Nothing Is As It Seems (Wolf’s Rain girls only) P28.

I sat up breathing heavily and pressed myself against the back wall of the small den me and my pack were in. I noticed the others were still asleep except for Cheza. She was sitting next to Toboe watching me. I could feel cold sweat clinging to my skin. I shook my head and closed my eyes trying to calm myself. Your heart is too weak for this distress you must calm yourself. My double’s voice said sternly from within my mind.
“Are you alright?” I heard Cheza ask from behind my closed eyes and the slumbering Kiba. I nodded and opened my blue eyes to her pink ones. She smiled weakly and looked to her other wolves, she seemed sad but still smiling.
“This one did not realise you were remembering so much so quickly.”
“What? How…?” Kiba stirred in front of me, making me stiffen as he lifted his head up.
“This one can not say.” Was all Cheza said as Kiba yawned shaking away his tiredness. I frowned a little at Cheza but accepted what she told me. Kiba turned to his human form and looked from me to Cheza. I was lent back, pressed against the wall in my human form with my legs pulled up to my chest so they wouldn’t touch Kiba still lying in front of me. But he sat up and pushed himself back and sat next to me, resting against the wall.
“How did you sleep?” He asked turning to look at me.
“Alright, I guess.” I replied as I looked at him from the corner of my eye. Kiba’s eyes moved again from me to Cheza.
“What happened?”
“Nothing just a bad dream, woke me up.” I said looking at him then lowering my head when his eyes met mine. He nodded and turned to the rest of our pack still sleeping soundly, except for Tsume who was starting to wake. He stretched and walked out of the den lazily.

“Time to go.” Kiba said as Cheza patted Toboe awake then woke Hige and Blue.
“Five more minutes.” Hige grumbled as Blue walked out of the den with Toboe and Cheza.
“Come on Hige.” I said nudging him up and out for me and Kiba to get past. I walked to the lake in front of the den and drank deeply along with Hige and Tsume.
“We’re leaving the city as soon as possible.” Kiba said to everyone as he came and stood beside me.
“Before those mutts start sniffing around again.” Tsume added standing in his human form next to Hige. I lowered my head then started walking down to the city as the sun climbed into the sky. I was walking with Blue with Hige and Toboe walking behind us and Tsume just ahead next to Kiba and Cheza. After we entered the city Cheza left Kiba’s hand drop and took mine in it’s place. The others stopped as Cheza walked to me.
“This one wants to be by your side today.” I nodded as she beamed back at me but then a growl irrupted from my throat when I saw who stood at the entrance to an ally way behind her. Cheza turned along with the others to see one of the males from yesterday that’d been the ‘most’ interested in me, leaning against the wall in his human form. I growled again and moved myself in front of her and placed us in between Tsume and Kiba. We walked past the male with Tsume and Kiba growling at him, making him stand up a little straighter and gave away the fear he held in his eyes. I smiled wickedly seeing him frightened of the big adult males glaring at him, knowing that the only reason he was still alive was because of me. I could smell the wolves as we continued walking through the city, and even for about half an hour after leaving, their scents could still be smelt in the air. I ran in my wolf form with Cheza on my back and Kiba running beside me. Tsume and Hige just ahead, Blue and Toboe following behind. We ran until nightfall, then after a very strange and frightening dream, picked up the trail again early next morning. After the day was half spent we saw in the distance a line of trees. Tsume hurried ahead then came back saying there was a forest.

