12Prologue:
A small figure trotted out onto the hard ground bordering the wood. The frost had come early that night, the grass coated with a layer of freezing white. The days had been getting colder and colder; bring with it the promise of a harsh winter.
However, the icy surroundings seemed to be of no importance to the young boy venturing out into the darkness. He wore only a pair of shorts and a rather ragged looking T-shirt, yet he was not shivering and there was nary a goose-pimple in sight.
He sped up as he reached the trees, jogging underneath large boughs and weaving left and right past overgrown ferns and holly bushes. The moon was shining brightly through patches in the trees, lighting him up now and again in a halo of white.
Between one tree and the next, the boy was gone.
In his place a small wolf like creature burst forward into a pounding sprint. The creatures paws thudded against the stiff ground and its tongue hung out in a panting grin. He pushed his body as fast as it could go and then some, racing through the night and releasing the pent up energy accumulated over the month.
He ran for what felt like hours, basking in the exhilaration of the reckless pace he had set. As a human he was a fast runner but he was never allowed to go all out; in case someone became suspicious. As a wolf he was faster, outrunning any human and even most animals.
He was just about to head for a river he had smelt in the west when a loud, panicked howl rent through the usual chattering of the forest.
He stopped dead; body crouched close to the ground in preparation to flee if necessary. His nose twitched furiously at the air, searching for any clue as to the identity and situation of the other. Were they in pain? Or were they being hunted? If it was the latter then the former would follow swiftly.
His ears stood to attention on top of his head as they drunk in the sound around him, waiting for any sign that it was safe for him to move. His body itched to take him home, but his mind thirsted for information as to what was going on.
He was terrified, terrified that those who had haunted his nightmares as soon as he was old enough to understand would whisk him away this night. If the hunters his family had tried to avoid for many long years were here in this very forest…
He hadn't heard of them being in the village, they must have come from the other side of the forest; chasing the poor sole who had been trying to lie low in the next village over.
He crept silently forward, heading for the cry he had heard not minutes ago. His curiosity had won out over his logic and his father would kill him if he ever found out that Naruto hadn't run away as soon as the sound reached his ears-
Loud growls interrupted his train of thought. The sound was much closer than before and with it came a strange whooping laughter. The slight clinking of chains came to his attention and he heard as the air was interrupted by the presence of some kind of rope filled with holes.
'A net?'
He should be running, should have left minutes ago but-
There it was again. A keening whine, full of pain and terror and Naruto had to help but it felt like his paws had frozen in the frost.
He found himself crouching in a bush, eyes wide and staring upon the activity filling the clearing in front of him. He was hidden from sight but he could see them as clear as day.
The men at the back stood like statues, using their torches to light up the space in a circle of flickering orange. Inside of the ring of men stood battle ready warriors. They wore combat gear, loose fitting trousers taped at the ankle to allow maximum freedom of movement and tight stretchy tops for full flexibility.
The men were warily eyeing a swaying shape which stood in the central point of the clearing. The wolf stood on a torn net of rope with metal weights marking each of the corners. It seemed the creature had managed to bite its way out of the trap before being cornered by the agile fighters opposing it.
Even now as Naruto crouched in the foliage his mind screamed at his to get the hell out of here but he was captivated by the horrific sight in front of him.
The wolf snapped again, blood trickling through the hair on the right of its body. It stumbled to one side, panting loudly lie the men around it. As Naruto watched the wolf's nose twitched and its head swivelled in his direction. He stiffened even more as his elder (for the wolf was clearly fully grown) whined lightly in his direction, before twisting around and lunging at the hunter behind him.
The man faced the beast head on, catching a paw with his hand and twisting to the side as he followed through with the animal's momentum. The wolf went tumbling to the ground, rolling over in an attempt to remain on its feet. The statue behind him moved swiftly, plunging a needle into the shoulder of the grown male (the scent and timbre of the voice told Naruto all he needed to know of the other's gender).
