Disclaimer: Wolf's Rain does not belong to me no matter how much you all wish it did.
Racing For Freedom
Chapter Two- Running Away
Notes: The italics symbolize two things, thinking and the wolves talking. It isn't too hard to figure out when each is being used, just giving you a heads up.
"Get up boy," snarled Kevin, a booted foot catching the sleeping Toboe in the stomach. With a jerk, the wolf scrambled backwards, amber eyes still sleepy. "We're going out today, hurry up and make me breakfast."
Rising to his feet, the youth inched around the shaggy black haired man, flinching as Kevin pushed him towards the stove. Moving silently, Toboe collected eggs from the fridge and pulled a frying pan out from one of the cabinets.
Cracking two eggs, he dropped them into the pan, checking to make sure they didn't burn while chopping up a fresh apple to add for fruit. Flipping the fried eggs off of the stove, Toboe carefully carried the plate over to his master before going back to the coffee maker and hurriedly preparing a pot.
"Here you go master," he said softly, bowing out of the reach of the older man. Kevin merely ignored him, his eyes focused completely on his breakfast. Knowing it was risky, Toboe took a small piece of the apple he'd left on the counter and popped it into his mouth, savoring the sweet taste.
He might cook all of the food, but never once was he allowed to touch any of it unless Kevin said he could. On a normal basis that meant he'd get a small scrap for dinner and if he was lucky small tidbits from the locals if Kevin took him outside for the day.
Fortunately for Toboe, the murderer was much too involved with eating his own breakfast and ignored the wolf completely. A loud screech filled the tiny kitchen as Kevin pushed his chair away from the table, the legs grating harshly on the floor.
"Be ready to go in five minutes," he said, exiting the room.
Toboe cleared the dishes from the table, washing extra hard at the yolk mess on the plates. As soon as the small chore was done, the boy took a collar off of a hook over his bed and placed it around his neck, wincing as the leather rubbed up against the raw skin from when Kevin had dragged him.
A leash came off the same peg and the russet haired boy clipped it to the ring on the collar before dropping to all fours, now in his wolf form. Semi-stiffly because of the deep injuries on his back, Toboe went to the front door and sat down to wait for Kevin.
Eleven minutes later exactly Kevin came to the door, dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans and a deep red polo shirt with navy trim. Toboe knew where they were going...The Shop.
The Shop was a small black building slightly separated from its neighbors. While Toboe waited outside tied to a no parking sign, Kevin went inside to stock up on beer, cigarettes and to chat with his buddies. They could be there for almost the entire day, not much fun when for the wolf when it's pouring rain outside.
Today though it seemed a small ray of light was streaming down on Toboe. Aside from managing to sneak a bite of breakfast, the sky was cloudless, the sun shining down and warming the street.
"Let's go runt," Kevin said, tugging harshly on the leash leaving Toboe no choice but to go forward or be dragged along. Once they reached the street outside of their small home, Toboe fell into step on the left of Kevin, nails clicking on the cement.
Almond eyes looked down the street curiously, ears pricking forward. Already people were up and about, some dressed in uniform and entering their desired working places while others were dressed in everyday wear.
Being a Saturday, school kids were also out, dressed in jeans and tee shirts, lounging on the corners with friends, walking down sidewalks, and entering shops. A small moan escaped the pet wolf, as he longed to be with them.
"Let's go already runt," snarled Kevin, jerking the leash forward when Toboe stopped. With a short howl when Kevin kicked his foot against his side, Toboe started forward again, limping slightly.
Minutes later they reached their destination, the black building looking just as foreboding as ever to Toboe. "Stay here and be good for once," growled Kevin, wrapping the leash tightly around the pole.
Giving Toboe one final kick, Kevin entered the building, the door slamming shut behind him. As soon as the boy knew Kevin was gone for now, he laid wearily down on the hard ground, whimpering slightly at his newly acquired injuries.
'It's not fair,' the wolf thought, licking his paw, 'why do other dogs get such nice owners?' To prove his point a young girl walked by with her mother, a small golden retriever puppy on a leash. Every few second the child would reach down and scratch the dog between the ears, sometimes rewarded with a small lick to her face.
