Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf's Rain. This is a rewrite of the last four episodes of the series as I stated in the summary. I frankly didn't like how it ended and I wondered what if one of the humans was actually a wolf? Well, here's my rewrite of the ending of "Wolf's Rain."
Chapter One- Where the Soul Goes
Time seemed to freeze to him, much like the frigid air around them. The heavy truck was overturning and Cher was still in it. The ground under the vehicle was crumbling while he stood on solid ground, holding Cheza in his arms. He wanted to put the flower maiden down and pull Cher to safety, but his whole body felt paralyzed as the truck and his love plunged to the hard ground far below.
Freeing himself from his paralysis, Hubb hopped down to the truck via ledges in the icy wall, Cheza still in his hold. A part of his mind was marveling at his agility. He had never been the athletic type, but he was in good shape, nonetheless. He reached the bottom and placed Cheza on the ground as the others arrived. He pulled Cher from the truck which was miraculously still in one piece and working. He laid the blonde doctor on the ground and called her name, hoping she was still alive.
His hopes were answered when she opened her eyes and focused on him. She spoke to him in a tone so soft, he barely heard her. He told her to hang in there. He wasn’t a doctor, but he could tell that she was badly wounded. He continued to talk to her, telling her about getting married, having a lovely home with lots of kids and a pet. Cher’s eyes started to close while he talked. His voice trailed off as she drifted in unconsciousness. He called, “Cher? Cher? Cher!” There was no answer. She was dead.
Hubb held Cher’s body close to his as he buried his face in her shoulder and sobbed her name. Long minutes ticked by with no sounds except Cher’s body tumbling to the ground, Hubb’s sobbing, and the wind. The others hung back, letting the man mourn.
Kiba felt sorry for the human. He had lost someone he loved and that was always hard. He had lost his pack and spent a little time mourning them before going on with his life. He looked up to see if the human would get up. He blinked and shook his head. He looked again.
A red-furred wolf sat in front the woman’s body, right where the man had been. His head was bowed and the shoulders were hunched. Slowly, the head tilted back and a long mournful howl sounded.
“Whoa,” Hige said in a whisper. “He’s a wolf too? Why didn’t we smell it on him?”
“He could have been a wolf who was born human,” Blue said. “Losing the woman is such a shock that it brought his wolf form to the surface.”
Hubb sighed as he leaned over to carry Cher’s body to the water nearby. He got a shock when he saw paws instead of hands. Bringing one leg up, he swiped it across a muzzle. ‘What the hell?’ he thought. Heading over to the water, he looked down and saw a red wolf looking back at him. Gold wolf eyes stared back at him intensely. ‘How did I become a wolf?’
“Hey, you okay?” a voice asked beside him. Hubb looked over and saw a white wolf beside him. He seemed concerned.
Sighing softly, he answered, “I don’t know. I mean, how did I become a wolf?”
“Blue thinks you were a wolf who was born human and losing the woman brought your true form out.”
“Makes sense, I guess.” He headed back to the body and used his nose to roll her into the water. He stood there in silence for a moment before reassuming his human form and, with the other wolves’ help, pushed the truck back onto its wheels.
“So, now what?” Kiba asked the detective.
“I’ll come to Paradise with you. That is where you’re headed, right?” A nod from Kiba. “Then, I’ll come too.”
After loading Hige, Cheza, Blue, and Quent inside, Hubb slid into the driver’s seat and followed the wolves bound for Paradise.
Chapter Two- Gunshot of Remorse
Hubb's thoughts were awhirl as he drove. All this time, he was really a wolf and never knew it. His allergies had disappeared awhile ago, a sign of his true nature. His senses were now enhanced and he saw the world differently.
He glanced at the flower maiden who sat in the seat beside him. She was the key to Paradise, at least according to the others. Deep down, he believed them though his rational mind told him it was impossible.
"Hey, Hubb!" called Hige from the back. "Pull over! The old guy's dying!"
Hubb hit the brakes and stopped the truck. Leaping out the door, he ran into the back. Quent lay on the floor, gasping something awful. He immediately started pushing on Quent's chest. He didn't know what the hell he was doing and told as much to the wolves.
