Wolf's Rain: Paradise Ghost (Completed)

Chapter Twelve

Chapter 12
Kiba

I have never felt so delusional and messed up before. Ever since the warning that was giving to us by Darcia, everything went chaotic in the pack. Many individuals came to my den, either begging me to do something about this or protesting and growling at me, telling me that this was all my fault. I guess it kind of was. I didn't know that I was so ignorant. I didn't know that this would cause such trouble to the pack.

So, I decided to have a meeting with the whole pack. We met at the front of my den, Toboe, Hige, Tsume, and myself all standing together in front of the pack. I looked and every single one of them had the same expression. Concern.

I continued glancing about, and I saw that to the left side of the pack, placed close to the front of the pack, was Ikira sitting beside Wumphy. She noticed that I was looking at her and gave me a sincere, sympathetic smile. I sighed, not knowing how I would even begin as to what I was about to say.

"All right everyone, now there is no need for an introduction here. Let's just get straight to the point," I stated. "We all know why we are meeting up here." A wave of chatter and growls grew from the crowd.

"What are we going to do?"

"What if he comes back again, with a whole army of those things?"

"Settle down, settle down!" ordered Tsume. "Now we have come up with a solution for all this.  Well, at least Kiba did." He turned his eyes to glance at me, giving me a bothered look. "I'm not exactly fond of this idea, and I know they won't be either," he whispered to me. I held the bridge of my nose with my fingers, trying to calm myself.

Hige leaned closer to the us and asked softly, "Are you sure about this? I don't think everyone in this pack is going to agree to this." Toboe nodded in agreement, looking back and forth from the pack to the Alphas.

"They are going to have to," I finally whispered, keeping my eyes shut in a troubled matter. The pack was beginning to grow impatient, with barks and shouts of persistent anxiousness of the announcement.

"Spit it out already!" Wumphy growled. Ikira shot her a look and told her to be still. I inhaled deeply and finally found the courage to say it. It's for their own good, I thought inside.

"The rest of the Alphas and myself have come to decide something. As of now, Darcia is a threat to our pack. We have discussed ways that will serve as protection for us." Suddenly an uproar of howls and proud voices shouted.

"Let us fight him, Kiba! We can outnumber his army and take him down once and for all!" More barks sung from the crowd in agreement, some even getting up and raising their haunches in a fighting stance. I stood on all fours and barked three times loudly to the crowd, purposely making each sound aggressive.

"No! That is not the answer! The last thing that we need are more wolves dying than there already are out there! I don't want to have to bury more dead in the future." The ones that were standing all shrunk to the ground, remembering how a few pack members had to go back to the first infected wolves and dig holes in the ground.

I inhaled deeply, trying to regain my calm composure again. "I have decided that for the protection of this pack, and to be undetectable by Darcia, we will be moving closer to the human village."

"What?!" Everyone cried in sync. Each individual looked at each other in confusion or anger. I heard Tsume groan beside, covering his eyes with the palm of his hand. Toboe whimpered next to me.

"Are you insane?!"

"Living with them? Ha, I'd rather be skinned alive!"

"Listen to me! This will offer us the protection that we need while we find out more information about Darcia and his... ghosts," I retorted, trying to catch the attention of the pack.

"Yeah, maybe the humans know a thing or two about what's going on," Hige stated, trying his best to be at my side.

Suddenly from the front of the pack, a wolf came up to me, her deep green eyes blazing with fury. "Now I have something to say about this," she said coldly. Ikira, not you, I thought.

She still kept her eyes on me as she addressed the pack loudly, "There is nothing wrong with the Alphas doing whatever possible to keep the rest of us safe." I was a little flattered, sighing in relief. But then her voice grew more harshly and defiantly, "But this is, by far, the most fucked up idea that any leader has ever decided."

Everyone grew silent as they focused on the girl. Myself and the other leaders looked at each other in shock by what she said. "I don't know if any of you have forgotten the stories of the world when humans ruled the world. Last time I checked, they were the reason that nature was dying, and why Earth had to resurrect."

She continued, barring her teeth in disgust. "So, I speak for the rest of the pack. As a wolf, the species that has kept the world balanced and clear for years, I would rather give myself to Darcia himself than be with those beasts." Cheers roared from the crowd, but I shouted louder before they could continue any longer.

"You are a wolf, that is true. But, I also know that the wolf has the capability to disguise himself as a human too," Tsume stated, making Ikira the more agitated. "We are all wolves either form."

Finally, I decided that enough was enough, I made my way towards Ikira and grabbed her arm. "I am the leader of the pack. So, whether any of you agree to it or not, we are relocating to the humans' village. Understood?" She whipped her shoulder to the side, freeing herself from my grip. All I got for a response was a few murmurs from the crowd and a huff from the girl.

~

I packed the last few items into my backpack, from extra pieces of clothing to a few books. I zipped up the bag carefully and finally got up. I looked around in my den, double checking if I had left anything important. After a few thoughts, I gave a swift nod to the room and made my way to the exit.

When I got outside, I could see that there were already a few members lined up in front of the main entrance. They were opening their backs, talking among themselves, or simply just sitting in the ground waiting for me.

Hige came up beside me and laid his hand on my shoulder. "Hope you know what you're doing, man," he sighed. He also had a book bag on his back, except his was full to the brim. I could guess that there was a buffet inside. I then caught him looking intently towards the pack.

I finally realized that he was looking at his mate, Blue. She was talking to Ikira, whom had an extra bag on her shoulder. Blue seemed persistent towards her, but she didn't budge when Ikira kept shaking her head and laughing.

"She's going to carry Blue's bag. Huh, kinda sweet of her," Hige replied, walking down the hill towards the crowd. I stood there for a few more seconds, watching intently as both girls spoke to each other.