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Chapter VII: The Wolf and the Flower
Now that they were on the right track again it didn't take the pack long before they reached the end of the underground tunnel. The end turned out to be the mouth of a cave that opened up before a lake that almost surrounded a large cliff. It was here that everyone took their rest and Hige found himself happily enjoying one of the perks of having a female in the pack. Her hoodie was slipped off and abandoned at the shore of the water and her ebony locks were pulled out of her face and into a high ponytail. Anyone could call the amber wolf a perv all they wanted but Mahina truly was work of art both in human and wolf appearance.
As a wolf she was slender and muscular with her perfect mixture of black and white fur and faints spots of brown that made her all the more unique. That wasn't all, when the she-wolf turned her head to look at Hige her eyes were a liquid platinum color instead of the golden yellow one would expect from a wolf her age. She wasn't young like the runt but she was young enough.
As a human she could be considered a babe! She wasn't too tall but she also wasn't too short. Much like her wolf appearance Mahina had a slender human body with curves in all the right places. Long, silky, black hair and those piercing red eyes of hers they could chill anyone's spine, wolf or human. Yep, being around such a babe wasn't anything to complain about at all.
Mahina was currently wading through water deep enough to reach her knees, crimson eyes too focused on the water below her to notice that she was being watched. Every now and again she would drive her hands down into the water probably trying to find some fish.
"You know" he spoke up ruffling his hair as he did "I don't think I've ever eaten fish before"
"You spend most of your time in cities don't you?" the female asked slowly retracting her hands when she failed to catch anything. The chubby wolf hummed slightly to her question "While I'm sure fish is supposed to be good for human it's good for us when we've gone too long without eating" the she-wolf explained, her attention never strayed from her task at hand "if you've spent most of your time in cities you probably wouldn't know that"
"Er well…" Hige chuckled
"She's right you know" Toboe chirped with a chuckle of his own "I mean I've never been out of the city before and I didn't know that"
"Well I wouldn't expect a runt like you to know something like that" Hige replied
"Hige, you didn't know that either" Mahina remarked turning her head slightly to look at the chubby wolf who once again chuckled at her words rubbing his neck in embarrassment. "I thought that since we're resting we might as well have some kind of food in our stomachs, everything seems a lot harder to deal with when you're hungry"
"But fish? That's cat food" Hige complained
"Like your stomach would know the difference, porky" Tsume insulted the amber male from his perch on a branch high on one of the surrounding trees. Hige grimaced at the comment but from the water Mahina paused and actually let off a light giggle.
In such a short amount of time the she-wolf and the grey wolf of their happy little band began settling their differences. It was probably because Tsume was a little more on the band wagon with this whole paradise thing than before but either way Mahina had stopped trying to pick fights with him every time he made some sort of insulting comment to either Toboe or Hige. Now whenever Tsume took his shots at his fellow pack members Mahina would do this: she'd stop what she was doing and take a moment to laugh about it, Hige could take a few jabs at his pride if it meant he could enjoy that laugh of hers. It wasn't all fine through, the two weren't skipping through a field of daisies, Mahina still irked Tsume by calling him a house pet from time to time and Tsume still ticked Mahina off by calling her scrawny. However, even the hungry, babe obsessed Hige could tell that ever since they left that island there was a slight change in the air when it came to their banter. To put it in simpler terms, when they did argue there was no longer a sense that they wanted rip each other's throats out.
"If you don't want to eat fish why don't you grab the runt and go find something else for us to eat" Tsume suggested leaning back and closing his eyes.
"I agree with Tsume" Mahina hummed, she straightened up from her bent forward position, to Hige's dismay mind you, and turned to the three wolves that took their own space on land. "I doubt a couple of fish will be enough, there might be some other animals around. With your nose, Hige, finding them won't be a problem"
"Heh!" Hige puffed up his chest and rubbed his nose, that's right! Who's the wolf with the most amazing nose! Mahina praised him for his sensitive nose a lot, maybe guys like him were her type! "Alright then" Hige pushed himself to his feet "Come on runt! Let go find something to hunt!"
"We're really going?" Toboe questioned, the runt cast a cautious eye to Mahina who simply smiled and waved him away "Okay, let's go!" and with his hands in his pockets and the runt not far behind him, Hige walked at a casual pace away from their resting spot. "How are we going to catch something Hige?" Toboe asked once he'd caught up with Hige "Do you have a plan or something?" Oh He had a plan alright, he'd find a big old elk or something, hunt it down and bring it back to Mahina. Then she'd realize he was the bread winner and be all over him!
"How hard could this be?" the chubby wolf spoke a loud "Mahi can do it so how hard can it be!" he laughed loudly after saying this.
"But…" Toboe chimed in quietly "Mahi's a lot faster than all of us"
"…" and there goes Hige's grand plan "Shut up and hurry up runt!"
"That's Toboe!"
Back at the lake Mahina had relaxed now that Hige and Toboe were off hunting. She sighed out and slowly sank to her knees in the water allowing it rise past her knees to her thighs and then her waist then her chest and finally stop at her shoulder blades. The cooling sensation of the wave were such a relief on the she-wolf's over worked muscles and she found herself starting to realize that she didn't take it easy nearly as much as she should. Now, she was suddenly over come with a great need to.
"You don't actually think they're going to catch anything do you?" Tsume's voice interrupted Mahina's peaceful silence. Her crimson eyes easily found him still perched in the tree for beside herself he was the only one in the area with Hige and Toboe gone and Kiba still not back from wherever he had wandered off too. "I don't know if you've noticed but they can be a bit slow"
"Perhaps you're right" Mahina smirked and slowly turning back around so she was gazing up at the tall cliff that loomed over everything "But it gives them something to do, they easily get restless"
"They probably won't find anything" Tsume remarked
"Then why don't you go keep an eye on them" Mahina suggested "with you there find a simple meal should be almost as easy as it is if it were just me out there"
"Is that challenge Scrawny?" Tsume snarled at Mahina but it was easy to tell that there was no hostility in his tone. If anything it was playful growl thrilled at the idea of a dare being presented to them. The sound of it caused Mahina to smirk slightly. The female stood back up and turned back to Tsume, he was out of the tree now and standing at the edge of the lake.
"Sure" she hummed out crossing her arms "let see if you can manage to hunt something down by sunset, that sound fair?"
"That sounds generous to me" Tsume snorted, he turned on his heel and began the walk to the forest after Hige and Toboe "I'll be back with something within the hour"
"Sunset it is" Mahina chuckled out to the grey wolf just before his disappeared among the low branches and bushes of the forest. Now all that was left in the clearing was Mahina, left to her silence. The she-wolf shook the water from her fur before moving to the lakes shore and sitting down. She had to say she definitely enjoyed sitting with her feet in the water like this, like a human. She even took her shoes and socks off and wiggled the strange digits about the cool liquid until the chill sent a shudder up her spine. Now that she was in total silence Mahina could fully relax. She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath and sighed just letting the waves gently rock her senses to sleep and let her mind float down the stream of daydreams…
Behind her closed eyes a strange haziness came to her.
