Freedom Unchained - Lunar/VC

"Papa hasn't come back yet..." The young mother wolf frowned as she looked out of the den into the blizzard that had come on so suddenly. She looked at the three month old pups huddled in the corner, trying to stay warm. "I'm going to go look for him, little ones. Momma will be right back."

"Mommy, don't go," Kerica looked up and whimpered at her, but she had already stepped out into the freezing snow and disappeared, white fur becoming nonexistent. Kerica whined and howled pitifully but she didn't come back.

Neither of their parents came back.

Even when the snow faded and there was another day and another night, neither returned. Kerica and Nayru were so hungry, and Kerica didn't know what else to do besides look around for some food. Luck would have it that a rat skittered by and she pounced on it, locking her tiny but sharp teeth around it's body and shook her head, trying to kill it. It took a while, but finally it went limp and she dragged it back to the den. They had to survive, with or without their parents. She couldn't let them die.

Months passed, Kerica didn't know how old they were but she had gotten bigger. She had also gotten better at finding and killing prey while Nayru stayed behind. She'd had graduated from rats to rabbits. Today was a bright warm day, though, and she decided to wander further out, "I be back, Nayru. Going to find food." Without waiting for a response, knowing what she would say anyway, she jumped and bounded through the snow, enjoying the sun on her brown fur.

She wandered father than she had expected, though, and came across a steep incline she wasn't aware had been there and yelped as she fell down, almost becoming a snowball. She whimpered as she finally landed in a snow pile. Climbing out she shook herself off and sneezed. Looking around, she blinked as she was surrounded by bushes. Slowly walking forward she got out from them and spotted a small, one-story cabin with a fire pit and a pot on it. Kerica was about to investigate when she heard growling and froze in her place. Trembling, she finally forced herself to turn around and looming right there was a huge black wolf, white teeth bared and gnashing.

He lunged at her and she screeched, jumping back and suddenly the warm, protective fur was gone and long chestnut brown hair flowed around her shoulders. At the same time there was a loud CLANG and the black wolf fell before her feet, unconscious.

"Goodness, he never learns," said a stout old woman with her hands on her hips, a frying pan in her hands. She looked at Kerica and smiled sweetly, "I'm so sorry about my husband, his eyesight has been failing him as of late. Are you alright, sweetheart?" she asked leaning down and picking the naked child up, "My, was that you first transformation? You poor dear. Let's get you some warm clothes, hmm?" she cooed and headed for the cabin.

"Wait!" Kerica cried in a squeaky high voice, "My sister! She needs me. We hungry. Been alone. I hunt."

"Oh, your momma and papa aren't around?" the old lady frowned, "I'll go look for your sister, little one. Let's get you inside first. Do you have a name?"

"Ke...Kerica," she whimpered and gripped the old woman's ragged clothes. She seemed nice. Kind. Like momma, "Sister's named Nayru."

Once inside she set Kerica on the bed and patted her head while wrapping her in a blanket, "Okay, I'll get Nayru for you."

~*~

"Nayru? Nayru sweetie, I found your sister, Kerica. Come out," the old lady called and cooed, "Everything's alright now, dear, I promise. I have food cooking at home. You two don't have to worry anymore."

Nayru was a small pup much like her older sister, her thick and pure white fur the only thing keeping her body warm. Shivering from the cold caused by the dreadful blizzard, the blue eyed pup whimpered and howled for her mother and father to return. And yet, there would be no sign of them ever coming back. Kerica was all she had now, and so the months of survival began.

As time flew by, Nayru began to rely on her sister more and more with each sunrise and sunset. She was tired, and so hungry... How long had it been since they ate? She thought that to herself when the sound of Kerica's voice filled her ears. Her older sibling's words brought comfort, and the white wolf pup lifted her head with bright eyes. "Careful, sister..." She spoke as she watched the brown wolf trot ahead, hoping that her sister would come back safely.

