Chapter 11
Something was bothering Eneres. She didn't know what, but it was making her quite grumpy. She moved her face around, but it only made the sensation worse.
"ACHOO!" she sneezed, bolting upright and shoving her braid out of her face, realizing that that was causing the irritating sensation. Unfortunately, her explosive sneeze woke up everybody else, and they all stared at her with confusion and some annoyance for having being woke up so suddenly (and loudly). "Well, rise and shine, Lazy Jane," Eneres sneered, trying to go with the flow, trying to ignore the small hint of anger tracing its way back to her braid. I hate humans, she thought absentmindedly, getting up.
Kiba and Tsume were already on their feet, while Hige was still half-asleep, and Toboe was struggling to get up.
"Ah, the sweet smell of pollution . . . and . . . something else . . ." she concluded, taking a whiff of the disgusting city air.
"Food?" asked Hige, now fully awake.
"No, I smell it too," said Kiba.
"Beautiful, isn't it," sighed Eneres, getting lost in a dream too lovely to comprehend.
"It's . . ." started Tsume.
"Flowers," finished Toboe.
"Not just any flowers," said Eneres.
"Lunar flowers," gasped Kiba. Each wolf looked at one another, great joy and disbelief on their faces (although Eneres' was somewhat of a smirk of triumph), and they began to run towards the smell, Eneres in the lead, for the smell hit her like a gigantic tidal wave of floral scent, urging and half-dragging her forward. They took a few turns down the alleyway they had slept, and when it came to a dead end, they merely ran up the wall and began jumping over buildings on the rooftops. Only once did they stop, when Toboe slipped and slid halfway off a roof, but Hige went back and caught him.
Eneres couldn't believe it; after so many years, so many disappointments, so many days where she could've just killed herself, she was finally going to reunite with her Cheza, and then go in search for Citegrene. The near thought of it made her heart and legs pump faster as she streaked ahead towards the source of Cheza's already overpowering smell. She could just see Cheza now; head thrust back in a silent scream as her sixth sense detected the presence of Eneres, and possibly the other wolves. But another thought dragged her down. Would Cheza be angry with Eneres for abandoning her? Eneres had, after all, completely failed at her duty and mission that Tor and Fenris had specifically assigned to her and her alone. And what about Citegrene? How would she react? Would she be angry at Eneres for failing and almost worse, hurting her, both mentally and physically?
No, Eneres told herself firmly. Citegrene loves me like a sister. And so does Cheza. Now all I have to worry about is how to get Cheza out of the clutches of whoever's got her . . .
They ran for a few more hours until the buildings began to thin (they didn't know this, but they were in the largest city left on earth) and soon the wolves jumped off the roofs and ran on the lightly snow-covered ground. Eneres' body was beginning to tire, and even her new, stronger muscles began to tingle. She just sucked in more air and ran harder, her feet pounding on the grassless ground. Taking a chance and looking behind her, she saw that Kiba was about 20 yards back, with Tsume next in line, and Hige right behind him. Toboe was a mere dot in the distance; being such a young wolf he was not as strong as the others.
Hige must have noticed this, for he had held back a little bit. Tsume seemed a bit hesitant also, but Eneres couldn't have cared less for the young wolf. She needed to see Cheza again. Unexpectedly, the wind picked up to a strong gale fairly quickly, and soon Eneres found herself running straight into the wind, causing her sprint to turn into a very slow jog.
No! Oh Tor, oh Fenris, are you banning me from seeing my Cheza? she thought desperately as she was forced to stop on her knees, the breath finally being knocked out of her. Small tears were beginning to form in her eyes, both from the wind and out of frustration.
"Are you all right?" Kiba yelled through the wind, though Eneres barely heard him. "Toboe needs rest, and we need to get out of this storm."
Sullenly, Eneres followed Kiba back until they reached a small, fallen, abandoned tower that they had passed on the way. They took refuge in it, Eneres' stubborn flame being taken away with the wind. Once inside, Toboe collapsed, panting heavily and Hige had to help him over to a place where he could rest against the wall. Eneres had the same desire: to collapse and rest, but her psyche was winning out her. Her thoughts were consumed by Cheza, and she was beginning to shake from the strain of it. She gazed out onto the now snow-blanketed landscape as the wind howled like some unseen wolf outside.
Kiba joined her. "You can't take it either?" he asked.
