Nighttime had arrived before the pack could blink. They were still having trouble finding a place to lay low for the time being. It was getting a little arduous because this city was littered with soldiers. The pack walked through the alleys with Cheza taking the lead with Kiba behind her.
However, the humans paid no mind to the pack as they walked by them. Even the scent was terrible, so much that Hige would speak his mind about it. He'd say that his sensitive nose wouldn't like it. The pack turns down another path, walking by a bar that was filled with humans.
In front of the bar, that hunter's dog was tied up to a pole until her master would come to get her. The dark blue dog hears the pack walking down in the alley. Her blue eyes open and she looks towards the entrance, lifting her ears.
When she saw the wolves starting to walk by the bar, she started to growl. However, she stops when Cheza walked by and she raised her head and perked her ears. The flower maiden turns to look at the dog and she smiled at the dog. "We have a friend. Even here." Cheza inquired gleefully, skipping over to the dog.
Luna stayed by the entrance, keeping her eyes on the dog for a brief moment. "Luna, you coming?" Tsume asked impatiently, looking back at her. Luna looked at him for a moment. "Yeah, I'm coming," she replied, walking behind the grey wolf.
Kiba stayed behind Cheza while she knelt in front of the dog, who was growling low at her, baring her teeth a little. Cheza had a cool look on her face, showing no fear towards the blue dog. Kiba was about to intervene but Cheza had assured him that she was alright, so he stepped back.
Cheza locked her red eyes with the dogs' light blue eyes and smiled softly at her. "You never knew what you were. You never knew.." Cheza spoke softly to the dog. Cheza reached her hand out towards the dog but she back up a little with her jaw slightly dropped. No dog would react like that to Cheza's touch.
"There is wolf inside you also," Cheza calmly says. Kiba felt his heart jump into his throat. This dog, that's been constantly hunting them, was half-wolf? How didn't she know that she had wolf blood? "You were alone all your life, were you not?" Cheza calmly asks. The wolf-dog simply stared at the flower maiden.
Suddenly, Kiba had a bad feeling that the humans would see them, so he quickly grabbed Cheza by her wrist and pulled her away from the bar. However, the now wolf-dog whimpered and pulled on the leash. She wanted to go with her but knew she couldn't because of her human.
Then, Quent Yaiden walked out of the bar with Cher Degre behind him. Both of them wanted to get themselves drunk for whatever reason. But they didn't know that the white wolf and the flower maiden were there moments earlier.
(In the morning)
When morning arrived, the pack had managed to find an abandoned bus that was a perfect hiding spot for the pack. Hige had found it for them thanks to his keen nose. The bus was sitting unoccupied in the middle of a junkyard.
"This should be a perfect place to hide," Hige says with joviality, his fists clenched in happiness. Kiba smiled at the Mexican wolf before he looked at Cheza. "Cheza, stay here with Luna and Toboe," he instructed. Toboe nodded and pounded his fist against his chest. "You can rely on us," Toboe said, giving a smile of confidence.
"You guys go on. We'll howl if anything happens." Luna says, giving them a thumbs up. Kiba, Tsume, and Hige were going out into the city to find them a way out and to patrol to see if there were any soldiers around. It was smart to have Luna and Toboe stay behind to protect Cheza if it comes to it.
Soon enough, Kiba, Hige, and Tsume had left to do what they needed to do. Luna, Cheza, and Toboe sat at the very back of the bus. The bus had a few holes in the roof, letting sunlight into the bus. Luna laid down in her wolf form right next to Cheza and she places her wolf head in the flower maiden's lap.
Cheza gently stroked between Luna's wolf ears, which were lowered a little. Toboe sat in his human form with his left knee pulled up and his arm resting on it. He was glancing up at the ceiling with a smile on his face. Cheza even looked relaxed with the warm sun shining down on them.
"I like this. The idea of friends waiting for other friends. It's really a nice feeling. You know what I mean, Luna?" Toboe said, keeping an optimistic tone. Luna's ears rose a little when he said that. She hasn't had any friends before this pack. So she gave up on that feeling a long time ago. "Yeah… I guess." the black she-wolf said modestly.
Luna's gold wolf eyes glance up at the flower maiden and noticed the tranquil look on her face. She lifts her wolf head and tilts it to the right a little. "What is it, Cheza?" she asked, looking up for a moment. The flower maiden opened her eyes and smiled in a way that gave the wolves a warm feeling.
