Hige stood up with pain, his arm shaking, and his legs trembling. He was in unbearable pain, but hearing Toboe cry out made him jump to his feet.

"Toboe!"

He spotted the human who shot Toboe and took him out in seconds. Hige scrambled up the hill, to the hurting pup.

"Toboe, Toboe, are you ok?" Hige helped Toboe stand, taking all the pressure off of the pups wounded leg. Hige winced in pain, but managed to help Toboe over to Cheza and Kiba, laying him down.

More gunfire started off in a different direction. Hige ran down the hill, taking two guards out in the process. He ran towards the gunfire, hoping that Tsume or the girls weren't there.

Kiba turned his head toward Toboe. "Yo," he greeted in a deep monotone. Kiba struggled to a sitting position, preparing to go and help Hige.

The young pup whimpered slightly as Hige helped him to the spot where Kiba and Cheza were. Toboe plopped down beside Cheza with Hige's help. His leg was bleeding heavily, and his vision became blurry. He fought off the nausea that came as he watched Hige run back into danger. Toboe wanted to scream for him to come back, for Hige was hurt worse off than himself, but for some reason, he couldn't speak. He glanced at Kiba, who gave him a quick hello. Kiba was hurt too, and the amount of blood around him and Cheza was alarming. Kiba struggled to gain his footing to head after Hige, and in turn Toboe tried his hardest to stand upright.

"Kiba...Tsume is out there somewhere, and the others are still back in the shack...there are humans everywhere."

He slouched a bit slightly, trying to ignore the pain. His eyes began to well up as he spoke quietly "Tsume is still hurt, and you and Hige are hurt too. What'll we do?"

Kiba's eyes narrowed. "We escape from this town. Into that forest over there," he pointed to the dense tangle of gray forest just past the town. "I'm heading back down there to collect the others. For now, you take Cheza and head toward that forest. Try to stay hidden, and don't let her out of your sight for an instant. We'll catch up as soon as we get a chance."

Cheza reached for Toboe. She placed her hand on the bullet wound, tears starting to form in her eyes. Why? Why must there be such pain? Paradise seemed so far away. There. A place with no more pain. Where they could all live together in peace. She knew Kiba had told her and Toboe to stay hidden. She only hoped they'd all be reunited again and the humans would cease following them, but it was a hollow hope. She knew it. They'd only truly be happy once they reached Paradise.

Shilaze and Meshawa ran as fast as they could. Shilaze chanced a glance back. At least a dozen humans were following them this is not good... She turned her gaze back over to Meshawa "We can't run forever... We'll lead the humans to the others..." Meshawa nodded "Right... looks like we fight"
They both turned to face the oncoming humans. They weren't to far from the shack but it seemed to be miles away. Shilaze was unsure if she would live or not but she would at least by the others time. She gave a growl as her hackles raised and lips pulled back exposing her teeth. Oh Toboe please be alright... she thought hoping beyond hope that at least he was ok. The humans drew closer as the two wolves held their ground...

Tsume was perching on top of some rubble, looking out over the mess that was several heavily armed humans running towards all the wolves. He swore under his breath, arching back down under a shadow of a huge metal wall. He was injured and didn't know how much more he could take, and if he were to get attacked or shot... he didn't know if he'd go on. He crawled low on the overhang of the rubble, and kept a look out for something familiar.

Finally he caught sight of his pack. Toboe and Hige were nearby. He growled slightly, upset to see Toboe and the female wolves out in the open like that. Suddenly he saw Toboe get shot. Snarling he leapt from the rubble down onto one of the humans. He snarled and tore at his face and hands, making it impossible for him to pick up his weapon again. After injuring him pretty badly he darted away, hoping to escape any gunfire, approaching Toboe and the others.

Toboe could smell Tsume close by, and his tail began to wag. Kiba told him what to do, they had a plan. They were going to escape, all would be ok! Kiba had given Toboe the trust and responsibility of keeping Cheza safe. And he knew he'd have to prove himself this time. He seemed weighted down with this new glimmer of trust, until Cheza touched his wound. Suddenly he felt no pain, the throbbing died down. Toboe saw tears coming from Cheza's beautiful eyes, and he gently licked her cheek to show her it was ok. He nuzzled her face and gently helped her stand.

