Wolf's Rain...What's Next?

By Katrina Tucker

Disclaimer: The characters in this story are not my own creation, and neither is some of the setting ideas or characteristics of these characters. Please read the summary for more info.

Episode 1

Kiba ran without stopping down the busy city street. He didn't bother turing to look at the humans on the sidewalks, for a wolf neither looked back or paid attention to anything other than his objective.

Tsume' steered his motorcycle down an abandoned alley. Going forward was his only choice. A life of death was far behind him. He knew nothing of what was about to happen.

Hige' walked along eating a snack, like he usually did. He looked back once out of curiosity at the city littered with humans . He was somehow fond of them, but quickly changed the subject of his thought and kept walking leisurely forward.

Tobowe' gently pet a kitten he had found in a box on the side of an abandoned house. Turning his head to look at the highway, he thought he saw someone drive by that somehow seemed familiar. So out of youthful curiosity, he gently patted the kitten's head one last time, and, in human form, ran down the sidewalk, following the scent and smell of the motor bike down the lone alley.

Still livid with determination to find or discover some unknown destination, Kiba kept running. He remained deep in thought as he did so, but alert enough not to fade back into his white wolf form. He knew he could run faster in his wild animal nature, but too much attention would be drawn, and that was the last thing he wanted.

Tsume' kept his speed on the motorcycle, beginning to get the feeling that he was being followed. He knew he couldn't stop. The sense of longing to find a place he felt like he had been searching for his whole life was too strong to bother with stalkers. He drove the motorcycle to a sharp right around the corner of the alley, and sped straight ahead.

Hige' finished the snack he had been eating earlier and passed numerous people who gave him funny looks. He didn't understand why, but he thought perhaps it was because he had only been in the city for a couple of days. He wasn't even sure why he had been pulled to this city. To him it was just like all the other ones..dark and rainy.

Tobowe' ran and ran, following the scent. He knew he was getting close.. he could feel it. Just a bit further, he told himself inside his head. Now the feeling the invisible forces were leading him to this motorcycle settled in his chest, and pacingly throughout his body. With nothing else to do, he gave in, and let his young legs carry him.

Kiba suddenly stopped, the wind dragging behind him almost had a hard time of stopping with him. He, for the first time in about an hour, turned his head to see a motorcycle with an almost familiar rider peel around the corner of the dark, wet alleyway, onto an empty sidewalk. That's unusual, he thought to himself. Then, closely followed by the bike, was a young boy, a boy Kiba was sure he had seen before. He couldn't remember exactly, but he knew that the kid was like him. Instinctively, the longing began again, and he ran straight ahead again, thinking of a plan.

Tsume' sped around another sharp corner, but almost immediately stopped the motorcycle, for this abandoned alley was a dead end, marked with a tall, brick wall, with some dumpsters against it. The bike tilted with his efforts to stop, and skidded to a halt. Tsume' threw off the helmet and jumped back before his leg was caught underneath. "Damn," he cursed, picking the motorcycle up and seeing the whole side of the bike scraped and scratched. He put the kickstand up, and crossed his arms, looking breifly around.

Hige' continued walking, but this time faster. He wanted a sense of space, and he surely wasn't getting it on this crowded sidewalk. He decided he didn't care. He ran and became even faster, his yelow hooded jacket bouncing along in the wind. The air was damp, and the sounds of blowing horns from the many vehicles and the numerous shouts of "Hey, watch out!", and "Get out of the way!" could be heard clearly among the noise.

Tobowe' quickly turned around the corner, this time allowing his wolf form to take control. He stopped, all four legs spread, his golden brown eyes and orange-brown fur shining and somewhat soft. His tongue gently hung from his open-mouth, panting slightly. His fangs were white and gleaming with saliva. He looked at him as Tsume' turned around to face his stalker.

