7 Days to the Wolves

7 Days to the Wolves
Kireania

An: Ok so sorry this took to so long to post but this was really difficult to get out for some reason but I did it, besides that I’m busy lol.

Warning: Uhhhhh nothing really in here. LOL kissing, dead bodies and some bones that’s about it.

OH and this is my HBxAshtadxJohn fic. I can’t remember if I mentioned that last chapter. Hehe

Okies on with the chapter. ^^ R&R


Chapter Three: Love's strength standeth in love's sacrifice


We were the last truck to pull in, not surprising. I’m always loaded into the last truck usually because very few want to be near me. Heh people are scared of the big red demon. Stepping out I look at the base as I stretch my arms. I hate having to sit during an entire ride but with how many bumps there where I had to. Abe and John followed me out, both of them still silent.

John motions for me to follow him and I do Abe easily falls in step beside me as we quickly enter the much warmer building. It’s warmer inside but it still isn’t that warm it’s probably only about forty degrees at most.

“To keep people from going into shock when they first step outside.”

Blue really needs to stop reading my thoughts but that does make sense. I hum lightly in response as I just look around. This place is a lot colder in feel than my headquarters. The walls are completely bare and are pure white. The floors are white tile and there are no obstructions. Needless to say, I don’t like this place. I shift my arms a little in my jacket. Its weight is heavier than normal so I just brush it off as that and not that this place makes me uncomfortable.

We are led into a large room where everyone else is already seated and waiting. Blue and John take a seat but I really don’t feel like sitting again so I lean up against the wall and wait for whoever is supposed to start the yakking to start. As we wait I look over the room. A lot of the agents from this base are just staring at me, or trying not to. I smirk when I meet one unlucky person’s eyes and they flip out, barely able to not pee on themselves from the look on their face.

I hear a huff off to my right and I glance over relieving the poor sap of my frightful gaze, note my sarcasm, to see Liz roll her eyes at me before she glares. I roll my eyes right back. She doesn’t like how I amuse myself by playing on some of these fools fears but it’s not like I’m harming them, ‘sides I could really care less right now. Some one clears their throat up at the front of the room and I see that there is a middle aged woman, not heavy set but not thin either. She has a motherly face to her, brown eyes, hard mouth that tells me she doesn’t mid putting someone in their place, yet I see laugh lines. She actually looks really, not to make a joke or anything, cool.

She starts talking and I automatically zone out. I mean no disrespect to her, but there is a reason I don’t usually go to meetings…of any kind. When the lights suddenly go out and a projection screen pops up I have to cover my eyes for a few moments. I hear a soft chuckle and I automatically look at Liz but she’s paying attention to the pictures, then I look closer to me. Sure enough it’s Boy Scout. He’s laughing at me! He knew I was zoned and he’s effin laughing at me. I glare but he just smirks back and points to the screen.

Grumbling, I turn my head back towards the front and focus on the pictures that had been taken before they called us. There was a picture of the two young girls that were taken, they were both actually pretty, not my type but still pretty. The next few images had been photos that the girls themselves had taken during their part of the experiment. They had effectively taken pictures of their attackers before they had been subdued.

Now I’m interested. These wolves were indeed larger than normal wolves. Hell they looked like they were even larger than Werewolves when they were fully transformed. These were some large ass dogs. Those little girls didn’t stand a chance. The picture changes and we are all staring straight into the bright eyes of the black furred wolf. In those eyes I can see an intelligence, and something I had actually not expected, a mind capable of reasoning.

And actually that wolf looks somewhat familiar…there’s a reason for him being here. A deep reason. Suddenly I’m not sure if we should be disturbing these wolves. That feeling of anxiety and “not supposed to be here” is back. The picture changes and whatever had me caught releases me though only partially. Shaking my head I notice that people are looking at something and then passing it, probably pictures of the wolves and the girls. I don’t want to see either.

