The pack rested as they always had. It was dark and to stormy to continue, but Tsume was not going to rest.
"Where are you going, Tsume? TSUME!" Toboe yelled as Tsume walked out from under the rock which was sheltering them from the brewing storm. Tsume stopped long enough to turn his head in Toboe's direction. Smirking he answered,
"I go where I want, kid."
As another flash of lightning brightened the murky sky, Kiba put his hand on Toboe's shoulder with a grim smile.
"Let him go, Toboe. What he does is none of our business."
Turning himself and Toboe away, he fought the feeling that one of his pack was leaving the safety of the tribe.
As soon as Tsume though he was out of sight of the others, he ran. Nowhere in particular, he just wanted to rid himself of the memory that was haunting him, that always haunted him.
A reddish wolf nuzzled the half awake grey wolf. Pretending to still be asleep, he rolled over on his other side, ignoring his companion's wish to awaken him. The reddish wolf growled playfully and jumped on top of the grey wolf's still form. The Grey wolf rolled over and playfully nipped at his friend's ear. Jumping back, the red wolf positioned herself for another attack when there was a loud banging on the door. The two immediately sobered and the grey wolf motioned for the red wolf to get in the closet, which she did with her ears pinned down and her tail between her legs. Changing into his human form, Tsume walked to the door, and checked to make sure the other wolf was out of sight before he opened it.
"Where is 'it'?" A man asked.
"Where is what? I haven't the vaguest conception of what you ask."
The man smirked and stood taller than he had before.
"I'm sure." The man stalked away, and Tsume closed the door, a little tenser than he had been before.
They are becoming restless, a feminine voice whispered in his head. Turning, he was slightly surprised to see the red wolf in her human form. Though it was wrong, he couldn't help but think how cute she was. Her long red hair contrasted beautifully on her fair skin. She had a birth mark at the end at her right eyebrow in the shape of a star. Tsume walked towards her, sticking his hands in his pockets.
They'll never find you here, he answered.
"It's only a matter of time." She said aloud, her voice ringing in the silence. Tsume tried to hide his feelings, but he knew she was right. It was only a matter of time before they found her hiding here.
"Tsume, I have to leave. If I stay they will kill you and me both. I must leave here, tonight."
"Then I will go with you, besides, your paw is still hurt." Tsume tenderly grabbed her left hand and looked at it closely. The bandage had not bled through, thankfully, but by the way she grimaced, it was still tender.
"Tsume, it's not so bad." She said and Tsume smiled
"Really, Amaya, I suggest you work on your acting if we're going to leave this city."
Amaya smiled and looked down. A quiet passed over them and Tsume felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. When he went to his friend's house that fateful night a year ago, he hadn't expected to find him dying, and he hadn't expected him to ask Tsume to take care of his sister, the one They were after. They, the horrid people who ran the city, if people are what you could call them. Tsume couldn't, and probably never would be able to understand what they wanted with Amaya.
The name brought him out of his reminisce. As he looked down at his beautiful lover, his heart softened. Never had he imagined someone like her touching him in such a way that made him repent to whatever evil was in his mind. Her innocence, her beauty, it all pleased Tsume.
"Amaya it's time to change your bandages." Tsume said finally, breaking the silence. Amaya smiled and walked to the other room, where she had bandages and ointments. Tsume was careful as he unwrapped the dirtied bandage off Amaya's hand. As he pulled it off, the puncture wound bled anew. Tsume pulled out an herbal ointment and wrinkled his nose in disgust. Amaya gazed reproachfully into Tsume's eyes.
"Doctor said it would keep it from getting infected." Saying nothing, Tsume squeezed some of the abhorrent liquid on to Amaya's puncture wound.
"So, what did you tell the doctor again?" Tsume asked trying to make Amaya think about something other then the pain as the liquid worked through the hole in her hand.
"I told him that I fell off a roof, onto a nail." She answered through her teeth.
Tsume smiled as he worked to put more bandages on over her wound. That was far from the truth, as he well knew. They had been hunting a week ago, Tsume cursed his stupidity for not thinking ahead, and they had found the perfect prey. But that is where their luck ended, and Amaya was caught in a wolf trap. Had Tsume not been there, she would have gotten caught. That was the last time Tsume risked being caught for food.
Amaya seemed to know what he was thinking and put her free hand on Tsume's shoulder, rubbing it slightly and offering him a small smile that quickly faded as the ointment cleansed its way through her wound. As soon as he was sure it had had enough time to soak in, Tsume wrapped a new bandage on it. He sighed and washed his hands, placing the liquid on the side of the sink.
"Tonight we shall go." He said quietly and Amaya nodded as she left the room to get a bag.
Tsume opened the front door slowly, peering into the night, looking for any soldier that might be doing a midnight run, but to his estranged relief, he saw no one. Straightening the pack of medicine and food on his pack, he squeezed Amaya's hand.
Let's go, he thought silently and Amaya nodded her mouth in a determined line. With that they ran into the silent night, the only sound they made was the quiet pat of their feet and their soft breathing in rhythm of their steps. Suddenly, Tsume stopped and sniffed the air, then turned to give Amaya a meaningful look.
