Chapter 3: Betrayed

Aysu wandered out of the town. She shivered against the cold as she left the great, broken gates that crumbled into the snows. And soon her four feet were moving against ice and snow, silver under the blue moon. As she moved, she felt as if she were free. Even if it was for a fleeting moment of façade, she felt free.

Her howl rose above and shattered the cold. It rose high to meet the flickering stars and moon that had long ago been barred from this world. There was a wall and only a howl could escape the imprisonment.

Then she heard an answer, which surprised her greatly. It was the same howl she had heard before, and so she replied. Her howl was warm and inviting, if not a little lonely. His was full of confusion and loneliness, bordering on despair. SO she began to howl even loud until she felt a huge maw wrap itself around her black fur and send her spiraling to the ground, her legs flying.

A large, gray wolf stood over her. She noted the curious crossed scar on his chest. He noted the black fur and the silver that rode up the black wolf's front legs, all the way up to the highest bend on her legs. She looked at him with silver eyes. "Shut up." He said coldly.

"W-what?" She got up slowly, afraid to invoke his anger. She was not a fighter, but a runner and it was obvious.

"We are in a human city, you idiot. Do you want to be shot?" He snarled.

She cocked her head. "Sorry. I…just miss howling, that's all. I miss it."

"Whatever."

"H-hey, where are you going!"

"To find some food."

"Ch-uh, c-can I come with you? I'm hungry."

He turned his head toward her. "No. And I don't care. Why not find your singing buddy?"

She was quiet as she watched his retreating tail. Aysu suddenly felt very lonely. "Maybe we could find him together? I'm actually looking for my sister, Gin. She's silver. Have you seen her?"

The huge, gray beast seemed to think for a second. "Did she have blue eyes?" The black and silver wolf nodded vigorously. "Saw her in the city proper, by the dry fountain."

"The one with a wolf and horse on it?"

"Yeah."

She grinned toothily. "Then I'll see you later, Ex." She turned and bolted out of the alley he had shoved her into.

She passed a flock of crows as she ran. She dodged ragged people on the edge of survival. She knew what had happened. The birds had all said Paradise had been opened, but not really achieved and that was why the world had not yet died, though it withered on the brink. There was barely anyone left. Just a few human tribes of nomads and cities filled with the old or sick. Aysu always believed what the birds said. They tended to be right.

She wanted to go to Paradise, more than anything. It was only after the pack had been murdered that she was able to begin to travel with her sister towards that goal. But the dream had died, like many others, and when they had arrived at the city, they had decided that it was best to forget it. Paradise would never be found and it was pointless to dwell on anything but the present. No past. No future. Gone.

She sniffed hungrily around the fountain. Faintly, she smelt her sister, a few days old, heading towards the abandoned castle. So she ran there, fast as light, down narrow alleys and forgotten streets. Deeper and deeper she ran, to where the streets had been lost and the life had been killed. Bones could be seen here or there, many curled up in a fetal position or just lying and staring up. There had been much too much death and these humans had died with nothing to look forward to, with no hope. She paused and looked at one pile, that of a small child. She shivered.

"You shouldn't come down here."

She turned and saw a man with an X for a scar. She knew he was the gray just by seeing that, though she would never have pictured him to wear the strange, black leather outfit that clung like a second skin. "Hi…my sister's scent leads through here."

"Some humans, left over from the Nobles, have taken over the place. They call him the Last Noble, whomever he is that leads them. They say he and his crew are from across three oceans, come here to repeat everything and dig up whatever was left by the Nobles."

"Three oceans? Where did you hear all that?"

"Ravens' rumors."

"Oh…do you know a way in?"

He paused. "Yeah."

She thought a moment, just staring at his golden eyes. Then she had an idea. "You aren't scared, are you, Ex?"

"The name's Tsume. Follow me."

"Ok."

With Kiba Outside the City

He sat at the cliff, wondering why the other wolf had stopped singing. A while had passed since he had heard the kinder note floating and dancing up above the makeshift lights. He paced back and forth, shivering from a wolf's intuition, the one that tells a wolf when something is about to happen. This something was bad. Finally, he could stand it no longer and raced down the cliffs and slopes into the city to hunt for this howler and an event.

But as he wandered through the city streets, he could not help but go to the flower, the Cheza Flower. As soon as the thought came to mind, he raced down to the alley and rounded the corner to where it grew. He skidded to a stop. A suited man was holding it, plucked from the ground. He snarled and the man turned, smiled, and pulled out a revolver from seemingly nowhere. Kiba did not hesitate and lunged forward, teeth burying into the man's black trench and suit, blood spattering the ground with a sickening sound.

And then three bullets entered his body. Not from the man's gun but from another direction. "Hey, puppy. It ain't a man's world no more, babe." He looked up and saw a woman with ginger hair that flowed like red sunlight on her shoulders, only a little past the waist. She wore little a strapless bra, tight pants, boots, and a beautiful fox-furred coat. Her greens eyes glinted.

Kiba saw past all the glamour, the make-up, the clothes. Beneath it all, it made him sick. She was a fox. A beautiful, red fox with black legs and glittering eyes, and a fluffy tail that matched the coat she wore perfectly. With suddenness, he turned towards the man, gazing at him with more scrutiny this time. The man was a cat, black and sleek, green eyes matching the foxes, with a body much larger than a cat's should be. And beyond him, another man, clad in clean browns, rich and expensive. Beyond all that, Kiba saw a big puma, teeth broadly displayed in a grin.

"Yeah, puppy. We're all animals who've figured out the trick of the wolf." The fox grinned. "And our employer would pay a fine little penny for that flower, so…" She raised something and threw it into the alley. Thick, black smoke was emitted from a tiny ball, clogging all of Kiba's senses, causing his body to spasm into coughs. He raced out of the alley, skidding to a halt, claws scraping. He only had time to glimpse the fox, her tail flashing in the florescent lights, heading straight for the city proper.

Thnx reveiwers and favoriters! U rock! K. its called Betrayed b/c I think that having animals who work for humans (i.e. fox and kitties) is a betrayal in a sense…anyways, yeah. I'm also gonna go off of the stories ending (as in, my own version) etc. etc.

-RO

p.s. I don't own wolf's rain…(again)