A/N: Thank you again to all my readers, you're all wonderful people and this fic would not be continued without you! I really hope you like this chapter, it lightens the mood a little (I hope) and then back to the main plot towards the end.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto!

The Mongrel and the Pure-Bred

Rock Lee was a piece of work.

Really, Luna didn't think she'd ever met someone with such boisterous enthusiasm as this strange green specimen. He was borderline creepy, but eventually, she decided that he was harmless. Actually, she found herself warming to his unusual personality more and more the longer she was around him.

They were currently walking side-by-side towards the looming gates at the entrance of the Leaf. This would be the first time Luna had left the village grounds, and she wasn't sure whether to feel excited or nervous. Had she been making the journey alone, she'd have been completely unfazed. But she wasn't alone. Far from it in fact.

Not only was she accompanied by the Leaf's bushy-browed weirdo, but also the entire population of that generation's Leaf ninja, it seemed. There were actually only twelve of them, fourteen if she included herself and Akamaru. Kiba had told her that these were the people he had grown up with from the academy, with the exception of Sai, who had only joined them later. Luna wasn't sure what to make of the ex-Anbu yet, with his obviously fake smile and pasty pale skin, but she swallowed her nerves and forced a fake smile of her own during the introductions.

The trip they were about to endure was all Lee's idea, but the others seemed to have jumped on the band wagon pretty easily. Their argument being that they never spent any time together as a group anymore, with all the missions and village work they'd been doing recently, so it was definitely time they all took a break. The only ones who'd needed slightly more convincing were the less than eager Nara heir, Shikamaru, and the oddly expressionless Hyuga male, Neji. Remembering names and faces didn't come as naturally to Luna as it should have, but this particular group were just so diverse, it was hard to get them mixed up.

So far, she found herself feeling more comfortable around the louder group members, like Rock Lee, Naruto and Sakura. They seemed the most likely to wear their hearts on their sleeves, and that kind of openness left little room for suspicion in the she-wolf's mind.

The hybrid girl had been completely overwhelmed at first, absolutely appalled at the idea of spending a whole night out in the wilderness with a load of strangers. However, the Inu nin had been very convincing, telling her it'd be a good way to start making some new allies. Luna had given it her best shot to get out of it, coming up with solid excuses for a good ten minutes, but every time, Kiba had found a counter solution and she had finally been forced to agree.

But seriously, camping?! She groaned inwardly, only vaguely aware that Rock Lee was still babbling aimlessly beside her about the power of youth. As they left Konaha territory, she glanced over her shoulder to where Kiba and Akamaru were having an animated conversation with Naruto. The Uzumaki was waving his hands dramatically in front of him while Kiba laughed. They seemed happy.

Luna let out a small sigh and turned back to focus on what Lee was saying, but was surprised to find someone else had joined their conversation. The hybrid girl smiled in recognition as Tenten interrupted her teammate's ramblings.

'Alright Lee, enough with the lecture. I think she gets it.'

'But Tenten, what will Guy-Sensei think if I do not continue to spread the knowledge of the power of youth?' Tenten looked about to reply when suddenly, he shouted, 'Wait a second! I have just had the most brilliant idea!'

He stopped mid-step theatrically, every muscle freezing in place as he considered his sudden realisation. The rest of the group paused too, some grimacing as they awaited their comrade's presumably ridiculous suggestion.

'We should make this trip part of our training! Who is up for a test of strength and speed? I will call it, Rock Lee's Youthful Test of Strength and Speed!'

Luna held back the facepalm she was so desperate to enact, giggling when several other members actually did slap their palms to their heads.

'Alright! You're on Bushy Brows!' Naruto gave a roar-like battle cry, pumping his fists in the air and rivalling Lee's cringe-worthy enthusiasm. 'So how're we doing this?'

'It is simple! I do not know why I had not thought of it sooner!'

'Oh brother…' Ino sighed loudly.

'Remind me again why I agreed to this?' Shikamaru tutted, folding his arms behind his head.

'Come on then, what's the big idea?' Kiba pressed, though he kept a frown on his features, reluctant to encourage their behaviour.

'We shall make the journey to our destination a race! A test of strength, speed, stamina, and most importantly, dedication to the cause!'

'What cause?' Tenten grumbled under her breath, and Luna had to silently agree. This guy was really making no sense at all anymore.

'Everyone, pair up!'

Suddenly, Rock Lee was standing with his back to Neji, offering it to him like a platform.

