Disclaimer: Wolf's Rain belongs to Bandai and Studio Bones and anyone else who's paid for the rights. That's not me.

A/N- I apologize in advance for the apostrophe errors. Ive been forced to switch to a Japanese keyboard, and even though I can SEE the apostrophe key, I cant figure out which button to push to make it work!

Chapter 2

She could feel it. Even in the nothingness of this realm, in the utter emptiness of anything living that she could connect with, it penetrated the cold, sterile confine that had been her birthplace and her home. She knew there were things outside of this cold liquid orb. She could feel them on occasion. If they called strongly enough to her. If they were somehow connected to the purpose she knew she would one day serve.

There had been four of them. Time had no meaning in this sphere of existence, but those four had been known to her long enough that their presence on the edge of her awareness was something she was beginning to take for granted. They'd been moving closer and closer to her, had been right next to her at one point, so loud that their song had awakened her from timeless sleep. But then she'd been swept away by that thing whose song was all misery and despair, sung so low she had to strain to hear it, the thing that watched her now. He wasn't like the four who she had sensed at first. She realized that, could hear it in his song. Neither was he like the fifth, whom she had only recently become aware of. The fifth followed behind the four, her song altered but recognizable. No, her captor's song was like the screeching of nails down a chalkboard, something she could hear but that was so innately wrong she could only sing her own song and hope it would soothe the violent range of emotions she felt pouring out of her captor's flesh.

She reached out with her awareness as far as she could beyond the cage of flesh that entrapped her. The four and the one that was not were near each other, and though she had no sense of direction she could tell that they were closer to her than they had been the last time she had searched for them. Had she been able to, she would've smiled. Were words a part of her world, she would have called the feeling inside her 'anticipation.' The one whose song was more beautiful than all the rest was coming to her.

She focused on his song and felt herself begin to sing in tune. It carried her away from the flesh, from her captor, from this quiet and unchanging world and she heard fields full of silvery flowers woven into it. She rode the wave of his song beyond herself until it died down into a soft hum as it occasionally did. Bored, she spread her awareness again in search of the others and pulled back suddenly.

There were six now. The four true ones, the one who was not, and now she could feel the sixth, the monster. She did not know what it was, but its song was even worse than her captor's, the screaming of a thousand wolves dying over a thousand years, the sound of death itself.

An alien liquid began to spill from her eyes as she opened her mouth and sang as loudly and as clearly as she could, putting all of her will into her song. Flee, she said without words. Danger. Flee. Come to me. Run.

Kiba awoke suddenly, ears pricked, listening for the voice that had been calling for him. He heard nothing, save the horrid noise of the world of man outside their small sanctuary. If it could even be called a sanctuary. Like all things humans made, it was quickly crumbling away to nothing. He rose and sniffed the air, something inside him urging him to leave this place as fast as he could and continue north. Again, nothing. The air smelled sweet, even, like a wooden field instead of a concrete forest.

Toboe was still asleep, his tongue lolling on the dirty floor. Chuckling at the pup, Kiba leapt out the broken wall and made his way up to the roof. Once, the building had been much taller. Ruins of walls still stretched up above his head in a few places, but most of the walls had ended up as piles of rubble strewn across the rooftop. Still, this building had survived better than its neighbors and from it Kiba could see much of the new town. It stretched out before him, a jumble of tents and shacks erected between the ruins of ancient skyscrapers that stretched all the way to the sturdy wall circling the town. A transient town, full of people who had come this far and given up. Kiba scoffed at their weakness.

The faint sound of hundreds of feet stamping in unison drew his attention away from the slums that comprised most of the town. There were two buildings here that caused the hair on Kiba's back to stand up and brought a growl to his throat. The first was the compound that served as an outpost for Jagara's troops. It stood surrounded in the midst of the rubble untouched by all the poor and desperate, despite its obvious wealth. Kiba had a feeling the ring of armed guards played a large part in that. He and Tsume had gone snooping around the area when they first arrived. The smell of wolf's blood had been strong. Tsume had practically needed to knock him unconscious to keep him from attacking. The other building that Kiba had come to despise in their short stay was behind one of the taller walls, out of sight. A gleaming tower of white marble that sparkled in the sun untouched by the filth of the city below. It smelled rotten on the inside, worse than the Jagara compound. It was more than just wolf's blood that had been spilled there.

