Author's Note: Last chapter! The only thing left is the epilogue, which will wrap up a few loose ends. Happy Valentine's Day to all!

* * * * *

Part II

Chapter Four

* * * * *

"Tell me again why I'm going first?" Izaak yelled over the gale force winds that threatened to sweep them off the bridge.

"So I can catch you if you fall!" Kaze bellowed back.

Disgruntled, he turned and replied, "I'm not gonna…!" but had to swallow his words as he was forced to regain his balance against a sudden gust. He turned back around, muttering about the injustice of it all.

They had started boldly across the bridge, which, although seemingly thin and frail from a distance, began, at their end, a comfortable several yards wide and arced shallowly over the gulf. They found however, that it quickly swept into a rather nerve-wracking width of just over a single yard in the center, over which they were currently passing. The constant force of the winds and the unpredictable gusts out here, suspended over nothing, forced them to travel almost bent double to ensure they were not swept off their feet. Even Kaze, now more massive as a werewolf than Izaak, found it tough going.

The bridge itself was a dense, blue-gray stone, perhaps a type of granite, judging from the tiny visible crystals and the way the edges sparkled in the setting sun. Darker bluish veins ran through it. At the ends, the vertical thickness of the bridge was about six or seven yards; this narrowed to maybe three in the middle. Curious patterns were carved deep into the sides of the bridge, large swirls and other designs, along its entire length. The top surface was quite smooth, however, and, as the hunters found by clutching the rounded edges, was worn down over an indeterminable amount of time by the extreme conditions in which it existed.

Izaak glanced over the side. They were so high up that clouds, tinted gold by the sun, obscured whatever lay beneath them. The mountain peaks, colored a similar hue, surrounded them, with a clear, endless, cloudless sky above. Utter silence reigned, save for the wind, and Izaak knew they were on top of the world.

The sight by itself was quite peaceful and had a calming effect. It was different actually being there, however, nearly teetering on the edge. Izaak, normally completely unconcerned about heights, found himself tense and slightly uneasy. Thoughts of being blown so easily off that narrow line of safety and plummeting endlessly downward, where the clouds churned in the wind, had to be forcibly squashed, lest they render him immobile with fear. He could feel the structure swaying with the powerful gusts.

The two were able to pick up speed once again, when they got closer to the far end. Just as on the other side, the carved stone merged smoothly with the surrounding rock. As they neared, they saw it lead into a mountain pass, jagged walls rising high on either side. Somewhere beyond this, they knew, their formidable opponent waited.

* * * * *

Izaak pulled Kaze back just before they rounded the final obstruction of rock. He reached behind him, under his cloak, and pulled out two familiar objects.

"My swords…" Kaze breathed. "I thought I had lost them."

Izaak shook his head. "You dropped them at the top of the cliff. I was saving them…for…well…" He trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Kaze grinned and took the swords, happy to once again feel their reassuring weight in her hands. "No worries, Izaak." She slung the scabbards onto her back, making the necessary adjustments due to her larger size. "Let's go."

Together, they edged around the corner and stopped at the sight that greeted them.

"By the Planet!" they whispered in unison.

Nestled within a natural bowl formed by the surrounding rock lay the ruins of some unknown culture. They were constructed out of the same veined, blue-gray stone as the bridge had been, and bore the same designs. A large area in the floor at the center of the bowl had been smoothed out into an oval shape. Strange writing and glyphs were carved into this surface, following the curve of the oval, nearly concentrically, before closing in on an off-center point, where a broken pedestal stood. Odd, curved pillars of stone arced out of the ground around the perimeter, as if they were the ribs of some gigantic animal. At the far end, across from the two demon-hunters along the longest diameter of the oval, the stone ribs left an opening for some large, semi-collapsed structure. Kaze assumed that it must have been a multi-level tower of some sort, once. This structure extended off of the flat surface to run nearly flush against the rock walls forming the bowl. Two smaller, one-story buildings were positioned just outside of the oval on either side of the short diameter. They, too, had once been flush against the wall, before time had taken its toll. The jagged rock encircling the entire site closed in tightly around them.

