Chapter Five

The Second Crescent Moon

Aziema

The same albino wolf traveled alone in the cold snow of the apocalypse. Death had taken so many of her comrades and she was now alone. Blue had deserted her for that damned man when she was young, her own sister. In the snow she sat and howled to the strong east wind, hoping her voice would be heard by someone. Red eyes were closed and she collapsed in the terrible cold, shivering.

From death, there came pain. That pain of being reborn unto the earth yet again. She'd sit and shiver in her sleep, yip, howl, bark, and cry. No matter what she did, she couldn't run from this pain. It wasn't so physical, but mental. It was the crying of the lone wolf, the one that ran with no friends. Then came the rebirth of her back onto the world, the pain faded and she opened her eyes. There sat a man poking at a fire. He was tall and thin at the same time. Nearly bald, he wore a thick jacket to keep his scalp from freezing.

When he looked over he saw the wolf trying to move, "So you're finally alive. I knew you wouldn't give up that easily. You're strong, but had I not found you, you would have surely died. Where's your pack? What happened to them?" Since he wasn't going to get a straight answer for the time being, he patted her on the head. She pushed her nose under his hand, wanting, longing to be social for a few more moments.

It was like that for days, he'd feed her and she would eat and sleep. She didn't have enough strength to even thank him, and it was like he did all of it knowing he was thanked. He didn't mind tending to the wounds that she'd received from some unknown fight. There was never a murmur of unkindness that fell from his lips, all of his words were kind and loving. Tender with a hint of reality is what this man had appeared to be. She loved him for the time.

When she got the strength up to talk, it came a day when he was not around. He'd gone out to hunt for food. After returning, instead of finding his good friend the white albino wolf, he found the girl with red eyes and velvet hair. She'd startled him for a moment, but when she spoke the words soothed and calmed him.

"Don't be worried old man, its just me. I wanted to say thanks for all of the caring you did for me. Why'd you do it for a wolf?"

He laughed at her question, not in a cruel mean way, but a way that made the girl smile as well. "Well, if you must know, it was because my daughter died out on the snow. When I saw you, I figured she'd have wanted me to take you home and keep you warm. The lone wolf can't always run alone."

"I have to leave soon, I...don't want to go, but you understand."

His smile stayed on his face, he'd already known. "Wolves don't stay in one place for long, always running from that unknown danger that haunts you. Don't worry, you're more than welcome to leave when you like, just stay until I have to go...please?"

"I will, my name is..." she didn't want to tell him her real name.

"Harukai, that was the name of my daughter. Will you take it and make it a long lasting name...she couldn't. I believe that whatever you may be doing is far better than what she was. Take that name..." She nodded.

The next morning that man never woke. It took her three days to dig a deep enough grave for him, but she honored his wishes and took his daughter's name. Adopting the name so that she could make him proud. After burying him she set his house on fire and watched it burn to the ground, all of his possessions would go with him to the next world, where they belong.

"Wow, generally its me that sleeps in. You okay Kai?" Kino looked at her, Luciean blinked in curiosity as he woke, stretching as well. Kino, for once, had been the first to wake. Though after they'd stopped, she'd also been the first to fall asleep. "Hmm, looks like she's still out cold. Good morning Luciean."

The black wolf stretched his legs and back giving a great yawn. "Think she's dreaming?" Luciean asked with a laugh, Kino turned with the same smile on her face. It was a running joke between the two that Kai never really dreamt, though they knew she did.

"How can she not be? She's twitching and growling." When she turned back from looking at Luciean there sat Kai with an evil glare on her face. Kino jumped slightly then calmed herself.

"You were watching me sleep?"

"Y-yeah...I didn't know it was against the rules. Look, get over it I brought a rabbit for you two to munch on. Go ahead and dig in." The two willingly took the rabbit and ate it. Kino grinned and sat down, she began to hum a song.

On about the third bite Kai looked up, putting the rabbit down and stopping Luciean at the same time, "Don't you want any...after all...its your kill." Luciean nodded in agreement.

"Nope, I don't eat very often...and when I do eat, I eat a lot." She curled up in a ball and awaited the others to finish. She'd been out nearly all morning hunting, and now she just wanted to sleep. "Oh, by the way," she called up causing Kai to stop eating again, "where are we going now? I can't smell the flowers..."

"We're going to a city...a city with no smell." Kai looked over at Kino who seemed to be tossing the idea of a city with no smell in her head.

A voice floated to them, it called on the icy snow like a lullaby. "You're kidding right? You're going to Jagara's keep?" The three wolves turned to see a man standing there. His eyes grinned at Kai who only stared in awe. The other two looked at each other quizzically, confused as to what this man may have meant to their leader.

"Kai...who is this?"

"Yo-Yo-Yoji..."

"Humph, glad you still remember me Aziema. It's been a while hasn't it? I thought I'd never find you...you were after all the last of our pack. I'd heard that you'd been staying with an old man about 3 years back, but when I went to check it out there was a freshly dug grave and the house was burnt down." He looked at her, seeing tears spot her eyes. "What's wrong...I've never seen the great Aziema cry..." he looked at her closely to make sure he was right.

"Aziema?" The Kino and Luciean both asked at the same time.

