December 2007 Flashfic
Title: The Wolf who would be King
Written For:
forthrightly
Pairing or Character: Kouga and his pack
Rating: K+
Warnings: None
Author's Note: Apologies for the lateness, it would appear my muse ran away for the holidays.
A resounding crash echoed through the otherwise peaceful mountain valley. Dust, flung in every direction, began to settle around him, and Kouga bared his fangs in a smile. Drawing a deep breath, he reached down and carefully took hold of his prize. It was so small that it was almost invisible, but he could feel the immense power it held.
He was not sure whether or not his companions, the only two members of the wolf demon tribe that were willing to put up with his stubborn sort of idiocy, knew why he was carefully stalking these demons. The first had been a weasel, the next a boar, and now this one, a young and inexperienced bear demon; he was certain that these demons did not know what they had possessed, not until it was too late and his claws were already at their throats. Power. These little pink shards, ever so slightly tainted with demonic darkness, held more power than even he could imagine.
Enough power to wrest control of the wolf demon tribe from the fool currently occupying the throne, Kouga thought grimly. It did not matter to him that the current clan leader, who by chance also happened to be his father, had won the position by right of birth and the strength of his supporters; as far as Kouga was concerned the old bastard was weak, and used cheap tactics to beat others into submission. It was only right that Kouga fight him for dominance and take his place, though before he fought he wanted to make damn sure he was going to win. Only with a strong wolf like himself as their leader would the wolf demons fulfill their destiny, of that he was sure.
Right now the rest of the tribe was content to merely sit and wait, while he watched their enemies grow stronger and stronger. The wolves would need a strong and determined leader or else they would be defeated by the Birds of Paradise, and if not them, then some other foe. He knew full well, and it did little to improve his mood or his language, that the leaders of the birds were also hunting for the jewel shards, making it imperative that he collect them first. If the birds got their claws on even a single shard, it could spell disaster for the wolf demons.
"C'mon, let's get moving," he growled, pocketing the shard. It joined two others in a cache in the furs at his hips, the third shard won in as many days. One more would seal the deal, with one for each arm and each leg, he would definitely have the strength and speed to defeat any opponent.
"Hey, uh, Kouga," said one of his companions, practically whimpering, from somewhere behind him.
"Yeah?" His voice was rough, gravelly. He could hear the power in even that simple word, and it made him want to run just to see how fast he could go, to fight just for the hell of proving his strength.
"How many more of these things are we going to fight?" There was a whine in there somewhere.
"Keh, if you wanna go back to the cave, be my guest," he said, his voice half a snarl. At least it proved that not even they knew what he was up to. "But I'm not goin back with my tail between my legs."
They had enough sense not to complain after that, knowing he would gladly have beaten them up if they continued to bother him. At any rate, they seemed to come to the conclusion that they should not abandon him just yet, and followed dutifully after him. Their loyalty would pay off if he could manage to become leader.
Several miles and only a few minutes later, Kouga stopped and sniffed the air. Something did not smell right. In fact, the whole area stank like rancid bird. Maybe, if he was lucky, the damned birds were tracking another demon with a jewel shard. A jewel shard he could steal from them.
"Stay outta my way," he barked at his companions. They gave each other a knowing look but remained well back and out of his way.
He took off again at a run, this time following the strange scent. He knew he should keep an eye on the sky, but he was not inclined to pay it any mind; with the way the bird-scent permeated everything around him, they could be anywhere. He almost wished they would come out and play. It had really been too long since the last time he killed a bird.
He finally did turn to the sky, but only when he realized that he was traveling under an enormous shadow - the shadow of a gigantic, mutated bird.
The thing was massive, and obviously much too strong for him to take on alone. The thing had two humanoid torsos atop its bird body instead of one, marking it out as the leader of the tribe, and he thought he saw the faint sparkle of a jewel shard before it flew toward the sun and he lost sight of it. He swore, loudly, and dashed away as fast as he could, racing for home and leaving his companions and any other nearby wolves to follow as best as they were able.
First things first. Something had to be done about those birds, before they destroyed the entire wolf demon tribe. He had to become leader of the tribe first, because a united tribe could take on the damn birds much more easily than a single wolf. He barged into the family den, heedless of what may have already been occurring there, and stared down at his mother. She snarled at his impudence.
"I'm gonna become leader of the wolf demon tribe," he declared, no small amount of arrogance in his tone.
His mother was an older bitch, and slightly withered from her years. Her ears, more wolfish than his, flattened a bit against her skull. Her son was always the impetuous one, and one of these days it was going to get him killed. His many battle scars were proof enough of that. At least he seemed to know when to run away to save his own hide. This time, he had her wondering. "You intend to fight your father? I've always known you were a fool, Kouga."
He snorted derisively and held out his hand, open-palmed to proudly display the key to his victory. "I can't lose. I have these: shards of the Shikon Jewel."
