If I can learn to do it
You can learn to do it
There's nothing to it
Tell yourself it's easy
And it's true
You can learn to do it too!
Anastasia Sound Track: Learn to Do it
Chapter 1- It's something called common courtesy
Four young male wolves leapt down from the islands' towering walls as they entered the town that held the faint scent of the lunar flower they searched for.
A white wolf landed first. He was the presumed leader of the four, yet that wasn't how this pack was run. They had no leader, no alpha amongst them, but he was the one to lead them towards the lunar flower. In human form he appeared to be a young man around the age twenty-two with sky-blue eyes and dark chocolate thick hair that lapped at his earlobes. He wore jeans, a white shirt, a torn pilot's jacket of dark leather brown and sneakers. This was Kiba.
Not a millisecond after he had landed, a scarred, gray wolf was at his side with a 'I-could-give-a-damn-less' look shinning in his golden eyes. He had a cross shaped scar on his chest that he adorned in both human and wolf forms. He looked to be about a twenty-five year old human who wore tight black leather clothing that fitted his occupation of choice amongst the humans back at Free City. A tight black vest with the long sleeves gapping over his shoulders. A grey undershirt was the only other thing that kept his chest warm in the human form. His tops stopped about an inch or two away from his leather black jeans and his matching steel-toe boots topped him off. He wore a gold spike earring in the right ear and a matching stub and small square hoop on the left. His silver hair was buzz-cut with a small rat-tail in the back. This was the warrior, the ever doubtful and critical Tsume.
The third of the group landed in time to Tsume. He was a two-toned brown fluffy wolf. Unlike Kiba and Tsume, the third wolf, Hige was built for the heavier winter times with his stockier build. He also adorned something in both wolf and human form, a brown leather collar with a silver plated 'X' on it. In human form, he wore a dark navy blue long-sleeve shirt with a baggy yellow short sleeved hoody that had black pinstripes on the sleeves and lighter blue sweatpants that also had the same idea of pinstripes. He wore thicker tennis shoes than Kiba and his dark autumn honey eyes glittered with mischief and showed off just how care-free Hige really could be. He was the tracker of the group, not just the jokester and pervert, with his abnormal sense of smell. Even for a wolf, his nose was a very delicate feature that his comrades took advantage of when they needed to find something like food or water.
The fourth and youngest of the group wasn't so fortunate to land on his feet when he joined his friends. He slipped to the ground with a yelp of indignity and whimpered as he pushed himself up. The red wolf was just out of his puppy years and Tsume never missed a chance to remind him of the youngsters' status amongst them. The Pup appeared as a young sixteen year old boy with shoulder length light brown hair and honey golden eyes of naivety and curiosity glints. He wore a red plated button up shirt that had the long sleeves rolled up to his elbows and dark green cargo pants that tucked into his dark brown combat boots. A three-ringed silver bracelet was hanging around his right wrist that also showed in his wolf form. The Pup wasn't much for fighting, he avoided fights at all costs and was often chastised by others for being soft hearted and a whiner, but his wolf song was beautiful to hear. His cheerful mood always seemed to lighten a rainy day for the others. This is Toboe, or the runt in Tsume and Hige's case.
Hige scrunched up his nose and snorted forcefully, "I know you smelt the flower from outside, Kiba, but this places' awful reek is too powerful to detect it from here, or even if there is such thing as a flower! My nose is burning it smells so bad!" the stocky wolf whined.
"So hold your breath, you big idiot." Tsume jibed lightly as he started to walk through this foreign town. His golden eyes took in every detail they passed, but he still had the aura about him of one who could care less if the ground under him turned to water.
"You know, I've smelled it a lot lately since you've been around. So it's probably just your stench that reeks enough already to kill a human that's chocking me!" Hige growled back as he glared at the gray wolf's back.
Kiba ignored the two and started to walk through the deserted streets after Tsumes lead. He was getting used to toning out the bickering his new pack tended to make.
Toboe shivered and didn't move until Hige decided to follow the others' examples. Even then, the younger wolf attached himself to the larger, older one's side. His deep honey gold eyes scanned almost desperately for any signs of life and only caught glimpse of them. It's as if they were hiding in fear from them. His sensitive ears picked up the frightened snivel of a woman and her child as they passed and he wanted to plaster his triangular ears to his head in shame that they were afraid.
