-1"TELL ME! WHERE I CAN FIND THEM!?" Kakashi roared at Caller who was pined under him.

He had gone back to check on Sakura, but when he had got there she was gone. Her apartment absolutely reeked of the Wyrm, not only had they kidnapped her but they had marked her apartment as thier territory to mock him! His hands tighten around the moon-dancers neck, despite the innate rage inherited by the their Auspice the gibbous moon was keeping his cool despite being choked to death whilst the new moon was dancing on the edge of frenzy.

'If the bate is obvious, don't take it' his own voice mocked him inside his head, it was so, so obvious now. They used the club to lure him away from Konoha so with no Garou there, they The Black Spiral Dancers could move in and strike out at him where he is most vulnerable.

"I.. Cant.. Talk… With.. You… Chocking…. Me." the Galliard chocked out.

"Let him go!" one of his pack mates snarled at the copy-nin.

"Tell me where!" Kakashi demanded one more time, feeling more then ready to open up a few throats to get what he needed.

"Easy now no-moon, do not let your rage overcome you." the small girl that was at the old seer's side stepped towards the copy-nin.

Kakashi fell to his knees whimpered as she patted him lightly on the leg, his rage stifled, but his body still shook violently like he was chilled to the bone, Caller rubbed his neck as he sat up. The Bone Gnawer was not angry at the shinobi, he understood why he acted like he did he could feel haw angry Kakashi was with himself.

Caller sighed, "You can't fight them, its suicide!"

"But I have to get her back, get her safe," he racked his hand through his hair, "I said I would not let anything happen to her."

The girl smoothed her dress down around her knees as she kneeled down in front of Kakashi, "You are still young as a Garou, you know how to change your shape and use your spiritual energy in performing Gifts, but the spirits tell me that you have yet to truly embrace that side of you, and step-sideways."

Kakashi's dark eye locked on to the girl, no older then ten and he could tell. Far, far more experience as a Garou then him, even though it had only been a month from his first change some basic knowledge of himself had awakened in his blood, but still there was something different about her, he could feel it.

"We have not been properly greeted each other Shingetsu no Kiba," she smiled, "I am Clear-Sky, a Thurge from the Children of Gaia tribe." she bowed her head to him.

"But your so.."

"Young? Where you not already a killer at my age?"

"Too true," he chuckled darkly, "a pleaser to meet you Clear-Sky, now please tell me how to find these Black Spirals." his voce had a demanding edge to it.

Clear-sky glanced about, looking over her pack for some sort of sign from them when Sight-of-Snow gave her a nod, "The black hornet you seek has made its hive inside a beast known as a Thunderwyrm that is sleeping deep in the Umbra."

"How will I find it?"

"With this," she lifted up his headband to revile that blood red eye, "The Sharingan had the same energy as Anthelios- the red star, it will least you to them," she then blushed slightly and looked away from him, "That and your love for her."

Kakashi was taken back by her comment; he cared for her deeply but love? Seeing as she was still somewhat young he gathered that she could not tell between the two.

"I don't love her."

"Regardless," Caller spoke up, his voce slightly ruff, "You wont be able to take even one of them down, they will tare you lim from lim, that is if the Thunderwyrm don't wake and rend your soul from here to Malfeas first."

"You're not going to come with me?" the copy-nin grinned through this mask.

"I'm not going to let you lead my pack into some hell pit, you Wyrm-eyed mongrel!" it was the Silver Fang, Talon that spoke up, his voce cutting through the air like a silver knife.

Kakashi gritted his teeth, he knew all to well of the bad blood between their tribes. He was Kakashi Hatake, Kakashi the Sharingan warrior, who was this basted calling a mongrel?! "That's fine," he growled out, "just tell me how to get to the Umbra and ill go by myself."

"The Spirit World is all around us! Children feel it under their beds; Shinobis partake of its warmth when they call on their Chakra, you dance through it in your dreams and it's just but a step away. All you have to do is stop moving forwards and backwards and just step sideways," she giggled and smiled at him as she made her way back to the seer's side, "it lies just on the other side of the looking glass." she waved back.

"You should already know this by now," the Silver Fang growled, "you have what you need now go! Before your stench makes me sick!"

