Chapter nine. 80k words in, in 2 and a half weeks. I've been writing like crazy, and I couldn't be happier! It's nice to be back in the saddle. And just think, there's still another 21 chapters coming up. Be prepared for something big! Enjoy!
A young girl was running, panting. She tripped on an unseen rock, toppling forward. She pushed herself back up and glanced back, hearing the howling of wolves following her. She started running again as the bushes behind her rustled. Running, running. The wolves started to catch up to her under the light of the full moon. She continued running, ducking under one fallen tree before jumping over the next. She looked back, tears streaming down her face, and ran into another one, going flying over it and rolling down a hill behind it. She landed hard and slowly got up, looking back, terrified.
Those memories crossed Wolf's mind as she took a breather from trying to get away from Kipo. The bushes nearby rustled, and Benson popped out of them. "Wolf! Stop!" He panted. Atom came out behind him.
"Are you really just going to abandon her?" He asked. Wolf shook her head, refocusing.
"So what if Kipo's part Mute?" Asked Benson. "We all have secrets. That one's just, a little bigger!" He smiled at her, and she glared at him. Atom sighed.
"Back to running after you?" Wolf turned quickly and started running again, seemingly moving even faster than before. "Called it!" Atom ran after her, breathing heavily as Benson tried to keep up. However, he slowed down to a stop, completely out of breath.
"Her legs are so short." He panted. "How is she so fast?!" After his quick breather, he started running again, trying to catch up.
Fear of humans, fear of what they'll do
Fear of others, no matter where you go
Taken from your home, forever lost
One light in the distance,
But oh so far away,
Run towards the light,
Away from your fear
Kipo was riding a dragonfly driven by Jamack as it went through the air, her hands tied up to stop her from doing anything. She strained against them, holding Dave in her arms. Leo was pressing himself into the side of her neck to stop himself from being blown off by the high speed winds. "Let us go!" Kipo yelled. "This is not a good time to get kidnapped! We're kinda in the middle of something!" Jamack scoffed.
"Oh, sorry about that. Hop off anywhere you like!" Kipo looked around. The ground was hundreds of feet below them. She gasped.
"Fine. Land and then let us go!"
"And then what, burrow girl? Every Mute in the city is after you."
"What?" Asked Kipo. "Why would they be after me?"
"One guess." Whispered Leo. Jamack glared back at her.
"Scarlemagne. He knows where you're from. And that you can lead him to your dirt loving humans." Jamack steered the dragonfly up, cutting by some clouds. "With them, he'll have an army large enough to conquer the surface. Whoever hands you over get to live in his palace, wear fancy clothes, and be the second most powerful Mute in the city!" He looked back at Kipo. "Let's just say I've already sent my measurements." He gave a few tugs to his shirt to emphasize.
"You wouldn't hand me to Scarlemagne!" Argued Kipo. "Deep down you know it's wrong! I saved your life!"
"Oh, what? From the Newton Wolves? I would've escaped on my own." He looked away. "Eventually."
"Really?" Countered Kipo. "Cause the way I remember it, you were all 'Oh, woe is me. I am to die here alone with the burrow girl!' And I was all 'I'm gonna bust you outta here!'"
"I'm gonna bust you out of here." Mocked Jamack. "Face the facts! It's a Mute eat Mute world up here! And you're a human."
"You sound just like my friend Wolf. Except she's more of a 'humans rule, Mutes drool' kind of gal. And I'm like, can't we all rule?" Jamack turned away from her.
"I'm guessing that's a no from him." Whispered Leo.
"Well you sound like a headache!" Stated Jamack. "So," a bug suddenly flew into his mouth, and he quickly spat it out. A bee made angry noises at him, flashing a wide array of colors. Jamack swatted at it, eventually smacking it back and away from him. It glared at him before following.
Wolf walked through a bush, still trying to get away. She looked around as Benson and Atom came out of the same bush, still following her. Benson took a breather as Atom kept up with her, staying the same distance away. "Man, I am way, out of shape." Said Benson. He caught up to Atom. "Are you doing cardio when we're asleep or something?"
"It's probably something else." Said Atom, before he and Benson were suddenly swiped by Stalkie, sending them both to the ground with Wolf glaring at them menacingly, Stalkie ready to strike.
"Turn back now before you get lost." She threatened.
"Look, I get where you're coming from." Said Benson, trying to push Stalkie away a bit. Wolf aimed it directly at his face. "I'm a surface person, you're a surface person, we're the same." He grabbed onto Stalkie and pushed the sharp point away. "We're survivors." He slowly stood up, keeping a hand on Stalkie to keep Wolf from attacking him right then and there. "And Kipo? She looks at an erupting volcano and sees a fountain of rainbows and teddy bears."
"What's a teddy bear?" Asked Wolf, drawing Stalkie back upright.
"Exactly!" Said Benson. Atom slowly got up.
"Well, a Teddy Bear is" the two glanced at him. "Right, not important. Shutting up now." Benson looked back at Wolf.
