Author's Notes: This is the second fanfic I was talking about. Watched the entire series and was left sniffling. Wolf's Rain is now on my Must Own list.
I set this scene right after they broke out of the Dead Forest and found that beautiful lake. Yeah, I Mary-Sue'd myself into it, but read it anyway. You might be surprised.
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Disclaimer: Wolf's Rain owned by Nobumoto Keiko and Bandai.
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Hige looked up from trying to drown Toboe and sniffed the air.
"There's a human nearby!" He cried, jumping out of the water. Kiva and Tsume whipped around, tensing for a possible attack. A lone figure stumbled out of the living trees growing near the lake, female by her scent. She gaped at them in surprise.
"I thought no human survived the Dead Forest," Toboe mutter, also coming out of the lake. Kiva moved to guard Cheza.
"No human ever came back from the Dead Forest," The white wolf corrected, watching the female closely. She moved towards them slowly, head and shoulders drooping in submission. When she was still several feet away, she dropped to her hands and knees, head bowed.
"I am sorry to disturb you. It has been so long since I've seen wolves, I can hardly believe my eyes," She said. The pack exchanged glances. Why was this human acting like a beta female? More importantly, how could she see through their illusions?
"You know what we are?" Kiva asked softly. Toboe, Tsume and Hige ranged themselves behind him and around Cheza, the intent clear. The human kept her head down, glancing up at them through messy bangs.
"Yes. Few find the path out of the Dead Forest. Fewer still make it past the guardians."
"Then how did you make it?" Tsume asked harshly.
"I was with a wolf." Her answer brought shocked gasps from Hige and Tsume. Toboe cocked his head, confused.
"You gave a wolf a home?" He asked, thinking back to his Granny. The human shook her head.
"I was companion," She glanced up again. "I will tell you my story, in exchange for something."
"Keh. Typical human," Tsume folded his arms. "She probably wants us to feed her or something."
"There is very little food left in this forest, for humans or wolves," The human responded, lifting her head slightly. "After you hear my story, you can kill and eat me."
"EAT YOU?" The pack chorused. She nodded.
"As I said, there is little here and since you just came from the Dead Forest, you all must be hungry. I'm still fairly healthy and to give strength to the Heralds of Paradise is an honor."
"But...but why?" Toboe blurted out, breaking formation to run over and kneel next to the human. Up close, he could see she looked about Kiva's age, probably near adulthood.
"I've already answered that."
"Well, I'm not going to eat you!" Toboe stood up and backed away, looking horrified. Hige wrinkled his nose.
"Yuck! What a disgusting idea."
"That's rich, coming from you, Porky," Tsume sneered.
"What, are you going to eat her?" Hige snapped back.
"Of course not! Humans taste awful."
"I'll do it," Kiva said, stepping forward and kneeling a few feet away from the young woman. She smiled and bowed her head again.
"Thank you." He nodded and made himself comfortable. The rest of the pack stared in disbelief. Cheza looked at each wolf in turn, then hurried over to sit next to Kiva.
"This one would like to hear the story, but this one cannot eat you," She said. The young woman sat back on her heels, her head still dipped respectfully.
"I will tell my story for everyone. As long as one of you gains strength from my flesh, I am happy."
"My name is Kiva."
"This one is called Cheza."
"I am Little Sister."
"'Little Sister'? What kind of a name is that?" Hige mocked. Kiva and Cheza turned to glare at him. Toboe muttered something about manners and Tsume 'keh'ed. Little Sister, on the other hand, jumped to her feet, growling. This brought everyone's attention back on the human.
"Umi gave me that name the day I made my first kill! She was my alpha! How DARE you!" She yelled, hands curling into claws. Hige put both hands up and backed away.
"Hey, I'm sorry, all right! Geez! Don't get your tail in a twist."
"Even you should know better then to mock someone's name, Porky," Tsume grumbled, slapping the younger wolf upside the head.
"Owwww."
"You'll have to excuse Hige," Kiva said, turning back to the growling woman. "He tends to run off at the muzzle." Little Sister glanced at Kiva, back at Hige, then knelt.
"Apology accepted."
"You said Umi was your alpha?" Kiva prompted. Little Sister nodded, turning her attention back to the white.
"Yes. I found her three years ago outside the village I was studying medicine at. She was badly hurt, so I took her to my den and tended her wounds." Tsume twitched, clearly unhappy hearing a human talk like a wolf. Toboe scooted closer to the gray, offering wordless suppport. Hige flopped down on the ground, feeling slighted.
