Author's Note: This is a 'what if?' story concerning the way that Ryu and Ken met. They don't have their Shotokan karate background in common anymore. Ken did not go to Japan to meet Ryu and therefore, they are strangers to each other. Their lives are completely different from what they are in the Street Fighter plotline. But, even with all of this against them, would they still fall in love?
Calling upon the Spirit
By: Silver Rayne
Part 1
A full mixture of new scents and sounds swirled into a heady collage which marked the coming of spring. Already, most of the crisp snow tracks from the passing winter were fading away. The last of the white veil had fallen a week ago, since beginning to melt. Flowers were blossoming, their perfumed sweetness drifting lazily over the land. Colors spouted from everywhere: a lock of heather; dark green of the pine trees along the rolling hills; softened mud blending into plant roots. It was as if the forest knew it was time to wake up and had prepared itself in advance. Everything poked up from the earth at once, showing that they had not forgotten where they belonged.
Far above the looming treetops, a patch of grayish clouds were parting to allow a few rays of sunshine in. It was only nearing dawn so the cool warmth would not be rising in temperature until mid-afternoon. Now was the perfect time to venture around the paths which the forest creatures had marked. To follow the paw prints and examine natural habitats. Maybe count how many bear cubs roamed the valley below, or what the eagle devoured away from man’s prying eyes.
These thoughts absently mingled among others inside of Ken Masters’ clever mind. He was quick to catch things which normally escaped anyone else who didn’t have his sort of training. Nowadays, people called him Dr. Masters for he was well versed in many fields concerning wildlife. His work with endangered animals became noted in popular magazines throughout the globe. But Ken’s studies on animal physiology and behavior had not taken place in any classroom. All of his knowledge stemmed from a motivation which was entirely personal. He never could have become a real scientist for his lack of objectivity. Always becoming too involved in his research, ignoring what others liked to call emotional detachment. For him not to take some joy out of watching a mother rabbit spawn a litter of small ones meant there was something wrong with him. He had vowed long ago that no matter how many times he witnessed the fantastic miracle of birth, it would never lose its captivating hold over him.
"Hey!"
Ken looked up from where he was kneeling in the mud. His fingers were carefully patting down some soil to stabilize a lilac which he had accidentally uprooted. He hated to injure anything, especially when he considered it his duty to rescue the forest inhabitants. This included one tiny flower among many. There were a set of paw prints engraved in the dirt by his side. Those were what had originally attracted him to the area. A pack of wolves moving to higher ground to avoid man’s intrusion on their territory.
"Watch where you’re walking!" There stood a tall, wild-eyed man glaring at Ken as if he were a bug to be squashed. His hair was unkempt, thick and matted with knots, and it fell into his eyes which narrowed accordingly.
"Me?" And then Ken was getting up to challenge this man that had just made his day a lot more difficult. "Look at what you did! It took me hours to track these prints and you just stood in them!" He was on the verge of exploding with fury. That was another reason why he would not make a good scientist. His people skills ranged from nonexistent to barely civil. Anyone who interfered with his work went home missing a row of teeth.
The man glanced down and shrugged to say that it didn’t matter to him. Then, his dark emblazoned eyes were casting Ken in a grip of ice. "You are on my property. Get off!"
Did Tarzan of the apes sound like such a Neanderthal? Ken surmised that he had just encountered a recluse, one that he should have expected. When he had entered the town for supplies, the gossiping men began to warn him of some crazy guy who lived in the woods. A strange one who didn’t socialize, refused to be welcomed into the arms of his fellow man. According to their information, this man stalked deer like a savage beast. He hunted with homicidal accuracy, even killed wandering children who invaded his privacy. Was this intended to warn Ken or scare him?
But Ken wasn’t a man who accepted folklore without a lot of skepticism. He didn’t believe in a lot of things. This legend of a psychotic misfit dwelling in a den and eating kids for lunch only got a laugh out of him. Now he wasn’t laughing. There was one thing he would not do and that was running scared. So the caveman had finally met his match.
"I don’t see a fence anywhere." His sarcasm proved to be insulting even at the best of times. The man’s lip curled up in what could have been a snarl. "In case you aren’t aware of our legal system, you should know that this land belongs to the government. It’s a reserve for endangered animals. So maybe you should be the one who gets off of it."
A flicker of anger sizzled in the responding voice which turned Ken’s blood cold. "I am not the one who will get hurt if we fight over this. Leave now." He spoke even lower, his voice deep with threat. "Unless you need to see just what a barbaric man I am." And he flexed every muscle in his body, the sheer power beneath his raggedy coat stretching the material. "Haven’t the townspeople told you that I eat children?"
