Hi everyone! Thanks to my reviewers and to those people who added me to their alerts! For this chapter there are a couple of things you need to know.
Basic anatomy of a syringe
Needle: that long pointy thing you stick into the person.
Tube: the body of the syringe
And a vial has a rubber top so you can stick a syringe in without the liquid having a chance to spill.
Last fact: Ookami means wolf!
Chapter 3: Reptilian
Kakashi looked at his food and then back at the wolf that was giving him the puppy eyes shamelessly. He fingered a piece of meat, grasped it and flicked it up in the air. The canine jumped and caught it as it sailed downwards. She snapped up the morsel and gave a yap of thanks.
Kakashi allowed himself a small smile. It had been a couple of days since the rest of his team had left. He had regained proper use of his limbs, but they were still stiff and sore. The wolf had kept him company, even bringing him wood for the campfire occasionally.
She reminded him of his hounds. She was as intelligent as one of them and as human as, well, a human. The wolf padded to Kakashi's side and lay down beside him. She half-closed her eyes, feeling the warm sunshine massaging her fur. It brought sleepiness, but, before she could drift off into her dreams, the wolf's stomach rumbled.
Titbits weren't enough for her. With a sigh, the alpha stood up and trotted into the bush. Switching on her hunting senses, she crept silently through the grass. A bird flew above her. Mice pattered around in their secret tunnels. The wolf pricked her ears as she heard light paw steps.
She froze. A rabbit hopped into view. It munched at grass, completely oblivious to the predator. She crouched down and made her way forward. Barely three paces away, she stopped. The rabbit lifted its head and sniffed the air. Its ears quivered in alarm and a second before it could spring away the wolf grabbed it.
She killed it with a swift bite. Sitting on her haunches, she took a mouthful of the warm rabbit. Its strong flavours swept over her pallet. The canine devoured the rest of her prey. She buried the bones and walked on through the bush. She caught a glimpse of a puddle on her right and she veered from her path.
After a long drink, the wolf was ready to return to camp. She turned and loped back. The forest glowed in the soft afternoon light. It was like a giant sleeping lion. The wolf felt her fur prickle and she shivered. The forest wasn't sleeping. It was watching.
The birds were silent and the undergrowth was still. Pressing down her rising unease, the wolf increased her pace. She thought she smelled something cold, ancient. Focusing on the odour, she skidded to a stop just before the camp. On silent paws, she slowly continued.
She nosed her way through the bushes. On the other side was the clearing. Kakashi was sitting up, dead still, frozen. The wolf stared. He looked calm but his fear scent was in the air. Movement caught her eyes. The alpha turned her head slightly.
A snake slithered fluidly towards Kakashi. It had a bright yellow diamond pattern down its spine and its belly was dark brown. The wolf trembled. She didn't know its type, and she knew most snakes. Her animal instincts prickled. The snake smelt of death, the death it would bring and the death it had already brought.
The alpha crept after it. The snake rippled closer to Kakashi. He couldn't move fast enough to get away. His eyes flickered for a moment as he registered the wolf. The snake was closing in. With a cold sense of dread, the wolf knew it was after the jonin. It raised its head.
Kakashi stared into its eyes, two pin pricks of black flame. A wave of dizziness passed over him and he almost collapsed. It wasn't genjutsu, but it worked just as well. The wolf saw Kakashi waver and saw the snake rear. Before she could even start forward, it struck.
The snake's fangs sank into Kakashi's arm. He cried out and flung out his limb. The snake let go and was flung into the air. The wolf, seizing her chance, leapt and caught it by the tail. The evil creature hissed. It curled around on itself. Swinging in the alpha's jaws, it twisted and bit her on the nearest patch of fur- her chest.
The wolf, ignoring the stinging wound, shook the serpent from side to side until it went limp. She then threw it into the bush. Her chest was beginning to burn. She knew the venom was highly toxic. Her transformation jutsu released. The woman stood up very slowly.
