|Summer|

Chiara trotted up the dirt path to the top of the hill, where the Priest had asked her to go and take a look at what had happened. He had heard a lot of noise there last night, but because he couldn't go and check it out for himself he'd sent the shipwrecked girl. Nervously she touched the prayer slips in the pouch at her hip, chewing her lip as she went along.

'Better not be a demon. I'd rather have a tangle with a hammerhead shark than get involved with a demon.' She mumbled to herself.

Arriving at the top she took an awkward look around. The sea could be heard, waves sloshing lazily in the hot afternoon as crickets buzzed heavily. There were signs of a struggle, but so far she couldn't make out any sign of what had happened. At least, until she came across the severed head of something that looked like an overgrown bear. She threw a stone at it from a distance, not trusting it one bit. It wouldn't be the first time a supposedly dead demon reared up and took a bite out of someone who was stupid enough to come close.

When it didn't move, she straightened her back as she wiped sweaty, red locks out of her face. The heat of the sun was really droning it down. She would kill for a sea breeze right now.

Something whined behind her. The sweat on her back went icy cold in a heartbeat as she shut her eyes closed. This could be it, any moment something could take a bite out of her and end her young life prematurely.

The whine behind her became more insistent, urgent. She turned her head to where the sound was coming from. At the foot of a tree a wolf was looking at her, blue eyes steady on her. It hadn't attacked her, yet. But judging from the size of it, it was probably demonic. She just hoped it wasn't hungry.

'I'm very sorry for disturbing you, o wolf.' She managed to bring out stammering. The Japanese words still felt strange in her mouth, as if they didn't quite fit there. 'I will be leaving now.'

A growl stopped her in her tracks. Then the wolf started to whine, almost pleading for her to come closer. She started to discuss with herself if she would be able to outrun a grown wolf, and decided against it. Running away might make it angry.

'Please.' A female voice sounded from behind her. She moaned inwardly. The wolf could talk, ergo, really was demonic. Just what had she signed up for?

She walked closer to where the wolf was panting, pausing when she was close enough to see what had happened. Horrible gashes ran across the wolf's sides, and Chiara thought that she could see exposed muscle and flesh through the black fur. The wolf sounded like she was having trouble breathing. Chiara let herself drop to her knees next to it, deciding that once she had come this far turning back was no longer possible.

'Can I… Can I help?' she asked, surveying the wounds. Blood caked the fur and soaked the ground where she was kneeling, through her rough linen pants. Blue eyes found hers, and the words the wolf spoke were clearly a strain.

'My cubs… are they alive?'

Startled Chiara looked around, and indeed, between the she-wolfs paws there were three pups. One of the pups wasn't moving anymore, and the other two hardly seemed to be any better. Chiara swallowed once.

'They're fine. All of them.' she lied.

The wolf let her head sink to the ground, letting out a wheeze. The news seemed to have reassured her.

'Human… bring them… to the Yourouzoku wolves. My clan.' The wolf wrung each word out of a mouth that was never meant for human words.

'Please, don't speak. You're only making it harder on yourself.' Chiara said, holding up her hands.

The wolf snorted, almost amused. 'Already dying. Almost there. My cubs… save them, human.'

Chiara looked towards the pups again. She, take care of demon pups? She thought about herself, washed up on a strange shore. If the Priests hadn't taken care of her… the pang of guilt and gratitude she felt about that helped her make a decision.

'I'll do it.' She said.

'Promise.' The she-wolf demanded.

'I'll get your puppies to their family. I promise.' She answered again, looking over the wolf in concern.

The wolf closed her eyes. Her breathing was getting more shallow, and her paws started to relax.

'Name?' the she-wolf asked.

'Chiara. Chiara Nurmi.' She replied.

The wolf's mouth moved slightly, as if to say something more, before going slack. Chiara waited on her knees for a few more moments before she realized nothing more would be coming. Gingerly she moved towards the silent cubs, hesitating before she touched the biggest one.

A soft mewl, just the tiniest breath of it escaped the pup. Despite the hot sun beating down on them, its skin was colder than ice against her hands. Her heart jolted as she touched the other two. One of them had stopped it's breathing altogether. She scooped them up, placing them in her shirt against her heart. Apart from a few soft whimpers they were quiet. With a grim face she left the body of the she-wolf and the dead cub behind, making her way down again with a heavy heart.

