Disclaimer: I own nothing of importance.

Chapter 1

The sky was overcast, grey clouds hiding the afternoon sun from view. The landscape was completely white, snow covering everything as far as the eye could see. The only movement was that of four travelers, walking along the mountain path, single file through the deep drift.

"How much further is it to the town, Hakkai?" Goku asked, bowing his head.

"About the same distance that it was the last time you asked," Gojyo replied. "We've still got a good several hours of walking ahead of us and asking every five minutes isn't going to get us there any faster."

"I'm so hungry," the boy stated, his head hanging lower. "Hey Sanzo, do you have any--"

"No."

"But, Sanzo, I'm starving! I've barely had anything to eat all day!"

"Barely?!" the redhead repeated, incredulous. "You ate over half our supplies, you stupid monkey!"

"But, I'm always hungrier when I'm cold and right now I'm freezing!" he said, pulling his thin cloak more tightly around himself. "When are we gonna be able to use Hakuryuu again?"

"The path we're on is much too narrow for Hakuryuu, I'm afraid," Hakkai said, looking over his shoulder at the golden-eyed boy.

"You say that all the time! I don't think we've ever driven all the way through the mountains-- we always end up walking! Is Hakuryuu afraid of heights or something?"

"Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. The flying dragon is afraid of heights." Gojyo stopped walking, peering over the edge of the path, trying to see the ravine far below. White mists obscured his view, not allowing him to gauge how far down the hill extended. "Although, it wouldn't be pretty if someone fell down there."

Goku leaned over as well, looking down into the mists. A nudge from behind caused him to stumble. "Hey, stop that!" he yelled, whirling to face the redhead, who was looking away innocently. "You almost made me fall!"

"Be careful, you two," Hakkai warned, not slowing his pace. "This is a rather narrow path we're walking down and the snow makes it almost impossible to tell exactly where the edge is."

"And if either of you fall down, we're leaving you behind," Sanzo added, his tone clearly irritated.

"It's just the monkey that you need to be worried about-- he tends to be a bit clumsy from time to time," Gojyo said, following the other two.

"What?! I'm not clumsy!" Goku argued. He paused, looking to the side, his eyes scanning the scenery. "You guys hear that?"

The others stopped, turning to look back at their shortest companion. "Hear what?" Hakkai asked.

"I'm not sure. I think it might be a growl or something, but it's hard to tell."

"Idiot, that's just your stomach," the half-demon replied.

The golden-eyed boy continued to scan the snow-covered brush, trying to find the source of the noise. "No, it's something else…" He was taken by surprise when a snowball hit the side of his face.

"You're the one complaining that you're hungry, so let's go! I'm not gonna carry you out of here if you 'collapse from lack of food,' like the last time!" the redhead said.

"That's it, Gojyo, you are so dead!" the teen yelled, the odd sound forgotten as he ran towards his tall companion.

Hakkai smiled at the normal arguments, turning back to continue walking. Hakuryuu struggled underneath his cloak, craning his long neck to look over the brunette's shoulder. "Kyuu!"

"What, now the dragon's on the monkey's side, too?" the half-demon asked, staring at the small white creature.

The green-eyed man turned his head to see what Hakuryuu was looking at. His eyes widened as he saw a gray blur separate from the trees, rapidly nearing his shortest companion. "Goku, look out!"

"Huh?" The short boy started to look back as a wolf collided with him from the side. The creature's momentum took them both over the side of the cliff.

"Goku!" Gojyo called, hurrying to where he had fallen although being careful to not do the same. Sanzo and Hakkai joined him, all staring down the mountainside. Their companion had disappeared into the mists below, his surprised yell already fading away.

"It certainly is a long way down there," Hakkai commented. "Are we going to go look for Goku?"

"No," Sanzo said, facing away from the cliff. "We're going to deal with them."

The other two turned around, startled to find several wolves emerging from the trees. The creatures moved stealthily, teeth barred as they slowly advanced on their prey.

. . .

To Be Continued

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