CHAPTER 1:
When his eyes finally opened, the blizzard had passed and he was lying in a warm, roomy cave. His shoulder was bandaged. He looked around. Farther was a group of boys—wolves. He recognized one of them. The youngest—the brown wolf with the bracelets. He lifted himself up on his elbows. Toboe looked behind him. The black wolf had kicked a rock, and Toboe had heard. "Good morning!" Toboe greeted. He looked at the boy with the bracelets, but didn't say a word. Tsume turned around to look at him. "About time you woke up," he said. "Now we can get out. Let's go."
"Tsume!" Toboe called when Tsume and Hige started to leave. "Hai?" Tsume answered. "He's not ready!" Toboe answered. "Who said he was coming with us?" Tsume asked. Toboe stared at him, thunderstruck. "Tsume..."
"What?"
"He's hurt." "What's your point?" Tsume asked. Toboe's eyes blazed. How could he?! he thought. How could Tsume be so heartless?! "I'm staying here," Toboe said quietly. "What?" Kiba asked. "Find paradise without me. I'm staying with him," Toboe said more loudly. "Fine. Kiba, Hige, Haiyaku." Tsume swept out the door, followed by Kiba. Hige stood and watched Toboe. "You're really not coming?" he asked. Toboe ignored him. Hige looked out at the others. "They don't need me," he decided, sitting down next to Toboe. "I'll stay, too." "Hige!" Tsume called. "I'm staying here with Toboe. We'll catch up with you guys."
"What ever," Tsume mumbled. "Thanks Hige," Toboe whispered. "Forget it. Tsume and Kiba can take care of them selves," Hige replied, leaning back on a rock. "I hope we'll be able to find them again." Toboe stood up and walked over to the black wolf, who had pushed himself up against the rocks into a sitting position. "I'm Toboe!" he greeted. The black wolf didn't answer. "What's your name?" Toboe asked. The black wolf growled and backed off, dragging his bandaged leg. Toboe stayed back a minute. If this wolf attacked, injured or not, he would still over power him. Then Toboe smiled. "We're wolfs, too. So there's nothing to be worried about." Toboe inched closer to him. So far so good. The black wolf snapped at his paw. Toboe whined and hid behind Hige. "Hey! You can't do that!" Hige said. He pounced on the black wolf and the wolf dogged the attack, but came back at Hige with a bite to the neck. "STOP!" Toboe yelled. Both wolves ceased attack and looked at him. "This is not working! If we fight we're gonna turn out separated, then we'll never be able to find the others and we'll most likely all die of starvation. Can we at least try to get along?" Toboe asked. "Fine," Hige said, jerking his hand out of the black wolf's hold. The black wolf nodded. Toboe sighed. "It's a start," he said.
That night a storm blew in. Toboe sat at the mouth of the cave, away from the warmth of the fire and away from his companions. "Oy, Toboe. You okay?" Hige asked. Toboe nodded. "What's bothering you?" he asked. "What if Tsume and Kiba haven't found shelter, and their out in the storm?" Toboe asked. Hige sighed and looked at the black wolf. "You herd me tell him that those two could take care of them selves, didn't you?" he asked. The black wolf nodded. "You believe me, don't you?" Hige asked. The black wolf nodded again. "So why doesn't he believe me?" The black wolf shrugged. "Toboe!" Hige called. "Yeah?" Toboe answered. "Come here. You're gonna freeze. You sit there to long and we'll have to buy a chisel to separate your feet from the ground!" "Yeah, okay," reluctantly agreed, walking to the fire and sitting down at the fire. He looked back at the mouth of the cave. "Toboe," Hige sighed. "Uh huh," Toboe answered. "If you look back their one more time, I swear I'll snap your paw off. They're fine!" "Sorry," Toboe apologized. "How's your leg? Black?" The black wolf didn't answer. "Black?" Hige asked. The black wolf shook his head and pointed towards the door. "What?" "Yo, Hige."
"Blue?" The owner of the voice stepped out of the cave shadows. "BLUE!" Hige stumbled to his feet and Blue threw herself at him. They held each other for a few minutes. Then Blue noticed the lack of members. "Where's Kiba...and Tsume?" she asked, looking around the cave. "And who's that?" "That's—uh—Black," Toboe answered. "Black?" Blue asked. "Your name's Blue, why can't he be Black?" Toboe asked. "Besides," Hige added, "he won't tell us his real name."
