Wolf's Rain/M e r l i n

Crossover

NOTE:

I PROBABLY WILL NOT BE FINISHING THIS STORY.

Chapter I

In a Land of Myth and a Time of Magic

Kiba lay bloodied at the edge of a pathway beside a tree in deep sleep, while the rest of the pack lay awake but severely wounded. It was noon, and the sun shined down in rays through the trees. It wasn't far into the Forest of Balor, specifically on the edge of the forest nearest to a city.

"Tsume," Hige began with a weak and scratchy voice. He lay beside the grey wolf in a pool of his own blood. The poor wolves looked as if they would soon be dead, and that may just be so... but to win back their Paradise from the nobles, they would go on until the end. "Where are we? It looks... like a peaceful place, but... I don't know."

Tsume dug his claws into the ground, trying to bear with the pain. "How should I know?" He growled impatiently, with a hint of frustration caused by the pain. "The portal was set by those damn nobles, so it can't be good!"

Toboe was the least wounded of the pack, and he was able to sit up and watch over the other wolves. "We have to find a way back, Tsume," he said with a child's worry. "We have to get back to Paradise."

"Why don't you just ask Kiba?" Tsume growled under his breath with a hint of sarcasm. "After all, he used to make all the decisions, did he not?"

"But he's still knocked out," Toboe said.

"You think I don't know that?" Tsume snarled.

Hige was the weakest of them all, and he even had trouble speaking. He swallowed as if something was irritating his throat. "Hey, don't... be like that," he spoke weakly to Tsume. "Fighting won't get us... anywhere. We have to avoid it... for now."

Toboe was silent, along with everyone else, until Kiba awoke and struggled to stand. "We have to figure out where the nobles' portal has taken us," Kiba said in a weak yet decisive voice. "Can anyone walk?"

"About time you woke up," Tsume growled coldly. "Not that we needed you to make our own decisions, though."

"Kiba!" Toboe howled joyfully and relieved, rearing on his hind legs for a moment like an excited dog. "I'm so glad you're alive!"

Kiba took the young wolf's reaction as a yes. Toboe could definitely walk, and run. He turned his head back to Tsume and Hige. Hige looked the worst wounded, so Kiba would offer to help him walk. Without having to ask, Tsume growled and struggled shakily to his paws. "I'm fine!" He snapped. "I'm still... strong in spirit."

"Whatever you say," Hige lifted his chin.

"We should get going. We don't know this place, and since it was most likely created by nobles we don't know what could be waiting for us if we stick around," Kiba started to slowly walk toward Hige and then offered his shoulder to help him walk. Hige accepted weakly, and with a nod to each other started their blind journey into the strange but beautiful forest.

The wounded battle worn wolf pack walked cautiously through that forest with much unease about their surroundings, noticing even the slightest of sounds.

"Really, Kiba, you have no idea what we're looking for, do you?" Tsume asked coldly.

"Maybe a village or city to have our wounds tended to," Kiba answered, continuing to walk with Hige's arm over his shoulders.

"I should have known never to trust your nose," Tsume said with impatience. "Go ahead, admit it. You're still searching the air for even faint traces of the lunar flowers. Wherever Cheza is, she isn't in this place."

"You don't know that for sure, Tsume," Toboe began, walking beside the gray wolf. Before the young wolf could continue, the bushes ahead rattled and a roar as loud as thunder itself was heard. Then, sheer silence. Nothing, it was too quiet.

"What the hell was that?" Hige queried with pure shock and fear.

"I told you this was a bad place to be wandering around!" Tsume jumped forward to stand at Kiba's side. "You should have been more aware of your surroundings, Kiba. You could be responsible for our deaths!"

"We're wolves!" Hige growled, and then attempted to struggle onto his own legs without Kiba's help. "We don't die!"

"Take it easy, Hige," Kiba warned. "You'll strain your wounds further."

"I've got to fight whatever it is!" Hige protested. "It's in my wolf's blood! I must protect you!"

"Didn't you hear him?" Tsume snapped. "Stay back!"

At that moment, a giant strange looking beast leapt from the bushes and loudly roared at the wolves. The pack's eyes widened; it was a... giant lizard? It had two reddish-orange humps on its back.

"Well, wolves aren't going to loose to a lizard, are we?" Tsume asked Kiba with a smirk.

"No, we are not!"

