Chapter 13: A Crazed Wolf in a Ruined Ruins

    Teary eyed Midnight trudged ahead, a heartbroken Sunrise on her back, sleeping, but sobbing as she did. "Mari..." Midnight whispered. Each step trampled the soil her tears had disappeared to.

    Mari had to sacrifice that life. Why? Why?

    It's all my fault. It's my fault, Midnight silently sobbed, her heart aching, but... it's over. I can't do a thing. Focus. Two more days...

    It was still dark. Midnight ran, she knew, she passed the last path- the unseen path. It was unseen, covered with corn.

    Midnight's breath was heavy, from the incident. What would I tell Sunrise? She saw what happened... Can I bluff through her sorrows?

    After an hour of running, she stopped by a small river, she set Sunrise down and then satisfied her thirst. She had sleep already. In the farmhouse in the shed with the chickens, so she plunged her face into the cool river, freshening her up. She shook her face wet, some droplets splashed on Sunrise.

    The black wolf stared into her reflection. She gasped. Between greens of leaves, there was a splotch of grey. It was waving with the river's current. She looked up, and saw that same grey block. The ruins! Midnight eagerly thought. As gently as she could, she mounted Sunrise onto her back and she walked as quick as she could towards what seems to be the ruins. Bushes rustled, and she stayed alert. It was just breakfast, a brown bunny. She devoured it and saved a small portion for Sunrise as the fox began to wake slowly.

    As Sunrise nibbled a little on the meat, she asked something in her fox language.

    Midnight nuzzled the fox. "Sorry I don't understand you, Sunrise," she whispered. "I know, though, they'll... they'll..."

    She couldn't bluff anymore. Sunrise won't even understand her.

    Midnight noticed that Sunrise couldn't eat anymore, so she urged Sunrise up and made her walk slowly. When Sunrise was too exhausted, Midnight lifted her up to her back and walked on towards the ruins.

    The Rygeane Ruins was dusty. Rubble was everywhere. Midnight set Sunrise down on a log, curled up. Midnight stepped into the ruins, the dust swirling with the wind.

    She exhaled.

    She was finally here...

    Still... Are there supposed to be glowing eyes.          staring at her in the ruins?

    She blinked. It's still there, then, it disappeared, and then a shadow dashed by.

    Midnight turned. Just get a rune stone...!

    She dashed for a rune stone, but there was a sudden wolf before her. "Huh," said the wolf, snorting. "Another one."

     "Since when is this your area anyway?" growled Midnight.

    The wolf eyes opened, revealing them to be grey. "The only place and sanctuary of mine is anywhere away from murderers! Unless you're going to help me..."

    "Help you?" laughed Midnight. "You just called me a murderer a while ago."

    The black wolf swished it's tail, sighed, "Some in life are too lucky to have never experienced the loss of others."

    "Well, I'm sorry," snapped Midnight. Who did this wolf think it is? How dare it mocked her for the loss of her mother. The wolf was the lucky one, not her.

    The black wolf's eyes began to collect tears, but blinked it away. Midnight's once foggy eyes of tears focused and immediately spotted that the wolf was a male.

    Midnight's voice softened up, cracked a little, afraid she thought wrong of the wolf. Judging him by his tears, he had lost at least one. At least.

    "Excuse me... I just need a stone from this... uh, ruins," she said in a soothing voice, hoping the wolf will understand. "Or I'll be... exiled."

    The wolf tensed. "Just be exiled, rot in the woods like how you all kill!"

    Midnight was taken aback, but the wolf wasn't done. "Good for nothing! Murderers, and we are of the same species, same group!"

    "Please, I don't know what you're talking about..."

    "Denial, eh?" snorted the wolf, grey eyes sparkling with anger. A short pause. "I remember you!"

    "Do I know you?" Midnight asked.

    "You killed my mother!" accused the wolf.

    Blood seemed to boil in her veins. Her, kill some stranger's mom?

    "Then what's my name?" challenged Midnight.

    "It's in the back of my head, when the time's right, I'll know," choked the black wolf, "but you'll pay, alright, you'll pay."

    His claws looked dull, but when he slashed them by Midnight, she could feel that they were sharpened sometime ago. Not long.

    Midnight ran, but not towards Sunrise, she aimed for a rune stone.

    "You lied to my father!" cried the wolf.

