Author's Note: Yay! Reviews! Thanks guys! That last statement I made first in my last Author's Note was pretty dumb, huh? Oh yes, if you couldn't tell, I've started to have the text in which the wolves speak as wolves "italicized," so that should clear things up.

The text that is 'italicized' no matter human or wolf, that indicates their thoughts; incase you couldn't tell.

Character Notes: Okay. I don't know if you're getting the same image as I had when I wrote it, but think about whom else has a collar in the series like Blanke's… That's all I'll say. Sadly I don't plan on revealing her past for a bit of time now… so you'll have to deal with the agony of the enigma. P

Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf's Rain, BONES, or anything relating to it. I only own the plot of this story, and of course dear Blanke. D

Now read on and I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I love writing it! (Oh yes. In case you haven't noticed, I've started an 'inspirational' piece at the beginning of each chapter. It might be from Wolf's Rain - anime or manga- or something else. -shrug-)

-...-

"What do you plan on finding once you reach this Paradise?"
"A future."
"A future?"
"Not hope… or despair. Just a future. Nothing more."
"…I no longer have any need… for… a future."

-…-

Wolf's Rain :00: An Other Story
Chapter #Three: Are the Memories I Hold Still Valid?
Current Ages (Wolf):
Tiben: Four
Jakken: Four
Blanke: Three

"Oh Man… What're we gonna do!" The scritch-scratch of wolves' paws made their way on the forever walked-upon street, the heavy pounding of soldier's cleats far behind, near beside, and close in front of.

Jakken had never once thought of cursing, a vile human trait he despised, but of all the times in his life, now seemed the best time as ever.

'I don't know…' He thought, 'I just don't know what to do… Brother…' He whimpered as he turned a corner, his brother's limp body hanging over his back like a limp rag doll.

-Some Time Later…-

"Nnngh…" Tiben grunted as Jakken gently laid his brother against the wall of a shack embedded deep in the city. It was desolate enough, after Blanke and Jakken's last two hide-outs were quickly being found. Blanke had eventually remembered this deep hide-away she had found awhile back.

"He's feverish…" Blanke murmured, pulling away from Tiben's pallid and burning hot forehead.

"What will we do?" Jakken murmured, lowering to one knee to look at his brother.

Things didn't look good. The bullets had entered through his upper right torso, most of them forcing their way through his right arm and shoulder, and some still lodged inside his body.

"I don't know… I don't know! This has never happened to me before! ARGH!" The cream-coloured wolf snarled as she paced her way back and forth in the small space inside the building, her tail swishing angrily, "This has never happened before! Everything was fine until I met you two stupid brothers! Then you two come along and suddenly BAM – my life is shattered!" Blanke stopped, turning her head to see why she wasn't being noticed.

Her ears lowered to her head, her silver eyes taking on a sympathetic look.

In the corner of the room, were two wolves. Almost identical, they were distinguishable only by the blood spattered across mainly the slightly larger one, a smaller one gently licking at the blood, clearing it away bit by bit.

Slowly, the blood began to clear, after many minutes all the small, cream coloured wolf in the middle of the room could hear was the gentle rasping sound of the tongue of the blue-eyed silver wolf, the thudding feet and barking orders of Lady Jagara's troops fading away.

'Such care…' She wondered mentally, 'I wonder… if I was ever loved like that…' She whined, and sat down, feeling awkward and out of place.

It may have been a couple minutes, or even a couple hours, but however much time had passed Blanke felt herself being nudged awake, blinking open her silver eyes to see Jakken kneeling in front of her.

"Hey…" Blanke yawned, rubbing her eyes, "Is he…?"

"…He'll be… I don't know…" Jakken admitted, getting up and gazing weakly at his older brother, who was lying limply on the ground as a maimed silver wolf.

"He doesn't even have enough energy to take on a human guise… I'm not sure what to do! What will we do, Blanke! I feel so helpless!" Jakken put his hands to his head and gripped them in agony, his eyes worried and frantic.

"Hey! Relax! I've lived in this town for a couple of years; I would THINK I would know my way around…" Blanke smiled as she turned her back to Jakken, reaching out and touching the empty doorway with one hand.

