Wishes

Chapter 6: Cruel Intentions for Right Reasons Pt. II

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Wolf's Rain. I cry about it every night. I do however own Byron, Hana and Koro.

Authors Note: It's been two months since I last updated this story. Many apologies. This chapter is more like a chapter to get me back into the swing of things...hope you enjoy.

"I do not like being toyed with, captain. Have you located her or not?" Jagura asked, her head tilting up slightly to show her superiority.

"We have, Lady Jagura. And we've found something extra"

"Something extra?" she questioned, tapping a well manicured finger against the arm rest of her seat. "Continue"

And so, the soldier bowed his head and began to relay the information.

"I don't understand" Kiba replied as he stepped backwards away from Hana. "How can you smell like that, how can I feel such a connection to you?"

Hana reach the white wolf. 'I've been calling to you...You are my freedom...Kiba'

"How do you know who I am?"

The ground shook violently as eruptions suddenly went off around them. The trees shook, leaves cascading to the ground.

'Cheza' she replied before turning to leave. Even with the flames surrounding them, she was calm.

"How do you know Cheza?" Kiba questioned.

She turned her head and stared at him with those wide, glimmering green eyes of hers, 'How do you...?' Hana's eyes then grew wide as the trees around them began to drop. 'My forest is dying...' her hands clasped over her ears as the mental cries of nature overwhelmed her.

Kiba jumped forward just as a tree began to fall in her direction.

A piercing, almost sad scream filled the air just as the tree slammed to the ground.

"The life of this forest is a product of alchemy. Old man Byron made it that way, so that no one could harm Hana. But…in his attempt to protect her, he created a Paradise for us. This forest protects us" The female motioned to the land around her.

"Yeah? Then why does it keep hurting me and my friends?" Hige questioned, holding his arm. It was beginning to feel a little sore.

"Because it doesn't recognize you. Every animal here has a special mark from Byron and Hana. It can tell by our scent who belongs here and who doesn't" Koro informed with a smug smile. This confused Hige.

"So you guys are more like caged animals. You aren't really free. Your tagged!"

"Don't say that" She snarled, stepping forward. "We aren't caged. We are free" Koro suddenly became defensive. She pounced at Hige, but he moved forward, out of the path. "You...you are the one who is caged! Your bound to...to that girl...of Lunar flowers!" Koro continued to shout.

"Cheza!" Hige exclaimed, "You guys better not have hurt her. Kiba will have your ass!"

"We can't allow her to leave! If she does, the nobles will get her, and then...all this will be destroyed. Unfortunately, wolf, we have to destroy all those that may be helping her"

"Can't you see what's going on here? Byron did all this to protect Hana from the nobles…but he's become a noble himself! The nobles rule over the land and allow people to do what they want…for the most part. That's exactly what he's doing to you! He lets you all roam free...until he needs you to do something...like protecting that girl"

"She is to us as that...Cheza is to you wolves"

"So then you understand how I feel?" Hige asked.

"But how you feel doesn't matter. I will not allow my Paradise to be destroyed for the sake of yours" She ran at Hige again, but this time, he ran towards her, accepting her challenge. Normally, Hige wasn't one to fight, but he was exhausted and frustrated over not being able to find his friends.

The two clashed, and blood spattered. Snarls and barks echoed around them. Both were determined to win; neither would back down. The fight continued, each having their moments where they overpowered their opponent, yet neither was able to take the other down.

The mountain lion sneered and lifted a paw into the air, clawing at it before running at Hige again. This time, Hige reacted too slowly and ended up with several lashes across his side. Hige let out a yelp, then lashed back.

"I knew you human's couldn't be trusted" Tsume snarled as he moved an arm out to his side, then moved it back, pushing Toboe behind him in a protective gesture. His golden eyes narrowed as he glared angrily, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "Hm. I won't hesitate to rip you to shreds old man. Get out of our way". His human guise faded away and where the leather clad male once stood, there now stood a gray wolf.

Byron however, showed no fear. He lifted the gun, taking a direct aim at Tsume. "I mean you two no harm, but I can't allow you to leave in search of the white wolf. I can't allow you to help him find her.."

"Her? Her! You mean Cheza!" Toboe exclaimed, leaning forward slightly, trying to understand what was going on. "Your trying to hurt Cheza? Why Byron?"

"You wolves would never understand." Byron replied in a scruff voice. His eyes became cold and distant. He was no longer the kind old man that had taken Toboe in, but he was once again a soldier. This time however, he was not a soldier for the nobles…but instead, he was a soldier fighting against the book of the moon...fighting against the wolves...fighting against paradise.

