WR chapter 2
Images started flashing through his head like a video recorder set on super sonic speed. He couldn't make sense of it. It was all causing him to have a really bad headache. His head felt like it was going to split in two. He screamed in agony at the images all trying to grab his attention at the same time. The only thing that stood out was blood, death, misery, the pained look on their faces. The whispered words, "Why, why have you betrayed your own race?" He saw more pain and death caused by...him...another wolf?..it was too hard to make out all of these images. These images of wolves being slaughtered. It's like all his memories came flooding back to him all at once, a thousand or even a million different memories hitting him all at once in a split second. Just when he tried to start making sense of them, they were gone, along with his headache. He pondered the images and tried to recall them to mind again but kept coming up with nothing. He than realized something. He could remember nothing whatsoever before now. It was all a blank. He slowly opened his eyes, and immediately shut them again, the sunlight blazed down on his sore eyes. He opened his eyes again, blinking furiously, trying to let his eyes get adjusted to the light. he slowly made his way to his feet, sporting a yellow hoody. He had tousled, light brown hair and brownish gold eyes. He wore light grey sweatpants and black sneakers. His face was of a cheerful countenance. He dusted himself off and slowly looked around. He was standing in the middle of a park in a city, a light rain coming down. There, he noticed on the ground at his feet was several pieces of what looked like a shattered metal collar.
He put his hands in his hoody pockets and starting walking through the park. He was only walking for a few minutes when suddenly, ggrrrrrr...He stopped and looked around for whoever or whatever had made that noise. It came again. Grrrrrr...he looked down and then realized it was his own stomach. He put his hand on his stomach with a sheepish chuckle and said, "hang in there. I'll get you some food in a minute. He put his hands lazily behind his head and continued walking, following his nose to a hotdog stand.
The truck came screeching to a halt. Leara's dad jumped out of the truck and opened the back door.
"Alright," her dad said. "Easy and gentle, we don't want to jostle him around too much. Do you think you can help me carry him?"
Leara swallowed and nodded, " I think I can do it Daddy.
"Good, now run along into the house and get me the blue blanket from the laundry room closet. We are going to have to use that as a stretcher of sorts."
Leara nodded and ran off into the house. A moment later, she was back with the blanket. "Alright," her dad said. "Help me lift him. They slowly lifted his front side and started to slide the blanket under him. as they laid him down, a whine escaped his throat and his eyes started to flutter open.
"Toboe," Leara looked down into those honey eyes of his. He just stared at nothing, eyes glassed over in pain. If it wasn't for the steady rise and fall of his chest, Leara would have thought him dead. Toboe gave another pained whine and his eyes fluttered closed again. Then her dad took the two corners of the blanket and said, "I am going to drag him out a little ways. Get out the other side and come around the truck." Leara did as she was told. By the time she got around the truck, her Father had pulled Toboe almost out of it.
"Now Leara," her father said, "grab the two corners like I'm doing. She did as was told. "Now," her Father continued, "Gently lift him. Test the weight first, if you don't think you can do it, then let me know." She tested the weight.
"I think I can handle it." She said.
"Okay. If you need a break, let me know. Now on three. Leara took a firm hold. "one...two...three!
They lifted Toboe out of the truck and gently carried him to the house. They got him inside and laid him down on the floor, and just in time too because Leara collapsed on the floor, chest heaving. Her Dad looked at her with a worried expression. "Are you alright Leara?"
She nodded her head as she got her breathing under control.
"Good, now run along and get me my medical supplies please." She did as she was told and promply came back with the needed supplies.
"Alright, now help me hold him. He may still be unconscious but he can still feel pain."
For the next hour, they sowed up the knife wound in his chest, cleaned the wounds, and checked his body all over to make sure he didn't have any internal damage. other than some severally broken ribs on his right side and the cut on his head, there was no other damage.
"What do we do now?" Leara asked quietly, petting Toboe's head.
"Now we wait, and hope for the best." he answered.
