Bringing him home (Blade)

Zigan kept to his human form as he walked through the wilderness, a backpack thrown over his shoulder. It was cold, and the ground was slippery with a thin layer of ice. The Alpha took his time, ignoring his aching bones as he pulled his coat around his chin, shrugging his shoulder up to huddle for warmth. The cold had never bothered him before, but times were changing, and so was he. His auburn hair had lightened as lighter blond, almost grey hairs peppered through it. He kept it shaved closer now to hide it. But he couldn't hide it so easily in wolf form, so he seldom took it anymore.

There had been reports of a large wolf circulating through the hunting community for some time now and that wasn't uncommon with The Wilderness. But the reports were bizarre. They spanned from comments like "Beast of a wolf" to "It came from the shadows" the terms caught Zigan's attention and he knew he had to go looking.

He told both Maylin and Justin about his suspicions and headed out. Two days had passed since then, and Zigan saw no signs of his old friend Blade. In all honesty, he was close to giving up, but something kept driving him just a little further. He was sure he could feel him there. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

He was close to the mountains when a familiar scent caught his nose. He was right, it was Blade. He stopped in the spot, twisting in a circle his sighted eye scanning the terrain around him with suspicion. Blade had gone off the deep end, Zigan knew that much. He had looked for him for a long time, but Blade didn't want to be found, it seemed something had changed. But Zigan knew not to trust his old friend's sudden arrival. Blade was dangerous, and Zigan wasn't about to underestimate his sanity.
"Blade, brother?" he shouted into the breeze, waiting as his voice carried through the rocky land. "I know you're here."

Zigan walked a little further along the Mountains base, scanning for any signs of his long-lost pack mate, yet he could see no fresh markings. Blade's scent was in the air though, so Zigan was confident that he was on the right path, his foot scraping against some old debris. Zigan was renowned for his tracking ability, but his senses had dulled, and he was starting to doubt himself until he picked up a stronger scent. "Got you," he muttered, turning towards the sun as he scanned his surroundings.

He advanced a little further until a familiar roar broke through the otherwise quiet countryside surroundings. He knew the roar well, and a frown knitted his brows as he turned slowly on his feet. It echoed all around him, making it impossible to pinpoint the exact location.

"Blade, come and show yourself!" He shouted back. He recognised the roar's intention and braced himself, shrugging his coat onto the rocks despite the cold. Blade was not approaching with a calm mind, his beast was free, and Zigan knew exactly what it was capable of.

They had fought before, more than once, and Zigan had come out on top, yet Zigan wasn't the same man physically as he once was. Blade was going to be his superior if it came to a fight, and he felt tense in anticipation. He suddenly felt grateful that he'd decided to come alone. The last thing he needed was Blade tearing into another pack member.
"I've come to bring you home...To your family," he called, hoping to stir the human side of his friend. "It's been long enough. Come out, and I will take you home."

Zigan felt the hairs standing on the back of his neck as his eye swept the terrain surrounding him. He knew he wasn't alone and sensed that Blade was a lot closer than he seemed.
His was slowly turning in a circle, looking out for any movement, when a shadow blocked the moonlight.
"Shit!" Blade was coming straight at him with speed, and all he could do about it was brace himself as Blade's shoulder connected with the space between his ribs and navel.

Zigan felt his feet leave the ground as Blade's shoulder drove him up, and he grappled, curling his fingers into Blade's wire-like fur to try and stop the Lycan from inevitably hurling him onto the rocky ground.

It was like being hit by a truck, and all the air was crushed from Zigan's lungs as he basically flipped over Blade and was tossed into the air like a ragdoll.
He landed on his back, his hands instantly gripping his stomach as he spluttered for air. "Blade!" he shouted as he rolled onto his side, sucking in a deep lungful of air. "Don't do this!"

Zigan was in trouble. He was outmatched and he knew it. "It's me. Snap out of it!" he and Blade had a long and complex history. Zigan nearly killed Blade in their last fight, and how the tables had turned. Zigan feared Blade would be returning the favour.

He stumbled onto his feet, one hand curled around his waist to protect it from further injury.
He quickly located the pacing animal, his eye following him as he searched for any of the Blade he once knew.
"It's time you woke up!" he shouted across, taking a slow step closer.
"Let's not do this. Come on, I don't want to do this, just calm down," he pleaded, not wanting to let his lycan side out, especially when it already had a taste for his friend's blood. Yet, it seemed Blade had other ideas.

Blade's reply came in the shape of a frenzied roar, and Zigan understood then that he wasn't going to be able to resolve this peacefully. He's wanted to avoid this. He and Blade fought once before, and Zigan's control slipped. He was afraid of history repeating itself. This time they didn't have Blaze to stop them from going too far. Zigan knew they could kill each other if he let his Lycan side out. But Blade wasn't giving him any choice.

His wolf form wasn't what it once was, and he knew Blade would overpower him in a matter of minutes. His human form was too vulnerable. His only option was to set the beast free and hope he could control it.
"Snap out of it!" He yelled for the final time, but it was no use. Blade closed the distance between them with more speed than Zigan's human body had time to react.

The wolf's teeth snapped the air, barely missing him as Blade slammed into Zigan for the second time, his shoulder crushing Zigan's mid-torso with another loud crack.
Zigan's eyes widened, yet he didn't try and grab Blade for purchase this time. Instead, he waited until he was thrown over Blade's shoulder, and struck both palms against the creature's back, pushing himself away with force to gain enough time and distance for him to transform.

His lycan side burst free at speed as usual, yet a snarl of pain tore from him as he dropped onto all fours, hunching against his now misshapen ribs. Pain only angered the beast more as its head snapped up, instantly catching sight of Blade's wolf form. The urge to tear into him was overwhelming, and Zigan's claws curled carefully into the ground beneath his feet, holding him in place until he'd gained enough control to act without severing Blade's head from its neck.
Zigan replied with his own roar, the sound shaking the ground beneath his feet as the beast demanded submission.

He saw the hesitation in the wolf and took a long step forward, teeth snapping against the air between them as his eye scanned the wolf for submission, yet it didn't come. He stepped closer still, his breath misting the air a second demand echoed through his chest, giving Blade one last chance.

Anger flared the beast's nostrils, and his eyes narrowed as a flash of defiance came in the form of Blade's changing stance. That was all the indication of the challenge Zigan needed. He burst toward Blade with enough force to kick clumps of earth into the air behind him, his large body rushing through the air with a speed that defied his side.

Zigan slammed into Blade before the wolf had a chance to draw breath. Zigan's teeth ensnared Blade's throat, teeth puncturing shallow holes into the skin as he forced the Wolf's throat onto the ground, pinning Blade onto his back as the wolf's clawed feet frantically scratched at Zigan's lycan form.
"Submit!" he roared through their blood-bonded link, his demand heavily threatening. "Now!"
However, Blade continued to struggle, his claws cutting lines into Zigan's chest.

He tore his teeth from Blade's throat, careful not to wound it too deeply as he pulled away. His careful control was close to slipping, and he needed to act fast. Both his hands came up to press either side of the wolf's skull, their eyes locking, as he crushed it between his palms until Blade's eye sockets filled with blood.

He was killing him. Zigan felt Blade weakening beneath him when he suddenly stopped. The image of Blaze filled his mind, his brother's eyes full of sadness as he watched the pair killing one another again. "Stop!" Blaze's voice shook through Zigan's mind like an earthquake, and he gasped instantly releasing the pressure on Blade's skull, letting his head drop.
"Shit.." he quickly threw himself off of the wolf's limp body, his hand moving to press against his chest searching for a heartbeat.