A/N: This short fanfic is set just before Jerome's banishment. The inspiration for this fic is a collaboration art-fanfic piece by IceKrystal and Tavaris on deviantART entitled "GDW: Trail of blood." Ice was the one who drew the picture, and Tavaris colored it and wrote the snapshot-fanfic based on it. I loved both so much that I asked and was given permission to write a fanfic based on this wonderful work of art!

I did keep Tavaris' fanfic portion in this for the reasons of promise and adoration: beginning with "Jerome stomps the ground..." and going on until the end. However, the rest of this chapter and, incidentally, the rest of this fic is mine.

If you'd like to see this amazing pic, type in this link (write the usual 'http:slashslash' thing first): /d36tlyi

Disclaimer: I don't own Ginga Densetsu Weed. Yoshihiro Takahashi does. His masterpiece merely inspired this fanfic.

Do or Die

There has never been anything to worry them before; at least, not like this.

Sure, Weed might be small, but he's been trained by one of the best to defend himself and those he loves.

Besides, the group clusters together whenever they stop to rest, whenever they sleep at night. And here Jerome, Kyoushiro, Akame, GB, Rocket, and the others subconsciously encase their Tora-ge Leader in a protective circle.

So there should never be much of anything to be on edge about…right?

Yet, despite this logic and for all of their guarding, there is nothing to stop a threat when it is unrealized, when it is undetected.

And it is for this reason that they are anxious now, for Weed has been kidnapped in the dead of night from right under their noses, and the scent left behind in the snow suggests he is being dragged. Which may or may not mean that he's been knocked unconscious, that he's injured.

What they don't understand, though, more than anything is why they never heard a single sound, why they never noticed the absence of the pup's warmth, why they couldn't—didn't—stop it from happening. He may be their Leader, but in the end he's still only a child, one who hasn't even seen his first spring; even if he does live a life of war and bloodshed, of do or die, he shouldn't have to be subject to this kind of danger.

They have broken into search parties: Kyoushiro has divided his followers into groups of three to four; Hook, Mel, and Reika are in another gathering; Akame, Tesshin, and Hiro are working together; Kagetora, Ken, and Shigure thrive together; Kurotora, Nobutora, and Harutora blend as one mind; and finally, the strongest team of all, is made up of Rocket, GB, and Jerome. They are to report back by sundown, howling to the others if they find anything.

Jerome stomps the ground, unable to contain his anger as he utters a quiet curse. They've been tracking Weed down for hours, the footprints of his kidnappers and the deep trench made by Weed's body clearly detectable in the freshly fallen snow.

But just now they've reached a crossroad. Here the amount of footprints distinctly increase, scents mix, and he finds himself confused for a bit. And though he is confident nothing so trivial will keep him from finding his charge, the boy who's brought new meaning to his life, the child's scent being one in a million to him, easily recognizable...he can't deny that after following him for hours their spirits are running on empty, their bodies even more so, and his sharp senses are no longer at their peak.

GB treads the ground nervously, feeling uneasy in the face of Jerome's wrath while at the same time he is eager to continue their search.

Rocket, meanwhile, stands quietly at his side, perfectly still so as to not break the concentration of Jerome, who has taken the lead in their quest, his expression a mask of calmness despite his slight fear that they might arrive too late to save Weed.

Suddenly, Jerome inhales sharply, the metallic scent of blood hitting him so hard that he can taste it on his tongue, the small puddle on the ground standing out disturbingly against the otherwise clinical white of their surroundings. GB barks in fear, and even the Borzoi's face now reveals an expression of worry.

The blood carries Weed's scent, but they can't say if it is truly his or if he'd managed to injure one of his captors. Unquestionably, they all hope for the latter.

Jerome braces himself on a tree and peers into the distance, trying to see where the trail of bloodied footprints is leading them. The hope that it gets them back on track is small, but he is willing to cling to it nonetheless.

It starts snowing again.

With a bellowed order he brings the scouts in line behind himself, being sure to pierce the air with their howls as they do so in order to alert the others of their find and rally them in their effort.

The snow flying in flurries behind their lightning-quick paws, they speed up ever further to reach the boy as soon as possible and get him out of the pinch he had inexplicably gotten himself into.

A/N: As this is my first GDW story, I hope I've done all right with the characterization and such! I have watched the anime, but have not gotten to read the manga yet, so if anything's wrong or missing as far as the anime goes, please forgive and tell me! Thanks!

Thanks for reading, as always!