Daphne: loud music is playing in the background, and you see Kero dancing
across a table filled with food. Spinnel is in the background, flying
around crazily and acting drunk. Nakuru is following him, giggling, and Yue
is standing in the background, looking bored. "Great party, huh girls?"
Eli: "I'm not a girl!"
Daphne: "Consider yourself one for tonight! Anyway, it's my birthday!" I give a high-pitched squeal and start dancing excitedly around the room.
Eli: "I thought that it was MY birthday! After all, I turned seventeen at approximately eleven-thirty-seven this morning…" He is cut off as a group of girls surrounds him and start to swoon. He sweat drops and looks longingly over at me talking to one of my other friends. He sighs, manages to get away from the girls, and runs upstairs into my room…
Eli: "Kero, what are you writing?! And…what are you doing up here?"
Kero: "Same thing you are…getting away from those freaky party-goers!"
Eli: "What are you doing?" Walks over to my computer "Kero!!!! What would Daphne say if she were to find out that you are writing as her?"
Kero: *Sweat drop* "She won't find out, or else I will give her your diary…you don't want her to know about those dreams that you have been having about her…mupht!"
Eli: Covering Kero's mouth "FINE! Just don't tell her! Now, how about we get on with the story?"
Kero: "But it's your birthday party down there…"
Eli: "Anything is better than hanging around down there. I want to live a few more years, but if I go down there, I am just screaming 'Kill me'!"
Kero: Laughs "Fine, you can help me write this. On with the story!"
~*~*~*~
Palace of the Wolves
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 8.
"Master Syaoran? Your mother says that it is time for you to get up." Came Wei's voice. Syaoran moaned and pulled the blankets up over his head. Then he heard Wei sigh and leave the room. Syaoran turned over and was about to go back to sleep when a small hand pressed up to his cheek. He opened his eyes alertly, only to find himself starring into a pair of emerald-green eyes. Sakura smiled.
"We have training today, Syao-kun!" She whispered. He grimaced at the nick- name, but obeyed her and go out of bed.
"Oh good! You get dressed while I tell Wei that you're up!" She skipped out of the room, unaware of Syaoran's glare. Wei always knew the best ways of waking him up, and this was the latest. Syaoran sighed, and a small smile came to his lips.
'Well, I'd rather wake up to Sakura's face than Wei's!' He thought, quickly getting dressed and hurrying out to the hallway.
"…the whole class is going to be there! This is going to be fun!" Meiling was saying. Suddenly, Syaoran got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"What is going to be fun?" He growled. Three guilty faces turned toward him. Sakura, quick to shield the other girls from Syaoran's rage, gently hugged him and put her hands up to his face.
"Mrs. Yelan wanted the class to see the types of training that you do here, so they are going to watch us today." She admitted, hoping that he would not get mad at her. Little did she know, that with her hands on his face, and her body so close, there was no possible way that he could get mad! All he could do was nod and then smile gently as Nora grabbed his arm and they started out to the training ground.
"Syao-kun, you visibly turned to mush, just now! You really have changed since I last saw you!" Nora whispered, her eyes twinkling with delight. She knew that there was no way that Syaoran could deny Sakura anything. He glared at her, but when he caught her understanding smile, he tightened his grip on her arm.
"You are so lucky that you are my twin, or you would be crushed to a pulp right now!" He teased, as they entered the arena. Nora grinned and gently punched his arm before going to the first station. At Wei's signal, they started their drills.
Soon, it was time for them to work on their swordsmanship. Each of the four had their swords in scabbards on their backs. Even Sakura had a special holder, just for her Clow-sword.
"The same as yesterday?" Sakura asked, looking at Nora, who was across from her. Nora nodded. Wei gave the signal, and with in swift movement, all four young people drew their swords as one.
The spectators gasped as the swords clanked together. Nora fought Sakura and Meiling fought Syaoran. They went quickly through the normal routine, and when that was done, Nora shot a sly look at Sakura. Sakura read it, hesitated, and then nodded. Suddenly, Nora broke out of the formation and bounded into a triple-backflip. She ended just in time to stop Sakura's blade in mid-swing. Sakura then broke the contact and flipped into a double cartwheel, ending with a roll-out and blocked Nora's blade. Meiling and Syaoran quickly followed their example, and soon, the four were flipping and spinning their way around the entire arena, fighting against one person, and then another.
