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Post by ★ Ryuujin ! on Jun 5, 2012 20:38:14 GMT -5
(This was written around three years ago now... FYI :U)
The sun was beginning to set, casting a golden glow over the valley before him as he stopped at the ledge of the cliff. This was supposed to be a peaceful area, so he had heard - a paradise, if you will. And to many dogs, it was. But to him, it was nothing. There was none of the comforting feeling that it gave other dogs for him, there wasn’t that offer of a safe haven for him. There never was when he was a pup, there wasn’t now that he had returned, and there never would be. “Ou…” The word rolled off of his tongue with disgust as purple eyes narrowed.
“Oh, surely it isn’t all that bad, Shin-Tan.”
The voice from behind caused the larger male to turn his head back to face the canine he had known for years. They had been in the military together, and there, he had sworn to follow Shinra till his death. Despite the fact he didn’t want the other male to do so, he swore to die protecting him. And no matter how many times he had pointed his own sword at his throat, the other just smiled and shrugged it off, ignoring the attempts to sway him otherwise.
“Kouhei.”
“Hai, Shin-Tan.”
Turning back to face the valley as Kouhei made his way to stand beside his captain, Shinra ran his wide tongue over his maw, his nose twitching as a breeze picking up that ruffled their fur. The breeze brought many strange scents of new and old to his nose that caused the leathery appendage to wrinkle back with a snort, “You have no idea.”
Ears laid back with annoyance, Shinra turned away from the cliff and slowly made his way down the mountain. Silently following him, Kou released a long, heavy sigh. Why… why had they come here, of all places they could have gone first after their return from Barsburg? What was so entrancing about this land? Was it the smell of the blood of ancestors come and passed? Or was it the fact that Shin thought that he could find something of value here, despite his hatred for the area? His thoughts were cut off by a soft growl from the canine before him, who closed his eyes to allow his mind’s eye to take over.
A blanket of black engulfed the world; a silver thread weaved its way through that blanket to outline his surroundings. He saw more now. The local pack gathered miles away, deer running from their presence in fear, the babbling of the creek to his left and the birds flying overhead. But, none of this mattered to him. He wasn’t particularly in the mood for a fight right now, he wasn’t thirsty nor did he hunger - which once again, made Shinra wonder…
Why was he here?
Reaching the bottom of the mountain, Shin opened his eyes again, the black fading away as he came to a stop. Another soft breeze picked up - sweeping gently through his fur, rustling through the grass below his paws and waved the cloak at his side. Closing his eyes once again, he breathed in deeply, inhaling all the scents that it brought to his maw, ears laying back as he tilted his head with the wind, rather enjoying its caress. With the dying of the breeze, Shin lowered his head before opening his eyes yet again to look at the ground. Most of the snow had melted in this area, a sure sign of winters end.
The sun now hid its face behind the mountains as if in shame, allowing the full moon to take its reign in the sky. The night air was much cooler and crisp, causing the air from their maws to form into small clouds that rose into the sky. It was also much darker now, despite the light from the moon, which meant that Shin’s mind’s eye would be of more use to him over his normal eyesight. Closing his eyes yet again, he allowed the blanket with silver thread to cover his world, his senses becoming more acute with the transition. But, to his surprise, there was something new in the line of his mind’s eye. Something that wasn’t there before. Something that even he – the best of the military dogs in Barsburg – hadn’t noticed.
Someone else.
Noticing the sudden change in Shinra’s stride and aura, Kouhei stopped suddenly, his head turning to grip one of the two swords on his side as he drew it from its sheath, the blade ringing clearly in the silent night air. Gripping the hilt tightly behind his canines, he managed to mumble over the leather wrapped metal, “Shinra?”
Without responding, Shin turned to face the direction that the silver outline of the creature stood. Steeling himself, his paws shifted below him in a stance to prepare himself for whatever this encounter would bring. He wouldn’t run, no. That wasn’t in his character. That wasn’t what he was trained to do. And he held the values that he was taught close. He would stay, he would hold his ground and he would fight. No… they would fight, if need be. The creature moved closer and closer, and Shinra tensed more and more, each muscle in his body aching to attack. But this wasn’t the military, this was the wild. And in the wild, attacking a stranger before assessing them could get one into trouble.