Amongst the large chunks of rubble strewn across the surface of the bowl, several werewolves meandered aimlessly about. Kaze and Izaak groaned in frustration. Honestly, how many did they have to kill? They must have taken out a good chunk of the population in this area by now. Surely there couldn't be that many left! This was getting rather monotonous.

And, up at the top of the fallen tower, the white werewolf stood, half turned from them, idly examining the ruins. But Kaze wasn't fooled. He knew they were there. All the werewolves knew of their presence.

So she shrugged her shoulders and moseyed down the short, but steep, incline to the floor of the bowl, Izaak a half-step behind her, and stopped just shy of the carved surface.

The lower wolves turned as one to regard them, half crouched and ready to spring at their master's command. And finally, he turned, with what Kaze read as an amused expression on his face.

So, you have come.

Kaze said nothing.

He observed her. Hmm. It was not my intention to leave you as I am. I did not even consider such a possibility occurring. How curious. He cocked his head. I wonder if I should feel remorse? An ear flicked. But then, I feel not much of anything, any more.

He took a step forward over some of the rubble. Why have you come, to this skybowl? Do you still seek to kill me? Or do you follow as they do…he glanced at the werewolves below him. For some imaginary gain?

Kaze drew herself up, lifting her chin. That should be obvious.

A smile tugged at the corners of the wolf's mouth. Indeed. Then he paused as if struck by a sudden thought. You do not wish to join me? That option is open to you, I suppose. You are far closer to me than any of these…others, he regarded them disdainfully, face drawing into a slight frown. Then he mumbled almost to himself, Not quite sure how these crude animals came into being…peculiar…no relation to me…yet I run into them everywhere…Was that a note of exasperation?

He turned back to Kaze. However, you might perhaps, one day, be my equal. And he stepped forward and extended his hand in invitation.

Izaak elbowed Kaze in the ribs. "Do you have any idea what's going on? Why isn't anyone attacking?"

Kaze rumbled low in her throat and flicked her ears back and forth once. That's obvious. He's just asking if I wish to join…

"Hey! Kaze?"

She turned to him, irritated. Izaak I just said…But then she realized she hadn't just said anything. In fact, no sounds at all had come from either her or the other wolf. Huh? Telepathy? No…it's just like that dream…

The great werewolf chuckled.

She glanced at him in annoyance, then thought for a moment. Gradually an understanding came upon her. All this time…they hadn't been communicating with words, but with actions and feelings. Oh, some sounds, too, but…this was how many animals in the wild communicated, and, somehow, her transformation had allowed her to pick it up instinctively.

She turned back to Izaak, consciously forcing the words to form. "He…says…" she began, haltingly, as she re-familiarized herself with the normal manner of speaking. "That I can join him." Izaak looked at her as if she had grown a second head. She waved her hands. "Don't worry! Of course I'm not going to."

"Well, then, quit beatin' around the bush, and let's kill this guy already!"

The daiwolf, of course, had no need for her to speak her reply. Very well. And he launched himself upwards, off the building.

Everyone in the arena tensed, the werewolves intent on their prey, and the two demon-hunters intent on their leader.

To their surprise, the daiwolf did not rocket back down to earth as they expected; but, instead, somehow floated to rest just above the surface of the bowl, arms hanging relaxed at his sides, as if the entire move had been effortless. Kaze could see, around him, an invisible sphere of power, its edges distorting the images of the ruins in the background. She could feel the hum of energy through the air and the rock beneath her feet.

The hunters waited to see what his next move would be. Which was, in hindsight, perhaps not the wisest decision.

Emerald eyes laughed at them, as the werewolf brought his hands together, dark energy crackling between them. He drew his hands apart, and the energy grew into a giant sphere that seemed to swallow light. Then, all at once, he raised his arms and whipped it at them.

