Wolf-Bound

     "Whisper!" She called out again. There was no response. She sighed and then giggled, happy for a game of hide and seek-even if it wasn't intentional! She raced into the cavern after the night fury, giggling giddily like a school girl who just got kissed.

 "Whisper, come back here!" She laughed. She wasn't able to see, but she could try to feel her way to the dragon. She felt the ceiling get smaller-for she was clumsy enough to bump into a stalactite-so she got on her hands and knees and began crawling through the cave. She must have gone the wrong way, for she came to a dead end and had to go back. She searched for a while until her eyes became adjusted to the darkness of the cave. Then, she went back to where she came from and tried again.

 "Whisper, were'd you go?" She asked, taking the right road this time. She was able to stand up and feel her way around now. Luna used her hands as a guide and felt around for a bit before her fingers brushed against soft hair of a person. She gasped slightly and pulled her hand away, looking down at the little boy who was with Whisper, behind him.

 "...Shu?"

   Whisper's ears perked up at the sound of Luna's voice. Leaping up, he sprang over Shu to land with his body perpendicular to his boy's, in front of the girl. He raised his wings and stood up on his hind legs, snarling viciously. He flapped his wings furiously and otherwise went wild. He pushed the girl back a few steps to give him some space and then lashed his tail behind him. Putting his front paws out in front of him, he grabbed Luna's body and pushed her to the ground, landing on top of her. He snarled in her face, his teeth flashing, wings raised-

   "Whisper."

   Whisper's enraged snarls turned into soft huffs as he looked back at his friend. His wings stopped beating the air and hung at his side. His tail lay like a snake across the ground. Shu lifted his head slowly, staring into his dragon's eyes.

   The boy raised his hand and moved it through the air in front of him.

   Whisper growled softly, but he stepped off of the girl. Giving Luna the death stare of a lifetime, the fury raised his wings and flew away through the tunnel.

     Luna freaked. Though Whisper was a more familiar night fury, she trusted Macha more than she would ever trust Whisper. She backed up when he started to push her back, but then he was suddenly on top of her! She screamed and put her hands up to her face when he opened his mouth, but then she felt the weight being lifted from her body. She panted hard and watched as the dragon swiftly flew past her head and out of the tunnel. Damn, that dragon scared her! She allowed herself to calm down before collapsing on the floor of the cave and turning to look back at Shu. She scooted back so she sat beside him and got comfy.

 Silence.

 "So, um..." Luna broke the silence with a sentence she was unsure of. "A-about today... do you... um... God, this hard to ask."

   Shu sat on the hard stone with his arms wrapped around his legs. He didn't move when Luna sat down, but rather kept his head on his legs, staring into the darkness of the cave.

   "God, this is hard to ask-"

   "You want to know who my father is, don't you?"

   Shu didn't move when Luna looked at him. He had been plenty silent before, but he just randomly spoke out like that so she had every reason to be startled. Shu closed his eyes, his face buried in his knees. "You have every right to ask. Since Jet blurted it out like that I'm sure to be hounded for days. No one likes me anyways so it's not like it'll ruin my reputation or anything. I wonder what put it in his head anyways. It's not like he coulda come up with it on his own...."

     Luna bit her lip. What was she supposed to do? She never consulted anyone with their problems before-she always let them slide and do whatever. Yet this time, she felt compelled to comfort him.

 "...That's not true." She said, turning her fingers around in the dirt. "Plenty of dragons like you. Dragons seem to hate me, so... Yeah. And if it makes you feel any better, I like you."

   Shu scoffed. "That's because I never actually interact with other people. I mean, I used to enjoy being around you guys; everyone liked me when I was a kid. After I turned 8 I didn't talk to people anymore and no one talked to me. Everyone resents me, and you know it; the adults at least. You say you like me.."

   Shu turned his eyes to Luna. "What if I said it was my dad who killed your father?" His eyes bore into Luna's. "That's my name; Kaii Shuensha Barbedspear"

     Now she was REALLY at a loss. She didn't know what to say. At one end of her mind, she was saying 'yes, I still like you' without hesitation. On the other end, she was saying 'god, I hate you! get away from me!' with hate and loathing in the tone. She had to make a quick desicion without any more hesitation.

 "Yes." She said. "So what if your father killed my father? That's all in the past. People shouldn't hold grudges for things another person had no say so in."

 This was true. She realized that she did reallyt like him-if she didn't like him, then why did she come searching for him? If she didn't care, she wouldn't be here right now. She would have left him there to rot.