Sakura's blade crashed with Meiling's, and Syaoran blocked Nora's attack. Syaoran flipped over and then caught Sakura's blade, just as it was about to make contact with Meiling's. Nora turned in time to see Meiling aiming at her, and she attacked full-scale. Then, Sakura broke out of the fight, and flipped back to the other side of the arena. The rest followed, and soon, they were all fighting again. Nora then rushed over to the another corner, and the others followed. One by one, the four led each-other into different areas, fighting there, and then switching again, until Wei signaled them to finish. The four opponents bowed to each other, and then at Wei. They silently left the arena, but as soon as they were out, Sakura burst into giggles.
"Did you see their faces?" She asked, looking tired. Nora giggled and nodded.
"That was exhilarating, but we had better hurry if we want to make it in time for lunch!" Meiling announced, walking into the showers. The others quickly followed her example. Nora was about to un-button her dress when a voice rang out.
"Hi!"
"Tryon! What are you doing in here?!" Nora screeched. Tryon grinned and looked smug.
"Two reasons. One, to congratulate you on your performance in the arena, and two, I wanted to confirm the time that we are going into the forest." He answered. She blushed.
"Thank you, and one 'o' clock this afternoon. Now…can I take my shower?" She asked. He chuckled slyly.
"Sure!" He said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. She turned red and gave an exasperated sigh. Then an evil and wonderful plan entered her head.
"Oh, all right. You can take a shower with me!" She relented slyly, reaching up to unbutton her dress. His eyes widened with shock, and his face turned as red as a ghosts possibly could, then he disappeared. Nora laughed.
"Sucker!" She shouted, taking off her dress and stepping into the shower. It felt good to get back at him.
~*~*~*~
"Sakura! Where did you learn to do that?" Rika asked, later at lunch.
"They taught me yesterday morning." She answered.
"Kakkoii! (Cool!) It is lucky that we take gymnastics at school!" Naoko commented. Sakura nodded, and then eyed her watch. She looked at Nora, who nodded quickly and turned to her mother.
"Mama, may we please be excused? We have something planned for this afternoon." She explained. Yelan nodded, and the eight mystery-solvers jumped up from the table.
"Took you long enough!" Tryon called as they entered the gardens. Nora turned and flashed him a evil smile.
"Be nice, or I will tell them all about my shower this morning!" She threatened. Tryon blushed and turned away as Syaoran sent him a death- glare.
"Hurry! The wolves are expecting us!" Nora announced, as they hurried into the forest. When they got to the clearing, the wolves were out and playing. Sakura gave a happy squeal and ran to a group of wolf-pups. Tomoyo joined her, and picked up a brown and white one. Sakura was playing with a honey- colored one, and Meiling was petting a brown-bodied, white pawed pup.
"Look at this one!" Nora cried, picking up a tiny, pure white baby. It had intelligent blue eyes, and it gave a happy squeak when she cuddled it. This was obviously the runt of the pack.
"Hello? We are here to 'read the rocks', whatever that means, *not* slobber over wolf pups!" Tryon reminded them. Nora glared at him and then sighed.
"Fine. But read what rocks?" She asked. Suddenly, the wolf that had helped them last night came up beside Syaoran and sat down. It was then that they noticed that it was only about six months old. It had pure black hair, except for a band of caramel-colored hair around its scruff.
"Syaoran, it likes you!" Sakura cried in delight. Naoko walked over to the wolves den, and picked up a lone black and white pup. Suddenly, she spotted something on the rocks of the wolf den and gasped.
"You may want to come see this!" She exclaimed. Everyone hurried over and stood, dumbfounded.
"Words!" Sakura gasped. Strange words covered the rocks of the wolf den. Eriol climbed up on top of it, and read them.
"It says, '…This is my place. This is my pack, my second family…'." Eriol translated. At these words, the wolf beside Syaoran gave a howl, and brushed against Syaoran's legs.
"…I am one of them. Kahnu, my pack-mate, is my brother." At this, the wolf howled again. Syaoran bend down, and looked into the wolf's eyes.
"Kahnu." He said slowly. The wolf stared at him, its eyes shining.
"…today, I invited Aya to come. She accepted. After being welcomed into the pack, little Rinyah became her pack-mate…" As Eriol said the second name, the pup in Nora's arms looked up and squealed.
"…being my sister, it comes as no surprise that Aya is welcomed so…" Eriol paused.
"The next part is very blurry, and then it trails off all together, until…here." He pointed at a place on the rock. It was words, carved into a circular design, that ended in the middle of the circle.
