Chapter 5
The sun sank lower into the sky, and by then Lihua had made it home from a hard day's work.
She was surprised to see Renshu standing by the window overlooking the garden - more so by the troubled expression on his face. He turned to her when she entered the room, and though he tried to appear angry, Lihua could see plainly that he was concerned about something.
Setting her materials down, she regarded him carefully. "Renshu? What are you doing here? I thought you'd gone with Jia…" She faltered, growing increasingly uncomfortable with the look on his face.
His shoulders rose and sank with a sigh, and he said, "Your sister decided last minute that it'd be better for me to stay inside today." The disdain in his voice was hard to ignore, but she glanced around the room.
"Is she home yet?"
"No," he barked.
"Forgive me, Renshu, but I don't see why staying in the house would have bothered you. I thought you dreaded staying beside Jia's cart all day."
Something snagged in his chest, and he snapped, "Your dear sister is obviously plotting something against me, otherwise she would have taken me along." He strode up to Lihua. "Just what is she planning, hm? And what was your mission with the guards? Did they tell you anything interesting - anything you wanted to hear?"
He was seething, and while Lihua wasn't entirely sure what to say all at once, she responded with more calmness than he would have given her credit for. "I heard nothing of interest whatsoever from the guards, Renshu." Her tone was infuriatingly even, and she continued, "They've seen neither hide nor hair of any wolf in the city. In fact, you might be pleased to know that they've more or less written it off as paranoia from us timid little sheep." She scooped up her belongings again and made for her bedroom. "And I'll thank you not to speak so scornfully of my sister, who so far has done nothing but try and help you. In fact if it weren't for her, rest assured, I would have called the guards on you and have had you thrown out of the city so fast the fur would have flown clean off your hide." So saying, she left the room and shut the door behind her.
His ears laid nearly flat against his head, and he let out a low growl. If Lihua had feared reciprocation for her harsh words, she hadn't shown it; though she did leave the room in something of a hurry. It was not wise, after all, to mouth off to a wolf if you were a sheep.
Those thoughts aside, he knew deep down that what she said was true. Jia wouldn't have plotted anything against him. She wouldn't call the guards down on him, because if she'd wanted to, she would have done so already. But just what was going through her mind, he couldn't imagine.
Well...that wasn't entirely true...
Maybe his gesture to her last night had been too much. Sheep were, after all, easily frightened, and so it wasn't far-fetched to believe that he had unnerved her to the point of her not wanting him around her. That must have been it.
But he had only been playing with her. He wasn't truly interested in her, not in that way, and surely she must know this. Why, then, was she so flustered?
'And why are you so bothered that she is flustered?' A voice within him shot back.
He shook his head; he didn't want to go there.
That she hadn't desired his presence at her job this day angered him, to be sure, but that was because she was up to something.
'But she isn't up to anything. So, why are you upset?' The voice asked.
He shook his head yet again, growing frustrated with this internal struggle.
Deciding that it was high time he take his mind off his thoughts, he decided to head to the spare room and try and occupy himself with something useful. Maybe he could give his weapon a good sharpening; it hadn't received much attention since he'd come back to the city.
Time passed slowly, and after it began to grow dark outside, he heard the door open and the soft sound of feet shuffling into the house. He froze on the spot, unaware that his heart rate had gone up. But upon hearing the voice greeting Lihua, he knew it was Shu who had arrived home. He let out a small sigh and relaxed his posture.
'You're nervous about confronting her.' He shifted uncomfortably, arguing with the other half of his thoughts. 'Only because she might feel uncomfortable around me. It's not my fault she jumps to conclusions.'
More time passed, and still he refused to come out of the room just yet. He didn't want to be the first thing Jia saw when she got home.
But, this wasn't characteristic, was it? What wolf had ever hidden from a sheep? The realization struck him sharply, and he actually growled and flung his dagger into the floor with more ferocity than he meant.
'I will not let her dominate me like this!'
He stood up and slid open the door. He strode into the kitchen, resolved not to let the presence of Lihua, Shu, or Jia (when she arrived) affect his actions. He fairly stopped short when he saw the two sisters facing each other, fear and concern evident in their faces. They faced him as they entered the room, frozen on the spot as if caught in an uneasy conversation.
He frowned, opened his mouth to speak, but faltered at the looks on their faces. Instead of dishing out a belligerent remark, he asked, "What's going on?"
