Yolande: Howdy folks! Me, my brother, and his apprentice, and our animal friends have captured Aru Feuer and made her work on her stories for everyone!

Izu: …

Ardath: whispers Izu, aren't you supposed to say something?

Izu: Hmmm…

Amina: Ardath, disclaimer please.

Ardath: Fine, Izu, make Amina do the work. Aru doesn't own anything except her computer, us, and Arai, Enmei, Futeki, and Kouyuu.

Aru: MMFF!

TopazSoarhire: Dang, you're catching onto everything I have planned for the story, such as Kouyuu's shoulder markings, why the wolves smell of mahogany, etc etc… and I rather like the bold print, so ahahaha!

Trivnar Silversword: Yeah, sorry about the cliffhanger, but I was running short on ideas. I still am short on ideas, but those other characters of mine won't leave me alone, so thank them for this update! Glares at smiling captors before going back to typing

Wolf of the Blue Moon: I'm glad you like it!

Warning! Very OOC characters!

Howl of the Wolves

Chapter 5

Secret of the Mahogany Wolves

Kiba dragged the carcass back to the cave. There was a little blood on it from cuts and scratches, but it was frozen and still good meat. He dropped it in the middle of the cave, the other three wolves sleeping. Tsume was nowhere to be seen. Kiba nudged them one by one, waking them so they could eat. Enmei and Hige returned, Enmei with a smaller rabbit and Hige with nothing. Enmei bowed to Kiba, his respect for the white wolf growing, if barely.

"Well, I think this will last us a while." Kiba commented. He allowed the others to eat. But he wasn't hungry. His latest dream was still bothering him.

Kiba stepped out of the cave into the freezing cold snow. In the distance, he could just barely make out a light from the city they had left. Over head, the clouds had dispersed, allowing moonlight to fall across the silvery snow. Kiba's pelt shone with a more beautiful silver than the snow though.

A gray dot moved through the snow, approaching the cave. It was Tsume. He stopped by Kiba, and sat down. A move that Kiba had never expected Tsume to ever do.

"Something's bothering you." Tsume spoke after an awkward silence. "It was that dream you were having last night, isn't it?"

Kiba brooded on the subject for a moment, wondering how much he could trust Tsume. "Yes, it is."

"Well, what did you dream about, oh White Wolf?" Tsume asked, a note of interest on his voice.

"I dreamed… about a wolf. A small black wolf with silver ears and paws, and a silverish mark on her chest that looks like a flame spark. Her eyes are crystalline blue. I've actually had several dreams about her, the latest involving Darcia." Kiba replied.

"What!" Enmei appeared from the cave. "You've been dreaming of Arai?"

"Was that your sister?" Kiba turned to Enmei, a bit angry that he was eavesdropping.

"Yes. What happened to her?" Enmei asked. All sign of his former aggression disappeared, leaving him like the Enmei that they had first met.

"She…" Kiba hesitated. She had been being beaten by Darcia. How would Enmei react to that? "She was being attacked by our enemy, Darcia. But she finally fought back, breaking his paw and shoulder."

"That's my Arai." Enmei mumbled to himself. "We have to hurry and find her. And, well, we have to find someone else. A halfling wolf."

"A halfling wolf? You mean part wolf, part dog?" Kiba asked.

"Yes. That would probably do. One with beautiful blue eyes." Enmei licked a paw.

"Well, Hige knows a halfling wolf, with blue eyes. Remember when he was talking about his mate, Blue? She's half wolf."

"Ah, she is? Then we could have gone and taken her with us." Enmei replied. Tsume got up and left like a shadow, seeing as he didn't feel like being a part of the conversation any longer.

"But what about her human? The hunter." Kiba asked. "She wouldn't abandon him just because you want her along."

"Yes, well, the Hunter doesn't know yet." Enmei yawned. "Most of those who died in the last world to a wolf become a wolf themselves. But usually, they don't realize it."

"But what if they were reborn from a human? It can't be possible…" Kiba started.

"But it can. They are reborn from a human, but that doesn't mean they aren't a wolf. So what if they are seemingly human. They aren't." Enmei then got up, tired of discussion. He went back into the cave.

