Chapter 1

Weak sunlight streaming through the open window woke Kiba. He blinked slowly and screwed his face up as if it would stop the barrage of light. He stretched and sat up, rubbing his face.

What time was it? A glance at his bedside table clock showed it was 7am which meant time to get up.

Kiba climbed out of bed and stretched, clad only in his black boxers. His room was small and reflected the look of the rest of his home: wooden beams lining the ceiling, wooden walls, stone floors and every bit of furniture was made of wood. He had small personal touches: a bearskin rug, a family photo hanging on the wall, a full bookshelf and a dog bed at the end of his bed.

The dog bed was never used though. Kiba glanced down at his bed and grinned at a little lump under the sheets. The lump wriggled and eventually whined. The boy chuckled and tossed the sheets back, revealing a white fluffy puppy. The puppy yapped and stood shakily on the bed, its tail wagging so fast it was almost invisible.

"Hey there boy!" Kiba scooped the puppy into his arms and rushed from the room making aeroplane noises. The puppy stuck its tongue out in enjoyment and barked. Kiba dodged past all the furniture in the living room until he arrived in the kitchen. His mother and sister were already there making breakfast.

"Morning sleepyhead," Tsume grinned. She wore checked chef pants, a plain white shirt and worn black shoes, which made sense because she was the head chef of the Hidden Leaf restaurant.

She ruffled his hair and he pouted and put Akamaru down. The puppy barked indignantly and licked Kiba's ankles. Kiba's sister, Hana, was just finishing her porridge. She was twenty-one and very pretty with glossy brown hair, high cheekbones and almond-shaped brown eyes. She wore black jeans, brown boots and a blue button-up shirt, over which she would wear a lab coat. Reason being: today was her first day as an apprentice veterinarian.

"You excited?" Kiba asked. He opened the cupboard and pulled out some cereal.

Hana's eyes shone. "You bet! I knew the degree would do me some good." She had a veterinarian degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks but hadn't found a place to work in that field. Then, when Tsume announced they were moving to Kohona and there was a vet there, she immediately placed a job application.

Kiba had grown up in Wiseman, a remote town in the centre of Alaska. Kohona was far to the north and not much bigger, set in a valley that was always snowed in, even in summer. Tsume bought a comfortable log cabin high up in the mountains, a thirty minute drive from the town. She said that houses in town were far too expensive for their limited budget and so the cabin was their best choice. Not that Kiba complained; the cabin was very cosy and he had plenty of space to roam around.

Tsume checked the clock and wolfed down her toast. "I have to be at work in forty-five minutes. Kiba, you'll be okay on your own again?"

"Yeah mum. I'm almost done that snow ski anyway."

Kiba filled Akamaru's bowl with meat and dry dog bits and the puppy immediately dug in. Kiba ate his own breakfast and watched his mother and sister rush around getting ready. They both kissed his cheek goodbye and left for work.

He looked down at Akamaru, who sat quietly waiting for Kiba to finish eating. Kiba grinned and stuffed the rest of the cereal in his mouth. He rushed to his room and pulled on his warmest clothes – hiking boots, thick jeans, a fur-trimmed jacket and a woollen beanie. Akamaru saw the clothes and thumped his tail against the ground.

Bark!

Kiba went to a rack beside the front door and took a dog collar and secured it around Akamaru's neck. He then took the puppy outside and locked the door behind him.

"Time for morning walkies!"

The pair left the cabin behind and struck out into the snow. Their cabin was completely isolated from civilisation, completely surrounded by mountainous terrain, pine trees and foot-deep snow. The snow always seemed to be several feet deep up here, but Kiba didn't mind. It just made walks funnier because Akamaru tried to charge through the snow and always ended up disappearing. Sometimes Akamaru liked having the lead and not straying from his owner, but other days he strained against it until Kiba let him off.

Which is what Kiba did after about twenty minutes of listening to the puppy whine.

Akamaru immediately disappeared into the snow and Kiba kept one eye on him and the other eye scanned the immediate area. While there weren't any people nearby, there was always the chance of there being some wolves or other dangerous animals hanging about the cabin.

After a few minutes Akamaru stopped moving. Kiba grinned and scooped him from underneath the snow. The puppy flopped in his arms, exhausted from forcing his way through the snow. Kiba tucked Akamaru into his shirt and the puppy stuck his face over the collar, tongue lolling cheerfully. He laughed at the puppy's antics and surveyed the surrounding mountainside. Snow. Pine trees. The occasional animal tracks. The sky was such a light blue that it looked almost white. A frozen breeze wafted his way and he closed his eyes, enjoying the sting of cold. And… voices?

Voices carried with the wind. At least two people, maybe more. He hadn't seen anyone aside from his mother and sister in almost a month, given that that's how long the move took. He started towards the voices and a few moments later three people came into view, though they were dressed so warmly that he couldn't make them out.

"Cooee!" he called. They all lifted their heads, spotted him, and approached. Now that they were closer he could spot individual features.

One was a girl. A very pretty girl with pale skin, long white-blonde hair and pale blue eyes. Her cheeks were tinged pink with exercise. She wore thick boots, jeans, gloves and a jacket, and her beanie stuck out of her jacket pocket. Of the three, her backpack was the smallest.

The first boy was blonde too, but golden blonde, and blue-eyed, but baby blue. His skin was tanned and weathered, particularly in comparison to his two pale companions. He had three whisker marks on each cheek and they looked like scars. The boy wore thick hiking gear too as well as a Russian cap with the woollen flaps covering his ears. He grinned and waved cheerfully at Kiba.