"C'mon Cheza," the young wolf puffed out his chest a bit "It's up to me to take you to a safe spot in the woods. Everyone else will meet us there. Let's be fast!"

With that he quickly, but gently lead her into the forest, into a haven, or at least Toboe hoped that's what it was. For some reason, the dank dark forest seemed creepier close up.

Kiba tightly gripped his wound, his entire body heavy, his world spinning. Even in his condition, though, Kiba refused to back down--he would help his pack. Kiba took a human from behind, pushing him to the ground before releasing his neck. The sudden effort made his head spin even more, and before he knew it Kiba had hit the ground. As soon as he realized where he was, he regained his human illusion and pushed himself back up, swooning. He caught a glimpse of Hige, and headed over in his direction.

Hige saw Kiba heading his direction, growing angry. He told Cheza to make sure the white wolf didn't help out. "Kiba?" He then saw Cheza was not with him. He stared, open mouthed.

As soon as Hige got over his shock, he threw an arm around Kiba's back and held him tight so he wouldn't fall. He also hoped he wasn't nagging at another wound. ;

"Where's Cheza? Toboe? Have you seen Tsume and the girls?"

A few guards came out of the building, not noticing the two wolves. Hige whispered..."Crap, what do we do?"

Kiba kept his eye on the humans, who paused momentarily. They looked down at something one of them was holding, and then began heading in the direction Toboe and Cheza had gone in. Kiba pushed forward, trying to tug Hige in their direction. "I sent Toboe and Cheza ahead," he whispered. "We need to distract them!"

Suddenly just as Kiba had spoke, out of the corner of some rubble, appeared Tsume. He stumbled a bit, most of his wounds, unkempt, some torn and still bleeding. He had managed to dodge most of the humans to keep from being shot again. He was within view to Hige and Kiba, but he wasn't close enough to them. He glanced over towards the approaching humans, giving them both a look and raising his head.

"...Hige, Kiba. Go ahead -- I'll take care of it. Let me distract them," he spoke lowly, hoping they would agree and he could continue. He wasn't sure he could run fast enough to drag the humans away from the other two, but he figured it would be better to lose one, than the both of them, besides he didn't know who else was close around.

"Tsume, you can't...You won't be able to--" a long howl pierced the air. The humans spun around to see Tsume standing in their path. Well, no use arguing about it now. Kiba pulled away from Hige and jumped on the nearest human, tearing into his neck. He landed next to Tsume, panting heavily. He tried to regain his composure quickly in order to take the other one--but with the spinning of the world, he didn't' really notice the rifle the soldier already had pointed at them.

Toboe headed towards the thick overgrowth as fast as he could. No doubt the humans would notice a young red haired boy and a girl going into the forest. In the distance, Toboe heard Kiba and Hige, the lump in his stomach growing bigger by the second. Then, as if out of thin air, Toboe heard the voice of Tsume. He turned around quickly, skidding to a halt and peered into the fray. Sure enough, Toboe could see him, and from what he could tell he was still in bad shape. But Toboe had to get Cheza to safety; he wasn't going to let the humans take her again. He began to pull Cheza faster into the woods, because if they were spotted, then Toboe knew he'd have a fight on his hands.

They made it to the edge of the woods, and before stepping in; Toboe looked around to see if they were followed. Satisfied, the young wolf crept into the thick trees, feeling a funny sensation. He looked to see if maybe the woods affected Cheza like this too. But he wasn't good at reading her expressions. Toboe found a small hole made by an overturned tree and placed himself and Cheza in it.
"Don't worry Cheza," he smiled lightly "They will all be back soon." Or at least, he hoped so. This forest gave him the willies.

