Morning light brought them to the edge of the wolves' lands.

"Wow...I didn't know your land was so...beautiful." Swift Heart gasped.

"Well, it's just over the river. Lots of forest, plenty of room to roam...just watch out for the road over there. " Glenn pointed out.

"I see."

"Are we going to be attacked?" Rhiannon spoke up, eyes darting to and fro. Even though she'd grudgingly accepted his companinonship--and his desire for her sister--wolves were still creatures she counted among her mortal enemies.

"No, not while I'm around..." Glenn answered...just as a grey fog crept into the area.

"Heh...heh...heh...so you say. Except for one thing...dear brother." an evil voice intoned.

"It can't be..." Glenn spoke, surprised.

"Yes...brother...it is me, Victor...I must say, a pleasure to see you..." he spoke, stalking forward, red eyes glaring at him. With the exception of those eyes, they well could have been twins.

"Wish I could say the same. What is it you want?"

"Simple. I want that rabbit you're carrying with you. My...partner...wishes it."

"Well, brother, I don't care whatever it is your...partner...wants. If you want her, you're going to have to go through me."

Victor's eyes flashed. "Glenn...you underestimate me. And overestimate yourself.I am not the runt brother you and Father threw aside, so many years ago...and you couldn't fight me if you tried..."

"Neitherhe nor Ithrew you aside, Victor. You decided to go against his edicts and challenge him, and you paid the price..."

"Oh, his stupid rules. Doesn't he realize that we wolves were destined to rule the forests? The weaker animals are our prey...they have been for milennia, Glenn. And now he goes against those very traditions...letting those weaklings dare to be our equals?"

"He felt it his punishment for what he did..."

"Oh spare me, brother. It was their fault. Those silly rabbits..."

Swift Heart and Rhiannon gasped. "Excuse us?"

Victor turned to face them both. "Yes, those silly rabbits shouldn't have been in OUR lands. They were trespassing...and they got exactly what they deserved."

At that moment, to say that Rhiannon was shaking with rage would be an understatement. "How dare you speak of me and my sister as tresspassers...we were starving."

"Oh well, two less rabbits to worry about then. It's the way of the world. I am strong and you are just weak..."

Swift Heart stood protectively before her sister. "We'll see just who's weak, Victor. I don't know who you are--other than Glenn's 'little' big brother--but you are NOT going to harm me or my sister...or anyone else...at least not while I have anything to say about it."

The wolf growled menacingly. "Dare you test your strength against mine, runt? Wolves have always been your superior...and always will be."

"That's not true, Victor. I come from a place where all kinds of creatures live in perfect harmony."

"How naive..."

Swift Heart kept her eyes on him. His eyes...yes, they were quite unnatural. Red, the color of anger and hatred. She suspected his "partner" was No Heart. He's just on an ego trip...but only No Heart would turn that into outright hatred. And it's probably gonna take him getting knocked down to size...but if No Heart really is involved...there must be some sort of darkness possessing him. Which makes him quite dangerous.

"No one is superior to another, Victor." And with those words, she dashed full speed around and behind him. Only way I can take him down is speed.

The wolf, however, had turned to face her. "Impressive. But not enough." He lunged forward, surprising her with a speed that was very near her own.

Yup, that's gotta be the work of No Heart, all right--he knew Victor was coming after me...and gave him speed to match. This isn't going to be easy...she thought as she skipped to one side, barely avoiding his claws.

Victor, anticipating her move, dug his forepaws into the ground and turned his entire body, risking a full speed impact with a tree trunk. He then sped after her.

Swift Heart was trying her best to lose him in the dense forest, bounding behind one tree, dashing between two more , trying her best to keep the fight away from the others.

But for every step she made, Victor was either right there in front of her or just behind. He swiped with his claws, just grazing her fur and causing her to slip to one side.

She quickly recovered her balance and made a mad dash back for her companions. A risky move...but I don't think he'd really be expecting me to do this. He's every bit my equal in speed...and if those claws connect...

But he anticipated her yet again and dashed around to cut her off.

All right...I'm done running from this fool. He wants to fight me...he's got it. She stopped and braced her hind paws wide.

"You want me, Victor...you got it." she shouted as her tummy symbol began to glow.

Victor just laughed maniacally. "You really think you can stop me, rabbit?"

As he spoke, a black light engulfed one paw. He raised that one paw towards her.

Swift Heart couldn't see it. She was too busy concentrating her energy into her tummy symbol. She shouted, "CARE BEAR COUSIN CALL!"

Just as she did, Victor let fly with a bolt of dark energy.

The darkness met her Call head on...but instead of colliding, the energies just parted around the black mass like a river parting around a rock.

The end result was her Call slamming into Victor in twin streams of incandescent energy...and a bolt of pure darkness likewise slamming into Swift Heart.

Victor simply fell where he stood, Swift Heart crashed into a tree and slumped to the ground.

In a moment's time, Glenn and Rhiannon ran over to her.

"Chrissie...say something...please."

Swift Heart opened her eyes for a second. "The dark...no...don't..," she whispered before her eyes closed.

"We gotta get her somewhere safe!" Glenn exclaimed.

"How far is your home?" Rhiannon shouted back."

"Too far. We're closer to yours."

"We better get going then, on the double." Rhiannon nodded, picking up her sister gently. "I just pray she's going to be all right..."

Glenn nodded, and started to pick up his brother.

Rhiannon glared for a moment. "He did this to her."

"I know, Rhiannon, I know. But he is not himself, and he is still my brother. Even if my father banished him."

She glared for another moment, then nodded. "Very well."

The two of them bounded off, carrying their cargoes, each one praying that theirs was safe.

Glenn was growling under his breath. "Whoever did this to my brother...and to Chrissie...when I find them, I vow there will be hell to pay..."