Hi everyone, my second ever (really bad) Wolf's Rain oneshot. I'm sorry characters are so OOC, I haven't quite got the feel of them down yet, but they're fun to roleplay! I watched the whole series in about a week, but I think I'd benefit from watching again- some artistic licence used… This is a bit wordy, I doubt Hige'd really use so many syllables… I tried!

"Buru?"

Hige seemed uncertain as he gingerly padded towards the equally unnerved bitch who stood, mouth agape about twenty feet in front of him. In response, the wolfdog returned to her bipedal form and immediately drew into herself, feeling profoundly exposed. Hige did likewise and gazed unblinkingly at the female before him. Indeed it was Blue, the Hunter's dog- fierce, blunt, vicious- and strikingly beautiful. Kiba and Tsume had melted into the shadows, so only Toboe remained crouched behind some crag or other, watching silently in cautious observation.

"At first she looks at me like a frightened rabbit.

Her eyes are a steely blue. It's funny, because the hue seems so cold, yet I feel ushered towards them. All the times we have briefly met before she has been hot on my heels. Our last encounter: when my gaze met hers, that bloodthirsty look I had grown to be so familiar with greeted me. Her lips were drawn back fully, and I saw a set of fangs any wolf would have been proud of, complimented by the spikes adorning her leather collar. Those orbs had turned from a deep azure to a steely gray, like the metal of a man's gun- but right here, right now she is confused and afraid. Her expression has softened and all I can see are deeply searching pools of sapphire. It's as if she's trying to look directly into my soul, to surmise whether I am to be trusted or not.

I really shouldn't trust her.

Only a few days ago, at the command of her master she was baying for my blood. But now, stock-still and alone before me, her sable pelt is ruffled by the biting wind and there is something about her that I find oddly sexy. I've never had much luck with girls… And getting to the age I am, I need a mate. I've spent most of my life chasing after bitches between chasing after my lunch and my days ended with me cleaning a carcass alone and skulking into a corner to take a leak. So many furs, so many faces- but there is still something about this crazy bitch that draws me to her. I want to get inside her head, to get to know her and to tell her that she doesn't have to be afraid. Kiba left his tribe, Tsume left his gang, I was kicked out of my pack and Toboe lost his human- but we all survive by banding together. I want to bury my muzzle in her fur and sleep with her beneath the stars. I'll replace Quent and lick her that place behind the ear the way he used to scratch. The events of the past few weeks have shaken her however and this meek Blue is merely a shadow of her former self. Without her human, when I make towards her she withdraws, unsure of what to do or where to go. The snow glistens as it adorns the tips of the hairs of her pelt- and she has no idea how beautiful it all looks."

Hige leant over the railing of the bridge nonchalantly. Now that he finally had Blue within arm's reach, there was nothing in the world that could possibly concern him- so he spent that evening looking out over the setting sun with the object of his desire in reasonable proximity. Blue had finally relaxed a little and stood opposite the wolf, her head resting on her forearms with a hundred thoughts quietly flowing through her mind. Hige turned his head to face her and watched a battle between fire and ice commence as the dying sun reflected in the crystalline pools of her irises. She really had no idea how much Hige was attracted to her. Even if she did, there was always a doubt in the back of her mind that she could ever accept any form of affection or involvement from the world of the wolves. Should she even be allowed to be part of the journey to Rakuen, writing a new chapter in the Book of the Moon? Rakuen was a wolves' Paradise after all, and she had contributed to the movement to wipe the last of them out. Quent was finished with her. She was a half-breed. No one wanted her.

Except Hige.

Again he tilted his head to the side at her inquiringly and again she visibly flushed and withdrew. 'How hard must it be for her to accept all this attention?', he briefly thought, then turned his attention to lavishing it regardless.

"'You know Blue… You're really cute.'

I love how she pretends to hate me, but it's written all over her face that she can't resist my charms! But I wonder if she's ever had anyone before me? Actually… judging by her intense awkwardness, I doubt it. Whenever I brush past her, whether she likes it or not she just doesn't know what to do with herself. I guess all those years with Quent have done something to shape her personality. In truth, under that cold exterior she is still his puppy. She spent every waking moment by that human's side as his companion and as a workdog. I doubt she ever explored her feminine side in either form as she was either at work tracking or asleep on Quent's lap, I gather. The closest she must have ever got was being like a daughter to Quent. He has no human family so, in a weird way before he ever knew she could take on that form, she was both his partner and his little girl. I suppose she had no need to fret over finding a mate- and Quent would not have to deal with a bitch on heat. All she ever had or knew was Quent and no dog would dare to touch her. Come to think of it, no wolf would either. Now I am all she has and I put everything into lavishing as much affection as I possibly can on her. No one else in this world will ever love me, nor her, so I will do my damned best to make sure we will always be with each other."

However relaxed Hige felt watching the sunset from the bridge that evening, Blue was still sleeping alone at night. The rest of the pack were sleeping soundly at the base of a yew tree and the wolfdog lay on her side, far away in the dew-sodden grass in the ebbing hours of the night. Hige cautiously approached, feeling the damp underpaw and wondering how his Blue could possible lie there in the cold. As he came closer, the horizon drew to his eye level and he saw that the flat land beyond Blue's form stretched for miles, and that she was truly alone. He could have sworn that she had been sobbing when her pressed his snout to the side of her face and felt damp fur, but then again it could just have been the condensation in the air.

