Chapter 7

Two Weeks Later

Kiba lay on his back, watching clouds drift by overhead. Akamaru lay by his side, one eye on the sky, one on the goats. Kiba yawned. This goat-herding business was boring. He could go explore, but he would have to leave Akamaru behind to watch the goats, and that wouldn't be much fun, or much use. Since he and Akamaru did everything together, they both needed to explore together. They knew some of the lay of the land, but not enough to be useful. He yawned again.

Whack!

"Ow! What was that for?" Kiba rubbed his head and glared at Eda, who had thumped him on the head with her staff.

She snorted. "If you're bored enough to yawn, you can have another bout of staff practice with me."

Kiba grimaced, in the past two weeks he'd been thumped and dumped on his behind more than he cared to remember. "No thanks, I'll pass."

She raised one eyebrow. "Do you have a choice?"

"Oh, come on! I'm either getting beat up by you, or I'm watching goats wander around! At least let me and Akamaru explore!"

She just looked at him for a bit, and then tossed him a staff. "Tell you what. If you can hold me off for five minutes, I'll let you explore to your heart's content. Hold me off with staff skills, mind. No running away, though I'll let you dodge if you like. If I land even one hit on you, you get to watch the sheep all day. Deal?"

"Deal!" Kiba wasn't sure if he could do it, but it was a better deal than what they had before, where he was only given a half-hour to explore, on their way out to the meadows where they grazed the goats.

He grabbed the staff and set himself the way Eda had taught him, hands and feet shoulder-with apart. No sooner was he set than he had to defend himself as Eda launched an attack. Her staff collided with his, then whipped away and around toward his legs. He jumped, and blocked her backswing with his staff. There followed a furious exchanging of blows and blocks as Kiba frantically tried to defend himself. Not two minutes into the exchange, she slid her staff under his and thumped his ribs, making him gasp for breath.

He sat down hard, and once he caught his breath, growled at her. "This sucks! You don't even need my help with these goats! Why do you torture me like this every day?"

"Stop whining, I gave you a chance, didn't I? And you're getting better; when we first started you practically tripped yourself! Besides…" she sat down too, "I do need your help, not watching the goats, but defending them."

"Huh? We haven't seen anything big enough to eat a goat. And you could probably beat off anything that tried."

"Just because we haven't run into them doesn't mean they aren't there. There are great cats in the mountains that come down occasionally, as well as some big snakes and wolves in the forests around here. And there are the zasillas."

"Zasillas? What are those?"

"You should know; you've met Onyx haven't you?"

"Onyx? He's one of these zasilla things?"

"That's right. There are a few wild ones on this island, and they aren't as inclined to conversation as he is." Kiba had found out earlier that all of their 'keepers' knew that Onyx could talk, and were in fact, part of the Raka rebellion, even Fandarel, the Luarin. Apparently there were some Raka sympathizers among the Luarin commoners. Eda continued, "They're normally a reclusive species. They prefer hiding or fleeing to confrontation, and have been known to abandon nests the moment humans come near, taking their young with them. Once every few years though, they become dangerous."

"Dangerous?"

"We don't mate but once every few years. When we 'rise to mate' as we call it, we become feral, vicious, and semi-vampiric, killing and eating anything nearby that isn't of our own species. Some of us have even preyed upon humans." They looked up to see Onyx draped lazily along a branch in the tree above them. He grinned, displaying his long, exceedingly sharp silver fangs. "Good eventide to you, Kiba, Eda Bell, Akamaru."

"How do you do that? I didn't sense you nearby, and Akamaru and I didn't smell you either."

"Centuries of practice and an odd ability to refrain from giving off a scent. I enjoy sneaking; it appeals to my predatory nature."

"Wait a second, centuries?"

"Of course," He cocked his head to one side, looking at them with one green eye, "My kind is one of the Immortal species after all."

"WHAT? You're IMMORTAL?"

"Only in the barest sense. In truth, you should more properly call us Mortal Immortals. We are creatures which, unless we are killed in some way, will live forever. We age but slowly, at about the rate of one year per century."

