The new group of five headed back into the harass sanded ground. It was nothing new for the four but for Jake it was not too familiar. The five were walking in one line, Nile at the front then Kate, Kiara and Tyson then a few steps behind them all was Jake limping his sore and injured body onward just to keep up with them.

His paw dragged on through the sand as his claws got buried into it. His pants eurythmic and tiring, His steps slow and stumbled, His ears dropped and loose, sliver eyes paling and darkening, his vision blackened and hazy with every step taken against his bodies protest.

His fur covered in his own sweat, his left front paw was drenched in his own blood dried but some fresh and slipping down his leg and mixing with the sand below.

His wound from the bullet was deep and painful for the paling sliver eyed wolf. With each step the wound became larger, and his blood ran out of it like an open tape with no plug. Jake leg was going to the point of numbing over. Blood continued its rout down his leg, as he tried to walk.

Jake's body swayed to the side prying that he could keep is balance Jake continued to trail behind the others in determination to keep up with the four wolves in front of him. The pressure on his leg was becoming too much to take, as it turned numb and he couldn't feel his leg anymore.

His paw was now fully covered in sand as he tried to walk on not wanting to be a burden to the others, Jake ignored the pain and numb feeling he was receiving from his leg.

He pushed on towards the others hoping of catching up to them. Jake took notice of the blackness that was coming in towards his vision. He shook his head as to get rid of the blackness but it only made him lose his footing and fall to the bottom the of sand hill that they were walking on.

Tyson heard the sound of something falling and stopped in his tracks and turned around. He was going to ask if Jake had heard it but when he didn't see him. He turned back to Nile, Kate and Kiara.

"Guys, Jake's gone!" Tyson announced

Nile stopped walking along with Kate and Kiara to face Tyson who stood alone on his own small wind to his back blowing his tail to his side and blowing Nile's scarf and Kiara's bandana, along with Kate's fur.

"What, do you mean he's gone?" Nile asked with the turn of his head

"I don't know, minute he was there, the next I hear a falling sound and then he was gone!" Tyson explained to the three wolves

"Maybe that thing that fell was Jake!" Kate suggested to the three with a frantic look on her face of brown and white fur.

Kate was the first to move, she moved next to Tyson her head facing the path they took and the makes that showed something had fallen. Her eyes followed the makes in the sand all the way down to a pale wolf nearly buried in sand.

"Jake!" yelled the brown wolf

Kate tumbled down towards Jake sometimes tripping and scaring the others as she fell on her face into the hard sand. It was painful but she got back up to reach Jake and see if he was alright.

But he was far from being alright. His once natural dale gold coat was now paled and sickly looking, his sliver markings on his legs were covered in sand and nearly a grey musty colour, his eyes were parted and red, the once beautiful sliver orbs now sicking and a paled grey-white.

To eye to eye he looked dead, but with the faint sight of his chest steadily rising and falling it brag relief to their faces. His mouth was slightly parted as it breathed in the oxygen that his body begged for, just to have inside his lungs.

His breath's was short and hazy unlike the healthy breathing of Kate, Nile, Kiara and Tyson. It shook as he tried to move but even the thought of moving just brought more pain to his exhausted body.

Frightening the others as pain shot to his face. His legs curled into his body as the pain shot through him like a bullet, his tail pulled in between his back legs as his ears pushed against his neck. His sickened eyes were closed and pained as black covered his vision.

His injured shoulder spilled out the blood like a waterfall forcing it to follow the dried blood down his bent leg, and spilling into the sand before his legs. The injury burned as it spilled blood from the shoulder of the sickened dale coat and skin beneath the dale golden fur of the injured wolf.

His body shook violently as he tried to remove his legs from his chest to stand up. But was forced back down by the nose of Kate, his sliver eyes cracked open slightly to reveal the sickened colour of grey-sliver, it was saddling to see the sliver eyed wolf in his condition.