"Are they ….. Are these people here really that afraid of us that they'd hide like we're hunting them or something?" he whispered as he saw a few more humans peeking out of their hiding places to watch them wearily pass by.
"Well, we shouldn't expect a welcoming ceremony or nothing. This obviously isn't a tourist's town with how awful it's kept and smells." Hige sighed as he too noticed the unnerving eeriness in the air around them. No one moved about freely like they did back at the Freeze City Dome. Everyone acted like someone was going to shoot them down if they stepped out into the open where Kiba and the others could clearly see them.
"We are outsiders here. It's only natural for them to treat us this way and keep their distance." Kiba said half-heartedly as he bypassed the other three wolves that stopped for a moment.
Tsume just snorted back at the white wolf in human form, "what a load of crap." He spat on the ground to show just what he thought of it and then followed reluctantly, signaling the other two to do the same.
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The cool air was nippy as the sun went down near the island's station docks. Steam from departing engines and over-used heaters created a mist around two females departing from the station on their way back home from a hard day's work. One was decently sized with layered black hair down to her shoulders, dark skin and dressed in leather. She wore a crop leather jacket; pale red tank top under it and tight hip hugger leather pants with rips and tears from life in them. Her tall laced up boots were covering her pants up to the underside of her knee and on her right hand was a leather fingerless glove. Her red eyes were both beautiful and terrifying.
Next to the busty woman was a smaller, more humble-looking young woman. She was about a head and a half shorter than her 5' 10" friend. Her long auburn red hair hung down her back in waves to her lower back and her bangs reached just to the top of her neck where it met her chin where they were swept to the right side of her face, covering one of her orange eyes. Her skin wasn't as darkly tanned as her warrioress of a companion but it was a nicely sun-kissed one. She wore a white tee-shirt and dark blue blue-jean bell bottoms with hiking boots under them. She wore a long-tailed dark brown leather coat for warmth and on her neck was a silver chain with a cross pendent.
Each woman carried their earnings from a hard day's work- food. They were on their way back to their den near the grave yard and further away from the main pack where it was just the two of them and another, pregnant, one.
"Damn! What were those humans shipping back at that station? Elephants?!" Heart, the taller one, groaned as she stretched her back while they walked homeward bound, "it feels like I worked my ass off like a dog today!"
"Imagine that" Akira giggled at her friends expanse as she herself shifted the heavy chunk of ham in her arms she was carrying for Shura back at the den, "I wonder how Shura's been doing all day with out us. It was a large and heavy load today so we were stuck in over time, remember? She must be so worried and lonely all by herself without us," the nineteen year old looking wolf girl looked to the west in the sky and frowned at the twilight she saw, "its even the time when the sun is setting and the moon is rising at the same time! Ah! I just love twilight!" the girl forced a cheerful look on her face to hide her worry.
But Hearts autumn red eyes didn't miss the worried flicker flash in her friends' bight orange orbs. Did this kid know how openly she let her emotions fly through her? She was like a mirror to her own soul with how trusting she was to let others know her feelings even if left unsaid. Akira wasn't what many would call a traditional wolf. Her upbringing near humans all this time evolved with the young she-wolf gaining a slightly different, more equal righted mind set. She treated humans and wolves as well as other creatures with respect the individual deserved, and for that, Heart admired the girl.
Heart hardly ever let the red pup out of her sights now days, the young she wolf needed constant protection. Her sheltered upbringing left her paws soft and teeth dull. Akira wouldn't act out in anger ever- her spirit too gentle and personality too complacent. She would rather lick the wounds of enemies than inflict them personally.
"Stop being such a Mother Hen! That's Shura's job, remember? Which one of you is pregnant with the maybe quadruplets?" Heart clapped a hand a bit too harshly on the younger, smaller girls back with a huge, shit-eating-grin and nearly shoved the poor little one over on her nose in the dirt road.
"Q-Quadruplets?!" Akira epped trying to right herself without dropping the ham, "Cole said that it's for sure only Twins, or maybe even TRIPLETS, but not QUADRUPLETS!"
