"Die!" the blond warrior said, his claws slashing into the last monster. Around him were parts of all the monsters that he had killed, and the black blood of them splashed everywhere. The smell reeked.
"Yo! Were clear over here," one of his party members yelled over. The rest of the party members called in response, all monsters down and mission complete. The group tried to clean off as much blood as possible, but the stuff was sticky. In the end, they had to wait to get fully clean back at the town, where they accepted the task of killing off the nuance monsters.
"Hey man, are we going to do more missions around this area?" It was his red spikey-haired companion, Kirishima, whose fresh cherry scent was masked by the rotten smelling dried blood. The group had just made it back to the town, the people thanking them along the way back to the inn they were staying at.
"Nah, that was the only thing they needed done. We'll stay the night again and use the hot baths, then leave in the morning for the next town. We need to stock up before we leave, too." The blond said.
At the inn, the group went their separate ways to grab clean clothes and head to the springs. Thankfully, they had soap with them to shower with, getting all the blood and other gunk off their bodies before soaking in the hot water of the spring. All of them sighed in relief as they sunk into the water. They had been on the road for a year roughly, taking missions along the way, but it wasn't often they could relax after one since they usually had to spend their nights either out in the open or in dingy inns where you could hear the other residents from several rooms over. The group usually camped outside to avoid those kinds of situations.
"Hey, Bakubro," Kirishima started quietly, do you think you'll find who you're looking for?
"Hah? What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I fucking will! And when are you going to stop calling me that?" Bakubro, or really Bakugou, snapped back.
"Pfft, I'll always call you that. Anyways, I was just asking, its been a year of us running around, killing monsters, fighting other groups, working for rewards, but it feels like we haven't been able to help you get any closer to your goal." Kirishima shrugged.
"Hey, speaking of your goal, who is it were looking for exactly?" another of their group asked, his black hair pulled back and his light woodsy smell coming out.
"What do you mean, Sero?" Kirishima asked.
"Well I mean, we know were helping you look for someone, but like why and who are they to you, Bakugou? You didn't tell us anything other than you were going to bring them back to the clan," Sero said.
Bakugou sighed, pushing his damp hair out of his face. Now that it was out there, the whole group had turned to listen in. Kaminari, the yellow blond of the group, leaned over Sero's shoulder while he leaned closer. Even Kirishima, who had only heard a tiny bit about the person, leaned in. Bakugou let out another sigh but figured they deserved to hear something since they had come so far for him.
"Seven years ago, part of the clan left to find somewhere else to live. You all remember that, right?" Bakugou started. The other three nodded. "It was only a few families, really, but one of those people is who I'm trying to find and bring back. He's our age, only a few months younger than me, and we used to play together when we were kids. For a while, we weren't friends, hah, you know how I was back then, cussing out everyone, starting fights, being an asshole." The other three smiled at that. They were the ones that were usually right there with the blond getting into so much trouble with the clan.
"Didn't that group get kicked out, though? Sero asked.
"No. They left on their own. Some other families didn't like that there were mixed families and constantly harassed those that were. Since many of those who opposed were elders, they were able to seclude them. So they left." Bakugou added.
"That's stupid. Who cares if were half-shifters, full, or just plain human," Kaminari said, his brow furrowing. He himself was half cat shifter and human.
"That's not why one of them was singled out. His mom is from a long line of pure felines, and his dad was of a neighboring wolf pack," Bakugou said, looking down.
"Woah, that's crazy but kind of cool," Kaminari said.
"Wait, who would he take after then? Cat or Wolf?" Sero pondered.
It was quiet, Bakugou thinking still of his past. Finally, he looked back up to the three faces around him. "Not sure, even at fourteen, he never showed signs of being either. It was the fact alone that a feline and wolf were able to have a child together that the elders despised over all. It was hard enough for him being an Omega since the laws had yet to change."
"Wow," the three said.
"So, a childhood friend that you bullied and then had to leave the clan cause the elders are bigots. That still doesn't explain why you are trying to find him and bring him back. Aren't most of those elders dead now?" Sero asked.
"He has a point. You aren't one to do something without a good solid reason," Kaminari added even more curious.
Bakugou looked at the two and then at Kirishima, an annoyed look plastered on his face.
"Bro, just tell them, you've gone this far into the story, so you might as well finish it." Kirishima shrugged. This was the part he had happened to know, but it was on accident.
"Fine, just don't spill this to anyone, including Mina, I don't need her bouncing around bombarding me with questions." Sero and Kaminari nodded their heads. "I want him to be my mate," Bakugou said softly, but the other three were close enough to hear him.
No one said anything, but both Sero and Kaminari had their mouths open. The shock didn't last long and it was a good thing that they were the only ones in the spring at the time as the two snapped out of it and yelled at the top of their longs.
