The sun's rays slowly penetrated through the curtain and silently passed over the face of a sleeping two toned brunette woman. Well more like a ticking time bomb when it came to waking up the said brunette in the morning. Unfortunately for the brunette she was about to be woken up in a very sudden fashion.
*splash*
"TYSON GRANGER!"
*crash*
A two toned gray haired man smirked from his spot at the kitchen table.
"Don't you think that was a little harsh Kai?" A black haired man asked his captain, walking in from his morning run.
"No. Why do you ask Ray?" Kai asked, sipping a cup of black coffee.
"O no reason really. It's just that you're smirking like a madman." Ray replied, swiping a bagel from the pantry and applying a generous amount of cream cheese.
"No I'm not." Kai replied, raising a eyebrow. He will never smile or smirk in front of his team. A loud noise came from the direction of the stairs, making both men look up.
A blue haired man tumbled down the stairs and scrambled into the kitchen to hide under the table.
"Shush. I'm not here." He whispered. Enraged muttering made the two men abandon looking at the man under the table and look back to the stairs.
"Good morning Tari." Ray said nervously, eyes taking in the picture of a soaking wet woman in her pajamas.
"Ditto to you to Raymond. Now please tell me where the blue haired freak is hiding." The woman, Tari, snarled, cracking her knuckles.
"Isn't that a little dark for you Tar?" Kai asked, sipping his coffee while looking at his sister. "Not if I'm related to you onii-san." Tari replied, a sly smile gracing her face. At that both men pointed under the table.
"Traitors!" Tyson hissed.
"Thank you. Tyson. Come out and play." Tari said in a sweet innocent voice.
"Are you going to hurt me?" Tyson asked, pointing to the bump on his head he had received when Tari had thrown a heavy book at his head.
"Why would I do that to the world champion?" Tari replied, a fake expression of surprise covering her face. Tyson crawled out from his safe hiding spot and was tackled to the ground by a sopping wet tigress.
"What? You said you wouldn't hurt me." Tyson gasped as the air was knocked out of him.
"I said that? O well, easy come, easy go!' Tari smirked, making the man's head bounce off the kitchen floor.
"Okay Tari leave him alone." Kai said, looking at his teammate.
Tari snorted and got up off the cowering world champion blader. She disappeared upstairs again with a nod to her brother and came back down a short while later in some dry clothes and her hair tied up in a pony tail.
"Kai I'm packed. Are you done packing?" Tari asked, moving to make herself some breakfast.
"Yeah I am. We leave as soon as Hilary and Kenny get back from getting Max." Kai said, finishing his coffee. He stood and went over to the sink, leaning on it looking at his sister.
"I can't believe you both are heading back to Russia. You sure you want to leave us Kai?" Tyson asked from his spot on the floor. Kai looked down at his teammate.
"It's not like you need me Granger. I'm going to head back to my team, but I expect you to keep in top form for when we meet again." Kai said, nodding to the younger man. Tyson looked at the older Russian man, eyes slipping to look at Tari as she came back down with her luggage. Kai had been apart of the team for a long while, but Tyson understood why he chose to leave now. The team needed a break and Kai wanted to spend time with his family now.
Tari leaned on the door frame, watching as more of the team showed up to say goodbye to the team leader. She smiled as each one hugged her older brother in farewell, before she prompted him to load up his own luggage in the car. Ray drove them to the airport, where he said a final farewell to his now old team captain and his sister. Tari smiled at the neko-jin, realizing that he was the one that smoothed everything over when Tari had stirred the pot by surprise visiting her brother.
The two siblings boarded their plan shortly after arriving and checking in. Tari elbowed her brother for the window seat, and smugly sat down. Kai rolled his eyes before settling in the chair next to her. Tari placed her mp3headphones in her ears and turned the volume up full blast, leaning on her brother as her eyes slowly began to droop. She soon fell asleep and night closed in on them. She dreamed of many things, but the dream that stuck out was a nightmare.
Tari was on the outskirts of the town she lived in and stood at a great boulder that was slick with snow. No sound was heard except for the soft breathing that was from Tari. her breath came out in frosty puffs, clouding her vision momentarily. She walked around the boulder a few times, not finding anything that told her what she was doing here. Suddenly, she heard gunshots and hard, ragged, breathing.
In a mad scramble of claws and fur, a golden she-wolf careened into her chest. Blood poured from the wolf's face and body where Tari could see bullet wounds.
"Help me!" the wolf coughed and she collapsed on her side.
"What? You can talk?" Tari asked, eyes widened at the gory sight of the injured wolf.
"I'm in blood rage. See my eyes. Please help me. They think I'm a monster." The wolf whimpered, blood red eyes pleading with Tari for help.
