Chapter 35 By the Blood of the RedMoon

A/N- HOLY FICUS! It's been too long!!

Alright in my defense- this time- all I can say is:

School sucks ass

Moving takes a long time to sell a house and actually nab a good one in time before it is also sold.

AND life comes at you fast? (haha had to use the line)

So yeah, the current moving update is- Colorado Springs, CO is going to be my new home. Probably around the Black Forest area (I'm actually really excited about that! It sounds so cool! "Yes I live in the Black Forest, you know the one that a German guy named after the famous one in Germany because it was the first forest he saw here in the Americas that reminded him of his 'home country'?" lol! I'm having waaaay too much fun with that!)

Also due to the move which is going to be taking place in October officially, The story is going to be rather sluggish in getting things updated (yep, already found that out didn't ya? Hey, I said I was sorry! … or at least I just did just now…? Please no tomatoes…. I don't like rotten fruit smell. Lol!)

Alright, enough with the blabber.

Special thanks to: Katlin (don't know if you're reading this but if you are you rock girl and sorry about the grammar errors, you know how I am &sigh&) Zanny, Shadow and Little Shadow (no I haven't forgotten you two!)

Acknowledgements-

Merlyn1382, Dhole, Shadow, Hellhound, WildKat, Alicia, Blackwidow, Savagecreature, Amber, tigerjaw, FangsofFury, Snowstar, Sabertooth, Aquamarine, bloodymary, RedFang, Venom, wolfsbane, Wildcreature, howling1, AngelOfVengeance, Snowstar, Dawn, Dusk, Hybrid, Quickstrike, Sweetooth, emilyruby, Solarwind, Siren, blackpanther, Emeraldragon, White Fang, freakingod, SilenceofDoom, lucky, Prettykitty67, HottyKat, gossipgirl, TheLeopardDemenNovelist, Furyguy, TwiLightzone, QueenofSpades, Carnage, stargirl, Shurtugal, Vixie, freddbing323….. (anyone else or anyone I missed?? No? alright then)

Chapter 35 By the Blood of the Red Moon

Kiba didn't know how long he pursued Darcia into the darkness of the tunnel, but he never stopped to ask. He only knew the way by the sound of Darcia's large paws padding against he ground as he raced ahead of the enraged white wolf, cackling with an eerie resounding echo in the tunnels walls. Kiba's muscles were starting to cramp and hurt, but he wouldn't slow down. The only change in speed he allowed was by all means to speed up faster and faster, knowing it was going to bring him that much closer to Akira.

'Please be safe…' he thought desperately.

Red light glared at him, at first as a speck like one would see signifying the end of the tunnel, and then it grew larger and brighter as he neared it. No dark shadow befell it to show that Darcia was still in front of him, and had Kiba been paying closer attention he'd realize that the padding of large paws in front of him were gone.

Kiba had to clench his eyes close when he crossed over to the red light's beams. He slid to a stop and his heart pounded at the sound of shifting rubble beneath his paws. When he was able to, he glanced down to see that he had just stopped short of a sheer cliff that plummeted far down and deep into the cave-like roots of the Tree of Ages. Small rocks and rubble from the path had fallen down the drop in front of him while he hadn't stopped a moment too late. Breathing a heavy breath, Kiba looked around for Darcia. The dark wolf lord was no where to be seen in the red light of the strange cave. Looking up, Kiba saw a gap in the cave. It opened up like a cone at the very top- the endings of the roots twisted into one another to make a braided-like mouth at the top. Half of the moon was visible in the gap, it hadn't yet reached its full peak yet, but instead of a cool silver moon Kiba was used to, his human blue eyes were graced with blood red moon light as the red moon shone down on him.

And Kiba then fully understood…

'And when the earth cries out its last breath for death, the silver of the moon will bleed red' the prophesy had said….

"Light of the Red Moon…." Kiba whispered in awe, "Akira…." His nostrils flared in an instinctive snort and were filled with the scent of the flower from the updraft blowing up from below the cliff, "CHEZAHHH!" he called out, but only his own echo called back, "CHEZA!! WHERE ARE YOU CHEZA!"

"She will no longer come to your call white wolf of the full moon" Darcia's voice chuckled darkly in the shadows behind Kiba.

