The Crow: The Ravenous Wolf

"I'm handling this personally boss, I don't want any mistakes." Billy paused slightly but when Geese didn't speak he continued. "And Rock is . . . otherwise occupied."

"Very well, proceed as you see fit."

There was a full red moon out that night drowning out whatever stars may have been out with its brilliance. Not that any stars were ever seen in South Town, the already frequent haze and storms had become constant since Geese's rise to power. It was as if the horror of its new master had changed the weather in South Town. In the center of his park the scorched earth started to move. At first it was only a minor disturbance, something that could be dismissed as a trick of the shadows. Then a hand wrapped in fingerless black leather gloves erupted from the earth clutching for a purchase that wasn't there. A second later another hand joined the first and started pulling the rest of the being up out of the scorched earth.

A pitch black crow landed on a nearby tree landed on a low branch staring at the figure. It started cawing as if calling the man up from the ground. Suddenly the man's head broke the surface and an ear piercing howl that echoed throughout the abandoned park. What the hell was that? The confused man thought as pain of resurrection faded from his body. It took with it the last pain he would ever feel as he sat up and brushed the dirt from his body.

The man who dug himself from his own grave was dressed in a pair of black jeans and a red shirt, formerly white, dyed in his own blood. A sleeveless red jacket with a deeper red star, like wise formerly white and dyed in his own blood was draped over his shoulders. Where am I? The man thought as he looked around the park.

The signs of a recent battle were clear enough, scorched earth, broken branches and even the slightest hint of copper in the air. Blood. That was a smell that the warrior remembered well from his life. That's what the smell in the air was. The crow cawed even louder before it soared down from its branch landing on the man's shoulder. The talons digging into his flesh should have been painful, he could see where they broke the skin but he didn't feel a thing. He didn't bleed either.

As he got back to his feet he realized that he still didn't recognize where he was. Had he been part of the fight here? Had he been knocked unconscious and buried alive? The bird cawed in his ear and somehow he understood that his assumption was wrong. That only leaves. The obvious answer was obviously wrong. He couldn't possibly have been buried dead because then he couldn't be standing.

Continuing to search his memory for answers on his current situation the man came to another startling discovery. He couldn't remember what his name was. An old instinct told him to search his pockets but there were no clues to his identity there. Who am I? The crow cawed again but this time the answer wasn't clear. It turned its head slightly then took flight returning to a branch to observe the coming battle.

Somewhere behind him he could hear the steady footfalls of a patrol. Seven, no eight heart beats approaching him as quickly as they could manage. He turned slowly to see eight men dressed up in black uniforms with Kevlar vests run up to him. They were in two ranks of four men each splitting off as soon as they were near him moving to form a circle around him. "REPUKEN!" They shouted sending their blasts of blue white energy towards the man standing in the center.

Why are they attacking me? Terry didn't move. He stood still as eight Reppukens slammed into him.

"Target destroyed." One of them spoke into an intercom. A cloud of dust was surrounding the target.

"Am I?" The target responded as the smoke cleared revealing his completely untouched form standing straight. The blast had however uncovered something, a red baseball cap with the blood red letters S, N, and K stitched onto it. The crow stared down at the hat cawing excitedly. The man kneeled down picking up the hat and dusting it off on his knee before flipping it up onto his head.

"Target is active, what are your orders?" There was a pause. "Yes sir, we'll wait for your arrival."

The soldiers took a step back each taking a fighting stance as they stared at the man who'd somehow survived the attack. He couldn't see the looks on their faces through the tinted visors of their helmets but beneath every single one of them had a look of complete awe. Who are they waiting for? The man turned slowly to see if who was coming. A ninth heartbeat, this one calmer, steadier than the first eight was approaching.

"Bloody shit!" Billy gasped as he stared at the dead man walking. "Te-terry!" It can't be Terry Bogard!

"Is that my name?" The man asked as he looked to the newcomer.

Billy Cane had fought him, and lost.

Terry was in a room, an office room fighting for his life. Andy Bogard, his younger brother was there as well.

Falling. He could only see two things, the sky and the malicious smile of his murderer.

"You can't be Terry, he's dead mate. So are you." Billy pointed his steel staff at Terry. "Get him."

