Teardrop of the Wolf

Chapter 12

Sunlight streamed through the small house as Kakashi woke up. Groggily he opened his one visible eye and looked around, not familiar with his surroundings. A small sound caught his attention, and the Jonin looked to the side.

Apparently he had acquired a furry roommate.

Mori was curled up as a wolf in the corner in a large white ball, her tail lying across her nose. Her muzzle rested on her front paws, and a large bandage wrapped around her side. Her tail twitched away from her face, and her red eyes opened. Mori's red optics connected with Kakashi's black one as the Jonin sat up slowly, wincing from the pain of the previous battle.

"I guess I took it too far" he murmured, causing Mori to snort.

The wooden door slid open, and a young woman came in. She walked around Kakashi, scolding him as she went. Mori kept her eyes open, following the woman as she walked around. Tsunami was a good woman, and surprisingly was the daughter of Tazuna. She had taken care of everyone when the small group had stumbled into her home.

Mori had remained human until Tsunami wrapped her arm and put it in a homemade sling. The immense pain caused Mori to change to the wolf as an impulse. The pain had finally caught up to her and Mori promptly fell asleep, allowing Tsunami to tend to her side. Luckily, it was a clean cut and could be mended easily.

A noise caught her attention, and Mori's ears twitched. She lifted her head as the Genin popped their heads in, sighing in relief when they saw Kakashi awake. Mori lifted herself up and padded over to the Genin, sniffing and checking to make sure they were okay.

When she made sure the Genin were okay Mori padded out the room, tail swishing as she went. Her front leg could fully support her weight, and her side was not hurting as much as before. She nudged the front door open, squeezing herself through. The breeze caressed her white fur gently, and she stretched her front legs before stretching the back legs.

Shaking out her fur, Mori lifted her nose to scent the air. Trees, water and small animals assaulted her nose. A twig snapped, and Mori turned her red gaze towards the sound. Padding down the front steps, she followed her ears until she came across a small boy. Tongue lolling out of her mouth, Mori sat back on her haunches and watched as the child gazed towards the water. A sniffle caught her attention and her ears pricked forward; the smell of salt wafting slowly towards her. Mori cocked her head in confusion.

'Tears?' Mori thought to herself.

Why would this small child be crying? She cocked her head once again as the child turned towards her, large hat hiding his eyes. He stopped, black eyes wide in surprise in seeing her sitting there.

"Where did you come from?" he said thickly, swallowing back his tears.

Mori whined in her throat. So this lonely pup belonged to Tsunami. She could smell her on this small child. He walked up to her and lifted a hesitant hand towards her head, unsure if she was going to bite him or not. Mori lowered her head in invitation, and the child's hand grasped her fur. He made a small sound as he marvelled at how soft her fur was, and Mori lifted her muzzle towards his face, chuffing in his ear. She whined again and licked his cheek, removing the remnants of his tears. She then licked the other cheek until there were no more tear tracks. The child cracked a small smile, and Mori felt her tail wag slightly.

"I have to go now, I'm sorry" he said suddenly, before turning and walking towards the small house.

Mori sat in the same spot, red eyes watching the child's disappearing back. Why was he so sad? A pup his age should be hyper and full of life. Her stomach grumbled suddenly, and Mori sighed before standing on four paws. She searched inside for the human chakra, and within seconds she stood on two feet.

Brushing a strand of hair away, she began walking towards the house. She did need food, and last time she ate was the rabbit the morning before. She sighed quietly as she opened the front door, the smell of food assaulting her nose.

"Ah, there you are. I was wondering where you went off to Mori" Kakashi said with his typical one-eye smile.

Mori smiled gently and sat down, accepting a bowl of steaming food from Tsunami.

"I was out stretching my legs" she said before tucking into her food.

From the gross-smelling mess on the floor that Tsunami was currently cleaning, she had apparently missed some challenge. The door opened, and a small shape rushed to Tazuna's arms. Mori glanced up from her bowl, smiling slightly when she noticed that the child had a smile on his face. It was small, but it was there.

"Inari! You apologize at once!" Tsunami scolded as the child-Inari-began insulting Naruto.

Mori gazed at Inari as the child defended his actions, and a frown tugged on her lips as he brushed past them. He looked up suddenly and stopped, his black eyes staring deep into her red ones. Mori smiled gently and put her bowl down.

"You're the dog from before!" he said, pointing a finger at her.

Mori nodded, a smile forming on her face.

"I am. You're smart to have figured me out so fast" she praised, watching as a small amount of pink race across his face, but frowned when it disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Whatever. You aren't going to win against Gato so you might as well go home" Inari grounded out before rushing to his room.

A door slamming followed soon after. Tsunami sighed sadly before she continued cleaning. Tazuna began a lengthy explanation of his grandson's attitude, and Mori paid little attention to the older man. This man, Gato, was the reason for Inari to be sad. Her red eyes drifted to the window as her thoughts swirled around in her brain. A small growl resonated from her chest as her eyes narrowed slightly.

She would defeat this man Gato, for Inari's sake.