[RATING M] For language and maybe for future lemon, we're never sure how things will turn out. X'DD
Hey guys, SweetFantasyDreams here. :)
So, here's the ninth chapter of Wolves's Destiny, I hope that you guys will like it, I did my best to keep the story interesting so far. ~
I'm so sorry for the long, long, long waiting, but you know...life keeps me busy (college especially, lol), AND I want to be sure to give you something worth reading.
But...I have to admit that I'm quite pleased with this chapter. I lacked inspiration (again), but I still wanted to post another chapter for you, guys...I'm sorry if it's not what you were expecting, but know this: so far, everything was worth reading, and it might get slocky at times, but I'll always try to make sure that I make masterpieces of my story for the chapters.
I also wanted to develop some characters, and I'm happy with the results.
Enjoy ~ !
I do not own any of Inuyasha CCs (Canon characters, which means: CHARACTERS BELONGING TO THE MANGA AND SHOW.)
I only own the FCs (Fan characters, which means: CHARACTERS CREATED BY A FAN).
Message(s) from the ''author'':
-1. This chapter quote's is from the TV series Andromeda, Season 2, episode 11.
Osamu strikes
''Here is the price of freedom:
Your every drop of courage,
Ounce of pain, pint of blood.
Paid in advance.''
The morning came quite quickly, as the sun rise on the Northern Mountains, waking up all the wildlife living there and in its surroundings.
It's been two months and it was fall, now, that Koga, Haru and Taiyô had started to train Ayame and to give her advice about being a leader, whenever she needed it.
Koga and Haru had to intervene a few times though, because Taiyô and Ayame got into some serious argues and even started to fight each other. A boiling Ayame told Taiyô that if he didn't stop to treat her like a child, that he and his tribe were to leave the Northern Mountains, before she shreds him to pieces for his insolence and stupidity.
Koga and Haru also argued with Taiyô, telling him to be more patient with her, which simply led to another fight between Taiyô and Koga and with Haru leaving them to their fight.
Right now, Ayame was in a tree, standing on a branch, watching over the group of Wolf Demons and Tiger Demons that were picking up the last fruits and fishing fishes in the river. She was glad that everyone was getting along incredibly well, and so far, her tribe was following her every order without questioning them.
While Ayame was lost in her thoughts, Yuri was fishing in the river with Shinta. The two were having a blast and splashing each other, despite the cold weather. They were laughing and giggling, without fearing anything to happen.
Suddenly, the sky turned dark, and all Wolf Demons and Tiger Demons looked up at the sky…simply to see it covered by Birds of Paradise !
-"M-Miss Yuri…! I'm scared !", whimpers Shinta, rushing to her and clinging to her legs.
-"It's ok, Shinta…We're not going to let them hurt you !", tries to reassure him Yuri.
She takes him out of the river, and Kai rushes to them and grabs Shinta in his arms.
-"What's going on…?!", he exclaims, looking at the sky.
-"I think we're being attacked…!", replies Yuri, also looking up at the sky in worry.
Ayame grits her teeth and jumps up at the top of the tree, and throws shuriken leaves at the Birds of Paradise, hitting a few of them.
-"This is Wolf Demons's territory !", she shouts. "I order you to leave, or you will definitely get annihilated !"
Some Birds of Paradises dived at her, and Ayame welcomed them by powerfully kicking them in the jaw, sending them flying skywards and hit a few of their congeners. They screamed in pain, as she had kicked them with monster strength.
Koga, Taiyô, Haru and Takehaya suddenly rushes in, along with a few members of their own tribes, and they all looked up at the sky.
-"What's going on ?!", snaps Taiyô. "Why are those filthy birds attacking us ?!"
-"How do you want me to know ?!", snaps back Koga.
-"Calm down, you two !", snaps Haru, not willing to support another argue between these two.
-"We're not pups anymore, so stop fighting !", adds Yuna, looking at Koga and Taiyô with disapproval.
One of the birds suddenly dived at them and Koga was quick to brutally kick it back to where it came from. The birds also tried to attack Kaia and Shinta, but Yuri was quick to protect them and got taken into the air instead.
-"LET ME GO, YOU STUPID BIRD !", she yells, trying to kick the bird that got her in its clawed paws.
-"Yuri !", shouts Ayame.
She jumped on the back of one of the birds as it dived at her, and forced him to fly to the one holding Yuri. She then made them crashed into each other, and both birds fell to the ground, as Yuri got free and jumped in a tree with Ayame. The birds crashed into the river, sending water to fly all around them.
