Monday, June 29, 2009

It had been several hours since Athrun had spoken to the wolves. Giving me a quick run down on the fact that the wild wolves were on our side, I couldn't help but feel slightly more at ease; we now had a strong ally. However, anxiousness still filled my heart as I wondered whether or not it would be enough. Not only were the captives of the Lab numerous, but they were also strong, stronger than the average wolf. And so, Athrun had taken it upon himself to coach and train these wolves so they would know what was in store for them. I sat down underneath the shade of the trees and watched as the wolves lunge at each other, snarling and baring their teeth. Though everyone was now on friendly terms, it still seemed as though they wanted to tear each others' hearts out.

But I shouldn't have been worried; Athrun clearly knew what he was doing. He moved flawlessly, dodging each and every attack while countering with his own. His attacks were enough to throw one off his feet, but not severely injuring them. I sighed; it seemed that everyone had a part to do, but me. As I leaned against the tree, strangely, I felt a pair of eyes watch me. Turning around, I saw a young wolf looking at me curiously. On a closer look, it appeared that the wolf was a female, as she seemed less muscular.

She had a lighter coat than the rest of the wolves. It was like a honey-brown, which was highly unusual for a wolf. As I met her eyes, I realized that she was studying me the way that I was doing to her. Swallowing nervously, I reached out a hand towards here. “Come over here, girl,” I said gently as the wolf watched my movement.

She didn't seem the type to attack. The wolf seemed rather curious as she slowly approached my outstretched hand, though cautious at the same time. “I won't hurt you,” I said again in the same tone, recalling Athrun's words.

“Not matter what humans say, wolves are rather intelligent and can understand parts of human speech. It's the humans the refuse to acknowledge that fact,”

Slowly, the she-wolf made her way over to my hand and finally, when she was just an arm's reach away, she placed the top of her head into the palm of my hand, similar to what I've seen dogs do in the city. Gently and slowly, I stroked her smooth glossy fur, not daring to breathe. Feeling a movement coming, my hand froze as the she-wolf stepped back and shook her body out before lying down next to me. I exhaled in relief as the wolf seemed to sense no danger from me. I placed my hand on her head and stroked her once more.

She was rather tame for a wolf, yet I felt that she wasn't entirely a wolf. More like a dog, I think.. I wonder what her name is.. I should ask Athrun about that later on. Seeing that she also had nothing to do, the female went into a light slumber as a repetitive breathing could be heard from her. I smiled, which was funny, despite the troubled times we were in. It felt nice to have a peaceful atmosphere.

As night slowly made its way, the she-wolf awoke as the other young wolves called her over to join them. Giving me a glance before she left told me that she had taken a liking to me. I grinned to myself; I had made another wolf friend. And speaking of 'wolf friend', it was just then that I noticed another figure approaching me. Glancing down at the lower fields, the practice between Athrun and the wild wolves seemed to have paused for the moment. The dark-coated wolf paused for a second in front of me before lying down, placing his head on my lap. I was slightly surprised at first, but then grew accustomed to the weight quickly. What seemed like a wolf-ish sigh, the wolf changed forms so that the being that was lying on my lap was now Athrun in his human form.

He made no effort to move as though he looked comfortable in that position. “How are they?” I asked as I looked down at the face of perfection.

Athrun opened his eyes so that his emerald pupils met my amber ones. “Not as bad as I had originally though, but of course, we have a long way to go,” he replied truthfully. “Though he is rather hot-tempered, Von proved himself to be a worthy fighter,"

I nodded. “Well, he is pretty large... so I guess he would be rather strong,” I said. “... Do you think we can win against Kira?” I asked.

I felt Athrun's body tense slightly at the mention of the name but eased up within a fraction of a second. “I don't know, but nothing is impossible,” he answered, “Especially for wolves that become stronger and stronger for each time they lose,”

I brought my hand to his hair line and began to stroke it gently. His hair was as smooth as his fur, and slipped beneath my fingers as water did. “Then... does that apply for you as well?” I asked.

Athrun gave another little sigh as he closed his eyes. “What do you think?” he said, making no motion to swat my hand away. “Mm, that feels good,” he murmured.

A smile came upon my face as Athrun really did seem rather wolfish at times. Dogs and wolves enjoyed their heads being stroked and it seemed that Athrun was no exception. Despite our troubles, the atmosphere around us was quite peaceful. “You know, earlier, you really had me worried, when I found that you were missing,” Athrun said suddenly, his eyes staring into mine.

