Author's Note: Some of the facts in this part are a bit twisted from the Street Fighter plotline. You will know what I mean when you get there. ;)
Calling upon the Spirit
By: Silver Rayne
Part 2
Along with the foul scent of gunpowder, Ryu could smell gasoline, jugs of it. His acute hearing picked up the way the liquid sloshed back and forth inside the containers. Ready to spill out at any moment. The human side of him knew what was going to happen but would not comment. Once his transformation had been completed, the wolf took control whether it was beneficial or not. He had no choice in the metamorphosis he was forced to go through. Every night, just as the sun disappeared, the physical form of Ryu would become altered. What stood in his place would be a wolf of unprecedented size and intelligence. A creature too sacred for man to ever find out about because if they did… Ryu, the last of his line, would become dust.
Ryu the wolf shivered when he imagined how the mob would react to his true nature. They would shriek just before killing him, justifying their actions by saying that he was too evil to walk the earth. And even as the last of his life left him, they would still strike out in fear. And hatred. Denying what was different than their human ways. Finding ridiculous proof to state that he had no soul. *Father…* Ryu bowed his head, mourning his past. *I won’t let them do that to me. Not when you sacrificed so much.*
"KEN MASTERS!!!" A heavy fist slammed against the door which Ryu had barricaded to compensate for the lock he had broken. "COME QUIETLY OR WE WILL HAVE TO USE FORCE!"
The force of the knocking rung in Ken’s ears, made him jump when it started again. "Ryu…what does he want?" Nothing was making much sense to him. Only the background pain which prevented him from putting two and two together. And his leg… Why wouldn’t it move? When Ryu didn’t answer, Ken started to pull himself over to where Ryu had fallen down. "Ryu?"
A set of red eyes appeared in front of the bedroom window from across the room. Ken swallowed hard, pushing himself backwards only to become tangled in the bed sheets. Another set of eyes joined the first, their faces electrified from the torches they carried. One of them pointed an accusatory finger at him.
"You murdered Nathan! You and your accursed wolves!" She was joined by someone Ken knew he should recognize but couldn’t remember from where. "Come on, Ed." The man swung something in front of the window and it smashed inwards.
Four big paws came down at Ken’s sides, a giant wolf straddling him to make sure he would not be hit by a shower of glass. Ken stared up at the wolf to see his expression grim but determined. Then the wolf was barreling across the room and out the window, landing on the woman’s shoulders. His weight drove her onto the ground before he attacked Ed, snarling with his teeth clashing together. He remembered the man’s scent from the woods. Ed was one of the two who had harmed the young human in his care. Ryu didn’t think of the consequences when his gaping fangs lodged themselves in Ed’s shoulder. All he felt was the need for blood, Ed’s blood. To protect that which was his, Ryu would become a ruthless animal.
"RYU!" Ken screamed from the bedroom. Several members of the group had hacked down the front door with an ax. They rushed into the bedroom, the sheriff and deputy among them.
"You’re under arrest for murdering Nathan Conway." Sheriff Don passed the wolf cub on the floor and went straight for Ken.
"I didn’t touch him!" Ken yelped when his wrist was grabbed and held tightly. "He tried to kill me."
Sheriff Don flipped Ken onto his stomach and grabbed his other wrist. A harsh knee pressed into his lower back while the sheriff pulled out his handcuffs. "It’s funny how you’re still alive and Nate is lying at the bottom of some ravine, torn to shreds."
When Ryu heard Ken scream, he nearly went to help him. But his feral side claimed Ed first, snapping the man’s neck with a powerful tug of his teeth. Only then was Ryu able to leap back into the cabin. He was on the verge of losing it when Sheriff Don raised his gun instead of the handcuffs. They were going to beat Ken to death, that much Ryu knew. He had seen this similar scenario once before. So he sprang onto Sheriff Don’s back and took a giant sized bite out of his neck. It always came down to the neck or throat because that would do the most damage. But he would not finish the job this time, there were more important things.
