My best friend gave me the best advice

He said each day's a gift and not a given right

Leave no stone unturned

leave your fears behind

and try to take the path lest traveled by

that first step you take could be your longest stride….

If today was your last day

Tomorrow was too late

Could you say goodbye to yesterday

Would you live each moment like your last

Leave old pictures in the past

Donate everything you had

Would you call those friends you never see

Reminisce of memories

Would you forgive your enemies?

If today was your last day

NickleBack: If today was your last Day

Chapter 8- Escape, Escape!

Orchem's soldiers watched in awe as the mecha machines of Lady Jagura's troops lazily passed by. They were the enemy and yet Orchem's soldiers had NOT been attacked.

"Why don't we just SHOOT them?" a frustrated foot soldier rasped, gripping his gun tighter.

"Stand down, you fool! Don't you know that bullets don't work on those guys?" his commanding officer hissed quietly as a solid gold tanker rumbled pass their hiding hole. The five of them were only lookout soldiers, but when they relayed the message of Jagura's troops intruding on sight where Orchem's troops were looking for the Target, the Commander had told them to stand down. Not twenty minutes later did Lady Jagura's troops retreat. It was bizarre!

"They waltz around like they OWN everything!" one spat.

"They do own everything." Another shoved his comrade.

"Shush!" the commanding officer hissed back at them, "They do not own these lands yet! Orchem has NOT fallen just yet!"

"Then why are they here?"

"They're…. searching. Those forms aren't battle positions." One soldier observed, "The tanks positions around the men are all wrong…"

"Then are they after the Target too?"

The others shrugged.

Up in the sky, an Air-ship hovered over Jagura's ground troops. It was the flagship of the entire mission-army, gleaming in the dull light of the sky with its gold plaited shell enforced with the strongest known element to mankind. The inside of the impressive machine looked more like luxurious mansion than a war ship. Instead of soldiers mulling about, servants and maids scurried around. Few soldiers were working the computers in the bridge, but most of the ships operations were done with artificial inelegance.

A young woman with platinum silver hair that fell down to her waste sat tall in her cushioned throne at the center of the bridge. She wore white silk robes fit for a Greek goddess and light armor for protection. A red cape cascaded behind her, showing her high rank among these people on her Lady's ship. Her orange eyes surveyed the men and women that bustled about before her in boredom as she rest the side of her chin on her fist propped up by her elbow on the armrest of her throne. Irritation nipping at her, the young woman was just short of shouting out to the noisy servants to stop dusting and re-dusting or mopping and RE-mopping EVERYTHING!

This was a warship… not a cruise ship.

Then again, Lady Jagura insisted on the both to be combined.

"Captain!" the woman was jarred out of her loathing for her Lady's high-class standards when materializing before her was the tall, wide-chested android with his back stiff and straight, chin held high and voice… booming. Couldn't the technicians come up with anything better for a Ship's personality to materialize as? This android was a big OAF that was supposed to represent the ship called Elorrah!

She groaned, massaging her temple with two fingers, "I recall informing you that it's wiser to speak SOFTER from now on, didn't I?"

"Yes Ma'me!" the Elorrah was still booming, "I bring news!"

She glared at him, wishing that Lady Jagura had not forbade her from killing any of their soldiers anymore with out viable reasons, and the ships android speakers were no different. Oh she had viable reasons…. Just no one else could see her point!

"Speak then, and make it quick." She rolled her eyes, wiping her palm down her face and counting backwards from ten in an attempt to hold back her violent nature that savagely clawed at her with so many dimwitted humans around.

"Ms. Lauralai has been confiscated! Coordinates set back for Home!"

"Laura?" the woman snapped up, suddenly interested, "What do you mean confiscated? Where is she now?" she looked left to right eagerly, putting her palms on the armrests to push herself off the throne.

"Location of Ms. Lauralai confirmed." The android's eyes flashed as he connected to the ships database, "Location: stock barracks."

"STOCK BARRACKS!" she roared in her anger. The only one who didn't flinch was the android Elorrah. He was too mechanical to care about his captain's outbursts. No fear of losing his life.

"Yes, Ma'me!" he confirmed.

"Are you out of your MIND!" she stood sharply, grabbing a fist full of the front of his uniform and hauling him nose-to-nose with her. Her teeth bared, canine's sharpened as her orange eyes bore into his mechanically dull ones, "Why is she in the barracks! She is not to be treated so callously! Who did this to her!" she demanded.

"It is protocol, Ma'me." Elorrah stated, "In-human confiscations go to stock barrack."

"She is NOT an animal!"

"Error." Elorrah droned, "Ms. Lauralai is in fact not human. Protocol accepted."

She shoved him away, "Forget it!" she turned tail sharply and proceeded to stomp her way to the stock barracks. Her red cape lashed about in her wake.

"Ma'me!" the captain was forced to stop short when Elorrah suddenly materialized in front of her.

"Stop doing that!" she growled, taken by surprise at his sudden appearance.

"Request noted- Access to stock barracks for Captain Diya is prohibited." Elorrah moved in her path when she tried to side step him to go on anyways.

"And just who prohibits it, you useless can opener?" she growled, feeling the beast with in her raise its hackles at the thought of being barred from the child she adopted as her own.

"Input of order: Lady Jagura." Her replied.

Diya froze, "Jagura did this?" She knew Jagura always issued mild punishments on Laura when the albino pup successfully escaped, but to not allow Diya near the pup wasn't like the Noble born woman. Though Diya hated her, she had been gracious to her mutually Blood Bonded master in return that the she-devil spared Lauralai's life and did nothing to harm the pup, giving Diya full control over her. The only set back was that Laura wasn't supposed to escape. She was to be every bit a prisoner to Jagura as Diya was.

Jagura was up to something….

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The cool rain stung at their eyes as wolf and woman slowly made their journey into the forest. Cher, having lost both her shoes now, tried her best to ignore the goo of the mud sloshing between her toes. The wind had seen to it that her hair was torn from its usual bun and the wind took all warmth her clothing should have provided. She bent low, one hand resting lightly on the back of the small red canine companion that limped along, enduring the storm just as painstakingly as Cher was.

Akira gritted her teeth and whimpered as her freshly healed wounds started to reopen since she hadn't given them time to heal completely by resting. They itched and stung as the rainwater did little to keep the splashing mud out of her injuries, causing her to hiss sharply. She had never had to endure this kind of pain before, but she stubbornly pushed herself to ignore it and carry on, wanting to see Cheza again and the pack. Her only promising thought was that she would probably be able to rest once she reached them.

She was losing the trail of her fellow wolves. The rain and wind clogged her nose that had a hard enough time, as it was to track down anything with out stormy weather to fight against. Her only sense of direction now was the pull she felt that usually led her to Cheza, but even that lead had her skeptical about the direction she was going. Cher seemed determined to follow her till the very end as she gently held a hand on the wolf's back, letting Akira lead her in the storm. Akira whimpered in worry, 'What will the others do to her if she follows me all the way back to them?' she thought, peering up at her human friend.

Every small noise or twitch of Akira's body set Cher's nerves on over drive. She was so worried about her canine companion, having never seen an animal gather enough strength to even move in this damaged condition Akira was in. Ancient archives foretold that wolves were able to heal at a much faster rate than humans, but Akira's seemed sluggish compared to what Cher had thought the archives had entailed. The doctor in her also knew that wounds were still wounds, fast healing or no, and if Akira didn't stop and rest to let whatever healing powers she had take hold, then they wouldn't close completely and she could risk infection. She wondered just how much her newly discovered wolf-blood friend had always known all of this with would happen even when she watched over Cheza back at Freeze City or if this was just as bizarre to her as it was to Cher.

She had to hold herself back from stopping Akira and examining her scientifically, cursing herself for not doing so back in Freeze City. All this time she and the others had thought wolves to be extinct when in fact they had their own little family of wolves in the canine division. So many loose ends of the legend of wolves could have been tied, but human ignorance once again stumped her. She only hopped Akira would let her tag along when they reached Cheza. Cher missed the flower very much, having been her caretaker for so long.

A pair of yellow eyes flashed behind Cher's eyes at the memory of the other wolves that were also out there. Cher's breath caught and she felt goose bumps speckle about her body in sudden anxiety, 'What of the others?' she knew Akira would never harm her intentionally, but the other wolves might be protective of the flower and attack her for intruding on their sacred quest.

'Can all this be true? Are the wolves really searching for Paradise with Cheza?' Cher felt like she had just stepped into a fairytale!

Cher gasped in surprise when Akira slipped in the mud with a yelp and a whine, landing flat on her belly beside Cher, "Akira! Are you alright?" she knelt down quickly checking over Akira's wounds, grimacing at the expense of them. It was even worse than she thought… Glaring up at the opened sky, Cher bent down to scoop up the small canine in her arms. Akira groaned in protest and tried to wriggle away, but Cher stopped her.

"Look I know you're in pain, but we can't keep walking like this or one of your legs are going to fall off!" Cher snapped, heaving the dog up in her arms like a toddler and slowly carrying her under a tree to the side of the muddy path. She gently set the wolf down on her side in the soft mossy patch between the roots of the large tree. Ancient vines tangled their way up the massive trunk while thick branches refused to let the rain though, providing shelter to Cher and Akira below. Full blooming white flowers ran along the vines up the tree, giving off a scent that would have pleased Cher if she weren't so preoccupied with Akira's wounds at the moment.

She ran her soft hands through the soiled fur, taking note of each dip and jagged tare of a wound as she did. Checking Akira's legs she sighed when she found no broken bones, only a few deep wounds with many minor ones and a bullet wound, but there was an identical wound on the opposite side, indicating that the bullet had gone through. She wondered if it had some sort of poison in it, since Akira's wounds weren't fairing as well as she would have thought.

She caught a worrisome whimper coming from Akira as the red wolf tried to sit up, her orange eyes looking up at her with a question that Cher understood. She tried to comfort Akira, soothing the fur on her head with a gentle hand massaging between her ears, "It's not as bad as it looks, girl," she lied.

Akira suddenly tensed, her orange eyes flashing up just moments before Cher was startled by someone landing directly behind her, "WHAT THE-," another boy landed to her left, cutting her off while Cher shot to her feet, putting her back to Akira and the tree, "Who are-," yet another boy landed to her right, effectively caging her in between the threesome and the tree, "What do you want!" she demanded, looking over the three intruders. They all seemed very young. The oldest being the one that held an air of arrogance to him. He wore leather and had his silver hair tied back into a rat-tail at his nape. His golden eyes bore into hers, keeping them captive and she could hardly bring herself to look away. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed his two companions seemed a lot less intimidating than the silver-hair. Neither of them scowled at her, but they were standing in a way that meant she wasn't getting past them.

"We'll be taking the bitch back with us now, woman." The silver-hair said. His voice sharp and dark, leaving no room for questions or compromise. He looked down at Cher as if he were looking down on an insect that was hardly worth his time, "You can run along back to wherever you came from and leave this to us now."

"No!" Cher stomped her foot in the mud, holding up her arms to shield Akira behind her, "You will not harm her!" she defiantly rebuked.

They seemed to ignore her posturing threats. The silver-hair's eye lids hooded with a look akin to annoyance as he looked over his shoulder to a dark haired young woman Cher only just now realized was there, "The human refuses to leave."

"What's she doing here with her anyways?" the woman inquired as she sauntered up behind the silver-hair to peer around his wide frame at Cher. Her red eyes only briefly looked over Cher before they darted down the wounded animal behind her. Suspicion morphed into anxious worry. With movements Cher couldn't follow, the red-eyed woman was behind Cher, crouching over the wolf.

"HEY!" Cher turned to shoo the woman off Akira, but the stockier boy with a fluff of brown hair on his head restrained her by snatching her wrists behind her back. Cher tugged and yanked to avail, "Unhand me!" she snapped at the boy behind her who just chuckled.

"Feisty isn't she?" he chuckled.

"Cut it out Hige," the younger one across from her glared at the boy behind her, "She might have hurt Akira and all you can think of is how pretty she is," he rolled his honey golden eyes, crossing his youthful-thin arms about his chest.

The black-haired woman slowly backed off Akira, who had yet to move. The red female seemed just as startled by their sudden appearance as Cher was. A pair of red eyes that stared at her suddenly confronted Cher, the woman purposefully put herself in Cher's personal space, but Cher held her own, glaring her blue eyes right back. Red eye's narrowed dangerously with more fire than Cher's own eyes could ever muster. There was a certain intimidating feel to the woman that in a way was more lethal than the snappish silver-hair.

"Is it true?" the red-eyed woman accused, "Did you wound her?"

"Wound her?" Cher was taken aback, "No, never! I found her in the gutters…" Cher replied.

Cher's heart raced with fear as the foursome didn't seem to buy it. Simultaneously they each turned to the boy restraining her. She felt his large hands tighten on her wrists from behind her as he snorted a puff of air though his nostrils as if he smelt something foul.

"She's lying!" he hissed, "The stench of fear is burning my nose!"

Now she'd done it! Cher's eyes wildly darted around to each of them, noting that while they had all been relaxed before, now they were crowding her. The female held up her hand, as if to make the boys back off.

"Heart..?" the youngster voiced what the others thought. The varying shades of golden brown in their eyes flashing with similar emotions of confusion and slight irritation.

"I'll ask this ONE," Heart slowly pulled out her pistol and held it up to Cher's head, cocking it at the ready as she spoke, "More. Time…." She paused for effect, leveling her red gaze with Cher's frightened blue one, "What did you do to her?"

"No! wait!" Cher struggled back, "I swear I didn't-,"

A sharp bark drew their attention away from Cher, giving her time to heave a sigh of relief. The boy was shoved off her, in his place, Akira curved her small body around the back of Cher's legs. Her orange eyes darting to each of them as she softly yipped and growled in a language they seemed to understand.

"Akira! What gives!" the boy that was shoved away hissed from somewhere behind Cher. The scientist barely looked over her shoulder, too afraid to leave sight of the gun being held to her forehead, to see him sprawled on his back, rubbing his head as if it had been hit on something, "Why'd you kick me like that!"

Akira snapped a sharp woof at them.

"What do you mean 'Leave her alone'?" the dark woman with the gun snorted, "You know she's after Cheza, don't you? Even you can smell the scent of the soldiers on her! She's in league with them!" as if that reminded her why she had out the gun, Cher swallowed a yelp when the cold metal of the gun was pressed to her heated forehead. Nervous sweat began to inch down her brow.

'Cheza?' Cher's sharp mind quickly connected the dots, 'Wait…' looking them over again, each of them did seem familiar in a way, 'It's them! They were the ones running with Cheza back at the Darcia Family Ruins!'

'-She won't hurt any of you or Cheza!' Akira barked out, being sure that Cher wouldn't understand her. Her orange eyes narrowed on Heart, '-Put that away!' she demanded.

"Are you serious!" Hige gnashed his teeth together, "What are you: a human or a wolf! Why are you taking the human's side!" he demanded, "Don't you dare think of putting that thing down Heart! This Lady's got it coming," he huffed and Heart nodded in agreement.

'-Just leave her alone!' Akira insisted once again as she weaved her way around to the front of Cher, favoring her right shoulder where the bullet hand gone through, '-Let her leave in peace!'

"If we do that, then she's sure to report back to her little friends back with the human military! What then, Akira?" Tsume demanded.

'-I won't let you hurt her!' Akira bit back in a show of defiance none of them had seen before. Usually she wilted back and quickly became submissive when Tsume got too threatening but now show raised her hackles and bore her teeth at him, showing that she was serious this time!

Heart's hand holding the gun lowered slightly, but it was still a danger to Cher as it was now pointed to her heart, "Akira…." Heart searched the younger wolf's eyes for answers Cher couldn't understand, but the moment was cut short.

