Disclaimer: I do not own Wolf's Rain or any of its characters.
I woke up late the next day, around noon and finished off the bread and water. 'Where to today? The park? No. The library? Yeah. I'll do that. I could do with a good book and a warm place to sit.'
I sat up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. The sky was grey but the clouds didn't look too burdened. It probably wouldn't snow and if it did it would be very light. The streets weren't too over crowded but there was still a steady stream of people on the sidewalks.
I walked down Carter Street, hands in my jacket pockets, backpack over one shoulder. I stopped at the corner and waited on the outside of the crowd for the light for the signal to walk. A man dressed in a black suit stood just in front of me. A leash in his right hand led to a big dog. The dog turned its head and growled at me.
'German Shepard. The humans keep them as pets but they're also used as police dogs.' The dog turned all the way around and laid its ears back to its head and bared its teeth aggressively. It barked and the man turned and I stared into his black sunglasses. 'Shit. I bet the bastard's trained to kill my kind. Other animals can see through the disguise to our true forms.
The man seemed to know what was going on and lunged to grab my arm, the dog viciously barking and straining against its leash. I dodged his hand and turned the corner, not looking back as I sped across the street, barely avoiding getting hit by a car.
I kept running for blocks after the sound of the dog barking faded. I was breathing heavily when I finally slowed and glanced behind me. There was no sign of the man or his dog but I wasn't taking any chances. Instead of stopping to rest I continued walking. I was only half way to the library.
'Damn dogs. Such traitors. Groveling to their humans. Ready to tear apart their own kind on the command of their owners. Eating pellets of hard, bad tasting food and mushy slop. Sleeping at the feet of the humans. It's disgusting.'
I made it to the library without any other encounters. Stepping in through the huge wooden doors I breathed in the musty but welcoming smell of books. I couldn't see anyone but that was normal. I didn't often see many people in the library. It was small but it had a fairly large book selection. I walked through the entrance and looked around at the towering bookcases.
"Hey there! Good to see you again Mizuki!" The librarian called from her desk. "It's been a while. Bad weather been keeping you away?"
"Hey." I smiled, walking up to the desk and leaning my elbow on it. "I'm not too much of a snow person but it's not all that bad."
"I don't mind it as long as I'm inside." She was an older woman with grey curly hair that bounced around her shoulders. She had hazel eyes that looked magnified by her silver glasses. Classic librarian. She was the closest thing I had ever had to a real friend.
"Can't say so much for myself." I laughed.
"You really need to get yourself in a better place. Such a sweet, young, pretty girl like you shouldn't be out on the streets. It's dangerous out there." She looked up from her book and fixed me with a serious stare.
"I'm alright out there. I've been on my own for as long as I can remember. It just wouldn't feel right to live in a house or have a normal supply of food and money. I'm fine with the way I live. I'm used to it."
"I guess your right." She sighed. "You have a different path to walk. Not the one that you expect but the right one all the same."
"What? You're always saying wierd stuff like that. You never make any sense to me."
"You'll understand when the time is right. I fear that time may be coming sooner than you think."
"What are you talking about Mrs. Crainer?"
"Nothing." She shook her head as if to clear it and smiled at me. "Are there any specific books you'd like to look at today?"
'Damn it. Of course the only person I really talk to has to make no sense at all.' I thought, deciding to let the subject go. "Nothing in mind." I replied. "Just a good book or two to lose myself in for a while."
"Well, off you go then. Don't get too lost now."
"Me? Ha, never." I smirked and turned around. I headed to the fiction section, encountering not so much as a hint of human presence. I stopped at the end of one of the huge bookcases and ran my eye over the titles. Nothing jumped to my interest so I walked on, turning to the right and meandering down the row, glancing at titles.
Eventually a found a couple of books and took them upstairs to read. Plopping down in a soft arm chair, I opened the first one and began to read. I was halfway through the first book when I stopped and looked up at the clock.
'3:30. I should probably get going and find some food.' In agreement, my stomach growled. Sighing, I closed the book and stood up. I left the two books on the table next to the chair and headed downstairs. I knew that when I came back, the books would be there waiting for me.
"Leaving?" Mrs. Crainer called as I descended the last few steps.
"Yeah. I gotta get some food. I'll be back tomorrow or maybe the day after." I replied, walking up to her desk.
"I'll be waiting for you."
I smiled and turned to leave. "Bye, Mrs. Crainer." I called over my shoulder, looking back to wave.
"Mizuki! Wait."
"What?" I stopped and turned around.
"A police man came by while you were reading. He said that one of his co-workers had seen a wolf today. He asked me if I had seen it." As she spoke, my heart began to flutter in my chest. "Be more careful. I don't want to think of what will happen if they capture you."
I stared at her, mouth open in total shock. "Y-you know?" I stammered.
"Yes. I know. I have since the day I met you." She smiled at me as I continued to stare in shock. "Now be safe out there, girl. Keep on your toes and come to see me again soon."
