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.

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.