Arrival

[Tsukikage]

Kage nodded intermittently as Hitoban spoke. "I see," He said gravely, "thank you, Hitoban... but that only makes me worry about Wahya more. What if Giga wins one of these days? Even if his power is sealed, he's dangerous if he can get control of Wahya; he won't need his demon-strength to kill."
Momentai, brother. Tsuki thought as they came in view of each other.
Kage smiled weakly, "Have you been reading my thoughts again? Bad Tsuki!"
"Hey, we're one; I've been listening the whole time." Tsuki chuckled, "I'm not ready to give up on Wahya, so don't you, either. Like Heets said, the heart is a powerful thing. I should know that best, right? Hehe." Tsuki was confident as he spoke, like he knew everything would work out, somehow. Is this what they call "hope"? Kage thought to himself, making sure he'd shut his mind to Tsuki, so as not to be heard.
Tsuki smiled widely, "Don't be troubled, bro. There is malcontent among us, but I feel no evil yet... though..." Tsuki's expression suddenly turned dark and stoic as Shimo and Mar came into view. He continued in a hushed voice, deliberately not looking at Shimo so as not to arouse suspicion. "Shimo worries me now. Something happened to him while you were out there... something bad. He's anxious, and... it's like right and wrong, good and bad... they've all been jumbled together, like he doesn't know the difference anymore. Don't say anything, or treat him any differently; he's scared, and I'm afraid the slightest upset could start something. I have to talk to dad before we do anything about Shimo, okay?"
Kage nodded, "Alright, but I'll be watching him... seeing that dog did something to him."
"Dog?" Tsuki asked quizzically, "What's that?"
Kage laughed, "Oh yeah, you don't know, do you? You remember those funny-looking wolf-like creatures in the city? Those are dogs."
"Oh," Tsuki nodded in recognition, "gotcha. What are they doing... out... here... Hunters." He said as the realization dawned on him.
"Hunters." Kage confirmed.

[hitobannofokkusu]

*Hitoban sat down next to Tsuki as the two brothers spoke, and she watched Maname. Poor girl...she wondered how she would take it.*

*Maname listened nonchalantly to the boys talk, but when Shimo was mentioned, she perked her ears and listened a little more intensely. She couldn't believe this! They thought there was something wrong with Shimo? She looked to Hitoban, who just looked away. She thought it too! Maname stood and stalked off to find her sister.*

[Wahya Ayawisgi]

Wahya continues to stand where he was in anger as they have already walked off, he slams his paw into the ground as he lets out a grunt. "Wahya, please be careful, you are going to let Giga out. Pfft, I wish I could of killed that damn dog, I recognized that scent off him!" Wahya looks to the ground as he lifts his paw to see a imprint of his paw print in the ground.

He looks back up to where they left then in the direction the dog left.

[Tsukikage]

Shimo bolted after Maname with a terrified look on his face. Mar prepared to follow, but Tsuki called him over to discuss the situation, so Kage followed him to make sure nothing happened.
Shimo leaped into a the trees and vanished in the blink of an eye, only to descend moments later near Maname. His fur was on-end, and he had a wild look in his eye; part blood-lust and part pure terror. "Your not... leaving, are you?" he sobbed, "No. I shouldn't have come. It's too risky." He seemed to begin talking to himself, twitching intermittently, then he jump back into a tree and curled up as if he were afraid of her. "You can't, it's too dangerous. But I... no. You can't be allowed friends anymore, Shimo. You'll eat them. Eat them and they'll aaaall go away, and you'll be all alone again." As he whispered to himself beneath his breath, he seemed to change. Hairs on his back became longer and thicker, like a porcupine, and black patterns began to appear across hi fur and eyes. His eyes turned black as night, and his fur turned red. He looked at himself, inspecting his new form with the same fear in his eyes. "So... this is what I was? No wonder the humans wanted to study me. Do I frighten you, girl? I didn't want to be thought of as a monster, but now look at me." His demeanor had changed as well; though tears streamed down his face, and fear consumed his eyes, his voice and posture showed no emotion. His voice was wispy and devoid of any emotion. "Kage," He said nonchalantly, "I know you're there, come on out."
Kage walked toward them from a great distance, with an awe-struck look on his face. "You saw me?"
"Yes." He replied, "And I suppose I'll just answer your other questions now. This is the form my people were cursed with due to our diet. Notice the elongated fangs and hardened quills, developed for the sole purpose of ripping our prey open and devouring their innards." He rotated the quills, pointing them forward as an example. "Since the time I acquired the transmutation knowledge from the one named Dante, my body began repairing itself, returning to the form you see here. The one you knew as Shimo... is gone. I --"
"NO!" Kage barked, "Not you too! I'm not letting any more of my friends become monsters, you hear me?!?"
"Monsters?" Shimo said, "A monster, by your narrow definition, is one who chooses to do evil. I am no longer bound by right and wrong as you see them." He brushed Kages remark off and continued, "I required only the proper stimulation for the final stages to be complete. What you see before you is nothing less than the ultimate fighting machine, bred only to kill or be killed -- and trust me, I'm much better suited for the 'kill' part than the 'be killed' part." He staggered a moment, and black tears fell from his face, "There is one thing I don't understand though, something that you must answer for me, girl... Ma...na...me?" His face convulsed, and the red faded from his muzzle as he forced out the name, "Why can't I kill you? I'm very hungry, you see, but I cannot bring myself to eat anyone here. Perhaps Wahya, but my stomach will have to wait until my curiosity is satisfied, mmm?"
Shimo collapsed, and shifted back to the white wolf. "Help me..." He cried, "Who am I?" The terror had finally worn him down from inside, and he curled up into as tight a ball as he could and wept.