Black claws dug into the ground below his paws as the silver figure crawled out from the bushes. The silver outline of the creature told him it was another canine, but its scent... its aura told him something completely different. It didn't matter though, not to him. Shin had faced many monsters on the battlefield, this one would be no different, and if they fought, this one would fall, just like all the others. And, like many of the others he had fought before, this one carried a rather large sword - and more than likely, it wasn't just for decoration.
Narrowing his Navy eyes, Kouhei crouched down, the fur on his back rising up as the unnaturally large canine stepped out of the bushes. He knew what this creature was all too well, a hellhound – a lab rat, more likely than not. The red pelt that covered the muscled body was covered with black and grey markings that rippled with every move he made. Everything about the hellhound seemed to be relatively normal, other than his size. But what stood out the most was the fact that there was no fur, nor skin, on his muzzle. Was this some human’s idea of a sick joke? The sight of the mutilated appendage sent a shiver slicing through Kouhei as a growl slipped from his maw.
It was then that the taller creature opened its maw, speaking with a deep, hoarse voice, “You wouldn’t want to fight with me, boys.”
So, you can speak. Interesting... Kou thought as he raised his head, ears laid back. Many of the other monsters he had faced on the battle field couldn't talk. Made solely to fight, kill and die. Nothing more, nothing less.
Shinra found these words amusing. The tone the creature used, the way he asserted himself - he was in no position to be doing so, and Shin would not put up with this kind of treatment. This dog, this... monster before him, would regret toiling with him. Raising his head, a small smirk graced the corner of Shin's maw. "No, you're right. I don't. Because, pup, you're not worth my time."
The dark eyes of the hellhound widened, burning with rage as a silent snarl formed at the corners of its maw where the skin still clung to the bone, his tongue curling back – visible through the exposed fangs. “You insolent creature! I’ll…” A snarl escaped from the mutilated maw, made louder by the bone that lacked skin, acting like a megaphone, “I’ll tear you both apart!”
The rage that formed on the others face rather amused Shinra. Here this canine was, talking all big and bad, and he couldn't even keep his cool. As much as Shin wanted to avoid this fight, he found himself drawn more and more to it by the visible promise of an opponent who would snap easily by the smallest of taunts. Perhaps that was the sadist within driving him. And the sadist was winning.
“You don’t… you won’t talk to me in such a manner!”
Oh yeah, the hellhound definitely thought highly of himself, but... did he have the gall to back it up? Here, he could finally relate to the other creature. Shinra also thought highly of himself, but he had good reason to. He had the skill to back up his bold statements, thoughts and ideals. If this canine wanted a match of skill, Shin would be happy to deliver. "You have a big mouth for such a rather feeble looking creature." Purple eyes ran over the red and black pelt of the hellhound before him, a small smirk once again gracing his maw. "I wouldn't try anything with me if you value your life. Your kind is all too easy for me to slay."
The pup should feel honored. At any other time, Shinra would have killed any of his kind on the spot, no questions asked. But here, he was offering the other a chance to save his life - he thought it was pretty generous. Turning his attention from the hellhound to Kouhei, he found he wasn’t surprised to see his friend had already drawn one of his blades and had taken an offensive stance. Kou was always ready for anything, just like himself.
“You think you’re a real hotshot, don’cha?” The words fell freely from around the blade in Kouhei’s maw, his red eyes focused intently on those of the monster before them. Like Shinra, he knew that the Hellhound was more than likely all talk and no bite.
But the hound wouldn’t put up for that. “HOTSHOT? I’LL SHOW YOU WHAT RAIDEN CAN DO!” The hellhound, now self proclaimed as Raiden, released a horrible noise, a mix between a screech and a howl of rage as he crouched down, digging his large claws into the soft soil below. Tensing his muscles, he pushed against the ground, flying high into the air above, parting his maw. Swinging his giant head back, Rai wrapped his maw around the hilt of his own giant blade and pulled it from the hooks of the harness across his back. Swinging his head back around, his dark eyes focused on Shinra.