It was then that Cheza entered. She moved to the hunter's mouth and breathed into it. Hubb pushed down a few times before Cheza breathed in again. Quent's awful gasping became normal. Hubb sighed with relief.
"He's alive and out of the woods, for now," he reported.
They resumed their journey and Hubb reflected on the wolves. He thought about the white one, Kiba. He seemed so confident, acted like he knew where to go. He certainly acted like a leader and Hubb felt content to let him lead the way.
Then, there was the gray one, Tsume. He seemed like a warrior-type. Hard, tough as nails, didn't take anyone's crap. That kind of attitude made it hard for anyone to get close to him. Except for Toboe.
Toboe. The reddish-brown one and the youngest of the group. He was fond of humans and looked up to Tsume as a role model. But, he could prove himself a fierce protector if the need arose.
Hige, the golden-brown one, seemed pretty easygoing and friendly. He looked rather thoughtful lately and Hubb wondered why that was. When he wasn't distracted by his thoughts, he kept Blue company.
Blue was completely different from the rest. She was half-wolf and had served as Quent's wolf-tracking dog. She had a strong tie to Quent as well as Hige. Hubb wondered if he could feel like a part of the group, what with being human for so long.
The vehicle stuttering and stopping brought him back to the present. He looked over the instruments and found the gas gauge empty. It would be walking from here on out. Hubb hoisted Quent onto his back, Kiba took Cheza, and Toboe took the mats and blankets before the group set off across the snow-covered ground.
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It was cold when they stopped to rest. But the cold didn't really bother Hubb. Must be his fur. Nevertheless, he snuggled under his blanket. Quent laid on the mat and blanket beside him, resting. He wasn't conscious, but he was alive. Hubb slept for awhile before he became aware of someone watching them. He rolled over and saw Blue, the half-wolf watching Quent.
"He's just sleeping," he told her. The two of them made small talk until the wolf-hunter awoke. Quent couldn't see clearly, oddly enough, but he distinguished Hubb's voice.
"There are others here," the old man said. "Who is it?"
"We're the wolves," Kiba stated.
Quent gasped and sat up, his gaze focused on the pack to his left. Grabbing his shotgun, he put it in his coat, and staggered to his feet.
"Pops," Blue said. "you shouldn't get up."
"I'm fine." Quent paused for a moment before saying, "Blue, you're not my dog anymore."
Blue looked as if she had been punched in the stomach. She stood there in stunned silence as her former master staggered off. Hubb felt sorry for Blue and angry at Quent. He took off after the hunter, calling his name.
"Quent, why did you do that? Blue wanted to stay with you."
"Blue's a big girl now. She can do what she wants."
"She wants to be with you." Hubb put a hand on Quent's shoulder.
There was a click as Quent whirled around and aimed his shotgun at Hubb's chest. Hubb froze as he saw burning hatred in the man's eyes.
"So, you're a wolf too. How long have you been in league with them?"
"I haven't been one long. I'm just following them to Paradise."
"Silence! Don't mention that cursed place! Wolves are evil and you would do well to deny your new form. That's why I don't shoot you now. Because I giving you the chance to redeem yourself." Lowering the gun, Quent walked off.
Hubb stood there, contemplating. He could deny his wolf side, but he felt that if he did, his wolf abilities would pop up at the worst times. No. The best thing to do was embrace his destiny. He would toss aside his remaining humanity and let his instincts guide him. Just as the others let their instincts guide them. Thus, Hubb shed his human guise in favor of four paws, a tail, and a fur coat.
A horrible stench reached his nose and his put a foreleg over it. That had to be the smell of a noble. He had heard the others say what a terrible scent it was, but he never understood until now. The scent had to belong to Darcia. He was after Cheza. Well, not if he could help it. He would follow Darcia and keep him away from the flower maiden.
A fair snowstorm had started and it made tracking almost impossible for the novice wolf. But, he was determined to track the noble. A cloak dragging across snow reached his ears. He turned his ears this way and that, his nose taking in every scent it could. Darcia's scent reached him and he turned to see the noble not five feet in front of him. He backed up, bared his teeth, and growled threateningly. Darcia looked at him with what could only be called amusement in his eyes.
"The detective has found his inner wolf. My congratulations. However, you will not be the one who will open Paradise." Darcia's hand whipped out and caught Hubb in the chest. He landed on his side before getting back up. He ran at the noble, leaped and buried his teeth in Darcia's arm.
There was no cry of pain which confused Hubb. Also of interest were the bullet holes near the heart. How could this guy still be alive?
Darcia grabbed the back of Hubb's neck and roughly threw him to the ground. He hit the ground harder than last time. He lay there, stunned, wondering if he was going to die. His question was answered when a white shape appeared in front of him.
Kiba growled at the human while Hubb struggled to get up. Darcia informed Kiba of a broken seal and that to enter Paradise, one had to discard everything he held dear. Kiba ignored this. Paradise was for wolves and he wasn't going to leave any of them behind. The dark noble disappeared in a swirling mass of snowflakes as Hubb finally got up.
"You okay, Hubb?" Kiba asked, turning to him.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
A howl sounded from far away. Kiba's ears twitched. "That's Toboe. Let's go." Kiba took off with Hubb not too far behind. The scene that greeted the two wolves was terrible.
Quent lay on the ground, his blood pooling under him. His eyes were misted over, a clear sign that he was dead. Blue was laying on top of the body, crying and saying, "Pops!" over and over again.
Toboe howled again and Hubb felt obliged to join in. He let out a mournful howl and the others joined him. Their howls echoed across the frozen wasteland.
Chapter Three- High Tide, High Time
Hubb stared sadly at Quent's body. What happened to him? Stepping closer, he could make out a bullet wound. Judging from the hole's position, it was clear that this wasn't suicide. Plus, he didn't smell anything coming from the gun in Quent's hand. He had been murdered and he had a pretty good idea who did it: Darcia.
"Let's go," Kiba said, breaking the silence. "He's still out there. It's our Paradise he wants to open."
Tsume said something to Hige, but Hubb didn't know what it was about. Although, it sounded like Tsume was calling Hige a coward, because Hige said he wasn't going to run.
Cheza drew everyone's attention when she spoke of The Tree of All Seeds. She indicated the far horizon as its' location. Onward the group went. They started up a path and the further up they went, the thinner the air got. They finally achieved their destination and the tree loomed before them, its branches bare.
Hubb wasn't sure the tree was special, but clearly Cheza did as she approached it and placed a hand on it.
The tree is in pain," she said. "but now it can be free." The tree began to glow and whatever it had flowed into Cheza. The tree froze over and bright colored lights ribboned across the sky. "That first peak is the entrance to Paradise."
Excitement swelled within the red wolf. The lights were beautiful and Paradise was closer than ever. As he backed up to view the lights better, his tail brushed against metal. Curious, he turned to see remnants of a building with etchings and symbols carved into them. One symbol caught his eye and he examined it more closely.
"The Darcia family crest," he said, catching everyone's attention.
"What about it?" Tsume asked.
Hubb racked his brain. He had read about it in The Book of the Moon, but what did it say? Oh, yes. Now, he remembered. He told the pack of a seal and Paradise.
"The seal has been broken," Kiba said. "That's what he said to me. His wolf's eye showed him that Jagara's Paradise wasn't real. He wants to open our Paradise and he's trying to become a wolf in order to do it."
Kiba's words spurred everyone into motion and they leaped up the mountain ledges to reach the peak. Hubb wondered what Paradise would be like. The others didn't know and the book had no mention or pictures either. Maybe it was a place full of wolves that lived free of being hunted and they were surrounded by lunar flowers and...
"I tell you now the words of red moon," came a familiar voce from above. Hubb almost froze where he was when he heard the voice. He recognized it as did everyone else. Looking up, he saw a black wolf with one blue eye and one gold eye. Hubb gaped at the figure. It couldn't be!
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?" 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 led 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 are 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.