"Jia hasn't come home yet," Lihua said worriedly. "It's after dark. She always comes home before dark." Try as she might to keep the fear at bay, she was doing a miserable job of it. Her voice trembled and her hooves knitted together nervously. "Where on earth could she be?"
"Maybe she had a really busy day," Shu offered, though by the tone in her voice she knew it was doubtful.
Lihua shook her head fervently. "Jia never stays until dark! Something's happened!" She seemed vastly unsure of what to do, and was just about to run and grab her shawl to go out and search for her sister.
"I'll come, too!" Shu blurted out.
Lihua paused for a moment, regarding her youngest sister, before finally nodding. "Ok. Let's go." They left the house in a hurry, taking a lantern with them.
Renshu had said nothing during this time. He stared at the two sheep as they left the house, not even giving him a last word or a parting glance, so concerned were they for their sister.
Though he hadn't shown it, he too was alarmed by Jia's absence. The indignation he had felt not minutes ago had vanished, and he found himself alone and wondering what could have happened to her. Though he didn't know her nearly as well as her sisters, he knew enough to know that it was uncharacteristic of her to stay out so long after dark. She usually closed shop before the sun even touched the tops of the buildings, as she had just as much work to do at home as she did out in public.
He tried hard not to worry about her, but it was a battle so hopelessly lost that even he didn't pretend not to care.
Care...did he care about her, then?
He sighed and shut his eyes. There was no time to mull over useless questions, as they would only lead to trouble. What he had to do right now was help Lihua and Shu look for her. Nevermind whether or not he cared, what he needed right now was action. He knew the impossible risk he would be taking, exposing himself to Gongmen's citizens so freely. In truth, it would mean having to leave the city that very night, regardless of all else, lest the guards catch him and haul him off to prison, or who knows what else.
Renshu, however, didn't so much as bat an eye. The resolve in him would have been shocking, except that he was too preoccupied, too dead-set on his task to take a moment to stop and think about what he was doing. He didn't know what alarm had gone off in him at her absence, but he knew he had to go out and find her if her sisters didn't. He wasn't sure if he actually cared about her, but...he knew he didn't exactly want to see her come to harm. There was just no need for it.
Without a moment's hesitation, he flung open the door and headed out into broad daylight (or rather, moon light.) Immediately, a passing goose casually glanced his way and let out a shriek loud enough to wake the dead. Renshu simply narrowed his eyes, and without giving it another thought, left the safety of the house and headed off into the night.
Lihua raced down the street to Jia's favorite vending spot, with Shu following close behind.
Naturally, it was the first place to look, and she could find it even in the dark. Her heart sank as she came upon the spot, right beside the floral shop, and found Jia's cart, but no Jia.
Panicked as she was, she forced herself to stay together and promptly examined the cart for any sign of what might have happened to her sister. After searching it thoroughly, she discovered that nothing had been taken from it - indeed, there was no sign at all that anything untoward had happened here. The only thing missing was her sister.
"This just doesn't make any sense," she said, unable this time to keep the growing apprehension out of her voice.
Shu was at a loss for words, but then a thought came to her. "Maybe we can ask the local vendors if they'd seen her."
Lihua nodded. "Good idea. Let's do it."
They fell upon the first people they saw and inquired if anyone had seen their sister. Most of the locals knew Jia by sight, but all had claimed that they hadn't seen her since earlier that day. A few had expressed puzzlement as to why her cart had been left behind, but had no idea where she was. When Lihua questioned as to what time they'd noticed Jia was missing, none were able to give a straight answer. Only one or two actually noticed, because they had been past the cart more than once and had noticed that she hadn't returned. But Jia often left the cart now and then to buy fresh supplies, so most people, when questioned, never gave it a second thought when they saw it unattended.
Lihua shook her head in frustration. "This can't be good."
"Let's ask Mrs. Yun, maybe she knows something."
Mrs. Yun was the goose who ran the produce market. She stayed open later than most shops, and so the two sheep arrived just in time to pose their questions to her.
"Mrs. Yun!" Lihua and Shu fairly slid into the market stall on their hooves.
"Why, it's the Yin sisters," Mrs. Yun remarked with wide eyes. "Is everything alright, dears?"
Lihua shook her head. "Mrs. Yun, Jia is missing. She's been gone for who knows how long, but she hasn't come home tonight. We were wondering if you'd seen her?"