Kakashi's mismatched eyes narrowed onto the argent Silver Fang, he tried to keep his cool but his rage being fuelled by his inbred Shadow Lord pride was starting to make it hard, he had to remind himself that he was not a member of this pack, that he was an outsider.

"We will be leaving Fire tomorrow, we will be back in two Luna cycles, my home is that we will still find you alive by the time we return." Caller chimed in.

At that point Kakashi knew he had overstayed him welcome, with a heavy sigh he rose to his feet and brushed the dirt off from his legs. He still had five days on leave left, five days to learn how to 'step-sideways' and fine Sakura, it was going to be hard but he knew that he could do it, he had to do it. With a nod goodbye he walked high on two human legs as he left a pack of Garou behind him, a pack he was allied with, but held no place in. as the now growing distends figure of the lone wolf disappeared into the trees a mournful howl cut its way through the twilight of dawn, one of the young ones was singing the loss of Shingetsu no Kiba.

--

Kakashi passed back and froth in his apartment, he found that he could easily move in and out of the village using his wolf shape, he did not want anyone knowing he was back in the village. He let out a frustrated growl as he racked his hand through his silver hair, so far he had no luck in reaching the spirit realm and time was ticking away, what was happening to her? Where they torturing her? Where they trying to get some Wyrm spirit to poses her? Was she even still alive?

He told himself he could not think like that, not now, not ever, he was loosing his cool and he needed a clear head now more then ever. He stopped passing and closed his eye and focused inwards, he felt his Chakra flow through his body like a second bloodstream, he then focused deeper and felt that newer source of energy that had awakened in him with his First Change, he then delved deeper till he felt his skin tingle, with that he took a step to the side and slowly opened his eyes.

Nothing.

He was still in the physical realm.

Damn it!

He was getting no where fast and it was starting to feel that the Gantlet between this realm and the spiritual was getting stronger, with a sigh and a roll of the shoulders he made his way to the bathroom. "All you have to do is stop moving forwards and backwards and just step sideways." Clear-Sky's voice echoed inside his head.

Kakashi shock his body trying to dispel the icy tingle from his skin despite him wearing his normal jounin outfit and it being a warm day, he pulled down his mask and splashed some water on his face, his lone eye feel on his reflection in the mirror, he leaned heavily on the skin as memories of that morning came flooding back as Kakashi found his face sliding into that same feral expression.

"It lays just the other side of the looking glass."

He focused on the reflection, not on his face but on his eyes and he could see it, for the first time he could really see it, the wolf in him staring back in them back and red eyes. He looked passed his eyes, not on the reflection of the wall behind him, that's went he felt it like he had broken the surfaces of a cold lake and was steadily going under, was going to drown but slowly his mind and body came to grips with what was happening.

He opened his eye, not relishing he had closed it. It took him a moment to take everything in. he had made it, he was finally in the Umbra, it was a shadow of the physical realm set in a blue wash, wisps of energy drifted about like fireflies. Kakashi ran his hands over his arms in a effete to shake this odd feeling from his skin that made him realise he was no longer wearing his jounin vest and headband, they had not passed over with him. But he had no time to linger on small details like this.

With a deep breath he set off at the fastest speed his legs could carry him. Large metallic spiders, Weaver spirits know as Patten spiders, crawled over cobweb covered buildings, jumping from roof to roof he got a good view of his home in this Umbra landscape, the Patten spiders ignored him as they busied themselves with spinning there webs, the pockets of Weaver energy was mixed in with that of Wyld from the vast training fields, looking over the wall that enclosed his home he could see vast amounts of Wyld energy created by the thick forest that surrounded the village.

He stopped when it got his eye, the hazy red glow high in the spiritual sky, a red star hung over head throwing its dreadful light down on anything in its gaze, this was not the first time he had seen it, it had been there in his dreams, all be it bigger and brighter but regardless it was here in Konoha's spiritual sky.

Anthelios - The Red Star, The Ant-Sun, The Eye of the Wyrm.

Kakashi brushed his fingers over his closed Sharingan eye, same energy as the star. He opened that eye and found it to be glowing slightly like it aural counterpart. Tearing his gaze away from the star he set his sights back onto the forest. Clear-sky had told him that his eye would lead him to the Thunderwyrm.

