Takeo had left the clan in order to ensure deeper into the forest. It was that time of the year and he had ensured to get the most beautiful bouquet of flowers he could find and carefully place it in his bag. He also had a small little doll that he also placed in his bag. He had a faraway look as he stared at the landscape ahead. He was atop a small hill and all the trees and the large stream could be seen from that vantage point. Even when he occasionally left the clan he could not repress his alpha instincts of ensuring everyone is safe before he continued on his way. He did not have to go far anyway, but he had always felt the responsibility of looking after others, particularly after what happened that fateful day. His eyes darkened at the memory but he continued walking. He was in no rush as he always liked to take some time to think. So he was not in his wolf form, rather, he wanted to take his time and reflect on the things he could do to improve the safety of his clan.

He caught a familiar scent for a moment and it made him think of… Rishiara. It was not her scent completely but it was enough to make his blood boil. He walked on remembering how he had sworn upon the graves of his loved ones that he would dedicate solely on his people and atone for his past failures and now, he was engaged. Would Akane be angry at him knowing this? He wondered if she was at peace now and he sighed as he kept on walking. That woman could be so infuriating, Rishiara always interpreted things the wrong way. Whenever he wished to be a gentleman she considered it rude and whenever he wished to protect her or help her she barked that she needed no help. The more he thought about her the more agitated he became and he started walking faster and faster until he stopped for a moment and sighed running a hand through his face.

He wondered why it was so hard for them to get along. He had no problem with anyone else in the clan. Everyone respected him, especially since Rishiara’s mother saw him as the next alpha to look after the clan alongside Rishiara. It was her own daughter that always treated him with contempt. He was no victim on this, he was often quite rude to her as well. There was no middle point they were both either too hot or too cold and that made it hard for them to get along. But they were going to have to find a way to sort things out, they could not lead a clan and bicker all day long. That was the one thing that worked him the most, to get so distracted in arguments and forget about his duty. It had happened once, he had lowered his guard and then grief ensued.

He continued walking on, his breathing recovering and his eyes set on the branches he had to avoid. He then reached a meadow and he watched the wind caress the tall grass for a moment before he began walking through and sensing all the animals nearby. He turned right and once he arrived at a lively little mound with a willow tree near to its centre he sighed. He then walked up the mound and saw two small tombstones. He removed the weeds and cleaned them up as he did eery year. He then knelt beside the tombstone next to the willow where the name “Kyo” could be read. He gently took our the flowers and placed them in a way for them not to be blown away by the wind, he placed a rock atop the ends of the flowers and spread them beautifully by her grave. He then took out the little cloth doll and placed her under the flowers and secured it with he rock.

He felt some tears slide down his cheeks but he soon dried them off, “Kyo, I hope you are at peace wherever you may be and you are happy, a very happy and beautiful child. I’m… sorry I could not protect you that day… I still miss you little sister. You always brightened up my days.” He allowed the grief to take hold of him for a moment and he cried his tears he would never forgive himself for such a loss, the loss of such a young life full of happiness and that shone brighter than anything in the sky. Once he cleaned his face with his handkerchief, He sat crosslegged and took out his shakuhachi and closing his eyes he began to play the gentle melody he had composed for his little sister when he was younger.

It was a beautiful melody, with a hint of melancholy, that best reflected how lovely Kyo had been when she was alive, she was a curious child who granted compassion and generosity wherever she went. She was like meadow full of flowers with the fresh morning dew. And the song took in itself the duty to transmit all this through the delightful and yet somewhat sad melody.

He took a deep breath ad continued the second part of the song that was full of all the emotions he felt the day he lost her. The song could be interpreted as Kyo’s life from the moment she was born and brought hope and happiness with her to the attack and how she perished the most beautiful of the children to ever grace this earth.

Rishiara rushed through the forest, feet flying over the uneven terrain as flawlessly as any of her sighted packmates. She knew these woods. She had grown up here, and could find her way around almost instinctively.

None of that mattered at this moment however. She was following a scent. She had left Asena to tend to their mother for a while, and picked up the scent of that damnable water god. Although she had kept the secret of what happened to Haruhi - not wanting her dearest friend to be embarrassed or ashamed - she had sworn that the first time she could catch Maru alone, she would rip out his throat with her fangs, and rid the world of one more monster. It was rare that she found his scent like this, when he seemed to be alone, and she was able to slip away without a babysitter, so she was determined that today would be the day she finally rid the world of him.