Kage went back to report to Tsuki.

"I see." Tsuki nodded, "From what Dad's told me, and this new development, I can only surmise that..." I wish Dante were here... "Um... my guess is that his subconscious mind is using his transmutation powers; coupling these... horrible memories with his imagination, the creature you saw was most likely not real. What you saw is what he feared becoming most. The only way I can think of to bring him back... um... maybe if he just remembered who he is to us. Forget about the past or what he was back then, and focus on the future, and his friends. That kind of thing."
Kage looked to Hitoban, "I hope I did the right thing by leaving Maname with Shimo, Hitoban. He's not dangerous for now, and he was scared, so I didn't want him to be alone." Then he turned to Tsuki, "What if you're wrong?"
"Let's hope I'm right, okay?" Tsuki smiled, "After all, where there's life, there's hope. So let's just focus on doing everything we can to help. By the way, we do need to keep moving, do you think he'll be okay? And where's Wahya gone off to? I didn't see him come back with you guys."
Kage's eyes widened, "You're right, he didn't." He stared at Hitoban, "You don't suppose...?"

[ooc: Woah, that's a long post! Sorry 'bout that, it just sorta, kept on coming. ^_^;]

[hitobannofokkusu]

[OCC]'Sokay. It was quite interesting. ^^[/OCC]

*Hitoban looked back at Kage, hiding the fear in her eyes, and then looked to Daisuke. He was a little ways away, but he could surely hear everything they were saying. She made a movement with her head, already feeling like he was one of them, and he stood, nodded, and began to walk in the direction Wahya was.*

"I'll have Daisuke keep an eye on him. And don't worry Kage, even though we barely know him, I feel I can trust him and his siblings, and they haven't proven me wrong yet."

*Daisuke lay down a few yards away from the brush that edged the small clearing Wahya was still in and waited silently for him to make a move. Daisuke was known as one of the best trackers around, so he knew exactly where to be so he wouldn't be noticed.*

*Maname watched in slight awe, fear, and amusement at Shimo's strange episode. When he curled into a ball, Maname padded over to him and nudged him with her nose. She lay down beside him and lay her chin on his neck. She chose not to say anything right now because, after all, actions speak louder than words, right? It was strange to think that this kind of thing didn't disturb her. By all means she should be running away as fast as she can, but she didn't. Why? She should have run when she first saw Mar, but she didn't. Again, why? Now that she knew Mar better, she knew that he wasn't a bad guy at all. She believed the same for Shimo. She hadn't known him in this "past life" of his, but she knew him now and she was determined to support him.*

[Wahya Ayawisgi]

Wahya continues to stare in the direction of the dog, his fur was completely black as he looks in the direction, but Wahya was having a conversation with Giga. "Maybe we should go back for the others..."

"Nonsense, why dont you follow that damn dog so that you can kill some hunters that took your pack and mother away.... or do you want to wuss out"

Wahya closes his eyes as he smiles wickedly, "Killing some waterbags and mutts would be very delicous.." Wahya licks his chops as he chuckles.

