Hey guys! So, it's been SO long since I've touched this story. I am definitely a different writer than the person who started this. My style has changed and so has my plans for this plot. I hope you enjoy the new stuff I have come up with and can still appreciate where I want these characters to go.

Sorry for taking so long to update and thank you for sticking with me!

Chapter 13: Brother

Axel summoned his two Lycan packmates to the fire early in the night. Roxas was fast asleep as usual; the rigors forced on his body over the past three had surely strained his muscles and mind more than they had ever been. But as he suffered, so too did he heal. His connection with his inner wolf was growing everyday like a fledgling heartbeat. This meant that damage was repaired and pain was alleviated at a much faster rate than humanly possible.

His scent was changing. His heart felt stronger, beat more strongly against his ribs. Axel pondered these things as he rested his lips against the knuckles of his clasped hands.

The boy could grow claws when he was angry. He could rudimentarily sharpen his senses to hear the mental conversations between his lupine companions. He was developing so quickly, despite having only a fourth of the blood of a full Lycan. The long tally of feats that Roxas had managed to accomplish in such a short time was truly impressive. It made Axel marvel at the intrinsic strength of the ancient genes. Even when mixed with human genes, they could still bring about powerful predatory changes that were, until recently, thought impossible by both species alike.

He is strong. He is an anomaly. And still….he is not strong enough.

Axel sighed at their predicament and turned to catch the silver and blue gazes of his Pack.

"Xemnas and the….and the others," he said deliberately, refusing to acknowledge them as the enclave that had once held their utmost esteem and loyalty but had now fallen quite severely from grace. "They have turned south, away from our current location. But we can't afford to tarry here any longer. At dawn we will head north. Every step Xemnas makes in one direction we will make in the opposite. Until Roxas is ready to fight. Until we are all ready to fight."

He looked meaningfully as the two wolves, sharply aware of how smaller they were compared to the other Lycans, and how little experience they had in fighting. In killing.

Demyx sighed and ran his hands roughly through his Mohawk. "Ax…" he said slowly, eventually flashing him a tortured gaze. "What chance do you really think we have against them?" He shook his head slightly. "Those men are all trained assassins. You can take them, well, maybe one at a time. But they won't give you that chance. And me? I've never killed a human…let alone a Lycan." He scowled and put his arm protectively around Namine. The pale girl buried her face against his shoulder, looking only at the fabric of his jacket.

They were all deathly silent in the dark. Snow had begun to fall around them in tiny flakes. They looked more like bits of feathers than the ice that coated the entire land in a suffocating layer of frost. But Axel was not one to despise the snow. It covered their scents and helped hide their tracks. If anything, the snow was an ally. And we need all the help we can get.

"We do, I know," Demyx responded. He let out a steamy exhalation. The man radiated frustration and despair in waves. None of it showed on his face, however. When he met green eyes, it was cool as the snow. "But Namine and I are not much of it. I can't Change."

"You don't know that."

Demyx shook his head, his tresses drooping under the weight of the frozen water. It robbed his face of its usual playful and light demeanor. "I…I've tried hearing for my Brother. I've listened and I've listened." His arms tightened around his mate. Namine tilted her face to press a tiny kiss to his jaw.

Axel was happy to see them being affectionate together in front of him, proof of their cemented bond. The girl's ministrations were surely a better medicine than the Alpha's harsh words. But Demyx's doubt was weakening their Pack. Axel had to be quick to act less it settled in their hearts like a malignant cancer.

"Do you not trust in my strength, Demyx?" he asked, a deepening to a very low octave. The smaller male lowered his eyes submissively. "No, Axel, you're the strongest of us all but-."

Axel rose to his feet. He was a moderately large wolf and a very tall man. He walked over to Demyx and enveloped him in his shadow. Namine finally looked up and faced the Alpha. He quirked a dark brow in her direction. She stood up and crossed to his side. Demyx sat alone on his piece of wood and starred into the snow.

"Do you not think, Demyx," Axel said very low in his throat, so low that human ears could not register the frequency. "-that I will do everything in my power to protect you? And Namine?" His green eyes darted to her and she nodded humbly. "Are we not Pack?!"