"Let her go." Cher and the others looked up to the new voice that sounded from the branches above in the tree, "She's no threat to us Heart. Sheath your weapon." Cher almost wanted to cry in relief when the ancient relic of a gun was instantly drawn away from her and returned to its sheath at the woman's belt.

Her heart fluttered once more in relief she saw Cheza. Her small porcelain hand cradled in the young man's much larger one, Cher assumed he was the one who spoke. Like the others he was also very familiar. His blue eyes bore down on them stoically, he held an air of authority even though his wild short mane of chocolate brown hair gave him the look of someone much younger. Cher was amazed at how relaxed and alive Cheza seemed. Her wide red eyes were cast down to them in a curious way with a crease of worry on her brow, but Cher knew she couldn't see them… could she some how SENSE them?

"But Kiba-," the stocky shaggy haired one protested.

The one called Kiba sent him a meaningful look that silenced him, "She's unarmed. There's no need to bother with her. Let's go."

Cher felt a sharp burst of a cool shock run up her spine and in that instant, in place of kids around her stood impressive, large canine creatures… WOLVES!

'I knew it!' Cher thought as her scientific mind quickly took note of her new discovery, 'they were wolves! And they can shift easily from human to animal form!' she stayed still wisely, not wanting to provoke the predatory animals when they were being called off from her. If she provoked them now, she didn't know how in-tune to their baser instincts they were, they might attack her.

The dark haired young woman had become a raven-black furred wolf with a cute upside down heart on her forehead that belied the danger of the beast. The young one was a rustic red, the stocky a dirty brown, and the silver was a healthy deep grey. They shared a questioning look between them before glancing briefly back to Cher before they finally heeded their leaders command and backed off. One by one disappearing into the foliage around the tree. Cher looked up to Cheza, her eyes in shock when she saw a white wolf with yellow-golden eyes at the flowers' side. Cheza sat astride his back as he bounded down to the forest floor and waited for the others to pass. He bent down, letting Cheza slide of his back. The female black wolf quickly took the white one's place at Cheza's side, letting Cheza grasp the fur on her back so the black one could lead her after the others. Cher's heart started to drop as she realized her beloved flower was leaving again!

"No, wait CHEZA!" Cher reached out her hand for the flower and started to follow, but the white wolf blocked her path. His golden gaze caught hers in a stern warning. He didn't need to growl to get his point across that Cher was not permitted to follow the flower or his pack any further. Cher gulped down her fear and took a step back, still not confidant in herself around these mythical creatures. She did her best to stay perfectly still and not look him in the eye, hoping that would keep his anger at bay.

Cher felt Akira fall behind her with a groan of pain, "Oh gods!" Cher almost forgot, "AKIRA!" she quickly turned to the wounded she-wolf, noting that her orange eyes were going hazy, "They really were poisoned?" she referred to the bullet that must have been used to shoot down the wolf.

The white wolf was suddenly nearly nose-to-nose with Cher as he looked over Akira from across Cher. Akira whined up at them as her shoulder twitched. The bullet holes on both sides of the wound were an angry purple and puffed up around the wound.

"What have you done to her?" Cher's head snapped up in surprise to the voice. There were no other humans around, but the voice seemed to have come from the white wolf glaring at her menacingly.

"Wh-Wha?" she dumbly replied.

"Akira! Why is Akira poisoned!" he demanded with a snap of his jaws that had Cher falling back off her heels.

"I didn't do this to her!" Cher fought back the urge yell at the wolf, knowing that yelling at a dominative beast wasn't the best way to stay alive, "She was already shot when I found her! The poison probably only just now took full effect! She was too stubborn to let me know about it earlier," she tried her best to explain, but soon as she seemed to convince him that she wasn't the one to hurt his fellow wolf, he ignored her.

"What sort of poison is this?" he demanded softly as his golden gaze locked on to Akira's tightly closed eyes. She was panting heavily.

"I don't know what's poisonous to wolves. No one has ever had the chance to study you. It could be anything!" Cher was near hysterics now.

"Silver, what about silver?" he demanded, "Do your men use silver in their bullets?"

Cher thought for a moment, "No, not Lord Orchems men. Silver is Lady Jagura's troops insignia."

"Jagura?" the wolf tilt his head.

"A rival Noble of Lord Orchem. She reins over the Northern Lands."

'Great, there's more than ONE noble family then…' Kiba took a mental note. His white ears perked at some nose he heard in the distance. The rain was stopping now and his senses were able to expand to wider lengths than during the storm.

"Your men are on their way." Kiba shifted to human form, startling Cher again with the suddenness of the change. With out a word, he bent down, scooping up the poisoned she-wolf.

"Where are you taking her!" Cher demanded standing up as well and blocking him from leaving, "She needs medical attention! If you take her now she'll die!"

"If I leave her here with you, they will kill her." He nodded back in the direction he sensed Orchem's troops with a sharp yank of his chin.

There was nothing left for Cher to say. She could only watch in awe as he started to carry off her red-furred friend. She stepped aside, letting him pass. He nodded back to her gratefully, then turned as if to leave.

'-No…Kibahh," Akira weakly protested, reaching paw back towards Cher, '-We can't … leav her…"

"She'll only slow us down," he replied shortly as he reached the tree line, "Besides she's calling the soldiers as we speak."

'-No she's not. She wouldn't do that to us." She defended. Kiba was amazed she had enough energy in her to stand up for the human.

"Maybe not intentionally, but the soldiers ARE coming. They've probably bugged her and I won't let you get captured because you want to stay with your silly human friends! You're poisoned as it is and she didn't know the cause even though she's a doctor!" he snapped, "No, I'm taking you to Cheza. She can heal you because she'll know instantly what's wrong with you. If I let the humans try to heal you, you'll be dead before they can guess how to try to heal you." He bared his teeth, "So sit tight, shut up, and LET ME GET YOU TO SAFETY!"

'-And I said NO!" with a burst of strength neither Cher or Kiba could understand Akira flung herself out of Kiba's surprised arms, flailing in her landing as she struggled to stand up on her own in wolf form. She whirled around on Kiba, snarling her defiance in an open challenge that set him of before he realized what she was doing.

"TOO BAD!" he barked back still in human form, clenching his fist, "Don't you realize you're HALF-DEAD as it is!"

'-I WON'T LEAVE HER!" Akira snapped back in defiance. Both were eye to eye by now, glaring at one another while pressing a human forehead with a very fury wolf one while orange surged streaks of lightening into blue.

Cher knew the soldiers would be here and they had orders to shoot wolves. She didn't think they'd spare Akira no matter what she told them, "Akira," her voice took the wolf's attention off the fuming boy and bent look up at her from behind him with big puppy like eyes full of trust and devotion, "It's fine, go." She nodded, waving a hand at her as if to insist.

Akira looked back to the boy, then at Cher; whining her confusion. She smartly hobbled her way pass the snarling boy and limped up to Cher, rubbing her furry cheek on Cher's leg as if to say she didn't want to.

"Really, go" Cher nudged her away gently. When Akira still didn't move, Cher stepped back a few paces, noticing the boy had morphed back into the impressive beast with yellow golden eyes. When the white wolf seemed to think she was far enough away that he could approach the red female wolf again, he growled lowly in his throat in his displeasure. And approach her he did. Kiba lowered his head and pinned back his ears as he walked to her, only to lift them once more when he was with in range and securely fastened his jaws around the truff of her neck where a mother wolf usually picks up her pups. Akira yelped as the larger wolf dragged her toward the general area the others left.

'-Let me go, KIBA!" she demanded heatedly, feebly kicking at him.

'-Since you seem to have a hard time walking, and you won't let me carry you I might as well drag you." Kiba muffled sarcastically as he leaped up on to the large roots of the ancient tree still with her in a submissive hold and practically hanging from his jaws like a kill, but he was only slightly gentler than that. Enough that he was sure not to choke her on accident.

Akira wailed in protest, but finally gave in, "Alright, alright already! I get it, it's time to leave. So let go so we can catch up!" she shoved him off her, growling something incoherent about his cocky, purely male wolfish smirk before shifted human again, startling her when he once again picked her up, but this time threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, enjoying the whoosh of air that left her when he nearly knocked the air out of her with the sudden movements.

"Like hell I'm letting you RUN when you can barely WALK!" he scoffed as he darted into the forest as fast as his legs could carry him in this form.

With a mournful sigh, Akira watched behind them as Cher quickly became hidden with the trees. She winced as a few branches snapped back and hit her in their passing, getting dizzier by the moment. Finally seeing that there was nothing more she could do, Akira let her head fall down his back, closing her eyes tightly and willing this 'joy ride' to be over with.

'Just you WAIT till I get down…' she thought irritated.

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"Your supper, sir," a tall, darkly clothed servant bowed low as he set down the final metallic platter of food and filled a goblet of whine and then discretely excused himself out the door. Jasper didn't move an inch from where he stood in human form with his arms crossed over his chest, staring out the window. He waited for the soft click of the lock before sighing in defeat. It had been two, maybe three day's since he was aware of his situation, and, like clock work, Darcia had seen fit to have him subject to three hearty square meals a day with plenty of fresh water and an offered goblet of whine at supper like now.

They were even keen enough to serve the platters of food on the floor for him when they noticed Jasper had taken to his wolf form for a while, but the silver wolf refused to eat. His body grew weak from lack of nutrition and slow from dehydration, but his stubborn pride refused to allow himself to eat from this hell! He refused to accept anything that came from that MONSTER that enslaved him in the first place. By day he would refuse to face the door, choosing to either pace the long wall lined with windows or simply stare out one like he was at the moment. By night he would lay in his wolf form in the moon beams, soaking up its energy that gave his kind strength and perseverance; Just like his father had always told him to keep in mind for a last resort. It kept his body from failing, but did little to assuage the growing pains in his stomach yearning for food or the ever-present dry thirst on his tongue.

"If only father could see me now…" He knew he was being stupid. Pride was everything to the ancient ways of a wolf. It is what separated them from the weak minds of the humans in their intellect, but he was raised differently from this. As a wolf, he wasn't afraid of death and somewhat welcomed it given the circumstances, but his father had instilled Jasper and his sister since the beginning that life wasn't to be taken for granted when God saw fit to give the breath of the living. They must do everything in their power to survive, especially when there were others counting on them. God gave Jasper a reason to stay alive, otherwise he would have died back in Freeze City along with his noble father.

"If you're going to die, take your enemy with you." Jasper vividly remembered his father's words, though his voice seemed so far away in his mind, "It's easier to die, but harder to live on pass the trials life hurdles at you. That is one thing the humans out class the wolf a hundred to one."

Sasuke was right. Jasper's wise old man was ALWAYS strange, but right! Darcia's sights were set on the Lunar Flower and his people's paradise. As a wolf, it was his duty to stop him, but he would be useless going as he was now. He'd get nowhere starving to death.

Arching a brow and letting out a sigh of frustration, Jasper glanced over his shoulder at the innocent food waiting to be eaten. The other meals had gone to waste, tossed out Jasper's widows soon as the servants discovered he hadn't so much as APPROACHED his meals. It was a terrible waste given that times were hard and food was even harder to come by now. Gritting his teeth, the young man turned sharply like a stubborn child, tearing the poor chair out from under the table and then swiftly sat down, plucking a piece of richly buttered bread, sniffing it in distrust. He picked up no scent that would alert him if his food had been tampered with, but with the salivation watering in his mouth and the painful whine in his stomach, Jasper was in no position to care if he truly didn't want to starve to death.

True to his wolven blood, Jasper tore at the bread, gobbling it up before moving on the hot and bloodied roast beef. He ignored the fork and spoon in favor for bare hands, his stomach was on the verge of forcing the change on him because it was wailing and demanding so much at the moment. He finished the meal minutes later, gulping down the water flask and eyeing the whine curiously. He picked it up and sniffed the red liquid, wolves rare drank any kind of alcohol. It was a human thing, but this smelled sweet and tantalizing to Jasper. He stared at his reflection in the goblet, admiring the crimson of the liquid he'd only associated with blood…

A pair of innocently wide orange eyes flashed in his mind as childish laughter seemed to tease his ears in the distant memory of his little sister…

"Akira…." He whispered, setting down the goblet, suddenly finding the nostalgia too much.

Forget what his father would say to his enslaved son- what would AKIRA say? Jasper felt stricken with grief as he slowly bent over, letting his elbows rest on his knees while his long fingers tangled in his hair, holding his head up while his mind played like a silent movie images of his little sister he had helped raise from pup years. He loved his sister so much and now that he was certain Darcia knew about her, it meant she was alive and still out there somewhere. Darcia was hunting her and the flower down since the Noble knew about the proverbial Red Moon that was Akira's destiny. Eventually, he would run into his fox-like sister whether it was on his terms or Darcia's.

The mere thought of the Noble getting anywhere near his dear little sister had Jasper nearly running to the window to return the food he just scarffed down. There was no way he'd let that happen so long as he breathed and was able to keep Darcia's complete control over him at bay. The bond was so new that Darcia's control was weakened when Jasper wasn't at his side, but it was all the edge Jasper would need to defy the Noble in any way he could. He fingered the cool metal of the crucifix that dangled to the center of his chest. The pendent and chain were his only sense of comfort. He knew somewhere out there, Akira had an identical one that was close to her heart like his- it was their symbol of family they and their family wore with pride. Jasper's had a deep scratch and a dent in the middle of it- a memoir of his past for both the good and the bad.

Stretching, the platinum blond relaxed his muscles, giving in to the urge of the change and fell to four paws instead of two legs. He padded his way across the cool marble floor and lift his front paws to the lip of the fountain, gazing in to the clear waters. Stared back at the wolf reflection that greeted him. The fur wasn't as glossy and he was thinner than just three days ago, making Jasper grimace. Already the small period of self-imposed starvation had taken its toll far quicker than it should have. It must have had something to do with what Darcia's scientist had done with his body during the Blood Bond ceremony….

With a snarl Jasper's attention drew to his eyes. A haunting green wolf eye glared back while a human blue eye leered with less intensity as the original green. Self-hatred consumed Jasper at the sight of his new eye.

It bound him to Darcia! They had exchanged blood, but the Blood Bond wasn't complete. Darcia's Scientists and Alchemist had worked together so that anything dealt to Darcia would mirror on Jasper, including death, but Darcia had some control of what was mirrored from Jasper to himself! If Jasper were to kill himself, Darcia would be unharmed, if not sick for a few days. That was fine though, even if it killed him, Jasper would much rather deal the Noble his death by his own tooth and claw then let the man bleed to death with wounds that wouldn't faze a wolf.

Jasper's ears pinned back to the door when it opened suddenly to reveal the devil himself: Darcia. The wolf felt the restraining weight of the binding spell Darcia had placed on him. It activated soon as the two were close enough so Jasper didn't get any kamikaze ideas and do something that would hurt them both. The weight of the cursed spell only increased with every step the man took closer to Jasper. He couldn't even curl up his upper lip in fury as he snarled a begrudging welcome grunt to the man he hated more than anything.

"Ah, Brother Wolf," Darcia greeted with a sickly warm smile. He knelt down beside the spell cast silver beast with a suspicious-looking black-studded collar in hand. The searing scent of silver stung at Jasper's nose- the studs were tipped with silver! The Darcia family crest hung from the tag ring of the vile collar etched in a small silver-sheen diamond. Darcia stroked the fur of Jasper's neck fondly before he started to fasten the collar about the unwilling, yet immobile wolf.

"I am no brother of yours." Jasper knew that since they shared a Blood Bond, Darcia would understand his words even if he didn't project them to the Noble's human brain like wolves would have done to normal humans should they wish to speak.

"No, with this collar, it will be assumed you are my dearly beloved pet." Darcia smirked tauntingly as the wolf glared at him sidelong with loathing eyes. He finished buckling the collars straps, "It's time to put your capable body into use until our Blood Bond fully revitalizes my former self." He stood up, looking down his nose at Jasper as a lord would look down at a lowly servant, knowing it made the wolf burn from the inside out with rage, "This collar has been ritualized with the hold of our bond. It will compel your body to obey and let me catch glimpses through your eyes every now and then."