That night the two siblings slept, safely sheltered from the outside world by the body that was warmly wrapped around them. They were blind to the world, only having their noses to orient them. Every breath brought confusing information, the salt of the sea, smoke and other, even stranger scents. Frightened the younger one let out a whining, slightly louder than hours before.

The one wrapped around them made noises. Warm hands closed around them, keeping them close. The heartbeat sounding next to them hushed them to sleep, safe and close to their protector. Soothed by this presence the younger one fell back to sleep after a final whimper.

Come stop your crying, It will be all right

Just take my hand, Hold it tight

I will protect you, From all around you

I will be here, Don't you cry

For one so small, You seem so strong

My arms will hold you, Keep you safe and warm

|Fall|

'Could you make it some more, please?' Chiara asked the rice vendor politely. She had been able to catch more fish than usual, tempting her to visit a village to trade for rice or vegetables. It would make a welcome addition to the daily fare of fish and berries. When the man handed her the rice, he informed about her catch.

'I can make my own nets.' She replied with a smile, tucking the rice in her side satchel. She could feel the two wolf pups moving in the bigger bag on her back and prayed that they would stay asleep.

'There's good money to be had for a craftsman, even if it's a woman.' The man answered at that. 'If you're interested, you should go inform with old Tanaka in town.'

'Oh… thank you for telling me. By the way, do you happen to know if there are demons in the area? Wolves in particular?' she ventured, her eyes locking on a man selling rabbits nearby. Perhaps instead of vegetables, she ought to get something for the little ones.

'Not that I know of. Haven't been any wolves in this area for almost a year now. Why?' the man asked.

'I heard howling last night, and was a bit worried.' She smiled, moving towards the man with the rabbits.

Halfway over there, one of the pups in the bag started to whine loudly. People nearby her stared as she tried to feign it wasn't her bag that was making all of the noise. Already the pups were looking more like wolves than dogs. Her face flushed as she tried to purchase one of the dead rabbits of the man, when a monk tapped her on the shoulder. She turned towards the man, keeping her head low.

'Yes, monk?'

'Young miss… your bag seems to be howling.' The monk spoke to her, hand reaching to the cleansing seals on his belt. 'Would you mind if I inspect it?'

'Look, it's a puppy!' a young child cried out from among the crowd. One of the wolves had gotten his head out of the bag, she realized.

'Watch out, that's a demon!' another man yelled. The monk was preparing to throw the sutra at her bag when she slapped him in the face.

'Don't you dare!' she warned him as a farmer came closer, holding a shovel in his hands.

Meanwhile the cry 'demon' was going through the village, causing her to look around for an exit. Desperately she gave the monk a push, using his body to make a way through the crowd. She heard the wolves protest loudly when she ran away from the village. Most people were too scared or confused to follow, and by the time she had ducked in one of the side streets nobody would have been able to tell where she had gone.

After a bit of waiting she wrapped an old shirt around her bright red hair, hiding it from sight. The pups hadn't stopped their efforts at getting out until she had opened up the flap, letting them lick her face for a short while.

'You have to keep quiet now, Valto, Aappi. They'll catch us if you don't.' The wolves kept up their complaining but settled down soon enough.

As soon as she was far away from the village she stopped near a stream, letting the pups catch some fresh air. She looked at them as she leant her head on one hand.

'Well, I guess the cat is out of the bag now, or rather, the wolf?'

The pups looked at her and whined again, opening their mouths as if something was wrong with them. Softly muttering she grabbed Valto, the pup with the darkest black fur.

'Come on, open up. How am I going to know what your problem is if you don't show me?' The struggle ended when she rolled Valto on his back with Aappi sitting on his haunches next to them, observing the operation. When she looked in the opened maw, she could see a white sliver off bone coming up from beneath the gums.