Kiba was the first to leap at the lizard (cockatrice). He grabbed a hold of its shoulder skin and swiftly sunk his teeth into its scaly skin. It rose up, trying to throw him off but Kiba would never let go. It tried to bite him but he swerved away. That was when Toboe leapt up and bit the cockatrice above the eye. The beast started to run forward, only to be met by Tsume's attack in the neck. The cockatrice managed to grab onto Toboe's thigh and threw him with great force into a thick tree. "Toboe...!" Kiba shouted as he let go of the cockatrice's skin. The beast was becoming stronger and angrier so Kiba decided to leap off it up onto a boulder, continuing to climb up the rocks so he had a better attack distance. When he was at the highest, he leapt upon a ledge and looked upon the cockatrice. "Tsume, try to lead it up these rocks! I can deliver a killing blow!" He called to his friend.

Tsume let go of the wild beast and before it could kill him with its sharp bite he swiftly leapt up onto the rocks. The cockatrice tried to follow the grey wolf, but clumsily did so. After all, they were sharp and extremely steep rocks. It was making good progress, however. Kiba then made a high and strong leap off the ledge and prepared to deliver a killing blow to the back of the neck. Hopefully it would work on this strange beast he knew nothing about.

Before the white wolf could even reach the cockatrice to kill it, a sword out of nowhere pierced through the beast's heart and it was thrown onto its side. One last shudder and it was dead! Kiba landed safely on the ground, studying the dead cockatrice. That's peculiar. The sword came out of nowhere, Kiba thought with confusion. Wait...

Kiba knew what that meant; they needed to cast the illusion now... in order to live, as dramatic as that sounded. He did so. As far as a human could see now, he was a young man with wavy black hair and sky blue eyes. He wore a white shirt with a black jacket and blue pants.

Toboe tried to stand up beside the tree he had been thrown against by the cockatrice, and thankfully nothing was broken. He was very sore, but nothing serious, including his wounds from the battle back in their Paradise. Toboe then cast his own boy illusion; long dark tan hair with very light brown eyes, and looked like a thirteen year old. He wore a dark pink shirt with stone colored pants.

Tsume did the same without question and cast his illusion of a twenty year old man with very short white hair and yellow eyes. Just like in his wolf form, he had a rather large scar on the centre of his chest in the shape an X. He wore tight leather clothes; both pants and shirt.

Then followed Hige; he cast his illusion of a young man with light brown hair and golden eyes.

Just then, thankfully not a moment too early, a human emerged from the bushes in front of the four. Kiba took sniffed the air for any traces of a threatening presence, but truly all he could say about this human was that he was very territorial against strangers. And it didn't help that Kiba and the pack were a group. "Who are you?" The young man with blonde hair asked in a stern voice. It wasn't necessary for a fight to break out, for Kiba had no intention of attacking unless he attacked first.

"My name is Kiba," he answered the man bravely. "My friends and I have traveled from the city of Amestris and are very tired and wounded. We mean you no harm."

"I see," the man nodded curtly, still keeping his guard up. "And what are you doing in Camelot?"

"Camelot...?" Toboe asked curiously and largely interested. "What's that?"

"I think it's the name of their city, Toboe," Kiba answered the boy, and then looked back to the man. "I hope we're not intruding on you. We come in peace, and we'll leave in peace if that's what you want."

"Hige will die if we leave, Kiba," Tsume said to him. "We need their help, as much I hate to admit that we're on the brink of death."

"We have no right to intrude upon them, even if we are in need," Kiba told him.

The young man spoke up, authority still in his voice. "That will not be necessary," he began, walking slowly over to the dead cockatrice to pull his sword out. "You are all wounded, and we would never drive away people in need of treatment. We have a physician back at our court, he'll help you."

"Thank you, sir," Kiba dipped his head respectfully. "We are forever grateful."

"Can any of you walk?"

"We'll manage," Hige answered before anyone else had a chance, attempting to stand but couldn't. Toboe leapt to help break his fall, and then—like Kiba had done—helped him stand.

"Hige needs the most help," Toboe said in his innocent and worried child's voice. "His leg is broken and he's been stabbed multiple times."

"Our physician will do all he can," the man said, and then slowly turned around as if he were still cautious of the four. "Follow me."

The pack followed gladly, but somewhat reluctantly. They were wolves, and they truly hated to ask for help from other groups... but if it was required for survival, they would gladly do it without a complaint.

"So who are you, anyway?" Tsume asked when they had started to follow.

The man hesitated in answering for a moment, as if in thought. "I am Prince Arthur of Camelot," he answered.

Oh, so he was a noble? That could prove dangerous, so Kiba decided that they'd have to leave their city as soon as possible... unless, they contained the portal back to Amestris. This was all very interesting. The Prince had a horse nearby, and rode it the rest of the way to the city. The young man kept looking over his shoulder at them, as if still suspicious... and Kiba could understand that. Maybe these people were as good as they were? After all, Kiba had learned that not all humans were evil any more than wolves were necessarily good.