"This one is stuffed. And you two?" she asked, looking at the two wolves. Luna wagged her wolf tail across the floor of the bus, showing that she was happy. Toboe chuckled in a cute way, having a bright smile on his face. Both wolves were happy to have heard that.
However, there was a sound that made both wolves freeze. Luna stands on her wolf paws, towering over Cheza when she was sitting down, and she stood in a way that would protect her. "Toboe, what was that?" she asked, her ears perked.
"I don't know. I'll go take a look." Toboe said, staying crouched as he peeked over one of the bus windows. Turns out it was some kids running from two soldiers. "What is it?" Luna asked, looking at the red wolf. "It's two humans, chasing some kids. They were close to us." Toboe whispered.
Luna knew that wasn't a good sign. They could be exposed before the others would return. She knew that she must protect her new pack from the humans. "Toboe, I'm gonna draw those soldiers from here," Luna said, starting to head towards the doorway.
Toboe looked at her in his wolf form, his amber wolf eyes giving a look of worry. "Luna, they're going to catch you! You can't let them see you." Toboe whined, dropping his long wolf ears. Luna turns and gave the young wolf a comforting lick on his head. "I know how to handle those soldiers. I've done it before. I won't be gone long." the black she-wolf assured.
Toboe raised his wolf ears and raised his wolf head a bit. He had to trust her. That's the only thing they could do right now. "Alright. Please be careful." Toboe said, nuzzling the older she-wolf on the side of her neck. "I will. Don't worry. Take care of Cheza while I'm gone." Luna asked. Toboe nodded and walked back over to Cheza.
"Be careful, Luna," Cheza asked, worrying for the black she-wolf. Luna nodded in confidence before running outside her human form. She had been intrigued by what was going to happen when she caught up to the soldiers.
(In Town)
Luna had followed those soldiers by their scents so they were pretty easy to follow. She had to see what was going on to see if she had to intervene or not. She hid behind a broken pillar, careful not to be spotted. Peeking around the pillar she sees that the boys had split up.
However, she blinked hard to see that those boys weren't boys at all. She took a second look and the three boys were wolves too. The smallest boy was the smallest wolf pup, who was a grey wolf with a smokey grey pelt with white markings on his paws, chest, tail, and muzzle. The other two wolves were black as the night with silver eyes.
However, Luna was the only one who knew that those boys were wolves too however they stayed in their human forms. One soldier looked freaked out because of the wolf pup that bit him.
"Those kids weren't ordinary!" that soldier said panicked. The gun he possessed was shaking in his hands, causing a loud rattling sound. His partner only rolled his eyes at his paranoia. "Don't start again. Quit being a wuss." he huffed.
"How do you explain these cuts then?! They weren't acting normal! They acted like animals!" the first soldier whined. Luna only smirked at the soldiers. 'They weren't humans at all, you idiot.' she thought to herself.
"Now that you mention it, that woman was saying something about wolves being here." the second soldier informed. The first soldier jumped and his eyes popped out of his eyes. "Wolves?!" he cried, turning around.
Luna gritted her teeth when that soldier had spotted her peeking from the broken pillar. "Shit!" she swore, quickly turning back around and taking off in the opposite direction.
"Hey! Get back here!" that soldier cried out, watching as she took off. "What the hell are you going on about?" his partner asked, turning in the same direction as him. However, Luna was already gone when he did look.
"There was someone there!" the first soldier exclaimed. However, the second soldier rolled his eyes. "You're seeing things." he curtly said. "No! I know there was someone there!" the first soldier exclaimed, determined to chase this young woman. "Okay, fine. If you want to chase a ghost, then leave me out of it. I'm going ahead." the second soldier said, walking ahead of the first soldier.
Luna sucked in a sharp breath, starting to run faster. She couldn't be caught by the damn soldiers. She knew that she couldn't lead them back to Toboe and Cheza, she had to lead them away from the red wolf and flower maiden. "Gotta get away," she whispers to herself, running down a completely different direction.
Luna heard the soldier running after her and knew he wouldn't give up until he had caught her. She slid to a sudden stop, sending dust flying up from the ground. The soldier had caught up with her and was about to take fire with his machine gun.
