I'm back it's final's week here so I have some free time so here's new chapt, and normal disclaimer follows:
I do NOT claim ownership or influence of any kind of Wolf's Rain or their characters, Bones and Bandai does.
Chapter 9
The morning comes earlier than I expected. I feel something warm and heavy pressed against me and I see red-brown fur in my face.
Toboe? I wonder, lifting my head up, and try to roll over. no luck, something else is curled up at my back. I twist my head around and get a glimpse of dark gray fur. Tsume. I conclude lying back down and shove the pup away, waking him up.
"You're awake," Toboe remarks excitedly, getting up and shaking the last remnants of sleep off him.
"Yeah," I confirm growling at him. "now can I get up?" I get up slowly stretching out my cramped muscles.
"Here's your vest," Toboe says holding up the brown, fur-lined vest.
Hige's already awake and standing at his situated post near the lakeshore. Kiba is lying beside Cheza, who's stroking his fur. I can't help but smile then look out across the water. Tsume yawns and uncurls from his night's rest.
"Is everyone awake?" he asks, extending his hind legs, like a runner preparing for a race.
"We are," I nod, raking my fingers through my loose hair, trying to straighten it out.
"The town's not too far from here," Hige reports. "we should be able get there before noon."
"Then let's go," Kiba nods in approval, changing back into his human form, the rest of the pack follows his example and we all take off towards the town. The fast pace invigorates me and I put on an extra burst of speed and find myself ahead of Toboe and nearly even with Hige, I wonder idly how long I can keep this pace, and decide to test it.
A few minutes later, Hige looks back to check on the pup, and I see his eyes widen when he sees me almost beside him.
"How did you get up here?" he demands.
"I ran," I answer tersely, not wanting to waste the air my lungs badly needed.
The street kid shakes his head and continues, my legs are now aching for me to lessen my speed and I take my place behind Toboe again.
The rest of the trip is quiet, but I feel the excitement radiating off the wolves, and even more so from Cheza, I feel like I'm in the middle of a cloud that's ready to burst into a storm.
The town is small, and in ruins, but very much alive with the people. when we enter, it feels very laid back, and we almost blend in with the citizens, the only thing that grinds my nerves is the wolf calls the men give Cheza when she walks by, then continue talking to their friends.
"What an obnoxious town," Hige complains, looking around at the empty, boarded up stores.
"I don't really hate it at all," Tsume replies, smirking as he glances around at the familiar atmosphere.
"You're right," Kiba agrees.
"I smell danger," Tsume grins, his eyes flickering excitedly. "my blood's boiling."
"Me too," Toboe says, flexing his muscle, just as Hige pulls him into a crushing body lock.
"Pups," I laugh, "You are crazy,"
"How can you say that when all you do is cry all the time?" Hige asks. "That's not the only reason you're getting all excited, right, since tonight is"
"Yeah, a full moon," Kiba finishes, looking relaxed.
Toboe finally pulls out of Hige's grip and tumbles into a nearby wall. "It's natural for us to be fired up since we gain strength from the full moon," Toboe says, sitting up quickly. "but doesn't Cheza seem to be sparkling with energy as well?"
We all look at the Flower Maiden, who's not that far ahead of us.
"Yeah," Kiba says admiringly. "The annual night of the full moon, I've heard a legend say, 'The flower is called by the moon,'"
"'And returns to Paradise,'" I finish softly, "How do you know that legend?"
"I heard it before a long time ago," Kiba says, giving me an odd look.
"Does that mean that here we'll?" Tsume asks, looking after Cheza curiously.
"I'm not really sure if it'll be tonight or not," Kiba replies uncertainly.
"What, what's going to happen?" Toboe asks, coming up beside us.
"Cheza's not going to bloom or anything like that, right?" Hige inquires with a laugh.
"Who knows," I put in, "But I know we'll have a good time, I know that much."