When his eyes finally opened, the blizzard had passed and he was lying in a warm, roomy cave. His shoulder was bandaged. He looked around. Farther was a group of boys—wolves. He recognized one of them. The youngest—the brown wolf with the bracelets. He lifted himself up on his elbows. Toboe looked behind him. The black wolf had kicked a rock, and Toboe had heard. "Good morning!" Toboe greeted. He looked at the boy with the bracelets, but didn't say a word. Tsume turned around to look at him. "About time you woke up," he said. "Now we can get out. Let's go."
"Tsume!" Toboe called when Tsume and Hige started to leave. "Hai?" Tsume answered. "He's not ready!" Toboe answered. "Who said he was coming with us?" Tsume asked. Toboe stared at him, thunderstruck. "Tsume..."
"What?"
"He's hurt." "What's your point?" Tsume asked. Toboe's eyes blazed. How could he?! he thought. How could Tsume be so heartless?! "I'm staying here," Toboe said quietly. "What?" Kiba asked. "Find paradise without me. I'm staying with him," Toboe said more loudly. "Fine. Kiba, Hige, Haiyaku." Tsume swept out the door, followed by Kiba. Hige stood and watched Toboe. "You're really not coming?" he asked. Toboe ignored him. Hige looked out at the others. "They don't need me," he decided, sitting down next to Toboe. "I'll stay, too." "Hige!" Tsume called. "I'm staying here with Toboe. We'll catch up with you guys."
"What ever," Tsume mumbled. "Thanks Hige," Toboe whispered. "Forget it. Tsume and Kiba can take care of them selves," Hige replied, leaning back on a rock. "I hope we'll be able to find them again." Toboe stood up and walked over to the black wolf, who had pushed himself up against the rocks into a sitting position. "I'm Toboe!" he greeted. The black wolf didn't answer. "What's your name?" Toboe asked. The black wolf growled and backed off, dragging his bandaged leg. Toboe stayed back a minute. If this wolf attacked, injured or not, he would still over power him. Then Toboe smiled. "We're wolfs, too. So there's nothing to be worried about." Toboe inched closer to him. So far so good. The black wolf snapped at his paw. Toboe whined and hid behind Hige. "Hey! You can't do that!" Hige said. He pounced on the black wolf and the wolf dogged the attack, but came back at Hige with a bite to the neck. "STOP!" Toboe yelled. Both wolves ceased attack and looked at him. "This is not working! If we fight we're gonna turn out separated, then we'll never be able to find the others and we'll most likely all die of starvation. Can we at least try to get along?" Toboe asked. "Fine," Hige said, jerking his hand out of the black wolf's hold. The black wolf nodded. Toboe sighed. "It's a start," he said.
That night a storm blew in. Toboe sat at the mouth of the cave, away from the warmth of the fire and away from his companions. "Oy, Toboe. You okay?" Hige asked. Toboe nodded. "What's bothering you?" he asked. "What if Tsume and Kiba haven't found shelter, and their out in the storm?" Toboe asked. Hige sighed and looked at the black wolf. "You herd me tell him that those two could take care of them selves, didn't you?" he asked. The black wolf nodded. "You believe me, don't you?" Hige asked. The black wolf nodded again. "So why doesn't he believe me?" The black wolf shrugged. "Toboe!" Hige called. "Yeah?" Toboe answered. "Come here. You're gonna freeze. You sit there to long and we'll have to buy a chisel to separate your feet from the ground!" "Yeah, okay," reluctantly agreed, walking to the fire and sitting down at the fire. He looked back at the mouth of the cave. "Toboe," Hige sighed. "Uh huh," Toboe answered. "If you look back their one more time, I swear I'll snap your paw off. They're fine!" "Sorry," Toboe apologized. "How's your leg? Black?" The black wolf didn't answer. "Black?" Hige asked. The black wolf shook his head and pointed towards the door. "What?" "Yo, Hige."
"Blue?" The owner of the voice stepped out of the cave shadows. "BLUE!" Hige stumbled to his feet and Blue threw herself at him. They held each other for a few minutes. Then Blue noticed the lack of members. "Where's Kiba...and Tsume?" she asked, looking around the cave. "And who's that?" "That's—uh—Black," Toboe answered. "Black?" Blue asked. "Your name's Blue, why can't he be Black?" Toboe asked. "Besides," Hige added, "he won't tell us his real name."
