Part 2

Toboe lay on the cave floor, moping. It was midday and he hadn't left the cave except for when he was thirsty or had to urinate. He watched the other wolves, which were all out by the pond. I hate these dreams! I just want them to go away! I can barely look at Tsume without getting those feelings… He sighed and turned over. Maybe they're just random. I am still developing, as Tsume told me. So maybe I just get these random feelings and they don't mean anything. Why would I ever think they mean anything? Because…I want them to mean something? He blinked hard and looked out at the others again.

Tsume sat on a rock, chewing on a piece of grass. Kiba watched Hige swim around in the pond. "So what's wrong with Toboe today?" Hige asked.

"I'm not sure," Kiba murmured. "He doesn't seem sick or anything. Do you know anything, Tsume?"

"How would I know?" Tsume snapped, glancing at Kiba.

"Well, you two talked yesterday."

"And that was yesterday, not today."

"You don't have to have an attitude about it," Hige put in. "He was just asking."

"No one was even talking to you," Tsume snarled. He got up and went back to the cave. Kiba watched him go. "What's up his butt?" Hige asked.

"I don't know, but I think he's the reason Toboe is acting strange."

"What do you mean, Kiba? You think Tsume is hurting Toboe or something?"

"I'm not sure yet. We'll see. Let's leave them alone again today and see how Toboe acts again."

"Okay…So what do you want to do today?"

"We could go hunting again."

Hige felt heat rise up in his ears. What if what happened yesterday happens again? Does Kiba want it to?

"Hige?"

Hige shook himself from his thoughts and looked at Kiba. Kiba was looking at him, concerned. "Does hunting sound fine? Or would you rather do something else?"

"Hunting…sounds perfect," Hige muttered.

Tsume stood over the sleeping Toboe. Midday and he's asleep?! "Get up!" Tsume barked.

Toboe jumped up onto a rock, blinking hard in drowsiness. "Is something going on?!" he exclaimed. "Did I miss something?"

"It's the middle of the day," Tsume snapped, "and you are still sleeping. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I guess…I'm just tired?" Toboe asked cutely.

"Cut the bull and tell me what's wrong."

Toboe nervously cleared his throat. "I…just haven't gotten a lot of sleep lately because I have weird dreams."

"Like nightmares?"

"Not exactly."

"Do…you mean sex dreams?"

"…Y-yes," Toboe admitted.

"Don't be ashamed. Every man has them."

"You mean…I'm a man??"

Tsume paused. "Every…male has them."

"Oh." Toboe hung his head in disappointment.

"Do you want to tell me about these dreams?"

"No! I can't! You'll hate me or something."

"Look, if they're about Blue, I won't mind, but Hige may throw a fit—"

"They're about guys!" There was a deep silence in the cave. Toboe felt the tears roll down his cheeks and fall onto the ground. Tsume saw this and sighed. "Toboe, don't be upset." Toboe got up and ran out of the cave as fast as he could. "Toboe, stop!" Tsume called as he ran after him.

About an hour had passed and Hige had caught a small bird and was munching on it. Kiba was in a tree looking out in the distance. "See any other birds?" Hige asked with a mouthful. Kiba shook his head and sniffed the air. He glanced at the darkening sky. Hige swallowed his last bite and also looked up. "Is it getting dark already?" he asked.

"No, it's going to rain soon. Which is why there are no more birds out."

"We should head back then?"

"I doubt we have time. It looks like a thunderstorm."

"Do you think it's nearby?" Thunder rumbled through the air as his answer. Droplets of rain fell on Hige's fur. Kiba hopped down beside him. "I saw an uprooted tree a few feet ahead of us. We can hide underneath it," Kiba informed him. They trotted to the large tree as the rain fell harder. They hopped into the pit where its roots used to be. It was kept dry by the thick leaves above them. They went into their human forms. Hige laid back and Kiba sat up straight, tense.

"Relax, we're gonna be here for a while," Hige assured him. He touched Kiba's shoulder and rubbed it lightly. Kiba felt himself blush. "Why are you touching me like that?" he asked Hige.