Kiba whirled around startled and snarled in his wolf form- changing as soon as he felt Darcia's sudden presence, "What have you done with her? Where is she?!" he demanded, bearing his fangs.

"Nothing as of yet" Darcia shrugged, "Why would I harm my precious flower?"

"She's not yours!"

"Nor is she yours either, for your heart belongs to another, doesn't it" Darcia taunted with a wolfish smirk as he all but slithered up to come nose to nose with the white wolf. In the nobles new form of a wolf he was nearly double the size of Kiba who was impressive in size himself. The two of them didn't give the other an inch as they stood nose to nose, daring the other to move first- a stand still held with tension thick enough to cut with a butter knife in the air around them. Darcia's smirk slowly morphed into a threatening snare when Kiba didn't back down.

"You will stay away from my mate you have defiled with parasites! She is no longer your concern and nor is the flower. I give you one last chance to leave before I must do something brash" he warned lowly.

Kiba's ears pinned back and his growl grew in volume as his anger rose, "I'm not going anywhere with out either of them" he vowed.

"You'll go to hell alone, then" Darcia's bear-sized paw raised up at lightning speed and struck Kiba down with a surprised yelp escaping Kiba.

The white wolf rolled out of the way as Darcia's jaws lined with fangs rammed the area where his neck used to be, "I'm going to enjoy every minute of tearing you apart" Darcia snarled.

"My thoughts exactly!" Kiba twisted away from the larger wolf and ducked low to attack Darcia's sensitive underside, but Darcia was ready. Nimbly, Darcia twisted until his fangs were able to grasp onto the back of Kiba's neck and he tossed the surprised white wolf to the cliff.

Kiba tumbled out of control as his body smacked into the ground nearing the edge. His claws dug into the thick wood underneath the debris of the floor to slow his momentum. He was halfway off the cliff when he was able to stop himself. Claw marks streaked his path where he had desperately clung to something to hold him from falling down to his death. His hind paws scrapped at the roots undersides to try and find some kind of traction so he could lift himself back to safety as he struggled to get back upright.

Darcia's paw lined with deadly knife-like claws dug into the white wolf's forearm as Kiba switched to human form to try and squirm up the cliff better. Kiba bit his tongue so he wouldn't cry out in pain as the knife-like claws dug into flesh- just short of breaking bones!

Blue eyes locked on to gold and blue eyes of the black wolf that held him in place on the cliff edge. Darcia leered down at the boy he held captive with a chuckle.

"Oh how cliché you truly are, Kiba" Darcia shook his head, "Dangling over a cliff toward your death? Really now, you're making this easy on me."

Kiba grimaced in pain, but kept his steady silent glare locked on the wolfs eyes above him, promising death should he get free of this predicament.

"Now, Akira will not see your death until you splat in your own puddle of blood when you impact in front of her down there" Darcia sighed, "I was hoping she'd see the great fight between us herself. Can you imagine it Kiba?" Darcia leaned forward until they were almost cheek to cheek as he whispered to Kiba's ear while Kiba stubbornly glared ahead, "Can you imagine her there, with her precious little belly full of your … grimlands, chained to the moon alter. Her blood trailing down her arms from cut palms for the blood sacrifice. Her red silk hair in disarray all around her as she struggles to reach you as you die. The hope dieing with you in her beautiful orange eyes…. can you see her, Kiba? Can you hear her scream as I leave you to die on your own slow pitiful death bed while I take her as my own and pound your cursed offspring from her capable body?"

Kiba was breathing harshly as his rage reached newer heights. Though he resisted falling prey to the evil man's taunts, he couldn't help but hear her screams of pain and terror for him. Smell her blood. Feel her pain. See her hope dieing in her eyes…..

"But now you'll never know will you Kiba? You're going to see her one last time as you fall to your death in front of her down there." Darcia sat up again, "Pity…" Kiba's grip on the wooden root cliff tightened as Darcia started to let go…

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" Heart roared like an Amazon Woman rushing into battle.

