Thank you to Mizuna Kurenagi, 416851, guest reviewer, Crystal-wolf-Guardian-967, and Momochan19 for reviewing since the last chapter

Chapter XXXII: The beginning of the end

"You can't hold out much longer…"

It took a great deal of energy to open her eyes but when she did, she found herself in a familiar place.

Submerged in water, wrist bound.

Whitelocks of hair swaying in a calm current.

A man stood outside her prison with a clipboard in hand as he gazed at her. He took a moment to adjust his glasses before fixing her with a mournful look.

"Lord Darcia will not stop because you are being stubborn" he remarked

Stubborn?

The accusation sent a scowl across her once calm expression and she looked away.

"now, now" the man sighed "You know i meant no harm… I just… worry for your health" He stepped forward and pressed a hand against the glass. It earned her gaze again, prompting her to stare at him once more. When their eyes met he smiled weakly at her. "You are a magnificent creature" he breathed out "...to see you ripped apart again and again...to hear your screams of pain." He frowned deeply as he spoke, the hand pressed against the glass clenched into a fist.

"Every time we do that experiment I pray it works, if only to spare you anymore pain. But… each hanabito has failed… I fear soon there will be nothing of you left to take from."

"...So be it…"

Those three words echoed her voice around her head and her sphere prison. It crackled out of the speaker behind this man and he looked back at it in shock at her declaration.

"Take from me...until naught is left… my secrets will remain such… lost to man forever."

"But why?!" the man turned to snarl at her even though she showed no reaction to his outburst. "All for this Eden? This paradise?! You are a god among man-let the Nobles have Paradise. Don't let them kill you for it!"

Let them… have it?...

she felt a wave of pity for this poor, passionate man.

He understood so little for such a curious mind.

"When are we born? When do we die?"

"Huh?"

She watched him with sharp eyes, now fully awakened and willing, in this brief moment, to speak a truth.

"Why are we born? Why do we die?"

"… this world has been destroyed and reborn countless times. Always it rises from the ashes…as Paradise."

"...What?" The man's eyes went wide and he perked up as she spoke on

"It has happened before...it will happen again. An endless cycle of life and death. Your world is a Paradise that was opened by someone...but this era too is almost at its peak, destined to die out and fade."

"You...humans"

"You have acquired the means to extend your natural span of life never suspecting that the world itself was finite in its existence."

"Still you try to escape it...seek a place not meant for you to tread"

"Your desperation has left me in despair…"

"My essense fallen, scattered like the petals of a dying flower"

"Like a blast of a sand storm i have been worn down and weathered away"

"And with it Paradise?"

She laughs briefly, he still understood so little

"To be purified...this world will be encased in ice and return to the beginning once more…"

Her eyes grew heavy. Slowly, she let her head drop and her eyes blink closed despite the man calling for her. Her last words to him still ringing in her own mind

"Paradise is a world that is opened by someone."

Pine

Mahina smelled pine

It flooded her nose, advancing into her senses like an unstoppable force of nature destined to over take Mahina's very being.

But…she wasn't afraid.

In the wake of its invasion peace followed, a calming sensation like nothing Mahina had felt before. It almost lulled the she-wolf back to sleep as soon as she breathed it in but she fought the temptation of sleep.

Letting out a soft whine of the noise, the she-wolf blindly searched for the source of the smell until she buried her face into it.

Other senses were coming to her now:

The chill of the air

The sounds of gunfire in the far distance

The strong arms across Mahina's back and under her knees.

And a humming feeling of adoration from a newly formed bond.

Whining again, Mahina pushed against the bond. She laced invisible fingers with it and held firm.

"Mahina" that familiar deep voice drifted into Mahina's ears, Kiba softly cooed her name.

Slowly Mahina opened her eyes allowing the world to come back to her. Bundled up in a mess of snow white hair and a cloak that reeked of Darcia's blood and a bitter substance, Mahina found herself in Kiba's arms, her nose buried in the males neck.

The cold of the air nipped at her bare feet and sent a shiver up Mahina's spine. Kiba was quick to pull her closer to her body. And that alone tempted Mahian to not move away.

Kiba was so warm and thanks to the bond he could silently send Mahina all he felt.

And goodness did Kiba feel.

He was practically drowning Mahina in his concern and affection.

"She's awake?"

Mahina movements must have alerted the others. She forced herself to draw away from Kiba's scent to look around her.