That made Ken recoil, slipping in the mud and falling rather ungracefully onto his side. His attention shot back to the man who now appeared to be smiling. How embarrassing! This was not working in his favor at all. "Are you laughing at me?" He struggled up, his jeans caked with mud and grass stains. Even his long hair needed to have the mud wrestled from it. "Stupid jerk!" He tugged at his hair to free the tangles but became enraged to find that he was amusing this weirdo. While he had been lying unceremoniously on the ground, the wild man had taken it upon himself to tear up Ken’s notes. Ripping the pages from his clipboard and letting them flutter to the dirt. "What have you done?!!" His boots sloshed in the murky ground as he stomped over to the troublemaker. "You just destroyed a whole day’s research!" And then, he took a big swing at him.
The fist was caught, lightning fast, to be examined by curious eyes. "You attack me with your bare hands?"
Ken blinked. He had attempted to knock the man’s head off. Not only did this guy block his punch but he failed to show any annoyance at it. Maybe some of the town stories were true. He felt shivers go up and down his spine. "I’ll kick you too if you don’t let go." As his fist was released, Ken back away a few steps to put distance between them.
The dark eyes danced with humor and something close to respect. "You aren’t carrying a gun," he stated. "Brave." And then he started to walk away. Just like that.
"Real men don’t need guns," Ken muttered under his breath. "Why did you ruin my notes?," he called after the man. There had obviously never been any real threat towards him. It seemed that their meeting was more of a test than anything else.
"The wolves don’t want you following them. You or your kind." And that was all he had to say before he disappeared into an overhanging of shrubbery.
**
After Ken had showered and found clean clothes to dress in, he sat down in front of the fireplace to write. This was not for research purposes and certainly not a diary. He found that there was little time to comb the woods and have the energy to recount the day’s events later on. So the most he did to log his trials was to send letters to his parents. They usually began the same way, telling them that he was fine and enjoying the freedom granted to him. Mr. Masters had been wary over giving Ken permission to travel so much at such a young age. His wife agreed that it was a big responsibility Ken was undertaking to fend for himself and mother nature’s creatures. They worried a lot but had no substantial arguments to keep him at home. He had long since graduated and didn’t require any support because of the six digit bank account he had access to.
Today I met a very strange man…
Occasionally, a topic of interest might find itself wedged between missing his parents or the discovery of the day. This man would keep their attention span longer than I saw another nest of bluebirds or similar conversational subjects. He rarely spoke to people or mentioned it when he did. They might even get a good laugh out of it. Ken continued to write:
He is like one of those monsters that you said I would turn into if I didn’t brush my hair at night. And he has worse manners than cousin Charlotte. The townspeople told me that he is a demon with fangs and horns growing out of his head. I just think that he needs a friend…however, I don’t wish to volunteer for the role. He just might eat humans like they say he does. (Mother, don’t panic, I’m joking.)
As his pen kept scrolling over the fancy paper, he began to think of what he was going to eat for dinner. The moon had started to catch up to him on the return trip to the cabin. This day had worn on for more hours than he had expected. It was too dark to drive into town for the local cuisine which meant he had to cook. One of the few chores which Ken dreaded. This meant that he had to prepare his own meal and then stomach it afterwards. Did he ever miss a good, home cooked meal!
*Better get the stove working before I starve.* He lit up the adjoining stove next to the fireplace and tossed in a couple of dry branches for firewood. Roughing it in the wilderness looked a lot different up close than on the television. For example; it took him five tries to get the wood lit and then a sixth to light it again when a draft blew out the flame. Waiting for it to add its heat to the room was another thing entirely. For now, he would be satisfied to heat his pot of stew over one of the burners. "What did Mother tell me again?" Ken tossed in a handful of chopped carrots and jumped back to avoid being splashed by hot water. "Oh! Don’t throw things. Place them into the pot and…" He scratched his head absently. "Don’t eat raw meat." Good advice in any situation.
Ken ensured that everything was thoroughly cooked and blended together before spooning out a considerable portion into his bowl. "Ugh!" He nearly spat out the bland meal but forced himself to swallow. This was the best he could do under the circumstances. Tomorrow he would definitely go into town for breakfast and then take out his dinner ahead of time.
He changed into his flannel pajamas and crept into the bedroom where he collapsed on the bed from exhaustion. Within minutes, he was fast asleep and unaware of the pair of eyes which stared at him from between the gap of patchwork curtains.
**
"So, ye ran into that freaky guy in the forest?" The storekeeper chuckled to himself as he rang in Ken’s groceries. Items which he knew were overpriced but that didn’t deter him from adding a bonus tax on after catching sight of Ken’s credit card. This was a small town and his provisions store had no competitors for miles. He could charge whatever he wanted to certain individuals that were either wealthy or desperate. One or the other visited his store enough to line his pockets considerably.
