The Cursed Wolf {A Naruto Fanfic} UNDER EDITING!

Chapter 7

Edited

It took another three hours before the misfit group found their way back to Tazuna's house. It took another fainting and screeching human to pass out - only this time it was a woman, distractedly greeting her father before she noticed the large wolf leering at her a few paces away from their door - before Koyuki finally short-circuited and passed out beside her Sensei, deeming the room they were shown to secure enough to allow her human side to stir back to the surface, albeit still unconscious.

Another hour later, the shifter finally began to take note of her surroundings, wondering drearily who in the Seven Hells had enough courage to disturb her blissful sleep. In this case, several people apparently, at least that's what her sleepy mind lazily seemed to affirm.

Zabuza.

Alive.

Training needed.

They were the only words that seemed to be spoken in a coherent language to her clouded mind. The Tsukikaze grumbled before blinking her eyes reluctantly open as a low yawn gurgled past her lips and rolled lazily through her. This slight movement seemed to draw all attention to the wolf, casting an ominous silence across the small room.

Despite this heavy tension, Koyuki simply blinked slowly, trying to refocus her blurred gaze, as her tongue lapped across her fangs and lips, curling back as another low yawn slipped from her. And then...she sneezed. A light and fragile sound that made all her fur suddenly stand on end as her nose twitched harshly in protest to the sharp release of air, even her ears curled back against her head as she grimaced sleepily, her body shivering lightly in response to the abrupt sneeze.

A snort of amusement was what finally woke the Beast up and reminded her, mockingly, she wasn't, in fact, alone. Turning her head slowly, her wolfish form still sprawled across the floor in a lazy form mirroring the typical resting position of a lion - with her stomach to the floor but her head held purposefully high. The Shifter baulked, her eyes widening as a soft gasp fell from her lips. Despite the regal position of a lion, Koyuki very much looked like a frightened deer cornered by a ravenous predator.

When she noticed the heavily amused and teasing glints in her teammates' respective gazes, she couldn't help the low, dramatic, and drawn-out whine that left her lips as she hastily placed her two front paws over her icy eyes, her head slumped against the wooden floor with her ears stiff and flat against it. The three Genin and their Jonin Sensei watched the wolf recoil and that was what sent them over the edge, one by one they began to giggle, the sound progressing into boisterous laughter as the shifter's snout creased, low grumbles rumbling through her, sounds that could only be inferred as canine curse words.

With a soft growl of an embarrassing defeat, Koyuki removed her paws from across her snout and sat back up onto her haunches, albeit her ears still pinned back childishly as she did the wolf-ish equivalent of a stubborn pout. It took several minutes for Naruto's howling laughter to cease - Sasuke having only snorted at the embarrassing display, while Kakashi simply laughed quietly and softly to himself. Though Sakura did openly howl with laughter, she seemed to reign it in fairly easily after a minute or so. The Jinchuuriki, however, had several long minutes of raw, unconstrained, painful rolls of laughter as he clenched his hands around his stomach, tears forming in the corners of his squinted eyes.

Koyuki didn't hesitate to displace her embarrassment with false irritation.

Without any warning, the large canine growled playfully, her lips curling back to display a proud wall of deathly fangs, as she practically lunged at the unsuspecting blonde. A sharp, oddly inhuman, yelp tore through Naruto as he was suddenly tackled from where he was previously hunched over in laughter on the floor. It didn't take him long to recognise the mass of ghostly fur suddenly pinning him down, fangs on display as if to counter the amused and playful glimmer dancing in her soft, anger-less gaze. The Uzumaki grinned mischievously back, using every ounce of his strength to roll the large wolf off of him with a heavy groan. Fortunately, Koyuki didn't put up much of a fight as she felt herself being pushed and rolled over. Not that Naruto would ever admit to anyone else the girl let him roll her.