Disclaimer: Wolf's Rain belongs to Bandai and Studio Bones and anyone else who's paid for the rights. I'm just borrowing this world for fun. No profit was made from this story.

A/N: The whole psychic/illusion thing is a bitch. Not quite sure if I've gotten it right. Oh well, that's what creative license is all about, right?

Chapter 1

He hated this. Hated it more than anything else his companion could have forced him into doing. Despised it. His nose twitched uncontrollably, bombarded on all sides by a myriad of scents that could be called unpleasant at best. Personally, he would've chosen 'putrid' as his preferred adjective. Of course, there hadn't been much choice when they'd begun this little trip. The armed forces had seen to that. The sewer had just been the easiest way out of a bad situation.

And the nastiest. Hige glared at the figure running in front of him, sending dark thoughts about their choice of escape routes his way. As if reading his thoughts, the large silver wolf slowed and glanced back. Hige sped up so they were shoulder to shoulder.

"We almost out of here?" he asked, glad that he sounded only slightly out of breath. Maybe he really was a bit chubby like Tsume kept saying, instead of just big boned.

"Shut up," Tsume growled in response, eyes still strait ahead. "They're still behind us." He paused for a moment, glancing around uncertainly. "This way," he said at last, darting down a sewer tube so narrow that Hige had to duck his head at every joint. They ran down that tube for quite some time, the only ways out being much smaller than either Tsume or Hige could squeeze through, until they found themselves standing at the edge of a cavernous space, a huge pipe extending as far as they could see up above them and into blackness below them.

Panting, Hige peered carefully over the edge. It made him a little nervous the way Tsume stood hardly an inch away from the pit, as casually as if it were just a street curb. The way Tsume was analyzing the pit, eyes narrowed as if sizing up the bottomless chasm, made him even more nervous.

"You're not thinking of jumping, are you?" he asked after he'd caught his breath. "Cuz count me out. I don't do free falls from unknown heights."

Tsume shrugged. "Suit yourself. If you prefer captivity in an unknown cage, that's your choice." A quick tensing of his muscles and he was gone over the edge.

The sound of pounding feet echoed down the sewer pipe. Hige could hear the metallic click of rifles as the safeties switched off. Damn, how did he always manage to get into these situations? A deep breath, a jerky push-off, and he was airborne just as the footsteps rounded the last corner and gunfire ricocheted off the metal over his head.

The fall seemed to last forever, and Hige was drawing in a breath with which he could howl his displeasure at being in mid-air when he crashed into something solid that made his head spin. His head spun even more when he tried to finish that breath and sucked in liquid. Water, he'd hit water. Or, something that was mostly water, if the smell and taste were anything to go by.

Somewhere between the coughing and the spitting, Hige managed to gasp out Tsume's name. He almost panicked when there was no answer, glancing about the dark surface of the water hoping to see some speck of gray fur. There was no way he'd ever be able to find Tsume if his packmate was already sinking beneath the surface. Had he actually been able to see the water, he was sure it would have been some horrible shade of opaque brown. When Tsume's face broke above the surface, Hige let out the breath he'd been holding. He grabbed Tsume by the shoulders and shook him roughly.

"What the hell were you doing, you idiot! You scared me to death!"

Tsume seemed unperturbed by Hige's yelling. "Shut up and follow me," he said. "We need to get out of here. There's a short passage a few meters down. Take a deep breath before you dive."

"What's the hur—" Hige started to ask, but was interrupted by the sound of gunfire. Gulping a lungful of air, he dove quickly after Tsume as the water around him exploded into white foam as it was peppered by dozens of bullets.

The noise of the gunfire seemed even louder under water, and following Tsume was nearly impossible with the chaos of noise and white water and confusion that hit Hige as soon as he dove. He forced his eyes open, forced himself not to think about what else might swimming around down here, in the inky blackness below him. There was just enough light filtering down from the head lamps of the armed men above them to see Tsume's gray bulk kick out, pushing himself downwards, and disappear into some invisible passageway with a swish of his tail. Against all his instincts as a wolf (go up, go up, his mind was screaming), Hige followed suit, descended into the darkness and searched desperately for that same passageway. It wasn't hard to find. There must have been some opening to the surface at the other end because he could see where the water turned an ugly brown rather than this horrible, inky blackness. A few kicks, and he was half inside the pipe.

He nearly sucked in a lungful of water at the pain. Vaguely he realized that the searing line of pain running down his right flank meant he'd been hit. More pressing, however, was the screaming of his lungs' demand for air. Desperately, he kicked out with his hind feet, ignoring the tearing feeling in his hindquarters, and scrambled for purchase with his front feet on the ribbed piping. The feeling in his chest was getting stronger and harder to ignore. Just a few more feet. A little more. Time seemed to have slowed down to a crawl. He could barely move. Finally, he was out of the pipe. He kicked up out of instinct, hardly feeling the bullet wound now that his lungs were screaming with such intensity. The surface was still far above him. He wasn't going to make it. He needed to breath now.

