* * * Chapter One: Accusation * * *
"Holly, which way now?" Genki asked, glancing back at his friends.
Holly took out the Magic Stone and asked it to show them the path to the Phoenix. As it levitated above her hands, an image of a fiery bird appeared in its gleaming surface. It transformed into an arrow, pointing ahead of the group, then faded away. Holly looked up at the others expectantly.
"Okay!" Genki exclaimed, turning around and starting down the path. Mocchi raced after his trainer, and the others followed a little more sedately. As they walked along, Holly found herself glancing over at Hare, trying not to let the rabbit catch her staring at him. She still was having trouble dealing with what he had revealed to them only a week before…
"I guess I owe you guys some sort of explanation…I wish I could tell you this was just another one of my tricks, but…"
Fragments of what he had told them echoed through her mind. She shivered involuntarily as she thought about what he had said about Naga: what he had suffered at the reptilian's claws and the baddie's plot to overthrow Moo. How Naga had managed to find a powerful weapon he had planned to use against his leader: the Phoenix's Tear. For not the first time, she wondered what would have happened if Naga had been able to use the crystal, or had used Hare to command it…
She glanced over at Hare, scarcely able to believe the change in the rabbit. He had also revealed to the group that he had been using the Tear's power to hide his true age, hoping that the change would throw off Naga's henchmen. He had kept his real age hidden from the others as well, but after he finally explained the truth to them, Genki had convinced him to drop the disguise: "There's no need for illusions anymore," he had said.
It was strange, somehow, for her to see Hare as a child now: he had 'been an adult' for as long as he had been with the group. She knew that the rabbit hadn't really changed, and that this was just the way he really looked, but she couldn't keep herself from looking at him a little differently.
The others had been having a little trouble adjusting, as well. Genki didn't seem to be as affected as the others were: he seemed to have already accepted the change completely, and still saw Hare the same as before. Mocchi had taken the revelations very well, and in fact was thrilled that he wasn't the only monster in the group that was still in many ways a child.
Suezo was taking it fairly well, in a sense. After learning that simply being near the Phoenix's Tear could help a monster learn its attacks quicker, the eyeball had decided that his best bet for mastering his Teleport was to stay near Hare as much as possible. Even now, he was walking along next to Hare, who seemed to be a little uncomfortable by the other's staying so close to him.
Golem was walking a little too close to Hare as well, but at least his motivations were less self-centered. After learning just how much fear and loneliness the rabbit had felt, the rock monster had become very protective of him. In some ways, Hare seemed to be very grateful for Golem's concern, but Holly couldn't shake the feeling that he was becoming a little too overprotective and worried over the rabbit.
In her eyes, however, Tiger of the Wind's reaction had been the worst. The blue wolf had become even more short-tempered with Hare, and had started arguing with him more often. He began making cruel remarks about the rabbit, and had even started teasing him a few days ago, calling him a freak. Hare's reaction had triggered the Phoenix's Tear, causing what Holly considered to be the strangest day of her life.
She shifted her gaze from Hare to Tiger, and sighed. The blue wolf was loping along at the very edge of the group, some distance away from the others. His golden eyes glittered, and Holly wondered what he was thinking about that made his expression so solemn. As if the wolf monster would let anyone else know what he was feeling. Sometimes she thought that the only emotion that Tiger could show was anger. If that was true, then she felt sorry for him.
Holly glanced back at Hare, then quickly shifted her gaze back to the road when he suddenly looked over at her. Hare sighed to himself: who did Holly think she was kidding? He already knew that she had been staring at him, glancing fleetingly at him every once in a while when she thought her couldn't see her, her soft brown eyes betraying her confusion.
Suezo was hopping along beside him, blathering on about something or other; Hare wasn't paying all that much attention to him. Instead, he kept looking over at Tiger, trying to convince himself that the blue wolf's recent moodiness wasn't connected to what he had revealed. But that was an exercise in futility. Hare could tell that it had been no coincidence that Tiger had become more short-tempered than before right after learning what the rabbit had been hiding.