'Why do I put up with this?' he wondered; now resting his head between his paws. 'Oh yeah, that's right. Where else would I go? I'm just a worthless child with nothing to offer to anyone except another stomach to feed. Besides, if they were to figure out I'm a wolf the odds wouldn't be so great.'
'But shouldn't I have somewhere to go? Even living out my life as a stray would be better, ne? No...Kevin would hunt me down wherever I go. After all, he does have the tracker. Even if I were to disappear out of town he would follow. What kind of a chance do I even have?'
The tracker had been embedded in Toboe's right hand when he was twelve, two years ago. He'd attempted to run away only to be caught by Kevin who was up getting a late night drink of water. To make sure he'd always know where Toboe was, Kevin had gone out and bought to small silver disks.
One he embedded in the wolf's paw and the second he put in a necklace of his that he wore everywhere. From then on, all he had to do was press his half of the tracker and he could find Hiei anywhere. It worked over thousands of miles distance so getting out of range was out of question.
'That doesn't mean I can't try,' Toboe thought defiantly, rising to his feet. 'All I've gotta do is get rid of this leash for now. Kevin will be occupied for the next few hours so I should be okay. Just gotta break the leash...'
Twisting his body, the boy gripped the leather strap in both teeth, snarling furiously as he attempted to chew through the hold. No luck at all, leather just wasn't made to break.
'Maybe I can untie it...' Putting claws to the test, the brown wolf started picking at the knot that tied the leash around the sign. 'Come on,' he pleaded with the leash, 'just let me go already!'
For over an hour Toboe bit, clawed and growled at the leash, only a few scratches and bits of wearing leather showed his hard work. 'This isn't possible,' the wolf thought dejectedly, slumping down on his haunches. 'I'm never going to get free.'
"Awww, look at the dog," cooed a strange yet comforting voice. A girl about Toboe's age knelt on the ground next to him, opening her arms wide. Brown hair hung loose underneath a ski cap, bright brown eyes on the girl's lean frame. "Isn't he adorable Dad?"
Cautiously Toboe rose from the ground and took a step towards the strange girl, sniffing her scent. 'She smells like vanilla,' he concluded, giving her a small lick on the cheek. Her arms gently embraced him and he rested his head on her shoulder, grateful for the kindness he was being shown.
"You're so sweet," she exclaimed, hands petting furiously as the tail wagging increased. "I'm Leara by the way," she said, a soft smile on her face. "Are you hungry boy?" she asked with a laugh, noticing the way the wolf's muzzle kept nudging her pocket. "Then you're in luck."
The girl pulled out a turkey sandwich and broke it into halves. "Half for you and half for me," she said, holding out the food to the injured wolf. Toboe sniffed it several times before deciding he would eat it.
Leara giggled as the wet tongue licked her outstretched palm. "I've gotta go boy," she said, rising to her feet. "Bye!" With a final pat on his head the girl disappeared into a waiting truck where a man was already sitting.
'She was so nice...too bad Kevin isn't like that.' For several more minutes Toboe sat silent, amber eyes seeing nothing except the smiling face of Leara. "That's it, I'm getting out of here, leash or no leash. Maybe I could go live with her...I know I could never turn human again but at least I'd be living with a nice person.'
With renewed effort, the wolf pup attacked the leash, foam forming on the sides of his mouth as he struggled vainly to break the restraint. A split second later, Toboe flew backwards, part of the leash in his mouth, part still attached to the pole.
'I'm free!' he exclaimed, giving a happy bark. 'Now where did that girl go?' Starting off in the direction Leara had taken, the wolf strolled down the sidewalk, enjoying his newfound freedom.
A shrill whistle pierced his sensitive ears and Toboe turned to see who had made the horrible sound. His answer: a dogcatcher running towards him, a dog whistle in his mouth. 'Darn it! Guess I'm going to be running now!'
Toboe broke into a sprint, turning down an alley and continuing further into the maze in an attempt to lose his pursuer. After several minutes of countless turns the wolf paused to listen for any sign of the dogcatcher. Nothing.
'I did it!' he cheered silently, doing a small prance in the small space. 'But...where am I now?' With all of the running, Toboe had gotten completely lost, all of the pathways looking exactly the same. 'Now what stupid?' he scolded himself.
Transforming quickly, the boy scaled one of the brick walls until he was on top of the building before changing quickly back to the wolf. He knew it was more dangerous to be seen as a human at the moment.