Cheza turns around towards us, her pink coat spiraling around her as well. "This one is getting excited too!" she calls out to us, and we rush up next to her,
After a while we split up to find supplies and food for our next step in our journey. Hige ends up volunteering to get the food, Kiba and Cheza stay at the square, where it's fairly empty, Tsume wants to find out what's been going on, and me and Toboe end up finding little supplies that might come in handy during the next several days. We settled for an old general store, that had pretty much the essentials of that was needed.
I walk over to a small section with cheap toys and such, and rummage through the shelves looking for one simple but very valuable item, kite string. I find a small roll measuring about a few hundred yards. I unroll a section and inspect the strength and durability of the string itself. It was better than average, but it frayed easily, but on the whole it was good. I slip the entire roll into my pocket and continue looking around then I find it a perfect distraction if needed, an entire package of fire crackers, not very dangerous, but enough to surprise an opponent when they went off, I'd definitely need a lighter now, slipping the package quietly into my vest.
"You got any cigarettes?" I ask the clerk lazily, looking around behind the desk.
"What kind you want?" he asks, looking up from his newspaper.
"Cheap," I retort, pulling out several coins and snatching up a lighter laying it down as on the counter.
The clerk nods and selects a generic brand of cigarettes and ringing up the bill,
I shake my head at the price but pay anyway. "How small towns like these have such high prices I'll never know," I mutter, then look around for the runt.
Toboe looking at a small display filled with flower seeds.
"Do you think there are other flowers in Paradise besides Lunar flowers?" He asks.
"I would say so, it'd be pretty bland if it didn't have more color," I smile, this pup was as insatiable about reaching Paradise as Kiba.
"Do you think Cheza would mind if there were more?" he inquires looking at me with his big wide puppy eyes.
"Let's see what we have?" I say crouching down beside him, looking at the bulbs, and seed packets, "lilies have always been one of my favorites," examining one of the bulbs.
"Vines tend to have more blossoms," Toboe remarks, looking at a package of morning glories.
"Well, get them and let's go," I tell him sliding the lily bulb into my pocket.
The pup nods and puts the packet into his shirt pocket and we walk out. When we're down the street a little ways, I decide to put up some kind of conversation.
"Toboe, can I ask you a question?"
"Yeah," the pup says, looking over at me curiously. "what?"
"Look, I'm asking you mainly because I don't know how the others would react to the question, but the curiosity is killing me, so I apologize ahead of time if I'm over stepping my boundaries." I rattle off nervously. Man, I thought that having a conversation with Tsume was tough, asking the pup was nearly sending me into a panic.
"What is it, Kali?" Toboe inquires, looking worried now.
"When you shift skins, what does it feel like?" I shrug and scuff my shoe against the concrete.
Toboe thinks on the question for a moment, then explains the process to me.
"To me it just feels like walking into a cloud, like it's a really foggy day, you know?"
"Yeah, where the air feels all clammy against your skin to where you don't feel comfortable?"
The pup nods, "that's what it feels like at first, then you feel like it's a thin sheet draped over you that anyone can see through and pull off."
"So it just…" I struggle to find the right word, "Thickens?"
"Yeah!" Toboe exclaims, "That's exactly what it feels like."
I grin in response, "Thanks for the clarification, runt," I tell him tousling his hair. "That question's been on my mind for a while."
"We'd better meet back with the others," he says looking around at the loitering crowds.
"Good point," I nod in agreement. "Let's get." and we ran to the square where the others were waiting.
"We're back," I announce when we get to the fountain. Hige looks at us curiously when he sees us.
"What took you so long?"
"These people can not organize," I tell him laughing, "Half their stuff is scattered out where ever, the rest is in storage."
"We got some stuff we could use," Toboe says pulling out a few batches of jerky And dried fruit. "this way we don't have to hunt for a while."
I nod approvingly, at least now I could get something in my stomach besides blood. I withdraw my stash of kite string and fire crackers, which they looked disappointed at my results.
"What are we supposed to do with these?" Hige asks, picking up the kite string. "They're practically useless."