Heart stole s sly glace at her companion before laughing in her face, "Akira, I was joking! You just looked too serious back there and it doesn't seem to suit you very well to get all serious like that. Besides, I'm sure she's just lazing around like she probably has all day watching the waves from the cliff like she always does when she's day dreaming about the pups." The taller girl suddenly caught something, and faltered in her steps, "Wait, Cole thinks Shura's carrying Twins?! No way!"
"Yeah!" Akira's face brightened up like a kid that was talking about their new puppy they loved and adored," Cole said Shura's too big for her to just be carrying only one. So she thinks its two! But Zali even thinks she's got three pups in her with how much she's been eating lately!" Heart smiled fondly as the younger wolf started to lead on again. Those orange eyes lighting up with her obvious pride as she babbled on about the pups her step mother carried.
"Three hyper cubs running around frolicking on the dangerous train tracks here in town is really a comforting thought," she smiled as the girl growled half heartedly back at her.
That made Heart happy as well. A little while after she met Shura and Akira, Shura had broke down to tears one night out of the blue when Heart had asked innocently why a nice pair like them wound out there in that dead-end sewer Heart found them in. Akira had excused herself from the den that night and Heart didn't see her until work the next morning, but the emotional Shura spilled her wounded heart out to her about the tragedy of her late mate and step-son. Flashes of Hearts own life flashed at her then and even now just remembering the stressful talk.
Memories of pain.
Of torment.
Memories of dark snarls and flashes of teeth pitted against brothers.
A pair of golden eyes and a bleeding cross on his chest from his humiliation…
"Just because pups are known to hyperactive and crazy doesn't mean Shura and I can't handle them Heart." Akira's voice cut through the dark woman's reverie.
Heart shook her head of those thoughts.
Now was not the time to go reminiscing about the past. She'd never hear, see or smell… smell pine musk and oil??
'Wait a minute'
Heart froze when the breeze brought an ironically familiar scent to her. Her senses went on alert and she didn't move a taunt muscle. Akira closed her mouth as she was about to retort Heart, but was stopped when the older wolf froze up.
Instantly alert and searching for what danger there seemed to be, Akira looked around before turning confused orange golden eyes to her friend, "Heart, what is it? What's wrong?" she instinctively started to put her back to Hearts.
"Someone's ….. Here. Outsiders." Heart said quietly.
Their heads turned on a hard right when they heard Zali's cold laughter, "And just what are you boys look'n for here?" came his gruff voice down the alley adjacent from them.
"That's Zali," Akira started for the alleyway she heard it from. Looking for all the world like a puppy eager to greet a playmate.
Heart's eyes widened, "Akira!" she hissed, but the younger wolf didn't listen as she jogged through the enclosed space until she reached the other end and stood out of sight from the two wolf packs at the mouth of the other end of the ally. Zali, Cole, and the others were sitting around the fire while a small pack of four male wolves Akira didn't recognize told them they were just passing though on their journey.
"Journey? Where the hell are ya going?" Hide, a scrawny peppered colored wolf snorted.
"We're going to Paradise!" the youngest, rust-red wolf stated rather proudly his human form had the same color of hair as his fur and his eyes were warm like a child's.
Akira's eyes widened, "Paradise?" she whispered. Was it true? Were these wolves really going there?
Zali laughed at them harshly and was joined by the others in his sinister cackle. Akira whimpered and pressed herself up against the wall. Why were they laughing? They got an answer didn't they?
"What? What's so funny!" the young wolf demanded. Zali just laughed harder.
The white wolf didn't seem amused and neither did his pack mates, "They laugh because they obviously have no idea about what or where paradise is." He chided, "They're just a bunch of washed up sewer rats."
"Oh, we know where it is." Zali said dead serious.
"You do?!" the other pack seemed shocked.
"Yeah, and its not paradise ….. It's more like a …. Well what would you call it Mose?" Zali looked down to another dark brown wolf who smirked.
"I recall HELL being the only word fit for it." Mose said, "It took out half our pack and we barely came back with out lives. There is no such thing as-,"
"Stop right there!" Akira snapped. She could take no more of this, not from Zali.
