*
key: 'wolf speech' / "human speech"

GOSPEL II

A hiss escaped from between her teeth. "Damn it…"

"I told you to keep still… It's not like this is easy for me either." He scolded impatiently, hearing her give a 'humph' and shut up as he finished winding the wrappings around her bruised back.

She was silently grateful she had chosen to keep a damn bra given situations like this, and she gingerly straightened to shrug her gray tank back on, looking down at the wrappings around her left wrist that slightly overlapped the binds she had kept on her hands to protect them from the elements, and she looked for her coat only to be handed it by her brother. She slightly scowled as she snatched it from his hand and shrugged it over her shoulders, looking away.
"Thanks." It's not that she was still miffed from the other day, she was just waiting for the lecture she knew would come, and there was no doubt that it would come soon.

He wasn't their father but he didn't miss a chance to act like him when she was in trouble… So typical.

Hige and Toboe had been shooed out of the mausoleum minutes ago to go find some food and or herbs on the pup's part as he wanted to help the couple who were still recovering from the fortnight's fiasco. And to make her luck worse, Tsume was left in charge as the pupsitter.

Kiba looked up at her as she sat with him, slightly straightening in his slouching position only to regret it as his back protested the motion, and he calmed when she reached to stroke his cheek. Blue met green and he smiled wryly, holding her hand to his cheek. "You look like crap." He mused.

Nikki's lip jutted out and she lightly slapped his cheek. "Pot calling the kettle black." She remarked before quieting when he chuckled, and her face softened as she looked away with a giggle.

While the thought of mushy romantic crap going on infront of him automatically left him nauseated, the gray wolf would admit it was nice to see her brighten up again. It felt like centuries since he'd seen her smile like that. Shoving the melancholy away, Tsume folded his arms at his chest. "Y'know it's not over just yet." He reminded.

"Those mongrels don't deserve a lick of respect from me, Zoli included… How can any wolf live like this, anyway, scrounging and accepting that you're no worse than a lapdog?" Nikki remarked before her lip curled at the thought of being a human's pet.

She would never let that happen to herself, or to the boys.

"We did what we had to do when we lived in the dome, Nikki." Except for the lapdog part. Tsume scowled at her and continued when she started to retort, "And if I recall correctly, I wasn't the one who pissed off those dogs that we could've just left alone so we wouldn't still be in this craptastic place." He shot a look at Kiba who had glanced at her from looking up at him.

"Well I didn't see you do anything about it, so someone had to, Tsume! I won't knuckle under just to please a pack of cowed dogs who sell their own souls, and you know that." Nikki snapped as she straightened to glare at him, hackles bristling even as her ribs ached at the quick movement.

"You forget that I know you, and I know that those dogs weren't the only reason you jumped their alpha." Tsume growled out as his amber gaze fell on the white wolf again.

Nikki's mouth curled into a snarl closed shut at his observations and she glanced away as her ears burned.

"It wasn't her fault." Kiba said from behind, making her look at him with slight surprise, and he continued, "Nikki only acted to defend me, and because what Zoli did pissed the both of us off. We had to do something." He steadily got to his feet and slightly shook his head when she moved to help him up, green meeting amber.

"The next time you want to act like a hero, don't drag her into it. I don't care for whatever-the-hell happened between you two last night but drag her into something that stupid again and I'll kick your ass. Got it?" Tsume said as he took a step closer to their supposed leader and ignored the reproving look from his sibling.

Kiba nodded slightly and caught the mild exasperation in said she-wolf's eyes, smiling wryly, "At least we agree on something, for once." He said if only to ease her mind.

Nikki gave a short exhale, "I'd punch you if you weren't still recovering… But you're right." She smirked cheekily at her brother's mild look before shuffling to grab the younger wolf's white shirt and toss it at him. "As tough as you are, y'look cold." She added.

Same old Nikki, Tsume thought as he resumed his place by the doorway. "Y'know, you two are almost as nauseatingly sweet as you usually are…" He mused aloud, his ears perking when they heard someone approaching the mausoleum and he bristled as he recognized who it was, ignoring the question in his sister's voice when he shifted to block the doorway.

A slight yelp came from the she-wolf when she ran face-first into his chest and stumbled back, rubbing her nose gingerly. "O-ow… Watch it!" She barked, looking up through one eye at the gray wolf and relaxing somewhat. "Oh you… Tsume, right?"

