5/12/10–5/13/10

Kiba walked alone down the empty road, following the yellow line, his dark jacket blowing around his white tank top in the wind. Though the roads were bare, the sidewalks had small groups of people who would stop one another to have friendly chats. Usually, the streets were so crowded that no one had time to stop and chat: People would make their way through life, ignoring their surroundings, forgetting every face they happen to pass by. If you dared to stop, you would most likely be trampled. But today was different.

It was late in the afternoon, and most of the city was celebrating at the first annual Wolves Fair, where people who believed in the history of wolves would dress up in costume and have eating contests, foot races, and– for the children– howling contests. Kiba believed, like most people, that wolves had existed before humans, and even believed that wolves did, in fact, used to be able to take a on human illusions to hide their identity. Regardless, Kiba was not the part-going type, so he did not attend the Fair.

He shoved his hands casually into his front pockets, looking from one street side to the other, trying to decide which store held the particular CD he had been wanting. On a street corner, he heard soft mewing, and looked to see a cardboard box full of kittens, with a boy with reddish/brown hair picking one out and playing with it. Kiba stopped walking and watched the boy.

The kitten was snow-white, eyes large, mouth opening to reveal it's tiny pink tongue as it cried out with all it's might– only to have people say 'aww' and squish the tiny animal into their arms. The boy held the kitten high by it's armpits as it mewed over and over in fear. The boy had a large open-mouth grin on his face, squatting on the sidewalk, forcing people to walk around him, the silver bangle-bracelet on his right arm clanking softly as he moved the cat up and down.

Kiba's face darkened, and crossed the road, making his way to the boy as he glanced around cautiously and made a move to hide the kitten in his shirt and take it home.

"You have to pay for that." Kiba told the boy, who cried out in fright and whirled around, facing the tall, older boy.

The boy gazed at Kiba, mouth gaped open, as he held the kitten against his chest, wondering if the rugged, dark-haired boy was a lost gang member, or a good Samaritan.

Kiba frowned slightly since the boy made no move to put the cat back in the box, or even explain himself, so he bent down and scooped up the kitten and gently settled it down with it's mixed-bred siblings.

"Hey!" shouted the boy, blushing slightly. "I wasn't going to steal it or anything!"

Kiba ignored the boy, and looked for a sign for the price. He saw an old man leaning against a wall, asleep, with a sign around his neck by a rope. Kittens For Sale: 2 Dollars Each said the sign in black paint. Kiba pointed to the man, and said, "Go ask that man if you can buy a kitten."

"I..." the boy looked down, over at the kittens, with sad, brown eyes.

Kiba looked down at the boy, saying nothing.

"I don't have any money..." said the boy quietly.

"So you resort to stealing to have your way?" demanded Kiba.

"No, I just–" the boy stopped, then stood up, glaring hotly at the older boy. "Why are you over here anyway? Are you a police or something? Why don't you mind your own business!"

Kiba stared evenly at the boy. "If you saw someone about to get murdered, wouldn't you step in and stop them?"

"I wasn't going to kill that kitten!" cried the boy, alarmed.

"You were about to comint a crime: Stealing." explained the other boy. "I wasn't going to stand by and let that happen."

The younger boy looked down, ashamed.

At that moment, Kiba's mind showed him a vivid picture of this boy looking down with a similar expression, standing in a sort of dessert place, saying, "I want to stay here..." Then the vision faded away. Kiba shook his head, eyes squinting shut. Why did that come into my mind?

"What's wrong?" asked the boy, sounding nervous.

Kiba shook his head again, then his face relaxed. "Nothing," he said at last. "What's your name?"

"Toboe..." answered the other boy quietly.

The name sounded very familiar to Kiba, but he could not remember ever meeting the boy before. The vision, he guessed, must have been just his imagination. For some reason, though, Kiba felt connected to him. "Well, Toboe," the older boy bent down and looked squarely at the younger one– who blushed at the direct attention– "There is a fair up the road a few miles; I think you'd enjoy it."

"A fair?" breathed Toboe excitedly. "With games, and prizes and stuff?"

"I'm not sure," answered Kiba, standing straighter. "But I'll take you there if you want."

"Okay!" agreed Toboe.

The two boys walked side-by-side down the sidewalk, oblivious to the other humans, passing people who passed them with equal indifference. The wind stirred the sakura trees planted in front of a local drugstore, releases pink petals into the sky. Toboe looked up and watched them as he walked, then he stumbled on a crack in the sidewalk and nearly fell– Kiba reached out quickly and snatched the boy by the back of his shirt, and pulled him to his feet.

"Thank you!" panted Toboe, when Kiba let him go, blushing with embarrassment.

Kiba nodded and kept walking, shoving his hands back into his pockets.

"Hey, what's your name anyway?" asked Toboe curiously. "We've been walking for awhile now and I realized that I don't even know your name!" the boy laughed cheerfully.

"Kiba." answered the older boy.

"It's nice to meet you!" said Toboe happily. "So what's the fair like? What kind is it?"

"It's the first annual Wolves Fair," Kiba explained. "I heard there were eating contests and foot-races there. And also...rewards."

"Rewards?" repeated Toboe. "For what?"

"For whoever howls the best– for whoever sounds like the call of the wolf."

Toboe stared, eyes wide, imagining a group of children, with Kiba in the middle, all howling, all sounding very pathetic. The younger boy laughed. "That sounds like fun!" he said.

They walked down the sidewalk with mainly Toboe doing the talking; he would ask about the religious beliefs of wolves and humans, of the Paradise and of the myth of lunar flowers, and about the Flower Maiden, who was said to lead the wolves to Paradise.

"Paradise has already been found." Kiba said suddenly. Toboe looked at him, confused. But Kiba didn't look at him; he stared ahead and kept walking. "When Paradise had been found, and a wolf not chosen by the Flower tried to enter it..."

"So what happened?"

"The wolf died." said Kiba. "And Paradise was hidden, and the wolves were "reset," so to speak, until the next Flower chose a wolf as the Gate opener."

"How do you know all that?" asked Toboe, awed.

"I don't." admitted Kiba. "It's just how I feel has happened. Like an instinct."

They said no more about wolves, and the conversation changed to music, then to food, then to parents, then more seriously about their pasts.

"I live with my Granny," Toboe said. "She's going blind, and she's always relied on me as a comforter."

"Why aren't you with her now?" wondered Kiba.

Toboe shot Kiba a fiery glare. "I'm not a kid, you know!" he snapped, standing still to make his point. Kiba watched Toboe's face crinkle up like a piece of burning paper.. "I have my own responsibilities like everyone else!" claimed the younger boy, "She let's me go wherever I please..." Toboe then blushed, and added, "As- as long as I'm home by... ten..."

Kiba laughed, breaking the tension, and Toboe grinned.

"So what about your family?" asked Toboe suddenly. "Do you–"

A car horn blared out into the world, startling the two into silence. They watched the car pass, full of young teenagers, all wearing wolves costumes. They followed the car with their eyes as it turned a corner.

"That's where the fair is?" asked Toboe excitedly.

Kiba nodded, watching as a red balloon from that area drifted from the corner, and up into the sky.

"I'll race you there!" Toboe cried out. He started running, fast as he could, and Kiba let the boy gain a few steps ahead before joining in the race. By the time they reached the street corner, both boys were slightly winded, and their eyes were bright with readiness.

Toboe leaped into the air, screaming, "Yahoo! I won!" and started laughing.

Kiba let him win.

