A/N: Hello hello hello! It's me and yes I am still alive, although uni is really kicking my butt this year. That's partly why I haven't been posting. Also I moved into my first real apartment and we've only just got some sort of internet up and running this week, so that's good. Thank you everyone who didn't give up on me. I hope you are all well and… well, here's chapter 16!

Enjoy!


"And never, ever under any circumstances, mix Baileys, Contra and mulled cider. It does some funny things to us experiments, let me tell you!" Omega finishes with a dark look crossing his face. I glance at Iggy who is frowning in utter confusion. He finally opens his mouth to reply when he is interrupted by a low startling groan from somewhere behind us.

We all freeze.

My ears twitch to where the sound had originated from, and I listen intently. All I hear is the occasional drip and my own heartbeat. I look back to exchange glances with Kith, when I hear something that chills me to the bone. A long, wailing moan teeming with pain and something horrifying fills the cramped sewer tunnel, and sets my fur on edge.

"Chimeras!" Amity cries out in terror. Pup let out a small whimper and I meet Kiths eyes in fear. Fear. The tunnel is suddenly overflowing with the intoxicating stench. I turn and walk back to the rear of our group.

I lock my gaze with the pitch dark tunnel behind us. The threat of the unknown glares back. I feel my ears go flat on my head, and an involuntary snarl escapes my lips.

"What the hell was that?" Iggy hisses towards Max's direction. I don't take my eyes away from the dark tunnel behind us; my senses were going into overdrive. On instinct that told me everything I needed to know. It was time to get out of here.

"You don't want to know," I hear myself growl, and without looking away, I signal Amity and Kith to go wolf.

"Hell are you guys doing?" Echo cries out as the two start to shift and grow, their cloths straining against the sudden increase of bodily hair.

"Okay. Move… fast," I say softly, taking control for the first time. Everyone glances at me and reluctantly starts to react, but Echo just can't let it go.

"Hang on; I'm not taking orders from some glorified genetic mistake!"

I tear my eyes away, hearing the faint splash of feet on water, and round on the dark-haired avian. I grab his shirt and push him up against the tunnel wall. I snarl and bare my sharp canine teeth. He shrinks back and I can smell the fear rolling off him in waves.

"I'm in charge now, birdy. What I say goes. That applies to all of you," I snarl before letting him go, glancing around at the others, daring someone else to challenge me. I can see there are some challenges in the Flocks eyes, but the threat of the unknown for them keeps them silent.

There is another screech; far to close for my liking.

"Iggy, get up there with Max and Omega. Pup, stay in the middle with the others. Kith, Amity! With me, we'll check your tail. The rest of you… move," I bark out, glancing back, the sounds of their horrifying moans close now. I look around and realize they have yet move.

"Why aren't you moving! Run!" I yell, and this startles them into action.

"Right, you heard furry. I have no idea what that thing is and I don't want to find out any time soon, so let's get out of here. Omega, find us a way out," Max murmurs, taking charge at last.

As they move off I spot a chimera moving into my line of sight. Its red unblinking eyes leer at me through the darkness and it pants slightly as it comes forward. It looks Eraser to me, but as it carefully moves closer on all fours I see it is feline from the chest down.

I prepare myself for the fight, letting out a menacing growl, and press my ears flat on my head. The chimera pauses staring at me with those unnaturally unblinking eyes, and all of a sudden, lets out a terrifying shriek.

It comes at me at frightening speeds and I just have enough time to brace myself before I'm thrown off my feet. I land five metres away from my original position, and feel momentarily stunned.

I feel something rip into my leg and look down.

I watch in horror as the chimera bites into my leg, and pain shoots up into my consciousness. I let out a snarl and lash out at it, promptly kicking it on the side of its blood soaked snout. Falling back with a splash, it lest out a horrible pain filled moan. With new found determination, it lunges at me with its canines bared. Just as its claws painfully rip into my chest, Kith reacts, tackling it away from me.