"What does it mean?" Touya asked.
"It means that we will have to come back tonight." Eriol answered. They all looked at him in confusion.
"Why?" Landon asked. Eriol pointed up at the darkening sky, and they understood. It would be dark soon.
"So…we all meet back here tonight." Meiling said. Eriol shook his head.
"No. This time, you and Touya will stay behind, just in case something happens." Eriol explained, when he saw that Meiling was about to complain. She sighed, and then nodded slowly.
"Good. We had better go. Dinner will be soon." Syaoran said, petting the wolf, Kahnu. Nora gently put down the pup she was holding, and started to follow the others out of the clearing. She looked back for one last glimpse, and then she stifled a scream.
A girl identical to her was standing in the clearing, petting the little white wolf pup! Nora looked down at herself in horror, and then back at the girl; but the girl had vanished!
"N…Nora…was th…that a real gh…gh…ghost?" Sakura stuttered out, trembling in fear. She had been sent back to find Nora. Nora turned and hugged her.
"I don't know, but whatever or whoever she was, she had better watch out, because we are watching!" Nora threatened, still a little shaken but trying to sound brave. Sakura nodded, and then they left the clearing together.
~*~*~*~
"Are you ready?" Asked Landon, appearing beside Syaoran. The eight young people were waiting in the hallway.
"You'd better take care of Sakura, gaki, or else I will have your head!" Touya threatened.
"Be careful!" Meiling whispered, hugging each of the girls in turn, and then hugging Syaoran. Then the six that were going set out.
"Please be careful!" Meiling repeated, tears filling her eyes. She did not have a good feeling about this.
~*~*~*~
"Maybe we have to decipher it." Landon suggested, eyeing the circle of words. Eriol frowned.
"I don't think so. It seems more like a key." He said.
"A key?" Tryon asked snidely.
"Yes, a key. Perhaps we must do something to it, or trigger it to do something." Eriol said, running his fingers across the circle and looking at Syaoran. Syaoran was sitting cross-legged on the ground. Kahnu was next to him, and the wolf had put his head in Syaoran's lap.
"…ok Sakura!, now you go over there, and Naoko, you stand next to her…" Tomoyo was instructing the girls, her camera trained on their faces.
"Tomoyo, we're here to figure out this mystery! Not tape everyone *not* working." Tryon called, emphasizing the 'not'!
"Oh, sorry!" Tomoyo said, sweat dropping, and turning off the camera.
"Ugh! This is aggravating!" Tryon complained, rolling his eyes at the girls. Tomoyo had moved closer to Sakura, and was now petting the white and brown pup. Sakura was laying on the ground, with the honey-colored pup on her stomach. Nora was next to her, gently rubbing the little white's stomach.. Naoko was next to Nora, gently holding the little black and white pup.
"I will call you Akita." She whispered to it. The name had suddenly come to her, and it seemed to fit the pup. Finally, Nora got up and sighed, the little pup still cradled in her arms.
"There has to be some way to solve this!" She murmured, gently running her first finger along the twinning words, and then putting her hand on the design in frustration. All at once, there was a great boom, like thunder, and then the wind began to blow violently.
"What…is…happening?" Sakura shrieked, as she was blown into Syaoran's arms. Tomoyo tripped and fell to the ground with a small cry. Nora screamed and dropped the baby wolf, and Naoko, who had been trying to reach her, was blown into Landon, and they both fell to the ground.
"Everyone!? Grab hands!" Eriol yelled, helping Tomoyo up and then struggling over to Tryon, Landon and Naoko. Sakura, Nora and Syaoran stumbled over, and then the six of them clasped hands.
"Don't let go!" Tryon shouted over the wind. Suddenly, they all felt something grasping their feet, and the group was dragged into a twirling black mass of nothingness.
~*~*~*~
"Syaoran!? Nora? Sakura!! Where are you?!" Cried Meiling, as she, Touya, Yelan and some bodyguards ran into the clearing the next day. The clearing was empty, and there was no sign of the wolves.
"SAKURA?! Where are you? This isn't funny, kaijuu!" Touya shouted, his fear getting the better of him.
"Why did they come here?" Yelan asked, her voice shaking with anger. Meiling hesitated, and then told her the whole story.
"…so we let them go alone. I think that Eriol knew that we would need to help them." Meiling finished. Now, Yelan looked pale and shaken.