"F-forget it, it's a long story and not important. Aziema is my original name." She kept her head down, Yoji patted it with one hand.

The brown wolf gave a calm smile, "Because, Seir's alive as well. He's the one that helped to kill off both our pack and your pack." This brought shocking news to Kai's ears.

"S-Seir!?"

"Why the hell do you keep stuttering, you cold?" Kino laughed at Kai, causing that serious moment to fade. As soon as she ended her laugh she got a quick punch to the middle of her forehead.

Yoji rolled his eyes and continued, "Yes, and if I'm not mistaken, he's still searching for you. That human that you'd thought you'd bitten before running off was actually him. That also reminds me, have you found Blue yet?"

"No...that's why we're going to Jagara's keep. To find..." she looked up. She hadn't noticed it, but five wolves were running across the horizon. Each matching the description Luciean had given her earlier, and in the middle was a beautiful woman. "BLUE!" Kai yelled out unto the horizon. The wolf stopped, turned with a wide eyes to see her younger sister standing there.

For a moment the two wolves stood there, entranced by the sight of each other. Another wolf stopped close to Blue and tugged at her, telling her to come on, until finally all the wolves had stopped to stare out at the other pack of wolves that faced them.

"Blue! Blue where are you Blue!?" The young Aziema stood on the open field of grass to see Blue surrounded by humans. Aziema only stood there watching as Blue ran off with the old man and his family, completely forgetting about her. It was then that Aziema as well turned her back on her half sister, wishing to forget her as well. Blue had finally found a life that she enjoyed, the wolves had always teased her for being a half-breed. "Maybe now...you can find your happiness." From there she ran...regretting that she never ran to Blue.

Kai took off, running like the wind to meet her sister. "BLUE!" Blue ran as well, rejoicing in the sight of that young wolf. Ever since she'd left, she'd regretted leaving Aziema behind.

"AZIEMA! Aziema!" Blue repeated as she ran to meet her younger sister. As the two met Kai threw her arms around the woman and the woman threw her arms around Kai. "Aziema, Aziema I've been so...so sad! I've missed you so much my little sis...where...what...you've grown so much since back then...Aziema."

Kai's pack caught up with her, as did the wolves that Blue had been traveling with. "Wait, little sister, what do you mean?" The fat brown wolf that was apparently Hige asked.

Blue wiped away a few tears. "I thought that my little sis had died...Hige, Kiba, Tsume, Toboe, Cheza...this is Aziema." For a moment Kai just clung to Blue, not wanting to let go. Until finally that dead silence was answered by Hige's own voice.

"Hey look! Luciean! Its been a while. What're you doing out here?"

"Kai and Kino found me in the city...an old man tried to shoot us all down...so I began traveling with these two. This is Yoji, one of Kai's old friends."

"Kai? What happened to Aziema?" Blue looked down at her sister in curiosity.

"...forget it..." the silence came yet again. What would the other's think of her if they knew that she'd taken on a name given to her by a human? They'll probably laugh at me in my face and call me a pet...

"Well, I guess you're all coming with us then?" Kiba looked at Cheza who gave a smile and nodded.

Kino walked to Cheza, taking in her scent with a large grin, "Wow miss, you sure do smell good." Cheza bent down and petted her on the head, smiling. "We've been looking for you."

"I have been looking for you as well, Kinonai. This one was frightened that we may never have gotten the chance to meet. Do you know the name of this one?" The pink haired, red eyed girl asked Kinonai.

"I do...your name is Cheza. You know, close up you look really pretty."

"K-Kinonai?" Hige looked at her closely, amazed at the sight that he saw. "You're that wolf...that wolf that had slain my leader. I...I can't believe you're still alive."

For a moment she blinked, amazed that he knew who she was. "I don't remember you from that pack...I remember the elder telling me of a Hige...but you were never there."

"Damn right I was never there!" He growled fiercely. It was the first time he'd been capable of remembering anything, and his first memory was of the death of his leader. "After you...killed him...I ran off to find another pack...there was no way I was going to be pushed around by a damn pup!" He ran forward, his jaws wide. His lips wrapped around Kino's throat growling with bitter rage, anger, and sadness.

"I know...what I did was wrong. To slay one of my own," tears formed in her eyes, "but...you have to look at where I was coming from. He killed my little brother and my father. I'm sorry that I caused you such sorrow." The others watched, knowing better than to get involved in something like this. Kai wanted to help, but knew that if she got involved Kino would hate her, this was a matter of pride.

"Hige–!" unfortunately Toboe didn't know better, but Tsume stopped him.

"Don't, this is something that Hige needs to sort through. You can't help him, none of us can." Tsume held his hand out in front of Toboe, it looked like a barrier that he'd never be able to get through.

"If spilling my blood will make your memories better...and make you feel better then do so. I won't fight back..." Kino felt his teeth tighten, then release.

"Why...why did you kill him...he...was our leader." Hige fell to the ground sobbing. Kino ran to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Because, just as it was now it was then...he'd broken his pride. I'm sorry...I didn't mean to hurt you or anyone else of that pack...but he was weak." She released her grasp on him and that night the group rested there. It was the second crescent moon, the coming of a new moon.