Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Wolfblood.

Episode Six, Part 1 - "And We Run"

They ran, and they ran, and they ran. Maddy, Emma, Dan and Rhydian all ran through the familiar woods together, trying to keep up the same pace as each other.

The Wildblood had found their house, and he wasn't going to stop until he got what he wanted.

"He's here," Maddy had whispered half an hour ago. Maddy, Rhydian, Dan and Emma had been standing in the kitchen, and once Maddy knew the Wildblood was near, they had no time. They just had to run; to get out of the place that was filled with nothing but their scents.

They couldn't even leave Rhydian behind; the Wildblood would follow the scent to their houses, find him and kill him. Because his scent was slightly mixed with Maddy's now, the Wildblood wouldn't stop and think to check if Rhydian was one of them. They had to run together; like her parents had said days ago–there's safety in numbers.

They ran for what felt like an eternity, their breathing rugged and their faces burning red. Each of them could smell the Wildblood all around them; he was getting closer, circling them all like they were his next meal.

And soon they reached a crossroads in the woods, and the split second they all slowed down just slightly to decide which way to run was the split second they would regret for a really long time.

The Wildblood had found them.

A jet black wolf with glowing yellow eyes jumped out in front of them, teeth bared and snarls escaping its throat.

Maddy, Emma, Dan and Rhydian all skidded to a halt, their eyes wide and breathing heavy. All four of them stared at the Wildblood whose name they still did not know. The look in the wolf's eyes suggested that he knew he had already won.

Emma was the first to growl, and then she hunched her body slightly. Dan did the same, followed by Maddy and then Rhydian. They had to at least try to fight for their lives.
Maddy's relatives hadn't survived the attack from this wolf, but maybe the Smiths and Rhydian could... Maybe.

Soon all four of them were in their wolf-form and that's when the battle began.

Emma, Maddy, Rhydian and Dan all circled the Wildblood, teeth bared and hearts pounding in their chests. A little voice inside Maddy's head was telling her that this was the end; that there was no way of getting out of this. He had killed a whole family of five single-handedly down south, only leaving behind the ones that he wasn't interested in, and he could easily kill the four of the wolves standing in front of him now.

They were trying to put across brave fronts, but all of them were terrified beyond belief.

The black wolf lunged towards Emma first, his mouth wide open, aiming for her shoulder. But she quickly dodged out of the way as the rest of her pack dispersed around her, the wolf falling to the floor.

This made him even angrier.

His head tilted back and he howled, threat and hatred pouring out of every second he held the howl for. It was so loud that everyone in Stoneybridge would be able to hear him from here.

Maddy cowered away briefly, but Rhydian and her parents were still standing strong, so once again she stood strong also.

And then the Wildblood looked back to Emma and Dan, snarling and growling repeatedly. Darkness practically poured out of his eyes even though they were glowing yellow.

Maddy knew that he was going to go for her parents next, and she couldn't watch that. She couldn't watch them be attacked like that; it would break her heart. She couldn't let the dream she'd had come true.
So Maddy moved so that she was standing protectively in front of her parents, snarls escaping her own mouth now. Something in her was braver than before; like something had snapped. They didn't need protecting, but maybe Maddy standing in front of them would put him off attacking them for now, Maddy thought.

But it didn't put the Wildblood off at all.
He didn't care who he killed first.

In the blink of an eye he was charging towards Maddy, paws thudding along the ground even harder and louder than they had before, his mouth slowly opening to its widest.

Rhydian barely even watched this happening for a second before he growled incredibly loudly. No way was the wolf going to kill Rhydian's Maddy; he just couldn't let that happen.

He charged in front of Maddy just before the Wildblood reached her, knocking Maddy away and taking the blow from the jet black wolf on himself.

The wolf's teeth went in to Rhydian's stomach, and he fell to the floor in front of Maddy as the wolf went for his neck too. Rhydian had dropped to the cold ground but managed to drag himself away from the Wildblood as he howled in satisfaction. Rhydian went over and lay limply by a tree.

Maddy growled at the Wildblood, baring her teeth. No one hurt her Rhydian. Not even this wolf who scared her more than Alric ever had. She took one blow at him, attempting to bite in to his neck but his fur was thick and his paws were stronger around her arm. He clawed at her arm causing her to let out a yelp of pain and fall to the ground.

