Howling Dragon
Chapter 21- Nightmares
*Omake- Wolf Feast*
Sakura was resting under a tree, Saiko asleep next to her. Suddenly, a sound caught their attention; it sounded as a growl, coming right from their bellies.
"Hey, Saiko, aren't you hungry?" Sakura inquired while putting her hands on her belly
The Earth Wolf lifted his head to look at her, "I'm starving! But don't worry, Calcifer was supposed to catch up with us and bring some food,"
Suddenly, they were both startled by a loud thud a few steps away; Sakura was horrified to see a dead deer on the grass, Calcifer standing on top of it. The deer smelled like it had been cooked or something…
"What…. Is… THAT?" the pink-haired human mumbled in shock
"It's lunch!" Saiko grinned as he stood and walked over to the deer, which Calcifer had started to eat. Sakura was disgusted and horrified in seeing how the wolves started to dug their fangs into the deer and plucked big pieces of flesh and bone, blood pouring over the grass. Saiko turned to look at her after swallowing a piece of meat, his mouth tinted of blood.
"Hey, Calcifer, I think Sakura is a bit green," he commented
Calcifer lifted his head as well, with his mouth also tinted with blood, and was quite amused when he saw Sakura's face had a slight green tone. He decided to get a little fun.
"Hey, Sakura, you want the liver or the heard?" he asked her while lifting up his paws, holding the heart of the deer in one paw and its liver in the other.
That was it. Seeing a dead deer being eaten by wolves was one thing, but seeing a wolf holding two organs in his paws was too much. Sakura fainted on the spot, her face drained of all color. Calcifer chuckled.
"Humans," he smirked as he took a bite from the heart.
*End Omake*
Naruto woke up with a groan; he felt unusually warm, so he thought he was still in his Okami Fomu. His vision was blurry, perhaps because he had been unconscious for a great amount of time, or maybe because he was on a dark place. After some time, Naruto realized that he WAS on a cave, with a small blur of light a few steps away… a fire… then he noticed a blur of white fur coming closer… and a small orange blur following…
"You're finally awake," Yoshiko's voice reached his ears.
"How long was I out?" Naruto weakly asked
"About 5 hours… the others have gone to look for something to eat; I decided to stay here to make guard,"
"And Pop made me stay to look after Gamatatsu," Gamakichi grumbled as he laid down.
Naruto laid his head on his paws again. He was still feeling weak, and the Kyuubi's words were still on his head.
Why don't you ask one of them?
From these words, Naruto realized that the Kyuubi had indeed met the Wolf Dragons before. He had said something about having 3 types of Chakra and its effects… perhaps Yoshiko knew something about it, but then he would have to tell him that he was the Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi. Would the Wolf Dragon react like the villagers of Konoha, or would he be the same and not mind about it? He hoped the second option would be the one he chose…
"Hey, Yoshiko… have you heard of the Kyuubi?" Naruto lifted his head to look at his companion
Yoshiko turned to look at Naruto in surprise, "why do you ask?"
"Just… curiosity…"
Yoshiko sighed and looked at the ground. He DID know about the Kyuubi, but it was forbidden to speak about The Dark Fire Day. Oh, well, the Council wouldn't find out, they were too busy with the Great Alpha's capture to mind about the bending of one rule or two.
"The nine-tails… my grandfather used to tell me stories about it, but I never believed them until… the Dark Fire Day."
Gamakichi turned to face the white-furred Wolf Dragon, "the Dark Fire Day?"
"Yeah. At about midday, the Kyuubi suddenly appeared in the Forest Region and started to burn everything in its path, demanding to see the Great Alpha. When the Great Alpha arrived, the Kyuubi threatened to burn down all of Syrio if he didn't hand over a Wolf Dragon named Ameno. It claimed that Ameno had betrayed him, but it refused to say how. The Great Alpha defeated the Kyuubi, although I still don't know how, and kicked him out. The Council named that day the Dark Fire day because almost all of the Forest Region was burned down to ashes, and it was forbidden to speak about it to the pups."
"Wait, if the pups were not told about the Dark Fire Day, how do you know about it?"
Yoshiko looked away, "never mind,"
Both Naruto and Gamakichi decided not to push Yoshiko any longer, they could tell by the look on his face that it was a painful subject for him. But Naruto thought now was the best time to tell the Wolf Dragon about his secret…
"Yoshiko, there's something I need to tell you," he spoke up
"What is it?"
Gamakichi could guess what Naruto was trying to say,
"You know what a Jinchuuriki is, don't you?"
"A living being that has a Tailed Beast sealed within, right?"
Naruto gulped, "yeah… well, what would you say if you met someone who is the Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi?"
