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Chapter IV: The house pet's issues
Fire.
Hot flames whipped and curved from all around. It licked the trucks of the surrounding trees and colored them a burned black. Embers burst free from the inferno setting anything it touched a blaze.
Hot, it was so hot.
She wanted to escape, needed to escape but she couldn't yet. Soft whining and cries reached her ears and in the fiery glow she could see four little bundles of fur within the den she stood in the mouth of. Four quivering newborns. A loud snarl and the sound of snapping teeth, among the wall of flames she could make out a tall white female wolf standing with tail erect and fangs bearing in a threatening to the tall human she faced off with. The female charged and a loud bang rang out. Copper scent grazed her nose and she knew something was wrong.
No, No!
"No!" with a startled yelp Mahina sprung from her sleep rising from where she lay as motion finally returned to her limbs. A quiver of fear ran along her spine causing shaky breaths to fill her lungs while she tried to steady her heart beat. The surround woodlands held no orange glow of fire and no searing heat licked at her frame. She was...safe? Crimson eyes darted about for something, anything, familiar but found none. It was just cold, empty woods but what was this? Soft fur nuzzled against Mahina's side earning her attention.
Curled up tightly beside the she-wolf was the copper colored wolf Toboe fast asleep and undisturbed by Mahina's sudden motion. At the sight of the young wolf Mahina felt her muscles relax from her recent fright and her alert features soften. She ran a pale hand across the pup's fur. That's right, now she remembered. She had left that dome city behind with the hope of pursuing the human, a vile noble, that took Cheza and getting her back. Mahina wasn't alone in her efforts either. No, she had little Toboe here and three other wolves name Tsume, Hige and Kiba. Tsume and Hige for the most part just seemed to be tagging along and Toboe had nowhere else to go but Kiba... The white wolf of their group was just as determined to find Cheza as Mahina was.
As soon as they lost sight of the falling city Kiba took lead of their group leading the group for what felt like endless miles. They ran through brightest day and darkest night, through peaceful and stormy weather. Only a day had gone by since they set off and already they had traveled such a distance that the very landscape changed from barren fields to lonely woods. It was amazing; Kiba truly was a natural born pack leader. Mahina paused after this thought and her fingers stopped running along Toboe's fur.
"A pack" she muttered softly to herself "...what does being in a pack feel like?... Is this a pack?"
"You can consider us that." a voice came from the distance, Kiba appeared from the thick brush that surround them and protected them from view. Where he had been Mahina would not question or at least not at the moment "we're traveling together, we have the same goal"
"I doubt we're all traveling together for the same reason" Mahina spoke softly shifting her gaze to the two wolf's a little ways away sleeping a safe distance from one another "Tsume doesn't appear to have much desire to find paradise and Hige... He might but it's not much" the she-wolf looked back at Kiba as he stopped beside her and sat down "not like you"
"They do" Kiba replied calmly "they could feel it too, the pull that draws us to Cheza. They just don't know what it is" Mahina allowed a brow to curve when the white wolf said this to her, he didn't look at her when he said it. He stared ahead of him as if he were seeing across the miles to wherever Cheza was right now.
"And what if they don't have that feeling" Mahina asked curiously "what if they don't believe in paradise at all and find our journey...ridiculous?"
"No one's stopping them from leaving" Kiba answered bluntly. A curve came to Mahina's lips and a chuckle soon followed.
"Some pack we are" she commented though she could not say if her words were true considering she'd never been a part of a pack before. She had to say being around other wolves like this...it was nice. The she-wolf sighed relaxing herself and letting her head find its way to Kiba's shoulder. The white wolf made no motion to stop her or get her away so she assumed he didn't mind the contact. "I can still feel her faintly" she told Kiba "I can smell it a little too...the scent of lunar flower"
"...Yea...so do I" Mahina watched the male as he tipped his head up and looked up at the sky, the moon wasn't directly above them anymore and the sky was slowly getting lighter.
Day would break soon.
When the sun rose on the second day the wolves started traveling again and this time they didn't stop for two days straight. Whether they were running or walking they didn't stop for those two days. Kiba lead them through sandstorms and scorching desserts and blizzards until finally the storms became too much and they had to take refuge in a small den to escape the merciless storm and wait until it died down before they could continue.
Mahina leaned against the wide mouth of the den across from Kiba just watching the snow being blown by. Behind her Toboe and Hige complained to each other.
