All he could hear was the crunch of the snow under his feet, breath fogging up into small clouds in front of his face, fogging his vision. Trees ran past his vision on either side of him. Hot liquid ran down his face, bow in his left hand and a dagger in his right. One large howl rang out behind him, claws and paws smashing the snow behind, chasing after him. Barking, growling, howling. His own heart racing, trying to climb up into his throat.
Keith came to a lake, frozen over from the freezing cold. Snow, however, covered the ice; blocking his vision of the slippery substance below.
“I can make it….I can make it…”
Just as his foot hit the snow, he slipped, falling face first down while his whole body slid on the ice; dropping his bow in the process. Just as he fell, one of the wolves locked its powerful jaw around his ankle, sinking its teeth into the skin; blood pouring into the snow like a waterfall.
A shrill Shriek rang out from Keith’s mouth, head falling back onto the snow while his black hair fell onto the snow, crusted over with blood that was dripping from a gash in the side of his head. Keith twisted his body, getting onto his back and using his free foot, kicking the wolf in the face. With a yelp, the wolf let go, falling and sliding on the ice.
Keith got onto his knees, reaching out for his bow, wrapping his now frostbitten fingers around the wood of the bow, the curvature fitting perfecting into his bloody grasp. Standing up, Blood running out from his leg, he pulled an arrow from the holder on his back and aiming. The six wolves now surrounding him on the ice, the largest of the pack standing straight in from of him.
A stern, strong look settled on Keith’s face, staring straight into the eyes of the alpha. The leader of the pack, having a purple tint to its fur, eyes yellow with a tint of red, pupils looking just like a venomous snake; waiting to kill its prey. Keith pulled the arrow back, aiming straight between the wolves eyes. Keith closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath just as a gust of wind blew against him. Opening his eyes, time seemed to slow down. Keith looked back to the alpha, who was walking closer to Keith be the minute. Keith’s hand slowly let go of the arrow, the arrow flying. His vision suddenly becoming a crimson red as he started to fall going to the side and down as the ice broke under him. Vision going from crimson to black in an instant.
“This is it...I did my job. This is the end for me…”
Just as he felt himself fading away into the darkness, a firm hand suddenly grasped his wrist. His body being pulled into a warm embrace. Keith opened his eyes; his sight landing on the man who saved him, body toned with muscle and he had white hair, a scar over the bridge of his nose. Everything suddenly became bright, vision being obscured.
***
“H..y...Hey...HEY! Stay with me! Wake up!”
Keith’s eyes shot open, his body suddenly needing air. Keith started to cough, rolling onto his side as he coughed. Hard.
“Woah! Take it easy. Try and take a couple deep breaths. You’re safe now.”
Keith coughed still, nodding at the man's words, taking a couple deep breaths. Soon he was able to relax, laying back on the what seemed to be a skin blanket. Blinking a few times, Keith came to his senses, looking around. The place was traditional, silk skins lined most of the furniture, not being enough to unsettle a person, however.
The man sitting next to him let out a sigh, grabbing a small cloth and dunking it in some hot water. His muscles shining from the light of the fire that was in the far corner of the cabin.
“You had me worried there for a second. I thought you were a goner,” he said, placing the rag on the forehead of the raven-haired male laying before him.
Keith looked up at the man, now getting a better look at his face. He had a deep scar across the bridge of his nose. His eyes were small, but big at the same time, having light brown irises to accompany the sympathetic smile he gave. He was definitely sculpted very well for a man who lived out in the artic.
“Who….Who are you?” Keith asked, though his voice was a bit hoarse. He leaned into the hot rag, the warmth feeling nice on his cold skin.
“Me?” the man chuckled, shifting his weight so his legs were extended parallel to the man laying down. “My name is Takashi Shirogane, but you can just call me Shiro.”
“Shiro…” Keith said; the name sounding familiar. However, he couldn’t put his finger on it
“Yup, that’s my name. I’m assuming yours is Keith?”
Keith’s eyes went wide slightly, looking up at the man, “How did you know?”
“It was on your dog tags,” Shiro said, standing up and walking over to Keith’s clothes that were drying by the fire. “I didn’t mean to pry, but I needed to know who you were in case you died and I needed to contact someone. I also was able to grab your bow: Carrying you back, however, was a bit difficult.”
