The Tail Of A Beast {A Naruto Fan-Fic)

Chapter 7

Hee hee!  This chapter is longer than the last one!  Much longer!  Thanks, and sorry about the last one again!

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(Ookami's POV)

I was walking through the woods just enjoying the slight breeze that blew through the village, tousling my hair and making the trees sway slightly.  I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, stopping where I was, it would do. 

Ever since our mission with Zabuza and the brat - whose name I discovered to be Haku - I had decided to try and transform this body into my regular wolf form, and then once I mastered that I could move onto my beastly form, but I would need a lot more space for that.  So far, it was excruciating.  What did I expect?  This body has to grow, the bones need to shift, I have to grow fur - a painful process for my unexpecting human form, but because it's also me and it's in my nature, it doesn't do any permanent damage.

I focused, digging deep into my mind, focusing on the image of my slightly larger than average white wolf body.  I felt it - pain.  Like my skin was being ripped apart, and then I felt as though all of my bones broke, I even heard popping noises.  I didn't stop, and I felt the most pain of all - and suddenly there was nothing.  I felt my stomach drop, I had failed again, but I had gotten closer. 

Then I opened my eyes.  I felt myself gasp, and I looked around.  I looked down and leaped with joy, barking happily as I saw I was now a wolf.  It needed work, but if I really tried the pain would lessen each time until it was unnoticable.  I ran through the woods, reveling in the feel of the wind rushing through my fur, the feel of the air on my tongue, which lolled out the side of my mouth.

I paused in my running.  Naruto!  He and I had become really close in the time since we returned and he had been rooting for me ever since I decided to try - I couldn't wait to show him!  I ran and paused at a gate seperating the woods from the village, hearing his voice on the other side.  He was yelling at someone.  I looked up and was startled to see Sasuke throw a rock at whoever it was Naruto was yelling at, I assumed.  A rock, Sasuke?  Really?  You can do better than that.

I shook my large furry head, weird people... 

I heard a cold voice on my other side and looked up to see a red-headed boy hanging upside down from a tree branch.  "Kankuro, stop."  He spoke, his cold voice sent shivers down my spine, but not of fear.  This might sound weird, but it intrigued me.  I wanted to know more about what made him like that.  I mean, the kid had an icy tone that could match mine, and that's saying something.  "You're an embarrassment to our village."

I pitied the guy who he was talking to - Kankuro, he had said.  "G-Gaara... th-they started it!"  He said, his voice trembling.  I wanted to leap over to get a good look, but I found this side of the fence more interesting. 

"Shut up or I'll kill you."  The redhead, Gaara, said.  Judging by his voice, I didn't doubt that he would, indeed, kill him.  I felt something... almost familiar about Gaara.  I looked at him closely and suddenly I felt extremely stupid for not noticing before.

I grinned a wolfy grin and dug into his mind with ease, though he was undoubtedly stronger than Naruto.  I appeared before Shukaku in my human form.  "Shukaku!  Interesting host you got here, eh?"

Shukaku rested his eyes on me and they widened considerably, "Ookami!"  He looked me up and down.  "What are you doing like this?"

I growled, "Scientists.  Stupid humans!  They combined my body with that of a humans, so your host here may see me looking like this pretty soon.  I plan to make a flashy entrance in my wolf form, which I've successfully been able to change into as of today if I focus hard enough."  I grinned, my mood changing for the better as my thoughts strayed away from the scientists.  "Hey, can your host hear us?"