Welcome the Darkness (PAFP)

This is an archived version of FeralFront. While you can surf through all the content that was ever created on FeralFront, no new content can be created.
If you'd like some free FeralFront memorabilia to look back on fondly, see this thread from Dynamo (if this message is still here, we still have memorabilia): https://feralfront.com/thread/2669184-free-feralfront-memorabilia/.

    To say that he was surprised when she put a light kiss upon his own would be a mild statement, he kissed her forehead in return as he leaned against the rock wall. He kept his arms tightly wrapped around her like a cocoon to keep her warm as he closed his eyes, he too was starting to drift off after all he had a exhausting day of fighting off another tribe and doing his work for the tribe. In the years of living in his tribe he felt the happiest with Catherine at his side, it was a relationship that could never happen between them but he could imagine how great it would be to be in a relationship with her. The thought of his sister and her relationship hung over him but he knew it was the humans fault for telling his family what had occurred. They had waited for both of the lovers to meet before they ambushed his sister and took her captive. They had tortured, raped and then killed her after the entire ordeal. he had found a letter from her saying she had left with her human lover so no one went to look for her until he had crossed her body near the house where everything had went down. To say he went into a killing rampage would be a under statement. He killed the entire family but let his sisters lover escape, he couldn't harm the one thing that she loved the most even if that meant if he moved on with life and found another person to love.

    Cat had already started to fall asleep. She wanted to stay awake and enjoy the rare moment they had together but, today had been just a little too tiring for her to keep awake all night. Curling up against him a soft smile appearing on her face. She was dreaming and it was a good one. It was a fuzzy one that had no real beginning or end but, Alex was there and it was scenario in which things worked out and she got to stay with him. Of course her logically side knew this was just a fancy of something that could never happen. But, it was a dream so she slept in peace. That was until a face started to appear. It was fuzzy at first but, then it became very clear. A face of young boy that was frozen in pain and terror appeared. Beginning to squirm she whimpered. "Monroe." She whispered in her sleep beginning to shake like a leaf. She was thinking about her childhood friend who had been tortured and killed for being a Lycanthrope. It had been extremely traumatizing to her watch her friend die. It brought her out of any wishful daydream. Lycanthropes and humans could barely coexist being friend or more was a sure way to get everyone you cared for killed. Bolting upright her eyes flew open and she looked around frantically.

    He was jolted awake when he felt Cat begin to shake after whispering something that was inaudible to him, he shifted so that he was sitting straight up, he stroked her hair in hopes of calming her down as a murmured to her in a gentle voice that he hoped would calm her down. He didn't want to wake her but they'd have to make their way back to camp before morning so that they wouldn't be missed. He moved back into the water before picked her up and settled her onto his back, he kept a firm hand on one of her legs as he pushed through the water then climbed out of the lake as he made his way out of the cave. He settled the rock slab back into its place before making his way back to the camp at a quick pace. It took several minutes but he finally snuck back into camp, he pushed open the flap that led into his den then placed her upon a mat made out of fur. With a sigh he forced himself to shift in his lycanthrope form and curled himself around her to keep her warm from the chilling wind that seemed to blister through the fur flap that kept most of the weather out.

    Catherine woke up on their journey home but, she soon fell back asleep again on their way back to camp. She laced her arms tightly around his neck so she was able to better balance. She kind of felt bad that he carried her everywhere since she was fully capable of walking. Still, she didn't think about it for very long since started to fall asleep. By the time they got back to camp she was laying in his arms sleeping like a baby. When he put her down she curled up. The soft fur of Alex's wolf form felt like a soft blanket that soothed her. Letting out a soft sigh she laced her fingers through his long white fur. It helped her sleep soundly and although she still saw his terrified face when she closed her eyes but, it wasn't as scary now since Alex's smell filled the den. The cold didn't bother her anymore.

