I own none of the original characters from Wolf's Rain. They © BONES

I do own Kira and the plotline

Prologue

Five wolves trekked through a thick blizzard, the snow numbing their feet with every paw step. The weather had been getting worse and worse with every passing minute.

A muscular gray wolf with an 'x' shaped scar on his lighter gray chest grumbled and lowered his head, trying to shield his eyes from the fierce snow. "I don't see why we're still moving. We can't see anything; how do you know where you're going?"

He looked up at a white figure leading the group. It was almost like watching a ghost with the way the white wolf blended in with the blizzard. Without glancing back, the wolf responded calmly, "I don't, Tsume." The gray wolf growled and was about to snap a retort, but the white wolf spoke again. "But Cheza does."

A smaller light brown wolf with a darker back whimpered. "K-Kiba…" It said, teeth chattering. "What do you mean, 'Cheza knows the way?' She's gone!"

Kiba stopped and looked up at the sky. "Her body may be gone, but her spirit is still with us. It is still with every wolf; calling them towards the new Paradise. Our Paradise." He looked back at the other four. "Can you not feel her?"

"I don't know about you, Kiba, but I'm frozen to the bone! I can't feel a thing!" Said a chubby brown wolf with a light brown face and a darker brown body. He had a dark brown collar around his neck with a strange carving etched in the front.

Tsume snorted. "If Cheza's really trying to lead us, you must not be listening very well. We've found dozens of black eared wolves, and all of them ended up getting killed because of their own stupidity! Who's to say the next one we find won't end up the same? And what if this so called 'prophecy' is just a rumor like everyone else says?"

A sleek dark gray wolf with tinges of blue in her fur spoke up. "Tsume… Kiba found Paradise before, now he can help lead us to it again. Put your trust in him, and I'm sure everything will turn out okay."

The white wolf looked at the dark wolf. "Thank you, Blue." Kiba mumbled quietly. He then turned his attention back towards the sky. The snow wasn't falling nearly as hard now, and the wolves were able to see again.

"Ah, finally!" The pudgy wolf with the collar said, wagging his tail and ruffling his fur.

"I'm starting to feel my pads again!" The pup said happily.

Tsume suddenly looked up. "Hige, Toboe, hush!" He said. His ears were tilted forwards, facing a lush forest off to the West.

Kiba frowned and flattened his ears. "What's the matter?"

"…I thought I heard something in the woods over there." Tsume responded with a growl. The rest of the wolves turned their heads to the forest, where after a few moments, they all heard a quiet rustling from a bush.

A light gray, matted old wolf came from the brush. His left ear was torn, and his legs were severely scarred. "So…" His voice was hoarse. "I hear you five are looking for the wolf of the prophecy." He gave a cackling laugh. "Do you know how many wolves have passed here looking for it? Too many!"

"So you don't believe the prophecy is real?" Kiba asked calmly.

"Of course I do!" The old dog yipped. "I just don't want to go looking for this wolf. I'm old and beat up and wouldn't last the trip." Tsume quietly murmured something to himself, but the old wolf simply ignored the comment. "Even when the white wolf of the prophecy is in front of me, I still wish to stay and let things run their course." He stared hard at Kiba. "'The white wolf shall open the way to Paradise, and the black eared wolf shall lead the rest home.' Do you think you can open the gates again to our Paradise?"

Kiba watched the old wolf's blue eyes and became lost in thought. Thinking of when they were ageless back in Paradise, and how the humans destroyed it and made it a hell hole again. There wasn't a shred of the old Paradise left. Once the last Lunar Flower was plucked, the wolves started growing old once more.

He snapped back to reality and shook his head. "We will open the gates of Paradise." He raised his tail. "And we will find the wolf of the prophecy and protect our home no matter what."

The matted gray wolf laughed loudly. "Now, that's what I like to hear!" He said enthusiastically.

"Do you know if there are any wolves in the next city?" Hige asked.

"Son, there's at least a dozen wolves in every city you go to. You've just got to keep a sharp eye out for 'em." The old wolf said, blinking.

Kiba nodded. "We need to take our leave before the snow picks up again." He dipped his head, then plodded away to the North, the rest of the wolves following. The gray canine watched them go, then limped back to the forest.

Tsume growled. "There's something weird about him." He said.

Toboe looked up at the gray wolf. "He was just an old man. What's so creepy about that?" Tsume didn't respond. Toboe whined and flattened his ears, then concentrated on following Kiba again.

From above, a large crow was circling the dogs. It watched them walk with its beady black eyes, then cawed and flew off to the Northeast.

About three hours later, it arrived at a large dark colored mansion. It perched itself on a balcony and squawked multiple times, until a man dressed in a deep purple robe stepped out. Without saying a word, the man raised his arm, allowing the bird to hop onto it and ride as the mysterious man walked inside down many flights of stairs.

They reached the basement, where a pool of black water swirled slowly in the center of the room. He set the bird down on the floor, and it jumped clumsily over to the water. It stuck its beak into the spiraling current, and it screeched a few times, then went calm, its breathing becoming shallow as well.

The man watched as the water swirled faster and faster, until it turned white and showed six wolves sitting in the snow; five of them on one side and one on the other. They were talking to each other, but the only time they could understand anything was when the lone wolf spoke.

"So… I hear you five are looking for the wolf of the prophecy." He laughed. "Do you know how many wolves have passed through here looking for it? Too many!" Pause. "Of course I do! I just don't want to go looking for this wolf. I'm old and beat up and wouldn't even last the trip." Pause. "Even when the white wolf of the prophecy is in front of me, I still wish to stay and let things run their course." The man's eyes became wide, and he held his breath. "'The white wolf shall open the way to Paradise, and the black eared wolf shall lead the rest home.' Do you think you can open the gates again to our Paradise?"

The man slammed his fist down and didn't listen to the rest. He yanked the bird out of the pool, firmly holding the creature and pulling a small black device off of the side of its head. Throwing the bird away towards the wall, he examined a tiny clock on the black machinery. "Three hours ago…" He mumbled, then groaned and screamed, kicking his chair by the pool angrily.

"Sir Traciaz, is everything alright?" Came a voice. The man called Traciaz flipped around, where he saw his butler standing on the stairs.

"Oh, it's you." He said, rubbing his head. "No, everything is not okay. You need to bring Valrun on the video monitor immediately."

"But sir, I believe Valrun is in a very important meeting-"

"I don't give a damn about what he's doing! Get him on the line now!" Traciaz snapped.

"Y-yes sir." The butler bowed, then hustled up the stairs. Traciaz paced for a few minutes, until a man with black hair and deep green eyes appeared on the monitor in the basement. He didn't seem very pleased.

"Traciaz, you'd better have a good reason for interrupting my meeting." Valrun hissed.

"Oh, believe me, I do." Traciaz replied. He held his hands behind his back and stared at the screen. "My crow and wolf have found one of the wolves from their so called 'prophecy.'"

Valrun crossed his arms. "What are you talking about? That prophecy is nothing but a bunch of crap. Now if you'll excuse me-"

"Ah, but you are wrong."

"Wrong?" Valrun yelled. "You yourself said that the wolves' prophecy was a hoax to make us humans scared!"

"We were both wrong." Traciaz said coldly. "My wolf feels the pull of Paradise as much as any other one of those fleabags. He met a white wolf and four others about three or four hours from here. He knew the white wolf had ties to Paradise; it's something every wolf supposedly knows."

Valrun threw his hands in the air and sighed. "Okay, so suppose this is true, then." He coughed. "What do you propose we do about it?"

"Destroy the wolves." Traciaz said bluntly. "If we don't, the human race is doomed."