'You're teething. No wonder the two of you couldn't keep still. I'll have to find some safe chew toys for the two of you.' When the pups kept yipping and turning around her, she finally decided to give it a shot. This time having Aappi open his mouth, she offered a knuckle to the pup to suckle on. After a few awkward starts, he soon got the hang of it, giving his brother a reason to start imitating him. She bit her tongue so she wouldn't cry out when Valto chomped down a bit too hard. She looked at the two of them with a loving smile.

'You two really are helpless after all.'

Aappi wagged his tail in appreciation for Mother to see how much she was helping with his pain. Aappi and Valto loved their mother from the depths of their tiny hearts, ever since the first time they had seen her. She had made the pain go away now, just like she made cold and hunger disappear. Though she didn't seem to understand them that much, she was always there for them. Next to him Valto also wagged his tail, looking up to Mother's face. They had been scared when she showed her teeth at first, but those moments were always followed with petting and kisses, so now they'd come to liked it when Mother showed teeth. Mother really was wonderful.

This bond between us, Can't be broken

I will be here, Don't you cry

'Cause you'll be in my heart, Yes, you'll be in my heart

From this day on, Now and forever more

You'll be in my heart, No matter what they say

You'll be here in my heart, always

|Winter|

Chiara kept her two cubs safely underneath the stolen cape as she moved through the sudden blizzard. They had ventured near a town long enough to see the cape be blown away towards the forest, and now it was making itself useful in keeping the two ever-growing cubs safely tucked against her arms. The bag had given out a long time ago after its constant use.

Her feet were freezing without shoes, and the snow had only been falling for about ten minutes. Then again, it was hard to tell in this kind of weather. Maybe she had been wandering around for days without noticing. She had lost the road a long time ago and worried if she might be leading her two rascals to death.

Aappi whined, sticking his nose in the air towards the left. Valto soon did the same, causing her to change her course towards where the sensitive little noses were pointing, dragging her feet through the snow. If they survived this and they kept growing as they did, she wouldn't be able to carry them in her arms some more weeks time. She hoped they would live to see that moment.

She stopped her walking in front of the opening of a cave. Was this where their noses had led them? Chewing her lip she eyed the entrance as she decided that whatever was in there was not as sure to kill them as the weather outside, if there was anything at all. Placing the pups down they raced inside, letting her drag herself behind them. When she heard excited barks she hurried up, before she slipped in a pool of blood.

'Valto! Aappi! Come back here!' she shouted, alarmed by the blood. The brothers came running back, blue eyes blazing when they heard her shouting her name. She grabbed the both of them by the skin on their necks, looking around the cave to see what had caused the blood. Valto let out an impatient yelp.

'Valto.' She muttered with a warning hint in her voice. The wolf didn't let off, almost dragging her towards the cause of her excitement. She almost wanted to be back in the snow. Taking care of two demons hadn't exactly made her more optimistic about her chances of not being eaten by one.

When she saw what had been the cause of the trail of blood she bit the inside of her cheek. The scene of a deer with a broken leg inside the cave made her think back to the time she had found the two pups with their mother. The animal tried to reel back from the two young wolves around her, but was unable to stand. She signed the two of them to stand back while she was thinking.

She had a knife. She always used it to clean fish, which was a pretty easy task when you got used to it. Behind her Aappi and Valto were whining, and to her shame she felt her own stomach rumble as well. The deer looked at her with pleading eyes, while behind her the two wolves sent their own pleads to their adoptive mother.

'It'll be like killing a fish.' She told herself. But that was a lie, and she knew it. Fish didn't look at you like that when you were about to kill them. 'It's dead anyway, with that leg. And I need to feed those two.'

The sounds the two wolves were making sent her over the edge, as well as her pity for the animal's obvious mortification of the prey animals. While it still struggled to get away from her, she walked up briskly, forbidding herself to look at it closely. If she looked too long, she wouldn't be able to go through with it.

The deer screeched when the knife pierced next to the artery in her neck as Chiara dived towards her. When it jerked away from her the artery was sliced through, sending hot blood pumping in the cave. Chiara crawled back, away from the deer in its last moments. She felt the tears welling up in her eyes, biting her lip hard.

The wolves started to lick her cheeks, washing away the blood. She thought that perhaps she should hate these demons for what she had done, but she had done it out of her own free will. If she had to choose between the life of a dear or her two cubs, she'd choose them any day of the week. They kept whining at her, asking her to help them feed. With shaky legs she got up towards the warm body that was still lying there.