She leaned back and smiled at Jakken, fingering her collar with her other free hand, its metal plaque reflecting the sunset's sunlight into the room.

"…I would think I would know where to find some medical supplies too."

Jakken let out a sigh of relief, before rushing over to his brother to gently place a hand on his sweat-ridden fur. Tiben's eyes fluttered open, fazed and distant with pain and confusion. His ribs expanded and fell with each breath, wheezing.

"Don't worry brother. I won't let you die. Just lay here for a while, nothing bad is going to happen to you. Rest."

Tiben's eyes slowly shut again, maybe to relief, and his breath became slower and more relaxed, jerking occasionally in response to the wounds in his body.

Jakken sighed slightly in relief – his brother was okay. That was a good sign. In these condition anyway. He went to his brother's side and took off his human cape, laying it gently on his brother's weak body.

"You ready?" Blanke stood in the empty doorway to the outside, and finished fingering her collar before she twirled it around her neck.

"…Sure." Jakken tried a smile, then nodded grimly, following the young wolf out the window attempting not to think about what could happen if they never came back…

-Outside-

"See, I told you that was easy!" Blanke grinned, turning around to wave at the old human couple the two had bought medical supplies from.

"Good-bye child, thank you for coming by!" The wrinkled face of the old woman smiled, waving in return.

"Yes, we enjoy your visits! Come back as soon as you can!" The man smiled as well, before turning his attention to the sudden racking cough the gripped his wife.

"Yes…" Jakken turned from the sight of the old couple with a saddened look on his face, and readjusted the large paper bag in his hands so that it rested underneath and arm, giving him a free hand.

"They're sweet, aren't they? They're almost like family to me… I can always come to them for anything. They let me live with them sometimes!" Blanke smiled broadly, noticing Jakken's look on the old couple.

"So you are like a pet to them – " Jakken's sentence was cut off by Blanke whirling around and stopping him in his tracks.

She jabbed an accusing finger on his chest, and stuck her face into his.

"Never. I am not anyone's pet. Not even them. I am NOBODY'S pet. I never have, and never will." She seethed, then continued, "They don't even know that I'm a…" She glanced around before whispering close into his ear, "…Wolf."

She turned back around and continued walking holding the bag she had with her hands underneath it, leaving a stunned Jakken behind.

It took him a few moments, then blinked out of his stupor, jogging slightly to catch up with Blanke, walking beside her.

"So, I take it you've lived here for a long time then?" Jakken murmured, to try and ease the cold shoulder coming from Blanke.

"…Yeah. I kinda… was here. For as long as I could remember." Blanke glanced at Jakken, seeing his kind blue eyes then quickly grew red and looked at the ground, at the path in front of them.

"I had always been here, for as long as I can remember. Remember how I told you earlier that I didn't know where I originally came from? Well I've been here for a bit… Enough to get to know most of the people around here." Blanke sighed.

"But… why? Why can't you remember?" Jakken asked, blinking.

"I don't know. I've forgotten… or something's made me forget. I don't know, and sometimes I'm afraid of remembering…" Blanke hunched her shoulders up, and most of her face was hidden by the bag she carried.

"Afraid? Why would you be afraid of remembering something so important? Something that you've wondered for your entire life!" Jakken stopped, and reached out his spare hand and grabbed Blanke by the one of the ends of afghan. His loud voice caused several of the other people in the street as they were to stop, and stare at the strange couple. They wondered who these people were, and why they were causing such a big deal.

The men in the alleyways of the same street stopped, and held themselves up at attention, one of them glancing over the corner of their position and see two wolves, one growling at the other, the other having a collar around its neck. Two shopping bags sat at their feet.

"You don't understand!" Blanke whirled around suddenly, causing several items to fall out from her bag and rattle on the ground at their feet, "You don't understand! You live your whole life in a rat-hole like this FEARING if you're going to live to see tomorrow! Jagara's soldiers roaming around this whole place, tearing families apart! I've seen it! I've seen what they do! Don't you think that I don't know that I'm a coward! I've seen things…" She bit her trembling lip, and looked at the ground, "Things that I know shouldn't have happened… and I was helpless to stop them."

