Daybreak

[hitobannofokkusu]

Hitoban yawned and stretched, nuzzling her face into Tsuki's shoulder. She took in a deep breath that smelled like flowers and dew, and sighed it out. The night had passed with no hardships at all, and she had slept deeper than she'd ever slept before. Now she felt refreshed and happy. She was home again, and everything was back to normal. Well, almost normal...

On the journey home, Tsuki had been relying on her a lot, and she suspected it was because of his eyesight. Though Shimo said it would be back in a few hours, it hadn't returned by nightfall. She was anxious to see if it was any better. Because of this, she nudged her love's shoulder gently and whispered in his ear to wake him.

"Wake up, my love. It's a new day."

[Tsukikage]

"Ngh..." Tsuki moaned. "Isstill dark out. Go to sleep..."
Then it hit him. "Oh no..."
Just then, Neo entered the room. "Good morning!" He said, grinning wide, "I trust you slept well, Tsuki-sama?" The young -- though at the same time, impossibly ancient -- wolf's smile broke instantly when he saw Tsuki. Neo rushed to his side and looked to Hitoban. "How long?" He asked, with little consideration for formalities. "What did Shimo do? Tell me everything you know -- Tsuki, do not speak. Don't move a muscle if you can help it."
Kage finally appeared as well. He'd been practically glued to his mate's side since the day before, but his concern for his brother finally won out. "What can I do?" he asked, earnestly, though he still sported that stupid, love-struck grin.
"Stop grinning like a twit and bring me a healer, immediately." Neo snapped.
"Geez! Yessir!" Kage retorted before trotting off down to the grotto...
Neo analyzed Tsuki's head for a moment or two. "There are still traces of the marks Shimo used. That is not supposed to happen." He'd seemed to be over the fact that he couldn't understand half of what he knew in this matter -- a past life had gifted him with such knowledge, so why waste it? "You probably can't see them, either. One moment..." He paused, then he took some dust in his mouth and licked Tsuki's temple. The saliva mixed with dust stuck to his fur and revealed the veins around Tsuki's eyes -- they were blackened... "So that's it..." Neo looked like he was going to cry... "Just as I thought..."

[hitobannofokkusu]

Hitoban's smile faded slowly from her face as she took in Tsuki's words. He thought it was dark out, yet the sun glittered through the water and danced on his very face. She didn't feel herself sit on the floor. She no longer felt the warmth of the sun. All she could see was Tsuki. The loss of his sight in itself was terrible, but it wasn't as bad as death. As long as that was all that was wrong with him, she could still hold onto a shred of hope. She didn't hear Neo's giddy welcome, she didn't hear Kage enter, she didn't hear their conversation. She knew when Kage left, and she finally heard Neo's words. They were mumbled, speaking to himself, but she knew the meaning all the same. She knew what had happened, but she didn't know the mechanics of it-what really happened. She felt disembodied as she stood and walked over to Tsuki. She sat down beside him and leaned against him, almost as if for support.

"Tell me everything."

[Tsukikage]

Neo nodded, "This is --"
"Okay! I'm here!" Shimo interrupted, "What's wrong with our lord?"
Neo sighed, "Well, this infection is... my fault. Or it was my fault." Now he seemed more angry than remorseful, "That damned Dante! When he restored your power, he --" he stopped short, seeing Shimo's leg in the same condition as Tsuki's eyes. He took a deep breath and continued as calmly as possible. "This is a curse on you, Shimo. Anyone you help with your power will suffer from this as well. Unfortunately, my memories of its intricacies disappeared, along with Dante. I only have a knack for such things, and limited knowledge provided by Mar's memories, not a true understanding. But you had the ability to understand anything once, yes?"
Shimo nodded. "My brain isn't built for such an ability, and it almost destroyed me."
Neo smiled, "Alright, then we'll need to restore it. I understand the risks involved, but the alternative is much worse -- you both may be passing into the shadow as we speak."
Tsuki grumbled, "Can I speak now?"
"Yeah, chances are, nothing you do will make it better or worse."
"Good." Tsuki nodded, "So, what's this 'shadow'?"
Neo cringed, "Once the darkness reaches your heart, you will die. Your body will remain, but you will be a heartless creature of darkness... feral, and driven by little more than lusts for blood, food, and mate."

