Wolf's Rain 1. Tumultuous Beginnings

Cave In

There were times when the snow would cease. When the air was still and the storm would calm, leaving nothing but a vast expanse of white quilted over the endless valley.

Now, was not one of those times.

The wind whipped viciously at the landscape. The scattered trees creaked against the brutality of the storm. It had been relentlessly snowing for two days and the blizzard had just reached its peak.

The air was frigid as the temperature continued to decline, as well as the four spirits fighting to survive the futile trek.

It was obvious there was no getting through the storm. Even Kiba, whom had insisted upon continuing for endless hours, knew the pack just could not go any further.

The alpha cast a knowing glance over his shoulder towards Tsume, whom gestured with a flick of his head to Toboe , the smaller tan wolf struggling several paces behind.

They had been going since mid-evening yesterday. Up until now the wind had been bearable,but now it took all of one wolf's strength just to lift his head against the tumultuous gusts of icy wind.

Kiba peered through the fog that had settled and begun to thicken the farther they tucked into the valley. The surrounding mountains gave little refuge from the blizzard but he figured there would be some sort of grotto they could find haven within nearby.

After another bone-chilling hour of trekking through the harsh winter, the wolves came upon an opening in the bottom of a cliff-wall. Kiba signaled for the pack to stay behind as he examined the dark interior of the cliff.

As he peered into the dark opening, he noticed it was just large enough to slip through and he did so with caution.

The wind no longer seemed to exist the moment he stepped into the black hole and the numbing-frost seemed to seep from his coat. Slowly, the wolf's amber eyes adjusted to the dark and he noticed it opened up into a decent sized cave. Farther back, the stone walls split into two different paths, both leading into a dark abyss.

Kiba turned to usher the rest of the pack inside but noticed that Tsume and was already slipping through to stand at his side.

"It's about time we found some damn shelter." He muttered under his breath as he shook snow from his grey fur, sending it flying in the air around them.

Hige was next to slink inside, Toboe following close behind.

"This isn't half bad." Hige commented as he walked over to them, allowing his human illusion to show as he sat up against the stone wall.

Toboe changed as well and walked over closer to the group, wearily wrapping his arms around his torso, "It's pretty dark..." He murmured, his caramel orbs glinting in the dim light that manged to stream into the cavern.

Kiba nodded his head in acknowledgment to their statements, "We won't stay here long, just until the storm subsides. Then we will head out and hunt."He replied as he peered down into the black void of the two paths.

Tsume grunted, leaning back on his heels letting a hand settle on his hip as he rolled his eyes, "If everything's not buried ten feet in sh-," Tsume's words faded as he watched the alpha change into his human form and wander down one of the cave's seemingly endless walkways. "Now wait just a damn minute. Where are you going?" He called after Kiba whom continued into the darkness without another word until it swallowed him whole.

Toboe walked over to Tsume's side, peering down into the darkness, "What is he doing? He doesn't know what's down there." He pointed out in slight alarm at Kiba's strange ways. He started to walk towards the opening where their alpha had wandered into.

Tsume reached out and firmly grasped the boy's arm, "Oh no you don't, runt. That doesn't make it any smarter for you to go in after him." He stated blatantly.

Toboe's nose wrinkled in slight offense, "What if he gets lost? Or even worse, gets hurt and can't get back?" He argued, his eyes flashing with a new spark of determination.

The boy's naive perspective irritated Tsume and his eyes squinted ever so slightly down to him, "It would be better than getting both of you caught up in a mess. It's best you stay here and don't get in the way." He snapped.

Hige stood up, walking by the two of them as they bickered. He raised a hand, waving it submissively as he walked down into the darkness, "Don't get your tails in a wad, I've got him."

"Not you too! Don't either of you have any sense?" Tsume snarled as he grabbed the hood of Hige's jacket from behind and gave it a rough tug.

Hige stumbled back slightly but didn't give up his resist."Just chill, I'm sure he's not gone too far. I'll bring him back and we can all get some rest."Hige stated as he slipped from Tsume's hold. Just as he was almost into the pit of the darkness, Hige felt an invisible force pin himself against the cool stonewall of the cave, causing his bones to rattle and his mind to stir.

He realized it was Tsume whom towered over him, holding the hem of his jacket balled in the fists of his large hands.

"Look, we need to stick together if we're going to get out of here in the morni-"

A large growl echoed through the cave, drowning out Tsume's scolding, and it wasn't Hige's (empty) stomach.

Tsume's brow furrowed as he peered around the cave as the ground beneath their feet and the walls of stone surrounding them began to rumble, causing small pebbles to break off from the ceiling, showering down on them, followed by a few billows of chalk dust to settle in the air.

