Alone

History (Part 2)

"Aiko!" She screeched horrified, and raced to his side. Tanoki pressed her hands to his side in an attempt to slow the blood flowing from the deep gash in his side. It looked as though he was missing a chunk from his frontal left paw, like something had snapped shut on it.

Tears streamed down her face, and her palms were slick with the red liquid slipping between her fingers. Aiko made small whimpers and whines in pain, making Tanoki's heart clench.
"It's okay Akio! You're gonna be okay..."

She trailed off as she reached for her dagger and cut a long strip of fabric from her shorts. She gently lifted the wolf blinded by pain and tossed the makeshift bandage underneath him, before lowering him down. Her small hands tied the cloth together tightly and she put her hands atop the wound once more. Throughout the ordeal, Aiko hadn't said a word, other than the whimpers he occasionally gave. It was only now that he spoke.

"Tanoki," he rasped, "You need to get out of here... It's not safe."
"What? What do you mean?" Tanoki asked worriedly.
"There's a man. A man with an army. He's coming... You have to leave."
She shook her head quickly, "No! I'm not going to leave you. If I leave, then you leave with me."

But Aiko just closed his eyes and weakly shook his head as much as he could.
"We both know that won't work, Tanoki... Just leave me, and get out of here while you c-"

He was cut off as rustling sounded from a bush across from them. The girl blinked away the blurriness from the tears, and looked up towards the shrub. From the bush, stepped out a tall man with a hunter's bow on his back along with an arrow quiver, and a sword strapped to his hip.

He grinned, "Why hello there! What are you doing all the way out here at such an hour? Shouldn't you be in bed, little girl?"
"N-no... I need help, sir! My friend, Aiko, is hurt really badly! Please help him..." Tanoki gestured to her dying friend.

The strange man looked down at the dog and narrowed his eyes a barely noticeable fraction.
"Hmm. I'm not sure. He has some pretty serious injuries."

Aiko suddenly growled and yelped.
"Tanoki! Get out of here, that's the man! The man that did this to me! You have to leave."
Tanoki blinked and gasped.
"What? That's him?" She questioned, glancing up at him.

He chuckled and gave an almost wolfish grin, "Allow me to introduce myself. You can call me Skinner, and I assume you are Tanoki and Aiko? Well, Tanoki, I'm going to need you to step away from dear Aiko here."
"W-what? Why?"
"Because, he's my prize..."
"Prize?"
"Ah yes, prize. The thrill of the hunt isn't fulfilled until you kill the prize you're after. So I'll ask again, step aside." His expression turned from sickly sweet, to dark and demanding.

Her eyes widened before gaining a determined look.
"No." She stated firmly.
"What did you say?"
"I said no. This is my best friend, and I won't let you hurt him."
Skinner growled and stomped forward, "Why you little..."

Tanoki was thrown back as a boot collided with her upper arm. He had kicked her away and was now looming over Aiko.
"Aiko!" She yelled, and tore her dagger from its sheath before launching at the tall Hunter. She shoved the blade deep into his side and twisted, making sure to cause extra damage.

"Arrgh!" He cried out in agony, and spun around with a hand at his side, clenching the new gash. He drew his sword and raised it in the air, poised to strike. Tanoki, being small and nimble, rolled out of the way before the tip of the weapon could pierce her chest. She leapt to her feet and clawed her way up his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed, hoping choking him would work. But she wasn't so sure, since she was so much smaller than him. His huge hands found their way to her forearms and gripped them tightly, making her squeak, before yanking her off his back and back onto the ground.

Skinner stalked towards Tanoki and she frantically searched around for her dagger. Spotting it implanted in the ground a few feet away from her, she scrambled to reach it before Skinner reached her. Her fingers brushed the hilt of the mini sword and she struggled to get a full grip. Silver hair was suddenly tangled between the fingers of a fist and jerked backwards. The hand pulled her into the air, and her feet lost contact with the solidity of ground. She hissed in pain and clawed at his arm.