"Sorry, I'm just trying to make sure you're calm." He let go of his shoulder and they were both quiet. Finally, Hige asked, "Well, why did you kiss me yesterday?"

"I thought you didn't want to talk about it."

"I do now since we're stuck here for a moment. Why did you do it?"

"I don't know. It just…happened."

"That's not a good enough reason, Kiba."

"I don't have any other reason. Do…you think I like males?"

"I considered it. Do you?"

"No! I don't."

"Then why did you kiss me?!"

"Why did you kiss back?!"

Lightning cracked in the sky and more rain fell. Hige tackled Kiba to the ground, growling. Their eyes locked and they held each other's gaze. And then they kissed. It was soft and wet and filled with passion. They didn't break off until the rain had stopped later on that night.

After an hour of looking for the pup, it started raining on Tsume. He was deep in the woods and was getting soaked. He knew that Toboe would curl up somewhere once he heard the thunder and saw the lightning, so it was easier to find Toboe, who was in a large log. Tsume yanked him out with a sigh. They both were wet and dirty, their air slicked back by mud. "Let's go clean up," Tsume grumbled as he took Toboe back to the pond by their cave. They both rinsed all the mud off of them and went back inside the cave. Toboe went to the far back and sat with his back to Tsume. Tsume decided to let the boy get over his despair before talking to him.

Sure enough, Toboe went and sat by Tsume after a while. His eyes were red and puffy, and his lip was bloodied from biting on it. Tsume felt a bit sorry for him. He licked the blood away from Toboe's lips. Toboe's face blew up in a scarlet color. "I don't care if you like guys or not, Toboe," Tsume told him.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"No, I mean it. Kiba, Hige, nor I care who or what you like, so calm down. And those dreams don't even mean that you like guys. You're around us all the time, and I doubt you've ever seen a woman in that sense. Guys are basically the only people for you to dream about."

"Really? Wow, you are so smart, Tsume."

Let's just hope I'm right. Tsume smiled at him and pat his head. Toboe smiled and looked out at the rain.

"Should we go look for Kiba and Hige?"

"No, they can take care of themselves."

"I am mighty hungry."

"Then I'll go fish out of the pond. Stay here." Tsume went to the pond and Toboe watched him go. Whether I like guys or not…Tsume has the best ass I've ever seen…

Hige and Kiba raced each other to the cave when the rain and their kissing had ceased. "Last one to the cave is on bottom next time!" Kiba called out to Hige. Next time… Hige smiled at the thought of there actually being a next time alone with Kiba like that. And he wouldn't mind being underneath hi, either. Kiba got to the cave first, laughing at Hige. Tsume and Toboe sat by the fire, eating the last of the fish Tsume caught. "And you two didn't even bring any food?" Tsume growled then Hige entered after Kiba. "What the hell were you two doing?"

"Hiding from the rain!" Hige said.

"All the animals hid before the storm even rolled in," Kiba said.

"I don't care. Next time, I'm going hunting with Kiba."

"No!" Hige snarled. "You're not going with Kiba!"

Tsume stared at him. "Why not? You like him or something?"

"I'm not like that!" Hige bellowed. "Don't you ever accuse me of something like that ever again!"

"Or else what?" Tsume stood up, ready for a fight.

"Stop it, both of you!" Kiba yelled. "It was my bad judgment for going out so far into the woods while the storm was coming in. Don't take it out on Hige."

"Fine," Tsume said as he turned his back to them. Toboe scooted closer to Tsume and Tsume eyed him in satisfaction. Hige and Kiba's eyes met. They both were blushing in gratitude for the other and they lay down by the fire to get dry and warm. The wolves were quiet the rest of the night, and Toboe wasn't plagued by a dream until the next morning.

(A/N: WOW. It's been...forever since I updated. I kinda fell out of Wolf's Rain in the time that I first wrote the first chapter of this fic, so that's why it was so hard for me to get back into it. I really hope this chapter (and my next ones) are what all you readers want. I enjoy writing, but I enjoy seeing my fans (and fans of Wolf's Rain!) happy. And I promise you all I will finish this to the best of my abilities. Hope you enjoyed this one!)