Chapter Thirty-Three: Questions Bring More Questions

Here is the next chapter for you all.

I hope you all enjoy and have a Jesus filled day.

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Previously:

"No, keep looking around the perimeter he must have made his way out by now." Tsume's ears stilled hearing the reply and curiously peeked out when he hear the other men run off. To his surprise commander spoke directly to him as if he knew that he understood more than he should, "Any direction leading up to Yaiden's place has been blocked off and will get you caught. Find a safe place to hunker down tonight. You don't want to be caught." Giving a small smile the commander looked in the opposite direction give a soft 'go' before wondering off.

Tilting his head Tsume watched as the man walked off in the direction he had misled his men and disappeared. Walking out from behind the barrel the wolf made his way the way he had intended and went to find a safe hiding place to stay at for the night.

Now:

Mark (1) was getting antsy as he glanced out the window his paws on the edge. His ears shifting around as he looked frantically. Kiba looked at his friend asking low enough so only the wolves could hear, "What is wrong?"

Red eyes glanced over at his best friend, "It's the amount of soldiers walking around the house. It's nearly impossible for Tsume to make his way over here."

Quent got up from his seat when he saw the troubled expression take over the teenager's face. Walking up to the window he pet Mark behind the ears before he made his way over to his door asking the first guard he saw, "What is going on? Is there someone I should be worried about?"

Since Mark didn't recognize the scent the man was giving off he barked and wandered up to the door where he looked up at the noble's soldier. Giving a huff Mark once again barked but didn't move to go past Quent who had his hand near him just incase he tried to run do it. Kiba got up and pulled on the black 'dog's' collar as he continued to bark at the soldier. The man watched how the teenager was handling the 'dog' before turning his attention over to the man who has asked him a question. "We are looking for the large dog that has been running around here."

"And I thought I told authorities that I was going to catch him and give him a home." The home owner replied gruffly, showing his was irritated. The made Mark bark once more as he could feel the tense air. Even Blue stood up and walked over to the door though she stayed quiet.

"Yet you have not caught him." The soldier looked at Kiba pulling the 'barking dog' back, "Is this one we have to worry about?"

Kiba shook his head, "No, he just reacts like that to people who don't normally live in an area. He's quick to pick up on it." He managed to pull Mark to the couch and sat on it forcing the irritated 'dog' to sit down. "He won't actually do anything to you; he's just trying to be intimidating."

The soldier nodded then looked at Blue who was now sitting next to Quent's leg watching him curiously. Looking at the man himself the soldier clearly tried to hold back his reaction when he said, "I am going to catch him. I have had my eye on him since he first started showing up."

The man just met his eye unphased by the irritation that Quent was displaying. "Then you should have caught him sooner." The reply got another bark from Mark who was attempting to 'pull on his collar'. Feeling the tension from her fellow 'dog' Blue let a short and low bark of her own sound out.

The human pet the female dog next to his leg as comfortingly as he could, "Catching a wild dog is not as easy as everyone makes it out to be."

The soldier eyed the black 'dog' who had gone quiet but was letting out a huff at the tension in the air. Kiba could feel it too and was tempted to let out his own huffs of irritation but held on strong to the part that he was playing. Sliding over the teenager put his legs on either side of the black wolf and locked his legs there to keep his best friend in place. Mark could pick up on the threat the man posed so now there was no telling if he would actually attack.

"Don't worry about the kids dog, Markus is just worked up by external means." Quent said moving to place himself so the soldier would be unable to get inside if he tried. Blue was letting out soft sounds as she tapped her paws on the ground beneath her.

"If he can't keep the dog under control…"

"He can and will be able to keep Markus under control. Now leave my property, you are aggravating the dogs." Quent replied stepping back inside slamming the door shut. Hearing the soft whine from Blue he gently let his hand fall to her head. "Don't worry girl. I'm okay."

Kiba gently scratched Mark behind the ear trying his best to keep his best friend calm. When he was let got the black wolf went back to the window and placed his paws on the sill. A low rumble coming from his throat as he watched the soldiers walking by. "Quent, are you sure you are going to be okay?"

The human nodded to the teenager's question, "Yes, I just hope that Hubb gets here."

"So, what are we going to while we wait?"

"We are going to get some food made." Quent replied walking to the kitchen, Kiba following after him. Stopping in the doorway of the mentioned room the teen watched the man move about the area pulling out ingredients. "Anything you want in particular kid?"

"No, I'm just curious how I can help."

"You can start by going into the fridge and pulling out the ground meat. You remember how to use my stove correct?"

"I remember." Kiba replied walking up to the fridge reaching in once he had it opened. Pulling back he placed the thawed out meat on the counter pulling out some of the vegetables that Quent was listing off. With the task done Kiba turned asking, "Did you want me to brown the meat for you?"

