"Collared"
Wolf's Rain Fanfic Spoilers- Takes place after the end of the series (Episode 30) This is one interpretation of what might have happened to Hige after the series ended. The question of Hige's collar was not totally explained, so I decided to write this fanfic as a potential answer. There is also a question as to whether the characters are still wolves or not, but since the ending is left up to the interpretation of the viewer, I kept them as wolves... simply because I like them that way. :) Please be gentle.. ;) This is my 3rd-ever fanfic. I'm not claiming it's good, but I've enjoyed writing it, at least!
"Do you believe in karma?" "Hmm?" The larger of two figures lounging on a gray city stairway paused and looked lazily over at his companion. "What do you mean?" The more slender of the two young men picked at his T-shirt cuff and said, "You know, where what you do in a past life comes back to haunt you in this one... if you believe in that sort of thing. Or at least, it does until you finally learn your lesson and do things right. That's what my old folks were lecturing me about today, anyway." The larger of the two smiled easily. "Heh- I'm not really sure what I believe in...." He paused, looked up in the air for a long, thoughtful moment, then grinned again, eyes closed. "Actually, come to think of it, I DO believe in something, but it's not quite as heavy as all that.... I'd say to believe in "the three L's": Life, Ladies, and Lunch! Might as well enjoy yourself while you're here, ya know?" His cheerful eyes opened long enough to wink at his friend. Ok, ... so the T-shirt guy wasn't actually his friend, per se, but was, like him, someone without anything better to do at the moment. He wasn't adverse to striking up conversations with complete strangers- you never knew where it might lead. And as he had found out, T-shirt guy was in a chatty mood today. "That's right, man...I like that.... yeah! I should tell that to my parents..." He smiled again. "Nah- knowing parents, that would probably be a mistake... then if there is karma, you'll just have to listen to their lecture again in the next life!" The conversation continued like this for awhile, until T-shirt Guy finally got up to head home. As he did so, he stopped and asked, "Dude...maybe I'll see you around. What's your name, anyway?" "Hige." Hige waved as the teen told him his name, in turn, and wandered off.
Of course, odds were that he'd never see that guy again. Pulling the hood of his bulky blue jacket over a shock of unruly brown hair, he got up, finished off the last bite of a hotdog he'd been munching on, and left. He had no home to go to, and spent his time wandering the city... in fact, many of them. You see, under the human disguise, Hige was a wolf. Canis lupis in the flesh and fur. He knew Feast and he knew Famine (and was wise enough to enjoy Feast to its fullest extent when the opportunity arose)! And yet, the humans he walked among were none the wiser to his presence. In this world, a place gifted (or was that cursed?) with a healthy dose of magic, wolves could appear human to mere men's eyes. In fact, they'd gotten quite good at it... wolves had the ability to not only project a human image that completely covered their true canine form, and speak with a human voice, but had gotten to the point of being able to manipulate objects with this human "hologram", too. No one alive could really say how this happened, but they knew why... wolves were hunted creatures. Not only were they labeled the "beasts of waste and desolation", always at odds with human goals and objectives, but there was the Legend: wolves would bring about the end of the world. And so, wolves had been hunted by a fearful humanity almost to the point of extinction. But the will to live is a strong one, and a few adapted and survived with this special gift they had, making a living by existing, unobserved, right under their enemy's very noses.
Hige had adapted well to the human world. He was born near a city, and his pack roamed in and out of human territory without notice... until that one time when a wolf hunter finally discovered them. The survivors were badly shaken up, and Hige's natural sense of humor and practicality helped them get through those horrible, empty days. However, Hige was also coming into his own as a young adult, and feeling the urge to roam. He had a heart for the ladies, and one day a fine young female wolf wandering through the area stole it. He had traveled with her awhile, hoping, but she eventually rejected him outright. Finding himself alone in a new land led to one adventure after another, and for now Hige was quite comfortable just wandering, enjoying the sights, sounds- and cuisine- of each place. It wasn't a bad life, and the food was plentiful, if you were quick and savvy about it. The only thing missing was canine companionship, but he had found that wolves were increasingly hard to find these days....
His footsteps quickened as he caught the first whiff of scent: meat! Hige was approaching his favorite section of town, the food market. Various stores and vendors displayed their wares, and food of all kinds hung from display shelves and overhangs. The eager young wolf was especially interested in the meat! There was one store in particular that featured a large selection of meat, from salamis and roasts to the intact carcasses of game like hares and pheasants. It was sometimes possible to swipe, unnoticed, an entire string of salami hanging from the store front! Even better, the store frequently gave out free samples of food to passersby, and Hige felt like he had struck gold, as the humans might say.
He rounded the corner and the full aroma of the store's bounty hit him. As he approached the place, he was glad that his drooling lupine jaws were invisible to the resident humans. The shopkeeper was outside, hanging more food for display. Suddenly something small and furry leaped out from behind a barrel of apples and ran whimpering back into the store. Oh, yes, the shopkeeper owned a dog... a small mutt that was terrified every time Hige approached. Dogs knew wolves when they saw them. Fortunately, their owners never seemed to notice, and the shopkeeper kept hammering away obliviously. When he was done with that, he stepped down and headed towards some crates laying nearby. Hige walked up to the display and grinned, enjoying the visual feast and calculating how and when he could make it a real one. Casual... you had to stay casual. "Excuse me, son?" Hmmm? Hige looked up and saw the shopkeeper motioning to him. "Uh... yes?" "Could you do me a favor? I've seen you around here before, and you seem like a nice young man. I've got an order to deliver this apple crate to a customer, but my delivery man is sick today. My old back can't pull the weight... could I convince you to help me out?" "Well...uh..." "I'd be happy to offer something in return.... I don't have much, but I can offer a free lunch! Eat 'til you're full... of whatever you'd like." Hige blinked and stared for a second. Hardly able to contain his excitement, he practically jumped over to where the shopkeeper stood, before remembering his own advice and slowing back down to a walk. "Sure, I think I could manage that!"
Hige traveled down the cluttered street, clutching the crate and moving gracefully with the traffic. His somewhat chubby-looking human form seemed to contrast with the grace and ease in which he moved. The shopkeeper had left the store under the watch of a subordinate and come along to give directions, but Hige had done all the actual work. Work... Hige didn't really like that idea. However, he kept that feast foremost in his mind, and before long they were at the building where the apples were to be delivered. The shopkeeper stepped inside and informed him that the delivery needed to be brought up to the first floor. Hige looked up... the building was a large one, and had that empty, cold feeling of an old factory. Looking up at the old place, he felt a strange twinge, but the thought of food drowned it out and he hopped inside.
"It's just over there... the door to your left" huffed the old shopkeeper as they moved up the stairs. Feeling a burst of energy from the thought that this was almost over and a feast awaited, Hige wanted to zap up the stairs at wolf-speed, but knew better than to show that speed to his human companion. However, he couldn't help jogging up the last of the stairs and eagerly entered the doorway. It was just a small, barren room with no furnishings and no windows. He stepped inside.
SLAM!
Hige jumped, crate falling from his "hands" with a loud crack. He whirled around and confronted steel bars now blocking the doorway... What?!? He stopped and looked nervously at the shopkeeper, who had an expression on his face that the young wolf had not seen there before... some mix of fear, gloating, and .... hate?
The shopkeeper laughed, and it suddenly sounded very cold. "HA! I DID it! I DID it! I'm going to be rich....." He smiled gleefully.
"Uh.... what?" Hige managed a weak smile, attempting to look as normal and friendly as he could muster under the circumstances. "What- what do you mean? What is this? A joke?"
Eyes narrowing, the shopkeeper's expression turned grim. "This is no joke, "son".... I know what you are. You're one of those damned wolves! And now your own greed is going to be the end of you... and the beginning for me and my family."
Hige's expression changed, too, as his stomach seemed to clench and then float away.
The human smiled again, and turned towards the stairs. "You can just stay here while I go tell Jagara's people that I caught a wolf for 'em... they're offering a reward for your kind... but only if it's alive. Ha! Running a meat market, I figured that if there were any wolves in the area, I'd have to attract one eventually... I even offered free food samples. Good for business anyway, and I hoped word would get around. When my dog reacted to you, I watched you closely... and eventually I could see past that disguise you creatures put up. And now you're mine... or should I say, Jagara's... that reward is gonna be mine!"
"Wait!" Hige fumbled awkwardly for words... any words. Try to delay the man- talk to him... anything. "Are you sure you want to do this... ?" Though looking into the man's eyes he saw that he did indeed want to. Hige made a sort of a grin-grimace and scratched his head nervously.
"Um... I don't suppose the concept of "saving a beautiful endangered species from the brutal destruction of mankind" strikes a chord with you, does it?" He looked again, almost hopefully. Nope. Guess not. Ugh... Hige's sinking feeling just kept getting lower. Now irritated, he gathered his composure, straightened up a bit, and yelped, "Fine! You really think you can keep me in here? These bars can't hold me!" Secretly, he hated doing something that would make his teeth hurt, but he had no choice now. He lunged at the bars, teeth flashing as his true wolf form showed. The instant he made contact with the bars, something sent a shock ripping through his entire system and he let go, staggering back, eyes staring, tongue lolling. The shopkeeper laughed.
"Oh, I wouldn't try that, wolf" sneered the shopkeeper. "That cage is electrified... clamp your teeth on it too long, and you might be electrocuted. Don't do that, OK? I need you alive, you know." He began to walk away.
Hige, appearing human again, stumbled towards the retreating figure, his visions of Feast turning quite painfully into Famine. "Wait! How long are you going to be gone? What about that meal? You could at least throw me a salami or something, if keeping me alive is oh-so important!" He wanted to bang against the bars for added measure, but stopped short of that.
The man turned and smiled bitterly. "Eat some apples". Then he was down the stairs and out of sight.
"I'm a WOLF!"Snarling, Hige grabbed one of the apples that had spilled from the damaged crate and threw it in the direction of the shopkeeper in frustration. Keeping with the kind of day this was turning into, the apple bounced off the bars and hit him square on the head.
"Ow." Hige sat down and stared at the doorway. Everything was still sinking in, and he had to fight a sense of panic. He was trapped, at the mercy of those stinking humans... who never seemed to show any. He whimpered softly, and his hefty, brown-furred body crouched, head and tail low. The next moment found him in a desperate whirlwind of activity as he jumped at, paced, or sniffed every inch of his prison, searching for a way out, but it was useless... the electricity was everywhere. Finally, realizing that there was no escape, he hunched into a miserable ball of fur and backed up against the apple crate. As night fell, the exhausted canine found the only refuge he could- in sleep.
