searching for a lost friend

Nightwalker had past the scent marks that marked the territory borders he would have to be careful now he had no clue how this pack was or how many wolves were in it but he could smell Dawn's scent but from what he could he still had to travel quite far. the sounds of the near by made him remember how he almost drowned when he was still a pup he shudder as he remembered the feeling of drowning. he wouldn't wish for that to happen to anyone, Delila who was sitting on Nightwalker's head felt him sudder, " Nightwalker.... is something wrong" Nightwalker shook his head "no just remebering something from the past. we are getting closer Deilila we should catch up to her in a day or two. he heard a sudden rusling of leaves and his ears twitched but then the smell of squrrl filled his nose. he sighed " i have to pay more atention i can't be zoneing out"

Kia emerged from the river, hauling herself onto the bank. She shook herself vigorously, sending water flying every direction. "I sewar I thought I could catch that fish," she said, turning to look back into the water of the river. Zio swam ashore and shook himself like Kia. "Well, obviously you didn't," he replied, sighing. He hated water. "I told you not to try it." Kia rolled her eyes. "Oh please, you know that you wanted it too. It was huge!" Zio licked his fur slightly, wishing it'd dry quicker, but he didn't reply.

Kia shook once more, then padded a little ways from the stream. The scent of a squirrel nearby distracted her, and she crouched. "Where are you?" she asked quietly underher breath to herself. She took a few steps closer, until she saw it nibbling on something beside the base of a huge tree. She waited for a moment, then erupted from the bushes concealing her. The squirrel darted up the tree without a moment's pause. Kia skidded to a halt and scowled up at the tree. "Shoot," she muttered, turning back to look at Zio. She froze when she saw what was standing before her. A black wolf around the same age as herself, and it's anima. Zio bounded up behind her and froze when he saw the wolf also.

Nightwalker ears twitched as he heard splashing coming from the river, most just be a fish he thought. but hen he could voices coming from the same direction he turned his body to face where the noise was coming from. he sniffed the air, a female and its anima, could they be with the pack thats out here Deilia could feel Nightwalkers worry and jumped off his head and changed into a fox. Nightwalker could hear the wolf sudden jumping out of the bushes after the squrrl that was in front of him. "well this wolf can't be an aldut chaseing after a squirrl and "not" catching it" Deilila studied the two in front of them. your right Nightwalker she looks around your age." Nightwlker lifted his up his head and sniffed the air "really, i don't smell any other wolves near by....... oh well, you two. do you anything about a pack that leaves around here." Delila looked up at Nightwalker "you should take things more slow thay both seem scared of us." she looked back towards the wolf and its anima, "hello there i'm Delila and this is my wolf Nightwalker don't mind him he can be a bit of a grump sometimes."

Kia glanced in all directions and scented the air; it seemed that this wolf was alone, too. She relaxed more. She dipped her head slightly to the anima of this wolf. "It's nice to meet you, Delila, Nightwalker. I'm Kia and this is Zio." She glanced down at him as she introduced him, and he bowed his head respectivly. This wolf is blind? she wondered, studying his face. It seems that way, Zio replied silently. "I know nothing of the pack that lives here, I'm on my own for now," Kia said to answer the wolf's first question. She refused to let herself remember her bloody past, so she shook her head slightly to dislodge the thought from her mind.

"is that so well guess i'll have to keep searching then" said Nightwalker.he sniffed Kia " your pelt smells damp, what were u doing? playing the lake not something i would recomend." Dilila nodded her head "its nice to meet you as well. if you don't mind my asking why is a wolf as young as you but out here be herself. you just seem a bit young to be out on your own." "you shouldn't judge by age Deilila i was alone at a much younger age and i turned out fine" Nightwalker replyed. Delila turned around and looked up at Nightwalker. "true but you found someone that would take you in Nightwalker"