The blonde male looked up and let go of his pretenses. His frustration with his own foibles. His fear. All of this inner turmoil spilled out of his azure eyes like rivers. Including his unfailing admiration for the older wolf. "Yes," Demyx whispered. "And yes." He sighed and rose slowly to his feet. "Yes, I know you will protect us." Blue met crystal green. Axel smiled softly and put a hand on his old friend's shoulder. "Then have faith in me. And in yourself. Because I do." He flicked his chin at Namine. "And so does your mate." Demyx laughed sheepishly then and rubbed his neck. "Okay fine. I'll believe in this crazy idea of us taking on Xemnas. If anyone can make it work...," he smiled grimly. "-it's you, Ax."

He sighed again and looked towards Roxas' tent. All listened quietly to the boy's steady breaths.

Axel nodded and declared firmly: "Tomorrow I will teach Roxas to work in harmony with his Brother. And I will teach you as well." Demyx nodded with thin lips. Then he looked to Namine and she smiled brightly. "Then, the lot of us will learn to fight. To strike at weaknesses without pause. To neutralize any threat. Or even kill that threat, if need be." They shared a long, heavy look. They thought of the 11 wolves approaching them with malicious intent. Thought of how sharp their claws were, and how ruthless their bites had become over decades of agonizing training.

Namine nodded gravely, the knuckles of her fists turning white. "I will kill anyone who comes after you, Axel." He gave her a warm smile. Of course he never intended for her to shed blood. Of course he had worked since she was a tiny pup to shield her from the violence of their world. But she was a Lycan. Hunting prey, be it a rabbit or another wolf, was an essential part of her DNA.

She can do it. She must.

"Or you, Demy," she whispered. Demyx captured her hand and held it tightly between their bodies. "Or Roxas. If any of them hurts a single blonde hair on his head…" She growled and unsheathed her claws. "I'll rip their throats out."

Her eyes flashed silver and Axel felt, for the first time that night, that maybe they had a fighting chance.

Before the sun's first rays had crept over the treetops, Axel shook Roxas awake.

The boy groaned and burrowed deeper into his sleeping bag. Axel then subsequently peeled the bag away like a banana's skin and tossed the boy into the snow. He yelped but quickly found several layers of jackets with which to restore his bubble of warmth. Namine and Demyx then helped him re-bundle all their supplies and the tent into each of their packs. They buried the remnants of their fire deep in the ground, hiding the evidence of its existence.

Finally, Namine and Axel turned into their wolf forms. Two humans and two wolves came together to form a small circle. Demyx looked at Roxas who was looking very ragged indeed. His hair was a sandy mop and dark blotches ringed his eyes. "Sorry about that, Roxas," he smiled. The boy grunted and flashed a spiteful glare at the red wolf. Axel was unfazed. "We will cover many miles today. Axel commands that you communicate with us solely through your senses. No words. No language of the spoken kind. Only your body language." Roxas shook his head helplessly, surely wanting to protest but too tired to actually do so. Demyx nodded and the team broke up. Roxas was helped onto Axel's haunches, carrying one of the more fragile backpacks on his shoulders. Axel took a tougher pack carefully between his teeth. Namine and Demyx mirrored the same positions. Demyx tightened the straps of his pack and scratched a peachy ear in front of him. The white wolf panted happily and wagged her tail.

Alright, let's go, Axel commanded.

Namine sprinted ahead and Axel followed close behind. He crouched low every couple steps to drag his tail in a wide semicircle to obscure their tracks. It was a very awkward way to move. Axel, however, was nothing of not graceful and fast runner. Even with the added task of scouring the snow with his tail, he was still able to nearly match Namine's pace. She never got far enough ahead that he lost sight of her.

They ran like the wind. The cold snow bit at their paws and inspired them to preform longer and longer leaps across the white terrain.

After a couple hours, the sun reached above the tree tops and spilled orange rays onto the landscape. The infinite number of ice crystals around them caught the light and tossed it like thousands of drops of rosy and golden water in every direction.

Hours later, when the sun was high in the sky, it helped warm the wolves' fur.

