User blog:Nuka Kazan/A Fake Wolf: Remnant of Our Past (Part 2)

"Nuuuu-Kaaaaa~♪"

Never was I more thankful for that Holstaur milk a week ago. Despite knowing what happenes to milk when not kept very cold, I held onto those three spare bottles of milk during my traveling. Until a few minutes ago, I had one bottle remaining, just in case I needed a very effective pick-me-up. Now I just had half a bottle left. I had run non-stop through the forest, ducking, dodging and dashing past trees and, every now and again, a leaping Werewolf.

The whole time, I could hear laughs, hooting, and calling out from my pursuers. The loudest ot them all was the voice most familiar to me: my fellow Black Fang, Shi-Ki Rao-Ka

"You can't run foreeeeeveeeer, brotheeeeer~"

Though I wasn't planning on merely outrunning them, she was right. It was only a matter of time before my stamina, even with the milk, wore out. But I refused to go out without a fight, even if it meant fighting a member of my own clan. I just needed the perfect spot to stop running. I needed more room to roam, more room to fight. But most importantly, I needed somewhere to let me see all of these wolves and eliminate the element of surprise...

... ... ...

... ...The full moon seems to agree, and obliges.

The chase led me up closer and closer towards the mountain I was aiming for in the first place. However, I was also led straight towards a cliff, bathing in the light of the full moon. As I stopped right at the edge, I quickly surveyed the area. I wanted to know what to expect should I fall, which was the most likely case. The mountain was almost straight ahead from where I was, but under this cliff and further ahead looked to be nothing but trees. An ocean of trees. With the full moon before us, it would be quite the pleasant view... ...in any other circumstance.

"Fufu~"

There's that taunting laugh again... ...

Footsteps were creeping closer. As I turned to look behind me, a pair of golden eyes shined as they met my gaze. My chaser brushed her hair, dark red like dried blood, back from her face as she flashes me a fanged grin.

"You always were hard to catch, weren't you, brother?"

I didn't say a word in response. Instead, I slowly unsheathed my two blades from under my cloak. Shi-Ki just kept grinning as she inched closer and closer, letting the claws of her no-longer-human hands protrude threateningly.

"Aw, come now... ...you wouldn't harm one of your own kind now, would you?"

"You're no Black Fang to me!" I shouted. "I don't hear it within you anymore..."

"... ...you don't...hear it?" she asked me, her head tilted.

"The Spirit of the Wolf... ...has abandoned you."

The look on Shi-Ki's face was a bit unsettling. This was the ultimate slap to the face for us; no Black Fang could ever lose their connection with our Spirit and still be considered one of us. It would mean the ultimate betrayal. It implies that one is lost, forever, and is beyond saving.

I didn't honestly mean anything I said to her, mind you. Despite her Monsterization, she was still one of us. She was still Black Fang. But, the path she walks now leaves the Spirit much more faint, faint enough that I did not hear a thing when she was stealing from me earlier that day. Not that the other wolves knew what I was talking about. They slowly poured in from the trees, including the Alpha, who brought her mate for the evening with her. Or rather, she had dragged his unconscious body with her like a fresh kill.

"Shiki... ..." the Alpha began. "doesn't need your little wolf spirit, Black Fang. She has us. Real wolves. She is a real wolf now."

As the Alpha spoke, her underlings started to surround me, making sure that if I moved, I would most likey fall off the cliff. Each one of them were either licking their lips or rotating their shoulders, getting ready to engage in some manner.

"Don't you want to join us? Don't you want to be wolf, too? After all, Shiki would love nothing more than to reunite-- uh, Shiki?"

Shi-Ki was visibly shaking from my last statement. "I'm not... ..."

"Shiki! What's wrong?!"

"I'm not without!"

Shi-Ki dove at me out of turn. claws aimed at my face. Expecting this, I lowered my stance and positioned my shoulder to her exposed waist. With a lunge forward, I attempt to tackle her down, but the opposing forces led to a stalemate. Shi-Ki grabs both of my wrists, making sure I could not use my blades, and yells more at me.