"I'm so hungry" the amber wolf groaned.
"How long has it been since we last had anything to eat?" inquired Toboe
"Well, we left the city about three days ago" Hige answered with another long groan "so I'd have to guess about three days"
"When do you think we're gonna fine some food?" Toboe asked
"I don't know" Hige remarked "another three days?"
"Quit your whining" Tsume growled no longer holding the patience to tolerate the complaining a moment longer "It's just been three stupid days"
"We'd have something to eat if we never left the city..." Toboe complained, from her place Mahina rolled her eyes. These city wolves honestly, go without food for three simple days and they're certain they're going to die. Boy did they have a lot to learn.
"We can last a lot longer if we bask in the moonlight" Kiba interrupted the complaints with this comment, basking in the moonlight did that? Mahina gave the male across from her a curious glance "I once traveled a whole month by doing that" the white wolf informed them.
"What?" Hige roared in horror at the very thought of not eating for a month. "You can't be serious!"
"When you spend most of your time out here" Mahina spoke up now keeping her gaze out at the now calming storm "you quickly realize how scares food can be. You find ways to survive for a long time just in case you don't find a good hunt for months"
"Months?" Hige whined, just by hearing his voice Mahina could see the dread washing over his face "go without eating for months?"
"The storm will settle soon" Kiba ignored Hige's complaining "The moon will be out then" so they would be basking. This fact actually disappointed the she-wolf just a bit; the thrill of a good hunt would not be frowned on after three long days of endless running.
"Well if worse comes to worse we could always eat each other" Tsume suggested, again the female rolled her eyes but Toboe and Hige made noises of fear "We can start with the runt because he's gotten so weak and then there's always porky" he was joking, Mahina was certain he was, but the thought of him even joking about harming the pup forced a snarl up Mahina's throat. She sent the male a furious glare that he snorted at "or we could eat you though you're a little scrawny" scrawny? Offended, the she-wolf grunted and turned back to face the calmer storm.
"Why isn't Kiba on the menu?" Toboe poured at the grouchy grey wolf.
"That's easy, because he totally full of crap" Tsume answered sending Kiba a glare but it was simply returned with a blank look from the white wolf. The air became tense in the wide den. It was nothing new really, for the past three days Tsume had been doing this and it was honestly a matter of time before Mahina picked a violent fight with him. He...agitated her.
"I'd rather be scrawny than a husky house pet" she informed him "you won't last long"
"What was that?" the grey wolf snarled
"You heard me"
"Come on guys, stop it." Toboe jumped up from his seat and stood between the growling wolves "You're both only saying that because you're hungry!" Mahina wasn't hungry; she'd gone longer strands on time without food three days was nothing. She was just sick of Tsume.
"Saying it because I'm hungry?" Mahina snorted loudly "I mean every word I said"
"M-Mahi" Toboe cast the female a nervous look before Tsume snarled even loudly.
"You know missy I'm really getting sick of that attitude of yours" the grey male growled at Mahina but she wasn't at all intimidated by the action. With her arms tightly crossed she turned away from the snarling male without so much as a change in expression.
"Is that so?" she questioned "no fur off my pelt" she shrugged her shoulders "Be better off without you…house pet"
"Mahina" Toboe groaned out but before he, or anyone else within the den for that matter, could say anything else Hige suddenly sprung to his feet and without a word to anyone took off running from the den and out into the now calmer, snow filled plains. An elegant brow curved at this action as she watched the chubby wolf get farther and farther away from them with a surprising speed. What was it? Did he smell something? Curious, Mahina took off after the husky male and soon after she heard the snow crunching behind her.
Hige lead them through the snow and down the high mountain they had been rest on. They walked until patches of dry earth could be seen through the snow and the clouds parted enough for the sun to come through. It peeked down at them almost as if it too were curious to what the amber wolf was running towards. Finally they reached a hillside and that was where Mahina caught the smell and saw in the distance the source.
Hige loomed over the dead carcass of a caribou. Flies scattered when Hige drew close enough and when Mahina slowed to a stop right behind him the stench of the dead animal cut deep. The she-wolf held a hand over her nose at the smell and surveyed the remains. It looked like it was only skin and bones and judging by the smell of it the poor thing had been laying here for a few days. It wasn't much but it was a hell of a lot better than going without food for another three or more days, Toboe and Hige couldn't last that long.
