AN: I want to thank fanlover18 for following this story. It means so much having people read iit.
Disclaimer: wolf81 does not own Wolfs Rain.
"My lord, my lady. The wolves have escape Lowstrom city. Would you like for my men to continue after them?"
A man with long blue/black hair, pale skin, an intense right blue eye with the other eye covered by a patch looked at the advisor that just gave them the news. He then looked over at the golden haired woman sitting across the table from him. "What do you think, my lady Jagura?"
A malicious smile came to the purple lips of lady Jagura. She slowly rose from her chair at the dining table, her calf length golden hair swaying behind her. She turned her violet eyes to the advisor and said, "For now, have your men track them, but stay out of range so that they are not found out. We will wait for the perfect time to strike."
"And when we do, make sure to take the white wolf and the flower maiden alive. You can kill the others for all I care." Darcia said. "Just so long as the flower maiden and the white wolf is unharmed. We need those two essential elements for our plan to prove successful."
The advisor bowed his head. "Yes my lord and lady. Is there any other orders?"
"No. Now be gone." Lady Jagura said.
Tsume looked back at the other three wolves, who had started making their way across the snowy wasteland, and let out a sigh. He turned around and started making his way toward them and then started running to catch up to them. He made it out of the city just in time to avoid getting shot by the soldiers. Within minutes, he had caught up to them and made his way to Kiba's side who had Cheza riding on his back. The wolves were running side by side at this time. Kiba looks over to Tsume with a wolfish grin.
"Change your mind." he asked.
"No. Just avoiding soldiers. I'll split off at the next town."
"Suit yourself, but I think Toboe will be upset if you do." Kiba said pointly.
"Like I care what that runt thinks." Tsume said heatedly. He left Kiba's side and fell back a few paces. 'Just so I don't have to deal with that smug bastard.' He thought snidely. They ran for a few more minutes when he noticed Toboe had caught up to run with him.
"Hey Tsume, I'm glad you decided to come along. This is gonna be a great journey huh?"
"Not really. I'm only hanging around till the next town so don't get your hopes up."
"Why don't you want to travel with us Tsume?" Toboe asked sadly.
"Because, I hate hanging around idiots. I'd probably throw myself off a cliff after a week."
"But Tsume, don't you believe in Paradise?" Toboe asked.
"No, I don't, and you're a brainwashed moron if you do. It's just some moron's fairytale to give false hope. If there really was a paradise, don't you think someone would have found it by now?"
"Well, I guess. But maybe no pack has been strong enough to make it yet. Maybe it's us that's supposed to find it."
"Yeah right, we have a runt of a pup, little porkey over there, and a guy who is full of shit and has his head in the clouds. This isn't even a pack runt. We just got thrown together trying to get away from the soldiers and police. There's nothing holding this pack or whatever together. Grow up and use a little common sense for once. There is no Paradise and even if there was, we're not the pack to make it there." Tsume's voice was gradully growing louder as he said this until he was nearly shouting by the end of it. Toboe's ears flatened on his head and he backed away from Tsume. His voice did carry up to Kiba, however and he stopped, along with Hige and looked at Tsume. Tsume just glared back.
"What?" Tsume snapped.
"If you don't believe in Paradise, then why did you come with us?"
"Like I told you. Getting away from soldiers."
Kiba just looked at him for a moment and then said, "Whatever you think now, I guarantee you'll think differently later."
"You know one thing I really hate is a smug looking kid that thinks he's got all the answers when he obviously doesn't know jack shit!
Kiba's eyes narrowed slightly, the only outward apperance of his irritation, but wasn't noticed by anyone else. With a calm and level voice, he said, "I don't claim to have all the answers Tsume, but I do know Paradise is for real. And I intend to find it."
"Yeah, and why do you want to find it so bad, huh? Why do you want to spend your life hunting for something that may not even be there? Got an answer for that one smart ass?"
Kiba stared at him for a minute, looking as if he was seriously considering Tsume's words. After a moment he spoke up and said, "I look for Paradise because I have nothing else. It's like a natural born instinct, like hunting. It's always been there since I was a pup." And with those words he turned and started running again. The other wolves, after a moments hesitation, took off to catch back up with him again.
