I Promised Myself

I Promised Myself Part 1

Chapter 1:

Around eight years old, a young girl cries silently on the cold, stoned floor of a hidden place. Her wolf ears are lowered slightly from the sides of her short, thick dark hair as the matching slender wolf tail is wrapped around her petite body. She cries on her knees and arms.

Someone walks by, hearing her quiet sobs with his enhanced hearing from his black panther ears. He turns a corner to see the young wolf. "Are you alright?" he asked softly, kneeling in front of her.

She lifts her head full of thick hair to see the concern in the sixteen-year-old teen boy's dark pink eyes. "Master's mad," is her answer before more tears run down her pale cheeks.

"Why is Master mad?"

"Because I'm not smart."

The teenage boy studies her pale face more, noticing the black eyes and cutting the small lips. Anger boils throughout his body. "I can't believe this," he thinks. "Come with me," he whispers with a smile.

"Wh-Where are you g-going to do to m-me?" she asked, being a little fearful.

He didn't answer at first, but he leaned towards her ear, whispering, "Come with me, and we can escape together," the mysterious whispers the words she had been warned to hear for years now.

"Could such a thing be possible?" she whispers back in his ear.

"Would you rather die trying or be killed by his anger?"

The wolf girl's eyes widen as she gasps a little. Should she trust this panther? Escaping this place is just a fantasy, but the tone in his voice sounds like he knows what he's doing. Also, the panther's ears and tail prove to the wolf girl that they're both in a similar boat.

He offers his claw with a smile and a nod.

She looks at the claw through her tears before accepting the offer with her own paw. They both quickly head towards another part of the hidden location.

"Tamotsu Pansa," the panther whispers, formally introducing himself.

"M-Mika O-Okami," she whispers back.

"There is another," Tamotsu adds but wouldn't provide a name.

Mika nods her head.

Tamotsu takes the young girl toward a room she has never been to before. He opens to reveal a space made for two people.

One of the beds shows another teenage boy lying on the bed on his back, being bored. He sees the door opening and sits up, looking at his friend and a new animal. "Who'ssssss thisssss?" the boy asked in a snake-like voice while staring at the wolf girl with a slight glare in his golden eyes, but then he saw the bruises around her dark eyes. "What happened to you?" he asked, gasping a little.

"Orochimaru did this to her," the panther answers.

"That ssssssnake!" his friend hisses under his breath.

"Satoru, she's coming with us," Tamotsu confirms.

"Without a doubt." The snake boy looks at the wolf with eyes full of determination. "I know we just met, but he'sssss never going to harm you anymore."

"A-Are you sure?"

"We cannot leave like thissssss. He won't treat ussssss like this anymore."

"Th-The f-full humans a-are treated be-better," Mika tells them softly.

Tamotsu growls.

"That jerk!" the snake hisses. "We are leaving tonight," the small group leader confirms.

Mika follows her new friends in the dead of night. Their faces are covered with black masks as their clothes are in modest full black.

"Mika," Sataru whispers, turning towards her, "whatever you do, do not look back."

She nods her head, determined.

A gate surrounds the hideout with barbwire at the edge of the Sound Village. Tamotsu turns into a black panther while Satoru slithers into a black and grey snake as they run into the darkness of the forest. Mika turns into a dark brown wolf, but she isn't fast as them. A strong hand grabs her fluffy tail, stopping her.

"Not so fast, Mika." It's one of the two voices that sends chills down her spine.

She shakingly turns her head to see her master's right-hand man. "Ka-Kabuto!" Mika's beyond scared.

Smirk curls on the white-haired ninja's lips as his dark eyes glare at the wolf through his glasses. "You're such a bad wolf - Ahh!" he yelps in pain.

An angry panther bites him on the same arm gripped on the wolf's tail. The bite releases the tail. She runs behind the snake, frightened. The snake hisses and slithers over into an attack.

Mika didn't know what happened next because her eyes were closed during most of it. They opened when Tamotsu grabbed her and ran away. Satoru joins them, escaping the hideout.

"Whatever you do, don't look back," was all she could hear from her panther friend.

Tears begin running down her cheeks. Everything's happening so fast for Mika, but somehow deep inside, everything's going to be alright.

Kabuto simply smirks, standing onto his feet, acting as if nothing happened. "Shall I go after them, Master?" he asked as a shadow walked up behind him.

"No, Kabuto," the snake voice of Orochimaru answers, revealing himself. "Let them run, let them live. We are going to meet again." An evil grin curls on his face as he thinks of some plans already.