Nose to the ground and ears perked for any signs of an ambush, she followed the trail, but her heart started to sink when she picked up the distant sound of running water.

Still, holding on to a small scrap of hope, she followed the trail…right to the river’s edge. Damn! He’s gotten away again. She couldn't track his scent when he traveled by water. It was impossible as the water flowed too swiftly for a scent to linger.

Shiftling into her human form, she picked up a rock at her feet and threw it at the river with all of her considerable strength. She was furious that she hadn’t set out sooner. She had to wait until her sister, mother, and “fiance” were all occupied so she could slip away, and it had cost her the opportunity to get revenge for her friend. She reached down to pick up another rock, and was about to throw it when she realized that it had been worn smoot. Closing her unseeing scarlet eyes, she ran her fingers slowly over the rock, forming an image in her mind of the shape. Two smooth, rounded areas opposite one with a blunt point. This rock ahad formed into a nice little heart shape. She smiled a bit at that. It was the sort of thing Haruhi liked. Perhaps she would save it for her.

“I’ll get him next time, Hi-chan. You won’t have to live in fear for much longer…” She could tell her pack what had happened, and they would hunt that monster down together… but it was not her place to tell them, if Haruhi did not wish for them to know, so that made it her personal, secret mission. She snorted. At any rate, Takeo would probably say that Haruhi wasn’t part of the pack, so she shouldn’t involve the pack in the matter.

Why had her mother cursed her with that betrothal? The pair clearly couldn’t stand each other, and she didn’t need his help to lead her pack. And they clearly wanted different things for their people. He wanted isolation and “safety”, and she realized that the only way to guarantee safety for her people was to fight for the rights they deserved among the humans. Humans would not leave them alone, even if the people who found them had good intentions, so they may as well learn to live among them, and if they had the same rights and protections as humans under the law, wasn't that for the best?

Sighing heavily, she turned and started walking back toward her pack. She walked slowly, absorbed in her thoughts and taking her time, as she was in no hurry to butt heads with Takeo again. She held the heart shaped stone in one hand as she moved silently over the path that should take her home. She tried not to think about Takeo. Sure, she was annoyed with her mother forcing an engagement on them, but more than anything… She did not understand the man.

They had met many years ago, when they were small. She had heard him playing his flute, and - as she had never heard music before - she’s been practically entranced byit. They had made fast friends back then, and had parted with the promise that they would always remain so.

But now that he was grown, he was completely different. He was grumpy and arrogant, and he seemed outright hostile at times. He always knew just what to say to strike her nerves in the wrong way. Whenever she tried to call a truce, it seemed that only seconds later, they were bickering once more.

She stopped, picking up a familiar scent on the path. “Speak of the devil and he appears…” She murmured to herself as she shook her head. What waa he doing out here? Had he followed her? No… his scent led off in a different direction. Curiosity struck, and she turned to follow it. It took only a moment for her to hear soft music. He was playing his flute? She has to admit that he was still very talented. She picked up another scent in the air, and she realized what this was.

Although he spoke little of his past, others in his pack had scared the story of the ambush over time with her and her pack. This was the burial site for those he lost. She felt guilty for intruding, though she doubted he could detect her . She was still some distance from him. Her thumb moved over the smooth edges of the rock once more, and she made a decision. She would circle around and wait for him to leave, then place the rock as a small memento. She did not know these people, but they were exactly what she fought for. Circling around the area, she came to a tree that shouldn’t be on his path home. Climbing onto a low branch nearly silently, she settled to wait for him to leave. She wanted to honor them, but she didn’t feel like fighting with the alpha male today.

