Howl

Disclaimer: To whomever has made it necessary for me to post these stupid little notes whenever I finally get a new chapter: I will someday hunt you down and kill you. Er..I don't own Wolf's Rain. But I do own Sou, Mashin, Osu, Shonagar (whose name was derived from an Anne McCaffery book, but whom does not in any way resemble that character actually, in that book the character is a guy), the Royal Tigers, Johnny, Ariel, Tora, and any other characters I decide to throw in. So there.

Rating: R. Due to violence, swearing, adult content, sexual activity, possible drug abuse, and my bad mood, which just keeps going on and on. Damn.

Review Replies:

Jade Rose: Wow, I totally relate with the X-box thing. My brother has one and I like playing him and Marty (a friend of his, and who is also hot) on Halo 2. And thanks for the compliment(s), I really appreciate them. And Blue does rock :P. I like my style of writing too, lol, and yeah, I thought I did a pretty nice job of the dissing. That's what you get for insulting a Wisconsinite. Mwhhahah. And I will attempt to update as much as my mind and body allows.

thiswolflovesnoone: Yeah, she does. And thanks, again, you seem to be pretty damn supportive of me. I appreciate it, more than you know. :)

iluvsBaruka: Thanks, and yeah, WR is pretty damn awesome. And I think Tsume has always had a softer side, as is shown when he's like...with Toboe and shit like that. Plus, since I technically control him right now...(voodoo!) he damn well has a softer side. Or else. :)

My apologies for not updating and submitting new chapters in a bit. I've been busy with school, and my parents, and my grandma, and this really hot boy named Adam who has the most...oh man. I would totally -censored-. Anyways, yeah. But here is the fruit of my labors.

Chapter Ten - Sanctuary and Royal Tigers

The door was ripped right out of Kiba's hand, and a bloody, panting Toboe appeared, running full speed, and crashed right into the alpha. They hit the ground with a thump, and then Toboe scrambled up and staggered backwards to the building, crouching down and vomiting. The pack stood and watched him, and then Hige snapped back to reality and dashed into the building. Fighting was heard from within, yaps and growls mingling with screams of pain. The others quickly followed Hige, Toboe still throwing up by the door. They ran to join the fight, Blue lagging with fatigue as the pack came to reinforce her. The humans who saw the wolves ran, and those who didn't were quickly slain.

Blue collapsed, Hige kneeling next to her, as Sou, Tsume, and Kiba went to kill the remaining minions. The black wolf had wounds everywhere Hige's eyes touched her, blood flowing freely from both her body and her mouth, gashes marking her far too much for his liking. She was loosing consciousness quickly, and Hige licked her face, trying to keep her in this world and not the next. Cerulean eyes met crying brown ones, and she took a deep breath.

"I love you, Hige." And then her eyes slid shut, making Hige stutter with disbelief and then tip his head back and howl. As the pack gathered around her, Kiba shook his head and Sou stuffed her fist into her mouth, biting back sobs. There was no way, it seemed, to save her. A human hospital would never accept her, and that was if they could manage to find one. No one here would help them, and they had no money left for bandages or medicine. Hige's cries filled the air, and then they heard Toboe scream.

Sou was first to get to the entrance of the warehouse, as Hige was still howling by Blue's side and Kiba was trying to quiet him before more humans came to investigate. Tsume followed his mate, and together they stopped to watch in awe as Toboe once again was forced to fight for his life. The pup was lagging, the day's events getting to him as he struggled to fight back in the rain. The person attacking him was none other than the red haired woman they had encountered in the store several weeks ago. Her blue eyes flashed with faint amusement as she fought defensively, never taking advantage of the teen's lack of energy.

Tsume growled, then leapt at her, pinning her. Sou caught Toboe as he collapsed, and then propped him against the wall of the building, letting him rest. She joined Tsume as they attempted to subdue the vicious female. Red hair flashed in the faint light of the midday and she let out a scream, not unlike Toboe's.

"Goddamnit, you stinking bullies, get your mother-fucking hands off of me before I make you take them off! You bastards, get OFF!" She bucked and whipped her head around, then finally gave up and sighed. "Kiba! Get your stinking friends off of me!"

