"Kiba, do you smell that!?"
"Smell what Toboe?"
"Blood" said Toboe, "and I think it's wolf blood"
Kiba just stood there his eyes glistening and fur shining in the moonlight. He had been searching for his friends for a long time and had only recently located Toboe. He was so overjoyed with finding even one of his friends that he must not have been paying much attention. He inhaled a deep breath. There it was; very faint, but no mistake about it being wolf. There was also something else, the scent of dog. 'Could it be Blue,' he thought to himself.
"Let's go," Kiba said. He's was in such a hurry he didn't even wait for a reply before tearing off down a side alley. He took a sharp turn as he followed the scent and came to a sudden stop. Toboe was right behind him and slammed right into him as he came around the corner. What ever it was it was definitely not Blue. The alleyway was covered in red blood, the evidence of a recent fight. Kiba took a few steps and peered into the darkness. He could make out three large black dogs, as big as himself and as dead as dirt. But their was more; a trail of blood led away from the fight. It was unmistakable now, the blood trail was definitely wolf.
"I think we should follow it, the scent is unfamiliar but it may know where to find the others," said Toboe.
" I agree," replied Kiba.
The blood trailed onward; a trail of three bloody paw prints and one scuffed trail. "Who ever it is they must be injured pretty badly," Toboe panted as they continued on, "it appears that it's dragging a leg or something."
They stopped short of a park area as the scent started to overwhelm them. "He's here, the wolf we've been tracking," Kiba whispered. The moon came out from behind a cloud and they saw it. A small white wolf, covered in blood., it appeared to be dead. Kiba slowly walked closer; he stepped on a leaf and the bloody wolf's eye sprang open and narrowed. Immediately, like lightning it sprung up and whirled around teeth barred. It held up one leg and had a deep gash across one eye, caked blood covered its nose; no wonder it didn't smell them as they approached. Kiba stepped back startled and let out a low growl. "Who are you," Kiba said, he could see the other wolf better now, it was large like himself but lightly built. Also other than being covered in blood it appeared to be pure white like himself. He could see the other wolf was shaking; 'he must be in a lot of pain,' thought Kiba before he took a further step back and repeated, "Who are you, I'm Kiba and this is Toboe." Toboe walked softly up to Kiba's side, head slightly lowered. The other wolf was shaking pretty badly, but he still answered in a low tone, "my… my name… is… Shiego." With that the strange wolf collapsed to the ground and with a small cough lapsed into unconsciousness.
Days had passed since Shiego had first come to the city. He wandered about from place to place all the time keeping his distance from the other wolves whose presence he smelled. He wasn't afraid of them to say the least, but ever since he lost his pack he no longer felt he would be accepted anywhere. He believed loneliness was to be the only companion that he would ever keep, but that all changed one fateful night. Shiego had found a restaurant that threw out some meaty leftovers; as he was nibbling away he smelt them before he heard them, three large black dogs, most likely strays came around the corner from the back alleyways. Shiego looked up just in time to see one of the dogs leap for him and snap his jaws closed, narrowly missing his neck. In response Shiego whirled around and caught the first assailant by the throat. Clamping hard he could feel the warm liquid flowing over his muzzle. Before he was able to react a second dog had leapt and caught him on the muzzle, one of his fangs gouging a deep gash over the left eye. Shiego yelped in pain, letting go of the first dog, as the dogs muzzle closed about his own. The first dog dropped to the ground dying and the third dog charged from behind, clamping down on his lower rear leg and pulling back sharply. Shiego could feel the pain ripping through his body but he couldn't give up, at least not to a group of dogs. With a one deft motion Shiego flung himself at the ground, causing his primary attacker to lose his grip on his face. Without warning he whirled around and shattered the foreleg of the third dog causing it to release his own leg as it yelped loudly in pain. The second dog, recovering from this sudden move threw himself back into the fight sinking his teeth deep into the back of the wolf. Shiego winced with pain but knew that if he went to the ground this time, he would never be getting back up. The third dog circled slowly, growling as it waited for an opportunity to strike. Shiego nipped at the belly of the dog on top of him to no avail. The pacing dog finally made its move, leaping, jaws wide for the throat. With great pain Shiego swung his body causing the dog not to bite his neck but his other attacker. Shocked by this turn of events the second dog let go and snapped back at the third. Without hesitation Shiego went for the throat; finishing of the already injured wolf and now left with only one opponent. The dog paced slowly back and forth, hackles raised, teeth barred emitting a deep growl. 'I have to finish him in one move or I won't be able to go any farther,' thought Shiego. His vision was already blurred from the blood and it was getting harder to breath. The dog finally attacked leaping like a cat pouncing on its prey. Shiego saw his opportunity, dropping to the ground and then leaping up as the dog flew over him. He struck hard and didn't let go. It was only a matter of minutes but it felt like hours, Shiego lay there resting amongst his dead enemies. He slowly and with a great deal of pain stood up, he knew that other animals would be attracted to the blood and he would not be able to fight any more for quite some time, assuming he would recover. He walked slowly through the alleys, dragging his injured paw along behind him. Never taking notice of anything other than that the moon had finally come out. He came to a small open area and crawled under a small bush to get some rest. Something startled Shiego, a sound, he couldn't smell it but something was slowly approaching him. With all that was left of his strength he leaped up to face the stranger, teeth barred. The stranger stepped back and let out a low growl. Shiego could feel all the pain in his body and knew that if it came to a fight he wouldn't survive, after all there were two of them, two wolves. The large white wolf spoke, but Shiego didn't answer, he just stared piercingly back at them as he stopped growling. The smaller wolf seemed almost happy as it looked inquisitively at Shiego. It was a brownish color and had several silver bracelets around one of its paws. It lowered it's head and walked up besides the larger wolf its tail wagging slowly in an attempt to diffuse the situation. Once again the large wolf spoke, after a short span of silence Shiego replied, but he felt as if he was slowly slipping away. Shiego fell for what seemed like an eternity, he watched the two wolves as if they were frozen in time and only he was free of its effects. Striking the ground Shiego let out a cough as the air was forced out of his lungs and then everything went to black.
