Skye stared at Selena, mind reeling in shock and fear. And he was confused, too. How had Selena gotten here? How had she become onto Aster?
"Skye…" She rasped again. Both her flanks were peppered in small, bullet-sized holes, and they were obviously deep, gaping things.
At that moment Selena's front legs collapsed and she lay, unconscious on the asphalt. Skye sat in front of her, desperately wondering what to do. The sun was just rising, and then everyone would see Selena. His flank itched with nervousness.
When finally the whole sky was alight with golden light, Skye stood up. He looked around. Instantly, a loud call sounded from the main cabin.
"ALL REPORT TO MAIN CABIN FOR HEAD COUNT! ALL REPORT TO MAIN CABIN FOR HEAD COUNT!"
The animals started moving from their cabins. Skye looked down at Selena and thought of being head counted. He thought of the patrol game that had become so totally messed up. He thought of Eris and his father and the bombings. He didn't want to be here. It wasn't right for him. Aster was different, though Eris's twin. He didn't like it. Kneeling down, he grabbed Selena's scruff and started to yank her into the nearest bushes, heart pounding with urgency.
He had barely dragged her into the dark, green things, when somebody stopped in front of him.
It was Alira.
"What're you doing, Skye?" She asked, "Are you coming?"
He nodded, heart pounding. "In a second. I got something in my foot…hurts like heck."
"Alright." She gave him one of her enchanting, slight smiles. "See you soon."
He watched her pad off, numb with shock.
"Goodbye, Alira." He muttered. "I'll miss you."
He continued to drag Selena deeper into the bushes, but he saw one of the German Shepherds padding closer.
Desperately he flattened himself to the ground, trying not to be seen.
He didn't succeed.
The dog headed over, a gun tied with rope to his back.
"Hey, camper!" He shouted gruffly as he approached, "Why aren't you going for the head count?"
"I—have something in my foot!" He called desperately, acting like he was licking his foot.
The German Shepherd stopped in front of him. "The foot can wait. Go to the head count."
"But…I can't uh…walk!"
The golden and black dog scrutinized the young cat. "Trying to get out of camp?" He growled, "Sneaking away?" He shot foreword, teeth bared. "It's not going to work, young tom. Come along. NOW!"
Quickly Skye looked back at Selena, pushed under the bushes. He didn't want to loose the place she was at, so he reached down and kicked his leg into the bloody holes on her side. He wiped the blood onto the leaves, so he'd be able to see it later.
"Come ON!" The dog snarled. He kept his tail behind Skye, and hit him with it whenever he slowed down.
Skye's heart pounded as he walked. He didn't know where he was going. It sure wasn't the main cabin. In fact, they seemed to be leaving the shady camp. Soon, they had left the cabins behind.
"Sir--?" Skye began.
"Silence!" The German Shepherd hissed. "Just walk quickly."
Across the parched asphalt they went. Skye noticed the red pavement was different then what was on Eris's, lighter, from the sun, and with endless cracks. And of course, there were the dreadfully overgrown bushes.
There was something ahead, and Skye squinted in the blinding sunlight. It seemed like a huge wall had been planted in a square shape ahead, reaching up to the sky for yards. And the walls were long too, each stretching about twenty yards foreword. Dust rose from inside it.
"Walk faster," Snarled the dog, "We may be late."
Skye sped up nervously, heart pounding. Soon they were standing beside the great, stone enclosure.
The German Shepherd walked around it until he found a small crack in the wall and slipped through.
Skye gasped as he entered. The ground was the familiar parched sand, like one of those cleared places, but this had walls bordering it. On one side was a whole army of German Shepherds, almost one hundred of them. On the other side a few Eris/Aster citizens mingled absently around.
"Go over there with those animals," The German Shepherd barked at him. Obediently, Skye stumbled over to them and sat down against the wall. Even it was hot. The dust that rose from the parched ground stung his eyes, so he closed them.
More Eris/Aster animals came until there was as many of them as there were German Shepherds. Then the crack in the wall was sealed.
A German Shepherd strutted foreword in front of the other dogs. Skye realized they all held a gun under one paw.
The strutting German Shepherd started to speak. It was quiet, so Skye had trouble hearing him.
His last word must have been a signal, for all the dogs raised there guns, placing them against their shoulders. One paw went up on the trigger.
"ONE, TWO, THREE!"
The dogs started to shoot. Skye felt a scream arise in his throat. He started to scramble. He was way back, protected by the other animals. Everyone was running and screaming and falling. Skye was panting and wondering what on earth was happening.
A zebra nearly trampled him as it ran over, screaming in terror. Skye bolted to his feet and pressed hard against the wall. A young deer beside him fell to the ground with a crack. Three tiny holes glowed red on her side.
