The Story of a Lonely Wolf Chapter 11: Winter Flowers

/Flashback/

"Toboe, come here boy," Granny said as she stood at the back door.

"Yes?" Toboe replied as he yawned. He had just woken up from a nap.

"Come here and look," Granny said with a smile as she looked out her back window.

"Uh ok…." Toboe replied and walked over to her.

"Here," she said as she picked him up, "Look Toboe, aren't they beautiful."

"Whoa…." Toboe said he could barely believe all the beauty he saw in the backyard.

"I can't believe how good they turned out this year. Come on, let's go outside and see," Granny said as she put Toboe down and went to get her coat.

"Yeah, let's go!" Toboe barked and ran around the door.

"Ok, ok I'm coming, takes an old woman some time," Granny replied with a laugh.

"What's that?" Toboe asked himself as he watched Granny hold a stick in her hand then whenever she took a step she could put it on the floor, then pick it up and put it on the floor again.

"Oh this is a cane," Granny said, she saw the look of confusion on Toboe's face. "I haven't been in full strength lately, but don't worry I'm sure I'll be back to normal in no time."

"Ok," Toboe said with a wag of his brown tail. He was sure that if she said she'd get better using the cane then she would.

"Let's go see the flowers, ok?" Granny asked before she opened the door.

"Yeah!" Toboe replied.

"Ok," Granny said with a laugh.

"Whoa…." Toboe said in awe. He had never seen real live flowers before, at least not that he could remember.

"So pretty, I love winter flowers, don't you?" Granny asked as she walked around the yard smelling the flowers.

"Yeah," Toboe replied as his nose was filled with the sent of so many pretty smells that he couldn't tell which smell went to which flower.

"I bet you didn't know flowers grew in winter, did you?" Granny asked the pup with a smile. "Well there are some that can. Just like the ones you see here. Oh here is my favorite one," Granny said as she came across a white flower.

"Cool…." Toboe said as he stared at the flower. It must have been the only flower there that was totally white. If Granny hadn't spotted it he probably wouldn't have seen it.

"I've loved these white flowers ever since I was a girl. My mom used to plant these in the backyard. The first thing I saw when I opened my curtains in the morning was a row of white flowers. I remember how my big brother and I used to play in the snow while my mother would tend to these flowers," Granny said with a bit of a laugh as she kneeled down next to the flower. "She'd always get mad at us because we'd throw snowballs at her when she wasn't looking… I remember those days… the good old days… but sadly they are long gone."

"What happened? Why did they stop?" Toboe asked with a whimper.

"Well one day, there was an accident… it was snowing and my brother was coming home from work. He worked on a farm. He took care of the horses. He was 15, which was old enough to work in those days. I remember, I was waiting by the window for him to come home and my mother was reading a book. He had told me that when he got home we'd have a big snowball fight. I couldn't wait, I was so excited, and then I heard the phone ring and my mom answered it. The color in her face had left and she began to cry. I really didn't think much of it. I was only five years old and I was to busy looking for our old car. Then she hung up the phone and told me the news… I didn't believe her at first. I remember, I wanted to prove her wrong. So I sat by that window and I waited, and I waited, it must off been about five or six in the morning when I realized she might be right… I didn't cry though. I just sat there and stared at the snowman we had made the day before. It was almost as if I was in another world. Then a few days later we went to the funeral. There were lots of people there. I remember seeing people I was said to have been related to, but had never seen before and will never have seen again. I think I was the only person there who wasn't crying. I stared at that box, that box that held my brother. I wanted to run up and open it and yell at him to wake up. He didn't look dead to me; he looked like he was just sleeping. It took all I had to sit though that service without saying anything, without doing anything. There were so many emotions running though me. But there was no sadness. I still don't know why, but I didn't feel sad at all. I don't know why I'm telling you this; you probably can't understand a word I'm saying can you?"

"I can understand you…" Toboe said. Instead of a bark his words came out in a whimper of sadness.

"You know what's strange…" Granny said as she looked at Toboe, "It almost seems like I can understand you…"

"I know you can…" Toboe replied and put his front paws on Granny's lap and licked her face.

"You're a good boy…" Granny replied and used her cane to balance herself so she wouldn't fall when she stood up. "How about we go inside and have ourselves a nice lunch?"

"Sure…" Toboe replied as he thought about what Granny had told him. He really wasn't in the mood to eat after hearing that story, but he thought it would make Granny happy.

"Toboe come on, what are you waiting for?" Granny said with a laugh as she waited for Toboe who hadn't moved away from the flower.

Now I know why she was always talking about white flowers… Toboe said softly and sadly to himself, It's the only thing she has left that holds memories of her brother…

"Toboe, this food won't eat itself you know," Granny said.

"Yeah ok... I'm coming…" Toboe replied and looked at the flower for a minute longer then slowly jogged to the door.

/End Flashback/

"What are we going to do? I don't think he's going to last," Kiba said now very concerned about Toboe. "He is having a great deal of trouble breathing. He needs more help."

"Well maybe he just needs more time…" Hige replied.

"He's had four days, how much longer do you think he needs?" Tsume asked.

"I dunno, how do you think I'm supposed to know?" Hige replied.