Instantly her parents noticed that the Wildblood had hurt their cub and rushed over to it, snarls and growls coming out as they hit him from both sides.

Maddy, still in wolf form, dragged her limp body off the floor and ran over to Rhydian. He was still laying there – now in human form – his chest rising and falling quickly and his shirt slightly stained red.
For a moment she forgot about the fact her parents were still fighting a wild Wolfblood with the intention of killing them. She just needed to help Rhydian.

Whimpering, she licked at the wounds through his torn shirt, on his chest, neck and arms, in an attempt to clean them. Rhydian made noises as if it hurt every time she touched him, but when she stopped he looked at her and forced out a smile. His face was paling.

Maddy transformed back and, before moving any closer, she turned to check on her parents. For a moment it looked like they were being defeated, but then Maddy heard multiple growls from behind her. Frantically, she looked around, and then she saw them.

Four familiar wolves – the most familiar being the one with bright red fur and intensely golden eyes – snarling and slowly approaching the Wildblood. Jana, Aran, Ceri and Gerwyn all passed Maddy and Rhydian, not taking their focus off of the other snarling wolf attacking Emma and Dan.
For a moment, the Wildblood didn't notice they were there but when he did, his furred face looked shocked.

Maddy caught Jana's eye for a brief moment and let out a pained smile. Jana seemed to nod her head in acknowledgement before suddenly snapping her head away and following the rest of her pack towards where the fight was happening.

Knowing her parents were safer now, Maddy scrambled across the muddy ground to be closer to Rhydian, pulling open his shirt by the buttons so she could inspect the wounds. They were big, and deep, and bloody, and it made Maddy want to cry. Her own shirt around her arm and shoulder was starting to turn red too but it was no where near as serious as Rhydian's injuries. He was losing blood and he was losing it fast.

"Maddy, you...you have to run," Rhydian stammered, his voice rough as he tried to sit up through the pain of the wound to his stomach.

Maddy gently pushed him back down to the floor again. "I'm not leaving you here, Rhydian! You'll die if I run!"

"And you'll die if you stay and let him attack you!"

"I'm not letting either of us die, do you hear me!?" Tears were stinging the backs of her eyes now and it wasn't long before one escaped. The next time she spoke, her voice was strained with tears. "You should know by now that I'm never leaving to go anywhere without you again. Okay?"

"Maddy...please...you need to be safe," Maddy could tell Rhydian was struggling to keep his eyes open.

All the while they were having this conversation, her parents and Jana's pack were viciously fighting the Wildblood a few metres away from Rhydian and Maddy. In the background, snarls and growls could be heard, but the couple weren't paying attention to it anymore.

"Jana and her pack are here," Maddy whispered. "We'll be fine."

"M-Maddy, he…he won't stop until he…"

Rhydian didn't finish his sentence, and Maddy didn't answer him. Instead, she brought her hand up and smoothed his hair back and away from his forehead. He hadn't had chance to put gel in that morning, so it was flat and soft, but there were now pieces of dirt and specks of blood tainting his blonde locks.

Brow furrowed and cheeks stained with salty tears, she leaned forward and left a small kiss on his forehead. His skin tasted slightly of blood (and maybe a hint of dirt) but she didn't care.

"I won't let you die," she whispered, slightly sobbing now. She couldn't lose him. Not again.

"I'm going to be fine, Mads," Rhydian whispered. "Eventually. Just...maybe not right now." His eyelids were drooping, his face paling.
Maddy leaned forward again, her eyes wide and heart beginning to race. Even through the pain of her own injuries she could not let him slip away.

"No, Rhydian, stay with us, please," she begged.

"I'm not dying…," Rhydian managed to force out. Maddy's hands were covered in Rhydian's blood from where she'd tried to help, one of her hands still sitting near the wound to his stomach and the other on his cheek. "I promise. I'm not…leaving you…again."

And then his eyelids fell shut, his head thudding once against the ground below him.

Maddy knew he was still alive; she could hear his heartbeat still. But if the Wildblood didn't leave or get defeated soon, Rhydian's heartbeat would soon be fading.