The wolves continued to run for several days with very little rest. Soon, a blizzard had come up on them and they couldn't even see their paws as they walked. The temperature was freezing the wolves even through their thick fur. Tsume caught up with Kiba and, shouting to make himself be heard above the wind, said, "I don't think runt and porkey are gonna make it much longer. We need to find shelter."
Kiba nodded and they split up to look for shelter. After a few moments of fruitless searching, Kiba noticed a cave opening in the mountain side on the right. He turned around and shouted to the others. "This way," he shouted. The others followed him to the cave and, once inside, plopped down on the ground gratefully.
"Man it's cold out there." Toboe sighed as he made himself comfortable against the cave wall. He got a little too close to Tsume when he sat down however because Tsume said, "Get away from me runt. Your a little too close."
"Sorry." Toboe mumbled as he got up and went to the back of the cave. He laid down and tried to make himself comfortable, resting his head on his paws.
After several moments of silence, a growling sound was heard. Everybody started looking around and then finally noticed Hige holding his hand on his stomache with an embarrased expression on his face.
"Heh heh, sorry. I guess I'm hungry."
"It's understandable, It's been several days since we ate anything." Toboe said.
"I can't wait until this weather is over so we can hunt or something." Hige said.
Kiba turns back to them. "The blizzard should be over by morning so we can hunt then. Meanwhile, we should get some sleep." And with that, Kiba curled up near the left side entrance to the cave with his tail covering his nose. Cheza laid against him trying to keep warm. He closed his eyes and was soon drifting off to sleep,
Everyone was asleep except Tsume. he looked around at the sleeping forms. He was playing his and Kiba's argument over and over in his head, trying to understand this blind belief in Paradise. Yes, there was the flower maiden, and for most, that would be proof enough but Tsume was suspicious of the whole situation. He was, by nature, not a very trusting wolf, but even though he doesn't believe in Paradise, he does get a weird tugging on his heart and soul whenever it is mentioned. Tsume heard a noise from the back of the cave and turned towards the sound. He noticed Toboe at the back of the cave shivering. Tsume began to feel a little guilty of snapping at the poor pup earlier. He didn't know why he was so angry. He had been saying for sometime now that a little adventure is exactly what he needed, so why is this pissing him off? He shook his head to clear his thoughts and, making sure everyone else was asleep, he made his way over to Toboe, laying down and curling around the pup to give him as much body heat as possible. Soon after, the pup stopped shivering and went into a more restful sleep.
Quent Yaiden stopped as Blue started sniffing the ground again. They had been traveling for three days now, tracking the wolves that had escaped the city. Quent took his flask out and took a hearty draught of whiskey before capping it off and putting it back in his coat pocket. As Blue was trying to pick up the scent, Quent took a picture out of the inside pocket of his coat and stood there and stared at it with a mournful expression on his face. It was a picture of his wife Amelia, his son Russe, and the family dog, Blue. Quent stared at the picture for a long moment, thinking about the good times that was his life. Thinking about playing with his son and the love he and his wife shared. He thought about Blue and how she had come to be in their family. She followed Russe home from school one day and Russe spent the rest of the day trying to convince his father to let him keep her. He finally relented and Blue became part of the family. Things were as perfect as it could get until that one fateful day. Quent and Blue were out hunting. Quent was at the same time, teaching Blue to track and she was getting pretty good at it. During the hunting session, Blue's ears perked up and her nose shot into the air. After sniffing the air for a moment, she gave a snarling bark and ran back towards the house. Quent ran after her. Moments later, they arrived back in town only to find the entire town on fire. In fear, Quent ran to his house along with Blue only to find his house on fire. In the smoke and flames, he saw the bodies of his wife and son surrounded by black figures. One of these figures came closer and Quent saw what looked like a wolf eye. In a rage, Quent fired every round in his rifle at the figure. Now he lives for one thing and one thing only. To hunt and eradicate all wolves until the entire species has been wiped out. Barking soon brought him out of his reverie. he looked up and noticed Blue barking in a north eastern direction. Quent took one last look at the picture and , putting it away, grabbed his rifle and followed Blue wherever her nose would lead them. Only one thought crossed Quent's mind. 'Watch out suckers, Quent's coming for you."