Isaak swore, and he and Kaze dove to opposite sides as the sphere roared past, slamming into the pillars and rock behind them. Wild energy tore at them as it swept through. They jumped to their feet and saw the destruction it had caused: a deep, blackened furrow had been carved the length of the smooth floor, and most of the werewolves, who had been more intent on their prey than their master…had been ruthlessly destroyed.

"Well, if you're gonna play nasty…" Izaak quipped. With a flourish, he twirled Retribution and shot several silver bullets into the daiwolf. They impacted the odd sphere around him, leaving ripples on its surface like stones hitting a pond…but otherwise did nothing.

"Get 'im, Kaze!"

She was already off and running, swords drawn. The daiwolf shot more dark energy spheres at her; smaller and more rapidly they came. But she was too fast, and successfully evaded the ones that came too close. At the last moment she leapt and drove into the wolf with her swords.

Steel clashed against claws, sparks flew, and the impact drove Kaze's opponent to the ground. He landed, the bubble of force dissipating.

For the second time, the hunter and the wolf launched into a duel. Only this time, they were more evenly matched. Her strength nearly equaled his, but her smaller size made her faster and more nimble. Together they tore about the arena with astonishing speed, raining blows upon each other that would have shattered the arm of a human. Sparks erupted with each clash of their weapons.

Izaak followed their progress with amazement, mouth gaping slightly. They darted back and forth, each seeking to use the terrain and surrounding ruins to their advantage, leaping over obstacles, bounding off the walls and stone pillars, and coming at each other with such relentless, irresistible force. Their individual motions were impossible to follow, merely sweeping arcs of silver light. Kaze was a whirling blur as she spun and parried, a sword in each hand, coming up, down, and around, seeking for an opening in the chaos of movement that was her opponent's defense. Loud, staccato clangs rang out, reverberating throughout the bowl, leaving a pure, silver tone a steady background in Izaak's ears.

A small part of Izaak noted with amusement that the scene really was absurd in a way. Because Kaze came up to, maybe, chest height on the monster. Aww…how cute.

Almost absent-mindedly, he fired a shot between the eyes of one of the few remaining werewolves that had sought to catch him unawares. It dropped. Then, thinking he'd try his luck, began to take pot shots at the daiwolf, whenever opportunity would allow. He was sorely disappointed, however; for each bullet there was a claw to match, instantly sweeping down to deflect it – the wolf didn't even look like he was trying. Izaak heaved an irritated sigh. Then lining up his firearm, he readied a shot, looking for the golden moment.

There. Izaak fired, and the bullet zipped, true, to the back of the white wolf's skull. The creature turned, a claw came up, parried, and went back to his fight. The bullet ricocheted back, striking the stone rib right behind Izaak, at eye level, just missing his head.

Izaak jerked slightly at the impact, Retribution still extended. Then he calmly lowered it and resolved not to fire at the daiwolf anymore.

Kaze, at another time, would have been equally aggravated at her seeming lack of progress. But the exhilaration and her determination impelled her onwards, never wavering. At one point she turned and ran straight up the inwardly curved surface of one of the great ribs on the perimeter. The acceleration kept her safely glued to the stone, and she made it to the tip, launched herself off, twisted and rocketed down towards her foe, swords brought together to be swung in a mighty blow on her enemy.

The impact as the daiwolf caught the twin blades on the back of his claws sent a small shockwave through the air, and Kaze hung for a moment, staring down into his calculating emerald eyes, straining, directing all her force into the blades. Then the daiwolf gave a knowing grin and flexed his claws outwards. A resounding crack echoed through the arena.

Both Kaze's blades shattered, and she watched as if in slow motion, as the shards tumbled past her head, reflecting dazzling rainbows into her eyes. Then a larger piece caught her across the cheek and brought her back to reality. Time sped up and the jagged splinters flew outward. One spiked into the stone on the other side of Izaak's head and quivered there with a fading ring. He froze, and after a moment inwardly cursed his unlucky choice of vantage point.