They walked over to the yellow-taped off area where the fairgrounds were set up; dozens of white tables and benches were filled with costumed children and adults. Most of the wolves– Kiba noticed– were black, as a symbol that they were "the bad-ass guys." Kiba only thought they were pathetic. The black-wolf people already formed a sort of a racial group, sticking together and traveling in a "pack." While Kiba found it insulting, Toboe laughed and wished he had a costume so he could play, too. Some people did not wear costumes, but instead wore wolf-ear hats, or dark make-up– some were just normal, only wearing regular clothes. Children were scatter around the large area like an on-pour of ants, laughing, screaming, pushing each other to be first in line of games they didn't even want to play. Balloons were everywhere; tied to light poles, children's wrists, laid in popped pieces along the ground. Large, smoking booths were full of greasy fair food, along with booth-games and prizes.

They ducked under the yellow-tape barrier and walked down the sticky ground, looking for something to do. After about five minutes of watching other people enjoy, or not enjoy, themselves, Toboe had to use the bathroom. So they found the line of port-a-potties, and Kiba waited outside while Toboe did his business.

Waiting near the bathrooms, Kiba looked around and noticed that the only vehicles allowed in the taped-off area was motorcycles and scooters. No cars– aside from a lone police car which circled the fairgrounds every five minutes. Kiba watched a child fall down and skin her knee, and stand right back up, all smiles. Then her mother pointed out in a alarmed voice that she was bleeding, and the little girl began to wail loudly. Kiba sighed and looked ahead at the bathrooms, getting impatient.

When he came out, Toboe seemed much more calm. Then he spotted something. "Hey!" Toboe pointed across the crowd to a long line of tables set up, "Over there!"

It was the food-eating contest. Since Toboe started running to it, Kiba joined in, and they made it just as the organizer of the contest said in a microphone, "Are you ready?...GO!" A horn blared out, and the contestants lined up at the table started shoving hotdogs into their mouths, some not chewing, others chewing too much– and some just chewing enough to not choke. A crowd had gathered quickly around Kiba, Toboe, and a few others who happen to be interested in people over-eating and getting diarrhea. As the eaters starting hitting the ten-hotdogs count, the crowd began to cheer and pick who would win and who wouldn't, placing bets on a large, ugly man they didn't even know. Kiba felt his stomach squirm, and he glanced at his new friend beside him to see how he was taking it; Toboe stared with wide eyes and a smile on his face, clapping and cheering with the crowd.

A motorcycle roared in the background, and Kiba looked over and saw a nice, red motorcycle being parked outside the tape-line, and a man wearing a black helmet got off. Kiba stared for a moment, before glancing away, back to the contestants, then at Toboe.

Toboe caught Kiba's eye and shouted over the cheering, "Who do you think is going to win?"

Kiba looked over the contestants, all sitting, hunched over in their plastic chairs, some choking, yet refusing to stop stuffing food in their throats. A man threw up, making a terribly loud belching sound as his food splatted against the road. Children in the crowd started laughing, or pretending to throw up; very amused. Kiba noticed that most of the people were not even fat. Some were slightly obese, but there was only two or three people who seemed dangerously fat.

"It's hard to say." said Kiba at last. He did not like placing bets. He glanced again to where the man had gotten off of his motorcycle, feeling slightly uneasy about the man, and he couldn't explain why. But the man wasn't there.

Kiba frowned slightly, feeling anxious.

The contestants were slowly dropping out. It was taking too long.

Toboe jumped and cheered, laughing as a man fell over backwards in his chair.

"What a load of crap..." said a man near by. Kiba glanced around and noticed a tall, white-haired man in a black jacket open mid-way. Examining him more closely, he noticed that he had a scar on his chest which appeared much like an X. His pants were very low, almost revealing, and he had a cigarette burning between the fingers of his right hand. He was talking to an up-tight looking woman, who repeated her statement to him: "You are not allowed to smoke here. This is a family fair, sir." It was the man from the motorcycle, Kiba realized.

"Fine..whatever.." the man dropped his cigarette and crushed it, then glanced up, feeling someone staring at him.

Kiba looked away.

"Kiba, look!" said Toboe suddenly.

There was only five contestants left. And time was running out.

Kiba glanced at the man again, but he wasn't there.

A girl eating began to scream, holding her stomach, saying, "No more! No more!" and she left the tables at a run. People laughed. Balloons were seen continuously soaring into the air; little children crying out in alarm, reaching their tiny fingers to the sky, just missing the plastic strings, while their mothers repeatedly told them to stop whining, or they would go home.

"Some fair, huh?" said the white-haired man in a rough tone, stepping up beside him.

"Yeah." said Kiba, not looking at the other man.

The other man put on his sunglasses before looking at Kiba. "Why were you watching me." he demanded.

"I thought I recognized you." lied Kiba. "But I don't."

The other man gave a sort of laugh, and watched the contestants. "Do they think wolves eat until they throw up, or something?" he said loudly. "There's no point to this."

"You don't have to watch." said Kiba coldly.

"What did you say?" the white-haired man looked at Kiba, expression haunting.

"If all you have to say about this fair is bad things, then you shouldn't have bothered to come." Kiba felt the other man's gaze on him, but he didn't let himself get intimidated.

"I wouldn't talk so big if I were you, punk." warned the other man, looking back tot he crowd. "Someone might get hurt."

Kiba moved closer to Toboe. He knew if a fight broke out, he would have to protect Toboe at all costs. "Don't threaten me." said Kiba, his eyes glistening; if need be, he was ready to fight.

"Is that a threat?" asked the other man, mocking, just as willing to fight.

"Kiba! They're finished!" said Toboe suddenly, nudging Kiba, pointing.

The man with the microphone walked along the line of groaning, complaining over-eaters, stopping to stand between two boys, instead of one– for suspense.

"...and the winner is..." the man hesitated, then leaned over towards a freckled, smug-looking boy. "What's your name, kid?"

"My name's Hige." answered the boy proudly, leaning back in his chair, rubbing his fat stomach. The boy reached up and pulled down the microphone and said, "And I just won the first annual Wolves Fair eating contest! Whooooh!" he raised his hands up and cheered for himself, and the crowd watching cheered as well, some clapping. It was a proud moment. The winner had consumed over a fifty hotdogs in ten minutes, while the other contestants had eaten an average of thirty-eight.

The man with the microphone back off, and returned with his prize; a large, black-leather collar laced with a laminated X-looking symbol. Hige looked up as the man placed the collar around his neck, and it huge loosely around him, too big. Yet the winner beamed, proud of himself, and he tilted his head back and gave a loud, very wolf-like howl.

Beside Kiba, the man with white-hair's mouth hung open in a gape of horror, his eyes wide. The man suddenly snapped out of it and rubbed his head, shaking it, seeming distraught. "What the hell just happened to me...?" he mumbled to himself. He had seen an odd picture in his head; he himself walking down a cold, metal hallway, where glass containers sat on pedestals, each one with a brown/orange-colored wolf, wearing the exact collar the contest winner had placed around his neck.

Kiba glanced at the other man as he stood with fear in his eyes, then back at the crowd, trying to piece things together. What possibly upset him?

Hige stood up from the table and walked in front for everyone, coaxing the girls to clap for him.

The fans adored him, and cheered, clapped, whistled, and swore loudly as they lost their money; no one had voted on Hige. He was just too young to win, they had thought, too smug, too inexperienced. Yet there he was, laughing, waving at the pretty girls who seemed to catch his eye.

Toboe turned to Kiba. "Wasn't that great?" he cried, laughing. He glanced at the tall, white-haired man close to Kiba, then looked back at his friend, feeling embarrassed. The white-haired man had a queer, blank expression, just staring at Hige.

Kiba nodded, then walked off, saying, "Come on."

"But, where are we going?" asked Toboe.

"Just follow me, Toboe." said Kiba.

The white-haired man jerked his head towards the two boys as they walked away, and called to them sharply, "Wait!" then jogged over.

Kiba turned and glared at the man. "What do you want?" he demanded.

Toboe glanced at one man from the other, feeling nervous; the tall man was staring directly at him.

