A/N: It truly has been forever since I've updated this story, and for that I apologize. I plan on finishing this story now, as I have found the old notes for it, detailing everything I had planned. After reading over this story again, I also tried to copy my old writing style to make this story flow as unbrokenly as possible. Enjoy!

Chapter 10

Ember stood at the mouth of Mountain Clan's cave, watching the sun peek over the horizon and shine its light over the distant green of the forest. Behind her, many of the Absol of her new clan were just beginning to stir. The morning hunt was returning with abundant fresh kill when Ember felt hot breath on the back of her neck. "Ember-butt," she didn't turn and scowl at Nightwing, whom had come up behind her quietly; instead she flicked her ears backwards to indicate that she had heard him.

The large Absol loomed over her, throwing the tiny Vulpix in his shadow. "I know you just want to sit here and daydream all day," he growled. "But we've got work to do. Follow me."

"What work?" Ember asked, trying to keep a lid on her temper at the pompous tone that her mentor was taking. She'd decided that morning that she was not going to make her time as an apprentice harder than it had to be.

Nightwing was already moving down the mountainside, not waiting for her to scramble to her feet and catch up to him. "Don't ask me questions," he said, his voice dropping an octave. "What we are about to do is for the betterment of the Clan… and you had better keep it a secret."

Puzzled, yet curious now, Ember silently followed him. They were headed towards the Ceremonial Valley…

-

Such destruction. Tetzleflame thought, staring at the burned remnants of forestland. He and the large group of Absol Defenders stood on the border between Whitefang and Eaglefire Pack lands, where they waited for the Vaporeon that Blazewind had promised him.

Dewfire seemed impatient, which struck the old Ninetales as odd. For the time that he had known the elder Absol, Tetzleflame had never seen him on edge like this before. Was there something wrong in Mountain Clan, which he did not want to share? "Dewfire," he said, catching attention from most of the Absol grouped there. "If there is something you need to take care of, I can certainly manage the Defenders you have left here with me."

He had earned himself a suspicious look from Dewfire. Of course the old Absol wouldn't want to leave his Defenders under the leadership of the one he'd considered an enemy for so long, Tetzleflame reasoned from that look. He'd been foolish to even offer. So it came as a surprise to him when the old Absol spoke, "I will take you up on that offer, Tetzleflame. These Absol will follow your leadership, as long as it does not put Mountain Clan at risk," he glanced back at the group. "Isn't that right?"

Murmurs to the affirmative answered him. Dewfire turned without another word and bounded northwards, towards the mountains.

-

Kashen and Freda were awake and grooming each other when Makos called up the Vaporeon and Jolteon of the Whitefang Pack to come to the aid of the forest. There were very few Vaporeon, Kashen noted, which was a bad sign—the fewer they had to scare away the Salamence meant the more the forest would have to lean on Mountain Clan. And from what he'd heard, the Absol had no reason to be happy about this arraignment.

Blackstar Pack was tracking the Salamence now; a dangerous job, but the wily Mightyena were up to the challenge. And where Blackstar was, Staticstrike was invariably helping as well. Hopefully they would bolster the numbers against the Salamence, as the electric element was still effective against the invading dragon, though nowhere near as effective as ice.

Fire helped least of all, meaning that most of the Whitefang Pack, along with Eaglefire and the Houndour's Pack were left to be bystanders.

And that's what Kashen intended to be in this fight: a bystander. He had been away from his mate long enough, and did not wish to miss a second more of her pregnancy. Her belly was rounding out, and he was beginning to wonder how much longer it would be before he would have new kits to raise. A moon? He hoped it was something so brief, but figured it would be far longer than that.

Freda was in pain, that much he could tell. She didn't mention it, but he could sense it. And so he vowed to himself that Freda now came first in all things, like she should have all along.

-

Soon, both Blazewind and Makos met with Tetzleflame; along with the group they'd called to protect the forest. "Tetzleflame, I have terrible news for you," Blazewind told the Ninetales leader, regret evident in her large eyes. "While you were away at Mountain Clan, calling on the Absol to help us, the Salamence… it killed Flamedance."

Agony hit the old fox hard, as he pulled back his head and howled his distress. The mournful cry was taken up by distant voices of Mightyena and other Ninetales. Tetzleflame knew then, knew the Salamence would not simply be driven from the forest. It would suffer and die for its very existence.

But first, he needed to gather his forces and teach them what to expect. No time to mourn, he reasoned to himself, until he had his revenge… and he would have it tonight.

"T-thank you for passing this along to me, Blazewind," he said formally, more for the group around them that had witnessed his distress. "Let us now gather our forces and slay the monster."

-

It wouldn't be easy, Tetzleflame knew. He saw how few fighters they had managed to amass that day, and knew that Salamence were difficult to drive off even with a larger number attacking it.

But that was when they were scaring away the dragons, not killing them. This time was different, he knew with certainty. Even with less than thirty Pokemon against a single Salamence, it should be enough.

