Life as A Fox

Chapter 81

NSW- The Forsaken Author.

That night when all was quiet. When neither line made a sound or movement, when the ninja all slept in a deep slumber, their bodies soaking in the well needed rest. One man dreamed, a dream he had never dreamed in a long time. About a time in his life that seemed almost ages ago, a time he thought he had forgotten about.

They were lying next to the fire-place, their bodies entwined and glowing in the firelight. He felt her special warmth next to him. He felt her caress his cheek. He looked to her, into her mesmerizing eyes. She whispered to him, in a voice that sounded fearful, with an edge of pain to it.

She said it with a sudden ferocity. "Look at me" was all she said. Mammoth opened his eyes and was staring up at the ceiling of his tent, the early morning light starting to filter through it. The dream unnerved him, but also awakened a sudden revelation in his head. That spy in the office, she was the right height, the way she stood and walked, instantly he remembered that gait, that presence overwhelming, how did he not see it before!

He leaped to his feet, a sudden urging in his heart, his logical side screamed at him, but for to long has he listened to logic, he wanted to follow his heart right now, and his heart told him to go to her, before it was too late. He just needed to find her, which is why he was bursting into the Hokage's tent at this time.

"Kakashi!" He yelled. Kakashi snapped up "What is it! An attack?" Kakashi jumped out of bed, still dressed, he had not wasted time changing, his robes rumpled and wrinkled. "No" Mammoth said "Just...remember hat spy in your office?" Kakashi rubbed his eye and glared at him "You woke me up for this?"

Mammoth snapped "Would you just listen to me!" Kakashi glanced at him, Mammoth was different, he seemed un easy about something, and the desperation in his voice worried and surprised Kakashi. Mammoth sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "The spy, do you know her real name?" Kakashi nodded yes he did.

He knew the names of all his spies. Mammoth spoke "She is about 46 with gray-green eyes, her voice is soft and her light brown hair is the color of roasting chestnuts." Kakashi gaped at Mammoth, Mammoth had described the spy perfectly, although her hair had streaks of gray running through it now, but still.

He spoke "Sirya" Kakashi said. Mammoth nodded "I thought so...even after all these years...hn, and here I thought I would never see her again." An odd light flickered into Mammoths eyes, longing, sad but also hopeful. It was then he realized that look was the look of love. He never knew Mammoth had a lover, and it seemed he only had one a long time ago, but for some reason he wanted to re-claim it.

Mammoth spoke "The spy, who sent the message for help, it was Sirya correct?" Kakashi nodded as well, knowing that Mammoth knew this already. Mammoth sighed and he spoke to Kakashi, his voice holding a new emotion, resolve. "I will go to her, I will go and save her, I know that it is wrong of me to do this, that the village can't sacrifice me, but...I must go Kakashi, don't you understand? I must go to her!"

Kakashi looked sadly to Mammoth, his pleading eyes. Mammoth wanted this badly, he could tell. Kakashi spoke "Why must you go to her so badly?" Mammoth spoke "Because I didn't chase after her before, now when I have the chance to do so...I am not going to let her slip away from me a second time, I am going Kakashi whether you like it or not, and if I live or die I don't care, but mark me, I will hold her in my arms once more in this life-time."

Kakashi nodded "that is your decision, I can't stop you if you really want to, but tell me why did you come here, why did you not leave right away?" Mammoth spoke "Because, I must be smart about somethings yet, there is a great chance that I won't be coming back from this, and if so I wanted to tell you who I would like to take my place."

Kakashi nodded "I suppose that would be nice to know, but I can already guess who you have in mind." Mammoth smirked, "I bet you do, and if I do make it, and you don't, who do you have in mind?" Kakashi chuckled, "Oh, I have several candidates, but none of them will get it until I am ready to relinquish this floppy dumb hat, until then I am going to keep on fighting."

Mammoth nodded "Don't we all? But there will come a time Kakashi, when you realize that fighting is not always the thing that keeps you going, sometimes it's living your life, how you always wanted it to go." Kakashi nodded understanding, sadly just how prepared Mammoth was. He was going to face and defeat every enemy he met until he reached his goal and then once he made it there, Kakashi knew something rare and beautiful would happen, and Kakashi both longed and feared to see what would happen.

Then a silence stretched out between them, before Mammoth bowed to Kakashi, just a curt, head nod, of a great powerful beast, lumbering off, to war. Kakashi wanted to call out to him, to stop him, his heart beating wildly, he couldn't let Mammoth leave! Not yet! Kakashi was not ready to let him go just yet.

Kakashi ran after him. "Wait! Wait, come on be sensible about this, don't leave now, you would easily be detected, let us wait and come up with a plan okay?" Mammoth stopped, then he nodded a heavy sigh escaping both of them "I guess,...you are right." But then a messenger interrupted them. "Sir! Four demons have came back from behind enemy lines!"

Kakashi was gone in an instant, Mammoth on his tail.

