I look down at Toboe; tears falling from my face. Toboe had been gunned down… I couldn't breathe or think. I couldn't even howl at this given time to let the others know… It was as if what I witnessed stole the voice right out of my very being Out of my peripheral vision, I saw Quent make his way over here. His face was filled with horror and instant regret.

There was a large, crimson hole in Toboe's back… his blood covered it. I felt sick… Suddenly, I felt something within me take over. I quickly turn around with a loud growl towards Darcia and bit him on his extended arm. "You… bastard!" I snarl, digging my wolf fangs deep into his arm. It was because of Darcia that this happened…

Without a second thought, the noble manages to swing his arm outwards to get me off of him. I land on the ice with a hard thud. Lying on my side, I feel the lightning pain surge through my whole body. Shaking, I manage to get myself back onto my wolf paws. I look up and see Toboe jumping on Darcia's arm as another shot was fired.

(Tsume and Kiba)

The two wolves were sprinting towards where the gunshot came from. Tsume was praying that Toboe and Luna hadn't been shot. 'Please let them be alive…' he begged. He couldn't lose them. He should've known better than to send them out there. Tsume's heart was beating so fast in fear. But the adrenaline kept him going.

(Hige and Blue)

Hige and Blue too heard the distant gunshots. Instant fear started to settle in them both. "Toboe… Luna…" Hige gasps worriedly. "Let's go back. C'mon." Blue whispered to the tan wolf. Hige gazed down for a moment before agreeing.

(Luna and Toboe)

I look on in shock as Toboe dangled from the nobles arm, growling deeply. Darcia's blood spilled onto the ground below them. Darcia seemed to be unphased by our bites against him. "You cannot hurt me. I no longer feel pain. Jaguara's poison was strong. Her venoms eating me alive." the noble says, throwing Toboe to the side with a hard land. I didn't hesitate to run to Toboe, who was lying on his side, bleeding out.

"Toboe!" I yelled, running to him. Looking down at him, I could see he was in great agony. "L… Luna…" he wheezed. "Don't move! I'm gonna get help!" I say to him, running from him and going to find Kiba and them. Toboe couldn't die. He just couldn't. I won't let him die.

(Toboe)

The red wolf laid there on the ice, losing blood by the minute. He could faintly hear the sound of Luna taking off to go get help. The fear in her voice was profound. He didn't want her to be scared. But… what was there to do?

Then there was silence that surrounded them. Darcia had left the two wounded individuals to die. Quent rested on his knees, looking at a dying Toboe. He had seen the black she wolf run off. But… it didn't matter now. He could only blame himself for shooting the wolf who defended him. Even the black she wolf did the same. She had stood by the red wolf's side and fought with him.

The old man slowly collapses onto the ice, coughing twice. "Mister…" a weak voice whispered. He opened his eyes to see the fatally wounded wolf starting to get up. Toboe started to stagger his way to the old man. Blood was dripping onto the ice with each painful step. "I'm… sorry." he grunted in pain.

"Don't be sorry. I was the one… who shot you." Quent breathed shallowly. Toboe winced heavily as the pain only intensified. "I gave my word to Blue that I'd look out for you. I promised her… I told her I'd defend you. But… I wasn't able to. I'm sorry." Toboe said, his breathing became labored. The tears in his eyes started to shed. He said that he wanted to stay by Quent's side for the rest of his life like Blue had done.

He collapsed in his wolf form, dragging his wounded body over to Quent. Once he made it, he landed on the old man's outstretched arm. "Let me… sleep here… for a while." he whispered, feeling his body start to go numb. The old man then hesitantly starts stroking the dying wolf, seeing that this was no ploy or a trick in any way. His hatred for the wolves didn't matter anymore.

(Luna)

I keep running for as long as my legs would carry me. "Tsume! Kiba! Toboe needs help!" I cry in distress. Soon enough, I see the forms of Tsume and Kiba come running up to me. "Luna! Oh thank god you're okay!" Tsume said in relief as he hugged me. I quickly hug him back with tears flowing down my face. "Luna, what's wrong?" Kiba said.

"It's Toboe! He's hurt! He needs help!" I shout, pulling away from Tsume. "What happened?" Tsume asked quickly. Tears started to well up in my eyes. "He's been shot!" I cry, getting a horrified reaction from them. Then we all run in the direction I came from.

The whole way there I was hoping… praying that Toboe would be okay. But when we got there, that faith had quickly been crushed. Toboe was laying on the old man's arm with a blood trail following behind him. "Toboe!" Tsume shouts as he dropped next to him. "Toboe! Toboe!" Tsume cried out, shaking Toboe to get him to wake up. But he only gasped in realization and he fell to his knees.

"Stupid kid…" Toboe said emotionally. It dawned on me then that… Toboe was dead. He didn't make it. My whole body felt numb and limp, getting me to fall to my knees. I thought… I thought he'd…

Tears streamed down my blood caked cheeks as I cried quietly. When I feel my body again, I stand on my wolf paws and saunters over to Toboe's limp body. Going to where his wolf head is, I sit down in front of him with my wolf ears laid all the way back. He really was gone… Why…? I lower my wolf head and gently lick him on his wolf head, feeling my heart break as I did so.

