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!