Thank you to Juliedoo and FlamingIcewolfgirl for your reviews! I'm very greatful!
I hope that the grammar mistakes are starting to clear up. I realize that i have a bad habit of that and i'm trying to keep an eye for it the best I can ^_^;;;

Chapter VI: Cages don't suit you

"We…" Mahina shuddered on when she lowered her head, her bangs hid her face but it was too late. Judging by the look Kiba had sent her just a second ago he knew she was crying "We can't stay here" she didn't care if she had to crawl into that tunnel and died at this point, Mahina just wanted to get off this island and out of here. "I don't want to see that happen to someone else" her slender frame shook as she tried to hold make a sob for the elder that she had to watch die but it came out anyway. She only faintly heard Kiba speak her name again as she leaned forward and hugged herself tightly. "I don't want to see that happen to any of us. We can't stay here, I don't want to stay here…" She just didn't understand it; maybe she was too young to but hell she didn't care! How could a leader knowingly allow his pack to work themselves to death like that and show no remorse? How many of these graves around Mahina belonged to others who suffered the same fate as that old wolf? She just didn't understand!

A firm hand was placed on her shoulder and she raised her head sniffling as she looked at Kiba and into his Azure eyes. That intense glare he had been holding for Zari moments ago was gone now and wordless Kiba pushing himself up and onto his feet.

"Let's go" Mahina hastily whipped at her face and nodded at the command. Kiba limped away from the freshly buried grave. He didn't get very far though he tried to, after three steps the white wolf dropped to the ground from his wounds and eventually had to be helped back to their resting spot by Toboe and Mahina.

"How did you get all these wounds" Toboe muttered as the three of them walked behind Hige and Tsume up the hill "there's too many for you to have gotten them all at the station-whoa!" extra weight was suddenly dropped on the two and they looked in alarm at Kiba. "He's in really bad shape!"

"Go ahead and clear an area for him" Mahina instructed Toboe grunting as she pulled Kiba to her and his full dead weight was upon her "I'll get him up there" the copper pup nodded his head and hurried up the hill as fast as he could go leaving Mahina behind to stand along holding onto the wounded male. His head dropped onto her shoulder and his hair tickled at her cheeks letting his scent encircled her nose; his scent…that fresh smell of pine. No other has ever had the smell of nature like Kiba did. They always smelled like foods like Hige or the things they've been around like Tsume but mostly like the humans they so often masked themselves to look like and live among like Toboe. It was like a breath of fresh air and the smell of it made Mahina pause when it came to getting up the hill so they could tend to him, she closed her eyes and breathed it in letting it wash over her like a wave and sooth her sorrow. "You really went and got yourself into trouble didn't you…" Mahina muttered when she opened her eyes and took in even more of the damage done to the white wolf.

Toboe was right, there was no way he could have gotten all of these wounds from Zari at the station. He had only pinned Kiba down and kept him from attacking any of the humans but when they drew close Zari had let Kiba shaking him off and run away. These wounds all the teeth marks and scratches had to have been dealt to him yesterday or at least before he got to the station and knowing Kiba it was probably because of his big mouth. A soft smirk came to the female, she figured Kiba's mouth would get him into trouble sooner or later.

"We're not staying here" Kiba's voice broke Mahina's trail of thought. He stirred slightly easing the weight he was putting on her but Mahina quickly stopped him when he tried to stand on his own.

"Don't move too much" she told him pulling one of his arms over her shoulder "You're way to injured to being moving on your own let me help you" Kiba grunted in response and together the two of them began the slow ascent towards the top of the hill.

"I'm going to find a way out of here" Kiba told Mahina weakly as they walked. Curiously the female looked at him but he had his head hung and his brown hair covered his face.

"What?"

"We're not going to end up like them" Kiba said, the muscles in his arm tighten and Mahina gasped slightly when the arm that she held onto curved around her in an odd sort of hold. Crimson met Azure and the two stopped walking. The look in Kiba's eyes was like icy fire "I promise" he told her as the flames dulled and his eyes drooped "We'll reach paradise…" he fell unconscious again pulling a grunt from Mahina. The she-wolf stumbled forward thanks to the added weight and sighed.

This wolf was certainly a mystery…

"Man, that Tsume's a real hard-ass" Hige complained from somewhere behind Mahina. The female rolled her eyes from where she was crouched and went on skimming her hands over the plant life in search of the plants that Toboe needed to dress Kiba's wounds.