"See, you and me could work along, why dont you and me really "merge""

"I dont know, this feeling of strength is great, and the power..." Wahya opens his eyes quickly as continues to look in the direction of the dog. "Lets find out where he went!" Wahya bursts into a sprint kicking the dirt up where he stood.

"Thats it..... find him... and slaughter him!"

[Tsukikage]

Kage nodded, let out a sigh, and left to check on Shimo and Maname.

"Hey, buddy," He said softly as he padded over, "You okay? Tsuki says we need to move on soon."
"He knows?" Shimo responded, his voice quivering with fear.
"Mmhmm." Kage nodded, "Yeah, I told him. He said not to worry, and that you'd never do a thing like that. You're our friend, Shimo. It doesn't matter who or what you were, all that matters is who you are now, right? If you wanted to... eat us, you would have by now. So leave the past in the past and get on with your life, eh?"
Shimo gaped. He was still in tears and curled in on himself, but something of what Kage said had gotten through. From overhead, Tsubasa landed and made some noises.
"What's he saying?" Kage asked.
"He said, 'I see your fear, and it is foolish. You need me no longer. Be with your own kind now.'... at least, that's a rough translation, there's even less emotion in bird; they're more factual than emotional." He explained, "He's... saying goodbye."
Shimo unfurled himself and looked Tsubasa in the eye. His fur was damp all across his face and chest, and it was evident that he'd been crying for a long time. "So... I'm a real wolf, is that it?"
Tsubasa nodded.
"I see," Shimo nodded, "I understand. I'm... going to miss you, Tsubasa. Take care of yourself." He would have been in tears again if he hadn't spilled them all already. He hugged Tsubasa tight, then released, and the bird flew off into the sky.
"I'm ready, Kage." He said, sadly. "Maname, will you... stay with me? I need someone to walk with." He blushed slightly, trying to think up an excuse. "So I don't lose it again, you understand, right?" He quickly changed the subject, "Oh boy, I'm a mess... hehe, excuse me." He quickly set to cleaning himself up as best he could, but his tongue couldn't reach most of the spots he'd stained with tears, so he ended up just struggling unnecessarily.

[hitobannofokkusu]

*Daisuke let out a curse then followed swiftly but silently after Wahya. What was he going to do when they got where they were going? He should probably turn around and go tell Hitoban what was going on, but he couldn't bring himself to stop the chase. Suddenly, he crashed into Hina.*

What the hell are you doing here? Why aren't you back with the others?

I was worried that Wahya hadn't got back yet, so I came to watch him. You should go back and tell Hitoban what's going on.

*Daisuke didn't have time for this. He bolted off after Wahya's trail and groaned when Hina caught up with him in two seconds flat. She always had been the faster runner, but she couldn't hold a trail for anything. He sighed, slowing down when he got close enough to Wahya, and looked at Hina.*

I guess you can come then, since you won't be leaving this chase either.

*Hina nodded and they both looked forward, surging after Wahya, perfectly in sync.*

*Meanwhile, Maname was giggling and trying to hide her blush. She nudged Shimo and padded over to Kage.*

I wouldn't leave you Shimo. Now let's go. Lady Hitoban and Lord Tsuki wish for us to get going.

*Maname looked after Tsubasa and smiled.*

Goodbye.

[Rynn]

Rin slipped through the forest silently, on her way back towards the others, she perked her ears every so often, listening for signs of trouble, she couldn't shake this feeling that something was wrong. She had no clue that they had just chased off a hunters dog, or anything else.

[Wahya Ayawisgi]

Wahya continues to run until he catches the scent of blood, dog blood, he smiles wickedly as he draws closer to the scene. The dog had his leg caught in a trap that was meant for a bear. "Well well well, we meet again" as he slowly walks around the dog trying his best to get out of the trap. "Seems like you have caught yourself in one of your masters trap, what a problem, tsk tsk..."

The dog looks to Wahya in fear, "Please help!"

"Why should we help you, you tried to lead hunters straight to me!" Giga laughs wickedly as he continues to walk a circle around the dog.

"Please, I have not made it back yet! They do not know where you are at!"

"Hmmm.... I do not think we should let him him go Giga..."

"Indeed, he deserves a slow and painful death for trying to lure some hunters toward us!"

Wahya plants his foot onto one of the dog's leg quickly breaking it. The dog screams in agony, "Oh.... my bad, my foot slipped" Wahya laughs as he continues to walk around the dog.