Just then a sharp grinding sound split the momentary silence that surrounded them and a large sheet of rock burst into shards as it hit the cave's floor. The sound reverberated deep around the cave and Tsume's cursing was cut short when several more boulders fell from the roof around them.

Hige looked up to the ceiling in surprise and instinctively shoved Tsume back. The motion had been strong enough to throw himself off balance and Hige stumbled back into the dark just as a shower of stones fell where the two had been standing merely seconds before.

Toboe lunged forward as the ceiling began to collapse and the young wolf pulled Tsume out of harm's way as the stone above cracked, caving in on itself before the rest of hanging rocks toppled over and the cave was consumed in darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

~2~

Hige blinked against the dust in the air, trying to catch his breath as he felt his way up to his feet. He used his hands to brush some pebbles from his lap and shook dust from his hair.

When his eyes focused, he could just make out the wall of stone before him, however it had not been there before... He pressed his hand against one of the wedged rocks, and gave a hard shove. The wall did not budge and the fact that they might not be able to get out dawned on him.

"Tsume! ... Toboe!" He called to the other side as he shoved on the stones, trying to get any one of them to move to no avail. If they were unharmed, then they couldn't hear him because the only reply he got was his echo from the tunnel behind him. "Damn-it." He cursed as he pressed his forehead against the cool rock in defeat. He lazily flipped over and peered down into the throat of the tunnel, dreading the thought of walking down. It was obvious there would be no other option. "Welp, better get this over with." He thought aloud and he slowly began to shuffle his way forward, pressing himself against the firm wall, feeling his way through the suffocating black mass surrounding him. "This might take a while." He muttered to himself.

. . . . . . .

Tsume watched the rocks fall around them. He had just started to release Hige from his grasp when he felt himself rock back in full blown force just as the rest of the cave started to fall between them.

He looked up and noticed the crack in the ceiling, all too late. Just as it seemed the cave was going to give into release, Tsume felt teeth dig into the back of his neck and he was thrown out of the way.

It had all happened so quickly. His rage and the unexpectedness of it all had caught him off guard.

When he sat up he rubbed the dirt off of his face and from his eyes, "Toboe?" He stated as he recalled the younger pup trying to interfere. When he got no reply, he started to worry.

"Toboe, answer me or I swear I'll skin you in your sleep." He growled though his voice was tinted in fear.

"T-tsume." The young boy's voice emanated from a few feet to his left.

Tsume got to his feet at the call of his name. As the dust settled his eyes rested on the boy, whom he could just make out in the dim lighting. It was obvious he had been pinned beneath the rubble, for the whole of his right arm was lodged beneath several stones varying in size. "Damn." He snarled as he knelt at the boy's side. "What the hell were you thinking?" Tsume scolded as he began picking at the lighter of the load.

"You didn't m-move." Toboe breathed, clenching his teeth to fight back the pain.

Tsume glared, "I can take a hit, Toboe. I can take care of myself." He snapped, anger filtering through his blood at the boy's words. He was responsible for himself, and himself only. That's how it worked best. Tsume started to work at some of the heftier stones, grunting in slight effort as he lifted one from the top and tossed it aside. He didn't know how much more weight he could lift, but he would get as much off of the pup as he could.

The weight of the next rock was of equal value to the last however the weight was distributed unevenly, making for an awkward hold. Tsume managed to lift it but not before it slid, causing the rocks beneath to shift slightly.

"Ah," Toboe breathed, clenching an eye shut as pain shot up his shoulder at the movement.

Tsume thought of a smart remark but held his tongue, seeing as he was to blame for the boy's pain. When he got to the last rock he found it was at least twice as big as the last. He was already panting with effort of having removed the others but he wasn't going to give up just yet.

After minutes of pushing, lifting, shifting, and urging the boulder to slip, Tsume fell to one knee, using the back of his hand to wipe at the thin strip of sweat above his brow.

"Tsume..." Toboe murmured, watching the older man continue to struggle.

Tsume glanced down, involuntarily meeting the boy's gaze. His eyes were brimming with tears but his face was serious as he peered up to him.

"Get out of here and see if there's another way in. Maybe you could find Kiba and Hige on the other side." Toboe urged, ignoring the feeling of his blood soaking the sleeve of his shirt.

How ridiculous of the pup to think Tsume was going to get up and leave. "You're such a fool, Toboe." He sighed, shaking his head as though he was disappointed. "Do you really think I'm going to leave you here after what you've done to me?" He continued, starting again at shifting the rock. "When I get you out of this, I'm going to kill you."