A sharp tug pulled Ken up by his collar, shaking him furiously. Ken saw his wolf friend becoming desperate, unable to hold off the rest of the townspeople from breaking into the cabin. The containers of gasoline were being thrown all over the cabin, torches at the ready. They had to run. Ken quickly climbed onto the wolf’s back, clung tightly to him as he trotted over to the cub. He picked it up into his jaws once more and flew out the window to land neatly onto Ed’s body. The sight of death terrified Ken, he had never seen a man lifeless before. Especially not covered in blood, neck torn to pieces. This wolf was a savage killer.
*What if he does the same thing to me?* Ken closed his eyes to block out those thoughts but cringed when he heard a growl. The wolf seemed to smell Ken’s fear and didn’t agree with it. *Ryu!* "You have to go back!" His fingers dug into the wolf’s shoulder blades, trying to redirect it. "Ryu is in there!" He looked back to see the cabin engulfed in flames which touched the nearby tree branches. Horror filled Ken’s eyes as the fire spread from one tree to the next, igniting it and then moving on. If the fire was not stopped soon… Ken tried to dismount the wolf when it refused to listen to him.
Ryu didn’t know what to do when Ken tumbled off of his back. His human friend would never understand. If he tried to convince Ken of who he was… There would be time to reassure Ken later. Ryu crouched down for Ken to get onto his back but the human would not do so. He growled but Ken attempted to stand, falling flat on his face.
"RYU!" Ken shouted, crying despite his need to stay calm in order to help his friend. Their last encounter left him devastated, thinking of how wonderful it had felt to be around the strange man. To feel Ryu’s arms holding him, protecting him.
The mob had heard Ken’s cry and were beginning to converge on them. But Ken was too far gone, begging for the wolf to go after Ryu. To save him instead. So Ryu did the only thing he could think of. He struck Ken’s head with one paw, knocking him unconscious before clamping onto his shirt. Then he flung the human onto his back, impatient with the cub that had wandered off during his struggles. They barely escaped when Ryu had to circle the perimeter to retrieve his cub. However, the crowd gave chase, throwing molotovs at them and rocks.
*Stupid humans!* Ryu growled and turned his trot into a high speed sprint. His paws struck the ground harshly, claws digging in for a firm grip over fallen tree branches. The angry humans might have had all the weapons but Ryu possessed brains and skills. Even in his wolf state, he could use instincts which were more potent than any gun could ever be. So he banked downwards, heading for the ravine to run directly below the townspeople. This way, their scent would travel downwind to him, always making him aware of their distance and location.
**
"You have done an incredibly foolish thing, Ryu."
*Where am I?* That voice. Melodic and charming at the same time and yet a force of unimaginable regions lurked within it. *I want to sleep.* Ken stretched a little to find that he was lying on something soft. Whatever it was happened to be too comfortable to break away from. What harm could a quick nap do?
"I had no choice."
*RYU!* How was it possible? Ken had imagined that the strange man was either a captive of the townspeople or…had burned to death. In those frantic seconds where he had tried to go back, not once had he seen any sign of Ryu. Maybe he was hallucinating and hearing things. Yes. That had to be it. In fact, if he woke up and found his leg to be missing…
"There is always a choice."
Ryu growled under his breath at the tall woman sitting by the fireplace. He was required to stand until she finished her criticizing. It was difficult to do that when Ken was beginning to awaken. How he longed to just go to him and prove that everything would be all right from now on. To say, ‘look I’m alive! I’m a wolf but it doesn’t make me a bad person.’ Then the fear would sink in, worse than when Ken had been afraid because of a bad situation. This time, he would be terrified because of a reality too bizarre for any human to ever understand.
"Okay then, I chose to take him here."