Ayame and Yuri both jumped down of the tree, and Koga and the other leaders rushed to save a bunch of Wolf Demons and Tiger Demons that were being taken by the Birds of Paradise. The Leaders then rushed to Ayame and Yuri, who were ending the lives of reckless Birds of Paradise that had dived at them.
-"Are you both alright ?!", asked Taiyô.
-"Yes, we're fine !", nods Ayame, waving a hand. "But there's too many Birds of Paradise, and they're trying to take away the young ones as much as the adults ! What can we do ?!"
Koga grits his teeth, then punches his right fist into the palm of his left hand, glaring up at the Birds of Paradise. Haru catched his gesture, and frowned, looking at Koga as he also looked back at Haru.
-"Haru, tell everyone to get behind me quickly !", orders Koga, as he looked back at the filthy birds still covering the sky.
Haru nods, knowing what he's going to do, and with the help of the other Leaders, they gather their people and they make sure they all stand back behind Koga. Koga then walks a few steps away from everybody and makes his right hand's bones cracking.
-"You filthy birds ! How dare you attack us Wolf Demons ?! Return to the mountains that you came from, or I will annihilate you all !", he shouts, snarling.
-"And what if we don't ?", cackles a bird. "You're outnumbered, Wolf ! Give up already and let us feast on your flesh and blood !"
A few Birds of Paradise then dived at Koga, but this one suddenly makes his Goraishi to appear and shouts as he waves its claws at the birds, electrocuting and burning them to death. The dead birds fell all around, weither it's on land or in the river.
Ayame's eyes widen as she sees the Goraishi in Koga's possession.
-"The Goraishi…?! How…!"
-"He inherited it from his ancestors !", explains Ginta.
-"He saved our lives and the claws were bestowed upon him by the spirits !", adds Hakkaku.
Ayame was very shocked: she never knew that Koga actually inherited of this precious heirloom…!
Koga, meanwhile, aggressively waved his right hand again, electrocuting, burning and killing more Birds of Paradise, as these ones weren't giving up on their attack. The remaining birds suddenly attacked all at once, diving at the Wolf Demons and Tiger Demons, forcing all of the adults to fight them back.
Suddenly, one of the birds swiftly dived and grabbed both Yuna and Yuri in its clawed paws, before to fly off with them.
-"MISS YURI !", shouts Kai, while protecting his little brother Shinta. "MISS YUNA !"
Ayame swiftlys turns around and her face turned ghostly pale:…no…!
Ginta and Haru both heard the shouting, and they dashed after the bird, without thinking. Up there, Yuri and Yuna were kicking the bird, but it wasn't letting go of them. Yuna even brutally punched it in the teeth, but it didn't let go of them still.
-"Y-Yuna…!", exclaims Yuri, pointing in front of them. "It's going to drop us there…!"
Yuna looked, and her face turned ghostly pale: a huge waterfall was flowing vividly and a lot of debris were being carried by its strong current. Whatever the filthy bird had in mind, it knew very well that dropping them there would certainly end with them injured…or even dead !
-"NO !", shouts Yuna, as she kicks the bird even more.
Yuri also started to kick the bird in panic, but it was as if it didn't felt anything anymore. Soon, it was over the waterfall, and dropped both females down into the strong current of the waterfall. Both shrieked in terror as they fell and hit the water with a splashing sound.
It wasn't long before they start to hit tree trunks and other debris, scratching their delicate skins in the process. The river obviously took them to the point of no return, and they fell down the waterfall, screaming. As they fell, however, Yuri brutally hit rocks sticking out of the water on her right side, and she coughed out blood. Yuna, on her part, also hit rocked but her left shoulder took the hit and she yelped in pain as she brutally hit the slippery surface of the rock.
Suddenly, someone grabbed their arms and they hit the rocky wall of the waterfall, yelping in pain again. Looking up, they saw Ginta and Haru holding on their wrists, as they had catched up in time to grab them, before that the waterfall takes them down the mountains.
Yuri blinked tiredly, her vision getting blurry.
-"…H…Haru…", she quietly says.
-"…I got you", gently smiles Haru, pulling her up carefully.
Ginta does the same with Yuna, but as soon as the girls are out of danger, a few Birds of Paradise attacked them again. With both girls unable to fight back, they were two against what seemed to be twenty Birds of Paradise.
-"Damn it !", shouts Yuna, dodging birds. "Haru, what should we do ?! They got us surrounded !"
