Midnight Shadows
Eleven
I stood my ground or some what had tried to. What had Sakiyo warned me about fighting? Why was I such a stubborn wolf!? Why could I have not just listened?
The she-wolf sat back, snickering as my eyes darted from one male to the next, "Take the easy way mutt. Just sit back, relax, and let us snap your neck." The gray one stiffed a mutter.
"And if I don't?" I retorted, feeling the flesh being pulled back over my dangerous canines in a snarl.
"Then we will just have to torture you and enjoy every second of it." The dirty-white growled before jumping at me from the side. His canines snapped onto my shoulder blade and pulled. My legs soon lost balance and I was dragged a good couple meters before the gray one shoved the white male back.
"Let me have some fun to." He roared, scaring off the white and flicking his tail playfully into my face, "Now what shall I do with you first? Break each of your paws and hear you beg for mercy? Shall I bite off patches of flesh and rip your ears off your head?"
My heart beat raced dangerously. I don't know if it was adrenaline coursing through my veins or the sickness of waiting to die, but I was not going without a fight.
As the gray laughed bitterly, I snarled, lunging up from my laying position on my belly and snapped my jaws powerfully onto his neck. A choking and gurgling sound erupted through the air as I felt the blood from his wound squirt into my face and I felt trails of blood coming from down his mouth onto my head. My ears twitching as my face contorted, eyes locking on the ash burnt warrior.
"Do not just sit there Julius!" She shouted, "Help him!"
I zoned out the sound of the thundering storm and the shrieking she-wolf. I had closed my eyes almost forgetting that I was breaking the gray wolf's neck when I listened intently, something I had never done.
I heard Julius running on the stone cold cave floor. A growl rumbling in his chest, momentum gathering in his legs. I heard the swish when he had lunged for the back of my neck and in that moment I threw the gray wolf up and away from my reach before diving out of the way.
Julius opened his mouth, snarling away and not being able to stop himself as his canines tore at the gray wolf's neck and a fatal snap erupted through the air as the ash-burnt wolf shrieked in sheer horror. I turned back as the gray wolf fell back and lay there, blood dabbing the stone flooring. The color of his eyes faded away and he was dead, "Mikey!" Julius panicked sniffing at his companion, "Mikey get up!"
In the midst of the chaos I turned back and looked at the exit which no one was guarding. Ash-burnt knew exactly what I was thinking and the minute I flew out into the thundering storm she was right at my heels, swearing and cursing me as I ran as fast as I could. Think of Sakiyo, think of what he would say..he would want you to run faster, to not give up! So I kept going, but even I knew that I was running out of momentum.
Suddenly, I was tugged back. A giant force snapped at my waving tail and pulled with all it's might as I was dragged in the mud. The teeth sank deeper before releasing as I felt warm blood run over my tail.
I leaped back, scraping Ash-burnt as her neck fur bristled in rage. I landed on all fours and crouched, my head dipped low but my eyes meeting hers as I pulled my lips back over my canines again, showing them off furiously.
"You don't scare me wolf."
"You don't scare me either Raksha." She said, standing tall and proud, "What you did to Mikey is unacceptable for a warrior wolf. But might I add, Thunder Wolf doesn't need a weakling like you. He needs someone like me. A true warrior. One who respects him along with whatever he chooses."
"Then why are you not respecting his decision? Hypocrite! He does what he does for a purpose! Everything he does has a reason. And what you are doing will just deny you access to Paradise-"
A loud roar erupted through the air and Ash-burnt lunged at my neck. She chomped down hard, her canines locking around both sides and crushing my lungs. I choked for air and almost felt the way Mikey did. Ash-burnt and her sadistic cackle rang in my ears.
"Say goodbye to Paradise Raksha."
As hope ran out, she twisted me in her grasp and I felt my neck straining, about to crack under pressure. A hoarse and distinct voice rang into the air, "Actually Dove." Ash-Burnt, or shall I say, Dove, froze, "It's time for you to say bye-bye."
And from the depths of the darkness, from the raging inferno of rain and hail combined, Kane lunged from the corners and swiped her across the muzzle, dazing her with confusion as she loosened her grip on my neck. It was just enough for me to squeeze through, falling onto the floor in a heap gasping for air.