"I know it's weird that she's part Mute, or turning into a Mute, or whatever's happening, but, she's still Kipo." Wolf turned away. "You're not really gonna bail on her, are you?" Wolf started to turn back to him, but gasped at what she saw as she did. She jumped at Benson, tackling him. Atom turned the same way then jumped back, getting into the bush just as some Scooter Skunks rode by. They screeched to a stop.
"Are we sure the burrow girl and her friends are down here?" Asked one.
"They aren't on the road, so keep searching." Said another. "Nobody hands them to Scarlemagne but the Scooter Skunks!" She started riding again, and the other two followed quickly. Everyone popped out of the bush.
"Scarlemagne is after us?!" Asked Benson.
"It would appear so." Said Atom.
"This is bad. Real bad." Continued Benson. "Even worse than that smell. Wow, those skunks are ripe!" Atom shrugged.
"Can't really smell it. It's kinda muted." Wolf started moving again.
"He's after you. There is no 'us'." She turned away. "I'm getting out of here."
"Seriously?!" Asked Benson. "We were this close to getting Kipo back to her father!" He began to follow her. "We could see the second clover from the trash canyon! We have to go back there!" Atom realized something.
"Wait, we left Kipo there, alone." He said. Mandu suddenly pushed through the bush, oinking and squealing like crazy. She ran around Benson.
"Mandu?" He asked. He looked at her as she kept squealing. "I don't speak squeal!" Atom shook his head.
"I don't think we need to." He said. "Put the puzzle together." Mandu glared at Benson.
"Oh no." He realized. "You don't think one of those Mutes got Kipo, Dave, and Leo?" He turned to Wolf. "We've gotta help them!"
"I don't gotta do anything but survive long enough to get out of this death trap!" Countered Wolf, looking back. She jumped up on a long abandoned truck, then jumped up to a broken section of the overpass. "I won't be hunted over a couple of Mutes."
"Leo is not a Mute!" Argued Atom.
"He's close enough to one." Wolf turned away and continued walking.
"Maybe you've never had a friend before but this is not how friends treat each other." Said Benson. Wolf stopped walking, thinking back.
Two wolf children wrestled each other, pushing and shoving, growling as a young girl watched. One clawed at the other, who deftly dodged under it, before grabbing the first's arm and flipping him over. He landed hard on the ground and the two glared at each other, before laughing. The young girl started to walk over to them and they looked at her, before glaring and growling, then running away. She straightened her tie, then looked the other way at another pair of wolves. The two were slapping at each other, then one lifted the other up, straining under the larger wolf's weight. He quickly collapsed, and the two wolves laughed. The young girl walked up to them and waved, but they glared at her as well, growling before they rushed off. She watched them leave, before looking around a little. "She hasn't made much progress." Said a female wolf, standing in front of a house.
"We only found her a year ago. Give her time." Said the other. The young girl kept walking around, but all the wolves kept going away from her, not giving her a chance. She then noticed one lone wolf by a bush, gently picking flowers. The young girl walked up to her as she put a tiara of the flowers on her head, before looking back at the young girl. The two smiled again, and the wolf took the tiara off and looked back to the bush. She bit it apart and did some quick work, before getting up and looking at the young girl. She grabbed the young girl's hand, then put a bracelet of the flowers on her arm. The young girl looked at them, then back at the wolf, who showed her own bracelet. The two moved to the center of the yard, and the young girl grabbed the wolf's shirt. The wolf, in turn, grabbed her arm. The two wrestled a bit, but the wolf quickly overpowered the young girl, flipping her over and slamming her onto the ground. The other wolf children ran up to see, just as the young girl took advantage of her position to pull the wolf down with her. They all started laughing as the two older wolves glanced over to them, then at each other. One gave a half hearted half smile.
"Yeah, and then, and then she just ran off!" Said Kipo. "After everything we'd been through! We faced a Mega Monkey, fought a two beaked bird,"
"Don't forget Mulholland." Whispered Leo.
"Were captured by a dream Mute, braided each other's hair" Kipo paused after that one. "Ok, we haven't braided each other's hair, but it's gonna happen! And now she's willing to throw all those good things away just because," Jamack whimpered, "well, one thing that isn't even my fault!"
"Oh, boo hoo!" Challenged Jamack. "So your friend ran off on you! At least she didn't snip your tie and kick you out of the only home you've ever known!" He pressed his face into Kipo's, angry about having to listen to her complain about Wolf. Kipo leaned back a bit, not really sure how to respond.
"Man, that sounds rough." She eventually said. "Wanna talk about it?"
"No!" Yelled Jamack. "No more talking!" He faced forward again, and Kipo sighed. She looked to the side, then saw Kwat fly up to meet her gaze before falling back down.
"Uh, Jamack?" She said.
"I said, no, more, tal huh?" Harris and Kwat flew up next to them on the other side, drawing Jamack's attention away.
"Knock knock Jamack!" Said Harris, flying the dragonfly.
"Oh, it's you two." Sneered Jamack. "Nice try, but the burrow girl is mine!"
"Oh you know we're gonna take her from you!" Said Kwat. "We've got the Mod Frogs at our back! And all you've got is a stolen dragonfly."
"Also, your tie, is uneven." Mocked Harris. Kwat laughed as Jamack looked down. He suddenly looked back up, then rammed his dragonfly into theirs, knocking them away. Harris suddenly whipped out his tongue, wrapping it around Kipo. He started pulling her back as Jamack grabbed her with his tongue.
