Once Bitten, Twice Shy
Chapter 2

A few years later…

If Kaoru had known that she would receive a call from her clinic at two in the morning, she would have prepared herself some coffee ahead of time. That and have laid out an outfit so she wouldn't have to walk in with her pajamas still on. Of course, emergencies happen when nobody's expecting them.

Kaoru looked up into her rear view mirror and grimaced at her appearance. To say she looked like crap would be putting it lightly. Tired, blood shot eyes stared back at her, framed by long, unruly bangs. Her hair, having been put in a neat braid earlier that evening, was loose in waves of ebony down her back and was in need of a good rinse. Since looks were the least of her problems, Kaoru turned back to concentrating on the empty road.

Occasionally, her eyes unconsciously wandered to the side of the street. The forest to her left was dark, just as dark as it had been that adventurous night a couple of years ago. While staring at the passing trees, images of giant beasts launching themselves at her formed inside her tired mind. Her breath caught in fear as a car suddenly sped by, heading in the opposite direction, shocking her out of her dark fantasies.

'Take a look at yourself, Doctor!' Kaoru silently scolded herself. 'It's really late at night and you're suffering from an over active imagination.' The diagnosis put the woman at ease as she continued down the road.

Her mind drifted back to the urgent phone call she had received earlier. Although Kaoru had a vague idea of what awaited her in the clinic, she knew that it was always much worse than what her colleagues had made it sound. Past experiences could back her up on that one.

"Male wolf, estimated two hundred pounds. Bullet wound to left flank and shoulder." The words filled the silence of the car and covered the drone of the engine. "Possible internal bleeding sustained from broken rib, and severe damage to the back left leg." Kaoru repeated the words of the attendant on the phone, already going over a list of procedures she would have to run once she arrived shortly at the clinic.

A sigh of anxiousness was released when the lights of her work place came into view. Taking a right turn, Kaoru pulled into the parking lot, already working on her seat belt. The engine hadn't even died yet when an apprentice came up to the window, all but prancing in apprehension. Stepping out of the car, Kaoru lid a cool hand on the other woman's arm. "We won't achieve anything if our heads aren't in place." She smiled, tired but reassuring as she headed towards the entrance, attendant following shortly after. "How is he?" Kaoru asked, her tone neutral.

The attendant shook her head, normal brown hair whipping out in every which direction. "Not good, Doctor." She frowned. "We've managed to stop a majority of his bleeding, but he has lost most of his blood."

Stomach rolling, Kaoru pushed open the door, nearly cringing at the chipper bell that announced her presence. "Heart rate?" She inquired, grabbing her white lab coat off of its proper rack, practically sprinting back to where the rest of her team waited.

"Elevated." The attendant replied. "He's angry." She added, holding open the door for Kaoru once they finally reached the back operating room.

Men and women fluttered about the room, grabbing any and all medical supplies they could get within their reach. Medical technicians surrounded a table in the middle of the room as they struggled to hold down a fighting wolf. In the briefest of moments, wild amber eyes locked onto Kaoru's, making the veterinarian's heart clench in her chest. A small space was made for her as she stepped up to the table.

Kaoru's keen blue eyes skimmed over the wolf's writhing body. All hair around the bullet wounds had been shaved away, and cleaned as best as they could with the struggling wolf. Her examination was quick. She began with common procedures that had been left undone. "We need an x-ray of the chest and leg." A group of people rushed off when she finished her statement, heading to turn on the x-ray machines in another room. "Were there any bullets left in him?" She asked the nurses tending to the wounds. They shook their heads in negative. "Prepare some stitches." Kaoru shouted over the growling and barking of the struggling animal in front of her.

Just as she had done to the attendant earlier, Kaoru reached out and carefully laid a hand on the exposed back of the wolf. His head turned around in a flash, powerful jaws snapped at her quickly retracting fingers. The wolf's amber eyes turned back around to her. Looking into them, she calmly stated, "We are going to help you." Kaoru's eyes roamed over the room, searching for an anesthesiologist. "Let's get him to sleep!" She shouted at the one she spotted in the corner of the room trying to avoid all the chaos.

"You'll be ok." She smiled at the wolf before stepping away to let the anesthesiologist through to him. As a swarm of workers moved in to the table, the last thing Kaoru saw was a pair of amber eyes looking at her with an uncanny amount of humanity in them. It was an expression she couldn't decipher.