"I'm sorry… if only I had gotten here sooner… I promised..." I whisper, closing my wolf eyes. I walk away and sit next to Tsume in my human form, my legs pulled up to my chest. "Pops!" Blue's voice cried. "Toboe!" Hige shouts, coming up behind her. My eyes close and I let the tears fall silently.

Looking behind me, I see Blue kneeling in front of her masters and Toboe's bodies. I lean against Tsume and just didn't look at them. I didn't want to and feel the guilt of not being fast enough to save Toboe. Seeing him get shot was bad enough… and he dies because of it.

"Toboe…" Kiba said in sadness. Then, we all shift to our wolf forms. We all let out a mournful howl into the sky. It was one of benefiting the loss of a child, a comrade, a friend, our brother… A howl that would echo through kingdom come.

Hours pass since we had lost Toboe. We didn't notice that the sky was much darker than before. I didn't move from my spot from Tsume. That same guilt weighed heavily on me and it wouldn't let up.

"We need to keep moving. That noble's still out there, trying to find Paradise." Kiba says to us, "It's our Paradise he's wanting to open." "It doesn't make sense… If that's what he wants then why doesn't he open one for the nobles?" Hige asks quietly. I wipe the stray tears from my cheeks and sniffled.

"The tree of seeds is there… on the horizon… it told this one where it is." Cheza announced, pointing ahead. Honestly, I don't care about what the tree of seeds is. I was too upset about seeing Toboe die the way he did. He was too young to go. That wolf was like a little brother to me; ever since I first met the kid.

"So what's your plan, Porky?" Tsume surly says. He too was angry about what happened and just as distant. "After coming this far, what the hell do you plan to do?" I say, not looking at him. "Are you gonna run from us?" Tsume asked softly yet dangerously. Hige swallowed hard at Tsume's remark.

"I'm not running. I thought you guys didn't want me here anymore." Hige says, frowning. "Neither one of us is more vital than the other Hige. Nothing Is indispensable. Not anymore." Kiba assured the tan wolf. Truthfully, we should kick him out for what he's done but, how could we? Especially since he's been with us for so long.

"No you guys don't. You are the only one who can go all the way. Paradise won't be opened without you there." Hige says earnestly to Kiba. Just hearing that tone of voice from him made me see that that jokester wolf that we met a while back was not there anymore. He was long gone…

"Even Tsume and Luna must realize that by now." Hige said lowly. "I don't care. I'm still going. For as long as I'm alive, I'm going with you guys. You're going too, Hige." Blue says, getting me to look back for a moment. She was determined to go all the way through even though her half blooded nature won't allow her.

"Stop making excuses! I know you want to go!" Blue shouted at Hige in a shrill voice. Hige's expression shifted a little before he stands up as well. Hige had to go with us. He couldn't up and leave. That seemed to snap him out of whatever trance he was in.

Suddenly, the ground began to violently shake from beneath us, making them stumble. Tsume quickly grabbed hold of me to protect me from the splitting ice. "It's falling apart. Even with it being this close to the center." Kiba comments. "He's right. We should go." Hubb pipes in, moving to get the handgun Quent had.

"If I start slowing you guys down, I'll finish the job myself." Hubb says, cocking the gun back and putting it up. He would rather kill himself if he slowed them down? "You coming, Luna and Tsume?" Hige asked us. I look down at my feet and sigh. "You guys go on ahead. We'll catch up. We want to talk to the runt for a moment." Tsume explains for both of us. The others understood and leave us with Toboe.

After a while, Tsume and I knelt down in front of Toboe. Looking at him now made him look at peace. It was as if his agony had completely faded away. "Look at you. We didn't realize how big you've grown." Tsume said, smiling sadly. "Yeah, when we first met you, I never believed I saw such a young, naive pup. But we know you were such a sucker when it comes to humans but… looks like we never really understood how much they meant to you until now." I add, glancing at the fallen human beside him.

"Guess jealousy got the better of me… I don't know about you Luna." Tsume said quietly. "Yeah… I feel that way too." I reply. I breathe heavily for a moment then looked at Toboe. "Are you listening to us, Toboe?" I say. "You asked us of how we got these scars. Do you remember?" Tsume asked, "These marks are reminders of our sins." Tsume started. I know that Tsume lost his pack in the same way as I did and paid the price for betraying his pack.

Tsume told Toboe his side of the story in a saddened tone as if he went through it yesterday. "I was banished from my pack after that." Tsume said, closing his eyes for a moment. "I, on the other hand, was told to run. My whole pack was being slaughtered before my very eyes. I wanted to help but my father told me to run and I had been shot in the ears as payment for my cowardice." I say, feeling my heart break once again.

"I didn't need friends. I couldn't trust myself to make any. All I ever did was hurt the ones around me. Until I met the four of you." Tsume said, getting me to look at him. I close my eyes and could see the images of when I first met everybody.