The female black wolf barreled toward Darcia from behind and pounced on him like a panther taking down her prey. Her fangs fastening into his back as she rammed him to his side and off Kiba. Darcia twisted and turned to try and get her off him as she bit into his sensitive spots and avoided his futile attacks back. He just wasn't THAT limber to reach her and she was smaller, faster and much more flexible. More than capable to ride his back, bite into his spine, claw him where she could reach and wrestle him away from Kiba while the white wolf got up on the cliff once again- all with out Darcia even able to claw her back.

"HALF-BREED BITCH!!" Darcia roared as he twisted and rammed his back into the walls of the cave, earning a painful scream from Heart on his back and he felt her grip on him loosen, "Know your PLACE!" he flung her from his back as she sprawled to her side away from him. Her head ached from impact and sudden movement. She could tell something was broken somewhere, but every thing hurt currently so she didn't know exactly what was broken and what was just sore from the pounding she'd gotten from a semi-truck of a wolf that now prowled over her.

Kiba was almost on top of the cliff again when he saw Darcia hold down Heart. His own heart started to run cold, "NOOO!" though the distance was short, he wasn't able to reach them in time before Darcia's powerful fangs bit into the back of Heart's neck. He wasn't merciful in giving her a quick death with a break to the spine. He made sure to bite shallow enough that he only snagged the nerves that allowed her movement, but left a deep enough wound that she would bleed to death with in less than half an hour- a slow, painful death.

Heart cried out in pain as she fell limp, panting for air and glaring up at Darcia, but otherwise unable to move. She couldn't contain her painful whimper as the pain started to surge through her nerves that were severed. Her body twitched from lack of function.

"HEART!!" Kiba rushed toward her as Darcia leaped away, avoiding Kiba's half-hearted attack. The white wolf kept an eye on the dark wolf as he looked over Heart, "Hey, Heart, come on, hang in there, don't die on us yet- paradise is so close now! You can't die!" Kiba couldn't believe he was babbling, but he couldn't help it, "You still have to see Akira again! Don't you wanna see her?"

"She won't be seeing my Akira ever again. No half-breed ever will again." Darcia said darkly where he stood near the ledge, watching on with no intention to attack just yet, but he was proving to be a loose-cannon now a days.

"You know Akira's a hybrid as well… r-right" Heart could only muster a hissed whisper through her unmoving jaws. Thankfully, her voice box, lungs, heart, or any vital organs weren't affected, but she still couldn't move her limbs.

"She is so much more than you'll ever be" Darcia chuckled darkly, "The heart of the red moon shall open my paradise when the red moon is fully aligned above us and is able to reach its blood beams to the branches of the tree of ages its self at the heart of the root-cave." He turned to Kiba with a sly grin as he took a step back toward the dangerous ledge, "If you still want to defy me, see if you can get there in time. I'll eagerly await you." Darcia stepped back and free fell down toward the heart of the cave below.

Kiba rushed to the edge to look over and down where Darcia fell. The light of the red moons beams didn't reach the bottom yet. They were still pitch black, but some how, Kiba knew the bastard survived the fall. He would gladly heed the challenge. Soon as the others came and saw to Heart's wounds, he'd go.

As if reading Kiba's mind, Heart wheezed out his name, "Kibah…"

"Heart," Kiba turned to her and slowly approached her side, "Don't strain yourself. You need your strength."

Roars and caws from the beasts that they had encountered outside echoed the walls around them. Kiba turned to face the tunnel they had come in from and took a protective stance, ready to defend Heart.

"No…. Kibahh" Heart wheezed, "Don't waste another moment…. You, you must go…. Go to Cheza and….. to Akiraahh" she panted.

"I won't leave you. Akira wouldn't wish it of me if I left you here to die!" Kiba protested, not looking back as the sounds got closer.

"I'm already…. Half way…. There." Heart sighed, "Akira…. Needs you now….. go to her and…. Save yourselves." She panted.

Kiba turned to Heart, "But-,"

"GO!" she managed to bark out sternly.

"Heart…" Kiba looked torn as he looked her dead in the eye. It was as if she were willing him to go. As if she could force him to go with her eyes alone and he believed she could at the moment since his feet were already slowly making their way toward the cliff Darcia had used previously.

"Take care of her…. please Kiba…" Heart started to cry, "For me, Kiba…. Please watch over her for me…"

"With my life" he promised softly with a genuine smile and bowed his head respectfully in wolf form, "May you find your way to paradise in the after life."

