Tasia:

As Kauvara walked the small lupe to the back room, she saw into him. He carried the scars worn by those who had gone to war, scars that couldn't be healed with a potion. Something happened to the young lupe- something terrible that would eventually eat him whole. All she could do was let him have company, but eventually a madness would take him that would isolate the lupe from everything.

Shiko looked on the lupe below him. She rested peacefully, her head on her paws, but the look on her face seemed rather lonely and abandoned. She was red, but a deep scarlet hue Shiko had rarely seen. Her shoulder was bandaged up. Shiko could only see her coat, the way it accented her ears and hugged her paws.

"Garuwomon," Kauvara said "you have a visitor."

Garuwomon Shiko thought What a strange name! The lupe raised her head. She met Shiko's eye. Shiko looked away, intoning he didn't want a battle. Garuwomon gave him a sideways look.

"'Lo?"

"Hello." Shiko said, not sure what was going. He heard Kauvara leave behind him.

"So what is this? Bonding? I have to get to know you cause we're both lupes? Gimme a break."

"Hmm, well, is your shoulder okay?"

Garuwomon looked at him for a moment. He looked right into his eyes. Shiko could stand it. Then, she glared at him "Yeah it's foine!"

"Oh. Okay. Good. Um, see ya later, Gararamon,"

Now the red lupe laughed "It's Garuwomon. But please, coll me Fay."

Shiko blinked "Fay? But why?"

"Long story."

"I have a couple of long stories myself."

"Oh, then let's trade!"

"I don't think you'd like to hear mine."

"Well, I don't want to tell moine. So let's not do it and did, a'ight?"

Shiko nodded.

"Well," Fay continued "you seem awful chippah."

"I'm fine," he wished Fay wouldn't ask questions about him "so, what happened to your shoulder?"

"Got glass init."

"Glass?"

"Ya act like ya havn't even hoid of the stuff. Ya know, glass?"

"Oh," Shiko nodded, even though he had no idea what she was talking about. For sakes, her coat was beautiful.

"Well, ya wanna know how it got theah?"

"Um,"

"I jumped through a window."

"Oh."

"At the pound."

"Ah."

"Gee," Fay was grinning at him this time, still staring him in the eye! "You have no idea what I'm taukin about! You nevah even hoid of glass or windows or the pound!" she got up, and as if her wasn't even on her, circled Shiko "Wait, I think I know who you ah! Youah wonna them wild lupes! Kauva'a told me about you guys. I can actaully heah you howl sometimes from this shop. I mean, the othah night there was some awful howlin' freaked me out! Hey, what'sa mattah?"

Shiko had fallen into one of his nightmares again. Fay pounced on him, and started yelling. When he next looked, Kauvara and Fay were both looking over him.

"Why'dju staht screamin' like that?"

Shiko felt his face, there was cold sweat on it. Next thing he knew, Kauvara was taking Fay over the haunch, into the another room. Shiko just sat and let his heart slow down.

Uni:

Lumino could see that the mares were tired. They had did a good flight. But, where are they going to land? Throwing his head, Lumino scanned the plains for a good place to land. Suddenly, the stallion saw a bright white Uni and a silver Lupe run below them, between the foals. A dark red mare joined them, but Thereda flew up to where the mares were.
After a brief chat, Orora flew up, too, and was immediately hugged by Fratylia.

Snorting with satisfaction, Lumino searched again. The day was ending, and Lumino wouldn't be able to see Lupes in the darkness. Grunting, Lumino waved his long horn, which lit up. The light was intense, and it would be easy for the Lupes to see them. Whatever, Lumino thought, as long as I can see where I'm landing ... The lead Uni looked over at his herd, and, to his great surprise, two other lights caught his eye.
Orora and Fratylia flew to him, horns lit. Lumino smiled, and continued.

"Father," Orora whispered, "can't we just land briefly at that lake - ?" Orora pointed to a big water spot where their reflections shone gently back at them. "The Lupes' thick fur will unable them to swim like us; it'll become heavy."

"Great thinking, my little snow-white Uni." With that, Lumino flashed his horn several times, telling the mares where to go. The stallion hugged his mate and daughter, before letting them land, harmoniously in the lake, joining in the huge silver splash that the mares created.
The lead Uni, whose great wings don't tire as quickly as most Unis', circled around the lake, his horn still giving off light. Each of his extremely sharp senses were alive, ready to signal the presence of Hod and his pack.