"Yes, don't worry about the seasonings. I'll add that myself."

Picking up the packaged meat Kiba turned walked up to the stove turning it on under the pan that Quent had pulled out in his earlier search. Picking up the knife that was left there the teenager carefully cut the packaging open. The first time he had used a knife he had cut himself due to cutting in the wrong direction. With his task done he tipped the packaging over and allowed the meat to thump into the pan.

Neither Mark nor Blue had made their way into the kitchen. Instead Mark stayed where he was and Blue was now in front of the back door to the house. Both could be hear letting out soft growls. Hearing this Quent glared out the window to his kitchen at the soldiers walking around the very edge of his property. As he used to spatula to cut the meat into smaller pieces Kiba could practically see the wheels turning in the humans head.

Letting the meat sizzle on the pan Kiba pulled out a couple of pieces of raw meat and walked out of the kitchen. Holding his hand out he let Blue take it from his palm gently before making his way over to Mark. The black wolf was staring intently out the window with his red eyes. Placing his hand on his best friend's shoulder blades he offered his other hand. Still keeping an eye outside Mark took the offered food and went back to watching. Smiling Kiba gave him a few pets then made his way back to the kitchen.

Washing his hands Kiba looked at Quent cutting up the vegetables into more manageable bites. He wanted to speak up but he didn't know how to calm the human down from his irritation. This was the first time that Quent was genuinely this upset. Mark and Blue were picking up on it thus them not leaving their decided posts. Kiba himself would be doing the same thing but it was known that Quent only had two dogs in the house not three. "What are we going to do if Hubb isn't going to come here?"

"I'll probably pull out one of my board games and teach you how to play it." Kiba let his eyes roll at what was said. Drying his hands off the teen went back to the meat he was cooking. "Don't worry I'll make sure it is one that you will enjoy."

"I'm not sure if there is a board game that I will enjoy." Kiba replied taking a step back to allow Quent to add the seasoning. Looking over at the vegetables he found them all in a bowl mixed together in a colorful display.

"You don't even know what one I am going to pull out so don't judge." The man said with a small chuckle from his throat.

Rolling his eyes once more Kiba went back to pushing the meat around on the pan helping it cook along. In the corner of the teen's eyes he could see Quent getting another cooking dish ready to heat up the rice he had pulled out. Curious as to how the meat tasted Kiba carefully picked out a small piece of cooked food. Popping it into his mouth he found the flavor to be good though it was still strange to him to eat cooked food. He had always found it strange to eat food the way humans did.

With him eating raw meat more than not it wasn't all that crazy that it he would think this is strange. Even if he and his family knew how to cook they didn't have the time to be able to do so with how often they were nomading from place to place. Settling in one place never seemed all that interesting to Kiba. There was a joy of being able to visit new places and seeing places he had been before. Of course the humans they avoided to the best of their ability but after traveling through domes and cities it was easy to hide in plain sight.

He had never smelled food the way Quent cooked though. He seemed to like simplifying what he ate where as places Kiba had seen many humans gather had fancy looking food. It always interested and bothered him that they would make their food look pretty when they were just going to eat it. It just made no sense to him. Humans were very weird to say the least.

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

As it turned out his friends and Hubb were unable to come and visit Quent so now Kiba found himself learning to play chess. The pieces and their moves were easy to get down and he was strangely enjoying the game play. He could honestly see this helping his combat strategy. Even Mark was interested as he looked over from the window he refused to move away from. Blue was settled on the floor next to Quent busy cleaning her paws.

Kiba moved a piece after deliberating what he wanted to do, "Why did you pick this game? Other than the obvious?"

"I wasn't in the mood for the other ones I own." Quent replied moving a piece on the board in kind.

Kiba nodded looking at the options he had to reply. This was their second game and Kiba had lost the first one but that was due to how confused he had been about how they moved. This game he was putting up much more of a fight. His instincts couldn't help him in this particular game, not like the games he would play with his friends growing up. Moving his hand to one of his pieces he let it hover over it looking around again to be sure that it was what he wanted to do. Deciding on a better moved he moved his hand and did the other.

Looking up he was amused to see the expression that Quent had adopted as he studied the board in front of him. Clearly he had made a great move changing his plan of attack the way he had. Quent usually had an instant reaction to any move that the wolf had made. A sense of pride bloomed in Kiba's chest seeing the man taking a bit longer to figure out what he was going to do next. The human tapped his fingers against the table as he eyed the teenager in front of him, "You learn very quickly."

"I had to. I have some big paws to fill if I ever want to be a great leader like my dad is."

Quent smiled making a move and sitting back smiling, "Your old man must have gotten better from the last time I saw him if you are talking like that."