Her amber eyes regarded him slowly, measuring something which only she could see. Finally, she straightened up from her crouched position, a heap of strangely violet colored hair pointing every which way on her head. She took hold of Ryu’s hands in her own and regarded him seriously. "Ryu, you know what season this is. There are duties and obligations which must not go unfulfilled. It is your responsibility to ensure that everything goes as it should. How can you forsake the role that you have been raised to take?"
"Mother…I know what is at risk."
"This is your twentieth year on this earth and tradition dictates that you must take a mate. If it is not done by the end of this month when the full moon shines upon us, you will be doomed."
But Ryu knew everything about that tradition as well, he had been born to memorize it until his ears turned red. "What it doesn’t specify is the gender of my mate."
Ryu’s mother looked stunned and appalled. "Heavens! The whole purpose of mating is to bring forth an heir. You cannot do it with this…" She gestured towards Ken’s content form. "…boy."
"Why not?" He grinned wickedly only to be slapped across the face. She was not amused with his attempt at humor.
"I am not in the mood for your games, Son. You are acting very, very selfish. If you pass on without continuing your line, our species will become extinct. Is that what you want?" She shook her head when Ryu refused to answer. "I didn’t bring you up in this world for you to lust over a male. We discussed females so often that I would think you understood by now."
"You also spoke of love." Another slap hit Ryu but he didn’t move or falter. To do so would show weakness and that was forbidden in front of the head of his family. The female had to respected and revered in his culture. Ryu was not one to fully worship his own heritage but made an exception for his mother.
"Think this through. If you make a mistake this big, there will be no turning back." She walked past Ken, becoming angrier still. "And you will be punished for taking this human boy into our sacred grounds. Consider yourself grounded for the remainder of the week." Then, she left him to his thoughts and confusing predicament.
Ryu looked down at Ken who was covered by a warm, thick blanket of one happy wolf cub. His paw was healing nicely and it wouldn’t be long until he could run off with his friends again. But he preferred to stay and help the human that had saved his life. The cub considered Ken to be part of his pack and treated him respectively.
"I know you’re awake." Even though Ryu knew Ken was partially conscious, he was not worried. In the human’s condition, not much could have been overheard.
Ken opened his eyes to find two black ones staring back at him. A long tongue lolled out of the cub’s mouth, licking Ken’s face. He continued until his newfound friend started to laugh and attempt to push him away. "Ryu! Call off your friend."
"He likes you." How wonderful a sight it was to see both wolf and human playing together happily. Harmless to each other unlike the hunters which preyed upon them. Ryu couldn’t have been more trapped between the two worlds. "Is your leg better?"
That question caused Ken to wince in pain, unconsciously acknowledging the unseen injury he had forgotten about. Only, it didn’t hurt anymore. When he glanced down, the small wolf licked his leg. There was no wound or scar anywhere to be found, not even a drop of blood. It was as if he had never fallen into the trap or experienced the living nightmare he had been forced to endure. "What did you do?" He stared up at Ryu in sheer amazement but discovered that his friend was looking very gloom. "Ryu?"
"It’s almost dark again. I have to leave. My mother will look after you until I return."
Not again. Why did he keep vanishing into thin air? "Where are you going?" Ken patted the wolf to move aside so that he could get up. His head was still slightly dizzy from the effects of whatever Ryu had used on him. When he attempted to stand, a throbbing pain interfered with his balance. Before he could even blink, Ryu was holding him tightly and looking very curious.
"I’ll be back again in the morning. Why are you so eager to see me?" He gave Ken a sly grin. "Could it be that you like me?"
"Actually, I was going to ask you where you were? When the cabin set on fire. The white wolf saved my life twice…I didn’t see you anywhere. Where did you go and how did you find me?" Then he looked around Ryu’s home anxiously. "And where is the white wolf now?"
"So many questions!" This was not going to be as easy as he had planned. "I will answer all of them tomorrow. For now, there are other things I must do."
"Like what?" Ken hugged Ryu tighter, refusing to let him go. "Is the wolf your pet? Is that why he saved me?"
