I'm so so so sorry for making you wait so long! And to reward your patience I give you a long chapter! I'm starting to type chapter eleven! :D Enjoy!
Ten: The Two Wolves from Suna Pack
LAST TIME:
"Who are you?! State your business!" barked a voice. I slowly turned my head. There was a white wolf standing over me with black paws and a black muzzle. He also had a scar on his left eye which was blood red.
NOW:
I stood up bravely to face the wolf. "I am Shikamaru Nara of Uzumaki Pack," I said my fur bristling cautiously. The wolf's expression turned from aggressive to interest.
"What is an Uzumaki Pack wolf doing here?" asked the wolf. Suddenly another voice interrupted our conversation.
"Kakashi?" called a voice. I turned to see the purple she wolf walking up to us. The white wolf looked up at her.
"Ah, Anko there you are," he said to the purple she wolf. The she wolf smiled at Kakashi, but then she looked at me. Anko stared at me suspiciously.
"And who are you?" asked Anko looking me in the eyes.
"Shika, I uh…mean Sh-Shikamaru N-Nara," I said stuttering. She grinned at me.
"So, you're from Nara Pack?" said Anko.
"I recently joined Uzumaki Pack."
"So then you know Naruto am I right?" asked Kakashi. I nodded. "Anko and I are spies for Uzumaki Pack. There are a lot more of us in different areas."
"So, what are you doing here Shikamaru?" asked Anko as she sat down and scratched her herself with her claws.
"Um, well I came here to check out what was going on," I said. Now that I think about it…that was a pretty stupid idea.
"You don't say. So did you find out anything?" asked Kakashi. I looked down trying to remember.
"Ah, yes…I was eavesdropping on three members of the Akatsuki. They mentioned that they were planning to take over Uzumaki Pack and turn it into their own clan." Anko suddenly stood up the anger plain on her face.
"Those bastards!" she snarled looking ready to kill the next Akatsuki wolf she saw. I shuddered at her rage. I was suddenly hoping Anko and I wouldn't meet in a fight. Kakashi suddenly looked concerned.
"What about Aniko?" asked Kakashi. Anko's ears twitched at the name being mentioned.
"She'll be fine," said Anko as she looked at Kakashi.
"How about you guide Shikamaru back, Anko," said Kakashi. Anko nodded and walked past me. Kakashi disappeared into the woods as I followed behind Anko.
"Who is Aniko?" I asked as we neared the border. Anko hesitated for a moment and then spoke.
"She's my daughter," she said quietly. My ears twitched curiously. I couldn't picture a strong wolf like Anko becoming pregnant. I shook my head. I wonder who the lucky guy is. I wasn't able to ask anymore questions as we crossed the border.
"Thank you for guiding me," I said gratefully. Anko turned to leave.
"No problem. Hey, Shika," she called to me.
"What?"
"Leave the spying to us," she said as she grinned. I nodded as she disappeared into the forest on the Akatsuki's territory. I began to hunt again thinking about what I had discovered today. I managed to catch a magpie and dig up the rabbit I'd caught before. I walked back to my pack. As I entered the clearing I could see nothing had changed. Naruto, who was lying on a boulder, stared at me as I entered the clearing. I bowed my head to Naruto as I passed. Sakura was sitting outside her den washing Hakuro's face as the pup protested. She looked up at me.
I looked back at her and she encouraged me to go inside my den. I nodded to her before entering the den. Temari was fast asleep curled around two small puppies. I reluctantly moved forward and lay down next to Temari. She slowly opened her eyes to stare at me. She lifted her head.
"Where were you?" asked Temari. I pushed the rabbit toward her.
"I was hunting for you," I said absentmindedly as I looked at my pups. Temari tore a chunk from the rabbit and looked at the pups.
"They are male and female," replied Temari. I looked closely at the pups. The male looked just like me, but he had Temari's bangs and the female was blonde like Temari, but had a faint green ring of fur around her neck. There was that strange happiness again as my tail wagged. I was almost lost in my overwhelming happiness before I remembered something.
"What are their names?" I asked. Temari chewed another piece of rabbit.
