Welcome back to another chapter of Nobility. I would like to repeat the ages of the characters, and even some future characters. (If I forget any, please do tell me)

Ages: Serena(21), Molly (mid 20s), Nathan (mid 30s), old woman (70ish), Kiba (around 22), Tsume (around 30) Toboe (around 16), and Hige (around 22), family of three (late twenties for the adult, and about 10 for the kid).

I would like to thank all of those who reviewed for the last chapter. Any questions asked will be answered in the authors note after the chapter.

Watergoddesskasey, Lady Light, Aeden Hale, Lady Tristana Rogue, pumppunita, Machiko, Anime Moon Gurl, Prophetess of Hearts, Concrete Tenshi, Serenity Komoshiro, Tsuki no Kitsune, Quinn, Kou Kepani, Water Angel1, me, Serendy4evr

. (Any names written wrong, I am truly sorry).

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Chapter four:

It's Anything but a Vacation

Serena finished scribbling her name, and set the pen aside. With a sigh, she leaned back in her seat, and dug the heels of her hands into her eyes. Yawning lazily, she lifted her arms up over her head.

What a long morning, she thought while yawning.

Sliding her chair back, she stood from her desk. Who was she kidding? Dragging a hand through her short hair, she wondered faintly why she had gotten it cut in the first place.

Because people don't take you serious, when you wear dumplings on your head, her mind scolded her.

She sighed again, scratching her belly as she looked up at the clock. Almost time, she realized. Her stomach growled, forcing heat to rise in her cheeks from embarrassment. How childish! she chided herself.

"Hey O'Donnell!"

Half turning as she yawned, Serena blinked sleepily at the man standing in his office doorway. He waved her over, before he turned and sauntered back inside.

Groaning, she wondered what she did wrong this time. You would think he would have fired her by now. At least that was what she thought, but when she had asked him why he hadn't yet, he had said she was too valuable.

Ha!

Moving around the small cubicles, her and the other journalists almost lived in, she reached Mr. Ferelith's office. He was a good man, and demanded respect if you wanted it back. So when she reached his door, she rapped on it lightly before poking her head in.

"You bellowed Boss?" she chimed as she slipped on a classy smile.

When he nodded and waved her in, she entered, shutting the door behind her. The smile never faltering, she plopped down into the leather bound chair that needed patching, and crossed her jean clad legs. "What's the latest?" she asked, while her eyes scanned the office noticing its cluster. How the guy worked was beyond her.

With his charming good looks, and his reputation as one of the few eligible bachelors, Nathan Ferelith eyed his top Journalist skeptically. "You're sure in a cheery mood," he stated bluntly. A single brow rose as he waited for some smart-ass remark, but she didn't say anything. Instead her grin broadened.

Gritting his teeth Nathan asked, even though he knew he was going to regret it later. "You wont reconsider? Can't you wait a few more days at least, Serena. We could use you on this new story."

The petite twenty-one year old, still in her prime, shook her head. Her golden crown of hair flying about her face. She had just recently gotten it cut, the natural curls were draped over her shoulders, and ending near the middle of her back.

"Hey, I've waited a whole year for this Nathan. Nothing you say will talk me out of this." She crossed her arms over her chest to prove her statement. He sighed, but made a stab at it anyway, "Not even for the Pulitzer?"

Serena growled, "God dammit Nathan. Don't you do this to me! This is my vacation. Mine, don't you put the chance at Pulitzer against me." Her smoldering blue eyes darkened to a near shade of black as she glared at him. Damn him, if he did this to her. He knew full well that getting the Pulitzer was her ideal.

Nathan held up his hands in a mock surrender. "Fine, go take your damn vacation. But I want to see you here on the first of August, 7 am sharp, you hear me?" He swiped at his chestnut brown hair, which fell loose over his broad shoulders down to his narrow waist. His long hair, and playful smirk, didn't intimidate others like he wanted, but only accented his charming demeanor.

Which wasn't too bad, she thought with a half smile.

His eyes, a dazzling deep violet stared intently at his underling. His lips twitched into an affectionate smile. "Well leave already, before my ego drops any lower."

Serena grinned, and hopped to her feet. "Thanks a bunch, Nate!" She leaned across his desk, and pecked him on the cheek before dancing away from the desk. "You're the best, boss!" She reached the door, as he called her back, "Hey O'Donnell."

Turning, still in the doorway, she raised an eyebrow at him. "Yea Boss?"