"How much time?"

"It's... difficult to say..."

"I see..."

Neo nodded, "That is why we have to restore Shimo's power, so that he can remove the darkness."
Shimo nodded back, "I see. How do we do that?"
"We can do it right now, if you're ready."
Shimo nodded solemnly, and Neo approached him and pressed his forehead against Shimo's. They both fell under some sort of trance and began to glow softly.

Tsuki turned his head, as if looking for Hitoban. "Crazy, huh?" *Up* "This darkness is probably..." *left* "... what's blocking my power..." *right**left**down**stop*...
"I... I see something..."

[hitobannofokkusu]

Hitoban didn't look at anyone, just the floor, and listened to what was happening. Shimo had appeared, and now he and Neo were talking about some curse or infection. Shimo had it too, it seemed, and Dante was the originator. It was Dante's fault. Whether it was intentional or not, she couldn't gather, but either way it was his fault. Shimo had it now, and when he tried to heal Tsuki it had only given him the infection. Now they were both dying inside, and they would turn evil if something wasn't done. Neo said something about restoring Shimo's power, Shimo responded, and they fell silent. The next thing she knew, Tsuki's voice was in her ear.

She looked at him, her eyes taking a couple of seconds to adjust, and listened to what he was saying. Crazy....darkness blocking his power...sees something...

Sees something.

She stood, her strength returned in a burst of adrenaline. She nudged his cheek, searching his eyes frantically. "What do you see?"

[Tsukikage]

"Sadness..." Tsuki murmured, "I see sadness... it's like... it's like a pup... sitting... in the rain..." he continued staring out into nothingness and giving report of his vision, "He's so sad, he -- something else... a red... shadow... and a snake... the snake clings to the shadow like a black ribbon in a pool of blood, then it reaches for the pup, and... ! T-that's all... th-there isn't anymore..."
He shivered, though he was not cold. His body kept shaking all over, and he broke into a cold sweat. "I have to live..." he whispered to himself, "F-for Aimi... I can't leave Hitoban alone..."

Finally, after an agonizing silence, Shimo approached. The black mark on his flank had turned red, and was no longer causing him any pain, but he looked... distracted, like he could not focus. Neo stood close to him, and guided his movements. It was almost uncomfortably close, except for the current circumstances. Neo put his mouth right next to Shimo's ear, though he did not whisper, "We must help Tsuki now, Shimo. Hurry."
Shimo didn't nod, or even seem to respond at all until he stepped forward to touch his alpha. Without any need of a circle, Shimo merely touched Tsuki's head, and a red light illuminated his fur. Tsuki gasped for air, and seemed to be in agonizing pain.
Can't... breathe! W-what's happening? Hitoban!
Soon, both wolves were collapsed on the floor, panting heavily. Tsuki's beautiful blue eyes opened at last, as black tears drew the venom out of them. And now there were three wolves, marked in red as a reminder of the evil they had outlived. Tsuki's eyes bore red markings around them, Shimo had his mark, like three claws pointing outward, and Neo had strange curved symbols all along his body...
Neo stood over them, and looked at Hitoban, "We have finally seen the last danger from my existence. I regret, however, that Shimo will probably need help from now on; normal things like eating, walking, and speaking may be difficult for him to understand at times. Also, I am not sure how many years we've taken from him. But I saw in his mind-space, that he was ready to accept this fate, for Tsuki's sake... and for yours -- he has no regrets in this."
He gave his report so solemnly, as if he were merely stating fact, but as he turned away, the floor became wet with his tears. "Forgive me, Lady, I must withdraw..." he sobbed.
Without another word, he left, trailing a dotted line of tears behind him...

[hitobannofokkusu]

Hitoban listened in grave silence as her love spoke, his words haunting. They chilled Hitoban to the bone. A pup, a snake, and a red shadow. What could it mean? She couldn't begin to guess, or at least guess anything that was slightly good. She didn't want to ask, for fear that her thoughts would be confirmed. So she sat in silence until Shimo arrived.

