Corad: Hey ppls. Again sorry for being late on this chapter. Hopefully it will make it up to you all. Thanks JakLover and Salena99 for the nice reviews! You're all so kind to me. Lol, I noticed the review counter is 234...that's crazy. Thanks to everyone who have reviewed to get it that high. To think this story started out over a year ago without many readers. Ah well...also to anyone who cares, I have put up a cartoon picture of myself giving my Samurai guy a bear hug. If you decide to go look, it's on my homepage, but you have to go into my actual bio page on Fanart. It's easy to find...and not only can you see how ugly I am, but you can see the effects of my bear hugs. Now, enough rumbling...

I don't own Jak and Daxter, but I own my daughter Sharok
Sharok: For the last time, I'm not your...
Corad: Please enjoy!


Chapter 57 – Mystified Hunt

The movement of the air train began to ease down, settling gently on the dunes of the Wasteland. It had been a short trip, mainly due to the fact that Torn kept running over plans for the ambush. But Jak, although wanting to destroy the wolf pack, felt it somewhat wrong to annihilate a whole family of wolves.

"Alright men. We shall split up into small groups, and arrange ourselves around the entire perimeter of the pack. Stay completely hidden until I give the signal to attack. Let's hope there are not many causalities," Torn explained, tying any loose clothing he had secure. The wasteland outside the air train was roaring with wind, no doubt tossing sand into the air. Jak did the same, grabbing hold of anything he felt loose and tying it amongst everything else he wore. Once the men had fully prepared, Torn instructed the driver to open the back hatch.

He was right, there were strong winds blowing sand and debris about, but none the less, Torn leapt out, landing in a silent thud in the sand. "Quick men! We have a fair distance to travel! I'll communicate to the driver when we are about to attack. He'll be our signal, driving above us. When you see the air train in the sky, attack!" Torn shouted, pulling a gun out and gripping it tightly in his hand. The leader began moving out, the squadron of guards, Sharok, Erol and Jak following him.

It took a while to get the whole group moving quickly through the wind, but after a few minutes of walking, Jak could see a large cave in the distance. Surrounding the cave were numerous trees and rocks, and in amongst the trees Jak could just make out small grey wolves.

"Halt, we've gotta go around. If they see us in the open, they'll be onto us in no time. Follow me." Torn led the men to a nearby rock structure, and gathered the guards into a small huddled group. "Single file until we reach that large dune on the far side. See it?" he shouted, pointing out across the desert to a few large dunes just at the edge of the cave. Everyone nodded, and arranged themselves in a single line to follow Torn.

Moving out once again, the walk to the far dunes took longer. It was quite a distance to travel on foot without being spotted, also because walking in single file resulted in numerous people tripping over.

"Watch it!" Erol hissed, after a guard behind him had lost their footing and toppled into the ex commander, sending him face first into the sand. Torn snarled back to keep quiet unless he was planning to bring unwanted attention to them. Erol growled in return, picking himself up from the hot sand and brushing it off his clothes. The men continued stumbling onwards to the dunes, until they finally reached them.

"Now, groups of 5 should be enough. Arrange yourselves and split up. Keep out of range until the signal," Torn reinforced, and watched as the guards split up into teams of five. Torn had joined a group of men, and began leading them further down the steep dunes towards the cave. Jak had teamed up with Erol and Sharok, before being accompanied by two more men.

"Ok, I suggest we head in the same way as Torn, but cut off around the side of the cave. We'll hide in the rocks until we're given the go to attack," Sharok said, pulling out his gun and peering up over the dunes to see the wolf cave. Jak reached back and pulled his own morph gun out, whilst Erol loaded his hand gun. The two guards were already armed, and were standing patiently for further instructions.

"Good enough plan, let's go," Jak said, switching his gun to Vulcan. Sharok nodded in reply and began to lead the way down the steep dunes. They followed the tracks Torn and his own men had left behind, but stopped after a while and moved up near the cave. Sharok indicated for the men to lean against the cave to stay hidden, while he moved slowly towards the entrance.

