Lunar Wolf

Disclaimer: I don't own... blah blah you know the rest.
Pairings: Tsume X OC
Note: I hope you enjoy, sorry it's been so long guys. I've been busy with school and my computer's a big slut that hasn't worked for a while. Enjoy!

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The snow beat against her worn body, yet she knew she had to keep going. The maiden was calling to her, though her voice was fading. She was close… so very close.

Kiba nuzzled Cheza gently. He could feel her drifting away, though she struggled to live. A part of him knew her struggle for life wasn’t to continue on their journey…but for something else or maybe someone. But who? She had been calling out for days now. Was she just imagining things, or could someone actually help them? Lost in his misery he stroked Cheza’s face gently, trying desperately to not fall asleep. Sitting in his solitude he hardly noticed as Tsume came up behind him.

“Hey, why don’t you get some sleep, and I’ll watch over her for a bit.” Kiba only looked at him, knowing it was futile to argue. He was exhausted and he knew he needed to rest. Tsume would wake him if anything happened to Cheza.

Getting up, he stood still, gazing upon the maiden one more time before he drifted to sleep. Then he walked to a corner of the dark cave to sleep.

The grey wolf sat beside Cheza just as the white one closed his eyes in sleep. It was going to be a long night.

Time passed slowly through the night and Cheza’s breathing faded over that time. Tsume knew she wouldn’t make it much longer, and it terrified him in some way. She had been Kiba’s driving force, what would happen to the white wolf once she was gone? Would Kiba ever believe him if he told him about his dreams for the past few days? Would he think he had gone mad? He didn’t know. But he did know Kiba would never believe him, never believe what he had dreamt.

He never noticed the maiden stir as he sat quietly thinking of the days to come. She came to slowly, gathering in her surroundings. They were still in the cave, and her eyes focused on a gray figure sitting next to her. His eyes looked ahead, looking. She knew what he was looking for too. A gentle smile graced her face as she gazed upon him. A tender small hand reached up to stroke his face gently.

He felt her hand touch him and slowly he turned to gaze upon her. She was slipping away, but her smile still warmed him. Gently he nuzzled her and felt the tear fall against her face as it slipped from his eye.

“Forgive me Cheza…for not believing before. But I do now, I know… she’s coming.” Her smile only seemed to glow more at his words, and it coaxed more tears from the grey wolf. He had been horrible to her in the days before, he had never been all that great to her, but the past few weeks had been bad. Yet still Cheza didn’t judge, she knew he would come around, and he had. But still it ripped at his heart knowing he had been so horrible when she had been so right. But could this wolf coming get them to paradise, would she be able to succeed, and would Cheza be with them? No, most likely not, but he had to ask.

The words came choked and forced, but they came. “Will we reach paradise Cheza, with her? With you?” he asked, pleadingly for the answer he wanted to hear. The smile faded from her face though and her bright eyes filled with tears as her stared down at her. No he wouldn’t get the answer he wanted. Yes they would reach paradise, but it wouldn’t be with her along.

Though he knew the answer from looking into her eyes, she answered still, which only cut him deeper. “Yes, Tsume… you will reach paradise. You know that… that she is coming to guide you.” She whispered to him as her hand caressed his face gently.

He nuzzled against her hand and watched as her eyes closed from his. Her hand went slack suddenly, and fell from his face.

Her heart slowly stopped beating and at last she was finally gone from them. The cave seemed somehow quieter now, and it was the quietness that seemed to hurt the most. Her laughter would never be heard, the life force that had kept them all going, suddenly died in the cave leaving behind nothing. But it did wake the white wolf in time to hear her message to Tsume and his name echo from her mind.

Kiba’s eyes opened just in time to watch Cheza’s hand fall from Tsume’s face and hit the ground roughly. It was a dream… it had to be. Yet though he wanted it to be… he knew it wasn’t. What had woken him from his sleep hadn’t been a dream, it had been her goodbye. Quickly he scrambled to his feet, hurrying to reach Cheza’s side.

Tsume just sat there in disbelief at her quick passing. He didn’t even feel Kiba rush to her side and shove him away. Kiba shook the delicate maiden, crying out to her to wake up, but she didn’t. The golden eyes of the grey wolf only watched on as the white one wept into the Cheza’s small body.

He could hear her words echoing through out his mind. ‘She is coming to guide you.’ She was coming.

Kiba had stopped weeping and pulled his face from Cheza’s limp body. Turning his head, his eyes fell upon Tsume and anger washed over him. Tsume just sat there and stared! Cheza had just died and he merely stared at her.

“TSUME!” he yelled, snapping the grey wolf out of his stupor. “How could you let her die TSUME! HOW!” he yelled, dropping the maiden’s body from his arms and lunging out at Tsume.

Tsume didn’t even block the white wolf’s attack. He let him shove him to the ground, he let him shake and hit him. He didn’t even feel it.