"Sounds like you guys are dealing with some rough stuff." She said. "Maybe we should all land and talk this out?"
"Before someone takes a nasty fall!" Called Leo.
"Who said that?" Asked Kwat.
"Fat chance!" Mumbled Jamack, suddenly launching himself at Harris. The two collided, and everyone fell off the dragonflies, and began freefalling. They fell through a cloud, screaming. Jamack shook his head, refocusing. Leo started pulling at Kipo's shirt, slowing her fall just slightly.
"You're, heavy!" He grunted. Harris and Kwat managed to latch onto their dragonfly, and got stabilized.
"Oh give it up Jamack!" Said Harris, looking back at him. "You've been a loser since you were a tadpole."
"Hey! That's not fair!" Called Kipo. "He managed to get me this far all by himself! That's gotta count for something!"
"Wait." Said Kwat, looking back at Jamack. "Are you and the human," she and Harris glanced at each other, "pals?" They both began laughing loudly.
"Goodness!" Laughed Harris.
"Would you stop defending me?!" Demanded Jamack. He shot his tongue out and grabbed Kwat's head, shooting himself down. He shot his tongue at Kipo and grabbed her, pulling her in.
"Whoa!" She said. Leo barely hung on, yelling the entire time. Jamack then shot at the dragonfly, snagging it and pulling himself and Kipo onto it. He began masterfully controlling it, flying it down, then quickly shooting it parallel to the ground and into a forest. He shot his tongue out and around a tree to help make a very tight corner. Kwat and Harris followed, but Kwat got her head hit on a branch, sending the dragonfly off balance, then they didn't make the turn, crashing into a tree. Jamack looked back and laughed.
"I still have the old magic." He said.
"You sure do." Said Kipo. She tossed Dave up and jumped off the dragonfly, catching herself on a branch with the rope around her wrists, and catching Dave in her legs, with a little help from Leo grabbing onto his cocoon and slowing him down.
"Remind me to not follow one of your plans next time." He panted.
"Oh shush!" Said Kipo. The branch started creaking, then suddenly snapped, sending all three to the ground. Kipo landed on her back, holding Dave up, who suddenly molted into Toddler Dave. Kipo sat up, holding him. She set him down, then bit at the rope, managing to rip it off. She grabbed Dave again as Leo settled on her shoulder. "Come on, we've gotta warn the others!" She started moving, but Jamack suddenly jumped down in front of her, blocking her exit.
"This guy never gives up!" Said Leo.
"Oh, nice try burrow girl, but you forget, you're at the bottom of the food chain. And I plan on going to the top." He suddenly reached out and grabbed Leo.
"Hey!" He said.
"And I'll be keeping this little guy as collateral. You think I didn't hear him talking to you?" Kipo sighed, then gasped as the ground started to crumble under them. It suddenly fell through, sending everyone down screaming. They all landed hard, and Kipo was the first one to recover. She looked up at the hole they had come from, then sat up from the imprint in the ground she had left. Leo wiggled out of Jamack's grip and flew over to Kipo quickly, landing on her shoulder again. Jamack slowly got back up, groaning. Teen Dave suddenly popped out of Toddler Dave, sitting up.
"Ew, why is it so dark and dusty?" He asked. "I'm not scared, it's just weird." He looked up and some dirt fell on him. He sneezed, molting into his normal form as he was flung backwards, almost hitting a baby Mega Bunny. It yawned and readjusted itself, nearly flattening Dave with a paw. "Whoa!" He said, scrambling away.
"Nobody freak out, but I think we fell into a Mega Bunny warren." Said Kipo. She heard Jamack hyperventilating and turned to him.
"Not the bunnies." He whimpered. "Not again!" Kipo walked up next to him.
"Oh!" She said. "Look at that snuggle little snoozy bunny face!" Leo bashed into her neck, trying to get her to stop.
"No!" He said. Kipo took a breath and refocused.
"No, we can't pet it!" She told herself. "Remember what happened last time?" She glanced at the bunnies again. "Unless we wash our hands." Leo flew into her hand, smacking it. Kipo recoiled. "No! Resist the, urge, to, pet!" She started holding her arm back as the ground began to shake. Everyone looked to a giant hole in the wall as a shadow started to emerge in it. Jamack's pupils shrank until they were nothing but pinpricks. He started freaking out.
"What do we do?! Where do we go?! We bury ourselves! It's the only way!" He got on his hands and knees and started to dig himself a hole.
"Whoa, this dude is full on freaking out." Said Dave.
"Well, he did kinda get taken by a Mega Bunny a while ago, if I recall." Said Leo. Kipo glanced at the tunnel, and started to turn away from Jamack.
"No, it's too late." Said Jamack. "Hole is my home now!" Kipo groaned, then turned back to Jamack. She pulled his arm, yanking him out of his hole. The Mega Bunny began to enter the warren, and Kipo struggled to hold onto Jamack. Leo smacked into him.