"Your name is Toboe?" said the white-haired man.

"Uh..."

"Yeah." said Kiba. "What do you want with him?"

"Your name...I recognize it. As if I know you." said the other man slowly, face confused.

"Well, I don't know you, Mister..." said Toboe quietly. "Maybe we can be friends?" he stuck out his hand, smiling.

"Don't offer your hand to a stranger, Toboe." said Kiba.

"Huh?" Toboe looked at Kiba, then lowered his hand, looking down. "Oh..."

"I'm not gonna bite you, kid." snapped the white-haired man. "I just–"

"Who are you?" demanded Kiba.

"My name is Tsume." he answered, then nodded his head at the eating-contest winner. "Do you know him?"

"Who?" Toboe looked around, not knowing who to look at.

"The contest winner," supplied Kiba, "And no, we don't know him."

Just then, Hige strolled past, showing off his collar. He waved at some girls, saying, "Ladies, ladies! You're making me blush! If I had a tail," he added, patting his butt, "I'd be waggin' it." and he earned a few good-natured laughs.

Tsume put a hand on the boy's chest as he started to strut past, stopping him. Hige looked at the white-haired man with a confused, almost annoyed look.

"What?" he said rudely.

"Where did you get that collar?" said Tsume.

"What, this? I just won it for eating the most–"

"Where did they get it from?"

Kiba and Toboe watched, feeling out of the loop.

"I don't know!" shrugged Hige, then tapped his prize. "But if you want one, you should try and eat a little more. Hahah!"

"What's your name?" asked Tsume.

"What, is this an interview for my win?" laughed the boy. "My name's Hige. And who are you?"

"Hige...doesn't ring a bell." said Tsume, seeming disappointed. I must be going crazy, he thought. "Well, forget it." he started to walk off, taking a cigarette out and lighting it as he made his way to the organizer of the contest, wanting to ask them about the collar.

The contest winner glanced at Kiba, as if suddenly noticing him. "Hey, do I know you?"

Kiba shook his head. "No." he said.

"Oh, I just thought–" he looked over at Tsume, "Hey um, what's your name?" Hige called out urgently, feeling used since the man had asked him a bunch of question, then walked off.

"Tsume." he answered, and stopped walking. He looked up in the sky.

Kiba, Toboe, and Hige followed his gaze into the sky, and saw a single, blue butterfly, descending from the sky.

The same thought came to them at once: Follow it. They did not know why, but their very souls cried out to follow the butterfly and find out where it's going.

So they did.

Without a word, they ran out of the Wolves Fair, under and over the tape, and down the street– Tsume forgetting that he could just ride his motorcycle. Behind them, the people in wolves' costumes began to howl.

.............................................................................................................................................................

Alone in his castle, a man waited for the sun to peek out of the clouds, and shed light into the dark room. He stared at the large stain-glass window of wolves and legends, having believed in them since he was old enough to read. All inside the castle were tapestries and elegant paintings of wolves, men in armor, and war. The windows is almost every room was adorned in twisted wires, forming flowers, wolves, or the very Gateway to Paradise. His name was Darcia, and this was his obsession.

In another room laid his love, Hamona, dying form an unknown illness. She slept fitfully in an iron bed, laying across crisp, velvet sheets, her long golden hair blessing the floor with it's beauty. To her right was a large stained window of a howling wolf on a mountain, the window itself over-looking the entire world. But all she could ever do is sleep, her weakness slowly consuming her.

He had searched for years to heal her, and finally discovered the origin of her sickness; Paradise. Everyone at least once in their life time had found, or made up, a sort of Paradise to go in their dreams. But for the Hamona, she needed more; she fell into a coma, brought on by a curse from Darcia's bloodline.

So the man had built a machine that would allow one to enter a false Paradise; a Paradise simulation that was very similar to sharing a lucid dream with another person. Entering this Paradise, you would find yourself in a flourishing green valley, teeming with flowers, fruiting trees, a clear, crystal lake. A pure-white castle stood on a hilltop, representing Darcia's dark, maze-like one. Everything was tangible in the false Paradise, but everything was fake; only the people who would enter into the Paradise with you were real.

Darcia turned now to the machine in the corner of the room; a appearing nothing more as a long iron bed, this device had hundreds of red wires connected to the ceiling, the bedside, all hanging loosely like veins cut out of the body and left to rot. The twin of this machine was being slept in by the woman he loved, it's red veins coiled upwards in the ceiling, or laying quietly on the floor.

There was also a third machine like it; blueprints on the original had been stolen by Hamona's older sister, Jaguara, who had loved Dacria first, and grew bitter and hateful after being rejected; Butting heads, Darcia and Jaguara raced on different edges of the world to find the Gateway to Paradise.

He had heard legends that wolves had already found and opened Paradise– but it was not the right wolf. So Paradise– and those who had journeyed to find it– were "reset" in more ways than one; it was said that the wolves had become permanently human, and Paradise was hidden. Only the lunar flower, if awaken once more, would be able to re-open Paradise– with the help of the wolves.

But it was impossible, now.

Wolves were no longer a thing of the past; they were a thing of myth.

Darcia reached up and rubbed a finger along his left eye, frowning slightly.

If the wolves do not come out of hiding, thought Darica, Then she will die.

He slammed a closed fist into a pillar to his left, growling.

I cannot let her die... he thought to himself. Not after all of this...not after–

"My Lord," said his secretary, walking over from the now-open double doors to the room. "A wolf had been spotted outside; they have it, and are bringing it to you."

Darcia whirled around, his cape ruffling. He stared icily at his servant, though he regarded her with a kind friendliness for having stuck with him for so long. "Impossible!" he snapped. He walked past her quickly, and she followed.

He arrived at the front door as the men had climbed from their ships and brought over a large, graying dog, who was muzzled, bound by the legs, and carried by two men, with three others following with guns. They laid the dog on the floor, and Darcia bent down to look at it.

The dog stared back, it's brown eyes penetrating, mouth quivering, growling.

Darica stood up and gave the men a cold, black stare. "This is no wolf." he told them. "You don't know what you are looking for; wolves have long ears, longer snouts; they would give more a of fight then this mutt." he raised his voice, "And they have eyes like this–" he tore away his eye-cover, showing the men his odd wolf-eye; yellow with blackness around it. His men gasped quietly. Beside him, his secretary took a step back. One of the men fainted.

Darcia replaced his cover, and said calmly, "Now release this thing and find me a wolf." He turned his back on them as they said, "yes sir!" and hurried away; one man stayed and dragged his partner out of the room by his arms.

"Paradise must be found..." Darica said coldly, walking down the hall.

A moment later, the doors were closed, and the secretary watched fearfully as Darcia walked away, turning a corner, and out of sight.

.............................................................................................................................................................

The bedroom was pitch-black, though it was late in the afternoon. The curtains were drawn tightly shut, letting no light escape as the tired man tried to sleep after having a long, trying day at the office. He had to go to work that morning at 2am, and didn't get home until an hour ago at 3pm. So his ex-wife let him sleep.

But then his phone rang, and his wife, while on her break, felt the need to call him.

He answered the phone, groaning. "Huh...hullo..?"

"Hubb?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm thinking about quitting my job at the firm."

"What?" the man is heard rising out of bed in the darkness of the bedroom, the bed squeaking slightly. "Why, Cher?"

"Well..." the woman hesitated. "I'm not supposed to say..."

"What's happened?"

"We've found new information..."

"Yeah...?"

"Information that claims Paradise has already been found."

"That's impossible." the man rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, hugging the phone to his ear. "That's just the media talking, Cher, trying to get the secrets figured out..."

"Hubb..."

"What?"

There was a pause, and the man nearly fell asleep until he was jolted awake up her voice; "The Flower Maiden they've been working on for the past four years..it...died."

"When did that happen?" the man sounded shocked.