Now the screen is focused on something different but just as unsettling. There is an archway that is made completely of ice. And on the other side lay some bodies crumbled to the snow. The next picture shows a close up of the archway and on it there are the designs that Scout had been talking about. I had believed him earlier just from being told but now seeing them close up I almost can’t draw a breath. Those markings are exactly like mine and even from just a picture I know that there is something going on here that none here can even guess about.

The meeting soon wraps up and the head lady asks if there are any questions. One of our new guys, why did we even bring him, asks how we plan on bringing the wolves down if they seem to be able to paralyze a person. Head lady, no I didn’t catch her name, looks straight at me and I look down at the pictures that Abe is holding. He is looking at the picture of the black wolf.

Aditi.

I blink suddenly. What the… That name? How do I know that name? I shake my head and look back up at the lady. I frown lightly. I don’t think we’re going to have to kill, which is really unusual for me to say but right now everything about this place is unusual for me.

“We don’t.” The head lady sputters and everyone looks at me. Abe must have been following my chaotic thoughts for he says nothing, barely glances up from the picture.

“What do you mean you won’t take the wolves down? You were brought up here to do just that…” Once again I tune her out. Obviously I have upset her. I didn’t mean too but I really don’t care.

“Look have you even looked at this picture of the wolf?” That stops her. “Obviously not. He can think. And I don’t mean in an animal sort of way, or in a vicious “eat everything around” way. Now I’m not usually one to ask questions first but I don’t think these wolves are hunting just to kill.”

I glare at the woman and she doesn’t say any thing at that. No one does. I couldn’t be the only one to have seen this? I look down at Blue and he matches my eyes and nods. Good he sees it too; when I glance at John he nods as well. That’s really all I need right now. Everyone else can go fuck themselves.

“His name Red?”

I blink at Abe as if he’d grown another head. John does as well and it takes me a moment before I realize that he had indeed been following my thoughts, dammit he really should stop that, but that he hadn’t gotten everything.

“Aditi, I think.” He tilts his head to the side. The name makes no sense to me. No language that I know of has a meaning to that word so I don’t know where I might have heard that name from. But no matter how hard I try to deny it I know that the black wolf is named Aditi. How the hell I know this is beyond me, but I sure as hell am going to find out.

I turn and head out the door when the head lady finds her voice. “Where are you going?”

I look over my shoulder at her and shrug. “They’re obviously intelligent and I’m curious as hell to know what they are doing out here with a dragon guarding them.”

That’s a complete lie but she doesn’t need to know that. I’m nowhere near being curious, I actually half want to leave and half want to stay. And I know I don’t always make the best choices but I have a feeling that if I leave it will be the worst choice I’ll ever make. Now that we’re pretty sure that there’s not going to be any killing going on only a small group of people join me out in the hall.

John, Abe, a few of the more experienced from my headquarters, father, and surprisingly enough Liz. So that’s eight of us in all. Not a big group but not too small. I don’t really want father along because of the low temperatures but he ignores John and Liz’s attempts to make him stay behind so I don’t even both with mine. I just make sure he has an extra coat on before he leaves.

John is driving and father is up front with the three agents in the seat behind them while Abe Liz and I sit in the back. At least up front they have better heat; I don’t have to worry about father being cold. He’s too old to be coming out in weather like this.

“Any idea how you knew the wolf’s name Red?” Blue voice cut’s through my drifting thoughts, causing me to refocus. It takes a moment but when I figure out what he just asked I shrug and sigh.

“Nah Blue. I have no idea. Just stared at the picture and that name came to me. Pretty sure if I had a better picture of the other one I could give you his name as well. And if the third one had been there I’d give you hers…” I barely realize what I’m saying until it’s out of my mouth. I’ve never been up here but somehow I know that everything I’ve just said is true. There are three wolves, two are male and one is female.

Blue is staring at me as is Liz. Liz is wide eyed like she just can’t believe what’s going on and Blue is more than likely just highly intrigued about my unknowing insight, or however he would phrase it.

“Red what is going on?” I glance at Liz and shrug. I can’t tell her anything, 'cause I don’t really know.

“Nothing’s going on.”