I smell wolf's blood on that man, she thought and Tsume jumped down into a ditch that if you hugged against the street you could not see someone standing there, Amaya followed, and just in time. The sound of horse hoofs drew nearer, coming for the direction ogf Tsume's old house.
"They could not have gone far!" They heard man say, "Follow their scent!" and Tsume was struck with a horrible realization. They were using wolves to track Amaya and himself, they were doomed. He looked over at Amaya and knew she was thinking the same, her eyes wide with fear and horror. To Tsume's worst fear, the horses stopped and a whip sounded.
"Why have they stopped? What is going on, we are going to lose them!" The man cried in stupidity and Tsume grabbed Amaya's arm.
I smell them. You are here, in that ditch, he heard one of the wolves say in a deep growling tone.
Please, Tsume fought back, lead him away allow us to escape.
We cannot do that, you are caught, another said as its howl rose, followed by many others. Tsume blinked back tears, as the wolves jumped down to surround them and a light was shown down on the couple who were clinging to each other.
"Well, well, well what do we have here?" The man asked, a horrible smile distorting his features. The men around him carried sticks with sharpened metal at the end of them, and they stood around a cage that seemed to have many other female wolves in it, all of which were bleeding from what looked like many beatings from more than one night.
"What do you want?" Tsume asked even though he knew, but just the thought of it made him hold Amaya's hand even tighter.
"Dare you speak to me like that, wolf? Had I more time I would teach you your rightful place, but alas all I have time for is to get the female. Hand her over, and all will go well for you."
"Never." Tsume growled in disgust. He stepped closer to Amaya, taking a defensive stance as the 5 wolves around him growled.
"Attack." The man said lazily, and the wolves did not hesitate. They all jumped for The couple, and Tsume was able to throw one off and grab another by the neck to twist around, while Amaya fought and beat the third one, but Tsume was not so lucky with his next opponent. While he was throwing the second wolf to the ground, another took the attack as a decoy. Jumping in the air, its mouth in a snarl, it came down right atop of Tsume and put his left arm, knocking him over in the process. Amaya snarled and brought her paw across the offensive wolf, knocking him away as he whimpered.
"Shoot the grey wolf." The man said, and a man pulled out a pistol and pointed it at Tsume's heart. Amaya snarled and jumped at the man, when she stopped in mid air. Tsume looked up as blood trickled down to hit his face and he saw Amaya had the metal stick jabbed all the way through her chest and out her back. Tsume felt panic suddenly over take him as he looked into her eyes seeing a confused and dazed look.
"Tsume…" She whispered and fell back, hitting the ground with a sick thud.
Amaya, he said in his mind, was too clouded with grief to even think. For an estranged moment Amaya smiled.
I want to thank you for all your help, she said as her eyes turned dull and glassy.
No, not yet, Tsume thought as he nuzzled his dead mate. He let a sob escape him when he heard a chuckling from the man.
"Oh, what a pity, wish she could have just come with us, she was so pretty." Tsume's anger boiled and his sadness became that of madness. He turned and cracked his knuckles, crying out madly in a half howl have moan to the sky. Jumping to the man he felt his hands rip into flesh as he ate out the blood and guts from the still screaming man. Then suddenly he felt an intense pain in his chest, and dazed he looked down. Blood was flowing down his clothes, and there was a hole in his chest, but he smiled as he walked away down the street, leaving the rest of the men alone and the man still screaming as his guts fell from his open stomach. A rumble of thunder ran through the city and like the tears Tsume wished he could cry the rain fell heavily. The blood still poured from Tsume's wound and he could feel himself growing faint.
I couldn't protect you, Amaya, he thought sadly but he smiled in irony, and now I com o join you in Shangri-la.
Tsume awoke to a bright light and an amazing pain in his chest. A man in white stood over him, and he heard a loud beeping to his right. Alarmed, he tried to sit up but the intense pain was too much.
"Calm down." The man said calmly and placed a tender hand on Tsume's shoulder.
"Where am I?" Tsume asked groggily, his voice oddly thick.
"Your in a hospital, you were shot in the chest, your going to be fine now, you will just have a scar. You're going to be tender for a few days, but if you take it easy you'll be okay." Tsume felt the immediate disappointment that he was still alive and a sudden shame.
"But how did I get here?" Tsume asked, noticing that his voice was groggy from medication.
"A man brought you, I good Samaritan that said he saw you lying in the street. You should sleep, you really need it because tomorrow we are getting your stitches out." And with that the doctor left leaving Tsume to brood alone.
I wish I could have died.
Tsume stopped and put his head in his hands, his cheeks now covered in tears. The rain started to fall slowly, at first just big drops of water, which quickly progressed to a full downpour in which Tsume couldn't see his hand in front of his face. But as Tsume looked down, he saw the white scar on his chest, his silent reminder never to get close to anyone and he howled in the rain, a mournful, hopeless want for the life he once had.
Miles away, Kiba sat erect and looked out into the rain, aware of the sorrowful cry that had filled his ears. The others lay, sleeping, and Kiba knew at once that it was Tsume.