Not all of it could be pinned on what Hare had revealed to them, he kept telling himself. Tiger had already started drifting away from the others after learning that his younger brother Grey Wolf was one of Moo's generals. The blue wolf starting acting a little more distracted in battle, taking even more risks than he had before. It seemed to Hare that Tiger was being injured in battle more and more lately, and their recent experiences with the Centaurs and Melcarba had given that theory more weight. Then, when the Terror Dogs had attacked Hare, Tiger had nearly been overwhelmed by their assault. Even now the rabbit thought he could see the wolf limping from the wounds he had received in his front left leg, even though the battle had been nearly a week ago.
But Hare's telling the others that he had been keeping a major secret from them had made Tiger's mood deteriorate even more. The wolf was taking advantage of Hare's being a child to treat him like one, making cutting remarks about how weak and immature kids were. It hadn't helped when Suezo had commented that the blue wolf had been, in a sense, defeated by a child in the tournament where they had met; Tiger had nearly ripped the eyeball's head off when he overheard that remark.
Hare sighed again, and turned his attention back to the road. It looked like they were heading deeper into the mountains, which made sense to him; according to what little information they'd been able to gather, Grey Wolf's lair was hidden somewhere on the icy peaks. They had no idea what it looked like, but they would likely recognize it when they came upon it, especially if it was anything like Gali's desert castle had been. He just hoped that they would be ready when the time came to fight.
Especially Tiger…
* * *
The wind is howling, Tiger thought to himself as a cold breeze ruffled his fur. Something is about to happen…Grey Wolf…
* * *
The lair of Grey Wolf was a castle of pure ice; a frozen fortress that seemed to rise from the snowy peaks that surrounded it. Anyone who gazed upon it would be hard pressed to determine where the snow gave way to its gleaming blue walls: it rose from the frigid wilderness around it as if a natural part of it.
Those who knew and feared its master, however, had another theory about its origin: that it was born from the icy darkness that was Grey Wolf's heart. The Cabalos mostly enjoyed this rumor, and often joked darkly about how true it was. Grey Wolf knew of its existence as well, but none of his warriors were certain just how he felt about it. The Cabalos were fairly sure that he found the theory to be quite amusing, but kept their jokes and comments about it to themselves, just in case. The last thing any of the Tiger/Naga hybrids wanted was to accidentally anger their master, even with something so trivial.
There were other rumors about the master as well. Grey Wolf had been acting a little differently lately, and a few of the Cabalos were beginning to worry, although they kept their concerns to themselves so they wouldn't be seen as weak. It was a topic best suited to whispers in the night between close friends, not one ever brought up in public.
The whispers claimed that Grey Wolf was acting oddly because of the approach of the rebels. It was no secret that the seven rebels had come into Grey Wolf's territory, and that he had been sending a few of his best units to eliminate them. Unfortunately, like his two predecessors, Pixie and Gali, all of his efforts had yielded little success thus far. After the group had decimated his Beaclon unit, he had suddenly withdrawn all of his units, sending them to patrol the scattered villages that still remained. Only his Cabalos troops had remained, patrolling near his fortress. It seemed like a grave tactical error on Grey Wolf's part: now the rebels were meeting with practically no resistance as they made their way toward the castle.
The Cabalos didn't understand it, but some of them claimed that they knew the cause of Grey Wolf's actions: Tiger of the Wind. All of Moo's forces had heard of the fact that the former thief and elder brother of Grey Wolf had allied himself with the rebels, although theories as to why varied greatly. Some of them laughed that Tiger was trying to 'help' his little brother by 'liberating' him from Moo's control. Others claimed that the warrior of the wind was actually looking forward to battling with Grey Wolf: an opponent who would more than prove a match for his skills. A few even insisted that Tiger was really working for Moo, and would lead the rebels into Grey Wolf's clutches, then turn on them when the time was right. This last rumor wasn't very popular, as many of its critics pointed out that the blue wolf could have killed them a long time ago if he had so desired.
