Uni:

"Please ... Fratylia ... tell me that I can help you!" Gradyti pleaded.

"It's not that I don't want," Fratylia said in her soothing motherly voice, "it's that you need Lumino and Thereda's permission ... "

"Thereda?" The Lupe asked, confused, "who in Neopia is that?"

"It's Gipha's mother," Orora said softly.

"Oh ... "

The trio turned at Thereda. She had left Lumino, and she looked incredibly sad. Lumino, on the other hand, looked exasperated. Shaking his massive head, the stallion walked towards them.
Gradyti now realized just how tall Lumino was; the Lupe's head barely managed to touch the top of the stallion's shoulder!

"Gradyti ... " Lumino began in his rich voice, "how did you manage to ... to find Orora in that horrible storm?" The stallion smiled warmly at the Lupe, "Even I am afraid of storms."

"I - I dunno ... " Gradyti said hesitantly. "I don't fear storms ... I love them, to tell the truth ... so I was playing between the lightning bolts, and I heard Orora scream. I wanted to find the source, and I told myself 'Where in Neopia - ?' and a flash of lightning shot down, sending Orora into the air. It was as if ... as if the thunder was replying to me ... "

"Well," Lumino said, after a moment's pause, "it seems that you are quite special. A such coincidence cannot happen to any wild Lupe, it is certain. At least, the fact that:
1) you don't fear storms
2) you love storms
3) you made a flash of lightning jolt down to where Fratylia's daughter was and
4) you almost fried her to death - " 'Lumino!' Orora scolded gently, " - well, you see, I guess that it couldn't have been an accident if the lightning showed you your way." Lumino's words were serious.

"I guess ... " was all Gradyti managed to mutter. "Oh, and by the way, can I help Fratylia and Thereda find Gipha?" The Lupe asked. "Please?"

"Wha - ?" Lumino was taken by surprise, but then he smiled. "Of course."

"Oh, mother - " Orora pleaded, "please, tell me that I can go with him ... "

"No way," Fratylia smiled, "you must be tired ... stay here a bit, little one."

"I'm not tired ... please ... ?"

"Let her go, Fratylia," Lumino smiled, "she needs to move a little. And she can't be harmed if she travels with a Lupe!"

TLT:

"Very, what's going on?" Asked Gipha, stepping beside him. She smelled something, then said very nervously "Very! Don't you smell that?"

"Well, while I was in the forest I found this little lupe pup. She's sweet, but hyper. When I heard you scream, I put her here and told her to stay while I went to find you. Now she's gone. I guess she was a little restless staying here for so long. There's something else here I can't identify. Its so faint though." Very sighed. He hoped that Anita would find her way out of the forest. What the devil was she doing going in there anyway? It was the hunting ground of a very strange lupe pack. They had been howling recently about a traitor and the death of their son. He remembered this, and Anita's story, and briefly wondered whether the "son" they were referring to was Anita's father.

He sighed again. He couldn't go into the forest looking for her, so it was a bit pointless. He turned. "Come on Gipha. We should go try to find the herd. Now that the storm is over, it shouldn't be too hard." He gave the deep, dark forest one last glance and then began walking out of it toward the plains.


Anita wandered around the edge of the forest. There wasn't anything to do. She tried racing with Faux, but it was so easy for the little bird to zip along faster than the lupe could run. Anita sighed. Perhaps she should go look for Very and the Unis. They were her only friends. She called to her petpet and started running toward the Endless plains. She raced the beekadoodle, and found it didn't take long for the bird to tire and trail behind her. When the poor thing was exhausted, she slowed to a walk and let it perch on her head. Anita's mind wandered, and she soon found herself thinking of the Lupe she had met in the forest. She remembered him well. He was the beta of the pack, second in command to the Alpha male and female. She tried to remember his name. Jauck. Yes, Jauck the beta. He had been the only one to actually see her fight with Faux, the lupe. He had seen the slashing claws and teeth, and the smooth way she sliced the lupe jugular. He had been the one who was most afraid of her. The one at the back of the group who had driven her away. She recalled the fear in his eyes at meeting her alone in the woods. She wondered where the rest of the pack was. It was rare for a lupe to be wandering alone, unless he was banished like her. But he was the beta, the alpha's loyal servant. Then again, she had been very close to the alpha as well. She was born to another pair, but the alpha had treated her like a daughter, exercising her extreme hunting prowess, making her leader in many hunts, feeding the pack well.