'Lee, I am not getting on your back, no matter how much you stand there.' The Hyuga shot him down instantly, but Lee was completely undeterred.

'It is necessary for the sake of our training, Neji!'

'It is not happening.'

'But Neji!'

'I said no, Lee.'

'Erm, guys?' Luna surprised herself by speaking up before their argument got out of hand.

'Yes, Luna?' The youth-loving ninja leapt to attention, and she half expected him to salute her.

'Why don't we just race in pairs, rather than piggy-back… We could tie our hands together or something, like a three-legged race? But we'd still have use of all our legs, since running high speed through a forest sounds like a one-way trip to disaster…'

The surrounding ninja were quiet momentarily, considering the idea, until Lee broke the silence with an overwhelming thumbs up.

'That is an excellent idea!'

'Alright! Everyone grab a partner!' Naruto grinned, immediately turning to the Pinkette beside him. 'What do you say, Sakura?'

The Haruno cracked her knuckles, a look of determination crossing her face. 'You'd better not slow me down, Naruto!'

Tenten summoned enough rope for them to use, and the squabbling began. It took longer than it should have, but eventually everyone managed to begrudgingly agree on a partner. Kiba naturally paired up with Akamaru, loosely tying a rope around his wrist and Akamaru's foreleg, with enough slack for them both to stand normally.

Then there was Hinata and Shino, Sai and Ino, Choji and Shikamaru and, to Neji's distaste, he ended up with Lee anyway. Luna paired up with Tenten. She hated to admit it, but Kiba had been right when he said they'd get along well.

'Okay, everybody, get ready. On my mark…' Lee called out, looking far more riled up than humanly possible. 'GO~!'

The teams sprung forward, all following the same path and moving at a similar pace until they reached their first split in the road. They had luckily already decided on a location, so at least they all knew where the finish line was. Well, everyone except Luna, who was simply relying on Tenten to lead the way.

Their paces matched surprisingly well, falling into step easily with each other and quickly finding a high speed they were both comfortable with. Some pairs split off to the left, some to the right. Some even broke away completely to run through the trees and foliage.

Behind her, Luna could hear Ino telling Sai that they couldn't let Forehead and Naruto beat them, and to pick up the pace or else. Lee and Neji were long gone, while Shikamaru and Choji trailed along at the back, not actually appearing to put in a lot of effort. She chuckled at the strange experience. The hybrid certainly wasn't expecting to get involved in such an intensely childish event with a gang of Leaf chunin and jounin when she woke up that morning!

After a while of running, Tenten spoke up. 'We're not far now, just across this river!'

Luna nodded as the water came into sight. It was wider than she expected, but would probably be little to no effort for a ninja with expert chakra control to cross it. She would rather have jumped it, but Tenten didn't appear to be slowing down, so the she-wolf braced herself and channelled as steady a flow of chakra that she could to her feet.

To her relief, her control held out and they made it without delay. Neither were really expecting to win with Lee and Naruto in the mix, not to mention Kiba and Akamaru.

As predicted, Neji and his spangled green partner were already there and setting up the first tent. On the other side of the clearing, Naruto and Sakura were arguing with Sai and Ino over who had beaten who, apparently having arrived neck and neck.

Akamaru barked a greeting from the shade of an overhanging tree branch where Kiba was leaning against its trunk with his arms crossed.

'Finally made it, huh?' He grinned as Tenten untangled the rope from around their wrists.

'Are we last?' Tenten asked, sounding surprised. She hadn't seemed all that competitive during the run, but perhaps she'd been holding back?

'Nah, you beat Hinata, Shino, Choji and Shikamaru…'

This time, even Luna looked appalled. 'Wasn't this supposed to be a break for you guys?'

'That was the idea…' Tenten muttered, glaring daggers at the one who instigated the whole thing. Lee beamed and waved excitedly in response, oblivious to his comrade's sour mood.

Hinata and Shino arrived next, and when the last pair finally did emerge from the treeline, it didn't come as a shock to find them strolling casually, with not a bead of sweat on either of them.

'Did you lazy bums walk the whole way?' Ino prodded their foreheads simultaneously with each hand, and not lightly from the sound of their grumbling. Luna chuckled at the sight. Despite Ino looking absolutely terrifying as she scolded them, she couldn't help but feel a twang of jealousy. The way they were with each other, the way everyone acted together, it was obvious how close they were. Kiba had said they'd grown up together, and it showed, even when they argued. It was never spiteful, and there was always a comforting level of familiarity in each interaction between the group members.

