Blood Brothers

Chapter 12- A Little Fall of Rain

The one good thing about being a hunter and not a wolf, Christian decided, was that you could easily blend in with the humans, being one. The lack of a curse was nice too, but mostly it was nice not having to worry about the humans discovering your identity.

Plus, you got to kill stuff, which was always nice.

Christian had been groomed to be a hunter since the day of his birth. His father had been a hunter, as had his father before him. He could trace his lineage all the way back to the very first hunters recruited by the first, a tremendous honor, and more importantly, significant bragging rights. There were so few of the descendents of the original hunters left. Many had fallen to the treachery of the wolves; others had simply died out.

Christian hated the wolves more than anything else in the world. They were an abomination of nature, a perversion of the better human. If he could have it his way, Christian would be the hunter to kill the last wolf and, finally, wipe their kind from existence.

Unfortunately, he was still very low ranking, forced to go on the most pointless, meaningless missions. He was never given anything important to do. In fact, this was his big break. He had heard rumors that his target may very well be the wolf of prophecy. If they were true, this would be a big lift to his career. He would finally be able to gain the notice of his king, something that had, as of late, become increasingly difficult to receive. The King had slipped into the dark recesses of his own mind, becoming increasingly reclusive and almost impossible to gain audience with. There was another rumor circulating that said the King might soon be forced to abdicate his throne in favor of a new, younger, and more powerful ruler.

This, however, was none of Christians concern. All he had to worry about at the moment was to find the wolves and wipe them out, bringing the supposed 'wolf of prophecy' back to the capital in Martan.

The Great City of Martan had been founded in the fifth year of the Great Kings reign, many years before the King passed his infamous sentence on Lupin I. The city sat like a gem atop a hill, with towers and walls covered completely in gold leaf. In a world where darkness seemed to rule, the city was the single beacon of light in an otherwise black void.

Kit awoke that morning to find that rain clouds had descended on the city. The entire day had a dreary, almost tired feel to it, as though the sun couldn't wait to sink below the horizon and allow night to arrive. The clouds hung low, enveloping the city in a grey mist, looking as though rain might come bursting out of them at any moment. Kit sighed. It was days like this that made him wish he hadn't woken up. For as long as he could remember, it seemed as though his very mood was tied into the weather of the day. On bright, sunny days with clear skies, he was happy, with a feeling of joy in his heart. On days that were gloomy, like this one, he felt an almost overwhelming sense of despair and loss. Groaning, he shifted his legs over the side of the bed and slowly stood up.

Oh yes. Today was looking as though it would shape up into a fine day. He pulled his clothes on and went out into the living room. Toboe and Tsume were over in a corner, arguing heatedly in very low voices. Tsume noticed him first and gave Toboe a nudge, indicating for him to be quiet. Kit raised an eyebrow and proceeded to help himself to the breakfast that was already on the table.

Tsume stood up and headed for the door.

"I'm going out for a breath of fresh air," he said to Toboe, and then was gone. Toboe stood and walked over to where Kit sat hunched over his breakfast.

"He doesn't like me, does he?" He asked his friend. Toboe shook his head.

"He doesn't trust you. He… well, he's a little bit overprotective of me."

"I see." Said Kit. "And why is that?"

"Well, he thinks that humans are no good. That if you get close to any, they'll just end up hurting you. He hasn't exactly had the best experiences with them." Toboe sat down and pulled a plate full of French toast over. "I don't really understand him. I mean, one moment he seems like he's ready to tear our heads off, then he seems calm. I can't tell what he's thinking at all."

Kit sighed. "I'm not exactly the best thing to happen to this pack, am I?"

Toboe shook his head again. "No, you're great. It's just that it might take them a little time before they really trust you or accept you. Don't worry, you have the girls on your side, and I think that Hige's taking a shine to you. Just don't do anything stupid, and I'm sure that Kiba and Tsume will come around eventually."

Tsume liked the rain. It calmed him, helped him bring the chaotic world into perspective. It was so hard to see things clearly these days. Ever since Kit had shown up, he had felt a constant, nagging feeling that something would go wrong. It wasn't natural, humans and wolves living together. As far as he knew, it hadn't happened ever before. And Toboe…

It just didn't seem right. Toboe couldn't have been hoodwinked by this human; he was smarter than that. Yet, that was the only reasonable explanation. Toboe would never willingly put the pack in danger. Somehow, this human had gotten in the pups head, and Tsume was going to do everything he could to bring Toboe to his senses.

It was for the pup's own good.

Christian examined the small portable computer screen in front of him. Hunting had progressed greatly over the past thousand years. The technology had never been better.

And right now?

Right now there was a nice, large blip in the middle of the screen that Christian was watching. It happened to be exactly the sort of blip that he had been looking for, for a very long time now. It was a blip that represented a wolf.

Not just any wolf, no, in this city, there could only be one pack, and it was the one that the hunters were searching for. Christian had been on their trail for almost a year now, and had finally caught up with them only recently. And now it appeared that he had discovered one of them out on their own.

Life was good.

The rain fell from the dark grey sky.

Tsume had a bad feeling. It wasn't one of those bad feelings where he knew exactly what was going to happen and when. No, it was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, as though something wasn't right. He couldn't put his paw on it, but something about the street, the buildings, something was definitely not right.

It happened in an instant. One moment, Tsume was walking along; the next, out of nowhere, a large group of men wearing what appeared to be fatigues appeared almost out of nowhere. He was completely outnumbered. In an instant, he dropped down and shifted form, baring his fangs at the hunters, daring them to try anything. One of them, with a wolf skull emblem on his collar over two silver stars, nodded.

"Take him."

The soldiers advanced warily, keeping an eye on the teeth. Tsume growled then pounced.

