*
key: 'wolf speech' / "human speech"
GOSPEL I
The cold winds played with her hair and nipped at her exposed cheeks and nose.
She looked up at the bleak-skied afternoon as she briefly paused in walking after her companions, watching as the clouds threatening another snowfall moved sluggishly above. Her mind strayed to the little break they had had a few days after the incident in the wasteland and a smile tugged at her lips.
'So is Paradise really like Onee-chan said?' The pup had asked their technical leader with hope in his gold eyes, only to be met with a placid sort of smile on the older wolf's face.
"The scent is faint, but it's flowers all right." Kiba commented with a brief whiff of the cold air, yanking her from her thoughts.
Toboe beamed, "then that means Paradise must be right ahead!" He broke into a run down the snowy hill, giving a slight yelp when his swift pace turned into a roll down the steep descent until he landed in a heap in the snowy bank below.
Hige rolled his eyes, "Typical pup."
Nikki smiled after the pup's clumsy descent and reflexively slugged the white wolf's arm. "Come on, you overgrown puppies." She teased before she hopped down the hill to descend and land expertly on her feet.
"Pot calling the kettle black…" Tsume pinched the bridge of his nose before he followed her with Kiba and Hige shortly at his heels.
The five walked to the lone island in the middle of the lake across the long stretch of railroad that had seen better days yet still seemed to be in service, the wind continuing to nip at their faces and play with their hair.
Nikki looked up from walking along the left-hand metal beam as she then caught the same scent of flowers she, Hige and Kiba had smelled back in the wasteland, sniffing the air before she felt a tug in her chest. "Maybe we're on to something after all…" She mumbled thoughtfully.
"Training to be an acrobat now?" Kiba asked as he looked over at her when seeing her sniff the air, watching her blink before she looked at him as green met blue.
Her lower lip jutted out and she looked away with a snort. "Is the mighty alpha jealous because he's not as graceful and nimble as a she-wolf like me?" She hummed coolly.
He scoffed and let the amused smirk show on his handsome face, "Wouldn't want you to fall, would we, princess?" He noted her ear twitched at the petname.
"You wouldn't dare." She retorted with a warning in her voice.
He glanced back at her brother walking behind them at the tail and he smirked privately before he stuck an arm out to push on her hips, making her yelp before she grabbed his arm in her grip, and he blinked as well as stiffened when she latched onto him before looking at the mischievous glint in her gaze.
With a bark she tackled him, and the two scuffled with brief yips and playful growls, before the white wolf found himself on the snow-covered railway with his belly in the air and a triumphant she-wolf towering over him.
Kiba growled up at her even as the surmounting emotions that had since welled inside him during the last month or so sought to make something of their position, looking up at her silver eyes as she growled back with her tail in the air.
Nikki dropped the serious façade to nip his nose, her chops split into a grin as her tail wagged and she hopped off his belly to land on two feet again. Her cheeks were flushed with the heat of playing and the cold as she laughed at his confused state. "I knew those teeth were only for show." She sang.
Kiba scrambled to his feet and shook off the snow, cheeks red as he had an unamused look on his face. "Start. running." He bit out.
Nikki grinned toothily before she took off down the railway at a sprint with an irritated Kiba hot on her heels.
"Bet you're glad it was only that, ne, Tsume?" Hige laughed slightly at the display of puppyhood between their friends, rubbing his neck as he looked at the slightly confused gray wolf.
Tsume regained his composure and scoffed, thumbs hooking in his pockets. "Don't be so disgusting, Porky." He remarked flatly.
"Um Tsume, what did Kiba chase Onee-chan for?" Toboe asked innocently as he looked at the two wolves' wake.
"Nikki's a bit of an enigma sometimes." Tsume answered and refrained from slapping his forehead at the pup's naïveté as well as his sister's immaturity, following the odd couple's leave at a calmer pace.
Hige and Toboe shared a look before they jogged after the older wolf.
::::x x::::
Landing nimbly on the other side of the high wall, Kiba straightened to look at his companions that shortly followed his lead with the youngest landing clumsily as was his way. His gaze lingered on the lone female as she helped the pup to his feet with a reflexive gesture before his green eyes followed the gray wolf who walked ahead of them down the alley with his thumbs in his pockets again, and he shortly followed his leave with the tan, brown and black wolves at the tail.
