I only got one new review! How disappointing! Getting reviews is the highlight of my day (sad, I know). I am sorry about the trouble you had getting to chapters 2 and 3, but I've noticed that that has been happening with other stories. If it says the story has been updated, but you find no new chapters, come back later, they're just not there yet. Also, I want to start replying to the reviews I get because I always get a kick out of it when authors do that. Maybe I'll start next chapter, depending on the kind of feedback I get. Ok, onto the story. Hope you like! –A naughty mouse
Ghosts of Paradise
Chapter 4: Aurora Borealis
The small, make shift pack sat in an alleyway just inside the domed city. They were all eager to move, to find Toboe and escape the city, but Tsume was too badly injured. After an hour of ranting, Tsume had finally fallen asleep, a lone tear sliding down his face. He felt awful and blamed himself for what happened to Toboe. He would never forgive himself if the kid died. Toboe was like his son, in an annoying and awkward sort of way. Or at least, that is what he told himself.
Tsume tried to roll onto his side, but found it too painful. He rolled back onto his back and turned his head to look at the others. Kiba was looking off into the distance, to Paradise and beyond. Cheza sat, looking up at the moon, basking in what little light it offered the flower maiden and her wolves that night. Blue had her head resting on Hige's chest with a lost look on her face. Hige just held her close with an unusually somber look on his face.
The slightest breeze blew down the alley, carrying the scent of a wolf. The pack all looked in the direction of the scent. There, at the opening to the alley, stood a wolf. His human guise was that of a man with short, shaggy hair and baggy clothes. He looked very young as he smirked and approached the others.
"No offense man, but you look like something the cat dragged in," he said to Tsume.
"What do you know?" Tsume said, wincing as he tried to sit up.
"Who are you?" asked Kiba.
"Your saving grace, by the looks of it. I'm Mizu, pleased to meet 'cha," he said, eyeing the pack.
"Saving grace? What do you mean? Do you have food?!" Hige yelped as his stomach growled.
"You sure forgot about Toboe awfully quickly, Porky," Tsume snapped. Hige gave the injured wolf a guilty look before aiming his gaze towards the ground.
"Look, I don't know anything about a Toboe, or whatever, but I do know where you can get some food and get cleaned up," Mizu offered, shoving his hands into his pockets. All eyes were aimed at Kiba.
"We aren't doing Toboe any good just sitting here, and paradise isn't getting any closer. Let's go eat and then try to find some sign of Toboe," Hige said.
Kiba looked at Tsume, who just huffed and turned the other way.
"We will find Toboe, but Hige is right, we aren't doing him any good starving. Tsume?" Kiba said, searching for a response from Tsume.
"I don't care what we do. Leave the pup for all I care. It'd be easier that way."
"Boy, you sure changed your tune quickly," Hige teased. He quickly backed down when Tsume shot him a glare that could turn fire to ice. Everyone turned when a yell was heard. Tsume managed to sit up, but not without serious pain. He was now trying to get to his feet, using the wall next to him for leverage. Hige and Kiba ran over to Tsume, each taking an arm and helped him up.
"Let's go," Tsume grunted once he was up and supported by the other two wolves. Mizu nodded and turned to leave the alley.
The going was slow, but the five wolves and Cheza eventually arrived at a dingy bar. The inside was dark with a dim light above each table and five or so above the bar. There were tables, booths, stools, and a minuscule dance floor with a jukebox. Smoke clung desperately to the air, making the wolves eyes water and Cheza's head spin. They were shocked to realize about half the customers in there were wolves.
"Sam's a good guy. Human, but knows about us. Wolves eat free here, and stay free too, if they need to. We each pay him back in our own way. The waitress is a wolf. Man, is she gorgeous. She used to have a little sister, but the Noble's men came and took her away about six months ago. They'll take care of you. Hey, Sam!" Mizu called across the room. A jolly-looking man stepped out of a door with a curtain covering it.
"What did you bring me this time, Miz?" he asked the wolf.
"A kid who picked a fight with the wrong end of a meat grinder or blow torch by the looks of him," replied Mizu. Tsume growled low in his throat. Sam obviously heard the growl but seemed unaffected by it.
"Take him upstairs. I'll send Aurora up to look at him in a minute," he said as he started to fill an order. Mizu lead them through the bar and up some stairs to a homey little room with a small fireplace, an armchair that looked about as old as dirt if not older and smelled like it too, and was otherwise occupied by books. Shelves of books, tables loaded with books, chairs seated in by books, books stacked on the floor, everywhere, books.
Kiba and Hige eased Tsume into the armchair, then stood beside him. Tsume was glad to sit. He did not want to admit just how much pain he was in. Blue was looking at the books, wishing she could read, and Cheza seemed to be looking for something.