"What do we do now?" Toboe asked Kiba. His tail had stopped wagging and now hung limp as he stared at his friend.
"We'll we can't leave him here for starters." With that he stepped forward and gently scooped up the limp body that lay before him. They walked back the way they had come and headed for an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city that they called home. Kiba gently laid the wolf down in the middle of the large room. Toboe just stared, they hadn't found anymore of their friends and this wolf was dying. Why was it that he felt so drawn to this wolf, it had stared right at him, into his very soul, and Toboe had done the same, their was something comforting about this wolf but he just couldn't figure out what. Kiba had turned his back to Toboe and the other wolf as he went through the small stockpile of food he and Toboe had gathered over the past couple of days. He was unsure about this wolf they had just rescued. He could tell it was still alive as he had carried it but the breathing was very shallow now. He turned around to see Toboe laying down next to the stranger gently licking its wounds. It wasn't everyday they meet new wolves but never had they ever taken one home before. As Kiba watched he noticed that though they had only known Shiego for a few hours, while he was unconscious at that, Toboe seemed to be drawn to him in the same way that he was drawn to his friends.
"Toboe, do you know him?" Kiba asked. He felt awkward about being left in the dark.
"No, but at the same time I feel as if I should."
"What do you mean?"
"When we were back in the park, he stared at me, and I stared at him. It felt so warm, almost as if Grams was here again."
It was getting light out and their visitor was still asleep when Kiba woke up. He and Toboe had to go and continue searching for their friends with or without help. Shiego hadn't moved one bit but it appeared he was breathing easier Kiba observed. Toboe lay curled up beside him, it had taken him a long time but he had gotten all the blood out of his fur. "Wake up sleepy head, it's time to go," Kiba said as he poked Toboe in the side. Toboe opened his eyes and gave out a long yawn before getting up and stretching. "Where are we going," Toboe asked.
"We have to keep searching for the others."
"But what about Shiego, we can't leave him here alone."
"You've done all you can, now he just needs to rest," Kiba said. He figured Toboe would want to stay but he didn't trust the other wolf quite yet. He wouldn't take any chances if it woke up. "Either he's still asleep or dead by the time we get back won't matter, theirs nothing more to do and we need to go," Kiba growled. He was protective of his pack and didn't like the thought of this stranger without him to keep a close eye on it.
It had been a long day, and a very unfruitful one at that. Kiba and Toboe didn't see or smell a single wolf that day. Once they got home Toboe rushed in to see their visitor but stopped just inside the door.
"What is it?" Kiba asked.
"He's gone."
"What do you mean he's gone?"
"Shiego isn't where we left him," replied Toboe, rushing in to the spot Shiego had been laying. A small trail of blood trailed off across the warehouse. Toboe turned to follow it but stopped as he saw him at the far end of the warehouse. He was just sitting their looking out the window at the rising moon. Kiba was the one who broke the silence, "your still here." Shiego didn't move, continuing to stare at the moon. Toboe was overjoyed, not only was he still here but he was also awake. Tail wagging Toboe ran up beside Shiego, Sitting next to him.
"Your still here," Toboe said, giving out a little yelp of excitement.
Kiba had walked up behind and now sat on the other side of Shiego. "Why didn't you leave?"
Shiego looked down from the moon to his paws and let out a sigh. "Because I have no where else to go," then looking up with a slight smirk, "and I couldn't get out the window."