Luna turned around to face the soldier in her wolf form. She bared her wolf fangs at the soldier, a killer look in her gold wolf eyes. When the soldier saw that she was a large black wolf, he was frozen in fear. He was going to shoot her but found himself unable to.
The soldier let his cowardice take over and he turned to run for his life. "Get away from me!" he cried in panic, taking off in the opposite direction. Once he was out of view, Luna turned back around to head back to Toboe and Cheza.
(At the Bus)
Luna made it back to the bus in her human form. She had to go completely around before she found her way back to them. She enters the bus and was instantly bombarded in a hug by the red wolf.
"Luna, are you okay?" he asked, squeezing her to where she couldn't breathe. "I'm fine, Toboe. Just out of breath, is all." the black she-wolf answered, hugging the red wolf back for a moment. "What happened?" Toboe asked.
"Those soldiers you saw, were chasing those kids. But I saw that they were wolves too." Luna said, much to Toboe and Cheza's shock. "Wolves? Are you sure?" Toboe asked, sounding confused. Luna nodded, confirming this.
"Have they hurt you or those other wolves?" Cheza asked. Luna shook her head, "No. I revealed myself to the soldier and he took off running." She stretched her body and groaned from feeling tired. "I'm gonna take a nap. Let me know when the others are back." Luna inquired. Toboe and Cheza gave her a smile before she goes to the back.
She lays down in her wolf form with her forelegs in front of her and her right cheek rested against her right foreleg. She fell asleep not long after. Meanwhile, Toboe and Cheza had hidden behind the front seat, attempting to scare the next person to come in.
Luna had woken up about 20 minutes later because of that nightmare she has every time she closes her eyes. She sat up in her human form and groaned. It took her a couple of minutes to see that Toboe and Cheza were hiding behind the front seat of the bus. She was confused so she got up.
Luna didn't see any danger so she didn't understand why the red wolf and the flower maiden were hiding. Before she could ask, Toboe pulled her behind the seat by her arm. The movement caught her off guard.
The two wolves waited a few more minutes before they heard Kiba walking back in the bus. Toboe and Cheza attempted to scare the white wolf but he wasn't fazed by their attempt. Luna rolled her eyes and stood straight up, brushing herself down.
"Just so you know, I was forced into this," she said, walking out from behind the seat. Kiba just stared down at the pup, completely stone-faced. Toboe became red in the face before putting his arms behind his head. "What took you guys so long?" Toboe asked with a chuckle.
Hige comes back in a minute after Kiba. "What'd you get, Hige?" Luna asked, eager to know what Hige found. Hige grinned at the black she-wolf in a flirtatious way. "Those losers got us surrounded. So we should move at night." Hige said with determination.
Kiba nodded at Hige's answer and looks at Luna, Toboe, and Cheza. Kiba was supposed to find them their meet-up spot and he listened to what the humans were saying in the town. "There's a place just outside of this town that the local humans call The Forest of Death," he said to them.
The sound of that forest was enough to give anyone who hears it the shivers. However, the pack had to remain confident because that was their only way out. "Jeez, that sounds pretty scary." Toboe shudders, hugging his arms. Luna didn't want the red wolf to be frightened by such a place. She has grown to like him as a little brother so she had to comfort him.
She throws an arm around his shoulders. "Take it easy, kid. We'll make it out easily with our noses," she said optimistically. "That's the spirit, Luna! Those humans won't be able to find us there." Hige replied, clenching his fists in joviality.
Tsume walks in a second after with his info. Kiba turns to look at the grey wolf. "How's it looking?" he asked. Tsume grinned at the four wolves. "There's a route that we can escape through. It's out of the humans' sight." Tsume replied. Toboe jumped in excitement and grinned big. "Finally! We can finally get out of here!" the red wolf exclaimed.
Luna smiled at her brother figure, glad to hear that he was ready to be out of here as much as her. Although, she couldn't help but feel bad for those young wolves that she saw earlier. They would have to live the rest of their lives scrounging for food and ducking the humans to stay alive. They'd never get a chance to be real wolves.
(At Dusk)
When it was dark enough, the pack of five wolves got the hell out of there before the soldiers could find them. They crafted a plan to make it out of there. Kiba would take Toboe and Cheza to the escape route while Luna, Tsume, and Hige would take care of the soldiers. They would have to hurry up if they want to meet up with them.
