Chapter 25

High Tide, High Time

I whimpered as I ran. Please Toboe be okay. I can't lose you. I knew that Tsume, Kiba and Cheza were following behind me. I sniffed deeply and smiled Toboe's blood and I heard another shot. I picked up my pace until I was flat out sprinting across the ice. Another shot. The old man's blood. It started to gently snow, making my fur wet. Toboe's blood became finer.

"Hang on Toboe!" I howled loudly. I wanted him to hear my voice. To know I was coming for him. I saw him. I saw Toboe and Pops. I smelled Toboe's blood.

"Toboe!" I yelped and hurried to him. I knelt beside his head and licked his muzzle.

"Toboe?" I whispered. I nudged his head with mine.

"Toboe.. please answer me... I'm scared" I whimpered.

"Toboe!" I looked up as Tsume, Kiba and Cheza ran to us. Tsume knelt behind Toboe and shook his cold body. Blood was still pumping from his back, mixing with his brown fur.

"Toboe! Toboe!" Tsume yelled and shook his body. I sat down hard and whimpered loudly. Toboe was gone. Tsume sat back and realized the same thing.

"you dumb kid..." Tsume angrily muttered. The wind picked up and blew my hair around me, wrapping around my neck. I looked down at Toboe's face and shut my eyes tight. I didn't look up and Kiba ran from us. My god, poor Toboe. He can't be gone. He just can't be. I loved him. I opened my eyes wide. I loved him. I love him still.

"Darcia.." I snarled. It was him fault Toboe died. It was all his fault. Cheza knelt down beside me and ran a hand through my fur as she did with Toboe. She saw saying goodbye. Tears fell from her eyes as she did so. I laid down beside Toboe as Cheza stood. I rested my head on his neck and closed my eyes.

"Pops!" I heard Blue yell

"Toboe!" Hige said after her. I raised my head and looked at them. I turned away and licked Toboe's wound, cleaning the blood away from his fur. I was in mourning.

"Pops..." Blue whispered as she took hesitant steps toward us. She went to her knees beside me as Pops raised his head. I didn't realize he was still alive.

"Don't go.." Blue pleaded as life left the man's eyes. I looked over as I heard rapid footsteps. It was Hubb and Kiba.

"Oh Please now" Hubb begged "Quent.."

"Why?" Hubb asked as he sobbed "Why did this have to happen...?" I stood and walked backwards. Letting Kiba have my place. He ran a hand through Toboe's fur.

"Toboe.." he whispered. I was the first to raise my head and howl to the heavens with Kiba following me followed by Tsume, Hige and Blue. I was howling my song to the heavens. Telling them to keep Toboe safe and let him watch over us. I was howling my pain and tears. Cheza joined with her song. We stayed there as the blood red moon rose into the sky and the sun left us.

"We have to hurry. He's trying to reach Paradise" Kiba said "He's heading to our Paradise"

"Isn't that strange?" Hige murmured "Why doesn't he open up his own Paradise? One for the Nobles?" my head was still on Toboe's cold and hard neck as I took in his scent for the last time.

"The Tree Of All Seeds is over there" Cheza said "The Tree Of All Seeds told this one" Her eyes were on a tall mountain. Kiba knelt down beside me and swept a hand down my back.

"We have to go" He whispered gently.

"Okay Kiba" I sighed. He smiled sadly and stood to look at the pack.

"We don't have time to stand around" he ordered. Hige looked away and down at Toboe's body.

"How about you? What are you going to do?" Tsume asked the beige wolf. Tsume was still sitting away from Toboe's body with his back turned.

"After coming all this way, what are you planning to do?" He asked. Huge blinked. "Where are you going to run and hide this time?" Hige growled at his words.

"I'm not running. I just figured that I'm not needed on this journey anymore" Hige said "That's all I was thinking"

"None of us is indispensable" Kiba said firmly "Nothing is indispensable"

"You are" he said as he directed his answer to Kiba "You're the only one who can open Paradise" Hige glared up at the silent white wolf.

"You're the only one who can go all the way there" Kiba remained silent.

"Even Tsume and Shita mist have realized that by now" He muttered. I looked away and stuttered in breath. I did realize that we are not needed in Paradise, that we can die of need be. Kiba must stay alive. Blue stood.

"I'll go" She said "Even if Paradise turned me away, I'll go as far as I can" she looked down at Hige.

"So you have to come, too" She smiled. Hige grunted and looked down.

"I know you want to go! Stop making Excuses!" she yelled. Hige looked at her sharply, stunned.

"Blue..." He said. I planted my paws as the earth shook from under us and the ice cracked. Kiba knelled and held Cheza close as the tremors slowed and stopped.

"It's starting to fall apart... even this close to the center" Kiba said. Hubb nodded.

"It looks like we should get a move on, all right" he said and walked to knell beside me.

"Don't worry about me" he said "When it starts to look like I'll slow you down. I'll take care of myself" he grabbed the gun and checked the bullets. He stood.

"I want to go as far as I can, too" he said.

"Go on ahead" Tsume murmured "I want to talk to the runt for a bit"

"We understand" Kiba said and stood with Cheza and started to walk.

"Let's go Shita" He called back. I sighed and stood. I swept a hand down Toboe's neck and face before leaning down and placing a gentle kiss on his muzzle.

"Bye Toboe. I will see you in Paradise" I whispered. I turned, wiping tears and jogged after Kiba. I didn't look back. The pack and the human followed me. Kiba placed a hand on my head and ruffled my hair.

"It will be Okay" He whispered. I nodded.