He was sure Heart would have smiled if she could as she watched him leap over the edge after Darcia and disappear into the darkness.

'I better not find you there when I reach paradise and find out you died to get there. Otherwise, I'll resurrect you so you can save Akira before you die again and THEN kick your ass out of paradise and down to hell and back!' she threatened inwardly as her red eyes darted back to the mouth of the tunnel before her- something was approaching.

A pair of golden eyes belonging to a bloodied up, limping gray wolf stared at Heart in shock as he hobbled into the red light and his eyes adjusted to the sudden change of light. The scarred cross on his chest no longer was the only wound on him. He looked as if a Tyrannosaur had chewed him up and spat him back out with all the deep and shallow wounds he now sported from fighting the pterodactyls. But all that was meaningless when he saw Heart laying on her side unmoving and bleeding from her neck.

"HEART!" he called out in alarm as he doubled his efforts to hobble toward her. Heart could tell he had two broken legs that flopped around him- his left hind leg and front right. His remaining two weren't much worse for wear and his whole gray coat was covered in blood- both from his own wounds and from others blood. She was amazed he had made it this far and was sure he'd lost too much blood. She just knew he had a strong will power, but this took the cake.

He more or less fell to her side, nuzzling her with his nose as if to wake her, "HEART! SPEAK TO ME HEART!" he pleaded. Heart could see tears in his eyes, "No… you can't be dead, Heart, you just can't! I came all this way just to be at your side again! You can't be dead!" he was! He really was crying! Crying for her!

Heart released a sad whimper as she too started to cry, startling him, "H-Heart?"

"Tsume… you came back to me…." She whispered. It was getting harder to talk now, "I… I'm glad."

"Don't talk! Save your energy! You can make it Heart, just sit tight!" Tsume urged as he started to lick at the blood coating her neck, trying to gently clean her fur and find the wound at the same time so he could try and treat it.

"He… tore through the nerves…. In my neck…. I'll bleed to death, just like you …. Will soon enough…." Hearts soft voice replied, "Where are…. Hige and…. Blue?"

"NO we wont! We will not die! We will see paradise! I want you to go to paradise, even if it kills me to get you there, you're going to paradise!" he vowed, as he gently grabbed at her fur as if he were going to drag her the rest of the way- ignoring the question on the whereabouts of her sister and Hige. Her heart ached when she saw how much pain such a simple act caused him. It was because of this that she didn't press the issue of where Blue was or Hige….

"Tsume…. Please" she begged softly, "Don't…"

"You're going to paradise, Heart!" He insisted. Tears streaming down his face. She almost stared at him in awe. She'd never seen him cry like this, in such pained abandoned. He never cried, yet for her he did. He was shedding thousands of tears right in front of her with out trying to brush it off and be tough and manly about it…

"It's not worth it…" Heart insisted.

"You don't know what you're-,"

"It's not worth it Tsume" she raised her voice as much as she could with a bit more trouble than she thought it would be, "If… if you're not there with me…. Tsume…. It's not…. Not worth it…." She confessed.

Tsume stopped struggling to pull her away and stared down at her with amber tear glistened eyes, "You don't mean that…"

"I do… you idiot." She sighed with a roll of her eyes, "If you still want to ….. drag me off…. When I'm dieing…. Then please…." She pleaded with soft red eyes gazing as best she could up at him, "For my last wish…. Stay here with me….. Don't leave me to die alone…."

Tsume choked back the tears, "Heart…. I….I'll never leave you. Even in death…" he winced as he shifted to lay more fully against her in his wolf form.

"Hold me…. Tsume…. Will you …. Hold me?" her voice was getting more and more distant and breathy. She was fading from him….

Tsume carefully nuzzled her head over his front legs and laid his own head over hers as he spooned himself best he could against her. In human form, he would be holding her in his arms.

After a moment she sighed, "Blue…?" was all she was able to get out.

Tsume knew what she meant with out all the words. He held her tighter as if to prepare her, "She and Hige gave their life fighting the pterodactyls so I could get to you. I wouldn't be here now with out your little sister. She died with her mate thought…. She died to protect the ones she loved…"

"Alone….?" Heart breathed shallowly.