    Midnight just raced and grabbed a rune stone, flipping it around to make sure it had the "Ry" sign on it. She picked it up in her jaws, and from the skies, the black wolf fell on her. She was in shocked, dropped, the rune stone bouncing away, her breath heavy.

    "Do you even remember who I am?" was what the wolf said. Midnight struggled against the weight, which was somewhat around Wisp's weight.

    "It's not... like I know you," Midnight spluttered.

    The black wolf forced more weight on her. "Don't deny, you assassinated my parents."

    "Assassinate is a very strong... word choice," growled Midnight, panting even harder.

    A squeak. Midnight forced to look back saw Sunrise entering the scene. Sunrise kept looking at Midnight, the wolf and the log she was on. "Who's this runt?" growled the black wolf."

    Midnight was silent. "Look, tell me what... this situation is..."

    "Who's? My fool-proof one or your story to guilt-trip me?"

    "Yours, of course..."

    The black wolf got up and left her. Sunrise dashed towards Midnight, the wolf forced herself to stand with Sunrise's help. Sunrise sniffed her, and Midnight just weakly licked the kit. "I'm okay," said Midnight.

    The black wolf walked in circles around her. "I believe your chief had a grudge with my family," said the black wolf. "My mom was always considered a loner, secretly breaking rules, but your chief, he fell in love."

    "What's your chief's name?" asked Midnight.

    The wolf shrugged. "I wasn't born back then, I didn't know. The chief, though, he realised my mom had more than once wolf to pick. About five wolves were attracted to her, she was beautiful, sea green eyes, snow fur almost as it was crystal blue, and the chief just needed her, so said the chief to my mom, but she chose someone else. She knew the chief isn't generous, his trust and promises never filled to the brim, unlike my father, trustworthy and willing to sacrifice for the better good."

    Midnight cocked her head, her breath retrieved. It was ridiculous. It's a love story.

    "My chief loathed my mother after that, despite his vows of love," coughed the black wolf in a scratchy voice. "He sent my family away. Mom and dad."

    Midnight stroked Sunrise. "About a year later, I was born, and raised. I'm about two and a half years now, and... half a year ago, I met this she-wolf. Her fur, was coarse, but as dark as a moon-less midnight. Her eyes, deep blue, and she had the underside of white, grey, her paws tinted with grey fur. Like, you..."

    Midnight was taken aback. "You think I'm that wolf?" she asked.

    The wolf nodded slowly, then roared, "How dare you tell your chief, you father, that I have insulted you! As deep as the darkest waters at night isn't an insult!"

    "I didn't!" Midnight protested once more. "Who the fang are you?"

    "You'll pay! They way your father sent his hunters after me, death for words I can take back!" snarled the wolf, his grey eyes burning with the fire of hatred. "I know you will... pay."

Author's Note: CRAZY WOLF! RUN AWAY, MIDNIGHT! Please don't be mad at me, I tweak things a little, okay? By the way, we'll see who this wolf is, but I think someone in the crowd knows who.

Don't kill me.

Chapter 12: Dangers of the Ranch

    Corn, says the sign.

    Midnight stepped onto the fresh soil, smelling the damp earth.

    A paw mark printed on the soil. Midnight quickly kicked dust to cover it.

    "Psst," said a whisper.

    Midnight turned her head to the left. A long snout poke her. "Psst, it's not safe out there," said a fox, her fur a beautiful shade of sunset, and her eyes bright, brilliant green. "Come."

    A bullet whizzed by, and the fox commented, "The night-shift guard."

    Midnight followed the fox into the tall corn. "How did you talk to me?" asked Midnight. Foxes were never considered to understand their language.

    "Jack-of-all-trade," said the fox in an important voice. "By the way, I'm. Mari."

    "Mari, huh?" asked Midnight, pronouncing it the way Mari did- Ma-ree. "I'm Midnight."

    "Come on, I smell the guard," said Mari. "This way!"

    The fox jumped into another curtain of tall corn stalks. Midnight followed, spotting a diamond light behind. Mari was waiting, and she leaped again into another wall. "I've been hiding here feeding on their chickens for years," snickered Mari. "They were naive to think I'm dead, shooting me in the paw and tail."

    Midnight followed Mari to a small hole in the side of a tiny hill, and Mari cleared the path with her claws on her white paws. Midnight squeezed after her. "I'm home!" Mari cried.