"Let me go!" She shouted.
He ignored her and lifted his sword once again. Just before the weapon reached her, a gray blur snarled and barreled into the man. It's jaws gnashed and latched onto Skinner's right arm, refusing to let go, even at his screams. Aiko's head shook to and fro whilst tearing and slicing the meat and flesh of the arm. Skinner slapped and punched the wolf's head, trying desperately to get the canine to release his torturous hold. Tanoki came to her senses and looked around for her dagger before finding it and pulling it out of the dirt.

She knew Aiko wouldn't be able to take much more of Skinner's punched so she dashed in his direction and swiped the sharpened edge at his right shoulder; she had hoped to injure his good arm enough that he wouldn't want to use it. Yet it only cut the surface; the scratch didn't cause nearly enough damage as she had hoped it would. Skinner didn't even flinch when blood began to seep from the minor wound. He finally got the dog to let go, and kicked him away, back to his spot from earlier. He turned on his heel and glared at the small girl, yet Tanoki didn't falter. She charged into his side, knocking him away from Aiko's bleeding form. Assuming a crouched protective stance, she held her steel dagger in front of her, as she shielded the wolf's body with her own.

"Why are you doing this?" She shouted.
He just laughed and moved to stand in front of her, his shins level with her face.
"Because it's fun."

The girl's golden eyes widened in horror. He dashed forward, taking her off guard, and shoved her away before driving his sword deep into Aiko's side. He gave one last bay before falling limp, and his eyes glazing over.
"No!"

She leapt at him once again and imbedded the blade into his upper leg. He howled from the new pain in his leg before ripping the dagger from his thigh and throwing it to the ground. He glowered down at her while she hunched over the body of her friend and stalked off into the shrubbery.
"This won't be the last you see of me, girl. I'll be back! And I'll make sure you never have the chance to save a wild beast like this," he spat with his back facing the two.
Tanoki snarled, "You're a monster. I'll never let you hurt another friend!"

As he disappered into the greenery, Tanoki lowered and rested her forehead on Aiko's shoulder, and cried. She cried, screamed, and apologized. A river of tears flowed from her eyes while her body shook with sobs. Tanoki couldn't find the words to express how she felt. She wanted to say so many things to Aiko. She wanted to apologize for not being able to protect him. She wanted to laugh with him just once more. But she knew now that she could never do so again. The wolf's yellow eyes were clouded and lifeless, Tanoki would give anything to see them shining like they were earlier that day.

"I'm so sorry Ai... I promise I'll make him pay. I promise I'll kill Skinner. I promise I will avenge you."

-Time Skip-

A few hours had passed and by now Tanoki had dug a deep pit and had lowered her best friend's body into the hole. She sadly pushed the loose dirt over the edge and watched as the last glimps of Aiko was covered by earth. Her hands made their way beside her to grab the lilies she had picked; lilies were Aiko's favorite flower. A small granite stone slab had the name of the wolf beneath the earth engraved into the smooth front. Tanoki firmly planted the stone at the head of the dirt bed and gently lay the white flowers over the center. Dry tear streaks were evident on her face and her honey hued eyes were red and puffy. She said her last goodbyes and slowly rose to her feet before trailing back to her log house, her head hung low, and her silver hair cascading down her back.

When she reached her home, she quietly crept inside and up to her room. Tanoki grabbed her hide backpack and filled it with things she felt were important. By the time she was done and out the door, the sky was beginning to fade to a lighter shade of blue, and the pale moon was lowering in the sky. Her feet stopped walking about twenty feet away from the cabin. Her eyes began watering again and she shook her head. Tanoki wished for her tears to stop, and walked into the forest. She never looked back. Her heart was set and determined to keep the promise she made to Aiko. Even if it meant leaving her family, her home, everything she had ever known. She was going to keep her promise to avenge her best friend. And nothing would stop her.

End of chapter eight.