Instead of darkness she saw sparkling green blurring her vision. She was lying down in this sparkling green and as it slowly pushed and pulled her small frame she realized it was water, she was submerged in water but she could breathe perfectly fine. She blinked sleepily feeling motion slowly come to her limbs and an odd sense of awareness, she could feel that there was a presences standing outside her watery resting place but for the moment she paid it no mind. She moved her limbs about in this sparkling green water until her right arm was floating before her face. Surprise and confusion subtly pulled at her at what she saw, this…this wasn't the arm of a wolf. This wasn't her arm at all, it was peach, almost a pale white. The fingers of her paw were long, slender and when she flexed the muscle of the limb they spread out farther than they normally ever could. This was a strange arm indeed, nothing like anything she had ever seen before. Her sluggish eyes open just a bit wider when out of nowhere a dark shadow loomed over her and this strange arm, the calm water was disturbed as a strange, a black arm similar to the peach on she was looking at broke the watery surface and brushed against the clawless tips of her fingers gently as if she were far too delicate for anything more.
Why did she feel like she should be afraid? The feeling was there but just barely as if the green waters about her small form were dulling the emotion. She was supposed to be afraid, angered, seeking vengeance but for what? And why? Slowly she closed her eyes, why was she recalling bright, angry flames and thick iron bars and mournful howling? What was it from? As these questions rang through her head her watery bed rumbled, bubble caressed her body rocketing past her to the ever approaching surface.
Lower and lower it sank and when her face finally broke the surface her lung expanded as if she had been drowning until now. Arching her back up in an angle she didn't know a wolf could bend in her eyes snapped open and her mouth opened in a loud gasp before she began hacking and coughing up water she didn't know she was choking on. Even though she was outside of the water her vision was still blurry, her eyes looked about wildly as she slowly began regaining a steady breath and the remaining water drained away unclogging her ears and disappearing from around her body. What was going on? Wha…what is this? Her eyes grew wide with hope that she might be able to see more but it did not help
"There you go" that gentle black arm reached farther down until it touch her face caressing her in a slow petting motion, the deep voice that accompanied it made the action feel almost comforting trying to ease her through her bodies spasms and twitches "Now, you take your first breaths" this voice told her "Reborn anew"
Mahina's drooping head shot up and her hand instantly shooting up to the side of her face that black, gloved hand had touched and she took in a deep breath so fast her lungs ached and she coughed it back out. The sun had shifted in the sky so that it was now directly over head. When she had closed her eyes it had been morning! Did she…did she fall asleep again? The lake and surrounding forest came spiraling back into her view but she still gazed about the area in wild bewilderment, without Toboe near petting her head like he had before Mahina was left to shuddered at the dream she had woken from. The longer they traveled in search of Cheza the more these dreams came to her and each one scared her worse than the last painting a terrible story, it was to the point she didn't even want to sleep anymore. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes letting her hand slip from her face and into her lap with a sigh. A slight breeze drifted Mahina's way sending a scent with it, the she-wolf looked behind her.
"You're back" she sat up a bit straighter at the sight of the ever mysterious white wolf of their pack known as Kiba. The male glanced around the area and approached Mahina "The others went off to see if they could find something to eat" she informed him
"And you stayed?" Kiba questioned with a curved brow at her she smiled slightly and nodded her head turning her attention back to the lake.
"I was trying to catch fish" she explained "but I got tired and decided to rest" Kiba sank into the ground beside Mahina with his back turned to her and almost instinctively, as if an invisible hand gentle pushed her, she leaned toward the seated male and found her head rest against his back. She took in another deep breath and sighed out softly "We should stick around for a while" she suggested earning more of Kiba's attention.
"Stick around?" he repeated, Mahina nodded.
"I feel" she started to say never lifting her head from its comfy place on Kiba's back "I feel like we're on the right track right now, we don't have to go anywhere just yet"
"…" there was a shift in positions, Kiba moved just a bit and Mahina could only guess that it was so that he could look back at her without much trouble. The female opened her eyes and sure enough found the azure gaze upon her, the stoic face of the white male pierced Mahina like a perfectly sharpened blade. "You can feel her?" he asked after an almost tormenting silence signs of hope reflected in those blue orbs when he asked this. He hadn't said it but Mahina was certain that a lot of Kiba's confident decisions were based on whether or not Mahina could sense Cheza or if she caught her scent like he did. True, he probably followed his own instincts more but it was times like these that the white would cast an eye to the female and watch her carefully and more than likely trusted Mahina's instincts almost as much as his own. This time however when Mahina closed her eyes and reached out she didn't feel the touch of Cheza's presence though she tried.
"No" the she-wolf told Kiba slowly closing her eyes, she might not be able to feel Cheza instantly but she could try and reach out to the maiden perhaps she was just out of reach…there had to be some reason why she felt like they could relax for now. That was when it happen, like with her dream Mahina was met with hazy vision rather than darkness when she closed her eyes and she could no longer feel Kiba's back against her cheek. Her back was against a soft cushion and her bare feet rest within water. She tried to focus her vision but it was no use, all she could make out was a small tank of sparkling green water and her feet resting within them. She couldn't move though she tried to.
"Do you feel it Cheza?" A deep voice echoed through the area she was in and rung in her ears. This voice….this deep voice…it was the same as in her dream "We're almost to where you were born…" the hazy image faded and Mahina opened her eyes back up turning them to the cliff over head.
"She's not here" she told Kiba softly "But she's coming"
"Alright Runt, are you ready?"
"Stop calling me a runt. My name is Toboe!"
"Keep your voice down! Are you ready or not"
"I'm ready!"
"Good…On my count…"
Carefully the two males were crouched within the cover of brushes and fallen tree branches shuffling about on the pads of their paw just waiting to spring from their hiding places and lunge forth on their unsuspecting pry. Golden eyes stayed focused on the soft brown fur of the target watching it sniff the ground for any source of food for it to go on living without knowing it's life would come to an end soon enough.