However, several minutes passed, and the poor pup whimpered and whined out of hunger and worry. She let out a tiny howl, in hopes that Kerica would hear her plea to come back home. What she heard wasn't her sister, but the voice of a kind elderly woman calling out her name. Her eyes widened and she hid in the corner of the den, her small body trembling with fear. The mention of Kerica caused Nayru's ears to perk up, and she slowly walked out of the den with hesitation, sniffing the air curiously. She noticed the woman and lowered her head timidly, whimpering to catch her attention.

"You... You know sister? You bring food?" Her tiny voice crept out from her throat.

Normal humans would never understand wolf speak, but as she was a wolf herself - just an old one - she smiled at the tiny pup, "I don't have food with me, but if you let me take you with me, I'll take you to her and feed you," she promised.

Normally, Nayru would feel afraid and unsure if this woman could be trusted. However, the small pup could sense that something was different about her. She caught the familiar scent of her sister, as well as the scent of another wolf. Could she be...? Her small ears perked up at the woman as she spoke with a tender smile, eyes wide and bright. She understood her...!

Without hesitation, Nayru trotted over to her and lifted herself up with her front paws resting on the woman's leg. "Please... Take me to sister." She spoke, her tail swaying from side to side.

They made their way back down to the cabin where her husband had transformed back and was rubbing his head still while he checked the fire, "Now, don't be too afraid of my husband. He's a menace mainly to himself," she told little Nayru with a giggle.

"Hey!" the gruff man turned and looked at them with a small glare that didn't pack much of a punch, the color of his eyes cloudy from old age.

"Anyway, your sister is a little different, but you'll be like her soon enough. She said your parents aren't around, so neither of you have been taught how to transform. Don't worry, I'm sure my mate will help you learn."

"Don't I get a say in this?" he then paused, "Bah, of course not," he grumbled as he stirred the pot some more.

The old woman walked into the cabin and saw Kerica was still wrapped up in the blanket, but she was by the bookcase. "Aw, a curious little thing are you?" she smiled and set down Nayru, "There you go."

"NAYRU!" Kerica cried as she turned around and stumbled as she ran to her baby sister, falling to her knees and holding her small hands out to hug her.

Once they reached the cabin, Nayru looked around with curious eyes, titling her head to the side. She glanced at the old man who was busy preparing food, sniffing the air with interest. Her ears perked up at the delicious scent, feeling her stomach rumble with overwhelming hunger. Looking up at the woman who held her small frame in her arms, the small pup soon found herself being set down on the floor, her gaze focused on the dark haired child before her. Sniffing the air, she immediately recognized the scent.

"Kerica!!" She cried as she ran into her sister's arms, whimpering happily as she licked the girl's face with bright eyes. Before she realized what was happening, Nayru found herself shivering from an unexpected rush of cold air. Her fur had vanished completely and had been replaced with soft, peach colored flesh. Her silver hair touched the floorboard and covered most of her now human body, her ocean blue eyes wide with confusion as she stared down at her hands. What just happened...?

"It's okay," Kerica said softly, gripping Nayru's hands and she was about to wrap the blanket around her when the old woman dropped her shawl around Nayru instead.

"You just became human, if you're wondering. Strong emotions can cause us to switch back and forth until we learn to control it. Kerica was frightened, and you were just really happy. You'll all learn to transform on a whim soon, I promise. Now, you're both hungry and the food's almost done. I'll spend the next couple days sewing some clothes for you girls, and then when the snow melts a little I'll make a trip to the town. I'll need to teach you how to read! Goodness, and math, and history...there's so much for you to learn!" she beamed, looking very happy.

"R-Read?" Kerica blinked at her and shook her head as the grandmother patted her.

"Yes, read! Those," she pointed at the bookshelf, "Are books. You'll be able to read them once I teach you."

"Oh, fun!" Kerica beamed.

"And I'll teach you girls how to sew and cook and clean," the old lady clapped her hands, "This is just so wonderful! It'll be like raising my children again," she cooed, "Now, you two just get settled in the chairs right there, and I'll get your bellies full."