-"And the others are quite far from us !", adds Ginta, kicking a bird in the teeth. "BACK OFF, YOU FILTHY BIRD !"
Haru grits his teeth, as he dodges birds as well, while holding a barely conscious Yuri in his arms. Two options were offering themselves to them: either they get killed by those pathetic birds, or…they jump off the cliff, down the waterfall, and risk death or life by doing so.
Yuri coughed out more blood and it splatters on her chest armor: her state was troubling him, but his instinct told him what was best for him and them to do.
-"Ginta ! Yuna ! Jump down the waterfall !", he shouts.
-"WHAT ?!", they both exclaimed. "WE'LL DIE !"
-"There's a chance that we survive ! It's either being eaten by those filthy birds, or die trying to survive ! I chose the second option !"
Yuri heard it all, but she was in no way to protest or say anything. Ginta and Yuna briefly looked at each other, then dashed to get to Haru and Yuri.
-"Let's do it !", exclaimed Ginta, clenching a hand into a fist. "Koga would probably stand his ground, but we're in no way at his level !"
-"I could stand my ground, but it's too risky !", replied Haru, turning around to face the waterfall.
-"Whatever happens, I hope the others will be fine !", shouts Yuna.
Haru looked down at Yuri, that he was still holding in his arms.
-"Are you ready, Yuri ?", he calmly asks her.
Yuri softly nods, trusting him with her life.
With her accord, and Ginta and Yuna's accord, Haru jumped down in the waterfall, followed by Ginta, who was holding Yuna close to him.
The four disappeared into the waterfall's strong waters, screaming in fear for Ginta and Yuna. The Birds of Paradise watched them disappear and, feeling that their job was done, they flew away from the waterfall, returning to their mountains in the south-east.
Back at where the others were, Koga fried to death a lot of birds with his Goraishi, but the remaining survivors suddenly retreated and flew away straight to the mountains to the south-east.
-"They're retreating !", shouts Sakura, protecting Kai and Shinta.
-"Koga ! Ginta and Haru went after the bird that took Yuna and Yuri !", exclaims Hakkaku, pointing the direction they had taken.
Koga, Ayame, Taiyô and Takehaya dashed in that direction, followed by Hakkaku.
They soon find the waterfall and foot prints in the ground. Koga knelt next to them and gently pat the ground, next to some clear foot prints.
-"…They fought for a while…", he murmurs, slowly looking at the cliff nearby.
He got up and approached the edge, and looked down: this was a long fall, down the waterfall…but there was no way to tell if they survived, as he knew that they had jumped down…
Ayame seemed to be following his trail of thoughts and she turned pale.
-"NO !", she shouts running to the edge of the cliff.
Koga yelped as he caught her, as she slipped on the wet surface of the rocks.
-"Ayame, enough !", he exclaims. "They jumped down the waterfall, it's clear as cristal !"
-"But it's too dangerous !", she protests, struggling. "I smell blood…! Yuri was wounded !"
-"Whatever happened, they jumped down the waterfall to try and stay alive !", snapped Taiyô.
-"But…Ginta…Haru…and the girls…", pants Hakkaku, stressed out.
-"They wouldn't have jumped if they weren't surrounded !", snapped Koga, pulling Ayame away from the edge.
-"How can you tell…?", frowns Takehaya.
-"Because Wolves don't back off, unless they feel that their lives are threatened ! And even so, I shouldn't be saying that, as I would stubbornly stand my ground instead of jumping down a cliff !"
-"MY BEST FRIEND JUMPED DOWN THERE BECAUSE OF THESE FILTHY BIRDS !", yells Ayame in Koga's ear, earning a wince from him.
She brutally gets away from him, barely containing her fury and her tears of anger as she stomps back at her tribe's Den.
-"I WILL MURDER THEM ALL ! AND SINCE THEY ALLIED WITH THAT OSAMU…I'LL KILL HIM WITH MY BARE HANDS IF YURI AND OUR FRIENDS DIED IN THAT FALL !"
Ayame was very upset right now: first, she lost her grandfather, and now, her best friend, along with her other friends, might be dead too…that was enough !
She was trembling, and Taiyô scoffed at her screaming.
-"Ayame, yelling won't help in any way."
-"YOU ARE ONE TO TALK !", she yells, swiftly turning to face him. "ALL YOU CARE ABOUT IS TO MAKE OTHERS ANGRY BY BEING SELFISH AND PRIDEFUL !"