"This afternoon, while I was at work..."

The bed squeaked; the man sat up against the bed. "Go on." he said, sounding serious.

"They...say that it died because it gave up hope...so Cheza wilted; she vanished, she wasn't there anymore..."

"Cheza?"

"She was a human/flower experiment– I'm not supposed to talk about–" Cher was cut off.

"–Yeah, yeah...what else?"

"The lunar flowers we had been harvesting died as well."

There was silence. "So you're out of a job, then?" said the man.

"No, it's not that...they need people to find new flowers, and figure out why they all died."

"Oh..." The bed squeaked slightly as the man got more comfortable. "Sounds more like detective work, than the work of a scientist." he added.

"Hubb?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you believe in wolves?"

"No."

"...okay." the woman looked around herself, and checked her watch. Break was over. "I have to go now..."

The man stared out into the darkness for a while, thinking, before saying, "All right."

The woman hung up.

Hubb sighed, sliding back into bed to sleep.

The bed squeaked a few more times.

Then silence.

.............................................................................................................................................................

Breathing hard, Toboe struggled to make his little legs run as he saw Tsume, Kiba, and Hige race ahead of him downa dark alley.

"Kiba!" cried Toboe, gasping. "Kiba– wait!"

But they didn't come back for him.

Groaning, Toboe dodged through the oblivious crowds of people, saying "excuse me!" but they didn't get out of his way any faster.

At last the boy reached the alley, and he jogged down it and crashed into the slightly fat boy's back.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" said Toboe, blushing.

But Hige said nothing, scooting over so Toboe could see.

There, sprouting quietly on it's own, was a white flower which smelled faintly of honey.

The four guys formed a ring around it, gazing at it, wondering why they felt the need to come here.

Above them, the butterfly was too afraid to land on the flower with people so close, so it flew away.

"Why the hell did we come to that?" said Tsume bluntly.

"It's a lunar flower..." said Kiba quietly.

"Lunar flower my ass," snorted Tsume. "Don't tell me you believe that wolf crap?"

"Well, I do..." said Toboe quietly.

"Hey, how do we know it's a lunar flower anyway?" said Hige, and he bent down to pick it.

"DON'T!" cried the other guys at once.

They stared wide-eyed at the flower, each having felt a deep feeling of protection over the flower, as if it was their duty. They felt that if the flower came into harm, that their world would be damned– cursed into a world of utter despair. Toboe was shaking; unlike the others, he had seen a vision of a girl with pink hair, crying out in a voice that only wolves could hear.

Hige stood up, and shrugged. "What?" he said, noticing they all stared at him in coldness. Since Hige had never believed in Paradise– or in wolves, for that matter– he was hardly effected, and his smug face was too much for Tsume to take.

Tsume reached out, snatching Hige by the shirt. He slammed him against a wall, and said loudly, "What the hell are you thinking!"

"Tsume!" warned Kiba. "Enough."

"Stop it, put me down!" shouted Hige madly.

"No, please..don't fight!" begged Toboe urgently. "It's okay, see? Cheza is fine."

They looked at Toboe.

Hige stopped struggling against the wall to be free, and said bluntly, "Cheza?"

Kiba's eyes widened. He remembered something; a taste on his tongue; a green, poisonous sap that bled from a dying flower, but did not harm him; he could picture a white wolf carrying it in a snowy mountain, bleeding, weak, and desperate.

Tsume let Hige go, and Hige slumped to the ground and sat there, staring at Toboe and the flower.

Tsume rubbed his neck. "Did you just name that flower?"

"No, she..." Toboe bent down and looked at the flower. "That's her name..."

"That isn't Cheza." said Kiba at last. "It only feels like her." he stepped forward and squatted in front of the plant, and began stroking it lightly with his finger tips.

"It's the lunar flower from the wolves!" breathed Toboe, suddenly realizing it.

"Oh my God..." snorted Tsume. "You really think that flower's the key to the Paradise or something, you runt?"

"Don't pretend you didn't feel it, Tsume." said Kiba. "We all felt it..."

"Felt what?" asked Hige, frowning.

"The flower was crying." said Toboe quietly. "She was afraid."

Hige started laughing, disbelieving. "Flowers cant cry!"

Tsume leaned against the wall and lit a cigarette, shaking his head.

` Toboe squatted next to Kiba. "So why did she call to us if we're not wolves?"

"This one is different." said Kiba. "This one hasn't called to the wolves, or to us; we came to it by instinct..."

"Tch! Instinct!" snorted Tsume. "We followed a damn butterfly!"

Hige nodded. "Yeah. This is a waste of my time." He threw a thumb backwards, where the crowded streets moved without glancing down the alley. "I got babes to meet."

"No one's goin' to want to meet a kid who won a damn eating contest." said Tsume harshly, looking down at Hige. "That collar on your neck doesn't make you a god." Even speaking about the collar made Tsume uneasy. He thought of his vision, and hated that he couldn't figure out why he had it. Tsume felt suddenly uncomfortable.

"Hey, girls like my style!" said Hige, offended. "You're just jealous."

"Yeah..whatever..." Tsume threw his cigarette on the ground and started to walk off, "I'm out of here," he said. But he hesitated.

Toboe looked at Tsume sadly, then looked back at the flower. I wish he could stay and help us...Toboe thought. I wish I knew why he looks familiar...

Glancing back at the lunar flower, Tsume felt sick. He put the flower in danger; the smoke would suffocate it. Tsume took a step back and picked back up his cigarette, then walked off, turning right out of the alley, cigarette burning between his fingers.

Kiba watched this display over his shoulder, and then turned back to the flower.

"Ah, what a sorry punk!" said Hige, shrugging.

"What should we do with it?" asked Toboe to Kiba, his eyes wide.

"I don't know." replied Kiba. "I feel as if we should protect it with our lives..."

Hige sighed loudly. "All right, I'm leaving too..."

Toboe stood up, and looked at Hige. "You can't leave us too!"

"Toboe...it's all right." said Kiba.

"No, it's not all right!" shouted Toboe, his face strained. "We cant just separate like this. We just cant! I... I've been watching us, and it seems like we all think we know each other, but don't remember it. I don't know why, but I feel like we really need to figure out why. I..." Hige stared at Toboe, shocked.

Kiba stared at Toboe, concerned.

"I don't know what we should do." Toboe admitted. "But this flower– it needs us... we all felt it– well, um, some of us..did..." he blushed. "But..." Toboe's voice steadily grew quieter as he failed at trying to make up his mind. "...I...we need to stay together..."

Kiba stood up, putting a hand on Toboe's shoulder. He stared at Hige firmly. "Toboe is right." he said. "We should try and stick together."

"But I don't feel anything about that weed!" whined Hige. "Why do I have to get involved?"

"Because you followed us here." Kiba answered. "You had to have some kind of feeling."

"Yeah...well..." Hige looked away. "What about that other guy?"

"Yeah, Kiba," Toboe stood up, "Shouldn't we go after him?" He looked at Kiba, worried.

"Yeah." said Kiba. "If we don't find him, I'm sure he'll find us."

Hige sighed, and Toboe smiled, saying, "I guess we should get to know each other, then. Hahah!"

Hige blushed. "Well, I do feel like I know you, Kiba..." said Hige shyly. "I just don't know where..."

Kiba nodded. "I felt the same way about Toboe."

"I feel like I knew Tsume!" Toboe said excitedly. "I didn't mention it, though, cause we saw the butterfly, and..."

"When do you think we'll remember each other?" said Hige, sounding irritated.

"I...don't know..." Toboe smiled a little. "But I'm sure we'll figure it out!"

Kiba nodded. "We have to."

"Yeah." agreed Hige.

They looked over at the flower.

The flower looked back.

.............................................................................................................................................................

His phone rang again.