"What the hell're you doing here, brat? I'd have figured your alpha told you lot to steer clear of us." Tsume demanded, keeping his arms firmly folded at his chest, as his amber held her brown.

Eri tried not to wince at the thought of what had happened in the train station, also folding her arms. "He did, but I have a thing called 'selective hearing'… I imagine you're no stranger to it either." She replied coolly, sniffing.

"I thought making new friends who weren't human was beneath you, Tsume…" Nikki commented as she approached the two with her coat shrugged on her shoulders, looking at the younger wolf and smiling apologetically, "Sorry about him, he's just bein' a grouch. I didn't know there were other she-wolves on this island." She said.

Eri smirked briefly when the other she-wolf smacked her brother's arm and he reluctantly let her come in, pretending she didn't feel daggers sticking into her back coming from the older wolf. "Yeah, well, my father is kind of overprotective… I saw what happened at the station and came to see if you guys needed help." She replied, looking from the black wolf to her mate who looked as banged-up as her, and she hurriedly looked elsewhere when his green eyes met her brown.

"Well we don't, least of all from you." Tsume stated firmly, ignoring the scowl from his sister, as he was also looking at her. He nodded at the doorway, "you prolly won't get too much lip from your old man if you leave us alone."

Eri bristled slightly and scowled at him, "Don't act so stubborn, I know you need help. If not for you then for your sister…"

"Leave her out of this, brat." Tsume growled out as he also bristled.

"You don't look much like him, y'know." Both gray wolves looked to the white wolf who had straightened with his jacket on his shoulders. "But I gotta admit it's strange for someone like you to help out a pack that isn't yours." He added pensively.

Nikki pondered for a moment on his statement and slightly tilted her head before it clicked, and she nodded, "I think it's sweet… I didn't catch your name, though." She smiled.

"E-eh, right… it's Eri." Eri slightly shook her head before returning the smile, surprised the other she-wolf wasn't as hostile towards her like she was towards her father. "Um, I heard what you said the other day, about Paradise… Are you serious about going there?" What was she doing, asking that of all things? She had believed, since that day, that Paradise wasn't real and that it was unreachable by all rights.

It was just an imaginary place… right?

Nikki blinked once before she pulled the sleeves of her coat on, "Yeah, of course. My –our—mother," she slightly nodded to her sibling, "always told me it existed, and I… Well, I believe her and I'm going to find out for myself." She explained, catching the hesitant but excited look in the other girl's brown eyes and her gaze softened slightly.

"You should come with us, if you're that curious about it." Kiba added, also seeing the excited look on her face, nodding to his significant other when meeting her surprised brown eyes, "pretty sure Nikki wouldn't mind having another girl around."

Nikki felt her ears warm up and she gently ribbed him, "Since when do you read minds…?"

"You can't be serious…" Tsume started with a disbelieving scoff.

Eri spoke up, "I would, I mean that since you're both being so nice and all, but my father…" She trailed off when the brown pup suddenly dashed into the mausoleum and brought his feet to a halt, surprising the four of them. "Toboe?" She wondered.

"Kiba, are you two okay now?" Toboe asked their leader.

Kiba nodded and replied, "Yeah, we're fine… Sorry."

"Eri, you're here too? What's going on?" Toboe asked surprisedly, looking at the second she-wolf.

Tsume cut in, "Where's Porky?"

Toboe gulped slightly and answered, "That's the problem; he got caught in a big trap, and the humans took him away somewhere!" Toboe answered.

"All he has to do is trick the humans who caught him and he's home free," Nikki offered, catching the grim look on the other female's face, and she raised both brows.

Toboe shook his head, "Yeah but he was knocked out by those other wolves, the ones that live here!"

Tsume grumbled an oath, "Why the hell would they do that…? And why didn't you let us know by howling? You should've followed them!" He declared as he scowled at the pup.

"Good point… Eri, wait, where're you going?" Toboe perked up as the second she-wolf left the mausoleum and Nikki shortly followed, "O-onee-chan, you guys shouldn't move so much!" He added worriedly as Kiba was on her heels.

Nikki scoffed even as she paused at the pup's words, "I'm not moving, I'm just gonna kill that fat-nosed dog, that's all." She looked at the white wolf, "Can you run?" She asked.

Kiba nodded and afforded a small smile of confirmation, "Yeah, let's go." He heard her shortly follow with Toboe at her side and Eri at the helm.