"That's… amazing!"

"Not really, there are several species like this, the kudurung among them."

"What are the kudurung anyway? I know they're in the prophecy, but what are they?"

"Flying horses. They come in all sizes and colors, from tiny finch-sized ones, to some the size of a true horse. They are also the symbol of the old Raka royalty. They were used to carry messengers, and to bear the royal family themselves into battle."

"Oh." Kiba was thoughtful, which was unusual for him. Akamaru barked, asking a question. "Oh, right, Akamaru. Onyx-san, you said zasillas are vicious every few years, why only then?"

"My kind is very strange. During most of our lives we eat stone, and our coats reflect the kinds of stone we eat. Hence, since I prefer the darker stones such as jet, onyx, and obsidian, I am black. This is also where my name comes from. However, while we can do this as adults, our young cannot survive on such a diet. They must eat flesh, preferably red meat or fish, and they eat massive amounts of it. But even before then, to produce our young, we, the adults, must eat meat, and plenty of it. Thus, for the short while before we mate, we become carnivorous. However, the length of time we are in heat is short, only a day. So we don't have the luxury of stalking wild animals, we must take whatever is most readily available, which is usually domesticated livestock, and in some cases, those who guard them." He flicked his nictitating membrane across his eye. "So Eda Bell was quite right to teach you staff work, and to require your company in guarding the goats. Especially since my time to rise is soon."

"Huh? It is? How can you tell?"

"I just know. But as for how you can tell, when I lose control my eyes will turn completely silver, and I will seem to glow."

"Oh."

"Now you two had best get back to watching the goats, it seems some of them have taken the opportunity to wander off."

"What?" Kiba turned. "Aaagh! Akamaru, go get those two, I'll round up the others!"

"Bark!"

Eda Bell just leaned against the tree and laughed.

By the time they had gathered all of the goats back together, Onyx was long gone.

A Few Days Later

Kiba hit the ground on his back, rolled, and jumped back onto his feet. Completely winded, he panted hard as he held up the staff in the guard position. Eda grinned, and flicked her staff at his head, then, when he tried to block it, thumped his shoulder, causing him to drop the staff with a yelp. Akamaru barked at the goats, herding them together as Kiba sat down hard, done in. As Eda twirled her staff, grinning, they heard the sound of horses coming towards them. Lady Dove came up at a canter, sitting astride a beautiful chestnut mare named Ryhenna. Behind her was Hinata, riding more slowly, and less steadily, on a yellow dun mare.

"Lady Dove-sama, Hinata, what are you doing here?" asked Kiba, as Akamaru barked and ran up to them.

The Lady smiled, "We decided to visit, since Hinata hasn't been out of the Castle grounds in a while. Also, she said she needed to do some training, and that you were her teammate. Why don't you two go train for a bit, while Eda and I watch the goats?"

"All right! I finally get to do something different, even if it's training!"

Kiba practically dragged Hinata off her horse and out of sight, while Akamaru ran around their feet, barking excitedly. Hinata was trying to protest the rough treatment, saying, "Kiba-kun, my arm…"

Lady Dove smiled indulgently after them as she dismounted. She turned to look at Eda, "Well, what do you think?"

Eda tapped her foot thoughtfully. "I'd say they're too young, but that's just the grandmother in me. I think they're every bit as capable as you could hope for."

"Then why haven't you let Kiba explore? He really wants, and really needs, to know the lay of the land personally. And it's not as if you can't handle the goats."

Eda sighed, "Originally, I was going to let him go as soon as he'd grasped the basics of staff-fighting, but now I can't afford to let him go too far for very long."

"Why?"

"Onyx said, a few days ago, that he'll rise soon. I know I can't handle him by myself, but if Kiba is really The Wild One, he should be able to. So until Onyx has risen to mate, I can't let the boy go off like he wants to."

"You're right, though I'm sure it rankles the poor boy."

