"Will you two quit your wining already its only been three stupid days," Tsume cut in on Toboe and Hidge.
"Yeah but if we hadn't left the city we'd have something to eat right now," Toboe pointed out.
"We can last a lot longer if we bask in the moonlight," Kiba suddenly spoke up. "I traveled a full month once. When I did that."
"Did you say a month?" Hidge sat up strait.
"It should stop snowing anytime now," Kiba went on ignoring Hidge. "Once it does and night drawls closer the moon will be out."
A wolf's howl rang clear even through the falling snow. All four straitened slightly, looking out into the wasteland from the cave.
"The song of loss," Kiba said and he took off into the snow toward the howl.
"Hey!"
"Kiba!"
"Wait up!"
The other three chased after him.
The song went on and on leading them but then faded and was gone.
"Maybe they died themselves," Tsume said.
"Tsume!"
Kiba kept running and the others followed. After a time they came to the sight of a massacre. Bodies of wolves torn and burned now being buried in snow lay everywhere.
"Damn," Tsume cursed.
"They're - all dead," Toboe whimpered backing slightly, head and tail low, ears pinned.
Kiba had locked his eyes onto something. "Not all," he said moving forward.
A light gray wolf got very ungracefully to her paws growling in warning. She was covered in wounds and had likely already lost nearly half of her blood yet she stood and threatened them. Kiba stayed silent as he watched the gray female, near death herself, protect her pack all though her whole pack lay dead around her. When the female charged and Tsume made a move to meet her Kiba stepped before him. Looking into her eyes he saw pain, anguish, but a fierce fire of protection. He nodded, "We are leaving alpha Kichi," he said and turned away.
The others followed though Hidge and Toboe hesitantly.
"We're not just going to leave her are we Kiba?" Toboe asked.
"She's practically dead herself," Tsume scoffed.
"No, were not Toboe," Kiba answered. He continued after Tsume's snort, "We will wait for her to feint-"
The female began to howl again making the four halt and turn to look. Quickly the song faded and they watched as the gray swayed and collapsed.
Kiba ran back to her turning into human. He layed a hand on her head then picked her up.
~The newly formed, still small, pack traveled at a quick walk through the snow lead by an exceptionally proud looking gray female. She had done it. She and her mate had found pack members and now they just needed a territory all their own then at last they would be able to start a family. Tozo a black or as Kichi saw it a twilight colored male came up beside the gray rubbing his face against hers.
"Soon Kichi," he said eyes glittering as he looked at her.
"Yes," the gray she wolf replied. She liked his cheek, "Very soon."
Suddenly a high pitched sound made the hole pack halt, pinning their ears at the penetrating sound.
"What is that?" cried out the youngest member of the pack.
Kichi and Tozo looked up to the sky with worry and fear. "Nobles! A noble ship! Run!" cried the two alphas spinning around and chasing their pack before them. Kichi sprinted ahead through the pack snapping at tails and heels to speed members up and took point leading them.
*dadadadadadadadadadadadadada da!*
the ship had spotted them and was firing. small craters were formed as bullets hit ground. screaming yelps could be heard from those behind. Kichi looked back with wide frightened yellow eyes. 'No! NO!' her mind screamed. *dadadadadadadadadadadadada!*
Kichi lost sight of Tozo. She skidded to a halt, turning around to see him on the ground trying to stand. "Tozo!" She began to sprint back to him.
"Run Kichi!" he howled at her, blood turning the churned up snow red. "RUN!" He collapsed.
"Come alpha!" another female said pushing Kichi to keep running.
The gray took point again desperately trying to find cover for her pack.
*FUMPH!*
The pack was hit by come kind of canon like weapon. Ground and crying bodies flew up and out.
Kichi's eyes slowly opened and she became aware of an intense pain all over her body. Slowly, very slowly she began to stand but when she did the sight around her made her wish the darkness had kept her. "No!" she cried running to the closest body. "Ariya!" she called nudging the body with her muzzle. Snow piled on the beautiful sunsety coat of her friend. "No!" Kichi gasped closing her eyes, shaking her head and backing away.
Slowly and unsteadily limping heavily the gray moved among the bodies of her fallen pack members calling names to each. Her eyes fell upon a twilight pelt half hidden by white snow. "Tozo!" She sprinted to her mates side and began to nudge and lick him calling to him begging him to wake up. "We have a family to start Tozo. We have a pack to help us protect them we just need territory. Come Tozo please." Her mate gave no response. She couldn't hear his heart beat or his breath, the sounds that had so often lulled her to sleep at night, silenced. "No. No. Please. Please Tozo. Tozoooo!" the ending of his name turned into a song of breath taking heart ache. Kichi howled and howled singing for her slaughtered pack and fallen mate.