Kia chuckled as she remembered her failed attempt at a hunting trip. "I found this huge fish in the river, and, well... it got away." She grinned down at Zio, and he laughed a bit, too. "She fell in, so I jumped in, too. We ended up with nothing but getting completely soaked." Kia listened to the anima speak, already likeing these two, but as soon as the anima asked her about why she was alone, Kia's expression turned serious and pained, all traces of laughter and joking gone. Zio senced her change of mood and brushed his tail encouragingly at her side. "My mother died when I was born," Kia said in a quiet voice. "My father and my pack hated me for it. They turned their backs on me and left me for dead. A female loner took me in; adopted me as her own pup. Right when I learned to catch my own prey she was attacked and killed as I could only watch her die a bloody death." She growled flatly at the memory, her eyes dark. "The only wolf I've ever known as anything of a parent is dead and I could only watch. I've been alone ever since, wandering and hunting where I could. I never would have been able to pull it off if it wasn't for Zio." She didn't add the last part about the rabie-ridden wolf or it's anima. She didn't want to think about that part at all.

"Nightwalker chuckled as he listened to Kia " when i still a pup i tried to catch a fish but i ended up being swepted down the current. luck for me there was a wolf near by that saved me from drowning." Delila and Nightwalker listened intently to Kia's story "i'm sorry to hear that happened to you, it most have been hard." said Deilila. Nightwalker twitched his ears "we are somewhat alike, but my parents were not killed, that abanded me becuse i'm blind though i'm sure you two of noitced it by now i'm told my eyes are different from normal wolves which give away my blindness." he sat down "i've learned to live with it though there are things i can do that no other wolf can. thought i'm still not completle happy with my blindness, sometimes i wish i could "see" the things other wolves can like the way u look for instance. the only i can go by is your scent and the sound of your voice" Nightwalker could feel the air around him growing cold "is it getting late already? i wasted to much time here, oh well guess i'd better find someplace to rest for the night."

"Wow, we are alike," Kia murmured, half to herself as she listened to Nightwalker's story. "It must be hard to be blind," she agreed. "I don't know if I could have dealt with it. You must have like, a super-nose or something, then." She didn't notice the darkness in the sky or the sudden drop in temperature until the black wolf had taken notice to it. "Huh, thought I woulda known," she muttered. "Guess so. I have a small den close to here. It's the same one I've been living in on my own up to now. I think it used to be a foxes den, but it's long gone now. If you want you can spend the night there," she suggested with a quick glance at Zio. He nodded, rather sleeping up in the trees than in an underground den.

Nightwalker nodded his head "well yes but i have more then just a super nose, all of my sense are much stronger then that of a normal wolf." Delila nodded her head in thanks "that would be nice of you right Nightwalker?" Nightwalker shruged "yeah i guess so...... well Kia lead the way."

Kia nodded quickly, then turned and headed off down the riverbank to her old den. It didn't take much time until they came upon a small hole not too far from the river itself. "Here it is," she said, coming to a stop right beside it. "It's not very big, but it'll do for at least tonight."

Zio climbed his favorite tree, a large maple at the right of the den, and rested on one of it's wide lower branches hanging over the small hole. His tail swung lazily over the side and her front paws dangled limply. He rested his head on the rough bark and looked down below him.

Deilila changed back into a mouse and climbed up Nightwalker's head as they followed Kia, she always did this to help Nightwalker with travling. telling him if his about to trip or run into something since he was too big now for her to walk along side him. the sound of the river grew louder and louder as they made their way to Kia's den, it almost drowned out the other sounds around him so we had to relie on nose to guide his way.

Deilila jumped of Nightwalker's head and changed into a fox when the reached the den, she looked in side. it was small but it should fit Nightwalker and Kia "i'll sleep out here that should give you two more room. Nightwalker could hardly hear what she said but he just nodded his head, he looked towards the sound of the lake. "if i was any closer to the river it could become problem."

Kia nodded and entered the den. "Sorry," her voice came from inside the den. "But like I said, it's only temporary." She rested in the back of the den and lay her head on her paws.