"What ever happens, fight till the end. Battles like this always get me going," the oldest elf muttered, a sly grin on his face. He peered around and saw a few stray wolves roaming and sniffing the ground. He saw a few fighting over the remains of a metal head, and watched as the younger pups tackled each other in a play fight.

"When is Torn sending the signal?" one of the guards asked, his voice becoming impatient. Jak and Erol turned to him, but Sharok was the first to speak.

"When the commander feels the time is ready. Battle is all about timing. Get in too soon, or too late, you're as good as dead. He's picking his time wisely so be patient," he replied in a gruff voice, his eyes still watching the wolves, unaware of the ambush which would most likely slaughter them all. "Listen guys, I'll go seek Torn. Tell him to get moving. I think the wolves have discovered our presence."

Jak looked up at Sharok, trying to read his face expression. It was full of what seemed like fear and worry, but it was hard to tell. "Ok, but keep hidden," the blonde replied shortly, and Sharok nodded in approval before sliding down the dunes and running in the direction of Torn's tracks. His disappeared from view, just as Erol spoke up.

"He seems uptight about something," the red head murmured, and the two guards nodded their heads. Jak shook his head though, and peered around at the wolves. It was a sad sight, seeing such young wolves having fun right before their sudden death. To see some of the elderly wolves retiring under the shade of a nearby tree. But visions of the blood stained concrete back at Haven forced the removal of those guilty thoughts from his mind.

"Wait…what's happening?" Jak mumbled, after just noticing a few of the wolves raise their heads towards the far side of the cave. The wolves began lifting themselves up, and soon the whole pack were fleeing down the dunes out of sight, some beating their wings in flight to retreat faster. Jak stepped out into the open, his jaw wide open staring at nothing but bare ground. Other teams arose out of their hidden places, one in which was Torn. He looked highly disgruntled as he paced to and fro inspecting the area.

"What happened?" he shouted out, Freedom guards traipsing up to him at the centre of the territory. "They're all gone! Without a fight too. Dammit, our one chance and it's gone!" he growled, shoving his gun back into its holster. Everyone stayed silent, surveying the empty wolf area.

"Maybe they don't want to fight," a deep voice muttered, and Torn spun around to see Sharok walking up to the ground, his hand gripping his other shoulder. Torn raised an "eyebrow" at him, before his eyes strayed down to Sharok's crimson stained hand.

"What happened to you!" he cried in alarm, watching as the sticky mess began to dry. Sharok lowered himself to the ground, sitting in the hot sand.

"I went to seek you out, Torn. The guards were becoming restless from waiting. I tripped along the way and my shoulder impaled on a jagged rock. Nothing too serious. Perhaps they spotted me and fled," Sharok replied, removing his hand from his shoulder. Regardless of what Sharok said, his shoulder still looked pretty bad.

"Ok, well it's pointless to stay out here too long. We can't follow the pack. I'm unsure where their next hunting grounds are, and we've already spent too much time and energy out here. I don't want to lose anyone to heat and dehydration," Torn said loudly, pulling out his communicator and demanding the air train to pick them up. He turned to the group of guards, and forced out a smile.

"Good work men. Scouts shall be situated around the city, particularly after dark when the attacks seem to happen. I may send the occasional party to inspect the outer walls for any signs of wolf habitation, but we're done for now. If the pack itself refuses to fight, then there must be a lone wolf who is behind it all," the leader stated, lowering himself beside Sharok. He could feel the hot air from the sand brush against his face, and he wondered how the other man could possibly sit there. Surely his ass would be burning by now.

"By all due respect sir, but shouldn't we at least follow the pack to gain more information on their current whereabouts?" a guard spoke up, stepping forward and meeting eyes with Torn's. Torn shook his head, and pointed out into the vast wasteland.