At last the songs ended and Kichi lay beside her mate pushing her nose into his cold pelt.
'Strangers!' Kichi stumbled to her paws nearly falling over weak from loss of blood and heart ache, growling. Four strange wolves appeared through the snow. "Keep away!" she growled standing over Tozo protectively. "I am alpha Kichi stay away! Leave now or die strangers!"
"You would - kill us?" asked a young pup of a boy.
"I will kill and be killed to protect my pack!" Kichi snapped. She charged at the four. "Leave!"
A dark colored wolf with a scar on his chest moved as though to fight but a white male stepped before him. He stood for a moment looking at Kichi.
"We are leaving alpha Kichi," the white said turning. The other four followed.
Kichi watched them till she was sure they could not surprise her with a sudden attach and limped back to Tozo. "Tozo," she whimpered nuzzling the now stiff body. "My dear Tozo." Kichi howled her pain. The song faded and Kichi fell to the ground.~
Kichi woke in a cave the snow falling outside.
"Oh! Hey, guys, she's awake!" called a pups voice.
Her nose picked up the scent of the four strangers. "What do you think you're doing!" she growled jerking into a more upright position glaring at them all. "Where is my pack! Tozo will skin you for taking me!"
"Your pack's dead."
"Tsume!"
Kichi's eyes snapped wide.
"Well that was real tactful Tsume."
"Shut up pig. It might be harsh but she's gotta learn to deal with the fact that her pack is gone."
The memory of the attack made Kichi shiver with pain, fear, loss, and guilt. It was her duty to protect her pack and she had failed.
"What happened?"
Her head snapped around to look at the white wolf. "We were looking for land when we heard Noble ships-"
"Nobles!" the scarred one growled.
Kichi nodded. "To-" she chocked on his name. "Tozo and i tried to - but - there was no cover we -" Kichi wined and layed her head on her paws.
The cave was silent for a time.
"You have been asleep for two days," the white one said. "We are searching for Paradise."
Kichis eyes widened with a snap her head lifting. "Paradise? The wolven paradise of lunar flowers?"
"You've heard of it?"
She turned to look at the youth. "Of course i have little one. What wolf hasn't?"
"You are welcome to join us."
Everything went deadly silent as everyone looked at the white wolf.
"What the hell Kiba - !?"
"Well?" the white said over the scarred one.
Kichi paused. "May I know your names first?"
"I am Kiba. These are Tsume, Hidge and Toboe."
Tsume snorted at his name while the last two wagged their tails and said hello.
"I am Kichi," she said dipping her head. "I thank you for helping me though in a way I wish you hadn't." Kichi lowered her head looking at her paws. She had heard many stories of paradise and knew that it was a dangerous journey. 'I have no where else to go. Home is to far away and i am dispersal,' she thought. 'I am already dead. A wolf should not be alone.' She looked up directly into Kiba's eyes. 'I am not dead so my duty here is not yet done.' She nodded slightly. "I will come."
"Will you be able to travel tomorrow?" Kiba asked.
Kichi nodded. "I believe so."
"Good, rest then."
The city was not only falling apart but apparently, so was everyone in it. The past few days a group of thieves lead by a white haired man had been really pissing the nobles off. There was also talk of a strange man and his dog attacking what he called a 'Wolf'.
The blonde turned her head when she herd an explosion off in the distance. There was a proverbial witch hunt going on for wolves, after the old mans antics. Of coarse the blonde in the goggles already knew that the witch they were hunting was very real.
She started heading towards the city exit. As the sun set she pulled her jacket closer to her, and tucked her bandaged covered hands in her pockets. As she drew closer there were flashing lights. Something must have spooked the humans bad to get their heckles up like this.
She knew she was getting nowhere in her human guise, so she quickly darted into a dark back ally. Shifting into her wolf form she peeked around the corner. Men in armor where standing around with what looked like shields.
'Wolf hunters' the black she-wolf thought to herself. Knowing her red black coat would stick out too much in the snot she dug into the nearest snow drift. Rowling in it, she covered herself in show. You could still tell she was a black wolf, but it gave her some time to sneek past before anyone noticed.
