*...* denotes internal thought
~ ~ ~ denotes break in scene
------ denotes flashbacks
Moonlight, Sunlight, Midnight Part 1
[Palais - roughly one year since the prologue]
The steady breeze flowed easily through the castle, keeping the warm summer air from becoming too stifling to the castle's denizens. The courtyard in the center of the castle was a bustle of activity, preparations for the midsummer night's festival well on their way.
The population at the Palais had grown considerably in the past year. Exiled members of the Pack had been welcomed back into the fold with wide arms, provided that they truly wished to rejoin the Pack. The majority of the exiled ones had answered the call, for banishment from the Pack was the worst punishment inflicted upon their kind; to be cut off from the Pack, to live out one's days alone without the possibilities of finding a viable mate. Without the companionship, protection, or hunting partners that Pack solidarity provided, the soul of a werewolf would wither and die. Life was always short for the exiled, though it seems to last forever to the unfortunate.
They had come back home, adding many numbers to the faltering ranks of the Pack, and yet the young still remained endangered. Even in the wild, few children had been born to those who had been exiled as mates. Only a handful of wolflings had been added with the returned members, and still their cub leader was the youngest.
However, among the exiled, there were fewer cases of pups being born with the curse of the Scourge. Gregori took this as a sign that the Pack was meant to rejoin the outside world, hope for the future of his people beginning to blossom once more in his heart.
Isadora Yuy stood at the window of her personal quarters, gazing down at the open courtyard below. Chosen for this very reason, she was content to watch the buzz of activity below, amusement lighting her eyes as she watched the children rambunctiously get underfoot. Chuckling lightly to herself, she continued to gently rock the precious bundle in her arms, her movements graceful and smooth.
Her Yuy eyes, that characteristic Prussian blue that all of her lineage bore, were reflected back in the sleepy gaze of the infant child in her arms. Bending her head downwards, she placed a motherly kiss on her baby's forehead before resuming her rocking. Her child's reaction was to give an adorable yawn and pop his tiny thumb back into his mouth, content to suckle on it.
The cub had come with the early spring, a new boon to the Pack along with the thawing of winter. Isadora had taken to her confinement in the early months of the year, taking to her wolf form as was typical of her people. She had remained so until the cub was weaned, some six weeks after the birth, and only then had she resumed her human form. Once weaned, her cub also assumed his human form, which was the way of the young. Typically, in cases of birth, the expectant mother would remain in wolf form and during this time the male of the pair would retain his human form to care and provide those things for which human form was necessary.
However, Isadora had no mate in the Pack, indeed she had told a tiny half-truth to the Pack Council that her 'mate' had perished due to humans. To Isadora's thinking, this was sort of true. Even though the father of her cub was human, she had believed his soul to be kin to hers. And when he had betrayed her for the humans and that evil doctor that he worked for, Isadora believed that which she loved in him had been murdered and only the cold, manipulative bastard had remained.
Her father, Alexander, had taken it upon himself to play the role of father, to help his expecting daughter. Their reunion had been heartfelt and tearful. Isadora had learned that the Pack had been planning on welcoming back those who had been exiled, and her pregnant status, once discovered, had only been an added bonus.
Naturally, they had all questioned her on the father of her cub, but she had managed to keep her scent from leaking her half-truth as she blithely told them that the father had died while fighting humans. This naturally led them to wonder why she had survived the death of her mate, to which Isadora had further complicated matters by stating that she and her cub's father had not 'truly' bonded in the way most Pack mates did. Their connection had been close enough to create a new life, but not deep enough to bond their souls and lives together. Such a thing was unheard of, but in lieu of a new life growing, most of the Pack had dropped the subject.
After all, it wasn't like her cub could have a human father, was it? Unions between humans and werewolves were not only forbidden, but they were impossible right? Surely no human could have the stamina to share in the Passion required for creating new life.
Isadora had blossomed during her pregnancy, gaining the glow that only expectant mothers were capable of. However, a fear had lurked beneath her mind as her date of delivery neared. Only she was aware of her cub's half-breed status, and such a cub had never before been created. Isadora did not know if her cub would be born as a typical wolfling or as a human child. She did not know which was stronger in her unborn child, his human blood or the call of the wolf.