Jagara's troops were busy this afternoon. Kiba could see the tiny green figures hurrying about the city, disturbing what peace could be found there. He had a sinking feeling that Tsume and Hige were behind that disturbance. A few leaps and he was back inside the building and nudging Toboe. The pup was slow to awaken, made lazy by the warm sun and the rare chance to relax.

Toboe blinked sleepily up at Kiba. "Whasit?" He looked like he wanted nothing more than to close his eyes and go back to sleep.

"Get up. We're going to look for Hige and Tsume," he answered gruffly.

The pup jumped up at those words and they left the crumbling building, both tense. There was something just not right about the city that set Kiba's hair on end and mad Toboe want to curl his tail under his legs and run away as fast as he could. It wasn't just Jagara's troops. Several regiments passed them, loaded guns slung over their shoulders and eyes sweeping the crowds for anything out of the ordinary. Kiba and Toboe merely slunk back amongst the rest of the cowering refugees until they were gone around the corner.

They moved carefully then, though it was frustrating work. They did their best to stick to the crowd, but oftentimes a scent or a glimpse of something familiar would lead them off the main streets and into narrow alleys or tiny, abandoned courtyards. The city itself seemed to work against them; it was a maze of odors and noises and byways that was enough to make one's head spin. More than once, Kiba found himself heading off in the wrong direction only to be corrected by Toboe. He found himself growing more and more irritated with the runt's city know-how. The runt had been raised as little more than a common dog, after all, while Kiba truly knew what it meant to be a wolf. And being a wolf had nothing to do with finding one's way through stinky backstreets.

He was just about to open his mouth and tell the runt exactly that when he heard booted feet approaching. Jagara's troops. A glance at Toboe told Kiba that the runt was blissfully unaware of their approach, his nose occupied with a pile of garbage

"Human," Kiba hissed, transforming himself.

Toboe looked up, startled. "Wha-?" he began to ask, but there was no time.

Kiba grabbed Toboe by the scruff of the neck and drug him under the remains of a decrepit statue. "Transform," he practically growled, and this time Toboe understood. Suddenly, a young man crouched beside him.

Just in time, too. The sound of booted feet grew louder and uniformed men appeared, rifles slung over their shoulders. Kiba and Toboe huddled into the shadows and did their best to look cold and hungry and entirely uninterested in the passing soldiers.

Which was entirely easier said than done, especially when the soldiers decided it was the perfect time and place for a smoking break. Toboe elbowed Kiba in the side as he scrambled back further into the depression, narrowly avoiding a heavy black combat boot that came to rest where his hand had been moments before. Kiba bit back an answering growl and forced himself to sit in silence. This hiding in the shadows went against all his instincts, but he could smell the gunpowder on the men and the thought of alerting the city to their presence when two of the pack were missing irked him even more than their cowardice. Perhaps a bit of Hige's sensibilities were beginning to wear off on Kiba, or maybe he was just getting used to the idea of pack. He wasn't sure he liked either option.

There was the sound of a match being struck and soon the air filled with thick smoke. Kiba's eyes watered and clamped a hand over his nose to keep from sneezing. Toboe did the same, huddling even closer to Kiba when an ember fell to the ground and rolled over the cobblestones.

"This is stupid," the man nearest to them complained, setting his rifle down so it leaned against the ledge. Toboe gave a small whimper that Kiba quickly shushed, though he understood it too well. Wolves fangs decorated the end of the rifle, molded into the wood side by side. Only knowing he had to keep Toboe safe kept Kiba from ripping these men's throats out here and now.