Mrs. Yun's eyes widened even further. "Why, the last time I saw her was about six hours ago. She had come asking me for a small bit of ginger, and I'd gone to the back to pick out a nice one for her - we'd just gotten a fresh shipment. But when I came back," she shrugged, "she was gone."
Lihua and Shu stared wide-eyed at the lady goose, and exchanged glances. "Something is definitely not right," Lihua said.
"How do you mean?" the goose asked.
The eldest sheep shook her head. "I'm sorry Mrs. Yun, I can't explain it right now. I've got to find Jia." She took Shu's hand, and before departing, thanked the goose for her help.
Their hearts beat as they raced down the streets toward the citadel where the guards resided. "I can't believe this is happening," Lihua said, out of breath.
"What do you think has happened to Jia?" Shu exclaimed, trying to keep up with her sister.
She shook her head. "I don't know, but it sounds to me like she's been kidnapped, or...fallen into some kind of trouble. Maybe...I don't know…" She shook her head, willing herself not to become overwhelmed by the horrible turn of events. She needed to stay focused; she needed to get help.
It seemed like ages before they reached the palace where the martial artists resided. The formidable gate and the spires that encircled the enclosure briefly renewed her hope, but she barely paused for breath before running up to the entrance and pleading with the guards to let her pass.
"Please, sir!" She pleaded, "We need help, our sister is missing!"
The antelope guards remained stalwart. One of them stepped up to Lihua and said, "Have you reported her to the authorities, miss? The kung fu masters have their own affairs to -"
"Sir, please," she pleaded again. "I…" she hesitated. "I think a wolf might be involved with her disappearance."
The guard blinked, and his brow furrowed. "A wolf?"
She nodded. "Yes, sir! We…" she hesitated once again, unsure whether or not to continue. "...We...we have been held hostage these past days by a wolf...and I fear the disappearance of my sister might have something to do with it!"
The guard pondered these words, his face set and grave. "We have received reports of a wolf sighting within the boundaries of the city, but our investigations did not give it credence, however…" He trailed off. "I will report this to the masters. In the meantime, do you require asylum?"
"Sir," she began, "all I ask if that you find my sister. Tell me what I can do to help, I don't think I can bear to just stand here while she could be in danger." Her voice trembled, her eyes wide with desperation.
He nodded. "Right. Follow me."
About an hour had gone by before Renshu dared to rest from his fruitless search.
Already he had been noticed by a few citizens who were still meandering about at night, and no doubt they had run off to report him to the officials. It didn't matter. He had long made up his mind to see this task through, even if it meant having to flee in the end. But he didn't want to move on without locating that sheep, first.
He did owe her for giving him asylum, after all. Locating her and making sure that all was well was the least he could do. Rough though his lifestyle was, he was not completely without honor.
But he had to stop and rest a moment, and doing so out in the open wasn't a good idea, even if he had already been seen. After flitting from building to building, he finally picked what looked like a suitable spot behind an abandoned bonsai shop. He slid to the ground from the rooftop and let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. It was a quiet night, with hardly anyone out and about. The sky was clear and the moon was obscured, something he was especially grateful for. A full moon would have exposed him, and tonight he needed all the help he could get. He slid a paw over his muzzle in weary frustration.
'How did I get myself into this?' He lamented. 'Kiddo, where the heck are you?'
He stood leaning against the wall for what felt like a long time, until the sound of distant voices pricked his ears up. He stood still as a statue, trying to pinpoint the source.
There were many voices, most of them deep and formidable-sounding.
Deciding that now might be a good time to get a better view, he hauled himself onto the nearest roof, keeping himself low, and tried to get wind of where the many voices were coming from, and what they were. He got his answer in the form of several geese and rabbits making a dash down the street by the building, in something of a panic. He adjusted his position and kept his eyes peeled; something was definitely up. More people came in ones and twos, and a few retreated into their houses, but no word left their mouths as to what was going on.
After fifteen minutes, a light came flickering onto the buildings that sat a short ways ahead of him. It came around a bend, and grew until the entire street was lit. But what disturbed him wasn't the fire, so much as it was the people holding the torches.
"Rhinos, gators, and oxen...just my luck," Renshu murmured to himself, for he knew these were all kung fu masters sent out to look for him. He'd underestimated the speed of Gongmen's citizens. It was inevitable that they'd report his presence to the authorities, but he didn't know they would be so quick about it.
He was about to make a break for it, though he hadn't yet formulated a desirable plan, when he heard one of the rhinos announce, "Search every nook and cranny. Now that we know the wolves are here, we can't afford to cut corners."
