Star Crossed

Facing the breaking if the day

“It’s late, you should go home now Reki, Miya.” Kaoru stated softly. He stood to get their skateboards.
“I can drive them…” Naniko began.
“No need. I am sure they have much to think about, and discuss between them.” Kaoru smiled softly to the young humans. “Stay safe.” He passed them their boards. Once they left, he turned to where he had left his own.
“Carla, come.” He ordered. Kojiro jumped over the AI board as he retrieved his own.
“We will make sure they get home safely.” He bowed to his prime. They all left. The humans out of sight, their scent lingered in the air. The wolves easily followed it.
Reki was silent. Miya glanced over at him. He couldn’t fathom what was going through his friend’s mind. It was a lot to process. Miya had been raised with the stories. His mother would tell them to him as she did her house work. He had always found them fascinating. To him, they were only stories, until he was suddenly thrust into a room filled with huge wolves. Those stories were all too real now.
He shivered in the late night. Hugging his cat tail to him. What had they thought of him, looking like this? No one had called him names or said he was being silly. Actually, other than Kojiro and Kaoru, none had spoken to him. Once more his green eyes went to his unusually silent friend.
“You know they’re following us, right?” Reki stated. Miya’s eyes widened. He looked back. The night was dark all around them. He saw no sign of the others. Reki chuckled.
“You won’t see them.” His head was tilted back as he looked up at the night sky. “They’re following our scent. Making sure we go right home.” He stated. Miya smirked.
“And are we going right home?” He asked. Dawn would be coming soon. This wasn’t the first time the friends had stayed out all night. Reki's eyes met the others.
“Of course not.” He chuckled. They turned as one. Each heading down hill toward the water below them. As they reached the midway mark, the bumped their fists. “See ya in school!” Reki called. Miya went to the right. He would go over the bridge. There wasn’t anything he needed from home before going to school. He bent his knees to take the turn, sliding out of it, he gained speed. How fast where the wolves? He pondered.
Reki went to the bottom of the hill. He spun left just before heading into the water. If you didn’t know the turn was there, then you were getting wet. Silently he wondered if they knew about the turn. As he came out of it he preformed a zig zaging move through the coming streets. His mind was back with the story.
When he felt he was far enough away, where it would take the alpha some time to catch him, Reki slowed. He had just turned seventeen. Langa had been in his dream that night. He knew it, he always was on his birthday. The redhead tilted back as he watched the sky begin to lighten.
What seventeen-year-old knew what he wanted out of life? Could he survive not seeing the twins grow up? They were only six after all. With his father out of the picture, Reki had been the closest thing to a dad they had known. They had started school just last year. When fathers day came, they had made him gifts. He still had the little bird, Nanaka had made him out of clay, on his key chain. He had laminated it to harden the baked clay, and drilled a hole to put a key link in it. He sighed clutching the blue bird.
He knew he couldn’t abandon them, not like their father had. Koyomi would understand, he thought. She knew he wasn’t like others. Often picked on him for it. She wanted to see the world. How many times had she asked him, to just write to her when he was gone? Did she know something? Or was it her fear that her older brother would leave her behind as well? Reki pondered.
The beach wavered out of the grayness of pre-dawn. He kicked the board into his hand. Walking out over the sand, he let his mind juggle the issues he had. Langa. The teen had been with him for as long as he could recall. Reki placed the board in the sand. Sitting on it, he felt the wheel sink into the grainy softness.
As the suns rays started to change the color of the sky, he fought to recall anything out of his dream. He knew it was always snow around the boy. For a long time, he called him that. Langa hadn’t corrected him. It was the only snow Reki had really seen.
He remembered sitting on the stairwell of his elementary school, talking to Langa about something that had happened in school that day. Reki had felt betrayed, humiliated and discouraged over it. Now, he didn’t even know what had made him feel that way. Langa had hugged him, telling him that he would take care of him. Then he had shifted the scene in the dream to the beach, a place that always made Reki happy.
“Tell me,  if I embrace the wolf, will I recall my dreams?” He asked. Although the other had not made a sound, Reki knew he was close. The glowing AI board was dropped to the sand. It’s owner and creator sat down on it.
“Your mind will become unblocked. An alpha could and sometimes does block painful events from us, but not often and only for our own good and peace of mind. My own childhood wasn’t very fun. I had abusive parents.” Kaoru informed him. “After mating with Kojiro, he blocked those memories. I still know what happened, but the emotional pain doesn’t hurt any longer. In his way, he freed me.” He explained.
“It sounds like they have all the control. That we are just puppets to them.” Reki stated. Kaoru smiled.
“I wouldn’t say we. There is a very good chance you won’t be a beta.” He smiled. “and an even higher one, you won’t be an omega.” He added. Reki turned to look at him.
“What’s an omega? I understand a beta is like just under the alpha?” He frowned. Kaoru’s golden eyes shined out as the sun’s light finally broke the horizon.