    Two orange foxes stumbled forwards. "Sunset, Sunrise," sighed Mari. "You're both safe. Than goodness."

    The two foxes nodded and said something in a series of squeaks. Mari smiled. "I forgot they can't speak of what we're speaking now."

    Mari and the cubs talked for a while. Mari just smiled. "...Midnight," Midnight heard her say.

    "She..." Mari's conversation with the two faltered. "Oh, sorry about my twins."

    Midnight nodded. Moonlight entered the hole, reminding Midnight that her fifth day slowly approach her. Mari smiled. "You need any help going around the fields?" she asked sweetly, her eyes green calm.

    "Yeah, I need to find a path to some ruins," said Midnight.

    Mari blinked. "Ruins?"

    "On second thought-"

    A shot rang and one of the twins started to cry. Mari immediately rushed to the hole, and started to patch it with soil. Mari then hushed the kit, and then quickly instructed, "Come, it's not safe!"

    Mari quickly dug a hole pretty deep, then pushed the twins and Midnight to a well-covered area. From where they hid, Mari hushed the twins. Midnight looked at the hole, intently. Then, a human's face peered in, and an eye swept through Mari's house. Examining the hole Mari recently dug, a long pointed thing entered, poked to the hole and there was a bang! The human then crept back up.

    "What did he just do?" asked Midnight, curious.

    Mari sighed in relief. "I dug a hole deep enough so that they're deceived to think I escaped there."

    Mari poked her head out, making sure the human left, but a gunshot startled her. In a frenzy, she dug a hole and pushed the twins in. "Move it, move it, move it!" cried Mari.

    The twins ran, but got tired too quickly for Mari's pleasure. She urged one of them up her back and carried one in her mouth. Midnight covered the hole the best she can before running.

    Mari dug another tunnel, shaking the twins violently. Pityingly, Midnight helped Mari dig, even if she was not able to do it well. Another loud sound of a bang! erupted. Midnight and Mari dug faster. Then, they two dug upwards, towards the ground. Mari's head emerged first. She quickly hopped up and helped Midnight up. "Come on! I hope we don't get spotted!" Mari cried. "There's another guard nearby..."

    Another shot. Mari leaped. "Humans are just too quick," she complained, trotting ahead.

    A squeal. Mari replied to the little fox who was holding on to her.

    A shot, a cry. Mari stopped running, and looked back. "Sunset!" she cried, dropped Sunrise and turned.

    "Mari, no!" Midnight cried. Sunrise hid behind Midnight.

    Another shot. Midnight gasped. The human caught up.

    Mari scooped Sunset into her mouth and began running, Sunrise tension rising up Midnight's paws. Another shot, and Mari ran even faster. This time, multiple of shots were fired, but not towards Mari or Midnight.

    A shadow loomed over Mari, Midnight rushed to help, but skidded to a stop. It was too late, a rotting fence poked through the soft soil, separating Mari and Midnight.

    "Take Sunrise with you! Go!" Mari cried.

    Midnight gulped. "I'm so sorry! This is all my fault!" she cried.

    "No it's not. It's fate. Now, go!"

    Midnight padded forwards, and grabbed a squealing Sunrise in her mouth. She ran, and heard a shot.

    She looked around. There was a falling tree. Midnight didn't know where it was, but all she could hear was her howl: "MARI!!!"

Author's note: I hope you all are happy with this chapter being long. Again, this wasn't how I planned the chapter, but the ending was the same- Midnight shouting for Mari.

Also, I think I added the followers button, so you can follow this blog. If it isn't up, tell me which one it is.

Chapter 11: Out Again

    The two dogs lit the fireplace ablaze, warming up the already-warm room. It was too warm, so Midnight excused herself. The house was two-floored, stairs of stones led her up. There was a spread of cloth on the ground, cloth overlapping another. It's where they sleep, thought Midnight. She saw pairs of clothing on a tall wooden bench- a table.

    She sniffed around, then went back down where the dogs were curling up, muttering, "Lunch's late."

    There was a round object on the side of the room, with four other objects around. Midnight sniffed it for identification. "That's a chair," said Spots when Midnight sniffed one of the four objects. "The big round one is a a table."

    "Weird names," spoke Midnight.

    "Humans like the Owens heat their prey," said  Kelly, "over a huge flaming fire."

    "They're odd, humans," concluded Spots.

    Midnight looked out, the sun indicating it was about eleven, near to noon.