Kaze was thrown backwards and tumbled along the ground a short ways before coming to rest – none too gently – against the pillar she had sprung off of. The hilts of her swords clattered to the ground, useless. She stumbled quickly to her feet, snarling.

The daiwolf smirked at her again, and his eyes slid over to glance at her friend. Kaze's eyes widened as she began to suspect his plan. He huffed once, in mocking laughter, eyes returning to her. His actions said, Let's see how good you really are, shall we? And he gracefully turned away, raised his arms, and sent a single large energy sphere hurtling toward Izaak.

With a startled yell, Izaak moved to duck out of the way, but the sphere was too fast and Kaze knew he wouldn't make it. A part of her recognized that this was eerily reminiscent of the stunt the daiwolf had pulled on their very first encounter, but Kaze feared that this time the results would be much worse.

Desperation lent speed to her legs, and even though they were separated by a great distance, in less than a blink of an eye she was there, shielding Izaak with her own body when the sphere hit. A deafening roar filled her ears and violent, uncontrolled energies ferociously sought to tear them apart. The world around them was reduced to raging blackness and dark lightning.

Kaze strained against it, the unconquerable wildness of her spirit willing it to cease. And somewhere, deep within, a dark power responded. Electric energy rushed through her veins, setting them on fire. With a savage snarl, she muscled her arms out, away from her, and flung them to the sides as if ripping open a curtain.

And just like that, the blackness fell apart, energy dissipating, and they emerged, whole and untouched. Kaze's eyes flared brightly due to the power inside.

Well, I am impressed. I did not believe you capable of calling up the shadow power from your blood.

Kaze did not feel like participating in a civil conversation, and without waiting for him to finish, she pushed her hands out in front of her and threw a powerful stream of destructive energy right back at him.

It caught him squarely and hurled him across the arena to the fallen tower, where he hit. The impact shook the structure and part of it collapsed on top of him in a cloud of dust. A few moments later it cleared, and the daiwolf struggled free of the debris, looking slightly banged up and clearly irked. He brushed the dirt from his fur and glared at her. Hmph. Effective, perhaps, but crudely done. Your powers need refinement.

Izaak, once again left out of the loop, decided to take matters into his own hands. Running towards the werewolf at an angle, he started emptying his weapon into his target. Several of the shots hit this time, and the werewolf bared his teeth and roared in rage at the man, even as he moved to dodge. Kaze, though, had swiftly circled around the other side; from the top of the tower she descended upon him and plunged silver claws deep into his upper back.

A cross between a yelp and a roar escaped the beast, and he whirled, seeking to dislodge the weight and strike the offender. But Kaze clamped onto the back of his neck with her teeth and successfully held on.

A tad frantic, now, the daiwolf tensed and with a surge of magical force, flung Kaze, much of the surrounding debris, and the approaching Izaak away from him. With a neat acrobatic flip, Kaze touched down next to Izaak, who was already back on his feet. They faced off against the monster. The two demon-hunters could feel the rage and hatred emanating from him.

Then, as one, the three gathered their energies and fired them at opposing sides. A dense, crackling sphere raced towards the hunters, the void-like thing swallowing all light. Responding in kind, though not in form, the raging river of Kaze's own dark power surged to meet it. Joining hers was a thick, blinding current of electricity from Izaak, as he emptied the last of his magical reserves.

The result was predictable: a massive explosion as the conflicting powers met, random tides of energy, freed from their bounds, rushing outward to demolish anything in their path. The entire mountain bowl shook, rock cascading down the sides, and stone pillars collapsing. A dense cloud of dust settled over the arena.

Izaak, crouching low, slowly lowered the arms he had raised to shield his head. He strained to see anything through the mess, to make heads or tails of what was going on. He thought he heard something, like the impact of fist against flesh, and coughed as the dust got in his lungs.

Slowly, the air cleared. Izaak stood, still coughing, and aimed Retribution at the shadowy form in the center of the arena. Suddenly, a cold gust of wind blew the remaining dust away, and the scene was revealed.

