Intoxicated

Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own Wolf's Rain. Although, I do own the thoroughly awesome Cai.

(AN: After this chapter this fanfiction will barely follow the anime. I'm pretty much making this up as I go along, so please bear with me…)

Chapter 1. Hidden in the Mist

My labored breathing slowed me down. Cursing, I gently waded to the nearest tree stump. Who the hell decided to put a swamp right in my way? How rude. I felt soggy. As I sat and tried to breathe through the disgustingly thick fog, a warty dark green toad hopped onto my knee. I looked at it with disdain before shoving it away.

"Go bother some other hapless victim." I sighed. Where was I even going? Ever since I'd stopped in this god-forsaken dump of a city, I'd been confused.

I rounded a corner and stopped, staring at the station. 'Finally! A way out of here!' I'd thought. I swept back my chin length black bangs, adjusted my long braid and stepped forward. I heard shouts from inside, something about a loose dog. I ran forward a bit, then jumped up a tree. Soon after, a group of wolves exited the station. I gasped, and one of the wolves looked around. I pressed my hand to my mouth. I hadn't seen another of my kind for longer than I cared to remember. So why was I hiding? The wolves kept walking and I quietly followed, feeling more like a bird than a wolf. They made it to a graveyard, where they donned their human illusions. There was a taller, tanned wolf with silver hair wearing all black; there was a short but adorable russet colored pup; there was a slouchy, tall cutie wearing a yellow sweatshirt and a collar; and then there was him. I stared in awe. He was tall, with chocolate brown hair. I wondered what color his eyes were. That one sat against a gravestone, cuts all over his body. I nearly fell out of the tree when his eyes flashed to where I was and away again. The other wolves threw a dead, old wolf into a hole. Words were exchanged. Angry words. Then the beautiful wolf looked up at me again. He said something and stood, and suddenly every wolf in the area was looking into my tree trying to spot me. 'Shit!' I leaped down and away as fast as I could. I heard shouts and the sound of running. I sped up. I'd dashed into the nearby forest…

And had immediately fallen prey to a swamp. Why was there a swamp on this freakin' island anyway? I sighed heavily, relying mostly on self-pity to motivate myself. I stood slowly and dropped my illusion, taking the form of a beautiful black and white wolf. The top of my back, the outside of my legs, my tail and down to just under my eyes was black. It gently faded into my white stomach and muzzle. My neck would've been white if it wasn't gray with dirty water. My violet illusion eyes turned to my real golden ones. I almost howled with joy. I'd been out of my true form for much to long. Newly excited, I ran. I had no idea which direction I was going, but as long as I got out of this horrendous swamp, it didn't really matter. I burst through the trees and let out a short howl for joy, then realized sadly where I'd ended up. The graves were an obvious giveaway. 'Can't I have one break? Just one?' was the only thought I got out before I was pounced on. The gray wolf and I fought, snapping and growling.

"Hey, hey! Back off!" I growled. "What the hell did I do?" The wolf gradually backed off a little and raised his illusion. The collared wolf sniffed and exclaimed happily.

"Hey, you're a girl!" He grinned. The taller, tan wolf rolled his eyes.

"Predictable Hige. The first thing he notices is the girl." He snorted.

"You know, Hige, it's rude to say things like that." Noted the pup.

"Oh yeah, runt? Think so?" Replied the wolf.

"I'm not a runt! Stop calling me that!" The pup pouted for a moment then bounded over to me, and promptly introduced himself.

"I'm Toboe. What's your name? Where are you going? Are you looking for Paradise? We are. If you are maybe you can go with us." I had the feeling the pup had spent just a little too much time with these other wolves.

"I'm Cai. I'm not really going anywhere." The other wolves were starting to get a little closer. The beautiful wolf who had outed me earlier was walking toward me. His eyes were very, very blue. The collared wolf leapt forward landing right in front of me.

"I'm Hige. The jerk who pounced on you is Tsume, and that guy is Kiba." As he spoke, he motioned to each wolf. I nodded, confused.

"So…umm, where are you going now?" I asked, already lost in the conversation.

"Paradise." Kiba replied. My heart stopped, and I took a deep breath. His voice wasn't super low or anything, but it had something in it. An aura, if you will. I nodded. He studied me carefully, and I realized I was still in my wolf form and donned my illusion. The immediate silence was obvious. I knew my illusion was curvy in all the right places, but it had never quite solicited this reaction…had it? 'Well, there have been a few incidents, but I thought that was normal. Hmm…'I mused silently, until I remembered the males in the area were still silent. I blushed, something I hadn't done in a long time.