"What do you know about him? Mark?" Ken could barely hold back his indignation at noticing the same pair of pants winding up on his bill three times. "I think you’d better check your register. This can’t be right."
Mark picked up the bill and smiled a crooked grin. "Nothing wrong there, kid. Yer math skills need improvin’, I reckon."
"Forget it!" He leaned onto the counter. "I asked you about that man in the woods."
"Name’s Ryu…strangest fellow I ever did come across. Hardly as whacked as the locals will tell you. Still might be messing with drugs. Smokin’ something to get high."
"I don’t think he’s on drugs." This was going nowhere. "I’ll see you later, Mark." He left the store to pile up the back of his truck. Now all he needed to do was get back into the woods to study the wildlife. He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of problem Ryu had. Being separated from civilization for so long had most likely left Ryu with an odd personality. So long as he wasn’t a danger to the wolves, they would have no problem with each other.
A high pitched whistle caused Ken to spin around, his heart thumping in his chest. He hadn’t heard a couple of men approach from behind until that alert. It had come from the mouth of a middle aged man holding a rifle which hung by his side. The other three men also had rifles, loaded and slung over their shoulders loosely.
"What’s all those boxes for?" The leader of what appeared to be a small hunters club came closer, eyeing the contents in Ken’s truck. Ken knew each of them from the diner down the street. They all boasted loud mouths which would sooner or later get them into a big mess with the law. However, the sheriff seemed to turn a blind eye to their illegal trappings towards the north. Ken hated them instantly.
"None of your business." He shoved between them and circled to the driver’s side of the truck, keys dangling from one hand. That was when he heard a crash.
"Oops! You dropped one." Nathan snickered as Ken came at him for knocking one of the precious boxes onto the gravel roadside. "Lookie here…a box full of cameras." He nodded towards his three goons. "It looks like our friend here wants to study that freak."
Ken grabbed Nathan by his shirt, pulling him dangerously close. "Those are expensive, you prick! I’m here to watch the wolves and other animals that you want to kill. If you get in my way, I just might pour some poison onto your food. The same stuff you’re using on your lures which the wolves are eating."
"Really?" Nathan wedged his arm between them and easily slammed Ken’s back into his truck. The force knocked the air from him as Nathan ground Ken’s spine against the side mirror. "I can’t stand you animal lovers," he spat angrily. He watched Ken’s eyes close in pain, teeth grit to prevent him from yelling out.
"Let’s bury him with that stupid ‘coon," Ed suggested. The other two remained silent, keeping an eye out for the sheriff. Just the other night, the group had been spraying tampered meat with poison to kill a family of raccoons which had been exploring their garbage.
"We don’t want you here. So go home!" Nathan had no qualms over beating up a kid, not even in broad daylight. If the sheriff or deputy did happen to amble by, he would pay them to keep going. "What is your answer?"
Ken pushed Nathan away from him, being very careful to keep his expression neutral. Not let him know how much it had hurt. "Trash like you doesn’t scare me."
That did it. The butt of Nathan’s rifle came down hard on Ken’s arm which went up to protect his face. He cried out and fell onto the gravel, his arm throbbing in agony. A gust of wind swung by his right ear but the gun didn’t hit his head. It clattered helplessly a few feet away, a bare foot in its place.
"Get outta my way!" Nathan shouted furiously at the newcomer. "You dumb retard!"
When Ken found his vision again, he looked up to see the man from the woods. Ryu was tense with unbridled hatred for the men. Particularly Nathan.
"What are you doing out of your cave?" Steve poked Ed and they started to cheer Nathan on. "Teach him a lesson, Nate!"
"I have no quarrel with you…yet, you dumb jerk." Nathan tried to shoulder past Ryu but found his weight solid. "This isn’t any of your concern."
"You use a gun to slaughter innocent lives like the coward that you are. If you want to fight with someone, fight with me." Ryu growled low in his throat, a sound which was disconcerting to hear from a grown man. He showed his teeth and the hairs rose on the back of Nathan’s neck. He shifted again to prevent Nathan from circling him to get to Ken. "You are nothing without your weapon."
Nathan’s gang started to sneak away when Ryu growled again. They motioned for their leader to give in for now which he did reluctantly. "This isn’t over," he promised. "Next time, your backwards friend won’t be around to help you." That threat stayed in Ken’s head as they took off to get drunk.
"How is your arm?" Ryu stayed where he was, didn’t even look as he asked the question.
"Fine," came the reply. Ken hastily rubbed his eyes, shaky from the swollen bruise which ached along his elbow joint. He needed a few moments to recollect himself and was halfway grateful that Ryu let him have it. Then again, a little compassion couldn’t have hurt either. His parents would have been all over him, offering to take him to a doctor or bring him pudding to ease his suffering.