Takeo could sense a presence but he was not entirely sure who it was for he was engrossed on the melody he was playing and he wished to pay his respect to his beloved little sister. As soon as the melody was over he kept his eyes closed and basked in the quiet and the serenity he always felt when he played a song. He then placed his hand gently on the flowers he had delivered to his little sister and to Akane, albeit he resented himself for being so quick to mark her as a traitor, he lost her before he could ever apologise to her and the loss still hurt but he wanted to walk forth and protect the remaining of his people, he knew that is what both Kyo and Akane would have wanted even though it was such a tragic event… He rather not think about it now, he would be no use if he allowed the darkness to take a hold of him as it did back then. He nearly lost himself in the grief and the loss, he did not want anyone else to go through this, not if he could have a say in it. That was one of the reasons he made it out of the depression, if he had someone to dedicate his energies to, offer his protection for… Then he would gladly help make the world better for the innocent. It was true that at times he would appear arrogant and narrow-minded but he felt the responsibility of the lies in his hands. Being a leader meant he could never be selfish, he could never force his opinions but he had to see everything happening around him and that also meant that sometimes she could not help everyone. Rishiara made it quite clear that the kitsune had to be protected and he had been debating the subject in his mind all morning.

He was not a cold man that could not appreciate her bond with the kitsune but, he did not wish for his people to be travelling back and forth when they were constantly targeted by humans. But he also did not wish to be heartless toward his fiancée, it was true that they seldom saw eye to eye but, he wanted their people to be happy and a quarrelsome couple would not make them feel at ease. But as he walked toward the mound where his family rested, he came up with a solution, he would mention this to Rishiara as soon as he saw her and he hoped she would not be in one of her grumpy moods. The best way to protect her friend would be to have the kitsune and okami clans merged together, perhaps one area of the village could be arranged to suit the kitsune clan and then they would be able to protect each other and avoid unnecessary trips from one village to another. He took a deep breath and nodded to himself as he put his shakuhachi away and slowly got up. He cleared the test form his clothes and then stood there for a brief moment looking around, he was definitely not alone. And he suspected where the sensation came from.

He pretended not to have noticed and walked back the direction for whence he came. He then, for some reason, remembered who he met Rishiara when they were kids and smirked, this felt very similar to that moment and he decided to test the waters for now that he was closer he could smell her and knew it was her. He stopped for a moment and drew his shakuhachi once more, he closed his eyes and then began to play the same song he had all those years ago. The same song that made her curious enough to approach him and befriend him. He never forgot that song, for some reason, even if he stoped playing it for a long time, he could always remember. She was quite far from the mound so he wondered how on earth he managed to sense her from that distance, he approached her while still playing, then he moved to stand right in front of the tree she was hiding in and as he finished the song, for some reason remembering the Rishiara of the past, he said the very same words he had back then, she they were children, “Is it a habit of yours? Hiding in trees and spying?” He had a gentle smile on his face at that moment and he offered her a hand to get down form the tree, just a she had back when they were children. “Rishiara…” He spoke her name in a surprising gentle tone, he nearly blushed in embarrassment. “I know you often try to sneak out on your own, thinking no one notices or knows. But I have always know, I’m aware you are a free spirit and your own sense of justice is overwhelming… But maybe you will let me come with you next time, or at least tell me where you will be going?”

Once she was down from the tree he continued on a soft tone, “Now don’t start bickering, it is not that I do not trust your skills, you are the alpha of your clan after all. But if anything happened to you and I could prevent it… I would need forge myself if I lost sight of you.” He gently released her hand and reached out to remove some of the tree debris from her hair, his strong hand did so as gently as possible taking care in not messing with her hair and it was then he noticed the rock in her hand, he looked at her for a moment, “What have you got there?” He was curious as to why she had picked that smooth rock and then smiled, it was so like her. He was a bit surprised that he was behaving different from usual and blushed for a moment looking away, the last thing he wanted was to appear weak, but he was not sure what had happened then. Memories had played in his mind and he had wanted to trigger them for the both of them once more. Or perhaps his loved ones were trying to tell him something, he was not sure what it was, but if this would ensure they could spend some time together and not kill each other with words then he would do his best to oblige. He looked into her eyes for a brief moment and then found his hand gently moving to one of her ears caressing it gently and affectionately before going lock of hair away from her face, “I was thinking-“ His body tensed when he sensed they were not alone and he silently groaned at whoever it was that had just ruined their moment. He would have their heads for that. He knew Rishiara could also sense them. There were four of them, fully armed soldiers. Were they hunting for kitsune again?

