D. Gray-man Fan Fiction ❯ Canis Luna ❯ Canis Luna ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Warnings: YAOI, which means BOYS LOVING BOYS. If you dislike that, then the back button is easy enough to find. Please click that and leave. Possible OOC. Alternate Universe.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish they were, but Katsura Hoshino owns all.

Notes: Well, this fic started as a oneshot based off of Little Red Riding Hood. About two pages in, I figured out that this no longer had anything whatsoever to do with Little Red Riding Hood. >_< I hope you all enjoy!

Dedicated to SisterWicked, Niamh (both of AssHat Productions, a group I’m a proud member of), and Cackles for reading this over before I posted and giving me tips and the confidence boost I needed so I could make this fic available to the general public. All remaining mistakes are mine.

Super special awesome thanks to Niamh for coming up with the title of this fic!

Chapter 1
Canis Luna

Lavi walked through the dark woods, tugging at his signature red cloak. The cloth was the exact same shade as his hair. An eye-patch covered his right eye and his left was a shade of green that matched the leaves almost exactly. A basket with food, medicine, and a book hung off of his right arm while in his left he carried a compass he checked every few minutes to make sure he was still headed in the right direction.

He looked around warily, eyeing the seemingly abandoned trees to either side. There was no sound at all in the forest, not even a birdsong or the quiet sounds of small animals crawling through the underbrush. The only sound he heard at all were his own footsteps and the sound of the breeze occasionally disturbing the leaves high in the trees. The canopy up above was thick, preventing the heat of the sun and most sunlight from reaching the forest floor. It was almost chilly beneath the trees and Lavi pulled his cloak tighter around himself, tugging the hood a bit more forward to better protect his ears and neck from the chill.

There were strange stories about these woods and he almost regretted taking the shortcut through the trees. He had been told to stay on the path by his overprotective best friend, but Allen had always been the type to be overly careful. Disregarding the white-haired boy's advice just once wouldn't kill him, or so he had thought.

He swallowed heavily as he recalled Kanda's warning; there was supposedly a man-eating wolf in the woods. Several people had died already - Kevin Yeeger, Daisya Berry, Kazaana Lido, Chakar Rabon, Tina Spark, Gwen Flail, Sol Galen, and Suman Dark. All had been found in pieces in the woods the day after they had gone missing. Even Allen had felt something following him the last time he had passed close by the trees and Kanda hadn't let the younger man near the forest since.

Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea, but honestly what were the odds of coming across the 'man-eating wolf' in the hour it would take him to get from one side to the other? He was crossing at the thinnest part of the woods and it would save him four hours of walking.

He continued on. He had already been walking for a little over a half hour. It was too late to turn back and if he quickened his pace he could probably make it out within twenty minutes. He hastened his steps, ears alert for any sound in the surrounding woods.

A twig cracked several yards behind him. His heart pounded in his chest and he spun towards the sound just in time to catch a shadow moving into the thicker underbrush to hide. A very large, vaguely canine shape.

Lavi stared at the place the wolf had been for a second before sense caught up with him and he turned. He couldn't quite remember if lone wolves were the type to chase after prey if it began running-

He paused the thought, vaguely annoyed with himself. Thinking of himself as prey wouldn't help his confidence any, even though he did feel very much like a rabbit caught in a crosshair.

Would the wolf chase him if he ran? Probably. The hairs on the back of his neck stood at end and he could almost feel the creature's hungry eyes watching him. He picked up his pace slightly but did not run. He could not outrun a wolf. If it gave chase, he was dead. Since it hadn't attacked right away, maybe it wouldn't...? Maybe it wasn't hungry...?

Or maybe he was just being paranoid and all he had seen was a shadow and not the outline of a creature intending to tear him to shreds and then eat him.

He relaxed slightly at the thought. Five minutes later, another twig cracked behind him, much closer than the first.

Lavi turned again, heart leaping into his throat.

Behind him, barely ten feet away, was a wolf. Its thick fur was a light gray, its eyes the color of amber. It stood at least a head taller than any other wolf Lavi had ever seen and seemed to be even more keenly intelligent than any of its brethren.

It grinned at him - Lavi knew that wolves did not have the facial muscles to grin, but that was honestly the only word he could think of to describe it - and began padding towards him.

Lavi's mind was frozen but his body was well aware of what to do. He turned and began running, dropping the basket he carried without care for the contents. He worked himself into a sprint within seconds, running through the trees and ignoring the occasional thin, low-hanging branch that scraped at his clothes and face. Behind him he could hear the wolf give chase and he sped up. Lavi didn't dare look back, hearing the wolf's racing steps slowly catching him up. His heart hammered in his chest, its beats drowning out the sound of his heavy breathing and the crunch of leaves and twigs under his feet.