Nightwalker felt his way into the den. he found a spot in the clost to the entrance and laid his head into his paws. Delila curled up outside the den.

-The Next Day-

Kia awoke early. She blinked her eyes open and strained them against the bright light filtering in through the enterance. She saw by the dark shape in front of her that Nightwalker was still asleep, so she lay down again, not wanting to wake him up. Surprisingly she hadn't had any nightmares tonight. She felt well-rested for the first time in a while.

Nightwalker awakened to the familer darkness he was used to seeing, he could feel the sun's warmth coming into the den and the constant sound of the river. he yawned and stood up he quitly walked out of the den trying not to wake Kia if she was still asleep. it was odd he felt calm around Kia usually he would be grumpy around other wolves.

The light in the den became eclipsed by a dark shape moving out into the open. Kia stood up and followed Nightwalker outside, yawning as she did so. She started stretching, and opened her jaws to say something, but she abruptly jumped away from where she was just standing and looked up to scowl at the tree. Zio perched on his limb, looking down at the two wolves. "Don't even think about it," Kia warned. "Did you forget that I can read your thoughts?" Zio chuckled. "I thought I'd give it a try anyway." He jumped down from the limb he was on and stretched each leg in turn. Kia giggled. "Good morning," she said.

Nightwalker turned around to the sound of Kia's voice " oh i didn't know you were up, good morning." he turned back to Deilila and pawed at her side, Delila blinked her eyes open and yawned "time to get up already." Nightwalker nodded his head "we have to make up for the time we lost the day before so it would be best to get an early start" he turned back around to face Kia "well Kia thank you for letting us stay here but i am looking for someone important to me."

"No problem," Kai said, smiling slightly. Then her smile dissapeared and she hesitated. She'd grown attached to Nightwalker and Delila by now. She had been alone for so long it was nice to have someone with her again no matter how short. she didn't want to be alone again. "I-I could help," she said, fumbling for an excuse to stay with them. "I've lived here for a while, I might now a few good places to look for whoever your looking for."

Nightwalker tilited his head to the side "well....... you do know this area a lot better then i do....... i would be glad if you helped it would make things go faster." Deilila strecthed "thats surprising its not like Nightwalker to accept help without some kind of complaint" Nightwalker glared at Deilila "well it would only makes sense, shes been here longer with her help we can find Dawn in no time, so where should we start looking Kia."

Kia's eyes brightened, happy to stay with them for a few moments more. "I know that there are some wolves that live on the plains not far from here. I've seen them a couple of times, but I've never messed with them. We could go see if one of them is this Dawn your looking for," she suggested. Zio nodded in agreement, his silver eyes slightly amused with the spirit in Kia's own.

Nightwalker nodded his head "well lead the way, i'll be glad to get away from this river all this noise is starting to get to me." Delila shook her fur "do we have to leave so early couldn't we found something to eat first?"

"We could hunt before we leave," Kia agreed, her stomach growling remembering the failed hunting trip yesterday. "There is a small family of rabbits that live on the other side of the river, there are fish in the river, or we could just hunt along the way. I'll go along with whatever you guys want to do."

Nightwlker was feeling a bit hungry also he hadn't eaten any thing since yesterday. but he wanted to find Dawn as soon as possable being in a place that was unfamilier to him was making him feel a bit out of place "we'll just find something on the way." Delila sighed and changed into a mouse and got into her usual place on top of Nightwalker's head. "ok but i hope we fing something soon"

"Alright," Kia agreed, then turned and started walking to where she remembered seeing the two wolves last. "They're not far from here, we might not be able to catch anything," she called behind her. Zio bounded to her side and padded alongside her. "They live in a cave up ahead, they're probably just now getting up."

Nightwalker followed Kia "thats fine going a little while without food never killed anyone. the faster i get to Dawn the quick i can get back to my pack, i fon't want to make them worry by being gone for too long. even though they can be a real pain."