"You could smell this?" the female questioned as the others caught up to them. Hige looked back at her and nodded "all the way from the mountain top?" again Hige nodded his head tipping his head up with pride.
"I told you, didn't I?" the wolf boasted as Mahina kneeled before the carcass looking it over for any parts that were no good to eat. "This nose of mine can sniff out just about anything for miles!"
"Really now?" Mahina grinned at the proud male "that's one powerful nose you have..." she reached out a hand to Hige even as he gave her a startled looked and the flesh of his human illusion turned red in a faint blush. Her delicate fingers ghosted brushed over the male's nose once or twice and the she-wolf laughed lightly "good job, Hige's nose. Thank you so much for finding us some food" she praised on chuckling in a playful manner before drawing back.
Hige stared at the female stunned as she turned her attention back to the dead animal before them. In the wake of her touch a subtle, sweet scent danced about the male's nose and it was this that left him so stunned.
One could never catch it well unless they were very close to Mahina, not even Hige's sensitive nose, but the she-wolf had a distinct scent. He was sure the others had picked up on it too, Toboe had commented on how nice the smell was but Hige couldn't pin it down to an exact thing. Maybe it was a sort of flower, maybe it was just the remaining scent of Cheza on the she-wolf Hige might never know, but he knew one thing and that was when he smelled that scent he felt more at ease than usually. Heh, maybe that's why the runt seemed to latch onto Mahina already.
"I wonder where it came from" Toboe commented from beside Mahina "It's out here on its own"
"It was probably separated from its herd" Mahina guessed aloud as Hige leaned in even closer to get a better smell "Without it's herd it wondered until it starved and died here I guess" how it got there and why it died didn't matter now, it still had some meat left on it enough for the five of them to share a bit among one another.
"You're really going to eat that thing?" Tsume, who kept a safe distance from the rotting carcass, questioned with disgust.
"Well yea" Hige replied the obvious but Mahina wasn't surprised by Tsume's words.
"Leave him be" the female remarked "He's not use to eating things like this, if the house pet wants to go a few more days until we reach a city with human food let him" she waved a hand and gently patted Toboe on the head "eat up, you'll need to keep your strength" she informed the pup after so calmly insulting the grey wolf behind her. Toboe smiled slightly and nodded and the two of them joined Kiba and Hige in eating.
"...it's not so bad" the pup commented after a few bites "it's pretty good actually and it's only a little tougher than hamburger meat" both he and Mahina exchanged smiles before eating on. It wasn't the grand hunt the female had been hoping for but it was a meal. "Come on Tsume have some!" Toboe chirped to the grey wolf "we still have a long ways to go"
"And just where are we going?" Mahina sighed when Tsume said this, he always seemed to want to question the reason they were following Kiba. Whatever happen between the Grey and White wolf had definitely left Tsume with distaste for Kiba; following to the unknown only made it worse. The four feasting wolves stopped to glance back at the grouchy male "in the direction you smell a flower?" Tsume asked mockingly. Not to be discouraged Toboe looked to Kiba.
"Tell us Kiba, what's it like?" the pup asked "what does paradise look like?"
"It's a wonderful place" commented Hige while he continued to stuff his face. Both Toboe and Mahina turned their heads to look at the male. Any wolf who knew of paradise questioned if it were real or not, most didn't know what it was like there not even Mahina herself knew what to expect if she ever found paradise. How could he sound so casual describing a place no one had ever seen? "The flowers are always in bloom" the chubby wolf described it "and there's food everywhere. Oh and not mention babes..." even though Toboe's face shined brighter than the dome city they had left three days ago Mahina pulled a face. And here she thought for a second that Hige really knew what he was talking about...
"Really? You really mean it?"
"Sure! Well..." Hige grinned sheepishly "At least I hope so..."
"You don't know" Pouted the young pup.
"Paradise is just an old fairytale, an idiots dream" drawled Tsume from behind them; really his optimistic outlook just over shined everyone else's at times like these.
"We'll never know unless we try" Toboe tried to smooth out the confrontation that was sure to come with Tsume's annoyance. The grey wolf wasn't buying the pups words, in fact hearing them seemed to anger him more.
"How long are you going to let this guy string you along to a place that doesn't even exist to begin with?" he questioned with a snarl. The taunts and words of the male made Mahina's blood boil over but it did no such things to Kiba. If the white wolf was angered by Tsume he made none aware of it. He stared at Tsume with that same expressionless look he always had and that ticked Tsume off even more.
