::"Sing For the Moment" by Eminem::

No Light: Sing For the Moment

A loud howl rang out as a midnight-black wolf hurtled into the soldier preparing to fire at her, making her skid to a halt as the midnight-colored she-wolf ripped the human's throat out, blood flying.

She pulled away from the dead man and straightened, wiping a smudge of blood from her chin. "We were wondering when you'd show." She said, relieved to see her friend alive.

She smiled at her, "Sorry about that."
She fired at a stray soldier lunging at them, the bullet hitting him straight in the head and sending him down.

Blue rolled her eyes and smirked. "Whatever. So who's the straggler?" She asked, indicating the green-eyed wolf that ripped into the throat of a soldier.

Nikki glanced back at him and sighed. "Zoli's son. He tagged along because he wanted to 'join the resistance'." She explained.

Her clear blue stare flickered at the wolf and she huffed. "He's got spirit." She mused.

"Head's up!"

A knife was thrown at a soldier preparing to fire at them from behind, hitting the soldier's forehead directly and sending him down.

Nikki looked over her shoulder and smiled at the white wolf. "Thanks, Kiba!"

Blue lifted a brow.
"So you didn't kill each other after all." She guessed.
She shook her head and chuckled.
"No, surprisingly."
She gently shoved her friend aside as she fired the remainder of the round at two soldiers that fired at them, knocking down both would-be assailants. "We made a truce." She added, straightening and blowing strands of black hair from her face.

She smiled. "Well good, that means Hige owes me dinner." She mused lightly.

Both women laughed.

A high-pitched buzzing shattered the intense atmosphere of the wood, making life freeze.
She grimaced and flashed her teeth as she covered her ears. "I hate that noise."

"What the hell is that?" She heard Tetsu growl nearby as he also seemed to cover his ears.

Kiba stared up past the canopy of the trees and saw something bright flicker in the sky.
His eyes widened.

"Nikki, GET DOWN!" He shouted, sprinting for her side as an eruption shook the earth and a laser shot down on the ground, making the pack scatter.
She flew back and he dove for her, knocking them away from the exploding dirt of the crater the laser had created.

"Hige!" Blue exclaimed as she moved away from her friends to go to her mate's aid.

Nikki coughed, shaking her head fervently and looking at his scratched face in relief. "Kiba." She said, her shoulders slumping as she saw that he was in one piece.
Kiba smiled at her and gingerly releasing her from his arms. "Glad you're okay." He said.

Blue shook Hige, scowling at him. "Wake up, you idiot!" She declared, smacking his face.
His face twitched and he grimaced, "Ow! Geez, Blue!" He barked, rubbing his cheeks sorely and meeting her relieved and angered blue stare.

The buzzing didn't go away.

They perked up as a small aircraft landed gently on the ruined earth, the whirring from the machine powering down when it landed.

She scrambled to her feet and drew a spare knife, a soft growl brewing in her throat.
Her brother also drew his knife, his free arm extending to block his mate from moving forward.

The door to the aircraft opened then, surprising the pack when they saw who stepped out from it.

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A girl younger looking than Eri with pale violet hair and crimson eyes stepped out, her black wardrobe trailing behind her every step.

Kiba widened his eyes alertly when he looked at the girl.
"That can't be," he breathed softly, his arms seeming to go numb at his sides as he saw the girl.

He knew that face. Great Moon, did he know that face!

Nikki growled a warning at him, glaring heatedly at the girl, her hackles bristled as her tail was raised high like a flag.

This girl… She smelled strange. It was a combination of the vomitus stench of noble combined with something heavenly like flowers.
Lunar flowers.

This was the Flower Maiden? She wondered.

A soft smile crossed the young woman's face. "You are nothing more than wolves. Darcia-sama believed you were humans." She said serenely.

She bristled. "What's your name?" She demanded first, a low growl in her throat.

The girl turned a crimson eye on her and smiled again. "Cheza."

He almost visibly staggered.

She looked at him and growled at the girl. "Funny, legend tells us you wouldn't side with the nobles." She mused lowly.
The girl smiled once more.
"History can be misleading. Instead of wolves leading the way to Paradise, it should be humans instead." She quipped.