As he watched the giant creature crouch down and push his huge form into the air, Shin felt something warm rush through his veins, exciting every inch of his being. Fire. Thrill. Anticipation. It had been a few weeks since he had slain his last on the battlefield, and he missed it. It was the only thing he missed about the Barsburg militia. And once again, as he watched the hellhounds movements, drawing the giant sword from his back, the fire flowing freely through Shin's veins intensified. He hadn't been this thrilled in a long while. Flying down through the air at him, the determination and fury in the eyes of the hound was easily seen. A smirk flashed across Shinra's maw as he decided it was time to make his move.
Without warning, Shin bolted forward, his form blurring with speed as he ran, drawing his own sword. Kouhei twitched, his eyes widening not only in shock, but fear as he watched his comrade leap up at Raiden, tilting the blade upward toward his stomach. He knew he couldn’t control Shinra, nor did he want too, but the other canine was just too unpredictable! “Damn… why can’t you just…” His words trailed away with the breeze as the coppery scent of blood reached his maw.
Both bodies before him landed at the same time, Raiden to his left in the snow, and Shin to his right in the lower branches of the tree above, sheathing his sword as quickly as he had drawn it before turning his head and looking back at the hound. Purple eyes narrowed slightly, his face passive and stoic as ever. “And just what was it you were planning on showing me?”
His question was responded with only a growl, the giant body of the hellhound motionless where it landed. Both military dogs knew better than to assume that he was done, no… this had barely begun – and the deep, haunting laughter that erupted from Raiden confirmed it. “Not bad, boy…” He turned himself around to face the two once again, a deep gash on his chest that cried a small river of blood down his leg was now proudly displayed. “But you’ll have to do better than that.”
The smirk returned to Shin’s face as he closed his eyes, allowing his mind's eye to take over once again. But, what he expected to see wasn't there. Instead, he was overwhelmed with the feeling of surprise coming from Raiden. What's this? Turning around on the branch, Shin shook the strange, foreign feeling and licked his maw. "I was trained to kill your kind without mercy; you're all the same, no matter what size you are. Underestimating has nothing to do with it. You're no different from the others."
Oh yes, it had definitely begun.
"They all fell to me. You will be no different."
The crazed smile quickly faded from Raiden’s maw as his eyes narrowed. This dog was starting to get on his nerves. Just who the hell did he think he was? No… He closed his eyes, gripping the blade in his maw, No… it doesn’t matter who he is. He won’t live long enough for it to matter. In a moment’s time, Raiden had his mind made up as his eyes snapped open, swinging his head back to throw the blade back into its hooks before his form darted toward the tree that Shinra had perched himself in. I will kill you, military dog. I will kill you for your ignorance! Leaping forward once, his forepaws touched the ground, his hind paws sliding forward to meet them before he pushed against the ground once again. Soaring up at the tree, Rai opened his maw wide, razor sharp fangs ready to slice.
Eyes widening in shock, Kouhei growled deeply, “Shinra!” Without missing a beat, he dropped his own blade - not wanting to waste the time to sheath it - and forced his paws to move as fast as they could. With a roar of rage, Kou flew into the air and slammed into a rather shocked Raiden, knocking him off course. Both canines hit the ground hard with clear thuds and slid down the hill through the snow.
Shifting with a groan, Kouhei gathered his paws under him, pushing himself up on wobbly legs. The impact did more damage to him than he thought. Hell, it felt like the damn hellhound had fallen on him. Opening his eyes, he turned to gaze where Rai had fallen and with a displeased growl, found the spot empty. A loud crack behind him caused his ears to twitch as he turned his head to look behind him. Eyes landed on the wounded chest of the hellhound and quickly traveled up to the angered face.
With maw wide open, he brought himself down on Kouhei, his jaws wrapping around the others neck. The sharp yelp of surprise that the smaller dog uttered caused a psychotic smile to form at the corners of Raiden’s maw. “No. Raiden will kill you first to get to the boy. It seems that you mean a great deal to him.”
