Four
(Kiba)
I was nervous as I sat with brother and Grandmother at the base of the den. Tsume sat directly behind me, keeping his ears trained for the slightest noise. He could hear better than I could, but my eyes were stronger, so I faced the darkest part of the forest.
Grandmother warned us that sister San was in danger and that Father was involved. As anxious as we were about fighting Father, we knew we had to protect San, no matter what.
"Tsume," I asked my brother. He turned slightly.
"Yes?" he replied.
"I'm very nervous."
"Don't be." He reassured me. "We're skilled fighters. We'll protect our sister at all costs."
I nodded and turned back around. I could hear howling in the distance. I didn't recognize it.
That's what really scared me.
(Shara)
I listened intently as the sun began to sink low over the horizon. I knew that Makoto was fierce in his hatred for San and of Moro's affection toward her. Makoto wouldn't rest until he was either defeated or he'd killed the little human cub.
When his comrades began to howl, I knew they weren't far. I growled low, my hackles rising in anticipation. Kiba and Tsume picked up on my hostile energy and followed suit. I heard Moro start snarling from within the cave. Makoto had made a grave mistake in threatening San. By incurring the wrath of his own mate, he was going to see the fury she never let him see, the kind she unleashed on human trespassers.
My sensitive ears picked up the sound of trampling not too far off.
"Moro!" I cried. "They're near!"
Kiba and Tsume leapt to their feet, tails raised and teeth bared. I did the same, my fur standing on end as I prepared.
(Moro)
I heard it as Mother warned me and I stood up, nudging San as far back into the den as physically possible. San appeared to have heard the howling outside and to my surprise, bared her single growing tooth and let out a miniature snarl.
"Stay here, San." I muttered. "You are not old enough to fight."
I prayed that she'd understood me as I approached the entrance to the den. Makoto would have to make it past me if he wanted to kill San.
"They approach, Moro!" I heard Mother say from above. I bared my fangs, determined to let no one through. As of now, my own mate was my greatest enemy.
I saw them approach from the left, two streaks of white dashing through the forest at breakneck speeds. Kiba and Tsume never saw it coming as a wolf twice their size bounded from the forest toward them, knocking Kiba off his feet and going for his throat. Instantly, I realized their strategy, as my first impulse was to run to my sons' sides to defend them. Fortunately, Mother realized this as well as she leapt down from the rock above to defend them. She was much larger than the current intruder and managed to subdue him without much trouble by sinking her jaws into his back and forcing him to the ground.
As she dealt with the first, a second arrived and charged up toward me. Kiba and Tsume were ready this time around and attacked him before he could get too close, using their small sizes to snap and bite at him from different angles while he whirled in every direction, struggling to catch even one of them.
I could see more coming, but they were considerably smaller. I knew Makoto and Toro would be in there someplace.
As I expected, the smaller wolves stayed behind to make sure none of us tried to escape with San to the pool of the Forest Spirit.
My ears pricked as heavy footfalls resounded through the forest. I recognized these as some relation to me, but I couldn't tell whose they were. When the largest wolf emerged, eyes set menacingly on the den, I knew it was Makoto, flanked by Toro. With my children and Mother occupied, the pathway was clear to them.
As they started the approach up, Mother appeared over the rise and leapt in front of them. Blood dripped from her muzzle and I could tell from the scent that she must have killed or gravely wounded the other wolf. She snarled at Makoto and Toro.
"Toro!" she snapped. " That is far enough!"
Toro stepped forward. "Stand aside, Mother. This has nothing to do with you."
"It has everything to do with me. You are threatening my daughter and your sister. You may be grown and on your own, now, but I am still your mother. Stand down, or face me."
Toro wasn't foolish. He knew how furious Mother could be. He snarled viciously at her, swung his head and backed off sideways. Makoto, however, stayed his ground. "Now," he said to Mother, "It's your turn to back down."
He started forward. Mother willingly stood aside, as she knew she had no right to deal punishment to Makoto. Instead, she blocked the way for her own son and my brother while Makoto approached me.
Makoto and I were nearly level. I glared down at him, my jaws quivering.
"Leave, Makoto." I hissed. "Or I shall kill you."
"Moro, I have a mission to complete and you won't stand in my way." He snarled. "Give me the human cub!"
"No." I insisted.
"Moro, I am your mate! You are to obey me!"
"You ceased that status when you chose to defy me." I snapped.
Makoto snarled and approached ever closer. I was a little concerned, seeing he was much bigger than I and I didn't stand much of a chance against him. But the heavens must have been approving of my choice to spare San because at that moment, I heard Kiba and Tsume approaching from above. They growled and bared their teeth at their father and I knew that despite their size, they were simply too precious for Makoto to fight for dominance right now. The fact that his sons had sided with me was enough to force him to back down for the time being, for he could never harm them.
He lowered his tail and slowly backed away. He whirled and took off down the trail, disappearing into the forest. We had won, for the time being and San was safe.
Little did I know that that would be the last time I would see Makoto alive.
(Shara)
I watched from afar as Makoto fled into the woods, beaten by the simple betrayal of Kiba and Tsume in order to protect their sister, San. I knew that Makoto wouldn't take this lightly. But I also knew that Makoto would never return to the pack because of what Moro had done. I truly believed this to be her first mistake.