Not that this criticism kept some monsters from insisting on its truth. At that very moment, one of the Cabalos from the Darkclaw pack was trying to convince his fellow warriors of its truth.
"I swear it's true!" Victor insisted, staring at his pack mates with intense yellow eyes. "Tiger of the Wind is truly a spy for Master Grey Wolf! I have proof!"
"Victor, shut up!" Chishi growled, glaring at the annoying wolf. "We don't have time to listen to your pathetic stories!"
"Go ahead, Victor," Yuri prompted, ignoring Chishi's grimace. The female Cabalos smiled secretively at her commander as she whispered to him, "Just play along and feign interest in what he says. Otherwise Victor will never shut up."
Victor didn't overhear what she had said to Chishi. He was too thrilled in the fact that he had an audience. "Well," he began, "a friend of a cousin of an acquaintance of mine was assigned to a unit that the rebels fought, and he survived the battle. He said that Tiger started yelling at the boy human that he travels with during the fight, then snarled at the girl human when she tried to defend him. I've also heard that he's attacked the rabbit and eyeball monsters from the rebels several times. So he obviously bears no love for these guys…and why would he travel with them if he hates them? One reason alone! He's spying on them and giving the information to Moo's warriors!"
Oh please, Chishi thought, rolling his eyes as he tuned out the sound of Victor's voice. As the other continued to explain his conspiracy theories to his disinterested colleagues, Chishi glanced up into the sky. His sharp yellow eyes narrowed suddenly as he noticed a slender silhouette swooping toward the fortress. He recognized the shape, however, and didn't send up the alarm. Still, he watched it as it landed with a practiced ease and entered the fortress through a special doorway.
"Night Flyer's back again," he muttered to Yuri, who glanced up and nodded. "She visits far too often nowadays for my comfort."
"Don't get so upset about it," Yuri whispered back, keeping a careful eye on the still talking Victor. He didn't seem to notice that his audience wasn't paying the least bit of attention to him. "At least her coming here means that Master Naga hasn't forsaken Master Grey Wolf like he did Master Gali. The generals should fight together against the rebel threat, anyway."
Chishi just growled low in his throat and stared back up at the window.
* * *
"It's good to see you again, Night Flyer," Grey Wolf said as the Pixie/Worm hybrid knelt before him. "I trust that you bear news from Master Naga?"
"Yes," Night Flyer said, getting to her feet. "The Terror Dogs have been wiped out by the rebels. Master Naga said that this might interest you."
Grey Wolf smirked. "That is what happens when one fails to recognize the power of one stronger than yourself," he commented. "But I suspect that this is not the entire message that you have brought."
"Correct," Night Flyer nodded. "The Terror Dogs were killed while trying to recapture the rabbit. We know now that he travels with the seven dissenters who have been fighting against Moo."
"It fits," Grey Wolf mused. "Continue."
"Since the rebels are heading toward this fortress, Master Naga has decided to leave their destruction in your paws. He has asked me to inform you that he wants the rabbit caught at any cost. Once you have secured the rabbit, Master Naga will come and retrieve him personally, and you will be well rewarded for your success. As for the other rebels, Master Naga has no use for them."
"Tell Naga that he needn't bother to ask for my assistance," Grey Wolf told her, smirking. His cold blue eyes glittered "He understands that our goals are the same. I will support his plans in any way that I can. My only concern is that he allow me the pleasure of destroying Tiger myself."
"Of course, Master Grey Wolf," Night Flyer replied, bowing. "I will inform Master Naga of your willingness to support him." She turned to leave.
"By the way, Night Flyer," Grey Wolf added, "how are you doing with Vanity?" Night Flyer grimaced, and Grey Wolf chuckled to himself. "I suspected as much. Is she still trying to manipulate her way into power?"
