Disclaimer: I do not own Wolf's Rain
Between chasing salvation, more hunters and a new packmate, this whole surviving business may not be as easy as it sounds. Mayhap the greatest danger, however, is the crumbling trust and intensifying pack politics that are threatening to tear them apart. Somewhat AU
Toboe-centric
No romance
No Mary Sues
Chapter One
There was no pain, only an irritating numbness. He could run and put weight on the injured paw, which he twisted whilst scrambling for cover, and as he urged himself forward he took care to not look behind at the bloody trail he was leaving. His whole body was numb even before the bullet found its way to his flank, yet he knew that feeling would be returning soon. He could only hope that the blood loss wouldn't twist his senses, and that his weak paw wouldn't suddenly give out.
Toboe's greatest issue, however, was his struggle against panic. He was grateful for his instincts, but when faced with someone like Quent and his snarling companion, it was just as important to keep a rational mind. Instincts told him to run until his lungs burst or his pursuers abandoned the chase, but no – his lungs hurt enough as it was, and his pursuers wouldn't drop this chase for a long while yet. They weren't hurt like he was. Toboe knew he was slowing down, and the best he could do now was look for a place where the hunter wouldn't be able to reach him, rather than run on blindly with bloody prints in his wake.
The streets were hard, gray concrete covered with a thin layer of ice. The buildings were lost in a haze of pollution, but loomed out of the darkness like black giants intent on preventing his escape. Each block seemed to stretch longer and longer, and every time he reached an alley he would duck inside and run through to another street, trying to lose his pursuers. He didn't get his hopes up – with that mad dog on his trail, it would be a miracle if he did lose them.
Toboe skidded across another corner, barely avoiding the glint of broken glass on the sidewalk. As it was, the ice seemed to freeze his paws, and he wouldn't have felt the pain anyway. The cold sent dull, painful throbs that racked his body. A dog snarled behind him as it leaped into the same alley, canines gleaming from the light of a dieing street lamp before it lunged after its prey and was shrouded in darkness.
Another bullet ricocheted off of the black street next to the pup – another wound avoided, though not for much longer. The next one would hit him, Toboe was sure. It was just a matter of time, this chase.
His pack was somewhere in this city, exploring the rubbish dumps in search of food. If they heard the commotion, they would rush to their designated meeting place. Once they realized that Toboe wasn't there, they would look for him, and it would be too late.
Hot pain, a moment of madness, and a resounding crash upon red, wet ice.
His paw gave out. He rolled onto his stomach, but didn't have the strength (or the will) to get up again. The snarling shadow approached him, eyes gleaming with excitement. Here was the climax of the hunt.
Pain and confusion clouded Toboe's senses, and perhaps this was what prevented him from noticing the other approaching canine. However, nothing but bloodlust hovered over the snarling shadow, and she sensed the intruder, and her attention turned away from her intended prey.
A great ragged wolf barreled into Blue, jaws snapping and seeking her throat. It was larger and older than the black dog, though shaggier and worse for wear. Drool dripped off its fangs and its eyes danced with madness. Instinct drove this wolf – protect the pup. Blue yelped, and snapped at the intruder's form – not aiming for anything, but desperate to get away. She was disoriented and vulnerable, torn between going for the pup or for her own attacker.
A sharp yell, another ricocheting bullet.
Strong jaws clamped onto the black dog's hind leg, biting through skin and into bone. The wolf braced its paws against the ice and snapped its head to the side. A loud crack and a yelp, and the black dog was sprawled on the earth with a sickly twisted paw, blood oozing from the open wound and dislocated joint.
The dog's owner fired again, and this time the wolf moved toward Toboe. Gently, its jaws closed over the cowering pup's neck, and by the scruff, it dragged him further into the alley to emerge on the other side, in another street. Quent didn't come after them.
Toboe didn't make a sound. As they emerged on the street, he could feel another set of jaws, and this time it was two wolves dragging him. Through the haze of throbbing pain emanating from his paw and flank he could sense three more totting next to them. A second later he recognized their scents, and a brief sense of joy filled his being as he realized it was his pack.
