Chapter 11
Luna's wolf approaches her brother's wolves. Both of their wolves are at least eight to ten centimeters taller than her. Wendall's wolf is strong with broad shoulders, large paws, and a dark black coat with points of light grey by his muzzle and ears. Alfred's wolf was taller but leaner in the shoulders. His tawny fur was a soft yellow that shown brightly in the light of the moon. Luna's little white wolf bounds up to them and then jumps playfully back and forth between them.
The two of them look at each other and then slowly go in to examine Luna.
"Ry…Ryuu!" Luna howls.
Both of her brothers wolves jump backwards like scared cats.
She then runs at a full sprint down the courtyard to the far corner to where Wendall's cage was. They both follow her. Alfred's lean wolf is faster than Wendall's broad wolf catching up with Luna just after she stopped along the fence.
He sniffs at her and then howls. "Throo!"
Luna howls back, "Ryuu!"
Wendall's wolf catches up to them. Panting he sniffs at Luna. He au-aus at her. "Rrr?"
Luna's wolf rubs her face against his and then against Alfred's as well. Whimpering at both of them as she does so. She then runs back to the center of the courtyard and rolls on the ground rubbing her back on something that smelled interesting. This playful behavior went on for several hours. The wolves just enjoying each other's company and bonding to form a sort of pack.
As all three of them lay on the ground in the middle of the courtyard a sound makes Luna's wolf's ear perk up. She looks and sees the door to the courtyard open and Shima walk into the space.
"Luna?" Shima calls out to her.
She stands and slowly starts bounding toward him. Both her brothers race past her toward Shima in a hostile manner barking and howling.
Luna's wolf runs as quickly as she can up to them and bites Wendall's tail. He turns clumsily knocking Alfred's wolf off his feet while swiping at Luna. She dodges Wendall's attack and runs past them. When she gets to Shima she can see the terror on his face.
He holds his khakkhara in one hand and the bottle of Luna's urine in the other. "Luna." He whispers. As he freezes watching the other two wolves recover from the scuffle that Luna caused.
Luna turns her body sideways arching her back and baring her teeth at her brothers. Growling and barking aggressively at them as they approach Shima. Alfred tries to get past her but she blocks him swiping at his face. She then backs up, Shima taking a step back with her. They are not far from the door but if Shima were to move to quickly Luna might not be able to protect him. Luna howls, "Ryuu!"
Both her brother's bare their ears at her. She takes two more slow steps back leading shima to the gated doorway. As he reaches to grab the door handle Wendall and Alfred both lunge at him. He holds up his khakkhara, and chants quickly bringing up a shield similar to the one that Suguro had shown Luna in Kyoto. He steps into the building pulling the gate closed. Leaving Luna out in the courtyard alone with her brothers again.
"I'm sorry Luna." His voice sounds distressed as he squirts the contents of the vessel onto Luna's backside.
She looks bobbing her head at him and whimpers.
"I'm so sorry Luna." He closes the main door to the courtyard.
Alfred sneezes several times making both Wendall and Luna's wolves jump.
Wendall then eagerly sniffs the air and starts walking towards Luna.
She arches her back again and growls swiping at him. Licking her teeth she continues to bare them and walks sideways to try and get away. Wendall follows her still sniffing, backing her into the corner of the courtyard. He comes around to sniff her backside and Alfred attacks him. They roll on the ground by the door snapping and growling at each other. Luna's wolf runs out into the middle of the courtyard, she whimpers making three sharp whinny barks. Wendall breaks away from Alfred and runs up to Luna biting her neck. She lowers her ears and her groin to the ground rubbing it on the grass. Wendall tries to mount her as Alfred runs up and bites the nape of Wendall's neck toppling him over. Wendall gets the best of Alfred swiping at his face and plucking out his eye. It hangs dislodged from the socket by his cheek. Luna then leaps on Wendall's back and bites down on his ear drawing blood.
Just then a sharp sound could be heard splitting the air. A patch of dirt flies up by Luna's back paw. Luna gets down low to the ground folding down her ears wedging herself between her brothers as she looks around. Wendall pauses and stands up looking towards where the sound came from. Another sharp sound goes off and Wendall's wolf falls to the ground baring all his weight on Luna's wolf just below her shoulders. His breath becomes labored and he whimpers in pain. Alfred's wolf lays his body on top of Luna's just as another sharp sound pierced the air. Luna's wolf hears the impact as Alfred's wolf's body goes limp on top of her upper body covering her head with his chest. She whimpers underneath them and hears one more ear splitting sound but this time from another direction. She then hears a thud come from the far right corner of the courtyard. She waits till it is silent again.
Wriggling out from underneath her brothers she goes to investigate the sound. In the far right corner of the courtyard is a body. She runs up to it sniffing it. Recognizing the smell she pawed at it. 'Warden James?' She thought. He smelled like booze and gunpowder. She bites at his collar and drags his body towards the door to the courtyard. It takes her several tries with labored breaks to breathe in between but she finally makes it to the door with his body. She howls at the door. "Ryu! Ryu! Ryuuujjii!" When no one comes to it she goes back to her brothers in the middle of the courtyard.
Neither of them had moved from the spot she had left them. She nuzzles Alfred's nose with hers whimpering. Flipping his head up it flops down with no resistance. She licks his cheek by his dislodged eye, her mouth and muzzle covered in his blood. She turns and whimpers at Wendall now.
He opens his eyes sleepily and pushes out a labored breath. "Rwr?"
Getting down low next to him Luna lowers her ears and licks at the one she had bit of his earlier. He whimpers back licking the underside of her jaw a few times and then lowers his head going silent.
Luna's wolf paws at him. "Arwoo! Arwoo!" She then throws her head back in a long sad howl. "Ryyuuu!" Pacing the courtyard she sniffs around. There is no one else in the courtyard she is all alone. She whimpers goes back to her brother's bodies and starts to clean the blood from their faces.
The door to the courtyard opens and Luna bends down low as she watches someone take the body of James into the building. After the door had closed again she went over to investigate. The person had left a scent but not one that Luna's wolf recognized. Slowly with her head down she went back towards the center of the courtyard as the moon started to set.