Renshu's ears perked up. Wolves? So that must mean…
"Spread out and find them, all of you!" The rhino plowed straight ahead and disappeared behind a building.
An individual that Renshu recognized as Master Croc headed his way with a small group of guards, their halberds at the ready. Renshu flattened himself on the roof, and said a silent prayer of thanks that he had chosen one of the higher buildings to take refuge on. He flattened himself even further and remained still until their footsteps faded away.
He had to act fast. It appeared that the entire city was on high alert, and yet...surely Zhong and Bolin must be somewhere in the vicinity, if they were searching for more than one wolf. He inwardly cursed his friends for being so problematic, though the rational side of him knew that the same could be said of himself. When they had arrived at Gongmen City, unknowingly, the three of them had had no time to formulate a plan and so did what they could to evade notice and capture. The whole situation had gone down pretty sloppily, but...all things considered, they were lucky to have made it this far without being the worse for wear.
'Alrights, guys,' he thought, staring up at the sky with bleak resignation. 'I don't wanna leave without you, but I may have no choice…'
Mustering up every ounce of courage he had left, he breathed out a haggard sigh and eased himself up. There was no way he could afford to traverse the entire city looking for his companions, not with practically the entire populace aware of their presence. In spite of his decision, he stalled. He didn't want to leave his friends behind, even if he had complained about them. They were the only two members of his pack he had left in all the world, and without them, what on earth would he do?
He crouched there, poised on the rooftop, stalling for longer than he meant to. Try as he could, he just couldn't see any way to locate his friends without forfeiting his freedom, and so gave it up as a lost cause. The ties between wolves and their pack members was strong, but Renshu and his ilk were unfortunate enough to have been raised in an environment severely lacking morals. Their ideals consisted of an odd mixture of honor and self-preservation. And in this case, Renshu had decided that scouring the city was just too foolhardy to go through with.
And still he hesitated...for there was another reason that he had forsaken safety and lied huddled on the rooftop. He hadn't found Jia.
Resolve overwhelmed him once again, and he clenched his fist so tight that it trembled. How could he leave without knowing that she hadn't come to harm? He shook his head. 'Knock it off, Renshu, she's just a stupid sheep!'
He stood up and was about to make toward the city gates, when the sound of scurrying feet caught his attention. A gaggle of civilians were scurrying down the street, and they were talking earnestly. "The guards spotted a wolf near the city gates!" A rabbit blurted out.
Renshu's eyes widened.
A goose gave a small shriek. "How terrible! I hope they run him out or arrest him or - or something!"
Renshu's mind finally made up, he didn't waste another second. He stood up and lightly flitted from rooftop to rooftop, hardly caring whether he was spotted or not. The buildings were a safer place to be than on the ground, and with the night as dark as it was, he had something of an advantage. It was a long way to the city gates, but anxiety lent him extra speed and strength to make the trek in half the time it would have otherwise. A couple times he had to drop to the ground and find new footing from the relative safety of the rooftops, but he managed to get through the endless alleyways and avenues without being seen.
When he was nearly there, he scaled a house, and stopped short when he heard his name being hissed, almost in his ear.
"Renshu!"
His fur stood on end and he whirled around, drawing out his weapon quick as lightning. He let out a fierce growl, but fast as he had reacted, his guard fell and his heart nearly stopped: it was none other than Zhong.
"Zhong!"
"Sshh! Not so loud you oaf!" Zhong growled. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure they weren't heard.
"Where the heck have you been?" Renshu tried not to shout. "How did you get here?"
"Long story, I'll tell you later, alright? Let's get to the gate - Bolin's waiting on the other side with some help."
"Help?" Renshu repeated, following hard after Zhong, who had already taken off.
"Try to forestall the questions, alright, bud?" It was clear that Zhong was as apprehensive as he was. He didn't even glance his way as he hauled himself over the buildings toward the exit.
Finally, the main gates came into view, and Renshu's heart leaped; freedom was within their grasp. His head was spinning with the realization that he'd actually (and accidentally) located one of his friends - and that the other was accounted for, too.
The gate was large and formidable, but from the rooftops they could just make it over the top and onto the other side. Zhong gathered his strength and gave a huge leap, clearing the gate by a mere inch. Renshu did likewise, but instead of hopping over, he landed on top. The wall of the gate was wide enough to accommodate his form, and for a second he actually faltered. In the heat of the escape, he couldn't stop the nagging feeling inside of him - the one that brought up the constant war he'd been having with himself. He vaguely heard Zhong's voice shout up to him to hurry. He took one last look at the city.