Once she was assured that her team had everything under control, Kaoru stormed out of the back room, face flushed in anger. Hunters. On her grounds, attacking her animals. For whatever reason, that wolf had purposely been targeted, and Kaoru vehemently swore that the people who caused its pain would see their rightful demise.

Ripping the nearest phone off its dock, Kaoru pushed the speed dial number for the main office. It rang twice before it was finally answered. A man's voice responded, gravelly from sleep. "Hello..?"

"This is Doctor Kamiya, stationed at mile marker number 253." Kaoru launched into the formalities without preamble.

"What can I do for you, Doctor?" The person on the other end seemed to be awakened just a bit more from her venomous tone.

"I would like to call in a search for possible hunters within my clinic's covered area." She bit off, anger reaching out in her voice. "A wolf was shot." She threw in after a moment of thought, her grip tightening relentlessly on the phone.

There was a moment of silence before the man spoke up again. "Yes, ma'am. We've just dispatched two officers. They should be arriving within twenty minutes."

"Thank you." Kaoru breathed into the phone.

"Not a problem. You take care, doc."

"You too." She smiled into the speaker before hanging up and putting the phone in its proper place, gently.

It was out of her hands now. The police would deal with the hunters, and hopefully, would just lock them up so they would never be able to see the light of day again. People who picked on the defenseless were the worst. Shaking her head, dark bangs tickling her forehead, Kaoru headed out to her favorite spot in the entire clinic, planning on blowing off some steam.

(-)

It was a gorgeous autumn night, something one could only see if they lived out in the true wilderness. The moon hung full in the air, suspended by an unseen master puppeteer's strings. Light caressed the tops of the trees, filtering through and extinguishing all lurking shadows. Not one thing underneath the sky was unseen by the moon tonight.

Nights like these made Kaoru forget her problems and simply bask in a euphoric feeling of life. A life seen only when it came under the light of the moon, for the sun was too overbearing for such an intricately delicate object. Her parents had often told her that even as an infant in a crib, she reached out towards the moon, shining in through her window. Friends laughed at her silly antics when she had asked them to just go out and bask in glory of the night.

"Dr. Kamiya?" A soft voice called out from behind Kaoru, her eyes never straying from the moon.

"Hm?" Her reply was almost drowsy.

A click of the door closing, then solid but quiet footsteps sounded from behind Kaoru's spot on the patio of the clinic that overlooked the lands it was built on. Warmth settled in the spot next to her as the attendant from the parking lot took a stand next to her. She was silent, just looking up at the moon as Kaoru was for a moment.

When she spoke, her voice was tired. "It's almost four, Doctor." She turned to face Kaoru who was still gazing up at the night sky. "You can go home and get some rest and return at your normal time. We have everything under control."

Kaoru's gaze turned away from the moon as the attendant laid a warm hand on her shoulder, unknowingly having drawn the veterinarian out of a self-inflicted trance. If she could, Kaoru would have left by now. She smiled, heading towards the door leading back into the warm clinic. "Can't sleep now. I'm too hyped up. I'll just go monitor him myself for a while." She waved and stepped into the heat, her face warming up almost instantly.

The shout of an intern sounded to her right from the lobby, signaling the second patient of the morning. Sighing, Kaoru put her game face on and went to face the world.

(-)

Hours later, after having been contented with three rather large cups of coffee and a decent tasting deli sandwich, Kaoru was ready for anything. Starting with her early morning visitor, the wolf. Humming a soft, almost cheerful tune, the vet headed back towards the wolf's assigned room, snatching up the clipboard that hung off his door before entering.

Head down, scanning the report, Kaoru made a beeline towards the small setup of machines beside the examining table. Plucking up the I.V. drip and holding it into the light, Kaoru sighed. "Normal." She spoke outloud.

All of the room was a sterile white except for the wolf that was the exceptional stain in the pure environment. Up until this point Kaoru never had any time to look at the wolf, other than peek at his wounds.

He was massive, a typical characteristic of the male wolves running around this area. If he had been standing on the ground beside her, his shoulders could have easily reached her upper thighs. The thing that really caught Kaoru's attention was his fur. Black and gray were the normal fur colors, but not a brown, if it was even that. The tips were dark, but lightened, as they got closer to the roots. It was genetic perfection.