Luna wanted that. She wanted more than anything to feel the strength of those bonds too. But she wasn't one of their childhood group. Her eyes trailed to the black eyed, black haired member, Sai. He was sat alone on one of the overturned logs the Leaf ninja had dragged into a circle around their soon-to-be campfire.

Sucking in a breath, she made her way over to him.

'H-hey.' She smiled as she sat beside him. He glanced at her, seeming surprised at first, but his face soon fell into his signature fake smile.

'Hello.'

'So, I heard you didn't graduate at the academy with the others. How long have you known everyone?' She questioned, hoping she sounded casual.

'That's correct. I graduated aged 9 and became a chunin at 10, so I only actually met everyone when I joined team 7, around 5 years ago.' He stated informatively, as though reciting from a script.

'Wow.' Her eyebrows rose at this. 'Did you get along with everyone right away?'

Sai let out a small chuckle, shaking his head. 'Not at all. Actually the first time I met Naruto, Shikamaru and Choji we almost started a fight in the middle of Konaha.'

'But, you're all good friends now, right?'

'Yes. It took a long time for me to trust any of them though.' He paused, debating with himself over something momentarily before continuing. 'I was a part of a secret group of Anbu, who worked directly under one of the village elders, a man named Danzo. They teach you to completely erase your emotions, to become heartless. So it was very difficult for me to form bonds of friendship afterwards.'

'I see. I think I can understand that.' She breathed, feeling better about her situation, and on some level, more comfortable around Sai. So he went through the same thing I am now, huh?

'Here, perhaps this will help you.' Sai rummaged in his bag for a moment, before revealing a book of sorts. She accepted the item from him, turning it over to read the cover out loud.

'A Sure-fire Way to Making Friends?'

Again with the fake smile, 'it really helped me when I was getting to know everyone. Although, when you get to the part about nicknames, I would avoid calling Sakura ugly.' He rubbed his cheek absently as though nursing a bruise. Alright, maybe Sai isn't the best one to go to for advice…

'Okay guys, let's get these tents up before it gets any darker.' Shikamaru drawled, gesturing to the pile of material, pegs and rope that was lying in a heap on the floor.

'I have an idea! We should split into teams and make it a test of–'

'No Lee!' Everyone chorused, effectively cutting him off before he could rile anyone up, like Naruto.

Luna laughed, something she found herself doing a lot more these days. She stuck by Hinata and Kiba, who she'd be sharing her tent with. The sleeping arrangements were another issue that had taken far too long to solve, as it seemed most things did with these people. In the end, everyone had agreed to share with their mission-assigned team members, with the exception of Shino. The insect user had kindly offered to share with Neji's team, so Luna could stay with his remaining comrades, since she trusted them the most. And since Akamaru would be staying with them too, there'd be no room for all five of them.

She was exceptionally grateful, though on reflection, realised it wouldn't have been so terrible if she'd had to share with some of the others. It wasn't a lie to say they were growing on her. The thought made her smile softly.

Now, as the night's sky began to seep through the clouds and the silvery moon began its draw on the she-wolf, Luna felt herself relaxing. The group had arranged themselves to sit in a circle around the fire they'd created, and were all chattering happily amongst themselves.

At first, Luna only watched and listened from afar, too hesitant to initiate any conversation just yet. But after a while, the Inu heir beside her nudged her knee with his own playfully, throwing her a look that reminded her of what he'd said a few nights back. You have friends here…

She glanced around the group nervously, trying to decide on who would be the most approachable. Naruto or Lee were her first choices, but they were preoccupied with who could toast their marshmallows the fastest while simultaneously trapped in 'the staring contest to end all staring contests ever'. Weird.

She had finally decided on striking up a conversation with Tenten, who had just finished nibbling on her half-burnt marshmallow. Luna's mouth opened, but it was Ino's voice that spoke up.

'Hey, Luna?'

Scarlet eyes snapped to icy blue. 'Huh?'

Beside her, Kiba chuckled and muttered under his breath, 'You got out of it this time, Princess…'

She grimaced slightly. The hybrid knew she had to brave it eventually, take the plunge and start making an effort on her own, just not yet. Not today.

'Are you really part wolf? I mean, how is that possible?'

'Who's being rude this time, Ino-pig?' Sakura growled, but Shikamaru joined Ino on this one.