"What?!" they yelled together.
"Quiet you two! You're going to wake the whole fucking town up with that volume." Bakugou snapped.
"Dude, holy shit, I never thought you would even want a mate with the way you have been. Haven't you declined like all proposals?" Kaminari asked. Sero nodded in agreement.
"Ha! Those shitty extras weren't worthy, who would want them as a mate anyways? All any of them did was push themselves onto me and wanted to be the next chiefs mate. They didn't care about me, just my position and power. Besides, once I-" Bakugou started, but stopped as he wasn't sure if he should divulge anymore on this mate thing. The other three were giving him the looks again, almost puppy-like. "When dragon folk turn of age, they can choose their mate if they have one in mind, that's how Kirishima and Mina became mates so soon since they were together before they came of age. By that time for me, I was already calming down, not being so angry all the time, and I didn't think too much on it until, well, I realized who I wanted to be my mate. When I told my parents that I wanted to leave the clan to find my mate, they were upset. I hadn't told them who it was at first." Bakugou stopped to get his thoughts in order, remembering the arguments he had with his parents, mostly the hag and him yelling at each other.
"I'm confused," Kaminari said, interrupting Bakugou's thought. "If you were so mean to this person, why have them as a mate?"
"Because I always liked him, even back then. I was so high on my pedestal that I never saw, no, I didn't want to see how my actions affected him. Even now I feel like maybe if I hadn't been an ass and stood up for him and the others that they would have stayed and not feel outcasted. Bakugou looked down again and sighed.
"Hey man, we cant change the past, but we can learn from our past mistakes," Kirishima said, patting the blond on the back.
The topic was dropped, and soon after the four got out of the baths to get dressed and meet the other two members of their party, Mina and Jirou, who were in the other spring for women. After a hot meal, the group retired to their rooms to get some much needed rest.
The next morning they stocked up on some supplies and left for their next destination, the Capital.
⟿⟿⟿⟿⟿
"Wow, this place is huge," Mina said, her scent becoming sweeter due to her excitement. She and the rest of the group had arrived at the Capital city only a day later than expected due to running into another group of monsters. It was their first time in such a large city even though the clan they belonged to was large, it was still nothing compared to the Capital. Most of the places they passed through were small villages and a few bigger towns.
"Okay you lot, its already close to dinner time. Lets find a place to stay the night and eat. Tomorrow you guys can explore while I do what I came here for." Bakugou said before anyone in the group could go off in their excitement and get lost.
"Good idea," Kirishima said. He didn't want to admit it but he was tired, they all were.
The inn that they found was affordable and the rooms were not only clean but the walls weren't paper thin. After the day's end meal, Bakugou talked to the inns owner to see if he could get some info. Turns out, the Capital had a system that kept track of all the residents inside the walls and the small units that were just outside the walls which were mostly farmers and the like.
The morning came, and Bakugou went on his way while the rest of the group split up to explore some of the Capital city. The building in question that Bakugou arrived at was made of brown bricks and was four stories high, the sign above the door read Registries and Inquiries. Inside were several lines of people but no signs to say if there was a specific line he had to go to. Running his hand down his face and letting out a sigh, Bakugou went to the closest one and hoped that it wouldn't take too long.
Some God or Goddess had to have heard his plea as only thirty minutes later he was out of the building with directions to where he needed to go. Making his way to the right gate and only briefly stopping to talk to a guard to make sure they don't close the gates early, Bakugou headed towards the direction of a group of houses that were about a ten-minute walk from the Capital walls. They were cute little houses, only big enough for smaller families or parents whose kids had left to live on their own. Each had a gated garden attached and lots of space between the houses for privacy.
Finding the right house was easy, knocking on the door, however, took a bit of extra courage. Not that Bakugou would admit that to anyone. Finally, his fist knocked on the door and a muffled Coming could be heard from inside. When the door swung open a shorter woman with green hair tied back into a half ponytail stood to greet her guest, her dress simple and clean. She did have a smudge of flour on her cheek, so she had probably been baking something when he knocked.
"Oh my, Katsuki is that you? Look how big you got. All grown up and already a fine warrior." she said looking at the young man who wore his normal attire of black pants, boots, and fur cape. He also wore the tribal necklaces that mark his status as the next chief and the red stone earrings his mother gifted him when he became of age. The sword at his back was from his father, it was something that was passed down from his side of the family. It was odd to others for a Dragon folk to carry a knife of any kind when they could just use their claws, but what most didn't know was that it was a dragon tooth imbued with magic. Since Bakugou couldn't fully transform like his parents or Kirishima, the sword allowed him extra strength when needed.
"Hi, Aunty Inko," Bakugou said, as the shorter woman pulled him into a hug and invited him inside.