"Pull yourself together, or whatever happened to you is going to happen again!" He scolded. Another of the babies yawned and shifted, revealing another exit. Kipo dragged Dave and Jamack over to it and threw them inside, before she jumped in herself. Leo flew in at the last moment as the Mega Bunny laid down on its babies, blocking the tunnel. Jamack ribbited to himself, trying to calm down.
"I'm just gonna say what we're all thinkin'." Said Dave. He threw a clump of dirt in his mouth. "This dirt tastes good."
"Literally none of us are thinking that." Said Leo. Kipo started crawling down the tunnel, away from the Mega Bunny.
"Come on." She said. Leo landed on her shoulder again as Jamack and Dave followed her.
Wolf continued walking, and Atom and Benson continued following, until she walked through a mud puddle that Benson didn't notice. He walked right into it, then looked down at the squelching sound. "Man, they stopped making these 200 years ago! Do you know what I had to do to get 'em?" Wolf continued walking.
"Is it really that important?" Asked Atom, following her.
"Stop following me." Said Wolf. "You're gonna get us caught."
"Stop running, and we can keep up." Countered Benson. Wolf stopped for a moment.
"Get ready to run again!" Said Atom. Wolf started running again.
"Aw come on!" Complained Benson as he and Atom broke into another run. Wolf jumped across a collapsed section of the road before sliding under a green sign. She then leapt up, clearing an entire Ice Cream Truck in one jump. Atom ran around the truck as Benson went through it, banging into something, starting up the music. Everyone stopped immediately, and Wolf turned back to Benson, growling.
"You hear that?" Called someone. "Six o'clock!" Wolf looked behind her.
"We probably need to move!" Said Atom. He pulled Benson up and out of the truck as Wolf ran to a collapsed section of the bridge, climbing down quickly. Atom sent Benson down next, then managed to get down as Humming Bombers encircled the area.
"Eyes peeled for bogeys." Said the seeming leader. Benson readjusted his grip, making some rubble fall. The leader lifted his glasses, then flapped his wings quickly. He flew over and looked down the collapsed section and saw nothing. Underneath, everyone was struggling to hold themselves up in their positions, unable to get good footholds to keep themselves parallel to the road. One of the other Humming Bombers flew up.
"I say we drop some nectar bombs!" She said, rubbing up and down her bandolier of clear containers. She pulled one out. "Smoke 'em out of whatever hole they're hiding in!"
"You think this is a toy?" Scolded the leader. "One slip and we're a Sunday roast!" The other one looked at the container in her hand, before both of their attentions were diverted to another of the Humming Bombers, who was licking at the bottom of an old ice cream jar. "There's nothing here." The leader turned away and lowered his glasses again. "Humming Bombers, let's fly!" He took off, followed by the other ones. After they were gone, everyone flopped down, tired, and clamored back up.
"Woo, that was close." Said Benson after he got up.
"You need to watch where you're going!" Scolded Atom. "That was a mistake that"
"That was stupid!" Interrupted Wolf. "We could have died!" She turned away. "Just go away. I can survive on my own." She pointed at the two, scowling.
"Aren't you tired of just surviving?" Asked Benson. "Obviously you can handle yourself, I mean you just jumped over a full on truck back there! And like, how did you do that?! You're four feet tall and it was a truck! Look, I know you don't need any of us to survive, but without us that's all you'll ever do. Don't you wanna see what else there is? Don't you wanna see what we could all do together?"
"I'm done playing nice with others." Stated Wolf.
"Wolf, before you do anything rash here, just hear me out." Said Atom. Wolf started running again, and used Stalkie to jump over a gap.
"Wait!" Said Benson. Wolf's mind jumped back in time, recalling when she pulled a similar maneuver when she was younger.
The young girl jumped over a massive log, landing hard on the ground before running again. Her friend landed soon after her, and rolled to a stop. She growled before she pulled herself back up and started running again. Two more wolves landed, crashing into each other. The smaller one got up quickly, while the larger one was completely out of breath and couldn't muster the energy. The two out front continued running, jumping over log after log, almost racing. The smaller wolf attempted to follow them, but fell flat and slid down. The young girl and her friend crawled under some ropes towards logs floating in a small pond. The young girl made it out way before her wolf friend, and started jumping from log to log, barely losing any balance as she did. Her friend landed on log, but lost her footing, sliding into the water. She resurfaced, whimpering, then the young girl held a hand out to her, smiling. The wolf took her hand and was pulled up, then the two began jumping from log to log together, making it to the end in no time. The two laughed and hugged, before looking forward again at the two parent wolves. They looked at each other, and the mother nodded. They both smiled, and the young girl and her friend looked at each other again. "Welcome to the pack." Said the wolf girl. They both howled before hugging again.
A large grate clanged several times, before it fell forward, spilling Kipo onto the walkway of an abandoned sewer system. She started climbing back up as Jamack and Dave followed her, Leo on Dave's head. "So, about what you saw back there," started Jamack, "I-I wasn't scared, I was just," the looks he was getting from the other three told him they weren't buying what he was selling. "Look, promise you'll never ever tell anyone about this ever!"
"Ooh, I love making promises!" Said Kipo. "Almost as much as I love keepin' 'em."
"I won't tell anyone." Added Leo.