"Take it back! TAKE IT BACK, NU-KA!"

She was definitely still one of us if the insult still hurt her this much. I may have hurt even more than what happened next. Her furious response was followed by shoving me back, back, back towards the edge of the cliff again.

"Shiki, stop! You're gonna knock him off!" one of the underlings cried out.

I saw a few of them come closer to pull Shi-Ki off, but this was my one chance. My one chance to speak with Shi-Ki alone... ...just as long as we survive... ...

I took advantage of Shi-Ki's iron grip on me and pulled her in close. Making sure she couldn't get away, I took one peek back, and then hurled myself, and Shi-Ki along with, right of the cliff.

"Oh, shit!" the Alpha exclaimed, dropping her mate. The wolves all run towards the cliff, but could only watch on as Shi-Ki and I dropped into the forest below...

... ... ...

"Even if you don't really mean it, brother, it still hurts... ..."

A few minutes after landing, we scurried over to the nearby river and tended to our wounds. Our training as Black Fang--and Shi-Ki's Monster reflexes--paid off in lessening the damage we were endure after hitting the trees and rock...

While my 'sister' Shi-Ki was washing out her bleeding leg, I was bandanging up my waist. Trees are sharp when plummeting down upon them...

"I had to do something to get you away from them, Shi-Ki... ..."

"It won't be long until they realize we're not dead, so whatever you wished to do, you had best do it now." she warns as she peeks back at me.

"... ...I just want to know... ...there are so many questions. To start, what happened that led you to become, well... ...this, and have you seen any more of us?"

"We know there are more, there has to be... ...but you're the first I came across after my turning." Shi-Ki began. "It was back during that job three years ago, to find the gang of thieves stealing cattle. Remember? Hehe, I told you I was going to investigate a little longer than the others. You warned me not to... ... ...but I had the weirdest feeling. I thought that whoever it was doing the stealing, they were following the same Spirit we do... ..."

"And then you were ambushed." I guessed,

"Yeah... ...fufu~

It's not bad, though. You say you don't hear the Spirit of the Wolf as strongly around me anymore, but I still hear it just fine. No, I hear it more clearly than ever now~"

As I'm checking my bandages and looking for any signs of further bleeding, I can hear a quick splash of water and some light footsteps. I figured Shi-Ki was done cleaning herself, but I didn't look up to see.

"I just... ...can't be too sure about that, Shi-Ki... ...you may be hearing something else..."

"Oh no, brother... ...I can hear her soooo much better now. She speaks the same voice, but now... ...in full words..."

"She? I'm not sure I--WHOA?!"

I instantly regretted my decision to not look up at Shi-Ki as she grabbed me by the shoulders and pushed me onto my back. I keep forgetting that even though these Monsters are people just like Humans, they are still Monsters, and are always after that one thing... ...

Shi-Ki straddles my bandaged waist, her wolf tail starting to wag. Her face started to resemble that of a lady who hadn't seen her family in quite some time... ...but this isn't what family does!

"Is it bad? Your waist?" she asked. "I don't smell much blood, but does it hurt bad?"

"N... ...no, but--"

"Then let's hurry, while we still have time..." her face was starting to flush as her breathing became a little heavier. "Victoria, our leader, wants you first, but I don't care about the pecking order when my own kind is involved. A Black Fang belongs to a Black Fang, no one else~"

"Shi-- Shi-Ki, we can't! This is not the time, remember the c--"

"I'm sorry, brother... ...I can't." Her claws began to dig into the bandages.She wasn't listening to reason.

"I... ...I agree with the Spirit... ...I wanna make a new claaaaan..."

-To Be Continued

Author's Apology
I know, I know! After weeks of not posting, I come back with another cliffhanger. I apologize!

I'm still not sure how long to make each part, so I keep thinking I might go too long...

If you're still with me, hang in there; I'll end this chapter in the 3rd part...