Kiba sat in the moonlight a while longer. He soaked up the moonlight, and soon felt full. He imagined a lunar flower blooming under its rays, their beautiful white petals dancing in a warm breeze. But it was all imagination. He got up and went back into the building, feeling saddened by Cheza's not being there. He wondered what she had to do with Paradise, seeing as the gates had to opened by the mysterious Mahogany wolves, a white wolf, and a halfling wolf-

Wait. Kiba thought. A halfling wolf? He looked to the cave. Were those three wolves the Mahogany wolves? All the clues pointed to them. He would have to talk with Tsume about this.

Morning came with new clouds, which made things easier for the wolves. Without the sun, the temperature was just right, and they weren't being blinded. Their stomachs were full with meat, they were well rested, and Kouyuu and Futeki's injuries had been healed the night before from the full moon.

Kiba allowed Enmei to lead today. Kiba fell back to talk to Tsume. "Tsume, don't you think that these three, plus their leader, might be the Mahogany Wolves?"

"But they are." Tsume mumbled. "Remember how I told you that they covered our tails on the night before the full moon? Enmei had said that they were the Mahogany Wolves."

Kiba stared at Tsume in disbelief. "Then they know the actual way to Paradise, and they aren't following instinct like I did."

"How do you know that they aren't using instinct?" Tsume asked. But before Kiba could reply, a gunshot rang through the wolfs' ears. They looked and saw a very angry Quent and a mixed up Blue. They stood atop a snow covered hill.

"Wait, Pops, that's the boys down there!" Blue pleaded. "You might shoot one of them."

"So what, they're traitors, joining those other three!" Quent aimed for an astonished Futeki. But before he could shoot, Toboe stepped between Futeki and Quent.

"Wait!" he called. "They aren't bad wolves, Pops!" Toboe called. Quent lowered his gun, unwilling to shoot the young wolf that he had died with.

"Please, Toboe, don't make me shoot you too." Quent pleaded. Blue could only watch in horror.

Toboe calmly trotted to Quent. "Please, Pops, these wolves are nice." He pleaded with Quent. Toboe even threw in puppy dog eyes. Quent, unable to throw off the puppy dog pout, dropped his gun.

"Why does this always seem to happen to me?" he called to the clouds. Enmei came towards Quent, who threw a suspicious glare at the steely blue co-leader.

"You are Quent, I presume?" Enmei asked. "And in your former life, you were killed by Darcia, a man turned wolf?"

Quent started to raise his gun again. "Why should I answer you…?"

"It might give you an opportunity that you never imagined that you would get." Futeki joined Enmei.

"For if you were killed by Darcia," Kouyuu stood to Enmei's other side. "Then you yourself are a wolf."

Silence ensued this revelation. "You mean… I am a wolf?" Quent's eyes widened.

"Possibly. Only if you believe in yourself and your pack." Enmei stared into Quent's eyes, unwavering and steady.

Quent stood were he was, shocked. Blue cocked her head in confusion. Hige and Toboe only watched, just as confused as Blue. Tsume's face was unreadable. Suddenly, instead of Quent, a light brown wolf, mangy and older looking, stood were Quent had stood originally. Blue yelped with joy that her Pops was believing in the wolves, which was a rather rare thing in itself.

Futeki smiled wolfishly. "So, the hunter actually listens to the prey. It's a good lesson to learn indeed." She said wisely.

"I still don't see how this is possible." Quent growled, looking at his new paws. Blue licked Quent on the ear.

"It's because you listened, Pops." Blue smiled. Toboe and Hige approached and congratulated Quent on becoming a wolf. But now, Blue seemed even more distant than when Quent had abandoned her right before their deaths.

"What's the matter, Blue?" Toboe asked. Kiba listened in to see if he could say anything.

"Well, now I'm the only half breed in the group." Blue said, watching Futeki greet Quent. Kouyuu kept his distance from the old man/wolf.

"Oh, it doesn't matter, Blue." Hige nipped at her ears playfully. "I still love you, and that's all that matters, right?"

Blue smiled. "Yeah, you're right. I still love you too, you chunky good-for-nothing."

Okay! I finally got it done! I'm greatly sorry about the wait, but I've been awfully busy... But finally, I got an idea for this part! Anyways, don't get too excited about the next chapter, for I have no idea how long it will take to write...