"Never was" he meant both of them and she grasped his duel meaning.

"….glad….love….youuuhhhh…" with that said, she sighed her last breath.

"Heart…. Heart?" she didn't answer him and she wasn't breathing, "H-Heart….no…" Tsume shuddered, "HEEEEAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRT!!" his howl of her name morphed into a painful howl as a wolf that lost his life mate as he cried out to the slowly rising red moon……

08970987098709870987098709870987098709870987098709870987

"I know you're awake dearest Akira. Won't you open your eyes to me?" Darcia softly said close by.

Akira refused to open her eyes. She had slowly roused to wakefulness, but was at first too afraid to open her eyes. Her palms felt wet and warm with dull pain throbbing in their centers. She could tell she was chained and suspended much like Cheza usually is in the clutches of a noble like Jagura, Orchem and even Darcia himself. The very scent of him disgusted her. She didn't want to open her eyes to have to endure seeing him as well. He wasn't even the man Lady Homena had fallen for. He was the monster that engulfed the sorrowful soul of a broken man with greed and pride. A masochist, murderer, lair…. Sinner. Any and everything evil.

She felt a long graceful hand caress her jaw and lifted her chin up- she still held her eyes closed and relaxed. She would not give into him, "Dearest, I'll ask again. Will you not open your beautiful eyes for me?"

Akira held her ground.

"It seems I need to make a point to you then… you never did take the easy way out did you, my little lovely mate?" he seemed amused for some dark reason, but it was the darkness in the undertone of his voice that gave her any warning she would later understand to heed more closely.

Pain bit into her palms sharply. First one was cut into- what ever cursed blade that had impaled her flesh dug in and then twisted lightly to stay clear of the fragile bones of her hand. Darcia held a deceptive light smile that quirked a bit more at her pained screams. He watched the blood stream from her newly re-wounded palms down her arms held above head level in a Y-bend above her and chained to the branches of the tree of ages its self. His eyes trailed with the blood down her arms to her shoulders and stained the white virgin's robe he had dressed her in that was nearly see-through. She looked like an offering to the pagan gods of the ancient religions- Zeus or Hades there were so many.

And righteously it so described her- a sacrifice. A virgin sacrifice that had never been physically touched so intimately by a man in body, but in spirit she was gifted with that bastards pups….

But at last, his roaming eyes that had trailed over her from the blood at her palms down her body and back up to her face, he saw her pained orange eyes open wide with fear, anger, pain, shock, hatred, there were so many emotions that he wandered if she were aware of just how many she was showing freely in her expressive rare-colored gems of eyes. The color of a late summer sun- orange. Golden-orange.

"There they are." He said softly as he leaned in close to her. His hand still holding her chin so she couldn't pull away like she was trying to. In his other hand, the bloody silver plated knife dripped with her blood….

"Get away from me!" she hissed at him. He could tell she was so afraid of him, but she was also trying her damnedest to fool him otherwise- how cute.

"Don't be afraid to fear me" he cooed to her, "Let all your fear of me out now. Soon enough, you'll beg for it even with the fear of me"

"I said GET AWAY FROM ME!" she demanded, jerking out of his grasp and struggling with in her binds to get away, "DON'T TOUCH ME!" her stomach felt ill, "You make me SICK!"

"You ask the impossible of me, little one. For who is so strong that he cannot touch his own mate?"

"You and I are no such thing! I.LOVE.KIBA!" she bravely declared. He admired the way she forced her fear aside enough that not a trace of it showed as she glared at him levelly with her determination set in her orange eyes, "Not you!"

"I don't require your love." He said contradictive, "All I require is you"

"Which you shall not have!"

"Which I WILL have" he countered.

"I'll kill you before you had the chance!" Akira spat like a venomous snake.

Suddenly, he held the back of her head and brought her close. Too close. Their noses were brushing and he made sure that their bodies were flushed together as well as they could with her in her binds as she was. His body was pressing her into the bark on the trunk of the tree behind her. Her stomach was doing a boiling for a good sickness- a puke session was coming on to her and she wanted to let it loose on him, but not just yet. She couldn't afford the weak-spell that came after emptying her stomach.