Her opportunity came when most of the people cleared out. There was still a man with brown hair and a women with a blonde pony tail standing around, but the wolf had no fear of them. Quickly she darted past them before they could turn to see her. As she ran further away from the city the darker it became. The wolf loved the pitch darkness. Something about it frightened her and yet thrilled her. As she ran she noted that there where more wolf tracks to her right. 'So those are the idiots that freaked out the humans.'
She was still out in the snow when she herd the ship. As quickly as she could she dived into a snow drift and dug down. If she dug deep enough they could not detect her. She had long suspected that the humans were like snakes. They could see the body heat of their pray, so to avoid that she covered herself in 3 feet of snow. Nestled in her little cave she quietly listened.
*dadadadadadadadadada!*
'Shit! Looks like the poor bastards where finally caught.'She did not know how long she layed there before the shooting stopped. Deciding that her little cave was warm, the black wolf curled up and drifted off to sleep.
The fallowing morning she dug her way out of the now 4 feet of snow. Shaking herself off she started out at a quick trot. She hadn't gone too far when she stumbled upon a scene that made her blood run colder then the snow. Wolves lay strung everywhere. All very frozen and very dead. She bowed her head and dropped her tail. As saddened as she was she did not linger long, nor did she howl. She had not made it this far just to be shot down over already dead wolves. She picked up her pace again and started off.
As she broke into an easy lope something caught her attention again. Paw prints. Stopping to sniff them she realized that they where the same wolves from the city. 'So the other wolves died because of the stupidity of a few wolves that stirred up the humans... Bastards' Growling angrily she fallowed the tracks. She may not kill them but she would ream them for their carelessness. After all, there where not many of them left. A wolf will willingly give its life for its pack, but that dose not mean that they should throw life away ether.
The sound of a ship sent her diving back into another snow bank. The ships seemed to keep coming. The air wasn't clear of their foul sound until after sundown so she decided to just stay put.
The next morning the paw prints shed been following had vanished after the nights storm so she just followed their general direction.
The sun was setting and was starting on work of a nest when a loud metallic clanking sound was heard not to far off. Sprinting to see what was happening she did not see the bullet coming at her. Narrowly missing her the bullet hit a nearby bolder shattering it like glass. Yelping she jumped sideways. In the distance there was still clanking and shooting sounds. As she listened she could also hear snapping and yelping. 'The wolves!' She continued cautiously to where the fighting was happening. She arrived in time to see the robot and the wolves go over the sheer drop.
There was blood on the ground. She started to tremble. The blood was fresh. It smelled of fear and life. The victim was still alive. She could not restrain herself any longer. She charged after them. She jumped the cliff and landed on the now fast moving robot on the way down. It was chasing the wolves, completely unaware of the one currently on its back. She started gnawing on the metal trying to open it up. Before she could however, above the clanking she heard a howl and a white wolf jumped onto it and ripped it open like it was the flesh of a young deer. That sobered her up right quick.
As the metal monstrosity came to a crashing halt the she-wolf jumped down and took the wolves in. Before her stood a russet colored pup, a fat brown wolf with a collar on, a wounded gray on light gray wolf, and a sullen gray she-wolf. To her right was the white wolf that had destroyed the monster.
'So these are the wolves from the city.' Her eyes traveled to the sullen wolf 'I think she was from the dead pack though. I remember only 4 sets of tracks leaving the city.' She turned her attention back to the wolves in front her her and tilted her head.
"Are you the idiots who started the humans on a killing spree?" she barked.
The gray female was the first awake the next morning. Kichi stiffly got to her paws grimacing. Three days since the attach and her wounds were healing nicely. She was still a little wosey but that was to be expected after losing so much blood and sleeping for two days. Kichi looked around at the four males and started. They were all in human form. Kichi had been born as a wolf but she had grown up human. It had been over a year since she had reverted to the guise.
Carefully and silently she stepped over legs and around heads and stood in the entrance to the cave gazing out sniffing at the air. Kichi wanted to thank this pack for helping her and though shed said thank you words in a pack were next to nothing. It was actions that spoke volumes. Kichi looked back at the four then trotted out into the crisp air sniffing. She paused for a moment catching a faint scent. She shook out her fur and started to stalk forward. The scent grew stronger. She peered around a snow bank and spotted a lone deer. The thing was already near death, an easy catch. There wasn't much meat on the thing but it was the only food for miles and as Tozo used to say 'eat what you can when you can'. Kichi crawled forward on her belly freezing when the deer stopped in its staggering gate to look around. Once she was close she sprang into action leaping after the pray. Her wounds slowed her considerably but as she thought the pray was weak from starvation. Kichi bit one of its back legs tripping it. She leapt over onto its back and bit down on its neck. It kicked out but Kichi jerked her head breaking its neck. Holding onto it for a moment more to make sure she released and softly thanked the earth for the gift and the deer for giving its life to sustain others. Being the one to take it down Kichi opened the deer ate the heart and liver after that she stepped back licking her chops and howled to the others. Kichi sat silently looking up at the sky as she waited. There was a short answering howl and 5 or so minutes later the four came into sight.