It had been two days since the rest at the cave. The snow had stopped falling and the warm spring sun had brought on a thaw that soon melted the snow. The wolves were making good progress until Tsume stepped wrong and his front right paw came down in a hole made by a gopher or a mole. He was thrown forward and a loud snapping sound was heard followed by a agonizing yelp of pain. The rest of the pack stopped and looked back. When they saw the situation, they made their way back to Tsume.
Toboe ran up to Tsume sniffing at him. "Tsume, what happened. Are you okay?"
Tsume had his eyes squeezed closed and was gritting his teeth (or baring his fangs as it were) in pain. He opened his eyes and looked at Toboe. He then looked down at his foreleg which was now -S-shaped and shooting pain all throughout his body. He looked back at Toboe again.
"Tell me something runt. Do. I. Look. Like. I'm. OKAY! What kind of a stupid question was that? No I'm not okay, I just broke my damn leg. It hurts like a bitch.
Kiba looked around and saw a clearing off in the distance. "Hige, head over there and see if you can find a cave or an old den. Howl if you find anything. Toboe, can you support Tsume's injured side and get him over to that clearing?
"Sure Kiba, come on Tsume." Toboe leaned against Tsume's right side and helped support him as he struggled up to his feet. Tsume limped over to the clearing with Toboe's help and then laid down on his belly, keeping his injured leg straight out in front of him. Toboe laid next to him, looking at him worriedly. Cheza sat down next to Tsume. She put her hand on his head and started stroking his fur, slowly moving down his body until she made her way to his injured leg. Tsume, who doesn't like to be touched, normally would have pushed her away. But the feeling of the pain ebbing away was an intense relief and he just closed his eyes in contentment. Soon an almost purring sound was escaping him as he gave away to Cheza's minstrations. Toboe just looked on the scene in awe. He had never seen such a peaceful look on Tsume's face before.
Kiba, meanwhile, started helping Hige look for shelter. After a half hour of searching, Hige's howl came from the other side of the clearing. Kiba went over to inspect what Hige had found. It was an old bear cave that was no longer occupied and had not been for a long time. The den had two tunnels branching off of it. "Hige, take the right path and I'll take the left. Let's make sure there's no danger.
Kiba slowly started exploring his area, keeping eyes, ears, and nose alert for any signs of danger. after about thirty minutes, he came to the end of the tunnel. It led up to the surface. Kiba slowly poked his head up and looked around. He had popped out of the ground about twenty feet from Tsume and Toboe. Toboe looked over at Kiba and, giving a giggle, said, "whatcha doin' Kiba?" I thought you was supposed to be looking for shelter."
Kiba just stared at him for a moment and then crawled out of the hole, shook the dirt out of his fur, and trotted over to the cave entrance again. He entered just as Hige made his way out of the other tunnel.
"Aaahhh!" Hige screamed and jumped three feet into the air. "How, what, you, how did?" Hige panted and calmed himself down. Kiba just stared at him for a moment and then asked, "What's wrong with you?
Hige looked at the tunnel Kiba had previously went in and then looked at Kiba again. "How did you just appear here when you should have been there?" he said, indicating the tunnel.
"That's because the tunnel I went down went back to the surface." Kiba explained. Kiba rolled his eyes and sighed. "What did you find Hige?"
"Dead end. Not a creature a stirrin'."
"Alright, let's get Tsume over here."
They went outside and over to where Tsume and Toboe were laying. Kiba explained about the cave that they had found. Tsume agreed it would be a better place than any to spend a few days recovering. Kiba assisted Tsume this time and led him to the cave. Once Tsume was settled, Kiba turned to Hige and said, "Hey Hige, how about you take Toboe hunting. He could stand to learn a few things.
Hige gave Kiba a downcast look and said, "Yeah, sure Kiba. Shake a leg runt, let's see what we can find."
Blue stopped walking and sniffed all around. She was confused. The trail of the four wolves led to this spot and then split off. She was trying to figure out which scents to follow. She sniffed around some more and then decided to go after the two scents that led out into the meadow. She didn't want to trust two wolves in a cave, especially when it seemed like one was injured. She still has the scar from the last time she went after an injured wolf. It almost cost her her life.