Jakken growled, gritting his teeth and then abruptly slugged her in the face, sending her falling to the ground, the contents of her bag rolling out and covering the ground.

"Don't give me that crap, Blanke." Blanke gingerly rubbed her cheek where it still burned from the force of Jakken's punch. Her normally happy eyes were clouded with tears. But Jakken still wasn't quiet.

A dozen of soldiers poured out of the alley and surrounded them in an instant, their weapons clicking into action and giving a warning. These weren't normal soldiers. These were the wolf-hunters of Lady Jagara, massive in their huge armor, bulking shields, and vicious trident spears.

"You are both under arrest by the name of the great Lady Jagara! You both will surrender instantly or we will be forced to take action!" One of them called out.

Jakken ignored them.

"If you're afraid of something that big then you're going to be afraid of everything else for the rest of your life! Don't lie to me, Blanke, I saw the fear take control of your body when the soldiers came earlier, I saw the stress overtake your body and cause you to freeze up. You were afraid, like you will be for the rest of your life. So you've seen bad things. So what. So have my brother and I. But that didn't stop us from becoming cowards and hanging around in a place that we fear. Just the opposite. We've fought for things we believed in, whether or not we were scared. And we have been, for a long time."

He reached down, causing several of the soldiers to tense and hold their weapons out, bladed side out, and switch their shields close to their bodies.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore." Jakken whispered, his voice almost lost in Blanke's ear as he began to pull her up.

Her eyes caught his, and saw the rebellious gleam in them. She nodded curtly, and as he pulled her up they both leapt into the air, to the surprise of the soldiers who began firing their spears, the brilliant red lasers emitted from them burning nothing but the air. The towns-people screamed, and all scattered for cover.

Blanke and Jakken landed safely on the roof of the building next to the street. Not a word was said. They both got up and began the journey back to their safe house, as the soldiers followed in vain afterward on foot, crushing the contents of Blanke's medical kit on the ground.

-Hours Later-

Blanke stood silently by the door, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared somberly into the sky – dotted with stars and swirls and lastly… the moon. It wasn't much, it was already waning, but it was enough to give her comfort. It had always made her feel better. It was the moon, and it was her only friend.

That had to be enough… right?

She sighed and buried her head in her arms, biting her lip. Both the words and the slap she received from Jakken had long faded… but it still stung. His words… was she really afraid of everything?

'I had never really gone out… attempted to leave this city… I hid in the shadows, watching Jagara's troops turn this town into a pigsty. And I didn't do anything to help… Anything to draw attention to myself! I really was a coward… But…' Blanke tore herself from her thoughts and looked into the night sky, whispering the words that would remain hers forever.

"Am I still a coward?"

"I don't know."

"AHH!" Blanke nearly jumped into the air, turning around quickly to see Jakken standing there, holding his hand behind his head and waving sheepishly with the other.

"Sorry, was I interrupting you?" He asked sweetly.

"Nothing! Ugh! Forget it! Boys…" Blanke turned back around, her cheeks bright red and puffed out in anger.

She continued to stare into the sky, aware that Jakken had sat down next to her, wiping his hands on a rag.

"You know, I think my brother is going to be all right." He said, not looking at her but at the moon as well, "I managed to patch him up… though he will be weak for a bit I s'pose. I just hope I did my best…" he sighed and looked at his hands – which were still slightly stained in his brother's blood.

Blanke looked out of the corner of her eye and saw Jakken trembling, before burying his face in his hands.

'So… he was scared too… Maybe it's okay to be scared… sometimes…' She thought, and forced a smile back from her face.

"You did." She said lightly to Jakken, who looked up to see Blanke staring nonchalantly into space.

They fell silent for a while, and that silence was only broken by the crickets… and a dog bark. The occasional shout from a family and the stamping of feet from the soldiers. They were wanted criminals, after all.

"Hey… Jakken?"

"Yes?"

"I think… I'm going to try to be braver. You know, because you and Tiben are going to need it… need ME on this 'journey' of yours. You never know…"

Jakken nodded faintly, and the silence of meditation flowed around the pair again.

From his place at the doorway - where he had dragged himself - Tiben smiled. Maybe things wouldn't be as harsh here after all.