The white wolf appeared in the gloom of the warehouse, staring at her in shock. "Shonagar?"

"Yes, me! Now get them off!" But as soon as the two wolves had heard their pack leader utter the name of his sister, they had immediately let go of her, releasing her and backing away. The violent young woman struggled up, then rubbed a few forming bruises on her skin, pain flitting across her face before she locked eyes with her brother. Sou now saw, with shocking realization, the resemblance of the two wolves, the stubborn features and bright blue eyes, always speaking the truth. Undoubtedly, this was she. But unlike Kiba, her personality was brash and outspoken; contrasting to her sibling's quiet, cool nature.

Hige now arrived, carefully carrying Blue as he came to check out the commotion. His mouth dropped open as he stared at her, his mind quickly making connections as he too saw the familiarity between the two wolves. "What the fuck? Who the hell is this, Kiba?"

"My sister, Shonagar. Nice to see you again, Shonny." Kiba's eyes met his sister's again, and a small smile curved his lips. "Long time no see, huh?"

Shonagar laughed, then nodded. "I missed you, Kiba." Then she ran forward and hugged him, whispering little greetings and reassurances. "Now. What happened to her?"

"That goddamn gang attacked her and we didn't get here fast enough. She's dying," Hige snarled.

"Not if I can help it. Come on, my home isn't far from here."

They arrived about twenty minutes later at the foot of a skyscraper, shabby but still adequate. Shonagar led them up the stairs, finally halting by a heavy metal door painted black.

Then she pounded on the metal door, pausing before hammering again, nearly denting it in her barrage of hits. After about ten seconds, the peephole door was slid open, and a yellow eye was seen scanning their party. "Hey, that you, Shon?"

"What do you think, Johnny? Open the door. We've got an injured wolf." Shonagar shifted uncomfortably as she waited for passage to be granted, looking up and down the hallway anxiously. A tall man, with olive colored skin and intelligent yellow eyes, stepped back and let them pass by. Sou looked past his façade and was shocked to find that he was not a wolf, but a tiger, white with black stripes. A scar ran from the middle of his forehead to the base of his majestic neck, inflicted whilst he was in tiger form, judging by the angle of the healing.

"A tiger?" Kiba muttered.

"Get over it, bro. Johnny, my brother Kiba and his pack. Kiba, Johnny. Also, Johnny's mate and her sister." Shonagar threw an arm around her sibling's shoulder and waved to a white female, who was lounging on a huge, beat up, ratty sofa. Her huge, nine-foot long frame was too big for it, and her hind legs hung over the side. "Tora, his mate, and Ariel, her sister. They're hunted by the Nobles and are waiting for an opportunity to get the hell out of this place, as am I."

Kiba stared in shock, then turned and looked at his pack. With the exception of Blue, who was unconscious and still bleeding profusely, and Sou, who didn't get shocked much by anything anymore after what she had been through, they were all staring in shock at the three tigers. The sister, Ariel, walked forward and poked Hige in the shoulder. The tan wolf winced. "Come on, buddy. Let's get your girlfriend cleaned up." Hige looked to Kiba, who nodded, and then followed the orange-tinted tiger into the bedroom.

Sou looked at Tora, who gracefully got off the couch and stretched, then took human form. A tall, beautiful woman wearing tight jeans and an equally tight tank top, white with black stripes down both sides, stood before them, and smiled. "Nice to meet you. I'm Tora, as Shon has just informed you all. What are you doing in this dump, anyways?"

Tsume wrapped his arms around Sou and waited for Kiba to answer.

"We were attacked. Blue, the unconscious woman, and Toboe," Kiba put his hand on the teen's shoulder, "were taken while the rest of us were away from camp. We followed and took them back." Kiba's voice was grim, and it was clear he was recalling the fight.

Shonagar shifted on her feet, then said, "Come on. Ariel may be tending to your Blue but you are all still hurt. We should clean you up." Kiba nodded, and they followed her into the rest of the tiny apartment. Blue's moans could be heard from the bedroom where Ariel was cleaning her wounds, and Hige was immediately by her side, holding her hand and stroking her hair. He whispered reassurances to his mate while Shonagar retrieved bandages from a cabinet in the small bathroom. Ariel had simply torn up a large white sheet to use on Blue's wounds, so there were enough for the remaining wolves.