Tobowe' became human again, and took off his hat and sweater, for he was sweating from the chase. Tsume' felt familiarity from this young kid, but he still wasn't fond of being stalked. "What the hell do you want?" he asked in a slightly mean, suspicious voice.

Kiba jumped across some roof tops in his white wolf form. He knew this was probably going to be interesting. He came to the end of the street and jumped down, a few allies away from the one that Tsume' and Tobowe' had turned down. He then leaped lightly back onto a roof that overhung the alley he was looking for. He turned human again and laid on his stomach, watching the scene silently from above.

Hige' ran until he, too, stopped suddenly. Just as Kiba had not ten minutes before. He turned back. He walked slowly to the corner of an alley and smelled the air, taking a deep whif. He concluded that he knew the smell. He walked down the alley, oblivious to the fact that the other two were indeed strangers..or were they? He closed his eyes, not looking at Tsume' and Tobowe'. "Ah." he said as he deeply sniffed the air once more, his hands in his pockets. He walked right past the others as they looked at him in confusion, wondering who he was and why he was there. "It's...Its.....lunar flowers." he said softly, opening his eyes and looking toward the sky.

"Tobowe' would have replied to Tsume's hostility if Hige' wouldn't have interrupted. To him, too, Hige' seemed weirdly familiar. Tobowe's eyes went wide at the mention of lunar flowers, for none of the four wolves had forgotten the sacred smell of the beautiful lunar flowers. He then sniffed the air like Hige' had, and quickly drifted into a state of euphoria. "Wow! It seems like forever since I've smelled something this wonderful!" he said in a happy-go-lucky tone of voice.

Tsume sniffed the air and a small grin appeared on his face, which had been unusual for him lately. He looked at Hige' and then to Tobowe', wondering where the smell was coming from. "Your'e right. It is lunar flowers, but where is it coming from?" he asked almost to himself.

Hige' looked around, and then his gaze set upon the corner of the brick wall, on the opposite wall of the trash bins. His young eyes settled downward on a single, pure white lunar flower not yet bloomed. It glistened with dew drops from the early morning rain.

The others spotted the flower just as Hige' had at the very same moment. It seemed to them as if the world stood still as they looked upon the chosen flower. Hige's mouth opened slightly in awe slightly as he slowly moved toward it. "Wow...it's so beautiful." he muttered absentmindedly.

Kiba, watching closely from the roof top above saw the flower and his gleaming blue eyes flashed and went wide. Quickly, he jumped from the roof and landed on his feet behind Hige' flashing quickly from his wolf form back to his human form. He stood with his feet hip length apart and his hands were balled into fists. He wore jeans and a gray t-shirt with his black jacket with the sleeves rolled up. "Don't." he said in a stern voice, as he saw Hige' bend down with an outstretched hand.

"Huh?" asked Hige', bouncing out of his trance, and standing up to face Kiba. Kiba squinted his eyes. "I said don't." he said sternly once again as a soft wind blew his black hair gently against the side of his face.

Tsume' didn't know what to say exactly. He had been standing there watching the flower in a daze also, amazed at its uniqueness. He uncrossed his arms, and placed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. As he took a step forward, the wind stopped blowing. "Hey, who died and made you boss?" he asked, appearing as if he was ready to fight.

Kiba didn't move. He was intent on guarding the lunar flower. "I'm not the boss of anyone. Do you have any idea what would happen if you removed that lunar flower?" he asked Hige', who was still looking at him in question. He shook his head. "Why don't you tell us?" Tsume' asked coldly, already eerie of Kiba, and a tad annoyed. He, at the same time, wondered who this wolf was.

Kiba looked at Hige' still, daring him with his eyes to take a step toward the flower. "That is the last lunar flower in this city. A connection to Paradise, the only one left." his voice was low but not harsh. Tobowe's eyes went wide again, as he listened carefully. Hige' shook his head in confusion and moved a bit toward Kiba. "What the hell are you talking about?!" he shouted, confused and angry because of it.