Keith nodded, moving to sit up only to grimace in pain, raising a hand to place it on the wound on his head; only to feel bandages covering it.
Shiro smiled and walked over, kneeling down by him to hold him in a gentle embrace.
“Try not to move too much, otherwise you may open the wound.” Shiro shifted, placing pillows behind Keith to keep him supported in the upright position.
Keith only nodded to the notion, leaning back on the pillows provided. His eyes shifted to the ankle that was bitten by the wolf. His ankle was wrapped securely with bandages and support by some sturdy sticks that were most likely found outside.
“Must have been pretty bad if you had to put a splint on my ankle.”
Shiro nodded, looking up at the time. He shifted, moving to stand up and walk over to the front door and looking back at Keith, “It was. You should get more rest. You won’t be able to heal anymore if you don’t.”
Keith looked at the other, seemingly confused for a moment before he suddenly felt exhaustion consume him. Keith simple nodded, moving carefully and laying down. His hair fell neatly onto the pillow as though it spread out to take a rest itself. No sooner did his head rest onto the pillow, that he fell asleep.
Shiro stood there, making sure the other was asleep before walking out the door; hands falling into the snow only to be covered in white fur as his body turned into a large white wolf. Shiro smelled the air, turning around and nosing the door shut, started to run away from the house and out into the woods.
***
The weather was harsh, whipping itself against the lush white fur that Shiro wore on his body as he came closer to the top of a mountain. His claws sank into the stone from grip as he came to a cave. Looking inside the cave, all he could see was a black hole of hatred and despair. Walking into the cave, he stood onto his hide legs, shaping into the muscular body that Keith met previously. His...original body.
“Takashi! Welcome back!” called a voice from within, only the tone sounded for monotoned and sarcastic.
The owner of the voice stood up, walking over in larger steps. Their skin was tinted a purple, long white silk hair cascade behind him like a waterfall in the artic. His eyes shot arrows of nothing but hatred and sarcasm.
“You know, your little friend back at your house. He was quite fun to play with.”
“Enough Lotor, we had a deal. You went against that deal.”
Lotor growled, staring down Shiro as he circled around him.
“That little deal was a mere annoyance to my plans. If I wanted help from a measly person such as yourself, I would have done it ages ago. I don’t need you to get what I want. Not this way anyways.”
“You very well know you need him alive. Yet you tried to kill him!,” Shiro yelled, growled at him with a step forward; hands balled into tight fists and eyes shooting daggers at the devil in front of him.
“Well he is alive, isn’t he? So I did not kill him. I just…. Disabled him. That way he could no longer run away from his duty as the Black Paladin.”
“No one in their right mind would want to be the Black Paladin Lotor! Do you not even remember what happened to the last Black Paladin!?,” Shiro yelled out, questioning the man as he stepped closer. The persuasion of the mind of this man was getting absolutely nowhere at this rate.
“Oh, I do. We just need this man to do the same thing. Now you best go tend to the man in your house. He seems to be leaving,” Lotor said with a smirk, looking down the mountain to see the center of attention, limping away from the house to leave.
Shiro growled, only to turn back into the white wolf he was before, darting down the mountain to where Keith was walking, using a large staff to assist himself. Just as Keith made it to the opening where the woods began to lead to the town. Shiro stopped right in front of him, standing in his way.
“Where do you think you are going? You have just woken up and are now trying to leave?,” Shiro spoke, still in his wolf form to block Keith’s path. Before Keith could get a word in, Shiro got down so Keith could get on his back.
“Hurry, we must leave before he comes to get you himself. If he succeeds in making you the Black Paladin, you will have no life to go back to.”
Keith was confused, having no idea what was going on or what was happening. He knew he should ask questions, find the truth and answers, but he also knew that it was not safe. Not if the wolf before him was talking as such.
“Fine, but you best explain on the way,” Keith said, climbing onto the back of the rather large dog.
As soon as Keith was able to get on, the wolf ran. Keith gripping his fur tightly. They could hear the howls from the wolves before roll into the sky. Lotors’ especially. However, they never ceased their escape. They only continued to run, not even so much as looking back behind them.
Keith with a broken ankle and injuries with Shiro as a giant wolf that ran with the intent on never returning. They knew that if they did, their lives would be changed to the worst. However, this was only the beginning of the trials yet to come.