My hand paused as I was surprised that he started to speak all of a sudden. I lowered my gaze guiltily as I recalled being nearly torn to pieces by the wilderness wolves. “...I'm sorry, I didn't expect that to happen,” I admitted. “When I woke to find you gone, I decided to look around for something to eat, but as I heard a growling sound, I dropped everything I had and tried to defend myself,”

Athrun sighed again, though this sigh was a sigh that sounded rather exasperated. “Leave the food to me; all you have to do out here is keep yourself safe and sound,” he said as he messaged his temples. “But besides that, you seemed to have made friends with Stellar,” he added with good-humor.

I blinked. “Stellar?” I repeated.

A smile came onto his handsome face as his rich emerald orbs met my amber ones. “Yep, that she-wolf that was sleeping next to you,” he said. “Her name is Stellar,”

“Oh, I see. How old is she?” I asked out of curiosity. “Compared to the other wolves, I'm guessing that she is quite young,”

Athrun nodded. “You guessed right. Stellar is about Shinn's age... that black-coated wolf over there,” he said, pointing over to the pack of wolves who nestled together. “They're among the youngest in the group, which might explain why those two are so close,”

“If she was human, then she'd only be a year or two younger than you are,” Athrun added.

I nodded as he spoke. As I compared a life of a wolf's to a human's, it was very different. In a regular teenager's life, they'd be going to school, hanging out with friends or worrying about their school grades. But in the life of a wolf, ever since at a young age, each and every wolf is taught to defend themselves from any attackers. Their skills must remain sharp since their survival depends on it. “Another question,” I said.

A boy-ish grin came onto Athrun's face. “Another one?” he chuckled softly. “Alright, what is it?”

“Well, I'm just curious, but who is the leader of this pack?” I asked nodded towards the wilderness wolves.

“The leader of a pack is usually the strongest and fiercest one, so naturally, I had thought that Von would be the one, but he isn't,” said Athrun as his smile disappeared to be replaced with a frown.

“Then who is?”

A moment of silence... “From what they told me, their leader was kidnapped about a week ago along with several other wolves from the pack, which I suspect to be the doing of the Lab,” Athrun explained. “So at the moment, Shinn is the 'acting' leader due to the fact that his grandfather is the leader. However, Von is the strongest among the wolves,”

“Then it was lucky for us that Shinn was able to convince the wolves to become allies with us... since it would be difficult for us to do it alone without the numbers,” I commented.

Athrun nodded. “Yes, extremely. Since most of the decisions are made and confirmed by him, the others can't really go against them or else it would mean a rebellion within the pack,” he explained. “Though I have to admit that I was surprised that Shinn still trusted someone like me after his father's kidnapping,”

I frowned as I could see what Athrun was thinking. He was a creature of the Lab, though he was no longer part of it. Shinn, who holds high authority over the wilderness wolves must hold a grudge against those from the Lab who kidnapped his grandfather. “When did you meet Shinn? From what you're telling me, this can't be a recent meeting,” I said.

A small smile came upon Athrun's lips. “Truthfully, it was a day or so after I had met you. You see, in the beginning, I was troubled about the creature that I am. I wasn't sure who I was able to trust, because the humans that I knew of in the Lab were merciless and cold-blooded. So one time when you were gone, I spent my time outside and saved Shinn, who was barely more than just a pup then, from an attack by a mountain lion,” he explained.

I could help but feel a little wounded hearing that Athrun couldn't trust me, but at the same time, I told myself that I would probably feel the same if I had been in his situation. “So you two have kept in contact since then?” I asked.

Athrun nodded. “Yeah.. I snuck out at night quite often and every now and then, I would run into him. Though he is young, he grasps the aspect of things rather quickly. Shinn knew that I wasn't a normal wolf like he was, so I told him the truth not too long after Nicol and the others came. What was most surprising of all was the fact that he accepted me, despite being such a supernatural creature,” he added.

My hand twitched at his words as I remembered seeing Athrun in his original form for the first time. I had been so shocked from the turn of events and even my kidnapping that at that moment, I had instinctive slapped his hand away though he was concerned about my well-being. Though it had not crossed my mind after so long, the pain that crossed his face when I rejected him was something that I could never forget in my lifetime. Athrun wasn't like the other wolves who slaughtered my family. He cared for me and was there when no one else was. Athrun would never cause me any harm. But yet... I had done something so unforgivable...