Panic tried to grip Kouhei, but the soldier swallowed it down, doing his best to calm his speeding heart. Panicking would do him no good here, he needed to remain level headed to try to formulate a plan to get himself out of this mess, and quickly. The jaws of the hellhound began to tighten around his neck and Kou felt his air supply start to weaken. With his vision beginning to blur, he released a deep growl and tried to reach around him with his paws to get at the larger creatures eyes.
But Raiden would have none of this. Tightening his grip further, fangs piercing the skin, Rai pushed down rather suddenly, forcing the other into the ground. Here, he began to push again, forcing the smaller body into the semi-frozen earth. Kou’s black maw parted, gasping for air as his eyes, watering from the lack of air, narrowed. He’d be damned if he were to die here, he wasn’t allowed to die here, he couldn’t. It would be disgraceful to himself, as he promised to die for Shinra. In a way, he supposed that he was fulfilling his purpose as the guard and friend of Shin-Tan - after all, he had distracted the monster from attacking, and possibly killing him. But still, this wasn’t how he was supposed to go.
As his maw parted wider in attempt to fill his lungs with air, Kouhei coughed, blood dripping from the corners of his maw with the pressure on his lungs. The hellhound wouldn’t give him a choice in the matter. This… this really was where he was going to die. Normally, he would put up a fight, struggling and attacking any way he could. But in this position, his smaller body was of no use to him. As much as he hated to admit it, Raiden had the upper hand, Raiden had gotten the better of him, and he was the only one who ever had.
Eyes closed slowly as his body began to relax, Kouhei released one last, weak growl at Raiden in defiance. This only caused more psychotic rage in the hound as he lifted his head, bringing Kouhei’s limp body into the air. “You’re nothing, military dog! See how easily you’ve fallen?” Raiden turned his head with his words before slamming Kouhei into the ground again, “You make me sick.”
Having seen the entire ordeal from above, watching with hardened eyes, Shinra grew more furious by the moment. Despite his urge and instinct to rush down to help Kouhei, his moral standards told him not to. Not just his, but Kouhei’s as well. It was a sign of respect to the other canine, respecting his wishes to protect him. If Shin had run down and attacked the hellhound then, it would have made all of what Kou had done in vain. But… it didn’t stop the fact that Shin had now made a vow, one to slay the creature who had so easily taken the life of his friend.
Closing his eyes with a sigh, he turned his head and wrapped his muzzle around the hilt of his blade once again, drawing it swiftly. Shifting his weight on his paws, Shin held the blade high, his purple eyes gazing up at its length, pausing at the tip where the moon reflected in its silver point. The blade had shed the blood of many, had brought him to great heights, and now, it would bring a swift revenge. Returning his focus down on the hound below, he felt the rage build within him with an urge to deliver death upon the creature for his fallen friend. His paws began to move underneath him, bringing him down the hill toward the two below.
A glint of light from the corner of his eye drew Raiden’s attention up from the lifeless body in his maw, his dark blue eyes landed on the rushing form of Shinra as he neared. Smirking darkly, the hound lifted the body once again, drawing his head back, yes… Raiden knew this would get to you. Raiden loves to inflict extra pain before he kills. Tossing his head and opening his maw, Raiden threw the body of Kouhei at Shinra with a howl of laughter.
Digging his paws into the ground, Shinra slid to a stop, his head raised and following the motions of the bodying flying through the air. Wincing slightly as the body of Kouhei landed with a sickening thud, he felt himself tremble with the fire of anger burning anew through his veins. It was one thing to kill his comrade and friend, but another entirely to disrespect the fallen. Upper lip curling back to reveal his own canines over the hilt of the blade, Shin turned back to face the hellhound. Words weren’t enough to express the emotion he was feeling now. No. Instead, he would show the creature just what was going on in his mind.
Licking the blood from his maw, Raiden sneered at Shin, “Yes, it stings… doesn’t it?”