It was an empty threat and Toboe knew it as he smiled up at the older wolf. Despite the pain, his chest warmed up at his words. The moment was short-lived when Toboe felt the stone move. "-Gah!" He gasped in shock, biting his tongue in the process, feeling the warm sensation of blood trailing down the back of his throat.

Tsume heard the boy's cry and eased the force he had put on the rock, "Sorry, kid." He stated through his teeth as he tried to lift up on the rock, using his leg muscles to fight against the gravity. After what seemed like hours of straining, the rock gradually began to lift.

Toboe took the loss of weight to his advantage and was quick to flip himself over as to remove his arm from under the boulder.

Tsume released the rock and was relieved to see that Toboe was finally free. However he now noticed the severity of the pup's wound seeing the amount of blood running from his arm.

Toboe felt his consciousness ebbing away and he absentmindedly tried to move his fingers, only to recoil when his arm throbbed with numbing pain. "I'm sleepy..." He murmured, his eyes closing ever so slightly as he stared up at the cave's ceiling.

Sitting forward to lean over him, Tsume frowned, "Try to stay awake." Tsume stopped when he noticed Toboe's breath slowing as he succumbed into an unconscious state. "Alright then, runt. Just try not to go too far off..." He breathed as he observed the sleeping boy, knowing it would be a long time until they could set out again.


	3. Healing Touch

Hige cursed lightly as he felt his foot slip on the floor. It was darker than black the farther down he went and he was ultimately regretting his decision.  
"I'll go get him." He mocked himself as he inched forwards in the darkness. "He couldn't have gone too far." He continued bitterly, aware of the air around him growing damp, along with the stone walls surrounding him.  
"You try to be the mature one for once, and this is where it gets you." Hige griped to himself, shaking his head slightly in disapproval.  
"Kiba! - Kiba, come on!" His voice echoed for what seemed like ages. Every step he took felt like it was taking him farther from reality and closer to insanity. His keen ears picked up every sound, even as scarce as they were. The soft sound of water dripping from the moist rock was the only sound that remained consistent the whole way down.  
A low growl split the dead silence of the tunnel and Hige stopped in his tracks, recalling the tumultuous rattle of the cave before it had hindered. The sound moments ago had been nowhere near as powerful in bass but just as fierce. His hand slid up to his stomach in recognition to the gut twisting emptiness that had caused such a noise and he let out an dissatisfied breath of air, "What I would give to find something half-way qualified as edible." He complained, taking a moment to recover from the hole in his gut that never quite seemed to be satisfied.  
Hige stopped to compose himself for the rest of the way down when something caught his eye. It seemed as though the tunnel split off into two other paths. "You've gotta be kidding." He barked in frustration, cuffing the ground with his heel.  
He slowly stalked over to each entrance, trying to smell for Kiba's scent, but all he got was the aroma of mildew and wet stone. When he reached the farthest one on the left, he paused, his eyes narrowing as he felt a sligh draft of cool air brush against his face. It was subtle but it was coming from the tunnel. Slowly, Hige began to move forward, and after a few minutes of tireless shuffling, he just managed to pick up the faint scent of their alpha's presence.  
"Alright, Kiba, when I find you, I'll teach you a thing or two about sticking together." He murmured as he was enveloped in darkness.

. . . . . .

Tsume looked down at the mess of the pup's arm. It wasn't anything too urgent, but if it wasn't tended to, he would gradually bleed out. Tsume bent over and tried to get a better look but the blood concealed most of the boy's flesh.  
Tsume, dropping his human mirage, leaned over until his head was hovering just above the deep gash and exposed flesh. The sharp, pungent smell of copper overwhelmed the grey wolf's senses and he hesitated momentarily to make sure the boy was asleep before he gingerly trailed his tongue up the boy's forearm.  
Toboe's eyelid fluttered slightly but he remained still otherwise.  
The blood made its way over the back of his tongue, surprisingly sweet as he continued to clean the wound. A different sensation began to emerge in the pit of his chest and Tsume felt his skin prickle.  
As he lapped at the remaining blood, Tsume thought back to the time the boy had done the same for him, only a short while after they had first met. He thought of this as merely returning the favor.  
When he was satisfied with his work, he then proceeded to take off his shirt, taking his mind off of the lingering tang of the blood. He could then observe the boy's arm clearly and despite it being fairly well beaten and the large gash that trailed down from his shoulder, it did not appear broken. Within three easy rips, he had three strips of white cloth. He used the bottom rim of the fabric as a tourniquet and he entwined the other two into a make-shift sling which he then slid the injured limb into.  
When he was finished, Tsume sat back, adjusting his weight slightly. Though he was glad Toboe was okay, he was still frustrated at the pup. He wouldn't let his feelings get the best of him, no matter how much he really cared for the runt's well-being.  
Every now and then, Toboe would shift slightly in his sleep, muttering inaudibly under his breath.  
Tsume watched in silence as the boy began to shiver and whimper, squirming relentlessly. With an annoyed sigh, Tsume walked over and laid down next to the boy without a sound. He flipped over onto his side, his body curled around the back of Toboe's smaller frame, enveloping him within his body-heat.  
Toboe instantly settled into silence, and Tsume draped his arm around the boy's waist, drawing him closer, deciding to savor the closeness of their skin, if only for a couple of hours...