"Umm…am I mutated or did I miss something?" My words broke through their trance. Tsume whistled low. Toboe's innocence seemed to increase his amazement.

"Damn." Whispered Hige. Kiba was silent but his eyes burned into mine, causing me dizziness. It seemed like he was taking deep breaths. I looked down. My black tank dress went down to my knees. It was loose, and I wore white tights under it, along with white elbow length gloves. My black boots didn't have heels, and for good reason. I was a little confused.

"Should I…go or something?" I asked.

"No! That's ok! You can stay." Hige hastily stepped in for his silent packmates. I was blushing again.

"Actually, you can go. With us." Kiba finally broke his silence. I cocked my head, confused.

"Well, you see that hole over there? We're goin' through. We're tryin' to get to Paradise." Hige pointed a to a hole that seemed like Toboe might fit through.

"Uhh…I don't know…"I trailed off, somewhat unwilling to travel with four males. Toboe grabbed my hand.

"Please, Cai, come with us?" He pleaded. His eyes were all cute and big and…

"Oh hell. Fine, I'll go." He grinned happily. As he glued himself to my side, a tall, older wolf with a scar on his face entered the graveyard.

"Zali." Kiba respectfully noted the other alpha's presence. Zali nodded to him. It proved to me that Kiba was this pack's leader.

"Are you ready to go?" Zali addressed us all this time, and saw me. His face showed surprise before he regained control.

"I see you gained a new member." He said casually. I smiled.

"I'm Cai." He nodded and walked forward to the hole. Standing in front of it, I realized it was bigger than I had first thought, but I was still nervous. All six of us were just a foot from this mysterious hole.

"Ok. So we just hop through?" asked Hige. Zali nodded. Hige eased himself through. There was silence.

"Hige? Can you hear me?" inquired Kiba.

"Yeah! All good down here." Hige replied. His voice was muffled, but we didn't really know how deep he was. Toboe stepped forward, and easily wriggled through. Tsume kicked out a panel of wood right next to our hole. He slid through on his back, and a moment later, we heard a thud and an 'Ow!'

"Tsume! That hurt!" Zali frowned and jumped down. Which left Kiba and I. Alone. Together. I took a deep breath, trying to psyche myself. Kiba put his hand on my arm, and I jumped. I'd forgotten he was there.

"Nervous?" He asked. I nodded.

"I…it feels strange. Having a pack again, no matter how superficial. I've been alone for…a long time." I blushed. I realized I'd blushed more in the past five hours than in the last few years. He smiled at me, and I was suddenly reassured. I smiled back, and his hand left my arm. I stepped forward and eased myself through the hole. It was dark, but after a second of near terror, I hit the ground and instantly crouched. The others were there. Hige and Toboe were glaring at each other, while Tsume stood nearby rolling his eyes. Zali looked like he was remembering a past time. My dress draped around me, and for a second I just sat, utterly comfortable. Then Kiba dropped next to me and stood, looking around. I stood, stretched and yawned. All five males were looking at me the way you look at a fresh piece of meat. I'm positive Hige actually licked his lips. I sighed. I was gonna have to get used to this.

"Ok, enough ogling. Time to go." I walked past them all and looked back. "Right?" Kiba smiled suddenly, brightening the entire tunnel. To me, at least. The others looked at him. We started forward. We walked in silence for what seemed hours, but was probably more like fifteen minutes. Their presence was loud to me. I wasn't used to being around others just yet. I wondered what this Paradise would be like. I remembered that old legend my brother told me when I was a pup. The one about the Paradise that only wolves could find. A Paradise that was filled with lunar flowers and everything else that was wonderful. I wasn't aware that anyone had stopped until I crashed into Hige's back.

"Whoa, sorry." I stepped back. Zali was looking up, but everyone was looking at him.

"Well, this is as far as I go. You five will have to go on." Zali stepped back as we stepped forward. We looked at each other. On a whim I spun in a circle.

"Let's go!" I cried happily. The others smiled, my joy easing the tension.

"Yeah. Let's." Kiba quietly commanded. I burst through them running forward in my true form. Kiba followed, then the others started after us. I heard Zali as we were running.

"If anyone will find Paradise, it's them. After all, they are wolves."

I smiled to myself, and ran on.

End chapter 1