For some reason, that hurt Taiyô, who grits his teeth as his arms fell down on his sides. Koga noticed this and he frowned, concerned: weird…Taiyô wasn't one to not scream back at the first insult thrown at him…
Suddenly, without giving them the time to react, Taiyô brutally kicked Ayame away and she went to hit a tree's trunk with a yelp of pain, falling on her butt afterwards.
-"…Don't you DARE assume that I'm completely selfish !", he snaps, glaring at Ayame. "My best friend jumped down that waterfall as well !"
Koga goes wide eyed at that statement: Taiyô thought of Haru as of his best friend…?!
-"I care for all of my brothers and sisters wolves, Ayame !", shouts Taiyô. "I'm only acting like this to protect myself from getting hurt ! This is all a facade !"
Taiyô clenched his hands into fists as he closes his eyes tight.
-"…It is best for a Leader to not let his emotions to be shown…this is something I learned the hard way…Leaders like us CAN'T let their emotions take over !", he snapped as he walks to Ayame, a hand reaching out to her.
Ayame closed her eyes tightly, as she thought that he was to slap her or something, but he simply grabbed her arm to help her to get up. Taiyô was gritting his teeth, thinking of what to say, as he was still feeling hurt by her words.
-"…It's time you grow up, Ayame ! Yelling is definitely not going to help in our search for our friends ! Control yourself !"
He then turned to Koga, seeking his help, as he was also feeling worried for the others.
-"Koga, what should we do ?!"
Koga blinked, still shocked at Taiyô's outburst. He then shook his head and replied:
-"…As much as it itches me to run after those f- I mean, those stupid birds, we are in no way prepared to lead an attack on them…we'll have to get prepared first…I suggest that we go back to the Den…"
-"But…! What about Ginta ?!", protests Hakkaku.
-"We'll create search teams, Hakkaku ! For now, let's head back to the Den !"
Takehaya had watched them all in silence, as he had nothing to say on the matter, and he was actually agreeing with Koga. Koga was worried for their friends too, but…there's nothing much they could do right now…especially with what just happened.
Defeated, both Hakkaku and Ayame slowly headed back to the Den, followed by Koga, Taiyô, and Takehaya.
Ginta groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times as he tried to adjust to his surroundings, his whole body aching in pain, as he remembers to have hit a lot of debris during his fall from the cliff and into the waterfall's strong current…
He was lying in the mud on the bank of a river, the waters now flowing calmly and almost quietly, and he had no idea of how long he has been unconscious, but it was the night now, and the moon was quite high in the starry sky. Ginta groaned as he got on his side, then carefully gets up, his arms shaking from the pain his body was still putting him through.
Ginta suddenly gasped, as he realized something:…wh…where was Yuna…?!
He remembered pulling her into his arms as they jumped down the cliff, to prevent her from getting more hurt than she already was…but then, darkness took over him and he fell unconscious.
Also…where were Haru and Yuri…?
Gritting his teeth, Ginta slowly got up, thanking his harsh training to have made his body to have such great resistance and stamina, even if it wasn't as strong as Koga's.
Sniffing the air, Ginta closed his eyes, trying to pick up the scents of Yuna, Haru and Yuri…just even one would do, as long as they're alive…
Ginta suddenly opened his eyes: he had picked up Yuna's scent nearby…!
Quickly, he sprinted off towards the direction that the scent was coming from, feeling worried for some reason: if anything happened to her during the fall…
Soon after, he found Yuna, lying on her belly on the bank of the river, her face facing away from him, and motionless. Ginta rushed to her and fell to his knees as he quickly turned her on her back to see her face.
Yuna was still unconscious, and she was awfully pale. Ginta grits his teeth and moves his head to her chest area and listens carefully and…
…he picked up a weak heartbeat.
Ginta he sighed in relief as he pulled away from her, then froze as he saw her blinking at him weakly: he didn't even noticed that she had awoken…!
-"Yuna…! You're awake…!", he pants, more out of relief than fear or anything.
-"Ginta…? W…Where are we…?", she weakly asks, confused.
She tries to sit up, but yelps as a sharp pain ran through her left arm up to her shoulder and Ginta caught her before her back hit the muddy ground again, and helped her to sit up, as her face turned slightly red.
-"We…are away from the Northern Yôrô Tribe's territories", calmly says Ginta, frowning in concern. "Are you alright…?"