"What's that?" Touya asked, pointing at something shining in the middle of the clearing. Meiling ran forward and gasped.
"It's Tomoyo's camera!" She gasped. Now they knew that something was wrong. Tomoyo's camera never left the girl's hand! She never stopped taping things.
"Perhaps this camera will hold some answers." Yelan suggested, taking the camera from Meiling.
"Mrs. Li? You may want to have a look at this!" Called one of the guards. Yelan hurried over and stopped, speechless.
"The words have changed! We can read them now!" Meiling gasped. Touya quickly stepped forward and read aloud:
Those who have entered, will never return,
until the first brother is defeated.
Evil and sly, not easy to beat,
Aya is what he is aiming to keep.
But alas, second of birth has stolen her heart,
and from this, a battle shall start.
Those who have entered here, will be called to fight;
luck, however, will not be on their side.
Hidden in confusion and disguised in youth,
only these young people will know the truth.
Danger ahead, and lies all around,
eight last hopes, are all that will be found!
Saving their future, and protecting their pasts,
for if they do not, they will never come back!
"That's the end." He commented in a broken voice. Meiling had tears running down her face, and Yelan was deathly pale.
"There is nothing that we can do, then." Yelan commented in a strangled voice. Meiling sobbed even harder.
"They might never come back!? How can this be? How could this one little vacation turn into a life or death matter?" Meiling moaned.
"There is something worse. If they don't succeed, we may never…we may disappear as well. I have a feeling that what they are fighting for back there, is our very existence." He murmured, gently pulling the distraught Meiling into his arms.
"Mrs. Li, we had best be getting back if there is nothing more we can do." One of the bodyguards commented. Yelan nodded, her face white and strained. As the group walked out of the clearing, many eyes peered out from between the rocks of the den.
The wolves were waiting. Two pups came out into the open, and looked longingly after the distraught group. One was a gray and white pup, that seemed to have been taken with Touya, the other, a brown-bodied, white footed pup who longed for Meiling to come back. Inside the den, a mournful howl was heard and then several sad little squeaks rang out in chorus. Yes, the wolves were waiting. Waiting for their pack-mates to come back home.
~*~*~*~
Kero: "Now, you may be wondering where I am this whole time…well, I'll tell you! I was hidden in one of Sakura's pockets. I should pop up in the next chapter, but knowing Daphne, she will cut me out of all but a few lines! Anyway, I hope that you liked this chapter. I wrote it mostly off of Daphne's rough-draft of this chapter, but I made some minor changes!
Daphne: I walk into the room and see Kero and Eli, who is asleep on my bed "Kero?! What are you doing up here? Everyone is looking for Eli…"
Kero: "Shhh! He's asleep! This party really whipped him out!"
Daphne: *Sigh* "All right. Hey Kero! You actually wrote a decent chapter, instead of trying to mess-up the lines and confuse our reviewers! I'm proud of you!"
Eli: Rolls over on the bed and mumbles something about 'Daphne' and 'nice party'
Daphne: I smile and then cover him with my comforter "Well, we're lucky that his parents gave him permission to sleep over tonight. I'll just sleep in the guest-room."
Kero: "So, how was the party?"
Daphne: "All right, except…someone spiked the punch. Mom and dad are *not* happy!"
Kero: looks alarmed "You didn't drink any, did you?"
Daphne: "Of course not! I stay away from things like that at parties. Anyway, what are you writing now?
Kero: "I'm almost done. I just have to ask them to review…"
Daphne: "All right, well, please review, and thanks again to all the people who have reviewed so far! I really appreciate it! Every review counts to me! OH! By the way! Just in case you didn't understand how to pronounce some of those names, here they are:
Kahnu = (Kah-new)
Aya = (eye-ya)
Rinyah = (Rin-ya)
Akita = (Ah-keet-ah)
I think that this is all you need to know, for now! But just for an added bonus, here is a sneak-peak of the next chapter!"
~*~*~*~
In the corner of her mind, Sakura heard voices. She slowly opened her eyes, and looked around. She was in a strange and unfamiliar room, that looked enormous. Sakura sat up and rubbed her eyes with her small fists.
~ Where am I? ~ She wondered, her emerald eyes studying her surroundings. It was then that she noticed how very big the bed was, and…how very small she had become!
~ What happened to me?! I have shrunk! ~ She thought, her eyes filling with terrified tears. Unable to contain her emotions, she let out a loud wail
"Mommy!" A voice, so like, and yet, so unlike her own voice erupted out of Sakura's throat. It was the voice of a small child!