Kiba finally found himself in the park in the middle of town. He had been walking all day in the shadows of the alleys, searching for the smell of the lunar flower and trying to stay out of sight. Now, all he wanted to do is rest. He made his way into the woods and, finding a comfortable spot, laid down with his head on his paws, being mindful of his injured hind leg. He closed his eyes, trying to will himself to sleep. He, however, couldn't calm his racing thoughts. He thought back over how far he has come from. It had been a very difficult journey. He had been traveling for so long and has been through so much. He could still smell the lunar flower here stronger than anywhere he's been before. And there is also that voice. That voice that keeps calling to him. "Come Kiba . This one promised you to see you in the next world. This one promised you a second chance. 'This one promised you paradise. Please, don't give up. Just when all seems lost is when you are at your strongest." Kiba shook his head and pelt, and settled back down. The last time the voice had spoke that to him was a weak ago, when he had been traveling through a mighty blizzard with no shelter in sight. He hasn't heard the voice since and was beginning to wander if his goal would ever be reached or if he had just been crazy all these years. But there was no mistaking the smell of lunar flower right here in this decrepit city.
Kiba opened his eyes and stood up, stretching and shaking the last of the fatigue from him. He had been laying there for several hours but sleep would not come to him. He began pacing, limping around, trying to come up with his next plan of action. The only thing there was to really do was to keep going. Keep following the scent of lunar flower. He laid down again and laid his head on his paws. A few more hours. Sleep may not come, but he needed to rest. He closed his eyes. They snapped open again a few minutes later. Kiba stood up, hackles raised, a low growl emitting from his throat.
What startled him was a noise of a twig snapping behind him. He was so startled that he was about to lunge at whoever had snuck up on him before realizing it. Then he caught the smell. The smell of lunar flower. It didn't make any sense, the smell of lunar flower was coming closer. Kiba stood his ground and waited. Soon, a shadow was seen moving through the trees. The figure shifted closer and was suddenly bathed in moonlight. A pink haired girl with red eyes with pink irises wearing a white/blue tinted body suit. She made her way over to Kiba with a smile of utmost joy on her face. Kiba backed up a couple of steps, still growling low. The girl stopped five feet from where Kiba was standing and squatted down.
"This one knows you do not remember this one Kiba. But this one is glad to see you again. This one has missed you so much. This one promises not to fail you again.
Kiba's defensive stance relaxes and his lip lowers. He stares at this mysterious girl with confusion and wonderment. She said she was glad to see him again and promised not to fail him again. What did she mean by that? He knows he had never seen this creature in his life and yet felt as if he had known her forever.
"I don't understand what you're talking about. How do you know me and what do you mean fail me again. I don't even know you." It was then that he recognized her voice. It was the same one from his dreams and visions. The girl held her hands out and smiled as she looked at him lovingly with her sightless eyes. Kiba suddenly had a growing sense of peace and calm in the presence of this creature. She was a delicate thing, as delicate and fragile as the flowers for which she smells of. Kiba slowly walked forward and brushed his nose against her hand. It was then that he knew. This girl is linked to his quest for paradise. He knew that she was drawn to him just like he was drawn to her. It was then that the name came to him from out of nowhere, like he had known it all his life. "Cheza." Finally feeling at peace for the first time in a long time, he laid his head on her shoulder and she hugged him with the utmost joy. They stayed like that for several minutes until she started to sing. It was a haunting melody as well as a calming one
"Shailoh shailoh, yatreet ka
Shailoh shna...otvitka.
She continued singing for the next few minutes and as she did, Kiba was suddenly feeling very sleepy. He slowly laid down until his head rested on her lap and he slowly closed his eyes giving in to slumber, and for the first time, was not plagued by nightmares of death and fire.
