By the time the pack made it out of the moss-covered room, dusk had rolled around. There were small flying detection machines in the air being used to find anything out of the ordinary. Since it was dark, it made the wolves harder to see.
Needless to say, they'd have to be careful still since they have Cheza with them. They couldn't afford to be caught. Whenever one of those devices drifted by them, they hid behind any shrubs they could find.
Once those machines were out of the picture, they moved quietly down the mountain. Cheza was bounding down the mountain behind the pack, a smile on her face. She had a calm expression on her face, her arms held out a bit as she moved down it.
When they made it down about halfway, they stopped to take a breather. Luna looked behind her and saw Cheza had a foot over the edge. It caused both Luna and Toboe to freak out, but only for a moment, before Cheza turned in their direction, much to their relief.
"She can tell?" Toboe asked, sighing in relief. Hige had his back turned towards her with his hands in his hoodie pockets. "Well, she's a flower right?" Hige asked with a smug tone of voice.
"Yeah, but how?" Toboe asked, sounding perplexed. "What else is there? I bet she uses her invisible antennae." Hige replied with a shrug. The red wolf turned his body towards Hige, his brows furrowed.
"She doesn't have those!" he scolded. "As I said, invisible antennae. I bet they're there." Hige answered, his eyes closed. Toboe and Luna look at the Flower Maiden, who was standing a couple of feet away from them. She had her hands behind her back, looking at the wolves with a relaxing, cool expression.
"Does anyone else think... she's on edge around us? If she is... then why?" Toboe wondered quietly. Luna crossed her arms and looked down at her feet. It was hard to put together.
"It's because you guys are on edge around her," Kiba replied, getting them to look at him. "Yeah, you're not wrong. Who the hell would be on edge?" Luna agreed, still having her arms crossed. This was true because Cheza wasn't like them so neither of them knew if they should feel at all comfortable around her.
"Luna's right. That maiden is not a human nor a wolf. I don't even think she's a flower either. How're we supposed to trust something like that?" Tsume agreed, having his back turned towards them while looking over his shoulder. For some time, things got quiet; the sound of nearby crickets and various insects being the only thing they could hear.
Unlike Luna, he didn't seem to trust Cheza. He wasn't hiding it either. He made it very blunt.
The pack went on their way into the forested area, the moonlight penetrated through the dense trees so they had some light to see. Kiba took the lead with Cheza on his right side. Luna walked behind Tsume, Hige and Toboe were behind them.
"Are we taking her with us?" Tsume asked. "Yeah." Kiba vaguely answered, not looking back at them. "What for? She's better off staying here." Tsume scoffed annoyingly.
"I don't see what all the fuss is about. It'd be mean to just leave her here. And besides, it's always nice to have the scent of lunar flowers around, don't you guys think?" Toboe said, like the fact that Cheza was with them. "She is better off with us than with the nobles. And the flower part, I'd have to agree with you, Toboe." Luna said, despite her not believing in Paradise, she enjoyed having Cheza around.
"Isn't that what makes her a danger to us?" Tsume said, getting the attention of Kiba. The pack stopped walking. All Luna did was cross her arms and sigh, blowing a piece of her black hair up in the air.
Kiba glared back at the grey wolf with a cold stare, his eyebrows furrowed. "If she stinks up the place with her scent, it's as good as giving our location away." Tsume continued, a hand on his hip. "A human's nose isn't as strong as ours. They can't smell the lunar flowers." Kiba said to him, keeping his voice calm.
"But my eyes tell me she's trouble. What good is she to us?" Tsume says, not buying what Kiba was telling him. Kiba turned around to face the grey wolf and looked like he was about to spring at Tsume any moment.
"Cheza's more important to us than anything else! And if you're a wolf, Tsume then you should know this!" Kiba yelled, clenching his fists. Luna shook her head and decided she wasn't going to listen to any more of this.
She turned around and walked away from them. It didn't go unnoticed. Toboe walked up to her and pulled her back by putting a hand on her shoulder.