Sure seems dodgy enough if you ask me, the she-wolf thought as she briefly took note of the few and obvious signs the town didn't like strangers, if the shades being drawn or fleeting glances here or there were enough of an indication.
"Guess they're not used to strangers?" The pup thought aloud as he looked at the noticeable signs of their welcoming wagon.
The tan wolf frowned, "Obviously…"
"What the hell kind of place is this? Must be some Paradise…" The oldest sardonically muttered at the helm; his sister and the white wolf shot him mild looks when he wasn't looking.
It seemed none of them noticed the set of brown eyes observing their entrance into the dismal city from the rooftops.
The five continued through the darkening streets for another half hour or so, the silent observer keeping them in sight all the while, before they came across the scent of something burning. No sooner did they shortly find a lit burn barrel in one alley's alcove.
A pack of five or so men were huddled around the barrel for warmth, and from a glance she could tell they had seen better days; their pack would've continued through the streets if the pudgy wolf didn't stop at seeing there was a woman amongst the overall-male company.
The other pack stopped in their quiet chatter amongst each other at hearing the foreign voice and simultaneously looked on the five as the alcove quieted. Even their watcher had stopped and sat on the high rooftop of the alcove to watch the scene below.
Nikki had half a right mind to clock some sense into the tan wolf for voicing his thoughts, slightly perking up from her place between the white wolf and her brother when one man straightened amongst the other party, and she looked on a face older than her brother with gold eyes and a vertical scar marring his left cheek.
She was no fool… She knew this was their territory, and this was undoubtedly their alpha.
"Where're you kids from?" Scar-face asked gruffly.
"The city to the north." Their leader answered plainly.
Scar-face huffed slightly, "What're you doing here, then?"
"Don't expect us to be doing business in this craptastic place, do you?" Her brother scoffed.
"Well then where're you going?" Scar-face's brow twitched slightly at the gray wolf's comment.
The pudgy wolf blinked once, "'Where're we going'?" He echoed.
"To Paradise!" The pup answered proudly.
The word seemed to be like a stigma, as the second party stiffened slightly at the pup's answer, before their leader broke the moment of tension when he started laughing, and soon his pack joined in. Their watcher, on the other hand, found the other pack's bravado interesting… Despite her pack's amusement.
Toboe frowned in confusion, "Um, why're they laughing…?"
"It's obviously because they don't know crap about Paradise." Nikki scoffed coolly.
The other party stiffened at the she-wolf's remark as their collective stares fell on her as if she were a riddled dog; their watcher slightly tensed in place, wondering what would happen next.
Her blue eyes gave off a steely glint despite the white wolf at her side who slightly raised his arm to protect her.
"We know all about it." Scar-face growled.
Kiba glared slightly at him; Tsume scoffed even though he automatically disliked how they looked at his sister; Nikki's upper lip gave a twitch in threat of curling back.
"It's nothin' but a stupid legend!" A second voice said from amidst the other party, and they looked at a pudgy wolf with a fat snout.
"'Legend'?" Toboe repeated with curiosity even as his confused frown deepened.
"That's right, kid, there's no such place as Paradise! What we saw wasn't Paradise… It was more like hell, to be honest." Fat-nose scoffed.
Tsume scoffed again, "Well there's a shock."
"Maybe your fat nose led you to hell instead… Paradise is real, and snarky words from a pack of fleabags isn't going to stop us from finding it." Nikki promised as she tilted her chin up in pride, glaring at the pudgy wolf.
Damn, their watcher mused with a wry and rather awestruck look towards the she-wolf.
Fat-nose smirked ruefully at the cocky female, "You brats would do well to keep your whore in place." He said.
Nikki flashed her teeth as a growl came from her throat, "Don't got the balls to do it yourself then, fleabag?" She purred.
"Why you little…" Fat-nose growled out.
Kiba fisted a hand in her scruff as she had taken a few steps forward and yanked her back, holding fast to her coat collar. "You're outnumbered." He hissed in her ear, ignoring the soft snarl she threatened to voice.