"That's what I thought. You have no idea what's truly wrong with him. You shouldn't say anything if you don't know what you're doing," Tsume snapped.

"Well you don't know either…" Hige replied.

"I didn't say anything did I?" Tsume asked annoyed.

"No, but…" Hige began then was cut off by Tsume.

"See I didn't say anything. I'm not trying to make decisions unless I know what the problem is and what the outcome will be. We'll ask for you're opinion when you show us a doctor's degree," Tsume snapped. He was getting very irritated.

"Anyway…. We need to do something. I'm getting really hungry," Hige said.

"You wouldn't be so hungry if you hadn't of had a picnic," Tsume said angrily.

"Hey, you could have had some. You just didn't ask…" Hige replied.

"And what about Toboe? He can't ask. He's almost dead because he's so weak. He hasn't had anything to eat or drink in five days. Just because he didn't ask doesn't mean he isn't hungry. You know he needs the food, but you didn't give him any just because he didn't ask," Tsume snapped. He was outraged at Hige's remarks.

"We have to find someone who can help him. He'll die if he doesn't get some of the blood in his lungs removed," Kiba said.

"And just how do we do that?" Tsume asked. "He can't exactly fool the humans by appearing to be a human in the state he's in."

"I dunno yet," Kiba replied.

"Hey, I know. How about Cassi?" Hige asked.

"You mean that human you came back with?" Tsume asked.

"Yeah, she said I could bring Toboe back there if things got really bad," Hige replied.

"Oh no, not her. There's no way Toboe is going back to that idiot," Tsume said. "And besides she is expecting a human boy, not some bloody up wolf cub," Tsume added.

"Yeah, but I'm sure she wouldn't mind and I never actually said Toboe was a wolf. I just said he was a friend. So it's her own fault for thinking he was a human," Hige replied as he stared at Tsume with one of his eyes closed and one of them open, "She never asked me what he was or anything."

"And what if she turns him away? The whole trip over there will be for nothing and the cold will probably kill him," Tsume snapped.

"Well, that's a risk we'll have to take. He's going to die with we leave him here. I'm sure of that," Kiba said as he put a cold cloth on Toboe's forehead trying to keep his fever down as low as he could.

"Yeah see, so I was right," Hige replied.

"You wish," Tsume replied, "He's a wolf. She'll throw him out I know she will. Then he'll die."

"Well we have to try," Kiba replied.

"Yeah it's worth a shot, and she won't know he's a wolf. She'll think he's a really big dog just like all the other humans do. Come on, lighten up a bit will ya," Hige said.

"Fine do what you want!" Tsume snapped, "But if he dies because that woman threw him out his death will be your fault not mine!"

"Don't worry, Tsume. He's not going to die. Not if we do something about it now," Kiba replied.

"Yeah," Hige said.

"And if she lets him stay what will happen after that? He'll just die over there. There is nothing that human can do over there that we can't do here," Tsume said angrily.

"We'll find out when we get there," Kiba replied in his usual calm voice.

"Yeah, I just hope it doesn't involve cleaning…. I hate that," Hige added.

"Come on, we have to go," Kiba said as he tried to get Toboe on his back but was having lots of trouble because there wasn't much room to move and the ceiling was so low.

"Here, let me have him," Tsume replied very annoyed and walked over to Kiba and Toboe.

"How are you gonna get him out, Tsume?" Hige asked curiously.

"Like this…" Tsume replied still very annoyed at the fact only he knew a way to get Toboe out. He grabbed Toboe by the scruff of his neck and began pulling him out.

"Do you think that will work?" Hige asked.

"It's working so far," Kiba replied as he followed behind Toboe's bloody battered body and Hige walked in front of Tsume looking back every few seconds to make sure Tsume was getting Toboe out ok.

"You know Kiba and I could have thought of this too," Hige said.

"Would you like to try and pull him out of this hell hole then?" Tsume asked as he let go of Toboe for a moment to rest his jams.

"No thanks, my teeth are to delicate for things such as this."

"Here I'll do it," Kiba replied as he and Tsume switched places.

"All right then, let's go," Hige said and began walking again as Kiba began to pull. "There that wasn't so bad, now was it?" Hige asked when Kiba had Toboe out.

"Not for you maybe…" Tsume replied.

"Come on, we don't have all day," Hige said they all pit up their barriers and Tsume picked up Toboe and threw him over his shoulder.

"Why are you so eager to get there?" Kiba asked.

"Because he wants food," Tsume replied annoyed.

"Aww come on now, you know I care about Toboe's well-being before food," Hige said as his stomach let out a huge growl.

"Uh huh…" Tsume replied with his annoyed face.

"Come on, let's go before the cold gets to him," Kiba said.

"Does this mean we have to run all the way there?" Hige asked.

"Yes, it does," Tsume replied.

"All right…" Hige said with a sigh and took off after Kiba who had already began running. "How do you know how to get there?" Hige asked when he caught up with Kiba.

"You said she lived in this part of the town remember. When we get over there you'll have to lead us to her house," Kiba replied as they ran.

"If he remembers where it is," Tsume added.

"I know where it is," Hige replied in a somewhat annoyed voice.