He should have listened to Allen and Kanda! The wolf had never attacked anyone on the path!
Lavi could feel his muscles seizing up and his legs slowing but forced himself to move. Slowing down would mean his death; he could practically feel the foul breath of the wolf at his back.

Finally, he could see the trees clearing up ahead and forced his tired body to move even faster. He was so close-

His foot caught on a root and he went down, the ground forcing the air out of him. He struggled to breathe in, jerking his head up as a shadow passed over him. The wolf had leaped and missed him, landing ungracefully on all four paws and sliding across the layers of leaves at the forests edge.

Lavi's gaze met that of the animal for a split second and than Lavi was scrambling to his feet, sucking in a huge breath as his lungs began to draw in much-needed air. Running forward was out of the question - he'd run right into the wolf. He darted to the side, moving towards town and hoping to skirt around the beast to get free of the forest. The wolf was half a second late in following him and Lavi pressed his advantage, changing direction suddenly and passing right in front of the creature and burst free from the woods.

He could see the house he shared with his grandfather just down the road, at the bottom of the small hill he was currently at the top of. Across open ground he could run faster, but so could the wolf. Not wasting time to check if the animal was still at his heels, he raced down the hill towards the small cottage.

He slammed into the front door, forcing it open and almost falling into the small kitchen area. Without waiting longer than a heartbeat, he slammed the door shut behind him and only then did he relax, leaning back against the door and sliding down to sit on the floor, chest heaving. He gasped for breath, adrenaline still running through his system as he tried to calm his racing heart.

"Lavi?"

The redhead looked towards the table, seeing that it was covered as usual in books and papers. That tendency had earned the old man the nickname 'Bookman' and had gotten him nicknamed 'Bookman Junior' or just 'Junior'. His grandfather, a short man with dark rings around his eyes and a nearly bald head, was standing and staring across the table with a concerned look in his eyes, though the rest of his face betrayed no emotion.

"I wasn't expecting you for another four hours and twenty minutes," the old man said, moving around the table. His eyes turned disapproving. "I assume you took the shortcut through the woods?"

Still out of breath, Lavi nodded. He heard only stony silence for several moments, then his grandfather spoke again.

"Maybe this will teach you to stay out of that damned place," Bookman said, walking over to the redhead and offering him a hand up. "Were you injured?"

Lavi accepted the hand and stood, shaking his head.

"No, just scared," he admitted quietly, turning his head to look out the small window in the door.

He could just make out the shape of the wolf in the trees a but further up the hill. It seemed to be watching and Lavi shivered, turning away from the window and stepping out of the creature's range of sight.

Bookman noticed. His eyes narrowed at the window and then he gripped his grandson's hand and steered the redhead towards the table. He sat the young man down and scooted a small stack of papers towards Lavi.

"Complete these for today," Bookman said, moving back to his side of the table. "I think we'll have an early supper tonight."

Lavi nodded, reaching for the first sheet with shaking hands. He could sense his grandfather watching him, but after a moment the old man turned back to his work.

The redhead sat at the table and tried to concentrate, but there was still the unnerving sensation of eyes watching him from the woods.

Line Break

Lavi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. His mind kept recalling the frantic chase through the woods and he didn't want to dream in case his dreams ended with him getting eaten.

He shuddered and rolled on to his side. He stared at the wall, not really seeing it.

If the wolf had caught him-

A sudden, soft knock on the outside door cut off his thought. Lavi turned his head in the direction of the door, listening. Was the house just settling, or...?

The knock came again. Lavi frowned, shifting his legs over to the floor at the side of the straw-and-cloth pallet that served as his bed and standing. It was the middle of the night - who would come here so late? Bookman was already asleep and Lavi wasn't expecting any visitors.

Again, the knock sounded. Lavi looked down at his clothing - loose, thin shirt and pants made from the same material - and decided he was decent enough before he walked away from his bed, grabbing his eye-patch and tiptoeing to avoid waking his grandfather sleeping on the other cot. He exited the room, tying the patch around his head to cover his useless left eye. He skirted past the few chairs they had and walked into the cooking and dining area, heading towards the door. He could see the outline of a man through the glass as he approached and his steps slowed hesitantly.

The man knocked again. With a soft sigh, Lavi crossed the last few steps to the door and looked out the window, trying to identify the man waiting outside.

He was well-dressed, a white button-up shirt covering his torso and black pants on his legs. Lavi could see the faint shine of leather on the man's knees, meaning he probably wore riding boots. His skin seemed to be an odd color and Lavi frowned. It looked gray, though that might just be because it was dark outside, lit only by the moon. Most of his face was in shadow, making it impossible to recognize him. His hair was pulled back by something, but it seemed fairly long. Without sunlight, it was hard to tell.

Shrugging off the slight uneasiness he felt in his gut, he reached for the doorknob. He unlocked the door and opened it just a few inches, bracing his foot behind the wood so that the man couldn't force his way in if he turned out to be some sort of robber or bandit.