I slowly made my way back to the den, feeling this fight all through my bones as I limped along. That young snapper I'd battled had almost snapped my leg and I could feel it festering. But I wouldn't bother Moro with it. She was busy enough tending to Kiba and Tsume's minor wounds when I arrived.
Kiba whimpered as she licked a gash torn through his side that was bleeding heavily. Tsume lay asleep against the wall, whining in his sleep from what appeared to be a torn ear.
Moro looked up at me as I approached and whined shrilly when she saw my injured leg.
"Be still, Moro." I murmured. I gazed down at our broken family. "It will heal in time."
I went to the far back of the cave and lay down, carefully tender with my injured leg. It burned intensely as infection settled in. I knew that if my chances didn't hold out, this injury would kill me. But how could I tell Moro that? How could I tell her that I was to soon leave her to care for her sons and human daughter alone? That our pack was slowly dying?
I heard a tiny whimper behind me and turned.
It was San. She'd miraculously stayed in the centermost back of the cave, away from the attacking intruders. She giggled when she spied me and crawled forward, reaching toward me with a single little paw. I was tempted to feel anger toward her for dividing the pack, but then I remembered Moro's thinking toward San, how she was only an infant and would grow to be a wolf rather than human. I knew Moro was right in her ways and that no matter what she looked like, San was one of us.
As I had seen Moro do, I gently grasped San in my jaws and carefully pulled her over to me, nestling her against my breast as she was accustomed with Moro. San tugged at my fur and squealed in delight at the floating tuffs she yanked out. Of course it didn't hurt me. I licked the top of her head, grooming her as I would my own cubs. It came as a shock when I saw San crouching with her little legs folded up rather than lying flat. She was now sitting like we did.
I glanced up as Tsume hobbled over and lay down with a sigh beside his little sister. San reached toward him and tugged the fur around his neck. I winced as she fondled a wound by mistake and Tsume snarled in pain. San pulled back and stared at him in fear. I began to worry that she would cry and alert Moro.
But to both mine and Tsume's surprise, San crawled forward and reached out again, this time, tenderly stroking the fur around her brother's ears.
Gradually, San began to yawn and slumped against her brother, nuzzling into his fur and slipping into sleep. She remained blissfully unaware of the battle we had suffered for her sake. And while I wanted to feel angry with her, somehow, looking at her tiny body sleeping, I just couldn't.
(Moro)
I knew that we had possibly made a grave mistake in fighting for San's life. I also knew that Makoto wouldn't give up. Though I refused to admit to even my mother and chose instead to confide in San, I felt the tearing as our pair bond was severed. Makoto and I had been together for more than three summers. I had always felt that we would always stay as a pack. But Makoto had defied my reasoning. My bond with San had tightened immensely and to give her up now would surely tear me asunder.
That night, we slept fitfully, taking it in turns to stand guard over the den should any of Makoto's renegade pack decide to try again. We could hear their howls far off in the distance and it made us edgy. We could feel the emptiness in our stomachs, but didn't dare risk leaving to hunt.
San, now almost entirely weaned, began to cry in hunger. I attempted to suckle her to pacify her for the time being, but found almost immediately that I had gone dry after all this time, and San came up with nothing. The strain of the tearing of the pair-bond had probably been too much for my body.
During my watch, I fell into a restless sleep, dreaming of San and of glowing yellow eyes chasing her through muggy darkness. I could only growl and shove my muzzle forward in my mind's attempt to get to her, only to see her swallowed up by the dark fog. When I heard padding of paws approaching in my sleep, I bolted up, snarling and moving in front of my daughter. But I relaxed when I recognized Tsume approaching, holding the body of a small rabbit in his teeth. He'd gone out during the night to hunt for his sister. I knew this only by the pitiful size of the rabbit.
He dropped down on his belly and proceeded to tear it into shreds for San to eat. I could see him salivating hungrily and knew he was resisting every instinct coursing through his body, urging him to gobble the kill down himself. I was actually surprised that he managed such an agile kill on his own. His determination and will were quite impressive.
He gathered the pieces in his jaws and brought them over to San who opened her eyes as she smelled the meat and made cooing sounds.
"Ka! Ka!" she exclaimed. This surprised both of us. She was trying to speak.
"Is she talking?" Tsume asked me quietly. By now, Mother was awake and watching us quietly with interest,
"Yes. She is trying to say your name." I told him proudly.
"Ka! Ka! Ka!" San squealed, grabbing a sliver of meat and popping it into her mouth. She waved her chubby little arms and giggled.
Tsume lay down next to me and I was soon joined by Kiba and Mother. Mother lay down with a heavy sigh as she took the weight off her injury and rested her head on my flank, watching San out of the corner of her eye. Kiba and Tsume lay in front of me, Kiba's head on Tsume's shoulder and Tsume's head drooping wearily as he watched San eat.
San smiled up at us, her little face and hands covered in the blood of the kill. She picked up a piece and held it out to Tsume and dropped it before him. She did the same to me, Mother and Kiba before resuming her own meal.
We all ate our pieces gratefully, continuously watching her. During that peaceful few moments with my family, I felt closer to them than ever before. As we all drifted to sleep with San in the middle, playing with her toes, I made a silent wish for the future. I wished that times like this would be many between, and battles like our earlier one would be few.
For a long time, dreaming would keep me going, if only for my cubs.