As she thought of all this, she realized how hungry she was. She hadn't eaten in... how many days? It had been a week since she had been banished from the pack, and they had last hunted the day before that. 8 days. The scare of the murder, then of meeting Very had taken her mind off of it. She walked across the plain, searching for easy prey, or animals that hadn't been as lucky as her in the storm. She saw in the distance several limp forms lying near each other. A small lupe pack appeared to be moving away from it. She was glad she missed them, and slinked toward the forms staying out of sight.

Morgan:

Wuff was extremely relieved to hear Shiko speak, but then he realized what Shiko had just said. "What has happened to hurt you so badly Shiko? You're covered in blood! Not Uni blood but Lupe blood!" Wuff paused to sniff the air. He snorted in surprise. "B-but, that's not your blood, Shiko! Th-that's... What's happened, Shiko?!" His eyes were wild with fear. He glanced toward Ally. She looked as scared as he did.

Ally's mind was racing. 'What's happened to Wuff's friend?! How could this have happened?! That really isn't his blood! Wait a sec... He has no clue who I am!' "Wuff? Shiko doesn't know who I am." She turned toward Shiko. "I am Ally. I'm glad that you have finally met me. I know you because I've been following Wuff around for many years now..." She went on to relate everything that had happened to her to make her follow Wuff and told of everything that had happened since Wuff had come to the lake, which seemed to have been weeks ago, rather than days. "...And now I'm trying to get to Kauvara so I can become a Lupe, myself. I'd like to be a pure White one... But I doubt that I could join any current Lupe pack. Maybe we should establish a new one... I don't know what has happened to yours. Please tell me and Wuff what happened Shiko, though I know that it must be painful, judging by your expression. Shiko, we need to know." Ally and Wuff waited for Shiko to say what had happened.

Tasia:

Thereda didn't hear the exchange between her herd mates and the lupe. Her mind was far away, in the past...

"I have never seen you before in the herd," the black stallion, like a piece of storm cloud, galloped around the young red mare "Why is that?"

"The herd, pah! I don't respond to windbags well." he seemed to think a moment. Thereda melted, right then and there. His dark eyes, they were like a deep well of water, cutting deep into the earth, and when he thought they became even darker. What was going on beyond those ebon eyes? Thereda just wished should could know!

"Besides," Trab said "I was raised here. With my Ma. We've never lived in a herd. Sure, we've met other Free Roamers passing by, but it sounds just very impossible to me to live with so many others packed in one place!"

"Oh, it is! How I would love to just shrug my responsibilities away and live on the plain!"

"Then why don't you?"

"What? Are you serious?" Trab nodded "But, I have family here! And what about the lupes?"

"Lupes? Pah! I'll tell you how to take care of lupes!"

"You know about lupes?"

"Of course I do! I was raised here, wasn't I?" He grinned, and Thereda melted once more "I'll teach you everything about them!"

"Oh, you will?"

"Of course, Rede. I will...

Thereda blinked the memories back, and smiled ironically. Sometimes she wished she could still find the mysterious black stallion...and sometimes she dreaded the thought. But that was the past, not the present.

She stomped between Orora, Fratylia, Lumino and the lupe "Well come on you guys. I'm going to find my daughter. You can sit here having you're little family reunion, or you can help me." she left no chance for argument. She broke into a gallop, and began across the plain.

Gipha missed the rest of what Very said at the word "Lupe" she adjusted the weight on her feet. "What? A lupe!? Sweet but hyper? Are you mad? Do you know how dangerous those things are?"

She listened to her voice, and realized it sounded as irrational and furious as her mother. How had her close encounter changed her? "I'm sorry," she said. She didn't know what else to say. Maybe, thank you. After all, he had abandoned the lupe to save her (probably not a bad decision) and it seemed this lupe was important to Very, even if it was, well, a lupe. And, she decided, it was just a foal...er, pup. But just to be safe, she asked "There aren't other lupes around, are there?"

Shiko noted Ally a second time. He knew he recognized her scent, but in his state of mind he was too busy to be curious. He also would have been thankful too that Ally had told him who she was, but his mind was reeling. He had to tell Wuff what happened, after all, he once belonged to the pack.

