The next day

The continuous sound of water dripping from the melting icicles echoed throughout the cave. Today was going to be just warm enough to cause the snow and ice to turn to slush. The forest no longer looked like a beautiful winter wonderland that only existed in fairytales. Animals that were once in hiding, trying to stay warm from the cold, were now out scurrying about while looking for food. It had never been this lively before during this time of the year. Different types of birds chirped in the near distance as they flew in the sky, trying to find their own meals. Luckily people in the town not too far away from here held containers of bird seeds in them. Even squirrels came back with peanuts stuffed in their cheeks, burying them all in a hiding spot of their own.

Tanned fingers raked through soft blonde locks, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. It wasn't exactly comfortable sleeping on the cold, hard ground. Trying to sleep against his furry friend a second night in a row wasn't exactly the right thing to do. The growling noises coming out of him alone were enough to make Naruto keep his distance. It was a shame, really. It only seemed as though the wolf was growing more irritated with him as the time passed by, which was strange because they weren't supposed to act that way...right? This left him feeling confused as he stared down at the sleeping wolf. Oh how he wished he could just snuggle up against his warmth and fall back asleep! But that was impossible. Instead, he leaned back against the wall and curled his legs up to his chest, resting his head on his arms.

It may be warmer outside, but that still didn't change the fact that they were all sleeping inside a cave, which was always just normally cold. He watched his own breath as he inhaled deeply, and then exhaled. And that's all he did for a long while as he waited for the others to wake up. It would be pretty bad if he went and woke them up on his own. Heck, they would probably murder him! He was already walking on eggshells around them. These creatures could turn on him at any minute if they grew tired of his presence. This alone was a pretty scary thought. Just being this close to so many werewolves at once was a miracle in itself. Now was his perfect opportunity to take a photo of them if he really wanted to. But the more he sat there and thought about it, the more he already began to feel guilty about it. He just...couldn't betray them like that, especially the one that was injured.

His hand slowly reached out to trail his fingertips along the bandages, noticing how damp they were. And when he pulled away, he noticed a small blotch of red seeping through them. Just looking at this alone caused him to wince slightly. Didn't the wolf feel that? It must be a pretty heavy sleeper then, because normally that would hurt pretty badly. Cursing under his breath, Naruto snatched his bag and began digging through it, trying to find his first-aid kit. After taking everything out and setting it aside, he finally found the small white box with a red cross on it. If only he could do more than just clean the wounds and bandage them up. He was starting to think that maybe...he wasn't doing the wolf any good. That him being here was only a waste. But still...he couldn't leave. Even if he wanted to, it was impossible right now. This wolf in particular was drawing him in for some reason, and he wanted to know why.

Drawing in a shaky breath, he scooted closer to the wolf and very gently grabbed his leg, unraveling the used bandage and tossing it behind him. Then he grabbed a cotton ball and soaked it in rubbing alcohol, using it to pat at the exposed wound. Only a small amount of blood dribbled from the raw flesh. This meant that it was already beginning to heal properly, which was nice. Hopefully this meant that the wolf could start walking again here soon enough. Bright blue eyes softened as they took in the wolf's perfectly sculpted face. And so, being unable to control himself, Naruto slowly brought his hand up to touch it's cheek, softly caressing at it. He has never owned a pet in his entire life, but has always wanted one. If he had to choose just one type of animal, it would definitely be a dog. They were the most interesting to him, and found them to be extremely loyal.

Cats bothered him to no end, and they didn't seem to like him either. Every time Naruto tried to pet one or hold them, they would always freak out and end up scratching the hell out of him. Eventually he learned to give up and not bother with them anymore. They weren't worth his time. Being around dogs was always the complete opposite for him. His best friend, Kiba, is a huge dog lover and owns many different breeds of dogs. But his favorite was Akamaru, a big ball of fur who loved just about everybody. Even those who hated dogs loved him! How could you not? It was impossible finding an apartment to live in that allowed pets though. And if they did, you had to pay quite a fee. If you're living in such a small apartment, chances are that you can't afford to pay such a fee. So there goes your hopes of having a pet of your own.

"You have it pretty rough out here, huh?" The blonde whispered to himself. Having to fight so hard in order to survive must be absolutely terrible! And if you don't get killed, then you wind up being injured such as this. To think that Danzo was so close to ending this wolf's life, along with the others. It makes Naruto feel grateful for being here at the right time. Because if he weren't here, then they would all be dead. Just the thought alone made his heart squeeze painfully. A small grunt could be heard from him as he quickly grabbed his chest, tears welling up in his eyes. What was wrong with him? What possessed him into hunting down animals? They didn't deserve this. This entire time, he has been killing off deer for his own selfish needs. And each one of those deer had a family of their own. They had lives to live. But no...he ripped it away from them, and for what? For the fun of it? How sickening...