There was a body underneath him, propelling him upwards now that his legs seemed to have stopped working. The surface was inexplicably getting closer and closer. He could see the shimmering light reflecting off its surface now, and the vague outline of the room's walls waving upwards towards a hole in the ceiling. Suddenly, light blinded his eyes as his head broke free of the murky water and he gasped, choking as water tried to rush out of his mouth. He coughed, wanting more than anything else to breath in, but unable to as his lungs cleared themselves of the water he'd inhaled. There was the sharp taste of bile in his mouth as he retched, covering up the equally foul taste left by the sewage. And then air, sweet, delicious air. All the air he could ever want.

He realized, quite suddenly, that he was being held afloat by a pair of strong arms. Weakly, he turned to look at Tsume who looked only about half as drowned as Hige felt. They bobbed up and down for a moment as Tsume kicked his legs furiously to keep both their heads above water. Hige shook off Tsume's arms and paddled a few feet away. He couldn't stop the whine that came out of him as his injured side protested the movement.

Tsume seemed to be having an easier time of it now that he had his arms free. "Shut up, or they'll hear us," he admonished gruffly. Then, "It'd be a lot easier without all this fur," he added under his breath, though it was loud enough for Hige to hear.

Hige took a deap breath and tried to do as Tsume said. The pain in his legremained a constant, buta few moments in the icy water numbed it toonly a dull ache. "Why didn't we just show them our human faces?"Higeasked Tsume once he had caught his breath.

"Speed. And they would've seen through it. You can't fool someone if you change in front of them." Tsume answered distractedly as he studied the walls with a scowl on his face. Hige might have been worried about their situation had it not been a normal expression for Tsume. The other scowled even deeper when he turned back to Hige. "You alright now?"

Hige nodded. "Just a scratch. I've gotten worse from an ally cat. So where to now?" For the first time he looked around the room they'd entered and felt a sinking in his stomach. The walls were smooth concrete. Even in human form they'd have no chance of climbing them. The light trickling into the chamber came from four small holes at least sixty feet above them. A man-hole cover, though there was no way to reach it. Hige groaned. "Don't tell me we have to do that again."

Tsume shook his head. "No, no way out that way. The walls were smooth there too. Besides, they'll probably send some men down after us and I don't want to get in a fight underwater."

Hige laughed humorlessly. "So we're just going to float here until we grow gills?"

Tsume shook his head again. "No, there," he said, pointing. "We'll go that way."

Hige looked where Tsume had pointed and almost laughed again. About ten feet above their heads was a dark circle in the wall. Another passageway, though where it led to there was no way of knowing. "And how do you suggest we get there, o wise one? Grow wings instead of gills?"

"Can you jump?"

"W-what?" Hige snorted. "From here? Sure, just as soon as I grow those wings I'll get right on it."

Tsume gave him a look that clearly said he thought Hige was being stupid. Well, what did he expect when he asked the impossible? "Fine, don't move," Tsume ordered and swam off behind Hige. He repeated the order a little more roughly when Hige began to turn to follow him.

There was a flurry of movement, the sound of water splashing and a few waves threatening to engulf him, and suddenly Hige found himself pushed violently underwater by a sudden weight on his shoulders. He felt the scraping of one set of claws through his shirt, then another, and then was left to fight his way back to the surface.

"What the hell?" he sputtered, shaking the water out of his eyes. There was a clanging sound coming from above him and he looked up. Tsume, in human form, hung from the lip of the pipe and was swinging a leg up to hook into it. When he had gotten himself up, he leaned out and offered a hand down towards Hige.

"You could have told me what you were up to," Hige grumbled as he paddled over to the side. A good kick and he managed to grab Tsume's hand and let the other lift him up.

"Thanks," Hige said when both feet were on solid ground.

Tsume was peering down the pipe. "Hn. Lose some weight. That'll be thanks enough."

"Hey," Hige protested. "Want me to push you back in?"

He actually got a chuckle out of that. "I'd like to see you try," Tsume answered. "Let's go. There's some air moving from this way." He set off at a run and Hige had no choice but to limp after him.

"Ne, Kiba, they're not back yet." The petulant almost-whine in Toboe's voice made Kiba force himself out of the afternoon nap he'd been enjoying. He pried his eyelids apart and blinked in the bright afternoon sun. Toboe was leaning over him, eyes huge. The kid gave a new meaning to the phrase 'puppy-dog eyes'.

"Hn," Kiba grunted, rolling over and hoping the pup would get the hint. "Hige probably just ate everything they found so they're still searching. Don't worry about it."

Toboe, of course, missed the brush off. "But they've been gone forever," he argued. "What if something happened to them?"

Kiba sighed. "They're fine. Even if they ran into trouble, Tsume can handle himself and Hige's not too shabby a fighter either. Quit worrying."