She looked back at him. "What's the matter, Luna?" he asked, looking up at her with a concerned look. She pushed back some of her bangs over her ear, revealing the notch in her ear.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I don't want to hear them argue over Cheza. She's better off with us. Tsume doesn't understand." Luna replied to him. "Don't worry, Luna. He'll get over it. Don't let it get to you." Toboe assured, smiling warmly at her. Luna felt herself smiling at what the red wolf said. When she looked at him, he now reminded her of her brother; he's a little brother to her.
Then, the silence was broken by a sweet sound. The pack fell silent and looked back at Cheza with a short gasp. She was looking up at the sky in the direction of the moon with her eyes closed.
It was as if she was singing a soft lullaby. The second Luna heard the soft and sweet humming, she felt a wave of dizziness overwhelm her. Her entire body felt extremely heavy to the point where she couldn't even stand up.
"Gnh... why... why do I... feel... so tired...?" she groaned, holding her head. Letting the weight pull her down, she laid on her side. She couldn't keep her eyes open for more than 3 seconds.
She wasn't the only one affected by this, everyone was feeling just as sleepy as Luna was. "Damn it, Luna! Toboe, don't fall asleep!" Tsume scolded but Luna and Toboe were already out like a light.
As Cheza continued to sing to the pack, they all slept in a circle. They surrounded her as they slept. Luna slept next to Tsume, their wolf noses touching without their knowledge.
As they slept, each of the wolves began to dream. Luna was dreaming about her old pack. She was running through the fields with her two siblings, Aaron and Samara. It transitioned from that to her listening to stories from her grandparents. Then, it transitioned to when everything was taken from her.
Toboe was dreaming about being back with his owner, granny. He slept comfortably by the warm fire as she knitted. Hige was dreaming about being loved by other she-wolves. Tsume was dreaming about running by a lake, with Luna by his side. What's with him having a dream about Luna? It was so off... but he also enjoyed it. As for Kiba, he was the only one not to dream, as he didn't have to.
When morning arrived, Luna had found herself against something warm again. Luna's wolf eyes widened and she jumped back a couple of feet so that she bumped into the tree that they were sleeping by. She was sleeping right next to Tsume... again.
Tsume didn't budge from his slumber, his wolf head laid in between his wolf forelegs. Cheza looked at the big black she-wolf and smiled. "Good morning, Luna," she tells her sweetly.
Luna's wolf ears twitched at Cheza's voice before turning her head to look at her. Luna felt herself calm down when she saw the flower maiden. "Oh, morning Cheza..." Luna replied, shaking her fur, closing her wolf eyes.
"Did you have pleasant dreams?" she asked the black she-wolf. She didn't have to ask that because she could sense the sadness coming from the black she-wolf. Luna's notched wolf ears dropped a little bit and she looked down. "Yeah... I did." Luna replied sadly.
Cheza's smile dropped at seeing Luna in melancholy. "Do you miss them, Luna? This one can feel your sadness," she tells her, hand on her chest. Luna looked at the flower maiden, her golden eyes filled with sadness.
Luna closed her eyes and sighed. "Yeah... I miss them so much..." Luna said, tearfully. Cheza didn't want to see Luna hurt therefore, she ushered the black she-wolf over to her.
She stood up on her wolf paws and took a few steps towards Cheza. When Luna stood beside her, Luna hugged the black she-wolf gently. Luna's wolf ears were airplaned and her wolf eyes shut as Cheza hugged her.
She ran through Luna's fur gently, making Luna feel relaxed; it soothed her. "It is alright. They'll always be with you... You may not see them but they're still here in your heart." Cheza said in Luna's wolf ear. Luna felt reassured due to Cheza's words of comfort.
Luna truly missed her family dearly. And it was hard to accept that she'll never see them again. But she also knew that they were in her heart and she could see them in her dreams.
After a while, Luna had gone with Hige and Toboe while Kiba was scouting the area to look for an escape route. Tsume was still asleep back with Cheza. Luna and them were gonna get food and a disguise for Cheza.