"Three…" Toboe's hind legs tense up as Hige began counting down "Two…" Hige muttered quietly and slowly, as stealthy as he could, inched himself just a bit closer to the animal. As if sensing the danger the animal paused in what it was doing, red eyes casting a nervous look about the area "…Go!" Loud snarls burst forth and branches and leaves scattered about the place as the copper wolf and the amber wolf leaped from their hiding spots and lunged at the unsuspecting creature from two different directions. Yes! There was nowhere for it to run this time! They got him! Hige would have cheered at this fact but the second his mind told him to the creature vanished from sight and Toboe, who had charged from the opposite direction, replaced it. "What the-" it was too late to slow down or stop, they were both already in full momentum and so with speed and strength meant to take down their prey the two wolves collided with each other knocking heads in a loud bonk of a sound similar to that of coconuts being knocked together. Falling backwards onto his butt Hige shut his eyes tight and clenched his aching head. "Ow!" he growled, geez the runts head was rock hard! His head felt like it had been split in two by Toboe's! Wait, was he bleeding? Hige quickly pulled his hands away from his head and checked them for any signs of blood but saw none.
"What did you do that for?" Toboe whined from across Hige clenching his head much like Hige had a moment ago "That really hurt Hige"
"Don't blame me!" Hige yelled back "Why didn't you slow down?"
"I couldn't!" Toboe barked back "I thought that I had it but then it just disappeared right before I could catch it! It's so fast" Yea, that's why Hige had proposed that they attack it from two different sides to begin with! Frustrated the chubby male cursed under his breath looking about the area for the damn creature. All morning the two of them, Toboe and Hige that it, had been trying to catch this stupid animal but every time one of them would get close enough to catch it it would get away! It had speed going for it that was for sure but Hige would be dammed if he let that thing live to see tomorrow. No! He would catch it, kill it and take it back to Mahina for praise! If he didn't not only would this defeat be a deep shot at his stomach, it would be a deep shot at his pride as a wolf! Why? One may ask, well…
"There you are you little bastard" Hige growled when he spotted the creatures brown fur. It sat not very far from the two recovering wolves twitching it pink nose at them as if to laugh at them for their failed attempt in catching it. After scratching one of its long ears the little hare turned tail and hopped away.
That's right. Hige a chubby, but still muscular, wolf had been bested by a tiny, little, bite sized hare! Now it wasn't just trying to escape them, it was taunting them the amber wolf could just tell.
"Get back here!" Hige barked pushing himself up and chasing after the little creature.
"Hige wait for me!" Toboe was quick to follow Hige but Hige didn't heed the runt's words. All he was focused on was getting that stupid hare and snapping its neck! He could see it now, he'd chomp down on its neck and watch it squirm for a while…yea that's what it gets for making a fool of him like that. Smirking in a twisted way only a wolf could Hige continued to run full speed after the hare until it suddenly stopped and darted back and directly at him. He faltered in his steps startled by the action before his face was introduced to the little creature's foot. As if it had somehow possessed Mahina the hare stomped down on Hige's poor nose! The chubby male yelped loudly from the unexpected assault and stumbled away from the hare "Hige!" Toboe yelped from behind him seeing the attack and charging to Hige's side allowing the hare to run away "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" Hige growled clenching his nose, how dare that little bastard kick him in the nose! This wasn't just a matter f getting food anymore, when Hige caught that hare he was going to rip it to bits!
"That was smooth" the familiar voice of Tsume pulled Hige from his murderous thoughts. Both he and Toboe looked behind them to see the grey wolf slowly approaching them as if he had been on a leisurely walk.
"Tsume."
"Having some trouble Porky?" Tsume smirked down at Hige "it looks like the little things giving you run for your money"
"Shut up" Hige grumbled pushing himself to his feet and dusting off his clothes, the amber male was already dealing with that stupid hare teasing him the last thing he needed right about now was to be taunted by Tsume. "I'm just playing around" he lied
"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with your food?" Tsume chuckled in response with his hands on his hips "Besides, Mahina asked you to do this, I'd figured you'd be off and back by now"
"And just what are you doing out here anyway?" Hige growled trying to change the subject
"Same thing as you I guess" Tsume shrugged his shoulders "I knew you wouldn't be able to catch anything so I decided to go hunting myself"
"Have you found anything yet?" Toboe chirped with hope in his eyes but Tsume shook his head. So he hadn't found much of anything either huh? Sighing Hige tipped his head back and closed his eyes letting the sun over head warm his face. They had been chasing this stupid rabbit all damn morning and still hadn't caught it!….wait a second…
"It's mid day…" Hige pointed out before casting Tsume a wolfish grin, finally! Something to get at Tsume with! "So if you haven't caught anything either that means you've been running around here all morning just like us" the chubby wolf snickered with the grey one snarled "What's wrong? Can't catch a simple little thing like a Hare? Come on! You use to be the leader of a gang of human thieves! Little rabbit shouldn't be a problem right?" He was baiting Tsume and the male easily took the bait, Hige could tell by the look in his eyes. Without a word Tsume shoved his way past Hige and began walking in the direction the Hare had run off to. Hige smirked, that was far too easy.
It didn't take Tsume very long to relocate Toboe and Hige's lost rabbit, it didn't run very far probably thinking that it had outsmarted the wolves chasing t and could relax now. Now it raced about the forest as fast as it could go with the grey wolf hot on its tail. Unlike Toboe or Hige, Tsume had no trouble keeping up with the little creatures speed. In fact he took great joy in chasing it down, it had tried using just its speed to out run Tsume but when that hadn't worked it started trying to lose him by running in zig zag, turning in different directions sharply, abruptly, in hopes that this might tire the grey wolf out but this poor Hare didn't know who it was messing with. Before he had teamed up with those humans Tsume had been a hunter in his original pack and he had been a damn good one at that, he'd chased after and took down animals twice this rabbit's size and the effort they had given in trying to lose him had been twice that of this little guys. Even they had been easy prey for Tsume to catch, this was no match for Tsume…or was it?
Tsume had zeroed in on the little creature, it was slowing down from all it's running and he was right on it. He could practically chomp down on its puffy white tail if he wanted to…and he would. Opening his mouth wide Tsume was ready to take it down when suddenly
"Tsume!" Toboe yelled from where he followed the grey wolf "Look out!" look out? Look out for what? Suddenly the hare took yet another one of its sharp turns revealing to Tsume what he was supposed to look out for seconds after he actually had time to. Behind him Hige and Toboe stopped running and winced when a resonating THUMP! echoed through the forest. Branches shook and leaves rattles, birds resting were startled and took flight and the very trunk of the tree Tsume had run into shook with the force of the collision and so the Hare had outsmarted even Tsume.
"Ouch" Hige winced turning his face away from the sight and biting down on his bottom lip in hopes that he would not laugh at seeing Tsume fail so epically, running into Toboe was embarrassing but to run full force into a tree like that…now that was a downright shame.
"Are you alright Tsume?" Toboe approached the wolf as he rubbed his forehead and Hige was busy covering his mouth with his hand and quietly snickering away. A loud squeak silenced all three of them minutes later.
