Disclaimer: I do not own anything you can recognize from any book EVER. If you recongnize anything from any movie or book—anything, it isn't mine.

Chapter 11

"Watch...yay" Maya grumbled after they left. Grand Kanon also had left. So alone...but Jay was still there.

"Hey Maya. Come with me to the den" he said faintly, Maya shook her head. Her taiga, though, had said that she could go. Kalamar said that he'd stay and watch, since the Chieftain wasn't here.

Jay was in the den with Maya.

"What?" She sighed.

Jay smirked. "Moonblinking. Ever heard of it?" asked Jay, and she nodded.

"What about it?" she asked, getting nosy.

"Snake. He knows how to do it. Learned from the MacHeath. Want to learn it?"

Maya scowled. "Never! It's too cruel!" She snarled.

Marlo was getting a stronger scent, though he knew not where Shadow was going. He had to keep following.

"What are you doing here?" A MacHeath growled as Marlo approached.

"Oh, why not learn moonblinking? Its fun!" Jay said.

Maya gave an odd face. "Fun...?"

Marlo gulped at the size of the wolf. "Looking for a friend... why?" he replied.

"Yeah! Just think of it...power over any living thing's mind," said Jay, his voice with a convincing tone.

Maya lifted an eyebrow. "Anything? No." she grumbled.

Jay frowned. "Trust me. Your friends won't...please, I'm different than Audren. I may have done evil, but won't you forgive?" asked Jay with whines and pleads.

Dremrin looked down strangely at the two wolves talking below. What is he saying...? he thought.

Maya sighed, but she felt like she was being observed and her hackles raised. Jay looked up to see another wolf, Dremrin.

"Hi!" Dremrin called.

"Hi" Maya said, this wolf was Marlo's taiga. Jay snarled at Dremrin.

"You seem upset, Jay," Dremrin said in a fake concern. "May I ask why?"

"Oh, just that I can't talk to poor Maya in peace. She really needs a talking to," Jay said in his best cheerful fake voice. Maya glared at Jay. "Something about moon-!" Jay nudged her.

As Silverside was clearing his mind and practicing hunting he got a whiff of a familiar scent which was Shadow's (son of Lord Adair) Maya said he was dead how is this possible? he thought. (Silverside's tummfraw is an Ice floe near the black glass desert on the river) Silverside wondered what was going on because his senses were better than any other wolf he knew.

Shadow, son of Adair, sauntered meekly down an ice flow. Maya... He thought. Just two days earlier, he had awoken. Buried within the ground after the storms. Corpse still in good condition. He was known to be dead, but he had escaped it, faking.

He didn't have the disease, but he was haunted with guilt because of his poor Maya...

The supposed-dead wolf could hear a wolf miles away. He heard the malcadh Silverside.

"You know what?" Marlo smiled to the MacHeath wolf. "I doubt he's here. I'll go look somewhere else." With that, he ran off.

Before Marlo could move, the wolf blocked him. "Why try finding your cursed friend, cursed wolf? It's just another failed idea. How does it feel to be different? How does it feel not to be normal?" The wolf; Maxon of the MacHeath sneered. "I used to pity you wolves but now I think you're just a stupid excuse for living beings. Why don't you ignorant excuse of wolves and all the others at the Ring leave? Normal wolves do a much better job at anything than you cursed wolves. That's what all you wolves are cursed!" Maxon jeered at Marlo, not caring whether he would react or not. If this wolf attacked him, he would have one more excuse for killing their pathetic species. "Cursed one! Demon! Bug! You are just a little bug," Maxon said, motioning to an ant on the ground before slamming his paw onto it, killing it. "A bug that needs to die." Maxon said, a wicked smile on his face.

Marlo felt a tear in his eye- not because of these remarks, but because he would remember his father's disownment long ago. "I will return to the Ring to anger you less," he said slowly. "I am sure the Fengo will be delighted to hear your immense respect for a Watch Wolf. Your words may annoy me, but really... bug? That's the best you could come up with? How about rat- agent of the Dim World- master of the Dim World- evil portrait of wolf? I've had enough. Thank you."

"Hey Marlo, son of Aldwyn MacAngus, how does it feel to be the son of a coward? How does it feel to be lesser than your brother? How does it feel to be cursed?" Maxon taunted, not scared at his promises of telling the Fengo.

Marlo stood tall. "Fine, thank you," he replied. "What is it that makes my father a coward? That makes it bad to be lesser than my brother? That makes me sad to be cursed? I'm fine now- my family loves me enough, I am a Watch Wolf, and I have friends who love me. I am anything but cursed."