Axel closed his eye briefly to relish the way his fur developed a comfortable sunny temperature and chased away the chill in his paws.

Occasionally, the boy on his shoulders made a botched attempt to communicate with him. But he was tired, Axel supposed, and a bit disoriented. The wolf only grasped the random projected word.

Axel….I…..stop….have to….I.

He wanted to force the boy to form a coherent sentence before he obeyed it. Eventually, Axel could physically feel Roxas' discomfort in his own skin. He slowed to a stop and laid down in the snow. The boy slid off haphazardly and fell into a slumped position. He took in some ragged breaths before looking up and clawing handfuls of snow out of his eyes and hair.

He glared murderously at Axel, chest heaving.

"I…told…you…I…wanted...to…stop," he panted, ripping off his backpack and standing up defiantly.

Axel blinked slowly, conveying strongly and slowly: You never formed a complete thought. You have to do so. Focus, Roxas. Listen to your inner wolf. Work together.

Roxas was silent. He continued his vehement stare. Then, he shook his head and took a water bottle out of the pack. His took several long gulps before capping it and putting it away. Then he walked a small circle and rubbed his arms.

"I understood a little of that," he said once he'd regained his breath. Axel nodded and Roxas looked away. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

After a moment, he opened one eye questioningly at Axel. The wolf shook his head. Roxas, I still only hear random phrases.

Roxas shoulders drooped and sighed raggedly.

"I'm trying. But..." He sighed and shook his head before walking off into the trees. "What I was trying to say is that I really have to pee," he called over a shoulder. "I'll be back in a bit."

Namine, Demyx.

The white wolf had stopped in her tracks the minute she felt her Alpha do so.

To me.

A handful of minutes later Namine melted out of the trees. She looked at him, waiting for orders. Green eyes shot right to Demyx.

It is imperative that you and Roxas learn to hear your Brother Wolves. It is clear to me that Roxas is missing a fundamental step to completely communicate. We will resolve that now.

Demyx nodded uncertainly. I'll try.

When Roxas wandered back to where he had left Axel, he noticed the rest of their pack and frowned. "Great. What now?" he growled.

Axel understood that Roxas was tired and sleepy and hungry. But he was a bit on edge himself. Their impending battle could only be avoided so long. And he doubted it could be delayed long enough for the boy to master his Lycan blood at the usual pace. He had to do it very quickly. He had to do it now.

Axel dropped the backpack he was holding in his teeth and transformed instantly back into his human glamour.

Roxas blushed and looked away. "You're not listening to your Brother, Roxas. You must still your thoughts. Look for the one thing that beats like a pulse in that stillness," Axel said, a hard note in his voice. "That's what you're missing."

Angry sapphire eyes whipped up to his face. "You think I'm not trying?!" he yelled, his fists shaking by his thighs. "I am! I'm looking inside of myself and waiting for an answer. It's like I'm in a giant cave and I'm crying out into nothingness! And nothing is answering back Axel!"

Demyx's eyes widened. So. Demyx is in the same situation. Axel chewed this in his mind a bit before walking up to Roxas. The boy held his ground fiercely, keeping his eyes stubbornly fixed to the pair of green ones. "What?" Roxas cried. "What, are you going to make me listen by force?" He raised his fists, entering a stance many humans and turned against Axel- all to rather fruitless results. The boy could sense the aggressive nature that had crept into Axel's gaze. Perhaps his pupils had thinned. Perhaps Axel did look a little more like a wolf than a human at the moment. But the Alpha had an objective and was tired of pampering the boy. He had doted on him and sheltered him since Xemnas had wounded him nearly a little more than a week ago. Of course a tenderness for the boy had welled up inside him and colored his every action. But softness and sweetness would not teach a Lycan to embrace is inner beast. He needed to be shown the path forcefully and without hesitation.

Axel lifted a hand and, before Roxas could react, he held it against the boy's chest.

Roxas had the wisdom to remain still.

"You too, Demyx," he commanded.

Demyx took a stand next to Roxas and Axel placed his other hand on the other man's chest.