	4. Echoes in the Dark

The air flowing down the path was surprisingly cool, and occasionally, Hige thought he felt a spray of mist carried with the breeze. It was clear wherever he was going, was certainly deep within the mountainside.

"Woah!" He exclaimed as he felt his feet slip out from beneath him causing him to go hurdling down at a potentially dangerous speed. The ground had unexpectedly slanted at a severe angle which seemed to have no end as he continued to fall.

As quickly as he had slipped, he was airborne. He clawed at the air, letting out a sharp bark as he hit the cold stone below. His breath left his lungs in a billow of vapor, floating up into the light above.

Hige sat up, running a hand through his hair, rolling his shoulder with a pained face. The temperature had dropped at least thirty degrees."Jeez." He muttered, carefully getting to his feet. That's when it hit him.

There was light.

He anxiously peered around, looking for the source. Everything around him went to a stop when he spotted a hole above him, opening up into the night sky.

His eyes swept his surroundings and, he noticed he had fallen into a seemingly endless cavern.

The moon's light filtered into the large cavern between a break in the ominous grey clouds looming above, glinting off on the floor. However, something seemed odd to Hige as he peered ahead. The floor was moving, if ever so slightly.

He took a few steps forward and stopped when his foot dropped half a foot, causing the leg of his jeans to get drenched up to the ankle. It was water... The whole half of the cavern was flooded with it.

The moonlight reflected from the blue water, licking against the stone walls in a soft green hue.

If he wasn't trapped in the domed vault, he would have thought it was beautiful.

It was obvious the cavern had been regenerating itself for hundreds of years from the evidence of much accretion of sediments that floated within and bordered the water's edge.

Hige started to sniff the air and grimaced when an unfamiliar scent invaded his nostrils. "What the hell?" He murmured, wrinkling his nose slightly at the unpleasant odor that easily overwhelmed the earthy smell of the cavern floor.

As though on cue, the wall to his left exploded casting a shower of rocks pelting down on him. He looked up over an arm shielding his face and almost didn't believe what he saw.

A large bat had broken into the cavern, at least ten times the size of Hige himself whom stood, bewildered as he watched the creature come crashing down to the stone floor below.

The floor rattled fiercely beneath his feet and Hige tried to look for an escape route, though the moon's light was not bright enough to see across to the other side.

When he looked back over his shoulder to the recovering creature, he noticed it seemed as though it hadn't fallen on accident, but rather on purpose as though to rid of a pest.

As he took a closer look, Hige noticed a familiar white speck had attached itself to the bat's shoulder, gripping on without restraint. "Kiba!" The tawny wolf barked at the sight of the alpha.

At this exclamation, Kiba loosened his hold on the bat just enough to turn towards the familiar voice, "Hige, there's an-,"

His voice was cut off as the bat hurled itself at the opposite wall, letting out a high pitched screech before it grazed the whole side of its body against the stone.

Hige lost sight of Kiba, and prepared to help attack the bat when another cry echoed from behind. By the time he turned around, a second bat had swooped in and was careening right for him. "Damn!" He exclaimed, turning his body a few degrees as the somewhat inaccurate creature flew by, its wings just missing him as it soared above.

It easily used its wings to bank left, avoiding colliding into the cavern and instead, to come again at Hige.

This time, Hige met it halfway, pushing off of the ground strongly with his hind-legs, launching himself at the creature, trying to get a good aim at its neck. Without warning, a large wing put itself between the bat and Hige, swatting him across the cavern as though he was nothing but a pesky fly.

The scattered pebbles drove themselves into his pelt as he cut into the ground, slicing into his skin as he skidded to a halt several hundred yards away. He had a hard time getting his eyes to focus and he blinked furiously as he tried to find the strength in his shaking limbs to stand up. He opened his eyes, his vision started to clear, and the bat only continued to draw closer.