She gave a low 'woof' and turned towards the meadow, following the scents towards the meadow. It was such a simple decision, but a decision that would alter the course of the rest of her life.
"Alright runt, keep up. I smell deer this way." Hige took off running in the direction his nose was telling him deer was. Toboe was hot on his heels until his left ear twitched, picking up a noise. Toboe stopped dead in his tracks and turned towards the noise, sniffing the air. He picked up the scent of alcohol, gunpowder, and a wolf or a dog. Toboe continued to stare up the bank, trying to figure out what was there. Off in the distance, he heard Hige calling for him, but he couldn't respond, frozen in fear, when he saw the gleaming fangs of the solid black wolf/dog with the blue eyes as she appeared at the top of the bank. A man came up beside her, brown trench coat, worn fedora hat, rifle in hand, gun pointed towards toboe. Toboe just stood there, shaking in fear. The dog/wolf ran towards him barking and snarling. when she got within ten feet, Toboe squeezed his eyes shut, thinking this was the end. He heard a yelp of suprise and then opened his eyes. The wolfdog was standing in front of him with a suprised look on her face. She slowly backed away, the look of suprise still on her face.
"Blue, what the hell are you doin"? Take that beast out!" Blue was about twenty feet away from Toboe. The man cocked his gun. "You picked a fine time to go soft on me girl. I'll take it out myself." Quent took careful aim, finger slowly squeezing the trigger. Toboe saw Blue run at him again. Just before he could react, Blue jumped at him, raming into him just as the gun went off. There was a yelp of pain as Toboe hit the ground. Suprisingly, the yelp didn't come from him. He looked over and saw Blue laying on the ground, left side with blood pouring out of it. Blue's breath was coming fast with a slight whine of pain in each one. Toboe looked up the hill again at the man who had a shocked look on his face.
"Blue, why the hell did you do that?" He raised his gun again and just before he could fire, a light brown form jumped at him, grabbing the gun and throwing off the trajectory of the shot. The man fell down the bank and came to a stop at the bottom, dazed. Hige threw the gun as far as he could into the woods.
Hige ran down the bank towards Toboe. "Get her on my back, quick." He laid down and Toboe grabbed Blue by the scruff of her neck. She had passed out by this time. He drug her over towards Hige and got her onto his back where her legs were on either side of hige's flanks. Hige then got up and led the way over towards the cave about two miles away.
General Rainz made his way to the Laboratory where he knew Lord Darcia the Third and Lady Jagura would be, thoughts running through his mind. He had always thought the mission was the eradication of all wolves. To wipe them off the face of the planet as a species. Now however, the Sixth Battalian's orders were to observe and wait. When the time was right, they were to capture the white wolf and the flower maiden. It made no sense to him so he is now seeking clarification. He had now arrived at the laboratory, and gave a light knock.
"Enter."
Rainz opened the door and walked in. He shifted his eyes around and took in his surroundings. There were computers and machines everywhere with power cables and tubes running to them. In the very center, there was a giant glass sphere big enough to house a human and then some. Scientists were running around, getting things ready for an experiment of some sort. The two noble lords were in the center of the room overseeing the whole thing.
As he entered, the two lords turned towards him. "What is it General?" Darcia asked him.
"My Lord and Lady, I came to seek clarification on the Sixth Battalians orders. Is it true that they were supposed to capture and detain a wolf. I though the sole purpose was to eradicate all wolves.
Lady Jagura looked at him in seething anger and would have punished him right then and there but Darcia put a hand on her shoulder and calmed her some what. Darcia looked over at the General and said, "Consider yourself lucky, General, that I consider you a valuable asset. Otherwise, Lady Jagura would have had some fun with you before your untimely demise for speaking so out of turn like you just did."
The General swallowed hard and dropped down to one knee with his head bowed. "A thousand appoligies my Lord and Lady. There was no offense intended. I was meerly seeking clarification as to the mission objectives and protocols so that I may better lead my men and win victory for you my Lord and Lady."
Jagura smiled at this. "You are forgiven this time, but let it happen again, and you will become a test dummy to practice my magic on."
"Yes my Lady."