The wolf glanced in his direction again, growling lowly in an attempt to warn him away. Naruto heard the desperation in the voice but was still unable to lift even a claw to get away. He was so terrified of being heard he could barely even breathe, yet he knew he needed to leave while they were still distracted.
As the elder wolf slowly dissolved into unconsciousness one of the combaters was already turning around, searching for the existence their prey had seemed to sense. Naruto had to go…now.
He slowly crept back, doing his best not to make a sound. The man had not fixated on his hiding spot yet, he was still searching the bushes for something that, to him, may or may not exist. Naruto was hoping the man would give up and brush the occurrence off as a ruse, a distraction to try and help him escape.
No such luck.
As the others closed a large metal collar around their captive's neck, he held up a hand and called out a warning. Half of the men were instantly back on the alert and reaching for weapons strapped upon their person. One of the taller ones approached the searching man with only the whisper of leaves under his feet to announce his movement.
'Christ, he's good.'
Naruto had come to a halt once more. At this rate he wouldn't be able to leave his cover without being seen…But he'd be found eventually if he didn't move! He would have to make a break for it. He was faster and more agile than these men in his wolf form; it should be easy to get away.
Using the tension in his muscles he leapt out of the undergrowth and dashed away, just as something sharp thudded into the ground behind him. He heard shouts from behind as he traced his path back through the woods. A thought came to him then, as he sniffed his way back home.
'My trail! They can follow my tracks!'
His Godfather had always warned him to cover up as he went. You never knew, he used to say, caution will save your life one day. Thankfully he had – as always – stepped lightly when coming from his house and covered up anything that could be used to pinpoint the exact building he inhabited.
The hunters would be able to find his village, sure, but it would take more effort on their part to discover his dwelling. Hopefully by that point he would be long gone.
He changed direction to throw them off his scent, taking a more roundabout route back home. As he got closer to the village he lightened his steps to prevent them from following him any further. When he was within 100 yards of the row of fenced gardens bordering his own he shifted once more.
Where the wolf stopped the boy continued.
He travelled as fast as he dared, wishing only to be back with his father and knowing that his actions tonight could leave them travelling to a new village tomorrow.
The hunters stood at the ending of a trail. Their eyes searched on ahead but they could not see a continuation of the paw prints left for them to follow.
'Sigh'
"Looks like we've got another job, hey Itachi?"
"Hn."
"Well, not me. The leader wants me working on one of the flea-bags, apparently she's being very stubborn and Ibiki's talents are ill suited for those damn Alpha's."
"Hn."
The heavy set man appraised his skilled junior with amusement.
"It's your brothers initiation tomorrow isn't it?"
"…"
He chuckled slightly and turned back to their fresh catch.
"Well, looks like he's headed for Konoha. Reckon he actually lives there? Or do you think he's headed somewhere else?"
"…"
"Oh come o-"
"From what I have observed," Itachi interrupted in his ever monotonous voice, "He is not yet careful enough to think that far ahead. I believe he resides in the village for the moment."
"Well then, you have fun with that and I'll report back to the leader when I get back. You should take someone with you though, two eyes are better than one after all…"
Itachi stared silently at him, the fire from the torches causing a red glint to light up his eyes. Not another word passed between the two as the stoic man turned on his heel and stalked off between the trees.
Kisame gazed after the retreating figure for a moment before rounding back on his men.
"Right then you worthless scum, let's take him home!"
Ok so, to those who were already reading this, I decided something was missing from the story and decided it needed a prologue. I will be re-writing the first few chapters (hopefully before the Christmas holidays end) because I think they suck. I am putting this up as the first chapter and taking the others down. When I put the rest back up, the story line will be the same but hopefully they will sound a lot better.
If anyone doesn't quite understand just ask. Long story short you will be alerted that this story has been updated several times but this chapter is the only new one :) Please review and tell me if you like it or if you think of a way it could be better.