She turned in hopes of blind siding Kane who rose up on his hind legs having her fall into the nothingness below on the muddy ground. With the pain aching in my throat, and rage still filled through my mind, I spun back to my feet and growled, biting straight into the side of her. I crunched down like I would to a deer and heard her ribs snap as a loud yowl echoed through the chilly air.
I saw a figure run out of the caves, Julius spiraling towards Dove, "No!" He yelled nearly flying off the first cliff towards me. A thundering howl came from behind me and Sakiyo's rough paws took momentum off my back as he took an uppercut with his head, straight into Julius' chin. Julius dipped back down, slamming his head into the edge of the cliff and sliding down.
On his way down, Jei came before him, snatching him up by the scruff of his neck with all her might, "If you want your filthy bitch to live, I suggest you take her and leave." Sakiyo growled.
Another yowl came from Dove as I broke another set of her ribs, "Please!" She screamed, Shradda slithering out of the forest, watching with evil eyes.
"Why should we! You have invaded our land! Tried to destroy my sister! What kind of wolf for you? One that lives for Paradise or for itself?" Kane snarled.
"Oh might as well stop with your fussing. I am not the only wolf who is on this path. I have my pack. Julius and Mikey mean nothing to me! Absolutely nothing-"
Sakiyo nodded his head towards Jei and in an instant another snap broke through the air and Julius's body fell with a thud into the mud. Dead.
"You go and tell your lifeless little pack what ever you shall want. When you come back. I'll be ready." I huffed into her ear before pulling her back and throwing her far into the depths of the forest. Her body skid across the cold and wet ground and she whimpered crawling to her feet, "Go!" I growled and she retreated into the forest, her scent soon vanishing and cascading away from my nostrils.
In an instant we all stood in our human forms. Blood eased its way down my neck, but the pain had ceased.
"What did you mean Raksha?! Ready for what?!" Shradda gasped.
"It means that you will all need to help me prepare for this battle."
"You don't have to do this Raksha." Jei said from the sidelines.
As rain slashed across my face with bits of hail from the heavens, I turned to him and spoke, "Did you forget? I'm the warrior of Paradise."
The she-wolf sat back, snickering as my eyes darted from one male to the next, "Take the easy way mutt. Just sit back, relax, and let us snap your neck." The gray one stiffed a mutter.
"And if I don't?" I retorted, feeling the flesh being pulled back over my dangerous canines in a snarl.
"Then we will just have to torture you and enjoy every second of it." The dirty-white growled before jumping at me from the side. His canines snapped onto my shoulder blade and pulled. My legs soon lost balance and I was dragged a good couple meters before the gray one shoved the white male back.
"Let me have some fun to." He roared, scaring off the white and flicking his tail playfully into my face, "Now what shall I do with you first? Break each of your paws and hear you beg for mercy? Shall I bite off patches of flesh and rip your ears off your head?"
My heart beat raced dangerously. I don't know if it was adrenaline coursing through my veins or the sickness of waiting to die, but I was not going without a fight.
As the gray laughed bitterly, I snarled, lunging up from my laying position on my belly and snapped my jaws powerfully onto his neck. A choking and gurgling sound erupted through the air as I felt the blood from his wound squirt into my face and I felt trails of blood coming from down his mouth onto my head. My ears twitching as my face contorted, eyes locking on the ash burnt warrior.
"Do not just sit there Julius!" She shouted, "Help him!"
I zoned out the sound of the thundering storm and the shrieking she-wolf. I had closed my eyes almost forgetting that I was breaking the gray wolf's neck when I listened intently, something I had never done.
I heard Julius running on the stone cold cave floor. A growl rumbling in his chest, momentum gathering in his legs. I heard the swish when he had lunged for the back of my neck and in that moment I threw the gray wolf up and away from my reach before diving out of the way.
Julius opened his mouth, snarling away and not being able to stop himself as his canines tore at the gray wolf's neck and a fatal snap erupted through the air as the ash-burnt wolf shrieked in sheer horror. I turned back as the gray wolf fell back and lay there, blood dabbing the stone flooring. The color of his eyes faded away and he was dead, "Mikey!" Julius panicked sniffing at his companion, "Mikey get up!"