Hubb groaned and rolled over, snatching his phone from the floor where he dropped it.

"Yeah...?" he mumbled.

"Hubb, we need you at the office. We've found something."

"Found something? Found what?" asked Hubb, disoriented from just waking up.

"The line isn't secure; come down to the office right away."

"I understand..." Hubb sighed. "I'm on my way."

Hubb climbed out of bed, hanging up the phone. He walked over to the wardrobe closet and opened it, looking at his haggard appearance in the side-mirror. He sighed and removed a clean, black suite from the hanger and started putting it on.

"I hope it's not another murder case..." he sighed.

He grabbed his car keys, briefcase, and wallet, then headed out the door.

.............................................................................................................................................................

"How many times do I have t' tell ya this– I'll leave when I'm finished!" the old man frown angrily at the bar-tender, who then re-filled the man's glass to the brim of frothy beer. The old man snorted, and sipped on his drink.

Around him, a few people sitting at their own tables whispered and gossiped about the strange man, who always carried a shot-gun under his jacket. Some believed he was a rabbit hunter, other say a bounty hunter, or an assassin. But no. This man was a hunter of wolves.

He sipped his beer again, then remembered he still wore his hat. He removed it, setting it on the table, shedding flicks of dirt on the counter-top which fell from his hair.

A man walked into the bar, smoking a cigarette. The old man glanced at him, making a low, un-welcoming 'huff.' This man wore sunglasses indoors, wore a black leather jacket, and pants. He looked like a regular thug, thought the old man.

When the guy walked over, the old man noticed he had white hair, and this shocked him. "You've...been in the sun too much." said the old man, slurring. "Sun must'a...bleached your hair."

Tsume took off his sunglasses and ordered a drink before looking at the old man. "Be quiet, drunk old man." he said, disgusted.

"Don't you know who I am?" bellowed the old man suddenly. "You cant dare call me that with no respect! I'm a wolf hunter!"

Tsume froze, eyes widening; he took his drink numbly and turned away.

"Don't you know...?" said the old man, noticing the white-haired man's sudden loss of composure. "The wolves are back...I haven't seen them yet, but I know they're out there..."

Tsume sipped his drink, smirking. "You're a sorry old coot." he said, not looking at him. Tsume leaned against a wall near the old man, eyes cold.

But the old man laughed, bitter, and said, "You haven't seen what I've seen!" He turned in his chair, facing Tsume, who then flinched, uneasy by the man's directness. "I've seen wolves! Real wolves! But you don't see them any more cause they take on human appearances! I've seen it, boy, yes I have!"

People in the bar stared, wide-eyed, and others laughed quietly.

The old man jerked his head around, eyes wild. "You think I'm crazy?" he shouted.

"You're drunk." Tsume stated the obvious.

The bartender stepped over and asked the man to leave.

"I told ya, Goddamnit!" roared the old man, "I'll leave when I'm finished!"

Tsume shook his head, sipping his drink. The bar fell silent.

"...where do I know you from?"

Tsume looked up and saw the old guy staring at him, suddenly serious, anxious. "You look familiar."

"You don't know me." replied Tsume. He walked to the counter and paid for his drink.

"Wait– tell me your name!" cried the old man.

"No." Tsume left the bar.

The old man swore lightly and ordered another beer, nervously muttering about a gray wolf with a "scar just like that thug had." But no one was listening.

Outside, Tsume noticed a blackish/blue dog he hadn't noticed before; it sat against the wall, panting, it's collar and leash tied to a light pole. He wondered who it belonged to, and watched as it's nose wiggled, sniffing the air, then jerked it's head around and stared at him, giving a little whimper. Tsume stared back, confused. It stood up and strained against the leash, whimpering again.

"What the hell do you want?" demanded Tsume, frowning.

The dog said nothing, staring with large, blue eyes.

Tsume started walking off, saying, "See ya..."

Behind him, the dog sat down and threw it's head up to the sky, and howled.

"Hwooooohh!" it mourned loudly.

Tsume stared at the dog over his shoulder, eyes wide, alarmed, but feeling like he was supposed to know what that meant.

The bar-door banged open, and the old man stood holding his gun, staring wildly around him. The world spun in a blurred haze around him; a small black smudge confirmed that his dog still sat where he left it, and a tall black form slowly came into focus as well; it was a man. The thug.

"What are you doin' to Blue!" the old man demanded. He cocked his gun, yelling, "Get away from her!"

Tsume backed off, then ran down the street, not willing to explain himself– he didn't even know what to say. Blue, he thought, Blue...Hige? A picture flashed into his head; the blackish/blue wolf tackling an orangish/brown one, happily, lovingly, though both were wounded. The vision faded, and Tsume stopped running, suddenly unstable.

He fell against a wall, panting, trying to figure everything out. "What the hell is going on...?" he demanded of himself. "What is up with all of these damn wolves!"

But he didn't know the answer.

.............................................................................................................................................................

Quent walked back into the bar, swearing heavily under his breath. He laid his gun on the bar-table, and paid for his drinks. No one was sad to see him go.

He walked over to his dog and untied the leash, he dog making soft whimpers.

"What s'matter, Blue?" he asked roughly, blinking rapidly as his vision became more clear.

The dog licked the man's hand, and Quent rubbed the dog between it's ears affectionately. "C'mon Blue,. S' bout time we get a move on..." he lead his dog down one alley to the next, eventually making it to the streets. He walked on the sidewalk, passing people with a angry expression on his face.

Beside him, Blue kept staring up at her master's face.

Quent glanced down at his dog. "What's wrong?" he repeated. But the dog couldn't answer; she licked his hand again, nuzzling into the palm of it.

Quent gave a hard sigh, and wondered what had unnerved his dog so suddenly.

.............................................................................................................................................................

They spotted Tsume running towards them from an alley, calling Hige's name.

Kiba and Toboe exchanged glances while Hige stepped forward,crossing his arms over his chest, saying, "Yeah, what do you want?"

Tsume stopped in front of the boy, staring down at him. "Do you know anyone by the name of Blue?"

"Blue?" repeated Toboe in a questioning whisper, looking at Kiba.

Kiba shook his head, not recognizing the name, either.

But Hige's eyes widened. For a moment, he stood as a statue, only his eyes darting. Then he ducked over himself and groaned.

"Hige!" cried Toboe, alarmed.

Kiba and Tsume watched.

"Bl-...ue..." said Hige quietly, pained. "I remember..." he said more quietly. He stayed in a doubled-over position, trembling slightly. "I remember her...I saw her..in my memory– or a vision– just now... I saw her die...I think I loved her..."

"If we're talking aboutt he same dog here, then she's alive, Hige." said Tsume. "Follow me– I'll take you to her."

Hige looked up, then looked at Kiba questionably. "We really are wolves, aren't we?"

"What?" bursted Toboe. "We are?"

"Look," said Tsume impatiently, "I don't know what we are, but I'm sure as hell I'd remember being a wolf. That crap isn't real anyway."

"Yes it is!" challenged Toboe, balling his fists angrily. "We found a lunar flower any everything!"

"It's possible that we were once wolves," said Kiba evenly. "And we forgot about it."

"That makes sense." snorted Tsume.

Hige reached up and grabbed Tsume's jacket, staring at himpleadingly. "Tsume!" he said urgently, "Where's Blue?"

"Let go of me, damn it!" Tsume pushed the boy away, then nodded towards the alley. "This way." he said, and he broke off in a run.

Hesitating, Toboe watched Hige chase after Tsume. Kiba looked at Toboe, then said, "What's wrong?"

"I feel like we're on the right track..." said the young boy slowly. "I feel like we're going to figure it all out!" he looked at Kiba, smiling.

Kiba smiled back. "I'm sure we will. Come on."

He ran, and Toboe followed.