"You nauseate me." Said Jamack, groaning. "Who keeps promises?!" He realized what he said. "Wait, you should though!" Kipo looked away and put her hand up.
"Hm." She said. "Breeze is coming in from the left." She turned. "We should head this way." Dave turned to the sound of her voice.
"How do you know which way is left?" Asked Jamack, starting to follow.
"My dad taught me." Replied Kipo. "That one's left, and that one's right." Dave followed their voices, unable to see.
"You're right behind Jamack." Said Leo, giving Dave directions.
"This is kinda basic stuff." Continued Kipo.
"What?" Asked Jamack, stepping past a large pipe.
"Watch out for the pipe!" Warned Leo.
"What pipe?" Asked Dave.
"No, I mean, how can you see?" Continued Jamack.
"Veer right now!" Said Leo.
"What?" Asked Dave, crashing into the pipe. "Ow!"
"It's pitch black in here." Finished Jamack.
"Where is everybody?" Asked Dave.
"They're right in front of you." Said Leo. "Just keep walking straight."
"It is?" Asked Kipo, ducking past another pipe. "But you can see."
"Well that's because I'm a frog, and frogs have impeccable night vision." Said Jamack, ducking under the same pipe. "Humans can't see in the dark. Yet you can. So," Kipo turned to him, revealing her changed eyes. He gasped. "What are you?"
"I, I don't know." Said Kipo, crossing her arms protectively against herself. "I could, maybe be, part Mute."
"A Mute?!" Asked Dave. "What the bug in a rug?!"
"Watch out for that pipe!" Warned Leo. Dave smashed into it.
"Ow!" He shook his head.
"You're a human, and a Mute?" Asked Jamack. "What kind of a freak are you?" Kipo sat down over the ledge.
"Finally, something we can agree on." She said, dejected. Jamack glanced back at Dave.
"Come on, Kipo." Said Leo. "You're no more of a freak than Atom is. And you've seen how he acts." Kipo looked at him.
"But he's just as much of a freak as I am." She sighed. Jamack looked at her again.
"What, do you, wanna talk about it?" He mumbled, taking a few steps closer. Kipo suddenly turned to him.
"Yes!" She yelled. Jamack recoiled at her stunningly fast response. "Ok, so all my life I've just been an average person with an above average reading level and then I finally turn 13 and everything just goes crazy! I mean, my dad told me about' she mimicked him as she rubbed her arm, "'body changes', but nothing like this!" She held her arm up. "I have fur that pops out of my arm and then goes away! Where does it go?! And I can see in the dark, and I haven't told anyone this, but I can also smell like, everything. It's disgusting." Jamack glanced away, more confused than anything by her rambling, before he looked back at her.
"You've been a Mute this whole time?!" Asked Dave, pointing at the pipe. "Am I the last one to find out?"
"You're about 100 degrees turned from her, Dave." Said Leo.
"It's not that hot in here!"
"But the worst part is that my best friend," continued Kipo, "hates me for it." She turned back to the ledge.
"Ok, that's the short, intense one?" Asked Jamack.
"Wolf, yeah." Confirmed Kipo. Leo floated over to her and landed on her shoulder. "I was afraid to tell her because I thought she wouldn't wanna be my friend anymore. And I was right."
"You didn't see what I saw, Kipo." Said Leo. "She was scared for sure, but it wasn't of you."
"She's had it out for me ever since we met!" Said Dave. "I'm gonna go ahead and say it. Wolf has issues!" He started walking.
"Watch out for the" started Leo as Dave walked off the ledge, yelping, "ledge."
"I don't know." Said Jamack, sitting down next to Kipo. "Maybe she's just scared."
"I don't want her to be scared of me." Said Kipo.
"No, not scared of you." Said Jamack, agreeing with Leo. "Scared of change. When you spend your whole life believing one thing and then it's ripped away, you can do some pretty drastic stuff. Not always smart stuff." Jamack looked at her, and she looked at him, smiling.
"Sometimes the heart overrides the mind." Said Leo. "It can be hard to put the mind back in control."
"So, what I'm saying is, she's weak right now." Said Jamack, going in a completely different direction. "Perfect time to use your Mute powers to hunt her down and break her! Or, use your physical supremacy to become the queen of the humans and make her your servant, before that human that Scarlemagne has with the wolf arm does it. You're welcome."
"I think I'll just give her some what?!" Asked Kipo, realizing what he just said.
"There's a third person with it?!" Asked Leo.
"Yeah. Scarlemagne said that the human he had with him had turned his back on all other humans because of how they treated him. And the Newton Wolves reacted to his arm, saying something about it being bad enough with that one girl. I didn't pay too much attention to it, though."
"Hey Jamack," interrupted Dave, "how much height can you get?" He pointed up at a service hole, and Jamack looked at it. He hopped down and looked up.
"Oh." He looked back down and sighed. "Get on." Kipo grabbed Dave and climbed onto Jamack's back. He bent down, and gave one mighty leap. He grabbed onto the ladder, then started climbing up. It wasn't a long climb, but it was tiring carrying everyone. When they got to the top, Kipo put a foot down on a rung and pushed at the cover, prying it off. Jamack slid up, then everyone started standing up. Leo landed on Dave's head again.