They were in an ally now, Jagura's keep visibly crumbling in the distance. Her city had been plunged into darkness.

The first face Mahina saw was the concerned expression of Toboe, the tension in his face didn't ease up even as their eyes met.

"Mahina?"

"Toboe" Her voice came out soft, airy, as gentle as a summer breeze. Mahina almost didn't recognize it and for a moment it seemed like Toboe didn't either but then the moment passed and true to the runts nature his eyes shimmered with tears. He didn't bother to stop them, he never did. The runt sniffled before a whimper and sob came from him.

"Get it together runt, she's not dead" Tsume's voice earned Mahina's gaze. The grey wolf stood a pace behind Toboe looking exasperated at the pup. Farther behind Tsume Mahina could faintly make out Hige's back farther down the alley.

"I was so worried!" Toboe protested before offering Mahina a familiar look of misery "When Kiba came back with you I thought…"

Ah, Mahina must have fallen asleep in the hall. It was only now Mahina truly realized how much this whole ordeal had taken out of her.

"Cheza?" Mahina breathed

Safe

The word whispered through the connection, circling Mahina's heart before it could stop in worry.

"Right here" Tsume stepped forward and it was only now the she-wolf saw Cheza in Tsume's arms, she was bundled up in what smelled like Jagura's cloak-A contrasting white fabric to Mahina's black.

The flower maiden looked worse for wear, the veins that had formed back in Jagura's keep had spread up Cheza's neck and now kissed the edges of her jaw.

"This one is here, Mahina." The maiden reached out a shaky hand, Tsume took another step forward to help close the distance and Mahina reached out to meet her half way.

It took the smallest amount of skin contact to send relief flooding through the both of them, so much so both Mahina and Cheza sighed as they held hands firmly.

The smell of lunar flower overpowered everything else.

"I always thought it was just a weird coincidence." Hige's voice broke the silence. The chubby wolf's words earned him the packs gaze, Hige looked over his shoulder at them. "But we can't ignore it anymore. Mahina...what are you?"

What was she?

That was a valid question

One Mahina was only now slowly beginning to learn herself.

Still holding Cheza's hand Mahina sighed. She turned away from the pack and leaned against Kiba's chest taking in his scent.

"we need to leave this place." the she-wolf mused

For now they kept moving. Paradise was almost upon them and now they weren't the only ones trying to reach it.

"Paradise isn't a place to just search for and find…"

The pack had begun their journey out of Jagura's ruined keep. The false haven the Noble had crafted quickly descended into chaos when the power keeping it lit was lost. The people in the inner city turned on each other in seconds, resorting to theft, violence and murder. It made the streets below unsafe for a pack of worse for wear wolves. So they too to the roofs of the buildings, Tsume carrying Cheza and Mahina remaining in the almost possessive arms of Kiba.

Currently, they were resting for Hige and the sword wound Jagura had inflicted on him in the fight. It was there, perched high above the darkened city that Mahina began to speak. Her eyes watched the violence of the human race down below.

"It must be opened."

"Opened?" Toboe echoed

Mahina hummed in confirmation though she didn't turn her head to look at the pup. There was silence among the pack after this and Mahina took it to speak on. "Whoever opens the door decides the shape of Paradise."

"That's why Jagura…" The farthest seated from Mahina, Hige perked up at this comment. Mahina nodded her head to the chubby males assumptions.

All of this violence, all the bloodshed and hunting.

The reason Hige was bathed in both his blood and someone else's

All of it so Jagura could shape Paradise to her making. So she could twist it into a selfish void of her own design meant only for her and he beloved Darcia.

Such a Paradise had no need for the very creatures who could open it.

And she called wolves beast.

"But the Paradise she tried to create was fake," Mahina breathed on "a pale imitation of the real ones potential."

"The real one?" Tsume questioned with an arched brow

"So what you're saying is that...thing wasn't really…" Hige jumped in.

"It was a fake." This time Kiba shook his head "I saw it, the land was dead. That place wasn't Paradise."

No place a Noble opened could be Paradise.

"...So" spoke Tsume after a beat of silence "that means the real Paradise-"

"Is still out there." Mahina finished his sentence, finally turning her head away from the violence to take in the pack before her. There was still a ways to go before they found it, Mahina could feel it in her bones. They were staring down the edge of no return now.

This was really it.

