A/N: Hello new readers and old readers! This is my fifth work which is also a fic for all AthrunxCagalli fans (including me as well). Like my last fic (Silent Whispers), this fic also uses supernatural stuff, so things that usually don't occur in real life. Though, instead of having a ghost that follows you everywhere, this time it's about someone who has wolf DNA inserted into him ever since he was an infant and thus was used as an experimental subject against his will. But no longer will he stand for it! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story.

Wolf Rider

(AthrunxCagalli Fic)

Summary: Tired of being treated as an experiment, I fled as far as I could go. Being found wounded in a forest, a blond girl took me in and cared for me until I was back to my health. As I stayed with her, I grew close to her, but my secret still remained buried deep within me of fear that she would drive me away if she knew what I truly was.

Disclaimer: I don't own GS/GSD nor the characters.

Chapter 1: Athrun

I can't take this any longer! Those people think it is enjoyable to insert needles and wires into your body for what they call 'scientific research'. I am a living being, not a test subject! I thought furiously as I panted heavily from the last experiment they had put me through. I was neither human nor was I a wolf, but the blood that runs in me is a mixture of both. Ever since I was born, a needle was inserted into me with wolf DNA and thus ever since, I was held in this cell and was treated like an experiment. But this is the last time that I will see these white walls around me; I'm going to escape.

Everything was already planned out. These humans came three times a day at a precise time to feed us and when they come, which should be very soon, I would be able to break free and leave this filthy place. My emerald eyes shifted towards the white cell door, which bore an enormous crack. When I was younger, I tried numerous times to escape, but to only end in fail. As I grew older, my strength increased dramatically and was able to weaken my surroundings. For the past few months, I was tame, leading the scientists to believe that I had finally accepted the fact that I would be an experiment until the day I die, but little do they know is that I am now much confident that I could break down that cell door, which was the only object preventing my freedom.

My body became tense as with my sharp hearing, I heard the light tapping of footsteps approaching my door. I swallowed as the footsteps stopped in front of my door and the beeping of the lock being deactivated as the key card was slotted through. As soon as the cell door opened the smallest fraction, I charged at the opening, giving me the element of surprise.

The cell keeper yelled out in surprise as my form, which just became a wolf-like creature landed on him, knocking the breath out of him. The yell echoed down the hall, alerting others that there was something unusual going on and the voices told me that I didn't have much time to lose. I got off the fallen cell keeper and took off down the hall, passing many other cells. I heard my cellmates calling out to me, wanting to escape to freedom as well, but I kept going without stopping. Sorry guys... this time I will succeed in escaping, if that is the last thing I do. I thought apologetically as I raced down the cell hall. As I was about to turn the corner, with my enhanced senses, I saw other cell keepers yell out orders as they saw me arrive.

They were armed with tranquilizer guns that were meant to put special creatures like me to sleep with two or three shots, but I wasn't going to let myself be caught when I took the trouble to escape. Running as fast as I could, I leapt high into the air, dodging the first string of tranquilizer shots. Next, using my weight as a near-full-grown wolf, I was able to knock down one of the men in white outfits, making the others jump back. In a flash of a second I whipped my tail around knocking the rest down, unabling them for a moment before I took off once more.

Shots were being made behind me, but as I raced on, they slowly decreased. No mere human could match a four-legged beast such as I. Just before I thought there were no more men after me, someone sounded the alarm. The noise echoed loudly in my ears. Having enhanced hearing was useful at times, but for the rest of the time, it was also a nuisance. I paused in my escapade as I shook my head roughly, trying to get the noise out of my head. Even though I only stopped for a second, it seems that it was enough time for the humans to catch up. I was surrounded on both sides; front and back. I panted heavily as I took notice of my surroundings. I couldn't advance forwards nor could I retreat either. "Give it up #00530, there's no way out," the one who seemed in charge called out loudly.

I narrowed my eyes at him as possibilites of escaping crossed my mind in an instant. There was a very small chance that I would be able to get out of this situation without a few injuries. I decided to take that chance. Taking a few steps forward, I leapt into the air once more. But the only difference this time was that I changed back into my human form. I expertly slammed my heel down onto the heal of the one in charge and pushed the others out of my way. Before I was able to change back into my wolf form, one of the keepers shot his tranquilizer gun accurately, which just grased the side of my arm. I winced for a second before changing forms again.

By now, the other keepers were back on their feet and onto my trail. I ran for my life, dodging the bullets that wizzed past me. Even though the previous shot only grazed me slightly, I could feel the drug going deeper into my skin. Damn... don't fail now! You're almost there! I yelled inaudibly at myself as I turned another corner. There was only one keeper there, but they were also armed. This time, as my movements and reactions were slower, they got a direct hit with the tranquilizer gun. I felt the pain as the needle pierced my arm and the drug that also released.

