Birds chirping filled the air as the sun rose high in the sky. A white ear twitched as bird songs filled the furry ear. A tail swished away from a sleeping wolf's face as it's muzzle rested on its front paws. One red eye blearily opened and then the other. With a low groan the wolf raised her head and yawned, canines flashing in the morning light.

Mori's nose twitched as she scented the air. Her wounds had healed from the fight with Hideo, but her heart was still hurting. She got to her paws and stretched, toes separating from her furry paws. She then shook out her fur and headed towards the scent of water as it led her to a pond.

As Mori drank deeply, her ears twitched as a sound echoed through the forest. Her head shot up from the small pond. Her ears twitched back and forth as her red eyes narrowed. It sounded like snarls that weren't human. The scent of blood also came through, causing Mori's nose to twitch.

A snarl exploded on her muzzle as she sprang forward. The blood had the scent of Zabuza on it, and it mixed with Kakashi. Her eyes narrowed as trees flew by, her paws pounding against the forest floor. As she neared the bridge, mist began swirling thickly around her. Another scent began to weave around the other scent of blood, and Mori put on another burst of speed. Her brother was there with Zabuza and Kakashi.

She bunched her back legs and jumped straight into the air. She braced her limbs for impact as she landed on top of her brother as he stood in front of Sakura and Tazuna. They met with a loud roar and a clash of teeth and claws.

Sakura's scream echoed in Mori's ears as she bit and slashed at Hideo's face. His growl rumbled through her as he clamped down hard on her front leg. Blood splattered along the bridge as Mori released a loud yelp. She swiped at Hideo's face with her other front paw with a snarl. Hideo released her front leg and jumped back, growling. She answered his growl with her own, red eyes blazing.

Mori wouldn't let Hideo touch the genin, brother or not. Sakura released a scream as Zabuza rushed forward, slicing into Kakashi's vest.

Mori glanced towards Kakashi with concern, but a blinding pain in her side caused her focus to snap to Hideo. He had latched onto her side with his jaws. Mori snarled and Hideo forced her onto her back, his weight overpowering her.

She raked her claws down his stomach as Hideo clamped onto her back leg, causing her to let out an animalistic scream. The ground began to shake as Mori continued fighting tooth and nail against her older brother.

A sudden surge of chakra blasted through the air. Mori's nose twitched as Naruto's scent flowed through another scent. Hideo paused in his onslaught, and Mori took the opportunity to slash at his face.

Hideo jumped back, and Mori struggled to her feet, blood gushing from the many wounds both wolves gave each other. Mori's ears twitched as the sounds of Kakashi's hounds echoed through the air. They had tracked the scent of Kakashi's blood to Zabuza's sword and had attacked.

Mori and Hideo stood still, eyes locked with one another's. Mori whined in her throat as the pain from her wounds made it hard to think clearly.

"Hideo" Mori murmured quietly as she continued gazing at her brother.

Maybe...maybe if she tried getting through to Hideo he could become her brother again. She had to believe he was still in there! Her tail wagged painfully.

"Hideo, please. Come back to me" Mori said quietly again, the sounds of battle forgotten around them.

Blood continued to flow from their wounds and puddled on the ground. Her red eyes gazed relentlessly into her brother's cold dark ones.

Mori continued staring at her older brother, red eyes hopeful. Her wounds continued throbbing, but Mori ignored them.

A clapping sound made both wolves' ears twitch, and two sets of eyes turned to see a short man with a cane standing beside them, grinning and applauding. A large group of thugs were standing behind the short man as Mori's nose twitched. The scent of blood and greed rose in waves from the tiny man, making her lip rise in disgust. Zabuza spoke the man's name in confusion, and a growl vibrated from Mori's chest.

So, this was the man that made Inari suffer.

Her limbs straightened as she prepared to pounce on the tiny insect of a man. The man, Gato, glanced in her direction as the white wolf stalked around him. He snapped his fingers together, and with a flick of his tail Hideo jumped on his sister. Black and white clashed together as the siblings fought, the echo of their snarls and growls loud in the air. Naruto made a move to help, but Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder, effectively stopping the genin from getting closer.

"But Kakashi-sensei! We have to help her! Mori could be killed by that other wolf!" the genin said as he looked up at his sensei.

"This is Mori's fight, Naruto. She has to fight this herself" the Jonin said, eyes worried as he watched the two wolves fighting.

Blood splattered onto the ground as the two wolves fought. Gato laughed at the spectacle before turning his attention towards Zabuza and the Konoha ninja. With a command from him, the bandits ran at them with a loud cry. Zabuza effectively took some out, and targeted the short man. With a couple slices from the kunai in his mouth, Zabuza took out the nuisance that was Gato.

Mori scrambled to release herself from Hideo's jaws as the older wolf pinned her down. He used his weight to keep her pinned, and Mori had a brief flashback of when he used to bully her when they were pups. She bucked and twisted, trying everything she thought of to get him to release her.

A kunai suddenly embedded itself into Hideo's shoulder, and he leapt to the side with a yelp. Mori staggered to her feet and looked towards the Konoha team. Naruto, against his sensei's orders, had thrown the kunai. He smirked when he saw Mori gaze at him with her red eyes. She gave him a brief tail wag in thanks, and turned her attention quickly to her brother, who had grabbed the kunai' handle with his jaws and pulled it out of his shoulder.

Hideo then dropped the kunai with a growl and gazed at the scene of the Hidden Mist villagers with a blank expression. His ear twitched slightly, as if he had heard something Mori could not. Hideo suddenly turned and bolted away from the chaos, heading towards the end of the bridge. Mori started after her brother, but screeched to a halt when he leapt over the side of the bridge and into the water below. Snow began to fall softly as she heard a 'splash'.

She peered over the side of the bridge to see her brother swimming safely to shore. Her tail lowered as Hideo pulled himself out of the water and shook out his fur, before running into the foliage. Mori sat back on her haunches and lifted her head to the sky. A mournful howl echoed from her muzzle as the snow continued to fall. She howled for her brother, who she couldn't get through to. She howled for Zabuza, who had fallen along with his comrade, Haku. She howled for the genin who had to witness death. Finally, she howled for the villages of the Hidden Mist who had to go through the terror and sorrow of living under Gato's ruling.

Mori lowered her head and stood up, shaking out her fur. Inari ran to her as Mori padded towards them and threw his arms around her neck, being mindful of her injuries. Her tail wagged slowly as she licked his cheek, causing the child to laugh. It was a glorious sound, and lightened Mori's heart. She continued to lick the child, and Inari continued to laugh. Finally she nudged him away, and he wiped his cheeks with his arm. She padded a little ways from the group before searching for her human chakra, and immersed herself in it. It had been too long since she was human, and she wanted to speak to Inari.

In a surge of blue, Mori stood as a human. The wounds she had received from Hideo were already beginning to heal, and she tucked a strand of white hair behind her ear. She opened her eyes and glanced at Inari as the child stared open-mouthed at her.

She walked towards him and bent down to his level. With a warm smile she placed her hand on top of his head.

"You did well, Inari. You were incredibly brave, and I know your father is very proud of you" she said with a smile.