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Wolves of Galar

Hey everyone, this is just a pokemon fanfiction I'm working on about Zacian and Zamazenta, as you might be able to tell from the title. I'm exploring the idea that the two of them could have started out as Lycanrocs!

I can't guarantee that I'll finish, but I'll do my best to with the motivation I have. I'm hoping to post a couple chapters a week, but we'll see how it goes :)

All I ask is that you don't post in here, please! Giving feedback of any kind at all is also appreciated, thank you!

If you're reading this, I want to thank you so much, and I really hope you enjoy!

~LucarioLover99

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Chapter 1

“So there was a young human who lived in Galar. The human-”

“You can’t just start a story like that! You have to start with “Once upon a time”!”

An amused sigh escaped the lycanroc’s muzzle. “Fine, Skall. Once upon a time, when pokemon and humans spoke in the same tongue, there was a young human living in Galar. The human’s clan was at war against pokemon, because of an offense that took place long ago.

“One day, the clan discovered that a gathering of pokemon was happening the next day, and set out to ambush them. Everyone in the clan was given a sword and shield to prepare for the battle. But this human saw no sense in fighting over a forgotten cause. They felt compassion for the pokemon.

“And so, the night before the battle, the human snuck into the woods and warned the all pokemon to stay in their homes the next day. The human offered up their sword and shield as a show of peace, so that the pokemon would believe him. And that’s how the pokemon of Galar were saved from what could have been a fierce battle. There, is that a good enough story for you two?” The lycanroc, Risulf, asked the question to her two rockruffs, a gleam in her eye.

“Thanks, mom,” Gyrmr, one of the pups, responded. “Wow! I think it would be cool to have a weapon like the shield or sword that the human had!”

“We have claws, dummy!” Skall playfully batted a paw at her brother. “And a shield isn’t even a weapon!” “Close enough!” Gyrmr swiped back at her, his paw narrowly missing Skall’s ear. “Settle down! There’s a little more,” Risulf’s stern voice sounded through the den. The rockruff siblings froze mid wrestle, before taking a seat.

“Some say the original sword and shield exist somewhere in Galar. Some explorers are still searching for them, I think.” Rinsulf smiled as the pups’ eyes widened. “Galar’s so big that no one’s discovered them. Some even call the tools the cursed sword and shield, possibly because they’re hard to find, but I’m not sure.”

“Maybe we could find them one day! We could all explore Galar!” Skall exclaimed, as her tail began to wag. “One day,” Risulf promised halfheartedly. “But now you need to sleep. I promised to teach you how to fight tomorrow, and you won’t be able to learn unless you rest up.”

“Fine,” Gyrmr let out a hearty yawn. “Do… do you think there are humans who are nice, like the one in the story?” He asked. “All the other ones you’ve told us about are big and scary!” Risulf thought, an expression of doubt flickering across her face for a fraction of a second.

“...Maybe… but don’t you two get any ideas! Most humans are dangerous and unpredictable. You never know if one is planning to help or hurt you, especially since you can’t talk to them.”

Of course, these warnings couldn’t completely deter the two young rockruffs from being curious, but they nodded anyway. “Good night, then,” Skall mumbled, flopping down to the dusty earth. Gyrmr followed up with his own “Good night”, and the pair of pups dozed off, their dreams filled with images of swords and shields and humans.

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Chapter 2

“Okay, Skall and I will dart in and grab some of the carrots. Gyrmr, you stay here and guard. If any humans notice us, bark. Loudly! Got it?” Risulf quietly ordered the rockruffs, who accepted their roles nervously. As alpha in their odd pack of three, Risulf’s words were commands, so it wasn’t as if they had much of a choice. Still, she was a smart and experienced mother, which calmed Skall and Gyrmr’s nerves, though not completely.

Winter on the tundra was difficult for everyone, and there was no exception for this group of wolf pokemon. Risulf often said that they were lucky to have such few members in their pack, since there were less mouths to feed, but it was really just to improve everyone’s moods.

In truth, there were so few berries around that their pack had resorted to stealing carrots from the nearby human clan. Carrots! The humiliation of it made Gyrmr want to growl. But he knew that it would be his stomach growling instead if they didn’t eat soon.