The next morning found the young wolf still curled up against the apple crate. Having nothing better to do, he tried taking a bite from an apple, then spit it out. There just was no comparison.... He sighed, muttering, "The least that guy could do is let me have delivered some sausage or something...." He hung his shaggy head over a piece of the shattered crate, ears lowered. "I can't believe I fell for this... this is embarrassing." He smiled to himself, trying to find humor... any humor... in this situation. "I guess if there's a bright side to this mess.... it's that at least no one I know will know I got caught like this!" That brought another twinge, this time of sudden loneliness.... as he realized that there was no one to know, or care, what happened to him. His ears dropped down again and he looked miserably around his prison. Then, having nothing better to do, he started chewing on the apple crate itself , deciding that that tasted better than those stupid apples did...
Who was this Jagara, anyway? He only knew a little... enough to know that he was in some royal trouble.... literally! (He smiled to himself as he thought of the pun... humor of any kind was a lifeline at a time like this.) Jagara was the so-called "noble" of this area... the one who controlled all of the human's wealth and troops. The head-honcho. The question was, what would a noble want with a wolf? He shook his head, once again wondering how he, Hige, the live-and-let-live, easygoing wolf, suddenly got himself involved with the highest levels of human government!? This was not good. Feeling nervous again, he started to get up, wishing an exit would somehow appear, when he heard a sound... people were coming. Hige jumped up and the great, shaggy animal paced back and forth for a minute, eyes darting, as he looked desperately for an exit he knew he wouldn't find. As the footsteps rang closer, he froze and tried to regain some composure. Think, Hige, think... could he use the apple crate for something? He stared at it, but no ideas were coming to mind, and the people were getting closer. Well, he could throw apples at them but that would likely just tick them off, and he was trapped there. Human shadows flickered on the wall in front of his prison doorway. The human visage of Hige stiffened and stared towards the door, red-brown eyes shining intently under the tussled hair.
He found that he wasn't quite prepared for who he saw. A beautiful woman, face obscured and body clad in armor, stepped up to the entrance, accompanied by the gleeful shopkeeper. He could tell that behind her, still standing along the stairway and hall, were at least a couple of men, probably her guards or servants. In another time or place, he might have found her attractive... for a human, at least.
A shadow brushed her face, but Hige could see the glint of a smile as she looked in at him. "Ah... well done, shopkeeper. You will be rewarded." She motioned to her men, and the shopkeeper went off down the stairs with them, rubbing his hands expectantly. She stood there, beauty gazing at the beast. Hige remained still, staring back intently. He could sense an air of "otherworldliness" and distance to this noblewoman... he doubted she'd be swayed by humor or a sheepish smile. Sweating slightly, eyebrows furrowed, he asked quietly, "What do you want with me?"
She smiled again and reached up towards the door. A latch opened and the bars swung up, out of sight. She stepped in, released another latch, and the bars reappeared and closed behind her. "I want your help." She said it like it was a simple thing.
"What do you mean?" Hige's throat had suddenly gone dry.
Jagara took a few steps closer, robe swishing behind her, then stopped. "You are going to help me find things I need to know. I need information and locations, and you will show me the way. But first, I need to know a little bit more about you...." and she raised her hand.
Shooting pain suddenly seared inside his head. Jagara's hand glowed as she pointed it towards him, and he could feel her presence- inside his mind. Gasping, he staggered back... straight into the electrified wall. He yelped with the electric shock, then crumpled on the floor. His true wolf form flailed about, shaking and yelping, as Jagara invaded his very thoughts. He kept shaking his head, trying to get her out, but she floated there somehow, on the verge of his consciousness. Then she was gone, but some of the pain remained, and Hige crouched in shock, trembling.
"Yes..." Jagara smiled again. "You like comfort, don't you? That will make you easy to manipulate.... You're also rather sociable... even better, for snaring yet more wolves into my web... yes, you'll do nicely."
Hige shook his head with force, then swung it up to stare at the human form taunting him. Hackles raised, he lunged at her. Cornered, attacked, and with nothing else to lose, the normally easy-going wolf had fire in his eyes as he reached for his assailant's throat. Jaws snapped just short of their target as he suddenly felt himself pulled forcibly to the ground. He barely had time to notice a strange pentacle-like symbol blazing in a white magical glow about him as he was flattened to the floor. He snarled, but there was nothing he could do... he couldn't move. Jagara stood and looked at him for a moment before turning and clapping her hands, which brought one of her man-servants to the doorway. Hige could just see him as he walked in and gave Jagara something... what was that? A... collar? Something inside him snapped slightly upon the sight of the leather strap. He'd never seen this thing before, but he knew with all his heart that he didn't want to be anywhere near it. He tried desperately to free himself of the invisible hold Jagara's magic had on him, but to no use. Jagara fondled the collar, touching the shiny tag on the center. "Number 23.... this feels like a good number." Then she stepped to Hige's side and squatted down. Slender fingers brushed through the tense wolf's brown fur. "Yes, this ought to look rather handsome on you..." She raised a hand above the canine's neck, which lifted his head while maintaining a rigid hold, and slid the collar on. Hige whined, eyes darting about and lips drawn back in a canine grimace.... please, please don't put that thing on me.....
Then the sharp pain came again, followed by a foggy feeling that grew inside his mind until that was all there was. Hige's body relaxed as the wolf slipped into unconsciousness.
The noblewoman straightened up and looked to her servant. "This wolf will be perfect for my plans. Take him to Freeze City, where we know Oakum's scientists are trying to develop something from the Lunar Flower.... this wolf will find the scent and guide our spies to their secret lab- perhaps even collect the flower FOR us. He may also help me snare more wolves for my plans...." The servant nodded, then walked off to fetch a crate and a cart to carry the great wild beast out of the building.
Months later, in Freeze City:
Pulling the hood of his blue jacket over his head, Hige strolled down the busy, gray city street. As he did so, he felt an odd twinge... a familiar scent on the air, perhaps? He stopped and looked around, but it was gone. He paused, then shrugged, and whistling to himself, headed to his favorite part of town: the food market! It had been especially busy lately... a lot of people were coming into Freeze City these days, and the place was bustling. That made it all the easier to slip in and out, unnoticed, and grab a bite to eat. He'd lived in this area for years, and watched it grow, so he knew the place like the back of his paw. And yet, there was this one area he wasn't as familiar with... it was heavily guarded by Oakum's troops. Having no reason to go inside, he'd been content with a little preliminary exploring but mostly left the area alone. That was the place he was heading next to now.
Hige felt a slight itch and reached inside his jacket's hood and under the thick leather collar circling his neck to scratch it. It was a little weird- he'd had this collar for years, but lately it itched like he was still getting used to it. Maybe it just needed a cleaning? Hige shrugged and continued on his way.
Lips smacking, Hige rounded the corner of the market and stopped to bask in the glow of all that good food. He sniffed deeply, enjoying the scent like a wine connoisseur enjoys the aroma of their drink. Then something changed. There was another scent... something he knew without knowing, an ancestral memory that popped to the surface. It was the scent of a Lunar Flower. Very faint, but it was here! A real Lunar Flower... something like catnip to wolves, and their guide to the Paradise that wolves were said to be destined to find. Round eyes scrutinized their surroundings, but it was Hige's nose that led him to the carrier of the scent: a young blond woman with her hair tied in a wispy bun. She was talking to a man who was standing beside her.
"Yes, I know, dear. That's why I agreed to this luncheon. But I have work to do, and I've got to go now. You know how important my research may be!"
The man nodded, but his eyes spoke volumes. He gazed at her like he couldn't ever see enough of this woman. She didn't seem to notice, though, and turned to walk away. After her first few steps, though, her pace slowed, like a new thought had been planted in her mind and her actions were slowly catching up with it. She looked back, and their eyes met. Her eyes softened, a smile graced her features, and she came back to him. "Well, I suppose 10 more minutes won't kill me. You know, when you look at me like that, I'm reminded why I married you 3 years ago." She touched his face, and he reached to hold her. Embracing, they kissed, then turned back to the table where they'd been sitting. Hige stood by, looking as inconspicuous as was possible, while keeping an eye on her. He tried to look busy window-shopping while they finished a romantic lunch, then headed their separate ways to go back to work. The man placed a jaunty fedora on his head and headed back into the market section. The blond walked the opposite direction, heading right towards the secret area Oakum's troops guarded so vigilantly. Hige followed, keeping a distance so she didn't realize he was there. He had to find out why she smelled faintly of a Lunar Flower... was there actually one in there? He'd never smelled one before.
Following her and using his wolfish speed and cunning, Hige managed to get himself deep into the secret area. He watched as she entered a secret code to get into an especially guarded place, but lost her soon afterwards due to numerous guards and lack of hiding places. Hands in pockets, he strolled down the aisle looking for... well, anything.
Of course, if you go looking for something, you'll find it. His ears perked up as he heard shouts far off into the distance. Listening, he could tell that the commotion was getting nearer. Suddenly, shots were fired... one, two, now five.... and getting closer. Head turning, he figured it might be wise to find a good place to hide, or at least be less starkly obvious than standing in the middle of a major hallway. He turned a likely-looking corner into a small, dimmer aisle- and found himself face to face with... another wolf?!
Two young males stood and stared at one another. The other wolf's human visage was that of a tussled, dark-haired and pale-skinned person with a white shirt, dark pants, and a comfortable, crumpled jacket with a high neck. The wolf himself was white as the snow. The most serious blue eyes Hige had ever seen seemed to pierce his very being, in no small part because they seemed so eerily familiar.... but that was ridiculous. He'd never seen this wolf before. Finally, Hige was able to pull himself from that gaze... only to notice that the other wolf was bleeding- a LOT. Hige's eyes widened.
"Whoa, hey... you OK?" He took a step forward, tilting his head and trying to get a better look.
The other wolf stood his ground and said in a quiet (and surprisingly calm, considering his situation) voice, "I'm fine. This is nothing."
"Are you sure? That sure doesn't look like nothing....."
The other wolf didn't answer, instead turning to face the one door in this hallway, situated between the two of them. "I need to get in here." He tried opening the door, but it wouldn't budge. Puzzled, Hige stepped closer... and then he could smell it, too. The Lunar Flower was nearby... perhaps even behind this door. The intense blue-eyed wolf tried pounding the door, but that was no use either. Hige walked up, scratching his chin. "So you're here because of the Flower, too, huh?"