    Through the night he laid there tightly curled around Catherine, his back facing the flap to block most of the wind. He had dozed off several times but he could never really fall asleep as he watched her sleep, he made sure through her entire slumber that she slept deeply but when she showed signs of discomfort he would gently lick her cheek then rested his head upon her side as he tried to comfort her sleeping form to his best capability. But in the morning he had to leave her sleeping form when the sound of his fathers message rang in his head. He gently maneuvered himself out from her grasp then covered her with a deer hide before exiting his den. He made his way towards his father who stood in lycan form, the only acknowledgement was a tilt of his head before focusing his attention ahead. He was confused at what was going on until groups of warriors emerged from their own dens. They were going into a battle. With closed eyes he tried to block out thoughts as he moved with the pack next to his father, he knew who they were going to battle and this was a declaration of war, not a warning since most of the packs warriors accompanied them. They began to head at a fast sprint as they neared the camp of their rival, all was silent in the camp as they entered the rivals camp, but then mayhem reigned. The rival packs own warriors emerged and met them on a full attack, without a second thought he lunged in front of his father to parry a attack from one of the rivals, he instantly killed the warrior with a slice to neck before moving onto a different opponent that took his comrades place. Everything was going well until he felt a sharp pain just below his shoulder, with a yowl of pain her turned around to slash at the person who had attacked him from behind but when doing so someone slashed open his abdomen then bit onto his shoulder. With a howl of rage he tore into the neck of the opponent with his fangs sunken into his shoulder before decapitating the warrior that raised his spear for another jab. With a huff he looked down on his wounds before getting attacked yet again with a spear slicing his flesh above the hip. He lunged at his opponent, the spear glancing off his shoulder as he tore into the warriors neck with ferocity. He shook blood off of his muzzle as he flicked away a spear that was aiming at him before ripping off that persons arm then slashed their neck. He staggered backwards as more came into view, this time in their lycan forms. He was getting dizzy with blood loss as he looked towards his father who was battling a lycan which he quickly ended. "Father..." He stumbled towards his father as a spear jabbed into his side, with a yowl he threw the attacker away as he desperately lunged to his father to throw him away from a lycan that had gone in for a attack. He laid there on the ground, wheezing loudly as blood gurgled in his throat. Suddenly he was tired, weak and cold, all he wanted to do was sleep as the coldness enveloped his entire body. He glimpsed upwards to see his father fighting over his body before howling for a retreat. He watched as his own warriors finished their opponents before dashing back off into the darkness yet his father remained still fighting off opponents. Why was he still fighting when he called for a retreat? He attempted to stand but his attempts were fruitless as he plummeted back to the ground. With a growl he tried again to the point that he could kneel, he lightly grasped his fathers leg as he spit some blood from his mouth. "Go...look after Cat-" "Shut up, I'm not leaving you son." With wide eyes Alex shook his head as he struggled to his feet, with a tired huff he laid a hand on his fathers shoulder as a grim smile grew on his lips. "I'm not leaving you." With that said he entered a battle stance next to his father who nodded at what he had just said. With an effort he attacked the advancing warriors side by side with his father but eventually they seemed to back off, he glared at them through the blood that trickled into his eyes. They took a knee before them which confused Alex but his father bowed to them before turning away, he eventually followed after his father, confusion written on his face. "They respect us as warriors, so they let us leave." He didn't complain as he followed his father into the darkness.

    ~

    It was morning when they had reached camp, by this point he was leaning heavily on his fathers side, half conscious as they stumbled into camp. Just as they neared the healers den he collapsed to the ground, coughing blood as he clasped the deepest wound that was located on his abdomen. It was getting harder to stay awake through all of the blood that he had lost. One of the healers rushed from the tent with several things gathered within her arms. She instantly started to work on him, her nimble fingers going over his body as she stitched the deepest wounds together. Groups of his tribe members crowded around him as he laid on the ground helplessly, he hated feeling this weak but he couldn't do anything about it. He would probably be permanently damaged after this ordeal, he hoped he wouldn't be lame, he couldn't be a wink link to his tribe. He was to be the next leader so he'd have to be strong and fight through this weak moment in his life. "Cat...where's Catherine..." He mumbled this as he tried to stand though only resulted with him falling back down. With a groan he laid his head against the ground and closed his eyes as a mournful howl left his maw.


    As soon as he left she could almost feel the loose of warmth. Sitting up she saw his form outlined as he exited the den. She didn't make a move to stop him instead staying silently curled in the deer hide watching him as he left. She slowly started to drift back to sleep although it took her longer as she was now worried about him. After about half an hour of sleep left she couldnt get herself to sleep anymore. Sitting up in the very weak moonlight she looked around unsure of what to do. She couldn't just sit in the den fretting. Looking down at the stains skins she was wearing she realized how much dirt and blood she was covered in.


    Standing up and poking her head out the flap the camp was deathly quiet no one stirring. Biting her lip she looked back at in the den. Grabbing the spare set of clothes she clutched them in her arms before wondering if she should leave something so Alex would know she was coming back in case he came back before she did. Slipping the wooden charm off her neck she laid it gingerly on the feet hide before slipping out of the tent. With quiet steps she crept out of camp the way they had snuck in earlier.


    Following the sound of water to the river she laid the dry clothes on the bank before stripping down and bringing her dirty clothes into the water with her. As soon as she touched the water she felt goosebumps appear on her arm. Shivering she still continued into the water until she was up to her waist. Washing as quickly as she could she scrubbed the dirt and blood from her skin and washed her hair until it felt soft again. She even scrubbed the blood off the clothing she had been wearing. Proud of herself she walked back to shore and got dressed again.


