AN: Hey guys, here is another update! I'm hoping to use my time off next week to catch up on episodes.
Disclaimer: I do not own Paw Patrol
If Ryder was being honest, this wasn't the best plan he had come up with. Not only was he going into a creepy forest with no back up, but he was going with only one of his pups and a wolf pup that he had only started to know recently. Both of them were ahead of him, sniffing the ground and trying to find a scent of either Chase or Skye, but Ryder would also take a scent of the Nighteyes.
Because of the need for secrecy, they were forced to travel on foot and paw rather than their vehicles because the sound would make them easy targets. However, since these woods were more known to the Nighteyes then it was possible they were watching right now. Having seen so many horror movies before, Ryder felt like he was waiting for Jason Voorhees or Micheal Myers to come out and attack them any second now.
Then again, considering what the Nighteyes were said to do with their mysterious powers it felt like he was in a horror setting. Despite it being day, the thick trees made it seem like there were shadows everywhere. Any area of darkness made Ryder sweat as he feared what could be unleashed from it. He held Jake's double barrel shotgun in his hands from the man who requested Ryder take it with him for protection. Yet even it felt lacking in terms of safety.
"Anything?" Marshall asked Terra who lifted her head and shook it. "Me neither. You'd think we'd pick up a trail by now."
"We're still not deep enough into the woods," Ryder said, ignoring the part of his brain that was telling him to go back. No matter how scared he was, he wasn't going to abandon Chase or Skye. "We need to go deeper."
"Alright, but keep your guard and wits about you," Terra warned with a growl. "The foul magic of the Nighteyes is not something to take lightly."
"Is this something only they can do? None of the other wolf clans we've run into are able to do this weird magic stuff," Marshall asked as Terra took the lead.
"Well, they're the only ones who can do it now. However, a long time ago, hundreds if not a thousand winters ago, the various wolf clans of the area could do similar feats or so the legends say," Terra explained. "It was said that the ancient clans were so powerful that the very aspect of nature itself was bendable to their will. The Nighteyes were one of them, or so the tales say. Needless to say, only they can explain if such a thing is possible or not due to their age, but nobody really talks to them for obvious reasons."
"Whatever happened to the ancient clans?" Ryder asked.
"Some say that there was a great and terrible war or great disaster that wiped out all the ancient clans. Others say the ancestors cursed them to lose their magic as punishment for acting too pridefully or misusing the magic for ill purposes," Terra listed before shrugging her shoulders. "Or they just died out and the means to do the ancient magic was forgotten. Nobody knows. Some of the clans that exist are descended from the ancients, but we have no way of knowing."
"How many clans have there been?" Marshall asked, curiously.
"I don't know the whole history of each and every clan, but I think the highest number of clans known to us is sixty-seven. But that was at least three hundred years ago," Terra answered.
Ryder found himself pondering on the entire history of this forest. He never once thought that there was an entire legacy behind Wintergreen, but the longer he and his team stayed here the more this place seemed like an ancient land of various civilizations you would read in fiction. It had its own history, culture, people, and rules despite not being as organized as modern civilization. More like something in the Iron Age times, but with wolves instead of people.
It's a shame that humans and wolves don't get along here, Ryder thought solemnly. There is so much we could learn from each other.
However, this wasn't the time to be worrying about relationships between the two species. Right now, he needed to focus. "Terra, is there any kind of weakness that the Nighteyes have? Even with regards to their magic?"
Terra paused and concentrated deep in thought. "I think I remember something about how to negate it, but I can't seem to recall what it is at the moment."
"Does it have to do with light? Sunlight or something similar?" Marshall asked. "I mean these do use some kind of dark themed magic."
"No, it's something else. But I do recall how light is involved in some way. It's involved in a poem to help you remember," Terra replied as she scratched her chin. "A spirited jig it dances bright,
Banishing all but darkest night. Seek the means to give it light, and protected you shall be from evil's sight."
"Hmm, tricky," Ryder thought as he rubbed his chin. "Give me time to think about it. Let's keep moving for now."