The other wolf nodded, then continued to try anything possible to get that door open. Hige raised his arms, crossing them behind his head, as he watched the determined wolf's efforts. Man, just watching all that work made him feel tired! Arms still crossed behind his head, he leaned out of the aisle, wondering if all the noise was attracting attention. So far, so good. He leaned back in, only to see the stranger with a lead pipe in his hands and about to beat the door with it. It was about that point that he noticed the little red alarm bell situated above the door, and realized with a start what would happen if the stranger bashed it in. With a yelp, he tackled the other wolf just in time, and the pair ended up in a furry pile down the aisle. The other guy looked up, blue eyes flashing, and Hige grinned sheepishly, one hand scratching at the side of his head. "Um... sorry about that... but you would have set off the alarm, and then we'd be in for it for sure." The stranger's eyes lost some of their angry glare as he looked up and saw the alarm bell. Then those eyes fixed steadily upon Hige again. "Well... you could at least get off me, you know."
"Oh, sorry!"Hige grinned again and scurried away.
Getting up and brushing himself off, the other wolf stood and stared at the door, still trying to figure a way in. Hige extended a hand to him. "I'm Hige, by the way... nice to meet another wolf!" The stranger hesitated, and Hige sensed that handshakes weren't really in this guy's "vocabulary". "What's your name?" The stranger looked at him, serious eyes hinting at a struggle between lone-wolf standoffishness and... something else? Did he feel this weird familiarity, too, Hige wondered?
"My name's Kiba."
Hige smiled, then turned to the door, hand on chin. "So, how do we get in here?" Looking closely, he noticed that there was a computer grid off to the side. Ah! This is what the blond woman had been doing when he lost her! She'd entered a code on that grid... what was it again? Ah, yes... CHEZA2 ... that was it! He grinned, said "Watch this!" to Kiba, and entered the code. The door swung open. He made a move of cracking his knuckles and posing with a self-satisfied look on his face.... "A-yep, that's how you do it!" He pointed to his head, smiling as he claimed, "Brains, not brawn, my friend!"
Kiba just gave him a look. "It seems to me that if you'd tried to help me open the door earlier, instead of just watching me do all the work, we might have already entered that room."
Bubble burst, Hige frowned and stared at the ceiling. "Well, if you put it that way,.... but..." Kiba didn't stand around to listen, but Hige could discern a faint, amused smile on his lips as he passed by and entered the doorway. Hige chuckled and followed him in.
The room they entered was huge. Wires and pipes crisscrossed the ceiling and machines of various sized whirred and hummed as they did their assigned tasks. But the immediate center of attention to the two young wolves was the container in the center of the room. It was square-shaped and locked tight. It was hard to see inside the container, but the scent gave its contents away- the lunar flower was in there. Kiba rushed over and placed his arms on the walls of the container almost tenderly while Hige strolled up casually. The two canines tried to open the contraption but there was no easy way to do it.
That's when Hige remembered something and reached back, inside and behind his collar, pulling a small object out- a key. That's right....he'd picked up this skeleton key awhile ago and it was amazing sometimes what it could open! This was sure convenient.... key in "hand", he reached over the lock and tried to fit it in- and it worked! Both wolves' ears twitched with excitement as the lock clicked and fell open. Kiba quickly opened the door, trembling slightly as he caught sight of the most exquisite and elaborate white flower either canine had ever seen. With shallow breath, the white wolf pulled the flower pot out and held the fragile form tightly. Hige marveled at how this wolf seemed to brush off what looked like major injuries as if they were nothing, while devoting all of his attention to this white flower of Paradise. They stood there, basking in the glory of the plant, until a small noise caught their attention and they suddenly realized that they should be leaving this place- now! Kiba turned and headed out, flower clutched carefully to his chest. Hige followed, but began to notice that Kiba might finally be feeling the effects of his injuries after all- he was limping. Hige shook his head- somebody better watch this guy, or he might kill himself by simply pushing himself too hard. Deciding that that wolf would have to be him, Hige kept by Kiba's side as the two wolves headed out of the room and towards the exit.
Twenty-four hours later, in a room far distant to Freeze City's laboratory, a leather-clad servant stepped up to give his master a report. "Lord Jagara, our sources tell us that Oakum's scientists are in an uproar... the Lunar Flower has been stolen, and Wolf #23 was in the area at the time of its disappearance. We are tracking him now." Lord Jagara smiled. "Ah, I knew you would help me, #23..." She stood and raised her hand. "Continue tracking #23 and gather my special-ops forces.... we head out to collect the Lunar Flower at 18:00 hours."
One Week Later:
Hige landed on the rooftop with a grunt. He crouched and watched the armed soldier stalk down the alley and out of sight. Whew.... He wiped some sweat from his brow and sat down for a quick rest. What a crazy week it had been since meeting Kiba and obtaining the Lunar Flower. The human scientists had been rather upset about the disappearance of their object of study, and the soldiers were more active than usual, keeping the canines on their feet and on the run. In fact, the commotion had stirred up an unexpected discovery: more wolves! In all the chaos of that week, Hige and Kiba had met two more wolves who were also feeling the pressure from humans. One was a young, innocent wolf named Toboe, whom Hige enjoyed teasing in a friendly sort of way. The other- well, you wouldn't tease the other one. Tsume was a growly sort, and he hadn't seemed to like Hige much from the moment he met him. It was like Tsume didn't trust him somehow, and for some weird reason that bothered Hige. Of course, Tsume acted like he didn't much like ANYONE, and yet he hadn't left the pack ... so Hige convinced himself he didn't really need to worry too much about it anyway. In addition, Kiba was getting more unhappy by the day. While Hige understood that the Lunar Flower was important, he tended to think Kiba might be a little- well, obsessed on the thing. Kiba had taken to talking to the flower, and had even given it a name! He called it Cheza, just like the code word back in the laboratory. When Hige asked him why, he simply said, "That's her name." Uh... right. Oh well, each to his own. Hige had managed to find a safe spot to store "Cheza" at, but then Kiba complained she wasn't getting enough sunlight locked away in an empty building. Actually, this was true. Hige noticed Cheza was wilting a bit. So, between trying to keep Cheza safe and happy, dealing with new wolves, and avoiding the increased soldier activity, Hige and the rest of the new "pack" he'd found himself in had been rather busy- and stressed.
Gunshots rang out in the distance and Hige's brown velvety ears swiveled towards the sound. Soon, he could discern the rest of the new "pack" zipping up and towards his resting spot. Great, more wolf hunters. With a sigh, Hige hopped over and joined the others.
Kiba was obviously agitated. "I think it's time to leave this town. All this running and gunfire isn't doing Cheza any good... she needs a safe spot to rest."
"Leave town?" Toboe's eyes grew wide. "I've never.. left town before." He looked out to the distant horizon. "What's out there?"
"Big bad hunters who eat little wolves like you for breakfast.", snorted Tsume. Crossing his arms, he stated, "I think we should stay here. At least we know this territory and its escape routes."
Hige sidled up to Kiba. "I'm with Kiba... I think we've worn out our welcome here." Tsume gave him a glare, but Hige continued. "I've been around this place for a long time, and I know some areas we could go." It was funny- he hadn't remembered it before, but he just had a memory resurface, of a time he had been rather heavily hunted and had found a safe place to hide. "In fact, there's one place in particular I think you'd be interested in, Kiba.... it's an old Arboretum! A place where they cultivate plants.... I think anything that Cheza might need could be found there." As Kiba's ears perked up and eyes intensified even more (if that was possible), all the wolves knew the decision had been made. That was it, then. Tsume snorted with disgust, but with a little nudging from the gentle Toboe, finally followed the others as they started their journey.
The wolves traveled far and covered many miles through endless suburbs and sprawling stretches of towns before finally resting. It seemed like Kiba could go on forever- the endurance and energy of that wolf was something else, but the other three were "only wolf" and eventually convinced him to at least pause a moment. Their rest didn't last long, unfortunately. Eight triangular ears perked up at the sound of something unnatural, and Hige's ultra-sensitive nose caught a whiff of human nearby. The four wolves leaped out of their hiding place inside an old barn to the sight and sound of gunfire! Fortunately, the shots missed by a mile, but it was obviously time to keep running. As they escaped they noticed the humans appeared to be soldiers... but their outfits were somehow different. The four wolves leapt in four different directions and spread out for awhile but met up again in the woods nearby and continued on their way. Pale moonlight filtered through the tree branches as they raced their shadows through the leaf- littered forest floor.
Most of the night and much of the next day was spent in this way: running, stopping, being discovered, and running again, with little time for rest in between. It was uncanny how these "new" soldiers were able to find them no matter where they went. Four tired, stressed wolves continued their journey as the sun disappeared over the horizon.
Hige looked over his shoulder, breathing hard. "We should be there pretty soon... it's not much farther... they won't find us there!"
"And why should we believe you?", asked Tsume with a tone of annoyance. "You said you were there years ago...how do we know it still even exists?"
Hige faltered slightly, but turned to answer the sullen gray wolf as he ran. "Something like that doesn't just disappear! Even if it's fallen into disrepair, or changed, I'll bet we can still find something of value there. It's the best chance we have! Besides, it was right next to a really rough canyon the humans didn't like traveling through- making that whole area a great hiding spot!"
Tsume snorted again. "This just seems like a stab in the dark to me..."
"I- I think it sounds like a good idea!" Toboe's young voice piped up. "Especially since it's an Ar- Arboretum... Kiba should be able to find a lot of nice things for Cheza there. It's worth a try!" He looked around at the others.
Kiba responded softly, "I agree. Unless you have a better idea, Tsume?"
Tsume made a slight face but didn't reply.
"Ok, then. We'll go to the Arboretum and see what it's like... and go from there." Kiba's calm voice settled the matter and the wolves continued on their way.
As they ran, something kept troubling Hige... but what was it? Tsume's lack of confidence cut into him more than it should, and somehow Kiba and Toboe's sheer trust was... troubling? Hige fervently wished that he could see into the future and KNOW that he was leading them all to a good spot. Why had he been so sure that this was a great hiding place? Doubt began to gnaw away at him.
"Hey, I don't think the soldiers are following us anymore!" Toboe sounded hopeful.
The other wolves looked around, and Hige breathed a sigh of relief. "You know, you're right.... we haven't seen them in awhile. I think maybe we finally gave them the slip!" He gave a big grin. "Good observation, Chibi!"
Toboe pouted. "I'm not Chibi!"