Everyone looked back surprised to see her there. The wind was moving toward her so no one caught her scent! She was just as startled as they were, to tell the truth. She didn't even realize said anything- it just slipped out.
Zali's eyes widened with something akin to concern, "Akira,"
"P-Paradise is real!" she stuttered, trying to regain her composure, "I know it's real!"
"Oooh, look at this, boys. The little girly says paradise is REAL because she KNOWS it is." Mose chuckled with the boys, but Zali remained silent, almost trying to will Akira away with a hard stare, but she wasn't looking at him.
Akira clenched her fists and gritted her teeth as she felt her fur stand on end, "Can't you feel its call? Paradise is there- you're just too depressed to feel the call! You've given up too soon!" she seethed heatedly.
"Shut up runt! It's you who knows nothing about it! You haven't seen what we-," Mose was cut off when Zali gave him a dirty look and held up a hand that dared the lower ranking wolf to continue.
Turning to look straight at the young she-wolf Zali gave a commanding soft growl, "It doesn't matter now Akira. Just go home and forget what Mose said." He looked back at the boys, "Its best if you boys don't hang around here too much. The sooner you leave the better. You're welcome to do as you like, but get in the way of us and pay for it."
The grey wolf growled lowly, but just left it at that as he turned away to walk on. The large brown one at his heels with a sneer on his face in disgust. The red wolf tugged the remaining wolf's sleeve, "Come on Kiba, we don't wanna stay here around them. Let's get going."
And with that, the four of them left. Zali turned to confront the she-wolf he treated as a daughter to find her gone as well and sighed. She'd hold that against him for a while. He looked over to his mate, Cole who just glanced at him with her lavender eyes before looking back to the ally Akira had left.
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"There you are! What were you doing brown nosing like that!" Heart scolded the younger wolf as she came back out of the ally while she jogged up to meet her half way.
"Heart? Can you take this to Shura for me?" Akira handed the large ham to her friend, looking away from her in thought.
"Huh? Uh … Sure, but why?" Heart looked down at Akira, trying to catch her eye, but when Akira did raise her head, she looked off into the direction those boys left in. Heart also looked in that direction to see what the other she-wolf saw. When she saw nothing she turned annoyed red eyes back on the red head, "Hey, tell me what's got you so bogged out all the sudden squirt! Come on!"
"I … I don't really know, but something is pulling me towards them. Ever since they mentioned Paradise as their destination, I feel like I need to at least meet them. They might be gone tomorrow so I want to do it tonight." Akira looked back to the autumn red eyes pleadingly, "Do you understand?"
Heart stared at her in disbelief before she sighed in defeat rubbing the back of her neck, "Sure, whatever. But don't do anything stupid, okay? Let's take care of one pregnant gal at a time, Kay?" she smirked with a joke with a playful wink to rile the younger girl up.
Akira blushed, "N-N-No! T-T-That's not," mission accomplished!
"I don't really care, just meet me at the station in the morning if nothing else, okay?" Heart nodded, still with a playful smile on her face that tormented the poor red head.
Akira nodded, still blushing and the two went their separate ways. Heart looked over her shoulder at the young girl, noting that she reverted to her small wolf form with fox coloring, "What the heck is going on?" she looked up to the moon as if it had answers, "Oh for the love of the moon,"
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Akira sniffed at the concrete edge just outside of the towns' streets and sighed in frustration, "Damn it! I just missed them too." Looking around she shivered as the cool wind reached her through her old red leather trench coat, "Or at least I think I did. The cold ground is messing up the scent trail. If I try to follow it now I could just wound up walking around town following the wind!"
The poor she-wolf huffed in frustration as she plopped down on her haunches beside the concrete wall that held their scent to it. They must have rested here not too long ago, but that was all she could pick up. Her tracking was very rusty; she never had to use it! That was Jazz's job!
'But Jazz's not here is he!' she chastised herself in the back of her mind then stiffened when she caught herself getting on to herself!
"Great, now I really AM delusional!" her wolf ears flattened as she lowered her head pitifully, looking like a kicked puppy.
"I like to call it 'Youthful Mental Disorder'." Zali's voice came from her left flank.