"He survived the Reppuken sir." One of the soldiers said hesitating to obey.

"He's not the first man to avoid it." Billy replied.

"Not avoided sir, survived. We hit I saw it sir."

"You're mistaken. Now get him." The man looked at Billy then to Terry nodding his consent.

Nobody could have survived that. I must have been mistaken. "Attack!" He shouted rushing in with his knife drawn, the other seven warriors moving in at the same time. Eight blades slammed into Terry's flesh. One in the skull, two in the throat and five more over his chest but he didn't flinch.

"INFERNAL GEYSER!" Terry shouted slamming his fist into the ground. An explosion of black purple energy erupted around his body sending all eight soldiers flying back tumbling over the grass. Not a single one of the soldiers got back to their feet after the blast.

A dark grin curled over Terry's lips as he reached up pulling the knife embedded in his skull out. There wasn't a single drop of blood on it, not until he flung it at its owner letting the steel split plastic and shatter skull on its way to sever his brain. One by one Terry pulled the knives from his body fatally returning each weapon to its owner before turning his attention to Billy Kane.

"I don't know how you got here mate, but I'm bloody well gonna send your arse right back to hell." Billy growled spinning his cane around as he approached Terry.

"You couldn't beat me before. The hell makes you think this will be different."

"Lots stronger, I'll show ya." Billy lunged forward with a blinding speed swinging out for Terry's skull. It should have hit him square in the jaw; it would have if he still had human speed. So would the follow up series of jabs that Billy took all aimed at his nose. Instead every one of the strikes hit empty space as Terry dodged his head at a speed that nearly defied logic.

"I'm getting bored." Terry replied turning his back on Billy completely as he dodged two more strikes and then rolled away from Billy. "Are you ok?" Before Billy could reply Terry had rushed forward slamming his fist into Billy's chest. Billy grinned slightly, even though he hadn't seen Terry move the attack barely hurt.

"Sacrificed strength for speed mate?"

The evil grin on Terry's face stretched until it looked like his face would split in two. "Blaster Wolf!" The purple black blast of energy that slammed into Billy's chest exploded through the back of his chest literally tearing the flesh from his bones. On the floor behind him the blood and flesh formed the silhouette of a crow.

The battle had just ended when Terry heard a three more beating hearts running toward him in the clearing. These weren't like the men who'd came earlier he could already tell, they weren't in formation for one and their pulses were racing. So the man dressed in the blood star jacket only turned to face them.

The first man he saw was a man with bright pink hair trailing behind him like a cloak on the wind. "It was over here, man was it cool!" The man shouted back at his companions.

The first of which, an Asian man had shoulder length black hair and a bandana wrapped around his head. Like terry he was wearing a sleeveless jacket and leather finger gloves but his were all black accept the white bandana and his under shirt. "What was it?" He brought his fist up summoning a flame around it to light their path revealing the first of the slaughtered soldiers. "Oh who got this guy?" He brightened the flame lighting the rest of the field.

"An entire unit?" Joe gasped as the light exposed all eight soldiers, each a knife planted cleanly between their eyes.

Then they saw Terry standing over what had been his own grave less than an hour ago with the corpse of Billy Kane at his feet. "Rest in peace motherfucker." He smirked darkly and kicked Billy's body over into what had formerly been his grave.

"Te-Terry? I don't believe it, it can't be you." Joe stammered. The crow squawked loudly from its perch as if to dispute Joe's opinion.

"Terry." The name still sounded foreign to him but it was his name. "What happened?"

"We were hoping you could tell us that there dead man." Beni said as he brushed his hair over his shoulder running his fingers through it as he stared at Terry. "You took on an entire squad, by yourself? And Billy Kane too! That's impressive, I mean even somebody as naturally beautiful and talented as me would have trouble putting down a squad." Benimaru took a step forward staring at Terry. "It doesn't even look like they touched you."

Terry turned his attention toward Joe instantly recognizing his team mate. It was a tournament, teams of three. Terry, Andy and Joe. The Hungry Wolves. They'd left the tournament early when they'd heard of Geese's ambitions to gain control of the Scrolls of Immortality. Terry had fought against a pair of teens with incredible powers. Geese had the scrolls.