"As always," Night Flyer told him. Her dark eyes narrowed with hatred as she thought of the Pixie/Suezo hybrid. "A better name for her might have been B-" She stopped ranting and flushed a bright crimson as Grey Wolf laughed again. "But I have no right to say such things about a comrade in front of you."
"No matter how true they might be," Grey Wolf deadpanned, causing the pixie hybrid to giggle to herself. "Try not to let her distract you, Night Flyer. If she's able to make you forget your mission, then she'll win. Besides, even if she does become a general, I doubt she'll fare much better than Gali did."
Night Flyer smirked to herself at the thought and bowed to Grey Wolf again. "May you have better success than that fool had," she said as she turned and departed.
"You know I will," Grey Wolf replied.
* * *
Chishi watched Night Flyer's silhouette as it faded into the distance horizon. A low growl rumbled in his throat again, and Yuri glanced at him warningly. Victor was still going on and on about his theory, even though his audience had long since stopped listening to him.
"I don't trust her," Chishi muttered, glaring off to where Night Flyer had gone. "I'm not sure that Naga can be trusted, either."
"Quiet," Yuri growled. "Trustworthy or not, Naga is still one of Moo's Big Bad Four, and the most powerful ally Master Grey Wolf has right now. If you're overheard when you're blaspheming him like this…"
Chishi stared at her. "Would you betray me to anyone?" he asked quietly.
Yuri paused, then shook her head slowly. "No," she answered, "but anyone else might. Like Victor," and she glanced back at the still speaking Cabalos. "You should be careful."
She pressed her muzzle up against Chishi's neck, and he sighed, nodding agreement.
"All right," he replied, gently leaning closer to her. "I'll try to be a little more discreet about what I say…"
A blood-curdling howl ripped through the air, cutting off his words. Most monsters would have panicked and bolted at the sound, but the Cabalos recognized it as being Grey Wolf's way of summoning them. All the hybrids tensed, listening to the howl closely, picking out the exact inflections and tones that were the special code their master used to announce whom he wanted to see.
The Darkclaw unit. That's my pack, Chishi thought as he got to his feet. He signaled for Yuri and Victor to follow him as he entered the fortress and made his way through the icy halls. The other members of his pack joined him as he arrived. His pack was one of the smaller ones: there were only fifteen Cabalos in it, as compared to other packs of twenty or thirty. Still, all of his members were fine, expert warriors.
"Sir Chishi, I have a job for you and your pack," Grey Wolf told them, his cold blue eyes flashing. "The rebels are coming here through Frozen Pass. I want you and the Darkclaw pack to find and eliminate them. However, I don't want you to kill Tiger, the girl, or the rabbit that travel with them. I plan to have the desire of killing Tiger all to myself, and Moo is interested in the girl. As for the rabbit, his survival is…a favor for somebody."
"Who?" one of the more dull-witted of Chishi's warriors asked. Grey Wolf glared at him, and the Cabalos quietly withdrew the question.
"That doesn't concern you," he growled. "Now all of you, move out! And when you return, I expect to see those three in your custody!"
He howled, and the Cabalos echoed the cry. Chishi was the first to turn and leave, leading his warriors to Frozen Pass, his thoughts dark.
A favor for somebody? Yeah, right. Like many of his fellow Cabalos, Chishi had heard the rumors about just who the rabbit that traveled with the group was. Nobody knew why Naga was so keen on recapturing his little 'pet', but Chishi wasn't about to help that slimy reptilian in any way. As his led his troops toward the pass, he mentally rehearsed what he would tell Grey Wolf: I'm sorry Master, but I'm afraid the fighting caused an avalanche. None of the rebels survived. Crude and simple, maybe, but it would suffice. As for the possibility of any of his men blowing the story, well, it would be all the more realistic if only Chishi and Yuri managed to survive the avalanche anyway…
* * *
"The wind is howling, dear brother," Tiger of the Wind whispered into the darkness. "Can you feel it, too, I wonder?"