Some time had passed since the morning and most of it had been spent tended to the numerous wounds the white wolf had. It was obvious at this point that he had been jumped, probably by Zari's little mutts, sometime after he had gone off on his own. Either way they couldn't do much moving with the white wolf in the state that he was in so while Tsume stood guard and Toboe kept Kiba still Mahina went off with Hige to gather herbs and help the chubby wolf find food for everyone. Tsume had left no mercy for Hige for eating all of the food Cole had brought for everyone and declared it his job to find them more. Now Hige complained about having to do such a task and really Mahina couldn't blame him, food was scares enough as it is to think that they could easily find some here on an island full of wolves was a fools dream.

"It's what you get for stuffing your face without having any consideration for the rest of us" Mahina told the male before circling her fingers round the plant that she had been looking for and pulling it from the dry soil "If you just stopped letting your stomach think for you you'd be so much better off Hige"

"How does he expect me to find anything anyway?" Hige remarked bending down and picking something up. Mahina glanced back at him and the worn old looking stuffed toy he had dangling by its thread tail "I mean if it was so easy to find food around here Zari and those guys wouldn't be doing what they're doing would they?"

"Perhaps you're right" Mahina replied, she stood up straight and ran her hands over her jeans to get the dirt off of them "But it doesn't matter right now, they do it and there's no use wondering what would have happen if there was something to make them not do it" but then again even working for humans in exchange for food wasn't so bad…if only they went about it in a different way or found simpler task for such an old wolf to do "He…shouldn't have had to die like that" Mahina muttered softly

"Yea…" Hige quietly agreed dropping the stuff toy back to the ground. Mahina moved on shoving the herb into her pocket and brushing past Hige. The male watched her closely and eventually began trailing after her "…hey Mahi" he spoke up after what felt like hours of silence.

"Yes?"

"Back there at gramps grave" Mahina stopped walking when Hige said this and so did he. She didn't look at him but it was obvious that she was listening "What was that?" he asked her "you were really upset about what happen"

"Weren't you?" Mahina countered "we watched him work himself until he died right there, right before our eyes"

"Yea but… you seemed especially upset about it" Hige's voice lost some strength under Mahina's gaze. Her red eyes seemed dull compared to their usual fire and her calm face held such hidden sorrow. The wind blew past them and their silence and even as the smell of meat hit Hige's senses he dare not look away from Mahina. When the wind settled she looked away.

"I may not act it but I do have emotions" she spoke softly "I feel regret and sorrow just like you do. I just hide it better than most but that…what we saw today…"

"Have you watched a wolf die before?"

"That isn't really any of your business" the sudden whip to Mahina's tone was a harsh one delivering its message with no trouble: the conversation was over. Hige sighed rubbing the back of his neck finally looking away from the female before him and in the direction of that scent he had just caught.

"Hey look!" he spoke brightly "fresh meat!"

"Really?" Mahina looked behind her again at Hige but the chubby wolf was already jogging away from her. He was right though, Mahina couldn't believe her eyes. Slowly she trailed after Hige gazing doubtfully at the heap a short distance away from them just lying on the ground. Why would there be meat this big just sitting on the ground like that?...unless… "Hige!" Mahina shout as the wolf drew closer to the meat "wait! Don't touch it!"

"What are you talking about Mahi" Hige called back bending forward he did the opposite of her command taking the meat in his hands and picking it up "its food! And it look like enough for all of-" Mahina broke into a hard run getting to Hige just as the loud screech of metal run out through the air. The slender wolf rammed into him and propelled him back and away just before tall bars sprung up from the snow and slammed together with a loud Clang! And the she-wolf found herself trapped in a cage.

"Damn" Mahina grunted pushing herself up taking in the predicament she now found herself in.

"Mahi!" Hige scrambled to his feet outside of the cage and hurried over to it he gripped the bars and yanked at them as if he'd be able to pry them open with his bare hands "Awe crap" he grunted "this isn't good!"

"I told you not to pick it up" Mahina barked from within the cage gripping the bars and watching as Hige failed in his attempts to bend the bars "use your head! Why would there be fresh meat just lying around!"

"I get it!" Hige yelled back "Dammit open up!" he tried in vain again, the metal would not budge. This wasn't good, if the humans came and found Mahina... cursing under his breath Hige let loose a snarl and bent down chomping down on the bars hard, he growled and began tugging and pulling but still the bars did not move. After a minute of this he stopped and stood up straight "man…" he muttered adjusting his jaw "my fangs are way too delicate for this" he stated, Mahina groaned.

