Really sorry about the long update, I've had finals this week T^T. I've been writing in parts, and I'm writing another story for Okami right now so that's occupying my time. Thanks for waiting, and enjoy the new chapter.
"I hear something" Toboe whispered, his breaths coming in huffs from the running. Being so close to the reactors drained their energy, but it didn't have a huge effect on them. Except for Shiroi.
"I smell something as well. It's a weird scent..." Aatu added in. He sniffed the air again, his white flecked ears perking up. "A human, yet not human. The smell of flowers..."
They heard something hit the ground behind them, and they turned around to see Shiroi on his side, breaths coming in shallow gasps.
"Shiroi!" Toboe cried as he ran towards his fallen comrade.
"Are you okay?" Aatu asked, running towards him as well. Shiroi closed his eyes halfway. "Go... on without me..." he whispered to them.
They shook their heads. "We can't just leave you here!"
"You...have to find...her" Shiroi gasped.
"Her? Who's her?" Aatu whispered.
Suddenly, they heard footsteps from above them. Standing on a half broken bridge way, a man stood in the moonlight, holding a girl in his arms. His black robe flowed from chest to toe, and his yellow eye flashed towards them.
"Wolves..." he smirked. "I must thank you for waking up the Flower Maiden."
"Darcia..." Shiroi whispered weakly, attempting to stand up to face his once hated enemy.
Darcia's eyes regarded Shiroi's fallen body for a moment, before returning his attention to all three of them. Aatu and Toboe both snarled at him. Smiling, he raised his hand towards them, and what was in his hands seemed to be a remote control. In the center of the control was a red button, and his thumb pressed on it.
A huge explosion from above them was heard. Suddenly, Shiroi's body felt lighter and his energy slowly began to replenish. He looked at Darcia questioningly.
"A farewell present, as well as a thank you present for waking up the Maiden" Darcia grinned. Shiroi jumped to his feet and snarled, about to leap at Darcia. Darcia gripped the girl by the neck, and held her up high in the air. She emitted a high pitched scream, and all three wolves winced and fell to the floor in agony. Only after did the sound stop, they rose to their paws, but Darcia and the girl was nowhere to be seen.
Kurai jumped onto one of the hunters, sinking his fangs into the man's shoulder. The man fell onto his knees with a cry, and all the other hunters readied their weapons aiming at Kurai. Kurai snarled viciously before leaping off the man's shoulder, onto the cage where the she-wolf was being held. He threw his head back in a howl. The hunters had Kurai in their crosshair, but Rain and Hail both leaped in and stood by Kurai. They all snarled at the hunters, who pulled back in confusion. They weren't expecting three wolves coming out of nowhere, they already wasted most of their resources on capturing the she-wolf who laid in the cage. Kurai took a step forward as Hail and Rain raised their ears in surprise.
"Kurai" Rain whispered. "What are you doing?"
Kurai turned and smiled back at her. Facing the hunters, Kurai's eyes started glowing and the markings on his body began to light up. He growled at the hunters, and the hunters fell onto their knees as if an invisible force was pushing them down.
"What the hell is going on?" cried one of the hunters.
"Monster!" another hunter shouted.
Kurai's eyes and markings stopped glowing, and he glared at the hunters. Shaking heavily, the hunters scrambled off screaming "Monster! Demon!" into the distance.
"W-what did you do?" Rain asked Kurai, her voice shaking.
"What are you?" Hail added in.
Kurai sighed and looked at them. "I'll explain everything later, we need to help this one first."
The three wolves surrounded the cage, sniffing at the injured she-wolf inside. Kurai noticed multiple bullet wounds, one in her hind legs and another in her shoulder.
"Help me bend these bars" Kurai instructed as he busied himself bending the iron bars with his mouth. Rain and Hail assisted him, and after a few minutes they had a hole large enough to slide the she-wolf through.
"Poor thing" Rain whimpered, looking at the chains and strapped muzzle that the hunters used on her. She also noticed the red lines underneath the she-wolf's eyes.
"Let's get this off" Kurai commanded as he pawed at the leather strap off the she-wolf's muzzle. Suddenly, brown her eyes flickered open and a growl rumbled in her throat.