So he ran faster and faster into the umbra, deeper into its more darker parts till he stood there in front of it. The Thunderwyrm, it had a snakelike body though its head was longer and thinner then a normal snakes, its skin a vile looking green and covered in barbs to shred the flesh of any who would dare attack it, its cold stone eyes narrowed on the shinobi, black serrated tong flicked out as it hissed at him, spittle eating away at the ground.

"Give me back Sakura," he snarled, "or I'm coming in there!"

With that the beast latched forwards, mouth agape ready to devourer the Garou.

--

"The Thunderwyrm has eaten him." Clear-Sky said as she opened her amber eyes.

"Does he know who the leader of the hive is?" Caller-of-Rats asked, his eyes never leaving the small Garou.

"No, but I have a feeling he may live long enough to find out." she giggled like the small child she is.

Caller's face was series, "If he does you know what it would mean for us?"

"We must not ask for what we want, we are only servants to our mother Gaia, if it is her plan for us to die before the end then we should not question her wisdom." she smiled, a real smile that filled Caller with warmth.

He sighed, "So he stirs up the hornets nest and we get stung to death."

"Better us then the mother." she smiled.

--

The inside of the Thunderwyrm seemed oddly like the physical realm. Floor, walls and ceiling seem to be like that of a old stone building, Kakashi made his way over slick stone deeper into the belly of the beast, his heart pounded in his chest so verily that his body trembled slightly, a normal reaction to all the Wyrm energy around him, but he had to push past it, but the thing most worrying was that nothing had attacked him yet, he knew that they knew he was here, they would easily be able to pinpoint him to his exact spot with help from the spirits.

"They are luring me into an ambush, but what really can I do?" he gritted his teeth, "I could tray shadow clones, but they would claw through them in no time and it would end up as a waste of chakra," he licked his lips under his mask, the prospect of a fearsome battle seeming oddly appealing to him, "this is going to be fun."

He made his way even deeper into the dark dank Wyrm pit, knowing that they crazed inhabits of this place could strike out at him at any moment. He could smell them, the stunk like an infected wound and degraded blood… how fitting.

"So this is the runt!!" a thick voice slurred.

A large Crinos form werewolf stood in front of the copy-nin, its oily black fur was matted with large bald patches covered in blisters, dark stag-like antlers grew from its head that was wrapped in razor-wire and its top canine teeth seemed more like tusks then fangs. A grin settled on its lips as it regarded Kakashi with its sharp yellow eyes.

"So, you're the welcome party." Kakashi said coolly.

"Our alpha sends his regards, that he could not be here personally to greet you, so his brother sent me to do the job." the black Garou slurred.

"I'm only here for my kin."

"You are here for your death!" the werewolf snarled, "Ill send your worthless spirit to your ancestors where there you can spread the word that Black-Bile will come and destroy all of you pathetic Gaian fools!"

"Send me to my ancestors? I won't even have to use my war form to kill a mutt like you!" he then took a fighting stance like Gai would use.

Kakashi look stock of his surrounding, the corridor they faced off in was big enough for the large bulk of Crinos form to move about freely, but there was not enough room for something like the Primary Lotus, he knew that this place had some sort of physical element to it meaning he could use jutsu, but he did not have long to think as the Dancer charged forwards with an ear-splitting howl and clawed hands outstretched. Kakashi rushed in to meet him as he formed a chakra dissection blade around his hand; before dark claws found soft flesh he turned his dash into a slide.

Skidding under his opponent Kakashi struck the knee with his chakra covered hand, severing the tendons around the joint and sending the deformed Garou stumbling to the ground, rolling away in time to miss getting clawed in the head.

Kakashi knew getting his in whilst in his breed form, his human form would be very bad, silver would not effect him in his breed form but he did not have the supernatural healing either. Rolling away again he felt the Dancer's jaws snap shut on empty air, shifting his weight onto his hands he brought his right leg up and around till he felt the heel connected with the side of the werewolf's head, flipping back onto his feet he uppercut the beast snapping its head back.

Black Bile shook his head and swung his right arm trying to claw open the copy-nin's chest, but the swift shinobi just ducked under and summoned another chakra blade. Darting between the wall and the Dancer's right side Kakashi struck the right shoulder, disabling the arm.