"It's not my blood," he said, and tried with much effort to keep his voice steady. Wuff had to know. "Miraculously, I seem to be unscathed. It's the blood of unjustly murdered omegas and weaklings. Wuff- let me start over,"

And so he told him everything, about the beta's unexpected and horrifying death, about the mourning among the pack. Then he told of Hod's insanity and the mass murder in the pack. This was very difficult for him- Shiko would suddenly be stricken without a voice, and it took him many seconds to get it back. At the end, he simply crumpled, sobbing "And I woke up in a lake of blood! A lake of it!"

Uni:

"What was that about?" Gradyti growled angrily. He had never seen a Uni act like this before, and especially to the people who actually wants to help.

"Come on," Lumino urged them, "follow her; she won't survive in the plains alone!" But Lumino didn't wear a worried face. Instead, he was beaming at Orora and Gradyti, who set off immediately.

"Be careful!" Fratylia called after them.

"Don't worry," Lumino said soothingly, "they're clever. They'll know what to do ... "

With that, Lumino folded his gigantic golden wings and stepped away from Fratylia.

A While Later - Herd

Lumino stood proudly on the top of the hill, his piercing chestnut eyes scanning the plains like a Jetsam searching for prey, a small breeze stroking gently his white mane - but suddenly, Lumino raised his head, nostrils flared.
There was definitely a something strange happening near them. Lumino's sensitive ears could hear a drop of water dripping from a Kau's mouth, and his smelling ability was so sharp that he could smell a Lupe patrolling miles away. And he did.
The strong, harsh smell of a Lupe pack. The familiar scent of Hod, the pack's leader, whom Lumino had defeated two times already.
Not waiting for the pack to come, Lumino reared up, spread his wings, and neighed so loudly that his cry could be heard by even Gradyti, who was drinking at a lake on the other side of the forest.

Every Uni raised their heads from their grazing, and they all spread their wings, ready to fly.

Lumino set off first, shortly followed by the mares. Silver Star, being unable to fly, protected the foals below by creating a powerful Snowickle shield. The herd set off, away from the Lupe pack.

Fratylia managed to catch up with Lumino, who was flying so fast that he left a trail of gold behind him.

"What's the matter?" The Spotted mare asked.

"Hod."

The single word made all of the colour fade from the mare's beautiful face. Fratylia remembered the last time Hod had attacked ...

The pack had come during summer, when the Unis were the weakest. At that time, Lumino was already the herd's leader. It had been a complete chaos, but Lumino, having already defeated Hod and his son once, had sent the pack retreating almost instently, wounding many of the fierce Lupes. He had even set an almost fatal blow to Hod, who had feared the Uni secretly ever since.

But it also seemed that Hod had become a loyal leader, being fair and loving. He had never mentioned setting war against Lumino ... until Gipha killed his son. One of the most powerful messengers had reported that Hod have killed many of their own, but only the weak and old. It was awful, and Fratylia knew that it meant that Hod had revived his cruel side ...

A While Later - Somewhere in the Plains

"Gradyti, c'mon!" Orora called as she galloped openly, her silver mane flying.

"I'm trying!" Gradyti winced as his paws hit the hard ground. "I - I think I heard Lumino neigh!"

"What?" Whinnied both Orora and Thereda, as they skidded to a stop and turned to him.

"I think I heard Lumino neigh." Gradyti repeated, panting.

"How come?" Orora questioned, "Lumino only neighs to tell the herd that there's a serious danger ... and Hod said that he won't attack us anymore!"

"You know ... Hod?" Gradyti opened his eyes wide.

"Well ... y - yes, why?"

TLT:

"What? A lupe!? Sweet but hyper? Are you mad? Do you realize how dangerous those things are?" Said Gipha, astounded.

"Well, err, she's only a pup. And she's tiny. Standing up straight she is only to my knees. And her family disappeared on her. And she's not viscous at all. She is sweet, but like I said, she is hyper. She likes to run and jump and play. Just like our foals. She's nice, really. You'll see. Now come on. There should be a watering hole somewhere around here, and I'm thirsty."

Anita stood at the top of a small hill, watching from above the most horrific scene she had ever witnessed. The smell of lupe blood blew over her. She almost gagged when she first smelled it. Now, as she watched it, it was all she could do from throwing up. It was sickening. A dark coloured lupe who was obviously the alpha, was looking at his pack, all but a few of which stood in front of him. Every once in a while, he would gesture to the powerful lupes behind him, and another lupe would die. It was a massacre. It was insane. It was horrifying. She abandoned all thought of food and joining a pack just to hunt. She could stand the scene no longer, and raced off toward the forest. She might be able to find something there, water for sure, maybe some berries and insects. Anything to satiate her hunger without having to hunt.