As if Ryu could sense Ken’s thoughts, he turned and crouched down to him. Without asking, he rolled up Ken’s sleeve to inspect the gash running up his arm. "This wound must be treated." Then, he was hoisting Ken up with one arm and opening the truck door for him. Even though Ken knew that he should be the one in the driver’s seat, he didn’t protest. His thoughts were jumbled, slightly woozy from the loss of blood. And when Ryu climbed in the other side to drive…he didn’t question it. They were heading back to Ken’s cabin before he realized what was going on.
"What are you doing?"
"Taking you home."
Ken sighed. "First you tell me to go and now you think I live here." He cradled his injured arm close to his chest as he looked at Ryu.
"Why did you confront that man? He has murdered without remorse and would have taken pleasure in ending your life. Why risk yourself for these animals?"
"You live with them so you should know why I do it." There wasn’t much of a point to discussing this with Ryu. They weren’t even on the same wavelength. Ryu believed that he was the same as those men with the guns. Why waste his breath trying to convince him otherwise?
When Ryu parked the truck outside of the cabin, Ken turned the door handle to get out. He gasped when a blur raced to his side before he could get the door open. *How on earth?* Ryu moved faster than any man or woman he had ever seen. It was incredible. The door was yanked open and strong hands held Ken under his arms, lifting him out and setting him down on the porch.
"Thank you," was all he managed to say before Ryu had the front door to the cabin unlocked, waiting.
This was the hardest part. How to get rid of Ryu without seeming to be rude or cruel. Ken appreciated what Ryu had done for him but did he trust him? Not really. Once he entered the cabin, the only exit would be that very same door. If it became blocked…
"What’s wrong?" Ryu was scrutinizing him, bunching up his shoulders in response to the emotions he sensed. Fear was among the most overwhelming. He picked up its scent and relaxed slightly. There was no hostility or deception, only the fear. Most others would use any opportunity they got to kill Ryu. To end his guardianship of the land he protected and its inhabitants. Ken wasn’t like that. So they had one thing in common. "I don’t bite."
Ken swallowed hard when Ryu showed his perfectly straight teeth. For a brief instant, he imagined that there were two fangs drooping over Ryu’s bottom lip. "I can manage on my own now. Thanks for your help." That would get rid of him. Until then, he was safer out in the open where he could hide if Ryu changed into a drooling monster with razor sharp claws. It was foolish to think that Ryu was frightening because of his appearance but Ken couldn’t fight the way his body betrayed him. He was trembling all over.
Ryu seemed to realize that it was nothing against him personally. This encouraged him to walk over to Ken, pick him up and carry him into the cabin.
"Put me down!" Ken’s eyes scanned the cabin quickly. There was nothing he could use to ward off the wild man if he got violent. Recluses were seldom this friendly and even then proved to be unpredictable. He mistrusted his instincts that everything would be okay. How could he defend himself against such a powerful man? Did he really feast on humans that walked over his territory?"
Not saying a word, Ryu lay Ken out on the carpet in front of the fireplace and went back to shut the door. And lock it. The silence loomed over them while Ryu strode into Ken’s bedroom, not asking permission first. He returned with a couple of blankets which he tossed over Ken, then bent down to start a fire. "Are you always this talkative?," Ryu asked.
"Yes," he lied bitterly. Was he ever in a bad situation. Ken prayed that it would turn out to be a nightmare and he would awaken alone and not covered in blood.
"And you think I’m the strange one."
"I never said …"
"You didn’t have to." His head tilted to one side when he appeared to smell something. Then, he got up and went straight for the cupboard above the refrigerator which held the first-aid kit.
*This guy is weird!* Ken ground his teeth together when Ryu wiped some antiseptic over his cleaned wound. It made his senses go dizzy and filled his nostrils with a sickening alcoholic odor. Immediately, a headache began to pulse against his temples. He turned his head away from the scene of bandages being wrapped around the fresh blood on that arm.
"Can I use your bathroom?"
Ken nodded, his head filled with the cottony embrace of pain. The next time he opened his eyes, it was to see a naked man wandering past the fireplace. *Oh my…* He could barely focus but when he did, he noticed that Ryu looked a lot different. His hair had been brushed properly so that it didn’t stick up like a porcupine’s quills. The dust from his skin vanished after what could have been a very long shower. Ken couldn’t prevent himself from raking his eyes over that very masculine body. Taking into account the hard muscles stretched beneath golden brown flesh. His movements were deliberate and his stride spoke of the great confidence within him. Every breath he took filled his powerful chest with air, broad shoulders tensing slightly for a moment.