“Most wolves are omega. They are the workers of the clan. Supporting the beta and alpha.” He explained.
“Does a clan only have one beta and one alpha?” Reki wondered.
“No. There are typically a dozen or so betas. Alphas are fewer. There can be two to four in a clan. One leads it, the others tend to support them. Often, they are younger. The older alpha teaches them how to rule the clan.” Reki was silent as he took this in.
“I think you just may become…” a loud growling was heard behind them. Kaoru sprang to his feet. He shielded the boy behind him. The sun wasn’t fully above the horizon. His terrified scent filled the air. The human shook his head at the odd smell.
“Reki, get out of here, run!” Kaoru cried. “That isn’t a shifter!” He ordered the boy. Reki didn’t move.
“Carla, call Kojiro, werewolf alert at beach.” He ordered.
“There are several beaches around here.” Reki glanced over the arm of the beta wolf. The large dark form of the werewolf was bearing down on them. It walked on its hind legs, looming up above, blocking out the sky. Reki could see its rib cage through its skin. He gaged.
The beast was drooling. “Oh no. He hasn’t eaten in some time.” Kaoru was worried. He couldn’t change, if he did, he wouldn’t be able to communicate with the human. If he didn’t, they were going to be werewolf food.
“I thought you said they changed with the moon?” Reki stated.
“Yes, they change on a full moon.” Kaoru agreed.
“But, last night was a new moon.” Reki cried. Kaoru knew what that meant. This thing wasn’t just a werewolf, it was a rogue one. He shifted instantly, only telling the redhead to run, once more.
Reki picked up his skateboard. He held it in both hands as if it were a baseball bat.
“I’m not leaving you alone.” He stated. He threw his head back, screaming at the top of his lungs. “Lllllaaaaaannnnnngggggggaaaaaa Hhhheelllpppp!”  With that, he charged.
He was bringing the board up to strike, when he was knocked over from behind. The grey and pink wolf shook his head. The other beast swatted the beta away. It apparently, had decided what it wanted for dinner, and it wasn’t the wolf.
On his back, he felt the wetness of the drool hit his cheek as the thing brought his smelly maw towards him. Reki jammed the skateboard upwards. Smashing it into the beast’s jaw. The thing stumbled back. Reki rolled away. He took a second to search the beach. Kaoru was a little ways away. That wasn’t pink that was matting his fur. Reki needed to get to the injured wolf.
As he fought the sand to regain his feet, he spun to see the werewolf on top of him again. He staggered back just barely keeping his footing. Out of nowhere, a howl sounded over the hills. Reki shivered as it reverberated through his bones. It was angry.
 As the call began to fade, a large brown wolf slammed into the werewolf. He knocked it over. Kojiro sprang away to get out of the reach of the beast’s claws.  He whimpered, sparing just a small glance towards his injured mate.
“Here’s a plan. You take care of that; I’ll take care of him.” Reki pointed to the werewolf and then to Kaoru. The dark head nodded. With a plan, the two separated. Kojiro sprang into the fight. Reki raced the shifting sand to reach the injured wolf. He pulled his jacket off to wrap it around the wolf’s stomach.
“Carla, can you help me?” He asked the AI board. It’s wheels spun in the sand. Reki yanked it out. The cement walking path wasn’t that far away. Reki heard a cry of pain. He glanced over his shoulder in time to see the dark wolf flung into the ocean.
“Oh, shit.” He muttered. The beast was nearly to them already, seeging its dinner was going to get away. Reki tried to shield the wounded animal.
He blinked, what was that? The beast had grown a white head above its own. Reki’s eyes widened when he realized it wasn’t just a head. The white wolf was attached to its back, biting and kicking it.
“Langa?” Reki breathed out. Soon the beach was full of wolves. As they fought to end the crazed werewolf, Reki got the injured beta onto its skateboard. He hovered over it, protecting him from any further harm.
Once the beast was down under a mountain of fur, Reki relaxed. He watched as two wolves extracted themselves from the pile. As they ran towards him, they both shifted. Langa reached him first. He began yanking on Reki’s clothing.
“Tell, me she didn’t break the skin. No cuts or bite marks?” The prime Alpha cried stripping the human.
“No, I got away before it could. Then Kojiro showed up!” Reki cried trying to protect his privacy.
Kojiro was bleeding into the wounds of his mate. The blood bubbled and the wounds closed. Kaoru sat up slowly leaning into his mate as their lips came together.
“You scared me, Kaoru.” Kojiro muttered.
“I’m sorry gorilla.” Was the sheepish answer.
As Reki was now naked, Langa was finally satisfied that he had no wounds from the ravenous beast. “Thank God. It could have turned you!” He sighed holding the boy close to him.
“Can I get dressed, please?” Reki asked. They laughed at him, as Langa, embarrassed, backed away to let him.