Raidou’s ribs had several opinions, starting without how much they didn’t like being bitten, bounced off a stone floor, or stepped on by a building-sized wolf. But there wasn’t blood on his breath, so they’d probably keep.

“Still attached,” he said, and made his best effort to get up. Kurenai was there to brace his good side. Her hands trembled, but her grip was strong.

There was vertical, and splintered breathing, followed by a headrush. When his hearing returned and he could see past the dancing red blotches, Raidou found himself looking up the nostrils of the black wolf.

“Gyah,” he said, and took a hasty step back.

The ground dipped unexpectedly. His ribs jarred. Pain happened. It went on for some time, and Raidou was reminded precisely why broken bones anywhere in the torso were the absolute worst. They connected to everything.

He breathed tight and shallow, and managed, “The wolves agreed to help? When can we leave?”

“You have broken pieces inside, human,” the black wolf informed him, like Raidou might not have noticed.

“Genma can heal them. Once we rescue him,” Ryouma said.

The white wolf’s head lowered into the corner of Raidou’s vision. “We can heal them,” she rumbled.

Kakashi grabbed Ryouma’s other wrist, locking both arms down by his side. “No, thank you,” he said, icily.

The white wolf chuckled. It wasn’t a nice sound. “You’re going to rescue your good-man friend from a village of tricksters with three people and an invalid?”

Kakashi bristled. His voice twisted rough with vicious harmonics. It still sounded light next to the wolves and their cavernous chests, but the spill of killing intent that went with it made Raidou’s skin burn. “We should trust you instead?”

The black wolf’s ears pricked forward. It studied Kakashi with bright gold eyes, and for a terrible second Raidou braced for the clash of teeth and a falling body.

The black wolf said, “Is Hatake Shimo in your bloodline?”

Kakashi’s shoulders twitched. “Great-great grandmother.”

“Terrible woman,,” the black wolf said. “How fortunate that trait survived.”

Kakashi growled. The black wolf stretched and ignored him.

Kurenai’s voice slipped through the red-shivering air like a blade wrapped in silk. “If you heal him, freely and without obligation, we’ll accept. Otherwise, we’ll make do.”

The grey wolf made a harsh sound. “Snake mind. You get nothing for free.”

The black wolf rose and padded over to the grey wolf, a dark threat. Raidou waited, again, for violence, but the black wolf just lowered his great head and touched his nose gently to the grey wolf’s cheek. A growl thundered in the grey wolf’s chest, but it didn’t bite. After a tense moment, it gave a shuddering sigh, closed its eyes, and tucked its head under the black wolf’s chin. The black wolf licked the bloody ear it had savaged earlier.

Raidou was starting to suspect he had misunderstood the interplay of relationships here.

“Fine,” the grey wolf grumbled.

As fun as it was to be talked about in the third person like he wasn’t here, Raidou actually had his own thoughts about being healed by a giant mythical being who thought it was funny to play let’s-bite-your-arm-off.

“Pakkun?” he grated, making Kurenai and Kakashi twitch. Ryouma, snowmelt-white, was still in a shocky place beyond surprise.

The little pug edged out from behind the two dark wolves, sidled past them, and blurred into a run that brought him to Raidou’s knee. He was wild-eyed, fur standing on end.

“Can they heal?” Raidou asked him. “Or is this just more fucking with us?”