key: 'wolf speech' / "human speech"

No Angels I

At hearing the wolf-whistles from a few of the men they passed, she swallowed a growl and bristled. "You'd think they had never seen the opposite sex walking around…" Eri grumbled.

Nikki's ears twitched and she huffed, "I've dealt with worse dogs than them… Don't let it get to you."

She found with mild irritation that the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach had yet to go away. Why did she feel so uneasy, anyway? It wasn't because of the humans, but maybe it was something else… She wasn't sure what.

Something was coming and she didn't want to find out what it was.

"…That's not the only reason you're excited, is it, runt?" Hige's voice drew her from her thoughts, causing her to halt and look back at the boys to see the pup held in a headlock by said pudgy wolf. He smiled cheekily as he added, "Especially because tonight's…"

Eri blinked and looked to their alpha, "Another full moon?"

"Already?" Nikki wondered.

Kiba nodded and she could see he too was excited if the twinkle in his eyes was anything to go by, "You look surprised."

Nikki's cheeks warmed and she shrugged, "It's just… it doesn't feel like it's been four months, since we left Freeze City." Granted it only felt like that because of Cheza.

"I know we're excited because we get our strength from the full moon, but what about Cheza?" Toboe piped up from managing to squirm free of Hige's grip, looking at said girl who had paused and looked at them, "She looks like she's glowing, too!" He added.

Kiba's hand reflexively found his mate's, "I once heard that at one time of the year on the night of a full moon the flowers will hear the moon's call and return to Paradise." He informed them.

Tsume looked at him with both brows raised, "You're not saying…"

"Seriously?" Eri wondered even as her heart started to race at the thought.

Toboe looked at the older wolves, "Is that what's gonna happen?"

"She's going to bloom?" Hige almost snorted in something akin to disbelief.

Cheza smiled innocently at the wolves, "This one is excited, too!"

::::x x::::

The unease she had experienced had fled when the girl had started dancing, and it was virtually nothing more than a distant memory when a path of lunar flowers that led into the far horizon appeared before their very eyes.

She felt hope, for the first time in years, hope that Paradise was at the end of the path, that her pack waited for them there…

A familiar shrill buzzing cut into the night air like a hot knife, tearing her attention away from following the girl down the path, surprising the others as they too had stopped at hearing that noise. The dot that had scarred the blue face of the moon now descended before the pack, taking the form of a small airship, the buzzing noise had faded by the time it touched down on the dry ground.

Bristling angrily even as tears stung at the bottom of her eyes, the she-wolf recognized the human who stood there when the ship door opened, recognizing him by his stench alone.

This was the bastard who had stolen Cheza back in Freeze City.

There was a smug look on his handsome face that she immediately loathed. "The wolves again… It's been a long time." He drawled.

Tsume bristled slightly in surprise, "That stench… He's a noble?"

"What're you doing here?" Kiba demanded coldly.

The noble snidely regarded the bristling wolves with his good eye, "Was your little dream pleasant, I wonder; the one where you were going to Paradise?" He descended towards them down the small ramp of the ship, looking to the trembling girl that stood behind the two she-wolves. "The time hasn't come for that yet… Return to me, Cheza."

"Your pedigree doesn't entitle you to everything!" Nikki snarled as she and Eri shielded the girl, stiffening slightly when her significant other flew at the noble only to bounce back when he collided with an invisible force field that protected him.

"It's useless." The noble's smirk widened a degree as the force field countered the snarling wolf's lunge, sending a wide red beam screaming at his footing and narrowly missing when its target dodged in time, watching another beam fly for the footing of the pup.

"Toboe!" Hige exclaimed as he raced to the pup's side before he too was sent flying when another beam struck.

Eri winced when the ground trembled from the impact and cried, "Hige!"

The stink of spilled blood filled the air as Cheza's pained scream caused the black, white and two gray wolves to sprint for the noble. The oncoming laser broke in three directions when they split up, one hitting Tsume first before the second hit Kiba, as the third chased both Nikki and Eri as they sprinted for the ship.

White noise filled Eri's ears when the laser struck the ground inches infront of her, sending her flying.

Nikki had bounced back in time and landed expertly, regarding the felled she-wolf nearby, snarling angrily at the noble. She perked up when seeing his white form straighten from where he had hit the ground, meeting his gaze that swept the ugly scene and nodded slightly before they both raced for the noble at top speed.

Twin laser beams streaked at the oncoming wolves and formed into one larger beam as the noble smirked ruefully at their reckless charge, as the beam struck the ground less than a yard away from the couple and sent them both flying yards away.

The noble smirked ruefully before something sharp streaked past his right cheek and grazed it, and he looked at the ship when a soft 'thunk' alerted him to the small knife that had been vainly thrown at him.

A snarl sounded as the mismatched couple flew at the noble again before the force field repelled both wolves and knocked them back.

Warm blood dripped from some place above his left eye as the white wolf staggered to his feet, looking at the just-as-beaten-and-dirty black wolf who had landed not two yards away from him. He roughly shoved away the fear of losing her as he hobbled to her side, looking at her with surprise and relief when she stiffly cracked open her silver eyes, and he growled slightly when she started to get up, 'Don't move so much…' He ordered.

'No, I'm fine, I just…' The black wolf protested, her gaze sharpening when seeing the girl walk towards the airship. 'Cheza!' She straightened as best she could and limped to stop her with the white wolf not far behind, both wolves hobbling to block her from going further.

Cheza's gaze softened at their tenacity and she kneeled to hug both wolves around the neck, feeling the she-wolf bury her muzzle into hers.

'Don't go…' Kiba pleaded quietly.

Nikki felt hot tears slowly run down her dirtied face, 'We're not afraid to die, Cheza… Please stay.'

"This one knows, that is why it is all right… This one will protect the both of you." Cheza promised quietly as she held on a bit tighter to both wolves for a second longer.

A mutual feeling of loss and hopelessness fell on the two wolves as Cheza drew away to say her goodbye to their pack-mates, and her back seemed smaller when she reluctantly boarded the airship.

an: hey guys, hope you had a good weekend. mine was busy so this is my way of apologizing for not updating over the weekend pff. oh and a sincere thank you to Midnight for the latest review, thanks hon! :) more to come, guys, so stay tuned.