"Tamaki and Yumi," she answered as she gnawed on the rabbit. I stood up and stretched. "Where are you going?"
"I have to organize the afternoon patrol," I replied as I was about to leave.
"Wait," called Temari. I stopped and turned to look at her. "Here, take this." Temari pushed the magpie toward me. "I know you haven't eaten." I smiled at her.
"Thanks," I said as I picked up the magpie and walked out. I could see Naruto still lying upon the boulder he made speeches on. I padded up the boulder to join him. He lifted his head.
"Ah, Shikamaru are you going to organize the patrol today?" asked Naruto as I lay down beside him. I nodded.
"I'm catching up on lunch," I said biting at the magpie's flesh. "I needed to report something to you." Naruto looked at me seriously.
"What is it?" asked Naruto. I gulped down another bite.
"I decided to check out the Akatsuki territory and I met two of your recruited spies. I found out that the Akatsuki were planning to take over Uzumaki Pack," I informed. Naruto seemed surprised at my news.
"Did you find anything else?" asked Naruto after a moment of silence. I shook my head and gulped down the last of the magpie. "Thank you Shikamaru." Naruto stood and walked back to his den. I also stood so I could recruit the members of the next patrol. I ended up recruiting Tenten, Lee, Kiba, and Choji.
"Are you coming on the patrol with us Shikamaru?" asked Lee. I shook my head.
"I'll stay here. Tenten you lead the patrol," I said as I yawned. Tenten stared at me and blinked.
"Me? Really?" she asked skeptical. I nodded. "Oh, um…thank you."
"No problem. Be careful," I said as I walked to my den. I heard Kiba complaining about Tenten's leadership. Suddenly and all too familiar voice barked from behind me.
"Shika-kun!" barked the voice. I felt a sharp pain in my tail. I turned to see Kaori with her jaws clamped down on my tail.
"Kaori, what do you want?" I asked irritably. She grinned at me. Obviously it was probably something I, the only wolf in the world would do. She let go of my tail so she could speak.
"I want you to take me out hunting!" cried the small pup. I looked at her skeptically.
"Are you serious? You want me to take you out hunting?" I asked staring at the pup.
"Please!"
"Let me think…no," I said as I continued toward my den. I felt small teeth clamping down my back leg.
"I won't let you go until you take me hunting!" she barked persistently. I sighed.
"I'll take you if your mother and father agree," I said as Kaori released my leg. She looked at me dejectedly.
"But you just sent mom to lead the patrol," she whined.
"Don't forget your father," I pointed out. And in a flash Kaori was searching for Neji. I followed the energetic pup towards Neji who was napping contently under a tree. Kaori jumped on the poor unexpecting Neji's back. He let a very surprised yelp and looked at Kaori.
"Kaori, why are you disturbing your father's nap?" asked Neji groggily.
"Can Shika-kun take me hunting?" asked Kaori. Neji yawned.
"Sure, bring your siblings with you as well," said Neji as he closed his eyes. Kaori and I gathered up her siblings who were happy to go. I trotted through the forest with the pups following.
"What are we going to learn about hunting, Shika-kun?" asked the energetic Hime. Kaori's tail was wagging furiously now with excitement. Negi seemed to be excited as well.
"First we have to stay silent; smell and listen for our prey," I informed. I could smell a strong scent of rabbit. "Then you go into a hunting crouch." I had now caught sight of the unsuspecting rabbit. I signaled the pups to watch and they sat on their haunches. I crept closer to my prey. My muscles tensed as I readied myself for the lunge. I leapt for the rabbit only to be tackled by another wolf focused on the same prey. The rabbit was startled by the noise and sprinted away. The wolf pinned me to the ground growling.
"What are you doing on our territory?!" growled a female voice. The she wolf that tackled me had light brown fur and black paws. She stared closely at me.
"This Uzumaki pack territory," I snarled at her. Her eyes widened as she stepped off of me. The three pups had walked up and hid behind me as I got up.
"Uzumaki pack?" said the she wolf tilting her head to the side. "Then you must know Temari-sama." My ears twitched at the mention of Temari.
"You know her?" I asked as my shoulders relaxed slightly. She nodded. "I'm her mate." The she wolf's eyes widened.