Cheza settled back into the tree. She always liked the forest. She felt at home there. She could tell Toboe was feeling anxious. She placed a hand on top of his head, like she had before. She used the opportunity to rest herself. She knew she'd be able to do the others the most good if she were fully rested. Still, a nagging concern tickled the back of her mind. She desperately hoped the others were doing well. The hadn't fully healed. Tsume was still suffering from his earlier injuries, and Kiba and Hige still had fresh ones.

One human took aim on the black and white wolf and fired leaving a bullet wound in her shoulder. "I missed..." he grumbled as he took aim again only it was short lived as Meshawa leaped on top of the human biting his face.

Shilaze leaped on to anther human, tearing into the tender right artery. She hit the ground and lunged for another victim as soon as her paws hit the ground. Her jaws found the jugular vein of the closest human and tore it free from the neck. Blood splattered over the remaining men, and the smarter of them retreated. The not-so-clever few died.

Shilaze panted her muzzle dripping with blood. She wobbled a bit as her wound throbbed with pain. Meshawa came over next to Shilaze trying to help steady her. More humans came, Meshawa steeped forward hackles raised and fangs bore. Shilaze looked around frantically for away to escape; finding none she gave a long loud howl.

Toboe could hear the battle even in his and Cheza's seclusion. He wagged his tail nervously, and when he heard the howl, his breathing ceased. That was Shilaze! Oh man, I hope they are ok…let them be ok

He squeezed his eyes tight, and Cheza placed her hand on his head and pet him softly. She made him shiver a bit and smiled lazily as Cheza's warmth calmed him down. He knew she must be worried about Kiba. Toboe didn't really understand the bond that Kiba and Cheza had. It was almost as if they were meant to be together. Toboe looked into Cheza's eyes and saw she was tired looking, but she smiled at him and he felt the worry melt a little. "They are strong ya know. Much stronger than me. They'll make it back. I just know they will." He said the last part not for Cheza's mind, but for his own.

Hige heard the howl and acted quickly, jumping the human who had the rifle pointed at Kiba. He tore into the guy's shoulder, quickly taking another bite of his neck. The human dropped to his knees, grabbing Hige's wounded arm. The brown wolf refused to let go no matter how unbearable the pain was. A trail of blood ran down the human's hand as the wolf's sharp fangs squeezed tighter.

Finally, the human gave in, his grip loosening. Hige fell like a crumbled heap, the blood in his arm coming out faster than before.

Hige struggled to his feet, grabbed his arm, and saw no more guards. He looked at Tsume, "Yo. You finally decided to show." He forced a smirk, "Who wants to come with me to help the ladies?"

"We'll all go," Kiba replied sternly. "We can't be split up again; we have no time to be running in circles. Let's go," Kiba finished, beginning to walk quickly, clutching his belly, in the direction of the howl. He gave Hige a look that asked, "Are you alright?" as he passed, fully expecting just as clear an answer; that was how strong their bond was.

The humans slowly came towards the wolves, talking among them selves. "The man said he wanted wolves dead or alive... Maybe we'd get extra pay if we bring back one alive..." one human said "Yeah that's a good idea... Let's bring back the weak one and kill the other"
Shilaze didn't like the sound of that, not one bit. Meshawa was still protecting Shilaze who was backed up agent the wall. No... I will not let this happen. Shilaze thought as she took a wobbly steep forward.
A human came carrying a net while anther took aim on Meshawa. Meshawa grabbed the gun from the human and tossed it away as if it was a bone. The humans now holding the net at either end started to surround Shilaze while Meshawa's attention was drawn away.
Shilaze franticly howled again as she pressed herself agent the wall. At lest the others are safe... She thought trying to put a positive note on this though the outcome seemed hopeless.

Hige heard the frantic howl in the distance, looking questionably at Tsume and Kiba. Kiba said to go together, but time was running out for the girls. He began to go by himself, but stopped and looked at Kiba as if he said to wait.

Kiba absorbed Hige's message, then nodded slowly. He motioned to Tsume, and they both went to the corner of a building out of sight.

Hige took off in the distance of the frantic howl. The faster he ran, the more pain he felt in his arm and leg. Yet he knew he had to help. Someone had to.

