Chapter 16: Ambushed

    The woods was silent aside from the breathing of the three. Midnight's steady, quick steps allowed her to be much farther than the three. She was aware her last hours were coming to an end. She had to pass this woods, then the Silver Woods.

    Then, a day's walk to the pack again.

    Suddenly, Midnight saw a shadow beyond her path, and another shadow deepened across her briefly. An ambush rapidly started, shocking Midnight.

    Midnight looked at the timber wolves, then behind her. Hawk looked equally surprised, but he was outside of the timber wolf circle. "Run, Hawk!" Midnight cried.

    Hawk eyed the timber wolves. "I-"

    "I'll be okay," Midnight snarled, "take care of Sunrise!"

    Hawk turned away from the scene and fled.

    "Cowardly," laughed a she-wolf's voice.

    Midnight looked up, blue eyes flaming in anger. A beautiful, sleek timber wolf prodded towards her, nodding at the timber wolves. Her eyes were amber, and she had a visible scar running through her right eye and a short one on her lower jaw. Her fur was messy, but she was certainly beautiful. "Darite," she introduced in a sharp and brief way.

    The wolf Woods called for... remembered Midnight.

    "I've been waiting for days, for goodness's sake," Darite cried. She then smiled, "but, of course, the time has come."

    "What do you want?" asked Midnight grimly.

    Darite let a soft hah! escape her throat. "Me? What do I want?" she asked herself, almost in amusement. "What do you want?"

    Midnight almost laughed. "Me? What about... OUT OF THIS WOODS?"

    Darite sighed, "You wanted to cross our border."

    "It's not like I have a choice whether to or not," said Midnight, shrugging.

    "Well then, Woods want that our haven is safe from nasty intruders like you. You clearly had bruised Woods badly," said Darite smoothly, but sharp.

    Midnight rolled her eyes. "Well, who attacked first?" asked Midnight.

    "You did," said Darite, pointing at Midnight briefly with her muzzle. "Your attacked him."

    Midnight remembered Hawk's words. "Said the wolf who can lie," she hissed.

    "You trespassed," snapped Darite.

    Midnight hissed, "Accidentally."

    Darite hissed. "Let's finish Wood's fight- she-wolf to she-wolf."

    Midnight bared her fangs. "Let's."

    The ring of timber wolves back away. Darite slowly walked towards Midnight in a semi-circle, following the border of the timber-wolves, a ring. Midnight walked further away, also in a semi-circle. Midnight had a feeling Darite was not going to go easy.

    The timber wolf lunged, leaping high into the air before Midnight realised. She moved away, but Darite caught her tail, pinning her. Quickly, Darite snapped at Midnight's heels, and took hold of her left hind leg. Darite's fangs made contact to her once-injured leg's bones and Midnight howled. It had to be that leg.

    Midnight kicked her left hind feet, making Darite let go. Midnight quickly attempted a lick on her hind left leg and pounced on Darite, who snapped. Darite turned, but that only made things worse for her. Midnight grabbed her back and dug her claws to her side. Darite looked back and snapped at Midnight's paws, but Midnight remained grasping to her back.

    Darite tried to claw Midnight off, but the black wolf only let her fangs sink deeper into her hide, into her flesh, drawing blood. Midnight tried not to let go, even as much as she hated blood flowing out, especially into her mouth.

    She didn't like Darite even more.

    Darite's expression turned desperate. Darite finally lifted one of her hind leg and forcefully tore Midnight off with a few patches of fur. Darite looked at her coat, messy and matted with blood. She bared her fangs at Midnight, fallen on her side.

    Around the two, timber wolves started to bare their fangs too, angry at what they did to Darite. First Woods, then Darite. Darite's amber eyes looked weary, but they still had a fire of anger in them. As Midnight stood, spitting and coughing out fur and blood. Darite, in fury, lunged, scratching madly on Midnight's back, but Midnight easily shook the wolf off without getting seriously harmed.

    Darite was pushed towards the ring of timber wolves. One of them observed her. "How dare you hurt our vice-leader," one growled.

    Darite laid there.

    One of the wolves sniffed her. "She lost too much blood," said the wolf.

    All of them dipped their head in their loss. "May Darite be remembered..." the wolves chanted.

    Midnight saw the blood drying against her fur, some splattered on the now-red blades of grass. The timber wolves looked up, sorrow in their eyes, and looked at Midnight. "She's to blame- get her!" the crowd cried.

