Disclaimer- I don't own Wolf's Rain. If I did, there'd be a new season already.

A/N: HUGE author's note at the end…

Dedication: This story is hereby dedicated to the wonderful Lonegrey. Here's to you, friend.

Before the Flower's Call

Three days had flown by, and the wolves had covered an incredible distance. A long time ago, a wolf could only cover about thirty miles a day, but in the present, it was either extraordinary endurance on the part of the pack, or wolves could not cover sixty miles in a day. Either way, it didn't matter. What mattered was—

"Look, see that!" Hige said excitedly as they crested a hill. "Finally! The sun was beginning to set, casting a great golden glow over the world as far as Toboe could see, silhouetting a small town black against its bright radiance. A warm breeze stirred his fur and tugged at his pelt as Kiba, out in front halted, smiling lightly, an expression rarely seen on the muzzle of the great white wolf. Tsume was also grinning, heck, even Getsuei had a silly grin slapped on his face.

Toboe blinked several times, trying to evaluate the city from their distance. "It looks big," he commented, cocking his head and pricking his ears forward a little bit, his tail wagging slightly. He was looking forward to the town, for the first time in a long time, they could have something warm in their bellies and rest…he had almost forgotten about the ruthless Dorjan, as they hadn't heard, scented or seen hide nor hair of the man. Getsuei said a day before that they could safely bet the left the bastard behind, but Marel wasn't so sure.

The young brown lupine shuddered involuntarily. Just thinking about Sheshkemana and her horrible people made him nervous. Hige didn't notice.

"All right!" he continued to crow, grinning like an idiot. "Hot meals, no Nobles and probably plenty of pretty girls!"

Tsume rolled his eyes at Hige, but nothing more. Everyone was used to his banter.

"We'll make it there by moonset if we hurry," Kiba told them, his face returned to its usual sphinx-like mold. "You up to the run?" he turned his head in the direction of Marel, who had been uncharictaristically lagging and slow, her blind eyes troubled, the aura around her going from proud and cranky to almost a despairing mood.

The pack, namely Getsuei was worried for her.

Toboe glanced over to the cream and gray wolf, biting his lip. The moon-marked lupine's ordinarily flinty eyes were narrowed in concern, his frustration clear on his face. Marel had refused to justify her condition with a name, and Getsuei probably felt helpless.

But Marel didn't want to be the object of pity. "I'm fine," she growled in reply. "I can make the run as well as you pups can. Come on, daylight's burning away."

Toboe was going to protest something, but Tsume shoved him lightly. "Don't say a word," the older wolf told him before bounding away after Kiba, Hige and Marel. Toboe followed reluctantly.

Marel's mind was racing as the pack ran on towards the city, now looming up clearly in the near distance. I have to tell them! She thought as her strides shortened and her breathing faltered. They have a right to know, I can't just leave them in the dark! Time's running out…they need to know soon.

Dorjan was in one hell of a bad mood, but it didn't show on his sinister face as he jogged after the trail the wolves left, using his handheld radar system to track the elusive lupines. He was almost two full days behind them, and if they got any further ahead, they'd leave him behind for good.

Sheshkemana'd have his head on a stick for that.

Cursing his lack of a vehicle and communication, the man continued on. The white wolf had literally destroyed his phone, so there was no way he could contact Lady Sheshkemana. Not that he wanted to, probably because all he'd get over the phone would be incoherent screams.

With luck, she might have killed herself before he returned, but there was no such good fortune. At least her stupid daughter was dead. Filthy half-breed, he had known all the long. Was he not a wolf-hunter by profession?

The sun was sinking, and the forest, which had been bright with the light of sunset, was starting to dim, and the nightingale, a bird almost extinct started its evening song. Dorjan narrowed his eyes, having half a mind to shoot the bird if he found it, but quickly decided against it. He didn't have ammo to spare. Nor batteries, nor food or water past his emergency supplies kit, and in a day or so, they'd be run dry.

He wanted to scream his frustration and take it out on someone, anyone, but of course, that wouldn't do. That wouldn't do at all….so absorbed in his current troubles, the dark hunter barely noticed that the trees were starting to thin, the forest ground giving way to barren, rocky land. It took him almost five seconds to fully register this.

Allowing a wicked grin to steal over his face, he quickly topped the tall hill that was a mere few meters away, leaping up it akin to a squirrel racing up a tree.

In the sterile distance, to his great glee, he could see six tiny dots moving steadily towards a town.

Not just any town, a town under the control of none other than everyone's favorite crazy Noble with a dead daughter and a deformed face. Another stroke of luck was that this was a very anonymous city, so the wolves wouldn't know who controlled it until too late.

He looked down the sheer face of the hill. Below, was a middle-aged man, his wife and two small children. There was a trailer and a beat-up truck not too far off, which obviously stated that they were on a camping trip of some sort. But that didn't interest Dorjan one little bit.

The man was holding a cell phone.

Without a second thought, he brought his rifle up to his eye, aimed, and shot true.

Author's Note: -gets down on knees- I am so sorry. I have no excuse other than a severe case of heartsickness and lack of motivation for the breakdown of this story, but I am back and hopefully better than ever. For those happy to see the return of this story, don't thank me, thank Lonegreywolf, who was the one to drag me out of dormancy and back into my writing. I don't know how else to thank you, my friend. Be warned, that I won't be able to update more than one a week, but I will continue steadily until I bring this story to a good conclusion. Thanks again. Oh, and don't forget to review! Forgive me for the shortness as well. The next chapter will be nice and meaty, I promise!