Kiba almost felt sorry for this other wolf that had stumbled into their lives, but he still didn't feel he could trust him. "What are you doing in this city anyway," Kiba asked.
"I came here to find food and shelter for a while," Shiego replied.
"Are their any more of your pack out there that would be looking for you." Kiba was starting to get a little concerned. Despite Shiego's injuries he seemed to take everything in stride, with an over bearing tone of confidence, the type of confidence that is usually only reserved for the leader of a pack. It was then that Kiba noticed the answer to his question. The wolf sitting next to him had lowered his head, and was letting out a low whimper as a tear ran down his muzzle.
"I think you hurt his feelings," Toboe said glancing over at Kiba.
"No, it's alright," Shiego replied, his eyes still closed. "I lost my… pack. We were living too close to them and they came at us with guns and fire." Shiego's body tensed up as he remembered. He was a member of a pack of eight wolves. It was still wintertime and the one of the females had just given birth to a single puppy, so they had taken shelter near a village until the pup would be strong enough to move. It was then that the fire came, burning the trees where the wolves had taken shelter. As the smoke spread so did the wolves, they took off in every direction; and in every direction a wolf fled a single gunshot was heard. Shiego shuddered as he chased the memory from his thoughts, it was too much for him. "They're all dead," he cried aloud before burying his head in his paws. He cried himself to sleep that night and Kiba and Toboe kept their distance and did their best not to disturb him.
In the morning Shiego awoke with tears still damp on his face but their was something more, something was touching him. He craned his head up over his back to see the small Toboe curled up next to him. He felt a little better. Toboe at least seemed to like him, and their was something about Toboe that intrigued him. Kiba on the other hand seemed to not like him one bit, 'he must be the pack leader,' Shiego thought, 'but where's the rest of his pack?'
Getting up proved a little more difficult than Shiego had hoped. Toboe rolled over slightly and let out a contented whine. 'He must be dreaming' Shiego thought. Shiego stood up on three legs, his injured leg still hurt to put any weight on it and he just dragged it along, "at least the bleedings stopped," Shiego said, letting his thoughts slip out of his mouth. "What was that Grams?" it was Toboe, he was definitely dreaming. 'At least he's happy,' Shiego thought as he limped over to the door of the warehouse were Kiba sat, staring out at the city. Kiba turned his head as Shiego got closer to watch the injured gait of his guest. Kiba could tell he was still in a lot of pain through the way he walked but still he couldn't help but notice the determination that seemed to keep him alive despite the odds.
"Why did you save me." Shiego's voice was soft but cut like ice.
"You were hurt and you needed help," Kiba replied.
"It's not in your character to save a stranger, so why save me." Shiego's words cut into Kiba like the fangs of hundred wolves. Kiba let out a low growl in warning. Shiego sure seemed to have him figured out and he was upset that he still had not an inkling of who he was. With a smirk on his face Kiba replied, "it was instinct."
Without losing a beat Shiego calmly replied, "Instinct would have told you to kill me. I was dying and any other wolf would have finished me off to end my pain." It was true, Kiba felt it, he was starting to get annoyed. He didn't want to tell him the truth; the truth about his friends. At least not yet. But before he could think up a proper answer he heard Toboe say, "because we need help."
He hadn't noticed Toboe get up and walk over. The sudden comment startled him, how long had he been listening to their conversation. A million questions raced into his head. Kiba felt a little guilt start to creep in, Toboe trusted Shiego and he had been alienating the two of them ever since that fateful night. Shiego managed, with some difficulty to sit down in an awkward position. It didn't look to comfortable but 'I guess whatever helps with the pain,' Kiba thought. "What type of help to you need," Shiego said, in a surprisingly cheery tone given the way the current conversation was going. Toboe's presence had a calming effect on anyone but it seemed to have more than that for Shiego, it brought back memories. Memories long since forgotten, memories of joy, and of sorrow. This was one of those joyous times. He was in a large field of Lunar Flowers with his pack. They were all joyous that evening as the full moon rose, chasing each other about and playing like puppies. They howled together that night as if they had never howled before. It was a wonderful memory.
Kiba interrupted Shiego's thoughts, "We need help finding the rest of our pack."
"How many are their." Shiego had seen many wolves in the city though he kept his distance.
"There are five of us total," Kiba said. "Tsume is silvery gray , Hige is a chubby sandy color and Blue, well she is all black, half wolf, half.."
"Dog?" Shiego butted in. Cutting off the rest of his sentence. He had smelled many wolves and many dogs in the city. But their was one scent that he had noticed out of the others. The scent of a wolf/dog. It was unique in its own way but Shiego was confident he had smelled her before.
"Have you seen them!" Toboe cried out with excitement. Kiba was also wondering the same thing but felt a little disgruntled about being cut off.
"No," Shiego replied. A frown started to spread across Toboe's face. "But I have only smelled a single wolf dog in this city and I think I know where to find her."
