The last chapter. I know I skipped a portion the passage Darcia was quoting in the last chapter, but I elected to leave it out.

Chapter Four- Wolf's Rain

"Only then shall appear the wretched beasts," Darcia concluded the familiar passage from The Book of the Moon.

"I don't believe it," Hige said in quiet amazement. "He actually turned into a wolf."

Hubb believed it. 'I became a wolf, but only because I was born one and got trapped in a human form. I doubt that's what happened to Darcia. I can't quite explain it, but he seems different from the rest of us.'

"You!" Blue growled. "You killed Pops!" The she-wolf moved as if she was going to kill Darcia, but Hubb and Hige held her back. That's how great her rage was. It took both of them to hold her back.

"The Paradise that awaits is for wolves only," Darcia stated. "There is no joy, no sadness, and no death." Darcia descended from his ledge, his eyes focused on the pink-haired girl. "Come with me, Cheza. What I have become has great need for you."

The six wolves formed a protective ring around Cheza. Kiba was in front while Tsume was in the back. Hige was on Cheza's left with Blue beside him. Hubb was on Cheza's right with Toboe beside him. Kiba growled and bared his teeth as Darcia came closer. "Leave her alone," he snarled.

Darcia laughed. "Why? You wish to go to Paradise as well, right? What does it matter who opens it?"

"What you'll open up is a world of darkness!" Kiba lunged at Darcia. The two collided, fur flying, and teeth flashing. Hige moved in from the side, but Darcia head butted him in the chest. Toboe scored a hit by biting him the leg and then leaped back to avoid getting clawed.

Hubb saw a chance to help out and he took it. Running forward, he leaped onto Darcia's back and bit into his neck as hard as he could. He felt a degree of satisfaction when Darcia howled. His satisfaction ended when he was bucked off the black wolf. He skidded across the snow a few feet before Darcia was on him, biting a foreleg. Hubb howled in pain and Kiba came to his rescue. As he struggled to his feet, he saw Cheza heading for the edge of the peak. A deep chasm yawned beneath her. He stared in disbelief. What was she doing?

"Cheza!" he cried, drawing everyone's attention. The flower maiden turned and fell backwards, twirling as she fell.

Darcia was the first to react, running forward and leaping headfirst after Cheza. Kiba went after him with Hige, Toboe, Tsume, Blue, and Hubb close behind. The fall was long and dizzying, but ground was soon sighted and Hubb positioned himself just right and landed on his feet. He looked up and was horrified to see Darcia holding Cheza in his mouth. Green liquid seeped from the girl's body and into Darcia's mouth.

Kiba, outraged at Darcia's treatment, raced forward and slammed into the blue and gold eyed wolf, freeing Cheza from his grip. The other five raced to the girl's side as Kiba and Darcia fought one another. Cheza's wound was deep, but it didn't look too serious. Good.

Darcia's attacks were getting fiercer. As Hubb watched, he got a good look at Darcia's eyes. What he saw there made his earlier suspicion about him clear: Darcia was Quent's idea of a wolf: Vicious, fiendish, and evil. He was nothing like the rest of them. But, would Darcia be allowed into Paradise, despite his evil tendencies?

Unfortunately, Hubb's question would never be answered. After another rough fight, Kiba lay on the ground, hurt but not out. Darcia slunk towards the group, laughing manically. Suddenly, he stumbled and hacked up the same green liquid he had ingested earlier.

"What the hell?" Tsume said, confused.

"Poison flows in this one's veins," Cheza answered to the stunned wolves. But no one was more stunned than Darcia. His eyes took on a glazed look. Darcia's gaze focused on the frozen lake nearby and he headed toward it.

As their enemy ambled to the lake, Hubb took the time to look at their surroundings. The land was flat and snow-covered, a large frozen lake fed into frozen streams. The land also contained hills and mountains. Was this Paradise? Hubb felt disappointed.

A scream and a burst of fire caught his attention. Looking back at the lake, he saw Darcia's body being incinerated until only his wolf's eye remained.

"He was not protected by the flowers," Cheza added as she gazed at the pack. "But, all of you are and Paradise can now be revealed."

Rising to her feet, Cheza flung her arms out and began to twirl. As she spun, small round brown seeds fell out of her fingers and hit the ground. When the seeds met the ground, the snow melted and green grass was revealed. The lake and streams thawed and the seeds bloomed into lunar flowers. A second full moon appeared before rock walls closed off their view of the first moon. They still had some sky of their own, though.

"Welcome to Paradise," Cheza declared. "We will be sealed off from the world. The earth will freeze over and life will begin anew. When the world's rebirth is complete, we will reconnect the path between us and them."

Hubb looked about a second time. It looked just like he imagined. The hills and meadows were lush and green, the lake and streams were crystal blue, and everywhere as far as the eye could see, were lunar flowers.

Kiba howled and Hubb joined in as did the others. They had found Paradise and everyone's journey had come to an end.

The End

I personally think this ending is better than the one at the series' end. I remember crying when I saw how it turned out. Anyway, I believe I will be posting my new Ranma ½ fic. Now that I fully understand the series, I was able to write a much better story. So, if you like Ranma ½, look for The Wacky World of Ranma ½.