The buck deer gave a bellow of pain and terror as ivory fangs pierced it's throat, crushing it's windpipe, cutting off oxygen and slicing it's jugular. The white maw of the she-wolf held her pray down until it stopped kicking and struggling. As soon as it laid still for the final time, she began to feast. She ripped open the belly and began feasting on the entrails in there. A few minutes later, she was gorged and, after ripping off several choice pieces from the carcass, carried the meat back to the cave she was using for shelter. She stowed them into a corner and laid down. She started cleaning the blood off her paws and her muzzle as she thought about the last week she had been traveling. She just up and one day had the urge to start traveling south without rhyme or reason. Then, just last night, she, for no reason, turned west. It didn't make any sense. It is almost like she was being drawn to something, like an itch in the back of her mind and in her soul. She looked over her white pelt to see if she missed any spots. She was a beautiful, if very unique wolf. She had fur as white as snow. starting halfway up her back legs was a black, tribal looking marking that traveled up her hind legs, both leg markings blending into one big one on her back that went halfway down her flanks. Her front legs had similar markings going up to meet the one on her back, making it look like she had a full body tattoo. Her eyes were also very unique. A mixture of the colors of the moon. Lunar color with silver flecks in them. These eyes now stared out of the cave at the moon. In the process of pondering her journey based on instinct, she had to ponder her dreams as well. Most were of the fire that claimed her pack, but some were of a white wolf. She couldn't stop thinking about this wolf. Every time she envisioned him she saw him standing on a snowy peak with the snow capped mountains behind him. The wind would slowly ruffle his fur. His eyes held the look of nobility and strength as well as an iron will and determination. He seemed to be beckoning her with those eyes. What bothered her so much about him is that, although she has never seen him before, she keeps having dreams about him and he seems very familiar to her, like they have met in the past. She also couldn't get past the tingly feeling that went through her body and mind every time she dreamed about him, almost like they were connected somehow. She laid down and tried to get to sleep Tomorrow was going to be a long day of travel. She put her confusing thoughts to the side for the time being and closed her eyes, drifting into a deep sleep.
"Come back here you thieving bastard." The boy in the yellow hoodie continued running up and down alleys and across streets until the angry voice faded into the background and could no longer be heard, he snickered as he pulled a hotdog out of his pocket and started eating. After he had practically swallowed that hotdog whole, he pulled his second hotdog out of his pocket and ate that one too. He was walking with no direction in mind and so wasn't surprised that he wound up back at the park. He went to an area where a bunch of old bushes were and, after walking behind the bushes where it was secluded, changed into his true form, a husky, brown wolf with calm yellow eyes, and curled up, wrapping his tail around him and in front of his nose. Suddenly, he heard the sound of singing. He raised his head up in surprise and listened. He wanted to find wherever that beautiful song was coming from but before he knew it, he grew sleepy and was out like a light.
Tsume sat on the sofa with a beer in his hand. There were several cans lying around as a testament to the early start he had got on drinking. All he could replay over and over in his mind was that white wolf he had met earlier. Is he alive? did he escape from that wolf hunter? 'And most important of all, why do I even give a shit.' He killed his sixth beer and went to the fridge to get another one. He returned to the sofa, cracking the tab on his beer and took a swallow. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. The one thing he just couldn't get out of his mind is the fact that he was about to kick that mouthy bastard's ass when the white wolf instead saved his ass from a bullet. "It's a dog eat dog world. Only the strong survive. You gotta look out for number one. That's how I've always gotten through life. And yet, that crazy ass excuse of a wolf risked his neck for me." Tsume shook his head as he took another swallow from his beer. When he was finished drinking it, he crushed the can and dropped it on the floor. He was about to grab another one when he started feeling really tired. He put his head in his hands and shook his head, trying to clear it. It was then that he noticed the singing. It was a beautiful song but all it did was irritate him as he was trying to stay awake. It was all to no avail though as he fell into a peaceful slumber.
The bright morning light burned into Leara's eyes when she woke up. She groaned and flung her arm over her eyes, cursing the light. She sat up so the sunlight wasn't directly on her and gave a huge yawn while stretching. She heard a whimper and went immediately into the living room to see that Toboe was twitching in his sleep. He let out another whimper as he shifted his position in his sleep. Leara went to his side and knelt down before him. She gently rubbed his head trying to calm him down. Toboe finally settled down and with a soft tink of his bangles, he settled into a more restful sleep. She checked the wound in his chest to make sure it hadn't gotten any worse. As the last of the bandages fell away, she gasped with a sharp intake of breath. the skin around the raw, jagged wound was red and felt hot to the touch when she checked it. "That's not good," she murmured. She looked at his ribs, frowning when she noticed how uneven they were. They looked worse then last night. The ragged wheezing of his breaths indicated possible internal damage. She felt her eyes start to get blurry and a tear rolled down her cheek. She tried to hold back the tears but she couldn't. Her best friend was severely injured because he was saving her. And then to top it all off, she got terrified of him and ran, leaving him injured and bleeding in some nasty alleyway. She couldn't shake the grief of what happened as well as the grief of her own guilt. She gave him one final pat on the head and when she did, a small whine escaped him and he nuzzled his head into her hand. Before she knew it, he had shifted his body while still sleeping and put his head in her lap. He gave a contented sigh and was suddenly deep asleep again. Even the wheezing and hitching was gone from his breathing. She sat there in shock for a moment, then started gently rubbing his head again.