In the end, it seemed that her worries had been for naught. The cub had been born with ease, her labor swift and simple. He had been tiny, covered with damp fur, his eyes blind. But he had been born a true and healthy cub, and his birth had been greeted with a resounding howl from the Pack.
Isadora smiled as she remembered his Presentation Day, the day of his birth, and his first meeting with the young Pack leader. She had been recovering on the birthing bed, but she remembered everything as seen through her father's eyes, a bright memory she held close to her heart.
~ ~ ~ ~
[Palais - earlier that spring]
All the members of the Pack had assembled in the grand meeting hall of the Palais, the only area that was large enough to hold all of their numbers other than the courtyard. The air had been fragrant with the new spring flowers and the scent of expectation. Births in the Pack were rare and each was anticipated eagerly by all.
Ceremonial candles lit the hall, their soft glow playing teasingly on the moving bodies of the Pack. Whispered voices darted among the werewolves, as if they were afraid to talk loudly for fear of disturbing the impending birth. Tension was also in the air, so tangible it could almost be tasted. Would this child also be just another in a long line of doomed cubs? Or would he or she be born healthy and whole, a new beacon of hope for the Pack?
The children of the Pack had been included in the wait, brought forth from the nurseries where they passed the time with each other and building bonds of brotherhood, sisterhood, and friendship. Unlike the adults, who were clad in soft, comfortable clothing, most of the young children preferred to go around in their naked skin. The lack of clothing while young served two purposes; one being the call of instinct, to revel in one's form whether human or wolf, and two being for the purpose of toughening human skin for survival. However, the older cubs, like Wufei and Trowa, wore clothing, to learn to be civilized as they prepared to abandon the innocence of childhood and assume their adult positions in the Pack.
At his place of status, the young leader of the Pack was excitedly waiting the birth of the new cub. When the new one arrived, he would no longer be the youngest of the Pack and he could play at being the 'big brother' to the new cub, much like the others had been to him. He was a bundle of energy, almost too much for his personal nanny to contain. Chattering brightly, he asked all sorts of questions, curious to a fault. Yet his questions were indulged, as knowledge can only come from questions or experience.
As steady footsteps rang in the front corridor, silence fell upon expectant crowd like a suffocating cloud. The scent of Alexander Yuy was clear in the air, his overwhelming masculinity mixed with the echoes of the paints and oils that was part of his chosen profession. All heads twisted around to look as he strode into the hall, clad in his simple shirt and breeches. His dark hair was sweaty and tangled, the scent of birth blood and his daughter's labor becoming stronger as he entered the hall.
In his large hands, he carried a small burden, surrounded by a soft blue blanket. Gently parting the folds of the blanket, he carried and lifted from its warm depths a small, sleeping cub. His face was suffused with pure joy, triumph emanated from every pore. The tiny creature mewled softly, almost inaudibly, as Alexander held his grandson up proudly for all to see.
"A son has been born to the Yuy line!" he cried, even as a great cheer threatened to swallow his words. "A strong and healthy cub to strengthen the Pack!"
The Pack members howled and cheered with delight and joy, their worries allayed and fears shoved aside. It was a time for celebration, this new ray of hope for their future. Alexander accepted the hearty congratulations sent his way, even as he carefully kept a secure hold on the cub. At a look from Gregori, he turned to face the young Prince.
In all sincerity and respect, he kneeled down to Duo's eye level and presented his grandson to the young wolfling. "My young liege, behold my grandson. His chosen name is Heero."
Duo, bright eyed curious and excited, experimentally sniffed the stranger, testing his new scent. Obviously liking what he scented, Duo cautiously touched Heero's fur, which had already begun to dry into wispy, dark brown curls. Heero's soft, pearly claws gently scraped on his exposed skin, causing him to giggle in delight. Having never seen a newborn cub before, he didn't know quite what to make of him.