Suddenly, Ryu halted in his actions, sniffing the air when he sensed Ken’s scent change. The logs in his arms were launched into the fireplace before he sat beside Ken. He showed no visible signs of shame over his state of undress. Didn’t attempt to cover up the area where Ken avoided looking as if embarrassed. "How are you feeling?"
"Good. Great even! Um…where did you put your clothes?" He averted his gaze at all costs, staring into the leaping flames inside the fireplace instead.
"Why did you stop looking at me? You found pleasure in doing so." Ryu was puzzled at the way Ken’s behavior contradicted his emotions.
"What?!!" Then those big, brown eyes were boring a hole through the back of Ryu’s skull. "I think you need to be domesticated again because you don’t understand what decency is. Normal people don’t stroll around naked like that."
Ryu placed one hand firmly on Ken’s knee beneath the blankets. He felt the shivers which that touch elicited. "And it is always polite to introduce yourself. You know my name but I don’t know yours."
"Ken." *Now get your clothes on!*
"That is a very nice name." Ryu smiled openly, admiring Ken as he had been doing in secrecy before Ken had been attacked. "Well…Ken, the next time we meet, I hope that you will not be as intimidated." He straightened up to glance out the window. Almost dark. "Until then…" His footsteps made no sound on the floorboards as Ryu crossed to the room to reach the door.
"Where are you going?" Ken forgot himself and looked up, only to flush red again. "Aren’t you going to put some clothes on?"
"It’s late. Farewell."
How could Ken possibly explain what was going through his head when he watched Ryu leave. The man just strolled out into the woods wearing nothing but what birth had given him. What the heck was wrong with him? With great effort, Ken managed to sit upright to make sure the fire was still burning brightly. And it was, but not entirely filled with logs. At the center of the wood, a pot rested to be engulfed by smoldering flames. *Mother gave me that pot!* He scowled, wondering what Ryu had been thinking. When he made an attempt to lift the pot out with metallic tongs, it refused to budge. What was that aroma?
"He cooked me something?" An unusual arrangement of meat, fish and vegetables bubbled inside the pot. When Ken sampled it, he nearly rushed outside to find Ryu. He had been left a meal which could only be equaled by his own mother’s. It almost made Ken sick with guilt for thinking so many awful things about Ryu. But why did he feel so afraid?
**
The next day started at the crack of dawn for Ken. His bad arm was resting in a sling comfortably so that it wouldn’t get in the way. There was plenty to be accomplished with the hours he had ahead of him. First, he set up several cameras on timers, low from the branches of sturdy trees. They would go off within certain intervals beginning late at night. With any luck, there would be one or two pictures of a magnificent wolf awaiting him for the following morning. That way, he would be able to plot his next photo session for the convenience of the wolves. He suspected a general location where they played during the night and guessed that there might be young cubs running with the pack. One of the wolves tracks drove deep into the ground, making it much heavier and larger than the others. Most likely the leader.
Taking out his notebook, Ken began to write. He measured the depth of the paw prints, how old they appeared to be and the direction in which they were headed. For distraction, he added that the raccoon population was growing rapidly. A couple of the mischief makers were searching Ken’s truck for a snack as he wrote on the paper. Rich pine and cedar settled into the morning air, refreshing Ken into moving further than he had the day prior to this one.
"Still trespassing?"
Ken saw Ryu above him in the treetops, climbing down limb by limb. Hanging precariously by one hand to swing over to another branch. The way he sprang from one branch to another made it look like he was doing it for fun. "Be careful!"
"I don’t need to be." And he let go, landed on all fours to smile at Ken through a layer of scattering dust particles. He brushed himself off and frowned. "What’s wrong?"
But Ken had a question of his own. "Are you one of the native Indians who has intuitive abilities?" They were nowhere near a reservation but that was the only thing he could think of. Ryu had the uncanny talent of being able to pinpoint his moods without fault. Maybe he gave off too much body language for Ryu to read. That had to be it. Although Ryu appeared to have an unmistakable Japanese heritage. He could have moved to the States when he was very young.
"No. Why do you ask?"
"It doesn’t matter." There remained one last camera in his possession. It would be used wisely from a respectable vantage point. Coincidentally, Ken needed to climb the very tree that Ryu had hopped down from to secure the camera. Could he manage with his injured arm?
Ryu walked right up to Ken, grinned, and took the camera from him. "Allow me." And off he went, advancing back up the bark of the tree, not once needing a foothold. In relatively the same amount of time it took Ken to wonder what Ryu was gripping, the man pounced back down.