It took a while for them to make progress, due to Shiego's injuries and all the people milling about. Shiego led the way, Toboe right beside him and Kiba took up the rear. 'This is ridiculous,' Kiba thought, 'we're following a wolf we hardly know to who knows where and he can't even run.' It was then that he smelled it, very faint but still without a doubt he knew who it was. He began to run, leaving Shiego and Toboe behind. He kept going faster and faster, going around corners, cutting through alleys, and then he stopped. He was in a open area now and he couldn't believe his nose. Their standing near a tree was the black dog. She hadn't noticed him yet but the wind suddenly shifted sending Kiba's scent straight for her. The black dogs nose started to quiver and her body began to shake with excitement as she turned around to see Kiba running toward her, "Blue!" It was a happy reunion, the two friends leaping in circles and rolling in the grass. After about fifteen minutes they looked up to see Shiego with Toboe standing beside him. Toboe just couldn't control himself. His tail wagged so wildly it made it hard for him to run straight and he just plowed into Blue. Shiego just sat there at a distance watching the happy reunion of friends. When they had all settled down Blue said, "you guys aren't going to believe this…"
"What!?" shouted Toboe, tail still whirling like a hurricane.
"Tsume and Hige should be back at the docks by now, come on." She then paused for a moment, looking over at the white wolf lying in the grass a little ways off. "Who's that," She asked.
Toboe answered her, "that's Shiego, one of our new friends." Kiba shot a cold stare at Toboe, "He helped us find you."
"We'll then tell him to hurry up, we can all go together", Blue shouted. She was so happy to have found the rest of her friends. It hadn't taken her long to find Hige and after a while they literally stumbled on Tsume in an alleyway while searching for food. It had been rough at times but they knew they had to find the others. Today it was Blue's turn to go out searching while the boys scavenged for food. Hige always seemed to eat a lot and no matter how much they had left by the time she went to sleep it was always gone by morning.
Blue led the way. It took longer than expected since they had to stop frequently to let Shiego catch up. The moon had already begun to rise as they approached the docks. A wolf came out of nowhere and ran up to them, "Blue! What took you so…. Kiba! Toboe!" He rapidly greeted them both then abruptly stopped in front of Shiego. "Who are you," he asked.
"My name is Shiego, and you must be Hige."
"You bet." Hige had never met this wolf before but it had obviously come with the rest of his friends. He even recognized his scent from when he had greeted Toboe. "Come on," Hige said, "Tsume is inside."
The four friends ran on ahead leaving Shiego limping on after them. Tsume was inside a small underground sewer that was no longer in use. He was elated to see the others but kept his calm, "nice to see you finally made it."
"It took us so long to find you because we where following Shiego and he was hurt and he found Blue and then we came here and Hige saw us and now you're here too!" Toboe spouted out.
Tsume gave a blank stare at first then asked, "Whose Shiego?"
"He's.." started Toboe before getting cut off by Kiba.
"He's a wolf that will be joining us. He helped us get here after we rescued him." Tsume cocked his head slightly to one side, "I'm listening," he said. Kiba began to relate the story of how he and Toboe were out searching for the rest of the pack and smelt a wolf and followed his trail from a fight, rescued him and how he helped them find Blue. About midway through the story Shiego limped through the door. He took a few steps and laid down rather awkwardly, his paw had started to bleed again so he proceeded to lick it. Tsume glanced at him curiously, 'so this is the wolf that helped Kiba find us, man he sounds tough.' Tsume was always impressed with the victor of any fight, especially one with the odds stacked against them. As Kiba finished his story the other wolves had already fallen asleep. Hige and Blue were curled up in a corner together. And Toboe lay sprawled out on the cement floor. Shiego lay against the wall breathing heavily. Kiba stretched and let out a yawn before settling down next to Toboe. Tsume was restless. He wanted to go somewhere. He walked past Shiego and stood in the doorway. He almost jumped when he heard a strange voice. "Where are you going?" it was Shiego, he wasn't asleep after all.
"To get some fresh air," Tsume snorted back. He didn't like being asked questions, especially by strangers. Kiba had mentioned that he would be joining them, that would only slow them down Tsume thought.
"What's on your mind." Shiego watched the silvery wolf turn towards him. He noticed that their was a large star shaped scar across his chest.
"What do you mean." Tsume was getting annoyed, this stranger was getting a little nosy.
"You seem to be troubled by something."
"It's none of your business," Tsume replied, letting out a low growl.
"Very well, if you ever want to talk I'm not going anywhere."
That is what was bothering him, not going anywhere. Here they were, all united at last and this stranger would keep them from leaving. Tsume took in a deep breath, their were many smells on the wind that night but not the one he sought. The scent of Lunar Flowers was nowhere to be found.