"Terr, we can't stay here. Geese will send more men."

"Where will we go?" Terry replied. "And what happened?"

"You died Terry, I'll explain it all back at the hide out." Joe said turning.

A few minutes later Terry followed the others into what had once been a Chinese restaurant. The doors were all boarded shut, the only entrance was through what had once been a sky light and they boarded that closed from the inside. Terry, Joe and Kyo were all seated at the table. Benimaru was leaning against a wall brushing his hair.

"How long have I been dead?" Terry asked as he sank down into one of the booths.

"About three years ago. Geese threw you from the tower." Staring up at the sky, falling with a million glass shards around him. The blond man standing in the window with that disgusting grin on his face. "It's been really bad since then, with you and Andy gone-"

"Wait, what about Andy?" Terry asked.

"Andy never got out of the Tower Terry. Nobody has ever seen him since that day." Joe suddenly lowered his head staring at some spot on the wall. "We were burying you when he attacked us. Geese, Billy, Iori and a new guy. His name is Choi, real piece of work. Wears a leather glove with knives strapped to the fingers. He runs Club Orochi." Terry nodded slightly.

He's not Terr. Joe couldn't even meet his friend's eyes after a few moments. It was like staring death in the face. Whatever it was that was sitting across from him wasn't Terry Bogard. Terry wasn't a killer. He certainly wasn't calm after the act. The look he'd had when he kicked Billy's lifeless corpse into the ground was downright frightening.

"We had to come back a few days later to finish burying you and try to get Andy back from the Tower. Geese broke my arm in three places that day, and Kim got the worst of it. For a minute-"

"Let me tell it." A voice called from the back of the restaurant. Terry turned his face towards him frowning slightly. "We hadn't even put you in the ground yet when the four of them attacked us. We tried to fight them but they were too much for us."

"I got my arm broken in three places by Rock's Shine Knuckle." Joe threw in rubbing his arm slightly.

"Joe's arm was broken." Kim limped out of the shadows holding his wooden cane in hand supporting most of his weight. "I tried Geese; hit him in the throat with an axe kick that would have killed a normal man. He didn't even flinch before he hit me with the Raging Storm, broke my right arm and leg. To this day I can barely walk with a cane. Tung Fu Rue didn't make it out of his battle with Iori. I tell you I've never seen anybody move like that. Mai was captured." Kim pulled a chair out and straddled it resting his head on the back as he looked at Terry. "Since then it' been all down hill. South Town became the real vice city of the world, if you can smoke it, shoot it, fuck it, or gamble on it starts in this city."

Terry grunted his leather gloves squeaking slightly as he balled his hands into fists struggling to keep from destroying the table. "You know its not that I'm complaining or anything Terr, we could use all the help we can get. But where did you come from?"

Kim turned slowly toward Joe pointing toward the crow perched comfortably on one of the chandeliers. "He was brought back by the crow. My grandmother used to tell me stories about how a crow guides souls into the afterlife. But sometimes a soul is in so much pain that it cannot find piece in the after life. Sometimes the crow brings that soul back to the land of the living to finish its business. You are such a soul Terry. You are here to avenge your death. Right now you are neither alive nor dead. You're stronger and faster than before. I've never heard of someone like us coming back but I suspect your ki is stronger as well. You will feel no pain. You can't be killed. You'll heal from any wound."

Terry's mind flashed back to his battle against Geese's soldiers and pulling the knives from his flesh. "Yeah I already experienced some of this stuff. What happens to me when I kill Geese?"

"I'm sorry friend, you return to the other side." Kim lowered his head slightly

"Where is Mai now?"

"Down at Club Orochi. She dances. Amongst other things.

Terry stood up growling angrily. "That is where we're headed."

"Wait my friend. There is something we must do first, the last part of the legend of the crow. My grandmother always told me that the people who are brought back from the other side are supposed to bear a mark identifying them as avenging spirits."

"I know that story." Benimaru said as he kicked away from the wall tossing his hair back over his head. "I'll give him the mark. Follow me Terry." Terry raised a brow at the pink haired man offering to mark him. The crow looked at him and cawed then looked to Benimaru nodding its head then cawing again and landing on his shoulder staring at Benimaru. "Looks like your little friend approves."