He had heard the sneer of Hod when he had flew over the edge of the woods. 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 wherever you land. Lumino snorted with a short laughter. Right, Lumino thought, since when exactly did you consider yourself as a good leader? Do you think that killing me will kill your reputation? It will not bring you fame, but hate. Of course, you have already experienced a lot, so it wouldn't matter anyway ... The golden Uni grunted mockingly. But I guess that deep, deep, very deep inside, you must have a good side ...

TLT:

Anita woke up before Very. She quietly crawled off his back and then slipped into the long grass. She found herself at the edge of the pond. She could see the hoof and paw prints still undisturbed in the mud. Her eyes fell out of focus and then focused again on the reflection on the water. She was a lupe, and he was a uni. Yet he was so fun. Just like the father she never had. But it could never work, because she needed to hunt as much as he needed to graze. If only she could hunt without actually killing. There was nothing like a good hunt. Running through the grass and brush, tracking your prey only by a faint scent, the attack itself, the taste of fresh blood. No No No! She shook the image from her head. She felt a small pang of hunger at the memory of such treats.

She sighed. She couldn't live a full life on frogs, fish, and berries. There was no way around it now though, and she began looking for them. After a couple frogs, and two fresh fish, she went slowly into the forest, making her trail clear should Very want to follow. She found several ripe berry bushes, and after eating her fill she wrapped some ripe berries in a large leaf and laid them down before Very. He was still sleeping soundly, so she entertained herself by finding him edible plants. When he woke up, he was astounded by the large variety of plants the little pup had gathered him. He sampled each one, even though he much preferred plan fresh grass. He couldn't bear to tell that to the little lupe who sat, wagging her tail happily.

He had noticed Gipha had left earlier in the morning. He wondered where she went then got up slowly, after eating his fill of the exotic veggie treats, not all of which were exactly tasty. He took several deep swallows of fresh water. He was thinking of what the herd would say when he showed up with a playful little puppy following him. He could always use the cliche "She followed me home. Can we keep her?" but he doubted it would work. Yet he had to keep tabs on her. He noticed when they were "rough housing" that her movements were coordinated, quick. He could tell she would be an excellent hunter. He had seen another lupe like her, one that quickly and deftly removed his mother's throat. If she found another pack, it would be the death of the unis. Her movements were smooth, nothing puppyish about them. She would be a superb hunter, even better than the ones that took down his herd. He shuddered at the thought, and at the memory.

He stared at his reflection. His fur was still a light brown from the mud. Swimming yesterday had helped but it didn't return his fur to its sparkly white. VeryVain lived up to his name, and plunged into the water. He ran his teeth through his mane and tail, combing them smooth. He flapped his wings, shaking he dirt from the white feathers then rubbed them on his back to loosen the dirt. He continued this swirling in the water until he was once again a bright white Uni. His mane and tail glowed a bright red and green. He cleaned the few gold feathers on the tips of his wings. He wandered around the pond until he came to a suitable bush. He pulled off a branch and trimmed all the leaves except the ones at the end so it became like a broom. He swept it repeatedly across his back and sides and it smoothed down the hair and swept away any remaining debris. Very looked for another bush. he found and went over to it, and began rubbing his horn on it until it was again bright gold. He went to the pond and examined himself. His eyes kept returning to his horn, which had grown dull after days of no use. He trudged around in the mud near the shore of the pond until he found a smooth stone. He put it on another rock nearer to his chest level and began rubbing his horn methodically on it. When the stone became dry, he dipped it in the pond to wet it, repeating the process over and over again until his horn was sharper than a Lupe's teeth. The sharpening process had scratched the shiny gold finish. Very walked around the pond until he came to a bed of sand, then he ran his horn repeatedly into the sand until the scratches were gone. He rubbed it on a bush, then plunged it into the sand, until it was as beautiful as it was deadly. He looked around for some flowers and upon finding some he weaved them through his main and tail. He stood by the pond and examined his reflection again. He was pleased with what he saw.

Anita watched all this with great interest. She had heard of the vanity of some Unis, but had never seen it herself. She admitted that she was amazed at how efficiently they could primp and preen themselves until they were stunning.