"Alright. Bye."
"Bye." She called after me as I stumbled out of the library.
'She knows. She knew from the very start. Why did she never say anything? Looking blankly ahead I left the library and started on the way back to my ally. 'Their still after me.' I reminded myself. 'Best to keep to the shadows.'
Taking alleys and cutting through slums, I cautiously made my way back without incident. Instead of hitting the street vendors, I went straight to my ally and sta down behind the crate. 'It's probably around 5:00 chance at easy food will be packing up and leaving for home soon. Should I risk it? I was pretty from here when the damn dog spotted me.' My stomach growled again. I had gone hungry for many nights in a row when I hadn't been able to get food but I usually was able to eat every day. 'Fuck it. I'm going.'I stood up and pulled my backpack onto my shoulders. Yawning, I stepped out of the ally and walked the few blocks to the vendors.
"Hey! Mizuki!"
"Hm?" I turned around to see a kid running up to me. She looked to be about ten years old with ripped clothing and a dirty face.
"That's me. What do you need, kid?"
"Help." She came up to me, out of breath. She leaned her hands on her knees and huffed for air. "Tom... sent me... to get you..." She puffed. "He... got stuck...in... a building... there's a gang outside... that trapped him in there. Please...help him."
"Where?" I demanded, food immediately forgotten. Tom was young, about twenty three years old. He helped me from time to time with food and shelter when the weather was bad.
"The old Motel 6."
"Get on my back kid. I'll carry you." Obediently she climbed onto my back and I sprinted forward, barely slowed by her added weight, wich was close to nothing. The building was about eight blocks from where we were but I covered the distance at an unhuman speed. I dropped the kid as we came to the building and looked around. "Where's he at?"
"This way! Come on!" She called, running around th back of the building. I turned the corner and pulled to an ubrupt stop. "Shit!" A squad of five cops, two dogs, Tom and the little girl stood in front of me.
"Sorry Mizuki." Tom leaned against the wall. "There's a warrant out for you. I could use a little extra five hundred dollars."
"Damn traitor!" I yelled taking a step back. 'Ah fuck! How the hell am I suppose to get out of this mess? The building is too high to jump and I'd rather not get shot.'
"Put your hands up and surrender." Ordered one of the police men.
Before they could blink, I leaped into the air and landed gracefully behind them. The second my feet hit the ground, I was running. Turning the corner, once again I was brought to a stop. More cops stood in my way.
I'm surrounded! Shit!' The other police had caught up to me now and I was closed in. Thinking desperately for a way to escape, my breath coming in quick, frantic gasps, I felt like my knees were going to give out. The dogs were barking insanely, ready to break off their leashes. If I moved, I would get shot.
Suddenly the men standing in front of me fell, blood pooling around them. "Run!" A voice called. Not waiting to see what had just happened, I bolted forward, leaping over the bodies. Someone came up to my side and shoved me, causing my to stumble and almost lose my footing. Where I was only a second ago, a bullet went whizzing past. "Jump!"
Obediently I jumped onto the building on my left and from there to the next. Dropping down into an ally a few houses down I continued to run. I ran on blindly, not stopping to look where I was going. My breath was coming in rapid gasps and my lungs burned but I dared not stop.
"Hey! You can stop now. We're safe." The voice brought me back to my senses and the world came into focus again. I slowed to a standstill and looked behind me at the person that had spoken. My rescuer.
My breath caught in my throat and I stumbled backward. In front of me stood a wolf. He was pure white with glowing yellow eyes. "You- You're a wolf." I stammered.
"My name's Kiba." He chuckled. "Pretty close one back there wasn't it. Lucky I was there to rescue you."
"I had things under control." I growled, suddenly defensive.
"It didn't look like it from where I was standing. Two more seconds and you'd have been shot."
"How did you even know that I was in trouble? Were you stalking me?" I demanded, narrowing my eyes and glaring at the other wolf.
"I was just walking by and I heard the dogs barking and saw the police cars. I went over to see what was going on and there you were."
"Why did you save me?"
"Well I couldn't just walk away. I couldn't just abandon one of my own kind. That's not the way I am." He paused for a second. "Are you ok?"
"Uh... yeah. I'm fine. Thanks." 'I don't think he's going to hurt me. He did save me after all.' I relaxed and took a deep breath.
"You're welcome." He smiled and I saw his human form. He had brown messy hair and shining blue eyes. He was wearing a white shirt, brown jacket, blue jeans and converse. "So, what's your name?"
"Mizuki."
"What a beautiful name. Do you live around here?"
"Kinda. I stay here when hunting's bad on the mountain. I've never seen you here before. You new?"
"My friends and I are just passing through. We're gonna stay the night here and set off again tomorrow."
"Where are you staying?" I asked. "This can be a pretty dangerous place if you're in the wrong neighborhood."
"An abandoned house on the edge of town. You can come with and stay with us for tonight if you want. The cops will be after you."