Luna, Hige, and Toboe split up in town to get what they needed. While Luna walked through town in her human form, she was thinking, 'Why the hell did I wake up snuggling with Tsume again? This is getting weird... I... I can't be falling for him. No, that can't be right...'
Meanwhile, with Toboe, he had found a fur coat that was hanging on a clothes rack. Then, the meow of a cat sent shivers up Toboe's spine, causing him to whimper. When he turned back to face the feline, he jumped back in fear. The cat simply walked by the red wolf without acknowledging him. "Cats always freak me out..." he said to himself.
Meanwhile, Hige was walking through town inconspicuously as he carried some pink boots for Cheza. With Luna, she had found the pack some food to hold them over. The trio decided to meet back up in an alleyway and out of the humans' sight.
(Tsume, Cheza, Kiba)
Back with Tsume, he was still asleep with Cheza, but this time he was in his human form. It didn't take long before the grey wolf finally woke up from his deep slumber. He opens his eyes and jumps up out of fright.
"You slept the longest out of everyone. Did you have sweet dreams?" Cheza asked him, smiling at the grey wolf. Tsume had beads of sweat on his forehead from the dream he had. "I-I don't remember." he stuttered, looking away for a moment.
Tsume couldn't help but ask why Luna was in his dream. What was the meaning of it? He refused to believe that he was starting to fall for that black she-wolf. He gets to his feet with a grunt and walks off from her.
Then, Kiba makes it back to the spot after trying to find a way through. "Those humans have got every exit blocked off on this mountain," Kiba said, watching as Tsume walked by him with his right hand in his pocket. "Next time, don't leave it here with me. I'm not going to be responsible." Tsume says, glaring at the white wolf.
"We tried waking you up but you wouldn't budge. Besides you seemed happy, wherever you were." Kiba said with a shrug. "Oh shut up. I was tired that's all." Tsume hissed, walking away from Kiba.
(In the Town)
(Luna, Hige, Toboe)
Luna was waiting for Hige and Toboe in their meet-up spot. She held the sack of food in her hands and leaned against the wall. It didn't long for Toboe to arrive while carrying the light brown-colored fur coat.
Luna's brow furrowed at the odd piece of clothing. "Toboe, where the hell did you get that?" she asked, pushing herself away from the wall. "I found it in the market. I think Cheza'll like it," he said, holding it out with both hands.
Luna eyed the coat up and down. "I don't know about that, Toboe," Luna said. "We'll never know unless we try it," Toboe said, still holding it out. Things went silent for a second before Luna smiled at him, "Yeah, I guess you're right." Toboe nodded at her.
The two wolves walk down the alleyway side-by-side. They talked the whole time before running into Hige after a few minutes of walking. The tan Mexican wolf smiled at Luna and Toboe; he was carrying those same pink boots.
His eyes then looked down at the light brown fur coat that Toboe was holding. "What the hell is that thing?" he asked, his brows furrowed. "It's just in case she might be cold," Toboe replied, sounding optimistic.
"What're you talking about? Cheza's a flower, so being cold is pretty irrelevant. Luna don't tell me that you believe that." Hige said with a scoff. Toboe and Luna looked at each other for just a second, both knowing that it was obvious. "Yeah, I didn't think it was practical either, but Toboe convinced me otherwise," Luna replied, shrugging her shoulders.
Hige saw the food that Luna was carrying. "Looks like you got something worth our while," Hige said, sounding a bit flirty. Luna rolled her eyes and said, "At least it's better than those boots you got there. How the hell will boots benefit Cheza?"
Hige closed his eyes and said, "It'll help her delicate feet." Toboe and Luna looked at him with equal unsurprised expressions. "Hmm, even if she's a flower?" Toboe said.
Then, Luna spotted something in her peripheral vision, grabbing her attention. Toboe and Hige looked in the same direction as her. Behind them was an elderly woman with long grey hair hanging over her shoulders, sunglasses over her eyes, and a dark marooned color shawl over her shoulders. She was holding herself up with a cane.