It was then that Shinra realized that he had killed Kouhei in order to get to him, to make him feel more pain than was needed and perhaps, to get him to rage. But these actions were in vain, at least, most of them were. Yes, he was hurt, wounded deeply by the loss of not only his closest friend, but his one and only friend. But… no, he wouldn’t let this get the best of him, he couldn’t fight without a level head, that would mean certain death. And no, he wouldn’t show the emotion that Raiden had hoped to stir within him, he wouldn’t give the hellhound that joy. Closing his eyes once again to allow the mind’s eye to take over, Shinra spoke with a strange, coldness edge, “Yes, indeed it does. But, why should it matter?”
Now, how could this be? He had just rather brutally murdered this military dog’s friend, and here he was, shrugging it off like it was nothing? What kind of sick, twisted idiot reacted that way… besides himself? Growling deeply, Rai narrowed his eyes, “You’re a strange one…” A malicious smirk snaked its way back onto his maw, “Raiden likes that.”
The moment Raiden spoke again, the darker aura that surrounded the hellhound was cut off, like a knife to butter. It was quick, and it left Shin not only curious now, but slightly confused. Lowering his head as Rai’s eyes focused harder on him, he could feel the fur on his back bristle. Something wasn’t right. He was planning something, his minds eye could feel his mind turning, plotting, albeit, slowly.
In an instant, Raiden’s blade was placed within his maw once again and he was darting toward him like some crazed, enraged rhino. Malicious intent washed over Shinra, and with a snarl, he realized that Rai was most likely going to try and kill him right here, right now. Crouching as the larger canine neared, he laid his ears back and pushed against the ground, leaping into the trees above. Once he landed, his claws dug into the bark to balance him before he pushed off once again, soaring over the hellhound.
Landing on behind the hound, Shinra quickly turned and dashed. Noticing the quick movements of the military dog, Raiden slid to a stop, turning on his heel and dashed in the opposite direction of Shin. The two circled around before sliding to a stop opposite of each other and running together, blades colliding in mid-air. Sparks flew as the two blades slid passed each other, followed by their wielders. They continued this strange dance of battle, neither of them able to harm the other with their blades.
Sliding to a stop, Shin and Rai faced each other, ears laid back. To any onlooker of the battle, it would’ve appeared that the two canines were toying with each other – but that was far from the truth. As much as Shinra hated to admit it, this hellhound was really good, almost too good. With a huff, Raiden darted forward once more, and once more, Shinra crouched down. But he was too late. Everything seemed to move in slow motion for Shin at that moment as Rai leaped at him. Black ears laid back as he tilted to the left, trying to dodge the blade that was coming straight for him.
But his movements were in vain. The metal came into contact with the bottom of his chest and drug itself upward. It clashed with his own blade blade - throwing it from his maw and finally left his shoulder, leaving a thick trail of blood behind. A sudden breeze ran through the small clearing as his blade clattered to the hardened ground, leaving Shin shocked and somewhat distraught. No! No! This couldn’t be happening. This wasn't happening!
Moments later, Raiden’s own blade was thrown to the ground with Shinra’s as he threw himself down onto the military dog. Like before with Kouhei, Raiden wrapped his massive maw around Shin’s neck, squeezing down tightly. This time, there was no satisfying yelp, not even so much as a gasp was pushed from the military dog’s maw, and it angered Raiden.
Digging his paws into the ground, Shin pushed against Raiden, forcing the monster not only to back up, but to loosen his grip on his neck. A plan that seemed good at the time, but one that didn’t work well enough. With a deep growl, the hellhound pushed down, causing the legs of the smaller canine to give out – his body slamming into the ground. “You will suffer the same fate as that other scum, military dog.”
Laying his ears back as he closed his eyes, Shinra began to believe the dog. In doing so, he mentally kicked himself over and over, not only for believing these words, but for failing. It wasn’t the fact that he had failed himself, failed to keep his life, nor failed to slay yet another hellhound. Hell, deep down inside, he always knew that eventually, he would run into something he couldn’t beat. But, it was the fact that he had failed to avenge Kouhei. His friend had given his life to save Shinra, and yet here he was, in the position the other had strived so hard to keep him from.