*If he only knew…* "Yes, something like that."
"But he couldn’t have fixed my leg up like this." Indicating the bandages along his ankle caught Ryu’s attention again. His eyes saddened but he said nothing. "For a man who doesn’t like people much, you sure are compassionate."
"Passionate?" Ryu misheard Ken, delighting in what he presumed was a seductive lure. When he bent down to kiss the human’s lips, a tingling feeling ran up his spine. He knew by instinct what to do. Experience was not needed to guide the emotions which were boiling inside of him. Their tongues met and clashed, struggling for dominance. Only then did Ryu realize that Ken was acting on his own instincts. They were both new to this sort of affection. And neither of them wanted to deny what had been stirring within them since their first encounter. "I have to go…"
"Don’t." Ken copied what had been done to him earlier, brushing himself up against Ryu. Causing enough friction to grind their hips together. A low howl almost escaped Ryu’s throat until he bit it down. It was almost time.
"Please forgive me." In one split second, Ryu pushed Ken back to the rug and rushed out of the room. The wolf cub licked Ken’s nose, oblivious to the human’s discontent.
"RYU!"
"He will return by morning as he has already told you." The woman Ryu had been arguing with stalked into the room. Her hair alone scared Ken into silence. Had she seen what they had been doing? "You can keep your thoughts quiet only if your expression does not give them away. I saw everything." She ignored Ken’s angered stare and sat in front of him. "Why have you come here?"
"What do you mean?"
"You are only visiting. Do you not have family elsewhere?"
"Yes…but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Go back to them." She kept staring at him until he was forced to release his clenched fists. "You had questions. Ask them of me, not my son."
"Are you really Ryu’s mother? You look nothing alike," Ken grumbled. He knew it was rude but didn’t possess enough tact to keep his mouth shut. To his amazement, she laughed.
"I am Rose. High Priestess of this village. And I am Ryu’s mother. Why do you keep looking at my hair?"
Ken shrugged. "It’s funny looking." He looked at her and she smiled back at him. So she had a sense of humor after all. "You don’t want me to be around Ryu because I’m a guy, right? My parents would be the same way. But I really like him. I can’t help it."
"I noticed. That is exactly why you must leave. Ryu cannot fall in love with you, the future of our race depends on it."
"Your race?" *Maybe she is crazy.*
"Not crazy, Ken Masters."
*I never told Ryu my last name!*
"No, you didn’t. Perhaps you would like to hear a tale? Something you humans would call folklore or a fairy tale. Then you would agree with me that the best thing for you to do is leave Ryu alone." She didn’t wait for him to disagree, he had no choice in this. He would listen and once she finished, Ken would never return to their land again. And so, Rose began her story:
"Many centuries ago, there existed a pair of mystical wolves which were said to be enchanted. They lived in the northern hemisphere, traveling from one end of the earth to the other. But always coming back to their homeland where they had been born. These wolves were different from any others. Special abilities lay within them that enabled them to transform. In the beginning, the most they could do was to develop hands and feet and the ability to walk upright. These changes occurred at first light and with the fading sun long expired from its day’s work.
After a while, through breeding, they adapted more to civilization. Even if the mystical wolves bred with a normal one, the effects would be the same. The bloodline remained pure regardless of what mate they took. These wolves, that grew more and more human in the daytime, wanted to fit in with the genuine thing. So they observed in secrecy, learning everything they could about the humans. Eventually, over many decades, they were granted their wish to fit in. Both man-wolf and man lived in harmony with one another, treated as equals. Our kind kept the necessity of changing at night to ourselves. My ancestors were very wise and considered the trait to be more important than trust. Thankfully, this kept them safe…but not for long.
Five years ago, a mistake was made on our behalf. One of our own fell in love with a human woman. He trusted her with his heart…and his life. And so one fateful day, he decided to let her judge him for what he truly was. Night came. He changed back into a wolf. Not only did she scorn him and their love, but she also told her parents. They informed their town and led men and women alike into our hidden village. A place where few humans have ever been allowed to venture. A war began.