-"I…I hit my left shoulder quite badly when that bird dropped me and Yuri into the waterfall's waters…", she murmurs, gritting her teeth as Ginta gently pat her shoulder. "It hurts quite a lot…"
Ginta nodded softly, then noticed how filthy their wolf furs were, soaked from the mud and the water all together. A chilly wind then suddenly blow on them and both shivered and started to shake from the cold.
-"W…We can't stay there…", murmurs Yuna, trembling.
Ginta looked around them, and his eyes caught the sight of a cave nearby. Carefully, he scooped up Yuna in his arms and got up. Yuna was red as a poppy, really not expecting him to be so straight forward.
Ginta quickly head to the cave and as soon as he got there, he went out again and came back with a bunch of branches. Before to make a camp fire, he hid the entrance of the cave with wild vines, leaving a small opening only for the smoke to get out of the cave, once he would have had made a fire. He then take a few branches out of the pile, and, soon enough, he made up a camp fire.
Yuna watched him silently the whole time, surprised to see him being so careful as to hide their presence and being so straight forward: after all, he did tell her that he wasn't the bravest wolf around…
Ginta, not realizing that she is looking at him, takes off his brown wolf fur coat off his shoulders, earning a yelp from Yuna and he jumped at hearing her doing so.
-"What are you doing…?!", gasps Yuna, looking away, a hand over her face.
Ginta blinks, not realizing what is wrong…but then he gets it, and he turns slightly red and forces a cough.
-"…Isn't it obvious…?", he murmurs, fully taking off his brown wolf fur coat and putting it down next to the fire. "I'm taking off every fur off me so it can dry off next to the fire…"
-"B-But…You're going to be…!", gasps Yuna, getting redder.
Ginta blinks, then turns even more redder and turned away from her, still getting any fur off from him, including his insteps and his loincloth, the heat burning his face. He then takes off his chest armor and his arm guards, even though they're not made of wolf fur.
-"…You know as well as me that we might get hypothermia if we keep anything wet on us…", he murmurs, still showing her his back, as he is fully naked, now. "And you know as well as me that to stay warm in this case, is to…you know, cuddle with each other naked."
Yuna was too shocked and embarrassed to reply immediately. She discreetly takes the opportunity to admire his back, which looked quite muscled…She blushed even more at that thought.
But…he did made a point…she might got hypothermia if she kept her grey wolf furs on…
Blushing still, she slowly takes of her insteps, her arm guards and her skirt, and put them down next to the fire as well. But when she went to take off her grey wolf furs over her shoulders, she let out a grunt of pain and gritted her teeth, as she knew that she wouldn't be able to take them, and her chest armor as well, without Ginta's help…
This one had remain silent and showing his back to her, apparently lost in his thoughts. Yuna blushed even more and turned around to show him her back, then took a deep breathe:
-"…G…Ginta…?"
-"Hm ?"
-"I…I can't…take off my wolf furs over my shoulders, nor my chest armor…"
Gosh, this was so embarrassing…!
-"…Is it because of your shoulder…?", slowly asks Ginta, still not looking at her.
-"Y…Yes…", she murmurs, swallowing. "C…Can you…come here and…take them off for me…?"
Ginta finally looked at her and saw that she was showing him her back. He felt as embarrassed as her about being bare naked, but this was the best way to stay warm and not risk hypothermia.
-"…Sure", he calmly answers.
He carefully got closer to her and gently detached the grey wolf furs covering her shoulders, then put them down next to the fire. Then, he found the knots that kept her chest armor tightly in place around her upper body, and undid them gently.
Yuna shivered, as she felt his warm fingers unwillingly touching her sensitive skin: he was so gentle and careful…
Finally, she felt her chest armor coming loose and Ginta took it off from her, her sensitive breasts itching a bit from the cold touching them suddenly. Ginta puts down her chest armor next to the fire, and briefly stares at her back, seeing how slender she seemed to be without it.
He then turned around and sat still, showing her his back.
-"Here, all done", he murmurs.
-"Th…Thank you…", she murmurs back.
Both remain silent, embarrassed to be naked around each other. But soon, even if the fire was throwing off heat all over the cave, Yuna still felt the cold bite of the cold weather: after all, it was fall…
She could no longer take it and whimpered. Hearing this, Ginta slightly turned to her, frowning.
-"Are you alright…?"
-"I…I feel cold…C…Can we…snuggle…?"
Ginta blushed a bit, but he couldn't be shy right now: they needed to keep each other warm, whether they felt comfortable or not.