"Phew." Sighed Kipo. "So, what happens now?" Jamack smiled.
"Now I hand you to Scarlemagne, attain the power I so rightly deserve, and get revenge on anyone who's ever wronged me!"
"Seriously?!" Complained Kipo. "After all that?"
"Sounds like he still needs to do some soul searching." Said Leo. Jamack glared at him.
"I was hoping you'd say," started Kipo, before she imitated Jamack, "Now we turn around, find Wolf, and convince her to let you brain her hair." The bee came at Jamack again and began bugging him.
"Ow?! You again?! Get outta here!" He swatted at the bee, then glanced at Kipo.
"You didn't seriously think we were becoming friends, right?" He glared at the bee again. "Ow! Leave me alone!"
"I was hoping we were." Said Kipo. "Because now it means I have to do this!" She suddenly slammed into Jamack, pushing him back down the hole. He crashed at the bottom, and Kipo slammed the cover back over it. She looked at Dave and Leo. "C'mon, we've gotta find Wolf!" Leo hopped off of Dave's head, then looked around, focusing.
"Assuming Atom's kept up with her, she's this way!" He started floating off, and Kipo grabbed Dave's arm. She started running after Leo, pulling half of Dave's skin off with her. He glanced at himself with his one good eye.
"Ugh!" He started after her. "Wait up!"
Wolf climbed down a fallen support pillar before she continued walking. She cautiously looked around, when she was suddenly snapped up by a rope. She yelped as she was brought up, surprised, before she hung upside down by her foot as a refrigerator crashed to the ground, holding her up. She groaned, and Atom and Benson peeked out from behind some trees.
"Finally!" Said Benson. "We got you! You got Bensoned!" Atom shook his head.
"Watch the gloating." He said. The two walked out as Mandu squealed.
"Now, if you ever wanna experience freedom again, you have to tell us what's going on with you!" Demanded Benson. Mandu squealed at her, then Wolf suddenly swiped Stalkie up, cutting the rope holding her. She landed easily on the ground as Benson leaned back.
"I told you we needed to have something pull at Stalkie too!" Said Atom, pulling out his shield as Wolf pointed Stalkie at them.
"Uh, it was Mandu's idea?" Asked Benson, practically bargaining for his life. Mandu oinked a bit, and Wolf looked away before swapping the hand Stalkie was in, before turning to walk away. Benson sighed. "Come on Wolf. You taught those raccoons how to fight." He started after her. "You had plenty of chances to kill Dave that you didn't take," Mandu jumped down and ran after her, "and I saw you pet Mandu that one time." Atom ran in front of her, blocking her for a few moments as Benson finished. She aimed Stalkie at him as he held his shield out. "You don't really hate all Mutes, so, what's this actually about?" Wolf glared away.
"She lied to me."
"Ok, but you lied to her about the map, and she forgave you." Said Benson. Wolf glared back at him.
"She lied about who she is! There's a difference!" Wolf looked away again. "How could I ever trust her again?"
"You trusted me again." Countered Atom. "From the day we met, I lied to you about who I was."
"No, you told us that who you are would shatter what we know! You never lied about it. You just never told the truth!"
"Your friendship isn't a lie." Said Benson. "You're practically sisters! You can't fake that!" Wolf glared ahead, not at Atom, but just ahead as her mind jumped back again.
The young girl and the wolf children were lined up for something important. "Today is our first family hunt." Said the mother wolf, pacing in front of them. "You've proven yourselves to be swift, strong, and skilled." She reached down and put a hand on the young girl's shoulder, who gasped.
"Wow." She whispered. The mother wolf pulled her forward, then turned her towards the other wolves.
"But so, is your prey." She let go of the little girl as she looked up and gasped, suddenly realizing what was going on. She turned back to the mother as she walked away, then turned back as most of the other wolves began to growl. The smallest and largest got down on all fours, growling at her as she gasped again, before she turned and ran. She tumbled down a small hill, landing face first. She looked back, then got up and ran again, leaving behind her flower bracelet. She glanced at her arm, tears streaming down her face, then turned back. The ran and picked it up, then wiped her eyes as she was surrounded. She looked back again to see the father growling at her as the mother walked up with her friend.
"But, you said we were a pack." Said the little girl. Her friend looked at the mother, who nodded, then used her head to gesture at the young girl. She looked back.
"We're wolves." She said, somewhat forced. "You're a, human." She growled at the young girl before getting on all fours, and took a few steps towards her. The young girl grit her teeth at the thought.
Wolf grit her teeth at the memory. "You're wrong." She said. "You can fake it." Atom groaned.
"Look, you want the whole truth?!" He asked. "Do you want to know what's happening? Then I'll tell you!" He glared at Wolf. "You're running from your best friend simply because of something that started happening less than two weeks ago! The fur on her arm suddenly popped out while she saved Benson from Scarlemagne's noble at Ratland! It's because of her being part Mute that she and Benson are still alive!" He shook his head, exasperated. "She hid it from you because she knew this was how you'd react!" Atom took a step towards Wolf, who aimed Stalkie at him. "And you know what, I'm done hiding the fact that whatever is affecting her, is somehow affecting me as well!" He bent down and undid his splint. He pulled it away, revealing the white scales on his leg. Wolf looked at them and gasped as he stood back up. "You want to hate her because of something that happened only recently? Then you'll have to hate me as well! You two are inseparable. Why can't you focus on what you do know about her instead of what has just happened?!" Atom took a few breaths, calming himself down. "I get that you don't like the fact that she lied to you. But are you really going to let that keep you from being her friend?" Wolf and Benson looked at him, both shocked.
