No more than 10 minutes or so pass by. Tsume and I made our way back to the others. The whole time Tsume's story was weighing heavily on my mind. I didn't think he had trust issues because of losing his pack. I, too, lost my own pack in the same manner yet… I didn't have what he had. It was only nightmares of the destruction of my home. Or what it once was. I don't know where'd I'd be at this point in time if I hadn't met Tsume and the others. Probably dead if not mortally wounded.

The time alone didn't seem to change at all. Just the same, old sky. I sit beside Tsume and his arm was wrapped around me. I lean against him and try to relax. With our precarious situation, it was difficult. Blue stayed beside her master to watch over him as he slept. Toboe was beside her and Hige wasn't too far off. Kiba was by Cheza, who hugged him.

There was a grunting sound coming from Blue's master, causing her to react to it. "Pops!" she cried in relief. Hubb too turned to Blue's master. He watched her master carefully. "Blue…?" Blue's master groaned. His breathing seemed to be normal and there was no sign of wheezing. Even his voice sounded hoarse and raspy like he hadn't spoken in years.

"It's alright Pops. I'm right beside you." Blue assured softly. He gently pets her cheek, getting her wolf ears to lower. "There you are… Blue. My good girl." her master said happily. Blue kneels in front of him in her human form. "It's me Quent. Don't you remember?" Hubb said, getting the old man to chuckle.

"Heh heh… Detective Dandy." Quent says lightly. He was probably not expecting to see Hubb beside him. "Do you see him?" Blue wondered. "The only thing I see is a bunch of blurs." Quent replied, trying to make sense of where he is. Toboe bent over to look at the old man with a smile.

"Hey, he's awake! That's great!" Toboe said, sounding relieved. Quent gasps at hearing the red wolf's voice in his throbbing ear. "Is that the boy?" Quent asks. Tsume takes a hold of my hand and squeezes it some.

"That's right old man." Kiba says. "What? Who's that?" Quent wondered. I had a deep suspicion that he'd get angered by our presence. He wouldn't take too kindly to us. "Well Pops… the thing is… they're… they're…" Blue stuttered, swallowing anxiously. "We're the wolves you tried to kill." I say, rescuing the conversation. Quent gasps at I said but only for a moment. He thought he was hallucinating.

"It's true, Quent. They are wolves. Even the flower maiden is here. She's the one who revived you." Hubb explained composed. "Yeah, we're going to Paradise. Together." Blue adds. Tsume wrapped his arm around my shoulders and gently hugged me. My eyebrows furrowed. With the many times of him trying to kill us out of his hatred for us, why would he want to go?

Without further questions, Quent starts to get up with a tired grunt. "You shouldn't be moving!" Blue protests, grabbing his coat but only to lose her grip. He starts walking away without saying a single thing to her. He takes a look towards us in his drunken state.

In front of him was a small red wolf, a large grey wolf, a black she wolf that was as dark as night, an injured chubby tan wolf, and a white wolf that was by the flower maiden's side. He shakes his head and starts staggering off. "Wait, where are you going?" Hubb asked. Quent should not be moving otherwise he'll meet his death out there.

"They want to go there… Nothing but a nightmare. If you're telling me these ridiculous things, then I'm better off dead…" Quent snarled, not stopping. "What's wrong with you?! Don't you know how important you are to Blue?! Or how worried she is for you?!" Toboe scolded, his fists clenched together. But his rant only fell on deaf ears.

"Luna and I know how much you want to be with her! Why're you acting this way?!" Toboe said, raising his voice. I lift my head and blink. "Shut the hell up!" Quent yelled, stopping. Toboe flinched at the tone in Quent's voice. "Blue… you're not my dog anymore." Quent said, cold and stoic. I gasp at the remark and jolt back.

"But you can't…" Blue whispered. Then, the harsh wind started to pick up once again. Hearing what he did just know royally pissed me off to the core. He just threw her out onto the curb like she's nothing to him anymore… Why the hell did he do that? Was it because she's half wolf?

Blue then gets up and walks off into the storm without saying anything. Hige had gone after her shortly after.

(Hige and Blue)

Blue stands at a cliff edge that was looking over a huge part of the heath that lied below her. The thought of the only two life forms was the last thing she wanted to do. How could he just let her go that easily? It didn't make sense to her.

Just then, a pair of footsteps was heard from behind her and she knew exactly who they belonged to. "Are you still going, Hige?" she asks the tan wolf. "Why not right? We've made it this far." he responded, partly joking. "It doesn't matter. I'm coming with you." she blurts. He gazed at the wolf dog with sad eyes. He knew that she wanted to be with him. There wasn't anything for him to do or say to change that.

"I take it Paradise isn't on your list, right?" Blue asked him. There was a brief pause of silence. It felt like eons until either one of them spoke again. He looks up at her once again. "What do you mean, Blue?" he asks but was cut off by Blue's risen voice. "DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU AGAIN?! I'm only half wolf. There's no way I'd be able to get in to Paradise so easily." Blue said, looking down.

Hige was just as guilty because of his wrongdoings in the past. "But… I was one of Jaguara's wolves. I won't be accepted into Paradise like Kiba and the others. There's no way… Not after all that I have done." Hige replied, looking down at his feet. Would there even be a inkling of a good chance for him getting into Paradise without a problem? Especially with all the murders he's committed before? Blue would meet the same fate as Hige.

Blue then directs a simple yet blunt question towards him. "Why don't you stay with me? I saw that Luna had chosen Tsume. She wants to stay with him. So let me stay with you." Blue says. "But what about the old man? Won't you care that you can't see him anymore? And that you won't make it into Paradise?" Hige protests. All her life she's been by that human's side, unaware of her wolf heritage.