Droplets formed on the ground in front of him as tears streamed down his face. It was all hitting him at once on what he has been doing all of these years. He has destroyed so many lives. Why hadn't he realized this sooner? Animals had feelings too! They weren't soul-less. They love and care for others. "I'm so sorry!" He said in a hushed whisper, leaning in to bury his face into the crook of the wolf's neck. It wasn't too late to change his ways though! He'll make it up to these wolves, and try his very best to protect them. Hopefully someday they'll learn to trust him. Until then, he will work hard in doing everything right.

The wolf's heavy breathing came to a stop all of a sudden as he slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times. He had no idea what was being pressed up against his neck. So when his gaze wandered down and noticed something bright and yellow, his body tensed up quite a bit. What was that idiot doing? Sasuke thought that he had made it clear last night for him to keep his distance. Apparently this guy was too stupid to comprehend that. If it weren't for his wounds, he would get up and shove the human away from him. 'I seriously feel like hurting him right now...' he thought, feeling his irritation only rise that much more at this point. Well his brother was still sleeping, so he could technically get away with it. But then he would be going against his brother, which wasn't a pleasant feeling at all.

Sasuke noticed that his brother and parents were still asleep, which was odd since he was always the last one to wake up. He stretched his leg and noticed that it was more...restricting for some reason. It didn't take a genius to figure out that his bandages had been changed, replacing his old ones with fresh clean ones. How did he not feel that? Everyone has always told him that he could sleep through just about anything. Now he was starting to realize this. He almost wanted to sigh in frustration. Instead, he nudged the other's head with his nose, staring blankly at him.

"...?" Naruto slowly pulled away, his gaze meeting with the wolf's as they just sat there in an awkward silence for a few minutes. You could no longer hear the birds chirping or the water dripping from the icicles. The atmosphere was so intense for some reason. It didn't help that his face was wet from all the tears that had been shed, his eyes slightly red and puffy. He must look ridiculous right now. But...at the moment, he didn't seem to care a single bit. Sniffling and wiping at his nose, he moved back a little to give the wolf its space, not wanting to anger him. That was the last thing he wanted right now...

'...Why was he crying?' Sasuke thought curiously to himself, tilting his head to the side. It wasn't like he could just ask right out what was wrong, taking as though wolves couldn't talk. And he refused to use his human form as a last resort. Besides, it was probably none of his business anyways. Why did he even care, more importantly? This...person didn't matter to him at all. He didn't care about him. Whatever happened to him wasn't his problem. At least that is what he thought for the time being. He hasn't realized it yet, but he will soon come to worry about the blonde's whereabouts, wondering what he is doing, or if he is even okay. Pushing people away was an expert of his though. So it wasn't going to be easy for these two to get along and become close friends...or something more than that.

"You really liked those dried tomatoes, didn't ya?" A wide grin spread across Naruto's face then as he patted the top of the wolf's head. It was kind of strange though. He didn't think that wolves ate things other than meat. Maybe he just hasn't done enough research on them. He wondered what else this type of animal was capable of. There was this nagging feeling that wouldn't go away, telling him that there really was something else. Something very...important, so to say.

As if feeling ashamed of admitting to such a thing, Sasuke turned his head to the side, his eyes narrowing a little. No matter what form he was in, he was still just as stubborn as he always has been, and nothing could change that. 'Shut up. You like dried noodles that are loaded with sodium. You must not care very much about your own health, idiot...' He scoffed in his mind. But that was the part that he didn't get. The guy eats junk food and is still perfectly fit. There seemed to be no fat on him! It was probably because he had an unnecessary amount of energy. '...Damn him.'

Naruto chuckled rather loudly now at the wolf's reaction. "Neh, you don't have a name, do you? Hmm I should come up with one for you. Because I can't just call you 'it' or somethin' like that..." he said, and then went into a deep thought while rubbing at his chin. Why was coming up with such a thing always so hard for him? Maybe it was a good thing that he didn't have a pet.

This caused said wolf to twitch. 'Oh lovely. What kind of stupid name will he come up for me?' Now was the time he wished so badly that he could just run off and get away from him. He didn't want to be called anything else other than Sasuke. It would just be too weird for him. But he had no choice but to oblige to it. He...couldn't tell this person what his name was. So he laid his head down onto his paws and huffed out loudly.

"...Oh I know!" He snapped his fingers together, grinning even more now as he shifted so that he was in Sasuke's eyesight. "How about Bear? since ya know...you're all big and fluffy like one." To him it wasn't a stupid name. But then again, pretty much everything that came out of that big mouth of his was stupid.

Sasuke gave him a cold glare upon hearing such a ridiculous name. 'He's actually serious. Why the fuck would you name a damn wolf after another animal? There really is something wrong that pea-size brain of his.' How was he supposed to get use to such a name? It was just impossible!