It was uneventful as Anita and her petpet foraged in the wood. The little beekadoodle was very good at finding logs that contained disgusting looking grubs that were delicious. Anita ate one and was faintly reminded of hazelnuts. There were also plenty of berries here. She ate her fill, though she didn't find them all that appetizing. She come across a pond and drank a lot. She was thirsty. The sight of the massacre had made her mouth dry. After drinking, she wandered around the pond and caught a couple of fish and a frog. She also tried a cattail weed, as she had heard they were tasty. She spat it out with disgust, remembering that a Uni had told her that. Maybe they like them, but she sure didn't.

Finally satiated, she lay down by the pond and let the cool breeze and the chirping of the birds above her soothe her as she fell asleep.

At Shiko's words, Ally begins to feel queazy. When he finishes, she says in a hushed voice, "B-but... It can't, he can't have, the Lupes can't be, that couldn't have, how?" She knew how, but couldn't think of what to say. This was horrendous. Hod had lost his marbles! She had to find a way to stop him, but she couldn't do it as a Uni.

Wuff could tell what was going through Ally's mind. "You are NOT going to kill Hod, Ally! He's taken down stronger Unis than you! I don't want you to get hurt! Please, Ally! Let's just go to Kauvara's, and get as far from Hod as possible!"

"Yes, I need to go to Kauvara's. If I become a Lupe, at least I'll have a fighting chance against Hod."

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT! I DON'T WANT YOU TO DIE! I LOVE YOU TOO MUCH TO LET YOU DO THIS!" Wuff said, then realizes what he has just revealed. "Uh... Ohh... Uh... Oh crud!" He doesn't want to leave Ally alone, so, instead of running as far away as possible from this scene, he runs in circles along his worn path. "Stupid me, stupid me, stupid me, stupid me, stupid me..."

Ally gawks at Wuff. "L-l-love?! Y-you love me?! But... I'm a Uni! And... Lupes are supposed to hate Unis! And... No one has ever even considered me a friend! And... I love you too!" She begins to copy Wuff, following his path, and saying their new favorite phrase. "Stupid me, stupid me, stupid me, stupid me, stupid me..."

Tasia:

Every blade of grass in the home valley must have been red. The maws of many of Hod's warriors were also red. Hod told them it was a badge- a icon to their bravery. Hod looked on his them. There were only fifteen, only three of them female, but they were finally perfect. Strong, fast, ruthless, loyal, and frightened of Hod. Hod knew his pack could down a small herd. They could increase their numbers. But first the pack could use a confidence boost.

"Pack mates! We move into battle! For years the unis have taunted us, plaid with us. We could take one, but still their numbers grew bigger! Now, let it be known that only once race shall exist upon the plain! Pack mates, I need your help to take on a terrible foe. We must destroy the gold uni known as Lumino."

Lumino. How he hated that uni. Long ago, Hod had foolishly lead the pack on the foals. Their bitches- dams, probably just as foolish not to be attending their young ones. Who knew. Hod, in his foolish theory of fairness ordered his pack to be just a little louder, to sneak a little more obviously. He could see Zhairk's look of contempt. He thought Hod was being foolish. Now, Hod knew too.

No unis came to defend their young, and Hod's pack descended on a young, lame foal. Hod knew he wouldn't survive anyway. His pads made no sound when they touched the ground.

Suddenly, there was pandemonium. Hod looked up. Zhairk and some of his friends where herding all the foals. The skittish young uni ran, and Hod could see the lupes were forming tighter and tighter circles around them. Hod was furious. He yelled, but a cacophony of barky, snapping and neighing drowned out his voice. He was just converging on his son when the adults came over the ridge.

And the gold uni was leading the charge. Even then Hod knew his name: Lumino. He had had an encounter with him before. After that, Hod lost track of what happened. He knew there was a lot of fighting between lupe and uni. Why? Hod had not ordered this. It must have been Zhairk.

He kept on calling "Pull up! Pull up!" Eventually the lupes did. Hod was ready to go, when he spotted a few lupes unable to escape the fray. They were weaklings -another mistake, Hod thought, letting weaklings survive in the pack. Past Hod told his son to take the rest of the pack back to the Home Valley, and charged into the battle (another mistake).At some time Hod found himself in combat with Lumino, who also recognized Hod. They fought, both trying to wound the other, until Lumino struck a blow to Hod's hind quarters and to his forehead. Hod yelped.