Shonagar tended to Kiba's wounds, filling him in on what had happened to her the years they had been separated. As Sou listened, Tsume wrapped cloth around her various cuts, and ran his hands over her to make sure she was okay. Shonagar's story was disturbingly like her own. She had been attacked and brought down by Mashin, who had used her for prostitute-like services and then given her a cheap abortion with his bat, leaving her for dead. But unlike Sou, Shonagar hadn't been cut on her leg.

She turned and shed the heavy leather trench coat she wore, then lifted the back of her black tank top. There, running along the base of her spine, was a detailed tattoo, almost Celtic in appearance, and in the center was a wolf. Sou marveled that she had gotten lucky enough not to be scarred for life, but figured having a tattoo detailing a wolf on her back was dangerous enough. At least Sou wasn't immediately recognized for a canine species.

Blue had fallen silent, drifting off into a light slumber, while Hige curled up beside her on the bed. Sou was tying the last bandage on Tsume, and he winced when she pulled a little too roughly on the cloth, causing his wound to reopen and bleed again. The bandage stained red, then the blood slowed and stopped, the applied pressure from Sou helping it clot.

"Sorry, Tsume," Sou lamented.

"Don't worry about it." Tsume led her back into the first room, and they curled up in the corner, two wolves with white bandages all over their bodies.

Kiba was still talking to Shonagar, and Tora and Johnny were asleep in the other bedroom. Ariel was getting ready to go out for food, and Toboe was sleeping like a log on the couch, an exhausted brown pup. As Sou watched everyone, she wondered if it was possible they could all travel together to paradise. Surely, three tigers and seven wolves could fend for themselves. Her eyes slid closed slowly, and she resolved to talk to Kiba about it in the morning.

Sou woke up sometime in the middle of the night, Tsume stroking her fur. Sou nuzzled his hand, and then licked his face. Tsume caressed her ears, and Sou closed her eyes in pleasure. She rested her head in his lap, and drifted back to sleep, relishing the heavy feeling of unconsciousness and no worry.
Dim light flitted across the insides of Tsume's eyelids and he stirred, then opened his eyes. Unfamiliar surroundings met his gaze, and he tensed, then remembered the day before. Shonagar and Johnny and Ariel and Tora. Toboe. Toboe was injured. Blue had almost died. Hige was frantic. But they were safe. For now.

It was pre-dawn, the sun having just barely started to rise, and there was no one else awake. Tsume eased Sou's head out of his lap, and rose. His human joints cracked and he stretched, then groaned softly, closing his eyes for a moment. A faint bump sounded from the kitchen, and Tsume's head jerked towards the sounds, then he dropped his human façade and crouched, starting forward towards the sound. An unfamiliar smell, unlike the tigers' or Shonagar's, drifted towards him, and he snuck into the kitchen, then stopped.

A large male wolf was rummaging silently through the refrigerator, looking for food. He closed the door, then bit into his apple. He turned, spotted Tsume, and growled deep in his throat. "Who the fuck are you?"

Tsume tensed, then answered, "I could ask the same of you."

The male, a large white wolf with black paws and a gray mask, snarled, "Why are you in Shon's home?"

"My pack was attacked by humans, and our alpha is Shonagar's brother, so we're staying here while we recuperate. Who are you?"

"I'm Shon's mate. She has a brother?"

"Yes. We didn't know until recently, either. Does Kiba know about you?"

"Kiba? I don't even know who that is."

Tsume relaxed slightly, then said, "How do I know you're not lying?"

The male rolled his eyes, and, obviously not seeing Tsume as a threat any longer, took another bite out of the apple. "She has a tattoo from that bastard Mashin on her back."

Tsume stared at him, then nodded. "Alright. That's pretty nice proof." He stuck out his hand and said, "I'm Tsume."

The male took it and answered, shaking his hand, "My name is Osu." The two sat at the table, Tsume also grabbing an apple, and relaxed. "So, Tsume, where's your mate?"

"She's asleep in the other room. We're all exhausted, and I don't think she'll be up until after dawn. What are you doing here, anyways?"