Hare looked over at him. "Tiger?" he asked. The blue wolf shot him a withering glance.
"What, Hare?" he said with such hostility that Hare winced and unconsciously stepped back a little closer to Golem. Genki glared over at Tiger warningly.
"Don't start," Holly pleaded. Tiger grunted and turned away, wondering why he got into more trouble than Hare did whenever they started fighting lately. The others seemed to have become more and more biased toward the blue wolf lately, or at least that was how he saw it.
Hare looked over at Tiger, worried. He was beginning to despair of ever finding a friend in the blue wolf. It was as if his revealing his secret to the others had strengthened the barrier between the two, and Hare despaired of ever figuring out a way of lowering it again.
"Don't let him get on your nerves," Suezo told him, taking advantage of the opportunity to step a little closer to Hare. The eyeball monster wondered how he would know when the Phoenix's Tear had given him a new attack, and if he would feel anything. Hare wondered how the others would react if he pushed Suezo away: the other monster was a little too close for his own comfort.
Suddenly Tiger stopped short, tensing, his nose twitching. "I smell something," he informed the others.
"He who smelt it…" Suezo started, but Tiger silenced him with a glare.
"Cabalos," he muttered. The other rebels tensed at the word.
"Are you sure?" Holly asked. Tiger didn't bother to look at her, but he nodded his head ever so slightly.
"All right then," Genki said, pulling on his rollerblades. "Everyone get ready."
Mocchi walked up next to Genki and took a battle position, while Holly stepped back behind Golem. Growling softly, Tiger moved in front of Genki and Mocchi, golden eyes scanning the area. Suezo looked at the others, gulped and moved closer to Holly.
"Hurry up and get back here, Hare," he whispered. Hare just stared at him, shocked.
"What do you mean? I can fight…"
"Just get back here," Holly said. Hare looked at her and the others, stunned.
They don't think I can fight anymore. Just because I'm a kid…
The thought enraged Hare. Hadn't he proven his worth in battle before? Just because he'd dropped the illusion of being an adult didn't mean that he had somehow lost his battle skills! Whirling on his heel, he stalked up next to Mocchi and assumed a fighting stance. If the younger monster could help fight, then so could he.
* * *
Chishi cursed as he watched the rebels prepare for battle. It was a stroke of bad luck that Tiger of the Wind had picked up on the scent of his warriors. Still, Chishi wasn't about to let a minor setback like this prevent him from wiping out the rebels. Turning to his troops, he signaled for them to move him with a howl.
* * *
The howl resounded through the mountain pass, and the rebels looked around nervously as it echoed off of the thick ice walls. Only Tiger wasn't affected by the terrifying sound, and he grimaced at the others.
"Don't show your fear," he growled at them. Then he whirled back around and tensed as he finally caught sight of the Cabalos pack. He counted about fifteen of the tiger hybrids stalking toward them. He unleashed his lightning at the obvious leader, then dashed toward the pack.
Chishi easily dodged the blast, and his warriors scattered behind him as the lightning ripped past them. Howling, he leaped toward Tiger, and kept him busy while the other Cabalos slipped past and attacked the other rebels.
"Down with the baddies!" Genki yelled, skating forward. Mocchi and Hare raced after him, following his lead as he surged into the battle. Genki lashed out and caught one right in the mouth, and Victor yelped as he fell backward, blood dripping from his muzzle. Another one of the Cabalos snapped at Genki's leg, grazing it, but was knocked away by Hare's kick.
"You okay?" he asked, helping the boy to his feet. When Genki nodded, he smiled and turned back to the fight. Mocchi had unleashed his petal blizzard, and the rabbit took advantage of the temporary cover to glance over at where Tiger was fighting the Cabalos commander. The two wolf monsters were locked in combat, and neither once seemed to have a clear advantage over the other.