"Darcia is still out there" Mahina declared the facts of the matter. Jagura may be a problem of the past now but that didn't mean it would be smooth sailing from this point on.

Darcia was still out there and he thought he was chosen to open Paradise.

The Noble's words still rang in Mahina's head. His self assured promise that he would open Paradise and that Mahina would be by his side. The certainty of Darcia's words sent a chill up Mahina's spine.

He'll never hurt you again, I won't let him.

Mahina inhaled softly when Kiba blanketed her being with this will of his- a promise of his own. He pulled her closer to his body letting Mahina rest her head on his chest while he nuzzled his nose into her hair.

A very public display of affection that earned more than a couple of raised eyebrows from the others but Mahina was too busy drowning in Kiba's protective passion to notice and Kiba clearly didn't care.

"That Noble is trying to take our Paradise now that Jagura's proven fake." Kiba remarked clearly ignoring the curious stares directed at him "We're probably going to face him at some point along the way." The white wolf turned his gaze to the others. "We very well may die… still i plan to keep going."

The air among the group was tense as Kiba's implication was clear.

This was the endgame, if anyone wanted off the ride now was the time to do so.

I'm not running away.

Mahina sent the whisper spiraling across Kiba's being with a fistfuls of the males shirt.

I know

Kiba immediately soothed

The silence was broken by a snort form Tsume "You said it yourself a long time ago: Everyone dies eventually, it's just natural. But dying while reaching for a goal is better than living without a purpose." besides judging by the way he held onto Cheza he had no plans of putting her down. Tsume was in.

"I already swore I wasn't going to run away anymore." and with a nod Toboe was in.

"This one will always be by your side" Cheza was in

All heads turned to Hige who sat far from the group staring down at all the chaos of man. Was this it for him? When he noticed all the eyes on him he let out a light scuff and turned away from the group showing them his back.

"Hige?" Mahina arched a brow at the chubby male.

"Why would any of you even want me along after all that's happened?" he called over his shoulder.

"The collar was just a number, right?" Tsume didn't miss a beat. Hige flinched, his hand going to the space by his neck where his collar once sat "well… prove it porky."

"…" Hige didn't respond, didn't even acknowledge the insult thrown at him. For a moment Mahina thought this would be the last time she would see the chubby male, but then he sighed rubbing his face with his hand before looking back at them all again. When his gaze met Mahina she could see it.

A burning ember amidst those eyes.

Hige was in.

Paradise was the only answer for any of them now.

One labored breath after another dragged from her lungs even though she rested on such a soft surface. White fur was all she saw and she was content despite the slight sting that came to her wrist when fur and wound occasionally touched.

Does it hurt badly?

Not as much anymore

The wind howled from all directions, unsure of who it may be fighting as the pack pushed on. It pelted her skin with small rocks and stray snow. She bundled closer into the dark cloak that gave her cover. The lingering stench of Darcia was slowly fading the longer she wore it.

Are you cold?

No, you're really warm.

Curing her fingers around the soft fur she lay on, Mahina let out a soft grunt as she raised her head to look around. Endless wasteland as far as the eye could see, not that Mahina could see much of anything anymore. Her vision had begun to fail her since the pack had left Jagura's falling keep. She could barely make out the blurry image of Tsume a few paces ahead of her, the only sign that it was him was the white cloak that Cheza wore as she rode on the gray wolf's back. The body that carried Mahina shifted as it walked and a head turned back to look at her.

The body that carried Mahina sent waves of concern into the she-wolf's skin as they made eye contact.

Are you tired?

A little bit

We can stop and rest for a bit

"No" Mahina's voice came out softer than she was used to but he heard her, the twitch of his ears made that clear and yet Mahina could still feel him slowing his steps. "Kiba." she clenched fistfuls of Kiba's fur and shook her head.

There was no stopping for rest now, not after all they had been through and certainly not with their goal just within reach. They would rest if Hige needed it but whenever Mahina looked back the chubby wolf was limping along with the help of Toboe. They had slowed their running to a walking pace for his sake but even he insisted they keep going.

Mahina would not be the one to force the pack to stop.

Slowly resting her head back down, the she-wolf inhaled Kiba's calming scent and sighed. When she closed her eyes and focused, Kiba flooded her every sense with his being.

Ever since they had discovered this invisible tether to one another, Kiba had been overflowing it with all that he was. There wasn't a second that Mahina was given respite from Kiba, it was like he was trying to make up for lost time.