Shimo and Neo both looked different. Red markings were on them both now, and Shimo looked almost like a shell. A vacant shell of what he used to be. She watched as he moved toward Tsuki, and she moved closer instinctively. As the two touched, red light shone from Tsuki, and she dared not touch him. She didn't understand the magic some wolves used, but she knew that so far almost all of it had brought trouble. So she stood as her love struggled to breathe and move, knowing that he was in agony, and that she couldn't do anything at the present moment.

When they fell to the ground, she lunged forward, again instinctively. She stood above Tsuki, almost protectively, and waited to see what would happen. When he opened his eyes and looked around, she took her first breath in what seemed like hours. She lay down beside him and nuzzled his neck, while she watched Shimo and Neo. Neo spoke and she listened, and then he left. She didn't say anything, and left the silence for respect.

[Tsukikage]

After a long and awkward silence, Tsuki stirred. He was finally breathing easy, and he looked healthy, despite being worn out.
"S-so, Shimo..." Tsuki sighed, "This is what we've come to?"
Shimo turned his head, much like a cat, turning to look at what wasn't on the ceiling of the cave. "Yes, I... wan-ted... hmm..." his voice trailed off into a mumbling sound. It made Tsuki sad to see Shimo's blank stare, but in his heart, he could feel the other's resolve. Feel... at last, I can... He nuzzled Hitoban tenderly. "I can feel you again. You feel... warm." He spoke softly and quietly, still fairly tired, but peaceful.
"Peace..." Shimo murmured.
Tsuki smiled, "Yes, perhaps now we can have peace. We've been through a lot of danger to get here, and we've managed to stick together. And unless dad hasn't told me something, I think the trouble from my side of the family is finally done with. I'm just sorry it was so much."

[hitobannofokkusu]

Hitoban looked at Tsuki and Shimo as they spoke to each other, and she felt a pang of sorrow for Shimo. As Tsuki nuzzled into her, she felt a type of soft bliss. It seemed ages since he'd felt her, and since he'd felt the same. There wasn't such agony in his touch anymore, and it was a wonderful change. The mention of peace brought her happiness higher still. Perhaps now it was all over and there would be nothing more troubling for some time to come, or even any more trouble at all. She couldn't believe that there would be no more trouble, but the prospect of a small period of peace was relieving, like lifting an anvil from her back.

She buried her face into her love's fur and sighed. "Perhaps now things won't be as terrible as they've been of late."

[Tsukikage]

"One can only hope, my love." Tsuki replied. He felt a little awkward, finally calling her such things. He'd always known it, but saying 'My love'... My love, and no one else. Now, maybe... we can start that family -- but wait... "I wonder how the others are doing..." He pondered. Of course, right now, he'd like nothing more than to forget them, and share this moment, just the two of them.
Shimo rose slowly, his ear twitching like a dead beetle on the side of his head. He didn't seem to notice his own body as he walked out, nearly colliding with a wall nearby the cave entrance. Thankfully, Kage appeared at his side to help.
It's done? The older brother asked through there forgotten mind-link.
Tsuki nodded.
And Shimo... he'll need help like this for the rest of his life, right? I managed to hear through you.
Just keep an eye on him, and make sure he doesn't hurt himself. Take him to go see Dad; they seemed to have bonded some on our trip, and I'm sure he'd be willing to watch out for Shimo, for the time-being.
Kage nodded and led Shimo away.

"I hope the cost wasn't too high..." Tsuki sighed. "But enough of that for now -- I need rest, and then, we can finally get our home in order."

[hitobannofokkusu]

A small smile came across her face when she heard his words. Yes, his love. It was nice. The other things that had to be dealt with, however, were not. Shimo's listless movements worried her, and she wondered for a moment if it was worth it. She concluded that it was-only because Shimo accepted it-and that she shouldn't worry about it. She would ensure that he was taken the best care of possible while he lived in her pack, and that no more harm came to him.

It seemed that Tsuki was thinking the same thoughts she was. He was worried about Shimo, and he knew that he himself needed rest. Hitoban laid down next to him, refusing to leave his side until he was up and acting normally again. "Good idea, love. We all need our rest. We can fix everything after a little while."

[Tsukikage]

Tsuki smiled and snuggled his mate as he drifted happily to sleep... but then, just before sleep took him, he sensed something was wrong elsewhere...
Ka... ge...?