"You should clean up too." Very said, awakening her from her thoughts. "I want to find the herd today, and you should look your best." Anita looked at him curiously.

"What do you propose I do?"

"Take a bath for started. Go into the pond, where the bottom is rocky rather than mud. There you can roll around until your clean. Then if you take a branch like this," He pointed to the branch of which he had pulled most of the leaves off, "and you run it through your fur, it will clean, smooth it, and straighten it. After that you can take that rock I was using and sharpen and polish your claws..." Anita's attention had dropped shortly after he showed his improvised "brush". She yawned and then walked into the pond. She rolled and spun in the water. When she got out, she shook her fur and then began rolling in the grass, to Very's horror. When she was done, she didn't look as good as Very, but she looked much better than before.

"So, shall we go?" She asked.

Very had been dreading this. "Well, uh. Maybe we should eat first."

It was already midday, and they had eaten in the morning, so Anita accepted that. She prowled around the pond and caught another frog and went into the forest to the berry bushes she found. The sweet tang was delicious, and she brought a few back for Very. Full, she watched Very graze for a while and took a light nap. She woke up just as he finished grazing. He was staring absent mindedly at the forest, where Gipha was last standing. Anita got up and sat next him. "Where'd she go?"

"I'm not sure. I think she left last night."

"Hey! Lets go track her!" The pup got up excitedly and bounced around him. "I can track ya know. I did it a lot with my pac- Papa!"

"Heh, well, she may want some alone time. Maybe we should just go look for the herd. Maybe she will be there..."

"Let's go then!" With that the lupe bounded toward the plains. Very watched her, hesitated, then trotted after her.

After a while of walking on the plains, the two stood on a small knoll. Anita lifted her nose and tried to scent them, but they were up wind. They had tracked them a little ways, and discovered that the herd had taken off. Anita sniffed around and found the trail of a lupe pack. She longed to join them, but her loyalties lied with Very and the Unis now. She sighed. Very decided they should follow the lupe tracks. They were chasing hte herd, and were probably closer behind. It would be easier to follow them as the Unis left no trail.

An hour or 4 later, the Uni and the Lupe found themselves on another hill. There was a lake just in sight. Running toward it was the pack of lupes. Very had no idea how they caught up with them. They had galloped and ran most of the way and were tired. Very wanted to go toward the lake, but it would be hard to get there without the lupes seeing them.

Anita was a little worried. If that was the pack that she had seen earlier... She shuddered at the memory of the massacre. She pushed her fear aside and tried to think rationally. The pack was much smaller now, and they were probably looking for new members. She rejoiced at the thought, if they would accept her. But she had to get Very to the herd safely. While they had traveled, Very told her of the different Uni's in the herd. He never got to know them that well, but it passed the time as they ran. Anita thought on the problem at hand. Getting Very to the herd. Where ever it was. They needed a drink at the lake too. They had run long and hard.

"We should got to the lake and work from there." Anita said, putting on the mask of ditziness. "I am thirsty"

VeryVain agreed. "If we make a wide loop, and come around near the other side of the lake the Lupes wont see us... They shouldn't."

The two agreed on this, and set out. As they approached the lake, They saw forms swimming in it. The herd! Very put on a spurt of speed as he ran toward it. Anita had to think fast. If she could draw the pack away, she could possibly join it and allow Very time to get to the herd. She slowed down though she made it look like she was trying to run fast. Very was getting far ahead, almost to the lake. She slowed down even more. Maybe she wouldn't have to distract the pack. If she just ran toward them now...

Very was with the herd now. He was swimming toward the center of the lake where the majority was swimming. He explained the story to those would would listen. He was worried when he learned exactly what was happening. He was about to introduce Anita, who he had momentarily forgotten, when he realized she wasn't with him. He looked frantically for her. She sat on the edge of the lake, looking forlorn. She looked toward where the lupe pack was, then looked back. She slowly got up and trotted in that direction. He understood. Sort of. She wanted to go back with her kind. But she was leaving him. To fight against him. No! He watched her and realized that the puppyish attitude was a mask. She glided silently through the grass with the experience of a hunter. She was much older than he though, though she acted much younger. Very felt a tear on his face as she disappeared in the tall grass.