It frightened Kate for what would happen to him if they didn't get him out of the sun soon. His body was so hot it hurt to touch even with the touch of a nose that was moist and cold. They couldn't carry him or drag him through the sand.

They had to stay where they were until he woke once more to start moving again. It was hot much hotter than normal, making it worse to keep Jake cold, but the only way they could keep him cool was to pry that the heat cooled off, and became colder than what it was right now.

Kate laid her head on Nile's back watching for any movement that came from Jake. Each time she thought she saw him move shed lift her ears and head but when she realised that it was only her imagination and not reality.

His sliver coat was beginning to get covered in sand as a hard sandstorm started to form. Kate's head was starting to gain sand as it watched the injured wolf. Nile's eyes were closed and opening but he was also dozing off into a light sleep.

His vision was black and burred as he looked around himself nothing was seen but black, he wished it wasn't real for he knew it wasn't real, but just as he tried to wake from his sleep. Light started to engulf him, closing his eyes to shield from the light.

Once his eyes opened, they widen in shock bodies lying all around him. His ocean eyes followed a stream of blood as it ran towards his foot and underneath it. He lifted his foot and looked at it, it was drowned in blood from stepping in the blood on his once landed foot.

He lowered his foot to the ground. And looked further around, trees were burning and falling to the ground, and sending the flames from their leaves to the dried grass below. River's turned red with blood and stone's covered in severe other bloods of others.

Nile walked through the burning forest. His ear's pushed but pricked up once the sound of a gun is heard in the distance. Nile was curios of what was going on but also didn't want to know, until he heard the howling of another wolf.

Nile stopped and listen for the howl once more but it never came, he quicken his pace to reach the wolf that was howling, only to became face-to-face with a gun pointed right at his head. Ears pushed back, as his tail went in between his legs.

His face, eyes and expression all showed fear towards the gun that was pointed at his head. But after shacking some of the fear out of him, he let his eyes wonder before the impact of the bullet. His blue eyes covered in red from the flames fell upon the white coated wolf.

Fur drowned in dirt and blood, and eyes open and frighten, even in death the white wolf had fear written inside her eyes. It frighten Nile to think of who this wolf was, and to see the fear on the wolf's face that was so clear frighten him more.

But before he could thing any further into it, the bang and darkness took over him.

Nile shot up like the bullet that had killed him in his dream, his pants crashed his even pattern of breathing, his face and fur were as badly sweated as Jake's paled fur that was in his sickness. But even with his fright his forced himself to calm down to make sure he didn't wake Kate from her slumber, it had been terrible countless hours for Kate to finally go to sleep as worry stopped her mind from sleeping it frighten them to think that she may not sleep at all.

But after the frightening hours of tiredness sleep finally came to the brown wolf, but the worry didn't leave her mind as she sleep through the night. Nile's ocean torn eyes watched as the brown wolf slept on his back.

Happiness came to his mind as he saw Kate undisturbed in her sleep. But the smile that was planted on his face vanished as he took notice of Jake, he was shaken and his fur was paler than normal, the thin layer of black that surrounded his eyes were blackened and rough looking it wasn't like his or any of the others eyes, it was a sickness eye.

Nile hated the thought of having to wake Kate but he couldn't reach Tyson or Kiara from where he was, so he had to choose, wake Kate and have the chance of her not going back to sleep or leave Jake and let Kate sleep only for her never to forgive him, for not waking her up.

So he did the only thing left, get up himself without waking Kate. Pushing his nose under Kate's neck and muzzle he lifted her slowly, receiving a few groans with the loss of warmth from Nile. Putting her on the ground of sand, he stood up onto his paws, legs stiff but he still walked over to Jake.

True he hadn't known Jake very long and knows next to nothing about him, but if he was so accepted by Kate then he shouldn't be that bad as he is said to be. Looking at the hard panting wolf Nile, sighed to him of how bad of shape he truly was.

He was to skinny for a wolf of his age, and even through all his fur his bones were visible for all to see. How Nile missed it was a mystery to all. But if Nile hadn't noticed there was a good chance that none of the others had either.