"…What are you three doing?" Heads turned and found the only female of their pack leaning against a tree, a slender black brow was arched at what she had just seen. Hige could already tell by the growing smirk on her pale face that she had defiantly watched Tsume run into the base of that big old tree.
"Mahi" he chirped out chuckling as he did "what are you doing here? I thought you were looking for fish?"
"I was" she answered shrugging her shoulders slightly "but I came looking for you guys, the sun will set soon and we need to get some rest"
"I thought you said you'd give me until sundown" Tsume spoke up now that he had recovered from his crash. "The sun is still up you know"
"I had planned to give you till sundown but you asked for only an hour" Mahina replied "I even gave you until midday, don't complain"
"But we're just about to catch a-" Hige tried but the she-wolf cut him off
"Hare?" she guessed, how did she-… Hige chuckled nervously when Mahina pulled her arm from behind her and revealed what she had tightly clenched in her hand. "Looking for this?" Her slender fingers were wrapped around the neck of the very rabbit that had out smarted Hige, Toboe and even Tsume. Squealing loudly it kicked and thrashed about in her hold. So that had been what the sound was. "It's too small…" Mahina told them scanning it over before letting it drop down to the ground.
"Hey! Wait we were going-" Hige tried to stop her from letting the little bastard get away but as soon as it's feet touched the ground it took off running as fast as its little legs could take it. Now Hige felt defeated, he sighed hanging his head.
"Let's head back" the she-wolf commented turning on her heel and walking away. With another sigh Hige nodded and followed her, Tsume and Toboe not far behind.
By the time they had gotten back to the lake the sun had disappeared behind the horizon and day had surrendered to the ever approaching night. Even as the moon hung over their heads and the stars began mapping out the sky Mahina lay awake. She could not give in to sleep, she refused to, she didn't know what might await her when she did so she decided she would not sleep. Instead Mahina stayed curled up against Toboe, allowing the pup to use her as an extra source of warmth against the chilly night. Tomorrow they would begin moving again, that's what her gut was telling her to start moving again tomorrow. There was something big coming tomorrow that could only mean one thing…Cheza. Lying on her side Mahina stared up at the cliff she had look up at so many times already. Nearby, just an arm's reach away Kiba stared up at it as well.
"…Kiba" Mahina's voice broke the silence around them, the wolf turned his head and glanced back at her. She pointed to the cliff the two of them had spent almost all of the night just staring up at "there, she'll go there"
As soon as the sun broke the eastern horizon everyone was up and on the move again. Slowly they were making their way around the cliff in hopes of finding an area that they could climb up, of course it seemed that only Kiba and Mahina knew of this because Tsume was already beginning to complain.
"You wanna give us a clue here" Tsume grumbled from his spot behind Mahina and Kiba who walked in front of everyone.
"Sure" Mahina replied tucking her hands into the pockets of her jacket and rolling her eyes.
"Where are we going exactly?"
"To paradise"
"And what in the hell is guiding you there"
"I'm going on instinct" Kiba answered this time though he wasn't saying whose instinct he was going on. Then again for all Mahina knew his instinct could be telling him the very same thing Mahina's was telling hers: That if they kept going the way they were going they would find Cheza. Even though both Kiba and Mahina walked on the rest of the pack stopped walking.
"Here we go again" Hige grumbled this time "you know I don't really mind all this instinct stuff, I just wish we…" The Amber wolfs voice faded from the female's ears to the point that she didn't hear him anymore. Mahina slowed to a stop and after a couple of step Kiba stopped as well. It was strange, she could see him turn to glance back at her with a curious look but it was suddenly like she was watching all of this through another's eyes. What was this sensation, as though something was pulling her away from her body. She couldn't hear anything, not even the sudden ear piercing tone that shot through the air and caught the ears of the males around her.
"That noise" Tsume glanced up towards the sky where the sound came from
"It's an airship, it must be a noble" Hige pointed out
"Ugh" the youngest of the pack covered his ears glaring up at the sky "I hate that noise" the three continued to watch the grey clouds above their heads as they moved and parted in the sky to reveal a nobles airship just as Hige had predicted. Minutes later an even larger airship took form among the sky not too far from the first. They hovered in the air for a moment until suddenly the larger ship began firing at the smaller one. The ground trembled and the wolves braced themselves because of this. Toboe yelped as he almost lost his footing "What's going on?" the pup yelled over the chaos
"They're really going at it aren't they?" Hige remarked
"Mahina" Kiba turned fully to face the female who had shown no emotion to the chaos unfolding around her, she hadn't even flinched when the ground shook around her or winced when the sound of the noble's ship came to the rest of them and she absolutely hated that sound. When she didn't respond to Kiba the white wolf approached her pressing his hand on her shoulders and leaning forward so he could examine her expression. Her face was blank and her usually intense red orbs hazy and unfocused as if she weren't there with them anymore or at the least couldn't see Kiba before her "Mahina" he called her name again and still she didn't answer, something was going on with her it was obvious at this point but what? Mahina had told him many times, and he had gathered from watching her, that she had some sort of connection to Cheza, was she acting like this because of Cheza? Reaching out Kiba pressed a hand against the she-wolfs cheek wondering if the contact would earn him a reaction from the female.
It did.
As soon as Kiba touched her face Mahina's heart throbbed hard against her ribcage. So much so that the female's body arched and her head was thrown back. Kiba flinched away from her and her suddenly movement but she didn't notice. Crimson orbs gazed up at the grey sky and the battle going on in it, they grew wider and wider by the second as yet another hard thump from her heart pulsed through her.
"Mahi?" Hige turned his attention to the female when she had suddenly jerked hard with the throb "Kiba what's up with her?" of course Kiba didn't have an answer nor could one expect one from Mahina.
Oh if they only knew the sudden rush that had assaulted the slender wolfs body. Her heart was beginning to race, throbbing hard in its place with each beat. All sounds were muffled as if she were under water and no matter how hard she tried to fight it her eyes remained locked on the smaller airship being assaulted by the larger one. She could feel it from there, that familiar sense of awareness and excitement. It pulsed through her veins and made her shudder violently.
"Mahina" Kiba called to her more firmly but the she-wolf could not hear him, he was muffled background noise to her so she paid him no mind even when he gripped her arms and shook her. Her hair was standing on end and her body wouldn't stop trembling. In the distance, a sound slowly fought its way through the muffled noise so that it could be heard. It grew louder and louder until she could hear it clearly.
Mahina...Mahina...Mahina
A voice as pure as heaven itself called to her in the distance. Beckoning her with invisible hands that brushed over her face, wrapping its arms about her neck in a tight embrace. Louder, it was getting louder!