The two pups nodded and proceeded to lead the way again.
Ever since Ryder left, Rubble decided to take no chances when it came to defending their camp and used his digger to start making fortifications with Zuma's help. Rubble would gather up rocks and broken tree branches to help build a fence around the Paw Patroller with Zuma using one of Rocky's spare pup packs to nail and hammer things together or wrap wire and rope to keep things sturdy. They made sure to keep one exit path open for them via the Paw Patroller's front entrance so they could move it when it was done being repaired.
Unfortunately, Rocky and Jake looked at the damage from the inside and it was worse than they initially thought so it was going to take longer than planned. Currently, they were unscrewing and removing all the damaged parts that were useless now. Rocky, naturally, made sure to save them just in case as he used the claw on his pup pack to drag a wagon of parts towards the back of the Paw Patroller.
"How's the damage look, Wocky?" Zuma asked as he walked over to his best friend.
"Bad," Rocky answered with a sigh. "Chances are we'll be well into the night fixing this. We may even need to stay an extra day. Guess that's more time for Ryder and the others to come back."
"Fwankly, I hope they come back with Chase and Skye soon," Zuma said with a shiver. "Being here gives me the cweeps."
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Rocky whispered as he stared in the direction of the forest he saw his owner and friends go into. "I hope they come back..."
Zuma put his paw on his buddy's shoulder and nodded. "Don't worry they will. Wyder always keeps his promises, and Marshall knows how to look after himself. Plus, Terra's tough. We've seen how she can handle problems on her own from that fight you two had."
"Yeah," Rocky replied with a small whisper. He thought about Terra and how graceful she looked when she was fighting. It might have been somewhat savage the way she moved, but there was a beauty to it as well.
Tilting his head, Zuma waved a paw in front of the mixed breed to get his attention. "Uh, you okay, Dude? You spaced out."
"Huh? Oh, sorry. Was just thinking," Rocky replied, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "I'm going to put these broken parts into my truck and get new ones. Keep up the good work."
Zuma watched Rocky leave with a raised eyebrow and wondered what his best friend was thinking about.
"I'm thirsty," Skye whispered as she lay on the cold hard dirt in their prison. Neither of them knew how much time had passed since they woke up. There was still no sign from their captors and neither of them knew what was going on outside of their prison. "You don't think they intend to just starve or dehydrate us to death, do you?"
"No, they need us alive for something," Chase muttered as he continued to inspect the area around them. There was nothing in this door-less hut but sharp sticks pointing at them in case they got too close. "If they wanted us dead they could have done it back at the Paw Patroller."
"Do you think the others are okay?" Skye asked, worriedly. "I mean...are they captured too or did they leave them alone or..."
"I'm sure they're fine," Chase assured his girlfriend, both deep down he had the same fears. "I'm sure they're coming to look for us right now."
If only they still had their pup tags, but they were removed which was still a surprise to Chase. How did they know we communicate through them? Have they been watching us? If so, for how long?
"What do you think they're going to do to us?" Skye asked, gulping while shaking with terror. "You heard what Terra said. The Nighteyes use dark magic and...and that thing we saw back at the Paw Patroller."
Chase gritted his teeth as he thought about what had happened. He still couldn't piece together what had happened but he knows he's never been so scared in all of his life. Despite all that he had seen in his life, Chase was always someone who had a suspicion of disbelief when it came to things like magic and supernatural phenomena. Yes, he had seen such things before but he often tried to find some kind of logical reason for why they existed. That and, if he was being honest, he hated dealing with magic. Magic was weird, had no basis in reality, and seemed to have laws that broke the laws of the natural state of the world. It was something he couldn't control or understand.
Chase hated that feeling and he was feeling it now with their current situation. There was nothing he could do to free him or Skye and it was driving him half-mad. Or maybe they're doing something to us right now that's making me think this way? Or maybe I'm getting paranoid.
