key: 'wolf speech' / "human speech"

Float

Given two out of the four males were the only ones thinking coherently, they found their leader's trudging on without having consulted with which way he was leading them to be irksome if not annoying. Especially after they had left the island not two weeks ago.

"Since you haven't been definite so far, just what's leading you now?" The oldest of their little pack asked as he had trailed after their designated alpha.

Said younger wolf confidently replied over his shoulder, "I'm going on instinct."

"'Instinct'…?" The pudgy wolf echoed with some exasperation, looking at the older female for some measure of sanity. "Oi Nik, you can't say you agree with him… right?"

Said she-wolf seemed thoughtful for a moment from her place walking with both younger wolves, "Well yeah, actually. I think we're headed in the right direction for once." She answered.

"You're almost as vague as your boytoy here…" Her brother muttered as he lagged behind to look at her, pretending she didn't scowl at overhearing him.

Hige lamented, "For once we agree on something… I just wish we felt like we were getting closer to actually getting somewhere…"

Toboe made a face, "Come on, Hige, you've gotta think positive…" He looked at the younger she-wolf, "Even Eri's being more positive than you are!" He added.

Eri smiled sheepishly at being pulled into the conversation, "Toboe has a point, especially since you're the one who was almost mince-meat." She nodded to the tan wolf, giggling when he pouted at the reminder.

"Still think it's too early for you to take sides, brat." Tsume huffed. He hadn't been too thrilled to have another wolf with them, especially since Zoli was her father, and especially since she was almost as annoying as his sister. "'Sides, you're gonna get Porky's hopes up."

"I'd have thought sounding cool for one second of your life would've convinced you to pull the stick out of your ass, jerkoff." Eri sniffed even as her brow twitched for a moment.

"Like you're one to talk, bratzilla… And if anyone's got a stick up their ass, it's obviously you." Tsume scoffed annoyedly as he scowled back at her.

"Please, I'm a ray of sunshine compared to you…" Eri retorted as she returned the scowl.

"Guys, come on…" Nikki tried to placate the squabbling couple before her ears twitched at catching the shrill beeping of an airship above. She winced at the sharpness of the noise as they had stopped to look up at the clouded skies where the noise came from, contemplating covering her ears like the pup had.

"I hate that noise…" Toboe grumbled, and Tsume couldn't find room to disagree.

The ground shook beneath them then as an aerial battle broke out in the skies above, making the pup yelp in surprise as he latched onto the younger she-wolf near him who also started.

Feeling that familiar tug which was more like a sharp yank that pulled at her chest, Nikki flinched before she looked up at the sky, "No way… Kiba!" She declared in shock.

"I felt it too… She's there!" Kiba agreed in an awestruck tone, surprising the quartet, as he walked ahead of them towards the source.

Tsume scowled between the couple, "It's none of our business; snap out of it, Kiba." He said as he looked at their alpha who hadn't seemed to hear a word he said.

Kiba bristled slightly and looked at his pack, "Don't you guys feel anything?" He demanded before loping off towards where the Beacon would be.

"Does he always do this...?" Eri wondered aloud, perking up as Nikki raced after him. "H-hey, Nikki!"

"Wait up, guys!" Hige called.

Tsume muttered a 'tch' and looked at the three, "Come on!" He raced after the couple.

::::x x::::

Being here at the top of the mountain was actually peaceful. It seemed all the frustration and griping was gone like if it had never entered their pack.

For once in her life, she felt at peace.

Her claws stuck into the bank of the large pond as she had hesitated to follow him to greet the pale girl they had chased for what felt like years. She felt at peace here but at the same time some part of her –the doubt instilled in the back of her mind that Tsume had fed through the last count of years—still wondered if this wasn't a dream or if she had inhaled the stink of that tunnel from the island which caused her to hallucinate… Her silver gaze was caught in the crimson stare of the Flower Maiden, and it took her conscious a half second before she recognized the girl was staring at her.

A kind smile appeared on the girl's lips and she said gently, "It is alright… This one has been waiting for you as well, Nikki."

Nikki steeled herself from hesitating further, declawing her paws from the bank to walk forward into the shallow waters to greet the girl, slightly wincing when a warm nose nudged her cheek from the left. She met the softened gold eyes of the white wolf and calmed, nudging back and her tail wagged slightly when he grumbled affectionately, looking up as the girl placed a hand on her head with the same kind smile in place.

That doubt that she had carried, the frostbitten and hardened doubt she'd held for most of her teenage years, was now gone… Her mother had been right all along.

Paradise was real.

::::x x::::

If she didn't already detest humans…

Eri winced at the repeating gunfire's noise, poking her head out for a second only for the soldier who had spotted her to be cut down by their alpha. "No chill whatsoever…" She mused aloud, ears twitching when the other she-wolf placed a hand on her shoulder, looking at her. "Nikki?"

"Stay with Toboe," Nikki instructed her, receiving a short nod, before joining her packmates in fending off the soldiers they had the unfortunate chance of running into, lunging at another oncoming soldier and knocking him down with his throat ripped open. She briefly glanced at the shocked expression on his face before huffing as she snatched the small belt he'd had that had a few grenades still unlocked hanging from the belt. "These might be useful…"

"Nikki!" Kiba snatched her out of the way just as a hail of bullets came on them from one of the smaller tunnels leading to theirs, covering her even as a stray bullet whizzed past his ear, and he perked up when the bullets suddenly stopped flying.

Both chosen wolves poked their heads out of hiding to see Hige and Tsume had returned in time, the latter wolf flicking stray blood from his trusted knife.

"Your timing was actually perfect for once." Nikki huffed as she straightened first and emerged from their place behind a short wall.

Tsume smirked at her sarcasm and started to remark when he took note of the grenade belt she had on hand, and his smirk faltered. "You stole that thing?" He demanded.

Nikki scowled even as she fastened the belt at her waist, "They might come in handy in the future, y'know! I learned to be resourceful from you, remember…?"

"You two can argue later, they've got that end closed off… What're we gonna do?" Hige cut across the siblings, looking to their alpha.

Tsume scowled at his sister before following the tan wolf's stare, "If we left her here, it'd be easier. She's what they're after, right?" He suggested.

"No way!" Kiba sharply declined.

Nikki agreed, "Kiba's right, we can't let them take her again! We just need to think quick…"

"Guys!" Toboe spoke up then, making the four look to him to see he and Eri stood infront of an open corridor before they followed them in to find Cheza at the end.

"This way," Cheza declared when hearing the wolves enter the corridor, taking off again and hearing the six shortly follow her leave.

an: not much to put except that (1) sorry for the short chap, just think of it as an unofficial prologue and (2) i hope you guys liked the update! tell me what you think about the changes too, if you want. anyway, lates!