"Pardon me…my name is Matsuri of Suna pack," she said.
"I'm Shikamaru Nara," I said still on edge. Suddenly I heard another wolf approaching.
"Matsuri-san! Where are you?!" called a voice. Another she wolf ran into the clearing. Her fur was a darker shade of brown than Matsuri's and she was shorter. She also wore a bandana on her head her ears sticking out the sides.
"Sari-chan!" called Matsuri to the odd looking wolf. The she wolf ran over to us.
"This wolf claims he knows Temari-sama," said Matsuri. Sari looked at me and then at the pups hiding beside me.
"Are these your pups?" she asked. I was about to answer when Kaori bravely stepped forward.
"I'm the daughter of Neji Hyuuga!" she growled boldly. Matsuri and Sari stared at the pup and then back at each other.
"Well, then this is Sari, we are both from Suna pack," explained Matsuri.
"Temari told me that the pack was slaughtered and there were no survivors," I said as I sat on my haunches. The pups sat down as well.
"That's not entirely true…Matsuri and I were sent on a mission with a couple of wolves. It's better if Matsuri explains it," replied Sari.
"It was a long time ago when Sari and I were allowed to go on patrols," said Matsuri as she sat down.
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Six wolves trotted away from the beach as the moon rose in the sky. Four of the wolves were adults while the other two were pups.
"Keep up Matsuri, Sari," called a sandy wolf with scars over his body.
"We can keep up Hiro-sama!" growled a light brown wolf pup. "Come on Sari." The darker wolf pup next to her nodded and followed her.
"Even though they're working hard they are tired," whispered a brown and black wolf next to Hiro.
"They'll be fine Ittetsu they are working very hard," replied Hiro staring at his fellow pack mate. There were the other two female wolves; a sandy and white she-wolf who was quite young and her sister who was the same color. The younger female wolf was Kaiya and the older sister was Kana. Matsuri and Sari had caught up with the group by now. Hiro ears twitched at every noise.
"Kaiya, you're too slow! Speed up!" snarled Kana rather fiercely. Kaiya tripped over her paws. "You airhead; don't be so clumsy!" growled Kana as she picked her sister up by her scruff. Kaiya didn't say a word, but nodded obediently. Matsuri padded up to Hiro.
"Hiro-sama, why is Kana so strict to her little sister?" asked Matsuri. Hiro leaned close to Matsuri.
"Kana has always protected her sister from many things. They witnessed their mother being killed right before their eyes and Kaiya spoke to no one, but her big sister. She may not speak much about it, but Kaiya has a lot of respect for Kana. Don't worry so much," explained Hiro. Matsuri nodded happily satisfied. Suddenly there was a strange smell in the air.
"Hiro, what is this horrible smell?" asked Ittetsu as he wrinkled his nose in disgust. It was only a matter of seconds before all the wolves heard a terrifying noise. Matsuri heard her friend cry in agony. Sari lay on her side bleeding from a wound on her back leg.
"Sari! Are you alright?!" asked Matsuri as she rushed to her friend. Tears escaped from Sari's eyes.
"It hurts Matsuri-chan!" cried Sari as she helplessly tried to lift herself. Kaiya's ears twitched. She was the best at hearing things out of the pack.
"Man," said the young she-wolf. Hiro ran over to Sari who was now in great pain.
"This may cause you pain, Sari," Hiro apologized. Sari looked into his eyes and nodded. Hiro grabbed the scruff of Sari's neck rather roughly. The wolves retreated into the forest as gunshots sounded off behind them. The ground was too hard for wolf dens to be made or to hide in. Another gunshot glanced Kaiya's shoulder, but she kept pace with the group.
What are we to do? The trees are our best bet, thought Matsuri frantically. "The trees!" she barked. All the wolves stopped at once.
"We have no choice…up the trees!" barked Hiro. The wolves scrambled up the trees with great haste. Matsuri found a branch and looked around to see if the others were alright. Kana and Kaiya had found a spot not too far away from her and Hiro was in the branch next to her with Sari clutched in his jaws. Ittetsu was next to her on the same branch. Sari's eyes brimmed with tears. She was in great pain yet she could bear it. A pack of dogs sprinted by along with their owners to catch up to the wolves who were now hiding. Kaiya's ears twitched instinctively.
