A/N: Chapter 21 of Ginga Densetsu Alayus. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except my own. GDW series belongs to the rightful owner.
Special thanks to the reviewers, I truly appreciate it.
Chapter 21: Genba's march to Gajou
Alayus's Group...
"There! You look as good as new." Daisuke said as he removed the last remnants of of the bandages. Gin stayed calm and collected like the leader he was. Daisuke knew in his heart that he shouldn't treat Gin like he did when he was a pup, the dog before him was no longer his possession. "It seems like it was only yesterday that you were born...I wonder if we'll be able to cross paths again." Gin silently padded to the door, scratching it with one paw.
"It looks like he's eager to leave, something must have happened." The girl spoke after she was done grooming Alayus, a brush held lightly in her right hand. It was actually Alayus's idea for a grooming, picking up a brush in her mouth and almost begged to be groomed. It was a good thing too because her fur was tangled up in little knots thanks to the cold. "You look great! Don't overwork yourself okay?" Alayus licked her hand in thanks and followed Gin out. The two dogs walked to the edge of the property before Gin looked back, his eyes finding Daisuke's. The man stood by the open door, his eyes filled with tears. The two of them shared a bond that no other dogs shared, besides John and Hidetoshi. Wagging his tail once, Gin let out a long howl filled with emotion. Alayus watched as the girl came out to stand by Daisuke's side, wrapped in a jacket.
"Goodbye Gin..." Daisuke said as he wiped away his tears and smiled. "Let's meet again." Gin finished his howl and took off running, his tail streaming out behind him, living up to his nickname the Shooting Star. Alayus waited a bit before following the leader at her own pace.
"Goodbye! Be safe!" The girl shouted, waving her arms. The German Shepherd turned around and let out her own way of saying goodbye: A bark. She barked three times and wagged her tail before continuing down the road. As soon as the village disappeared far behind them, Gin slowed down to a trot before ending up in a walk. He finally stopped and allowed his companion to catch up.
"Thank you..." He said when she caught up. "I don't know if you already knew but I belonged to a human. I have this nostalgic feeling within the pit of my stomach. To think that my life was healed back from my previous owner is such a blessing."
"Do you...regret leaving him behind?" She asked as they started walking again.
"Maybe I do...and yet maybe I don't. I chose to follow the wild pack that day, I had no doubts. Daisuke is a noble master and I regret nothing. I cherish the moments we spent together even when I was training with his grandfather. Even now I remembered how the collar I had saved me from Sniper's bite and when he showed up after Akakabuto's battle and said that we would always be friends. You know what maybe I'll take him up on his offer and go back to visit him when all this is over. Now then..." He looked around, his nose twitching at the different scents. "Following your plan, John and the rest of the group should be or nearby the territory where the Koga Clan resides. Tesshin is the leader there; of course they could also be heading back to Ohu. Let's try to gather as many soldiers as we can before we meet them."
"Yes Leader!"
Weed's Group...
After recruiting Kyoshiro, Weed and his army followed John and Missile to their next destination. Of course the two dogs knew that Weed was on their heels so they decided to wait for them in front of Lake Biwu. John and Missile calmly waited by the water's shore when the Ohu army caught up.
"Look Jerome, they ended up waiting for us." Weed said in excitement.
"Careful Weed, it looks like they deliberately let us catch up." Jerome replied.
"Weed! Jerome!" Two voices called to them. Looking up, they noticed four dogs leaping down to greet them.
"Oh! It's Ken and Kagetora!" GB exclaimed happily.
"Who are these guys? You've been collecting since the last time we met." Ken looked around impressed.
"Then allow me to introduce you..." Weed padded up to the front, and indicated with his paw to the white Kishu. "This is Kyoshiro."
"Kyoshiro the silver. It's a pleasure to offer you my assistance." Kyoshiro bowed his head in greeting.
"What about them?" Kagetora jerked his head at Missile and John.
"Pah! We have nothing to do with a little army led by a pipsqueak! Don't kid yourself." John snorted and pointedly turned his back on them.
"John!" Missile whispered hastily but he could see that the hairs on Kage's pelt started to rise in anger.
"What did you just say?! How dare you turn your back on our leader and insult him too!" Acting on impulse, Kagetora jumped at the German Shepherd. Noticing the attack, John took a stance and wrestled the younger dog to the ground in the blink of an eye. The other dogs watched in astonishment.
"Apparently Kurotora's blood flows through this one's veins. How annoying." John growled, holding the Kai dog down. "So glad Gin was the one who battled that old geezer when he was younger."