'Actually I've been wondering that myself, if you don't mind us asking.'

Suddenly, thirteen sets of eyes were on hers, and she laughed nervously. 'Erm, well I guess I could show you…'

Kiba raised an eyebrow, but chose not to comment. He had wondered how long she'd keep her appearance hidden from everyone here. Had she originally been planning to sleep with her henge too?

'Show us? What do you mean?' Ino pressed, curiosity getting the better of her, but this time Sakura didn't silence her, looking just as curious.

'Just… Promise not to laugh, kay?' Luna whispered, moving her hands into the familiar henge release hand sign that most of them recognised instantly. With a short burst of chakra, the disguise was lifted, and her ears twitched freely atop her head while her tail curled around her body as if to protect herself.

After a moment of collective staring, everyone burst into life, grinning and all looking equally as amazed. Questions were fired from all angles, and Luna could feel herself shrinking in on herself.

'Guys, give her a chance to answer!' Kiba barked, sensing her unease. She threw him a thankful smile, before beginning to answer the first question she'd heard, one from Naruto.

'Yes, they're real… I was born like this, all of my family are.'

'That's really cool!'

'Yeah, that's awesome!'

'Do you have extra hearing or something with them?'

Luna turned to the owner of the next question, Sakura. She didn't seem as surprised as the others, and Luna figured the medic nin had probably read something about her clan's appearance during her previous research. 'Not like this, but my eyesight is much better than usual in the dark.'

'What do you mean by, 'not like this'?' Shikamaru was smart, damn him. And damn her, for being so careless with her wording. She wasn't sure she wanted to reveal her alternative body form to the Leaf ninja just yet.

Panicking slightly, she turned to the only other person who might understand what she was trying to keep hidden.

Kiba caught on straight away, clearing his throat loudly. 'Don't overwhelm her, guys. Princess here is kind of touchy about certain things.'

She scoffed at the nickname, starting to regret having to signal him for help. 'Well you know all about how not to offend someone, don't you, mongrel?'

'Mongrel?' Apparently Shikamaru wasn't the only attentive group member. She'd almost forgotten about Choji, who had been sitting adjacent to her noisily munching on his bag of chips.

'Er…' She wasn't actually sure what his question was.

'Kiba's a human, why call him a mongrel?' He seemed genuinely confused, and Luna had to throw him a bone. Pun intended.

'Well, because…'

'Because she thinks she's all high and mighty, being part wolf and all.' The dog trainer supplied, smirking when she spluttered angrily at his response.

'I do not! It's just a fact. Dogs are descended from wolves, so they're all crossbred! Wolves are of the purest bloodlines, there would be no dogs without their ancestors!' She turned back to Choji then. 'Kiba's clan is associated with canine partners and summons and my family come from Lupine bloodlines, so that's why.'

'But then…' Naruto started, but paused to rub his chin thoughtfully. 'What I don't get is, if you're only part wolf, doesn't that technically make you a mongrel too?'

'…'

'…'

Kiba was the first to break into exaggerated howling laughter as Luna's bottom lip hit the floor. Sakura took a moment to send Naruto flailing into a nearby tree with her fist, but soon followed the Inuzuka into laughter. Pretty soon, even Luna couldn't hold back the giggles at the statement. It just seemed so obvious when put in such blunt terms, and she didn't know how no one had ever thought of it before.

The she-wolf laughed more that night than she could ever remember, not once finding the time to be truly offended. And, she realised, she didn't want to be. There was no need for the tension of her walls squeezing her as they normally did, for one she just felt free. All because of one idiot comment from one idiot ninja.

Naruto really was an unpredictable knucklehead.

The camping trip had been a massive success, in Kiba's opinion. He was tempted to let it slip that it was, in fact, him who had planted the idea in Rock Lee's over-excitable and easily influenced brain. The dog trainer had to grin at his cleverness. Slyly dropping into a conversation with the green spangled ninja that it had been a while since everyone had really got together, and how nice the weather had been recently for camping out.

Even Luna appeared to enjoy herself, which was a huge step for the she-wolf, and Kiba couldn't be prouder. It almost felt like a personal achievement, coaxing her ever-so-slowly and gradually out of her shell and encouraging her to let her guard down around them. To say he was enjoying the experience would be an over-statement, but there was no denying that immense feeling of satisfaction with each tiny amount of progress she displayed.