"The only thing that matters to me now… is you Hige." Blue said, squeezing her eyes shut, "If I can be with you when the world ends, it'll be enough for me!" She runs to him and hugged him tightly. He hesitated for a minute but hugged her back as if he would lose her if he did let go.

(Luna)

By this time, the wind was ruthlessly blowing and I closed my eyes and tried to block it out. But it didn't work. My ears catch the gasp from Cheza as well as a high pitched frequency noise that penetrated the air. It hurt my head heavily and I covered both of my ears and whimpered.

"Luna?" Tsume said in concern. "I… I can't be the only one feeling that… right?" I groan. "No. It's that sound." Toboe said. Once the frequency died down, I uncovered my ears. "He's here. And he's close." Kiba growled at this. I cling onto Tsume and looked in the direction of the sound. Then, a ray of red strikes the ground in the distance, causing the ground to shake.

Then, a bright light had blinded us, getting all of us to cover our eyes. "A voice is crying out. There is pain and sadness." Cheza said in a low voice. "What's happened, Cheza? Was someone hurt?" Kiba dreadfully asks. She gazed off to where the light was shone. "Take this one there." she told Kiba. He nodded and he looks to Tsume and I.

From how Cheza said these words, something was definitely up. "Kiba, you stay with Cheza. Luna, go with Toboe and deal with the humans." Tsume directs. I turn to Tsume. "Please be careful out there. I can't lose you." Tsume whispered. "You won't. I'll be fine." I assure. Tsume then kisses me again.

"C'mon Luna!" Toboe called, starting to run. I soon follow him, looking back at Tsume for a moment. Deeply, I didn't want to leave him. I couldn't leave him. However, I had to stay with Toboe also to make sure that things go as planned.

(Tsume)

Tsume watched as Toboe and Luna disappeared into the heavy dust. He didn't want to let her go for the possibility of getting hurt. Or killed. But at the same time, he couldn't keep her cooped up. She is a strong she wolf and she can handle herself. She'd even howl if something were to happen.

"Did you feel it too, Tsume? Luna couldn't have been the only one." Kiba asks. "I did when we made it to Jaguara's keep. Hige could've left us when we made it there. But that was before his memories returned." Tsume replied, still looking ahead. Kiba lifted his eyes at the grey wolf. "We all knew that he was hiding something." Kiba said firmly.

Cheza then whispered something into Kiba's ear. It was urgent. Darcia had made it into the area with us. Kiba growled under his breath.

(Toboe and Luna)

Toboe and I sprinted through the heavy winds as we tried to find those damn humans. It was stupid of them to wander out there. "Toboe, are you getting anything?" I ask, raising my wolf ears. He looked around. "The old man is this way!" he replied, speeding up. I follow suit until the two of us could see the old man staggering ahead.

The old man points his gun at Toboe and I as we stand in our human forms. He waits for a moment but continued to walk. He didn't bother to shoot us. "Wait up!" Toboe called, running up to him. "You're pretty damn stupid for coming out here!" I shout over the wind. The old man didn't stop walking. "If you want to laugh at how I live my life, go ahead and laugh." he said, "We're not like you dignified wolves. You have to find something to cling to. Like you black wolf, you hold onto to that grey wolf."

Hearing that last statement made me gasp. He knew what I was holding on to. He went on telling us that he's found something to resent and he wouldn't stop doing what he's been doing since we first met him back in Freeze City. He said that you gotta love something.

Toboe stops walking after the old man and I stand next to him. "I've always liked humans!" Toboe shouted, "Please Pops!" "Don't call me that!" Quent yelled. I quickly gaze around as I felt something very wrong. "Toboe… he's here." I warn, feeling on edge. Toboe too felt on edge when I said that.

The two of us stand in our wolf forms as the winds pass over. With my fangs bared, I growl at who was ahead of us. I stand in a fighting stance with my wolf tail sticking straight up in the air to show my dominance. It was Darcia, wearing a purple cloak with… with blood trailing behind him. He had finally made his appearance.

Toboe was on my right also in a fighting stance. He growled deeply as he stood by Quent. The noble was coming closer to us. He was no more than 20 feet away from us. "It was you." Quent growled, looking like he recognized the noble. "Unclean creature. You're not permitted to be here." Darcia seethed, still walking forward. I feel my hackles rise in anger. It made me want to fight this bastard. But I had to resist.

"You're not allowed here. I won't allow you to go any further." the noble said, his gold eye flickering. "I saw that eye. Glaring at me through the fire. What the hell are you? A human? Or a wolf?" Quent said, keeping his gun held tightly in his grip. "I'm neither man nor beast." Darcia retorted, still walking. "Whatever you are, I know a wolf's eye when I see one." Quent snarled, not looking away, "When you lose something dear to you, you stop at nothing to seek revenge. You're soul dies along with what you lost. Do you know what that feels like?"

Darcia stops and looks at the man with a stoic expression. "Indeed I do." Darcia replied. "You seek revenge and show no mercy." Quent said. The noble was a few feet from us. "Yes. And without forgiveness." Darcia says, slowly pulling out a gun which he had hidden. Quent holds his gun up and aimed it directly at the noble.

Toboe then jumps in between the two with a sharp growl before Quent pulls the trigger. "Toboe!" I cry out. Toboe… he… he had been struck by the bullet that Quent shot. It went straight through his big, caring heart.

I stopped growling when I saw Toboe get shot through his back and I felt frozen. Frozen from shock and anger. I run to him in my human form with tears in my eyes. I fell to my knees and landed right in front of him. "Toboe! Toboe no!" I cry, seeing his lifeless body lay on the ice. He… he couldn't be. No.

God, I'm a monster for this last scene. What have I done?!

Thank you for reading.