tears of the wolf (original version)
chapter 6
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Tears of the Wolf: Chapter 5:
Understanding: Growing: Toura’s Past 1
“How do they feel?” Toura
clenched and unclenched his hands which were covered in pristine, white
bandages.
“They sting a little.” Okami
sighed.
“You’re so strange,” Toura
murmured. Okami blinked at him.
“I thought you hated werewolves?” The blue-haired hunter’s
gaze turned wistful.
“Yeah, I do. But… you’re no werewolf.” Toura
didn’t know whether to be insulted, but the comment won Okami
a smile.
“I’ve met a lot of wolves, all of them were murderers,”
arm, “all you’ve killed is cattle.”
“So, if I’m not a werewolf, what am I?” Okami
smiled.
“A human with benefits?”
chest with warmth.
“It would be a bit easier to be one of those wolves. The “wolf”
in were wolf is the same as the man, except the wolf is harder to control with
its urges. Even mortal humans sometimes succumb to their bestial urges. Most
give into the wolf on their fifth night, at the most. It gets very tiring,
fighting yourself.”
“But you have.”
“Yes,” Toura murmured, rubbing at
his chest as though it ached.
“But isn’t it easy to suppress it, since you only
“No,” Toura’s voice was wistful, “lycanthrope
is not a random disease,
it is always there. The moon merely brings it out in
full. On full moons, both the man and beast are present, while other nights
only the wolf reigns. On full moons, it is nearly impossible not to transform.”
Okami opened his mouth as if to say something,
expression.
“ ‘
grinned.
“It’s cute.” Okami snorted.
“You’re being awfully friendly with someone who shot you
twice.” Toura pretended to be offended.
“But you lent me your clothes,” his long fingers plucked at
the too-large shirt he was now wearing, “I don’t think you’re going to risk
killing me and getting blood all over your clothes.” Okami
snorted. “You’re too nice, you just can’t stand to see
other people in pain, can you?”
“No, I can’t,” Okami murmured
sadly, “guess that makes me a bad hunter.”
“Yes, but you also have plenty of rage in you, too. That
comes with losing something and not being able to do anything about it.”
honest, violet eyes.
“I don’t remember my parents’ death well, I was too young.
But I do remember it was merciless. Murder.
“My parents and my older sister. I
was nine.”
“A wolf.”
“Yeah. A huge
one, even bigger than you, with sapphire eyes and scars on its left, front leg.”
Toura froze, his eyes wide
in fear.
“Do you know him?!” Okami
pleaded. Toura shook his head.
“There are a lot of werewolves out there,” he murmured.
“So, then, you’re not ging to
kill me?” Toura said, with a sigh of disappointment.
“No,” Okami said forcefully, “even
if you beg me.” Toura sighed again,
“You’re too kind. You won’t last long in this world.”
“No. I won’t. But I don’t need to live long, just enough to
find and kill that wolf.”
“And what if I can dissuade you from thinking that way?”
“Trying to stop me from killing a werewolf?”
“No, trying to stop you from letting your
“You’re being a hypocrite. You can try to help me, but aren’t
you the one who is so fixated on death? If you hate living so much, what is
keeping you here?” Toura’s gaze turned dark.
“Werewolves can’t take their own lives. In fact, there are
only two ways for a wolf to die: by a hunter, or by an alpha wolf. With a
hunter, they have to be shot in the heart with a silver bullet, or their heads
chopped off or their bodies burned.” Okami raised one
blue eyebrow.
“Isn’t their an easier way?”
“No. The body must be destroyed completely or severing the
head and heart, which are the only things we can’t regenerate. To us, silver is
poison.”
“That’s why your hands burned when you touched the bars.”
“How can one of your own kill you, then?”
“Only if it’s an alpha male or your mate.
Not sure why, though it isn’t a hard thing to do like it is
with a human.”
“And… uh, do you have a mate?” Okami
asked nervously.
“No,” Okami’s subconscious sighed
in relief. Okami mentally growled at his libido,
ordering it to settle down. Toura may be beautiful
and his did make his heart stop every time he got too close, but he was still a
wolf.
“-I have a rapist,” Toura
finished bitterly. Okami went to reply, but
“I have to go,” Toura said, his
rich voice like ice, ‘that’s right. I can’t stay. It’s about time I let anyway,
with him still out there. I can’t let
anyone get involved, especially Okami.
been so kind to me. I’ve… I’ve never felt this good before! Damn you,
Rage, sorrow, and hopelessness weighed on each thought. He chose to ignore the
irony of the situation, the very paradox: if it hadn’t been for
but if it weren’t for that damn bastard, he would have been able to comfortably
fall in love. Now, wherever he went, he had to run. He no longer controlled his
own fate, he couldn’t even decide his own death! Now,
he had to ignore his feelings at every turn and run like a coward. But, he
couldn’t risk being caught again. Because he knew he wouldn’t be able to escape
his grasp a third time. Fool me once, shame on you and all that…
Okami grabbed Toura’s
arm, careful of his hands, and something in Toura
cried out in bliss at the sudden skin-to-skin contact.
“Don’t go. I don’t… I don’t like the idea of letting you
go, it’s getting dark.” Toura stifled a laugh.
“
I’m the one people are supposed to be
afraid of.”
“No, you’re not,” Okami said with
a strange smile, “please, stay for a little longer, I…
I think if I knew a little more about you, I might… aw, hell, I don’t even know
what I’m saying anymore, just please stay. You’re not a monster.”
‘You’re so wrong,
You don’t even know, but… maybe I could stay for a little while. It’s been so
long since the last time I saw him, just a few more days.’
“Fine,” Toura said, pretending to
be frustrated at his host, “but I expect to be paid back in full for each of
these bullet wounds!” Okami just nodded and, for the
first time in a decade, his smile was bright.
End Chapter 5