Akira barely glanced over her shoulder to acknowledge his presence, "It's such a nice term for troubled thoughts you have made up." She rolled her eyes as he approached her side and looked down at her a moment. Feeling conscious with his gaze, Akira met him with her strange canine-orange colored eyes.
"What?" she asked trying to hide the fact that she was uncomfortable just by someone staring? Was it because she never was in her wolf form around him?
"What do you think you're doing out here by yourself at this time Akira? And in your wolf skin no less? Some human on the island could mistaken you as a stray and take you it." oh great! Zali's going into 'Surrogated Father' mode! He had that 'don't-lie-to-me' look; arched eyebrow and all.
"I'm a wolf, aren't I? Don't we thrive on Moonlight?" Akira evaded, "And most humans have seen my wolf form in the warehouse. They know I'm not a stray."
"Akira!" he snapped warning.
Akira was caught. She flinched and tucked her tail in closer to her body at the harsh snap, making him start to regret reacting like that. She was still tender from losing her blood family and he should have known not to snap at her. She was not of his pack or his blood.
"Just a moonlight stroll, Zali. Nothing more, or anything less. I just needed some air. I know not to go near the others or the humans." She said submissively with a small smile of an apology. Her voice was softly spoken and she turned her head to gaze up at the crescent moon while reverting to her human form, "So how about you, oh 'Great Leader'? What are you out for? I was under the impression that the fearless love-sick alpha wolf didn't like to leave Cole's side at night." She couldn't resist a small tease at the mighty wolf beside her.
Zali sighed, "The old man's still in the Cemetery digg'n his whole again. I don't want him too tired for work tomorrow and miss out on his fair share of food." He admitted.
Akira's expression saddened and she downcast her gaze to the crashing waves under the moonlight below them, "He's really at the end of his rope, isn't he? Who knows, he might not even live long enough to see our next beautiful full moon." Her red hair blew in the wind as if being sucked towards the ocean.
Zali looked down at the crimson red hair that blew in her face and hid her eyes from his briefly before looking to the moon once more, "Yeah…. He knows his time is nearing. That's the way it is around here. You dig your own grave when you're instincts warn you about it. The rest of us can't and won't do anything to stop him from going down there to dig his grave. It's just something he and other elderly must do. It's the way things are." Zali glanced down before snorting at a passing thought and turned to leave, "Speaking of which, I should hurry up and get to him before he works himself to death just digg'n the damn thing."
After he had taken a few steps, Akira looked up and stood to follow him. He stopped to wait for her when he heard her trotting after him to catch up, not surprised in her decision to follow in the least. Soon as she was at his side, the two of them continued on to the cemetery about four blocks down the road. It was where Akira, Shura, and Heart's den was located anyways. So Zali wanted to make sure the young wolf got home safely. He didn't much trust those new boys around her. She was a pretty little thing and he was sure they wouldn't mind trying to take a go with her.
'Over my dead body' he snorted in thought. She was his charge along with her mother and friend. The rest of his pack didn't accept it yet, but he wouldn't let anything come near the little she-wolf with those intentions!
Further down the road, Akira's soft alto voice broke the companionable silence they shared on the walk, "It's…. ironic," she said softly, "How life ends and begins almost at the same time. It's almost as if the world doesn't want us to despair our losses for very long and gives us something new to love in the old ones place for our hearts to heal. Birth seems to always come around death. Some how, it's like the world wants to cheer us up and keep the hope for the future in us. The will to live always surges in us even though some one dear to us dies."
Zali looked down at her with surprised dark golden eyes as they walked on. He was at a loss of words at her out spoken statement. Then it seemed to click and he smiled warmly at her then looked back to the road, "You mean how the old man is dying and your mothers pups are about to be born into this world?"
Akira nodded with out looking at him, "Yeah,"
"You know, that's not something many wolves claim to believe or even mention now-a-days" he said, "its admiring to hear you say things like that. Such a serene out look on life and death and all…," he looked down at her through the corner of his eyes, "who taught you such philosophies?"