Ginta slowly turned around and, carefully, not wanting to hurt her wounded shoulder, pulled her to him until she was on his lap and snuggled against his chest. Yuna turned scarlet red, not expecting that much closeness from him, while he got red from embarrassment.
They remain silent for a few minutes, before that Yuna breaks it:
-"You…huh…"
-"…What…?"
-"You're…being incredibly straight forward…I'm not used to this side of you…"
-"…I might be quite clumsy, I'm still a Wolf Demon…"
-"That's…not what I meant…"
-"…Oh…!"
Ginta blushed a lot, now understanding what she meant.
He couldn't tell her, but…he had grown to love her…more than a friend…but he was still fearing rejection, so he didn't voiced how he felt about her…
…nor will he do just now, as she is hurt, and that, knowing her, this could turn…too hot, for both of them.
-"…I…just feel the need to protect a fellow friend…You're hurt, so it's kind of my job to tend to you while you're recovering…"
-"…Ok…If you say so…"
They then both remain silent, and stared into the fire in silence.
Yuri was feeling very cold…and wet…and she was feeling searing pain in her right side, as her upper body was somehow lying on a rough surface that smelled like a wet trunk.
Yuri weakly opened her eyes, blinking tiredly, as the sight of the moon and stars reflecting into water came to her sight. Yuri blinked again, slowly understanding that she was still in the river, but was somehow half perched on a floating tree trunk.
However, she was feeling so weak and cold…her body was feeling numb, and she could feel herself drifting away from consciousness again.
Yuri blinked, as she suddenly wondered where Haru was. She remembered him jumping down the cliff and into the waterfall's waters, holding her into his arms, but then she fell unconscious.
Now…she was all alone…
-"…Damn it !"
Yuri barely reacted to the sudden exclamation, but she knew very well who it was.
"…Haru…You…You found me…", she thought, slightly relieved, but too weak to move.
On the river's bank, Haru did find Yuri indeed. After waking up unharmed but feeling sore, not too far away from here, he had picked up her scent and quickly followed it, to find her half lying on a floating tree trunk in the middle of the river.
Not seeing her moving, Haru didn't wasted time and dived into the water, quickly surfacing and swimming to Yuri. As he finally reached her, he could clearly see her body trembling a lot, as she breathed heavily and that her skin was definitely too pale to his taste.
Haru quickly took her off the tree trunk, and swimming back to the river's bank, holding firmly her so she don't get away from him again. He quickly got out of the water and laid her down on the ground and quickly checked her over.
Her breathing was hasty, as if she was panting, she was trembling greatly, and her delicate skin was awfully cold and pale. Heck, he couldn't tell if she was conscious, as she didn't even reacted at all so far, and it was concerning him.
-"Yuri ! Are you conscious ?!", he asked, worried.
"…Haru…I am…I'm just…so tired…and cold…", she thought, too weak to speak.
Haru gritted his teeth: she was definitely suffering of an hypothermia…not good, not good at all !
Haru picked up Yuri in his arms, and quickly left the river, searching for a cave that would provide them shelter and protection: their enemies could very well be searching for them…
Soon enough, Haru found a cave and walked into it, then carefully puts Yuri down on the ground. He then got out of the cave and came back with a pile of branches and hid the entrance of the cave with wild vines, leaving a small opening only for the smoke to get out of the cave, once he would have made a fire. Once that was done, he immediately got to work.
Soon, a fire was burning strong and Haru didn't waste any time: he took off his grey wolf furs from his shoulders, his arm guards, his insteps and his loincloth, then put them down next to the fire. Then, he took off his chest armor and put it down next to the fire as well.
He then looked at Yuri and didn't hesitate: he carefully took off all of her white wolf furs and put them down next to the fire. Then, he also took off her chest armor and put it down next to the fire as well.
Yuri was still conscious the whole time and would have blushed in embarrassment if she wasn't so weak and tired…She was trembling and feeling very cold…even more now that Haru had taken of her whole gear. She was well aware that they were both bare naked, even if she couldn't see him…as for herself, the chilly wind blowing on her sensitive skin was more than enough for her to know that SHE was naked, too…
Haru noticed that her right side had a purple color, but he would tend to it later, for now, she needed warmth.
He carefully laid next to her and gently pulled her into his arms, keeping her close to him and careful to not hurt her injured side. He had to make her temperature go up again, and this, along with the fire nearby, was the best way to do so.
Yuri didn't know what happened next, and she fell unconscious in Haru's arms, as he was trying to save her from her hypothermia.
