The first thing that Kit realized when he awoke was that he was not cold. This, at least for him, was something that he was not used to. His apartment had no heat, and he was relatively certain that he had neither worked nor visited the hospital that night. This meant one of two things. Either he had been kidnapped, or he was in fact not awake, but rather having a pleasant dream from which he was going to wake up from any minute. He closed his eyes and pulled the blanket tighter around himself, determined to enjoy the warmth while it lasted.

Wait a minute. Blanket?

His eyes popped open and he lifted his hand to rub away the blurriness that plagued his vision. He was seated in an exceptionally comfortable easy chair in front of a fireplace. The rapidly cooling embers of a fire that had once roared merrily made it clear that he had been in this odd place for some time now. Next to his chair was another one, occupied by the curled up figure of another youth. It was Toboe.

Kit allowed himself to smile. If this was a dream, it was one that he never wanted to wake up from.

ANTIDISESTABLISHMENTARIANISM

Far across the vast plains of ice four wolves and a flower maiden lay huddled within a small cave for warmth. Their journey had been treacherous at best, and the storm had finally forced them to seek shelter. Kiba was not happy about this, but kept his concerns to himself. The reason that he was so worried, and as such the reason he so greatly desired to get home was that he was worried about Toboe. The pup had recently seemed very different from the happy go lucky Toboe that the pack had always known. He seemed different ever since they had had him enroll in school. Kiba feared that perhaps the humans were getting to him, even mistreating him. The white wolf bared his fangs. If that were the case, no where on earth would be safe for the mortals. He would protect his pack with his life, and anyone who crossed them would be hunted down.

Toboe, though, seemed to honestly care about the humans. All their lives, the rest of the pack had either seen humans as inferior or just a species that could be more or less ignored. Humans never seemed to care about anything; they never seemed to notice what was going on around them. Because of this, the wolves had been able to remain hidden for years, living out a peaceful existence without threat or fear.

Kiba didn't mind humans. He didn't like them, but he didn't mind them. They were something that, as long as they did not disrupt the safety of his pack, posed no real threat or concern. They simply were, and it was something that he was fine with. Hige felt the same, Kiba was sure, and Tsume clearly did not care for humans at all. Toboe, however, clearly not only didn't mind them, but was actually beginning to appear to prefer their company over that of his own kind. It wouldn't upset Kiba so much, but with the threat of hunters constantly looming over their heads, it made him wonder whether it could be possible for Toboe to unknowingly expose them for what they truly were. Certainly, the runt would never do such a thing on purpose, but he was naive enough for it to be dangerous. Toboe refused to see the world for what it was; an evil, corrupt and dark world full of those who would do harm to their brother just to make their own lives even only slightly better. This was the world they lived in, and it was the world that the young wolf refused to see.

And it was this that so frightened Kiba.

They needed to get back home. Soon.

ANTIDISESTABLISHMENTARIANISM

It was the coldest winter the humans had ever seen. The combination of intensely strong wind and the icy cold weather blowing off of the oceans that covered most of the surface of the world created temperatures that stayed well into the sub-zero range. It was not uncommon for the papers of the major cities to carry stories about people freezing to death as they walked from their house to their car. No one who had the option to remain inside ventured out, and those who had no choice but to venture into the frozen tundra wore layer upon layer of their warmest clothes. Even with the protection, the cold caused instant numbness, followed by intense pain and eventually, death.

It was the coldest winter the humans had ever seen.

ANTIDISESTABLISHMENTARIANISM

Kit had finally decided that it wasn't a dream. The smells and sounds and sights were far too vivid, far too real for him to be dreaming. Once he was confident in that fact, he began to go over in his mind the events that had led to his waking up in such a pleasant place.

All he was able to remember was his eviction, a thought that still made his blood boil, and how he had wandered through the streets until finally calling Toboe. Everything after that was black.

He came for me. This very fact alone astonished Kit. As far as he knew, no one in the world cared whether he lived or died. In fact, the majority would probably have been grateful.

Why would he have done that?

The only answer that he could come up with was that Toboe was his friend. Such a simple explanation however, at least in Kit's eyes, was more than astonishing. In all his life, no one had ever cared enough to even ask how he was doing, much less venture out into the biting cold in order to rescue him from certain death.

He sneezed.

ANTIDISESTABLISHMENTARIANISM

Toboe found himself jerked from sleep. He sat up in his chair, groggily rubbing his eyes. Kit was moving restlessly somewhere deep within the blanket that Toboe had wrapped around him earlier that evening. Toboe smiled. Right now, sitting here next to the warm embers of the dying fire, he was at peace. Life as a wolf was by no means easy. It involved sacrifice, fear, and danger. It was rare that he could relax, just sit back and allow himself to feel at peace. Here though, he knew that he could trust Kit. He could rest, relax, and be at peace with himself.

The young wolf stood up from his chair, instantly missing its warmth, and went into the kitchen. Kit was certain to be hungry when he woke up, and Toboe decided that the best thing for someone to eat when they were ill was soup. Upon reaching the cupboard, however, he realized that there was no soup to be found. He let out a weary sigh.

Kit needed soup. Toboe was certain of this, but had none to give. He had no choice but to go and find soup, which, for all he knew, might end up being a wild goose chase anyways. Toboe smiled. Chasing geese was fun.

He left Kit a note before heading out the door back into the biting cold night.

ANTIDISESTABLISHMENTARIANISM

Kit slowly opened his eyes, squinting them against the seemly harsh light from the freshly stoked fire. The very first thing he realized, much to his dismay, was that the room was empty. He sighed. Of course, it was thoroughly silly of him to think that Toboe had time enough on his hands to just sit around waiting for him to wake up. He had a life too, and couldn't be expected to spend his valuable time waiting hand and foot on one of his friends.

He got to his feet slowly, feeling slightly dizzy. He was having difficulty seeing. His sight blurred, and the room began to spin.

Then everything went black.

ANTIDISESTABLISHMENTARIANISM

I know, I know. Evil cliffhangers are bad, and should be avoided, but I really couldn't resist. Honest, I couldn't. Anyways, I'm so proud of myself for getting this chapter written. About midway through I hit a small writer's block, but four days later the muse returned, and this was the result. I'm hoping that if everything goes according to semi-plan, things will really start to come to a head in the next chapter. This chapter is really the first part.

Moving on, review responses!

Sachairi- All right, so maybe I did say it would get ugly when they got back. Unfortunately, they didn't make it back in this chapter the way I had planned. Next chapter, or the chapter after that for sure. As I said, that's when things will really start to come to a head.

Note- I'm guessing that this story won't be anymore than twenty chapters. If I had to guess, I'd say even less than that, but I just can't tell.

Tenka-chan- I'm so glad that you consider this a good fanfiction. You're review made me very happy on what was otherwise a miserable day, so thanks. Here's your next update that you look forward to so.

Lone-Wolf 15- You're right, the dinner chapter was short and relatively pointless. I posted it and then wasn't really sure why. If you were to ask me, I'd say it sucked, but that's just my opinion. Believe me, the reactions will be… interesting.

FanFan- Your wish is my command.

Anyways, that's it for this chapter. Please, review!