In an instant, his world went dark.

And the rain continued to fall.

"We have it."

"Is it the one?"

"I'm not sure. I don't think so."

"But it is from the one's pack?"

"Absolutely."

"Well, it is disappointing that you weren't able to complete your assignment. At least it isn't a total loss."

"I was thinking sir, and forgive me if I'm being to bold, but perhaps we could use it as a bargaining chip?"

"…"

"You're right sir. It was out of place. I'm sorry."

"No, no, your idea has merit. I'll propose it to his majesty, and we'll see where it goes from there. In the meantime, the wolf you captured is unharmed, correct?"

"Yes sir. We were able to use a simple tranquilizing agent on it. It'll be fine, although it's going to have a hell of a headache when it wakes up."

"Very good. Make sure that it can't escape, then wait for further orders."

"Yes sir."

Tsume's eyes opened, and he tried to lift his head, only to immediately regret doing so. His head throbbed savagely, and he closed his eyes until the pain passed. In the few seconds that his eyes had been open, he had been able to get only the briefest glimpse of his surroundings. It was dark, too dark to allow him to see very much of the room he was in, although he had been able to tell that it was small, and completely empty except for him.

It was that human. Tsume was certain of that. For five years the pack hadn't seen any sign of the hunters. Then, that human showed up, and the very next day more than twenty hunters and a general, no less, appeared and captured him.

He had known it. He had warned the rest of the pack, but of course they hadn't listened to him.

If only.

If only he had been able to talk some sense into Toboe. If only he had been able to get Hige and the girls to side with him. If only Kit had never found them.

The door to his cell opened noisily and a young human, no more than twenty-five, walked in, followed by another man in uniform carrying a large tray full of horrific looking tools.

"All right. Let's talk all about your little pack, shall we?"

The door shut and the guards outside focused their attention elsewhere, trying to ignore the horrific screams coming from inside the cell.

Kit wanted closure. It had been only a few days since his brother had died and been buried, but he had not yet visited the grave. The fact was, he was afraid to go. For such a long time, his brother had been his life, his only reason for going on. Without Lin, Kit was certain that he wouldn't have made it as long as he had. Now that he had Toboe, and the pack of wolves, it was almost as though he didn't need Lin. It was that thought that made him feel completely miserable, as though he were guilty of some horrible crime.

But he needed to go. He needed to move on. Lin was gone, and wasn't going to come back. Kit needed to do what Lin said. He needed to live his life, free from the sadness and guilt that he had felt for such a long time. And, in order to do that, he needed to see the grave. He needed to say goodbye.

Toboe had offered to go with him, and Kit had gratefully accepted. Somehow, he didn't think he would be able to be alone. Not this time. Not ever again.

The graveyard was old and, like all graveyards, exuded a horrible feeling of sadness and despair. The rain came down softly, as Kit made his way towards his brothers grave atop a small hill overlooking the river running through the city. Toboe walked next to him, holding the large black umbrella that kept the two boys dry.

The grave was in as pretty a place as it could be. It lay atop the hill, nestled between several stately oak trees, and had a good view of the river running through the valley, and of the mountains to the north. It was beautiful.

Kit looked over at Toboe, who nodded and then stepped back, giving Kit a moment alone with his brother.

Kit stood for a moment, unsure of what to say, or what to do. Clumsily, he laid the small bouquet of flowers that he had brought down on the headstone, and then knelt in the mud.

"Hey Lin." He began, then stopped, a lump forming in his throat. "I… I hope you like where we put you. I think that it's the most beautiful spot in town. You can see the river from here, and the mountains. Remember the time that Dad took us up to the mountains?

"No, you wouldn't. You were just a baby back then. There's a nice pine forest at their base, and a beautiful lake. We spent a lot of time there, just enjoying the view of the valley.

"I know you're gone. I didn't want to believe it at first. But, well, I guess it's better for you this way. You used to look so sick, as though you were in so much pain." He paused to wipe away a tear. "I just want you to know, I'm trying real hard. I'm going to live a long, happy life, just for you. I know that you'll always be with me, even if sometimes I can't feel it. And, maybe someday we'll see each other again.

"I brought Toboe to meet you. I wish I could have brought him while you were still alive. He's nice, a true friend, and you know how hard it is for me to come by one of those. I think you'd like him. He's… well, he's nothing compared to you. I miss everything about you, Lin. I miss your laugh, your smile. I miss the way you'd drag me out of bed every morning so that I wouldn't miss school. I remember how you'd stay up late waiting for me to get home from work. I wish we could have had more time together.

"Well, I just want you to know that I'll always love you, and that you'll always be my little brother. I ought to go now, Toboe might catch cold in this rain.

"Goodbye, brother."

He slowly got to his feet and walked back over to where Toboe was waiting. As he left, a small gust of wind wisped through the trees, picking up one of the flowers and carrying it through the rain and down to the river where it was picked up by the swift current and whisked off downstream, south, towards the sun.

Okay, so, as you all can see, I used this chapter to tie up all the loose ends from the early chapters. From now on, we get into the meat of the story!

Before I forget, I must mention my new beta. Tenka-Chan, who has been with me from almost the very beginning of this story, graciously offered her services. So, much thanks to my new, favorite beta, the person you all have to thank for this chapter being out as soon as it is.

Review Responses

James- Your reviews never cease to amaze me. You have a knack for finding everything that I thought was wrong with a chapter and bringing it to my attention. Thank you so much for your critiques and encouragement.

Tenka- Well, there's not much to say that I can't say when I send each chapter. Thank you so much for putting up with me. Here's the chapter, well refined thanks to you. Kudos!

Thanks so much for the reviews, and I certainly expect many more, as this chapter is back to the storyline!

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