Disclaimer: Don't own Wolf's Rain, as previously stated in the last eleven chapters.

Tsume's POV

"For whose sake

Have I been born?"

I hate the smell of that damn smoke. Why the hell do they even burn the scented stuff? Any Wolf in their right mind would stay away from anything that smells like this.

In any case, we each got a copy of the Book of the Moon from the Priestess Freak and her Lackey. Toboe asked me if any of it sounded familiar. Stupid pup, I've never read it before. "It's all a bunch of philosophical, judgmental babble to me."

"I don't understand all of it," Toboe admitted, looking embarrassed. "We never read stuff like this when I was in school."

"This reminds me of when I read stuff from the Bible at high school. It was an assignment." Hige continued eating his potato chips, flipping through the Book. "Only the story part makes much sense. All the rest of it has to be 'personally interpreted.' It all depends on what you think it means. What do you think, Pup?"

"…I think I don't know a lot of the words." Toboe kept flipping, not making eye contact with Hige. "My grandma died when I was in second grade—nobody else sent me to school."

"Oh." Hige laughed and pointed. "Hey, Tsume, that Wolf kinda looks like you!"

I scowled and glanced at the picture. The Wolf was large, steely gray, and pissy looking. A scar blotched his chest, large and painful looking. For a moment, the Pup rubbed off on me; I thought the guy looked familiar. "You're a damn idiot. That one looks like you."

"Screw you, buddy. I'd never let someone put a collar on me." Hige finished the bag of chips and reached for another one. "Besides, I'm infinitely hotter than that guy."

"Kiba." Toboe stared down at his copy, looking amazed. "That guy is Kiba."

I leaned over to gaze at the picture, Hige bumping shoulders with me as he leaned in as well. After glaring at him, I shoved him backwards and returned to the Book. Surprisingly, the Pup was right. The guy looked exactly like Kiba, with passionate bright eyes and a pure white coat. "Hm…" This was starting to leave a bad taste in my mouth.

"Yo, Kiba! We found your last school photo!" Hige called. "How long do you think that Priestess chick was stalking us to make this Book?"

"She wasn't," Kuro growled, closing his own copy. "My pack had a copy of this Book."

"Well that's creepy." Hige turned to me. "Have you ever seen this Book before, Drop Out?"

"No," I snapped. "Why the hell would I? Do you really think I had time to just sit down and read?"

"Seeing as you're a homeless bum, yes," Kuro muttered, standing.

I felt a growl escape my throat. "You just live to piss me off, don't you?"

He ignored me and walked off as Kiba walked over. "What were you talking about, Hige?"

Hige pointed at the picture again. "He looks EXACTLY like you."

Kiba stared at it for a moment, expressionless as always. "That one looks like Tsume."

"Told ya!" Hige said, sticking his tongue out at me.

"And that one looks like Hige." Kiba's last comment made Porky shut up real quick. "And Toboe." For some reason, the mention of the Pup in the Book made me even more pissed off than I had been before.

"Why aren't you in there, Kuro?" Hige asked, looking around for him. "Kuro?"

"He went outside to think." Creepy Priestess Lady walked over, stopping a distance away. "May I approach you, my Lords?"

Kiba looked at her in his normal stoic manner, then answered, "You don't have to ask. We aren't gods or anything."

She lowered her head respectfully. "You have walked this world before."

That pissed me off even more. This whole Book of the Moon thing, mentioning us, and only us, was making me start to doubt myself. I HATED that. Nothing this Book said gave us any control of who we were and what we did; the idea that my entire existence was built around the damn principle that I should live out what this Book had to say seriously pissed me off. The fact that I once had nightmares about getting that damn scar, nightmares about Hige stumbling around some city, looking almost like he was in pain, nightmares about Toboe laying, bleeding on the ground…Kiba, bleeding, trapped in some witch's spell as she tried to open that damn Paradise that everyone was looking for… Weren't we born for our own behalves? Weren't we meant to live the way that we wanted? I knew damn well that I wasn't born to help open some fairyland for everyone else. I was born to live life as I damn well pleased, regardless of what that rotting piece of shit had to say.

"What about Kuro?" Toboe asked, snapping me out of my own thoughts. He's so damn naïve.

"Kuro has not, though he has become a part of all this. He will help open Paradise."

"You think WE will open Paradise?" Hige asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes."

Hige burst out laughing; I had to agree with Porky on this one. "You think that WE will pen Paradise—have you seen us? A high school drop out, an antisocial pretty boy, an innocent, orphaned pup, a creepy Wolf with a white spot on his chest, and me—"

"—An egotistical, fat momma's boy," I finished for him. "I don't even believe in Paradise. And I sure as hell won't stop living the way I have because some book told me to."

"It as preordained," she answered patiently. "More will join you, and Paradise will open. The Tainted One will be cleansed, and the White Wolf will—"

"Blah blah blah blah blah," Hige sighed, scratching his chin. "Maybe we should get going?"

Toboe looked up at me. "You're coming with us, right, Tsume?"

Damn pup. I turned towards the cave's entrance again. "Let's go."

Kiba's eyes met with the Priestess's. "You're coming with us."

She bowed low. "As you wish, my Lord."