Hige rounded the corner, stopping to take in the image of the humans ready to net up Shilaze. He gathered his senses and leaped the human, tearing into his neck. The human fell forward, and Hige jumped off him and to the other, his fangs sinking into the jugular vein.

He turned around to the two wolves. "Come on; let's get the hell out of here before more arrive."

Hige took two steps and stopped as a pain shot up his arm. He squeezed his eyes shut and bit his tongue so he wouldn't howl. He opened his now watery eyes, taking in a deep breath.
"Let's keep moving. We need to make it to the woods."

Kiba and Tsume stayed hidden in their corner for several minutes. Once the coast seemed clear, Kiba signaled to Tsume to move ahead. They'd inch their way closer to the woods until they could make a quick break for it.

Toboe's keen ear caught the sound of the second howl Shilaze let go. What's happening out there! Why haven't they come yet! The young wolf's tail beat the forest floor softly and he panted slightly, his adrenaline levels rising. He glanced at Cheza, who was looking in the direction of the battle as well. He knew she must be worried for Kiba. In an effort to clam not only her fears, but his own, he gently laid his head in her lap and placed a paw on her hands that were clasped together.

He closed his eyes, and spoke to the pack in thought. Please be ok, please be ok.

Cheza stroked Toboe's head. She could feel his anxiety. She echoed it. There seemed to be more and more humans. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to drown out the thoughts of the gunshots of the humans and the growls of the wolves. She knew it was best to stay where she was and finished resting. She knew she was going to be needed soon.

Shilaze nodded "Thanks for saving me Hige..." She followed behind him limping a little and Meshawa behind her.

Hige nodded as if he didn't hear Shilaze. Now that he knew the battle was over (for the most part) and all he had to do was make it to the woods, his body began to shut down step by step.

He couldn't feel his arm, nor his leg, it seemed only half his body was awake. Every now and then, he felt the memory of electricity that went through him earlier, and it made him twitch.

Hige had been concentrating on the pain so much that he didn't realize they were only a few yards away from the woods. He slumped against the building, resting for a moment, closing his eyes. "Go. Run. I'll..." the wolf had to take in a deep breath. "I'll ... i'll pro-protect you."

His eyes opened and scanned the area. So far, the coast was clear. No sign of Tsume or Kiba.

Hige fell against the building more, until he finally had to sit. His head was spinning so badly, he wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to stand or not.

Finally, Kiba and Tsume were in sight of the woods. Kiba finally had to relent, allowing Tsume to help him stand; but they were close. He could smell Cheza. Hige was nowhere in sight, though.

Toboe sat up, alert. He could smell the others, and they were headed this way! The puppy inside of him wanted to run out and greet them, jump around and declare his happiness, but the adult slowly emerging into his life made him stay put, he wasn't to leave Cheza alone. He had been trusted with her safety, and he was bound and determined to keep that promise.
He turned to her, "Cheza! They are close now. I can smell them. I knew they'd come." He smiled wide. But something was a miss; he could smell Kiba and Tsume close by, but what about the others? Where were Hige and the girls? Something didn't feel quite right in the air, and Toboe's once thumping tail seemed to slow a bit as he panted and waited for the pack to return.

Shilaze blinked almost as if she hadn't heard him right "but what about.." she was cut off my Meshawa "come on short snout, race you there" she said as she took off running to the woods. Shilaze was so confused, a part of her wanted to run with Meshawa to the safety of the woods but yet anther felt as if it was her duty to protect her saver. Shilaze shook her head trying to clear her mind. "Right to the woods..." she ran off after Meshawa limping some as she did but paying no head to it All I have to do is make it to the woods... she saintly told herself.

A slight smile grew on Hige's face as the two female wolves made it to the woods. He was thankful, but he had no ambition to stand. His vision was growing cloudy, he could barely lift his paw, much less wag his tail. Hige really wanted to take a nap.

He didn't see Tsume or Kiba (or much of anything for that matter), so they must have already made it to the woods.

Good. At least they're safe.

His head tilted sideways till he realized he was lying on the ground. Bedtime.

Hige puffed out a faint breath of air and closed his eyes.