Chapter 3: A Not-So-Bad Fellow

I was woken the next morning by Tsume. He was in his wolf form, snarling at me. I didn't understand why he was growling at me, until I noticed that Toboe was gone. Tsume grasped my neck in his fangs and snarled at me to leave and find Toboe. He kicked me out the door, literally, and slammed it in my face. I began to walk around cautiously as I exited the abandoned building in search for Toboe.

X

I wonder where he would go… I thought as I reached the outskirts of town. He's probably out looking for Leara or looking for something to eat…?!

I found myself in an alleyway and spotted Toboe in his wolf form, digging for food in the garbage cans. He didn't seem to notice me for a few seconds, until he raised his head at the sound of Leara's voice. Leara sounded very frightened to see Toboe and she suddenly screamed for her father. I decided to keep my distance so Leara wouldn't be afraid of me either. I noticed that Toboe shifted into his human form and began to ferociously question Leara. I heard the sound of a growling dog and knew that the hunter Toboe and I ran into yesterday was quickly approaching. I watched Leara slap Toboe's hand away and fall backwards slowly. I also saw her quickly run away into another alley. Toboe had an upset posture as he turned his back to me. I heard the sound of a manhole cover rise and two boys came up from out of the sewers.

Those two-! They are the boys I saw on the roof the other night! I thought as they called me and Toboe over to them. I wonder if they are trying to help us…

Toboe and I ended up in the sewers with the young boys I saw the other night. Toboe shifted back into his human form and clasped his hand in mine once again. They smelled friendly to me, but I can't just rely on my sense of smell, now can I? Anyway, the young boys introduced themselves to us cautiously.

"You two all right?" said the boy with the collar around his neck. "You two seemed like you were in a bit of a pickle!"

"Yeah, thanks for saving us!" Toboe whispered softly. "My name's 'Toboe', by the way. What are your names?"

"My name is 'Hige' and this guy is 'Kiba'!" said the boy with the collar. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

"It's nice to meet you!" I said shyly. "My name is 'Crystal'! Anyway, where are you guys going?"

"To Paradise…" Kiba murmured under his breath.

"'To Paradise'?" Toboe restated. "Sounds like fun! Do you mind if Crystal and I join you?"

"Sure! The more, the merrier!" Hige replied happily. "Besides, we could use the company!"

That had better be a joke, Hige…! I thought angrily. It had better not have been directed towards me, either!

"Hey, do you two know a guy called 'Tsume'?" Toboe asked Hige and Kiba silently. "I haven't seen him since this morning. I don't think Crystal has seen him either. Have you?"

I shook my head in silence as Toboe's grasp on my hand became tighter and tighter. I suddenly smelled the faint scent of blood nearby, and I knew it was Tsume's. Hige could smell it too, as well as Kiba and Toboe. Toboe's grip on my hand suddenly became tighter as we headed back towards Tsume's old hideout. He had a scarred expression upon his face, but after licking his cheek in my wolf form, Toboe decided to continue to find Tsume.

X

We escaped from the sewers suddenly and met up with Tsume, who apparently saved me and Toboe from that hunter's dog. His wound wasn't as deep as everyone thought, so we decided to ask Tsume if he would like to join us… which didn't turn out so well…

"Tsume!" Toboe cried as we met up with Tsume at his hideout. "Are you all right…? You're bleeding!"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Toboe!" Tsume snapped. "How did you find me?!"

"We smelled your blood and followed it to you," Kiba interrupted. "The smell of your blood was strong even though your wound was minor."

"Will you join us?" Hige smiled. "We are going to escape from this town and—"

"We are going to find Paradise," Kiba interrupted again. "Anyway, why did all of you come to this pathetic town? Was it because you all smelled the scent of the 'Lunar Flower'? Well, I hate to burst your bubbles, but the Flower is no longer here… We will go to Paradise, with or without you…"

"Ummmmm… G-guys…" Hige said silently shaking. "I think… I think we're surrounded… I smell humans nearby… I even smell… gunpowder!"

"We're SURROUNDED!" Toboe shouted. "How could we be surrounded? No one was following our tracks!"

"Apparently, someone was…" Kiba said bluntly. "Anyway, we need to escape from here quickly and without being noticed…"

X

"I THOUGHT HE SAID THAT WE WERE GOING TO ESCAPE QUIETLY!" Toboe yelled as we dodged bullet after bullet. "I DON'T SEE HOW THIS PLAN WAS VERY QUIET, KIBA!"

"Actually, I thought that this plan was foolproof!" Hige yelled calmly.

"Shut the hell up, Hige! Just keep running, Toboe!" I yelled as Toboe continued to hold onto my hand. "Whatever you do, don't let go of my hand!"

"G-got it…" Toboe said as his grasp began to slip.

A bullet suddenly hit the side of my shoe and Toboe and I went rolling over the edge screaming. Tsume and Kiba rushed to our aid quickly in their wolf forms. Tsume quickly pulled up Toboe by snatching his arm in his jaws. Kiba needed Hige's help when pulling me up because I wouldn't let go of Toboe's hand. I felt a shocking pain in my left arm as Kiba bit down hard with his massive jaws. Hige pulled me up after Kiba let me go from his grip.

"Try to be more careful next time, ok?" Hige said calmly as he shifted back into his human form. "How about you two try to slow your pace just a little…"

Toboe nodded his head as Hige took off again. I took the lead in front of Toboe as I watched Tsume suddenly run off into a different direction.

"TSUME!" Toboe called out suddenly. "Where are you going?! Tsume?!"

"Just let him do whatever he wishes, Toboe…" I said calmly as I dodged one last bullet. "If he doesn't want to come with us, that's his choice…"

"But, he's gonna be killed if he doesn't come with us!" Toboe argued. "What if he doesn't come back?!"

"He can handle himself!" I said as I shifted into my wolf form and jumped from the ledge with the others. I landed on my paws and looked back up at Toboe. "Come on, Toboe! Just jump!"

"I don't even know if I can jump that far down…" Toboe said as snow fell into his hair. "I don't even know if I'll survive from a jump of that height!"

"Come on, Toboe! I know you can do it!" Hige encouraged as I shifted back into my human form. "It's easy! Just spread out your paws, gather your strength, and jump!"

"MOVE IT, RUNT!" Tsume yelled as he kicked Toboe in the butt. "Now, run and keep running!"

Toboe landed on his toes silently. We all looked back at Tsume who seemed frozen for a moment.

"Aren't you coming?" Toboe encouraged Tsume. "We could have a good time together searching for Paradise!"

He suddenly jumped down from the ledge and looked at all of us in surprise. We all shifted into our wolf forms quickly, and we all took off towards the road to Paradise, leaving a hidden trail of paw prints behind…