The blood that flows through my veins is from a pack of legends. The wolves of this pack can walk through the flames of Hell as if they are merely walking through the forest on a warm day. While some, like myself, can even control the flames themselves.

You can tell these wolves from all other by looking into their eyes, the eyes that flow with the blood of the ones killed by His Lord. These eyes are what show the ‘Hounds of Hell’ as such, which show who’s pack.

I am not pack. My father is their leader, but that is all. I’m not pack, I never will be. For my eyes are blue, like my mother’s. My mother wasn’t born of this pack, but Father loved her.

The morning after I was born, she left. The morning I was born, was the first time one of the Hounds of Hell tired to kill me.

No one ever told me more than that. I was too young to remember and no one is willing to talk to me if they can avoid it; even Father.

I don’t know how I lived until I was old enough to run, but somehow I did. Now, I sit in the forest, watching the pack I’ll never belong to. Father ignores me; I once over heard one of the pack saying that my eyes remind him of my mother’s and when he looks at me he sees how she betrayed him.

I hunt alone; I sleep alone; always alone, watching from the shadows. I don’t know why I still stay. They might hate me, try to kill me. But this is the only family I know.

………………………………………………..

From the shadows of the forest, bright blue eyes stood out as they watched the pack of red eyed wolves go about their day.

It was early morning and the pups of the pack laid at the opening of their den with large yawns. And the hunting party was just returning with a couple large bucks.

The blue eyed wolf’s ears perked as she saw a new wolf enter the clearing where the other wolves where. He was black with some grey and scars. This wolf moved to ask how the hunt was as the blue eyed wolf watched him closely.

The blue eyed wolf pulled back into the shadows when he glanced at her with emotionless eyes. The only look she had ever gotten from the alpha, the Leader of the Hunt as he was called in this pack. But to her, he was just the father she wasn’t allowed to know.

She looked back to the pups of the pack with a soft smile. But a dark red wolf with bared fangs moved to block her line of vision.

“Half-breed!” He growled at her, “You’re still here?” He glared at her hard, but she ignored him and stepped away from him calmly.

She was used to him, he hated her more than anyone and she wasn’t sure why. His name was Daiku and he was the Alpha’s second in command.

She was about to go find her own food for breakfast, for she wasn’t to eat with the pack. She was amazed that they hadn’t run her off yet. But her ears perked and she glanced over her shoulder.

“Oh, shut up Dad.” The second’s son moved between them and grinned at her. “Mornin’ Yakumo.” He moved closer to her as he greeted her, ignoring his father’s growls of disapproval.

This was Kage, a dark red wolf like his father, but he had dark brown on his chest, front paws and his right ear.

Yakumo bowed her head to Kage, “Good morning.” She would be higher than him if she was pack, but she wasn’t and had to show him the right respect.

She turned to continue along her way, but Kage moved in front of her, grinning happily with his tail wagging.

“Where’re ya goin’, Kumo?” He asked and nudged her muzzle softly with his nose.

Her eyes widened slightly as she moved quickly always from him, but he didn’t act like he noticed, his tail wagging just as fast.

Kage had always been one of the better ones in the pack. He would be one of the wolves that would ignore her more than anything. Though, sometimes he would look at her with pity, she guessed. Only an Elder and a couple of the pups that were too young to know why she was different, but old enough to not just listen to their parents ever looked at her without a glare.

But lately, Kage had been trying to talk to her and jumping in whenever his dad started yelling at her.

She didn’t get it, but she wished he would stop. She didn’t get why he didn’t seem to hate her and it unnerved her.

Kage moved closer to her again, lowering his head slightly so he could look her in the face.

His father growled louder behind them as he watched, but they ignored it. They didn’t care and Yakumo was to busy trying to back up enough so Kage wouldn’t touch her again.

Yakumo’s eyes widened as she was stopped from moving back more by a tree. Kage chuckled and stood close in front of her.

“I’m not goin’ to hurt ya, Kumo.” He smiled and pressed his nose against hers.

Yakumo yelped softly and turned away to run into the forest.

Kage’s eyes saddened as he watched her long after she was out of site.

Daiku growled at him, “What do you think you’re doing, boy!?”

Kage turned back to where the pack was without looking at his dad, “Shut up, old man.”

……………………………………….

Once Yakumo was sure Kage didn’t follow her, she flopped down under a tree. She was panting softly as she laid her head on her paws.

“What was that all about?” She whimpered to herself.

……………………………….

