Paradise ✾ A Wolf's Rain Story ✾

Chapter One

The last thing Kairi remembered was finally losing the hunters in a nearby town and collapsing in exhaustion in an abandoned warehouse. She had run all throughout the night and yet she hadn’t found Nira or seen any sight of her. Worry for her sister ran through her mind as she slept, causing her to have terrible nightmares about their pack being attacked once more and this time, losing her sister in the process.

Kairi jolted awake when she sensed that she was no longer alone. Sitting up, she raised a hand to shield her eyes from the bright sunlight that was pouring through the broken glass window directly on her. Groaning, she put a hand next to her hip and pushed herself up from the ground while her grey eyes gazed around. She didn’t see anyone or anything, but Kairi still couldn’t shake the feeling that she was not alone in this warehouse.

Scowling, she reached up and played with her short dark purple hair for a moment before she headed towards the entrance of the warehouse. She continued to look around and she gazed up at the rafters as she walked. There weren’t even any birds there either, which made her question if she’d actually sensed somebody or if she was still just stressed about last night. The scowl on her face turned into a frown and she looked back at the door. The small brown wolf that was standing in front of her made her freeze and she even managed to shake her head a little, wondering if she was seeing things. The wolf seemed to notice her finally and it froze as well for a split second before it turned and fled. Kairi blinked before running after it.

“Hey, wait up!” she yelled as she exited the warehouse, but she stopped when she didn’t see the wolf anywhere. “Aw man,” she whined, pouting as she crossed her arms over her chest and kicking a rock that was by her foot. It had been so long since Kairi had seen another wolf aside from her sister that she wondered how many others were around here. She began to think that if she started wandering around the city, then perhaps she would find the small brown wolf along with others.

Sighing, she dropped her arms at her sides before running off into town. There were many different scents that assailed her nose as she ran through the streets. She could smell all of the different foods that the people had, as small of an array that it was, mixed in with the scent of filth. The scent of the small brown wolf barely lingered in the air, which made Kairi suspect that it had went the other way instead of the way that she gone.

“Oh well,” she mumbled, slowing her run to a walk and kicking at yet another rock that she saw lying on the ground. Her eyes wandered over all of the dilapidated buildings and people that were here and a thought began to creep into her mind. “Maybe I should go explore some. Nira might be here after all,” she said to herself, rubbing the back of her neck. “Then again, if Nira isn’t here, she’s going to get annoyed if I keep moving around,” she muttered, pouting slightly as she tugged at the ends of her hair some. “Ah, screw it,” she stated before running off down the road to start exploring some more.

Kairi wanted to find her sister but the idea of exploring this new place heavily outweighed that want for now. And besides, she really wanted to find that little brown wolf that she had seen earlier that morning. The sun continued to rise higher into the sky as Kairi continued her exploration. It bet down on her and it was starting to make her get thirsty. “All this running has worn me out,” she stated, looking around before her eyes landed on what appeared to be a type of tavern. “Let’s see,” she muttered before heading over and pushing the heavy door open, stepping inside.

All eyes turned to her as she stepped inside. Kairi just blinked before heading over to the bar. The burly bartender, a man with a mustache and raggedy looking clothes, looked over at her and raised a questioning eyebrow. “What are you doing in here? You aren’t old enough to be drinking,” he stated in a deeply accented voice.