Walking amongst the crowded marketplace, two males emerge that stood out the most. The humans were too easily fooled by their appearance. Many didn't think much of them, while many stayed their distance from them, thinking that they were some common cutpurses. However, this didn't matter much to them, the brown haired male just walked about with a goofy smile on his face, a smile that would turn the meanest to second thinking, while the dark haired male looked stern and walked with a limp.
"Looks like the bleeding stopped." the brown haired boy said with a sign of relief. The other one replied with a hush, taciturn tone.
"Yeah, guess so." Walking past among stray animals or domesticated ones alike, they cowered in fear, for their true form they could see: Wolves.
Many believed that wolves have been either hunted or died from hunger; that they no longer existed. But wolves are more clever than many thought. Taking the form of humans, they wander about aimlessly, searching for a purpose. That is exactly who these two were.
Walking towards a large stand, the brown haired boy stopped abruptly, the other stopped behind him.
"Hey, what did you stop for?" the dark haired boy asked. The brown haired boy looked like he was drooling when the dark haired boy walked ahead of him and gave him his full attention.
The brown haired one leans over to the other one and says in a whisper.
"Hey Kiba, check out that babe over there." Kiba looks over at what the starstruck boy was drooling over.
Over by the stand, a beautiful girl was handing flowers to wandering bystanders, she smiled gently at those who took the flowers she would give. Handing a fragile looking white flower to a women with a child holding her other hand, she bowed to the women, allowing her long blonde hair to fall from her shoulder perfectly.
"Thank you, young miss. How much do I own you?" The girl lifts herself up and smiles a gentle smile.
"Oh no, no charge. Please, just take care of it." The woman nods her head and smiles as she walks with her child. "But mommy, I want one too." The little girl pouted. "Of course, one moment." The girl said as she reaches over in the basket of flowers on the stand and pulls out an identical flower. Kneeling down, she places the flower into the little girl's hair. "There you are." The little girl coos over the plant and thanks the young woman. "Yay, thank you, miss." The girl smiles and pats her on the head as the pair walk off in the opposite direction.
The girl waves to them as they leave, turning back to the stand filled with flowers behind her. Kiba turns back to the brown haired boy and lifts his eyebrow in suspicion. "What about her?" he said annoyed like.
"You know what she is... don't you?" As Kiba turned his attention back to the flower girl, She now, in their eyes, appeared in her true form. A wolf of pure blonde fur, the colors of french vanilla coated her fur around her face and at her paws. A golden locket hung around her neck. In a quick instant, she reverts to her human form.
"A wolf... she's seems like a strange one. And her scent is different too." The brown haired boy said curiously.
As a human, she wore a blue long sleeved un-button blazer, and a grey skirt that went to her thighs. Around her neck was a golden locket, it looked like it went though hell and back, it was covered in tiny scratches and the gold had nearly faded away. Her skin was a creamy pale, her face was delicate and seemingly shined; despite the lack of sun on this cloudy day. The most distinguishing thing of her appearance was her eyes: left one a deep blue color, and right one was a jade green.
The brown haired wolf tried to walk closer but Kiba grabs him by the shoulder, keeping a firm grip on. "You better not Hige. That girl might be trouble.' For some reason, this girl rubbed Kiba the wrong way. She seemed innocent enough, but there was something about her scent that made his hair stand.
"Aw, come on.' Hige replies all care-free, "It wouldn't hurt to take her to Paradise as well, would it?" Kiba sighs and lets go of the love stricken wolf. "Fine, go talk to her then." Hige took the opportunity to speed walk over to the she-wolf, excited to take her to "Paradise"... if she agrees. Paradise was a place told in old children stories. When the world comes to an end, there will be a haven where only wolves can enter. The two males didn't know this, but the flower wolf girl has heard this story many times before. Almost losing hope in such things.
As Hige was about to approach her, he was pushed to the side by an unknown assailant. "Move it, boy!" Hige gained his stance and looked at his assailant. It was some thug looking human man, wearing an all leather outfit. His hair was black and had a white streak in the middle and a scar on his right cheek. With an evil grin on his face, the thug says with a tough attitude.
"That's my girl, pal. You keep away from her!" Before Hige could say anything, the thug turns away and walks in the direction of the flower girl. "Hey, come back here!" Hige shouted, but the thug ignored him. "You bastard." Hige said under his breath.
The thug sneaks up behind the girl and runs his hand on her left thigh, causing her to jump. She spins around and sees the thug, a look of fear crept on her face. "Y-yes... can I help you?" she stutters. The thug leans closer to her, trapping her in between the stand and him. He brings out his arm and places it on the stand as he towers over her.
"I've been watching you... and I want you." The thug's face was now inches from hers. His breath reeked of cigarettes, causing the she-wolf to hold her breath, disgust by his foul odor. He took the arm that was out and wraps it around the girl, pulling her closer to him. The girl tried to push him away but he was stronger. "Stop it... let go of me!" The thug just laughs, "I like your spirit. Too bad I'm gonna have to break it."