"Not in a million years," she whispered back. "Let's go," she said, looking at Kiba with a wild and crazy look in her green-golden eyes.
"But . . ." stuttered Kiba.
"You want to see Cheza . . . almost as much as I do. Let's go; otherwise I'm going all by myself."
"Kiba, what are you doing? You can't just leave us!" protested Hige.
Kiba took one look at Hige and the rest of the wolves, then looked at Eneres and nodded. Eneres's eyes gleamed triumphantly and she even let a small smile loose before she dove headfirst into the wind, Kiba following close behind. He's so easy to manipulate! thought Eneres as she let her brain move her legs as if on autopilot. Why is this so?
About halfway through struggling into the wind, Kiba must have been bursting with curiosity, having Eneres all alone, for he spoke. "Why are you so desperate to find Cheza?"
"It's a long story," she answered.
"It'll take us a while to reach Darcia's Keep," said Kiba, looking at the large, looming keep from where the scent of lunar flowers emanated.
Eneres's stomach panged and her heart fluttered as her eyes were filled with visions of what had happened that terrible night so long ago. She took a deep breath to try to calm herself, but to no avail as she began, "I was sworn by Tor and Fenris to protect Cheza."
"Who are Tor and Fenris?" asked Kiba.
"Who are Tor and Fenris!?" shouted Eneres, completely awestruck that this impertinent wolf had the nerve to ask her who the wolf gods were. "Why, they made you! They made me! They're the Gods of the heaven above! How could you ask such a question?"
"Gods? I've never heard of them," spat Kiba, a bit offended at Eneres's reply. "Besides, I don't believe in anything except Paradise."
Eneres snarled viciously at the mention of Paradise.
"And what do you have against Paradise anyways? Whenever it's mentioned you always growl or snarl," Kiba continued.
"Okay, one: how can you believe in just Paradise? How do you even know how Paradise is going to open? And two: you don't even understand the full story, you insolent pup," Eneres quarreled.
"Why won't you tell me the full story?"
"I . . ." And that's where Eneres stopped. She didn't know why she kept her past so hidden; it was bound to come out anyways. Maybe it was because it embarrassed her, or angered her. Maybe it was just because she was frightened. The terrifying prophecy that that old wolf had spoke to her and Citegrene so long ago had shaken Eneres up quite a bit. Eneres scornfully looked at her running foot paws and was silent.
"Why?" mumbled Kiba.
A single tear fell from Eneres's silvery face and was lost behind them as the wind caught it, carrying it far back.
"Why were you sworn to protect Cheza?" asked Kiba, and Eneres could tell that he wanted to know more. But she wasn't ready to bring forth those memories.
"Because I was, okay? Now just go the hell away!" she screamed at him, running ahead of him. He caught up quickly anyway, but was silent the rest of the time until they reached the place where Cheza's scent overflowed.
Citegrene woke to a bullet ricocheting right above her head. Instantly, she was on her feet and fully alert, her fur fluffed out and a growl playing on her lips. A muzzle of a monstrous rifle was pointing at her face. The man wielding it was short and grizzled, a hat atop his head and a a brown trench coat flowing from his shoulders as he sighted down the barrel, his hands trembling with rage.
Citegrene turned and fled as fast as her legs could carry her, hardly taking in her surroundings. There was a loud curse, then an ear-splitting boom as another bullet whizzed past her ear. Readying her haunches, the she-wolf sprang up onto the nearest rooftop and ducked behind the protective lip.
The man went into a cursing rage, firing shot after shot into thin air until his clip was empty. There was a clatter as he threw the weapon on the ground, then a few moments of silence before she heard the man pick it back up, grumbling. "Dammit, Blue, where are you when I need you most?" With a loud sigh, his footsteps trailed off into inaudibility.
Citegrene cautiously peeked over the ledge onto the street below. Natas stood there with a chunk of meat, his head sarcastically cocked to the side. Lightly, the she-wolf landed right next to him, not rustling a single hair out of place as he dropped the food on the dusty street, then said, "Dig in." Citegrene awkwardly ate, pain spiking up from her cheek, but her companion didn't follow suit. When she realized that, she looked up at him questioningly. "I've already eaten; don't worry about me." Giving into her stomach's demands, Citegrene snapped up the last of the meat, painfully licking her lips for every drop of the succulent juices.
"How's that wound coming?" He analyzed it, disgust and anger written all over his face. "That damn Rekoj . . ."