He heard one of the men, “Her! She has ears!” He noticed one of the men ran at them with nets to capture Rishiara and another soldier tried to distract him by showing Rishiara a throwing axe. He had mere seconds to respond and his body acted on its own accord. He pulled her down catching her so she would not get hurt abasing the ground and he also ensured not to fall on her as his hands landed don her sides. He did groan in pain when the battle axe pierced his back. He closed his eyes and slightly leaned abasing her. He blushed lightly noticing he was on top of her and that ensured he could have a better look at her beautiful face and realise that there was also attraction between them. Yet he ignored any of this whispering to her, “Run Rishiara, they have nets.” He tried to stand up but he noticed the battle-axe had been coated with something, he was not sure if it was a numbing drug or if it was something that neutralised his powers of regeneration. He stopped a man that attacked him with an axe and with great agility he forced him to get it stuck on a tree and then he kneed his face knocking him unconscious and then another man pointed at him, looks like he had blown his cover. But before he could do anything a net was thrown at him.

He tried to use his supernatural agility or strength but the wound was making it hard for him to focus. The net fell upon him and he fell on one knee it felt as if something were sapping his energy and he could not move or avoid it. He was hoping that at least Rishiara escaped this, but his eyes looked in horror as three of the men came at her with nets. “Rishiara…” He said weakly as he tried to fight the net but it seemed to overpower his abilities at the moment. What they did not know was that he was an alpha and he had been greatly angered by this violence and they had targeted his fiancée and that… that could not go unpunished, he could feel his anger begin to pile up.

Rishiara settled in her tree, letting her thoughts wander as she waited for Takeo to leave so that she could drop off her little present. It wasn’t much, but it was something. She heard him leave the burial mound, but then smiled a bit to herself to hear a very familiar song from all that time ago. She heard the music draw closer, and she wondered if he had picked up on her scent. SHe hadn’t been trying all that much to hide, really. She couldn’t help a soft chuckle when he stopped at the foot of her tree and spoke to her.

“Is it a habit of yours? Hiding in trees and spying?”

She could still hear him saying that as a child, and she was surprised she remembered her exact response. Sensing his hand was held up to her - now, like when they were children, she didn’t have anyone she could use to see him, but she could sense his nearness - she reached to take his hand, sliding out of the tree. “It’s not my fault if you decide to be near the tree I decided to sit jn for a while.” Her smile was just a bit cheeky as she turned her face up to his.

“Rishiara… I know you often try to sneak out on your own, thinking no one notices or knows. But I have always known, I’m aware you are a free spirit and your own sense of justice is overwhelming… But maybe you will let me come with you next time, or at least tell me where you will be going? Now don’t start bickering, it is not that I do not trust your skills, you are the alpha of your clan after all. But if anything happened to you and I could prevent it… I would need forge myself if I lost sight of you”

She was surprised by his gentle turn, and the reasonable nature of his request. Thinking of the errand that had pulled her away from home this afternoon, she regretted that she couldn’t accept his offer. Sorry was clear in her unseeing scarlet eyes, and her tone held regret. “Takeo…some things cannot be shared with others, and some errands must remain secret.” She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “But the next time I am going somewhere, if it is within my right to tell you, I will do so.”

“What have you got there?”

With this strangely peaceful interaction between them, she had almost forgotten about the small tock she held. Shreran her thumb over the smooth edges, and although she could not see it, she could feel little veins of some short - what ended up being pretty crystal quartz - running through the rock so that it caught the light . She blushed a bit, thinking of the present, and she was sure the alpha male would laugh at her. “It’s just a rock I found. I was going to take it to Haruhi, but then I caught your scent and realized where you were, and…” She blushed a bit more and lowered her head so that her hair could cover her face a bit. “I thought since tour people are also my people now, I would bring it here to pay respects to those you’ve lost. It felt like such a prettyrock…” She held it up in her palm for him to see.

“I was thinking-“

HEr ear twitched slightly beneath his touch, but it wasn’t an annoyed gesture. In truth, she had always enjoyed having her ears or tail petted. It was a comforting gesture that made her feel safe. Takeo had never dared to be so personal with her, but she didn’t have the time to dwell on that thought - or wonder what he’d been thinking - because quite suddenly, she sensed armed men surrounding them. She stiffened, tensing muscles in preparation to act to defend herself and her fiance.

“Her! She has ears!”

“Run Rishiara, they have nets.”