"wow!" Hidge said happily kneeling by the deer eyes bright.
Kichi bowed her head to them all. "My gift to the pack as a thank you. Does the pack like my gift and accept?"
"Do we!" Hidge exclaimed. He was about to tear into the deer when Kiba stopped him.
Kichi looked silently up into the blue human eyes.
"Hidge this is her kill she should be first," Kiba finally said.
Kichi smiled. "I have taken my killing share. Eat what you will. The pray is yours."
Kiba dipped his head to her. "Your gift is thankfully received Kichi."
She bowed her head and backed farther away to give them room. Though it stabbed at her pride she had to accept she was no longer an alpha and needed to behave as such. Kichi couldn't help but smile with pleasure as the males tore into her gift.
Kiba soon turned away from the pray however holding strips of belly meat and padded over to her. Kichi blinked in surprise at him as he lay the strips before her. He lifted his head looked at her for a moment then turned and went back to the carcass. Belly meat was the best on a kill and therefore was for the alphas. Kichi was shocked that Kiba had given some of it to her but Kichi had a saying just as Tozo had; never turn down a gift. So Kichi delicately snapped up the strips eyes on Kiba. Actions do speak volumes.
With four males the scrawny deer didn't last long. Hidge sighed and fell backwards to lay on his back one arm under his head the other hand on his stomach. "Good thing you're sticking around Kichi," he said.
Kichi just smiled as she got up into a sitting position from laying down. She stood and stretched grimacing as her muscles twanged and the wounds pulled. She turned to lick gently at a wound on her shoulder massaging the ache away. It wasn't until Tsume stormed off that Kichi turned to pay close attention. Watching to see what the totempole in this pack was, how everyone reacted to each other and treated each other.
"Tsume! Come on don't leave now weve finally made some friends," Toboe called after him.
"Play with your buddies all you want im outta here," Tsume barked back.
Kichi stood one paw raised and looked over at the other three not sure what should be done now. A wolf should not be alone. It wasn't safe.
"If you ask me the only one acting like a kid around here is him," Hidge said.
"Don't say that," Toboe said softly. "I like Tsume hes really nice."
Kichi watched Kiba as he looked at Toboe with a strange expression in his eyes.
Toboe turned to Kiba. "Just wait here im going to go get him," said and set out after Tsume.
Kichi's eyes followed Toboe and stepped to follow.
"No Kichi."
Kichi froze and looked over to Kiba. "We will wait." Kichi nodded and sat back down curling her tail over her front paws.
"If I may ask," Kichi began. "why are you all in human guise when there is no one around other then out kind?" she looked over at the two.
"Were still close to one of the human cities," Hidge answered. "In human form the humans leave us alone. If your pack had been traveling as humans the nobles wouldn't have attacked."
"Hidge," Kiba warned.
Kichi winced as though she had been stabbed. "We wanted to move quickly," she said softly head hanging. "You cant seem to get anywhere on just two legs. We didn't realize we were close to a human city."
After a time they moved on. Tsume and Toboe still hadn't shown up as the sunset and a full moon rose. Kiba, Hidge, ad Kichi stopped at a large crumbling building where they got onto the roof of to bask in the moonlight.
"You know Kichi," Kichi lifted her head to look around at Hidge, "were completely exposed up here. I might be smarter to look human in case a ship goes over."
Kichi blinked. "Yes of course. Im sorry I should have thought of that. I – I guess my brains just a bit rattled." After all of the polite political proper manners back when she presented the deer as a gift she didn't have any left.
"that's to be expected," Kiba said.
Kichi nodded and sat up lifting a paw and looking at it. "its been a long time since I turned human." She slid her tongue in and out then closed her eyes and relaxed. Next thing she knew she was crouched on two feet balancing with a hand the other forearm laying on a knee. She blinked open bi colored eyes.
"You did it!"
Kichi unsteadily looked over at whom she noticed reacted to her different colored eyes. She lifted a hand to look at long slender fingers. "Yeah…I guess I did…." She said stumbling over the words not used to speaking out loud. She shook her head making her abundant russet hair fly. "Woop!" the movement made her loose her balance on the heavy slant and she tumbled backwards.