"Enough." Scar-face snapped at his packmate, shooting him a look that made the latter reluctantly stand down. He glared at the irate she-wolf who was restrained by the white wolf's firm grip, nodding to said alpha. "You'll find out soon enough. Why don't you lot take your bitch and get lost… You do have somewhere to go, don't you?" He snapped.
Kiba glared back even as he reluctantly let go of her coat only to let Tsume usher their riled she-wolf away and down the alley as he sent a final glare at the other party, following Hige and Toboe when the younger tugged on his arm to urge they leave. His ears burned when the other pack's laughter echoed in their wake.
He wasn't blind to the other she-wolf having watched the scene play out from the rooftop of the alcove wall, but the matter of their she-wolf needed to be dealt with first.
"I could've handled it!" Nikki nearly exploded as she shoved away from her brother's arm around her shoulders once they had put about five blocks between they and the other wolves, glaring up at her brother's stony face before looking annoyedly on the white wolf who had traipsed to walk behind them.
Tsume folded his arms at his chest, "Like hell; there were too many of them for just you to take on, and it would've been really immature if you'd attacked just because they called you names." He reasoned. He had been the one to teach her to defend herself long ago, and today was one of those instances where he wished she wasn't such a hothead.
Today was coincidentally another day where he didn't know what the hell he was going to do with her.
"Tsume's right. You were obviously outnumbered, and I for one didn't want the outcome of your little display to weigh on my conscience." Kiba agreed while placing his hands in the pockets of his jacket, momentarily surprising himself at actually agreeing with Tsume.
Nikki glared at them both and gave a growl. "I don't even know why… You know what, I'm not listening to either of you two jackasses. You because you're being such a damn hypocrite, and you for telling me what the hell to do when you don't own me! So until you can actually let me be my own person, don't bother talking to me for the rest of the night!" She shouted as she flippantly gestured between Tsume and Kiba before twisting on her heel to stride off down the long and narrow alley with her hands stuffed into the pockets of her coat.
Toboe hesitated for a moment at seeing the somewhat dejected look that graced the two older wolves' faces, before he jogged after the she-wolf. "Wait up, Nikki!" He said.
Hige kept his mouth shut for fear of getting the stink eye from either of his fellow males as he followed the brown and black wolves' leave, "Oi, hang on, you two!"
Kiba lifted a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, "Is she always so hotheaded?"
"I've come to the conclusion that she got that from our dad." Tsume mused blandly, following the three at a calmer pace and hearing Kiba shortly follow.
::::x x::::
The man passed her just as she walked into the alley. She wrinkled her nose in disgust when he passed by.
Slave-driver… She had never liked when her father dealt with him.
"…Seeing those kids today reminded me of when you were younger, with that fire in their eyes." The older she-wolf mused thoughtfully.
Her significant other looked away from her to his pup who had an unamused look on her pretty face. He had to look twice, as he was wont to do now and then whenever she popped in on him, given he thought it was her mother he saw. But it was his daughter, his only pup out of five that was still alive.
"He still reeks of petroleum." She huffed with a glance over her shoulder at where the mentioned man went. She caught the nostalgic light in his gold eyes and her unamused look fell a degree, adding, "they went near the cemetery, about a half-hour ago."
"And you would've been spotted if you'd tailed them into the graveyard." He nodded, clearing his throat, "Good work, but you won't need to tail them from here on." He added and caught the surprised look on her face.
The gray wolf closed her mouth and scowled, "But Da, I can stay quiet and you know that! Yuri had entrusted his job to me if something ever happened to him…"
"Your father is only being protective, Erika, don't take it personally." The older she-wolf intervened patiently.
Said she-wolf stiffened slightly before snapping, "Go shake your tail somewhere else, Cole…"
"Eri." Her father snapped, making her flinch and slowly scowl up at him. "Go now." He ordered.
Brown eyes narrowed into a hurt glare, she looked away and stormed past him, sharply clipping the shoulder of her father's second-in-command as she went.
"Can't have your way all the time, brat!" the fat-nosed wolf called with a huff in her wake, smirking ruefully when he was shown a rude hand gesture in response, looking at his alpha, "She's about as spiteful as that little bitch from earlier." He chuckled.
::::x x::::
"This place is givin' me the creeps…" Toboe muttered as he hung back with Hige.