"Calm down, we're here to help" Hail said as he attempted take off the chains attached to her legs. The she-wolf seemed to accept this, as her eyes started closing out of fatigue.
"There!" Kurai said as he yanked the leather strap off the she-wolf's muzzle and threw it away. "We have to get away from here, those hunters may come back."
Rain nodded as Hail bit through the last piece of chain binding the she-wolf's paws. Kurai slipped under the she-wolf's belly and stood up, wincing from his injuries.
"I think it's better that you let me carry her" Hail said, walking next to Kurai.
Kurai shook his head. "I can manage, we have to leave. I can smell them, and they've brought friends."
The wolves trudged off into the forest, attempting to find shelter.
Shiroi, I hope that you're having a better time than I am Kurai thought to himself.
"Where did that bastard go?" Shiroi snarled, shaking his head in confusion. The sound of yells and shouts echoed through the air, half the castle was blown away from Darcia's airship. Many guards and scientists laid unconscious inside the castle.
"Let's worry about that after we get out of here!" Aatu shouted at Shiroi.
"No! We have to find him!" Shiroi persisted.
Toboe's ears perked up. "I hear a bunch of people coming, what are we going to do? Aatu? Shiroi?" his eyes looked at them, pleading for a decision to be made.
Aatu growled at Shiroi, and leaped at him. Grabbing Shiroi's scruff, he hauled the white wolf after him. Shiroi thrashed and struggle, but Aatu's determination was stronger. Shiroi still felt weak, and the fact that Aatu could grab him just like that proved how much of a struggle he was able to give.
"Let's get out of here" Aatu said to Toboe through a mouthful of Shiroi's fur.
"Let go of me!" Shiroi demanded and tried biting Aatu.
Aatu glared at Shiroi, and stopped their escape briefly. He dropped Shiroi to the ground and placed a paw on his body, holding him down while staring at him in the eyes.
"If we stay here, we're going to die. Are you really going to risk it to find someone who's probably already gone?" snarled Aatu. Shiroi kept Aatu's glare for a moment, before looking away in shame.
"If you're going to lead us," Aatu continued. "Then act like a leader and stop making decisions that could hurt your pack."
Pack? Shiroi thought. He never considered them to be a pack, but looking at it now, it kind of does look like they're a pack. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, before standing up and shaking his body. He opened his eyes with new resolve.
"That's better" Aatu grinned at Shiroi. "Now, what are we going to do?"
Shiroi looked at Aatu and then Toboe. Looking over the high walls of the castle, he decided.
"We're going to climb to the top to make our escape, then we'll find the others" he stated without a hint of hesitation. They heard footsteps, and they sprung their plan into action. Gun fires were heard, and shots were fired at them, but they kept running. Looking back, they saw the destruction that Darcia has caused, as there were buildings inside the castle on fire and bodies lying on the floor. The moonlight reflected Shiroi's body, making it seem like he was glowing. When they reached the top, Shiroi stopped.
"Once we leave this city, there's no coming back" Shiroi told them. Aatu nodded at him in understanding, while Toboe gave a small whimper.
"It's so high up!" Toboe cried. "I can't do it!"
"Yes you can" Aatu encouraged him. "Just don't look down and jump."
"I can't!" Toboe whimpered. A bullet whizzed past their face, and without hesitating, Aatu pushed Toboe down. He fell screaming before landing on his legs, shaking heavily all over.
"Aatu" Shiroi said. Aatu turned and faced Shiroi.
"Thanks" Shiroi grinned his wolfish grin at him.
"Anytime" Aatu replied with a grin of his own. Shiroi prepared to jump, but he felt something heavy slam into him and knocked hm off the edge of the wall. In confusion, he looked back and saw Aatu's figure, and he saw something pierce through his body. Aatu stumbled, his legs no longer supporting his weight as he slipped and fell. Droplets of blood fel onto the snow below them. Shiroi landed on the snow first without injuries. He looked up to see Aatu's falling figure slam onto the snow near him. Shiroi's eyes widened in panic as he ran towards the fallen wolf.
"Aatu!"
A/N: Oh noes, poor Aatu D: