Akari Uchiha

Ch. 71 At the Land of Wolves

"Eima?" a soft  voice squeaked. A tiny wolf cub hesitantly stepped inside the cave that was now glistening with the morning light.

"What is it Eri?" another grown wolf, her fur white-silver, serenity in her gaze, glanced at the cub with concern.

"I'm scared," the wolf cub whimpered. "There are noises outside... a-and I sense a human who is not Emika-san," she whispered.

Eima blinked, stepping outside the cave as both of them saw a huge fireball at a distance.

"It's another challenger, we need reinforcements!" a voice called out at a distance.

Eima's eyes widened, mild worry covering the serenity in her gaze as she pushed the wolf cub behind her. "For a challenger to have come this far," she whispered to herself.

"Eima?" the tiny cub, Eri, whispered at seeing her caretaker's concerned look. "Does this mean we'll have to serve a master now?"

Eima rubbed her snout against the cub to reassure her. "Don't worry. No one has been able to subdue us since long."

"What about Emika-san?" the cub questioned curiously.

"Emika-san came across us by accident, and risked her life to protect us when she was younger. She also took care of many of us when we were cubs. She didn't subdue us, she was more like a caretaker that we started trusting," Eima smiled.

Suddenly Eri shrieked as the trees parted ways and one of their packmates fell through them, wounded.

Eima quickly rushed towards him, her paws padded paws not making any sound, in contrast with how concerned she was.

"Eri, get inside," she called when she felt a human presence. 

Her paws froze as she saw a human... a child really... walking calmly from between the now-parted trees that their packmate had been thrown through. Her eyes were red, a single-tomoe spinning in them. She wore a leaf headband, had short black hair, and was wearing a chunin vest over a red shinobi gear. A mask was covering the lower half of her face.

She wasn't a combat wolf... Eima only looked after the cubs... she couldn't let Eri get hurt but... if this kunoichi had taken down most of their combat wolves then there was no way she'd win.

Despite that, a deep growl rumbled her throat as she stood in front of her injured packmate, who was whimpering on the floor.

However, the moment she glanced back for a second to look out for Eri, she saw the kunoichi disappear. She hastily whipped her head around, only to be met by a kick to the face.

She howled before digging her paws in the ground, trying to balance herself. Before she could contemplate, she felt another kick on her ribs as she was thrown across a tree. Eima whimpered, trying to get up, but she was sure she had broken a few ribs with that last hit.

"No!" she howled, making the leaf kunoichi stop short. "Stay away from my cubs!"

"If you can't fight, stay down, wolf," the human in front of her said calmly, before stepping in front of the cave.

Eri was scared. She was more scared than she had ever been.

Humans only ever came here to subdue them....

She didn't want to get hurt... or killed! She hadn't even started learning how to fight.... and the way this human thrashed Eima...

She flinched when she saw the leaf kunoichi kneel down in front of the cave. "Hi there, cub."

"Stay away!" Eri squeaked, mustering up all the courage she could, despite her limbs still trembling.

"I mean no harm," the human girl reassured. "Tell me where your pack leader is and I'll leave."