"The way to communicate with your Brother is not about physically hearing. You feel him. Like a vibration that you don't feel in your feet or hands or on your skin. You feel it in here." He pushed on the two chests. "It's like a warmth that you only feel here. A pressure, almost like another pair of lungs breathing next to yours, in here."

Demyx nodded. Roxas only stared. "Eventually your Brother will always be on the edges of your senses. Always there, hearing what you hear and seeing what you see. It is at once you, and a carnal, more primeval individual that can consume you if you aren't careful.

"First you will come in contact with this entity. I didn't realize you were both missing this step. You must discover this shape and taste and sound. Then you will control him. Make him your equal. Then, you will become friends."

Axel looked at Roxas patiently. "You have contacted your Brother before. Once in anger and fear. Then again…through an admirable degree of concentration. But you must learn to hear him, your Brother, without trying. Like breathing or blinking."

Namine sniggered, the equivalent of a raspy noise slithering out from between her black lips. All three males glanced at her with varying degrees of irritation.

Her ears lowered. Sorry.

"Namine, we are going to show them the source of their Brothers. They must know where he sleeps before they can find him whenever they need him."

The wolf stood next to him and transformed into her human shape.

If Roxas had been uncomfortable with Axel's nudity, he was downright mortified at Namine's.

He quickly looked at his feet with a red face. Demyx shifted awkwardly next to him.

To both, she offered a dazzling smile.

"Namine and I are going to transform several times. It will stimulate your own Lycan blood. Pay attention to the source of this feeling. Find it. Commit it to memory. Then, reach into this place and make the connection. Make the bond."

Axel looked down at his companion. On my word, he said.

She blinked in easy understanding.

"Wait, wait, wait," Roxas sputtered. They all complied.

The boy took in a long breath. He rolled his head a couple times, his vertebrae popping noisily. He shook his hands and danced from foot to foot.

Axel quirked a brow amusedly. Namine let out another giggle.

Het exhaled quickly and nodded at his feet.

"Okay. Go for it."

Now.

Axel and Namine both flowed back into their wolf forms. Light burst from their essences, briefly free of any distinct form, before skin rolled into fur, bones lengthened and cracked, and an entirely different set of senses cascaded over their brains like streams of fire.

The white and brown-red wolf shook their fur for a minute or two and watched their friends.

Demyx twitched. Roxas was as still as stone, eyes pressed firmly closed.

Again.

With another flash, wolves dissolved into humans.

Sweat began breaking all out on the brows of all four. Two because of the headaches blooming in their temples. Two because of the actual heat that was shimmering on their skin.

Again.

With yet another flash, that surely had Demyx dizzy for his eyes remained stalwartly open, soft human flesh became course hide and rippling muscle.

One more time.

Then, in the last of the staccato bursts of light, Axel and Namine settled once again into humanity. The girl breathed heavily and plopped down in the snow. Even Axel had worked himself into a small pant. Though it was relatively easy to transform various times throughout the day, to do so back to back put a huge strain on the Lycan body. His muscles clenched on and off spasmodically and his vision swam in a nauseating blend of colors.

He gave himself a minute to recover.

Axel shook his head and looked at his students.

First he noticed Demyx. He was staring at his hands with a faraway look.

In the silence, the only sound was Namine's breaths and the birds chatting idly overhead. The wind whispered silently in the branches. Snowflakes drifted slowly all around as if existing in a different stream of time.

Then Demyx started laughing.

At first, it was a loud bark of laughter that faded into a warm chortling.

Axel looked at him sharply.

What is it?

When Demyx turned his eyes up, they shimmered like two orbs of blue flame.

"I heard him. I heard him." He turned his eyes skyward and rubbed his face as if confirming he wasn't dreaming. Namine laughed and skipped over to him. He grabbed her waist and lifted her up and spun her in a couple circles. They nuzzled noses and then kissed chastely. Demyx was panting with a fierce smile. "Back, get back," he panted excitedly. He flashed Axel a triumphant grin.

And then there was light. Namine gasped, utterly stunned for a moment. She summoned the last of her strength to mimic the actions of her partner.

Axel put his hand up, blinking. Then he heard his own laugh.

Yes! Demyx had done it. He had reconnected with his wolf origins and embraced it.