Mahina...Mahina...Mahina
Who was this angel calling to her? She closed her eyes tuning out everything else around and focusing on the voice. Now its unseen presence had surrounded Mahina and the sweet smell of lunar flower graced her nose.
Mahina...Mahina...this one is here...MAHINA!
This one is here. Those four words ignited an explosion within Mahina, her eyes snapped open and grew to their very limits in size locking on the smaller ship even as it spun and zipped about the sky blocking and dodging brilliant red lights that bents and shot after it. This voice, this utterly warm embrace. It could only be one thing.
"Mahina" Kiba shook her again, the others surrounded the female now with looks of concern. It had been three or so minutes now and still Mahina hadn't answered any of their calls. She just continued to stare up at the Noble ships fighting over head with eyes as wide as an owl's eyes as if some great shock had come to her. Her body trembled and her rosy lips were parted open slightly. Suddenly she took in a shuttered breath and breathed out a name finally speaking even if it wasn't to them.
"…Cheza"
"Cheza?" Hige repeated taken by surprise by the name she had uttered, Kiba mirror Hige's shock tightening his grip slightly on the she-wolfs arms.
"Mahina" he called her again "Mahina can you sense her? Can you feel Cheza?" But of course Mahina gave no response; she couldn't hear her pack speaking around her. Her gaze, her attention and focus, her everything was zeroed in on the one ship and the presence of the maiden within. Speaking aloud didn't earn a response from the maiden but there was a flickering in her energy that gave the female hope that she could in fact hear Mahina somehow. With hands clenched into tight fist Mahina tried to contain her trembles as she muster all her energy into this thin connection she and Cheza were sharing at this very moment.
'CHEZA!' her own voice echoed through her mind rocketing through the muffled sound around like a torpedo through water and traveling from the ground to the sky and right for the ship. When her call had hit its target there was an explosion of white light that on the she-wolf could see. A blinding white light that was Cheza's energy bursting forth, for the female who had called to her the very earth trembled from it and the trees rustled in their place. This was it, Cheza was awake, fully awake! Mahina inhaled sharply when it hit her, it was like before when she had smelt Kiba's blood, her innards screamed at her in joy and excitement and love all the raw emotions of the flower maiden came showering down on her. She relished in it for a moment before her body began to move on its own.
"Wait Mahi where are you going?" Hige's voice finally broke the barrier and reached the females ears. He watch bewildered as the female began slowly walking towards the battle going on, what was she crazy? "Don't go that way Mahina!"
"I can feel it" she replied back softly
"Feel it?" Toboe repeated
"Her" Mahina answered with a tremble, her eyes never once left the ship in the sky. She didn't want to wait any longer, she wanted to move she had to move "Her" she repeated herself glancing over her shoulder back at the four of them hoping that the others would understand. Most of them gave her confused looked, they didn't understand. Crimson eyes softened "Her" she said it one more time and this time Kiba's eyes shot open and his expression changed as if he had just been hit, he could feel it now.
"Her? What do you mean 'Her'?" Tsume barked getting very agitated with all the little hints, why didn't she just spit it out all ready. "Out with it Mahina!" he barked at her. Another throb came to Mahina and her eyes shot open again, she could wait for them no more, spinning on her heel the female of the pack turned about and took off keeping her eyes locked to the sky.
"Mahina wait!" Hige yelled after her "I'm telling you that's none of our business!" but it was too late, she was too far away and she showed no sign of stopping. It didn't take Kiba much longer to run after her leaving the three of them to decide on what they would do next. "Her, what the hell was she talking about?" the chubby male complained
"Do you think maybe she meant Cheza?" Toboe suggested, the two older wolves with him made faces of apprehension but it did make sense. Sighing to himself Hige grumbled and broke into a run after the two.
Her heart was pounding in her ears now, she would focus on nothing else but the sky above. The ship was finally hit and smoke curled out from the side of it but as it veered to the side and made it's decent to earth a glimmer of light burst free and shimmering away from the crashing ship. It was her! Cheza! Oh Mahina could feel so much joy bubbling within her she could just howl right now. It took a moment of staring but after the moment past Mahina could make her form out, arms spread high over her head and spinning gently in the sky. As she spun her scent was thrown everywhere coating the trees and the ground and the grass and the animals, just everything with the smell of lunar flowers.
"…That scent!" Hige perked up from behind as his nose twitched casting his gaze up to the sky as well now, that diamond twinkling in the sky was exactly what he thought it was, it was Cheza and as the airship she had fallen out of crashed to the earth she gently floated down until she vanished somewhere upon the cliffs the pack had been originally heading for to begin with and so that was where the pack ran to.
The cliff had a road that lead up to the very top, this slowly growing inclined would have been easy to run up but it was just too far away for Mahina's taste. She had to get to Cheza and she had to get to her as soon as possible. As soon as the as the vertical face of the large rock structure was close enough the female pushed off the ground and propelled herself high into the air until she landed on the highest ledge she could reach and gripped the surface of the cliff. She wasn't even really that high up and the wind was already blowing at her harshly.
"Mahina! Wait for us!" Toboe called as the others finally caught up to her, she stopped and looked down at them as they drew closer. Much like Mahina had, Kiba didn't hesitate to leap up and latch onto the side of the cliff.
"What are you waiting for?" Mahina yelled back at the remaining three who kept their feet firmly on the ground.
"Why the hell are we climbing up the side when we can just take the road over there?" Hige yelled back, Mahina couldn't help but roll her eyes at the amber male, of course he wouldn't want to put in too much unnecessary effort.
"Do you want to fight your way up the road and give those nobles time to get to Cheza before we can?" Mahina yelled back, she was met with silence "I didn't think so, now jump! Come on Toboe!" the pup flinched from his place bellow not making any motion that he was going to move even as Mahina extended an arm out to him "I've got you I promise!"
"..O…okay!...here I go…" the copper pup took a few steps back so he could get a running start. He took off running as fast as he could and leaped as hard as he could, even for his best efforts the poor pup didn't jump that high, he went up only a few feet and with limbs flaring about at that. He yelled out in surprise closing his eyes and bracing for the pain of slamming his face against the cliff but a hand suddenly gripped his and he stopped short.
"Careful" The pup opened his eyes and gazed up at Mahina.
The climb was a quiet one, either because the wind blew too hard to hear one another or because they were too focused on their climbing, Mahina was glad for it. She didn't feel at all in the mood for answering any questions that reflected in the eyes of her pack each time they gazed at her. She knew it was strange for them to see her so...well...impatient but they wouldn't understand this feeling the female had even if she tried to explain it. This sensation of joy that gradually advanced on her the higher up she climbed was almost overbearing. It was Cheza and Mahina knew it, she could feel the maiden's very heart throbbing loudly as if it were beating in her own chest getting stronger and stronger causing the she-wolf's fur to prickle and stand on end fueling an excitement that almost shoved her farther up the cliff.