Some of his irritation must have come through in Kiba's voice despite his best efforts to keep it hidden for Toboe backed away and went to stand at the empty window of the crumbling building they'd taken shelter in for the time. He stared morosely down at the street below, shoulders slumped, and Kiba felt a trace of…was that guilt? The kid was just that, after all, a kid.

"Hey," Kiba started, sitting up.

"It's just…something feels wrong. This city feels wrong." Toboe didn't look at Kiba as he spoke. His eyes narrowed as he continued to stare down at the street.

"I know," Kiba answered, laying back down. He stared up at the ceiling, a small tendril of worry keeping him awake now that Toboe had mentioned his unease. They'd only been in this city a day, really only had to stay a few days to let cracked pads heal and strained muscles rest, but there'd been something bothering him since they arrived. At first, he'd thought it was whatever cargo the trucks of the trading party they'd snuck in underneath had been carrying, but even after they'd set off in the opposite direction he could still smell it. As if the city itself were rotting. Tsume seemed to have sensed it as well. He'd been stalking around the small room, jumpy as a cat, until Kiba lost his patience and yelled that he should make himself useful and find some food. Hige had perked up instantly at the word 'food' and volunteered to go with Tsume. Kiba chose to quell his unease with a nap, and Toboe was left alone to keep a lookout for anyone approaching their hideout.

"How long are we staying?" Toboe asked suddenly. "Can we leave as soon as they get back?"

"Three days," Kiba promised. "Winter's coming on. We need food and rest before we set out again or else we won't all make it. Three days, and then we can leave."

"I can leave now," Toboe protested. "Let's just go when they get back. Please. I don't like it here. We can eat and then go."

Kiba couldn't help but smile as he reached up to ruffle Toboe's hair with one hand. "Okay, chibi, we'll talk about it. Let's just wait for Tsume and Hige to get back. Get some rest now so you can keep up later. You don't want Tsume yelling at you, do you?"

"I've kept up this far!" Toboe yelled, swiping a fist in Kiba's direction that Kiba blocked. "I've just got shorter legs so I have to work harder."

"Sure, Chibi," Kiba laughed, pushing Toboe backwards. The pup, unbalanced, sprawled gracelessly on his backside for a moment blinking in shock. And then he attacked Kiba.

"Don't call me chibi!" he howled, jumping on top of the older boy in wolf form. Kiba went down under his weight and the two wolves rolled across the floor. They hit the wall and sprang apart, Toboe breathing heavily. He glared at Kiba, who looked completely unphased except for the little bit of plaster from the crumbling wall that clung to his coat.

Kiba smirked. "What're you waiting for?"

Toboe answered by leaping at Kiba. Or rather the place that Kiba had been standing. He felt a light tap on his right side and spun.

"Too slow," Kiba said, definitely grinning now. "Wanna try again?"

A few minutes later and Toboe was standing in almost exactly the same spot, panting for breath and glaring at Kiba. That last tap had kind of hurt, and he hadn't even managed to get near the other wolf yet. Kiba settled himself on the floor, head on his front paws as if to sleep, but Toboe noticed his ears were pricked forward. "Any time, pup," he said after a moment.

Toboe sat down, staring intently at Kiba. So far, attacking the older wolf head on hadn't worked. He was silly to think he could even try. Kiba was the strongest out of all four of them and Tsume was the only one who could likely hold his own against the white wolf. So if attacking him straight on didn't work, he needed to figure out something else. And then he had it.

Carefully, Toboe stood up, trying to make as little noise as possible. He padded forward three steps then paused as Kiba's ear twitched. Then, he jumped.

Or pretended to. As soon as Kiba heard the telltale scratching of Toboe's claws on the cement floor, he sprang into action, darting to the right. Toboe stopped the jump before it actually started and saw the movement this time.

The second attack, however, was real. As soon as Kiba stopped, Toboe jumped. Just a little to the right of where Kiba had been standing. He hit the older wolf full on, biting and scratching so Kiba would know he was there. He'd thought he had the upper hand, but suddenly found himself on his back, Kiba's jaws around his neck. Whining deep in his throat, he curled his tail up between his legs in supplication.

Kiba's jaws tightened a fraction of a centimeter. "Watch the teeth and claws, pup," he growled. Toboe whined again and felt Kiba move away. He swallowed a few times, breathing deeply, before flipping himself onto his feet.

Kiba walked up to him and gave his muzzle a quick swipe with his tongue. "Good job, Chibi, you got me." He walked back over to his napping spot and switched back into human form. "Better change in case anyone comes."

Toboe nodded and flopped down beside Kiba as a human. He found his eyelids closing of their own accord, sleepy from too much exercise on too little food. His stomach rumbled noisily, reminding him of their missing companions who were still out searching for something to eat.

"Ne, Kiba, I hope they get back soon," he said sleepily. Kiba grunted in response. "They've been gone so long," Toboe continued as his thoughts began to spiral towards visions of a green hillside. "I hope they're safe." And then he was running through a field of tall grass and silvery flowers, his empty stomach and his fears forgotten.