They met up quickly with Tsume and Hige, and the four guys ran down the streets, pushing past crowds, until they went down a dark alley, and they followed it like a maze, Tsume leading them to the bar where he had seen Blue.

.............................................................................................................................................................

The car wouldn't start a first.

Hubb sighed, and twisted the key once more.

"Rrrruuummmmmhmhmhmm...." the car said at last.

Hubb gave a short laugh, glad he was able to bring the car back to life. He jerked the parking break off, and backed out of the driveway, and turned onto the street. While he drove, his phone rang.

"Who is calling me?" he complained. He took out his phone and looked at it. He read who was calling.

"Cher..." he breathed, worried. He flipped the phone open and put it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hubb?"

"What's wrong, Cher?"

"Hubb, I left work early today, since it turned out they didn't need me...I..." the woman hesitated. "I went to the hospital, and..."

Hubb wasn't breathing; he could hardly even see the road. He slowed at a red light, waiting.

"I'm pregnant."

This struck the man as hilarious. "Ahahah! You must be joking!" he laughed again, smiling. He caught his face in the rear-view mirror, and realized how utterly horrified he looked. "Um..." he cleared his throat.

Cher said nothing.

"Cher...?"

"I have to go." lied the woman.

"No, Cher, please– I'm sorry–" she hung up, and Hubb listened to the soft beeping of disconnection. He sighed. "Damn it..." he muttered, putting his phone in the seat next to him.

A horn blared out, and he looked up.

An old man jay-walked across the street, leading a large blackish/blue dog on a red leash.

Hubb agreed with the other driver in front of him who honked. "Get out of the road!" shouted Hubb angrily. He punched in his horn a few times.

The old man happened to look his way, his dark worn-out face stressed and angry.

Hubb's mouth hung open in shock; he saw in his mind's eyes, that same man being shot in the leg, and Hubb himself and a black-haired girl with blue eyes helping him into the back of an army truck. It had been snowing– now blood mixed in the snow. There were wolves, too.

The flash faded, and Hubb bent over, slightly breathless from shock. He looked up through the side-window, and watched as the old man made it to the other side, flipping off the driver who honked first. I have to talk to him... thought Hubb urgently. It can't be just a random vision– it has to be a memory.

Quent looked down at his dog with a tired expression. "Some people, eh, Blue?" the dog whimpered, seeming sad. Quent started to walk down the side walk, when a car suddenly turned out of it's lane and parked a few feet ahead against the curb.

"What the hell's he doin'...?" muttered Quent suspiciously. The man in the car got out, and started walking to him. "You recognize him, Blue?" he asked the dog.

The dog 's eyes narrowed, trying to remember. But she shook her head.

"Excuse me!" said the man, coming over. He wore a fancy black suite-jacket over a collared, white shirt, blue jeans pressed and neat. This man had orangish/blonde hair, and a smile on his face. He waved, and said, "I apologize if I'm disturbing you, but can I ask you a few questions?"

Quent's eyes narrowed, and he traced his shotgun with his fingers. "What are ya, the police?"

Hubb laughed in good nature, saying, "Actually, I am!"

Quent frowned and spat on the road. "What the hell do you want?"

Blue growled softly, feeling the tension in her master's words.

Hubb, alarmed, hesitated, then said, "Oh, I'm not here to evict you or anything, sir! I was just wondering where I know you from."

"I don't know you..." grunted Quent, eying the skinny man with distaste.

Hubb blushed. "Oh, well..." he looked down at Blue. "Is this your dog?"

Quent nodded once.

"She's awfully pretty." commented Hubb.

"Yeah...now what the hell'd ya want t' ask me?"

Hubb thought for a moment. "I feel like I know you from someplace," he said. "My name's Hubb Leboski, I'm with the Head of the Police Department." he offered his hand.

The old man shook his hand, saying coarsely, "Quent. Nice job...how's the pay?"

"Ah, it's good enough," admitted Hubb. "Get's the bills paid."

Quent snorted, and started to walk off.

"So, what do you do?" asked Hubb, following.

Quent turned and looked at Hubb, his face unpleasantly frowning. "You wouldn't believe me if I told ya." said the old man.

"Try me." replied Hubb.

"I hunt wolves." answered Quent.

Hubb felt his heart skip a beat. "Wolves?" he asked.

"Ya." said Quent.

He hesitated, then started, "I–" Hubb's phone started ringing, cutting him off. He gave Quent an apologetic look, then said, "I'm sorry, hold on." he turned away and flipped open his phone. "Hello?" he said.

"Hubb, what the hell is taking you so long?" demanded his police partner.

"I- I'm sorry, I just got caught up in trafic." lied Hubb.

"Where are you? You're not in the car."

"Yeah, I–" Hubb turned back around. The man and his dog was gone. Where did they go? He thought disappointedly. "I'm sorry." he said flatly to the man on the other line. "I'll be there in five." he hung up the phone, and started walking to his car, nice and slow, pondering his odd flash back– if it was, indeed, his memory, and not a hallucination.

.............................................................................................................................................................

"You said she'd be here!" cried Hige, upset.

"Relax, kid!" snapped Tsume. "They must have just left or something."

"But where did she go?" demanded Hige.

"How the hell should I know?" shouted back Tsume.

"Stop it!" said Kiba loudly. "Just calm down." He looked at Hige, "Hige," he said gently. "You were able to remember Blue by just her name." Hige nodded. "I'm sure she will find us as we found each other."

"Yeah, but Tsume said she wasn't a human." said Toboe. "He said she was just a dog."

"No, I said she looked like just a dog, you runt." corrected Tsume, putting a hand on his hip. He looked up at Kiba, explaining. "She acted queer when she saw me– just started staring right into my eyes, whining like a bitch." Hige glared at Tsume hatefully. "Then she started howlin', which freaked out some old man I saw in the bar. I guess she recognized me."

"Hey, have–..." Toboe hesitated, glancing up at the others shyly. "Has any of you been seeing...visions?" It was the first time they had brought it up; no one dared talk about it first, since they all believed they were going crazy. But, to Toboe's relief, Kiba, Tsume, and Hige, all nodded. Toboe smiled, gratefully. "Okay, great, heheh, cause I thought I was going crazy!" he grinned, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"You're not crazy, Toboe." said Kiba, looking at him. "I saw a vision of you, when I first saw you; you were standing in a dessert, looking down. I felt like you were regretting something. You said, 'I want to stay here.' ...then the vision was over."

Toboe blushed, and looked down, feeling uncomfortable, confused.

"When I saw that collar of yours get put 'round your neck," said Tsume, addressing Hige, "I saw myself walking some dark, metal hallway. On either side of me were at least 22 glass containers– and each one had a stuffed wolf the color of your hair, each one wearing a collar–" Tsume pointed– "just like the one you got."

Hige touched his collar, looking down at it. "What, my contest prize...?" he frowned a little, wondering what it meant.

"I also had a vision," continued Tsume, uncertainly, "About that same kind of wolf in the glass, and that dog Blue. They were playing in the snow– I think they were wounded, but they seemed happy enough."

"Hey, why'd you have two visions?" complained Hige.

The white-haired man ignored him."What was your vision about, runt?" Tsume asked, nodding at Toboe.

"I..." Toboe blushed a little. "I saw a pretty girl with pink hair, and scarlet eyes...and she was crying. And I knew that no one can hear her cry but the wolves...Th-that's all I saw, heheh..."

There was a long pause as they tried to think of who the girl was; silence proved that none of them had any ideas.

"When Tsume mentioned Blue," Hige started slowly, "I saw two wolves– the same ones you saw." he glanced at the white-haired man, then back at the ground, thinking. "Blue was laying in the snow, dying...and I– erm...the brownish wolf– he went over and comforted her. He was licking her face...and ...she died." Before anyone could ask questions, or even think about what Hige said, he added quickly, "What did you see, Kiba?" Hige felt ask if he had admitted something very personal, and private– he felt as if he had been that wolf.