"Guess so." Terry replied looking over at the crow perched on his shoulder. He slowly rose from his seat and followed Benimaru into the bathroom.

A moment later Benimaru stepped out. "Gentlemen, introducing your very own avenging angel. The former King of Fighters and Hungry Wolf." Beni's voice got very low as he turned and pointed toward the door where Terry was now standing. "I'd like to introduce you to the "Ravenous Wolf" Terry Bogard."

His face had a pure white foundation but his lips were painted black with the tips up turned like a demonic mime. It made the wicked smile on his face downright terrifying as it nearly split his skull in two. His eyes were painted black as his lips a single slash coming from the corners of his eyes like tears. Above each eye was triangle that almost resembled the ears of a wolf.

Joe felt his heart skip a beat at the sight of his friend. He really did look like some sort of avenging angel out for death and the smile on his friend's face was something out of a horror film. "Holy shit Terr."

Terry laughed slightly as the crow looked him over cawing softly in approval. "Today is not a good day to be a bad guy." The smile widened slightly to reveal his teeth as he walked out the door.

Chapter 3

Battle of the Brothers

Together the four warriors strode down the street towards Club Orochi ignoring the gangsters gathered on almost every corner. Terry took the lead looking at all the horrified faces hiding. South Town had always been a rough neighborhood but it hadn't been like this when Terry was alive.

"No! Let me go!" A woman screamed in one of the alleyways.

"Shut the fuck up!" Another voice countered before a loud slap echoed across the street.

A lanky thug with a torn denim jacket had her by the hair as he slapped the woman across the face. "You know you're lucky I even let you live. Bitches like you are a dime a fucking dozen in this town." He reached behind his back pulling out a butterfly knife and flicking the blade out and pressing it against her throat.

"Puh-pl please." The woman whimpered tears streaming from her eyes. She had short spiked purple hair, just barely enough for the man to grasp as he pressed her up against the wall.

"You just don't know how to fucking act. I take care of you, make damn sure that you have food, clothes and nobody hurts you. And all I ask is that you keep getting me money, is that so much to ask for!" He dragged the tip of the knife over her face spreading her tears over her cheeks until he got to her lips. "Maybe if I widen your smile a little. . ."

"Maybe if I widen yours." Terry interrupted gripping the man at the wrist. Bones cracking as Terry whipped him around slamming the man against the wall. "Now apologize to the young lady." Terry leaned in intimately close letting the man feel his cool breath on his throat. Terry pulled his other hand back prepared to drive his leather wrapped knuckles through the man's skull.

"Leave him alone!" Terry hardly noticed the woman pounding on his side but he heard her just fine.

"Leave this scum?" Terry growled watching the woman recoil and slammed the man against the opposite wall. There was a slight pause as Terry leaned in closer against the man then released him. "You should be happy the lady likes you."

"You know in hockey they give two minute penalties for that Terr." Joe said as he stepped up behind his friend. Terry only responded with an impassive grunt. "I mean what was that about, you were about to kill that guy." Again Terry only grunted. Joe gripped Terry's wrist. "I'm serious, that isn't right man."

There was a terrible pause, a silence between the two men as Terry looked down at Joe's hand then up at his friend. Joe released his wrist and backed away as Terry turned his back on his friend and walked away, the bird on his shoulder already focused on the glowing neon sign that read "Club Orochi" with a naked woman working a pole.

He would have killed me. Joe realized as he stared at the blood red star on the back of Terry's jacket. There would have been no hesitation if Joe stood against him. It was something he'd seen in his friend's eyes.

"What was that about?" Kyo asked as he put one hand on Joe's shoulder urging him forward.

"I don't know man." Kyo frowned watching the dead man walk towards the door. A pair of bouncers stood at the door, easily seven feet a piece and well over three hundred pounds of pure muscle standing side by side. The men were dressed identically in black slacks with ribbed maroon shirts clinging to their meaty frames.

"Who the hell are you?" The first asked as Terry approached the door.

"The fucking carnival ain't in town punk so you can lose the mime shit." The second said as he looked down at him.

"Who am I?" Terry grinned that awful grin as the crow took flight landing on part of the sign to watch the inevitable slaughter. "I'm the Wolf."