Anita's heart was torn. She longed to go hunt with the pack, to feel needed, wanted. Yet Very was like a father to her. Someone to learn from, to play with. He was her best friend. She made the hardest decision of her life. She turned to the direction of the pack, then looked at Very, and trotted away from him. She had no idea how she would get into the pack. She thought about this. They usually like strong lupes, good hunters. If she could prove herself...

Morgan:

Wuff had a feeling that Shiko wouldn't go along with Kauvara's plan, but he still hoped that he would join their pack. Shiko was his best friend, and Wuff wanted him to stay. They all knew that it was insane to have such a pack, but Wuff and Ally could care less. Shiko screamed, and both of them knew what was wrong so they didn't enter. "Shiko! Come out here! I want you to come with us! We're going to go to find some more members for our pack! If you wanna join us, then please come!" Wuff said loud enough to be heard. Wuff could smell some Lupes, and wanted to stop their attack on the Unis.

Wuff and Ally thanked Kauvara and set out to build their pack up. Wuff smelled a young Lupe, and they bounded off to find her. Their journey was uneventful, and they found the Lupe in a matter of hours. The little Lupe was obviously a great hunter, judging by how she walked. Wuff went up to her. "Hello there, would you like to chat? I don't think that you have a pack, so would you like to join mine?"

Ally, however, was planning to set out to kill Hod. She could smell him, and wanted revenge. Revenge for the Lupe Massacre. She was now a Lupe, but she still felt the same. She now knew, however, that the Unis would be next. She wanted to stop Hod, no matter what the risks or costs were. But, most of all, she wanted to see his reaction to Wuff and his new mate, a Uni-Lupe. She chuckled at the very thought.

Tasia:

They were near a lake. The pack could take a drink, then charge on. He kept his ears pricked for the warriors he set ahead. Finally, a howl reached his ears.

The unis have landed

Where?

At a lake.

Damn. A lake attack would be difficult. However, his portion of the pack was close to the lake. Perhaps if the ahead runners attacked now, they could keep them grounded long enough for Hod and his followers to finish them off. Or perhaps-

Hod! I've just caught lupe scent!

I thought I had you roll in that uni smell before you went?

That's not what I'm talking about. This is a different lupe- three infact, wait, five? No, just four.

Hold on! I recognize one, two of them.

What?

One is the Omega, but I thought he was gone. Also, that banished lupe, do you remember Wuff?

Of course, he had been thinking about him the night before. Slowly he tried to piece what was going on. The Omega- he knew his name. His name was Komoshiko. He was the one who had come telling about the "accident". How much did Hod bet that the Omega had something to do with it? Sure, Zhairk hated weaklings, and Komoshiko was the Omega. He must had left the pack before the cleansing slaughter, and found himself a band of rogue lupes- including Wuff- and came for him.

How strong are they? Can you tell?

There was a pause Not really.

That meant, there could have been weaklings and they could have been very strong.

Is four all you smell?

Well, I thought I smelled a fifth, but I'm not sure. That meant that some may be hiding in ambush, some bigger, stronger lupes. Hod couldn't believe Komoshiko was the one who had arranged all this. He did know one thing, at thing moment he hated the Omega with every essence of his soul.

Attack the unis. Hod ordered Remember, try for the gold one. Do you see him?

Yes.

Great. Act like you don't even notice the Omega and his band, but keep weary will you! Don't kill Lumino though. Maim him, tear his wings out or something. When we get there, we will take care of Komoshiko and the gold uni! After all, what kind of army does that runt expect to lead?

He turned to his pack "Zhairk was murdered!" he bellowed

The lupes, after getting over the initial shock (the Beta was killed under the weight of a uni, but- murder?) the lupes barked angrily. "Yes, murdered. And I know the identity of the murderer." (The red uni, right?) "Our previous Omega, Komoshiko. Now the runt has found a band of renegades to go against us. They are a dangerous group, and," he spun this "They have conspired with the gold uni, Lumino!" there were gasps and barks of rage "But we are warriors. None of us are weak, and that is the fault with Komoshiko and his pack. So for the name of Zhairk, your beloved former Beta, follow me!"

Phunis lead the pack upon the lone gold uni.

She had fallen asleep in a standing up position, afraid that if she got down on her wieght she would never be able to get up again. It was broken though. She kept on thinking about how she ran away from her mother, and lost Orora, and abandoned Very. te ironic, really, that Very was the one playing carelessly with a lupe, and Gipha was skittish. She wished she could take it back. But It was too late now. She had no sense of which way she came- unis are useless for tracking.