"Who are you?" Lavi asked bluntly, squinting slightly to try and make out some of the man's features. The man chuckled, his teeth brilliant white and slightly more pointed than normal teeth.

"They call me Tyki," he said. His voice was deep and smooth, almost seductive. "I believe this is yours?" Tyki lifted one of his hands, revealing a very familiar basket Lavi hadn't noticed before. He stared at it in surprised disbelief, opening the door just a bit wider so he could take a better look.

It was the same basket he had been carrying back from Allen's and Kanda's house, the one he had dropped in the woods.

He looked back up at Tyki, opening the door fully and moving around it to the outside of the cottage. He stayed halfway in the doorway, not quite ready to trust the stranger, but more willing to believe he was honest and really wanting the basket of his things back.

Tyki held out the basket and Lavi took it, briefly looking through the items. Everything was there, albeit a bit more dirty than when it had been packed, but all present. Lavi looked back up smiling gratefully.

"Thanks, but..." He paused, staring at the other man's face to try and make out some of his features. Everything remained in shadow. "How did you know it was mine?"

Tyki chuckled and the sound sent shivers down Lavi's spine though the redhead couldn't pin down why.

"I saw you drop it. That is how I knew," Tyki said, moving slowly forward. Lavi was suddenly and inexplicably reminded of the wolf from earlier that afternoon and he backed up half a step into the house.

"Saw me drop it?" Lavi asked, uncomprehending. Tyki chuckled again and kept moving forward slowly. One hand wrapped around one of Lavi's wrists, holding the redhead in place as Tyki stepped close enough for Lavi to see his face and eyes clearly, even with the dim light.
Lavi's eye widened.

Tyki's eyes were the color of amber, the exact same shade as the wolf's had been, and his skin was indeed an inhuman shade of gray.

"You-!" Lavi tried to tug his wrist free, but the hand holding his wrist tightened and refused to release him. Tyki nodded in acknowledgement, lifting his other hand to cup Lavi's cheek. The redhead froze, staring into the eyes of a predator.

"Shhh, Red," the wolf-man said, leaning closer. Lavi's breath caught, his body frozen in place as he felt the other man's nose brush his.

Their lips touched. Lavi could feel the soft skin of the wolf-man's mouth caress his own, the contact chaste but intense. Lavi's jaw went slack in shock and Tyki took full advantage, moving his tongue into the redhead's mouth. The first touch of the wet muscle against his own brought Lavi back to his senses.

He jerked his head away, bringing his free hand up to shove at the gray-skinned man's shoulder. It was like shoving against a brick wall, but Tyki didn't advance again. He let go of Lavi's wrist with yet another soft chuckle, bringing his hand up to his mouth and running one finger lightly along his lips.

"Tomorrow night then, Red," Tyki said, voice confident and allowing for no argument, not that Lavi was even able to give one. His voice and feet were frozen in place, mind still unable to fully comprehend what the hell had just happened.

Tyki turned and walked off towards the woods, one hand raised in silent goodbye. Tyki dropped the hand after a moment and then his shape... changed. Lavi watched in shock as the gray wolf from earlier trotted off into the woods, disappearing between the trees. Only then did his own hand come up to touch his lips. They felt oddly warm and tingled slightly, as if Tyki's lips were still pressed to his own-

He wiped his lips on his sleeve, suddenly furious.

That bastard had had the audacity to kiss him!

He had always at least half-believed the legends about men and women who could turn into wolves; there were too many stories from too many parts of the world about men-wolves for the tales to be dismissed entirely, though the specifics differed. In some tales the werewolves could only transform at night and in others the humans couldn't transform except for on nights of the full moon, when they were forced to. In some tales the afflicted lost their minds while in wolf form while others maintained that the werewolves were just as sane in wolf form as out.

Lavi had been taught from a young age not to believe or disbelieve anything he hadn't seen with his own eyes and just observe the world until he had formed his own understanding of it. It had been one of the greatest lessons his grandfather had ever taught him.

It was because of that lesson he had supposed that it was possible such creatures could exist, though he had never expected to meet one and hadn't known that they were such perverts and thieves.

He turned his glare towards the woods, glaring as fiercely as he could towards the silent trees before turning back to his home and shutting the door firmly. He wished he had the guts to slam it, but it wasn't worth waking Bookman up.

He looked down at the basket he held and was tempted to throw it against the wall. Instead, he sighed and set it on the table before heading towards his room with steps that were more like stomps.

He'd show that bastard. Tomorrow night, he planned to sleep peacefully until dawn with no interruptions from strange men who could apparently turn into wolves.

TBC…

A/N: Well, that is the first chapter! Keep in mind that this is highly AU and very, very random. Chapter two will be posted in two weeks.

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