"I will distract it," he told the amassed group of Absol, Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Manectric. With Blazewind's absence, he had become the leader of them all. "And you all will kill it. We shall take no chances in the blasted thing coming back… it will die."

They understood the positioning needed, and it was likely they also understood what fueled Tetzleflame's thirst for the dragon's blood. It was simply a matter of waiting for the dragon to come to them; a Mightyena had reported that the dragon was headed straight for them, to the clearing in Eaglefire Pack grounds, so close to the camp. It was hungry, Tetzleflame reasoned.

The old fox curled up in the middle of the clearing, pretending to be injured, while his fighters waited in the underbrush behind him. Tense minutes passed before a large form could be seen through the bare, twiggy bushes and trees. Heat rolled through the clearing when the beast exhaled. Tetzleflame could hear it taking in a deep breath, knowing it had scented him and the others.

Soon the dragon had trampled through the last of the underbrush separating it from Tetzleflame. The red and blue dragon leered at him, its mouth open and flames licking its lips. "NOW!" Tetzleflame shouted, seeing it was about to flame.

Electricity struck its two fan-like wings, earning a grunt from the creature. That didn't stop it from unleashing a torrent of flames that was quickly met by solid beams of ice, turning the lethal attack into harmless mist.

The dragon gave an angry roar and fanned its wings once to see its target yet again. Tetzleflame was on his feet now, bristling and barking at the dragon. He dodged the large maw, which snapped closed inches from where he was standing before, as another volley of ice and electricity was fired. Ice formed on the creature's neck, but it quickly melted from the heat radiating from the dragon's body.

Tetzleflame leapt onto his enemy's back, scoring its hide with his claws. It turned its head and tried to flame him, yet the flames only strengthened the Ninetales. The dragon thrashed and bucked, trying to knock Tetzleflame off of him, yet he dug his claws in and held on. That is, until electricity passed through his form and, momentarily stunned, was sent flying into a nearby tree with an audible CRACK! His vision went black for a few crucial seconds as the Salamence roared its victory and approached where Tetzleflame lay.

I did my best, Flamedance, Tetzleflame thought as he saw the monstrous dragon leaning forward, ready to devour him. The Ninetales, hardly able to move at all, could only face the mouth of his killer and know that death had found him at last.

The Salamence suddenly raised its head, however, and shot a ball of flame at the group that still pounded at its hide with their elemental attacks. Though most of the Absol saw the danger and fired ice at the projectile, it was large enough to avoid dissolving completely. A good deal of the underbrush burst into flames, and a Vaporeon screamed, caught in the worst of it.

Tetzleflame tried to get to his feet and found that his paws would not respond at all. He growled, helpless, and unable to tell the group to flee. Now the Salamence, weakened and irritated by the defenders, would simply kill them all.

One of the Absol struck a lucky hit and iced over the Salamence's closed mouth. It reared back, striking its head against a flaming tree, yet the ice remained in place long enough for another bolt of ice to freeze over more of its head. Tetzleflame could hear the muted growling and hissing from the dragon as it tried a different tactic of attack, whipping its tail around in an arc, sending a few defenders flying.

However, it had begun to lose the fight. Blackened patches of hide remained from where it had been struck by electricity, and the ice that solidified upon its skin was no longer melting. A pair of the Absol were brave enough to try a different means of attack, slashing at the dragon with their sharp horns now that it was disabled enough that it couldn't turn and bite them. They were aiming for the throat, and had scored a couple of shallow nicks upon the soft flesh there.

The Salamence finally broke the ice on its mouth and turned to bite one of the Absol closest to it, effectively crushing its attacker before swallowing it. The other Absol cried in fury and attacked one last time, lashing out at the dragon's neck with teeth, horn, and claws and howled in satisfaction when the dragon's breaths began to sound like pained gasps. He ducked out of the way as the Salamence gurgled out one last roar and thrashed its entire body before lying still at last.

A ragged cheer erupted from what remained of the defenders. A couple of Vaporeon took control of the fire that the dragon had started, while the wounded were taken to the nearby Eaglefire Pack grounds were they could be tended to.

All except Tetzleflame, who growled weakly when one of the Pidgey-minded Manectric tried to move him. His breathing had become shallow, yet he was oddly at peace. The old Ninetales passed on quietly, his last words being a whisper of, "Tell Ember… I'm…sorry…"

"Our work here is done," one of the Absol murmured. The large creatures had suffered few losses, though they would remember the brave deeds of the two brothers, Tarrim and Mordecai, for centuries to come. Tarrim had rushed from the presence of his fellows as soon as he had dealt the deathblow to the Salamence, and none had followed him. He would need some time to wash the blood of his brother's killer off his fur, and mourn.

Silently, and as one, the Absol began moving towards the mountains, leaving the forest packs to deal with the aftermath of the fight, taking Tetzleflame's last message with them.