"Do you really believe you can kill me? Do you?" he said softly. His soft hot breath puffed against her lips that were a hairs length away from her own tightly closed ones. Her nostrils flared in anger as she started to breath heavier to calm her stirring stomach.

"I.Will." she stated with out fear.

They stared at one another for a long while. Darcia's hand that held the knife slowly lifted up. It looked as though he were going to stab her again. She didn't flinch as she darted her eyes rapidly from his own eyes that watched her unblinkingly and unemotionally to the slowly rising blood-stained and still dripping silver knife poised to stab her again.

She couldn't hold back the flinch when the knife swung down at her. She expected to feel its harsh piercing bite at any moment, but only felt the wind wake of it passing her head. Her arms suddenly went slack and she fell into his waiting arms off balance. She shoved away from him and fell on her rear, glaring up at him and panting for air as she let out the breath she forgot she was holding in. he tossed the knife to her, knowing she'd instinctively catch it.

"Then by all means little one" he stood back and held out his arms invitingly, "Kill me"

Akira's eyes widened, and then narrowed in fury. This was her chance! She stood up, the knife clutched in tight hands as if it were her life line to keep her sanity in the madness her mind had become with thoughts of taking lives and deaths and red moons and nonsense she once never even heard of or had anything to do with. Her heart pounded in her ears as she stood there, knife held as if it were a sword in both hands and feet braced apart.

"What's wrong Akira?" Darcia taunted, "Go on. Do it." He walked toward her slowly- startling her.

"St-Stay BACK!" she demanded, taking one step back, but he was upon her, "BACK! OR I SWEAR I'LL CUT YOU!"

"Do it then!" he demanded, taking hold of her shaking wrists holding onto the knife and making her knuckles white with how hard she clutched on to it. He brought it closer to himself until the sharp point of the knife marred in her own dripping blood that now oozed from her palms as well and onto the handle now. He held the point to his chest and drew back his shirts so it touched soft skin and slowly let go of her wrists, "Cut into me Akira. KILL ME!" he shouted at her, startling her to jolt in surprise.

Why couldn't she do it? Why couldn't she kill him! Homena had told her she must do it to open up the true paradise, and she knew he deserved to die! Why couldn't she kill him? What was holding her back from driving the bloodied knife into his chest and twisting it in his wound just like he had done to her forever scarred hands? Why!

Akira started to cry in her effort. It was silent- no sobs wrecking through her, just her body shivering in pent up tension and effort. Her brows knotted and the tears flowed out of her like rivers down her cheeks and dripping off her chin.

She couldn't do it….

She didn't know why.

She wanted to do it, oh yes. How she wanted to drive this knife into this man in front of her, but her heart was unable to bare it. She couldn't take another persons life, not with knowing how much Darcia meant to Homena…. Never mind the two could never be together… it still hurt….

'There has to be another way….' She quivered, "I .. I…." she gulped.

Darcia placed a calm hand on her own that held the knife. She jerked away from his touch, throwing the knife aside with such force, it embedded into the tree of Ages' trunk with a 'THUD!'

"I SAID DON'T TOUCH ME!" she cried out, backing away from him until she bumped into the tree herself and slid down it weakly, sobbing now, "I cant do it…. I just…. I can't…."

"Such weakness you openly display. Such pure mercy that so many have taken advantage of. Is that why he fell for you? Your innocents?" Darcia's voice was deceptively soft, "I knew it…. You're just as weak, no WEAKER than your brother, Jasper."

Akira jumped in fear as his fist slammed into the bark of the tree above her head and grasped a hold of the knife, twisting it out of its embedded place in the wood. He brought it up to his chest and cut shallowly into it, letting her blood mix with his, "Now I really am the Red Moon's chosen. You're blood is now marred with mine."

'This is it…' Akira thought in fear, 'What Homena was warning me about….. Now I really do have to kill him so Kiba can open up the real paradise…'

Her heart sped up a few beats and kicked into the gear at the thought. She doubted she'd be able to do it… can she really kill someone? Even if it was Darcia?