There was a thundering. It was so loud, Gipha thought a elephante was going to run over her. She moved, too slowly, out of the way, just a patch of storm cloud galloped by. The cloud turned, tendrils blown by the wind, and morphed into a black uni.

"Oh," Gipha "did you come from the herd?"

"Me? Are you kiddin'? I'm a free roamer."

Gipha had never heard the term. Something about the way he kept brushing hairs out of his face struck her, and she immediately liked him. He was much older than she "Well, could you lead me in the general direction? I'm lost."

"You know, with these lupes about, you're safer in the forest."

"I'm tired of lupes. Lupes are the reason my herd is scared, and the reason I'm lost, and the reason I abandoned Very."

"Well they should be scared! The pack has reverted to the old way!"

Gipha was shocked "I've heard stories of the old way. Your not kidding?"

"From what I hear, the beta was killed, and the alpha went crazy."

Gipha was struck "Oh my faeries! The old way, they'll go for the herd! Oh Mom, Orora, the foals! Please, please help me! Get back!"

"What are you going to do, save your herd? No offence, but you can't even fly. You have a broken wing."

"And a raw back, and broken ribs, and sprained ankles, but you don't understand! That's my family! That's my friends!"

The black stallion didn't like running through the forest as much as on the open plains, but for the time it was a safety necessity. The lupe pack had reverted back to the old way he knew when he was a colt. It was no good for anyone, uni or lupe. At least in the forest there was cover.

And that cover hid a red uni in the trees. The black stallion didn't see her at first, so he swerved to miss her. He turned to look at her. He normally wouldn't have, but the uni was red, just like the mare he had fallen in love with long ago. He was almost immediately disappointed. She had a long black she kept throwing out of her face, the stallion's love had been only red. Like a fire.

"Did you come from the herd?" the mare asked.

He snorted "Are you kiddin'? I'm a free roamer."

"Oh. Then, can you lead me in the general direction? I'm lost."

"You know, with these lupes about, you're safer in the forest."

"I'm tired of lupes. Lupes are the reason my herd is scared, and the reason I'm lost, and the reason I abandoned Very."

The stallion didn't know about Very, but he said "Well they should be scared! The pack has reverted to the old way!"

The mare looked shocked "I've heard stories of the old way. Your not kidding?"

"From what I hear, the beta was killed, and the alpha went crazy."

Gipha was struck "Oh my faeries! The old way, they'll go for the herd! Oh Mom, Orora, the foals! Please, please help me! Get back!"

"What are you going to do, save your herd? No offence, but you can't even fly. You have a broken wing."

"And a raw back, and broken ribs, and sprained ankles, but you don't understand! That's my family! That's my friends!"

The stallion smiled despite himself. "Okay, I'll help you," he wasn't sure why he said that. Maybe it was the mare's red coat. Just like Rede's.

Thereda approached the young stallion "VeryVain, have you seen my daughter?"

He heard Wuff call to him. He wasn't sure he belonged in the pack, but Wuff had asked him nicely. He ran outside, but Kauvara stopped him "Shiko, are you sure you don't need to be healed?"

"This isn't my blood," but he didn't want to say anything else. He looked up. Something about her eyes made his want to reach them. "I have terrible dreams," she said.

Kauvara nodded "Here," she had in her hoof a purple cloudy orb. Kauvara said "It's a dream orb. It will take all your dreams from you. Touch it."

Shiko touched it. He felt a shock, but then a warm, calm feeling. He looked up, and smiled at Kauvara. Then he went outside.

When Shiko gave his dreams to the orb, some of them seeped out of it and into Kauvara. She saw, for only a moment, a lake of blood. She sobbed as soon as he left. He thought she was helping him, but taking away his dreams wouldn't reverse the prognosis. She said a little prayer to the faeries, then left her shop to go with the lupes.

Shiko smiled to Wuff. They were about to leave when Fay came over and stood by his shoulder "Hey Shiko, I'm comin' too."

"What? You are?"

"I hate Neopia Central," Fay continued "I hate ownahs. I hate bein' in the pound. I wanna be free."

Shiko thought Fay spoke all kinds of ridiculousness. "Okay," but he felt he was making a mistake.

