"Toboe!" A grey wolf cried as he raced through the forest, closely tailed by his pack mates. Fear coursed through his veins and the blood roared in his ears as the small pack made its way through the forest. Branches of low-lying bushes tore at their pelts, but no one cared.
"Tsume, we can't keep running like this," a white wolf growled from the pack. It was as odd sight, for he happened to be the alpha. All he received for an answer was a growl, which seemed to be enough for everyone. Tension filled the air so thickly you could feel it.
As the forest thinned out to a wasteland, all grey and lifeless, the grey wolf stopped to let out a howl. A long, mournful howl. His whole pack joined in, the glorious harmony reaching to the sky. They paused, taking a second to breathe it all in. And there it was. The faintest hint of a scent caught the Tsume's attention. So off they ran.
A small, brown wolf snarled at a man with long, dark hair. The man held a gun at the wolf. Another man, though this one was older with a trench coat and a small brown tuft of hair, crouched behind the wolf, grasping for his dropped shotgun.
"Oh, wolf," the armed man chuckled darkly, clicking the gun's ammunition into place. "You cannot hope to reach paradise, for Cheza is gone. It is all your fault, wolf. All hope is gone, thanks to you." The brown wolf growled harshly, showing his sharp, white fangs off as a threat.
"Toboe," the older man, Quent, whispered. "Don't listen to him… just don't move, alright?" Toboe twitched his ears in response to show he heard. Quent got a firm hold of his shotgun and pulled it close; the gun was already loaded. Right as Quent stood to fire, the dark haired man raised his gun and pulled the trigger, aiming for the older man.
BANG!
"Toboe…" Tsume asked, kneeling against his comrade in human form. He stroked the young wolf's cheek with his tan hand, enjoying the feel of Toboe's fur. Tears stung the Tsume's eyes, threatening to spill. Kiba, the white wolf, took the others away, leaving the two alone.
"Ts-Tsume," Toboe whimpered, weakly stretching his neck towards Tsume's touch. "I-m sorry… I'm sorry about Cheza… that I couldn't-protect her. And no-w… Now I've gotten what I deser-"
"No, Toboe," Tsume cut the other off. "It's not your fault… Never was. And you don't deserve this. No one does." The younger wolf was the only thing keeping Tsume in the pack. He hated Kiba's guts, Hige was the most obnoxious mutt he'd ever met, and Blue was one defiant female. But Toboe was so submissive, so shy, but persistent as hell.
Toboe almost read the other wolf's mind, and a smile spread across his muzzle. Ragged breaths escaped the pup's muzzle. "Tsume… you ne-ver told me how… you got th-at scar," he gasped. If he was going, he wanted it to be a time with the closest thing he had to family. Like a brother. Or a best friend.
As the grey wolf told the story, the young brown pup faded. Even when he was gone, Tsume told his story until the end. And when he was done, he cried. Tears. Tears of pain. Tears of hurt. Tears of loneliness. And they were all dedicated to this little runt, the wolf he'd dedicated his life to. The only thing that kept him going. And now, that thing was gone.
Tsume laid next to Toboe. For days and nights the grey wolf never moved. And no one came back to find him, for they all knew what he'd be doing. Until he was skinny and ragged and old, Tsume never left Toboe's side. With his very last breath, the old, grey wolf managed to bark,
'Til death do we part.