Several hours later, it was early evening and Bakugou had to leave to meet up with the rest of his group. He said goodbye to Inko and, to his surprise, her husband Toshinori who, to even more of a surprise, was the well known Golden Knight of the country, All Might. He promised her he would come to visit soon and even bring the rest of his party to see her, though he wasn't so sure that was a good idea.
Back inside the Capital walls and inside the inn, Bakugou sat down at the table his group were eating at with a huff. But before anyone could spew their questions at him, a waitress came over so he could order his own food. Once done he turned to the group and let the barrage of words come at him.
"So where did you go?"
"Did you find who you were looking for?"
"What did they say?"
"Are we staying for a while longer?"
Those were just a few that he caught. Taking in a breath he started to tell them some of what he did.
"I found his mom but he wasn't there; Ill get to where he is in a minute." He started, holding off more questions for the time being. "Just like what I and Kirishima told other families when we located their new village, I let her know that she was welcome to come back to the clan even if its just to visit and not stay now that the elders are gone and wont be able to cause issues. She's doing really good actually, she has a husband and works part-time at a shop. I told her about what's been going on back home since she and the others left. When we got around to how she ended up at the Capital of all places, that's when we got to where her son was."
He stopped his story as his food arrived, taking the moment to get his thoughts in order again. The group waited, trying to be patient, which was something they were not good at.
"He left about a month ago on his own journey going North." Bakugou finally said. He continued to eat, enjoying the good stew and fresh bread. The group just stared at him, thinking that there was more.
"So," Kirishima started, looking at the others around the table, "I guess we go North."
"No, I'm going North, you guys have come far enough," Bakugou said.
"What? Why?" Kaminari asked.
"Yeah, we've come this far and we can keep going," Sero added.
"Look here blasty, we volunteered to join you on your little trip and we aren't backing out now," Jirou said, Mina next to her nodded her head in agreement.
"Hah, we'll be going into Wolf territory and we all remember how they can be with some of our kind," Bakugou interjected.
"Wait, why would this person that you're looking for go into wolf territory?" Sero asked.
Bakugou looked around, seeing that no one was listening in, but still felt like he shouldn't say anymore in such a public place. He told the others such, and they quickly ate the rest of their food and headed upstairs to Bakugou's room to continue.
"Okay you two," he started, referring to Mina and Jirou, "I told these guys about this person, and be happy that I'm gonna tell you about it at all. Jirou, you didn't come into the clan until after this happened but I'm sure you've heard some of it. The woman I saw earlier today is originally from the feline group of our clan, Inko, and she had a relationship with a Wolf pack member which resulted in a son, Izuku. He's the one I'm looking for. Anyways, short version of the story is that because he is of mixed descent from two different shifters, the elders made sure he wasn't welcome and several other families left with them to get away from the bullshit the elders were doing. Why he's going into wolf territory of all places is because apparently he's trying to find his father, he only recently found out that the pack had set roots up north."
"I remember that going on, my parents hated what was happening but couldn't go against it since we are of lower rank," Mina said.
"What most don't know is that it wasn't just the elders that shunned the two, Inko's own family were appalled and furious at her for even thinking about being with a wolf let alone have a child with one. She ended up being thrown out of her family home. If it weren't for my parents they would have ended up living on the streets." Bakugou said, a scowl forming.
"So why don't you want us to go with you?" Kaminari asked.
"The wolf pack that used to live and co-exist with the clan, the one Izuku's dad was a part of set roots up in the north and they didn't like the clan all that much even before Izuku was born. It was more of a tolerance than anything else. It would be better if only I go by myself so they don't think we are there to start anything."
"You have a point, but I don't like you going off on your own," Kirishima sighed. Bakugou looked up at him, ready to snap at his words, but Kirishima continued. "It's not that I'm saying you cant handle yourself, it's because you're the next in line and they could see that as a threat itself. I can go with you and can not only fly over there faster with just the two of us but it'll be easier to leave in a hurry if necessary."
"And if anything does happen, you can send Eijiro here to pick us up if needed," Mina added.
"Ugh, fine, but on one condition," Bakugou said, running his hands down his face. He didn't want to admit they had a good plan, but he needed to make sure they didn't get into trouble while he and Kirishima were gone.
⟿⟿⟿⟿⟿
"Ugh," Bakugou groaned for the hundredth time.
He was currently on Kirishima's back while he was in his dragon form, the wind pushing his hair back and his cape flapping behind him. It had only been a few hours of them flying, but Bakugou was still regretting leaving the rest of his trouble-making team in the hands of Inko and All Might, or more like letting them babysit. Except Jirou, he knew she would be fine as she usually kept to herself. The only reason she was along for the ride was because Kaminari and Sero bugged her to tag along with them to join up with Bakugou and Kirishima when they first left on their journey.