She was waiting, she couldn't wait to see them the wolves that she could feel drawing closer.
"Mahina!" Mahina paused just as her hand clamped down on the very top of the cliff. She looked back but Hige was so far below that she couldn't actually see him "slowdown! You're going way too fast!" slowdown? Mahina could do no such thing not after a gentle breeze tumbled over the edge of the cliff and the female was bathed in the dazzling scent that was the flower maiden. Her crimson eyes glazed over and she hoisted herself up without so much as a reply to her pack mate "Wha- Mahi!" even as Hige called on Mahina didn't listen, she pushed herself from her hands and knees to her feet and quickly brushed dirt off her knees "Mahina I said wait!...hey are you listening? Wait!" she didn't listen and she didn't look back.
All she could do was start walking
So she walked
And she kept walking
And walking
And walking.
Ruins faded from her surroundings and forest took its place after a while of this endless walking. She was getting closer, her very being told her that she was and it made her walk just a bit faster. It was strange though, as she gazed about this forest she hurried through Mahina couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity with it. This place wasn't like any other place the female had traveled through, where one had to depend on their sense of smell to get ones bearings of the area. No, Mahina knew where she was going right down to the point that she could just fainting see her destination if she closed her eyes and tried to imagine it:
A tall ivory structure spouting a beautiful waterfall into a crystal clear lake. Lush green grass that hummed with life under the bright sun, lovely flowers swaying under a gentle breeze. Whether Cheza sent her this image or she took the image from Mahina's mind the she-wolf didn't know nor cared to know. She just wanted to get there, to see Cheza again, to be reunited with what she had spent all her life searching for. Her walking became faster and faster until she started running.
Her feet were bare pounding against the grass bellow and giggles burst from her throat. Almost forgetting her objective she twirled and ducked behind a tree with a hand over her mouth to hide her giggles. In the distance a deep voice chuckled, it was that same voice as her more recent daydreams and as it drew closer she giggled even more and took off running. She had to beat him, him? Who was him? She was faster there was no way he could beat her, he said himself she was built for speed. The wind howled past her face as she ran causing the white gown she wore to flutter about her person.
There was a break in the lush trees just ahead of her and it made her grin picking up in speed with hope of getting to her destination much faster. Someone called to her from behind in that familiar deep voice of theirs but she did not stop. Pushing her feet off the ground she lunched herself through the opening and out into the blinding light.
The daze shattered like a glass window and before Mahina knew what had happen she was stumbling into a bright and beautiful garden. It was just as the she-wolf had imagines with its ivory structure and its waterfall, the flowers and place had been easily maintained by Mother Nature and the sun hit the land just right and made the whole scene glow supernaturally. It was not the land, however, that made Mahina become so very rigid once she had entered it. What had stopped her was what she had dove into. It was like the invisible barrier between them had finally tore and there were no secrets between them, the dam that block her off now drowned Mahina in everything that was her. It hit the female like a car hits a brick wall at 300 miles an hour; her joy, her love, her utter devotion, her warm welcome, her bubbling excitement but most of all her scent, her beautiful sweet scent. All of this rushed through Mahina's slender being with such power that the she-wolf had to close her eyes tightly and hug herself as a shudder overtook her. When it passed, and eventually it did, Mahina slowly uncertainly opened her eyes finding the source of such overwhelming feelings.
She stood in the shallow waters with a beauty all her own. The remains of what once bound her in a glass sphere of sleep hung loosely from her wrist and neck and her pale pink hair shimmered under the light of the sun. Her gaze was cast downward to the water she stood in but she must have noticed Mahina because slowly she raised her head. Crimson orbs, for the very first time, gaze into the Rose orbs of this angel and the minute they did Mahina swore she felt her heart burst from with her chest with such force that the female had to clench her chest to settle the feeling. A lump painfully formed in her throat as she opened her mouth to speak, to utter this angel's name.
"...Ch...Cheza?" she was uncertain, it was clear in her voice when she choked the name out. What reason shouldn't Mahina feel uncertain? For years, so many many years she had been running and fighting and searching and killing and howling and hunting for this very moment in time, for the day she would be reunited with Cheza. It could all be an illusion, just some cruel dream but when recognition shimmered in the flower maidens eyes and a lovely smile graced her lips Mahina knew it wasn't a dream. "Cheza" she said the maidens name a bit stronger now, she couldn't contain her joy as she took timid steps forward and tears began forming in her eyes. The maiden responded like a long lost mother, opening her arms wide in welcome. Mahina could not contain herself, with a yelp of joy the she-wolf ran into the maidens embrace dropping to her knees and hugging her round her waist "I looked for you" Mahina whimpered closing her eyes tight and holding on to Cheza for dear life "I looked for you for so long" at first Cheza offered no response, her smile never faltered as she gazed down at Mahina and gracefully glided a hand over her head, her touch felt so good so very comforting "I...I..." Mahina gazed up at the maiden with those teary eyes of hers. Cheza smiled down at her before pulling her closer allowing the she-wolf to rest her head against her body and cling to like a lost child.
"Finally..." she spoke with a voice like a gentle breeze "We reunite once more..." the maiden held onto Mahina a bit tighter and the she-wolf did the same in return "This one…missed your voice...Mahina"
It didn't take Mahina much to revert to her true form and join the maiden as she sat atop some rubble from the human structure that surrounded the garden. She lay at Cheza's side in total submission content with just staying here forever letting the maiden pet her with those magical hands of hers. For the first time in a very long time the female felt completely at peace so much so that if given enough time she would easily fall asleep right here and now if Cheza continued to pet her like this. She took in a deep breath through her nose taking in the scent of lunar flowers that so effortlessly floated from the flower maiden and sighed letting liquid silver orbs drift up and gaze at her. Once again Cheza had her partially opened eyes to the water that submerged her feet as if she had never woken from her slumber but it was obvious to the she-wolf that she had for all that was her had engulfed Mahina. A few minutes of resting at the maidens side had passed before the familiar scent of the pack of wolves the female had so effortlessly left behind slowly began to take to the air. Mahina raised her head at the first sound of their approaching footsteps and voices and she looked in the direction that she had once come from. They stood there in the opening gaping at the sight before them perhaps not believing what they saw was in fact the elusive flower maiden they had spent so long following Kiba in search of. Cheza turned her attention to them as well when she noticed Mahina's movements; the males collectively gained a look of being utterly taken aback.