Written For:
forthrightly
Pairing or Character: Kouga and his pack
Rating: K+
Warnings: None
Author's Note: Apologies for the lateness, it would appear my muse ran away for the holidays.
A resounding crash echoed through the otherwise peaceful mountain valley. Dust, flung in every direction, began to settle around him, and Kouga bared his fangs in a smile. Drawing a deep breath, he reached down and carefully took hold of his prize. It was so small that it was almost invisible, but he could feel the immense power it held.
He was not sure whether or not his companions, the only two members of the wolf demon tribe that were willing to put up with his stubborn sort of idiocy, knew why he was carefully stalking these demons. The first had been a weasel, the next a boar, and now this one, a young and inexperienced bear demon; he was certain that these demons did not know what they had possessed, not until it was too late and his claws were already at their throats. Power. These little pink shards, ever so slightly tainted with demonic darkness, held more power than even he could imagine.
Enough power to wrest control of the wolf demon tribe from the fool currently occupying the throne, Kouga thought grimly. It did not matter to him that the current clan leader, who by chance also happened to be his father, had won the position by right of birth and the strength of his supporters; as far as Kouga was concerned the old bastard was weak, and used cheap tactics to beat others into submission. It was only right that Kouga fight him for dominance and take his place, though before he fought he wanted to make damn sure he was going to win. Only with a strong wolf like himself as their leader would the wolf demons fulfill their destiny, of that he was sure.
Right now the rest of the tribe was content to merely sit and wait, while he watched their enemies grow stronger and stronger. The wolves would need a strong and determined leader or else they would be defeated by the Birds of Paradise, and if not them, then some other foe. He knew full well, and it did little to improve his mood or his language, that the leaders of the birds were also hunting for the jewel shards, making it imperative that he collect them first. If the birds got their claws on even a single shard, it could spell disaster for the wolf demons.
"C'mon, let's get moving," he growled, pocketing the shard. It joined two others in a cache in the furs at his hips, the third shard won in as many days. One more would seal the deal, with one for each arm and each leg, he would definitely have the strength and speed to defeat any opponent.
"Hey, uh, Kouga," said one of his companions, practically whimpering, from somewhere behind him.
"Yeah?" His voice was rough, gravelly. He could hear the power in even that simple word, and it made him want to run just to see how fast he could go, to fight just for the hell of proving his strength.
"How many more of these things are we going to fight?" There was a whine in there somewhere.
"Keh, if you wanna go back to the cave, be my guest," he said, his voice half a snarl. At least it proved that not even they knew what he was up to. "But I'm not goin back with my tail between my legs."
They had enough sense not to complain after that, knowing he would gladly have beaten them up if they continued to bother him. At any rate, they seemed to come to the conclusion that they should not abandon him just yet, and followed dutifully after him. Their loyalty would pay off if he could manage to become leader.
Several miles and only a few minutes later, Kouga stopped and sniffed the air. Something did not smell right. In fact, the whole area stank like rancid bird. Maybe, if he was lucky, the damned birds were tracking another demon with a jewel shard. A jewel shard he could steal from them.
"Stay outta my way," he barked at his companions. They gave each other a knowing look but remained well back and out of his way.
He took off again at a run, this time following the strange scent. He knew he should keep an eye on the sky, but he was not inclined to pay it any mind; with the way the bird-scent permeated everything around him, they could be anywhere. He almost wished they would come out and play. It had really been too long since the last time he killed a bird.
He finally did turn to the sky, but only when he realized that he was traveling under an enormous shadow - the shadow of a gigantic, mutated bird.
The thing was massive, and obviously much too strong for him to take on alone. The thing had two humanoid torsos atop its bird body instead of one, marking it out as the leader of the tribe, and he thought he saw the faint sparkle of a jewel shard before it flew toward the sun and he lost sight of it. He swore, loudly, and dashed away as fast as he could, racing for home and leaving his companions and any other nearby wolves to follow as best as they were able.
First things first. Something had to be done about those birds, before they destroyed the entire wolf demon tribe. He had to become leader of the tribe first, because a united tribe could take on the damn birds much more easily than a single wolf. He barged into the family den, heedless of what may have already been occurring there, and stared down at his mother. She snarled at his impudence.
"I'm gonna become leader of the wolf demon tribe," he declared, no small amount of arrogance in his tone.
His mother was an older bitch, and slightly withered from her years. Her ears, more wolfish than his, flattened a bit against her skull. Her son was always the impetuous one, and one of these days it was going to get him killed. His many battle scars were proof enough of that. At least he seemed to know when to run away to save his own hide. This time, he had her wondering. "You intend to fight your father? I've always known you were a fool, Kouga."
He snorted derisively and held out his hand, open-palmed to proudly display the key to his victory. "I can't lose. I have these: shards of the Shikon Jewel."