Eli: "I'm not a girl!"
Daphne: "Consider yourself one for tonight! Anyway, it's my birthday!" I give a high-pitched squeal and start dancing excitedly around the room.
Eli: "I thought that it was MY birthday! After all, I turned seventeen at approximately eleven-thirty-seven this morning…" He is cut off as a group of girls surrounds him and start to swoon. He sweat drops and looks longingly over at me talking to one of my other friends. He sighs, manages to get away from the girls, and runs upstairs into my room…
Eli: "Kero, what are you writing?! And…what are you doing up here?"
Kero: "Same thing you are…getting away from those freaky party-goers!"
Eli: "What are you doing?" Walks over to my computer "Kero!!!! What would Daphne say if she were to find out that you are writing as her?"
Kero: *Sweat drop* "She won't find out, or else I will give her your diary…you don't want her to know about those dreams that you have been having about her…mupht!"
Eli: Covering Kero's mouth "FINE! Just don't tell her! Now, how about we get on with the story?"
Kero: "But it's your birthday party down there…"
Eli: "Anything is better than hanging around down there. I want to live a few more years, but if I go down there, I am just screaming 'Kill me'!"
Kero: Laughs "Fine, you can help me write this. On with the story!"
~*~*~*~
Palace of the Wolves
by: Daphne Li
Chapter 8.
"Master Syaoran? Your mother says that it is time for you to get up." Came Wei's voice. Syaoran moaned and pulled the blankets up over his head. Then he heard Wei sigh and leave the room. Syaoran turned over and was about to go back to sleep when a small hand pressed up to his cheek. He opened his eyes alertly, only to find himself starring into a pair of emerald-green eyes. Sakura smiled.
"We have training today, Syao-kun!" She whispered. He grimaced at the nick- name, but obeyed her and go out of bed.
"Oh good! You get dressed while I tell Wei that you're up!" She skipped out of the room, unaware of Syaoran's glare. Wei always knew the best ways of waking him up, and this was the latest. Syaoran sighed, and a small smile came to his lips.
'Well, I'd rather wake up to Sakura's face than Wei's!' He thought, quickly getting dressed and hurrying out to the hallway.
"…the whole class is going to be there! This is going to be fun!" Meiling was saying. Suddenly, Syaoran got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"What is going to be fun?" He growled. Three guilty faces turned toward him. Sakura, quick to shield the other girls from Syaoran's rage, gently hugged him and put her hands up to his face.
"Mrs. Yelan wanted the class to see the types of training that you do here, so they are going to watch us today." She admitted, hoping that he would not get mad at her. Little did she know, that with her hands on his face, and her body so close, there was no possible way that he could get mad! All he could do was nod and then smile gently as Nora grabbed his arm and they started out to the training ground.
"Syao-kun, you visibly turned to mush, just now! You really have changed since I last saw you!" Nora whispered, her eyes twinkling with delight. She knew that there was no way that Syaoran could deny Sakura anything. He glared at her, but when he caught her understanding smile, he tightened his grip on her arm.
"You are so lucky that you are my twin, or you would be crushed to a pulp right now!" He teased, as they entered the arena. Nora grinned and gently punched his arm before going to the first station. At Wei's signal, they started their drills.
Soon, it was time for them to work on their swordsmanship. Each of the four had their swords in scabbards on their backs. Even Sakura had a special holder, just for her Clow-sword.
"The same as yesterday?" Sakura asked, looking at Nora, who was across from her. Nora nodded. Wei gave the signal, and with in swift movement, all four young people drew their swords as one.
The spectators gasped as the swords clanked together. Nora fought Sakura and Meiling fought Syaoran. They went quickly through the normal routine, and when that was done, Nora shot a sly look at Sakura. Sakura read it, hesitated, and then nodded. Suddenly, Nora broke out of the formation and bounded into a triple-backflip. She ended just in time to stop Sakura's blade in mid-swing. Sakura then broke the contact and flipped into a double cartwheel, ending with a roll-out and blocked Nora's blade. Meiling and Syaoran quickly followed their example, and soon, the four were flipping and spinning their way around the entire arena, fighting against one person, and then another.