Nikki glanced around at the old cemetery they had wandered into via Tsume's lead and wrinkled her nose as she could smell the antiquity of the place just by looking around. She followed the gray wolf's lead with her lips pursed; she was still not happy with him, or with the hotshot at her heels, and had since pretended she didn't know either of them and had hung with Hige and Toboe.
So what if she was being childish? It wasn't her fault they were in this craptastic place.
"Guys, I keep hearing something weird!" Toboe commented again as he shot a nervous look around them as if the dead in their graves would leap out at him at any second.
Tsume tried his damnedest to not slap his forehead, "Damn it, would you stop being afraid of everything?" He demanded shortly.
Seconds later a grave yards infront of them burst up with dirt and made the two younger males yelp and jump simultaneously in surprise as the she-wolf gave a yelp and reflexively ducked behind her brother who had slightly jumped when the younger males did.
A grizzled old wolf with gray fur looked on the five spooked wolves from his place in the grave.
"H-hey gramps, what d'ya think you're doing? You scared the crap out of us!" Hige barked.
The old wolf blinked once, "Oh? I'm sorry, I was just digging a hole for myself." He explained.
"'A hole for yourself'?" Toboe echoed.
Kiba raised both brows, "You mean you were digging your own grave?"
"Well when you get to my age, you begin to recognize when your time is coming." Gramps answered simply.
Tsume snorted slightly, "Then maybe you should dig a little faster… Ow." He winced slightly when his sister slugged his arm in scolding, rubbing his arm as he scowled at her.
"I thought I was a goner too…" Toboe mumbled.
Nikki slightly shook her head, "Sorry Gramps, but do you know if there are any lunar flowers in this city?" She asked politely and ignored the somewhat-incredulous glances she earned from three of her four companions.
The old man's face lit up at that and he replied with a grand gesture of his arms, "The flower bed that goes on forever!"
Kiba and Nikki perked up at his words.
"Long, long ago, flowers bloomed all over this island. But then one day they were dug up, and now there isn't a single petal left." Gramps explained.
"That doesn't explain the scent…" Nikki mumbled as she looked off at the rest of the cemetery.
"Can you tell us what color the flowers were?" Toboe asked.
Gramps smiled, "Oh… Well, they were the color of the moon!"
"And what about Paradise, have you ever been there?" Tsume asked if only to humor the old man.
"Well every wolf goes off in search of it at one point in their lives; I went to try and find it myself, once." Gramps replied calmly.
Toboe asked, "What'd you do?"
Once getting out of the grave he'd dug, Gramps led the five away from the clustered grave markers to a more secluded part of the cemetery where two aged trees marked the unused storm drain that was boarded up.
"That's the entrance over there," Gramps said as he pointed at the storm drain.
Hige covered his nose with his sleeve, "Ugh it reeks like death warmed over!"
"And here I thought it would smell nice…" Toboe lamented.
Nikki covered her nose with her hand and watched Kiba step closer to the storm drain with a curious and rather cautious look.
"I wouldn't. There've been many young wolves that have set out through there, but sadly none of them ever reached Paradise... Those who're left return to make what life they can here like the rest of us." Gramps advised with a sad tone.
Nikki bristled when feeling eyes on her, as she and Kiba looked back to see Scar-face standing yards away from them.
"Alright Gramps, that's enough for today; don't forget that there's work to be done tomorrow." Scar-face advised the old wolf.
Gramps nodded, "I see… I've dug it deep enough." He stepped away from the young wolves to heed his alpha's advice.
"Hang on, when you and your pack tried to get to Paradise, did you use this path?" Kiba demanded.
"I thought I told you Paradise doesn't exist." Scar-face replied flatly.
"Zoli…" Gramps began as he looked at his leader.
The newly-christened Zoli glared at the younger wolves, "If you brats disturb the peace of my pack in any way, I'll show no mercy. Now get out of town, is that clear?" He ordered, turning to lead Gramps away and back to the lonely city.
Nikki spat in his wake, huffing. "Wrinkled old bastard… Who the hell does he think he is to order us around?" Noone owned her; her life was her own, and noone told her where to go or who to follow… It was as simple as that.
"Can't calm down for one second, can you?" Kiba grumbled as he looked at her with a knowing light in his eyes.
