Wishes

Chapter 3: Illusions of Love

Authors Note: 25 reviews for only two chapters. I'm very pleased. I hadn't expected to do so well. Thanks to all those who reviewed. I'm glad you've enjoyed the story so far, and hopefully, you'll continue reading!

"You expect me to believe that load of bull?" Tsume asked in a harsh tone.

Heh, like a bunch of trees could kill a wolf.

As his eyes slowly scanned the inside of the cabin, he noticed the old man sitting in the corner with an amused look in his eyes. He chuckled gently as he stood from his seat and walked over to the girl. He set a hand on her shoulder then asked, "What reason does she have to lie, friend? She was only looking out for your own well-being"

"I'm not your friend" Tsume replied sharply, feeling very annoyed. He still had to find Toboe, and every moment he spent there listening to the old man and his girl was a minute wasted. "And what the hell does she care whether or not I live or die out there?"

"Normally, we don't get involved in the lives of those passing through. It's much safer to allow the forest take whom it pleases, but this time we couldn't help it" The old man told Tsume.

Still, Tsume didn't understand why they had helped him.

'Toboe, Toboe told us to save you'

Tsume's golden orbs narrowed as he turned his attention to the red haired girl, "Toboe? You found him? Where is he?"

"I see the air of the forest has already damaged your sense of smell. Hana, prepare our guest a sunpearl drink" The old man instructed. "There might still be time to heal him before he looses it completely"

The young girl nodded and hurried off.

Tsume growled and suddenly snapped foward, grabbing the man by the collar of his shirt, "Don't toy with me old man, where's Toboe?"

The old man's hands wrapped around Tsume's wrist and he smiled gently. "Friend, be calm. Your friend is doing well, he is healing. Please be quiet, the boy needs his rest. We can not have another wolf die. So few remain as it is"

Tsume let go of the man and backed up a bit in slight suprise. "Wolf? So, you know then? How?"

'I told him'. Hana approached Tsume slowly, a wooden cup in her hands. When I found him, he was in his true form. 'I had to tell Baron, so that he could help Toboe.'

Tsume wrinkled his nose, even though he couldn't smell the drink and eyed the girl skeptically. He didn't want to trust her, but something deep within told him he had to.

Hana held the drink out to him, but Tsume refused to take it.

"Hana and Baron only want to help you, like they helped me..." Toboe stood at the door of the room he had been resting in, his arms rested at his sides.

Tsume's eyes went wide.

The majority of Toboe's body was covered in bandages, all but his chest. And what Tsume saw on the runt's chest suprised him. Now, Toboe had an X-shaped scar, just like his. "Toboe".

Toboe smiled weakly and lifted his hand, wincing slightly. He covered the scar on his chest and glanced down, "I wasn't trying to copy you Tsume I-"

"Shut up runt. I don't care" Tsume ordered. And he really didn't. He was too busy feeling relieved. Sure, the boy had more bandages on him than an egyptian mummy, but he was alive! "How stupid are you, running off in the middle of the night like that. You could have been killed"

Toboe lifted his head and looked at Tsume, smiling still. He knew that even though Tsume wouldn't openly admit it, he had been worried sick about the runt. "No Tsume, I couldn't have been killed..." he replied, taking the cup from Hana and holding out to Tsume.

Tsume still refused to take the drink, "Everyone can be killed Toboe".

"Not me" Toboe replied again, still holding the cup.

"And why's that?" Tsume finally replied with a loud sigh.

"Because I made a wish...Do you want to know what I wished for Tsume?"

The gray wolf remembered this question. It had been the same question toboe had asked him before he had run off into the woods on his own. Taking the cup from Toboe's bandaged hands, he closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah Toboe, I want to know what you wished for"

Hana looked over at Baron, 'Shall I go find the last two wolves and the maiden?'

"Find the wolves, leave the maiden" Baron whispered.

"Kiba, I think we're going in circles" Hige broke the silence after what seemed like forever. "And I can't smell anything. Doesn't this seem a little weird to you?"

Kiba turned his head to the side, "We aren't going in circles. Even if we can't smell anything, Cheza would have noticed".

"Good point" Hige replied, shoving his hands into the pockets of his sweater and squinting as he looked off at the distance. The sun was half way out and soon the forest would get hot. "Maybe we should stop and rest for a while?" He stopped and glanced back, thinking he heard something move behind him, but there was nothing there.

"Never mind, lets keep going"

Cheza suddenly stopped, "This one senses we are in danger"

"What do you feel Cheza?" Kiba asked, stopping a few paces behind her.

Cheza looked up, staring at the leaves of the tall trees that surrounded them. She gasped. Brown lines began to appear on her neck, slowly working their way up onto her cheek.

"Cheza!" Kiba exclaimed. "Hige, she's wilting!"

He moved foward, but found that his feet were stuck. Glancing down, he realized that roots from the trees that surrounded them had wrapped themselves around his ankles, holding him in place.

Dropping his human guise, he began to bite and claw at the roots. Hige did the same. The roots began moving, sliding up, wrapping themselves around Hige and Kiba's legs.

Cheza's body fell slowly to the ground and Kiba growled loudly as he tried to free himself. "Cheza!" he yelled.

The roots began to pull them down into the ground.

"Kiba!" Hige called out as he struggled.

Kiba snapped free and lept towards Cheza, scooping her up in his arms. From there, he lept onto a large boulder. "Cheza?" he whispered, looking down at the maiden.

Her eyes opened slowly, and she lifted her hand, touching the side of his face. "This one is alright.." she whispered.

Kiba nodded once, then prepared to go back for Hige, but when he looked up, the tannish wolf was gone.

A/N: Stay tuned for the next chapter!