Nomad {Editing}

::Chapter 1:: Blood runs Deep

Death.

It was the only thing the young wolf could smell, and it overwhelmed his every sense. Taking its grip on his throat and choking the very air from his lungs.

Breathing; impossible, thinking; impossible. All he knew was the pain which seemed to ricochet through his every vein. His breath caught in his throat, no matter how much the young wolf fought it, he could feel his humanity slowly slip through his fingers.

Charlie launched from the bed, shifting from two legs to four before he hit the ground. He landed hard. Arching backwards, he let out an agonised scream which ripped the darkness in half. A sound which was pure animal.

Fitting, for in that moment Charlie was anything but human.

All he knew was pain in that moment, a plague spreading through his system. Taking over and ridding him of anything which had once made him a man. Filling him with the desire for blood, death. Destruction.

One which for the last decade and a half, he had been unable to resist.

When Charlie opened his eyes again, the sun had made its ascent into the sky. Banishing the darkness and filling the world with its golden light. It should have been a happy scene to wake to.

Yet it felt much more morbid. A perfect silence had set across the world, no bird song danced on the air, and even the wind seemed to have retreated for the morning.

He felt well and truly alone.

After the better part of two decades in isolation, he should have grown used to the feeling. Yet even to this day, the loneliness was something Charlie doubted the sensation would ever feel normal.

The scent which had tormented him before, had faded. Now it felt like a distant memory, yet the pain rested heavily on his heart. Despite his screaming muscles, which begged him not to move from his spot. Charlie lifted himself to his paws.

Bodies.

Deer. Charlie acknowledged, but the recognition did little to lessen his guilt. They stood no chance.

Forcing himself to not look back at the carnage he left in his wake, the young wolf began to make his way to the place he knew as home.

Quickly managing to find his way to the familiar path, well worn mostly by his own paws. His muscles offered little help, every step met with protest. He pressed on in spite of it, all he wanted was to have a roof over his head and a bed on which to rest it.

Only when his limbs ached so much that he was sure that continuing would only result in another blackout, did Charlie pause. His tawny brown ears twitching as he paused, searching for a particular sound.

Running water.

Picking up the pace, the young wolf dodged through trees in silence. His movements now sound tracked by the dripping of water. It felt like an eternity had passed before he came across it's source, a stream.

He reached the edge, and recoiled at the sight reflected in the water. He didn't even recognise it as himself.

Brown fur matted with layers upon layers of mud, blood and bits of twig. He looked less of a wolf, more of a maddened dog. A fitting analogy. Charlie thought, baring his teeth at the sight before him. Finding that the insane creature did the same thing.

It had been a long time since he had looked anything different.

Without thinking twice about any of the dangers which may have lurked beneath the surface. Charlie launched himself into the depths of the water. His aching bones soothed by the cold water, he let out a low sigh.

At peace was something he rarely had the opportunity to be, but he knew he would have to move on quickly. Even as far into the wilderness as he had made his territory, he lived in constant fear that someone would come across the little home he had made himself. As it would never end well.

It hadn't happened in over fifteen years, but the fear was always present at the back of his mind.

Except for during the periods of time were even Charlie wasn't in control of what went through his mind.

Dragging himself back onto the bank, the young wolf continued through the woods. Shaking his fur free from the water before he set off. When home at last came into view, Charlie wanted his bed more than anything else.

He could barely even remember what a good night's sleep felt like, it seemed to have been an eternity since the last time he had woken up in his bed. Be that he had fallen from his bed, or something vastly more morbid.

The place he called home was a stone cottage tucked away in the woods. It was simple and small, filled with moss and covered in ivy. The place didn't even have a proper floor other then dirt.

Yet it had been the one constant over the years, and Charlie could barely remember another place which he had seen as home. Not one which carried with it any happy memories, at least, Charlie thought with a sigh.

Before he reached his door, he returned from four paws to two and made his way inside.

Once inside, Charlie was quick to light a hearth and set about making something to eat. As he quickly realised how hungry he was, a need which for the time being outweighed the need to sleep.

Yet as he turned on his heel, he realised something which that he had failed to notice before.

He wasn't alone.

Immediately forgetting any thoughts of hunger or tired, Charlie went on the alert. Every muscle tensed as he stalked forward, keeping his tone low. "Whose their?" He tried to rid his voice of the tremble, but it only sounded worse when he did.

The shake wasn't for fear of what would happen to himself, rather the consequences for the poor man who had walked into the den of the most dangerous wolf in the world.

No words came from the darkness in reply to what Charlie had said.

Charlie's fingers found their way to the edge of the table, needing something sturdy to stable himself. He gripped on tight, in an attempt to ground himself and keep his temper. Every instinct was screaming at him, to deal with the danger. Before something more animalistic did it for him.

"Please," Charlie managed to keep his voice from stammering this time. "You have no idea who you've come across. If you value your life, get out of here and never come back." His voice sounded desperate.

"Sorry, Charlie, but I cant do that just yet."

At the sound of his name, the young wolf froze in place. His heart all but stopping in his chest, he peered through the darkness. Only now did he reach for a weapon to defend himself, anyone who knew his name probably didn't come here with kind intentions. His fingers found a blade, and he gripped it hard.

"Whose their?" He said in a low voice, tensing as he prepared to leap. Do whatever was necessary to keep himself, and where he lived a secret.

Charlie took a cautious step forward, carefully stalking through the darkness as he searched for the intruder.

It was the tone of voice which met him, that surprised Charlie the most. It sounded almost amused.

"Really, it's not been that long since we saw each other."

From the shadows stepped a young man, more muscular than Charlie remembered him. The amount that he had changed, made Charlie feel sick to his stomach. He paused as he watched the older man approach.

"Arthur?" stammered Charlie, unable now to hide his astonishment.

A grin lit the face of the other man, with the usual casual expression. He chuckled, "Hello, brother."