Tsume refrained from slapping his forehead once again as he followed the four before an idea came to him. "This'll take forever…!" He then rushed forward to hoist their supposed leader over his shoulder.

"H-hey, Tsume!" Kiba barked in surprise.

"I know who can tell us where they took him, come on!" Eri declared as she had jogged ahead of the pack, looking back at them for a moment to receive a curt nod from Nikki, before she led the way to the city at a sprint.

::::x x::::

The five wolves raced through the streets before the white wolf said he could walk on his own and therein made them stop so the gray wolf could let him down.

The younger she-wolf's ears perked as both she and the white wolf were first to spot the same woman from the night before as she walked into an alley yards away, and the five jogged to follow her into the alley.

Four of the male wolves from the previous night perked up at seeing their female had been followed, and one of the lankier wolves scoffed at seeing the younger wolves, "Guess last night's beating didn't sink in well, did it, lovebirds?" Their amusement was gone seconds later when recognizing the younger she-wolf and the same lankier wolf demanded, "What the hell're you doin' with them, Erika?"

"You know these guys, Eri?" Toboe asked as the attention was drawn to said she-wolf.

Eri ignored his question, stepping forward, "What'd you do with the tan wolf who's traveling with them, Jed? Where's Moss?" She demanded. It was only a matter of time before they realized whose daughter she was.

"Like we'd tell you… Even if Zoli is your old man, ya can't go ordering us around." The named wolf sneered as he came forward.

"Erika, we strictly told you not to get involved…" Cole spoke up this time with a reproving look on her pretty face.

Eri bristled, "I know that! Da may be your mate but you're not my mother, Cole, so don't start acting like it, okay?" She snapped, even though she held some respect for the woman but this wasn't the time or place. "I'm gonna ask again, what did you do with him?" She asked with what patience lingered.

She didn't look much like her father, except when she was in a mood, Tsume recognized, raising a brow as the other wolves stiffened and looked past them, making him look to see the named alpha had walked into the alley.

"Zoli?" Cole perked up.

"Da…" Eri began with some hurt before she demanded, "Da, what did you do?"

"You ordered this, then?" Tsume demanded of the older alpha.

Zoli scowled at him, "'Ordered' what, what're you talking about?"

"You sold our friend to those disgusting humans, didn't you?" Nikki asked sharply as she glared at him.

"He said for them to kill him, I heard him!" Toboe supplied as he pointed at Fat-nose.

"Moss!" Zoli growled out in annoyance as he put two and two together.

Nikki snarled as she sprang onto the fat-snouted wolf, hearing him snarl when she pinned him to the ground, to which she thundered a furious growl back. 'You traitorous son of a…'

A louder growl rang out as another set of teeth yanked on her scruff hard, making her yelp slightly, before she was tossed off of Moss. The she-wolf bared her teeth in anger only to stiffen when the older alpha decked his disobedient packmate.

"This is my pack!" Zoli snarled at her, watching the she-wolf straighten only to spit to the side and coldly glare at him, turning to the cowed wolf before him, "Why the hell did you sell out their friend, Moss?" He demanded coldly.

"He's an outsider, that's why, like that self-righteous whore back there." Moss scoffed as he rubbed his jaw, not missing the murderous glare from said she-wolf who was held back by her brother's grip. He nodded to the younger she-wolf, "But neither of 'em are as backstabbing as your brat! She disobeyed the pack…"

"Shut your mouth, Moss!" Eri snapped angrily, "I did what I thought was right!"

The second chubby wolf looked to his alpha, "The apple don't fall very far from the tree, right Zoli? Isn't it true you've been sellin' out your friends too? And don't play dumb; you don't even do a dog's work!"

Zoli glared at the main perpetrator, "Is that how you really feel?" He asked quietly, "I thought I was doing the right thing for the pack, so long as my feelings didn't get in the way. Everything I did, I did for the pack, for my daughter." He said, looking away to said female.

"Da…" Eri looked at him with surprise.

"Well none of us see you as the leader anymore!" Moss declared as he decked him and knocked him down so he and the other three wolves began beating him.

"No!" Eri exclaimed as she made to jump in when a firm hand grabbed her shoulder from behind, and she looked up at the gray wolf, frustrated tears starting to sting her eyes. "T-Tsume…" She began.