Osu finished off his snack, then tossed the core out the window. Tsume bit back a laugh. "I met Shonagar about half a year ago. Fell in love with her, too. She's the most beautiful wolf I've ever seen." Osu paused, then continued. "We were going to leave, but we ran into Johnny, Tora, and Ariel, and we stayed to help them. They were beat up pretty bad. I don't like to think about who did it to them, either, because it takes a hell of a lot of power to do in three tigers, let alone those three."

Tsume took another bite out of the apple, chewing thoughtfully. "What makes them special?"

"They're Royal Tigers, trained and learned in the arts of basically anything that can kill someone. A single Royal Tiger can take out a score of Noble troops, and still not have a scratch on them. They're vicious animals, deadly and capable. Three of them could accomplish just about any task they set themselves to. To take all three down…that takes strength, friend, lots and lots of strength."

Tsume was silent, contemplating what Osu had just said. Someone appeared in the doorway, making Tsume and Osu look up quickly. Sou was staring at Osu, an intense look on her face. "Who the fuck is he?"

"His name is Osu. He's Shonagar's mate," answered Tsume.

Sou watched him for a few more moments, then relaxed a little. "Okay. Nice to meet you, Osu. I'm Sou."

Osu nodded and slid his chair over to the side, making room for Sou. The movement was unnecessary, though, as Sou simply sat in Tsume's lap. Her mate emitted an almost inaudible groan, then wrapped his arms around her. Osu's eyes drifted to the doorway, and he seemed to be willing Shon to wake up. Tsume imagined if he were away from Sou for longer than a day he would be itching to get in the same room with her alone too. Sou yawned, settled back against her mate, then closed her eyes, immediately falling asleep again.

Tsume talked quietly with Osu until the others woke up, and Shonagar appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. Upon seeing Osu, she let loose a whoop and tackled him to the floor, immediately kissing him and silencing any greetings he may have had. Tsume burst out laughing, awakening Sou, who blushed when she saw the two wolves on the floor.

Hige walked in, then yelped and covered his eyes. "Jeez, guys! Get a room!"

"Good idea." Shonagar grabbed Osu's hand and dashed past the startled tan wolf into the extra bedroom. A few moments later, Johnny and Tora stumbled in, rubbing their eyes.

"You had to suggest it, didn't you?" muttered Johnny, disgruntled. "Now, where the fuck am I supposed to sleep? I'm tired too, y'know."

"Sleep…sleep where I was." Hige turned around, seeing Blue leaning against the doorframe, exhausted but still conscious. "I'll be fine."

"Like hell you will! Get back to bed, Blue, I don't need anything happening to you." Hige was shifting on his feet, making little noises of urgency, and frankly looking so disturbed that she finally caved to his demands and stumbled back to bed, but not before filching some bread from the counter top.

Sou gently bit his neck, the action concealed by her hair and Tsume's arm. His eyes widened slightly, then he glanced down at her and met her mischievous green eyes with barely concealed lust. She winked, then shifted so her thigh was resting right in the crux of his two legs, nudging his half-erect cock and getting comfortable as she drifted back to sleep. Tsume sighed, shifted slightly, then resigned himself to a fairly uncomfortable morning of Sou within his grasp but not attainable.

As the others talked around him, his thoughts took a turn down the wrong path and he started to think about how nice it would be if he could just get a bedroom with Sou…Images flitted through his mind, making Tsume drop his head back against the chair and groan. Kiba looked at him strangely, then smirked, amusement showing in his sea-green eyes. Tsume wrinkled his nose at him in retaliation, and then closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

Urgh. This is the THIRD TIME I am uploading this fucking chapter. The server lost my first one because it was overloaded (at like midnight - what does this tell you about our society? More people upload chapters around midnight than noon!), then it just didn't appear, so I deleted the chapter and I am now uploading it. Again. If this doesn't work, I will be PISSED OFF! -Swears-. And what the hell is going on with my brackets? They keep disappearing!!!!!!! Damnit, I have to improvise with fucking dashes! - -mumbles curses-. And, yes, I know Osu's and Sou's names are pretty damn close together, but I liked the name Osu so much that I kept it. So, if you see me calling Osu "Sou" or Sou "Osu", PLEASE review and tell me, because I have trouble seeing these things. Thanks!

NYV