Disclaimer: Don't own.
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Chapter 6: Attack
The first thing Jeremie became aware of as his paws met cement instead of grass was the fact that they were being followed, as alerted by his ears as they swiveled back.
The second thing he became aware of as he paused, falling behind his friends as they raced across that bridge was the fact that whoever was following them wasn't human, as alerted by his nose.
No. Scent—and sound—told him the intruder wasn't human.
"Jeremie?"
He glanced up as Aelita called him, and he saw that they were all looking at him, confused by his stop. He woofed softly before looking back.
Something… doesn't feel right…
His ears slowly flattened as the fur along his back and shoulders began to bristle.
Whoever's following us… even if they aren't humans…
His lips curled back to reveal bared teeth, and a low growl rumbled from his throat.
… They definitely aren't normal.
And then he saw it.
Even as a wolf, with slightly enhanced sight, Jeremie just saw a blur out of the corner of his eye—a racing shadow, something fast and dark with four legs that came streaking out of the trees, something large and moving much faster than normal but with an unmistakably canine shape.
"Jeremie?"
And it was heading, without mistake, for his friends.
Jeremie didn't think. For the first time in his life, he had no plan as the dark, large wolf bore down on his friends, on Aelita, who stood in front, between Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and the wolf.
Jeremie didn't think. He just reacted.
He sprang.
And blood sprayed into the air as the sound of snapping bones filled the silence.
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With a sharp cry, Aelita stumbled back, both hands lifted to protect her face and her eyes closed. Slowly, as she realized she hadn't been bitten or scratched, she slowly opened her eyes.
And a choked sob escaped her.
Jeremie crouched between her and the wolf, his eyes glazed over with pain and his whole body trembling. Blood dripped from his shoulder to the ground below, but he bared his teeth and dug his claws into the ground.
And there was no mistaking the XANA symbol that gleamed in the black wolf's golden eyes.
"Einstein," Odd whispered.
The black wolf's eyes narrowed coldly; then, an almost human grin seemed to curve its lips, and it shifted its massive body. Jeremie winced, and his ears flattened against his skull.
The next instant another crack split the air as the wolf dug his teeth deep into Jeremie's shoulder and reared back, tossing the light gray wolf roughly behind him. There was a dull thud as the smaller wolf tumbled along the ground, coming to rest on his side. A trail of blood showed the fall he had taken.
The black XANA wolf studied the trail of blood briefly, lowering its head to catch a whiff; then a low grumbling chuckle escaped its throat, and it swung around to face the gang. Instinctively Odd and Ulrich moved between the wolf and the girls, falling back into fighting stances—but neither could stop their eyes from darting to the light gray figure that lay motionless.
"How good are our chances?" Ulrich spoke between gritted teeth.
"Against a normal, average, every-day wolf? Decent. Against a XANA-possessed super wolf? Not so decent."
"… I was afraid of that."
The wolf slowly lifted its tail, letting it swish almost contemplatively. It cocked its head slightly to one side and its ears swiveled forward as its eyes gleamed.
It almost seemed as if XANA was laughing at them.
Ulrich clenched his teeth and Odd narrowed his eyes. The black wolf took a single step.
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From where he lay, Jeremie was dimly aware of a burning pain in his shoulder, and the wetness of blood on his fur. He wondered numbly if it had broken—he'd heard bones snap when XANA had dug its teeth in.
Slowly, he titled his head, trying to get a better look at what was going on behind him without moving.
He had to get up.
For a moment he lay still, just a moment; then, slowly, he narrowed his eyes and rested one paw on the ground, bracing himself. A tremor ran through his body and his shoulder throbbed, but he ignored it and placed his other paw down; then, trembling, he pulled himself up by his front legs.
He staggered and weaved for a moment, and blood ran down his leg to the ground below; he shook his head to clear the haze that was gathering in his eyes
Jeremie looked up. His muscles tensed.
A sharp bark escaped him.
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Everything seemed to freeze. Even the XANA wolf stiffened, then slowly looked back.
Jeremie was standing. Just barely, and his whole body was trembling as blood ran through his fur and down his leg, forming a puddle on the ground, slightly favoring a paw; but he was standing, his teeth bared in a snarl and his fur bristling.
And he was ready to fight.
As XANA swung around completely to face him, the light gray wolf glanced at his friends.
"Jeremie?" Aelita's voice was weak, uncertain.
He woofed softly, then faced XANA again.
They understood. Odd and Ulrich relaxed their stances as Yumi touched Aelita's arm, helping her up. "Come on," she whispered to the pink haired girl. "We have to go."
"But Jeremie—"
"He wants us to go. Come on. He's the only one who can…"
The words caught in Yumi's throat as Aelita swung wide, terrified green eyes on her—suddenly, it was obvious that she understood what Jeremie was going to do.
"No," she whispered.
"Come on!" Odd raced past her. "Move it or lose it!"
With one last, anguished look at Jeremie, Aelita followed her friends.
The two wolves were left alone.
As the gang ran into the elevator, a battle howl pierced the darkening sky.
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This chapter... did not want to cooperate...
Was I the only one amused by Aelita's sly look at Jeremie at the end of The Lake? I snickered when she did that.
Read and review, please!