"Thank you Toboe," she whispered. "Thank you for saving me from those men. I'd be dead or worse if it wasn't for you. And I'm also sorry I ran away from you. I hope you can understand how much that freaked me out and why I reacted the way I did. It still wasn't right though and I'm truly sorry. I hope I came back to you in time and I hope you can forgive me. Please be alright Toboe. Please don't die." She started to cry again and tried to keep it quiet so as not to disturb him. She stayed there for a long time, content to continue petting him as the tears rolled down her face, falling into his soft fur.
Kiba slowly opened his eyes. He raised his head, taking in the surroundings around him. He saw he was surrounded by trees and the sound of a city assaulted his ears. He looked around, twitching his ears here and there to take in the sounds around him. 'Was that a dream?' He thought to himself. 'Did I really find the flower maiden?' He looked around him and, sure enough, there snuggled into his side was the pink haired girl from the night before. "Cheza," he whispered. He shook his head with a start. He knew that her name was Cheza. He also noticed that his leg was no longer hurting him. He glanced at it. It had been healed. Okay. How did she do that?
Cheza opened her eyes. She looked up at Kiba and a big smile lit up her innocent face.
"This one is so happy to see you again Kiba. This one has been waiting for a very long time for you. This one is so happy that you have arrived. But we must go now. There is a young one that needs our help. He is hurt and this one can feel his pain and confusion. This one wanted to go to him last night but this one had to wait for you. You was so close so this one couldn't leave. But we must leave now and go help this young wolf.
"I don't understand," Kiba said. "I don't even know where to find this wolf.
Cheza looked up at the rising sun for a moment. She then turned to Kiba and said, ''He is not very far. This one feels him close. Just follow your nose and it will lead us to him."
Kiba nodded and then stood up, Stretching his back and then his legs as he let out a big wolfish yawn causing his tongue to loll out of his mouth as he did so. He shook himself and then turned to Cheza.
"Okay, let's go."
Cheza nodded and they began to walk.
"Kiba?"
"Yes Cheza."
"Shouldn't you shift into your human form? If you walk around in your true form, it could be very dangerous."
Kiba stopped and regarded her with a curious expression. Next thing you know, there is no longer a white wolf standing there, but a boy in his late teens, His unkempt brown hair blowing across his face in the slight breeze that rustled through the trees. He was wearing a dark gray denim jacket, a white shirt under that, and dark blue jeans and black sneakers.
"I'm not happy about this but I'll do it for now," He muttered.
"Thank you Kiba." Cheza smiled at him and he felt his heart flutter. He smiled down at the flower maiden and they continued walking.
Hige awoke with a yawn. He let out a big stretch as he did. He had the most terrific dream last night. There was a beautiful field of flowers and he was surrounded by beautiful she wolves, all vying for his attention. He was also surrounded by all the food he could eat. Yes, it was the best dream ever. The sound of a twig snapping broke him from his reverie. He peaked out of the bushes and saw a brown haired teen with intense blue eyes and a pink haired girl in what looked to be a white body suit and pink boots walk past him. He looked a bit closer and saw the teen for what he really was, a white wolf with piercing gold eyes. It looked like he could look right into your soul. And the most wonderful flowery scent ever was coming from the pink haired girl. It was a scent that made him feel calm and relaxed, as if he could bask in the scent for the rest of his life.
He waited until they were a good distance away from him and then, shifting into his human form, began to follow the two out of the park.
"Another round!" The bartender sighed as he served Quent Yaiden his sixth round of liquor. The man was becoming increasingly ineberated. Nevertheless, he served him another round. Quent grabbed the glass and knocked it back, slamming the glass on the bar with a satisfied thud.
"Another."
"Mr. Yaiden, don't you think you've had enough?"
"Am I slurring my words? Do I look more than just a little bit buzzed? I didn't think so. Now, do your job and get me another drink. Just because you boys can't hold your liquor doesn't mean that I can't.
The bartender just shook his head and poured him another drink. Quent drank this one down as well, although a little bit slower this time. Suddenly, the sounds of growls and barks was heard outside. Quent turned his head towards the commotion, not happy that something had interrupted his drinking. When he realized it was his dog named Blue, he grabbed his rifle from it's holster and ran out the door.
