Chapter XII
Dash opened his eyes and blinked a few times. He was lying in his chamber. He sprang to his paws and groaned. He almost fell over.
Dash shook his head a few times and took a step forward. Satisfied that his legs were stable he bolted out of the chamber and down the stone ramp toward the Main Chamber, his claws clicking on the cold stone. The entire Clan seemed to be gathered below.
"Dash?"
Dash stopped and swiveled his head forward. Timbre stood there.
"Timbre, what's going on?" He asked.
"I could ask the same about you." He said "You've been sleeping for nearly twenty-four hours."
Dash nodded and sighed. "I'm fine now. I was… somewhere else. Shasta was there."
Timbre sighed. "I'm sorry Dash." He said. "Look. You alright buddy?"
Dash nodded. "I'm better than alright, better than I've been in a long time."
Timbre nodded, but his expression remained grave. "Well, that's good, we're about to get into the thick of it. We could really use your guidance."
What's going on?" Dash asked.
Timbre sighed. "While you were out 4th Unit ran into a creature out on patrol. I've never seen anything like it. From the description Aleu gave I think it's one of those hunters she talked about encountering in hell. It's been walking toward the cave for days now. We set out and tried to stop it but…"
"…but what?" Dash asked.
"I did my best." Timbre said. He sighed. "We lost 4th Unit trying to take it down."
"The whole Unit?!" Dash exclaimed.
Timbre sighed and nodded. "Leaf's gone Dash."
Dash sighed. "…poor kid." he said.
Timbre nodded. "Now the thing is getting closer to the cave. It should be here any minute. Honestly, I don't know what we're going to do. I've got the Defense Force standing by to cover the rest of the clan's retreat. I hate to leave our home, but the only advantage we have over this thing is speed. The way it cut through 4th Unit." He stopped for a moment. "Dash, they didn't even touch it."
Dash nodded.
"I don't think the whole of the Defense Force can bring it down, but we can keep the thing occupied while the rest of the Clan runs away. I've set a rendezvous at the old scouting area up north."
"…the mountains…" Dash said.
Timbre nodded. "…will slow it down I hope, if it intends to pursue us."
Dash nodded. "Seems sound to me." He said. "While I was out I was spoken to by a white wolf. I thought she was Aniu, but at the end… it definitely wasn't. She said her name was Uina, that she was on a mission to destroy us."
Timbre nodded. "Well at least that explains the appearance of the Hunter."
Dash nodded back. "…yeah, well, let's get down there."
Timbre nodded and the two turned and ran to the Main Entrance. The Defense Force was formed up outside the cave, blocking the entrance.
Timbre ran out in front of them. "Wolves of the Talbourne Defense Force. You are being called upon to serve this day." He sighed. "I'm not going to sugar coat things for you, this is bad. You all know what happened to 4th Unit. We're not trying to bring this thing down. We just need to buy the others enough time to get ahead of it. We may not make it out of this alive, but the important thing is that the others make it away. If that happens I will give the order to retreat. At that time you are to break formation and run as fast as your paws can take you. We'll assemble with the rest of the Clan at rendezvous Bravo, the scouting area, up in the mountains. I'll see you all there, or at Aniu's side." He paused, his vision focused on Melody, who was standing at the front of the group about to leave, their children by her side. He swiveled his head back to the Defense Force. "Lieutenants, take charge of your Units, be ready to move on my signal. He turned and walked to the center and slightly ahead of the large formation of wolves.
A great crash was heard as the hunter toppled over a tree and emerged into the clearing.
"Stand by!" Timbre called.
The creature saw the wolves assembled in front of the cave and roared.
Timbre turned and looked at Dash. "My Alpha, go with them, now!"
Dash longed to stay and fight with his friend, but he knew his duty was to lead the clan. He nodded and took off running around the right side of the cave. The rest of the wolves followed.
Timbre turned back to face the hunter.
"On my command!" Timbre called.
The creature straightened its tail and aimed it at the wolf at the front of the group.
Timbre watched it, knowing what it was about to do. "…on my command!" He called.
The creature suddenly tensed its tail and the blade flew out at Timbre impossibly fast.
Just as the words were leaving Timbre's muzzle a gray flash shot in front of him. The creature's tail blade was knocked aside and lodged into the ground beside him.
Timbre jumped back and turned his head to see Aleu crouched a few feet away, her vision locked on the hunter. Solaris and a fox that was unknown to him charged out of the tree line and ran straight for the hunter.