Getting over her appreciation, Kaoru pulled her stethoscope from around her neck and plugged it into her ears. She walked up to the table and placed the cool metal to the chest of the giant beast in hopes of getting a strong heartbeat. All she got was a murderous growl. Apparently, her patient was awake.

Calmly, the vet pulled the stethoscope from her ears and flopped the instrument over her shoulder in a relaxed manner. Her blue eyes, filled with nothing but serenity turned to the wolf's angry golden ones. She spoke softly. "My name is Kaoru Kamiya." Her eyes never wavered as the wolf paused momentarily in his thunderous threat "You're in my clinic to be treated for our injuries." Her head dipped, motioning towards the soft cast on his back leg. She made a sympathetic expression before continuing. "Unfortunately, you'll have to stay in our rehabilitation center until it fully heals."

Lowering his head to the table, the wolf glared mutinously at her, golden eyes burning a quiet fury. He didn't trust her.

Kaoru felt a small smile tug at the corners of her mouth. "Don't trust me much, little one?" Her smile widened when the wolf seemed to snort in indignation at the small endearment. "I'm just the vet." She held up placating hands for her own amusement, sure the gesture was lost to the animal. Chuckling, she turned around and used a countertop to record the time he had awoken. "Save that anger for the one who injured you."

The wolf barked once before becoming silent again.

Sighing, she shook her head, another small smile sticking to her lips. "'Respect the forest in hopes that it will respect you.'" She repeated her father's words to herself, turning a mischievous glance in the wolf's direction. "Much good that will do me with you." She laughed, mainly at her own foolishness.

Eyes weary, the wolf silently watched Kaoru, cautious at the unfamiliar behavior.

The scribbling of notes filled the silence of the room before Kaoru finally decided to speak again. "I need to check your wounds again." She stated softly. The wolf closed his eyes tiredly, not moving when Kaoru stood to his side. She checked his teeth, eyes, ears, paws, and broken leg. Satisfied not to find any other hidden wound, Kaoru turned around, intending to take her notes and leave.

As she began to pull away the wolf nudged one of her retreating hands and gave it a small lick. Kaoru turned around, her eyes wide. Was that an approval? The small thumping of the wolf's tail would have said so. Giving him a quick pat on the head, Kaoru left, feeling that not all of her morning had been wasted.

(-)

Of all the things she had to have been stuck with, it had to be a large amount of paperwork. The fact that it was also a little later than Kaoru would have liked only irked her even more. If she listened carefully, she could hear the nighttime staff entering the kennels to check up on the animals in the back. Would her wolf be looked after? The thought had her pausing only to shake her head dismissively and turn back to the task at hand. Reports.

Tying her long raven hair into a loose ponytail at the base of her neck, Kaoru picked up the closest stack and plopped it down in front of her, determined to get it over with. That is, until a small body crashed into her side, sending the young woman flying out of her chair sideways, and into a heap between the wall and her office desk.

"Kaoru!" A voice howled playfully, marine eyes popping into the shocked vet's view.

"Misao?" She asked softly. Was she suffering from a concussion?

"Yes?" The mirth filled eyes replied.

"You have till the count of one to get off me." The threat rolled off Kaoru's tongue easily.

The smaller woman sighed and pouted. "You're no fun." She grumped, grudgingly getting up to offer a hand to her ruffled friend. "I just came by to say hi."

With the help of Misao, Kaoru stood up and quickly began to fix her blouse that had been disarrayed at the little circus stunt Misao had pulled. "Does that mean you have to bowl me over in the process?" She asked testily, shooting the other occupant of the room a nasty glare. "If so, I'm afraid I'll have to ban you from my work place, Weasel."

Misao's urge to jump up and down in protest was strong, but she settled for an awkward sigh of sorts. Kaoru could be such a party pooper. "I actually came to let you know I have a new assignment!" The end of her sentence had her regenerating another smile.

Scowling over a particularly poor written report, Kaoru trudged dutifully through her work, opting to ignore Misao's bait.

"Kaoruuu…" Misao drew out the name in hopes to gain her friend's attention. "I have another assignment!" She huffed, childishly puffing out her cheeks when she was given a quick glance before being promptly ignored again.