"What is it, Cheza?" Kiba asked, smiling fondly at her as though she were a child.
"It is faint, very faint, but this one senses someone else like her." Kiba was just getting ready to respond when the door opened. All jaws in the room dropped.
Standing in the door was a woman unlike any they had ever seen. Her face was long and her skin was tan. Her neck was long, 'Like a swan,' Hige thought. Her hair was black as night and cascaded down just past the small of her back. She had full red lips and large golden eyes. Her eyes seemed as though they could capture a man's soul and leave him lost forever. They were the eyes of someone who knew fear and courage, strength and weakness, joy and sorrow. She was dangerous like Tsume. It seemed to cling to her persona along with a startling wisdom. What shocked everyone though was her scent. She was obviously a wolf, but mixed with this scent, in her very blood, was the smell of Lunar flowers.
The woman smiled at the people gathered in her home and said, "Hi, I'm Aurora." Mizu was the first to come out of the trance. This was not the first time he had met the barmaid, but every time he slipped under her spell. "Well, I better get movin'. See ya later toots," he said, patting Aurora's backside before descending the stairs. She jumped slightly, then gave the other wolf's receding back a dirty look. She then turned her attention to Tsume.
"Wow, you really did get beat up pretty bad," Aurora gasped. She ran her hands across his burns, cuts, gashes, and other injuries. Tsume could feel a slight blush rise to his face and butterflies do back flips in his stomach. Aurora left the room and returned a few minutes later with warm water, soap, and a rag to clean Tsume's wounds. The guys watched Aurora work with great apparent interest. Cheza resumed her search once again. Blue occasionally glanced over at her to make sure the curious little flower maiden was staying out of trouble.
"Maybe you've heard something about our friend Toboe," Blue suggested.
"Like what?"
"Like where the soldiers took him." Aurora was still for a moment, her gaze wide-eyed and aimed at the scar on Tsume's chest. Suddenly her muscled relaxed and her eyes fell to the ground. "I don't know where they take their prisoners, or if they even keep them for that matter," she whispered dejectedly.
"It is here, it is here!" Cheza suddenly squealed, jumping up and down and clapping her hands like a small child.
"What is?" asked Aurora, grateful for the change in topic.
"The one like this one! It is here!" Aurora smiled and got up to walk over to Cheza. She reached up and took a book down off the shelf. It was a thick book with a leather cover and gold lettering and clasp.
"Do you know this book?" Aurora asked. Cheza shook her head but stared at it expectantly. "It is The Book of the Moon. In this book is the explanation of how man arose from wolves and a description of paradise. But do you know what else is in here?" Aurora asked. By this point all of the wolves had crowded in around Aurora and Cheza in an attempt to see the book. Cheza's eyes were wide and mouth was slightly agape as she hung on Aurora's every word. She slowly shook her head. Aurora's smile broadened then turned into a smirk as she let the book fall open in her hands. There, laying on the opened page, was a lunar flower.
'They'll come, won't they?' Toboe thought as he snuggled down in the corner of his cell. Luna was asleep already, leaving Toboe to his thoughts and Sesshomaru's gently clinking chains.
"Toboe, you are doubting your friends?"
"It's not that I doubt they'll come for me, its just..." Toboe's voice faded away as he thought about how much easier it would be for everyone if he just remained a prisoner of the nobles.
" 'Then I will be free.' A phrase I heard someone utter not long ago. She stood little chance though for she had no friends to rescue her from the clutches of the devil himself. Your friends will come, Toboe, you will be freed," Sesshomaru told the young wolf.
"I know, but, hey! How long have you been here?"
"I do not know. What is the date?" Toboe told Sesshomaru the year, but did not know the exact date. A bitter chuckle sounded and chains rattled as Sesshomaru murmured, "Two hundred years. This Sesshomaru has been held prisoner by those worthless humans for over two hundred years!" At this point Sesshomaru yanked on his chains, causing a large crash that startled Luna into wakefulness. She could sense the great anger and hatred emitting from the chained man flooding the room. She began to sing her song and Sesshomaru's anger receded.
Toboe sat in shock in his cell, puzzling over what Sesshomaru had said. 200 years, 200 years! How was that humanly possible? It wasn't. It wasn't even possible for a wolf or a lunar flower as far as Toboe knew. Nothing could survive that long, especially down in the horrible dungeon. Obviously, something could, and that something was chained in the dungeon with Toboe.
Well, that's this one. I hope you liked it. Please review, tell me what I'm doing right, doing wrong, what needs fixed, what to keep, what to pitch, but please, keep them nice! REVIEW!!!!! PLEASE!!!!!