Summary: Kiba, Hige, Toboe, and Tsume thought they were the only wolves looking for paradise. That is until they meet a pack of female wolves. It seems that one of them understands Kiba's pain.
Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf's Rain it belongs to Yoko Kanno I believe.
Title: Wolves in the Mist
Chapter 1: A New Scent
By Tainted InuShemeeko
Snow glittered up around the wolves bodies as they ran onward through the snow. The city no longer held the moonflower, Cheza…she was…gone. Their only choice was to move on somewhere else. There was no longer a reason for them to remain within the city. The wind continued to blow the snow as the small pack of wolves continued onward. The leader and Alpha male, so to speak, was pure white. Which was then, followed by a stocky tan wolf with a leather collar around his neck. Third was a lanky rust colored pup, and bringing up the rear was a gray wolf with a cross-shaped scar across his chest.
After what seemed to be like hours a whine came from behind the white wolf.
"Hey Kiba, what do you say to us finding some food?"
"Not right now Hige. We need to get farther away."
Hige sighed, as he continued to follow behind Kiba.
"Just how long is far away to you any way Kiba?"
There was a smirk from behind him. Hige then looked behind him to see Tsume looking at him, his gold eyes holding on to no emotions.
"A big wolf like you should be able to go with out food with out whining."
Hige looked at Tsume for a minute and there sighed before he spoke.
"Hey man, it's great that you like that bony look of yours. I for one like having meat on my bones."
Tsume growled at Hige, his fangs started to show in his now human mouth, causing Hige to put his hands in front of him as he took a step backwards.
"Hey now, let's talk about this! I was only kidding!"
Before he could attack Hige, a pale hand shot out toward Tsume's shoulder, stopping him in mid lunge.
"Tsume! That's enough."
"Don't touch me, got it?"
Tsume replied as he ripped Kiba's hand away from his shoulder. He then trudged on through the snow leaving his newfound companions behind. Hige watched as Tsume walked away.
"Wonder what's eating him?"
Kiba's turquoise blue eyes looked sad as he looked in the direction in which Tsume and headed in.
"I don't know, but I wish I knew."
He then looked from Hige to Toboe as he spoke.
"Come on we should get going."
Hige nodded as he followed behind.
"Right you are. Hey, we are going to find something to eat soon right?"
Kiba couldn't stop the small smile that cracked across his lips.
"Yeah there should be some snow rabbits around here somewhere."
Hige made a face at first about having to eat raw rabbit.
"Oh well, guess that will be better then having nothing."
With his hands in his jacket pockets Kiba turned to looked at Hige once again.
"My thoughts exactly."
He then turned to the rust colored pup that sported four silver bracelets on his right front leg. (um…arm.)
"You are coming, Toboe?"
The rust colored pup blinked his amber brown eyes as he looked up at Kiba and Hige.
"Yeah, I'm coming."
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After what seemed like twenty minutes of walking in the snow. They were finally able to catch up to Tsume. He however, remained seated on a hill over looking a snow-covered valley.
"I figured you three would end up following me. I guess you just can't take a hint."
Kiba narrowed his eyes down at Tsume.
"We're in this together now Tsume."
Tsume's voice remained gruff as he spoke.
"Ha. Yeah we're in this together. Did it ever occur you that maybe I don't want your help? So why don't you just shove off and take your stubborn pride with you."
Kiba was ready to retaliate when he noticed Hige smelling the air; he then turned into his wolf form as he continued to sniff the air.
"Hige what is it what do you smell?"
Hige couldn't contain his excitement as he spoke.
"Man, oh man I'm not big on fast food let alone, raw meat, but unless my trusty friend is mistaken, which it's not, we're having deer for dinner."
Kiba's now golden eyes scan over the snowy drifts to see a small herd of deer running quickly through the falling snow.
'Why are they running like that? Something must have scared them, but what?'
That's when his nose picked up on a scent that Hige must have missed.
"Hige wait a minute."
"Huh? What is it Kiba?"
Just then down below in the snow, the silhouettes of four wolves appeared in the falling snow. Toboe very slowly walked up to Kiba.
"Hey Kiba, they're wolves just like us aren't they?"
"Yes they are."
Toboe looked down into the snow filled valley as he watched the wolves perusing the herd of deer below them.
"I always thought we were the only ones out there."
However no one had heard Toboe's last statement for they were watching the wolves hunt their prey. Kiba had his eyes trained on the white wolf that seemed to be their leader. The power that he held as he moved closer to the deer's neck. A strawberry roan colored wolf and a pale gray wolf came up to the sides of the deer ready to pull it down. They however didn't launch an attack on the mammal, nor did they lose the pace. They were now running with the deer.
Hige sighed as he sat on his haunches.
"Well at least someone gets to have deer for dinner tonight."
Kiba's eyes stayed trained on the white wolf. Suddenly he snarled showing all of his fangs as he leapt toward the deer's neck. There was the sound of tearing flesh as the strange white wolf crushed the deer's windpipe. The sudden weight of the wolf hanging on its neck caused the deer to stumble and fall forward. Seeing the deer's steps start to falter, the other two wolves came in closer to the deer their fangs tearing into the flesh of the deer. It's blood straining the pure snow a crimson color.
Mixed in with the sounds of the other wolves' snarls was the loud and final snap of the deer's neck, causing the deer to remain motionless as the wolves continued to tear into its tender flesh. The snowfall was now coming to a stop, allowing Kiba to get a better look at the other white wolf. Now that the snow had almost completely stopped, he could see that he wasn't completely white, as Kiba had first thought.
The fur over the wolf's eyes was an orange-red color as was the outside color of the wolf's ears. Kiba and the others watched as a pure black wolf pup two years younger then Toboe bounded up to the freshly killed deer.
The white wolf with the orange-red mask over her eyes and ears continued to watch as the member's of her small pack eat at the deer carcass. Her head whipped forward as a new scent drifted to her nose.
The light gray wolf lifted her head up at the sound of their leader sniffing the air.
"Mika, what is it what to you smell?"
Mika lifted her nose to the wind once more.
"I smell the scent of other wolves."
At the sound of this the strawberry roan colored wolf lifted her head. Her eyes were a deep honey color. Up close one could now see a long scar that ran down her left eye. When she spoke her voice was softer then her appearance.
"Is it Yoshi and his pack?"
The white wolf with the orange-red coloring on its ears and across her eyes shook her head.
"No, I have never smelled them before. It seems they are new to the area."
Mika's golden and teal eyes looked across the horizon at a white wolf and its followers. She then turned and looked at the black pup, that had just finished eating and then back to the light gray and strawberry colored wolves.
"Come on Kaiya. Gin, Taka, you three head toward home."
Taka, the strawberry colored wolf, looked back at Mika.
"What about you? Aren't you coming?"
Mika nodded at Taka,
"I'll be right behind you, I promise. First I have to make sure these strange new wolves aren't here to cause trouble."
These new wolves intrigued her; all four of them. There was something about them that was so unlike the other wolves who were always trying to claim her. Their reason for wanting her simply had to do with power. These however seemed to be just passing through.
"We shall see what it is that you are following."
TBC
(A/N: This is the first Wolf's Rain fic that I have written. I hope all that have read this first chapter have enjoyed it. Please R&R your reviews inspire me to type more.)
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