"Please! Let go!" she yells as she continued to try to push away from him. Despite the situation, no one in the marketplace paid any attention, except the wolves. A look of anger crept on the wolves faces as they watch one of their own be harassed. Kiba and Hige, in a fit of rage, run in to motion towards the two. "Get away from her!" Kiba yells.
On cue, anger plastered the girl's face as she placed her hands on both of the thugs shoulder, I said... let go!" she screams as she knees him in the crotch. The two wolves stop in place as the thug kills over and backs away from the wolf girl. "Gah! You bitch!" He yells in between groans. He would've said more, but the girl grabs the thug by the hair and knees him in the face, causing him to walk closer backwards to the wall behind them. As he was holding his face in pain, the wolf girl presses her arm against his throat and backs him into the wall as grabs his crotch, tightening her grip around his... "privates".
"Goddamn it! Let go, you bitch!" the thug yells, keeping himself from squealing like a girl, but it only caused her to tighten her grip on his privates even more.
"I'm going to say this one more time: If you ever come near me again, you disgusting human... I'll tear these off and feed them to the crows! Got that!?" The thug nods his head as tears were falling from his eyes. The girl lets go of the thug; the thug falls on the ground, holding his crotch as he gets back up. "You dirty bitch! I'll get you next time!" The girl, walking away from him, dismissively waves her hand in the air and says, "Like I haven't heard that before." in a sarcastic tone.
The thug walks off in a different direction, cursing under his breath as he ran away.
Hige had a shocked expression on his face. Never had he met a she-wolf with guts like that. But Kiba looked aloofed still as he stared at the she-wolf. In a second, Hige walks over to her as she was gathering the flowers into the basket she had.
"Hey, you ok?" The girl looks back, still with an angered look on her face. "What do you want!? Go find some other girl to mess with! I'm busy!" Hige jumped at her heighten voice but gained bravado and tried to talk to her again.
"I don't want to mess with you, I just want to talk." The girl opens her mouth tell him off again, but she suddenly recognized the scent of the boy in front of her. "Wait... you're..." Hige nods his head, "Yep, a wolf like you." The girl paused for a second, she suddenly got rid of her angered expression and apologetically bows to Hige.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Please forgive me. If I knew who you were, I wouldn't have..." Hige blushes at the she-wolfs cuteness and says,
"Hey, no need to apologize." Kiba comes up from behind Hige and asked in a polite tone, "Are you hurt?" The she-wolf looks over at Kiba and recognizes his scent too and blushes. His human form had a rather handsome appearance. The thug was handsome too, but with rotten insides, and the fact that they were two different species...
"I'm alright. Don't worry, this wasn't the first time that disgusting human tried to make advances at me." Hige seemed disgusted by this when he suddenly spoke. "You mean that freak has done this before?"
She nods her head.
"Mmm-hmm, for almost three months I think." The she-wolf jumped to sudden realization. "Oh, how rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Yuna." Hige smiled a goofy smile as he said, "Yuna, thats a very pretty name. I'm Hige, and this guy over here is Kiba."
Yuna bows to the two, "Nice to meet both of you." Yuna looks at both of them as she tilts her head. "I must say, it's nice to see my own kind for a change." Hige then says, "Same here, especially a babe such as yourself." Yuna was startled with Hige's statement and felt blood rushing to her face. Flustered, she rubs her arm as she speaks.
"Quite the charmer, huh?" Hige rubs the back of his head as he says, "That's me..." as he chuckles.
Curiosity scratched at Yuna, she was wondering what her own kind was doing in a hellhole like this place.
"So, where are you two going? I highly doubt you're staying here." Hige stalled for a moment, but Kiba jumps in with his response.
"Paradise... we're going to Paradise." Yuna was dumbfounded by Kiba's answer. "I'm sorry but... did you say Paradise?" Kiba simply nods his head.
"And we're wondering if you wanted to come with us." Hige saids with a glint in his eye. Yuna paused for a moment, suspicious of these two journey. She herself have always wanted to make that journey, ever since she was a pup. But she wouldn't know where to start. Where to go? What to do? Or even, how to survive?
With a smile on her face, Yuna shakes her head.
"I'd love to, but I can't. Thanks for asking." Hige's disappointment settled in as he spoke.
"Really? You sure?"
"Mmm-hmm, but I'm not lying when I say I'd love to. It's a suicide mission, and I'm pretty sure you know that too." Kiba locks eyes with Yuna, "We're willing to take that risk." Temptation ate away at Yuna, she has always wanted to leave this place. To leave all the terrible memories behind.
"Well... how long are you planning to stay?" Yuna asked.
"Not sure, but probably soon. Why?" Hige asked. Yuna started to fiddle with her thumbs, not wanting to say what she was about to say.
"I'd like to come, but I need sometime to think. This is... alot to take in."