Since Nile is always the first to notice thing before the other do. It wasn't a surprise that no one noticed, but the one thing that got him the most was the open wound on his shoulder 'how did I miss that?' Nile thought through gritted teeth.

Moving forward Nile stopped at Jake's shoulder and lowered his head to his shoulder getting a sniff of the blood and scent of Jake's coat 'It's fresh, but old, just how long have you been injured Jake?'. Giving the injury another sniff, and receiving the scent of Jake once more.

It surprised Nile that Jake's scent stood out more than the injury which was wide open and dripping the blood down his leg. His leg smelt of blood and nothing else, not even the smallest scent of Jake was left on his leg.

Sighing Nile walked around Jake to his back, using his nose Nile pushed Jake up using his nose, he pushed him up by the neck, forcing this head up as well, 'You're not as light as I thought you were'. Lifting him up Nile laid down underneath him.

Leg's curled up underneath him, as Nile let him back down onto the ground, sand flying to his fur as he did. Once down Nile raised his head and looked at the dale sick wolf, he looked worse from that view then he did before. Sighing one last time, Nile placed his head on top of Jake.

Hearing the sound of pain Nile looked down he wasn't on top of his injury or near it, 'he must be sensitive' even tho he wasn't near the injury he could tell that it hurt, around the injury was hot like the desert that they had been travelling, and underneath all his fur the skin was red and sore, like a fresh sunburn.

Moving his head along Jake's back to his neck he could feel all of the dale golden fur brushing his chin, and the sand that filled it. Resting his head on his neck, he found a spot that was comfortable but didn't stop Jake's dangerous but keeping him alive breathing.

Taking one last deep breathe Nile closed his eyes and fell asleep on top of Jake as he slept silently beneath him. Nile was very comfortable sleeping on top of him but it was better than getting no sleep because he's worrying over him.

The next day.

Kate woke up alone in the sandie desert, eyes with sleep in them she still felt tried and won out. But did remember that she fell asleep on top of Nile yet here she was asleep now awake on the sand. Kate looked around for a bit but only noticed Kiara and Tyson.

She was beginning to worry over the golden wolf, until she noticed Jake asleep as before, but something on top of the dale golden wolf, something covered in sand along with Jake as if preventing the sand from reaching him.

Kate got up slowly and walked over to Jake, curious but nervous at the same time for what the thing on top of Jake was. But she began to breathe easier as she saw that it was her golden wolf that she was worrying over before Nile.

He had slept through the whole night on top of Jake, his head in the same position but now his paws were visible underneath Jake's neck supporting his neck. It's looked uncomfortable but since he had spent the whole night like that it mustn't have been.

Kate giggled to herself see the two cuddled up, then it hit Kate 'Jake properly doesn't even know that Nile's on top of him' it was surprising that the wolf didn't wake up when Nile came over but she guessed the pain kept him at bay with sleep.

Kate decided to leave the two golden shaded wolves, to sleep in silence. Kate curled around into a ball once more with her head on top of her tail and legs underneath her body. She looked over at the two one last time before falling into her dreams.

Groaning in pain of the added weight that was above him Jake groaned once more. Jake didn't even know that he weighed so much, but it might have been the whole thing of sleeping in the desert or of the fact that he was injured.

But he did know one thing that he couldn't get up, and wasn't going anywhere for a while. Cracking his eyes open but closed the one on the sand once sand started to blow near it, moving his head so the bottom of his muzzle was on the ground.

Lifting it slowly but ended up groaning and giving a helpless yelp as his skin crushed up against his injury, turning his head he looked at his shoulder, the bleeding had stopped for now but his skin was so red and worse it was visible.

Jake sighed at his state, looking at his sand filled fur, it made him feel so sick to see his once clean healthy fur was now dark, and very swampy colour of the dale gold it used to be. His vision wasn't much better and his head was clouded with thoughts.