"Kichi!"
She caught herself one foot back farther than the other down on her hands. "Im allright!" she called to the two males before they could jump after her. "Just not used to two feet." After a moment she stood upright and holding her arms out for balance she walked back up to the boys. She sat and lay on her back next to Kiba. "This is going to take some getting used to."
They were silent for a time till Hidge spoke up. "You know I was thinking, we should go ahead and ditch that guy. I mean it's not like he has to tag along with us or anything. It was just happenstance that through us together and they just ended up with us is all."
"The same goes for you," Kiba said. "And for Kichi."
"Hey don't get me wrong I like Kichi," Hidge said smiling over Kiba at Kichi. "I don't know that Tsume guys been giving me a real dangerous vibe."
"He's just different from us is all," Kiba said. "Hes always had someone else to blame. Its pretty darn lucky if you ask me. Give him a break he'll come around."
Hidge sat up looking down at him, "Ok so what the hell is up with you anyway? I mean your always talkin like you got an answer for just about everything. What happened to you before all of this?"
Kichi looked over at Kiba.
"Not much," he answered. "Not much at all."
Soon after they were on the move again but Kichi got a sudden uneasy feeling and stopped.
"Kichi?"
She looked up at Kiba then lifted her nose to the air. "Do you smell that?" she asked softly.
His eyes said he did he took a step but his foot hit something metallic. Hidge and Kichi crowded around to see what it was as Kiba knelt.
"Hmm, maybe there used to be a military base around here," Hidge suggested at the sight of the red sign.
Kiba and Kichi looked at each other than both turned around and started heading back the way they had come from.
"Hey Kichi, Kiba, wait."
Both kept going not pausing or looking back. In a moment Hidge was with them.
"not again."
"Whats that Kichi?"
"It cant happen again…It cant!" Kichi leaped forward turning into a wolf and took off.
"Hey!"
in a moment Kiba came up on her right while Hidge lagged slightly behind on her left. The sound of bullets far off and barely audible made Kichi slide to a stop with a gasp. The memory of that sound as her pack was attached flashed through her mind. "No!" she howled and ignoring her wounds she stretched to her fullest extent running full pelt.
"Kichi! Wait! Your going to reopen your wounds!"
Females were built sleek and slender for speed while the males had strength so it wasn't long before Kichi pulled ahead of them. Her wounds opened and blood oozed through. The sound grew louder. *FUMPH!* Kichis heart skipped a beat. 'NO!' her mind screamed. Kichi slid to a stop at a cliffs edge. In the bottom of it a robot was stalking a downed Tsume. Kichi was about to jump down with a growl but Kiba leaped over her landing before her with a growl warning her to stay put. Kichis hackles began to rise but then she suddenly remembered she was no longer an alpha. With a growl she stood down and Kiba leaped down into the canyon with a howl.
After a moment Kichi crawled forward to see a strange wolf attaching the robots back. Kiba leaped at the thing head on ripping into it. The glaring red eyes faded and the robot buckled and fell.
"Come on Kichi. I think its safe for us now," Hidge said coming up beside her then jumping down to stand by Tsume and Toboe.
The anger and fear that had burned in her now faded leaving her sore and slow. Delicately she leaped from ledge to ledge then padded up to stand beside Tsume watching the stranger carefully.
"are you the idiots who started the humans of a killing spree?" the stranger barked.
"Who you calling idiots?" Hidge barked back.
"Shut up pig," snapped Tsume. "Who the hell are you, and how is it our fault that the humans are being stupid?" he snarled angrily.
"Tsume." Kiba cautioned calmly. He looked back over to the black she-wolf.
"Peace, both of you," Kichi breathed to both touching her tail to Hidge and looking with soft eyes at Tsume.
Hidge smiled at her while Tsume snorted.
"why do you blame us?" Kiba asked the strange she-wolf.
"you smell like forest," the other responded. "I can assume that it was you that crazy old man shot."
There was a pause,
"well what ever the hell you did don't make a habit of it. Let them think we are all dead."
She turned to leave but Toboe called to her;
"please don't go! You can come with us, right Kiba?"
The stranger looked back at Toboe then to the others.
"why the hell are you guys out here anyway?" she questioned.
"why are you out here?" Kiba questioned back.
"Something is pulling me. I smell lunar flowers. I feel I need to find them..."
"Then come with us to Paradise."
The she wolf paused then:
"Ok."