Tsume wasn't looking at her even as he heard her barely stifle a whimper, looking on the scene with disgust.

Kiba looked at their she-wolf as she winced when Cole demanded they stop beating the older alpha, meeting her blue eyes that held a measure of disgust for the scene.

Nikki glared after Moss as he and his friends fled the alley, stepping up to the older alpha as Eri was first to his side while Cole helped him sit up. "Where do you think they took him?" She asked quietly.

"They loaded him on an orange truck," Toboe answered, earning a glance from both she-wolves.

Zoli looked on the four wolves through one eye that wasn't as swollen as the other, "If you're thinking of giving up on Paradise, now would be the time." He said.

"I don't have anywhere to go back to; I have to keep going forward." Kiba answered.

"Even if we're headed to hell." Tsume agreed, earning four sets of eyes, and he continued as he stepped up to his sister's side, "You lot may not have gotten to Paradise, but there's no doubt in my mind that we're going to get there." He stated.

"Tsume…" Toboe said quietly in shock that was shared with Kiba and Nikki.

Eri sniffed and smiled wryly, looking at her father when recognizing what she had to do.

Nikki's eyes softened and she reflexively punched his shoulder. "At least we're going together… aren't we?" She wondered as their eyes met.

Tsume quieted and smirked wryly at seeing that zeal shine in her eyes, and he nodded. "You'd have to be crazy if y'think you're going any further without me." He replied, watching her beam.

Zoli stood then, earning a raised brow from the younger wolves as he nodded to his mate to assure her that he was fine, before he turned to lead the way down the alley and let the four wolves follow. He was surprised for a moment when hearing the lighter footsteps of his daughter to glance back and see her running along with the younger wolves, and he smiled wryly.

::::x x::::

Wincing from the rather hard fall while inside the cage, Hige opened his eyes to see his friends standing around his cage. He grumbled and straightened to his feet, "Why do you guys have to be so rough?" He whined.

"Do you know how lucky you are to be alive?" Toboe scolded.

Nikki gave an exasperated chuckle as she looked at the tan wolf, "Couldn't have said it better myself, pup."

"You can get yourself out of there, right?" Tsume rolled his eyes.

Hige huffed slightly, "Yeah but that barbaric crap isn't really my thing."

Kiba slightly shook his head before he stepped forward to bend the bars at the right enough angle for the tan wolf to slip out.

::::x x::::

Despite finding with no surprise that the tunnel stunk almost as badly as the entryway, she was glad to leave this place.

"You're not coming, then." Their leader wondered of the scarred wolf.

Said alpha let his eyes rest on the darkness in the tunnel, "Nah. But I'd like to think that, in the end, there's those who can make it to Paradise and there're also those who can't. I'm convinced of that… It's time you lot find out if there really is a Paradise at the end of this path."

Her brother huffed slightly, "Come to think of it, you don't really act like a wolf."

"Tsume," the younger alpha began to say.

"A wolf protects its own," the she-wolf remarked calmly as she nodded to the older alpha, "It's not normal for another alpha to look out for a pack that isn't his."

Zoli regarded the siblings and huffed wryly as he mused aloud, "Then maybe I have fallen." He looked at the second she-wolf as she looked both excited to leave and sad as well, placing his hand on her head and tousling her hair. "But you haven't… have you?"

Eri looked briefly at her age-mates before looking up at him and she hugged him, being held just as tightly, drawing away with some reluctance. "I still remember that day, when you came back by yourself, and I… I'm not gonna suffer like you did, Da. I think Mum would agree, if she were here... I want to see with my own eyes if Paradise is real after all." She said with another sniff at mention of her late mother.

Zoli smiled ruefully at the same thought, brushing locks of brown from her cheek, huffing. "That she would… She'd be proud that you're doing this. You're always going to be my pup, no matter what, but it's days like this where I almost forget how grown you are." He said as he nodded her forward, watching her smile sadly before she obeyed; he looked to the white wolf, "Keep an eye on her for me."

Kiba caught the flicker of pity in his mate's blue irises and nodded slightly to the older alpha, being first to take off down the tunnel. He glanced to the left when their she-wolf came to his flank and heard Tsume, Hige, Toboe and Eri follow them.

an: forgot to mention in the last note, but the chaps from here on are edited. again, hope you guys don't hate me too much for that? anyway, adding one more chap today just bc i love you guys.