Luckily, they didn't hear Toboe's slip and continued talking. "We don't even need any more, do we?" a second voice asked. "I thought those scientists were all done with their experiments."

Someone spit on the ground. "Pah. Can't ever tell what they're up to in the Tower. Creepy, if you ask me. I mean, do you even hear the noises that come out of there at night? I think that's when they feed stupid ensigns who stole people's smokes to their monsters."

"S-stop it. Told you before I didn't steal 'em," a younger voice spoke up timidly.

"Whatever, kid. I already reported you to the higher-ups. They'll be coming to take you to the Tower soon enough." A number of the others joined in then, telling the younger soldier just what sort of tortures awaited him in quite graphic detail. It seemed stealing smokes was a capital offense.

The wolf-fang decorated rifle was picked up and the first voice spoke again. "All right, men, time to move out. Those wolves aren't getting caught by themselves. Let's head on to the East Sector" There were a few groans and protests but soon enough cigarette butts were left smoldering on the street and the men moved on, their heavy boots fading off into nothing.

Kiba and Toboe kept to the shadows a bit longer, listening intently for more troops following behind the group that had just left but none came. Cautiously, they emerged from under the ledge and stood up, scanning the silent courtyard for anyone who might be watching.

"Did you hear what—" Toboe began to ask, eyes large and worried.

"Yeah," Kiba answered.

"Do you think they—?"

"Yeah." Kiba glared in the direction the troops had disappeared, his mouth drawn up in an unconscious snarl.

Toboe, back in wolf form, danced nervously about him. "What do we do? What do we do?" Worry radiated off of him, so much as to make Kiba twitchy enough to grab him by the scruff of the neck and fling him onto the hard paving stones.

"Stop," Kiba ordered. "We keep looking. We stick to human form. We keep an ear out to figure out where the troops are and where they've been spotted."

Toboe nodded his head miserably and got to his feet. "But what if the soldiers find them before we do?" he asked quietly.

"Then we'll go look for them at that Tower," Kiba answered decisively. Really, it was impossible to think they'd do anything else. He took a few steps towards the main streets, then paused and looked back. "Well? Stop wasting time. Turn human and let's go."

Toboe nodded again and did as he was told. Satisfied, Kiba started off again. This time, a hand on his arm stopped him. "Um, sorry, Kiba, but the main street's that way."

Kiba shook off the hand with a growl and headed in the opposite direction.

"Hurry!" Tsume barked at Hige, pacing nervously in front of the gateway. He cast an anxious glance upward, then back to where Hige was limping as fast as he could across the open plaza while trying to doge Jagara bullets. "It's closing."

"I know" Hige managed to growl. He was painfully aware of the door slowly descending between him and Tsume, just as aware as he was of the bullets beating the ground all around him. He wasn't sure how he hadn't been hit already. Although his leg was threatening to give out on every step, he drove himself a little faster towards the only means of escape.

On the other side of the doorway, Tsume gave a sort of anxious whine and jumped forward, grabbing Hige by the scruff of his neck and tugging him back underneath the door. It slid shut just as Hige curled his tail around his hind legs out of its way. They could hear the metallic clang of bullets hitting the door. Hige lay for a moment, panting, until Tsume nudged him gently. "We've got to get out of here. We'll circle around and get in through the sewers."

Hige nodded and dragged himself to his feet. "The sewers again? I think you're enjoying this." He waved an accusatory finger in Tsume's face. Tsume just shrugged and took off running, but Hige could swear he'd seen an almost-smile.

They ran in silence, darting behind trees at the slightest sound and keeping to the bushes as much as possible. They could hear Jagara's men in the distance, feet pounding a noisy rhythm through the undergrowth that was easy to avoid as long as they kept their heads down. Hige's leg loosened up as they ran, until his limp was nearly gone. Tsume quickened the pace then, and Hige, sighing, matched it.

They drew to a halt when it was nearly dark. Hige flopped down gratefully and even Tsume looked tired, though he didn't let himself rest. Instead, the grey wolf paced the small clearing restlessly, eyes reflecting the moonlight with an eerie yellow glow.