It used the thumbs of its wings, equipped with fierce, sharp claws, to pull itself across the ground, supported by the talon-like hooks lining its feet. It stopped a few feet before him, raising its webbed-wings, unfurling them above its head in a menacing

Hige prepared himself for another blow, tensing his muscles whether they were ready to carry him from harm or not.

The bat emitted what would be a repetitive, high pitched clicking as it advanced forwards, its ears flicking tentatively as it searched for its unaware prey.

Its head turned and focused on one point towards the ground however it stayed where it was as though it was confirming its pinpoint.

Hige noticed the bat's head was directed at him and he held his breath, waiting until the last second to make his counter-attack.

Kiba whom had been watching the two, stood a few feet to the left, just out of the bat's range. He had been conjuring up a plan, and as long as Hige kept his place, he thought it might give them a chance to escape. As he stepped out into the open, his white fur reflected the moon's light, causing him to emit a silver-blue glow.

Hige watched as the bat launched, using its wings as a boost as it charged at him, its talons outstretched his way, its fangs glinting in the light when it let out a battle-screech.

Kiba took the split-second to gain on the large bat, his eyes trained on the membranes connecting the fingers of its all too human-like hands. After another few strides, Kiba leapt with impossible speed.

Just as Hige was about to dodge, he noticed the bat lost its focus and his eyes went to the white flash of fur, "Kiba! Look out!"

The bat had swung its body around, and Kiba clashed into its chest, throwing the creature off balance. The bat's wings curled protectively around its body as it toppled over into the water, dragging the white wolf down with it.

"Kiba!" Hige yelled, anger and fear of what was to become of his leader coursing through his veins, feeding his body with a hidden strength he hadn't known he possessed. Without wasting another second, the tawny wolf rushed forwards, diving fearlessly into the depths of the dark water in hopes that by the next time he broke the surface, Kiba would be there with him.


	5. A Terrible Draft

The clear water was frigid and relentless as it swallowed the three into its surprising depths.

Kiba felt his teeth sink down into the thick skin of the bat's shoulder, fighting against its thrashing as he clung on. His body swayed outward as the bat twisted and the breath left his body as one of the bat's wings swung into him.

Kiba's grip lost its hold and he went spiraling deeper into the dark voids of the water. Water threatened to spill into his lungs and he fought his way up, choking on nothing while he struggled not to give into the weakness pulling at his thrashing arms. His pulse pounded in his ears. It felt like he had been swimming for ages but he still saw no sign that he was any closer to the water's surface.

Unable to evade the growing numbness in his body, Kiba's eyes slowly began to close against his will and his mind was permeated into silence by the same darkness in which he was drowning.

. . . . . . . . .

Hige ignored the voice in his head screaming for him to turn back up for air. He swam farther down, allowing himself to float into the black chasm below.

A sudden current knocked him off course and he went tumbling to the left. Something hard knocked into his back and he bounced off. He managed to turn in time to make out the flailing bat just above him, still trying to swim out of the water's clutch.

His body snapped to the left and he was thrown again, feeling the pressure of the water pull against his momentum. His body hit the bottom floor of the cavern and ricocheted back up. Hige went hurdling straight towards the bat.

He managed to avoid its wings and grabbed onto its back, looking around frantically for Kiba, knowing they both didn't have much time.

His lip curled as immense pain sprouted from the back of his shoulder as one of the talons of the bat's thrashing wing drove itself into his back. Blood tainted the swirling waters around them and Hige's grip went slack as he floated upward.

It was then that he noticed the white wolf floating a few feet below. Going against the burn in his muscles, Hige swam down and grabbed the alpha with his hand, hoping he was okay as they both floated up and out of the darkness.

. . . . . . . . . .

Tsume watched the boy sleeping, growing more restless as time went on. "This is stupid." He muttered bitterly under his breath, "If he hadn't gone down there to begin with, none of this would have happened." The opening of the other tunnel caught his attention, and he stopped pacing to look down into its black mouth.

"Tsume?"

He cast a weary look over his shoulder the runt, seeing he was awake looking back at him with a lethargic gaze, "Hm?"

Toboe shifted a little where he laid, "Let's go." He said, sitting up with a small wince, his face pinched into a firm look.

Tsume looked at him for a long minute as though trying to decide how to reply. He nodded slowly, "Okay, kid." With a slow step, Tsume made his way over to Toboe and leaned over him, scooping him up into his arms.

Toboe tensed, "H-Hey! I can walk myself!" He stammered, confused at the wolf's bold move. "I'm not a kid, you know!"

Tsume glanced down to him as he stopped at the tunnel's entrance, "Hm, well don't get used to it. I'd rather not have you do anything to screw us up anymore than you already have." He breathed as he stepped down into the tunnel.

