Hi there, how's it going? I ended up rushing the fight scene because #1 I suck at fight scenes and #2 I was like a junkie looking for more reviews, lol. I Hope the rest is okay, Please review, cause it keeps me going!

Maximus

Three miles upwind…

Maximus finished up her tactical planning with the other experienced warriors as fast as she could. She was still confused over bits and pieces of her conversation with Fang. What did he mean by avoiding the obvious? They were mates, and he was a male. It should be totally natural for him to be constantly trying to consummate their love.

She let out a frustrated sigh, which caused the other shifters to all glance in her direction curiously. With a quick shake of her head and an "It's nothing." Most of them immediately went back to ignoring her. Secretly, some part of Max wanted to be that close to Fang. She didn't want any other females to mistake him for a free meal. As far as she was concerned, he was hers only. No sharing allowed. Still, Fang had never gone farther than kissing with her.

Finally, Max found herself heading back to her tent. Careful to hide her anticipation and excitement, she walked in to greet him.

Sitting under the covers half naked was Fang. Certainly there was no better looking man in all of the camp. His dark eyes took in her form, and then caught her own. A light smirk crept across his features as he raised his blanket and beckoned her over. Surely this was it. Max slipped off her overcoat and boots, stalling for time. When she was done though, she had nothing left to do but accept his invitation. A clenching of muscles brought her attention to the tanned roll of firm muscles that ran down his stomach. She could feel the heated blush rising over her face.

"Well don't just look, come over here." came his impatient voice. Without realizing she had done it, she licked her lips and slid into his arms. "I missed you." He whispered against her lips before capturing them in a slow kiss. She could do nothing. Her heart had melted before she even got the chance to retaliate. Fang pulled her close, and started massaging her back, pawing at it as if to assure her that everything would be okay. For a moment she believed it. Perhaps if this were a perfect world, she would have the freedom to simply spend her days loving him. They would have had a small, cozy house overlooking the ocean and surrounded by wildflowers. She would already be married to him in a traditional ceremony, and her belly would be swollen with their first child.

Fang's hand pulled her chin up and she gazed into his eyes. They shared each other's warm breath for a moment, before Max closed the distance and lightly kissed him. He kissed her back just as lightly, and they continued to hold each other's gaze. Suddenly, the wounded male grew bolder, and he bit her lip. Max pulled back to yelp, and he took that chance to slip his tongue in. Max could only moan at the stronger sensations occurring between them. Was this it? Were they finally going to make love?

Maximus shivered as Fang's lips traveled down her neck, stopping just shy of her shoulder. When he started sucking, she gasped in surprise and glared down at him. It hurt! A minute later, he let go and pulled back with a smirk on his face.

"Now everyone knows you are mine." He said triumphantly.

A burning sensation flew over her face as she touched the tender spot. A raised bump sat where Fang had sucked on her. "You didn't just…!" Max sat up, feeling the hickey he had left. Fang pulled her back down and started to initiate by slipping his hands under her shirt. Her heart thudded and she freaked out. She stopped him, pushing him away. "I.. I don't think I'm ready…" Max started. Fang shushed her and laid down beside her.

"It's okay," He said, lifting her hand and kissing the backs of her fingers lightly. "We'll go at your pace. I have a whole lifetime to spend with you, and I'm not going to rush you. I love you, Max…"

"I love you too" She answered.

Angel

Things couldn't get much worse on Angels side of the field. Presently she was tied up and sitting next to the Mountain Shifter Leader. He was a gruesome, muscular man with an eerie glint to his eye. She noticed almost instantly that he had strangely familiar black hair, that was so long and dark that he seemed to be covered in shadow. His name was Butch, and he ruled over the Mountain Shifters with an armored fist. Angel had been using her powers to perceive his feelings but he seemed to have a sort of shield covering his innermost thoughts. The most she could get out of him was that he was scared of something. Angel was slightly confused by this, since it seemed that he had everything well under control. Butch was the scary one.