Nikki considered opening her mouth to retort but instead she turned her head away, gave a 'humph' and strode away with her tail in the air, leading the way in the direction of a mausoleum she had spotted earlier.
Tsume exhaled patiently as he shortly followed her lead, Toboe at his heels and Hige at his side, with Kiba at the tail.
"So do you still believe in it?" Tsume asked their leader when they had found the mausoleum she had spotted and took a moment's respite in the run-down shelter.
"'Believe in' what?" Kiba glanced back at him.
Tsume clarified, "Paradise… They said they'd been there, but apparently there's no such place."
"What they found obviously wasn't Paradise." Kiba replied blandly.
"I swear I don't know where you get your confidence from… Must've gotten it from the same place my sister did." Tsume scoffed in disbelief before he sobered and added, "Anyway, you know there's no such place, and there's no guarantee that we'd ever make it there… We'd be stupid to keep going." He scowled at him.
Nikki exhaled, "Those dogs clearly didn't find Paradise and even if it's a rumor of a scent, I smelled flowers here, too. Whether you like it or not, I want to find out what it is they're hiding, because it's not the rationed food they keep to themselves." She scowled at her brother as blue met amber.
"Nikki's right, and anyway, you guys are only making yourselves hungrier when you're angry." Toboe agreed.
Tsume huffed and relaxed on the pile of rubble he sat by, "Maybe we should start digging holes and living in the gutter like that old man." He contemplated.
Kiba let his eyes linger on the she-wolf who only hugged her knees and looked down, and he looked off at the darkened cemetery beyond them as he stated, "It's not confidence… I'm not sure what it is, but I know it's there, screaming inside me. I have to know… That's the only reason I've kept going for so long. I can't imagine living without believing in it."
Nikki glanced up at him as she listened to his words, blinking once in surprise when Hige sat up from his place lounging with Toboe to look off at one corner that was caved in. She followed his gaze to recognize the woman from earlier as she came into the light; she frowned slightly in suspicion.
"You kids must be starving." The woman said with a serene smile on her pretty face.
Hige scrambled to grovel up to her like a hungry puppy, oblivious to his friend who slapped her forehead in exasperation. "Yes, yes we are; you're so generous!" He said chirpily.
Kiba spared the woman a brief look before he stepped out into the cold. Nikki shook her head at seeing him leave and she gave a half-sigh as she straightened to follow him out.
::::x x::::
Curiosity had always been her curse, since she was a cub… Still, he didn't have to remind her about it nearly every day of her life.
The she-wolf purposefully kicked the pebble along, huffing at his words that nagged her. Seriously, doesn't he know that I know that? He thinks just because of what happened years ago that I'm gonna jump to my death or something drastic like that… She wrinkled her nose at the idea, looking up when a howl sounded in the cold night.
The pack had split up since Cole had gone and done her "missionary work" a couple of hours ago now, their alpha and his presumed mate being first to leave the ruined mausoleum they had taken shelter in, and the gray wolf and what she assumed was his little brother had returned to the city to wind up at the train station. The tan wolf, a pudgy flirt from what she could guess, had taken Cole's bait with ease.
Still, what that she-wolf had said in the alcove had made her mind race ever since.
If Paradise was real, truly honest-to-the-moon real, then why did her brothers and the other wolves she grew up with have to die in the tunnels?
Trainers coming to a halt, she recognized the numbing melancholy the memory of that day brought out in her –dragged it out of her, really, as she wasn't one to dwell on it too long— and shook her head before looking up again as the howl sounded closer to recognize her wandering had brought her to the train station.
It was a few hours till sunrise, and blessedly she didn't have to work when asked to spy on visitors.
"I must be nuts." She muttered, ascending the front stairs of the station entrance.
The station was quiet, almost as silent as a ghost-town, and she found the gray and brown wolves with ease as they were in the small lobby. She blinked once when the pup was first to see her and his older companion lifted his head from lying on a bench to see what had caught his attention, before she calmed and stepped closer. "You guys weren't waiting long, were you?" She asked.
"We just got here, or at least it feels like it…" The brunette pup replied, offering a sheepish smile that she found cute, the four silver bangles on his wrist jingling when he rubbed his neck. "Um, do you live here?" He asked.