"Then go and get Tsume" the she-wolf told him, her voice hitched with slight panic. They would probably hand her over to Zari and his pack! They would break her, crush her spirit and make her work for them! She'd end up like gramps! She would die on this island! "Make it quick!" Mahina panicked "If…if they find me-"

"I know, I know!" Hige barked out messing up his hair in frustration "just…just stay like that! They'll probably let you out if they thing you're just some hungry girl that got caught in the trap! I'll be back!" Mahina nodded, it made sense. If she kept herself masked they'd have no reason to hand her off to Zari, they'd just think she was some stupid girl that sprung the trap and let her go. The she-wolf allowed herself to relaxed when she realized this, she was going to be okay or rather…she would have been okay until the sound of crunching snow reached both wolves ears and the ominous sight of three of Zari's wolves, two of them being lead by the one that Kiba had bitten yesterday, came into view. While Hige sighed in relief Mahina tensed up, she didn't like those mutts nor did she feel that their devious smirks meant they were here to save her. "Oh good it's you" Hige breathed "I'm glad you're here"

"So wolves still get caught in traps like these huh?"

"Yea" Hige chuckled embarrassed by the situation "it was my fault, Mahi here got caught trying to say my sorry butt" he rubbed he back of his neck "am I ever embarrassed"

"Well that's what happens when you get so cocky"

"Who's getting cocky?" Mahina glared "We were looking for food"

"Mahi" Hige shot her a warning look and she quieted down. With the she-wolf silent Hige turned back to the three wolves "Sorry" he apologized "do you think you can open this thing and let her out now?" The three wolves exchanged looks still holding those devious grins on their faces.

"What do you think?" the wolf Kiba had bitten asked one of his companions "should we help them out?"

"These little brats keep meddling in our business" he replied "they've been trouble right from the start…"

"Hige" Mahina's eyes grew in size when they looked past him, he looked as well and gasped. A big orange truck was coming this way, the humans were coming! Oh no! "H-Hige, the humans" the female whimpered out shaking the cage

"Relax Mahi" Hige turned back to her "you're going to be okay. Everything is going to be fine" even though he said this he knew that there was panic showing in his eyes, he could see it reflecting in those wide red orbs of Mahina's. Could he be blamed for panicking? Mahina was usually as calm as Kiba when trouble started presenting itself but here she was stuck in a cage shaking like frighten puppy. If she was panicking then they must be in trouble. "Look" Hige turned his gaze to the wolves just grinning at them "I'm sorry" they didn't say anything "Come on let Mahina out!" still nothing "are you just going to stand here and watch her die!"

"Why shouldn't I?" the leader replied coldly "you stuck your nose where it don't belong. This here is our turf…but…" Mahina flinched slightly when he approached the cage and stuck his hand in "you're a real beauty" he told her repeating the same action he had yesterday when Kiba had bitten him. Mahina shuddered under his touch and continued to shake even as he ran his bandaged hand down her face and grasped her chin "A real, real beauty… Maybe I'll let you out if you do something for me"

"What!" Hige snarled glaring at the wolf, couldn't he see how frighten she was? And he was going to go and bargain with her? The twisted little-

"No!" Mahina's shrill scream broke Hige from his heated thoughts and the wolf holding her tipped his head back and howled in pain as loudly as he could. Hige watched with wide eyes as blood splattered against the bars and across Mahina's face while her fangs dug into the very same hand Kiba had bitten a full day ago.

"You little bitch!" the male she was latched onto snarled "get off of me!" Mahina would do no such thing, in fact she chomped down harder pulling another painful howl from her victim "I-said-let-go!"

"Hey!" Hige yelled tensing up when the wolf gripped a fist full of Mahina's hair in his other hand and pulled slamming the females head against the bars as hard as he could with each word that came from his mouth "What the hell are you doing? Stop it!" but he didn't stop, he kept slamming and slamming yelling at Mahina to let him go but she refuse shutting her eyes tightly a taking all the shots until finally he slammed her head with such force the metal bars of the cage rung. Finally Mahina released the wolf and dropped to the ground unconscious and no longer masked in her human illusion. Damn this was getting bad! Enraged Hige glared at the wolf that had caused his pack member such pain "You know what? We wouldn't want help from a bunch of old dogs anyway!"

"What?"

"You're not wolves" Hige yelled "you're not even dogs! You're lower than humans!"

"Why you little…"

The world came spinning back into focus for Mahina when she heard Hige yelp in pain. She raised her head to look and caught the haze image of that mutt she had bitten gripping the amber wolf by his sweatshirt with a fist digging deep into his stomach. No…No!