Wanting to jolt his shoulders back, Jake stretched his legs out and was about to stand up until he felt the weight from before, lowing his body once more to the ground, Jake turned to look at his back only to see the golden/yellow for of Nile.

Jake didn't know what was going on; he didn't know why Nile was asleep on top of him or why he was even near him for a start. He hadn't even known them for 24-hours yet so why was he sleeping on top of him, giving his body heat to him to keep him warm.

No one had done that before, no one wanted to because it was him, a traitor wolf to the pack a no body. They say he did deserve to be given the warmth of another, and he accepted the words they said, mainly because he believed them.

But here he was with a much larger wolf holding him down in his sleep while he lay underneath him still quite shocked from the action that the golden wolf had done. Jake kept the thought in his head but it soon left, once a strike of pain came through his body, he closed his eyes as the pain shot through him like a bullet.

Cracking one eye open Jake looked at his shoulder, blood dripped from the dried blooded wound 'I must of moved to much, and strained it' Jake thought but before his thoughts could continue he had to close his eyes once more by force as the pain became greater.

Growling slightly Jake's tooth sunk into his gum and it started to bleed his blood down his chin and dripped into the sand below his head. His breathing became unsteady as he opened his mouth, to breathe easier as his breathing quickened.

Even with his mouth open his breathing was no better off, his eyes paled from the alive sliver to the dead sliver they were now. His muzzle hit the ground hard and it looked like it hurt, his whole body moved vibrating.

Nile slowly opened his eyes and looked around, he was half asleep and a little confused of here he was. Shaking his head he finally woke up from his sleep. He looked down at Jake and saw that he wasn't in the same position and he was breathing heavily.

Pushing his back with his head Nile moved his feet out from underneath Jake, his legs felt like jelly and his steps to walk around to his face were weak and wobbly, lowering his head to be face to face with Jake, tilting his head to the side he checked his breathing by putting his muzzle up to his mouth he could just slightly feel his breathing.

Short gasps escaped his mouth as he attempted to breath, Nile sighed in relief as he saw his breathing even out. Sitting down Nile watched the younger wolf sleep, and looked down his body and letting his eyes settle on his shoulder wound, it was going to take time for it to heal, or at least seal up enough to allow him to walk.

But even walking might be painful for the dale wolf. It really was bad luck that one of them got hurt, but it was expected, but as Nile looked over his body, he saw two other scars they looked fresh, and not old. They were near his bleeding injury and were an old red colour, Nile was curious how he got them now.

He dropped his head to look at the ground as he sat on the sand, sand blow past him and Jake with the gentle breeze blowing his and Jakes fur along with his scarf in the wind. Kate, Kiara and Tyson didn't show any sign's waking up any time soon which was a good thing. Nile know that Tyson would start a whining for them to go instead of staying where they were.

But Nile had to agree he didn't want to have to stay there too long, but he didn't want to rush Jake in case his injury wasn't healed enough for the trip through the desert, it was a worry. But since Jake didn't say anything about his injury Nile assumed that he didn't want to be a burden and would properly say he was fine, when he was truly in pain.

Nile just didn't want to take that risk to hurt Jake any more than what he was. It was too big a risk to take. It would just wreck the healing that his body as doing, it wasn't worth it, to see someone suffer in their own pain through the already streaming hot sun.

Sighing Nile shook his head of all thoughts and laid down next to Jake, head still up and ear alert for any sound that may come towards them before he fell into a light sleep, he looked over to Kate, Tyson and Kiara all fast asleep as always and that nothing had happened to them, it was good to see them asleep since his biggest worry was Jake for the moment.

Lowering his head to the sand, he closed his eyes and started to drift off into sleep, but then there was a sound of harsh breathing coming from beside him, lifting his head he noticed Jake's sweat coated fur, sharp teeth that were too big for his mouth cutting against his mouth, his eyes shut tightly, and his legs pulled into his chest and stomach.

He was having a nightmare….


done it took shorter then i expected it to so please review and give me your thoughts on should i contiune or not it's getting harder and harder to do each chapter.