Citegrene looked at the sunless sky, cloudy with an impending snowstorm. Natas followed her gaze, then growled wonderingly, "It's strange, seeing the sky in a city like this. Especially in a city like this. Normally they are domed to keep the weather out, but I think those Darcian nobles are cheap and didn't want to protect their civilians." He looked about, then spoke. "Now, where to?" Citegrene scented the air, then pointed in the right direction, following the sweet, overpowering floral smell of the Flower Maiden.
They traveled as humans, mostly with Natas leading. He took the form of a tall, lean man clothed in a heavy leather jacket and pants, and rather large steel-toed boots. Raven black hair fell to his shoulders, framing a square face with subtle impish features.
Citegrene wore a plain blue tee that complimented her blonde hair that fell to her hips. She appeared a normal human female, with no distinguishing or unparalleled beauteous characteristics. Well, except perhaps her eyes. Those piercing sapphire eyes.
Occasionally, Natas would for the direction of the flower scent to direct their course. After the umpteenth time, Citegrene burst out, "What, can't you scent Cheza now? It's overwhelming!!" He gave her an angry glare, then sulkily kept walking. Citegrene felt pangs of frustration start up in her. What wolf couldn't smell the Flower Maiden!?
The day was long and tedious, made worse by the fact that Citegrene couldn't calculate the time since clouds covered the sun. It began to snow lightly, and the wind picked up tremendously. The wolves kept going in their pursuit of Cheza, but they spent more time in the shelter of the alleys. After endless gray streets and dull buildings, the monotony was finally broken when they turned onto a deserted roadway, lightly coated with fluffy snow. Citegrene had felt a strange fluttery feeling in her chest ever since waking up in the city, but now it was so all-powerful that it made her dash happily through the powder towards a large fortress in the distance. She was sure of it now; Cheza's scent was coming from there.
Natas strayed behind her, sniffing the ground determinedly. Citegrene looked around gleefully, the snow reminding her of her homeland in the high mountains. Oh, how she missed her family so . . .
A growl sounded right next to her, making her start. "Wolves have been here; two of them. A she-wolf and a young male." Citegrene lowered her head to the snow. Cheza's scent was clogging her nostrils, but she sniffed the ground nonetheless. There was something there . . . she inhaled deeply, opening her muzzle slightly.
There was no time to think; Citegrene just reacted as the euphoria overtook her. "ENERES!!!!" She bolted like a bullet, sprinting through the snow towards the giant keep on the horizon. Citegrene didn't even need to follow a scent trail; she knew that Eneres could detect Cheza's scent from just about anywhere, and that she would most definitely go directly to her; nothing would, or could, stand in her way from doing so.
The wind gusted into Citegrene's face, blasting little pellets of ice into her eyes and delicate nose. But this didn't lessen her pace at all. Instead, she sped up, her limbs working like giant pistons as she ran through the growing snowstorm, Natas at her side. Citegrene was going to find Eneres, after so many years of torturous separation. Nothing would, or could, stand in her way from doing so.
Eneres's heart beat uncontrollably as she pounded down a bleak corridor, the scent of Cheza getting stronger by the second. It was completely past overwhelming now. Kiba was right behind her, but she barely heard him as she leaped with great momentum up to another corridor ten feet off of the ground.
So close. She was so close. As she sprinted down the passageway toward a pair of double doors on the end, the lack of guards made her slightly uneasy. Then her outstandingly sharp ears picked up Cheza's whispered voice. "They are here."
Eneres almost howled with delight as she put on her final burst of speed, thanking Tor and Fenris over and over for everything: her nose, her ears, her muscles; her second chance.
"They are here," Cheza repeated softly. Eneres blew through the doors, tears cascading down her silver face, a snarl trying to counteract them to look menacing.
"Cheza!" yelled Kiba.
"Eneres," whispered Cheza. "This one has missed you terribly."
All was silent for a moment as surprise and happiness permeated the room. A shadow in the back moved slightly, but it was barely noticed as Cheza suddenly ran forward happily. "Kiba!" she exclaimed. Kiba opened his mouth in joy and bounded towards her.
Out of the darkness shot a figure, his face covered by a white mask and springy hair protruding from his head. Like lightning, he grabbed Cheza by the back of her neck, dragging her back and holding her up where she hung limply like a rag doll, screaming.