After that, events were really puzzling. The pack was moving, and Zhairk may have been looking at Hod with concern. However, it could have been a figment of his aching head.

The next clear memory Hod had was him fighting with Zhairk. There had been a few fatalities, and Zhairk claimed Hod had messed up his strategy. He said that if only Hod had let him lead the pack into battle, this never would have happened. Hod countered that it was the law to only take the weakest, the creature that wouldn't survive- unis had to live too! Zhairk said that the foal barely fed the herd. Hod told him, in a very pleasant way, that was kau shit.

But Hod didn't want to fight with his son. Neither did he want to say that he was wrong, so he in a very crafty way redirected Zhairk's rage toward Lumino. Zhairk took bait.

Hod could only look upon the past and shake his head inwardly. Outwardly, he snapped "Move out, pack mates!"

Some lupes looked at him as if to say, off to war without a snack?

"Once you defeat Lumino and his herd, there will be food for everyone!"

They began their trek out of the valley.

Thereda made a sound that was like a bellow "Hod! Hod has my baby!" she thought of that day when she, Lumino, and several other unis had fended off the pack. Hod's kind hunting tactics were famous. He would only take the old or feeble. Her heart felt like ice "What if she's hurt?" she demanded upon Orora and the lupe "What if she's already gone?" then she started to weep.

Gipha thought, I don't care if she's tiny. Small lupes grow into big killers. But she didn't say this, because she really did not want Very to abandon her. She was unable to fly, unable to run, and most of all, scared.

"Wuff's right, Ally. You couldn't take on Hod. Now one could."

He watched them do their dance around them. Love. Shiko smiled, and way down inside he felt a little jealous. But Wuff had finally found a mate. Perhaps it was the freedom of the world outside the pack that had given him this chance. At the pack, only the strongest lupes found mates. Not that Wuff had ever really been an omega, or even a weakling, but he was separated because of his differences, because of how he thought.

How beautiful a couple they would be- wait. She was a uni, he was a lupe. Could this be? He remembered Ally said she was going to transform herself into a lupe. How could she do this? There was an old tale Shiko knew, about a kau named Kauvara who brewed potions and could changed neos into other kinds of neos. But certainly, they weren't going across the endless plains for a legend...?

No knew thoughts came to Shiko, so he started all over again. He had to, or otherwise dozens of unjustly murdered lupes would dominate his thoughts, casting accusations. Why did you survive? For he was not only an omega, he was the Omega. He was the smallest pup the pack had seen in years. He was barely the size of a wocky. Even though they seemed they would get along fine without him, Shiko couldn't leave now. If he did, he would haunted. He may go crazy.

Uni:

Lumino lead his herd the furthest away from the Lupe scent. He was strong, yes, stronger then ever - but Gradyti was right. Unis never kill, and they will never leave anyone to be killed. Only when they really need to ... and even then, they would only wound.
Lumino frowned. Such an idiot he has been ... Hod had nearly killed the mares' foals, and the only thing he did was to wound Hod enough so that he kept away for quite some months. The Uni knew that he would come one day, that he'll come and try to kill. But what could he do? It's nature. And nature had been particularly generous to him, too.
Lumino was taken back to reality by gentle sobs near him. He turned his neck to see Fratylia, who was still flying next to him. Lumino remembered instantly that he had been (and was still even though he never show it ) her mate. Orora knew well that she was his daughter, but kept that piece of information to herself, most of the time.

Lumino paused in his flight, and told the mares to fly on. When the last Unis had passed before them, Lumino hugged the spotted Uni in his wings.

"W - what i - if ... if the Lupes c - caught h - her?" Fratylia hiccupped.

"They won't," Lumino said soothingly, although he was worrying in the same subject. "Do you really think that our daughter is so stupid?"

"B - but ... s - she isn't G - Gipha ... she c - can't d - defend her - herself!"

"Maybe, but she has brains. Better have brains without muscles than muscles without brains."

"Y - you must b - be right."

"Come on, we don't want to be left behind ... "


"Don't worry, Thereda," Orora sad softly, "they'll never get Gipha ... she killed Hod's son ... "

"Yeah, well, that's because she squashed him ... " Gradyti said bitterly.

Orora flushed. "Gradyti!"

