Protector of Shadows, I know the collar was a bad thing but I brought it back just because it made the character, same thing with Toboes' rings.

I love your emails, they are so funny

16.

As they reached closer, they saw smoke of the polluted city. It was big, no doubt. The buildings were grey, tall of course and yet it seemed empty and misplaced. A gigantic light shield was emitted around it, protecting the city from nuclear attacks of the sky. The shield was of a deep blue color and it seemed to hum as the electronic tower that was built higher than the city powered it.

The others slowed down a bit, Kiba and Tsuki walked behind, Neko went with Toboe and Shippo as the white and black wolf talked amongst themselves.

"Do you feel that?"

"What?" Tsuki quirked her head to the side, confused. She tugged on the long sleeve of her shirt, smiling into his green-blue eyes.

Kiba shivered a bit and looked around then back to Tsuki's smile. He smiled himself, then noting her tugging he asked "are you cold?"

She looked at him, "uh… just my hands." She held out her hands to him that were someone red from the coldness and he took them in his, warming them up.

They stopped and looked at each other, both smiling. Drops of rain began to fall, splashing on their faces. They leaned in and kissed each other lightly on the lips.

The moment stopped for them. They felt a wind swirl about them, the feeling grew stronger in just one kiss.

"OOOOoooooo," Hige laughed and Cyan bopped him on his head, "ouch," he pouted. Looking into the eyes of the girl he has always loved, though, she didn't love him back, not as much as he loved her.

"Come on Hige, leave them be. It's so cute," Cyan barked as she went goo goo eyes over the couple. Hana giggled and Toboe gushed over them too.

Shippo looked nervously to Hana, but she didn't notice him.

They broke the kiss and turned to look at the five pairs of eyes starring at them and blushed. Neko was no where to be found though. Kiba looked around, "where's Neko?"

The others shrugged and a sharp clanking sound made them jump. Another metal robot emerged from the ground and began shooting them. They all jumped away and ran. An Agent was in a dome of the control center on top of it, smirking through his gas mask. The robot was different from the other; it was standing upright like a person on two legs. One arm was a gun while the other had a cage. It walked quickly as they ran, catching up to them easy. It continued to shoot bullets.

Kiba slowed down as it chased the other wolves and he jumped biting the arm. Tsuki joined him and together they held on to the gun arm to keep it away. Toboe wanted to help and he went for the other arm with the cage, he jumped on and bit on one of the cage bars.

Shippo ran away from the scene looking for help and cover. Without warning he fell into a hole were someone was waiting for them. Hana stopped to help him but slipped in to the small manhole like size and the invisible door shut on them.

Hige and Cyan paired up and went for the control center to attack the man inside. A pair of claws spring from the center and moved its way around the robot's body like a snake and grabbed Toboe's foot. He yelped and let go, giving himself to the claws as they threw him into the cage.

Toboe jumped up, "Help!"

Cyan ran on the machine to help him, she bit on the bars but they shocked her and sent her flying backwards.

"BLUE!"

He forgot about her new name, he remembered what happened before in their previous lives. He growled in fury and tore at the core of the machine, its control panel damaged, but not ruin. He jumped down and ran to Cyan.

"Kiba! Watch out!"

Toboe shouted as another tentacle raced towards Kiba to grab him, then Toboe was shocked into a deep sleep by the cage. Kiba's eyes darted behind him and he braced himself to attack the machine. Tsuki cut in and bit the thing in two. The Machine screeched and shook Kiba and Tsuki off and they landed feet first on the ground, snarling.

The ground shook and the Machine grew to a height of a giant. It towered over them that looked about 50 feet tall. Kiba and Tsuki glanced at each other. They wouldn't be able to take it down. Kiba looked to Hige afar. He and Cyan were worried, standing together, the look of exhaust on both of their faces.

Kiba made up his dission, "let's run!"

He darted backwards into the barren land, Tsuki, Hige and Cyan followed him. The Machine easily walked in long strides, following at their heels.

Hige felt something grabbed his foot and his tripped. He fell down a hole.

"Hige!" she shouted and jumped down after him.

Kiba heard the shouts and followed them. A hole was a good idea, he thought and he slid in. Tsuki jumped in after him. It was too dark to see or even have night vision working.

A door shut over the hole and a man grunted, "heh. Wolves…"

Tsuki gasped as the lights went on. They were in an old robot control center. It was rather big even with all of them in it. She looked around and jumped up as she saw Hana.

"Hana!" She pounced on her friend. They laughed and hugged each other as humans. Shippo smiled and waved. Hige was in human form as well and was helping Cyan.

Hige looked to Kiba, who was looking out side through the invisible like glass dome or camera that took pictures of the outside and projected in on to the rounded screen. The Machine was walking away into the city, and Toboe was laying dead like in the cage. "What about Toboe?"

Kiba sighed, his blue and green eyes starring off into the distance as he thought, "We're going to get him back."

The man that helped them walked up to Kiba, "You must be the one the birds speak of."

Neko popped her head over the man's shoulder and purred. Kiba glanced at her, "I see you're doing well Neko." She smiled her cat like smile, "This one is fine. I wandered off and I found him in this invisible keep. He told me that he will not have any harm come to me, and he understands our language of the animals."

Kiba nodded, "I'm Kiba, what's yours?"

The man smiled himself, "My name is Alexander." The man stepped into the light, he was wearing shaggy clothes. He looked to be in his fifties, his eyes were worn and tired, and one appeared to be a glass eye. His hair was long and bushy and he had an unshaven face.

Kiba smiled, "thank you sir."

"You may rest here for the night, I have soup if anyone's…."

He was cut short by Hige jumping around excitedly when he heard the word of food.

Alexander fed them and they gathered around, laying down.

Kiba talked to him, "How did you know we were wolves, and how are you able to understand Neko?"

Alexander smiled, "years ago, I was once a wolf myself…" Hige made a loud gulp and Shippo shifted, "my parents served for Tsukimono, it wasn't until they figured out that he was out to kill wolves that we ran away. We hid in the city as humans and I wasn't allowed to change no matter what, of course I did sometimes, however all those years as human and I forgotten how to change back. I've tried for years to figure out but I wasn't able to find out and now I'm a human." He sighed, "Get some sleep pups, the journey is long tomorrow and you need to save your friend."

The pack fell asleep under a screen of stars and beautiful waxing moonlight. Kiba watched the scene and talked with Alexander about their journey before he too finally fell asleep with his pack. For the first time in Kiba's life, he slept easily and peacefully, his body next to Tsuki the whole night.