The old woman was about two car lengths away from them. The way she was standing there made them anxious. "Let's get the hell out of here, guys," Luna said, starting to walk away. Toboe and Hige don't hesitate to follow her; something about that lady didn't sit right with them.
The time they walked through the town, Luna kept looking over her shoulder out of instinct. She couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up.
"Is it just me, or does anyone else feel like they're being watched?" Luna asked, her voice on edge. "No, I feel it too," Hige replied, sounding on edge also. "Guys, I heard something from the cats here. They said something about a ghost living here." Toboe tells them, looking at the two older wolves.
Luna felt herself shiver at that word. "A ghost?" Hige said, looking behind him. Luna looked over her shoulder and saw that same woman behind them. The trio each felt a shiver run up their spines, and it wasn't the good kind of when they met Cheza.
"D-Did you guys see that?" Hige asked them, looking forward. "Y-Yeah... is that the... ghost?" Toboe said, his voice quivering. "Oh god... we need to go..." Luna said anxiously, gripping onto the sack of food tightly as if her life depended on it.
They start to jog through the alleys, beads of sweat on their foreheads. They were all now creeped out by this lady's pursuit. Their pace sped up to where they were now running.
After running around two corners, they stopped for a minute to catch their breath. But it didn't last long since that lady was right behind them. Sensing this, they all looked behind them to see her.
"Ahh!" Toboe yelled in shock, his eyes widening. "Run!" Hige cried, running ahead. "Let's get the hell out of here!" Luna exclaimed, sprinting away from that old lady. The trio didn't stop running until they were back where Kiba, Tsume, and Cheza.
(Back at the Large Tree)
They were still waiting on them back at their meet-up spot. Tsume was leaning against a single wall with both arms crossed over his chest. Cheza was sitting on a tree root with Kiba standing behind her.
Luna, Hige, and Toboe were completely out of breath by this point from all of the runnings. "Wow! That was rough!" Hige panted heavily. "We're... We're back." Toboe beamed.
"You guys sure took a long time," Kiba commented, taking note of how long they were gone. "Yeah, sorry about that. We did find some food though. Here." Luna said, trying to avoid eye contact with Tsume. She threw Kiba the sack of food, to which he caught it swiftly.
The black she-wolf went to Cheza and sat down on her right side. For a moment, Luna and Tsume were quickly glancing at one another. Each blushed a shade of light pink; each knew exactly what the other one was thinking. They quickly looked away from each other.
Toboe walked up to Cheza while holding out the fur coat. "We also got this," Toboe said. Tsume looked at the fur coat with a furrowed brow and asked, "What the hell do you plan to do with that?"
"What do you think? It's a gift." Toboe said with a bright smile. The red wolf brought the coat over to Cheza and placed it over her shoulders. He takes a couple of steps back and waits for Cheza's reaction.
As expected, Cheza didn't like what she was wearing. Her eyes dropped in disappointment. Toboe was sad that she didn't like what he had brought her.
"Well, guess I was right about her not liking it." Luna sighed, looking at the saddened pup. "Yeah, it sure looks that way." Kiba agreed. "See, what'd I tell ya? Even Luna knew that it wasn't gonna work. Now, these are great." Hige said smugly as he brought those pink boots over.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Tsume said to Hige. Hige sets the boots down in front of Cheza and steps back. For a second, the flower maiden looked at them with subtle curiosity. She then slipped both feet into the boots, it was a perfect fit.
Cheza then stood up without any issues and she then started to dance while giggling in a child-like way. "You like 'em, huh?" Hige chuckled, rubbing under his nose. The flower maiden twirled around the wolves happily. It made Luna grin slightly.
Then, the happy giggling and dancing suddenly ceased just as fast as it came. Cheza saw something down the path that Luna, Hige, and Toboe came down in. Luna's head turned and saw what Cheza was looking at.
That same lady who had been following them was at the end of the path. She quickly stood back up out of shock. They gasped loudly when they saw her.
"Who are you?" Cheza asked the old woman. However, the old woman ignored her question and started to walk towards Cheza. Kiba's protective instincts kicked in and he stood in front of Cheza to protect her from this stranger.
