As you all know I do not own any of the Wolf's Rain characters however the four females Aya, Rika, Ren and Aika are mine. A newly deceased character of Maiko is also mine, although anyone who has read Chapter One will know that.

Here you go. Next chapter. Enjoy it...

We are all travellers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Chapter Two – Into the Wilderness

It starts with sadness. The sadness lingers. It ends with sadness. Is there anything that could make me feel happiness again? In a matter of minutes we had lost our dearest friend, a young wolf who still hadn't found her paws in the world. Why is it, that the ones that don't deserve to go, the ones who deserve to live, are always the first to die?

I can smell him. His putrid scent wafts to me on the wind, a disgusting mixture of sweat, blood, rot and body odour. I watch from a distance, hidden behind a trash can. He's made a den out of discarded wood and cardboard, and a tattered blanket is wrapped around his body. He's a homeless, the human equivalent of a lone wolf. Yet a lone wolf would be in much better condition than this. He's deathly pale, with straggly grey hair and a beard that clearly hasn't been trimmed for some time. His breathing is loud, and every few minutes he coughs brutally. I can hear the phlegm gargling in his throat.

I get to my feet, nose twitching around the side of the trash. It isn't him I am interested in, it's the dead deer at his feet. It's a young buck, with tiny antlers sticking from its head. It is slightly smaller than me, easy enough to carry and a good meal for my pack and I. All I have to do is sneak out there, grab it, and run like crazy. Simple. That handgun might be a problem though.

It's tucked into the waistband of his jeans, small yet sinister looking. I have to handle this carefully, or this could be my last act of thievery. I know humans keep dogs as pets, so maybe this man will mistake me for some large dog breed. There's only one way to find out.

I step carefully out from my hiding place. I drop my head low, ears back and tail wagging. The submissive puppy expression. He watches me, coughing violently before pulling out the gun. I freeze. He loads it, laying it ready beside him. Then he turns back to look at me again. I give a small whine, sneaking forward on my belly. He chuckles. The deer is a metre away, and I continue to wriggle towards it. The sweet scent of meat touches my nose, blocking out the man's putrid scent. One more step...

He notices my plan too late. With a flash of fangs the buck's neck is clasped in my jaws and I spin. I run, heading towards a low fence. I hear a click. I brace my legs, launching myself from the ground. As I sail over the wood, I hear a bang. Burning agony shoots through my right flank, and as I reach the other side my rear legs crumple under me. I can hear the man getting up on the other side, and I dig my fore claws into the ground, dragging myself and the deer through the dirt. I hear the sound of snarling, and another gunshot. A silver shadow leaps over my head, and I hear the man scream in terror. A furry face snuffles in the haze in front of my eyes. I give a feeble growl, carcass still clasped in my mouth. My vision blurs, and the world goes blank...

-x-x-x-

I awake to the taste of dirt and blood. My face is pressed into the ground, the dusty earth clogging my nostrils. I gag, raising my head and coughing. Droplets of blood spray from my mouth, splashing the ground with bloody splotches. I'm wearing my human illusion. It's an instinct my friends and I developed as pups, a useful survival manoeuvre. If we find ourselves injured, unable to escape or losing consciousness, we automatically disguise our wolf form. Apparently it's saved my life again. Or was it the shapes that flew over my head that saved my life? Either way, I'm alive. For now. The only way to ensure I stay alive is to get to know my surroundings. Survival rule one; familiarise yourself with the environment.

I sit up straight, shaking myself. My human disguise is a teenage girl, with long golden hair pulled back in a messy braid. My clothes are simple brown shorts, beige T-shirt, sleeveless leather jacket and a pair of hiking boots. I cough again, squinting around me. Though daylight, the world is shadowed and overcast, with thick patches of snow still left from the blizzard. To my left is an abandoned warehouse. Holes gape from the walls, dark and eerie. From one hole shine four pairs of gleaming eyes. Wolf eyes.

