Skinwalkers Chapter 1, a sailor moon fanfic

Note:
I am going to be using the North American names for the characters, as the story will take place in North America. Sailormoon characters included in this story are Serena and Darien (these two are the romantic focus, of course), the Inner Senshi--Raye, Lita, Amy, and Mina--and the Generals.

The names that I chose for the Generals are:
Jadeite - Jason
Nephrite - Nicholas
Zoisite - Zachary
Kunzite - Kaden

Now, on with the story.

Skinwalkers: Chapter 1
Charlyne

Another feral on the loose. Darien swore softly to himself and looked out the window. His office was on the fortieth floor and the twinkling lights of the city were spread out before him. A knock on the door heralded the arrival of Darien's beta, Kaden. They would have to go out hunting tonight. Clenching his hand tightly, Darien battled the urge to slam his fist into the wall. He was tired of hunting his own kind, no matter how crucial it was. But, as alpha, it was his job to hunt and destroy those in his pack who went feral. It was every alpha's duty to ensure that their pack remained hidden. If the humans found out about their existence, not only the lycans would suffer persecution, but all skinwalkers would be in danger as well.

They had known that Connor was getting close. He had been spending all of his time in his wolf form, letting his mind become dominated by that of the wolf. All skinwalkers had to balance their animal and human sides and if they spent all of their time in their animal form they would eventually have their human mind overtaken, causing them to go feral. A skinwalker who refused the change for too long would find that it forcibly overtook them and they would have no control over their animal side, also causing them to go feral. Unlike the true wolf, who rarely attacked humans, feral lycans actively sought humans as their prey.

If they left the office now, they could probably head Conner off before he hurt anyone. The village that the pack lived in was a little over an hour drive from the city, but, as a lycan, their talents included incredible speed which would allow Connor to travel the distance in nearly half the time.

"Did anyone follow him from the village?" Darien asked.

Kaden nodded. "Yes, Jason and Nicholas both went after him. Zachary is still working in his office."

"If Jason and Nick can catch up with him, they may stop him before he makes it to the city. Hopefully, Connor won't take any side trips and devour one of the neighbors."

Kaden's lips quirked up marginally before his face regained its aloof mask. "Jason and Nicholas are good hunters." But not the best. The last was unsaid, but they both knew it to be true. As alpha and beta, Darien and Kaden were the most skilled hunters in the pack.

"Go drag Zack away from his computer and meet me at the back door, then we can lock up the office and leave. If Connor makes it to the city, us three will be here to help track him down."

With a curt nod, Kaden turned and left the room. The large office building was all but deserted, all of the employees that were not pack members had already gone home. The lights in the hallways were dim, but Kaden had no trouble seeing in the dark. Most of the pack who worked at Elysian Entertainment stayed late. The company was their livelihood and each member of the pack had a stake in its success. Taking the elevator down from the fortieth floor where the executive offices were, Kaden descended to the thirty-second floor and turned toward the finance department.

As CFO of the growing company, Zachary had one of the most important jobs. He had to make sure they didn't go over budget with their projects and keep the company bringing in a profit. Engrossed in the financial program on the computer screen, Zachary didn't even glance up at Kaden when he entered the room. Growling softly, Kaden let the other man know that he did not appreciate the disrespect. Zack immediately looked at the beta, then dropped his gaze.

"We have to go out hunting tonight. Connor went feral," Kaden said.

Zack cursed softly, then saved his data and shut down the computer. He was probably one of the weakest hunters, but knew that Darien liked for him to come along for other reasons. He had a mind for strategy and tactics and knew his intelligence helped in the hunt just as much as the brute strength of the others did.

The three men met on the ground floor of the building, then walked out together after setting the security codes. The night was clear, but the scent of the air was rank with pollutants. They hated the city, as the smells, sounds, and lights were an assault on their highly developed senses. Ferals were drawn to the city because of the overabundance of human prey, but the city gave a wolf very few places to hide. Hunting was difficult in the city, but if a human did happen to see one of the wolves, they usually thought they had just seen a large dog.

Walking across the parking lot, Darien, Kaden, and Zachary entered the stand of trees on the far side of their property. The scent of humans was absent, telling the men that they could change and not be seen. Stripping off his clothing, Darien looked over at his pack mates and nodded. He felt the wolf crawl beneath his skin, the other being that he shared his soul with aching for freedom. Letting the change overtake him, he felt his bones crack and reshape, his muscles reform, his jaw ached slightly as a snout protruded and a faint itching sensation told him that fur had erupted over his body. Now on all fours, he looked over at the other two wolves standing at his side. Kaden's fur was pure white, the exact opposite of Darien's jet black. Zack still stood in his human form. It would be his job to follow them in the car so they would have clothes when they changed back.