Tsume' decided to speak up again. "Paradise is just a myth. Everyone knows that." he said coldly, with a hint of disbelieving in his own voice. Kiba still did not move. "Your'e wrong." he said almost under his breath. Tobowe', nearly cutting him off, ran towards them, shouting, "It's the truth!"

Hige' and Tsume' both looked at him as if he was crazy. "Kid, don't you have someone else to follow?" Tsume' asked him sarcastically. Kiba turned his head slightly and a small smirk appeared on his face. "No, he's suppose to be here. Just like the rest of us." he told them, still slightly smirking. Tsume' growled and stepped forward, anger rising within him and his fists clenched. "I'm getting sick of all your lies!" he yelled at Kiba angrily.

Tobowe' didn't even look at Tsume', but remained looking at Kiba in an innocent child-like trance. Hige' looked at Tobowe', and then to Kiba. Kiba said nothing, but the smirk disappeared. A few seconds later, Hige' was growing impatient. "So, when are you going to tell us what the hell is going on?" he asked. No matter how much any of them wanted to say that this was just a coincidence, they each knew deep within, that they were led here. It was just a matter of time before they discovered the paths to their destinies.

Kiba looked back at Hige'. "Paradise exists. I am going to find it. I have to. I've been watching you, and it seems that we're the only wolves left in this entire city. If we don't find Paradise and the links between it and the lunar flower, we might as well be an extinct race." he informed them with a clear, smooth voice.

They all listened intently. Tsume' spoke up, not thinking before he spoke, "First it was you, and now it's us. What exactly are you getting at?" his voice still cold. Tobowe' was becoming annoyed at Tsume's negativity and skepticism.

"Don't you get it?! We have to help him find it!" Tobowe' surprisingly shouted at Tsume'. Hige's mouth opened a bit, trying to understand completely. He realized that Tobowe' just might be right. However, Tsume' wasn't budging. "I don't have to do anything!" he shouted back at the group.

Hige' took a step forward. "Oh, why do you have to be so stubborn?" he asked coldly in return. Tsume' turned his head toward him as if to say something, but Kiba cut him off. "No. You don't have to do anything. No one can force you. Your'e a lone wolf. Nothing matters to you but yourself. Go on, then. We probably won't need you anyway." he said calmly, turning his back on him once more.

Tsume' looked at Kiba strangely. "Good." he said simply, and turned and started walking back toward his motorcycle, when Kiba spoke up once more. "But, I suppose that if you don't help us, the shame and ostricism you will face would probably be too much for you to handle."

Tsume' stopped, and drooped his shoulders slightly, but only for a second. He turned around half-heartedly and began walking toward the others, mainly Kiba. "You don't know me. So don't act like you understand me." he told them, his voice not as cold this time, but reluctancy still lingered there.

Tobowe' watched him and looked to Hige' with a childish smile. Hige' smiled back. "So, does that mean your'e coming with us?" asked Tobowe', his eyes now on Tsume's back. Tsume' just grunted. Hige' laughed. "Sounds like a yes to me."

Kiba let himself smirk a little. "Okay, then. Let's go." he became a wolf again, and jumped on a nearby dumpster and then onto the roof. The others became wolves too, and followed. Tsume' last in line, looked down at the bike once he was on the roof. "Damn." he swore softly. He then turned back and ran after the others.

They ran, jumping from roof to roof, fur blowing against the wind that was created by their speed. The sky was cloudless and grey, the sun slightly beginning to shine a little brighter, but still hiding in the late afternoon. "What about the lunar flower?" Hige' asked, who was travelling behind Kiba, running and jumping effortlessly, like the others.

Kiba simply yelled back, "It'll be fine." That was all that was said for a long while. Kiba couldn't say that the flower would be alright for sure, because there were possibilities. There were always possibilities. So he led them on, and they ran on.

NOTE: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my fanfiction. I should be getting the second episode written, so please feel free to let me know what you think of this! Thank you!