She huffs and crosses her arms, she’s obviously cold, but at least she has some layers on to keep the major chill out. Girl breaks my heart and I still worry bout her. I close my eyes thinking that maybe I should sleep on the way but as soon as I do that dream from when I was on the plane, rushes back to me. That voice fills my mind. My eyes fly open and I try to gasp silently. I can feel that my heart is pounding hard, much harder than it was just ten seconds ago.

Damn this is not good. I can feel Blue’s eyes on me but I ignore him and try to find some amusement at staring at the truck’s wall for the remainder of the trip. That is one boring ass wall I will tell you. Damn thing doesn’t do shit. And every time I think it’s safe to close my eyes, I start to close them and just as I do I hear her voice and I can almost feel her. I hear her calling for me. And then once again I’m wide awake, heart pounding and breath racing.

Finally we stop; I’m assuming that we’re there. So I get out of the truck and look around. Every where I look there is nothing but hills of snow except for directly in front of me. In front of me there is the archway from the pictures. We all approach it cautiously and father immediately goes over to where the marking probably are. I just stare straight through it. I can’t tell but if I squint my eyes I swear I can see something in the distance, like a castle. I wonder what that could be.

“Hellboy come look at this.” John calls me over. I sigh. I know he means well but seriously I really don’t give a crap about this marking shit. That’s Abe and father’s area of expertise. He points to the markings and now that I see them I can’t help but put my finger on them and trace them. They are identical to mine. I want to say that this is just coincidence but I can’t.

“Hey guys! Either the wolves have been out and have taken the bodies or there’s been a snowstorm because I don’t see your dead agents anywhere past this archway.” Liz calls from a little way over. She’s looking as close as she can without crossing the threshold.

My bet is on the wolves. They probably don’t hunt that often but I don’t they would pass up a free meal of human a la stupid. Ok so I’m now officially bored and I want to see this dragon. I pull the Samaritan out of my holster and get it ready, the other guys were taken by surprise but I won’t be.

I don’t wait for the others to give out the ok before I cross. I can’t even get out an ‘Oh shit’ before I’m suddenly faced with a huge ice dragon. And before everything sort of fades away I get the notion that it isn’t really a dragon at all, just magic. Interesting.

I can’t see anything, I can’t smell anything, nor can I feel anything but I’m not worried. I can hear it. In my mind. It’s quiet at first but within moments its request is being yelled at me and I wince at the volume. I yell back, hopefully mentally.

“Can you tone it down? I can’t understand a damn thing when you shout.”

I can feel the shock roll off of its mind. No one has ever answered it back in such a manner but it backs off.

“Name your name and you may pass, master.”

Master? That’s weird; I ignore it for now and just focus on answering the dragon. “Hellboy?”

The dragon roars is disapproval. Oops guess that’s the wrong name. “That is not your name. Do not make a mockery of me. Your name? This is the barrier that you set up your very self do not mock me.”

“My true name? Oh come on I don’t use that name! Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

This is ridiculous. I don’t know who this dragon thinks I am but it’s obviously mistaken. I never use that name. That name means destruction, death, chaos. That name is the demon inside of me that wants nothing more than to kill everything.

“NAME YOUR NAME!!!!” That voice roared in my mind and instantly my anger flared and I roared back.

“Anung Un Rama!” As soon as the name is out I’m staring back out over white snow. I’m right where I was before everything faded when the dragon appeared. But as I looked around I saw that there was no dragon. I look behind me and I notice that the others are staring at me.

“Uhhh did I say anything out loud?” I ask them. I hope I didn’t say anything but knowing my luck I did. Thankfully none of them nodded. I guess everything that had just happened was in my head…that actually doesn’t sound that comforting either. Relaxing a bit I look around. I see no sign of the dragon. I feel a little different though, like something is back where it belongs, nothing major but definitely something.

I walk around and when there is no sign of anything else popping up the others soon join me. Well that was stupid of them… I hold my tongue and just follow the path that heads straight towards the ice palace/shrine thingy I can now see easily in the distance.