The image of a face with light fur and large, compassionate eyes jarred his thoughts for a moment.
"RENSHU!" Zhong shouted.
Renshu squeezed his eyes shut, turned his face away, and heaved himself over the gate.
He was free.
A boar had greeted them on the outskirts of the city with a bundle slung over his shoulder. He looked every bit the thug, with a large part of his left ear torn off and a gold earring hanging from the other. One of his tusks was chipped off the end, and he donned a large scar across his snout. He scowled at the wolves.
"What took you fleabags so long?" He barked.
Zhong paused for breath, for they hadn't stopped until they'd reached a copse of trees where they could hide in case of pursuit. Presently he untied a small bag that was strung to his belt and tossed it to the boar, who in turn slung the bag at Zhong's feet.
The boar gave a mock salute. "Pleasure doin' business with ya." And without another word, he departed.
Renshu couldn't hold back his questions any longer. "Now you two tell me where the blazes you've been this whole time!" He glanced over his shoulder and added, under his breath, "And who that bruiser was." Sensory overload caused him to sink to the ground and try and gather his bearings. "I want this all spilled - now. What the heck is going on?"
Zhong and Bolin, however, gave their attention fully to the direction they'd come from. They wanted to be sure no one was on their tails.
"We better move," Bolin growled lowly. "Why wait until we hear their approach?"
Zhong considered this, and nodded. "Might be a good move. There's a dell not far from here where we can hide without fear of being found out." He turned to Renshu and explained, "The boar told us about it. Thugs and criminals sometimes use it to avoid detection."
"Care to tell me exactly who he was?"
"We met him last night in a dark alley," Bolin explained. "Guess he'd heard the rumor about us being in the city. He sought us out and struck a deal with us: he'd help us escape and provide a few provisions and weapons, for a price."
"You met him in a dark alley at night and he wanted money," Renshu summed. "How prosaic."
Zhong was rifling through the bag the boar had traded them. "Prosaic or not, we were lucky we ran into him. Gongmen's got more scoundrels in their midst than they think." He swore. "That maggot only managed to smuggle us one weapon. Figures."
Bolin, who had left and returned with another sack that had been hidden in the brush, said, "Let's get a move on already, I don't wanna linger any more than we have to."
The three of them moved from the copse and made their way toward the supposedly secluded dell.
Renshu's adrenaline hadn't completely died down, especially as he didn't feel they were nearly far enough from Gongmen City - but he began to relax a little, and ventured to question his companions. He couldn't believe that he'd actually reunited with them, and that they had made it out of the city. It was almost too good to be true.
The night grew darker the further they left civilization behind. The stars were the only light they had to guide them, but they saw keenly in the dark and had no fear of losing their way to the dell. It was invigorating to be out in the open again, without the fear of guards or watchmen. Renshu's spirits lifted a little as he strolled through the dark, open valley with his friends. But he was a wolf who rarely, if ever, let his guard down. He would not rest until he was far from the city.
Presently he eyed the sack that Bolin carried over his shoulder. "What's in the bag? More supplies from that thug?"
Bolin glanced warily at Zhong, who chuckled, and answered, "Ah...just a little insurance, mate."
Renshu tilted his head to the side and opened his mouth to inquire further, but Zhong cut him off. "Don't worry about what's in the bag yet, Ren. You'll see soon enough."
Something in the way Zhong said this bothered Renshu. What was so secret that had to be kept from him - him, whose idea it was to secede from Tao and his followers in the first place? Yet, he decided to let it go and ended the inquiry with a weak joke. "What, you got that boar to swipe some sweets and you don't wanna share?"
He didn't expect an answer, but Zhong chuckled and said, "Oh it's better than a sweet, my friend."
Renshu scoffed, but didn't press the matter any further. He knew that Zhong was enjoying this game of guess, but he refused to play it his way and thus refrained from giving Zhong the satisfaction of having him hang by a thread.
The three traveled in silence until after what must have been two hours, they came upon the first sign that the boar told them they'd notice: a lone, bare tree jutting up from the ground a short ways off.
"Here we are," Zhong exclaimed and dashed ahead.
Renshu, however, was hesitant. "What makes you think you can trust this thug to keep his word and not sell us out? It'd be double the money for him. For all we know he might be telling the officials where we are right now."