The claw only brushed him, but it was enough for the Dancer's Gift to work as Kakashi was sent flying down the corridor, a hollow thud as he landed. His back arched as pain shot through him from the bad landing, staggering to his feet Kakashi could see the black-furred werewolf charging towards him, head lowered and on all fours, the arm already healed, Kakashi knew if he wanted to win this fight, he would have to make the Wyrm Garou bleed.

With a grin hidden under his mask he used a Substitution Jutsu as the Dancer's horns smashed into stone instead of flesh and bone, Kakashi leaped onto its back and began to perform a few hand signs but was stopped when he felt a sharp pain shot through his ankles and shins, jumping off the Dancer's back he saw that its fur had turned into long porcupine quills. He pulled out the spines that had embedded themselves into his legs; the shinobis body shook as his mind screamed at him to turn into something with fangs and claws.

Kakashi quieted his Rage, he was going to kill this Wyrm puppet without leaving his human form, pulling his spiritual energy to empower himself the copy-nin charged in, adrenaline flowing through his vanes he leaped ones more at the Black Spiral Dancer and grabbed a hold of the left antler, razor-wire biting his hands as the Dancer's claws found the flesh of his left leg but he did not cry out in pain or falter in his attack as he snapped the wire wrapped antler of its head. Said werewolf howled in pain as he grabbed a hold of Kakashi and tossed him away.

"You will pay for that basted!!" Black Bile snarled as the silver-haired Garou got to his feet.

"Ill tell you now, all the wounds I make wont stop bleeding." Kakashi said darkly as he unwrapped the wire.

And the blood did flow, Kakashi used the wire and the pointed antler to inflect wound after bloody wound on the dark werewolf to the point it was becoming increasingly hard to keep there footing on the blood covered floor, the Dancer panted heavily but was not faltering, its wounds where bleeding heavily and refused to heal despite its race's regeneration ability but it was because of that ability that it remanded unaffected by blood loss.

Kakashi was awash in the Dancer's blood making his clothes stick to him like a second skin and discolour his skin and trademark silver hair, his leg started to feel weak from the large gash that the dark Garou had made, a number of smaller cuts not covered his hands from handling the wire, he knew that he had to end this and end it now he was wasting time. Taking the antler in his right hand Kakashi let some of his energy flow into it and through force of will started to reshape it into something of more use, a spear, the copy-nin pulled his arm back in a position to throw it.

"Come on you mongrel." he growled.

A crazed howl echoed through the corridor, frenzy taking hold of the Dancer, all rational thought gone as it charged headlong at the silver-haired shinobi. Kakashi snapped his arm forwards letting the spear go, the Dancers bulk smashed into him as a dead weight rather then a living fury. The Dancer's body shuddered but remained in Crinos form. Kakashi kicked the body off him and gazed at his fallen opponent, the spear had hit the right eye and embedded itself in the brain, killing it intently. Kakashi knew that when a Garou died that they would slip back into there breed form, human or wolf depending on the indivigal, but this one remained unchanged, still in war form, meaning that it was a Metis, the forbidden offspring of two full-blooded Garou.

But again he found himself lingering to long, lucky even over the strong smell of blood he could still find Sakura's sent as he limped along, the wound on his leg was not getting any better and he could tell a rib or two had been broken in the fight, he wondered if he should change shape to allow his wounds to heal some, but he did not want to risk his Rage flooding him he needed to stay calm.

He pushed open a thick iron door and peered into the dimly lit room, the darkened shade of pink at the far end of the room made his heart skip, he had finally found her. Sakura was shackled to the back wall, the restrains looked rusted and about to fall apart but he knew they where far stronger then they looked, her wrists and ankles where bloodied from her attempts to get free, she still had the same black dress on though the ends of it was in tatters, just thinking of what they could of done too her to get it like that made his blood boil.

"Sakura." he wisped her name as he brushed his fingers over cheek.

"Kaka-sensei?" she opened her green eyes slightly, "it's a.."

"Trap," he interrupted her, "I know."

"So the legendary copy-nin Kakashi falls for the bate not ones but twice." a deep voice spoke from out the darkness.