Sakura's blade crashed with Meiling's, and Syaoran blocked Nora's attack. Syaoran flipped over and then caught Sakura's blade, just as it was about to make contact with Meiling's. Nora turned in time to see Meiling aiming at her, and she attacked full-scale. Then, Sakura broke out of the fight, and flipped back to the other side of the arena. The rest followed, and soon, they were all fighting again. Nora then rushed over to the another corner, and the others followed. One by one, the four led each-other into different areas, fighting there, and then switching again, until Wei signaled them to finish. The four opponents bowed to each other, and then at Wei. They silently left the arena, but as soon as they were out, Sakura burst into giggles.
"Did you see their faces?" She asked, looking tired. Nora giggled and nodded.
"That was exhilarating, but we had better hurry if we want to make it in time for lunch!" Meiling announced, walking into the showers. The others quickly followed her example. Nora was about to un-button her dress when a voice rang out.
"Hi!"
"Tryon! What are you doing in here?!" Nora screeched. Tryon grinned and looked smug.
"Two reasons. One, to congratulate you on your performance in the arena, and two, I wanted to confirm the time that we are going into the forest." He answered. She blushed.
"Thank you, and one 'o' clock this afternoon. Now…can I take my shower?" She asked. He chuckled slyly.
"Sure!" He said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. She turned red and gave an exasperated sigh. Then an evil and wonderful plan entered her head.
"Oh, all right. You can take a shower with me!" She relented slyly, reaching up to unbutton her dress. His eyes widened with shock, and his face turned as red as a ghosts possibly could, then he disappeared. Nora laughed.
"Sucker!" She shouted, taking off her dress and stepping into the shower. It felt good to get back at him.
~*~*~*~
"Sakura! Where did you learn to do that?" Rika asked, later at lunch.
"They taught me yesterday morning." She answered.
"Kakkoii! (Cool!) It is lucky that we take gymnastics at school!" Naoko commented. Sakura nodded, and then eyed her watch. She looked at Nora, who nodded quickly and turned to her mother.
"Mama, may we please be excused? We have something planned for this afternoon." She explained. Yelan nodded, and the eight mystery-solvers jumped up from the table.
"Took you long enough!" Tryon called as they entered the gardens. Nora turned and flashed him a evil smile.
"Be nice, or I will tell them all about my shower this morning!" She threatened. Tryon blushed and turned away as Syaoran sent him a death- glare.
"Hurry! The wolves are expecting us!" Nora announced, as they hurried into the forest. When they got to the clearing, the wolves were out and playing. Sakura gave a happy squeal and ran to a group of wolf-pups. Tomoyo joined her, and picked up a brown and white one. Sakura was playing with a honey- colored one, and Meiling was petting a brown-bodied, white pawed pup.
"Look at this one!" Nora cried, picking up a tiny, pure white baby. It had intelligent blue eyes, and it gave a happy squeak when she cuddled it. This was obviously the runt of the pack.
"Hello? We are here to 'read the rocks', whatever that means, *not* slobber over wolf pups!" Tryon reminded them. Nora glared at him and then sighed.
"Fine. But read what rocks?" She asked. Suddenly, the wolf that had helped them last night came up beside Syaoran and sat down. It was then that they noticed that it was only about six months old. It had pure black hair, except for a band of caramel-colored hair around its scruff.
"Syaoran, it likes you!" Sakura cried in delight. Naoko walked over to the wolves den, and picked up a lone black and white pup. Suddenly, she spotted something on the rocks of the wolf den and gasped.
"You may want to come see this!" She exclaimed. Everyone hurried over and stood, dumbfounded.
"Words!" Sakura gasped. Strange words covered the rocks of the wolf den. Eriol climbed up on top of it, and read them.
"It says, '…This is my place. This is my pack, my second family…'." Eriol translated. At these words, the wolf beside Syaoran gave a howl, and brushed against Syaoran's legs.
"…I am one of them. Kahnu, my pack-mate, is my brother." At this, the wolf howled again. Syaoran bend down, and looked into the wolf's eyes.
"Kahnu." He said slowly. The wolf stared at him, its eyes shining.
"…today, I invited Aya to come. She accepted. After being welcomed into the pack, little Rinyah became her pack-mate…" As Eriol said the second name, the pup in Nora's arms looked up and squealed.
"…being my sister, it comes as no surprise that Aya is welcomed so…" Eriol paused.
"The next part is very blurry, and then it trails off all together, until…here." He pointed at a place on the rock. It was words, carved into a circular design, that ended in the middle of the circle.
"What does it mean?" Touya asked.