I had been so deep in my thoughts that I had not even realized that Athrun shifted his body to an upright position. “Cagalli?! What's the matter?” Athrun's urgent voice broke my train of thought.

Turning towards the direction of his voice, I could see that he wore an expression of worry and concern. It was then that I realized that I was crying. Embarrassed, I turned my face away to hide my tears, but Athrun had already seen it. I wiped my tears away with my arm. “A-ah, it's nothing,” I lied with failure.

A firm hand took the arm that I was using to wipe my eyes and turned my body around. I was looking at Athrun once again. “It isn't nothing! Why are you crying? Are you hurt anywhere?” he asked, his voice full of worry.

I shook my head, avoiding his gaze. “N-no.. I'm not. Like I said, it's nothing,” I said.

Releasing my arm, Athrun cupped my face with both hands, forcing me to look at him straight. “Cagalli,” he started quietly. “Please tell me what is the matter. I thought we were close enough for you to tell me whatever that is bothering you,”

I sniffed, remaining silent. I knew that Athrun excelled in everything, even speech. Just by a few simple words, he could make one spill the deepest of secrets. Taking a quick glance at his face before adverting my eyes, I started to speak. “Remember that day when Nicol and the others took me as bait?” I asked quietly.

I felt Athrun's hands froze on my face as the memory took an impact from him. “Yes,” he spoke.

“When you changed forms in front of me, I admit that I was shocked, but I swear, I had never wanted to reject you that day!” I exclaimed as I gripped his jacket and stared straight into his eyes.

“Everything had happened so quickly and unexpected that my body wasn't truly under my control. Before I had realized what I had done, you were already gone. You don't know how much I had regretted my actions that day! I-i know that somewhere inside of you, there is a part where I know that I won't ever be forgiven, but please know that I don't want you to ever disappear from my life... no matter what you are!”

As I took a breath to continue, my words were cut off as Athrun took me into a deep embrace, similar to the one from last night. “Cagalli... Cagalli,” he called my name. “Was that all you were worried about?”

I blinked in surprise, he didn't seem to be angry like I had thought that he would be. “Athrun?” my voice sounded small.

Athrun's strong arms wrapped tightly around my waist, as though he never wanted to let go. “I also admit that I felt as though I wanted to die when I thought that I was no longer wanted by you,” he admitted. “But it was too late; I couldn't be separated from you, so I came back to the cabin only to find that you were gone,”

“Though it was inappropriate at the time, did you know how I felt when you called for me? Knowing that I was needed, without any hesitation I came for you,” he said quietly. “.. Though it was also my fault that you were taken to such a place,”

I couldn't help but smile a little at his tone of voice on the last part. “But it was also thanks to you that got us out of there,” I told him as I felt better.

Athrun shook his head. “Nah, it wasn't just me; it was thanks to you too. Without you, we wouldn't have been able to escape the prisons,” he replied back.

“Fine, it was both of us then,” I summarized. “But before you get any weird ideas, I'm not usually this weak, alright? I-it was just you caught me at a sentimental moment,” I added, embarrassed of my scene just moments before.

Athrun made no reply as he merely chuckled. I was surprised when Athrun released me. “Now that you're feeling better, I as well truthfully, there's a place that I discovered earlier,” he told me. “I want to show you,”

“What is it?” I asked, curious of what it could be.

“You'll see... anyway, get onto my back; it's faster than just walking since it's not that close,” Athrun said as he turned his back to me.

I hesitated for a moment as I looked at his backside. Well, it's not the first time Athrun has given you a ride... though the other times were when he was in his wolf form.. I thought to myself. “Hmm? What's wrong? Aren't you getting on?” Athrun questioned my motives.

“Yeah yeah, just be patient,”

And so, I latched on onto his back as he wrapped his strong arms around my legs to support me, though both of us knew that he wouldn't let me fall all of a sudden. “Alright, hold on.. though I'm not as fast in my human form, I'm still a lot faster than an average person,” Athrun warned as I wrapped my arms around his neck and nodded.

We took off into the forest. It was dark... so dark that I was barely able to make the outline of the trees and bushes that surrounded us. It was a little exhilarating traveling in what seemed like darkness, but I trusted Athrun. After all we had been through together, it felt good to know that your most trusted person was able to be beside you through the thick and thin. Though I had never noticed before, Athrun's back was quite wide and muscular, though it wasn't often visible due to the fact that he usually wore jackets. It was warm as well.