A warm happiness bubbled up in his blood. He felt weightless. He felt so sweetly satisfied.

When Axel next looked, a white wolf danced merrily around a tawny wolf with a pink nose. Demyx's human Mohawk translated to a strange line of fur that stood up distinctly from the rest of his shorter fur. It traveled from the back of his head, down his spine, and stopped the base of his tail. Namine kept trying to sniff it with her nose but Demyx couldn't stand still. He barked and wagged his tail hysterically and nipped at Namine and ended up tumbling with her in the snow like pups out of the den for the first time.

Axel shook his head with a cheek-to-cheek smile.

Their Pack was officially back together.

Belatedly, he remembered Roxas.

Axel's grin faded and he crossed to the boy.

Oh no.

The boy was on the ground, curled tightly around himself.

A golden fur protruded from the lip of shirt and the ends of his jeans. His hands and feet were completely replaced by paws. But his legs, arms, and torso still clung desperately to their human lines. Roxas' mouth had deformed into a small snout and his lips curled painfully away from long fangs. His wolf ears were plastered to the curve of his skull and his eyes clenched in anguish.

Axel felt a stark blot of fear shoot through his heart. Roxas had transformed into his most warped mixture of human wolf up to this point. It looked ugly. It looked wrong. And it looked horribly painful. The boy radiated agony in dense waves that hit Axel and nearly knocked the breath from him.

With a trembling hand, he touched Roxas' shoulder.

"Roxas."

The wolf-boy whined and tried to curl into an even more compacted ball.

"Roxas."

Still, no effect.

Axel took a steadying breath and sat down and pulled the boy into his lap. He stroked his hand up and down his hair, carefully avoiding his lupine ears. "I'm here, it's okay. Relax."

Roxas.

The blue eyes opened. The pupils were such thin slits they almost disappeared in the glacial blue irises.

Good. You hear me.

The eyes flicked to him and a low growl began emanating in the base of his throat. It too was a strange concoction of animal and human cadences.

You must work with your Brother, youngling.

Axel blinked, never having his inner wolf directly addressing a consciousness other than his own. His shivered. It was disturbingly surreal.

Iniside, you are Alpha, Roxas. He is not. You must show him your dominance.

Roxas blinked rapidly. His breathing hitched, rising in tempo until he seemed to be breathing in and out every second.

Axel grit his teeth, never feeling so helpless before. It was his fault Roxas was in such a state. It was his fault his was in so much pain.

I'm sorry… It was too much. I'm sorry… So sorry. He buried his face in Roxas' hair as he rocked him back and forth.

Stop your whining. The boy can handle it. Look.

Axel raised his head. The boy's breathing had finally returned to a normal rhythm. Before his eyes, the golden fur receded back into the boy's skin. His snout shrunk and disappeared. The ears withdrew into the messy shock of blonde hair. In a matter of moments, the human glamour was intact. Roxas was still a giant tight ball of nerves.

Then, with a loud exhalation, he uncoiled and lay completely stretched out across Axel's lap.

His breathing rattled in his lungs and his face was pink as if distinctly sunburned.

Axel held his breath until the boy spoke.

Roxas licked his chapped lips and grinned.

"And stay down," whispered.

Axel shook his head with a frown. "What?"

The boy laughed hoarsely and ended up coughing. The Alpha panicked and held Roxas even tighter in his arms.

"I won. I beat him." Axel waited tensely in silence. Roxas flung up a hand exasperatedly. "Him! My Brother! I beat him. He's mine now."

You…you have made peace with your inner wolf?

I did. He sure as hell didn't make it easy though.

Axel blinked stupidly before laughing almost as loudly as Demyx did not a handful of minutes ago. "Well done, Roxas!" Axel praised, helping the boy to his feet and clapping him solidly on the shoulder. The boy grunted and stumbled away.

Hey watch it! These bones aren't what they used to be.

Axel grimaced and held his hand gently against the boy.

Are you still in pain?

Roxas grinned and sat down in the snow.

Yes. But… The boy groaned and ruffled his hair, scratching viciously at the spots his wolf ears had once occupied. It's sooooo good to be done with that. I can hear you. I can hear me.

