Takiri's POV,

I stared at the sight in front of me. My mother. Dead. I immediately searched for signs of life. I only found one. A newborn hybrid. Akemi. My brother. My head jerked up as I heard more gunshots in the distance. I snarled. Those hunters were way too close. I grabbed Akemi, and ran outside into the night. A few hours later, I paused to catch my breath. I had run halfway through the forest, and right into a trap. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone with torch who was setting everything on fire! I took off running up the hill as the flames spread before coming into a clearing. I was surrounded! As I choked on the smoke and ash, I felt a sharp pain in my left shoulder as a gun went off. I had been hit. I stumbled as I tried to run. Bad idea. I couldn't see where I was going and my hand went into a gopher hole. I tripped as my hand was wrenched into the ground. SNAP! I yelped in pain as my wrist was jerked out of its socket. CRACK! I heard a burning tree branch break as it tumbled down towards me. I could feel the blaze as it surrounded me, and I could smell the burnt flesh on my back. But, I couldn't get up, and soon, everything went dark. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was my father as he leaped through the flames, and dashed to my aid.

"AAAAAH!" I shot up into a sitting position, panting, as I woke up from yet another nightmare. "Oh, thank goodness, it was just another bad dream!" I groaned, noticing that I was on the floor next to my bed. Great. I fell out of bed again. This is why I always sleep on the bottom bunk, or in a loft. I got back up, and climbed back into bed. I picked up a family picture, which was sitting on a shelf attached to my bed. A noticeably pregnant red-eyed, pink-and-blue-haired human female was hugging a male kitsune with jet black fur/hair, white at the tips fox-like ears, four matching and striking emerald eyes. The two were both smiling, and there were two other kitsunes on the male's back, smiling, and winking at the camera. The first one was female. She appeared to be their daughter, with striking green eyes exactly like that of the other hybrid, and long bubblegum-pink hair with sky blue at the tips. She had three fluffy, fox tails and soft, fox-like ears to match her hair. The second one appeared to be the first hybrid's son. He had black hair, with white at the tips, and streaks of pink, green and blue ran through it. He had two fox-like tails that matched his hair and fox-like ears. His left eye was green, his right eye was red. I really miss you Akham. I whimpered, and put the picture back on the shelf, knowing that things would never be the same. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep now, so I got up, and took a walk to a small part of the forest that only the hybrids knew about. This was my sanctuary. I decided to sing to the moon to calm myself down. My mother had always said that the a gateway to the spirit world was up there so that mothers and fathers who lost their lives could hear their kids and watch them grow up. I didn't know if this was true or not, but it made me feel better thinking that our parents could see us and hear us. I took a deep breath, and began to sing a melody that my parents taught me:

This is what I truly am inside,

This is the way that the animal fights,

This the time that I howl at the moon,

This is the reason why I run through the night,

(howls)

I don't want lose it all,

But I can't tell anyone else,

I'm afraid of losing it all,

So I just keep it all to myself,

(howls)

But I never back down,

And I refuse to give in,

'Cause I'll fight for it all,

Even when I can't win,

(howls)

I want to be free,

When will they see,

That things are never,

What they seem,

(howls)

When will they Understand,

I'm not the monster they think I am,

When will they finally see,

What I wish I could be,

(howls)

It won't matter how hard I try,

If I can't be free I'll never fly,

(howls)

It's not fair,

It's not right,

To be forced to go,

Without a light,

(howls)

When will they finally see,

The soul inside of me,

When will they finally know,

There is more to me than what I show,

(howls)

When will they see,

There is more to me,

Than meets the eye,

I've got to spread my wings and fly,

(howls)

I want to be free,

I want to fly,

I want to spread my wings,

And take to the skies,

(howls)

I want to be free,

Take off and fly,

Reach for the clouds,

And aim for the sky,

(howls)

Shun's POV,

I checked the clock. 1:30. I sighed, as I got up and started pacing around the room for the tenth time that night. Why can't I sleep? I already promised myself that I'd show the others that book in the morning. I sighed again. Maybe I should take a walk. That should take my mind off of things. I got dressed, snuck outside, and started walking. I had no clue where I was going, but I didn't care at this point. I soon ended up in the park near the forest that surrounded Takiri's house. Maybe they're awake. I could go check on her. Without another thought, I ran into the forest. After a while, I saw Raikura sitting on the roof of the cabin. "Hey," he greeted without turning his head. "hey," I replied. He motioned for me to come closer. I jumped onto the roof, and sat down. "I was wondering, does that book on hybrids, relate to you guys?" He nodded.
"Really?" Another nod. I was making progress. "So does that mean you guys are hybrids?" He sighed. "I'm guessing you guys put two and two together?" I nodded. "Well, I did, but-" "So, the others, do they know?" I shook my head. "Not yet." "Good. I don't want to end up found by the pet police, or worse, the hunters." What? "Hunters?" Raikura looked slightly amused at this. "You only read the first page, didn't you?" "Um, well," I began. He chuckled. "Well, basically, the hunters are the ones who capture the hybrids, and occasionally, they organize hybrid hunts." Hybrid hunts? "Can you keep this a secret for us? And not tell the others that you know?" he asked. I nodded. Guess I won't tell the others then. We talked for a while, and exchanged phone numbers (he didn't have a cell phone, so he gave me his home number), before the sun started rising. "Well, I'll see you guys later then, the others are probably wondering were I am," I told him. "Bye," he replied, "And thanks." I nodded again, and left.

Dan's POV,

I woke up to the smell of breakfast and jumped out of bed. I smell pancakes! As I was running, I saw the front door open, and Shun step inside. Huh. Wonder when he left. Oh well. PANCAKES! When Shun got to the kitchen, he seemed like he wanted to tell us something, but couldn't. "Hey Shun," Runo greeted, "What's going on?" Shun yawned, and replied "Not much. I took a walk earlier, but that's about it." "You're hiding something," Runo observed, "what is it?" "nothing," Shun replied. "You know, you can tell us anything, Shun, that what friends are for," Marucho stated. "This is different. I made a promise not to tell, so that someone we know won't end up on sale at the local pet shop, or worse," Shun explained, "Besides, this isn't something you need to get involved with right now. In this case, the less you know, the better. I'll tell you guys about later, but not now." After a few minutes, Paige broke the silence, "I have a better idea, we can see if we can find whoever it was that you got the secret from, and ask them to tell us. If they refuse, we let it go. If they tell us, then we act accordingly. OK?" "Alright," Shun answered, "Fine. But if he gets angry with us, then don't blame me." He then got out his phone, dialed a number, and called someone. "Hey, the others want to know what the secret is, and they're trying to figure it out. Yeah, that one... Alright then, do you want to tell them or should I explain it?" there was a pause "OK, yeah, alright, sure, we'll meet you there." He hung up, and said, "OK, let's go."


Sorry for the wait! I own the song, cause I made it up, I just don't know how to get it published (I can't read sheet music either), so if you use it, you have to make sure that you state that it belongs to me. Please R&R!