Nuzzling against the males white fur, Mahina met Kiba's concern with as much calm as she could. Invisible hands reached for one another, laced fingers in a locked embrace that neither cared to break.

Why can i feel you like this?

Kiba's voice circled around Mahina's mind, keeping her focused on the little pocket world of theirs.

Why can I hear you and you me?

I don't know

Is this what it's like to feel Cheza?

It's… stronger

Stronger?

Mahina couldn't describe it, this bond between her and Kiba. At first it did feel like the connection with Cheza but, when Mahina stopped blocking it out, it became something else.

Like an old dried up well under sudden rain storms. It felt like the connection was always there, ready and waiting to be replenished. But most of all it felt-

Right

Kiba whispered this throughout every fiber of Mahina's being, into her very veins until she shivered.

It feels right

...yes

BOOM

The echoing sound and the rumble of the ground under their feet made the pack paused, glancing back in the direction of the sound.

Mahina lifted her head in time to see a bright flash of light streak across the sky before rapidly falling to the distant horizon.

BOOM

The earth shuddered when light met the ground.

...stars?

No…

"I got a bad feeling" Tsume's words matched ominously with Kiba's. It didn't take Mahina much to understand, she had felt it back at Jagura's keep as the Noble's fake Paradise crumbled to dust.

The world was dying

The very last strands keeping this world together had finally snapped. Humanity itself was standing at the edge of extinction and life as they knew it was staring at its end. There was no time left to waste.

"...wait…" Hige suddenly paused stopping the pack as a whole "This scent… that's blues scent, I'd know it anywhere." Heads turned to look at the ember wolf as he broke away from toboe's grip and stumbled off down a nearby hill.

"Hige?" Toboe was quick to follow the chubby male prompting Kiba and Tsume to take a couple of steps after them.

Eventually Hige dropped to the ground at a particular spit with Toboe beside him. The chubby male sniffed a couple of times before grimacing.

"What a stink" he grunted out "… this is human blood"

"Wait a sec…" Toboe dropped to his knees beside Hige and sniffed the bloodied ground "This is bloom from that old man."

"Old man?"

"The wolf hunter," Tsume answered sparing Mahina a small glance before focusing back on Hige and Toboe "the one that nearly killed you."

Ah, now Mahina remembered. The crazed old man that tried to kill Cheza and unintentionally buried a bullet into Mahina's back. The she-wolf nodded in understanding before letting her head drop back on Kiba's shoulder.

"Maybe they're out here together, him and Blue." The grey wolf offered to explain why Blue's scent was so far from the keep and with a human "I had a feeling she'd go crawling back to her master someday. In the long run she's probably better off."

Count on Tsume to, even when tired and weary, have a knack for provoking the rest of his packmates.

"That's not for you to decide!" Hige snapped shooting Tsume a glare that the grey wolf didn't so much as blink at.

"That girl is nothing more than a half-breed." His words were sharp and Hige clenched his teeth in face of the truth "Do you honestly think that she can make it to Paradise with the rest of us?"

...stop it…

"Drop it." As he spoke up, Kiba sent a wave of comfort over Mahina pushing a harsh breath from her lungs that quieted the pack down.

"Enough…" Mahina breathed out "that's...enough… We don't have time for this. It doesn't matter if Blue is worthy of not… if we keep letting ourselves be distracted there won't be a Paradise to be worthy of." She and Tsume locked eyes. "Let it go, Tsume." the she-wolf remarked "Leave him be."

Surprisingly enough, the normally confrontational Tsume did let it go. Turning away, Tsume carried Cheza back the way they had been originally going. Soon enough Hige followed him.

So they pressed on as lights like stars fell from the sky.

"You should sleep." Kiba's spoke up some time later. Mahina lifted her head to find Kiba's azure gaze on her. He had dipped his head so he could speak this to Mahina in a soft voice, even slowed his pace so the two of them had some form of privacy for the others. Still Mahina shook her head. She was tired, yes, but she had a feeling that there was no point in sleeping. Besides, she didn't want to sleep.

"Are you afraid to sleep?"

"..."

"You've always had trouble, I noticed."

"There's still so much flooding in."

Nightmares?

Memories

Of the fire?

Of everything

"I don't know what will come if I sleep '' Mahina confessed under Kiba's pointed stare.