"An obedience collar?" Jasper spat in indignation.

Darcia gave him a cruel twitch of a smile, "I call it Reassurance." He turned his back to the wolf, lifting the binding spell from Jasper. He wasn't concerned that the wolf would attack- Jasper was smart enough to know that at this point it was useless. The Noble spoke as he made his way leisurely back to the gothic-style door, "The wolves with my Flower are near the fallen castle of my ancestors. You are to follow them from there on so that I may track them more effectively until the full moon. That is when I will intercept them and return Cheza to my side." He turned so he could watch the silver wolf's expression sidelong, "You are NOT to be seen. Is that understood?" he waited for his answer at the door.

Jasper's eyes glowed red as the spell recognized the command. He was mortified when he realized his paws were moving before he had a say so and he was out of Darcia's Keep, fighting his body the entire way. His mind and heart screamed at his body to stop as his nose picked up the tantalizing scent of the Lunar Flower quickly and his paws followed its luring path. He had never felt so helpless and tortured as he felt the collar around his neck pulse in a supernatural way. All the while, those pulses sent signals back to Darcia's keep where the Noble and his faithful Seer watched the small dot on the screen scale across the terrain map…

"My Lord Darcia," the young Seer spoke with adoration and warmth for her handsome lord, "I have foreseen his success. The flower will be yours come the full moon."

"Excellent."

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"You're sure she's fine now, Cheza?" Heart asked skeptically while watching the wobbly redhead attempt to march along side the others of the pack.

"This one could only remove the poison and help Akira's body start restoring itself." Cheza admitted, "It confuses this one why she could not help Akira more…" the troubled flower sighed.

"This must be the after effects then." Hige shrugged, "Don't be too hard on yourself, Cheza," he grinned good-naturedly, "With out your help, she'd be a lot worse off, right?"

"Still…" Heart mused.

They had all been mildly surprised when Kiba caught up with them earlier with Akira slung over his shoulders in very Neanderthal fashion. Akira had only stayed still for a breath after he finally stopped before them, and then she let loose her feeble pounding fists on his back. Kiba didn't seem to notice at the time.

When it was time for Cheza to heal Akira's wounds, the wolves watched in awe as the cuts and bruises were healed over, but the flower looked troubled. The cuts were only able to scar over and while the poison was harmlessly extracted from Akira, the red wolf still wasn't able to control herself. She hobbled around like a drunk and suffered dizzy spells. Her balance was terrible and she had to lean on one of them every few miles of walking before she fell over.

Having heard her friends little chat behind her, Akira glared over her shoulder in Heart's general directions, "Look I sa..said I…Iiii'm Fine!" she stuttered and slurred every other word. Even her tongue was slow at the moment. She didn't even realize the group had been walking in a town before she ran into a trashcan and stumbled over it. Toboe had rushed to her aid, helping her stand up, but after that Akira stubbornly shooed him off her, "I said I'M FINE!" she snapped at the younger wolf who flinched and wisely backed off. The other wolves shared a knowing look among them while Tsume rolled his eyes.

Hige sputtered while trying not to laugh as he tilt his head with a small smirk when the stubborn redhead lost her balance again and swayed, nearly running into a wall, but Kiba nudged her away from it, "Trust me… ya look fine too." He snickered.

"Let's just get her out of sight before she draws too much attention to us." Tsume groused under his breath in a grumble as his golden eyes shifted warily in the dark streets around them.

It was nighttime now and the street lamps were flickering on and off. The buildings around them were tall and blocked the wind, hindering scents that weren't in the immediate area from reaching them. Unlike Zali's pack island, the people here didn't cower away from the intruders. They even seemed completely relaxed as they lounged about on the front porches of their homes or the decks of buildings watching mildly amused as Tsume and the others passed by. Tsume took note that they were especially curious about the off-balance Akira that seemed to play pin-pong between Toboe and Kiba as she walked between them. The human's probably thought she was drunk…

Cheza smiled and held a hand to her thin lips as she giggled at Akira. She could feel the red wolf's aura fluctuating and hear her sloppy footsteps, giving away that she couldn't walk straight. With a small yelp, Akira's knees had finally had enough and wavered on holding up her weight for just a moment, but it was all her lousy momentum needed to plunge her entire body down to the ground face first.

"This one thinks it is best if Akira does not walk." Cheza approached the struggling girl with light steps as always as she rest her hand on Akira's shoulder while Akira gathered herself and sat on the ground, "The injuries this one just healed will become worse rather than better if Akira continues."

Akira looked over her shoulder at the concerned sightless eyes and heaved a heavy sigh, slumping her shoulders a bit. Now that Cheza spoke up she just KNEW Heart wouldn't back off.

"Maybe it's time for something different, Akira." Heart conceded from the back of the group.

"Yeah, Cheza's right, Akira. Let one of us carry you." Toboe agreed.

Hige's head shot up excitedly and Akira just knew he was wagging his tail, "I'll do it!" he offered.

Every one just stared blankly at him.

"What?" he gapped in indignation.

"I'd rather not be felt up when I can't count on my reflexive aim." Akira glared warily at the shocked stocky man.

"WHAT! You'd think I'd actually take advantage of you like that?" he sounded hurt and defensive.

"Wouldn't hold my breath." Heart said dryly and crossed her arms with an accusing arched brow directed at Hige in warning while Kiba decided to take the liberty to pull Akira's arm over his shoulders to help her walk.

"I'll have you know that I'm can be the perfect gentleman anytime, anywhere!" Hige defended gripping his hands into fists as he bristled.

"Yeah, in a gentleman's club." Heart rolled her eyes mischievously, spurring the group to join together in laughter that carried into the evening sky.

Cheza's back straightened curiously, pausing while her friends passed her by. She tilt her head and looked down a nearby dark passageway that lead to the next street over to the right. Her red eyes held a glint of eager wonderment as her pale lips parted.

Kiba paused at her side as well, helping adjust Akira to balance herself better. From what he could tell the effects that had taken hold of Akira were wearing off rapidly as she started to easily hold her own weight again, but Kiba wasn't about to turn her loose just yet. His blue eyes drifted back to Cheza in concern while Akira's own orange ones turned to Cheza curiously.

"What's wrong?" she flared her nostrils instinctively when her senses started heighten back to their original acuteness. A familiar musky feminine scent drifted to her but she wasn't sure why she recognized it. She didn't see any reason why Cheza should be alert.

"Cheza? What's wrong?" Kiba asked gently, his blue eyes never leaving the flower's face.

He watched on as her pale features morphed to childish excitement as she clasped her hands together in front of her chest, "We have friends- even here we have friends!" she gasped in utter joy before she made a beeline down the dark alleyway, startling Kiba at her sudden departure.

"W-Wait!" Kiba nearly yelped, dragging Akira with him down the alleyway after the flower, "Cheza! Don't just run off on your own!"

"K-Kiba!" Akira yelped, clamping a hand over her mouth as nausea started to hit her slightly in warning, "Hey, K-Kiba, make the world stop spinning….ULP-!" she caught herself before puking her guts out just as Kiba pulled up short. The arm around her was tense and his breathing paused for a moment, "Kiba?" she blinked, then caught a familiar low warning growl.

Akira felt a chill run down her spine. Even in her muddied mind she recognized that low snarl from anywhere! That was the hunters dog! She turned quickly to the scene unfolding before them. To her horror, Cheza was gently approaching the large black hellish dog that was tied at the leash to an exposed pipe just outside the local bar of the town. Its haunting blue eyes locked on them savagely with a glint of uncertainty. It knew that Kiba and Akira weren't the only wolves around and that it was at a disadvantage being tied up. It also didn't seem to trust the white Flower Maiden as Cheza held out a hand slowly to the dog. Kiba had instinctively stood back behind Cheza with Akira soon as the black dog sent a warning growl. If he provoked it too much with his presence, then it could attack and possibly harm Cheza and he wouldn't be able to shield Cheza in time. Even so, his own dangerous blue eyes glared down at the canine with a deadly promise should it be foolish enough to try something. Both he and Akira held their breath as Cheza's hand came dangerously close and the black dog curled back its lip, bearing pearly white fangs as it parted its jaws as if to bite.

"Oh no you don't!" Akira growled, shifting in record time as she used her smaller body to put herself between the dog and Cheza. Her own dangerous orange eyes locked on to shocked blue ones for a split second before it the black dog growled even louder, recognizing Akira instantly. Black fur stood on end as it stood up on all fours, straining against the leather lease to get to Akira who stood coldly, knowing the leash was short enough that the black dog couldn't touch her. Akira noticed the blue eyes shift dangerously toward the white flower maiden Akira was hiding behind her. Cheza was trying to urge Akira out of the way but the red wolf stubbornly stayed put. Seeing her adversaries eyes avert to her charge, Akira bore her fangs as well and let her hackles rise to a tingling sensation as her tail flared out behind her in warning.

Akira's breath caught when Cheza's cool hand rest on her neck just behind her pinned back ears. Her orange eyes, bright with the sudden rush of her blood, rolled back to look at her through the corner of her eye, "Please understand," Cheza let her cool soothing hand gently massage in calming circles in Akira's thick fur on her neck, "There is no need for fighting, please stand down." Akira instantly obeyed, shocking the rest of the arriving wolves at the complete trust she put in the flower. She submissively sat back on her haunches at Cheza's side, her ears flopping forward in a good-natured way as she completely changed her attitude in front of the black female dog. The hunts dog gawked in shock, confused why Akira just gave up on trying to force her into submission.

"Cheza?" Toboe cautioned as he noticed the flower slowly lean forward again to address the female domesticated one.

"Shh," Tsume held a finger to his lips, his tawny eyes darted from Toboe's towards the cracked door of the bar just to the side of the dog. All of them could hear the men and women inside, drinking heartily and talking rowdily, but each of the wolves could smell the huntsman and the soldiers inside. They all tensed, wanting to leave this place quickly, but none were willing to leave Cheza behind.

The black dog moaned in its confusion at Akira's sudden flip-flop in demeanor towards her, going from hostile to welcomingly friendly. The red bitch even went as far as to wag her tail at her assuming they could be friends… and all of this just from one touch of that … that floral scented girl. No matter that the scent was alluring and pleasing to inhale, she had first scented it on the red wolf and had marked it as a way to follow it, but this girl seemed to be a stronger source… as if she WAS the flower its self!

"You've been all alone, all this time. Haven't you?" the gentle voice whispered pleasantly into the black dog's ears, "You've lived all this time not knowing what or who you truly are. Not knowing that deep inside you, you're part wolf."

The other wolves reacted in various forms of shock and surprise! Kiba's breath caught as he did a double take down at the black …part-wolf, taking his eyes off the door for a moment. Tsume snared in disgust. Hige and Toboe blinked in nearly mirrored interested wonderment while Heart's red eyes locked on to the blue-eyed female in disbelief. Akira's black tipped ears perked up and then laid back down in thought. She looked over her shoulder slightly, 'Part wolf…' her orange eyes scanned across Heart's frozen form. Unlike the others, Heart seemed to take this a bit harder… as if this hit pretty close to home for her, 'Someone just like Heart! Part dog, part wolf!' She turned eager eyes back to the newly discovered half-breed, 'Maybe Cheza's right! Maybe we do have friends here!'

The blue-eyed female seemed just as startled as the others were. Her once ice-cold blue eyes now fired with unhindered emotion that didn't take a mind reader to decipher exactly what she thought. She was confused out of her mind! All tension fell away as she stared at them slack-jawed. How would you feel if you found out that your blood was the same as your enemy you hunted? Cheza slowly leaned to pet the black part-wolf and show her that she was welcomed, but the half-breed she-wolf shied away in fearfully with a helpless whine, "It's okay now." Cheza smiled reassuringly, holding her hand out disarmingly until her new friend seemed to trust her enough to get closer. The black dog's bright eyes darted from Cheza's sightless rubies to her pale hand, unsure of what to do next. She whined again, folding her ears helplessly to her skull.

Seeing her distress, Akira attempted to welcome the half-breed as well. She wagged her tail behind her and whimpered to the black dog, lowering her head good-naturedly. If Cheza saw the good inside this wolf… uh-part wolf, then Akira saw no reason to hold grudges. Domesticated dogs didn't always have the freedom to choose their owners. Maybe she was only a hunts dog because it's all she's ever known? Besides, Akira was terrible at remembering to keep grudges. She'd rather get along than fight. If anything, their dispute should be pit against the old man that traveled with the dog. It was his gun that Akira feared above all else. She could still hear his haunting roars at her when she crossed his path before with the child. His eyes were full of rage and fear… and sadness. She wondered if this female knew what happened to make that man hate and fear wolves so much?

"Kiba…" Tsume whispered lowly as his fangs lengthened in the tension. He could sense that someone was approaching the door.

Kiba quickly darted a look from the door to Akira and Cheza, "Cheza, time to go." Akira morphed back to her human form, helping Cheza stand upright again. No sooner had the two of them stood up, Kiba scooped Akira in his arms again and quickly darted off.

"KIBA!" she yelped indignantly.

Toboe took Cheza's hand and quickly rushed her off, following the backs of Tsume and Hige. The blue-eyed canine whined and barked longingly after them as she bolted up to follow, but was jerked back by her restraining leash. She whimpered at her own expanse and watched as the wolves disappeared in the city shadows beyond the street lap that lit up outside the bar. It was then that she noticed Heart hadn't moved. The two stared at one another in curiosity, both feeling a pull to the other.

Hearts face was a cool mask, betraying nothing as she stared down the half-breed that was all too familiar to her. Now that they were alone, she could even take in her soiled scent that was not so unlike her own. Red collided with blue for a few more precious moments.

Heart heard a sound from inside the bar. One of the soldiers portable tracking deceives had finally gotten a lock on Cheza and it was beeping madly. She turned back to the dog that stared at her in awe.

"Heed this warning." She whispered, "Do not stay with your human much longer. You'll only suffer more if you do." And with that, she turned tail and disappeared into the streets of darkness, easily catching up to the rest of her pack.

The black half-breed watched her leave, feeling no ill will towards any of the wolves any longer. Anger had turned to longing. She had always felt a part of her longing to run with the wolves she and Pop's hunted down, but she was loyal to her human. She couldn't just leave him and act on silly longings… but now that she met..Cheza they called her- she wanted more than anything to run with them. To be free.

"OI! Shut that damn thing off! Its going haywire," one of the soldiers inside complained.

"Hey! That's the signal of the target!" another soldier exclaimed.

"What really?" the commander stood up sharply from his chair and leaned over the circular table to glimpse down at the beeping machine, "I'll be darn…. All right ladies! We got'em now! Surround the city! Make sure nothing gets away from these walls with out a bullet in its head!"

The rest of the men roared in response, immediately mobilizing out the door, leaving Cher at the bar with an old man who just snorted at the sight.

"Damn military dogs." He mumbled, downing his vodka, "Hey, tender, get me another one."

Cher stood to follow her comrades out the door, still surprised that finding the wolves so quickly like this had been so easy! It was in the middle of the night, but she had expected the wolves to sense her and the soldiers and instinctively move around them…

A soft woofing noise brought her attention to the large black dog that was owned by that man inside… Quent he called himself. And this must have been Blue… the dog's intense aquamarine eyes were locked on the darkness of the city before them as if she wanted to catch a glimpse of something. Her pointed ears and fluffy tail were familiar to Cher and her mind quickly flashed to red fur marred in terrible wounds, "Oh no…" Cher's head snapped up with renewed worry. She knew Akira might possibly slow the others down in their escape with those kinds of wounds… would they abandon her to the soldiers or risk the whole pack being captured?

"Oh Akira… please be safe," she prayed.