Tsume scoffed. "Either way it's a load of shit." He declared; he wasn't as shaken as Kiba was at finding out this was the Flower Maiden, but it sure as hell made him pissed off.

"Cheza, you were supposed to lead us to Paradise. Why did you turn?" Eri spoke up patiently; her fur bristled despite her calm expression that met the girl's serene crimson eyes.

Her shoulders shook with soft laughter. "Isn't it obvious? Darcia-sama promised that he would always take care of me. He will lead me to Paradise." She explained.

Kiba clenched his fists. "He's lying to you! Why can't you see that he's been lying to you?" He barked, surprising the girl briefly.

Her serene expression faltered minutely; this wolf, she thought before the serene expression returned.
"Do not speak of Darcia-sama that way."

A torrent of pain ripped down his spine, shooting down every nerve in his body.
Kiba cried out, doubling over and hugging himself, his teeth clenched as he fought the pain that shot through him in sharp waves.

A pale barrier blocked him from her sight, surprising the girl again.

Nikki glared coldly at her, her knuckles white as she fought the urge to cringe at his pain. "Leave him alone." She snarled coldly, baring her teeth angrily.
Cheza laughed softly again.
"You dare stand between my power and that weak dog." She said, her voice turned cold.

She growled and grunted, flying at her angrily.

An overpowering sense of her muscles failing her overcame her; she fell to the ground, a bright green circle with runes around the circumference lying beneath her crumpled form.

Nikki snarled loudly, her teeth bared fully as she struggled, growling angrily as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"That power of yours is incredible. Though I cannot stay any longer; Darcia-sama wishes that I return to his keep." And just like that, the power on her evaporated into thin air.

She looked over her shoulder at the struggling wolf; she lifted her head shakily to meet her cold crimson eyes.
"We will meet again, most likely." She said softly, turning her back on them at last and retreating inside the aircraft.

The small ship lifted into the air moments later and then fled.

Kiba panted; sweat beat down his face as he staggered to get to his feet.
"Don't move, idiot!" Eri scolded, holding onto his arm gingerly as she came to his aid.

He shook her off, seeing Nikki steadily get to her feet.
She looked shaken, pissed off, and weary.

He saw her sink to her knees again as he neared her, his arms pulling her to his chest.
Nikki shivered and held him tightly as he shook in her arms, burying her face in his neck.

Kiba closed his eyes in relief.

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The fire burned in the middle of the room, light from the flames bouncing off the burn barrel's tin surface.

He pulled his shirt back on after Eri had tended to his wounds, looking up as she looked up from sitting next to Tsume and Tetsu to gesture for him to come over.

Kiba smiled slightly, grabbing his jacket and handing it to her as he sat down next to her.

Nikki blushed slightly at his gesture, smiling as she pulled it over her shoulders and looked at him. "You okay?" She asked.
He nodded, smiling for her. "Yeah, I'm fine." He replied.

She smiled a little at him and wiped at a small smudge of dirt on his cheek. "If you say so." She said.
Kiba smirked a little at her gesture, rolling his eyes. "Don't get mopey on me."
Nikki huffed and returned the smirk, her eyes briefly teasing. "Don't look mopey, then."

Tsume cleared his throat. "So that, I take it, was Cheza." He said, interrupting things and making the white wolf perk his ears.

He nodded and lowered his gaze to the fire. "Yeah, that was her."

She followed his line of gaze and huffed. "So much for leading us to Paradise."

"That human. Darcia. He's got her blind." Kiba mused lowly.

"But Kiba, what if that's how it's supposed to be? What if Cheza wasn't supposed to lead us to Paradise?" Eri spoke up patiently, ignoring his slight wince when she spoke the girl's name aloud.

"That's not how it's supposed to be, Eri!" He shot back, quieting her before he looked away reflexively and glared at the fire. "It shouldn't be that way." He muttered.

Nikki looked at him before she scoffed and shrugged off his jacket, straightening to hop over the bench and go to her bag.

"Nikki," he began to call her.

"I'm not talking to you!" She snapped over her shoulder, grabbing her gun and dagger from her bag before stepping outside of the old building.
He sighed and looked at the older wolf. "I'll get her." He muttered as he straightened and also hopped over the bench, donning his jacket.