Duo's human nose gently touched Heero's cold, lupine nose, in a soft greeting. He watched in fascination as the tiny muzzle suddenly opened and a rough tongue suddenly began to lick his face. Giving a bright peal of laughter, Duo chattered, "Heero. I'm sure we'll become the bestest of friends!"
Alexander's eyes crinkled with humor as a smile spread across his face. "I'm sure you will, young Duo. I'm sure you will."
~ ~ ~
[Palais - back to present]
Isadora smiled at the memories as she murmured, "Heero, my little Heero."
A strong hand suddenly clasped her shoulder, her father's familiar scent drifting to her senses. She looked at her father from her peripheral vision even as she whispered, "Good morning, Father."
"Good morning, Isadora. And how is my little grandson doing today?"
Heero's baby eyes fluttered open as the deep rumble of his grandsire sounded in his ears, the familiar scent of family making itself known. Upon seeing the familiar, handsome visage of his grandfather, he gave a happy gurgle and squeal.
Alexander peered over Isadora's shoulder as he tickled the baby's chin with his forefinger. He gave a start of surprise as Heero clumsily grabbed hold of the digit and dragged it up to his mouth to gum it.
"He's strong, isn't he?"
"Takes after his grandfather," she teased.
Alexander grinned, his proud demeanor suggesting the countenance of a strutting peacock. "It's the Yuy genes."
A light laugh from the doorway had both adults turning to see Sachiko. Alexander's mate, the flaming redhead was the fiery counterpart to her steady other. Gracefully moving into the room, she smirked at her mate and her daughter even as she joked, "You're going to give your father a swelled head, daughter."
Sachiko gave her mate a kiss on the cheek before turning to the infant in her daughter's arms. The redhead had a bright, pleased smile as she studied the cub. "But it is praise well-deserved. He is a beautiful cub, definitely of the Yuy line, and he will make a fine wolf."
"He will learn from the best."
Heero gave a happy coo, unaware of the fact that they were talking about him. All his baby senses could tell him was that he was surrounded by love and family, their scents welcome and familiar.
Sachiko gave her daughter a cool appraisal, even as she said bluntly, "And I am very happy that you finally gave up your silly obsession with humans. I'm sure your opinion of them has changed since Heero's father was murdered by them."
Isadora's smile disappeared as her mother brought up a familiar and old argument. Ire flashed in her blue eyes, even as her grip on Heero tensed. In a tight voice, she muttered, "Not all humans are evil, Mother."
"A human is a human, Isadora. They are perfectly worthless creatures that we must mold, and shape, and guide because they are too stupid to do it themselves. I thought you learned this."
Mother and daughter stared at each other, the challenge evident in their eyes. Isadora's Yuy blue clashed with Sachiko's Izumi green. Neither was willing to back down, nor did they want to begin baring their teeth in outright invitation to fight.
Alexander smoothly interceded, playing the peaceful median as usual. "Ladies, ladies! It's Midsummer, a time of joyous celebrating of life, not a time to dredge up old, buried arguments. Come, put aside your differences and let's join the others in the courtyard."
The two women sized each other up before simultaneously flashing their throats in agreement. Isadora shifted her attention to her baby and started to leave the room, her father making small talk and guiding her smoothly out the door.
Sachiko followed behind her rebellious daughter and her mate, her temper quelled for the moment. However, as she started to leave the room, the scent trails left by her daughter and Heero teased her senses. It was very brief, very fleeting and indiscernible, but Sachiko could have sworn that she suddenly scented human.
Sachiko's eyes narrowed as a tiny niggle of suspicion crept into her mind, the horror and impossibility of her sudden thought froze her soul.
*No! It's impossible, unheard of! The child is a werewolf, he was born as our kind. And yet, why won't Isadora tell us who Heero's father was?* Doubt and uncertainty took root in Sachiko's mind, the ramifications of her suspicion weighing heavily on her shoulders.
*Surely she wouldn't bring such shame upon her father's household. Still... I will bide my time and watch the child. This matter concerning your love of humans is not yet finished, Daughter.*
Having come to her decision, Sachiko departed her daughter's room. She headed out to the courtyard to join in her people's revelry of midsummer and to keep a dubious eye on her now questionable grandson.
TBC...
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