"Cheza!" Kiba shouted again.
The cloaked man stood still, analyzing the wolves as Cheza cried her piercing scream. Only his eyes were visible through the chalky mask, and his intelligent blue gaze swept over Kiba to land on a snarling Eneres. Slowly, he lifted his gloved free hand to grasp the covering object and removed it. It slipped through his fingers onto the floor with a clatter. His lips parted to speak when a pair of doors behind him exploded open.
"Goooood evening, ladies and gentle men. We are . . . tonight's entertainment."
"What the . . ." whispered Eneres as she saw a group of seven men and their eccentrically dressed leader enter, but then she had to focus on dodging bullets that were ricocheting everywhere. Hiding places in the large room were sparse, so Eneres had to suffice with taking out the goons by tooth and claw. Kiba followed her lead, but their attacks were easily equaled by their rifle-wielding opponents. It was utter chaos, the ping of bullets bouncing everywhere, the clattering of dropped guns, the snarls of enraged wolves. Soon, the six goons dropped their human guises, showing their true form: that of Balkar wolves, specially trained to kill.
It seemed like an eternity; blood coated the floor as Eneres spun around right and left to fight off her attackers, but six Balkar were almost too much for her. Almost in slow motion, she saw Kiba go down, biting hard on the leg of one. She couldn't find the strange leader that wore horrifying makeup, or the masked human that had sprang out of the shadows, or even Cheza for that matter. She desperately hoped that Cheza had been smart enough to do something about her captor. Eneres' vision blurred red as blood trickled in her eye, caused by the gash at the base of her ear splitting open further. She sensed a presence behind her, and spun around to attack viciously.
But she stopped. A large wolf stood before her, mirroring Eneres' shock on her face. Blood spiked the newcomer's fur, making her appear half red; maybe it was because of her own wounds, or maybe it was because of Eneres' blooded vision. But there was something different about this she-wolf that made Eneres's blood run cold, and her heart beat faster.
"C . . . C . . . C . . ." stuttered Eneres, barely getting the first syllable out of her mouth.
Joy spread across the golden-red wolf's features as she bolted at Eneres, running into her and knocking her over, rubbing and licking with affection.
"Eneres!" she cried ecstatically, and soon Eneres followed with the tears, emotions scattering in all directions. The she-wolf kept vigorously rubbing her furry face across the silver wolf's, as if her very life depended on it.
"Oh, Citegrene, you'll never believe it! I just met someone who looks exactly like you," mumbled Eneres, laughing at her own psychotic state.
"It's me, Eneres! Oh, it's been so long . . . I thought you were dead, but a part of me always knew that you survived . . ." Citegrene said softly, love filling her blue eyes.
Eneres snapped affectionately, realizing that this was, indeed, the real Citegrene, "It takes more than that to put me down; you know that, idiot!"
Time seemed to stand still for the two reunited wolves as the battle raged around them. Tears brimming in two sets of eyes, sapphire blue and piercing golden-green, they rubbed and nuzzled each other, feeling the love and companionship they had shared for so long before their tragic separation. Bullets were flying in all directions, magically missing the friends; screams of pain and agony echoed throughout the room, falling on deaf ears; the stench of blood hung heavily in the air, the silver and gold wolves not picking up on the scent as they tried to make up for all the lost years. They continued rubbing each other as the battle continued around them; Kiba and a newcomer, a savage black wolf, were still fighting like mad.
"Guess what!?" gasped Eneres suddenly. "I found Cheza!"
"Now who's the idiot?" laughed Citegrene as she gently cuffed Eneres over the ear.
"Awwwww, now isn't that just sweet?" sneered a voice from behind them.
Whirling, Citegrene snarled viciously, "YOU!" Eneres had never heard her that angry; she didn't know that Citegrene could get that angry, and it frightened her quite a bit.
The man chuckled darkly, and advanced towards Eneres, shotgun in hand. He was unlike anything she'd ever encountered before in her life. Ever. An uncustomary chill swept down her spine as she glared at his face, haphazardly painted chalk white, dull black circles ringing his eyes and knotted scars from the corners of his mouth accented by crimson lipstick.
The room had gone silent, the fighting mysteriously halted. The black wolf and Kiba were both pinned down by two Balkar each, and the rest were gathering in a loose semi-circle around Eneres and Citegrene. A look of pure horror spread across Eneres' face as the man cocked his head mockingly to the side, looked around the room, and exclaimed, "Why is everybody so quiet!? You know what happens when I can hear myself think!"