"Papa taught Jasper and me differently from other wolves. Our family has always been a little rebellious of the older wolf traditional outlooks on life and how we should think. He never wanted us to think that life was just some dim road to paradise only for us to walk it and leave it with out a second thought. He wanted us to help out who ever we could on our way as well. To help others find their own happiness along with our own. Why should wolves be the only ones to reach happiness? Isn't that what everyone else lives for? To find some kind of happiness that draws them out of their hiding holes?"
"It's difficult to really reply to something like that. I've really never thought of it much ….," Zali mumbled in thought. She was so open that it touched him with the trust she showed him. He decided to drop it at that though. He didn't like adding salt to her old wounds of her deceased father, "You're really an odd one, you know that?" he chuckled and ruffled her hair affectionately.
Akira pushed his hand off her head and glared half-heartedly at him as she smoothed out her crimson red locks again, "I get that a lot."
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Hige covered his nose when the old wolf showed them the 'entrance to paradise' which was an entrance to an underground tunnel, "Ah! It reeks of death and decay in there! It's worse than Tsume or the town, even!!"
Tsume half-heartedly glared at the youth before bopping him upside the head and making him fall over on his face.
"I was …. Well, kinda hoping it would look a lot nicer than this really," Toboe confused with a crestfallen expression as the four young wolves stared at the 'Tunnel to Paradise'.
Kiba stared in wonder at it. He started to approach but when he came to pass the elder wolf's side, the old man spoke out against it.
"I wouldn't if I were you," Kiba stopped to here what he had to say, "Many young wolves have traveled down that path, but sadly few none have ever made it there. The few that do survive come back to weave a living out here….. Just like the rest of us." His old wrinkled face fell solemnly, "It's just the way things are here."
Kiba looked back at the tunnel; debating on whether or not to believe the old one and take a chance on the tunnel anyways, but there was a new presence behind him that alerted him. There stood Zali and at his side was that young girl who had spoke against the others back in the ally. She had long crimson hair that was thick and had a wave to it, and around her neck was a dog chain with a silver crucifix as its tag. Her strange bright orange eyes stared back at him and the others as she held up her human form tightly. Not letting them see her wolf reflection. She was on guard around them.
"That's enough digging for the night, old man. Don't forget you have work tomorrow." Zali called to the old man in a calm voice.
"Really now? It's that late already?" the old wolf shrugged and walked through the young males to Zali's and the she-wolfs side, "I suppose its deep enough."
Kiba's blue eyes glared at the older pack leader "Wait a minute….. When your pack tried to get to paradise, is this the path you took?"
"I thought I told you to get out of here." Zali growled in threat.
"Zali" the old man lightly begged for him to keep his temper in check.
"If you kids disrupt the peace of this pack in anyway, I'll show you no mercy!" it was a threat that he felt needed to be let out in the open before anything else was said or done.
Akira started to reprimand him, "That's not fair to go around accusing people of such things when you have no idea if that's their intention! They said they were only passing though so why are you being so harsh!?" she didn't yell, but her raised voice spoke levels about how far she was willing to take this should he continue this hostility.
"It was just a fair warning. You should get back to your den before the others get worried about you Akira." Zali brushed her concerns off, but glared at the other four wolves, "Now get out of town before dawn, ya hear? And no funny business!"
With that, he led the elder wolf away. Leaving Akira and the other four wolves behind in the chilly graveyard.
Akira bristled at his high and mighty attitude and crossed her arms over her chest with a huff as she glared off after him, "Sometimes he can really be an ass you know." She mumbled, "It's not fair that he has to be such a nice guy too." She then sighed at the curl fates and turned to the boys with a shrug.
"Him? A nice guy?" Hige snorted, "Not likely"
"Really, it's just a front he puts on around new comers. Trust me, I know how it feels." Akira admitted with welcoming smile, "I'm Akira by the way. I apologize on Zali's behalf if he offended any of you." She grinned apologetically.
"Hn, we'll live." Tsume snorted.
"Why did you stand up for us against your alpha? It's not respectful to speak against your superiors decisions." Kiba asked, not trusting that another wolf would just help out one a pack that was not their own on a whim.
"Superior? Alpha??" Akira giggled out loud at the assumption, "No, no, no! You've got it all wrong; Zali's pack isn't my own." She pointed to herself as if it were ridiculous.
"That explains why you didn't follow him and the old man just now." Tsume said rather crossly.