“Damn hunters!” She growled, ready to square up and take them on, knowing she was more than a match for them, even if she could not see. That was when several things happened all at once, and she found herself on her back on the ground with Takeo over her. She could smell his blood in the air… He had gotten injured to save her? Her heart softened, and she heard her voice tremble just a bit. “Takeo…?” As soon as she found herself on her feet once more, she scoffed at his order. “Mets or not, I can’t leave you to their mercy.” She temporarily tapped into Takeo’s vision, using her telepathic bond with other wolves, and could see that not only was he in a warded net, but a man was rushing at her to capture her in one as well. Growining, she spun toward him, lashing out with sharp fingernails. She managed to score a cut on the man’s cheek, but he tossed the net over her. The more she thrashed against it, the weaker she became, and she collapsed to the ground. The man, feeling spiteful, began to kick her repeatedly as she curled up on her side within the net, letting out a soft whimper of pain and frustration.

He was not sure why but Takeo’s heart skipped a bit at the sound of Rishiara’s laughter. When he had approached her he was not sure if she would be snappy or she would enjoy reliving the memory of their past. Usually they could not see eye to eye but something in the gentleness of the moment had inspired him to act upon such caprice and hope for the best although, luckily, a this moment she seemed to be likeminded and he sighed in relief. The last thing he wanted was for her to assume he had been following her or something, it was true that he worried for her but he would not stalk her, that was beyond a self-respecting person and he was an alpha, he had to set a good example. He was always a person to take his responsibilities seriously, but after his past experiences he was much stricter with himself and perhaps at times with Rishiara. He did not want her to interpret it as him dictating her every move, but at times he thought her too arrogant to realise that help was not a weakness but strength in numbers.

“It’s not my fault if you decide to be near the tree I decided to sit in for a while.”

It was Takeo’s our to laugh at her teasing little words. He could almost see Rishiara as a child again and remembered fondly the time they had spent together. It was strange that such a strong bond was weakened with the passing years. But then again, he had been through a lot and that had changed him in a way. That did not mean he could not remember the past with fondness or be amicable enough for conversation. The problem was they were in hard times for the forest spirits and his top priority at the moment were keeping Rishiara safe and happy and also looking after the merged clan. He knew how deep the scars of loss could be for someone, especially loosing someone closest to you and as an alpha still being unable to save them. It still tormented him to this day and he had only survived the pain because he had promised himself to live his life preventing this to ever happen again. It was an oath he took that marked his life, without it he probably would not be right here, standing right next to Rishiara, “You still remember…” He whispered trying to lead such negative thoughts behind and show how pleased he was that Rishiara had not forgotten those fond memories despite their current state of affairs. It was a welcome feeling knowing that they could still laugh and tease each other and not all their conversations ended in disaster for both parties concerned. In fact, he realised then that he had been speaking to her without honorific, did he hit his head or something?

“Takeo…some things cannot be shared with others, and some errands must remain secret… But the next time I am going somewhere, if it is within my right to tell you, I will do so.”

Takeo could read her expression and between the lines of what she said. He was grateful that she would at least notify him but he then thought for a moment, “I understand there are things in the past of those you love that cannot be shared, as it is too personal. I know not what happened, but I have seen how to behave with Haruhi-sama. It is not my wish to interfere in such personal matters or take away the trust people place on you, however, at least do this for me. Should you go about taking matters into your own hands on their behalf, should you need me…” He took out a finger-sized and thin flute and said, “It has only one key, no one can hear it but the members of the okami clan, particularly me. It will keep you and I connected in some way so that I may assist you, should you need me.” As he said that, he found himself caressing her behind her ears once more with a gentle and somewhat affectionate smile on his lips. With this she would be able to contact him if she ever needed any help or if she wished to see him. And that meant she knew he was respecting her personal space form one alpha to another. Surely act would improve their relationship, at least he hoped it would for she was much more tolerable like this, twitching her cute wolf ears to his touch and discussing things like grownups. He found he really liked her ears and the glow in her eyes but he would not tell her this. Not now when they had had their first normal conversation in all their time together, with the exception of when they were children.