He nonchalantly raised the shotgun and aimed it at the silver wolf's head. She knew, with growing despair, the unfathomable horror of what would happen if she was to be injured any more than she already was. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as the man adjusted his gun, looking down the barrel with cunning, evil eyes, and smirked, "Farewell, beautiful. Unfortunatelee, our time together must be short. Normally, I don't enjoy using guns, but at least it'll be quick, don't you agree?"
His gloved finger squeezed the trigger. Eneres saw the bullet move towards her, but she was rooted to the spot. She sensed Citegrene tense up beside her, but only after the bloody she-wolf jumped in front of Eneres was when she went weak in the knees. The bullet embedded itself into Citegrene as she sailed in front of Eneres. Citegrene hit the floor with a disgusting crunch, landing on her side. Her prone body didn't even twitch.
"No!" Eneres screamed.
"Too bad she had to take the bullet for ya, but once again, my apologies. That was the only one I had." Eneres didn't hear him as she stared hypnotically at the golden wolf's body. She saw it stir slightly.
Rekoj gave the black wolf a strange glance, then silently backed out of one of the many doors, nodding to the Balkar. They nipped harshly at their captives, then fled after Rekoj. Eneres stared wide-eyed at the bloody mass that was Citegrene; the black wolf lay on the ground, staring blankly at the wall, making no attempt to move; Kiba forgo chasing after Rekoj, as well, in order to limp around the room, trying to relocate Cheza's scent.
There was several moments of complete silence, then Citegrene painfully raised her golden head. Eneres gasped in relief and rubbed her muzzle in the golden-wolf's fur.
Alarms blared all around the wolves. White smoke began to hiss out of the vents surrounding the room, slowly filling the bottom with a thick fog. Kiba abandoned his search for Cheza's scent and tentatively backed up towards Eneres, one paw at a time, snarling at the ethereal menace all the while. The black wolf struggled onto his feet and then yelled at Eneres. "We have to get out! I'll help you move Citegrene, just get out of here!!!" Eneres nodded, fighting the urge to close her eyes and lay down as lethargy flooded through her, compliments of the smoke. He helped Citegrene to her feet, and Eneres let her long lost friend lean on her, her legs barely supporting them both as they ran out of the keep on wobbly paws. It took an agonizingly long time, and the smoke had begun to seep into the adjacent hallways, filling them with a suffocating white mass.
And then the wolves breached the last doorway to the outside world. It looked like Tsume, Hige and Toboe had made it to the keep in the time that Eneres and Kiba spent in it. The Balkar wolves and Rekoj were nowhere in sight.
"Are you okay?" asked Tsume, getting strangely concerned.
"I'm fine," panted Eneres. Then her face grew full of shock once again. "Oh, no! Cheza! I forgot about her! She's still in there! Damn it!" And, without another moment to spare, Eneres spun around and bolted back into the keep.
"Wait!" came a voice behind her. Eneres halted, and turned around to find Citegrene limping to catch up. "I'll get Cheza."
"What? You're wounded, and . . . oh, I don't have time for this!" growled Eneres, turning towards the fortress.
"Eneres, stay here. I'll get her. Don't worry about me." Citegrene limped into the keep once again, Eneres screaming shouts and curses after her, only to be restrained by Tsume and the black wolf at the doorway. "I can't afford to lose you again," Citegrene added once Eneres was out of earshot.
"Citegrene!! COME BACK!" The golden wolf didn't look back once as she tried to navigate her way back to the room. Right; left; then right again. Now she could smell the misty smoke again, and it instantly made her lids heavy. Stay awake, Citegrene. You need to get this done . . . for Eneres.
She turned a left, only to jam her muzzle into a human leg. Her haunches sank to the floor, and she stared up fearfully. A tall masked man stood before her, a wig of black hair protruding in all directions. Citegrene's gasp echoed throughout the hallway as he looked down on her. "Where's Cheza?" she breathed.
The man silently took a sidestep to the left, revealing Cheza's stooped form. Her head hung low, almost in shame, but she turned her sightless maroon eyes toward Citegrene. "She is safe with me," the man said in a low voice. With complete control, he lashed out with a booted foot, hitting Citegrene in her wounded leg. She crumpled to the floor, unconscious.