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joshsindigostreak · 4 months

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Running Through the Garden

Prologue

“Periwinkle: Early and sincere friendships, tender recollections.” - Language of Flowers

Werewolf!Danny Wagner x Werewolf!OC

Danny Wagner knew, no matter what path he walked in life it would always lead back to what he was born to do: lead his Pack for not only his generation, but his future children’s generation as well. He didn’t talk about it, but it was in the back of his mind at all times. A ticking clock to his destiny. He thought going to college with his best friend Sam would take his mind off of it, but all it took was a Full Moon, round golden eyes, and a flash of auburn fur to remind him that he can’t keep running from it forever. But would she be willing to run with him?

Authors Note: Hello! This is the prologue to Danny’s story, and the final piece to the ISHIYE universe puzzle. I hope y’all enjoy going on Danny’s journey with me! ❤️

*Set in the ISHIYE universe but can be read independently. It’ll run the closest to O, Pioneers but it’ll be different enough to where you can still read it by itself if you prefer. There will be cross references from the other fics but I promise it won’t be confusing.

Word Count: 3,057

Warnings: Descriptions of bodily transformations, slight body horror if you squint, language, descriptions of blood and anima death.

His best friend's hand was resting over the center console, ready to take everything that rested in Danny’s pockets and keep them safe for the night. He gently placed his wallet, cellphone, and half of a granola bar in Sam’s hand.

Sam gave pause at the granola, but packed it all silently in the small bag he always kept everything in. Out of pure muscle memory, he reached into the bag and fished out a small velvet drawstring pouch. He pulled it open and offered it to Danny, letting him put any and all jewelry he had on at the moment inside; another possession that Sam would guard all night.

“It’s getting darker earlier, I don’t want you cutting it close again,” Danny said softly from the passenger seat.

Sam gave his best friend a look, and the side of his mouth slid up into a smile, “Daniel, I probably know the sunset times better than you do. I’ve got plenty of time to get back to the house.”

“I know but traffic can be a bitch sometimes and I don’t want to worry about whether you’re indoors when it’s all…happening.”

Every month, the same nerves creeped up on the young Wolf, and he wondered if they were just a permanent feature to his biology. The build up to sundown was arguably the worst part for him now, even if the physical part never got any easier. It was the same kind of anxiety one would get in middle school; not knowing if they were going to be chosen to read aloud next. Even with the windows up, he could hear every leaf rustle in the early fall wind. Out of the corner of his eye, he looked at the familiar trailhead that he always took. Well, to him it was a trailhead. To anyone beside him and Sam, it was just a narrow gap between a few trees on the side of the road. One probably wouldn’t even notice it if they weren’t looking for it. But the two friends always recognized the young Maple lazily leaning across the gap to its larger, and older sibling.

Sam dramatically extended his arm to expose his watch on his wrist, “it's 6:57 PM, and sunset is scheduled for 7;46 PM, on the dot.”

Danny always admired Sam’s confidence. He had the type of confidence that often blurred with arrogance, depending on who you asked. When it came to Danny’s schedule, he took it more seriously than his own independent studies, which was saying something. He had spreadsheet after spreadsheet about weather patterns and sunrise/sunset times. Danny didn’t even have to look to know that there was an already worn out farmers almanac in the glovebox. Every year Sam would read the new one cover to cover, highlighting everything he found useful, his messy scrawl filling the margins with observations and reminders, all while tabbed with color coded sticky notes for quick reference.

They rarely verbalized the sentence, ‘I love you,’ but this was one of the many ways Sam showed it. One could always know if Sam cared about them if he revealed he read up on anything you were interested in, or in Danny’s case, his species. The one convenient thing about Sam coming from a family of bloodline hunters was that he had plenty of literature at his disposal on whatever non-human species that caught his eye. The drawback was that most of the books in his house were written by other hunters, and thus were a little biased against other creatures. Sam had to unlearn a lot in the past few years, but he did so without question; because it was for Danny.

“That's still cutting it close,” Danny warned.

Sam smiled, wanting to lighten the mood for his friend, and held up three fingers like a boy scout, “I promise I will get back to the Manor as quickly as I can and get all the doors bolted shut from the inside and the curtains drawn, just in case. I’ll even break a few traffic laws, just for you.”

Danny stared at him, trying not to smile, but Sam was infectious, and the corners of his mouth tilted up anyway. Before he could reply, his skin was starting to itch. He still had plenty of time to get into the woods, but those first few physical symptoms were like a ticking clock, and the anxiety crept back in. If he was starting to feel the pull of the Moon, the other Wolves in the area were too, and he wanted Sam home and in the Kiszka Fortress until sunrise.

He glanced out the window again, before turning back to Sam, “I need to get going.”

Sam’s expression sobered a little and he nodded, “I’ll see you in the morning?”

“Bright and early as usual,” the Wolf replied as he opened the car door and started to get out,

Just as he was about to shut the door, Sam called out, “don’t eat too much deer tonight. It always fucks up your stomach the next day and you regret it.”