"It means that we will have to come back tonight." Eriol answered. They all looked at him in confusion.
"Why?" Landon asked. Eriol pointed up at the darkening sky, and they understood. It would be dark soon.
"So…we all meet back here tonight." Meiling said. Eriol shook his head.
"No. This time, you and Touya will stay behind, just in case something happens." Eriol explained, when he saw that Meiling was about to complain. She sighed, and then nodded slowly.
"Good. We had better go. Dinner will be soon." Syaoran said, petting the wolf, Kahnu. Nora gently put down the pup she was holding, and started to follow the others out of the clearing. She looked back for one last glimpse, and then she stifled a scream.
A girl identical to her was standing in the clearing, petting the little white wolf pup! Nora looked down at herself in horror, and then back at the girl; but the girl had vanished!
"N…Nora…was th…that a real gh…gh…ghost?" Sakura stuttered out, trembling in fear. She had been sent back to find Nora. Nora turned and hugged her.
"I don't know, but whatever or whoever she was, she had better watch out, because we are watching!" Nora threatened, still a little shaken but trying to sound brave. Sakura nodded, and then they left the clearing together.
~*~*~*~
"Are you ready?" Asked Landon, appearing beside Syaoran. The eight young people were waiting in the hallway.
"You'd better take care of Sakura, gaki, or else I will have your head!" Touya threatened.
"Be careful!" Meiling whispered, hugging each of the girls in turn, and then hugging Syaoran. Then the six that were going set out.
"Please be careful!" Meiling repeated, tears filling her eyes. She did not have a good feeling about this.
~*~*~*~
"Maybe we have to decipher it." Landon suggested, eyeing the circle of words. Eriol frowned.
"I don't think so. It seems more like a key." He said.
"A key?" Tryon asked snidely.
"Yes, a key. Perhaps we must do something to it, or trigger it to do something." Eriol said, running his fingers across the circle and looking at Syaoran. Syaoran was sitting cross-legged on the ground. Kahnu was next to him, and the wolf had put his head in Syaoran's lap.
"…ok Sakura!, now you go over there, and Naoko, you stand next to her…" Tomoyo was instructing the girls, her camera trained on their faces.
"Tomoyo, we're here to figure out this mystery! Not tape everyone *not* working." Tryon called, emphasizing the 'not'!
"Oh, sorry!" Tomoyo said, sweat dropping, and turning off the camera.
"Ugh! This is aggravating!" Tryon complained, rolling his eyes at the girls. Tomoyo had moved closer to Sakura, and was now petting the white and brown pup. Sakura was laying on the ground, with the honey-colored pup on her stomach. Nora was next to her, gently rubbing the little white's stomach.. Naoko was next to Nora, gently holding the little black and white pup.
"I will call you Akita." She whispered to it. The name had suddenly come to her, and it seemed to fit the pup. Finally, Nora got up and sighed, the little pup still cradled in her arms.
"There has to be some way to solve this!" She murmured, gently running her first finger along the twinning words, and then putting her hand on the design in frustration. All at once, there was a great boom, like thunder, and then the wind began to blow violently.
"What…is…happening?" Sakura shrieked, as she was blown into Syaoran's arms. Tomoyo tripped and fell to the ground with a small cry. Nora screamed and dropped the baby wolf, and Naoko, who had been trying to reach her, was blown into Landon, and they both fell to the ground.
"Everyone!? Grab hands!" Eriol yelled, helping Tomoyo up and then struggling over to Tryon, Landon and Naoko. Sakura, Nora and Syaoran stumbled over, and then the six of them clasped hands.
"Don't let go!" Tryon shouted over the wind. Suddenly, they all felt something grasping their feet, and the group was dragged into a twirling black mass of nothingness.
~*~*~*~
"Syaoran!? Nora? Sakura!! Where are you?!" Cried Meiling, as she, Touya, Yelan and some bodyguards ran into the clearing the next day. The clearing was empty, and there was no sign of the wolves.
"SAKURA?! Where are you? This isn't funny, kaijuu!" Touya shouted, his fear getting the better of him.
"Why did they come here?" Yelan asked, her voice shaking with anger. Meiling hesitated, and then told her the whole story.
"…so we let them go alone. I think that Eriol knew that we would need to help them." Meiling finished. Now, Yelan looked pale and shaken.
"What's that?" Touya asked, pointing at something shining in the middle of the clearing. Meiling ran forward and gasped.
