A/N: Thanks for reviewing last chapter, Alex272 & Shades-Soul! :D

Pay attention to this chapter, it's important o-o

AND NOW FOR THE LONG AWAITED, SUPER-EPIC, TOTALLY AWESOME REVEAL... *not tooting her own horn AT ALL*


.:Chapter Seven:.

Amaya sighed with irritation. Too be honest, she didn't fully understand the situation herself, so it wasn't exactly going to be easy to explain to the others. It wasn't that she didn't have full explanations, or that she was stupid, it was just that none of it made logical sense. Paradise, the whole idea of wolves being able to trick humans with their disguises, none of it seemed possible. But then again, that was probably what kept them safe from the humans.

Not to mention the fact that she just really didn't like explaining things.

"Alright... I'm assuming that, as wolves, you all know the legend of Paradise, yes?" she began. Tsume grunted an annoyed yes, as if it was obvious, but the others just nodded. "Then do you know how the Flower Maiden was made?"

"She was made by Darcia the First... Right?" Toboe asked, eyes wide.

"Yes... but do you know how?"

"Alchemy and lunar flowers, I think?" this was Hige.

"Yes... but she was made of not only lunar flowers, but also moon elixr." Amaya noticed that even Kiba seemed surprised at this statement. Ah, so not even the White Wolf himself knows, eh? "The moon elixr... I don't actually know what exactly it is. I assume it's probably water from the moon or moondust dissolved into pure water or something, but that's really not important. What's important is what it does... Not only is it needed to open Paradise, but whoever drinks it... becomes immortal." She paused here to let it sink in.

"Wait... So all this time... We need the moon elixr to open Paradise too, not just Cheza," Hige seemed slightly in awe and slightly annoyed that they had been on a wild goose chase the entire time.

"That's what I just said, yes," Amaya growled. She hated repeating herself.

"So what does this have to do with those wolves?" Tsume asked, annoyance clear in his tone.

"That's what I'm getting to, asshole," Amaya hissed the last word lowly, and Tsume was the only one to actually hear and understand it. He bared his teeth back at her, but Amaya ignored it.

"The elixr is in the possession of the Alpha of the pack that used to live here. His fathers' father had close ties to Darcia the First and he was trusted to keep the elixr safe. And he did... His pack grew strong from the influence of the elixr- just being near it makes a wolf stronger."

That would explain how easy it was for her to fight all three of us in the alley... Tsume thought to himself, lips curling up in distaste.

"And obviously, there were those that wanted to get their hands on the elixr. They wanted immortality..." for a moment, Amaya's uncovered eye clouded over, and she muttered something about how foolish those who wished for immortality were. "Of course, this 'immortality' only goes so far. When the world ends, if it ever does, all is supposed to be reborn. But if not everything dies, that could never be achieved... At the end of the world, even those who were given the curse of immortality will die. But that is irrelevant... And even though they are immortal, that does not mean that those who drink the elixr are safe from injury. It just means that, prior to the End, no matter how injured they get, they will live through it." Amaya finished with her explanation, going over what she had said in her mind to check if she had forgotten anything.

Tsume narrowed his eyes and made a soft clicking sound with his tongue. Her whole explanation seemed suspicious to him, but there was only one particular point that he felt could be addressed at that current moment. "Wait a second. Why did you refer to your old pack as 'the pack that used to live here'? They're you're pack, aren't they? And where'd you get that scar over your eye?"

Amaya stiffened, narrowing her eyes back at Tsume. "I said I was only telling you what it was important for you to know," she snarled, "And as for my scar, why don't you tell us where you got yours?"

For a moment they both stood there, teeth bared and eyes glaring, until Toboe spoke up.

"Guys! Please don't fight..." he peeped, fear flashing in his eyes.

"Toboe is right, this is no time to be fighting amongst ourselves," Kiba said in a monotone.

"'Amongst ourselves'? So she's one of us now?" Tsume growled, and Hige suddenly perked up.

"Aren't you the one who was going to leave us?" Hige argued.

Tsume glared at Hige and the wolf immediately shrank back. "I mean... uh..."

Amaya kept quiet. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go with this pack or not. The pack that used to live here had abandoned her... No, they set her up so she wouldn't be there when they left. Amaya bristled with hate at the thought, but Toboe took it as a rejection to being included in small pack.

"Please go with us," Toboe pleaded, "You'll be happy with us, and we really don't mind..."

Tsume uttered a small "Speak for yourself..." under his breath at the last statement.

Ignoring him, Amaya paused to look at the pup, face stony and unreadable. Something about him, maybe it was his innocence, made her want to protect him, made her want to go with them. "Alright," she began, tone as unreadable as her face, "I'll go with you, for now at least."