"Take your time." Kiba says, "But make sure your choice is something you're not going to regret." Yuna nods to the aloof wolf.
The two wolves continue to walk away ahead of the she-wolf, Yuna waves to the two as they walk off. Only Hige looks back and waves. Once the two were out of sight, Yuna turns her attention to the basket of flowers, gathering the last of them and gently setting them apart of each other.
Picking up a white flower, Yuna looks at the delicate thing in her hand and feels her heart ache. "Make sure your choice is something you're not going to regret". The words Kiba spoke continuously rang through Yuna's mind. "A choice I'm not going to regret..." Yuna says to herself in her thought. "What do you think, Grandfather?" she asks as she looks up at the clouded sky.
Sitting in front of a roaring fireplace, an elderly man pats the head of a small wolf that was resting in his lap, warming themselves. Running his hand along the fur of the blonde wolf, he looks down at the half-asleep wolf and smiles.
"Are you feeling any better, Yuna?" The pup lifts her head and looks at the old man's face, she lightly barks to assure her caretaker. The old man chuckles softly and continues to pet the pup.
"Good, I keep telling you to not push yourself, especially a pup in your condition." Through he sounded concern, he held a firm tone in his voice. The pup stands back up and jumps off the man's lap; sitting right next to him.
"You're one to talk, Grandpa." The voice of a little girl sudden appeared. Looking over, he looks at the pup, who now took the appearance of a little girl. The little girl wore a white dress and had pale blonde hair that went to her lower back. Combine that with her pale skin and delicate face mix into a beautiful, doll-like feature.
With a smile on her face, the young girl hugs the old man's arm and looks up at him.
"You're the one who pushes yourself to an impossible point, Grandpa." The old man chuckled again and smooths the hair of the young girl. "Well... I have to, if we want to stay here." Hugging his arm evermore tighter, she presses her head against his arm.
"I know... but still, Grandpa, you're not a young person anymore, you shouldn't spend your golden years like this." Sensing the worry in the girl's voice, the elderly man lowers his head, till the two touched foreheads.
"I know, young pup... I know." The man kisses her forehead, Yuna giggles from being tickled by the elderly man's beard. "But I'm not going to live forever, and I don't want you to live alone. You do want to see your father again?"
Yuna nods her head.
"Yeah, I really want to. But I want you to come too." The elderly man smooths the girls hair.
"I'm sorry, young pup. I am but an old soldier who no longer can wield a weapon, but you still have an entire life ahead of you, Yuna, you must survive. Do you understand?" Reluctantly, the young girl nods her head. Yuna lets go of the older man's arm and sits up straight, staring at the flames as she plays with the locket around her neck.
Adopted by the ex-soldier, the first three years together haven't been the easiest. But with each passing day, she felt closer and closer to him. He was a kindly man, gentle and firm. His years as a solider have given him a fearsome appearance but also the strength, for someone his age. After the older man saved Yuna from her troubled past, they moved into the human city. He has since worked to support both of themselves, but also to give Yuna a chance to see her family again.
Watching the flames, Yuna allowed herself to be lost in thought. Remembering the kicks, punches, and the burning from cigarettes made Yuna sick to her stomach. Clutching her hands in her lap, she bits down on her lip to hold back tears. The laughter of her tormenters, and the sickening things they have said are still fresh in her mind. She could feel her blood boil.
The elderly man, most likely sensing her sadness, picks the little girl up. Yuna gasps as he cradles her in his arms.
"Shhh, it's alright, little one. They won't hurt you anymore." The older man said softly. Yuna finally allowed herself to let the tears she has been holding back to fall. Quietly whimpering, she wraps her arms behind his neck and buries her face into his chest.
Yuna then says in between sobs, "You... you won't let anything bad happen to me anymore... will you, Grandpa?" The older man was silent for a moment, but he answers. "Of course, young pup. As long as I live, no one will ever hurt you."
Yuna, now in her wolf form, rests upon the old man's lap. Her whimpering goes silent, as she slips into dreams. Feeling the older man pet her head, she dreams of her memories, the happy ones. A time when she was with her family, a time with no worry...
Holding the flower close to her heart, silent tears fall from her eyes. Yuna looks down and inhales the sweet fragrance of Grandfather's favorite flower, soothing her sadness.
"How is heaven, Grandfather? It's hard to believe it's been 3 years since you past away. I hope you are happy there."
Yuna shakes her head to lose the thought. Gathering the last of the flowers, she grabs the basket and walks in the direction of her home, the same direction of the two wolves.
"Paradise, huh... Grandfather, should I really believe in such a tale? Should I go with those two and search with them? Staying will not get me anywhere, but I can't leave... no, it's not that I can't leave. I'm afraid to leave."
Wiping away the last of the tears, Yuna perks herself up and smiles. Shaking off this feeling of sadness.
"I can't be discouraged. Not with Grandfather watching me." She thinks to herself as smiles at wandering bystanders on the street.