He bent low over her, trapping her between himself and the tree of Ages behind her, "You have no where else to run, little one"

Akira morphed to her wolf form and darted out from under him with her smaller size. She quickly turned around so her back wasn't to him- she didn't trust him at all. She backed away from him with her ears pinned back, tail half raised cautiously and a half-snarl showed a hint of fangs. She was unsure if she had a slight chance at him in a fight. She wasn't even sure she'd be much more than a fly to him.

"Back to this game, huh?" Darcia looked over his shoulder and chuckled when she didn't answer as he stood up and faced her, morphing to his wolf form at the same time, "Have it your way then…" he bent low to pounce at any moment and stalked forward toward her as she moved away.

Akira backed far enough away that she could see the whole tree behind Darcia. Her orange eyes spied Cheza laying weakly on her side, not moving. There was a green liquid that stained the back of her clothing that made Akira's heart skip a beat. She stopped backing away and full out snarled at Darcia, nothing was being held back any longer.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO CHEZA?!" she demanded with fire.

"So there's the huntress in the little timid one" he remarked, "Cheza has been what you could say detained until the moon beams reach their peak down here and the ceremony to open paradise arises. Even now, with her blood being spilt ever so lightly like your own, she's starting to bloom…"

"Bloom?" Akira's breath caught as she was distracted away from the prowling male to the prone Cheza at the tree's base, "Cheza?"

It was the opening he was waiting for. Darcia pounced powerfully toward her, pinning her under him, "Very messy for you little mate. You leave so many delicious openings!" he groaned as he bit lightly into her neck to still her struggles. Akira stilled her upper body, but her hind legs kicked out at him rapidly as if she were running in a sprint. Her sharp claws bit into his sensitive gentile area.

"RRRAAAAAH!!" he cried out in surprise, letting go of his hold on her neck.

Akira knew what to do next- just like that wolf before in the Dead Forest! She twisted to her four paws and slammed her back into his stomach to throw him off balance a bit. She then made to dart away, but yelped in pain as Darcia's fangs found purchase in the scruff of her neck and tugged her under him again. He was so large that with her under him, he barely had to stand on his toes as he stood over her in the dominating position. Her body instinctive froze from the hold on her neck but she firmly held her thick tail between her legs, blocking him from his ultimate goal.

"Remove your tail" he demanded with an insistent growl.

She hissed cat-like back at him in insult and he dug his fangs deeper into her.

"REMOVE IT!"

"AKIRAAAAAH!" Darcia didn't even see Kiba as a streak of white lightning shot through the darkness and tackled Darcia, throwing the large wolf off balance slightly, but Darcia still held his position over Akira.

"KIBA!" Akira cried out in relief.

"LET.HER.GO!" he snarled clawing and biting viscously at Darcia's back.

Darcia bucked, snapping and snarling as he tried to swing his claws at his back to throw off Kiba and still stay over Akira. Kiba's sharp fangs were able to dig pass the thick coat of fur and bit into Darcia's spine, releasing a pained wail from the wolf. Darcia threw back his head, releasing Akira as he reared on his hind paws like a stallion. Akira didn't waste any time escaping from under him, tail still tucked between her legs. She skidded sideways and looked back as she got only half way from the fighting wolves to Cheza.

"Kiba?" she questioned.

"GET.CHEZA.OUTTA.HERE!" he demanded even as Darcia threw him off his back enraged. Kiba skidded on his side a long ways from Darcia while the dark wolf turned his attention back to Akira. He bunched his muscles to charge at her fearful person, but Kiba was upon him again in a fury of claws teeth and white fur. The white wolf showed no mercy as he mauled Darcia as much as he could while the larger wolf fought back just as viciously.

"KIBA!!" Akira cried out.

"A…Ah….Akirahh?" Cheza called softly, "This one can't… can't sense you any more….are you there Akira?" Cheza's breathy voice called out.

Akira looked over her shoulder to see Cheza trying to get up and back to the two wolves that impersonated the Yin and Yang perfectly. She was torn at the decision of who to go to- Cheza or Kiba.

"Akira…"

Akira couldn't stop herself from hurrying to Cheza's side. She reverted to a human, ignoring the sounds of snarling wolves and the smell of new blood being shed. Cheza was trembling as Akira gathered the scared flower up in her arms and held her closely. Cheza jumped in surprise when she was hugged- she truly couldn't sense Akira anymore…. But why?