No one even mentions the truck, I don’t know why it might have been easier but I doubt it would have made it. Something just feels like anything other than walking would have failed. I keep an eye on father as we head towards the castle. He doesn’t seem to be struggling any worse than the rest of us, well the others anyway.

They have to stop to eat before continuing on. I don’t eat while on missions like these, mainly because no one could carry that much food but also I really don’t need it. I can deal without for a while even though I don’t like too. I keep my eyes on the castle thing while my group eats. I want to keep moving but I’m rooted where I am by my responsibility to keep them safe and who the hell knows what else is out here to eat them.

They are all being pretty wary of me right now. Probably ‘because they have no idea what happened with the dragon the only ones that don’t seem concerned are father and Abe, they’ve just been around me too much.

“So Hellboy any idea what to expect?” Father’s voice and a poke from his cane breaks through my thoughts. I hadn’t even realized I had tuned them all out. I look at him and shrug.

“Besides the wolves, who knows…” That’s why I didn’t want him coming with us. The wolves might not kill us but I don’t know what else might. They’ve finished up and we’re moving again. We can’t be more than two miles away now.

The castle is huge, even from this distance it’s towering above everything. Liz takes some pictures of it and I just shake my head at her. Now is not the time for pictures. Stopping myself, I blinked and narrowed my eyes, that irritation from the plane was back and much much worse. Swallowing it, I feel my tail twitch in the only way that I can express my anger.

We cover the last part quicker than I expect, and before I know it I’m faced with the entrance. I feel no threat so I don’t stop and just head on up the steps, not even stopping to the protests of Boy Scout and Liz until I’m at the very top. I look down at them and tilt my head at them annoyed at being slowed down, they didn’t have to come.

Liz has her hands on her hips and is glaring at me with that “you are so immature look” on her face, while John just looks like he was upset at being left behind again. It’s not my fault the kid can’t take punches like I can; I have to keep in the background if he’s to stick around for a while. John doesn’t hesitate as he comes up the steps to join me much to the chagrin of Liz. I don’t even bother to see if they’re following me, I know they are they always do, John just does so much closer than the others.

The inside is much bigger than the outside gives it credit for and that’s saying something. John obviously agrees with me.

“Holy shit” Me.

“Damn” Him.

We glance at each other and pull our guns. Our little exclamations just echoed through the whole entrance way, there goes our surprise element…of course I think the dragon gave us away, but hey that’s what I think. I carry mine at my side, relaxed but ready to fire at any time, John mimics me as we explore, the others have caught up by now and of course they’re all good little agents and kept their comments to themselves.

I feel like I’m in that one damn fairy tale where the whole palace was asleep because of the evil fairy, what was that damn story called again, ah who cares but that’s what this place feels likes. It just feels dead or asleep except there’s no one around so obviously there’s no one to wake up.

We hit a room that widens out into a circle and it gives you about six more choices of halls to go down. But to make this a lot easier they are all marked, thank you who ever made this place, I hate unmarked halls. I mean the halls don’t say “This way to wolves” but they have pictures that make each hall different and thus traceable.

Abe and father go to look at each one trying to figure out a game plan but something happens to my vision. Much like what happened with the dragon, everything fades. I see nothing but then I’m in the hallway again but there’s only one hall and I see the picture, it’s the picture that has two tear drops connected at the top one drop is pure white, and one is filled with blood.

A symbol for justice and battle. Her name.

A…

Ash…

Ashtad…

Ashtad Agrona.

I blink and I’m then back with everyone but I’m not there for long. I’m moving, I’m not running but my feet are definitely moving. I don’t hear the others calling after me nor do I hear them following me. The hall leads me to another room this one much smaller than the one before but in this one there are three wolves to greet me and their presence stops me. My tail twitches and I growl in the back of my throat at them. They are just sitting there staring at me when Liz rounds in front of me, somehow missing the giant wolves right in front of her, and starts reaming in on me while poking her tiny finger into my large chest.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” My eyes travel above he form to watch and see if the wolves are going to attack but they remain motionless, in fact their eyes actually have a look of amusement beginning to fill them. The black wolf, Aditi shifts slightly but other than that there is no sign that they are going to attack.