"It-..It's really her!" Hige muttered in awe
"I think my heart just skipped a beat!" A blushing Toboe mused clenching his fist tightly to his chest. Cheza ran a hand over Mahina's head one last time before standing up turning her body so she faced the gaping group. Kiba was the first to move out of the four of them despite Tsume's ever so cautious nature calling him to stop. As he drew close Mahina pushed herself up to a sitting possession watching him meet the maiden in the water with a look of peace equal to the one that the she-wolf was feeling at the moment.
"…Cheza" Kiba muttered her name, Cheza's eyes grew open just a bit before she smiled and kneeled down to the changed wolf enveloping him in a warm hug like she had Mahina running her delicate fingers over his fur.
"We meet at last"
"This way…This way"
At smile was growing on Mahina's face every time Cheza opened her mouth and spoke in that angelic voice of hers. She had paused in her steps stopping both Kiba and Mahina and glanced over her shoulder at the three wolves slowly trailing behind them. When she saw that they were still following she turned back around and holding onto their hands tightly walked on pulling Kiba and Mahina with her.
Where she was leading them to Mahina didn't know but she would follow nonetheless.
It was strange, she felt like she knew this place. Perhaps it had been in a dream long forgotten but the she-wolf couldn't help but feel very familiar with the setting that she followed the maiden through. If she focused enough she swore she could see what humans would consider ghost, a figure dressed in white leaning against faded walls or childishly ducking behind tree's and fallen rubble. Sometimes it seemed like they were following the figure through the land and others like it was following them but either way Mahina tried her best to ignore this illusive figure and focus on Cheza. Eventually they found themselves within the keep itself or what was left of it.
"This one has been waiting for you both" Cheza spoke to them suddenly "This one was born right here in this place for that reason" She paused both in words and in steps as they were about to pass an opening in the corridor. Her lovely smile only grew and she hurried into the room leaving Mahina and Kiba to stand in the doorway. "Everyone!" she called out "This one is home-" Crimson orbs gazed into the room and widen slightly, there was no 'everyone' there was nothing but moss and vine and earth covered rubble within the room Cheza had so eagerly entered. She stopped too as if realizing this face "Oh my" she breathed her head hanging where she stood. "There is… no one here anymore…"
"Cheza…"Mahina breathed stepping into the room as well taking in the space beside the maiden and took in the room. Glass tube lay sprawled throughout the room cracked and broken open, whatever had been within was no longer there just as Cheza had said. In the center of the large room a large sphere lay among the rubble dusted over with a mossy green. This place…it use to be a lab!
The room was colored with a faint green hue, both walls were lined with large tubes filled with pretty white flowers and this sparkling green that she had grown accustomed to.
He went into this room a lot and would spend hours within, she had always been curious what he did in this room and so today her curiosity had gotten the better of her and she, still not accustomed to this way of walking, stumbled her way into the room. It was such a pretty room too. There all sorts of machines she didn't know the purpose of and of course all the lovely flowers that sat soaked in the green water from within their tubes. Gentle voices whispered from them and danced in her ears, it had been this she realized that had tempted her to see her curiosity met. She gazed about the room in awe until her eyes landed on what rest in the center of the room.
A large sphere filled with the same sparkling green, hanging within was a lone maiden bound by her hands and neck. Her head was hung and her eyes remained close in what looked to be a peaceful sleep.
"They…" Cheza's voice brought Mahina back from her daze, she blinked her gaze back into focus turning them towards the flower maiden. "They all withered away and died…" she muttered slowly sinking to a kneeling position before the room. "This one…" Mahina knelt beside her wrapping an arm around her shoulder "This one of the only one left…"
"Cheza…" she muttered pulling the maiden so she rest her head on the she-wolfs shoulder. It must be suddenly to sudden feel so alone, Cheza's emotions rolled over Mahina like quiet waves but comforting her would have to come later because the ruins echoed with gunshots. Mahina tensed glancing over her shoulder much like Kiba did.
"Guys we've got big trouble" Hige yelped running into the room with Toboe close behind him and soon Tsume "There's human's all over the place"
"We're surrounded!" Toboe added skidding to a stop, Tsume said nothing to add onto these statements. He simply turned his golden eyes to Cheza and glared. A snarl escaped Mahina's throat and she pulled the maiden closer to her.
"Stop glaring" she warned "none of this was her fault!"
"This is no time to be fighting" Toboe announced before Tsume could growl anything back at the female sparking an argument that would no doubt take hours to end "We've gotta get out of here guys!"
"Where the hell are we supposed to escape to! We're surrounded" Hige barked out
"Mahina…" Cheza tugged on Mahina's sleeve, gently she pulled the she-wolf to a standing position and tugged her farther along the room. "This way…" Mahina glanced over her shoulders at the rest of her pack before turning around and following after Cheza.
"Wait Mahina!" Tsume backed out behind her "Where are you going?" Mahina decided not to answer, instead she trailed after Cheza, the maiden moved across the room to a large gap that lead to another all opposite them and without another word to the others and a deaf ear to their calls the two females rounded the corner and disappeared. Those boys, what fools they could be sometimes. They had gone all this way trusting instincts they hadn't originally been sure were correct without much trouble and now they couldn't simply follow Cheza? But then again as Mahina held onto Cheza's hand and continued to walk the hall quietly she didn't feel like she was really following the flower maiden either.
Sirens were blaring in her delicate ears causing them to ring. The corridor which usually had a calming deep blue color to it now shined red from the alarm being set off. There were intruders afoot. This place it was dangerous, she didn't know how or why but she knew that much. Loud, horrid noises echoed through the halls that she moved through. Dizzy and disoriented she stumbled about stopping only momentarily to clench her head and lean against the nearest wall. Slender fingers threaded through wet ebony locks and tugged it back and away from her face before she pressed on. She must escape, she must get out of here. Out? But where was out? Did she know where out was?
Taking in a deep breath she closed her eyes and tried to calm down. It was starting to come back to her just a bit.
…Down the hall a room to the left. That was the way, that was where she had to go to escape. Just as she decided this though the loud noise came, only this time it was closer and sounder than before and quicker than she would have like she found out why. A bright light flashed through the hall and before her eyes, white hot metal cut her deep across the face with an impossible to follow speed before grazing the side of her ear and hitting the wall behind her. Sparks flew round her head from the contact and her ear delivered an earth shattering pain before she could hear no sound from it.
All of this, this sudden and unknown pain that came to her took less than a second and then the real pain came. She hollered loudly bringing her hands to that side of her face unsure of which wound she should cradle. It hurt! It hurt so badly! Why? Why did it hurt so much? What could possibly cause such pain? Settling for gripping her check she looked about the corridor wildly and that was when she saw him. A human dressed all in black, he eyed her with a cold stare that she was not custom to and he had some kind of black thing pointed at her. Even though she didn't know what this item was it must be what had cause her this pain she was feeling and had enough sense to be able to tell that she was in danger. If she didn't do something she would die here and she didn't want to die. She acted on impulse as soon as the human raised his death item higher and looked to be preparing to end her. Her skin prickled and she became utterly tense.