And then he lunged at Ken, his smile extremely disarming. Ken screamed , closing his eyes tightly as he was knocked down by solid muscles. He kept his eyes firmly shut against the heavy breathing which marked Ryu’s panting on his neck. The weather had warmed considerably and so he hadn’t worn a jacket. Now he wished he had to block a set of fangs from clamping down on him. Severing his jugular, drinking the blood which spilled from his throat. And Ken’s vision snapped open, eyelashes automatically fluttering closed again when he realized that Ryu was now breathing in his face. Hot breath trailing down his shirt like that of an overeager mutt’s.
"Don’t be bashful." Ryu pulled Ken up with him and chuckled. "You’ve finished your work and now you can play."
Soft brown eyes peaked out at Ryu, glinting a lighter hazel in the sunlight. "Play?," he repeated. All of a sudden, his life reflected before him. One that had been devoted to work and knowledge, devoid of anything remotely entertaining. He was still young, didn’t need to shun his youth forever. Was that the message Ryu was trying to get across? Had he lost his childhood prematurely?
"You do remember how, right?" And then he was sprinting over a wide expanse of pine cones, crunching them beneath his bare feet. Toes being pricked by pine needles and burs but not able to hurt the roughened skin there. "Come on!" He tore off back in Ken’s direction, slapped him on his good arm and vaulted over a row of fallen poplars. Finally, he gave up and began to run away, not looking back to see if Ken was behind him.
"Wait!" Ken left his notebook and equipment inside an abandoned tree trunk and rushed after his new friend. It exerted his senses to be able to escape like this. To recklessly ignore the unwritten rules of conduct bestowed him. How he ought to behave. He ran faster and faster, remembering how his athletic prowess made everything seem so much more alive. A flock of birds flew into the air when Ryu raced for them, actually coming close enough to catch one. And he did, spinning on his heel to stop himself with the little sparrow perched on one finger. Ken skidded over the wet grass, unprepared for the abrupt stop that Ryu had made. And so he collided straight into Ryu and would have fallen if a friendly arm hadn’t wrapped itself around his waist.
"Look." With his arm still holding Ken, Ryu lowered the bird to the same height as their eye level. It chirped and bobbed its head up and down a few times. And then it took off after its friends to form a cluster of wings high in their leafy sanctuary. "Spring is my favorite season," he said quietly.
"How did you do that?" Ken couldn’t believe that a piece of wildlife had been sitting right in front of his face. And it had been wild, free to do whatever it pleased. To go wherever it chose. This man had just become more than magic but someone that Ken couldn’t displace from his mind. His heartbeat accelerated when Ryu’s familiar breathing pattern caressed his cheek. But the man refused to speak. "Ryu?"
"Ken." And the corrupting leer of insanity charged Ryu’s features once more. He tackled Ken onto the grass, not heeding its dampness or the cool water which seeped into his torn pants. They were both laughing by now, caught up in the other’s foolishness. If anyone happened to walk by these woods, they might believe that both of the young men were crazy. Ryu easily pinned Ken beneath him and revealed a smile which belayed any innocence he might have had. His fingers slid down Ken’s long red-blond hair, slicing the material which bound it together.
Ken had only a split second to wonder how Ryu had broken the thick leather completing his ponytail. The next second, Ryu was stroking his hair and gazing deep into his eyes. "You win," he relented breathlessly. "I’d better be going."
"This is more than a game to me." He leaned down and growled erotically deep in his throat. The sound repeated itself in Ken’s ear, causing his entire body to shiver with delight. "If it wasn’t so late…" His face turned dark with mystery when he regarded the descending sun. "I enjoyed today…"
"My equipment isn’t far from here. Why don’t you join me for dinner? Anyone who can cook better than me is always welcome at my cabin."
"I’ll keep that in mind. But for now…I have to decline." Ryu growled again, rubbed the entire length of his body over Ken’s to hear a low whimper. It excited him, gorged his veins with blood and bloodlust. "If only…" He stopped that sentence. There had been too much unhappiness in his life lately. So, to say goodbye, Ryu slid his tongue over Ken’s cheek. Licking him like an affectionate puppy, only with more aggressiveness. And the sounds which escaped from Ken’s parted lips caused him to harden all over. He continued, lapping at the hollow of Ken’s throat, lingering along his chin. Finally washing across Ken’s soft lips in long, gentle strokes. The need to taste Ken drove Ryu mad. During his wet caressing, he noticed that Ken had pulled him closer with his uninjured right arm. And now all he had to do was to thrust his tongue between those warm lips. To take what he craved with sheer passion and leave this beautiful creature writhing below him. But he didn’t. Couldn’t. The sun was nearly gone.
Ryu relieved Ken of his weight and groaned. A tingling wave of nausea spread throughout him. He fought it down as his legs carried him away with the wind.
