem to work.

"Mommy?" He murmured.

The wolf next to him whined, and pressed its head against the womans side. Still, she remained unmoving.

Tears leaked from the childs eyes, but he looked towards wolf. Said animal returned his gaze, and then motioned with its head to the waiting pack at the edge of the clearing. The child seemed to understand, and got to its feet. Turning around, he looked back at his mother for just another moment, saying his goodbyes. His father had told him about how sometimes, when people fell asleep, they wouldn't wake up. So this must have been what happened to the woman. He unclasped the locket that was around her neck and placed it on his own, before turning to the wolf and nodding.

"Lets go."

xXxXx

A man pushed his way into the trees, frantically searching. Every few seconds he would call out, "Lloyd? Anna?" But to his dismay, he did not recieve a response. It took an hour for him to come across the body of his wife. Next to it sat the animal that had been with him over his entire life. The animal he'd watched grow. Even that did not bring a smile to his face. Frowning, he looked around the clearing, but he did not see any other signs of life. The only traces that something had been there were a few paw tracks that could have come from the animal in front of him.

"Noishe? Have you seen Lloyd?"

The strange looking creature responded with a whine.

"Dammit...I shouldn't have...I..." The man murmured, kneeling beside the cold body of his wife.

"Excuse me." A gruff voice spoke from behind him.

The man turned his gaze towards the speaker, and narrowed his eyes, "Yes?"

"I saw that woman lyin' there earlier, an' I figured least I could do was dig a grave for 'er." The man, or rather, the dwarf hefted the shovel up, showing that the tip was coated with a thick layer of dirt, "Did ye know 'er?" His question was innocent, but the fresh anguish that appeared on the strangers face was enough to say that he did in fact know this woman, and he had also probably been involved with her in some way, romantically or otherwise.

"...I did." The auburn haired man stood, "Could you show me where this...grave is?"

Recieving a nod, the shorter of the two turned and left the clearing. The remaining man knelt and lifted the body of his wife. With that, he followed after the dwarf. After a short period of walking, they arrived at another clearing. This one was considerably larger than the previous one, and it also contained a two story wooden house. Next to that was a small pond. To the left was a hole, most likely the grave that the dwarf had been talking about. The auburn haired man frowned, ignoring the painful memories that rose at the thought of burying his only remaining link to humanity.

"'ere it is. Its not much, but ah wanted to do at least somethin'." The dwarf gestured towards the hole.

"...thank you." The man murmured, "May I come and visit...?" He let the question trail off, not really knowing how to finish it.

"Any time ye wish."

Nodding, the auburn haired man laid the body in his arms down on the ground, brushing the hair from her face. The dwarf disappeared for a moment, only to come back carrying what looked like a stone casket. A short nod from the human showed that he understood what the other meant. He picked up the woman again and set her gently down inside what would be her eternal bed. At this point, he allowed one small tear to trickle down his cheek. The strange creature who had previously been silent let out a sorrowful whine and pressed its head into the mans shoulder.

"Anythin' in particular ye want on 'er stone?" The shorter male spoke up, gesturing towards the grave stone.

Much, much later. About an hour or so, the man stood at the edge of the clearing, saying his farewells to his oldest companion, and the dwarf who had been kind enough to bury his wife.

"I thank you again for all of your kindness. I...I will be back." With that, he turned and left.

xX13 Years LaterXx

Many years later, that same boy skulked through the forest, dressed in only a pair of torn pants that he'd stolen from the nearby village. It had been only for decency, though the others thought him odd for wearing such things. However, he wasn't exactly like them, for he was hairless everywhere but a few unspeakable places. His gaze narrowed, and he felt himself tense before he dashed out of the bushes, the deer he'd been tracking sprinting off. He chased it with ease, adrenaline rushing through his veins. He was only the distraction though. Further ahead, two wolves were waiting. Both some of his closest packmates. They had been merely pups when he'd first arrived, and so they'd grown up together, and learned together.

He howled in warning to the two ahead, and grinned ferally as they pounced on the unsuspecting animal. He made a noise, sounding much like that of a yip, and the two animals looked at him, almost forming a grin with their mouths. He approached and nuzzled the one on the left. It was a she-wolf who had been his closest friend since he'd first arrived. The other wolf took the time to make sure that the deer was dead before turning its yellow gaze towards the edge of the clearing. Said mammal barked loudly, signalling to the awaiting pack that they had brought down the animal.