The hunter growled and began to retract its tail blade.
Solaris looked down at Tikaani and nodded.
Tikaani's eyes glowed bright blue and the glow slowly covered her entire body. She reached out her paws and touched Solaris'.
The blue glow enveloped his paws and when she retracted hers, the glow stayed.
Solaris turned and ran at the creature, just as it shot its spiked legs at Aleu.
Aleu moved impossibly fast and dodged the two spikes just as they whooshed through the air over her head.
Solaris let out a mighty yell and leapt through the air. As he came down he swiped his paw through the tendon connecting the spike. As he hit the ground he rolled and came up on his paws, still running forward. He ducked and slid under the other tendon, swiping with his paw to sever that one as well.
The creature howled and the stumps shot blood onto the snow. The blusish glow around Solaris' paws stuck to the ends of the tendons. It shot upward along the length of the severed flesh and when it had enveloped the limb completely, it vanished.
The creature growled angrily and opened it's maw to shoot a ball of flame toward Aleu.
Aleu still lay on the ground, from dodging the spikes. She barely managed to find her paws and leap clear as the explosion hit the snow, throwing her through the air and to the snow.
The creature was already tracking her falling body with its tail.
Solaris saw it and ran toward her.
The creature howled again and shot its tail blade toward Aleu.
Solaris knew she wouldn't dodge this one. It was too fast and she was still lying on the ground. He sprang forward and prayed to Aniu that his timing was correct.
Aleu looked up just in time to see the tail blade whizzing straight for her face.
Solaris' eyes glowed blue and he shot forward.
Aleu turned her head away from her death blow but heard only a solid thunk. She didn't feel any pain, no blood oozing through her fur. She opened her eyes and saw Solaris crouched on top of the red tendon stretching from the blade he'd deflected. He slashed his paw through the thick muscle and hot blood splashed across his face and chest.
The creature howled in pain.
Aleu was shaking. She'd been certain she was about to die.
Solaris saw her shocked expression and smiled. He shook his fur to fling away as much of the blood as possible, the turned and ran back toward the creature.
The hunter was already tracking Aleu with its other two legs and fired one.
It whizzed over Solaris' head and he couldn't stop himself quick enough to stop it.
Aleu jumped to the side and felt the sharp spike pass so close to her that her fur shifted.
Tikaani growled and leapt upon the tendon, severing it with her jaws.
The creature howled again, but fired another spike, this time aimed at Solaris. He leapt straight up in the air. He'd been concentrating on Aleu and hadn't noticed the creature taking aim at him. As he came down he landed on the spike. The golden wolf/dog held on for dear life as he shot forward with the spike. It embedded into a tree at the side of the clearing and it took all of Solaris' strength to not be thrown violently into the trunk. He tore into the tendon with his teeth and swiped at it with his paws. It cut through and he tumbled to the snow as the spike and tendon disintegrated.
The hunter growled and reared up on its hind legs.
Tikaani turned and nodded at him.
Solaris nodded back and they ran at the hunter from opposite angles. The hunter tracked them with it's heads and loosed fire balls at them.
Both Tikaani and Solaris managed to avoid the lethal blasts.
Solaris reached the hunter first and leapt to the side, avoiding the snapping jaws of the creature. As he landed in the snow he shifted direction and leapt again, landing on the creature's back.
The hunter tried to throw him off but Solaris sank his teeth deep into its neck.
He tore through the thick hide until hot blood gushed into his muzzle and across his face. Then allowed himself to be thrown clear.
He hit the snow and rolled a few times before coming to rest on his belly.
Tikaani leapt atop the hunter and rode its back as it bucked and thrashed. Her eyes glowed bright blue, then a blue beam leapt from the creature's neck wound to her eyes. A white pulse traveled down the beam almost quicker than the eye could follow and the blue beam exploded out of the creature's chest between its front legs.
The hunter gurgled a growl of pain and collapsed to the ground.
Tikaani leapt off the creatures back and rolled as she hit the ground, coming up on her paws.
Solaris climbed to his feet and looked at the hunter. It was dead, lying in a massive pool of blood on top of the snow.
He turned and smiled at Aleu as a chorus of cheers erupted from the Defense Force behind him. Solaris shifted his gaze to Tikaani who smiled and nodded, then ran over to him. Together they ran back to Aleu.