[Tsukikage]

He'd left them all behind. It was time to be himself again, and not a babysitter for that poor wolf-kin. Tsubasa flew through the sky, enjoying the feeling of freedom, at long last. It hadn't been long before he spotted Wahya. He saw the dog in agony, and remembered finding Shimo, when he was all alone. He cursed to himself as he circled back to save the poor thing. He didn't know why he did these kinds of things, maybe it was caring for Shimo all this time, maybe it was just his nature, he didn't know. Either way, he knew he was going to his death, so there was no point waiting. He dove at Wahya, raking his talons across the wolf's nose, then when Wahya stepped back, he went to work freeing the dog. This was stupid... even if he freed this creature, he wouldn't get far on a broken leg... but birds had an innate sense of right and wrong, he'd always said, and Wahya was most certainly not right.

[Wahya Ayawisgi]

Wahya steps back as he shakes his head, "YOU DAMN RAT WITH WINGS!" Wahya leaps forward and raps his muzzle around Tsubasa, he shakes him violently before throwing him aside.

"Leave the mutt alone, he has plans..." Giga turns and smiles as he plants his foot on the other leg of the dog, breaking another leg.

The dog screams again, tears run down his face as he begs.

"Awww.... he is begging for mercy... should of thought about it before trying to track Wahya!"

Wahya smiles wickedly, "Yeah, should of thought..."

[Tsukikage]

Tsubasa flopped across the ground, leaving a trail of blood behind him. This was it. His last act had failed. Of course, he didn't expect to succeed, but he'd hoped to give the dog a chance. Now it was over for both of them... Forgive me, Shimo... he prayed with the last of his will before passing on. At long last, he was truly free... It would only be a matter of time before he was found and eaten; swept forever from the memory of the world. But he was content knowing that he'd done his best... for Shimo's sake...

[hitobannofokkusu]

*Daisuke and Hina crouched behind a nearby tree and watched the scene unfold. Daisuke wanted to kill Wahya. Hina did not.*

Let me go Hina! He's going to torture the poor thing to death! And you heard Hitoban, she wanted to let it go!

But you can't KILL him! I know if I let you go, you'll rip out his throat!

*Hina had Daisuke's tail in her mouth and her body blocking his way. Every time he tried to get away, she bit his tail.*

I won't kill him, I'll just break both his legs and whatever else he decides to do to the poor mutt before you let me go! You holding me here is only making it worse for him.

You couldn't win in a fight against him even if you tried. You know all you're good at is tracking. I'm the fighter and I won't fight him.

*Daisuke suddenly stopped struggling and looked at Hina, his eyes very serious.*

Will you fight the monster he's become?

*Tears welled in Hina's eyes and she forced herself to look at Wahya. He was still circling, but his eyes were golden, and his fur had started to turn black. He spoke of a demon inside him when they met. Could this be him, or his demon? She let go of Daisuke's tail and moved to stand beside him. She shook her head, flinging the tears away, and looked at Daisuke.*

Do what you must to help, right up to the end. Isn't that what we've always said, Brother?

It is, Sister. Let's do it.

*They burst forward in complete sync and Daisuke dove at "Wahya". Hina moved to the dog and looked over the bear trap. Maname had gotten stuck in one of these when she was a pup. Hina had spent hours trying to figure out how to get it off without pulling off Maname's paw, and she'd finally figured it out. She moved behind the trap and shoved her paw in the small gap the dog's paw made. She turned it to the side to avoid the spikes, and pushed up. She held it to the ground with the other paw and when the space was large enough, she nosed the dog's paw out and to the ground. She jumped back, snapping the trap shut without so much as a scratch.*

*Hina now noticed Tsubasa a few yards away. She trotted over there in the midst of the action and looked him over. Was he alive? No, he'd died. Hina bowed shortly then said a quick prayer for him. Now she turned to Daisuke and Wahya, to see if Daisuke's lunge had been hit, or miss.

[Wahya Ayawisgi]

Giga's ear twitched, he looked in the direction of Daisuke. He grins wickedly as he leaps offside of him and grabs his side then pinning him to the ground, he plants both paws on each side of his muzzle as he starts to shake his head.

(muffled) "You should let me do my work!"

The dog looks up to Hina in shock then starts to crawl away slowly, a trial of blood following.

Giga glances over to the trap to notice the dog gone. He bites down hard on Daisuke as he got angrier. THESE WOLVES ARE PEST!