Maddy rested her head on Rhydian's chest, her limp body lying against the cold ground. The smell of blood was giving her a headache. Tears were falling.

Maddy's ears finally tuned back in to what was going on around them, although she didn't look. A few more minutes of growling and snapping went by before she heard what sounded like her mum letting out one huge, excruciatingly loud growl before the thudding of paws.

Then the Wildblood let out a loud yelp.

And then the woods went silent.

Maddy snapped her head up quickly and spotted the six familiar wolves circling the body of the black wolf, teeth still bared but no growls anymore.

And then her mum turned to her, a look in her eyes that suggested everything was okay. Maddy's eyes came to the black wolf lying limply on the ground, and that was when she knew it was over. They were safe. They were alive.

Emma and Dan transformed back again before running over to their cub, frantically grabbing her hands and trying to get a look at her wounds.

"Stop it!" Maddy exclaimed, struggling to get away from them.

"We need to check your wounds—"

"LOOK AT RHYDIAN!" Maddy yelled at the top of her voice, more tears falling. How could they not even notice Rhydian lying out cold on the ground beside her? Maddy only had a few cuts and bruises…but Rhydian was in a heck of a lot more serious state.

Dan's face fell when he looked over to Rhydian's almost lifeless body. His chest was still rising and falling but it was barely noticeable, and it took a few seconds for Mr and Mrs Smith to recover from the shock. Jana, Ceri, Gerwyn and Aran all appeared now by Rhydian's side, back in human form. Their faces were covered with looks of horror and shock, and although they were mildly injured too, they seemed to forget about it all when they looked at Rhydian.

"What happened?" Emma asked in a panic, trying to locate the wounds on his body.

"He got bitten in the stomach and shoulder," Maddy sobbed again, running her hands through his hair.

"We need to take him back home," Dan said, attempting to put his arms around Rhydian to pick him up.

"How?" Emma asked.

"We can all carry him," Jana suggested, taking a gentle look at Rhydian's stomach with her hand, trying not to touch him too much. Ceri nodded and Jana continued. "Right, Aran? Dan and Gerwyn? Just like you carried me when I got shot…"

Dan nodded. "Of course."

Gerwyn and Aran nodded too, and then Jana looked to Emma and Maddy, her eyebrows slightly raised.

"We'll go back to the house and get the bed ready for Rhydian. Then we'll all patch him up. Ceri, you can use some of the pack healing things, right?" Jana asked.

Ceri nodded and stood up with Jana as Aran, Gerwyn and Dan all got their arms around Rhydian as gently as they could. Ceri ran off in the direction of her house, her legs moving faster than ever before so she could reach her healing potions faster.

Without another word said, Emma and Jana rushed towards the house, but Maddy stayed by Rhydian's side, watching as the four familiar Wolfbloods gathered Rhydian in their arms.

"Maddy, go!" Dan urged.

"I can't leave him," Maddy wanted her voice to sound strong and confident, but it was down to a whisper and it was strained with tears.

"Maddy, he'll be fine. Trust me. Trust Ceri." Dan said as gently as he could manage.

Maddy stood up as the four of them did, Rhydian in their arms. "I know. But I don't want to leave him."

"Run with us then," Dan was reluctant but they all started running anyway and Maddy followed. "We have no time."

A/N: First thing's first: sorry for the overdue update!

Second thing: I have literally never written a fight scene before, so I am really sorry if this was hard to follow or anything like that! But still, I really hope this chap was worth it and that you enjoyed! Do let me know what you think :)

Third, most important thing: THIS STORY HIT 100 REVIEWS. You guys are actually amazing, and I love you all so much, and I love hearing all your thoughts. Even to those of you who don't review, I love you all too! I can't believe you guys love this story, haha :') I literally just wrote it because I couldn't stand the idea of season 3 being the end for these characters, and also being without Maddy anymore! And clearly you guys feel the same :')

So yeah. That's about it. THANK YOU :)

Love :* xxx

PS. College work for me has just started again, so I may not update weekly anymore (as you can tell!), but I will definitely not be giving up on this story. Ever! :)