Kiba nodded looking at the board. He saw the trap instantly causing his mind to go into overdrive to find a way out of it. Most of the moves he saw had huge risks and didn't seem worth it to lose the pieces in such a manner. Seeing a move he could make he resisted tilting his head as he thought to himself. It was a highly risky move but if Quent moved the way he wanted him to then he'd stand a chance at wining the game. Making the move he took the knight piece.

Glancing up he watched the way Quent's face moved. He felt silly feeling worried about a game like this but he wanted to win. He had a drive to win as much as he could since he was just a pup. His father had been his biggest goal to beat but Zali was just far too good at being able to predict what he was going to do. Perhaps it was the memories his father had of him in their past life that aided him.

Quent pointed at him a smile playing on his lips, "The next time you see your father thank him for teaching you as well as he has. I have never seen a kid like you pick up chess as fast as you have."

Kiba smiled, pride being seen in his gaze. "I will."

The human sat back shaking his head, "I can't believe you beat me this fast."

Confused blue eyes looked at the board. The king was still able to move without being caught and there were pieces that Quent could use to defend against the move he just made. "How?"

"Trust me when I say this you win in three moves." Leaning forward the man showed him by allowing the game to finish. The way they moved the pieces Kiba was starting to see why Quent was able to call it so early. The only reason that he himself didn't see it was because he hadn't had the experience to spot it right away. Jaw dropping the wolf looked up surprised. "You need to start seeing it a few moves ahead. Just like when you are fighting you have to predict how they will move the further you get in the game."

Seeing Quent starting to pick up the pieces and put them away Kiba was unable to stop himself from asking, "Aren't we going to play another game?"

"After I teach you how to play checkers. It's another game you will like."

A light blush covered Kiba's solid illusioned cheeks as the man chuckled and walked off to go and get the bag holding the checker pieces. Kiba sighed leaning back into the couch he was sitting on and looked toward his friend. Freezing he looked at the window his eyes wide. His frightened gaze caught Mark's attention prompting him to look out the window and start growling. The face that was peering into the house from the bushes caused the teenagers heart rate to pick up.

Both Blue and Mark started barking and growling feeling his fear kicking in. Kiba wanted to fight back against the fear that over took him but he couldn't find the will to do it. The longer the man gazed at him made him feel like his heart was falling to his stomach. Even seeing Quent run into the room with his shotgun did nothing to quell the fear that settled in his heart. The man only started running when the house owner slammed the front door open. Mark and Blue followed him out the door barking chasing after the man down the street.

Kiba didn't know how far the wolves chased the man or even how long they were gone. He felt stuck to his seat. He couldn't even think to change himself to his wolf form even if he wanted to. All he could feel was his heart beating in his chest. The area around him seemed to go into a blur. What in the world was wrong with him when that guy came around? This was the second time he had seen him and both times he felt a fear unmatched. His mouth was starting to go dry as he breath heavily. He wanted to swallow but he couldn't get his body to do anything he wanted it to.

Feeling someone grab his arm he let out a started sound and looked into Quent's eyes as his surroundings came back to him. "Keith, are you back?" Kiba merely blinked trying to process the name that had come out of the human's mouth. Why was he being called Keith? It made no sense. "Key, come back to the world." That nickname was familiar, his friends called him that from time to time.

"Quent, do we need to take him to a doctor. He isn't responding."

Who was that voice talking to the man he was supposed to know. Quent that name meant something to him. He was nice to him and he knew him but he also seemed dangerous at the same time. The man in front of him looked like a Quent. The human gently touched the teenagers face, "No, I just need to get him back to the present. That guy frightened him last time too."

Were they talking about the guy in the window? Feeling fur at his right hand Kiba moved automatically hugging the body that came with it. Feeling the familiar body of his best friend the teenager took calming breaths finally able to wet his mouth. A second body of warm fur sat next to his legs as his mind let what happened come into focus.

The man that scared him in the car came back, the same car that belonged to Quent. Quent was a human from his past life that shot him once when he was protecting someone that he couldn't see completely. The rest of his friends were staying with two other humans named Hubb and Cher. He and Mark were staying with Quent. When Keith was said that was Quent trying to reach him without out giving away that he was a wolf. Key was a nickname to both names. He and his friends agreed that it was easier to do that. His breathing calmed and he relaxed his eyes closed as he responded to the worried people talking, "I'm okay, he just… He makes me think he is more dangerous than he looks."

Some of the other humans in the house were part of the police force that Quent worked with. He had seen them when he went into the office with Quent. The others were probably people that were close by when it happened and two were definitely soldiers for one of the nobles. Getting himself to calm his heart Kiba pulled back from his best friend. Mark plopped himself across his lap and allowed Kiba to pet him to help calm himself down.

Looking down at Blue still sitting next to his legs Kiba reached out and let his hand run across her fur, "You like to help just like Markus does."