Because of all of his abuse marks the police would easily pick him up and then demand to know who did it. That wasn't the problem...the problem was Kevin would tell the authorities he was a wolf and knowing his luck he'd be sent to a research lab of some sort.
With ease, Toboe jumped across the opening that separated the buildings, trying to get his bearings in this strange place. Wait! There was the drug store on the corner. That meant that his home was only a few blocks right.
'I'll go back and change into nicer clothes that cover everything,' he decided, still running over the rooftops. 'Then I'll leave as a human and start out for who knows where. I've gotta try to escape the tracker or else I'm done for...'
Toboe wasn't a wimp; he would have taken the tracker out of his hand if he'd had the chance. Unfortunately, he didn't. It was positioned just below one of the main veins that flowed next to his wrist. If he were to slip up he'd kill himself for sure. And a mistake was probable with his thin wrists and many veins to hit.
'Home sweet home,' he quipped wryly, landing on the roof of his current home. 'I hope Kevin has something I can wear...' Leaping lightly from the top of the house, he landed softly on the grass outside the front step, trying the door handle. 'Locked! Guess I'm going to have to bust in.'
Making sure that none of the neighbors were out, the wolf lunged at the door, front paws bashing into the wood. 'Open already!' he barked angrily at the looming piece of wood, knowing the noise must be attracting someone. 'Please?'
A sharp, splintering crack filled the air as the door flew open, soaring off of its hinges to land inside the front hall. Dashing inside, Toboe wasted no time in looking for some clothes, hands leafing through drawers.
"There's nothing here!" he cried angrily, slamming the drawer shut. "Come on clothes...where are you?" By now articles were all over the room, hanging on the fan blades, covering the floor and bed but all of them weren't even close to fitting Toboe's small frame.
"Guess I'm going in these pants then," the wolf said to himself, looking down at the worn black track pants. "But I need a shirt and a pair of shoes...where am I going to find those?" With a sigh the boy picked up a tee shirt from the ground. "Guess this will have to do."
Throwing the garment over his head, Toboe examined his appearance in the mirror. The dark emerald shirt went nicely with his auburn hair, the black pants a little scruffy but the best available. "And now for shoes..."
Opening the chest where Kevin kept his shoes Toboe began to leaf through them, looking for the smallest pair. A dirty pair of gym shoes on the very bottom of the case caught his eye. "These fit perfectly!" he exclaimed happily, pulling them on over the socks he'd found. "I guess they were Kevin's when he was younger. Now I just need one more thing..."
Toboe opened the small nightstand drawer and picked up four silver bracelets. "These belonged to Sarah and you stole them," he said softly, slipping the bands onto his right wrist. "I think she'd rather have me own them then you."
Then silently as a shadow, Toboe slipped from the house, the first time ever in his human form. Taking off at a run, he sped around the corner of his street and headed for the heart of town, knowing that the more people between him and Kevin the better.
Nervously, he looked back of his shoulder, so worried that Kevin was going to pop out of nowhere. But because he wasn't looking forward, a second later he crashed into someone, the impact sending the smaller boy flying till he landed hard on the ground.
"Watch where you're going runt," said a voice coldly, golden eyes glaring down at Toboe. The stranger had shocking silver hair, a small part tied back in a ponytail. He wore all black leather, the small jacket revealing a scar on his chest. But the man's scent was what got Toboe the most.
"You...you're a wolf," he gasped in awe, staring up at the young man.
"Yeah, so? Scram already kid," he snarled, looking down at the boy still on the ground.
"Hold on there Tsume," came a cheerful voice. "He's a wolf too. I think Kiba would want to know about this. Are you all right runt?" he asked, offering a hand to Toboe.
This one looked younger then Tsume with tight brown curls clinging to his head and bright red, demonic eyes, which radiated kindness. He was dressed in an overly large yellow sweat jacket, hiding his somewhat pudgy form. A pair of baggy white pants finished off his outfit.
"I'm fine," Toboe mumbled, not meeting the fellow wolf's eyes. "My name is Toboe though, not runt." 'I can't believe it! That's the first person to ever know my name besides myself!'
"Toboe, huh? I'm Hige and this here's Tsume. He's a bit of a jerk," he whispered, "but he's cool. Come on, you can come meet Kiba...he's kinda like our pack leader."