Yoshiko could almost sense where this was going, "do you mean…?"
"… I'm the Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi,"
That took the Wolf Dragon for surprise. He had thought Naruto knew the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, but he had not thought that Naruto WAS the Jinchuuriki. Of course, he knew that the Jinchuuriki was not the same that the Tailed Beast, and how most Jinchuurikis were treated, but he did not blame them for it. After all, they had not chosen to have monsters sealed inside them, and most of them did not deserve the treatment they were given. The Ice Wolf Dragon gave Naruto a smile.
"Don't worry; I know you're not to blame for the deeds of the Kyuubi. You're just a victim of prejudice,"
Naruto was relieved Yoshiko thought that way. Gamakichi, however, sensed there was something else that Naruto wanted to ask.
"Hey," the orange toad spoke, "do you want to ask something else?"
Naruto nodded, "yeah, the Kyuubi mentioned something of having 3 types of Chakra inside your body,"
Yoshiko's smile faded away as quick as smoke. The boy was right; 3 types of Chakra together were unpredictable, especially when one of the Chakras was Tailed Beast Chakra. This would not be good…
"It is right," he spoke with a foreboding tone, "Wolf Dragon Chakra already gives some trouble when merged with another type of Chakra, but with two types of Chakra, it might be fatal."
Gamakichi gulped, "what's so different about Wolf Dragon Chakra than normal Chakra?"
Yoshiko turned to see him, "Wolf Dragon Chakra, or how we call it, Ryukra, is more dense and harder to control than normal Chakra. When merged with normal Chakra, Ryukra tends to repress it and starts running through the Chakra system."
Naruto gulped the lump in his throat, "do you mean Ryukra… replaces normal Chakra?"
"Exactly. Most humans take months in adapting to Ryukra, but those with high Chakra control get used to it in just a few weeks," Yoshiko faced Naruto and looked into the depths of his eyes, "but you have also the Kyuubi's Chakra…"
"What happens when Ryukra merges with two different types of Chakra?" Gamakichi inquired, already trembling at the thought.
"When merged with another type of Chakra, Ryukra represses and replaces it in your Chakra system. But when merged with two types… It is unpredictable, especially when one of the types of Chakra is Tailed Beast Chakra."
"So…" Naruto froze, "you don't know what might happen to me?"
"No, only a Ryukra Shaman would know,"
Gamakichi tilted his head in confusion, "Ryukra Shaman?"
"It's like a scholar that studies Ryukra and how it works, so that our Tribes might learn how to control it further. Most of them isolate themselves in the most secret places of Syrio, and it is very difficult to find them."
Gamakichi yawned, weariness already taking over him. Although he doubted he would be able to sleep due to his worry, he felt his eyelids heavy.
"We should go to sleep," Naruto muttered, worry still notable on both his eyes and voice, "we'll need forces to rescue the others,"
Yoshiko nodded, understanding. Gamakichi hopped next to his brother and fell asleep, but Naruto stayed where he was; he still had no strength to move. Yoshiko laid down a few steps away from Naruto; telling Naruto about the Dark Fire Day had also brought a very painful memory for him, and he hadn't the heart to tell the others about it. Finally, the Ice Wolf Dragon fell into a deep slumber, the sound of the wind blowing outside.
XOXOXOXO
Ryu froze when he saw the artifact which would have been- or perhaps that would BE- their executioner. Saiko and Rayver stared at it in horror as well; even Calcifer felt a twinge of fear in the depths of his being. They were staring at a wooden platform with an iron bar hanging about a meter above, and from the bar hung four chains, each with tiny yet sharp spines coming out. And beneath the chains, there were chairs which would be used for prisoners, in this case, for them to climb on so that the chains could be tied around their necks. Then, the chairs would be dropped…
In other words, that artifact was known as the Neckbreaker.
Unfortunately, they froze so long that when they were back to their senses, about hundreds of guards were already surrounding them, pointing their spears at them. To make things worse, Kaminaru and Mo were the first ones they spotted among the guards.
"Those two are starting to bother me…" Calcifer thought in anger
"Ryu, what are you doing?" Mo spoke out loud, "do you want to dig yourself a deeper grave?"
"I would rather dig my own grave than surrender to my beliefs just because the Council doesn't have the courage to stand up for themselves against the Snake Man!" Ryu growled. Usually he was respectful towards the Council, but in these circumstances, there was no time for formalities.
"Look, you can either go back to your cell and wait for the time of your execution.." Kaminaru growled as well, "… or we'll execute you at once, now that we're right next to the Neckbreaker!"