Back at the Northern Mountains, it was night as well, obviously.
Ayame couldn't sleep, and she was pacing around the gigantic fire camp, her hands in her back, and she was biting down on her lip, worried. Hakkaku and Keiko were watching her pacing, sitting on a rock nearby. Hakkaku was feeling great compassion for her, as he knew very well how she felt.
Both of their best friends, Ginta and Yuri, were taken from them and were forced to make a death-daring jump down a waterfall, along with Haru and Yuna. He was as worried as her about their friends, and there was little they could do right now, as it was far too dangerous and risky to venture out at night to go and search for them.
-"…Ayame, pacing around won't do anything…", he murmurs, holding his hands together and staring into the fire.
-"I'm aware of that, but I can't help it !", exclaims Ayame. "Yuri's been my best friend for as long as I can remember ! What if…What if…"
She swallows, not wanting to finish her sentence.
Hakkaku stared at her in silence, then sighed.
-"…I feel the same about Ginta…", he murmurs. "We've never been apart, not even for a single day. But I believe in him, for that he is still a very well trained warrior, despite his clumsiness."
Ayame stopped pacing, then looked at Hakkaku and smiled softly.
-"…Yeah, you're right…When you're saying it that way…I'm sure they're all fine…"
Koga, who was watching them from one of the caves, was feeling slightly jealous: he should be the one reassuring Ayame, but…he too was worried sick for their friends, especially Ginta, knowing that he could be quite the scaredy cat, sometimes…but he believed in his friends's skills, and he knew that Ginta was just fine…and so were the others.
Hakkaku got up, said good night to Ayame and Keiko, and headed to the caves, stopping by Koga as he wasn't expecting him there.
-"Oh, hey…", he says, not sure about what he should say.
-"…I have something to ask you, Hakkaku…", carefully says Koga.
-"What is it ?"
Koga took a deep breathe, then asked him:
-"…Will you temporarily replace me as the Leader, while I'll be gone searching for our friends ?"
Hakkaku was taken aback by this, and was very shocked.
-"M-Me…? Are you sure about that…? I'm not exactly the strongest wolf around, you know…"
-"You're stronger than you think, I know it", says Koga, putting a hand on his shoulder. "And you're one of my two loyal best friends. I completely trust you, and that is why I want you to replace me, for as long as I'll be gone searching for Ginta and the others."
Hakkaku didn't know what to say: he felt flattered, but also scared…what if the other members of their Tribe didn't see this from the right angle…?
He pondered on that question for a minute, and the answer was obvious: yes, the other members of their Tribe respected him and Ginta, so it wouldn't be a problem for him to temporarily take Koga's place.
Hakkaku looked up at Koga and puts his fist to his heart, nodding softly.
-"…I'll replace you, for as long as you're gone to search for Ginta and the others", he says, being serious.
Koga smiled at his answer and nods softly.
-"I'll go talk to Ayame, now."
-"Alright, good night, Koga."
-"Good night, Hakkaku."
Koga started heading to Ayame, who was still pacing around, despite Hakkaku's comforting words. Keiko was watching her doing so, then she got up and got in Ayame's way, forcing her to stop and to look at her.
-"…Whatever happens from now on, I wanted to let you know that you will have my support", she tells Ayame. "We're allies, and if you ever need to confide in someone, I'll be there for you."
-"Thanks, Keiko…that means a lot to me…", gently smiles Ayame.
Just on cue, Koga arrived next to them, and Keiko apologized before to wish them 'Good night', then she left to go get some sleep.
Koga looked at Ayame for a moment, before to tell her, as if he had known her decision already:
-"…You should stay here, Ayame…"
Ayame , who was expecting something else, got ticked off and groans at him.
-"You're asking me to give up on going to search for my best friend ?!", she snapped at him.
-"I'm just saying that you shouldn't leave your tribe unprotected", he sighed, crossing his arms on his chest armor. "I know you want to come, and I know that you're more than capable to protect yourself, Ayame…but as the Leader, if you want to come along with me, you'll have to choose someone to watch over your Tribe while you're gone."
Ayame grits her teeth: he had a point…but who could she trust…? The only one she trusted completely with her life was her best friend Yuri, and she wasn't there, she could very well be dead somewhere down that stupid waterfall…!
Ayame's arms fell next to her sides, and she was looking down, kind of defeated. She couldn't just leave her Tribe in anybody's care…she…would have to stay there while Koga was searching for their friends…which was frustrating.