Valto accepted the small bits of cut meat from Mother, waiting for more to come. Even with his fangs, he still didn't have the strength to pull the meat from bone like Mother did with the long fang she used to slice in prey. He wanted to be a strong hunter, like Mother. He practiced every day together with his brother, running whenever they had the chance. Licking the next load of cut meat from Mother's palm, he was satisfied that at least he and brother had helped her in locating this prey.

Aappi continued to lick Mother clean when he wasn't being fed. His body was still growing, and sometimes his paws didn't go where he wanted them to go. He rubbed his face against that of Valto, before curling up to sleep. The two wolves watched as Mother continued to use her fang to cut up the prey.

Why can't they understand The way we feel?

They just don't trust What they can't explain

I know we're different but, Deep inside us

We're not that different at all

Don't listen to them, 'Cause what do they know?

We need each other, To have, to hold

They'll see in time, I know

|Spring|

'Wait up you guys!' Chiara yelled, struggling up the hill after the two troublemakers. Aappi waited for her, dark brown fur nearly invisible against the undergrowth of the forest. He always had been the most insecure one, a real momma's pup. He let out a yip, before throwing his head to where his brother had disappeared to. He reached up to her knee now, looking up at her with the blue eyes that had never changed their color. She wiped her hair away from her eyes, thinking to herself that she really did need to cut it sooner or later.

Valto rushed back to them a few seconds later, tripping over his own paws when he tried to stop in front of them. He laid something at her feet, before wiggling back with his butt sticking in the air, pleading for her to say kind words. When she looked down, she saw a tiny, light brown shape lying in the dirt before her.

'A mouse?' she asked the wolf.

He let out a high-pitched bark, tail wagging as he looked up at her. When Aappi sniffed at the dead mouse he was rewarded with a growl from his brother.

'Did you catch this, Valto?' she asked, surprised. The wolf answered with another deep bark.

She dropped to her knees, holding her arms open. The wolf leapt closer, eager for the praise and affection she would give him. She told him how proud she was of him, and what a good hunter he was. When she tried to give him the mouse back, he pushed against her hand.

'For me?' she asked him. He licked her hand, before putting his head on her knee. Aappi snorted at this display of sucking up, and trotted off, in search of his own mouse to offer to Mother. She rubbed her nose against that of Valto, thoroughly thanking him and making a show of how grateful she was for the catch.

After he had received enough praise, he slunk off after his brother. She didn't worry about them that much anymore. She knew that they would stay close to her. She hiked further up the path, ruminating what she should do with the mouse. For the time being, she could store it in the run-down satchel at her waist.

When she arrived at the top, she was rewarded with a beautiful sunset. Bright orange light swept over the land, almost setting fire to the trees and the grass. The two wolves returned to her side after she called, showing them where they would be sleeping that night. They sat next to her, one to each side as she was watching the sun set.

'No luck, Aappi?' she asked the brown wolf. He let out a small yelp, leaning his head on her shoulder.

Valto let out a snort when he heard, leaning against her with his body. She wrapped her arms around her two boys, who seemed to be happy for the moment with just sitting there.

Caught by the moment, she started to howl at the setting sun. It probably was a pitiful sound, but it just felt right. Valto joined in, not sounding much better. Aappi held his howl a little bit longer, but still faltered after a few seconds. When she howled again, both pups fell in with their mother.

The wolves howled for the red of the sun that resembled the hair of Mother, and because She still smelled as salty as the day they had been born. A clean, strong and piercing smell, mixed with their own. They howled for the scent of the pack, for the promise of a new hunt the next day, the discovery of new smells and sights.

Chiara howled because she had started to feel a little bit wolfish at that moment, and most importantly, because she couldn't believe how she could love her two little troublemakers so much, so fiercely.

When destiny calls you, You must be strong

I may not always be with you, But you've got to hold on

They'll see in time

I know

We'll show them together

I'll be with you, I'll be there for you always

Always and always

Just look over your shoulder

Just look over your shoulder

Just look over your shoulder

I'll be there, always