Kuro glanced at us as we walked out to him; he didn't say anything, just started walking. I felt a growl start in my throat. He wasn't even cocky or arrogant, just so indifferent towards everything that it pissed me off.

"Yeah! Short got down, said come and get me...Yeah! I got so caught up, I forget she told me…"

"NO." I glared back at Hige. "If you EVER start singing again, I will castrate you and shove your balls in your mouth so that you can't make any sound ever again."

Hige looked at me blankly. "Chill out, man, it was just Usher. Who's YOUR favorite singer? Linkin Park? Britney Spears? T.M. Revolution? Utada Hikaru?"

"I don't like music," I snapped, giving him another glare. Music only served to try to remind me of something I kept telling myself I never forgot.

"I bet you like Britney. I'm addicted to you, don't you know that you're—"

"STOP," Kuro, Kiba, Lackey Boy and I all said at the same time.

"Wow, Hige. How do you get your voice so high?" Toboe asked him, eyes wide with wonder.

"People who haven't reached puberty can do that," I grumbled, and I could have sworn that Pretty Boy smiled a little bit.

"I have to reached puberty," Hige snapped, sounding indignant. "Don't hate on my beautiful singing voice."

"I'm not. I'm hating on your horrible one," I answered, still walking.

"Shut up." Kuro hooked his fingers into a fence and started climbing, the fence clanking noisily.

Kiba, Toboe and Hige all clamped their hands over their noses as an overwhelming stench swam over us. I felt the need to vomit as I quickly covered my nose. "What the hell is that smell!"

Kuro landed on the other side of the fence and turned to us. "You'll see soon enough. Hurry up." And with that, Spot turned away and started walking.

I choked the whole time I lumbered up the fence. When I got to the other side, I blinked and stared at Toboe, who was shaking himself out. "How the hell did you get over here before me?"

"I slipped under the fence," he told me with a smile. "I'm small enough to fit."

Hige fell on his ass nearby. "You need to eat more food, Pup."

Kiba glanced over his shoulder at us, hand over his nose. "We're falling behind."

Priestess Chick floated along behind us, her little lackey close behind her as we walked on. Kuro offered no explanation to where we were going or why, just kept walking.

"Uh…Kuro?" Damn pig—didn't he realize we were in enemy territory? "Could you explain the smell now? It's really…nasty."

Kiba looked back at us again. "Be quiet, Hige."

"Too late now," Porky said, pointing. Two guards were walking towards us, guns at the ready. "Still got that knife, Kuro?"

Kuro dodged a bullet, he and Kiba dashing to the sides. As the guards swerved to block them, I ran forward as a Wolf, snarling as I tore the gun from one of the guard's hands. Kiba leapt on the other one as I tore out my opponent's throat, wincing as a gargled scream tore through the air. We had lost the element of surprise. Damn.

"Here." Kuro beckoned us to a tower and ducked into an open door. I grabbed Toboe and ran in; Kiba slammed the door shut after everyone made it. "Good job, Tsume."

I glared at Kuro, struggling to keep myself from tearing his head off. "Hige was the dumbass who wouldn't shut his damn mouth. It's his fault, if it's anyone's."

Hige shrugged. "You can still smell the crap. I still want to know what it is."

Abruptly, a wail rose form a nearby building, horrible and despairing. The pain and utter sadness in the cry made me want o scream. Nothing should have to suffer like that; I clamped my hands over my ears, trying to block it out.

Toboe started sobbing, sitting down on the ground and curling up. "What is that? What's happening?" He clutched at his ears as well, shaking his head furiously. "Make it stop!"

More cries joined the wail, some of them Wolves howling, others those horrible, unidentifiable voices. A growl escaped Kiba's throat, his face scrunched in pain before he threw his head back and howled with the rest.

I glared at Kuro, who hadn't budged from where he was. "What the hell is wrong with you! Can't you hear them!"

"All I can hear is Wolves howling," Lackey Boy murmured, glancing up at the Priestess. "What do you hear, Milady?"

She hesitated before turning to Kuro, who was the only one not freaking out. "I am also confused, my Lord."

Kuro's eyes met with mine. "Now do you believe in Hell?"

Hayo's POV

It took all of my strength to keep from ripping the man's head off. His hands were shaking as he looked down at me, bowed at his feet, then looked at Darshia with wide, begging eyes. Humans. Waste of everyone's damn time.

The man's eyes stayed fixed on Darshia. "Do you have it? The Pollen?"

Darshia offered him a bag. A very SMALL bag. "Is everything in place, Prime Minister?"

Prime Minister Daijinano snatched the bag and clutched it to his chest. "Yes, yes—my sister, Jagura, is taking care of the preparations. Hw much is in here?"

"Enough to last you until we next meet." He turned to me, one blue eye shining. "Let us go, Hayo."

I nodded and stood, glaring back at Daijinano. When we had left the building and Darshia was removing his tie, I growled. "I hate that man. If you gave me a chance to tear out his filthy human throat—"

"Patience, Hayo, patience. He is blocking the way to Paradise. He must be removed."

Author's Notes: Yes, I stuck in the little mini-chapter at the end. Things are starting to get good, after this. Don't worry, they'll find Cheza soon, and then they can start trotting along to where they belong. Reviews and comments are always appreciated…