A Jackels Strength

[Wolfie2069]

A Jackels Strength (1)
The Intro Story
Clash of Brothers

Zack was sitting ontop of a roof in the village, watching the hustle and bustle that went with the beginning of the day. This village was on the edge of a desert, bearly getting by with what they could find. There were wooden huts closely packed throughout the streets, wood or thatch roofs with small gaps where fires smoke would flow out.

Zack was a grey jackel with loose, black clothes, his ears tipped with black just as his paws and the tip of his tail were. He had his eyes closed as he meditated, focusing to find his brother, who was more... Lively, then him. Just as Zack started to give up, a crash sounded right behind him. He stood up and turned around to see his brother flat on his stomach on the roof, grinning like an idiot. 

"Almost did it bro!" Travis said, getting up and brushing himself off, his fur almost like zack's, except it was lighter, seemingly softer, just like his eyes. 

"Cant sneak up on a ninja if you go bustling about, I bet even serim, cheif of the village, heard your noise, and I could get away with yelling in his ears." he said, shaking his head, but his eyes flashing, showing that he didn't mean any harm in the jab. 

Travis chuckled and walked up to Zack "Like you would ever yell." he jested "You hardly even talk unless it's to me. Do you think you will meet a girl if you don't even talk to them? Let alone a guy?" he shook his head and jumped down from the roof, rolling to lessen the pressure from the jump. Travis started walking down the street, Zack following from the roofs.

They walked to their house, If you could call a one room shed a house, and headed in, Travis through the front door and zack through a hole in the roof. 

"well, are you ready for your lessons? I can't be protecting you forever... I'm not strong enough... Not yet." Zack said, pulling out two daggers and tossing one to Travis, then charging at him before he could catch it. Travis jumped over Zack and caught the dagger mid-air, landing and striking at his exposed back. 

A clang ecoed in the room as Zack blocked the attack with lightning quick speed, his arm behind his back with the dagger pushing his brothers attack to the side. Zack spun and faked with the dagger, then punched his brother in the face whole travis' guard was bothered with the dagger.

Travis was pushed back a few feet by the hit, his nose bleeding and his eyes watering. He cleared his eyes with his sleeve, but felt a poke at the side of his neck. He slowly lowered his arm to see that zack had flashed past him and was behind him, the tip of the dagger touching his neck. 

"don't ever lower your guard..." Zack said, taking the dagger from Travis before stepping back and putting both of them away. "go get cleaned up." 

Travis shook his head and walked out the back door where they had a gated off area with a small stream running through it. Travis washed the blood from his face and turned around just as he heard a click.

Zack was smiling on the other side of the door, leaning against it. He had locked the door with a standard key lock system, but he had electrified it so travis would have a small shock when he touched it.

Travis shook his head with a grin. "let the yearly tests begin..." he muttered, tightening his belt that had a pitch black steel buckle on it, the ninjas black belt.

End of intro, new year, new stories!
All comments are welcome, I am writing the entire story before I put any more out, so tell me if you like it, or if you want somthing different. All requests taken seriously.

-Ippiki ookami tsuki

 

[Wolfie2069]

A Jackles Strength (1)
The tests of shadow
Clash of Brothers

Travis was laying on his little cot, flexing his now sensitive fingers. The little electrocution test was more dificult than he had thought, having forgot to put leather on his lock pick sets.

Zack was fast asleep, and had been asleep for awhile. Travis took over two hours trying to figure out how to work the lock without being electrocuted. He ended up just clipping his belt to the roof and lowered himself to the lock, picking it while he wasn't grounded.

He had walked inside and laid down on the cot, his hands slightly numb from the work. Travis always hated how his brother managed to outsmart him in more ways than he thought possible. But he was older than Zack, it shouldn't be that way.

A few minutes later a knock came at the door, and by the time travis got up Zack was at it, checking through a small slit who it was.

Zack smiled slightly and opened the door, then bowed to the woman there. She was a deep mountain fox who seemed to be only in her twenties, but the brothers knew better than that. Luna was in touch with her families secrets, and as such she had extreamly long life. She carried a staff with small carvings on it and a bag that always looked too heavy for her. She also has tatoos on her face, arms, and legs. She donned a hood that just nearly hid her light tatoos on her face, while her robes covered everything else about her.

Zack backed away from the door with a small smile playing at his lips "welcome seer..." he said shortly before offering her in. Travis was at his feet, bowing as Luna walked in and settled down on zacks cot.

"i hear that the tests of shadow are on way. I have come to enjoy watching you two rush across the sky while everone is watching the ground, and I thought I might join in watching the shadows play. If that is allright with you young masters." Luna said in her soft voice, her mouth hardly moving as the words trailed from her mouth like little breaths of air, so light that Zack and Travis had to strain their ears to listen.