In the midst of the chaos I turned back and looked at the exit which no one was guarding. Ash-burnt knew exactly what I was thinking and the minute I flew out into the thundering storm she was right at my heels, swearing and cursing me as I ran as fast as I could. Think of Sakiyo, think of what he would say..he would want you to run faster, to not give up! So I kept going, but even I knew that I was running out of momentum.
Suddenly, I was tugged back. A giant force snapped at my waving tail and pulled with all it's might as I was dragged in the mud. The teeth sank deeper before releasing as I felt warm blood run over my tail.
I leaped back, scraping Ash-burnt as her neck fur bristled in rage. I landed on all fours and crouched, my head dipped low but my eyes meeting hers as I pulled my lips back over my canines again, showing them off furiously.
"You don't scare me wolf."
"You don't scare me either Raksha." She said, standing tall and proud, "What you did to Mikey is unacceptable for a warrior wolf. But might I add, Thunder Wolf doesn't need a weakling like you. He needs someone like me. A true warrior. One who respects him along with whatever he chooses."
"Then why are you not respecting his decision? Hypocrite! He does what he does for a purpose! Everything he does has a reason. And what you are doing will just deny you access to Paradise-"
A loud roar erupted through the air and Ash-burnt lunged at my neck. She chomped down hard, her canines locking around both sides and crushing my lungs. I choked for air and almost felt the way Mikey did. Ash-burnt and her sadistic cackle rang in my ears.
"Say goodbye to Paradise Raksha."
As hope ran out, she twisted me in her grasp and I felt my neck straining, about to crack under pressure. A hoarse and distinct voice rang into the air, "Actually Dove." Ash-Burnt, or shall I say, Dove, froze, "It's time for you to say bye-bye."
And from the depths of the darkness, from the raging inferno of rain and hail combined, Kane lunged from the corners and swiped her across the muzzle, dazing her with confusion as she loosened her grip on my neck. It was just enough for me to squeeze through, falling onto the floor in a heap gasping for air.
She turned in hopes of blind siding Kane who rose up on his hind legs having her fall into the nothingness below on the muddy ground. With the pain aching in my throat, and rage still filled through my mind, I spun back to my feet and growled, biting straight into the side of her. I crunched down like I would to a deer and heard her ribs snap as a loud yowl echoed through the chilly air.
I saw a figure run out of the caves, Julius spiraling towards Dove, "No!" He yelled nearly flying off the first cliff towards me. A thundering howl came from behind me and Sakiyo's rough paws took momentum off my back as he took an uppercut with his head, straight into Julius' chin. Julius dipped back down, slamming his head into the edge of the cliff and sliding down.
On his way down, Jei came before him, snatching him up by the scruff of his neck with all her might, "If you want your filthy bitch to live, I suggest you take her and leave." Sakiyo growled.
Another yowl came from Dove as I broke another set of her ribs, "Please!" She screamed, Shradda slithering out of the forest, watching with evil eyes.
"Why should we! You have invaded our land! Tried to destroy my sister! What kind of wolf for you? One that lives for Paradise or for itself?" Kane snarled.
"Oh might as well stop with your fussing. I am not the only wolf who is on this path. I have my pack. Julius and Mikey mean nothing to me! Absolutely nothing-"
Sakiyo nodded his head towards Jei and in an instant another snap broke through the air and Julius's body fell with a thud into the mud. Dead.
"You go and tell your lifeless little pack what ever you shall want. When you come back. I'll be ready." I huffed into her ear before pulling her back and throwing her far into the depths of the forest. Her body skid across the cold and wet ground and she whimpered crawling to her feet, "Go!" I growled and she retreated into the forest, her scent soon vanishing and cascading away from my nostrils.
In an instant we all stood in our human forms. Blood eased its way down my neck, but the pain had ceased.
"What did you mean Raksha?! Ready for what?!" Shradda gasped.
"It means that you will all need to help me prepare for this battle."
"You don't have to do this Raksha." Jei said from the sidelines.
As rain slashed across my face with bits of hail from the heavens, I turned to him and spoke, "Did you forget? I'm the warrior of Paradise."
