Hey guys, I got the next chapter up! YAY!! I hope it comes out ok because I've been having problems with the preview box, but it seems sorted now so on with the story ;P
The group gasped as the butler led them outside of the mansion through the back door and into the garden where rubble could be seen decorating the patio. But the thing that made them gasp was the fact that many of Mai's belongings were scattered around the rubble along with small patches of blood. Mai whined in the background at seeing the statue rubble again, it was after all the reason she was stuck like this in the first place. Her whine brought all the people present at the sites attention to her.
"Ah it's the wolf!" one of the frightened maids yelled. Mai jumped and began looking for the black wolf, when she couldn't find him she tilted her head to the side in confusion. The canine's unusual behaviour didn't go unnoticed by the darkly dressed teen.
"Stand back!" one of the men cried taking aim at the wolf.
BANG!!
"ARGH!!!" Mai cried as the bullet entered her shoulder exiting on the other side.
"What are you doing?!" Ayako screamed at the man. The whole of SPR stood shocked at the man's actions, even Naru's face twisted into shock before he charged over to the cub, there was something about this wolf that reminded him of someone, someone who had just been claimed as the next to go missing. Lin took off his jacket allowing Naru to wrap the fabric around the wolf who just whined in pain and fear.
"What am I doing? What are you doing? That's the thing that caused all this!" the man shouted in retaliation.
"We don't know that! And besides it's just an animal it can't pick up knives and throw them at people or cause the room temperature to drop!" Ayako yelled back whist the others checked on the wolf.
"The message said beware the wolf! That wolf needs to be killed!" one of the maids yelled coming to the man's defence. Naru carried Mai back to the base room with Masako, Lin and John trailing behind him, he could feel her form trembling in his arms but he was unsure of whether it was from pain, or from fear at what the maid had declared. It was like this wolf could understand human language.
A low growl caught all their attention, it was a dangerous growl and it wasn't coming from the wolf in Naru's arms. They stopped in the middle of the hallway turned round to find the source of the noise as from around the corner came the black wolf, and just like when he attacked Mai earlier, he carried around an evil aura. It charged at them causing them all to run through the halls.
"Ahhhh!!" cried Masako as the beast sliced at her, catching her arm.
"Masako!" John yelled looking over his shoulder at the girl only to see the wolf pounce for her, knocking her to the ground. The young priest charged at the wolf in hopes of getting it off of Masako who was getting shredded by the wolf. The others stopped and Lin charged into help while Naru held back preparing to use his PK if need be, in his arms Mai watched horrified. The wolf was after her wasn't it? She growled and struggled in Naru's grasp but the boy seemed determined to keep his hold on her. Lin and John had a hard time fighting the wolf, the hallways were bare offering them no weapon of any kind, but what shocked Lin the most was that his shikigami could hurt the beast but not kill it, that meant one thing. This wolf was not a normal wolf, it was a wolf manifested from spirits which meant that it could be exorcised.
"John start your pray," he instructed while he started his own chant.
"AROOOO!!!!!" the wolf howled in anger as the pair began their rituals, it back away from the boys to seek an easier target before it disappeared, and that target came in the form of Masako who was fighting to stay conscious.
Mai guessing what the wolf had planned chomped down hard on Naru causing him to drop her. She charged at the wolf, her only concern was Masako, her eyes widened as the wolf pounced causing her to run faster despite her injury. She jumped in front of the now fading wolf, her eyes closed as they came into contact.
SLICE!!!
Mai slumped to the floor as the wolf's sharp teeth split into her side leaving an open wound. The wolf howled in pain before running away, escaping from the group by running through the wall.
"What happened?" Bou-san asked as he, Yasuhara and Ayako rounded the corner to see the two girls struggling to stay awake. Ayako rushed over to Masako and began assessing her wounds, she ordered Lin to gently bring her into the base room while Naru went to the small wolf, for a second he thought that the wolf had passed on, what with her form lying unmoving and still, but the slow movements of her chest proved him wrong and the young man carried the wolf back to the base room.