TLT:

Very wandered toward the water. The cold blasts of wind during the storm had dried his throat and mouth. When he had ran toward the forest, worried about Anita, it hadn't made matters any better. The ground was still wet, mostly mud, from the storm. He didn't mind too much, he was completely filthy already, his white fur caked with mud.

Anita was startled when the Uni approached. She had had a restless sleep, reliving the fateful day that happened a week ago. She watched the uni, staying in the deep grass. She was downwind, and immediately recognized him as Very. She yipped in joy, springing from her hiding place onto the back of the huge creature.

Very had just begun taking a long drink from the water, when he had the feeling he was being watched. He looked around and saw the small blueish ears of his lupe friend. It did take him off guard when she leaped on his back and began playfully gnawing on his wings, but he knew who she was, so he didn't bolt like he usually would have. He thought about that and realized that of nothing else, Anita was helping him overcome his fear of the lupes. Maybe someday he would be one of the unis that stood up and fought the lupes, rather than his usual running at a frantic pace at the head of the herd in the exact opposite direction of the lupe attack.

Very shook Anita off his back, and she fell into the pond. She looked at him. He had a stern look on his face.

"Where were you?!" He demanded. "I told you to stay put, and when I came back you were gone! For all I knew, the rest of the lupes here had come and taken you off and killed you! I was worried about you." At the last comment, his face softened. She felt ashamed.

"I'm sorry." She murmured. "I was hungry. I hadn't eaten in a week. Since I first was- I mean, when my parents first left." She looked at him innocently hoping he didn't notice her mistake. He didn't. Suddenly she brightened. "Look what I found!" She called the beekadoodle from where it had been hiding in a tree and displaid it proudly. "It got hurt in the storm, so I had to help it. Isn't it cute?" Very smiled and nodded. It made him feel a little better that she wasn't alone all the time. If she needed to, she could have sent the little bird for help.

The lupe was still sitting, soaking wet, in the pond. Very smiled a mischievous smile, and stamped his foot into the water, splashing the lupe even more. She cowered for a second, until she saw his smile. She shook herself and splashed the uni with the water the flew from her fur. She leaped at him playfully, and he bolted, running into the shallow water, grinning over his shoulder, inviting her to chase. She leaped at him, and ran between his huge legs. She jumped on his back again, and mouthed his wings. He leaped into deeper water, swimming enough to keep his head above the water, forcing the pup to come up. She did, and swam next to him, snapping mischievously at his ears. Very went completely under several times, rolling and twisting to loosen the caked mud on his coat. The uni churned the water with his powerful hooves and swam toward the shore. Once there, he and Anita chased each other, having a ball. Finally, they lay down, the lupe resting peacefully between her protectors wings. Very sampled al the grass he could reach without disturbing the tired pup. He glanced at Gipha, who had followed him and remained silent while he and the lupe plaid. Anita hadn't noticed her from what he knew. He would introduce them, except that she was already sound asleep, having her first restful sleep in a long time. The beekadoodle perched on the great Unis head and watched her master sleep. He smiled at the small bird, then put his head on his front legs and fell asleep.

Morgan:

Wuff and Ally realized at the same time what was going on. "Wait a sec... Did you say that you love me too?!" they said in unison, then, delighted by this happy turn of events, they touched their noses together. For them, it was a sign of love, to an outsider, it would just be hard to understand, since Wuff had to stretch to reach while Ally bent down, but they were happy either way. After this moment of theirs, they turned and remembered Shiko was watching them. They both blushed until they noticed that Shiko was happy for them, then they both smiled.

"Shiko, come with us to Kauvara. She has healing potions that may help you, though I know you aren't injured, it might help you on the inside. I don't know, but Kauvara can probably help, and she's only a mile away. Ally wants to be a White Lupe, and she wants to start a new pack because of Hod's insanity. Maybe you could join our pack, Shiko? It'd be nice to have both of my friends with me. What do you think, Ally?"