"They are gone," she informed to everyone. All of the wolves jumped from their hiding places. Hiro placed Sari on the ground. Her leg was stiff with pain and she could barely move it.
"We must see the alpha and inform him of this," growled Ittetsu as he still wrinkled his nose at the scent the humans left behind.
"Ittetsu and Matsuri will set out to the beach to warn the pack, but Kana, Kaiya and I will stay here so Kaiya can treat Sari's wounds," said Hiro as he glanced at Sari's bleeding leg. Ittetsu and Matsuri nodded before setting out to the beach.
The sun rose as Sari slept soundly next to a tree. Kaiya whispered quietly to her sister. Hiro could easily hear them with his advanced hearing.
"I did all that I could Kana," growled Kaiya quietly. "I've removed the bullet and cleaned the wound, but Sari may never be able to run the same or sprint as fast as the others." Hiro now looked at the still sleeping Sari. Did Sari know of this? Did she know that she could grow old not knowing what it is to be a real wolf? I heard footsteps approaching. Matsuri and Ittetsu came into view, but there were no wolves following them.
"Where is the alpha? And what about the pack?" asked Hiro getting up. Matsuri stopped at my paws while Ittetsu stood beside her his head hanging low. "What has happened?"
"They're all dead…," Matsuri cried as tears now sprung to her eyes.
"W-What?!" barked Kana. Kaiya was alarmed at her sister's reaction, but was shocked as well.
"The pack was slaughtered…, but we found Karura's body not too far from the beach…and her pups scent led to the river," informed Ittetsu. "It is likely that her pups escaped unharmed."
"The beta of the pack has been murdered?" snarled Kana as she bared her teeth. "I'll rip those mongrels' throats out!" Kana turned to run in the direction the hunters had run through earlier.
"Sister stop!" barked Kaiya as she clamped her sister's tail in her mouth. "Karu-san wouldn't want that!"
"No, it can't end like this! No!" howled Kana surrendering to her sister's grasp. Hiro padded up to the upset she-wolf.
"It doesn't have to end like this. We'll travel and find a new pack and if we are lucky we'll find Karura's pups." Sari began to awaken from her long rest. Now would begin the wolves' long journey to find a pack.
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"It was a long journey and we found a pack to stay in that lives in a secret place where no one can hurt us and here we are now searching for food meeting you," Matsuri ended her story as she stared me in the eyes.
"Would you like to see Temari and Gaara?" I asked feeling stiff from sitting so long.
"I thought Temari-san had two brothers," replied Sari.
"Ah, she does, but he has lost all memories of her and is now one of the Akatsuki," I said while stretching out my legs.
"I can see you have problems of your own. Can we help in anyway?" asked Matsuri as she stretched her legs as well.
"We are trying to win the war against the Akatsuki…they plan to take over the forest," I explained.
"Then how about our packs join forces?" asked Sari with high enthusiasm. My ears pricked at the idea. The more the merrier, I thought.
"Yes, but our packs much exchange a meeting," I replied. Both of the she-wolves' tails wagged.
"Maybe you should meet our pack in home territory…a small group will do," suggested Matsuri.
"I'm not sure Naruto will approve of this. You will have to confront him first," I told them.
"Are you sure it's alright to barge into your pack territory?" asked Sari timidly. This time it was Hime who spoke up.
"Ah, alpha Naruto is really nice! I'm sure he'll accept your offer!" Hime yipped happily. Both the she wolves cocked their heads.
"Alpha Naruto?" they both asked in unison.
"Yes, you should meet him," I encouraged them. "Just don't worry. I'm sure Temari will be glad to see you."
"Ah, how is Temari-san?" asked Matsuri.
"Well, she had my pups earlier," I replied scraping the ground.
"Oh…I can't wait to see them!" Matsuri yipped as she walked past me. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"
I sighed as I followed the very excited she-wolf. The next few days will be troublesome.
School is killing me! But I'll live and try to update something! Bye!! =D