    Midnight couldn't run, there were timber wolves everywhere. She found a way, she stepped on one's muzzle and leaped away and ran to where she felt a tug of home. Of her haven.

    Woods want that our haven in safe...

    Zeta's face appeared again. Then Wisp's.

    Midnight blinked her eyes, near to tears. Suddenly, a timber wolf was before her, a shadow above her. She slashed the wolf with her claws against it's chest. She kept running. She had to find a way out.

    A wall of timber wolves. Midnight raked her claws wherever she could. She had to find her haven.

    Too much.

    Too much wolves.

    Midnight saw one, claws sharp, reaching for her throat.

    For once, Midnight was too overwhelmed to strike back.

Author's Note: Sorry for skipping a post last week. I hope this makes up for it. One week left of Hawk to live.

Chapter 15: Way Back Home

    Nearly noon, the sun beat down on them. Midnight spotted the stalks of corn. I can't go there in the bright light! she thought.

   Then, she spotted a white tail between the stalks of corn. "Spots, hello," she calmly said.

    "Kelly! How did you-"

    He turned and saw Midnight. "Oh, shh! I'm playing hide-and-seek with Kelly."

    "Are the Owens away?" asked Midnight.

    Spots thought for a moment. "They left to sell their veggies at the market, that smelly place!"

    Veggies? Market?

    "There's the typical guard, Mr. McWalesky may not even be guarding, though! Ha! He keeps sleeping in!" laughed Spots.

    "Wonderful!" cried Midnight. "I need to go through the farm, okay? Don't mind me."

    "Mind who?" asked a new voice.

    Kelly emerged, her blue eyes looking interested. "Oh, it's you, hello."

    "Who are these dogs?" asked Hawk.

    "Is that your little friend there?" asked Kelly. "A wolf and a fox."

    Midnight nodded impatiently. "I just need to get through, okay?"

    Spots nodded. "The field is your path."

    Soon, Midnight assigned Hawk to catch a rabbit or two. They've passed the cliff by sun down. One last day- tomorrow afternoon.

    Midnight dropped the rune stone down and ate her meal, sharing some with Sunrise. Hawk hungrily ate his. "You wouldn't believe how hard it was to find food around the ruins," he said when Midnight asked.

    An eagle's cry caught Midnight's attention. Overhead, a beautiful sight of an eagle flashed before her eyes. It's wings fully extended, gliding. Sunrise made a squeak.

    "Eagle," said Midnight in her wolf language, pointing at the eagle with her paw.

    Sunrise looked at the disappearing eagle and repeated it with the same wolf language.

    Midnight smiled. To Hawk, she said, "Hawk, I need to finish my journey before tomorrow afternoon comes, can you help me?"

    "If you promise to help me... yes..." said Hawk. "I need to avenge..."

    "If it includes killing no," said Midnight, "wounding, yes. I will not kill, Hawk. I will not."

    Hawk smiled. "Persistent, aren't you?"

    Midnight sighed. "Hawk, life's hard, and killing might bring one to their final peace, but not for the others. Who killed him? Why? Questions after death, unanswered."

    "H-hey, I've seen deaths, and when answers are answered, avenging is important," said Hawk.

    Midnight looked at Hawk fiercely. "Hawk, when we avenge, we do kill at times, and the dead will be avenged- again. There is no end."

    "Midnight," snapped Hawk. "There is no end to death either."

    Midnight sighed. Hawk was as stubborn as she was persistent. "Hawk, just, we'll take a quick rest, and, even if it's dangerous, we'll have to run past a forest, and there was a residing pack there days ago."

    Hawk's questioning eyes met Midnight's. "Hawk... I am to be chief. I need to replace my abusive father, the chief... I must!" she said. "Tomorrow is the last day for that chance."

    Midnight rested her paw on the rune stone. Hawk nodded stiffly. "Then can we avenge my parents?" he asked stiffly.

    Midnight nodded. "Of course, only if," said the wolf. "I don't promise."

    Hawk nodded, and finished his meal. Sunrise playfully tackled Midnight, and she felt a tinge of pain on her hind leg once more. When Sunrise grew tired, Midnight stood. "Let's go, Hawk," she said, walking ahead.

    I just need to walk this dirt road, Midnight thought. One path, but through all these in the past week...