Zack shut the door and bowed again "if Travis wishes it so." he said, then he leaned against the door, watching Luna intently as though she would dissapeare in a flash.

Travis watched them both before nodding "yes, you may stay and watch, but do try to not get hurt..." he said, sitting down on his cot again 'why do we have to be so damn formal to her...' he thought, studying her with his bright eyes. His eyes met hers for a second and he thought he would pass out. Her eyes looked like they belonged to a master of everything, and yet Luna looked only twenty. He quickly looked away, panting slightly. 'zack was right... Never look into a seers eyes for too long or you will lose yourself in their memories.' he thought.

Zacks eyes flicked to Travis for a second before they returned to Luna. "the final tests are soon. We will gather you then." he said, opening the door for her to leave.

Luna stood up without a sounds and walked to the door, stopping to look into zacks eyes for a second. She whispered somthing that Travis couldn't hear before leaving Zack standing at the open doorway. He shut the door and sat down, frowning and deep in thought.

"what did she say to you? Comon, tell me!" Travis said, getting up.

Zack was up in a flash, then he dashed at Travis, a dagger flying infront of him with another dagger in his hand. Travis managed to catch the handle of the first dagger but he was slow on the block, hitting the pomal against zacks elbow just as zacks own dagger cut into his shirt.

Travis spun and rolled to the side, dagger infront of him in a defensive position, his shirt cut open but no blood comming from it. Zack was quick to follow, jumping straight up, higher than any normal person, he kicked the wall to send him as Travis, his dagger nowhere in sight.

Travis ducked and thrusted upward, hoping to catch Zack midair with the blade. But Zack never passed him, he was standing on the ceiling with one foot, his dagger stuck through the back of his boot to keep him there while he pulled out his kunai. Travis rolled back and jumped up, landing behind his cot just as three kunai stuck to where he was at, and two more thumped against the cot.

Travis sighed and panted slightly, pulling out his shuriken. He tilted one and moved it so he could see Zack off the reflection. But zack was gone.

Travis slowly tilted the shuriken so he could see more of the room, but Zack was nowhere in sighed. He slowly stood up, his shuriken at the ready. He took one step before he finally saw zack. Zack was on the roof with a strung bow in his hands, an arrow nocked and pulled. Travis threw a shuriken and dived to the side, only to see an arrow hit the ground where he was with his shuriken spinning on it. 'dammit, I should have counted his kunai... He only had five.' he thought before he saw Zack move to the side for a better shot.

Zack let loose an arrow and nocked two more, tilting the arrows and his bow before firing. The first arrow made Travis jump to the side, then Zack fired the two, making them go to either side of the ninja in training. 'dodge this... I know you can...' he thought.

Rolling straight into the path of one of the arrows, Travis didn't have the time to roll, so he pulled up his dagger and threw it with uncanny acuracy, glancing the arrow and making it swerve, while passing through the hole In the roof and cutting the bowstring. The bow recoiled and snapped at zacks hands, making him drop it.

Travis ran and jumped up to a ladder, then up off of it, his boot catching the edge across from Zack. He didn't have enough momentum to get onto the roof, so he kicked off and tackled Zack.

They rolled for a bit, but Zack managed to get on top, holding his dagger to travis' neck. "enough little brother... You pass this test." he said, getting up and walking away, his face blank as he jumped down into the house.

Travis sighed and got up, looking around. 'i've never been to the highest point yet...' he thought, looking at the village cheif Serims house, which was three twenty foot stories with pillars at the top. "Serims castle" was what it was called. Travis walked along the tops of the houses, making his way to the house. He jumped down to the street and walked to the base of it, looking at all of it's design. 'simple to climb...' he thought with a grin, walking up to the side.

It took him about ten minutes to scale the first two floors, but the last was the hardest because it was steep and hand almost no designs in it. He strugglts to the top, and almost fell once, but once he got there and looked out at the village, he knew it was worth it.

He never knew just how small his village was, but this put it into perspective. There were houses on the out most part of village, making up around half of it, then it changed to markets and shops, then there was a big clearing in the middle, used for celebrations. On the northern edge of the clearing was serims castle, *overlooking everything. The bottom floor of serims castle was open and used for when serim made his speeches or public trials, both of which were against the law to miss without a reason. The second and third floors of serims castle remained a mystery, no one made it inside unless serim himself took them, and if they made it out, they were broken and wouldn't speak of it.

Travis leaned against a pillar and watched the sky for hours, smiling slightly. He yawned and stood up, going to head back home.