The old woman stopped in her tracks and smiled at them. "You are wolves. The five of you." the old woman spoke in a hoarse voice. The pack was all shocked that this old woman could see what they were.
"Who are you, old lady?" Kiba asked her. After he asked that, the old lady takes her sunglasses off of her eyes. When she opened them, their blood had turned to ice from the shock. The old woman had the same eyes as Cheza, fully red irises, and seleras.
"Old lady, tell us who you are," Kiba repeated, calming down. "The Hanabito is what we were called." the old woman said in the same hoarse voice. Cheza stepped forward and said, "This one can tell by your scent but you're not like this one?"
"You're a perfect creation so you're not like my kind." the woman explained. Luna's brow furrowed at what the lady said. Hige had told her that Cheza was made by the nobles. Was this lady made from them as well?
Then, the foul stench of the noble soldiers hit their noses. "Um, guys. We need to get the hell out of here. Those soldiers are coming." Luna said, her voice on edge. "She's right. I got a feeling we shouldn't hang around here anymore." Tsume agreed, also sounding on edge.
The others listened closely to the soldiers coming in their direction. That was their cue to amscray and hide. And that's what they did with the old flower lady leading the way to her hideout that was perfectly discreet from the humans and soldiers. The wolves and flowers bounded through a narrow part of the forest.
The seven individuals reached the old woman's hideout, which was a hollowed-out tree that was covered in plants and vines with a single wooden door on it. It blended in with the rest of the plant life of the surrounding area. The old woman held the door open so the wolves and Cheza could slip in one by one.
(In the Flower's Tree)
Once they were all inside, the old woman shut the door behind her just as the soldiers ran by. They had lost them and moved to another part of the forest. Unbeknownst to them, the five wolves and two flowers were right under their noses.
The old woman had Cheza sit down in her old, wooden chair. The old woman kneeled in front of her with her head bowed. Kiba, being in his wolf form, sat down right beside Cheza, ears raised. Meanwhile, the other four sat by the wall underneath a single window.
Luna sat down with her wolf ears folded back a little. Hige laid down with his forelegs in front of him, his fluffy wolf tail wrapped around his side. Toboe sat between Luna and Tsume, his long wolf ears raised. As for Tsume, he kept his wolf ears raised but kept a cold glare in his yellowish-green wolf eyes.
The old woman was telling an old tale of how she was the last of her kind. Cheza was listening closely to her story. And she told Cheza that she couldn't go with the wolves, which set the white wolf off. He bared his wolf fangs a little bit while growling quietly.
"Why can't we?! Tell me why!" he bellowed, hackles raised to a point. He didn't come all this way to find Cheza just to leave her behind with the humans. He was the only one out of the five who wanted to take the flower maiden. Luna and Tsume weren't so sure about bringing her along with them because neither wolf believed in the fabled place. However, Hige and Toboe were quick to accept this flower.
"It'll lead to destruction!" the old woman shouted, her voice lingering with venom. Kiba wasn't at all happy with this response. He looked as though he'd tear this old woman's throat out. His yellow wolf eyes widen all the way and his jaw dropped a little bit, his teeth showing. "You can't be serious! She has to come with us!" Kiba spat, suppressing his anger.
The old woman glared up at the white wolf, her red eyes beaming with anger. "I'm not talking to you, wolf!" she barked, the tone of her voice getting him to calm down instantly. After that, the lady began to speak to Cheza again. "I give off the faintest scent of the flower. It'' wane away soon." she spoke, her red eyes focused on the flower maiden.
"What should this one do?" Cheza asked curiously, placing a hand on her chest. "You have the ability to sustain the life of a hanabito. You must stay here." the old lady answered softly. Kiba stood up on all four paws, raising his wolf tail a little bit. His yellow wolf eyes now focused on Cheza. "Cheza, don't listen to her! She's messing with your head!" Kiba exclaimed.
