CHAPTER 5

Gomenasai! Sorry, guys, for the late update. T_T I was quite busy last week you see. I can't even seem to decide on how to end the last chapters of The Takoyaki Encounter. But don't worry I'll get to it as soon as I can... just as soon as I figure out that M scene, hehe. Anyway, here's chapter 5 of Wolf's Moon. Enjoy! ^_^

After Hibiki left, a couple of Yamato's subordinates flew in from the night, following strange rumors of a silver-haired wolf living in a cave with a rabbit. Makoto the hawk and Fumi the owl were the only two followers of Yamato that weren't wolves. But they had sworn loyalty to him for the acts of contrition he had supposedly done for them in the past. He did not know why. All he did was instruct Otome to tend to them after they were found injured on the ground.

"Chief, you're alright! Thank goodness!" Makoto cried, sounding extremely relieved.

"Of course I am. Was there any doubt at all?" Yamato replied haughtily.

"Yes, I'm glad you're alright, Chief." Fumi said monotonously.

"Makoto, report. What's happening to the pack?" Yamato crossed his arms.

"The rest of the pack is fine, Chief. Otome led them all to safety." Makoto said. "She has also tended to those wounded in the escape."

"I see... And of the wolf council of elders?" Yamato asked. Makoto hesitated a bit before answering.

"They are in disarray. With most of the pack members allied to you, they could not get enough prey to be hunted for them than they usually do. As a result, they are now overstepping the pack's territory boundaries." Makoto reported.

"..." Yamato was silent. He planned to drive the council and their followers from the pack's territory. The elders were doddering old fools who are incapable of hunting their own prey, and so, they force the other pack members to hunt for them, gorging themselves while the rest of the pack suffers from starvation. They and their followers hunt excessively, turning large swaths of the pack's territory into lifeless brushland, all to feed their greed. He'd had enough of acting as their dummy. For so long he was raised in isolation, trained to be the leader of the pack because of his unique ability. An ability that was bestowed upon him from the moon. The elders kept him as leader, wanting to use him and his abilities to extend their territory. So that night under the full moon, he acted as bait for the elders and their cronies while the rest of the pack who were loyal to him escaped from their harmful influence. He had used his powers to fend off his attackers but he could not defend himself totally from the blows of his enemies. He barely escaped, and had fallen unconscious from pain and exhaustion somewhere in the forest. Then, of all creatures, he was tended and nursed back to health by a rabbit, an animal he never thought of other than prey. But this rabbit was... special. He was smart, quick, and brave. He challenged Yamato with his witty banter, and he could look after himself, as proved by his knowledge of the forest's medicinal herbs. Most of all, his friends deferred to him and acted as if he was their leader. Yes, his rabbit was interesting and he intrigued Yamato to no end.

"Um, Chief...?" Makoto's voice broke him from his revelry. "Will you come back to the pack with us now?"

"I..." Suddenly, Yamato hesitated. He knew he had to go and lead his pack as their rightful leader. He can't stay here forever, and he was already well enough to fight. But why does the idea of leaving his rabbit put a painful twinge in his heart...?

"Chief...?" Makoto's concerned voice penetrated through the fog of his thoughts.

"I... I'll go..." Yamato finally put past his lips. He started forward but his paws felt like they were weighted down, heavy and unresponsive. Finally, his limbs just ceased movement and he stood there, within the shadows at the lip of the cave, his head bowed.

"Chief, what's wrong?" Now even Fumi sounded a little worried. Inwardly, Yamato chuckled. /Look at me... Brought to such depths by a rabbit... Prey.../ He thought self-deprecatingly. But he knew that he could never look at Hibiki in such a way. The rabbit was more than that. He was more than what Yamato thought was possible. He had stolen his heart.

"I shall stay here." The wolf chief announced brazenly. Makoto had bewildered look on her face while Fumi looked a bit surprised. "We shall make this part of the forest our new territory and start anew. The pack shall hunt only deer and mice. No rabbits, raccoons, porcupines, foxes, badgers, and certainly no canaries."

"..." The two birds stared in silent surprise at the silver-hair's sudden declaration but Fumi recovered quickly.

"That's going to be a problem, sir." She droned while preening the feathers under her wing.

A sense of foreboding seized Yamato. "And why is that?"

"This area of the forest is about to be encroached by the elders and those allied to them. They will reach this place tonight." Makoto quickly responded, peering at the wolf anxiously.

Dread filled Yamato's chest. /Hibiki.../ The rabbit was out, tonight of all nights! A low growl rumbled from his chest, sprung from worry. His ears shifted and twitched in agitation. Hibiki... who took care of him with such kindness and attention... Hibiki... who taught him which herbs can soothe pain and stop infection... Hibiki... who laughed and kept plying him with vegetables that he hated... Hibiki... and his ears that twitched and shuddered every time he so much as blew on them... Hibiki... whose eyes were as blue as the sky and whose countenance shone like the sun... /I'm not the one who's beautiful, Hibiki... You are... by far... the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on./

Yamato's growl grew louder and more fearsome by the second, echoing in the cave, increasing the sound a thousandfold. Suddenly, the wolf erupted in a howl that shook the surrounding trees. The sound was of utmost worry for his beloved and the promise of dire retribution to any that would harm him. Yamato's gray eyes shone brightly thru the night as he barreled away, snarling, following the scent of the blue-eyed rabbit.