"Every entrance," he growled. "They've got every entrance blocked. We have to get in somehow and warn Toboe and Kiba."

Hige rested his head on his front paws, resisting the urge to just close his eyes and let sleep take him. "Was that just a sentiment of concern I heard from you, Tsume?" he asked lightly.

"I'm looking out for myself," Tsume growled, snapping at Hige. "This is a dangerous place to be a lone wolf."

"Woah, chill out." Hige held out his hands and Tsume backed off, eyes still narrowed in irritation. Hige made a quick mental note to just let sleeping dogs lie, or brooding dogs brood, or whatever, before cautiously moving away from the tree he found his back up against. "So what's the plan, then?" he asked as a sort of truce. Sometimes it was best to give Tsume the authority he demanded.

It worked and Tsume calmed down, mollified for the moment. Hige sat down again and watched as Tsume paced the small clearing, stiff as a board and jumpy as an alleycat. Which was a thought that Hige kept to himself. He was rather certain Tsume wouldn't take kindly to being compared to a feline even in the best of moods.

Hige's leg jabbed him with a sharp flash of pain as he shifted and he turned his attention to his injury. Now that they'd stopped moving and the adrenaline had worn off the muscles were stiffening and exhaustion overcame him. He wearily licked at the half-healed gash a few times and tried hard not to think about what he'd spent most of the day swimming through, before he closed his eyes and laid his head on the ground.

He was rather surprised when, moments later, he felt a rough tongue cleaning the wound for him. Tsume was glaring at him when he opened his eyes, a sort of "tell anyone about this and die" glare that Hige would guess was one part attitude and five parts embarrassment. Wisely, Hige kept silent, head still on his paws. He tried not to wince when Tsume was too rough, sending jolts of pain up his leg. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused on the night surrounding them. He knew he was a city-pup, knew there was a city-softness to him that Tsume and Kiba despised and Toboe couldn't help but identify with, even as the younger wolf idolized and emulated the older members of their little pack. But that didn't mean he couldn't be aware of his surroundings; quite the opposite, in fact. At times Tsume and Kiba were so stuck in their bullheaded determination to be wolves that they forgot the basic essence of being a wolf was to survive. Which was when Hige would step in and nudge them ever so gently down the path to humanity, because that was the path to survival, and what use was paradise when you died trying to reach it?

But tonight, tonight was a time to be a wolf, as a wolf should be. Ignoring the pain in his haunches, Hige stretched his senses and tested their surroundings. The sounds of crickets chirping, of a stream gently cascading down the hillside, the wind rustling the leaves of the quakers above them were all he could hear. A few deep breaths confirmed their safety for the time being, though the distant, metallic tang of gun powder that came in bursts from the city to their east made his hair stand on end and sent a shiver through his body.

Tsume's tongue let up its assault on the wound and Hige felt the other wolf move up beside him, side-to-side for warmth. Hige didn't bother to open his eyes, but turned his head and shot a toothy grin in the other's direction.

"I think you'll live," Tsume said gruffly, and if Hige hadn't been so exhausted he would've jumped in surprise. Something that sounded almost like an apology, or maybe even a joke, coming from Tsume's lips?

"I don't sense anyone around," Tsume continued. "Get some rest. We'll head back inside in a few hours after the moon sets."

Hige grunted a sleepy reply, happy and more or less content now that the pain had abated and there was a warm body pressed up against him. And even if that body smelled like it had been swimming through a sewer all day with good reason, at least they were no longer in said sewer. With the moon waxing above them and the stars shining down on them… Hige smiled happily and buried his nose in the leaves to block out the sewer smell, reminded suddenly of times long gone. And he smiled for another reason when Tsume heaved a sigh of his own and settled his head across both their paws. Then, the long day caught up with him and he was lost in dreams of a beautiful white girl and teeth and blood.

TBC…

Thanks to those who've reviewed!