Chapter Text
White hot agony rips through Chan’s entire body. Muscles spasm under thick black fur as he pushes himself further; faster.
Heavy darkness envelops him with the only light coming down from the stars hanging above. It’s as if even the moon herself is hiding from the chaos happening below.
To think the day had begun so ordinarily.
Several hours earlier…
Chan’s eyes blink open unhurriedly as his body follows suit in a slow waking. His face turns and is met with the feeling of soft grass against his sun warmed skin. A lazy stretch of arms above his head and a great yawn are icing on the cake as Chan greets the afternoon.
Being a lone wolf has its up’s and down’s and one of the biggest perks is that Chan can lie down for a nap in the sun whenever he so pleases. One of the biggest downsides is the fact that patrolling his territory falls solely on Chan’s shoulder’s, which takes a great deal of energy and time, hence the frequent naps.
Birds chirping and the very faint sound of rushing water make for excellent background noise as Chan rises to begin another patrol of the land around him which he has claimed for himself and defends with vigor.
He’s in his human form which is his preferred form to nap in due to his preference to sleep in the sun and the weather turning warmer as it heads towards summer. Chan runs naturally warm anyway and fur only entraps more body heat.
For his patrol; however, Chan does shift back into his wolf form with one last quick stretch of his sleep sated joints. He prefers to have the senses of his wolf for these routine checks, nose and ears sharp enough to pick up any foreign scents or sounds that his human body would be blind to.
Tanned skin is quickly replaced with fur as dark as night and Chan sinks four paws into the plush ground beneath him, his wolf howling within, delighted at being brought to the forefront.
Chan allows for some of that raw joy to bleed out and a howl pierces the air.
This perimeter check, like always, goes without a hitch. Chan specifically selected this piece of land due to its isolated nature. With a wild river cutting along one border, a treacherous canyon makes up the majority of the rest of the borders with only a small portion of the final bit of border flat and covered with densely growing foliage.
The work it would require to get to Chan’s slice of paradise is simply not worth it to anyone passing by.
Hence, exactly why Chan adores his home. He’s been on his own for years and has no intentions of ever changing that fact. He likes being alone. He doesn’t have to worry about other mouths to feed or a pack to protect. It’s just him and his wolf, exactly how he likes it.
Chan finishes his sweep of his territory with a pleased wag of his tail. A dull ache in his belly makes it known his body is hungry, which is really just perfect timing, so Chan turns to the part of his territory covered in long grasses.
His favorite snack just so happens to live in abundance here with no other predators around other than him.
Chan slinks around the grasses to find a spot to crouch and lie in wait.
His coloring means he can be spotted easily so his usual hunting technique is simply to lie low and wait for lunch to come his way all on its own. He has all the time in the world, after all, no need to rush.
His patience pays off when a rabbit eventually hops into view. The wolf lies utterly silent and still in the swaying grasses, the wind blowing, but thankfully Chan lies in wait downwind. The rabbit has no idea of the danger it has just hopped into.
Chan makes no move though his eyes remain locked on his prey. The distance between them is still too great for him to make his move just yet.
Several minutes later, the rabbit eventually bounds closer. Chan and his wolf react in an instant. The rabbit never sees him coming.
As Chan licks his maw of the last traces of lunch, he debates what to do next. With summer coming, he doesn’t feel the compulsive need to hoard food. He’s already done his patrol. So, Chan gives a full body shake before trotting away from the tall grasses and towards his little home.
His little home being more of a protected space wedged between two mountainous boulders along the rocky canyon border. It keeps the weather off of him when he needs it and the stone provides a natural cool touch during the summer heat.
Upon entering his stone home, Chan sniffs around and pounces on a couple of crawling bugs, indulging in his wolf’s more playful side.
For a couple of hours Chan sticks close to his home, shifting back to human at one point to do some basic exercises to keep his muscles developed and his mind sharp.
All in all, Chan thinks he’s had another perfect day.
His perfect day comes crashing down around him as the sun begins its descent towards the horizon.
In his human form Chan sits up from his position on the ground, having been in the middle of wrapping up his set of core exercises, when he hears noises. They sound distinctly non-animal. Human then.
Other wolves seldom venture too close to Chan, but humans coming this close? It’s never happened before.
Chan instinctively shifts into his wolf form and leaves the comfort of his home to lope closer to the noise. There must be multiple humans for as much sound as they make. It sets Chan’s teeth on edge. He hasn’t seen another being in ages, and humans were never good news. They always bring destruction in their wake whether it’s intentional or not.