"Hi…ge…" Mahina could just barely see the male's eyes roll into his head before he dropped to the ground just outside the cage no longer looking human. This was bad…this was really bad… The humans…they were here! Change dammit change! Mahina's head spun when she heard the engine of the truck pull to a stop and the doors open.

"Whoa! We got two of them already!" one chirped almost instantly "and one of them is a big one!"

"It's too wild" the other replied "it'd be better to put it down" No!

"I think he this females mate here" the mutt Mahina had bitten informed them "If we keep them till she's in heat we have ourselves a litter of working dogs"

"That sounds like a good idea" one of the humans responded "put this big guy in the cage with her, we'll keep them somewhere and breed them"

Mahina couldn't keep herself conscious anymore. The world just wouldn't stop spinning before her eyes, the last thing she saw before darkness took over was the two humans bending down to pick Hige up.

'No…' Mahina whimpered out weakly before she blacked out completely.

When Mahina woke again she was moving. Moving…she opened her eyes seeing that the cage she was trapped in was now sitting on the back of an orange truck and the truck was driving down a road. Hige's voice shouting over the car's engine came to her soon after.

"Come on!" he yelled as loudly as he could shaking the cage wildly "Back here! Look back here!"

"Hige?" Mahina groaned out, her head was killing her. Damn that wolf who did this to her, if she ever laid eyes on her again she would certainly rip his arm clean off. If the humans would really carry out his suggestion she'd eventually get her chance…even if it mean she and Hige would…

"Mahina" Hige stopped shouting at the humans taking them away and kneeled down beside the she-wolf as she pushed herself up to a sitting position "you okay? How's your head?"

"I'm okay" she grumbled pushing black waves of hair out of her face "Where are we going?"

"I don't know" Hige replied to her looking back over at the front of the truck where the humans were.

"Are…are they going to kill us?" Mahina asked

"I don't know…" Hige replied

"I'm not going to die here…" Mahina felt her body shudder, this cage just sent her mind thinking back to her dream and that burning forest. When it came to cages only death followed those trapped within and Mahina would not die here, not like this, not without finding Cheza again. "I'm not going to die here!" the female yelled out, Hige jumped back the best he could with the limited space the cage offered and watched Mahina spring up and rammed her slender frame against the bars of the cage as hard as she.

"Whoa!" Hige yelped when the cage rattled and tipped ever so slightly before going back to its original place "Wait what are you doing!"

"Do you want to die?" Mahina fixed the amber male with a hard stare "or maybe you just want these humans to turn you into a lowly mutt and work for them? Well I don't!" again she rammed herself against the cage and it tipped just a bit more. The triangular cage tilted as far as it could go before a cord that strapped it the truck stopped it from tipping anymore. That was when Hige saw it, she was trying to knock the cage off the truck. If the humans couldn't hear them yelling they probably would notice the cage fall off either. "Help me!" Mahina barked at Hige breaking him from his thoughts. Hige nodded and joined Mahina in ramming against the cage as hard as he could, if they rammed hard enough that cord would snap and they'd be off this ride to their doom. So they rammed and kicked and slammed against the cage adding more and more pressure to the annoying cord until it started breaking.

"I think it's about to break" Hige pointed out glancing up at the cord and saw that it was just barely holding on "One more time!"

"Right!" the pair braced themselves and ram against the cage with all their might but they stopped one of the humans in front yelled out in surprise. Mahina yelped and was sent stumbling into Hige as the truck swerved wildly suddenly. The cage was sent jerking from the action and with a loud snap the cord broke freeing the cage. It tumbled away from the truck just before the orange machine could crash a short distance away. Mahina and Hige were thrown to the side of the cage from the force of the landing, Hige on his back against the bars and Mahina against him.

"Ow…" Hige groaned from under her "that really hurt…"

"Are you okay?" Mahina pushed herself up once the world stopped spinning, her eyes scanned the wolf for any injuries to his person but he simply shook his head.

"I'm okay" he grunted rolling on to his stomach and sitting up as well "Dammit…do you guys always have to be so rough?" You guys? Mahina followed Hige's stares, a wave of relief washed over her when she found the cage surrounded by the rest of their pack. Toboe glared at Hige and his comment.

"Do you know how lucky you are to be alive!" the pup barked at the chubby wolf.

"Are you two alright?" Kiba piped up after, Hige grumbled that he was fine and Mahina was quick to nod as well.