"Yeah," said Toboe, looking over at Kiba, curious.

Kiba looked down towards a random alley. "I saw the lunar flower." he said. "But I was not myself. I was watching a bleeding white wolf walking across a snowy mountain. The flower was in it's mouth, and I knew the sap was poisonous, and I tasted it on my tongue, as if I were the wolf, and I knew the sap would not harm me. The wolf was dying– and so was the flower. It might have already been dead."

They stood there in the alley next to the bar, thinking, when Hige said, "I want to find Blue."

Kiba nodded.

Tsume looked around, trying to figure out which way to go.

"I figured out who that girl was." said Hige smugly. "It was that Flower Maiden you were talkin' about earlier."

Kiba's eyes widen. "Cheza?" he breathed.

"Yeah." said Hige. He winked. "Look's like I'm coming in handy!" he laughed a little.

"Hey, when we find Blue," said Toboe, "Do you think she'll be one of us?"

"What do you mean?" asked Kiba.

".I don't know..." Toboe said shyly, "maybe she will want to come with us..."

"That old man wont let me near his dog," said Tsume, moody. "I'll take you guys over to him, but I might have to stay behind so I'm not seen."

Kiba nodded. He didn't mind Tsume leaving them; he still felt anxious around him.

Hige stared down the alley, feet burning to run. I'm coming, Blue... he thought. "All right, let's go all ready!" yelled Hige, kicking a random can on the ground.

Without a word, Tsume took the lead, and they began running– like a pack, almost– or like wolves.

.............................................................................................................................................................

A black glove was removed and dropped to the floor, and Darcia ran his fingers gently down Hamona's soft, placid face– lost somewhere in the depths of a coma. "I had promised you," he said softly, "Long ago, that I would bring you to Paradise, my sweet Hamona..." his eyes softened as her breath became more relaxed at his voice. He bent over her, his face inches from hers. "I promised you life..." he continued in a soft, low tone. "...but I am afraid that– for you– time has almost ran out." He made a move to kiss her unmoving lips, but he drew back, and turned away from the bed with haste. "Forgive me..." he said. "For not saving you sooner. I–"

The bedroom door was flung open, and Darcia's secretary walked briskly into the room. "My Lord," she said boldly. "Jaguara's ships are approaching; I believe they come to start war."

"War?" Darcia shouted. "Over what?– what more can they take from me!" He calmly himself, looking away out the wolf-howling window. He breathed deeply for several seconds before speaking. "Thankyou." he said emotionlessly. "You may go."

"And the Nobles?" inquired the woman.

"Prepare them to attack." answered Darcia coldly. "Get Jaugura's army out of the way– blow up any ships that dare launch their missals– and then..."

The secretary waited, breathless, trying to remember what the exact orders she was being given were.

Darcia looked at the woman calmly. "Send Jaugura to me."

"Are-are you sure?" asked the woman.

Darcia nodded. "Yes, my dear..it is time we finish this fight for Paradise."

The woman nodded and left with a hearty, "yes sir!"

The man watched her go, touching the bottom of his left eye. As she left, he spoke quietly to himself. "War has arrived, Hamona. I will be sure it will be the last attack against my castle. And when this war is over– I will finally start my journey to the real wolves' Paradise." he looked at the naked, blonde woman adoringly. "I will not let you die." he promised.

The door to the room were shut– Darcia was left listening to his love's silence.

He bent down, picked back up his glove, and put it on. He gave Hamona one last look before walking down the room, towards the door.

He did not look back. .............................................................................................................................................................

Cher sighed, stirring her coffee blankly with a plastic stir-stick. She sat alone on a bench outside a local café, occasionally checking her phone for any missed calls from Hubb. But she received none. She noticed the time on her phone: 5pm. It was getting late.

She was sent from work early because she practically begged them for her to be let go; she felt sick, cursed with the sudden illness of pregnancy. She had told Hubb that they let her go freely– but it was a lie; the people at the lab always needed her help. Instead, too worried about her body, she went to a late doctor's appointment and had them do an x-ray on her, discovering abruptly that she did, indeed, have a baby inside of her. Now that is was over with, she felt guilty, and wondered if she should get an abortion.

Across from her at another table, sat two men in deep discussion over a newspaper. She was surprised to find that some people stayed out at night, reading over a dull newspaper. She couldn't think of anything more boring.

She recalled how down-hearted she had become when they entered the lab, and discovered Cheza– not only had vanished– but seemed to be erased from existence. All of their files on sub-life/human-life had been wiped clean, leaving the scientist team with puzzle pieces of memory to have a new subject prepped and ready. But that, too, was foiled. All the lunar flowers they had been harvesting in the greenroom, had wilted and died. There was no cause for any of it.

Cher believed that the flowers must have given up hope of the wolves– and died.

Cher thought of Cheza, and felt a deep sense of sadness at the loss. There will always be more, she had told herself when they found out Cheza was gone. Only when they saw the empty greenhouse, did they realize how much they had needed Cheza to live; with no one available to use, the scientists were forced to open old text books of wolf history and their long-sought-after Paradise. Has Paradise really been hidden? Cher wondered.

She sighed, and took a sip out of her coffee; it was cold and disappointing.

Her beeper in her pocket sounded, and see checked it.

They needed her back at the lab.

Cher stood up and pulled her gray shoulder-bag off of chair's back, and slung is across her shoulder. She left a two dollar tip on the table for her coffee, and walked down the sidewalk, towards the bus-stop. No surprise to her, Cher saw a bus waiting on the curb. next to the stop. It was late, but surely someone would be running the bus for an all-nighter.

As she walked, she counted out the correct amount of change to get her back to her work-place. The bus-doors opened, and a man waved her in. She paid the man, and filed down the isles, over to a seat in the mid-section. Only six other people road the bus.

The doors closed with a soft gust of wind, and the driver pulled his large bus into the street, and down the road.

The sudden wind as the bus drove by, rustled the two men's newspapers, and the men complained sharply. They did not notice the two one-dollar bills taking flight in the sky.

On the table, a very cold cup of coffee rippled.

.............................................................................................................................................................

Quent leaned against an alley wall, drinking from the flask he would keep in his jacket pocket. Beside him, her head in his lap, laid his faithful dog Blue. Quent's large hand stroked the dog lovingly down her back, from her neck as he slowly became wasted.

"Where did we go wrong, Blue?" he asked quietly. "We had a long run...chased a few rabbits... but we hadn't seen one wolf in two and a half years."

Blue nuzzled her head deeper into the man's lap, whining softly.

"Blue..."

The dog raised her head, ears up, staring at her master in ready obedience. Quent smiled faintly, his eyes blinking back hot tears of exhaustion. "How far do you think we have t' go before we see a legend become reality?"

"Not very long." her look said.

Quent smiled and gave a hard laugh. He took another drink from his flask. "I hope you're right..." he said slowly.

Time grew between them as neither said a word.

The sun was setting slowly across the world, darkening the sky, shedding stars.

"Blue..." mumbled Quent tiredly. His hands curcled around the leash, then released it slowly.

The dog licked his cheek, then pawed at his legs, whining.

"Blue, I'm too tired...t' move...just...watch over me while..I...sleep..." The man bent over himself, and began to snore.

"I wont leave you, Father." Blue's look replied.

But Quent was already asleep.

The dog knew better than to sleep on her master, so she went as far as they leash allowed, and sat down, facing the entrance tot he alley. Her ears up and alert, she listen to the world as it slowly emptied of it's inhabitants.

Above, a bat squeaked in the sky, darting off from it's hiding place in an old trash-bin. The dog watched it fly up into the sky until it blended with the darkness.

.............................................................................................................................................................