"You alright?" Solaris asked.
Aleu nodded and chuckled. "Thanks to you. You saved my life. I thought that blade was going to take my head off."
Solaris smiled back and Aleu reached up and rubbed the top of his head with her paw. "Guess you're good for something after all."
Solaris laughed.
The three turned and ran up to Timbre who still stood in front of the Defense Force.
"That was amazing Aleu!" Timbre called.
Aleu smiled. "It wasn't us, thank Aniu, she sent us Tikaani here." Aleu pointed her paw at the small fox.
Timbre smiled. "Thank you, we are in your debt." He said.
Tikaani smiled back. "I was in the area." She said.
Timbre was about to say something more when a roar split the forest.
"…another?" Timbre asked.
Aleu looked to Solaris who looked at Tikaani. They turned to look across the clearing, , readying themselves for another battle.
With a violent crash three more hunters crashed through the tree line.
Aleu's eyes opened wide.
Timbre's gaze was fixed on the new threats. "Um… Aleu, can you handle this?"
Aleu looked at Tikaani. Tikaani looked just as shocked and afraid as she did.
Aleu glanced back at Timbre and shook her head.
Timbre turned and saw that none of the Clan save the Defense Force was left. "Alright that's it, wolves of the Talbourne Defense Force, fall back, rendezvous at point Bravo, let's go, stay with your Units, but get out of here, go, now!"
The Defense Force broke and ran as the three hunters howled and shot fireballs at the group.
Aleu turned to Solaris, who had started toward the hunters. "Solaris!" She called.
Searing heat passed by her as the fireballs sped past to explode near the cave, taking a few of the wolves that had been slower to follow Timbre's order with them.
Solaris turned and looked at her.
"This is a fight for another day." She said.
"What do we do?" Solaris asked.
Aleu looked at the hunters. "We run." She said.
Solaris sighed and nodded.
Aleu turned and ran back toward the retreating Defense Force.
Solaris ran a short distance then turned and looked at the hunters. "We'll be back." he said quietly. Then he turned and ran to catch up with Aleu.
The three Hunter's advanced through the clearing with a might roar that was heard throughout the forest.
Some distance away, deep in the forest a winged white wolf stood beside a large rock. She laughed and raised her paw, extending one claw. The wolf placed her claw on the rock and dragged it downward with an ear piercing screech. A thin red line followed her claw. "You will pay for what you did to me Aniu, you will pay by watching your beloved clan suffer, as my family suffered." She reached the base of the rock and turned her paw to the left at a right angle to the first red line. "My father was stubborn. He could have done this long ago, but he honored your…" She stopped speaking and laughed. "…'agreement'." Her claw reached the edge of the rock and she turned her paw to drag the claw upward once more. "I don't make agreements with those I can destroy, nor do I honor them. Since I'm in charge now and he's no longer a problem, you're in a world of trouble." She turned her paw again and traced the red line back toward its beginning. "It's time for judgment day, and it's going to be hell on Earth." The white wolf cackled as her claw tip reached the red line where it had begun.
The white wolf leapt upon the rock as the red lines thickened, spreading to the center of the box she had traced on the rock. A strong wind kicked up and blew through her fur. "My name is Uina…"
The red lines merged and flashed, a reddish glow emanated from the square she had drawn and a shriek was heard from within the rock. Suddnely, demon wolves began pouring from the square into the forest.
"..and I am your judge, jury and executioner." She said.
She watched as the demon army began to assemble in front of the rock, even as more of them poured from the unnatural portal. She tilted her head upward, her fur swept by the rising wind. "I'm coming for you… Talbourne!"
The image of Uina shimmered and faded.
Aniu stood at the foot of a crystal clear pond. She tilted her head upward and closed her eyes, tears spilling from the closed lids and tracing down her muzzle. "Oh great creator, when will you allow me to assist my clan? They cannot stand against the forces that assemble against them. I do not understand why you have not sent word for me to react, but I know that you have your reasons, and that they are good and just. I will obey you. I remain faithful. I ask only that… you protect them."
She lowered her head and stared into the lake, her mind charged with emotion and many different thoughts.
Aniu heard someone walk up behind her and she opened her eyes.
"I'm here." A voice said. "What would you ask of me?"
Aleu turned and saw Balto standing there, a shimmering blue glow around his form.
She smiled.
"Welcome home… my son."
To Be Continued…