My vision became slightly blurry and even though I shook my head to clear it, it was cleared temporarily. Seeing that I couldn't go out the regular way, I had to make my own exit. As the keeper was reloading the tranquilizer gun, I charged forcefully at the wall. Usually, if I was at full health, I would have been smash through that thin wall as easily as I had busted through my cell. The first resulted in a large crack in the wall. Finally, on my second charge at the wall, the wall gave in and crumbled. By then, the keeper was nearly done reloading as I ran for it.

I panted heavily as I made my way downhill. Since the laboratory was on a mountain, I was greeted by countless timber trees that blocked my path. My mind was fighting desperately to remain consious as I knew the drug was begining to take effect on me. But luckily, due to my immense size, the drug would take a longer time getting through than it would on smaller creatures. I felt extremely tired and felt the urge to stop and sleep, but I slammed my head into a tree, trying to remain awake. I cannot fall into the hands of those humans again because if I do, I will never see anything other than the whiteness of my cell. I thought.

I continued my escapade as I raced through the forest, trying to put as much distance as I could between myself and the lab. I didn't know how far I've gone, but by now, I knew that I was far enough from the laboratory and slowed my pace slightly. I trudged along slowly, catching my breath and observing my surroundings around me.

I had spent my whole life surrounded by the whiteness of my cell walls and noticing for the first time, I realised that the world was filled with color. The greeness of the trees that filled this forest, the brightness of the sun that shown down on me; it was truly beautiful. I gave a laugh of joy, since I was no longer captured by the humans and continued to race through the forest.

I needed to find a suitable place for me to lie down since I could still feel the effects of the drug slowly taking over me. Then as I moved, the soft breeze brushed past my slim figure, bring the scent of delicious fresh meat lingering nearby. I changed my direction and moved much faster. I had not eaten since this morning due to my escapade, so I was on an empty-stomach. I knew I was getting closer because as I moved, the aroma of fresh meat grew so strong that I could almost taste it in my mouth.

As I approached the clearing, I spotted the fresh meat lying on the ground and I ran for it. Then without warning, a steel metallic sound clasped tightly around my leg, digging in deep into my flesh. I let out a loud yelp of surprise and pain as I felt that I couldn't move my body. I looked downwards to see a steel trap with a set of jagged teeth clamped tightly around my leg. I shook my body furiously, trying to get free, but it was no use. Pain shot up my leg as I struggled, making me pant heavily. Damn! I can't believe I fell for such an obvious trap. I thought furiously. I was finally able to escape and now, I'll be caught by humans once more!

I studied the trap carefully, looking for any way to break free when I heard a soft rustle in the bushes. I became tense as I realised that I was a sitting duck for whoever or whatever that was coming towards me. The rustling of the bushes ceased as into the clearing stepped a young half-grown human girl. She was little much more than just a human child. Her blond hair glowed brightly as she moved forward towards me. I bared my teeth at her, warning her not to get close, but she ignored my warning. By now, she was a mere inches from my body as she reached out her arm slowly.

I growled loudly despite the pain I was in. She, like all the other humans will take me back and put me into captivity, destroying my hopes of freedom. The girl's hand paused for a moment as her amber eyes were looking straight into mine. "Look, wolf, do you want to stay here until the hunters come and skin you? Or do you want my help and let you go?" she said with a raised eyebrow.

My growls grew softer and softer as I began to comprehend that she wanted to help me. The girl smiled. "I thought so too," she said. "Now, don't move until I get this thing off you okay?"

My emerald eyes watched her every movement carefully as I saw her move one arm to one side of the trap and the other arm to the other side. There, I saw her forcefully press down on both buttons at the same time which caused the metal trap to spring open. Surprised, I gently lifted my back leg out of the trap and out of danger. The girl stood up and smiled with sastifaction written across her face. "See? Feels better to get that leg out of that trap huh?" she said as she took a few steps towards me.

I tensed my body as she bent down, eye-level with me. What is she doing? Was a question that I really wanted to ask. The girl reached into her pocket and took out a red bandana. Next she reached carefully over my injuried leg and tied it firmly, yet gently over the parts where the metal trap had dug into the flesh. "There! Don't remove it until your wounds recover, alright?" the girl said as she stood back up. "You should be more careful around these areas. The demand for wolves have been quite high these days, so I advise you to get out of this region as soon as possible," she added with a nod.

I blinked as I looked over the strange girl carefully. First she helps me and now she advises me to get out of here, huh? I thought with a hint of amusement. First human to not fear me.. I looked straight into her firey eyes for a moment before I turned around and walked away. As I moved farther and farther into the forest, I turned my head back towards the clearing to see that the strange blond girl was no longer there. My breathing was ragid as I knew that I couldn't stay awake for much longer. I have to find a place to shelter... the drug is taking its toll... I thought groggily as I knew that I would be out by any minute.

I came across a river, which was where I decided to stop. I sipped some fresh water, trying to remain awake, but it was no use. I'm so tired... a short nap won't hurt... would it? Those were my thoughts before a blanket of darkness covered me.

