Another week passed by between meeting Willow's pack and entering the next city. By that time the pack of five made it to a sandy-colored city, it was noon. They walked in the their human forms. The sun was high in the sky.

The town itself was rather quaint and quiet. Each of the wolves had this strange yet exciting feeling rushing through their veins. They could hardly keep it contained. Something was happening tonight; something exciting.

Everyone was smiling as they looked around town. The humans that were sitting outside of the building, watched as the group walked through town. There was even inaudible chatter between the humans.

"Man, what a seedy looking town," Hige said, smile on his face. "This is my kind of place," Tsume said, a smile on his face as well. Luna gave him a playful shove and said, "Yeah, I bet it is. It's my kind of place too. Oh man, I want to kick some ass," Tsume didn't get mad at her for doing that surprisingly.

"Smell the danger in the air. My blood's on fire!" Tsume exclaimed. "Me too! I feel it too!" Toboe laughed with joviality, rolling his right sleeve over his elbow and flexed his arm. Hige came over and put the youngest member hin a tight headlock.

"Now that's tough talk for someone who whines and cries all the time! But that's not the only reason you're fired up, is it runt? After all tonight's…" Hige laughed. Toboe struggled to get out of Hige's iron grip. The other three wolves smile at him.

"Yeah, it's a full moon tonight," Kiba says gleefully. Toboe got himself loose and scooted against the wall. "I understand that it's different for us since we get our strength from the full moon. I mean, look at Cheza, she's glowing too!" Toboe said in excitement.

The other four turn to look at the flower, all smiling at her. They could see what the red wolf was talking about. There was something different about her. "I heard that the lunar flowers always bloom once a month when there's a full moon," Luna said, remembering the stories she heard from her mother when she and her siblings were pups.

"So you're saying she'll-" Hige asked, looking at Cheza. "Maybe, Hige," Kiba replied, talking lowly. Toboe gets to his feet and walks to them. "Why? What's gonna happen to her?" he asked. The exciting feeling was becoming stronger. "She might bloom tonight, I think," Hige said, sounding just as excited.

Cheza turns around to face the group with a jovial spin, a huge smile on her face. "Oh, this one is excited!" she said, feeling it also. They couldn't wait until nightfall to relish their excitement.


Later on that night, the moon was out and full, illuminating everything in its path. Cheza dipped her feet into a pond after removing her pink shoes. She was basking in the moonlight while the wolves gathered around her.

All of their hearts were beating out of their chests. "So this is it?" Tsume breathed, smiling widely. "Man, right about now, I feel like I can do just about anything!" Hige exclaimed, the big smile on his face not leaving.

"I mean, we've all seen a full moon before, but it's different because Cheza's here, right?" Toboe asked, hands behind his head. "I can't take it anymore!" Luna said, her hands shaking with excitement. The whole pack wanted to howl so badly and now they can.

Cheza starts spinning in a circle, looking up at the moon with her arms spread out. The pack start galloping around her in their wolf forms. They ran through the water as they spun in a circle. They were letting the moon take over them.

"AARROOOO!" Luna howls, raising her wolf head all the way towards the moon. One by one, the other four wolves howl with her. All of their howls were mixed in synchronization. They were harmonizing under the bright moonlight.

However, it wasn't over yet. The wolves surrounded the flower maiden, facing her. They all stared straight up at the moon, sitting completely still, eyes wide open. Cheza opened her eyes and let the moon reflect off of her. The wind started blowing through their fur.

The pack stand up and face away from her. They all watched as Lunar Flowers started to bloom, surrounding them in a field of sparkling light. The flowers turned into a trail that led to a white light.

The pack stood in human form, staring at the pathway in awe, eyes wide in surprise. Kiba gasped in surprised shock. "No way… it's real…" Luna stammered. She and Tsume believed that it wasn't real. But there it was, the path to Paradise.

"It's the path to Paradise," Hige said, his eyes wide. "Is that what it is?" Tsume asks, also in surprise. "It's amazing!" Toboe says, a huge grin on his face. They were going to Paradise.

Cheza starts running swiftly through the flowers with the wolves behind her. They ran behind her in wolf form. The flowers felt amazing under their wolf paws. Luna was between Tsume and Hige while Kiba and Toboe were in the front. They were going to Paradise. Or so they thought.


