Disclaimer: I do not own Wolf's Rain or any of its characters. However, I do own Captain Popagan and Tomo Hiragizawa, so don't steal! Please make sure you review!

Chapter Ten: Unconscious

"I can't….I….can't…work…..any….more," heaved Toboe, breathing heavily.

"You can do it….there's only half an hour left till lunch," Hige notified.

"I….ca….can't." Toboe fell to the ground, exhausted. The turnpost kept turning, dragging the unconscious Toboe on the ground.

"Stop someone! Make it stop! Toboe's collapsed!" shouted Hige with all his strength. Nobody listened.

"Somebody! Please! He's unconscious! Stop the turning! Stop!" Toboe's body continued to drag along the ground.

"YOU HEARD THE WOLF! STOP IT!" shouted a voice other than Hige's. Everything stopped suddenly, as if someone pushed a pause button. Hige looked around to see who had shouted. It was a beautiful, black haired girl. She knelt next to Toboe and felt his head.

"This one's a runt. Send him off to euthanization facility," she ordered an overseer.

"No! Don't kill him! Please!" Hige begged. The girl looked at Hige sternly, her cold grey eyes staring evilly at his.

"Send this talker to the euthanization facility too. One who talks skimps on work. I want them both executed at once," she said coldly. The overseer unbuckled Toboe and Hige from the turnpost. Hige was too tired to object.

"Ma'am, I think this one's dead," the overseer notified.

"Have it disposed of promptly."

"Yes ma'am," he replied, robot-esque. He then pulled the two wolves away, one gathering dust on the ground, and the other stumbling along.

"Hey! You! Wake up!"

I'll find one, just make sure you get out of this plane okay.

"Hello? Wake up!"

Oh Blue, I hope you're alright…

"Wake-up!"

Tsume's eyes opened suddenly. He jumped to his knees and looked at the world around him. He was in a rundown warehouse, full of crates. Tomo looked up at Tsume, and Tsume looked back down at Tomo.

"Hey, kid. Where are we?" asked Tsume.

"As far as I know, we're in the port city Du-Lath," Tomo replied.

"Where's your dad?"

"We were separated by a gust of wind while parachuting. I have no clue where he is right now."

"Oh, I see. Is Blue all right! What about the others!"

"I don't know."

"Then I guess we'll have to look for them."

"Good morning," Blue greeted Hubb, who had helped himself to a salvaged can of beer. He leaned against what used to be one of the plane's wings.

"Good morning? There's nothing good about it. My lover's dead, we are lost in the middle of nowhere, and there's crazed wolves roaming the forest. And it turns out, the flower maiden Cheza is dead."

"Good point," sighed Blue, "Where did you get the beer?"

"It was the last one in the fridge."

"The fridge survived?"

"Yeah. There's some of that mloid stuff in it, but I don't think it's to your taste."

"Where's Kiba?"

Hubb pointed to a lean-to made of scrap metal. Kiba was snoozing under it. Cher smiled faintly. At least he is a happy camper…

The overseer swiped his ID card through a small slot in the door to the euthanization facility. "ID verification process complete," said an electronic voice. The door slid open, and the overseer hauled the two wolves through the doorway.

What is he going to do with us? The overseer opened a drawer and pulled out a tranquilizer syringe.

"No!" cried Hige. The man tackled Hige to the ground, syringe ready in his left hand. The overseer held tightly onto the back of Hige with the strength of a sumo wrestler. He plunged the needle into the scruff of Hige's neck, and pushed the tranquilizer fluid into the struggling pup. He lifted the chubbo off the ground and opened a flap on a large chute, then began to stuff Hige down it. Hige protested violently, banging his head around, in hopes of escaping from the man. Instead of the desired effect, Hige knocked his head on the top of the chute and became stunned.

Next, he slid down the chute with ease into a lower room, where he fell onto a conveyer belt. He heard the whirr of machines ahead of him. Squinting his eyes, he could make out rows of spinning blades. Then, he heard a thump. Toboe had landed on the conveyer belt, but he was still knocked out.

Oh crap! I have to get us off here otherwise, we will be mincemeat! Hige sluggishly rose to his knees. The drug injected into him was already beginning to work. He pushed Toboe off the conveyer belt, onto safe ground, and then, he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

"Damn! These flies are really annoying!" cursed Tsume, swatting at some pesky insects. He and Tomo walked down a vacant street together, with their only burden being the loss of their friends.

"That must mean we're near It," Tomo remarked.

"What's it?"

"It is the Watagashi Heavy Industries Plant. They produce the parts for airplanes and armored vehicles. They also make mloid," the young boy informed, "Flies really like mloid, so that's why there are so many."

They two continued to walk on, without giving the place a second thought. Little did the two know that they were just a few hundred yards away from Toboe and Hige, who would reveal some of the most disgusting facts of their world.

To be continued…