Kiba was enraged, he just sat there! He sat up quickly, and raised his fist to strike Tsume in the face. He let his anger and sorrow consume his being as he let his fist drop to slam into Tsume’s face. But it never connected, Tsume stopped him. He had stopped him! His anger began to build again as he glared at Tsume’s hand wrapped around his wrist. Kiba turned his head to glare down at the grey wolf, but was stopped in his tracks by the look on the wolf’s face beneath him.

Kiba’s eyes widened as he looked stared down at Tsume. His eyes bored into his own, and his mouth was open as if to say something. Then he did, very quietly. “She’s coming,” he heard him whisper. She’s coming? That’s what Cheza had said to him before she died, but what did it mean? Who the hell was coming!?

The other two had awakened and lifted their heads to look around. They thought they had heard yelling, and stared at each other for confirmation. The little one’s head turned slowly and found Kiba sitting atop Tsume, Tsume held Kiba’s wrist in his hand. Quickly he scampered up, running towards the older wolves.

“Kiba!” he yelled, shaking him, gaining his attention. “What are you doing?” he yelled, pulling him off of Tsume. Though Tsume didn’t seem to even notice what was going on. Both wolves just sat and stared up at him. Toboe had no idea what was happening. Tsume was being so quiet, he didn’t even seem to care that Kiba had just been about to hit him. The normally aggressive grey wolf just sat there, gazing up at Toboe now. The small brown wolf turned slowly toward the grey one, feeling the captivity of his gaze bearing down on his body. He wasn’t prepared for the look that was gazing upon his form. Tsume’s normally cool golden orbs stared wonderingly at the small wolf, catching him in a small trance. Then he heard him say it… she’s coming. What was he talking about? Who?

“She’s coming Toboe, she’s coming.” He whispered quietly to the young wolf. Toboe merely stared at him, dropping Kiba’s arm as he stayed captivated under Tsume’s gaze. He couldn’t seem to break the spell Tsume had put him under. He could only listen intently as Tsume gazed upon him in wonder. Then he said it, “She’s coming, to lead us… to paradise.”

That did it. Paradise was the word that broke the spell. ‘Paradise?’ he thought, but Cheza… Toboe looked down to Kiba, for an answer as to what Tsume was talking about. “Kiba…what is he talking about? Who is coming? What about Cheza? The white wolf visibly flinched as his eyes fell to the maiden’s lifeless body. What was going on? What happened? Why was Cheza laying there like she was…dead? It hit him just then, the flower maiden was dead. Toboe turned towards Tsume for answers, knowing the white wolf wasn’t capable of them.

“Tsume… Cheza?” Toboe murmured, his eyes filling with tears at the realization that Cheza really was dead. Why was he just staring at him? Why wouldn’t he answer him? And what on earth did he mean when he said that someone was coming. Cheza was their only hope for paradise… their only hope.

Toboe turned his gaze toward Hige for answers, but the other wolf had no idea what was going on either. Toboe gazed around the room at all the wolves, begging for an answer. But none of them said anything. The tears began to fall, he couldn’t hold them back. Tsume just stared at him, and Kiba kept his eyes fixed on the floor.

“Hige…” he began, gaining the light brown wolf’s attention, not knowing what he wanted to hear, but he was sure that Hige would say something. But what was he going to say, like Hige knew what Tsume was talking about? He didn’t care what it was, just as long as it was something. But Hige could only stare at the lifeless body of Cheza. He wasn’t about to say anything.

Toboe turned away from Hige, looking again for the grey wolf, praying that he would say something this time. He looked up just as Tsume passed by, walking toward the opening of the cave. The small wolf just stood and watched as the grey one stared out into the blizzard as if he was looking for something. But what?

Slowly the young wolf walked up to stand beside his companion, the tears subsiding now. He stared up at him, seeking an answer, but the other’s eyes could only stare out into the blizzard. Toboe just gave up and stared along with his friend, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever it was that Tsume seemed to be looking for.

He just couldn’t see it, and turned to Tsume for answers. “Tsume…” he began, but stopped when he heard the surprised gasp from the other. The grey wolf’s eyes widened, and his breath caught in his throat, he had sensed it. Toboe was about to ask what it was, but then he smelt it, the scent of another wolf. That had to be what Tsume had been sensing, and it was close. He turned back to the storm, desperately seeking out an image.
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The scent had faded. The maiden was dead. She could feel her presence fade away to nothingness… but she was close, she could feel it. The presence of the wolves was very strong… and she could feel one, its eyes were fixed on her. She trudged through the snow, struggling to reach the top of the hill, and at last she did. The moon broke through the storm to shine down upon her, and there in the clear of the night she saw the golden eyes of a grey wolf twinkling in the moonlight, staring at her. A smaller wolf stood beside him, eyes wide, watching her as she stood there in the light of the moon. Her eyes wandered back to the grey wolf, locking gazes with it and then she heard him…Tsume… that was his name. She had heard about him, Cheza had told her about him. She was here at last. She found them.

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“She’s here,” Tsume murmured as he walked into the calm cool of the night towards the moonlit wolf atop the hill.

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