The next morning, before it was dawn, Yakumo awoke to howling from the look out wolves. She jumped up and moved to the edge of the shadows to hear.

Azume, her father stood in front of the rest of the pack as the look out wolves broke through the trees. They bowed their heads to Azume as the stopped.

“Azume-sama!” Kinki, the head of the look out wolves spoke to Azume. “There is a she-wolf coming this way.”

Daiku cut off Kinki before he could continue and Yakumo rolled her eyes in announce.

“You idiot! You can’t take out one she-wolf instead of leading her to the dens!?” Daiku bared his fangs at Kinki as he stood at Azume’s side.

Azume sighed than nipped at Daiku, “Shut up and let him talk.” He said in a strong voice, than turned to Kinki, his voice softening slightly. “Kinki, please continue with what you were saying.”

Kinki bowed his head and continued, “We went to tell her to stop, b-but. Mi’lord, this she-wolf is whiter than snow, yet her blind eyes are blood red.” Kinki looked to Azume in confusion and the wolves around them started to talk among themselves.

Azume barked at them to be quiet, before asking Kinki. “What did she want?”

Kinki shock his head slightly, “She merely said she wished to speak to you, Mi’lord.”

“You should have just killed her.” Daiku growled softly to himself.

Azume ignored Daiku, “Is she coming, Kinki?”

Kinki nodded, “Yes, Mi’lord.”

Azume turned to the pack, “Make sure the pups stay in the den with the females around the opening and males close to them. She’s coming here and we can’t avoid it now.” He ordered and moved closer to where Kinki and the others came out of the forest to wait.

The pack did as told as Daiku moved to Azume’s side, “You’re going to let her come near that pack?”

Before Azume could reply, though it didn’t seem like he was planning to, Kinki jumped in.

“Oh, shut up, Daiku-san.” He said, not caring that he was talking rudely to the beta as he sat near his alpha and looked at the forest.

Yakumo stepped to the edge of the forest, she was curious about this wolf.

Kage walked over to her and looked at her with worry.

Yakumo blinked at him with confusion.

‘Worry?’ She thought, ‘That’s not possible, I must be miss reading it.’

“You should go over with the other females.” He said softly, “It’s safer there.”

She shook her head, ignoring her growing confusion. “I’m not pack, I’m just a lone wolf the hides in the shadows.” She turned her head back towards her father.

Kage growled softly, though if didn’t seem directed towards her and than he nuzzled her and whimpered softly. “Please, Kumo. At least move closer to the pack.” He said softly.

She ignored him as she watched the trees. Her ears perked less than half a second before Azume’s, but only Kage noticed.

“She’s coming.” Yakumo said softly, but the rest of the pack heard and all of the other wolves became more alert. Kage noticed this too, though Yakumo didn’t.

‘They listen to her?’ He asked himself in surprise. They reacted without listening to see if Azume would agree, which they always did, even with Daiku.

Than the white she-wolf Kinki spoke of stepped out of the trees.

She was just as Kinki said, white, whiter than the snow but red eyes. Light colored wolves were almost never born to this pack and a white one was never heard of.

Her blood red eyes where clouded with the loss of site, but her movements didn’t saw any sign of her having anything but perfect vision. Her eyes also showed knowledge, more so than the Elders of the pack, yet she didn’t look any younger than Yakumo.

Kinki stepped forward since he had already met this wolf.

“She-wolf,” He spoke than nodded towards Azume. “This is our Alpha, Leader of the Hunt, Azume.”

Azume stepped forward, “Welcome, She-wolf.”

She smiled sweetly, “Azume-sama, thank you.” Her voice was strong and demanded respect, but at the same time it was soft and sweet.

Daiku jumped forward with a growl, “What do you want, She-wolf!?”

She raised an eye brow at him and giggled the sound like small bells. “What a rude one.”

Azume barked at Daiku with bared fangs. “Quiet, Daiku. Show manners to our guest.”

Daiku was smart enough to back down as Azume turned back to the she-wolf.

“Excuse him, he’s quite an idiot.” Azume said.

The she-wolf giggled again, “Oh, no. It’s fine.” The she-wolf looked at Yakumo with her unseeing eyes, “It seems like something he normally does.”

Yakumo pulled back slightly in surprise as Kage moved slightly in front of her protectively.

The she-wolf giggled before looking back to Azume. “I do have some business here.” She said as she sat down and wrapped her tail around herself.

“What business, She-wolf?” Azume asked her.

“It’s time the Hounds of Hell heard a very old story.” She smiled.