Masako however was dreaming. In her dream she was standing alone in the hallways, no evidence of the fight to be seen. Cautiously she began looking around the building noticing all the small differences therein, like all the beautiful paintings that once decorated the hall where no longer brightening up the room. She continued to walk until she came into contact with a young man. Literally coming into contact with him as he walked through her from behind scaring the young medium. Thankful that no one was around to see that she decided that it would be best if she followed the young man, he seemed to know where he was going.
Masako followed as the man entered what seemed to be a library she watched as he pulled out a book but what the book was she didn't know, it seemed to be written in a different language. However she jumped in surprise as part of the wall rolled forward showing a small secrete room, it was she smelt it.
Blood.
The tangy smell of copper filled Masako's nose but she didn't let it deter her from following the man down the secrete passageway, but when they reached the end she gasps. Bodies upon bodies littered the floor, some looked like they had been decomposing for months, years centuries even, others looked like they had been killed only days ago.
The man didn't seem shocked by the bodies; in fact he seemed pleased by their presence. He made his way over to the alter that stood against the wall; above it sat a carving of a massive wolf in stone, one that Masako recognised well. It was the wolf that attacked her. It was then she realized that the man in front of her seemed to be adorned in wolf skin; blood marred the patches of skin she could see. The man started to talk as he gazed lovingly at the carving.
"I have made the sacrifices for the eternal life, I have done for years but I have not found the white one, who is the one that I seek? Where will I find them? I beg of you to tell me I have done everything right, why can't I find her?" he said kneeling in front of the wolf carving. Masako's eyes widened as the stone wolf turned its head to look at the man.
"The white wolf is the key to ultimate power, you must consume her spirit," it said. The man growled.
"I have looked but I can't find her!" he yelled feeling his anger rise.
"She will not yet be born, the white wolf is born every millennia, you have had your chance," the carving said.
"I cannot leave the house nor can I live forever, the people are becoming suspicious, but the time of the wolf shall come. I see that I have no choice but to perform the ritual. I had hoped that it would never come to this, but I will never see the white one if I don't," the man said rising from his spot on the floor.
He pulled a book off of the alter and began to chant a passage from it, the language he was using was unknown to Masako, all she could do was watch. Halfway through the chant something fell from the wolf carving, the man smiled and picked it up. It was a giant tooth, and sharp looking at that. The man returned to his chant and Masako watched in horror as the man raised the tooth, finishing the spell by thrusting the weapon through his abdomen. He fell to the floor, his life slowly dripping away, the carving began to move and broke away from the wall, a huge living wolf statue, at least it was until is pounced on the man, smashing to pieces as he made contact. The man cried out in pain as the brightness in his eyes faded.
He had died but death isn't always the end. His spirit rose from the no longer functioning shell that once used to be human if you could call this monster that. However Masako gasped as his ghostly form changed, transforming into the wolf.
Masako closed her eyes hoping that she could will herself to wake up. When she opened her eyes she sighed in relief. She was no longer down in the secrete room, no longer surrounded by the stench of death. Instead she was standing in the hallway she and the others had been attacked in.
She frowned surely they wouldn't have just left her there would they? She thought to herself feeling a little betrayed thinking they were her friends. She scowled and marched back to the base room, determined to give them a piece of her mind only to gasp when she entered the room to see herself lying on the couch heavily wrapped in bandages, she was still dreaming. She looked over to all her friends, Lin and Naru were busy away working on their research, Yasuhara was talking to Bou-san, John was standing over her worried with an emotion the Masako couldn't quite place while Ayako was tending to the young wolf that had saved Masako's life.
"The white wolf!" she gasped in realization. she was the one the man was after.