“It’s just a rock I found. I was going to take it to Haruhi, but then I caught your scent and realized where you were, and…”

Takeo looked down at her hand as she felt the edges of the smooth rock and heard her words and found himself smiling briefly. Whenever she was not snapping at him she could be truly adorable. He was wondering if telling her thought would be a good idea when he saw her blush and he chuckled for a moment, he leaned forth and whispered in her ear, “You are adorable Rishiara.” He was lightly teasing her but he could not help it, she looked so adorable when she blushed and if he could get the upper hand, from time to time, why not do it?It was innocent teasing surely that was not enough to make her start bickering again. Or at least he hoped she would not. He noticed how she even tried to use her long hair to cover her blush. She was tempting him to tease her even more. This was a side of her he had never seen before, not even as children, and he found it endearing. Of course he knew what she was like and that was why he did not say anything about it, he did not want her to punch him and then run off annoyed and mumbling unintelligible words to herself as she did at times. Granted, he had earned it a few of those times. He would never admit to it though and that was one of the big problems of his arrogance.

“I thought since tour people are also my people now, I would bring it here to pay respects to those you’ve lost. It felt like such a pretty rock…”

Now he was truly impressed and shocked and he felt his cheeks warm up slightly. She was doing that for him? To honour the memory of those he lost? His blue eyes opened widely for a brief moment but then he closed them and took the rock for a moment examining it, humans would pay a lot of money for a rock of this kind especially due to the minerals and beautiful rocks attached to it, and she was willing to part with it and place it at the tombstones of those he lost. He returned the rock by placing it on her hand gently, he took her other hand her so carefully and kissed the back of the hand after he said, “Thank you, Rishiara.” He was so touched he did not realise he was still holding her hand and looking deeply into her eyes. Why would she do something like that when she hated him so much? He knew she resented her mother due to their engagement as had he, to some extent. But he could not understand what brought her to be kind to him or what had driven him to bring kind to her as well. In any case, unfortunately, they were not about to find out. Their private little moment was interrupted by hunters and they seemed to have what it took to bring forest spirits down. He could tell they were planing to sell them or something but he would not let them, not for a long as he had breath left in his body.

“Damn hunters!”

He noticed that Rishiara was as annoyed as he was. Both hated hunters like these, naturally, but part of him wondered if she was annoying their little moment as much as he was and was angered by the fact that it had been interrupted. Part of him hoped it to be so, but he knew that at this moment all he had to worry about was ensuring his fiancée’s safety and the next would not help them at all. In fact, it would hinder their every moment and he could not let any harm come to her. He had sword he would always keep her safe, and that was why he had jumped when a throwing axe was flying her way. He did not even think of using his abilities, he was that focused on protecting her…

“Takeo…?”

The softness in her voice and the fear he sensed tugged at his heartstrings. She was moved by him protecting her and was also worried for his well-being. If they were not in a pickle he would have teased her for being so adorable but right now they had to escape these men. He thought that perhaps reassuring her would enable her to think clearly and run away. “I’m okay, Rishiara… Don’t worry.” Although he did his best to speak in a way that it would reassure her and she would believe him, he winced at the pain and could feel his regeneration powers being tampered with for he did not stop bleeding, one of the problems also was that he could not reach out and remove the axe, it was still on his back. So it made moving that much harder. He was a bit surprised when she dropped the honorific but maybe he had done well by her books. It was his duty to protect her, he would not fail a second time, not as long as he could help it. He did not want her to worry so much about him that she would fail to protect herself and get to safety. As long as he could keep them costed on attacking him and buy her time then she would be a bel to get to their people on time.

“Nets or not, I can’t leave you to their mercy.”

Takeo was slightly surprised as her deep desire to protect him. He closed his eyes for a moment and his throat produced the briefest of smirks. He never thought he would live to see the day in which Rishiara, of all people, would rather stay back and protect him. He felt a warm feeling in his chest, his eyes met hers, he knew she was using their bond to see thought his eyes and so he made the effort to reach out to her, “Rishiara, can you not see? I cannot lose you too.” His words were proof of how much pain he was in, the injury, the poison and now the net were sapping away at his energy. He had the suspicion that they did not intend to take him too, they wanted to capture Rishiara and in order to do so, they would kill him. Why would they only be interested in taking Rishiara? Surely they did knot how who she was, all they could see were the ears and tail. Did they not realise he was the same as her? Was the net not prof enough of that? His hands landed on the ground as he panted, his vision distorted for a moment, this was not good, she would know he had been poison if shew as still using his eyes to look around her. Was it because she was a woman? He found great anger start to build up inside himself. If they were planning to lay a finger on her, he would tore them to shreds. But what would he do right now? He was mortally wounded, the poison was slowly taking over and the net prevented him from using his abilities. If Rishiara had left by now she would be safe, and then he could be glad he protected her. But now, he felt impotent and his heart ached to spare her any harm at their hands.