They moved like this for about five minutes, though to Toboe it felt like hours. They stopped at an old metal playground, the swings creaking in the wind. It was a sad, desolate place, as if mourning ghosts of children trod over the cold slides in a memory of play. Once again, the pup rolled onto his stomach and gazed around.
Hige sat himself next to Toboe, and proceeded to lick the wound on his flank. He snuck wary glances at the new wolf, which was standing off to the side.
The wolf was a female. Her coat was shaggy and caked in mud, and looked heavy and unappealing. It was a dark brownish color, though lighter on the inside of her paws, belly, throat and muzzle. She was a large wolf – probably as large as Kiba, even without the majestic coat. Her frame was very powerful – wide rib cage and massive bones, with layers of taught muscle. Though she still looked half-starved, Toboe knew that this animal was not one to mess with – he had glimpsed her rage when she defended him, and the fact that it was him she fought for procured a feeling of security. She was older and more experienced, though young and strong enough to run and fight like Pack and the black dog. He trusted her.
Surprisingly, Tsume stood there calmly. There was a calculating glint in his eye and he looked wary, but made no threatening gestures. This incident seemed to provoke a fragile trust, and the gray wolf accepted a truce with the stranger.
Somewhat rested, Toboe summoned his strength and scrambled to his paws. He was shaky and a little disoriented, but he could stand. He just had to avoid putting too much pressure on his weak paw, and try not to jolt the gun wound. Thankfully, it didn't inhibit his movements too much. It couldn't be as bad as he had previously feared.
Kiba and Tsume just gazed at the new wolf for a minute, then glanced at Toboe meaningfully. They had to move, and the she-wolf was coming with them. Had she not established herself as an ally, they would have undoubtedly chased her off.
It was Kiba who approached the new wolf. His posture wasn't aggressive, yet he held a calm aura of dominance. The she-wolf eyed him for a minute, but seemed to acknowledge his position in their pack. She didn't cower, but lowered her head so she had to look up to see his eyes. Nevertheless, her age and actions gave her enough power to speak without provoking an attack.
"As it is in the wilderness," she said, "it is a smart tactical gesture to stay with your pack, and especially with your pups." She was reprimanding them, and it was justified. Safety in numbers was a basic instinct, and one that was better off followed.
Kiba was unfazed. "We masked ourselves," he replied. "Sometimes it pays to do it the human way whilst on human territory." That statement made him cringe – he didn't like the humans and he hated their ways, but they couldn't always act like wolves in a city.
The she-wolf gave him a flat stare, but otherwise seemed to accept his argument.
The swaggering footsteps of a drunk could be heard not too far away from where the group rested, and the wolves retreated to the other side of the playground. They allowed the she-wolf to approach Toboe (who whimpered submissively, but gazed at her with trusting eyes), and her presence ousted Hige from the pup's side. She licked the blood off of Toboe's wound, her rough tongue carefully cleaning off the dirt like a mother would. The familiarity with which she approached him momentarily stunned the pup, but it felt nice to be cared for in such a fashion, and the others allowed it.
The wolves knew they couldn't linger there for long, and they had to move on from the city now that Quent had caught up to them. They could go without food for a little while more. Kiba and Tsume's ears perked forward as their instincts told them it was time to move. The hunter was coming.
The she-wolf gave them a brief glance and stood, just as the first sounds of an angry curse echoed down the street. Toboe, with Hige at his side, heaved himself up and they took off at a steady trot. They were heading for the wilderness.
About twenty meters away from the group another bullet hit the pavement. Quent was onto them, though Blue wasn't at his side. Either way, the wolves took off. They approached the outskirts of the city, a tall fence with metal wiring the only barrier between them and the wild. Thankfully this was an industrial area, and crates were stacked against the fence. Kiba and Tsume leaped it swiftly, and Toboe grudgingly scrambled up the crates. He didn't feel much like jumping.
Another curse, and their pursuer stopped. He held up his gun and took careful aim.