The small child felt a wave of comfort from her sister's voice, a tiny smile creasing her lips as Nayru felt the shawl fall onto her frame. Pulling it closer to her, the silver haired girl turned to the older woman as she spoke, tilting her head to the side. Books? Math? History? These words sounded completely foreign to her. The woman looked so happy about raising her and Kerica, and Nayru couldn't help but beam a bright smile in return.

When told to take a seat, the girl looked around to see what the woman was talking about, crawling on her hands and knees to examine the wooden chair. She sniffed it, and then proceeded to clamp her flat human teeth onto the chair leg. She pulled back instantly, wiping her tongue to be rid of the awful taste.

"Yuck..."

"Nayru!" the old woman giggled, "You're not a pup right now, you'll end up just hurting yourself, and we don't chew on furniture in any case," she scolded before picking her up and setting her on the seat, "Now don't try to eat the table either. I'll be right back." She smiled and scurried off.

Kerica climbed into another chair and looked around the room, "It's warm here. I like. Granny take care of us." She smiled at Nayru, "We be okay now."

The silver haired child gave the old woman a small pout as she was lifted up and placed on the chair, nodding once at her words before she left to get food. Turning to her sister, Nayru smiled in return, nodding eagerly at her words of reassurance. And so, their new life began.

~*~

It had been ten years since Nayru and Kerica were taken in by the elderly couple, and each day was a blessing to them both. The siblings had learned how to control their transformations, which became much easier over the course of time. Just as the kind woman promised, the girls were taught how to cook, clean, sew, and all the basic necessities they needed to help fit in with society. The old man had taught them how to hunt, and would keep a watchful eye on the sisters. However, on this beautiful Spring day, Nayru and Kerica would be hunting alone.

The old man had passed away the day before, and it devastated the silver haired female. She knew that it was his time to pass on to the next world, but it didn't stop her heart from aching. The sun was shining brilliantly in the cloudless blue sky, and the forest's grass and trees were starting to turn into a beautiful shade of green. Nayru sniffed the ground as she slowly moved forward in her wolf form, catching the faint scent of a lone deer.

The white wolf wasn't much of a hunter; she was more of a scout, keeping a close eye and ear for any prey that were to come their way. Her gaze darted from tree to tree, until she caught the sight of the deer who happened to be walking in Kerica's direction, completely unaware of her presence. "Kerica..." She whispered, not wanting to startle the young buck. "There's a deer heading your way,"

Kerica didn't respond, but she heard her. Nayru saw the dark brown fur and the flash of yellow eyes in the sunlight. The lean brown wolf flitted through the forest and came up behind the deer, not making a single sound. Then she jumped and sunk her fangs into it's neck before it even realized what was happening. Shaking her head and scratching her claws on his back, she managed to snap it's neck and it fell limp beneath her.

Panting and muzzle dripping red, she climbed off the dear, "It's so weird not having Oji-san here," she shook her head, "I knew he was going to go...I think he fought to make it through winter so we'd be able to fend for ourselves and learn. This upcoming winter is going to be hard, but nothing I haven't done before. Remember?" she gave a bloody smile before she reached down and hoisted the dear over her back, "Come help me carry it, Nayru."

The sounds of the struggle filled the white wolf's ears, causing her to tuck them back and shut her eyes tightly at the snap of the deer's neck. Opening her ice blue hues once more, Nayru trotted over and and licked at her sister's muzzle, hoping to help clean off the blood. As Kerica spoke, she nodded in agreement, then listened to her words carefully.

"I remember." She returned her smile and moved next to the brown wolf's side, carrying the other half of the deer on her back.

"At least you can cook," Kerica snorted instead of chuckling since they were in their wolf forms, "I mean, I can cook, too, but it never tastes as good as yours. I'm glad we didn't have to grow up eating things raw," she licked her muzzle and thankfully they weren't far from the cabin, "I know this is going to hurt Oba-chan, they were mates, but I think she'll be okay because she has us. You are a lot closer to her, what do you think?"