"I know" I answered. Kiba turned to Hige.

"Hige" he said and waited. Hige replied after seconds.

"I've betrayed you guys before" He said and clenched his shirt in his hands.

"I'm scared. I might betray you again" he admitted.

"No matter what you do to us now, I wont think of it as a betrayal" Kiba stated "No matter what it is, I'll just accept it" Hige looked up at his words as Kiba smiled at him.

"When I think you're trying to kill me, then I'll fight you" he teased. I smiled weakly as my body shook with gentle laughter. Kiba turned and walked.

"Sure. I'll hold you to that" Hige said back. We walked as a single pack to Paradise.

(Break)

I slipped as I climbed the icy rocks. I grabbed a hold of the wall as I righted myself.

"Stupid Mountain, stupid ice" I muttered. Blue smiled at grabbed my hand.

"I'll help you" She offered. I beamed at her.

"Thanks" I grabbed her hand tighter as we started up hill. I turned as I heard the humans breath pant.

"Am I the only one who's having trouble breathing?" he asked. Hige, Blue and I stopped and looked back.

"No" I said as I too panted "So are we"

"We're pretty high up, that's why" Blue answered. I looked back down the way we came, it was sure a drop if we slipped.

"We are almost there. The Tree Of All Seeds is waiting up ahead" Cheza called back down. Hubb sighed and continued up the hill. I let go of Blue's hand and jogged ahead to behind Kiba. Cheza led us too a large tree that grew in the mountain 's side.

"Wow" I whispered as I looked over it. It was tall and the roots stuck out of the grown. I stopped beside Kiba as Cheza climbed one of the roots and knelled.

"The Three Of All Seeds has been alive this whole time" Cheza said "It has felt pain all this time but now, it is breathing freely" she rested a hand on the trunk and it glowed bright. It spread through the tree and the sky glowed with a gentle hues of greens, blues, yellows and reds.

"It's so pretty" I whispered. Cheza stepped back.

"Thank you" She said. I watched as the tree grew with ice.

"The Darcia family crest?" Hubb asked himself.. I looked and saw him grabbed a book from his jacket and flip through it. He gasped and stopped at a page.

"That's what this way... this is the Tower Of The Seal" he said "It says that the Nobles built this to seal off the Wolves Paradise" I snorted. Another reason to hate Nobles. Kiba looked at the tree.

"Seal?" he asked. "The seal is broken... that's what he said to me" we looked over at him.

"He was starting to turn into a wolf" Kiba said as he put together the pieces.

"Turn into a wolf?" I asked. How can you do that?

"Darcia, you mean?" Hubb asked.

"He had a wolf's eye" Kiba growled "When Jaguara's ... when the Nobles Paradise started to open, he gave up on going there himself. He's trying to become a wolf"

"And if he opens Paradise first...?" Blue questioned. Kiba looked down at us.

"Our kind will have no future" he answered. Well that sucks. Blue looked at Hubb.

"Hey, in that book, how is Paradise described?" she asked. He started to flip through it.

"It doesn't say anything..." He admitted "The last page is Blank" Cheza pointed at a large looming mountain.

"Over there, the first Mountain" she said "This is the entrance to Paradise"

(Break)

I shivered and drew my coat up around me more. It was freezing cold as we climbed on ice and snow. Kiba bunched his legs and started to jump with Cheza in his arms. Hige and Blue following. I stayed behind to look after the human. Toboe would have wanted it like that.

"You Okay?" I asked. He groaned and stood. He panted as he looked up to where he has to go.

"I'm fine" He answered "Go with your friends" I nodded and jumped. I landed on the next rock and jumped again. I stopped beside Hige and looked back down. Hubb was doing fine.

"Let's go Shita. He will catch up" Hige said and jumped. I followed after him and panted as I landed on a small ledge. Hige leaned over.

"Are you Okay?" He called down.

"Yeah.... I'm sorry. Don't worry about me, go on ahead!" I heard Hubb answer "I'll take my time as I climb" I sighed in relief and jumped again, landing beside Kiba, Cheza and Blue.

"Just a little more, and you'll reach a spot where you can rest" I heard Hige yell. I sat to rest and to catch my breath. Hige walked back over to us and stood beside Blue, waiting for the human. I rested my eyes on the flickering lights in the sky as they turned color. The wind picked up and whipped my hair around my neck. I gasped as I heard Hubb's yell.

"Hubb!" I yelled. I ran over to the cliff's side but Kiba held me back. I looked at him and he shook his head as he made his way over there instead. He didn't want me to see a sight like that if he was dead.

"Hey!" Hige yelled. Hubb must be alive.

"Hold on!" Kiba called down. I crawled over beside Kiba and looked for myself. Hubb was holding himself by his hands.

"For all my tough talk, I guess I won't be able to make it with you to the end" I heard Hubb say "I guess the area up ahead is a place I wont be able to set foot in" I shook my head.

"Hang on tight!" I yelled to him "Don't give up!" Kiba stiffened his muscles ready to jump.

"Stay back! Don't try to come down!" Hubb yelled. Kiba stayed.

"I'm not afraid" Hubb admitted "You Wolves will open up the next World for us. I have faith that you will... I didn't need the gun, after all" his hands relaxed and he fell. Kiba dragged me away from the cliff and closed his eyes. Tears filled mine. I heard a sickening thud and a splash of blood against ice. I smelled his blood.

It is then that the beast shall appear" I gasped and spun around. A large black male wolf stood looking down at us, his eyes glowing. Oh god, it was Darcia.