"Spotting a pack of let's say, 14 wolves, is not going to be an easy task. Considering we have one man down, and a few of you look a bit fatigued, our force isn't as strong. Besides, if these wolves did not attack us, it shows they must want peace. Maybe it's not their pack that's behind the murders. I could have gathered the wrong information and there may be other packs out there. Don't worry soldier, you'll have another chance to fight," Torn replied, wiping his hand across his sweaty forehead.

The sound of a low rumbling noise alerted the guards, and many helmeted faces gazed to the sky to see the air train lowering slowly to the ground. Grains of sand were blown out across them all as the air train landed, but when the hatch opened, the men all flocked to get inside. Torn grabbed hold of Sharok's arm, and hoisted him to his feet before leading him over to get inside. Jak and Erol had already boarded the train, and had taken a seat at the very back.

It was very squashy on the air train, and Torn had even forced Sharok to sit beside Jak in the fear he might collapse if he stood up too long. So Jak sat, his shoulder pressed stiffly against Sharok's bloody mess of a shoulder. It was not a pleasant thing to think about, and Jak vowed to toss his shirt in the wash once he got back.

"So, how's your shoulder?" Jak asked after a while of silence. The other guards had started up quiet conversations amongst each other, but Erol refused to speak, and Torn was too far near the hatch to talk to. So the blonde was left with Sharok.

"It's alright, I've had far worse before. Especially working in the Krimzon Guard," Sharok replied flatly, his head knocking gently against the wall as the air train swayed about in the sky. Jak cocked his head to the side, and gave him a hard stare.

"Krimzon guard?" he questioned, his eyes flickering to each of the tattoos staining his cheeks. Sharok bowed his head, and smiled warmly.

"Yes, I was a Krimzon Guard in my younger days. I served by King Damas. He was a great ruler. But he disappeared one day and Praxis had taken the thrown. I kept my loyal self and served Baron Praxis just as I had done with Damas. I regret it now," Sharok mumbled, sighing deeply and turning his head to the floor. Jak studied Sharok's face for a little longer, before looking over to Erol.

"Did you know Sharok was a KG?" Jak asked in a whisper, and Erol raised an eyebrow, looking past Jak's face to Sharok.

"No."

"Apparently he was," the blonde said in a simple shrug. He then turned back to Sharok, and saw his shoulder seeping fresh blood out. Out of curiosity, Jak leaned towards him, and peered at the wound. "Looks bad Sharok. You'll need to fix that up when we get back." Sharok growled in reply, and put his hand over the mess to hide it from Jak's view.

"I'm aware of that Jak," he said, his eyes transfixed away from Jak's stare.

The remainder of the ride went quickly for Jak, seeing Erol had decided to talk to him. They were having a debate over the decoration of the bar, and Erol kept insisting to spunk it up a bit.

"Daxter keeps saying that, but it's still one of our bases, let alone our home!" Jak fought back, just as the Air Train lowered to the pavement of the port. The hatch opened and the guards all leapt out, including Torn and Sharok. Erol and Jak were the last to get off, still arguing as they made their way to the Naughty Ottsel. Torn had taken his men back to Headquarters, and had taken Sharok along too to fix up his shoulder. So the two arrived at the bar, but Jak fell silent at the sight of Lenna, sitting quietly on one of the stools.


Corad: Another chapter down...another...(insert number) to go. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, so this fic is getting closer to the ending stage. Well, not really at this stage, but from what I've written so far, it is. But I've written up to chappie 62 though. I have a prequal that I've written chapter 1 for. If anyone actually likes Sharok, and wants to read about his boring life before this fic, then that story will be there for you. That fic will have Damas, Praxis, Skytha, Lenna, Torn, Ashelin, Erol...others...just not Jak coz he wasn't there. Or Daxter for that matter. Or Keira...you get the point. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and be back soon for chapter...58? Nyeh...see ya guys. Please review if you have the time. It's good to hear feedback:)