Hige sighed, "And here I thought this chick took an interest in us."
"If Zali isn't your alpha, then why are you around here? Is there another pack?" Toboe asked as he approached her. She seemed nice and her smell was … different. She wasn't like Tsume or the others. He had never met a she-wolf so close before. All he'd met were Kiba, Hige, and Tsume, and they were the first wolves he'd ever seen!
"Some what …." She decided to evade their eyes.
"Some what?" Tsume just had to pry…..
"My step-mother and I are refugees from Freeze City where my passed father's body still remains to our knowledge and we were separated from my brother in our attempt to escape the confusion of the stolen flower maiden. We stumbled here and met up with Zali and the others, and while they did show us mercy for our resent tragedy, it didn't feel right to intrude on them. It's hard enough to get where they are now. A friend of ours lives with us in those ruins over there," she nodded to an old sanctuary house that was only half standing, but it was shelter.
"You're from Freeze City? We just came from there. How do you know about the flower maiden?" Hige asked curious as the rest.
"My family portrayed as guard dogs or search dogs at the keep in the heart of the city where Cheza, the flower maiden lay in their labs. Something happened and they found out that we weren't dogs so Papa wanted us to leave. He said Cheza would be safe since other wolves have arrived in the city."
"So you decided to hunt down your own kind with the humans in favor for staying close to Cheza!?" Tsume accused with venom.
Hige glared at the untrusting grey wolf, "Cut it out, Tsume! Stop being such an accusing bastard all the time!"
Akira's eyes widened, "NO! We didn't hunt any of you! Papa and Jazz were the only ones you probably would have seen on the streets. Shura was only a tracker and I was too young to be much help! Papa always led the humans away from you or other wolves so you WOULDN'T get caught!" she snarled in self justification.
Tsume looked surprised, but Hige just laughed, "It would explain why your little 'gang' of humans were hardly ever caught if you had a wolf on the inside covering up your tracks for ya." He joked.
Tsume snarled at him.
Toboe just smiled good naturedly, "Don't take it to heart. Tsumes just untrusting like that at first. He'll lighten up sooner or later." He smiled at the she wolf. She really seemed like someone he wanted to get to know.
Akira smiled back and nodded then rolled her eyes as something just occurred to her, "I won't then. Believe it or not, he's not the only one with a gruff exterior around here." She walked to the other side of the group and looked over her shoulder expectantly, "Well, aren't you coming? You can crash at my place if you'd like. There's plenty of room and Cole should come around sometime tonight to drop off our dinner."
"Really? FOOD?!" Hige salivated at the mere thought of following this cute female and getting food too, "I'm all for it!" he quickly followed her lead. Toboe trotted up to her side as well. Kiba took one last look at the underground entrance before he too followed her. Tsume just growled in frustration.
"Come on Tsume! What's the hold up! Aren't you hungry?" Hige shouted over his shoulder.
At that time, Tsumes stomach decided to remind him just how true the boy was as it growled nice and long in protest of being empty. So, grudgingly, the grey wolf followed at his own pace.
"I'm coming." He caught up with Kiba and let out a frustrated sigh, "how do we know she's not trying to trick us to lead us in a trap this Zali guy made up for us?"
He underestimated the she-wolfs hearing abilities, because Akira stopped and stiffly turned on her heels to glare at him disapprovingly, "Really, you'd think a 'proud' wolf like you would know about a little Common Courtesy" she huffed. And with a flick of her long hair she whirled around and continued to lead them up the slope to her den, "Stupid dug beetle brained men and their stupid macho egos…" she grumbled to herself.
Hige and Toboe chuckled at Tsume's shocked expression.
Kiba smirked, "Does that answer your question?" he let a few chuckles out himself.
"I'm like'n this place more and more by the minute! Who cares if it stinks when it's got fiery cute girls like that?" Hige grinned goofily.
A/N- Can you guess what I changed in this one? ^_^ I'm sooooo excited to get to the later chapters and juice them up a bit! He haha! I swear I'm not on DRUGS!
I'd like it if you'd go on and review about the changes if you guys would please? (puppy eyes)
OH! Do you guys like the new pen name?