Fay looked very happy "Who ah ya friends?"

"Fay, this is Ally and Wuff." he didn't even bother explaining that Ally used to be a uni. It would just confuse the red lupe too much. Besides, Ally smelled entirely like lupe now.

They continued on until they met a young lupe. Ally asked it if it wanted to join their pack. Shiko chuckled. The strangest pack by far.

Morgan:

Wuff suddenly sniffed the air and growled.

"What is it Wuff?" asked Ally, torn between fear and excitement.

Wuff said only one word. "Hod." He immediately wished that he hadn't.

"Hod?! Really?! I need to ki--- Uhh... I mean warn the... Uhh... Herd! That's it! Warn the herd! I'll go warn 'em!" cried Ally breathlessly, and she dashed off.

Wuff was torn. He didn't want to leave his new pack, but he couldn't let Ally get hurt... He decided that there was one good choice. "Alright, Ally has run off, and I'm going after her. This may be dangerous, but anyone who's willing to come should. If you come, you may stay in our pack." But silently, he thought 'Oh gosh, what a pack! A pet who broke free from the pound, a renegade Omega, a little female, a Uni in a Lupe's body, and a Lupe that has been hated by many others and thrown from his original pack sigh . We can manage though. We have our wits, at least. But I feel a battle coming on, and I don't want Ally to be the first casualty!' "C'mon! This is a rescue mission, and we need to warn the herd. I won't stand for another massacre! Let's go!" Wuff said to his strange little pack, and raced off to go save as many of the Neopets as he could.

Ally was racing along, going as fast as she could to go warn as many Unis as possible. 'I'll make Hod starve and save lives at the same time!' she thought, 'It's win-win!' Some of the Unis believed her, but others thought that she was a spy. Then she saw her mother. She didn't want to warn her, but knew that she had to. "Hod is coming! Fly away! Get out of here!" Ally glanced around, but didn't see Lily, who had always stuck by Mother. "Where's Lily?" Her mother looked shocked.

"How do you know about Lily?! She was killed by the Lupes a few years ago. My other daughter, what was her name?... Oh yes, Ally. Ally had just run away, and Lily twisted her ankle trying to torment Ally a little more. I had no idea that Ally was being teased! Honestly! But, Hod, he takes only weak Unis... And, and, and... She was weak when he attacked. She died." Ally's mother was crying "And poor, poor Ally! She must've met the same fate!"

"M-mother? It's me, Ally! I went to Kauvara's, and she turned me into a Lupe!"

"HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH A TERRIBLE THING?! I'LL KILL YOU FOR SAYING SOMETHING LIKE THAT!!" and she tried. Ally's own Mother was trying to kill her. Ally ran. She was crying, the pain fresh and new. Her sister was dead, killed by the Lupes. And now Ally was a Lupe, and her sister had died trying to hurt her more.

Ally ran to Lumino. "Lumino! It's Ally! I've turned into a Lupe! Even if you don't believe that, believe this! Hod has lost his marbles! He's going to try to kill you AND as much of the herd as possible! Please! He's nearby! I'm off, I'm going to try to kill him! LEAVE!" With that, she ran off, following Hod's scent. Meanwhile, Wuff was following hers.

Wuff was right behind Ally. He saw who he was sure was her Mother try to kill her, and followed her to Lumino. He followed her all the way to Hod. He turned around to face the others. "This is exactly what I was afraid of! Ally is going to try to kill Hod! If you don't want to come with us, go back and warn the Unis. I'm off!" and he ran after Ally as fast as he could.

Tasia:

Fay started shaking.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm scahed, Shiko. I'm stahtin to think I nevah shuddah come out heah."

Shiko thought, that's true. "Don't worry," he said "I'll protect you," it was a blatant lie, he knew, but he did want to protect her.

Something danced across his vision. A white lupe came and warned Lumino. The little-! He bolted down the slope. So much for a surprise attack. The band needed no instruction. They followed him, teeth ready.

What was this? He caught scent of lupe- two, in fact- however it didn't have the pack smell. It must have been one of those renegades. He motioned to his remaining pack. They formed a barrier in front of him, ever loyal to their leader.

Gipha and the black stallion rounded a crest, her heart sunk. Two lupes were running through the herd. A white one was yelling something, and attacked a mare. Then it barked something at Lumino, and ran off. A shadow one followed it all the way.

