Note: Wow… I can't believe I let more than a year pass without updating this thing! The simple truth of the matter is I kept trying to write on, but I couldn't get the words to synchronize as well as I wanted. I finally made a commitment to it as it now stands. It's been so long that the majority of my old fans probably aren't around anymore :'( All the same, I really want to finish this story. Enjoy my sixth chapter!

Chapter 6: From Every Question an Answer; From Every Answer A Question

With a slow, rhythmic motion Darcia cut apart a portion of the roasted meat before him. He then impaled the small piece with his fork and brought it to his lips, chewing patiently.

"You really are just as dainty as a woman! Makes you stick out like a sore thumb in a place like this, though!" Tenmei barked in delight. They sat in the corner table of an old tavern. The building was perpetually crowded with an unending assortment of drunks, prostitutes and Na'er-do-wells. The overcrowding was so tremendous a problem, in fact, that one would have difficulty traveling from the entrance to the bar without possessing enough strength to push through an almost solid wall of sweat and muscle. Likewise, the floor was scuffed and covered with an inch-thick layer of dust. The tables and chairs were ineffectively repaired following their breaking in a countless number of brawls, and wobbled forebodingly when a person saw fit to rest on them. To say this place was unappealing would be as grievous an understatement as saying that a decent from the peak of a cliff was painful.

"I mean," Tenmei continued, "I say I'll help you if you let me see that woman again. How do you respond? You tell me to follow you on some long-winded track to a city at the very edge of your territory; then, not satisfied with simply forcing me on this sadistic pilgrimage, you proceed to travel to the most dank, foulest smelling slum the city could possibly have to offer and walk right into a bar. What's the point of coming here, if I may ask?"

"This place has always provided me with a sense of comfort. Rooms full of self-absorbed shadows making a desperate play at looking merry. They belong to the lowest echelons of society, yet in this one trait they are the same as me." His deep blue eyes took a sad expression. "Moreover, It is so loud here that people can't help but mind their own business."

"Tsk, I can't argue that point." Tenmei said, bearing a scowl that revealed his human form's sharp teeth. He shot a glance around. The volume of the room was so intense that you had to lean your head in the direction of whomever you wished to talk to and then shout in your loudest voice if you wanted to be heard. It was an environment that made eavesdropping impossible.

"Tell me, why do the wolves seek paradise?" The question caused Tenmei to pause for a moment, surprised by the change of subject. All the same, he recomposed himself quickly, shutting his large green eyes and turning up the corner of his mouth into a matter-of-factly grin.

"What a ridiculous question! Like asking a creature why it breathes. It's simply a part of our nature. Things have been that way for us since antiquity, I guess."

"But do you know what paradise is? Is it a location? What do you have to gain by finding it?" It wasn't as though Darcia honestly gave a damn about wolves or their motivation. His only wish was to find the roots of his troubles, and it so happened that they had become intertwined with paradise.

"Just like a human to attempt to analyze our problems by their standards." Tenmei began to laugh, a deep and soothing sound. "Why? What? How? These are questions upon which a human being is dependant. It's because of your sentient nature. You can call 'free will' a blessing all you want, but in the end having a free will just means leading a life in search of a purpose. You question your environment because you're desperate to find out what it is you were born to accomplish; whereas a wolf has all his answers burned into his instincts. There isn't any need for a question, we just follow our nose until the desire we were born with is sated!"

"So then, what need have you for my grandfather and his flower woman?" Darcia asked dispassionately. He was trying to mask the anger he felt at the wolf's arrogance.

"Well, you see, that's the rub. Turns out that free will isn't without its advantages either. A wolf may know what he needs, but he lacks the ability to create something that wasn't already there. The technology of the nobles truly is awe-inspiring. When I first heard that the wrinkled old bastard had been commissioned to birth the flower maiden I couldn't help but laugh. As it turns out, though, he succeeded completely. No matter how hard I try I can't remove that woman or her scent from my mind!" He looked up at the ceiling as he said this, a dreamy expression crossing his pale face.

"Commissioned? By whom?"

"The ancient one- a seventy year old white wolf named Odin. He is one of the four keys needed to open paradise. The flower maiden is the second. Third is the moon and fourth is the location. At least I think that's how it goes. I never much cared about paradise, honestly. Just give me a place were my flawless beauty can be appreciated as it was meant to be and I'm as happy as a lamb!"

"So then, my grandfather is conspiring with the wolves." Upon hearing this, Tenmei slammed his fist against the table, causing it to rattle violently. By some miracle it remained intact, and after a moment the conversation continued.

"He isn't conspiring with us; he is being manipulated by us! Odin personally delivered the book of the moon to him a half-century ago. That was when he felt the noble was most susceptible."

"Fifty years ago?" Darcia paused to reflect for a moment. He was little more than a child at the time. "So then, it happened following the death of my father?"

"Exactly! Confronting the death of his son made poor old Darcia come to terms with his own mortality. You nobles are a long-lived bunch, but even still you possess a human fear of death. When your grandfather heard about paradise he thought it to be a secret to eternal life, and therefore began to construct our flower maiden. All of this was Odin's idea. He's a rather crafty bastard, you see."

"Is it possible for a human to enter paradise?"

"I certainly hope not!" Tenmei snarled. "In any case, I've heard that humans who try to force open the gates of paradise find themselves cursed by it."

Darcia leaned back in his chair. It was an action that turned out to be too brave, as the back of the chair collapsed and fell to the floor. Darcia rushed to readjust his balance, his arms waving in the air. Tenmei couldn't help but smile at this.

"You're much more amusing than the average human, young Darcia. Not many can blend intelligent conversation with physical comedy so convincingly! Pray tell, are you done asking questions?" Tenmei ran a hand through his hair as he spoke, a habit he had possessed since the first time he had ever taken a human form.

"Yes." Darcia said, giving him a bitter look. "I shall need the book of the moon to clear what remains of my confusion."

"Magnificent! Does that mean you're finally ready to show me that woman?" Tenmei asked. Darcia said nothing, but shook his head in reply. "Wonderful! I like you more all the time."

The two stood at last and began pushing through huddled bodies to the door on the other side of the room. Darcia gave a sigh of relief when he finally succeeded in opening the door and pushing himself out into the cool autumn air. He had much to think about now, and a long walk home to ponder in. The two travelers left the city in silence.