With my mind so focused on the three before me I have tuned out Liz’s yelling. I guess she must have gotten the hint because I feel her turning her body around. A gasp escapes her lips, of course now she sees the three extremely large and dangerous looking wolves that are laughing at her.

I take my eyes off the three guardians for a moment a look about the room we are all gathered in, I know this room, yet I have no recollection ever being in it. I don’t need to be told where to go, I know. I step from behind Liz and just give my group a hand motion for them to stay here as I head towards another doorway; this one also has the two drops that represent her name on them.

A growl stops me. Smaller than both the dark grey and the black wolf, a silver wolf strides forward and blocks my path. Her eyes are suspicious and wary yet they hold recognition. She might be smaller than the other two but I see within her experience and knowledge that the others are still trying to catch up on.

“Adrasteia…” I growl out her name in a warning. I don’t know why I think this will work but it does. She growls as if to say she’s not happy with me but she steps aside and I move forward. I hear John once again trying to follow me but Adrasteia will not allow anyone else down.

I follow the hall. I don’t know what I’m expecting but what I find is definitely not it. I step into the room and the first thing I step on is fucking bones… Looking down I roll my eyes, looks like I found all the missing agents. There’s actually quite a few of them down here too. Looking back up I wince a little, looks like our wolves didn’t get a chance to finish off their latest prey completely.

There are the two most recently taken girls. They’re dead there’s no doubt about that. They’re half eaten, blue in the face, and there is blood pooled about them. I feel bad about how long it took us to get up here, almost. Something about this doesn’t seem right though. If these wolves have been stealing to feed themselves on a regular basis then wouldn’t there be more…? Unless they used these meals for something else and didn’t really need the food, it was possible.

Looking up from the bodies my eyes fall onto the centerpiece of the room, and the very reason why I’m here. Everything in me that wanted to leave, everything that was causing my temper to erupt for no reason, basically everything that had been wrong since we started on this mission was suddenly gone. Now I was being pulled towards the middle of the room where on a slab a lifeless body lay.

She looks asleep; no breath escapes her pale lips. Her skin is pale, even paler than Liz’s. I didn’t that was even possible but obviously that is. And it’s all covered up by this piece of cloth that barely covers anything. It cover’s the tips of her breasts and then the middle of her groin, but reveals her thighs. I’m hoping it covers her ass but I refrain from checking instead I look closer at her face and the hair that frames it. She has blood red hair, close to the same color as my skin, covering her, the length I’m not sure but I think it’s pretty long. I can tell just from looking that it’s thick. I wonder if it’s soft too.

I lean down to get a closer look at her face. I feel the cold radiating off her body. And then I feel the warmth being pulled from me. Ah so that’s what those women were for. To give her heat. They probably died from having their heat stolen then. I use my flesh hand to push some hair away from her eyes; I glance away from her face when the urge to kiss her hits me. That would be so wrong. I don’t know her and if she woke up, if she even can, she would freak.

My eyes catch a glimpse of something that causes me to lift my face just a bit. Her left arm is free of the chain. I squint my eyes and sure enough on her wrist I see scars. She must have fought hard to free that arm before she passed out. I can see the manacle still lying there, almost like its mocking her. Her right wrist is still chained though. She wouldn’t have been here if she had been able to get both arms free. I look back at her face slightly saddened at the predicament that I find her in. Who would do this to her?

The urge to kiss her is back and stronger than before. I try to fight it but my body is against me, and my mind seems to even find reasons to allow this. I can’t kiss her, what if she wakes up? There is little chance of her waking up… No, this isn’t right! Who’s to know? If she does wake up she would hate me. How do I really know that?