The four shadows ran across the border, scurrying and flying over the ground, their goal in sight, the safety of the walls, the safety of their allies and their kin. A fox, a Lynx, and two mares ran beside each other. The mares snorting as their hooves thudded into the ground echoing. The lynx limped a little in his stride, the mares each had terrible gashes running down their flanks, all of them had been trapped and tortured, but thankfully, they were delivered from their pain and certain death.

But in turn for their lives, another would be given great pain, and a great betrayal would befall from the human females lips. Taji the fox felt sorry for the older female, she was so ready to die, but she was not willing to let him die, that was what surprised him, she had betrayed all her training so that he could live, he a lowly fox demon.

Through the early gray light of morning they made their trek to the walls. A sentry saw them and gave them a call, Taji gave three sharp barks in answer, the mares whinnied in high-pitched voices, calling to their kin on the other side of the wall.

The Lynx let out a feral growl, on the other side of the wall demons were waking upon hearing their kin call out to them. The mates of the mares, tossed their heads about and stomped the ground in impatience as they waited for the arriving demons to come through the nearest trench opening beneath the wall.

From out of the shadows they cantered up into Konoha, appearing like ghosts from beneath it. The mares ran to their mates, rubbing and butting their heads together, as they spoke in hushed and worried voices to one another. A lone fox sister dashed out to meet them. Mateet, was her name, she instantly barked out for some of her helpers, and she began to work on the mares, who lay down on the ground to rest and give Mateet easier access to heal them.

The lynx, whose name was Bordir fell upon the nearest container of meat, eating for the first time in awhile. Taji joined him and then turned to Mateet, "He is injured as well, but I must speak with one of the generals, who is awake?" A voice spoke "I am" Taji turned to see the human general with one eye, the leader of the humans.

Taji bowed as he felt so tiny looking up at the towering human. "I am Taji the fox demon." The human, Kakashi his name was, nodded. "Nice to meet you, is it true that you escaped from enemy camp?" Taji nodded "But we did not escape they released us." Kakashi twisted his head ever so slightly. He glanced about, studying each of them.

Bordir spoke "It is true, they were going to kill me but the one woman came and delivered a message, saying that three of us were to be released along with him." Bordir said beckoning to Taji. Taji nodded Kakashi thought deeply why would they release them? "Do any of you know why they released you?"

Taji stepped forward head bowed, "It is because a human said she was willing to give information for freeing us." Kakashi at first didn't know what to think, whether to be happy or upset that someone would do such a thing, sure there was a betrayal there, but it was hidden under the relief of not having to lose more allies.

He sighed "Do you know who she was?" Taji spoke "I was held in a contained next to the tent were she was captive, she had told them her name was Sirya." Kakashi froze, "Sirya?" another voice had said. Mammoth had rushed over "You are sure you heard Sirya?" Taji nodded "Yes, she told them her name was Sirya and that she was a ninja spy from Konoha."

Mammoth seemed both releived and saddened at the same time. "I...somehow...it was fated that this was to come, I must leave now Kakashi." Kakashi spoke "wait, I know you want to go, but please just wait a little longer." Mammoth shook his head "I have waited a lifetime for this Kakashi, she might not have that kind of time...Kakashi you may not be ready to let me go, but I know I am ready, that is the way of all things, please...let me do this, no more fighting...I mean...your not going to win anyway, there's no telling a Mammoth what to do."

Kakashi smiled under his mask, even in this situation, bitter and haunting, Kakashi could not help but smiling, he nodded then, slowly, finally accepting that Mammoth had to leave "What use is there of a plan? You are right, no one can stop a Mammoth." Mammoth grinned, perhaps, maybe the last one Kakashi would ever get to see, he longed to lift his headband up and save that image to his mind forever.

The pale morning light caressing it's fingers against Mammoths skin, making his smile seem to grow, that calm confidence that seemed to sing out from every move of Mammoths as he turned and walked away. His steps seemed to be defined, echoing as they carried him away further and further from his friends and people who trusted him, who needed him, who believed in him.

Kakashi bowed his head in respect, that man had looked after him when he himself was in the Anbu, Kakashi had followed him through many a danger and yet Mammoth always lead his men through it and all of them survived, not once on any mission did he lose a man, he was just as his name signified, a lone large Mammoth who protected his heard to the last violent thrust of his tusks.

Mammoth walked away, feeling for a moment as if he was abandoning all that he knew, all that he came to know. But deep down a revelation came over him, what he had learned and what he has come to know was but shadows compared to what he always truly desired. He loved being a leader, don't get him wrong, he loved the respect and the loyalty that came with it.

But, Being a leader, living that life, it had it's moments, it had it's perks, but he always had been truly satisfied and content, with only having one person to lead, one person to protect, one person to love...and that was Sirya. So he may be leaving his herd, leaving those who needed his protection, but he left knowing, that inside of Konoha, there was a person that would take over his stand.

He passed his torch, and his will onto another, knowing that person would and could do it, maybe even ten times better than he. Mammoth smirked, I guess sometimes, Mammoths and wolves are more the same then you would think. With that Mammoth moved off, the sun to his back, and fresh enemies in his sight, and with love in his heart, he knew, that he would not be lost.

NSW