Hey people, it's WingedCarpet.

How's life?

So the disclaimer of life: I don't own the Maximum Ride series.

6 years ago

The sun had just risen over the peaks of the mountains when two hunters strolled into the forest, twigs snapping under their feet loudly and guns strapped to their backs. They had decided to leave early and be at the nearby dam when the herds of buck came to drink.

They continued to walk in the early morning breeze until they reached the edge of a clearing in the forest. Ducking under a low hanging branch the hunters gasped in surprise.

There in the middle of the forest was a pack of wolves.

Meanwhile, as the hunters walked, Max had awoke from her peaceful sleep by the sound of whispering.

"Oh god, Gary back away slowly"

There was a sound of retreating footsteps. Max gently shook Ari awake and he groaned loudly.

" Wait, what was that" another man said.

" Sh, Sh, Ari, be quiet, I think there's someone watching us"

Ari curled himself smaller to prevent being seen and Max softly prodded the rest of the pack awake before standing up and going to check what was there.

The two hunters had stopped their retreat to look in pure and utter surprise at a young girl.

The girl was wearing a worn down old t-shirt that looked like it was once purple but was now damaged by blood and dirt. Her once blue track suit pants looked similar but came half way down her shins.

Boy, did she reek.

So much dirt encrusted her skin that you couldn't see her skin tone any more. Her golden hair was one huge dread-lock and twigs and leaves made it their home.

But the scarier thing was the huge pitch black wolf coming towards her and the pack following close behind.

Max and the pack had not seen the two hunters yet, so the hunters sat debating on whether or not they should save the girl.

They both thought that the wolves had taken the girl from her home to eat her and it hadn't occurred to them that they were her family. Well, they never had been the brightest two.

They both wanted to do something good and when they saw a dirty, ragged boy following it sealed the deal.

With good intentions, they both ripped the guns off their backs and fired the first shot at the black wolf. It fell dead to the ground.

Max ran back as a bullet sounded and Thunder fell dead at her feet. She whistled and shouted and waved her arms frantically telling the pack to run.

Wind came running towards Max, wondering where her mate was.

As Wind came past Max, Max grabbed Wind's side frantically, desperate for Wind to come with her. Wind nipped at Max's hand to go see what she was trying to hide.

The two hunters leaped out of their hiding spot as a white wolf approached the fallen one. One of the hunters took aim and fired, the wolf fell upon the black one, their coloring contrasting each other and their blood creating a pool around them.

Max grabbed Ari's hand, whose small legs couldn't keep up with the pace, and popped him over her shoulder in a fireman's carry.

Goldie kept pace with the two urging them on while Shade trailed behind with Iggy, whose leg had been injured in a hunt that week. Nudge led the pack, hopping to find a safe place.

Suddenly Iggy let out a howl of pain as he tripped and the already injured leg's bone snapped.

Iggy limped on but it wasn't fast enough and he fell slightly behind. As this happened a bullet pierced his side and he fell dead.

His leg at an unnatural angle and his blood staining the lush grass.

"How many are there ?"the one hunter screamed to the other ,as they continued to run.

"I think there's only a few left, wolves don't travel in such big groups and 3 are already down"

All the animals of the Forest and the hunters cringed as a loud, anguish filled howl swept through the land. Nudge had just lost her brother and she could barely keep her eyes open as her heart convulsed then was torn in two.

Goldie, then let out a cry of sadness that could shake even the most heartless of people, as her eldest child just met his death.

Tears streamed down Max's and Ari's faces as their second family was slowly being killed.

Shade, who had just witnessed his sons death in close range could not control his anger and broke away from the pack to charge the hunters.

Time seemed to slow down as Shade charged towards the hunters and the hunter peered through the Front Sight, his finger resting heavily on the trigger.

The first bullet veered to much to the left as Shade was running to fast to get a good aim. The second bullet hit him in the lower front leg and he fell to the ground. In his moment of weakness on the ground a bullet was launched into his chest.

An eerie silence spread through the forest as the Alpha male's heart beat one last time.

The hunters disregarding the impact they made on the pack and the ecosystem marched forward, over the bodies of wolves. Ignoring the blood splattered on their shoes and their hands that were covered with invisible blood.

Goldie couldn't keep going and fell to the ground. Max and Ari tried to drag her forward but she wouldn't budge.