They slaughtered our kind, blaming us for killing their livestock, taking their children and eating them as food. Any crime ever committed was laid at our feet and used as an excuse to perform genocide on our race. Ryu was fighting alongside his father when night was fast approaching. The moment our people started to transform, our casualties rang much higher. We could not defend ourselves against rifles nor could we run and abandon our family and friends. My husband died while protecting Ryu and urged me to save him and what remained of our legacy. So I took Ryu out of the village and restored the magical barriers that had been broken during the raid. With the last of my strength, I let loose a spiritual fire which destroyed the souls of every living human inside of that dome. Some of my own were killed by the backlash that formed as a result of the raw power I unleashed. However, all of the humans died to keep our secret hidden once more."
Ken was about to speak when Rose shook her head. She was not finished. There were tears in Ken’s eyes and he had no doubt in his mind that she was telling the truth.
"All wars bring about a mutual loss and none was greater than the one we suffered from. Nine survivors were found underneath the bodies and ruined houses of our village. We did what we could to rebuild and go on with our lives. By last year, all of the others passed away from old age. The young children that had kept our hopes high in the past were no more. I was too old myself to have a child even if I could have found another mate. Ryu was too young. Now, there is only Ryu and myself…and this is why you have to go.
Ryu is in his twentieth year on this earth and when the full moon rises at the end of this month, he must mate. If he doesn’t, he will die. That is our preserved tradition, one that cannot be altered although we have tried. We are no longer wolves, nor are we human. But long ago, our kinship with pure wolves dissolved in the mating process. It is impossible to mate as a wolf anymore. Ryu has to choose a human…before it is too late."
"I don’t understand. I’m human but you want me to leave. Do you want Ryu to die?!!" Ken just about screamed at her but held himself back from doing so. He was too emotional and that tended to make him irrational as well.
"You would offer yourself to appease his suffering?" She studied him very carefully.
"Yes. I would." *I think I…*
Rose interrupted Ken’s thoughts. "That is very noble of you."
"It isn’t why I would do it. Ryu is the white wolf?"
A curt nod was the response she gave. "Under different circumstances, that might be acceptable. But not now. Our kind is nearly extinct, if Ryu does not produce at least one heir, we will be doomed. For that, he needs a female."
It was almost the end of the month! "Where is Ryu now?!!"
"Do not interfere with Ryu’s destiny." Rose pushed Ken back down when he tried to get up. "He is searching for a human female from the town above this valley. It is difficult enough for him without you getting in the way. Would you put your selfish emotions above the preservation of his kind? Don’t ask him to sacrifice his future for one human man. He won’t do it. Not even for you."
**
As the sun reappeared on the horizon, Ryu shifted back to human form. He stretched his cramped musculature and followed the scent he had been tracking for the last hour. It didn’t matter to him that he was entirely naked out in the wilderness. This was where he was free and could not be harmed. On his own territory which he had memorized so well over the years.
"Ken?" Ryu located his prey resting on an uprooted tree by the lakeside. One could not get very far limping as badly as Ken was doing. What a sight to wake up to! Ken was like a vision from any angle. His head held high, hair blowing every which way in the breeze, eyes shut as if in deep meditation. "Why did you take off like that? My mother said you left and didn’t say goodbye."
"Go home, Ryu."
*That sounded familiar.* "So, you’re in a bad mood because I deserted you last night. I had to…"
"I know what you had to do. Your mother told me everything. Shouldn’t you be entertaining the local girls to see if you can impregnate one?"
All the color faded from Ryu’s face. "You know everything? You know nothing at all!" He grabbed Ken’s shirt, tearing the fabric with his powerful fingers. "I’m not doing this to appease some sexual craving. Would you prefer it if I died?"