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This was sadly becoming waaaaay too easy for him. The silver wolf streaked through the town while only the hazy moonlight caught glimpses of his iridescent fur that flashed in its cool beams while he shift his way from shadow to shadow. His duel-colored eyes taking in everything and missed no details as he passed. The Flower Maiden's scent was laughable with how easy it was to track. He almost felt a pull from it that called to him, beckoning him closer. He could only slightly remember a similar feeling back in Freeze City, but he had been too busy with his father patrolling around to keep the Flower Maiden safe from potential threats to actually have the time to visit her like his sister, Akira, had.

Jasper felt sick to his stomach. Though he marveled at how easy it was to track down and locate this Flower Maiden, even if he wanted to change course, his limbs wouldn't obey. Soon as his acute senses tracked down the scent, he had no choice but to sit back in the back of his own mind and watch his body be a puppet for Darcia.

With a powerful leap, the silver wolf bounded to the wall of a narrow alleyway, pouncing back and fourth from the two close-contact walls until he crouched atop the rooftops in a predatory kneel. From up here he could detect everything in the town easily since the wind was unhindered by the many twists and turns of the city streets below guarded by concrete, wood and steel of the buildings. He breathed in deeply, his nostrils sifting though unneeded information, locking on to the pungent scent of his fellow wolves' musky fur and the sweet tart of the flower coupled with the spice of his own sister's near identical floral scent. He had always found comfort in Akira's scent. It was so much like the flower maiden that it made him proud to be her older brother. He took pride that his sister had the scent that was sacred to his kind, but now he knew it endangered her in ways she didn't even know. Darcia had compelled Jasper to keep a close eye on the flower AND the one called the Red Moon, and he knew Akira was the chosen one to represent the heart of the red moon. It pained him that he was betraying her to probably their worst enemy.

With a whine, he felt his body surge forward, fully intent on the hunt as he leapt from building to building. That heavy feel on his mind he associated with Darcia's control aggravated him, as it grew stronger…

But then… it started backing off? Jasper was slowly able to force his legs to a stop, his body trembling in stunned surprise. Why was he able to control his body now? Even if it felt like he was holding back an urge that was incredibly strong… he was able to force his body to his will. What was different?

As if the wind had whispered the answer, Jasper's head snapped up in realization as the moon beams lit up his grateful irises to a gleeful shine in the moonlight. It was the moon! No clouds were hiding its beams from him and now shadows were hiding him from the blessed beams his people thrived on! The full moon was getting closer, and even though this was a measly half-moon, it was enough to wane Darcia's control on him for a little while.

"Thank the moon!" he gave thanks with a joyous howl, not caring if he alerted the soldiers. Darcia had equipped him a collar that deflected even Jagura's energy beam blasts with its force field strong enough to deflect anything short of hand to hand combat and no one fought hand to hand with a wolf with out being mentally unstable. Flexing his new found leverage over Darcia's hold, Jasper bounded from roof to roof, simply enjoying his freedom and the way the wind played around with his silver fur. He could almost purr if only he were feline….

Wait…. Never mind. He shook his head, wolves do NOT purr. He snorted in disgust with himself. He really needed to run with his own kind sometime. The whole lone wolf thing was getting to him.

He stopped for a moment, recognizing a scent all wolves hesitated before- wolf blood. Someone or something had spilt wolf blood. He looked around furiously, trying to decipher if the blood came from the wolves with his target and his sister! If it was AKIRA'S blood someone would pay with their own! He snarled in frustration as his muddled mind hindered him from his focus. Quickly he located the general area- Northeast of where he stood now and only a few blocks off. With out a second thought, he bolted forward almost phasing in and out of sight, appearing directly above the scene.

This wolf was not one of the wolves he was looking for. The female's scent certainly was similar to one of the scents he could remember hanging around the bunch of scents he picked up that clumped themselves together, but this one was slightly different. He realized it was related to one of the other's scents. He watched stoically as the scene played out.

The female had rescued a human pup. Her own elder human had shoed her away while he himself ushered the boy down below somewhere- probably to heal his wounds. Jasper tilt his head at the odd submissive behavior of the female. She certainly had the ferocity of their kind, but her attitude was too subordinate and …lapdog. Something Darcia was forcing on Jasper, but she seemed to willingly obey this man. She even let him tie her off to a pipe outside while he and the whelp retired inside. Snorting his distaste for the ideal this female held with her, he turned to leave, but paused when soldiers arrived on the scene.

The weren't Jagura's men. They were Orchem's. Jasper thought he and Darcia had driven those men off from their search for the Flower Maiden. His orders were to kill them off and make them scared to follow their tracks. Apparently, he missed a few roaches in his kill, but he was content to let them live. After all, he only killed the others because he was under the influence of Darcia's power, and the moon was still bright behind him, shielding him from the evil man.

He felt a pang of guilt for a moment when the soldiers taunted the wolf dog. Testing the limits of its leash and poking and prodding at it. In a flurry of movement, he found his guilt was for nothing. Something with in the female snapped when her collar broke, freeing her. She lunged for the closest soldier, knocking him out but not killing him. A surprising feat Jasper didn't think she would have done considering the man nearly killed her with his taunts.

He gritted his teeth when he felt the heavy weight return to the forefront of his mind, "No…. not now…!" he snarled as the moon was covered by a thin veil of smoggy clouds, but it was enough to give the spell its edge over him. He saw red as he locked on to the soldier that just shot at the dog, wounding her and giving him a chance to run while the female limped after him determined. Jasper flew after the soldier, stalking him from above on the roof tops like a falcon flying above a runaway mouse who thought it had safety now that it escaped the fox.

The soldier must have heard his heavy breathing since he was instinctively enticed by the thrill of the hunt. The man hesitated and turned slightly to see what was hunting him down, only to be flattened to the ground by two-hundred pounds of muscle covered in silver fur with glistening white teeth that gave him an eye full of the tools of his death before they plunged into his face. He screamed murder as the wolf tore at him, ripping off his nose and part of his upper lip before Jasper dove again for a better grip of his kill. He toyed with the man, not going for the killing blow and instead ripping off pieces of him: nose, ears, pieces of his scalp and finally, when he could stand the screams no longer at such close range, the wolf suffocated him by tearing out his jugular.

Jasper panted as he slowly came back from his maddening trance that took hold during a hunt. He slowly backed off the human with wide eyes. Before, he had quickly done the deed, ambushing the soldiers and biting the backs of their necks, breaking the spinal cord with a twist for instant death, but this one…. He had enjoyed the hunt. Blood still dribbled from his wet jaws as he shook his head. He was turning into a monster….

Darcia's own pet monster.

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Hige sniffed around an old rusted out bus with over grown foliage all over it as it lay hidden on the out skits of the abandoned scrap yard just outside of town. He poked his head out to survey the area and popped back in with a smirk, "All clear! This place'll be great to crash in while we're here. They'll never find us in a junk yard!" he held up a thumbs-up enthusiastically.

"Well that's always good news." Heart smiled, ducking into the small door of the worn out bus and taking in their temporary den, "It's kinda dusty and rusty, don'tcha think?" she tilt her head accusingly at Hige.

"Sorry. Next time we're in town, I'll book us a room at the Hilton Hotel. Jacuzzi and all." He sassed right back with an arrogant smirk.

"The seats are still soft though," Akira commented from where she had lain with her head in Cheza's lap while Cheza finished up healing her wounds that reopened after traveling about the town. Her eyes were closed blissfully while Cheza pet her long red hair.

"How are you feeling now?" Kiba inquired as he took his seat on one of the torn and tattered cushioned booths of the bus. His blue eyes once again looked over her, checking for any signs of fresh blood.

"No pain what so ever!" Akira gave a bright smile and a mock salute, "soldier Akira ready for duty once again!" she stood and then frowned, half-heartedly glaring at Kiba, "And this time I prefer to walk on my own two feet thank you,"

"If you had been quicker at it, there wouldn't have been a need." Kiba shrugged indifferently, turning away from the now fuming Akira. He silently took great amusement at her expense, loving the way her cheeks flushed and her orange eyes brightened to near neon brightness when her blood pressure heated up like this.

He absentmindedly wondered if they would darken or brighten even more when she got riled up in other ways….

'What the hell?' he shook himself out of that stray thought, glancing back at Akira warily, before his blue eyes darted back to the conversation.

"Speaking of soldiers," Toboe started as he plopped down on the floor cross-legged near Cheza and Akira, "I've had enough soldiers to last me a few life times." he sighed.

"Yeah, these guys aren't giving any slack this time." Hige moaned in agreement, settling down as well.

Tsume looked from Akira to Cheza, "It's because that scientist lady saw Cheza and has some sort of a relation to Akira." His statement called everyone's attention to Akira's person while he narrowed his eyes dangerously, pinning her almost, "Care to explain that bit of left out information?" he said suspiciously with an arched brow.

Akira held her hands up in her own defense, "Hey, I didn't know she'd be following us!" she instinctively backed away from their suspicious faces, but only ended up flopping back in the booth with Cheza.

"I didn't ask you if you knew, I asked how she knows you." Tsume clarified.

"So what if I knew her back at free city? She WAS the head of Cheza's scientist. She used to confide in me when things were going slow on the night shift. I DID stay in the lab." Akira admitted defensively as she crossed her arms, blushing as she torn her eyes away from Tsume's distrustful gaze. Why did he always have to assume all secretes were bad?

"Does she know your human form?" Kiba asked sternly, but he wasn't nearly as accusatory as the gray wolf.

"No" Akira didn't like being interrogated, and she had nothing to hide from them…but with the suspicious looks even Heart was subjecting her to…, "Wait a minute… You don't think I'm leading them to us, do you?" she let her mouth agape in astonishment when no one but Toboe flinched away from her accusation. She shoved her hands behind her, pushing herself up from the seat to sit up straighter, "You DO don't you!" she yelped in indignation.

"Who knows what that chain's for." Tsume countered critically, eyeing the crucifix bluntly.

Akira's hand flew to her pendent protectively, "Yeah, well Hige wears a collar too!" she defended, "Besides, my chain was given to me by my father. Not some human. All of my family members have one just like it. No bugs attached. Run me through a scanner if you're not convinced. All you'll get is metal detection." She insisted.

"I really don't think Akira would do something like that to anyone." Toboe pleaded as he started to take her side, feeling guilty that he had suspected her otherwise just a moment ago, but Akira was grateful. She could tell the others were starting to accept it as well; Even though Tsume just kept his usual sneer. It was his way to be negative most of the time. The day Tsume was giddy was the day someone died….

"This one has no doubt that Akira would never do that to the ones she cares for." Cheza also agreed from behind Akira, grasping the attention of the pack away from Akira.

Kiba looked outside momentarily and sighed, "Well, old relations or not- it doesn't really matter at this point. We've all done something or other in the past and have made friends or foes we're not proud of. So she's no different. Right now we need to check the perimeter to see if there's a way out and where the soldiers are located." The dark-haired young man was once again getting his pack to focus on the here and now rather than the past of the red female. She had suffered enough of their mistrust so he put a merciful end to it, ignoring the look of grateful adoration she sent him. He smoothly cleared his throat and turned away from her.

….Smooth, Kiba….

"Well all that's left now is to find some food and make sure there's no bad guys near!" Toboe grinned easily, trying to diffuse the tension.

Hige's stomach quickly dispelled any more tension that was left over from Toboe's attempt soon as it started to growl and then was echoed around the small confines of the bus with similar protests from the others. Heart laughed heartily and patted Akira's shoulder, "You boys go on and do that scoping out thing and leave the grub to us girls. We'll be more likely to find something edible." She tugged Akira out of her seat and nearly dragged her the rest of the way out of the bus, eager to get out and stretch her legs away from the males.

"Right then," Kiba said after an odd pause the boys remained silent for as the watched the crazy female drag a protesting one out the door. He turned to the youngest of the pack, serious mask set in stone on his face as he addressed the chestnut haired boy, "Toboe, you'll stay here with Cheza till we get back." Kiba told the young wolf.

Toboe mocked Akira's salute from earlier with a grin, "I sure will!"

"This is getting ridiculous, we've tried three dumpsters and a couple dozen tin garbage cans, but not one of them had enough to even be considered food for a child." Akira sighed despondent as she kicked the dust with the toe of her boot at Heart's side. The older woman chuckled at her pouting friend and shook her layered mane of black off her neck.

"Well, I suggest getting used to it. Things are always hard and disappointing on the streets." Heart wisely said with her hands tucked into her tight pants pockets. She raised an elegant hand to her neck, rubbing it slightly in thought while her red eyes spaced out in thought staring at the dusty street at her feet while they walked, "You must be having a hard time coping with the sudden flip flop in life styles huh? Going from a stable family life to on the streets and on the run…" she some how felt it was her fault Akira was dragged into this sort of life.

"Yeah. Even back on the island with Zali's pack wasn't this bad." Akira nodded noncommittal in agreement. Something suddenly crossed her mind and she quickly looked up in realization, turning to Heart with her eyes full of curiosity she could barely contain, "Hey, Heart?"

"Hmm?" Heart murmured her reply distracted by the new scent of promising leftovers in dumpsters nearby.

"What was your life like? I mean before we met?" it was innocent, but Akira could tell it startled Heart. So she quickly fumbled to change the question, not wanting to intrude on personal- maybe hurtful- subjects, "Y-you don't have to t-tell me in detail, but….?" Her eyes turned back to the stunned woman beside her, gulping down her own nervousness that she had somehow hurt her closest friend, "Heart?" she questioned hesitantly.

At the sound of her name, Heart snapped out of her startled trance and glanced down at Akira, unable to help but feel an obligation to those innocent eyes, "What do you wanna know?" she relaxed again, and in doing so relaxed Akira's nerves as well.

"Well, lets see… ah!" Akira brightened soon as she thought up her first question, "Ok, do you have any siblings? I know you're only part wolf like me, but you're a dog, right? And I'm part fox!" she paused, frowning as if a thought came to her, "Well, I have an ancestor who was. I think it was my grandmother. Or maybe my great grand mother…" she murmured off, "I didn't think it was that far off…."

Heart smiled while Akira started to rant, feeling an endearment towards the klutzy she-wolf before. When it seemed like Akira's own ranting had faded off, Heart took in a deep breath and finally whispered something no one else among the living knew about her, "I had a sister once." She admitted softly, "A younger sister who I lost before she could even open her eyes." Her tender voice was so full of gentleness that Akira almost missed the overwhelming pain that laced through it. She instantly gave Heart her full attention in concern.

Akira tried not to gawk at Heart's confession, "You lost her?" she echoed just as softly, "But how! Why?" she back pedaled when she realized that came out in more of a demand than a question, "I mean- uh…"

"There was a fire…." Heart said quietly in the midst of her melancholy. Her autumn red eyes became far off and deepened into crimson darkness as voices and flashes of images in memory came to her…

The fire roared around her. Its smoke attacked her lungs and tried its best to replace the precious oxygen her body needed to even move. She pushed her young, gangly body as far as it would go, desperate to keep up at her father's break-neck pace. They were trying to lead the rest of the pack out of the forest, but it was hard to even decipher where the forest ended and where the fire had already laid claim to anything and everything in its path.

"Heart! You must stay at my side, baby," her fathers' soothing tenor voice panted from somewhere in the darkness of the smoke.

"But I cain't see you Daddy!" the young pup coughed back. She yelped in surprise when sharp, powerful jaws latched on to the scruff of her neck and lifted her up in a gentle hold. The smoke swirled around her as her father easily maneuvered around flames and charring trees, seeking sanctuary for his pup. He finally found the stone structure of the pack's winter den, a limestone cave that went deep into the ground and kept them warm in the harsh winters, but best of all, fire wouldn't travel across on into the stone. He wiggled himself into the small crevice of an entryway and set his pup down once he was very well deep into the dark cave. Only his red-chestnut eyes and her own dark autumn ones were visible now since both were darker than night in fur color.