Kiba and Akamaru were helping Hinata train. They were in the thick of the jungle, where it was almost impossible to see normally. Also, the ferns and plants were so close together that there was hardly any room to move without causing rustling noises. Akamaru wormed his way around and beneath the plants, trying to sneak up on Hinata, as Kiba snuck as stealthily as he could through the higher branches. This was good training for ambushes. While Hinata's Byakugan would allow her to see them coming, she wasn't using it, trying to sharpen her other senses to detect them. In turn, Kiba and Akamaru would have to deal with the thick undergrowth and move as silently as possible. Hinata closed her eyes, listening as hard as she could. There. To her left she heard a faint rustling. Her eyes snapped open. Quickly, she thrust out her palm towards the noise, shooting out a beam of chakra. There was a yelp, and Akamaru jumped as the chakra stung him. Almost immediately there was a sound above her, and Kiba dropped down out of the trees, attempting to knock her to the ground. Too late, Hinata dodged, and Kiba clipped her shoulder, sending her tumbling. She quickly rolled to her feet as he vanished back into the trees. She looked around for Akamaru, and realized that he'd also taken the opportunity to go back into hiding. She set herself again, and closed her eyes.

Up in the trees Kiba was watching her excitedly, this was so much better than herding goats! He shifted slowly, taking care to make no noise, until he was directly in front of her. Then, when he was set, he crouched, and then sprang off of the branch directly towards her. The branch creaked as he launched himself, and Hinata dodged left to avoid him. And then Akamaru jumped straight into her chest, knocking her down. She gave a short gasp as he stood over her; then stood as he let her up. Kiba grinned, "Nice job, Akamaru!"

As Hinata brushed herself off, Kiba heard a sound like nothing else he'd ever heard before. Half crazed roar, half feral shriek, it cut through the air like a whip crack, a panther's yowl with an avalanche's rumble under it.

"That came from where Lady Dove-sama and Eda-san are!" Kiba wasted no time, jumping into the treetops and rushing towards where the sound had come from. Akamaru pursued him. Hinata followed as quickly as she could, but was swiftly left behind.

When Kiba reached the place where they had left Lady Dove, he was shocked. The goats were fleeing in all directions from a creature that Kiba recognized, but wished he hadn't. Onyx was nothing like the mild-mannered, intelligent creature Kiba was used to. His pebbly skin was so deep a black as to almost glow with darkness, if that was possible, and his eyes were liquid silver. He caught one of the goats and ripped it open with his claws, gorging himself on its viscera as it thrashed in agony, and then died. Finishing it off with a speed Kiba would have thought impossible, Onyx turned toward the next closest creature…Lady Dove.

As he launched himself at her, Kiba leaped to intercept him, knocking him away with a shoulder charge. Onyx let loose that cry again, and it sent rivulets of fear down Kiba's spine. He shook it off and yelled, "Akamaru! Jujin Bunshin no Jutsu!" As Lady Dove and Eda Bell stared, Kiba's nails became claws and his canine teeth became short fangs; at the same time, Akamaru transformed into a duplicate of the beast-like Kiba. "Gatsuuga!" As Onyx launched himself at them, Kiba and Akamaru spun into twin fanged whirlwinds, and attempted to strike him in the chest and knock him out. They struck him head on. With another terrifying shriek Onyx flew backwards, only to flip over in midair and land on all fours. At the same time, Kiba flew in the opposite direction and Akamaru-as-Kiba in a third. All three of them sported deep scratched from the other's attacks. Kiba stared at Onyx evenly, the reptile was beyond reason. "Akamaru, again! Gatsuuga!" It was the only thing he could think of. Onyx was far too quick for their final transformation to work against him, and using Tsuuga alone would be even more dangerous. The three clashed. This time, when they flew apart, the cuts were deeper; they began leaking blood onto the ground. Kiba stared; Onyx's blood had a silver sheen to it. He looked and saw that red blood dyed Onyx's silver claws and fangs. He didn't have time to look for long, Onyx attacked again. This time, instead of going for Kiba, he attacked Akamaru-as-Kiba. Akamaru dodged as quickly as he could, but not quickly enough; Onyx slashed his shoulder to the bone. Akamaru yelped and lost control of his transformation, reverting back to a dog.