Soon after she had been presented to him and turned into a useless ornament by his side, a messenger arrived. It seemed that he was bearing news from another group of forces not too far away.
"Your Highness," The messenger bowed deeply. "I bring news from your honorable son, Prince Ari."

The Leader leaned forward, and smirked. "Well don't keep me waiting! What's the news?" He asked.

"Prince Ari states that he has received words from the scouts that The Demon Prince was spotted on two separate runs. The first time, he was flying with the female Leader of the Seaside Shifters, and the second time he was massacring a battalion of our soldiers who had been sent to start a raid on the main town." The messenger gulped. "Your Highness, it seems that he has taken the side of the Seaside shifters!"

Angel was shocked. Max knew a relative of the Mountain Leader? And he was a Prince! Probably very dangerous by the name they labeled him with as well as the description of his attacking soldiers. Then she started to click one and one together. That wounded shifter! That was probably him, and she had never even thought that he could have been a Prince! This could be very dangerous for Maximous if she got on his bad side. All she knew was that Max had spent a night off with him. Angel was shaken out of her thoughts by a sudden rise in the Leader's fear as he considered this news. So this was what he was scared of.

She found that a crack had opened in his mental shield, and Angel snuck in, searching for weaknesses. What she found horrified her. Flashbacks of blood and children crying as their mothers' lay in growing rivers of blood. The Leader, significantly younger, simply walked through the chaos and calmly slipped into a huge bedroom, where a regal looking man with long dark hair was throwing on clothes.

"Butch! What's going on out there?" He said hurriedly as he finished and threw on a robe. Angel could feel the murderous intent as Butch took advantage of the Leader's back towards him and he thrust his blade deep into the older man's flesh. A gasp rang out and they both slumped to the floor. The wounded man coughed and without turning, started to talk. "Why did you stab me, brother?" Another cough echoed through the room. "What did I ever do to you?" Then the man slumped and was still.

Angel could feel the immediate sense of release as Butch pulled out his sword and ran out, dashing into the women's chambers and ordering his men to halt. "Where is Mabel?" He shouted to a sobbing maid who held her mistresses' hand. The Leader's First Wife was bleeding out and her eyes searched they room without really seeing. Butch lifted her sword to the weeping handmaid's throat and repeated his question, this time with a threatening glare. She choked in shock and then pointed a shaking finger down the hall. "Fffirst dddoor on your right in th the north hall, sir!" She cried. Then Butch killed her, feeling no remorse as he watched her life bleed out to mingle with the former Mistress of the Mountain Shifters.

He sent soldiers out to fetch this Mabel person, and Angel saw a slender beauty get led to his feet. Instantly she feared for the woman's life. The scene changed, and they were in a secret compartment, free from any of the blood and gore in the previous vision.

"Mabel, is it true that you have given birth to a son and kept him secret from the world?" The new leader asked, lounging in a gaudy throne. He thought the reason why Mabel had hidden him was because the previous Leader had not been the real father.

Mabel cringed, and bowed. "I'm sorry, My Highness, but I feared for his life when he was born…" She paused and slowly started to smile "The truth is he is your son, not Jeb's. Remember that night we secretly shared before I was wed to him? That's when he was conceived." She looked up at Butch, and Angel could tell that he was in love with her by the fact that he was so easily deceived. "Mine? He's mine? I must meet him then! He will be my heir and you shall be my queen!" The Leader jumped up and started to swing Mabel into a dance.

The scene changed again, and this time Butch was older. From what angel could see, a special ceremony was about to be held. Three boys were lined up regally before their Leader. One of them in particular caught her eye immediately. It was the mountain shifter who had saved Matik! Only he was much younger, and didn't show any sign of the scars that she had seen on his neck when she had helped to treat him. Angel watched as in succession, the youngest shifted for the first time, and then the middle child. They were very nicely colored red-tailed hawks, obviously related. Then the oldest shifted, obviously having a bit of a harder time concentrating his power. A collection of gasps reverberated around the room as his true form was shown to be an Albino Red-Tailed hawk with wings that where so beautifully white that light seemed to radiate off of them.