"Stay here," he ordered with a nudge of his muzzle to her stomach. A loving caress from parent to offspring often flaunted amongst the pack. Their ears perked at the pained howls outside, "I must go. You're mother is still in the birthing process. The pup she bore recently is still too weak to move, she won't try to hide from these flames with out it!" he gnashed his teeth in frustration.

"Daddy, don't go!" Heart begged with pleading eyes, grabbing a truff of fur she could reach on his hind leg, "Please! Daddy, don't leave me!" she whined.

"Heart, Daddy has to go find Mommy. You want me to bring her back, don't you? And your new little brother or sister too, right?" he consoled his first born, turning back to her and rubbing his face against her small body to comfort them both. He felt sick to his stomach, something deep inside him knowing his promise was an empty one.

Heart nearly fell over when he suddenly pulled away, "Daddy…?" she called uncertainly when she couldn't see his glowing eyes anymore in the dark, "Daddy!" she called again, but he was gone, "No…. DAAAAAAADDDYYYYYYY!" she howled, her scream echoing through the cave and amplifying it to the outside world, echoing over the roar of the fire like a desperate whisper in the mountainous home of the once strong pack….

Akira and Heart had stopped walking while Heart slowly revealed her tale, "He was gone after that," she recounted, "Mother had just given birth to the new pup a few days before, and it's a custom that the mother and father dig their own den away from the pack in the forest so she has privacy during birth, so my father went to look for her there…. But he never came back." Her voice became a distant whisper as her left hand slowly traced her right arm and lightly gripped her shoulder. It was a gesture Heart rarely displayed- one that belied just how deeply she was feeling at the time no matter how strong her appearance may seem. Akira stood at her side in silence, respectfully not looking her friend in the eye as she focused her pained orange eyes to her feet.

"I was so cowardly, I stayed in that hole until I was on the brink of starvation- terrified of the world outside of that safe little cave." Heart admitted with a hint of self-disgust. Akira whipped her head up sharply, her red mane tossing slightly around her in her quick movement as she glared at her friend disapprovingly.

"Heart-,"

But Heart continued on with her story, holding hand up to stop Akira's protests, "the few survivors that were nearby found me and together we sought out the bodies of my family. We split up to cover more ground and… I was the one to find my father and mother's charred bones near the river den. There was no sign of the pup anywhere." She clenched her fists tightly at her sides now, "At the time I had thought my younger sibling had been scavenged by a predator, but I would have been able to track the familiar scent of my family blood in it. I never have seen my little brother or sister…"

"That's… that's terrible Heart," Akira looked away empathetically. Her heart swelled for the pain her friend must have felt. For the lingering ache she must feel….

"Don't give me that look," Heart smirked knowingly when she caught Akira off guard with the sudden flippant remark, "In all honesty, I got off easy. I met up back with the strays of my pack and a few others that were stranded from the fire as well in the village. When I became strong enough to prove my worth, I took control of the vagabond pack of strays I ran with and lead them away from that depressing place. It wasn't long after that that we ran into Tsume's pack in the Northern Mountains." Heart paused, looking to the sky with a fond smile that only came with even fonder memories, "I guess I caused quite a stir amongst them too since I ended up mating the Alpha, Ruze shortly after we took refuge with his larger pack; merging our packs into one super pack. There were a lot of mouths to feed, but no rivals were strong enough to take on our numbers and force. We ruled over an entire mountain range…" though Heart seemed happy to recall her memories of her old pack she shared with Tsume, Akira could tell that the she-wolf was more than a little dispassionate about her mating with this Ruze male.

The she-wolf had been taught by her family about political mating. It happened often back at the kennel among the canine unite. The humans would pick the top male and female of the bunch and mate them to produce strong, reliable offspring for the force. She didn't understand how her parents and Jasper avoided such a thing, but the point was that Akira had never thought of a political mating. She only knew of Zali and Cole and then her father Sasuke and her stepmother Shura. She didn't know if her real mother and her father, Sasuke's mating was political though… neither Jasper nor Sasuke ever mentioned her much, and it never came up with Diya…

"We controlled that territory for a few short years and only half of that I was actually mated to Ruze and labeled Alpha Female, and then, just like before… the soldiers came and ran us out." Heart seemed to wrapping up her tail, enticing Akira's attention once again, "I was separated during the attack. I somehow wounded up at Freeze City's gates, feeling almost compelled to go there after days of aimless wanderings. It was there that I found you and your mother, remember?"

"Yes," Akira nodded with a small smile at the memory, "You helped us get out of sewer and onto a train to Zali's island," she recalled.

"And after that, you know the rest. And here we are now." Heart summed up with a shrug, seemingly completely recovered from her previous painful revisit of her emotional past. Her tough exterior was once again flawlessly in place and her self-assurance firmly let itself be known in the way she stood taller and prouder than before. Akira once again was taken aback in awe as her closest friend shrugged off those painful memories and started walking down the street again, letting Akira fumble to catch up as she snapped out of her trance.

"You're… you're really one of a kind, you know, Heart?" Akira remarked admirably when she caught up to Heart's side again, "I've seen tough women before, but you put them all to shame! I can't see how you find the strength to be so trusting and open after so many painful separations of not just one pack but TWO!" Akira shook her head, "It's in our blood to stay loyal to one pack, right?" she praised.

Heart winced as her young friend unknowingly struck a deep chord a little too close to home for Heart's comfort, "You're wrong. I don't trust anyone any longer. I only do what I have to do to survive." The elder she-wolf replied in a smooth, icy-cold retort.

Akira faltered in step. She looked at Hearts back while she kept walking with a wounded look that went unnoticed by her friend, "Not… not even a little?"

"I can't afford to get too attached too much. In the end, they're just taken away." Heart said as she stopped to stand still for a moment to taken in the scent in the air she had noticed before, realizing it was getting stronger. Once satisfied, she turned her head to the left with a satisfied smile, pinpointing her queries' location- dumpsters, "I smell something in large amounts, fresh, and meaty!" she started walking faster, leaving Akira standing alone and emotionally wounded out on the barren street.

I can't afford to get too attached too much. In the end, they're just taken away…

Heart back tracked in her steps when she noticed Akira wasn't following, "Hey, Akira! You coming or what? I found the jackpot over behind this restaurant! Looks like nobody here liked the yesterday's meat special!"

Akira looked up at her with pain-filled eyes.

"What?" Heart asked in alarm as she looked left, then right cautiously then back at Akira worriedly, "What's wrong?"

"Do you really trust no one anymore?" Akira's voice was soft and if not for her wolf senses, Heart wouldn't have heard it.

"Oh, Akira…," Heart sighed in realization. She gave the younger girl a sincere smile, "When I said that, I didn't mean you. I trust you. Don't worry." She reassured as she approached the younger wolf and hugged her for all she was worth, "Silly girl, you take things too literal sometimes," she pulled back with a thoughtful look and then grinned playfully at Akira's hopeful eyes, "Well make that most of the time. You an emotional wreck for a wolf."

"Gee thanks" Akira snorted in a very Heart-like way, making Heart grin at her impersonation of herself, "And the others?" her orange eyes were once again apprehensive.

"Well, I trust them too…. Mostly." She snickered.

Akira couldn't help the smile in return, "Hige has his moments…" she agreed with a shrug of her shoulders and rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly as she remembered some their boisterous friend's more frivolous antics he sometimes treated them to.

"They all do. And Tsume can be such a tight ass with having to have HIS way all the time." Heart snorted with a roll of her red eyes that seemed to light up even in the darkness of the night around them.

"So you admit that you look at his ass when you're walking at the rear of the pack?" Akira teased with a shyly, playful grin- delighted to see a light, off-guard blush flittering across Heart's nose as her confidant mask slipped for a moment.

"Least I'm not playing dumb to woe Mr. Snow-white!" Heart accused, trying to save face, even though she was still slightly blushing.

"Snow white?" Akira blinked confused, "Oh, wait-! You mean Kiba, right? ….HEY! I'M NOT TRYING TO WOE HIM!" Akira yelped indignantly as her peach complexion flamed an embarrassed pink and her pulse shot up quickly.

"So you're really just playing dumb?" Heart eyed her strangely.

"No!" Akira huffed.

Heart stared at her in disbelief, but when she saw no deceit in the smaller wolf. Only overwhelming embarrassment, but Akira was still the bashfully innocent Akira Heart had always known. The black-haired beauty sighed, "Akira, you're just too innocent and honest for your own good." She ruffled the rusty red bangs of her pouting friend humorously before turning on her heal to go after the meat in the dumpster once again.

"Why you going that way?" Akira asked while she tried to re-tame her bangs with her fingers combing through them fruitlessly.

"'Cause I smell food." Heart replied over her shoulder, "Hey, you go on and scope out a little more. We can use all we can get. I get this and meet up with ya back at the bus later."

"Sure" Akira nodded as she started to walk on while Heart split off the path towards the dumpsters. The little redhead was beaming happily. She got to learn something new about her dear friend and in-turn came to understand her just a bit better than before, "Oh I understand alright," she grinned to herself, "I understand that Heart's got the hots for a certain someone! She's soooooo getting it for even SUGESTING I'd do such a thing to Kiba!" she cackled mischievously and then paused in the middle of the street just as the sun was about to come up, tilting her head a bit to the side when she realized something, "Wait… what does 'woe' mean…?"

"MOVE! OUT OF THE WAY!" a soldier called as a troop of them jogged pass, making Akira take a step back and out of the way at the intersection of the dirt walkways.

She nervously waited, fearing that one of them might recognize her. Unfortunately, she was still in the way of the troop, since she was shoved roughly out of the way and too the ground.

"Hey!" she yelped indignantly when her rump hit the ground with a near-painful THUD. She looked up to glare at them, only to come face to face with familiar set of blue eyes hidden behind small glasses resting on the bridge of an aristocratic nose and a full head of blond hair.

"Sorry about that. Here, let me help you up." Cher said offering a hand with a disarming smile.

Akira looked from Cher's face to her out stretched palm then back again slightly wary. She wasn't afraid Cher would turn on her, but…, 'Does she… does she know who I am? That I'm a wolf?' her cautious thoughts made her hesitate, but she slowly reached up and took the proffered hand up. Once standing, she bent over slightly to dust off her jeans and coat, noticing that Cher hadn't run off with the platoon of marching maniacs.

"You shouldn't take their actions to heart," Cher sighed as if annoyed as she looked over her shoulder, her left fist resting on her cocked hip in her show of attitude, "We have some business to do here with something we've lost and we're supposed to be discrete but these guys run around being complete jackasses." She turned back to Akira with a chuckle.

It was hard not to laugh in return, but Akira's answering giggle came out as a nervous chuckle. If Cher noticed, she didn't call it. Akira heaved a small sigh when the scientist-lady's blue eyes darted away from her to look around the dawn-lit streets around them.

"Do you live around here?" Cher asked suddenly turning back to Akira almost hopeful.

"Me? No," Akira pointed to herself with raised brows, "Oh no. No, I'm … I'm just passing through." She shook her head.

"Oh," Cher seemed disappointed, "Well do you know someone who does live here that might know a bit of history round here or at least the lay out? Our scanners may be high tech but the ones we brought are only geographic."

Akira thought a moment, "Uh well, I don't really know…." She muttered under breath in thought. She remembered seeing a particularly old man with an antique shop. He should know some history since he ran an antique shop of all things. And if not then he should know something, given his age, "Uh, there's an antique shop further down that road," she nodded to the road behind her to indicate the direction, "I'm not sure what good it'll do, but hopefully he'll get you started," she offered with a sheepish smile.

"Oh thank you," Cher smiled back with a nod as she glanced down the way Akira had just come from.

"No problem." Akira started to try and walk past her and be on her way again, thinking the conversation was over.

"Oh, hey, wait a moment!" Cher suddenly called holding a hand out after Akira as if to stop the young woman, making her cringe and look over her shoulder as her nerves skyrocketed again. Did she recognize her? Beads of sweat started to collect along her hairline as her heart pounded but she forced her voice not to squeak.

"Yes?" well it halfway worked…

"Watch yourself out there, will you? There's dangerous things running around here and I wouldn't want a nice girl like you getting hurt, alright?" Cher warned with a concerned expression.

Akira smiled back knowingly and held up her hand, "Thanks for the warning. I'll remember it." She waved her goodbye and started walking again, tucking her hands into her coat pockets with a secrete grin.

'If only you knew I run with those 'dangerous-things.' Akira thought.

Her heels clicked as she landed from her vault over a closed off alleyway. She bent her knees as she let the shock of the ground impact absorb through her body smoothly an then with grace of a feline, she straightened up her spine again returning to her usual confidant posture and shifted the pack she'd slung over her shoulder. The pack was full of her loot she'd found in garbage cans and dumpsters around the town. The pack itself, though, was something she 'confiscated' from a drunken hobo when she realized that she didn't have enough arms to carry all her food easily. She felt no remorse for her 'dirty deed' either since the Hobo wouldn't even notice it gone since it was empty when she took it and he was hopelessly drunk to boot.

She preened like a pampered cat as she held her head high proudly, "Well, I'd say the night's been rather productive if I do say so myself." She noticed the sky was getting lighter above the high buildings, "Looks like I'll get back just in time for breakfast- perfect." She thought aloud with a satisfied smile that faltered slightly after she took a few more steps and a sudden thought crept up the back of her mind, "I hope Akira's alright though…. She seemed kinda hurt when we went our separate ways back there…" she looked over her shoulder uncertainly, but then shook her head, "Nah, I told her I DO trust her. There's nothing for her to feel down about now. I'm sure she's back with the guys snuggling up to Kiba for a nap." When she thought of Akira's crush she grinned mischievously, "Boy does she got it bad!" she laughed out loud.

Heart stopped abruptly when her ears perked to a low, pain-filled moan that startled her. She tensed, ready for a fight and looked around the shadowed morning-lit street that was vacant, but her senses were going haywire and her heart started to speed up slightly.

"Whose there? Show yourself!" she demanded as she looked around her. She'd already had a few strays that had attacked her in the night, challenging her for her looted food, but she'd easily batted them off her like flies. However, some were crafty and made ambush attempts at her so she wasn't a fool to relax just because they were weaker than her….

Heart's nose filled with the heavy scent of blood, then something moved in front of her, hidden against the wall that had heavy shadows and dull lights around it, making it hard to see. She slowly took a few steps closer and looked closer to see a black heap of fur push itself up from the wall and then dragged it's self through a cross way in front of her. The dog looked at her in with familiar blue eyes so full of agony as it paused and stared back at her. Heart could smell human and gun powder on the female. Neither of them growled or made a noise. They simply stared. Heart recognized her instantly as the female part wolf from before and she knew from the sudden spark in the female's icy orbs that she knew Heart as well.

Heart could guess what happened. The female probably got in the way of an angry human and the human bastard probably beat her to take out their petty frustrations. She had seen similar cases many times before and it only hardened her resolve that very few humans would ever earn her respect. She watched impassively as the dark female started to drag herself in her determination once more but flopped down as her body gave out. She whined in her pain and though Heart watched on coldly, her heart felt heavy for this stranger in a way that felt familiar. Slowly she approached the fallen creature, noting that the female could only barely lift her head to watch as she approached. Her muzzle only slightly twitching in warning and a gurgling sound emitted from her throat as if she were trying to growl. Heart merely arched a brow, crouching down when she was near the part-wolf's head, showing she wasn't afraid of a fallen, broken tamed beast of the humans. She tucked her arms to herself as she squatted there, taking in the poor thing's condition.

"A human has done this to you… right?" she asked slowly. Her red eyes traveled back to blue eyes that reminded her of someone very dear to her… her heart clenched at the thought of this wolf- one of similar breeding to her- being hurt in anyway. She clenched her teeth as she thought of the humans that must have done this, feeling a sudden rise of fury.