"You should still try, we have a long way to go"

"Even if i wanted to" The she-wolf snorted back "I think it would be hard with you drowning me like this"

Does it bother you?

Not at all

Should I stop?

Don't

Despite the verbal jab, Kiba chuckled before hugging Mahina closer to him. He bundled as much of the cloak around her as he could as he walked.

You're so warm

Kiba actually laughed at this musing from Mahina pulling a smile from the she-wolf.

"..." but the smile was short lived as a pregnant pause formed between them. There was still so much unsaid between the two of them despite how much the white wolf promised he didn't care. This bond, this connection between the two of them made it hard to go solely by Kiba's words alone. If he truly didn't care why had he not set her down since they left the Keep? If they were okay...why was he flooding Mahina so with his emotions? For the first time since they first crossed paths Mahina felt uneasy with their shared silence "If I had gone missing…" she breathed out hesitantly "would you have looked for me?"

Kiba faltered in his walking, his grip grew tight on Mahina. Clearly he hadn't expected this question. Mahina could feel his gaze burning into her but she looked ahead at the rest of the pack, silently asking-maybe even begging- to have heard Mahina wrong.

"If I had chased Darcia out of the keep" Mahina spoke "… far, far away… would you have continued on without me?"

"No"

Never

The answer was immediate, held no hesitation and its internal echo gripped Mahina's heart in a vice.

...if you had gone far, far away…

Would you ever come back?

Kiba stopped walking at this point, his question twisting and turning back and forth through their bond like a nervous child. With it, a realization that Kiba had known. All this time, Kiba had been fully aware of Mahina's attempts to leave the pack. With this knowledge came the concern that at any point Mahina would leave and never come back.

Crimson met azure and in that gaze Kiba said this all even if their shared connection hadn't already.

I would come back.

Four words and the tension in Kiba's body eased. With an audible sigh from the male, all the worry and concern seemed to melt away. Suddenly he was no longer drowning Mahina, his being drew back from hers allowing the she-wolf to let her own feelings flow through the bond

What had once been a rushing river flowing from Kiba to Mahina now felt like a single body of water. A tranquil lake of both flowing past each other and around each other. It rocked them gently rather than overwhelmed them

Craning her neck, Mahina nuzzled Kiba's cheek.

I'll always come back to you.

"Hige!"

The sudden call in the distance broke the pair from their moment, pulling their attention to a black figure approaching from a distance in a desperate run.

"Hige!"

"Is that…" Mahina perked up but Hige beat her to the punch as far as recognizing the figure and their voice.

"Blue!" Hige tore himself away from Toboe the instant he realized who called him. He moved fast despite being wounded and limping. He managed to meet Blue half way before the she-wolf closed the remaining distance between them in a leap that took Hige off his feet.

So she really had been out here searching.

It was heartwarming among all this doom and gloom. So what if Blue was a half breed. So what if Hige was a Nobles dog.

Are they any different from us?

...no.

Mahina looked at Kiba to find him smiling at her. She hummed in agreement before letting her head rest on the males shoulder again

"Cheza?..." from the hill where Blue had come from a vehicle pulled up and a new person had made themselves known. Mahina didn't have to look to know who the voice belonged to but she did anyway, her crimson eyes meeting the blues of Cher "Mahina"

The landscape rushed past eyes, too fast for her to catch any distinct landmarks.

Not that it really mattered much, the land was barren. Empty and void of life, the world really was giving up on living. It rushed past Mahina's vision until her gaze drifted, growing bored of it all. Soon her focus was on Kiba. the white wolf had no trouble keeping up with the fast pace of the vehicle Mahina sat in.

It had been sometime since Blue had found them with Cher and Hubb in toe. She'd never say it out loud but Mahina was thankful they showed up. Half of the pack was injured or tired or both. It made the journey hard and slower than any of them wanted to go. But thanks to the car Cher and her ex-husband drove Hige, Mahina and Cheza could rest and they could get to their destination much faster. It was a heaven sent, the car even had heating and Mahina sighed with contempt bundling herself in the cloak that not held Kiba's scent more than Darcia's

Are you alright?

Yes

Cheza?

Mahina paused a beat, retreating from her bond with Kiba to check on the flower Maiden.