As he came crashing outside, Blue was straining against her leash, trying to bolt down an alleyway.
"What is it girl? was it one of those damn wolves?
Blue continued barking and growling down the alley. Quent ran down the alley. When he came to the end and onto the sidewalk beside the road, he swiveled his gun left and right. He did a double take and noticed a brown haired kid about seventeen or so with wild blue eyes and a girl with pink hair walking down the sidewalk. Quent squinted his eyes and as his vision blurred, he noticed the boys image shimmer and in his place was a white wolf. It was the same wolf from yesterday, the one he had been tracking. He slowly raised his rifle and aimed at the wolf. "I got you now you murdering bastard." His fingered slowly started to squeeze the trigger.
Kiba kept walking, not even noticing the barking dog, and took comfort in Cheza's presence. He felt like that everything was right with the world just being with her. Her calming influence was almost like a drug. As they continued to walk, Cheza's voice came to his ears again.
"This one can feel his pain ever more stronger now. This one believes his pain has diminished some but not his confusion. This one is having trouble keeping a connection with the injured wolf though because he is unconscious."
"Don't worry Cheza. I can smell his blood as well as his scent. We must be close now." Kiba looked at cheza and was about to say more when he caught a scent in the air. A scent of a wolf as well as something else, something familiar. A scent that brought fear as well as anger to him. He stopped and turned to look behind him when a gun shot rang out. He felt a searing pain hit his chest near his right shoulder and close to his neck. He fell backwards with a high pitched yelp of pain and landed on the sidewalk. Losing control because of the pain, he shifted back into his true form.
"KIBA!" Cheza's agonized cry tore through the air as she dropped to her knees beside the wounded wolf. She buried her face into his pelt and cried tears of anguish. Kiba's breathing was shallow and he was having trouble getting enough oxygen into his lungs. It was then that he realized that he might have a collapsed lung. He raised his head up and saw the man from yesterday advancing on him as he cocked his gun, preparing to finish him off.
"NO!" Cheza screamed. She hugged Kiba closer to her. Kiba tried to get up but fell weakly to the ground again. He saw the man advancing with a malicious grin on his face as he took aim again.
Hige was continuing to follow the strange wolf's scent and was humming happily to himself. He always had a love for something interesting and right now, a strange wolf and a girl who smelled like flowers was the most interesting thing to happen in this city in a long time. He thought long and hard about side tracking long enough to get some food because he was hungry, but decided against it. He didn't want to lose the scent of the strange wolf and the flower smelling girl. He jerked his head up when he heard a gunshot go off accompanied by a yelp of pain. His sensitive nose picked up the smell of wolfs blood as it was spilled. Then he heard the agonizing scream.
Hige picked up his pace before he knew what he was doing. As he started running as fast as he could to the wolf, he started questioning himself. 'Why am I rushing into possible danger to help this strange wolf? Hige, you are an idiot' Regardless, he kept up his pace until he came upon a horrifying scene. A man in front of him was holding a gun on the white wolf. The Pink haired girl was hugging the wolf and crying. The wolf tried to get up but fell down again. Blood was pooling around him.
Hige took all of this in in a split second. As he got closer, he leapt into the air and soared towards the man. He shifted in mid air. and came down on the man's back. He grunted as he was thrown to the ground, the gun flying out of his hands. Hige quickly grabbed the gun in his fangs and threw it as far as he could away. He then turned towards the wolf and the girl. The wolf was looking at him warily. The pink haired girl was also looking at him. Hige trotted over to them and rested his side against the white wolf's injured side.
"Come on, we have to hurry before police and soldiers show up," He said. He helped Kiba up to his feet and with the pink haired girl in tow, they hurried down an alley, Hige bearing most of Kiba's weight. Hige heard the man cussing behind him and chanced a look over his shoulder. The man had pulled a hand gun and was taking aim.
"Shit," Hige muttered. He looked around frantically and saw an alley coming up on the left. He pushed the wolf and girl down the alley just as several shots sounded in the air. Hige yelped as a bullet graized his hind leg and one buried itself next to one of his shoulder blades, barely missing his spine. He fell to the ground in pain He got up and kept running, hoping the man would stay focused on him and not the others. Sure enough, the man continued following him, continuing to shoot his gun.
