Chapter 8

Thorne's body was pressed hard against Crystal's. Neither could speak for a bit, as they were both shaken, quite literally, about what had just happened.

"You… you saved my life." whispered Crystal, with a twinkle in her eye.

"It was the best I could do." replied Thorne, trying not to smile.

All too soon, the moment was broken by a large shadow, and a harsh voice: "Uh, Thorne? What are you doing?"

Thorne immediately sprang up. "Nothing, nothing at all!" he replied hastily.

Shaiden raised an eyebrow at him and smiled. She looked down to Crystal.

"He… he didn't do anything, I swear!" she said, desperately trying to back him up.

Shaiden sighed. Such a kiss-up, she thought. "Shouldn't we be following that cloud?" she then said, trying to break the awkwardness.

Thorne nodded. "Yeah, why does it want us so much? Why couldn't it have chased down three other people?"

The two girls looked at him with wide eyes. "Thorne, how could you be so spiteful?" Shaiden asked, hardly believing what'd just been said.

Thorne opened his mouth to give a meaningful answer, but he was interrupted by the cloud once again coming into their view, though this time it seemed to change form, to that of a man. He was wearing a long, grey overcoat, and a bowler hat, reminiscent of those from the 1800's, but he still had those unmistakable red eyes.

He glided forward, and spoke as he did so, looking it Shaiden all the while. "Spiteful?" he said, sounding rather sarcastic. "Shaiden, you have to learn…"

Shaiden tried to cut him off mid-sentence. "I don't have to learn anything!" she said loudly. Immediately after, she cupped her paws over her mouth.

The man laughed, and continued from where he had left off. "You have to learn, that you don't have all the power in the world. Not then, not now, not ever."

He paused, and then added: "Plus, you seem to be becoming a little… oh, what's the word?" His voice trailed off.

"Vain?" said Crystal suddenly.

"Yes, that's it!" said the man, snapping his fingers as he did so.

Shaiden gave Crystal her meanest growl.

"Friends getting you down?" he asked.

At that moment, everything clicked for Shaiden. "I know what you're trying to make us do!" she said, confident as ever.

The man gave a look that said two words: Oh really?

Shaiden put on her game face, and started pacing around him. "You being here, your presence has brought out the worst in all of us. You're making Thorne spiteful, you're making me vain, and Crystal… well, she'd never call me bad things! There must be a reason why you're doing this."

The man just carried on talking in riddles. "I'm not going to give you answers, little wolves. You'll just have to work those out for yourselves, before time runs out."

He cackled, turned, and walked away, vanishing once again into thin air, the three friends still none the wiser.