Teardrop of the Wolf

Chapter 48

  A dark chuckle echoed through the cavern when a juicy tidbit of information was delivered. A large smirk slid over a reptile-like face as a young man with dark hair rose from his crouch. Yellow eyes gleamed as it drank in the information. What an interesting bit of information. One of his escaped prisoners had reproduced and now there were three beings with two types of chakra living in harmony within the body. He must get them back! His eyes snapped towards his servant.

"Bring them to me" he hissed, and the white-haired servant bowed and left promptly.

Yes, he would get them back in time...and when he did, he was not going to let them escape again. A loud laugh slithered out and echoed loudly as a horde of shadows ran out of the cave entrance, their mission fresh in their minds.

They travelled quickly through the forest, not paying attention to the animals that scampered out of their way. Their leader set a brutal pace as they headed toward their intended targets.

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The sun began to set and it washed the sky in a brilliant array of reds and pinks. Mori lifted Tadao up off the bed and held him against her chest as the infant wailed; his little face scrunched up tight. He had been changed and fed, and was now in a grumpy mood. Mori patted his back as she walked around the small bedroom in small circles, trying to soothe her son. The door opened and she turned around to see Iruka walking in quietly. She smiled and sat down on the bed, still trying to calm Tadao. Mori could feel his little body shaking from the force of his cries.

"Mori?"

"Hm?" she mused, rubbing Tadao's back.

"Let me try holding him" Iruka said quietly, and Mori blinked in surprise.

"You need a break, you look exhausted" he said quietly, and Mori nodded with a small smile.

She stood up and gently handed Tadao to his father, who immediately held the infant to his chest. Mori's smile widened when Tadao immediately began to quiet down as Iruka held him tightly.

"My two boys" Mori giggled as she kissed Tadao's head, and Iruka smiled widely.

"I'll be back" Mori whispered as Tadao let out a yawn and Iruka nodded.

Mori spared the two one last glance before walking out. She blinked in surprise when she noticed Midori had left again. That woman had no end to her energy considering how old she was. With a smile Mori opened the door and walked out, inhaling the clean air. One or two people walked through the village but the majority were in their houses, eating or getting ready for bed. Mori felt her muscles itch to work and she quickly walked into the bush.

With a sigh she enveloped herself in her other chakra, and in a matter of seconds a wolf stood in her place. Mori shook out her fur and stretched, growling in pleasure as her joints popped. Mori snorted and lifted her muzzle in the air, searching for any scent of prey. Her ears flicked forward as a breeze blew through the trees.

Her tongue lolled out of her maw as she happily trotted through the path that led out of the village.

As the stars began to dot the night sky, Mori caught on to the scent of a wild rabbit. Her instincts kicked into high alert, and she crept forward. Her red eyes pierced through the foliage to the foraging prey, keeping in mind its amazing hearing ability. The rabbit's ears twitched back and forth as it munched on tender grass shoots, and Mori inched closer.

A bird flew from a neighbouring tree, shrilling loudly and the rabbit froze. It raised itself on its hind legs and Mori sprang from her hiding place.

The rabbit took off in a flash, and Mori thundered behind it. Her paws churned up dirt as the rabbit tried to lose her, but Mori continued to gain on it. With a leap, Mori landed on the rabbit and ended its life with a quick bite to the back of the skull. It dropped heavily to the ground as Mori raised her head, panting from the effort. She lifted her muzzle and let out a happy howl. Her heart sang in happiness as her body thrummed from the energy of the chase, and she began to devour her meal. Her mind and body knew that she needed the meal to give Tadao the best possible chance of survival. Before long, the only thing that remained of the rabbit was a few tufts of hair and a partial skeleton.

Mori licked and cleaned her paws free of blood and stood up, shaking out her fur. Her nose twitched as she began the search for water.

'I need a bath. I don't think Midori would approve of getting dirt, blood and leaves on her sheets' Mori thought dryly as she continued her trek.

The crickets began to sing as she finally found a small stream. The moon reflected off the water as Mori eased herself into the stream. The water tugged at her fur and her paws slipped and slid on the riverbed below. She splashed around, feeling the cool water wash away the dirt off her fur. A couple of silver minnows darted around her paws, and Mori dipped her entire head into the water to catch them. The small fish darted too fast for her, and Mori lifted her head from the water with a snort.

'Time to go back. Tadao must need me by now' Mori thought with a small tail wag, and she climbed her way out of the riverbed.

She shook off the water with a spray of droplets and raised her muzzle, trying to find which direction the village was.

There! She began her relaxed trot home, tongue lolling out happily.

After a couple minutes of navigating her way through the forest, Mori stopped suddenly, ears poised forward and eyes alert. Different scents began wafting its way through to her, and she felt her hackles rise. A growl rumbled through her chest and the trees swayed back and forth from the wind. Her heart began pounding furiously as her mind sorted the smells. The smell of disinfectant, evil and fire hit her nose like a wall, and her eyes widened.

She took off through the forest, willing her paws to move faster as the smell of fire became stronger and stronger. Soon she could see the blaze through the trees and Mori stopped short, side heaving. People ran screaming as dark shapes jumped from roof to roof. Bodies littered the ground and blood stained the ground an evil black. Mori took off down the path to Midori's house, praying that everyone was okay.

'Tadao! Iruka! Midori! Please be okay!' her mind kept chanting desperately.

She skidded to a stop outside Midori's house, and with wide eyes watched as the small house collapsed in a fiery inferno. Her human chakra took over, and with a scream Mori stumbled to the house, intent on digging through the burning wreckage.

A shuriken suddenly embedded itself on the ground beside her head, and Mori whipped around, pupils narrow and eyes glaring.