The man leaned back in his seat, his eyes intent as they stared at her. Slowly his dark brows drew together, before he stated grimly, "Be careful, all right." The blonde pointed her finger at him, mimicking a gun, "Gotcha Boss!" She then slipped out of his office, and made her way to her cubicle.

"So, how'd the meeting go with the Boss?" crooned the silky voice from the cubical across from Serena's. The blonde turned to her partner in crime, "Oh just peachy. He used the damn Pulitzer against me."

The young woman leaned further over the edge of the wall of her cubical. "The jerk," she mused, licking her lips, "So it went well then, hmm?"

Serena grinned, "Yea he took it well," she winked, before packing her papers into her briefcase.

The woman in the office space next to the blonde's clapped her hands together with delight. "Touché darling!" Her bright red hair bobbed about her face, her green eyes dancing. "So, going to tell me where you're going?"

Serena snapped the locks in place on her briefcase. "Nope," she stated bluntly. "It wouldn't be a vacation if you all knew where I'll be." She snatched her mug off her desk, and grabbed her purse, before slinging it over her shoulder. Drinking the last of her morning hot cocoa, she added, "If you need me, I have my cell. But I doubt I'll be answering it."

With a half wave, half salute, she said her goodbyes and set off on her journey. She only had two months, and hopefully it would be enough.

----

The story Nathan had wanted her on so badly, was the one that had sparked her interest to take her long needed vacation now. Lately, news had been traveling from city to city, of strange sightings. Dogs, large dogs that is, were running loose, and causing mayhem wherever they went.

The reminder of a large dog, brought her back to that one weekend, she had spent home with one.

How many times had she taken that one route home? And how many times had she looked down that alley in hopes of seeing him.

A rueful smile formed on her face.

"Kiba," she whispered out loud. It was the name he had given her. She knew what he was now, who he was. He was a wolf, the ones that her mother had told her stories of, when she had been just a child.

For a while, after he had left her sitting in her doorway, shocked to find that he could talk, she had believed she had made him up. But there was pure evidence in her house that he existed. And once she was sure she had met one, had actually been close to a real wolf, she started to think she would never see him again.

That thought had hurt more, than him not existing had.

But the complaints, and reports on TV, and in the paper over the next week, was what had given her renewed hope. He was out there, somewhere, and she had two whole months to look for him.

Serena sighed, leaning back in her seat. She was heading north, much as the reports had said the pack of wild dogs were headed.

The train she was taking, would take her straight to the next city, without any delayed stops. She would arrive tomorrow in the early morning, giving her enough time to find a hotel to stay in for the next couple of days.

She planned to spend days interviewing people, and asking questions, that would hopefully lead her to him.

Turning her head, she looked out the small oval window next to her seat. The scenery flew by, as the train kept to its tracks. There wasn't much to look at these days. Mostly hills, and desolate plains that stretched out for miles.

By now, the sun had already fallen behind the mountains in the far distance. The sky was painted with pink, yellow, and orange hues. Soon the moon would fill the sky, with its beauty.

Its almost a full moon, she thought silently. It was true, in a few more nights, the moon would be in its fullest form.

Serena leaned her forehead against the cool glass, staring out from the inside of her compartment. She felt like she was in a cage, just as she felt when she was in the city. Locked away, from what she was truly meant to have, or be.

A sound tore her from her troubled thoughts. At first, she thought it was a howl, much like the one she heard that day he had left her. The sound came again, and it had her lifting her head slightly.

That was a howl, she admitted. Pressing her face against the glass, she looked out at the horizon. Her eyes searched the passing hills for any sign of what she expected to see.

Just when she thought she had been just imagining the cries of a wolf, she saw them. Her breath caught, and she pressed herself further against the glass. They were several yards away from the train, running in the same direction she was heading.

Four, she thought in excitement. She could make out four bodies running north.

Drawing in a shaky breath, she felt her hands form into fists, as they beat against the side of the train. She wanted out, she wanted to go to them, and run with them.

The moon rose into sight, and the sky was suddenly black, with a dash of stars as decoration. The wolf in the lead drew to a stop, and howled. The other three followed suit, howling at the nearly full moon.

Desperate to know, she called out, even though she was sure they couldn't hear her, "Kiba!"

Whether it was her imagination or not, she was sure that the one who had been leading the pack, turned towards the train. To her disappointment, the four figures quickly became faint, vanishing behind the rolling hills, as the train rode on.