He flopped into the white layer of drift and splayed out his legs and arms.

And I can finally hear him.

Axel stood back on his heels. He looked up at the blue sky in wonder. He didn't think it would be that easy. That both Deymx and Roxas would conquer their unique obstacles in so quick a time.

I suppose my and Namine's changes were very…provocative stimulation. I didn't know it but…my instincts did. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the sunlight on his face. I am Alpha. And I'm getting the hang of this.

He cringed briefly, thanking all his Lycan ancestors that this spur-of-the-moment exercise ended in success instead of tragedy.

Axel shook his head and refused to consider the alternatives.

"Hey, Ax." The tall man, still grinning slightly, looked down at his exhausted ward.

"Yes?"

"Would you mind putting some clothes on? Or some fur or something? I've been staring at that," he pointed vaguely at Axel's pelvic region. "-for way too long now."

Axel got the hint and colored faintly. Then let out a breath and rippled back into a giant wolf.

He decided then that he was going to hold off on transforming for the umpteenth time that day until they made it back to camp, which was still many miles away. He shook his fur and turned to his other two wolves.

Demyx and Namine were sitting with their haunches touching. The tawny wolf was licking the white one devotedly. Her ears were limp in pleasure. Both met his gaze when he pointed it at them. Namine trotted over to his side, still playful.

Pack. We are Pack. She shouted proudly into all of their collective minds.

Demyx grinned with pearly fangs. He stilled when he saw Roxas lying still in the snow.

He quickly crossed to him and sniffed all up and down his body.

The boy laughed and pushed the snout away.

When the sapphire eyes opened, they went very wide with surprise.

"D…Demyx?!"

The medic wolf let a long tongue loll.

At your service. A dark-lined eye winked.

Roxas laughed and petted the soft fur. "Wow. WOW! I've never seen you as a wolf!" He sat up and leaned back on his palms. He noted the wolf-Mohawk and grinned. "Awesome."

Together, the four basked in a shared feeling of success. Their loyalty to each other had never been stronger. Axel had never felt more pleased with his Pack.

For a moment…he could almost forget about Xemnas. He could just enjoy their togetherness and the mutual joy bubbling around them like a tepid pond. And he did.

But the dark Hunter was never far from his thoughts. Demyx could fight as a wolf and now they could all communicate instantly with just their bodies. These helped their chances. But there was so much each of them needed to work on before they were ready.

Ready to make a stand. Would they be ready to win?

We should celebrate, is what we should do.

They all looked to Demyx.

I personally haven't felt a wolf's appetite in a long time. So, in answer to that, what if we all go catch some nice tasty deer, find a warm place to sleep-

"Or wherever it is this crazy wolf is leading us," Roxas muttered, glancing at Axel. The red wolf snorted at the boy.

-yes, wherever that warm place may be, and then get some well-earned rest.

He turned to the white wolf.

How's that sound, love?

She yipped her agreement and licked his nose.

Okay. Demyx, seeing as you're a bit out of practice, I will let you find the first deer. Try to find the trail on the tree bark. You'll have little luck with the snow. Let's get the packs and move out.

Demyx and Namine turned to the lump of backpacks and took one in their mouth.

Axel turned to Roxas.

You really have done well. More than I could have hoped for.

The boy got wearily to his feet and shrugged on his pack. His eyelids drooped but shook his head and met Axel's gaze.

I couldn't have done it without you.

The wolf rubbed the boy fondly with his nose. Then he crouched low and helped Roxas onto his haunches. Axel grabbed a pack and set off after the two wolves that had set off animatedly down some scent-trail.

They covered almost 20 miles before nightfall. They took various brakes to relieve themselves, eat, and drink. Each deer they caught was eaten to the bone. Then, the bones were coated in only the scent jelly they could spare, wrapped in a sleeping bag, and lashed onto a pack. The scent of a deer carcass would be a beacon in the dark to the Lycans pursing them. Also, the scent left by their Pack on these bones would be an even bigger giveaway. To leave the bones behind, or even burry them where sensitive noses would still be able to find them, would be a heinous error. Namine and Demyx had opted to sacrifice their bags for the sake of carrying the bones. Now that Demyx had found his Brother, and consequently regained the muscle memory of transforming into a wolf, he wouldn't return to his human glamour for a long while. And I certainly don't mind sleeping outside as long as I have this one (Namine) to huddle with, he added. So it was all settled rather efficiently.