    "I'm going out."

    Midnight stretched and ran around for a while. She passed plants she recognised- corn, tomatoes and apple trees. There were a few chicken going around, but she didn't really like to eat them, they taste bad after tasting Smith's.

    A puff. A sound of a jittery machine. "Spots? Kelly?" called a lady.

    Oh fang, they're already here, thought Midnight, thinking about the Owens.

    Spots and Kelly bounded out. Kelly hid Midnight quickly in the shed.

    In the shed, light filtered through the gap between the wooden planks. Midnight looked around, eyeing chickens around.

    Cluck?

    Midnight was tempted to eat one.

    "You can't stay," said Spots.

    "W-what?" cried Midnight.

    "The Owens are going to check their shed tomorrow, as usual, in the morning, please, understand," said Kelly.

    It's not like they understand me, Midnight fumed. She pushed a fat hen away from her paws. "I'm leaving soon anyway," said Midnight.

    Spots brought in a piece of meat. "Here's some food for you," said the dalmatian.

    "Ah, thank you," muttered Midnight.

    "It's chicken," informed Kelly.

    Midnight shrugged, an Spots and Kelly went out. She sniffed the meat and ate it up.

    The door creaked, Midnight looked out. I need to go now, she thought. She had rested for fifteen minutes after Spots and Kelly left. She eyed the dirt path, leading to the distance, of crops. Midnight sighed and followed the path.

Author's Note: Not in the mood for writing/typing... thus the short chapter. sorry. The next will be longer. I promise.

Chapter 10: Domestication

    Hours passed. Midnight glanced at the cliff behind her, the sunrise colours of the sun flickered from behind the cliff. Eagles soared to a dive towards a plain below, ensuring bunnies, squirrels and snakes for eagles to catch, though there might and will be an argument or competition.

    Midnight sauntered over to a tall tree. She was exhausted, running from midnight to dawn. For hours, she haven't seen any wolves, only bunnies and squirrels. She had an early breakfast, and needed a few hours of rest...

    A lick.

    Midnight jolt back away. The sun was up in the sky, indicating an afternoon. "Hey there," said a bark. Midnight opened her eyes and saw a dalmatian. "Kelly, come here quick!"

    Midnight sighed. More dogs, she didn't like it after meeting Martin.

    A German Shepard jogged over. "Oh, my! Spots, it's a wolf."

    "Yes I am," growled Midnight.

    Kelly the German Shepard shook her head. "Our owners wouldn't like that, would they?"

    "Dear me, no," said Spots, their conversation was almost as it was practised.

    Midnight sighed. Spot's brown eyes were scanning everywhere, his white fur almost free of black dots. Kelly had a colour combination fur of black and white, her eyes blue. Both of them wore a brown collar, labelling their name.

    "Where am I, anyway?" asked Midnight.

    Spot just panted. "Well, we don't know exactly, our owners never say!"

    "Except all we know is that we live in a farm called Triple-O Ranch," said Kelly.

    "Oh, big help," muttered Midnight sarcastically.

    "You're welcome!" said Spots.

    Oh, you spotted-brain dog, thought Midnight. It was sarcasm.

    "You know what?" Kelly prompted. "It's almost feeding time."

    Huh, they get fed. How did they survive in the wild? sighed Midnight.

    Midnight needed shelter again soon, and so, she said, "May I tag along?"

    Kelly and Spots stared at her. "If you'll take the risks of being killed..." started Spots.

    "Sure, why not?" asked Kelly, a little more enthused than Spots.

    "If Mr. Owen sees you, he'd shoot you down," warned Spots.

    "Mrs. O'Neil always wanted a wolf-skin rug," shrugged Kelly.

    "I want an instant guide," muttered Midnight.

    Shrugging, Spots led the way. Then, Midnight saw a brown shed. "That's where the chickens are," said Kelly. "Along with the tools."

    "We live in the house," Spots added, nodding towards a house brown and yellow. They passed a white fence. Midnight inhaled sharply, breathing in the scent of...

    "Fertilisers," said Kelly not fond of them.

    Then, there was a brown barn. "Where the cows," said Spots, "and horses live in."

    Kelly smiled. "The jeep's gone. The Owens must be out. The place is all ours 'till they return."

Author's note: Useless short paragraph. Sorry about it. I'm not really in the mood to write anything lately, including my English test, so... sorry.