As Onyx pounced on the suddenly helpless Akamaru, Kiba snarled at him and attacked. Onyx turned to face him, and they clashed. Locking claws, they rolled over and over. Onyx snapped at his face and throat as Kiba ducked his head to protect himself. Then Onyx brought his tail into play. The long, flexible appendage flailed, whiplike, cracking against Kiba's back and sides. If he hadn't been protected by the thick coat he wore, his flesh would have been stripped off by the blows. As it was, he gritted his teeth to keep from screaming in pain.

He hauled his knees up against his chest to protect his underside from Onyx's hind claws, and started head-butting him as best as he could, trying to knock him out. His forehead connected with Onyx's chin three times, and the lizard's grip loosened. Kiba lashed out with his feet, catching Onyx squarely in the chest with a double-footed kick. The breath whooshed out of Onyx as he flew back, his hold on Kiba broken. "Tsuuga!" cried Kiba, smashing into him again and again, until he finally stopped moving, completely unconscious. Kiba panted, exhausted.

He walked over to Akamaru and crouched, picking him up. "You okay, buddy?"

Akamaru barked and licked his face. Kiba grinned tiredly, "That's good."

"What happened?" Hinata had just arrived, having been caught in vines many times in her haste to get there.

Lady Dove recovered from her shock first. She smiled. "The Wild One defeated a zasilla in heat, that's what."

Eda walked over to Kiba as he stood up, wincing at the pain in his back and sides. "Well, boy, it looks like you've earned you're right to travel. After you've healed up a bit, you can explore to your heart's content."

"Yes!" He crowed in triumph.

"Kiba-kun, let me help Akamaru." said Hinata.

"Thanks, Hinata." He handed him over.

"Let's get everyone back to the castle infirmary." said Lady Dove. She whistled, and the horses, which had bolted, came back.

"Ride double with me, Hinata. Kiba, you ride with Onyx laid across the saddle in front of you."

The horses fidgeted when the smell of blood reached their noses, but they accepted their burdens well enough. Eda started walking towards the forest, saying, "Don't worry about the goats, I'll round 'em up. You just get back to the castle for some healing."

Later That Evening

Kiba lay face down on a bed in the infirmary, being examined by Lady Dove's doctor, who was an old, gruff, ¼ Raka man named Lokeij.

He sighed, "Well, it's very fortunate that you were wearing that coat. If you hadn't been, you'd be missing more than half the skin and flesh on your back. You'd probably have some broken ribs too. As it is, your back will be one massive bruise for the next week or so, but you've no other problems. The scratches are just superficial, and they'll heal up quick. I'd say you'll be as good as new in about a week. And you can go back to your goat-herding job the day after tomorrow."

"How's Akamaru? He got cut pretty bad."

"The cut on his shoulder is the worst, other than that, it's just scratches. That one cut needed stitches, but I can take those out in a few days, and he'll be fully healed at about the same time you are. Meanwhile, don't let him walk until I take the stitches out."

"So it all turned out okay, that's a relief." Kiba relaxed, he was glad that Akamaru would be okay.

"Well, almost all. Lady Dove's pet zasilla is pretty beat up, but he'll heal too. Mostly I'm worried about her Ladyship." Lokeij was not part of the rebellion, though he did support the ideas behind it. He didn't know about the ninja's roles or Onyx's ability to speak. He, like most people, thought he was just a pet.

"Huh? Why? She didn't get hurt, did she?"

"No, but I fear for her sanity, keeping such a dangerous pet." The doctor smiled crookedly, only half-joking.

"I wouldn't worry," said Kiba, grinning back. "She'll be fine."

Notes: I will have a chapter devoted to each of the five sets from the Prophecy. Hinata and Neji will be together as the collective 'White-Eyed-Ones', though I may need to give them two chapters. This is the chapter dedicated to Kiba, 'The Wild One'. The reason that they call Lady Dove Lady Dove-sama is that 'Lady' is said in the language of the Copper Isles. They think of it as part of her name, not as a title or honorific. Later on there will be explanations in the actual story about the language differences.