Chapter 34: A Mournful Pack

WISP

    His father and Shadow had led them to a long journey. This time, he had lost many. Midnight, Dusk, six wolves for the tradition, a pup that drowned last night, a lost pup this morning... Axel was out to search for him as they took a rest.

    "Hey, Wisp," said Mist. Mist's eyes were always filled with sadness nowadays, after unable to find her sister, and Shadow saying the possibilities Dusk could have escaped the pack due to the unsatisfactory of moving.

    Shadow always had an answer.

    "Hi," Wisp said. He laid his head down, the afternoon sun covered by clouds. He thanked the clouds for that.

    Mist sighed. It has been about three or so days Dusk was gone. Shadow said that they couldn't risk going back in case hunters were having a run. "All the better if they caught water buffaloes instead," Shadow said.

    "Waffer buttertoes," Mist had absent-mindedly repeated, nodding sadly.

    Wisp and Mist then became bonded. Through lost sisters.

    Wisp haven't seen his father for a long time now. Shadow prevented it. Wisp didn't know why, but he trusted him. He trusted Mist. He trusted the generals.

    He trusted Midnight, most of all, that he will return. He trusted that Dusk was searching for Midnight. She was his guardian after all.

    The only one he couldn't trust was his chief and father. Darke.

    "It would have hurt his heart if you said you couldn't, or wouldn't, trust him," Mist had coaxed. Her father was killed by a human for his pelt, so she couldn't actually say much about it.

    "So, how are you?" Mist asked, sitting down, curling up beside Wisp. "Are you still... sad?"

    For the days Dusk were gone, Wisp did cry a lot, in addition of that Midnight was still gone, but he looked calmer now.

    "Hmm," Wisp grunted. He wasn't sure either it was a yes or a no.

    Mist frowned. "Cheer up, Wisp."

    Wisp noted that Mist had been less talkative lately, less cheerful, more formal.

    "You cheer up too," Wisp said, leaning against Mist's warm fur. Wisp was younger than Mist, but then, that only tighten their friendship as sister and brother.

    "Let's both cheer up then," Mist said, and the two said no more of the issue.

    Ironide walked past them. He glanced at them as he did. Wisp knew something.

    Iron liked Dusk, Wisp said to himself. Now she's gone. The loss of one person could impact so much.

    It triggered the concern of the chief.

    It made Shadow take more precaution.

    It made the wolf generals upset.

    It made Mist feel miserable.

    It made Wisp feel terrible.

    It made the pack feel less ready.

    Worse of all, Wisp didn't only lose Dusk.

    He still missed her. He still missed his sister. The black wolf with daring blue eyes.

    Midnyx, come back.

Author's Note: Who guessed? No one? Ah, alright. So, yeah! Dusk's P.O.V. has been given to Wisp as we need to stalk the pack and Dusk's P.O.V. would either to gone or switches with Midnight's. I still need to decided. Yay.

Chapter 33: The Tree Creature

MIDNIGHT

    Midnight wasn't sure whether to be elated or panicked.

    She was awoken by the sudden loud hoots of the owls, and the increasing volume of the crickets' songs. Delta and Sigma had rushed past her when she was rested beneath the shade of a big tree. Blaze was cowering away as far as Midnight knew, and Epsilon was there, galloping towards where it seems like trouble has approached. "What is it?" she asked Delta as she finally caught up with the grey wolf.

    "We don't know yet," said Delta's firm voice. "Beta's in the air to see about it."

    Midnight frowned. She wasn't particularly happy about it. Blaze had mentioned he'd seen a hawk-spy, and the hawk turned out to be Beta.

    Above, a shriek of a fowl rang out. It was Beta, in the air, as a brown hawk. Midnight growled in distaste.

    "Speaking of which," Midnight added, "where are the rest?"

    "Not everyone should abandon post," Sigma said in his hollow voice. The gash did leave a mark on his lower jaw, but barely visible.

    Midnight looked around, the trees becoming less dense. "What do you think is going on?" she inquired.

    "I believe," said Sigma, "it is as last time. Another creature-demon of sorts."

    "Demon of sorts?"

    Delta replied instead. "Ever since the defeat of Beta-Rune," she replied, "the evil, dark magic he held was freed into the world. Magic likes to roam wild, and they created chaotic beings. Still, they were under Beta-Rune's control, and with his dying breath before his moment for reincarnation came, he made these creature threaten us- except he forgot something. Evil can't threaten us when they're outside of the woods."

    "Outside," Midnight noted.

    "Mhmm," said Delta as the woods faded into the outside world. There, a towering black-brown tree creature was before them, grasping something tightly in it's deadly claws.