"...Chase..." Skye's fearful tone snapped him out of his thoughts as he saw some of the pointy sticks were suddenly sinking back. They slunk far enough that an opening was made and in walked a pitch black wolf with leaves wrapped around them like a cloak. It stared at the two pups as Chase got in front of Skye and growled.
"What do you want with us!" Chase shouted, preparing to defend himself and Skye if need be.
"...Your blood smells right," The wolf said, which only freaked them out even more so. "You will be what is needed for the feast."
"The hell?!" Chase growled. "What are you talking about."
"The Dark Mother has deemed you worthy of having your blood for our Sanguine Feast. This is a great honor for your lives will give purpose to our clan," The wolf started with a sly grin. "I can already smell it inside of you and I am itching just for a taste."
"W-What?! You want to drink our blood?! What are you?! Vampires?!" Skye shouted in terror.
"I do not know what a vampire is, but this is a tradition among our clan. Nothing more. It's not out of hated or personal insult. You were mealy seen as chosen by our visions," The wolf replied. "Do not try to resist your demise. Fate is sealed. Make peace with what you have in the time remaining."
"Screw what your visions say! We're not going to let you do whatever sick and twisted thing you want with us!" Chase shouted as he charged forward, but the wolf raised a paw and a tendril of shadow merged from behind him to slap Chase back. Growling, he got up, but Skye held him back from trying again. "Bastard!"
"Don't worry. You will not be sacrificed yet. We need your friends to complete the ritual," The Wolf stated before he raised his paw. "Now enough. Sleep."
He waved his paw and before Chase knew it, he was starting to get drowsy. He tried to fight it, but he was soon on his stomach and yawning before sleep overtook him. It didn't take that long for Skye to fall asleep as well. Just as the wolf finished putting the pups to sleep, another wolf, this time dark brown, walked inside and lowered his head.
"Tell the others to commence their attack on the two groups. The dog pups must live. The humans and the wolf pup can die," The black wolf ordered.
"Yes, sir," the brown one answered before leaving.
Having traveled for a long time, Ryder thought it was time for the group to have a break and so he sat down under one of the trees while Marshall sat down next to him. Terra was the only one still up and keeping alert as they rested. Drinking from his water bottle, Ryder offered some to Marshall who shook his head. "Terra? You want a drink?"
"No, I'm good," Terra answered as she went back to looking around. She then paused and turned to the two. "Hey? Can I ask you both something?"
"Sure," Marshall said with a smile. "What is it?"
"...Why did Rocky go through all that trouble for me?" Terra asked as her face scrounged up in thought. "I've been trying to think of why Rocky would go so far not to only spare my life...but put in so much effort for me to...well, friend you all."
"Do you regret that he did it?" Ryder asked, tilting his head.
"No! I...I've come to enjoy your company. And his," Terra replied with a sigh. "It's just that I don't get it. I was trying to kill him. I was his enemy. And yet he spares me? You've killed wolves before, so why am I different?"
"Well, you are our age," Marshall pointed out. "Maybe that's it?"
"It's more than that," Terra stated. "I just...I just don't understand."
"Well, Rocky's always been a kind and good-hearted pup," Ryder said before scratching Marshall's ears much to his enjoyment. "All of them are. It's also our job to save lives and not take them if we can help it. The only reason we've had to fight those wolves you mention is because we had no other choice. If we had one, we'd try to avoid any kind of conflict possible."
"Yeah, none of us like killing," Marshall whispered with a frown as he thought about the lives he had taken so far. "I know that I wouldn't have it in me to kill you. Even before you became our friend, Terra. You're so young. Plus, hearing about your story and how you were forced to kill for the Bloodmoon Star pack? It means Rocky was right about you. He could just see something that was different and it made him work hard to save you."
"...He is quite a bright pup," Terra muttered with a light blush on her cheeks.
"Smartest pup I've ever met," Ryder proudly stated with a grin. "He might even one day surpass me."
A growling from the stomach of all three of them made the group look at each other and chuckle before Ryder pulled out some bags from his backpack. "I got some lunch we can have. Just need to start a fire."