I prop myself up and hiss at the burning pain in my leg. I say a quick mantra and glance over to see how Kith is holding up. I watch as the two wrestle, snapping and biting at each other. The chimera quickly gets the upper hand and with a lunge it bites into Kiths shoulder, taking a chunk of his flesh.

With an angry snarl Kith delivers a punch to the creature in the stomach, before Amity grabs the fur on the back of its neck and throws it off of Kith. It falls to the floor of the sewer and Amity kicks it in the side. It starts to rise again, lashing out at Amity. By this time both Kith and I are up and moving in to help. We move in on either side and shove it roughly up against the sewer wall. As it struggles against our hold, Amity moves forward and holds its head between her palms.

"This is for Hunter," she spits out, hatred burning in her dark eyes.

With a powerful wrench, she snaps the chimera's neck between her palms. In unison we step away from the former chimera and let its body drop with a splash into the sewer floor.

As I stare at it, panting heavily, and feel the burning pain creeping up my leg again. I glance down and see that my jeans are ripped, and blood is dribbling down my leg into the murky sewerage water below.

From what I know about them, Chimeras have an unknown toxin in their fangs, which seems to cause the affected area burn with pain and on occasion, make their victims temporally slip into an agonizing fever.

I hadn't been that badly bitten; Kith on the other hand…

Glancing over at him, I can see the pain clearly written over his face. His head wound has reopened and he is clutching his shoulder with his other hand, blood flowing from between his fingers.

I know there is nothing I can do for him until we're safely away from the sewers. So, I force myself back into leader mode. As I start to calm myself from the adrenaline racing through my system, another moan from somewhere down the sewer break our silence.

"They probably smell the blood," Amity murmured, peering through the darkness. Kith nods his agreement and says nothing; he is looking quite pale now. Noticing this, Amity walks over to him and holds him around the waist for support.

"Let's get out of here," I mutter, adrenaline still pumping through my veins.

"Okay," Amity replies, and we started off towards the others. We walk in silence for ten minutes or so, only the sound of out feel splashing through the unknown liquid below catches our ears.

I keep my eyes on the murky sewerage underfoot and notice as the reflection starts to lighten. I glance over at Amity. Her eyes are locked forward, but I can see the concern clouding them as she grips Kiths waist struggling to keep him upright and walking.

Kith is looking worse each step he takes. His eyes close every now and then and I can see the chimera's toxin taking its toll.

"Hey, don't let me catch you slacking over there," I joke weakly, smiling at over at him.

"Wouldn't dream of it, alpha," he slurs out weakly, his eyes closed. Amity reaches up and feels his temperature. She glances at me and shakes her head, solemnly. Stopping, she lets him slide down to the floor in the driest part of the floor. As she does so, he groans and slowly morphs back into his human form.

"We've got to stop," she says in her take-no-prisoners voice, also slipping into her human form. I reluctantly nod, briefly wondering if Pup is dealing okay with the others. I watch as she crouches down besides him and examines the bite in his shoulder.

I take the time to get my bearings and realize that we must be nearing the end of the tunnel, as I can faintly hear a chirping of a bird. I turn to look the way we'd been heading and suddenly realize that the bird isn't the only thing I can hear.

Keeping as quiet as possible, I creep forward and hear murmuring. There is a bend up ahead and I just get within hearing range when someone lets out a shout. Pausing, I hear what sounds like a struggle and then a gun shot reverberates down the sewer. A loud, deep groan hits my ears and I rapidly feel terror filling my mind. It is the Gasman's voice.

"There will be no more of that!" a loud, shout commands the groaning person.

"You shot him!" Nudge cries out, panic evident in her voice.

Without thinking, my body carries me forward. A sudden urge to harm who ever just injured my little brother overpowers my mind, and I realize that the wolf had not left me. It had only been waiting.

Waiting for this.