"I just can't help myself. I have to be close to her. It's selfish of me, because as I savour the warmth of her body, pressing through sodden fur to skin, I can feel her shy away. Her insides are squirming. How can I make her want to feel wanted? I want to play- I don't care if it's the middle of the night. I nibble at her ear and she yelps suddenly. Then I back away from her and she looks up at me, bleary-eyed and guilty for allowing herself to be so easily startled. I'd like to think she knows what I am trying to do but I guess that can only happen once she accepts what she is and learns to love herself. She lowers her head warily to sleep, so I rise to settle a short distance away. I will not smother her, but I am still close by. Yes, right between her and the pack, watching over her."

Hige continued to make progress in his nightly visits to Blue as the pack traversed the Snow Country. One night he noticed that she had edged a little closer to the rest of the wolves, and was then curled up asleep around twenty-five feet away. Hige took it upon himself to dash right over to her in a fit of passion, yapping, "Buru!" and taking delight when her right ear swivelled round to the sound of his voice and she raised her head. Hige then stalled, allowing Blue half a second to adjust before reclining beside her and he brushed the freshly fallen snow off her onyx pelt. Hige's heart jolted as he took a risk and attempted to nuzzle Blue's throat. She pulled away, but with a degree reluctance. To Hige's pleasure when he nipped her ear again, she emitted a sound close to a nervous giggle. The wolf then calmed down and revelled in being so close to Blue. He laid his muzzle on her head, so she could feel his hot breath on the inside of her ear. Something inside Blue softened and she finally let herself sink into the snow and went to sleep.

"There's been a change in my fortune.

Blue, that human woman Cher and Cheza- all gone. Kiba somehow promises that they will all be returned to us soon. It's lonely here without Blue. I mean, I know she wasn't even here that long, but her joining the pack reminds me of how this whole journey began. For me, it all started with finding Kiba, battered and bleeding and helping him break out of that research facility. Then I met Tsume for the first time and it was Toboe who glued us all together. With the four of us it felt like this whole 'Rakuen' thing could really go somewhere and we really had a purpose. But… from the time we left Freeze City it felt like we had hit stalemate. Everywhere we turned, Jaguara's troops or Hunters blocked our path. We are near enough the last of our kind, but even every other pack we encountered tried to rip us- or each other –apart. For a few long weeks it felt as if there was no reason left to keep running, but then Blue came along and the excitement I felt in the very beginning came rushing back. There is an emptiness in my heart. It's funny; after all the sorrow running in a pack has brought me, I learned to stand alone- but now I couldn't possibly imagine any kind of life without the others, least of all without Blue. I think the outcome of our last encounter was positive. Having her so close to me was rapture and I hope she felt something like that as well. I look up at the stars and form a picture of her with my imagination, but even the starlight cannot compare with the sparkle in her eyes. I throw back my head and howl, despite the protest from the pack that was guaranteed to ensue, and I wonder if wherever she is, she can or will reply."

That evening, Cher Degré asked Blue if she had anyone special to look forward to returning to. Had the light not been so poor, Cher would have seen the faint smile and flush painted across the wolfdog's face.

Blue was tired, hungry and frozen to the core, but when she spotted Hige from across the ice field, all inhibitions left her. Throwing caution to the wind, she bolted towards him, bright and yapping like a puppy with her tongue flagging. She crashed headlong into Hige, nuzzling as if she needed every inch of his fur to come into contact with her own. Hige lay ecstatic beneath her, partially because of his recent injury and partially because she seemed quite content to lavish affection on him for once. He was at peace because she had come back to him. Furthermore, because she was confident that if she ran to him, he would be there to welcome her with open arms.

"I've never felt so happy in my entire life. Blue is lying beside me and I am enjoying sharing her body heat in this still, cold night. This is exactly how things should be, the two of us under the stars. Everything about her makes my blood run high, and now in the quite I can spend time just drinking in her musky scent. It suddenly dawn on me just ho desperately I need her. I finally have her next to me, both comfortable and relaxed, but I feel like I need something more- there is so much I have yet to share with her."

Hige turned to look Blue straight in the eye, demanding her full attention. The sudden seriousness from him caused Blue's inside to turn to water and she both cowered and edged closer at the same time. Hige's breath was no longer quiet and steady, but ragged and hot as he lapped gently at the base of Blue's neck. To his surprise, she returned the gesture, gracing the side of his muzzle with her tongue. Suddenly rising, her rolled her onto her back and pinned her down like an item of prey; she responded strangely, her breath hitching in her throat awkwardly, but raising her head so it brushed against Hige's jaw, urging him to continue.

And then for the first time, she felt his human hand press low against her stomach.

He hovered over her, eyes searching for passage or denial. Then Blue brought up her hand to cup the side of his face and tugged a little at the opening of his sweater.

"It's been a long journey and we are all weary. Here I am, enjoying the privacy of a rock ledge. The snow is falling and once again I have Blue by my side. She is lying with her head in my lap and I am looking towards the sky.

Rakuen.

Am I going to see it anytime soon? I would love to walk in with Blue and really show her how to be free. I'll shake my collar off and bite off hers and we'll run and hunt and play in the grass.

But will it ever happen?

There may not be a place in Rakuen for a lowlife like me. I've caused so much pain and bloodshed in the past, but I'll redeem myself for it now. I will share every last past of my being with Blue. She wonders if there is room for a half-breed in Rakuen. Whatever happens, I will not leave her. I will comfort her now as she is ushered into eternity.

And brush away the tears from her bloodstained face.

And the life is trickling from my throat, staining the petals of a Lunar Flower.

Blue.

When death comes for her, she will not have to be afraid."

A/N: MEEEEEH... SORREE!!!!! R and R?