Cheza had been increasingly quiet since they had left Jagura's keep. Though truth be told Mahina didn't blame the Maiden. They had both been through a lot, if Mahina was tired Cheza was exhausted. She was there though, gently stirred under Mahina's presence. The maiden flickered in response before Mahina pulled away to let her rest.

Sleeping

Alright...get some rest too

I'll try to

"I didn't recognize you at first you know" Cher broke the silence that had enveloped the two sometime ago. Mahina didn't reply, only stared through an endless sheet of white hair at the scientist driving the car. The memories of Mahina's once forgotten past made it quite clear who Cher was. It was actually ironic as well. It began with the mother and it ended with the daughter.

"I would have never imagined the young girl I thought was my new assistant would turn out to be a wolf" Cher offered Mahina a faint smile before her eyes returned to the road.

"..." the words prompted Mahina's attention and for a moment she didn't reply "I'm not really a wolf anymore…" was what she decided on saying

"..." Mahina watched Cher's eyes go slightly open at Mahina's response but just as quickly as it appeared it eased "no...no I suppose not." she hummed in agreement "So, my mother was right after all. You became a Hanabito...subject M." The woman looked to the side at Mahina but if she expected some sort of dramatic reaction Mahina gave nothing. Turning her gaze back out the window Mahina only curled deeper into the cloak, keeping out cold

"Your mother…" Mahina spoke on, the mention of the human's mother quing the question in the she-wolf's head "how is she?"

"I don't know to be honest." Cher shrugged "We sort of had a falling out when she found out I was studying Cheza…. Heh, I suppose I know why now."

"And yet here you are, even after I warned you"

"Yes, even still" Cher chuckled

"Was it worth it?" Mahina arched a brow at the woman. "Was learning the truth worth it for you?"

"I think so," Cher beamed back at Mahina's question "I've found so much since I began this journey. I found a connection to my mother and I even found love again."

"...love, huh?" Mahina mused quietly and supposed that made sense when she really thought about it. When Mahina had first met the couple, Cher and Hubb's relationship was a bad trainwreck you couldn't look away from but now here cher was driving into the unknown so her ex husband could get some rest.

"And what about you?" Cher's sudden question pulled the she-wolf back from her wandering mind.

"Hm?"

"Was all of this worth it for you?" Cher asked, her blue eyes holding a sort of mirth to them as she looked over Mahina's body "Your body has changed...is changing." even a simple human like Cher could tell as much, long before Mahina had said anything about her current state. "You say you're not a wolf anymore but I can tell you're not human either or completely a Hanabito. Your body bares so many scars now you're unrecognizable as the woman I met so long ago. So tell me...subject Me, Mahina… sitting here now, is Paradise still worth it?"

"..." Mahina didn't answer at first, instead she stared down at her body, this body that constantly shifted between wolf and human even now. Mahina's gaze found the fresh bandages on her wrist and a warm feeling came to her heart. Shortly after reuniting with Cher, both Mahina and Hige were looked over by the woman, while Hige let the human bandage his wounds Kiba refused to let anyone touch Mahina save himself.

He only relented enough to let Toboe talk him through the task

This was… love?

Yes

Kiba flooded Mahina again though he backed off a moment later to focus on running but he left such warmth for Mahina in his wake, yes, this was love.

"Every second of it was worth it." the she-wolf decided, firm in her answer as she ran her fingers over the bandages she watched Kiba try to wrap so carefully around her wrist. It felt like so long ago Kiba was utter naive brute when it came to caring for wounds, Mahina still had the scars on her back to prove it. Now, with even the smallest sigh of discomfort Kiba stopped and eased handling Mahina like fractured glass. It was gestures like this that were love, at least to Mahina it was. These small acts in an effort to keep Mahina alive, perhaps Kiba always felt that way but never knew how to properly express it back then. It wasn't just him either... "It was my parent's love that brought me to this world and your mother's love that pulled me through those years of tests. It was Cheza's love that kept me from giving up and…" Mahina paused, her eyes catching the curious look Cher flashed her before drifting out the window again at the white wolf who ran right beside the door.

Kiba's love…

Kiba's love felt deep, deeper than what should be possible for only knowing him for such a short time. It was ancient and nostalgic, it pushed Mahina to keep going, because so long as he was with her there was something to reach for.

Even as the world as they knew it was ending.

"Do you think we can make it?" Mahina's question came out of nowhere and it took Cher by surprise that the she-wolf asked but a smile came to the woman's face.