"I'm on it," Marshall said as he got up and started preparing a proper fire pit. Terra couldn't help but watch in amazement as Marshall went to work with the proper cleaning of the area, setting the ring of stones, and carefully putting the dead wood in proper position before Ryder started the fire using some paper and a match. "And to put it out, I'll just use my water cannons when we're done."
"I'm amazed at how well humans can make fire," Terra said as she watched the flames spark and spread under the pit's control.
"Wolves don't have a means to create fire?" Ryder asked as he started getting the packaged food out.
"Some, but most of the time fire is seen as a bad thing since it burns the forest," Terra replied with a shiver. "If it gets to hot or if there is a thunder storm and the lightning strikes a tree then a pack has to get as far away as possible until it dies down."
"Yeah, I guess without access to firefighting equipment, like us, fires are a lot more dangerous," Marshall replied with a serious expression. "Although, might I add, I'm still a bit ticked off about how you set up the fire at Wintra."
"That was not my idea," Terra quickly said, holding her paws up. "I'm really sorry about that. I was just following Vexia's orders."
"Vexia?" Ryder asked.
"An Delta of Bloodmoon Star. Arguably the most feared," Terra replied with a shiver. "She's insane. Like legit insane. She's bloodthirsty, cruel, and laughs whenever she sees death or suffering. Some say she went mad when a lighting bolt hit her in the face and she survived. Others say she was cursed with insanity as punishment from the ancestors. Regardless, the only time Balfour sends her and her "Mad Pack" as they are called is when he wants something completely destroyed and not standing."
"She sounds dangerous," Ryder pointed out with worry.
"She is," Terra explained with a shiver. "Bloodmoon Star will kill me if they see me because they know I betrayed the pack, but she will be even worse. She'll make me suffer for days just for her own amusement and only kill me if she gets bored or there is nothing left for me to suffer from."
"Any others we need to worry about besides Balfour and Vexia?" Marshall asked.
"Just Balfour's sons, Olcan and Lobo," Terra answered. "Oclan is the oldest and the Alpha-Heir. He's popular and well respected, but cold and keeps to himself. That being said, he's a great strategist and powerful warrior. Lobo, on the other paw, is reckless and risky, but he often does amazing feats of courage and has a close following among the other wolves of the pack. Rumor has it that he's trying to prove himself a better heir then Oclan."
"Hmm, division in the ranks?" Ryder pondered, wondering if they could use that to their advantage. Turning to the fire, Ryder said, "Well, it looks ready. Let's-"
And then suddenly there was a shrieking in the wild that sounded like the call of the damned. Instantly, everyone got up and looked around in alarm. The area suddenly seemed to get a lot colder while it seemed to also get darker despite there being sunlight. Or at least there was sunlight as they looked up and saw some kind of dark cloud forming right above the trees and blocking all but the smallest of sun rays.
Looking forward, they saw a figure slowly approach them. It was on four paws and was big, covered in red and black leaves that were stitched together by plant roots. Their eyes were bright red and their fur as dark gray as clouds. On their forehead appeared to be some kind of rune symbol on it as they stared at the group in silence.
"A...A...A Nighteye!" Terra shouted in fear, her tail going right between her legs.
Marshall, on the other paw, growled and stood forward. "Where are Chase and Skye?! Where are they?!"
The Nighteye didn't answer. He merely lifted his clawed paw and placed it over his neck. With a swift slash of his throat, the jugular was torn open much to the shock and horror of the three. The dying Nighteye stumbled a bit before falling forward, closing his eyes with no fear upon his upcoming death. Although confused as to why he killed himself, it was soon replaced with his blood suddenly shooting out in five different directions as if it was alive. This made Ryder's mind explode with the impossible concept of such a thing happening, but he was witnessing it come to life in his very eyes.
The blood slowly began to take shape while shadowy wisps surrounded it. Soon they appeared in a wolf based force, dripping with the blood of their summoner, as the five blood wolf constructs growled at their prey.
And then they struck.