    "It's got a wolf!" Epsilon cried.

    Midnight recognised the wolf. It was a grey wolf, her wolf general.

    "Dusk!!!" Midnight cried, howling, shocked, relieved and desperate to get her back.

    Dusk thrashed around in the creature's grip. Sigma had transformed into a majestic silver-scaled dragon, with huge leathery wings. With that, he flew into the skies, his translucent wings extended, letting sunlight filter through them. He circled the creature, careful not to be within it's reach and breathed out blue fire. The creature stumbled, and tried to put Dusk in the flame. Midnight watched in horror.

    The creature was trying to get Dusk killed to show them the consequences.

    Lambda was nearby, chanting, followed by Delta. Their eyes glowed softly, and, suddenly, bright-light arrows surrounded them, and flew for the creature's what-seems-to-be a torso. The creature cried in pain as Sigma went to fry it's legs. Epsilon, however, wasn't really doing anything.

    "What are you doing?" asked Midnight, suspicious, but she knew Epsilon didn't like shape-shifting, especially into dragons. Epsilon was staring at Sigma.

    "Dragons," the deer whispered.

    Fang, no! If he remembers about them, he might reveal his true self!

    Sigma was fighting for Dusk, and the creature suddenly grabbed Sigma. The silver dragon disappeared in it's clutches, but a brown mice scampered towards the creature's body, and Midnight guessed it was Sigma.

    Suddenly, the forest rumbled. As they seemed like winning, the tree-monster turned into a massive dinosaur- it's true form. All around the forest, more dinosaurs appeared from trees.

    Midnight was stunned. Fang...

    It was a war against the massive prehistoric.

Author's Note: YES! Let the battle begin! Guys, sorry, I'm a little... hmm... excited for fantasy stories with battles. Heehee.

Yay, now, let's see what they'll do. Sorry it's a bit short.

Chapter 32: A Run Towards Home

DUSK

    Dusk ran. She was eager to get past the vast fields, eagles soaring in the sky.

    She finally knew where she was heading to.

    Old base.

    Even if Midnight wasn't there, she knew the surrounding territory well enough to survive on her own. The grey wolf ran. The green fields seemed endless. Catching sight of a brown hare, hunger filled her mind and she could not stop herself from chasing it.

    "Come back here!" she barked, eyes on the hare, who was zig-zagging through the fields. Dusk knew better than to follow it's movements and just ran straight ahead. She had chased too many hares and rabbits.

    The brown hare raced ahead. Dusk knew the hare's home was near. Desperate to satisfy her sudden hunger, she chased after it, kicking dirt. She finally made a leap, and caught the brown hare in her jaws.

    She had covered some distance and found herself dinner. She happily enjoyed the hare, tearing it's fur. She then sat down for a few moments to relax. Then, she decided to run towards the Silver Woods. Then, through the woods, will be old base.

    She never actually really knew what lived in the woods. The last time she went through it, they didn't find anything. Only birds, berries, little critters. Although Opal did eat a squirrel and her majestic white fur turned red. Afterwards, their group ran away to the other side as fast as they can.

    Dusk looked up. The sky was darkening, the stars starting to be more visible. She was happy.

    She loved the stars.

    She remembered how Andromeda used to howl whenever the stars appear in the dark skies, Moona would gaze lovingly at them, and even the Chief would nod in approval of them.

    It's easy to be a star, everyone loves you, thought Dusk, walking slowly, gazing at the skies. She stopped and looked around.

    She was alone. Where is everyone? Where is the nightlife? She let out a soft howl as she walked ahead, but stopped short in case there were humans in the area, for there could barely be any other reason for the field to be so lonely.

    She sniffed, and sensed nothing foreign. Still, she kept quiet and tried to find anything that could be of the Silver Woods.

    Suddenly, she saw it. It's brilliant branches and leaves in the night sky. Dusk gasped, joy spreading through her. She's getting home. She's getting home.

    I'm getting home.

    She leaped towards the forest. She knew she was close! She suddenly crashed into something.

    She felt herself rising, something tight around her throat. She began to thrash around. She heard the noises of animals and she forced herself to look at her enemy.

    It was no animal. It was a brown tree-like creature, it's bark swirling with black. It growled as a voice cried, "It's got a wolf!"

    There were howling, and Dusk could remember one digging deep into her memories.

    Midnight?

Author's note: Yay. We all saw that coming.

So, yeah, we're coming to an end of Dusk's P.O.V., and, yeah. Close-up with one of the monsters Gamma told us.

It's a tree.