No surprise to Chan, the noises are coming from his border with the dense forest, the easier path into his territory out of the other natural barriers.
Chan slinks around in the shadows as much as he can to try and hide his dark body from sight, even though the thick foliage of the forest should prevent anyone from spotting him.
As Chan creeps closer, his nose is able to pick up on the scent of humans. He is certain they are not wolves in human form, the scent in the air now being too pungent to be anything other than humans.
The noises are a mix of voices and sounds of something heavy being used to hit branches and leaves presumably out of their way.
The audacity to come here unwanted and to destroy nature along the way makes Chan’s hackles stand up straight. He needs these people to leave. Now.
Chan is by no means a bloodthirsty beast who kills for fun, but he is territorial and has little patience for those who think they can go and do whatever they want simply because they can.
So while he doesn’t intend to kill any of these humans, he fully intends to deliver a swift message, to leave and to never come back.
The sun has sunken even lower by the time Chan approaches his border, the humans making slower progress with their taller bodies. The wolf crouches down hidden underneath the overgrowth perfectly; his dark body now working in his favor in the shadows of the trees.
The first human pops out into Chan’s line of sight and he has to force himself to suppress a growl. The human carries a weapon. Multiple weapons, actually, as Chan looks closer. Knives are sheathed around the man's belt and a rifle is slung casually across his shoulders on his back.
Chan is familiar with human weapons and knows exactly what guns can do. He absolutely must get these people to leave.
He knows to be patient though. Much like hunting his rabbits, Chan lies in wait. He wants an accurate count on how many humans there are and who has weapons, who looks like the biggest threat, who looks the quickest.
Altogether there are seven humans. More than Chan could take at a single time, especially if they’re armed, but Chan has the advantage of being in the thick forest where human movement is difficult and their sight limited.
As the humans pass by him unknowingly, Chan and his wolf plan. Surprise would work in his favor. He’s sure he could down at least a couple of the men in seconds if they don’t have time to prepare. The rest he would simply have to outmaneuver and outsmart.
Chan creeps into position behind the group of humans and tenses, poised for his attack.
And attack he does. Chan launches himself up from the underbrush at the last human of the bunch. He’s completely silent in his ambush, the only noise comes when his jaws clamp down hard around the man's neck. The human lets out a guttural shout for just a second before his windpipe is crushed between Chan’s teeth. As soon as Chan knows this one is no longer a threat, he releases his grip and immediately lunges at the next man.
By now they all knew there was a threat present. Weapons would surely be drawn and aim would be taken.
Chan works fast before that can happen. He quickly springs up to bite the next man’s throat and just like his former comrade, this man is quickly taken care of and dropped.
Chan darts into the brush before the others can put a target on his back. Two men down. Five more to go.
He can hear them panicking as he hides silently in the shadows. The stench of death and fear permeate the air.
Maybe, if Chan is lucky, the men will be wise and turn tail and run.
Chan is not lucky.
Leaves rustle is a gentle breeze to Chan’s left and several gunshots ring out, bullets smattering the ground where the noise occurred. Chan forces himself to remain quiet. Give the men time to stew and panic.
They don’t leave.
The men yell into the trees, angry and terrified.
Chan remains motionless. His ears are the only parts of his body moving, rotating, to keep track of the men and their actions.
Eventually they begin to argue amongst themselves, seemingly disagreeing over how to get out of this situation alive.
One man pushes to turn tail and leave. Good idea, Chan thinks.
Another suggests staying put. Another mentions climbing a tree.
Finally one man mentions simply pushing forward. They came this far, why not hustle and try to get out of the forest before death comes for the rest of them. They’d be sitting ducks if they stay put.
Silence rings for a moment before one man agrees. Then the others follow suit, one by one.
Inside his head, Chan groans. The opposite of what he had hoped is now apparently happening.
Another moment of silence passes before it sounds like each man is now storming through the dense vegetation, motivated by fear.
On the bright side for Chan, now there is plenty of noise to cover the sound of his movements and each man will be distracted pushing through the trees. Easy targets.
Chan makes a dash for the closest one, avoiding his side holding his gun. Claws sink into tender flesh at the man's gut while Chan applies force, and feels the warm give of sinew beneath his claws. Within the same instant, the man drops heavy to the ground and Chan bolts back into cover.
Four men remain.
