Tales of the wolf.

We all know about Guts' story. His life with the band of the hawk and his vendetta against Griffith and the Apostles. But… What if he made an unexpected encounter, before the band of the hawk? Will the world ready for the berserker and the last child of the moon?

A young man with a long sword strapped to his back was walking in a small valley. He had an annoyed expression on his face and was mumbling to himself.

Guts was irritated. His last job hadn't paid so well. He killed a man nobody had the balls to fight and that's all he was paid.

The grey knight Bazuso. That was his name. A mammoth of a man with a big-ass axe. That man alone emitted an aura of fear that stopped any soldier to pass.

He doesn't even last two minutes against Guts.

And all of that for what? Seven gold coins. A bit cheap, if you ask him. Really, Guts was not happy with the prize. If it was only him he could had let it pass, but he had a brat too fend of. And that buffoon dared to try and enrol him. He didn't had time to waste. The brat was waiting.

He walked to a den, not far from a river. He kneeled in front of it. The moment he did so, a growl could be heard from inside.

"Naru, get out, it's me!" He called. The growling stopped. A moment later a little girl with icy blue eyes and shoulder-length crimson hair crawled out of the den. Her hair was a bit messy and pulled in two small pigtails. She wore a simple grey shirt and black pants and was bare footed. Her skin was tanned, and small scars could be seen on her arms, the most noticeable one being the scar she had across the left side of her face, to the end of her jaw to her scalp. If you looked with a little attention, you could see the throwing knifes hidden under her clothes.

The little one grinned and glomped Guts. "Guts!" she exclaimed happily. Guts grinned and ruffled her hair. "Yo, pup. No troubles while I was away?"

"No! 'Found a wabbit, ish wash tashty! Raw meat is tashty!" She said with a toothy smile, showing her sharper and pointier than average teeth. Guts sweatdropped. The kid was always a bit animalistic.

Guts sniffed the girl and scrunched his nose. "Naru…When was the last time you had a bath?" He asked.

Naru blinked. "Huh… Dunno." She said, looking nervous. Guts' right eye twitched. He grabbed her by the back of her shirt despite the girl's protests.

"There's a river nearby. I'm gonna scrub the crass out of you, pup."

"Nooo, no bath! Meanie Guts!" Whined the squirming girl.

Minutes later, on a hill not far.

"Hey!" Said a man in light armour "There's something near the river!"

Two of his friends joined him and looked at he distance. "You're right. Hey, isn't that the guy who beat Bazuso?" Said one.

"Yep, that's him." Answered the other "What's he doing here?"

"What should we do?" Asked his friend.

"Not really our business now, isn't it?" Said another guy "I mean, it's not like he's an enemy."

"He probably got pretty rich with the money for killing Bazuso." Theorised a black haired man. "What should we do? Griffith?" He asked a man lying in the grass.

"… Do whatever you want Corkus." Responded the man.

Meanwhile…

Guts was currently struggling with a naked Naru, who was sitting in the water.

"Damnit pup! Stop moving, I got to wash your hair!" He exclaimed, pouring water on her head.

"Bleah!" She whined, before shaking her head in a dog-like manner. "Cold!"

"Oh, stop whining brat, we'll got hot water in the next village." Sighed Guts. He took a piece of rag and began to dry her hair with it. He then put her shirt on her. That was when he noted the distant sound of clopping. Turning around, he noticed the knights coming towards them in the distance.

"Thieves?" He wondered "Naru, stay in the river for now, it will be quick." The little girl nodded.

Guts grabbed his sword and ran to the knights.

With Corkus

"Corkus! He's coming!" Screamed on of the knights.

"Perfect! Let's get him!"

And the fight began.

With the Hawks.

Judeau seemed to looking intently at something.

"You're enjoying the fight, Judeau?" Asked a man.

"… Has any of you noticed the little figure standing by the river?" He said.

Confused, others soldiers joined him.

"Hey, that's right." Said one of them. "There's somebody at the river. And by the look of it, it's a fairly short person. Can't be sure, thought, 'cause it's a little far."

"So he has a companion?" Wondered a Short black haired female.

Back at the fight, Corkus asked the Hawks for help, seeing as their opponent easily disposed of two of his friends.

"Caska… go help them." Ordered the man lying on the grass.

"What? But Corkus caused this trouble…"

"Caska… just go." Said the man, with an insistent look.

"…Tsk, alright." Sighed Caska.

Back at the fight, Guts charged his opponents once more, but this time, two arrows flew toward him, one missing him, the other hitting him in the arm, making him stops his charge.

He turned, only to see another knight, holding a crossbow. He narrowed his eyes.

"…Is that a chick?" He mused internally. He ripped the arrow out of his arm and waited.

"Caska, you're here?" Noticed Corkus, half-surprised.

"Griffith's orders. Can't help." She simply responded, "You guys stand back." She declared, before unsheathing her sword and charging forward.

A ruthless fight erupted, sparks flying each time the blades met. While his opponent displayed an incredible versatility, Guts' brute strength was overwhelming, and he rapidly pushed the knight on the defensive.

Eventually, Guts managed to make her fall off her horse. Her helmet fell, revealing her face.