    She remembered Smith, Woods and Martin. She didn't want to meet the again, no matter how kind.

    Hawk picked Sunrise up this time and accompanied Midnight down the sun completely faded from view, it's rays no longer reaching out for the clouds.

    Midnight began to jog, and Hawk kept up well, carrying Sunrise on his back. "There's a human camp somewhere here," recalled Midnight. They found it by midnight, and reach the woods at dawn. Midnight and Hawk were mostly silent, and looking at the forest, Midnight said, "Let's go."

Author's Note: If your character is in the story, comment once every two weeks. A0131, I'm giving you an extra chance until next two weeks for the comment or I have to think of a way to have Hawk disappear.

Nevertheless, I'm rather busy, so I hope you guys can tolerate with this short chapter. The next one would be more suspenseful.

Chapter 14: A Groupmate

    The wolf advanced once more.

    Midnight leaped ahead. "Out of here, Sunrise! Find somewhere safe!" said the she-wolf, pushing Sunrise away.

    The wolf snapped, "I won't ever find love again because of you!"

    "I was probably sleeping in my den when this happened! What is this?" asked Midnight, frustrated. "It's not like I ever annihilated someone, not even in the Hunting War."

    The wolf clawed, but Midnight managed to dodge. "Says a wolf who can lie," said the wolf.

    The wolf disappeared suddenly. "Oh yeah, I win, good," said Midnight sarcastically. She paced over to a stone once more, but her eyes caught on a dashing shadow. On the tree, she thought.

    No doubt going to pounce, and when it did, Midnight leaped into the air and countered him, unbalancing the wolf. He toppled over, crashed onto the walls of the ruins. A few rubble fell on him.

    Even though Midnight didn't want to, she walked towards him. "You okay?" she questioned.

    The wolf was panting. "Please... no more..."

    There was a small gash on his side. The wolf weakly sat up, failing to do so twice. "Please, spare me... forgive me..."

    Spare me, forgive me: the four words sounded pathetic of Midnight.

    A heavy gasp for air. "Please... tell me... would you like me to never ever see you again..."

    The wolf nodded before turning around to lick the gash. Midnight saw a few more gashes on the other side. Then, he breathed a stranger's name, "I remember... A...Alestria?"

    "Alestria?" echoed Midnight.

    There was a tenseful moment between the two. "You're not... her?" asked the wolf.

    "I'm Midnight," said Midnight.

    The wolf winced. "You both look iden... tical..."

    Midnight nudged the wolf up, but a small, shrill painful yelp filled Midnight's ears. "You both smell like... danger... the smell of soil churned underneath... your paws," he said softly. "That scent I cannot describe..."

    "What's your name?" Midnight started, a little frustrated the fight wasn't for her, she just wasted her time.

    "Ha... wk," said the wolf, panting a little lighter now.

    "Hawk, for a wolf," teased Midnight, then she added sarcastically, "I love it."

    "Shut it," snapped Hawk.

    Midnight did, but spoke some more. "I'm sorry of what happened to your parents."

    "The chief, Alestria's father..." whispered Hawk. "He sent... twelve wolves... killed my parents..."

    "They spared you?" asked Midnight, helping the wolf walk. "A little birdie?"

    Hawk winced at his first few steps. "I hid... in a tree. Hawks..."

    Midnight noticed small cuts on his paws. I shouldn't have aimed my attack towards the walls... Poor birdie got scratched by the stones, my fault.

    "Please, no more battle," said Hawk. "I need to train, and live, to avenge my... parents."

    Hawk could walk normally once more. "Will you help?" he asked.

    Midnight shrugged, then grabbed a rune stone. Through her teeth, she said, "Aif gott ah cwesh to dof."

    A small communication through growling, and Hawk understood. All they need was a growl. I got a quest to do.

    They walked towards Sunrise, hiding in a log. When she saw Hawk, she squirmed, but the black wolf showed her he's all good now by patting Midnight's neck. Midnight tilted her head, and Sunrise jumped onto her back.

    "Want me to help?" asked the wolf.

    "Noh messefarily," said Midnight. She walked ahead.

    Towards the path she had walked.

Author's Note: Hawk is A01315's character. Remember to comment at least once in two weeks to keep your character alive. Yeah, it's a little bit overkill of me to add some random stuff into his back story, it's OK, right?

Oh, happy Good Friday, all.