"Are you sure you want to stay here?" a voice said in her ear.

Gipha turned on the stallion and looked at him crossly "Yes, I do, as a matter of fact! This is my family. Even if I have to die with them, I wont leave them." she began down the hill. The stallion followed her for a time, then stopped in his tracks. Fine, Gipha thought. No need for you to come along. I can take care of this myself, thankyouverymuch!

He was so inspired by the young mare's spirit, that he decided to come with her. However, he was stopped dead.

She was across the lake, yelling accusatory things at a young white stallion. It was Rede. Thereda. The mare he had fallen in love with, and left her to have her foal.

She spotted the white and silver mare and cried out. She paced up to Orora and nuzzled her.

There was a sound behind her- could it be? She turned. The young red mare was nuzzling Orora. Thereda reared a welcoming note. Her daughter turned away from the white uni "Mom!" They couldn't have met fast enough. They nuzzled.

"I'm sorry mom. I'm sorry I ran away."

"Oh Gipha, it's, oh my faeries! Gipha what's happened to you? Your wing...your back! Oh, and you limp, poor baby! And your ribs, their bruised!"

"Broken," Gipha corrected. She regretted it when Thereda gasped "I'll be okay, Mom."

"But if Hod and his pack catches us, you wont be able to fly!"

Gipha bit her lip. She knew. She knew.

She watched the two red mares nuzzle, they were so much alike. Trab felt like he had a rock in his belly. Rede's...daughter. And he never even knew. Perhaps, it was his daughter too? If it was, what was her name? Lets see, if they had planned a colt, it would have been Aeron, if a girl it would have been Gipha. Gipha. What a pretty name. But...what if she wasn't his daughter? What if Rede paired up with another stallion since he left? Could Gipha or Aeron be another uni in the herd? He looked, there were many red coats, many black coats, and many that were both. Oh, he couldn't bare the thought of Rede with a different stallion. How he wanted to join them, to be part of a family, but he was a free roamer. Well, it wouldn't be the first time a free roamer joined a herd. So why was he so scared?

TLT:

"VeryVain, Have you seen my daughter?" Asked a white mare suddenly.

"G-Gipha?" Very hung his head. "I'm sorry, Thereda, right? She was with me, but... I met... a friend along the way. I'm not sure if she was scared, or if she felt awkward with us, or what, but she left. I am so sorry. I don't know where she is or where she went." With that, he swam away, wondering why he didn't go find Gipha. He wanted to get back to the herd so much...

Anita smelled a few more Lupes. Four, maybe? Were they the pack she sought? It seemed so small... She paused, and waited for them to come closer. There was a white lupe, a red one, a blue-gray, and deep black lupe, all of them coming toward her. She sat down and looked at them curiously. The black one came up to her.

"Hello there, would you like to chat? I don't think that you have a pack, so would you like to join mine?"

Anita thought about the offer. "Yes, yes, no." The lupe looked confused, or startled. "Yes, I would like to chat, Yes, I have no pack, and No, I don't want to join yours." This seemed to take him aback even more. "You see, I am looking for a large pack. One I can hunt for, prowl the plain with, and be part of. You four are small, weak, and your pack is uncoordinated. There is no order. I can sense that all of you, with the exception of the red lupe, would like to be leader, though the blue-gray one not as much. At least from what I can tell." She stared at him, looking in his eyes and saw deep fear, hatred, "I also want to be a head lupe, and there would be too much competition." She nodded toward each lupe as she spoke about them. "So I respectfully decline you offer. There is simply nothing that compares with a good hunt. Everything about it is wonderful. With a large pack, the attack is swifter, the chase is better, and it is more of a challenge to get a high rank, and the challenge is the best part. I bid you good day." She nodded toward each of them, and then trotted off.

She crawled on top of a hill, crouched, and watched the little pack. The white female talked a little, then ran off toward the lake and started talking to the Unis. Fool, she thought. The pack was moving in the direction of where she had seen the larger pack. She sighed, then went after them. They were going her direction, and she didn't want to waste energy going around them. The black lupe looked like he was startled that she had changed her mind. Soon after, they stopped, and the black one began addressing them as a pack. This is no pack, she muttered to herself. This is a group of fools. She listened to the lupes little speech, then she trotted away toward the larger pack. She groaned as they seemed to follow her. She hoped it was just that they were headed in the same direction.