Ally had a look that suggested that she was thinking very hard, then said, slowly, "Yes, I want Shiko in the pack with us, Wuff. If he wants to, that is. Either way, we'll need to find him a mate, or I think he'll feel left out. Maybe someone besides Shiko survived. Maybe we should go back and check... Let's go to Kauvara's first though, I'm getting impatient. I can smell it from here, c'mon!" With that, she bounded off to Kauvara's, Wuff keeping up with her easily. They were only a mile away. Wuff and Ally were both happier than they had ever been before. No one had ever accepted Ally, due to her personality and quirks, and now she was in love and about to have all of her dreams come true. 'Now THIS is Bliss...' She thought to herself happily, everything would finally stop being painful to her. She still remembered Hod though, and decided that he needed to be stopped, no matter what Wuff or anyone said. In her eyes, Hod was nothing but pure, undiluted, evil. She began formulating a plan as they all ran to Kauvara's. Then her plan was knocked out of her mind. She could see it! Kauvara's was right there! She yelled from pure happiness, and ran inside, Wuff following her every step of the way.

Tasia:

The unis were flying, Lumino along with them. Shit! In spite, he howled into the air, and pitched a howl, so that only the gold uni's ears (Well, only except for perhaps a close relation to him- as far as Hod knew Lumino didn't have any heirs) could pick out the words within. He said Running away? What a way to show your bravery, oh great fighter! You can fly for as long as you want to, but eventually your wings will tire, and I will be there where ever you land.

"Pack mates! Night is coming high. We will camp here."

The lupes laid down, hungry, but made not a sound of protest; they were so terrified of Hod. Hod walked around for a time. He found an imprint in the grass, with the scent of uni.

There was also a the smell of lupe. It was a few hours old, but still Hod's ears pricked a little; he recognized the smell, but couldn't place it. He took another inhale. A picture of a young shadow lupe came to mind. Ah yes, Wuff. That was one mistake he hadn't made, casting Wuff from the herd. The young lupe refused to take place in the hunt, to eat uni meat. He didn't like the idea of killing unis at all. He was strange. His kind didn't even have to be executed, their only place was alone, wandering, until they perished. Hod was a little surprised Wuff was still alive. Apparen'tly, he befriended a uni. Hod almost wasn't surprised.

He grunted to his laying place (flanked by the high guard, of course). He was really in a stump. He could run his pack weary chasing the unis across the plain, but Lumino was a a smart one- he would make sure to lift before the lupes reached them. Perhaps he could come from down wind, but the winds were so unpredictable on the plain, one moment could give them away. Perhaps if they scattered, forming a broad circles around the herd's landing place, before they got there. Then they could converge on the herd just as they landed. Then they come in, unexpectedly. Hopefully, if they were fast enough, the unis wouldn't have a chance to lift again and, being exhausted, the fight would be short. But there was no way Hod could predict where they were going to land...unless, Hod chose it himself! Some lupes would run ahead, and the rest of the pack would keep after the unis- actually herding them, into a vulnerable spot. But which? Hod knew, it was perfect, the Home Valley! He grinned in the dark. How ironic, that Lumino would die in the place Hod called home!

He got up to rouse his pack. His high guard was still awake. Good. Sleeping on the job would have left Hod open for assassination attempts. Hod could see his bodyguards were curious but their forms remained rigid. He told one to go wake the pack up.

A few minutes later, the pack was sitting in front of him, rigid. Hod explained his strategy to the pack. He chose two of the high guard and four pack members. He had them roll in the place where the uni had laid down. Hopefully, the uni scent would drown out their own lupe scents until they needed to attack. The rest of the pack and he took around a long arch around the current position of the unis. Hopefully, Lumino would hi herd in exactly the opposite direction of the lupes.

Thereda became pale listening to Orora. For one moment, she calmed down and perked a ear for the remainders of Lumino's whinny "He's gone mad," she said quietly "Oh! We must find her!"

Gipha just stared, forcing horror not to bubble out of her thought. When the lupe started biting Very's feathers, Gipha was brought back to when the black lupe had maimed her. As Very laid down, Gipha back stepped a bit. She couldn't stand this. She just couldn't. She walked away, into the forest.

Shiko was thinking that Ally was crazy to want to start her own pack. Even if Ally did manage to become a lupe, it would be the strangest pack for sure. The alphas would be a outcast lupe and uni, transformed into a lupe! Their chances were especially dim with him in their pack. After all, he was the Omega. Shiko was about to pull Wuff aside and tell him all this, but they had reached the city. They entered Kauvara's hut, Shiko unsure what lay beyond the door.

Morgan:

Ally ran into Kauvara's hut and gasped. Bottles lay everywhere! On shelves, the ground, some even floated on the ceiling! 'Which bottle would turn me into a Lupe?!' Ally thought desperately.

"Hello and welcome to my shop! How may I help you?" said a Kau covered in stars.