"Any ideas?" Calcifer muttered to his companions,
"I'm too of a moron to think of a plan…" Rayver replied in a hushed whisper
Saiko gulped; he had a plan, but Ryu would NOT like it in the least. He had to pick the right time…
"Kaminaru, listen to me!" Ryu growled, but his voice had a slightly pleading tone, "the Snake Man won't keep his word! He will kill the Great Alpha, if he hasn't already! Submitting and following him like a dog won't do any good!"
Kaminaru was having enough, "would you forget about it? It is better preventing than lamenting! YOU of all people should know BETTER than anyone!"
"Hey, if you kill us, how will you find Pantalaimon?" Calcifer snapped
Kaminaru's attitude changed when his son's name escaped the Fire Wolf Dragon's lips.
"Do you know where he is?" he inquired
Ryu, Rayver and Saiko knew Calcifer was just trying to earn more time, but he would probably only make Kaminaru angrier than before.
"I asked
"I asked you a question!" Kaminaru snapped, "do you know where my son is?"
Calcifer smirked, "if I told you, you would kill us right away. So I guess you don't have any choice but to let us live,"
Kaminaru was at moral crossroads now. He couldn't disobey his orders of executing those four, but he was worried about Pantalaimon. What if he was hurt or worse? Perhaps Calcifer was telling the truth and he needed to keep them alive at least until he found Pantalaimon, THEN he could execute them with no problem. But how would his son take it? After all, Pan saw Ryu as a second father-like figure; how would he react to the execution of his sensei? Just then, he remembered Beaucephalis's parents had died when the Snake Man attacked, and he had no one but Calcifer.
Saiko then knew it was the time, "guys, get ready,"
"For what?" his companions asked in unison
"For THIS!"
Suddenly, a dust cloud lifted into the air, forcing the guards around them to shield their eyes. Ryu, Calcifer and Rayver felt the ground beneath them moving, but they couldn't see anything; all they could hear was Saiko's voice…
"Doton: Ana-Hori-Ki!"
Mo reacted and decided to counterattack.
"Mo Fubuki!" he shouted while summoning a strong blizzard that soon blew the dust storm away.
However, what they saw was not pleasant in the least; the Ryu and the others were gone. To enworse things, there were no signs of any Jutsu which could have been used. The guards looked around for any sign of them, but those four had escaped.
"It can't be! How could they have gotten away?" Mo cried in anger, "we had them SURROUNDED!"
"Split up and look everywhere!" Kaminaru shouted at the guards gathered around them, "when you find them, kill them if you must! But don't let them get away!"
All the wolves present growled in agreement and darted away. Kaminaru just stood there, shocked. He couldn't believe it… they had gotten away, after all the trouble he went through to capture them. Apparently, Calcifer was only taunting him to earn time when he mentioned Pantalaimon. Unbetsknown to him, however, the now-fugitive wolves were closer than he thought…
About two meters underground, Rayver, Calcifer and Ryu stood up, shaking the dust and dirt off their fur.
"Saiko, you idiot!" Calcifer growled, "You could have told us you were going to crumble the ground!"
"Come on! U saved our butts, didn't I?" Saiko defended himself at the time he shook the dust off his own fur.
Rayver spat some rocks he had almost swallowed when they sank under the ground. Really, he hated Saiko's Jutsus more than Ryu did sometimes, but he had to admit they could be useful for escaping.
"And you said escape Jutsus were a complete waste of time!" Saiko smirked while giving Calcifer a triumphant look
The Fire Wolf Dragon just rolled his eyes, "alright, you just showed us how wrong I was!"
Ryu, however, was not in the mood for comments like that; apparently, Saiko always seemed to forget he was claustrophobic.
"I think this is a bad idea! You knew I don0t like close spaces!" he growled, looking around frenetically
"You would rather go back up there and face that army of guards, I guess," Calcifer growled at him
"Come on, guys. We must find a tunnel that leads away from the Council Building and then find Naruto and the others," Saiko pointed to another tunnel that led to who-knows-where, as Yoshiko would call it.
"We could find the catacombs," Rayver suggested
"CATACOMBS?" Ryu yelled,
Saiko quickly put his paws over Ryu's mouth, "don't yell! You want to cause a collapse?"
That comment, however, only augmented Ryu's fear. Calcifer contained his urge to laugh at the Wind Wolf Dragon; he was taught that making fun of a weakness is wrong. He may dislike Ryu, but not enough to mock at him for his claustrophobia. After all, Ryu didn't make fun of him due to his own aquaphobia.
"what were you saying about the catacombs?" Calcifer inquired
"there are tunnels one the catacombs that might take us out of here," Rayver explained, "the question is how will we find the others without being found ourselves,"
"we will worry about it later, right now we should get out of here," Ryu was the first one to dash towards the tunnel, his companions following him into the darkness of the unknown.