It was a futile request, as Danny didn’t have much control once the Wolf took over, but he appreciated the sentiment anyway, “I’ll keep that in mind, Sam.” With that he shut the door, and backed up a few feet so Sam could drive off.

The young scholar gave his best friend one of his classic closed mouth smiles, the slightest bit of worry crept into his large Sanpaku eyes, but he kept his promise and pulled his car away from the side of the road and sped off.

Once Sam’s car was out of sight, Danny sighed and turned towards the woods. He began the slow walk into the trees. With each step, his skin got itchier and itcher, letting him know his body was preparing for its monthly ritual. The daylight was disappearing with each passing minute, and while there was still time, he started walking faster to get to his usual clearing.

After ducking under some low branches, and taking a few turns, said clearing came into view. It wasn’t massive, or much of anything, but it was a big enough space where he could strip down and get ready for what he was born to do.

As he stripped, the nocturnal animals started to stir, ready for their own nights to begin. The birds were quieting down, but the insects were singing their songs as it was their stage now. A few stray fireflies started to twinkle around the edge of the clearing, as if they were waiting for him too.

He folded his clothes as neatly as he could and walked them over to a small rock pile by a Red Oak. It was set up in such a way that he could safely hide his clothes until the next morning, and not worry about animals getting into them. Wolves are always taught to not shift while wearing anything. His mother always reminded him of how much of a waste of clothing it was, and that she wasn’t going to be buying him new jeans every month because he got lazy.

Once everything was secured and hid away, he walked back to the center of the clearing. His gums were starting to feel weird, and his teeth felt wobbly. Not too much longer now. He looked up through the trees, seeing a tiny bit of fading orange sky. The hue turned into a grayish purple as he stared. The sun was bidding his farewell, holding the door open for the moon.

The young Wolf took a few deep breaths through his nose, and tilted his head from side to side to crack his neck a couple times. He flexed his hands at his sides, knowing that he only had a few more minutes of being Danny, the humanoid lycanthrope, before surrendering to the Wolf within. They called themselves Wolves because they indeed fully transformed into the canines, It wasn’t like the movies where they would look like some weird hybrid. No once the night took over they looked just like any other wolf in the forest. Blending in with the wildlife was one of the main reasons their species remained safe from endangerment, but also kept humans ignorant to their existence. To humans Werewolves were urban legends and folklore, and they were determined to keep it that way.

Finally, the sky was dark and the only light was provided from the precious Moon. She wasn’t directly above him just yet, but her presence was just as strong. Danny closed his eyes for a second, silently thanking her for all the blessings She bestows on his kind. Wolves weren’t religious in the way humans were, but there was a supernatural connection to nature and the Moon that was very real, and an intrinsic part of their lives. Some packs paid their respects more than others, and he happened to be born into one that never went a Full Moon without giving Her proper acknowledgement.

He couldn’t see it obviously, but he knew as he opened his eyes that streaks of gold were invading his hazel irises. Instinctively he knelt down to the soft earth, crunching a few leaves beneath his knees. His body felt like it was vibrating now, and with a final sigh he surrendered to himself. It was time.

The first snap of bone always knocked the breath out of him.

It was his left wrist.

It always started with the wrists.

His skeleton began to warp and ripple under his skin, and he fell forward to rest on his crooked arms. The pain was familiar like an old toxic friend. He begrudgingly welcomed it as he tried his best to relax. Stiffening up made it hurt even worse.

The last thing Danny saw before the Wolf took over was his hands shrinking down and sprouting black fur.

After a few tense moments, the sound of a Wolf’s howl joined in with the insects.

It was time to Run.

~!~

Two crows were cawing in the tree above him, and their calls roused him from sleep. Every muscle in his body felt like jello, and he had at least a dozen different aches in his body. The grass beneath him was soft and dewy, and the chilly air provided a little comfort to his sore muscles. He kept his eyes closed for a little while longer, wanting a few extra minutes before he had to get up and make his way back to the side of the road.

But after a few moments, Danny rolled over on his back, flexing his wrists and stretching his arms. His eyes fluttered open, and the sky was just shades of pink and purple, letting him know that it was a little after daybreak, and that he had time to get back to his clothes. He slowly sat up and looked around, recognizing the field he was in. This was a common place for him to wake up, and he always figured the Wolf liked laying down on the soft grass before ending the night. After one last look around to make sure he was alone, Danny stood up and turned back to the woods.

The walk back to the clearing didn’t take long, and when Danny arrived at his little safe spot he was already fantasizing about the shower he was going to take as soon as he got home. He quickly fetched his clothes and shook everything out to make sure no dirt or bugs were still clinging to the various fabrics. The feeling of normalcy crept up as he finished tying his shoes. With one last look at the clearing he turned towards the trail he knew like the back of his hand and started to make his way towards the edge of the woods near the road.