"That's it, I'm sick of you losers, I'm out of here" The angry wolf turned on his heel and descended the hill they rest upon. Toboe sighed at this action.
"Just where do you think you're going all by yourself?" inquired Hige arching a brow at the retreating wolf.
"To look for hell I guess" Tsume replied sarcastically earning a snort from Mahina before he lost her focus. Fine by her, so far as she was concerned he had been slowing them down anyway and she surely would not miss his presence in their group. Toboe however…
"Tsume wait!" The pup stood up "come on, we just made some new friends!"
"Go play with your friends somewhere else" Tsume replied coldly.
"Suit yourself" Kiba's cool voice stopped the wolf in his retreat, he glanced back at them "But remember" the white wolf warned "those set of rules you have don't apply way out here" true to his word Kiba wasn't planning on making Tsume stay even if it was dangerous for their kind to be traveling about on their own.
"You know smug kids like you really piss me off" The grey wolf growled before he faced forward again and kept walking despite Toboe's calls for him to come back.
"Man what an attitude" commented Hige between the mouthfuls of meat he chewed on. Mahina simply grunted when he said this and shook her head lightly.
"Leave him be" she told him "He won't last much longer with that attitude of his, acting like a bratty child" Hige nodded slightly in agreement.
"Don't say that…" Toboe muttered to them "I liked Tsume he's really nice" Really nice? To who? Mahina glanced up at the young pup to find his eyes down cast in slight sorrow and this made the she-wolf frown slightly as she watched him. This pup…he really cared about that wolf didn't he?
"Wait here" Toboe chirped raising his head with a fierce burn of determination "I'm going to go and get him" and with that said the youngest of them all took off after Tsume. The sight of him leaving caused the she-wolf slight alarm; she turned fully away from the meal before her to watch Toboe go.
"Be careful Toboe" she called after him; he waved back at her slightly but kept on running. Mahina sighed slightly "Reckless little pup" the female grumbled settling back down with her arms tightly crossed. Noticing her restlessness with ease Hige placed a hand on the females shoulder and offered her a sincere smile when her crimson orbs looked his way.
"Don't worry Mahi" he told her "He's a runt but he'll be fine, he's got Tsume around right?" Mahina frowned deeply.
"That doesn't make me feel any better" she replied to him now feeling her fur prickle nervously. It was safe to say that Toboe, when he wasn't trying to keep Tsume calm, had latched himself onto the only female of their as if she were his own mother. Mahina didn't mind much, she enjoyed having the young pup to look after and it call the she-wolf a sucker but waking up to find him cuddling next to her slim form was always heartwarming for Mahina. However, with the steadily growing bond came a steadily growing protective nature over the copper wolf. Now Mahina almost couldn't stand having Toboe out of her sight for too long and it had only been three days since they first met!
"Give them time" Kiba voice in "It'll be alright"
Mahina waited with Hige and Kiba long after the sun began to set. She waited with them when the full moon took to the sky and shined high over their faces. As the three of them silently basked Mahina couldn't help but feel a sense of dread brisling through her being. Her fur was slowly beginning to stand on end and her muscles gave off small trembles if she was still for too long. Call it instinct or Paranoia or whatever, but Mahina had a feeling deep down within her that Toboe was in trouble. She tried to keep herself calm from where she lay beside Kiba but she knew he was aware of it by the way that his blue eyes glanced her way from time to time. She wouldn't jump up and go looking for Toboe though; she'd wait just like Kiba had suggested they do.
"So I was thinking…" Hige broke the silence between the three of them "We should ditch that guy. It's not like her has to tag along or anything, it was only happenstances that they ended up with us"
"The same can be said about you, you know" Mahina replied though she was certain Hige had been addressing Kiba with his suggestion. "If you hadn't happened upon Kiba in that lab you would have never known about all of this"
"Neither would you" Hige replied sitting up so he could see the female better, "It was only because you were with those humans that you found Kiba too!"
"I was in that lab for the same reason Kiba came to Freeze city" Mahina told the amber wolf calmly closing her eyes and letting the moon light bathe her in its light and grant her new found energy. "Even if we left the city separately we would have eventually ended up traveling together" Hige made a face at this but of course Mahina didn't see it. "I do agree with you though" she added after a moment "Scars tells tales after all and he doesn't have the most bearable attitude."