" So I was right, you're a woman…" Said Guts, waiting for his opponent to get up. "…Thought you're nothing compared to her." He commented.

"What was that!" Growled Caska, wondering what the hell that man was talking about.

"None of your business." He stated. "Come. Show me your guts!" He roared, swinging his sword toward her neck. She ducked, and tried a thrusting attack, but he dodged without problems. She spun with great agility and aimed for his exposed arm, only for him to raise his sword and block the hit. He then kicked her in the chest making her fall on her butt.

"Come on!" He bellowed. "Stand up! Show me! Show me your skills! Are you worthy of the sword you hold?!"

Caska charged, slicing at his face, her blade met his in a shower of sparks. Heavy hits rained on her sword, before a powerful blow made her fall once again.

"It's over!" Declared Guts, raising his sword. But before he could do anything, a spear landed between him and Caska.

A knight, with a helmet looking like the head of a falcon, was there, a few meters beside him.

"Griffith!" Exclaimed a now smiling Caska.

"He, you're dead now, buddy!" Said the other Hawks members.

Guts, who had a mildly interested look on his face, rested his blade on his shoulders. "And who might you be?" He asked.

The man didn't answer. Instead, he asked "Gonna drop your sword?"

"Not gonna happen." Retorted Guts, getting in a stance.

"I see." Sighed the knight.

Guts charged, aiming a heavy blow at the knight. Said knight blocked the blow, and in a great display of skills, immediately counter-attacked with a thrust to Gut's armpit, drawing blood.

"Shit!" Swore Guts. "He's fast."

He hit the ground. The hawks began to cheer for their general. While on the ground, Guts grunted. "I can't stay here too long. That guy is good, I'm bleeding heavily, and Naru is alone. I have to hurt bad enough to stun his men and run to grab the brat." He thought.

He painfully stood, his left arm useless. He had to stay alive for the brat. He promised!

Ignoring the stunned look on the soldiers' faces, he defiantly stood in front of the knight and raised his sword. But the knight blocked once more, and made Guts fall on his back. Griffith gets off his horse, walked to his downed foe and pointed his sword at his opponent.

"Yield." He ordered.

Guts spat. "Fuck you."

Griffith raised his sword…

clang!

A throwing knife met his sword, making him to drop it.

Surprised, he looked in front of him… And to his great astonishment, a little girl, no older than ten, was standing beside Guts, her right hand extended, on a furious look on her round face. She was half-naked, with only a shirt that barely covered her private parts on her and her wild hair looked like a mane. The girl growled in an animalistic manner, baring her fangs. In her left hand was another knife, that one looking like a more close combat orientated one. All around, the Hawks were stunned. Nobody had noticed the little girl's arrival. none dared to move, too stunned by that incredible sight.

Their general. Disarmed by a mere half-naked child.s

"Naru!" Gasped Guts, his vision blurry "I told you to stay hidden!" he tried to move, but his blood lose was too important.

"Sh'tay with Guts. Sh'tay with Tou-chan." Said the girl, with her girlish voice, gripping her knife in a protective stance.

Meanwhile, Griffith had picked his sword, and was walking toward the girl. Guts, who pointed his sword at him, stopped his approach.

"Do…not…approach…her!" He growled weakly. He stayed a moment like that, before finally fainting.

"Interesting…" Mused Griffith. In front of him, the girl, sat on the ground tightly hugging Guts, and glaring fiercely at him.

"Sh'tay 'way from Guts, bird-person." She said firmly, but with a childish voice that made it adorable.

Griffith took off his helmet. "My, my, aren't you an interesting fellow?"

Naru tilted her head, seeming confused. "Bird-person is a sissy-person?" She said innocently.

Her childish question soon caused the hawks to laugh.

"Ha ha ha ha, did that kid just called you a sissy, Griffith?" Laughed a soldier, kneeling near Naru "She's cute." He said, patting her head.

Crunch!

"Gaaaaah! She bite me!"

Griffith chuckled and sheathed his sword.

"Men, get our friend here on a horse, we're bringing him back…Caska, can you take care of the child?" He asked.

The young woman nodded, he approached the child, who eyed her attentively.

"Hey there, little one. Can you come with me?"

"…No. Sh'tay with Tou-chan." Said the child.

"…What about this, I get…Tou-chan, whatever it means on my horse and that way you can stay with him?"

The child seemed to think about it. "Okay…"

Caska smiled a bit. "I'm Caska. Your name is …Naru, isn't it?"

The red haired girl eyed Caska with her big round eyes, before grinning. "Kaa-chan!"

Caska chuckled "Really? I'm 'Kaa-chan' now? What does that means, anyway?"

Naru gave her a big toothy smile "Kaa-chan is Caska! And Kaa-chan means Kaa-can. That's what Caska-Kaa-chan is!" She said.

Caska ruffled her hair. "You're really an interesting one, aren't you?"

Unknown to everyone, a strange crimson stone opened an eye. The emperor's egg's pupil stared trough the armour of his possessor, straight at a certain red-haired child. The relic's eyes widened, its mouth twisted, an expression clearly readable on his anarchic face: Terror.