She smiled wryly and shrugged, answering, "I guess you could say that. My father kind of dragged me here, like a year ago…"
"Sounds like he picked the wrong place to raise a brat if you ask me." The gray wolf interrupted calmly as he had relaxed on the bench when seeing the runt was okay with her.
"Come on, Tsume, don't be like that…" The pup chided with a look back at his companion.
Her smile faltered and she replied rather defensively, "It's not so bad once you get used to it, y'know."
The pup put in before his companion could rebut, "I'm sorry he said that, he's just grumpy because we haven't eaten anything in a while… I'm Toboe, by the way, and that's Tsume. What's your name?" He introduced, catching her by surprise for a moment.
"It's Erika, but everyone calls me 'Eri'… Easier to remember." The she-wolf smiled slightly, glancing behind the christened pup to his companion and noting that he was sore about something or another.
Probably about getting yelled at by their she-wolf.
::::x x::::
Why she had followed him out he hadn't much of a clue; the only reason he could see was that she didn't want to be in the same room with a hungry Hige who showed his belly to the first woman who smiled at him with food on hand… That much he could sympathize with.
Still, she wasn't speaking to him since earlier… She was too cocky for her own good and she would sooner die than be cowed by anyone she didn't like, but she was compassionate and kind behind that façade she had built up for years it seemed.
And to make things worse, she did things to him that just drove him crazy.
Kiba inhaled as he risked another look over at her.
They had walked in silence around the outskirts of the city and, it was when they passed by one ledge of stone that served as a broken off jetty, she stopped walking to rest her feet as she sat down and let her legs dangle over the ledge. Thinking of those wolves that she had ruffled the proverbial feathers of only hours ago, he had dropped back to sit with her.
Even if she was perpetually impossible, he felt he should stick with her… especially in this place.
Nikki watched the stars twinkle and wink down at them from their place in the heavens and almost forgot she had been miffed with her likewise-silent companion. And no matter what she did, his earlier statement about Paradise made a shiver crawl down her spine.
She didn't entirely want to acknowledge that he was here because of chivalry; she could protect herself, especially with those dogs looming about… He didn't need to worry about her.
But he did anyway.
Boy was he stubborn… But strangely, she liked that about him. It made arguing with him that much more fun, and he didn't make it any better for himself when he would make that face when she stumped him, his lips forming into that cute crooked line, and the more she noticed, his green eyes even appeared to have specks of ice…
Damn it, why was she getting giddy over him? He was just another wolf, he was her friend and companion, he was Kiba!
Her Kiba…
She bristled slightly as a shiver raced up her spine at those two little words that made her ache, and she aimlessly kicked her feet as if that would ward away the sensation of heat slowly trickling and pooling in the pit of her belly just thinking about him… Shit, she was screwed.
Nikki lifted a hand to run her fingers through her black hair and reflexively knot in the strands as she inhaled and scowled up at the stars as if they were taunting her.
She was so screwed it wasn't the least bit funny.
Kiba noticed the obviously nervous undertone in her gestures, and while this perplexed him because he had never seen her behave that way infront of him, he couldn't help but find it interesting.
He could only guess what was going on in her head.
Exhaling through her flared nostrils, the she-wolf gave a soft and low growl of frustration and stood up from the jetty to start walking away further along the outskirts.
It's not that she wanted to get killed or get her ass kicked, she just didn't want to succumb to those stupid emotions that only intensified the longer she sat there with him in the freaking starlight in such a freaking romantic spot…
"Can't be that angry with me for earlier." Damn him. He was at her heels within seconds and she cursed him even as he came to her right; he glanced down at her from walking in the direction she was going.
Nikki scoffed indifferently and pretended she didn't hear him, picking up her pace to walk ahead of him, only to have him traipse to her side within seconds due to his longer legs. She bristled and stopped just shy of approaching an old wooden fence to scowl up at him as he stopped to face her. "I just… I needed a breath of air. Was starting to get claustrophobic back there." Under the stars with him at her side… She internally growled at the whimsy of it all.
Kiba cocked a dubious brow and felt his lips quirk up at the corners. "It's not like we're back under the dome… I'm glad you're speaking to me, though." He observed.
"I…" Damn it, this was not fair, he was not fair…! She huffed and turned to storm away through the break in the wooden fence to put as much distance between herself and that hotshot, finding a narrow alley dimly lit by a streetlight that looked like it would blow out at any second as it flickered above her.