"If you say so,... Chibi!" Smiling, he playfully half-tackled the young pup and the two of them ran around play-biting for a short time while Kiba watched and Tsume made yet another face. Feeling better, Hige led the way up to the top of a hill and looked out onto the horizon. Yes, he was worrying for nothing. Everything would be fine... they HADN'T seen those soldiers in awhile, and the Arboretum was nearby! Feeling relieved, he picked up his pace and raced out of the forested hillside and through some darkened storehouses, enjoying the fresh night air for the first time. Excited, but tired from a long night and day's running, he was perhaps not as graceful as he should have been. Rounding a corner, he cut a little too steeply, and tripped... right onto a barrel of apples.
Pain. Scrambling to get up, the somehow disturbingly familiar apple aroma surrounded his nose. Fog. Shaking his head, he noted that it hurt, though it hadn't impacted anywhere. Anxiety. He began to shake and didn't know why. Confusion. What was wrong with him, anyway?
Hige shook his head continuously, trying to clear it, while his pack mates trotted up to him. They began to ask what was wrong, but with a quick, tart, "It's nothing- I just tripped.", Hige bolted from them and ran full speed towards the Arboretum. He didn't want them to see his confusion and doubt. He didn't want questions. Compulsively shaking his head, he ran into another storage crate, scuffing his muzzle and cheek, but hardly broke pace. Paws flying, it was as if he was trying to outrun whatever demon it was that had hold of him- if indeed any did.
The other three ran up alongside him, puzzled, but sensing his mood, let him alone. Finally, Hige could look out and see the outside grounds of the Arboretum in the distance. Rows of radiant rose bushes and stands of groomed trees swayed with a slight nighttime breeze, heavy-laden with a floral scent. Hige brushed hard against an old snaggled oak tree but hardly noticed. His head was hurting and his vision had blurred.
Tsume had had enough. The lean, gray lupine skidded to halt in front of the stocky, brown wolf, stopping him. "What is the matter with you?"
"Nothing... I just fell hard, I guess... "Hige shook his head slightly, panting. "I'm... fine. I guess this night has just been a little stressful, is all... Heh- it's probably that I'm just a bit out of shape, y'know?" He attempted a smile, though it looked more tired and pained than it did mirthful. His reddish-brown eyes opened and looked around. "Anyway, this isn't the place to stop... we're kind of exposed here. Let's get to the Arboretum first, then we can rest."
Somewhat reluctantly, the scarred gray wolf conceded and the pack began its run again. Their goal was in sight- they had made it this far, time to finish what they started. Finally, they hit the outside perimeter and could see the main building not too far ahead. Hige should have been relieved, yet his sense of anxiety grew. Panting hard, head hurting, he felt the area under his collar chafing again. Damn it.... it felt like his entire body was in chaos, but why? As he ran against yet another tree trunk, he gasped and almost collapsed. Kiba was next to him in an instant, beginning to really worry about his friend. Head low, taking deep breaths, Hige slowly raised his eyes and they met with Kiba's intense blue ones. Except- it was not Kiba's eyes he saw at that moment. Hige had a sensation of sinking deep into those eyes... eyes as blue as ice, as blue as the sky, as blue as a sparkling mountain lake- and filled with affection- for him. Feminine eyes? For a moment, he was lost in the wild blue yonder as he felt a strange longing. Something inside snapped again.
The shaking stopped. Tired eyes looked ahead with new clarity as Hige saw Kiba in front of him once again. Hige stood and looked at Kiba with an expression the white wolf had not seen there before: shame. Hige took a step backwards, ears lowering, and broke off their gaze, eyes darting about for a seemingly nonexistent foe . He gulped. "This isn't right...."
"This... this isn't.... I mean, I just realized..... my memories are...everything- everything is wrong...." He stopped backing up and swung his head to peer at the main building of the Arboretum with alarm. Eyes widened and he glanced at the others. "I mean... this is wrong... this is all wrong. I've- I've never been here before in my life."
Kiba stepped towards Hige, as the brown wolf stepped away again. "What are you talking about, Hige?"
Dazedly, Hige shook his head, trying to focus. He looked back up at Kiba. "This is... a trap... it's got to be.... a trap." It was coming back to him in bits and pieces... realizations that his memories of the last few years had never really happened... he had been somewhere else... he'd been.. captured, and used.
Inside the darkened main building, Jagara stifled an impulse to sigh in exasperation as she watched through a small window. She stood there in the dark, troops lined up beside her, ready to capture the wolves as they entered the building. Everything had been running smoothly, with #23 and his pack pursued and harassed by her soldiers in order to expedite him leading his pack mates into her trap.... until just a few moments ago. Something had changed. She felt her control of him slipping. Annoyed, she focused on regaining that control of his mind, but this time he refused her. He had finally "woken up", and it was difficult to retake a mind once it had done so. However, in the wolves' present confusion, she had a window of opportunity. Making a decision, she turned to her next-in-command with a whisper. "Inform Soldier #384 to take out the white wolf holding the Lunar Flower- now. The targets are not coming any closer, so we shall have to use deadly force to get our prize. After the white wolf has fallen, open fire on the rest. Do not under any circumstance shoot the flower." Soldier #384, the sharp-shooter, was positioned outside for just such a circumstance.
Kiba took another step towards Hige, reaching out a hand. Hige began to step back and shake his head again when he caught the tiniest glint of moonlight on metal against a tree nearby. Something was wrong. Staring, he could just make out a figure high up in the tree- aiming a gun.
"Kiba!" Hige leapt at the white wolf, trying to push him out of the way, when the gun fired. Bullet ripped through flesh- his own. But he had succeeded in pushing Kiba out of the way. Kiba gasped, turned, and twisted, barely managing to keep a hold of the Flower. All four wolves froze, crouching, for the fleetest of moments, then burst from the scene heading back in the direction from which they came. Gasping in shock and pain, Hige followed the other three, using sheer adrenaline to get himself out of that place.
Gunfire followed as the fleeing canines receded into the distance. Jagara cursed and howled, sounding not unlike a wolf herself. "After them! Get that Flower no matter what you have to do!"
Claws scraped the ground as three wolves ran at breakneck speed to escape their pursuers. Stumbling behind was the fourth, bleeding from the wound on his shoulder and side and gasping for breath. Hige had another of those horrible deja vue sensations again, like he had gone through this before, but that was absurd. The wolves raced on until they reached a more wooded, sheltered hillside where they could regroup and catch their breath. The other three slowed to let Hige catch up, eyes furrowed with concern.. or was it loathing? Wound searing his side, world turned inside out, Hige was in no shape to tell. Ears flattened, he made his way up to the others and stopped, head and tail hanging. Pain burned his side and shame burned his heart, but his mind was clearing. Having a moment to think, he raised his head again.
"It's... it's me." Normally easy-going eyes clouded with the horrible reality. "It's me.. they're able to find us time after time because of ...me. Because of..."- his human form touched his oversized collar- "Because of this." He winced as another wave of pain hit him: clutching his side, he leaned against a boulder. "It's the collar. I didn't... remember any of this... until now." His eyes stared at his feet as he talked, sweat coming down his face. They must hate him now. He betrayed his pack- what worse thing could a wolf do? If they tore his throat out right now he'd deserve every torn ligament. But he knew what he needed to do- the least he could do, given all the problems he'd caused. Still clutching his side, he looked back to where the soldiers were and noted that they seemed to be heading right for the wolves' hiding spot- no surprise there.
"Look, there they come. You guys go on... I'll lead them away from you. They'll be following me..." Sweating, face set and determined, he pushed away from the boulder to start a separate path- away from his new-found, and now newly lost, pack- and to oblivion, most likely.
Kiba appeared in front of him. "I don't understand everything going on here, but I think I understand this: they're following the collar, right?"
Hige stopped. "Huh?"
"That's right- the collar!" Toboe bounded up to Hige and sniffed the leather strap. "If we can just bite this off, they won't be able to find you anymore!" Hige stared dully at the young wolf. Kiba and Toboe both sounded... normal. Was there some chance they didn't hate him for what he'd done? Hige stood shakily as Kiba approached one side and Toboe the other. Teeth flashed as Kiba snapped strong jaws upon Hige's collar, attempting to break it. When one set of wolf jaws didn't work, Toboe added another on the other side. Hige stood still and offered no resistance as he was tugged from one side or the other. Much chewing and biting later, the collar was definitely roughed up, but still intact. Hige began to push away, saying he needed to lead away the soldiers now, before it was too late, when Tsume approached him. Hige halted in his tracks.
Tsume had said nothing in all of this. Now the leather-clad form approached the collared wolf and Hige noted with a start that he had a knife in his hands. The former city gangster's eyes looked clouded with some inner emotion of his own as he raised the knife above Hige's neck. Hige had a sudden mental image of Tsume coming at his throat, teeth bared and prepared to kill. And yet- in both that image, and what he experienced now, there was acceptance... even peace. If this was the way things were to be, then so be it. Hige bowed his head and waited for whatever the fates had in store.... C'est la vie la vie.
Leather snapped as Tsume's knife cut the collar free of Hige's shaggy brown neck. He spoke in a much quieter voice than usual- one thick with emotion... and somehow, was that a sense of relief? "There. That's done. You've got some serious explaining to do- but save it for later. Now move it! I don't feel like losing anyone else to some stinking humans!"
Hige blinked and looked at Tsume, but the gray wolf had already turned and begun to leave. Again Hige wondered if he wasn't the only one to experience this deja vue feeling...
"Uh...thank you.." He blinked again, glancing at the wolves who were still his friends despite what he'd done... or what he'd been trapped into, to be more precise. With a grunt, he heaved forward and limped behind the other three as all four wolves disappeared like ghosts into the forest, leaving only some spilled blood, paw prints, and a snapped leather collar behind.
Epilogue
Hige stretched, whiskers bristling as he yawned, fading sunlight dappling his shaggy brown fur. The large canine got up slowly- he was still stiff and sore from his wound, and much slower than his pack mates now... but they waited for him. The wolves had more time now, since the soldiers could no longer follow them, and they hadn't seen any hostile humans in days. Slowly but surely, Hige was recovering from his ordeal, both physical and mental. It would take awhile before he could really look his pack mates in the face again, but Hige was feeling better... like some weight had been lifted from his shoulders. The deja vue feelings had finally stopped, and Hige felt like he had his life ahead of him to live as he wanted. A life with good friends; good pack mates who were there by his side. And he found that he wanted to do the same for them.
As he stepped from his leafy bed to rejoin his pack down by a streamside, he did have one last, lingering thought... of that moment when he finally remembered everything. When it all came back. Except- for one important thing. He still had no idea whose lovely blue eyes he'd seen at that moment belonged to. Yet he had this funny feeling that he would find out...
But enough with all the feelings! Hige shook himself and trotted slowly but surely down the hill to join his pack for another night's run.