"You should have listened to me when I said to leave the humans sooner rather than later." She felt a sudden urge to admonish this creature, scolding her like a troublesome pup, "Did I not tell you something of the like would happen like this?"

"It… it wasn't my… Pops…" a broken feminine voice rasped her reply.

Heart could only stare stunned that the she-wolf spoke, "What?"

"Pops… never hurt … me," the dark wolf used all her strength to sit up and level Heart with a determined glare, "Soldiers…"

"Orchem's soldiers have done this?" Heart's eyes narrowed. The dark part-wolf nodded.

"I lost…my collar…" the dark wolf panted.

Heart glanced down the matted fur, noting that it was indeed missing the spiked collar that once wrapped around this females' neck. Both of their ears were easily able to pick up the sound of marching soldiers on the main street that crossed their street they now stood in. Heart looked towards the noise, unconcerned for herself, but her red eyes darted down to the fallen blue-eyed female and she grimaced, once again looking back with hatred where she knew the soldiers were. She made up her mind quickly.

"Wh-what…" the part-wolf started to protest when Heart bent down to scoop up the wolf in her arms and quickly leaped up, propelling back and forth from the sides of the buildings till she landed atop one and set down the wounded wolf. Blue eyes stare up at her in confusion before wincing and whining as the pain sizzled through her torn body.

"Don't push yourself anymore. Your wolf-blood is trying to heal you. Once it's awakened with realization, your body starts to go through changes. Mine did when I was younger." Heart explained as she knelt down beside the other she-wolf and shrugged her pack from her back, "First rule of wolf-healing. Eat something and bathe in the moonlight. It speeds up your healing drastically. Second thing- stay away from silver. You now have… well let's just say an allergy to it that can kill you quicker than snake venom." As she explained to the awed she-wolf she pulled out a few small slabs of meat and a few loaves of bread, setting them down near the wolf's head. She then stood up, "I'm sorry I can't do anything more for you. You should stay here till nightfall. Your body should be fine by then if you eat these to give it a boost. The moon will do the rest when it comes out later." She turned away from the wolf and started to walk towards the edge of the flat roof.

"W-wait…"

Heart paused as she hoisted herself up the railing, preparing to jump, but she waited when the strained voice called out to her. Her heart skipped a beat in that moment and she felt a sudden empathetic pain for the wolf as she waited.

"Who… are you?"

"I'm called Heart." Heart replied softly as she bent her head low, but didn't turn to face the wounded wolf.

"I'm… Blue."

"Well, Blue," Heart tried the name out and just like the scent and body of its owner it held a familiar tie to it, "This time, please take my advice… now that you understand just what you are, you mustn't bow down to any human from now on. You're a wolf too and that means your sole purpose in life is to survive and live for paradise and your pack. You can't rely on the humans any longer." And with that, she stepped off the railing, letting herself free fall off the roof and land on a lower one. She took only a small moment to look back up to the tall building she left Blue on before shaking her head and starting back for the hideout.

A sudden flash of memory caught her off guard, making her steps stutter…

"Mommy!" Heart's puppy tongue lolled happily out of the side of her mouth as she rushed up to the adults returning from their kill. She by passed her father, a spitting image of herself and ran right up to a similarly colored female wolf. Her fur wasn't as dark as her mate's or pup's, it was a dark smokey grey, but she had a diamond shaped white marking on her forehead and one white front paw. Her warm blue eyes gazed welcomingly as she lowered her head to nuzzle her daughter…

"Mother…" Heart's head quickly turned back to look up at the roof once more, "It… it can't be…." She shook her head, trying to get her mind back on track, "It doesn't matter! There's no time for silly yearning of family! I got my own pack to feed now…" and with that she huffed, heaving the pack over her shoulder again and then darted off into the morning light.

0000oooo0000oooo

"Rise and shine, boys and girls," Heart announced as she entered the run down bus they called a hide out, "It's breakfast time!" she held up her pack with one hand, grinning triumphantly when the rest of her pack realized just how much she had gathered on her own.

"Took ya long enough!" Hige complained, even as he started to crowd close to her with his nose twitching at the bag. Heart jerked it away from him and used her free hand to push him back by the forehead.

"You're such a glutton, Hige." She grinned with mock-chagrin down at him, and then turned to face the others, "Did I miss anything?"

"Nothing much," Akira admitted where she sat near the front of the bus, watching Hige in amusement while he tried for Heart's pack of food once again and failed yet again, "I was only able to bring back what my arms could hold- some chicken and thrown out meatloaf."

"Yeah and we already went through it all." Hige added, pouting slightly when Heart once again evaded his attempts to get to the rest of the food, "Come on HEART! Share the love!"

"What love?" Heart arched an accusing brow.

"We're all still hungry! The chicken wasn't much!" Hige whined.

"You mean WE are still hungry." Tsume growled in frustration, drawing Heart's attention to the silver-haired man standing at the back of the bus with his arms crossed over his chest and his upper lip slightly pulled back to show a bit of his lengthened fangs, "You scarffed down that chicken before we could even get a sniff of it, porky!"

"Yeah and I'm STILL hungry!" the stocky wolf with the extra-large appetite groaned, "Besides, you guys got the meatloaf right?"

"It was half a meatloaf…" Akira deadpanned, "Besides, that poultry meat was supposed to be split amongst all of us. Not just your appetizer."

"Uuungh," Toboe whimpered as he clutched at his protesting stomach, "I feel my stomach attacking itself. I don't think that meatloaf was supposed to be edible…"

Tsume glanced at the pup amused, "You're a wolf, idiot. We can survive scavenging nearly rotten meat and our stomachs should be able to handle it. You were too pampered."

"Was not!" Toboe defended, but his stomach growled again, discounting his try save face as he slouched back down pitifully.

"Have no fear; I have plenty of meat and other goods to put some preservative meat on your bones for the travel!" Heart said happily as she dug into the pack and started handing out the day old meat and loafs of bread she found. She paused, glaring at Hige when she looked up from leaning over the pack of food to find him LEANING over her drooling at the food, "You get last dibs, porky." She dryly growled out Tsume's chosen nick name for the wolf.

Hige's face fell, "You're so cruel! What, was that pack you and Tsume used to run with made up of cold bitches and ruthless bastards?" he huffed half-heartedly.

Akira shot him a shocked-indignant glare and smacked Hige upside the head in retaliation, "Hush!" she hissed at him, then glanced over to Heart nervously to gage her reaction.

"The hell was that for? Did you actually SMACK me Akira?" Hige rubbed the back of his head. It hadn't hurt at all, but he was surprised the little she wolf had it in her to hit someone…. He followed her gaze to Heart and then looked back to her, guessing where this new influence must have come from.

Akira ignored him, sighing in relief when she realized that Heart was ignoring him as well as the elder she-wolf docilely handed out a fair share of food to each of the members of their mismatched pack. When she reached Cheza, the flower maiden refused, holding a hand up to stop Heart from coming closer.

"No, this one is more than full now." She smiled up at Heart who stared in confusion.

"Sorry?" Heart tilt her head, not understanding how Cheza could be full.

"Yeah, she soaked up plenty of sunlight this morning when the sun started to rise while you guys were still gone." Toboe explained as he ripped into his food hungrily, showing he was every bit a wolf as everyone else.

"Sunlight?" Heart looked out the window, taking note that it was about late-morning now, "Oh, well then please excuse me, Cheza," Heart apologized meekly to the maiden.

Cheza smiled back at Heart warmly, "All is well, This one did not tell anyone she ate from the sun and the moon."

"Man I wish my food came as easily as that." Hige said dreamily, "No more going hungry."

"We can get enough sustenance to survive when we bask in the moonlight, remember?" Kiba offered with a knowing smirk.

"I like to be well satisfied, not just survive, thank you." Hige groused back.

"So what are we up against?" Heart asked while they were all finishing up their seldom-enjoyed meal.

"They've got us surrounded, but they have holes in their defenses and look-outs. So we're moving at night to give us cover and empower us with the moon since it's in its waxing stages." Tsume replied.

"Yeah, there's this place the humans call the 'Forest of Death' since they tend to lose their way when they go into it." Toboe chimed in, "Something about their tracking devices going haywire when they get too deep in it."

"But with our noses, it shouldn't be a problem." Hige shrugged.

"Some humans said that it was cursed by the Darcia family by howling wolves of the hound of hell." Kiba said, "I bet it's just a pack of wolves using the myths as a cover for their home to stay untouched by humans."

"Mean's we'll have to tread carefully then." Tsume deduced with a morbid nod, "After all, if there is a pack in those woods, its probably made up of male rogues since female wolves are hard to come by, and with this oh so great timing we're having of the seasons, we'll be a magnet with the girls' scent alone, not to mention Cheza's." he rolled his eyes.

"Timing? What's that have to do with anything?" Akira asked curiously, "And what are we 'girls' doing to hinder you, huh? We haven't done anything to draw attention have we?"

The other wolves just stared at her dumbly. All but Toboe seemed to know the gist of what Tsume was talking about, but Akira looked from each of them, getting nervous when no one seemed to speak.

"What?" she took a step back.

"Have you noticed that when we left the island it was still winter and cold every night, but after these past two months of traveling, the weather's gotten warmer?" Hige tried to get her to realize the hint.

"Yeah, spring is on its way, right?" Akira still wasn't getting what spring had to do with it either.

"Not only spring…. Spring fever?" he tried again with a waggle of his brows suggestively.

That just made her even more confused.

"Say what now? Spring fever? Is someone getting sick?" her wide orange eyes were so full of innocents that it made them all question just how she was brought up so sheltered.

"For the love of the MOON!" Tsume rolled his eyes, "If spring time is almost hear that means any day now you women are going to give off a scent that's going to drive every unattached male with in miles crazy since there aren't many females as it is!"

"Oh…." She seemed to get it then as she looked down embarrassed, "Well… then shouldn't Heart and I take more frequent baths when that happens? I mean if we're going to smell that bad…" nope, she still didn't get it. Everyone just gawked at her in shock.

"I don't think that will help, Akira." Kiba sighed at her overwhelming innocents, "It's a hormonal thing. No amount of washing with water will do anything to delude it."

Akira just stared at him.

"Please tell me that you've had the talk about the Birds and the Bee's…" Tsume droned in dread.

Akira jerked up, blushing furiously, "Oh THAT!" she yelped, amusing her pack mates to a whole new level as she started to cower away from them shyly, "Uh yeah… I've had that talk…. Bad memory." She blushed darkly as her heart pounded loud enough they could all easily hear it.

"Akira, are you ok?" Toboe was still in the dark about this, but no one felt the need to actually clue him in on mating rituals or … primitive urges.

"Did who-ever-give-you-the-talk bother to tell you that usually, Mother Nature gives us all a bit of a push about this time of the year? You know, mating season?" Heart elaborated, "What they mean is that as the female, we give off a scent to attract a mate and that scent stays with us for a few days. It's different for everyone and some don't even stop producing the scent until they've been claimed by a mate… in other words," the elder she-wolf was grinning like an imp when she realized how much Akira's heart rate was accelerating, "That scent you're about to produce makes you and all the unclaimed males around you want sex…."

Akira stiffened at the lewd word, not used to hearing such a thing spoken so freely, "….Oh." she said in a small voice, "Well what about the rest of you? If we have to worry about a pack of… horny rabid males, don't we have to be mindful of you guys as well?" she looked over her shoulder at the rest of the males in the small pack.

Tsume snorted with a roll of his eyes haughtily, " Yeah right…The only one you have to worry about humping you in your sleep would be Hige." He tilt his head towards Hige for emphasis.

"Bastard" Hige mumbled as he bristled silently.

"Since the other pack is dominant to us if they really are there and it would be their home land, they'll instinctively seek out any unattached female to integrate into their own pack. It's an instinct that keeps most from inbreeding." Kiba explained, "That instinct should be especially strong if they are a male-dominant pack."

"I doubt we have any ground to be worried about this little hormone acting up though. It's still winter at the moment." Heart reassured, "Spring is still about a week or so away."

"Doesn't mean it's not coming." Hige whined, "And it's not like she-wolfs just walk around in broad day light! You think wolves are hard to find, try finding an unmated female."

Heart and Akira gave him a pointed look.

"You two don't count." He huffed in a pout.

"The fact is…" Heart continued, "Even though Mating Season is a … frustrating time, it's not mind controlling. We all just have to agree to keep level heads and not give in to foolish urges. Deal?" she let her hand rest near her revolver, "And if someone should get out of line, I'm sure we can find some sort of motivation to get back IN line." She grinned slowly, knowing that her threat wasn't going to be a lost cause on the boys. Even Toboe who was only just now grasping the meaning of mating season took her threat to heart.

"So uhh… back to what we were saying…" Akira drew the conversation back to the matter at hand, "We leave at night then, right?"

Five sets of sensitive ears perked when they heard the tell tale signs of scouting devices humm nearby. The humans were on the move again to hunt them down.

"No. Now we move to a different spot to rest until dusk. Then we move." Tsume jerked his head in a signal that the rest of them should follow his lead as he crept out of the bus.

XPXPXPXPXPXPxpxpxpxp xpxpxpxpXPXPXPXPXPXPXPXPXP

Cher approached the graveyard of Darcia clan just out of the small run down town the team of soldiers she was traveling with were stationed. The scientist was thankful that the old man from the antique shop hadn't lead her astray, even though he seemed reluctant to give her any useful information other than silly legends of the Darcia family curse. She looked around somberly to take in the surroundings. Gravestones, both broken and still whole littered around the unkempt grass that looked sickly. It almost felt like she walked into an ancient black and white film filled with vampires and ghouls. A thin iron-barred gothic fence lined the boundaries of the graveyard, but it was broken in some places. The high arched gate had only one actual door while its partner was missing somewhere, she eventually found it hidden in the over grown grass a few yards off. The cobblestone path was littered and torn apart with thorny weeds and the trees of the forest had started to over run the place as well with their unkempt roots and vines claiming nearly every clear-spot available. Her blue eyes searched the horror-film worthy landscape for an answer to her restlessness, yet the blond scientist found nothing that seemed to give her peace. Only more questions.

"The Darcia Keep….," she looked in the general direction the newer edition of the family Keep that had been built for the house of the Darcia clan after the fall of the castle so many years before in the great Nobles War. She then turned behind her were said remains of the castle barely stood above the small town it once ruled over prosperously, "The Darcia Castle," she then looked around her, "and the Darcia Graveyard." They all kept popping up whenever she tried to research the wolves and Cheza's existence, but why…?

"They must all have something connecting them. The Nobles War was a secrete war with little information about its origins or reason… thought aloud.

Did the Darcia family have a hidden secrete pertaining to the wolves and Cheza? Was that why Lord Orchem and Lady Jagura's armies were starting to kill each other over the flower? Orchem and Jagura had been allies during the war since the Darcia clan was once the powerhouse of the three Noble families, and even now, the stand still between all three of the nobles was only because lord Orchem had hidden the flower close to a vital area for his county's lands. To attack him was to attack the flower and neither Jagura nor the fallen Lord Darcia had been arrogant enough to try and over take Orchem in effort not to harm the flower…

Until now.

"What are the missing pieces you're hiding?" she whispered up at the statue of a deceased Darcia Lord that stood proudly above her, still looking every bit as regal as the real lord must have been even though there were a few bits a pieces of stone missing from the artwork.

A soft chime of something light ad metallic dancing in the breeze disturbed the haunting silence of the graveyard and Cher felt a chill run up her spine as she heard the telltale rustles of footsteps. It didn't sound human at all…

She quickly turned around with a sharp inhale, her hand going for her stun-gun under her coat but she froze in place when her aquamarine eyes fell on silver fur belonging to her stalker. He stood tall with his head held high and proud as he watched her from atop one of the tallest tombs that still stood standing. His long fur dancing in the wind in front of him as his tail swayed at his side. She instinctively knew he wasn't here to harm her, but that didn't make his presence any less nerve wrecking than it was with the under current of power the large wolf must have.