"Kite string was always an essential in any situation," I retort defiantly, straightening up "you could use it to make a map when in new territory, so you don't get lost, to trip up the target if that was your heist, I've used it to get down and across buildings several times, and I can use it to tie your muzzle shut if you complain." Hige blinks unsure if I was joking or not.
"What about these?" Tsume inquires, inspecting the bag of fire crackers. "it's not like we're going to be throwing a party anytime soon."
"I used these as emergency necessities," I explain. "smoke bombs are used to create an escape route, blinding your enemy and running out, fire crackers at close range can surprise your opponent enough to get the upper hand, cherry bombs, same thing, only louder and caused more damage, any more questions?" I demand, crossing my arms, feeling somewhat devalued.
"You obviously know how to turn the odds to your favor," Tsume nods, putting the explosives back into the bag.
"No kidding," I tell him, bristling in frustration and straighten my vest out again.
Hige laughs for at my antics. "You're starting to act more like a wolf than us, Kali," he says.
"I've been around you guys too long," I reply, shrugging my shoulders. "you're rubbing off on me."
"Well, whatever it is, let's eat," Hige remarks pulling out some of the provisions he picked up around the town a, mainly what came out of a butcher's shop. I smirk and pull out a length of the kite string, cutting it and knotting the ends to keep it from fraying then weigh both ends with smooth round stones.
"What's that?" Toboe asks, looking at my handy work over my shoulder.
"Just something that comes in handy," I tell him flatly, hoping to brim his curiosity.
"What does it do?" the pup inquires, cocking his head in interest.
I simply grin and grab both the ends in one hand and hurl one end towards Hige, I jerk the string down and it loops around the chicken leg in his hand. The string tightens its hold and I yank the string back to me, the chicken follows with it. I catch the drumstick and rush to the opposite end of the fountain.
"That's what this does," I answer Toboe, holding up the meat. All the wolves are staring at me. Hige's looks both shocked and enraged that I stole his meal. Tsume smirks in approval, Toboe, well, the pup was just holding his ribs, laughing. Kiba just shook his head, but he couldn't deny the fact he was smiling as well. Cheza's eyes were also shining with humor.
"Give that back," Hige yells, running around to my side of the fountain. "it's mine!"
I trample through the water to where Kiba was. "Save me!" I laugh, dodging around Tsume to keep Hige away from me.
"Not a chance," the leather clad thief replied smirking.
"Come on Kali," the brown wolf remarks, trying to reach me. "This ain't funny, I want my food."
"Give me a break," I snort, "How many times have I actually eaten this entire trip, three, four?" I ask. "and you pull out some actual cooked meat, and expect me not to go after it? I deserve this chicken, thank you."
"Then steal your own," the casual street kid protests.
"I did," I return easily. "I stole it from you, remember?"
"She has a point," Toboe laughs, Tsume shakes his head, but he's still entertained at watching us.
Hige lunges for the chicken leg again, I retaliate by chomping into the meat. It was a little dry but it was delicious nonetheless.
"Well, that settles the question of whose meat it is now," Tsume comments snidely and leans against the fountain's ledge. Hige gives the gray wolf a sharp glare, then turns it to me.
"That's enough," Kiba says, trying to neutralize the conflict. I simply shrug and take another bite.
"I was looking forward to having that," Hige grumbled, sulking down.
"You have more meat," I argue between bites, pointing to his sack. "dig in." I finish the chicken until I'm gnawing the bone.
"You were hungry, weren't you?" Toboe asks looking at me curiously.
"You think? I haven't eaten since we were in that last town." I retort, looking mournfully at the empty splintered bone, I toss it towards a trash bin, naturally it misses and lays beside it.
"What kind of jobs did you do back in Freeze City?" Tsume inquires from his section of the ledge.
"I was a messenger to almost all the gangs, did some small work, pick pocketing information, small heists, nothing very grandiose." I say staring up at the sky. "and I also kept most of the gangs from tearing out each other's throats, including yours."