"They" she whimpered "They were going to make me breed with Hige!"

"They were?" Hige gaped at the female sitting beside him before grinning slightly "Well that doesn't sound like such a bad gig, maybe we should just stay in the cage" Mahina glared at Hige letting a low growl rumble in her throat, the male she glared at chuckled softly rubbing the back of his neck "heh heh…or not"

"Quit joking around" Tsume snorted "You can get out of there yourself can't you?"

"Yea" Hige confirmed "but you know, that barbaric stuff just isn't my thing" Fortunately for Mahina it was Kiba's thing.

"You know…" he commented "cages kind of don't suit you guys…"

"Enough kidding around" Mahina remarked "can you bend these out of the way so I can get out?" Chuckling slightly Kiba chomped down on the bars and began bending them back and away. When there was more than enough space for both Mahina and Hige to fit through the two of them clambered out of the cage. Mahina quickly pulled herself out and stood atop the cage while Hige started climbing out.

"You damn dogs!"

"Mahi!" Toboe barked out "look out!"

Look out?

Mahina tensed up and looked behind her in the direction of the unfamiliar voice that had just yelled out. The human that had been driving the truck was up now and he was aiming a gun right at her. She snarled pushing off the cage and lunging at the human just as he pulled the trigger. His shot missed but Mahina didn't biting into his wrist and making him yell out in pain. Another wolf, who Mahina recognized as Zari, came charging seconds later biting into his arm and finally making him let go of the gun in his hand.

'Go! Run!' the male directed at her, she wasted no time letting go of the human and leaping off the truck hurrying after her pack. The six of them ran far away from the city as fast as they could knowing full well that the humans would be out searching now they knew there was more than one of them. Zari lead the pack back to the cemetery and into the tunnel they had been warned about going.

"Are you sure this tunnel is really safe?" Hige asked as they all trailed down the slanted tunnel

"I'm sure it's better than being burned up with the trash" Tsume remarked from the back of the line up "Or make into a breeding pair like dogs"

"Please don't remind me" Mahina shivered at the very thought. Soon the tunnel opened up to an even bigger one with a high ceiling. Now that they were actually in the tunnel Mahina could understand what Hige had meant when he said it smelled like death warmed over. The she-wolf groaned placing a hand over her mouth and nose as she was assaulted with the smell of rot and decay. With everyone now standing in the tunnel Zari stopped walking.

"This" he told them "is as far as I'm going"

"You mean you're not coming with us?" Kiba inquired, Zari shook his head

"From here on out you're on your own" he said "…I don't know if the place we tried to reach is real or not but I believe there are some who can make it to paradise and there are some who can't." The male turned and faced the young pack "It's time for you to go on and find out for yourselves if Paradise is real or not"

"And what will you do?" Mahina questioned "stay here and fade away like the flowers?"

"You know, flowers are clever things" The older male spoke in a wise tone "Even if it looks like they vanish they never really go away…kind of like a pack of wolves" His words cut deep for Mahina, she lost her hard stare for a moment but then couldn't help but smile back at the wicked look Zari sent her way. "As long as there is a moon the flowers will never die" he confirmed "and neither will us wolves"

"Is that so?" Tsume chuckled from beside Mahina "Yea that sounds about right" it did sound right. They were lunar flowers after all, so long as there was a full moon to bloom under lunar flowers could always return. Kiba moved first taking a couple of steps forward before starting to run, Mahina smiled and quickly followed after him.

"Oh, I just remembered something" Toboe spoke up later, they had been running down this path for a while now. The pup looked back at Mahina who ran behind him with a curious face "Mahi, what does breeding mean anyway?"

"What?" The question made both Mahina and Tsume, who took up the rear, stop running and gape at the pup.

"Well back there you said that the humans were going to make you breed with Hige" Toboe pointed out to the she-wolf "but what does that mean?" Did he really not know?...er…how was she going to go about explaining something like that to Toboe? He was still so young!

"Uh…" the female stammered, her face heated up and a deep red came to her cheeks "uh well…you see-"

"When you're older you'll understand runt" Tsume interrupted with a chuckle brushing past Mahina and Toboe to catch up with the others. In his wake the young pup fixed his wide, curious eyes on Mahina.

"But why can't I know now?" he asked her "and why's your face all red like that Mahi?"

"L-l-listen to Tsume and wait until you're old enough Toboe!" Mahina barked out before taking off in a hard run away from the pup.

"H-hey wait! Mahi!...come on just tell me"

"I said wait until you're older!"