(I do not own Wolf's Rain, but I do own Taro, Kana, and whoever else isn't a character from the show.

WARNING: This fanfic does not follow the plot of the show. It just has the same characters, with their same personalities, etc.)

Chapter 1. Taro

Down in the dank sewers, beneath the streets over which mammoth vehicles rumbled like ravenous behemoths, and where rats scurried ceaselessly through the winding passages made by filthy pipes, a damp creature roamed through the dark. Crimson eyes gleamed in the occasional shards of light that flickered from dying lanterns on the greened stone walls, appearing only every few seconds. The animal was moving quickly, as if it had a destination in these long-abandoned routes of access, amongst the cockroaches and vermin that had somehow managed to live down here.

When the brute entered a beam of eerie yellow light, it could be seen fully, flashing between stages of wolf and man. Jet-black hair fell down past his ears, which were human, but pointed at the tips to show off his wolf heritage. Earrings studded his ears from the very tip, stopping with a silver hoop at the lobe. Around his neck he wore a rawhide loop with a wolf fang attached to it. His usual attire was a red and black sweater, and black jeans, torn at the knees and heels.

After a few minutes of his seemingly pointless meandering, the boy stopped, a black wolf standing in his place. The wolf had a red stripe dyed down from his forehead to where his muzzle met his nose, flanked by smaller red dots, six even down each side of the stripe. The rawhide loop and hoop earring were the only accessories that had stayed with him through the change between wolf and human illusion, along with the jet black pelt, of course.

Claws shredded along the grimy, mildew-covered stone as the wolf turned, skidding into a run after only a few seconds. Worn pawpads beat the ground in a steady rhythm until he reached an unbarred passageway out of the sewers, climbing the stairway until he reached the top.

Black fur had once again turned to black hair and black clothing as the 'teenager' stepped from the top step, hands in his pockets, glancing around. The human illusion of wolves might be the same as being incognito, for the humans could only rarely sense the presence of a wild animal around them.

This wolf in particular was named Taro. He had lived in Freeze City for years, ever since he had been taken away as a pup to be kept in captivity, for testing. In truth, he was only a half-wolf, the rest of him being a mix of mongrels (mostly shepherds and huskies) that roamed the streets these days. Though, Taro had looked the most like a wolf in his litter.

So that they could distinguish him from the other test animals, they had painted the red stripe down his face, with the red dots next to it. When he had tried to escape from the facility, he had been unable to remove the stripe from his face, so he went into hiding for a while, and within that period of time, he learned of his ability to take on a human illusion.

Now, he was free to do whatever he pleased, but he preferred the damp sewers to life above, where people were cold and angry. In the sewers, the only company was rats, and the occasional cat or dog that would become trapped, and eventually die. Taro had lived down there for two years, so he pretty much knew every route throughout the system.

Oh, back to the story.

Taro had heard the dying howl from the wolf, so he had come from his hideout to investigate. The sound had been somber; forlorn. Not something that would make anything pleasant come to mind.

Sniffing gingerly at the air, Taro started at a trot down the cement sidewalk, gradually breaking into a run. For 10 minutes, he continued on only short bursts of air, chest heaving as he made his way through the shortcuts of the city, to get to the periphery of the city, where he knew the howl had come from. His dark scarlet eyes flashed as he ducked under a clothesline, nearly tripping over a..

Taro stopped, staring down at the body of the wolf, lying in a puddle of blood that had pooled around him while he lay. Shaking uncontrollably, Taro lifted his head, howling for all he was worth and hoping that someone, anyone, would answer his call of mourning.

As Quent tugged Blue along at a trotting pace down the cobbled walk, the dark mongrel stopped, causing Quent to nearly have to drag her along. "Blue?" he queried, patting the dog's head and tousling her ears, "What's wrong, girl?"

Blue simply stood, ears lifted straight up in the air as she listened to the howl of Taro. It had moved something deep within her.. something she hadn't even considered for ages. Could she.. ? No, it was impossible.. wasn't it?

(Sorry for the boring chapter. It's 3:54 AM at the moment.)