Risulf hated having to put her pups in this danger too. Sometimes, she regretted leaving her old pack; they would all be far more protected. But there was nothing to do about it now. Putting on a brave front, she nodded at her children, and observed the farm they were going to raid.

“We go when I say,” She instructed Skall. Her icy eyes darted from human to human, until they were all facing away. “Now!” Instantly, their paws were off the ground and flying towards the patch of iceroots a couple bounds away. As they arrived, she grabbed the leaves of one in her jaws and jerked it out of the ground. Despite how dire the situation was, the rush of adrenaline combined with the crisp, frosty air made her feel alive.

Suddenly, a sharp yap reached Skall’s ears. “Their clan is coming!” Gyrmr growled. Sure enough, a handful of humans gripping spears came charging towards the farmland. They wore crude, horned helmets, adding to their intimidation factor. Skall felt her blood run cold. Her paws pounding furiously against the ground, she darted into the woods alongside her twin and mother, praying that the clan of humans wouldn’t follow them.

Unfortunately, this clan was particularly territorial. If they noticed a threat to their power in any way, they wouldn’t just settle on driving it off, they wanted to eliminate it. That was part of what made this mission so risky. Even as the pack loped away, they could hear shouts of fury behind them. And all this for a couple of carrots! Skall looked down at the few she was clutching in her mouth, wondering if it was really worth it.

Despite their armour, the humans were shockingly agile. Slowly but surely, they caught up to the family. Gyrmr wished he had longer legs as the storm of voices behind him grew louder and louder…

All of a sudden, a figure flew over him, casting a long, cold shadow. He turned his head for a moment to see Risulf snarling at the humans, who roared in triumph. She turned her head slightly, and stared at her pups with a determined gaze. “Get out of here!”

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Chapter 3

Gyrmr and Skall hesitated a moment, looking at their mother with wide eyes. “Keep going!” Risulf shouted once more. “That’s an order from your alpha!” She bared her teeth as if she was smiling through pain, then turned her attention back to the humans and began to fight.

The rockruffs made eye contact, and noticing the uncertainty in fear in each other’s blue eyes, they sprinted off together, trying to ignore the fierce howls behind them. It was scary that they couldn’t distinguish which cries came from the humans and which came from their mother anymore.

After what felt like eons, Skall collapsed under a bush. Gyrmr followed suit, doing the same. The two lay next to each other, just panting and puffing in sync, too tired to think. Eventually, Gyrm struggled up to his feet. “Skall…” There were no words to be said as his sister stood up, dropping the carrots. The stupid, useless carrots that had gotten them here.

Thinking the same thing, they plodded back silently the way they’d came. Both had a sinking feeling in their guts, but they had to know what had happened. Night was falling, splashing the sky with a streak of stars. It was a beautiful scene, but the twins saw none of it. The world felt dark as they walked in a miserable suspense.

The pieces came together slowly. First to arrive were the distant, flickering lights of fires in the human encampment. Then, the far off singing and shouting from the same direction. Finally, they saw it up front: The frosty spot on the ground stained red, the tufts of fur, and an abandoned spear, the tip still coated in blood.

The pair of rockruffs fell to the ground around the scarlet tinted patch of earth, as if they were dead instead. The unfairness of it all hit both of them like a spear. Like the spear that had taken her away. Gyrmr felt tears roll down his muzzle as he covered it with his paws, and he suppressed a howl. His ears were clamped down tightly on his head, and he barely registered the sniffles coming from Skall.

Finally, Gyrmr felt a paw on his shoulder. Halfheartedly, his eyes drifted towards a line, a limb, leading to his sister, wearing an expression painted with a mix of grief, exhaustion, and responsibility. “We have to go.” Skall’s voice was hardly more than a whisper. “The humans might come back.” She gestured towards the sunrise, casting a crimson light over the tundra. It was a colour that both rockruffs wished they would never see again.

As much as Gyrmr would love to stay lying on the permafrost forever, he realised Skall was right. Risulf’s sacrifice meant nothing if he did. Nodding to thank his sibling from dragging him out of the cold, he stared longingly with Skall at the spear and earth once more. Then, slowly, tails touching, the duo stumbled into the dawn.

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