Chapter 3: The Promise
Nikki saw the man sitting on the couch. He was exactly where the wolf should've been. His wounds were the exact same as the wolf's and Nikki's shirt was still tightly wrapped around a major wound. She dropped her mouth, as well as all the gauze and ointment, and asked shakily"W-Who are y-you"
The man had piercing blue eyes that gazed right into Nikki's soft brown ones. He had shaggy brown hair and wore tight jeans. Sneakers covered his feet and to complete the rebel look, he had a jacket on over his undershirt.
He did not answer her question but tried to stand up. Nikki gasped and ran to help him. Just as she was taking a step forward, the heel of her riding boot rolled right off the ointment bottle. Causing, poor Nikki, to tumble to the ground in a heap.
"Ouch" she cried. She examined her elbow carefully. "That's gonna leave a bruise." She got to her feet and began to pick up the medicines before some more got stepped on.
"So... You never answered my question" Nikki said quietly, bringing her eyes up for just a second to look at the man. When he didn't answer, Nikki shook her head and stood up from her crouching position. "Well... if you're not going to answer me then get out"
The man looked up at the girl in confusion. She was strict and stern. He decided to answer her question because he obviously wasn't strong enough yet to leave. "My name's Kiba" he answered looking down at the floorboards of the playhouse.
Nikki looked at Kiba with interest. Her trick to get him to talk had worked. She smiled"Where did the white wolf go" she asked.
Kiba's eyes went wide. He looked at her in shock. "Y-Y-You saw me"
Nikki raised an eyebrow at him. "You" She began to laugh. "Yeah right! You weren't that wolf."
Kiba gazed at Nikki and found himself lost in her beauty. Even though she was wearing baggy pants and a shirt with a horse on it (Nikki wasn't the type to wear skirts and high heels) Kiba was lost in her outer appearance and continued to stare at her chest.
Nikki noticed this and became annoyed. "Hello" She shouted waving her hand in front of Kiba's face. "I'm up here"
Kiba turned red and muttered sheepishly"I notice that you had a horse on your shirt and I was just admiring the design."
Nikki rolled her eyes. "He's a pathetic liar" she thought quietly to herself.
Kiba suddenly jerked his head up to look at Nikki. "And who are you" He asked.
Nikki smiled. "My name's Nicole Hanson but you can call me Nikki" she replied.
Kiba returned the smile. "I like your name, Nikki."
Nikki felt herself blush. "Um... thanks. Uh... oh yes! Your wound"
Nikki ran up to Kiba and ordered him to remove his shirt. Kiba looked at her in suspicion but obeyed. Once the shirt had been removed, Nikki began to remove the shredded remains of her once barn shirt and then applied the cold cream in the ointment bottle to Kiba's wound. He winced a bit but remained silent. When the disinfectant cream had all been rubbed onto the wounds, Nikki took a hold of some bandages. She carefully dressed the rest of the wound and sat back to admire her work.
"There! All done" she sighed happily. For some reason, Nikki kept staring at Kiba's uncovered chest. His arms had good-sized muscles on them and he had an amazing pack. Nikki gulped and continued to stare.
Kiba smiled and said quietly"I'm up here."
Nikki came out of her daze and looked at him shyly. She felt her cheeks flush red and she cursed at herself for falling for this stranger. "I was just looking at the wound" she lied.
Kiba rolled his eyes at her weak attempt to fool him. He then tried to stand up but Nikki gently eased him into a lying position on the couch. Kiba felt the softness of her hands and trembled with their touch.
Nikki then walked outside. Kiba looked around at the playhouse. The walls had pictures of two girls smiling and laughing. Kiba noticed one of them looked like a small version of Nikki and the other one had bright blonde hair. Kiba stared at the pictures and was deep in thought of who the blonde girl was.
Nikki came back inside with a saddle in both of her hands. It was then that Kiba noticed how strong her arms were. She had big muscles for a girl her age and she didn't seemed fazed at all by the heavy leather she was carrying.
Nikki gently set her saddle in a corner. She untied the baler twine and removed the large duffle bag from the seat of the saddle. She then stood up and looked over at Kiba. "So you're a wolf" she asked.
Kiba nodded. Nikki smiled at him. "Well that's good. I didn't want to tend to a human so why not tend to a wolf"
Kiba looked at her in confusion. "But aren't you going to tell someone about me" he asked quickly.
"Nope" Nikki said. "Why would I? Just to earn a couple of dollars? I don't think a life is worth money. No... losing a life effects everyone and everything around you, and no amount of money can ever buy the hurt back." Tears came into Nikki's eyes as she gazed at the pictures of her and Emily. She quickly brushed the tears away with the back of her hand.
Kiba noticed the tears and looked at the picture. He was tempted to ask who the blonde haired girl was but kept his mouth shut for fear of hurting Nikki's feelings. He decided to change the subject. "Did you see any other wolves with me"
Nikki looked right into his eyes. Kiba noticed the obvious red tint in them. And Kiba noted how Nikki had reacted to the tears by trying aimlessly to wipe them away.
"No I didn't" she sighed. "I'm sorry."
Kiba looked out the small window of the playhouse. "I have to go and find my friends" he said longing to be out running through the trees howling and listening for their answers. Especially Cheza's.
Nikki shook her head. "No, not with those wounds you won't."
"But" Kiba started to say but Nikki cut him off.
"I said no! I'm not going to let you get hurt" she shouted. She hadn't meant to shout it had just sort of come out that way. Nikki kept thinking of how much more hurt she would feel if Kiba died because of her. Just like Emily had.
Kiba noticed the tone of her voice and looked at his shoes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to anger you" he apologized. "It's just... my friends might need my help. If they're not already dead that is."
Nikki stared at him. "No. I'm sorry Kiba. I shouldn't have raised my voice like I did. It's just that... never mind. You wouldn't understand."
With that Nikki opened up her duffle bag and took out a book. She turned to a crease in one of the pages and began reading. Kiba looked at her in confusion. "What does she mean 'You wouldn't understand?'" He thought quietly to himself.
"You should rest now," Nikki said quietly. She didn't look up from her book, however.
Kiba was tired but could he really trust this girl? Nikki seemed very kind, gentle, and caring but could he trust her?
He decided that he had no one else to help him so he let his head sit on the armrest of the couch. In a few minutes he was fast asleep.
Nikki looked up from her book, The Last Howl, and stared at Kiba. She blushed and thought, "What am I doing? He's a wolf! Not a human!" She sighed and looked back at her book. She turned the page and saw a picture of a man and a wolf. Yet… half of the face and part of the chest was human, and the other belonged to the wolf. The caption read:
"And so… the bond between man and wolf is gone. And even though we have thought of wolves to be 'Messengers of Death' that is what we have become. We have delivered the message, of not only death, but also extinction to an entire species that we once looked to for survival. We are the true messengers of death. Not the wolf. So is it not us, humans, who deserve to be wiped from the planet?"
Nikki looked up from the book and brought her eyes to a stop on the couch. Instead of the man, Kiba, there laid the snow-white wolf. Niki smiled and closed her book. She got to her feet and walked over to the couch. She then sat down and began to stroke the white fur of the creature that was thought to be extinct. But here it was. Right in front of her. She could easily tell the nobles about this animal and be paid a lot of money but, for some strange reason, Nikki felt a bond between Kiba and herself. Like she had known him her entire life. This feeling was the reason why she would never tell anyone about Kiba. And as her fingers dragged across his fur she made a promise to him as well as herself. She would never tell anyone about the wolf. Never would Kiba be found out. Never!