They couldn't use their human voices as wolves, but as animals they had a psychic link to each other. They had tried to use this link in human form, but it seemed to only work after the change. Darien sought out the mental path for the two wolves following Connor. Where are you? Have you intercepted Connor?

Nicholas answered. No, we lost him just before entering the city. His voice was brusque, angry. We'll be at Elysian soon.

A low growl voiced Darien's displeasure. He updated the other two to the situation while waiting for Nick and Jason. The sound of soft footsteps padding through the woods announced the arrival of the other two wolves. A tawny wolf stepped out the the dense shadows followed by a brown wolf. Both wolves approached Darien with their ears laid back and bodies low to the ground to show their submission.

Let's go, he told them. As one, the four wolves took off through the woods while Zach retreated to the vehicle. Keeping to the shadows, they followed the scent of humans. The strongest concentration of them would lure the feral wolf, but any human he came across was in the greatest danger.

They caught Connor's scent as they passed a medical complex. The smell of disease and death mingled with that of new life. Although there was a great deal of humans in the area, most were ill. Even a feral wolf wouldn't attack an ill human, the healthy ones were just as easy to catch.

The four wolves fanned out, searching the complex. Connor's scent was strong, they knew he was either still in the area or had just passed through. Darien's gut was telling him that Connor was here. They had to find Connor before he attacked someone.

A scream rent the silence of the night. Darien felt his heart stop for a moment, then start pounding. They were too late.

Around the back, Darien snapped, running toward the back end of the complex. The parking lot was nearly empty of cars, the building that extended off the back of the main hospital was dark with only a few lights burning inside. Another scream ripped through the night and Darien could hear the tearing of flesh. Hurry!

Rounding the corner of the building, all four wolves raced toward the smell of blood. A bloody, crumpled heap lay completely still under the body of a wolf. The wolf snarled at his approaching pack mates, his hackles raised. Without slowing, Darien attacked, going for the other wolf's throat. Teeth gripped fur and flesh, but were shaken off. Darien again attacked, his powerful jaws easily snapping the other wolf's front leg. Going in for the kill, Darien's teeth closed down on Connor's neck. It was over quickly. Darien couldn't help but feel pity for his former pack mate. Connor had never been a fighter and had retreated to his wolf form to escape the loss of his mate.

Darien quickly scouted the area to make sure there were no other humans around. They had to change back to human form, but they would be naked and the last thing they needed was for someone to call the cops on them for indecent exposure. A black car rolled into the parking lot and Zack jumped out.

Take care of the bodies, Darien told the three wolves. He felt his body shift as the change once again overtook him. He pulled on the clothes Zack handed him and looked sadly down at the dead wolf, then ran his fingers through his hair in agitation.

"Darien, she's still alive."

Darien's head jerked around and he stared at Zack, disbelieving. "How serious are her injuries?" He hurried over to where the blond-haired man bent over the small, mangled human. Blood pooled around her body, saturating the air with its sickly-sweet smell. Another scent, faint but unmistakable, found its way to Darien's nose. Frowning, Darien inhaled deeply, then took a step closer to the human. It didn't seem possible.

"She needs medical attention now, or she may die," Zack responded.

Darien growled, unable to prevent the primitive sound. "She will not die."

Four shocked pairs of eyes stared at him.

"Get your hands off of her, Zack. Now!"

Zack quickly backed away from the prone girl. Nick, Kaden, and Jason all watched Darien with looks of astonishment.

"Get her to the car!" Darien snarled over his shoulder. Even though they were right next to a hospital, they couldn't take her there. The savage wounds could be explained as a dog attack, but the abnormalities that were already beginning to replicate in her bloodstream would be much more difficult to explain away. If she lived through this, she would be one of them.

Darien looked up at Zack, dark blue eyes at once angry and haunted. "She must not die. She is my mate."

Author's Note:
Well, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my story. Please let me know what you think. Sorry for any typos or if something doesn't make sense, just let me know and I'll fix it. I'll explain more about Serena's scent and how Darien knew she was his mate later.

07/08/2004
Edited 11/21/2005