   This time, it was Shu who was at a loss. He couldn't imagine how she could forgive him that easily. Does she really mean that? Astonished, he turned to Luna. "B-But, I'm his son. I was raised by his teachings; I still believe he wasn't a traitor. I didn't grieve for your father with the rest of the village. Don't you resent me?" How could you not?

     "Shu, who cares if you didn't grieve for my dad?" She asked. "He was my dad. Not yours. I wouldn't expect you to feel upset about his death. If you were raised by a murderer, who cares? I'm positive you're not like your father. You are your own person, Shu."

     Luna though, like the other people in the village, DID believe that Shuensha killed her father. She believed that much. But... what if he didn't do it? What if, everything was a hoax? What if-that's just it. What if. "If" was a word that failed a lot of people. "If I did this," "If I did that," "If I WHATEVER." They couldn't change the past with if. They couldn't change it even if they wanted to.

 "...If your father didn't kill mine, prove it." She challenged. "I'm your friend now, alright? That means no secrets. If your father didn't kill mine, then we'll just have to find out what REALLY happened!"

   Shu sat frozen in bewilderment. Maybe she does have a point there. Why should I be expected to attend his funeral? Then again, the whole village attended his burial; to honor his sacrifice. To scourn my father. But she really doesn't hate me.... Sitting back, he smiled with relief. His heart skipped with joy, beating elatedly against his chest. Maybe there were people who didn't hate him after all.

   When Luna implied that Shu was wrong about his father he stiffened. His fist balled and un balled with tension, dealing again with the issue that encased Shu's life. Shu had convinced himself long ago that his father was doing what he believed was right, that he still loved him, and the village. Shu had to believe that, or he'd go insane.

 STUPID CHURCH!!!!!! XOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 

 See this is why I don't go to church. :I

     Luna kind of glared at him and erraticcally flipped her hair back and forth. It was getting annoying, so she took it out of the ponytail and let it flop all over her shoulders and back. A small light eminated from her white hair that made her face glow. It was a small lighting bolt-something she had kept hidden for years since the "incident." It never seemed to go away or burn out. It was just a small, purple bolt that curled around a good chunk of her hair. She had only ever showed it to Kiba once, but she was sure he'd forgotten about it by now since it was always so well hidden. She didn't even notice as she stared intently at the boy in front of her.

 "So?" She demanded. "What's your answer???"

 She spat in her hand and held it out to him. "Shake on it." She demanded once again, assuming he would help her. She was only trying to be realistic.

   Shu of course had had little to no interactinon with other kids since he was 6, and knew nothing of the ways of the kids. He looked at Luna's hand in bewilderment, grimacing as the siliva oozed through her fingers. He looked at his own hand, imagining pressing it into hers, the globs human excreant squelching through his fingers to fall onto the rock below. His stomach churned with revulsion.

   Shu was about to retort that that was discusting and refuse to shake when Luna reached up and untied her ponytail. Her mess of white hair fell about her face in rivelets, bouncing on her shoulders like water down rocks. He stared at her hair against the black darkness of the cave, seeming to glow amidst the shadows of the rocks. A strange light seemed to light the cave, illuminating the faces of the young vikings. Suddenly, Shu realized that the light was getting brighter.

   A soft violet fell through the strands of Luna's white hair in the form of a lightning bolt. The purple light shone brightly now, causing Shu to close his eyes against the blinding glow.  Looking back at Luna, he saw the strand of violet hair hanging down against her cheek, and she didn't even seem to notice. Shu stared incredulously. I..... It.......... Her..... Her hair.. glowss...........

   Shu started to shiver with shock. Scooting away from Luna, he began to yell in surprise.

     Luna stared at him. What the hell was he doing? She watched as his expressions changed erratically. She wondered what he was contemplating before she realized he was staring at the chunk of her hair cradling her face. She gasped and scrambled to get rid of the purple light, but heard Shu begin to scream before she could put it away.

 "NONONONONO!!!! IT'S OKAY! DON'T FREAK OUT!" She said, waving her hands in his face wildly, trying to get him to calm down. Jeez, she didn't mean to show him that! She had tried to keep it secret ever since she was eight, but now he knew... Of COURSE he was going to freak. Thor, this day was aweful.

   Shu paused with his mouth wide open, his scream dying in his throat. He put his hand on the back of his neck, stuttering rapidly. "W- Who's freaking out? I'm not freaking out." He hugged his arms around his body hastily, attempting to smile. "I'm just really interested in your magical glowing hair- how long has it been doing that exactly?......."

HAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! XDDDDD REFERENCES, REFERANCES~~

     She stiffened. Oh boy! Another one who freaked. She sighed and wiped her hand on her shorts before she dropped her bow onto the ground. The bolt of lightning that was entwined betwixt the strands of silent white hair glowed softly, dimming when Luna cupped her hands around it.