Ken shifted onto his knees, eyes swimming with moisture. They captured along his long eyelashes to magnify what he was feeling. It had to be impossible. How could he have allowed Ryu to touch him in that manner? To treat him as if they were old lovers being reacquainted? Right now, he felt numb. This impeded the route he retraced to get his equipment. Normally his tracking skills and sense of direction were incredibly strong. But he couldn’t have been more lost at that moment.
"Look at who decided to drop in!" Nathan bent up from his work when he saw Ken. His dark blue eyes were frozen in terrorizing pits of anger. "Where’s your pack?"
Ed looked up as well and laughed. "Hey Ken! We have a friend of yours!"
When Ed lifted something big up by its paw, Ken’s features became masked. No expression. Only temporarily stunned from seeing a young wolf cub hanging there. Suspended by Ed’s large fingers, a steel jawed trap dangling from one paw. "You…" Ken began to see red. He was about to fight them when he noticed that the wolf cub flinched. It wasn’t dead yet. And so he fought anyway. Taking Ed by his neck to choke him. The wolf cub lay at their feet, breathing laboriously but still able to recover.
"Give him here!" Nathan hollered.
"Catch!" Ed tossed Ken over to Nathan where he was grabbed from behind.
"Let go! You bastards!!!" Ken struggled but couldn’t get away.
"A few more steps…" Nathan was laughing loudly in Ken’s ear. He dragged Ken backwards and then released him.
*I’ll give him something to laugh about!* Ken placed one foot in front of him to regain his balance and the other behind him. Something snapped and a jarring metallic crunch broke the laughter. Ken screamed in agony. He crumbled to his hands and knees, moaning and pulling at his right leg. When he looked back, his eyes overflowed with tears at the sight of his ankle trapped between steel jaws. Blood soaking his pants leg, the teeth of the wolf trap disappearing into his flesh, scraping his bone. He screamed again, crying for Nathan to get it off but he got no mercy. "Please…help me!" He pleaded again but they only laughed.
"Get the gun." Nathan stretched out his arm and accepted the rifle placed into his hand. He aimed it at Ken’s head and clicked off the safety lock. "This is going to get messy," he advised Ed. "You’d better get some garbage bags from the jeep."
They were going to kill him? "Nooo…please…" Ken sobbed, bending down to yank at the device which snared his ankle. He didn’t have the strength to activate the release mechanism. When he withdrew his fingers, they were also covered in thick blood. On many voluntary reintroduction programs, Ken had participated in returning the wolves to their territory. Farmers who believed that wolves were a threat to their crops or cattle would put down similar traps to kill them. Some animals that accidentally stumbled upon the traps attempted to escape by gnawing their legs off. Ken felt that way now. Anything but receiving a bullet to the head. The end of the barrel was shoved to Ken’s forehead. "Please…," he choked hysterically.
"It’s too bad human flesh doesn’t sell for coats," he joked.
A flash of white struck Nathan from the side, knocking him clear away from Ken. The gun bounced into a pond and went off. The blast shook Ken to his very core. He paled when an enormous paw came to rest over his lips. It lingered briefly so that Ken could gaze up into the dark eyes of one very large white wolf. There was no record of any wolf every growing so big anywhere in the world. Its legs were massive and torso built for damage. Was this the leader of the pack Ken had been watching? The wolf lifted its head up and howled, ivory fangs gleaming in the moonlight. Then it banked to the left and rammed into Nathan so hard that he was thrown towards a ravine. Still, the wolf smashed his mighty paw down onto Nathan’s skull, turning his shouts into sputtering gasps of blood. There was something incredibly eerie regarding the way this wolf sent Nathan plummeting to his demise. His gleaming white pelt bristled with a form of contentment to watch the man go. To see him get what he so righteously deserved.
Ears perked up and eyes ever so cautious, the wolf stalked back over to Ken. He nudged his muzzle against Ken’s face, licking the tears away. There would be another man returning with more weapons. He knew that Ken must not remain here if he wanted to survive. So the wolf sniffed the rusting trap and cringed. How many times had it already been used to ensnare a helpless animal? The decaying stench of blood hung about the fresh scent which caused the wolf to snarl. He pressed down on the release mechanism with one paw, the pressure forcing the jaws to pop back into place. Ken screamed again as the sharp daggers crept out of his ankle, more blood burning from his gaping wounds.