"…Damn it all…", she thought, bitterly.
-"…What do you want me to do, then…?", she murmurs, gritting her teeth as she hold back tears. "I don't want to stay still, and I can't come with you, as I don't want to leave the lead of my Tribe to anyone…And Taiyô already have his hands full with his own tribe…"
Koga watched her silently, admiring her strength and beauty in this harsh instant, as it was clearly not a happy choice for her.
During the last months, he got to learn more about Ayame through their training together.
Not only was she incredibly strong and beautiful, but she was as feisty and as brave as him, and she was very smart, analyzing things quickly before to take a decision, both in her battles and in her daily life alike. She was also incredibly fierce and mischievous, when she wanted to. However…she was highly emotional, which could sometimes cause her to take life-risking decisions (such as when she tried to safe him from that Naraku's hair demon, with her iris flower). But above all of that, she was undenyingly faithful, and always tried to see the good side in everything and everyone, despite the darkness lurking around her, since that he broke his previous vow to her…
All those little things about her…they all grew on him, slowly.
Koga sighs, and he gently pulls her into a firm, but warm hug, slightly confusing her in the process. Ayame blushed a bit, but she hugged him back and remain silent, still waiting for his answer.
-"…I would like you to come with me, but unfortunately, you will have to stay here and watch over your Tribe…"
Ayame grits her teeth, then pushes him away, looking up at him with upset eyes.
-"I…I can't ! Even if you're asking me that nicely, I can't stay here while you go and search for them ! Call me selfish if you want, I don't care ! I will come with you, once I have found someone to replace me temporarily !", she shout at him.
Koga groaned and puts a hand on his face: she was also as stubborn as him…but this situation wasn't going to end well if he doesn't stand his ground to her.
-"…Ayame, I order you to stay here."
-"YOU DON'T GET TO ORDER ME AROUND ON MY TERRITORY, YOU FOOL !", yells Ayame, suddenly mad. "I AM A LEADER, AND IF I WISH TO SAVE MY FRIENDS, I WILL SAVE THEM !"
Koga jumped at her yelling and grits his teeth as the situation was actually getting worse by the minute.
-"I just told you that you can't leave your Tribe because you're still very new at being a Leader and that your Tribe needs you !"
-"SO DOES YOURS !"
-"I asked Hakkaku to back me up on this !"
-"YOU RAN AFTER KAGOME AND NARAKU WITHOUT YOUR PACK FOLLOWING YOU THE WHOLE TIME ! IF YOU CAN DO THAT, THEN SO CAN I !"
Koga was getting tired of arguing with her and he got ticked off.
-"For the love of- FINE, DO AS YOU WISH, YOU STUBBORN WOMAN !"
-"DAMN RIGHT I WILL, YOU JERK !"
Nearby, Taiyô was watching them arguing continuously, and let out a sigh, slowly thinking about proposing Ayame to replace her temporarily so she could join Koga in searching for their friends…
…but should he actually do it…?
In the mountains of the south-east, a hysterical laugh is heard, as the surviving Birds of Paradise told Osamu what they did and how their assault went.
He was clearly pleased, and made his fist cracks, relishing at the idea that this assault might have caused the stupid wolves to go berserk in anger and sorrow, from losing four of their wolf brothers and wolf sisters.
As for Takehaya…he knew that he was still there with his Tribe and with the wolves…that idiot thought that he could help them fighting against him…
Osamu punched the rocky wall nearby, snarling in pure hate and disgust at his rival.
-"…I will lead the next attack...", he suddenly grinned evily.
-"When shall we attack again, Sir ?", asked a bird.
-"In two weeks…we shall attack in two weeks, and this time, there won't be retreating until we get what we're looking for…"
Osamu had a very good idea of what he was looking for…two targets, one that was very dear to Takehaya, the other being an interesting target that he wanted to capture for his own pleasure…
Those Wolf Demons…and Takehaya and his Tribe…they were better to be ready to fight for their lives, because the next time he strikes, blood will be shed more than it already has been, today…
Please, if you like the story so far, bare with me.
I'll do my best to keep on writing chapters as great and interesting as possible. :) I didn't planned on how many chapters there will be, but I will try to make the story interesting and worth to read.
I'll still be glad to get your reviews and your ideas (don't be shy, send me your ideas ! ~), both will greatly help me, if I have mistaken something (or if I have made mistakes with words and verbs X'D) and that it was pointed out. ^^
Thanks for reading !