"You…" she whispered. The moon behind him made his silvery fur look white in its reflection, "You're the wolf that stood beside Cheza, aren't you?" she quickly disagreed with that thought. This creature didn't have the soft downy white of the former wolf that had stood beside Cheza with a golden gaze worthy of a wolf god. He may be presenting himself with just as much dominance and power as white one that dragged off Akira before, but this one had a darker white to him- actual metallic silver fur with eyes that were dual colored: one a typical wolfs' eye that bore a haunting green while the other looked almost human with the white eyeball surrounding the blue iris. A feature that brought to mind the very Darcia Cher had come across a month ago when Lord Darcia had stolen Cheza….

She felt nervousness return in full force. She hadn't come across this wolf before, and while the others had yet to harm her, she knew they had some kind of truce that protected her from their wrath, but this one was a lone wolf. He probably didn't run with them and could attack her and kill her easily. She took a step back slowly, stepping on a branch and feeling her throat tighten when his pointed ears twitched at the sound. Her eyes widened in fear when he lowered his head and started to climb down the tomb, closing the fifteen yards of safety Cher had taken small comfort in before now.

Cher stopped backing up when something caught the light of the moon and shimmered in her eye. She spied the silver chain hanging around his neck, a familiar crucifix swaying with his steps. She recognized the collar…

"I know you…. Don't I," she whispered taking looking closer look at him. She noticed now that when he stopped a few yards away, respectfully almost, he wasn't putting a show of dominance. He wasn't trying to intimidate her, he hardly looked like he was angry with her. His silent, stoic disposition gave off the impression he was merely watching her. He didn't approach her any further, but his body was turned in a way that suggested he would flee quickly should she make a wrong move, rather than attack.

Feeling brave with her wave of de'javu, she started to approach him cautiously when the wolf suddenly lowered his head and snarled fiercely with his metallic silver fur standing on end around the scruff of his neck and his ears pinned back. She pulled up short, a breath caught in her throat in a sudden wave of panic that she had been wrong; thinking it was it was her he was snarling at, but a low chuckle startled her to a new presence. She turned her back on the wolf sharply to face this new threat that had the wolf so threatened and angry.

"I see you have met my pet." The low voice sounded amused, "Don't worry, he seems to like women and detest men. Force is all I can do to him to keep him from tearing into me." The blue-eyed man's small smirk sharpened when the wolf's growl increased in volume with a biting bark.

"Darcia…." Cher breathed out, her heart doing flip-flops.

"I'm afraid that you're getting to close to untouched stories," he held his fingers close to his eye patch…..

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

The soldier huddled with his squad near the abandoned bus the suspects had last been reported sighted near, "Your mission is simple, go in there and kill all but the target. Got it?"

"Yes SIR!" the soldiers obediently said in unison.

"Take'm out"

"SIR!" they saluted and went into motion.

The silently approached the bus. The leader counted off in fingers to three, then lead the troop recklessly as they let loose instant chaos, lighting up the bus windows with flashes of gunshots form their machine guns when they busted in and let bullets fly. When it was all clear, one soldier stuck his head out and gave the OK sign to approach.

As the commander approached, they uncovered the ratty old blanket the target had been under and were surprised to see it empty underneath.

"The HELL?" a soldier gasped.

"They fuck'n escaped. That's what." The Commander growled. He kicked the side of the bus in frustration, "FUCKING HELLS! I don't get paid enough for this." He took out his walkie-talkie.

"Commander to base, Commander to base, do you read me?" he spoke in it, "Mission unsuccessful. Suspects escaped."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"We read you, sir" a soldier sighed and turned off the connection, "Damn; those kids are slippery little bastards." His partner on watch agreed.

"I'll say," the men turned quickly to the unfamiliar husky voice behind them.

A young woman with dark tanned skin and seductive red eyes stood with her hips cocked to the side. She wore their uniform, though it was only the outer jumpsuit, the zipper was down to her stomach, showing off her bra underneath that strained against the tight jumpsuit. She must not have gotten the right fitting since her armor and uniform fitted poorly, but she was an eyeful to the uncomplaining soldiers.

"Wa-wait," one stuttered as a lustful blush marred his nose, "Who are you? I don't remember you being on this mission…"

"I'd remember a bo-face like that," his partner agreed.

They were in a stupor as the woman smiled at them lazily and swayed her hips as she sauntered up to them. Her red eyes were fiery though she kept her body cool and calm. The men could barely hear much else other than the rapid pulses of their suddenly pounding hearts. She gave them a slow salute, since her uniform and armor gave the impression that she was a rank inferior to them and they saluted back… in more ways than one, embarrassingly enough.

"You know, there should be more of the guards up tonight." She commented, tucking her arms against her body underneath her supple chest. They couldn't help but appreciate the way the small gesture made her already straining breasts round up even more enticingly than before. Both took note that her black bra was silk…

"Where are the others?" she asked, smirking knowingly when it took them a moment to reply.

"We're low on guards right now because most of us are storming the targets location, but that was unsuccessful so they're searching now." One answered with out thinking she should have known that if she were one of them. He was too caught up in HER to think logically.

"Really?" she smirked suddenly darkly, "Well, then I'm sorry, gentlemen," she shrugged.

"For what?"

"Because I'm not really sorry for this-," Heart said calmly and quicker than either could blink, she whipped out her revolver, a silver bullet struck one of them in the head so fast, the one left alive didn't even register it until precious moments later when she was cocked and loaded once again, gun pressed into his forehead dangerously.

"Bu-But you're-," he stuttered.

"Not one of you." She said darkly as she backed him up to the truck behind him, pinning him there, "Tell me how many are here!" she demanded.

"Th-Thirty!" he yelped. Heart noticed with disgust that his lustful blush was still across the bridge of his nose and growled dangerously in disgust when her thigh felt the proof of it rubbing against it.

"Ugh!" she spat in disgust, quickly pulling the trigger of her revolver and let his brains blow out against the side of the truck, quickly backing away from him covering her mouth, "That's disgusting!" she shivered.

"Hey, what's going on here!" another soldier demanded as the other 'thirty' quickly reacted to the gunshots heard in the camp.

Heart glared at the surplus she found. The damnable bastard had lied- there were more than thirty around here, even though only about five of them approached her. She could sense the rest of them just beyond the trucks.

She pressed herself against the side of the trucks, waiting for them to come, then, before they could understand what was happening, her revolver fired three shots, one in a head, one in a heart and one in a neck artery. Three were down and bleeding to death. She tripped the fourth one with her long legs, shoving him face first into the steal of the truck with enough strength to break his neck on contact. Her red eyes spied the fifth one that gawked at her since all this happened in seconds!

"Why you-!" she didn't let him finish as she lunged forward, rising her sharp knee high and nailing him in the groin, doubling him over, "F-F-F-UCKING HE-L" he tried to stutter, but she switched legs as she turned in a round-house kick and knocked him a few feet away. She narrowed her eyes on him as she caught herself from her attacks momentum and found a gun pointed at her. This one had better recovery time than the others apparently. She froze, ready to dodge at the last minute when he fired, "EAT THIS YOU BITCH!" he readied his gun.

"You have no idea just how much of a heinous bitch she really is," Hige sighed from behind the startled fallen soldier. Before the soldier could look over his shoulder in surprise, Hige struck him with a fist that had enough power in it to dent one of the army trucks, cracking his skull and breaking his neck in the after shocks of the powerful blow.

"So I'm a bitch now?" Heart cocked a brow while she righted her self, reloading her gun, "You looking to get neutered?" She frowned at something while her gun clicked at the ready once again, making Hige cringe.

"Well you actually are! Literally if you haven't noticed!" Hige defended just as they were hailed with bullets.

"You're point?" Heart groused as they rolled to safety under the truck. She inched up and fired back, taking out a few but hissed in anger that even though she struck down a good some of them, there were still more enemy guns to take up the slack their dead had just given way to, "Damn it!"

"What?" Hige covered his head as he ducked lower into the ground they huddled in under the truck, "Aren't you gonna shoot back?" he growled, "That's your thing, remember!"

"Out'ta bullets." Heart grumbled, not seeming the least bit troubled that now they were defenseless against the machine guns, but more concerned that her precious revolver wouldn't be firing anytime soon.

"ARE YOU INSANE! NOW WE'RE GOING TO BECOME FISHING NETS WITH ALL THE HOLES THEY'LL PUT IN US!" Hige wanted to shake her but wisely kept his hands to himself. Thoughts he couldn't shoot him with silver bullets, Heart was still the better fighter between the two of them.

"Relax, Hige." Heart whipped off her gun and sheathed it with a content smile, "I'd say the Calvary's about to arrive in three…. Two…. One-," on cue, they heard various yelps and grunts of pain and shouts of surprise as the gunfire lessened sharply and then stopped all together.

"What just happened…." Hige blinked.

"The Calvary just happened." Heart grinned as she turned on her stomach and wiggled out from under the truck, "Come on, let's get going."

Hige followed her example, quickly coming face to face with an annoyed-looking Tsume soon as he wrenched himself free from under the army truck, "Oh, so you're the cavalry, Tsume?" he asked innocently.

"You should have been able to take out those fifty soldiers on your own with your little gun," Tsume spat at the weapon with loathing as he eyed Heart admonishingly.

Heart shrugged, "Bullet's ran out." She replied, ignoring his attempt to lecture her.

"Maybe if you didn't waste time trying to catch them off guard with your little costume-act, you could have stolen some more bullets rather than seducing a man out of his clothing to blend in." Tsume gritted through his teeth. Really, the she-wolf could never just go into battle head on! She always had to saunter her way in like a vixen!

"Girl's gotta keep practice in teasing a couple of men, now doesn't she?" Heart's brow waggled a bit suggestively. Hige looked from her to Tsume cautiously and stayed silent, letting the impending fight blow over since his interference would only blow it up higher, "Besides, I needed a little fun to lighten up the occasion." She flicked her hair over her shoulder.

"FUN!" Tsume bristled and stomped his foot, "You think this is a game! That you can go around just flaunting off your body to any fucking male that's not pack because you're bored and want to get a reaction! IS THAT YOUR IDEA OF FUN?" Tsume barked.

Heart turned away from him with a frown, "You say it as if I'm trying to whore myself out. In a battle, the smartest way to go about it is to use any advantage you have over the enemy, I use lust because its easiest for me to control my enemies that are so weak minded." She glared over her shoulder at him, "I don't do it because I want the attention of those poorly-disciplined fools."

"Could have fooled me." Tsume snorted.

Heart grinned as she turned away gain slyly, "One would think you're acting a bit jealous, Tsume."

"Jealous? Of what-," Tsume nearly bit his tongue when Heart proceeded to shimmy out of her jumpsuit, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING NOW!"

Heart stood there in her black satin underwear shaking out the army jumpsuit she just shucked off herself. The undergarments weren't scanty, but looked rather sexy as hell to Hige! The stockier of the two men let his jaw drop and drool slightly drip in appreciation from the side of his mouth while his eyes widened. Tsume could only stare in shock as she bent down with her back to them, rummaging through the fallen jumper and pulled out her clothes from its pockets, then redressed herself. His heart slowed in shock that she was practically naked in front of him, then seemed to jumpstart and burst into overdrive in a matter of seconds. It thundered in his ears and his skin became hot and uncomfortable under his clothing. He swallowed with a cotton tongue, but his golden eyes refused to blink or drag away from the tanned goddess until he got a good look of her before she was covered up by her own clothing… if you could call the bright red tank top and crop jacket much cover-up. Now that he thought about it… the skin-tight black leather ripped pants did little to hide her curves either…

Tsume snapped out of his daze at seeing Heart's near-naked backside when he heard Hige panting. He glared sidelong at the younger wolf and then proceeded to backhand him hard enough for Hige to go tumbling backwards. Hige had been so worked up that the attack didn't even register to his lusty-fogged brain until he was planted butt first into the ground looking up at a pissed off Tsume.

"OW! HEY!" Hige yelped and held his nose, "What was that for!" he pushed himself up and glared right back up at the narrowed golden eyes.

"The scent of your near ejaculation is revolting." Tsume snorted, "Control yourself, dumbass before I make sure you don't have the option for THAT much." He gritted through his teeth as he arched his neck threateningly.

"INCOMING!" Heart shouted precious seconds before bullets hailed the trio once again.

Tsume snagged Hige by the back of his collar and hauled him to the safety of the steal wall that was part of one stock building the troops had put up to protect their armory while they were stationed here. Hige panted when Tsume finally dropped him, making sure to insert himself between the younger wolf and the she-wolf as the gray-haired man squatted down among them, glaring over Heart's shoulder at the men closing in on them.

"DUDE WHAT THE FUCK!" Hige barked indignantly, "TRYING TO CHOKE ME NOW?"

"Shove it." Tsume retorted half-heartedly, "I just saved your life and you know it, Porky."

"Porky?" Hige bristled.

"Hige!" Heart leaned over Tsume to smother Hige's protests, covering his mouth with her hands, "CAN IT!" she hissed, "They lost sight of us when we took hiding! This is our chance to confuse them and lead them away from the others and escape ourselves, you dope!" she took no notice that her upper body was also shoving Tsume into the wall, rendering him speechless with her boobs right in his face, "Do you understand? Keep quiet!" she whispered.

Hige nodded quickly, and Heart slowly let her hands fall, feeling something strange on her chest. She looked down to see Tsume practically face-planted in her cleavage…. She saw red.

"TSSUUUUUMEEEEE!" Tsume braced himself for impact as Heart booted him away from her and promptly into the open-fire range, surprising the soldiers that one of their targets just went flying into range as if… someone tossed him there….

"I'll….kill….that….bitch…" Tsume coughed, shrugging the dirt off him after he landed in his wolf form to save himself from injuries. The gray wolf was noticeably red in the face with embarrassment…. Wolves blush?

"So much for 'lead them away quietly'." Hige mused dryly.

Heart turned her rage towards him, making him yelp, "SHUT UP AND GO FIGHT COWARD!" she booted him out as well.

"I DIDN'T MEAN IIIIIIIIIIT!" Hige howled as he flew through the air, shifting to wolf form as well like Tsume had earlier. Tsume sidestepped out of the way, snorting a spiteful breath when Hige's fluffy body collided with the hard earth and tossed dirt clods everywhere.

"I really… think she's got… something shoved too far up…" Hige mumbled into the ground as he shakily pushed himself up.

The soldiers snapped out of their stupor and the ceasefire was over. The wolves flinched and ducked low when they were once again in the midst of bullets. Tsume dashed off, dodging easily around the bullets and started taking down one human at a time. Hige was at his flank, taking out the humans the older wolf missed.

Heart waited for the stupid males to take out the rest of the soldiers, arms crossed over her chest, face twisted in indignant fury as a red hot blush darkened her mocha skin, "Stupid, stupid…. Stupid idiotic MALES!" she roared.

Her red eyes spotted movement from the corner of her eye. A flash of white- KIBA!

She watched intently as the white wolf cautiously poked his head out of their hiding spot the wolves had been sleeping in all day. His golden eyes took in Hige and Tusme's fight with the humans and he spotted Heart. A silent understanding fell between the two as she watched Kiba shift to human form and duck back into the bush-entrance to their hide out; an old bomb shelter that had become over grown with foliage. He returned moments later, hand-in-hand with Cheza with Toboe at her flank. Akira stumbled out last, bringing up the rear of the foursome. Her orange eyes spied Heart for a second and Heart saw worry etched in those warm oranges.

"Go." She said softly, knowing her hybrid friend would hear it, even just barely over the gunfire behind her.

Akira hesitated for only a moment more…

"Akira!" she turned sharply at Kiba's insistent voice. He had helped both Toboe and Cheza into the abandoned pipes of the city. They were going to use the system to get around the soldiers to the other side of the city and to the safety of the Forest of Death, "COME ON!"