"Yes." Cher nodded. "After everything i've seen, everything we've been through I think anything is possible." Cher sounded so hopeful, Mahina couldn't help but reflect it with a soft smile of her own. They really had been through a lot hadn't they?

How many times had they defied death to get to this point?

'This has to be our destiny' Mahina thought letting out a sigh as she let her head rest against the window beside her 'We'll make it to the end' and she meant it even as a flash of light dropped from the sky.

Even as it hit a little bit closer than the others before it had, Mahina wanted to believe that things were getting better for all of them

But then the ground under them shook violently and the path ahead cracked, broke apart and crumbled away.

Cher yelled, yanking the steering wheel to try and swerve the car away from the sudden cliff before them but under the icy ground the car spun, then it flipped and then it rolled.

It all happened so fast and the next thing Mahina knew, there was darkness.

Mahina remembered she was talking to Cher and a flash of light streaking across the sky. The ground shook and then everything was rolling, now Mahina was sprawled against a cold hard surface.

What… happen?

Mahina woke from darkness to the scent of blood and throbbing in her skull. It took her a moment to even realize she'd lost consciousness but as the thought settled in, her sense came back to her. The metal shell echoed with pained groans while Mahina could faintly hear Hubb calling for Cher.

"I'm alright…" Besides Mahina, Cher spoke before groaning again "more or less…" her scent eased over Mahina as the woman gently caressing her head and warm blood ran across Mahina's brow. That was when Mahina willed herself to open her eyes hissing out as the sharp bite of broken glass digging into her cheek broke through the she-wolf's haze.

"What happened?" she breathed

"We crashed" Cher replied and that certainly made sense, it feels like they crashed. "Your head" the blonde said looming over Mahina as the she-wolf sat up, their compact space was already starting to fill with the scent of blood before Mahina felt it running down her face let alone see it dripping onto shattered bits of glass under her.

"It's just a scratch." Mahina shook her head but Cher wasn't the only one concerned.

His presence came with a sharp spike of a feeling to Mahina's heart before it seemed to freefall into an open abyss. Mahina clenched her chest at this sensation so potent despite the fact she was okay.

Mahina

The invisible feeling of Kiba's hands pressed against Mahina's back pushed the breath the she-wolf hadn't realized she was holding out of her in a sigh. His sudden panic and worry easily threatened to drown Mahina.

"I'm okay, Kiba!" she called out, her voice echoing back at her until her ears rang from it.

"What?" Cher arched a brow but Mahina didn't have the energy to explain or even acknowledge the woman beyond a quick glance.

"Get Cheza!" The sound of the back door of the car being wrenched open answered Mahina, allowing her to focus on her own situation.

"We should stop the bleeding" Cher fussed over Mahina's bleeding temple, gently turning the she-wolf's head so she could be properly checked "you could have a concussion"

"It's just a scratch, I swear" Mahina shook her head pulling herself from the scientist grip still Cher persisted. Lucky Hubb yanked the door above them open, stopping anymore arguing over the matter. At least for now, Cher would probably be fussing again once they were out of this metal cage.

"Are you both okay?"

"Yea, Hubb take her"

"Right"

Mahina must have lost a lot of weight after all she'd gone through because as soon as she took Hubb's hand the human was hoisting her up and out of the car.

"I've got you" he remarked once he had an arm under Mahina's legs and was lifting her out of the car and into the open. Mahina didn't reply, settling for lazily wrapping her arms around the human's neck so he didn't have to worry about holding her steady while he clambered off the car. It was only now while staring at the under belly of the car that Mahian realized it had landed on its side when it stopped rolling. It stopped just short of falling off a cliff too. "we dodged a bullet there, huh"

"... this whole journey seems to be made up of close calls" Mahina remarked pulling a snort of a laugh out of Hubb that in turn made her smile.

At least someone was taking this all in stride.

"We'll be alright" Hubb said this...but it would be anything but.

As the human carried Mahina to safety the ground shuttered.

Time felt like it slowed in that instant. Cher was hoisting herself up when the ground gave under the car. Mahina gasped, her eyes grew wide and while one hand gripped hubbs coat the other reached out for Cher and her shocked expression not that it would help for much.

By the time Hubb had turned around, both Cher and the car had vanished below the cliff with a heart stoppingly echoed crash.