The other boy was frighteningly pale with short red hair and huge grey bags underneath his green eyes. He had a Japanese kanji tattoo on his forehead that Kiba couldn't understand, and was clad in only jeans, boots and a long-sleeved shirt. His eyes scanned Kiba cautiously, which the newcomer understood. Sizing up the new guy to ascertain his threat level.

"Hey," Kiba greeted, "I'm Kiba. I moved here about a month ago."

"I'm Naruto," said the blonde boy. "And this is Gaara," he gestured to the redhead, "and Ino," and to the girl. "We're taking one last hiking trip before school starts." He spotted Akamaru. "Your dog is so cute!"

Kiba pulled Akamaru from inside his shirt and displayed him for the teenagers to pat. He loved the attention and lapped it up like jelly.

"He's adorable," Ino cooed. Gaara also patted Akamaru, but hesitantly.

"You guys hungry?" Kiba asked. "My house is just over there."

"Are you a serial killer?" Gaara asked. Kiba chuckled and shook his head.

"No, just lonely. I haven't left the house for a month and it's driving me nuts. We've got hot chocolate and warm food."

"Yeah sure," Naruto said. "Let's go."

o.O.o

"This place is nice," Ino said, staring around at the thick wooden beams, stone walls and floors, animal skin carpets and rustic furniture. "I remember some crazy old dude used to live here and everyone said his house was like a dungeon. You've really fixed it up."

"Mostly my mum's work, but I'll let her know." Kiba put Akamaru on the couch and shed his fur-trimmed jacket. He made his way to the kitchen and opened the pantry. "So, what to do guys feel like? Toasted sandwiches? Instant noodles?"

"Noodles!" Naruto yelled. He and Ino had shed their jackets and now the trio sat on stools at the kitchen bench.

"A toasted sandwich please," Ino said. Kiba opened his mouth to ask what she'd like on it and she said, "Surprise me."

"I will just have a hot chocolate," Gaara said. Kiba got to work making four hot chocolates, a cup of instant noodles and a cheese and tomato toasted sandwich.

"Will you be at school on Monday?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah," Kiba replied. "I'm kinda nervous though. I've never been to an actual school before, mum has always home-schooled me. What's your school like?"

"Oh, it's great," Ino said. "The teachers are awesome and they make the subjects interesting. Well, there's always the whole thing going on with the populars-"

"The jerks," Naruto muttered.

"-but generally, the social atmosphere is good too. The three of us all hang out and just ignore that drama." Ino smiled sweetly and Kiba suddenly felt a bit warm. Without her jacket, he could see her upper figure and she was by far the prettiest girl he'd ever seen.

"You can hang with us if you like," Naruto said. "The populars would eat you up."

"Who are the populars?"

Gaara answered this time, his face darkening further with each word. "They're a group of people who think they're above everyone else. They think that they are the best thing since sliced bread and that us lesser folks should worship at their feet. They are cruel and unforgiving to anyone who doesn't fit the bill."

"And believe me," Naruto said, "these kids don't know when they've crossed the line. They don't know the difference between a prank and actual cruelty. Take Gaara's first day for example. They took turns shoving his head down a toilet, even his own siblings. Or the way they've made fun of me my whole life and excluded me from everything."

"What about Ino? Id they shove her head down a toilet too?"

Ino snickered. "Like they'd try. No, I was once a popular." She raised her hands in defence. "I know, I was once cruel to those deemed 'losers'. But it's possible to change."

Kiba thought he understood it now. Populars were a big group of bullies who made sure no one stood up to them so they could get away with whatever they wanted. Anyone who wasn't a popular was a loser and losers were dirt. And the losers stuck together.

"What happened?" he asked.

"My supposed friend Sakura was talking smack about Gaara and Naruto, you know, implying rude things about their friendship and such. I was in a bad mood that day. I snapped at her and told her to quit it because they might be nice guys." Ino snorted, but smiled once Kiba handed her a hot chocolate. "Thank you. Anyway, she got all offended and threatened to kick me out of the group and I was like 'go ahead' and she did and Naruto and Gaara heard what happened and we've been friends ever since."

"Yeah," Naruto said, accepting his hot chocolate too, "she's the pretty one. Now that we've got Ino they don't mess with us because her dad can ruin their lives."

"If you'd rather not get your head shoved down a toilet I'd recommend sitting with us," Gaara said. "High school is literally the worst place in the world."

"Socially," Ino said quickly. "Socially it's bad. But the education is great and the school likes to host hiking events and the teachers are awesome. All you have to do is ignore the other people and you'll have a blast."

Kiba nodded slowly. "I think I get it now. Okay, time to eat!"

He presented everyone's food and they dug in eagerly. After eating, Kiba lit the big log fire and the foursome sat on the floor around it to warm themselves. Akamaru, instead of cuddling up to Kiba, sniffed Naruto curiously and rested his head on the blonde's leg.

"Traitor," Kiba muttered. Naruto laughed and ruffled the puppy's fur.

"He's cute. So, you seem cool. You wanna hang out with us at school?"

"Really?" They barely knew him, but after the stories of all the other kids, any protection was welcome. "I'd really like that! Thank you. Any help figuring out how to actually do school would be great."

The three hikers left half and hour later so they could finish their hike and get home before dark. After they left, Kiba took Akamaru into the shed and the puppy napped while his owner tinkered with an old snow ski. He'd hoped to finish it before school started so he could have some fun on the mountainside, but alas it wasn't meant to be. One more afternoon on it and a jug of fuel and it should be right as rain.

Kiba worked on it until Tsume and Hana both came home from work at around the same time. He then went inside, listened to them talk about their day, and helped with dinner.

After hearing the stories about the other people at school, Kiba wasn't as excited to go. He'd never really thought about dealing with the other people, only the assignments. He guessed he'd just assumed that the people would be nice. At least he had three friends though. It was more than he'd ever had before.