Ken returned the grasp with his fingers digging into Ryu’s biceps, drawing blood. "Your mother kicked me out! She said that you can mate with anyone…and what a term to use too! But the only reason you choose a female is so you can have half-breed kids!!!"
"I can’t believe the nerve you have! I save your life and the thanks I get is to be judged like a monster. It isn’t because I want kids…none of this is up to me."
"If it isn’t, you’re already screwed. Go ahead and find some woman who won’t scream when you change. Maybe she’ll even go to bed with you. But how can you be so sure she is capable of giving you an heir? What makes you so certain that she will want to devote her life to you? Don’t wolves take only one mate and keep them for life? Who would be up to that kind of commitment?"
"The one that was meant for me. That person will love me unconditionally and remain by my side for the duration of both our lives."
"That’s right! Person not woman. Why does it have to be a woman?"
"Why must you ask questions that I have no answer to?" Ryu seized Ken’s face and kissed him in a fit of passion and anger. This time, he was met with resistance. His ardent affection was not returned. "You’re holding this against me?" He tried to force Ken to look at him but to no avail.
"I hate what you have to do. In fact, I despise your whole stupid tradition because of it even though I know it’s selfish. But I’m only human and I can’t help what I feel for you. However, no matter what I think or feel, I realize that I’m damning you by putting all this on your conscience. You have to do this…there isn’t any other alternative." Slowly, Ken disengaged Ryu’s fingers from his torn shirt. "When I’m gone, it will be easier for you."
"Ken, I don’t want you to go."
"I wouldn’t give up my life for you so don’t bother doing it for me." That was how it ended. With Ken limping away, an image of Ryu visibly crushed imprinted in his mind. He hadn’t intended to destroy the man’s heart, just give it a good push in the opposite direction. *I don’t mean it, Ryu. One day, I hope you will thank me for obeying your mother’s wishes. For what you’ve given me, I would give you my life and everything in it.*
*This can’t be happening.* Ryu shook his head harshly, attempting to clear out the fog there. The further Ken went, the more it hurt. Watching him, knowing he would never come back. And for what reason? To preserve a society that had been already destroyed. The entire duty of reviving a decimated race hammered down on Ryu’s shoulders. Was it truly worth it? To forfeit his personal happiness for the opportunity to spawn and raise children. And what if he or his chosen mate were not capable of reproducing as Ken had suggested? What then? He had just allowed the best thing that had ever come into his life to disappear without a trace. Ken would not stay another minute after the loss he had suffered.
"There he is!!!"
Ryu turned abruptly, stunned to hear the shrill shout of a small child from behind one of the trees. He caught sight of the girl, focusing in on her blond curls and blue eyes. Wondering what someone so young was doing in these depths of the woods all alone. But she wasn’t alone.
"There’s the man I saw grow fur and ears!," she shouted. "He’s the monster!"
*Oh no!* This was what Ryu had always feared the most. History repeating itself. Another human discovering his secret and endangering himself and his mother. He couldn’t smell anything. There were more humans hiding behind him, where there was no breeze to carry their scents. Their weapons clicked as they were loaded.
"Wait!" He raised his hands to surrender, not wanting the violence which threatened him. Above all else, he would prefer to work out a strategy in exchange for avoiding the pain his father had suffered dying. To use words instead of weapons. Maybe calm their anxiety and explain that they had nothing to be afraid of.
"FIRE!"
In the amount of time it took Ryu’s heart to beat twice, his entire body was assaulted by gunfire. Before he fell, he looked up, swaying on his feet, then his knees. His hands preventing him from crashing face first into the dirt. There, obscured by a row of fern bushes crouched Ken. He had never gone very far to begin with. He was gripping a hunting knife. Where had that come from? *No.* Ryu tried to voice the word but couldn’t get his mouth to move. If he was going to die, he would do so knowing that Ken was safe. "K…en…"
And then Ryu’s world ceased to flourish at all.
End of Part 2