Hige scrambled up the crates after Toboe, prodded the pup with his nose to get him to hurry, and squeezed past him to tumble to the other side of the fence. The she-wolf leaped onto the crates as well, and seized the pup by the scruff of his neck, leaping and dragging him to the other side just as a crate exploded under them with a well-placed bullet.
They landed on the other side with a yelp, and scrambled up hastily. Together the pack took off again, finally succeeding in their escape. Kiba led them, but they ran slower than usual. They surrounded their weakest in a show of support, shielding him from the biting wind and the bitter snow.
When they finally stopped a mile away, with empty stomachs and downtrodden spirits, and huddled together in relative warmth, they talked.
It was morning. Dawn chased the blackness of the sky away, but it was still gray and clouded with pollution. A bitter wind tore along the white plain – it was cold and stunk of kerosene, and was anything but pleasant. Thankfully the snow wasn't deep, but it was wet and awfully cold, and black mud crept through the white blanket.
Huddled with pack mates it wasn't freezing, but Toboe was still shivering. Collen, the great she-wolf, shifted next to him and sat up slowly. Kiba and Tsume were already up, sniffing the air and studying the dark shape of the city which they left yesterday. Hige sat on Toboe's other side, gazing at him mournfully.
"Looks like we starve," he said. "We're not going back to that city, and what are the chances of coming across game in a place like this?" He looked around pointedly. There was not a tree in sight. On the northern horizon loomed the city, and on the southwest stretched a range of jagged white mountains.
"There should be something a bit farther down, away from the city," informed Collen. "No sane animal would wander this close to humanity, but with any luck there'll be some forested area farther from the city." The irony of the 'sane animal' comment wasn't lost on Toboe. Mayhap they were chasing a dream, but he didn't believe so, and quite happily classified himself and his companions as 'sane,' no matter where their wanderings took them. Besides, Collen was in the same boat.
Toboe's bullet wound turned out to be more of a deep graze. The bullet had entered his side at an angle and passed through his body, but only through skin and muscle. There was no serious bleeding, and though in a bit of pain, he was fit enough to travel. The lax muscle in his paw had also regained its strength. Overall, fear was probably a big cause of his collapse the previous night.
His thoughts were interrupted as a presence loomed over his quivering form. Toboe looked up into fierce golden eyes, gathered his strength, and stood. He couldn't afford to be weak, because the weak were left behind.
"Let's move," Kiba said, and lead the pack of five in an exhilarating run, heading towards the mountains.
Noon found the wolves treading down a hill, weak sunrays breaking the gloom of the scenery and lighting their path. The heavy cloud of fumes had more or less lifted from their senses since they left the city far behind, and if not for the biting hunger the trek might have even been pleasant. Toboe loved having Collen around, and the she-wolf watched over him with a dominating but caring attitude. It was like having a mother again.
"Strange how I didn't smell you when we first entered the city, Collen," chattered Hige.
"Is it?" she replied conversationally. "I couldn't smell you either. I couldn't smell anything but humanity and the stench of their metal contraptions."
Toboe agreed wholeheartedly. The stench almost seemed to burn his lungs, never mind his nose. The fumes exhaled by cars cloaked the whole city, and he was sure that the residents would just shrivel up and die if they stayed in that place too long. Humans were strange creatures. Even while living among them they seemed weird. Empty almost, with a deep-seated fear of the wilderness. He secretly thought that cities were much like anthills, but didn't voice the comparison.
Hige shuddered at the mere memory of the abuse that his senses had suffered. "Point taken," he grunted.
"It's still strange how you traveled without a pack," Tsume cut in. "Personally, I wouldn't think you'd dare. Not in the wilderness, not alone."
"They ousted me in the middle of nowhere," replied Collen. "It wasn't too long ago. I arrived at that city only a couple of weeks before you came along."
"Why'd they chase you off?"
