Kiba limped away from the fight, licking his wounds. However, this was only metaphorically, he was in his human form, feeling to weak and pathetic to do anything about it.
Those pathetic mutts... they weren't wolves… only stray dogs! Claiming they knew Paradise… there was a reason they hadn't found it. There was a reason!
These thoughts wound round and round his head as his knees gave way beneath him. His legs buckled and he found himself with his nose pressed against the hard cold concrete. He shivered. It was cold. He drew his legs up into his body, coiling himself together tightly.
He was cold, wet, hungry and hurt. His damn pride… if he had only- no, that made him the wolf he was. Those stupid bastard mutts needed to know the truth, he wasn't about to let them walk all over him.
Time passed by, he wasn't sure how long. Next thing he knew, someone was beside him, muzzle nudging his side to get him up. He looked over, the shape of a slim female could be seen nosing over his wounds, curiously. She was young, younger than himself, probably not much older than that runt. She was dark grey, with a white under belly, curious looking wolf, there was a stark difference between the colours.
She looked up at him, taking her human form, and grinned.
"Someone's an idiot," she said mildly, sitting back on her haunches, arms around her legs. She had dark, mid-length, matted hair. Her olive skin was smudged with dirt, and she was dressed in jeans, shirt and jacket, all of which was ripped, sullied and generally unkempt.
"What's it to you?" he snarled.
She sighed, moved over to where his head lay, he couldn't even be bothered to lift it to speak to her. "They're my pack too you know," she told him, "I'm just not as stubborn as they are."
"So you've seen their Paradise?"
"Fuck no!" she replied, "I just found myself here one day, and never ended up leaving." She grinned cheerfully, was it something about that age that made them stupid? "I don't like humans, so staying with others like me is great. Humans don't like me much either… they say I'm kinda aggressive. I can't help it!"
"Don't need your life story."
"You didn't get it, I'm just telling you why I'm here. I'm not like the others, I still believe in Paradise- I just don't think I'm strong enough to get there yet."
Kiba frowned at her from beneath his shaggy bangs. He still hadn't moved. But he was no longer shivering so much, there was a close proximity between the two of them, and it was clear her body heat was making some difference to him.
The female ducked her head foreword, then without warned pushed him up to a sitting position with her muzzle, and straightened him out. She checked out his wounds again then relaxed settling near his feet, looking at him with a smile on her fact. The defining difference between the two colours of her coat was made most obvious about her mouth and eyes.
"Why did you fight with them?" she asked, her voice had a low growl to it, "there was no point- can't you just let them believe what they want?"
"They're wrong."
"It doesn't matter."
"Of coarse it matters!"
She stopped, her human form back again, her human eyes were a strange golden colour. They were confused. "Why?"
"Why? Why?! Because it's the reason we're being hunted and killed by humans! Because of what we might prophesize!"
She shrugged. "So? Belief is still belief. I still believe in Paradise, and my pack knows it, but they don't chastise me the whole time for it." She leaned forewords and touched his face, he jerked out of her hand.
"They're still wrong. They have to know they're wrong."
The female said nothing, she just stared at him, studying his face, his eyes, closely. He snapped at her, trying to keep her away. She did nothing of the sort. Instead, she coiled around him, in wolf form, keeping her body close to his, warming him.
"You may be right," she said simply, looking up at him as she rested her head on his knees, "but then again you may not be. Ignorance is bliss. We're a simple pack, we make money and food anyway we can."
"What's that mean?"
"Go to the station in the morning, you'll see. And don't react so rashly when you do. Now sleep."
"But-"
She nipped at his thigh, he tensed then relaxed. Fine, he would sleep, but there would be more questions in the morning. Like who the hell she was, what she was doing… there…
His breathing became regular, his body relaxed, his wolf form took over, and the female found herself wrapped around a white wolf, who was shuffling to get closer to her, whining in his sleep over his wounds.
In the back of her mind, she wandered if perhaps she should do something about them… at the same time, she knew if she left he was more likely to die of hypothermia it would take her so long.
Instead she allowed him to sleep on her, recover his strength and learn the truth in the morning. She allowed her own eyes to close, but all other senses were sharp. There was unrest with her pack, and she had no wish to bring strangers into it.
*
Kiba's eyes fluttered open. He was still hurting, but he was warm. He smiled painfully and yawned. He put his human hand down to touch the head of the young female who had come to him the night before.
There was nothing there.
His blue eyes snapped open, he looked down. She was gone… no where to be seen. All that was left of the evidence of her being there were the paw prints she left on the snow… and her jacket around his shoulders.
Kiba frowned. If she was one of Zila's pack… then he'd find her again, give her back the jacket. Just then the memory of what she had said the night before, about the station came flooding back to him.
Painfully, he got to his feet. He still hurt a lot, those bastards… attacking him out of no where. It made no sense to him. Then again, nothing about this pack made any sense to him. He grabbed the jacket and tucked it loosely under his arm, limping his way over to the station.
As he neared the building, he could hear the sound of whining from wolves inside. He hesitated before moving forewords. The closer her got the whines of pain got louder, and the sound of whips joined the choir of wolf agony.
His eyes widened… understanding of what that young she-wolf had said hit him with full force. He stood in the snow, the jacket had dropped from his grasp,his hands had clenched into fists. His growl in the back of his throat had become distinctly wolfish. The anger he felt was over flowing…
Almost without realising it, he ran forewords, into the station, ready to make right what was so wrong.
Outside, the young female came out from the shadows, a cigarette at her lips. She smiled wanly as she bent to retrieve her jacket.
"This is one lesson you should learn," she murmured, "if you want to get to Paradise… if you're ever going to get to Paradise…"
She turned and left, a limp in her left leg.
She wouldn't be returning again.
But at least she had met a wolf who would get to Paradise.
Kiba, she knew the moment she had laid eyes on him, would take off where her leader had to stop. He would find Paradise. That way, this she-wolf knew Paradise did exist.
For some.