The world was shifting beneath her feet. She took an unsteady step forward and fell over Kakashi. The woman crashed to the ground. She shifted until she was facing the jonin. He was unconscious. His jaw was clenched tightly and sweat was soaking through his mask.
His eyelid fluttered and a low groan escaped his moth. The serpent's venom worked fast. The woman grabbed Kakashi's bag. She emptied it out onto the ground. An orange book slid out along with an assortment of weapons. The woman tossed the book out of the pile and dug around in the heap of kunai and shuriken.
Her fingers closed around an object that wasn't made of metal and she pulled it out of the pile. It was a vial of green liquid. The label on the container was that of a general antidote. It would have to do. Holding the vial in one hand, the woman groped in the weapon pile again.
She felt plastic and pulled it out. In her hand was a syringe. The woman pulled the syringe's cap off with her teeth. She pushed its needle into the rubber top of the vial. A surge of nausea washed over her and she almost dropped the vial. She had to hurry, before the poison did its work.
She drew back on the syringe and the green antidote filled the syringe's tube. She raised the syringe, and, with almost no hesitation, plunged it into Kakashi's thigh. She injected half of the antidote and pulled the syringe out. Bracing herself, the woman pushed the syringe into her own thigh.
When she had emptied the remaining antidote into her bloodstream, she extracted the needle and dropped the syringe and empty vial onto the ground. A pain pierced the woman's abdomen and she gritted her teeth. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on her hands, forcing her chakra to her fingertips.
She laid her palms on Kakashi's afflicted arm and sent her chakra surging through him. It followed the venom's path, repairing any damage and strengthening him. He was good to go. Her body convulsed and she half-choked. She was running out of time. The woman then focused on herself.
She could feel the damage was worse than with the jonin. She focused on her chest, healing anything she could. A drop of perspiration ran down her cheek. Her "safe" chakra was coming to an end. To use any more would be very risky. The woman clenched her jaw and used the last of the chakra to burn off as much of the poison as she could.
As she opened her eyes, a world of dull, blurred colours confronted her. She almost toppled over. Catching herself just before she hit the ground, she straightened up again. There was no way the woman was going to stay conscious until the antidote took effect.
She brushed the dirt around her, clearing away Kakashi's junk. She shuddered. A knife of agony stabbed her chest. Her eyes rolled back and she hit the dirt. She remembered she had forgotten to transform back into the wolf. Too late now. At least her deadline would benefit. "All this for my nindo. I must be going crazy."
Warm breath tickled her face. In, out, in, out. Consciousness flooded through her. Every gasp of air hurt, but she had survived, again. The woman was vaguely aware of something warm against her neck. Slowly she opened her eyes. A fuzzy shape swam into focus.
A single grey eye stared into her blue ones, intensely close. She lurched up. Kakashi sprang away. "Sorry, just checking your vitals," he apologized. The woman nodded. Her throat rasped for liquid and her stomach yearned for nourishment. Her vision narrowed to her search for relief.
Seeing the canteen by her bed, she grabbed it. She took a huge swig of water before placing the canteen back on the ground. "Uh, can you talk?" Kakashi asked. She glanced over at him, "Yeah." Kakashi's shoulders relaxed. Evidently the idea of looking after an unknown mute woman wouldn't have appeal to him. "So who are you exactly?" he asked, scratching his head. The woman began rummaging in her bag, "I'm a ninja." Kakashi stared at her.
"Are you going to cooperate?" The woman stopped digging through the rucksack.
"That depends on the questions you ask." Kakashi cringed inwardly.
"What can I call you?" The woman popped a piece of jerky into her mouth and chewed vigorously.
"Ookami would be good I suppose." She swallowed the food. For a second, pain pierced the woman's skull. A gentle reminder of her deadline. She stared into the bush and wondered if he was there. She thought she could almost feel him, feel Itachi.
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