She was amused but she licked at his hand, "You are way too good at ignoring how awkward this is."

Kiba chuckled his eyes turning to look at a woman in the eyes when she knelt down in front of him. "Keith, I need to ask you some questions. Are you okay with doing that right now?"

The teenager nodded his head, "I don't mind. Are they about the man in the window?"

"Yes." The woman took out a not pad and a pen, "Have you ever seen him before. Other than the time you were in Quent's car?"

In the corner of his eye he could see that the man he was staying with was also getting questioned though he worked in the department himself. Shaking his head Kiba replied, "No, when I was in the car was the first time I have ever seen him. I can't image where I'd see him elsewhere."

"So you have never seen him around you and your family before you came to stay with Quent for a time?"

Kiba shook his head, "No."

"Where are your parents so that we can get a hold of them?"

"They are on a job right now that has them out of reach. I know that they are helping people but they haven't told me their exact job." His blue eyes met the woman's light brown, "This is the first time that both of them have been gone while I can remember." He was immensely grateful he and Quent talked about why his parents couldn't be reached. This was nothing like just passing through a city. They needed to get out of this place sooner rather than later. This lie would not hold up for long.

Kiba was also lucky that he was in his human illusion as he could hide any lie that he was telling. He and his friends learned not long into learning how to maintain their human illusions that they could make any one of them see the actual emotions they were 'supposed to be feeling' at any given time. Even if they had not felt it themselves. And during that Kiba, Levi (2), and Naomi (3) were the best at making it so realistic that no one questioned them.

"When the man was at the window the first time, did he say anything or gesture anything to you?"

Kiba thought back to the event thinking about any little detail that could help them catch the man, "Um, he…seemed to be analyzing me. I'm not sure why but it was like…" He could see the man starring at him through the window. His hands on either side of the glass. Nose pressed as far into the flat surface as he could get. It was the eyes though the way they stared at him. Blinking he noticed a detail he hadn't seen before, "He had something attached to his ear. It looked like some kind of…communication device. Though I have never seen anything like it before."

To be honest he hadn't see a lot of small communication devices but the way the one on the man's ear looked it had to be something special. And the more he thought about it, it looked like something he heard a one of the remaining nobles would be able to commission. "The worst part was it looked like it was attached to him though I hope I'm wrong."

The woman let out a soft sigh tapping her finger against her chin, "Interesting, any details that stand out about the device."

"It was like any normal metal but it did have very subtle silver designs around the edges."

Nodding her head she wrote down the information he had shared. "Quent, Keith do either of you know when the parents will be within reach?"

Kiba shook his head, his hand running down Mark's back. Head going up the black furred wolf licked his cheek helping to comfort him. Quent spoke up for his answer, "They said that they would send me a letter when they would be in touch."

"I would feel better if his parents knew that he was having this happen to him." The woman replied her eyes looking into Kiba's blue worriedly.

"So long as I am with Quent I'll be okay." Kiba replied his hand reaching up to scratch Mark behind the ear. Pleased with the sensation the wolf let out a sound of content.

"Have any of your friends had this happen to them?"

"As far as I know, no. They aren't being bothered by this man."

The woman nodded, "I'll be interviewing them to make sure. Quent would you mind letting Detective Hubb and his wife know that I want to talk with them?"

"I'll give them a call asap."

The woman nodded and made her way out of the house with the other men of the force that had come in with her. Before she left the building she turned to Kiba once again, gazing at him worriedly. One of the men touched her shoulder guiding her away from the two males in the house. Quent sighed pulling out his phone calling Hubb the moment the door was closed. Using words that had described what had happened and code words that were not easy to hear were out of place.

Kiba's blue gaze looked at the window his mind recalling the face that had been there moments before. What was it about him that caused him to want to run or even kill the man now? He was a danger to him that was for sure, but he wanted to know what the danger itself was. The ear piece, when he had mentioned it the woman seemed to have an idea of what it was. He didn't regret bring it up, he would have been questioned about it sooner or later.

That was how the law was run from what he had learned from Quent. They wanted the smallest details he could have seen in the encounters that he had. The ear piece had been something he had seen at that time. It would have been suspicious if he didn't mention it. What did that ear piece mean though? And why was him seeing it causing him to feel more worried?

WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

1) Mark (Male): Black wolf with light red eyes. Very empathetic, sweet, friendly, and energetic. Dog name Markus.

2) Levi (Male): Black furred wolf with yellow eyes. Human short black hair with green eyes, tan, and casually dressed. Sometimes serious {depends on his mood}, spacey, and sweet.

3) Naomi (Female): Red furred wolf with grey eyes. Human long red hair, brown eyes, tan, girly attire. Energetic, happy go lucky, and funny.