-Finis
Wolf's Rain Fanfic Spoilers- Takes place after the end of the series (Episode 30) This is one interpretation of what might have happened to Hige after the series ended. The question of Hige's collar was not totally explained, so I decided to write this fanfic as a potential answer. There is also a question as to whether the characters are still wolves or not, but since the ending is left up to the interpretation of the viewer, I kept them as wolves... simply because I like them that way. :) Please be gentle.. ;) This is my 3rd-ever fanfic. I'm not claiming it's good, but I've enjoyed writing it, at least!
"Do you believe in karma?" "Hmm?" The larger of two figures lounging on a gray city stairway paused and looked lazily over at his companion. "What do you mean?" The more slender of the two young men picked at his T-shirt cuff and said, "You know, where what you do in a past life comes back to haunt you in this one... if you believe in that sort of thing. Or at least, it does until you finally learn your lesson and do things right. That's what my old folks were lecturing me about today, anyway." The larger of the two smiled easily. "Heh- I'm not really sure what I believe in...." He paused, looked up in the air for a long, thoughtful moment, then grinned again, eyes closed. "Actually, come to think of it, I DO believe in something, but it's not quite as heavy as all that.... I'd say to believe in "the three L's": Life, Ladies, and Lunch! Might as well enjoy yourself while you're here, ya know?" His cheerful eyes opened long enough to wink at his friend. Ok, ... so the T-shirt guy wasn't actually his friend, per se, but was, like him, someone without anything better to do at the moment. He wasn't adverse to striking up conversations with complete strangers- you never knew where it might lead. And as he had found out, T-shirt guy was in a chatty mood today. "That's right, man...I like that.... yeah! I should tell that to my parents..." He smiled again. "Nah- knowing parents, that would probably be a mistake... then if there is karma, you'll just have to listen to their lecture again in the next life!" The conversation continued like this for awhile, until T-shirt Guy finally got up to head home. As he did so, he stopped and asked, "Dude...maybe I'll see you around. What's your name, anyway?" "Hige." Hige waved as the teen told him his name, in turn, and wandered off.
Of course, odds were that he'd never see that guy again. Pulling the hood of his bulky blue jacket over a shock of unruly brown hair, he got up, finished off the last bite of a hotdog he'd been munching on, and left. He had no home to go to, and spent his time wandering the city... in fact, many of them. You see, under the human disguise, Hige was a wolf. Canis lupis in the flesh and fur. He knew Feast and he knew Famine (and was wise enough to enjoy Feast to its fullest extent when the opportunity arose)! And yet, the humans he walked among were none the wiser to his presence. In this world, a place gifted (or was that cursed?) with a healthy dose of magic, wolves could appear human to mere men's eyes. In fact, they'd gotten quite good at it... wolves had the ability to not only project a human image that completely covered their true canine form, and speak with a human voice, but had gotten to the point of being able to manipulate objects with this human "hologram", too. No one alive could really say how this happened, but they knew why... wolves were hunted creatures. Not only were they labeled the "beasts of waste and desolation", always at odds with human goals and objectives, but there was the Legend: wolves would bring about the end of the world. And so, wolves had been hunted by a fearful humanity almost to the point of extinction. But the will to live is a strong one, and a few adapted and survived with this special gift they had, making a living by existing, unobserved, right under their enemy's very noses.
Hige had adapted well to the human world. He was born near a city, and his pack roamed in and out of human territory without notice... until that one time when a wolf hunter finally discovered them. The survivors were badly shaken up, and Hige's natural sense of humor and practicality helped them get through those horrible, empty days. However, Hige was also coming into his own as a young adult, and feeling the urge to roam. He had a heart for the ladies, and one day a fine young female wolf wandering through the area stole it. He had traveled with her awhile, hoping, but she eventually rejected him outright. Finding himself alone in a new land led to one adventure after another, and for now Hige was quite comfortable just wandering, enjoying the sights, sounds- and cuisine- of each place. It wasn't a bad life, and the food was plentiful, if you were quick and savvy about it. The only thing missing was canine companionship, but he had found that wolves were increasingly hard to find these days....
His footsteps quickened as he caught the first whiff of scent: meat! Hige was approaching his favorite section of town, the food market. Various stores and vendors displayed their wares, and food of all kinds hung from display shelves and overhangs. The eager young wolf was especially interested in the meat! There was one store in particular that featured a large selection of meat, from salamis and roasts to the intact carcasses of game like hares and pheasants. It was sometimes possible to swipe, unnoticed, an entire string of salami hanging from the store front! Even better, the store frequently gave out free samples of food to passersby, and Hige felt like he had struck gold, as the humans might say.
He rounded the corner and the full aroma of the store's bounty hit him. As he approached the place, he was glad that his drooling lupine jaws were invisible to the resident humans. The shopkeeper was outside, hanging more food for display. Suddenly something small and furry leaped out from behind a barrel of apples and ran whimpering back into the store. Oh, yes, the shopkeeper owned a dog... a small mutt that was terrified every time Hige approached. Dogs knew wolves when they saw them. Fortunately, their owners never seemed to notice, and the shopkeeper kept hammering away obliviously. When he was done with that, he stepped down and headed towards some crates laying nearby. Hige walked up to the display and grinned, enjoying the visual feast and calculating how and when he could make it a real one. Casual... you had to stay casual. "Excuse me, son?" Hmmm? Hige looked up and saw the shopkeeper motioning to him. "Uh... yes?" "Could you do me a favor? I've seen you around here before, and you seem like a nice young man. I've got an order to deliver this apple crate to a customer, but my delivery man is sick today. My old back can't pull the weight... could I convince you to help me out?" "Well...uh..." "I'd be happy to offer something in return.... I don't have much, but I can offer a free lunch! Eat 'til you're full... of whatever you'd like." Hige blinked and stared for a second. Hardly able to contain his excitement, he practically jumped over to where the shopkeeper stood, before remembering his own advice and slowing back down to a walk. "Sure, I think I could manage that!"
Hige traveled down the cluttered street, clutching the crate and moving gracefully with the traffic. His somewhat chubby-looking human form seemed to contrast with the grace and ease in which he moved. The shopkeeper had left the store under the watch of a subordinate and come along to give directions, but Hige had done all the actual work. Work... Hige didn't really like that idea. However, he kept that feast foremost in his mind, and before long they were at the building where the apples were to be delivered. The shopkeeper stepped inside and informed him that the delivery needed to be brought up to the first floor. Hige looked up... the building was a large one, and had that empty, cold feeling of an old factory. Looking up at the old place, he felt a strange twinge, but the thought of food drowned it out and he hopped inside.
"It's just over there... the door to your left" huffed the old shopkeeper as they moved up the stairs. Feeling a burst of energy from the thought that this was almost over and a feast awaited, Hige wanted to zap up the stairs at wolf-speed, but knew better than to show that speed to his human companion. However, he couldn't help jogging up the last of the stairs and eagerly entered the doorway. It was just a small, barren room with no furnishings and no windows. He stepped inside.
SLAM!
Hige jumped, crate falling from his "hands" with a loud crack. He whirled around and confronted steel bars now blocking the doorway... What?!? He stopped and looked nervously at the shopkeeper, who had an expression on his face that the young wolf had not seen there before... some mix of fear, gloating, and .... hate?
The shopkeeper laughed, and it suddenly sounded very cold. "HA! I DID it! I DID it! I'm going to be rich....." He smiled gleefully.
"Uh.... what?" Hige managed a weak smile, attempting to look as normal and friendly as he could muster under the circumstances. "What- what do you mean? What is this? A joke?"
Eyes narrowing, the shopkeeper's expression turned grim. "This is no joke, "son".... I know what you are. You're one of those damned wolves! And now your own greed is going to be the end of you... and the beginning for me and my family."
Hige's expression changed, too, as his stomach seemed to clench and then float away.
The human smiled again, and turned towards the stairs. "You can just stay here while I go tell Jagara's people that I caught a wolf for 'em... they're offering a reward for your kind... but only if it's alive. Ha! Running a meat market, I figured that if there were any wolves in the area, I'd have to attract one eventually... I even offered free food samples. Good for business anyway, and I hoped word would get around. When my dog reacted to you, I watched you closely... and eventually I could see past that disguise you creatures put up. And now you're mine... or should I say, Jagara's... that reward is gonna be mine!"
"Wait!" Hige fumbled awkwardly for words... any words. Try to delay the man- talk to him... anything. "Are you sure you want to do this... ?" Though looking into the man's eyes he saw that he did indeed want to. Hige made a sort of a grin-grimace and scratched his head nervously.
"Um... I don't suppose the concept of "saving a beautiful endangered species from the brutal destruction of mankind" strikes a chord with you, does it?" He looked again, almost hopefully. Nope. Guess not. Ugh... Hige's sinking feeling just kept getting lower. Now irritated, he gathered his composure, straightened up a bit, and yelped, "Fine! You really think you can keep me in here? These bars can't hold me!" Secretly, he hated doing something that would make his teeth hurt, but he had no choice now. He lunged at the bars, teeth flashing as his true wolf form showed. The instant he made contact with the bars, something sent a shock ripping through his entire system and he let go, staggering back, eyes staring, tongue lolling. The shopkeeper laughed.
"Oh, I wouldn't try that, wolf" sneered the shopkeeper. "That cage is electrified... clamp your teeth on it too long, and you might be electrocuted. Don't do that, OK? I need you alive, you know." He began to walk away.
Hige, appearing human again, stumbled towards the retreating figure, his visions of Feast turning quite painfully into Famine. "Wait! How long are you going to be gone? What about that meal? You could at least throw me a salami or something, if keeping me alive is oh-so important!" He wanted to bang against the bars for added measure, but stopped short of that.
The man turned and smiled bitterly. "Eat some apples". Then he was down the stairs and out of sight.
"I'm a WOLF!"Snarling, Hige grabbed one of the apples that had spilled from the damaged crate and threw it in the direction of the shopkeeper in frustration. Keeping with the kind of day this was turning into, the apple bounced off the bars and hit him square on the head.
"Ow." Hige sat down and stared at the doorway. Everything was still sinking in, and he had to fight a sense of panic. He was trapped, at the mercy of those stinking humans... who never seemed to show any. He whimpered softly, and his hefty, brown-furred body crouched, head and tail low. The next moment found him in a desperate whirlwind of activity as he jumped at, paced, or sniffed every inch of his prison, searching for a way out, but it was useless... the electricity was everywhere. Finally, realizing that there was no escape, he hunched into a miserable ball of fur and backed up against the apple crate. As night fell, the exhausted canine found the only refuge he could- in sleep.