"Wolf." the woman said, getting the white wolf to focus on her again, both ears raised. "Just what do you want to use this girl for? What are you trying to accomplish?" the old lady stated, keeping her elderly eyes focused on the white wolf. Kiba couldn't find the right thing to say to the woman. Then, his wolf ears perked up when he heard Cheza's voice. "We're going to Paradise," Cheza replied, her sweet voice filled with optimism. Luna's wolf ears lifted a bit on her wolf head, realizing that Cheza is there with them to help them lead the way to Paradise.
Then, a sharp sound causes Tsume's wolf ears to perk up. The pack stood in their human forms, now interested by the sound. "Stay quiet," Tsume warned, his voice hushed Luna, and Hige looked out of the window. Out of the window, there was that same woman that Hige and Luna saw back in Freeze City. The woman with the blonde hair that was tied in a messy bun, wearing that scientist suit with some reading glasses on.
"Hige, are you seeing this too?" Luna asked, looking at the tan wolf. "Yeah. That's the woman that we saw in Freeze City." Hige agreed, keeping his voice hushed. The woman walked to where the tree was, focused on a handheld machine that she was carrying. The pack worried that they had been found by the humans.
"Let's get going," Kiba said, catching the packs' attention. They give a single nod to their alleged leader. And with that, the five wolves left the old woman so they could deal with the woman.
(Outside the Tree)
Luna, Tsume, Hige, and Toboe waiting in the tree, waiting to pounce. When the woman was beneath the tree, the four wolves jump down in front of her, surrounding her. Needless to say, they startled the woman. They stood in a circle formation, staring at the woman.
Luna stood in between Toboe and Tsume so she stood in front of her. The woman spun around to look at each of the young adults that surrounded her. "You-You kids! Who are you?! What is this?" the woman demanded. The pack stays silent. When Kiba stepped out from behind the tree, Cheza's hand in his, the blonde woman turned around to face them.
"Cheza!" she called at seeing the flower maiden. Kiba glares at the woman, his eyes narrowing. Without a word, Kiba jumped over the woman and the pack. Kiba landed on a ledge in his wolf form, raising his wolf head. His piercing yellow eyes looked down at the woman, who was in shock. Looking at the rest of the pack, they were in their wolf forms as well. The woman was in shock that there are wolves, actual wolves, standing right before her.
Before she knew it, they went back to human form. The pack then bolted out of that area just as the soldiers were running in their direction, leaving the woman there in shock.
(In the Town)
The wolves made it into the heart of the sandy-colored town. They were out of sight of the humans. Luna bent down, resting her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Cheza stopped running and she started to cry a little. "She's crying..." Cheza wept, getting the pack to look at her.
"Are you talking about the old lady?" Kiba asked, looking at her worriedly. They all knew that Cheza could sense when someone is hurting, sometimes even feel it. Something told them that the old flower would soon wither away.
Cheza soon turns to look at Kiba. "Kiba, can this one stay with you?" she asked hopefully. "Cheza, you have to come with us," Kiba replied bluntly. She then turns to face Luna, hoping that the black she-wolf wouldn't hate her. "Of course, Cheza. After all, it'll be nice to have another girl to talk to." Luna commented, smiling at the maiden. As much as she liked being with wolves like her, she did grow tiresome of being the only female in the pack.
Cheza turns to look at Hige, "Hige?" Hige chuckled and grinned with joviality. "Sure. After all, the more the merrier when you're on a journey." Cheza looks at Toboe, "Toboe?" The red wolf chuckled lightly with his eyes shut. Lastly, she would need Tsume's approval. He hadn't trusted the flower maiden ever since they found her.
Tsume knew he was outed. There were four against one. He closed his eyes and sighed irritably. "Fine, you can tag along. If you can get us to wherever we're going, I can put up with you." the grey wolf curtly says. Luna was secretly surprised that Tsume gave in to keeping Cheza with them. She wasn't a believer of Paradise, but she was glad to have the Flower Maiden with them.
Hey, guys! It's been almost a full year since I got back to this. I am soooooo sorry for putting this off for so long. There were other stuff in my life that had to come first not to mention that I had other stories to finish. But now I'm back and I'm wanting to start on this.
-Iceearth12