"Woof!" Masako heard from beside her, she turned and her eyes widened as she spotted the white wolf in astral form staring sadly back at the group. The wolf barked at her and exited the room only to stick her head in and bark at her again, obviously the wolf wanted to show her something. Masako went to follow the wolf but before she could move their surroundings changed, and once again Masako was left standing in the hall, only this time the white wolf sat beside her.
"Mai tea!" could be heard coming from the base room.
"Yea yea, would it kill you to say please," the voice of Mai muttered back as she exited the base room.
"Mai," Masako whispered to herself, she only hoped that this dream wasn't going to show her how her friend had died. Mai walked pass her and turned the corridor to get to the kitchen, however as she continued to walk down the hall she stopped as she heard a strange rapping noise, knowing that something was about to happen. She let out a small shriek as she felt something drip onto her head, looking up she paled as she found a fresh warning that was still dripping blood.
THE WHITE WOLF IS THE ONE HE SEEKS TO CLAIM
YOUNG GIRL HIDE FOR HE IS COMMING FOR YOU
A HEART OF LIGHT WILL PROTECT US ALL
A HEART OF LIGHT WILL NEED TO FALL
BEWARE THE WOLF
Mai opened her mouth in a silent scream. That was a new message! She watched as the words blended together leaving only one sentence.
BEWARE THE WOLF
Unknown to her Masako watched on in shock and fear, she had read the message but that didn't seem important right now, what did seem important however was the black wolf that just turned the corner.
"Mai run!!!" Masako yelled despite the fact that she knew it was a useless attempt. The white wolf beside her nudged her as if to say she was sorry for making her watch this. Masako sunk down to her knees and gripped the wolf tightly.
"Please, please don't let her be dead! Please don't make me watch! I don't want to see my best friend die!" Masako yelled at the wolf with tears in her eyes. The wolf herself seemed to get teary at Masako's exclamation and licked the girl's cheek trying to sooth the girl, but the result didn't last for long as the pair watched as the black wolf pounced at Mai. They watched as Mai began running and witnessed as Mai tripped over her own two feet, accidently activating the secrete lever. Masako watched in horror as the wolf went to make the final blow tears falling down her eyes, but Mai was a lucky girl and a section of the wall moved catching the wolf's attention long enough for the girl to get away.
Masako watched as Mai turned to run only for the wolf to appear in front of her, causing her to turn, running back the way she came. She could see that the wall was moving back into its place, once again hiding the new room. Without thinking Mai ran into the room, Masako swiftly following behind her before the section fully closed. They could hear the wolf howl from the other side, as Mai slide down the wall in relief. But that was when they both realized she had another problem.
"Ah how do I get out?" she said to herself voicing Masako's own thoughts before jumping up from her spot. In a panic she began banging on the wall. "HELP!!! HELP!!! LET ME OUT!!!" she cried, she waited for a response but could hear nothing on the outside.
She turned as she once again sunk down against the wall, holding her knees to her chest as her situation hit her. Masako could do nothing but watch the distraught teen.
"Come on Mai sitting around doing nothing won't help, especially with a wolf on the loose," she said to herself before her face took on a picture of pure terror, "Wolf! Oh no I have to warn the others!" she cried standing up, it was so Mai, Masako thought, to be worried about the others when she was trapped in a dark room alone. It was then that Masako realized that there were no windows in this room but yet a light shone illuminating the room. Looking up she saw that there were no light bulbs either, in fact the room looked as if no one had entered it for years. There was dust and cobwebs everywhere, but that still didn't explain where this mysterious light was coming from. That was until she saw the wolf shaped statue in the centre of the room. And like Mai she came to the conclusion that the statue itself was the light source, however unlike Mai she wasn't foolish enough to mess with something that was obviously a spell of some sort, there was no other explanation for it, statues and alters do not emit light, they were made out of stone.
Masako watched as Mai gingerly touched the stone and gasped in shock as the light enshrouded the girl and started to twist her form much like the way that man transformed. She watched as Mai was slowly transformed into the white wolf before blacking out as the dream ended.
Well what do you think? Drop a review and let me know k ;D