" please" Max whispered as the hunters appeared " they're going to kill us all"

Nudge came towards them, her shoulders dropped and her head hanging low. She had always been the enthusiastic one, never was it a day where her tail wasn't wagging. But now her tail hung low and her eyes glistened with anguish.

Goldie looked in a similar state, there wasn't a scratch upon her but her body told the pain of a thousand wounds.

Nudge collapsed in front of her mother, putting her head over her moms neck in a hug. Goldie eyes had aged a thousand years when she nudged Max away as if to tell her to run.

" no, no, I can't leave you" Max screamed," why can't you just come with"

Max knew why though, she knew the feeling when you have nothing to live for, when you just can't find a reason to go on. Max looked back at Ari, whose face was awash with tears. He was holding Goldie's head in his hands begging her to come with.

Maybe Goldie and a Nudge didn't have a reason to go but Max did. Ari was her sole purpose for surviving this long and she'd be damned if she let him die.

"Ari, I want you to run," Max said, looking straight into his eyes," run and hide wherever you find right and I'll come find you"

"No, I can't just leave you guys" he said his voice shaking, "never!"

" Come on, be reasonable"

" Why don't you go?"

"Ari, just go!" Max shouted.

He looked at her with finality before stating a solid "no"

The hunters finally caught up with the wolves and watched as the boy cradled one of the wolves faces and the girl stroked their fur, looking like she was trying to tell them something.

The hunters didn't know why the kids were being so affectionate but still thought that it was an attack method. So one hunter aimed the gun and shot the wolf dead, they were about to shoot again when the bang sounded but no bullet came out

"I'm out" exclaimed the one hunter as he checked his bullet inventory.

While the hunters were flustering, Max protected Goldie with her body and Ari hugged Nudges limp head to his chest drenching his hands with blood.

Goldie nipped Nudge, trying to wake her but knowing it wasn't going to work. She let out another long loud howl expressing her sorrows to the world, Max joined in as did Ari. Their sad notes sounding like the literal cry of heaven.

As the howl came to an end, Goldie's heart beat slower and slower until, right on Max's hand, her heart came to a stop.

Line break. Line break. Line break.

Ari crawled into Max's arms as they sat there in shock. Ari's head was buried in Max's hair and his small body heaved with tears. Silent tears ran down Max's face as she had to strong be for Ari.

She was slowly emotionally detaching from the scene and with drawling inside herself.

The hunters smiled at the scene of the two children hugging.

"They must both be so relieved to be free" said one.

"We've done good here, Gar," said another, as they both looked upon the bloody scene proudly.

They walked towards the kids and one of them crouched to be eye to eye with Max. Max flinched away, squeezing Ari tightly.

"Hey,hey...there's no need to afraid," the man said, smiling softly," all the big bad wolves are gone now"

Ari chose this moment to spring up from Max's arms,outraged.

" They weren't the big bad wolves, your the big bad wolves," he said, his eyes red but his voice strong and unfaltering ," they were our family"

Max stood up and swept Ari behind her, her face was dry not a trace of tears.

" No, kids, you've got it wrong, you see we're the good guys" the crouching man stood while saying " I'm Gary and that's Dylan"

"We're here to help you" Dylan said smiling.

Dylan had a kind face, with a red mop of hair, brown eyes and a freckled face. Max wondered how someone with such a kind face could be so cruel.

Well, I guess looks are deceiving, she thought.

"If your here to help us, why did you kill our family" Max asked.

"They weren't your family, they were wolves they would have hurt you" Gary said as if he was talking to two year olds.

"They would never of hurt us" stated Ari confidently.

"Wolves are aggressive creatures, they'll hurt you, no matter who you are or what you've done" Gary said.

"Well, from where I'm standing, it looks like humans are the aggressive creatures" Max stated looking upon the bodies of the innocent wolf pack, "It looks like you hurt them without knowing who they are, or what they've done"

" You don't understand, your just kids, you'll understand when your older" said Dylan annoyed.

" So when we're older we must kill whoever we want, not caring how it impacts their families?" asked Max.

"You don't understand," repeated Dylan," wolves don't feel"

"Wolves don't feel, you say" Max said walking towards Goldie, " then how come this wolf is dead without a single injury, it's because her family died, she doesn't have a reason to go on, so no, there isn't a single bullet wound" Max paused walking right up to Dylan and staring at him in the eye," she died of a broken heart."

Thanks for reading, please review. Need to know all my rights and wrongs. Opinions are what drive the world forward, not really but who cares as long as you review.

Thanks from the land of carpets

Wingedcarpet