"I've had enough of this!" Tsume snapped, rushing forward towards Byron. A shot was fired and blood splattered, however, Tsume continued to move. He pounced onto the man, knocking the gun from his grasp. "You tricked us into trusting you. You toyed with us. You hurt Toboe. The mountain lions who attacked him. I bet you had something to do with it. Didn't you..." Tsume snapped at the man's nose, "Didn't you?"

Byron coughed and raised an arm, setting it in front of his face so that his arm would be the first to get bit instead of his face. "We needed to separate you all. There was no other way" he replied, "We do what we have to, to protect what's left of this earth"

"Toboe, lets go. Now" Tsume demanded, though he didn't move from his spot on top of Byron just yet. "Get moving".

Toboe nodded and quickly headed towards the door…well…as fast as his still healing wounds would allow him to. The sun had already set, and so, the forest would not "be alive" as it usually was during the day. They could safely find the others and keep going.

Hige backed up towards the right, and Koro moved over to the left, both in a defensive stance. Koro was fairly wounded, while Hige had a series of cuts and bites.

"Back down, wolf" Koro ordered, breathing heavily.

"You first" Hige replied in a tired voice, cradling his arm against his chest. "I said I didn't want to hurt you. I meant it...why don't you come with us? Come to the real paradise?"

"My loyalty is to Byron and Hana. I have to destroy all outsiders...they'll tell the nobles we're here, and they'll destroy everything!"

Then, a large explosion erupted in the distance. It caught both of the creatures attention, but only one appeared to be extremely shocked.

"What!" Hige asked, "What is it?"

But instead of replying, Koro took off as fast as her legs would carry her. Without hesitation, Hige took off after her.

The explosion forced Toboe forward and out of the cabin, down the small hill of rocks and into a small creek. In a matter of seconds, he was on his feet. "Tsume!" he cupped his hands over his mouth to project his voice, "Tsume!"

There was no reply at first but after a moment, Tsume came stumbling out of the flames; the old man was tossed over his shoulder, unconscious.

Tsume dropped the old man down next to Toboe before dropping to his knees. One hand grabbed at his ankle while the other rested over the burn mark on his side.

The trees began to sway this way and that as they struggled to put the flames out. Toboe and Tsume watched with wide eyes. Byron had told them the forest was alive, but they had never actually seen it.

The flames continued to spread, inching closer and closer to the two wolves and the old man. "Toboe, get out of here" Tsume growled, grabbing Byron by the collar to drag him along.

Toboe shook his head, "Tsume no!" he grabbed at Byron's collar as well and helped him pull.

More explosions ruptured throughout the forest, forcing the ground to tremble with each blow. Toboe began to panic, eyes growing wide with fear. "Hige...Kiba and Cheza are out there! Tsume...they're..."

"Shut up!" Tsume snapped, releasing the man and grabbing Toboe by the arm. He lifted the runt and tossed him over his shoulder. He began to run, leaving Byron's body to burn in the growing flames.

Toboe glanced back, eyes growing wider. "Tsume!" he cried out, gripping tightly at the hem of Tsume's leather vest. "He.." Toboe closed his eyes and opened them once again. He squinted, confused, as he spotted a mountain lion making its way out of the flames, limping.

"Is he..."

Tsume suddenly slid downward, growling. He had taken a wrong step down a slope, and the ground had simply slid. Tsume fell backwards, Toboe falling just under him. Toboe let out a loud yelp and Tsume gritted his teeth.

The two rolled down the hill, knocking directly into Hige and Koro.

"What happened to you two?" Hige asked, noticing how bandaged up Toboe was, and how pissed off Tsume looked.

"You!" Tsume and Koro snarled at the same time, pointing at each other, "This is all your fault"

"Ours? You're the ones who attacked Toboe and forced us to stay in here longer than we had wanted to" Tsume countered.

"If you Wolves wouldn't have set off in the search of Paradise, you wouldn't have had to come through here! It was you who led the nobles here!" Koro shot back

"No.." A soft voice cut through the angered tones, "It was this one...this one brought the nobles..."

"Cheza?" Toboe, Tsume and Hige exclaimed in unison.

"Where's Kiba?" Tsume then asked.

The tears that lined her eyes began to fall as her red eyes closed slightly, "Kiba is...dead"

"This is all my fault.." Toboe stuttered, falling to the ground and landing on his bottom. "If I wouldn't have run off..."

Tsume refused to believe it, "Hige, go with Cheza. Find him" he then glared at Koro. "Get out of my sight"

"These are my woods, wolf" she replied.

Tsume glared but she refused to move. So, he grabbed Toboe and picked him up, this time, cradling the runt against his chest as he ran, glancing back occasionally.

"I killed Kiba..." Toboe murmured gently into the gray wolf's chest.

N/A: Enjoy?