"Dude, you need to relax. I'm sure they'll be fine," Kirishima said, his voice rumbling around him and up to Bakugou.
"It's not the squad I'm worried about. I know Inko is too nice sometimes and I don't want them causing her trouble." Bakugou replied.
"That's what I meant. I mean she did say that she could use help around the house and garden, so I'm sure she's got them busy," Kirishima said, chuckling at the thought.
They kept flying, making up as much time as possible before the sun went down. Before they left, Inko had told them that she received a letter from Izuku that morning saying that his group had stopped in a town to rest up for a few days as they had been attacked by a group of monsters, but by the time she got the message they would already be gone. Thankfully Bakugou and Kirishima just needed to fly for two days or so to catch up to Izuku and his friends.
When they stopped for the night they had pushed a few extra hours past sunset, so they quickly cleared the area to make sure no monsters were nearby or anyone else. They ate dried fruit and the smoked meat they had, opting out of starting a fire, and they fell into a light sleep.
The sun rose. The two got up and packed what little they had, grabbed something easy to eat, and then took off again with Kirishima in his dragon form and Bakugou on his back. It was about mid-afternoon when they stopped at a small river they could see through a clearing in the forest. It was here that they could hear what sounded like a fight going on upriver.
They jumped into action, running through the trees to get to the scene. Sliding to a stop, the fight in front of them wasn't too bad. Two monsters were on the ground, already dead with the rotten smell permeating the air, and a third one was being fought against by two people, one a knight and the other a magic user. The two people were handling themselves well, but it was obvious to the two dragon folk that it wouldn't stay that way.
Bakugou and Kirishima went behind the monster and with quick movements the creature was down. The knight hunched over, out of breath, but a 'Thank you' could be heard. The magic user collapsed onto the ground, spent. She was trying to say her thanks, but was just too tired to get the words out.
"Why the heck are there only two of you out here in the forest with all these fucking monsters out? You have death wishes or something?" Bakugou yelled, Kirishima holding him back from getting into the two tired peoples faces.
"What? No, of course not sires. We were split up by these monstrosities, there are two others in our group. They were ahead of us, but I don't know where they went due to these things, but I do know that there were at least two more of them." the knight said, finally catching his breath. Though he confused the two dragon folk with his arm moving up and down in such a stiff manner.
"Kirishima, you stay here and tend to their injuries, I'll find their other members," Bakugou said. He looked around and found the trail of human and monster tracks leading further up the path and then led into the trees. Once in the trees he could hear growls coming up ahead along with the yells of a monster. The smells were also getting stronger, but again the rotten flesh smell was the most dominant. Only seconds later he broke through the foliage into the fight.
One monster was dead on the ground, its body littered with claw marks and the exposed brain was slashed. Feet away was the second monster, some deep cuts also present on it as well, but what got Bakugou's attention was the oversized wolf fighting the monster.
Before he could step in, the wolf was able to knock the monster down, holding its body down, snapped its neck and slashed at the exposed brain before it could recover. In shock, Bakugou skidded to a stop, making just enough noise to let the wolf know that someone else was there.
The wolf quickly turned towards the noise, crouching down in preparation to attack, growling a warning, but when it saw a person he relaxed a little. Seeing the wolfs reaction, Bakugou held up his hands in surrender and to show he meant no harm, and the wolf in turn noticeably relaxed further. It approached Bakugou slowly, sniffing the air. Once only a few feet away the wolf stopped, moving his head to the side and then walked off to the side into some bushes. Not sure what to do, Bakugou followed behind and several feet away the wolf had stopped by a person wearing fancy clothes and hair of white and red.
This new person was unconscious, his clothes ripped in a few places but was not seriously injured from what Bakugou could see. The wolf nudged the unconscious guy, but he didn't wake up. Seeing this action Bakugou stepped forward.
"Hey, let me help," Bakugou said, slowly coming up to stand beside the wolf. The wolf in question looked over at him and then laid down next to the duel colored hair guy. Getting the hint, or so he hoped, Bakugou picked up the guy and placed him on the wolfs back, but stayed nearby to make sure the unconscious person didn't fall off while they walked back to where the others were.
"Oh my god, set Todoroki here and I'll tend to his wounds," the girl said, and she got up from her knight companion whose wounds were patched up heading over to where Bakugou lowered this Todoroki guy off the wolfs back and onto the ground.
The wolf then went over to a bag on the ground, grabbed it with his mouth, and trotted behind some bushes. A few minutes later a person walked back out of the bushes in simple black pants and a white shirt, his green hair almost blending in with the bushes.
"Deku?" Bakugou asked.
YOU ARE READING
Wolves and Dragons
FantasyAfter getting his shit together and coming to terms with his past, Bakugou leaves his home and position as next chief of the clan to find the one person he wants to be his mate. But after everything that has happened in the past, will he be able to...