Snow was packed into water bottles to melt later. Select strips of meet were dried and roasted for Roxas' benefit. He had decided to stay behind while the Pack hunted. They brought him back only strips and bones. He ate his fill, ravenously devouring nearly everything, and then packaged the leftovers in aluminum foil.

They stopped to eat twice and then found a clearing to set up the tent in the last rays of the setting sun. They cleared the snow from a patch of ground, lashed and tied the tent, and stored all their supplies inside. Axel made a fire and fetched the aluminum-wrapped leftovers for Roxas to snack on.

Demyx and Namine stayed only to help with the tent before going to the edge of the clearing and lying down together, heads on their paws with their noses touching. He understood they were tired. Demyx's first Change after many years was surely a harrowing experience. And Namine had transformed more times in a handful of minutes than she likely had in a month.

Axel and Roxas stared into their small fire in silence.

They listened to the multitude of sounds around them with sharp senses. The sound of crickets chirping. The wind rustling in the pine needles. Animals scratching against snow and bark.

Roxas sighed and kneaded the bridge of his nose.

"How are you?" Axel asked after a moment.

The boy moved a hand to encompass their surroundings.

"It's…it's everything." He tore off a piece of meat between his incisors. After a chewing frustratedly, he elaborated. "The smells, the sounds. I…I feel like I'm being pulled in a thousand directions at once." Axel nodded. He was learning so many new things about the boy's unique position. Lycan pups grew up with these heightened senses and learned naturally over the months to filter them out and focus only on the immediately necessary ones.

But Roxas…. Poor Roxas was having to grow up from a pup into an adult in the matter of days.

Axel thought for a long moment before answering. "Ask your Brother for help. He is often your best source of advice." Blue eyes looked at him skeptically. "I'm serious. Go ahead."

Roxas shook his head and took another bite. After swallowing he sighed and closed his eyes. At first his face was wrinkled and tense. Then, like sand being swept smooth by water, his face cleared. He took in a long inhalation of breath, held it, savored it in his lungs. Then, he let it slowly out.

Axel admired this in his seat next to the boy.

When Roxas opened his eyes, they were clear like the smoothest quartz.

They sat in silence for another spell. The fire crackled and the crickets talked on and on.

"He did it," Roxas whispered in awe.

Axel smiled and nodded.

"It's like…my Brother's listening to all the noises and…and I'm only hearing what I used to hear, as a human. You know? Like…it's like we're both doing it. Sharing the smells. The sounds. The everything."

Axel laughed, enjoying his student's eagerness. "Yes," he agreed. "That's exactly it. This is the essence of being a Lycan." He put his two hands in the glow of the fire. They both watched as he meshed his fingers. "Human and wolf, together as one. Two halves of the same whole."

Roxas grinned wryly. "Kool. Very kool."

The two sat in comfortable quietude and enjoyed the warmth.

The Alpha could physically feel Roxas stretching into his skin, testing out his new found abilities.

He noticed that the boy had neglected to wear as many jackets as he usually did. He had only one sweater on, just like him.

Axel grinned to himself and put an arm around the boy.

The blue eyes flashed to his face. "I know I'm asking a lot from you, Roxas," he began softly. "You've never done this before. You never even knew about Lycans until recently. And I surely don't know much about humans with Lycan blood as much as I would like..." Together they smiled. "But we're doing this. Thank you for trusting me."

It was amazing how easy their friendship had become. Yesterday, Axel had felt confused. What were they to each other? An older man who had taken a younger man under his wing. A teacher and a student. A Lycan who had found a dying boy because his instinct demanded it of him and was now bound to the boy forever. Yes, they were all of these things.

At the end of the day: they were teammates. They were Pack.

"Axel, I…I," Roxas started. He flushed and looked into the fire. The glow made his skin look like flickering gold. Axel always found himself captured by the tiny little details of the boy. Perhaps it was because the boy was a mixed-blood that he was so much more exquisite than the average human. His brilliant eyes. His burnished skin and hair.