"TORPEDO!" Chishi screamed, then growled in frustration as it streaked over Tiger's head as the blue wolf faded to the right and lashed out at him. The Cabalos ducked under the swiping paw and managed to strike the other's face with his own claws.
Tiger shook off the blow, then roared at the top of his lungs, summoning a gale that pushed Chishi away. Digging his claws into the snow, the hybrid launched his lightning right into its center. Tiger's roar was cut off as the energy surged right into his mouth, and the blue wolf fell backward, coughing and choking. Pressing his advantage, Chishi charged his lightning again.
"Tiger!" Hare cried out, starting toward the blue wolf. Hearing his shout, Chishi turned and grinned, spotting the smaller monster.
"The little rabbit," he growled, and Hare stopped short, startled.
"What?" he asked, hesitating. Was this guy one of Naga's warriors?
Sneering, Chishi leaped toward him. Tiger slammed into the Cabalos's back, knocking him to the ground, and dug his teeth into purple fur. Another howl ripped through the air, and Yuri unleashed her lightning on Tiger, sending the blue wolf sprawling. Hare cried out and ran to Tiger's side.
"LIGHTNING!" Chishi called, and the energy bolt hit Hare right in the back. The little rabbit couldn't even scream as he was flung backward and collided with the canyon wall. The force of his impact knocked some snow loose, and it showered the rabbit's fur as he slumped down against the icy surface, eyes closed.
"Hare!" Genki called, seeing the rabbit crumple to the ground. Before he could react, however, three of the Cabalos surrounded him and used their lightning. The boy screamed as electrical energy coursed through his body.
Victor grinned to himself: Surely he and his two friends would receive some sort of promotion for this! Suddenly the smile was knocked off his face as Mocchi slammed into him, and his lightning dissipated as he lost his concentration.
His leader wasn't having any better luck with Tiger. The blue wolf was savagely attacking Chishi, keeping the Cabalos on the defensive. Yuri turned her torpedo on Tiger, and raced to her commander's side as the other fell back.
"We should go!" she exclaimed. Chishi glared at her with dull yellow eyes.
"Not now," he protested, trying to pull away from her. But the movement made his muscles scream in pain, and he collapsed, leaning heavily against her.
"Retreat!" Yuri ordered, helping Chishi run away as fast as they could. Victor and the other Cabalos glanced at the rebels and followed them. The fifteen warriors of the Darkclaw pack fled, some glad that all of them had survived, but most of them too enraged about having to flee to care.
Golem was the first to reach Hare. The gentle rock monster leaned down beside the rabbit's crumpled form and carefully pulled him out of the snow. He cradled the rabbit in his massive hands as Genki, Holly, Mocchi and Suezo gathered around him.
"He's all right," Holly said, feeling his heartbeat, slow but strong. "But I don't know how long he'll be out like this."
"So let's go," Tiger interrupted, turning to leave. The other rebels stared at him.
"What?" Genki asked.
"I said let's get moving," Tiger repeated. "The sooner we leave here, the sooner we can get to Grey Wolf's fortress. Then I can finally settle this."
"But I don't think Hare's in any condition to travel," Holly said. "We should wait until he recovers, at least…"
"That's his problem, not mine. He should have watched himself better during the fight. It's his own fault this happened."
Genki couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Tiger, we're not going anywhere until all of us are okay," he told the blue wolf.
"Some things are more important than fighting," Holly added. "You'll just have to wait."
"I'm not waiting," Tiger growled, his back still turned to them. He started to walk off, and Genki got to his feet.
"Tiger, why are you so heartless?" Genki demanded, glaring at the blue wolf's back. Tiger froze and whirled to stare back at him, golden eyes flashing.
"Is that truly how you see me?" he whispered to himself, too soft for the others to overhear. Growling, he whirled around and dashed off, disappearing in a whirl of snow.
"Tiger!" Genki called, staring after the wolf monster's image as it faded from sight. The wind seemed to howl for a moment, then died down to a softer breeze. Tiger of the Wind was gone.