Ichigo grunted and stumbled forward under the weight of several little Hollows, blade sweeping out to split the masks of those in front of him. He gave himself a shake, sending the little gremlin-shaped things flying every which way, and purified some of those as well. They were honestly pretty inconsequential, so weak even a recruit could deal with one or two, but the sheer number of them… that was where the difficulty came in.
He’d lost track of Uryuu. Lost track of the rest of his pack, in fact, except for the general sense of them through reiatsu. The little gremlins had driven him into the forest, split him from the rest with an unending swarm, and now he was both lost and alone.
It rankled.
(It terrified him.)
(Where were the creatures coming from?)
Ichigo spun, slew a few more, then paused to take a deep breath and threw his head back. Howled.
(Here I am. Find me-find me-help me-gather to me.)
He cocked his head, straining his hearing to listen for Uryuu’s response — for any of their responses, really, since Tatsuki and Orihime and Chad had all learned to mimic the howls as best they could. They’d know he wanted a response, and likely even know what he meant, too.
The little Hollows kept coming. Kept driving him deeper into the forest, where the trees began to hamper his attacks. Ichigo almost wished that Tatsuki hadn’t called him back to human-shape; at least as a wolf, he would have been able to more easily attack in close quarters like this. The little gremlins weren’t letting him escape into the sky; every time he tried, they mobbed him from all sides, even below, and without his pack to help defend himself…
(What were they? Where were they herding him?)
He howled again, a note of desperation in his voice.
(Please respond, please.)
A blur of black and cream fur barreled out of the shadows, lashing out and sending the little Hollows scattering like leaves, paws leaving violet trails in their wake. More violet light spilled from the wolf’s mouth as they snarled and lunged at any that tried to approach again, driving the creatures back and clearing a space around Ichigo.
Strange sigils appeared in the air around the wolf, and Ichigo could feel the power gathering. Without prompting, he threw himself to the ground, just in time for the sigils to explode, power sweeping outward and destroying every little gremlin he could see or sense.
“Thanks,” he told the wolf as he slowly stood, wincing at the sting of his injuries. The other was sitting calmly, staring at him with intelligent brown eyes, ears quirked in wary confusion. “Don’t suppose you know where those things are coming from, do you? Or how to get out of here. I’d take either at this point…”
The wolf whuffed, tilting their head up to scent the air, then nodded slowly and tapped the ground twice with a paw.
“The way out?” Ichigo sighed in relief when the wolf nodded again, slinging his sword back over his shoulder. “Lead on, then. And thank you for this. I’m still… it’s still difficult to sort out what’s going on, sometimes. With my senses, I mean,” he admitted awkwardly, following the wolf as they trotted off.
They didn’t lead Ichigo far, before pausing at an old tree to claw a few bags free of the hollow at the base of it. Before the wolf could do more than start to arrange the bags, Ichigo stepped in and scooped all of them up, then scowled at the wolf’s dark look and curled lips.
“Look, you’re helping me get out of here,” Ichigo told the other, hoisting the bags into a more comfortable position. “Carrying things as a wolf is hard, especially things this heavy. So just… let me do this for you?”
Which was apparently enough for the other, because they heaved a sigh and turned away, trotting off once more in the direction that felt right. Ichigo needed to stretch his legs to keep up with the wolf’s pace, but it wasn’t too bad. Especially since the wolf stopped every so often to casually slay the little Hollows that managed to find them.
Uryuu’s howl pierced the quiet, and Ichigo instantly howled in response, relieved to finally hear something from his pack. He oriented towards the reply and took a step, expecting the wolf to follow.
Instead, the wolf stood in front of him, staring pointedly at the bags Ichigo was carrying and refusing to budge.
(Was that… resignation in the wolf’s body-language? Why?)
“Come on,” Ichigo urged the other. “Uryuu and the rest would love to meet you.”
The wolf gave him a suspicious look, sniffed at the air again, then slowly nodded and stepped aside. They followed Ichigo, body stiff and ears pinned back as the two of them finally broke through the trees and crossed the fields to the village beyond. There were signs of damage all around, and the wolf cast concerned glances around.
“You live here?” Ichigo asked, then jerked back and held up his free hand in surrender when the wolf snarled at him. “Woah, hey! Sorry, you just… you look concerned. I’m sure my pack kept everyone safe.”
Uryuu was waiting for them at the village edge, bow out and a look of stark relief spreading at the sight of Ichigo. He stared at the wolf following Ichigo in confusion, then tilted his head at Ichigo, silently questioning.
“They helped me out,” Ichigo explained, stepping into Uryuu’s personal space and slumping against his friend without worry, knowing that Uryuu would support him and desperately needing the reassurance of his brother.
Uryuu huffed and let his bow dissipate, catching Ichigo. “The fact you needed help worries me,” Uryuu murmured, giving Ichigo a once over. “Those things specifically set out to separate you from us. I… I’m sorry. I should have tried harder—”
“Not your fault,” Ichigo countered, poking Uryuu in the side. “How are the others?”
“Everyone’s fine. Inoue-san is healing the last of the villagers up an— WOAH!” Uryuu stumbled back, dragging Ichigo with him, as the wolf tensed and bolted past them at the mention of the villagers. “The hell?”
“I think this is their village,” Ichigo answered. He straightened up and shook himself. “Come on, lets make sure nothing happens.”