Hello, everyone! :D

Hope you are enjoying the new year thus far and I'm happy to post a new chapter of my Wolf's Rain story:)

Enjoy!

As the sun settled above the deep blue horizon, every one of us wolves occupied the small sandstone bridge within this decaying human infested town with our thoughts pondering the next move we should make after Cheza was taken by that Noble Darcia. My blue eyes scanned out the direction to where the Noble's castle stood knowing the flower maiden was waiting for us to rescue to her in order to continue finding Paradise. I stood upon the thick sandstone bridge barrier with Toboe standing behind me with his face focus on the direction in front of him where Paradise was last seen that night Cheza was stolen from us. Just several feet behind us sitting on a stone bench sat Hige as well as the wolf-dog Blue. She became quiet since encountering the elderly humans that saved us from those filthy men who were going to sell our bodies for money. I assumed she was going to return to her human owner though and try to hunt us down just how she did when my brother was in the last city they met. I wasn't sure if I could trust her for what she did but then again she was probably following orders from her human. Several feet away from Toboe stood Tsume, who leaned against the stone barrier with his head down and both arms folded close to his chest minding his own business as Kiba was a short distance apart from me standing with his attention focused in the same direction as mine. It was clear that we have to go to this Noble's Keep and reclaim back what is ours if we ever want to reach Paradise.

"They went that way, right?" My ears picked up the voice belonging to Toboe as he was speaking about the place where all of us except Blue last saw that damn Noble leaving with Cheza.

"They sure did." Hige spoke up soon afterwards, answering the young wolf's question as I continued to keep my eyes focused in the distance while my ears carried to listen in to their conversation.

"Are we going?" Toboe let out with wonder held in his voice turning his head to face the golden brown timber wolf.

"Yeah, we have too." Hige answered him again as the conversation started to spark interest with the wolf-dog, Blue.

"So, where are you headed?" Her blue eyes turned to Hige from across the bench knowing he wasn't going to refuse answering her.

"We're all trying to get to Paradise…" Once the word let out, I could tell that the black wolf-dog's ears perked up instantly and she wanted to know more.

"Paradise…?" Her voice softly questioned Hige as he gladly told her with a wide grin spreading along his mouth.

"It's something every wolf has to try to do…" After hearing that statement, Blue turned her gaze away from Hige's hazel eyes and stared sadly at the cold ground.

"Oh, right…Paradise, huh?" The tone of her voice was filled with a tinge of disappointment which Hige quickly counter it with the cheerfulness in his voice but it was clear to know why she sounded like that. It's because she's not entirely a wolf…she recently discovered that side of her because of Cheza.

"You're going to come with us, right?" Yet again, his upbeat tone was met with another wide smile aimed at Blue, hoping she would agree to join us on our journey but since she had a bad history with the other wolves I wouldn't be so open to having her along and she knew it too.

"It sounds tempting but I can't go…" Hige's bright face was met with disappointment but it didn't seem to stop the timber wolf as he began to be stubborn.

"Well, then I'm not going either." Instead of leaving the wolf-dog, he decided to give up on finding Paradise and stay with her acting childish with his decision which in all honestly it was a stupid one.

"Hige…" Blue spoke out his name in surprise before I turned around and faced them, hearing my brother sharing his own opinion while he turned his head over to his shoulder and stared at them as well.

"You know, maybe you're better off being around humans." Kiba's words cut through the air hitting a chord with Hige, who liked the wolf-dog since we've encountered her and I had to agree with my brother. She belonged with her human and not with us.

"It's not too late to go back…" My voice spoke out soon after my brother's and the air quickly became dead silent as this caused Hige to stare at us both with shock and anger.

"What the hell are the both of you saying, Kiba and Luna?!" He raised his voice with dislike standing up to Blue all the time in defense as Blue stepped in to speak for herself.

"I have no intentions in going back. I can never return to the way I was before, not now." As her answer seemed understanding to accept that she wants to let go of her past with her human and learn to embrace her wolf side by finding Paradise. There was only one thing to do as I jumped off the barrier and landed next to Kiba staring at the wolf-dog.

"Well, then the only thing you can do is move forward." I lightly told her in response and her face looked up at me in sudden surprise while Hige quickly ignored our recent negative comments and grinned brightly in excitement.

"Yeah, she's right! Move forward! Right? Right?" The golden brown timber wolf let out with joy looking on waiting for Tsume and Toboe to agree with him.

"Oh, yeah, I can see right through you, Porky." Tsume told him with a small smirk on the corner of his mouth while Toboe jumped off from the sandstone barrier and began to speak.

"Now, if only Cheza were with us…" Once he talked about the flower maiden, Hige reacted by using his fist to hit the red wolf's head prompting Toboe to place his hand over the growing pain and glaring his golden eyes at the timber wolf.

"Ow!"

"I told you not to say that!" Hige reminded him as he didn't want to make Blue lose interest in him before he changed his threatening expression and gave out a beaming grin and raising his voice for everyone to hear.

"Okay! Now that's everything's settled, time to get going! On to Paradise…!" As he pointed his finger in the direction out in front of him, my older brother began to correct him.

"We're going this way!" Kiba and I pointed in the other direction from where the Noble's Keep was stationed causing everyone to look at us with confusion.

"Paradise isn't over there…" Toboe answered softly as his eyes met with mine and I answered him with a warm smile on my lips.

"No, but Darica's Keep is." Once I let out this, Hige was the next to speak out looking more puzzled than ever.

"His Keep…?"

"Yeah, she's there…" Kiba told him referring to Cheza.

"Do you think Cheza's there waiting for us…?" Toboe sounded hopeful and he was right, Cheza was indeed waiting for us to save her but before I could answer him Tsume's voice remained pessimistic and spoke to the two white wolves.

"Kiba, Luna…Cheza left us of her own free will, you know." He reminded us the reason she left that night but there was more to that and Kiba began to inform him.

"She only did that to protect us." The two of us looked at him as I started to add more to the statement.

"Tsume, she wouldn't leave us if she had a reason too and I know she's waiting for us. We need to get her back from that Noble if we want to reach Paradise." As the gray wolf stared at us with doubt, it disappeared when he spoke about the obvious.

"Once we find her, that Noble will be there, too." He let out pointing out that there was the possibly of dying and my brother and I knew the consequences as my brother answered him.

"If we're meant to die, then so be it."

"When that happens, you'll both be on your own…" The wind blew out the silence as the voice of Toboe spoke out with eagerness.

"So, we're going, right? To where Cheza is, right?" He looked at everyone waiting for an answer as Hige was the first to speak to him sharing the same excitement.

"Right! Let's go!" Hige shouted out proudly, Kiba and I started to run towards the end of the bridge and jumping off the ramp as we landed on the dirt ground with Tsume and Toboe following us while Hige stayed behind with Blue for a short time before the two of them caught up to us. All of us moved on the path that will lead us to find Cheza again, the Noble will be waiting for us there's no doubt about it and I was ready to face him again in order to get the flower maiden back to us wolves.

Thank you so much reading!

I'll try to post the next chapter soon :)