It was then he saw her scratch one of the men but then being captured by one of the nets, “Do not fight it!” He hoped she would stop moving or else the net would harm her. He felt anxiety take over him as that same man began to kick her. The sound of her whimper made him start to growl, the longer the growl the more inhuman it sounded, the more it sounded like a powerful wolf. At the sight in front of him, he remembered Akane taking a mortal blow for him, his shock and impotence, he remembered finding his little sister dead, no more light in her eyes. And now that he had a second chance in life and swore this would never happen again on his watch, his fiancée was being attacked and probably would be taken away from him in order to be sold. He felt dizzy but the more he thought on all this his vision improved, he felt a jolt of adrenaline and something inside of him snapped, he wanted power, he would no longer watch things happen and be unable to do a thing to change their fate. No, even if it cost him his life, he would defend Rishiara! The growl intensified making some of the men gasp in fear and something inside him took over his body. The next moment his eyes opened and glowed of a deep blue light, his hair was no longer tied up but loose and it was slightly longer and his white ears appeared in his human form as did his tail. His body looked more muscular and stronger than before. He then said with a deeper voice, “You will regret touching her.” His face turned to look at the man as he began to shiver, the other men were running toward him in order to throw the other two nets at him but he growled even louder and began to stand up and in one swift motion the net broke all around him. his body was covered in cuts due to the effort that represented breaking free rom the bindings and he winced in pain slightly but he had a cute wolf to save.

No sooner had he thought that but he moved with super speed and tripped one of the men and used his super strength to grab the other man lift him up and toss him abasing the man who had been tormenting his wolf. He howled in anger before he grabbed the two remaining nexts and tossed one on the man he tripped and tied him up, he would be unable to escape, he kicked the back of his head knocking him unconscious, his body had an ethereal glow as he turned toward the other two men, he trapped the other man on the other net and once tied tossed him next to the already trapped hunter. The remaining hunter drew a poisonous dart but had no time to use it on Rishiara, Takeo was son right in front of him and picking him up by the neck, “You filth desire no mercy…” He removed the poisoned dart and pressed it onto the man’s neck, he screamed and then he threw him next to the other men, that man would die soon enough. He scoffed and his ears twitched as he ensured there were no more enemies in the area. He closed his eyes for a moment knowing he did not have much time.

He walked toward Rishiara and then with his hands he tore the net receiving additional cuts on his arms and hands, he did not care, he had to save her. He gently picked her up and carried her princess-style while he said as his voice returned to normal, “Shh… I’m here, it's all over Rishiara.” He knew the poison was preventing his body from mending, he was still bleeding a lot and he could begin to feel the first traces of a fever. As he carried her he gently pressed her amassing his heart, he had been so worried about her, if they had taken her away he would have lost all reason, he would have chased them and killed them all. He silently walked away feeling the adrenaline begin to decline as well. This would not do, he would be unconscious before they reached the village. He decided to use the last of his strength to sprint with his supernatural agility and that is what he did. It did not take them long to reach the village. The dizziness was returning but he managed to gently set her down, he placed a hand on her cheek and then handed her a letter. It was for her to read, he had been working on it for a while but it was a proposal that he wanted her to have because he knew he did not have much time left. It would enable a more suitable location for the wolf clan to settle alongside the kitsune, there was a map, prints of how to build the village and ways in which both clans would be benefited from living in the same village under the supervision of Rishiara. He would lead her in charge. She was a capable leader.

He kissed her cheek gently, he hoped that she could be happy with this plan and would stop risking her life needlessly, especially now that the clan would only have her to look up to. He then took a step back feeling the fever slowly take hold of him, before he knew it he was on his knees couching up blood. As he fell on his back the pain of the axe on his back made him wince. His vision clouded, “Rishiara…” He whispered, she would be his only regret, the regret that he could not protect her and fulfil the promise he made her mother. But she would be okay, she did not need him. She was a wise and compassionate ruler she would be what the clans would need to survive and prosper. As he had depleted his magic in order to get her to safety his ears and tail disappeared and he looked his usual self once more. With that last thought his eyes closed and his breathing deteriorated greatly.