Immediately the Leader stood and shouted angrily: "DEMON! That boy is a DEMON!" and all chaos broke out. Soldiers came from all over and attacked him, and the young prince battled for his life. Angel could only assume he got out safely because before she could see what happened next, the mental shield pushed her out. Angel blinked, and looked around; noticing that only a few seconds had passed. The Leader stood, "Go and tell my son that he is to capture that Demon Prince by any means possible. I will reward anyone who brings him to me, whether he is dead or alive doesn't matter. Now go!" he said with authority. Then he turned and glared at her. "Don't you ever sneak into my head again, or I will personally skin you."

Angel shrieked in pain as Butch yanked her up by her hair. "Someone take this kid away. Lock her up somewhere and guard her closely." He said, yawning. "I've had enough of her for now"

Fang

He knew something was up when he woke in the middle of the night to men shouting and Max jumping out of his arms. She threw on her coat and boots and disappeared before he could call out to her. Leaping out of the bed, he hurried to follow her. As soon as he walked out of the tent though, it was chaos. Fire encased many of the other tents and even some of the supplies. At the same time, enemy soldiers where fighting the Seaside Shifters, and winning out of sheer number. Fang roared in anger as he saw Max's friends fall one by one. He ran to the nearest body and lifted a curved sword from it. The weapon had a strange hook like style to it that made it look utterly lethal.

With a testing swipe, Fang attacked a nearby Mountain shifter who was in the middle of raiding a tent. The wolf-like man howled in pain and dodged away, swinging his own straight sword just in time to meet Fang's second strike. They circled and Fang used the few seconds to recompose himself and remember his skills in fighting. Swish and flick, then bring the blade up. Within a minute, Fang had disarmed the other, and he finished him off quickly to avoid leaving him in pain.

Fang continued fighting the invaders, becoming surer of himself with each enemy soldier he fought. Soon he was twirling and feinting with ease, quickly turning the tables on the invaders. They quickly realized that they were outmatched and retreated back to wherever they had come from. He was covered in soot and sweat by the time he and the others had managed to put out the remaining fires. "Don't use reserve water! Use the nearby river to clean up, and don't dump bodies in there." He called out to his new friends. Then he motioned to one of the other officers to help him. "I need you to help me find Leader Maximous. It's very important that she was not harmed in the fight." The soldier nodded with a smile, and trotted off.

He was nervous, that much was obvious to the other Seaside shifters, searching the camp from top to bottom until he found Max back at the spot where the enemies had retreated. As he approached unnoticed, he listened to the conversation she was having with a young shifter. "And you didn't see where he went after that?" She asked worriedly.

The man shook his head. "He was here and then he just wasn't. I was too busy trying to help the wounded to notice where he had gone.

Fang frowned and spoke. "Who is gone? Did somebody important go missing during the fight?"

The two jumped and whirled at the sound of his voice. However, only Max threw herself at him.

"Fang!" She hugged him so hard that he found it hard to breath, but he allowed it and took in her scent. After a few minutes they separated and Max looked him up and down. "I was so worried when you weren't back at the tent…" She drifted off as Fang pouted handsomely at her.

"How could you think I would let my mate go out without me into battle?" He pulled her back into the hug. He kissed her forehead and whispered: "I Love You".

So this was my chance to show some more background into the characters, and yes, Butch is crazy. He's an OC bad guy because I didn't want to use too many Maximum Ride names. This storyline is mine even though I'm using my favorite characters from James Patterson's stories. So, look forward to the next chapter. I've planned out the rest of the plot, and the next two chapters will have the big fight and hopefully the prelude to an ending. When I get done with this one, I have decided to start on a MLP Fanfic, so if any of you like that then follow me, ill have more info on that soon. I wish you all a happy month.J