"Make sure she doesn't shoot you first!" Hige called as he stepped out after her.

"So what's her problem?" Tetsu muttered more to himself, picking a piece of lint from his hair and throwing it at the fire.

Tsume glanced over his shoulder after the couple's exit and shook his head, scowling at the fire.
"I don't want to know what happened between her and Kiba, but his seeing Cheza shook him up. Can't say I blame him. But it shook my sister more than she wants to believe."

Blue glanced away from the fire at him, "did she ever believe that she'd find Paradise?"

He huffed. "When she was a pup, yeah. But after we decided to fight in the war, she never mentioned it after that." He explained, continuing to scowl at the dancing embers.

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The bullet shot through the tree, creating a small hole that pierced through the five-inch-thick wood.

She scowled down at the gun, reloading it and aiming at the same tree.

Her dagger flew at the tree, sticking out from its place a few inches away from the bullet hole.

She glanced over her shoulder at her company and scowled, lifting the gun and aiming again. "What part of 'I'm not talking to you' did you not get?"

He lowered the gun, looking at her. "What's wrong this time?" He asked.

Nikki jerked the gun from his hand, lowering it and glaring up at him. "That girl; that was her wasn't it? The Flower Maiden." She asked slowly.

Kiba scowled at her. "You felt it too, didn't you? That pull in your chest." He demanded.

She looked away and aimed the gun and fired. "Why does it matter?"

"It matters because I felt it. And it pissed me off like you wouldn't imagine that that bastard noble has her brainwashed…"

"Don't tell me that shit, Kiba. I felt just as pissed off as you did!" She bristled, glaring at him again before she went to retrieve her dagger. "I was pissed off because she threatened Tsume and everyone else and you…"
She fell silent and glared at the tree.

"Because you couldn't protect me." He guessed.

"Noone threatens my pack; or you. Especially you." She whispered, yanking the dagger out and placing it in the sheath.

"Why me?" He wondered, even though he already knew the answer; she was his mate and even though he knew she could fight and defend herself well enough, he still felt like he had to protect her.

Was this really what love was?

She looked calm for a moment.
"I can't really explain it, but you… You're the only wolf that's ever made me happy. I mean, I feel like an idiot for being such a bitch to you in the first place, but I'm glad I met you. Honestly." She said quietly.

She wanted to say that she loved him, but the part of her that was tough and proud didn't quite let those words pass her lips.

He nodded and reached to gingerly brush some hair from her face. "I'm happy with you too. I really am." He stroked her cheek, seeing her blush slightly.

Nikki smiled before she reached on her tiptoes to kiss his nose, seeing him wrinkle his nose before his arms found her waist and he pulled her to his chest.
Kiba smirked. "You missed." He kissed her, holding her cheek and squeezing her waist.

She blushed and smiled before she hugged his neck and shivered slightly as he ran the fingers of his left hand down her spine.
He gently pressed her against the tree, hearing her moan a little as he cupped her breast in the hand that went to her spine.

Nikki gently pushed him away to breathe, panting softly and moaning again when he kneaded the mound gently. "K-Kiba," she squeaked as he kissed her neck.

"What?" Kiba groaned softly, his hand at her breast stealing inside her shirt to continue to tease her.

She shivered and moaned again, slightly knotting her fingers in his hair. "You love me." She guessed, blushing again.
He pulled away briefly to meet her gaze, his blue eyes tender again. "Like you love me."

Nikki nodded and hugged him again, sighing softly. "A lot."

Kiba chuckled softly and hugged her hips. "You still drive me crazy, but in a good way." He ran a hand through her hair. "And I don't regret any bit of it."
She kissed his neck. "Good, I'm glad." Then she sighed. "Come on, Tsume's probably getting worried." She mused, reluctantly pushing him back to lead the way to the building.

He made a face and sighed as well. "Guess you're right. He probably thought you'd shot me or something by now." He muttered, catching up to her and slinging his arm around her waist.

She laughed softly and smirked up at him. "Not today, love." She said lightly.
He made a face. "H-Hey!" He barked, making her laugh again.

reviews/ helpful critiques are well appreciated~ thanks! :3