"Now," spoke up Darcia. "The mission is as you heard. The white wolf of the pack that is being watched by the Sixth Battalian is to be captured along with the flower maiden for our purposes. Those purposes will not be known to you."
"If I may, my Lord and Lady, allow me to bring in the second batallion to back them up. I heard about what happened in Lowstrome and that was at least four platoons and the local police force. It would be my Honor to serve."
"Then so be it. Order your men to move out and, once engaged, seek to flank the wolves and cut off all escape routes. We can not fail at this. There is too much at stake. Am I understood."
"Yes my lord."
"Then you are dismissed General."
With a salute, General Rainz took his leave. At this time Jagura walked up to Darcia and placed her hands on his chest. He looked at her for a moment, then the two indulged in a passonate kiss. Jagura was the first to move away and she smiled up at him. "My Darcia. I just love it when you go all athorative like that."
He smiled down at her and said, "Soon, we shall open our own paradise and leave this wretched world behind us."
Blue eyes fluttered open. Blurry vision becoming more clear. Blue raised her head slowly and looked around. She saw the bandages on her side soaked in blood and at that time the memories came flooding back. Going after the cinnamon and brown two toned wolf. Stopping the attack when she realized she was attacking a pup. Quent yelling at her. The gun going off. Her pushing the pup out of the way. The horrible pain in her side and then blacking out. now she had no idea where Quent was and could smell four other wolves around her. She looked around and saw four furry bodies. A white one about two inches in front of her. A big brown one pressed against her on the left. The pup on her right. And near the cave entrance, a grey one with an -X- shaped scar on his chest. She noticed that it was now dark outside. It was then she realized he was awake and glaring right at her. She stared back for a moment. He was about to say something when something stired near the white wolf. She turned her attention towards it and saw a girl with lavender hair and red eyes stand up. It was then Blue noticed the flower smell that she had missed before. Her senses were still coming back to her. The girl made her way over to Blue just as Kiba woke up. He looked around and spotted Cheza just as she knelt next to Blue.
"Cheza, be careful. She was hunting us after all."
"It's okay. This one does not preceive her as a threat, but as a friend. She will not hurt this one."
By this time, the other wolves had woken up and were staring at her. She dropped her head self consciensiously. Her head snapped up again when Cheza started petting her. She started rubbing her muzzle and head and then made her way down her neck. By this time, Blues eyes were closed and she rested her head in Cheza's lap, perfectly content. Cheza continued petting her and then softly murmured, "You did not know what you are did you?" Blue raised her head up and looked into Cheza's eyes. "You had no idea that you are half wolf."
Blue's mouth dropped open at this. She tried to back away from Cheza but had nowhere to go. A little whine escaped her. Her mind was reeling at this revelation. She was half wolf. That was why she was so good at tracking them. But if she was half wolf, then that means she was hunting her own kind. She rolled over onto her back in submission and exposed her throat. For the first time in her life, she spoke. "Please, kill me. I don't deserve to live.
"Don't tempt me." Tsume snapped. "That's actually not a bad idea."
"Tsume, you can't mean that." Said Toboe. "She didn't even know she was a wolf, give her a chance."
"Yeah, It can't be that bad, now get up. You don't really want to die." Hige said.
Blue continued to lay there, looking depressed. Finally, Kiba said, "Get up."
After a moment, Blue rolled back over in a laying position. She kept her ears flat to her skull, her head lowered and her tail tucked. Nobody said nothing for a few moments, all four pairs of eyes studying her. Finally, Kiba spoke up and said, "What is your name.
She slowly looked up at him but stayed in a submissive position and said, "My name is Blue."
Kiba looked over at Cheza. "Cheza, if you would please."
Cheza went to Blue's side. She took the bandages off and begin petting her side where the bullet grazed her. Slowly, Blue felt the pain ebbing away. After a few moments, the wound was completly healed. Blue looked at Cheza in wonder.
"There we go, all better." Cheza said.
Blue bowed her head in thanks.
"Come with me," Kiba said and walked out of the cave. Tsume looked at him with a shocked look on his face. "Kiba, you can't be serious. She was hunting us with that old man. She tried to kill us. Remember."