Misao sat down on the desk, in turn knocking off some of the stacked folders onto the floor. She produced a camera from out of nowhere and held it tauntingly in front of Kaoru's face. "You might like it, Kao."

Kaoru's grip on her pen tightened as she heard the tell tale rustling of papers as they fluttered to the ground. "Am I supposed to say yes now that you've pretty much undone all my work?" She snapped, voice sweetly poisonous.

"I'll help you pick them up." The hidden apology was in there, and Misao examined her camera thoughtfully waiting for a response to her previous offer. "Well?" She asked after awhile of silent paper shuffling.

"Sorry, Misao." Kaoru sighed, reclining back in her chair, her eyes closed. "Not tonight."

"Awww… Why not?" Misao couldn't mask her true disappointment at being turned down. Kaoru had always loved going on the assignments with her, and it had made her job that much more bearable.

Opening her eyes of blue thunder, Kaoru nodded towards the one high window in her office where the light of the full moon shone through. "Just a superstition." She laughed, leaning forward to get started on her work. She really needed to be getting home soon…

Misao sat silent for a minute, almost tense before she burst out laughing. The petite woman pointed a quizzical finger at the vet glaring at her from across the desk. "Afraid of the big bad wolf?" She asked, gales of laughter making her clutch her sides.

Kaoru felt a small laugh come up from her own chest. "Never." She replied with a playful wink.

(-)

Misao went through the act of getting into her car and starting it, but waited patiently, watching Kaoru pulled out of the clinic's parking lot. Yanking the keys from the ignition, Misao got out of her car and went around the back of the clinic, pulling out a small key Kaoru had given her 'in case of emergencies'.

The door opened without any problems. Now all she had to do was find the room. Lifting her head up, Misao sniffed the air gently, seeking one special occupant of the building. Smirking, she walked down the hall towards the room that held the person she wanted to talk to. Her steps were calculated and sure, not of the person who had been here but half an hour ago.

As Misao pulled open the door the wolf that had been lying in the corner of jerked his head up, aware of her presence. "Hey." The word was empty.

The wolf stood up, taking in a deep breath before sitting back down again as if shocked. Misao watched in amusement as the golden eyes grew lighter in surprise. Of course he hadn't been expecting her. Nobody knew she was in the area, much less alive.

"Weren't expecting me?" She asked, leaning coolly against the farthest wall from the wolf. She smiled dully, frowning when the male wolf got up and started to head in her direction, his tail wagging.

Her voice cut through the darkness, stern and held a secretive determination in it that had the wolf pausing. "Don't get too excited." The room filled with tension, Misao watching the wolf disdainfully as he stared back up at her, confused. She spoke again, deciding it would better to get her visit over with. "I'm here to give you a warning."

The wolf sat down again, listening with patient but guarded eyes of gold.

"Don't hurt Kaoru."

If this had been any other situation, the woman would have laughed at the tilt of the wolf's head. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. This was no laughing matter. "She doesn't know." She spoke softly. "About us." She added after the wolf leveled her with a thick golden stare.

He barked suddenly, waking up some of the other animals of the clinic who began to whine loudly in complaint.

They were ignored as Misao continued to stare unwaveringly into the wolf's fathomless eyes, her own widening in disbelief. "What?"

He nodded his head, his eyes were entirely too amused for Misao's liking. "Stay away from her!" Misao let out an inhuman growl, eyes flashing silver in the moonlight of the room. She spun on her heels, jerking open the door. She sent a glare over her shoulder at the still wolf. "Don't think I won't come after you if you try anything." She let out one small warning growl before leaving the wolf to himself in the clinic.

(-)

Kaoru sighed in contentment as she got into her bed, hair still damp from her shower. What an exhausting day that had been. And she had two more like it coming up before she got to the weekend. Grumbling about hiring more attendants to run the place, Kaoru reached up and tugged on the string of the lamp. Darkness settled over the room, and the warmth of the covers soon pulled Kaoru into an irresistible sleep.

Somewhere in the night, a lone wolf called out to the world.

Author's Note (7/24/10): I can't remember if I posted this before and just took it off… Or never posted it. Sorry, either way.

Luv,

K