The trail of Lunar Flowers suddenly vanished. The pack stood in a deserted heath under a crimson red moon. They stood in their human forms, all were filled with a deep sense of dread. Something wasn't right.

They heard the sound of a noble ship breaking the silence. It landed in front of them. The door opened and they were shocked by who was on the other side. It was the noble Lord Darcia III, who Kiba and Hige saw back in Freeze City. The other three didn't know who he was.

His stench didn't go unnoticed by the pack. Luna backed up a little bit beside Tsume. All the noble did was grin at the pack sinisterly. He wasn't wearing that mask that he had last time. But his left eye was still covered up.

"The wolves. It's been a long time," Darcia said, his voice deep and threatening. Luna was shocked by this. How did he know they're wolves? "That stench? He's a noble?" Tsume gasped. Darcia walks down the platform in a way that was sinister.

"Was your little dream pleasant? The one where you and your pathetic pack were going Paradise?" Darcia says. Kiba knew that that question was addressed to him. He let out a gasp and shouted, "What'd you say?!" he growled, narrowing his eyes.

The noble stops walking. "The time has not come for that yet. Return to me, Cheza," he says, narrowing the eye that wasn't covered. Cheza gasped and stepped back, looking as if she was afraid of the noble. Luna growled and stepped in front of her, fists clenched.

"She's not leaving with you! You can forget it!" she growled at him. The noble wasn't at all fazed by Luna's threat. Kiba wasn't having any of this. "GET OUT OF OUR WAY!" he yelled, charging at him in his wolf form, teeth bared. "It is futile," Darcia said.

Kiba lunged at the noble but he hit an invisible wall, pushing him back. He landed on his wolf paws, his tail raised up and his fangs bared. The noble's ship was now shooting red lasers at the pack.

Luna galloped to avoid the lasers in her wolf form. She saw the lasers strike the ground, causing it to split in half and pieces flew everywhere. She looks behind her and saw Toboe getting struck. He slammed on the ground in his wolf form.

Hige ran to his aid in his wolf form but was also struck down. "TOBOE! HIGE!" Luna shouted, seeing her friends getting struck down. She didn't know just how hurt they were from that laser. And she couldn't stand having her friends hurt.

"Ah, the blood of the wolves. How magnificent," the noble said with a sinister grin. Luna snarled and charged at him with Tsume and Kiba by her sides. "You bastard!" Luna snarled, ready to tear this noble's throat out.

The noble ship fired another laser but the trio split up. However, Luna takes a wrong turn and was struck down. She landed hard on her side. Blood came out of her nose, jaws, and the wounds the laser caused. Her entire body felt so heavy and she ached everywhere.

Then, Tsume was struck down, laying a few feet from where Luna landed. Blood stained his smokey grey fur. He faced Luna and starts to force himself to stand up. Luna, despite having blurry vision, could see his wolf legs trembling from the pain in his body.

He managed to make his way over to her, resting his wolf head on her neck, letting his strength leave him. He was hurting just as much as the rest of them.

Kiba wasn't giving up so easily. Despite being struck down, he was still going. After about the fourth time, he stayed down. He was hurt more than the rest of the pack. "That's enough," Cheza said to the noble.

She wanted the wolves to be safe so she had no choice but to leave with the noble. One by one, she went to each of the wolves. She first went to Kiba, who struggled to stand up.

When he did, he didn't have the strength to lift his head up all of the way. He had a huge cut over his left eye. Blood stained his white fur. "D-Don't go…" he begged, his voice strained. Cheza knelt down and gently wrapped her arms around his neck, nuzzling in into his fur.

"It is alright," she said softly. "Don't go, Cheza… We're wolves. We're not afraid to die," Kiba shook, struggling to stand up. "Kiba… it's alright. This one will surely protect you," Cheza reassured him. He then slowly collapsed to the ground, closing his yellow wolf eyes.

She stands up from the white wolf and went to heal the others. Luna feels Cheza's hand brush through her black fur, making her open her yellow wolf eyes. She then closed them again, unable to stay awake any longer. Cheza then pets Tsume, Hige, and Toboe.

She then walks past Darcia and boards his ship. There was a question running through their minds. What did that noble want with Cheza? Not like they were supposed to care. There wasn't anything they could do, Cheza was gone.