It all went by in an instant, one moment she was standing on two legs the next thing she knew, as soon as she blinked, she was on all fours and standing at a much lower height than before. That's right! She was a wolf too! She wasn't use to the change but there was no time to worry about that. She charged the human howling loudly and baring teeth ready to rip into the man. Agonizing yells echoed through the hall now and blood splattered everywhere as she, in her fit of rage, ripped this human limb from limb and she didn't stop until his screams faded.
"Mahina!"
"Huh?" Mahina blinked when she heard Kiba's voice and was pulled back into reality. She wasn't standing behind Cheza anymore. As a matter of fact she was standing by herself in the corridor right now, but then where did Kiba's voice come from? The she-wolf glanced about in surprise until she looked behind her. From behind the rubble that littered the hall Kiba poked his head out gazing at her and soon both Toboe and Cheza appeared as well.
"Did you get them all?" the pup question helping Cheza to her feet and stepping out into the open.
"Get them all?" Mahina questioned but then she noticed herself, she gazed down at her hands and gasped. Her hands were caked over with spots of blood and the ground below her feet was soaked red, the hall was choking with the stench of fresh blood and as the female looked around herself again she quickly realized that the lifeless bodies of countless humans lie sprawled out around her "Wha…when did I….?"
"I see you didn't need much of our help" The three looked up at the sound of Tsume's voice, he stood with Hige in the very direction they had been heading.
"We're totally screwed!" Hige spoke stepping approaching everyone in a slight panic.
"What are you talking about" Mahina grumbled as she bundled her sleeve over her hand and wiped at the blood that she could just feel covering her cheeks and mouth, she would not let Cheza see her in such an unsightly manner.
"The humans have that way totally blocked off" Hige answered her motioning path they had originally been walking down. Mahina wasn't very surprised, if she had to guess she would say that these were the humans that Noble had taken Cheza from and apparently they wanted their flower maiden back…too bad for them Mahina wasn't in much a of giving mood and neither way Kiba.
"If we just leave her" Tsume spoke fixing Cheza with a stern look "we could all get out of here easy"
"Forget it!" Kiba snarled out "We're not leaving her behind"
"Well then what do you suggest we do Kiba?" Tsume snapped at the white wolf frustrated "Tell us, what do your instincts say we should do now? Huh?"
"We don't need instincts" Mahina spoke up before the two males began fighting at the worst possible time. Ridding her face of the blood the she-wolf pushed past Kiba and Tsume making her way to Cheza and Toboe "Come on Toboe, let's go"
"Huh?" Toboe blinked watching the female taking Cheza's hand and much like before the pair walked away from the rest of the pack calmly turning to the left into yet another corridor. Toboe looked from the fleeing females to the rest of his friend wearily before turning back around and following Mahina and Cheza.
"This is getting ridiculous" Hige grumbled ruffling his hair for a moment or two before following after the three. Kiba and Tsume glared at one another a moment more as well before breaking into a run and hurrying down the moss covered hall after the rest of their pack. They continued to run through this long corridor until they finally reach what it leads to. The wolves skid to a stop when they reached a lone room, they were trapped.
"What the hell?" Hige barked out, "it's a dead end!"
"What are we gonna do?" Toboe panicked "We're trapped" but Mahina couldn't help but shake her head, they were trapped, they just had to trust Cheza.
"We could always try surrendering" Hige suggested but quickly stepped back and held his hands up in defense when Tsume fixed him with what could be described as a glare of death. "O-or not" he chuckled "I was just kidding!"
Whilst the rest of the pack bickered amongst one another the flower maiden walked farther into the room towards a large tree that must have grown here over the years that this place had been forsaken by humans. She watched as the maiden placed a hand on the tree and suddenly it began moving. Bark and wood twisted and turned curling away from the maidens hand until it formed an open passage way that was ready to be taken.
"This way" Cheza earn everyone's attention again.
"Where did that giant hole come from?" Toboe muttered
"Does it matter?" Hige remarked, wordlessly both Kiba and Cheza passed through the hole into the unknown leaving Mahina, Hige and Tsume behind but not for long, with a low groan the wood began to move again. "Whoa!" Hige yelped "did you see that! It moved!"
"Hurry up and go through" Mahina barked nudging Toboe forward
"Wait!" Tsume barked out reaching out and gripping the female by the wrist stopping her from following Hige and Toboe as they run through the hole. Mahina stopped and looked back at the grey wolf questioningly "We don't even know what's in there!" he yelled at her, Mahina scuffed at the older wolf and yanked at her wrist but Tsume yanked right back keeping her from moving.
"Tsume" She glared at him "let go"
"How can you just blindly trust that thing like this? You could die doing this you know that right?" Tsume said and fixed Mahina with a harder glare than she was giving him. The she-wolf stared back in silence for a moment before yanking her wrist free hard backing up so she stood in the path Cheza had opened for them.
"What would be worst Tsume, dying while following something you believe in or being cornered like a rat and dying at the hands of man?" she asked the male taking him by surprised. It wasn't a matter of knowing that they were going to dye following Cheza blindly like this, so what if they did? It was a hell of a lot better than dying at the hands of the humans, much better. Tsume was running out of time not being able to make up his mind, the sounds of footsteps echoed down the corridor leading to the room and the path was closing into a smaller and smaller hole, if he leapt now Tsume could make it through the hole but if he stalled much longer… "We all die eventually Tsume" Mahina's crimson orbs never left Tsume's golden ones as she told him this.
"The thing most get wrong about life is that it's not about figuring out how to live longer, its deciding how you want to die. So I'm asking you Tsume, do you want to go out as a house pet or a wolf?"
"Where are those two?"
"They were right behind us a minute ago…Maybe they didn't make it through in time!"
"Giving up on me so soon?" Hige and Toboe turned away from Kiba and Cheza when Mahina spoke up, the pup's worried face lit up and he hurried to the female's side.
"Thank goodness! I thought you didn't make it in time!" Mahina chuckled as the pup latched himself onto her wait. She patted his head and smiled down at him.
"Of course I'd make it in time" she mused "someone has to take care of a runt like you"
"H-Hey!" Toboe barked out but Mahina chuckled on.
"Well? Shall we go now?" she added looking about at her pack, everyone else nodded and soon they began walking through the tunnel again with Cheza and Kiba in the lead and Tsume taking up the back. As they walked the grey wolf eyed the female of their pack curiously.
'It's about figuring out how you want to die huh?' he could help but repeat her words in his head and think about them 'interesting way of putting it Scrawny'