The next morning found the young wolf still curled up against the apple crate. Having nothing better to do, he tried taking a bite from an apple, then spit it out. There just was no comparison.... He sighed, muttering, "The least that guy could do is let me have delivered some sausage or something...." He hung his shaggy head over a piece of the shattered crate, ears lowered. "I can't believe I fell for this... this is embarrassing." He smiled to himself, trying to find humor... any humor... in this situation. "I guess if there's a bright side to this mess.... it's that at least no one I know will know I got caught like this!" That brought another twinge, this time of sudden loneliness.... as he realized that there was no one to know, or care, what happened to him. His ears dropped down again and he looked miserably around his prison. Then, having nothing better to do, he started chewing on the apple crate itself , deciding that that tasted better than those stupid apples did...
Who was this Jagara, anyway? He only knew a little... enough to know that he was in some royal trouble.... literally! (He smiled to himself as he thought of the pun... humor of any kind was a lifeline at a time like this.) Jagara was the so-called "noble" of this area... the one who controlled all of the human's wealth and troops. The head-honcho. The question was, what would a noble want with a wolf? He shook his head, once again wondering how he, Hige, the live-and-let-live, easygoing wolf, suddenly got himself involved with the highest levels of human government!? This was not good. Feeling nervous again, he started to get up, wishing an exit would somehow appear, when he heard a sound... people were coming. Hige jumped up and the great, shaggy animal paced back and forth for a minute, eyes darting, as he looked desperately for an exit he knew he wouldn't find. As the footsteps rang closer, he froze and tried to regain some composure. Think, Hige, think... could he use the apple crate for something? He stared at it, but no ideas were coming to mind, and the people were getting closer. Well, he could throw apples at them but that would likely just tick them off, and he was trapped there. Human shadows flickered on the wall in front of his prison doorway. The human visage of Hige stiffened and stared towards the door, red-brown eyes shining intently under the tussled hair.
He found that he wasn't quite prepared for who he saw. A beautiful woman, face obscured and body clad in armor, stepped up to the entrance, accompanied by the gleeful shopkeeper. He could tell that behind her, still standing along the stairway and hall, were at least a couple of men, probably her guards or servants. In another time or place, he might have found her attractive... for a human, at least.
A shadow brushed her face, but Hige could see the glint of a smile as she looked in at him. "Ah... well done, shopkeeper. You will be rewarded." She motioned to her men, and the shopkeeper went off down the stairs with them, rubbing his hands expectantly. She stood there, beauty gazing at the beast. Hige remained still, staring back intently. He could sense an air of "otherworldliness" and distance to this noblewoman... he doubted she'd be swayed by humor or a sheepish smile. Sweating slightly, eyebrows furrowed, he asked quietly, "What do you want with me?"
She smiled again and reached up towards the door. A latch opened and the bars swung up, out of sight. She stepped in, released another latch, and the bars reappeared and closed behind her. "I want your help." She said it like it was a simple thing.
"What do you mean?" Hige's throat had suddenly gone dry.
Jagara took a few steps closer, robe swishing behind her, then stopped. "You are going to help me find things I need to know. I need information and locations, and you will show me the way. But first, I need to know a little bit more about you...." and she raised her hand.
Shooting pain suddenly seared inside his head. Jagara's hand glowed as she pointed it towards him, and he could feel her presence- inside his mind. Gasping, he staggered back... straight into the electrified wall. He yelped with the electric shock, then crumpled on the floor. His true wolf form flailed about, shaking and yelping, as Jagara invaded his very thoughts. He kept shaking his head, trying to get her out, but she floated there somehow, on the verge of his consciousness. Then she was gone, but some of the pain remained, and Hige crouched in shock, trembling.
"Yes..." Jagara smiled again. "You like comfort, don't you? That will make you easy to manipulate.... You're also rather sociable... even better, for snaring yet more wolves into my web... yes, you'll do nicely."
Hige shook his head with force, then swung it up to stare at the human form taunting him. Hackles raised, he lunged at her. Cornered, attacked, and with nothing else to lose, the normally easy-going wolf had fire in his eyes as he reached for his assailant's throat. Jaws snapped just short of their target as he suddenly felt himself pulled forcibly to the ground. He barely had time to notice a strange pentacle-like symbol blazing in a white magical glow about him as he was flattened to the floor. He snarled, but there was nothing he could do... he couldn't move. Jagara stood and looked at him for a moment before turning and clapping her hands, which brought one of her man-servants to the doorway. Hige could just see him as he walked in and gave Jagara something... what was that? A... collar? Something inside him snapped slightly upon the sight of the leather strap. He'd never seen this thing before, but he knew with all his heart that he didn't want to be anywhere near it. He tried desperately to free himself of the invisible hold Jagara's magic had on him, but to no use. Jagara fondled the collar, touching the shiny tag on the center. "Number 23.... this feels like a good number." Then she stepped to Hige's side and squatted down. Slender fingers brushed through the tense wolf's brown fur. "Yes, this ought to look rather handsome on you..." She raised a hand above the canine's neck, which lifted his head while maintaining a rigid hold, and slid the collar on. Hige whined, eyes darting about and lips drawn back in a canine grimace.... please, please don't put that thing on me.....
Then the sharp pain came again, followed by a foggy feeling that grew inside his mind until that was all there was. Hige's body relaxed as the wolf slipped into unconsciousness.
The noblewoman straightened up and looked to her servant. "This wolf will be perfect for my plans. Take him to Freeze City, where we know Oakum's scientists are trying to develop something from the Lunar Flower.... this wolf will find the scent and guide our spies to their secret lab- perhaps even collect the flower FOR us. He may also help me snare more wolves for my plans...." The servant nodded, then walked off to fetch a crate and a cart to carry the great wild beast out of the building.
Months later, in Freeze City:
Pulling the hood of his blue jacket over his head, Hige strolled down the busy, gray city street. As he did so, he felt an odd twinge... a familiar scent on the air, perhaps? He stopped and looked around, but it was gone. He paused, then shrugged, and whistling to himself, headed to his favorite part of town: the food market! It had been especially busy lately... a lot of people were coming into Freeze City these days, and the place was bustling. That made it all the easier to slip in and out, unnoticed, and grab a bite to eat. He'd lived in this area for years, and watched it grow, so he knew the place like the back of his paw. And yet, there was this one area he wasn't as familiar with... it was heavily guarded by Oakum's troops. Having no reason to go inside, he'd been content with a little preliminary exploring but mostly left the area alone. That was the place he was heading next to now.
Hige felt a slight itch and reached inside his jacket's hood and under the thick leather collar circling his neck to scratch it. It was a little weird- he'd had this collar for years, but lately it itched like he was still getting used to it. Maybe it just needed a cleaning? Hige shrugged and continued on his way.
Lips smacking, Hige rounded the corner of the market and stopped to bask in the glow of all that good food. He sniffed deeply, enjoying the scent like a wine connoisseur enjoys the aroma of their drink. Then something changed. There was another scent... something he knew without knowing, an ancestral memory that popped to the surface. It was the scent of a Lunar Flower. Very faint, but it was here! A real Lunar Flower... something like catnip to wolves, and their guide to the Paradise that wolves were said to be destined to find. Round eyes scrutinized their surroundings, but it was Hige's nose that led him to the carrier of the scent: a young blond woman with her hair tied in a wispy bun. She was talking to a man who was standing beside her.
"Yes, I know, dear. That's why I agreed to this luncheon. But I have work to do, and I've got to go now. You know how important my research may be!"
The man nodded, but his eyes spoke volumes. He gazed at her like he couldn't ever see enough of this woman. She didn't seem to notice, though, and turned to walk away. After her first few steps, though, her pace slowed, like a new thought had been planted in her mind and her actions were slowly catching up with it. She looked back, and their eyes met. Her eyes softened, a smile graced her features, and she came back to him. "Well, I suppose 10 more minutes won't kill me. You know, when you look at me like that, I'm reminded why I married you 3 years ago." She touched his face, and he reached to hold her. Embracing, they kissed, then turned back to the table where they'd been sitting. Hige stood by, looking as inconspicuous as was possible, while keeping an eye on her. He tried to look busy window-shopping while they finished a romantic lunch, then headed their separate ways to go back to work. The man placed a jaunty fedora on his head and headed back into the market section. The blond walked the opposite direction, heading right towards the secret area Oakum's troops guarded so vigilantly. Hige followed, keeping a distance so she didn't realize he was there. He had to find out why she smelled faintly of a Lunar Flower... was there actually one in there? He'd never smelled one before.
Following her and using his wolfish speed and cunning, Hige managed to get himself deep into the secret area. He watched as she entered a secret code to get into an especially guarded place, but lost her soon afterwards due to numerous guards and lack of hiding places. Hands in pockets, he strolled down the aisle looking for... well, anything.
Of course, if you go looking for something, you'll find it. His ears perked up as he heard shouts far off into the distance. Listening, he could tell that the commotion was getting nearer. Suddenly, shots were fired... one, two, now five.... and getting closer. Head turning, he figured it might be wise to find a good place to hide, or at least be less starkly obvious than standing in the middle of a major hallway. He turned a likely-looking corner into a small, dimmer aisle- and found himself face to face with... another wolf?!
Two young males stood and stared at one another. The other wolf's human visage was that of a tussled, dark-haired and pale-skinned person with a white shirt, dark pants, and a comfortable, crumpled jacket with a high neck. The wolf himself was white as the snow. The most serious blue eyes Hige had ever seen seemed to pierce his very being, in no small part because they seemed so eerily familiar.... but that was ridiculous. He'd never seen this wolf before. Finally, Hige was able to pull himself from that gaze... only to notice that the other wolf was bleeding- a LOT. Hige's eyes widened.
"Whoa, hey... you OK?" He took a step forward, tilting his head and trying to get a better look.
The other wolf stood his ground and said in a quiet (and surprisingly calm, considering his situation) voice, "I'm fine. This is nothing."
"Are you sure? That sure doesn't look like nothing....."
The other wolf didn't answer, instead turning to face the one door in this hallway, situated between the two of them. "I need to get in here." He tried opening the door, but it wouldn't budge. Puzzled, Hige stepped closer... and then he could smell it, too. The Lunar Flower was nearby... perhaps even behind this door. The intense blue-eyed wolf tried pounding the door, but that was no use either. Hige walked up, scratching his chin. "So you're here because of the Flower, too, huh?"