 "W-Well..." She stuttered, trying to think of the words to say before getting a grip. "Since... the 'incident' seven years ago. It was leftover from that little dragon hatchling, and it just... never went away. Heh."

   Shu blinked in confusion. "Um... What, Incident?"

     "Oh, I forgot..." She replied, letting go of her hair and letting herself sink to the ground. "You weren't there...... I guess I'd better spill it now, though. 'Bout time you learned what happened seven years ago when our fathers died, anyways."

 She paused, letting it sink in before taking another deep breath and beginning her story.

 "We were playing hide-and-go-seek out in the forest where we normally play. And when I say 'we', I mean me, Jet, Kiba, and the other kids. Jet picked me and my brother to be it, so of course I volunteered to count. When I'd finished counting, I went looking for my friends. I ended up finding a little night fury hatchling in my favorite tree. I wanted to be its friend, but..." She paused and stroked her hair, averting her eyes from Shu's ever watchful gaze. "it attacked me. My hair was bleached white, and the energy from the blast changed my eye color and gave me this weird lightning bolt thing. I don't know what it means, but it's always there and it never burns out. That's why I'm not blond like my brother. The 'incident' is what made my life what it is. Dragons hate me. I can't ride any of them unless it's Toothless. They're friendly up to the point when I approach with the intention to ride. It's like they sense that this bolt thing is there, and they don't want near it because of that. I quit dragon training for that sole reason. God, I just..."

 Luna stopped. Shu was the first to hear this. She had only shown Kiba the bolt, but she never really thought he understood it.

   Shu listened silently as Luna recounted her story, looking intently ar her face, his hands folded in his lap. He frowned when she finished her story, his heart constricting. She had been outcast like he was. Not by the same species granted, but it was almost the same. He thought about how he and Whisper had been treating her.

   Shu groaned, putting his palm to his forehead. Rubbing the skin of his face, he looked up at Lunasadly. "I'm sorry, please don't take Whisper's actions personally. He- He acts the same way towards every person he comes across. Honestly, he does better around humans than with other dragons. When he sees another dragon, he freaks out. No matter where it is, Whisper will refuse to get within thirty feet of any other reptile. When he sees a dragon, his legs and wings start to quiver violently."

   Shu shook his head. "I don't know what to do with him. He was brought here to be a training dragon, but the only person he trusts is me. I think it has something to do with those scars he has. He was most definately attacked by something, poor guy....." He trailed off, realizing that he might have been getting a bit off-topic. He scratched his head akwardly. "Oh, sorry...... You were saying?.........."

     Luna smiled and looked out of the cave to Whisper, who she could not see anywhere. She could sense his presence, but that was about it. She thought about how she had seen Whisper most of the time-angry, not willing to let anyone touch him, feral-ish... He kinda reminded her of the stories of Toothless Hiccup used to tell at the campfire when they were little. Only... this night fury couldn't be fixed using cloth and metal. Luna tied her hair back up into a ponytail, making sure the bolt was safely hidden in the glossy mess of hair that rested on her back.

 "No no, it's alright." She replied with a smile. "Maybe those scars have to do with a tramatic experience in the past involving humans? Or maybe! He was on an adventure to a treasure-filled cove and discovered a big, MONSTER THING! AND IT ATTACKED HIM AND-AND-AND---OOF!"

     Luna had gotten so excited in her storytelling that she stood up and bumped her head on the roof. She fell back down on her rump and rubbed her head, letting the gross oozing feeling run to her fingers. She was fine, but she could be a dork sometimes.

 DUMB BLOND!!!!!!!!! XDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

   Shu jumped up when Luna hit her head, with the sudden intention to help, though no one can really help when you hit your head against something. Shu obviously didn't think about that. Standing up suddenly to help her, Shu heard a thud and yelled as a searing pain exploded in his scull. Clutching his cranium, Shu crouched back down on the floor of the cave, rocking back and forth.

   Shu had hit his head on the low-hanging ceiling, or was it the wall? The wall of the cave ran up at a diagonal angle, leaning into the interior of the cave. Being seated next to the wall didn't help, for it meant that the ceiling, or wall, was located inches above his head.

   Cursing himself for being stupid, Shu rubbed his aching scalp. The hair rubbing roughly against the sensitive skin made Shu wince, abruptly taking his hand away from his head. Sliding his hands through his hair, he caressed his scalp with tentative fingers. When he pulled away he could see dark liquid on his fingers under the soft glow coming from underneath Luna's hair. Shu grimaced; he'd hit himself harder than he'd thought.