"I don't know..."
"Come on. It's dangerous for you to stay here."
The sound of dogs barking and voices shouting close by made up my mind. I nodded and he took off, me following closely. While we ran I tried to make sense of everything that happened.
'Other wolves. I can't believe this. I can't go back downtown again. There's a warrant out for me. They know that I'm a wolf so they'll probably search the mountain for me. I'll have to leave. Where are these other wolves going?'
'Damn. Just this morning, everything was normal. I was alone. Lost in the background. Everything flipped completely around. Now I'm wanted by the police and I have to leave. I've run into another wolf. Holy shit. This is crazy.'
I barely noticed the cold biting through my jacket and the exhaustion dragging at my feet as the city began to thin out. By the time we made it to the house, the sun was setting in the distance,casting dramatic shadows on the crimson ground.
"Kiba! You're back!" I jerked my head up to see a boy jumping off the porch and running up to us. He looked about fourteen. "Hey! Who's this?" He asked, stopping and looking at me.
"This is Mizuki. I helped her out downtown and I invited her to stay the night here with us."
"Hi! My name's Toboe! Come on." He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the house. "I'll take you to meet the others."
I stumbled behind him into the house and through what must have been a living room. 'So there's more than two. How many more are there? What if some of the others aren't as welcoming as Toboe?'
As we burst into one of the bedrooms, he let go of my hand and I skidded to a stop. "What the hell?"
"This is Mizuki!" Toboe announced. "She's gonna stay with us tonight."
"Nice to meet you. Name's Hige." One on the wolves stood up and came over to me. He reached out a hand for me to shake. I looked at him warily and took a step back. "It's ok. We don't bite. Tsumes bark is pretty scary but he's harmless really."
"Harmless am I Piggy?"
"Oh knock it off Tsume. Can't you see she's scared." A girl with short black hair walked up to me and rested her hand on my shoulder.
"I'm not scared." I growled. "I've never been around other wolves before. It's a bit of a shock. That's all."
"Hey, it's ok." Hige soothed.
"So why is she here?" Tsume demanded rudely. Before I could snap back at him, Kiba spoke from behind me.
"I helped her escape from a tight situation back in the city. The police are scouring the city looking for her so I told her she could stay with us tonight."
"Well did you get the food like you were suppose to?"
"Yeah." Kiba took off his backpack off and unzipped it. He threw a hamburger over to Tsume then, took two more out and offered one to me.
"Are you sure there's enough?" I asked, hesitating to take the hamburger.
"Yeah. I grabbed a few extras." He smiled and I took the hamburger.
"Thanks." I said, looking around at the dusty room. A broken board was nailed across the window, leaving a crack big enough for moonlight to shine through. 'Tomorow's the full moon.' I reminded myself joyfully. The door to the room wad hanging by one hing and had a large hole through it. There wasn't much else to take in about the room. It was empty except for the wolves.
"Mizuki! Come and sit with me." Toboe called from across the room. He was sitting a few feet away from Tsume in the left corner opposite the door. Hige sat in the other corner with Blue and Kiba went to sit by him.
I glanced behind me, then walked over to the corner. I hadn't realized just how tired and hungry I was untill I sat down. Tearing the wrapper off the hamburger, I devoured it in a few famished gulps.
"So where are you guys heading?" I asked Toboe when I had finished chewing my last bite.
"Paradise."
"Paradise?"
"Yeah." Toboes eyes lit up. " Kiba's taking us there. You should come with us."
"What? Paradise is just a story for pups. You don't really think you can find it do you?"
"It's real." Toboe insisted. " And I know we can find it."
"You're crazy kid." I laughed. "You'll never make it to Paradise."
"I said the same thing." Tsume stated. "But they won't listen."
"So why are you here?" I retorted.
"I just got sick of that damned city."
I rolled my eyes. 'Smug bastard.' I thought, turning to Kiba. "You really think you can find it?"
"I do." he replied, looking into my eyes. "I know we can."
"Paradise..." I murmered to myself. 'These guys seems serious. They actually believe that they can find Paradise. Who's to say they can't? Come on, I dream of it all the time. Maybe it really is possible..."
"Mizuki, come find Paradise with us. You can't go back. They'll catch you." he reasoned. I gazed into his blue eyes, transfixed by their intensity. Before my brain could decide, my heart did.
"Alright. I'll come."
"Aw shit." Tsume mumbled. "Another weirdo on this hell bound trip."
'I'll make you regret that one day.' I silently vowed, throwing a glare over my shoulder, then smiling back at Toboe, Kiba and Hige. "Let's find Paradise."
And there is chapter two. Are things going too fast? I feel like it's going too fast. -_- grrrrrrrrr. I feel so special! I already got a review! Whoo! Keep reading and keep enjoying please! Keep reviewing! They make me really friggen happy! Like oh my pie! ^.^ Loves you readers!