First there was Kiba, a wolf who put his pride and goals above all else. Then there was Hige, a seemingly bottomless pit but with a kind and caring heart. Then there was Toboe, the naive yet loyal red wolf who was the stronghold of this pack. Then, Tsume… a strong yet self reliant grey wolf who had kept his true feelings to himself. Then, there was I, a spunky she wolf who can hold out for herself and has a good heart.

Tears well up in my eyes as I open them. "We wanted… to take you to Paradise. It was you who brought us all the way out here…" Tsume said, sounding like he was about to cry. "C'mon Tsume and Luna! Let's go! I believed in you two… I won't whine anymore… I won't run away." I thought I heard the red wolf say.

"Yeah… we know kid. We know…" Tsume said, silently shedding tears. "Wait for us Toboe… We will meet again… in Paradise." I say, rubbing the red wolf's head. I looked over at Tsume and saw the tears run down his cheek. At this moment, it was as if his cold nature had melted away. It was Toboe who made him the he was now besides me.

We stand up while looking down at Toboe and Quent. "Old man, take care of the runt for us." Tsume said, taking my hand. "See you later." I say turning around. The two of us walk off in the direction Kiba and the others took.

(Kiba and the others)

It was night time and the moon was shining bright down at the remaining wolves and the only human left on this planet that was alive. They were climbing up a mountain face. In doing so, the air seemed to get thicker and thicker which was making them having a hard time to breathe. Hubb stops and tries to catch his breath.

"Am I… the only one… having trouble breathing?" Hubb asks, panting heavily. "No. We all are." Hige replied, also panting. Blue theorized that it could be the altitude from the height of the mountain.

"We're almost there. The tree of seeds is waiting for us up there." Cheza announced, seeming immune to the altitude. The wolves follow her as quick as they could and eventually make it to a dead tree that looked as though it had been here for ages.

"This tree has been here all this time. It's felt the world's pain. But no longer. It can live freely now." Cheza says, touching the bark A light then flows through the tree and the pack follows the trail with their eyes. It lit up the dark sky into an array of different colors that danced with the sky.

The sight was beautiful and glorious to see. "We thank you." Cheza softly says. That tree had felt all the world's pain. It was a wonder what it had endured. "The Darcia family crescent?" Hubb says, getting the pack to look at him There was a large flat stone that stuck out of the icy ground with the symbol from Darcia's family.

"Oh… the tower seal. Based on the book of the moon, the nobles built this to seal Paradise off from the wolves." Hubb said, flipping through the pages of that book. "Seal? It's broken though. He said it was. And his face… he was becoming a wolf like the rest of us so he can get in too." Kiba said angrily. "You mean Darcia?" Hubb asked.

"One of his eyes is a wolf's eye. He saw Jaguara's Paradise. It was nothing more than a blatant lie. Seeing that it wasn't working, he decided to target our Paradise. That's why he's trying to become a wolf." Kiba explained, looking from the others, "Our future will be lost forever if he opens it first."

"There. The first mountain. The entrance to Paradise is there." Cheza points out. The pack follows the flower maiden up the mountain. The wolves bounded up the mountain as Hubb was struggling to keep up with them. "Hey mister? Are you okay?" Hige asks, making it up to a ledge to rest on. He looked over the edge to see that Hubb was still down below.

Before Hubb could respond, the ground shook once again. This caused Hubb to lose his grip and fall a few feet. He hung on desperately to a ledge.

I tell you now the words of red moon. From the great spirit was born the wolf and man became it's messenger. The beasts live their lives in silence. Abiding the blessing of the blood of the Gods bestowed upon them.

"Hey!" Hige shouted in panic. "Don't let go!" Kiba said, looking down at Hubb. "So much… for the… tough guy act." Hubb grunted, smiling at the wolves, "Guess I won't be… making it to Paradise… It's a shame… I wanted to… see this to the very… end." Kiba shouts to the helpless human in a panic, "Don't let go! We'll pull you back up!"

"It's okay. I'm not scared of dying… You wolves will save this world. I believe this now… more than anything." Hubb tells us, "I guess… I don't need the gun after all."

(Luna and Tsume)

Tsume and I had made it to an ice covered mountain. Making it up, there was something falling in my peripheral vision. When I look up, I gasp at what was falling. Or who was falling… It was Hubb, falling from the cliff.

Tsume tried reaching out for him but it was of no avail. Hubb was falling to his death. "Tsume… we have to go. The others are waiting." I say, trying not to cry. I then hear a loud yet distant thud below us. Hubb was dead… that fall had surely killed him.

Tsume nodded and grabbed my hand. We start bounding upwards to where the others were. They had to be close.

The white flower, after winning the cavour of the lord of night will share her scent. Preordained by an eternal incontinence, her form is of a supple white maiden. Only then will appear the wretched beast.

(Kiba)

Kiba froze in terror before turning around to look up behind him. He felt his heart sink to his feet as he saw who was talking. There… up on the top of the mountain, was a large wolf with one blue eye… and a gold eye, which flickered at the pack.