"What?" Tsume asked, glancing to me disbelievingly.
"How do you think you were rarely challenged by the other gangs, the tooth fairy? How do you think you got the train schedules and such to pull those raids?" I roll my eyes. "Jeez, for someone who's been around humans you have no idea how the underground works," I mutter shaking my head disappointedly.
"Kinda like you?" Hige replies, pouncing on top of me, putting me on the ground before giving me a few punches to my shoulder. Tsume tackles the brown wolf, both of them landing on me.
"Get off of me," I wheeze, trying to shove the dog pile off me "Oi, for a bunch of mutts you weigh a ton."
"That was for taking my meal." Hige informs from under Tsume.
"Okay, now I know it was worth it," I laugh, dragging myself out from beneath them. "if you beat me up for the chicken, I know it's worth robbing you."
"You're all acting like pups," Kiba remarks, looking at us.
"I blame him," I grin, pointing at Toboe.
The pup scowls at the accusation. "I'm not a kid," he protests in an irritated tone.
"That's nice," I mutter, standing up finally. "So what do we do until tonight?" I ask, looking around at the nearly vacant town.
"We can always wander around," Toboe suggests, dusting off his yellow hoodie.
"Or find some trouble," Tsume adds.
I roll my eyes walking over to him. "Tsume, there's no need to find trouble, you are trouble." I punch his arm playfully.
"Maybe we can find some place to get a nap?" Hige puts in, finishing his set of ribs.
Kiba nods in agreement, "We can't stand here all day, we need a place to stay until nightfall."
"True," I nod, "we stand out enough as it is, we don't need to draw attention as well."
"Well, let's go," Hige pipes up immediately, glad that we've agreed with him.
Tsume wordlessly starts towards one of the old, boarded up buildings. "Not hard to do," the gray wolf comments, looking in through one of the windows. "considering this city is practically dead."
Hige glances at the old storefront. "Now the question is how do we get in?"
"Let's ask our fox-thief," Tsume smirks towards me.
At least he didn't call me human, I slump down in response to the gray wolf's statement. "Why do I always have to be the brains at getting you guys in and out trouble?" I ask looking for an open window or some kind of entrance.
"Roof it is," I mutter, and run up the walls. No entrance on the roof. "Well, this is convenient," I gripe, then look around for another route, the second story windows were left bare, some even broken.
"Well?" Hige yells impatiently.
"Hold on," I shout back, and climb down to the nearest window. It was locked, as usual.
"Wits can't get you in, brute force will." I repeat the old thief's proverb just before I thrust my fist through the glass shattering it like brittle ice. I shake my head, this place must be several decades old at this rate. I reach in and undo the latches, sliding the window wide open and climbing in.
The first thing I notice is that the room is empty, and dust is clinging to the corners of the walls. The floorboards are slightly warped by years of idle waiting
"What are you doing?" Hige demands, shaking me out of my observations.
"Hurry up," Tsume shouts impatiently.
"I'm coming," I snarl, and open the door and race down the stairs, that squeak at every step. The others are waiting at the door when I yank it open. The boards are still barring their way in.
"All this time yelling at me to hurry up and you guys can't even pull down a few boards?" I laugh, "Next time I'll just let you find your own way in." Tsume snorts in response, Kiba just walk right beneath the boards and into the house. "Show off," I mumble, the rest follow in suit, Cheza ducks beneath the barricade and all of us look around the old storefront.
"It's a little dusty," Toboe comments brushing his hand over the countertops.
"That's apparent, runt," Hige replies leaning against a shelf . "let's find a place to lie down, at least."
"There's some spare rooms upstairs," I tell the pup, "I'm pretty sure they're all empty."
The pup doesn't answer, and I settle into a secluded corner of the old shop, and begin to lie down when Tsume decides to come over and hover over me.
"Get up," the gang leader demands, towering over me.
"Hey," Toboe calls from up the stairs. "guys, I found something!"