Chan picks off the next three in a similar fashion. Easy prey to his wolf, who admittedly is getting a little glee from the kills, the darker nature of his wolf finding enjoyment in such an exciting game of chase. Chan’s human side does not feel the same sentiment, but allows his wolf to feel how it wants since they ultimately have the same goal.
The last man is a different story than the rest. It’s the same man who suggested pushing ahead. His eyes are wild and his motions even wilder. He makes it hard to predict his movements, which Chan curses over in his head.
They’re nearly at the cusp of the forest where trees disappear and the tall grasses emerge. Already the trees have thinned out some which is making it easier for the human to run.
Chan gives a last attempt at bringing the human down, but the man swings the butt of his rifle down against Chan’s great head, hard enough to make Chan stumble and slow down to shake away the stars in his vision.
The man gains precious ground as Chan starts up his chase again.
The man bursts out of the last of the trees and into the grasses ahead. The sun has fully disappeared by now, which does help Chan blend into the night, but makes it harder to see the human as well since the grass is quite tall and as a wolf, Chan’s stature is not as great as that of a man.
Chan must rely on his sense of hearing and smell now. Ears twitching on his head, Chan follows his target as best as he can.
That is, until a gunshot rings out and an agonizing jolt of pain blooms from Chan’s right shoulder. The injury makes the wolf stumble and take a hard fall to the ground. A yowl of pain rises from deep in Chan’s chest, unable to suppress the sound.
He takes only a few seconds to push through the pain and get back to his feet. If he remains down, he’s as good as dead.
Chan whimpers lightly as he begins to trot in the direction of the human again, ignoring the smell of his own blood and the intense pain in his shoulder.
Still no sight of the human, but Chan can hear him. He’s cursing to himself in mutters and sounds like he’s stopped running. This could be Chan’s moment. His chance.
He pushes further into the grass and finally, finally, comes across the human who seems to be squatting on the ground over something, hands moving over it.
The man must hear Chan coming, likely due to his slight limp, because his head whips up to face Chan with intense eyes.
Within a second, before Chan can take his last lunge to kill the man, the human acts first. He glares at Chan before he hurls the contraption he’d been messing with right at the wolf’s face. On impact, the small device seems to explode into flames.
Chan howls in agony at the intense heat and paws come instinctively up to try and taper the pain on his face and muzzle.
The pain doesn’t go away, nor does the fire. The grasses around them are dry due to the warm weather and the breezes that blow by, and now make the perfect kindling for the growing flames.
The human is gone, having must have bolted while Chan was distracted pawing fire off of his face.
Flames lick up Chan’s flanks and panic instantly sets in. He begins to run, paws burning as he dashes through flames, shoulder screening in protest, but the drive to escape and to survive is stronger, so the pain eventually ebbs.
Flames kiss fur as he sprints for his life out of the land he called home for so long. Instinctively his wolf leads him towards the river. Water. A way to escape the flames.
Chan doesn’t think as he flings himself into the current, the cold water an instant balm to his scorching fur. It very quickly turns into a danger of its own though, as the current swiftly pulls Chan away from the shore and out into deeper and faster water. The reason the river was such a perfect boundary is now the next reason to cause Chan panic.
He’s a strong wolf and a strong swimmer, but he’s no match for mother nature and all of her brute strength.
Chan struggles to keep his head above the inky black water, taking in lungfuls of air when he can before being jerked back under the water’s surface. His muscles very quickly tire from fighting the current and his lungs burn when he goes too long without taking a breath.
After what feels like forever fighting death at every moment, the river finally calms. Chan uses the little strength he has left to paddle himself to the shore and drag himself out of the icy water. What had initially felt good to his burns, now sends a deep chill down to his very bones. He’s injured and soaked and very cold. A very bad mix.
The smell of smoke is still in the air even though Chan must now be miles away from his home. His former home, that is. He wouldn’t be able to return now. The fire will have chased all animals away and all the vegetation they eat. And who knows about the human’s whereabouts. It could be dangerous to go back.
So Chan instead turns in the other direction and hauls himself up the riverbank.
He allows himself just a moment to shake himself off as best he can with his injuries, before he sets off.
White hot agony rips through Chan’s entire body. Muscles spasm under thick black fur as he pushes himself further; faster.
Heavy darkness envelops him with the only light coming down from the stars hanging above. It’s as if even the moon herself is hiding from the chaos happening below.
To think the day had begun so ordinarily.