"leaving so soon?" said a deep voice. Travis whipped around and dropped his hand to his dagger, but it was missing. All of his wepons were back at the house. Travis looked at the lion, immidiatly recognizing him as Serim. Serim walked up to Travis and put a hand on his shoulder. "why not stay for a bit more... I would hate for your punishment to begin so early..." he growled softly, a sly smile playing at his lips.

Serim was a lion, and a big one at that. He stood a good six and a half feet, with huge arms like a blacksmith and legs to match. He was very muscular, but the muscles belayed a quickness to them, showing he has power and speed. He wore a mane that flowed to his back, his tunic tight on his chest, but more flowing at his midsection, his leggings going down to his knees in the warm weather.

"what punishment sire?" Travis asked, bowing as he did so. Serims arm remained at his shoulder, keeping him in the bow.

"the punishment for climbing your "sire's" castle... If you stay a bit longer, I will just act as though you were never here..." he said, his grip tightening on travis' shoulder.

Having no choice in the matter, Travis relented, nodding his head. Serim let go of his shoulder and took a step back, examining Travis with his green eyes.

Travis straightened up and shifted uncomfortably, feeling serims eyes probe his body. "sire, what do you wish for me to do?" travis asked, looking out at the village.

Serim smiled and opened his arms "I'm a kind man, all you have to do is remain here for a bit longer..." he said before turning and walking down into a gap in the roof. Before his head dissapeared, he cast one last look at Travis. "I will be watching..." he said before leaving.

Travis sighed and leaned against the pillar. 'like hell I'm staying here...' he thought, turning and looking down at the ground until he found a pile of hay. He jumped down and landed on it and jumped up, walking back home.

After a few minutes of walking he was home. He opened his door and stood in the doorway with shock. The house was torn apart, the wepons gone, and Zack was missing.


And that's the end of chapter one! I'll try to make a chapter or two per month, if time allows.

 

[Wolfie2069]

A Jackals Strength (2)
Fading Strength
Clash of Brothers

Zack had dropped down into the house and glanced through a hole in the roof, watching Travis walk away. 'if she is right, I must leave now.' he thought, collecting his weapons and clothes into a pack. He heard a knock at the door and drew out his dagger as he looked through the peephole.

A pair of panthers dressed in light leather armor and equipped with spears were standing there, waiting for zack to open the door. 'serims person guard? What are they doing here?' he thought, opening the door. 

"may I help you two?" zack asked, hiding his dagger behind his back.

"are you zack?" the one on the right said stiffly, his tone making zacks fur raise slightly.

"no, you just missed him, I'm his brother Travis." zack said, locking eyes with one of them before knowing he had made a mistake.

The panther on the left purred softly. "that was just a formality, we know exactly where Travis is. You are arrested and will be taken to serims castle for trial." he said, taking a step forward.

He never finished that step. zack kicked him in the chest with surprising power, compared to his small body. The panther flew back a few feet and landed on his back before rolling to his feet. "you will pay for that with your life little tramp..." said the panther. "take him Don." 

Don was the bigger and stronger of the two, but he was as quick as his partner. He jerked the spear and stabbed forward before stopping and spinning the shaft to hit Zack with the end. 

Zack blocked with his dagger, then punched the spear, breaking in half as he jumped backwards, climbing up the ladder and out onto the roof.

Don growled and walked into the house, grabbing the cot and flipped it, picking up any weapons he found and confiscating them as he tore the place up, his partner watching Zack dash out towards the edge of the village, then into the trees on the edge.

"serims not going to like that..." Jay purred softly, walking into the house and looking around before leaving "come Don, we must speak with serim." he said. They left and walked around the corner, almost bumping into Travis as he walked back towards the house.
*****
Zack ran until he couldn't anymore, then he climbed a tree and sat on one of his branches, examining his bleeding knuckles. 'dammit... I'm not strong enough to stay brother. Please forgive me.' he thought, closing his eyes as he rested, feeling a numbness set over him.
*****
Travis walked into the house, shocked at the destruction that had happened. He quickly searched for any signs of a fight and only found chips of wood at the front and a small patch of flattened ground. 'somthing happened... And Zack is gone.' he thought, sitting down in the middle of the ground with a frown.

It was several tiring hours later until Travis had finally finished fixing as much of the house as he could. He collapsed onto the cot and started to pass out when he heard a knock at the door. He got up and checked it, only to see two panthers with leather armor and spears... And grins on their faces.
*****
Zack hardly rested for maybe three hours before he woke up and started walking. He was tired but had to head north, and without a compass or a map he had no clue where that was in the darkness of the forest. He collected dry sticks and put them into his pack for later, knowing a chill would start to set in and he wanted to be ready.


Chapter 2 hope you like it.