"W-w-wait, you know my father?" Kage asked as John stepped back to let him up, shaking his pelt from the scuffle.
"Your father? Tch, I must be really unlucky to know a guy as aggressive as he." Lifting a leg, John scratched his ear in disappointment. "Too bad. Gin wanted the Kai brothers for our cause so I didn't have a choice but to get along with him. Of course Ben told us that the Kai dogs were worth one thousand soldiers."
"You know my father as well...then you are..." Ken stammered.
"That's right!" John stood proud, ears forward and his muscles rippling underneath his glossy coat. "I am John, Gin's right-hand man! I am a soldier of Ohu and a survivor in the battle against Akakabuto!" All the dogs around immediately lowered themselves to the ground in respect even though the German Shepherd continued to talk. "I've never seen such manners from the younger generation in my life!"
"W-w-we're terribly sorry." They apologized in union.
"Well forget about that." John sat down and scratched behind the ear. "I'm just an old guy really. How Gin manages to have the energy to keep moving is beyond me. Now then Weed, let's hit the road."
"Does that mean...you're actually joining us?" Weed asked in astonishment. "Thanks so much!"
"Missile will fill you in on the details, now we need to hustle. Who knows when that snot-faced pig will strike. I also want to spend some quality time with my daughter when we meet again."
"Wait, I have a suggestion." Kyoshiro padded forward. "There's this clan that lives not too far from where we are. The Ninja-dogs of Koga."
"Ninja-dogs of Koga?" Weed asked.
"That'll be Little brother's territory!" Ken exclaimed with excitement.
"Little brother? Who's that?" GB asked. John quietly smirked to himself while Ken explained the story.
"The Leader and his close comrades were searching for someone that would become the successor for the next generation in Paradise. Little brother's name was Tesshin."
"The successor to Paradise? Hey, it's rude to say that in front of Weed." Jerome commented drily.
"No, that was said before Weed was even born. By now, he's probably returned to the Koga village." Kage quickly cleared up the misunderstanding.
"As Little brother trained, he acquired the amazing strength of the Leader, John-san's fangs, and the speed of Akame-san." Ken continued.
"He's the one in charge of the Koga Ninja-dogs that I mentioned earlier." Kyoshiro said.
"It'll be a nice detour to see that little pipsqueak...I wonder if he got any stronger the last time we met!" John laughed at his own comment.
"Tessin of Koga? All right, let's do it." Weed looked at his army with determination. "Everyone, we're going to Koga!"
Meanwhile...
Mel, a golden retriever pup that Weed met back at home quietly stalked through the snow, his eyes trained on a bird lazily scratching the ground with its talon. He wasn't the only soldier there, a few friends and Akame were ordered to stay and guard Gajou which was in Futago pass. Creeping forward, he pounced and pinned the bird down sinking his fangs into the soft feathery neck. Pleased with the kill, he picked the bird up before a sound reached his ears. Peeking out from behind a mound of snow he noticed a small group of dogs that he had never seen before.
"Hey! You there!" One of them called out, alerting the others about his presence.
Uh-oh! I can't stay here! They must be the enemy. Mel took off running, throwing up snow with his paws. He forgot about his catch but right now protecting Gajou is a top priority.
"Why are you running? We were just gonna ask you for directions!" The group of mutts quickly took action and ran after him. A few more dogs appeared from the bush and intercepted the mutts, giving Mel a chance to disappear in the undergrowth.
"We won't let you get any closer!"
"We are here to protect the Paradise created by our Leader!"
"Ha! You don't know what you're talking about. Kill them!" A low growl spoke and the mutts lunged forward with their fangs bared. In that instant the forest became alive with the sound of ripping flesh and the stench of freshly spilled blood. Meanwhile Mel made it to the giant structure. Scrambling to the top he looked around in worry, he couldn't see any of his friends. What do I do, what do I do?...I must let Akame know...I must let them all know. Mel sat down on his haunches and let loose a howl. He hoped that they could hear him and thanks to the wind his voice would be carried a long way.
"Thanks for leading us here." A voice called out causing Mel to stop his howling. The mutts from before ganged up around the base and looked at him eagerly like fresh meat.
"How did you—?! My friends were also guarding this place from the likes of you."
"Oh? You mean those weaklings?" The leader licked his lips in laughter. "They were so weak that we killed them without a second thought! Our leader laughed at their terrified faces before ripping them apart." The other dogs around him snickered and laughed with amusement.
"How dare you! How dare you!" Mel rush down to meet his attackers, jaws opened wide to show his sharp fangs. "As a Ohu soldier, I'll make you pay for what you did!"