"Yes Tsume, I do." Kiba didn't say another word but continued walking. Blue followed Kiba out of the cave, ignoring the growling coming from Tsume. Kiba went a good distance away from the cave and sat down. When Blue joined him, he was looking up at the moon. Blue sat down a ways away from him and waited. minutes went by and just as she thought there would be nothing said, Kiba spoke up.
"Hige and Toboe told me what happened. Why did you stop your attack on Toboe?
"It was then I realized he was a pup."
"So, you will attack other wolves but not pups?"
"I guess my maternal instincts took over." I didn't want to see that pup harmed."
"And that is why you took a bullet for him?"
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Your human is missing. Knowing what you do now, will you go back to him?
Blue looked down. Quent was her life. All she had ever wanted was to please him and make him happy. She wanted to go look for him and make sure he was okay but at the same time, she didn't want to hunt wolves anymore. She didn't want to hunt her own kind. She was silent for so long that Kiba turned away from his contemplation of the moon and looked at her. At the movement, she looked up at him into his knowing eyes.
"I want Quent to be okay but I don't think I will ever be able to go back to like I was. I could never hunt my own kind again. I don't even know who I am. Everything I thought was true was a lie. I don't know what to do. But I meant what I said. I deserve death for hunting my own kind."
"No, you didn't even know what you are. You do not deserve to die. I believe we all deserve second chances. The question is, are you going to be a threat to me and my friends.
"No, I'm going to leave very soon."
"Why."
"I don't belong with you. I am not a full wolf. I also don't belong with Quent. I could never do what I have done. I have to move forward and find out who I really am and to atone for my mistakes."
Kiba looked at her, his gaze softening. "I too have made lots of mistakes. you have the right to do what you want to do. Just so you know, we are going to Paradise. It is a place where wolves reign and can run free. It is not a place of joy or misery. It is just a place where wolves can have a future. If you wish, you can join us. We're not a proper pack but there is room for you as long as you're not a threat. We leave in five days. That should give Tsume's leg enough time to heal. The choice is yours." And with that, kiba got up and trotted back to the cave. Blue sat there and thought about the things the white wolf said and contemplated her worth to a pack and her worth in life.
The next morning, Toboe helped Tsume outside the cave to get some sun. Kiba was laying on a boulder with Cheza by his side. Hige was sprawled out on his belly enjoying the sunshine. Tsume was laying by himself also enjoying the pretty weather. Spring was in the air and that was a time when a pup felt most playful. That explains why Toboe was stalking Hige's tail. Body low to the ground as if he was stalking prey. At this time, Blue came out of the cave. She had been contemplating what Kiba had told her. She was just in time to see Toboe's display. He crept forward inch by inch until he was near Hige's twitching tail. Then, without warning, he pounced, clamping his fangs down on Hige's tail and grabing it with his paws. Hige jumped up with a suprised yelp and turned around, jerking his tail out of Toboe's mouth. Toboe sat there with his head cocked to the side, innocent expression on his face. His tail was wagging furiously behind him.
Hige just stared at him. "Oh yeah, so that's how's it's going to be then runt. I'll show you."
"Uh oh." Toboe squeaked. He turned and ran as fast as he could. Hige leapt after him. "Come back here runt. I'll show you." Soon Hige and Toboe was chasing each other through the meadow. Kiba couldn't help but laugh and even Tsume gave a snicker. Blue was almost rolling with laughter. Hige finally caught up with Toboe and pounced on him, bringing him to the ground. The two rolled until Toboe had Hige pinned. He playfully snapped at Hige's muzzle. Hige Threw Toboe off of him and immediately he was on him and pinned him. Toboe kicked him off and jumped to his feet. The two began circling each other, looking for an opening in thir mock battle. Then, as one, they pounced at each other, playfully growling at each other as they rolled around in the grass. Blue couldn't help but feel a sense of belonging watching the two play. She had always felt she was missing something in her life and now she knew what that something was. It was the sense of family. The sense of family you could only get from your own kind. This made her smile and look up to the sky with the feeling that for the first time in her life, things were starting to finally look up. She locked eyes with Kiba. He had a knowing look on his face. At his unspoken questin she nodded her head. This is what she always wanted. This is the true meaning of happiness.