"I really don't have time to stop and chat," said Toboe with a nervous laugh, hopping from one foot to the other. "I'm supposed to be somewhere right now."
"Oh, sorry runt. Guess you already have a home then? We were all heading out to find paradise."
"Paradise? What's that?" the youngster asked, genuinely curious. 'It's strange,' Toboe thought, 'I don't mind that Hige called me runt. I mean, I'd prefer my real name but coming from him it doesn't sound like such an insult...I think...and he seems friendly enough...'
"Paradise is this place where wolves aren't hunted by anyone," Hige explained, leaning casually against the brick wall of one of the shops. "Wolves live in peace there with everything they could possibly want."
"You mean we're hunted?" Toboe asked, completely oblivious to the real troubles that faced wolves.
"Where have you been? Of course we're hunted. We're bloodthirsty animals that cause terror and destruction wherever we go. Or at least that's what people say...many believe we're all extinct but a few know of our existence still. Those are the people we're trying to get away from."
"And we've got one of them right behind us," called a new voice, rounding the corner of the block. "That dog is chasing us again, time to go." The newest addition was Kiba, his messy dark brown hair flying out like a mane around his face. He wore a brown jacket with a white tee shirt beneath and a pair of light blue jeans that matched his eyes quite well.
"Hey there Kiba," greeted Hige happily, "I take it you didn't have any luck finding Chezza? Oh, this is Toboe," he said, gesturing towards the young boy who sat silently on an upturned box.
"Great," panted Kiba, "talk later, run now. Go!" The three older wolves took off down the back alley and after a second's thought Toboe followed, having at last found at least one nice person to talk to.
"Jump!" yelled Kiba, soaring off the edge of the alley that had come to an abrupt halt. A wide gap separated them and a building on the lower ground, the drop easily over two hundred feet. Hige leapt off right after Kiba, landing beside the dark haired wolf on the roof.
Toboe paused, the wind whipping at his hair and blurring his vision. "Move it already," snarled Tsume, jumping past the frozen youth.
"I was getting ready too," retorted Toboe, preparing himself. His preparation was cut short as loud growls and howls issued from behind him. Risking a look over his shoulder the wolf pup caught sight of a dark blue dog racing furiously at him, fangs glaring in the sunlight.
Taking a deep breath, Toboe jumped, the dog's teeth missing him by mere inches. With a loud thump he landed on the building, the breath stolen from his lungs. Vaguely, he felt himself pulled to his feet and pushed from behind.
His legs moved mechanically forward at a dead run, eyes focused on the three runners in front of him. Bits of cement blew up in his face, none of them doing too much harm. Looking over his shoulder, the boy spotted a man with a rifle standing next to the dog, readying for another shot.
Putting on an extra burst of speed Toboe raced past the Hige, the thought of being shot putting additional air in his lungs and power in his legs. "We can stop now," gasped Kiba, coming to a dead stop several minutes later. "We're out of range."
Nervously Toboe looked at his right hand then back at the group. "Who was that?" he asked curiously.
"Quent and his dog, Blue," said Kiba softly. "They hunt wolves like us to try to stop us from getting to paradise. But we manage to slip away every time. And no, I couldn't find Chezza...I think she may have been taken out of the city. The scent of lunar flowers no longer lingers here."
"Chezza? Lunar flowers? What are you talking about?" asked Toboe, now completely puzzled.
"Chezza is a young flower maiden made from lunar flowers," said Kiba gravely. "It is said that the flower maiden will lead us to paradise. But now it looks as though we're setting out without here. By the way, Toboe was it, are you coming with us as well?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Toboe said quietly, eyes looking back towards the city.
"Didn't you say you had somewhere to be?" asked Hige, his face confused.
"Well I did but I don't think I'll be missed." 'After all, the place I need to go is out of here and away from Kevin. This Paradise sounds like a good place to start for.'
"Then welcome to the group runt," said Hiei, clapping Toboe soundly on the back. "Let's get going!" he exclaimed. Tsume frowned slightly as he saw the child wince when Hige's hand connected with him before a smile, slightly forced but not noticeable to a normal eye, came over his face.
