Crystal Rain
A Wolf's Rain fanfiction by Kyukutou Sakura
Disclaimer: I still don't own it – if you want to sue me then you'd get...Lint...and some sand. Whoo, you'd be rich, let me tell ya, lol.
Chapter Three: Garnet Sunsets
The pack had been traveling for nearly a week together, and they had picked up a new member. Her name was Blue, and she was an older half-wolf, half-dog hybrid. Hige seemed so smitten with her, but then again, as Suzette had observed, he was a lady-killer. Watching him try and woo Blue on the journey was laughable, she kept turning him down – but she sensed that Blue was beginning to fall for the hot dog wolf, if just a small bit.
She yawned, revealing her fangs that had seemed to grow considerably since her journey began. Tsume seemed to notice, and didn't treat as her as horribly as at first, he gave her a little more berth on the trail, and didn't snap as much. But he was still hard to Toboe, growling at him. Never called him by his name. It infuriated her, but she dealt with it, as Toboe didn't seem to mind much. "Toboe! Wait up!" she called, watching Toboe wander off the path. The lanky boy turned and smiled at her. "I'm going hunting – wanna come with me?" he asked hopefully. Suzette nodded her head energetically – she loved hunting with the other wolves, it made her feel whole. Like she belonged, which was such a beautiful feeling.
Tsume watched the two pups run off towards a patch of woodland, growling at them in parental distaste. "Foolish pups." He grumbled, breaking into a slow lope after them. "Tsume, where are you going?" Hige yelled after him. "Hunting!" he replied over his shoulder, quickly disappearing into the distance.
"Commence as agreed." Jagara's voice crackled through the soldier's helmet microphone. He grunted in approval, shouldering his rifle. Moving stealthily through the trees, he gave the order to put up the barrier around the patch of woods, in order to release the weapon. The weapon bounded from its titanium cage, the long, menacing claws of its front end tearing into the snow. Its body was lean and muscled, covered in short, golden fur. The strange creature sniffed at the paw-prints, its snake-like tail whipping through the air with an evil hiss. The weapon was strange, a mismatched creature with the body of a goat, the head of a lion, and a snake for a tail. This creature defied all science – the Chimera.
"Shh." Suzette whispered to Toboe, snuffling at a fresh pair of cloven-hoofed tracks. "A deer...maybe a goat. It smells weird." She commented softly, looking around them carefully. Toboe scented the air, before snapping his head to the west of them. "Something's over there. Something...big. Moving fast." He added, shivering with the adrenaline rush of the hunt. Suzette bared her fangs as the thunderous footfalls of the supposed goat came closer and closer. She caught a flash of movement through the trees before her ears fell back in fright. "Toboe...it's not a goat. Or a deer. I don't know what it is. Let's go." She hissed to him, turning to run for the other wolves. Toboe smelled her fear, and became afraid as well, his paws stumbling over each other as he tried to bound away. The creature burst into the small clearing, and Suzette stared at it in feared fascination. It had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and a hissing snake for a tail. "Holy hell..." she whimpered, as its red beady eyes fell on her. "Toboe run. Now!" she growled, shoving at the other pup to get moving. He stood his ground. "I'm not running away- not this time." He growled out defiantly, taking a defensive stance against the creature. Suzette snarled her disapproval, but was secretly glad he stayed. She would need help on this one. She would have been overjoyed if Tsume or Kiba leapt into the clearing at the very moment. But it was not so.
Tsume bounded through snowdrifts, he could smell fear, and the pups, and something else. The scent was acrid and metallic, like death and old blood, it made him wrinkle his nose in distaste. . He moved faster, leaping over the invisible barrier in his hurry. 'Stupid runts.' He growled mentally, before hearing a pained cry. "Toboe!" he snarled, leaping forward with sudden strength. He jumped into the clearing, and stared dumbfounded at the strange creature that held Toboe in his fangs. "What the hell is that thing?" he wondered in angered disbelief. "Suzette!" he growled warningly, as the she-pup leapt on the creature's back, tearing at its vulnerable neck and back muscles. The snake tail whipped around her, sinking its fangs into her flesh several times, causing her to howl out in pain. Baring his fangs, he leapt onto the creature's back, tearing at it with his claws and fangs, the strange blue blood filling his mouth as it bled. Toboe twisted, still in its grasp, and sank his fangs into its throat. The dark blue blood spilled to the ground in torrents, melting the snow where ever it touched.
The chimera dropped Toboe as it fell, its jaw muscles slackening enough for the pup to worm free. Suzette and Tsume leapt down from its back, the black wolf collapsing where she landed. Her vision blurred, and she saw Toboe limp over to her side, Tsume looking at her with worry in his eyes. "I'm fine – just a little dizzy..." she said, before she rolled onto her side and fell unconscious.
"Tsume, is she okay?" Toboe was in a worried frenzy. "I think she was bitten by that snake tail too much. Poisoned." He said in a low voice, before throwing her onto his back. "Let's get her to Cheza." He muttered under his breath, and the two wolves limped out of the forest, leaving behind a steaming carcass and a gaggle of bewildered soldiers.
"Lieutenant can't believe that. Those three wolves alone killed the chimera. Lady Jagara is gonna be pissed –"the Private muttered to the solider standing off by himself. "Wrong, soldier. This is exactly what Lady wanted." He smirked, lighting up a cigarette from his pocket. Pursing his lips, he blew a thin stream of bluish smoke away, drifting away on an unseen breeze.
Cheza crouched by Suzette's body, shallow breathing the only sign of life in the pup. Toboe sat close by, watching her worriedly; they had become quite close since they first met. She was like an older sister of sorts to him. 'Be okay, Suzu. Be okay!' he prayed in his head, watching pale light emanate from Cheza's hands, flowing over Suzette. Minutes later, Cheza leaned over and stroked the pup's muzzle. "This one is glad you are safe." She murmured to Suzette, who sluggishly opened her eyes. She took a few gasping breaths, and carefully stood on unsteady legs. "What happened?" she said in wonderment, looking around at the other wolves. Blue had been watching closely, still wary of the girl-pup. "You were poisoned by that creature." Tsume announced. "Foolish pup." He added under his breath. Suzette saw the blood on Tsume's back, and knew it was her own. "Thanks...Tsume." She said quietly, looking away to the horizon. "We should get moving." Kiba said suddenly, Cheza mounting his back as they prepared to move on. "You gonna be okay, Suzette?" Hige asked her, noticing how wobbly she walked, like a newborn pup. "I'll be fine." She said icily, walking stiff-legged ahead of him, Toboe right behind her.
Lieutenant pressed a button on his remote, an ornate H engraved at the top. "Lead them to us, boy." He hissed under his breath, looking at the retreating wolves, the bulky brown one in particular.
Yay, another chapter! Almost 2 and a half pages long! W00t! D
Another one is on the backburner. I'll have my betas beta this one, and it'll be up shortly. :D
Sakura