"Coming!" Akira turned tail and dashed off, taking his hand he held out to her. He helped hoist her into the large pipe and disappear down the dark passageway….

But not before being spotted by a vengeful one….

Quent cocked his gun at the ready. Rage buzzed in his alcohol heavy mind as he staggered after them. He took one look at the pipe and then followed where it lead into the side of the building, "They're trying to avoid everyone." He growled and held his gun at the ready, "It ain't gonna be that easy, wolfies…"

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"Did we HAVE to take the sewage pipes?" Akira gasped for air as she burst out of the leaking pipe and to the open air of the field just outside of the city.

Toboe and Cheza were right behind her but not as animated in their escape of the foul-smelling pipe. Kiba was the last to escape, shaking his shaggy mane of dark brown out of his eyes as he dusted the grime off his pilots jacket, "Your senses are still too untrained to understand that that reeking smell in there is nothing compared to most things wolves must endure to escape." He said matter-of-factly.

"Well I AM untrained." Akira coughed the smell out of her mouth as she fisted her hands on her knees and bent over, trying not to barf as well, but… just in case.

"Are you seriously losing your stomach over that?" Kiba questioned behind her with a smug smile.

"NO!" Akira jerked up embarrassed.

Toboe looked around them nervously, taking a step back towards Cheza. The field they'd ended up in was vast and wide with tall dead grass coming up to their calves. The city behind them was raised up on cemented blocks a few stories above ground level to the field. A rock wall seemed to be built on top of that to keep people from falling off to the deaths, but there was an eerie gap in the wall that looked like it had been recently blasted open. The field stretched for hundreds of yards before it ran smack into a halt at a dense tree line. The shadows of the trees cast a foreboding sense of danger that ran up the pup's spine and strangled a small whine from his throat. Even Cheza seemed a bit uneasy with their surroundings. The moon loomed overhead, though it wasn't its full brilliance just yet. The gentle candlelight of its beams were the only light offered to the wolves and the flower.

"This place is really starting to give me the creeps." Akira shivered as she inched closer to Kiba's side unconsciously.

Toboe was also getting anxious to get out of there, "Shouldn't they be here by now?"

"They're here." Kiba looked up at the gap in the wall just in time to see Heart, Tsume, and Hige leap down to join them.

"That was a wonderful stretch!" Heart held her arms above her head to stretch them.

"Was seduction part of your stretching exercises?" Tsume growled grouchily.

"You're just jealous and are too stubborn to admit it cause you know you're never gonna touch this." She snapped back rather heatedly before her heated fire became a seductive flare as she sauntered closer to him teasingly, "besides, you were thoroughly enjoying the little peepshow I was generous enough to indulge you in before"

Tsume jerked back startled and flustered as he was caught off guard, "So I can what? Get STD?" he smirked.

Heart's front fell quickly into scorn as she growled back at him and shoved her way into his personal space, getting nearly nose-to-nose with the suddenly surprised silver-gray haired man who tried to stand his ground and not lean into her, "You know I'd probably cure what ever STD you had so it's your loss and an opening for a better, brighter future to me, bastard." She huffed.

"YOU—," a gun shot cut Tsume off as the bullet whizzed through the small space between them and barely missed Toboe's left boot, leaving an indent in the earth beneath the grass.

"Shit!" Hige yelped when they all quickly looked in the direction the bullet came from, a sense of horror washing through them when they saw the powerful shotgun aimed and ready to fire with Quent behind it.

"GO TO HELL YOU DAMNED WOLVES! THIS IS WHERE YOU BECOME EXTINCT PERMANENTLY!" the old hunter pulled the trigger and a deadly bullet burst forth, followed by another and then another and another. Quent was shooting and reloading at such a pace that it was almost inhuman! He shot blindly at them, aiming in the general direction they were clumped at in the field. He didn't care if it was a waste of bullets, so long as one GOT them!

"MOVE!" Kiba barked his makeshift pack into action as he grabbed Cheza's hand, leading her towards safety.

"Akira!" Cheza called, reaching out to grasp Akira's arm and drug her with Cheza and Kiba linked.

The rest of the pack zigzagged through the tall grass, keeping low and using the grass as a small shield that did little to hide them from Quents rage. All but Akira and Kiba had reverted to wolf form to maneuver better, "GO AHEAD AND RUN YA LITTLE BASTARDS! I'LL KILL YA ALL!" he roared from the city wall's gap, still shooting blindly into the grass.

Quent grinned as he realized this. He reloaded his gun and actually took professional aim this time, looking through his gun's aiming device and had it lock on to a wave of bright red hair that was a stark contrast to the pale grass she zigzagged in, "Got ya…" Quent pulled the trigger, cursing as it whizzed right through her hair, foregoing any skin or causing any injury, "FUCK IT!" He cursed.

"KYYA!" Cheza screamed as the bullet ricochet off the ground and pierced straight through her ankle. She fell forward, taking Akira with when the redhead dove to try and break her fall. Kiba was jerked back suddenly, from holding Cheza's hand and rolled at the last second to avoid landing on them both! The three of them had churned up quite a bit of dust and were dazed for a moment, confused at what just happened.

"AH-HAAA! GOTYA!" Quent shouted victoriously as he aimed his gun once more at the prone targets ready to pull the trigger, "THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS!"

"AKIRA!" Heart cried out when she and the others slid to a stop in the safety of the tree line. She started forward to help, but Tsume and Hige tackled her in place.

"KIBA, CHEZA!" Toboe called with her in fear from where they watched helplessly out of range while Kiba and Akira were unable to gather their wits fast enough to move Cheza away.

Moonlight reflected off a metallic silver blur that shot through the grass, leaving barely a wind wake in its path just as Quent jerked the trigger. The bullet seemed to fly in slow motion towards the three stunned youth lying on the ground as if they were staring death in the face. The bullet never reached any of them…

Red-hot blood splashed the bullet found purchase in a hot body, but Quent stood dumbfounded when it wasn't one of his intended prey, but a tall, blond haired man with tanned skin. His white blazer was torn and barely able to stay on him, now soaked in red blood that wept from the wound in the young man's shoulder while he huffed for breath in heavy pants. His black pants were ripped at the knees and he was barefoot, but despite his less than formal appearance, the young man commanded the attention of the whole field as the aftershock of the fired bullet echoed and eventually faded to silence.

"He… he blocked it!" Quent shook slightly, "But where did he come from!" he knew he had been tracking four wolves to begin with. Four had somehow become six and then that weird white maiden showed up so that made seven, now this guy shows up! Clearly he was another wolf, but this one seemed to come out of nowhere! What were they- suicidal now!

The young man didn't look back as he stood regally over the ones he protected, staring the old man down as if daring him to take another shot, noting that the human was undergoing mild shock and was immobile for just a moment, "Go, get out of here while he's stunned." He said in a deep tenor voice that had Akira's ears perking in recognition, "I'll take care of the human." The voice snarled.

Kiba didn't waste time for question. He and Akira quickly helped Cheza up, then Kiba scooped the maiden into his arms and turned to leave, fully expecting Akira to follow his lead. Akira started after him as she reverted to wolf form, but hesitated. She watched as Kiba made it to the safety of the trees in the blink of an eye, knowing Cheza was safe. Her orange eyes slowly trailing to the ground and then back to the stranger with a heart full of hope busting inside her.

"J…Jasper?" she whispered.

There was no answer, but when she took a tentative sniff, her untrained sense of smell immediately knew who it was from memory, "It really is you, isn't it Jazz?" the young man before her reverted to his own wolf form, a silvery furred beast that was almost white like Kiba, but held a metallic sheen and a darkened tail. He turned his head to the side, letting her see the green-eye of a wolf and the crucifix that dangled around his neck.

"Akira," he replied softly. Jasper was so happy to see his baby sister again, and yet so grieved as well. What would she say about her brother if she knew he was tied to their enemy in an impenetrable blood bond?

Moisture collected in the bright orange eyes of the red she-wolf as she rushed forward and crushed her nose into the fur of his neck, "Jasper! I thought you were dead! After Shura died, I thought I was all that was left of us! I'm so happy you're alive and well!" she sobbed into his fur.

Jasper felt his heart crumble, 'Shura's gone?' he grimaced, thinking about the pups they had all been so excited to meet… now they were all gone. He would never meet his younger siblings or see his warm stepmother or father again. All that was left was Akira… and she was unreachable to him by fault of Darcia! Shura and Sasuke died because Darcia stole away CHEZA! It was all Darcia's fault! He started to growl lowly in pent up rage, startling Akira.

"J-Jazz?" she backed away a little bit, but Jasper's paw came up behind her neck and held her to him.

"I will find you again, little sister, I promise I won't let him hurt you."

"Wh-who?" He pushed her away again, suddenly alert.

"Shit…" he cursed, crouching low.

"Jasp-KYA!" a bullet suddenly aimed for Akira's head barely missed her left ear, scaring Akira into a yelp and then silence.

Quent seemed to have snapped out of his stupor and had aimed at Akira but missed just barely just now. He fired a follow up shot aimed for her again, but Jasper barreled into her, knocking her to the ground and both of them out of danger. She was still unable to see her brother's face since he smothered her into his chest in an effort to shield her.

"AKIRA!" Kiba called from the direction of the woods, his voice sounding closer than it should be, 'is he actually coming out here for me?' Akira panicked.

Jasper gently lifted himself from her just enough to let her wiggle out, "Go to him." He looked over his shoulder to try and gage when the hunter would fire again.

"What? What about you?" Akira yelped.

"I'm not going." Jasper snapped, "Look, just go to that white guy and let him be your shield till you get to the trees. White attracts a bullet better than red anyways so you got a good chance at not getting shot." He reasoned.

"But Jazz-,"

"I SAID GO!" he barked at her, forcing her from under him. Akira jerked away startled, but once more tired to get a glimpse of her brother's face before they parted. She could only see one side of it- he wasn't at the right angle for her to see him full on since he was glaring back at the hunter.

"Akira, we gotta go!" Kiba's white wolf form was suddenly upon her, herding her away like a cutting horse did to a cow.

"But-,"

"AKIRA JUST GO!" Jasper shouted angrily.

Gulping harshly and going against her better judgment, Akira stopped struggling with Kiba and raced him back to the safety of the others.

Jasper watched her go, feeling his heart in the pit of his stomach. He hoped he survived long enough to see his little sister again. He missed her and now with their stepmother and father gone… he shook his head. Jasper turned back to Quent and stared at him right in the eye while the old man chuckled.

"Your friends have all left you" he rasped loudly as he took aim again, "See what wolves do when their own kind shows them kindness?" he pulled the trigger only to come up blank, "Damn it!" he cursed as he fumbled to reload.

Jasper grinned wolfishly and didn't give him that kind of time. Quent looked up startled to find the silver canine beast standing right in front of him as if it had just used magic to teleport there, "Wha-the," it was upon him before he could sputter any protest, lunging at him and tackling him to the ground.

"GET THE HELL OFF ME!" he roared as the wolf pushed him down and snagged the gun away in its teeth. To Quents surprise, the wolf bolted off of him soon as he was disarmed. He watched in horror as the its jaws sapped clean through his top of the line weapon, leaving it in pieces at the wolf's front paws, "You-…you…YOU BASTARD!" he glared at the beast, shaking his fists.

The silver wolf just stared at him in its ominous way, before leaping down the wall again and disappeared in the tall grass, then reappearing briefly at the small parting between the field grass and the thick trees. It turned to look at him one last time before vanishing completely. Quent was disgusted, he had just been spared by none other than a wolf he had just shot!

"Akira! Why didn't you follow me the first time when we fled?" Kiba demanded aggravated that she had once again disobeyed him in some way.

"I-It was him!" she stuttered out of breath.

"Him? Him who?" Tsume cocked an eyebrow.

"That Silver-guy! Didn't you see him? He had a chain around his neck and-,"

"You mean the Rouge?" Kiba cut her off looking a bit peeved that she would mention him.

"Yeah, we all saw him. That guy was crazy! Who in their right mind would want to get shot? Do we even know him?" Hige seemed awed that there was such a nut job that didn't dodge bullets but took them for other doomed souls instead.

"YES!" Akira growled out in frustration. You'd think that since they asked her for information, they'd learn to listen to what she had to say!

"Who was he then?" Heart asked while she helped Cheza tend to the flower maidens wounded ankle that was already healing.

"That wolf out there was my half brother, Jasper…"

A/N- there you go…. Nearly SIXTY pages long! Oooo de laudy! I think for this revision stuff it's going to be once a month updates (pants for breath)

Anyways, So I start Community College soon (Aug 16). No more University for now, my academic skills took a beating so now I'm trying to lay low for a bit.

I HAVE NEW ART ON DEVIANT ART! LOOK ME UP! New Heart and Akira art is up and colored via PhotoShop on my Deviant Account .com/

^_^ I love drawing!

So anyways…. REVIEW RESPONCES!

-Amber- I know it was a while! Lol but now ya got 60 pages worth to make up for! Lol this one was by far one of the harder ones to revise as of now. I keep introducing more to the plot since I felt it was lacking before buuuut… it means I gotta think more on how to wrap it all together and keep near the same story plot before! Lol hmmm, since you said with a cherry on top… (makes a sour face) cherries are nasty, but STRAWBERRIES… hmm for a strawberry I guess I could lol

-Canis simensis- I hope the move went ok! Yup, little Akira has to cope with her wolfish instincts to kill and hunt now and she's starting to grow up and understand just what she is! I'm happy you loved the chapter! It makes my day when ppl say things like that!

-Bleach1fan- you know, I just started watching Bleach again via subs starting where the dub version left off… then I kinda skipped the next saga with the little blond girl after about the fifth episode of it, but I did read it- daaaaaaaaamn! I remember why I love bleach, so now im obsessed with Bleach and DBZ lol! I'm on the Second Arancar arc! I loved Code Geass! Akira will start letting loose a bit more soon ^_^ the savagery is just getting started!

-Wolfsbane- I felt kinda bad that Little Laura didn't really have character development, sooooo I'm entering her earlier, though she's still kinda n OUTSIDE character until later on ^_^

-KillerHotFeline- Hey girlie numba 1! I really enjoy tempting Kiba and making him seem more believable! I honestly think that if he had an actual love intrest in the anime/manga he'd react to her in a similar way he does Akira, but I just love messing with him via Akira! And viceversa too!

-PussyCatLover- HaHa, I might put a flash back for Jazz later on in the story, but for now that will remain a mystery since Jasper barely recalls it himself.

-Hachik- ^_^ It makes me smile that I could get the characters emotion through to my audience! I hope this chapter lived up to expectations for you!

-Vongola Ottavo- seeing your name again makes me want to create a character named Von Ottolaver. Lol! I think I've heard of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Now I want to go see it! I'm happy you like Akira! I love writing her!

-Venom- LoL! The movie WANTED actually gave birth to a lot of Heart's attitude with her weapon! Ironic!

-Carnage- ^_^ If you liked that, wait for the next couple of chapters. Those are getting AMPED up from before!

-Luriaz Seint- Jazz will have a LOT happen to him before this is over lol he kinda is the character with one of the harder paths

I LOVED ALL OF YOUR REVIEWS AND CAN'T WAIT TO HEAR FROM YA!

But I dooooo have a poll- ESPECIALLY for those of you who have read on a head into the next few chapters….

My issue now is not whether or not to put in a bit more descriptive carnage or not or Lemonz (yes, there will be lemons, but they will be heavily warned and easily able to skip if that offends you)

The question is that there is an Atempt of rape in the next few chapters. Its very vage right now (too vage to look right with the rest of the edits) should I leave it be or go into a bit more detail, and description? I don't wanna offend my readers since it IS rape, so I'd like to know the oppions of those who've read the story BEFORE. If this is your first time reading it, pleas don't skip ahead and ruin it for you!

Thank you kindly!

-Dessy-San