"He's just different" Kiba remarked "He's always had someone to blame. That's pretty lucky if you ask me" now Mahina sat up and looked down at the ever so calm white wolf. As usual his expression betrayed none of his inner emotions to Mahina or Hige as he continued to stare up at the moon "Give him a break" he told the two of them wisely "he'll come around"
"You know you act like you pretty much have all the answers" Hige pointed out "what did you do before all of this huh?" curious of this Mahina fixed Kiba with an interested stare. She too wondered what Kiba was like before he began looking for Cheza, for Mahina it was almost like she was born to seek out the flower maiden but Kiba…he never said what had gotten him started on his search of Cheza and ultimately paradise. Even under both Hige and Mahina's stares Kiba never once tore his eyes from the moon above them nor did he even once show any sign of what he might be thinking.
"Nothing much…nothing much at all…"
There in that same place the three of them waited for most of the night and still no sign of Toboe or Tsume. Their scents couldn't even be caught in the wind so after a bit more waiting Mahina began thinking that where ever the two of them were they wouldn't be coming back and with that thought came the reluctant knowledge that if Tsume and Toboe weren't coming back it was time for the remaining three of them to get moving again while Kiba could still faintly smell Cheza and Mahina could feel the maiden ever so slightly. Even so as they began walking in the opposite direction that Toboe and Tsume had gone Mahina trailed a slight distance behind just hoping that she might catch Toboe's scent for she really didn't want to leave the pup behind with that grey wolf, if Tsume up and abandoned Toboe the pup would never last and that worried Mahina greatly.
Her hair stood on end again as they walked on but this time Mahina stopped and looked back. She couldn't ignore it anymore, this tremble that ran along her spine and made her fingers twitch violently until she curled them into tight fist. Something was terribly wrong; those wolves were in some kind of trouble.
"Kiba" the she-wolf glanced over her shoulder, Kiba was looking back as well and when he noticed that he was the only one walking on Hige stopped and looked back as well. "You feel that too don't you?" Mahina questioned the white wolf, his lack of answer was enough for Mahina to know that he indeed felt that sense of danger, how could he not? His sense of instinct and intuition was sharper than the rest of them he had to have known something was wrong way before Mahina did. "I…I'm going to head back and look around just in case they're looking for us" the female informed the two.
"Wait!" Hige held up a hand and sniffed the air "Do you guys smell that?" Smell? Smell what? A gentle wind blew past them right as Hige asked them the question and this wind answered their question. Mahina closed her eyes and breathed in through her nose deeply, riding along the breeze was faint but it wasn't hard to miss.
The scent of Lunar flower…Cheza.
Mahina watched as Kiba's eyes grew in size and for the first time he showed a great amount of shock. Mahina could see just by the look on the wolfs face, he had long forgotten the sense of danger that Toboe and Tsume might be in and without even casting an eye back he took a step forward in the direction Cheza's scent came from. Would he really do it? Was he really going to leave Toboe and Tsume behind to possibly die? No! He couldn't! She wouldn't let him! Stepping forward the female felt Kiba's muscles tense under her fingers that curled around his wrist and held on tightly keeping him from walking on. He looked back at her in slight surprise.
"Kiba" Crimson met Azure and Mahina begged him with her stare "Please…" for a moment, a heart stopping moment, Mahina thought that Kiba might not go back and was really putting a small chance to find Cheza over the lives of two of his own one of them being only a pup! When the moment ended though Kiba turned to face Mahina fully and after forming a tight grip on the she-wolfs wrist he took off running back where they had been before pulling Mahina with him taking off into a full run as fast as they could possibly go.
It didn't take them long until the scent of smoke and gunpowder burned the air clouding the inside of Mahina's nose and the clanging of metal ran through the air. The closer they got to the source the more danger hang in the air. Gunshot ran out soon and this made Hige shot his concern.
"Gunshots?" Mahina heard the amber wolf speak "That can't be good! I think those two are in some serious trouble!" That was an understatement; this smell…Tsume's blood was so potent Mahina was sure she could taste it if she tried hard enough. They followed the scent until they were looking down a ledge as a monstrous black machine thundered its way after what looked to be Tsume.
"He's limping" Mahina pointed out staring down at him.
"Look there's the runt!" Hige pointed to Toboe running in the opposite direction.
"Take care of that machine" Mahina barked "I'll get the pup out of here" she heard Hige nodded in response before the female took off along the ledge and leaped down. Toboe whipped around when he noticed that the machine was chasing Tsume.