A little ways down, Toboe cringed and brought a hand up to his nose, "What is that smell? It smells like bad eggs." He said in disgust.

"It's sulfur. The walls are filled with it here." Tsume replied, making sure his shoulder brushed the tunnel's wall every now and then to make sure he wasn't missing another opening.

A loud noise echoed up from the dark ahead of them, causing Tsume to stop.

Toboe glanced around warily, as though his fear would help him see, "Maybe this wasn't a good idea..."

Tsume waited another second before pushing on, "Afraid of the dark, runt? It was probably just a draft or something."

There was no warning before the wall burst into an explosion of rock fragments and dirt. A massive shadow flew into the tunnel, fumbling into the opposite wall before disappearing down the tunnel.

Tsume looked up from where he crouched over the boy, "What the hell was that?"

Toboe sneezed as the dust began to settle in the air,"_A draft_."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sorry for the wait, I know I kind of disappeared. I forgot about this for a while as I am moving this summer and things have been busy lately. I know this is short, but I plan to continue writing this, and have several ideas as to where I'm going to take this so I hope you all stick around to find out what will happen next!


	6. A Stranger's Revelation

"Kiba! Kiba, wake up!" Hige yelled firmly as he slid the wolf up onto the gravelly bank.

Another minute went by before Kiba twisted over, coughing up a lungful of water. His blue eyes flickered around them, resting on Hige, "What happened?"

Hige rolled his eyes, "You almost drowned yourself trying to kill batzilla. I saved you. You're welcome."

"Hige! Kiba!"

Hige turned, "Toboe?" He exclaimed in surprise, turning to see Tsume standing a few meters away, holding Toboe in his arms. "Gosh, what happened to you sprout?" He picked up a leg to get to his feet but stumbled forward, holding back a hiss of pain at the electricity that jolted through his arm.

Kiba noticed the gaping wound on his back, "Hige, wait. You're bleeding."

Hige spared a quick glance over his shoulder, only able to make out the back of his blood-soaked shirt, "Oh, that's nothing really." He dismissed with a cool shrug of his good shoulder.

Tsume looked around them, "What did all of this?" He asked, gesturing to the scratches engraved in the cavern and the various holes where force had broken through its ancient walls.

Kiba stood, "Bats." He answered as he turned his gaze back towards the water, an indecipherable emotion flickering momentarily across his expression.

Tsume's brow furrowed but he didn't ask any further, "Well what are we standing around here for? We need to go, these two won't make it very long if we don't find something to do about it." Tsume turned away, walking off with Toboe without another word. Anger flared in his blood but he managed to contain it, if only for a little while.

Kiba walked over to Hige and helped support him as they followed. He watched Tsume head back in the direction they had come, "We need to go this way." Kiba stated, gesturing to the massive hole the bat had created when it first made its appearance.

Tsume turned with an agitated look, "Are you insane? Look where your oblivious actions lead us. There is no way they can afford to have to turn back around when we hit a dead end." He snapped, his patience rolling off of his body with his anger.

Kiba turned and kept walking, "It's another tunnel system."

Tsume let out a snarl, stepping in his path, "This is foolish. What makes you think there aren't more bats where that one came from?"

Kiba looked up at him with a steely gaze that exchanged no anger, just a subtle firmness that implied he had no intention of going the other direction, "Nothing."

Toboe squirmed between the heat of the two wolves, "Hey, guys, don't start fighting."

Hige nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I know I said it wasn't a big deal but I'm uncomfortable enough as it is." He muttered, glancing to and from Kiba and Tsume. "I think we should listen to Kiba. I mean, his instinct has gotten us this far. Besides, maybe the tunnels will lead us straight through the other side of the mountains. It would buy us a lot of time if we didn't have to walk around them." His voice faded towards the end of his sentence at the glare Tsume shot him.

Tsume grunted at his words, "_Instinct._" He shook his head. "Fine, but when we are about to lose our hides, I won't say I didn't tell you so." He grumbled, walking towards the hole.

The four wolves trekked through the darkness, making slow progress as the day pressed on outside of the stomach of the mountains.

"Tsume, put me down." Toboe whimpered, shifting uncomfortably in the wolf's hold.

Tsume looked down at him, "Yeah right, runt. We don't need you falling behind." He cast a glance over to Kiba, "Although I think we should stop and decide what we are going to do now that we have been walking in circles all day." He added.

Kiba shook his head, something seeming to catch his attention as he spoke, "No, we haven't been this way before."

An orange flickering light licked at the cave walls ahead. As the four rounded the corner, they all came to a stop.