"It's me. Akira" Akira reassured Cheza, automatically relaxing the flower. But then, Cheza tensed again.

"You're hurt?"

Akira winced as if on cue, her pain from her wounds smarted at her, "It's nothing, Cheza-,"

"Too much blood to be nothing" Cheza shook her head and felt down Akira's shoulder and arm until she held on to Akira's wrist, touching her wounded palm with her other hand lightly, "This one will heal you…" Cheza relaxed again while Akira let her do what she felt she needed, but when Cheza started to furrow her brow and breathe hard, she became alarmed.

"What is it?"

"This one…. Cannot feel her power….. She cannot heal you. This one cannot even sense you or anyone else. As if all of you were dead…. AAAAAH!" Cheza gasped as if she were in pain and covered her nose and mouth, "But she can still sense pain…. So much pain… and …. And blood…. Kiba's blood…. Akira's blood….."

"HEEEEAAAAAARRRRRRRT!!" a howl echoed off the walls that fell on deaf ears of Kiba and Darcia who danced around one another, snapping and snarling at one another- colliding together in a fury of fangs only to break apart with a few wounds to one another and start it over again. Akira and Cheza heard the cry loud and clear and it made Akira's heart weep harder.

"That was…. Tsume…" Akira held Cheza tighter as the flower whispered out Tsumes name.

"Yes, Cheza…. It was him" Akira nodded, "It must be… it must be Heart…"

"Heart has died…. This one can sense his death coming to him as well. She can sense him, but not you or Kiba…. This one is so afraid…."

Akira sobbed as she tried to hold back the tears. Holding Cheza tightly to her so she could some how block out the vicious battle going on between the two wolves close by and give Cheza some semblance of feeble peace. She turned her head away, not wanting to see Kiba torn down like he was.

The scent of his blood, the sound of his pain…. It called to something burning deep inside her. Something that made her head ache and heart burn with heat that rushed in her blood making her body flush with heat and her breath pant out of her. Her ears rang loudly, drowning out all else noise- even Cheza's voice right there with her.

The moon above them was almost completely beaming down upon them now. Its red beams lightly touched Akira's crown and slowly illuminated her red hair and face. When the light passed her eyes, something slipped away. At any moment she would snap and she was afraid of just what that snap would lead to. It terrified her so much that she dared not even to breathe for a moment.

Kiba was tossed carelessly by a bloodied and battered Darcia near Akira and Cheza. His body slammed against the trunk of the Tree of Ages and fell limply to the ground before it. Cheza called out his name, but he didn't answer. Blood splattered along the bark and specks of it hit Akira-

That's when it snapped. The light of the red moon fully engulfed her body, casting its moonlight on her like a celestial angel of the devil. All her inhibitions were taken away in that moment and she breathed easy. Almost too calmly for the occasion, but her sudden calm composure seemed to ease Cheza even so slightly as Darcia approached them madly.

"The full moon has fallen to the New Moon. Akira, now do you see? The moon is upon us. Now is the time to take our future" Darcia panted in his wolf form with a maddened smile on his wolfish features.

Her human hand darted out quickly and grasped the wolf tightly around the throat- choking him, but only just lightly of endangering his life. Her fast reaction to him surprised him to say the least and he gave a started yelp that was choked off by her hold on his throat.

"You're right. It is time to take my future" her voice was even with its melodious tone holding a dark note in it that never was there before. She opened her eyes, they were neon red and glowing brightly. Her hair waved lightly in an unnatural, non-existent wind as a powerful red aura became visible around her to the naked eye, giving her a red glow in the already glowing red moonlight.

"I will take your life and open up paradise. You are not worthy of it if you are this weak, Darcia!" she tossed him by the neck away from her and Cheza and then stood in her glowing wolf form, eyes still that haunting neon red, "If you want to take it by force, I have a few spare minutes until the moon fully arises and is gone from the circle above. If you can defeat me, I'll unleash your paradise. If not, I'll take your life" it didn't even sound like her!

Did Darcia care? No.

He stood again with a maniacal look on his face, "Then come to me huntress and let us dance in the moon light"

"I'LL SPILL YOUR BLOOD!" she roared dashing after him.