It took the group as a whole a bit longer than normal to get to the bottom of the cliff and find Cher. with a wounded Hige and four people who needed to be carried it wasn't much of a surprise it took so long but that didn't make it less tragic.

If they had been there a bit sooner maybe something could have been done, maybe they could have actually saved her.

When they found her at last Cher lay broken on the ice, unresponsive when Hubb carefully held her in his arms.

Mahina gently tugged at Kiba's sleeve before motioning to the ground. By the time she managed to get the wolf to set her down Cher was continuous though it felt like only barely.

How she managed to stay alive after such a fall was a miracle but Mahina supposed she'd suffered worse herself.

But the flowers wouldn't save Cher from this.

In fact she faded by the time Mahina was close enough to loom over her. A departure from a dying world so quiet Hubb hadn't noticed until Mahina set a hand on his shoulder and he stopped talking mid sentence. He'd been telling Cher about the new life they would have together.

"Cher?"

"I'm sorry…" Reaching out a hand, Mahina gently shut Cher's eyes.

She was gone.

Hubb easily dropped into despair clutching Cher's body to him and out of Mahina's reach.

Mahina let him, leaning back where she kneeled so she could sit down and with a breezing scent of pine Kiba was behind her offering a firm surface to rest against and strong hands on her shoulders to steady her. She welcomed it, allowing Kiba to envelope her with his body and being while she hung her head and her eyes burned with silent tears.

Why?

Things had finally been looking up for all of them. There was hope for all of them, even the humans but now…

And of all people it was Cher, Alura's legacy. A continuation of what the mother started cut shot just before the finish line. It felt cruel and ironic and tragic and Mahina couldn't help but silently offer an apology to Alura for failing her daughter.

The bond was silent but Kiba was still there, moving his hands from Mahina's shoulders to hug her close to his body. He nuzzled her head pulling a hum acknowledgement from her, she curled into him as if Kiba could shield her from this sudden feeling of grief.

But now wasn't the time to mourn

They had no time to mourn and though he was distraught, Hubb appeared to know this. His farewell to his wife was brief, lowering her body into the frigid depth nearby where they had found her.

He didn't say a word to any of the wolves. He simply stood up and walked past them all back to the car where it lay on its side. He still said nothing as he pressed his hands against the metal surface and with a grunt he tried to push the car back on its four wheels.

Mahina watched with a arched brow and wide eyes as Hubb, in his effort to move the hunk of metal, slipped on snow and fell on his face. But it didn't deter him, he got right back up and kept trying… even in the midst of his despair… even though it must have felt pointless for him.

"..." Wordlessly Mahina pulled herself from Kiba's hold and struggled to get to her feet with wobbling legs. Kiba reached up to steady her but she shook her head.

Hubb paused in his pushing when Mahina appeared beside him. A good head shorter than him and thinner than he remembered her being, the girl- or wolf...or Flower maiden?- had abandoned the cloak she had been so dutifully bundling herself in. her once black hair was snow white, her body was covered with scars and bandages, the dress she wore was dyed red in the front with what he assumed was blood.

To his eyes he almost didn't know who this person was if it weren't for those striking eyes

They stared hard into Hubbs before she wordlessly turned and carefully placed her hand on the car.

The metal groaned and Mahina herself let out a strained noise as she pushed the car.

She was trying to help.

Soon so was the one who carried Mahina and then the one in leather and the young boy. Finally, with the added effort of their last male, teh car flipped with a loud Thud.

Hubb let out a loud sigh dropping to his knees just to rest from the act.

They did it…

Somehow they did it.

But when Hubb lifted his gaze to offer his thanks what he saw surprised him though perhaps it shouldn't have at this point.

In Mahina's place stood a wolf.

Its frame was slender and though bigger than any normal dog Hubb had ever seen he had a feeling it was smaller than most. It's pure whtie fur moved gently in the breeze and it watched Hubb.

This was Mahina, something in Hubb told him that was her.

It was all true, everything Cher had worked for. Cheza, Wolves, paradise… it was all true.

"You're gonna keep going right?" asked Hubb

"Yeah" the brown haired boy beside Mahina nodded. As fast as blinking Mahina was human again, whispering soft words to the brown haired boy Hubb now assumed was her partner as he rewrapped her in her cloak while speaking to Hubb.

"I'm coming with you." Hubb declared "I don't know for how long or how far I can go… but I'll make sure you get there… no matter what it takes."

And so they got back in the car and they kept on moving.