"Either that is a lit torch or I've lost more blood than I thought." Hige said slowly, walking over to the torch implanted on the side of the wall.

Tsume stepped up with a skeptical look, "I'd bet most people don't just wander into bat infested caverns to play with fire."

"I don't think people come into bat infested caves in general." Hige murmured as he reached out, feeling the heat of the flame curl around his fingers. His head snapped to the left, his body stiffening as he peered into the dark end of the tunnel as a peculiar scent hit his nose, "Guys, I don't think,"

A shadow flitted from the opposite end, crashing right into Hige. Several more followed after, launching at the other wolves with unnatural speed.

"Agh!"

Kiba turned, "Toboe!" He exclaimed starting to make his way over to the boy as he saw him fall to the ground,

Kiba felt the breath push itself from his parted lips and he fell to his knees. Something cool pressed to the base of his neck and he raised his eyes up to his attacker.

A young man stood over him, wielding a blade at his neck. The light from the torch sent dark shadows flickering across the jagged features of his tan face.

Kiba felt the pressure at his neck increase as the man started to talk, "Who are you?"

"The hell do you expect him to say? You come jump us out of nowhere and think it is a good time for introductions!" Tsume snarled from the corner of the wall's bend, trying to free himself from the stranger binding his arms behind his back.

The man glanced over his shoulder towards the grey wolf, a halfhearted look of amusement stationed on his visage, "Such ire from someone on the opposite end of the hilt." He mused, shrugging his shoulders faintly, "However, your claim holds truth. I suppose I'll go first then."

"I am Blaiser Rolfe, otherwise known as Blaise, leader of the Greenbelts." He introduced himself with a bold grin. "These are just a few of the subordinates in training." Blaise gestured towards the other men standing around.

Tsume's lip curled, a canine glinting faintly, "I don't know what the hell you're blabbering about, but it sounds like a load of," His words floated off with the puff of air leaving his throat as his captor raked an elbow into his rib-cage.

Blaise ignored the interruption and his electric green gaze peered down to the male he had under his blade, "And you might be?"

Kiba's eyes went around to the pack, stopping on Tsume whom looked back with irritation fermenting from his irises. He then met the cool gaze of the green eyes looking down upon him, "Kiba." He answered curtly, a small crease forming in his brow.

Blaise let out a small grunt, cocking his head to the side in an observant gesture that caused a few black strands of hair to fall over his eye,"Hm, what are you? No human would ever wander sober into these caves."

"You should raise your weapon if you plan on getting passed any first-base terms." Kiba said slowly, his voice hanging as flat as a sheet of slate in the air between them.

Blaise looked surprised, as though he hadn't noticed the blade still hanging in the air in his hand. He lead it back into the sheathe at his hip, "How about you come back with us, it seems like your group could use some repair."

Kiba glanced over to the others, "Why did you need so much assistance?" He asked, his eyes traveling from every by-stander lingering at each wolf's side.

Blaise followed his gaze, seeming to understand as he outstretched a hand, "Ah, sorry about that, we heard something and thought it was more damn aranea." He murmured, waving a hand to signal the release of the rest of the pack.

Hige fell to a knee, "Those wouldn't happen to be giant bats by any chance?"

Blaise raised a brow, "No. Spiders, actually." His response caused Hige to cringe.

Tsume scoffed, "What kind of spider requires eight armed men ready to kill?" He questioned, stepping up.

The tall man turned away from the wolves, "_Be thankful you ran into the bats._" Blaise murmured as he started to walk down the tunnel in the direction they had arrived, followed by the rest of his group.

Tsume turned towards Kiba, "We aren't actually going with them, are we? That guy seems too clever by half."

Kiba walked over to Hige, "Until we get them to show us a way out of here, we don't have much of a choice."

* * *

_That's all I can spare for now. It kind of stops abruptly, but it's late and I didn't want to make this chapter too much longer than the previous ones. More information on the newly introduced characters and the reason of their whereabouts to be revealed in the next chapter! Thanks for reading~ _


	7. Wavering Accords

_I just wanted to say that the reviews are deeply appreciated. I'm glad to bring entertainment to other fans who enjoy the four wolves and their adventures as much as myself. There have been times when I've been uncertain about some decisions but I was motivated when reading your kind words. I thank you for that because it is what made me continue this story, and I find myself more involved the farther it goes along. I've gotten several new ideas, and it's all because of you! I do hope you continue to enjoy what little I am able to provide. _

Chapter 7

The four wolves walked through the maze of passageways each accompanied by one of the Greenbelts as Blaise took the lead.