The great werewolf stood, slightly bent over, a stricken look on his face, and eyes wide with shock. His claws clutched at the smaller figure in front of him: Kaze. She stood with her head bowed. Izaak's eyes traveled the length of her arm up…to where it plunged to the elbow into the monster's chest. Izaak blinked in surprise. Oh. That was…unexpected. He slowly lowered his gun, but kept a firm grip, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

Kaze raised her head and gazed once more at the daiwolf, a fierce look in her eyes. Then she twisted her arm savagely, ripped it out, and he crumpled to the side.

From where the daiwolf lay, he looked up at her, eyes strangely clear and bright. A dark red gradually stained his once pure white fur. He laughed, haltingly. So this is what it takes…the Promised Land…I could never see…He trailed off. I am in your debt…for eternity. His movements grew more slight, and Kaze, rage now drained away, knelt in front of him. The black power in our blood now exists only within you. See that it remains so…and do not allow yourself to be blinded as I was. She hesitated, then nodded. Perhaps we will meet again, one day…on better terms.

He chuckled again. Tell my faithful shadow that my spirit is free now. She need only to look for it…He looked at Kaze. In the wind.

With those last words, his breath stilled, and his eyes closed. And a strange thing happened. His body faded, becoming a thick, black shadow, resting on the ground before her. Then a bright white light burst out from its center, forcing Kaze to shield her eyes lest she be blinded. It spread throughout the shadow, driving away the blackness, taking on the appearance of pure light given form. A current of wind blew by them, picking up tendrils of the light, and it spiraled up into the air. A moment later, the light dissipated, and was gone. And that was the last of the great General…the Fallen One.

Kaze searched the skies for any remaining signs of his spirit. She saw nothing, and her eyes traveled slowly down to rest on the ridge of the bowl, where a giant white wolf stood. It inclined its head at her as if in greeting, or thanks. Kaze blinked. It was gone.

"Well, wasn't that somethin'?" Izaak said, approaching. "Are you alright?"

She looked down, considering, and spied a small object sparkling in the last rays of the sun. She reached down and picked it up. It was a smooth, deep green stone. Kaze stood, holding it up to the light. The beams shone through its flawless surface, causing it to glow. She lowered it, enclosing it in a fist, and turned to Izaak.

"Yeah," she replied, softly. "I'm glad it's finally over." A thought struck her and she looked around, ears twitching. "The others?" she asked, meaning the werewolves.

"Looong gone. Whoever was left beat the heck out of here, tails between their legs, after seeing what you did to that one."

"Thank the Planet! I really didn't want to go through all that again." The two slowly started back out of the arena, glancing back into the ruins.

"My sentiments exactly. …Hey, think we'll get paid extra?" He looked doubtful. "I already collected once."

"Sure. It's in the contract, remember? That poor town won't know what hit them."

Izaak brightened. "You're right!"

"Oh!" Kaze jerked to a halt. "My swords, Izaak…they're ruined!" She mournfully looked around at the slivers of light littering the ground. "They were the ones you gave me…"

"Bah." He moved to sling an arm around her shoulders, but gave up, seeing that she was too tall for him now. "No worries, kiddo. They aren't anything that can't easily be replaced. I'll get you some new ones."

"I guess…" With a last sigh she headed back toward the entrance.

Izaak paused. "Hey," jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "You wanna check this place out some more? Never seen anything like it."

Kaze turned with an appraising glance, eyes flicking over the ruins. "Yeah…but not now. That battle really took a lot out of me."

"Ugh. Nooo kiddin'." Izaak held up his hand and flexed his fingers. A few weak sparks danced between them. "Look at that!" He pointed. "Haven't got an ounce of magic left!" He turned an accusing glare on Kaze. "How could you let that happen to me?"

Kaze rolled her eyes as Izaak chuckled. Then, they cast one more look upon the desolate ruins around them, and, turning their backs, left them behind.

* * * * *

End Part II