Anita ran to the top of a hill. She looked down at the plains and lake. There were two groups of lupes that she could see. One seemed to be in the lead, closer to the lake. She howled a long howl, saying she was looking for a strong pack, saying she was a strong hunter and could help. She howled tales of a lost pack that left their lead hunter to die. She told of how she had befriended the Unis, knew their weaknesses, their strengths. She also told them of a small band of lupes, numbering four, that was weak and weary, unorganized, that was going to attack. She hoped that her high credentials, and her knowledge of the packs two enemies would help her gain entrance and rank in the pack. She repeated the simple notes that asked to join the pack, and then sat back and waited for a reply.


Very was worried about Anita, the rascally little pup. Would she really betray him? Gipha was right about her. She was a traitor, a hunter, a lupe. Suddenly, there was a commotion in the herd that knocked Anita out of his mind. A pure white lupe ran up to the herd, barking warnings of the lupe packs approach. What was this? Another traitor? Very's hopes soared with the thought that Anita could join this renegade lupe and attack Hod, putting her supreme hunting skills to use.

Another commotion began, one that affected him even more, the arrival of two Unis. There was a large black stallion Very had never seen, and then there was a red mare. Gipha! She ran up to her mother and the two nuzzled. She was alive! Very reared in happiness. He had been prepared to take responsibility for her death. He watched the two mares nuzzle and talk to each other. Thereda was looking over her daughter. Very remembered her broken wings, her limp. But at least she was alive! Yet Hod was coming closer, and if he attacked, she wouldn't be able to fly! The realization hit Very like a rock. Very began fretting over this, when a hold made his heart stop cold.

It was a familiar howl. He remembered first hearing it when he had agreed to let Anita come with him. Yet this howl was not full of joy, it was a question. A howl that asked to join the pack. He remembered as a foal, he would stay up at night and listen to the howls of the lupes. It had been a nice pack, one that took only the weakest Unis and kept the herd strong. He knew that it had been necessary for the pack to survive and for the herd to remain strong. He had begun to learn what the different notes meant, before another pack had taken over and begun the massacre that lived so vividly in his memory. And now the same thing was about to happen. Hod shook that out of his mind and tried to translate what the howl said.

I come in peace and ask to join the pack. I have no pack. Mine left me, their lead hunter Very shuddered at this, she had been left, but she was a lead hunter. He knew she was strong but... He focused on the howl. I am a very good hunter, I can help you attack your prey. I have made friends of the Unis, and know their weaknesses and strengths. I also know of another lupe pack that will challenge yours. Here there were notes he could not understand. I offer this information to you, as a gift. I come in peace and ask to join the pack.

Very couldn't believe it. His own little Anita, joining a pack, and offering to give them information in return. He had told her all he knew of the herd. He thanked Fyora that he knew very little. He wondered what would come next.

Tasia:

"You joining Hod?" Shiko said, but the pup was gone. No, not a pup at all, some creature quite different.

"Shiko!" Fay cried beside he "Who's Hod?"

Shiko was thinking more and more she didn't belong here "A terrible lupe. He's mad, and Ally wants to kill him. So do I, but I can't," he shivered "nobody can."

"Honestly, a lupe can't be that strong! What is his hp?"

Shiko didn't know what she was talking about, but wished she would quit pestering him about Hod.

Phunis jumped on Lumino's back, and remembered nearly immediately what had happened to Zhairk "Backup!" he screamed over his shoulder.

Hod heard the little lupe's boastful cries. He would have laughed if it wasn't so pathetic, but decided to answer anyway.

I am aware of an assassination attack on me. How do I know that you are not one of those, playing a trick on me? I suppose if you really want to prove yourself, I can put you through a test. Kill the runt lupe Komoshiko, and bring me his body.

He perked his ears. A call floated through the sky- it was the female lupe, asking to join Hod's pack. Then, the old lupe answered.

Fay jumped "Komoshiko? Isn't that ya name?"

Shiko nodded "How does he know about me, and why does he want me dead?" He thought, probably to finish the cleansing, once and for all

"Oh man, I'm really scahed now."

"Let's run," there was no further discussion, and took off across the plain, Fay at his side.