By the time he stepped out of the trees the sun had fully risen, and the soft morning light gently touched on his freckled face. The first thing the Wolf spotted was his best friend's car, parked in the same exact spot it had been parked the previous night. Sam was sitting in the driver’s seat, his long hair pulled up into a messy bun, sipping what Danny knew to be medium roasted coffee from a thermos and a book propped up against the steering wheel.

As he nearly jogged over to the car, Sam spotted him out of the corner of his eye and turned, giving him a warm smile as he yanked the door open and plopped into the seat a little harder than intended. There was a comfortable silence in that car, as neither one of them were morning people and didn’t need to fill the seconds with mindless chatter. No, the two friends could sit next to each other without speaking a word and be happy.

Sam reached down to the cup holder and pulled up another thermos, another batch of coffee he made just for Danny. After having the same routine for over a decade, he knew exactly what Danny wanted the mornings after a Full Moon. He liked a lot of sugar in his coffee to get most of the taste of the wild out of his mouth, with a splash of cream for texture. As he handed it over to his best friend, his large sleepy eyes focused on Danny’s face.

Danny took the thermos quickly, immediately unscrewing the lid and taking a large gulp, not caring if it was too hot or not. He felt Sam’s eyes on him as he turned to his left. One thing about Sam’s eyes is that they never stopped analyzing anything. Even if he never shared what he was thinking about, you knew he was lost in thought, picking apart whatever was on his mind.

“...what?” Danny questioned.

“You have…umm..some…,” he brought a finger up to his mouth and pointed to the side, indicating Danny had something on his face.

Danny pulled down the sun visor and looked in the mirror, only to find he had a large stain of blood from the side of his mouth, down his jaw and onto his neck.

“Oh god,” he sighed in annoyance.

Before the Wolf could do anything about it, Sam was already reaching into the center console for the small pack of wet wipes he stored in there, just for situations like this. Danny gladly took it from him and instantly went to scrub the blood off his face.

“I hope it was only one deer last night and not your usual three,” Sam chided while taking another sip of his coffee.

Danny rolled his eyes slightly as he yanked a second wipe to clean up his neck, “yeah whatever.”

“I’m just saying don’t come complaining to me when you’re stuck in the bathroom all afternoon…”

Whatever else Sam was rambling about, Danny didn’t hear it. Instead the memories of the night before started flashing through his mind’s eye.

The Wolf was sprinting through the trees, sniffing out the scent of a male deer that ran away from him. Dodging rocks and jumping over logs to not lose the scent trail.

The Wolf eventually caught his prey and sank his teeth into the deer’s neck. Danny didn’t particularly like remembering what it felt like to eat raw animals but it was just part of who he was.

He remembered trotting through the trees afterwards, stopping to sniff the night air and lick his chops. As the Wolf tried to find another scent to chase, he caught a slight sweet smell on the breeze. A familiar and addicting sweet smell. The Wolf instantly turned in the direction it came from, and took off into the fog. The scent wasn’t following any pattern, and the source of it was clearly darting around randomly in the woods.

Finally, the scent became strong enough that it almost overwhelmed the Wolf, and he ducked beneath a branch to come out to a small pond. The Full Moon shone overhead, Her reflection clear and bright on the water's surface. He looked around, sniffing even harder when his large golden eyes landed on...her.

A large Red Wolf was about thirty feet to his right, standing at the pond's edge, staring at him with her own equally large green eyes. His paw lifted up to take a step, but before it could land in the grass the She-Wolf took off and rounded the pond, stopping for a moment on the other side, directly across the water from the young Wolf. She looked so familiar to him, her rusty red fur was beautiful in the light, rippling in the wind, and sharply contrasting to the dark woods behind her.

They stared at each other for who knows how long, her gaze nearly defiant, before a distant howl from another wolf sounded, and before the Wolf could react, the She-Wolf darted into the trees, her fluffy tail the last he saw before she was swallowed by darkness.

The wolf followed her path around the pond, and stopped where she had stood. He tried to follow the scent again, but the way it snaked around the trees and went in nonsensical patterns made it clear she didn’t want him to know where she went.

Danny got the last bit of blood off his neck as he slowly sat back in his seat. Sam was still trying to fill him in on some journal he had finally gotten his hands on. As much as he loved listening to his best friend telling him anything and everything about his interests, Danny was too caught up in his thoughts to care at the moment.

Red fur on a Wolf was rare, and he had only seen it in person on a handful of Wolves in his life. Those green eyes as well, that looked right through him, unintimidated by the presence of a future Alpha. The last time he had seen such a combination was in his last year of college. When he was still seeing-

Ivy Phillips

The first girl he ever gave his heart to, and the same girl who broke it.

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#danny wagner #greta van fleet #Danny gvf #running through the garden #Danny Wagner x oc #werewolf!Danny #second chance romance #fated mates #eventual breeding kink #familial obligations #🐺🌙

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