Ken should have been confused at the wolf’s behavior but he was too disoriented and in a state of shock to care. The courageous animal proudly flung its head back into the air and howled. Puffs of cold air panted from between his fangs as he sank them deep into Ken’s shirt. And then he pulled hard, tossing his head to one side to throw Ken onto his back. Stars exploded in the corners of Ken’s eyes but he had enough insight to grasp the wolf’s fur to hold on as he was carried over to the cub. Once the young cub found its way into the tremendous jaws of its pack leader, they were gone. The wolf trotting quickly through the woods. Being careful to gracefully avoid jumping over branches so that Ken would not be dislodged from his back. He breathed through his flaring nostrils, teeth grit onto the scruff of the cub’s neck to keep him still. He listened to Ken’s miserable sobbing the whole way to the cabin. The wolf felt very, very sad.
Once they arrived there, the great white wolf placed the cub onto the porch and clashed his teeth over the door knob. It wrenched to one side, breaking the lock and nudged the door inwards. Returning for the cub, he picked it up again to wander inside.
How intelligent was this wolf anyway? Ken thought that it might be trained, someone’s pet perhaps. People were known to keep stranger animals on their farms which were undoubtedly illegal. How else could the wolf have known what to do? But he quickly lost interest when his body temperature began to weaken. His shivers turned into violent shudders which increased the overall pain he was in. The wolf kept staring at him as he moaned, attempting to share some warmth with him. But it wouldn’t suffice, not with the condition he was in. The cabin could become a cold prison if the fire was not constantly stoked. Right now, there wasn’t a fire to speak of.
The wolf became very agitated when Ken started to lose consciousness, his blood seeping out faster than water. If the bleeding was not stopped soon, Ken would bleed to death or die of pneumonia. Luckily for the cub, its injury was not as serious and only a minor limp would be present in the future. It had no problem with the chilling wind which blew down the chimney.
With his senses dulled and body throbbed with unbearable agony, Ken began to imagine that his parents were beside him. Comforting him, promising that he would be okay. That it was only a nightmare. Maybe he was still dreaming when he gazed up at the fantastic wolf to see it…transforming.
Fur evaporated into thin air and vanished to be replaced by evenly tanned skin. Fangs drew back until they were invisible among a row of perfectly straight teeth. Bones shifted, extended, shortened, until they resembled human limbs. Paws stretched out into hands, feet, fingers and toes. A pair of dark, worried eyes became noticeable as the fur around them dissipated. What remained after the transformation was the proud, naked form of Ryu huddled on the floor.
Ken’s mouth opened to speak but found that he couldn’t. His eyelids felt so heavy. Breathing spent most of his lingering strength. So he watched Ryu walk over to him, kneel down and begin to massage his leg. It stung like hell, wracked his body with convulsions that promised to tear him apart.
"Shhh…" Ryu stroked Ken’s hair and kept staring at him as his fingers slid up and down Ken’s ankle which was slick with blood. Eventually, the pain receded to be replaced by a low rumbling. Somewhere in his mind, he realized that Ryu was growling softly against his chest. Head resting there as he repeatedly massaged Ken through the blood and shattered bone fragments. If he didn’t concentrate, Ken would never be able to walk on that leg again. "Did you see…?" A bit of guilt found its way into that half spoken question.
"See?" His mouth was so dry. The question seemed to have no relevance for him. His surroundings were churning into a maddening hell which turned his world upside down. Could it get any worse?
"You were looking at me…" Ryu bit his lip, needing to know the truth. He became cautious, contemplating his next words before saying them. "Do you know where the wolf went?"
"Who?" The outlines of Ryu’s face spread into duplicates, blurred, multiplied again. All Ken wanted to do was sleep. To shut his eyes and find a warm shelter to curl up in. When he opened his eyes from a lapse of unconsciousness, he found that his warmth was coming from Ryu’s body. Wrapped around him like a friendly rug, hands easing his back and shoulders from their cramps and pains. "The white wolf?"
A blank expression swathed Ryu’s face until he realized what Ken was mumbling about. He was still delirious. "It doesn’t matter now. You’ve been asleep for quite a long time."
"I have?"
"Go back to sleep. I’ll be here when you awaken."
"How long?" Ken lifted his head off of the pillow to see the sun dipping below the windowsill. "I can’t think straight." He couldn’t even feel his leg. What had happened to his leg?
"Not now. Go…just sleep…now!" Ryu pushed Ken to the far side of the bed and got up only to fall to the floor.
"Ryu?"
From behind the other side of the bed, Ryu was changing. White fur covering his entire body as his clothes tore to allow the new frame to grow. A deep growl entered his throat when his intensified senses picked up the scent of man. A different man than the one he had encountered in the woods. But this one was accompanied by a few more and Ryu could smell gunpowder. The group were a dangerous threat to him, to Ken and the cub at the foot of the bed. And as a wolf, Ryu didn’t know how to protect the human that had attracted him with body and soul. All he had were instincts now and with what was coming after them, he didn’t know if that would be enough.
End of Part 1