I was still in my world of darkness when I felt something warm fan against my face. I groaned as I raised my arm to block the heat from coming upon my cheek. I opened one eye sleepily. My vision was unfocused at first, but within a few moments, I realised that I was no longer in the forest. I sat up immediately. Where am I? I asked myself as I looked at my surroundings. I was sitting next to a warm fire that was held in a stone place. I was sitting on the large rug that laid down on a wooden floor. The walls around me were also wooden. "So, you're awake, I presume," said a familar voice.

My eyes focused onto a familar blond girl as she closed the door behind her and came towards me. I blinked as I recalled that this girl was the same girl from this afternoon. Panickly, I felt my torso and my head with my hands to realise that I was in my human form and not the wolf form that this girl had seen earlier. "W-what is this place?" I asked carefully, my voice was just above a whisper.

The girl smiled as she sat down next to me. I backed off slightly as I disliked the closeness between us. As I moved, I felt a pain shoot up my leg and winced. "I was coming home when I found you washed up next to my house, unconcious. As I came for a closer inspection, I saw that you had a large wound on your leg, so I hauled you back inside," she said with a small shrug. "I bandaged your leg, so you shouldn't be moving a lot,"

I looked at her strangely. This was the second time she saved my life. As I tried to recall what was happening before I lost conciousness, I remembered that I was drinking water. The closest possibility for me to having end up here was that I most likely fell into the water and then drifted downstream. I breathed heavily as I realised how slim the chances were that I would have survived in the water, since my limp body was most likely to have drown if I had not been washed up near the house. "I see.." I said as I moved my body into a better position with my hands.

"Your clothes were soaked so I removed your t-shirt and your jacket to be placed to dry," the girl added as she nodded to the clothes which laid down a few inches away from me in front of the fire. "How do you feel now? You've been sleeping heavily for the majority of the day,"

"Better than before, I guess," I said quietly.

"I'm rather curious... where are you from?" the girl asked as she brought her knees together.

I blinked as I thought of the laboratory, but I couldn't tell her that. "I don't know really.." I said as I looked into the blazing fire. "The place where I came from isn't a place fit for someone like me,"

The girl cocked her head to one side as she looked at me with a raised eyebrow. Even though it looked as if she wanted to press on the matter but then decided against it. "If you have no place to go, you can stay here with me in this house. I used to live here with my brother, but he was went overseas, so feel free to stay as long as you like," she said with a smile.

My emerald eyes shifted towards the girl. It was still too soon for me to trust a human after being in the laboratory for such a long time, but there was something different about this girl. She seemed quite kinder than the evil ones that enjoy torturing me. "What is your name?" I asked as my eyes met hers.

"Cagalli Yula Athha, but everyone just calls me Cagalli," the girl replied. "And you? What is yours?" she asked.

I lowered my eyes to the ground as I just realised that I had no real name. In the laboratory, I was referred to as '#00530', as a thing, an experiment that isn't worth of having a name. "I don't have one," I answered as I turned my face away from her.

The girl, Cagalli looked surprised with the nameless me but her face changed from surprise to thoughtfulness. "Hey, then could I give you a name myself?" she asked.

I turned to face her. I didn't really care whether she chose to familarize herself with me or not. "I don't care," I replied.

Cagalli grinned as she said, "Okay then, I'll call you Athrun,"

A/N: Here's some Q/A's that you might have had in mind when you were reading:

Q: How come when Cagalli brought 'Athrun' to her house, he had clothes on him? Does that mean when he's a wolf, he also has clothes on?

A: When Athrun is a wolf, all he has is thick fur, but since he's part human part wolf, whenever he changes back into a human, the clothes he wore before he changed into a wolf will stay on him. (Cool eh?)

Q: This story seems similar to Wolf's Rain... is the story line going to be similar?

A: I did take the 'changing forms' idea from Wolf's Rain, but the idea in that series was the the wolves' human disguise was more like an illusion because when one reached out their hand to grab another (who's falling) it was actually their mouths grabbing onto the scruff (of the neck) of the other wolf. The storyline there was placed in the time where the world was thrown into poverty and seemed like the world was going to end, but here, the time era is completely different, in other words, it's a modern story.

Q: When Athrun escaped into the forest (in his wolf form), he talked about seeing the world in color. But shouldn't dogs, wolves etc. be colorblind?

A: Even when Athrun is a wolf, he has his human senses. So basically that means that he can see in color and comprehend human speech when he is a wolf. When Athrun is in human form, he is like every other human except for his enhanced hearing, vision and smell. Athrun prefers his human form, since it makes him blend in with human environment, but changes into a wolf when he needs to travel quickly.

Well those were some of the questions I thought that maybe you would have had, but if you have more, don't hesitate to ask! I hope the plot doesn't seem too boring for the first chapter and I hope you'll continue to my next chapter when I update! Thanks for reading!