    Carrying her wet clothes back to camp she was relieved to see that there was still no one taking notice of her leaving. Tying her hair into a loose knot so it stayed out of her way she went back out and laid her clothing out in the sun to dry. She had just finished laying the pants out when she heard commotion behind her turning she saw several warriors coming back from battle some alive, wounded, and a few carried the bodies of fallen. Clasping a hand over her mouth she nervously scanned the crowd of faces for Alex. None were him.


    Panic set in when warriors stopped coming through. Standing stunned she was unable to move. After she had already begun to pray to her gods her eyes caught sight of the Alpha and Alex leaning heavily against him. She was already running over when a crowd surrounded him. She tried to see through them but, got pushed back by a warrior who just snorted in disgust. She was close enough to hear him say her name as he atemped to stand. With strength she didn't know she possessed she shoved the warrior aside. "Out of my way." She snapped as she hurried over to his side. He was covered in deep wounds and gashes laying on the ground. Her hands quivered as she sat down and put his head in her lap using one hand to stroke his blood soaked hair and the other to hold his hand. "I'm here." She whispered softly keeping her voice calm.

    He cracked open his eyes through the caked dried blood and smiled up at her as he lifted a arm to caress her cheek, he hummed to himself as he flinched when the healer jabbed a needle through his skin to tie it shut. "Hey beautiful...sorry to worry you." He rubbed her cheek with his thumb while his other hand traveled up to cover his mouth as he coughed loudly, a few droplets of blood landed upon his lips. He looked over at his father who stood nearby, a questioning look was in his fathers eyes at how gentle he was with her but soon understanding flooded in his eyes and a smile flitted over the usual stoic face that held no emotion. Alex returned his attention to Catherine as he pulled himself up so that he was sitting, he gently grasped the back of her neck then pulled her towards him then set a gentle kiss upon her rosy lips. He continued to caress her cheek with his thumb as he leaned his forehead against hers, eyes closed as he hummed a song that was about love. It was about a women and a man who loved each other yet could never reveal their love to the pack because she was not like him so he gifted her with a bite that transformed her like him. He revealed her to his pack then married her and had a bountiful of children with his beloved. A growl rumbled in his throat as he glared at any male that had looked upon Catherine, it was a possessive sound as he drew himself closer to her, hiding her from prying eyes as the color of his wolfs eyes flashed. He placed a kiss upon her neck then sank one of his fangs into her neck, permanently marking her as his own. He licked the bleeding wound which healed it as he pulled back far enough to nuzzle the front of her neck. "You're mine now. There was a possessiveness in his voice as he ignored the healer who finished with his wounds, he growled once more but it was a playful growl as he picked up Catherine and pushed past the crowd, he only had eyes for Catherine as he pushed past the last warrior and made his way towards the woods. Once away he set her down on the ground and kissed the mark that now decorated her neck just behind her collar bone. He lightly fingered the mark as his eyes looked into her own orbs. "Sorry about that, kinda got carried away." He looked sheepish as he let his wolf flash through for a moment then reside deep within him.

    When his eyes opened to meet her own worried blue eyes she couldn't help but, think his eyes had never looked more beautiful and she had feared for a moment that his eyes never would open again. Sniffling slightly she couldn't help herself wanting to burst into tears right then and there letting all the fear and pain fall out with her tears. "Just please don't do it again." She said almost so quiet it was a whisper. When he coughed up blood she rubbed his shoulder a look of concern taking over her face again scared he had fatal damage. Her fingers trailed his face giving a soft smile she noticed his eyes flickering away. Looking where his eyes went she glanced briefly at the Alpha before looking away missing the rare smile that appeared on his face focusing instead on studying Alex's for any signs of pain or that he was going to cough up more blood. Scooting back so he would have room once he started to get up she was watching him her concern melting away as she was pulled towards him and he gave her a soft kiss. Her concern turned to a look of joy and surprise since she remembered kissing him last night but, was so surprised by the fact he kissed her for the entire pack to see, even his father. Locking her arms around his neck she tried to ignore the eyes that seemed to be boring into her. Feeling the growl coming from his throat she held on to him tighter afraid he was going to do something he would regret later. Closing her eyes she tried to focus only on him. She wished she understood what he was humming. She had never heard it before. She wanted to ask him about it and maybe she would have it hadn't been for his lips on her neck giving way to his fangs which gently pierced the skin on her neck. "Alex-" She trailed off feeling momentary fear and pain but, it lasted only a moment quickly replaced by a surge of warmth and the feeling of being protected toke over. Blinking she looked at him when he growled again and claimed her as his. She had probably seen a marked mate before, but she hadn't known how it was done. Letting him pick her up and carry her away from all the others she buried her face in his neck looking up at him with a soft smile. Glancing down she could see part of the mark that now adorned her neck. It was strange it hadn't hurt. Although she could only see some details of it she already loved it. Giggling as he touched her mark with his finger she looked up at him with a slight smile. "Are you really that sorry? I like it." Leaning forwards and kissing him for a moment before pulling away she moved to lay down on her back looking at him.