"It's Tomoyo's camera!" She gasped. Now they knew that something was wrong. Tomoyo's camera never left the girl's hand! She never stopped taping things.
"Perhaps this camera will hold some answers." Yelan suggested, taking the camera from Meiling.
"Mrs. Li? You may want to have a look at this!" Called one of the guards. Yelan hurried over and stopped, speechless.
"The words have changed! We can read them now!" Meiling gasped. Touya quickly stepped forward and read aloud:
Those who have entered, will never return,
until the first brother is defeated.
Evil and sly, not easy to beat,
Aya is what he is aiming to keep.
But alas, second of birth has stolen her heart,
and from this, a battle shall start.
Those who have entered here, will be called to fight;
luck, however, will not be on their side.
Hidden in confusion and disguised in youth,
only these young people will know the truth.
Danger ahead, and lies all around,
eight last hopes, are all that will be found!
Saving their future, and protecting their pasts,
for if they do not, they will never come back!
"That's the end." He commented in a broken voice. Meiling had tears running down her face, and Yelan was deathly pale.
"There is nothing that we can do, then." Yelan commented in a strangled voice. Meiling sobbed even harder.
"They might never come back!? How can this be? How could this one little vacation turn into a life or death matter?" Meiling moaned.
"There is something worse. If they don't succeed, we may never…we may disappear as well. I have a feeling that what they are fighting for back there, is our very existence." He murmured, gently pulling the distraught Meiling into his arms.
"Mrs. Li, we had best be getting back if there is nothing more we can do." One of the bodyguards commented. Yelan nodded, her face white and strained. As the group walked out of the clearing, many eyes peered out from between the rocks of the den.
The wolves were waiting. Two pups came out into the open, and looked longingly after the distraught group. One was a gray and white pup, that seemed to have been taken with Touya, the other, a brown-bodied, white footed pup who longed for Meiling to come back. Inside the den, a mournful howl was heard and then several sad little squeaks rang out in chorus. Yes, the wolves were waiting. Waiting for their pack-mates to come back home.
~*~*~*~
Kero: "Now, you may be wondering where I am this whole time…well, I'll tell you! I was hidden in one of Sakura's pockets. I should pop up in the next chapter, but knowing Daphne, she will cut me out of all but a few lines! Anyway, I hope that you liked this chapter. I wrote it mostly off of Daphne's rough-draft of this chapter, but I made some minor changes!
Daphne: I walk into the room and see Kero and Eli, who is asleep on my bed "Kero?! What are you doing up here? Everyone is looking for Eli…"
Kero: "Shhh! He's asleep! This party really whipped him out!"
Daphne: *Sigh* "All right. Hey Kero! You actually wrote a decent chapter, instead of trying to mess-up the lines and confuse our reviewers! I'm proud of you!"
Eli: Rolls over on the bed and mumbles something about 'Daphne' and 'nice party'
Daphne: I smile and then cover him with my comforter "Well, we're lucky that his parents gave him permission to sleep over tonight. I'll just sleep in the guest-room."
Kero: "So, how was the party?"
Daphne: "All right, except…someone spiked the punch. Mom and dad are *not* happy!"
Kero: looks alarmed "You didn't drink any, did you?"
Daphne: "Of course not! I stay away from things like that at parties. Anyway, what are you writing now?
Kero: "I'm almost done. I just have to ask them to review…"
Daphne: "All right, well, please review, and thanks again to all the people who have reviewed so far! I really appreciate it! Every review counts to me! OH! By the way! Just in case you didn't understand how to pronounce some of those names, here they are:
Kahnu = (Kah-new)
Aya = (eye-ya)
Rinyah = (Rin-ya)
Akita = (Ah-keet-ah)
I think that this is all you need to know, for now! But just for an added bonus, here is a sneak-peak of the next chapter!"
~*~*~*~
In the corner of her mind, Sakura heard voices. She slowly opened her eyes, and looked around. She was in a strange and unfamiliar room, that looked enormous. Sakura sat up and rubbed her eyes with her small fists.
~ Where am I? ~ She wondered, her emerald eyes studying her surroundings. It was then that she noticed how very big the bed was, and…how very small she had become!
~ What happened to me?! I have shrunk! ~ She thought, her eyes filling with terrified tears. Unable to contain her emotions, she let out a loud wail
"Mommy!" A voice, so like, and yet, so unlike her own voice erupted out of Sakura's throat. It was the voice of a small child!