The deer wasn't the only one. Lots of animals were falling as bullets rained into their sides. Skye's terror welled up in him and he made a wild dash over an eagle. Five bullets whizzed by his ear, one of them making a large hole.
He crashed to the ground, skidding across the now bloody sand. He lay in a heap of scruffy fur, struggling to get up. A small bear fell onto of him. Skye realized he was trapped with a growl.
Blood from the bear oozed onto his pelt and the smell of phlegm filled his nostrils. Yanking himself away before he suffocated, Skye managed to get free. He looked over. The German Shepherds were still shooting.
He was afraid. He started to run, scrabbling at the walls and scratching at the ground in desperation as his fellows fell around him. Some of them played dead too, falling to the ground. But their wildly beating hearts could be seen from even the dogs on the other side, and they too were slaughtered.
Skye breath was ragged and breathed in dust. He fell to the ground to avoid and string of bullets, heart pounding. A horse stepped on him, cracking his bone. He screamed in pain at the awful crunch.
A bullet came, hitting him in the shoulder. He rolled over, numb with shock and pain. Sounds died slowly away. Another bullet went into his belly with a rage of pain. Another hit his thigh.
He rolled his head to face the sky and saw the brilliant blue with only one puffy little cloud silhouetted by a burning, seething yellow sun. He was blank as he stared on it, because he could no longer hear and his sight was bad.
Everyone was falling, barely a half dozen remained standing. Skye's muscles twitched as he tried to stand.
A bullet came and went right into his chest with the shattering of ribs. He screamed, and even he couldn't hear it. He felt pain rush down on him like fiery spears and he let out a wail of terror.
XXX
Somebody appeared in his vision, blocking his view of the sun. Their mouth moved, but he couldn't hear. Then he was scooped up, dragged across the gross, bloody dirt and into a tiny hole at a corner of the wall. Skye limply watched as he was pushed into this hole. He slid down it numbly, not caring what happened to him. Somebody else followed him into the tunnel, pushing him along. They were talking to him slightly, and Skye realized he could hear again.
Along the tunnel they went, until it stopped. Skye summoned the strength to turn and look at what he had bumped into, and saw a small, dusty wooden door well set into the dirt walls, with a large lock and keyhole.
Skye's savior-he hadn't fully looked at him yet- blew dusty from the keyhole. As he tried to force a rusty, iron key into the hole, Skye looked around, wondering why this place was lighted, and saw one small torch flickering near the round trap-like door.
The other animal turned the key and the door clicked open, swinging into a pitch black room that was cold and smelled musty. Skye looked around, trying to get his eyes to adjust. His savior was locking the door behind them.
He was taken from this room through another locked, round wooden door. The next place was a long tunnel leading to someplace that had another torch.
It was a low, round room carved into the very dirt. Skye stepped into the light (shadows hovered at the opposite side of the room, for there was only one torch.) He stared around at the room. Some roots poked from the roof and on the other side of the room was a pile of carrots leaves, forming some kind of bed.
"Where am I?" Skye asked, looking around for his savior, who had strode over to the torch and was fiddling with the torch.
"You're safe," Said the other guy in a voice that was strong and good. "I'll tell you more soon. Now it is not safe, for we may be followed." He turned to Skye. "My name is Kuii. Come."
Skye followed Kuii along, out of the round room. He wondered how anybody could go through life named Kuii.
As Kuii unlocked the next door, Skye listened. He could here quiet voices in the next room. The door swung open, revealing a room identical to the last.
Skye stepped in. There were others in here, there eyes reflected by the one-torch light.
As Skye stood staring, someone got up from a lying down position and slowly limped over.
Skye stared at an orange face with black tear streak lines and warm amber eyes. The top of its head was wrapped in a large bandage.
"Hello, Skye," He said, smiling.
Skye stared. "Robin? W-what are you doing here?"
That's that. Also, I know nobody except the wonderful, kind great, nice, faithful Steeltalon and Sparrowflight have been reviewing my story. I actually don't care about all the rest of you, because I like the story and I'm going to keep writing it, no matter if people are reading or not. I sincerely don't care if I have readers, but I'd like it if you're reading to please review, because this series and my writing is kinda the whole point of my life right now so it kinda turns me off when people don't review. AND (this is two my friends outside of fanfiction I gave this story too, I'm sure you know who you are) You can review too, by pressing the little violet button by the submit review drop down bar. That'd rock, pals. I do accept anonymous reviews.
Plushies and a sneak peak upon request to Steeltalon and Sparrowflight! :) You guys rock.