Naruto folded his arms, giving the wolf a pout now. "What's with the look? You're always so stubborn. Learn to lighten up a bit." he suggested, poking him in the nose.

'Watch it, or I'll bite that hand right off, you moron...' The wolf threatened. Although it didn't work, since the so called moron couldn't hear it. So really, it was all for nothing pretty much.

'Bear huh? How cute...little brother.' Itachi's voice was soon heard in the other's mind. He woke up a few minutes ago, but decided to eavesdrop on their conversation a bit, just because it sounded kind of interesting. 'It's either that or no name. Suck it up and accept it. And if it bothers you that much, then you'll just have to tell him your real name yourself...'

"Sasuke's head snapped over in the direction of where his brother was. His eyes were still closed, making it seem as though he were still sleeping when he obviously wasn't. 'I would rather die.' He growled right back at him.

"...?" Naruto's eyes shifted between the two wolves, wondering what exactly was going on. Simply shrugging it off, he reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of water, pouring some into the dish that lay on the ground.

Itachi wagged his tail, letting it sway back and forth for a few minutes. He really wanted his brother to be friends with this...human. It was what he needed right now. Someone who he could spend time with, and hopefully hold an actual conversation with someday. 'You are the true definition of stubborn.'

'Am not!' His brother retorted a little too quickly. Okay, so maybe he could be a bit stubborn at times. But he couldn't help it most of the time. It was just how he was. And it was kind of hard to just up and change yourself. Especially when you're an adult!

"Is everything okay, Bear?" The blonde cut in, giving him an innocent smile. Little did he know, was that the wolf sitting beside him wanted to rip his throat out for giving him such a foul name. His fingers raked through the soft fur, combing through it. "...Even though you can't say anything back to me, I still enjoy talking to you. It calms me. And, it feels as though I can literally tell you anything..." He chuckled.

Sasuke fought back the urge to roll his eyes. 'You shouldn't trust others so easily. You're only leaving yourself wide open for someone to seriously hurt you, whether it be emotionally or physically.' One thing he himself could never do was something just like that. How could others such as Naruto be so damn trusting? He just couldn't understand it...and maybe he never would. Or maybe, just maybe, that one person could come along and change his entire point of view on it all.

Naruto shifted so that he was closer to the wolf and wrapped an arm around him. "Drink some water. You need to stay hydrated..." He said, pointing at the dish filled with water.

"..." Licking slightly at his lips, Sasuke ducked his head to lap at the cool, refreshing water. It immediately quenched his thirst, making him feel so much better. And once the dish was empty, his savior filled it up again with some more. Not wasting any time whatsoever, he quickly emptied it just like that.

"Wow. You were thirstier than I thought." Grabbing another bottle from his bag, he poured it all the way up to the top. "Just nudge it away once you're done..." he instructed. For some reason, he just expected the wolf to understand what he was saying. Well so far it appeared to be working, so why stop now? It fell silent between the two as the water was continuously poured and emptied multiple times. And he couldn't help but down an entire bottle himself. Chugging something that cold so fast caused his stomach to hurt. Groaning in slight pain, he rolled over onto his side and pouted.

Sasuke gave him a strange look. Well that's what he gets for doing yet another stupid thing. 'He's always in such a rush. It's his own fault...'

"Bearrrrr I'm dying!" Naruto said, looking up at him with puppy-dog eyes. Now he was just being ridiculous. You couldn't die from chugging a bottle of water.

The wolf laid down on his side, facing away from him. 'The only thing that is going to happen to you, is more frequent bathroom trips. That's it. Now grow up and shut up...' Even to him that sounded kind of harsh. But his patience with Naruto was running very thin right now. Actually, for some strange reason he was beginning to feel tired again.

Itachi stood up and stretched, walking on over to the entrance of the cave, peering outside of it. Since his brother couldn't hunt for himself, he was going to go out and bring back something for him. 'Don't be too hard on him. He is only trying to help you...' He didn't expect a reply from his brother, and so he took off running into the melting wintery forest. The slushy snow crunched underneath his paws as he dashed in between the trees. It always felt so nice just being able to run around like this freely. But a huge part of him missed his human side, and wanted to go back to their home back in town. He missed interacting with others and making friends. Heck, he was even falling for someone when they up and left to go and live the rest of their lives out in the wilderness.

'Sasuke...I have this feeling that you'll finally find your own happiness. And when that day comes, I will be so proud of you.' He wasn't sure if his brother could hear him or not, but he just wanted to say it anyways. His brother was always his tip priority, no matter what. Ever since he was a little pup, Itachi would always help care for him...he brought him everywhere he went! They always traveled to many places together, and have had many...many adventures. To him, Sasuke was his best friend. He meant the world to him! So of course when Itachi walked on in and saw his injuries, he about freaked out. A part of him even wanted to murder the man who did this to him. But that was against their ways. They couldn't kill humans. It was forbidden.

But rules always ended up being broken.