I lurch to my feet, snarling. Of course I've forgotten my injuries. As I move my body upright my legs give away, and I once more crash face first into the dirt. With an embarrassed cough, I push myself up on human arms. A whine echoes from the warehouse, as I roll over onto my back, panting from pain and exertion. I hear paw-steps, and the pant of an overly enthusiastic pup. I glare up, as a friendly face appears above my head. He's young, my age at a guess, with shoulder-length russet brown hair, a cheeky grin and large amber eyes. "Hi, I'm Toboe!" He beams.

"I'm not interested." I snarl.

"You know, you really should be nicer to us. We saved your life."

"Thanks. Now go away."

I struggle to get up. He moves behind me, lending me his weight. With a shove I'm in a sitting position. "Where's my buck?" I growl.

"Oops," a sandy-brown wolf says. "sorry about that."

I snarl loudly, baring my teeth. "Do you have any idea what that cost me!" I yell, "I have mouths to feed!"

"Whoa, you're a mum!" Toboe gasps, leaping from behind my weight. The loss of support wobbles me, and I topple onto my back. Again. Oh, the humiliation.

"No," I say through gritted teeth, "I am not a mother. I have a..."

I freeze, staring past the chubby wolf's head. Three brown shapes are hurtling down the hill. "Aika, stop!" I bark. The largest wolf's claws dig into the ground and she skids. The others lope to a halt behind her. All three stand tense and ready, snarling down at the strange wolves. I turn back to Toboe. "I have a pack," I continue, "which is why although I appreciate your help, I can't repay you. I have my own life and responsibility to care for." I glance up at the three wolves in the distance, "Or responsibilities."

"Females shouldn't roam the wilderness alone." I turn to face the calm, quiet voice. It's the white wolf I saw in the city, the one who attempted to assert his dominance. Ha! I growl at him, releasing my human disguise and wobbling up onto three paws. I hold my right rear-leg off the ground, balancing my weight between my useful legs. I fix him with my best Alphess stare, amber eyes gleaming.

"You're one of those males that think you're better than us, just because you're bigger. Well where I come from female wolves are prized at the same height as males, maybe even higher. You don't know what strength it takes to bear a litter of pups, to care for them into adulthood, to provide for them before providing for yourself. Where I come from a male and female ruled the pack side by side, as equals, and we thrived."

He says nothing, although the silver wolf beside him is smirking. I snort at them, turning to limp up the hill to my pack. "Where are you going?" Toboe calls.

I turn my head to look at him. I like him. He reminds me of little Maiko, with his puppyish charm and his general cheeriness. "I don't know."

"Have you heard of Paradise." The white wolf breathes. I frown at him, cocking my head to the side. I remember Paradise from the legends we were told as whelps, but that was all it was. A legend. Wasn't it?
"We're going to Paradise," he continues, "and we were wondering if you wanted to join us."

I pause, glancing up at the three wolves on the hill. Ren and Rika are sitting, watching intently, but Aika stays upright, eyes gleaming and lips pulled back in a silent snarl. I smile at them. My pack. My responsibility. I know it hasn't been easy, being alone without adults. I'd like to tell myself we can manage, that I can take care of them by myself. Then I look at the dull condition of their coats, the ribs that show through their skin, the fear and caution, and the deep trust of me in their eyes. They trust me to do the right thing for them, to protect them and guide them as their Alphess. I can't care for them in this condition, we need help, and there is only one way to get that.

I turn back to the white wolf. "We will come with you, but we are under no obligation to follow your orders. If we decide to leave, we will leave. If we decide to hunt, we will hunt. If we decide to stay, we will stay. My pack are small and we need help, but we would rather die than be controlled. Understand?"

"We understand?" He whispers. I nod.

"I am Aya," I say, head raised and ears forward, "and this is my pack."

OK, I hope you enjoyed that. I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. Please review. X x