His initial goal was to integrate the hybrid girl with his squad teammates. Luna had become close with Hinata almost immediately while Shino had taken some work, but he'd expected nothing less. The Aburame wasn't one of the easiest ninja to get along with, but lately, Luna seemed to be favouring his company more and more, which thrilled Kiba more than he let on. His team were like a second family to him, and the Inu nin wanted nothing more than for her to relax in their company as he did.

He wasn't sure why he was so eager for her to fit so comfortably into his world, but he suspected it had something to do with responsibility. It was just as his mother was constantly trying to enforce on him. If he was to be the next Alpha of the Inuzuka clan, he needed to get his priorities straight, and what better a priority than ensuing peace among his second family? Yes, that was definitely it. It was his responsibility to make sure she felt at home here, since, he was the one who brought her here in the first place.

Beside him, Akamaru shifted in his sleep to rest his head on Kiba's lap. The pair were settled on Kiba's bed, with Akamaru falling to sleep pretty much the moment his head hit the sheets. But Kiba was restless, not finding sleep as easily as his partner. He was sat with his back leaning against the headboard, while his legs stretched out in front of him.

The Inu nin was used to his canine's behaviour. He knew what to expect, and how to react accordingly. He had to smile as he remembered when his mother had first introduced him to the giant canine, she had been firm in laying down ground rules. Number one: Akamaru was by no means allowed in the bedroom, he would sleep in the kennels at the back of the main building with Kuromaru and the Haimaru triplets. That clearly hadn't lasted long.

Number two was even harder to maintain: No feeding scraps to the dogs at the table. Like number one, that lasted all of about two days. The little white fluffball was just too adorable to say no to, and pretty soon, even Hana and Tsume couldn't resist treating Akamaru's perfected puppy-dog-eyes.

Lastly, number three: Absolutely no dogs are allowed on Tsume's couch. This was the only rule to remain in place after all these years. Heck, Kiba wasn't even sure he was allowed to sit on that blasted piece of furniture that his mother was so protective of. Not that he wanted to, it was old and worn now, and reminded him of someone long dead to him. Someone his family rarely mentioned. His father.

He rubbed the large dog affectionately behind the ears to distract himself, smirking as Akamaru gave a satisfied whine in his slumber. Yes, it was true that Kiba had been around members of the canine family for as long as he could remember.

A wolf, on the other hand, was no ordinary dog. Sure, there were similarities, but he could never let Luna hear him say that. She'd bite his head off… Literally.

It didn't help that she was half human and entirely female, which only made her a million times more difficult to read. The she-wolf's emotions bounced from one end of the scale to the other in seconds, barely giving the Inu nin a chance to gage her current mood before she was ranting about how he'd looked at her the wrong way or something. What's more, her temper only seemed to flare so drastically whenever she was around him – that couldn't be a coincidence, surely? Kiba wasn't sure whether to take this as a compliment or an insult. A compliment because, it could be her way of showing that she felt comfortable enough around him to allow her emotions to run freely. Alternatively, it could be insulting simply because he might just get on her nerves a lot.

He just couldn't win.

Akamaru snorted suddenly in his sleep, rolling onto his back and flailing his legs before stilling completely. Kiba was just starting to think he'd relaxed again, when his eyes shot open wildly, pouncing forward with his long droopy ears pricked up slightly.

'What is it, boy?' The Inu questioned, but his canine didn't appear to hear him. Frowning, Kiba focused chakra to his own ears, concentrating on outside noises. Crickets. Wind. An owl? Nothing out of the ordinary.

'Akamaru, what's wrong?' Kiba raised his voice this time, sliding off the bed and crouching in front of the giant dogs face. His eyes seemed unfocused, staring right through his master blankly as his ears twitched meticulously.

'Mom?' Kiba called, his onyx eyes never leaving his companion's. 'Mom! I think somethings wrong with Akamaru!'

Even though it was gone midnight, the door to his room slid open, revealing a more dishevelled than usual Tsume.

'It's not just Akamaru, son. Kuromaru's the same way.'

'What?' Kiba's eyes widened as his gaze snapped to his mothers. Her expression was serious, which automatically made him nervous.

'I've seen this once before in ninken. I was on a mission in the Land of Sound with your sister, when all of a sudden the dogs stopped dead in their tracks, seemingly unresponsive.' She paused as she leaned back in the doorway to glance down the hall for a minute, as though waiting for something. Kiba was about to question her until footsteps sounded and Hana arrived on scene.