Much to her chagrin he trailed after her leave with an exasperated exhale escaping his lips as he followed her into the alley. "Why are you running?" He demanded patiently even though he knew that was slowly chipping due to her subconscious need to skirt around the obvious.
She stopped short of hopping a low fence at the back of the alley to square her shoulders and sigh shortly, turning slightly to face him as he had stopped only feet away. "I'm not running, I just don't feel like talking." She snapped.
Kiba folded his arms at his chest as he huffed softly. "You can't lie very well to me, can you?" Why did she look beautiful even in the dim light of that streetlight…?
Bristling at his accurate observations, Nikki glared at him. "I don't have to answer to that…" She sniffed as she strode away back the way they had come.
For the moon's sake… Kiba gave a quiet growl as he grabbed a fistful of her coat hem and gently yanked her back, hearing her slight yelp when she was forced to face him, looking down at her as she had accidentally bumped into his chest with her hands lifted to put some measure of distance between their bodies. "Do you have any idea of how much you drive me crazy?" He wondered pointedly, distinctly feeling a shiver race through her body as he held her hands to his chest.
"Well that's your problem more than it is mine…" Nikki hissed as she fought the shiver that jolted along her spine like lightning as she glared up at his darkened green eyes, her words leaving her when his head tilted and his lips crushed hers. She stiffened slightly in surprise before she found her lips betraying her pride as she was kissing back, voicing a growl of frustration that earned a chuckle from him; she jerked her hands free to tease him as she dragged her nails along his neck, hearing a growl come from the mighty alpha, before her fingers knotted in his messy hair and she shoved her tongue against his as a defense against his subconscious will to dominate her.
Kiba groaned into her mouth as he bit her lip and made her draw back for a second only for him to pin her to the nearby wall as his lips covered hers and hungrily stole the breath she sought to curse him with from her, his hands moving of their own accord as one hand fisted his fingers in her black hair and the other kept her close by his grip on her coat.
Nikki managed a slight gasp of protest when his hands found their places on her body, and she growled annoyedly against his damned smiling lips as she lowered one hand from his hair to rake down his left side so her claws dug into the soft flesh of his belly under his white shirt. She smirked victoriously when hearing him hiss between his teeth at her claws, giving a soft whine she didn't know was there when he drew away to catch his breath and inadvertently let her breathe as well; she panted softly and looked up at him from under her brow with curious and strangely innocent eyes.
His face softened at the odd innocence that brightened her blue eyes and he gave a breathy chuckle. "You're cute when you try." He mused quietly.
She felt her flushed cheeks heat up a bit at his words and she glanced away with a reflexive scoff. "You're impossible..." She mumbled, slightly squeaking when he kissed her again, calming when she recognized he didn't seek to dominate but instead kissed for the hell of it. She smiled slowly and hugged his neck with one arm and lifted the other to trace her fingers along the contours of his left cheek as she reciprocated, finding it was easier kissing him when he wasn't being so assertive.
Kiba ran his fingers through her hair to let his fingers trace the cold steel of her right ear's piercings as he slowly drew away from her kisses, feeling a shiver crawl up his arms as her fingers traced his cheek, letting her regain her breath.
Nikki lowered her hand only to pinch his cheek and she giggled when a growl came from him at her gesture, drawing back to smirk at him. "Now we're even." She said.
Briefly wracking his brain for the moment she referred to, Kiba felt his brow twitch as he exhaled shortly and smiled. "Yeah." He amended.
The couple left the alley in favor of continuing their walk. She found it interesting and sweet of him to hold her hand in his as they walked the lonely streets, preferably out of chivalry.
"You two lovebirds shouldn't be waltzing around!" A voice said when they passed a familiar alcove, and the couple looked over at the pack of four or five that stood around the burn barrel that was lit again.
Nikki felt a bristle rise along her spine and she looked away to start leading him away by the hand. "Come on…" She muttered, even though her instincts screamed at her to put those mongrels in their place.
"Should move with your pack!" A second wolf said before they started laughing at the joke.
Kiba exhaled shortly and stopped, causing her to stop as well given their clasped hands, and he scowled over at the others. "What're you lot doing, standing around without a purpose?" He retorted.