Hige bounded up the stairs excitedly, Tsume and Kiba were almost treading on each other's heels trying to get up the narrow staircase, Cheza follows curiously, I trailed behind her, somewhat interested with what the runt had come across now. The pup had found the farthest room in the storefront, and inside were boxes and crates holding everything from books and pens to tapestries and small maps. The others were looking a other areas of the storage room. Hige was inspecting the food that had been left behind, probably seeing if anything could be salvage from it. Tsume was looking at the old maps that were folded up neatly and dusting off the ones that had been framed. Kiba was just looking through everything with a precise eye trying to quell his curiosity. The pup was just all over, the place, pulling out anything that caught his eye. I pulled out a tattered worn book out of one of the crates and flipped it open to the middle, the spine cracked from years of sitting closed. The words were faded in some places and the pages were yellowing with age, but the power of the words was unaffected by the passed time.
'What use is a secret, if none will hear it?' the first sentence reads as my eyes glanced over it. 'if passed to the wrong ears, does it then become a lie, or does it still retain its truth, distorted and breathed as it wanders through the mists of mouths?'
I shake my head, looking closer at the words, as if trying to unravel the pen's lines. I skip to the next page and begin again.
'Change is of the moon's way, turning from the innocent silver frosted circle to the empty blackness and the beastly blood dipped orb in the night with little warning.' The words strike me as familiar and hold my eyes spellbound to their pages. 'But the skins of the cursed beasts change as well, holding the image of a human, but the shadows are their own, if one is wise enough to notice.
'The forgotten are truly shamed by both their bestial kin and humans, I will credit them on turning from their carnal blood-lust to attempting to be humane, if not human as well. I have recently discovered a small family of forgotten wolves, although I must watch them closely, to see if they are willing to become a threat.'
"What did you find?" Hige asks, glancing over my shoulder.
I shut the book, looking for a title on the spine or cover. "I think it's an old journal, or someone had a really warped sense of fiction." I smirk at the last part.
"Ai, That's humans for you, wanting to everything about what isn't their business." the brown wolf jokes, nudging my shoulder.
"Curiosity is a human virtue," I laugh, shoving him back good naturedly and turn back to my reading. After I turn the page again, my eyes widen at the sketched image on the page. I drop the book like it had been filled with fire ants and back away.
The rest of the pack stares at me, drawn from their investigation of the storage area.
"What's wrong?" Toboe asks coming towards me.
I stare at him. "Huh? Oh, I just lost my grip." I tell him, picking the journal casually.
"Kali, what's wrong?" Hige asks slowly, giving me a firm look.
"Nothing's wrong," I reply through grit teeth.
"Nice try," the brown wolf smirks, looking at me from over the book. "but c'mon tell the truth."
"Kali," Kiba joins in, putting down one of the many old maps his ice blue eyes shimmered with both concern and suspicion, "what happened?"
"Jeez, I drop one book and you're acting like I'm an android!" I snap, shutting the book shut, and putting it back into the case.
"Rather you are not acting like yourself," Tsume remarks idly.
"None of you know a thing about me," I retort turning towards him sharply. "and neither do I." I storm out of the room, not wanting to hear their replies. I reach the stairs and the cold realization that the book is in the room. I scramble back and snatch it out of Toboe's hands just as he lifts it out of the crate. I cradle the journal close to my core, feeling somewhat ashamed as well as scared.
I go into one of the other spare rooms, locking the door behind me. I slide down to the floor, completely drained of energy. The brown leather bound pages are as worn and cracked with age as the paper within. When I open the book again, I pray that I had not seen anything but a puddle of smeared ink on the page. The sketch is still there, intricately detailed as if to permanently brand itself into my memories, the image that tormented my dreams, the same picture that I wanted to be true was there before my eyes. For the first time during the journey to Paradise, I cried.
My tears staining the border of the pages, but the image remained untouched to what the ink showed.
A wolf staring at a human hand.