"I couldn't travel quickly enough, and they needed to move." Collen had mentioned this the other night in their conversation. She was a beta, and two middle wolves decided they wanted rank and attacked her. Collen was a proud wolf, and she didn't submit like they hoped she would, which she in turn learned to regret. In the end, the pack left two wolves behind – one dead, and the other weak and wounded. Following the stench, Collen had made her way to the city in a day and healed, surviving on scraps and rubbish. Leaving then without a pack would be suicide – not only would it be difficult to hunt alone, but she would catch her death in the cold.
It was unusual for wolves to get very serious injuries in a battle for dominance, much less killed. A glint in Tsume's eyes told Toboe that the she-wolf's story didn't quite add up for him, but personally the pup didn't doubt her. Collen had no reason to lie, and made no indication that she was lieing – she was calm and sure. Pressure might have driven the wolves to rage and madness – were they hunted? Did starvation make them irritable? Did they lose pack mates, which in turn caused a great scramble for rank from the survivors? Collen wasn't very forthcoming on the details, but it didn't matter. Whatever happened, she had a new pack now, and the past could be left unsaid. Kiba and Hige seemed to share Toboe's logic.
At the base of the hill that the pack was descending stretched a long plain. A patch of forested area was visible far ahead. It looked to be a few miles wide, but from their position the wolves couldn't tell how far it stretched. Farther ahead loomed tall, rocky hills, and patches of dead yellow grass peeked from the thin layer of snow that covered them. Beyond all this rose the mountains, though they were much farther ahead.
It took the pack another hour to cover the miles and reach the forest. It was a deciduous forest with black, naked trunks and widespread branches covered with a thin dusting of snow and ice. There were no bushes, only the trees, and the place looked rather desolate. When winter passed, Toboe was sure that it would be budding with life.
The small and easy game, like rabbits, was bound to be sleeping in their hidey-holes. Toboe could smell deer on the wind, and the thought of a good meal pumped renewed energy through his veins. There was a thin, bent tree not far off with a scarred trunk, the bark having been peeled off months ago when a buck shed the velvet from his antlers. Hige already buried his nose in the snow, and the others were sniffing the wind. No words were exchanged as the pack focused on the hunt.
Hige led the way as they trekked through the snow, peering into the distance between the trees, sniffing the wind and the ground. Their ears were perked for any signs of life besides themselves. A woodpecker made its presence known far above them.
The forest smelled of nature and a variety of birds and animals, including bears. Thankfully they were still in hibernation. The trickling of a stream could be heard in the distance, though Toboe knew that the banks were probably still frozen.
Minutes passed, which eventually turned into an hour, then two. The sun visibly shifted, approaching sunset. The pack was already deep in the forest, and there was more mud than snow on the ground. They were tired from the journey and starvation, and they needed rest more so than sustenance. Toboe's back was still sore from the bullet graze – it was a persistent throbbing pain, though the cold numbed it to a dull ache.
"We have to stop," said Kiba finally. "We'll wait until evening, and hopefully they'll settle down to sleep somewhere." Deer slept in herds, especially in winter. It was for warmth as well as safety and companionship. For a pack of five, however, a large herd wouldn't be much of a problem anyway, though it was doubtful they gathered in particularly large herds in a small forest like this one in the first place.
It took the pack about ten minutes to reach the stream that they heard earlier, and they settled down at its banks. The banks looked to be made of clay and were devoid of any particularly large plants, and the wind blew slightly stronger here. If there were any deer upwind from them, especially by the stream, the pack would be able to smell them. Approaching from this direction would also prevent the deer from catching their scents.
The sun set and the temperature steadily dropped. The wolves were huddled together next to a young birch, Toboe nestled warmly against Collen's great form with Tsume at his other side. Hige and Kiba were pressed against their backs in a tight-knit circle.
The earth retained little warmth from the sun, and the constant cold was starting to affect the pup. His paws were numb and his body sore with fatigue, his lungs aching with the cold air they were forced to process. Even with the weak tremors running through his body, the prospect of rest did not lull him to sleep.
He pressed tighter against Collen's side and marveled at the fortune that bestowed her upon them. By Toboe, her presence was very welcome indeed. She represented the diligence that they would need to accomplish their goal, and her quiet strength inspired Toboe to try his hardest in succeeding in every trial that this journey threw at him. He tried his hardest to not fall behind in their runs, to contribute something to the pack, and to be a factor in this journey, not just a tag-along.