Opening his maw, he struggled to fill his lungs with air, struggled to keep himself together. He refused, with all his being to die here. He wouldn’t die here. He couldn’t, not while he still had a promise to fulfill. For Kouhei, he would live, he would triumph, and he would give his friend a proper burial once he defeated this new enemy. Seemingly reading his intentions, Raiden shoved Shinra further into the ground and found himself surprised. This canine was doing much better than the other, what’s the difference between you and him?
Opening his eyes to reveal his newly blurring vision, Shinra curled his lip back in a silent snarl. Kouhei… I’m sorry… I fai- The thought escaped him as the hellhound above stopped placing pressure on him, opening his giant maw. A sudden onslaught of air into his burning lungs made Shinra lightheaded, nauseous and rather curious. Here he was, on the brink of death, and now, the creature who was about to deliver his demise to him was rearing up, roaring in pain. Blood trickled down the blade in his chest onto Shin’s face and he blinked.
Wait… blade? Sitting himself up, Shin looked at Rai as he landed, roaring with pain and anger. It was no hallucination, there was indeed a blade protruding from the hound’s chest, and he recognized whose blade it was all to well. The name fell quietly from his maw with remorse, “Kouhei…”
“Hai, Shin-Tan.”
Purple eyes widened as his head turned once again to focus on the owner of the voice and sure enough, there stood Kouhei. The other stood on wobbly legs, blood dripping down from all parts of his body, but like Shinra, Kouhei’s determination and bravery that almost bordered stupidity out-classed the pain. Drawing his second blade from its sheath, Kou held it higher than he ever had before. He had a reason to be proud. He had survived the onslaught of the hellhound, and against all odds, was back here, protection his precious Shinra once again.
Finding the strength to move his paws under him, Kouhei ran toward Rai, jaw clenching the blade in his maw as tightly as it could. “Oi, Mud-muzzle!”
Still roaring with pain, Raiden turned toward Kouhei, eyes blazing with anger. Turning his giant head down, he grasped the blade in his chest and in one swift movement, pulled it from his chest. Now thundering toward Kouhei, the smaller canine’s sword grasped tightly within his own maw, Raiden released a dark snarl that erupted through him. How in god’s name had this dog survived? “HOW?” He leaped into the air, tilting the blade toward the black military dog for a kill.
“It wasn’t easy, going to hell and coming back.” Kouhei smirked and narrowed his navy eyes. Now… Leaping up, Kouhei tilted his blade as well, wishing to make this the final move. Having firm belief that he would certainly kill the military this time, Raiden smiled wickedly. But the smile faded as quickly as it had come as the hybrid shifted his form, easily soaring around the blade that the hound had. NO! Raiden’s eyes widened and Kouhei grinned around the blade. It was over, this was it.
Passing by Raiden, Kouhei slid the blade in his maw into a spot below where the other blade had once been, dragging a shrill shriek from the hellhound. Landing rather ungracefully on the other side, he turned around to face Raiden, jaw clenched tightly as he prepared himself to make a strike with his fangs.
But it wasn’t needed. The body of the hellhound was motionless where it had fallen, not even his sides rose or fell. He had given his last breath to cry out to the heavens, to the moon above, and part of Kouhei felt terrible. Hellhounds were misunderstood creatures, they never chose the life they were given. Tortured mercilessly by the humans in labs, tested on, mutated and caged, they never had a chance. The point of the job that he and Shinra held was, not only to slay the enemy’s forces, but to end the misery of all hellhounds alike. For they all knew they would get a second chance in the afterlife.
“Kouhei?”
Turning to face Shinra as he limped up to Kouhei’s side, he found himself smiling happily. Despite the fact that they had both gone for the ride of their lives, facing the strongest hound they had ever encountered, they were both still alive, albeit being wounded to the max. What mattered was the fact that they were both alive and standing right here, together. Wounds would heal easily, after all. “Hai… Shin-Tan?”
“…Thank you.” |
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