The three wolves make it to their small base relatively easily. The soldiers had no idea that three wolves were there ready to kick some ass. They were too busy talking into their radios. Luna was determined to get revenge on these guys for how they treated those wolf pups.
Hige was rather impressed to see a she-wolf wanting to get in on the action. "Man, I never thought a she-wolf would want to deal with those losers too." the tan wolf chuckled. The black she-wolf shot him a smug grin.
"I'm not letting you boys have all the fun. These assholes had messed with the wrong wolves," she said wittingly. Tsume cracked a smile at Luna's alpha attitude. He couldn't get over just how headstrong she was. He saw that she wasn't some weak and incompetent she-wolf that he believed her to be. She could handle her own.
"What the hell we waitin' for? Let's kick their asses." Hige whispered, clenching a fist. And with that, Hige and Luna leap down from the hideout and sneak up behind a soldier with his back turned. Tsume hung back for a moment.
Luna stood on Hige's right side, her back straightened and a hand on her hip. "Roger that. They have gotten away." the soldier said into his radio. Hige taps the soldier on his right shoulder to get his attention. The soldier turns to face the two wolves. "Who got away?" Hige asks with a cheeky grin.
"Would you mind telling us? We're curious to know." Luna added. The soldier was startled by their appearance and instantly pulled out his machine gun to shoot them. However, Luna quickly threw a left hook to the soldiers' jaw, knocking him on his ass. She and Hige then jump out of the soldier's way to avoid being shot.
"They're here! They're-!" another soldier cried but Tsume managed to knock him out from behind. Luna turns around on her wolf paws and leaps towards another soldier, her wolf jaws open wide. Her gold wolf eyes were focused on him.
She managed to kill the soldier by sinking her wolf fangs into his throat, killing him instantly. Blood shot out from the open wounds as he landed on the ground with a loud thud. Luna turned back to her human form and she stared down another soldier, whose gun was pointed at her. He was shaking though, knowing now that she is a wolf.
"Keep this up, bitch! Your friends are going to be killed if you don't surrender the target!" he threatened. However, the black she-wolf didn't falter by this humans' empty threat. "Hmph, you think I'm gonna be scared by that pointless threat? I think not." Luna chuckled before she jumped out of the soldiers' way. The soldiers continued to shoot at them as they jumped up the cliffside.
She followed the Grey wolf and the Mexican wolf to their meet-up area. It was just outside of the city so they wouldn't be followed by the humans. Kiba, Toboe, and Cheza waited patiently for the other three wolves. They jumped down in front of them with pleased smiles on their faces.
"Sorry, we took so long." Tsume apologized. Luna stretched her arms and groaned. "Yeah, damn soldiers were everywhere," she muttered. Hige gives them a confident thumbs up with a closed eye. "But the operation was successful, yeah? You guys shoulda seen Luna here. She is a total badass."
Luna nodded at him with a grin of her own. She knew that he was right about that one, although she didn't want to brag about it. However, it felt amazing that they could take down those soldiers. They weren't able to take down wolves like them.
Before the pack could say anything, a bullet suddenly penetrated the ground between Toboe and Kiba. The sharp sound caused everyone to jump out of their skin. They all looked up to see what caused that bullet.
"You damn wolves! You'll never fool me again!" a familiar voice bellowed. It was Quent Yaiden, the same hunter that tried to kill them once before. He was standing atop a ledge that was on the mountainside. He aimed his gun at them and started to shoot at the pack relentlessly.
As expected, the pack started to run around the area to avoid being shot. Luna was running too fast that she ended up tripping over her own feet. Tsume saw her fall and rushed over to protect her. The Grey wolf gained the confidence to protect her, even if she didn't ask for it.
He grabs her wrist to pull her to her feet just before Quent had a chance to shoot her. She was almost shot in the thigh. Cheza had also fallen from slipping out of Kiba's grip. Instantly, the white wolf turns around to see Quent aiming his rifle at her.
Kiba ran back in front of her, shielding her body with his. The white wolf ended up taking the bullet for her. "Kiba!" she cried, seeing him getting shot.
Quent was shaken by the fact the white wolf protected the maiden. He was about to take another shot, but the gun clicked. That gave the pack enough time to get the hell out of there. When he saw that the wolves were gone, he fired angry shots at the sky with a scream. He did was he did because he found Blue without her collar, bleeding and cut up. He instantly blamed the wolves for this.
When he returned to her, he found that she was gone.