----

Around eight in the morning, Serena's train pulled to a stop at the station. Following the other passengers, she carried her luggage to the exit. A family of three descended the stairs, chatting excitedly about starting a new life in a new city.

Without a word, she followed the group out. She dropped to the platform below, still lugging her two bags with her as she went.

The station was full, with people coming and going. As soon as she was off the train, she was swept up in the crowd, being pushed towards the exit.

When she reached the street, she looked both ways in means of finding where she was. She had never left her home city before, so being here was an adventure all in itself.

"Pardon me dear," an elderly woman spoke softly, as she shuffled passed her. "Oh, sorry ma'am," Serena replied, but was to late to be heard.

Sighing, she turned right, and started walking. Hopefully she would come across a hotel, or maybe someone she could ask for directions.

At a crosswalk, she crossed with a horde of people, to the other side. When she reached the sidewalk, she parted with the group, and headed north, the same direction she had been heading earlier.

Serena looked at each building she passed, hoping to find something. She needed to find a place to drop off her things, and then a place to eat.

"Tsume, I'm starving!" a young voice whined. Serena looked ahead of her to see two men walking towards her. One looked much older than the second, but they were clearly with each other. It had been the shorter one who had spoken first.

The taller one retorted, "Stop whining. We've gone a lot longer without food." The taller one had a much deeper voice than his companion.

Serena stopped in her journey to find her a hotel, when she listened closely to the two's conversation.

"But Tsume!!!" the boy, who looked to be in his teens, stared up at the older one, with a distraught look in his brown eyes. While he had big brown eyes, he had a head full of red hair, that came down passed his chin. A few strands fell into his face when he tilted his head just a bit. He was dressed in a red shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a pair of green cargo pants tucked into black boots.

What really caught her attention was the bracelet he wore around his wrist.

"Kid, shut up, you make me sick just looking at you. Its bad enough Hige made you come with me." The older one, looked quite upset with the way things were turning out.

It was obvious the two were hungry, and hadn't eaten for a while. Serena thought about the dinner she had had last night on the train. The thought of her being able to eat, while these two had not, made her sick to her stomach.

The older man, who had silver hair, tied back into a low ponytail at the nape of his neck, and a pair of steely blue eyes hidden behind shades, was shooting the younger boy a nasty look. Unlike his companion, he was dressed in leather, with black pants, and a jacket that held slits at his shoulders. A dark gray shirt fit underneath it and he also wore a pair of black boots.

What caught her attention about him, was the large scar on his chest, that was visible just above his shirt.

Serena made up her mind as soon as the two men had started walking again. Swallowing the collecting salvia in her mouth, she had to work her mouth three times before she was able to say anything remotely like a friendly invitation. "Um excuse me…"

The two froze instantly at her voice. If she didn't no any better, she would have thought they looked ready to attack her if she made a wrong move. These two men gave her the impression of two criminals hiding their crime from the world.

"I- I couldn't help but over hear your conversation." Serena winced when she heard herself say that. She sounded like she was prying into their own business. In a hurry to rectify herself, she quickly added, "I-I was wondering if you two wanted to join me for breakfast?"

Immediately, the boy relaxed and his face broke out into an energetic smile. "Would we ever."

Serena smiled in return, "Okay, well if you could lead me to the nearest food place, I'll buy. I- um I'm new in town…" she laughed sheepishly, struggling to juggle her luggage. "I'm Serena O'Donnell." She stuffed one bag under her arm, and held out her hand to the boy.

His grin broadened, and he took her hand in his, and shook it enthusiastically. "I'm Toboe, and this is Tsume," the boy introduced himself, and then the man next to him. Tsume still looked a little weary of her, his eyes never leaving her, even when they started walking.

Throughout their time together, Serena couldn't put off the feeling that Tsume found her as a threat to himself, and to the boy.

----

Kiba rolled over onto his side as soon as he heard the sounds of footsteps.

"Wasn't that lady nice, Tsume?" he recognized Toboe's voice, and it wasn't long before the boy appeared inside the broken down warehouse.

Behind him was Tsume, who had his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans, and his head slightly bowed. "Yea I guess," he answered gruffly.

Kiba sniffed at the air, catching a familiar scent. Unconsciously, he looked to the scarf that was still tied around his leg, from when that human had put it on him. It had long ago lost its smell, and he was just beginning to forget, until now.