"I want to become a Lupe! Do you have a way for me to become a Lupe?!"

"Not at the moment, but I could make you one! What colour?"

Ally was surprised. "I can choose the colour too?! Can I have a White one, please?! Ohh... You have NO idea what this means to me!!"

Kauvara smiled kindly. She knew that the Uni would have no money, but she could plainly see why the Uni wanted to be a Lupe when she noticed a Shadow Lupe enter. She could tell by the way they looked at each other. 'Ah, love. A wondrous thing in these bloody times. I'll do it, despite not being paid, if just to make her happy. A Lupe and a Uni, who'd a thunk it?' Kauvara thought happily. "Of course, dear, what is your name? and what are your friends names as well?"

"I'm Ally, that's Wuff, and that's Shiko." Shiko had just entered.

Kauvara gasped. "Why, he's covered in blood! But he's not hurt... Poor dear." She had heard rumours of the massacre, and realized he must be a survivor of it. She quickly brewed the needed potions. "Here you go, Ally. And you there, Shiko, was it? Here is something for you. It will help you get a bit stronger and bigger. I made it especially for you!"

Ally eagerly drank her potion, and a miraculous thing happened! Her fur got lighter and lighter til it shone like the first snow, untouched and pure, her hooves softened and turned into paws, and the rest of her body morphed into a Lupe. Her dream had come true! She immediately went over to Wuff and touched his nose again. She couldn't have ever imagined that she could be so happy! She glowed with pleasure. She knew she was crazy for wanting to start the strangest Lupe pack on the plains, but she didn't care. It would be worth anything for this moment to last forever!

Wuff watched Ally change, and his heart started pounding. He was afraid that she would change as well, not just how she looked. She finished the whirlwind of morphing and rushed over to him. They touched noses again, but this time less awkwardly. They looked just like mates, and Wuff knew it. "I love you, Ally! I'm so glad that we found each other! I wouldn't trade you for the world!" and he meant it. Wuff noticed then that Kauvara had given Shiko a bottle too. "Gonna drink it, Shiko, or just stare at it?" Wuff said curiously.

Kauvara realized that Shiko might get jealous of the two mates, and she suddenly realized something. "Shiko, a while ago, a wounded Lupe came in here. I've been using Healing Potions on her, so she's doing better, but I think it'd do her some good to see a friendly Lupe face. Would you like to meet her?"

Tasia:

Ally looked comfortable in her new body, as if she'd been a lupe all her life and he just didn't know it. He watched Ally and Wuff nuzzle, and again he felt a stab of jealousy. He was happy for them though. He was immensely proud of Wuff. He had seen him go from out cast lupe to finding his mate and starting a pack. He said of this though. He didn't want to ruin the moment.

Wuff asked him if he was going to drink his bottle. He looked down at it. Stronger and bigger, "I don't deserve this," he mouthed, and set the potion back on the counter. He had survived, why should he be rewarded by getting bigger and stronger?

Then Kauvara said something about a wounded female lupe. Totally missing her hint, he asked "Is she okay? Yes, I would like to meet her. I bet she's lonely, away from a pack."

Morgan:

Kauvara looked slightly surprised that Shiko had returned her potion, but decided to leave it there in case he changed his mind. "Right this way Shiko." She said as she led him to a back room that had a female Lupe inside.

Ally breaks away from Wuff to examine herself. She loves how she has soft paws instead of hooves. She felt more comfortable in this body than she ever had in her Uni body. "Wuff? Do I still smell the same?"

Wuff sniffs her. "What do you know, you do! You still smell the same!"

"I wonder what Mother Dearest would think if she smelled me... She'd probably think that a Lupe had finally eaten me. She wouldn't grieve though, just try to protect her perfect little angel, Lily from the nasty Lupe" Ally used a great deal of sarcasm on those words. Wuff remembered what she said, and decided to change the subject.

"Ally, how are we going to start a pack with only three or four members?"

"Hmm... Dunno exactly, but maybe we could convince the High Guard and the remainder or the previous pack to join us. We'd need to kill Ho first th-" Wuff cut her off.

"Ally! NO! Please Ally, we've only just admitted that we're in love, and I don't want to lose you! It may not matter to you, but, if it will stop you, think about me. Imagine how sad I'd be without you!" Wuff said frantically, then ran over to Ally and nuzzled noses again. They liked to do that. They waited there like that until Shiko returned.