"What are you?" Tari asked, leaning down to touch the body of the wolf. The wolf breathed heavily and then mumbled, eyes slowly changing from bloody red to bright blue. "I'm human. I just don't think myself human. So that's why when I dream I am a wolf. Just like you are a tigress." The wolf replied. Tari's eyes were about the size of dinner plates.
"What do you want me to do? I am no medic." Tari whispered.
"Find me. I'm what Boris is trying to find." The wolf gasped as pain rocked her body. Tari laid a gentle hand between the wolf's eyes.
The wolf struggled wildly with two emotions, the one to kill and the one to accept. She wanted badly to bite the hand that was calming her down, the animal inside of her ripping at her control.
"Please go and when you find me let Spiked Tiger help you. Good hunting." The wolf growled as she dragged herself up and started running again, this time through the open snow field. Tari hid in the trees and tried to keep up with the injured wolf until she heard a crack like a whip. The wolf was thrown backwards with a howl and she laid there in the snow, blood pouring from her chest. Tari gasped in shock as the bluish eyes closed and the wolf's breathing stopped. A man stepped up to the cooling wolf and reached out for a necklace that hung from its neck.
"NO! YOU LEAVE HER ALONE!" Tari screamed.
The man spun around with amazing speed and aimed right at Tari.
"Boris." Tari whispered in shock as Boris pulled the trigger...
Tari was shaken awake by her brother, who had a concerned look in his red eyes.
"Tari wake up." Kai said. Tari jumped up; sweat beading down her forehead and breathing hard.
"Where are we?" Tari gasped.
"We are about to land. Are you alright? You don't look so good." Kai asked, putting a hand to her forehead. Tari shoved his hand away and nodded, her breathing slowing down.
"I'm fine. It was just a bad dream." Tari said. The pilot's voice came on, telling them to take their seats as they were about to land. Kai gave her a look that said 'You're not off the hook just yet sis." Tari smirked and stuck out her tounge at her brother.
The plane landed with some not to gentle rocking at that moment, making Tari and Kai's head collide. The duo yelped in pain, both grabbing the offending area on their head.
"Kai next time I just want to walk home from Japan." Tari mumbled as she felt a migraine coming on when all the other passengers were hurrying to get off. Kai grunted in agreement and got out of his seat as soon as there was room to squeeze through. Reaching up, he grabbed his duffel bag, handing Tari her own duffel in the process. His sister followed him off the plane, both of them making a beeline for the luggage carousel.
"Hey bro! Did you ask dad to pick us up?" Tari asked, scanning the crowd for their father.
"I did, but he broke his leg remember." Kai replied, heaving his other suitcase up from the luggage.
"O my bad. I shouldn't have asked him to take Slush sledding." Tari said, frowning as she remembered the news the siblings had received a month ago.
"Hey calm down. He wanted to try it. He just…um… did it his own way." Kai said, a lopsided smirk gracing his face. Tari giggled at that and then murmured gently.
"Then how are we supposed to get home?"
"That will be my job Tar." A deep voice said from Tari's left.
Tari turned to look at a fiery red head with icy blue eyes.
"Tala! It's good to see you." Tari exclaimed, a smile gracing her face at the sight of her friend. Tala smirked and gave her a hug, his arms wrapping Tari in a big bear hug. He had missed the younger woman when she had decided to visit her older brother in Japan. The red head felt Kai's eyes boring into the back of his head and he released the hug, a blush gracing his face when he looked at his old team captain.
"Come on you guys. Brian's waiting for us in the parking lot." Tala said, leading the duo to the huge expanse of Moscow's International Airport parking lot. Tala lead them to a red truck where a grey haired Russian was lounging.
"Hi Brian." Tari said, opening the back door. Brian smiled and pulled Tari into a hug. "Well looks like the tiger cub finally decided to come home. Oh and she brought the damn firebird with her?" Kai swiped a punch at his old teammate, making the older Russian chuckle.
"Missed you too Brian. How have things been?" Kai asked, chucking his bags into the back of the truck. Brian got out of the truck, stretching his massive frame.
"Eh, as easy as things are around here Kai, some stuff never changes. Red here likes to wake up a the last minute and take an ungodly amount of time in the shower still." Tala growled at the other side of the grey haired man and socked him.
"I do not!"
"Shish Tala. Don't scream in my ear." Tari grumbled, climbing into the driver's side of the truck and throwing it into drive. The boys scrambled into the truck, throwing on their seatbelts as Tari began navigating her way out of the airport.
"My bad." Tala said, shrugging. Tari just smirked evilly and looked at Brian, who handed her a cd. Tari popped it in and turned it to song number 3.