"Where have you two been?" He looked from one to the other, wondering why they smelled like that human.

Toboe was more than happy to answer. "We were starving, so we went looking for food." He danced about the broken boards, and shattered glass. "Serena offered to feed us."

Kiba frowned, and without effort stood from where he had been lying moments ago. "Who?"

"A human. She overheard the little one here complaining about how hungry he was, and bought us food." Tsume replied curtly. He sniffed at the air, in disdain, and wrinkled his nose. "The filthy human had to hug us before we left too, and managed to leave her stench all over us."

Toboe scowled at the older man, "Tsume, that's not very nice. You know she smelled good." As if to prove his point, the young boy inhaled deeply, before sighing. "Not only was she nice, but she smelled really good."

Kiba turned his back to his companions, and sniffed at the air again. Her scent lingered in the air, assaulting his senses.

The familiar smell brought back the memory of those two days he had spent with that human girl. Serena, Toboe had called her Serena, he thought faintly.

"Kiba are you okay?" Toboe asked, peering at him from over the older boy's shoulder. Shrugging him off, Kiba replied, "I'm going out."

He moved passed the two men, and left the warehouse, just needing to get out.

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I feel like I should warn you ahead of time. And no I am not confessing to anymore lies, since I have not found any more, thanks god.

But my time table for this story is slightly shaky. I find myself having a hard time trying to keep track of all the time that passes, and what day which events occur. So if you become utterly lost, or if I have made a horrendous mistake in my schedule, please tell me, and I will rectify said mistake. I wish to keep this story somewhat real, minus the wolves that can manipulate their forms as humans, or humans who manipulate their forms as wolves, which ever you think is true…

I also would like to clarify the date, since I neglected to say it in the story. Chapter one-Chapter three in this story started in the end of May, the weekend right before June. While chapter four takes place a week later, in early June.

Also as you can see Serena was given two months worth of vacation, something she has been putting off for years, until now… for reasons she explained in this chapter.

Again any mistakes I make will be greatly appreciated if pointed out. I'm horrible at keeping agendas, but I am trying to keep dates consistent in this story.

Thank you for reading this chapter, and this long informative author's note. Now I must appreciate my reviewers by answering their questions.

Reviews:

Pumppunita: If you give me an idea of who you would like to appear, yea sure I'll add two or three of them into the story.

Machiko: That would be correct. I believe Kiba doesn't truly understand humans in the show, so I am trying to portray that in this story.

Anime Moon Gurl: LoL yea he never did… I guess I forgot all about the chicken… oops

Prophetess of Hearts: I plan to update this story every Monday… I neglected to last time, because I was getting ready to graduate. Some things come before this… sorry.

Concrete Tenshi: What am I going to do with Cheza? Now that is a very complex question, that I will have a hard time answering. I don't want to say anything, without giving too much away… but her existence has something to do with Serena's past… this is all I can say at the time. How can I not like Cheza? Well yea I know she's innocent, but maybe its her lack of emotion, that irks me, or maybe, how too perfect she is sometimes. I don't necessary hate her, I'm just not a fan…

Tsuki no Kitsune: Sere/Kiba action? Well I will say it will be coming soon… nothing R rated, but something sweet, I think…

Quinn: I hope you will, I really want to stay consistent with this story. If I slack, yell at me please. I would increase the length of my chapters, but that would lead to less anticipation, and longer waits in between each chapter. With shorter chapters, they come out quickly.

Me: I'd rather not. I mean if I wait a week, I have a better chance of getting more reviews for each chapter, and it also gives me more time to add more chapters to what I have already written. This way I wont get to far behind, and you guys know when to expect the next chapter.

Serendy4evr: Hey, I got your review just as I was about to update, I'm glad I check my email before putting this up. Anyway, you asked about future spoilers. I haven't seen the last four episodes of Wolf Rain. The only spoilers that I know of so far, will be in chapter nine, I believe. It crosses path with Wolf's Rain for one episode. I'm not sure of the one at this particular moment, but when I know, I'll tell you. it's a pretty important episode, and chapter nine is a pretty important chapter. I tried to tweak it to where I don't give out to much of the show… but I could only do so much. By the next chapter I should have more answers for you…

Well I believe that is it. Again thanks to those who reviewed, and who have been reviewing for each chapter. I thank you from the deepest part of my heart. You are all wonderful!

LP