The other wolf nodded, then continued to try anything possible to get that door open. Hige raised his arms, crossing them behind his head, as he watched the determined wolf's efforts. Man, just watching all that work made him feel tired! Arms still crossed behind his head, he leaned out of the aisle, wondering if all the noise was attracting attention. So far, so good. He leaned back in, only to see the stranger with a lead pipe in his hands and about to beat the door with it. It was about that point that he noticed the little red alarm bell situated above the door, and realized with a start what would happen if the stranger bashed it in. With a yelp, he tackled the other wolf just in time, and the pair ended up in a furry pile down the aisle. The other guy looked up, blue eyes flashing, and Hige grinned sheepishly, one hand scratching at the side of his head. "Um... sorry about that... but you would have set off the alarm, and then we'd be in for it for sure." The stranger's eyes lost some of their angry glare as he looked up and saw the alarm bell. Then those eyes fixed steadily upon Hige again. "Well... you could at least get off me, you know."
"Oh, sorry!"Hige grinned again and scurried away.
Getting up and brushing himself off, the other wolf stood and stared at the door, still trying to figure a way in. Hige extended a hand to him. "I'm Hige, by the way... nice to meet another wolf!" The stranger hesitated, and Hige sensed that handshakes weren't really in this guy's "vocabulary". "What's your name?" The stranger looked at him, serious eyes hinting at a struggle between lone-wolf standoffishness and... something else? Did he feel this weird familiarity, too, Hige wondered?
"My name's Kiba."
Hige smiled, then turned to the door, hand on chin. "So, how do we get in here?" Looking closely, he noticed that there was a computer grid off to the side. Ah! This is what the blond woman had been doing when he lost her! She'd entered a code on that grid... what was it again? Ah, yes... CHEZA2 ... that was it! He grinned, said "Watch this!" to Kiba, and entered the code. The door swung open. He made a move of cracking his knuckles and posing with a self-satisfied look on his face.... "A-yep, that's how you do it!" He pointed to his head, smiling as he claimed, "Brains, not brawn, my friend!"
Kiba just gave him a look. "It seems to me that if you'd tried to help me open the door earlier, instead of just watching me do all the work, we might have already entered that room."
Bubble burst, Hige frowned and stared at the ceiling. "Well, if you put it that way,.... but..." Kiba didn't stand around to listen, but Hige could discern a faint, amused smile on his lips as he passed by and entered the doorway. Hige chuckled and followed him in.
The room they entered was huge. Wires and pipes crisscrossed the ceiling and machines of various sized whirred and hummed as they did their assigned tasks. But the immediate center of attention to the two young wolves was the container in the center of the room. It was square-shaped and locked tight. It was hard to see inside the container, but the scent gave its contents away- the lunar flower was in there. Kiba rushed over and placed his arms on the walls of the container almost tenderly while Hige strolled up casually. The two canines tried to open the contraption but there was no easy way to do it.
That's when Hige remembered something and reached back, inside and behind his collar, pulling a small object out- a key. That's right....he'd picked up this skeleton key awhile ago and it was amazing sometimes what it could open! This was sure convenient.... key in "hand", he reached over the lock and tried to fit it in- and it worked! Both wolves' ears twitched with excitement as the lock clicked and fell open. Kiba quickly opened the door, trembling slightly as he caught sight of the most exquisite and elaborate white flower either canine had ever seen. With shallow breath, the white wolf pulled the flower pot out and held the fragile form tightly. Hige marveled at how this wolf seemed to brush off what looked like major injuries as if they were nothing, while devoting all of his attention to this white flower of Paradise. They stood there, basking in the glory of the plant, until a small noise caught their attention and they suddenly realized that they should be leaving this place- now! Kiba turned and headed out, flower clutched carefully to his chest. Hige followed, but began to notice that Kiba might finally be feeling the effects of his injuries after all- he was limping. Hige shook his head- somebody better watch this guy, or he might kill himself by simply pushing himself too hard. Deciding that that wolf would have to be him, Hige kept by Kiba's side as the two wolves headed out of the room and towards the exit.
Twenty-four hours later, in a room far distant to Freeze City's laboratory, a leather-clad servant stepped up to give his master a report. "Lord Jagara, our sources tell us that Oakum's scientists are in an uproar... the Lunar Flower has been stolen, and Wolf #23 was in the area at the time of its disappearance. We are tracking him now." Lord Jagara smiled. "Ah, I knew you would help me, #23..." She stood and raised her hand. "Continue tracking #23 and gather my special-ops forces.... we head out to collect the Lunar Flower at 18:00 hours."
One Week Later:
Hige landed on the rooftop with a grunt. He crouched and watched the armed soldier stalk down the alley and out of sight. Whew.... He wiped some sweat from his brow and sat down for a quick rest. What a crazy week it had been since meeting Kiba and obtaining the Lunar Flower. The human scientists had been rather upset about the disappearance of their object of study, and the soldiers were more active than usual, keeping the canines on their feet and on the run. In fact, the commotion had stirred up an unexpected discovery: more wolves! In all the chaos of that week, Hige and Kiba had met two more wolves who were also feeling the pressure from humans. One was a young, innocent wolf named Toboe, whom Hige enjoyed teasing in a friendly sort of way. The other- well, you wouldn't tease the other one. Tsume was a growly sort, and he hadn't seemed to like Hige much from the moment he met him. It was like Tsume didn't trust him somehow, and for some weird reason that bothered Hige. Of course, Tsume acted like he didn't much like ANYONE, and yet he hadn't left the pack ... so Hige convinced himself he didn't really need to worry too much about it anyway. In addition, Kiba was getting more unhappy by the day. While Hige understood that the Lunar Flower was important, he tended to think Kiba might be a little- well, obsessed on the thing. Kiba had taken to talking to the flower, and had even given it a name! He called it Cheza, just like the code word back in the laboratory. When Hige asked him why, he simply said, "That's her name." Uh... right. Oh well, each to his own. Hige had managed to find a safe spot to store "Cheza" at, but then Kiba complained she wasn't getting enough sunlight locked away in an empty building. Actually, this was true. Hige noticed Cheza was wilting a bit. So, between trying to keep Cheza safe and happy, dealing with new wolves, and avoiding the increased soldier activity, Hige and the rest of the new "pack" he'd found himself in had been rather busy- and stressed.
Gunshots rang out in the distance and Hige's brown velvety ears swiveled towards the sound. Soon, he could discern the rest of the new "pack" zipping up and towards his resting spot. Great, more wolf hunters. With a sigh, Hige hopped over and joined the others.
Kiba was obviously agitated. "I think it's time to leave this town. All this running and gunfire isn't doing Cheza any good... she needs a safe spot to rest."
"Leave town?" Toboe's eyes grew wide. "I've never.. left town before." He looked out to the distant horizon. "What's out there?"
"Big bad hunters who eat little wolves like you for breakfast.", snorted Tsume. Crossing his arms, he stated, "I think we should stay here. At least we know this territory and its escape routes."
Hige sidled up to Kiba. "I'm with Kiba... I think we've worn out our welcome here." Tsume gave him a glare, but Hige continued. "I've been around this place for a long time, and I know some areas we could go." It was funny- he hadn't remembered it before, but he just had a memory resurface, of a time he had been rather heavily hunted and had found a safe place to hide. "In fact, there's one place in particular I think you'd be interested in, Kiba.... it's an old Arboretum! A place where they cultivate plants.... I think anything that Cheza might need could be found there." As Kiba's ears perked up and eyes intensified even more (if that was possible), all the wolves knew the decision had been made. That was it, then. Tsume snorted with disgust, but with a little nudging from the gentle Toboe, finally followed the others as they started their journey.
The wolves traveled far and covered many miles through endless suburbs and sprawling stretches of towns before finally resting. It seemed like Kiba could go on forever- the endurance and energy of that wolf was something else, but the other three were "only wolf" and eventually convinced him to at least pause a moment. Their rest didn't last long, unfortunately. Eight triangular ears perked up at the sound of something unnatural, and Hige's ultra-sensitive nose caught a whiff of human nearby. The four wolves leaped out of their hiding place inside an old barn to the sight and sound of gunfire! Fortunately, the shots missed by a mile, but it was obviously time to keep running. As they escaped they noticed the humans appeared to be soldiers... but their outfits were somehow different. The four wolves leapt in four different directions and spread out for awhile but met up again in the woods nearby and continued on their way. Pale moonlight filtered through the tree branches as they raced their shadows through the leaf- littered forest floor.
Most of the night and much of the next day was spent in this way: running, stopping, being discovered, and running again, with little time for rest in between. It was uncanny how these "new" soldiers were able to find them no matter where they went. Four tired, stressed wolves continued their journey as the sun disappeared over the horizon.
Hige looked over his shoulder, breathing hard. "We should be there pretty soon... it's not much farther... they won't find us there!"
"And why should we believe you?", asked Tsume with a tone of annoyance. "You said you were there years ago...how do we know it still even exists?"
Hige faltered slightly, but turned to answer the sullen gray wolf as he ran. "Something like that doesn't just disappear! Even if it's fallen into disrepair, or changed, I'll bet we can still find something of value there. It's the best chance we have! Besides, it was right next to a really rough canyon the humans didn't like traveling through- making that whole area a great hiding spot!"
Tsume snorted again. "This just seems like a stab in the dark to me..."
"I- I think it sounds like a good idea!" Toboe's young voice piped up. "Especially since it's an Ar- Arboretum... Kiba should be able to find a lot of nice things for Cheza there. It's worth a try!" He looked around at the others.
Kiba responded softly, "I agree. Unless you have a better idea, Tsume?"
Tsume made a slight face but didn't reply.
"Ok, then. We'll go to the Arboretum and see what it's like... and go from there." Kiba's calm voice settled the matter and the wolves continued on their way.
As they ran, something kept troubling Hige... but what was it? Tsume's lack of confidence cut into him more than it should, and somehow Kiba and Toboe's sheer trust was... troubling? Hige fervently wished that he could see into the future and KNOW that he was leading them all to a good spot. Why had he been so sure that this was a great hiding place? Doubt began to gnaw away at him.
"Hey, I don't think the soldiers are following us anymore!" Toboe sounded hopeful.
The other wolves looked around, and Hige breathed a sigh of relief. "You know, you're right.... we haven't seen them in awhile. I think maybe we finally gave them the slip!" He gave a big grin. "Good observation, Chibi!"
Toboe pouted. "I'm not Chibi!"