"Wellll...we don't," Zhong responded, rather infuriatingly.
"That's not good enough," Renshu growled. "Do you have any idea of what I had to endure while you two goons were out gallivanting with a bunch of mangy thugs?"
"Do you have any idea what we've had to endure, while you were playing cushy with an ewe?" He shot back smoothly.
That made Renshu stop dead in his tracks. For a minute he couldn't find his voice, so profound was his bewilderment and and shock.
"What did you say?" Barely able to contain the white-hot rage building up in him at those words, he strode right up to Zhong until they were nose to nose.
Zhong, to his credit, didn't flinch, but met his friend's rage with fair evenness. Silence reigned as they stared each other down, and even Bolin stood riveted on the spot, not daring to utter a word. The two wolves searched each other's eyes, probing one another for answers that neither were prepared to give just yet. But Renshu had come to an extremely unpleasant conclusion, and his thoughts changed their course. Finally, he broke the silence, "What...is in...the bag."
The quiet fury with which he uttered those words was almost more terrible than any fit of rage he could have thrown. Bolin stood still as a statue, bracing himself for the worst. Even Zhong actually twitched an ear in momentary doubt, and the spunk in his eyes faltered.
"Bolin!" He barked without taking his eyes off Renshu. "...Open the bag."
Bolin, who by now had set the sack down, obeyed and released the top of the bag. The contents weren't halfway revealed before Renshu launched himself at Zhong with a tremendous snarl. Many things happened at once; Bolin had uncertainly drawn his weapon, Renshu shot a hand out to grasp Zhong by the throat, and Zhong likewise seized Renshu in a vice-like grip.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Renshu roared. "Do you realize how complicated you've made our situation?"
"Complicated!" Zhong shot back. "That sheep is our ticket to safety, you fool!" He shoved Renshu off of him, and the wolves sat on the ground side by side, staring each other down. "With her as our hostage, the authorities wouldn't dare to harass us!"
"Without her here they would have left us alone altogether, you idiot!" Renshu fairly screeched back.
"You don't know that, you nimrod! They might be after us right now for all we know, especially if that filth bag decides to double-cross us - and then where would we be?"
They simultaneously huffed and sat back, glaring daggers at each other. Bolin, who had been a part of the pack for a long time and thus had seen heated fights between Zhong and Bolin before, nevertheless kept a wary distance; he'd never seen them get into a scuffle like this.
It seemed a long time before either of them spoke, but at last Zhong broke the silence. "Taking that sheep hostage was fortunate for us, don't you see? Besides, we had no choice in the matter."
"Why her? How did you find - that sheep?" He was going to use her name, but didn't want to give the wrong impression to his comrades. The last thing he needed was for them to think he'd grown attached to his ex-captive. Or, what should have been his ex-captive.
Zhong's sly, familiar grin returned to his face. "Ah," he said, "now that's an interesting story, I'm thinking."
"What do you mean?"
"Would you believe," Zhong said, easing himself onto his feet and dusting himself off, "that this lass claims to know who you are?"
Renshu kept his face impassive, but his keen wit told him that the gig was up. There was no point in pretending that he didn't know her, especially if she woke up and recognized him. Speaking of which… "Yeah I'd believe it alright, and that's another long story. What did you do to her?" He narrowed an eye and observed her dozing form. She didn't appear harmed in any way.
"We just gave her a little...medicine, to make sure her beauty sleep wasn't disturbed." Zhong chuckled darkly.
"More goodies from your blundering pal, I'm guessing?"
"Hey, that bruiser, as you called him, turned out to be a goldmine of all sorts of black market goodies."
"Well I hope he gets his." Renshu muttered. He hadn't taken his eyes off the sheep, and Zhong, in turn, studied his friend carefully.
"Well, Ren...now that I've told you part of our story, d'you think you might wanna tell us part of yours?"
Bolin finally stepped up. "First we need to move into the dell - we've stalled long enough already." His practicality brought the other two wolves back to their senses, and this time they heeded his advice. He moved to place the cloth over their hostage again, but Renshu stopped him.
"I'll carry our 'ticket to safety,'" he remarked. Without waiting for permission, he took Jia into his arms and headed toward the dell.
Zhong and Bolin exchanged glances and slowly followed after.
A/N: I know it's been ages since I updated this, and probably no one's interested anymore, but I can't help that I was struck with inspiration. XD I've been on a wolf/sheep fix lately!