"It makes him a coward because he wasn't brave enough to keep his mate from leaving. And take a look in a mirror sometime." Maxon sneered, not losing his touch before bounding off.

A wolf watched from behind a bush and stepped out, it was Airmead. "I'm sorry about Maxon. He's just not like his brother. If you're looking for him, he went to the blood watch." Airmead said in a friendlier tone.

Marlo nodded. "Thank you," he said, submitting before turning back towards the Ring. He would try to look for Shadow along the way, but he had to get to Watch soon.

The royal Shadow made his idea of changing his name to Shade. He started to head towards the direction of the Watch. He wanted to get word to Fengo.

Marlo was hopeless in his searching. He wished Shadow would appear somewhere, so he headed east in further search.

Shade somehow managed to make his way, staggering, to the Watch. "Ello?!" Cried Shade.

This is hopeless, thought Marlo. He thought maybe he could go back to the Watch, tell Maya of how he had failed, and then rest before setting out again. Maybe Shadow could find him.

Maya walked out of the den on the Watch to see a raggedy wolf outside. "Hey! Why are you here?" growled Maya, Shade backed up.

Marlo could now see Maya, so he quickened his pace into the Ring. He trotted up beside her, glancing at the raggedy wolf.

"Ah, Marlo. Good of you to arrive. I'm afraid I have some terrible news. And who are you young man?" The Fengo asked, looking from Marlo to the raggedy furred wolf.

Marlo was eager to hear the bad news, but he waited for the wolf to answer.

"I'm uh...Shade, I have come to talk to you, Fengo, for personal reasons," replied Shade. He shuddered as he looked at Maya.

"Shade?" Marlo asked. He had heard Maya speak of him before.

"Wait inside my den." Fengo told shade before turning to Marlo. "Marlo. Dear, loyal and friendly Marlo. It's about Shadow you see. I'm afraid he's gotten very sick." Fengo told him and his eyes looked rather spooked about speaking about it.

Marlo's tail shot upwards. "What?" he asked. "Where is he?"

"He is here. He came here looking for you. We don't know what has happened. We thought you might know. He's been asking for you for quiet some time now." Fengo explained.

I knew he looked sick, Marlo thought. "I'd like to see him," he said.

Shade waited as if he'd never been there. Silent as a shadow...he peeked looks over at Maya, but noticed she had been disturbed by him.

She only waited, just like the strange wolf had. Overhearing Marlo and the Fengo's talking while she daydreamed.

"He is in my den. Go see him. I must see to our Guest." Fengo nodded to Marlo before turning to Shade. "How can I help you?"

As Fengo and Shade had their conversation, Marlo trotted off quickly towards Hamish's den, peeking inside to find Shadow.

"It will be oddly strange but...I used to be dead. I was the son of Adair, leading in his footsteps when Lamarian killed me. I'm not being cags mag, it's the truth! I swear to you Fengo." said Shade calmly.

Maya silently followed Marlo. "Blahuaaaa!" Maya nearly cried in Marlo's ear.

"HUH?"

"Hi! I haven't talked to you for almost years!" exaggerated Maya. She have him a grin. "What's gone on between you and the fengo?"

"Shadow is sick," Marlo muttered sadly. "I don't know why."

After hearing this, her grin faded into a frown. "What? Do...do you think it's the..." Maya paused. "Disease?"

Marlo whimpered. "I hope not," he whispered. "I'll have to ask the Fengo."

"Really hope it isn't. We really don't need anymore deaths from the cursed disease" she grumbled. "I'd go straight up to his infector and bite him". Maya hated deaths from the disease. It turned you into a crazed monster before you were cruelly and brutally killed by it.

"Yes, but I bet that would make you sick too," Marlo suggested. "Why don't you just claw him?"

Maya looked down at her claws. Her claws were too short. Most Canis Dirius were known for their strong and powerful bone crushing jaws. "I'm sure it wouldn't." She said. "And if I were, I'd stay away from you, Marlo. So I wouldn't get you infected."

Marlo nuzzled her. "I just hope everything turns out fine." he whispered.

"Me too," she sighed. She only gave him a short little nuzzle. She'd never actually given a nuzzle to a wolf before.

Marlo growled, walking away. "Fengo?" he called.

A voice interrupted his call. "Marlo? Is that you? Come closer my friend. I'm afraid I can't see.'' Shadow's voice said from the den.

Marlo turned around, running towards the den. "Shadow!" he cried. "Are you alright? I heard you were sick!"