"If you say so,... Chibi!" Smiling, he playfully half-tackled the young pup and the two of them ran around play-biting for a short time while Kiba watched and Tsume made yet another face. Feeling better, Hige led the way up to the top of a hill and looked out onto the horizon. Yes, he was worrying for nothing. Everything would be fine... they HADN'T seen those soldiers in awhile, and the Arboretum was nearby! Feeling relieved, he picked up his pace and raced out of the forested hillside and through some darkened storehouses, enjoying the fresh night air for the first time. Excited, but tired from a long night and day's running, he was perhaps not as graceful as he should have been. Rounding a corner, he cut a little too steeply, and tripped... right onto a barrel of apples.
Pain. Scrambling to get up, the somehow disturbingly familiar apple aroma surrounded his nose. Fog. Shaking his head, he noted that it hurt, though it hadn't impacted anywhere. Anxiety. He began to shake and didn't know why. Confusion. What was wrong with him, anyway?
Hige shook his head continuously, trying to clear it, while his pack mates trotted up to him. They began to ask what was wrong, but with a quick, tart, "It's nothing- I just tripped.", Hige bolted from them and ran full speed towards the Arboretum. He didn't want them to see his confusion and doubt. He didn't want questions. Compulsively shaking his head, he ran into another storage crate, scuffing his muzzle and cheek, but hardly broke pace. Paws flying, it was as if he was trying to outrun whatever demon it was that had hold of him- if indeed any did.
The other three ran up alongside him, puzzled, but sensing his mood, let him alone. Finally, Hige could look out and see the outside grounds of the Arboretum in the distance. Rows of radiant rose bushes and stands of groomed trees swayed with a slight nighttime breeze, heavy-laden with a floral scent. Hige brushed hard against an old snaggled oak tree but hardly noticed. His head was hurting and his vision had blurred.
Tsume had had enough. The lean, gray lupine skidded to halt in front of the stocky, brown wolf, stopping him. "What is the matter with you?"
"Nothing... I just fell hard, I guess... "Hige shook his head slightly, panting. "I'm... fine. I guess this night has just been a little stressful, is all... Heh- it's probably that I'm just a bit out of shape, y'know?" He attempted a smile, though it looked more tired and pained than it did mirthful. His reddish-brown eyes opened and looked around. "Anyway, this isn't the place to stop... we're kind of exposed here. Let's get to the Arboretum first, then we can rest."
Somewhat reluctantly, the scarred gray wolf conceded and the pack began its run again. Their goal was in sight- they had made it this far, time to finish what they started. Finally, they hit the outside perimeter and could see the main building not too far ahead. Hige should have been relieved, yet his sense of anxiety grew. Panting hard, head hurting, he felt the area under his collar chafing again. Damn it.... it felt like his entire body was in chaos, but why? As he ran against yet another tree trunk, he gasped and almost collapsed. Kiba was next to him in an instant, beginning to really worry about his friend. Head low, taking deep breaths, Hige slowly raised his eyes and they met with Kiba's intense blue ones. Except- it was not Kiba's eyes he saw at that moment. Hige had a sensation of sinking deep into those eyes... eyes as blue as ice, as blue as the sky, as blue as a sparkling mountain lake- and filled with affection- for him. Feminine eyes? For a moment, he was lost in the wild blue yonder as he felt a strange longing. Something inside snapped again.
The shaking stopped. Tired eyes looked ahead with new clarity as Hige saw Kiba in front of him once again. Hige stood and looked at Kiba with an expression the white wolf had not seen there before: shame. Hige took a step backwards, ears lowering, and broke off their gaze, eyes darting about for a seemingly nonexistent foe . He gulped. "This isn't right...."
"This... this isn't.... I mean, I just realized..... my memories are...everything- everything is wrong...." He stopped backing up and swung his head to peer at the main building of the Arboretum with alarm. Eyes widened and he glanced at the others. "I mean... this is wrong... this is all wrong. I've- I've never been here before in my life."
Kiba stepped towards Hige, as the brown wolf stepped away again. "What are you talking about, Hige?"
Dazedly, Hige shook his head, trying to focus. He looked back up at Kiba. "This is... a trap... it's got to be.... a trap." It was coming back to him in bits and pieces... realizations that his memories of the last few years had never really happened... he had been somewhere else... he'd been.. captured, and used.
Inside the darkened main building, Jagara stifled an impulse to sigh in exasperation as she watched through a small window. She stood there in the dark, troops lined up beside her, ready to capture the wolves as they entered the building. Everything had been running smoothly, with #23 and his pack pursued and harassed by her soldiers in order to expedite him leading his pack mates into her trap.... until just a few moments ago. Something had changed. She felt her control of him slipping. Annoyed, she focused on regaining that control of his mind, but this time he refused her. He had finally "woken up", and it was difficult to retake a mind once it had done so. However, in the wolves' present confusion, she had a window of opportunity. Making a decision, she turned to her next-in-command with a whisper. "Inform Soldier #384 to take out the white wolf holding the Lunar Flower- now. The targets are not coming any closer, so we shall have to use deadly force to get our prize. After the white wolf has fallen, open fire on the rest. Do not under any circumstance shoot the flower." Soldier #384, the sharp-shooter, was positioned outside for just such a circumstance.
Kiba took another step towards Hige, reaching out a hand. Hige began to step back and shake his head again when he caught the tiniest glint of moonlight on metal against a tree nearby. Something was wrong. Staring, he could just make out a figure high up in the tree- aiming a gun.
"Kiba!" Hige leapt at the white wolf, trying to push him out of the way, when the gun fired. Bullet ripped through flesh- his own. But he had succeeded in pushing Kiba out of the way. Kiba gasped, turned, and twisted, barely managing to keep a hold of the Flower. All four wolves froze, crouching, for the fleetest of moments, then burst from the scene heading back in the direction from which they came. Gasping in shock and pain, Hige followed the other three, using sheer adrenaline to get himself out of that place.
Gunfire followed as the fleeing canines receded into the distance. Jagara cursed and howled, sounding not unlike a wolf herself. "After them! Get that Flower no matter what you have to do!"
Claws scraped the ground as three wolves ran at breakneck speed to escape their pursuers. Stumbling behind was the fourth, bleeding from the wound on his shoulder and side and gasping for breath. Hige had another of those horrible deja vue sensations again, like he had gone through this before, but that was absurd. The wolves raced on until they reached a more wooded, sheltered hillside where they could regroup and catch their breath. The other three slowed to let Hige catch up, eyes furrowed with concern.. or was it loathing? Wound searing his side, world turned inside out, Hige was in no shape to tell. Ears flattened, he made his way up to the others and stopped, head and tail hanging. Pain burned his side and shame burned his heart, but his mind was clearing. Having a moment to think, he raised his head again.
"It's... it's me." Normally easy-going eyes clouded with the horrible reality. "It's me.. they're able to find us time after time because of ...me. Because of..."- his human form touched his oversized collar- "Because of this." He winced as another wave of pain hit him: clutching his side, he leaned against a boulder. "It's the collar. I didn't... remember any of this... until now." His eyes stared at his feet as he talked, sweat coming down his face. They must hate him now. He betrayed his pack- what worse thing could a wolf do? If they tore his throat out right now he'd deserve every torn ligament. But he knew what he needed to do- the least he could do, given all the problems he'd caused. Still clutching his side, he looked back to where the soldiers were and noted that they seemed to be heading right for the wolves' hiding spot- no surprise there.
"Look, there they come. You guys go on... I'll lead them away from you. They'll be following me..." Sweating, face set and determined, he pushed away from the boulder to start a separate path- away from his new-found, and now newly lost, pack- and to oblivion, most likely.
Kiba appeared in front of him. "I don't understand everything going on here, but I think I understand this: they're following the collar, right?"
Hige stopped. "Huh?"
"That's right- the collar!" Toboe bounded up to Hige and sniffed the leather strap. "If we can just bite this off, they won't be able to find you anymore!" Hige stared dully at the young wolf. Kiba and Toboe both sounded... normal. Was there some chance they didn't hate him for what he'd done? Hige stood shakily as Kiba approached one side and Toboe the other. Teeth flashed as Kiba snapped strong jaws upon Hige's collar, attempting to break it. When one set of wolf jaws didn't work, Toboe added another on the other side. Hige stood still and offered no resistance as he was tugged from one side or the other. Much chewing and biting later, the collar was definitely roughed up, but still intact. Hige began to push away, saying he needed to lead away the soldiers now, before it was too late, when Tsume approached him. Hige halted in his tracks.
Tsume had said nothing in all of this. Now the leather-clad form approached the collared wolf and Hige noted with a start that he had a knife in his hands. The former city gangster's eyes looked clouded with some inner emotion of his own as he raised the knife above Hige's neck. Hige had a sudden mental image of Tsume coming at his throat, teeth bared and prepared to kill. And yet- in both that image, and what he experienced now, there was acceptance... even peace. If this was the way things were to be, then so be it. Hige bowed his head and waited for whatever the fates had in store.... C'est la vie la vie.
Leather snapped as Tsume's knife cut the collar free of Hige's shaggy brown neck. He spoke in a much quieter voice than usual- one thick with emotion... and somehow, was that a sense of relief? "There. That's done. You've got some serious explaining to do- but save it for later. Now move it! I don't feel like losing anyone else to some stinking humans!"
Hige blinked and looked at Tsume, but the gray wolf had already turned and begun to leave. Again Hige wondered if he wasn't the only one to experience this deja vue feeling...
"Uh...thank you.." He blinked again, glancing at the wolves who were still his friends despite what he'd done... or what he'd been trapped into, to be more precise. With a grunt, he heaved forward and limped behind the other three as all four wolves disappeared like ghosts into the forest, leaving only some spilled blood, paw prints, and a snapped leather collar behind.
Epilogue
Hige stretched, whiskers bristling as he yawned, fading sunlight dappling his shaggy brown fur. The large canine got up slowly- he was still stiff and sore from his wound, and much slower than his pack mates now... but they waited for him. The wolves had more time now, since the soldiers could no longer follow them, and they hadn't seen any hostile humans in days. Slowly but surely, Hige was recovering from his ordeal, both physical and mental. It would take awhile before he could really look his pack mates in the face again, but Hige was feeling better... like some weight had been lifted from his shoulders. The deja vue feelings had finally stopped, and Hige felt like he had his life ahead of him to live as he wanted. A life with good friends; good pack mates who were there by his side. And he found that he wanted to do the same for them.
As he stepped from his leafy bed to rejoin his pack down by a streamside, he did have one last, lingering thought... of that moment when he finally remembered everything. When it all came back. Except- for one important thing. He still had no idea whose lovely blue eyes he'd seen at that moment belonged to. Yet he had this funny feeling that he would find out...
But enough with all the feelings! Hige shook himself and trotted slowly but surely down the hill to join his pack for another night's run.
-Finis