"Then you'd better start porky," said Tsume, "we'll be passing you up before long." Hige glowered before turning on his heel and running across the building towards the outskirts of town. Kiba broke into a run and Toboe wearily followed, determined to show the older wolves he could keep up with them.
Several hours later, Toboe was starting to wonder if living with Kevin had been a little better. The four were now trudging across a desert plain, hot winds rushing into them and blowing sand into their eyes.
His throat was parched and his front paw ached terribly after stepping on a small cactus buried among the high dunes. In fact, he still had a long thorn through it, a crimson trail following him in a steady stream before the sands blew over it.
Ahead of him the three other wolves toiled in the sandstorm, all of their coats a dusty brown like his and Hige's normal color. 'I wonder how much longer they intend to keep going,' the wolf pup thought, pausing to lick away some of the sand that clung to his wound. 'Don't they get tired? We've been doing this for hours!'
The sky continued to darken overhead, the sands blowing harder and driving the wolves back. 'It's time to find shelter,' barked Kiba, stopping in his tracks and waiting for the whole group to catch up. 'Did anyone see any sort of overhang or cliff?'
'Kiba,' sighed Tsume wearily, 'we're in a fucking desert! The only thing here is sand and more sand! And I forgot...SAND!'
'Jeesh Tsume, cool down why don't ya?' grumbled Hige. 'Hey, where'd the runt go?' he asked, looking around for the small wolf.
'I'm right here,' said Toboe softly, lying down on the ground next to Hige. 'I'm just really tired, that's all.'
'And now isn't the time for a nap,' said Kiba wisely. 'Come on, we need to find some sort of shelter.' Weakly, Toboe rose once more to his feet, all of the exertion putting tremendous strain on his injured back and front paw.
'You're hurt runt!' exclaimed Hige, transforming back to his human half. "Let me see that," he said, gently taking Toboe's left paw in his hand. "What did ya do runt? Step on a cactus?" Toboe hung his head in shame, confirming the guess. "Well why didn't you say anything? Running on it isn't helping matters. Now transform back to your human form so I can pull it out easier."
With a small groan Toboe did as instructed, blanching at the sight of his left hand. The large thorn had gone completely through it, scarlet blood coating his entire palm and dropping to the sandy ground.
"We'll take it out when we get to the shelter," said Kiba, also returning to his human form. "If we remove it now a lot of sand will blow in the wound and might cause infection. And the blood flow might be too violent and he'll die."
"You and porky scout ahead for shelter," instructed Tsume, kneeling down next to Toboe. "I'll stay here and keep an eye on the runt. But hurry up, this sand is really starting to bug me." Kiba and Hige nodded before bounding away once more on four legs.
Toboe issued a small whimper as Tsume took the injured hand and pressed his fingers near to the thorn. "Hold still, will you?" snarled the silver haired man. "I'm trying to see how serious this is."
Obediently Toboe stilled, blocking the pain like he did whenever Kevin beat him although it didn't help much. "It went through your palm, fortunately missing any bones," Tsume muttered, gently turning the injured hand over. "You'll be fine runt as soon as that comes out."
Toboe nodded, silent tears streaming down his cheeks, the sand clinging to the moisture greedily. "That isn't all of it, is it?" asked Tsume, gold eyes flickering concern for a second before it disappeared to be replaced by the cold stare.
The wolf pup shook his head, the tears coming faster. "I'm fine," he said softly, voice husky with his crying. "Really, there's nothing wrong except for my hand."
"Really?" asked Tsume, the 'I don't believe you' expression on his tanned face. His hands clamped painfully down on Toboe's shoulders, a short yelp escaping the injured one's mouth before he quickly bit it off.
Gingerly, Tsume rolled up the green shirt, eyes widening in horror at the sight. Lashes crisscrossed over his back, dark bruises marring the pale flesh. Forcing Toboe onto his back, Tsume lifted up the front of the shirt to see healing stab wounds and many more bruises with an occasion whip mark.
"Please don't tell," Toboe sniffled, shakily rising to his feet only to fall back to his knees. "I'm fine...really."
"Who did this to you?" the elder asked, pulling Toboe gently into his lap to shield him as much as possible from the roaring sands. "Answer me," he growled, eyes flashing when the youngster stayed silent.
"No one..." he whispered, voice almost lost on the winds. "Please don't tell Tsume...please..." The amber eyes pleaded for a small shred of mercy, to have his secret kept.