Collen was his comfort, but it was Tsume that really drove Toboe to prove himself. It was Tsume he looked up to, and it was Tsume's respect that he was trying to win. Toboe wasn't ignorant in the slightest, and he was well aware that the older wolf was, in a way, fond of him -- but he was viewed as a pup, someone to be protected. Toboe wanted to be the one protecting for a change.
In the end, it was Kiba that drove them all. He gave them a common goal, and when times were bleak he inspired them with his quiet diligence and firm belief in their cause. He convinced them to search for something that felt so much like a dream, yet the mere mention of it stirred their blood in a way that convinced them that it was very real indeed. The scent that guided them toward this dream only fortified their belief.
Twilight descended and passed, the jagged branches of the empty canopies high above them casting writhing shadows upon the snow and mud. The air cooled. The biting starvation that had long settled in the wolves' stomachs intensified, and it was to great pleasure that their senses picked up the scent of no less than four deer further up the stream.
Kiba rose silently, a glint of something dark in his eyes betraying his desperation for a successful hunt. Toboe felt the same way, and as adrenaline settled in his veins again and his senses sharpened, he was sure that they would finally eat tonight. Failure was inconceivable.
The pack distanced themselves from the bank and followed the stream, somewhat sheltered by the trees. They trekked upwind, and as minutes passed and the scent grew stronger their ears picked up the unmistakable crunching sound of hoof on frozen mud. Just ahead, their gray coats filtering through the low naked branches of bush and tree, were four mule deer does. Their ears were perked and they were looking around, turning in a circle, and making small grunting noises. They looked nervous, and their eyes were bright and alive. They were alert, and obviously sensed danger. To their left was the stream, and as the pack dispersed to quietly surround the does in a semi-circle the wolves were no longer upwind, and their prey was no longer oblivious to their presence.
The does' haunches lowered and their necks stretched taught, the whites of their eyes showing in panic. They bolted along the stream's bank in a swift strotting gait, the wolves in close pursuit. Kiba was running along their side, preventing the deer from leaving the stream to escape into the forest. Collen was not far behind him, with Tsume, Hige and Toboe bringing up the rear, jaws snapping after their prey, who were only meters ahead.
For the three wolves at the back of the precession, it was hard going – the bank of the river was soft and muddy, and the suction made it difficult to run. Fortunately, the deer had the same problem. Kiba and Collen, who were running farther from the bank but still parallel to the stream, were running on hard ground and had an advantage.
With Collen keeping the deer at the water's edge, Kiba quickly overtook them and lunged for the closest doe's throat. He missed, but their target was marked, and as the doe flailed in her attempt to get away Tsume quickly bit into her leg to pull her to the ground. The other deer were gone and the pack quickly surrounded their prey.
Just because a doe doesn't have antlers doesn't mean that she's completely defenseless. A deer's hooves are very hard and sharp, and as the doe landed heavily on her side Tsume quickly let go and leapt aside to avoid getting kicked. Kiba lunged for the throat again, and this time his aim was true. He stood there for a minute, and the doe's flailing became weaker and weaker as she suffocated. Their breath misted before them as they waited, the doe's quiet grunts breaking the silence. When she was finally dead, the other wolves lunged at her and tore into her side, at last sating their hunger.
To Toboe, this experience was reminiscent of the terror that he experienced when being chased by Quent and Blue, only this time he was the hunter. His position in this chase made him feel powerful, yet his unstable emotions when faced with such memories made him feel weak. It was a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts, and a paradox he didn't much enjoy.
Wolves were never meant to experience such terror. They were meant to bestow it upon their prey, this weakness – but never experience it. Life has an order and laws – some animals run and some animals chase, and for a wolf to be the one running is a grievous loss of control. There is never any sympathy from the predators—Quent hunted out of hate and the pack hunted out of necessity. Undoubtedly, just as the doe was run down, the wolves would some day be run down as well.