"I was very surprised the next morning when, instead of the silvery wolf I had rescued, a beautiful blonde woman was sleeping on the bed I had prepared. She introduced herself as Umi and explained she was searching for Paradise. I told her she could stay as long as she wished with me. I knew she was wild, so whenever I had to go out, I left the door open. She was always there when I came back. I took a break from my studies and we spent a week together, learning about each other. After that first week, she told me she had to start traveling again. By then, I realized I loved her and didn't want to be parted," Again, gasps escaped from the wolves. Hige and Tsume blinked in astonishment. Toboe nodded and smiled.
"That makes sense. If you love someone, you never want them to leave." His face fell. "But sometimes they have to."
"I knew as I was I would slow her down. I also knew of certain drugs that increase a human's endurance and speed. I told Umi all of this and asked if I could come with her. She agreed and a few days later, after I had gathered what supplies and drugs I could, we left. We traveled together until a few months ago. My healing skills sometimes bought us food and shelter, the rest of the time we camped out. Two years ago, I nicked a sheep from a random flock and killed it myself. Umi watched me and said that I was officially part of her pack. She named me that night." Little Sister smiled slightly, then sighed.
"We came through the Dead Forest about two months ago. We found the tunnel and the guardians. Umi knew I couldn't fight well with just my knife, so she put me up on a ledge and stood below me. I was looking for an escape route and saw a narrow black space where the guardians refused to go near. I jumped down, grabbed Umi's ruff and led her to the space. We slid down and found the bug-eating plants. By then we were both severely bitten. The guardians have poison in their mouths and it hit me much worse. I was sick for several days. Umi decided I needed human medicine and left to go find some." The woman sniffled, tears breaking free from her lashes. Toboe's ears pricked and he moved to sit next to Kiva. He hated seeing someone cry. Tsume and Hige exchanged glances.
"I begged her to kill me. I thought I was dying. She refused, saying she loved me too much to kill me. She promised to come back with help." Little Sister broke down, sobbing into her hands. Cheza leaned forward and rested a hand on Sister's shoulder. Toboe whined in sympathy. After a few minutes, Little Sister wiped her eyes.
"I was able to fight off the poison with the last of my drugs. I couldn't track Umi, so I waited. Then, on the last full moon, she came to me in a dream. She was even more silvery, but see-through. She...she told me she had been...killed," Cheza jerked her hand away with a gasp. The wolves stiffened.
"Killed by human men...who wanted her pelt," Little Sister choked out, crying again. Four sets of fangs were bared as the male wolves growled at this atrocity. Little Sister fought her tears as she continued. "She told me...to stay hidden...avoid all humans...and if any wolves came through the forest...to ask them to kill me. She didn't...want me dying by...human hands." Little Sister dried her face on a sleeve and glanced up. The pack was still growling, Hige and Tsume having moved closer in a show of outrage.
"Did she give any descriptions of these men?" Kiva asked in a low voice. Little Sister shook her head.
"All she said was there were three of them. They used a net to catch her and slit her throat. She had gone west, I don't know how many days had gone by."
"We'll find them, Little Sister," Tsume snarled. She looked up at the gray, blinking in surprise.
"Will you eat me, then? You will need your strength. I don't know if I'll fill all of your bellies, but if you each have some, that's better then nothing, yes?"
"Yeah, well..." Tsume trailed off, looking uncomfortable. Kiva smiled slightly.
"Don't worry, Little Sister. We won't let your gift go to waste."
"Thank you, Kiva. Goodbye." Little Sister threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He blinked in surprise, then lowered his head against her shoulder. It was only fitting that her last memory be a happy one. When she pulled back, he licked her cheek. She smiled and turned to Toboe.
"Toboe," He said, nuzzling her hand. She hugged him and he licked her cheek.
"Goodbye, Toboe." Hige, feeling left out, bounded over. Little Sister hugged him and bid him farewell, getting a wolf kiss in return. After a few looks, Tsume came over grudgingly to get his hug and goodbye. After Little Sister let go of Tsume, she stood and stripped off her clothes. Walking over to Cheza, she knelt and laid the garments in front of the Flower Maiden.
"I know they're pretty beat up, but if you can use them at all, please do. If not, could you put them in the lake?"
"This one will do as you ask. Goodbye, Little Sister."
"Goodbye, Cheza." Little Sister hugged Cheza, then moved to kneel in front of Kiva.
"I'm ready."
"May you find Paradise, Little Sister."
"May you find Paradise, all of you." Little Sister tipped her head back. Kiva lunged, front paws driving her shoulders into the ground as he tore her throat out. The pack converged on their meal, Tsume taking a moment to lick her cheek before sinking his fangs into her shoulder. Cheza left the wolves to sink the clothes into the lake. She remained in the water, absorbing nutrition her own way.
After the wolves finished eating, Kiva and Tsume dragged the carcass to the lake and left it there. The pack then turned their noses to the west and ran, seeking Paradise.