A large wolf pushed its way through the bushes, causing the human to kneel and lower itself to the ground. The two wolves followed suit. The larger animal, the alpha, stared at them for a moment, meeting each of their gazes, before looking towards the dead deer. A glint of satisfaction appeared in its eyes, and it approached the trio. It bobbed its head, almost like a nod, and then moved to the deer. The boy watched as the alpha took his share of the meal, and then backed off, allowing the hunters to have their share before the rest of the pack.

It had taken him a few months before he'd actually gotten a hang of how the wolves communicated with one another. But after a while, he'd learned that certain gestures meant certain things, and certain noises also had various meanings. Not only that, but he had learned how to make each of those gestures and noises, that way he could communicate with them. In the process, he's forgotten about his ability of speech, but that wasn't important. He was content to live his life with his pack, his family. That's what they were, since he had no ties to the human world anymore.

After he was finished with his meal, he turned his gaze towards a stream that ran through the woods, signalling to the alpha that he was going to wash up. With that, he headed off towards the stream. The two wolves who had previously been with him stayed behind, attempting to start a play fight with one of the older males. He grinned at the thought, and then continued on his way to the river. Upon arriving, he knelt and began to wash his face of blood and other leftovers from the meal he'd just had. When he'd first been taken in, he used to have to cook all his food. But once, when times got rough, and there was another pack attempting to take over their territory, he'd been forced to eat it raw. After that, he'd built up something of a tolerance to the sickness it used to cause him. Now, he ate pretty much everything that way.

"What are ye doin' 'ere, boy?"

Immediately he jerked out of his thoughts and focused his gaze on the speaker, his wild hair falling into his eyes. He bared his teeth and growled darkly.

Surprised by the teens reaction, the man stepped back, "Ye shouldn't be in the woods alone. Where're yer parents?"

The brunette tilted his head in response, not understanding the mans words. He was saying...something. And the male thought he understood a few words. For one, parents. Those were...those were people that took care of him, right? So that would mean...he focused his gaze on the stranger before him and then turned his head towards the trees, gesturing to where the pack was located. He would have to go back there soon, and he hoped that this human didn't follow him.

The dwarf placed a hand on his hip and took in the boys appearance. His gestures probably meant that his parents were in the woods, but that was quite an odd place to be living. Perhaps he didn't quite understand what he was saying? That would explain a lot. By the look of things, it seemed as though the younger hadn't been out of the forest in a long time. There were small scrapes on his shoulders, probably from branches, and his fingernails and toenails were horrendously long. He also looked like he could use a good bath, or two. So maybe he'd been living out here for a long time? Not only that, but there was something familiar about his face.

Shrugging, the dwarf decided to try a different angle, "What's yer name, boy?"

One word popped into the brunette's head, but he couldn't quite remember how to use his vocal cords. Instead, a kind of grunt came out that sounded something similar to, "Lloyd."

"Did ye say Lloyd?" The man questioned. Receiving a nod, he motioned in the direction of his house, "Well, Lloyd, how 'bout we get ye cleaned up?" The child didn't seem to understand, so he instead pointed towards the building in the distance. Smoke rose out of the chimney, and the smell of freshly cooked food could just be barely scented. He nodded once, and then turned to leave. As he was doing so, he gestured for the boy to follow him. It was odd, to be speaking in such a manner, but the other obviously either didn't speak his language, or he didn't know how to understand words at all. That was a possibility, if he'd been living in the woods for a long time. Still, it was strange, why did the boy seem so familiar? He mentally shrugged, and decided to think on it later.

Glancing back, he was happy to see that the boy was following. Though it could have just been promising smell of food.

Not long after the two disappeared into the trees, three wolves left forest and stood by the stream.

They looked around, hackles raised, for they smelt the foreign scent of the dwarf, but to their dismay they did not find their brother. The unfamiliar smell was so overpowering that they could barely pick out the scent of their pack-mate. The alpha pushed his way through the bushes, his mate following closely behind. He growled, and then looked around questioningly. In response, the three wolves pushed themselves closer to the ground, and whined, their ears drawn back. In response, the dominant male turned his gaze towards the even sky, and let loose a sorrowful howl.

The others joined in, and the only sound that could be heard was the sad, despondent howling of the wolves.

Me: So...how was it? If you really liked it, you should tell me. In your review. See that button? The one below? Push it. Poke it. CLICK IT. xD But seriously, if you liked it than I will continue. If you don't...well, then this story was a fail.
Lloyd: So review. Or something. No flames, please, unless they're constructive.
Me: Bye bye!