"Wow Atom, I didn't know you could be that upset." Said Benson. Before Wolf could respond, howling interrupted them. She took a step back and looked around.
Kipo heard the howling and gasped. She stopped running, and looked at where it came from. Leo turned to her. "Oh no!" She turned back and started running again. Leo started following her.
"I guess it's a bit off today!" He said. "I could've sworn he was over this way." They went past Dave, who scowled.
"Could we just stop for a second?" He asked. "So I can put my arm back on?" He started running after Kipo and Leo again.
Everyone was looking around as the howling continued around them. "Pull in close, guys." Said Atom, drawing his sword. The howling came really close, and Wolf gasped as someone went around a tree. She turned quickly to see dark Billions.
"Hello Jolene." He said. Light Billions came out next to his brother, both grinning. "Remember us?" To Wolf, her perception changed momentarily to the two wolf parents before it jumped back to the Billion brothers. She shook her head as Benson moved in closer. He turned to see some more wolves coming out of the bushes.
"This looks bad." Said Atom as wolves surrounded them. The group pulled in close.
"We had you all right under our noses," said light Billion, "yet we couldn't sniff you out. We won't make that mistake again." The two brothers stepped forward. "So tell us. Where is she?"
"We don't know!" Said Benson.
"We split up to follow her after she just ran off on us!" Added Atom.
"Pity." Said dark Billions. "We'll find her soon enough."
"In the meantime," added light Billions, "you'll do as a nice, mid-hunt snack!" Wolf's perception again changed to the wolf parents, before it jumped back. Wolf saw herself as the scared little girl as her perception changed again. She saw the wolf girl behind the parents, and dropped Stalkie.
"Wolf, whatever you're going through, you need to snap out of it!" Scolded Atom. "Even if you don't like any of us right now, we need to pull together to survive here!" Wolf said nothing as the wolf girl seemed to run forward. She flashed back and forth between her and Kipo as the latter ran up, sliding between the two brothers and coming to a stop right in front of Wolf. She kicked Stalkie up and caught it, pointing it right at the brothers.
"Kipo?" Asked Wolf. Leo jumped off of her shoulder and went over to Atom as Dave hopped up.
"I'm here too." He grunted. "Just FYI."
"We're all back together." Said Leo.
"I'm the burrow girl!" Declared Kipo. "I'm the one Scarlemagne wants! Take me instead!" Dark Billions laughed.
"Instead?" He asked as light Billions growled. They were interrupted by something revving nearby. The Scooter Skunks jumped off the overpass and screeched to a halt across from them.
"Not so fast, moon boy." Said the leader. Light Billions insultingly laughed.
"Excuse me?" He asked, readjusting his glasses.
"Hand over the burrow girl, or things are gonna get real stinky." Said another skunk. The three revved their bikes, sending off small puffs of their gas as they did. They were interrupted by another group hopping in.
"Fools!" Called the Mod Frog boss. "The Mod Frogs were the first to find the burrow girl!" Harris and Kwat jumped up next to her. "She's ours!" They were interrupted by yet another group.
"Comin' in hot!" Called the leader of the Humming Bombers. They flew over the Mod Frogs and landed in a tree. "Hand over the humans, groundies, or we're all headin' up to the sky!"
"I'll do it!" Said the trigger happy one, grabbing one of her containers. "I'm crazy!" The tension built quickly among all the groups, rising to a fevered pitch. The group looked around scared as Atom held his shield and sword close while Kipo braced herself with Stalkie. The tension was suddenly cut as Jamack came in on a dragonfly, chuckling.
"All right." He said. "Ok, everyone take a seat." He slid off the dragonfly and walked over to the Mod Frogs. "Hey, you two! Good to see you back on your feet." He walked between Harris and Kwat, patting their shoulders. "Because remember you fell?" The Mod Frog boss growled at him. Jamack went around to each group, patting people on the shoulder left and right. "Wow, everyone's here huh?" One of the wolves growled at him. "Terrific stuff." He dusted his hands off and walked towards the group. "Heck of a show everyone! Applause." He pulled out a rope, then began tying it around the group. "Thanks for holding onto my prisoners, folks, but I'll take it from here, ok?" He tied up Kipo, then Wolf. "Why don't you all head out before things get messy?" He tied up Benson, then Atom. Then as he tied up Dave, everyone began to laugh like crazy, disbelieving that he could pull off something so impossible. "Yeah, yeah yeah. Keep it going everyone. You're gonna love it. It's gonna be great." He paused for a single moment. "Ah, you idiots." The Billions brothers stopped laughing, and light Billions took a few sniffs of the air. Dark Billions did the same, and all the wolves stopped laughing. She sniffed about, then the biggest one found something on his shoulder. He turned so everyone could get a good look.