Nayru shook her head with a smile, walking beside her sister as they neared the cabin. "That's true... But I still have a lot to learn, though." She spoke in response, then blinked a few times at her question. She glanced sown at the ground for a brief moment, ears tucked behind her head before looking back at Kerica.

"She tries to stay strong for the both of us, but I can tell that the loss of Oji-san really hurt her... I honestly cannot imagine how hard it must be for her to lose her mate." She said, then gave a soft smile with a determined nod. "That's why we have to try and stay positive. For her sake."

~*~

Stay strong they did, through by the time they turned fifteen Oba-chan started to deteriorate and they had to work harder, Nayru doing more of the cooking and sewing while Kerica hunted a lot more. More than once before Nayru gave up and did it herself, Kerica would mess up with ingredients to go look for in the forest. The only difference with them was the smell, and she didn't get it right away. Besides that, things were same ol' same ol'.

Until, of course, the girls turned seventeen. Their grandmother passed and they were left alone for the second time in their lives. Kerica grew more serious about her role as the elder sister, a little more gruff and didn't like Nayru alone for too long.

At eighteen, Kerica had enough of her own behavior and being left with nothing and the nearest town half a day's journey away by two feet. Nayru came back from gathering herbs and plants to find two large backpacks full of their things. "We're leaving," Kerica said firmly as she turned around to face her paler wolf sister.

Handling the cooking and cleaning was the easy part for Nayru. She had learned so much from Oba-chan while growing up, such as recognizing the edible herbs from the medicinal and poisonous ones. It eventually became second nature to the silver haired female. It was true that she would lose her patience with the older sibling when it came to making meals, but in the end, things turned out okay.

That is, until Oba-chan passed away. Nayru did her very best to keep the tears held back, but she couldn't stop them from pouring down her cheeks like a waterfall. It was hard for the girl, but to keep herself and Kerica from losing themselves to despair, she put on a smile.

By the time she returned to the house from gathering herbs, she noticed her things packed in two large backpacks, looking at her sister in confusion before her words made her eyes widen.

"What?" She could only manage that single word, standing there in shock.

"I said, we're leaving Nayru," Kerica grunted as she slung her backpack on, "We've been here too long. I don't want to be alone anymore. I remember what it was like. You'd think a three-five year old wouldn't remember much, but I do. I didn't want to deal with that again, and I have been for a year now. I've grabbed everything important that we'll need. I know it's winter but I can't stay here another day."

Her gaze turned soft at her older sister's explanation, her lips slowly closing for she was unable to respond. She knew very well how painful it was to be alone, and she hated that feeling, more than anything else. Kerica was right; they could no longer stay here. Slinging her pack over her shoulders, she gave her sibling a kind and understanding smile, "I understand... Let's go."

Relieved, Kerica's shoulders relaxed a moment before she took the second backpack and handed it to Nayru. She froze for a second, Nayru having taken the bag. She tilted her head while her sister slowly put it on, "There's something...a plane?" it wasn't long before it got louder, lower, and Kerica's face contorted, putting her hands over her ears, "Ah! Shit!" It sounded like it went right overhead and everything suddenly went really quiet. A minute later, there was a very loud crash with trees smashing and rocks crunching.

Once Nayru draped the second bag over her shoulder, she looked up at the unknown sound, titling her head as well. It grew louder as it grew closer, causing the girl to cover her ears with a small yelp. "Ow!!" She cried with tightly shut eyes. She fell to her knees at the sound of the loud crash, eyes snapping open before looking up at her sister.

"We should check it out," Kerica helped her up, "Come on," they were leaving anyway so she didn't really care. The two made their way over the snowy hill and at the top they saw the wrecked trees leading further on. Dropping her bag she jumped forward and transformed. It was easier and faster, and she heard Nayru do the same so she just went on ahead.

Reaching the edge of a steep area of the hills where it dropped down into a gorge with lots of rocks, they saw the plane, "I'm going to go down and look, you stay up here out of sight. If anything comes and tries to attack me, attack them," she ordered and started sliding and jumping down like a mountain goat would.

