Ch 8: Cat

"No! God damn it!" Kiba sprinted toward the aircraft, its power thrusting up heats, dust, and what little snow was left on the landing pad. The three others raced after him, their paws thrusting against the ground. Aysu was right behind Kiba, followed by Tsume, and a lagging Gin. "No!" He howled in frustration and rage and sadness. He pressed on harder.

Suddenly Aysu was by his side, her quick paws carrying her very swiftly. "We should turn back. The plant isn't worth getting killed over." She spoke out of fear, a fear that welled up in her belly and told her that her luck was surely out and there would be much strife ahead.

"Never!" He snarled at her, eyes glinting.

"F-fine…" She suddenly launched forward, racing toward the floating craft that was slowly rising. The wind changed then, stirred around by the craft, and the fox's scent, Kadra's scent, was blown toward her. "She'll pay." And another burst of speed was added. As she neared, her muscles tensed and bunched and thrust her high into the air, where she caught on to part of the ship. She scrabbled for a better hold, and when she found one, she looked back to see Kiba lower down on the ship's body. Tsume had not tried to leap and he stood next to a dark brown Gin, both looking up sadly.

"Stay there, Gin! I'll be back!" Aysu shouted down and watched the white wolf launch easily from platform to platform before landing near her. She followed behind quickly and easily, knowing that of the four, she was the quickest though certainly not the strongest nor the best fighter, something she knew she would probably have to do.

Fight. Bite. Scratch. Slice. Mangle. Kill.

Kiba rammed into the door repetitively, the hinges slowly buckling and the metal giving in. It was down and crashed loudly into the hall leading along the frame. Kiba and Aysu were in right after and both bolted down the hall, one after a girl, the other after a woman.

"Where's the fox? I can't smell her anymore."

"She doesn't matter now. The flower does."

"You are crazy. If you were the wolf the birds and things speak of, then you'd look for a flower maiden."

He stopped suddenly, gazing out into space. "Maiden? …Ch-Cheza…"

"Who?" Aysu stopped to look back. She knew she could not do this alone. Kiba looked up and shivered, pushing the alien thoughts back into his head. He pushed past the black and silver wolf, racing on into the corridor's growing darkness. He rounded a corner then and was hit squarly by a giant feline paw.

"So…you t'ink you get past me?" He grinned. "I don' t'ink you do. Kadra's got a plan and she gonna pummel you good with it…after I get through first."

Kiba looked up and snarled viciously. He launched forward at the precise moment the cat did. He felt the cat's claws dig deep into his fur, blood splattering on the ground. The paw came down and slammed him into the wall and floor, his wounds growing longer and deeper. Kiba reached his neck around and bit his captor. The cat shrieked and threw himself back on his hind paws, thrashing his foreleg around to loosen the wolf. Kiba bit harder and quick as lightning was mangling the cat's shoulder. The cat bucked and twisted and clawed, catching Kiba numerous times while trying to prie the dog off. Finally his claws caught the wolf's hip and yanked him to the ground yet again, pinning him down.

The cat leered over him while saliva dripped down his muzzle in gobs, catching in the soft, white fur beneath it. He pressed down hard and slow, listening to the bones and wolf's groans for mercy. The cat smiled, all teeth bare, glinting sharply. He felt a pain on his back leg and he yelped with surprise, turning to see a little, black wolf with silver front legs ripping at his back right paw. Forgetting the white wolf, he swiped at her, but she was much too quick and leaped lightly out of harms way, for the moment.

Kiba was up in an instant, his jaws wide as he grabbed the back of the cat's neck. Blood gushed out, splattering floor and walls like wine. The cat roared flining itself around in pain and anger. The wolf's teeth held fast, though, digging deeply into the fur and flesh.

Aysu danced around anxiously, wondering what she could possibly do to help. She spun in a paniked circle and pranced around the fight, her paws slipping in the blood that was spilt. As her paw slipped, so did the rest of her body, and she went sliding right into the cat's legs, causing it to crash to the ground. It gave Kiba just what he needed and he went straight for the throat. But just befor his jaws closed the windpipe, he was thrown back by something big and heaving.

His head hit the wall and he couldn't focus properly on the shape above him. He saw it move and a limb come down across his face, hard. Again, it came down. And again. Until he could see no more and hear no more and feel no more.

In the Snow

Kiba woke and stared blankly at the black fur that covered his face. Slowly he felt feeling come back to his feet, legs, body. He wondered vaguely where he was and why it was so cold on one side and warm on the other. He shifted and wriggled, feeling tired, weak. His legs felt like the strange, wiggling substance humans ate. He shifted some more and curled further under the warmth. He felt safe there. He dozed then, until he felt the warmness start to wiggle. He pushed himself up then and heard a strange noise from the fluffiness that slide down into the snow. He realized then that Aysu had been unconsciously lying atop his own body, shelding him from the cold.

He remembered then and looked at his shoulder and flank to confirm the cat fight. The blood had dried on the wounds and caked in his fur. Black cat fur and blood had matted itself into his own white fluff, too. He looked around, ignoreing his aching head and snarled. They sat in a frozen wasteland with no ship in sight and no flower to their name.

"Aysu…?" He nudged her. "Come, now. Wake up." He nudged again and watched as she shifted, mumbling something about wanting some extra time to sleep. He flicked his ear angrily and thought briefly of leaving her to track the ship…yet…

He sighed and shrugged, bending down and lifting her onto his shoulder, her shabby trench coat blowing in the wind.

Hey hey hey! This one was actually exciting, huh? Not the most exciting, but there is some violence and blood. Woot! Anyways, yeah, may-a-be ill get another one posted soon, huh? OH!! I was thinkin of changing the title to the story, so if anyone has any good ideas on a title to the story, let me kno, k? Anyways, i wont change the name officially for anothre couple of chaps to let everyone kno, k? Ooooo! Anyways…REVIEW!! NOW!! Plz? :)