An obsession, a need
You're addicted, you are hooked
It's impossible to stop
And now just you look

You're hurting yourself
Your family, your friends
Your fear and your anger
Are bringing nearer your end

Katherine Michaud

The Pack

Kiba and the others had found nothing in that town. Nothing, except food and a few soldiers. They carried on their way, drifting away like a shadow.

Aki's tears were long forgotten, as if they never happened. She walked behind her father, but in front of Toboe, asking no questions. She was determined to not be a burden to her father, or the rest of the pack.

"I don't like the look of this place…" Toboe growled as they entered a hollow.

Aki secretly agreed with him, it was eerie, there was no doubting that.

"It's the flower," a new voice came.

The pack looked up, staring at another pack that filled the surrounding ruins of the hollow they had entered. They watched as this pack talked among one another

"It came."

"The seed of paradise…"

"Wow. So this really was the place…"

"All right, fellas…" another growled, addressing Kiba and the others, "this is our turf. Leave the flower here, and get out."

Kiba snarled, "she doesn't belong to you, so why should I?"

"This is our territory… and the flower fell upon us. It was meant to be here," the wolf growled.

The pack shot towards them, attacking to claim Cheza for themselves.

"Dad?" Aki questioned, trembling slightly.

"Get out of here," Tsume ordered, punching one wolf to the ground, protecting her.

"But…" Aki began to argue.

"GET OUT!" Tsume snarled, turning to her briefly, his eyes were blazing.

Aki felt the color drain from her face, out of fear or shock, she didn't know. What she did know… was that she couldn't leave… something… was keeping her here.

"Aki… come with this one," Cheza called as Kiba tried to lead her away from the chaos. The rest of the pack followed, fighting through the crazed pack.

A wolf leapt at Aki, she almost screamed from fear before it was knocked to the ground. Tsume stood in front of her… but he was not the one who knocked the wolf down, he had plenty to fight off on his own without troubling himself with her.

"Calm down," a new wolf ordered.

"Sorry boss… I just got so happy," the wolf beneath him said.

Aki looked past the wolf that had… saved her. Not motioning a thanks or anything. She stared… at a mother and her pups. The wolves fighting around her drowned out, they were in danger… not yet… but soon… she was sure of it. "You've got a pretty tough pack here," it was her father who spoke.

"They're… fighting each other…" Aki noted, looking around her.

"It's how they learn their limits," the leader of this pack said.

"Sounds stupid to me," Aki muttered.

A crack sounded from deep within the hollow.

"Dad!" Aki looked at Tsume in fear.

"Damnit…" Tsume grumbled, brushing the wolves off him.

"Retreat!" the leader howled, trying to gain control of his pack.

"Aki let's go!" Tsume ordered, fighting to clear the path.

Aki's gaze was locked on the female and her pups. Another crack, much closer this time, caused her to snap her head around… the leader… no the father…

"Aki now!" Tsume snarled, stopping briefly.

Aki began to follow her father, racing past the hunter and his dog. That was… until she realized that the pack… was attacking her… the mother… She stopped, her father still running had not noticed. She turned around, 'I have to help them…'

More cracks of the gun, the hunter was shooting the wolves on top of her. Aki froze, the hunter was saving her… but how long… until he realized the illusion… the human illusion that she was pulling. How long till he realized she was a wolf and turned his barrel towards her.

"Come with me!" Aki cried over the mayhem, rushing to the female, "come with me to safety."

The mother looked at her, almost as if she were god sent. "Thank you…" she said weakly.

"Wasn't she suppose to lead us to paradise!?" Tsume snarled, fighting against Kiba, trying to kill Cheza. "Is this paradise!?" Tsume looked around at the death… the blood… and the killing. "Are you here to destroy us!?!" he spat at Cheza.

"Where's Aki?" Toboe said more to himself, looking around. He feared that Tsume didn't realize she was missing… and he'd take it out on Cheza.

"That is a good question," Hige said, hearing Toboe, though he said it for Tsume to hear.

Kiba and Tsume looked towards Hige, "what's a good question?" the asked in unison.

"Where Aki is," Hige answered, lazily.

"What are you talking about she's…" Tsume stopped talking, his eyes widened. "SHIT!!" He snarled.

"Don't worry… we're almost there," Aki was panting, helping the mother along. A clearing… that's where she needed to be… a clearing… with soft grass.

"Here… is fine…" the mother said, gently. She put her younger pup on the ground before collapsing.

"Oh! Are you oka…" Aki stopped, noticing the stillness of the wolfs' body.

The two pups whimpered, trying to get their mother to rise.

"She's… she's not coming back…" Aki whimpered, gently nuzzling one of the pups, "I'm sorry… I tried to… to help her…"

The two pups looked up at her, what were they to do now. They had no home… no family left.

"You two… you… Kiba will welcome you… I'll… I couldn't help your mother but… I can at least… try…" Aki stumbled over her words, "please… come with me."

The pups looked at her with hope, "I… I'm Nago… he… is Okoto…" the older of the two whimpered.

"I'm Aki…" Aki said, looking down at the two. "I'll take you… to your new pack."

"She's not over here!" Hige called, searching around some of the dead bodies.

"Or here!" Toboe said, looking in the opposite direction as Hige.

'Damn… I take my eyes off her for one second…' Tsume thought, running to the entrance point.

Kiba was staying close to Cheza, scanning the grotesque scene around them.

Toboe threw back his head and howled a mourning call.

"SHE'S NOT DEAD YET!!" Tsume snapped, not excepting that possibility.

'No… but she there's a good chance that she is…' Hige thought, sighing.

Tsume growled, turning away from them and searching a different area. A scent caught him off guard… blood… and Aki… two different elements. The blood was not hers… then whose was it. He ran blindly forward entering a clearing. Part of him relieved to see her alive… and unharmed, another part wanting to strangle her for disappearing in such a dangerous situation.

"What the hell were you thinking!" Tsume snarled, approaching her.

Aki jumped, not sensing her fathers' presence. "Um… well… I…"

"Never… take off… like that… again…" Tsume said slowly, trying to calm himself.

"Dad, I had to," Aki argued, looking back towards Nago and Okoto.

Tsume looked at the two, "what?" He was confused what she meant.

"Their mother… she's lying there… she's dead so is their father… I had to do something…" Aki tried to reason.

Tsume sighed, "you didn't have to do anything… this isn't your pack!"

"I wasn't going to abandon them to be killed by their own kind!!" Aki argued.

"Woah… what's happening here?" Hige chuckled, walking into the clearing with Toboe.

"Aww… they're so little!" Toboe said, looming over the pups.

"They're traveling with us too then?" Kiba asked, joining them.

"I give up…" Tsume grumbled, pushing past them.

"Dad?" Aki said, quizzically. 'What did he mean by that…?'

rise tonight,
and reach up there to wring
perhaps some life from those emerging eyes
so almost moved in their frail glimmering?

Tomorrow some new star must yearn,
as when
one heart grows still, and one turns blind to men.

-T. Merril

I AM A THOUSAND TIMES SORRY ABOUT HOW LONG THIS TOOK TO WRlTE!! I PUNISH MYSELF TEN-FOLD! Okay… enough with the caps… I hit such a big road block with this one… so I also apologize if it seems rushed… I promise the next chapter won't take as long… I'm sorry again about the lateness!