Several days passed by for the pack and Tsume's leg was healed enough he could walk on it again. He was outside running around the meadow, trying to get strength back in his leg. The others were sitting outside. Blue walked up to Kiba and asked, "May I talk to you in private?" Kiba looked at her for a minute and said, "Sure." They walked until they were far enough away from the others but close enough that they could be quickly back in the event of danger. Kiba turned to look at Blue and said, "Tell me what's on your mind."
"I have decided that I want to go with you guys. I also think, however, that, given the situation, Everyone should be comfortable with having me around. I think everyone should be asked if they want me here. If there is one person who doesn't, then I will leave."
"That sounds fair. I will get the others." Kiba got everybody together. The whole time they were together, Kiba had never called a meeting. They knew something was going down.
"Alright. The reason for this is because we need to get going, but something has to be taken care of first. Blue has decided to join us on our journey. However, she will only do that if everyone here is comfortable with having her around. We all know the situation. She used to be a wolf hunter. That was before Cheza shined light on her wolf heritage. I believe in second chances so I vote for her to stay. What say you?"
Hige spoke up and said, "I say she should come along. It's gotten boring with only guys around and besides," He said this as he turned to her and gave her a wink. "You are one hot looking babe."
"Blue gave a nervous laugh and said, "Don't think flattery means you're geting lucky big guy."
Hige gave a chuckle. "Can't blame a guy for trying, right?"
"I think she should come along also," Toboe said. "It would be mean to leave her here, especially after she saved my life." Kiba and Hige nodded at this statement.
"This one wants Blue to come along as well. Blue is a friend and will be a great asset to this journey." Blue turned to Cheza and gave a smile. Next it was Tsume's turn. Everyone turned to him expectantly. Blue joining their pack rested on his shoulders and on his shoulders alone. Tsume looked around the pack and then locked a glare on Blue.
"Hell no. I don't trust her. She hunts wolves for pete's sake. How do we know she won't just turn on us. No, if she stays, I'm leaving."
"Didn't you say you were leaving at the next town anyway," Hige asked.
"None of your business Porky. We were all supposed to give our opinion and I say no."
A single tear fell from Blue's eye. "I...understand." She turned around and started walking away.
"That's right, go back to your human. That's where you belong!" Tsume yelled. Blue kept walking although her heart was broke. For the past few day's she finally felt she belonged. She knew she was doing the right thing based on the past but that didn't mean that it hurt any less. "Good luck boys, see ya around."
Hige turned on Tsume. "What the hell Tsume, she wasn't going to hunt wolves anymore. She stopped her old man from shooting Toboe. Doesn't that mean anything to you!"
"I'm sorry Porkey, but it doesn't. Your tail wags anytime there's even a hint that someone of the opposite gender is around. The runt's too trusting and our fearless leader can't keep his head out of the clouds long enough to look at reality. Some one had to be to be the realist here. She could very easily turn on us and maybe even lead us into a trap. I'm not going to let that happen."
"But it's mean leaving her all alone out here. We should have let her come with us at least to the next town." Toboe whined.
"As much as I don't agree with the decision, she did say everyone has to be comfortable with having her around. Tsume obviously is not comfortable with her. We have to just move on." Kiba said. He turned towards the mountains and started running, the rest following him.
Within two days, the pack was making their way up the first mountain. They were winding up a path carved into the side of the mountain. The path was barely wide enough for the wolves to walk single file in. Hige, for once, was lagging behind, barely in front of Tsume. Every once in a while he would sniff the air. Thinking that he was looking for food, no one paid it much thought. Tsume's leg was almost as good as new by this time. He barely had a limp. It was still giving him some trouble however, and they would have to take frequent breaks to rest it. Tsume had not been in a good mood due to this because he didn't like holding the pack up. They had just started off again with Kiba and Cheza in the lead, Toboe behind him, Hige following close behind him and Tsume bringing up the rear, still not up to full speed. He was walking along thinking about everything that has happened since he started this journey. He knew the others were still upset with him for not allowing the half breed to travel with them. He didn't trust her and that was that. So absorbed in his thoughts was he, that he didn't notice that the ground was getting rough near the ledge. A piece of the ledge under his paw crumbled off causing him to stumble. His back side slid over the ledge. he was scrabbling with his paws trying to get his footing as he felt himself go completely over.