"I'll get the answer out of you later," Tsume said softly, almost tenderly. "But I can't promise I won't tell the others. You just get some rest now." Toboe gave a small smile of thanks before drifting off to the land of slumber.
Several minutes later two shapes appeared out of the thick curtain of ground rock next to Tsume. 'We found an old dingo den,' said Hige, sitting down wearily. 'It isn't too far from here...a few miles or so.'
"Is Toboe all right?" asked Kiba, his jacket fluttering madly about him. "He looks quite pale."
"Kid passed out when he looked at his hand again," lied Tsume easily, a smirk on his face. "I'll just carry him there, he can't run on his paw and he'll just hold us up if we let him walk."
The four set out, all in human form, with Toboe cradled in Tsume's firm yet gentle grasp into the blowing sands. "I don't know what happened to you runt," whispered Tsume, staring down at the innocent face, "but you're in good hands now. That I can promise you."
Author's Notes:
And wow! There's chapter two! I hope I didn't make anyone too out of character...I tried my best...n.n I know Tsume was a bit caring but I think anyone would be like that if they found marks of abuse, ne?
Also, the show never specifies ages (at least to where I've seen to) so I'm listing how old everyone is right here.
Toboe- 14 Hige- 17 Kiba- 20 Tsume- 22
I can't believe all of the positive feedback I got for the fic! You guys (and girls) are awesome! I hope you all liked this chapter as much and leave a review! Thanx for all of your support! People like all of you keep me going!
Reviewer's Comments:
LishaChan No, really? I was so sure you'd hate it being focued on Toboe and all...hehe Yep, can you tell I like the killing thing? lol It's actually the third, Black is Our World had some killings too in the flashback. n.n
BrittneyAnna Did you watch WR Saturday? The first part of the episode I spent with my ears plugged and eyes shut. I seriously thought that one guy was going to kill the little girl but Quent stopped him, thank Kami! But the part with Toboe and the walrus was awesome! He's finally shown the others he can do something too!
Lara Thank you! Here's the update you wanted!
Jade Aislin How come you were surprised? I'm curious over here...lol Nope, he got away on his own but his group might end out helping him quite a bit! Yeah, I have odd starts for some of my fics...but as long as it drawers the reader in anything goes.
inuyashafan65 Yep, this chapter actually! n.n Hope they help him out.
NightShadow131 I don't mind that you leave long reviews! :D They make me quite happy. Well, now that Toboe has met up with the others we'll get to see some of them so the focus won't be compeltly on Toboe. You'll like that, won't you? n.n Your fave is Kiba, ne? Kevin will probably get what he deserves in a nice bloodbath. n.n
coffeentoffee Tissue? I know it's sad...I like to bring the character out so you get to know her (like Seto and Joey's mom in What We Never Knew) and then I kill them. Cruel, aren't I? MWAHAHA Glad ya still luv it though! n.n
CuteLittleSarah Arigatou! Here's the next chapter...actually, you already read it but whateva.
kitsune-firedragon Doesn't look like you had to wait long, does it? lol
Kitsune Foxfire Ya know, the brother thing might work too...Guess it'll depend on how the reader views it...Ummm, hate to sound stupid but what the heck is a camio? -blushes-
Kawaii Ed That is odd...one of my other fics a girl was going to write a story similar to it until she found mine. Then she realized she'd only be copying! Well, glad ya love it and thanx for putting it on your faves! n.n
Naraku's Miasma The show (I believe) doesn't ever say their ages...that's why I put that little think in Author's Notes. I just created ages for them...I haven't seen the whole series either so I'm hoping I'm doing this right. After all though, it is a fanfic and the authoress can change whateva.
Jazz7 Hopefully it has now moved up to great or awesome on your list but good is better then hate, ne?
digital-tiffany I updated as soon as possible! Glad ya luv it, hope to see you again!
Satanira I like the way you think! n.n Too bad I don't have Heero (who is that btw?) and a closet at the second...lol I take it you like the story then and hate Kevin? Works for me!
Kaiya-Chan I hope he feels better too...now with Tsume on him though I'm sure he'll be oki.
WolfbanesHybrid One shot would be a good idea save the fact I don't think all of the other reviewers would agree. So here's the second chapter! n.n