"You are so going to regret that Tala." Kai said, popping his Ipod earphones in, turning on some loud Rock and roll music. Tari and Brian placed ear plugs in their ears, smiling at the red head. He was completely clueless as to why they were doing that until a certain song from hell itself began playing. I'm a Barbie Girl. Tala groaned and frantically tried to find some spare earplugs in the dashboard, but he heard Tari giggle evilly and he looked up. She was holding another pair and she was….. rolling down the window?
"Wait! NO! Please have mercy on a mere mortal." Tala begged. Tari grinned and threw the ear plugs out the window.
"No! Sweet merciful Jesus! Save me!" Tala groaned and tried to block out the horrifying sound that was the song playing with his large hands.
Kai and Tari snickered at the poor unfortunate wolf and turned off the 'Devil Music' as Brian put it. Tari took out her earplugs and ejected the cd, handing it back to the grey haired man. Kai handed her his I-pod and patted Tala on the head.
"Are you traumatized?" he asked, smirking at the wide blue eyes Tala was now sporting. Tala whimpered and nodded. Kai busted out laughing, leaning on his arm rest in the back of the truck.
"Aww, poor Tala. Here's some music I know you like." Tari said, plugging in the I-pod to the aux jack and switching it to a song the four Russians loved, Dance with the Devil by Breaking Benjamin. Tala smirked and hugged Tari, who felt her heat start beating faster and faster at the physical contact she was receiving from the red head.
"Thank you o merciful one." Tala said. Tari rolled her eyes and pushed him off with one arm, keeping her violet eyes focused on the snowy road she was taking outside of Moscow.
"Watch it! I'm driving." She snapped.
"Oops. Sorry Tar." Tala said and sat back down, looking sheepish. Tari rolled her eyes again at the red head and kept on driving down the road.
"Tala did you take care of dad and Slush? Kai asked, poking his head from around the seat. "Yeah. Your dad sure did appreciate the help, but I think Slush wanted to get out more." Tala said, smirking.
"Please tell me she didn't tear up the whole entire house?" Tari asked, taking a left onto another road.
"Err… not the whole house… just your room." Tala said, bracing himself for what was to come after his little announcement. A swerve later and several Russian curses uttered, Tari pulled up to their mansion. From the outside it was a normal looking mansion, but she dearly missed the old place. Tari leapt out of the truck, smiling at the sight of the house, the dog kennels, and of course the round about driveway. She took a breath of fresh air and smiled in a teasing manner as her brother got their luggage from the back of the truck.
"Smells like Kai's dirty socks and Tala's cooking." Brian fell out of the truck laughing, holding his sides as great heaves of laughter left his chest. Tala slapped his forehead with a large hand and Kai was glaring fire and brimstone at his sister. Before he could do anything however a loud racket was heard from inside the house.
The front door was thrown open and a grey husky dog came bounding out the door. Four large paws crashed through the snow in bounds only to bowl Tari over. Tari laughed and hugged the dog as it licked her face in pure glee.
"Hi Slush! It's nice to see you to." Slush covered Tari's face in slobbery kisses. She barked once before she abandoned Tari and jumped Kai next, licking his nose.
"Hi girl. Please get off of me." Kai said, shoving the dog off. Slush sat down in front of him and gave him puppy eyes. Tala smirked at his friend as he tried valiantly to resist petting the husky. It didn't work. Kai gave in and scratched Slush behind the ears and hurried to the door to hug his father, whom was waiting.
"Hi dad. How are you doing?" Kai asked, setting his bags down.
"Great now that my leg is mended." Kai's dad, Susmu Reiko Hiwatari, replied.
Susumu moved his heavy brown bangs away from his purple eyes and blue tattoos on his cheeks and hobbled out to hug his clone…err… daughter.
"Hi dad! O my God! I'm so sorry daddy that I left you with Slush." Tari said, looking her dad over.
"Oh it's all right Tari. I should have stuck to walking her and not letting her pull me around town." Susumu explained. Tari shook her head an ushered everybody inside.
Come on. Let's get inside to warm up." Tari said, and shut the door behind her as the group clambered into the mansion. Inside Kai and Tari had another surprise. Waiting on the couch was two other men. Spencer and Ian jumped up to hug their old friends, smiling as Tari hugged them back. Kai however was ok with just a simple hand shake.
"It's so good to have you both back." Spencer rumbled, sitting back down on the sofa, Ian bouncing in his seat next to him. Kai smirked at the youngest man's antics and the group sat and regaled each other with stories from Kai and Tari's time away from the "mother land" as Ian so eloquently put it.
Look A new and improved version of Trail of Paws! it better f-ing snow now dammit! I have permission to use Tari from Captainsmiffy on DA and Sora (wolf) belongs to me (not the damn name just the character portrayed in this story). Toodles!