Toboe cradled his bad arm in one hand, starting to feel the effects of the injury the farther they went. He did his best to keep up, trying not to get too anxious with the unfamiliar people around them.

"Are you alright, kid?" The man walking in front of him turned, noticing he had begun to fall behind.

Toboe straightened himself and nodded, "Y-yes." He answered timidly, "I'm not a kid." He added a bit more boldly.

The man smiled, falling back to walk at his side, "My apologies. I'm Jax," He said, his bronze eyes looking down at the boy with faint warmth, shining with a hint of youth the others didn't seem to have.

The boy smiled, "I'm Toboe," He introduced himself in return. Out of the corner of his eye, Toboe noticed Hige sliding over to them.

"Hey, uh, you guys wouldn't happen to have food at your place, would you?" Hige asked without vacillation, a hopeful grin pulling at the corner of his lips.

Jax chuckled, nodding collectively, "Yeah, but it's nothing close to gourmet."

Hige waved his hand dismissively, "No worries, I'm not all that picky."

"That's an understatement." Tsume mumbled from where he walked a few paces ahead, "Your gut is enough to tell everyone you live high off the hog every chance you get."

Hige held his hands up in defense, "Hey, you know what I say: "live to eat, not eat to live."

Tsume cast him a flat glower, falling back into silence.

"How long have you been down here?" Kiba asked as he matched pace with Blaise.

He turned his head a few degrees to meet his eyes, "Eighteen years, give or take a few weeks. Ever since The Union began taking over the cities, we decided it was time to move on."

A glimmer of interest flickered in the blue pools of the white wolf's eyes, "The Union?"

Blaise snickered, "Hmph, you haven't been around much." He mused as he cut a corner, "Some government consortium claiming it will bring peace to the people- the typical bull-shitting illusions all noble-brainwashed systems try to enforce."

"So, why exactly did you run away?" Kiba asked, his expression blankly unintelligible.

Blaise flashed a smirk in his direction, pausing a small moment to turn his body at an angle that would allow them to pass. An arm directed to a large vertical crevice in the side wall of the tunnel, "Welcome to the humble quarters of the Greenbelts."

Kiba stepped through, followed by the rest of the group. The tunnel system opened up into a different grotto. Its circumference was something that the previous cavern couldn't beat with an extra century head start. Stalactites of varying sizes spotted the ceiling a few hundred feet up and scattered as the cave walls split into smaller divisions. Torches lined the walls, their gentle light illuminating and disappearing into the various sections of the caves that led back in a maze of pathways. It looked as though it was meant to be inhabited.

"Wow, neat set-up, huh?" Hige gawked mildly, rocking back on his heels as he looked around. He stopped to look back at the others, "So, where is everybody? Surely it's not just the eight of you in all of this space."

Blaise nodded, walking by, "That is a good observation, and there are thirty of us total, fourty-three if you include the adolescents. There were originally sixty members, but there were complications as we adjusted to life at the mercy of the mountains' recesses."

Tsume stepped up, "So, what are all of you sitting down here for anyway?" He asked skeptically, crossing his arms over his chest.

Blaise smiled, "Waiting."

The faint twitch in Tsume's brow reflected his dissatisfaction with his answer, "Waiting for what?"

"For the perfect opportunity." Blaise explained, casually folding his hands behind his back, his tone cool and collected.

Tsume let out an agitated growl and turned on a heel, shoving his hands in his pockets as he started to walk away, "I'm sick of this." His complaint was short lived when two of the nearby recruits stepped in his way. He turned and glared towards Blaise, "You're really starting to piss me off."

Sporting a wry simper, Blaise adjusted the grey glove on his right hand, eyeing him between his parted fingers, "Don't act like that's such a hard thing to do."

Toboe sensed the tension in the air, "Guys..."

Tsume growled and lunged forwards, "You don't even know the half of it."

Just as their bodies were about to clash, Blaise side-stepped out of the way. The breeze of Tsume's presence drew a few strands of hair across Blaise's face as he flashed by, skidding to a stop a few feet away.

Tsume prepared himself to launch again.

Toboe watched in shock, his honey-glazed orbs flashing over to a different movement that caught his eye.

"Hige!" The tawny wolf called out as Hige stumbled to the ground, drawing up a faint cloud of dust.

Blaise clicked his tongue softly, turning away, "It seems we'll have to call it even for now. If you still feel resentment tomorrow, we can settle it on your terms after your friends have been cared for."

Two members of the group retrieved Hige and walked off into one of the retreating passages. The rest of the group eventually followed.

Kiba turned, staring silently toward Tsume whom stood firmly in the same spot, looking back with indifference before the white wolf turned and disappeared in the darkness.


End file.