"What'd you say?" Fat-nose was among them, much to her chagrin, as he looked over at the two.
Nikki smiled coldly as she lingered at the white wolf's side, "Figures that only these dogs would be thrown out into the cold, as worthless as they are." She chimed in.
Fat-nose growled and stepped away from the burn barrel, "You smart-mouthed little bitch…"
A growl rumbled in Kiba's chest as Nikki brazenly bared her teeth when the five wolves circled them, and with a short bark they converged on the two.
Fur flew in the air as the couple sprang into action, Kiba taking on two on his own as Nikki took the remaining three.
One wolf yelped sharply in pain when she ripped into his side and was knocked away by the she-wolf, fleeing the scene with his tail between his legs as she turned on the second and headbutted him in the cheek to knock him back into a nearby dumpster back-first.
The black wolf yipped when the third wolf grabbed her scruff in his jaws and threw her aside so she rolled.
'No!' The white wolf snarled between cowing one of the two wolves he had taken on, kicking him away to lunge for the pudgy wolf that advanced on her when he was knocked aside by the wolf he had snapped at.
Nikki scrambled back onto her feet to circle Fat-nose, baring her teeth with her tail in the air, before she snarled as she leapt at him and narrowly avoided having her paw snapped in his jaws to tear into his thick scruff and clamp her stronger jaws in his bleeding shoulder to toss him away. She pinned him to the ground when he landed on his belly, her teeth yanking on one of his ears and she momentarily took pleasure in hearing a pained whimper from the older wolf. She thundered a growl and yanked harder, 'Stay away from my pack, you worthless dog.' She advised coldly, releasing his ear to lope away down the alley and hearing her companion shortly tail her.
Once they put enough distance between they and the defeated wolves, she shook her fur and gave a short howl of victory, her ears twitching when he joined in for that moment. She turned to the wolf who looked as scruffy as her but he still looked painstakingly mighty to her eyes, and her tail wagged as she leaned in to bury her nose into his thick scruff with a relieved whine.
He smiled as his tail wagged at having escaped that alley safely and with his beautiful she-wolf at his side, and he gently nipped her ear with a soft growl.
A loud howl then ripped into the night, breaking what measure of a moment they had as both wolves looked up at the familiar call.
'Toboe…' She began with a worried light that entered her silver eyes.
His face seemed to harden as he nodded, 'Something's up. Come on.' He led the way at a sprint as they flew in the direction of the train station blocks away.
::::x x::::
The pup perked up when Zoli's attention was drawn away from the spectacle, looking at where his gaze went. "Guys, look!" He declared, making the three look off at the new arrivals.
The white wolf looked from the humans with whips on hand to the wolves hooked to the sled carrying the crates of supplies as his blood boiled and he bolted for the humans at top speed with a snarl escaping him. A heavier body dropped ontop of him before he could reach the humans and he fell with the other retraining him and trying to pin him as he squirmed and snarled and fought.
A loud growl ripped into the air as a streak of black knocked the older alpha off her companion, both gray and black wolves rolling away. The enraged she-wolf quickly took the precious seconds the older wolf used to regain himself to hop onto his back and sink her teeth into his scruff, claws digging into his sides as he snarled and bucked and tried to get her off his back even as she held fast, snarling back with her tail in the air. 'Leave him be!' She angrily growled between the dark gray fur in her mouth.
Zoli ran for the nearest concrete wall on the side of the ramp and slammed his left side into the concrete, hearing a pained yelp escape the she-wolf who fell from his back and crumpled to the floor; he glowered down at her before a thunderous snarl came from the white wolf who flew at him from the left and knocked him away from contemplating doing anything else to his female.
Nikki felt her head spin as she shook it and steadily straightened to her feet, stiffening slightly when a muzzle nudged hers from the right, and she looked into the familiar dark gold eyes of her brother. She whined softly in relief and rested her head against his cheek. 'Tsume…' She began.
Tsume held her close and was mindful of her probably-bruised back, looking off at Zoli and Kiba with hardened amber eyes.
an: sorry for the delay guys! i had a sudden epiphany like at last second and decided to edit this before it got any further along. hope you guys liked the changes? idk but i gotta thank everyone who's been keeping up with this story so far, you guys are amazing :)