Then I’m kissing her. My lips are on hers gently. Something inside me cries out in joy and recognition. I know her, this is right. I don’t see the chain on her right arm melting nor do I notice her eyes flitting open. I do however feel her responding. She doesn’t pull away, she doesn’t scream, she doesn’t hate me. She kisses me back. Who ever I made happy up in the luck department I’m glad it happened.

I feel her arms wrap around my neck as our kiss deepens. I bring her closer to me and I hear her give a small whimper of pleasure or relief I don’t know but I want to hear it again. I don’t want to let her go now I don’t want to stop kissing her. New ‘what ifs’ fill my mind. What if she realizes who she just kissed and I’m not right? What if… What if… I shut my mind off. Damned thing that it is.

Unfortunately I have to breathe and to do so I have to let go of her lips. I pull back and I know I’m heaving for air and just staring at her. Her eyes meet mine and I see that they are practically glowing. Those silver eyes make me shiver lightly. Recognition fills them but as she looks me over confusion fills them as well and then her eyes close as if she’s trying to remember something.

Her body stiffens suddenly. Whatever she remembered, I doubt it bodes well for me. I watch her and wait for whatever is to come. Her eyes open and I see the anger deep inside. But mixed in with that anger is hurt, betrayal, sadness, pain, love, and a bunch of other emotions making the only word I can think of, “Shit.”

She stands up and I back away from her, our feet shuffling through the bones that litter the floor. I put my hands up to try and pacify her but obviously it’s not working because the next thing I know her fist connects with my jaw and I’m flying backwards. My back hits a wall…and about two more. Damn she has one mean hook on her. I groan and turn my body over to see where I am. I’m out in a garden area or a frozen garden anyway…the hall where I left my friends leads directly out here.

I know that because here they come. Wonderful.

But they’re too late because here’s Ashtad. She’s next to me long before they’re anywhere near me. I look up at her, she’s still pissed. Ah hell this is gonna hurt. And sure enough the next moment a kick from her sends me flying again but a wall appears out of nowhere to stop me from going too far. Falling to the ground I groan slightly but grit my teeth and then force myself up before she gets over here.

I glance at the group and notice that the three wolves are next to them. Interesting. They’re watching me, all of them shocked. Heh, I’m not. They’re not used to me not fighting back but what am I supposed to do hit her back? Hell no. I’m not gonna hit her where would that get me?

I can see her coming at me and I let her. I spit some blood that has gathered in my mouth out. And when I look back up she’s in front of me and I can’t even tell if she hit or kicked me that time but again I hit the wall and fall down. It continues for a while, her anger is amazing but I instantly feel it when it starts to wane. Her last kick sent me back into the middle of the garden like area and once again I force myself up.

This time when she comes at me I catch her fist in my flesh hand. Her eyes snap up at me and I catch her fist in my flesh hand as well. She struggles against my hold, but she doesn’t struggle that hard before she leans on my chest and just starts sobbing lightly, I doubt she’s crying. She’s just releasing emotion. I let go of her small hands and they grip my shirt and lightly pound on my chest.

She looks up at me and I ask her quietly. “You finished?” My eyes are hard as I stare at her. Her anger flares but this time she lets out a scream and energy erupts from her and sends us both flying.

Picking myself for what feels like the millionth time is hard, I think I hear a crack somewhere along the way too. Grunting I look in the general direction that she flew in and I instantly spot her, not too hard with the hair she has. I walk over to her and scoop her up. Good she’s still breathing.

Now that we have her we can leave. I look back at my group and just see them staring at me. Everyone is wide eyed, even father…hell I think Abe is even gaping at me this time. Nothing like this has ever happened before and none of them knows what to make of it.

Adrasteia looks at me and then glances at her sons, Charon and Aditi. Their names are now in my mind, I’m much too tired to care how though. The two sons are then each on one side of me while the mother is in front of me. They have surrounded me, us.

Father must have gotten over his shock because he nods at me and speaks. “Let’s all get back to the base now. We have much to go over.”


An: R&R This chapter was hard but the rest should be flowing pretty quickly now, at least I hope they do. ^^;

Ja ne
Kireania