'It's happening again, isn't it, Ma?' The veterinarian asked, cursing when their mother nodded her confirmation. 'But how? We should be out of range here in the village!'

'Out of range from what? What's happening to Akamaru?' Kiba growled, frustrated that he was still in the dark on the situation.

'If it's what we experienced back in the Land of Sound, there's a chance the dogs are reacting to a noise that we, as humans, cannot hear. On our mission it only lasted a few moments, but it was long enough…'

'Long enough for what?' He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to hear the answer.

Tsume threw a quick glance to Hana, who winced in response. 'Long enough for the enemy to make its move, taking out three of the ninken we had on our squad in one foul swoop.'

Unable to contain the gasp that escaped his lips, Kiba's eyes fell back on his partner's paralysed state. No way…

'So how do we stop it? What do we do?' He ground out, keeping his gaze fixed determinedly on Akamaru.

'…We can't. All we can do is wait.' Hana supplied, direly.

'Are you kidding me? You're saying I'm just supposed to–'

His exclamation was cut off suddenly when something wet nudged his shoulder. All three Inuzuka's attentions snapped to the large white dog, who was watching them confusedly, his tongue lolling out casually.

'Akamaru?' Kiba murmured, holding his breath. Akamaru tilted his head innocently, woofing in reply.

'He's back.' Tsume commented, eyebrows pulling together. 'Hana. Go check on the puppies and the Haimaru triplets.'

The veterinarian nodded and hurried back down the hall.

'Keep an eye on him for the time being, Kiba. I'm going to find Kuromaru and make sure the others are safe.' His mother disappeared before he could even protest.

'Come on, Akamaru. We're going to check it out too.' His canine companion barked in agreement, allowing Kiba to clamber onto his back as they leapt through the open window into the night.

The compound seemed quiet, eerily so. It was too late for there to be any ninja still out at this time, all except one.

Luna met him in the centre of the estate courtyard, confusion etched on her features. 'Kiba! What's going on?'

'I'm not sure, but you should probably go wait inside… Is your arm giving you trouble?' He asked, noting the way she was clutching her injured arm as though in pain.

'Huh? Oh, it just aches a little sometimes. I'm fine. But what happened?' Her ears flickered uncertainly, and the Inu nin had to frown.

'Wait, did you hear something?'

'Hear something? No? Should I have?' The confusion on her face grew stronger, rubbing her arm softly. As she did so, Kiba noticed something else unusual.

'Hey, your bandage…'

The she-wolf dropped her gaze to her injury. The material strips had loosened and torn, slightly revealing the ugly red marks that marred her skin. 'Oh. I guess it must've come loose while I've been rubbing it. It's a bad habit I've taken to.'

'Well, you should get inside, we think there's been a possible breach in security somewhere in the village.' He told her. It wasn't a lie, he just didn't want to worry her unnecessarily unless he had to.

'A-alright. Be careful, then.' Kiba wasn't sure what surprised him more, the fact that she actually did as he asked, or that she expressed her concern for him, albeit half-hearted concern. But as she walked away towards the main building, there was something else bothering him.

Akamaru whined softly, throwing his head back to look his master in the eye.

'You smell that too, boy?'

'She smelled like sweat… and blood.' Akamaru's voice rumbled deeply in his throat, waiting patiently for Kiba to translate his growl.

'Yeah. But I don't think it was only her blood I could smell…'

'Me neither.' His companion agreed, sensing Kiba's unease. 'Should we question her?'

Kiba thought for a moment, biting his lip. Surely there was a reasonable explanation for that. Perhaps she had been training, and had found someone willing to spar with her? Sure it was late at night, but it wasn't unheard of for ninja to practise out of hours. Or maybe she had been hunting? There was plenty of prey animals in the forests surrounding his home, and she was a wolf after all. But then, if Luna had been in her wolf form, she would have heard whatever the dogs were hearing?

He pictured her face when he'd asked if she'd heard something. She had looked confused. It seemed genuine. Was she lying to him?

Finally, he let out a long breath. 'No, let's leave her be for now. Come on, let's go make sure everyone else is okay.'

'Right!'

A/N: So we finally get a bit of Kiba's insight to the situation, and now it looks like there's a new problem on the horizon! Anyone hazard any guesses?

Also, I kept Neji alive, because I'll never forgive Kishimoto for killing him off. Sue me.

I hope you guys are as excited about this fic as I am! Don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you think :)