"No! Hey-" just as the pup was about to call out to get that monstrosities attention again Mahina had gotten to him and tackled him. The pup yelped as the she-wolf's arms wrapped about his thin waist and took him clean off his feet. "M-Mahi?" Toboe squeaked when he safe the face of his attacker, Mahina looked at him briefly before pushing off the ground hard shooting both of them into the air. "Wait! Mahina! Tsume's down there! We can't leave him down there he's hurt!"
"Leave Tsume and that machine to us" Mahina told the pup, she landed gracefully on much higher ground and set Toboe down.
"Mahi!" Hige called running up to the female and Toboe. The pup sighed in relief when Tsume appeared limping behind the chubby wolf. "You alright runt?" the amber wolf addressed Toboe who glared back at him in response to being called a runt.
"Where is Kiba?" Mahina questioned; a volley of shots and a stream of white shoot past the three wolves answered her.
The female ran to the edge with wide eyes as Kiba dove right into the hail of bullets being fired by that machine with a large spike of ice in his mouth. He was fearless as a bullet grazed one of his legs and his blood curled through the air dancing with the wind into Mahina's nose. Within seconds of landing on the machine Kiba stabbed it with the spike and leaped off the monstrosity just before that part of it exploded. The very ground rumbled with the explosion and cracked under the machines wheels until it couldn't hold its weight any longer and caved taking it down even deeper into the icy cliffs in a cloud of smoke and snow. Kiba landed on a lone ledge higher above them. It was amazing! With the smell of his blood mixed with the power he was displaying Mahina couldn't help but feel a chill run up her spine. He did it! He took that thing down all on his own!
"Mahina watch out!" the she-wolf was so caught up in what she had just witness she didn't notice that the machine was still alive or that it had locked on her. Gunshots rang out just as she felt Hige grip the back of her jacket and yank her backwards and out of view of the firing killer. With Mahina out of its view the monster returned to shooting at Kiba. The caverns shuddered and shook with the black machines merciless attack but Kiba would not be killed so easily.
With a speed Mahina had never seen before the white wolf ran up the towering cliffs higher and higher even as it became vertical and looked to be impossible to run up and Mahina watched him as he did this, it was as if he were trying to reach the heavens way up in the sky another shudder ran up the females spin.
He was…truly a phenomenon.
Because that giant machine had been firing up a storm and blowing up the frozen caverns in its attempt to kill them all it had disturbed the area. One of its many bullets and missiles broke through the icy walls around and set free a mass of water from a frozen prison that eventually became its down fall washing it away with its harsh rapids. The rapids settled soon after they were released and froze soon after. The sun rose soon after and as they all regrouped it was like it was all just a bad dream.
"Are you okay?" Mahina asked when Kiba finally appeared in a casual walk towards them. Kiba didn't appear hurt but his blood still faintly hung in the air and was the cause for the she-wolf's still slightly prickling fur.
"It's only a scratch" the white wolf replied to her.
"Yes right" grumbled Hige "I swear ever since I met you guys it's been nothing but trouble" he complained on his hands shoved into the pockets of his hoodie.
"If you're so bothered by that fact, why don't you just go back to Freeze city?" Mahina rolled her eyes at Hige "We'd probably have fuller stomachs if we didn't have to keep feeding you're bottomless pit" The amber wolf chuckled sheepishly at this innocent shot at him.
"I had a feeling…that you guys would come for us…" Toboe muttered softly with a grateful look on his face. Mahina smiled brushing a hand over the pups head.
"Don't get use to it runt" Hige remarked
"That's Toboe" Toboe glared
"I didn't ask for help" and there goes grumpy Tsume making things not as pleasant all head turned to the brooding wolf with his back turned to them "Why would you risk your life to try and safe me? And don't try to say it's because we're friends"
"That's easy" Kiba replied in his usual cool manner "it was just instinct"
That seemed to be enough for Tsume. Without another word the grey wolf pushed himself to his feet and with the help of Toboe began walking. Once again like Kiba had said the young pup and the grey wolf with the scar on his chest joined them again and as if yesterday had never come about they set out on their journey again though they had to walk for the time being because of Tsume's injuries. From the pack of the group Mahina crossed her arms behind her back and stared at the four wolves walking ahead of her.
"These wolves…" she muttered to herself "…with them…it really feels like a pack" from her place the she-wolf smiled.