As the crashing ceased, Nayru was brought back to her feet, rushing after her sister without hesitation. Dropping the two bags she was carrying, the girl transformed with ease and dashed to Kerica's side, seeing the cloud of smoke rising up into the sky. With an obedient nod, the white wolf kept an eye out for anything that may try to stop her sibling.

After a short moment of silence, her ears perked up at the sound of snarling, turning her head swiftly to see two black and tan Doberman dogs slowly making their way to Kerica. Her eyes widened, and her fur stood on end. Sniffing the air, she caught the scent of a human, yet he was nowhere in her field of vision. With a sudden sense of courage, she lowered her head and bared her fangs with determination, dashing swiftly at one of the dogs, her jaw clamped at the back of its neck, causing it to yelp in pain.

Kerica was looking under the plane because she heard whimpering when she heard the clash of dogs and Nayru. That was when she heard a shotgun cocking and whipped around, growling when she saw a man dressed in camouflage winter gear, the gun pointed at her but he was at the top of the hill above a bunch of rocks. She climbed back up just as he fired, and she barreled into the second dog after her sister, snapping at him and she dodged and weaved, having growing up in this forest.

There was a yelp and looking over she saw the dog she had gotten to chase her was laying on the ground, buckshot in his side. Another shot grazed the tree above her head and showered bark on her, and she started moving, snapping her teeth and growling as she ran for the hunter. Or was he a poacher? She had seen a lot of traps lately and Granny had warned them to be careful. Ducking, she felt a burn in her shoulder and the last tree had a huge hole blown into it. Leaping while he was trying to load more bullets, she hit his chest with her paws and shoved him backwards. She managed to jump off him before she fell, too, but she heard him scream and there was a lot of crunching and snapping as he tumbled.

The sounds of snarls and whimpers of pain filled the forest, and Nayru was focused on making sure the dogs got nowhere near her sister. The Doberman she attacked was now lying on the snow covered ground, bleeding and lifeless while the other attempted to attack Kerica while her attention was on the poacher.

Just as the white wolf was about to stop the dog, a loud sound was heard. BANG! Her ears lowered in shock and her eyes shut tight, slowly opening them to find the dog lying on the ground, dead. She heard a scream as her ears perked up and dashed to the sound, only to stop in her tracks to hear the impact. Nayru feared the worst, until she saw the brown wolf before her and trotted to her sister's side, licking her face in relief.

"I'm okay, don't worry about me. Come on, I heard something down by the plane," Kerica was panting, and she coaxed Nayru to follow her and they went back down to the crash. "It was right over here," she frowned and nosed the dirt and moved some wreckage, barked and whined. Sure enough, there was a bark and whine in return, "Hey, I hear you in there. It's okay. I'll get you out." She called and there was a tiny "riff" and when she moved another piece of metal she saw the tan dog with brown ears. "It's a wolf-dog, Nayru!"

With a nod, Nayru trotted beside her sister down towards the plane, sniffing the ground and nudging scraps of metal out of the way with her nose. When she caught sight of the small wolf-dog, her ears tucked back behind her head, lowering her head to lick the pup's face in reassurance. "Don't worry, little one. It's going to be all right." She soothed in a gentle voice, earning a whimper from the wolf-dog. She soon began to help Kerica move the large scrap of metal off him, and that was when she noticed the small gash on the pup's side.

"I have medical supplies in my bag. Let's get up the hill and patch him up before he bleeds out," Kerica transformed so she could pick up the pup and turned to Nayru, "Find me a safe path up."

With a determined nod, Nayru dashed away before walking a slow and careful pace, sniffing the ground while her eyes stayed focused on what was in front of her. She eventually found a path that safely lead her to their bags, and turned back to go back to Kerica. Once she reached her older sister, she changed into her human form. "I found a short yet secure path through the forest that leads to our bags. Let's hurry." She said.

They got up there and Kerica gave Nayru the stuff to work fast with stitching the pup up and then she wrapped the wound. The pup was breathing fairly evenly now, and she brushed her fingers over his fur, "Let's gets out of here. We have a long way to go. I can carry him on my back if you put him there."