Athrun moved very quickly, though he claimed that his speed as a human was no where close to the speed that he gained when in his wolf form. I guess the size and form mattered quite a bit when it came to speed. To avoid my eyes hurting because of the wind pressure going against us, I lowered my head, almost pressing my forehead against his back. “Almost there,” I swore I heard him say.

After a handful of minutes, Athrun slowed his pace to a jog before halting completely. I still hung onto him, without realizing that we had already stopped. “Cagalli? It's over,” said Athrun as I opened my eyes slowly and blinked.

Indeed we had stopped. Athrun slowly released me as I made my way back towards the ground, surrounded by unfamiliar surroundings. Though I knew we were still somewhere in the forest that was connected to the spot where the wilderness wolves lay, it seemed that we had come a long way. “Where are we?” I questioned as I scanned the darkness around us.

Due to my limited vision, everything seemed pitch black. I could barely make out anything. Though I was extremely curious for why I was brought here. “Hmm.. truthfully, I don't know as well,” Athrun replied, good humorly.

I spun around to look at Athrun, who blended in well with the dark except for his eyes, which seemed to illuminate. “Like I said earlier, it was by mere coincidence that I stumbled onto this spot, but c'mon, I'll lead the way,” he added as a hand grabbed my own.

It was an extremely strange situation where one is led through the dark without any idea what was going on. “Athrun? Where are you taking me?” I asked as I winced at the feel of branches and leaves raking against my skin.

Athrun made no reply to my question and instead released the hold of my arm. Startled, I stopped moving. “Athrun?!” I hissed.

For a moment or two, I was left stranded in the dark without the ability to see in the dark. I could feel the beating of my heart quicken at the fear of being alone, even if for just a second. “Athr-!” I called again but was interrupted as a hand covered my mouth.

“Shh!” came Athrun's voice as he faced me, his eyes visible in the dark.

He took my hand once more and brought me through the bushes. “Look!” he whispered as he yanked my arm towards the front, bring my body with it.

Breaking out of the bushes I was about to question his motives again but I suddenly paused and looked at the front. Countless of lights danced around in front of us, moving in a repetitive order. As silence crept around us, I realized that I could hear the low humming and fluttering of wings as these lights continue to move around. It was a sight to behold. Feeling a pair of eyes scan my face, I looked to my side to find Athrun looking at me. “What do you think? Cool eh?” he whispered excitedly.

I nodded, having my breath taken away at such a scene. “...Amazing,”

“Come, let's sit over on that patch there,” Athrun said quietly as he began to move, once again taking hold on my arm.

This time, I followed him without saying anything and sat down next him to watch the performance that was set by the fireflies. Though we were surrounded in complete darkness, the light that the insects were enough to illuminate the space that they filled. We remained in silence as we watched the performance until finally, Athrun broke the silence.

“These past few days have been nothing but action and stress... I wanted you to be at peace, even for a little while,” he explained.

When I took his words into thought, Athrun continued on, “You know, no matter what will happen in the battle that's in store for us, I'll make sure that I'll always protect you, even at the cost of my life,” he said as his tone told me that he was deadly serious.

I shook my head at his words. “No, you're wrong,” I replied, making Athrun look at me with questioning eyes.

“You and I.... we will protect each other,”

In the dim light, I thought I saw a smile on his face. “Yeah, you're right,” he replied. “... But, you know... if we do survive in the end...” his voice trailed off.

He had fully caught my attention as I focused on his face. Athrun's eyes faltered slightly as he glanced to his side as though to collect his thoughts for a fraction of a second. When his eyes were once again staring into my own, he took a deep breath. “If we do survive in the end... and save everyone,” he said. “...W-would you like to come live with me?”

I stared at him in surprise as a blush filled my cheeks. Was this a proposal? “I-i mean, after I put my past life as a wolf behind me, I could get a job and support us... and our family,” Athrun continued, obviously rather flustered by the way he was speaking. “That is... if you want,”

I smiled really widely as I listened to his words. It would be the second time that I would become tearful in that day. “Yeah... I'd like that,” I replied as my eyes were brimmed with tears.

I could hear Athrun breathe in relief and brought my face closer to his. Closing my eyes, I left everything else up to pure instinct. Athrun seemed to have felt what I would be doing and so, before I knew it, my lips touched the thing that I was looking for; his lips. I felt his hands brushed back my hair and in turn, I wrapped my arms around him as we shared a passionate, yet blissful kiss. A kiss that sealed our promise to each other. A promise of survival.

Labels: gundam seed, wolf rider