“I found a den, it’s huge looks like it belongs to a bear.” Hige said as we walked through the forest with night closing in.
“We’re not stopping, are we?” I asked, looking to Cheza still holding my hand. Kiba was walking in front of us, he didn’t answer but continued to march. The trees were thick and old, they grew close together but this forest was nowhere near as dense as others we’d already passed through. But still this forest is creepy, it’s just too quiet. I was thinking to myself. By the time Kiba gave in to Hige’s complaints of hunger and fatigue it was late into the night. I was relieved to stop, after such a restless night then a full day of travel, I was completely exhausted. I sat myself away from the others as I was still in season. I really don’t know why I want to keep myself away from them. I guess those males freaked me out more than I thought. I felt Cheza sit next to me against the tree I was leaning on. She took hold of my hand that I was resting on the floor and squeeze it. When I turned to her she smiled.
“This one will sing with you Syra.” I’ve been wanting to sing for so long. It calms me and makes me feel safe. I haven’t sung since the last time I sung with Cheza, mainly because Kiba had been mad at me for reminding him of her, and because it was my old pack that took her in the first place.
“No Cheza it’s ok I’m alright.”
“But this one knows you are upset.”
“Honestly I’m fine I’m just tired.” And last night kinda scared me more than I realised. I finished to myself.
“If you’re tired you should rest.” Kiba said startling me. I didn’t notice him come over and now he was stood in front of me. I looked away from him but decided that staying up when I was so tired was stupid and pointless. So I laid down in my wolf form and rested my head on Cheza’s lap, allowing her to stroke my had as I listened to her humming. Kiba turned to his wolf form and lied down next to me with his head still up watching the others settle down to rest themselves. Tsume wasn’t tired so he stayed up like Kiba but Toboe, Hige and Blue joined me as I drifted off to Cheza’s song.

I was asleep almost immediately along with Hige, Toboe and Blue. But Tsume and Kiba stayed up.
“So are you going to tell me what you think you’re doing?” Tsume’s sarcastic tone broke through the night air shortly after Hige’s snores began. Kiba didn’t respond but turned his head to look at Tsume fully. He was still in his human form leaning against a tree with his hands resting behind his head, scrutinising Kiba through the darkness. He moved his eyes from Kiba to Syra sleeping soundly in Cheza’s lap. Cheza wasn’t asleep either but was watching Kiba’s face with interest. She knew Tsume could see what she could even if Kiba didn’t yet. But he did see, and he understood what Tsume was implying, he just didn’t know how to answer. It was complicated.
“I know that her being a part of Cheza means something different to you than it does to the rest of us. I get that. Keeping her away from The Nobles is something we all agree on, but you do realise you’ve been guarding her from us as well.” Tsume said with his eyes closed letting Kiba take in his words. Kiba wasn’t sure how to respond. He hadn’t realised this at first but it was obvious. Even Toboe had kept his distance from Syra since the other night, and they were usually inseparable. Cheza had told them that if Syra chose a mate that wolf could help her open Paradise if something happened to her. With the knowledge that Darcia and Jagara knew this and were looking for her, and knowing what they planned to do when they found her. It was making it hard for Kiba to ignore the emotions he felt towards the young female. Did he want that. He knew he was feeling something he wasn’t ready to even admit to himself, what did she feel? He’d said some terrible things to her accused her of betraying them. He should leave her alone, for someone else who deserved her to guard her when she was vulnerable (and in season). But I need to protect her, keep her safe, I promised Cheza. But the fact that she’s a part of Cheza makes this all the more complicated, and seeing her the other night, so vulnerable and scared… I just lost it I… His trail of thought was lost when Cheza placed a hand on his back. She’d sensed his anger as he remembered Syra’s tear stricken face from two nights ago, when she’d been attacked by the male wolves from the city.
“This one is worried for Syra to.” She said quietly but more than loud enough for the sensitive ears of the wolves. Kiba immediately sat up, now in his human form and swept his gaze over Syra’s face. She looked fine, still a little thin but unharmed. Cheza looked up then continued.
“This one hoped she would be stronger by now. This one hoped the moonlight would be enough, but it is not." If Syra remains this weak the memories will come faster for her. The other being will not be able to stop them.
“The other part of Syra this one told you about is also weak from the time at The Keep. She is unable to protect Syra as well as she once did. Syra is remembering more and more though this one does not think she knows it yet. This one saw her dreams. They are all memories now, memories of this ones past that are locked away in her mind. She has felt fear and sadness from those memories. This one is afraid that if she remembers a time when the wolves were hurt she will be lost to this one.” Throughout her speech Kiba and Tsume sat rigid taking in every word. Syra was vulnerable in more ways than one. They had forgotten about the presence in her mind that encased her in a protective bubble so she didn’t have to relive the pain of them dying. But that creature had been injured too, of course it had, it was a part of her wasn’t it!? The rest of the night past in uneasy silence. Neither Kiba or Tsume managed to sleep, with images of Syra’s tormented face plaguing their imaginations.