His heart beat a little faster when those blue eyes went back to him. "I owe you everything. Not just my life. You've given me…a family." The gaze flicked to the dozing Namine and Demyx. "You've given me a life." Roxas looked at his outstretched hands. He flexed the fingers. Slowly, under his scrutiny, his fingernails extended into claws. The fire licked along the sharp edges. Then, they faded back into dull human nails.

Wow. He has more control than I thought.

The boy smirked and shook his head. "At first I was so scared of this…this thing inside of me. But now. Now I'm excited. I can't wait to go further with this."

He exhaled and rested his head against Axel's shoulder.

Axel smelled his scent and felt the warmth of his cheek.

He loved it. He loved basking in the essence of this boy.

"Thank you," Roxas whispered.

The Alpha smiled and rested his lips in the flaxen hair.

"Hey," Roxas breathed after a moment.

Axel quirked a brow.

Yes?

"Can you tell me a story about Lycans?"

He could feel the boy drifting away. His eyes were closed and his breaths had entered a steady, languid rhythm.

Axel rumbled a soft laugh in his chest. "Very well," he said against Roxas' hair.

"Long ago, our ancestors the wolves first saw humans. Of course they were simply hunters looking upon future prey." Axel frowned. He looked into the dancing flames and saw his story depicted as he told it. As he had learned it from Ventus in another life. Wolves of darker flames leapt up and away. But two, bright yellow wolves lingered. Their glowing eyes bore right into his spirit.

"But two mated wolves did not see prey when they looked on the humans. They saw beauty. The humans had made fire. They had made tools. They could stand and use their hands. So, they came back to look at the humans night after night. They watched them from the shadows. Smelled their skin and food. Listened to their laughter." Axel listened to his story and finally realized that this tale reflected the personal views of Ventus himself.

He had thoroughly admired humans. He'd loved them.

And that was why he saw such beauty in a human woman and took her as his mate.

Axel frowned. Perhaps humans and Lycans were never supposed to have been enemies? According to the old story that Ventus had so dutifully instilled in him, the answer was a clear: 'No. No they were not.'

He flicked his eyes at the boy. He was the very vision of Ventus himself; it shook Axel to his heart. His arm tightened around Roxas' shoulders.

"And then," Axel continued, his voice fading unconsciously into softer tones. "After years of watching, the wolves could no longer contain their admiration, or their jealously. They went to the highest peak and howled to the moon and pleaded with Her to give them the power. To grant their wish of living both their wolf lives and a human's life. They howled every night for years. Their voices began to change. Their claws got duller. Their fur shrank back. Eventually they were cast out from the Pack for these weaknesses. But they were turning human."

Axel sighed, the warm breath rustling across Roxas' curls. Even their greatest Lycans, the first to change into humans, were not understood by their Alphas and exiled.

"But…but the two had gotten their wish. The moon had given them the ability to morph their bodies to mimic the objects of their affection. By the end of their lives, they looked exactly like humans. These two taught their children how to Change, and with more difficulty, how to Change back. And those pups taught their children. It was thus for many generations until Lycans like us now transform into humans in a mere moments with only the tiniest of thought."

Green eyes smiled in the firelight. "We owe so much to our ancestors. For begin curious. For admiring a creature different than themselves. This is the story of the Lycans."

Axel was silent in reverence for their ancient history.

Then he looked at Roxas. The boy was fast asleep.

Safe in the knowledge that Roxas would not remember it, the Alpha pressed a light kiss against his head.

I will protect you, Roxas. We will be a new kind of Pack. You, like your grandfather before you, will bring us into a great future.

Axel scooped him up and carried him gently to the tent.

Hey guys!

Yeah, it's been a while. But I re-read all my past chapters (sorry for all the typos, but I can't go back and fix those) and have some cool new ideas for where to go with this story. I will sincerely try harder to comb through these future chapters and eliminate stupid spelling mistakes.

I love playing with the Lycan concept and how the wolf and human parts work together.

As always, thank you for reading!

-Kirinlover