"Mega Bunny fur." Whispered Kipo. Atom gasped.
"Where did he find that?!" He whispered. Leo quickly dove into Atom's pocket as Kwat and Harris suddenly turned to look at their shoulders, and the ground under everybody suddenly exploded upwards as a Mega Bunny jumped out of it. Jamack held onto the rope as everyone was flung sky high, then refocused. He shot his tongue at Harris, using him to slingshot everyone onto the back of the Mega Bunny. He landed first and started running, followed by everyone else. "What's the plan from here?!" Jamack didn't respond, instead just grabbing a bike from a Scooter Skunk as she flew past them. He revved the engine, then drove down the back of the Mega Bunny, dragging everyone else with him. The Humming Bombers charged after them, the only Mutes adept in the sky. Time seemed to slow down around everyone as the trigger happy bird loaded up two containers. She laughed, and Jamack suddenly hit the brakes, flinging everybody forward and slamming the bike into the Humming Bombers. The trigger happy one lost her grip on the two containers, and they began falling. Jamack watched them fall, then shot his tongue out again. The next few moments happened incredibly fast, and the containers shattered against the ground, detonating in an explosion strong enough to create a mushroom cloud. And through the smoke, Jamack steered his dragonfly, getting everyone away from the explosion before it could fry them. Everyone was hyperventilating as they flew away, the adrenaline coursing through them rapidly. Jamack flew as far away as he could, getting back to the Trash Canyon. He disembarked and pulled everyone else off as well. He took a few steps forward as everyone calmed down and got back up, lining up behind him.
:So, I guess this is it." Kipo eventually said. "You're gonna get everything you wanted, huh?"
"There's something you don't understand, Kipo." Said Jamack. He turned back to the group. "Up here, you have to be selfish to survive." He walked up to Kipo. "You don't seem to know how to do that. You insist on helping, and talking!"
"Nothing wrong with that." Said Atom.
"Quiet you!" Said Jamack. He refocused on Kipo. "One day, it'll be your end." He took a breath, then untied everybody. "Now, take your friends, and go." Atom sheathed his sword cautiously.
"What?" Asked Kipo.
"Before I change my mind." Threatened Jamack.
"Whoa! She changed your heart, dude!" Said Dave. Jamack lashed his tongue out at him. "He's changing his mind! Bail! Bail!" The group began running, but Atom purposefully lagged behind. He looked at Jamack.
"I know it wasn't an easy decision." He said. "But thank you!" Jamack glared at him as he caught up to the group, then he turned back, just in time to see the same bee right in his face, speaking at him. It landed on him, and Jamack slapped at it, slapping himself as it suddenly flew off. He glared at it as it left.
The group climbed up the trash pile on the other side of the canyon, getting closer, when Wolf suddenly stopped. "I'm sorry I ran." She said. Kipo stopped and looked back at her. "I was scared of what was happening to you. Scared that you'd hurt me. I still am, but, I'm tired of running." She looked up at Kipo, who walked back down to her.
"I'm scared too." She said. "But whatever happens on the outside, who I am on the inside isn't gonna change." Kipo took a few more steps forward. "We're sisters. No matter what." Wolf didn't say anything for a moment, then rushed at Kipo, wrapping her in a hug. Kipo gasped. "You're hugging me?" She asked, surprised.
"Deal with it." Said Wolf. Kipo smiled, then returned the hug.
"We're here!" Benson suddenly called from the top of the hill.
"Not to ruin the moment between you two, but you need to get up here!" Called Atom. The two rushed up, and looked out.
"I can't believe we're almost to the Second Clover!" Said Kipo. "And my dad!" One of the Mega Dogs suddenly ran past, shaking the ground and creating a strong wind.
"If we can make it through without the Mega Dogs chewing us to bits." Added Wolf. Atom stepped forward.
"We've fought through an army of frogs, of cats, and of snakes. We faced down a Mega Monkey, and survived being hunted by wolves. We evaded Scarlemagne's every attempt at capturing us, and fought our ways out of our fantasies to choose our reality." He looked back at the group. "I know we can make it through here just the same." Kipo reached into Benson's backpack, and pulled something out.
"I have an idea." She looked down at the can of tuna, then opened it.
Scarlemagne was playing his piano, and loving the tune he was making. "Ooh!" He grinned, continuing his song. All of his nobles stood at attention behind him, panting. Mark stood next to his platform, bowed on one knee. Scarlemagne played a few more notes before the bee landed next to him, buzzing feverishly. Scarlemagne looked at it, confused. The bee then turned to look at the back of the piano, lighting up part of it with its eyes. It quickly made some shadow puppets of the group and Jamack, showing everyone tied up, then showed Jamack letting them go and them running off before it cleared the scene. "He, let, her, go?!" Yelled Scarlemagne, slamming his fist down and squishing the bee. He raised his hand up, thinking for a few moments. "Wait, he let her go!" He pulled the stinger out of his hand, excited. "It's genius!" He started laughing.
"What are your orders, sir?" Asked Mark.
"Go ready my flamingos." Said Scarlemagne, darkly. Mark nodded, then ran off.