"Kilowog? Aya! Lanos! Shiel? Shyir?!" A voice pierced through the darkness, leaving a trail of pain in its wake. Razer blinked a few times and suddenly began gasping. He coughed and hacked until a decent puddle of water sat between his forepaws. The light around him hurt his head, and squinting only helped slightly. Shaking off the pain he tried to stand, but found his back legs didn't want to work. So he decided to sit and look around. His eyes widened with surprise, causing him to wince with pain from the sudden light. He was halfway out of the new lake, the water was gently lapping against his stomach. His gaze traveled further down. There was the reason that his legs weren't listening to him. A branch had pinned him to the dirt.
"You!" A voice snarled. Startled, Razer looked up and saw the white and brown dog from earlier. The dog was approaching fast and Razer could do nothing. The wolf did the best he could to look vicious and foreboding. He propped himself up on his forelegs and bared his fangs.
"Stay away!" He growled. Hal stopped just a few feet in front of him.
"Yeah? And what're you gonna do?" Hal scoffed. With a sneer spread over his muzzle, he padded to the log pinning Razer and put a paw on it. "Where are my friends?" He demanded. The wolf laughed.
"If they got stuck in that then they are gone." He growled. Hal's eyes narrowed to slits and he leaped on the wolf. He bit down on the gray wolf's muzzle. "Aaaah!" Razer gasped. Hal broke off and took a step back. Razer licked his wounds before laughing again. "You're going to torture me? Good. I deserve it."
"Yeah? Well then I won't." Hal scoffed and began pushing the branch off of the wolf's legs.
"What? No. You must kill me!" Razer exclaimed. Hal raised an eyebrow. "I'm the one responsible for all of this death…please…kill me." He pleaded. The dog smirked. He rolled the log off of the Red Fang and wagged his tail.
"No. You're gonna live and regret everyday what you have done." He growled. The wolf sighed and hung his head. He moved to stand and crumpled when he put weight on his right hind leg. Hal moved to help him but a weak snarl warned him back.
"I am not weak…" He growled and gingerly picked up his right hind leg and raised himself unsteadily on three legs. Hal nodded and turned, only to realize he had no clue where to go. Should he go back to Ganthet's home? Should he stay and search the woods?
"Can we please make a decision soon? My head is spinning." Razer muttered irritably. Hal huffed and lifted his nose to the skies. A scratchy and unused howl echoed from deep in the dog's throat. The sound caused the wolf to wince. Far away, climbing the nearby mountains the Red Fangs heard Hal's call.
"That is not Razer." Zox growled excitedly. Atrocitus didn't even turn to acknowledge the sound. He only kept his fast moving pace.
"If he did not make it, then he died well." Atrocitus growled. "We all heard the dam give way."
Back in the forest, Hal finished his howl.
"You dogs are so ridiculous." Razer scoffed, gently setting himself down. "You can't even howl correctly." The pain was beginning to settle. He found his chin on the ground, his eyelids drooping heavily. He could rest just a little before the dog realized that his friends were never coming back. Then Hal would surely kill him…
Hal turned to look at Razer and huffed at the sight of the wolf sleeping. A howl lifted into the air to his right. Hal looked and relief flooded his chest. There was Kilowog, Lanos, and Aya leading the pack that almost been destroyed. The female who had challenged Razer was just behind Kilowog, the little gray pup in her jaws. Though soaked, the pup was very much alive, as well as all of the other pups.
"Kilowog!" Hal barked happily and trotted over to his friends. "You all are okay!"
"Yeah, Lanos led the adults out of range while Shiel fought with Razer and Aya and I got the pups. Did you get Shiel?" Kilowog filled in. Lanos and Aya looked around for their sister, their tails wagging tentatively. Hal's ears drooped.
"Y-you mean she isn't with you?" Hal choked. The loss hung over their heads in a heavy silence. The female carrying the gray pup set her daughter down.
"Did Shyir make it out either?" She asked. Hal's tail seemed to droop even lower. He had actually seen the black wolf become engulfed by the dam. There was no way he had made it.
"I'm so sorry…" He sighed.
"Are you his mate?" Aya asked gently. The she-wolf nodded slightly. Beneath her, the pup hid her face in her leg.
"My name is Biara. This is our remaining pup, Amala…Shyir was our alpha…" Her voice broke. For a moment, everyone present was lost in the mourning. Finally Hal looked up.
"I promise, Biara. We are Green Fangs and we will avenge the lives lost here." He vowed. "We even have one of the Red Fangs here." He growled, gesturing toward Razer's resting body. Kilowog snarled and took a step toward the sleeping wolf.
"Please…" A small voice cried out. Kilowog looked back and saw Amala looking at him with large blue eyes. "Don't kill him." She whispered.
"Listen, kid, er…Amala, that wolf is very bad…He killed your daddy." He tried to explain. Amala shook her small muzzle.
"I know…but he didn't want to. When the bad alpha told him to kill us, he didn't want to…Besides…he's alone." She stammered through the explanation. "My daddy died, but he knew we loved him…what if that wolf doesn't have anyone who will miss him?"
Kilowog didn't know what to say, but Biara did. The dark gray she-wolf stepped up behind her daughter.
"My Amala is right. We do not want him dead. Instead, punish him. There is a place we know of that you could take him. Just in the next valley there is a small pack of humans who takes in animals who are hurt. I am sure that he will help you…He is supposed to be a magician who can calm the fiercest beast. Perhaps he can heal the rage in this wolf…" She said, looking at the wolf in question. Hal nodded.
"Let us help you find a new place to live, first." He decided. But Biara wouldn't hear of it.
"No…we will just go and find our humans. If we cannot find them, we will have to become an average pack. No matter what, we will be fine." The she-wolf was obviously strong. Hal had no doubt that she would lead her pack well. After a few short good-byes the remaining Green Fangs watched the Frontier Pack leave. Hal waited until they were out of sight before approaching the sleeping wolf.
"Alright, Razer. Get up." He growled, pawing the cut up muzzle of the wolf. Razer jolted awake, an involuntary growl rippling from his throat before he remembered where he was.
"Are you ready to kill me?" He asked lazily. He looked around, his eyes widening at the sight of the other dogs. His blue eyes landed on Aya, her green eyes avidly engaging his.
Far downstream a dark coated she-dog awoke, half washed onto the newly widened bank. As she struggled to stand, she looked around, trying to remember.