Episode Guide

Episode #8: Lullaby (Nemuri no Uta)

** Opening Sequence **

At night, in a stone-walled room, an old lady sits in a chair in front of a window, singing, and gazing at the moon. 

Cher is in a temporary research station with the Captain.  They discuss what to do about the four boys who injured ten of the soldiers.

Meanwhile, the wolf-boys are outside, still traveling with Cheza.  Tsume is still voicing his doubts about trusting Cheza.  In the middle of Tsume and Kiba's argument, Cheza begins to hum the same tune the old lady was singing earlier.  All the wolves begin to feel very tired at hearing the song.   Unable to resist, they all fall completely asleep.  Each wolf has a pleasant dream.  Toboe dreams of sleeping by the fire while his elderly owner knits.  Hige dreams of being in a field surrounded by female wolves.  Tsume dreams of running free in a snowy countryside after a deer.  We don't see Kiba's dream.

The following morning, within one of the nearby cities, the soldiers are questioning the citizens using force.  The people are frightened as guns are held to their heads as they are questioned.  The wolves are lurking about town.  Hige and Toboe run into each other, each carrying something.  Toboe carries a fur coat he took for Cheza, and Hige carries a pair of pink boots.  It seems they went into town just to get gifts for her.  Tsume is the only one left behind, still sleeping.  He wakes abruptly when he sees Cheza sitting next to him with her hand on his body.  Kiba returns to inform them that all ways out are blocked by the soldiers.

Hige and Toboe are still in town, carrying their stolen goods.  They are being followed by the old woman. 

Cher and the captain look over photographs of more of the soldiers wounded.  When the other soldiers leave, Cher tells the captain that the four boys may be wolves, and that the Book of the Moon is more reality than myth.  Of course, he doesn't believe her.

Hige and Toboe run through the woods to meet the others.  Hige gives Kiba the supplies they were originally supposed to go into town for.  Toboe puts the fur coat on Cheza.  She gets very sad when it touches her.  Then Hige gives her the boots, which she tries on, and immediately likes.  She dances around, happy with her new shoes, when suddenly she stops mid-twirl.  The old lady followed them into the forest.  The woman says nothing as she approaches the group.  She immediately recognizes the boys as wolves.  When Kiba warns her to move along, she takes off her sunglasses to reveal eyes the exact same as Cheza's.

Their meeting sparks a reaction that is detected by Cher's machine.  She gets ready to call the Captain, but hesitates, and instead decides to follow the signal herself. 

Back in the woods, the woman introduces herself as one of the Flower people, Hanabito.  She carries the same scent of the Lunar Flower as Cheza, though hers has faded significantly with time.  Before they can talk much longer, the wolves sense the soldiers coming.  The Hanabito leads them to temporary safety to a hidden house in the woods.  Once inside, Hanabito continues her story.  She tells them that there were many flower people that were created by the nobles, but all of them, except Cheza, were not "masterpieces".  They all died, except Hanabito, who was able to escape from the castle.  She hid in her house in the woods for a very long time, and soon came to realize that she was the only one left.  Cheza had been asleep up until the time she had been awakened by Kiba's blood, and so the old lady had no idea of Cheza's existence until now.  The old lady warns Cheza not to continue to follow the wolves, because to do so would cause destruction. 

Outside the ivy-covered house, Cher walks about following the signal on her monitor.  Kiba wants to move on, but Cheza will not listen to him anymore.  Outside, Cher is startled when Tsume leaps in front of her, followed by Hige and Toboe.  She sees Kiba and Cheza standing a few feet away.  He takes her away, and transforms into the white wolf right in front of Cher's eyes.    The other three leave as well, following Kiba and Cheza into town.  Cher's radar still picks up energy readings from within the house, which are ignored by the Captain, and he drops the radar detector, breaking it.  Hanabito cries inside the house.

Cheza feels the old lady's feelings, and stops to mourn.  Confused about the situation, Cheza asks each wolf in turn if her presence is acceptable.  They all accept, even the reluctant Tsume.  Kiba and Cheza walk right past Cher in town, without being noticed by her. 

Cheza returns to the old lady in her house.  She tries to give some of her life force to the lady, but she gracefully refuses.  She tells Hanabito that she is going with the wolves.  Hanabito wishes her well, and dies in Cheza's embrace.   Cheza returns to the wolves, who wait outside for her. 

Quent and Blue arrive in town on a bus. 

** Ending Sequence **