Kiba was the first to spot her; like a gang of robbers, he ordered the others to be quiet with a silent gesture, then pointed across the street to a sleeping man and a sleeping dog.

"Hige, tsume," he said quietly. They came closer. "Is she the one?"

Tsume nodded. "Yeah, that's them." He lit a cigarette and started walking off.

Kiba didn't stop him.

"Tsume, wait!" Toboe whispered over to him. He walked over quickly and trailed behind the white-haired man. "What if we need you?"

"They won't." he answered shortly. He leaned against a wall, just out of sight of the other alley.

Toboe sighed and joined him, saying, "Well, I guess they wont need me either."

Tsume said nothing. He sucked his cigarette quietly, burning a light in the dark.

Toboe watched him for a moment, then looked over to where Kiba and Hige were preparing to confront the dog. "I hope nothing bad happens..." he said quietly.

"Give them a chance." said Tsume. "They know what they're doin'."

Toboe nodded, and looked back at Kiba and Hige. He wondered what would happen if the man wakes up. "Wait..." the boy said suddenly.

Tsume looked voer at him.

"You said.." Toboe looked up at Tsume, eyes wide. "You said Blue recognized you, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well...wouldn't it be better if she saw one guy she knew, rather than two she doesn't?"

Tsume held his breath. The runt was right, he reasoned. He got off of the wall and stepped towards Kiba and Hige, about to either join them, or go alone. But it was too late–

Giving each other a brief nod, Hige and Kiba trotted down the road, across the street, and stood quietly at either side of the alley.

Tsume sighed, swearing under his breath, and stood, tense, watching the two others.

Toboe stood up and stood beside Tsume, watching with equal angst.

Against the outer wall, Hige, breathing hard, caught Kiba's eyes, and Kiba nodded once more. It was now or never.

Hige turned quickly on his heels, and went first into the alley, Kiba following.

.............................................................................................................................................................

Blue stirred in and out of sleep, fully awaking when she heard an odd scuffling outside. She sat up, ears standing sharply on her head.

She sniffed the air, and smelled two people nearby. They had an odd, familiar smell to them, mixed with the scent of fear and panic. Whoever was coming, Blue thought, either want to rob my Father, or steal me. She stood up, glancing at Quent.

I don't want to wake him... she thought sympathetically.

The noise sounded again.

Blue took a step forward, fur standing on end, quivering. She showed her large, wolf-like fangs and let out a low growl, hardly making a sound.

The next moment, two boys appeared running over, stopping short when they noticed the dog was suddenly standing and fully alert.

Hige gazed at the wolf, his heart pounding in his chest. "Blue..." he said quietly.

Kiba looked cautiously from his friend, to the dog, then to the man who was too wasted to wake up. "Try not to make any sudden mvoements..." warned Kiba quietly.

Hige squatted down, and stared over at the dog. "Hiya!" he said, and waved.

Blue blinked. She did not know these boys, but one of them carried a scent of some one she had seen earlier, and recognized. To confirm it herself, the dog walked over to Hige, who opened his mouth slightly in shock, and Blue began sniffing the boy.

"K-Kiba..!" whispered Hige excitedly.

Kiba stared at Blue, ready to kick the dog if it dared to bite Hige. He glanced over at the sleeping man. His eye caught a glint, and he noticed a silver flask on the ground.

Blue snuffed the boy's clothes deeply, then she found the scent of Tsume and gave a very sad, quiet, howl.

Hige gazed at the dog, frozen.

Blue inclined her head at the boy, then looked up at Kiba, who stared back warningly.

The dog looked at her leash, then back at Hige, wagging her tail slightly.

"Okay!" Hige said quickly. He bent down and started to unhook the dog's leash. A firm hand grabbed the shoulder of his shirt and pulled him back.

"Don't, Hige!" hissed Kiba.

Hige frowned darkly at the older boy, and said, "Don't tell me what I can't do!"

The dog whimpered quietly, her body electrified by the will to run– to chase a scent, to track, and to find.

Kiba looked away, and watched the old man sleep. The man's hand twitched. "Hige," started Kiba, looking back at the boy. "we should–"

"There!" Hige let go of the leash, and Blue darted past the boy, and ran across the street.

"What?" burst Hige, shocked. He stood up and ran out of the alley. "Blue!" he shouted. "Wait!"

"Urrrhhh...."

Kiba looked at the man as he sat up, rubbing his head. He looked at the leash he held, and followed the leash to the end– he saw no dog. "Blue!" he cried. He stood up sharply, snatching up his gun Kiba hadn't noticed was laying behind him.

Upon seeing Kiba, Quent aimed his gun, shouting, "What did you do t' my Blue!"

.............................................................................................................................................................

When Hige followed the dog out of the alley, he saw Blue dart around Toboe, and tackle Tsume to the ground.

"No!" cried Toboe, alarmed. "Kiba!"

"Blue–" started Hige in a yell. Behind him, Quent was shouting. Kiba... he thought, glancing back to the alley. Blue... He looked back at Blue, and noticed she was not harming Tsume, but licking him. This upset Hige more than when he thought she was attacking him. Why, Blue? He thought miserably. Why him? I'm right here!

"Hige!" cried Kiba.

Hige whirled around and poked his head into the alley.

Quent had Kiba against the wall, gun stabbed into his chest. "Where's Blue!" demanded Quent. "I know you took her!"

Kiba strained his body to breathe, the gun lunged into both of his ribs in a bad position. He could not answer.

"Where, is, she!" barked Quent, his eyes rolling in his drunk anger.

Hige looked around and, seeing the flask, picked it up and threw it dead-aim into the side of Quent's head, the corner of the flask eating into his skin.

Quent cried out, lowering his gun as he swore he had just been shot. He placed a hand over his wound, and found only a few drops of blood. Confused, Quent tried to grab Kiba again and pin him against the wall, but Kiba had ran out of the way.

Now both boys stood side-by-side, blocking the exit of the alley.

They glared evilly at the man, warning them.

"Two against one, huh...?" snorted Quent, wiping the blood off onto his pants. He raised the shotgun, bringing it up at the boys' faces. "How bout I eliminate one of ya so it'd be fair!"

That moment, Blue leaped from between the dogs, skidding to a stop between them and her master.

Tsume and Toboe appeared a sceond later to stand on the other side of Hige and Kiba.

Intimidated by the odd group, the man lowered his gun, muttering, "What is this...? a joke?" He eyed them one by one, them all of them at once, and something flickered in his mind.

He saw them turn into wolves; The white-haired man into a half gray/half-white wolf with a scar on it's chest; he saw the dark-haired boy turn into a solid white wolf; the freckled-faced boy turned into an orangish/brown wolf, and the last one turned into a light brown wolf. But there were not standing in an alley. They stood in the snow, and Blue was with them. They were afraid of a certain evil that was approaching them. He also saw, in his mind, the weird police man, and this made the old man feel like he was missing a piece of himself.

When the vision paased, he found himself on his knees, gasping for air. Blue sat close to his side, licking his hands.

"Blue..." whispered Quent, feeling very tired again. "Blue...I'm sorry..." he did not know why he said it– he only felt that it needed to be said. After casting his eyes around at the boys, the man's vision grew spotted with black, until he passed out.

Father! Cried Blue in her thoughts. She nudged him with her nose, whimpering.

"He's okay." said Kiba. "He just needs to rest."

Tsume nodded.

Toboe stared awkwardly at Blue, while Hige looked upset and lonely, not quite meeting the dog's eyes.

Blue stepped forward and pawed at Hige's pants, startling him. His friends watched as Blue began whimpering at Hige until he looked her in the eye.

When their eyes met, Blue's tail began to wag.

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Will only continue if reviews are good. Please let me know if I have my facts wrong.

Thanks for reading this long-ass story.

-Dustal