Cries of the Forest

11

He woke up alone. The alpha was gone, leaving only him and her subordinates behind on that cold grey morning in their den.

If he were a normal child, he would have cried for his mother, but she was a howler and had no name, nor would she accept such a frivolous thing.

The cold truth sunk in: if she wasn't here with the pack, she was dead. He howled for her, missing her warmth and protection already.

He didn't look to his littermates for help; they wouldn't even if he had.

With the absence of their alpha, survival was up to them. It was a cruel world in the wilderness of The Forest, and they would not sabotage their already slim chances by showing compassion to their less able brother, the omega.

They left him crying, so very alone, and already beginning to feel the first stirrings of hunger.

Those desperate weeks made up one of the lowest points of his short life until he realized his abilities. He gained a new mother in the tree he assisted in growing and sheltered him to show its gratitude, and the trees whispered of ways the clawless hunted.

Ways to survive.

But it was still too cold...

~~~

Naruto woke like he was resurfacing from a pool of water, with a quiet gasp and muddled awareness. He was disoriented by the throbbing of the chakra of forest life, small but numerous as they were. His skin was clammy with a cold sweat, furs strewn about from the thrashing he'd probably done in his sleep.

It felt like he hadn't been home in forever, but he didn't like thinking of that side of his life. Kill or be killed, loved ones dying with no warning, to wake up and realize that while they should be there, they're not. She was gone.

Granted, the howler had been gone for many years; she'd died when he was seven after all. He'd been so young compared to his fully developed littermates; a People, not a howler. 'So incapable. . . ,' he thought bitterly.

He might have almost blamed them at the moment when they left him for dead, pseudo-exiling him from the pack; he didn't know. He liked to think that he understood their reasons and didn't begrudge their actions, but it didn't make the abandonment any less painful. How shameful it was to be removed from the pack. Even if he asked to join one as he is now, he would be rejected on the grounds of that single past experience.

Shikamaru came to mind. He was no littermate, but he liked to think they'd started their own little pack. He blushed at that thought. Obviously, he was the alpha, and he was happy to have the raven-haired boy as his beta. 'Or mate?' He quickly threw that thought away. Shika was another boy. They wouldn't be able to further the pack if they mated. 'Shikamaru doesn't like me like that anyways. . .'

It was best not to think of his friend that way. (What even was a friend, anyway? A pack was family; did that mean a friend was someone or something he did not wish to kill? That was incredibly impersonal. Was it actually a potential mate? He was so confused!)

Though he doubted that Shikamaru would want to bear a litter for him, even if he could. The Nara boy often said just about anything was 'troublesome,' (except Naruto, of course,) and he didn't want to burden him more with 'troublesome' things.

So it was best to not think of it at all.

Now sticky with a layer of cooled, drying sweat, he got up to gather the pelts that needed a good cleaning, ignoring the various objects strewn about his dirt floor. A while ago, he'd grown some small shelves out of thick protruding roots to house a few of the objects Shika had gifted him, but even those could not accommodate the full extent of his growing collection.

Some books and scrolls were clustered in a small pile near the back of the den, polished rocks he'd taken a liking to lining the roughly shaped shelves, and various miscellaneous items Shika had used to start acclimating him to The People's culture.

So many memories, and in such a short amount of time, too. It was confusing how much he valued Shikamaru, compared to the home he'd had for almost half his life.

And now Shikamaru wanted him to leave it. 

Maybe that wasn't what he'd said exactly, but that's what he'd meant. He wasn't stupid, just ignorant of the complexities of The People's culture. Even now, despite Shika's best efforts, he felt he didn't belong in The Village. He belonged in The Forest. 

He didn't want to think of that either. Maybe he could visit King while he was at the river. After all, it wasn't often that King was elsewhere.

Gathering his few pelts within the largest of the bunch, he started on a slow trot through the trees.

It felt immensely calming to just be. To be walking among the trees, absentmindedly picking up whatever small bits of food he passed by. He hadn't been aware that he'd been tense those last few weeks, but Shika's stress must have unconsciously been projected to him.

The People brought him so much trouble, even without them trying to. He remembered that one time years ago when he didn't have such a good hold on his abilities. They'd been trying to build a wall, (they'd called it a dam, hadn't they?)

He'd stayed hidden, not fully understanding the conversations he'd overheard. He hadn't been as good with The People's language back then, having not met Shikamaru or had the time to visit King often.

From what he'd gleaned, they wanted to use the water for the village, but they'd have to divert the river to build a 'reservoir.' (It was only later he realized they'd wanted to make a lake, but why did they need a new word for something like that?) He'd nearly given himself away quite a few times but managed on his own from the shadows of the foliage. 

Honestly, they'd been so complacent, less aware of danger than the hoofed ones he was so fond of. (Deer, Shika's voice corrected. He was so nit-picky with correcting Naruto's language.) 

With their intense unawareness aiding in his endeavors, he made short work of ruining all progress they'd made by the time they came the next morning. He kicked out loose planks, grew small vines and shrubs in the cog-work of the machinery, and made the remaining planks grow tree trunks, roots digging deep into the ground as the wood regained a new sort of life and sentience. 

He worked quickly and silently, refusing to ask any animals for help. There was a chance that he'd be discovered in his sabotage, and they were less able than him if the plan went sideways.

And despite the continuous rebuilding of The People, he was persistent. For every night they went home, a day's work would be undone. Of course, they had hired a small group of People more capable than them after the first few days, but they were young and sheltered, no match for Naruto's unique skills.

And he had triumphed! It had taken almost a full moon, but they could not compare to the havoc he had wreaked.

He laughed in remembrance; of course they would run away with their tail tucked between their legs. It was foolish of them to try to take what was not theirs to sate their greed, and no one would ever think that he was the culprit. 

(Though if there was now a rumor of the Shodaime's ghost haunting the forest discouraging further business endeavors, who was Naruto to stop the chaos he'd somewhat unwittingly caused?)

~~~

To clarify: this is not an omegaverse fic; I was just using terms of hierarchy within wolf packs. And in regards to feels development, Naruto's more animalistic and has never grown to think such a lengthy courtship is normal in humans because he's never experienced societal expectations.

Edited 12/18/2019