"This shit's getting really old," Hige snarled. He kept running, darting down alleys and streets. His speed was hampered, however, by his wounds so the man was able to keep pace with him. He looked over his shoulder again and noticed the man reloading. He darted down another alley and the man followed. He was aiming at him again just as a white blur dove past him from the other side of the alley. Hige looked over his shoulder as the white wolf knocked the man down.
"Jump," he yelled. They jumped from one side of the alley to the other bouncing off of buildings. When they got to the roof, several more gun shots hit near them, but none finding they're mark. The wolves continued to jump from roof top to roof top until they came to one particular building. as soon as they landed on the roof, Kiba collapsed in pain and exhaustion. Hige was on the verge of collapse as well, but went over to the white wolf and checked on his wound.
The bullet had passed completely through. Hige was glad that it wasn't still in him because that would make the white wolf's healing process slower.
"Now, don't hate me for this," Hige said, "but your wound needs cleaned before it gets infected." He walked over to the white wolf and started gently licking the wound in his chest. He growled lowly in his throat but didn't pull away. Hige continued to gently clean his wound until it stopped bleeding. Just then, Cheza came from around an entryway and came over to them. She held a look of profound sadness on her face.
"Lucky for you the bullet passed clean through," Hige told him. "It should heal alright now."
The white wolf looked at him. "What about you. You got one lodged into your back. That needs to come out before it causes lead poisioning." Kiba gave a grimace of pain as he shifted his position to look up at the sandy colored wolf. "What is your name anyway?"
"Oh, sorry. Forgot to introduce myself. The name's Hige. What's yours.
"Kiba, and this is Cheza, the flower maiden." Kiba tried to get up again but was too weak. Cheza came over to him and placed her hand on his chest. Her hand started glowing with a bluish white light, almost like the color of the moon, and the wound on Kiba's chest started flowing together again. as soon as the wound was no longer bleeding, Cheza took her hand away. When she did this, Kiba felt an energy flow through him and he felt stronger. He tried to get up again and found he was no longer weak.
Kiba and Hige looked at Cheza with awe. "Wow, that was amazing," Hige said. "How did you do that?"
"This one is a flower maiden. This one can help wolves in different ways."
"Wow, that's unbelievable," Hige exclaimed. "you think you could do that to me?"
"This one would love to, but the bullet needs to come out first or otherwise, you will get lead poisoning."
"This is going to hurt like hell but here it goes." Hige laid down on his stomache. "Kiba, would you like to do the honors?"
"Hige, are you crazy? We got no way to numb you from the pain or any way to get the bullet out of you."
"Use your claws to get the bullet out of me and don't worry about the pain. I can take it, I hope."
Kiba sighed and,shifting to his human form, went over to Hige. He shifted claws out of his hands and, taking his belt out of his jeans, folded it over on itself and then folding it one more time. He then put it in front of hige.
"Here, bite down on this to help with the pain."
Hige looked at the belt distrustfully for a moment and then put it in his mouth.
"Alright, here goes," said Kiba. He stuck his claws down through the hole in Hige's back. A whine escaped his lips which caused Cheza to shudder. She went over to Hige who was biting down on Kiba's belt so hard, his fangs had went though it, and started to pet his head to comfort him. He visibly relaxed and closed his eyes in contentment at her ministrations. After another couple of minutes, Kiba had pulled the bullet out. Hige was whimpering in pain and Cheza put her hand over the wound and healed it. She was running out of energy. She also healed the wound on his leg and then sat back, exhausted.
Kiba glanced over and saw Cheza's exhaustion. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"This one will be fine. She just needs to rest and find some water."
Hige came up to Kiba, bringing him the pieces of what was left of his belt. "Sorry about the belt."
"That's okay, I didn't need it anyway, How are you feeling now?" Kiba asked.
"I feel great," Hige exclaimed. " I don't know what she did, but I feel better than ever. Hey, I just thought of something, let's go back to the park. There is a fountain there where Cheza can get some water."
"This one will be fine. This one would really like to find that injuried wolf so she can help him."
Kiba and Hige looked at each other. In unspoken agreement, they got up. Kiba grabbed Cheza's hand.
"Lead the way," Hige said. Together, the three of them jumped off the building and headed into the city in search of the wounded wolf.
