lostmoonchild: Okay, here's chapter one. I had somebody read it before I got this posted and they liked it. Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf's Rain or any of the songs. I own the characters who aren't part of Wolf's Rain so lawyers can leave me alone!

Chapter One: A Promise Made

A female wolf panted as she felt her contractions grow more frequent. There was one pup left in her, she could feel it moving around a little. Out of the corner of her eye she could see her pack taking care of the severely deformed corpses of her first five pups, each still wet from having been in her womb. 'Please, just let one live.' The bitch thought as she pushed.

Relief was clear in her eyes when the sounds of whimpering reached her ears. Tiredly, she turned and started cleaning her only living pup. The pup continued to whimper until the pup found her mother and started drinking the milk the bitch was providing. "Just one?" A voice asked sounding slightly shocked.

"The rest couldn't grow." The bitch said looking at a tall masculine man. "But this one, this one is small enough to have grown enough so there wouldn't be any deformities."

"One from your pack, one from ours. How ironic." A bitch said carrying a small pup. "Is yours female?"

"Yes."

The second bitch set her pup down and watched as the small pup wobbly walked towards the newborn pup. "Hello, Toboe." The first bitch said with a gentle voice.

Toboe looked confused for a minute before grinning the best a wolf could. "Snowflake!" Toboe said happily.

"He learned a new word today. 'Snowflake' just happens to be the word he recently learned." Toboe's mother explained. "What about what your pup? What will be the pup's name?"

"Kaylah Yukiko."

"You're giving her a human and a middle name?" The man questioned before realizing the newborn pup's fur color. "Oh, I see why. She looks like she was covered in snow."
"She's my snow child."

"Akira, look at how small your daughter is. How will she provide strong pups?"

"She will grow. Her spirit will be stronger than a male's spirit and I can promise that she'll provide strong pups. The pups will be strong but they will be beautiful as well."

The man scoffed and said, "You pin your hopes on your litter's runt?"

Akira nodded her head a little before answering, "You pin your hopes on your pup growing up strong so he can lead your pack."

The man had to admit that Akira was right. He was depending on his son to grow up strong to sire pups that Akira's daughter would carry. There were a few doubts in his mind about how they'd be able to meet again if they were separated. His thoughts, however, were interrupted when he heard Toboe yip in shock.

"Hehe, still questioning my daughter?" Akira asked sounding amused.

Everybody laughed and the man looked serious. "When should it be done?" He questioned.

Akira stopped laughing and her eyes glazed over. After a few minutes she said, "Before dawn on day of the dark moon."

"That's in a week!" The second bitch shouted sounding shocked. "Akira, are you sure?"

"The time is drawing near, Neji. The hunters are coming fast for your pack and if you expect your son to survive, it has to be done as soon as possible."

"Your daughter?"

"Will stay here. She'll need to greet your son and the others later."

"Greet? You mean bite."

Akira allowed her human illusion to rise and she smiled as Kaylah whimpered and watched silently as Toboe attempted to comfort the small pup. "Hush now, Kaylah." Akira cooed softly gently petting her daughter.

"Akira, you have to rest." An old wolf said quickly.

Akira smiled faintly and said softly, "I'm not going anywhere. I need to be in my human form so Kaylah knows my scent and how my fingers feel."

She looked at her human hands and sighed a little. Her hands were pale although the rest of her body was slightly tanned. "I pray she looks nothing like her father." The man said anger showing in his voice.

"She won't." Akira murmured lying down and allowing her illusion to fall. "She'll look more like me."

Before anybody could answer, Akira closed her eyes and fell asleep. "Tonight we leave." The man said looking at his mate and pack.

By nightfall, only half of the man's pack didn't make it out of the city alive as the other half fled in terror to a different city where they thought they would be free. Unknowingly, they started up an adventure that wouldn't end until Paradise was found.

lostmoonchild: Okay, there's the first chaper. This is technically my first Wolf's Rain fic besides that poem I wrote for Wolf's Rain. Anyway, read and review, flames are accepted.